From Across the Multiverse to Barovia: Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (IC)

[Jeff the Green]

Though August's cold fire and tendrils of darkness lick at the oni, they seem not to affect it. It snarls contemptuously and almost seems to smirk at him. It still seems to be adjusting to Barovia in much the same way Komori is, but it steps away from her with surprising grace. It then turns to the horse and lashes one flaming tongue at its front leg. It hits and the horse whinnies with pain as the oni's flaming saliva burns at its hocks, but it steps out of the way before the oni can wrap around it.

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Ashlyn: Double Move to I10
W: Full attack O:

Hoof 1

Attack (1d20+6)[7]
Damage (1d6+4)[6]

Hoof 2

Attack (1d20+6)[10]
Damage (1d6+4)[10]

Bite

Attack (1d20+1)[9]
Damage (1d4+2)[6]

O: 5-foot step to S10, Standard Action attack W (tongue)

Attack [in OOC]
Damage (1d6)[4] fire plus 1 fire/round.
Improved Grab [in OOC] failure.

[Sallera]

"The hunt it is, then." Drawing his bow as he moves around the corner, August takes but a moment to sight before loosing a two-pronged arrow at the beast. "Let it stand there as long as it likes, so long as our new friend stands not with it."

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Move to K11, drawing bow.
Attack: (1d20+5)[18]
Damage: (1d8)[7] (both piercing and slashing for these arrows, so we should be fine)

[Mahrke]

Another fight to be had...so be it. The aging human wrenches the river of time from its natural flow once again, granting his companions the speed to strike their foe down swiftly.

"Haste!" Comes his fierce whisper, accompanied by a sudden wincing, an unsteadiness on his feet, even as his power comes to life, slowing the world down for his warrior allies.

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Standard Action: Haste

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Cost: 6 pp
Augments: Enhance, Mass x3
Targets: Aswin, Arya, Triss, Drifa
Effect: The targets gain a +1 bonus to AC, Reflex saves, and attack; a +30 enhancement bonus to land speed; and an extra attack on a full attack action. Lasts 6 rounds.

[candycorn]

Komori shakes her head, finally clear of the haze that was slowing her mind and her actions... Still, working with minions of Daigotsu... It left a rather foul taste in her mouth. It couldn't be helped, she supposed. There would be no shortage of enemies to slay today. It seems she was fated to die this day. So be it. There were worse deaths to be had. Thank the kami she didn't live to see her end in a bed. She may as well bring down a demon before she did.

"Oni! If I haven't seen your wretched face at the Wall, then I doubt you've seen mine. I am Kuni Komori, of the Crab clan. If you've the brains to face a warrior, rather than gorge yourself on horseflesh, then come, and test the heart of the Crab!"

With that, the light woman hops to her feet, using the horse as cover, and moves towards the new warriors.

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Stand. Horse provides soft cover, so no AoO, even if it has reach.
Move from Q8 to N8.

[TheFallenOne]

Aswin stepped back and climbed into Drifa's saddle, directing the wolf forward at the battle of a foe he couldn't see yet. He broke into a bolstering song, invigorating his allies' strength in battle.

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Set Ravenfeather Cloak resistance to cold.
Step back, mount, ride to M10/N11, Inspire Courage

[Jeff the Green]

The oni laughs, a chuckle reminiscent of a burning building. "Little crabling," it replies to Komori, "you have a far higher opinion of yourself than is warranted. I see your wakizashi; in this realm of flesh it is not holy jade, and you are no warrior. You are a petty caster of spells, unworthy of the katana you hang on your wall and dare not carry lest you be challenged to duels. I will make maki from your body and well soured rice, little crabling, when I am well and ready."

T'riss reaches the fallen wall and lines up the oni in her crossbow sights. It hits, but is deflected by the creature's metalic hide the same as August's arrow. The horse that Komori summoned had more luck; it strikes true with its hoof. Unfortunately the oni's hide seems to absorb the blow, rendering it harmless.

Ashlyn turns the corner last, but before the Oni is able to react. She grits her teeth and draws her sword before adding to Komori's challenge. "Avaunt, demon, or face warriors in battle! Thou art, methinks, not born of this world, but thou wilt die here."

Apparently in response, the oni turns away from the horse, whose skin still burns with the fiery saliva, and moves toward you with unnatural agility. A wave of dread and fear washes over you at its approach. When it attacks, it stretches its horrible claws not toward the ones who challenged it, but at Drifa.

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T'riss: Move to M9, attack O (crossbow):

Attack (1d20+10)[17]
Damage (1d4+2)[3] plus (2d6)[11] skirmish

Arya: Double move to O8
Ashlyn: Double Move to N9
W: Full attack O:

Hoof 1

Attack (1d20+6)[8]
Damage (1d6+4)[10]

Hoof 2

Attack (1d20+6)[21]
Damage (1d6+4)[10]

Bite

Attack (1d20+1)[4]
Damage (1d4+2)[6]

O: Move to P10, Standard Action attack Drifa (claw)

Attack (1d20+14)[16]
Damage (1d6+5)[10]

[Sallera]

August draws back half a step, lowering his bow. "Little affects this one, it seems," he murmurs, pressing a dent into the ball of his thumb as he clutches the raven. His tricks, enhanced though they were by the nature of this world, were worse than useless against this demon, which walked freely through the mist as though it were not there at all, while it continued to block the movement of his companions. Waving his hand with a sharp motion, he forces his mind to stop maintaining its belief in the trick's temporary reality, and the mist becomes mist alone once more.

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Move to O10, Flesh Fails.
Defensive casting, DC17: (1d20+7)[19]
Touch: (1d20+2)[21]
Damage: 4 Strength, no save
Spell resistance: (1d20+6)[16]

Dismiss Clinging Darkness.

[candycorn]

Komori shakes her head, smiling slightly... The edge was hers. The oni mistook her faith for fear, her words for the empty boasting of a thick-skulled brute, covering her fear...

Fear is one thing this spawn will not find in my heart. I may still bear desire, and I may have regrets... But fear is not a sin I have.

She continues her movement, as her words ring out above the battle... "Would that all oni waited to attack until they were as well and ready as you, brute! The wall would never be tested, and the Crab would have no need to protect the weaklings from your taint!"

She then continues her magic assault, using the spells that she knew had a chance to penetrate an oni's resistance to the kami. In moments, a sparkling field of lights manifests behind it, spreading out to envelop it, clinging to its form.

Mechanics/OOC:

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Cast Glitterdust, originating at Q11/R12 intersection. Covers P10, P11, Q9, Q10, Q11, R9, R10, R11, S10, S11.

SR does not protect versus Glitterdust.
Will save, DC 18, Negates Blinding (6 round duration). Also, -40 to hide, no save (6 round duration). W and O are currently in its area.

Move: to L10.

[Mahrke]

Isaac should've been frightened. He should've been hesitant...but all this was familiar; the visions that had haunted him of this exact moment, though they disturbed his sleep, had prepared him. He knew what needed to be done.

He wipes a hand in front of him, angled toward the creature. Until now, Isaac had altered the flow so that his companions could move faster; now he inverts that trick with a single, patient word and a subtle wince.

"Slow..."

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Standard Action: Slow

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Cost: 3 pp, Psionic Focus
Augments: Enhance, Greater Psionic Endowment
Target: Akuma No Oni
Effect: The target is staggered, has their speed halved, and takes a -1 to attack, AC, and reflex saves for 6 rounds (DC 22 Will negates).

Move Action: Regain Psionic Focus.
Free Action: Prescience Die use for the SR check.

Buff Tracker 9000: Haste 5 rounds.

[TheFallenOne]

Drifa and Aswin pressed forward through the rubble, showing no hesitation at entering the blue flames. He reached for his hammer and pointed it at the demon in challenge, then, when the short distance was covered, he brought it down in a wide arc, the hammerhead trailing lightning and impacting with a mighty thunderclap.

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Ride to N10/O11

Reflex Aswin (1d20+6)[16] Resistance 5
Reflex Drifa (1d20+9)[17]

Smite, PA 3 attack - (1d20+16)[23] damage - (2d6+16)[21] Trip - (1d20+14)[21]

Bite - (1d20+16)[35] damage - (1d8+13)[15] Trip - (1d20+12)[26]

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Arya darted in, again her feline reflexes heightened by Isaac's magic. Her blade glowed alternately with fire and a killing light, as she tore into the beast ebfore her. "Fell creature, I cast you back!" She exclaimed, memories returning of the plague of outsiders who had assailed her home that last time.

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5ft step to P9. Full attack
(1d20+10)[29] (4 points in power attack)
Damage: (2d6+14)[20]
Fire: (1d6)[5]

(1d20+10)[28] (4 points in power attack)
Damage: (2d6+14)[23]
Fire: (1d6)[6]

[Fireheart]

Aided by Isaac's spell, T'riss drops her crossbow and pulls her rapier. Twisting and leaping through the debris, she runs past the creature before turning to attack it.

"Light upon you, creature of darkness. Return to whatever realm you call home and trouble this land no more!"

OOC

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Okay, i think I can do this. (current movement is 60) Even at half-speed, I think I can get there.

Moving to the remaining open space, drawing rapier as part of move action (AC 18 if the Oni uses an AAO). (That should still leave room for others to move in an attack.)

(1d20+9)[19]
(3d6)[9] skirmish, dagger

If by some chance, Oni's count as Aberrations, addition +2 Dmg

[Jeff the Green]

Cast defensively DC 18: (1d20+16)[34]

[Jeff the Green]

August's spell dissipates harmlessly around the oni's body, but as T'riss's, Arya's, Drifa's, and Aswin's attacks strike it its eyes widen in shock and pain. Hissing slightly, it touches the tattered armor about its waist and tendrils of darkness stretch out through the mist, concealing it and everything around you from your sight.

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Ashlyn: Move to Q8
W: Nothing
O: Deeper Darkness SLA, casting defensively, on its haidate (20% miss chance)

[TheFallenOne]

"Your tricks won't help you demon! Nothing escapes the sight of Odin, and nothing withstands the strength of Thor." Aswin struck at the demon with unerring accuracy, the power of Asgard he called upon guiding his hand.

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still prone it seems?

PA 6
(1d20+13)[16] (2d6+19)[28] Seeking Smite, ignores miss chance
(1d20+13)[31] (2d6+19)[21] Seeking Smite, ignores miss chance
(1d20+5)[20] (2d6+13)[20] Concealment - (1d100)[69]

(1d20+15)[33] (1d8+13)[18] Concealment - (1d100)[67]
(1d20+15)[28] (1d8+13)[21] Concealment - (1d100)[51]

[Sallera]

With a smile, August tightens his grip on the longbow, and the demon's summoned shadows roll back from it like the receding tide. "Nor are they very reliable, it seems."

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Well, with rolls like that, this'll probably be completely unnecessary, but if the oni is still alive, August will use Daylight on his bow.

[candycorn]

Komori sees the oni's strength faltering, wondering if she chose the wrong side to weaken...

These humans are here in the realms tainted by Jigoku, so they must be tainted... But they do not speak like bloodspeakers, nor like maho tsukai. They don't have the mannerisms of servants of Daigotsu, either... Come to think of it, they don't have the look, either. They appear to be gaijin, now that I am closer. How far have I gone within these lands? Do they border another empire? Are these gaijin scouts of another empire? Are they led by the one called Odin? He is quite boastful of his wolf, Thor. Perhaps it is their way to call upon their own names in battle... A bit prideful, though, given the circumstance. A formal duel is one thing... But in a pitched battle against the emissaries of Jigoku? Their customs... Quite strange.

Cautiously, Komori moves away from the group, in case their intentions are less than honorable. She knew she was less than stealthy, but she had to give it a try. If their scouts weren't particularly experienced, she had, at least, a chance to assess their motives.

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Double move to M7, then continue to O-7 (moving at under half speed).

Hide: (1d20)[4]

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Her eyes bright in the darkness, Arya continued to fall upon the Oni, flaming blade tearing strips from its arcane hide.

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(1d20+10)[22] (4 in power attack) concelament (1d100)[97]
(2d6+13)[17] +1 to damage
(1d6)[4] (fire)

(1d20+10)[14] (4 in power attack) concelament (1d100)[8]
(2d6+13)[19] +1 to damage
(1d6)[6] (fire)

[Fireheart]

T'riss laughs.

"Darkness! You use Darkness against a child of Lloth! Foolish creature, I was born in darkness, raised to fight in it."

Even though she doesn't have as much mobility, T'riss continues to press the attack.

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OOC:
I realize that it doesn't really effect her rolls but I figure T'riss being drow would be used to fighting in the dark. :)

(1d20+9)[25]
(1d6+1)[7]
(1d100)[63] (miss chance)

Hasted attack (?)
(1d20+9)[18]
(1d6+1)[2]
(1d100)[21] (miss chance)

[Sallera]

"Beware the houses, friend," August calls as the newcomer attempts to take cover inside the damaged building. "The shades of the dead abound in this place, and pale though the light of day may be in this mist, they still seek to avoid it."

[Mahrke]

Isaac stumbles back, out of the darkness, tripping and landing with a solid thump outside of the far edge of the spell. He quickly scrabbles to his feet, looking around with a frown; he could only hope his allies had this under control.

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Free Action: 5' step to J12

[Jeff the Green]

The Oni suffers dreadfully under your blows and lies nearly beaten, one antler shorn from its head by Arya's blade while its arm lies useless, crushed by Aswin's mighty strikes. In an act seemingly born of desperation it raises its good hand and points to the sky. Clouds of hideous black smog billow from its outstretched finger, swirling and forming the shapes of wraiths and skulls. Revulsion and horror rise in your throats as the clouds seep through you, and the Oni collapses, exhausted.

Taking advantage of her positioning and the oni's near-incapacitation, Ashlyn dashes towards it, driving her sword through its throat. It thrashes about in its death throes and then lies still. The palatine wipes her sword on the Oni's armored skirt and returns it to her scabbard. "I have not seen the likes of this demon before, and I would not fain do so again." A small smile dances on her lips. "Still, Sir Aswin and Lady Arya, you handled it admirably. I think this town is doubly in your debt."

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O: SLA cloud of taint, casting defensively, at L8/M9 junction (hits everyone).

(5d8)[24] damage, (2d3)[5] corruption (taint), and sicken. DC 20 Fortitude save halves the damage and negates sicken and corruption. If you have a corruption score (I don't think anyone does) you reduce the damage by half in addition to the half you might reduce it by with a successful save, and do not become sickened, but you gain 1 corruption, no save.

You literally left it with 4 HP, so I'm just giving Ashlyn an automatic hit to speed things up.

[Mahrke]

As the fog of battle clears, the aged scholar does not find himself in a good position. He trembles, back against the nearby building, on the ground, letting out hacking coughs against his white sleeve that leave the cloth stained with sanguine hue. Any attempts to speak only overwhelm him with another fit of bloody coughs: Isaac looks to be in a perilous state.

[candycorn]

Knowing that her attempt to hide has failed, Komori takes a moment to weave a quick prayer of recovery from the oni's blast of corruption. She knows that the taint didn't take hold within her body; it never did. Nonetheless, Jigoku's energy can rend even what it cannot befoul, and it left her more hurt than she liked. More than she needed, were she to need to continue fighting. Water flows from the worst of her wounds, leaving unblemished skin where it flows, radiating outward until no trace of the injury remained... Following that, she steps out, looking at the wounded warriors, taking their measure... The injuries that the oni visited upon them may be a boon in disguise, should she need to fight these warriors.

Komori draws her blade, holding it defensively before her, back against the wall. Her eyes dart from one figure to another, not unlike a cornered animal. When she speaks, her voice has none of the boastfulness that it had when she challenged the oni, but neither does it have fear.

"Who are you, and what is your business this deep within the lands that Jigoku has cursed?"

OOC:

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Cure Serious Wounds on myself.

(3d8+6)[27]

[Sallera]

"Faugh! That certainly leaves a bad taste in your mouth." August lets out a deep breath; he didn't feel damaged so much as... fragile, as though equal parts of his substance had been stripped away and replaced by the void-that-was-not. It was not a comfortable thought, and he turns to the newcomer instead, showing no concern at her drawn blade.

"I am called August, and my companions are T'rissaste, Aswin, Ashlyn, Isaac, and Arya," he says, slinging the bow over his shoulder, although its light continues to push back the shadows clinging to the fallen demon. "At the moment, our quest is to discover the source of this town's curse, for the shades of the dead sit most unquietly here. This Jigoku you speak of could be useful in that, although no one here has mentioned the name; is she a witch from your hometown?"

[candycorn]

Komori's jaw drops... Am I really supposed to believe that ANYONE can venture into the Shadowlands without knowing from whence the taint came? Regardless, I chose my words poorly. These people seem to think a single name is sufficient for telling who a man is. Either that, or they seek to deceive me. I must me more specific, I suppose.

She doesn't lower her blade, or move from the wall, but she does respond, guardedly. "I am Kuni Komori, Shugenja of the Crab Clan. The Kuni family is tasked with speaking to the Kami, and enlisting their aid in standing against the corruption of the Shadowlands. Jigoku is no mere 'witch'. It is the place that the oni come from, the source of the corruption and perversion that twists the land and those who live within it. It is another realm, as far below as Lord Sun is above.

If I may ask... How exactly did you come to be this deep within the Shadowlands? From whence does your magic come? Why do you struggle against the unhallowed denizens that haunt this town? Who does this town swear fealty to?" It seems as if Komori would have kept asking questions, had she not ran out of breath, as it is obvious that her thoughts are running in a half dozen directions. Nonetheless, she pauses to catch her breath again, affording the opportunity for another to reply.

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Arya wavered, bile rising in her throat. "The dead walk here, but the source is yet unclear. We were brought here by those clouds, just as you. Either some gateway we each stumbled across, or a summons for us particularly, again I do not know."
Arya railed against the idea that they would need a reason to fight these monsters: "We fight because that is the noble cause: to protect thsoe who cannot protect themselves, and seek to prove our valour against the shadow's most heinous spawn. That is reason enough for me."

[Fireheart]

T'riss wipes her rapier clean and replaces the blade carefully in the sheath. Gingerly picking her way through the rubble, she retrieves her small crossbow and places it on her back.

As she spots Isaac struggling, she rushes toward him.

"Isaac," she says, reaching a hand toward him, "Are you okay? You look horrible. We should get you back."

She glances over at the others who are speaking with the stranger who appeared amongst the midst. Heyla, Aswin, Isaac looks pretty awful, do you think he could ride Drifa back to the center of town?"

[Sallera]

"Indeed, whether by chance or design, we each stumbled into the woods, and we were called to this town by a fateful encounter with a messenger. Isaac seems to understand the ways of this mist somewhat; it does not always behave as I expect. However..." Following T'riss's voice, he turns a hand helplessly. "This battle seems to have taken something out of him. Perhaps he can explain for you after he has rested."

"My own power is a little difficult to explain, for this realm suits it poorly. In its proper form... I seek the balance, the edge between light and dark that one can approach but never reach. It is the space between spaces, the gap between moments, where nothing exists and yet there is endless possibility. From there, if one gets close enough, one can draw a little of that possibility into the world, and pretend it is real long enough for it to have an effect. But here..." August shudders. "The void is not empty. There is something there, and yet I can still manipulate its potential; far more than I could before, in truth. It is truly a twisted realm."

"Ah, but your other questions are much simpler." August appears to brighten considerably as his thoughts turn back to his quest. "We fight these creatures simply because that is the quest that called us here. We each have our own objectives, but for now, we seek to understand what we must do. This town pays fealty to one they call Lord Strahd, but I know little of him save that he is apparently capricious and ill-liked."

"Now, we are fairly sure so far that this town's curse bears a source nearby, for it is recent, and we have met one whom I suspect was initially responsible, although he is now dead. So perhaps your Jigoku is not the cause, or perhaps he communed with it in some fashion... these notes we collected - " August glances around, finding where he'd dropped the pile of paper and tucking it under his arm again " - may answer that. What are the Kami? If there are further allies to call upon in the area, I'm sure the townsfolk would not complain of a few more defenders."

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Hey, finally someone else who knows of the void. Although I can see August's explanation going rapidly downhill.

[TheFallenOne]

"What you call the Shadowlands is what I thought to be Valhalla. Hall of Odin the All-Father, Changer of Battle and ruler of Asgard, where the heroes fallen in battle prepare for the final days when Gjallarhorn will sound. Words I am sure are unfamiliar to you, for this is neither your realm nor mine. We are all strangers in a strange land." The viking dismounted from his huge snowwhite wolf and shouldered his hammer. "But no matter what this place is, some truths hold true everywhere. Demons are the enemy of man, and the innocent calling for help against a threat they can't overcome themselves deserve protection. If your heart is true, Kuni of the Clan of the Crab, sheath your weapon and join us on our journey to a nearby resting place. Tales are best exchanged over good drink and a warm fire."
Aswin attached his hammer to his belt again and channeled some positive energy into the professor to ease his pain from the demon's touch. "Yes, take Drifa Elder, I can walk the rest."

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my remaining 12 Lay on Hands