Round 5
Subject: Re: Something Wicked; Dead men siege 4
OK, then from within the safety of Cadfael's protected circle, Farron will cast "Magic Monster III (Dire Badger) and direct it to attack Horan, attacking its way through any skeletons it can't ignore without provoking attacks of opportunity. (In case I'm out of the office when play resumes later today, Farron intends to cast Magic Missile on Horan next. After that, Raja can play Farron if there is any decision on Farron's actions needed that would otherwise hold up the game.)
From: Ty
Subject: Something Wicked; Dead men siege 5
Mission blocks the last of the attacks from the two skeletons facing him. Even as he prepares to finish them off, he sees the magic flail strike Sa'id. Damn. Even now, after Anileth has fled with his child, he can do nothing about it other than shepherd hapless mages. Gritting his teeth, he cartwheels away from the two skeletons facing him [Tumble rolls 29 and 14 vs DC 15 and 17]. One of the two takes a swing at him [Attack 15] but misses. After performing a single flip to get away from them, he runs the rest of the way to Sa'id's side. The flail still hovers, preparing another attack, but there are no enemies to be seen [Spot roll 19].
Rennik struggles with his rage, internalizing it, keeping it from throwing off his aim as it did last time. Sensing Rennik's struggle to regain balance, and tasting blood after his last vicious attack, Horan moves forward at a low crouch, claws splayed wide, jaws gaping and bloody. Rennik, seeing his opportunity in his opponent's over confidence, slumps. He lets his body droop as if the wounds were overcoming him, and his axe head drops to the ground. As he expected, Horan leaps. While Horan is leaving the ground, the axe head is already coming up in a silvered blur. The blow meets the lower edge of the wereboar's ribcage in a crushing blow [Attack 32]. Rennik has put all his strength into the swing, and the blow is extremely accurate as well. The effect is devastating [Damage 20]. The axe cuts completely through the front of the torso, nearly cutting Horan in half. A spray of blood and viscera cover Rennik from head to foot, and the carcass of his friend is hurled across the room to collapse with a final thump. Rennik stands for a moment, panting with exertion, but must quickly return to the defensive when skeletons begin climbing in the window to his room and coming in through the doorway behind him.
As Farron backs toward the circle of light surrounding Cadfael, skeletons continue to pour into the hallway from Gully's rooms. The first one through attacks him again, [Attacks 20 and 16] and this time both claws hit, leaving two painful wounds on his forearms [Damage 2 and 3, defensive wounds]. One of the skeletons farther back in the line, goes into Rennik's room. Finding the halfling panting after his ferocious fight with Horan, the skeleton immediately attacks [Attacks 6 and 14], landing one minor blow [Damage 2]. However, in his weekend condition, the extra scratch from the skeleton feels like adding insult to injury.
Farron, for his part, just wants to not get hit any more. He is wizard accustomed to the gentle life of a merchant. He casts language comprehension spells to interpret for overseas trading negotiation. He reads contracts! He never imagined being beset by skeletons. Pirates maybe, but surely not skeletons. The two new wounds on his forearms are a stinging reminder of the dangerous reality he finds himself in. Fortunately, once he moves into the circle of light, the skeleton stops following him. Though, he remembers reading that a direct attack on someone outside the circle will negate some of the protection, and allow the attacked parties to enter. An indirect attack, then. Still gripping his candle, Farron begins casting a summoning spell. It is difficult to concentrate with his stinging wounds [Concentration roll 24 vs DC 15], but fortunately several years of casting spells from the decks of rocking ships has made him resistant to distraction. The spell is successful, and there is a shimmering in the air between himself and his skeleton opponent, then the space is suddenly filled by a snorting and foul tempered looking dire badger.
(Augmented Dire Badger
3d8+12 (34 hp)
+3 initiative (dex)
30ft speed
AC 16 (+3 dex, +3 natural)
2 claws +6 melee, bite +1 melee
claw 1d4+4, bite 1d6+2
special attacks: rage
fort +7, ref +6, will +4
str 18, dex 17, con 23, int 2, wis 12, cha 10
listen +6, spot +6
the rage is automatic on the turn following the badger taking damage
it claws and bites madly until either it or its opponent is dead.
+4 str, +4 const, -2 AC. it cannot end the rage voluntarily)
Cadfael kneels in the center of his circle of protection, continuing to pray loudly to Pelor. There is a sudden flash of light, centered on Cadfael, then rapidly expanding in a ring that goes out forty feet in every direction. Those who stand close enough to him (Farron, Gully, Cutter, Garyth, Rennik) will now enjoy the protection and aid of Pelor in their fight, while the nearby skeletons appear damaged and weakened by it.
Outside, Sa'id begins casting a dispel magic charm. Mission sees him moving his hand in an odd gesture, while clearly enunciating words in an odd tongue. When he finishes, there is a flash of light, and the flail, which was just winding up for another swing, disappears. Sa'id turns and grins at Mission, and notices that his skeleton has shambled its way over and is standing nearby, looking for something to attack.
The sound of more skeletons approaching from the south causes all three to turn their attention that direction. Four more skeletons move up from the south edge of the lodge clearing, and Sa'id's skeleton moves forward to confront them. Sa'id notices that there is a small, darkly robed figure behind the approaching skeletons, and has just opened his mouth to mention this to Mission, when an eardrum shattering cacophony of sound erupts around them. Mission [damage 6] and Sa'id [Damage 4] clutch their heads until it ends, a few seconds later. The robed figure is far to short to be Anileth, and is in fact Halfling sized.
The two skeletons in the great room with Garyth attack again. Garyth notices that they are both moving more slowly, and appear weaker than before. They must be damaged by that ring of light that just flashed through the room. Garyth himself feels stronger and quicker than ever, so the ring apparently didn't do him any harm. The four attacks [Attacks 6, 7, 14, 11] all miss, though one comes close enough to claw his loose shirt.
Garyth dodges through the attack, and sticks one toe under the staff lying by his feet. He flips it up into his hands, and swings a powerful blow at the head of the skeleton closest to him [Attack 23]. The blow shatters the undead thing into dozens of pieces [Damage 6]. Now there is just one in the room, though in a few moments the door to the kitchen will be open again, and who knows how many skeletons wait on the other side.
Skeletons are piling into Gully's room, and Farron can see that the group in there is growing by the minute. Some of the skeletons from the back of the lodge must be coming around the sides now, looking for better entrances. Gully and Cadfael are looking at the three skeletons that have clustered in the room to the north of them. They mill around, but seem unwilling to cross into the lighted area around Cadfael.
Sa'id and Mission are forced to turn and defend themselves when the two skeletons that Mission had tumbled away from run up from behind and attack. The skeleton attacking Sa'id hits him once [Attacks 2, 19; damage 3] and the skeleton attacking Mission delivers one powerful blow to him [Attacks 10, natural 20, possible critical, threat roll 7, critical failed; damage 5], that could have been much worse than it was.
(The inn is now filled with skeletons, and more are moving around the outside *see map*. Mission and Sa'id have two skeletons to the north of them, and four more to the south, along with the mysterious small figure in black. Garyth faces only one more in his room, though in a round or two the door to the kitchen will open, and there are many skeletons there. Farron is now protected inside the ring, and has his dire badger outside it to attack with. Horan is dead, but Rennik's room now has skeletons entering it from both the door and the window. Keep in mind, if anyone attacks from inside the ring, skeletons will then be able to enter it and attack back, though they will still be at a penalty on their actions while inside the ring.)
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Something Wicked; Dead men siege 5
More skeletons! Sa'id thinks. But Anileth has gone... As he sees the robed figure approach with its entourage of skeletons, Sa'id settles on the halfling as the new focus of his ire. "If you can hold off the skeletons," he says quickly to Mission, "I'll try to deal with the wizard." He begins casting Scorching Ray, targeting the robed halfling.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Something Wicked; Dead men siege 5
Garyth feels new vigor course through him as he turns to attack the remaining skeleton. If he can only finish this one off before those in the kitchen break down the door, he might have time to block off the broken window. He says a silent prayer as he attacks.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: Something Wicked; Dead men siege 5
The surge of power Rennik feels as Horan's body sails across the room is bolstered as the surge of light flows through him, but there is no time to dwell on his victory. Turning his rage toward the skeletons now entering his room, he lets out a burst of dark laughter.
Sensing attacks coming from two sides, he swings his axe through the skeleton who had just clawed at him and runs toward the side of the window. Keeping his eyes on the skeletons coming through the door, he will concentrate his next attack on any that cross the room towards him. Meanwhile, he will secure the window, destroying skeletons as they let their defensive guard down clamboring through the window.
(OOC: In game terms, he'll use his standard attacks to kill the skeleton coming through the door, then move to the side of the window. As the skeleton climbing through the window has his guard down, he'll use an Attack of Opportunity to cut it to pieces.... the following turn, he'll use the AoO on the skeleton through the window and his standard attack on the door skeleton... lather, rinse, repeat.)
(More OOC: I'll be gone for the rest of the night, and much of the day Monday for a department meeting after school. This should cover two turns, should the need arise. If the situation significantly changes, though, Rennik will have to readjust)
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Something Wicked; Dead men siege 5
"Get your bloody undead thing to help us then," Mission spits at Sa'id. His head aches from frustration and the halfling mages' attack, and he is in no mood for cheeriness right now. Promise! he wants to scream. Anileth!
Mission will finish off the two skeletons nearest him and Sa'id.
(OOC: Ty, Mission stands at 11 hp, correct? If he gets hit next round, Sa'id's going to have to do some protecting. . .)