Post by TheUdjat on Apr 15, 2009 20:51:28 GMT -5
SEA GREEN
Everyone (yay!)-
Natsumi, seeing the battle coming closer and closer, begins to focus her song on Amassu’s greatness, inspiring him even further for the battle to come. He sets his jaw and regrips his mace, nodding along with the lyrics, his expression grim, resolute, and very eager for the fight. He clearly longs to engage the dragon, but the pair are annoyingly far away—though not at all far away enough for Natsumi’s comfort.
As the noxious, unnatural breath of the dragon takes its toll on the companions, Ella curses and keeps her conviction, knowing that she can do nothing but press the attack and hope to finally fell the dragon. She brings Antyca up for another pass, but this one doesn’t have the momentum she would prefer—but it will have to do. As she comes close, the dragon’s hideous maw snaps out at her, again catching her in its teeth and ripping flesh and blood into the sky—Ella feels her world almost go black, but she shakes her head clear and focuses on the lance—driving the lance home, despite the shaking in her limbs from the cloying breath and gut-wrenching fear and the mounting injuries.
Her perseverance pays off: the lance strikes home again, a hit not quite so impressive as her last two, but something to be proud of nonetheless. Shadowy rain falls on the group, and the dragon tilts away, but does not drop out of the skies. She glances over, hoping to see her companions strike home, but Gro-bug is in agony from his curse, and Henrick only scrapes scales, spitting out a foul curse of his own. Sean, at least, answers Ella’s call for aid, stopping his song to drop his hand out until he finds the halfling’s back, and then casting a spell to repair her wounds—and not a moment too soon. It is little compared to the devastating damage she’s taken, but the bleeding is not so profuse as it was moments ago, the world not so cold.
Suddenly, the thundering cloud that moments ago seemed to spell a bad omen for the roc rides surges uncannily close, and suddenly Ella and the others (except Sean, of course) can make out an enormous humanoid figure standing atop the raging thunderhead—Amassu! He is armored and ready for a battle, and his eyes are set on the shadowy dragon, and a smaller figure can be glimpsed near him. “Natsumi?” Henrick mutters in confusion and hope into the wind, as if the dragon’s breath might be making him see things.
The cloud comes closer still, and Amassu raised his arm, shouting an incomprehensible word—a bolt of lightning streaks out of the thunderstorm on a deadly path for the dragon. It wheels to one side, avoiding the bulk of the blast, but its scales are scorched nonetheless, and it casts a baleful look at the cloud giant.
The dragon spins and turns in the air as if it might confront this new foe, but instead it plunged at Antyca again. It lunges in close, risking another rake of Antyca’s talons that do nothing to deter it. Ella raises her buckler to evade, but the dragon doesn’t come for her—its jaws instead aim lower, at the chains that bind the saddle to Antyca. Ella has a moment to panic before the jaws close deftly on the chain, shearing through the heavy links like they were nothing.
Suddenly, the riders begin to pull away from the roc, still moving swiftly and wildly in the heat of combat. Ella, the most adept rider and close to Antyca’s neck, catches her mount’s thick feathers in one hand and wraps her legs around the massive bird, keeping herself in place, but a glance over one shoulder assures her that her comrades do not fare as well. Sean, sensing the change even if he’s blind, gropes out wildly and catches hold of what remains of the saddle’s chain, clinging for dear life. But Gro-bug, still in the throes of the curse, does not act swift enough; neither does Henrick, perhaps distracted by the cloud on the horizon and its passengers, or perhaps simply not swift enough. His hand snaps out, but to no avail, and both half-orc and former captain go tumbling off the Roc and into the great blue sky.
Antyca screeches in alarm, off-balance from the half-trailing chain and her lost riders, and for a moment it is all Ella can do to keep hold of her. Meanwhile, the dragon leaves its opponents with one last scathing look, then peels off in an unmistakable retreat.
In the cloud chariot, Amassu booms out a curse, waving his mace. “Cowardly dragon! You won’t get away!” He clearly intends to give chase, even while Henrick and Gro-bug plummet to the sea below, though it is likely his command of the cloud could easily allow him to catch them.
(Mechanics)
[The dragon is about 100’ away from Antyca, and 200’ away from Amassu and Natsumi. Henrick and Gro-bug are falling, and fast. Ella on Antyca can attempt to catch them with a full round action, but she must make a DC 20 Ride check for the maneuver, and they must make reflex saves DC 15 to catch the roc gracefully, else they take damage as falling and Antyca takes damage as being hit with falling objects.
Alternatively, Amassu could use the cloud chariot to catch them. It will also take a full round action, but no check required, and no saves required. They will still take some falling damage, but reduced due to the cloud’s substance (although Natsumi could just cast Feather Fall on them when they come within range).]
Initiative: Natsumi (22), Ella & Antyca (20), Gro-bug (20), Henrick (20), Sean (20), Amassu (18), Dragon (6).
(Character Status)
Ella – 51/77 HP, Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP: 26/52]
Sean – 47/47 HP, Blind, Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP 22/22]
Gro-bug – 76/100 HP, Cursed (50% no action), Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP: 51/75], Falling
Henrick – 70/70 HP, Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP: 45/45], Falling
Antyca – 30 damage, Shaken, 2 Neg. Levels
Natsumi – 52/52 HP, Hasted, Shaken
Amassu – No damage, Hasted, Inspire Greatness
Dragon – 289 damage
Negative Levels:
Sean, Ella, Gro-bug, and Henrick all suffer -5 on all skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws, and -25 to HP. The HP amounts have been reflected above.
DARK RED
Confronted with the weapons check, Wanderer recoils slightly, the matter of the maul clearly having occurred to him as well. As Gildas talks to the guards, they nod, perhaps a little impatiently, this not being a new concern for them. “Yes, of course, all weapons will be perfectly secure, I assure you. You have my pledge. Just return with your token and you can pick them up—but don’t lose the token. If you don’t have it, you don’t get the weapons back, and if somebody else has it…” He shrugs, the answer clear.
Gildas makes a mental note to hang onto the token.
But still, Wanderer seems leery of parting from the Skullsplitter, even though he’d considered selling it recently for better equipment. The determination was made to keep it, and him to protect and wield it, and Vorkal has already made one pass at the revered artifact. At Gildas’s words, he nods lightly. “Yes. I believe I shall wait here until you are finished within. I can hold anything else we might not prefer to part with, if desired.” He half-smiles. “I suspect I would be of little use in a place of education, anyway.”
[If you’d prefer Wanderer hang onto items over the guards, go ahead, though that’s a lot of gear for him to baby-sit.
]
Tyrano shows every intent of keeping the copper bone on his person, as one might expect, though he has taken precautions to hide it by wrapping it in cloth. He explains that it is an artifact he wishes to research, and this news doesn’t faze the guards. They allow him by with anyone else surrendering weapons.
The second guard in the checkpoint withdraws a slender metallic rod which hums lightly with power. He waves it over Lockheart’s body first, and several objects on his person glow—an indication that they are magic, surely, but they glow in different colors. The guards find nothing wrong, however, and admit him. The same is done for the others, and indeed, any magical item glows, but the guards find nothing amiss… and then they get to Tyrano, and the bone.
For a moment, all go tense as the wand passes over him, fearing what it might find—but astonishingly, the bone doesn’t even glow as other magic items do, and the guard hmphs mildly, waving him by while the group struggles not to display surprise.
These artifacts, humming with power, warm to the touch, granting giant strength and other benefits… and not even a faint aura of magic? These are special objects indeed.
The university grounds sprawl out before the group as they ascend the first hill, and Gildas muses over where to begin the search. Lockheart chuckles at the mention of the graveyard. “We will certainly find bones of some sort there.” He waves an arm ahead. “The administrative building, Johnson Hall, is closer than the museum—that is the most likely place to find someone well-versed in the university’s history.”
Accordingly, Lockheart leads the three of you left to Johnson Hall. It is easily the grandest of the buildings on the ground, tall and stately, with the same pale stone walls and shining copper rooftops as the rest of the buildings. This one has looming pillars as wide around as the oldest of trees, as well, with decorative carvings etched along the base of each wide stair leading up to the doors, and more overhead, just beneath the roofs edge. But in a sharp contrast to this elegance, the roof is also topped sporadically with looming, crouching figures—gargoyles, but no two are alike, each one a monster of some sort from the darkest of tales, from trolls to harpies to manticores, and even the undead—a chilling reminder of what the Deathspeakers and Yexuhls propose to unleash on the world. Having these creatures staring down at the group is anything but comfortable, even if they are etched in shining, unmoving, unliving copper.
Heading into the hall, the group is immediately confronted with an immense arched ceiling almost the height of the building, with glowing sconces of pale amber light—everburning torches by their lack of smoke. Marble tiles shine on the floors, and even whispered voice echo loudly across the chamber. There are statues and art and hangings here, but many stairwells that branch off from the chamber, leading up and down to countless other rooms. Closer at hand, a long desk of golden, polished wood stretches out to the left, where two clerks are hard at work filing cards, marking calendars, and tending to a line of students and others who ask questions, most of them quickly redirected to other rooms or buildings. One of these clerks glances up and spies your group lingering uncertainly by the door, and she smiles with strained patience. “Please stand in line and we’ll help you when we can—thank you.”
The line stretches on at least a couple dozen people long, and while some go quickly, others delay the clerks with questions about classes, schedules, and other minutiae. Lockheart groans. “This is like to take a while,” he mutters.
But it is either wait for the clerks, or attempt to navigate the enormity of the building on their own. It is uncertain which task is likely to take longer.
(Character Status)
Gildas – 69/69 HP
Lenny – 61/61 HP
Wystfalrun – 62/62 HP
Lockheart – No damage
Wanderer – 90/90 HP [Absent]
Everyone (yay!)-
Natsumi, seeing the battle coming closer and closer, begins to focus her song on Amassu’s greatness, inspiring him even further for the battle to come. He sets his jaw and regrips his mace, nodding along with the lyrics, his expression grim, resolute, and very eager for the fight. He clearly longs to engage the dragon, but the pair are annoyingly far away—though not at all far away enough for Natsumi’s comfort.
As the noxious, unnatural breath of the dragon takes its toll on the companions, Ella curses and keeps her conviction, knowing that she can do nothing but press the attack and hope to finally fell the dragon. She brings Antyca up for another pass, but this one doesn’t have the momentum she would prefer—but it will have to do. As she comes close, the dragon’s hideous maw snaps out at her, again catching her in its teeth and ripping flesh and blood into the sky—Ella feels her world almost go black, but she shakes her head clear and focuses on the lance—driving the lance home, despite the shaking in her limbs from the cloying breath and gut-wrenching fear and the mounting injuries.
Her perseverance pays off: the lance strikes home again, a hit not quite so impressive as her last two, but something to be proud of nonetheless. Shadowy rain falls on the group, and the dragon tilts away, but does not drop out of the skies. She glances over, hoping to see her companions strike home, but Gro-bug is in agony from his curse, and Henrick only scrapes scales, spitting out a foul curse of his own. Sean, at least, answers Ella’s call for aid, stopping his song to drop his hand out until he finds the halfling’s back, and then casting a spell to repair her wounds—and not a moment too soon. It is little compared to the devastating damage she’s taken, but the bleeding is not so profuse as it was moments ago, the world not so cold.
Suddenly, the thundering cloud that moments ago seemed to spell a bad omen for the roc rides surges uncannily close, and suddenly Ella and the others (except Sean, of course) can make out an enormous humanoid figure standing atop the raging thunderhead—Amassu! He is armored and ready for a battle, and his eyes are set on the shadowy dragon, and a smaller figure can be glimpsed near him. “Natsumi?” Henrick mutters in confusion and hope into the wind, as if the dragon’s breath might be making him see things.
The cloud comes closer still, and Amassu raised his arm, shouting an incomprehensible word—a bolt of lightning streaks out of the thunderstorm on a deadly path for the dragon. It wheels to one side, avoiding the bulk of the blast, but its scales are scorched nonetheless, and it casts a baleful look at the cloud giant.
The dragon spins and turns in the air as if it might confront this new foe, but instead it plunged at Antyca again. It lunges in close, risking another rake of Antyca’s talons that do nothing to deter it. Ella raises her buckler to evade, but the dragon doesn’t come for her—its jaws instead aim lower, at the chains that bind the saddle to Antyca. Ella has a moment to panic before the jaws close deftly on the chain, shearing through the heavy links like they were nothing.
Suddenly, the riders begin to pull away from the roc, still moving swiftly and wildly in the heat of combat. Ella, the most adept rider and close to Antyca’s neck, catches her mount’s thick feathers in one hand and wraps her legs around the massive bird, keeping herself in place, but a glance over one shoulder assures her that her comrades do not fare as well. Sean, sensing the change even if he’s blind, gropes out wildly and catches hold of what remains of the saddle’s chain, clinging for dear life. But Gro-bug, still in the throes of the curse, does not act swift enough; neither does Henrick, perhaps distracted by the cloud on the horizon and its passengers, or perhaps simply not swift enough. His hand snaps out, but to no avail, and both half-orc and former captain go tumbling off the Roc and into the great blue sky.
Antyca screeches in alarm, off-balance from the half-trailing chain and her lost riders, and for a moment it is all Ella can do to keep hold of her. Meanwhile, the dragon leaves its opponents with one last scathing look, then peels off in an unmistakable retreat.
In the cloud chariot, Amassu booms out a curse, waving his mace. “Cowardly dragon! You won’t get away!” He clearly intends to give chase, even while Henrick and Gro-bug plummet to the sea below, though it is likely his command of the cloud could easily allow him to catch them.
(Mechanics)
- Natsumi hits up Inspire Greatness on Amassu, bracing herself for the coming fight.
- Ella guides Antyca up for another attack. The roc has to make a double move to do so, so no attacking for her. The dragon gets an attack of opportunity, which it takes on Ella. Attack roll vs. AC 25: 31, hits. Ella takes 20 damage after DR 3/- (looks like that lifedrinking saved her after all). She is at 3 HP.
- Ella gets her attack w/ Heartseeking Amulet, PA for everything, but it’s not a charge. Touch attack roll @ +2 (-5 for Neg. Levels): 20, still an easy hit. I have her lance damage as 1d6+19 (+4 Str, +18 PA, +1 Enhancement, +3 Inspire, -2 Shaken, -5 Neg. Levels). Dragon takes 21 damage, DR does not apply. She regains 3 much-needed HP from Lifedrinking.
- Gro-bug is cursed and does nothing.
- Henrick’s readied attack, PA for all: No natural 20, no hit.
- Sean answers Ella’s call for healing, hitting her with a Cure Moderate Wounds. She heals 2d8+8 damage: 20 HP recovered.
- The Cloud Chariot moves with 100’ of the melee, and Amassu and Natsumi are visible. Amassu uses his command word to send a lightning bolt at the dragon. Chariot’s Caster level check for SR: 32, pass. Reflex save for the dragon: 32, pass. It still takes half (15 damage).
- The dragon takes one look at Amassu and pursues Antyca. It takes an AoO from the roc on its approach. Attack roll: 34, miss. The dragon makes a sunder attempt on the roc’s saddle. This provokes again from the roc, but she’s used her attack. As this is a ‘worn’ object, there is no opposed attack roll. Attack roll (w/ power attack) vs. object’s AC of 13: 20, hits. Saddle takes 48 damage, and is well and truly broken.
- Reflex saves for everyone vs. DC 15, factoring in -7 from Shaken and Negative Levels. Ella @ +1: 17, success. Gro-bug @ -2: 11, fail. Sean @ +2: 21, pass. Henrick @ -1: 12, fail. Gro-bug and Henrick are falling. In a few rounds they will hit the sea faaar below.
- The dragon finishes its action by speeding away from Amassu about 100’.
- Initiative goes to Natsumi.
[The dragon is about 100’ away from Antyca, and 200’ away from Amassu and Natsumi. Henrick and Gro-bug are falling, and fast. Ella on Antyca can attempt to catch them with a full round action, but she must make a DC 20 Ride check for the maneuver, and they must make reflex saves DC 15 to catch the roc gracefully, else they take damage as falling and Antyca takes damage as being hit with falling objects.
Alternatively, Amassu could use the cloud chariot to catch them. It will also take a full round action, but no check required, and no saves required. They will still take some falling damage, but reduced due to the cloud’s substance (although Natsumi could just cast Feather Fall on them when they come within range).]
Initiative: Natsumi (22), Ella & Antyca (20), Gro-bug (20), Henrick (20), Sean (20), Amassu (18), Dragon (6).
(Character Status)
Ella – 51/77 HP, Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP: 26/52]
Sean – 47/47 HP, Blind, Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP 22/22]
Gro-bug – 76/100 HP, Cursed (50% no action), Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP: 51/75], Falling
Henrick – 70/70 HP, Shaken, 5 Neg. Levels [Temp HP: 45/45], Falling
Antyca – 30 damage, Shaken, 2 Neg. Levels
Natsumi – 52/52 HP, Hasted, Shaken
Amassu – No damage, Hasted, Inspire Greatness
Dragon – 289 damage
Negative Levels:
A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained.
–1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
–1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
–5 hit points.
–1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.
Negative levels remain for 24 hours or until removed with a spell, such as restoration. After 24 hours, the afflicted creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 attacker’s HD + attacker’s Cha modifier). (The DC is provided in the attacker’s description.) If the saving throw succeeds, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. The afflicted creature makes a separate saving throw for each negative level it has gained. If the save fails, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one.
A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight. A creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows (though not if the negative level is caused by a spell or similar effect).
–1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
–1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
–5 hit points.
–1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.
Negative levels remain for 24 hours or until removed with a spell, such as restoration. After 24 hours, the afflicted creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 attacker’s HD + attacker’s Cha modifier). (The DC is provided in the attacker’s description.) If the saving throw succeeds, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. The afflicted creature makes a separate saving throw for each negative level it has gained. If the save fails, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one.
A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight. A creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows (though not if the negative level is caused by a spell or similar effect).
Sean, Ella, Gro-bug, and Henrick all suffer -5 on all skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws, and -25 to HP. The HP amounts have been reflected above.
DARK RED
Confronted with the weapons check, Wanderer recoils slightly, the matter of the maul clearly having occurred to him as well. As Gildas talks to the guards, they nod, perhaps a little impatiently, this not being a new concern for them. “Yes, of course, all weapons will be perfectly secure, I assure you. You have my pledge. Just return with your token and you can pick them up—but don’t lose the token. If you don’t have it, you don’t get the weapons back, and if somebody else has it…” He shrugs, the answer clear.
Gildas makes a mental note to hang onto the token.
But still, Wanderer seems leery of parting from the Skullsplitter, even though he’d considered selling it recently for better equipment. The determination was made to keep it, and him to protect and wield it, and Vorkal has already made one pass at the revered artifact. At Gildas’s words, he nods lightly. “Yes. I believe I shall wait here until you are finished within. I can hold anything else we might not prefer to part with, if desired.” He half-smiles. “I suspect I would be of little use in a place of education, anyway.”
[If you’d prefer Wanderer hang onto items over the guards, go ahead, though that’s a lot of gear for him to baby-sit.
]Tyrano shows every intent of keeping the copper bone on his person, as one might expect, though he has taken precautions to hide it by wrapping it in cloth. He explains that it is an artifact he wishes to research, and this news doesn’t faze the guards. They allow him by with anyone else surrendering weapons.
The second guard in the checkpoint withdraws a slender metallic rod which hums lightly with power. He waves it over Lockheart’s body first, and several objects on his person glow—an indication that they are magic, surely, but they glow in different colors. The guards find nothing wrong, however, and admit him. The same is done for the others, and indeed, any magical item glows, but the guards find nothing amiss… and then they get to Tyrano, and the bone.
For a moment, all go tense as the wand passes over him, fearing what it might find—but astonishingly, the bone doesn’t even glow as other magic items do, and the guard hmphs mildly, waving him by while the group struggles not to display surprise.
These artifacts, humming with power, warm to the touch, granting giant strength and other benefits… and not even a faint aura of magic? These are special objects indeed.
The university grounds sprawl out before the group as they ascend the first hill, and Gildas muses over where to begin the search. Lockheart chuckles at the mention of the graveyard. “We will certainly find bones of some sort there.” He waves an arm ahead. “The administrative building, Johnson Hall, is closer than the museum—that is the most likely place to find someone well-versed in the university’s history.”
Accordingly, Lockheart leads the three of you left to Johnson Hall. It is easily the grandest of the buildings on the ground, tall and stately, with the same pale stone walls and shining copper rooftops as the rest of the buildings. This one has looming pillars as wide around as the oldest of trees, as well, with decorative carvings etched along the base of each wide stair leading up to the doors, and more overhead, just beneath the roofs edge. But in a sharp contrast to this elegance, the roof is also topped sporadically with looming, crouching figures—gargoyles, but no two are alike, each one a monster of some sort from the darkest of tales, from trolls to harpies to manticores, and even the undead—a chilling reminder of what the Deathspeakers and Yexuhls propose to unleash on the world. Having these creatures staring down at the group is anything but comfortable, even if they are etched in shining, unmoving, unliving copper.
Heading into the hall, the group is immediately confronted with an immense arched ceiling almost the height of the building, with glowing sconces of pale amber light—everburning torches by their lack of smoke. Marble tiles shine on the floors, and even whispered voice echo loudly across the chamber. There are statues and art and hangings here, but many stairwells that branch off from the chamber, leading up and down to countless other rooms. Closer at hand, a long desk of golden, polished wood stretches out to the left, where two clerks are hard at work filing cards, marking calendars, and tending to a line of students and others who ask questions, most of them quickly redirected to other rooms or buildings. One of these clerks glances up and spies your group lingering uncertainly by the door, and she smiles with strained patience. “Please stand in line and we’ll help you when we can—thank you.”
The line stretches on at least a couple dozen people long, and while some go quickly, others delay the clerks with questions about classes, schedules, and other minutiae. Lockheart groans. “This is like to take a while,” he mutters.
But it is either wait for the clerks, or attempt to navigate the enormity of the building on their own. It is uncertain which task is likely to take longer.
(Character Status)
Gildas – 69/69 HP
Lenny – 61/61 HP
Wystfalrun – 62/62 HP
Lockheart – No damage
Wanderer – 90/90 HP [Absent]
)