Clutches of Evil - IC: Chapter Two

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“Well, the scroll which would cause fear in a foe will only affect one person, so if they send a similar group to the one that escorted us initially, it’ll be a minor aid at best, though I’ll get one out and hide it behind my shield just in case. Don’t worry, Bahamut has granted me a few spells which will be most useful if they do turn out to be hostile,” Keryth answers, taking the relevant scroll from his pack.

[SBLOCK=OOC]Oh and Keryth will activate his Divine Vigor once he hears they’re close (so much for my no preparations to make). [/SBLOCK]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

[sblock=OOC]Just want to verify I did this right: I lose 1 con, so my con bonus falls by 1, which means I also lose 4 HP until I regain the con point (which is tomorrow), is that right?

Also, Nonlethal, does fighting the poison constitute a separate "encounter" from this one coming up? I'm just trying to figure out if Byn's suffering from post-rage fatigue or not. I would think there'd be time to recover, but I'll leave it in your court.[/sblock]

[Sblock=OOC REPLY]Yep. DMG p. 289 states that Ability damage is regained 1 point per day. So after he rests and wakes tomorrow he'll be back to normal. The 4 HP loss is also correct. He'll go back to normal tomorrow, and he'll regain those four hitpoints not only to his max but also to his actual total in addition to regaining one for getting a good night's sleep.

As far as a seperate encounter, Byntrou easily moves past his status of fatigued. The rage attempt was burned and then he had plenty of time to recover, so no need to worry about the fatigued status at all as a result of the rage.[/Sblock]

Bahruul adds as he sees his Bous ally drain from the poison, "Don't you fear, petik. Hide behind my strong arms and your normal colored Bous hair will not even feel their wrath."

[Sblock=Moving on OOC]Okay, so I've got Mage armor for Byntrou and Divine Vigor for Keryth. OOCly speaking, Bahruul will rage if this thing gets into combat, but I don't think that's out of character for Bahruul. Anything else I've missed before we get too far down this encounter track?[/Sblock]

The cloaked man adds, touching the force screen with the end of his staff so as to make sure it is still active, "I'm afraid I cannot let you back to the surface. Look around. Do you not see the gemstones that those people live with? They are the source of an incredible wealth of stones. We can't very well let anyone with their secret get to the surface! Once we have gathered sufficient force we can take their gemstones from them violently if necessary. Then we will be free to mine their home."

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“You think so, do you... hmm, are you even certain that they’re gemstones and not just pained stones or something?” Keryth remarks, watching for any sign of the barrier being lowered.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The cloaked man smiles, "Oh, of that we are quite certain. Yes, these people do seem to value painting stone as well. But when we first broke into this tunnel we were amazed at the stones that were available for us to take and sell. Why, our profit doubled if not tripled the first month alone! They were, of course, decorating the hallway more than they are now. A few of our miners were taken and when they were released they were spooked and spooked the rest of the team. Delayed the whole expedition down here for weeks - the miners wouldn't return down here without armed guards. Later, we found out that somehow there were two of those creatures underground that were able to disguise themselves as our missing miners. They were the ones that delayed our expedition and spooked the rest of the team. Fortunately the directors of this mining outfit had a backbone. Rather than be afraid of the abominations within, we errect the force shield to keep them in while we get a force of assault ready. And as you can imagine, we can't very well have people who know about their existance returning to the surface, can we?"

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, roguishly sorcerous barbarian

Byntrou laughs heartily.

"Typical human," he says, crossing his arms. "Such limited perspectives.

"What in spring's bloom makes you think your populace isn't already swarming with shapechangers?" the smaller Bous asks. "Look how long it took you to discover two among your closest mates. Imagine how many others slipped through before you figured that out. You think you're amassing a force of allies, when all you're really doing is gathering your foes close to you.

"For that matter, why in the name of the first snow would you think a simple force effect would stop the continuing migration? With the power to change into any form imaginable, it's a small mind indeed that assumes those forms are limited to flesh and blood."

[sblock=OOC]Bluff +8. Also, checking ahead of time: since we can see through the field, I assume, then, that it has to be permeable to light. So Byn could conceivably send a humanoid Dancing Lights form through it, correct?[/sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

[Sblock=OOC for jkason]I do not believe so. Most spells require line of effect. A wall of force prevents line of effect. If there were a hole in the wall of force that would be a different story. It is, for example, the same reason that a mage on the other side could not simply end this with a fireball anytime anything approached the wall of force. See PHB p. 176 under Line of Effect.[/Sblock]

The cloaked man smiles. "We have methods for dealing with that, now that we are aware of their presence. That is of little concern for you. I have seen the magic used to search the lifeforce of every miner that leaves the mines. I can assure you that since we have become aware of this threat there have been none of those creatures leaving the tunnels. Your threat is a good attempt, but an ill-conceived actual possibility."

The man with the greatsword lowers his sword so that the tip rests on the ground. "Lower the field so we can slaughter them. There is no reason dead people need be told our secrets." He emits a low growl after speaking.

The cloaked man smiles patiently. "Patience, my friend. Killing them will not be hard. You need to learn from the cat and play with your food."

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“Well, if you hadn’t told us about your plans and refused to let us leave, you would have had no problem with us, as we don’t care what mineral wealth is down here... though I don’t think there’s nearly as much as you expect to find. So any more of your unscrupulous plan you’d like to reveal before we get on with this, as I’m growing bored,” Keryth remarks, yawning.

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, rougishly sorcerous barbarian

“Well, if you hadn’t told us about your plans and refused to let us leave, you would have had no problem with us, as we don’t care what mineral wealth is down here... though I don’t think there’s nearly as much as you expect to find. So any more of your unscrupulous plan you’d like to reveal before we get on with this, as I’m growing bored,” Keryth remarks, yawning.

"Is this what you did to the priests, too, then?" Byntrou asks, following Keryth's lead and effecting his own disrespectful ennui toward the company. "Men of faith didn't want to commit genocide for you, so you murdered them? Really, it's rather pathetic, all told."

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The cloaked man smiles at the revelation of the bous. "Well, it is about time that one of you pathetic excuses arrives at the correct conclusion. Honestly, I was actually beginning to be tempted to leave you locked up behind this screen if this went on any longer. But alas, my orders are to watch you die and bring back your bloodied heads to my boss."

Responding to Keryth's earlier comments the man turns to look to Keryth and adds, "Whether you knew of the plans or not, you would not have been permitted to live. When you entered the tunnel you currently stand in your fate was sealed."

With a gesture he dismisses the field. Bahruul roars in anger and lifts his greatsword into the air.

[Sblock=Battle Map]

     |   |
     |1 3|
     | 5 |
     |2 4|
     |   |
-----|   |-----
      K B
     D b
---------------

B= Bahruul
b=Byntrou
D = Destiny
K=Keryth
1,2 = People with greatswords and breastplate
3 = Person with leather armor and short sword
4 = Man with greatsword who spoke earlier
5 = Cloaked man
[/Sblock]

[Sblock=Init Order]
Using the Key from the Battle Map:

3, Keryth, Bahruul, 4, 5, Destiny, 1, 2, Byntrou
[/Sblock]

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, roguishly sorcerous barbarian

[sblock=OOC]If it's okay with you, I'm going to hold off declaring Byn's action until I can see how the battlefield falls with all the other moves ahead of him in the round. What he does will really depend on where everyone else winds up, physically, I think.[/sblock]