A Stitch in Souragne: The Siege of Lac Noir

[steveflam]

Goren moves close enough to Lucien and tells him Souragnien "I magical your bow, so it performing better, Lucien."

The red haired priest touches the bow even as he casts Magic Weapon upon it.

[Ail]

Zumba unyields his quarterstaff and decided to attack the hybrid bare-handed. He calls for the mysterious inner powers he learned in the swamp, and suddenly his feet and fists erupt in flame. He doesn't lose any time checking whether the thing is impressed or not and strikes immediately.

OOC: swift action to cast Fiery Fist. Keeping the quarterstaff must be a move-action, so he still has an attack and uses it.

Attack roll: 24 (includes +1 from Aid)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3290886/

Dmg: 1d8+1d6+2 = 6
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3290891/

[Guzrath]

Vincent staggers as the arrows hit him and almost loses his momentum. He dares not tear them out. For a moment it looks like he is falling, but in one swift move he makes use of his new momentum, but slows down and gets up close to the Spearman, his weapons in hand.

His Rapier and Mace attack in quick sucession, his Mace missing by far.

From his shoulder, the little brown furry rat jumps from his shoulder to attack.

OOC:
Tumble 29 half movement, to avoid AoO, because he's entering occuped 'spear' space if I'm not mistaken. He attacks the same spearman he has the +2 Dodge bonus on.
Rapier 23+1 Aid, --> Damage 8
Light Mace 7 +1 Aid, --> Damage 9
Don't have the stats for rat with me. Will look it up tonight.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Two of the archers squeal and cackle their delight at Vincent's pain, sight on him and fire again! Arrows rain down around the Swashbuckler, their barbed tips piercing his flesh and spilling even more of his blood into the swamp's muddied waters!

(OOC: Vincent takes 4 more damage, and is starting to look a lot like a porcupine, with all the barbed arrows sticking out of him...)

Then Lucien's energy wall goes up, and you can hear the monsters shrieking in agony. Of the seven hybrids enclosed, five come bursting out the next instant, their fur or feathers standing on end, their faces contorted by pain -- and pure, unadulterated rage. One of them, a creature with an eagle's head and gorilla-like arms, shakes its plumes and then lets its mad, yellow eyes fall on Lucien and Goren.

"Hsskaa!" the beast caws. "Gretzu! Greerku!"

The call - as unintelligible as it is - is clearly heard. Its meaning becomes unpleasantly clear as one of the archers draws on Lucien and fires, the arrow ping-ing off the psychic barrier the half-Elf has created around himself.

Zumba's attack against the monster opposite him goes splendidly; his fire-shrouded fists batter the monster's face even more, driving it back.

The remaining archers start to move around the energy wall, large, clumsy-looking feet and hooves carrying them forward with surprising speed as they try to sight on Lucien. Large, barbed arrows zip closeby, striking zombies instead of the half-Elf, but these shots are even closer than the one that went before...

The spear'man' being pummelled by Zumba staggers backwards, jabs its spear at the Capoeira -- but misses, its feet slipping in the muck at a critical moment.

The beast under attack by Vincent bellows its pain and outrage, readies a strike -- then notices the rat running up its arm! For such a big creature, the monster utters a surprisingly high-pitched shriek, its attack going wide. Sobbing and shrieking, the beast shakes its arm, struggling to get he rodent off it.

The other monsters, meanwhile, are starting to rally to a different mission. One archer with a clearer head than the rest - despite its singed boar's bristles - has noticed a fact that has escaped the others.

The zombies are still trudging forward. Slow they may be, but they are proceeding.

DM's corner:

Goren:
Lucien:
Vincent: -21 hp
Zumba: -17 hp

Hybrids:
Archers: A -12; B -12; C -19; D -24; E -24; F -24; G -19; H - okay!; I - okay!; J - okay!

Spear'men': A -19hp; B -8; C - okay!; D - okay!; E - okay!

Zombies: Who cares?

[Guzrath]

Vincent continues his attacks, moving around, turning and smiling when the rat jumps the creature.

OOC:
Rapier 20+1 Aid=21, Dmg 5
Mace 12+1 Aid=13, Dmg 4

[Ken of Ghastria]

Lucien's face drips with sweat, both from the heat and from the mental exertion. Yet after seeing the remaining archers continue to fire at his comrades, he has no choice but to continue if the mission is to succeed. Yes, that's all that matters, echoes Claude silently in his mind. For the moment, he eschews the now-enchanted crossbow -- its time will come, shortly -- and again summons a barrier of energy around the five visible archers. This time, however, the color of the deadly force is an icy blue.

_________________________________________________
Rock, Lucient is creating a third energy wall to trap the five archers. Ideally, I'd like it to be horseshoe-shaped, with the "open" end against the second energy wall that those archers just stepped out of. This way, if the two archers still inside that wall step out, they'll hopefully join their pals in yet another damaging area.

Standard: Lucien manifests a third energy wall (cold this time). It's a 10-foot-radius shape, described as above.
Cold damage for anything inside the circle: Energy wall damage (cold) (2d6+2=13). Fortitude save, not Reflex, DC 17 for half. Anything that then decides to go through the wall -- or that happens to be standing in a square in which the wall manifests -- takes that damage + 5 more points of cold damage (again, Fortitude DC 17 for half). No damage to anything outside the circle.

Ongoing:
First energy wall (around the pitchmen): Round 3 of 5. 12 points of electricity damage (Reflex save DC 19 for half). Add 5 points if they go through it.
Second energy wall (around the two archers): Round 1 of 5. 12 points of electricity damage (Reflex save DC 19 for half). Add 5 points if they go through it.
Force shield and offensive precognition remain in effect, as does magic weapon on the crossbow.
Power points used so far: 30 out of 35. Yikes. That'll be it for psionic powers against the grunts, since he's saving his final points for the Hooded Scary Guy.

[Ail]

Zumba presses on his attacker, hoping to dispatch it for good now that he's espied an opening. He once again calls for his inner rage to materialize in a flaming burst and attacks quickly at his target, as fast as he can.

OOC: flurry of blows with +1 from Aid. 2 attacks at 1d20+5.
Att: 6, 16. Tell me if this is enough for damage roll.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3336670/

[steveflam]

Goren will move close to Zumba and use his mace on a birdman, trying to keep his eye on the more alert creature who seems to have noticed something.

Attack Roll 24
Damage 4

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Bowstrings snap; arrows fly. If you could have seen the sky through the murk and mist, it would have been temporarily obscured by flying quarrels. Zombies moan and trudge on, their rotting bodies peppered with arrows. The beasts yowl and screech their hatred...

And Lucien's third energy wall goes up. You briefly hear the caged archer hybrids shriek their agony -- and then they fall silent. Zumba pummels his opponent into submission; the unlovely beasts howls, drops its weapon, then turns to flee -- right into Goren's mace. With a sickening crack, the priest's weapon splits the monster's skull and it falls at your feet, dead at last.

Vincent's attack goes well, for the most part. His rapier pierces his grotesque enemy's flesh, but his mace goes wide. Before the beast can strike back, the rat reaches its throat and burrows in between pieces of crude armour. The spearman's eyes bulge hideously as blood suddenly fountains out of that narrow crack, and it clutches at its throat, choking on its own blood. Not for long; the creature falls to its knees, then just falls. Soon enough, the rat comes crawling out, its fur matted red.

The remaining spearmen yowl with terror; the zombies are even closer now, and they look at you all with dread. Especially Lucien seems to spark their terror. Mewling and whimpering, the creatures bunch up -- and make a terrible decision.

" Uugra-haszka!" one of them shouts. The creatures raise their weapons, and plunge them into each other's throats, perfectly coordinated. Gore soils the already filthy water as the heavy bodies crash to the ground, dead.

The zombies clearly do not care; they trudge on, seize the corpses and start to tear them apart, stuffing handfuls of red, dripping viscera into their moaning maws. A hideous moment comes when they rip apart the creature that was slain by Vincent and his rat; in death, the bodies start to revert to the people and creatures they once were, and it turns out that Vincent's opponent had been a woman. Not an unusually attractive one, just a normal woman, maybe someone's mother. Then she was mutilated and turned into a monster. Now, she is meat for the ravening zombies.

The moaning and the stench of open innards sicken you. The terrible, pressing heat makes it all so much worse -- and then the voice of the black rider comes booming down the corridor of trees, and the chill it brings is worst of all.

"Now, kill!

For a moment, you wonder whether the rider is unaware of its creatures' fate. Just for a one, blessed moment.

Then the feeding zombies start to moan at a very different pitch, and the gorging huddle bursts apart, zombies thrown left and right or turning to flee. In their midst, dripping the thick sludge that Souragne's swamp water has turned into, are about ten zombi. Muffled laughter escapes from between the stitches holding their mouths closed. Metal claws rip through walking cadavers with ridiculous ease -- and with each slash, the undead move slower; with each slash, the zombi seem to grow faster and stronger.

And their flesh is blackening.

(OOC: Now you know what was moving in the water inside the corridor; zombi, moving underwater. Those energy walls did hold them up, obliging them to rough terrain it between the tree roots, but they're here to party!)

[steveflam]

Goren spies the black rider. Though the situation is serious, the red haired man smiles to himself. He thinks he is prepared for the fiend for once. The rider, however, has other ideas and is as of yet too far for Goren to cast his spell. Thus, the red haired priest moves towards the rider so he will then be in range to cast his spell.

[Ail]

Zumba sighs of relief as his enemy falls to the ground and the rest of the group defeats theirs too. His hope doubles when the other beasts anihilate each other. Just when he think the day is almost won and all that is left is going after the rider, there's a horrible turn of events, as ten zombies appear and seem to destroy the ranks of zombies that were almost acting as reinforcements for the adventurous band. As they see the zombies advance, Zumba falters in doubt.


"Surely we can not beat these zombies! Perhaps we should take our chances with the rider instead?

[Ken of Ghastria]

"Agreed!" says Lucien grimly. "And he's far too comfortable there for my taste."

This is not the wisest course of action, Lucien, says Claude silently, sensing Lucien's intent. Remember what happens when these creatures die... well, expire. Your life -- and those of your companions -- will be at risk!

Lucien responds, Right now, we've got a kobold's chance in Falkovnia of winning! We'll just have to run fast. With that, he concentrates and uses the last of his mental energy to create yet another corruscating wall of energy, yet this one splits the mass of battling zombies and zombi in half, extending right down the middle of the path between the trees and encircling a large group of combatants. Sizzling and scorching sounds can be heard from within. The wall is opaque, and those undead on the other side are seemingly unaffected.

Lucien looks around for the wand-wielding zombie, their ghastly "ally" in this fight. Spotting the leader, he shudders for a moment -- the vile mental contact with the creature is still as disturbingly fresh as a newly eviscerated skunk. Then he points at the wall and makes a pushing gesture with his free hand. "PUSH THEM INTO THE WALLS!" he yells. "Tell your followers to PUSH THEM INTO THE WALLS!"

Then Goren, Vincent, and Zumba hear Lucien's telepathic voice, Get ready to run, my friends. Things are about to become volatile.

____________________________________________
Didn't want to do this, but there's apparently no way to get closer to the Rider unless we can remove at least some of the zombi.

Rock, Lucien is creating another energy wall to split the forces, with the goal of trapping as many of the zombi as possible (naturally catching some of the "friendly" zombies, too) while still leaving a path to the Rider that's not afffected by the power. Ideally, it would be rectangular in shape.

Standard: Lucien manifests an energy wall (fire), described as above, and naturally this extends below the surface of the water if any zombi are still in there.
Fire damage for anything inside the box: Energy wall (fire) damage (2d6+2=10). Reflex save DC 17 for half. Anything that then decides to go through the wall -- or that happens to be standing in a square in which the wall manifests -- takes that damage + 5 more points of fire damage (again, Reflex DC 17 for half). No fire damage to anything (including trees) outside the circle.
Move: Lucien moves back 15 feet.

Ongoing:
Last round for both the second and third energy walls.
Force shield and offensive precognition remain in effect, as does magic weapon on the crossbow.
Power points used so far: 35 out of 35. Lucien is officially out of points, but hopefully this has helped.

Rock: If there's no chance for Lucien to get at least half of the zombi forces, let me know and I'll change actions.

[steveflam]

Goren slaps his forehead with his free hand. Mumbling something in Chondonthan about being stupid, he casts a simple orison and now concentrates, looking around carefully.

Goren casts Detect Magic

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Several things happen, not all of them obvious to all of you.

Blinding pain stabs through the centre of Zumba's head. It comes and goes as quickly as a lightning bolt, but the memory lingers. The pain whispers something terrible to the young Capoeira, a command unthinkable...

(OOC: Ail, one Will save, please. Save DC 19.)

A mere instant before Lucien's wall of flame rises up, Goren sees the ebb and flow of magical energy on the battlefield. He sees what happens when the zombi carve into the zombies surrounding them. The undead are plodding masses of meat and bone, filled to bursting with the dark energy of Necromancy. But where the zombi's metal claws cut into their flesh, that energy starts to leak out. Streams, then rivers of dark, unholy energy are being sucked out of the undead, and into the zombi, where it mixes with very different energy. Goren does not recognize the spellforms inside the zombi, but they partake equally of Conjuration, Necromancy and Transmutation...

Somewhere beyond the energy walls and the moaning dead, he senses two brief, painful spikes of Conjuration magic.

Lucien's shout to the leader of the undead is heard. For a moment, the grotesque general just looks at the half-elf. Then it throws back its head, raises the hand holding the wand and shrieks...! Goren may see the pulse of magical energy, pure Transmutation, that washes over the battlefield. The zombies start to move towards the energy wall, moaning as they go -- and accelerating. Soon, an unholy mass of them is pushing against the cage, straining to get in with their opponents.

[steveflam]

Goren takes a moment to absorb all he is seeing and doesn't like it one bit. He stops in his tracks, realizing how serious this is. Souragnien "Arretez! No good so close to explosion Zombies. Get away! Get far from them! I seeing much bad bad magic in air with detecting magical spell. Necromanticy, Conjuring magic and more. We get away from Zombies now. Move! Move! Move! Lucien! Zumba! Vincent! Get away! Move away. Following me, please!"

The red haired priest is now moving away from the Zombies as fast as he can, beckoning to the others to do the same.