Bastion of Broken Souls [IC]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"...and then, I swear by my fine hairs this is true, he ATE it!" Mahogany says at a point in his story.

Those around him burst into appreciative laughter, Mahogany right along with it. In fact, he wipes tears of mirth from his eyes as he continues, "And then..." when suddenly his eyes glaze as if hearing something faint. His story is cut off and he glances around thoughtfully.

He then turns back to his audience and smiles again, "Ah, but thats a tale for another day, and it can sit itself back and listen to! Truth be told this old mind is wandering and these old bones need a bitta stretching or they'll just stay that way, they're that lazy!"

He pushes himself to his feat and lifts a hand in parting. He then strolls about the room, glancing about curiously as if trying to pick up an elusive scent.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

"I suppose it is by all means possible to consider that I have been ordered here because of the incidents with the... lifeless children." Artemus says again in a clear, prominent voice and takes another gulp of his drink.

[Regord_Silentflame]

Aedras's ears pricked at Atemus's words, 'lifeless children' he silently wondered 'if those folk that stiff man is speaking to understand him, no wonder we're being watched, this kind of meeting is bound to catch someone's attention' he sighed, sitting up at the edge of his chair and scratching head "perhaps they'll prove more help than bribing townsfolk with ale" he muttered, nearly cursing himself for that slip-up as he got up from his seat, a slight wave to the merry drinkers at his table and walking up to the gathering, putting a hand behind Artemus's chair and leaning in, trying not to speak to loudly "what do you know about the lifeless children?" he asks, trying to put on his friendliest face.

[Rachel Lorelei]

(Everyone makes a Will save, the DC a mere 21, or is affected by Detect Thoughts. Because mechanics are wonky, a Spot check if they're listening in the unseen Sharra's direction--hit DC 48 and you know the spell was cast. If you have a Spot of +39 at least we can make opposed spot/hide checks to see Sharra hiding.)

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Sharra is Sacrificing Cloud of Knives to cast Detect Thoughts. Sleight of Hand for Conceal Spellcasting: (1d20+28)[48]

Sharra Daggerspell

The gnome simply vanishes entirely from view, knife-cloak going with her, in the space between one breath and the next.
"Keep your voice down, kid," her voice comes from empty air.
"What we know is that no one knows anything, and anyone who does know--that'd be divine beings--isn't talking."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

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Will:(1d20+16)[20]
Spot:(1d20+1)[17](Not a chance on this one by the way...

[Regord_Silentflame]

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Will: (1d20+11)[23]
Spot: (1d20+25)[37]

Aedras blinked, the gnome simply disappeared before his eyes, not the first time, but still quite unexpected. He sighed, trying his best to look at where she had been "good, well not, I wish it would be easier, but at least I know I wasn't the only one to fall short. What I do know is that someone is spying on us, at least I assume it would be us, and so I felt I would act non-chalant" he shrugged, nodding at Artemus and pulling up a chair to sit down with the group.

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Disguise: (taking 10) 37

[Amiria]

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Will save: 1d20+19^* = 24

^* = including a +5 competence bonus against mind-affecting spells and abilities from the Greater Augment Crystal of Mind Cloaking

Naomi Drakestorm

Naomi looks a bit surprised to the spot where Sharra just disappeared. "We are being spyed at ? Ho do you know ? Should I be worried ?", she asks in a low voice. She takes a miniature polearm from her belt and twirls it in her hand.

[Rachel Lorelei]

Sharra Daggerspell

The gnome does not reappear, but she does let her Detect Thoughts spell drop the instant she hears it. She doesn't attempt to hide the next casting: anyone with enough spell-crafting knowledge identifies the sounds of a Detect Scrying.
"Can't believe I didn't notice it--getting rusty. I don't know who it is, but I'm sure as hells about to find out..."

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Sacrificing Assasy SR to sponta-cast the spell. Opposed CL check to see who the scryer is and get a sense of their direction and distance: [roll]1d20+23[/roll] (my bad; this is the right value, since it's a divination).
(Damn, can't edit rolls in. Detect Scrying roll in the next post.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Rachel Lorelei]

(Detect Scrying: (1d20+23)[25] for a Divination. Ouch, damn.)

[Zimmia]

Tiatiae

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Will save: (1d20+27)[41]
Spot: (1d20+15)[24]

Having seen her done it before, Tiatiae isn't particularly alarmed as Sharra disappears although she is alarmed that someone is scrying into the tavern. She pauses while Sharra checks things out.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kelborn

He whispers to the gray elf, speaking in low hushed tones. "We're being scryed on. The girl is searching the sensor out." He doesn't appear to care other than a slight bit of interest in the idea of being spied on. He casts a spell, then concentrates for a few rounds. The creature then points out the gnome and the scrying sensor with a gaunt claw. "Why, I wonder.. If you all don't mind, I'd like to dispose of the sensor as quickly as possible."

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Casting Detect Magic and concentrating for 18 seconds. Since Sharra has active spells and the sensor is magical, I'd assume he can see them. He doesn't care what school they're in(and his Spellcraft is high enough to know automatically).

[Rachel Lorelei]

Re: Detect Magic:

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Sharra has a continual Nondetection effect which prevents Detect Magic from revealing her; you can beat it with a DC 33 caster level check.

[ZeroNumerous]

Re: Detect Magic:

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Sharra has a continual Nondetection effect which prevents Detect Magic from revealing her; you can beat it with a DC 33 caster level check.

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You mean 29, right? 11+18=/=33. Not relevant anyway.

[Rachel Lorelei]

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Nondetection as cast by yourself is 15+level, not 10+level.

[Regord_Silentflame]

Aedras
"hmmm" Aedras muttered under his breath, tapping his thin fingers against his even thinner chin "well, I'm no wizard, but I think we can fool whoever's watching as long as we act like normal patrons, perhaps whoever's watching doesn't know we're the ones to look at, and we shouldn't be heard as long as we're quiet" he says, hopefully not too queitly.
He turns in the direction Kelborn, nodding slowly then raising a hand to signal a barmaid to serve another drink, then turning back to the group.
"I suggest we act ignorant of the sensor as best we can, and we'll just disguise our motives until we decide to leave"

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Taking 7 off my Disguise check to grant all other PCs a +7 to their disguise roll, if they chose to make one.
Disguise: (Continuing to take 10) 30

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

"...Illegal scrying on unsuspecting victims... I will not grant them the pleasure. Perhaps then, I will not know of such a thing... and my motives shall be placed elsewhere." He takes another sip of his ale, making sure to pace himself as to not get intoxicated.

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Disguise: (1d20+12)[13]

[Amiria]

Naomi Drakestorm

"Are you sure that we are the ones being spyed at ? Could be somebody else here in the tavern." Naomi takes a sip from her cider and whistles innocently.

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Disguise: 1d20+9 = 14

[Ellas Aramond]

As everyone is deep in their conversations, a nine foot tall fiend appears out of thin air in front of Naomi, and attacks in a flurry of steel; setting the other patrons into a panic. The creature appears as a giant snake with green, scaly coils from the waist down, and as a chain-shrouded female humanoid above the waist. She has six arms, all of which wield hellishly animate loops of barbed chain. The cruelly barbed chains also serve as her armor and clothing.

((The fiend hits Naomi with a chain for 19 points of damage.))

The battle has been initiated, and I have taken the liberty of rolling everyone's initiative to speed things up.

Sharra: 36
Aedras: 36
Mahogany: 23
fiend: 22
Naomi: 16
Astarok/Kelborn: 15
Lithana: 10
Tiatiae: 10
Artemus: 5

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If everyone could post their actions in order, that would be great.

And I apologize for my absence. Lets just say that certain things have been distracting me.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

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Just getting this in. Knowledge (the planes): (1d20+12)[19]

[Rachel Lorelei]

(Sharra has Anticipate Teleport cast--like the rest of her long-term buffs it's in the character sheet notes. Shouldn't that have alerted her to the demon teleporting in and let her delay it? Or was it not a teleport effect?)

[Ellas Aramond]

(Sharra has Anticipate Teleport cast--like the rest of her long-term buffs it's in the character sheet notes. Shouldn't that have alerted her to the demon teleporting in and let her delay it? Or was it not a teleport effect?)

Oops, didn't see that. Well, everyone disregard my last post. Rachel, you are alerted that a large creature is teleporting right in front of Naomi.

[Rachel Lorelei]

(The fiend is delayed by one round--initiative remains the same; everyone who's with Sharra gets an extra round of actions or may ready actions.
For the record, Sharra's willing to blow a spell on defense because of the teleportation in combination with the scrying (despite not knowing who's teleporting in until the fiend shows up).)

"Someone's teleporting in, there! I've delayed it a few seconds; get ready!"

Sharra's points out the place--in front of Naomi--while she's dipping a hand into a pocket to produce a material component, launching into a Greater Blink spell for defense. Then she steps to the side, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

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As the fiend appears, the gnome's cloak of knives spreads around her into a halo; a creature peeks out of her vest for a moment, and two of the knives, leaving streaks of mist behind them, shoot forth right at the thing's face. She reappears just behind the fiend before launching into a quick spell and levelling a (unseen) hand. Then wings unfold from the gnome's back, and a single flutter sends her upwards, passing through a rafter due to her blinking state. She vanishes before she lands.

During the delay round: Greater Blink.
Knowledge: Planes, presumably, to identify, +5 from Collector of Stories: (1d20+27)[44]
Free action at start of round: ranged touch attack (Find the Gap) with the Cloud of Knives: (1d20+29)[45] for (1d6+5)[8] + (12d6)[30] sneak attack. Doesn't beat any DR except /magic.
Swift action to cast Assay Spell Resistance, sacrificing Ray of Dizziness.
Standard action to cast Irresistible Dance with Arcane Reach. SR check: (1d20+30)[36]. If the fiend isn't immune to mind-affecting spells and the SR check succeeds, it dances for (1d4+1)[2] rounds.
Move action to go back and up.... let's call it 20 feet back and as high up as she can get without actually blinking through the tavern roof. Hide check as part of the move action, (1d20+55)[60].

[Ellas Aramond]

Okay, I'm going to assume that is for this, and the next round. So everyone has a round of actions to do before the enemy appears. Reagord, you're up next.

[Rachel Lorelei]

(Minor addition--and yeah, I figured everyone could do their "delay" round and their normal round at once, to save time; everyone who acts ahead of the fiend, at least.

Edit: does the Dance work or not? That would be visible, and potentially affects everyone's actions.)

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Hide check for the round before the demon teleports in: (1d20+55)[65]
Also, Sharra's familiar peeks out of its Familiar Pocket and looses an attack from its own Cloud of Knives (Share Spell): (1d20+29)[42] ranged touch to hit; (1d6+5)[7] + (7d6)[23] (Shared Hunter's Eye) sneak attack.
Edit 2: free action to fetch the familiar from its Pocket, and a free action for it to go back and seal it, getting full cover and full concealment from everything while it's in there.

Edit: that Knowledge check also happens before anything; if I get any details about the monster, immunities first, then SLAs, then saving throws, and I doubt I get more than that. If Sharra knows this thing is mind-immune, I'll go back and edit my post.
Dancing means it takes no actions, gets no shield AC, gets -4 AC and -10 Ref saves, and provokes AoOs on its turn.

[Amiria]

Naomi Drakestorm

((taking only the delay round action now, since posting actions in order isn't neccessary yet))

Naomi rises from her chair, takes a step back from the table and says "Orkhane". The miniature polearm in her hand enlarges to a full size naginata and she grips it with both hands. A standard of a golden dragon on maroon is attached right below the blade.

((Edit: Naomi and every ally within 30 ft. of her gets a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves and skill checks))

[Ellas Aramond]

(Minor addition--and yeah, I figured everyone could do their "delay" round and their normal round at once, to save time; everyone who acts ahead of the fiend, at least.

Edit: does the Dance work or not? That would be visible, and potentially affects everyone's actions.)

I'm going to have everyone post their delay actions first, because they could effect what everyone else decides to do. As for that knowledge check, I'll tell ya what you know when the fiend actually appears.

[Rachel Lorelei]

(Point. Save my actions from when it appears. I'll edit the action description into the spoiler and bring it out when it's time.
I'm assuming, BTW, that it appears at the top of the round, rather than on its initiative, since creatures teleporting in normally roll initiative (rather than going right away, i.e. they appear at the top of a round) and Anticipate Teleport uses the initiative order.

Edit: Krimm--I edited my above post, actually; Sharra points out the square in front of Naomi as the teleport target.)

[Ellas Aramond]

(Point. Save my actions from when it appears.
I'm assuming, BTW, that it appears at the top of the round, rather than on its initiative, since creatures teleporting in normally roll initiative (rather than going right away, i.e. they appear at the top of a round) and Anticipate Teleport uses the initiative order.)

Top of the round, just as you predicted.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Artemus hears these words and quickly stands up and rushes to the corner to grab his Spear of Mechanus and holds it in both hands, hoping to predict where the unknown intruder will appear.

[Regord_Silentflame]

Aedras
Aedras clambers to his feet, a look of grimm horror on his face as he jumps onto a table nearby, turning towards the majority of the crowd in the building.
"If you don't get out of here RIGHT NOW, you are all going to WISH all the way to the AFTERLIFE that I'M the one who killed you!"
He watches the mass, brandishing his longsword in one hand, and his Wand (fireball) in the other, keeping an eye out for whatever is on it's way.