Dragon's Egg - Act III

[Keitsumah]

"Drop him!" i yelp as Hall begins to struggle, recognizing the light in his eyes. If we aren't careful, he could hurt one of us, and the loss of any of our party would be devastating as a whole. It would be best to let him go and let the rage run it's course.

An odd sound comes from behind me and i whirl to see Batos racing towards the bottom of the stairs. The creatures are getting closer!

1D20 => 14 (pounce)

Batos lunges for the nearest one, not intending to injure but instead lashing out with his paws to kick the thing in the chest, aiming to knock it back into it's companion and send them both crashing back down the stairs.

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
((tradition and habit usually has Aliron go first, but Bressel has the primary job this time.))
Bressel helps Baldy with her armor watching the advancing fishmen, if they get within one level, Bressel will
stand lift his axe and give a battle cry(intimidation), if they get within ten steps, he will attack.
((I think we are on three they are on one, so I might be getting ahead of things.))
No roll at this time, I don't think they will get that close this round.

Aliron
Aliron glances down, then steps over three places(or less if this would prevent my arrow attack) away from the crowd((if a spell is used on him, it will affect him alone. I believe I can still use my bow. Target same fishy as prior shot. (not the ripples)
The Unseen Servant
HTML: <a href=http://unseenservant.com/default.asp?do=showone&id=17865>night arrowshot [1d20+8] = 8+8 = 16 ; damage [1d8] = 3</a>
((Movement reduced my accuracy, not sure I hit.))
"Come on fishy, show me your head, I'll put an arrow in it!" Aliron shouts down at the ripples.
((How far to water below,? is it straight down? Cliff or rocks that can be climbed? ie can fishy see Aliron from straight below, or just knows where he was when he shot him? Aliron is not into giant leaps, but good to know how far it is for a missle attack or a spell attack, and if it would be easy for the fish to cast a direct spell or a net. I think to far to throw a net, but a web might be in range.))

 

[SeverinR]

"Someone get a torch down there so the... humans can see the targets!" ((he wants to say round ears so badly.))

((Just to clarify, if Aliron can step back and the fishman directly below couldn't see him, but Aliron could still shoot he will. Thats why I asked the questions of distance and angles.)

 

[SomethingToPonder]

JUST EDITING POST FOR DAMAGE ROLL

(( thanks SP, Forgot the runaway magic save cast, I'll be sure to include it next time.))

managing to Regain my composure I take a second to analyse the situation.
"Aliron, Move! Something is moving below you, Move now!"
I glance at the advancing sea demons and notice they seem more aggressive than before, Perhaps there is a boss coming or perhaps it is only the aggravation from being attacked. Either way I start to get a bad feeling.

I focus in on the fish demon that Aliron hit in the thigh with the arrow and I calm my mind to have another attempt at casting a magic missile.

Success, The Missile soars accurately towards the target. I cant help but let a smug boyish grin slip out of the corner of my mouth, I may be 1003 but I still love those little successes as I did when I was just a boy.

"Baldhart, Hall if you can find the strength to move at all try and climb as many stairs as you can!"

Roll for damage

 

[Steerpike]

((Here's the map. It doesn't do a whole lot of good because of the way everyone is stacked on the stairs. I may have to just expand the staircase out across the map if the battle stays there)).

 

[Steerpike]

Hall and Baldhart both comes fully awake, Hall snapping out of an angry dream as Liadan tries to sooth him and Keitsumah yells for him to be left alone. The memory of the fish demons and the unexpected slumber come back to him swiftly.

Bressel helps Baldhart to her feet, and the two of them working together manage to get Baldhart's armor in place as the fish demons continue their advance.

Aliron sights up the same fish demon he hit previously and lets loose with another arrow. This one catches the creature in the abdomen, and it stops momentarily, hissing in pain before beginning its advances on the stairs anew. Before it has taken two steps, Aldar's magic missile strikes it in the chest and it tumbles backward onto the dock, dead.

The remaining four fish demons continue their surge toward the stairs, reaching the lower level and advancing up the narrow walkway as best they can. Three of the reach the platform of the second level of the staircase before Batos barrels into one of them, knocking the creature hard against the railing and then onto its side. The creature hisses in fury and starts to climbs to its feet. Its two companions on the same level of the staircase strike at the wolf, one lashing out with its claws and the other snapping with its powerful jaws and needle-sharp teeth while trying to gouge the wolf with one clawed hand.

Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 9+2 = 11


Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17


Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 19+2 = 21


Bite Attack [1d20+2] = 6+2 = 8

The wolf's thick fur protects it against the first claw attack, but the second gets through, cutting into the flesh of the wolf's flank. The claw attack of the second creature also draws blood, though the fish demon gets nothing more than a mouth full of fur for its biting efforts.

Claw Damage [1d4+2] = 1+2 = 3


Claw Damage [1d4+2] = 4+2 = 6

((9 damage to Batos; Keitsumah - do you have HP for Batos? Please share you stats with me on Google Drive (see the thread on that). If he has 9 or less, the wolf is unconscious now)).

The attack from the wolf has slowed the creatures down, stalling them for the moment on the second level of the stairs. Ripples continue in the water around the docks, and for a brief moment Aliron sees a large grey heady, vaguely reptilian in character, break the surface of the water and then sink again.

The rocks below Aliron's vantage point are slick with salt spray, though they do provide numerous handholds for a climb. They also obscure the point where the sea meets the shoreline below him, so what if anything is happening there cannot be seen.

((Climbing takes the usual check, though the difficulty will increase as the rocks get wetter near the bottom. The greater the margin of success, the faster you climb. You estimate that it is about fifty feet to the water)).

Gisla stands at the third level of the stairs, unable to get past the crowd of party members helping Hall and getting Baldhart armored. She casts her gaze out over the docks, watching for movement. Two militia men near the top of the stairs watch Aldar with narrowed eyes, licking their lips as they step back uncertainly from the upper platform.

 

[senseiseth]

Hall

As the memories of the demonic fish return to me, the raw anger of my dream is compounded by the rage of the fiends who returned me to my hell. I grab my blade and run down to find the warg in trouble, I swing my sword at the first creature I find.

((I know that was a hit!))

Damage:

((Also, if Hall's movement requires it to be in two rounds, have him get to the lower level for this turn and have him attack with the previous rolls for the next. Oh and I'll keep the timing and distance in mind for future rounds, too.))

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
Bressel does a battle cry(intimidate) and charges(+2?) down towards the attackers.
Attacking the one that Baltos and Hall haven't attacked.
great axe to hit [1d20+3] = 4+3 = 7 damage: [1d12+3] = 2+3 = 5 (str)
[stumbles on a step, attack misses]
((I believe it still misses even with +2 for charge))


Aliron
Aliron checks the water below then aims.
Aliron shoots the one lowest to avoid the chance of hitting the confusion that is the melee.
<a href=http://www.unseenservant.com/default.asp?do=showone&id=17907>night arrowshot [1d20+8] = 7+8 = 15 ; damage [1d8] = 2</a>
night arrowshot [1d20+8] = 7+8 = 15 ; damage [1d8] = 2
[again, don't know if this one hits. if it does, it doesn't hit very hard.]
Aliron realizes what Aldar did, and glances at the militia.
"If you see a fish demon kill it by any means possible!" Aliron yells at the townspeople. "Watch for the one in the water also!"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Bressel tries to charge down the stairs. Dammit... I want to fight up top. Oh well. I charge with him.

Intimidate ((vs. enemy next to Bressel's target))

((Charge or not, it's a miss. If we can't legally charge on the stairs, it's just as well.

If we can't both attack because of the narrow stairs... um.. never mind?))

 

[Ireth]

Liadan

I huff a sigh as I look out over the fighting below. I can't get into the melee without risking harm to my fellow fighters. Gritting my teeth, I take out my bow again, aiming for the same demon Aliron has his sights on.

Oercus, you called me here to fight... Please help me to do so!

((I'm not sure if that 17 is a hit or not... Decent damage, though!))

 

[SomethingToPonder]

The satisfaction I felt when that magic missile killed the fish demon was something I havent felt in a long time, I forgot how fun it could be.
I run down the stairs one flight, so that the villagers eyeing me up cant get a good line of sight to see the next Magic Missile I am about to cast.
I take aim at the same demon Aliron and Liadan aimed at. I feel the will building up inside me and narrow my eyes, I try to release the power at just the right time....

Success! That cool feeling of achievement comes over me again, I definitely deserve that ale now!

Not the best damage available but not entirely bad all the same.

 

[Steerpike]

((New map. I extended the stairs out horizontally, so you can see what is going on, but remember that they are really vertical. You can't see what is going on at a different level without leaning over the edge, and even then your view is limited. Hopefully all will be clear with the explanation below)).

 

[Steerpike]

The battle is joined in earnest on the staircase. Batos pulls a few steps away from the enemy, blood seeping into his fur, the occasional fat drop falling to the wooden planks. The fish demon Batos knocked down is on its feet and makes to follow the wolf, but Hall dashes between the wolf and the creature, driving his sword into the demon. The sword punches through muscle and bone, and with a wet hiss the creature slumps, lifeless, to the deck. Another of the creatures steps past its lifeless comrade, kicking the body aside as it advances on Hall.

Hot on Hall's heels, Bressel charges another of the fish demons, but his footing is unsure on the wet wooden steps, and his attack goes wide, cutting a chunk of wood out of one of the supports for the stairway as it passes over the fish demon's head.

Baldhart charges in just behind Bressel, taking the only other target, which happens to be the fish demon menacing Hall. Her attack misses as well, the fish demon turning its shoulder with Baldhart's thrust so that the blade finds only the empty air.

Aliron is able to line up a shot on the fish demon on the lowest level ((level 1)), tracking it as it moves toward its allies. He looses an arrow and achieves a grazing shot across its shoulder. The fish demon spins, searching the cliffs for its attacker. From their vantage points, neither Liadan nor Aldar have a clear view of the lowest level, but both are able to lean out over the wooden railing off the stairs to see what they can of what is happening below. Both spot Aliron's target, lingering near the edge of the stairs as it scans the cliff. Liadan looses her arrow, her shot taking the creature full in the chest. It stumbles into the railing and then falls over it, Aldar's magic missile striking its back at it plunges into the sea.

The fish demons in front of Hall lost some of its momentum pushing its companion aside, but it still manages to lunge with a claw and snap its powerful teeth at the fighter:

Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 4+2 = 6

Bite Attack [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

Hall hastily ducks the claw in the confined space of the stairs, but the bite catches him across the shoulder. The teeth crunch against the scales of his armor, then the powerful jaws of the fish demon clamp down, puncturing the armor and tearing into the flesh of his shoulder:

Bite Damage [1d6+2] = 4+2 = 6

((6 HP damage to Hall)).

Likewise, the fish demon Bressel attacked lunges with a claw and tries to get in a bite as well.

Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15

Bite Attack [1d20+2] = 6+2 = 8

The claw gets through Bressel's armor, finding flesh beneath, but the large man avoids the gaping maw of the creature, a fetid, ocean-like scent filling his nostrils from the fish demon's open mouth.

Claw Damage [1d4+2] = 4+2 = 6

((6 HP Damage to Bressel also)).

Gisla is down the stairs behind Bressel and Baldhart, looking for a target, but the cramped space of the stairs make it impossible for her to advance.

The two militia men move to descend the stairs as well, but then stop in their tracks, gaping over the side of the stairs as something catches their attention. The sky is lightening a bit with the approaching dawn, and Aliron's attention is caught by the same thing as the militia men. The waters around the dock have been rippling so that the motion is discernible even among the wave as they crash against the rocks. Something is moving down there. A large reptilian head breaks the surface of the water, a thick chain wrapped around its neck and a fish demon atop its back, grasping the chain. They are visible to Aliron only for a moment, before they are hidden by the rocks of the cliff which prevents him from seeing the very point where the water meets the shore. Smaller shapes move along side the reptilian form that breached the surface of the waves, these too lost to sight due to the rocky cliff.

The militia men see something from their vantage point, however. One stands, stock still and saying nothing. The other turns in the direction of the village and yells "To arms! To arms! The demons of the deep are upon us!" Though he yells it loudly enough, his voice quavers as he calls out.

((Note - I took some liberty with the dimensions to get icons to fit on the map. You guys can squeeze in with three side by side, but it is very cramped that way, and attacks will be limited to thrusting, since there is no room to swing)).

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Creatures on both sides, I move in the direction that grants Gisla a target.

"Get my back!" I say to Gisla and Bressel. To the fish-demon attacking Hall, I shout, "and you—DIE!"

I put all my strength into it and send the demon over the edge!

 

[Ireth]

Liadan

I look all around me through the chaos. Only one foe left to fight, and it's too far to be in range of my flail. I should have just kept my bow out. I switch weapons again, nock an arrow and let fly at the beast who menaces Bressel and Gisla.

((Oh dear. I hope that miss doesn't mean she hit Baldy or Bressel instead!))

 

[Keitsumah]

I look up at the shouts coming from above. Demons of the deep?

"Everyone! Something's coming from the sea -return to land! I fear that the docks are soon to become nothing but kindling, and wet kindling at that!" I yell, backing up a few steps and calling Batos to me with a thought. Besides, firm soil and earth beneath my feet seems more reassuring than this thin strip of wood while it hangs over our enemies domain. But unless everyone else decides to come with me, i remain steadfast. I will not appear to be a coward in front of everyone.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Don't panic. Kill what's in our way first—and please! Blades only!" I glance at the wounded wolf, adding, "Blades or teeth!"

 

[senseiseth]

Hall

As the first fiend falls under my blade, another rushes past me and bites down through the mail and into my shoulder. I scream in pain as I regain my thoughts.Attack, attack, I tell myself as I punch the beast in it's torso.



It's not enough to get it off of me, but with Baldhart's strike, it is enough to get the damned thing off my shoulder. I find the final creature being cornered by the others ((or not I can't remember what everyone is doing to the poor guy/creature/thing)).

'Out of my way,' I called out, 'This bastard is mine! Now you damn creature, you want my anger, you want my hate, now have it all. VAHALLA!' I lunge at the fiend and thrust with all my might.





A creature begins to rise from the waves. 'Ah come on' I shout, 'Shoo shoo, go away you!"

 

[SomethingToPonder]

With No creatures left to attack, ((I think!)) I glance over the rail, I catch a quick glimpse of the giant head with the creature riding atop it.

"Everyone; Get up here Now!"
I run back up one flight to the top of the cliffs and take a few steps to the side so that I can see all the levels of the stairs.
"Move now! The whole structure could be ripped apart by that creature, and we stand no chance if we are standing on it. But we could make easy work of him from atop the cliffs, It’ll be like a whaling expedition! Who knows we may well get some useful materials off the corpse, I want a sea monster staff made from one of his bones!"

I start to get uneasy, I have seen to many accidents in my time.
"Get up here friends!"
Repeating things always annoys me, but this time I just cant seem to help myself.
I hope they bloody move!

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
Bressel turns to see Hall hit the last fishman,
a shout from a militia man is heard then Baldhart calls for retreat.
Bressel steps in swinging hard at the fishman.

great axe to hit [1d20+3] = 12+3 = 15 ;damage: [1d12+3] = 10+3 = 13 (str)

Then does a defensive retreat up the stairs. If Possible he will move to the rail to see what everyone else is looking at.

Aliron
Aliron sees the seamounted rider only a split second,
He nochs another arrow ready if he gets a second chance to shoot it.
He whispers a prayer over the arrow, to guide it true, a prayer for the town and its residents, and a prayer that the gnolls do not arrive while the town is distracted at the docks.