[Asydia] Humble Beginnings

[EchoMirage]

"Heavens! I seem to have outgrown myself!"
The knight took a few seconds to adjust to his new massive self, and verily, was a better target for the fangs of the cat-beast.

"You want a piece of me, beast? There is plenty to go around! You like the taste of my blood? The sword has far more iron, is good for you!"
Sigurd swung at the obtrusive feline, intent to distract it from its master's orders.
Ditching expertise, rolling a 2, yay

Not used to his massive size and restricted by the cave, Sigurd saw the lithe cat eluded his attempts at providing it with highly concentrated iron supplements.

[valadaar]

Once more, Nim called upon her sorcerous arts and attempted to send the great cat napping...

Okay, last spell   Sleep on the cat.  DC15 to resist.

[Pariah]

Duxo rolled past the Orc, putting it between him and Auxali.  While the org was distracted trying to watch the both of them, Duxo attempted to bury his knife in the Orc's kidney.

(14:16:35) Minion: Pariah rolls 1d20 and gets 12.
Acrobatics 12+9 vs Korkarr's CMD to move through threatened area without provoking AoO.  If I do provoke an AoO, I don't move and I lose the +2 flanking bonus to hit.  CMD is equal to 10+STR mod+DEX mod+BaB.
(14:16:48) Minion: Pariah rolls 1d20 and gets 8.
8+3 (str)+2 (flanking)=13 to hit
(14:17:22) Minion: Pariah rolls 1d4 and gets 4.
(14:17:30) Minion: Pariah rolls 1d6 and gets 2
If I hit that's 9 dmg.

[Shadoweagle]

That d**ned sleep spell...! :p Panther rolls to resist, +2 will save:
(11:24:59) Minion: Shadoweagle rolls 1d20 and gets 13. Resisted!

The giant cat reeled under the spell of Nim, magical sleep lulling it to slumber. However it's fury was too great and it shook off the spell with a snarl!

Korkarr, meanwhile stepped forth to meet the charging Sandwalker, ignoring the acrobatics of Duxo. The scarred Hyparican thrust his dagger at the Orc's midsection, but the combination of the stiffened leathers and the thick, white fur failed to allow the weapon to penetrate!

(11:35:53) Rolls made. Attack on Auxzali!
The Orc swung his arm at Auxzali, but did not attack with his axe! Instead, he thrust the barbed point of the scorpion-tail bracelet which rested on his wrist into Auxzali's upper arm, the glass tip penetrating his skin. Korkarr laughed triumphantly and stepped back a pace, "Enjoy your death, Glassman." He gloated.

Auxzali gasped at the shock of the attack, but within his head, he heard a faint droning of insects; he felt fine!

1 damage for barbed tail. Poison Immunity from Altar saves him. Korkarr believes him poisoned.

[caesar193]

Shock spread across Auxzali's face with Korkarr's attack. This orc was using Axtrami's gift of healing to poison people? This would not stand. But it would be best to be crafty in this attack. He pretended to be poisoned, and went weak at the knees, using his ouzala as a support. Falling into a kneeling position, Auxzali bent over and gave his best impression of a diseased cough. He had heard many such in the Bareka, he knew how to make it sound wretched. But suddenly, he jabbed upward with his ouzala, pushing upward with his hind leg, driving it towards the orc's heart.

(20:15:04) Minion: caesar193 rolls 1d20 and gets 15. Wait wait wait, I actually hit someone? Thank Axtrami! Anyway, damage: (20:18:36) Minion: caesar193 rolls 1d10 and gets 2.

Thanks to his bowed head, Auxzali did not pierce the orc's heart, but he still tore flesh, and blood spilt out of orc from his flank as well.

"You dare use Axtrami's gift for killing people?" Yelled Auxzali. "I shall see you dead and the vulture's strewing your innards throughout the desert, like the blasphemous refuse you are!"

[EchoMirage]

Whenever Sigurd is up...
"Did I hear blasphemous refuse?" Sigurd bellowed, towering over the orc, his voice far deeper due to his massive size. "Blasphemers deserve wrath divine!"
Possibly, they deserved various other kinds of wrath too.
The nature of blasphemy was alas complicated, as for example opposing the Sen-Rabbim emperor was seen as blasphemous, yet Sigurd could not bring himself to show reverence to a man claiming to be a god.
Alas, there would be enough time to ponder on the nature of blasphemy once this obvious perpetrator thereof was smitten, thoroughly so.

The cat could wait.

Smite evil. +4 to hit, because Sigurd is such a handsome lad, and +1 to damage.
Rolled 19, threat, attack roll 20 to confirm. I believe it's safe to assume it's a critical, yes?
24 damage to Korky. Smiting at its finest.

With thundering steps, he approached just as Auxzali's ouzala carved a gash across the orc's belly, led with an iron-shod boot against the monster's frothing face, sending it reeling into the corner and brought down the immense sword down upon the reeling villain. It seemed to glisten, dispelling the darkness of the cave even more than his radiant shield did, and sing as it carved the air, the vile blood sizzling around its edge!
"Enough! I think I told you to come forth!
The fury of Zevoah was briefly inscribed in Sigurd's features, to be replaced by his usual cocky grin a second after the bandit leader fell.

"They never listen."

Korkarr could but gurgle back, slowly sinking to the ground, the carmine staining his seared fur.

The massive knight picked the dying orc up by his neck, obviously delighting in the adversary being suddenly tiny in comparison, and claimed his amulet.

"I believe we are done here!" he laughed, tossing Korkarr aside - only to feel the panther's jaws close on his behind!
"Or perhaps not..."

"Nim, I certainly hope when I shrink, that the bite shrinks too."

[Shadoweagle]

The panther dodged past Sigurd to get at the spellcaster. The Ralkharan knight took a valiant swing at the animal as it passed, but unfortunately missed! Nim trailed with the knight, keeping his steel between the panther and herself.

The giant cat snarled furiously and padded after the knight and mage, leaping at Sigurd since the woman used him for defense. The cat bit and tore furiously, but found only metal and no soft flesh!

3x misses for the panther

Tar-Sul remained, cowering, where he was.

[Gossamer]

Seeing the orc down for the count, only the panther remained. With some incantation and gestures, Zelas reached for a magic that never missed. He flung out his hand towards the panther, a missile of glowing force shot forth and struck true, it hit the panther straight in the chest.

Magic Missile x1, damage 4+1

"Ser Sigurd, try the amulet! Rein in the beast!" Zelas shouted.

[valadaar]

Nim was a bit tired of playing mouse with the cat, so she poked around the Knight and fired off a shot with her crossbow.

The bolt sailed true and slammed into the cat.


Lost track of what round we are in, but she shoots when she can. Rolled 20 (woo!)  followed by 19, followed by 4, for a total of 8 hp damage.

[EchoMirage]

It certainly would be rather nice to have a lion of justice to call his own, to ferret out the right kind of mice and rats.
The eyes the knights back at the fort would make! The way ladies with admiration shake and quiver!

Sigurd, though staggered from all the biting his frame had to endure that day, held out the recently acquired token, shook Korkarr's blood off it, and spoke in a firm voice used to command: "Hold, beast! Your master is dead, and I am his better! Hold! To heel! Hold and kneel!"

The ongoing combat and recent wounds stoked the lion's ferocity, its soul uneasy and no trivial task to tame!
Sweat pearled on Sigurd's brow as he sought to calm it.
"Halt, the battle's ceased. Hold, and come to feast!" he kicked at the widening puddle of Korkarr's blood, spraying a fine carmine mist into the air.
I have no idea whether and what to roll

[Shadoweagle]

pendant enhanced handle animal roll a success: Panther has gone from Hostile to Unfriendly - Korkarr's influence is broken.

Shekzah heard the commanding words of the Ralkharan knight, and paused - this was not her master's voice, yet she could not feel the master's presence anymore!

With a ferocious roar, the panther leapt once more - but this time it leapt to the door leading out! The battle of control was too much for Shekzah and the confused animal chose to flee!

Panther is fleeing. You can still chase it down if you like.

[EchoMirage]

"Harumph. So much for my dreams of panther-assisted glory. Please restore my more humbly-sized self, the height seems to be getting to my head."

[caesar193]

Auxzali knelt by the orc's corpse, and stared for one long moment at its wrist. Then, in a quick motion, he removed the scorpion tail bracelet and slipped it over his own wrist. It had the weight of destiny to it.

He looked over at Duxo, and walked over to him. "You, my friend," He said to the rogue, "could use some healing."

He laid his hand on the site of the panther's bite lightly, and said "Axtrami, cover these wounds with new skin, so that he can continue to overcome the obstacles you place before him."

Cure light wounds, I get a (17:31:01) Minion: caesar193 rolls 1d8 and gets 7, so 8 points healed.

Duxo's blood stopped flowing and reversed its direction, returning into the man's skin and leaving behind a rapidly disappearing scar.

Auxzali stood, and looked out over the rest of the party.

"Anyone else need healing?" he asked

[EchoMirage]

"Needing healing? I can stand... but welcoming healing if there's any available? By the Gods yes, for I cannot sit."

[Pariah]

"Aye, thanks." Making his way into the room the Orc had just left Duxo relit the torch and began searching it for loot.

Calling back out into the hall, "Now, how 'bout you lot tell me why exactly you're here.  I'm making a guess that it was to save Tar-Sul there, but ain't no village round these parts what can wave enough money for it to be worth three mages to go running after it.  Don't get me wrong, but my friend there was talking about a key when you sprung us, and saying you could get half.  That seems to me like he's worried 'bout something, only I ain't too sure what."

8 puts me at full health again!

[caesar193]

"Hmm..." Auxzali examined Sigurd's wound critically. "I believe I can help you, Sir Knight!"

He (however regrettably) laid his hand on the wound and repeated what the prayer he had said to cure Duxo.

Spontaneus Casting, converting my Obscuring Mist spell into a CLW, healing (18:53:36) Minion: caesar193 rolls 1d8 and gets 4. So 5. Not quite healed, then

The wound closed, but not quite all the way; a thin, shallow cut remained. Auxzali straightened, and said "I apologize, Sigurd. Apparently Axtrami prefers the rogue!"

He turned to Zelas and Nim. "Now, my good wizards. Or is it sorcerer, in your case? Anyway, perhaps you could see what these magical items we have discovered do?"

[valadaar]

"Of course, " she said, using her sorcery to discern the nature of the items.

[EchoMirage]

"I will wrap up Korky, in case his orcish tenacity lets him survive the punishment we dispensed."
Not wasting healing on the orc, but in case he stabilizes, he's rolled up nice and proper.

He then turned to the others as they were discussing rewards.
"We were hired to save poor Tar-Sul, that's true. Good coin is hard to come by even for such as us."
"But, I had ulterior motives as well - you may have noticed such from my insistence to question these wretches. As you heard, they have taken a Ralkharan, and such behavior is not allowed to stand."
Then he shook his head:
"Regardless, we may either help Tar-Sul to abscond as suggested, or mislead his fellows as to the fate of the treasure, so that envy cannot take hold. Treasure sinks into the swamp all the time, and they would feel poetically justified that fate has spared Tar-Sul, but cost him his gains. If he is clever and spends slowly, none shall note."

[Gossamer]

"It seems I was right in my estimate of the pendant. Ser Sigurd let me have a closer look if you please."

Once Nim detects magic on it, I wanna make a spellcraft check to determine how this thing works, specifically I would like to know if a permanent compulsion could be cast on the panthers to keep them away from humans, and how often it can be used.

"If this pendant is powerful enough, there hopefully won't be a need to slaughter those magnificent beasts in there... Though the named one, Shekzah I think he called her, may have to be left up to the villagers to handle if she is foolish enough to seek out humans. Lest we hunt her down and subdue her. "

"Oh, and no healing needed for me my friend." He thanked Auxzali and turned back to Sigurd.

"Does the orc still draw breath? If so, he has much to answer for. As for how we handle the tricksters outside, I would strongly suggest a period of recuperation before we go to meet with them."

[caesar193]

"Aye, I believe all of us have ulterior motives besides petty greed," said Auxzali to Sigurd. "Well, except for Zelas. The only reason he's here is to find out what I am doing. Korkarr did say that you were snooping around here, Duxo, which led to your capture, so why exactly were you snooping? And Nim, when you could be anywhere but some small town unlikely even to have the rewards promised us by Demy, why here? I believe it is time to come clean, though by no means will I pressure you to do so.

"I ventured forth from the deserts and into the swamps for this, " Auxzali continued, showing the scorpion tail bracelet. "My god, Axtrami, has given me a challenge. To gather up the five broken pieces of a glass scorpion that... Well, if you want the full story of the scorpion, feel free to ask.

"I am sorry to hear of this missing Ralkharan of yours, Sigurd. But did this person have anything to do with a place known as Runlock in Ralkhara? For that is where the next fragment of scorpion is, and that is where I would like for all of us to go together. Come on," he said, smiling. "There'll be loot and danger. It'll be fun.

"As for the current treasure, and Tar-Sul's missing chest, I feel that perhaps we should find it ourselves, and see exactly what its prize is that made it so precious to a bandit that could get petty gold by other means. And from their make our decision."

[Pariah]

"I was passing through and heard them shouting, I was curious.  If you want to know why I was in the Muck in the first place, things back on the islands got interesting, and not in a good way, and leaving was the best corse of action, unfortunately there were issues at sea.  Anyway, they heard me in the mud."

Duxo shrugged, "Alright, you're all looking for something else and stumbled on this job, still don't answer my original problem, there ain't a village round here that got enough money to pay three mages to go looking for a man, even if they were bored out their ish kalzeen minds, forget the rest of you.  I know most of you don't approve of me, but I'm also your best bet on thinking your way out of the double cross I smell coming."

[valadaar]

Nim smiled.

"I'm glad we agree - I mentioned this early on when I saw who we rescued - and asked your friend _who_ would be able to page 500gp.  There is no question this is an ambush, and Tar-sul as likely to be a victim as we, if perhaps a tainted one."

"And Sir Knight, your wish is my command. Please keep Tar-sul to himself please."

Nim reached into her robes and produced the small box she had found, along with the key. She watched Tar-sul's reaction carefully.

"Not a chest, but well hidden none-the-less. And no, I have not yet had a chance to open it."


She hoped the key fit, but it felt right...

[Gossamer]

"Yes, our most esteemed Nim-ty-lin has already drawn that conclusion, Duxo. And I agree, no doubt they will fall upon us as we exit this cave, if their greed do not push them to act sooner, which is why I suggest we rest first... I may not always approve of your choice of methods or sometimes barbed tongue, but that can be said about almost anyone in here, myself included no doubt." He gave a self-deprecating grin.

He turned to Auxzali.

"I for one would like to hear more about this glass scorpion. I suppose it ties into your search for an Axtrami Haiq Ouzala, that this is the quest bestowed upon you? If Axtrami told you of this cave and led you to it, then that is all the proof I need. Though I did not doubt your words, a dream could potentially feel the same as a prophetic vision, and that is an area of expertise that eludes me."

Five pieces he privately thought, this is gonna be a long journey before we ever see Bareka again. But now he knew the full extent of Auxzali's quest, and how could he not approve, it seemed like history in the making, in fact, once he got out of this swamp, he might even enjoy the journey, provided he didn't have to wade through corpses the whole way...

[EchoMirage]

"Duxo, though I may have reprimanded your... straightforwardness, your wits are sharp. Let us help Tar-Sul abscond. Oh, I can imagine the tragic report! 'The poor fellow was stabbed in the throat, there was blood everywhere!' " he pointed to the puddle, provided so kindly by Korkarr. "A dagger ended his life with you, but despair not..."

He patted the rogue on his back. "This will do."

Then, to the sandmen he turned, shrugging: "I would gladly guide you to Runlock, through my king's lands - but you will understand that though both a fragile, while glass does not decay, a human life can. If these outlaws claim she was sent to Esgoloth, then that is where I must go at once. Like you, Zelas, we do not abandon our own."
Looking at the amulet, he added: "You are all welcome to come along; I shall see whether any of the cats is inclined to do so."

With these words, he proceeded to the previous room, to try his luck with the caged beasts. Here kitty kitty, the nice man has a mind control amulet.

[AsydiaGM]

Sigurd approached the cage with the amulet. One of the panthers did attempt to maul him, but the iron bars proved strong. Try as he might to use the amulet's magics to control the panthers, all they did was glare sullenly at him, as if reproaching him for trying to command them after killing their Master.

Nim soon put the mystery to rest, however, by using her identifying magics to discover the sorceries behind their new equipment.

details to come in the OOC thread!

Once this act was done, she moved on to more pressing concerns. Namely, the chest. Tar-Sul approached, curiosity etched on his face as Nim inserted the key into the lock, and turned it. A small click was heard, and the lid popped open. Nim raised the lid, and the group looked down, there faces bathed in the reflected light from the chest's contents.

Money. Oh so much money. They were rich! They had struck gold! Or platinum, as the more accurate term would be: heaps of platinum coins filled the bottom of the chest, with a sheaf of papers held to the side by the money. Tar-Sul fell to his knees in a mixture of shock and joy- this was what he had found in the swamps?