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

[Dunamin]

“I’m on her!” Woe responds suggestively, colourful images filling his mind. “Like, on top of things! Like, I’ll handle her! Like, her *** is mine!”

He turns to run but his legs don’t yet move. Something stuck in the back of his head, pushing towards the surface, seeking to break out again.

At some level Woe knows what it is, but he dares not admit it to himself. This is not the first time he turns his back on a friend bleeding out on the ground, a foot well inside death’s door. This time he would come back in time.

“Hang on, Corex, I’ll be right back!… I mean… Uh…”

Woe turns and dashes after the spell-slinging couple, reaching the entrance to their escape tunnel…

[sblock=Actions]Woe moves to I6 and... his further actions depends on what he sees.

Sorry about leaving the turn hanging, but this may be pretty crucial.[/sblock]

 

[Atriden]

Atreus can't turn away from Tander, his comrade is fighting for his life and may not have much strength left.
" Woe, you go ahead and get those two, I'l help Tander "
He carefully moves behind the dog
" Don't worry Tander, I got your back "
[sblock=Tactics]
Hmm, I have decided to stay and help Tander. He has only 6 hp and ongoing 5 damage, which means he pretty much is dead even though he has one healing word back. I owe it to him to protect his ass when he is down like that after all that healing he has giving me, Woe and P. can run to catch our soon to be punching bags. Atreus moves to B6 and flanks the dog with him.
[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=OOC: Observations]

The priestess shakes off his hand. "We must flee, my friend. These fools cannot be allowed to keep us from stopping their master."

"You fools will never triumph," she hisses. "He has deluded you, and you will all perish for it."

Guess this ain't the final fight, fellas.

And I have a sneaking suspicion that we may be attacking the good guys--or the less bad guys.

*Shrug*

We'll figure it out after we capture and cripple them.[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

[sblock=Speculations]There’re two recurrent symbols, an Open Eye and a Closed Eye. I’m thinking the bugbear cultists may represent the former faction and Arnest’s cultists the latter. The buggies had open eyes on their mini-skirts, and “Closed Eye” corresponds well with an “Unseen Lord”.

We know from the elf that Arnest et al. are at odds with the bugbears. They probably think we were sent by the bugbears to stop from interfering with the buggies’ master (The “Seen Lord”?). Anyway, I don’t think Arnest et al. are good guys, I just think it’s a war between two branches of a cult.

I would have had Woe share this theory in-character earlier, but the timing is a bit poor right now. He’ll do so when an opportune moment presents itself.[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

[sblock=KenHood]Sorry, it targets Fort[/sblock]

[sblock=speculations]Interesting deductions. I might point your attention toward the description of this room, which depicts a large open eye above the altar. [/sblock]

Round 4, continued

Atreus performs a quick and bloody spleen removal on the orc. The patient does not survive. Atreus then circles behind the gravehound, hoping to help Tander. (hit, orc dies.)

Woe runs to the mouth of the tunnel, peering down it. He hears sounds of splashing from ahead, and a muffled curse, but can only see a few feet farther without additional light. (Need a light source, or you're running blind. Woe still has a standard and a minor action left.)

[sblock=status and initiative]

Tander 6/29, bloodied, +5 healed with healing powers, prone, 5 ongoing necrotic (save ends)
Arnest 10 damage
gravehound 26 damage
Snake Priestess 41 damage, bloodied
Atreus 24/24
Woe 35/40 <== You're up
orc dead
Palindrome 12/27, one failed death save, bloodied, dazed (save ends)


Resources used:
* Tander: 5/8 surges, channel divinity, beacon of hope, AP, Cure light wounds, divine glow, healing word x1
* Atreus: 6/7 surges, healing potion, positioning strike, AP, blinding barrage, second wind
* Palindrome: 6/7 surges, healing potion, Phantom Chasm, AP, grasping shadows
* Woe: Surge 7/11 surges, crushing surge, AP, steel serpent strike
* Snake lady: Fey Step
* Arnest: thunder burst, dancing lightning

[/sblock]

[sblock=map]

[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

Woe utters a curse so foul it would make a warlock blush, weighing his options for a moment. Resolutely, he tightens the grip on his spear and narrows his eyes at the darkened tunnel.

“Ooo, I see she likes to do it in the dark! Pal, how about we light up her world?”

With that he sets off, bolting down darkness with his spear levelled in front of him. He homes in on the sounds ahead and lances whomever he can reach, going by the voice of the Snake Lady if possible.

[sblock=Actions]Woe charges down the tunnel. Assuming -5 for total concealment, +1 for charging, and +2 CA for attacking a blinded target, Woe hits AC 23 for 7 damage and marks.

A Light spell from Palindrome would be swell when he joins the hunt! They’ve only had one move action to flee down the tunnel and are moving blind, so they should be well in range for some magical payload.

Woe Chinua - Human Fighter 2
Passive Perception 12, Passive Insight 12
AC 20, Fort 19, Reflex 17, Will 14
HP 35/40, Bloodied 20, Surge Value 10, Surges 4/11
Speed 5, Initiative +3
Action Points: 0, Second Wind
Powers: Cleave, Crushing Surge, Tide of Iron; Pass Forward;
Steel Serpent Strike; Comeback Strike, Inspiring Word[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

"****! Can't you just draw a light from your adventurer's kit?!" Palindrome gripes, sprinting to Woe's side.

[sblock=Actions]Standard - run to H5, avoiding threatened squares. Still dazed.[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

Showing amazing resilience despite the pounding he has taken, Tander renews himself once more, cheered by the presence of Atreus on the other side of the hound.

"Let's send this cur back to hell, Atreus," Tander says, standing.

OOC: Take 5 necrotic - one hp left! Minor action - Healing word on self heals an additional 1d6+9 = 14 hp, adding healing surge makes it 21 hp total, taking him to 22 hp. Move action - stand up. Standard action - second wind - heal another 7 hp to full (phew), +2 defenses. Failed save vs necrotic.

[sblock=Tander Stat Block]Tander Oaksmith, Human Cleric 2
Passive Perception 15, Passive Insight 20
AC 17, Fort 14, Reflex 15, Will 19 (base defenses)
Resist 5 poison
HP 29/29, Bloodied 14, Surge Value 7, Surges 1/8
Speed 5, Initiative +7
Action Points: 0

Current Effects
Healing powers heal extra +5hp until end of encounter
+2 all defenses
ongoing 5 necrotic (save ends)

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

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

 

[covaithe]

Round 4, continued

Woe goes charging down the dark corridor, attacking blindly. His spear finds... (When attacking an opponent you can't see, you have to pick a square to attack into. Pick the wrong square, and you miss. The -5 only applies if you happen to pick the right square -- or if you know what square to attack through some other means, such as having just been attacked from there. Sorry to drag this out, but as you say, the next few rounds may be quite different depending on what happens here.)

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=Hmm...]If she moved her full six spaces, then she's probably around O, 6.[/sblock]