As most of his kind, Tuck is surprisingly fast for his small size, and the little reptilian does not stop but instead grabs his crossbow and loads it awkwardly with a bolt. He wants to be ready when coming onto the scene.
Akos hastens along, using the first few seconds of confusion and guard-talk to re-establish his armor skin and is soon running full sprint after the furry fury of Mutt.
"I need to stop running like this! I cultivated image of calm and confident, of cultured and refined preacher and monk. And now this! What will people think!? At least yesterday there was the fog and no one saw me - I think - and now again! But if Tim yelled so loudly for Tuck to hear him there must be something big. And we don't want to lose Mani!"
Akos thinks as he goes, but doesn't slow down for his dignity. Mani and the groups lives are more important
"I can always recreate the image. And besides, people will remember that story I told just now."
Neurotic said:
Flap, flap, flap, slap, slap, slap one can hear the robe flapping and sandals slapping as the fey menace approaches the combatants.
As Tuck and Akos pass through through the hanging vines of what Tuck knows is the Overgrown Gateway, they see their companions engaged against what looks like members of the Bluffside Elite! Big Tim stands menacingly over the battlefield with both Vinccenzo and a member of the Bluffside Regulars directly to his right. Next to them stand both Breva and a female Bluffside Regular who Akos seems to remember is named Mariana. Both were stationed at Red Arch. Neither of the heroes can see Mani anywhere.
Mariana is being menaced by a soldier that is also dealing with Mutt trying to yank away the man's shield. Another foe stands toe to toe with Breva while a third stands just in front of Vinccenzo. Tim fights with his back to gateway, so there are likely other foes behind him that Akos and Tuck cannot see.
The guard standing in between Tim and Mariana casts a healing spell and directs it towards Breva. Tuck hears him say "switch with me," and then he and Vinccenzo switch positions. The sectarian guard turns and fires three
magic missiles at three other foes that stand at least 30 feet away from him. The missiles slam into the three foes -- two of them with bows and another decked out in the garb of a cleric.
OOC:
Power attacks and damage: 1D20+10 = [9]+10 = 19
1D20+5 = [19]+5 = 24
2D6+15 = [1, 5]+15 = 21
2D6+15 = [6, 3]+15 = 24
Crit Check: 1D20+5 = [6]+5 = 11
Breva takes the time to nod his thanks to Odhran for the healing. His eyes widen as the crystals bring down a merc. He decides it is past time to bring this fight to a close. His blade lashes out at the two foes in easy reach. The big blade moves swiftly belying the power behind the strokes.
The nearly blocks the first strike with his shield but Breva's greatsword flashes just quick enough to penetrate the man's defenses. The blow slices deep into his shoulder and puts the man off center so that Breva's second strike comes close to splitting the man in two. Only a quick twist of body saves the man's life, but the paladin has hurt him badly. Blood seeps from both wounds and he cries out in pain. Breva can see that the man's resolve is shaken.
"Castañon," he yells across the battlefield after he catches the image of Tuck and Akos out of the corner of his eye. "The other two are here! We should retreat!"
"If you run, Mambru, I'll kill you myself!" Castañon orders.
"Archers, take out the loremaster! Do not let him speak any charms!"
Akos huffs and puffs onto the scene and quickly assesses the situation. He moves a bit closer to the fighting, trying to see everyone. Once he has a good idea who is who, how dangerous and how wounded, he stops and focusing his energies sends a flying spectral book at most wounded of his companions.
Akos moves closer to the fight, but not too close. He can see the archers in the distance look towards him, but he can't worry about that while his allies are in peril. The loremaster puts himself 15 feet behind Vinccenzo and quickly notices the Sectarian Guard is bleeding from a deep cut. The young female guard looks like she might have taken a hit, but it is Breva who is definitely hurt the worst. Akos can see that blood has stained the cobblestones under the paladin's feet.
The spectral book looks as if it is going to impact the paladin with its healing energy, but instead flies by his left ear and just misses the foe the paladin is fighting. It impacts the ground 10 feet away from the enemy archers.
OOC: Breva's touch AC is 14, so the ranged touch attack is a miss.
The mercenary fighting Mariana slashes out twice at the female Regular and his longsword scores a strike on the first blow. The other mercenary fighting Breva steps away from the paladin, sheathes his sword, and drinks down a potion produced from a pouch. The wounds that Breva just inflicted stop bleeding.
The Rising Swords cleric scowls at Vinccenzo and steps forward and casts a spell. The man's hands seem to be engulfed in shadow. Then he moves to throw, something, not at the Sectarian guard but towards the kobold urban ranger in the distance. The shadow becomes formed into a black, wispy flame that streaks towards Tuck. The shadowy flames impact the kobold squarely in the chest. The evil cleric cackles in glee!
"I said the loremaster!" Castañon yells.
"I am not one of
your soldiers, Castañon," The cleric replies back. "Don't forget that!"
Mariana counterstrikes with her blade against the mercenary and hits a solid blow against the man. "Surrender or perish!" She demands.
"You have no idea what you're up against," he laughs.
OOC: Mariana - Longsword Attack (with Bless): 1D20+9 = [14]+9 = 23
1D8+3 = [8]+3 = 11
The two archers take aim at Akos and let loose hell. Little do they know their shots are wasted on him as long as their arrows aren't cold iron or enchanted. The first hit thumps into his shoulder but Akos only feels the weight of the impact and nothing else. The arrow falls to the ground harmlessly. The second arrow flies high over the loremaster's head.
The second archers aim is better but the blunt impacts against Akos' chest and thigh only leave his clothes torn. His skin remains pristine beneath the damaged clothing.
"What!" Castañon exclaims in surprise. His archers look befuddled too.
"Tee hee, now watch me!" Mani giggles. The doppelganger turns its head towards the Rising Swords mercenary but then quickly looks at Odhran. A loud piercing scream resounds out from the doppelganger and Odhran's eyes roll back into his head. The guard screams and drops his weapon. He shudders once and then falls down dead.
OOC: Mani - Attacks Odhran with Mind Thrust (DC 18, will negates): 7D10 = [6, 8, 4, 5, 10, 3, 6] = 42 (6 point augment);
Odhran - Will Save: 1D20+6 = [2]+6 = 8 (fails!) | That's two kills now for Mani!
Mani cackles in glee.
"Odhran, no!" Mariana yells in anguish.
"Well, that was surprising," Castañon says. "Savvas, slit that doppelganger's throat. He's too dangerous."
The guard next to the doppelganger looks at horror at the fallen Bluffside Regular and balks. He steps back from the monstrous foe and looks as if he's going to run. Instead, he reaches for a healing potion to improve his odds of survival. He is so shaken that he doesn't realize he's still too close to Big Tim.
"Damn, I'm surrounded by fools!" Castañon barks.
"Forget the loremaster, shoot the doppelganger and ogre!" He orders the archers.
Castañon looks at the doppelganger, considering his next target, but knows if the loremaster speaks a charm, the fight will go against him. He rushes recklessly past the half-ogre knight to try to get to Akos before the loremaster can speak.
OOC: At this point,
@Tellerian Hawke, Big Tim can take an AoO at either the mercenary drinking a potion or the mercenary commander who rushes past him towards Akos. They both act on the same initiative count. Since it is such an important moment, I will wait to post Castañon's attack or roll for the healing potion.