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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BLACKDIRGE" data-source="post: 767495" data-attributes="member: 1953">Grummok (age 91): Male Gargoyle Rog 4/Asn9; CR 17; Medium Magical Beast; HD 4d10+13d6+90; hp 174; Init +9; Spd 45 ft., fly 75 ft. (perfect); AC 30 (+6 Dex, +4 natural, +7 studded leather armor, +3 ring); Atk +23 melee (1d6+7/19-20 x2, 2 claws), +18 melee (1d6+2, bite), +18 melee (1d6+2 gore) or +21/+16/+11 melee (1d4+9/17-20 x2, +4 keen distance fleshgrinding dagger) or +23/+18/+13 ranged (1d6 plus 1d6 shock +5/ crit x3, +3 shock mighty composite shortbow (Str 14)); SA sneak attack +7d6, death attack, poison use; SQ darkvision 60 ft., uncanny dodge (Dex to AC, can’t be flanked, +1 vs. traps), +4 saves vs. poison, DR 15/+1, freeze, evasion; AL NE; SV Fort +17, Ref +18, Will +9; Str 20, Dex 24, Con 22, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 12.    Skills (127 pts): Bluff +10, Craft (poison making) +12, Disguise +10, Escape Artist +13, Gather Information +12, Hide +30, Intimidate +6, Listen +12, Move Silently +25, Open Lock +13, Search +12, Sense Motive +10, Spot +12, Tumble +17.  Feats: Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (claw, bite, gore), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (garrote), Improved Initiative, Improved Critical (claws), Two Weapon Fighting     Languages: Undercommon, Terran, Drow  Possessions: +4 shadowed studded leather armor, boots of elvenkind, wire garrote, ring of advanced magic fang +2, belt of giant strength +6, +4 keen distance fleshgrinding dagger, +2 dagger, ring of protection +3, head band of intellect +2, gloves of dexterity +6, ring of minor elemental protection (fire), amulet of the zephyr, +3 shock mighty composite shortbow (Str 14), 20 +3 arrows  Assassin Spells Prepared: (3/3/2/2; save DC 14 + spell level): 1st -- change self, angry ache, obscuring mist. 2nd – alter self, darkness, pass without trace. 3rd – invisibility, sadism 4th – improved invisibility, dimension doorFreeze (Ex): Grummok can hold himself so still that he appears to be a statue. An observer must succeed at a Spot check (DC 20) to notice Grummok is really alive.Evasion (Ex): If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, Grummok takes no damage with a successful saving throw.Death Attack: If Grummok studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack within the next 3 rounds with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack may also paralyze or kill the target (Grummok's choice). A victim who fails his or her Fortitude saving throw (DC 23) against the kill effect dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis, the victim's mind and body become enervated, making him or her completely helpless and unable to act for 1d6+1 rounds.Poison Use: Grummok is trained in the use of poison and never risks accidentally poisoning himself when applying poison to a blade.Five years of relative peace have passed for the master assassin Grummok; he has left the assassin’s guild and now resides in an exquisite manse in the Ghetto of Artisans. Although he continues to ply his deadly trade Grummok has distanced himself from the guild and its master as relations between himself and Jen Kedar Everhate have become strained of late. The gargoyle's reputation had eclipsed Jen Kedar’s own and a bitter rivalry has flamed to life between the two assassins that Grummok fears may blossom into a lethal confrontation. Removing himself from the immediate attention of Jen Kedar has cooled the rivalry somewhat but Grummok continues to operate as the city’s top assassin. Jen Kedar has not questioned Grummok’s somewhat freelance activities and the gargoyle has taken pain’s to keep illicit transactions as secret as possible. Hek has remained at the assassin’s guildhall and much to Grummok’s dismay has been taken under the wing of Jen Kedar as if the human were being groomed as a protégé. Hek has not aged gracefully and his mind; somewhat damaged from his grueling ordeal as a child has become twisted and bizarre. The human has become distant, prone to erratic behavior and bouts of wild uncontrollable rage. Grummok experienced Hek’s growing dementia for the first time, shortly after his horrific encounter with Madame Hunnek. The gargoyle had planned on keeping his murder of Hunnek a secret from Hek but on a night when the human has sunk into the depths of depression, Grummok mentioned that the terrible Madame Hunnek would harm no child ever again. Hek had flown into a rage when Grummok finally recanted the entire tale and Grummok had to restrain the human for fear he would injure himself. Grummok was dumbfounded by Hek’s reaction, Madame Hunnek had certainly been haunting Hek’s dreams for years and now that she was dead Hek was not soothed in the least. Harsh words were exchanged between the two friends when Hek had gathered his wits enough to speak and Grummok has barely spoken to the human in the five years since.Alone again Grummok has kept himself busy by monitoring Hek and has found that his former friend and apprentice has been very active. Hek is nearly sixty years old but his elven heritage keeps him vigorous and he is still a formidable assassin. But Hek’s deteriorating mental state has made him reckless and Grummok, who has invisibly monitored many of his former students recent kills, has cleaned up more than a few messes the aging professional has carelessly left in the open. Hek is unaware of Grummok’s aid and the gargoyle’s seriously doubts that it would be welcome in any case, but he fears for Hek as eventually the human may find himself in a situation that even Grummok cannot help him out of. The targets of Hek’s flurry of assassination also confound Grummok for they span a gamut of different lifestyles and stations. From one of the wealthiest merchants in the city to an orc warrior serving as a mercenary in the Ghetto of Chattels, the victims seem to have little in common beside the mutual bad luck of having an enemy wealthy enough to hire Hek as an assassin. All of the targets were murdered in Hek’s usual style, the assassin would find them in their homes or some other secluded location and quickly slay them with a dagger thrust from the shadows. Hek had always been a merciful butcher, killing his victims with as little suffering as possible and Grummok was glad to see that at least this had not changed. Grummok still has many contacts within the assassin’s guild and they supply him with information on almost everything that occurs within the secretive society. Grummok was intrigued to learn that many of the current contracts were being handed down by Jen Kedar himself and included many strange and unusual targets. Grummok had learned over his long career as an assassin that most of his victims were the result of failed business negotiations or those that had offended the ruling clergy or aristocracy. In short most of those that found their lives ending on the point of assassin’s dagger had little reason to suspect who had sent the deadly emissary to their doorstep. According to Grummok's contacts many of the more recent targets were not of the usual type at all, including musicians, artists, inn keepers and even a few beggars, not the type who could typically afford or even be in a position to make the kind of enemy that would bring the assassin’s guild into the picture. Grummok also learned that Hek had been spending much of his time with Jen Kedar Everhate, and that the guild-master had made him second in command. The gargoyle also learned that Hek’s devotion to the guild-master bordered on fanatical and that he had even slain a young assassin who had dared speak ill of the powerful Jen Kedar. All of these things combined worried Grummok immensely. Something monumentous was happening within the guild and Hek was firmly embroiled in it. The gargoyle would not discover the horrible truth of the matter until one fateful night found him tailing Hek once again from the shadows. Grummok had learned through his contact at the assassin’s guild that Hek had been handed an assignment of great importance. A contract had been taken out on Jevezen Despana, the third daughter of the noble house of the same name. Jevezen was an accomplished sorcerer and was a bit of a black sheep in her family. She did not live on the family estate instead having moved into the luxurious manse of the murdered Genasi sorcerer Vastinus Firecloak, who ironically enough had been killed by none other than Hek himself. Grummok had monitored Jevezen’s activities as soon as he knew of the contract on her head. The drow noble typically went nowhere unless escorted by at least four guards, all of them powerful warriors. Her home was guarded by no less than six of these elite drow soldiers and to compound the difficulty of gaining access to her home it was rumored that Jevezen was an expert at constructing magical traps. It was a difficult assignment to say the least and Grummok, who had trained Hek, wondered if the aging assassin could pull it off. Grummok surmised that Hek would strike at Jevezen at her home since he was familiar with the layout of the manse and Grummok found a suitable perch to watch for his old friend. Jevezen’s manse lay upon the Player’s Lane in the Ghetto of Artisans and coincidentally stood across the street from one of Grummok’s favorite taverns, the Lady Eight, and it was on the roof of this tavern that the gargoyle kept his watch. Grummok did not have to wait long, the gargoyle’s keen eyes spotted Hek’s shadowy from moving along the outer fence of Jevezen’s manse on is third day of his vigil. Grummok watched Hek work his way along the fence completely unnoticed by the two guards that stood watch at the gate. The human assassin moved with the stealth of a shadow and Grummok was filled with an almost paternal sense of pride at the oiled grace with which Hek slid along the outer perimeter of Jevezen’s home. When Hek was roughly thirty feet from the gate he suddenly disappeared from sight eliciting a smile from Grummok who hastened to cast an invisibility spell of his own. Obscured from sight the gargoyle vaulted into the air and sailed over the fence surrounding Jevezen’s manse landing softly and silently twenty feet from the front door. The front door of the manse was unguarded, or at least it was now. The body of one of Jevezen’s guards lay sprawled across the walkway leading up to the house. The drow warrior’s throat had been cut from behind but there had been very little blood for the wound had been cauterized by Hek’s magically heated dagger, the very one he had taken off of the former owner of the Jevezen’s home. Grummok shook his head in disbelief that Hek would leave such damning evidence of his presence out in the open like this. The gargoyle scooped up the body and deposited the corpse in one of the decorative beds of fungi that lined the house. So far the two assassins had remained undetected but Grummok wondered how long that would last with Hek’s obvious recklessness.Grummok followed the crushed stone walkway up to the front door of the manse and found it hanging open, another indication of Hek’s erratic behavior. Grummok slipped inside and silently pulled the door closed behind him. The foyer was as Grummok remembered it, a small square room tiled in green marble featuring a wrought iron staircase winding up to the second floor. A shot hallway led off to the north containing four doors evenly spaced down its length and more indication of Hek’s handiwork was in evidence. Sprawled face up near the foot of the staircase was another guard; he had been stabbed in the eye, Hek’s enchanted dagger pushed through the eye socket and into the brain beyond. The guard’s half-melted eye had run down his face in a trail of blood and ocular fluid and his mouth was frozen in a surprised “O”. There was little Grummok could do to hide this body so he made his way upstairs to see if Hek had finished his assignment or had finally been caught by Jevezen or her guards. The spiral staircase rose through the floor of the second level of Jevezen’s manse opening into an opulently furnished sitting room. Two hallways ran east and west featuring numerous doors leading to any number of other chambers. Grummok was considering which way to go when the thunderous blast of offensive magic echoed throughout the building followed by a ringing curse in drowish. The spell and the curse had come from the west hallway that ended in a large elaborate set of double doors. Grummok raced down the hallway reaching the double doors in seconds. The gargoyle could hear the sounds of combat within and opened the door a crack to peer through.The room was obviously Jevezen’s bedroom, it contained a large round bed that could easily hold four or five people of Jevezen’s size, numerous couches and armoires and a tall bookcase with glass doors. The bed was covered in silk linens now tangled and blood spattered and the body of naked drow man sprawled in the center of the grand bed his intestines spilling from a huge gash across his abdomen. Jevezen Despana, also naked, stood to one side of the bed mouthing the words to a spell while another of her guards, this one fully armored, dueled with Hek. Jevezen, whom Grummok had only seen from a distance, was a vision of drow loveliness with long white hair that fell past her shoulder in a cascade of silken perfection. Tall for a drow elf, her sleek form contained generous curves of soft lustrous black flesh that awoke a hunger in Grummok he had not indulged in some time. Mistress Despana’s face, even twisted in anger, was fine and delicate with large almond shaped eyes, full generous lips and the cultured grace of drow nobility. His gray hair hanging in a sweat soaked tangle around his face, Hek slashed at the drow guard with a dagger in each hand. The drow had a thin bladed longsword and a buckler and was slowly giving ground to Hek’s whirlwind of dagger strikes. Mistress Despana suddenly completed her spell, and an arc of blue lightning flashed from her outstretched fingertip. Hek avoided the bolt with ease, rolling to the ground with the grace of a panther; the drow guard was not so lucky. Foolishly Jevezen had not counted on her spell missing its intended target, and as Hek rolled aside the guard who had been standing directly in front of him caught the full brunt of Jevezen’s magic. The bolt struck the surprised guard in the chest hurling him from his feet in a flash of azure sparks to lie in a crumple smoking heap some ten feet away. No longer having to worry about the drow guard Hek rolled to his feet and threw the dagger he held in his left hand with one smooth precise movement. The dagger buried itself to the hilt between Jevezen’s breasts knocking the wind from her lungs in an explosive grunt. Her eyes wide with shock the beautiful drow maiden clawed at the blade jutting from her body cursing and trying to intone the words to another spell. Hek gave her no chance and rushed across the room in a single surge of movement his flaming dagger flashing in a red tinged arc. Hek’s blade opened up Jevezen’s throat in a spray of arterial crimson and she sunk to the ground her face still frozen in surprise. Grummok watched Hek pull his dagger from Jevezen’s corpse and then the human did something most peculiar. The aged assassin hunkered down over his victim’s body and using his magically heated dagger began to carve something into her flesh. Hek worked quickly but his movements were sure and deft, it took him a few minutes to complete whatever he was doing and when he was finished he leapt to his feet and moved to the door. Grummok pulled back from his viewing post, hoping Hek would not notice that the door had been opened a crack. The human hurried through the door taking no notice of Grummok who stood invisible less than two paces away. He crept down the length of the hallway and Grummok watched him descend the spiral staircase and disappear from view. Burning with curiosity Grummok stepped into Jevezen’s chamber and moved over to her corpse. She was still beautiful even in death but as Grummok drew closer the icy grip of fear closed over his heart. Hek had cut a bizarre calling card into the canvas of Jevezen’s body. It was a symbol Grummok was quite familiar with and one he had thought never to see again. Burned into Mistress Despana’s ebony flesh was the stylized head of a fly, the sigil of the arch-devil Baalzebul.</blockquote>

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