Paridon: The Dark Metropolis (Ravenloft)

[kinem]

Father Berman shakes his head, trying to regain control of himself. He's not sure what's taken hold of him. Clearly the monster does exist - which is a big problem, right now. With the team injured and weary and the Father himself low on spells, this fight did not look promising.

He approaches the melee, considering his meager options. Seeing Darian go down, he is tempted to heal the officer right away, but would his companion be safer out of the fight? The monster's attacks could make short work of a man barely healed enough to stand up. Still, the horrible sound ... We need his ditty to keep us focused.

He utters a prayer to Lady Ezra and touches Darian.

(ooc: swap out command for CLW, 1d8+4)

"I believe that a tactical withdrawal may be in order!" he informs the others.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

As Ru runs from the scene, bounding over a stunned reveler in the process, Alek helps Kitten to her feet. He responds, "You're welcome, Strahd Boy." He strolls back toward the coach, singing in Gnomish as he travels. The occasional reveler joins him in what must be a popular tune among them.

Torhan calls for help from the healer as he reaches back for another swing at... Edditomas? His head? Another body?... at the gnome, hoping to prevent it from causing further harm. The insane brutality and incomprehensibility seem to befuddle him, and Torhan barely can tell that the gnome bent backward to avoid the blow.

Fr. Berman approaches the battle, the ringing steadily growing as he draws close. He empties his mind as he rushes over to Darian. For an instant, his field of vision fills with butterflies, but he separates reality from hallucination and lays hands on Darian. (+12 hp) He whispers to Darian, "Sing. Sing now." His eyes fall on the gnome's victim, a plump gnome woman with a round, cherubic mask. She breathes, barely.

Calahan launches himself savagely at the gnome, hoping to get in one more strike, anywhere that matters. With a CRACK! Calahan stops, the gnome's foot pulling free of the drying tanglefoot, and impaling him in the chest (-9 hp). Calahan crumbles to the street. The gnome's arms flail at Torhan, but they only strike armor.

Darian returns to consciousness, suddenly awakened by a sudden infusion of life--or was that burning? An ashen man, smoldering, commanding him to sing... No... that is Fr. Berman, and the dissociative noise surrounding them. He starts to sing, and rise, taking advantage of the moment the gnome is using to pull his other leg free of the goo... it won't last much longer.

Ru arrives at the scene, his athletic form serving him well for speed. The gnome is almost free. Darian is awake and unsteady, but his song is the only thing keeping the dread madness at bay. Calahan has fallen. Fr. Berman advocates retreat. Tavish tries to sing along with Darian, his terror-filled frame fighting against spooked horses. A distance behind Ru, Alek, Kitten, and Marionette approach. Alek undoes the clasp on Marionette's cloak.

Ru: 16/30
Torhan: 11/40
Calahan: -6/23
Fr. Berman: 26/30
Darian: 11/20

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

Am I dead? This is what I get for missing one round...


Calahan lies on the ground, his pale eyes looking upwards into the grey sky...

This bastard... If I ever get up again, I'll make a cup out of his hand and a pipe out of his bones...

When I was younger, my grandfather told me of that flying whale, and how good people travelled to Heaven on its back... Wonder if he'll still have a place for me for this this journey, after all the times that I have sinned...

Calahan's look becomes somewhat dull and filled with peace, as his minds travels far...

 

[Rhun]

Torhan curses as he struggles with the...well, with the whatever the hells it was. Bringing his blade to bear again in a powerful overhand swing, the paladin hopes to strike a telling blow before the thing can fully escape the confines of the tanglefoot bag.


1 point power attack: +7 attack for 2d6+6 (crit 19-20)

 

[industrygothica]

Darian rises, his mind cluttered with confusion. Still, he continues his dirge and moves to pull Callahan's limp body from the fray. We'll get you back, friend. No worry, he thinks to himself. Still humming, he circles the action to find the best vantage point, and tries to figure out a way to stop this thing for good.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Calahan isn't dead... yet. It might be a moment before revival, though. If you like, you can RP Tavish in the meantime. He's not quite as manic, though.

 

[kinem]

With his companions dropping like flies, Father Berman prays Please Lady, don't let them die this way.

He casts his last healing spell for the day, hoping to save Calahan. (1d8+4) If he has time, he draws his wand, knowing it will soon be needed.

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

Ru arrives at the scene, his athletic form serving him well for speed. The gnome is almost free. Darian is awake and unsteady, but his song is the only thing keeping the dread madness at bay. Calahan has fallen. Fr. Berman advocates retreat. Tavish tries to sing along with Darian, his terror-filled frame fighting against spooked horses. A distance behind Ru, Alek, Kitten, and Marionette approach. Alek undoes the clasp on Marionette's cloak.

Horrified by the scene, Ru raises the bow he's been white-knuckling since his confused race away from the alley, and tries to cover those retreating by firing on the gnome-creature.

[sblock=OOC]+5 bow attack[/sblock]

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Torhan swings one more time, determined to damage if not disable the creature before him. With a CRACK! the gnome breaks free of the tanglefoot, leaning back to land again in a crab, and straighten back up backwards, with arms as legs and legs as arms--not that the gnome seems to notice. Torhan's swing goes wild.

The gnome rushes Torhan, trying to take advantage of the opening. Torhan pivots on his sword to dodge the shot and recover. The gnome stops. He points over to the coach. He crouches for a lunge towards the others gathered there. He leaps, only to be blocked by Torhan. The paladin breathes heavily, triumphant in preventing the gnome's advance. Yet then, there is a chill in his chest. Torhan looks down to see where the gnome's hand has breached his armor... feels the drawing of blood away from him...

Torhan crumples to the ground in shock (-12 hp).

Fr. Berman and Darian drag Calahan away from the gnome-thing, up toward the coach and Ru. The coach rocks back and forth as Tavish continues to wrestle with the horses, yet the uncertainty of the carriage seems preferable to the certain destruction emanating from Edditomas' head. Fr. Berman prays to the lady while Darian continues singing. Suddenly, Kitten rushes under Darian's arm to bound back into the coach. Calahan starts sputtering as life charges back into him (+9 hp). Alek appears by Fr. Berman as Ru fires a cover shot--which fails to cause damage.

"Get him in the coach. We need to get out of here," Alek states to Fr. Berman. He pulls Marionette's cloak off with a flourish. Using it as a makeshift shield, he gingerly approaches Torhan. Marionette follows with him. Her full figure is revealed for the first time--trim, athletic, hardened. She carries the poise of a dancer, and her steady gait suddenly droops, seemingly limp, yet showing the fruit of years of self-control. But most noticeable about her are her hands. Her arms--end. In stumps. Chains dangle from the ends of her arms. At the end of each set of chains dangle what seem to be her hands--rigid, hard, cold. She swings her hands around as she interposes herself between Torhan and the gnome-thing.

Ru: 16/30
Torhan: -1/40
Calahan: 3/23
Fr. Berman: 26/30
Darian: 11/20

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

"Get him in the coach. We need to get out of here," Alek states to Fr. Berman. He pulls Marionette's cloak off with a flourish. Using it as a makeshift shield, he gingerly approaches Torhan. Marionette follows with him. Her full figure is revealed for the first time--trim, athletic, hardened. She carries the poise of a dancer, and her steady gait suddenly droops, seemingly limp, yet showing the fruit of years of self-control. But most noticeable about her are her hands. Her arms--end. In stumps. Chains dangle from the ends of her arms. At the end of each set of chains dangle what seem to be her hands--rigid, hard, cold. She swings her hands around as she interposes herself between Torhan and the gnome-thing.

Ru finds himself simultaneously grateful and disturbed by Alek's help, and the fully-revealed state of Marionette. But he hasn't the time to argue. Dropping his bow, he moves in to Tohran, all his attention paid to keeping off of the monster-gnome's hit list as he tries to reclaim his fallen comrade.

[sblock=OOC]Let's see if all those defensive options I built in are useful. Declare the gnome Ru's Dodge opponent (+1 AC), and have him go into Total Defense (+6 AC due to Tumble bonus) as his standard action, with a move action to reclaim Tohran . That gives him an effective AC of 23 vs. the gnome, with an additional +4 (AC 27) vs. any AoO the gnome gets if Ru has to move through threatened squares to get to Tohran.[/sblock]