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[ThLunarian]

((Zynx, he did say that he would tell them all to go on their way in the morning. I would think that would at least go a long way toward making Avalyra feel better about things. I think it would be counterproductive to the narrative for her to refuse to even go in and talk things out; as much as I want PCs to act true to their characters, there are certain conceits that must be acknowledged in the name of having the story move forward.

My suggestion is to channel Avalyra's revulsion about the whole situation into an in-character verbal thrashing of Val - perhaps to keep him honest, given that he's already stated outright that there's some outside force acting upon him. I just can't conceive that she would absolutely refuse to even discuss things with everyone, especially given Val's stated intentions to relinquish his "control" in the morning.

Muun, I think your posts could focus on recommending a specific plan of action based on the general ideas brought up by Val and Quintus, though I do acknowledge the difficult position that your character is in. Avalyra is in much the same position.

Edit: Or we could do what Mike M just proposed. That's actually a good idea. I'll do a write up in a new post right now))

 

[ThLunarian]

Although most of the party had originally intended to rest for the evening within the walls of the rebel fort and wait until the next morning to release the men and women from their servitude, Avalyra's steadfast refusal to even enter the walls necessitate a rearrangement of priorities. Val immediately announces to everyone that they are free to do as they please and that the Children of Chaos have been disbanded (at least as far as his command is concerned), and the people seem to accept that easily enough; there do not seem to be any symptoms of withdrawal or anything of the like.

That business being concluded, everyone gathers outside to allow Quintus to teleport them to Alydar, where everyone retires for the evening in order to let hot heads cool down a bit.

When Val awakens, he finds that the gifts bestowed upon him by the Mask of Hextor have substantially decreased, though they have not disappeared entirely. He also feels an unnatural bloodlust, and a desire to kill.... somebody. Anybody, really, as long as it's a sentient creature. It's easy enough to control at this point, but there is a sense that this curious "hunger" will only increase over time if it's not sated.

((The bonus from the Mask just decreased to a +2 to Strength and Charisma.))

 

[Mike M]

((Val might surreptitiously help himself to 20K gold before leaving as part of his "commission" for "administrating" the fort.))

 

[KittenMaster]

The following morning, Muun would relieve himself of guard duty and head out to watch the moon set while the city remains quiet for the time being. It seems as though even nighttime is kind and peaceful in this world, and the setting moon brings about a glow to the horizon that he has only now been able to experience in his life.

Celia goes out with him, and Muun turns over to her, thinking that she probably has a different need for sleep than anybody. Noting her equipped like a toy soldier, Muun can't help but feel a bit worried, "It would make me feel better if you didn't try to fight. I'm scared of what would happen to you if you got hit even once..." The fairy seems surprised that the boy actually shown attention and concern for her, ".. really? I never thought I would hear that from you!" After a bit of consideration, and comparing her size to him, she droops in her flight slightly, "Maybe you're right, everybody is too big for me to fight, but I still want to feel like I can fit in with you guys. You seemed interesting, when you left I realized that there might be more to the world."

She smiles, "Maybe I'll find a true calling out here, just like you did."

Muun returns the smile, and places a finger on her shoulder, "I probably haven't told you this but I'm not of this world either. In a way we're both outsiders. Just promise me you won't put yourself in danger unless I allow you to, alright?"

As the sun rises, if he is able to he'll do his best to make arrangements to meet with Lucille for awhile and spend the day with her before going back with the party to discuss how they're going to tackle the last relic. He's very lucky that they weren't gone for more than a day, and that he didn't have to hurt anybody.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Val might surreptitiously help himself to 20K gold before leaving as part of his "commission" for "administrating" the fort.))

((Only 20k? If they are leaving, they don't really need any of that money...

Anyways, I could have Quintus pick up a scroll of legend lore to try and get more info on the last artifact... but that will take at least 1d10 days to get info on, possibly 2d6 weeks. If people are willing to wait we can, but it seems like we think its in Ruby Keep anyways, so we may as well just go there and look for it personally. It'll probably end up taking less time.))

 

[Jackben]

Curious as to Avalyra's anger, Tarkus surmises it must be a psion issue. Or perhaps she see's darkness in Val's inheritance of Hextor's gift the others cannot. In either case, he resolves to ask her thoughts once the group returns to Alydar and speak to her about reforming his abilities.

Before leaving, he approaches the steward seen leading Val around earlier. He clears his throat before speaking. "Uncertain where your future lie. If we succeed in task, Mask may cease to be." The half-orc furrows his brow slightly at the thought of the alternative.

"Hears you follow owner for many years. May be you have roots in this fort. If any choose to stay, I notice some things that may help secure fort for winter or against further attack." He offers what he can in advice about the fort to the man before departing with the others to Alydar.

 

[Mike M]

((Yeah, a bit at a loss myself, both because of

Spoiler

spoilers

and because ironically my previous character would have an idea on where to go next, while Muun is pretty clueless.))

((To be fair, that was speculation on my part, and I may be totally off base about it (As I have been for most things). I'm... less sure of it than I was yesterday. Heh. I still don't personally think the Monocle is in Ruby Keep, but Val would, and I want to see what the guy hiring mercenaries was about, though I have my suspicions on that as well.))

Val starts to wakefulness with a startled gasp, clenching sheets with white-knuckled grip. He can't recall what he was dreaming, but he has the distinct impression of laughter echoing in his ears. He doesn't... he doesn't feel right. Still more than any mortal man, but somehow diminished from the peak of power he had experienced the day before. Chalking it up to restless night, Val throws on his cloak and slips outside the mayor's manse into the streets of Alydar.

To his great surprise, it's still dark out, the light from the lamps of the burgeoning city casting their yellow light on the omnipresent clouds of steam rising from the machinery that supports the mining and smelting industry of the mining town. The steam intermingles with the low lying clouds, giving the impression that the city is generating its own blanket of cloud cover. It's the coldest blanket that Val has ever experienced though, as there's a distinct chill in the air. Clutching his cloak closer, he stalks through the vacant streets as though a haunting ghost.

Alydar has always cramped his style, that's never been any secret. Val had grown up having the run of Ruby Keep, was intimately familiar with the capital's nooks and crannies, curves and secrets. There was a depth to the Keep that he could plumb and explore until his dying days. Alydar, by contrast, had that of a puddle. It was growing, to be certain, but it would never achieve the majesty that Val had grown accustomed to. As the light of the pre-dawn sky began to paint the dissipating clouds, Val felt the smallness of the town more acutely than ever before. Small buildings. Small people. Small dreams. It was positively suffocating.

A hunched figure in the shadows of an ally as he nears the city wall draws his attention. His curiosity piqued, he stands above a sleeping man of advanced age. A filthy, unwashed vagrant. A failure in a city teeming with them. What was his contribution to society, Val wondered. Is there any possible way this sad sack was anything but a burden on his fellow men? To what heights could Alydar climb if it were relieved of its obligations to those that could not help themselves?

Val crouches in front of the man and studies him. He notes with detached curiosity that somehow his dagger has found its way into his hand, though he has no recollection of losing it from its hiding place up his sleeve. It would be so simple to end this man's suffering. It could scarcely be considered a crime, really, only by people clinging to their antiquated notions of--

The sound of voices approaching shakes Val from his near trance. Quickly, softly, he slinks further down the alley, melding into the shadows. He doesn't dare move or breathe, clutching his recurved dagger in readiness. Jaw set, eyes unblinking, he watches as Muun and his idiot little fairy friend pass by, chatting amicably among themselves. Long after the duo has passed, Val ventures forth from the darkness, stepping lightly over the slumbering vagrant as he passes. He retraces his steps back to the mayor's residence, walking at first, but going faster and faster until he is in full flight back to the safety of his quarters.

Stripping his gloves from his hands, Val splashes water from his wash basin onto his face. It's cold and bracing, but otherwise does little else for the turmoil welling within his breast. Staring at the branded visage in the mirror, Val is overcome with the sudden impulse to not share that appearance with the face looking back at him in the mirror. Gripping his straight razor, he hacks away at the beard he has sported since his initial return to Ruby Keep, returning to his original, clean shaven state. In his rush, he nicks his cheek, blood welling from the crimson clenched fist etched onto his face. Val dobs it away gingerly with his finger, and almost instinctively runs it down his tongue. A faint tremor of satisfaction thrills up his spine as he remembers what the voice told him.

"A price that will be paid in blood."

Val turns away from the mirror, collapsing into the armchair beside his bed. "Shit," he mutters.

Spoiler

((Amoral creeper Val is the best Val))

 

[ThLunarian]

((You guys don't need to strictly adhere to your own character's knowledge for this. If you have an idea as a player then bring it up OOC. Chances are, one of the characters in the party could have come up with it. Otherwise you're just working with an unnecessary and annoying handicap, with Muun and Avalyra particularly hamstrung))

 

[KittenMaster]

((Alright, then Quintis would ICly be the only character to remember this but.. I am not saying that the relic might not be in Ruby Keep, but we still haven't found out what's inside this Adamantium door we were never able to bypass.))

 

[Mike M]

((Alright, then Quintis would ICly be the only character to remember this but.. I am not saying that the relic might not be in Ruby Keep, but we still haven't found out what's inside this Adamantium door we were never able to bypass.))

((I completely forgot about that bit. I was thinking more about the contents of Curzon's journal.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((I'd be okay with Val also knowing about the door, since that mission happened literally right before he joined the party and it would make sense for someone to have brought it up off-screen as a curiosity, especially given the Vecna markings on it. The journal would probably just be Quintus though, since he gave no indication that the contents might be at all interesting to anyone else))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Holy crap I completely forgot about that... I should really have been taking notes or something.))

Back in Alydar once again, Quintus looks over his notes and such of what has transpired since this whole adventure started, in an effort to try and figure out where the Cult of Vecna may be hiding... While Ruby Keep seems like the obvious choice, it may be too obvious for a Cult that is suppose to be all about keeping secrets. Eventually he finds himself remembering the day this all began, just him, Sarm, Bones and Ivor, all of them gone now, in one way or another, tracking down the 'kidnapped' daughter of the Mayor and they meet the weird guy that they couldn't really see who went through that door with the Vecna symbols on it that they cou-Holy shit! Quintus jumps out of his seat and runs out the door heading strait to the Mayor's house where he asks a page or someone to gather his partners there immediately, and be ready to move out asap.

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun would spot Quintis and wonder what he's in a hurry for. Nodding with Celia he moves after to meet up with him as well, wondering what is going on.

((What are the stats on this bow?))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Once everyone has meet up at Mayor house, Quintus informs them of his (Re?)discovery about the door in the Cult's local hideout. He is prepared to teleport the group out there immediately.

 

[ThLunarian]

((Apologies to those who haven't had a chance to post yet, but I'm going to move the plot forward a little bit because I'm really excited to get to the juicy part of the end game. I don't expect the next series of posts to actually happen for a few days (more on that later), so you are more than welcome to catch up during the interim if you have stuff you wanted to get to before this))

Once everyone gathers in the mayor's mansion, Quintus explains to all of them about the mysterious adamantium door that he, Ivor, Bones, and Sarm encountered during their mission to "rescue" Clementine from the at-the-time-mysterious cultists.

As he completes his tale, a familiar voice (at least, familiar to everyone except for Avalyra) pipes in. "Twas a damned finely crafted door, aye." Ivor Fireheart carefully enters the room, one hand rubbing his temple and the other braced against the wall for support. "Unquestionably crafted by a fellow dwarf, and it breaks my heart that one of my own would ever stoop to working for THOSE people."

Ivor makes his way to the nearest chair and sinks into it. "I remember that day well," he says wistfully. "Those were simpler times, when the fate of the world wasn't so much in the balance. Mayor Florentine has brought me up to speed on what you all have been up to since I woke up the other day." He pulls a potion out of his coat and takes a swig. "Ohhhh yeah, that's the stuff."

Ivor wipes his mouth and clears his throat. "As I recall, we had no idea how to get that damned door open last time. Lookin' at you all now, it doesn't look like it'll be so much of a problem. Do me a favor - give those bastards hell. And when you do, tell 'em that Ivor Fireheart says Hi."

Once business in town is concluded and everyone is ready, the party begins the relatively short march to the cave.

Except it doesn't feel that short. As the party retraces the steps that the original members of the Wormwood Initiates - an organization that has apparently vanished since recruiting the original party members -, the mood is thick with a sense of destiny. They are moving toward what can only be the true headquarters of the Arm of Vecna - an organization that has been terrorizing the kingdom for the better part of the year, the organization that tore Val's family apart, the ones responsible for the untimely death of everyone Quintus cared about at the Academy, and the ones that murdered the Tarley family in cold blood during their march toward Alydar.

Now, finally, it seems that circumstances are marching toward a final confrontation, and the menace of the Arm of Vecna may finally be put to rest... permanently.

Quintus idly notices the trap that Ivor deftly disarmed during the chase after Clementine, and is filled with a sense of nostalgia as he thinks about all that's happened since that day. He thinks about Ivor, who is still weak and recovering from his coma in Alydar; he thinks about Bones, who is no doubt wandering off somewhere, letting his infection fester; he thinks of Sarm, who is most likely still in Ravenloft as a weird, incorporeal, protective entity. Of the original four, only he remains, and he wonders if that will still be true by the end of the day.

The mouth of the cave has been completely cleared of all signs of habitation since the last time the party was here. The sleeping cots, the weapon racks, and even the wooden door that used to separate this room from the next are completely gone, leaving only barren rock. Quintus looks at the center of the room, where the wooden table used to be, and smiles as he remembers Bones's trusty wolf, Daisy, charging forward and sinking its teeth into Davos's arm.

The area in the back left corner of the room where the metal door should be, appears to be nothing more than a plain rock wall at first glance, but Quintus and Avalyra both immediately recognize it as an illusion. A simple wave of the hand from either of them, and the rock wall fades away, revealing the adamantium door, still inscribed with symbols of Vecna. It's enchanted by magic that prevents it from opening, but now, the enchantment seems almost rudimentary to the archmage. It takes a bit more than a wave of the hand, but after a simple Dispelling, the door becomes entirely mundane, and easily opens inward.

The party steps inside to find themselves in the foyer of a surprisingly large and expansive palace, decorated lavishly, and perhaps even indulgently, perhaps in an effort to make visitors forget that they are stepping directly into the heart of what is essentially a military installation.

Two unsuspecting human men are standing guard idly within, and are caught completely by surprise as the party enters and finds them there. In seconds, the two guards are incapacitated, and the party is ready to invade.

((And now, this is where you guys come in. Tell the story of your incursion into the seat of the Arm of Vecna's power. You have DM-like authority, and can put dialogue into other characters' mouths and guide the course of events, with the limitations that no one in the party is going to die or be incapacitated; you aren't going to run into any previously-named NPCs; and you will still be in the middle of the invasion by the time your part of the story is over.

This is not going to be easy for your characters. You will encounter a lot of resistance, and it will be a bit of a slog. Your job as a player will be to make it interesting, either by describing an interesting combat, or by keeping it mostly to an internal monologue, or perhaps detailing a portion of the incursion that isn't actually combat. Maybe you come across a weird trap room, or a strange puzzle, or any number of obstacles. It's up to you.

I encourage you to come up with a good song (or maybe even multiple songs) to accompany your portion of the incursion.

I do have some thematic suggestions that each of you may want to touch on during your portion. You aren't at all required to use these, but they're here if you'd like to use them.

Val:

Spoiler

You are free to describe a kill during your part of the story, and it will sate your "hunger" and restore your full +4 bonus to Strength and Charisma.

Tarkus:

Spoiler

It might be cool to run across a group of orcs, and tie it back into the idea of forced servitude and the Orcish Reformation Party; maybe Tarkus tries to get some orcs to stand down rather than fighting them, and actually succeeds at it? A sense of inner reflection about all that Tarkus has learned about himself and about the world would also be cool.

Avalyra:

Spoiler

You will no doubt encounter some undead resistance during this incursion, and it's going to stir up unfamiliar feelings in Avalyra, almost like a perverse sense of comfort in being around them, and a desire to control them that scares her.

Muun:

Spoiler

You are probably going to encounter some undead creatures here, and some of them may blur the line between what you consider a "living" creature and an undead one. It also may be interesting for Muun to think about his potential future with Lucille, and curiosity about what will happen to her when all the relics are combined.

Quintus:

Spoiler

I sort of stole your thunder earlier in this post so I'm sorry about that, but even still, a sense of nostalgia and inner reflection about all that Quintus has witnessed and how he's changed might be appropriate here.

Most of all though, have fun with it!

Edit: Well Quintus posted before I did, but I'm invoking DM authority and saying you guys walked rather than teleported

Edit 2: In your storytelling, if you use spells or Psionic powers, it won't count against spells per day or PP. It's all just storytelling, so no need to be conservative ))

 

[KittenMaster]

((Edit 2: In your storytelling, if you use spells or Psionic powers, it won't count against spells per day or PP. It's all just storytelling, so no need to be conservative ))

((do i get infinite ammo))

 

[Mike M]

((Musical accompaniment))

Val strolls into the foyer of the subterranean palace with cocksure swagger like he owns the place. The two guards on duty look between one another as Val stands before them, grinning maliciously, unsure of what to do exactly. “Sir…?” one of them offers timidly, unsure of what to make of Val’s emerald green attire. Val’s rapier cuts a arc of deadly precision, the tip of the blade slicing through the throat of the questioning guardsman, gouts of crimson gushing forth from the wound as he collapses on the floor, drowning in his own blood.

Rictus smile still plastered on his face, Val uses the momentum of his swing to pivot and face the second guard as the hapless sentinel takes a clumsy swing of his own sword. With fluid grace, Val slips inside the swing and perforates the man’s heart and lungs with a flurry of strikes, his rapier penetrating mail and plate armor with impossible ease. The man goes limp against Val’s chest, staining the swashbuckler’s fine leather armor with a wide swath of blood. Val, for his part, stands with his eyes closed trembling with something akin to ecstasy as he feels potency swelling within him, the full measure of Hextor’s gift restored.

Jack studies the pool of blood sweeping across the marble floor of the foyer. “Your strikes demonstrate remarkable precision,” the warforged observes. “You have achieved optimal exsanguinations speed within a margin of error of—“

The rest of the android’s words fall on deaf ears, however. Val is already listening to someone else.

Now you understand the nature of our arrangement, Valgar Fierno, Hextor says as the god’s voice fills Val’s head. In your glorification of me, I will grant you strength. And today, you will glorify me indeed. The god of war’s words turn into laughter, and the sound of booted footsteps fill the room. Countless green cloaks come streaming into the room from the other wings of the palace, their weapons at the ready to intercept the invaders.

Val charges into the fray without heed, fighting with the brutal efficacy of a man with the knowledge of killing who has been freed of the constraints of civility and mercy. The fodder fall before him as he carves a path of blood and corpses up the grand staircase. See what meager resistance they offer? Hextor whispers into the swashbuckler’s ear. This is their last stand. Defeat them here, and they are well and truly broken. Today, you are building an empire, Valgar, and the remains of the Arm of Vecna shall be its foundation.

Awash in his blood lust, Valgar becomes dimly aware that some of the green-cloaked adversaries in his general vicinity have begun fighting amongst themselves, gradually forming a central knot around him facing outward against their fellow cultists. You see? Hextor hisses Even now, you are sowing the seeds of your new army. The weak-minded will always flock to your banner, Valgar, and we both know that there are oh so many weak minds in this world.

Valgar and his small troupe of traitorous cult members plow ahead. His new-found lackeys are quickly felled, but replaced nearly as fast as his sphere of influence moves through the thronging melee. You will rule, my greatest of champions, Hextor extols. The Treaty of Worms is of no concern to you, there is no need to unify them even in the lifetime of your children’s children’s children. Take the remaining deific aspects from your minions, use them to seize power. Use them to seize the girl.

“What?” Valgar says aloud, pausing in the midst of slaughter in surprise.

Hextor’s chuckling rings in his ears. Lucille is the key to your legitimacy as the rightful ruler of this land, the god explains. Claim her. Plant your seed in her belly and secure your lineage as the King of War. Your offspring shall be gods among men forever more.

An assailant with enough mental fortitude to resist Val’s aura of charismatic inspirational leadership vaults the swashbuckler’s impromptu honor guard from a balcony. For the first time since joining the fight, Val stays his killing stroke and instead uses the guard of his rapier to bestow the gift of unconsciousness with a mighty right cross. “I thought Lucille was the manifestation of your brother’s soul or something?” he says aloud.

Indeed. I suppose that would make you cousins after a fashion, wouldn’t it? But your penchant for perusing familial relations is known, Valgar, I would hardly think that would be a hurdle. The god of tyranny’s laugh is almost deafening.

Valgar smirks as he rejoins the fray, though he exercises less savagery than before, toying with his foes’ parries and ripostes before disabling them rather than opening their arteries at the first blow. “You have promised me a great many things, Hextor,” he says, garnering strange looks from his ad hoc party of cannon fodder. “I’m sure you are aware, I am a very accomplished liar. As such, I have something of a gift for being able to sniff out when I myself am being lied to.”

All I have promised you is the truth, Valgar. You were always meant to be the one true host of my Mask.

Val nods in agreement. “Yes, I have never been able to detect even a hint of a deception in your entreaties to me. But I’ve concluded that you’re full of shit regardless, as it has occurred to me that it should be relatively simple for a god to conceal their motivations from a mere mortal such as myself. Mostly because it’s what I would do if our positions were reversed.”

Do not be a fool, Valgar…

“I am not being a fool!” Valgar exclaims as he flips an attacker off his shoulder and over the railing of the promenade. “You have badly misjudged me, I harbor no desire to rule anyone or anything. My sole motivation in this whole affair has been nothing more than to tear the Arm of Vecna out by the roots and reestablish the Val Fierno legacy back home in Ruby Keep. My station in life is to harry and harass the aristocracy, to humble them before the commoners, not to supplant them. Oh, you will get your glorification this day as I wipe these green bastards from the face of the earth, but you will be denied your kingdom. The moment we obtain the monocle, we’re going to assemble this weapon of the gods and put this whole miserable business behind us.”

Valgar can almost sense Hextor’s smile as the god says, We will discuss your treachery when you arrive.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Valgar asks, a twinge of apprehension creeping up his spine.

For someone so smart, you are awfully dense, Valgar. You’ve doubtlessly surmised that Lucille need don all of the deific aspects to fulfill her destiny, but tell me this, thief; how do you expect her to take your tattoo? Did your friends explain their experiences in the Astral Sea after your traitorous monk friend slaughtered them?

Valgar grits his teeth and remains silent as Hextor’s booming laugh crowds out any other thought in his head. Valgar fights on.

 

[KittenMaster]

Walking to the hideout should have been relaxing, but it wasn't. That day that Val pointed out how foolish he was to let himself get close to a girl who may end up disappearing leaves him heavy. It used to be that he thought of being the perfect person to take her out into freedom, to be unfamiliar with the world. Really, the couple is somewhat mismatched in personalities, but she helps him forget about his only other lover who was caught to be an abomination from the darkness in an instant. He hopes that he can walk away from this battle alive, and disappear into a distant land with the girl in his arms and maybe Celia coming too. He doesn't even have thoughts of becoming a hero.

As Quintis tells the party that they're finally coming up to their lair, he puts himself on the look out for fresh tracks to imply any recent activity in front of the cage. Sure enough, despite the testimony that it was a long time since they first started their quest, he can tell that there has been activity as of late. Going inside, he has no feeling of nostalgia or relation to what had happened here, although it is clear to him that whatever had happened it was never cleaned up; possibly to make it seem like they abandoned the base for the less observant.

Following the others inside, he watches two guards taken out in front of him. Taking a deep breath, Muun decides that this will be the last time he has to kill the living... but somehow, he feels it is just to do this time.

As expected, the foyer explodes into a crowd. As the others dance within the flames of war, he stays towards the wall, shooting at any that try to come near. Each shot is quick, but precise, able to impale muscles being used to attempt to strike at the Ranger effectively stopping their attacks. With each step he takes centering around the battle, he unwittingly drifts away from the party without truly realizing it. He eventually finds his back towards one of the foyer doors and eventually finds that he needs to enter to keep putting space between himself and his enemies. As he backs away while watching his six though, the door in front of him suddenly closes, and he hears a click. Turning around quickly, Muun now stands before what appears to be a vile church of some sort, emptied of the cultists that may have been using the room; pews frame the center walkway that lead up to the altar, a place to perform rituals presumably to appease Vecna. Lined throughout the room are stained glass windows depicting Vecna and his demon followers, the colors lit brightly by a magic light source placed between the windows and the darkness behind them.

Not having any time to examine the room or destroy the altar, Muun tries to get the door behind him open again so that he can help the others, but he's soon interrupted by a voice echoing through the room that carries the sound to him, "A beautiful place, isn't it? I used to dream of celebrating my marriage in a beautiful church." The figure which the voice comes from soon walks into view, circling the altar. She is draped in a black hood and a veil that shadows the face from a distance, "But such thoughts are long gone. Marriage is one of those celebrations in life only the priviledged achieve, those priviledged to be foolish and naive in thinking that their love cannot be betrayed.."

The figure begins to step down the aisle, the white mouth and blood red lips speaking under the dark veil, "I was betrayed by my lover once, when he saw who I truly was. I thought I was beautiful enough even in my true appearance, but his prejudice was enough to blind him. I did everything I could to overcome my urges, try to be on his side, but it was not enough. I was found out, and I was killed for it.." At this point, she doesn't need to flip open the veil for Muun to know who she is, but she does so anyway, removing all doubt that it is the vampiress that loved him, Ramona. "Muun Reinhart..." she continues, "you shattered my heart with your arrow, and now I struggle not to be moved to tears thinking of the pain.. no, not the pain of death, but the emotion I felt those final moments."

Beginning to step about, Muun answers to her story, "I didn't know what you would do to me, and I couldn't risk letting you get close to other humans through me. Whatever we had together was dangerous and I couldn't let it continue."

"I was mistaken in liking you." Ramona responds, "The justification you have now.. throwing away the only person that cared for you just because it's 'smart'? You are more of a monster than you see me, and others as. Even now you and your allies are slaughering tens.. maybe even hundreds without considering what that makes them."

Thinking of what she had said, he looks over to her, "Maybe you're right... What if we are monsters? What if we are inhuman and just as terrifying as you are with our wanton killing and senseless death?"
He turns and lifts up his bow, "But that doesn't change the fact that these men are trying to drown the world in darkness, and these monsters that we may be are still going to stop this world from becoming another Ravenloft. I'm a necessary evil." He then fires his arrow, intending to make the exact same kill as he did last time and end it quickly.

...but the arrow only served to dispel the image cast, turning the vampiress into a vapor that dissipates.

It is too late when Muun finally notices where he's being leaped at from. He tries to turn and pull another arrow onto the string, but she was able to get close too quickly thanks to her deception. With a swipe of her powerful hands, she knocks the powerful bow that has let him accomplish so much with ease, calling out, "This wasn't the bow that you killed me with! Stop trying to forget your past with a new bow!" Muun, without speaking a word jumps back in a struggle to avoid being overcome by her aggression. He pulls out his knife and uses it to try to fend her off; despite it being poor as a weapon, his ability to fight with a blade is put to the test as he constantly pulls himself away from her slashing claws and slashing to slow her aggressive approach.

He eventually loses control of the situation, being knocked over one of the pews. The vampiress bares her long fangs and attempts to jump onto him. Thinking quickly, he places his palm onto her torso and uses the added power of the Gauntlets of Ogre Power to shove her body away from him. He follows up with a roll backward to get himself back up onto his feet, now standing on the pew. Without time to think, the vampire hunter jumps back almost instinctively and the vampiress lands in front of him.

Looking up to Muun, she says, "So you can fight a vampire even when you lost every advantage. It is no wonder you have become known as the white devil among us.", "White... devil?", "Yes.. you aren't like most humans. We don't even think you're a human at all. That's why I was drawn to you, you were so inhuman." Shaking his head, Muun answers, "I'm laying whatever legend about me to rest. I have better things to do now than to let battles keep getting to me. If I wasn't like a human before, then I am going to become one after tonight."

With that thought in place, the vampire leaps, but her leap is too powerful for him to dodge. He becomes pinned under her strength and his neck is then grasped. With a harsh voice, she murmurs, "You'll have no chance to redeem yourself when I kill you now. Pay for your sin with blood. Let your life become a part of me." Groaning and choking, Muun tries to pry the vampire's hand away enough for him to try and speak, "...i..nee...", "Speak up! Let me hear your last words..", "..i need to tell... gack.. tell you one thing...", "Make it quick."

Suddenly... her face shifts expression to the most horrid shock, even more than when Muun had first killed her. She hangs over him, losing her life the life of a tree begins to grow over her back. With her undeath being weakened, Muun is finally able to say, "I need to tell you that I am protected by a goddess." He looks down and sees that Ehlonna's armor just protected him from death once more, extending a branch to impale the vampire's heart as if it were a stake. He pushes Ramona off, letting the extended branch break off so that he can get free and gets up to look over her, with huge relief. The door then opens, a Val with a lockpick and the others there to find him.

When asked what happened, he explains, "...It's a long story.. This was... my vampire girlfriend..." He stands up and moves to collect his bow, "If this gets out to anyone. ANYONE. I will make it my life's mission to make you the last person I kill in my life.."

As he starts to move out of the room before the others do, he makes one last pause to look back, "Oh, and... I forgot to ask how she got here."

((I didn't mean to make all three songs from the same general source (two from different versions of the same scene at that!) but the way the songs escalated worked really well for what I was going for.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

In an instant, the eerily quiet hideout becomes an orchestra of battle as, Val of all people, leads the charge. Quintus' moment of confusion is ended once he Val begins talking to himself, however, making the archmage glad he decided against disintegrating the previous owner of the mask himself. Having one evil god in his head is more then enough.

As the invasion continues, Quintus spends most of his time granting his allies additional power and strength with his spells, doing the reverse to their unfortunate enemies, at least the ones who haven't been turned to their side from Val's new tattoo, and sometimes changing the battle field to better suit their needs, as well as dispelling the cults pitiful magical traps.

A few of the cultist are somehow able to reach his position behind the others, giving the wizard a chance to test out a new use for Hand he develop by combining it with the Belt's natural fighting ability, and more importantly its ability to provide balance, to only drain a portion of an enemies life force instead of turning them into a full blown mind slave zombies. Unfortunately this ability is still a long way from being perfected and most likely wouldn't work on stronger opponents, but for now this proves to be useful experience.

Strangely, due to the relative lack of danger, Quintus finds himself thinking of the past once again. Back when this whole mess started he could barely even cast a fireball spell, now such a thing almost feels beneath him. That may be kind of conceited, but damn if he hasn't earned it. Of the four that originally came to this place and started this whole mess, he so the only one still seeing it through, despite battle a snake god, twice, traveling to a distant plane designed to be inescapable and even getting time itself to bend to his will, all while wearing the Hand of the dark god his very enemies worship. These people... he's lost so much to them and their ultimate plans will only make him lose even more...

((Music for this part I guess))
Preparing for another casting of haste, Quintus notices a lack of arrows flying through the air... Muun is no where to be seen! The magician casts locate creature and discovers him some how split off from the rest of the group, quite a ways away. Of course there is another unit of cultist between them and the room Muun is in, and with the others busy, Quin, after asking himself where the hell they keep coming from, decides he shall take care of them himself. He casts polymorph, turning himself into a giant, a Firbolg to be exact, and charges into the unfortunate cultist between him and Muun creating a cyclone of mayhem and destruction as he drops enemy after enemy, until he finally clears them out of the room. Transforming back into his normal self, feeling strangely proud of himself for 'saving' Muun all alone, he goes to open the door... Only to discover it's locked. "...Hey Val! Can you come over here real quick!"

 

[Jackben]

The morning of their journey to the fortress Tarkus sits astride his horse observing the still faces and quiet voices of his companions. It seems as if there is an almost unspoken vow of silence among them, allowing only remarks upon matters of food, water or direction. And yet the half-orc feels an ache in his gut, a look in the eyes of his companions he seems to share when looking into his reflection the river. It is a strong wind which drives them forward, yet at the same time causing many to pull cloaks over their eyes to shield from the dust of the road.

‘May not be much to say, but there much to ponder.’

As the sun looms high in its perch, Tarkus grimly realizes the nature of their journey has met its own height. And as the sun must fall from its lofty perch, so must the shadows grow largest and most well defined at high noon. The previous shadows of thoughts most dire, ones he hoped to purge before this final task, return with a vengeance to weigh upon his mind.

‘Survival. Way of warrior. Honor. Fellowship. Fate.’

These words evoke a strange mix of hope and dread, the difference in each he cannot tell. And so it is with a heavy heart and troubled mind he steps into the stronghold of the Arm of Vecna. At last they have taken the fight to their most sworn enemy. At last there will be an end.

***

Music

As battle begins Tarkus finds the bulk of the guardsmen largely concentrated upon the bloodthirsty rogue and the chaos of his newly swayed followers. Standing back next to Muun, the half-orc attempts to intercept those who manage to leap past Val’s squad in order to protect his spell-casting companions. “Up there!” Tarkus calls out to the others, pointing at the double doors on the second floor that have been flung open, cultists streaming through with weapons in hand.

As Tarkus would later discover, unbeknownst to the Relic Hunters their invasion point was connected directly with one of the main barracks of the Arm of Vecna. After losing sight of Val, Tarkus roars in frustration as Muun is swarmed by enemies and Tarkus himself is pushed back towards a stairwell. His shield clangs loudly as he blocks the attack of a cultist leaping forward to close the gap. The black-haired Orc wielding a steel warhammer growls at him, his face close enough that Tarkus can smell his rancid breath and see the plaque upon his yellow teeth.

In this moment he is only an enemy, brutal but foolish to stand against them in defiance of their quest. Yet still some part is haunted by the mix of fear and anger in his raging opponent’s eyes. The half-orc is slow to return a parry and the Orc pivots to swing his hammer in attempt to crush Tarkus’ skull. Leaping back to mitigate the blow, the half-orc makes a fatal misstep and begins to fall, the Orc in his momentum tumbling down with him.

Scrambling to grasp something to steady his fall Tarkus gasps futilely at walls, tipping candles and ripping tapestries as he continues to stumble down the black stone carved stairwell. Suddenly he hits hard against an oaken door at the bottom and something clicks, opening up the stone underneath him and sending both warriors falling into a cage filled with rusting armor and rotted bone.

The black-haired Orc roars “What is this?!” Preparing to choke him with his bare hands if he has to, Tarkus instead see’s fear in his enemy’s eyes. Pushing his foe aside, Tarkus grasps the bars of the cage, forcing the metal to groan as it parts, no match for his raw strength. With a fevered look in his eyes, the Orc rushes through the gap first before falling to his knees and crying out in rage.

For shock troops Vecna’s shadowy agents would any Orc or half-orc in gold and whispers of glory. But for the higher positions of power, they must be tested… The evidence of these “tests” lay about the dark chamber around them: torture racks, rusted and bloody scalpels, bags of salt and cauterizing tools lay on the tables next to each cage. In the center lay alter lined with Orc skulls, shining with the arcane glow of magicks.

The warhammer wielding Orc pounds his fist against the ground as they discover body after body of his friends…those who did not survival the transformation process into complete loyalty. Placing and arm on the Orc’s shoulder Tarkus grips it hard, turning him to face the gruesome sight head on. “This not survival. This not way of warrior. No honor in death in barren cage by hand of false ally.”

“But you yet live and can regain your honor by leading those still shrouded in darkness.” Just as a plan is formed, several dark-robed figures begin to approach. Tarkus nods at Barog, watching as he retreats up the stairs and out of sight. As the torturers draw closer, the half-orc sheathes his sword and calls upon Erythnul. A gleam of red light transforms his shield into a greataxe. “From this day forth, I shall feed you the blood and sinew of those most deserving to die.” As he hacks and slashes and yanks his axe from the bodies of his foes, he does not hear their cries. Only the sound of his heart beating and his vision was blurred of red.

***

It was perhaps the most chaotic battle they had yet encountered and many of the group was wounded, but they had managed to drive back or slay most of the first two waves of militia and kill the archers who had camped on the third floor of the chamber. Tarkus pulls a green-feathered arrow from his shoulder and prepares a poultice for his wounds while a pale-faced Muun describes his own encounter. Tarkus can only hope Barog gathered as many allies as possible and made for Ruby Keep as he instructed. Martok would guide them from there.

 

[KittenMaster]

((Off topic but I just found out that you can eat the Hand of Vecna in the Nethack mod SLASH'EM.

We should have gotten Frink to try this.))

 

[Jackben]

((Just a quick heads-up if anyone is using www.thetangledweb.net to host their character sheet like me: they're purging all accounts with 0 post count from their database on Monday, October 7th. So back-up those sheets now or post in a thread to save your account!))

 

[KittenMaster]

((I remember starting to get malware warnings by Chrome trying to access my character sheet on Tangled Web. Did they finally fix that?))

 

[Jackben]

((I remember starting to get malware warnings by Chrome trying to access my character sheet on Tangled Web. Did they finally fix that?))

((Yep, I got that once as well but it's not happened since and I also use Chrome.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((I hate to do this, but I'm going to move things along. It's been a week since Zynx posted, and I hope she's okay but I don't know how long she's going to be gone. So far she hasn't replied to my PM. Zynx, if you come back in the middle of this then feel free to slip right back in))

As Val sweeps through the fortress, largely independently from the rest of the party, he finds that his newly-brainwashed followers are not lasting long; if they don't perish by way of combat, sooner or later they inevitably do or say something that triggers the curse which causes their bodies to burn and rot from the inside out.

Eventually, the lion's share of Vecna cultists have been routed, and the remaining followers moving with Val perish, leaving him wandering alone.

Roaming through the halls and rooms, filled with a bloodlust that is slowly becoming more and more familiar, he comes upon a large, ornate door that's different from any of the others, toward what must be the back of the facility (though it's hard to say for sure, since there hasn't been a clear indication of just how far back this compound goes). Made of wood and carved with a curious symmetrical design, Val figures it must be something important.

He opens the door, rapier in hand, and finds himself in a room filled with foreign contraptions and gadgets made of metal. Scattered all around are various tools and doo-dads. Some are lit up; others are blinking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBUOsZDI3Ls

Standing in the middle of this bizarrely out-of-place laboratory is a single humanoid figure. He is wearing a curious, skin-tight, silvery metal armor that covers his entire body save for the face; the chest plate includes a circular protrusion that seems to have some other function apart from just protection. The circular protrusion has a lit-up core, suggesting some kind of power source.

As strange as this person's armor is, though, his face is what draws most of Val's attention.

"Hello, Valgar," says Valentino Fierno.


((Pause for dramatic effect))
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Almost on cue, Jack, Tarkus, Quinus, and Muun catch up with Val, filing into the laboratory behind him and surveying the landscape.

"Recommend extreme caution," Jack says immediately, "I am unfamiliar with much of the technology in this room. According to my readings, the principles governing the operation of many of these devices has not progressed beyond the theoretical stage in even the most advanced civilizations of which I am aware. His armor appears to employ nanotechnology, and is equipped with a function that I cannot ascertain."

 

[KittenMaster]

"Nanomachines!?"

Spoiler

((Everybody, please forgive me. ;_)

 

[ThLunarian]

((Hah, I almost forgot. This is kind of important. You guys looted, all together, one million gold during your assault on the stronghold. That counts all the magical weapons you came across but that weren't better than the stuff you're carrying; I'm just converting it all to cash for convenience's sake))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"What the hell is this? It looks like the room of a kid who just learned to cast dancing lights... Hey you! Yeah, you in the fancy get up, where's the relic?"

 

[Mike M]

Upon confronting his brother in this strange and futuristic lab, a smile momentarily breaks out upon Val's face, a response most anyone would make when they find an unexpected ally in their hour of need. His tattooed countenance darkens, however, when the morally suspect swashbuckler recalls the particulars of his last encounter with his lost sibling. The cold creep of dread crawls slowly up his spine.

"Valentino," he says cordially enough, almost comically at odds with his blood-drenched appearance. The leather of his gloves creaks as he tightens his hold on the grip of his rapier. "You're looking quite well for a dead man. This is a pleasant surprise, actually, as it affords me the opportunity to kill you myself, you traitorous shit stain."

 

[ThLunarian]

Valentino's lips form a cocksure smile and he chuckles. "You're looking well yourself, older brother. I do hope you'll accept my apology for deceiving you and the others. The last thing I wanted was for my dear twin sister to be burned to death, but at the time I was short on options. My organization was still fledgling at that time, you see, and the others were on the verge of uncovering the truth and ruining my plans. At the time I still had you all believing that we'd infiltrated everything - a claim that I hear you've never quite let go of -, and that was an advantage I couldn't afford to lose. I simply had to force you to leave town somehow, and threatening your lives seemed to be the best course of action."

He turns to Quintus. "Mister Mallory," he happily acknowledges, "You'll find the Monocle itself in one of the drawers in that desk over there. I've already absorbed its power into my armor, as I'm about to do with all the other relics that you've so kindly delivered to me. Observe."

Valentino activates some kind of mechanism on his armor, and the device on his chest begins to light up and make a low, deep humming noise.

All of the relics that the party is wearing begin to vibrate erratically. Within seconds, a visible arc of magical energy begins to extend from each of them, into the core of Valentino's armor, with the exception of Val's tattoo, which remains curiously unaffected. This includes the Fangs of Set, and any other relics the party may have in their possession that aren't actually equipped.

The process is very brief, and when it's complete, all of the deific aspects that the party is wearing have lost their powers, and are now just mundane items (again, except for the tattoo).

"Ah, yes, that's quite.... invigorating," says Valentino, and his armor seems to be adjusting somehow under the surface, in order to best taken advantage of all this new power. He looks at Valgar, mildly surprised. "Well, it seems that my device was unable to drain the powers of the Mask of Hextor. A curiosity that will merit further study, but I suppose it's fortuitous, as now I can derive satisfaction from killing you and taking it myself. You and your merry band have been a thorn in my side for far too long; I'm afraid there's only room for one leading man in this story. Have at you!"

Valentino extends his arm, and the metal seems to reshape itself to form a sort of cannon. He uses his other hand to stabilize his aim and prepares to fire.

Major Boss Battle Music

((Roll Initiative and take your turn))

 

[Mike M]

((Man, missed opportunity for the most apropos boss music ever))

((Hell, it even fits lyrically))

 

[KittenMaster]

((Man, missed opportunity for the most apropos boss music ever))

((You weren't too late, I'm using this song instead.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Haha, I haven't played that game actually. Any similarities between this encounter and that game are purely coincidental. Honestly I've just been looking for a good opportunity to use the Neclord music. Yours works better though

Edit: Holy crap, I just found a version with the lyrics on screen and you're right, that song is perfect for this. It even references people being burned. Geez))

 

[Mike M]

((Haha, I haven't played that game actually. Any similarities between this encounter and that game are purely coincidental. Honestly I've just been looking for a good opportunity to use the Neclord music. Yours works better though

Edit: Holy crap, I just found a version with the lyrics on screen and you're right, that song is perfect for this. It even references people being burned. Geez))

((I hope there are no similarities, because fuuuuuuuuuuuuck that fight. Jesus christ, it took me hours, and then I screwed up the nearly impossible to screw up QTE that ended the fight, which killed me. I thought I might cry.))

Initiative:  1d20+5=12

((How far away is Val?))

 

[KittenMaster]

Initiative Roll (1d20+7=9) ((Wow.))

((Okay, if anybody else can manage to get a turn off before Valentino does, what would happened if we specificially attacked his arm? Would we be able to throw off his attack?

Also gonna wait to see what Quintis does before I start rolling anything.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((He's like 30 feet away. Close enough to either walk up and attack, or charge.

Mechanically there's not really anything you can do (that I can think of) to give him a penalty to attack unless you have a feat or class ability that could do that. 3.5 doesn't have mechanics for attacking specific body parts, and I don't have house rules lined up for that. Disarming him wouldn't work because the weapon is attached to him. You could go full- or partial-defensive to give yourself an AC bonus but that's the best I can come up with))

 

[Jackben]

Initiative: (1d20+6=22)

(Before I can make my turn, I need to know how this affects the Greataxe/Shield relic? It was last in greataxe form, so does it stay a greataxe & just lose the +5 bonus and ability to change to a shield?))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Init: (1d20+7=26)

((Short of iron man here rolling damn near a 20 on init as well, I think I got this.))

Quintus whips out the rod of quicken metamagic, casts a quickened haste on the party and disintegrate of this guy's smug ass face.

Disintegrate(Touch;Damage;DC Fort 24 Saved damage): (1d20+11=18, 32d6=123, 5d6=16)

((No that damage is not wrong. i have +1 caster level to all spells from archemage and +1 aster level to my domain school spells, of which disintegrate is one. Quintus is not messing around with this guy(he totally has something for this)))

 

[ThLunarian]

Initiative: (1d20+6=22)

(Before I can make my turn, I need to know how this affects the Greataxe/Shield relic? It was last in greataxe form, so does it stay a greataxe & just lose the +5 bonus and ability to change to a shield?))

((I'll let it be up to you which form it was in at the time the powers got drained. It can either be a mundane Heavy Steel Shield or a mundane Two-Handed Greataxe. Neither will have a magical bonus and you won't be able to switch it in the middle of this battle.

Valentino rolled a Natural 1 on his save, so yeah he just took a boatload of damage. He's still up and kicking though))

 

[KittenMaster]

((I just want to say that if the world is destroyed, I'll be sure to convert everything I have planned for DM'ing to a "new" (quote en quote) setting.

Spoiler

Though that would mean I can slice off a couple of house rules.

))

Standing before the metallic figure, he feels the goddess' presence fade from him, and suddenly the leaves of the armor he wears whither and fade. The fairy accompanying him cries out at the loss of the goddess.

Tightening his brows, he holds up his bow. A bow that has proven itself so powerful, it now must be tested against the power of the dieties to prove its worth, "Celia, leave now. There's no telling what what will happen to me. GO!" As he feels the effects of haste speed his movements, he begins to move about and fire at the villain, using three arrows at oncefor a shotgun effect.

((Move Action around the room to put Muun where he's less likely to get caught in any AoE attacks while remaining within 30 ft.
Tell Celia to flee))
Many Shot Attack (using three arrows): 1d20 + 14 BAB -6 Penalty + 1 Haste (1d20+8+1=26, 1d20+8+1=11, 1d20+8+1=12)
Damage Roll (1d10 + 3 Strength + 4 Enhancement + 1d6 Fire Damage) (1d10+3+4+1d6=15)

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((No idea if this will actually come up(honestly should have mentioned this before really) but i had Quintus cast contingency, in order to cast dispel magic on himself if he ever fails a will save))

 

[Jackben]

Both shocked and awed by the blinking lights and strange appearance of the hybrid machine man, Tarkus hefts his greataxe upon his shoulder. His teeth are set on edge when he hears the cold exchange of the Fierno's echo through the laboratory. "So you are one who scuttle like cockroach in shadow. Cause pain upon all without consequence."

Tarkus steps forward confidently, preparing to cleave his treacherous foe in two with the divine rage only a god of slaughter can bestow. "Fierno or no, your end is now!" But before he can take a second step forward, he stumbles, feeling a drain upon his supernatural sense of balance while his axe becomes considerably heavier and loses its mirror sheen.

"God of travel, goddess of protection and god of slaughter have left my relic!" He shouts, before looking about and seeing the same occur to his companions. Turning to the laughing man in the center, he prepares a hasted charge to put this puppeteer down before he can marshal the relic hunter's divine gifts against them.

"Relish this moment. It is your last!"

Attack v Robotino

Attack 1: 1d20+21+1 → [17,21,1] = (39) 
[URL="http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4244727/"]Damage[/URL]: 1d12+9+1 → [8,9,1] = (18)
[s]Haste attack 1d20+21+1 → [1,21,1] = (23)[/s] Natural 1

 

[Mike M]

Val observed the draining of the power of the relics seemingly without reaction, though inwardly he is as perplexed as European Mega Man 2 Box Arthttp://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/user/3/32973-164681-1000349JPG-620x.jpg Valentino about his apparent immunity. He sees no need to tip his hand, however. No sense in forfeiting whatever meager advantage his mystery affords, after all.

"I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that I'm apparently the chosen scion of a god of war?" he asks of his treacherous brother. "He's a bit more vested in my actions than our other divine patrons have been up until this point, apologies if he has denied your little get-up there --be thankful Valance is not here in my stead, incidentally-- its purpose."

Without waiting for a response, Val closes the distance between him and Valentino, Jack ((who totally got robbed of a decent narration piece, now that I think about it)) a half pace behind him, broadsword in hand. Flanking the silver-clad Fierno sibling, Val locks his blade against Valentino's arm cannon to prevent it from being brought to bear against him. "You always were a bad seed, Valentino," Val grunts through gritted teeth. "I never wanted to admit it -- none of us did. We saw too much of your twin sister in you, but you were nothing like here, were you? You have always been poisoned by your ambition and jealousy, just too smart for your own good with your arcane science experiments. You took the name, but you were never one of us, were you?

"Jack, do me a favor and wipe this bastard's existence from the face of the earth."

"Valentino Fierno," Jack intones without emotion as he hefts his broadsword over his head, "your work here is impressive. I will endeavor to complete your research in your passing."

While Jack drops his sword, Val takes the opportunity to strike a blow of his own.

Val attack: 1d20+24=37
Damage:  1d6+19=20

Jack attack:  1d20+20=31
Damage:  2d6+14=25

 

[ThLunarian]

((Valentino failed his save, as I said.

Muun misses with all three arrows.

Jack misses.

Tarkus and Val both hit.

Valentino grabs Jack (30 vs Touch) and activates the Hand of Vecna. Jack rolled an 8 on his Will Save, so he is now under Valentino's control. Note: Valentino will have access to enhanced versions of the powers of all the relics, so that's why he's able to just gain control of Jack without needing to turn him undead first. Also it makes sense in the context of the plot, what with him being a robot and all. Besides, a zombie-robot would just be weird))

Muun's barrage of arrows bounce harmlessly off of Valentino, such that he doesn't even seem to be aware of them. He smiles at Val as the swashbuckler charges forward, stabbing with all his might, and making far less of an impact on the armor than he would like (though he does appear to hit and deal at least a little bit of damage).

"Don't think I didn't take note of the disdain that my 'siblings' held for me. Yes, I tried my best to be a common criminal, as the rest of you, but my passion has always lain in the sciences. You may never have noticed, but I've been building things since I was six years old. That chess-playing automaton that fascinated you so, at the fairs in Ruby Keep? That was my design. But of course you never cared to realize just what I was capable of."

Jack's sword slides clumsily off of Valentino's armor without causing one bit of damage. Valentino responds in kind by seizing Jack's arm and looking into his eyes. "This is a fascinating piece of machinery you have here, Valgar. He can certainly do far more than just play chess. I think I'll take him for my own."

Valentino's hand somehow liquifies and temporarily merges with Jack's own arm, and a visible transfer of energy occurs between them. He then lets go, and the hand reforms itself.

"Danger," says Jack, "My automotive subroutines are being overwritten. I am no longer in control of my own actions. My cognitive subroutines and speech generators appear unaffected for the moment, but I cannot guarantee your safety in my proximity."

"Isn't that marvelous?" Valentino muses, looking at Valgar again. "To think that all this is possible because of that monocle. You know, I originally treated it as an afterthought? The only reason I sent my men to that library was because the monocle was among the most poorly guarded of the aspects. Little did I know that it would grant me an understanding of science and magic that is unparalleled throughout the multiverse, and that it would allow me to eventually create this beautiful piece of magic and science hybrid engineering."

In his boastful reverie, Valentino is blindsided by a highly-concentrated, pure blast of magical destruction. He cries out in pain, as part of his armor disintegrates away. The moment the blast stops, however, the armor compensates by filling in the holes and working to repair itself. Tarkus uses the opportunity to cleave into Valentino as best he can, and he does score a clean hit, but it doesn't appear to do nearly as much damage as the half-orc was expecting it to.

((Round 2 Begin))

 

[KittenMaster]

((Great... His AC is somewhere around 37. I'm completely useless))

Hasted Full Attack (without Rapid Shot) (1d20+14+1=18, 1d20+14+1=28, 1d20+9+1=19, 1d20+4+1=6) ((Crap.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus sees Muun is having some trouble, so after firing a quickened Ray of Clumsiness at Tino
Ray of Clumsiness(Attack;Dex damage): (1d20+11=18, 1d6+5=8)
he gives Muun a nice little boost with Greater Heroism. (Thats a +4 bonus to attacks(but not damage), saves, skills, immunity to fear and +15 temp hit points.)

 

[Jackben]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJtXO2qlHxU

Gritting his teeth, the half-orc shifts his position to maintain a dominant stance over the maniacal Fierno. He looks upon the morphing leech arm in horror as Robo-fierno temporarily merges metal with Jack, forcing him to do his bidding. Now set upon by two metal foes, the very technology of the room itself, blinking and beeping in various tones seems dangerous and cunning to Tarkus' eyes.

He quickly uncorks a potion, guzzling its contents before smashing it onto the ground.

"I relish this chance to fight without aid of gods. Victory taste much sweeter when we pry stolen power from thieving hands."

Noticing Valentino's delight at testing his new powers, he smiles grimly.

"You greedy to tip scales further in your favor? You should know...each power comes with its price."

Tarkus spends a move action (thank you house rule) to drink Potion of Protection from Evil

Second assault v Robotino

[s]1d20+20+1 → [7,20,1] = (28)[/s]
1d20+20+1 → [16,20,1] = (37) [URL="http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4244837/"]Damage[/URL]: 1d12+9+1 → [10,9,1] = (20)

 

[Mike M]

((Once again, I forgot the haste bonus on my last turn. Also my dodge bonus, sigh... Does Jack connect at 32?))

((Great... His AC is somewhere around 37. I'm completely useless))

Hasted Full Attack (without Rapid Shot) (1d20+14+1=18, 1d20+14+1=28, 1d20+9+1=19, 1d20+4+1=6) ((Crap.))

((We've kinda lost Jack for the duration of the fight as it is, so maybe target him instead?))

 

[ThLunarian]

((32 does hit. I'll add in the damage from Jack's swing. Muun, with Quintus's mods, you're going to get at least one hit in this round, so don't get too discouraged. Also, I can't recall off the top of my head and am not in a position to check right now, but didn't your bow have a magic bonus on it? I could've sworn it was at least a +2.))

 

[Jackben]

((Flaming Composite Greatbow +4, with a max Strength bonus of +3))