The Eye of Anubis: Book Three

[NeoTiamat]

Cevdet Tarik's Sanctum, Western Elazig District, Hazlan
May 14th, 761, 11:04 PM; Day 58 of the Menetnashte Expedition
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Round Two - PC Action Summaries:
Tomas is Grappled
Ulsaon double-moves towards the battle
Lia casts Magic Missile for 10 Damage on the Krenshar
Otto attacks for 8 damage on Cevdet, moves back
Kuzan casts another Spiritual Weapon, they deal 8 damage to Cevdet
Charles steps away, deals total of 4 damage to Cevdet
Andre moves closer, casts Blindness, stunning failure (Fort save of 26)
Khalil reaches Tomas and Masal, not enough moves left to attack, but no matter.

With a final, heart-rending yowl, the the krenshar shuddered, falling off Tomas with a thud even as Lia's magical energy tore into its flesh. Masal screamed, a piercing sound that echoed through the room.

[OOC: Masal is at -7 HP]

"You.... " The six-limbed beast seethed with fury, its unnatural form shimmering in the air. "Volo...

And the beast leaped, so fast into the air you knew it wasn't a natural leap. The displacer beast sailed above Tomas's head, even as Charles got in a final stab at it before its disappearance. It landed, just barely, on the edge of the plateau. Cevdet whipped his feline head between Tomas and Lia. "Fulmine!"

And between the two waving tentacles on the illusionist's back, a bolt of lightning passed. And as if taking a cue from the miniature, an arc of lightning, blazing white and hot as a forge, lanced from Tomas to Lia, slashing at Khalil and Kuzan along the way, passing bear inches in front of Ulsaon's nose.

[OOC: 29 Electricity Damage to Lia, Kuzan, Khalil, and Tomas, DC 19 Reflex save for half. Spellcraft DC 20 to identify.

Charles gets an AoO for 7 damage.]

Nizam watched this scene impassively, though Charles could see the nervousness on the apprentice even as the overgrown reptile did its best to break the Dementlieuse man in half. It seemed to have the damnedest inability to hit anything.

"Promise me I won't be killed." Nizam said quietly to Charles. "Not by you, or by the Rishad, or by any others."

"Promise me."

"Terate, proskalete exo!" Raising his hand once more, wisps of smoke emerged from Nizam's fingers, coalescing in mid air into a number of hawks, sleek, bloody-feathered creatures, vicious beasts of feather and talon and beak. With a negligent gesture, Nizam sent them onwards towards Otto, even as he waited for Charles's answer.

The four hawks flew like streaks of crimson lightning, shrieking shrill cries of bloodlust as they flew about Otto like a hell-storm, raking hooked talons over his face and arms. And where they hit, the talons burned.

[OOC: Crocodile tries to tailslap Charles again, Natural 1 on the attack.
Nizam summons four hawks, which attack Otto. Two miss, two hit for four damage a piece.]

Round One - Opposition Action Summaries:
Cevdet flew over to the plateau, tossed a nasty lightning spell at four of you.
Masal goes under.
Crocodile tries to hit Charles, gets a Natural 1 for attack.
Nizam summons four hawks, which attack Otto.
Hawks deal 8 damage to Otto.

End of Round One Status Effects:
Tomas = Haste
Otto = Haste, Fly
Charles = Haste
Lia = Haste, Mage Armor, Cat's Grace
Khalil = Haste
Ulsaon = Haste
Kuzan =
Andre =

Masal = 49 damage, Dying
Nizam =
Cevdet Tarik = [Spellcraft DC 19], Spiritual Weapon x 2, 33+20+7=60 damage

[yalenusveler]

Andre shouted words of power, trying to bring down the spells enchanting the illusionist. But if it was anger or just ill luck, his magics ran off the Illusionist's arcana like water off the back of a feral duck. "Damn it.." he muttered, and then moved to run in, knowing he was risking quite a bit...but some risks were worth it.

Abysmal rolls on a dispel magic, moving in closer to Cedvet Tarik, space U7 specifically

[steveflam]

Ulsaon stops at the beasts death. Looking around, she observed, and heads for [X 11 on the map]. Concentrating, she moves silently towards the illusioned Cevdet. Murmuring a few arcane phrases a ray of frost leaves her fingers at him.

OOC: Move Silently 21 Attack roll 19 + 5 = 24 to hit. 31 on d 100 to bypass the illusion, fails.

The ray passes harmlessly to the side of the illusionist, narrowly missing him.

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan felt his ears pop and his nerves light up as the wizard's lightning struck him. His eyes bulged and for an instant, every single joint in his body felt undone. The sensation passed, but the aftermath was no more pleasant. Scorch marks and burns dotted the priests's skin and clothes, and his hair and skin smoked faintly.

You know how to end this, the red-and-black-robed image flickered again, You can protect everyone. All you need to do is ask.

"NO!" Kuzan shouted defiantly.

He chanted a mantra, a blue-white glow suffusing his form for a moment. And then, most of the damage closed up.

His spears stabbed at the monster, but swung ineffectually through the air.

Both spiritual weapons fail their miss chance.

Failed the Reflex save.

Cure Moderate Wounds on myself: 7 (dice) + 8 (level) + 4 (augment) = 19 healing.

[DocBeard]

"T...thank you..." Tomas grunts out, holding his throat and focusing on breathing for a second. This is what might charitably be called a 'bad plan', as the leaping evil tentacle panther thing lands right by him, and all of a sudden being wet seems like a horrible idea.

His body shakes with the electrical energy, a fleck of foam falling from his lips as Tomas is in too much pain to even scream. Stumbling, the Lamordian's eyes roll to the back of his head, but his hand tightens its grip around his sword, his knees quaking with effort as his body acts of its own accord, seemingly, twisting around in order to take...

...off towards the bridge, feet kicking up while his flesh smokes and feels unpleasently similar to a plate of fried chicken he tried once on a bet. He can hurt a crocodile, he can't hurt a flying panther thing that leaps over enormous gorges while hurling lightning from the sky. Plus, the kids are there, and Charles needs a hand in case the apprentice finds his spine.

And lightning HURTS.

"I'm rethinking my position as a cat lover." Tomas confides in Charles, as he kicks forward, faking left as though he was about to bash the apprentice in the face with his shield, then darts right, trying to stab his sword into the lizard thing's noggin!

(OOC: After being informed about the thing's position-silly me, I figured I could hit it if I was being hit-I figured going after the crock was more efficent. And then my roll sucked! On the off chance I managed to hit, it did 9 damage.)

[The Whistler]

The light from the electrical bolt flashes across Otto's face, even through a cloud of blood-streaked feathers. His body jerks incrementally from position to position in the air, avoiding diving talons and onrushing beaks with subconscious precision--but his posture, and his facial expression, never change. He is barely paying attention to the hawks. His eyes have never left Cevdet Tarik. And he grits his teeth--

--And pivots, ninety degrees laterally: his head a fulcrum around which his body snap-rotates upward like a pinwheel blade, his feet narrowly missing a hawk as his body cuts through the mass of birds. In a split second, he has ratcheted from a vertical hover to a horizontal one, lying on his side in midair above the predatory flock.

He has done this while reloading his pistol.

He whistles sharply, through his teeth, the sound echoing across the room.

"Ai! Child-Killer!"

Brace-aim-FIRE still horizontal and the bullet buries itself in the rock beside Tarik: harmless, but attention-grabbing.

"YOUR QUARREL IS WITH ME!"

OOC: Game terms, that's a 5-foot "step" upward, a reload, and a shot that misses due to displacement. Let's hope Nizam calls those birds off...

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Promise me I won't be killed." Nizam said quietly to Charles. "Not by you, or by the Rishad, or by any others."

"Promise me."

As the displacer beast takes flight and passes him, Charles lunges forward, thrusts, and feels his blade bite deep. The crocodile's attacks are curiously desultory, and he knows even before the apprentice speaks that he has no stomach for this fight.

"Prove you have been acting under duress," Charles says, tensely, staring the Mulani in the eyes as much as he dares. "You feared for your life, and when the chance came you acted against the criminal. If I can say that honestly, I promise you your life. My family has friends in Toyalis; we can arrange for you to be treated leniently. But you must prove it now."

Diplomacy 29

[Rock of the Fraternity]

The lightning spell slams into Lia and physically lifts her off her feet. A teakettle shriek is torn from her throat - and abruptly dies away into echoes as her body slams into the ground like a broken doll, perfectly motionless ...

(Failed my reflex save with a 14, and now at -6. Healing people, I would deeply appreciate some help! o_o Spellcraft check of 26, though the advantages thereof seem rather limited in my current position. ... Help!)

[lostboy]

Khalil scowls in irritation as the creature falls dead before his blades can connect. Denying the kill he looks around for another target.. Just in time to see the giant purple cat thing leap through the air and the bright blue flash of lightning streak straight at him.

The lightning bolt slams into the rock right between Tomas and the desert guide, with an almighty crack, sending up clouds of dust and shards of rock, obscuring everything for a moment.

Khalil drops to the floor rolling sideways out of the blast zone. Picking himself up unscathed except for a few cuts, he dusts himself off and looks about for Tarik. Seeing him on high ground ahead he sheathes his blades and sprints to within range.

Pulling one of his curved throwing blades he quickly aims and throws in the blink of an eye. But his accuracy fails him and the knife skips harmlessly away on the rocks a foot or so to the left of Tarik, leaving Khalil to curse fluently in Akiri.


[OOC: Reflex : 29 , with Evasion that should mean no damage at all! Move to Z16 and chuck a desert throwing knife in the bad dudes general direction. 41 on the displacement thingy so no hit.]

[NeoTiamat]

Cevdet Tarik's Sanctum, Western Elazig District, Hazlan
May 14th, 761, 11:04 PM; Day 58 of the Menetnashte Expedition
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Round Three - PC Action Summaries:
Andre attempts to Dispel Magic on Cevdet, moves to U7, un
Ulsaon moves to X11, tosses off a Ray of Frost, miss
Kuzan takes 29 damage, heals 18.
Tomas moves adjacent to the Crocodile and Charles, no one there has landed a blow yet, takes 29 damage from lightning.
Otto gains five feet of altitude, shoots at Cevdet, misses
Charles tries diplomacy on the apprentice
Lia takes 29 damage from lightning, is Dying
Khalil avoids damage, moves to Z16 and throws a knife, miss

"Prove you have been acting under duress," Charles says, tensely, staring the Mulani in the eyes as much as he dares. "You feared for your life, and when the chance came you acted against the criminal. If I can say that honestly, I promise you your life. My family has friends in Toyalis; we can arrange for you to be treated leniently. But you must prove it now."

"Lawgiver grant you be right." Nizam closed his eyes, fear and worry warring on his face, and then nodded, eyes still closed to the world, as though by not facing it, he could not face the decision he now needed to take. It wouldn't go away however, and so Nizam nodded, slowly. "Please let it be the truth..."

With a quick gesture, the young man directed his summoned beasts towards Cevdet, the crocodile ceasing its pointless attacks and the hawks around Otto breaking off, screeching towards Cevdet on crimsoned wings. Nizam stood there, hesitant, and then his face hardened, and he began to invoke some new enchantment.

"Sphaira Oxydene!" The apprentice shot another small orb of acid at his former masters, the orb passing through the purple beast's shimmering aura. Nizam mumbled under his breath, and Charles and Tomas heard snatchs of Lawgiver prayers, probably not the best deity for someone praying for mercy.

[OOC: Nizam has turned to the good guys, Crocodile and Hawks move towards Cevdet, Nizam tossed an orb of acid, missed. Hawks miss three out of four, fourth deals 2 damage to Cevdet.]

"Why you ungrateful whelp! I taught you all you knew...." Cevdet hissed even as the hawks slashed at his body. "Well, we shall see..... Fortuna....

An aura of ruddy energy suffused the badly wounded illusionist, filling him with a preternatural vitality. Slowly, confidently, the creature padded towards Kuzan, even as it whispered some new arcane enchantment from his feline head.

Then the air before you shimmered, and you understood. Your fondest desire, your heart's closest held secret, was before you, and you had but to reach out for it.

The hawks landed, clicking their talons at the air as they tore into phantom meat, while the immense crocodile stared into space, still, motionless, and oddly content.

[OOC: Spellcraft DC 19 to understand Fortuna
Spellcraft DC 20 to figure out what the second spell was.

Andre, Kuzan, Ulsaon, and Khalil are affected by the spell. Will Save DC 22. I changed the spell fluff text slightly, because RAW it's kind of ridiculous, but now you essentially see your heart's fondest desire (For most of you four, seeing certain dead people alive once more). If you fail the save, you are Dazed for the next ten rounds.

If Dazed, you take no actions, but suffer no penalty to AC, and it stops if you are attacked.]

Round Three - Opposition Action Summaries:
Cevdet casts an illusion spell of some sort, and a survival spell.
Nizam changes sides.
Hawks and Crocodile are Dazed.
Masal has bled down to -8

End of Round Three Status Effects:
Tomas = Haste, -29 HP
Otto = Haste, Fly
Charles = Haste
Lia = Haste, Mage Armor, Cat's Grace, -29 HP, Dying
Khalil = Haste
Ulsaon = Haste
Kuzan = -11 HP
Andre =

Masal = 50 damage, Dying
Nizam =
Cevdet Tarik = Doloteratomorph-[Spellcraft DC 19], Spiritual Weapon x 2, 33+20+7=60 damage, Fortuna-[Spellcraft DC 19]

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Good man!" Charles says exultantly as the apprentice makes his decision. "Iron justice set you in the right path. Keep your nerve, he's all but finished!"

As he speaks he dashes toward where the illusionist, in his monstrous form, approaches the cleric. Charles doesn't know quite what has happened to Tarik's would-be assailants, but frankly, he doesn't care; the hunt is up, the quarry is in sight, and all that remains is to make the kill.

Double move 120 feet puts him next to Tarik.

EDIT to say: I forgot to account for the plateau. (There's a cliff there, btw. ) Currently about 40 feet away from Tarik, in square V5.

[Kaitou Kage]

Oh hells, Kuzan thought when he saw the beastie moving closer. And then, images assaulted his mind, strange visages that he couldn't grasp. Perhaps it was for the best...With a tremendous surge of mental energy, he forced the spell aside.

Cevdet was dangerously close to him now, but then Charles landed learby. Good, the priest thought, that'll give that bastard something to deal with.

He took a quick step backward, out of range of the lashing tentacles from Cevdet's shoulder, and chanted a familiar mantra. His hands glowed white as he placed them on Lia, invigorating the young Mordentishwoman and mending some of the damage from the lightning.

First Spiritual Weapon (4th Round):
Attack: 16 + 9 = 25
Damage: 3
Miss Chance: 86 (hit!)

Second Spiritual Weapon (3rd Round):
Attack: Natural 20
Crit Confirm: 15 (not confirmed)
Damage: 6

Spellcraft 1: 14
Spellcraft 2: 12 Boo

Will Save: 17 + 9 = 26

Five-foot-step backward, casting Cure Moderate Wounds

Cure Moderate Wounds: 14 (dice) + 8 (caster level) + 4 (augment) = 26 damage healed.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

When the healing energy passes into Lia, her body jolts under Kuzan's hands and she rises. She rises abruptly, jerkily, like a clockwork. Without saying a word, Lia sidesteps (five ft. step, moving into AB 5) and lays a hand on Kuzan's shoulder, pushing him down as if he weren't there and bringing Cevdet Tarik's wavering form into her full sight.

Lia growls when she sees the shifting being. She raises the hand not resting on Kuzan's shoulder up, her finger pointing over the displacer beast-shaped wizard ... and then she hisses words in her coldest, most chilling voice:

'Woe the man who hath no heart
for fellow man, nor love to start
to see in his soul a gaping void
which garners no pity
only writ to be destroyed.

Ex manu sphaera ignis expandens evolat!'

A tiny ball of orange light shoots from Lia's pointing finger and hurtles soundlessly in the blurred wizard's direction. At a certain point, it hangs still -- and erupts into a roaring fireball with a radius of easily twenty feet! (Target point is around AB13. Damage is 21 points, Reflex save DC is 16.)

Lia screams in fury, even as the flames roar: Vaasi: "You would kill me through lightning, you child-stealing bastard? Then perish in fire for your troubles!"
The next moment, however, she startles -- then curses in a truly vile manner. "He is using magic to add to his lifeforce and to bolster his ability to evade the full damage of magical attacks!" she shouts out loud. "He is not as wounded as he should be -- take him down with as much force as you can muster!"

[yalenusveler]

Andre noticed Lia snatched from death denied...and managed to blink away the fleeting images of him happy at home with his wife and child. He was facing an illusionist. THAT was merely a distraction created by a rather wicked man. As he moved in closer to where the fracas was, he started to gesture and speak "Oh Gods of this world who stand with us, weep for the state of your creation..Stoirm Naofa !" He tossed something up into the air, and suddenly, what seemed to be a driving rain began to fall indoors, centered approximately between Kuzan and our Displacing friend.

Moving to Z, remaining in current column. Casting Holy storm centered on point AB 9. -4 to listen, search, and spot emmanating from that target point, and unfortunately, -4 to ranged attacks from that point...but evil beings take 2d6 damage per round at the start of my turn. 7 damage for the first round of exposure, lasts 6 rounds total.

[steveflam]

OOC : Will save 11, yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go me go!


Ulsaon blinks and stops..............................................................................


Closing her eyes she opens them slowly as if to be sure she isn't dreaming. "Is that Donder's bakery I see?" she mutters under her breath. "Great Mystra! It is!" she exclaims and hurries to her favorite place in all the realms. Oh those pastries! Just simply to die for. Mother Donder makes em like no other and always has a few little extras for lil ole me! Opening the door, she hurries in and spying Mother, she grins and nearly jumps ovet the counter to smother the old woman in kisses and hugs. "Mother, you sweet old thing! How are you keeping? And you better have some goodies for me cause I really missed the pastries here. Oh I might have missed you just a little" she giggles.

"Hey Ulsaon! Now stop that hugging people might get tha wrong idea, ya ninny! Now git on the other side of the counter, lassie. I presume you'll have your usual piglet order? I still astonish at where you put all those pastries and keep such a trim figure."

The old woman fusses a bit here and there and after two minutes hands a tray of goodies to Ulsaon. "There ya go darling. Today it's on the house, ya mangy rat! Stop by more often!"

...........................................................................................................

Anyone observing Ulsaon can see her eyes dull. She appears to be mumbling and exclaiming in a langauge noone understands. She giggles a few times. Her hand comes to her mouth and she chews, well nothing. The look on her face is one of perhaps a child eating his or her favorite cake or tart. The smile is really big. She continues this for a few minutes, belching and wiping her mouth.