Tide of Evil Rising (IC)

[Menteith]

I am confidant enough in my own personal gear. It's been with me for years, and so far, I'm still alive.

[Void]

Olaf looks up from the maps he has been diligently studding. A smirk on his face and a daring glace, ”If you have a mildly skilled wizard and your challenged on a night with a fog or cloud ask them to learn ‘Fog of Wind’. My crew in the past has found this ability or spell to be great advantage on the sea and in our last fight it would have saved more than one life. Aside from that I ask if you have a copy of each of these maps I ask to take one and a solid resting spot for the night would give advantage to us all.” He then looks down to the map in hand and continues his memorization.

[DrK]

Jorvic nods and points out a spot.

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are you guys ready to go?

[Toliudar]

Silene and Polk seem contented with what they have with them. Polk does, however, lever himself up halfway onto the table to stare at the maps.

"Oh, I see. This is a relatively haphazard effort to simulate the view from above, together with an artistic emphasis on those elements of geography that you and your people have added to the scenery - roads, buildings and suchlike. Which explains why that cart track, virtually invisible at a height of several hundred feet, is so prominently marked. You know, given the short lives of, erm, us, having these kind of reminders is actually a pretty efficient way to transfer visual memory from one to another. Especially since it seems unlikely that many of you would have actually seen what the ground looks like from up there, so there would have been a lot of guesswork in this as well. It would make sense then to make use of this collation of information on our travels. Silene, draw a copy of this, please."

Silene's mouth opens and closes a few times as she tries to come up with a suitable rejoinder, and simply turns to one of the servants.

"Is there any way that we could get a copy of these maps?"

[DrK]

Lord Jorvik issues a few curt insructions and a copy of the North Moors are soon provided to the party and as they eat trenchers of heavy meaty stew washed down with large amount of water - wine or mead.

Beds are provided within the high stone walls of the keep so that an early strat can be made in the morning. The 30 or so miles a very long walk for a day or requiring astopping point half way there.

The day is warm and with an Autumnal wind bringing the smells of the city and surrounding farms across the courtyard as some of the men-at-arms and minor Lordlings wave or nod respsectfully sa the party troops out.

Walking through York's streets however is a different affair as the busy streets are filled with cheering and roaring peseantry as word of your departure spreads and word of your antics the previous evening in dispelling the death spread with them. Wherever you walk the faces lft slightly and the people dressed in their Temple best as they bury the dead. The smokey incesne of funeral oils and the mournfl tolling bells on Morrigans Temple a counterpoint to the cheers.

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Right -

Anyone want to do anything / buy anything/ say anything before you leave town and head North?

[DrK]

The miles roll beneath your feet as you all trudge northwards. All except Silene who is soon aloft on the dragon Polk - the transformation sudden and intense with the strong smell of spice as the change happens when you are far enough from the city to be away from prying eyes.

As you head North towards the moors you can see signs of "evildoing" as burned out farms and empty villages begin to get clser together. As you push on some 16 miles North of York Polk and Silene see the tell tale signs of fresh smoke some 1 mile distant and the dragon's sensetive ears can just pick out the screams of human and the braying of beasts!!

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Smoke over a hill some 4500ft (~1 mile away)
If you are sticking as a group then say what prep spells you are casting. If not as a group then we will muddle through

[Void]

Olaf quickens his pace but does not have intent to heavily out distance the party.

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Spell effect of Blink

[OMG PONIES]

Michelle once again shifts her shape, leaving the soldiers with them aghast. "You fight your way, I fight mine..." she rasps in her new voice.

OOC: using change shape to assume the Dark Creeper form from the first battle.

[Toliudar]

Having swooped down to warn the others, Silene and Polk take to the air again.

"We will try to get a better look and let you know what is going on."

As they rise into the air again, Silene uses what simple protections she has to shield Polk from harm.

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Silene casts Golden Barding on Polk, and gets out her bow.

Polk rises back up to 400', and dashes over to try to get a closer look at what was causing the smoke and screaming. If you can 'run' while flying, it'll take her about 30 seconds. Otherwise, about a minute.

[Chambers]

Saerny

"Aye, do that. I've got my own surprise to ready." Saerny says, watching the smoke rise over the hill. The halfling pulls out a jar of loam and dips two fingers into it, spreading the dark green paint across his face in quick stripes. He pauses to look at Michelle's changed form and offers her the jar. "Mind a touch up, dear?"

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Casting Mass Surefooted Stride. For 9 minutes all allies can move through difficult terrain at full speed and may charge and tumble through such terrain. Also, +2 competence bonus on Climb checks. Whee.

Otherwise, draw bow, knock a few arrows and hustle onward.

Prior to moving out for the day Saerny would have cast Forestfold, choosing the appropiate terrain they're moving through. It grants him a +10 competence bonus on Hide and Move Silently within that terrain and lasts for 9 hours.

[Menteith]

Mailoc nods to the dragon and his rider, and prepares himself. Murmuring a series of protective prayers as he moves, he draws his weapon and increases his speed.

OOC

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Cast Mass Conviction while Polk and Silene are in range, granting the group a +3 Moral Bonus on all saves for 70 minutes. Casts Longstrider (domain spell) on himself, increasing his movement speed for 7 hours. Casts Divine Insight on self, allowing him to spend an immediate action to gain a +12 insight bonus on a single skill check within the next seven hours.

Mailoc will also offer a protective blessing to anyone who wants it - if you want Shield Other, call it out! Right now, I'm assuming that only Kurn is getting one.

Draws and readies weapon, and moves toward the conflict, placing himself ahead of the rest of the group if possible.

[DrK]

As Polk screams over the land with Silene aboard the farm screams into focus and the massive 12ft tall bestial creatures that are hacking the famers into tiny pieces.



The screams have faded by the time she and the dragon are hovering above the 5 massive beasts. 4 with massive axes or swords and powerful looking bows slung on their back, one with a twisted long black quarter staff. The deaths have ended and the feeding has begun. The beast creatures of the underworld cramming chunks of farmer into their mouth raw...

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There is a burning farm and in the courtyard 5 of these "big uns" eating the family. ~200ft of open pasture surround the building. Before that the party will be approaching up narrow stream bed before they pop up from cover.

[Toliudar]

Polk turns and zips back they way they came, visibly shaken by the strange sights. She comes to hover about 10' in front of the group.

"And then one of the bull-men snapped off the farmer's head and started to drink out of the hole."

Silene managed to remain a bit more composed, but the young halfling woman was clearly also distressed at the sight.

"There are five of them. Equal parts bull, man and your worst nightmare, currently feeding. You can probably get cover in a dried stream bed, and that'll get you to a pasture, about 200' from the house. We need to act quickly - who knows how long before they get hungry again?"

[Menteith]

We'd best move then. If possible, try and keep one of them alive - but only if we can do it safely. Is everyone ready?

Barring any objections, Mailoc will move up the streambed as close as possible, and wait for everyone to get into positions.

OOC

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Add a Shield of Faith (+3 deflection bonus to AC) and a Divine Favor (+2 luck bonus to Hit/Damage) to Mailoc's buffs, after learning more about the creatures.

[Togo]

Kurn mutters to himself. Trying to keep his voice low.

Ying-yi, Yang-ya, go wide until I call. Elspeth you stick to me, Serpentooth, you're with the big lizard... Hey Polk?

He shuffles over towards Silene and her winged mount, and lays a hand briefly but unselfconsciously on Polk's gleaming flank.

He pulls down his yellowish goggles and looks around at the rest of the group. His skin is turning a thick, rough and mottled tan. He pulls out a bunch of grapes and pops a few into his mouth.

Ready ... uh... anyone else want some? You should really, they're good for you.

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Casting Barskin on myself, and Greater Magic Fang on Polk. Happy to cast more if anyone else wants them.

Anyone eating Kurn's grapes gets the effects of Heroes Feast, which are +1 morale bonus to hit and to will saves, immunity to fear and poison, and [roll]d8+6[/roll] temporary hit points. It also cures any diseases you might have, and settles your stomach. There's enough for everyone.

[Toliudar]

Polk starts to step back from Kurn's touch, but instead leans into it, curious. When he draws back, she raises a foreleg and examines it.

"Ah. Clever! Even better than the ones Mother makes."

She does look somewhat curiously around for any sign of Ying-yi, Yang-ya, Elspeth and Serpentooth.

Silene simply nods, and tests the pull on her bow.

"this way."

Staying low to the ground, Polk guides the others into the rut of the creek bed.

[Void]

Olaf accepts Kurns offer and eats the berry. He swiftly makes way to the creek bed with the others and suggests, ”Although they have bows, by the looks of them the majority would like to clear a gap if we attacked from range. Perhaps we take advantage of our position by shooting the staff holder down at range and let the others close the gap to us. Once they arrive me and Mailoc can hold the line for the archers an casters to finish him off and assist us with the rest.”

If the party feels this is a sound plan he draws a massive longbow out of a Handy Haversack with a quiver of arrows.

[Void]

Olaf slides up on the creek bed making him hands over feet the easiest of the targets but still taking advantage of the cover of the creek bed. He aims his bow well at target and looks ready to unload the stream of arrows. Though skilled the true bowmen of the party might midget his skills but not his boldness. He rips three shots toward the staff holder.

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Attack1:(1d20+17)[36] Damage (1d8+5)[7]
Attack2:(1d20+12)[30] Damage (1d8+5)[9]
Attack#:(1d20+7)[14] Damage (1d8+5)[7]
Surprise round all attacks against flat footed target.

[Toliudar]

Silene & Polk

Solemnly, Silene and Polk partake of Kurn's berries. Well, Silene partakes solemnly. Polk senses the need for quiet, and contents herself by mugging her enjoyment clearly enough that blind people on the far side of York would understand her.

There seems to be a moment of eye contact between dragon and rider after Olaf relates his plan. Silene nods and unslings a slender, flexible bow. To human eyes, it seems a child's toy, but she handles it with assurance.

"You have my bow."

Polk flexes a claw, and a slender green stick pops into a forelimb.

"And my, um, wand. Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? Anyway, I can help make all of you arrow flingers better at it. Which seems like a very good thing. And then...I'll make it harder for the others to come charging at you. Which also seems like a very good thing."

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Once the others seem ready, Polk will use her wand of Blessed Aim to give everyone +2 morale on ranged attack rolls. She then tucks away that wand and pulls out her wand of Silent Image, preparing to cast.

In a surprise round, barring any other adjustments for others' actions, Silene will launch a single arrow at the staff-wielding bull-man.
Attack: (1d20+21)[23] Force Damage (also counts as good): (1d6+2)[5]. It deals an extra (1d6)[5] damage if the target is an evil outsider.

[Togo]

Kurn nods, and then holds out his hand. Twin streams of fire stream from his goggled eyes into his upturned palm, filling in an apple-sized ball of yellow flame. It is pure, and golden, and neither flickers nor smokes.

Until, with an apologetic shrug, he throws it at the minotaurs, whereupon it is flame, expanding flame, that smokes, and streams, and burns.

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Casting fireball at the minotaurs, as I don't want to suffer all those range penalties for attacking with a bow.

fire damage (10d6)[27] to minotaurs within a 20' radius, Reflex DC 16 for half damage

[DrK]

With a great braying and howling the minotaurs vanish in a wave of flames before a hail of arrows bury themselves in muscular flesh and sinew.

The response is immediate as great bellows turn to face the party and legs kick up the ground as the prepare to charge...

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Surprise round done

Please all take your Round 1

[Void]

Olaf stoically continues his volley.

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If it matters all previous rolls in the surprise round would have had a + 2 morale from Polks blessing. Had forgotten to include the +1 I would of gotten from Kurn but it is moot with Polk for ranged attacks.

Attack 1(1d20+19)[31] Damage 1(1d8+5)[11]
Attack 2(1d20+14)[33] Damage 2(1d8+5)[10]
Attack 3(1d20+9)[23] Damage 3(1d8+5)[9]

[Toliudar]

Silene & Polk

Silene grinds her right foot into the dirt, bracing herself for nastiness to come. She draws and fires three more shimmering arrows, aiming for the staff-holder if she can see it.

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Full attack:
Attack: (1d20+21)[35] Force dmg: (1d6+2)[6] Extra damage if evil outsiders: (1d6)[6]
Attack: (1d20+16)[33] Force dmg: (1d6+2)[7] Extra damage if evil outsiders: (1d6)[4]
Attack: (1d20+11)[14] Force dmg: (1d6+2)[7] Extra damage if evil outsiders: (1d6)[4]

Polk's nostrils flare as the smell of decay and fresh blood wafts across the field from upwind. Still clutching her magic stick, she pushes off into the air, covering half the distance to the bull-men.

"Those horns and teeth look awfully nasty. I think it will be best for all of us if they don't get too close."

"Well, yes, but what do you have in mind?"

"I've been practicing a new trick."

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Polk - double move to fly up to a height of 50', and
move about 100' forward towards the nasties.

[OMG PONIES]

Michelle Easton

Michelle takes her preferred combat form as the group decides how to respond to the minotaur threat. Her face recedes into the shadows of her hood and her skin turns an odd shade of grayish-purple. "I can feel them," she rasps, "Their thoughts test the boundaries of my perception like toes on a chilly pool. Little do those toes know what lurks beneath..."

Surprise Round Action
Fire shortbow at the staffholder if standing after allied attacks (1d20+15)[18] for (1d6)[4] damage plus (6d6)[16] sneak attack damage. Additionally, if the staffholder survives, it must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or be staggered for one round.

Round One

Michelle smirks as the minotaurs prepare to charge. She stows her shortbow in her pack and draws her daggers. "Come to me, children," she whispers. "I can sense you, but you shall not feel my presence." As she whispers, she becomes little more than a whisper herself, fading from view until she resembles a moving shadow.

Activate Shadow Cloak for 40% concealment as well as Knowledge Devotion (w/ Collector of Stories) (1d20+8)[14] for a +1 insight bonus to attacks and damage.

[Togo]

Kurn considers carefully...

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If there are enough plants around to support an entangle spell, then I'll ready an action to cast that as they start to move, centered not on them but on where they would have to move through to get to us. 40' radius, they are entangled if they enter the area and fail a DC 13 reflex save. Even if they pass however, they are subject to half movement going through the effected area, which is 40' radius, so maybe between 40-80 feet to move through? Note that you can't charge through an area that hinders your movement.

If there isn't, then another fireball, getting as many as possible.
(10d6)[34] Reflex DC 17 for half. (Last time should have been DC 17 as well).

Once it's decided whether I can entange or not, I'll edit this with the appropriate description.

[DrK]

@OMG PONIES

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How ca you sneak from 200ft?

A shower of arrows rips through the air like a storm of darts that stud the hide of the beasts causing dark red blood to flow freely. As that happens they turn and race towards the party, all 4 of the aggressive warrior monsters racing forward their massive weapons in hand. As they close the distance however the veryy ground recoils to the presence as the spirits of the land writhe and move engulfing the great beasts.

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Mino 1 (1d20+6)[26]
Mino 2 (1d20+6)[9]
Mino 3 (1d20+6)[26]
Mino 4 (1d20+6)[15]

They were running to move 160ft towards you.
How close would they get before the entangle ends their run movement

The staff wielder brushes aside the arrows, and with a wave of the staff a violent cauldron of air begins to whip up around him surrounding him from the tiny pin pricks

[OMG PONIES]

Michelle Easton

"Olaf," the changeling whispers to the Norseman, her words chilling his bones in ways the cold no longer could, "will you join me in attacking the staff holder?"

[Void]

Olaf drops his bow close to his allies before he takes to a sprint across the field and drawing his two blades. His movement only drifts enough to prevent the ensnared minotaur’s from taking attacks of opportunity against him.

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Full run x4 movement for total of 140 feet.
AC:27
HP:101/101
Temp HP (1d8+6)[12]
Dodge Focus on Staff Wielder for +1 AC
Magic Effects: Blink

[Toliudar]

Silene and Polk

Silene pulls up her bow as she sees the wind whip up around the magicking bullman. Pursing her lips briefly in frustration, she simply switches target to one of the advancing axe-swingers, intent on driving him down before they could reach the dry creekbed.

From her vantage above, Polk also sees the staff-wielder whip up a wall of wind, but whereas Silene sees frustration of her goal, Polk sees a challenge.

"Hey, I wonder what it would be like to go through magical wind. Do you think that it would feel any different than an ordinary sea breeze. I wonder how it might influence my own mighty magical form. Perhaps I will emerge from the other side transformed into an engine of destruction, intent on the removal of fiendy man-cows from the face of the farmland.

Ooh. Humans eat cows. Have you given any thought to the possibility that these are some kind of divine vengeance wreaked upon them by the angry spirits of hundreds of roast beefs? That these five are somehow the embodiment of the misdirected rage and hurt of centuries of cow-kind?"

"Uh. No, Polk. I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps we should discuss a peace treaty between humans and cows AFTER we've finished dealing with the man-eating bull-men?"

"Always so linear, Silene! You'll never be a great hero until you learn to think more broadly!"

Dipping down through the staff-wavers wall, Polk is buffeted about, but soon gets her bearings again. She coughs a blast of flame and phlegm down upon the staff-wielder, where the flames seem to cling to the bull-man's body. Polk soars on past the creature, wheeling about to observe the effects.

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So sorry for the delay. October was a bit crazy, and I lost track of the thread.

Silene full-attacks one of the axe-swinging bull-men, choosing an injured target if possible.
Arrow 1: (1d20+21)[24] Force dmg: (1d6+4)[8] Extra if evil outsider: (1d6)[2]
Arrow 2: (1d20+16)[21] Force dmg: (1d6+4)[10] Extra if evil outsider: (1d6)[4]
Arrow 1: (1d20+11)[31] Force dmg: (1d6+4)[5] Extra if evil outsider: (1d6)[2]

Polk will fly down 5' and 200' forward, which should put her about 75' behind the staff-wielding bull-man at the end of her motion. During this motion, she'll use flyby attack to unleash her breath down onto the caster when she's directly overhead. Using Entangling Exhalation and Enlarge breath, she'll do only (1d10)[1] fire damage (reflex DC 24 for half), and if the bullman takes damage he is entangled for (1d4)[4] rounds.
She will be able to use her breath weapon again in (1d4+1)[2] rounds.

[Toliudar]

Silene, confirming crit:

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Shot #3: attack: (1d20+11)[30] Force dmg: (2d6+8)[10]