The Shattered City: Chapter Five

[Cronax]

Mr Agale strode purposefully out into his office, hands on his hips. He gave the mageling blocking his doorway a particularly sour look and began berating the man. "Sir! have you any respect for propriety? Some of us civilized individuals are attempting to sleep. I shall have to forcefully suggest that you at once abandon this rambunctious behaviour and vacant the premises post haste!"

Move: Going to J21
Minor: Distract Against the Assassin Mage.
Standard: Augment 2 Mind Thrust at the Assassin Mage
And rolled a 2..
Using Reroll Tokens: 29 vs Will for 21 psychic damage and he takes a -5 to all defenses until the end of Agale's Next turn.
Readying Intellect Fortress against the next attack where it will help (+5 to 1 defense UEONT)

[lostboy]

"Well I'm glad everything is normal in here then" Nicolas mutters, eyeing the blood coating the room.

"Right... anyway my thanks Monsieur , lets sally forth and evict these miscreants, before they completely trash the place.. or us."

He pauses in the doorway as he follows Richard. "Ah-hem did I neglect to use the command stay?" He adds giving the offending Darkhound a disapproving look. "Back you go, bad doggy.." And with a twitch of his sword (or rather a wild swing of it that nearly dumps the inebriated poet on his arse) the Hound retreats involuntarily back into Nicolas' room.

Recovering himself he chances a look down the corridor towards Nerit, and does a quick double take at the sight. "I must say Sister for someone awoken in the middle of the night and sporting possibly rabid dog bites you do cut a ravishing figure, still perhaps best to keep aforesaid figure in one piece hey?"

OOC:
Move action to M13
Minor Action: Majestic Word on Nerit for surge + 8 hp healed and she slides one square away from the slobbering doggies to M10
Standard Action: Guiding Strike on Darkhound3 16 vs Ac so miss
Compelling Darkhound3 back to H11 at the start of its turn, it still can't take move actions (save ends)

[yalenusveler]

A sheet...simply would not do. And for that Kerrian did his best to evade the slings, arrows, knives and whatnot of his current assailant, while trying to dress in a frenzy of activity that would be quite comedic if it wasn't in the middle of a quite literal fight for his life.

With clothing now no longer a far away concept, Kerrian could devote the entirety of his attention the problem at hand, namely someone trying to do their best to end his life. And due to that, his spiritual wolf chose to make its entrance, features contorted into a snarl at the individual that would dare assault its fleshy companion.

OOC: two minor actions to re-dress fully. Minor to summon spirit companion at Q3.

[The Whistler]

There ensued a series of sounds representing a young socialite changing from (presumably) a nightgown into a respectable pastel blue morning dress and sensible flats, pinning her hair up, applying a tasteful matched set of white gold jewelry, and selecting the appropriate Rokuma Personal Defense Fan from what was an undoubtedly a wide array of options, and opening the door. Under no circumstances should this have taken the seven-and-a-half seconds that it objectively did take.

"Coo-ee! Fellow-lodgers! I hesitate to interrupt your slumber at such an early hour, but it appears that there is a Marauder of some description in my bechamboh my goodness." This last marked when Celeste noticed what was going on in the hallway.

Taking two minors to fully enrobe, and another minor to use Chaotic Defense, for +2 to all defenses until the end of the encounter.

[Kaitou Kage]

Everyone was so focused on the fighting outside that nobody noticed Rex's door crack open just a bit. A knife sailed out of the dark room and plunged deep into the mage's spine. The knife twisted in the assailant's back and then vanished in a swirl of shadow.

Rex takes an action to finish dressing.
Rex moves to K26
Rex uses Killer's Ambush on the Assassin Mage and scores a critical for 40 damage, then skitters away, shifting 2 squares to J24 as part of the attack.
Rex then is allowed a Stealth check to hide and gets a 22.

Rex will also prepare Slippery Mind (+2 to Will as an immediate reaction) against the first attack where it makes a difference.

[Nerit]

She gasped in agony as the dogs surrounded her and bit down, but then Nerit noticed whose door she stood by. "Alice--ah! Attend your brethren!" she cried with a frail slap on Miss Blackwood's door.

"I must say Sister for someone awoken in the middle of the night and sporting possibly rabid dog bites you do cut a ravishing figure, still perhaps best to keep aforesaid figure in one piece hey?"

"Never short on wit, are you?!" Nerit called back to Nicolas humorlessly, though it was not cruel in the least. His words had been, oddly, a comfort. She felt compelled toward the poet and slipped toward him without any seeming effort.

She breathed in and turned back to the hounds. She lifted her left arm, a wicked cut visible on the underside of her wrist. "Shatter to dust, Sodale." As she spoke, lightning shot out at the demon dogs, the chaos fiends, whatever they were, ringing like a gunshot through the narrow hallway.

"Umbrosus?" Nerit lowered her hands and swept them down, disappearing in a heavy patch of shadow that swirled and clung to her.

Nerit regains 22 HP. Thanks, Nic!
Free Action to pound on Alice's door. Rallying cry, hurrah!
Standard: Dancing Lightning on Hound #2 (22 vs 20 REF)
19 lightning damage, and each creature adjacent to the target takes thunder damage (+4, unless you're counting that against me too :/). Check the roll log for my subtractions, I am so lucky.
Minor: Deep Shroud - space she occupies and each square adjacent is heavily obscured (sustain minor)
Move: Nerit moves to O14 behind Richard, taking the shroud with her. SO THERE, REX. Nicolas will want to move out of it if he wants to attack.

[NeoTiamat]

Chateau Malchance, Quartier-Marchand, Early Morning of June 8th, 770
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PC Actions
Nerit hits D2 for 19 Lightning damage and D1 for 4, also Deep Shrouds
Kerrian finishes dressing and summons his Spirit Hound
Mercator finishes dressing, hits T4 for 17 Psychic and -3 to Will
Rex hits the Mage for 40 damage and skitters away.
Lia is DYING!
Celeste finishes dressing and hits Chaotic Defense
Nicolas heals Nerit for 22 HP
Agale uses Mind Thrust against the Mage, deals 21 Psychic and Mage takes -5 to all defenses for a round.

"Alice--ah! Attend your brethren!" she cried with a frail slap on Miss Blackwood's door.

"My pardon, Sister, I've troubles of my own just now!" Alice's voice returned, angry and half-frantic. Behind the door of her bedroom, Nerit could hear the sounds of struggle, the thuds of overturning furniture and heavy footsteps that did not belong to a woman.

"S-sis?" Richard stammered, his swing faltering. His eyes flashed and he tried to correct his error, but the hound flowed around his sword. The young man still seemed slightly stunned, the full impact of the attack unable to pierce a wall of shock; instead he tactically retreated into Nerit's shroud of darkness, using the cover of darkness to finish pulling his coat on. As he watched the hounds rush in to follow, his expression turned thunderous, and his sword began to glow.

The shadow dogs pursued, snapping viciously at the legs. A bright dove of flame flew out from near Nicolas' room, circling around Nicolas in a strange shield.

"Keep them where they are, Monsieur, and retreat! I've a spell I mean to work on them, but you have little wish to be caught in it yourself!" Thierri's voice called out. Nicolas could just barely see him around the corner of his room, properly dressed, though it did look like he'd slept in his clothing. Thierri was a performer, and his voice betrayed none of the panic that he may have felt. His attention did seem to be pulled at heavily, however, and it was taking him all the discipline he had to stay focused.

************
Lia could see him too, though Lia could see precious little else. Even in the black void on the brink of death, he was here. He held a scythe, though not the blade on a stick of many artists' depictions. This was a large, heavy farmer's scythe, the handle worn from use, the blade honed with nothing but stone and strength of arm. And Thierri clearly held it like he knew how to wield it.

There was something about his eyes, though, more than just the fiery blue glow they gave, as they had when he'd claimed the name of Thanatos. Lia couldn't help but feel they were not eyes, but gates, gates to somewhere inexorable and unknowable. He was looking at her, now, and she felt a pull, as if the gates were drawing her in. And looking through them, Lia saw the phoenix on the other side, blazing with deep red heat, its eyes a brilliant blue. It was watching her, and waiting.
***********

Richard uses a Zealous Fervor on Darkhound #3, and whiffs gloriously with a roll of 6. Uses Whispers of the Divine, rolls a 4, still misses. So he shifts back a square and finishes dressing.

Cerise does another one of her signature somethings. This is a heavy-ouchiness something, and the Assassin Mage and Hound #4 both take 15 Psychic damage and are Dazed for a round.

Thierri moves into the hall, and tosses a Hermes’ Fire onto Nicolas. Nicolas gains 9 Temp HP.

Regeneration: All Darkhound heal 5 HP.

Assassin-Mage delays his action until after the Darkhounds.

Cerise, in the meantime, had managed to get rather close to the main brawl going on. It was rather curious, really. She had just grabbed her shawl, left her room, and was being almost roundly ignored by all participants in the battle. So she stood on tippy-toes above to look at the tall, black-clad wizard, and Agale could distantly feel a burst of what almost felt like static brushing his senses.

“Get him, Mr. Asmodeus!” Cerise called out in encouragement, a snaggletoothed grin on her features. “Bite him!”

The black hound attempted to do just that, even as the infuriated mage shoved it aside. Now in the light, now that it was still, one could get a closer look at just what this creature was. It was a hound only by distant ancestry. A squat, thickly-muscled attack-dog with short black fur, fur that seemed to trail shadows behind it as it moved. Its eyes glowed in the dark with a hungry red light, though they were somehow glassy and cold as well, reflections of an unknown reality. Its limbs were twisted and malformed, and tipped with claws like small knives. Some manner of mutated mage-bred horror, Cerise cheered it on as though it was a puppy.

Darkhound #3 uses Rending to shift back and use a Claw Attack vs. AC on Richard. Misses with a 16

Darkhound #4 is still Dominated, uses a Claw Attack vs. AC on the Assassin Mage. Misses with a 15.

Darkhound #1 uses a Rending to shift over and use a Claw Attack vs. AC on Nicolas. Misses with a 14 (Natural 1!) Karma is taking payback for the last two rounds, I see.

Darkhound #2 moves over, and uses Blood Drain vs. Fortitude (with Combat Advantage courtesy of D3’s flank). And misses with a 17. That was underwhelming.

The Assassin Mage goes and tosses a Chilling Transfer vs Fortitude (Area Burst 2) on Nicolas, Richard, and Nerit. Misses Richard, hits Nicolas with a 21 and Nerit with a 32, dealing 19 Cold damage and healing D1, D2, and D3 for 5 HP each. Nicolas and Nerit are Slowed (Save Ends). Nerit is now Bloodied (again).

He then uses an Action Point to throw a Withering Consumption vs. Fortitude at Agale. Total miss with a 15. Oh Karma.


Strangler #1 hits Kerrian with a Cutting Knife vs. AC, 32 to hit, 15 damage. Ouch. Kerrian is now Bloodied.

Strangler #2 goes to catch Rex. Gets a natural 20 on his Perception, then goes to stab Rex with a Cutting Knife vs. AC. Hits with a 23, dealing 18 damage (max!)

Strangler #3 goes to attack Celeste with a Cutting Knife vs. AC. Misses with a 17.

Strangler #4 stabs Mercator with a Cutting Knife vs AC. Hits with a 30, 9 damage.


Saves: Assassin Mage vs. Charm: Fail
Darkhound #4 vs. Dominate: Fail
Darkhound #3 vs. Compulsion: Success



Miscellaneous Mechanics

Underdressed (New Status Effect): Rather than try and figure out what your stats are without clothing, I shall streamline the process. All PCs begin Underdressed-3, Without their equipment. As such, they suffer a -3 penalty to all Defense, and to all Attack and Damage Rolls. Moreover, they cannot use any Item powers.

While in your room (and only while in your room), you may spend a Minor Action to grab stuff and reduce your Underdressed Penalty by 1. Once the penalty is reduced to 0, you are fully suited up and may use Item powers once more.

PCs
Prof. Lia Mournswaithe (L): Underdressed (-2 to Defenses, Attack & Damage rolls, cannot use Item Powers)
-5/54, DYING
AC 21-2, F 17-2, R 19-2, W 18-2

Celeste Viardot (Cv):
47/61
AC 19+2, F 19+2, R 21+2, W 23+2

Kerrian Mauganson (K):
31/64; Bloodied
AC 19, F 21, R 18, W 22

Mercator Melanchthon (M):
46/65
AC 20, F 21, R 20, W 23

Rex Alistair Prescott (R): Stealth (DC 22)
41/59
AC 23, F 17, R 23, W 19

Mr. Agale (A):
52/52
AC 20, F 17, R 21, W 23

Nicolas Etienne de Castaigne (Nc): Slowed (Save Ends)
48/67
AC 23, F 20, R 22, W 24

Nerit Doherty (N): Underdressed (-3 to Defenses, Attack & Damage rolls, cannot use Item Powers), Slowed (Save Ends)
24/58, Bloodied
AC 19-3, F 17-3, R 19-3, W 23-3

Friends

Cerise Rondelet (Blue R) Underdressed (-2 to Defenses, Attack & Damage rolls, cannot use Item Powers)
AC 20-1, F 19-2, R 20-2, W 21-2

Richard Blackwood (Blue R)
-35 HP
AC 23, F 21, R 21, W 21

Thierri Boucher (Blue T)
AC 22 F 20 R 22 W 20

Foes

Assassin Mage (Green A) Charmed (Cerise is invisible to him, Save Ends), -5 Defenses, Dazed
-87 HP
AC 23, F 20, R 23, W 21

Darkhound #1 (Black 1)
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 18

Darkhound #2 (Black 2)
-9
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 18

Darkhound #3 (Black 3)
-6
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 18

Darkhound #4 (Black 4) , Dominated (Save Ends), Dazed
-10
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 18

Docks Strangler #1 (Grey 1)
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 19

Docks Strangler #2(Grey 2)
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 19

Docks Strangler #3(Grey 3)
-33
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 19

Docks Strangler #4(Grey 4) ,
-26
AC 22, F 21, R 20, W 19-3


Inactive
Tomas Eisenwald (T): Underdressed (-3 to Defenses, Attack & Damage rolls, cannot use Item Powers)
71/71
AC 26-3, F 19-3, R 19-3, W 22-3; Resist All/1

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Suspended in the void, Lia looks at Thierri, shaped like death. Looks through Thierri, into the eyes of the Phoenix. She starts to rally the tattered remains of her willpower to stay 'where' she is, and addresses a question to both entities: "Shall it be death who dances today... or rebirth?"

The Phoenix did not respond, simply looking at Lia and waiting.
"You name the same thing twice," Thierri replied, placing the scythe across his shoulders.

"Ah, Tarot references," Lia says, 'shrugging' as best she can. "You know, I could have sworn we performed a ritual that was meant to separate Thierri Boucher from the Eminence of Death."

"I am not Death," Therri replied, calmly, resting his palms on the scythe's handle. "But I know the way."

"Thank you, but I am not quite ready to go yet," Lia says, as politely as she can under the circumstances. "Might I ask you two questions, of your courtesy?"

Theirri put his palms upward in a shrug.

"First and foremost: have we somehow entrapped the noble Phoenix with our ritual? It would sadden me if it were so," the Mage says, "for it assisted in the ritual on our insistence. And second: If you are not Death, who then might you be?"

The Phoenix did not reply to the first - not for the moment.
"A guide," Thierri replied, blue eyes flickering in the void.

"Psychopomp," Lia says.

[Cronax]

"Indeed Mr. de Castigne. It had crossed my mind that they were perhaps associates of yours. A party that had gotten out of hand, or some other rambunctiousness."

Turning to the foreign spellcaster in front of him, Mr Agale belted out a seething indictment. "Sir, you are tresspassing and engaging in wanton vandalism, the penalty for which is quite severe around these parts, I must demand that both yourself and your 'animal' begone from this house immediately!"

There was a sickly weight to the Borcan's words, it clung to to the Mage's senses like a web, sapping his will to fight, to live.

Gesturing to Lia's crumpled form, he said "Miss Mourneswaithe, it is quite unladylike to retire outside of one's sleeping chamber, please compose yourself."

Standard: Ravening Thought at the Assassin Mage
Assassin Mage: 22 vs Will Hits for 16 psychic damage and ongoing 5 psychic damage (save ends)
Hound 4: 18 vs Will hits on the dot (thanks Combat Advantage) for 9 psychic damage and ongoing 5 psychic damage (save ends)
Move: Shift to K21
Minor: Majestic Word on Lia, She may spend a surge +6 hp and is slid a square if she wants.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Hissing a malediction as the blade tore at his papery flesh, Mercator edged backward, crossing the blade and rod in his hands and then tracing a brief curve in the air with the former. A black sigil appeared on the forehead of his assailant...a rune of unfamiliar form but dire import.

Minor to place my Warlock's Curse on d00d. Move to shift back one square to U21, attack with Sign of Ill Omen for 23 vs. Will. 19 damage (no type) and on his next attack Strangler 4 must roll twice, take the lower roll, and then take a -3 penalty.

Also, the 4 points of damage lost by my bad bookkeeping have disappeared again--S4 should be at -13-17-19=-49 now. Unless he got 4 hit points back somewhere and I missed it?

[The Whistler]

The thing about attempting to stab Celeste, even if she is unaware that you have extricated yourself from a broken window, is that she refuses to stay in a reasonable stabbing location. For example: if she were to unexpectedly nip out into the hallway to get a better cheerleading vantage point, and your balance was still off because your brain was bleeding internally, you would not stab Celeste at all, but rather the patch of wall directly behind Celeste. You would also deck yourself spectacularly on a quarter-ton iron Tvashtian temple bell (Sri Raji, unknown caster, c. 50-75 BC), which Celeste had decided to hang from the ceiling in that corner "in order to impart a certain verisimilitude."

You would not be in a position to criticize the lack of verisimilitude inherent in placing said bell in a Dementlieuse sitting room a continent away from the original temple, because you were neither Rajian nor a religious scholar, because Celeste had managed not to notice that you had followed her, and also because your brain was now bleeding harder.

Shifting to N30 and attacking Thug 3 with Storm Walk, which allows me to shift again (to M31) before I attack. The attack then hits with a 21 vs. Fort., dealing 11 thunder damage to the dude.

[lostboy]

"Never short on wit, are you?!"

"For you ma chere, always..." he responds with a playful wink.

"Now where was I? Ah yes in the midst of puppy obedience lessons, now..." Nicolas pauses for a moment as he catches sight of Thierri, then nods briefly and flips him a casual salute.

Tossing the stale baguette out into the corridor, he thumps the hilt of the sword into the doorframe, wincing slightly at the gouge it takes out and wondering briefly how much Devereux will take out of his deposit (although on reflection probably far less than he will after seeing the state of the carpet in the poet's room). A note rises strong and deafening, like a tuning fork gone mad, and as it reaches a feverish pitch Nicolas' adds his own voice to it, shouting a single word at ear-splitting volume.

"FETCH!"

Job done he allows himself a smirk of satisfaction and slips back into the darkness so thoughtfully provided by Sister Doherty.

OOc:
Move action to shift to N13

Shout of triumph (Blast 3 centered on L13)
15 vs Fort Darkhound 1 miss
23 vs Fort Darkhound 2 hit for 7 thunder damage
31 vs Fort Darkhound 3 hit for 9 thunder damage
As a result of the effect:
Darkhound 1 is pushed to K14
Darkhound 2 is pushed to K13
Darkhound 3 is pushed to L14

Free action to activate item power on Harsh Songblade Scimitar leaving all three Darkhounds dazed until the end of Nicolas' next turn

[Kaitou Kage]

Rex smiled an unpleasant smile despite the dark blood seeping into his clothing from the gash in his arm. He batted the attacker's blade away with his knife and nicked his assailant on the forearm. Before the other man could react, Rex was gone, bounding through his sitting room, toward his back room. He glanced back over his shoulder and his green eyes flashed with a challenge.

Follow me, if you dare.

Rex uses Gloaming Cut against the strangler man #2, hits with a 27 for 5 damage. After the attack (as part of the same action), he shifts 2 squares to H26.
Rex then moves through the door to G24 and makes a Stealth check of 28 to hide.

[Nerit]

Nerit's left hand briefly split the darkness, but she faltered. The moment passed as she doubled over in pain. Nerit swore in Darkonian, the shadows roiling over her hunched form. This was not looking to be a good morning.

Yet she did not beg Sodalis to call them off. She did not ask him to spare the others and simply take her. She would not go down without a fight.

Lightning Strike (17 vs R20) on Darkhound#2 misses.
Save: 2, fail
Minor: Sustain Deep Shroud

[yalenusveler]

"That...hurt" Kerrian said, looking down to where the assassin's blade had caused a line of slowly spreading crimson to form on his clothing. "That...really hurt." His voice...was changing. Pitch deepening, taking on a growl and a predator's rumble. Green eyes gaining yellow, going almost near golden, facial features moving..lupine countenance becoming quite clear. Fingernails once trimmed as close to neat as a day laborer could manage now taking on an aspect closer to a beast's claws than anything that belonged on a man.

The spiritual wolf also...changed. From a noble beast, to the sort of thing that would give one nightmares even just catching sight of it in the woods. Feral and furious, with a howl that one couldn't tell if it came more from spirit or master, Kerrian finally began his counter attack, spirit wolf tearing into the strangler with its jaws.

OOC:Minor action to activate longtooth shifting. Regeneration 2 while bloodied, and +2 to my damage rolls. Standard for Protecting strike vs strangler 1. 24 vs will, for 9 damage. Will then healing spirit for 16 hp regained as a move downgraded to a minor.