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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Scotley" data-source="post: 3633726" data-attributes="member: 11520">The battle continues...Thea tried desperately to remember what tactics one was supposed to use against swarms- there were too many minds for most of her magics, and the usual remedy of fire seemed like a bad plan when one considered that both her friends and innocent bystanders might be burned just as easily. She knew enough to imagine the kind of speech Magistrate Ironshirt would give if something like that happened... Still, she had to help out somehow, and while the swarm might be a difficult target, the stirges were another matter. Again her voice sung out in mystic words, and her hands flashed through a few quick gestures. Two of the Stirges (5 & 7) drop from the sky and fall into the mass of the swarm to vanish.Jonas grits his teeth against the bites of the rats. But he heeds the advice of Andrew and aims a better blow at the rat in front of him. Even with the added insight, Jonas' weapon is turned by the rat's thick fur. (AC16)As the swarm overpowers him, Moru finds his stomach churning. Seeing several of the stirges fall further back of the alley, and noting his more martial companion seems to have the child in hand, Moru decides to fall back, hoping to regain his composure.Seeing the cloud of Stirges and other assorted Vermin assembled in a mass, Andrew will point his truncheon at the mass and direct a wave of sound energy towards them in a 10 foot cone centered on the largest mass. Perhaps due to the nausea and disorientation, Andrew is not very successful, but even then the swarm seems to ripple from the sound and a number of the insects are brought down (2 points of damage, swarms take an extra 50% from area spells and I decided to be generous and round up). The remaining two Stirges shudder, but do not drop.The swarm continues to move into the street, bringing traffic to a halt. Then Mary, having taken no action until she finally realizes her danger with the shouting of constables, grabs her screaming daughter and steps out of the path of the deadly peril. The swarm rolls over Soulfetter's legs once more biting and scratching (Soulfetter takes 14 points of damage) and as he begins to move makes a backhanded swipe at the swarm as he passes, slapping a handful of the rodents into the alley wall (9 points to the swarm) before dropping the over-sized truncheon.Seeing that Mickey is still (barely) standing, Darius cocks an impressed eyebrow, thinking "Mickey's pretty tough! But it's time to end this." Darius finishes Mickey with a swift thrust to the heart and readies himself to deal with the remaining rats. As Darius waits for the next rat to come within reach, he catches a glimpse of the woman and child still standing on the edge of the swarm. For crying out loud he thinks, and bellows (as loudly as he can) "RUN, CHILD RUN!"Rahvin’s heart is pounding in his chest as panic threatens to engulf him. His nerves are rattled by the rats’ hideous chittering. Sickened by the disgusting vermin crawling all over him and lightheaded from the loss of blood drawn by the stirge, Stormcrow is unable to think clearly."Get it together, man," he thinks, frantically. "People are in danger. Your comrades, the citizens. Do something!" He swings his truncheon at the stirge on his arm, but narrowly misses the nasty beast. Rahvin feels a spreading weakness as the blood is sucked from his arm into the bloated belly of the vampiric pest (2 points Con. Damage).Another Stirge swoops in on Raul and this time manages to latch onto his chest. “Our efforts are not phasing the swarm,” thinks Raul. “How can an untrained woman and a child survive their attack? With the muscle keeping the rats at bay, we need to herd the swarm away from civilians. The stirges are going down easily. I hope no one succumbs to one of them.” Then he shouts, "“Soulfetter! Clear the woman and child from the swarm’s advance!” Smashing the Stirge on his chest to pulp with hardly a pause, Raul moves toward the back of the swarm.The remaining two rats charge over their fallen brethren, one's tongue flashes out to lick up some of his brother's blood from the cobblestones in passing. They each manage to sink their fangs into foes with Daruis and Alarion both taking hits (3 and 4 points of damage respectively, please make DC:12 Fort saves) Jonas finally seems to be getting the measure of his foe and easily evades claw and fang this time.Alarion studies the battlefield with his experienced eye. Many of his squad are wounded. Innocents are in danger. He shouts "BY MY TROTH!!" as he wades into combat. His blade flashes and his new foe drops at his feet. The blade comes free and immediately inflicts a devastating wound on Jonas' murine foe, though the wound is just short of fatal.As Soulfetter takes his first few steps, his skin ripples, his stride lengthens . . . his massive frame bulges and becomes truly gigantic. Now nine and a half feet tall and weighing nearly 800 pounds, he swoops in and catches child under one gargantuan arm and mother under the other. Never slowing, he moves swiftly down the road and places the innocents in a convenient second story balcony before spinning to head back into the fray. OOC: Actions for round 4? If you haven't posted a spot check please include that with your post. Initiaitve order remains as in previous rounds.</blockquote>

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