[Game Thread] Chapter One: Awakenings..

[Elwen]

In what seems like a heartbeat chaos breaks loose. From the dagger flying free to an explosion of flames, the dark robed figures soon lose their pets. This does not stop the formidable zealots, and within moments they've surrounded and cut poor Saranya down. With their sights now set on the stalwart Ingus, things are beginning to look grim.

for girlplay Your friends are dying...but you can save them.. That voice in your head returns.

Round 1 Summary Nimlos deals 21 damage to Starving Dog 3, killing it. Gwenn fails to activate her Avenger powers. Saranya rushes forward but misses her attack. C'laak hits the second darkblade for 12 damage. The blast then spreads to deal 3 damage to the halberd wielder, 1 damage to the first darkblade, and kills both surviving dogs. The first of the darkblades flanks Saranya and deals her 13 damage. Saranya punishes his movement with an opportunity attack for 6 damage. Ingus punishes him for the cheap shot, smacking him for 16 damage. The darkblade is bloodied. The second darkblade hits Saranya for 10 damage, dropping her. The halberdier moves south and hits Ingus for 12 damage. Ingus stays on his feet.

[Nimlos]

Blinking in amazement and shock, she finds herself staring at the battle as it erupts into a few brief moments of chaos. The knife throw that killed the dog was only the beginning - and then it got strange. Flames erupt suddenly around one of the robed psychopaths that's attacking them. That Saranya girl runs forward and swings ... and misses ... and she gasps at the sight of the wound the girl receives. Anger starts to bubble up in her, her eyes narrow and she finds herself clenching the hilt of the dagger in her right hand. Ingus is running forward too, but he can't save her ... another cut and she falls to the ground.

Her anger doubles, and she starts forward without thinking. Not thinking of what she'll do when she gets there, or even why she'd feel quite this much fury over someone she's just met ... except that Saranya's another real person marooned in this place. That's enough, isn't it?

Snatching another dagger from its sheath as she moves, she races directly to the fallen woman, standing over her and facing the one who first struck Saranya, her face red and teeth clenched.

"Get the hell away from her, you son of a bitch," she hisses at him. She's not even thinking of what she's doing as she feints at him with her left hand and abruptly pivots, turning to face away from him as she drops into a crouch, bringing her right hand up as she does, aiming the dagger for his heart. Anxious to protect Saranya, it's actually the woman's presence that ruins things, as the heel of her right foot hangs on the unconscious woman's arm, throwing off her attack, her balance and threatening to drop her to the ground.

She barely recovers, a sense of panic running through her as - through her anger - she starts to realize her situation. Two conflicting instincts for what to do next crash headlong into each other, body and mind struggling against themselves. Her second, panicked thrust with a dagger is no less pathetic than the first, and she finds herself pinned between two enemies, both much larger, both armed, both in a perfect position to strike.

"Oh, crap," she whispers to herself.

 

Move action: Go to L7, draw another dagger while moving.
Standard action: Opening Move Encounter Power: 10/17 (natural 1).
Free action: Use action point.
Standard action: Trick Strike daily power: 11/20 (natural 2).

Someone come save my bacon, please.

[girlplay]

It was all happening so fast! Sword thrust and hammer swings and fireworks... and already Saranya was down on the ground, and who knew how bad. Wasn't she/he the doctor? Then the EMT, Ingus was already wounded and Tali was in a mob of enemies. Gwenh shook her head. "What? No!" she said aloud. She turned to C'laak, whose name she could not remember right off hand and in the heat of battle. "We have to help them!" It was probably unnessary as it seemed the dragon-inside-him man was doing his fair share of helping. Gwenn wasn't.

So what do I have to do? You have to agree to enter my service and I shall gift you with abilities to help your friends. Once we are bonded, you shall know power... power to make a difference. Or you can just watch them die... Wait, don't leave again. I... don't want them to die. Then do what I say. I'll show you how you can help.

Now move to your right and get an angle on that one between the Dwarf and the girl. With only a slight hesitation, Gwenn Pryce moved towards the graveyard. As she did, her silhouette began to shimmer and blur. Good. Now focus the rod at the enemy. Do you want him to die for the pain he's causing? She felt the anger stirring inside her - he may have already killed Saranya and Ingus or Tali were probably next. He attacked with lethal force and without cause, chasing them down with dogs and hacking with swords. Yes, she wanted them dead so that they could not hurt them any more.

Then we put a hex on him... She felt the hateful energy focus and extend out at the enemy. Now, kill him! For a moment, it felt like every muscle in her body was tightening as her hatred formed into a tangible energy. It concentrated in her chest and then burst out through her arm, through the rod, into a bolt of pure, crackling energy headed towards the cursed darkblade.

 

Move Action: Move to N16. Since she moved 3 squares, she gains concealment due to Shadow Walk.
Minor Action: Place Warlock's Curse on bloodied Darkblade.
Standard Action: Cast Eldritch Blast at bloodied Darkblade. Result: 19 vs. Reflex for 9 total damage

[Olorian]

All of a sudden Saranya finds herself facing 2 hungry dogs and three strange robed men with the cruelest of intentions. Her instinctive swing goes all wrong... apparently using the morningstar didn't come as natural as she had jokingly hoped, a short while ago. A firm jab from one of the black men slices through a gap in the chainmail, in her side underneath the arm. The experience is excruciatingly painful, nothing like she has ever experienced before. Holy **** that hurts! This is NOT supposed to happen, even in bad dreams. This blood... so warm and plenty. This can't be good. A reflexive movement backhands the morningstar against a passing robe, scratching the owner with the spikes on the weapon's ball. It is not enough. This guy's sword stabs her leg, right underneath the chainmail top. So much for armor... MAN! This sucks! This... and thoughts are removed from her head before she's able to think them, as she slumps to the floor. What happens next is blackness to the man in the woman's body, who is shipwrecked in some twisted fantasy world. From far away, a female voice calls out to her attackers, before it drifts away again. Saranya slowly but surely gets closer to death. Blood gushes from the two stab wounds, coloring the patch of ground scarlet.

 

Failed the first one. Ps I don't mind you rolling my OAs either.

[Elwen]

The crackling, eldritch energy crashes into the back of the black robed human, causing him to stumble under the force. He manages to stay standing, though from all the punishment he's received, it seems he is only holding together by force of will.

[clark352]

C'laak wipes the sweat from his brow. "Did.....did he just DIE?" He shouts to no one in particular. oh sh*t, sh*t,sh*t...I gotta do something....

C'laak once again calls upon the energy in him and hurls a ball of acidic death towards the balck robed man. It's fury and destruction will not be denied. As it flies well over the man's head and into the sky.

 

Acid orb missed badly!

[Elwen]

As the blob of acid goes flying harmlessly over head, its intended target laughs madly, his obsidian blade glinting in the twilight before he stabs the dwarf brutally across the torso.

OODM Darkblade 1 gets a critical hit against Ingus, deals 12 damage. Ingus is bloodied.

[Zeppo007]

Ingus is pissed. First that guy with the axe on a pole tried to trip him and gave him a nasty cut. Then the hooded guy with the glass knife had given him another nasty cut. The pain wasn't too bad though. He gave himself a moment and concentrated on shutting the pain away in a little dark room at the back of his mind. The bleeding wasn't too bad and could wait.

Next he checked on his companions. Saranya was down and didn't seem to be doing well at all. The others didn't seem to be injured, but Tali could be in trouble if they didn't take care of some of these guys quick.

Ingus takes a mighty swing at the hooded figure with sword, but he hit nothing but air. Frustrated the dwarf takes a guarded step back before charging full bore towards the guy who seems like he leads the group. He strikes out with his fist as he passes the darkblade with the sword. His hammer misses again, but at least he's up in the leader's face. "You've got me to deal with now, princess!

Mechanics Minor: Second Wind +7 HP and +2 to all defenses Standard Action: Wicked Strike 11vs16-AC Miss Move: Shift to Square N10 Action point: Punishing Charge to square N8 10vs18-AC Miss provoke OA from hooded sword weilder he takes 3 damage if he takes it.

[Elwen]

The hooded figure easily moves out of the way of Ingus's slow weapon, as does the man with the halberd. Wounded man's attack as the dwarf comes charging by falls short, and he receives a punch to the side of the head for his troubles that almost knocks him off his feet. With the dwarf so close, the halberd wielder awkwardly readjusts his polearm for another swing but is unable to penetrate the dwarf's armor this time.

The northern figure has much more success, giving Tali a wicked cut across her side. Surrounded as she is, he is able to find an exposed vital area, adding a little extra pain to the attack that he seems to relish.

OODM Round 2 summary: Tali misses, spends an action point, misses again. Gains +6 to defenses for the round. Gwenn hits the wounded darkblade for 9 damage. She gains concealment until her next turn. Saranya fails her first death saving throw, 2 left. C'laak misses with his acid orb. Bloodied darkblade deals 12 damage to Ingus. Ingus takes a second wind, misses the bloodied document, spends an action point to charge the halberd user and misses him too. Darkblade misses his OA and takes 3 damage. Other darkblade hits Tali for 12 damage. Halberd user misses Ingus. Here's hoping for some luckier dice in Round 3!

[Nimlos]

"Crap crap crap crap," the word echoes in her mind as she hovers on the edge of panic, attempting the impossible task of watching the men on either side of her equally. Just how impossible that task is is brought home to her when her attention flickers for just a moment to the injured man behind her - and the lunatic on the other side lashes out with his blade. She tries in vain to dodge, but it's too late, it's too little, and her instincts and movements are still a long way from working in concert with one another.

A strangled cry is torn from her as the cruel weapon traces a line of pain down her side. "Son of a bitch!" she gasps, almost doubling over from the spike of agony driven into her mind. Her eyes welling with tears, she lashes out once more at the injured man, but it's no less futile and useless than the last two tries.

"What the f*** am I doing?" The question bursts into her mind, carried along on thoughts of her family, her home. Risking death here, in some stupid fight with these idiots? No. Time to get out.

The wasted momentum of her attack carries her backward, away from the wildly swinging swords of the two robed men, and she takes that as a hint, swiftly backpedaling away from the fight. Each step brings a fresh lance of pain from her side.

 

Standard action: Duellist's Flurry: 10/15.
The power allows me to shift enemy and self one square each. Don't know if that works since I didn't hit, but if so ... I'll move him to N8 and I'll move to K8.
Move action: Retreat six squares to K14.

Notes: Have my +6 AC bonus until the end of my actions, so it'll still be in effect against any AoOs that might come my way.

[Olorian]

"Arghh..." Saranya groans. The others might notice she's going through the cold chills of hemorragic shock, but at least she's apparently not dead yet.

 

I'm going to wait with rolling the second death save, because I might not need to roll it if someone grants me a second wind with a heal check. So, just a short flavor post for me here until after my co-players' moves.

[Elwen]

The northern robed man parries the flurry of attacks from Tali's dagger and then swings at her again as she extricates herself from harm's way, but her grace returns to her and she nimbly avoids the attack. Acting more on reflex than thought, her body tumbles below his swing, somersaulting nimbly before springing to her feet and sprinting to safety. Her other foe is too busy swinging at Ingus for his reckless charge to notice her withdrawal.

OODM The northen darkblade missed his OA and the southern one already took his for the round.

[girlplay]

Gwenn was shocked by the the effect she had on the enemy swordsman - that the magic bolt came from her at all. Too bad it did not scare him off or knock him out of the fight, but it was great!

Not bad for a first effort but you lack focus. Swear onto me and learn how to make those who wish to make you the victim suffer for it. The power to save your friends is but a promise away. Or shall I just go?

No! Don't go. I... (don't want to admit it but) I need you. I can't do this on my own. I'm not a warrior.

Do we have an agreement? I help you and give you power, and you serve me when I need it.

She took a deep breath and looked again at the battle as Ingus took another serious hit and Tali retreated with massive wounds of her own. Okay... I agree.

Then we have a pact.

Gwenn shook her head and concentrated again. They all needed help. And these... bastards deserved pain for attacking them! She formed another wave of energy from within and cast it out at the same injured man again. This time, she was too distracted by the experience of what was happening her to aim well. "No," she cursed herself and immediately tried again, not doing much better.

 

Standard Action: Eldritch Blast vs. badly bloodied darkblade. Results: 10 vs. Reflex for 8 damage
Move Action: Move west 3 spaces. Extending concealment another round.
Minor Action: Place Warlock's Curse on the halberdier.
Action Point: Take a standard action to fling another Eldritch Bolt at the bloodied darkblade. Result: 11 vs. reflex for 13 damage.

[Elwen]

The half-orc readjusts his aim and lets that energy inside of him manifest again. This time, a huge blob of acid materializes across the back of the robed man. The cultist screams in anguish and melts into a bubbling, black pool as the acid eats through flesh and bone.

 

Standard Action: Acid Blast vs closest cultist. 19 vs Reflex, hit. 16 damage. Cultist dies.

[Zeppo007]

Ingus watches the human next to him melt into a pile of goo. Serves him right he thinks as he focuses his attention on the foe in front of him. He makes a few practice jabs with his large hammer hoping to find an opening in the hooded man's defenses.

Ingus feints a swing to the right then abruptly switches his grip to bring the head of his hammer whistling in at the halberd wielder's head. The hooded man is not fooled and brings his polearm up to easily deflect the dwarf's swing. "You're a crafty b*@!#$% aren't you. Well look what happened to your friend there. I crippled him first and my friends finished him off. Now I'm no fortune teller, but I'd say the odds are against you. If you throw down that pointy stick you've got there I promise I won't shove my spiky hammer up your arse. Deal?"

While Ingus is talking to the cultist, he subtly shifts closer to Saranya to offer his expertise in healing when he could.

Mechanics Standard Action: Basic Melee 13 vs AC 18: Miss Halberd boy is marked Move Action: Shift to M8 Free Action: Point out that he's gonna die shortly.