[Game Thread] The Rescue

[galadan88]

Having moved further into the bushes, the companions can now watch the cart from all angles. Nothing seems amiss, except for the missing body. "But who would take a corpse? What hellish use could they get out of it?" worried Arundael.

Taking a few more steps, the group suddenly stops, hearing some noise for the first time. The sickening crunches and slurping noises reminds them all too clearly of the vicious dragon they faced only hours ago. "Something is eating Aramil!" urgently whispers the young lord to his Elven friend. "What can we do?" he adds, panicking slightly for a brief moment.

 

 

OOC The sounds appear to come from behind the bushes, far to the left. They are not that loud, but they are sharp enough to be heard from a distance. SNAP! CRACK! SLUUUUUURRPPP! HMMMMMMMM! and the like.

[ActuarialSymbol]

Once he got a grip on himself again, the swordmage resisted the urge to charge towards the sound to save Aramil. Or what was left of him. The thought sent an intense shiver of disgust in Arundael's spine. He was revulsed to lose the last surviving member of this cursed expedition in such a gruesome manner.

The courageous eladrin moved forward. Once he reached a position he felt was safe, he called the creature. Tightening his grip on his ancestral blade, the eladrin said defiantly, hoping to lure the beast "Foul creature! Stop desecrating my friend's corpse, and come fight me instead!" Arundael prayed Corellon that the beast would come out of the bushes to fight him. Or maybe that with luck, a LOT of luck, the creature would be afraid and run off. But the swordmage knew better than to count on it.

 

Arundael's Actions Move: From I28 to M22 (I28, J27, K26, L25, M24, M23, M22) Standard: Total Defense Minor: None

[galadan88]

Stumbling through the bushes, Arundael gets his first look at the beast feasting on the remains of an Eladrin guard (whom he identifies as Bek'el). The monster appears primitive, its large chitinous body ressembling that of a spider but standing mostly upright. Its greataxe is embeded in the corpse lying at its feet, having cleanly cut through the flimsy armor.

It looks annoyed at the interruption but the threats don't register much with its slow brain. Nevertheless it picks up its axe and hisses, mandibles going crazy for an instant. Despite the show of strenght, the young Lord cannot help but notice something much more important. Behind the creature, bound in some sticky matters akin to spiderwebs, Aramil sits looking none the worse for wear! And beside him lies a dark-haired stranger, bound with the same substance. What a relief!

Still, the companions must now deal with this new threat before saving Aramil and the stranger. Or maybe...

 

 

OOC The creature in Q18 is an Ettercap. The other 2 guys are Aramil and Marl (though you don't know him yet). Bushes and shadowed squares offer concealment and solid stuff (like the dead tree or rocks) offer cover. If you wish to post story posts, do so in any order you wish, but if you want to attack it before any further posts by me, please use the order stated in the Current encounter thread. If you go this way, note that Dway'le and Heryld don't know the location of the monster. I'd appreciate a bit of roleplay here and not just a rush + charge in the first round by those two :P

[ActuarialSymbol]

Seeing that the repulsing creature ignored him, Arundael decided to rush forward and stop the creature from desecrating the poor fellow that had the misfortune to be chosen by the ettercap for its meal. "Dway'le, Heryld, to me! There's an ettercap right there, behind the bush! Follow me, I'll need help to defeat him! And it's holding Aramil and another prisoner in its webbing. We got to help them!" said the swordmage to brief his two companions.

Then, the swordmage lurched towards the aberration, sword in one hand and magic in the other. Lighting his sword with green flames, the swordmage struck the creature. The ettercap was ready, however, and Arundael couldn't determine if the creature blocked the wide slash or if he missed because of the surrounding darkness.

 

Arundael's Actions Free: Nature Check: 21 Move: From M22 to P19 (M22, N22, O22, P21, P20, P19) Standard: Greenflame Blade on Ettercap MISS Minor: Aegis of Shielding on Ettercap

[Le Lemiosarium]

"Duly noted," replied Dway'le, already on the move. "Hey wizard!" he yelled to the magician who stood way behind. "I hope you heard our common friend; you had me almost convinced that you were of the type who wants to blast everything. Well, what are you waiting for?" he continued.

The elf ran where he last saw Arundael, before he had disappeared, hidden by the bushes. As he arrived, he saw friend and foe toe to toe (sounds great eh?) and unleashed a blast of his own to the infect creature. Unbalanced by his sudden dash, having difficulties to distinguish the two creatures in melee and even more disadvantaged by the nightfall, Dway'le completely missed his target.

Actions Move: Run to P23. (-5 to attack rolls and grand CA until the end of your next turn). Minor: Oath of Enmity the Ettercap Standard: Messed up my rolls completely, I can't make an aid another in a charge, so no aid another and no charge. This will be a failed Radiant Vengeance instead (+5 to hit, -5 run, -2 obscured, vs Ref 18, I needed a straight 20 with the first roll. Forget about the second roll. It's not necessary to make completely new rolls saying "messed up action, messed up rolls. New legit action, new rolls," I'd prolly miss again anyway ;P. So let's keep it this way: Standard: Radiant Vengeance vs Ettercap. MISS.

[ActuarialSymbol]

"No sooner said than done, elf" answered to wizard to his companion. Not wasting another second, Heryld ran towards the brawl. The fight occurred in an obscure part of the forest, but the eladrin could still perceive the repulsive form of the ettercap. The contrast with the slender silhouette of the eladrin that was fighting it made it easier to spot it.

Heryld made a quick inventory of the basic facts he had learned in school, back in the days when he still lived in Britania, about ettercaps and quickly yelled it at his two allies. Younger, Heryld wasn't over-interested about such studies, but he could certainly see the wisdom in possessing that knowledge right now.

Once his allies were warned about the dangers of facing the arachnid, the wizard then proceed to cast his spell. A bright missile flew and struck the creature in what would have been a torso in a human anatomy, seemingly hurting the monster. "Not exactly a grand and spectacular blasting, but still a good start, isn't it?" asked Heryld to Dway'le with a chuckle.

 

Heryld's Actions Free: Nature Check; Monster Knowledge: 24 Move: From N35 to K29 (N35, M34, L33, K32, K31, K30, K29) Standard: Magic Missile on ettercap HIT for 10 force damage Minor: None

[galadan88]

Recoiling with a snarl from the force missile's hit, the Ettercap quickly shifts around before emitting a cackling shriek. Immediately, rushing sounds can be heard from atop the rock walls before two shadows can be seen leaping towards the battlefield. Bouncing almost gracefully on the ground, the leaping spiders use their momentum to strike at the surprised fey-borns.

Arundael, stranded between two foes, simply can't move fast enough to avoid being struck. The venomous bite of the Ettercap quickly affect the young Eladrin, slowing his reactions, his sword arm dropping. Meanwhile, the Deathjump spider is tugging at his leg, its fangs deeply imbeded, and manages to bring him down hard, air wooshing from his lungs. The arachnid harassing Dway'le is less succesful, the Elf quite against being snatched for a quick meal.

 

 

DM turn Ettercap shifts and uses spider bite on Arundael, HIT for 6 damage and Secondary HIT which Stuns Arundael until the end of the creature's next turn and 5 ongoing poison damage (save ends). Deathjump Spider "Fred" uses Jump from above to drop down on Arundael, HIT for 9 damage, knocks prone and ongoing poison (which is not cummulative with Ettercap's). Deathjump Spider "Mac" uses Jump from above to drop down on Dway'le, MISS Read the Current encounter thread for info on who is concealed and such.

Condition: Stunned ✦ You grant combat advantage. ✦ You can’t take actions. ✦ You can’t flank an enemy.

Condition: Prone ✦ You grant combat advantage to enemies making melee attacks against you. ✦ You get a +2 bonus to all defenses against ranged attacks from nonadjacent enemies. ✦ You’re lying on the ground. (If you’re flying, you safely descend a distance equal to your fly speed. If you don’t reach the ground, you fall.) ✦ You take a –2 penalty to attack rolls. ✦ You can drop prone as a minor action.

[ActuarialSymbol]

Arundael had a split second to understand that he had fallen into a trap. But the swordmage was making an habit of staying cool-headed in most of the dangerous situations. And he wanted to use fully that precious split second. He had just enough time to bring a mighty arcane shield around his body. It was now the ettercap's turn to fall in the eladrin's trap. When the creature attacked Arundael, it was stopped square by the arcane shield that was fueled by Uthwe's ancestral blade. The impact sent an intense wave of frost that pierced the exoskeleton of the arachnid, who momentarily jerked away from the eladrin.

Unfortunately for Arundael, the ettercap relentlessly pressed his attacks, and Arundael barely had time to understand that the bug was probably too stupid to be afraid of attacking him again. When the bite's poison spread in Arundael's blood, his vision became blurry and fatigue took over him. The eladrin tried to fight it off, but slowly faded out of consciousness instead, not even realizing that his second assailant was about to attack him too.

 

Arundael's Actions Immediate Interrupt: Frost Backlash on Ettercap HIT for 19 cold damage. Move: None Standard: None Minor: None Note: The Immediate Interrupt occurs before the ettercap's first attack. Then the ettercap and the Fred attack Arundael. Then my move, standard and minor actions are taken (I cannot take any actions because I'm stunned until the end of the ettercap's next turn) Saving Throw: MISS

Frost Backlash Daily Arcane, Cold, Weapon Immediate Interrupt Melee weapon Trigger: An adjacent creature hits you Target: The creature that hit you Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex Hit: 3[W] + Intelligence modifier cold damage. Miss: Half damage.

[Le Lemiosarium]

Things had had worsened in the blink of an eyes. A few seconds ago they were about to surround the solitary creature and it felt like it would have been a quick kill. Yet now it was Arundael who was mobbed by fangs and poisonous bites. They had to act quickly, Dway'le thought, else it was done for them. Not taking the time to breath, the avenger slid past the leaping spider, dodging its feeble attempt to snatch his leg and confronted the ugly ettercap. Arundael could clearly use a moment of respite from the combined attacks of both enemies at once.

"When I mark a prey death claims it with haste, vermin," Dway'le spit to his mark as his greataxe dangerously fell on the spidery monster, slicing the beast's torso and cutting limbs apart. With an astonished look, the ettercap limply fell to the ground, its limited intelligence barely allowing it to acknowledge that its fatal hour had come.

 

Death from right in front of you, if you mind. Free: Channel Divinity: Divine Guidance. Gave Arundael his second roll. Standard: Angelic Alacrity Ettercap. Shift 4 squares (O22, P21, Q20) and CRIT for 41 damage. Assuming he is dead (he was bloodied at -29). Move: Can I drag Arundael 1 square from P19 to Q19? Minor: Dway'le pity da foo'. Note: I'll use avenger's resolve if I get hit afterwards.

[ActuarialSymbol]

Using a trick every eladrin knew, Heryld disappeared and reappeared instantly in a better position, where he would be able to use his spells more efficiently. Starting with a spell that would fill a whole area with lightning and thunder, Heryld spoke the complex phrases and did the necessary motions to complete the spell. A loud crack followed, but the spider seemed oblivious to the spell. "What the heck. I moved a freakin' dragon yesterday with that spell." wondered the wizard out loud. "My tongue must've tripped when I spoke the arcane words" then rationalized the eladrin after his troubling failure.

 

Heryld's Actions Move: Feystep From K29 to P25 Standard: Thunderwave on Deathjump Spider Mac MISS Minor: None

[Le Lemiosarium]

With a roar of triumph, a new hero springs into action!

Slashing the webs entrapping him with his magical sword, the newcomer takes notice of his momentary (or are they) allies. "It seems that the day of our death has yet to come, Aramil!" he exclaims.

"Perhaps you should try standing up now," he says to Arundael with a frown before intoning a soothing melody infused with magical healing to relieve the Eladrin from pain. Now focusing his attention on the nearest spider, Marl blasts the foe with a thunderous incantation, but fails to wound the creature . "Well, it seems I am no better than you," he adds to the swordmage with a sorry smile.

 

Actions Move: Escape from the webs, SUCCESS. Minor: Majestic Word Arundael. Healed 10+4 hp, and Arundael gains +4 on his next saving throw Standard: Staggering note Fred, MISS.

[galadan88]

With a wet gurgling sound, the Ettercap falls heavily on the ground, its life blood emptying from the garish wound caused by the terrible greataxe. The magical weapon also sends a blast at the hairy spider trying to bite the prone form of the young Lord, flipping the beast on its back and preventing further damage to the Eladrin.

The other Arachnid, hoping to make a quick meal out of the soft wizard, jumps high on the rock wall before dropping with a terrifying snarl, only to bump into a hurriedly cast magical barrier, missing its target entirely. Sweating at the near miss, Heryld nevertheless smiles proudly and makes a very rude gesture towards the spider.

Meanwhile, the unknown prisoner manages to free himself from the sticky web and jumps into the fray... somewhat. Surrounded by webbings limits his options but he makes light of the situation with a few, carefuly chosen words, which appear to bolster the groggy Swordmage.

This battle, still far from over, is now slightly more in control as the companions try to organize themselves into a somewhat structured force. The presence of the stranger is welcome but the Fey-borns are not quite sure what to make of him; they'll take all the help they can get to defeat the Arachnids though!

 

 

Summary and DM turn Ettercap dies horribly. Arundael no longer stunned. Marl escapes from the web. Arundael healed 14hp and gets +4 to save vs ongoing. Fred tries to bite Arundael but MISSES. Mac jumps on Heryld but MISSES.

[ActuarialSymbol]

The numbness of the poison was starting to recede, and Arundael had once again control of his body. First, the eladrin stood and assessed the situation: The ettercap was shed in pieces, but there was now a spider that was attacking him. "Hughh, by Corellon." grunted the swordmage. "How long was I out of the combat? It must have been a little while since you had time to kill that ettercap." he then said to his elven ally.

Once his head was clearer, Arundael's combat training kicked in, and the first reflex the eladrin had was to build an arcane link between him and the repulsive bug. Then, a mere moment later, Uthwe's ancestral blade was ablaze with green fire. Describing a wide arc, the blade slashed the spider's abdomen, opening a deep gash and letting the green flames burn the arachnid's innards.

 

Arundael's Actions Ongoing Poison Damage: Arundael takes 5 ongoing poison damage at the beginning of his turn Move: Stands Up Standard: Greenflame Blade on Fred HIT for 13 fire damage Minor: Aegis of Shielding on Fred Saving Throw: SUCCESS

Aegis of Shielding At-Will Arcane Minor Action Close burst 2 Target: One creature in burst Effect: You mark the target. The target remains marked until you use this power against another target. If you mark other creatures using other powers, the target is still marked. A creature can be subject to only one mark at a time. A new mark supersedes a mark that was already in place. If your marked target makes an attack that doesn’t include you as a target, it takes a –2 penalty to attackrolls. If that attack hits and the marked target is within 10 squares of you, you can use an immediate interrupt to reduce the damage dealt by that attack to any one creature by an amount equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier.

[Le Lemiosarium]

Intending to try the new trick they had been speaking about while walking to this site, Dway'le went around the bush to reappear behind the spider. "I'll force it to give you some space," he tells Arundael as he yells at the spider so it understands he's still there. Moving around the monster, the elf manages to slice it with his axe while fainting an opening. He quickly sidesteps as the arachnid tries to counterattack and forces it to move closer to him, away from the swordmage. "I don't know if it'll work, it's still almost as close to me as it was to you" the avenger said, now realizing the move was perhaps not refined enough yet.

 

Actions Minor: Oath Fred Move: to N18 Standard: Overwhelming Strike Fred. HIT, 11 damage. I shift to O18 and slide Fred where I was (N18)

At-Will Overwhelming Strike [...] Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. You shift 1 square and slide the target 1 square into the space you occupied.

[ActuarialSymbol]

Sidestepping away from the creature that stupidly decided to attack him, Heryld gave another try to his thunder spell. It was simple enough, but efficient in most cases. Plus, he didn't have to worry about aiming accurately in the darkness. He'll just have to blast everything around that spider and would be fairly sure to hit it.

Once the motions and phrasings were completed, the darkness of the forest was enlightened for a moment. The mere moment was enough for Heryld to see that his spell worked well this time. Well, the fact that the spider was propelled away from him helped a bit too. "You know, I like you a lot better when you're far away. Or maybe squashed into that tree wouldn't be all that bad, I guess." concluded the wizard.

 

Heryld's Actions Move: Shift from P25 to O24 Standard: Thunderwave on Mac HIT for 11 thunder damage; Mac is pushed 3 squares Minor: None