[Game Thread] A Story to tell in the Dark

[sertaki]

As René slides down the clock, the ticking and the pendulum's swings reverberate lightly through his body - it's steady rhythm potentially even calming the young man while behind him Malgrim pounds at horrors hidden in darkness. The clock had resumed normal functions after the haunt was stopped, and it is now 6:25 PM. After pondering the issue for a while, René doesn't remember anything of significance in conjunture with the time being shown.

[PirateDevon]

Wulfric watches as the various events of the last few moments unfold with confusion over the clock, the troglodytes apparent attempts to test the mist Madness or bravery? and with the stalking and stomping of Malgrim about seeming to shake Rene. Not quite sure what to do next Wulfric takes a moment to

Dice Perception:

1d20+4

(14)+4

Total = 18

inspect the ax that had been flung about for anything of interest.

 

STATBLOCK Wulfric HP: 16/16 Senses: Initiative: +2; Perception: +4 (Darvision) AC (Normal, Touch, Flat): 16; 12; 14 Saves (Fort, Ref, Will): +5; +3; +0 Rage: 6/6 (daily) Languages: Common, Celestial, Draconic Traits Deft Dodger, Suspicious Notes:

[sertaki]

courtroom While the main hall has become a place of confusion, Wulfric returned alone into the courtroom. The axe appears to be just a simple tool even on closer inspection, mostly used for cutting wood and minor repairs. But it is covered in blood that had long been dried to a rusty coat. Strangely, the smell it emits is clearly that of freshly spilled blood.

main hall Luxanna's head feels heavy for a moment, as if something had tried to pry into her mind but failed. The sounds of battle from the second courtroom continue and Malgrim storms out, a heavy spiked chain in hand - face and arms covered in many small wounds. "You useless scum!" He shouts towards the group that failed to appear when he summoned, rushing into the main hall with a flock of things following him that once may have been ravens or crows. The birds seem very much undead in nature, missing huge chunks of feathers and flesh, bits of their bodies buzzing around them like insects while countless lifeless eyes stare out from the chaos of beaks and rotten flesh that attacks you in the hall. "KRAZHN'TRQ - NGRA'KL'VAG - NOS GAR KA - MGI'VAG" Horrific voices come out of the remains of their avian throats - where a throat even still is attached to a body - as they begin their attack. The language is

OOC   Dice Luxanna: 1d20+1 (3)+1 Total = 4 Dice René: 1d20+1 (3)+1 Total = 4 Dice Esiak: 1d20+3 (6)+3 Total = 9 Dice Wulfric: 1d20+2 (19)+2 Total = 21 Dice Malgrim: 1d20+3 (10)+3 Total = 13 Dice Judges (fast): 1d20+4 (13)+4 Total = 17 Dice Judges (slow): 1d20 18 Dice * Swarms: 1d20+4 (1)+4 Total = 5 Order of initiative - bold may act Wulfric Judges (slow) Malgrim Judges (fast) Esiak Swarms Luxanna René René is still shaken for 2 rounds from Malgrim's intimidation. Knowledge Rolls to identify the things   The birds are Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms). Immunity to death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning. Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures, while positive energy harms them. Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). Not at risk of death from massive damage, but is immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points. Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.undead and make up a Not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or less causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent. A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells. Creatures with the swarm subtype don’t make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. Swarms do not threaten creatures, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they possess the distraction ability. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.swarm of tiny birds. They are called "carrionstorms", and are the result of birds that feasted on the flesh of ghouls and other undead creatures. Most such birds die of diseases and curses, but sometimes a bird becomes afflicted by the undeath of its meal. Seldom do they amass in such numbers as these here did, and if they do, it is on unholy sites, near haunted graveyards and in simillar places.   Carrionstorms are very fragile undead creatures and are more strongly affected by channeled positive energy than other undead. A Carrionstorm takes 150% as much damage as normal from channeled positive energy. A lonely undead vulture or raven is nothing more than a hideous mockery of nature, but where undead activity is strong, whole colonies succumb to undeath, retaining their flock mentality yet no longer seeking the flesh of the freshly dead to sate their hunger. They find brief respite from their morbid hunger only when their meals are warm and screaming.   Many necromancers and cultists of Urgathoa have a particular fondness for carrionstorms, and since the birds have a strange respect for the symbol of the Pallid Princess, rookeries of them are often found roosting in the nooks of the goddess of undeath's macabre cathedrals. A carrionstorm never initiates an attack on a creature that openly wears a symbol of Urgathoa or that is itself undead. If attacked first by such a creature, the carrionstorm's swarm attack deals only half as much damage as normal. Although the individual undead birds that make up a carrionstorm are little more intelligent than they were in life, as a whole, a carrionstorm forms a rudimentary hive mind that grants its members a slight bit more intellect than the typical bird. This not only allows the undead birds to utilize basic tactics, but allows rudimentary speech as well. Most carrionstorms understand a few dozen words in Necril, the language of the dead, and the sound of thousands of these undead carrion birds croaking out strange words can be truly unsettling to those who aren't prepared for the horror. This same hive mind allows necromancers to treat an entire carrionstorm as a single undead creature with regard to the effects of spells like command undead and control undead, or feats like Command Undead. The swarms make excellent scouts , and even better threats against small towns and superstitious communities. Note: any characters that are bold may act in any order. Once all active characters have posted, I will play out the enemies, and then the remaining players can do their turn. Normally, I would group Malgrim with the other judges, but seeing he was battling the things alone at first he got his own initiative - but ended up on one count with all other judges anyways.

map Roll20 map updated

Warning: rolls have been deleted from this post.

[sertaki]

judges Seeing the undead birds coming out of the other courtroom, several judges succumb to fear and flee towards the room in which you all have awoken. Halgrak pretty much runs away instantly without a word. Ebin makes a sound like a crushed mouse before following on his toes. Patrissa throws her hands before her face, emitting a yelp, and flees as well, while Madge shouts out "You can do this, boys!", though her short legs don't carry her all the way towards the doors. Sir Rekkart valiantly rushes towards the things with his sword firmly grasped in two hands. He is unable to reach the birds though, as his armor inhibits his moves. Talbrak shouts "No bird ever got away screwing with this dwarf!", pulls up his sleeves up and rushes towards them as far as his legs allow, ready to crack avian skulls. Malgrim sees that finally people are moving and utters a grim "Damn about time." before resuming to swing his spiked chain wickedly and attacking the swarm, shouting towards René "Get up, you weasel!". His blow smacks right into several of the flying carcasses, smashing them solidly against the wall, but there are still many remaining in the swarm. You see a second swarm coming into the light, on its way to the door, but it seems smaller than this one was before Malgrim swept through it.

OOC   Dice Malgrim Attack: 1d20+8 (20)+8 Total = 28 Dice Damage: 2d4+4 (1, 2)+4 Total = 7 Malgrim's attacks prior to emerging: Dice Attack: 1d20+8 (12)+8 Total = 20 Dice Damage: 2d4+4 (2, 3)+4 Total = 9 Dice Attack: 1d20+8 (6)+8 Total = 14 Dice Attack: 2d4+4 (4, 1)+4 Total = 9 Swarm Damage before he ran: Dice Damage: 2d6 6, 5 Total = 11   Malgrim: -11 hp Order of initiative - bold may act Wulfric Judges Esiak Swarms Luxanna René Note: It is not possible to close the door in time before the second swarm gets through, unless it decides to stay in there for some reason. Also: Malgrim is doing pretty well, I'm impressed.

Warning: rolls have been deleted from this post.

[sertaki]

OOC Introducing a new player as replacement for Die (who never really showed up) - OneDarkness with Lixir Tomes!   The strange shrieks are in Necrid - the language of the dead. It is mostly spoken by undead creatures and necromatic cults, as well as being one of the state languages in Geb (a land ruled by undead) Roll20 map - updated to include Lixir who got dropped into another room. That will be fun, introducing all the NPCs again XD

[OneDarkness]

If the dream itself wasn't odd enough, waking up in a strange room upon the floor with the sound of battle taking place beyond one of the door was jarring and making him wonder if he wasn't still dreaming after all, but the high pitched cries cause the little hairs on his arms to stand up as he tries to

Dice linguistics:

d20+9

(7)+9

Total = 16

place them. Placing a hand flat on the ground he boosts himself up to his feet and immediately pats himself down to see what he has available should the battle spill into this room, and then he moves cautiously over to the desk and gives it a

Dice perception:

d20+5

(8)+5

Total = 13

once over in hopes that he might get some clue as to what is going on.

"How much wine did I have last night....."

 

STATBLOCK Lixir HP: 8/8 Senses: Initiative: +7; Perception: +5 AC (Normal, Touch, Flat): 15; 13; 12 Saves (Fort, Ref, Will): +0; +5; +0 Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Gnomish, Draconic, Linguistics (+9) Notes:

[sertaki]

side room As Lixir gets up from his strange dream, checking the books and papers lying on the desk, suddenly he hears a child giggling right beside his ear, sending shivers down his spine. He feels something cold moving through him towards the stout oaken table, but cannot do much but storm away, grabbing with him a piece of paper. The books lying on the table begin to shake furiously and then suddenly seem to spring to life. Lids smashing against each other, they all are thrown into the air, only to be launched in his direction a mere second later. Several of the tomes hit Lixir all over his body, one especially heavy exemplar smashes against his temple with a loud smack, leaving behind all too real pain. Then, as suddenly as they sprang to life, the books fall to the floor lifelessly, the strange cold feeling returning for a split-second as something seems to move through the young man towards the door with the loud noise. Once the chaos has passed, Lixir realizes that the piece of old papyrus he grabbed from the table appears to be a scroll written in Osiriani - and quite a long one at that.

OOC Lixir suffers 4 nonleathal damage and a nasty surprise Wulfric hears some commotion from the room to the north, but the battle noises propably sound more important.   Dice Lixir Perception: 1d20+5 (18)+5 Total = 23 Dice Lixir Initiative: 1d20+7 (17)+7 Total = 24 Dice Haunt Attack: 1d20+5 (12)+5 Total = 17 Dice Haunt Damage: 1d4 4

[chuckx777]

As swiftly as he can, Esiak positions himself away from the others and in the midst of the bird swarm. He draws his longsword and begins slicing through the strange-looking avians, using all his focus to ignore their bizarre calls.

 

Dice Roll:

1d20+4

(14)+4

Total = 18

Dice Roll:

1d8+3

(7)+3

Total = 10

 

HP: 13
AC: 16
Touch: 11
Flatfooted: 15
W: +1 F: +5 R: +1
XP: 0
Actions: Converse with Luxana and walk to door/mist.

[PirateDevon]

OOC I actually mentioned earlier that I pulled it from the wall, I was intending to carry it but its not that important.

Wulfric catches both the sounds of motion and the sounds of combat. Pulling his shield and terbutje the barbarian moves to the sounds of combat and tries to make his way to the fighting.

OOC Seems like my full action this round would be movement...

 

STATBLOCK Wulfric HP: 16/16 Senses: Initiative: +2; Perception: +4 (Darvision) AC (Normal, Touch, Flat): 16; 12; 14 Saves (Fort, Ref, Will): +5; +3; +0 Rage: 6/6 (daily) Languages: Common, Celestial, Draconic Traits Deft Dodger, Suspicious Notes:

[sertaki]

While strange noises emanate from the room next to the courtroom where you awoke earlier, Wulfric rushes into the main hall, weapons drawn. Esiak springs in action as well, rushing heroically not only towards the swarm, but right into it, one hand holding his glaive, the other swinging his longsword wildly, hitting several birds and even slicing a few of the squishy bodies in pieces. The flock replies to Malgrim's and Esiak's attack by engulfing them into the chaotic mass of beaks and claws. Malgrim and Sir Rekkart see an opening in this move, striking at the hellish creatures with all they got. Well placed blows with chain and sword are able to smite to pieces enough of the birds, that the rest flees into all corners of the hall. But just as you were about to think it done, another swarm comes fully into sight, flying at top speed towards the clustered targets near the door, allowing Esiak and Wulfric to strike at some of the birds at the group's helm when they try to come near. They proceed to bite and scratch any they can reach, but their first wave of attacks is uncoordinated.

OOC   Dice Attack of Opportunity - Malgrim: 1d20+8 (15)+8 Total = 23 Dice Damage: 2d4+4 (2, 1)+4 Total = 7 Dice Attack of Opportunity - Sir Rekkart: 1d20+8 (19)+8 Total = 27 Dice Damage: 1d8+5 (3)+5 Total = 8 Dice Swarm Damage: 1d6 2 Esiak, Wulfric and Sir Rekkart take 2 damage as the swirling mass of decay comes upon them. Order of initiative - bold may act Wulfric Judges (slow) Malgrim Judges (fast) Esiak Swarms Wulfric (Attack of Opportunity) Esiak (Attack of Opportunity) Luxanna René   Malgrim: -11 hp Sir Rekkart: -2 hp Wulfric: -2 hp Esiak: -2 hp Swarm (blue): undamaged Swarm (red): dead Sorry PirateDevon, I seem to have missed that part :/ You are absolutely right, but in the spirit of getting things done, let's keep it as is. I'll try to be more observant in the future.

[PirateDevon]

The barbarian

Dice Attack:

1d20+4

(14)+4

Total = 18

Dice Damage:

1d8+3

(1)+3

Total = 4

lets out with a swing almost by instinct, attempting to catch any of the birds that engage the group...

 

STATBLOCK Wulfric HP: 14/16 Senses: Initiative: +2; Perception: +4 (Darvision) AC (Normal, Touch, Flat): 16; 12; 14 Saves (Fort, Ref, Will): +5; +3; +0 Rage: 6/6 (daily) Languages: Common, Celestial, Draconic Traits Deft Dodger, Suspicious Notes:

[chuckx777]

"Sting me with your pitiful claws and beaks will you, you foul, stinking flyers? I'll enjoy stinging you back!"

Esiak begins to hiss snake-like at the bizarre avians, but decides not to take a bite at them without understanding them further. Instead, he takes his opportunity for more swings and hacks at them.

 

Dice Roll:

1d20+4

(1)+4

Total = 5

Dice Roll:

1d8+3

(5)+3

Total = 8

 

HP: 11/13 plus 6 Non-lethal Damage from Mist
AC: 16
Touch: 11
Flatfooted: 15
W: +1 F: +5 R: +1
XP: 0
Actions: Converse with Luxana and walk to door/mist.

[sertaki]

Esiak, quite agitated from the rush of battle and confused by the strange critters is unable to land a solid blow, but Wulfric menages to cut some of the creatures apart. The mass seems to mostly ignore the blow though, continuing their assault and a number of small wounds begin to form on the men engulfed by the swarm.

OOC Order of initiative - bold may act Wulfric Judges Esiak -------- Swarm -------- Luxanna René Note: After these two have acted, Wulfric may post his next action - there are no enemies in between, so you don't have to wait for me.   Malgrim: -11 hp Sir Rekkart: -2 hp Wulfric: -2 hp Esiak: -2 hp Swarm (blue): -2 hp Swarm (red): destroyed Knowledge Check DC's reposted for your convienience Knowledge Rolls to identify the things   The birds are Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms). Immunity to death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning. Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures, while positive energy harms them. Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). Not at risk of death from massive damage, but is immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points. Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.undead and make up a Not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or less causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent. A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells. Creatures with the swarm subtype don’t make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. Swarms do not threaten creatures, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they possess the distraction ability. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.swarm of tiny birds. They are called "carrionstorms", and are the result of birds that feasted on the flesh of ghouls and other undead creatures. Most such birds die of diseases and curses, but sometimes a bird becomes afflicted by the undeath of its meal. Seldom do they amass in such numbers as these here did, and if they do, it is on unholy sites, near haunted graveyards and in simillar places.   Carrionstorms are very fragile undead creatures and are more strongly affected by channeled positive energy than other undead. A Carrionstorm takes 150% as much damage as normal from channeled positive energy. A lonely undead vulture or raven is nothing more than a hideous mockery of nature, but where undead activity is strong, whole colonies succumb to undeath, retaining their flock mentality yet no longer seeking the flesh of the freshly dead to sate their hunger. They find brief respite from their morbid hunger only when their meals are warm and screaming.   Many necromancers and cultists of Urgathoa have a particular fondness for carrionstorms, and since the birds have a strange respect for the symbol of the Pallid Princess, rookeries of them are often found roosting in the nooks of the goddess of undeath's macabre cathedrals. A carrionstorm never initiates an attack on a creature that openly wears a symbol of Urgathoa or that is itself undead. If attacked first by such a creature, the carrionstorm's swarm attack deals only half as much damage as normal. Although the individual undead birds that make up a carrionstorm are little more intelligent than they were in life, as a whole, a carrionstorm forms a rudimentary hive mind that grants its members a slight bit more intellect than the typical bird. This not only allows the undead birds to utilize basic tactics, but allows rudimentary speech as well. Most carrionstorms understand a few dozen words in Necril, the language of the dead, and the sound of thousands of these undead carrion birds croaking out strange words can be truly unsettling to those who aren't prepared for the horror. This same hive mind allows necromancers to treat an entire carrionstorm as a single undead creature with regard to the effects of spells like command undead and control undead, or feats like Command Undead. The swarms make excellent scouts , and even better threats against small towns and superstitious communities.

[OneDarkness]

Stunned by the attack of books as they slammed into him repeatedly he was almost sure he was still in some sort of nightmare for how else could one explain these odd events, until one particularly heavy one slammed into the side of the head causing real physical pain that did not snap him out his reverie. Seeing stars for a moment the remaining books tumbled about him to the ground as he felt the chill presence move through him towards the door from which the sounds of battle were coming from, instinctively he reach for the mace he kept at his side only to find the long sheet of parchment still grasped firmly in his hand from when he had stumbled back from the desk, he rolled it tightly and stuck it inside his vest for the moment before he advanced on the door and threw it open.

 

STATBLOCK Lixir HP: 8/8 Senses: Initiative: +7; Perception: +5 AC (Normal, Touch, Flat): 15; 13; 12 Saves (Fort, Ref, Will): +0; +5; +0 Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Gnomish, Draconic, Linguistics (+9) Notes:

[wodine]

René René steadies himself as he witnesses the rush of battle taking place before him. Not wanting to be left out of the fight he summons his courage and he begins to mutter arcane word of power. His hands shift and move as he forms the words and as the air around his hands turns cold a small ray of frost shoots from his fingers and launches at the Dice knowledge religion: d20+4 (10)+4 Total = 14 carrion swarm. The Dice Roll: d20 16 d3 1 freezing ray arcs through the air…

 

STATBLOCK René HP: 6/6 Senses: Initiative: +1; Perception: +1 AC (Normal, Touch, Flat): 11; 11; 10 Saves (Fort, Ref, Will): +0; +1; +3 Arcane Resevoir: 4/4 (daily) At Will: Read Magic, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost, Open/Close Spells Prepared Level 1: Mage Armor, Hold Portal, Charm Person Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Draconic, Aklo, Abyssal Traits Magical Talent – Mage Hand, Tireless Logic Notes: Potent Magic – Each point from Arcane Reservoir spent increases CL by 2