The Lord's Ears
Log Info
- Title: The Lord's Ears
- Characters: Alba, Rhar, Ravenstongue, Seyardu
- DM:Telamon
- Place: Alexandria Countryside
- Summary: Aiding the farmers of Alexandria is no easy task, but the powerful fey known as the Lord of Ears has offered assistance -- if he can get some adventurers to help with a little problem of his. In this case, another fey being stole a prized instrument of his, and he asks the assembled adventurer's to retake this posession by any means necessary. Their travel to find the thief leads them to an area still blighted by Heth, where the quickling had taken shelter. The group is attacked by several undead, and a long battle ensues.
Alexandros countryside, midday
It's a pleasant day, much too pleasant to stay indoors! At least that's what the bright sun and chirping birds seem to be saying. Still, you're out here on business -- to meet with an enigmatic fey noble calling himself the Lord of Ears, who's sent word that he'll assist the struggling Alexandrian farms -- in exchange for a favor.
Fey favors are always worrisome, but then again, fey favor can be quite powerful indeed.
And as you head to the meeting place, it's clear you're being watched with interest and curiosity. Strange green men with blank eyes study you as you pass; pixies and sprites sit in tree boughs and chatter excitedly to each other. And soon enough, you come to a clearing where a pavilion has been set up. But for a fey noble, the pavilion seems strangely rustic -- a riot of various colored swatches, stitched together like a commoner's quilt. Standing outside is a short little man, dressed in green, with a fiery mane of red hair who offers you a polite bow and a twinkling smile. "Ladies," he drawls. "If you'd be so kind as to accompany me, the Lord awaits inside."
GAME: Seyardu refreshes spells.
Cor'lana is not dressed in the fine gown that she would normally be dressed in for meeting fey nobility. Instead, she is wearing her 'garments of war' (as her noble Grandfather would call them), the violet-and-black knee-length robes providing enough comfort yet flair to announce herself as a sorceress of power and providing enough room on her chest for the curuchuil mark to show through, announcing her lineage proudly in a place like this.
"Lead the way," she decrees in a way that's befitting of the circlet on her head. Pothy sits on her shoulder, the white raven pinning down her dark violet cloak, but the bird seems to know better than to demand or expect snacks.
Dealing with the Fae Folk is a *hassle.* And if there is one thing Alba dislikes, it is to suffer being hassled.
However since the prize is aid to Alexandrian farmlands, and thus food in the mouth of countless children, Alba has wisely decided that the only thing she likes less than a hassle, is a venomous snakebite on her face.
The problem with this being a diplomatic meeting is, Alba is... not... particularly possessed of a diplomatic mien. Most of her face hidden by the upper skull of some large, predatory monster, matte-black hair writhing in utter disregard for the direction of the wind, and one set of fingers ending in foot-long razors gleaming with a corrosive sheen... Alba visibly does not do diplomacy.
Alba is what happens to people, when talking nice doesn't work.
Thus, she trails behind the Explorers' delegation skull-mask swinging slowly back and forth to regard the creatures who see the group as such interesting viewing, occasionally seeming to stutter jerkily forward as she walks, as if time's grasp upon her person is prone to slipping.
Clearly nothing bad can possibly come of her involvement, here.
Rhar has arrived.
Seyardu was not particularly the best with dealing with the fey, but it was still talking to people, so hopefully she could at least provide some service. Failing that, it didn't hurt to have someone capable of stitching people back together in an emergency, and fey were certainly noteworthy for their fickleness. If not the one they sought, then any who may disprove of their presence nearby.
The silver makari was busy adjusting her robes as she arrived, taking a look around. "If everyone is here, I am ready to depart with everyone." They state with a bow back. Please lead the way, madam."
Lords. Ladies. Leprechauns. All that's missing are lupines! Which is when Rhar comes in. And Gurr, since the big old wolf is usually acting as Rhar's bottom sets of paws. Someone asked for help, so they're here. She waves a paw and looks around, while Gurr at least stands up straight in a more properly majestic and regal posture. He -is- noble, afterall.
The dapper leprechaun -- because of -course- that's what he is -- gallantly takes Cor'lana's arm, escorting her. "Ah, and I can see you're almost kin to us! A pleasure, to be sure, milady." Walking the group under the pavilion.
Beneath, a well crafted wooden table is set up, with chairs placed around it wrought of fine wood and deer antlers. An earthenware ewer of water sits in the center, along with several clay cups. More fey beings watch you as you approach, but the center of attention is the tiny two-foot-tall person seated at the head of the table in a chair less like a throne and more like a solid bit of carpentry. He looks like he was woven from cornhusks, and his broad brimmed hat is tipped back to reveal large, intelligent eyes set in a noseless face with a wide mouth. By the chair is a heavy basket, crammed full of -- ears of corn?
The fey creature smiles, and speaks in an odd twang, reminiscent of the Alexandros heartland, an accent akin to many farmers there. "Greetings, friends! I am called the Lord of Ears, and I seek mortal aid."
Cor'lana... was not quite expecting this. But then again, her grandfather's kin come in all shapes and sizes. That's why she plasters a happy smile on her face and curtsies before the Lord of Ears, followed by the brush of fingers against the curuchuil mark on her chest.
"I greet you, O Lord of Ears. I am called Cor'lana Lupecyll-Atlon. I am the child of Alud'rigan, the Feathered One, and it is a joyous occasion to meet another of my beloved ancestor's kin." The melodious words of the fey tongue flow freely and easily from her lips, before she switches to Tradespeak. "It is fortunate then that we meet, for I have traveled all this way with my cohorts to hear you and bring you aid. Please give us all details, O Lord, so that we may assist you better."
One does not insult one's hosts, by looking down upon them. One recognizes when one is in the territory of a greater power, and continue to exist there only on the suffrage of the host. These are truisms that Alba deploys without hesitation when called upon by the extremely occasional draconic power, and so she believes they shall serve similarly well in this place. As the group are led to the table, she positions herself such that she may watch, as the adventurers are watched in turn. Feet not quite touching the ground, hands held neutrally above her navel, mask slowly tracking the gathered ones, as if to make a statement of her own; trust is given freely, so long as it is returned in kind.
Cor'lana's poetic overtures go largely unheeded, the sylvan barbarbar of a tongue she has never known. When she switches to Trade, however, the witch's mask orients on the sorceress, nodding once in agreement that they are here to answer the call for aid.
Gurrtholamew Wolfington III lowers his shoulds and dips his head in a proper (at least for a very large wolf) gesture of respect to their host. Rhar takes this as a signal to dismount and scampers down his head to hop onto the table. "Hi!" She waves before moving to the big water bowl on the table. "Thanks! Thirsty walk!" Besides, isn't it rude to not accept hospital-hospice-the nice food stuff people offer when you visit them?
She puts her face in the bowl to lap up a few mouthfuls of water before she stops and looks up. "Wait. You don't -take- ears, do you?" Her paws go up to cover the sides of her hair. Then she starts drinking s'more.
Seyardu follows the others into the pavilion, letting others take the front while she looked at the gathering which had been set up. It was better to defer to those more experienced in dealing with fey. Still, it was difficult to had any genuine curiosity at where they found themselves. "It is good to meet you Lord of Ears, and I offer my own greetings as well." The makari answers with another bow. "If your cause is just and your request for aid is fair, I will do what I can to provide such aid as is needed."
The Lord of Ears seems quite pleased, his eyes lighting up as he regards Cor'lana. "Ah, someone who speaks the First Tongue! And who bears the mark of a Lord! You honor my humble residence here, milady." Deftly, the tiny little man steps from his chair to the tabletop, minimizing some of the height difference. "To business, then!"
"It is not our way to refuse hospitality, save to those who have abused it. The quickling known as Knives-in-Tatters came to us, seeking a place to rest." The Lord of Ears makes a face. "I should have known better, but such is life. He stole something dear of mine, a fiddle I have kept for six hundred harvest seasons, and fled. My lieges gave chase, but they aren't called 'quicklings' for naught."
The Lord of Ears lays a finger along his cheek, eyes glinting. "However, he may have slipped away from the corn-stands which serve as my eyes and ears. But that fiddle calls as loudly as any birdsong or beast-call, to those who can hear it. And he cannot run forever. I sent a messenger to the water-nymphs of the Reveille, a river which flows west of here, and it is now running bank-full. He is tired, hungry, and cannot cross."
"However, he has made his way to a place which was tainted by the invasion of Heth, and has not yet become unstained. I dare not send my children or lieges there, and I cannot go myself. To fall there would be a fate worse than mere death or even nonexistence, for fey. But you, now... you fear no monstrous dead. Mortals turned back Heth, and I respect that. So, an offer: return to me the fiddle, and I put myself, and my lieges -- my brownies and domovoi, my kami and leprechauns -- at the service of the farmers sorely wounded by events."
"I see," Cor'lana replies with a solid nod. "We will find this Knives-in-Tatters. The nymphs to the west--will we have to speak with them in order to pass safely to this place where our quarry is in hiding? For it is true, we mortals do not fear the undead, and I myself stood in the events that turned back Heth. We will satisfy this deal, O Lord."
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Nature: (13)+17: 30
'Quickling.' A moment's search of her memory, and Alba's mouth turns into a smile that might faintly echo that of a redcap. "Hhhehhhhh," she breathes, hair rippling in a single wave from crown to tips. "An amusing hunt this shall be, then. Does the Lord desire our quarry returned alive for judgment?"
Fae may be a hassle, but a poor guest is a poor guest, and *everyone knows* what happens when you steal from someone who offered kindness.
"Someone stole from you? That is unfortunate, and I do hope that such a breach of trust and kindness will not stop you from rendering aid to others in the future." The cleric notes with a small shake of their head. "We will do what we can to find them and bring them to justice, hopefully without loss of life."
"Your aid would be appreciated, but do make sure that such aid will not cause undue stress upon your own lands either, Lord."
The Lord of Ears places his hand down on the table. "Bargained well and done, friends!" There's a thrum in the air, the oath sealed. He reaches into his basket, and removes a small stone on a string. "Take this, it will lead you to the fiddle. Do not tarry in that place. As for Knives-In-Tatters... do what you will or must to retrieve the fiddle. I care not for him."
Clearly the Lord of Ears is less concerned about the quickling than he is about the fiddle. The stone on the string is given to Cor'lana, and it feels... odd. Like it's tugging her hand gently in a specific direction, to draw her along the way as you depart.
The sky grows overcast as you approach the Reveille river and the landscape is far less pleasant now -- what the Lord of Ears called the taint of Heth is obvious here, from dead plants and trees and a total lack of wildlife. Beyond, you can see a river running fierce and wild, and at the banks tiny shoots of green are spreading -- clearly the river-nymphs have been working their end of the problem, pushing new life into the desiccated soil. But there's definitely still a lot to be done. By the edge of the river, you can see a small, elflike fellow a little ways off, leaning with his hands on his knees, a large pack slung over his back and his clothes looking ragged. He glances up, and scowls at you. "Piss off, mortals, I'm -busy-!"
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls talk+fey: aliased to Diplomacy+3+3+4: (5)+24+3+3+4: 39
Cor'lana is no mere mortal.
She murmurs a protective word over herself, a spell to keep herself protected. Normally she'd keep to the back. Instead, she strides forward, carefully, _carefully_, as this landscape is treacherous.
"Tidings from the blood of Alud'rigan, the Feathered One," Cor'lana says in her grandfather's tongue, honed like a native speaker. "I am here on behalf of the Lord of Ears to reclaim what is his, and I request it now on the measure of peace, so that you do not lift arms against me nor my allies. All we desire is the fiddle; and you may go about on your way and ours on our way." <Sylvan>
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 14 DC: 18
The taint of Heth's passing upon the earth is vile, and uncomfortable... But it is not Alba's quarry. When they come upon the banks of the river, the witch rises from the ground, taking a position to Cor'lana's right as she makes her bloodless appeal. While she has a fair idea that the offer will fall on deaf ears... It may not hurt to display the price of refusal.
And a Witch who can scorn gravity can loom very large indeed.
GAME: Seyardu rolls diplomacy: (17)+25: 42
Seyardu was already slow to travel, but seeing the results of the undead that rampaged through the area is more than enough to give the silver makari pause. "When this is done, we should return to provide some aid. It should not remain dead for so long, dark magics or blights still poison the land." They state. But that business was left aside as they find their quarry. "You must forgive our intrusion, but we can not leave, nor do we wish to do so. We are here to make a theft right, and give you a chance to right it yourself. If you simply leave the fiddle with us, you may be on your way."
And they're off to find a fey fiddle! Quickly from from quickling. Rhar liked the water, liked the lord, and its not right to steal other people's fiddles. Even if she's not sure what a fiddle is.
She and Gurr, both, enjoy the trip... until they get to all the dead parts, that is. Of course, the water seems to helping! It's good for everything. (That's why they drank extra at the Ear-Lord's table!).
Except it's not helping the feollow with the ragged clothes and big pack. Rhar sniffs at him and asks, "do you have a fiddle?"
The ragged-looking quickling looks tired. Evidently he's not well liked and -nobody- has been willing to help a thief. He glares at the heroines, then his eyes drop. "Don't you get it? It's got power, I can.. it can..."
He pauses suddenly, looking down. Looking at the earth between him and them. "...Oh no. I shouldn't... I shouldn've come here." There's a rumbling beneath the earth -- some slumbering darkness, roused -- by the quickling, by the fiddle, by the living, who knows? But the fey thief has enough time to say, "Oh, sh--"
And then a monstrous, huge skeletal hand punches out of the ground. A skeleton, but sized like nothing else, smashes its way free of the sod and turf, thirty feet tall with a blazing, -hungry- light in its empty sockets. From two dead trees, one to either side, the trunks split open to release spindly-limbed horrors with paper-white skin and jutting fangs. A hollow moan comes from their lips, their eyes empty and cold.
And at that point, the quickling throws himself prone, disappearing from sight.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ATTENTION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Telamon has dropped a TIMESTOP!
Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for Telamon to instruct you further. You may earn RPP by logging a scene for a GM.
For in-combat commands, type: +thelp.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 25.
It is now Rhar's turn! GiantSkelly is next!
GAME: Rhar rolls fort: (4)+17: 21
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d20+13: (17)+13: 30
GAME: Rhar rolls fort: (18)+17: 35
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 23.
It is now GiantSkelly's turn! Alba is next!
GAME: Alba rolls fortitude: (9)+8: 17
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Fortitude: (19)+8: 27
Rhar blinks at the sudden emergence of "Bad thing! Bad thing!" She even points them out helpfully! First with a finger, then with her sharp stick after she pulls in out. "No let them stay bad! Pack stop them!" She and Gurr surge forward towards the giant bony thing with the shiny eyes.
GAME: Seyardu rolls fortitude: (14)+14: 28
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+23: (6)+23: 29
The gigantic skeleton moves forward, the only sound it makes that of its huge bones scraping together. A miasma of hunger, of starvation, hangs around it, clinging to Alba most of all. It raises a huge skeletal hand, and the fist slams down into the earth next to Gurr and Rhar, leaving a nice sized crater but missing the plucky cavalier.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 23.
It is now Alba's turn! EvilSkull is next!
GAME: Alba casts Volcanic Storm. Caster Level: 12 DC: 19
GAME: Alba rolls 5d6: (19): 19
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6: (7): 7
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 16.
It is now EvilSkull's turn! EvilElf is next!
As the titanic bonemass lurches from the ground and to its feet, Alba roars over the tearing of earth and stone. "YES! YOU SHOULD *NOT* HAVE COME HERE! HERE, YET, WE ARE!"
And then the Veyshanti is struck with a crippling, fatiguing hunger and thirst... But she only stands up straighter, despite the gnawing of belly and cracked lips. "Think you I know not hunger, creature?! Think you I know not thirst?! I HAVE SURVIVED THE SANDSEA'S RAGE, FELL MAGICKS CANNOT EVEN *ECHO* ITS RELENTLESS DEVOURING!"
Sickly green-black power drips from clawlike hands, which she thrusts overhead. "COME, VEYSHAN! SHOW THE DEAD WHAT IT MEANS TO FEAST ON ASHES!"
From far away, there is a distant *foom* more felt than heard, and within moments the skeleton is bombarded with a rain of sulfurous rock and soot.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 14.
It is now EvilElf's turn! Ravenstongue is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (10)+19: 29
The spindly-looking monsters charge forward from the trees they were hiding in. Their gaunt limbs carry them on, and horrible staring eyes lock onto the heroines intruding on their resting place. Claws tear at the dead turf, as one rushes towards Cor'lana and Seyardu, while the other launches itself at Rhar, fists clenched, only to miss its swing by a narrow margin.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 11.
It is now Ravenstongue's turn! Seyardu is next!
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Shield/Quicken. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Haste. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 11.
It is now Seyardu's turn! Rhar is next!
"Well, here it goes, then," Cor'lana murmurs. The first of her incantations is to shield herself even further with a flicker of protective magic, followed by an incantation of quickening magic that washes over herself and her allies.
"Take my boon and bring them down!" she calls out to her allies, booking it over for cover elsewhere. She doesn't like the look of those enemies, and neither does Pothy, who looms on her shoulder at them menacingly. (Or, well, he's trying.)
GAME: Seyardu rolls knowledge/religion: (13)+9: 22
GAME: Seyardu casts Death Ward. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 25.
It is now Rhar's turn! GiantSkelly is next!
GAME: Rhar spends ONE use of CHALLENGE +4.
Seyardu was and was not expecting undead in such an area, but such inopportune timing was still unfortunate. The small makari growled and brandished their polearm as they ran up to one of the undead, one hand brandishing their holy symbol with a short prayer. "Be wary! They may look like simple undead, but do not underestimate the small ones!" She shouts over the din of the combat. "They are akin to vampires, and must be treated with all the due caution of one."
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1: (13)+20+1: 34
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1: (13)+20+1: 34
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1-5: (20)+20+1+-5: 36 (THREAT)
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1-5: (4)+20+1+-5: 20
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1-10: (10)+20+1+-10: 21
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+cavalier: aliased to 1d4+5+cavalier: (1)+5+14: 20
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+cavalier: aliased to 1d4+5+cavalier: (4)+5+14: 23
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+cavalier: aliased to 1d4+5+cavalier: (2)+5+14: 21
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d6: (5): 5
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d6: (1): 1
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d6: (4): 4
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+1: (7)+15+1: 23
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+1: (12)+15+1: 28
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+1: (13)+15+1: 29
GAME: Rhar rolls gurr damage: aliased to 1d8+10: (5)+10: 15
"Rhar!" she introduces herself. "Big bones go 'way! Or be chewed!" Rhar doesn't have the chompers to really chew on it, so sheswings at its toes with her little sharp stick, instead. Gurr, though, has the chompers, and helps by trying to chew on its legs.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 23.
It is now GiantSkelly's turn! Alba is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+23: (20)+23: 43
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+23: (8)+23: 31
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+23: (5)+23: 28
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+22: (2)+22: 24
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6+10: (5)+10: 15
The gigantic skeleton looks almost bewildered as the diminutive (to it) cavalier begins tearing into its bony legs. Savagely it leans down, swinging its great hands at Rhar to try and swat her off Gurr -- but only one swing connects, glancing bruisingly against her but not dealing near as much damage as it could've. The skull's teeth snap a foot away from her head, and the eyes blaze with unnatural hunger.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 23.
It is now Alba's turn! EvilSkull is next!
GAME: Alba casts Lightning Bolt. Caster Level: 12 DC: 18
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+6: (2)+6: 8
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+10: (17)+10: 27
GAME: Alba rolls 10d6: (42): 42
Seyarduppl
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6: (7): 7
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 16.
It is now EvilSkull's turn! EvilElf is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d2: (2): 2
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (16)+19: 35
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (7)+19: 26
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6+9+2d6+9: (5)+9+(9)+9: 32
With the battle joined in earnest, Alba wheels to one side, scraping her adamantine claws against a chunk of flint, drawing actinic sparks... That are scraped from the air, used to draw a sketchy, mind-twisting hexagram in the sky. Bare fingers grasp the sigil in the symbol's center, and haul back--
--and when released, lightning pierces the very air between herself and the great monster. And to a lesser exten, the undead shambling toward the casters.
The unholy monster leers, baring fangs as it stalks toward Alba and Seyardu. It feints briefly at Alba, before lunging at Seyardu, clawing savagely at the makari priestess and drawing blood as it lets out a dull, moaning snarl. Hungry for more, as it flails at her.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 14.
It is now EvilElf's turn! Ravenstongue is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (16)+19: 35
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (13)+19: 32
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6+9: (11)+9: 20
The other undead lunges forward, hungry for Rhar even if she's small and hard to grab. The first claw strike hisses past, but the second bites into the lucht's thing, drawing blood and an appreciating moan from the monstrous thing as it licks its pallid lips.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 11.
It is now Ravenstongue's turn! Seyardu is next!
GAME: Ravenstongue casts True Strike/Quicken. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Disintegrate. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged+20: (8)+9+20: 37
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+13: (2)+13: 15
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 28d6: (106): 106
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 11.
It is now Seyardu's turn! Rhar is next!
GAME: Seyardu casts Archon's Trumpet. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23
_Vampire_. It's a dark and vicious word. One that Cor'lana's heard far too much of lately.
"You will not be suffered to walk this earth," Cor'lana mutters from afar. That's a promise and a threat, the kind that can only come from a child of the Feathered One when she's made up her mind on destruction and death. For that moment in time, she focuses on the Unseelie blood within her.
First she murmurs an incantation to lock onto the undead assaulting Rhar. "May my strike ring true."
Then she murmurs a second incantation, this one tapping fully into the thing before her, the shambling creature that ought to be put back into the proper order of things. Her violet eyes are bright and glow with one intention:
"UNMAKE."
The green ray fires from her finger and it finds its mark. The walking corpse takes a grievous blow, but it still walks. For now.
GAME: Seyardu casts Righteous Might. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 25.
It is now Rhar's turn! GiantSkelly is next!
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1: (11)+20+1: 32
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1: (16)+20+1: 37 (THREAT)
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1: (19)+20+1: 40 (THREAT)
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1-5: (9)+20+1+-5: 25
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1-10: (14)+20+1+-10: 25
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+cavalier: aliased to 1d4+5+cavalier: (4)+5+14: 23
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+cavalier+damage6+cavalier: aliased to 1d4+5+cavalier+1d4+5+cavalier: (1)+5+14+(4)+5+14: 43
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d6: (3): 3
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d6: (3): 3
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+5: (16)+15+5: 36
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+5: (14)+15+5: 34
Seyardu was left with a few nasty wounds from the undead, but nothing that couldn't be powered through for the time being. The small makari raised one hand as they stepped back with their holy symbol, and another prayer was offered, causing the makari to grow much, much larger, easily towering over the nachzehrer, but still not the the degree of the massive skeleton.
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+5-5: (19)+15+5+-5: 34
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d8+10: (6)+10: 16
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d8+10: (8)+10: 18
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d8+10: (5)+10: 15
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 23.
It is now Alba's turn! EvilSkull is next!
Now there are two of them! Well, two clawing or biting at Rhar! "Ow! Rhar need that!" Though hopefully not -too- much, as it gets bit into. Hard. But that's the little one. The bigger ones are always badder. They also fall harder! "No. Hurt. Pack!" She growls at it as she continues to whittle away at its toes. This is enough to make it unbalanced and give Gurr a good opportunity to lunge for the the tibia!
Leg bone's connected to the -nope, not anymore. Gurr chomps, yanks, and claims his due! Without enough of a leg to hold it up (and no meaty bits to hold it together) Mr. Big Boney Face collapses down into a pile of bones.
Minus Gurr's, of course.
GAME: Alba casts Cone of Cold. Caster Level: 12 DC: 20
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+10: (13)+10: 23
GAME: Alba rolls 12d6: (41): 41
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 16.
It is now EvilSkull's turn! EvilElf is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (15)+19: 34
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d8+9: (6)+9: 15
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (16)+19: 35
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (11)+19: 30
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6+9+2d6+9: (10)+9+(2)+9: 30
Loosing a raw-throated cry of victory as the greater skeleton falls to pieces, Alba slips backward in place, extracting from her many pouches, a sprig of mint coated in a yellow, crystalline ice-like shell. Bringing it to her mouth, she chomps down, shattering the object, and inhales deeply.
The wind that blows from her mouth is enough to flash-grow frost in a wide swath ahead of her, sending frozen and snapped blades of grass skirling toward the river.
The cold bites into the undead, but seems to ravage it, far less than the landscape.
GAME: Alba rolls will: (9)+13: 22
Despite the chilling frost, the undead abomination seems undeterred. Stalking forward, it slams a fist into Alba, yielding a scream of terror, before whirling on Seyardu again. Another rain of claws, drawing blood, a horrible giggle coming from the monster.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 14.
It is now EvilElf's turn! Ravenstongue is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+23: (6)+23: 29
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1+4: (18)+20+1+4: 43 (THREAT)
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+1+4: (12)+20+1+4: 37
GAME: Rhar rolls companionmelee+1+4: (3)+15+1+4: 23
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+damage6: aliased to 1d4+5+1d4+5: (3)+5+(1)+5: 14
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d6: (4): 4
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (8)+19: 27
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d8+9: (7)+9: 16
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (16)+15: 31
The second creature staggers, severely damaged, though its flesh is starting to knit back together. It whirls, Rhar's blow glancing off it, and it charges Cor'lana... crossing the distance and striking her with a bony fist, filling her mind with horrific imagery as it hisses in rage at her.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 11.
It is now Ravenstongue's turn! Seyardu is next!
GAME: Ravenstongue casts True Strike/Quicken. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Disintegrate. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged+20-2: (11)+9+20+-2: 38
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+13: (6)+13: 19
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 28d6: (97): 97
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 11.
It is now Seyardu's turn! Rhar is next!
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+2+1+6+1+10: (10)+2+1+6+1+10: 30
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+2+1+6+1+10: (17)+2+1+6+1+10: 37
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+2+1+6+1+5: (16)+2+1+6+1+5: 31
GAME: Seyardu rolls 2d6+7+1+2: (7)+7+1+2: 17
GAME: Seyardu rolls 2d6+7+1+2: (10)+7+1+2: 20
GAME: Seyardu rolls 2d6+7+1+2: (9)+7+1+2: 19
As this creature charges at Cor'lana and tears at her, Cor'lana realizes something awful. Her violet eyes are wide with fear, a fresh bloom of crimson running down her arm from where the creature tore at her.
"You were once kin," she says. "But Heth took you for His own. And I will return you."
That is a gentle promise. One that she follows up on by stepping backward to give herself distance between the creature and herself. She promised to give it an end. And while that promise hasn't held true for all of the people that she promised to give an end--
It will this time.
The incantation to strike true falls from her lips. The incantation to unravel and unmake follows in the breath that she steals from time. The ray fires from her hand and into this creature.
It disintegrates into naught but ash. The Feathered One's child stands tall, panting, gathering herself. A victor but for the moment, at least in this.
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 25.
It is now Rhar's turn! Alba is next!
Seyardu, now much larger than before, brings up their polearm, and smashes it into the undead. And again, and again, finding the flesh much more unyielding than it should be. "Alba, get behind me, I will heal you when able." The cleric shouts as they gather themselves.
GAME: Rhar rolls weapon6+2: (13)+20+2: 35
GAME: Rhar rolls damage6+1d6 frost: aliased to 1d4+5+1d6 frost: (3)+5+(4 frost): 12
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 23.
It is now Alba's turn! EvilSkull is next!
With one toppled and the other running away to be discombobulated, that leave one still threatening the pack! Gurr bounds towards the evil little bony thing so Rhar can hit it in the back with her sharp stick. This doesn't do much, even as she demands, "No hurt pack!"
Except, it also brings her back near most of the pack. For them, she calls, "Stay close! Rhar, Gurr protect!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (4)+19: 23
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6+9: (11)+9: 20
GAME: Rhar rolls 1d20: (2): 2
GAME: Alba rolls ranged-1: (11)+10+-1: 20
GAME: Alba rolls 6d6: (21): 21
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 16.
It is now EvilSkull's turn! Ravenstongue is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (9)+19: 28
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (2)+19: 21
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d6+9: (12)+9: 21
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+19: (5)+19: 24
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 11.
It is now Ravenstongue's turn! Seyardu is next!
One may hate the brood of Heth, and one may fight to spite all that make the dead to walk, but one would be a fool to ignore the calls for one's own protection. And Alba is many things, but never a fool. Wheeling away from the undead horror, she looses a short bark of cackling laughter as its oncoming attack is turned aside by the majestic wolf and his rider, and positions Seyardu between herself and the monster. Never one to give up an opportunity to deal some pain, however, she makes one last move to hurt the creature.
The irregular, angular golden spikes affixed to the crown of her skull mask begin to glow -- dimly at first, but soon bright as the noonday sun -- the light gathers into the central spike, then lashes out in a savage ray of purest daylight, drilling a neat hole through the undead monster's sternum.
The thing SCREECHES in pain as Alba lashes it with a blast of searing light, its pallid skin blackening and charring, leaving a smoking hole that puffs out some acrid smoke. Wildly, it lashes out in all directions -- claws cutting into Seyardu again, a clenched fist whistling past Rhar's face, as its lips are drawn back in madness and fury.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Plane Shift. Caster Level: 14 DC: 24
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Hold Monster. Caster Level: 14 DC: 24
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+13: (9)+13: 22
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 11.
It is now Seyardu's turn! Rhar is next!
GAME: Seyardu rolls 7d6: (30): 30
GAME: Seyardu rolls 7d6: (23): 23
Cor'lana has a special tool for just this purpose. No longer will the undead be free from her specialty. No longer are they safe. The threnodic rod in her hand, purchased from her sister-by-bond, provides the path forward.
She raises it. "HOLD," comes one single magic word, and she stops the creature in its path. Allowing her allies to finish this battle.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+17: (8)+17: 25
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+17: (12)+17: 29
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 25.
It is now Rhar's turn! Alba is next!
With the undead proving resistant to physical blows, Seyardu takes a different approach, and instead holds aloft their holy symbol, sending a crippling wave of holy energy, yet still the creature stood, proving surprisingly resilient to the magic.
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 23.
It is now Alba's turn! EvilSkull is next!
Rhar can't seem to hurt this one much, but that doesn't mean the pack can't! "Go for belly! go for throat! Get the bad one good!" Her round stick stays lifted and ready, just in case, as she moves over to Seyardu.
GAME: Alba rolls finesse+5-1+2: (8)+10+5+-1+2: 24
GAME: Alba rolls 1d6+1+1d6: (3)+1+(2): 6
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 16.
It is now EvilSkull's turn! Ravenstongue is next!
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+13: (1)+13: 14 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 11.
It is now Ravenstongue's turn! Seyardu is next!
Blood singing at the exhortation, Alba swoops toward the paralyzed monster, swiping down across its face with wicked adamantine talons. Alas, no bone was cracked, not flesh split.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Dimension Door. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Magic Missile/Quicken. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 5d4+5: (11)+5: 16
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 11.
It is now Seyardu's turn! Rhar is next!
GAME: Seyardu rolls 1d20+10: (18)+10: 28
GAME: Seyardu casts Searing Light. Caster Level: 14 DC: 19
GAME: Seyardu rolls 10d6: (37): 37
Seeing that the creature still isn't down, Cor'lana continues in her efforts. "Alright then," she murmurs, and--
_Woosh_. She steps in and out of thin air with the aid of a spectral door, throwing magic darts on her way out at the creature. It's a small amount of damage, but she's in position to do more in a moment if needed.
GAME: Seyardu rolls 7d6: (22): 22
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+17: (12)+17: 29
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Six - Init 25.
It is now Rhar's turn! Alba is next!
GAME: Telamon advances the initiative order.
Round Six - Init 23.
It is now Alba's turn! EvilSkull is next!
Seyardu, seeing the undead still refusing to fall, growls quietly to herself. Still, with it held soundly in place, it makes it easy even for her to summon a ray of sunlight in her hand, searing the creature badly, accompanied by another emanation of holy magic unweaving the magic of undeath in the area.
GAME: Alba casts Hellmouth Lash. Caster Level: 12 DC: 19
GAME: Alba rolls finesse+5-1: (8)+10+5+-1: 22
GAME: Alba rolls 5d8: (27): 27
Alba is clearly getting more and more frustrated. How could one small creature be more durable than such a gargantual mass of bone!
As strike after strike lands without ending in death, the Witch rears back, loosing a high, spiraling shriek of fury... And then her jaw continues to distend, until her mouth is twice as open as biology would imagine it can be. A long, thrashing line of fire whips from her mouth, curling around the monster's head. And with a finnal, ragged scream, Alba whips her head back, tightening the fiery coils, crushing and burning until only a blackened stump of a neck remains.
GAME: Telamon removes the timestop.
Timestop by Telamon has left.
Once the undead are purged and slain, the quickling reappears at the riverbank where he has crawled. Trembling from exhaustion and hunger, he stares up at you in fear, frustration, anger... Knives-In-Tatters knows he's out of luck. "Please," he whispers. "Just leave me some food and water. You can have the damn fiddle." He pushes the sack to you, weakly.
With the fiddle reclaimed, the little group returns to the Lord of Ears, who bounces onto the table again, dancing a merry jig at the sight of you. "You have it! And I am a fey of my word, ladies. I will send my friends forth -- we will do what we can, to lighten the farmers' burdens and increase their harvests, so none might go hungry this winter. You have my respect, and my gratitude."
Upon being given the fiddle, he checks the strings, tightens one, and then sets the bow to it. The music that comes forth is pleasant, a happy sprightly tune, one a farmer might play when the chores are done and it's time to relax. Something about being a country boy at heart -- and perhaps that's the truth about the Lord of Ears, for all his power. He really isn't that much different from a mortal farmer.