The Eye of Anubis: Book Seven

[yalenusveler]

Andre saw Cavendish vanish, unfortunately however the rather unpleasant fact that the statue guards had decided to make a b-line for Lia and Devereux made following him an impossibility, never mind not being able to see his footprints at the moment. So instead, Andre gestured, murmuring "Clamo" and indicating one of the Dire Bats who were approaching his fellows, striking the one closest to Devereux. Although far less impressive an impact than he had hoped for, Andre supposed it would have to do, moving to come to rest between two rather nasty looking staues that his training suggested were salt mummies prior to entombment.

Sound Lance on one of the Dire Bats specifically the one at F&G 9&10, DC 19 fort for half, 28 damage total, then moving to O13

[NeoTiamat]

The Eye of the Jackal's Ruse, Sebua
July 16th, 761, 4:07 AM; Day 121 of the Menetnashte Expedition

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PC Actions
Charles double-moves into position.
Andre Sound Lances a Vampire-Bat for 28 damage.
Otto fires the cannon, misses.
Kuzan helps load the cannon.
Lia Fireballs, damages two vampire-bats, one for 53 damage, one for 26.
Khalil moves up and attacks a Smiler with an Explosive Cocktail, dealing 17 damage.
Tomas follows Charles

"Ott-O!" Dieter yelled, grabbing his rifle and sighting down the muzzle. "They're coming right at us!"

The two wolf-like undead carried themselves forward on smooth paws. Wolves are built for covering ground, really. They have speed, and they have endurance capable of rivaling even that of humans. To put it simply, those vampires could move.

"Calmness, Deeter." Ianthe said, firing off a shot of her own. "They are only vampires."

The two wolves reached the old docking ramp up the ship, black-clawed paws scrabbling on dessicated wood, even as the two undead began to shift once more. Black fur turned to black armor, and predatory forms turned to that of soldiers, but with a savage, bestial aspect to them. These were not the elegant, cultured vampires of stories. These were ravening monsters, and they were out for blood.

"Only vampires, she says." Dieter grumbled, drawing his sword.

===============================================

The two giant bats were battered, certainly, with patches of fur aflame and one of them drilled bloodily by a lance of solid sound, but undead are not quite so easy to be rid of. They hovered by Lia, flapping their wings rapidly as they tried to slice at the wizardess with long, deathly-sharp fangs.

What saved Lia was the fact that, essentially, giant bats are not very good at hovering and biting at the same time. Especially when the target was so much smaller than them. The two undead crowded each other, wings intersecting with wings, furred bodies hampering one another.

But when one of them did land a blow, the deathly, unnatural cold showed that clumsiness aside, this was still a deathly serious situation. The fangs weren't a grave danger, but the necromantic energy now.... In addition to damage, one negative level for Lia

"Come," the Wizard says to the bat-formed undead writhing in her flames. "No need to hurl yourselves into the jaws of true death. I will carry you there."

"Why, if it isn't the ever-loveable Miss Mournswaithe! And company!" John Lancaster Cavendish drawled, his form fading into view beside the green, pulsing runes of the Pit of Nightmares. Shorn of top hat and coat, Cavendish resembled nothing so much as.... an undertaker on a coffee break. If undertakers had shark-teeth and practiced blackest necromancy. The Necromancer surveyed the raging destruction around him. "You threw a party for me!"

"It has everything! Fire, undead, copious bloodshed," The wild cannonball buried itself in the sand a dozen feet away, "....High explosives! I'm honored. Really, you shouldn't have."

"In fact, I'll show you just how pleased I am just as soon as I tell these crazy kids to quiet down." Cavendish twirled the quarterstaff in his hand for a moment and stabbed it into the sand at his feet, pulling up his sleeve and pointing an emaciated, grey-skinned arm at the raging battle. "Ko Mne Sila Chernaya!"

From the battling zombies, the Devourer's and Cavendish's and the ones taken control of, a dark, viscuous miasma emerged. It leaked from their open mouths, from their eye sockets and the wounds in their bodies, a thick, cloying black energy. And as it was pulled from them, towards Cavendish, the undead simply... stopped. They fell forward or fell apart, their motive force gone.

"There now." Cavendish grinned with his shark-like teeth, the black miasma now wound about his outstretched hand. "Where was I?"

[Spellcraft DC 21. If you want the result, best catch me in AIM. Cavvy's previous spell was Invisibility.]

NPC Actions:
Dieter: Takes a musket and shoots at the nearest Black Knight, dealing 23-10=13 damage. (No silver bullets).
Ianthe: Takes a musket and shoots at the nearest Black Knight, dealing 16 damage. (She has silver bullets).
Devereux cowers some more.
Jervis charges the nearest Black Knight, hits once for 13 damage.
Ishaq charges the nearest Smiler, misses.

Devourer takes control of three more zombies.

Blood Hulk 1 bashes a Black Knight for 20-10=10 damage.
Blood Hulk 2 bashes a Black Knight for 24-10=14 damage

Zombies flail about, insufficient damage to penetrate DR.

Smiler 1: Remains at its post.
Smiler 2: Takes a full attack on Ishaq, rolls abysmally, misses all three attack.
Smiler 3: Full attacks, kills a nearby zombie.
Smiler 4: Full attacks, kills a nearby zombie.

Black Knight 1 (Swords): Moves towards cannon-ship, transforms back into the Black Knight.
Black Knight 2 (Claws): Moves towards cannon-ship, transforms back into the Black Knight.
Black Knight 3 (Swords): Full attacks, kills two zombies.
Black Knight 4 (Axe): Full attacks, kills a zombie, damages another.
Black Knight 5 (Claws): Double-Moves to reach Jervis
Black Knight 6 (Axe): Full attacks Jervis, hits once, deals 22 damage.
Black Knight 7 (Claws): Turns into a Dire Bat and moves to Lia.
Black Knight 8 (Axe): Turns into a Dire Bat and moves to Lia.
All Knights heal 5 HP.

Zombies flail about.

Cavendish reappears and shows a certain casual disregard for zombies.

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All PCs/NPC Overview: Mass Conviction (+3 Saves), Mass Aid (+1 to Attacks, Fear, +12 Temp HP), Blessed Aim (+2 to Ranged Attack Rolls), Undead Bane Bullets (+2d6 damage, +2 to attack)
Kuzan: +12 Temp HP, Magic Circle (+2 to AC and Saves), Cloak of Bravery (+9 vs. Fear), Death Ward
Tomas: Mass Fly, +12 Temp HP
Otto: Mass Fly, +12 Temp HP,
Charles: Mass Fly, Protection from Evil (+2 to AC and Saves), Hide from Undead (DC 16), Invisibility, +12 Temp HP
Lia: Mage Armor (+4 AC), False Life (+8 Temp HP), Shield (+4 AC), Mass Fly, One Negative Level
Khalil: Mass Fly, Silversheen, Protection from Evil (+2 to AC and Saves), +12 Temp HP
Andre: Mass Fly, +24 Temp HP, Greater Invisibility, Hide from Undead (DC 16)

Ishaq: Mass Fly, +12 Temp HP
Jervis: -10, Mass Fly, Silversheen,
Ianthe: +12 Temp HP,
Dieter: +12 Temp HP,
Devereux: Mass Fly, +12 Temp HP

Devourer

Blood Hulk 1
Blood Hulk 2

Zombies

Smiler 1
Smiler 2: -17 HP, On Fire
Smiler 3:
Smiler 4:

Black Knight 1: -74+5=-69
Black Knight 2: -23+5=-18
Black Knight 3: -10+5=-5
Black Knight 4: -14+5=-9
Black Knight 5
Black Knight 6: -13+5=-8
Black Knight 7: -53+5=-48, Dire-Bat Form
Black Knight 8: -54+5=-49, Dire-Bat Form

Zombies
1 Dot Zombie: -23 HP
Reddish Zombies: Controlled by the Devourer

Cavendish: Invisibility



Key! Going from the top, roughly:
Lower K - Kuzan
T - Tomas
O - Otto
C = Charles
L = Lia
Upper K = Khalil
A = Andre
Red I = Ishaq
J = Jervis
Green I = Ianthe
D = Dieter
S = Smiler
BK = Black Knight
Blue Dot = Cavendish Zombies
D = Devourer
BG = Blood Giant
Z = Devourer Zombies
Portrait = Cavendish

[Nathan of the FoS]

Oh, there he is.

Charles notes the reappearance of Cavendish with distant disapproval. Tomas will take care of distracting him, presumably. It's Tomas' raison de etre.

Charles'...is a bit more complicated.

One of the chief points of a Hazlani classical education is adequate instruction in Draconic, the most high and pure of tongues, as old Neydim had usually described it. Another is standard magical symbology--the symbols for alchemy, astrology, and so forth. When combined with geometry, it's a decent substitute for the arcane education Charles never really got around to acquiring.

There's something off about this...how did he...? Oh, that's it. Twenty-seven symbols ring the outer circle; twenty-seven means three threes of three, which is wrong by the classical Hazlani standard, which would call for a division of twenty-four parts (one circle, two halves, three thirds, four quadrants, 1x2x3x4=24). So that's troublesome. Twenty-four means a standard summoning circle, and this...isn't.

It's close. It's very close. It begins...there.

Power True Name Bind Deceit Word Will Signs Compel Earth Heaven Hell Mists Darkness Present Place Time Return Hope Fear Life Death Despair Come Attend Serve Slave

Deceit, Darkness, Despair. That's what he's added. How very apropos. The added symbols form an inverted equilateral triangle, breaking each group of eight at the center and thereby converting each dyad of dyads of dyads into a triad of triads, and incidentally thereby tripling the three triads, retaining much of the power of the dyads while adding another dimension to each triad. It's a masterstroke. Cavendish obviously has a real mathematical sensibility, obscene murderous clown that he is.

Fortunately, that means it shouldn't be all that hard to undo. Remove those three symbols and the magic circle should revert to its relatively innocuous standard form--or, even better, since the new triad is now forming the basic triad for the array, it may dissipate entirely.

Moving to the symbol for Deceit, Charles kneels, taking the silver dagger in his right hand and a thin iron wire in his left. Holding the dagger at the base of the blade and the iron wire touching both the blade and the sand, he begins to trace the lines of the symbol out with a steady hand, using the silver to absorb the glyph's energy and the cold iron to dissipate it into the ground.

It's harder than it looks.

The dagger doesn't really want to participate, or perhaps it wants to too much; as it is seized by (seizes?) the glyph, it is pulled almost out of Charles' hands, and only a last-minute recollection of the power of Otto's gloves lets Charles stabilize the motion and continue as the blade jerks and swerves in his hands.

Tricky business, he thinks distantly. Merciful Ezra, there's a lot of energy in this thing.

Disable Device roll is 25 exactly. Thanks for the gloves, Otto.

[lostboy]

Smiling nastily as the flames erupted around the fossilised cat from the alcohol and tar, Khalil draws twin sparklign scimitars and prepares to join jervis and Ishaq in the fray.

Anyone who had seen the desert guide fight before, would know he moved in a mesmerising dance of flashing blades, but wth the added addition of being weightless, the movement became truely unearthly.

Throwing his arms out straight sideways Khalil topples forward, executing a perfect double forward somersault, the momentumn bringin the first blade crashing down into the Smilers neck. Then abruptedly reversing direction he handsprings backwards twisting like a whirlwind as he does. The spin continues as he regains his feet, taking him rapidly behind the cat as he slashes across its hind quarters (or where its hind quarters would be if it had any).

Giving a quick wink to Ishaq, the desrt guide decides Jervis taking on two vampires isnt really fair odds and throws himself backwards off the ship. Flipping his heels over his head and rotating in what should be a completely non-possible way he lands right in front of the second black armoured thing and slashes in a downwards blow at its neck.

[OOC:

Continuing fire damage to Smiler: 16

Dervish Dance, dancing to F44 / E43 / E42 / F41 / G40 / H39
Attacking Smiler twice and Black Knight at J38 once
To hit: 27 / 21 / 14
crappy dice rolling
Damage: 9 / 13 / 9 (forgot the +1 for Dancing again doh!)
Tumble check to avoid AoO from Smiler and black Knight : 18 / 20
Dodge bonus to Ac against Black Knight
Total AC for Khalil: 20/21 for BK (+4 more against AoO's)]

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia twitches once as the dark power rushes through her, disrupting her thoughts. She hears Cavendish's voice, his threat ... and tunes him out.

"Can't move properly while Devereux is here," she thinks, without looking over her shoulder at the Professor. "Need to fly, to hide. But as long as he is here, they'll go for him as soon as I vanish. ... Dammit."

Levitating slightly above the ground, Lia abruptly launches into an odd backwards salto, which turns into a somersault. Vampiric claws scythe through her flesh as she goes, however, and she feels the weakness increasing.

As she touches down next to Devereux, the Wizard bites back a curse, and abruptly puts her hand to his brow. "The next time there is a battle," she says through clenched teeth, "I should do this at the start. To both of us. For pity's sakes stay out of trouble. Ne em vide."
Professor Devereux fades from sight ... and Lia turns to look at the vampires. "I dislike this part," she sighs as she steels herself for the next attack.

(Negative level caused me to lose Force Missiles. Tumble check to get to Devereux without getting an AoO fails at 10. Casting Invisibility on Devereux to make him stop being a concern, and man I should've done this before starting to launch Fireballs. -_- Oh well, live and learn. And hopefully survive. I'd appreciate some assistance right now.)

[Kaitou Kage]

"Get behind me!" Kuzan commanded the others, "Get behind me, shoot around me, and stay close. It's safer to be close to me than far away." That and I can stand up against these vampires better than you can.

Were it not for the imminent threat of vampire attack, Kuzan might have found Cavendish's false bravado charming. In a "nice try but you're not fooling anyone so sit down, shut up, and die already" way. As it was, the madman's quips were far from his mind.

You should teach them a lesson

You know...You're right. I should.

A fanatic fire brightened in Kuzan's mind. I am glad you see things my way finally. Show them the wrath of the Black Mother, teach Cavendish what it means to defy Her order

No. No, I will teach them with purging fire.

Fool. Her power would end this. Cavendish would know fear. And death. You would have nothing more to worry abou--

Shut up. You're not helping, so just shut up.

Kuzan waited until Dieter and Otto had moved behind him and then thrust his holy symbol toward the vampires. Eyes blazing, the priest began speaking a prayer. Sharp, acrid-sounding words rumbled up from his throat, followed by the smoother-sounding Rajian adulation, an invocation of Agni.

"Son of Brahma, Lord of the World, King of fire gods empowered by Takki, let your wisdom burn through all delusion!"*

An image appeared superimposed over Kuzan's form for a moment as the fire god answered Kuzan's call. A magnificent, two-headed, seven-armed, red-skinned man with long black hair materialized around Kuzan and raised all seven arms toward the vampires before vanishing. There was a moment's silence in the area.

Then a roaring column of holy fire burst from the sky and plowed into the ground around the two vampires. The brilliant, orange-red flame struck both vampires with all the fury of the gods the priest could draw on.

As the fire cleared, wisps of smoke rose up from the ground. Kuzan, eyes set and steely, brandished his holy symbol in one hand, carefully watching the aftermath of his assault.

* denotes a common invocation to Agni.

Flame strike, centered in such a place to hit both vampires and put the closest one on the edge of the radius. Reflex save DC 20 for half.

Damage and specific coordinates will come when I get home from work tonight.

[DocBeard]

The Masked Revenger, who is not Tomas at all, nods grimly and mysteriously at Charles, his grimly mysterious mask wafting heroically in the harsh desert wind. He knows what he must do, while the experts handle disabling the evil wizard's sinister machinations...

The Masked Revenger holds his shield out, while the mad necromancer taunts the eccentric la Dame Lia, making a few adjustments in his head. Mortal men could never jump that pit, let alone go anywhere afterward, but the Masked Revenger?!

"Don't worry." Tomas attempts a dark, mysterious, grim voice for his alternate identity, looking away from Charles. "I...promise...not to...kill you." Because that's the sort of thing Masked Revengers promise. He takes a few steps forward, starting to run, building up speed, leaping into the air...

...and then kicking at the air, as though he was running on an invisible platform! "Masked...." Not!Tomas shouts, holding his disguised shield forward as he built up speed, landing past the ominous pit just in time to resume running, charging Cavendish shield first!, "...REVENGER!"

(OOC: Charging Cavendish, using Bull's Rush. Rolled a 14 plus six is 20.)

[yalenusveler]

Andre was torn. On one hand, he had a clear shot at Cavendish...well, till Tomas decided it was time to get up close and personal. On the other, vampires were likely about to start making a meal of Lia and Devereux..well, Lia at least since Devereux pulled an assisted vanishing act. And if Lia got consumed by the hungry chiopteran dead, someone would be upset, and someone would be very happy, and neither were exactly 100% favorable outcomes.

So with that, an unseen gesture and a call of "Clamo!" sent another bolt of concentrated sound streaking towards the same bat he targeted last time. After watching the Impact, Andre moved on to another firing position.

OOC:Sound lance on the same bat as last time. 43 damage, DC 19 fort save for half. Then flying to P2

[The Whistler]

Close-range combat. Close-range combat you're not cut out for close range combat optimized for distance this is bad--

All right, already, keep your unnecessary human shirt on. This is one canine that doesn't screw up twice. What say we try--

--Yes. Contingency. Go.

It wouldn't have been able to happen had Otto not been able to fly at the moment, but it happened. In half a second, like an appointment card on some sort of human Rolodex, the gunsmith pivoted upward, rotating from his head, passed over Kuzan upside-down, and landed behind the priest, gun at the ready.

Yelling "DUCK!"

A silver bullet whipped past the Rajian and straight toward one of the black-armored villains...

Moving to AY45 and taking a shot at whichever vamp is still kicking (or the closest one, if both are.) 23 to hit, 15 damage, with silver bullets.

[NeoTiamat]

The Eye of the Jackal's Ruse, Sebua
July 16th, 761, 4:07 AM; Day 121 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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PC Actions
Charles disables the outermost layer of wards.
Khalil attacks three times, hits the Smiler but doesn't penetrate DR, misses the vampires.
Lia casts Invis on Devereux, get's AoOed for 14 HP and two Negative Levels.
Kuzan hits a Flame Strike, 17 damage to nearer Vampire, 34 to farther.
Tomas Bull Rushes Cavendish 15 feet (Cavvy didn't play many sports)
Andre Sound Lances a Vampire-Bat for 43 damage. It dies.
Otto shoots and finishes off the nearer vampire.

Flipping his heels over his head and rotating in what should be a completely non-possible way, Khalil landed right in front of the second black armoured thing and slashes in a downwards blow at its neck.

The blades skittered off the black, plated armor, giving the thing a nasty bruise but nothing more. It looked at Khalil with a certain hungry look, and raised the huge, hulking axe within its hands. The Black Knight was stouter, shorter than its companions, but the burly arms showed that this was one used to wielding weapons of size.

The first blow was a huge, overhead smack of the axe-head against Khalil's shoulder. The angle was bad and the blade slipped off the armor, but the desert-guide could feel the heavy blow throw him to the side. If that wasn't a broken collarbone, Khalil wasn't certain what was.

The second blow split the sand at the desert guide's feet as he dodged back, and the third blow drew a long, painful gash in Khalil's stomach. One thing was emphatically certain. Staying anywhere near this undead madman and his axe was a bad idea.

"Move." Jervis snarled, maneuvering himself around the other knight, doing a good job of eviscerating the undead.

From the irritated skeletal yowl behind Khalil, Ishaq and the Smiler were having some fun also.

===============================================

"Masked...." Not!Tomas shouts, holding his disguised shield forward as he built up speed, landing past the ominous pit just in time to resume running, charging Cavendish shield first!, "...REVENGER!"

Still holding the flickering, coruscating corona of energy in his hand, Cavendish half-turned to see the source of this new commotion. Tomas saw the moonlight glint off the necromancer's smoked spectacles, and then the Lamordian struck. It was surprising just how little Cavendish weighed as he was thrown back by Tomas, how little resistance the long, lanky frame provided. Tomas must have thrown the necromancer at good fifteen, twenty feet.

In the background, the first layer of the green, pulsating magic circle fractured and dissipated in the air, flashing a final release of incandescent energy. In other circumstances, this would have had Cavendish's immediate attention. But at the moment, the necromancer had other concerns.

"Chernoluch!" Cavendish hissed, getting to one knee and extending the energy-swathed hand forward, his pale fingers bent into wicked talons. A barrage of brilliant, black energy slammed into Tomas's chest, working its way into his heart, coursing through his bloodstream and filling him with a soul-numbing chill. "Proklytum Byd..."

And Tomas's blood burned.

NPC Actions:
Dieter: reloads, fires at the vampire 2. Missed.
Ianthe: reloads, fires at the vampire 2. Deals 5 damage.
Devereux cowers, and is now invisible.
Jervis full attacks the upper Black Knight (6), deals 39 damage.
Ishaq full attacks the Smiler, hits once, deals 28-10=18 damage

Devourer attempts to take control of a Smiler, fails.

Blood Hulk 1 bashes a Black Knight for 24-10=14 damage.
Blood Hulk 2 bashes a Black Knight for 22-10=12 damage

Zombies flail about, insufficient damage to penetrate DR.

Smiler 1: Remains at its post.
Smiler 2: Takes a full attack on Ishaq, hits twice, deals 21 damage.
Smiler 3: Full attacks, Bloodhulk 2 for 37+8=45 damage
Smiler 4: Full attacks, Bloodhulk 1 for 25+8=33 damage

Black Knight 1 (Swords): Dies.
Black Knight 2 (Claws): Double-Moves Adjacent to Kuzan
Black Knight 3 (Swords): Five-Foots to nearer Bloodhulk Giant, full attacks. Hits four times. Deals 56+14=70 damage.
Black Knight 4 (Axe): Full attacks Bloodhulk Giant. Hits once (too much Power Attack), deals 43+3=46 damage.
Black Knight 5 (Claws): Full attacks Jervis, hits once, Crits, deals 36 damage and One Negative Level
Black Knight 6 (Axe): Full attacks Khalil, hits twice, deals 55 damage.
Black Knight 7 (Claws): Gets an AoO on Lia, for 7 damage, then flies over to Lia, hits, deals 5 damage and two total negative levels.
Black Knight 8 (Axe): Get's an AoO on Lia, deals 7 damage and another negative level, then explodes.

Zombies flail about.

Cavendish gets Bull Rushed 15 feet, then casts six dark rays at Tomas, dealing 61 damage. Tomas must make six (6) will saves at a DC 22, and if he fails even one, he is Dazed for 1 round. There is no penalty for failing more than one save.

Cavendish also casts a second spell. Will DC 20 or the pain causes Tomas to take a -4 to Attacks, Saves, Skills, and Ability checks.

Spellcraft DC 20 and 17 to identify, respectively.

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All PCs/NPC Overview: Mass Conviction (+3 Saves), Mass Aid (+1 to Attacks, Fear, +12 Temp HP), Blessed Aim (+2 to Ranged Attack Rolls), Undead Bane Bullets (+2d6 damage, +2 to attack)
Kuzan: +12 Temp HP, Magic Circle (+2 to AC and Saves), Cloak of Bravery (+9 vs. Fear), Death Ward
Tomas: -49 HP, Mass Fly,
Otto: Mass Fly, +12 Temp HP,
Charles: Mass Fly, Protection from Evil (+2 to AC and Saves), Hide from Undead (DC 16), Invisibility, +12 Temp HP
Lia: -11 HP (and -20 from Negative Levels), Mage Armor (+4 AC), Shield (+4 AC), Mass Fly, Four Negative Level
Khalil: -43 HP, Mass Fly, Silversheen, Protection from Evil (+2 to AC and Saves),
Andre: Mass Fly, +24 Temp HP, Greater Invisibility, Hide from Undead (DC 16)

Ishaq: -9 HP, Mass Fly
Jervis: -46, Mass Fly, Silversheen, One Negative Level
Ianthe: +12 Temp HP,
Dieter: +12 Temp HP,
Devereux: Mass Fly, +12 Temp HP

Devourer

Blood Hulk 1: -79 HP
Blood Hulk 2: -115 HP

Zombies

Smiler 1
Smiler 2: -51 HP, On Fire
Smiler 3:
Smiler 4:

Black Knight 1: Dead
Black Knight 2: -57+5=-52
Black Knight 3: -17+5=-12
Black Knight 4: -23+5=-18
Black Knight 5:
Black Knight 6: -44+5=-39
Black Knight 7: -48+5=-43, Dire-Bat Form
Black Knight 8: Dead
All Knights heal 5 HP.

Zombies
1 Dot Zombie: -23 HP
Reddish Zombies: Controlled by the Devourer

Cavendish:



Key! Going from the top, roughly:
Lower K - Kuzan
T - Tomas
O - Otto
C = Charles
L = Lia
Upper K = Khalil
A = Andre
Red I = Ishaq
J = Jervis
Green I = Ianthe
D = Dieter
S = Smiler
BK = Black Knight
Blue Dot = Cavendish Zombies
D = Devourer
BG = Blood Giant
Z = Devourer Zombies
Portrait = Cavendish

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I am dying," Lia thinks as she feels the negative energy ripping through her, disrupting mind and body. "Blow that. Devereux is as safe as I can make him, so ..."

Lia takes a single step back and points her hand, once again, at the bat. "If I am going, you are going with me, at least," she says, her voice choked with blood. "Sphaera ignis expandens e manu evolat."

Fire fills the air and envelops the vampire.

(5 ft.-step to A6. Launching my last Fireball at upper left corner of D1 for 12 damage, DC 17 for half. At this point, I don't really care whether the ship catches fire or not. I should be down to 5 hp, if those -20 hp are added to the -11, instead of overlapping? I'm slightly unclear on this.)

[Nathan of the FoS]

It's all over rather quickly once the process is begun; the rune which had glowed green is now black on the sand, and Charles' right hand feels like someone has been beating it with a switch for the last several hours. Obviously, the grounding system he's devised isn't as effective as he would hope; his arms are already being to twitch involuntarily, as if he had been lifting a great weight for a long time, and his teeth are beginning to grind--also involuntarily.

His eyes feel a little peculiar, there's a smell of ozone in his nostrils, and he might possibly have bitten his tongue--that's the only explanation Charles can make for the copper taste of blood in his mouth.

Something more effective...

Taking a few of the less-useful lockpicks he winds one around the blade of the dagger almost at the hilt, then hooks another to the loose end of the first. (As he does this he darts to the next point in the triangle. What a lovely thing, to be able to fly, and not have to use one's legs, which are already beginning to cramp up.) This might work better--not using both hands to keep the metals together, and keeping the energy from flowing through him on its way into the ground.

Gritting his teeth--not that he has much other choice, with his jaw acting this way--he carves at the second symbol, the end of one lockpick trailing in the sand. He activates the gloves before he starts, this time.

It goes better than the first one--not much, perhaps all the fiddling didn't even help, but at least the sigil's energies pour into the ground and not into Charles, or into some kind of arcane eruption.

Two down, one to go. Keep him away from me, Tomas!

27 on the Disable Device check. Good thing I've got the gloves, I'd have failed both of these without them. So--thanks again, Otto. For purposes of the drama-rama, jetting to X26 and alighting to continue the disabling. Next round will be Q22. Let me know if that's kool, NT.

[DocBeard]

Sliding to a stop, Tomas holds his shield up, blocking one of the black bands, and another, and another...and then his shield's padding explodes, revealing the metal core that is actually Tomas's shield and allowing three of those horrible beams of night into Eisenwald's chest...

You'd damn well better know what you're doing, Charles... Tomas manages to think amidst the agony, his knees shuddering and finally giving out, Eisenwald falling to one knee as he starts choking on his own blood and the heavy makeshift turban...nineteen years, was that really a life? To die here? On his knees?

No. Ripping the bloody cloth off of his head, Tomas Eisenwald stands revealed, pointing his sword at the evil wizard, trying to show that while his black magic might keep his body pinned to the ground, Cavendish will never overcome his spirit! "Not so fast, John Lancaster Cavendish!" Tomas exclaims, because that is just what the hero does in this situation, even if it does cause blood to pour down his chin causing a disgusting chill to rake up Tomas's spine.

(OOC: I was doing real well until I got a four. At least I managed to shake off that nasty debuff!)

[lostboy]

{Bettween Khalil and Jervis si there enough blood about yet to send the vampires trippy?]

Khalil gasps as the blows hit, forcing a glob of black blood out of his mouth, which of course is just brilliant when youre facing down a vampire. Still wounded or not there was only one answer to the pain that thing had just caused..... a big fat silver sword in the face.

Khalil snaps out a blade at the creatures head, then flipping straight up and over the vampires head, lands a second blow from upside down in mid air. Piroutting he reverses direction and lands behind the other vampire, giving it a vicious slash across the back of the legs, attempting to hamstring it.

Then job done he leaps backwards taking Jervis advice and floats out of reach, backwards and up, sheathing one blade as he goes.

[OOC: Dancing H38 /J37 / J36 / J35 / J34 / J33 / J32 but ending up about 20ft off the ground

attacking axe bK twice and the other one once
to hit: 23 / 29 / 26
damage: 11 /13 /9 all magic & silver (includes +1 for Dancing)
Tumble checks to avoid AoO's 31 / 35 (now I roll decent numbers???)
Dodge bonus to AC against first BK

Continuing fire damage to smiler: 4 ]

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan grinned. Had he been aware of the exact plights of those off on the other side of the battlefield, he might not have been grinning so much. But as it was they had a fool of a vampire all too eager to rush to his doom. There was the group of incoming zombies, of course, but they seemed like far less of a threat than the vampires.

The priest brandished his holy symbol again, calling on his primary patron this time. As he raised his voice in supplication to Varuna, the silver holy symbol gleamed more brightly, reflecting the starlight and firelight with a greater sheen.

She would do this more effectively.

She is not the Great Judge.

Varuna responded. No explosions or violent, fiery cascades this time. Varuna, the god of the night, was a quieter god. An invisible, powerful force struck the vampire with all the fury and righteousness of a divinely-wielded hammer. Kuzan smiled darkly as the force of his prayer made the vampire stumble.

"Shoot it now!" he commanded his array of musketeers behind him, "Finish it off!"

Deific Vengeance, defensively cast (I don't believe I can fail). Damage is 39. Will save DC 17 for half.