CLOSED Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords, Burnt Offerings
- Thread starter hewligan
- Start date
Jokad stands ready to jump over the trapped floor while precious moments tick away as Jovik works furiously to disarm the deadly trap.
OOC: If trouble shows around the corner Jokad will try and leap over the trap and get into the action (5' standing longjump = DC 10 jump check). Jokad has +6 on jump.
OOC: If trouble shows around the corner Jokad will try and leap over the trap and get into the action (5' standing longjump = DC 10 jump check). Jokad has +6 on jump.
hewligan
First Post
OOC: We are down 2 players at the moment, on the cusp of the fight with the BBEG. Personally, given that this is the climax of the adventure, I think we should wait until at least Fenris returns before the battle commences. I am not sure when or if Friadoc will return.
IC:
Jokad stands impatiently while the thief sets about disarming the trap. Long minutes pass while Jovik trips it, fiddles, sighs, trips it again. Eventually he cracks it. Lying on the floor, waiting for the floor tilt, he stabs hard at a heavy cog he has finally determined is the main winch point. It seems to work. There is a horrid churning grind of gears, both below and above you, and then a clunk. The clunk is rather anti-climactic, but it seems to be terminal. The gates, lowered, are loose, and easily lifted. Jovik quickly ties them two thirds up, to the two useless statues. He then tests the floor. Nothing happens. It even seems to be weight bearing.
In total, two or so minutes have passed, and in that time there has been no noise from the northern room, except for the heavy slamming of the door a few moments after Nualia first entered it.
At last, the way is clear.
IC:
Jokad stands impatiently while the thief sets about disarming the trap. Long minutes pass while Jovik trips it, fiddles, sighs, trips it again. Eventually he cracks it. Lying on the floor, waiting for the floor tilt, he stabs hard at a heavy cog he has finally determined is the main winch point. It seems to work. There is a horrid churning grind of gears, both below and above you, and then a clunk. The clunk is rather anti-climactic, but it seems to be terminal. The gates, lowered, are loose, and easily lifted. Jovik quickly ties them two thirds up, to the two useless statues. He then tests the floor. Nothing happens. It even seems to be weight bearing.
In total, two or so minutes have passed, and in that time there has been no noise from the northern room, except for the heavy slamming of the door a few moments after Nualia first entered it.
At last, the way is clear.
Rhun
First Post
I'm fine with waiting for the others so we can beging the actual fight.
"We must be cautious. We don't know what servants or magics Nualia has at her disposal, and my powers are mostly gone this day." Danth nods to his companions and spins his scimitar in his hand. "It is time to rid this world of the vile beast that she has become. Sarenae is with us, my friends."
"We must be cautious. We don't know what servants or magics Nualia has at her disposal, and my powers are mostly gone this day." Danth nods to his companions and spins his scimitar in his hand. "It is time to rid this world of the vile beast that she has become. Sarenae is with us, my friends."
hewligan
First Post
Nualia
Jovik moves up to the door that Nualia retreated behind. Jokad follows close behind, with Danth and Kael ready to move in when the path clears.
The door has been swung shut, but not locked. It has bounced open a few inches, and you hear a prayer being completed inside.
Jovik kicks the door open. At times like these, speed can be a greater asset than stealth, and she sure as heck knows you are coming.
The room is surrounded by a wide stone ledge of red marble. The walls are angular, the room a peculiar shape. The strangeness of the room is deepened by the four burning skulls (marked BS on the map) that sit in each corner atop the red shelf, casting quite a bright, warm light across the room. Three simple wooden chairs rest in the room, and both stone ledges are covered with books, scrolls, teeth, bones, scrimshaw artwork, jars of deformed creatures soaking in brine, taxidermied animals and limbs, and other strange objects.
To the north, a large round fountain filled with frothy blue water fills the room with the gentle sound of bubbling. Nualia stands to the left of this, the arrows that punctured her flesh have been ripped free and lie bloodied on the floor. Her wounds are gone, although the thick, living scar tissue that mars her exposed belly is all too visible.
He right hand holds the wickedly jagged bastard sword outwards, as if to point at you. As you are revealed, she starts to speak quickly, her voice a wash of panic and anger.
"So the old fool, did he die?" she asks.
"I have been following your progress, or at least your early progress. Tsuto was concerned that the five of you might be brave, or foolish enough to try and take the battle to Thistletop. But I see there are only four of you. So the old bastard died! Good! He already killed a part of me. Did he tell you his part in my downfall?" she asks.
Seeing the flicker of confusion in Jovik's face, she barks a single, cold laugh.
"Ha! My great horror. My great shame! The infant that filled my gut. He is the one that birthed it. Did he tell you that? No, of course not. He birthed it. My son, my beautiful son. And when he saw that Lamashtu had gifted me with a dog headed prince, he took it and ...." she stammers, as if lost for words. Jokad pulls up beside Jovik, casting the young rogue a look, as if to question whether it was wise to wait. Behind Danth and Kael traversed the trap and moved up behind ((I am assuming double occupancy of squares now)).
"Mandraiv knew. He knew what my 'father' was doing to me. He could have helped. He chose not to. That is why Lamashtu came to me. Nobody else would help, and when I found the old shrine beneath the town, I spoke with her. I had fled there, like so many times before, to escape the drunken attentions of the man who claimed he was my father. He hated me. He hated my heavenly blood. He was a man who had lost his god. No spirits spoke to him. He was an empty shell. HE KILLED MY MOTHER, and then he took his rage out on me." She is screaming now, almost incoherent. It is as if her anger has turned almost to fear, her voice a shuddering, hacking mess.
"Mandraiv knew about all of this. I am glad he died! He deserved to die! Sandpoint deserves to die." And whispering now ... "For what they did to me. For how long they let this happen to me. For taking my boy from me."
She sobs once, before looking up again, her beautiful eyes and silver hair hinting at her heaven-touched heritage.
"So kill me!" she whispers. "I have nothing to live for."
Jovik moves up to the door that Nualia retreated behind. Jokad follows close behind, with Danth and Kael ready to move in when the path clears.
The door has been swung shut, but not locked. It has bounced open a few inches, and you hear a prayer being completed inside.
Jovik kicks the door open. At times like these, speed can be a greater asset than stealth, and she sure as heck knows you are coming.
The room is surrounded by a wide stone ledge of red marble. The walls are angular, the room a peculiar shape. The strangeness of the room is deepened by the four burning skulls (marked BS on the map) that sit in each corner atop the red shelf, casting quite a bright, warm light across the room. Three simple wooden chairs rest in the room, and both stone ledges are covered with books, scrolls, teeth, bones, scrimshaw artwork, jars of deformed creatures soaking in brine, taxidermied animals and limbs, and other strange objects.
To the north, a large round fountain filled with frothy blue water fills the room with the gentle sound of bubbling. Nualia stands to the left of this, the arrows that punctured her flesh have been ripped free and lie bloodied on the floor. Her wounds are gone, although the thick, living scar tissue that mars her exposed belly is all too visible.
He right hand holds the wickedly jagged bastard sword outwards, as if to point at you. As you are revealed, she starts to speak quickly, her voice a wash of panic and anger.
"So the old fool, did he die?" she asks.
"I have been following your progress, or at least your early progress. Tsuto was concerned that the five of you might be brave, or foolish enough to try and take the battle to Thistletop. But I see there are only four of you. So the old bastard died! Good! He already killed a part of me. Did he tell you his part in my downfall?" she asks.
Seeing the flicker of confusion in Jovik's face, she barks a single, cold laugh.
"Ha! My great horror. My great shame! The infant that filled my gut. He is the one that birthed it. Did he tell you that? No, of course not. He birthed it. My son, my beautiful son. And when he saw that Lamashtu had gifted me with a dog headed prince, he took it and ...." she stammers, as if lost for words. Jokad pulls up beside Jovik, casting the young rogue a look, as if to question whether it was wise to wait. Behind Danth and Kael traversed the trap and moved up behind ((I am assuming double occupancy of squares now)).
"Mandraiv knew. He knew what my 'father' was doing to me. He could have helped. He chose not to. That is why Lamashtu came to me. Nobody else would help, and when I found the old shrine beneath the town, I spoke with her. I had fled there, like so many times before, to escape the drunken attentions of the man who claimed he was my father. He hated me. He hated my heavenly blood. He was a man who had lost his god. No spirits spoke to him. He was an empty shell. HE KILLED MY MOTHER, and then he took his rage out on me." She is screaming now, almost incoherent. It is as if her anger has turned almost to fear, her voice a shuddering, hacking mess.
"Mandraiv knew about all of this. I am glad he died! He deserved to die! Sandpoint deserves to die." And whispering now ... "For what they did to me. For how long they let this happen to me. For taking my boy from me."
She sobs once, before looking up again, her beautiful eyes and silver hair hinting at her heaven-touched heritage.
"So kill me!" she whispers. "I have nothing to live for."
Fenris
Adventurer
Jovik smiles "Never deny a woman her desire right?" he whispers to Jokad as he raises Gull's Wing.
But just before he brings his arm forward, he feels a little tickle in the back of his brain. This is the same little tickle that tells him when the guards are coming or when the guy across the table really does have an ace. Now it says this is way too easy. This, this is a set-up and Nualia is a gifted actress.
Not about to fall into a second trap that may take his life Jovik whipsers again to Jokad "I smell a trap, use your bow" before turning and quickly throwing Gull's Wing at one of the burning skulls at an angle to knock it off the shelf.
But just before he brings his arm forward, he feels a little tickle in the back of his brain. This is the same little tickle that tells him when the guards are coming or when the guy across the table really does have an ace. Now it says this is way too easy. This, this is a set-up and Nualia is a gifted actress.
Not about to fall into a second trap that may take his life Jovik whipsers again to Jokad "I smell a trap, use your bow" before turning and quickly throwing Gull's Wing at one of the burning skulls at an angle to knock it off the shelf.
For one of the few times in his life Jokad hesitates. He hears Jovik's words, distantly sees his arm moving forward, but for some reason he can't bring himself to strike. Perhaps her words? or beauty? Is he bewitched?
He spares a glance back at Danth hoping he has the right words for this predicament.
He spares a glance back at Danth hoping he has the right words for this predicament.
Rhun
First Post
Danth sighs heavily before speaking. "We are here to help, Nualia. Not all have abandoned you. Turn away from the darkness and come into the light. The glory of Sarenae offers both redemption and healing, both of the body and the soul. You don't have to die here friendless and alone. Put down your blade."
hewligan
First Post
This is how fights start!
Danth tries to calm Nualia. The young priest is geniune, his voice, while heavy with the sadness of the situation, offers some true hope of redemption. You all feel the balance of his words, the power in them. For the first time you realise that the power of his goddess is not all in his weapon arm.
And then Jovik lets fly with Gull's Wing. The blade glints in the light as it tumbles through the air. He strikes the left-most skull with ease. It wobbles a little, and then tilts onto the stone floor, rolling a few feet to rest against the leg of a wooden chair.
Nualia flinches, Gull's Wing arcs back towards Jovik, Jokad flinches, Danth sighs again.
((OOC: I got a fail on the diplomacy check for Danth, but lets all blame Jovik!
))
Nualia's face contorts with rage. For the briefest of seconds you think you might have caught a flash of remorse. And then she is bearing down upon you, running towards the door, running towards battle!
As she approaches, she screams "THERE IS NO REDEMPTION!"
OOC: Initiative and actions please. Nualia is moving to M5 as her move action, but whether she gets there in time depends on initiative order, etc.
Danth tries to calm Nualia. The young priest is geniune, his voice, while heavy with the sadness of the situation, offers some true hope of redemption. You all feel the balance of his words, the power in them. For the first time you realise that the power of his goddess is not all in his weapon arm.
And then Jovik lets fly with Gull's Wing. The blade glints in the light as it tumbles through the air. He strikes the left-most skull with ease. It wobbles a little, and then tilts onto the stone floor, rolling a few feet to rest against the leg of a wooden chair.
Nualia flinches, Gull's Wing arcs back towards Jovik, Jokad flinches, Danth sighs again.
((OOC: I got a fail on the diplomacy check for Danth, but lets all blame Jovik!
))Nualia's face contorts with rage. For the briefest of seconds you think you might have caught a flash of remorse. And then she is bearing down upon you, running towards the door, running towards battle!
As she approaches, she screams "THERE IS NO REDEMPTION!"
OOC: Initiative and actions please. Nualia is moving to M5 as her move action, but whether she gets there in time depends on initiative order, etc.
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