Toma: the City After the War [IC]

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Upon seeing the dwarf, Mourdin's first reaction is to scan the room for the other intruders and the lizards. When Telma and Urk move left to engage the dwarf, Mourdin decides to move to the right searching for the other intruders up above.

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Moves to D8

spot - (1d20+7)[8]

[RS14]

Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Mourdin: 9
[The Young Dwarf]: 8
[hr]

Telma halts, and is uninterrupted as she waves her arms and readies her crystal sword before her.

Urk, foam flying from his silent mouth as he skates rapidly around Varwann, takes the Dwarf completely by surprise. With a single crushing blow, his sword crashes down onto the Dwarf's shoulder, but the heavy crunch as the Dwarf slams unconscious and bleeding into the ground is cut short instantly by the aura surrounding all four.

Mourdin, moving at a more plodding pace, but then continuing his dash into the room as Urk halts to swing, comes to a halt atop a tiny mound of rock near the center of the room just as silence gives way to the crunch of gravel beneath his feet. While the lower floor of the warehouse seems as deserted as ever, he sees now some general features. It is clear that there is no ladder into the loft, and a small, wooden, rail-style cart to the north end of the room reveals the utility of the tracks to the mine-shaft.

Kithzin, as he peers through the window, can clearly see the entrance occurring by the south door. He raises his hands to the window sill and...

[hr]
Starting next initiative count, as you'll want this next bit when you act.
Unarmored Figure: 22
Armored Figure: 19
[hr]

Up above, there is a clatter heard only to Mourdin. All, however, watch as two heads pop out over the edge of the loft, one clad in a heavy but open-faced helm, the other in loose robes. With a foul miner's curse, the later figure withdraws, but the former, the grim, armored human, raises in his hand a silver symbol of some form. He nods at Mourdin below him...

Mourdin:

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Mourdin feels despair sink into his heart like a thunderbolt. Make a will save...

[hr]

• While the unarmored human has withdrawn into the wooden loft, the armored human's head and shoulders still stick out from the loft, thus he has cover as well as concealment.
• The body of the Dwarf still lies in the shadows; you can't be sure if he has been seen or not.
• All four of the nearest peaks of in the rock-pile climb to within reach of the rafters, 10ft above the floor. Make a balance or climb check if you attempt to ascend one, although you must have both hands free to climb.

Map:

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The armored figure is represented by the red x.

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Varwann dismisses the silence effect, holding his current position.

Damnit, I was hoping that they wouldn't hear us

"So much for the soft approach then. Vel Karsh!*"

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*Traditional gnome battle cry, translating to "Ruin them!"

[XenoGeno]

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Due to a clarification in where the armored dude is, Urk is going to try and climb up the closest pile. Judging from this roll, though, I think he fails.

[Ryuuk]

Telma

Good job, just stay hidden and keep an eye on them. If they see you though, just come back, you've done enough already. Glad to have the sound back, Telma moves aside and plants her sword on the ground next to the dwarf. She had to hand it to Urk, you didn't want to be on receiving end with him.

There was a lot of blood. "I'll be with you in a second, let me just..." Her hands were a deep red within seconds. She didn't had never learned any formal first aid, but she knew enough to try and make the bleeding stop. She uses a piece of the dwarf's shirt as she applies pressure and tries to stabilize him. He might be able to explain things later.

She gets up feeling pretty confident that he'll live. the bleeding seemed to have stopped, one of her best ones yet. (23 on the Heal check to stabilize him)

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Free: Move to B2
Free: drop the Falchion
Standard: First Aid
Move: pick up the Falchion

[Snowfall]

Trying to shake off the despair, Mourdin calls upon Heironeous to stun the armored man and his ally.

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Round 1
Will save vs. despair (1d20 8=22)

If able, Mourdin will cast Sound Burst (DC 15 or be stunned for 1 round), centered behind the armored man at M4. Burst radius 10 feet.

burst_damage - (1d8)[2]

Round 2
Mourdin will cast Spiritual Weapon, duration 5 rounds. Battleaxe, Damage 1d8+2, Attack 1d8+8 and sends it to engage the armored figure.

attack - (1d20+8)[10]
damage - (1d8+2)[7]

[RS14]

Unarmored Figure: 22
Armored Figure: 19
Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Mourdin: 9

[hr]

The window shatters and Kithzin tumbles in from the east, a much more graceful maneuver than Urk's dash up the rocks, which ends with a rough tumble as they slide beneath his feet.

In the corner, Telma's hasty bandage seems effective. Though the Dwarf's arm may never be the same, he is certainly alive. Telma leaves him on his good arm as she stands.

Mourdin's will holds, and, with a raise of his arms, a deafening burst rattles the boards and rafters above.

The armored figure shakes his head slowly, as if trying to recover. From above, a voice calls out "Thieves! Where have you hidden it?"

[hr]

Same situation as before, although the armored figure appears stunned.

Sorry I was so late in posting. It's lunch right now, and I don't have time for a second round. Also, I want to see what you say, so lets revert to one round at a time.

Map:

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The yellow and cyan tokens are the armored and unarmored humans respectively.
Ok, I lied about having it up yesterday. My apologies.

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Hearing the yell, Varwann shouts back.

"In the top drawer on the left hand side!"

Shortly followed by

"And who are you calling 'thieves' anyway?"

Varwann remains where he is, waiting for a response.

[XenoGeno]

Urk

"What in the hells is going on? What did we hide? Did we even hide anything?" Urk shouts. Thinking hard, Urk shakes his head and yells out a battle cry, charging up the nearest pile to the loft.

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To clarify, he's not literally charging, just moving up the pile. If he makes it up there, he stays where he is. If he falls, he drinks a potion of enlarge person.

[RS14]

Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Mourdin: 9
Unarmored Figure: 22
Armored Figure: 19

[hr]

This time, Urk manages to ascend the pile; a particularly large slab of rock turns out to be firmly set in place, and only pebbles slip beneath him. He turns and leaps onto the loft, coming face to face with the men.

By this point, the man in armor has risen to his feet and stepped away from the edge of the loft. "Oh, fools, are you? I will rend every one of you limb from limb if I must. Don't interfere here." As the unarmored man, wearing a loose gray robe, gestures and bends to touch the electric blue lizard beside him, the man in armor leans in close beside him and whispers something unheard. He straightens up and holds the flail out before him as if in challenge. "Take care how you act."

[hr]

OOC:

• All three, the armored and unarmored men and the lizard, are now out of sight from below.

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Mistake: Urk is at i3, in the loft, where the green line ends.

[Ryuuk]

Telma

"You have some nerve..." Having given the dwarf's makeshift bandages a last check, Telma looks over piles of rock and rubble, trying to find some sort of path. "Trespassing into our plot, calling us thieves and threatening us... Just who do you think you are?" Following Urks lead, she puts her weapon away at her side and starts trying to make her way up. She curses the rather constraining breastplate under her breath. Sadly, her attempts proves less then fruitful. (0)

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Sorry about missing last round, I kept telling myself I'd get to it eventually.

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

Looking up and seeing the invaders move back into the loft, Kithzin jogged lightly over and up the slope, dancing lightly from stone to stone barely disturbing any rocks as me made his way up towards the loft

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balance - (1d20+11)[31]
Edit: Nailed it... What a waste of a nat 20...

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Varwann dashes up to Telma, and without saying anything, reaches up and forces a live spider and a drop of bitumen into her mouth, casting his spell as he does so.

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Varwann moves to B3 and casts Spider Climb on Telma

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Mourdin looks suspiciously at the rock pile, and then swears under his breath in dwarven. Calling out again to Heironeous, Mourdin summons an ally to aid his companions in fight. A glowing, large winged creature appears in the air above him. "Go help my friends up there, take out that dark priest."

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Mourdin casts summon monster III and sends it against the armored figure. Stat block is below. Duration 5 rounds.

attack - (1d20+6)[20]
damage - (1d4+4)[5]

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Celestial Hippogriff stats

Celestial Hippogriff Large Magical Beast (); CR 2; HD 3d10+9; hp 25;
Init +2; Spd 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (average); Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft.;
AC 15 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +3; Grp +11;
Atk Claw +6 melee (1d4+4); Full Atk 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+4) and bite +1 melee (1d8+2);
SA smite evil; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, Darkvision 60 ft, resistance to acid 5 and cold 5 and electricity 5, SR 8; AL CG; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2;
Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +8
Feats: Dodge, Wingover
Skills(): Hippogriffs have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
Carrying Capacity(): A light load for a hippogriff is up to 300 pounds; a medium load, 301-600 pounds; and a heavy load, 601-900 pounds.
Smite Evil(Su): Once per day a celestial creature can make a normal melee attack to deal +3 extra damage against an evil foe

[XenoGeno]

Urk

Urk looks the unarmored foe in the eyes, and, lowering his shoulders, charges.

[RS14]

Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Armored Figure: 10
Mourdin: 9
Unarmored Figure: 22
Armored Figure: 19

[hr]

As Varwann shoves the spider and bitumen down Telma's mouth, Kithzin bounds into the loft beside Urk. Telma, likewise sheaths her sword and climbs rapidly up the wall to the loft with the aid of the many tiny hooks and claws which spring up on her hands.

Urk steps forward, but the armored man has prepared for this; with a shout, he lunges forward and throws his weight into Urk, catching him mid stride. He flinches at the glancing blow landed on his head by Kithzin, but nevertheless Urk is halted. Angrily, he slashes at the man; it is a good blow that cuts through armor at the waist, but not good enough to be lethal.

As Mourdin begins gesturing, the shape of the hypogriff begins to take form. It will appear next round.

The unarmored man, now looking somewhat panicked, screams at his companion "Just kill him. One of the others will do." Then into the melee, he throws a small cherry tart. As he backs down the loft, he waves a feather frantically in the air. The lizard follows him back and seems to be trying to hide behind his robe.

Urk:

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Make a will save.

[hr]

Maps:

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LoftGround

[Ryuuk]

Telma

"What are you-?" The sudden skittering on her mouth and rock going down her throat cut her off. Mercifully, the sensation doesn't last long and with a few words Varwann only leaves behind a hard to forget aftertaste. "Ugh" After taking a look at her hand she gives him a nod and scampers up onto the loft.
---

Taking a sec to appraise the seen, Telma makes up her mind and gets moving. Her steeps seem floaty and they seem somewhat slippery. As she makes her way around the pile of wooden planks and objects, a loud deep pitched hum seems to burst from her direction. As it does, she seems to fly across the loft, readying her falchion during her travel and swinging it more like a club as she throws caution to the wind against the unarmed man (1d20+6=10. 15 nonlethal damage).

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She'll manifest Hustle for an extra move action. Between that and Skate she should be able to reach 90ft with a double move, just enough to reach O7.

AC 17. HP 36/36, P. Focus: Expended, 11/15 pp

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

His spell cast, Varwann moves to Mourdin and repeats the process.

I don't imagine you're the most talented climber either. Don't chew, just swallow, I don't care how much it reminds you of Dwarf cuisine. Now, if you carry me up, I'll save on a spell"

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Varwann moves to B1 and casts Spider Climb on Mourdin

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Varwann's Spells
0 level: 6/6
1 level: 5/7
2 level: 5/5

SLAs used:
Silence

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin
Flipping up into the loft from the top of the rocks, Kith delivered a tab into the back of the soldier head as he ran into the veritable living wall that is Urk.

Doing a quick somersault around the armoured goon, Kithzin struck out at his back while he was still recovering for the collision with Urk

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Tumble into position with flanking tumble - (1d20+12)[17]
Swing at the armoured guy
attack - (1d20+11)[27] (assuming I get into flanking (Either passing tumble or surviving the AoO))
damage - (1d6+3)[9]
sneak attack - (1d6)[2]

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Mourdin sheathes his axe and calls out to the hippgriff above "Go lend them a hand!" Turning to Varwann he adds, "I'll be your mule... but I'm definitely cooking the next meal."

He waits for Varwann to climb on and then scrambles up the pile.

[RS14]

Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Armored Figure: 10
Mourdin: 9
Hippogriff 5
Unarmored Figure: 22

[hr]

Urk, seeming terribly amused by these tarts, bursts into laughter and falls at the floor of the loft. Kithzin, reacting swiftly, moves and, with a sharp blow to the weak bindings on the back of the man's armor, knocks him painfully down and out

Telma too moves swiftly, though her movement seems supernaturally fast, and the flat of her blade nearly bashes the unarmored man into the ground. The lizard cowers behind him, flattening itself against the crates as the hippogriff crashes in from the west. Its claws rip into the man's flesh, and it hisses at him viciously. He staggers back, shouting incantations and waving at the air before him. The lizard, now seeming to realize that it must fight, sparks in anger, and shoots an arc of lightning to Telma. He backs straight into the waiting arms of his master, which appear to infuse him with a new electric glow.

Telma:

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7 points of nonlethal damage, or DC12 reflex for 3 points.

Just as this is happening, Mourdin emerges along the wall with Varwann on his back. He crawls gracefully across the rafter, standing only as he arrives beside Kithzin.

[hr]
Map:

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[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Varwann drops down from the dwarf's back and immediately starts reciting an incantation, throwing some powdered mica into the air and watching as the spell consumes it.

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Varwann casts Glitterdust centered on the top left corner of Q7. 10ft radius spread, DC 16 will save or blinded for 5 rounds.

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

Charging (L6 then to P6 using skill trick to turn mid charge) at the robed figure, Kithzin flowing around the hippogriff. Muttering a few words right as he reached the figure, the air seeming to ripple strangely around his fist.

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Using stunning fist
attack - (1d20+11)[26]
damage - (1d6+3)[7]
Fort save vs DC 15 or be stunned if it hits.

[RS14]

Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Mourdin: 9
Hippogriff 5
Unarmored Figure: 22

[hr]

The rapidly expanding golden cloud engulfs both the man and lizard; particles swirl through the air and settle on the loft and the nearby canvas-covered crate. The unarmored man wipes at his face with his sleeve, but to no effect. Kithzin bounds towards them, but as he rushes into the dust, they fade from his vision, overwhelmed by swirls of gold. He swings wildly, but his fists fail to land.

As the others hang back, the hippogriff lunges over the crate; he blindly claws the air before him, but his claw connects and his beak too. It pulls away out of the cloud, taking with it a strip of flesh, and the man collapses beside the crate. The lizard slips from beneath his feet and begins to flail wildly towards Kithzin - though even blinded, Kithzin manages to avoid the blow easily.

[hr]

Map:

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Gold-ish circle is the glitterdust cloud.

[Ryuuk]

Telma

Telma flinches from the shock (10), more surprised then anything else. She stops for a second and regains her focus (21, Psionic Focus is up) before putting her attention back on the unarmed man.

She couldn't help but feel fortunate, it looked like his attention was elsewhere. She simply steps forward and takes a swing, once again making sure that it's mostly blunt force rather then anything lethal. However, she slowly starts to realize that her weapon may not be the most efficient tool (1d20+5=7) in knocking someone out.

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Jesh, sad thing is that even I it where lethal there's a good chance of a miss. Anyway, she's currently at P7 actions where:

Move: Regain Focus
Free: 5ft Step
Standard: Swing and miss (most likely)

AC 19. HP 36/36, P. Focus: Expended, 11/15 pp

[Snowfall]

Mourdin

Seeing that there wasn't much space to assist Telma and Kithzin, Mourdin trudges over to the downed armored man to stabilize him... there would be questions.

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I'm not exactly sure where the armored man fell, but I think Mourdin still operating at +15 ft boost from Telma.

heal - (1d20+8)[26]

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Whoops, slight error in the aiming of that spell, better take note for next time

Varwann stands and watches the battle, taking no action for now.

[RS14]

Varwann: 16
Kithzin: 12
Telma: 10
Urk: 10
Mourdin: 9
Hippogriff: 5
Unarmored Figure: 22

[hr]

Kithzin kicks blindly towards where he last saw the lizard, and though he hits solidly, the lizard slips from beneath his boot. Telma, though not blinded, brings her sword down too slowly and misses. The hippogriff, however, blindly snatches it away in his beak; the lizard twitches and then falls limp, the electric glow fades from it, and the hippogriff happily bolts it down.

[hr]

Eventually, the dust disappears, Urk recovers from his laughing fit, and the hippogriff gates away silently. Mourdin's bandages take effect, and all three intruders are immobilized.

While the intruders are not yet conscious, here beneath the canvas-covered cargo-pallet (loaded with ceramic pipes) and beside a small knife and an open draw-string pack are three black hooded robes, a silver holy-symbol in the shape of a gaping, fanged mouth, and a leather pouch containing some sort of orange powder. The canvas cover has been torn free at one corner, but nothing more seems to be concealed in it.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 20:

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The holy symbol belongs to a priest of Vara, goddess of nightmares and fear.

[Chineselegolas]

Kithzin

"Nothing like a fight in the morning to get the heart beating and clear the sleep from the eyes" Kithzin said as he wipped the last of the glitter from them "And some other stuff"
Pulling out one the robes and holy symbol, Kithzin held it up to get a better look at it. "Dunno what these are for but they look ominous. Any of you guys recognise the symbol?, might be some sort of cult"

[Solophoenix]

Varwann

Varwaan turns to Mourdin and Telma

"Either of you two want to bring that dwarf up here while you can still climb well? It'd probably be best if we keep this lot together where we can keep an eye on them."

Varwann then takes a closer look at the powder to try and figure out what it is.