WotW: Call Forth Darkness IC

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein bows his head in gratitude "Thank you sir, it is much appreciated, now if you will excuse me I have preparations of my own to make. Please forgive me for my rudeness but I do not have much of an appetite anymore at this age."

[Maugan Ra]

And...timeskip

The dinner concludes, and the Baron sends you on your way with the promises of his assistance. The wizards take care of their various other plans for the evening and the next day, you set off into the Caer Byr, in search of your destination.

The Byr, as it turns out, is not so much as forest as it is a jungle. The air is uncomfortably hot and humid, filled with a clashing melange of scents that constantly forces itself into your awareness. The trees are tightly packed and huge, often close to a hundred foot high with trunks twenty foot across, and are usually covered in numerous varieties of brightly colored moss. The cries of animal and bird fill the air, and everywhere you look you see small gleaming eyes watching you from the security of the thick undergrowth.

Still, the map left by Aiden Kel is a good one, directing you to the clearest paths and avoiding the most serious threats and pitfalls the area has to offer. You occasionally have to backtrack a bit when you realize the topography has changed slightly from the depicted terrain, or when a colony of snakes has decided to make its new home in the middle of the advised route, but you eventually find your way to your destination. You crest a shallow rise, and the thick plant growth momentarily parts, giving you a fine view over the surrounding area.

The Karst hills dominate the skyline, great up thrust spires of overgrown rock that reach hundreds of feet into the sky. There are dozens of them, but looking at the map you think you can deduce which one is your destination.

The Horn of Abaddon stands slightly apart from its fellow hills, as though shunning their company. It is completely covered in thick greenery, but looking closely you think you can see a trio of openings at various points on its steep slopes, along with a gaping maw near the base that presumably leads to some kind of cave system. The whole thing looks disturbingly like a glowering skull, even with its features obscured by the plant life, and as you look at it the stifling heat seems to momentarily give way to a worrying chill.

(For ideas of what the hills look like, follow this helpful link.)

[Maugan Ra]

Approximately 60ft away from you, one of the trees suddenly begins to move. With a great creaking noise, it turns towards you, and in its gnarled bark and hanging leaves you think you can see the suggestion of a face.

"You have happened upon the Horn of Abaddon," it says, in a low and rumbling voice, "A cursed place once of great corruption. I am Jurak the Elder, and it is my sacred charge to watch over this place and see that evil never again takes root here. You should turn back."

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein giggles "But good tree, walking backwards is rather hard to do! The ground here is rather treacherous and if I cannot see where I am going I just may fall over! Though we are here on a most holy quest, one that would ensure that you would no longer worry about your duty any longer, you can think of us as replacements! So please Jurak, let us through for we are here to do only good!"

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Lying with half truths! yay for bluff
(1d20+11)[22]

[Comissar]

Quint was not happy. The heat of the dense jungle would be somewhat tolerable if it weren't so humid at the same time. Small breezes gusted around him periodically, but even they weren't helping to dispel the oppresive heat.

He swatted at a few flies that had been bothering him for the past half hour.

"It's like there's no air down here at all..."

All of a sudden, the oppressive tangle gave way to open sky. Though the heat had yet to leave, Quint took a moment to revel in the open sky. Grinning, he surveyed the scene before him. The sight of the horn caused an uncomfortable pang in his stomach.

Pausing to recover his nerve a little, he turned to his companions to make a comment just as a tree began to speak to them.

That caused another pause, though a much shorter one. It didn't take long for him to come up with a plan to bypass this annoyance.

"Of course, my apologies to you noble guardian. My friends and I must have taken a wrong turn," At this point he glances back at his companions and gives them a long look, hoping they'd understand he had a plan, "We'll return the way we came."

Promptly turning around, he starts walking back to a point where he is confident the Tree Guardian cannot see him.

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Spells, spells, spells:

Level 0 - Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost

Level 1 - Windy Escape x1, Silent Image x1 (One converted into a Detect Secret Doors spell), Vanish x1, Colour Spray x1

Level 2 - Minor Image x1, Mirror Image x1, Gust of Wind x1, Hypnotic Pattern x1

Level 3 - Invisibility Sphere x1, Lightning Bolt x1 (Converted to Clairvoyance), Displacement x1

[Maugan Ra]

Tree bark does not led itself well to complex expressions, but you'd guess that Jurak looks somewhat nonplussed at Schtein's exuberant behavior. "What good could you do here that your predecessors had not already done? Best to listed to your companion and leave."

The apparently sentient tree watches you back away, unmoving.

[Razorstorm]

Victor follows Quint, curious what the trickster had in mind, and rather worried that it would end with all of them dressed foolishly.

Prepared Spells

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1st Level
Mage Armor
Grease
Burning Hands (gun)
Abundant Ammunition

2nd Level
Knock
Scorching Ray (gun)
Cat's Grace

[Thattaman]

Kydrak thinks he understands Quint's and follows him back to where the tree can't see him. But if it is some stupid plan that will get them killed he's willing to burn this tree along with any other things in the way.

[Comissar]

Once everyone had followed him back, Quint began to talk in hushed tones to the other three.

"Now, as you know, I specialise in misdirection."

He glances around conspiratorially before plucking a small fern from the ground.

"Now here's what we know, there are clearly watchers surrounding the Horn trying to prevent people like us from getting in. There are likely other guardians and defences located inside as well."

He pauses to uproot a few more small plants.

"So my reasoning is this. The fighting out here we can avoid, the potential fighting in there we probably will have a harder time circumventing. So allow me to get us past these Sentries so you less subtle types can have fun when we're in there."

He begins handing out the various plants to the wizards and Schtein's minions, pausing in front of each and saying "Spraoi beaga". Each person he moved on from was left holding a small plant and with a green face.

"Now, you may be wondering why I've given you the plants and the make over. You have to understand that this will help make my illusion all the more convincing. We will appear to be nothing more than simple undergrowth to the sentries eyes, allowing us to slip by entirely undetected."

He gives his greenfaced companions a very serious look now, "You must stay close to me as we move otherwise you will be seen for what you truly are. Now, gather close everyone, and we shall start moving as soon as the spell is cast."

As soon as everyone is close by, he incants "Sféar Dofheicthe"



For the GM:

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Quint is using Prestidigitation to turn everybody elses face green (can be used to colour a 1 ft. square for one hour) and is then casting Invisibility Sphere once everyone is close enough (lasts 1 min./level as invisibility)

He will then lead them back past the Tree Guardian thing to take them down to the Horn.

[Maugan Ra]

Shielded by the invisibility spell, the group manages to make it's way to the base of the Horn without any further difficulties. Close up, the true height of the mount becomes truly apparent - it is closer to a mountain than a hill. Likewise, from this closer vantage point, you can make out the distinct traces of humanoid construction on its slopes, the old stonework long since overgrown with thick greenery. There appear to be three conventional ways inside.

The first, and most obvious, is the gaping entrance to the cave system at its base. Festooned with stalactites and stalagmites, the cave looks disturbingly like a great maw, and the terrain within appears to have degenerated into a swampy morass over time.

Secondly, there is a broad flight of stairs that makes its way up the front of the Horn and vanishes into an opening about a hundred foot up. That appears to be the lowest point of the temple proper, judging by what you can see of the stonework.

Thirdly, there is a small and winding staircase that seems to hug the side of the hill, rising to an entrance approximately two hundred foot up the Horn. The path up is narrow and switchbacks often, but it should be possible to make your way up there without too much trouble so long as you are careful.

There are also two further openings that you can see. One is a large balcony situated approximately two hundred and fifty feet up the slope, and which seems to only be accessable via clambering up the rough rockface from the smaller staircase beneath it. Or, of course, flying.

Finally, there is a very small opening near the very peak of the Horn, which appears to only be accessible via flight - certainly the rock face around it is far too sheer to be climbed.

(Everyone gains 600xp for having made it to the Horn. Now, chose your preferred point of entry)

[Razorstorm]

Victor shrugs and sighs, and follows along, trying to be as "plantlike" as he can be. However, his gun is loaded and in his hand.

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein is perplexed he knew that they were made invisible but as far as the other spell he really couldn't tell what difference was made.... people were slightly coloured darker but not much though his bodyguards were grey instead of black which was rather amusing. Looking up at the horn he debated which entrance would suit their need best. No doubt each was warned to some degree.. but would the massive slope be protected as well as the main entrance? Now there was an interesting question indeed!

[Thattaman]

So we've got past the guard but what about when we own the horn, are we going to just leave him there? Surely he'll find out we're in here and come to kill us. But first, I say we go down this more obvious path, just because it's more obvious.

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein sighs "We can worry about Jurak later, at the moment we need to concentrate at the task at hand, as for heading donw the more obvious route... I say we just verify what kind of wards are in place, unless you're volunteering to walk in first with your head down?"

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Schtein will cast detect magic and focus on the main entrance for 3 rounds

[Maugan Ra]

The entire Horn is saturated with magic, mostly abjuration effects as far as you can tell. Or to be more specific, an abjuration effect, singular. It appears to be emanating from near the top of the spire, somewhere past that highest entrance that you saw. Presumably, this is the aura of the warding spell designed to keep Vetra-Kali from returning - it's certainly powerful enough, to the point where it is drowning out any other magical auras you might otherwise sense in the surrounding area.

That said, there doesn't appear to be anything of real magical significance near the Maw.

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein relays his discovery to the rest of the group and adds that they might as well walk through the front door.

[Maugan Ra]

Cautiously, you make your way in through the Maw, entering the Horn of Abaddon. The ground around the entrance area has grown thick and muddy, and it sucks at your feet as you carefully make your way inside. After about forty feet or so, the mud gives way to solid rock once more, and the footing becomes much more stable.

There are three natural passageways off of this antechamber-like cavern, two to your right and a single one to your left. There is little to distinguish between them, but as you reach the solid rock once more, a pair of vaguely humanoid shapes emerge from behind one of the rock formations and sprint away into the second passage on the right. They look rather like overgrown frogs, and in their flabby hands they wield crude spears hewn from trees and loose rocks. You can't get a good look given the speed with which they are fleeing, but it appears they are wearing some kind of crude leather armour.

It would appear that sometime in the last eighty years, a group of boggards have chosen to make these caves their home.

[Razorstorm]

Victor casts Shield on himself from his wand, and then Mage Armor in preparation.

Victor has his gun ready in one hand, and his other is empty.

Current stats

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HP 29/29
BAB +3
AC 21
Touch 13
Flat-Footed 18
Initiative +5
Fort +4
Ref +6
Will +5

Memorized Spells

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1st Level
Mage Armor
Grease
Burning Hands (gun)
Abundant Ammunition

2nd Level
Knock
Scorching Ray (gun)
Cat's Grace

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein mutters something in abyssal to his body guards, who nod in response and proceed to form around him protectively while he chants thus forming an etheral barrier around himself followed by a green light that seems to eminate from him. Lastly, from the very ground bones rush up and form a shield that floats around him. His chanting stops and Schtein smiles "Shall we continue?"

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So Mage Armor, False life, and Defending bone have been used, they all will last 5 hours
temp HP (1d10+6)[9]

[Comissar]

Boggards?

Quint watched the frogmen move away with a degree of curiosity. It was interesting to him that these creatures had chosen to make their home here. Were they drawn to the malevolent fell of the place, or did they rely on it to keep foes at bay? These questions were ones that he felt deserved answers.

"I think we are likely safe in following those Boggards. If they have made their home here, and indeed travel the cavern often, then there is unlikely to be any active traps along their route's."

Thinking on it a bit more, he continued "Well, I suppose there could be magical traps keyed to them. But I doubt we could find those easily if what you said about the aura strength is true."

He grins to the group as a whole, "Well then, lead on!"

[Maugan Ra]

Following the boggards through the narrow passageway, you emerge into a wider cave within about twenty foot. The cave is filled with stalagmites, and most of the floor has been softened into mud by the constant flow of water from somewhere higher up in the Horn, with the exception of a stone walkway straight through the centre.

You are halfway across the cavern when you catch sight of movement around the bases of the stalagmites. Realizing that they've been spotted, the ambushing Boggards let out a series of deafening croaks that echo loudly in the caverns, before racing towards you in a bounding charge.

There are five of the amphibians, and while most carry spears, the one in the lead is carrying a gleaming great-sword. He lunges at the first of Schtein's silent bodyguards, smashing a mighty blow into its torso (dealing (4d6+15)[38] damage) that powers straight through into the second of the necromancer's followers (Cleave, but follow up attack missed).

Of the other four boggards, two reach your group this turn, lunging for Victor ((1d20+7)[25], if hit then (1d8+3)[7] damage) and Quint ((1d20+7)[15] for (1d8+3)[11] damage). The other two are hanging back for the moment.

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I like to make the rolls for potentially important NPCs secretly, so as to avoid any meta gaming and guessing of their stats. The standard boggards get rolled for publicly, because they don't matter nearly so much.

Anyway, your turn now. Remember the applications of the five foot step, for getting away from the angry forgmen before casting, and otherwise act in whichever order you happen to post.

[Comissar]

The cacophany of noise caught Quint completely unprepared. The strange way the sound echoed off of the cavernous walls just amplified the headache this was rapidly giving him. Such was the distraction that it was causing him that he noticed ever so slightly too late that one of the blasted creatures was jabbing a spear at him. The spear tip drew blood before Quint instinctively caused his flesh to mimic the very air around him, letting the weapon pass through the rest of him without harm.

Taking advantage of his brief insubstantiability, he backed away a short distance and incanted "Díláithriú!"

His form flickered and appeared a short distance away from him, both his own form and the illusory copy appearing to flicker slightly from time to time. As he began planning what to do next, he kept a close eye on the Boggard that had just tried to skewer him, prepared to evade it should the need arise.

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Will Saves:
(1d20+4)[16]
(1d20+4)[5]

Shaken for (1d4)[4] rounds (assuming I fail one)

Fleeing for (1d4)[3] rounds (assuming I fail both, which would suck)

Alrighty, casting Windy Escape as an immediate action to reduce the Boggards damage against me to 1. Then taking a 5 ft. step away from it so as to avoid an attack of oppertunity before casting Displacement.

Quint will then make sure he's ready to Dodge against the Boggard that just stabbed him.

[Morbis Meh]

Schtein sneers at the feeble attempt to kill one of his body guards and begins to cast a spell in abyssal directed at the leader. Two of the three skeletons enraged by this act take a 5ft step and all three unleash a flurry of blows at the living entity that dared to harm one of their brethren.

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Well dead leader is going to be very dead... Schtein casts Ray of exhaustion Fort save of 20 to avoid exhaustion but still causes fatigue on a successful save and all three skeletons attack twice.
Skeleton 1 Hp: 23/51 AC:24 DR 10/ Good and Bludg
Attack one (1d20+10)[13]
damage (1d6)[2]
strength damage (1d3)[3]

Attack two (1d20+10)[25]
damage (1d6)[6]
strength damage (1d3)[2]

Skeleton 2 38/38 AC:24 DR 10/ Good and Bludg
Attack one (1d20+10)[19]
damage (1d6)[5]
strength damage (1d3)[3]

Attack two (1d20+10)[16]
damage (1d6)[5]
strength damage (1d3)[3]

Skeleton 3 46/46 AC:24 DR 10/ Good and Bludg
Attack one (1d20+10)[29]
damage (1d6)[3]
strength damage (1d3)[1]

Attack two (1d20+10)[29]
damage (1d6)[6]
strength damage (1d3)[2]

[Morbis Meh]

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Crit confirm on Skeleton 3's attacks
confirmation 1 (1d20+10)[18]
damage (1d6)[5]
strength damage (1d3)[2]

confirmation 2 (1d20+10)[12]
damage (1d6)[1]
strength damage (1d3)[2]

[Maugan Ra]

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Schtein needs to make a ranged touch attack to hit with the ray of Exhaustion. In any case, rolling save on the assumption of a hit...
(1d20+5)[16]

The boggard snarls as the numerous shortswords hammer into its rubbery flesh, but remains standing.

[Morbis Meh]

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whoops my bad I forgot about the ranged touch
to hit (1d20+3)[13] as for standing strong... I doubt it is standing strong with the massive strength damage it just took

btw my shaken rolls
will 1 (1d20+4)[24]
will 2 (1d20+4)[17]

[Razorstorm]

Victor staggers from the attack and dances away diagonally to create some space. He steadies himself, takes aim, and fires. His pistol explodes with sound and fire as the shot blasts the frog-man at point blank range.

Rolling Will save for Shaken

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[roll0]
[roll1]

Attack

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Versus Touch AC
Spend 1 Grit and swift action for Engineering is Power +4 dmg
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Deadly Aim -1/+2
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Razorstorm]

Victor staggers from the attack and dances away diagonally to create some space. He steadies himself, takes aim, and fires. His pistol explodes with sound and fire as the shot blasts the frog-man at point blank range.

Rolling Will save for Shaken

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[roll0]
[roll1]

Attack

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Versus Touch AC
Spend 1 Grit and swift action for Engineering is Power +4 dmg
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Deadly Aim -1/+2
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Razorstorm]

Reposting rolls

Will saves

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(1d20+5)[14]
(1d20+5)[17]

Attack vs touch AC

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(1d20+6)[19]
(1d8+7)[9]

[Razorstorm]

Current stats

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HP 22/29
BAB +3
AC 21
Touch 13
Flat-Footed 18
Initiative +5
Fort +4
Ref +6
Will +5
Grit 3/4

Memorized Spells

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1st Level
Mage Armor
Grease
Burning Hands (gun)
Abundant Ammunition

2nd Level
Knock
Scorching Ray (gun)
Cat's Grace