Re: Zilean's Revenge (Part 4)

Zarhon Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:13 am

Cultist's Endurance
11 - 6 = 5

Thrown guy is KO'd, so no fighting for him.

Whilst the 'living projectile' doesn't do much against the crystal other than make it sway in place a bit, the impact manages to knock the cultist out cold. His buddy draws his own dagger, and heads to attack!

Cultist Combat:

Your turn again, since it's one-on-one.

A1C Bronymous Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:46 am

The cultist may have gotten a good cut on him, but he didn't think to try and move out of the way. Horizon trucks him, putting all of his weight and hard armor straight into the cultist. Before he can recover, Horizon produces two of his own throwing knives, and throws them full force at the point blank target. Then, to really drive home the point, he jumps and kicks the knives further into his body. Recovering, he finally pulls his scimitar and gives a final slash at the devastated necromancer.

Turn:

Zarhon Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:25 am

The cultist, coughing up blood, goes for another slice, this time with one of Horizons own knives, as he dropped the one he was holding in the slam. It hits, but deals not much more than a small nick on his arm this time. Seeing as he's losing the battle, he turns to the crystal and appears to channel some energy away from it, to himself. It loses some of its luster in the process, whilst he gains a faint shimmer around his skin.

Spoiler:

A1C Bronymous Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:24 pm

Horizon gives the cultist a swift kick as he cuts him, but like the knife cut, it was minor.
"Is your boss gonna be happy you're stealing his power supply?" Horizon jeers, and attacks again, this time aiming to kill for certain. Scimitar and Kukri flash as he hacks and stabs at the cultist, hoping for a finishing blow.

Turn:

Zarhon Fri Sep 06, 2013 1:47 am

The force of the attack is just too much to protect the necromancer from the killing blow. With a kukri embedded deep in his chest, he looks to Horizon, chuckles at his remark (spitting blood as he does so), and replies:"No... He won't be happy at all.", before collapsing from his grievous wound. Moments afterwards, the tent gradually darkens, as the crystal quickly dims its mystic glow.

Combat over.

A1C Bronymous Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:16 am

"Cute." Horizon sheathes his weapons. Given the fact that crystal was directly linked to whatever Zilean was doing, and that the absence of power would definitely draw attention, Horizon resecured his disguise and hurries out of the tent towards the group at the south, hoping no one outside notices. As he does, he tries sending another telepathic message to the Elemental. "Coming to you, things are about to get noisy."

Stealth to avoid being seen fleeing the scene: ~~FUCK~~ 3+12=15

Zarhon Fri Sep 06, 2013 7:20 pm

Horizon's assumption proves to be correct, as the camp yet again booms with volume:
"To whomever it may concern: It appears that one of my lovely devices, the northern one, to be precise, has gone kaput. Now, since the possibility of a personal error is statistically impossible, I can only attribute it to mortal humanoid error. Now, I'm not going to say that whoever is there is lazy, or stupid, or even suicidal, but I will say this: If it doesn't light right back up again within the next minute, nothing short of your guts hanging out of your stomachs and puking Rot-Grubs will be proper justification to not have your eyeballs boiled in their sockets and your skin flayed off with sandpaper! Someone go check it out, pronto, for you truly do not want to see me irritated by interruptions enough to come there myself!

AND WHERE IS THAT BLOODY BEAKER?!"

As he flees the scene of the crime, he is noticed by a number of cultists, some of whom have rushed from the construction, and others from the yet-unseen portions of the camp, all apparently armed. They do not pay him any particular attention, luckily, focusing on reaching the tent instead.

Meanwhile, the Drow, upon hearing the message, loudly swears, picks up the beaker, and hurries out of the shed.

Unless you do something about it, the Drow is leaving. Consider him near the shack door, or right outside of it. Where is Horizon going to? Also, assume that Zephy told you what Horizon told her.

Lyntermas Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:02 am

"Well, that's interesting," Rolf thought before turning to Zephy to relay his thoughts to the others. "Well, they'll know something's up in a minute. Chances are that if they think there's a saboteur, they'll heighten security. We can try picking them off one by one, but any more "public displays" may not end well. If there's any area that you'd like to get to within the camp, we might want to get there now during the confusion.

Following that idea, if this Drow doesn't get back to Zilean's tent, Zilean will probably come out and start looking himself. And that won't end well for any of us. We'll let him walk back to the tent, I'll follow him, try to figure out how he bypasses the shield (and sneak in with him if possible), and look inside to see what the hell Zilean's working on. If there's anything I can covertly mess with, I'll see what I can do."

Rolf got ready to covertly follow the Drow back to the tent, keeping his eyes peeled for if the cultists moved around the camp (and to see if he could figure out the Drow's shield bypass spell so he'd be able to get out of the tent more easily.)

Rolling for Stealth...10 (1d20) + 6 + 10 (Stealth Mode) = 26
Rolling for Perception...9 (1d20) + 7 + 3 (Sharp Eyes) = 19

Zarhon Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:41 am

The Drow fails to notice, or otherwise hear, Rolf tailing him. As the Drow moves towards the central tent, Rolf notices some kind of commotion going on, with most of the cultists moving towards the north. He also spots one particular cultist, approaching. He seems sort of familiar, but he tell why...

Horizon continues walking, trying not to blow his cover. As he moves south-westwards, he sees a Drow, carrying a beaker and a worried expression, heading towards the big, central tent.

In the meantime, Skitter speaks up:"Hmm... Not much shadows to move through, outside of this spot. I think I'm gonna head outside again, and try and find a better vantage point to check out what's going on right now. Maybe one of the roofs. I'll relay what I notice to Zephy."
He then climbs over the fence, waiting to make sure nobody is looking, before scurrying somewhere out of sight.

Note: Horizon can't see Rolf, or be otherwise aware of his presence, without out-rolling Rolf's stealth check for stealth. Or if Rolf recognizes him (which he failed to, for now).

A1C Bronymous Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:58 am

Horizon sees the drow rushing toward the tent, beaker in hand- time to mess up something else. He adjusts his course more towards Zilean's tent, with enough speed that he intercepts the cultist and runs into him- hard, hoping to make him drop his cargo. Keeping his cover intact, though, he walks off in a hurry, throwing back a "watch where you're going!", and continues south in search of the team.

Athletics: Nat20+10=30
Perception: 9+10=19

Zarhon Sun Sep 08, 2013 3:36 pm

Horizon "bumps" the Drow hard enough to make him lose his balance and drop flat on his back. This not only creates a large, unsightly crack across the beaker, as it hits the ground, but it causes the Drow enough pain to prevent him from making any immediate retaliation against Horizon. Continuing on, he once again sees a number of individuals moving in the shadows of the shack to the southeast, and puts two and two together that they are probably his allies.

Rolf recognizes Horizon's voice, as he non-subtly bumps into the Drow. The Drow can do little else than swear in an exotic language and accent, before Horizon heads off to the shack.

Zthulan and Jeraylia see a purple-robed individual approaching them.

One more minute of invisibility left.

Azarune Sun Sep 08, 2013 5:13 pm

Seeing the approaching figure Zthulan tenses slightly. "Zephy, please tell me that is Horizon approaching us."[/i] He whispers.

Zarhon Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:32 pm

Azarune wrote:Seeing the approaching figure Zthulan tenses slightly. "Zephy, please tell me that is Horizon approaching us." He whispers.

"Just a moment... Oui, it is. My, zat robe is very dirty... Oh, and your Kobold friend, Skitter is speaking to me... Says he is looking at ze camp from above... And it appears zere is a strange small crowd to ze west side of ze camp, and somezing is going on around ze norzern tents."

Broken Logic Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:18 pm

"Mention our location to him, if you would," Jeraylia suggests. "And ask Skitter to tell us when he has info on whether the crowd are friendlies or enemy reinforcements." She tilts her head down the side of the tent and whispers to Zthulan, "I'm going to take a quick peek at the south gate to see how heavily guarded it is." She then sneaks off around the corner off the tent, staying crouched in the cover of the shadows.

Taking a look over the southern gates to see if there's a route towards the south-western structure, also seeing if I can tell anything about that structure over there.
Perception check: 26 (17+9perc)

Lyntermas Mon Sep 09, 2013 2:38 am

Rolf almost swore as the "random" cultist knocked the Drow over, knocking the beaker out of his hands. He quickly tried using a minor alteration spell to seal the crack back up before the Drow could recover.

OOC:

Rolf then tried sending a thought to Zephy. "Tell the others that they can try searching that shed for equipment and food. There was some fruit easily visible in one box, and there's a box set apart from the others that might contain explosives."

Rolf noticed that his current invisiblity spell was almost running out. He quickly tried recasting the spell, hoping that it would last long enough for him to be productive.

OOC:

Zarhon Tue Sep 10, 2013 4:34 pm

As the Drow recovers, he seems agitated enough to go after Horizon, but his attitude quickly changes as he sees the beaker 'miraculously' undamaged. He doesn't seem to have noticed Rolf's speedy "intervention"...

"Oh, thank Lolth! Best hurry..."

He moves towards the entrance flaps of the central tent, stopping before the barrier. He then knocks on it, in a catchy sounding pattern, making slight ripples in the seemingly solid barrier's energies:
*Knock-----Knock-Knock--Knock--Knock--Knock--Knock...*

At first, it seems like nothing will happen, but then the barrier suddenly opens up a man-sized gap in it, through which the Drow enters.

Looking at the south gate, Jeraylia sees that there are, as far as personnel goes:
- A crossbow-wielding cultist on a platform.
- Four workers, dressed in robes similar to most of the cultists, working near the gate to finish an incomplete section.
- Two other workers, who seem different from the others, if their clothing is any indication: stained rags and peasant clothing. Hard to tell any further details from such distance, though.

Looking to far west, she can see that the south-western "construction" is a large pit - from the distance, she spots a pair of robed individuals approach it, and dump what looks to be a limp, or dead, humanoid creature into it.

Skitter replies, through Zephy, that the crowd is almost certainly not friendly: It's like an angry mob of purple robes. What is strange is that they seem to be doing some sort of organized event, similar to a celebration...

Broken Logic Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:43 pm

I move back to where Zthulan and, I guess, Horizon now is, and tell them what's up.

Lyntermas Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:34 pm

Rolf quickly tries following the Drow inside, and starts looking around the inside of the tent. He also tries to do a magical analysis of the shield to see if he can learn anything more about it.

Rolling...
Perception: 9 (1d20) + 7 + 3 (Sharp Eyes) = 19
Arcana: 15 (1d20) + 14 = 29

Zarhon Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:11 pm

Rolf enters the barrier-hidden innards of the tent.

The first thing that catches his eye is a gargantuan, cube-shaped, metallic construction, occupying the vast majority of the tent. The cube appears to shake slightly, and has a faint shimmer around it - it seems to be both anchored in place and surrounded in a barrier, both by magical means. The cube seems to have a number of latches and potential "openings", some of which are connected to a series of strange apparatus, via tubes. It is impossible to see within the cube, however.

An overwhelming stench of decay, as well as hints of familiar, but unrecognized vapors, fills his nostrils.

The Drow moves deeper into the tent, giving the "box" a wide berth, slowly approaching what appears to be a rather complex looking alchemical and magical work-station. The skeletal, richly-robed figure at the station turns, it's burning gaze centered on the Drow.

"You took your sweet time. Not doing yourself any favors, are you now?"

The lich makes a snap of its bony fingers, which appears to close off the barrier once again. Looking at it once again, Rolf can tell that it is several barriers "layered" on top of each other, both against magic and trespass, but there do not seem to be any distinct "alarms", other than obvious feedback or noise that could result from excessive force or damage to it, nor do there appear to be any actively malicious or dangerous enchantments. Judging by how the lich doesn't appear to be focusing, chanting, or otherwise channeling any magical effort into it, it seems to be powered from someplace else - most likely, the outside.

"N-n-no, master."
"Do what I tell you to. Deviate, and I get devious. And stop shivering! We don't want to repeat past mistakes, do we now?"
"No, master."
"Good. Now, take that green bottle over there, fill the beaker with it, and mix it over a heater, whilst I deal with other matters."
"Yes, master."

Leaving the Drow to his work, Zilean then moves over to what appears to be a large, red-tinted mirror, and begins chanting what looks like a scrying spell - he'll need to get closer to see what the scrying shows, though.

Rolf feels a familiar chill. Sure enough, the other skeletal, tall, black robed figure is standing nearby, looking at the large box-construction in silence. In addition to the chill, Rolf can feel an unexplained, uncanny feeling of immense dread all around the tent's interior (situational penalty).

Lyntermas Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:50 pm

This...wasn't what Rolf expected, on a number of levels. First, he had assumed that Zilean's choice for this location would be to use the undead adventurers from the zombie bomb explosion either as a more specialized army or as some sort of combined abomination (although the cube may not necessarily rule the second out). But at this point, he couldn't sabotage the cube due to the magic barrier, and he wasn't sure he WANTED to since he had no idea what it would do. Second, he had expected more cultists in here, which may have cut down on manueverability, but might have allowed him a degree of "background noise". Finally, he had hoped that the cultist had an actual "spell" in order to open the shield, rather than simply a knock. Unless Rolf found otherwise, the only way to get OUT of this tent...was for Zilean to let him out.

This, combined with Death's interest in the box, and the overall creepy vibe he was getting from the whole room, made Rolf think that this might have been a really, REALLY bad idea.

Well, he was in the water now, might as well start swimming. He glanced over at Death. "I don't suppose you know what's in the box, do you? A source of death, or something dying?" he whispered. He then carefully made his way to a point where he could try seeing what was in the scrying mirror, making sure to give the box a wide berth.

Rolling...(minus situational penalties)
Stealth...13 (1d20) + 6 + 10 (Stealth Mode) = 29
Perception...4 (1d20) + 7 + 3(Sharp Eyes) = 14 (w/ Magical Attunement)

Zarhon Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:29 pm

Lyntermas wrote:"I don't suppose you know what's in the box, do you? A source of death, or something dying?"

"LET'S JUST SAY I HAVE MY HANDS FULL IN THERE.", Death says, pointing at the box.

Zilean pauses from his scrying spell for a moment, glancing around, but then shrugs, not seeing anything of interest, apparently, and finishes the spell.

Though he does manage to remain unnoticed, Rolf doesn't dare approach close enough to get proper vision or hearing of what seems to be a scrying mirror. He is only able to overhear Zilean's side of the conversation.

"What's going on with the north tent? Why isn't it back up yet?!"
*Unintelligible response*
"Oh? Sounds very insolent. Any idea who?"
*Unintelligible response*
"Splendid to hear. Put him on. No, stay, I may have orders for you."
*Unintelligible response*
"Care to report, or are you done sniveling and making excuses?"
*Unintelligible response*
"I see. Have everyone checked, put guards around the gaps. Find him. Bring him back, don't care what state of being."
*Unintelligible response*
"Have someone replace them, you moron! Don't think I don't know half of you are goofing off with the prisoners! Oh, and make sure the "backup" that's been discussed goes up as well. Clearly it's needed now."
*Unintelligible response*
"No, that will just alert him. That, and I expect at least a modicum of competence to be displayed."
*Unintelligible response*
"Yes, that is all. On second thought, one more thing..."
*Unintelligible response*
*Zilean snaps his fingers, causing the mirror to flash light for a moment*
*Unintelligible, loud screaming*
"You're fired. Rest of you, go to it."
*Zilean ends the scrying spell*
"Like herding cats... Right then, where were we now?"

Zilean returns to the "work station" and starts doing some strange mixture of alchemy and magecrafting, assisted by the Drow.

Lyntermas Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:53 pm

Rolf takes a moment to try sending a mental message to Zephy. "In the tent. Zilean is aware of sabotage, ordered cultists to do personal checks, fill up gaps. Mentioned something about "prisoners", might be helpful to free if possible. Also mentioned "backup going up", be careful."

It wasn't the most informative message, but any bit could help. Of course, he might have been more helpful if he wasn't such a darn coward. Since talking to Death might blow his cover (not that he's particularly helpful most of the time), Rolf decided that to see if could get a closer look at the cube to see if he could determine more about it.

"Closer" being a relative term, of course. Between the magical barrier and the oppressive atmosphere of the blasted tent, a "reasonable distance" might be required.

Rolling Arcana for the cube...16 (1d20) + 14 = 30.

Zarhon Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:04 pm

The metal of the cube appears to actually have been magically summoned: Similar to how a magical guardian might be summoned and kept anchored to whatever dimension it is sent to, and potentially "malleable" or "banishable" on demand. The shimmer on the cube appears to be from the metal itself, most likely some form of magical "reinforcing", or perhaps a protective layer, similar to wood-polish. One of the things he notices about the box is that it is practically sealed, but there does appear to be some reddish-yellowish-violet gunk dripping, or condensing, near the bottom, and in minute traces near where the tubing leading from the alchemical station is connected to the box itself. The disgustingly-colored mixture appears to be the source of most of the bad odors within the barrier. The tubing itself appears to be some weird type of material - transparent as glass, yet soft/flexible/non-fragile.

Zilean and his Drow assistant continues with their "work". From the looks of things, he's preparing some kind of concoction.

Meanwhile, Skitter reports, telepathically:
"I'm not sure whether this is relevant to anything, but some guy near the north appears to have burst into flames for no real reason."

Lyntermas Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:22 pm

"The cultist on fire was probably the one talking to Zilean a while ago. He got "fired". The information regarding extra security measures will probably start there and radiate out." Rolf telepathically thought back. He then carefully tried to get closer to the workbench (preferably on the opposite side of Zilean and the Drow) to figure out what they were working on. It seemed that whatever they were mixing was key to this whole operation.

Rolling Arcana...2 NOPE!
Using Stubborness
Rolling Arcana...3 (1d20) + 14 + 5 (Stubbornness) = 22.

Azarune Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:58 pm

I believe saving prisoners should be the next goal. We have a way of getting them out in relative safety, and I doubt that the Mayor would say no to anyone willing to help. Pacing slightly in the shadows Zthulan looks at Horizon's disguise. You said they are catching on right? Perhaps we should first find these 'prisoners' then alert attention to the opposite end of the compound.

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