Umm, perhaps I should have taken the level...

[shai-hulud]

As you leave the compound heading for Architect, you walk straight into a trap (no one spotted it). From behind you emerge six humans and in front of you, four walking sets of bones, a human woman, and a man whose race only Kaito recognizes:

Kaito:

SpoilerShow

You recognize the creature as a vampire. You know that they are very powerful undead creatures with many supernatural abilities, although you don't know their specifics.

The strange creature looks like this:


The human woman looks like this:


The walking sets of bones look like this:


And the six humans look like... well six human soldiers. I don't have a special picture of them.

The strange creature speaks to you (Avery, if you please )

[Avery]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Hello everyone. I'll be playing the part of your antagonist today. Mwahahaha!! ...erm.

 

A tall, emaciated man, wearing a beautiful hooded robe of black silk lined with crimson, slides out of the shadows. He has deathly white skin, and a thick scar runs from the corner of one gleaming red eye back past a pointed ear. He says in a thin voice "You all have done well to find my schema for me. Give it to me now and I shall let you live."

[Phoenix512]

THINKING: This is not good. He's a vampire. That woman is probably a wizard. And with the soldiers and skeletons, the odds are against us. We need to cut our losses.

“Before consisting of handing you the schema, I want to ask you why it is so important to you. I mean, it is not everyday that I see a vampire.”

Kaito waits for the vampire to answer his question.

[Avery]

A grimace flashes briefly across his face and his gaze seems irritated as his beady eyes shift restlessly over the party. "You seem to think you have a lot of time to make your decision... I can be the most generous vampire you will ever meet, or the last." As he speaks, his hand touches the ornate black hilt of a dagger partially covered by the folds of his cloak. In a good mockery of Kaito, he adds "'I mean, it is not every day that I get to feed upon the living essence of a Great Forge.' But if it will help you try my patience any less, know that there are powerful kingdoms who are very eager to put this to good use." He then sneers at one of the living under his command. Bitter and leery, the soldier approaches to within a few yards of the party and pauses expectingly.

Shai, Soldier's intentions:

SpoilerShow

The Soldier is obviously waiting to be given the schema, but he will make a Sense Motive check on whoever approaches him and will take a total defensive action if attacked.

[Phoenix512]

“What about you? What are you going to do with it if you have it? Also my brothers may not like me to simply hand over the schema to you. If your reason is just and fair, you should have no problem in telling me what's your plans with the schema?”

[Nargath]

“Yes, what exactly are you planning on doing with that?”

Tracker whispers to his brethren: We may not be able to walk away from this one brothers.

I command Wolf to stay.

[klakxor]

Shard measures up the group standing in front of them.

“Although I do not know who or what you are, we are collecting these items for the Becoming God. This schema was apparently lost in these mines and we have recovered it to add to the greatness that will be our god. You have us rightly outnumbered and as such, I doubt there would be nothing we could do to stop you from taking it.”

To Tracker Agreed, our best bet here would be to allow them to take the schema. We will not be much of a match for all these.

[Avery]

Quelling most of his annoyance, the hooded figure says "It seems I was mistaken to believe that any of you could be capable of not testing me. But it's simple, really... My intentions are my own, and yours are irrelevant." Then with open disgust he points his now drawn dagger as if accusing Shard of something and says "And as the only abomination among you with any desire to keep its twisted shell in one piece has already pointed out, I will get what I want with or without your cooperation. So please, decide how much you want to live already before I make the decision for you."

[Phoenix512]

There was nothing that Kaito or the others could do to fight back. Kaito's only option was to give them the schema. He goes into the bag and pulls out the schema.

“Fine. Here it is.”

Kaito hands the schema to the soldier and says. “Now you have your schema. Let's us be on our way, please.”

[Nargath]

“All that effort, wasted!
You will have the Becoming God to answer to, vampire.”

Tracker does not make any threatening gestures.
He again whispers to the party: We will have a better chance of taking back the schema once we have time to sort out a strategy, and work out how to combat such a foe. We can better serve the Becoming God alive than dead.

[Avery]

After receiving the schema, he and another soldier present it to the vampire. Noticably satisfied, the wretched vampire returns his attention to the party after securing his prize inside his robe. "I wonder if your 'Becoming God' is so weak because his followers are so worthless, or if you're so worthless because you serve a powerless diety. Either way, I have about as much to fear from you or him as I do from the creatures at the depths of the Karrn."

The woman speaks up. Her muted grey robes hang off her frame, making her appear even smaller than she should. She doesn't appear to be carrying a weapon, but she stands beside the vampire with the confidence of an armed combatant. "Brother Garrow, we have what we came for. Must we continue bantering with these half-mortals? They are not even capable of serving us after death." Her words are well articulated and curt.

With only a glare for acknowledgment, Garrow turns to leave. The woman beside him and the two soldiers near him move to follow. Then he pauses and turns again to the group. "While I appreciate your efforts to placate me, if I were your 'Becoming God' I would have you all destroyed, for this schema is undoubtably worth more than all your lives. In fact..." he says to his remaining entourage, "...kill them, then return to me. You will be doing their god, the Emerald Claw, and all of Khorvaire a favor." He lingers only a moment behind the woman and two soldiers.

[shai-hulud]

As Garrow begins to leave, it is clear that the four skeletons and four soldiers he has left behind are meant to kill the group.



Those who are using invisiblecastle, please roll initiative.

[Phoenix512]

Initiative (1d20+3=18)

THINKING: At least they were generous in giving us a chance against these creatures.

Kaito will try to turn the walking bones from the fight.

Turning Undead check and number of HD (1d20-1=17, 2d6+1=8)

[Nargath]

OUT OF CHARACTER

I had no idea what you were talking about!

 

Initiative (1d20+3=12)

[valinor]

Initiative “Less time to think but survive my brothers.”

[klakxor]

Initiative

[shai-hulud]

Order of Initiative:
Soldier 1
Kaito
Yahjhank
Soldier 2
Soldier 4
Tracker
Soldier 3
Shard

The two outside skeletons move in on Tracker and Yahjhank (They have been removed from the initiative because of Kaito's action coming up). Both of them miss their feeble attacks.

Soldier 1 charges Kaito, hitting him squarely in the chest [6 hp damage].

Kaito turns to the skeletons, and with the power of the Becoming God, they fall to dust!

OutsideWhitehearth2.png

[shai-hulud]

OUT OF CHARACTER

With Valinor having only sporadic internet connectivity, I will act on his behalf. He will repair Kaito from the damage he just took.

 

Kaito repairs 5 hp damage from Yahjhank's magics. Yajhank then pulls his Sharrash out to attack.

Soldier 2 charges Kaito and Soldier 4 charges Shard. Soldier 2 misses Kaito, even with the additional speed. Soldier 4, on the other hand, strikes Shard's hand with a powerful wallop [4 hp damage].



Total Damage/Current hp:

SpoilerShow

Kaito 1/15
Shard 4/18
Tracker 0/20
Yahjhank 0/29

[Nargath]

Tracker moves up next to Kaito, raises the scimitar and attacks the soldier in front of him with one end of the blade.

[klakxor]

Five foot step to 0705 and attack the soldier in front of him

[shai-hulud]

Tracker steps up to the soldier and with one powerful swing, the man crumples in pain, blood gushing from a large slash. The soldier promptly passes out.

Soldier 3 rushes in, attacking Shard with his morningstar. The weak hit brushes against Shard, hurting him a little. [3 hp damage]

Shard steps to the side and swings his powerful fist at the soldier. Unfortunately, the soldier's armor harmlessly deflects the attack.

With soldier 1 bleeding on the ground, it is Kaito's turn.



Total Damage/Current HP/Current AP total (I have been forgetting to keep track of these. If you use invisiblecastle, and you are unhappy with one of your rolls, feel free to add the action point to your post).:

SpoilerShow

Kaito 1/15/6
Shard 7/15/6
Tracker 0/20/6
Yahjhank 0/29/6

[Phoenix512]

Kaito attacks soldier 4 with his warhammer.

Warhammer attack and damage (1d20+2=7, 1d8=4) Action Point (1d6=3)

[klakxor]

Shard will take a five foot step back to 0706 and manifest expansion on himself

[shai-hulud]

Kaito (I assume is going after soldier 3, not soldier 4, as soldier 4 is in front of Shard) misses. Yahjhank also swings and misses.

Soldier 2 swings his morning star at Kaito, hitting him with a glancing blow [3 hp damage].

Soldier 4 swings his morning star, landing a powerful blow on Shard! [11 hp critical hit (light fortification failed this time)]

Tracker is up.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Image is the same as before

 

Total Damage/Current HP/Current AP total:

SpoilerShow

Kaito 4/12/5
Shard 18/4/6
Tracker 0/20/6
Yahjhank 0/29/6

[Nargath]

Tracker works his way around the closest soldier until he is standing behind him. (0503)
And he once again attacks with one side of the scimitar, adding in an Action Point for the attack roll.

[shai-hulud]

Tracker rushes around the soldier, who swings at the mobile warforged, but misses. Once in position, Tracker swings (16) which would have missed, but the soldier was slightly off balance from the swing as Tracker went by that he just can't quite get out of the way of Tracker's swing (action point roll = 1) and he gets slashed right at the neck. The wound is severe, but not deadly.

Soldier 3 swings at Shard and misses.

Shard backs up and manifests Expansion. He is now Large for the next two rounds.

SpoilerShow

Total Damage/Current HP/Current AP total:
Kaito 4/12/5
Shard 18/4/6
Tracker 0/20/6
Yahjhank 0/29/6

[Phoenix512]

Kaito will attack the flanked solider with his warhammer.

Warhammer attack and damage with sneak attack (1d20+4=20, 1d8=8, 1d6=2)

[shai-hulud]

Kaito's warhammer cracks the soldier's skull, and he falls to the ground bleeding.

Yahjhank considers his options and decides Shard is better equipped to handle the remaining soldiers. He reaches over to repair Shard's damage [8 hp repaired].

Soldier 4 steps in to attack Shard, but the fear in his eyes is evident. His swing doesn't come close to the massive warforged. We are doomed! These are not true warforged! They are monsters twisted by this vile land! The man seems to be on the defensive.

(New map after Tracker and Shard post actions. The only change is Soldier 4 has moved to 0705, so there are soldiers in 0504, 0604, and 0705).

[klakxor]

Shard plans on placing a couple fists right into the soldiers face, however it seems his new size is not quite right for him.

Flurry of Blows

1d20=2, 1d20=9

[Nargath]

Tracker again slashes at the soldier in front of him, but has trouble compensating for the extra weight of the other end of the scimitar, causing the attack to go wide.

1d20+0=4