Three Goddesses (IC) Thread #3

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

Seraciel scoffs at the incoming dispel. It fails to remove any of her buffs. Then she snaps into attention. A Wail of the Banshee? Why would he bother if I am protected from the spell. Then it hits her, and her heart sinks. A Chain Dispel. She snaps her out towards the spell, and closes it, signifying her counterspell.

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Expend Dualward to Counterspell Wail of the Banshee with a Greater Dispel Magic.
Dispel:(1d20+24)[30]

[Kalirren]

"...no. No!" Melinda's voice rises in a panicked spirit of denial, and the ring she wears on her right hand flashes to no avail.

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[Ring of Greater Counterspells gives Melinda a immediate counterspell attempt. I declare it against the Chain Dispel. (1d20+20)[26] And that's a fail, so proceed.]

[Toliudar]

Dot

Like Melinda's, Dot's ring flares to life when the attempt is made to strip her of her magics. The lich's dispel is itself countered, at least against that target.

[Morcleon]

Furude Setsuna

As the dispel wipes away several of her various protections, Setsuna grimaces, but stays rather unimpressed. However, as the second spell rushes to her, her eyes widen in surprise and fear, before settling into determination.

"...oh dammit..." The wail tears into her, but she simply refuses to move or to die. It dissipates, and she hurriedly looks over to Sera, breathing a sigh of relief as she sees her friend's survival.

Conditions/Effects:

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Spells:
Aid (entire party): 21 min
Arcane Sight: Permanent
Blur: 36 hrs
Energy Immunity (fire, cold): 24 hrs
Freedom of Movement: 3 hrs
Imbue Familiar with Spell Ability (dimensional anchor, dispel magic, glitterdust, solid fog): 18 hrs
Mage Armor: 18 hrs
Mind Blank: 24 hrs
Mirror Image, Greater: 23 min
Resist Energy (electricity, acid, sonic): 18 hrs
See Invisibility: Permanent
Superior Resistance: 24 hrs

Minor shadow Light of Lunia: 6 hrs
Minor shadow Light of Mercuria: 6 hrs
Minor shadow Light of Venya: 6 hrs
Silent shadow Ball Lightning: 20 rounds
Major shadow Summon Monster VII: 35 rounds
Major shadow Summon Monster VI: 34 rounds
Major shadow Summon Monster VI: 33 rounds

From Melinda: Recitation, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful

HP: 129/129
Spells per day: 12 (15) 13 (11) 11 (12) 12 (9) 7 (0)

Condition and Effects (not including spells):
+5 to saves against death effects, negative energy, energy drain; 1/day reroll failed save.
+5 to saves against poison and disease; 1/day reroll failed save.
+2 bonus to overcome SR.
50% chance of deflecting a ranged attack if move 10 or more ft.
40% concealment
Fast Healing 1.
Resistance to fire 5, cold 5, electricity 5.
Doubled carrying capacity.
Ignore all hostile planar effects.
Invisible
Breathe in any environment, ignore harmful vapors/gases.
Suppress all confusion, fear and stunning conditions in allies in 20 ft radius.
No need to eat or drink.
Sleep 2 hours to gain effects of 8.

Immune: blinded, confusion, dazzled, exhaustion, fatigue, fear, grappling, mind-affecting, movement penalties, stunning.

[Dudu]

Mocking the time itself, Selena casts celerity immediately before the Lich could cast his Wail of Banshee. (requires a spellcraft to identify the spell, but since her spellcraft is +33, I think it's an automatic sucess)

"The dead always envy the living, so they want to put us in the same decrepit situation they are. Well, I deny that."

She uses the opportunity to attempt a glass strike at the fiendish lich. It's a fort DC 25.

If she fails, it means the Lich will have time to end casting his Wail of Banshee. So here's her fort save, just in case.
(1d20+12)[20] plus whatever bonus to saves she has now.

Whatever the outcome, she will be dazed next round (celerity effects).

[Debbie_D]

Selena warps the very bonds of time, and casts a spell that turns the lich from undead horror to glass statue. Unable to even get his spell off in time, the menace of the creature is ended.

[Toliudar]

Dot

Unaware for the moment that the fog-bound lich is current in a crystalline state, Dot prepares to send her assorted henchfolk in. It's only his greater stillness, as well as an understanding of what Selena has just accomplished, that clues her in to the result.

She takes a shuddering breath and turns to Harlan. Her slender fingers weave into the coarse beard and hair, and she plants a quick, fierce kiss.

"Ah. Yup, you're you. So, before we get the hells out of here, what bloody happened to you a year ago?"

[Debbie_D]

As the first notes of the lich's wail are unceremoniously cut off, a quiet stillness settles into the room. The fog slowly dissipates, leaving behind the glass statue of the lich, along with the other skeletons that were slain in the fog. The glass statue of the lich is easily shattered, however it does not appear that his phylactery is anywhere to be found. A quick search of the skeletal bodies reveals that each one was carrying a magic morning star, and a ring of protection.

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Morning Star +2
Ring of Protection +2

Searching the lich, you find he had a morning star as well, but a non-magical one, it was only for show. He has a ring like the others, but he has a second ring. The arcane casters of the group can quickly determine that this ring works in the same fashion as a rod of metamagic, allowing the lich to quicken any level of spell, however it only works once per day. The group is able to reason out thats how he was able to attempt to cast a 8th and 9th level spell in the same round.

Harlan appears to get over his surprise at being "rescued". I was planning on getting myself out, you know. Just waiting for the right moment. He looks around at the group collected in the room. And who are all of these people? Dungeoneering never seemed to be your thing, darling, what made you throw in with them? His eyes narrow at the intertwined tattoos of Sabrina, Tishtina and Nocticula on the skin of Melinda. Okay, Im going to need a drink before that gets explained. Would you happen to have any of the 74 Bordansa scotch?

[Morcleon]

Furude Setsuna

"Suuure," drawls Setsuna, grinning at Harlan. "That's what they all say..."

She bows slightly, then introduces herself. "I am Furude Setsuna. And we are the, ah... the..." Floundering, she looks around with a quizzical expression. "...do we even have an official name for our group?"

She will also pick up all the magic items, giving any to those who want them, then place the rest inside her enveloping pit to sort out later, save for the quicken ring. That she takes in her hand and begins searching for the lich's soul, which is now in his phylactery. "If he can capture Harlan-san once, he'll do it again. Better to remove that possibility before it can happen," she explains.

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Casting Discern Location for the lich, which now consists of his soul, which is now inside the phylactery.

Conditions/Effects:

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Spells:
Aid (entire party): 21 min
Arcane Sight: Permanent
Blur: 36 hrs
Energy Immunity (fire, cold): 24 hrs
Freedom of Movement: 3 hrs
Imbue Familiar with Spell Ability (dimensional anchor, dispel magic, glitterdust, solid fog): 18 hrs
Mage Armor: 18 hrs
Mind Blank: 24 hrs
Mirror Image, Greater: 13 min
Resist Energy (electricity, acid, sonic): 18 hrs
See Invisibility: Permanent
Superior Resistance: 24 hrs

Minor shadow Light of Lunia: 6 hrs
Minor shadow Light of Mercuria: 6 hrs
Minor shadow Light of Venya: 6 hrs

HP: 129/129
Spells per day: 12 (15) 13 (11) 11 (12) 12 (9) 6 (0)

Condition and Effects (not including spells):
+5 to saves against death effects, negative energy, energy drain; 1/day reroll failed save.
+5 to saves against poison and disease; 1/day reroll failed save.
+2 bonus to overcome SR.
50% chance of deflecting a ranged attack if move 10 or more ft.
40% concealment
Fast Healing 1.
Resistance to fire 5, cold 5, electricity 5.
Doubled carrying capacity.
Ignore all hostile planar effects.
Invisible
Breathe in any environment, ignore harmful vapors/gases.
Suppress all confusion, fear and stunning conditions in allies in 20 ft radius.
No need to eat or drink.
Sleep 2 hours to gain effects of 8.

Immune: blinded, confusion, dazzled, exhaustion, fatigue, fear, grappling, mind-affecting, movement penalties, stunning.

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

"Parameoban Quartet, and" She waves at the rest of the group "these are the Champions of the Three. If someone would be so kind as to veil the hostage. I would do so, but I used my last such work of the Art on Selena."

[Morcleon]

Furude Setsuna

Setsuna glances up and smiles, chirping, "I could veil him, or make him invisible. Do you think I need to go with something as powerful as veil, or would a simple invisibility work?"

"...also, senpai, he's not a hostage anymore."

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

Sera shakes her head. "Furude-kun, we need something a little stronger to avoid a powerful caster. If a certain person can not find him via magic, however, that person would have a hard time capturing Harlan, would he not?"

She floats past her companion. "However..." She continues, "there are other ways to change a person's mind other than magic..." She stares into Harlan's eyes suspiciously.

[The Great Skenardo]

Coquika
Coquika simply shakes her head.
"Seraciel..." she chides,
"Harlan is Peridot's charge right now. It's up to her what happens to him. In fact, I suggest we leave, now, and let her explain. He will have time to be grateful. Shall we return to the City?"
She looks inquiringly at Peridot and offers a hand to both her and Harland, intending to Teleport all there present.
At the back of her mind is the thought of leaving this place before the creature of fire that terrified her Sisters thinks to come investigate the sounds of combat.

[Debbie_D]

Setsuna casts her spell, however she gets no readings.

As Harlan waits for his scotch, he talks a bit about what happened.
Theres not a whole lot to say. I had just left the Creche, looking for a copy of Darlan's Third Treatise, which shockingly, you didnt have in your library. I was headed towards the library in Rennador, when I was jumped from behind. I was knocked out, and when I came to, I found myself here. Ever since then, Ive been the guest of that lich, and his undead minions. Not a very pleasant or chatty group either. He pauses to give Dot a kiss. Despite asking them constantly why they were holding me prisoner, I never got a straight answer. Theyve alternated between keeping me in this cage, which I can tell is barred against divination, and a variety of even more disgusting places.

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

After Co's scolding, Sera stays quiet through Harlan's initial explanation. She takes off her Ruby Necklace, and moves to Coquika.

"Surely you understand my position, Coquika. Harlan hasn't told what he was doing here, he could very well be in league with these undead. Even if he wasn't, what would they accomplish with his mere presence?" She whispers, avoiding using the Ruby Necklace.

She floats around to Coquikas other side, and breaths another statement into her ear "A trap? A distraction? He's already accomplishing whatever it is they wanted him to do, isn't he? You are right for thinking we should leave, but we cannot let him leave our sight."

[The Great Skenardo]

Coquika
Coquika's dusky lips twist into a crooked smile as she responds quietly to Seraciel.
"Even after that..." she thinks of Peridot's actions in combat as she searches for a word "...display, you doubt our Sister's prudence? Even what little I know of Peridot so far... I would say she is no fool. Whatever she may say or I may say-" She flicks her palm with a crystalline finger, expressively, "We love freely, but not blindly."

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

"Then tell me. Why was he here? Like I said, there are better methods than magic to control someone. Undetectable methods. You have yet to pose an alternative theory. Do you not think that this was all too easy?"

She looks around, examining the contents of the room.

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I'll post my Know and Spellcraft checks OOC, to see what the heck they were trying to do.

[Morcleon]

Furude Setsuna

Walking up to Sera, Setsuna tugs lightly on her friend's arm, whispering. "Senpai... It was too easy. And perhaps Dot-san's judgement is clouded by her love. But perhaps... we should just give her the benefit of the doubt. We'll make sure to keep an eye on Harlan-san."

She leans in closer, placing her mouth directly beside Sera's ear. "Do you remember when we first met? How you distrusted me at first? Where would us two be now if you hadn't decided to give me the benefit of the doubt...? I'll put on some safeguards. Sera, if I'm wrong, I'll take the blame. Just trust me, please."

[Debbie_D]

Looking around the room, Seraciel sees nothing out of the ordinary, at least for what you would expect of a liches abode

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

Sera's face changes. Terrible sadness and regret are apparent."Setsuna, I-"She shakes her head, and the hardened expression returns to her face. "I was not merely speaking of love. Diplomacy, coercion, torture. Dot is not the only one being manipulated, and she is not the only I do not trust here. This very situation is contemptible. Nothing here makes sense." She picks up am apparatus from the ground. Her speech is no longer intelligible, degrading in mad mantras and vile vocalizations in twelve tongues.

[Morcleon]

Furude Setsuna

A small, sad smile crosses Setsuna's face, and she wraps an arm around Sera's shoulders. "Don't worry about the past. I don't blame you. And even if things don't make sense, then we'll just stick together like we always have, right?"

Turning to the group as a whole, she raises her voice. "There's not enough 'lich' left for me to get a location on his phylactery. Unless one of you has some pressing matter to attend to here, I suggest we leave this place promptly."

[Kalirren]

Melinda makes note of Seraciel's apparent paranoia, but declines for the moment to opine upon it. "We should get out of here, as soon as we're certain we have the right person. No reason to tarry. Ly'kalia!"

"Ly'kalia, I need your inerrant sight for something simple," betreats the First Priestess. She points to Harlan. "That man there. What do you see? Describe the person you see to Peridot." In this instant her mentor was vulnerable. If someone were intent on deceiving the group, now would be the time, for Peridot would see her lover because he was whom she wanted to see.

[Snowbluff]

Seraciel

Sera is visibly shaking in frustration, but she seems to have calmed down considerably since Furude grabbed her. She is still holding a random piece of magical lab equipment, and doesn't seem to happy to see Melinda looking at her.

"Has she been eavedropping...? What did we accomplish here? Why did we rescue a prisoner if they had him doing nothing?" She mutters.

[lostsole31]

Drisae looks at the glass statue of the lich.

"Amazing spell," she comments. "But the next time we have such a creature in a trapped state, better to leave it in that state and then look for the phylactery. That way, if the phylactery is never found, the lich is still stuck in this state. Not being dead, he cannot 'reform.'"

[Debbie_D]

Ly'Kalia shrugs for a moment at the First Priestess's request, and then turns to gaze at Harlan. Her verbal description seems to match entirely the visual your own eyes are providing, except for a few features that mark Harlon as being a cambion.
There seems to be nothing out of the ordinary about him, other than his cambion nature, which he has taken a few cares to hide.

[Kalirren]

Melinda nods at Ly'kalia's confirmations, and breathes a sigh of relief. "Then our faith has been true," she quips. "Start forming up for the teleport. Don't presume we can come back here once we're out. Harlan - Did your captor ever keep papers, notes? Did you see where it put them? We should look for them. We really don't know enough about what we've just walked into."

[Debbie_D]

Harlan disentangles himself from Dot and looks at Melinda.
Dont get me wrong, Im overjoyed at being freed from that boring lich and reunited with my love, but I cant just go with you without some sort of explanation.
Im a priest of Sabrina, yes, I know its rare for a male to hold such a position, and I see Sabrina's sign on you. But I also see Nocticula's sign and Tishtina's sign and that just doesnt make any sense to me. What in blazes is going on, why, Dot, are you with such a varied group. I see a succubus, I see a Green Adept, I see a drow, its so unlike you.
No, the lich kept no notes, at least none that I saw, then again, I didnt ever see much other than this room...and the menagerie of undead he had through the complex. They came here quite often.

[Kalirren]

Melinda had never met Harlan before, but she found herself liking him already. The bardess had always presumed that her mentor had good taste in men. Here was the proof. A wonder it was that the lich and his minions had managed to nab him at all.

"Oh, I doubt you're going to like the sound of what you hear," Melinda cackles. "Ever since your lover won the Cups of the Gods a few months ago she's been running around the world with us, that is to say, the rest of the winning team and their successors. But you want to know about me...Do you know about Cassiopeia's prophetic vision of the Three Loves as One? Probably not. More charlatans have had more theologically convenient visions, after all. But Cassiopeia was no charlatan."

"I represent Sabrina, Tishtina, and Nocticula together. There is Power in what the Three seek to represent as One. Lust, love, and temptation begin the cycle of Desire," extending her left forearm. Similarly presenting her right, "Power, passion, and fulfillment close it." She brings her hands together in front of her bosom.

"I doubt I was the first to undertake walking all three Ladies' paths. But I was the first to come far enough to recognize the-Three-as-One as my own." Melinda smiles slyly. "So, do you not trust me yet?" She extends her marked hand.

[Morcleon]

Furude Setsuna

Her arm still holding onto Sera, Setsuna gives her a soft smile and speaks in a soothing tone. "What did we do here? We reunited Dot-san and Harlan-san, and got quite a bit of money as well."

"...besides, does Dot-san really need a reason? If I had been taken prisoner, would you have come to rescue me?"

[Debbie_D]

Harlan looks incredulously at Melinda.
You were actually able to decipher that mouldy old document? And believe it? He shakes his head. I remember theoretical and theological discussions I had with other priestesses. We came to the conclusion it would never be possible. That the ramblings of the prophet were just that, crazed ramblings. They couldnt see all three faiths combined. He continues to look around, but he seems a tad disappointed about the lack of scotch.