The Closed Eye (DM: Halford, Judge: garyh)

[Dunamin]

Woe puts his hand on the doorknob and… hesitates. He casts a glance back at his companions with a look of deep contemplation.

“Perhaps this isn’t right, fellas. Perhaps we should reconsider this whole thing, our perspective of life, our approach to conflict and strife.”

He lets go of the handle and faces the group resolutely.

“We could change. We could abandon this glorified errand-running and bounty-hunting business that the common folks call “adventuring”. We could leave it all behind, repent our ways, and take up honest and simple trades.”

“I could become a monk, live a life of internal reflection and discipline my mind as well as my body. Tander could become a scribe and teach the homeless children to read and write, Atreus could take up farming and work the fields. Palindrome could start an orphanage.”

“Think about, fellas. Life is precious...”

Woe’s throat begins to run dry. With well-practiced routine he searches his pack for a sealed tankard of ale, opens it up and downs it all in one go.

He sighs in satisfaction. The usual smug smile is back on his face.

“On second thought, I’m dirt broke and all too sober. Let’s go make somebody bleed.”

Woe flings the tankard over his shoulder and kicks the door off its hinges.

 

[covaithe]

Woe kicks the door off its hinges with a mighty crash. He finds himself at the top of a short wooden stairway above what is clearly a ritual chamber. The large room is ringed by torches, and two lit braziers on one of the far walls also combine to illuminate the room with a clear, though slightly smoky, light. At the far end of the room is a rusty iron gate in front of a passage leading south into darkness.

Between the braziers is a low stone altar with various ritual components arranged in neat piles. Above the altar is a large, red picture of an open eye staring into the room. In the center of the room, before the altar, is a huge, circular ritual diagram in glowing red pigments. At its center stands a robed woman, human-sized, but with scales and snakelike features. Arranged around the outside of the ritual circle are a burly orc leaning on a greataxe, a large hound with the characteristic pallor of the undead, and a human who you quickly recognize as Arnest Glasston. He looks older and leaner than the pimple-faced lad in his portraits at Glasston house, and he wears matching ritual robes with the ease of long practice.

The chanting abruptly stops as Woe barges through the doorway, and the room's occupants stare in shock for a second.

(Surprise round. One action, and please give me initiative rolls too, thanks.)



[sblock=status; init to follow later]

Woe 40/40 <== You're up
Palindrome 27/27, one failed death save
Tander 29/29
Atreus 20/24
Snake Priestess unharmed
Arnest unharmed
orc unharmed
gravehound unharmed

Resources used:
* Tander: surge x5
* Atreus: Surge x4, healing potion
* Palindrome: Surge x6, healing potion
* Woe: Surge x7
[/sblock]

[sblock=map]

[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

"Greetings, victims!" says Palindrome.

He casts Phantom Chasm.

OOC: Phantom Chasm. Burst 2; Center (F,5). Targets prone and immobilized on hit. Immobilized on miss.

• v. Snake Lady (Hits Will 17 [15+2 bonus from Wand of Accuracy], 11 damage)
• v. Orc (Hits Will 14, 12 damage)
• v. Arnest (Hits Will 8, 11 damage)

Initiative. (1d20+3=4) (Yes. That's another '1'.)​

 

[Atriden]

Atreus rushes into the room and as he sees the ritual chamber his eyes burst with rage
" Thy dark deeds will now be punished demons "
He draws one of his daggers with lightning speed and readies himself for the battle at hand, staying close to the orc. Interestingly enough, he has no quarrel that Palindrome just blasted the one he thinks is called Arnest, none at all.
[sblock= Actions and Initiative]
Surprise Round - Moves to B1 and pulls a dagger( Quick draw feat)
Initiative: 12 [/sblock]
[sblock= OOC]
I am sorry for my recent inactivity, rl has been busy as hell.

Look's like this is the final battle , lets cut/blow them into pieces!

And one other thing, Atreus doesn't care if Arnest gets killed since it seems that Arnest is willingly a part of the cult, and must as Atreus said, be punished for his dark deeds. What can I say, Atreus hates cults and usually doesn't compromise with such people, a trait he has from coming from the kingdom of jade and because of his specific background. Just to clear out how much he hates cultists', he would gladly knock these individuals unconscious and torture them for days just to see them suffer, where even Palindrome or Woe would get scared by his never ending commitment to make them suffer.

Let's hope he doesn't find out Tanders dark past .

Btw, nice reasoning Dunamin!
[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

"Wait!" says Tander to his companions, "aren't we supposed to be saving Arnest?"

OOC: My character is such a dork!

[sblock=If Tander has los to the gravehound]
Tander decides to attack the only enemy that is undoubtedly evil

OOC: Spiteful glamor +4 vs will on the gravehound 1d12+3 psychic damage (DM roll if this action is possible)
[/sblock]

[sblock=If Tander does not have los to the gravehound]
Tander falls in behind Woe, trying to focus on the here and now.

OOC: Move directly behind Woe after he moves, otherwise stay put.
[/sblock]

OOC: Initiative 23. Tander already has his crossbow out.

[sblock=Tander Stat Block]Tander Oaksmith, Human Cleric 2
Passive Perception 15, Passive Insight 20
AC 17, Fort 14, Reflex 15, Will 19
Resist 5 poison
HP 29/29, Bloodied 14, Surge Value 7, Surges 3/8
Speed 5, Initiative +7
Action Points: 1

Current Effects
none

Encounter Resources
Spiteful Glamor
Divine Glow
Healing Word One
Healing Word Two
Channel Divinity (Turn Undead or Divine Fortune)
Second Wind
Use Action Point

Daily Resources
Beacon of Hope
Cure Light Wounds
[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=Final Battle?]

Look's like this is the final battle , lets cut/blow them into pieces!

Aw, man! I hope not!

We still haven't figured out the connection with the bugbears. Or the veil in Daunton. Or how to uncover the hidden text on the Screamer.

Just to clear out how much he hates cultists', he would gladly knock these individuals unconscious and torture them for days just to see them suffer....

You mean we're not going to knock them out and torture them?! I thought that was our modus operandi.
[/sblock]

"Wait!" says Tander to his companions, "aren't we supposed to be saving Arnest?"

Palindrome projects his voice so the cultists can hear. "No, no, no. The terms of the contract stated that we were supposed to find Arnest. Nothing about 'saving' or even 'not harming' him."

"In fact, I suggest that we knock him and the snake lady unconscious, then torture them for interesting information, such as their cult's variation of the Eye of Alarm spell or where the Glasstons hide their valuables. The orc's probably just your typical muscle-bound retard, so he's expendable. The doggie is... uh, a doggie."

"Now that I think about it. I'm not comfortable hurting a doggie. Could we knock the undead doggie unconscious, too. Then, I could nurse him back to health and train him to love me."

"To sum up:
*Snake Lady: Unconscious for torture.
*Arnest: Unconscious for torture.
*Doggie: Unconscious for training.
*Orc: Retard. Hence, expendable."

"Heck, I doubt the retarded orc can even understand what I'm saying right now."

"But, on the bright side, we can go back up stairs and kill that elf that we tortured."

"And hopefully, that elf has children. I'm taking Woe's advice. Life is precious. I'm starting an orphanage."

"A free-range orphanage."

"Anyone want to make donations?"

[sblock=Tander...]

OOC: My character is such a dork!

[/sblock]

[sblock=About that snake lady...]Is she scaly?

Palindrome could use a nice belt.[/sblock]

"By the by, that hall over at the end of the room looks suspiciously like an escape route. We should block it, post haste!"

 

[covaithe]

ooc: KenHood, Phantom Chasm is a burst 1, not a burst 2, so you can't hit all of those targets. That's wrong on your sheet too. Also, when making an area attack, you only roll damage once. Tander, no LOS to the gravehound, sorry. And Woe gets an action in the surprise round, too.

 

[KenHood]

ooc: KenHood, Phantom Chasm is a burst 1, not a burst 2, so you can't hit all of those targets. That's wrong on your sheet too. Also, when making an area attack, you only roll damage once. Tander, no LOS to the gravehound, sorry. And Woe gets an action in the surprise round, too.

Okay, change to...

OOC: Phantom Chasm. Burst 1; Center (E,6). Targets prone and immobilized on hit. Immobilized on miss.

• v. Snake Lady (Hits Will 17 [15+2 bonus from Wand of Accuracy], 11 damage)
• v. Arnest (Hits Will 14, 11 damage)

Fixed the character sheet.

 

[Dunamin]

“Someone ordered a spanking? Extra slaps, no mercy?”

Woe leaps off the staircase with daring bravado and storms the serpentine lady, barely sparing a fleeting glance for Arnest, even though he presumably is what they came for.

“Well hello there, you fine piece of silky-skinned sweets!”

He smacks the haft of his spear right across the woman's backside, not yet using the razor-sharp piercing steel though softening her up with a light blow to her more sensitive parts.

“With a lady like you I know my anaconda will feel right at home!”

Woe charges and hits AC 19, dealing 5 damage.

Initiative 11

[sblock=Bada-BING!]This looks like a tough one… like all our fights.

I’m guessing Miss Slither is the biggest threat here, so what do you guys say we focus fire on her? Tander might want to have a field day with the zombie dog first, though, considering his holy blastiness and turning juice.

Woe Chinua - Human Fighter 2
Passive Perception 12, Passive Insight 12
AC 20, Fort 19, Reflex 17, Will 14
HP 40/40, Bloodied 20, Surge Value 10, Surges 4/11
Speed 5, Initiative +3
Action Points: 1, Second Wind
Powers: Cleave, Crushing Surge, Tide of Iron; Pass Forward;
Steel Serpent Strike; Comeback Strike, Inspiring Word[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=Tactics]

I’m guessing Miss Slither is the biggest threat here, so what do you guys say we focus fire on her? Tander might want to have a field day with the zombie dog first, though, considering his holy blastiness and turning juice.

Sounds good.

If Palindrome's spell hits her, she should end up prone, so Atreus should be in a good position to give her a 'sneak attack' on his turn.

We can do an AP dump on our turns and attempt to take her out lickety-split.

The tunnel to the south bothers me, so if one of you guys could slow or immobilize her, we could keep her from running.

Palindrome has an attack that causes enemies to suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls. I'll dump that on her.

She and Arnest are probably wizards, so let's avoid clumping up. Don't want them to take out the entire party.

With the 'unconsciousness' rules, we can go all out in our attacks and still keep Arnest alive--and we should keep snake-lady alive too, for interrogation.[/sblock]