The Closed Eye, part II (DM: covaithe, Judge: garyh)

[nerdytenor]

[sblock=OOC]
I'm thinking Tander should blow his daily, which does a small burst heal, then do a healing word, probably on woe, and then probably drop an action point to turn undead. On his turn, Woe can apply additional healing if needed.
[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

[sblock=Holy roundhouse kick, Batman!]Daaaaayuuummm!!!

We just got served! Again! HARD! (Again!)

Uh, as to a plan I humbly suggest pulling out the Big Band-Aid Batteries, nerdytenor! Perhaps that nice Beacon of Hope can bring back all of us punching bags that are out cold?

I'm thinking of having Woe pop his Second Wind, crawl to Q2 with Pass Forward, and take out the 2 wraiths threatening Palindrome with an Action Point Cleave. There would be a -2 for attacking while prone, but I'm thinking the risk is worth the reward.[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=Tactics]

I'm thinking of having Woe pop his Second Wind, crawl to Q2 with Pass Forward, and take out the 2 wraiths threatening Palindrome with an Action Point Cleave. There would be a -2 for attacking while prone, but I'm thinking the risk is worth the reward.

Yeah. That sounds good. I don't think the terrain will permit Palindrome to shift again. I'll have the boy drop his daily attack, then spend an action point. I was hoping save that for the Big Fight...but this appears to be the Big Fight!

And...

DON'T HEAL ARNEST!

You know...

If we manage to beat the undead, we should be able to mop up the orcs pretty doggone quick.[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

[sblock=Tander's God Revealed! (warning - long)]

Tander suddenly finds himself seated in a plush, tan-colored reclining chair. There is a loud noise like static in the air, and as Tander adjusts to his surroundings he realizes that it is the sound of applause. He is in the audience section of a large auditorium, and it is packed with humans. Tander is nestled between two very large middle-aged humans in strange clothes. In fact, everyone in the audience is wearing strange clothes, except for Tander, who remains in his chainmail.

On the stage of the auditorium is a single man holding a small black cylindrical object in one hand. The stage is decked out in orange and tan carpets, and a symbol - a strange green capital-s with a line through it - ($) dots the walls. A large sign to the right of the stage says APPLAUSE. To his amazement, Tander looks down to find himself applauding along with the other people.

Suddenly, the text of the sign changes from APPLAUSE to QUIET. Tander stops applauding, but is a bit late and his applause fills the silence for a second longer than those around him.

The man on stage bends his head slightly and begins to speak towards the cylinder in his hand. Somehow, his voice is amplified throughout the theater.

"OK folks," he says, grinning and gesticulating. "Our next guest is very special, and we've got a very special game for him to play tonight. You see, he's a very devout fellow - got all sorts of fancy powers. Only there's one problem..." The man pauses for dramatic effect. "He doesn't know who his God is!" The audience chuckles appreciatively. "So today, we're going to play... Who's My God?"

The sign changes to read APPLAUSE again and the audience complies eagerly. When the audience is silenced again, the man reaches into his pocket and takes out an envelope. He rips it open and reads a small card on the inside.

"Tander Oaksmith, you're the next contestant on the God is Right! Come on down!" The applause sign lights up again, and Tander's neighbors in the audience, who guess who he is from his reaction, begin shoving him encouragingly toward the aisle. "Come on Tander, up on the stage." Another man in the audience, wearing all black, gently leads Tander towards the stage and up a set of stairs. Tander walks awkwardly towards the host, and the host smiles kindly at Tander before whipping him around to face the audience. A row of powerful lights in the ceiling nearly blinds Tander, and the sound of the applause is deafening. The host whipers in Tander's ear "Look down towards the seats - lights won't blind you that way."

The applause stops suddenly, and Tander can only guess that the QUIET light has been illuminated on the sign that it is now out of his view.

"OK Tander. Come with me." Tander and the host walk upstage a bit, and a large curtain is opened to reveal a set of large, beautifully ornate doors, each at least 8 feet tall. Atop each are intricately carved faces, and Tander quickly identifies each of these as one of the 12 Gods.

"The game is simple, Tander. You get three chances. Behind one of these doors is your God. Choose well, and all will be revealed."

"Tander, are you ready to make your first choice?"

Tander looks to consider that Gods. He has given the question of his God considerable thought, so he doesn't hesitate.

"Yes. I choose... Mireva!"

The audience applauds and cheers. "A good choice, a good choice! Also known as Palladys," he says, while striding towards the corresponding door. "Wisdom - protection - that would certainly fit your profile, eh Tander?" The audience titters. "Let's see what's behind the door!"

The host steps grasps the large oak handle, swings the door wide, and reveals... a duck. A small, duck. The duck begins to quack. "Quack. Quack quack." The audience is filled with laughter.

"Oh no, no! Sorry Tander, wrong guess. You have two more chances. What will your next guess be?"

"Peresefa!" he shouts. The audience cheers.

"Yes yes, another good choice," the host says. "Land and fertility - renewal - everybody knows about your healing gifts, Tander. That much fits. And you have a bit of darkness too. You've done some dabbling with darker powers haven't you, Tander? Come on, admit it..." He punches Tander in the shoulder in a jocular fashion. "And... let's not forget her gloomy nature. You've had some experience with that too, eh bud?" The audience giggles at this.

"Let's have us a look, shall we?" The host walks over to the second door, and reaches for the handle. This time he opens the door slowly to reveal... another duck.

"Oh boy, Tander. That's two doors down and only one left! What to do? What to do? Think Tander. Take your time. Take your time!"

Tander feels his pulse racing. Only one guess remaining! But where was he exactly? What crazy trickery was this, anyway? He had been transported to strange locations by his mystery god, but this was surely the strangest. Trickery... portals... Tander knows a god that meets this profile, but is was hesitant. Could this really be his god?

"M.. Mer... Merkari?" Tander manages, tentatively.

The audience lets out a collective gasp, followed by a giggle. "An interesting choice, Tander! Very interesting. Let's take a look." The host walks over to the large door at the far right edge of the stage and opens it with a dramatic flourish. At first, there seems to be nothing on the other side, and then, with a loud ZAP, the host disappears and reappears on the other side of the open door.

"Congratulations, Tander. You've won!" The audience yells and shrieks, and everyone stands up, cheering and applauding. A slow, rhythmic chant, rises, getting louder and louder. "Tander! Tander! Tander!" Tander can't help but grin sheepishly.

Suddenly, the cheering stops, and everything disappears. Tander and the host are suddenly in a room filled with nothingness. The host looks down at his magical amplifier, shrugs, and tosses it aside. It disappears.

"Tander, you've been in the darkness too long, and I can't wait for you to figure everything out. I felt is was time we had a heart to heart talk." The host/god puts his arm around Tander. "I'm sure you're wondering what's going on, so I thought I'd just lay it out for you."

"Lay it out?" Tander says, confused.

"You see, I know you were expecting some goody-goody God. And I know you're probably a little disappointed. But here's the thing - I can give you the power to do what you do best - be a goody-goody little Tander. Heal the sick! Protect the weak! Punish evildoers!"

"But... but why?" Tander asks.

"P.R.," the host says. Tander stares at him blankly. "Public relations." More blank stares. The host sighs. "Tander, I'm not an evil god, you know that from your studies. But I do get into, erm, trouble every now and again," he continues, smiling. "You are a force for good, Tander. Every good deed you do makes me look good in the eyes of some of the other more 'wholesome' gods."

"So here's the deal. I will continue to give you power to do good things. You do them. And, here's the kicker - you make sure everybody knows the I, Merkari, gave you the power."

Tander nods uncomfortably.

"There's just one thing. If you go all darky-darky on me again and make me look bad, our agreement is over."

"And so is your life. Got it?"
[/sblock]

OOC: Parents coming over and work emergency - I'll post Tander's move later today.

 

[Dunamin]

[sblock=Oho!]Very nice, NT!

Going to be interesting to see Merkari implemented in the game! [/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=You know...]Hermes is a trickster god. He's probably joking about killing you, so just do whatever you want...[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

Tander lies on the ground.

[sblock=In another plane of existence]
Tander is snapped rudely into another place. Again he is seated in a crowed room, only this is a house of worship. It is not like any he has seen before, but Tander knows a church when he sees one. A choir is standing near the altar. They are singing and swaying back and forth, their hands clapping in rhythm. Many in the congregation are singing along, clapping and stomping their feat and shouting out. Tander's immediate neighbors smile at him and encourage him, and he manages a few claps and shimmies in his chainmail before the song is over.

A man walks in from the audience - he is tall, muscular, and dark. It is only when he turns to face the congregation that Tander recognizes him as the host/Merkari from his previous episode.

"Why are we here?" he says. "What have y'all come for?" When the congregation does not respond, he asks all the louder. "What are you doing here? Come on, let's here it!" A few people shout out - "to pray", "worship", "share the love", "feel the spirit."

"Yes yes, good good. And who brought us here? What power made all these things possible?" Some mumbles from the audience. "What?" the preacher says. "I can't hear you!"

"Merkari."

"Loud-a! Come on, let me here ya!"

"Merkari!"

"That's right!" The preacher is becoming more animated, drawing out syllables and gesticulating grandly. "I remember when I first felt his power. I was feeling so low, so down and out. I hit bottom. Anybody out there hit bottom?" Some murmurs of assent. "Well Merkari told me what to do. He told me to get up. You dig? Get up-A! Can I hear a get-up?"

"Get up!" the congregation responds.

"I say, get-up-ah!"

"Get up!"

"Get on up! Come on, off your feet. Everyone, get up! Lift yourself up. Get up!"
[/sblock]

Tander stands up.

[sblock=Back in church]
"Now let's ask him for help. He can do it, he's a god. Come on, now. Merkari, protect us!"

"Merkari protect us!"

"Oh come on now, I need more than that. Come on-a! Merkari protect us!"

"Merkari protect us!"
[/sblock]

"Merkari protect us!" Tander shouts. A shockwave of pure divine force detonates in the center of Tander's chest, filling him and all of his allies with a burst of life, while whithering his enemies. (OOC: Beacon of hope, close blast 3. Allies in blast (everyone, I think - including Arnest ) heals 9, Tander gets +5 heals this encounter, and enemies hit in blast are weakened until end of next turn. 10 attack rolls vs will - DM please apply as needed to creatures both visible and invisible - rolls are 17, 10, 13, 9, 15, 25, 18, 12, 10, 22)

[sblock=Back to the sermon]
"Merkari," the preacher intones solemly while motioning to the choir. The choir begins to hum. "You have given so much to us. Now renew our faith. Merkari renew us!"

"Merkari renew us!"

"I said, Merkari renew us!"

"Merkari renew us!"
[/sblock]

"Merkari, renew us!" Tander raises a single finger, and an electric bolt flies from the tip and raises Woe from the brink of death. (OOC: Healing word on woe - woe spends surge and heals an additional 10 hp)

[sblock=Another call and response]
As the choir's humming gets louder and the harmonies become fuller, the preacher speaks again.

"It is good to have you in our corner, Merkari. We are so grateful. We are weak, but you make us strong."

"Merkari defend us!"
[/sblock]

"Merkari defend us!" Tander yells, surprising even himself with the intensity of his feeling. The light of a thousand suns shines all around him, and while the living manage to shield their eyes, the living dead are sent fleeing from the power of Tander's invocation. (OOC: Action point to Turn Undead - Close Blast 2, undead creatures in blast. On hit, creatures take damage, are pushed 6 squares (DM at your discretion), and immobilized till end of next turn. On a miss, half damage only (no push, no immob). Results 12 Radiant Damage - here are 7 attack rolls vs will: 20, 10, 8, 12, 20, 11, 17)

[sblock=Tander Stat Block]

Tander Oaksmith, Human Cleric 2
Passive Perception 15, Passive Insight 20
AC 17, Fort 14, Reflex 15, Will 19
Resist 5 poison
HP 28/29, Bloodied 14, Surge Value 7, Surges 8/8
Speed 5, Initiative +7
Action Points: 0

Current Effects
+5 to healing powers

Encounter Resources
Spiteful Glamor
USED Divine Glow
USED Healing Word One
Healing Word Two
USED Channel Divinity (Turn Undead or Divine Fortune)
Second Wind
USED Use Action Point

Daily Resources
USED Beacon of Hope
Cure Light Wounds
[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

"He prefers to be called Hermes," mutters Palindrome, "***** heathens."

[sblock=Fun Fact!]Hey, girls and boys, did you know that the inhabitants of the Isle of O use the Greek names for all the gods?[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

Round 3

Tander, seemingly in the grip of some holy, vision, rises and calls three times on Merkari. At the first call, divine radiance washes over the area in a wave, spilling outward from Tander, reviving friends and weakening foes. (ooc: Beacon of hope, attack rolls applied left to right, top to bottom: hits wraith 11, misses 10, misses specter 2, misses mote 2, hits mote 3, crits specter 3. Those hit are weakened.

At the second call, Woe's wounds mostly close, leaving ugly red welts but restoring strength to the warrior. (ooc: Woe spends a surge and gets 20 hp. He's no longer bloodied.)

At the third call, blinding light flashes again. One of the wraiths disappears, obliterated by the divine radiance. The specter quails, but withstands the light. (ooc: hits wraith 10, destroying it. misses specter 2 and mote 3. Specter 2 takes 8 damage, after insubstantial and radiant vulnerability. Mote 3 takes 3.

[sblock=initiative and status]

Tander hp 26/29 surges 8/8, +5 to healing
Woe hp 29/40 surges 9/10, prone, vulnerable 3 cold (save ends) <=== You're up
Palindrome hp 24/24 surges 6/6
Atreus hp 9/29 surges 7/7 bloodied, vulnerable 3 cold (save ends)
Arnest 33 damage, bloodied, prone, "protective spell" from Palindrome, vulnerable 3 cold (save ends)
Half orc 1 20 damage, slowed TENT (wraith 9), vulnerable 3 cold (save ends)
Half orc 2 17 damage, prone, slowed TENT (palindrome)
Half orc 3 10 damage, prone
specter 1 destroyed
specter 2 8 damage
specter 3 4 damage, vulnerable 3 cold (save ends), weakened TENT
mote 1 unharmed, invisible, last seen in Q8
mote 2 unharmed, invisible, last seen in O5.
mote 3 6 damage, invisible, last seen in P5, weakened TENT
wraith 1 destroyed
wraith 2 destroyed
wraith 3 destroyed
wraith 4 destroyed
wraith 5 destroyed
wraith 6 destroyed
wraith 7 destroyed
wraith 8 destroyed
wraith 9
wraith 10 destroyed
wraith 11, weakened TENT

Zones in effect:
* burst 1 around Q9: grasping shadows. Until Palindrome's ENT, creatures who enter the zone take 4 psychic and are slowed TENT(palindrome)
* enemies adjacent to specters take -2 to defenses.

Resources used:
specter 2: spectral breath
specter 3: spectral breath
Tander: divine glow, beacon of hope, AP, 1xHealing word, turn undead
Palindrome: grasping shadows
[/sblock]

[sblock=map]

[/sblock]

ooc: By my count, Tander healed 83 HP this turn. Nice!

 

[Dunamin]

“Uhnn… Let me sleep, woman. No, I don’t care what time your parents come home from the Autumn Fair…” Woe groans, as he’s dragged back to consciousness.

Groggily he opens his eyes while instinctively moving his ever-smiling shield to cover his face for incoming slaps. He gives an appreciative nod to Tander, and then peers around the battlefield to get an overview of the situation. A look of confusion washes over the warrior, quickly replaced by anger as an unsettling realization dawns on him.

“Wait… What in the rotten end of the Nine Hells? I’m awake and I’m sober now. You incorporeal bastards will pay for that!”

Keeping his spear alongside his body, Woe deftly rolls under the insubstantial spectre that hovers next to him with just the right timing to avoid its necrotic tendrils.

Just as the spectre is in the process of looking between its own proverbial legs to see where he went, Woe responds with a quick spear lunge from the ground and stabs into its shadowy substance. With a well-trained reflex, he snaps the spear back to smash the other end into the midsection of the wraith on his opposite side.

[sblock=Actions]Woe uses Pass Forward to crawl to Q2 without provoking OA from the spectre, then attacks it with Cleave (marking). He hits AC 22, dealing 12 damage to the spectre and 4 damage to the wraith.

Woe saves vs cold vulnerability.

Woe Chinua - Human Fighter 2
Passive Perception 12, Passive Insight 12
AC 20, Fort 19, Reflex 17, Will 14
HP 29/40, Bloodied 20, Surge Value 10, Surges 10/11
Speed 5, Initiative +3
Action Points: 1, Second Wind
Powers: Cleave, Crushing Surge, Tide of Iron; Pass Forward; Spear of Myrdroon's Shard;
Steel Serpent Strike; Comeback Strike, Inspiring Word; Spear of Myrdroon's Shard[/sblock]