The Secret Scion

[Someone]

(e-mail sent, will edit this post when I have the map)

"They are not insane, honey" says Harolk. "It´s only they are a shameless bunch*"

Harolk would like to charge the enemy, but the acrobatics needed and the poor light discourages him from doing so. Instead, he places himself in front of the party wielding a sword two handed, waiting for any of the enemy to come to them.

Edit: "Move back a little" says "So they have to come down from those stones to fight us"

[ditto, Ready an action to strike the first enemy within reach. In later turns, if he can make a full attack use Quickdraw to put the second sword into action

*It´s an old family joke]

 

[Erekose13]

Hxaptos laughs out loud, cackling at the thought of more knowledge and the coming conflict. The Far Realms? Tell me more! How can we learn more here? he thinks to lump. Casting bane, Hxaptos fills the area with maligned influence hopefully causing the approaching ravers some element of doubt and fear.

 

[D20Dazza]

Bail takes a 5 foot step forward so that he is immediately behind Mel "Do not worry women I will protect you" he naively says as he braces his spear in an effort to be ready to stab at any enemies that leap to the attack. As he waits his anxiety is slowly building, building into an exacting rage.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Harolk takes a grip on one of his swords, the blade glittering in the dim light. He sets his feet as firmly as he can in the uneven ground and waits for the first ragged enemy to come within reach of his steel. Arimat takes advantage of an otherwise bad situation and slips into the shadows to hide. He simply seems to disappear into thin air...

The ravers come leaping closer, some howling as they slip on the stones. However, two manage to leap clearly into the light. One makes a prodigious leap from one hunk of rock to another, right above where Arimat was a minute before. In the lantern light the ravers present themselves as a horrid combination between plague victims and dying soldiers. Thin men and women, their bodies wrapped up in rags stained with blood, old wounds showing throw tears in their clothes. They clutch pieces of shattered beams, chunks of rock, shards of metal with one end wrapped in cloth as cruth, makeshift weapons. Their eyes, however, are possibly their most terrible feature, huge and glassy, staring through you as if they are fighting something not of this world.

Harolk readies his sword as one of them leaps into the light, making a mighty, two-handed chop at the raver on the rock. It bites hard, and fresh blood begins to show on the raver's side. He screams loudly as he lands on the rocks next to Harolk, a chunk of rock in his fist and death in his eyes. From behind Harolk, Hxaptös clutches a twisted holy symbol secreted on his person, his other hand curved into a claw. "Dukaos!" he snarls, raking his hand through the air. A half-seen shimmer of shadow spreads through the area, and renewed shrieks are heard from the unseen ravers. The one in front of Harolk begins to make a high-pitched mewling noise, like a frightened kitten.

You see the creatures before you? They have looked into Xoriat, and come out with amazing secrets. Yet their minds cannot comprehend them, and so they are little better than animals. One must have a trained will to understand the secrets, lest your mind be crushed under their weight. Take one alive, listen to his words, and you may yet gain insight into the place of my creation, the Voice whispers into Hxaptös' head.

Rayni steps carefully through the wreckage, but almost slips when she tries to climb up the rock. Taking advantage of what she can, she pops her head and hand out of the other side of the rock, using it as a sheild, and stabs her hand forward. With a sharp word, a dart of purple light flies from her finger and strikes the other raver to Harolk's left. She hears a faint crack as it impacts in the raver's side, and he gives a faint shriek.

Mel sights over her arrow on the one Rayni just hit. It's just outside the light from the fire-gout and lanterns, but by squinting and taking some care, she catches the glint of eyes and pinpoints the raver's position. Letting the arrow fly, she hears another faint yelp from the wounded raver. Bail steps backward carefully, putting himself between Mel and the ravers, his spear at the ready, glinting in the firelight...

OOC - Harolk readies an action. Arimat hides. The ravers move up, some slipping, one moving up near Harolk, one getting within ten feet of him, Arimat, and Bail. Harolk's readied action goes off, and he hits the jumping raver with a 20, doing 12 points of damage. Hxaptös casts bane, catching all the ravers, and affecting several. Rayni makes her Balance check to move across the ground, but fails her Climb check by one. She pops around the rock and makes her attack on the raver with a touch attack of 14, doing 4 points of damage. Mel hits with her shortbow on an 18, doing 3 points of damage to the one on Halrock's right. Bail steps backwards and readies an action to attack.

Initiative:
Harolk - 17
Arimat - 12
Ravers - 11
Hxaptös - 10
Rayni - 8
Mel - 7
Bail - 4

Would you guys like me to do several rounds at a time to make up for my slower posting schedule? If so, post some general tactics or multi-round actions for me to work with.

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: If you want to do several rounds, Rayni is going to Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Blast, and more Eldritch Blast, switching between Magic Missiles, Orbs of Fire, Acid, Cold, and Electricity. If she is approached in melee, she'll run (by which I don't literally mean run because the footing is unsteady) and hide behind Harolk and Bail)

 

[Bront]

Mel will keep peppering them with arrows until she's forced into Melee, where she'll draw her Rapier, but she'll try to avoid that. She'll try to stay by Rayni and behind Bail, and avoid firing into melee if she can.

OOC: Go for a few rounds, that's fine with me.

 

[Someone]

Harolk draws the bloody blade from his opponent, and draws an arc with it wielding the stell with the left hand, surprised his opponent is still alive. The elf fell with much less than this he thinks, and at the same time he strikes with the other sword from the scabbard.

Would you guys like me to do several rounds at a time to make up for my slower posting schedule? If so, post some general tactics or multi-round actions for me to work with.

I already did that: Use Quickdraw to draw the second sword and continue fighting with two weapons, attacking the most wounded opponent until he´s seriously wounded, then retreat using a Withdraw action.

 

[Erekose13]

*Hxaptos cackles back at the approaching ravers intent on stealing the knowledge these close-minded lunatics have inadvertently acquired. Drawing his light crossbow he moves back a bit before taking aim and firing. He will continue to fire unless one gets really close, then he'll cast lesser confusion and drop his crossbow, entering into melee with his mace.*

[ooc: several is good, I'd like to see how it progresses.]

 

[D20Dazza]

OOC: I'm good with the multi round thing. Bail will stab at any ravers that get within range, trying desperately to protect the ladies, if he or Rayni or Mel get hit for more than a couple of points of damage he will RAGE and go beserk, dropping his spear and drawing his Great Axe!!

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Harolk unsheaths his second blade, and both sing through the air with a deadly song. Twin arcs of steel; one cuts a bit too high, but the other cuts just right, beheading the wounded raver on the rock. A sheet of blood, black in the uncertain light, soaks the rock, and the metallic tang of blood fills the air, momentarily covering the scent of decay. Another raver lunges into his place, but Arimat explodes from the shadows and slashes the raver's thigh. The one in front of Bail lunges at him with a crazed cackle. Bail's reflexes are sharp, and he thrusts his spear into the raver with a sickening crack. The raver is half-impaled, but doesn't even seem to notice as he hauls himself up the spearshaft and slashes deeply into Bail's arm with a filth-encrusted metal shard.

Faint cackling and squealing reveal that the other ravers are moving closer, but the firelight doesn't reveal them yet. Hxaptös whirls and attempt to hit the raver next to Bail with his crossbow, but it sails high above both of their heads. Rayni's next shaft of purple light impacts soundlessly, and harmlessly, at the raver's feet, her shaking hands throwing off her aim. Mel wants to help her friends, but she can't fire at the two ravers she can see without possibly hitting Bail or Harolk, so she waits for her opportunity.

Harolk slashes again, this time both swords finding their arc, eviscerating the raver on the rock. Arimat ducks back into the shadows, but as he moves to hide himself, two pairs of scarred, rag-wrapped hands clutch around his arms, neck, and mouth and drag him down into the rubble, out of sight. Arimat utters a muffled scream, as Harolk sees the half-elf vanish from sight in the darkness. The raver impaled on Bail's spear attempts to slash at him again, but his massive injuries are catching up to him, and his slash scrapes off Bail's armor. Bail's vision goes red and a howl to match the ravers rips from his throat. He drops the spear (and the raver with it) and grabs his axe from its cover, slashing wildly at the raver. However, when he dropped the spear, the raver was dragged to his knees, and the axe sings over the raver's head.

Glints of eyes appear from the darkness as the other ravers move in for the kill. They hurl chunks of rock at the party, one striking Harolk in the side of the head, sending his vision swimming for an instant and sending blood pouring over his tunic. Another sails past Bail, a third lands between them, and a fourth slams into Mel's side, where a burst of pain and a faint snap tell her that some ribs probably just cracked. The priest loads his crossbow and turns towards the new enemies. Just emerging from the darkness, he hadn't been able to see them until they attacked. A bolt flies from his arrow and strikes one raver in the thigh, a mere flesh wound. Rayni stabs her hand forward, this time a ball of cool white light lashing the raver nearest her, leaving the scent of scortched hair and skin behind. Mel whirls and finally spots the raver that struck her, and fires off an arrow. It scrapes the neck of her attacker, and he smiles terribly at her. His teeth are very sharp...

Initiative:
Harolk - 17
Arimat - 12
Bail - 4 (moved up with readied action)
Ravers - 11
Hxaptös - 10
Rayni - 8
Mel - 7

OOC - Yes, I know I'm slow. Sorry.

Round 1: Harolk hits once with a 19 and misses once with a 5. He does 12 points of damage and fells the badly-injured raver. Arimat remains hidden, with a readied action to sneak attack the first raver that comes into range for him. The ravers advance, one coming within range of Arimat. He surprises the raver and hits with a 13, doing 7 points of damage (sneak attack included). The other wounded one lunges at Bail and triggers his readied action. Bail hits the raver with a 20, doing 11 points of damage. The raver then hits him with a 23, doing 8 points of damage. The other ravers move closer, but are still out of range of the light for the most part. Hxaptös moves back 10 feet cautiously, and fires, but misses with a 6. Rayni misses the raver with a ranged touch attack of 8. Mel waits to avoid firing into melee, and watches for the other ravers.

Round 2: Harolk hits the newly-wounded raver with a 20 and a 22 (unconfirmed crit), doing a total of 18 points of damage, downing the raver. Arimat hides again. Two ravers lunge out of hiding and drag Arimat away. The raver on Bail misses with a 13. Bail rages, drops his spear, draws his greataxe and attacks the raver, but misses with a 12. The other ravers move up, two being about 10 and 15 feet away from Harolk, one about fifteen feet away from Bail on the left, and another about ten feet behind him. They hurl chunks of rock. One hits Harolk with a 22, one misses. Harolk takes 5 points of damage. The one on the left throws at Mel, hitting her with a 21, doing 4 points of damage to her. The one on the right throws at Bail but misses. Hxaptös hits the raver on the right with a 21, doing 2 points of damage. Rayni hits the new raver to the left of Bail, does 2 points of damage. Mel hits the raver that hit her with a 19 for 1 point of damage.