[PF] Way of the Wicked

[Xanyo]

Iywa stalks along with the group a tad impatiently, although she does at least make sure to cover the glow from her hot brand. When she reaches the tower, she stares at the sign while the big-mouthed one checked the door.

'Do not disturb,' hah. He probably considers being on fire fairly disturbing.

She smiles at the thought.

Spoiler: Stealth

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(1d20+5)[17]

[ChrisAsmadi]

The door, while heavy, is not locked, and swings open to reveal a chamber empty of furniture and steeped in history. Lit by four torches in wall sconces, the Hall tells the history of the Castle Branding - a minor coastal fort that lost most of its military importance, save for a brief series of skirmishes in the war of succession eighty years ago, between House Barca and House Darius - that became Branderscar Prison. Most of the walls are occupied by uninteresting plaques, banners and flags that tell of nobles and deeds relegated to history for so long that none save for the most scholarly of historians remember them.

On the southern wall is a large brocade tapestry that depicts the transformation of Castle Branding into Branderscar Prison, entitled "His Judgement Cometh and that Right Soon".

In the centre of the hall is a spiral staircase leading upwards.

[Xanyo]

Iywa leans over to Nash and whispers:
"May I light this tapestry on fire, or should I wait until we're leaving?"

[Daishain]

Luvon looks around with little interest once it is apparent that nothing here is either a threat or a boon. He tries to indicate without speaking that people should head up the stairs slowly, with Nash in front.

[redfeline]

"Later, on the way out." Tilquin follows Ivan up an arrow loaded in the bow.

edit: stealth roll 25.

[oyzar]

Nash shakes his head dismissively. "He'll notice" He then sneaks towards the stears, motioning for the others to follow after him. He keeps one hand on the shaft and one on the scabbard of his sword, ready to draw it at moments notice.

Stealth: (1d20+8)[28]

[Daishain]

Luvon whispers, "Stay here and watch for trouble." to Grumblejack, then follows, several paces behind his stealthier companions.

Spoiler: OOC

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Stealth (1d20+4)[5]
Of course...

[DrK]

Ivan

Ivan looks at Iwya and grins, "Take the Warden alive, wrap him in that and and set him alight. Cook yourself and pig in a blanket. But wait till we wait aunt wanting to retreat past it?"

As the others begin ascending Ivan also creeps upstairs. A moment to channel his rage first though as he gets ready to brutalise the Warden.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception (1d20+7)[22]
Stealth (1d20+5)[13]

Move: combat feat: extra talent (Brute sphere)

HPs 10 / 12
- Saves 4/4/5
- AC 17 (FF 15, Touch 12) 17

Stance: black seraph glare
Focus: Focused
Brawler flexibility: brute sphere (1 minute)

[Niobaran]

Cassandra

The clawed woman tags along silently as the group reaches the tower and starts ascending. There was nothing further to be said at this point, and the anticipation to meet (and hopefully kill) the warden of this place was taking most of her attention. After all, Branderscar is a symbol of Mitran and Darian rulership, and taking it down would harm the oh-so-brave.

Spoiler: OOC

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Stealth: 22

[ChrisAsmadi]

The spiral staircase rises upwards into the tower, leading to the second floor (and continuing up, further still) - a vast library spread across the entire floor, shelves and bookcases packed with various books and scrolls - though at a glance, most of them appear to be cheap and poorly printed penny dreadfuls, lurid and bawdy tales of adventure featuring gallant heroes and young maidens - though there are clearly some scholarly works present, sorted into their own section.

Muffled sounds echo down the staircase from above, the distant sounds of someone speaking.

[Daishain]

Luvon is excited by the sight of bookshelves, then rather disgusted as he surveys the main contents.

When he sees the scholarly works he starts moving towards them, but the voice from above snaps him back to the task at hand.

The elf stays still, trying to get a sense of what the speaker was doing.

Spoiler: OOC

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rolled 22 in discord on perception

[Niobaran]

Cassandra

Hearing someone speak, Cass freezes in place, perking up her ears. A spell? Chatter? Visitors?

Spoiler: Cass Perception

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23 (rolled on discord)

[oyzar]

Nash holds up a finger in front of his mout and turns towards the others as a symbol to be silent. Obviously it was necessary with all the noise they've been making. He then waves the others to follow as he sneaks up the stairs.

Perception: 26

[ChrisAsmadi]

Spoiler: Anyone Listening

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The muffled voice above isn't just speaking, they're incanting... something in a strange tongue. It's also coming from the north end of the top floor.

Spoiler: Anyone who can speak Draconic

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It's Arcane spellcasting.

-

The stairway continues upwards to a second landing, lit by a single torch in a wall sconce. There are two doors - the one on the northern wall bears a plaque that says "Office", while the one on the southern wall's plaque reads "Private: Keep Out!". As you reach the landing, the voice becomes silent.

The stairway continues upwards further still - should anyone climb and look, they will find a heavy wooden hatch to the roof, bolted shut and sealed against the elements.

[DrK]

Ivan

Ignoring the books Ivan follows Nash up the stairs trying to work out which door the noise was coming from and trying to move as quietly as possible. He didn't like wizards, magic or any of that nonsense. He'd be much happier hands wrapped around the wizard's throat and silencing him the hard way.

Spoiler: OOC

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Stealth (1d20+5)[15]
Perception (1d20+7)[19]


HPs 10 / 12
- Saves 4/4/5
- AC 17 (FF 15, Touch 12) 17

Stance: black seraph glare
Focus: Focused
Brawler flexibility: brute sphere (1 minute)

[redfeline]

perception (1d20+3)[13]

Tilquin stops and listens same as the others

[redfeline]

OOC: Sorry I forgot I had spellcraft to roll. (1d20+9)[28] + (1d6)[3] = 31 inspiration is free for trained spellcraft

Tilquin takes a moment to listen to and discipher the words. Tilquin shares any information she learns with the party.

[oyzar]

Nash points towards the northern door, makes a motion as if drawing a bow, pointing towards Tilquin, Luvon and Iywa, telling them to ready to attack the moment the door opens. Then he silently moves over, swinging the door open while staying of to the side, keeping his back flat against the wall to avoid anything flying out from inside.

Spoiler: actions\plan

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If the ranged attackers ready attacks upon seeing, hearing or otherwise noticing someone inside doing something, we might be able to attack the wizard right of the bat or perhaps interrupt some spellcasting. Even if he's invisible a bomb has a high likelihood of disrupting his casting. For himself Nash thinks to hide of to the side of the door to benefit from full cover. I suggest Ivan or Cass does the same on the other side.

[Xanyo]

Iywa ignores Nash's (confusing) gestures, stepping straight up to the door, bracing herself, and heaving it open.

Spoiler: Initiative

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(1d20+8)[24]

[Daishain]

A little alarmed by Iywa's abrupt action, Luvon brings his bow up, stepping from side to side, he sweeps the room beyond the door as best he can, firing at the first viable target he sees, whether that is the Warden, his familiar, or something summoned by the former.

Spoiler: OOC

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If multiple targets seen, target priority is in the order mentioned
Rolled a 10 for initiative in discord
(1d20+4)[6]
(1d8)[8]

[ChrisAsmadi]

Iywa shoves the door open to reveal a tastefully decorated office that uses hard wood to good effect. Dominated by a massive - yet still finely made - oak desk against the opposite wall, accompanied by a plush upholstered seat fit for the nobility.

Surprise Round!

As the door opens, an elderly man dressed in fine blue robes and a black eye-patch (bearing a Mitran star icon) over one eye steps out from the corner of the room, launching into the practised motions and incantations of a spellcasting as soon as he spots who's on the other side of the door - the decisively un-guard-like Iywa. As he finishes his spell, she soon feels a compulsion to laugh at the entire situation fall over her and drops to her hands and knees, laughing gleefully like someone truly mad.

_{(Iywa's will save: d20-1 = 9-1 = 8. It was not enough. She is hit by Hideous Laughter.)}

Spoiler: Warden Mathias Richter

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Round 1

Spoiler: Combat Map

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<sub>(Initiative Track:
24.08 Iywa
23.03 Tilquin
18.03 Cassandra
13.04 Warden Richter
12.02 Ivan
10.06 Luvon
8.04 Nash

Tilquin and Cass are up, Iywa gets another chance to save.)</sub>

[Xanyo]

Iywa rolls onto her side shrieking with laughter. The warden had gotten lucky, folding a fairly crass joke into his spell. Of course, it didn't help the ifrit that she had subconsciously added a bit of burning to it.

Spoiler: Will save

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(1d20+3)[17] EDIT: ruled that I don't get the conditional bonus, total: 13

[redfeline]

Tilquin rushes into the room and lets a pair of arrows fly at the mage. The first shot flys with deadly accuracy at the mage, her careful aim holding true. The second shot shatters on the wall.

Spoiler: rolls

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@redfeline: 1d20+5 = (20)+5 = 25 threat @redfeline: 1d20+5 = (10)+5 = 15 confirm

1d10 = (8) = 8 3d6 = (6+2+3) = 11 total 19 damage

swift action shot 1d20 = (5) = 5

Spoiler: Tilquin Stats and rolls

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HP: 12
Initiative: 23.3
AC: 17 FAC: 13
saves: F4 R5 W1
Actions:
Standard: spend martial focus to snipe mage.
Move: travel into the room
Free: reload
swift: attack missed

Modifiers and ongoing effects:

[Niobaran]

Cassandra

Prior to combat

Nodding at Nash's rather clear gestures, Cass positions herself next to the door, getting ready, and then Iywa just opens the door. She has no time to roll her eyes though...

Round 1

Seeing Iywa fall victim to the spell, Cass moves forward without seeing her target at first.

When she notices the white hair, the eye patch and the Mitran symbol, she feels the shadows grow inside her, and cladding her claws into matte darkness.

This man was old enough to have been around during the purge, and by the looks of it, he may well have taken part in it. Today, he would suffer.

Without further thought, she approaches him, like a prowling cat, and slashes for his stomach.

Spoiler: OOC

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Round 1: Move / Smite Good (Swift) / Attack
She moves to the square west of him. This should be possible with 6squares movement and without leaving any of his threatened squares.

Enabling smite good for +5 attack and +1 damage.
Using power attack for -1 attack and +2 damage.

ClawPowerAttack - (1d20+8)[23] for ClawDamage - (1d4+6)[8].

In case of nat 20 (att roll 28):

Spoiler: Crit Conf

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ClawPowerAttackCritConf - (1d20+8)[19] for ClawDamageCrit - (1d4+6)[9].

[ChrisAsmadi]

The old warden looked rather shocked as Tilquin's arrow flew true and punched through his chest, into his lung. Wheezing, unable to catch his breath, he was easy prey for Cassandra as she bounded into the room, her claw slicing through his gut and all but disembowelling him. Trying to mutter words that would not come, he sunk down onto his knees and then, with a thud, dropped forwards, onto the stone floor, his robes quickly soaking with blood beneath his lifeless form.

_{(The Warden is all but dead. Combat is over.)}

[Daishain]

Luvon smirks as the warden falls, "He put up even less of a fight than I thought he would. Don't worry about Miss fire hair, she'll be fine in a few moments, well mostly. Give me a few minutes, the Warden should have some interesting things in here."

Luvon scans the room with detect magic. He quickly pulls out and organized anything with a Magic aura. Then he looks for books, notes, maps, alchemical supplies, and anything else that will be of use.

Spoiler: OOC

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21 perception

[Niobaran]

Cassandra

For a moment, Cass just stands next to the corpse covered in its blood; reminiscing the short moment of satisfaction that her claws piercing him had been the last thing he would have felt in this world. She silently kneels beside the lifeless wizard. Her lips form a nigh inaudible:
"Thank you, Dark Prince, for guiding my hand in my quest for revenge. His death was swift, but the suffering it brings will last."

Apparently, defeating the warden was and is an important and emotional moment for her.

After a moment of silent prayer, and if no one interferes, Cass puts her knee on the wardens upper back, grabs the white hair with her left, pulls the warden's head slightly upwards, and runs her right hand claws first through the back of his neck. She removes the eye patch and takes it.

She then calmly rises to go to the other room on the opposite side of the floor to quickly search it, and scan it for any magic oddities. While humming a low and simple melody, the blood slowly vanishes from her skin and clothes.

Spoiler: OOC

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I was not quite sure if he was actually, you know, dead or "only" dying.
Perception: 7

Edit:
She uses her prestidigitation to slowly clean herself.
She also uses detect magic to see if there is something magic in the other room.

[DrK]

Ivan

Leaping in after the others Ivan slows to a walk as Cassandra disembowels the warden. Aside from wandering across to stare at his dying body Ivan lurks in the corner as the others begin to tear the room apart. Glancing at the bare walls and the surrounds he does mutter to the others - "We've been going for a while, that game ain't going to last forever and I'd like to see myself clear of this castle well before dawn before folks start getting suspicious."

Spoiler: OOC

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Stealth [roll0]
Perception [roll1]


HPs 10 / 12
- Saves 4/4/5
- AC 17 (FF 15, Touch 12) 17

Stance: black seraph glare
Focus: Focused
Brawler flexibility: brute sphere (1 minute)

[oyzar]

" Grumblejack come on up" Nash half-yells down the stairs before he walks over to the fallen Wizard and Cass and waits silently while she prays. Once she stands up he stops her with a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes, his piercing ice blue eyes finding hers. "Well done Cassandra. May we continue to triumph in the name of the dark prince. With his continued guidance we will succeed." He holds forth the unholy symbol. "Those who follow the prince of darkness have been hunted, imprisoned and threatened with execution. But no more. We will have our revenge. It starters here today. But this is only the beginning. By the power of Asmodeus, it will be done."

A wave of unholy power washes out over the assembled group, clearing up their tiredness and pains from imprisonment and the fights after. It also wrecks the fallen warden, causing his boody to jump and spurt blood out unnaturally.

healing: (1d4)[3]

Afterwards Nash bends down to search the warden and then he checks out the desk. "We should search throughly, this is the most likely place to have magic items. That's more likely to aid our escape rather than saving 5 extra minutes."

Once Iywa recovers he looks at her disapprovingly. "That wasn't very smart. If you had followed my plan he might not have been able to cast that at all. Try to follow what we're planning in the future and things will go more like with the previous encounters rather than this mess. What if it had been a killing spell he had hit you with?"

[ChrisAsmadi]

Grumblejack half-hurries, half-squeezes up the spiral staircase, an eager hungry look on his face that soon changes to disappointment when he realises there is nobody to smash up here. He does, however, look slightly more at ease after the healing energy washes over him.

In addition to several waning spells still present upon the slain Warden, Luvon's detection spell - combined with a thorough search - turns up four scrolls full of arcane runes in the Draconic script _{(Spell scrolls)}, a stoppered vial of a familiar blue liquid _{(Potion of Cure Light Wounds)} and a ovaloid translucent crystal the size of a child's fist, a flickering flame sealed inside its core, casting light like a torch _{(Ioun Torch)}. In additional to his magical equipment, the Warden also had a golden ring set with a diamond upon one of his fingers, his class ring from the wizard's college _{(Worth 250gp)} and a pouch of spell components on his belt.

On the Warden's desk, in addition to drawers full of spare paper, quills and pots of ink, is a neatly folded map of the area surrounding Branderscar Prison and Varyston - which has the quickest route through the moors charted on it, along with the Old Moor Road. Another drawer holds another two pouches filled with various spell components, the Warden's spares. One of the desk drawers is also locked and several runes are scraped into the wood near the handle - runes that glint with a faint Evocation aura under Luvon's spell-enhanced vision.

-

The other room off the landing turns out to be the Warden's private chamber, complete with a fine four-poster bed, full length mirror and an oaken wardrobe. The wardrobe has several finely crafted outfits - mostly blue robes - inside, suitable for wear at court, along with a pair of reinforced travel robes _{(which function as Silken Ceremonial Robes)}.

Shoved against one wall of his chamber is a newly added sturdy oak chest filled with untouched alchemical supplies. _{(Easily enough to make up a pair of Alchemy Crafting Kits.)}