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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 1216665" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the Fourteenth In which: the DM says, “Wait!  Did you go through the door, or did you just break it down?    It seems like months have passed since Thatch got a chance to really swing his sword in a proper fight, and he has to admit it feels good to be back in the thick of things.  It feels slightly less good when he bursts through the door to be greeted by an angry barbarian and knight of Kettenek.  Both attempt to persuade Thatch through brute force and violence that he doesn't really want to be there.    Lira, determined to make a better showing in this skirmish than the last, launches a magic missile at the barbarian.  From within she hears someone shout, "Earth’s stones!  A witch!"  She rolls her eyes.  "Nice to meet you too!"    Anvil wastes no time with witty rejoinders.  Signaling to Kettenek’s three latest recruits to follow him, he bursts through the door behind Thatch to join the fray.  As he enters, Anvil notices Jelliana and the monk standing at the back of the room.  The monk has grabbed a pile of documents and is attempting to make his escape out the window.    Before Anvil can charge after him, however, Jelliana begins to cast.  Within seconds, the entire room is filling with a dense fog.  Undeterred, Anvil forges ahead, into the mist.###    Outside, behind the inn, Reyu has found a secluded spot where she can watch both the back door and the window of Jelliana’s room.  Taking out her new masterwork longbow, she nocks an arrow, and waits.    When she sees the monk climbing from the window and dropping gracefully to the roof below, it takes barely an instant for her to draw her bow and send an arrow flying.  It hits the man square in the chest, but amazingly, he does not loose his footing.  Instead, he vaults gracefully to the ground, lands easily, and begins to run.Reyu pursues.###    Meanwhile, Anvil has gotten all the way to the window without locating anyone hiding in the fog.  Looking out, he sees Jelliana already out on the roof.  Shouting for assistance, he climbs out after her.    Alas, fleet-footedness is not one of Anvil's strengths.  He doesn't fall off the roof, but he doesn't exactly stand tall for Kettenek either.  Slipping on the sloping surface, he just manages to catch the ridge-peak and avoid an ignominious spill.  At the other end of the roof, Jelliana laughs and—as Anvil watches helplessly—heals herself from the scant injuries she has sustained so far.###    The monk glances back quickly as he dashes through the city streets.  The elven archer seems to be falling behind, but he realizes he has been badly injured by her arrow still lodged in his chest.  He takes a slip of paper out of his pocket, puts it in his mouth, and chews.  Just a few more seconds.  At least now, if he is captured, the infidels will remain ignorant of the—his inner monologue is abruptly derailed by a hawk which has descended from out of a clear sky to lock its talons into his shoulder.The monk stumbles, blood flowing freely, chewing the slip of paper even as he looses consciousness and falls to the ground.The hawk has long vanished back to wherever it came from by the time Reyu arrives at in the alley where the monk has fallen.  Still, she takes a moment to murmer her thanks to the now departed ally Nature saw fit to send her when she called upon its aid.When she examines the monk, Reyu finds a holy symbol of Seddelus tattooed upon his chest, and underneath that--a still beating heart.  Hoping he might prove to have useful information, she sets about binding his wounds so that he does not bleed to death before being handed over to the human authorities.  Somehow, she suspects that if he does survive, he will not thank her for her attentions.###    Inside, Lira runs into the swirling fog… and right into the corner of a wooden table.  Limping slightly, she makes her way to the window and climbs onto the roof, where Anvil and Thatch are facing down with Jelliana.  At least, they are staring her down.  Staring seems to be about all they can do.  Both men have swords raised, but neither steps forward to take a swing.  As Lira watches, Thatch pulls his sword back to strike, only to have his muscles freeze up, stopping him mid-motion.  All of Anvil’s abortive blows are similarly stymied.Okay… good thing I don’t have a sword Lira thinks as she begins to cast another magic missile.  She's about to let fly when she's suddenly overcome by the feeling that she really doesn't want to injure Jelliana.  In fact, she’s about to drop her concentration when she abruptly remembers that this is the woman who tried to have them killed by bandits, and yes, she really would like to hurt her.  Lira completes her spell, and a shimmering blue bolt flies from her fingertip, striking Jelliana full in the chest.    Anvil has finally found his footing on the roof, but to his frustration finds his attacks stymied by some nefarious spell.  In desperation, he runs at Jelliana, and although every muscle protests the action, his forward momentum is enough to knock her backwards off the roof.  Thankful to be getting back to Kettenek's element, Anvil doesn't even try to stay on the roof himself and tumbles after her.      Thatch doesn't hesitate.  He takes a grip on his sword, runs for the edge of the roof, and jumps.   He might not have been able to land a blow with his sword, but the young fighter lands on Jelliana like 300+ pounds of bricks.    In a confused tangle of limbs, the two men struggle to prevent the—now quite battered—priestess from getting up or healing herself.  Thatch attempts to knock her unconscious with the pommel of his sword, but only succeeds in striking sparks from the cobblestones beside her head.  Anvil is struggling to maintain his precarious grapple when both men are startled by a blue streak which >whooshes< past their heads, then slips under Thatch’s sword and around Anvil’s right arm to hit the snarling Jelianna smack in the middle of her chest.  With a small gasp, she slumps into unconsciousness.  Both men turn to see Lira, still standing on the roof.  She smiles and gives a little wave, looking quite pleased with herself.  "Magic missiles never miss.  Gotta love it."</blockquote>

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