Circle of Life's Red Hand of Doom IC Thread

[TekHed]

"Not mention that we are assaulting a keep...such structures will be designed to hinder our advance at every turn. A distraction of some kind may be in order as well."

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

The bard is practically salivating at this point, but manages to keep his voice to a whisper. "Distractions? Flying? Making a foolish assault against insurmountable odds?" He rubs his hands together and takes a bow, saying "ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my world."

He traces a plan in the air with his finger, unaware that the others didn't see it unfolding before their eyes as easily as he did. "Our new hobfriends come in the front door, raising enough of a ruckus to keep the rank & file busy. I can strap on some wings and alight on the upper level of Koth's tower while the lawman takes another--Vaer, I suppose--in through our little instant door. That leaves the fourth of us. Auran, I trust you to hold your own in any situation, so your part of the act has the greatest flexibility. You can either accompany the hobs in the front gate if you've got the rocks for it, post as lookout outside the tower somewhere, or find a method of alternative entry--climbing or somesuch. We're in the keep, four flies in his ointment before he can even say ointment. Whaddaya think?"

[TekHed]

Auran frowned through his tendril-like "whiskers."

"I do not like being separated from the rest of you...I will not be able to protect your sister..."

He sighed heavily. "Though I am certain Magistrate Faien will be more than up to the task. While the thought of leading my enemies into battle is...distasteful would be putting it mildly; appalling is more apt....if it serves to weaken the enemies Keep I do not believe Bahamut will be opposed to our plan. I will do my best to deal with the minotaur. But...do you really believe these Hobgoblins will attack their own forces at my side? Should they be dissimulating, I will end up captured...perhaps immediately."

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Oh man...we're really going to split the party.

[Sallera]

"If we were to send Vaeri's new servants back to their master, it would not be as combatants; merely a returning patrol, met with misfortune along the way, to draw the eye away from us as we move out from behind the monoliths. Accompanying them would be counterproductive in such a case; they will not likely accept the idea of a turncoat easily without Vaeri's presence. If we are to take this keep without a pitched battle, we must eliminate Koth first, and let Vaeri attempt to gain command of the rest."

Faien frowns slightly, considering the problem. "Roni, if you can secure your own entrance, we may be able to combine the two. I can transport Auran to the bottom level, come back outside, and bring Vaeri to the top. This minimizes the time they have to prepare, gets everyone inside, and leaves me with a single short jump in reserve. If you're noticed while flying... hm, make a performance of it; use your blinding spells if necessary. You are, after all, the herald of our priestess."

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You really have a thing about that, eh? Past trauma?

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

"Even better," Roni whispers. "I thought our Instant Door was a one-time thing. The more folks we have to deal with this guy, the better. Should we wait until just before sunrise to strike for the cover of darkness, or strike in the hustle and bustle of the day to cover any sounds we make?"

[Fireheart]

Vaeri watches as the others make quick plans. She feels her shoulder relaxing as the tension she'd be holding releases. She was still pretty amazed that she'd been able to bluff as much as she had. Roni must be rubbing off on her.

She nods periodically as the others talk, making sure to send the occasional frown toward the hobgoblins, ensuring that they are still sitting and not causing trouble.

She nods. "Okay, so we send the locals back to shore up thier defenses. Send our new friends back with tales of woe. Faien brings Auran into the keep, then me while Roni makes an entrance, heralding my coming. We then deal with Koth. Do you want to try to bluff him to get information, or just go with the "You have dispeased our goddess" and kill him? And get information from what remains?"A part of her shudders at the dispassionate way she asked that question. But at her heart she knows that Koth's death is likely the only answer.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

Roni arches an eyebrow at his sister's options. "Ever hear Gozan's Twelfth Symphony, sis?" he asks Vaeri. "It starts off with a blazing fanfare, but then the brass pulls a diminuendo while the strings come in ever so faintly. Sends a chill up my spine every time. Point is, we're hitting him hard just by being there unexpectedly. We give him a chance to act, learn his natural inclinations, then react appropriately."

The younger Quickwing shoots Auran and Faien a look, hoping for their acceptance of his next words. "We use lethal force only if it's the sole option that will save Drellin's Ferry or ourselves, savvy?" As the others chime in, Roni pulls his sister to the side and mutters in an even lower voice in her ear:

@Vaeri and anyone with a decent Listen check:

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Draconic Speakers only:

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"Only pull out the 'Goddess' stuff on an as-needed basis, sis. Trust me, you start telling a lie long enough and you'll believe it yourself. You want to wind up like Dad?"

[Sallera]

Faien raises an eyebrow. "When engaging in a coup against the leader of an enemy faction, without any notable prior support within, nonlethal force is unlikely to be an option. We will certainly keep the option in mind, but remember that we will be in the heart of his power, with his forces all around. Don't hold out too much hope for a peaceful resolution."

"At any rate, in order to use the door, we must wait until at least an hour past dawn. Sunrise is a time of renewal; it is when the memories of the world are most readily available to be shaped."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri listens as Roni pulls her aside.

"No worries," she says (replying in Draconic). "Dad, I am not. I'm just channelling the dark Goddess today. Though I medidated on Lendys..huh...She would have been a better choice though for today. If I'd known...Anyway,I'll probably choose Hlal tomorrow, I suspect I'll need her blessing!"

Turning from her brother, she nods to Faien, "Very well. So we need to find a place to rest the night? Somewhere close but not to close, yes?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The captain, who has been listening to your conversation with half an ear while keeping an eye on your captives, nods to Vaeri. "Around here is good. Can't go back to town now, it'd be too far to go there and come back in the morning. Plenty of supplies for the night, and us Ferry folk know the area well enough to find a place. Don't trust the captives while we sleep, but there are enough of us to keep a good watch. You want to start looking for a place now, or see if we can't intercept the other hobs?"

[Sallera]

"It may be best to stay out of sight and let them pass. If Koth knows the situation in Drellin, he is slightly less likely to send out the manticore to scout. One missing patrol leaves the possibility of misfortune; two is almost certainly a foe. Even so, we would do well to find a camp less visible from the air, if possible."

[TekHed]

"Are you certain it would not be wise to at least send a couple of the scouts back to inform the village of what we have learned and to warn them to prepare for the incoming invasion?"

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

"Yeah, we need some messengers to beat feet, no need to come back come morning. The more the merrier, too, in case they catch up with that second patrol."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"All right. Zeke, Davis, back to town, double time," Soranna orders. "Watch for that other group. Give the Speaker an update, don't leave anything out, and make sure they're prepared come morning." The two of them stow their weapons and salute her before hustling off, looking torn between disappointment at not joining in the attack and relief at being able to spend the night safe in their beds.

"Bors, shelter. Baden, guard duty." Those two salute as well, and Bors starts scouting out good campsites while Baden keeps an eye on the captives. You get a bit more planning in while you wait for Bors to return, and soon enough he leads you to a nicely hidden site in the woods, bordered on all sides by fallen logs and shrubbery with a thick canopy above. The two woodsmen begin making camp while Soranna takes over guard duty.

The captain undoes enough of the hobgoblins' bindings to let them shuffle around and help with making camp, and they take the opportunity to gather plenty of fallen leaves and other underbrush to make "her Eminence's" bedroll more comfortable. Soranna shakes her head at the blatant brown-nosing but doesn't interfere. After that, Bors takes the first watch while everyone else settles down around the very small and not very smoky fire to chitchat before bed.

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You can continue planning here if you'd like, or you can plan in the OOC; either way, as soon as people are ready to move on we'll check for random encounters and timeskip to dawn.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri tries to hide a smile from the HobGoblins as they attempt to make her "nest" more comfortable. She continues to frown at them though whenever one catches her eye. She wants to keep them worried about her and less likely to change thier minds.

[TekHed]

Auran paced nervously about, eyeing the hobgoblins and fraught with worry about the missing Key. It was Soranna who finally admonished him to get some rest, arguing convincingly that he would do them no good were he not at full strength come the dawn, and that she and her men had the watch well in hand. Still unaccustomed to the messy chaos of dreaming, lacking the long time clarity and mental organization of the Reverie, Auran fell into a fitful sleep, filled with jumbled images of millennia gone by, of hell-fire and brimstone, and a platinum dragon calling him home.

[Sallera]

Faien is calm, almost content, this night. They had a strategy decided upon, and these hobgoblins - be they bandits or true soldiers - would soon find a meet end. The lack of control over Koth's potential actions irks him somewhat, but it is out of his hands, and all he can do is hope that he correctly judged the man's personality. And on top of all that, he was warming to his role in this grand power play. After so long spent as a student, and then the years he has been on the road, applying his knowledge, it is strangely satisfying to be a teacher himself.

He had little doubt that Vaeri had begun following Roni's path, but she had also shown that she had the will to be more than that - to take a proper place in things rather than skirting the edges of society, and wield her power in the establishment of order. The allure of command likely played a part, but if he could show her enough to convince her of her own potential, then perhaps this detour would have more value than just hunting down another country's malcontents while his own duties were neglected.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

As everyone beds down for the night, there's no need to worry about the captive hobgoblins--once Soranna ties them up again for security purposes, they decide that they have nothing better to do and promptly fall sound asleep, snoring irritatingly.

The rest of you have barely drifted off when you all feel someone shaking your shoulder. "There's something tramping around in the woods," Baden whispers to each of you, "and it sounds like it's getting closer. You'd better get ready while I wake the others up."

No sooner has everyone woken than the sound of snuffling and grunting can be heard from just outside your camp. A few crunches and snaps sound out as well, as whatever creature is out there stomps on the concealing underbrush surrounding you...no, wait, make that two creatures. At least two creatures. The sounds continue as the creatures slowly circle the camp, sniffing and snuffling and snorting as if trying to determine whether you all taste delicious. (Your captives, of course, sleep through the whole ordeal.)

Finally, two creatures stomp closer, right up to the fallen trees that form the camp's border. Their beady eyes glow in the firelight above an ugly, stubby snout, and they are vaguely humanoid and at least ten feet tall, but it's hard to make out any more details with the dim light and the shrubbery in the way. Bors and Baden peer out into the forest, trying to figure out what these creatures are. Soranna stands with weapon and shield at the ready. "Ready when you are," she says, not taking her eyes off the creatures. "How do you want to handle this?"

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Initiative
Vaeri: (1d20+3)[5]
Roni: (1d20+2)[9]
Auran: (1d20+0)[12]
Faien: (1d20-3)[0]
Soranna: (1d20+2)[15]
Militia: (1d20+1)[4]
Monsters: (1d20+2)[7]

Looks like it's Soranna, Auran, and Roni, then the monsters, then everyone else. Soranna readies an action to charge the first monster that tries to attack someone.

Knowledge (Nature)
Vaeri: (1d20+2)[4]
Roni: (1d20+5)[23]
Faien: (1d20+2)[14]
Bors: (1d20+6)[15]
Baden: (1d20+6)[19]

DC 21

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These creatures are mountain trolls, primitive giants who hunt with their keen night vision and senses of smell and are very difficult to kill without using fire.

Map--Round 1

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The blue rectangles are bedrolls (purely cosmetic), the orange/brown thing in the middle is your campfire, the brown things are the fallen trunks (grant cover, count as difficult terrain) and the green patches are undergrowth (being in it grants concealment against creatures not in the undergrowth).

[TekHed]

Auran was grateful his elvish armor was light enough to sleep in for the wood so near Darguun was dangerous indeed.

Rousing himself and taking up his longspear, the paladin reached out with his divine senses through the blackness of night.

"Whatever beats they be, they are of wicked intent, I can feel it. There may be more...maintain tight formation, wait for them to come closer..."

With a brief syllable of power, the Dragonborn's finely wrought spear began to glow with a soft radiance.

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Cast Light Orison on Spear.

Shield is worn on back just in case, with warstar handy.

Yay! A fight!

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

"Hell's bells," Roni mutters as he fights the sleep from his eyes, "what could possibly be important enough to wake--" As he begins to complain, his eyes gain focus and he spies the forms lurking around the camp. Even by the shape of their shadows, he can immediately tell what they are. "Mountain trolls." He curses under his breath and assents, "yeah, they're important enough."

Quick as a flash, Roni is up with his lute in his hands. He strums a few dissonant chords to wake those still slumbering and launches into a song.

Move action: pick up lute and stand.
Swift action: activate badge of valor
Standard action: Dragonfire Inspiration. All allies get +3d6 fire damage to any attacks.

"The mountain troll's a beast of old,
Consumed with carnivorous desire.
If you want to stay fresh and keep mosta your flesh,
Set the bastards on fire!"

Whether it's the lateness of the hour, the stress of the situation, or the oddity of the subject matter, it's clear that Roni's a far more gifted instrumentalist than lyricist.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri stays laying down as Baden wakes the others. Once Roni stands, she gets up as well, and steps beside him.

"What are they?" She asks softly still trying to see more of the creatures than their beady red eyes.

She readies a spell in her mind to cast at the first creature she can see.

OOC:

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Stand (move action), 5 step to beside Roni.

On her action, assuming the bad things attack, she'll cast Magic Missile at the first one she can see. Not a true readied action.

(3d4)[7]

[Sallera]

Without his armour, Faien makes a less imposing figure on the field of battle, and he is grateful for the buoyant cushioning of the shaped sandals upon his feet, lacking the brace worked into his greaves. With shield and sword held at the ready, he waits for the trolls to make their move.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The creatures that Roni has identified as mountain trolls continue to stand there for a tense moment growling and shuffling, before apparently deciding that, yes, you are all in fact delicious and they are in fact hungry. They let loose twin bellows and bombard the camp from both sides with loud noise and terrible breath as they stomp and crunch through the bushes and over the fallen tree trunks to get to you.

Auran's spear begins to glow with his prayer and everyone's weapons burst into flame that flickers in time with the cadence of Roni's recitation. The light throws the trolls' features into sharp relief, revealing their ugly crooked noses, their pale and lumpy gray-green hide, and their thick, corded muscles rippling under the skin.

The troll closest to Baden stalks forward faster than he can react. "No you don't!" Soranna shouts as she rushes forward to try to stop it. She stabs it in the midsection and leaves a long searing mark on its mottled hide, but she isn't able to stop it from wounding the woodsman: the troll slashes her in the side with its claw and pushes her away, then its massive fangs take a chunk out of his shoulder and lift him up like a dog playing with its favorite stick. "AAAAH!" Baden cries out in pain. "I HATE TROLLS!"

Meanwhile, the troll on the other side of the camp apparently decides that the big, shiny, scaled golden lizard-thing is more appetizing than the small, not-shiny scaled blue lizard-thing and lunges forward to chomp on Auran. Its fangs clang harmlessly off his breastplate and it growls angrily at being denied its meal.

Bors has his bow out and ready by this point, and he sends an arrow flying at the troll who attacked his fellow militiaman, but unfortunately his target ducks and the arrow skitters off its tough hide. Faien strides up next to Vaeri and Auran and strikes at their troll with his longsword as Vaeri casts her spell. Her spell launches a handful of energy bolts that strike a vulnerable area and the magistrate's blade slices shallowly into the same spot, but even as he withdraws his blade its wound begins to heal over. The angry troll retaliates with a swipe of its claws that leaves thin, painful red lines on Faien's sword arm.

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Troll vs. Baden
Bite: (1d20+12)[13]; Damage: (1d6+8)[13]
If the bite hits, the troll attempts to grapple: Troll (1d20+21)[41] vs. Baden (1d20+5)[16]

Soranna vs. Troll
Spear: (1d20+7)[14]; Damage: (2d6+3)[9] plus (3d6)[15] fire

Troll vs. Auran
Bite: (1d20+12)[14]; Damage: (1d6+8)[14]
If the bite hits, the troll attempts to grapple: Troll (1d20+21)[34] vs. Auran (1d20+7)[14]

Faien vs.Troll
Longsword: (1d20+7)[20]; Damage: (1d8+5)[6]

EDIT: Whoops, forgot to roll Bors's attack. I'll roll in the OOC.

Map--Round 2

[Fireheart]

Vaeri curses fluently in Draconic.

"Ya know anything that slows down that healing?" She asks Roni as she furiously backpedals away.

OOC:

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Move 15 ft back and to the right.

Casts Orb of Cold, lesser
Ranged Touch

(1d20+1)[9] (-4 for casting into melee)
(3d8)[16]

[TekHed]

Seeing how dangerous these creatures could be if they managed to land a blow, Auran opted for a more defensive stratagem. Dropping his long spear upon the ground, Auran readied his shield and summoned his warstar. Smashing the mace, now alight with fire, into his shield, golden sparks flew and his shield began to shine with Auran's aura of faith.

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Free action: Drop Spear
Move Action: Ready Shield
Free Action: Activate Least Crystal of Return.
Swift Action: Activate Divine Shield (2 rounds after this one).

I think that taking a move action to ready my shield precludes me from taking a 5 foot step, but let me know if I can still take one, and possibly standard action strike, or if I need to wait until next round...

[PairO'Dice Lost]

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Readying a shield doesn't involve moving from your space, so you can still take a 5-foot step and then take your standard action.

[TekHed]

Ducking under his shield in order to safely sidestep inside the giant creature's reach, Auran allowed his warstar to hang low, head down, then using his wings and tail to generate torque, swung the spiked ball into a vicious upper-cutting arc at the troll's groin, aiming to cripple it.

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Nut-Shot!

(1d20+13)[32] oh Snap! Dammit 1 pip away from a x3 crit.
(1d10+7)[16] bludgeoning AND piercing +(3d6)[11] fire

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

"Ya know anything that slows down that healing?" She asks Roni as she furiously backpedals away.

"Yeah, sis," Roni stops his song to say with a roll of his eyes. "FIRE. Like so," he says as he draws his longsword. The young spellscale steps in between Faien and Auran and brings his blade to bear against the closest troll. The weapon hisses as its flaming metal cuts into the creature's flesh.

Move action: move to stand between Faien and Auran
Standard action: Attack Troll - (1d20+10)[24] for Damage - (1d8+3)[7] and Fire Damage - (3d6)[15]

Used Inspiration Point 1/2 for the encounter to boost the attack roll.

[Fireheart]

"Fire. Really?" Vaeri grumbles as she looks into her component pouch. Still shaking her head, she looks back up at the trolls and fires a string of magic missiles at them. "This will have to do."

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OOC:

On her action.

Target the troll closest to her/Roni. Magic Missile.

(3d4+3)[9]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The troll nearest Auran and Roni collapses under their blows, howling in pain as its charred skin struggles to knit itself back together. A moment later it begins to rise, but it falls still once more as Vaeri's magical darts thud into its head and put it back down.

On the other side of the camp, Soranna and Bors are doing their best to save their friend. "Drop him!" the captain shouts angrily as she thrusts her spear at the troll holding Baden, and this troll, too, howls in pain at the fire scarring its skin.

The troll, deciding that discretion is the better part of valor and having already gotten its tasty morsel, turns and retreats through the trees and out of sight, clawing at his meal's armor to get to the tender, juicy flesh beneath as it does so. The troll makes it behind the logs and branches before Bors can draw a bead on it, and though Faien hustles closer there's no way he can reach them in time through the thick undergrowth.

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Soranna vs. Troll
Spear: (1d20+7)[15]; Damage: (2d6+3)[12] plus (3d6)[6] fire

Troll vs. Baden
Claw: (1d20+12)[24]; Damage: (1d6+4)[7]
Claw: (1d20+12)[29]; Damage: (1d6+4)[5]
If both hit, Baden takes an extra (2d6+9)[14] rend damage.

Baden screams in pain as the troll has its way with him: "Help! Anyone! I...T-tell my wife I loAAARGH!" Bors drops his bow and buries his face in his hands as disgusting slurping noises follow Baden's last words, while Soranna has murder in her eyes. "You won't get away with that, you bastard!" she cries as she prepares to run after it.

Map--Round 3