Zilean's Revenge (Part 4)

Well, you've got the following options to use for the cultist's 3rd turn:

Current domination-available abilities:

The ally is not arriving yet, that would happen on the start of the next round - If you want to wait for his ally to arrive, you'd have to:
1) Do nothing with the dominated turn (or otherwise keep him alive through it), and allow the cultist a save ends check against his daze and domination.
2) Do your own turn without killing the cultist (assuming he remained dominated).
3) Allow the "new arrival" to roll initiative at the start of the next round (meaning he may act before you and/or the other cultist do).

I would not advise it (especially with your current hp), as you can avoid the new arrival (and related combat) if the current combat ends before the next round starts.

Of course, you can try risking it and potentially getting both beaten... Up to you, really.

Well then answer me this. If I opt to try and wait for the other guy, and I get KO'd, are you ending combat immediately, or can I use my Phoenix Rising as soon as it happens to keep going?

Sure, that could work, assuming you choose to activate it. Won't end combat immediately.

Fuckin... where did my post go? Had a whole thing typed up a few hours ago. Now its gone. What.

Goddammit, abridged version- yada yada, hallucinations and fear, Rat guy from sewer+ pissed off Zilean equals total nightmare, starts hitting himself with hammer to kill imaginary rats.

Used the + hammer swing move for 11 damage to himself, total, and I went ahead and rolled saves for him- 10 for daze, 6 for Dominate, with proof if you need it, or you can do it. Horizon's at 4 hp and 0 pips.

Unless you want me to pump up the cultist's hp by a small notch (say, 5hp), he'd end up KOing himself from the 11 damage. So you can either end combat now and get skill check chances/options for the other guy, or continue combat where you left off now.

I have both IC and OOC reasons to let combat continue, but I don't care if he KO's himself or not, I can do either.

Well, since you've got the "rez" item, you can probably handle an extra +5 hp to the enemy. In any case, cultist guy is alive (barely), still dominated, new guy arrives after your next action. And to get it out now:

New guy's initiative
d20 = nat20

Horizon just watches an interest as the Cultist hammers himself nearly to death, but notices the other approaching. "Enough." The cultist relents his attack on his invisible assailants, turning to face his companion. "How was your search for the rat man?" The cultist lets out a small whimper at the mention. "I think you'll find more tangible nightmares out here with us."

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Turn:

The commotion of the fight attract the attention of the previously-distracted other worker.

"Can't leave you alone for a few seconds without you getting into trouble, can I?!", he hisses at his colleague, arming himself with a hammer as well, and rushing into battle!

Hammer Cultist #2:

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Initiative order:
Cultist #2
Cultist #1 (Dominated save ends)
Horizon (Dazed, KO'd as well I believe)

Available options for domination turn::

Horizon doesn't bother trying to get out of the way, and takes the hammer blow full force. It knocks him back a bit, staggered, but he doesn't fall. "Childish. We'll see if your hammer can kill what really matters." He directs his dark pole arm at the new arrival, and the fearful first cultist trembles as he turns, screams, and attacks, his hammer smashing into his partner's chest.

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Cultist's turns:

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The cultist is given no time to recover from the hammer before Horizon is on him, closing the gap like a rabid spectre. His dark polearm flashes as he throws it, spearing his target. But instead of just running him through, it evaporates around and within him, and he is lifted into the air by a dark force. Horizon, gripping him him with some unseen might, begins crushing the life from him, before tossing him against the nearby fortifications.

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Horizon's turn:

Right, you KO'd the new guy, and the dominated guy would KO / defeat himself with his attack. Combat's over. Apart from no longer having the 1/day revive, a decent outcome. You'll need to spend at least 5-10 minutes not-fighting (and/or a heal check) to regain your combat hp to max.

Want to RP the win, or should I? And how are the others reacting to the stuff that was heard/seen? You've all been silent since the fight - no reactions?

Crawling out of the portal Zthulan begins helping the others. Hearing the scream Zthulan casts his glance over to the tent. "Shall we carry on?"

edit: Ah, fixed because it was the wrong scream.

I wasn't sure we even knew what was going on. I figured he was outside visual and audible range (or at least not being so loud we'd notice from where we were).

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"Never. The point isn't for us to commit suicide by attempting to fight every pawn here but, for us to scout. Knifey chose to ditch us to go murder some more people, not our problem. Let's just continue." Skitter replies and looks to see where he could crawl under a building or where the next farthest into the camp place is that they could go hide.

Yeah I don't think you guys know what I'm doing, he was probably talking about Zilean screaming and killing that guy.

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As one cultist fell and the other was frozen with terror, the situation seemed to be handled. With an offhand wave, the one still standing snapped out of his nightmare and collapsed. Horizon was coming down from his murderous euphoria now, so he quickly made sure they were both sufficiently dead, and moved the bodies into the darkened tent. Inside, he sat shaking with adrenaline as his body caught up with everything that just happened, and waited to calm down completely, keeping an eye out for anyone else who may walk by. "See, this was fun. I don't know what you were so....... afraid of..."

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Spoiler:

Ramsus wrote:I wasn't sure we even knew what was going on. I figured he was outside visual and audible range (or at least not being so loud we'd notice from where we were).

Bronymous wrote:Yeah I don't think you guys know what I'm doing, he was probably talking about Zilean screaming and killing that guy.

Yeah, I was referring to Zilean's screaming, not Horizon's fight - Horizon is out of sight/hearing of the rest of you, so you don't know what he's doing at the moment. Rolf/Zthulan saw a guy get set on fire outside the tent and everyone else (PCs and NPCs, in the camp and outside it) heard Zilean's screaming (megaphone volume).

Ok edited the last post. Most I think we were just waiting for you to finish the fight so as not to make things more confusing for you guys.

And time grinds to a start again :3

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"Seem's like that's where the party's happening," Jeraylia remarks in a whisper. "Yeah," she replies to Zthulan's suggestion to move. She jerks a thumb at the tent they are next to. "Perhaps we should mingle on the outskirts before we invite a few more friends over, and join the main festivities."

"Hmm, I have a slightly different idea. I've got a few self-invisibility spells prepared. I could start one up, then sneak around camp and see what's going on, maybe pick up a few spare cultist robes, then come back here. I'm guessing our major target is whatever experiment is going on in that "lab tent", but Damiana also wants us to see if we can't mess up their supply lines as well." Rolf looked over at the tent and tried to figure out exactly what sort of enchantment was blocking (while also using his red "illusion-dispelling" gem to see if that revealed anything.

Rolling Arcana...10 (1d20) + 14 = 24

Skitter already knows there is plenty of room to hide/crawl under the small shack, enough to move anywhere underneath the small building, but a closer inspection shows that there appears to be a damaged section in the wooden floor of the shack, above the crawlspace. Covering the damaged section is some other wooden object, within the shack. On a glance, he sees that the north area's tents offer some darkness to hide within, in the form of shadows. The large central tent also offers a fairly large shadow in between the north and south sections, however the shadow vanishes every now and then, due to light pulses from whatever goes on inside the tent, which snuff it out occasionally. To the west, he sees that the entire western fence section has shadows to hide in, provided one sticks to the walls. There is also the pit which seems like a spot to duck within.

Using what he's seen and knows, Rolf deducts that the barrier is an obviously powerful force-field, possibly mixed in with a few protective or reactive spells, though determining what kind would require getting closer or some experimentation. It doesn't seem to be inherently dangerous or harmful, and whoever made it or is within it appears to be able to control it for the purposes of making an entry or exit through it. What puzzles him is the scale and make of it, though - there are no fluctuations, fading or surges in the barrier's magic, and it appears to be in fact comprised of several layers of identical force-fields, the combination of which blocks vision and in itself is a bit inefficient for spells of such scale. It would take an extreme amount of effort, power and concentration to sustain such a combined barrier consistently and securely. Looking through the gem doesn't offer any extra insights or sights.

Zephy spends her time dusting a wall of the shack with a windy limb.

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Everyone can roll perception again (including Horizon for when he goes into the camp). Shadow's wise, assume the moon is roughly to the west/northwest of the camp or something. Assume you can go under the shack from any side (its a suspended-slightly-above-ground-structure, with wooden stairs+entrance facing the north side).

And as a preemptive announcement: I'll be going on vacation on Friday (9th), up till Sunday next week (18th) and I'll have limited internet there, so probably no updates during that time.

Perception: 11 + 12 = 23

"She also said that it would be good to steal supplies to bring back right? I think Skitter has given us the perfect container for it." Whispers Zthulan motioning to the portable hole.

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Perception: 16 + 10 = 26

At which point, Skitter remembers to take back the portable hole.

Perception: 7+10=17

Also that heal check. Let me know when the 5-10 min healy time is up.

Perception check: 25 (16+9perception).

Roughly 8 minute wait time before fully healing for Horizon. You can go do stuff in the meantime, will still heal unless you go out of your way to get into combat or otherwise hurt.

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Most of the party in the southeast corner notice some extra commotion happening, following the loud message: a pair of robed individuals have stamped out the fire on the "fired" cultist, and are dragging his burnt carcass away. A third individual appears to be moving in a hurried pace towards the shack.

Creaking into the camp, Horizon doesn't see any more commotion. A few woodworking and building tools are about, obviously to finish the wall. A fairly large tent is in close proximity, offering some shadow. Directly to the south, he can see a bunch of workers, doing the same as the ones he just fought did, at his current location. To the west, he can see a metallic, circular disc on the floor, some feet away from another tent, that is lit up from within.