Valley of the Dead: Chapter 2 "Home of the sleepless"

[Malachei]

Lórquelië curses, as the large creature crushes into their ranks. Swiftly, she directs the cone of air against the creature again, and also sends another knife towards it. Then, she hurls a silvery dust upwards, and speaks, "Lith Silivren." Suddenly, a silvery dust of particles rains down on and around the large creature.

[sblock=OOC]

Standard action: Cast Glitterdust, Will DC 22 or blinded.
Move action: Hurl Defenestrating Sphere
Free action: Send Knife

If the large creature is already destroyed, she'll send Sphere and/or Knife at another target, if there are any left.

[/sblock]

[sblock=Current Status]

With persisted and active spells.

Active Spells:
* = Persisted
(X) = Extended
Mage Armor (X), Detect Magic*, Shield*, Nightshield*, Detect Undead*, See Invisibility*, Dragonskin*, Reverse Arrows*, Cloud of Knives*, Heart of Earth (X), Prot. from Evil, Defenestrating Sphere

Abilities (used/daily uses)
Metamagic Effect: 10/11
Abjupt Jaunt: 1/8

[sblock=Spells Prepared (Current Status)]

_ = Conjuration (DC +3)
* = Persistable
Spells in Yellow are persisted daily. Cloud of Knives is persisted as soon as it is feasible.
Normally active spells (in addition to persisted spells): Mage Armor, Heart of Earth

– 0 – (4+1 – DC 18)
Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic*, Light, Message

– 1 – (6+1 – DC 19)
Mage Armor, Shield*, Protection from Evil, Grease, Nightshield* (SC), Detect Undead*, Lesser Orb of Sound (SC)

– 2 – (6+1 – DC 20)
Glitterdust (21), Cloud of Knives* (PHB2), See Invisibility*, Rope Trick, Greater Alarm (SC)

– 3 – (5+1 – DC 21)
Phantom Steed, Dispel Magic, Blacklight (SC), Dragonskin* (SC), Unluck (SC), Reverse Arrows* (SC)

– 4 – (4+1 – DC 22)
Black Tentacles, Ray Deflection* (SC), Heart of Earth* (CM), Defenestrating Sphere (SC), Orb of Force (SC)

[/sblock]

Speed: 30 feet

Armor Class: 22 = 10 + 0 [dexterity] + 4 [shield/spell] + 4 [armor/spell] + 4 [natural/spell]
Touch AC: 14
Flat-footed: 22

Hit Points (current/max): 48/48 (plus 16 temp. HP from Heart of Earth)

Character Level: 9 (including LA +1)
Caster Level: 8

Initiative modifier: + 4 = 0 [dexterity] + 4 [feat]
Fortitude save: + 5 = 2 [base] + 2 [constitution] + 0 [item] + 2 [spell] -1 [flaw]
Reflex save: + 4 = 2 [base] + 0 [dexterity] + 0 [item] + 2 [spell]
Will save: + 12 = 9 [base] -1 [wisdom] + 0 [item] + 2 [spell] +2 [feat]

BAB +3

[sblock=Special]
Out of bright light:
o Charisma +2
o Speed +5 ft.
o +1 Deflection AC
o +1 Luck bonus to saves
o Hide/MS +2
o Listen/Spot +1
o Shadesight (Sp): Darkvision 60 ft. Can see normally through any darkness effect, but not through fog, invisibility, obscurement, and so on.
o Shadow Image (Sp) 3/day, as mirror image, 1d4 images, plus one image per three levels (uses: 1/3)
[/sblock]

[/sblock]

 

[Myth and Legend]

Rufus' sword flashes with blinding speed and cleaves off two fingers from the monster's oversized hands. it grunts disapprovingly and regards the fallen appendages with a sheepish, milky-white stare.

The cleric of Lathander releases a blast of what appears to be intense sunlight from his open palm as he declares the spell in an eloquent form of high-tongue. The bolt of light melts half of the creature's head off like butter, leaving a deformed left half of its face with a stupefied look (if it is possible for half a face to express such an emotion)

Next is Zinerath who somehow manages to appear instantly behind the large beast and follows trough after Rufus with viscous attacks. The demonic child seems possessed with unstoppable battle lust, and his thin arms reveal unnatural strength that manages to sink the scythe deep inside the creature's back and almost tears trough it's gut. Seeing his two hits connect, Zinnerath gets eager and carelessly throws the third attack at a massive brass shoulder plate of archaic design, which surprisingly manges to deflect his sharp steel weapon.

Without pause, the Elven Inantatrix contuses casting her spells with a cold, methodical precision. The whirlwind spell hits the monster once again, cleaving off more skin and flesh, and the second knife she sends at it firmly lodges itself in the creature's chest, causing black blood and pus to ooze out.

Her new spell covers one side of the creature wtih glittering golden coloured particles, and due to it's size she manages to cast it without harming either Rufus, Thok or Zinerath, though it barely reaches their positions. The spell completely covers the one good eye the creature has, thus blinding it completely.

It wails mindlessly at Rufus, attempting to bite and claw at him regardless of being nearly destroyed and unable to see. It manages to bite off a bit of flesh even with half it's jaw missing, and it's left arm leaves a deep claw mark against the man's chest.

However then is when Thok steps in and with one terrifying blow he cleaves off the creature's leg from under it, toppling it to the ground as if it were a piece of timber. The fell energies animating it leave the undead husk and it remains a large mound of decayed flesh and unusable pieces of armour.

The exotic sorceress sits quietly and observes the whole battle, but just as everyone is about to relax, the two female spellcasters feel the cold touch of death brazing against their delicate necks. From the ground behind them, silently and unannounced, two shadowy beings about six feet tall emerge and strike swiftly, and then abruptly they sink back into the ground. One targets the elven Wizard, the other targets the human sorceress.

It appears the creatures have used the time of the fight to move underground and target the spellcasters!

[sblock]How does Zinerath move as a swift action?

Rufus takes 26 damage.

Also, for some reason I messed up the die rolls for the incorporeal things completely and I couldn't cancel them. There's only two ghostly enemies. So just use attack #1 and #2, ignore the rest. These are incorporeal touch attacks. Both miss I believe. They end their turns underground. Lorquelle's enemy hits for 9, Mei-Yuing's hits for 11. If they do connect, I'll roll the damage (still need a statblock from Shayuri)

You may roll Knowledge: Religion to see if your PCs know what these things are.[/sblock]

 

[Voda Vosa]

Thok rises his sword, and growls a battle-cry of victory. "THOK WINS!"
As the spellcasters warn the front liners about the ghostly threats, he turns, and seeing the newfound enemies, charges backwards. Spinning his head around and round he searches for the ghosts, ready to strike at moment's notice. "Near Thok! Everyone, Near Thok, to cover females and children." it is obvious a phrase he has used before, in his time living with his tribe. It's uncertain which child is he referring to.

Thok positions himself adjacent to both spellcasters, and Ready action: full attack against enemies getting into reach.Second hit is critical hit, although these are undead.

 

[Scotley]

Geryk raises his symbol to Lathandar once more and awaits the return of the shadowy figures underground.

OOC: Holding action to Turn Undead as soon as the shadows return from the ground.

 

[Zerith]

“[FONT=&quot]♪[/FONT]Down down to goblin town, dow-“ Zinerath was singing in the song’s native tongue with glee, he sundered flesh and sent ichor flying as he cleaved into the thing with great satisfaction; then the attempted to pulverize the thing through its armor; apparently the armor was sturdy enough to withstand his strike he sighed with a pout, then coiled his scythe and grined widly enough to make his ancestors proud, he watched it fall down to Thok, who struck what seemed to be its Achilles ankle: it’s leg.

Zinerath watched the massive ghoul fell down, motionless. He was, honestly, annoyed; The fight was too short and he did not even get to be the one to rekill it! Or anything else for that matter!
He started to look about with a frown and then saw the ghosts rise from the earth, take a go at the ladies, and then flew back into the earth. His face went blank and his eyes shot open.

That was not good; Zinerath had no answer for them.
He did not like not having the option to murder things that wanted to murder him, or someone he knew for that matter; this said he did notice they went after the arcane casters, meaning they were threats to whatever the ghost, things, were. Alternatively it meant they were threats that could be dealt with, unlike Geryk who might have been a threat that was simply too powerful to deal with as long as the arcane casters were around, either way what he was about to do was the same.
He burst past the party, not caring that while doing so he trampled the remains of the unholy thing and did not exactly do so in a peasant matter; he stopped behind Lórquelië “Geryk, coming over!” he shouted over to the cleric before simply plowing into the elf, fully intending to push her next to the relative safety next to Geryk.


[sblock=OoC]Zinerath can do so do to his Horizon Walker, once per day use though. Page 86 of the Magic Item Compendium
it’s main role is an escape item: leap attack onto a mage, quick squishy squishy, swift action away for 30’ movement without getting AoOed to death
His AC to touch is only 13 though :/

Moving next to Lórquelië and then bull rushing her next to Greyk
[might consider auto failing the saves and just letting him move her next to the cleric who melts undead instead of staying next to the half orc who can’t defend both sides of either caster at once :3]


AC 22 HP 116/116
[13 touch AC]
F +15, R +8, W-2
STR 18, DEX 18, CON 16, INT 16, WIS 10, CHA 12
AoOs: 1/round
Whirling Frenzy: 4th of 7 rounds
Frenzy: Ready[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Mei-Ying's face hardly twitched, even as she instinctively recoiled from the spectral slash of ghostly fingers. The movement was enough to interpose her arcane barriers, and the spirit's strike stopped short of her, erupting into a flash of colored light as its essence battled with her spells...and lost.

She took a step back from where the spirit had come forth and closed her eyes, bringing her hands to chest level and facing them palm to palm a few inches apart.

"I reject the chaos of the world," she said in an odd, singsongy voice. Also strange was that her mouth's movements did not match what she was saying...as if her actual voice was being changed from what it was really saying to something more understandable. "I pierce the falsehoods set to lead me astray. Only one who walks at the eye of the storm may grasp the wind in her hand. Only the soul in balance may mold the spirit into armor and shield...and sword."

Something was swirling between the palms of her hands. Something invisible, except in how it deflected the dust that floated there. Something like a sphere, about the size of an orange. And judging on how the dust was whipped into a rotating cloud around it...it was spinning quickly.

Mei-Ying's eyes snapped open, and she scanned the battlefield narrowly, waiting for a ghost to again appear.

(Readying action to cast Force Orb on the first ghostie I see.)

 

[Dragonwriter]

Rufus gasps and shouts as another chunk is taken from his flesh by the undead creature. He wrenches free as blood flows from his wounds, then sees Thok cut it down. He gives the warrior a nod, then gets closer to where the mages were surprised by incorporeal foes. The swordsman raises his blade, waiting for one to rise...

[sblock=OOC]
Full Attack. If necessary, 5-ft step to flank with someone. If flanking not possible, remove 2 from both attack rolls and 3 from the damage rolls. EDIT: Didn't notice the big monster got finished off at first. So different action was necessary...

Move to where the undead came from, Ready to Attack first to pop up in reach. Attack at -2, damage at -3 (again, missed the big monster falling and rolled for it).

AC 18 HP 71/121
F +9, R +9, W+4 (+1 vs sleep or paralysis)
STR 20, DEX 14, CON 18, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 14
AoOs: 1/round; Bardic Music: 0/2 used
Readied Maneuvers: Tactical Strike, Iron Heart Surge, White Raven Tactics, Leading the Attack
Stance: Tactics of the Wolf
[/sblock]

 

[Malachei]

Lórquelië turns to face the shadowy enemy whose grasp has missed her. She feels the cold entering her body, and her hand trembles, as she raises it to meet the foe. "Rhach helch dúath", she calls out, "Curse the cold death", as she prepares to battle the dark evils.

When the demonchild rushes into Lórquelië, he is surprised to find her so easy to move, even lighter than her frail stature would indicate. His force sends her to the ground, roughly. As she turns to face her attacker, her knives form a circle that hovers in the air, all points directed at the tiefling. Instinctively and without hesitation, she sends one of them in his direction, but it stops a foot in front of his face and with a gesture of her hand, falls to the ground. "Raug!", she calls out, "Demon!", and her large, amber eyes turn into cold slits.

After she has caught her breath again, she rises, straightens her silk cloak and hesitates, perhaps wondering where to find her foe.

[sblock=OOC]

Lórquelië has Prot. from Evil active, as well as Shield and Mage Armor, giving her an AC 20 against incorporeal touch.

She readies an action to cast Orb of Force should an incorporeal enemy come at her.

[/sblock]

 

[Scotley]

Geryk extends a hand to help the fallen Elf. "I must apologize for my young companion's over exuberance." The exasperation in his voice clearly adds 'again' to his words. But there is little time for niceties and his eyes scan the area for any sign of the implacable foes.

 

[Myth and Legend]

Rufus approaches Mei-Yuin and readies his blade, protecting the serene sorceress despite his shoulder being drenched in blood. One shady being plunges silently out of the earth, quick as a flash, but is met with a swift slash by the warblade's enchanted sword. The weapon cuts a clear line trough the dark shape and nearly tears it in half as if it were a rag. However the ephemeral form quickly rejuvenates back to it's original shape and the creature regards the pair of humans with blank, soulless eyes.

As the second shape emerges near Geryk and Lórquelie the priest produces his Holy Symbol and a bright flash of golden light washes over the beings as he calls forth the power of his deity. The wave of light silently smashes against the incorporeal forms and they shimmer, the beings turning their backs to the cleric in what appears to be panic, strange as it seems.

Pause.