Tossuc Gets Tagged, Big Boom
Subject: Attack! (part pi, or Tossuc Gets Tagged)
Elotai, seemingly distracted for just a moment by something behind him, swings his sword just wide of Tossuc's head, the blade glancing off the chain shirt covering the raider's shoulder. [attack 16, miss] Buchek, pressing ever forward, swings hard at his uncle's side, but almost loses his grip on his axe handle from the blood dripping down his arm. The axe head swings wide in a wild arc as he struggles for control. [attack roll 1 + 9 mod = 10, miss]
Holn circles behind the melee, stepping gingerly over the body of one of the unconscious barbarians dazzled by Elotai's blast, heading toward the remaining archer who is lighting another arrow off the side of a burning building.
Bermid, taking advantage of Tossuc's momentary distraction by the wildly flailing axe of Buchek, drives the point of his sword low, catching the side of the barbarian's leg and drawing a growl from the man's lips. [attack 24, hit, damage 11]. The guard beside him, who had been frozen by Erk earlier, presses the opening in Tossuc's defenses to score a hit on the barbarian's upper arm. [attack 20, damage 6]
Two other guards press in to attack almost at the same time, but interfere with one another and allow Tossuc to sidestep out of the way of their blades. However, in avoiding the two guards, the giant barbarian does not see Erk's dwarven war axe swinging hard at the small of his back, which forces him to stagger forward into Buchek's shoulder. [attack 27, hit, damage 12].
As the force of Erk's blow strikes the barbarian, the sky above lights up in a large explosion sending a blast of sound across the courtyard. Kayla and Telwyn, both running for the door of the inn, are blown nearly off their feet into the doorframe by a shockwave coming from the tower. Glancing back, they see black smoke rising from behind the structure, and large cracks that have crept up the face of the edifice.
Tossuc, having landed hard on Buchek's shoulder grabs roughly ahold of him [touch attack 18] and whispers in his ear, "It is time for me to leave you, nephew. My work here is done." With that, the world is plunged into darkness for all those in the melee. Elotai, feeling a form rush past him, tries to take a swing, but strikes nothing [AoO on Tossuc moving backward 9, miss] Holn, looking back, sees only a cloud of inky blackness where the group had been before lit by dim torchlight.
Out of the cloud, Tossuc runs along with two of the other raiders, seemingly right at him.
[ODM: Okay. Logistics. The two torch bearers are in the inn. Kayla and Telwyn are up against the doorframe of the inn, having been knocked there by the explosion at the base of the tower. Erk, Buchek, Bermid and Elotai are in the dark with a 20% miss chance, and have heard their opponents' footsteps withdraw away from them. Elotai tried to make an AoO, as did one guard, but both missed. Holn now sees Tossuc and two raiders coming toward him, and has watched the last archer light an arrow.]
From: Jake
Subject: Attack! (part pi, or Tossuc Gets Tagged)
With a howl, Buchek leaps after Tossuc, charging in the direction of the retreating footsteps, prepared to bowl over any who get between him and his uncle.
OOC: Matt, my inclination is to have Buchek tackle Tossuc if he catches up to him, but I'm not sure what the rules are for that type of attack, or how proficient Buchek would be at it (not that he could be much less proficient than he's proving himself to be with his axe). Can you tell me?
From: Erik
Subject: Attack! (part pi, or Tossuc Gets Tagged)
Malevolent syllables of energy come to Holn's lips, electricity crackles all around him. He will stand his ground against the enemy.
(Shocking Grasp)
From: Ty
Subject: Attack! (part pi, or Tossuc Gets Tagged)
Erk is happy to see the raiders retreating while his whole party is still alive. But the detonation of the tower makes him wonder what their true purpose was. They lost many lives in this raid. What did it gain them? He hopes to find out after the dust has settled.
In the meantime, he dimly sees Buchek hurtling off after the leader. Barbarians. Good rumblers, no discipline. But he will do what he can to help.
OOC: Matt, if Erk has the time, he will drop his axe (free action), draw a hand axe as part of his move (+1 or better bab lets him draw and move in same move action) and throw it at the fleeting Tussoc (regular action). Can he pull this off? How far will Tussoc be by the time he can throw it? Will he still have the 20% concealment?
From: Raja
Subject: Attack! (part pi, or Tossuc Gets Tagged)
The darkness? arrival is instantaneous and absolute. A spell. Tussoc had touched something on Buchek...
...how could a barbarian, clearly a warrior, be able to conjure magical darkness? He must not be stupid... or perhaps he had the blessing of something divine.
A faint image manifests itself in Elotai?s mind. Tussoc, something... as quickly as the image arrives, though, it is gone. Before he can begin to think about interpreting it, the ground shivers beneath him. Instinctively he turns to look at the inn, even though he can see nothing in the darkness. If Tussoc cast a darkness glamour on Buchek?s person, or perhaps his weapon, then the best way to escape the black would be to stay put.
?Dwarf Erk! This darkness is magical!? he calls out. ?The big one cast it on our berserk friend!? He can?t think of any better way to refer to the barbarian who had been in the guard house [Elotai does not, as I recall, know Buchek?s name]. He reverses his grip on his sword and snaps it quickly into its sheath.
Elotai will spend this round getting his bow out and an arrow ready. He will also move as far forward as he can while doing this.