The Eye of Anubis: Book Six

[NeoTiamat]

Statue of Beyrath, The Mazes, The Kermanevar, Sebua
June 24th, 761, 8:21 PM; Day 99 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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PC Actions:
Ishaq attacks the Cloud Giant three times, hits twice, deals 53 damage.
Lia casts Magic Missile and deals 11 damage to Spite.
Otto has been removed from the equation.
Andre has removed himself, temporarily, from the equation.
Charles attempts to get himself killed, but fails. Jumps across the cliff.
Kuzan zooms up and casts Sanctuary.
Khalil also attempts to get himself killed, dumps salt on Spite.
Tomas hits the giant for 6 damage, gets a 22 on diplomacy with S&M

And then Ishaq bounds forward, more force of nature than man! Tomas flicks a salute to the desert warrior by tapping the blunt end of his sword against his forehead, and then muscles his way forward, looking up at the giant and struggling to keep his balance.

Sprays of silvery-white blood poured from the giant's legs, and it stumbled backward, crying out in a voice like thunder. Rivulets of blood poured down the cliff-side, and the formerly pristine, even arrogant face was scrunched up in a rictus of pain and agony. Unfortunately for Ishaq, the giant reacted not in fear, but in anger.

Tomas barely saw that massive, double-headed axe descend past his head, ducking as the immense object of metal slammed into Ishaq. The greataxe was only marginally smaller than the Pharazian guard, which was probably what saved him. At that magnified size and clumsy angle, it wasn't sharp enough to pierce the guard's armor. Instead, it merely knocked into him like a rampaging elephant, lifting him off his feet and threatening to throw him directly into the drink.

As Khalil moves to strike the cloak of invisibility drops away and he suddenly appears right behind Spite.

The gleaming, silver sword passed seamlessly through the air-fey, the Faerie's substance parting like strands of wind to let it pass through. After all, how does one slay the wind? Not with steel. The salt, on the other hand, was a different story alltogether.

The bag of salt opened up onto Spite, and even as the individual crystals of coarse salt fell to the ground through her, they left ugly, angry red welts all along the previously pristine body of the Faerie. Spite screamed in pain and rage, a primeval sound that almost hurt your ears. And so the Fey reacted the ony way she knew how. By trying her level best to hurt Khalil back. First one, then another bolts of lightning crackled from her hands, slamming into Khalil.

Still screaming that horrid keening of pain, Spite let her feet leave the stones, carried aloft by her tame winds and carried forward, through Khalil, and off into the air between the cliffs.

"Now you've done it." Malice noted a little grimly. "Hope your family didn't spend too much on a grave, as I think we'll be sending you back in an urn."

"...but anyway!" Tomas has to yell over the whipping winds, but still manages to sound casual, somehow, "This sort of answers my question anyway, no? What I was leading up to you see, was which one of you ladies was stronger. But your reactions have been most informative, so thank you!" Tomas then proceeds not to tell the girls which one he's decided is the toughest.

"Have you...?" Malice murmurred, drawing out the words into something sinful-sounding, even as she casually stepped off the cliff-side, hovering in mid-air, not a hair out of place from the massive winds. "I should hope so... after all, can you imagine Spite dearest doing this?"

Malice pirouetted gracefully, executing a few handsome steps from a popular Borcan dance, albeit one about two hundred years out of fashion. She still looked quite ravishing while doing so, but then the idea of Malice not looking ravishing just didn't cross your mind. Although given the way her sister reacted....

"Or perhaps you'd like to see Spite darling do this, hrm?" Malice didn't stop in her little dance, but you saw the moment she released the power, for suddenly the Faerie of Air's eyes glowed not silver, but bronze, a dull, gold-tinged fire that seemed subtly out-of-place.

It occurred to you that you ought to run. There was nothing of fear about this thought, just a kind of casual, commonplace acceptance that the most important thing in the entire world right now was to get away from the gently dancing Fey in her green-silk mask. It just seemed so logical, so rational, as though what other possible decision could there be?

"Spite, I fear, was always the boistrous one in the family. I'm a little... subtler." Malice stopped her dance, looking at the effects of her mental wave.

Enemy Actions:
The Cloud Giant hits an Awesome Blow upon Ishaq. Deals 31 damage. Ishaq must make a Reflex DC 31 save or get knocked two squares over to Y20, which happens to be empty air. In this case, you fall. You can try to catch yourself while falling (DC 35 Climb check), otherwise you make a landing in the river and take a further 31 points of damage. It takes a single DC 15 Swim Check to reach the nearest Cliff Wall, and then it takes DC 15 Climb checks to get up 100 feet. Further details fall the Climb Rules of the SRD: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/climb.htm

Spite's Energy Retort (Electricity) hits Khalil for 22 Electricity damage, Reflex DC 19 for half. She also slams an Energy Flash (Electricity) into Khalil for 21 Electricity damage, Fort 20 for half. If you fail the Fortitude Save, you're also Dazed for a round. Lastly, assuming that Khalil makes his save, he gets an AoO against Spite as she rushes past.

Malice casts a mental wave upon Khalil, Tomas, Charles, and (Ishaq if he somehow, miraculously, is still upon the outcropping) and the Giant. You must succeed on a DC 18 Will Save, or else spend the next 2 rounds doing nothing but move away from Malice.

Giant has insane luck and actually succeeds on his save. (My dice are hot tonight)

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PC Overview: Haste (+1 AB, AC, Reflex, +30 ft., +1 Attack when Full Attacking), Mass Conviction (+3 Morale to Saves), Bless (+1 morale on attack rolls), Prayer (+1 luck bonus to all attack rolls, saves, skill checks and ability checks. Enemies also suffer -1 luck penalty to the same rolls),
Kuzan: Invisible, Divine Insight, Fly, Sanctuary
Tomas: Endure Elements
Otto: Bite of the Werewolf, Crisis of Breath
Charles: Prone
Lia:
Ishaq: -31 HP
Khalil:
Andre:

Monster Overview:
Spite: Psi-Buff, -47 HP
Malice: Psi-Buff,
The Cloud Giant: -78 HP




Green Area: Windstorm-level winds (check the SRD for more details). In a nutshell, everyone in the green area must make a DC 18 Fort Save every round. If fail while on the ground, you get knocked Prone. If you're in the air, you get blown away 2d6x10 feet in a clockwise fashion, with the center being on the statue (so if you're below it, you get blown to the left, if you're left of it, you get blow up, etc), and take 2d6 nonlethal damage from buffeting. Lastly, all ranged attacks (as in pistols), are impossible in that wind.

Purple Area: Thick, grasping mist. Creatures within that mist have their speeds reduced to 5 ft. (Haste notwithstanding), and suffer a -2 to AC and AB. The only exception is if you can fly out of it, levitate, or similarly put yourself above the mist.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles gets his head out of the clouds just in time to see Ishaq find himself on the receiving end of a blow that would probably have cut Charles in two if the mathematician were the one being hit. As it lifts the barbarian into the air Charles realizes that, happily, this is a situation he can help with. Someone somewhere is very angry and doing their best to express it with some horrible kind of mental energy, but, fortunately for Charles, he's always been good at ignoring horrible mental energy directed his way, and besides, he has important things to do.

"Quetzal!" he shouts, including himself and Tomas in the net of bouyant magic just in case. He's never had to use this particular spell himself, but it's supposed to last for a little while. Certainly longer than it will take Ishaq to fall to the bottom of the ravine, if he fails to catch himself. Dragging himself forward, next to Tomas, he draws his rapier and dagger and prepares to fight.

Standing up (move action). Will save 22 (at least) vs. the mental wave. Casting feather fall on Ishaq, Tomas, and himself, which will last for three rounds, as an immediate action. Moving forward to Y17, if Ishaq is still on the ledge, or Y18, if he isn't, drawing both weapons as part of the move action.

[NeoTiamat]

[OOC: Ishaq! Due to the fact that you are now falling at 60 feet a round, you take no damage.... but spend an extra round falling.

However, I will be nice and let you get two chances at DC 25 (not 35) Climb checks to grab onto the side of the cliff, once at the top and once 40 feet above the bottom.]

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia considers the situation -- and spreads her new wings. Keeping her eye on the Fey and the rampaging giant, she rises above the grasping fog and flies a ways past Andre, to the edge of the winds, where she tries to cast a spell: "Araneum arcanorum rescindo!" - but the winds whip her words away, and the Wizard is left cursing a blue streak. "It is like Rock to Mud!" she shouts to the other members of the Expedition. "The fog! It is like the spell Rock to Mud! It will not go away unless it is dispelled!"

(Moving to AB 18 through the power of flight and landing. Casting Dispel Magic - 15. Fail. -_- Dammit. Spellcraft check 29 tells me that yes, the fog is a re-styled version of the Rock to Mud spell.)

[steveflam]

Ishaq smiles in satisfaction as his blade cuts the giant twice, inflicting it great harm. That all changes though as the giant's axe swoops in and sends him flying through the air. So this is how the hawk flies . I must admit it is more skillled at it than I ever will be! He sees the edge come and looking down, sees his life flash before him. He sheathes his blade even as he sees Charles utter some words and point at him. He cringes as a strange sensation of being weightless? runs through his body. As he falls very very slowly he attempts to get a good handhold on the edge of the cliff.

OKay here we go! Fortitude save 34 or 36 .. his 10 + 3 [mass conviction] +1 [Prayer] and rolled a 20, extra +2 to raging if I still am]

NT I made a mistake on the climb rolls:

First climb attempt Ishaq only gets a +1 for any skill check thanks to
Prayer. So attempt 1 is a failure, and attempt two well if I'm still raging I make it if not I don't. He has 7 +1[Prayer] if raging +2 rollled a 16. If I'm not raging I fail as well.

[lostboy]

As the lightning slams into him, Khalil screams in pain, a raw throated scream that is whipped away on the swirling winds. He doesnt even see Spite flash through him, instead he stands for a second looking rather confused at the stench of charred flesh rising form his body.

He slowly looks up at the sky with unfocussed eyes. "Anubis save m...." he manages in a whisper. Then his body shakes, his eyes flutter closed and he collapses to the ground.

[Ok well that was fun, Khalil just spectacularly failed all three saves and is now at -1 hp. Awesome day all round really]

[DocBeard]

"Ishaq!" Tomas shouts, then looking over at, "Khalil!" No, no, no...

The terror hits Tomas like a wave, not using simple animal fear but something more insidious...crueler, setting Tomas against his own mind. His gambit failed, just when it was showing fruit. Spite's working off of sheer pain, now, nothing will convince her to attack her sister! It's stupid...leave these people to their fate, it's not like...what the hell?! He stumbles backwards, then, as his mind suddenly kicks him in the back of the head. No, he's...his mind is being...altered...

Tomas screams, bounding forward in order to take a savage swipe at the giant's kneecap! Eisenwald flows with the swing of the sword, spinning around and hopping into the air, arcing the sword around, trying to swing it into the back of the giant's knee, shoving all his weight into it! Above, even if the giant isn't harmed by Tomas's zeal, storm clouds start to stew, building up slowly...

"Is it worth it?" Tomas pants, changing his tactic abruptly. "Seeing someone you love hurt, knowing that your life is at risk, just because your master's bored? Is this still fun for you, Maice? Or...or is seeing your sister really, actually hurt part of the fun?"


(OOC: Make my saves, and I full attack the giant. First attack is normal, hits, and does 5 damage. Second attack is a smite evil, and if that works, it hits and does 14 damage. If it doesn't, I don't know if a modified 20 hits still.)

[yalenusveler]

Andre saw Khalil go down...but also saw Spite coming in to say hello to the rest of them. With a brief activation of the amulet around his neck, he withdrew back to near Kuzan, and shouted again, a sound lance to punctuate Tomas' comment about Spite being hurt.

OOC:3 charges off amulet of tears, sound lance against Spite, 44 damage, 88 on the miss chance for a hit. DC 19 fort save, moved to AF16

[Kaitou Kage]

Now's my chance. I've gotta take it.

Without another moment's hesitation, Kuzan let himself drop, falling back toward the ground. He stopped just shy of the fog, reached out, and grabbed Andre.

"Hold tight," he whispered, "You're coming with me."

And then he spoke the simple, short phrase. Both men's bodies completely discorporated...

...Only to reform by the statue, near the Featherflute and by the candle. Even though he was invisible, the priest knew Andre would get what was going on.

Dimension door to take Andre and myself to R17 and S16 respectively.

[The Whistler]

--HURKK--

Despite the obvious benefits inherent in having several of his body parts temporarily swapped for newer, deadlier body parts, Otto found it perversely annoying that:

One: I still can't breathe when an extraplanar woman tells me not to...and two: I still actually need these spectacles. Of all the times to figure out that wolf-men can be nearsighted...

And then, as it turned out, it was even more difficult to breathe properly when one is seeing a friend and ally being lit up like a New Year's sparkler right in front of you. The gunsmith stifled a gasp and a curse as Spite shot through Khalil and towards the river, then hustled backwards towards the bridge, boots humming.

Time's short, and you're on the defensive...but if she sets one foot out of that windstorm...

OOC: Breathing, then hoofing it back to AG/7 for the +4 AC bonus from Skirmish.

[NeoTiamat]

Statue of Beyrath, The Mazes, The Kermanevar, Sebua
June 24th, 761, 8:21 PM; Day 99 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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PC Actions:
Ishaq is falling. Due to Feather Fall, this may take a while.
Lia flies up, casts Dispel Magic, fails.
Otto heads back down.
Andre casts a Sound Lance at Spite. She fails the save, takes 44 damage.
Charles casts Feather Fall on himself, Ishaq, and Tomas, moves up.
Kuzan teleports himself and Andre towards the statue.
Khalil suffers a Critical Save Failure.
Tomas hits the giant twice and deals 19 damage

"Is it worth it?" Tomas pants, changing his tactic abruptly. "Seeing someone you love hurt, knowing that your life is at risk, just because your master's bored? Is this still fun for you, Maice? Or...or is seeing your sister really, actually hurt part of the fun?"

"Oh... Tomas..." Malice said, smiling lazily. "Pain is just a sharper pleasure, that's all. You'll understand when you're old enough."

It was at this point that Tomas remembered why most of the mighty giant-slayers of old did not pause to chat with pretty, if rather immodest, young ladies in the middle of combat. With a thunderous roar of mixed pain and rage, the giant swung the axe right at the paladin. It caught him on the shield, which is probably the only reason that Tomas was still Tomas as opposed to Left Tomas and Right Tomas. The blow lifted the Lamordian off his feet, tossing him into the ravine below.

"Enjoy!" Malice called after the gently falling Tomas. "Hrm... if you do, you might be old enough."

Andre saw Khalil go down...but also saw Spite coming in to say hello to the rest of them. With a brief activation of the amulet around his neck, he withdrew back to near Kuzan, and shouted again, a sound lance to punctuate Tomas' comment about Spite being hurt.

The bolt of concentrated sound hit the Faerie courtier directly in torso. There was a brief, painful moment of collision, and then it looked as though the wind shredded Spite. The Faerie burst into a thousand confetti-like shreds for a moment, then dissipated in the air. As Spite died, so did the wind she had summoned earlier, the air returning to its normally reasonably-placid state.

"Oh, bother." Malice pouted rather charmingly. "And things were just getting fun here. She's going to be insufferable after this."

Then the Faerie of Wind noticed Andre reappear quite conveniently next to the Statue of Beyrath. A few observers were forced to wonder where, exactly, the Featherflute had disappeared to, as certainly no one had seen him leave, but other matters superceded. Malice raised a hand at pointed at Andre with one exquisitely trimmed, if disturbingly long and green-painted fingernail.

"Sorry Andre." Malice didn't sound very sorry. "This won't hurt a bit."

The force of the air was like a sledgehammer blow upon Andre, a full-body blow that tried to push him back off of the cliff-side and to the rocks below. If the professor had thought the hurricane had been bad...

"The sudden stop at the end, on the other hand...."

Enemy Actions:
The Cloud Giant hits Tomas with an Awesome Blow from it's axe, and rolls a 20. Attack result of 27 to confirm, so that's a critical. Total of 66 damage to Eisenwald. Also, DC 66 Reflex Save or get knocked off the cliff. Takes two rounds to fall due to Feather Fall, and only a DC 25 Climb Check to catch yourself, of which you get two (one right now as you go over the edge, and one when you're sixty feet down). Once in the water, it takes a single DC 15 Swim Check to reach the nearest Cliff Wall, and then it takes DC 15 Climb checks to get up 100 feet. Further details fall the Climb Rules of the SRD: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/climb.htm. He then takes a move action to move back 5 feet towards the statue.

Spite's Energy Retort (Electricity) hits Andre for 14 Electricity damage, Reflex DC 19 for half. Then she dies.

Malice hits Andre with an aerial Bull Rush, with a total result of 18 for her. Make an opposing roll, and if it fails to meet the DC 18, you move back 5 feet (and fall off the cliff). For you, it's a single DC 35 Climb Check, and you take 36 falling damage at the bottom. Otherwise, same as for Ishaq and Tomas. Very good timing on the Amulet.

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PC Overview: Haste (+1 AB, AC, Reflex, +30 ft., +1 Attack when Full Attacking), Mass Conviction (+3 Morale to Saves), Bless (+1 morale on attack rolls), Prayer (+1 luck bonus to all attack rolls, saves, skill checks and ability checks. Enemies also suffer -1 luck penalty to the same rolls),
Kuzan: Invisible, Divine Insight, Fly, Sanctuary
Tomas: Endure Elements, Feather Fall, -66 HP
Otto: Bite of the Werewolf, Crisis of Breath
Charles: Feather Fall
Lia:
Ishaq: -31 HP, Feather Fall
Khalil: -43 HP, Dying.
Andre: +24 Temp HP (Amulet of Tears)

Monster Overview:
Spite: DISSIPATED
Malice: Psi-Buff
The Cloud Giant: -97 HP




Purple Area: Thick, grasping mist. Creatures within that mist have their speeds reduced to 5 ft. (Haste notwithstanding), and suffer a -2 to AC and AB. The only exception is if you can fly out of it, levitate, or similarly put yourself above the mist.

[Nathan of the FoS]

The giant swats Tomas, who promptly disappears--at least, that's how it seems to Charles' (admittedly somewhat jangled) perceptions. At least he won't land hard. The giant then backs up, which Charles would love to think this is a reaction to Charles' presence here on the field of battle, but, well, he's probably about as frightening as a five-year-old with a pair of scissors to something that size.

If the giant is willing to cede the field, though, Charles is willing to give it to him. Besides, the spectacle of a slow-motion pursuit through this extraordinarily clinging fog bank is too ridiculously undignified to be considered--not to mention, the thing will probably swat Charles with that horrifying greataxe if he gets any closer.

So!

Imitating his erstwhile opponent, Charles edges backward and draws his pistol. "I'll bet you've been wanting some attention, m'selle, everyone's been focused on your sister!" he calls, and shoots at Malice.

Move backward 5 feet, drawing the pistol, and shooting at Malice. Attack roll 25 to hit Malice with a cold iron bullet. Miss chance roll 20 on a d20 (oh, to have those two rolls reversed!). Damage 11.

[yalenusveler]

If Otto wasn't so busy trying to breathe, he would probably be marveling at the nigh mechanistic precision Andre moved with. As Kuzan caused him to disappear then reappear, just as he evaded the brunt of a rather nasty lightning onslaught from the dearly departed Spite, he manifested right in the path of a rush attempt from the ever lovely Malice. Yet through some quirk of mechanistic fate, his movements to avoid the shocking retort..put him in a prime position for stability when it came to the windstorm, the Ebon Ouroboros standing his ground with surprising stalwart fortitude.

Malice got a bit of a jaunty shrug, and a smile, as the words for Dispel Magic left his lips, targeted not at her or the fog, but the Giant itself. Which unfortunately...decided not to abandon the little soirée.

"Care to ask your friend to leave the party? He ruins the atmosphere" Said Andre, while making a move for the candle

OOC:Made the bull rush and saves...so 7 damage from zap. 18 on the dispel check, so not enough, and a 5 foot step to s17

[Kaitou Kage]

Now, Kuzan thought to himself.

He reached out to the candle.

Let me end this, stop this pointless fight. Put an end to this thing we shouldn't even be involved with anyway. Prevent senseless deaths, deaths that serve no purpose.

He took the candle in his hand and focused.

Lord Varuna, give me the strength I need. Give m e the fortitude I require, and the power to do what needs to be done. Shanti, shanti, Om.

Beginning my candle-lighting attempt.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia once again unfolds her wings and flies a brief distance, her face as smooth as her mask, but her eyes once again full of rage. As soon as she lands again, she points her left hand into the air between the giant and Malice, and incants words of power: 'Evigile, anulu ignis contemplativi! Ter verba mea fulce! Ex manu sphaera ignis expandens evolat!' A tiny sphere of flame, surrounded by a crimson ring, hurtles into the air between the Fey and the giant -- and expands into a fireball, which howls with ignean fury for a few moments! "Do not turn your back on me," Lia growls beneath her breath, "you miserable wretch!"

(Flying to Z17, then launching a Fireball at V20, boosted by the Ring of Mystic Fire. Missed the Fey, hit the giant for ... Are you kidding me? o_o 27 damage?!)