IC: The Dragonshard War [Eberron] [4E] [Paragon] #1

[dariathalon]

Koebu

Koebu calls out to his spirit companion. "Fenti, guard the door! Nobody leaves until we figure out what's going on here." The dinosaur companion grows naturally out of its surroundings. This time it appears as a two-legged reptile made mostly of wood, but with bits of pottery that looks suspiciously like the mugs and plates scattered around the room, parts of Fenti even appear to be made from foaming liquid that sloshes around as it moves. Fenti quickly grows from a small beast to take up the entire doorway.

As the dinosaur grows, Koebu grabs out a sunrod from his pack. He's unsure if its light will pierce the new darkness, but it was at least worth a shot. He struck it on the edge of the table and it's tip began to glow brighter than a torch.

Spoiler

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Free: Call spirit companion (Nimble Spirit)
Minor: Elder Presence (Fenti grows to large size)
Minor: Retrieve sunrod.
Minor: Light sunrod.

[Felhammer]

Koebu lights a sunrod but finds the magical darkness to overwhelm all light, even the sunrod's!

Spoiler: Darkness

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The Darkness blocks all line of sight.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Expecting for Jiasheae to squirm a little, Gerard is taken completely by surprise when the elf throws a sling bullet at him and plunges the tavern into complete darkness. He flinches and lets out a hiss, Sovereigns!

Gerard lunges across the table hoping to grab Jiasheae before she can make her escape.

Spoiler: Turn 1

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Move Action - Draw Spear.
Standard Action - Grab for Jiasheae (1d20+13)[32]

This is to simply grab for her since she was sitting across from him. I doubt she's there, but it seems like the logical thing to do. I subtracted proficiency bonus and enhancement bonus since he's not using the spear itself, and then I don't recall what the penalty for being Blind is so Fel, please subtract. I mean... she's probably not there lol. I'm targeting the square where she was sitting, whichever that is.

[Felhammer]

Gerard lunges over the table and does not find any purchase with his tackle attack.

[Merilan]

Caimhe lets out a groan as she slips out of the area of darkness and glances about. "Everyone calm down! This darkness will subside soon, no one make any sudden moves lest you injure yourselves!"

Spoiler: Action

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Caimhe is trying to use Diplomacy to soothe the bystanders -- and perhaps if she can do so, they might see if their quarry is amongst them?

(1d20+15)[21] Diplomacy

[Felhammer]

Right as Caimhe says this, a man inside the darkness trips, slams into the ground and starts cursing loudly. Everyone else sort of stops and stairs Caimhe, as if waiting for further instruction.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard nearly tumbles over the table as he wrangles nothing but air, She's not here! Don't let her get away!

[dariathalon]

Koebu

Koebu chooses not to act or move, he simply takes a deep breath and holds it. He simply stands there engaging his sense to the fullest he can. Watching for people leaving the darkness by obvious means and listening for signs that someone might be leaving by some secret means (the creaking of a hinge, the sliding of wood, whatever catches his ear). The room's chaos was exactly what the woman wanted to cover her escape. Koebu realized the best way to fight this was to make himself calm.

Spoiler

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I guess that's a big ol' perception check - (1d20+15)[29]. Or a full round of 3 minor action perception checks if we're still on combat time. If that's the case, here's a couple more checks to finish out the round. perception check - (1d20+15)[17] perception check - (1d20+15)[19]

[Dimers]

Lee

Having been employed briefly in a police force, Lee has some training in how to respond to criminals mixed in with an innocent populace. And the monomaniacal focus of a warforged can help in this situation. Lee concentrates all her resources on listening to environmental cues, ready to throw a small but powerful mind-draining spell if she can identify where the perpetrator is headed.

[Felhammer]

Lee and Koebu tries to sense his surroundings. Suddenly they hear a man behind him whisper, "Watch it, love!" As the two adventurers turn around, they can see Jiasheae trying to covertly open a nearby window.

[Merilan]

Caimhe flinches as she hears that voice, and turns to stare as well. "Don't let her get away!"

She springs to action, transforming into a wolf to try to chase after her. She springs ontop of tables to directly blaze a path to her.

Spoiler: Action

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Moving after Jiashae assuming Lee and Koebu can point her out to me.

Acrobatics: (1d20+15)[34]

[Dimers]

Lee

Lee leaves behind her normal lilt with a battlefield shout. "This way, companions!" She rushes to the window and bumps into the fleeing Jiasheae while trying to wrest away control of the window one-handed.

Spoiler: mechanics

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Move action to get to U4, minor action to make it harder to open the window (I figure that's about like picking up, opening or closing something), and a probably ill-advised standard action to try an untrained Thievery roll to 'plant' my familiar on Jiasheae. (d20+7)[26]

[dariathalon]

Koebu

"No wait, Fenti guard the window! Keep her from getting away," Koebu points at the window. At a quick command Fenti dissolves into thin air and then reappears on the far side of the window and grows to a height where he can stare in at the woman who is struggling to open it.

Koebu stands ready to summon a gust of wind to pull her back into the room if she feels the need to continue to escape.

Spoiler

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Minor: Dismiss Fenti
Free: Summon Fenti in a different location (in addition to the spaces shown he also occupies 2T and 2U).
Minor: Grow Fenti back to large size.
Standard: Ready a Primal Gust spell. If she continues to try to get away I'll slide her back into the party's midst.

Remember enemies next to Fenti grant CA. Allies ignore difficult terrain and get +4 to defenses against OAs while next to Fenti. Fenti has an opportunity attack that can stop enemy movement and slow and deafen them.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard makes his way towards the sound of Lee, and eventually exits the area of darkness. His eyes acclimate and he sees Jiasheae at the window, with Lee just reaching her and Koebu's spirit outside the window. Gerard reaches for her to stop her from getting away.

Spoiler: Turn 2

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Move Action - Move to U6
Standard Action - Footwork Lure vs Jiasheae (w/CA)
Attack - (1d20+21)[40]
Damage - (1d10+10)[19] (if by chance this attack would kill her, Gerard chooses to knock her out instead)
Hit Effect - Gerard shifts to U7 and slides Jiasheae 2 squares to U6 (Footwork Lure+Forceful Reach). Jiasheae is knocked PRONE (Polearm Momentum).

[Felhammer]

The woman watches in horror as a spirit is formed outside, a familiar is dropped on her and she is sent tumbling to the ground. With a heavy sigh she says, "I was not paid enough for this! Let me leave!"

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

You don't make the demands here. Who paid you, and to do what? Answer quickly! Gerard commands, keeping her on the ground with his grip.

[Felhammer]

The woman rolls her eyes and alters her physiology from that of an elf to a changeling! With a heavy sigh she replies, "I was paid by a Prince from Lhazaar. Ten thousand gold to acquire your master's plans for the war."

[dariathalon]

Koebu

Koebu moves around the nearby table to get a better look at the woman. He stands a short distance away from the others looking down at the woman carefully. He carefully listens to her words and watches her mannerisms, trying to determine if the woman was telling the truth or trying to hide one lie behind another.

Spoiler

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Insight - (1d20+15)[16]

[Merilan]

Caimhe lets out a sigh as she waves to the bartender and the other patrons, looking towards the others. "We'd best take this elsewhere before we disrupt this fine establishment's business any longer. But before that..."

She leans up towards the changeling and takes her mask off -- revealing her Mourneland-scarred side of her face. "... a name would be nice. And a nearby contact. You must've been working with someone from a nearby network. You wouldn't want to see what we're capable of doing to you, now would you? Shame if you had to hide your real face forever."

Spoiler: Action

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Intimidate! (1d20+17)[21]

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard straightens up to make room for Caimhe, but brings his spear point to bear against the changeling's throat. He studies the creature for any indication that it is being deceitful.

Spoiler: Insight!

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(1d20+14)[33]
(1d20+14)[23]

It's roll twice, take the highest!

[Dimers]

Lee

"Paying in advance for an action which might be thwarted seems ill-advised. What Prince has more gold than sense?" Lee muses.

Presuming that the captive would already have teleported away if she'd had the capacity, the 'forged summons her familiar back. The need to use you as a marker has passed, she explains mentally -- not that the shard has ever responded to her in anything like words.

[Felhammer]

The Changling gulps as the spear is pressed against her throat. She stares into Caimhe's eyes as she quickly says, "I... Was paid by a man named Bharsul Bottlebuckle. He's a merchant from the Holds. Has a copper and wool company, trades with Karrnath and the Principalities. He said he was working for one of the Princes. Did not specify which. I didn't bother to ask. The coin was too good to say no.

Spoiler: Insight

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Everyone thinks she is telling the truth. She is also quite scared.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

How were you going to get the plans to this... Bharsul Bottlebuckle?

[Felhammer]

The changing gulps again, clearly worried for her safety what with a spear still jammed against her throat, "I... Was to send word to him by Sivis Messenger that I had acquired the information, then I was to meet him outside the Temple of Kol Korran in Krona Peak..."

[Dimers]

Lee

"How were you to identify each other? A password, a particular body form, telepathy ...?" Lee seems her normal unthreatening self again -- especially unthreatening next to Gerard.

Spoiler: not just a hop, skip and a jump

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If I'm reading the map right, that's pretty far away. But it seems to have lightning rail and a regular road running to it. Is that too far to pursue a lead?

The paranoid shadowrunner in me assumes that the changeling here would've set up some signal with Bottlebuckle to indicate betrayal/interference, and that signal is what it'll say in response to Lee's question. And also that the Johnson Bottlebuckle would've tried to screw over the changeling. But I'm probably making life hard on myself by thinking too hard about it.

[Felhammer]

"I was to look like a halfling merchant with a red cloak," she responds bitterly before asking, "May I leave now?"

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard sighs, You're in way over your head, changeling. You've no idea what you have involved yourself in. He pulls his spear up to give the changeling some breathing room. You're going into custody until we're done with our work here. It won't take long, but we can't risk you interfering any further. If you help us set this meeting up with the man in the Holds, and don't be a nuisance in the meantime, Gerard glances at the others to get a quick consensus, we'll drop the charges and have you set free. Otherwise, get used to the idea of living in a cell.

He pulls the changeling up to its feet and binds it with some hemp rope. I didn't think I'd need manacles on this trip, he mutters to himself. Let's go find a guard.

[Felhammer]

The party finds two guards very quickly, as they had been rushing to the tavern already. Both guards are quite young and scrawny. "Is this the attacker we heard about?" His voice cracks in the middle of his sentence.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard frowns at the new recruits, Yes. He flashes his identification papers, Gerard d'Deneith, Sentinel Marshal. He gives the changeling a knowing look, This changeling has been apprehended under suspicion of conspiracy. When questioned, it attacked an officer of the law. Hold it until I am finished with my business and am able to question it further. Do not be lax in your duties here. The changeling is not to be trusted or taken lightly. If a known assailant of a Sentinel Marshal escapes your custody, House Deneith will not be pleased.

What are your names? he asks of the two guards and the changeling.

[Felhammer]

The guards are a bit taken aback by the intensity that Gerard is displaying. "Uh ok. I... Am Colton Rhysling and this is Dravor Strickland... Sir..."