Vasorn, the World Under Dragonfire

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Dessa will have you all hold for a few minutes. When shouts and scampering announce that the attack below has occured, and all available hands are needed below, she will send out the destraction team. There will be several of the overseers left to make certain the slaves don't take the opportunity to rebel, and they will be twice as vigilant as usual. But some would still be in their quarters.*

[OOC - Elaugaugein and Ishmael, I need your tactics for the distraction. Renea is good with illusions and enchantments, so if you need something of that nature, just ask her. Also, what precautions are you taking to avoid being unseen? If no one else leaps ahead with something, Renea has a wand of invisibility she can use to shield your movements.]

*Grim, you Dessa, Durlp, Ellimon, and Guran make your way to the Cage quietly, sheathed in invisibility. There are two dragonkith standing guard in front of the barred stone doors, and you stop sixty feet away, far enough to avoid being smelled. Ellimon whispers very quietly that he is sighting the one on the right with his poisoned bolts. You know he's a very good shot. Guran whispers that he has his bow out as well, and Dessa murmurs that her daggers are ready.*

"When you're ready, Grim," she murmurs.

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

*Grim, you Dessa, Durlp, Ellimon, and Guran make your way to the Cage quietly, sheathed in invisibility. There are two dragonkith standing guard in front of the barred stone doors, and you stop sixty feet away, far enough to avoid being smelled. Ellimon whispers very quietly that he is sighting the one on the right with his poisoned bolts. You know he's a very good shot. Guran whispers that he has his bow out as well, and Dessa murmurs that her daggers are ready.*

"When you're ready, Grim," she murmurs.

*Grim levels his crossbow at the one on the right, and gives the signal by loosing a bolt through its throat.*

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Grim, you fire your crossbow at the one on the right, striking deep into the left side of his neck. Ellimon's small bolt strikes deeply next to yours, the wound turning an ugly purple. Guran's arrow goes deep in the chest of the one on the right, and two of Dessa's daggers follow in rapid succession, one striking a lung, the other the gut. Neither of them so much as whisper, so hard did you hit them. They both look to be on their last legs.*

*Renea casts invisibility on the distraction team, and follows them through the dimly-lit, twisting corridors of Darkstone mine. Soon enough you arrive at what should be the overseer's quarters, though you've had to dodge the occasional running dragonkith. You just saw one of the half-dragon overseers, a half amethyst dragon dwarf, enter the corridor, and you've seen no one else go in or out for a couple minutes.*

*Renea whispers to you all.*

"I could put him in a mind fog then try to dominate him. If he fails, Ishmael could modify his memory to forget this later, and we could send him to wreak some havoc. Elaugaugein and Gortag could see if there are any others in there and take care of them. With luck, we could make them think that one of their own has gone mad. A bit of magic to pretend this corridor is empty and we could have several minutes to work. What do you think?" she inquires.

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

*Unwilling to leave anything to chance, Grim swiftly reloads and fires another bolt through his target.*

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Your second volley flies equally true, as do the others, and the dragonkith drop to the ground, dead.*

*Dessa moves up to the door, double checks it for traps or wards, then has Guran take off the massive iron bar that holds it shut. The door swings open, revealing about a dozen stone huts, their doors locked. However, what stands out is that the one in the middle, the one that seems the strongest, it guarded by two more dragonkith. They don't seem to notice you at first, as they seem to be facing the door to the hut.*

*Zykovian, a few minutes ago your keen hearing picked out the sounds of a ruckus, as well as alarm bells; someone was attacking the mines. Your words seem to bring more urgency in the light of an attack. Finally one of the dragonkith speaks to you through the door.*

"Like Sarillion would take us! He isn't any better than Gardanax, and at least Gardanax knows our worth," one of them hisses angrily.

 

[Keia]

"Like Sarillion would take us! He isn't any better than Gardanax, and at least Gardanax knows our worth," one of them hisses angrily.

“Doesn’t look like your worth in Gardanax’s eyes is very high right now,” Zykovian muttered, keeping his voice low but steady. He took a chance, hoping that the guards were ready to hear his message. “And . . . you’re probably right about Sarellion, he’s probably as paranoid as Gardanax. But you and I, we’re not paranoid, we can think for ourselves . . . you can think for yourselves . . . you know I did nothing wrong – just as you know that when Gardanax has had enough of you that you will have done nothing wrong as well. Why live under that kind of paranoia and suspicion? To be killed . . . or worse . . . for doing your job right . . . is that anyway to live?”

“Shouldn’t you be free?” Zykovian asked. He figured that the pair would either ask about how to be free . . . or come in and kill him for being a traitor. He prepared for the latter, concentrating on powering up* as he spoke.

*OOC: Used Improved Biofeedback (4 points). After Animal Affinity for Charisma (2 points) earlier, have 34 points remaining. If time remains, he will invoke claws (4 points) and Animal Affinity for Strength(2 points)

 

[Velmont]

"The only thing I think, it is that kind of tactic, it woulod be the leader or the shaman who would have suggested like this. It seems ok with me."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"You damned fool! Gardanax would hunt us down for betraying him, you think your sire wouldn't do the same? Following a dragon is the way to power, and to follow a traitor like you would get us killed. There's some idiot Underdark fools attacking the mines now, and we don't have to stand here and listen to your traitorous yapping! Unbar the door," one snaps to the other.

*They've talked long enough for you to both empower your strength and enhance your claws, and you're more than ready when Vexian opens the door. In your mind your avatar finds yourself on the mountains, but you quickly change it to the windswept plains where you have a better advantage. Vexian's shadowy avatar lunges at yours, wresting it to the ground. You grind you teeth at losing this round of mental combat, and instead bend your attention to the physical.*

*You give her no chance to use her axe, pouncing on her and raking her deeply with your claws. She starts back and swings her axe wide as she leaps back with a start. Hazarath steps in with a roar, carving into your side with his axe deeply. Instantly your mental powers go to work, constricting the worst of the bleeding and making your injury much less severe.*

*Grim, you and the other Cagebreakers see the two dragonkith open the door, only to see a glittering, blue-scaled half-dragon lunge out and claw into the female dragonkith. The male dragonkith roars and slams his axe into the side of the prisoner.*

[OOC - Zykovian deals 7 points of damage to Vexian, and takes 19 from Hazarath's axe, quickly converting fourteen of that into subdual and thus only taking 5.]

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

*Grim, you and the other Cagebreakers see the two dragonkith open the door, only to see a glittering, blue-scaled half-dragon lunge out and claw into the female dragonkith. The male dragonkith roars and slams his axe into the side of the prisoner.*

*Ever the opportunist, Grim draws forth his rapier and slips in to strike the dragonkith from behind, maneuvering to ensure flanking. Whatever the reason they fight, those who guard the Cage are the enemy.*

 

[Keia]

Zykovian: 82/101 hps (14 sub, 5 real), 25pps remain after rd.

"You damned fool! . . . Following a dragon is the way to power, and to follow a traitor like you would get us killed. There's some idiot Underdark fools attacking the mines now, . . ."

‘Got to keep them busy, and up close. Time to give these claws a chance to heal my injuries, he thought. Gritting his teeth against the impact of the ‘kith’s axe, Zykovian spoke, still trying to occupy their minds with thoughts.

“Following a dragon is a way to an early grave, and those fools you speak of are free,” Zykovian muttered, amazed at himself that he would even reveal such a thing. The thought of his death was upon him, and he wanted to die outside of the paranoid game of the dragons. He didn't even notice others joining the fight . . . yet.

OOC: Full attack, power attack for +3, Deep impact (5 points), Claws: +12 (1d8 + 1d4 [psionic] +1d6 sneak + 8 +3 power attack(20 x2)