Random Banter D&D 3.5e Campaign IC

[Teddy]

Spoiler: Outside

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Tass takes off from the corpse of the unfortunate guard and flies back toward the building. She'll then fly at a low altitude along the edge of the roof, going clockwise around the building, her eyes vigilant for anything out of place, and any possible points of entry into the building. She also keeps her ears open, if only to keep track of what her newfound companions are up to.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Spot check: (1d20+15)[27]
Listen check: (1d20+16)[19]

[Cuthalion]

Spoiler: Béla outside

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Béla will quietly soar around the edges of the roof, peering down to see what he can see.

Spoiler: Spot Check

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(1d20+1)[4]

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: Rooftops!

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I've suddenly had a goofy, unlikely to pan out idea!

Alphonse will think for a moment. We've got a sword that was chipped by hitting stone despite being on a wooden building. Alphonse will hurry down to where the bodies are, small wings coming from a ring on his hand as he drops from the roof. He then studies the body to see if he can how they died.

Alphonse will use a History check to determine if he can recall any assassin's who might use golems, and might have things related to the wounds he finds: (1d20+4)[23]

[Amidus Drexel]

Outside:

Spoiler: Tass

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When you fly back to the building, you notice that the area by the group of dead guards near the building seems extremely quiet... You hear Alphonse lightly jump down from the roof, and you can hear Bela following behind you quietly in the air.

As you fly north along the west edge, you notice more dead guards, at semi-regular intervals of one or two about every 30ft or so. Most have wounds similar to the one you found on the ground, but others you can't really tell. When you round the corner to the north side, you see the bodies of a few guards grouped together on the ground, with no easily visible wounds. Something seems oddly quiet about the area around this group of guards too...

Spoiler: Bela

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As you fly north along the west edge, you notice a few more dead guards on the ground. When you reach the corner to the north edge, you see the bodies of a few guards grouped together on the ground. Something seems oddly quiet about the area around this group of guards...

Spoiler: Alphonse

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About mid-fall, everything suddenly becomes perfectly silent. You don't hear your feet hit the ground - although you can feel when you stop falling and are on your feet again - and you can't even hear your heartbeat (although you can still feel your pulse).

Four of the guards are covered in severe cuts; long, deep slices that run down their entire torso, in addition to a few other serious wounds. The fifth, though, appears to have been quite thoroughly crushed. His skull is shattered, his spine is broken and sticking out of his back, and his lower back is so flat that it's almost flush with the grass. They are all lying in a small pool of blood.

--

You search your memory for knowledge on assassins, and a few people and groups stand out:

Spoiler: Knowledge results

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The Order of the Black Sea: A group of mercenary assassins from Samara (the southernmost part of Trakai). They've been known to use stone golems from time to time, if their client is okay with a little (or more) collateral damage, but only for clients that can afford hiring the golems out as well. They always leave a burnt rose with their target, as sort of a calling card.

Enigma: An extremely skilled informant and assassin that works out of Capel Kerig. Murders of all sorts are often attributed to the mysterious figure; some involving golems, some not, although Enigma is rarely directly connected to them. The assassin has a reputation of never causing any collateral damage at all - occasionally even saving bystanders if they're in danger. Rumor has it that Enigma runs a shop somewhere in Capel Kerig's market district, where you can buy anything if you have what the mysterious killer wants.

The Capel Kerig's Thieves' Guild: An organized union of thieves and other criminals (including assassins) in Capel Kerig. They have a few golems, so it's not inconceivable that they could use one in an assassination.

Andre Petrinov: A freelance assassin from Nordrake, although he often works far from home. He's been known to use all sorts of methods, including golems, and he almost always causes a lot of collateral damage. Clients only ever hire him if they have no interest in subtlety. He is an accomplished mage, and often burns buildings to the ground - sometimes parts of cities, even - to get to his target.

--
Inside:

Spoiler: Lucas

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Holtti thinks for a few seconds. "There is a window, but it's a little high up from the outside. I could give you a lift, though; you don't look too heavy. It would definitely be easier to break through the window than the door."

You can't hear anything at all through the door. It seems unnaturally quiet, as if there's something actually blocking the sound...

He shakes his head. "I haven't heard a thing. The sound of the door even sounds muted, like there's something dampening it from the other side."

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: Roofs (technically)

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Alphonse looks up at the sky for Tass and Bela, and starts waving his glaive in a way as if to imply "come down here right now I need to tell you both a thing". He'll run off to where he figures they went, which I think would be around the north west side of the building (thinking about where we are and stuff)

He's trying to not yell and it's very obvious.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Spoiler

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"To the window then. And with haste." Lucas allows Holtti to lead him the shortest possible path to the exterior window. Lucas looks up and studies the windows to the room, and the outer wall. Last, he looks to the roof, to see if he spots any of his aquaintences. "Alright, I'm ready when you are." He readies himself for Holtti to boost him.

Spot when outside - (1d20+4)[16]

[Cuthalion]

Spoiler: Moo says the duck?

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Béla spins and shoots at Alphonse once he notices at the highest common denominator possible speed, and pauses hovering with his feet slightly above Alphonse's head.

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: Top Roofs!

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"Sir Bela, I think I know who could of caused this. Some of the dead have evidence of a Golem, as do some of the weaponry. Additionally I think we're in a zone of magical silence, something I imagine you'd be able to tell much more clearly." Alphonse says, quietly so as not to be loud, though still heard.

"I've narrowed the various possibilities down to one option, the Order of the Black Sea. A group of assassins from Trakai, they use both magic and golems, which both appear to be what we're dealing with here. They are also not against damage to things other then their target" he gestures to the bodies of the guards "As you can see, that's what we're dealing with here. I believe they have been hired to kill ether the remaining Prince, or General Holtti. Do you think you could use your magic to...track the source of this magical silence, assuming it is magical silence of course."

[Teddy]

Spoiler: Northern Side

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Tass slows down a little in her flight to dive down and study these corpses closer, trying to tell the causes of their death. Tracing fine motions with her talons, she utters a long and intricate screech with a surprisingly clean tone, almost as if singing.

Spoiler: Spellcasting

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Casting Detect Magic to scan the area for magical auras.

[Amidus Drexel]

South Side:

Spoiler: Lucas

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Holtti leads you out to the outside, and the first thing you notice is how dark it is. The torches along the outside wall have been put out, and you can only see by the starlight. Holtti doesn't seem too bothered by it, though...

The window is about 6ft off the ground, and you can just make out a curtain blocking your view of the room. There are a bunch of small spiders on the window - perhaps ten to twenty in total. You don't see any of your party on the roof.

Holtti says, "Aye", and easily picks you up and holds you steady. "Can you see inside? Don't worry about breaking the window if they've boarded it up or something; I can replace some glass much easier than the young prince."

OOC: Holtti's more than strong enough to hold you still to investigate the window - I would like another listen check, though. You don't need to roll to break the window (if that's your intention).

--
North Side:

Spoiler: Tass

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You cast your spell and fly down to the guards below. You immediately notice magical auras, and when you get within about 20ft of the guards, everything suddenly becomes perfectly silent. You hear nothing - not the breeze, not your wings, not even your heartbeat. After concentrating a little bit, you pick out the distinct magic auras, and recognize one not emanating from your gear: a faint hemisphere centered on the guards bodies, with a 20ft radius.

The guards don't have any obvious wounds, but roughly circular parts of their otherwise polished armor are curiously blackened, almost as if they were burnt. There are hundreds of spiders here as well (most of them dead), that look very much like the ones you saw at the entrance. One guard in particular has a single one of these marks on his chest, and his skin is bulging oddly in places. A few spiders crawl out of his mouth as you watch.

OOC: You may make a spellcraft check to determine the school of magic associated with the aura, and a Knowledge (nature) for the spiders.

--
West Side:

Spoiler: Alphonse and Bela

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OOC: Spot and listen checks, please.

[Cuthalion]

Spoiler: OOC

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Well, that decides that question.

Béla will then cast Detect Magic, muttering words under his breath. மர்மம் கண்டுபிடிக்க

[Teddy]

Spoiler: Northern Side

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Tass flies but a feet off the ground, giving the guards and spiders a closer look as she scans the ground for any tracks different to guard's boots.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Spellcraft check: (1d20+11)[18]
Knowledge (nature) check: (1d20+15)[34]
Survival check: (1d20+12)[25]

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Spoiler: South side

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Lucas gets boosted up by Holtti and peers inside, keeping away from the multitude of spiders in the window. He tries to see what's blocking the door, and where the performers are located before bursts in.

Listen: (1d20+4)[16]
Spot: (1d20+4)[23]

[Amidus Drexel]

West Side:

Spoiler: Alphonse

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You hear a faint flapping sound above you... you don't see anything when you turn to look, though.

Spoiler: Bela

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As you cast your spell, magic floods your senses - there are clearly auras in front of you, and a little concentration would let you know more about them.

You hear a faint flapping sound above you... when you turn to look, you notice a dark figure about 60ft up in the air.

OOC: Surprise round, and you get to go first! You get a single standard action, which I'll let you downgrade to a move or a swift if you like.

--
North Side

Spoiler: Tass

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You readily identify the spell as silence, something well within the capabilities of a priest or a bard.

The spiders are of a rare species that subsists primarily on certain magical energies; mostly black magic. They cannot survive in an environment not rich in these energies; they die within a few seconds after they've exhausted what energy is available. There is a ritual that can create these spiders en masse in a slain creature, sustaining the spiders for a few minutes with black magic, but the details of that ritual are outside your area of study; perhaps an arcanist would know more.

As you swoop down, you notice a few smaller, lighter tracks than that of the guards. They seem to be coming from the east, although they don't seem to lead anywhere but to the group of guards on the ground. The only other tracks you see belong to the guards.

--
The silence spell ends, its aura quickly fading to a dim silhouette, and you can suddenly hear again. The remaining living spiders curl up and die, their life energy no longer sustained.

--
South Side:

Spoiler: Lucas

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The first thing you notice is that everything seems much quieter by the window, as if something was actively dampening the sound. Looking in, you see the inside of the room is quite dark... the only thing you can see is a dark figure holding a candle and an ornate, bloodstained dagger walking towards the far corner... your eyes catch something about waist-height moving in that corner, but you can't make out what it is. The spiders begin to curl up and fall off the window as you watch...

--
Suddenly, sounds return to their normal volume, and you hear a muffled scream coming through the window. The figure seems to recoil in shock, then whips its head around to look at the window. You catch a glimpse of pale skin and bright, almost glowing green eyes, and then the figure waves its hand and disappears, dropping the candle on the ground near the middle of the room in a pool of blood.

Holtti snarls. "What is making that sound? Who did those bastard minstrels kill?"

--
OOC: Bela's turn

[Teddy]

Spoiler: North Side

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Tass listens carefully as she takes off again, continuing her clockwise round while concentrating on her spell unless interrupted by something curious.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Listen check: (1d20+16)[28]

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Spoiler: Lucas in the South

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"I don't see any of 'em, but it could be them screaming." he grunts down. "I'm going in. Come back round to the door, I'll let you in." He launches himself into the room, and casts detect magic, hoping to see the robed figure he had seen disappear. There's two things that could have happened. He's invisible, or he teleported. I'm hoping for the first one, he thought, brandishing his mace, and looking for the source of the screams if he cannot find the robed figure.

[Cuthalion]

Spoiler: Do we still need to spoil these?

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Bela will take a five-foot step upwards and concentrate.

[Amidus Drexel]

Suddenly, a large, dark figure drops from the sky at an incredible speed, and hits the roof with a loud and sickening thud that shakes the entire building and throws up splinters of wood. It slams its fists into the roof, and then stands upright and bellows with a deep, gravelly tone.

The creature is tall, perhaps the height of two men, and has a mottled grey, stony colouring. It is humanoid in shape, although its fingers end in wicked claws, long horns protrude from its hairless head, and its back is adorned with monstrous wings. Its body and limbs are thick and muscular, and its entire form seems to exude an aura of vicious, feral excitement. It bares its teeth at you and snarls, dropping to a slightly hunched-over pose.

Spoiler: OOC

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You may make a knowledge (nature) check to identify the creature.

--

Spoiler: Lucas

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Holtti's head snaps around at the noise, and you can feel his grip noticeably tighten. "What in Mairah's name was that? Come quickly, man, we need to stop these bastard minstrel assassins!"

Spoiler: OOC

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If you want to continue with your actions from your previous post, just let me know, and I'll edit the results in here. (one round at a time, though)

Spoiler: Bela

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Aside from the auras on Alphonse and yourself, you see a dim magic aura around the pile of dead guards. You may try to identify it with a spellcraft check.

Spoiler: Tass

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In addition to the sounds of the creature landing on the roof, you hear the noises from the guests inside become hushed, and then panicked.

--
Updated map

Spoiler: Initiative order, for reference

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Tass: [13]
Alphonse: [12]
Bela: [11]
Creature on the roof
Lucas: [7]

Tass, you're up.

[Teddy]

At the sound of the creatures landing, Tass immediately turns her head and starts flying 65' directly toward it while gaining altitude, flying 10' above the ridge of the roof. Screeching out in a musical tone, small frost crystals starts to form behind her wings, before she throws up her talons, and a long icicle spear forms, shooting out toward the beast.

Spoiler: Spellcasting

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Casting Icelance:
Ranged Attack: (1d20+11)[20] (note: not a touch attack)
Damage: (6d6)[24], half is piercing, the rest is cold
Stunned: (1d4)[4] rounds, Fortitude DC 18 negates

[Amidus Drexel]

Your spear of ice flies true, and strikes the creature in the side, chipping its touch skin and covering it in a burst of frost. A small trickle of silvery liquid seeps out of a tiny gash where the spear hit, which runs down its side. The beast roars in pain, and stumbles, reeled by the magical attack.

Spoiler: Tass

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It's a gargoyle, although it's unnaturally large. Gargoyles have very tough skin - they can shrug off all but the strongest nonmagical attacks without even a scratch. They can blend in extremely well in stony environments, and they can hold themselves so still that they look like statues. Gargoyles are not very bright, but they're fast, strong, and extremely resilient. They can see in the dark, but only at close distances.

OOC: A hit, (although it didn't seem to take much damage except from the cold), and it failed its save pretty badly.

Alphonse, you're up.

[LaZodiac]

Alphonse will move up to the building and leap up to to the roof with a quick hop, getting ready to face the creature that has descended upon us!

Vertical Jump Check: (1d20+14)[25]+10 feet

Alphonse jumps 16 feet into the air, and once again vaults up onto the roof. He readies his spear, posing for the stunned, winged beast!

Spoiler: OOC

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(OOC: Move up to the building, swift to jump, and standard as a move to get up onto the roof. End turn at K8)

[Amidus Drexel]

Battle map

OOC: The jump lands easily, although the beast doesn't seem to acknowledge your gravity-defying stunt or your pose, it being somewhat preoccupied with regaining use of its actions limbs.

Bela, you're up.

[Cuthalion]

Béla swoops at Alphonse, casts Bull's Strength, and tries to end his turn as far away from Beast as possible.

[Amidus Drexel]

Battle map.

--
Musicians' Room

Spoiler: Lucas

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When you jump through the window, you are overwhelmed by the smell of blood. Each step splashes in some dark liquid on the floor, and your shadow flickers eerily on the walls from the candlelight. At first, the cloaked figure appears to be just a few feet behind the candle, but after entering the room, you can't see it anymore, so maybe it was just a trick of the light... Additionally, your magically-enhanced senses detect a few lingering dim auras.

The room appears to be about 20x20ft, and the candle is in the middle, closer to the window. You can only see about 15ft into the room, though, so the far wall is hidden to you. You hear something whimpering in the far corner, but it's too dark to see...

OOC: You can make three spellcraft checks to identify the auras.

Lucas, you're up.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Lucas squinted as he peered around the deimly lit room, trying to make out the details. He casts light, and extinguishes the candle, wrinkling his nose at the smell of blood. Perhaps what the candle might not illuminate about the figure, his spell would. Lucas goes to unblock the door, so that Holtti can get in. He keeps looking around to see if the figure reappears, or is trying to sneak up on him.

[Amidus Drexel]

Musicians' Room

Spoiler: Lucas

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Your spell illuminates the room brightly, and the whimpering figure in the corner panics. It's a man with blonde, shoulder-length hair, and he's holding a lute in front of him, almost like he's trying to hide behind the instrument. His expensive clothes have been viciously cut to pieces, and his hand, face, and torso are covered in blood. He tries to make himself as small as possible, and presses his back against the wall in desperation.

The door is barred with a thick oaken board, and nailed in place. There are bloody handprints on the door, some of them trailing downwards... Your eyes catch something red on the floor, and you notice that you are standing in a pool of blood that covers most of the floor of the room...
A glance at the rest of the room almost makes you sick to your stomach. Strewn about the room are four dead bodies, all covered in blood and brutally mutilated. They've all had their left hands cut off at the wrist, and their faces have been cut to pieces. All four also have serious chest wounds, including a near-identical slice over each of their hearts. The furniture in the room is splattered with blood, as are the walls and the ceiling. There are a few broken instruments lying scattered around the floor, all covered in blood.

When the man in the corner notices you aren't whatever was attacking it earlier, he stops panicking, but he stays curled up in the corner and shakes in fear.

...Something wet falls on your head, almost like a raindrop...

OOC: Make a Fortitude save, DC 18. You may make a heal check to determine how these people died and otherwise learn more about their current condition. You're probably not going to be able to force the door open in its current condition, but you could attack the board holding it shut or the door (just a damage roll), or try to pry it off (which would be a str check). If you want to try to get intelligible information out of the man in the corner, you'll need a diplomacy check.

--

OOC: Further things happen in the initiative order that none of you can see.

Tass, you're up.

Spoiler: Initiative order, for reference

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Tass: [13]
Alphonse: [12]
Bela: [11]
Creature on the roof
Lucas: [7]
Something

[Teddy]

With a long, singing screech, Tass swoops down at P6, swiping at the Gargoyle with talons seeping with poisonous magic.

Spoiler: Spellcasting

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Casting Poison:
Melee Touch Attack: (1d20+6)[11]
To Beat Concealment: (1d100)[87] (higher is better)
Poison: DC 18, primary/secondary: 1d10 Con

[Amidus Drexel]

Battle map.

Your toxic attack hits, and the creature shudders as its body is attacked by the poison, still reeling from your last attack.

OOC: A solid hit, and once again, it fails to roll well enough on its fortitude save to avoid the effects of Tass' spell.

Alphonse, you're up.

[LaZodiac]

Alphonse takes a quick step to the right and swings his glaive at the supposed gargoyle's neck, the bladed end sparkling with a green glow!
"Jade Razor!"

Spoiler: OOC, turn details and stuff

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First, reducing my accuracy by 2 with Power Attack, increasing my damage by 4 since the glaive is two handed.

(1d20+11)[25] vs Touch AC

(1d10+14)[17] slashing damage if it hits

5 Foot Step to L9, reduce attack roll by 2 with Power Attack, attack Gargoyle(?) with Jade/Emerald Razor.

[Amidus Drexel]

Battle map (which I have moved to a google drive to keep from needing to constantly update the links - if that causes problems for anyone, please let me know)

You slice into the creature, your blade cutting through its tough hide. Silvery blood drips out of the wound and down your blade, and the beast roars in pain. When you withdraw your glaive, though, the wound partially seals, and it doesn't look anywhere near as hurt as you thought it would...

OOC: A solid hit, and while it DR'd away a fair portion of the damage, you still hurt it. If anyone's got ranks in knowledge (arcana), they can roll for that now.

Bela, you're up.