stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]

[James Heard]

Cursing, Janis puts away her eternal wand and retrieves her scroll of lightning bolt from its carefully hidden location.

"Mercenary, where you're at is the wrong place to be!" she warns.

 

[stonegod]

A Lost Flame

Jarrith and the dejected Khensu attempt to help with tending the living and the dead. While the Jorasco healers welcome the help, the townsfolk are much more reluctant, making the sign of the evil eye and often walking off when possible or doing their best to refuse service for those too wounded to move. Khensu says nothing during these times, accepting them as his fate. Eventually, the shifter tends more to the dead, a penance away from accusing stares.

To Jarrith's surprise, the death count is not as high as he expected. After the initial attacks, villagers were smart enough to douse lights and make their places looked abandoned. In another fortunate turn of event, though more morbid, none of the villagers savaged by the beasts survived the attack---the curse, if passed, died with them. However, that cannot be said of all of wounded.

Vincent Korr d'Deneith was another member of the expedition guards; a Blademark, not a simple mercenary. It was his brother, another up-and-comer, that had died by Khensu's axe. Vincent had been among those that had brought the shifter paladin down, but not before the Blademark had been bitten twice by the werewolf menace.

Mateusz, realizing immediately the problem, had thrown Vincent in chains, and, against the innkeepers wishes, made an impromptu prison in the cellar under the Vine. And that is where Jarrith found the Blademark, pacing shiftlessly while what life there was still continued above him.

 

[pathfinderq1]

Tessa stumbled blindly backwards, trying to get out of immediate danger. Desperate to help, she called upon the power of the Sovereign Host to empower her companions.

OOC: 5-foot step south to Q 8; cast Prayer

 

[stonegod]

Forest Trials: Round 7

Frustrated by his blindness, Marot calls out it useless fury. Ladreth fares little better---though he manages to fight off the too perfect sight of the nymph before him as he staggers about. [Makes Fort save vs. aura] Tessa, meanwhile, tries to keep it together, praying to the Host for luck. There presence washes over the cave. [prayer] Janis uses the time to prepare for a caustic bolt.

Oblivious to the others, the twisted few focuses her ire on the lady paladin. "You must see! See you must!" The power of nature's ire almost overwhelms Ashlyn, but she pushes through it with a force of will. But it leaves her drained---she doubts she can do it again. [Fort save succeeds due to AP; last AP spent]

The sightless were-creature presses its attack, little hindered by its closed eyes. Its motions are a blur, supernaturally fast. Ashlyn manages to parry one thrust of its large sword and deflect another with her shield, but she leaves an opening that costs her---its fetid maw crushes her shield arm, wounding the bone! [12hp + 1 Con damage]

Trying to ignore the pain, Ashlyn swings weakly at the beast. The pain in her other arm is too much, and the swings miss. [Both miss]

The bear growls its defiance.

Forest Trials: Round 8

M: 22 [blinded; prayer 6 rounds]
L: 13 [33/41; 1 Con damage; stunned 4 rounds; prayer 6 rounds]
T: 11 [blinded; prayer 6 rounds]
J: 9 [34/42, mirror image (4 images, 28 rounds); prayer 6 rounds]
V: 8 [decomposition; prayer 6 rounds]
H: 7 [E5: dying; C5: dead; R5, lightly wounded, decomposition, prayer 6 rounds]
A: 5 [31/43; 1 Con damage; prayer 6 rounds]
b: 3 [prayer 6 rounds]

Map Key: A: Ashlyn, b: The Bear, J: Janis, L: Ladreth, M: Marot, H: Shifter Werewolf, T: Tessa.
Conditions: Green Border: mirror image, Orange Border: Blinded, Pink Border: Prone, Yellow Border: Stunned

 

[James Heard]

Frowning at the tall mercenary's back to her still, Janis corrects the facial tick and steels her heart to the task at hand. Her eyes flick over the supple paper of the parchment and as the words lift themselves off the page her mouth reads them aloud, following the will of the magic and letting it guide her hand. As the spell completes itself she releases it with the chopping motion of a slaughterhouse hand, a brilliant arc of lightning painting itself before her directed at the werewolf.

"Surrender and perhaps I shall remember the taste of mercy before I carve off your lips and cook them over rice," Janis warns.

 

[Stormwind]

Ashlyn takes a step around the werewolf, putting it between her and the scantily clad girl, as she doggedly continues her attacks upon the were-creature with the gleaming morningstar in her hand.

[5ft step to Q6]
[Full attack vs shifter +9/+4, damage 1d8+4/1d8+4]

 

[s@squ@tch]

Marot the Sightless

"By the flame! My eyes!" calls out Marot.

His hate reaching a fevered pitch, the lack of sight only serving to fuel it ever more.

"You...WILL...DIE FOR THIS!"

He sends an eldritch bolt in the direction of where he last heard the voice of the nymph.

OOC: Eldritch Blast (+8/3d6+2) 50% miss chance due to blindness/concealment.

 

[pathfinderq1]

Tessa could still hear the sounds of battle, but it was so difficult to hold out hope when the odds seemed so badly against them. Still, she was buoyed up by the power of the Sovereign Host, and she drew deeply upon that strength, trying to channel that energy into those who yet fought. "Ashlyn, let the Host empower you," she called, trying to reach for a moment of contact...

OOC: Casting Bull's Strength, attempting to target Ashlyn (since it requires only a brief touch after casting, hopefully the sound of her voice will be enough to fix on). Then another 5-foot step back out of the fight (to Q 9)

 

[DEFCON 1]

Jarrith steps gingerly down the stairs into the Vine's basement. He allows his eyes time to adjust, then calls out to the Blademark found within. "d'Deneith? You here?"

He finishes walking down the stairs and his feet land gently on the packed earth of the basement floor. He sees the guardsman pacing around the room, his arms and feet chained together and the whole mess secured to the far wall. If he was to change, he would have a heck of a time getting loose. Jarrith looks at him, sees the large bite marks on his skin, then steps forward towards him.

"It seems that you've found yourself on the same boat I was on last night..." he says while motioning towards the bite marks. "A curse to be sure. But trust me when I tell you... you'll be thankful for those chains once the sun goes down."

He glances back towards the stairs, then quickly turns back to meet the guard's gaze. "May I get you something? Water? Some food? I'm afraid your condition is untreatable until the young girl Tessa that you travelled with here returns to town. She was the one who cured my disease... and I pray by the Flame she will be able to cure yours as well."

He stands silently in front of the man to hear what he has to say.

 

[ethandrew]

AC: 21; HP: 33/41; 1 Con Loss; Stunned

The horror in Ladreth's mind continued to grow louder and awaken a dormant fear hidden in the back of his subconscious. That fear held him still, its source the beautiful woman with a hideous design. Images and latent insecuries rushed to the forefront of the strong half-orc's vision, the dark cave obscured by the mockery of his childhood peers, the beatings and silent misery he endured. There existed no resolution, no salvation; only terror.