lostsole31
This is Part 2 of this campaign's version of ...

     

While the defeat of the oneirogens caused much of the mist covering the   grounds to begin dissipating, the fog's grip on Briarstone didn't  loosen  until Zandalus' defeat. Once it’s clear that the mist is gone,  though,  the Apostles in Orpiment almost immediately fell apart. Many of  the  former patients raced onto the grounds, reveling in the return of a   familiar sky and dawning sun. Some attempted to flee the island, but   most had no place to go. Fortunately, Winter and her survivors, as well   as Elbourne, quickly rise to lead the refugees and provide critical   medical attention.

If the PCs haven’t already drawn the links between themselves and the   amnesiacs described in Administrator Losandro’s notes, Winter engages   them in a discussion of where they’ll head next. She draws attention to   any mention in the notes of mysterious patients and that the PCs and  the  amnesiacs are obviously the same. In any case, now that the PCs  have  escaped Briarstone, they can follow the clues of their missing  memories  to Thrushmoor, home of the obsessive Count Haserton Lowls.

Free of the asylum, the PCs and other survivors can follow the road in   front of the asylum to a dock on the southern end of the island. A boat   remains tied to the pier, though it’s too small for everyone to board  at  the same time. One of the other survivors, Captain York, offers to  go  along on the first trip to Thrushmoor, and then row the boat back to   Briarstone Isle to ferry the remaining survivors off the island in as   many trips as are needed.

Welcome to ....
     STRANGE AEONS:
THE THRUSHMOOR TERROR     
   
 
  
        DRAMATIS PERSONAE   
  Strange Aeons 2:The Terror of Thrushmoor
         Character
[Player]
  
  Color
  
  AL
  
  Gender
  
  Race
[Ethnicity]
  
  Side #1
  
  Side #2
  
 
    Cesadia Wrentz
   
   Indigo
   
 ? 
 Female 
 Human
[Varisian] 
 ??? ? 
 ??? ?/
Sleepless Detective ? 
 
    Dorn Krolaeg
(St. Dorn the Protector)
[NPC, Tribute to PSinger]
   
   Gray
   
 LG 
 M 
 Holy Human
[Varisian] 
 Paladin 3
[Soul Sentinel]/
LA 1 
 Saint 4
(Torag) 
 
    Lillian Wilde
[DarkOne7141981]
   
   Golden Rod
   
 CN 
 F 
 Half-Orc
[Varisian] 
 Cleric (Calistria) 5
[Divine Paragon] 
 Investigator 5
[Hallucinist] 
 
    Winter Klaczka
[DrK]
   
   Dark Green
   
 N 
 F 
 Changeling
[Varisian] 
 Psychiatrist Bard? 
 Cleric (Pharasma) 5 
 
  
lostsole31
There have been no post-battle actions made, other than to verify that Jens is really gone.

The group now gets their first cursory look at the large room they're in, as they failed to have time to do so during the battle with what Flair referred to as as "hound of Tindalos."

This long hall, clad with fine wood paneling, looks like an oversized curio cabinet, with hundreds of items and art objects on display on small tables, in vitrines, and on benches. Dozens of paintings and tapestries of various sizes hang from the walls and muffle the echoes that would normally be present in this marble-floored chamber. A double door leads outside, while two other doors go deeper into the manor (one of which is the one leading to the kitchen).

What do you do?
silphael
Vilma shakes her head.

"  Jens is dead, and our resources are drawing thin, but if we pull back now, we risk having the noble come back, and hide their tracks after hiding anything incriminating. And even if there was anything incriminating, I doubt the local tyrants would like any of us.  "
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume gathers the group together sadly and prays for Erastil’s healing power as two burst of golden radiance suffuses the party. Afterwards, he speaks to the group.
  “This challenge extracts a heavy toll. We must remain strong if we are to defeat these dangerous foes and free this town of their blight. Jens has fallen but we must not relent! Let us search this room and find the kitchen for supplies before returning to the guest house to recover. I am out of channel heals and low on spells. Who knows what other fell denizens lurk these halls. Should we press on in a weakened state, more of us may fall.”

  
lostsole31
A single burst is enough to fully heal Vilma and provide  14  to Dorn. He is the only one wounded, and seems to be at 75%.

Brother Jaume, will you provide a healing spell, or leave Dorn as is for now?

Something you all have noticed over time, is that Dorn seems to have some minor protection against mundane injuries, as has been noticed in many combats previously. This "hound" seems to have had the power to rip into him as easily as any other.

Dorn adds,   "Then we should not tarry. Yes, there are legal issues. But legality is not going to help if everyone is dead. The only problem is that we did take prisoners, and now we have two more. This might be a better room for watching them all in, rather than split up in the college and those currently in the kitchen."  
digiman619
Flair nods,   "Let's gather them all here, then. I have something I wanna try to get information from them anyway."  
lostsole31
 Brother Jaume, Vilma  ... would you rather search this room first, or gather your prisoners here first?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume shakes his head.
  “This room is not defensible. Too many exits and that creature may return from any crack or crevice. The guest house is small but close to the gate if we have to flee and it has good sight lines so we can see if enemies approach. I think it is still the best option. I say we move back there once we have supplies.”  
BJ scratches his beard thoughtfully.
digiman619
Flair pauses, cutting himself off from a snippy reply.   "Good point. My point about wanting to get all our prisoners in one place so I can ask them some questions remains, however."  
lostsole31
  "It's already problematic,"   Dorn says, adding as the second wave of healing full heals him,   "thanks by the way, since we have prisoners on two stories of the cottage already. That's already putting a strain on Kris' watchfulness. Regardless of 'defensible,' this way we can be more vigilant."  

Now only Brother Jaume has the faintest abrasion remaining.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume nods to Dorn.   
“Let us see what can be accomplished here to make it secure.”
  BJ will take the time to explore the room they are currently in, paying attention to the tables and cabinets (and such) to see if a defensible position could be created.
lostsole31
Although some of the hall’s paintings have been removed from the walls and sold by Lowls in order to purchase occult tomes to fuel his research (leaving the hooks on the walls where they once hung), the collection of curios and artwork at Iris Hill remains impressive. More than quality, however, the Lowls family seems to have favored originality and oddity in their choices. Among many other things, the collection includes the following:
 
 Portraits in various artistic styles of the counts, their wives, and a few relatives and domestics wearing all kinds of expressions and outfits line the walls. A portrait in a freestanding picture frame on a small tea table with a single chair features Lowls as a child (“Haserton at age 5, 4681 AR,” is written on the back of the frame) posing near a kitten at the foot of a luminous window, seemingly terrified.  Flair and Dorn get the hint that the painter intentionally created a frightening situation for the child and then expended great efforts to seize his wide-eyed expression.  
 Marble busts of scholars from the Sincomakti School of Sciences, including three effigies of academically renowned ancestors of Lowls sit on small plinths. The sculptures with the Lowls name on their bases have been smashed against the floor and damaged. 
 Small-town perspectives of Thrushmoor and a half-dozen large paintings of the surrounding landscape hang here. The large pictures include a historic piece, in which the first settlers of Thrushmoor are shown living in two clusters of huts on low hills, hard at work to reclaim the surrounding land from the swamps. The Star Stelae have been depicted almost as an afterthought. 
 Statuettes of dragons, giants, and strange beasts litter the shelves. Among these is a poorly executed, 1-foot-tall, clay figurine of an elephant-legged, multi-mawed, tentacled aberration.  With Vilma's help, Flair can tell that this hideous figurine is a representation of a dark young of Shub-Niggurath.  
 Set on an ebony pedestal is a human skull that has been marked with elaborate carvings of geometric shapes and lines. Small, worked garnets are set in the teeth, and a thin line of silver rings the eye sockets. 
 Porcelain and ceramic dishes, jugs, teapots, and vases, some of which are of excellent quality, are kept in a glass showcase. A small ceramic vial contains a silvery metallic dust.  With Brother Jaume and Vilma both casting  detect magic  together, it is difficult, but they determine that the silvery metallic dust is actually magical, possessing a faint aura of conjuration. Once Flair is armed with that knowledge, it is pretty easy for him to determine that it is a single dose of   dust of appearance   . 
 Worthless, bizarre, and sometimes grotesque souvenirs from across Ustalav and beyond are displayed here: coffee cups made from uncapped monkey skulls; a stuffed three-eyed bat; multicolor-dyed freshwater sponges; a mummified ogre’s ear; and more. 
 A battered shield hangs on a wall, bearing the device of Mendev. According to a plaque fixed under it, the shield belonged to Fassimar Lowls, a cadet who died just beyond the northern border of Ustalav during the Second Mendevian Crusade. The shield is a nonmagical heavy steel shield. 
 Finally and most garishly, a man dressed in a fine noble’s outfit appears frozen in a shimmering field of amber.  According to Flair and Vima, the subject is in suspended animation after falling victim to a   sepia snake sigil  . it is unknown how much longer it will last.   
 

In looking at all the items here, checking them, and looking for any other weird stuff (traps, secret doors, etc.), the party spends nearly an hour of searching, casting, and appraising. Brother Jaume's  bull's strength  has ended, as well as Vilma's  divine favor  and mutagen.

Okay, what now?
digiman619
Flair ponders the man in the amber, addressing the rest of the party without looking at them.   "Is this the lord of the manor? I don't know the local politics well enough to recognize him one way or the other."   If this  was  the Lord, then conceivably they could recover him, return to town claiming to have rescued him and hope that he wasn't involved with the whole 'trying to summon outer gods' bit. Because if he  was,  that complicates everything, as he can cover everything up and/or charge the party with breaking and entering, and that would be disastrous for both the party and the town.

The tricky part is that it'll be impossible to figure out which way it'll go without talking to the man, and that could take upwards of a week for the spell to fade. The loss of Jens was even more tragic now, as his ability to create a collective would be really handy now. But most damningly, unless they were able to find the kitchen (and this find the food to feed themselves and their prisoners), they might be forced to do that anyway.
lostsole31
Dorn shakes his head.   "The lord of the manor is Count Haserton Lowls IV, if I recall correctly. There is no way that boy in the picture grew up to be this man ... and the trapped man's clothing isn't up to snuff with most of the people we've beaten who weren't savages. Namely, they all seem to be wealthy such-and-sos. This man is likely upper middle class, but not nobility."  
Blackhawk101
BJ uses his own knowledge and interviews of the other party members about their knowledge of engineering and such to determine if buy using the furniture in this room (and in the dining room) or some other method, the inner doors of this hall can be secured. If nothing else the furniture can be piled up for a barricade.
Blackhawk101
  “It is not perfect but we can barricade the doors and make this do for now. We should check the kitchen for food and water and then return to the guest house to retrieve the prisoners.”
  If there are no objections, he picks up his staff and heads for the kitchen.
lostsole31
There is some water in the dining room, but interestingly enough, no food. The cultists had finished a meal, and there are some remains of that, but the dining room has no type of larder. Note that it is more of a dining room, not a kitchen.

The group works together to put barricades in front of the double doors and unknown door as best as possible. It's not really a great obstacle so much as it is a stealth deterrent, but it's something.

Then comes the work of bringing the prisoners over from the cottage to the Manor, which goes by without any issue. The prisoners are still too weak and wounded to really offer any lip, but that means the lip they don't offer is any type of helpful information, either.

After about 45 minutes of work, this task is complete.

With Kris now also in this house, she asks,   "So, what do we do with Jens?"  

Dorn looks to Brother Jaume,   "Do you think you can ask Erastil to watch over and protect his body until we can have him buried properly?"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume shakes his head sadly.   “I am unsure if Erastil will send me aid at this point in the day but since I have not used all the blessings he granted me, it is possible that he will heed my prayers.”
  Brother Jaume will kneel and pray to Erastil to help preserve their fallen friend’s body.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

pray to Erastil to swap 1st level spell “Detect evil” for “sanctify corpse”.
pray to Erastil to swap 2nd level spell “Lessor Restoration” for “Gentle Repose”.
 
lostsole31
Brother Jaume needs only 10 minutes ... not the full 30 minutes ... to realize that Erastil will not answer his prayers in this hall! 😦
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grunts and rises from his lotus position on the floor.
  “This place is blocking my connection to Erastil somehow. I will try outside.
  He moves outside to try again, not going far.
lostsole31
Finally, outside, Brother Jaume feels a connection, though tenuous at first. The weather is miserable, but he is still protected by  communal endure elements , so he is able to pray for a half hour and receive those substitutes he seeks (as above).
silphael
Vilma checks their rations.

"  We should probably have someone do a quick travel to town to bring back food. We cannot let the prisoners starve.  "
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will cast the preservation spells on Jens body.
He gathers the others together to speak a few words about Jens.
  “ Today is a sad day. Our community has lost a valuable member and we are lessened for it. Although our hearts are burdened with sorrow and loss, we must press on as Jens would have wanted. His sacrifice must not be in vain. The Chaos and Evil being visited upon the town of Thrushmore must be eradicated, no matter the personal cost.”
”Jens past sins are now forgiven and may his soul rest easy. Goodbye our friend. You will be missed!”
  
Later, BJ addresses the food issue.   “There are provisions nearby if they were eating here. I don’t think we should send someone back to town alone. The prisoners will not starve immediately. We have time to search.”  
lostsole31
You already searched the guest cottage, the dining room, and this great hall .... thoroughly. Where were you thinking of searching?
Blackhawk101
BJ suggests the we check the stairs off the dining room for provisions.
lostsole31
Pretty sure you attempted that already. It doesn't have a pantry or larder. Food was served there, not kept there.

By the way, I know it is probably forgotten, and you still have a barricade at the dining room door, but remember there are stairs going up in the dining room.
digiman619
Flair exhales frustratedly.   "This is getting us nowhere. I'm gonna interrogate the nobles and find out where they keep the food."
   
 Spoiler: OOC 
Apparently I have to announce that in the next scene I intend to use Milo's Truth Telling on the nobles.
 
Blackhawk101
  “Ask questions as you like Flair, but I will not sanction torture. My thinking is that we should definitely keep the foul seductress bound and gagged for everyone’s safety. Who knows what fell arts she possesses!”

  He grabs his staff.   “Anyone want to see what is upstairs of the dining room. The kitchen must be close by!”  
lostsole31
  "Well,"   says Dorn with a sigh,   "we did just barricade the entrance to the dining room. But I guess we could."  

Kris says (now that the prisoners have been brought over),   "I'm good to go, but then someone would else would need to stay with the prisoners to guard them. I don't really care for the whole imprisonment thing, anyway. Either kill your enemies, or let them go once you've defeated them."  
Blackhawk101
Bj will dismantle the barricade into the dining room and explore the stairs up as long as he has some company. He will pick up his staff.
lostsole31
Dorn will guard the prisoners, and Kris will go with Brother Jaume.

 Flair , will you be interrogating prisoners, or going with Kris and Brother Jaume?

 Vilma , what will you do?
silphael
Vilma will go to the potential kitchen with Jaume and Kris.
digiman619
Flair seems genuinely insulted that Jaume would think that he would torture the prisoners.   "I would  never  stoop so low. How dare-"   He stops himself; tamping down his outrage for the time being. Once they were done with this stupid mission, he'd have a long talk with the cleric, but right now that won't help anything.

After taking a deep breath, he told the part of the party that was venturing forth to wait. "Let me try my thing before you go." He then goes to one of the prisoners and places him hand on their shoulder, asking in a slightly authoritarian voice   "How do we get to the kitchens from here?"   Those of you looking at Flair see worry lines spread across his brow.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Using *Milo's Truthtelling* to get an answer from one of the prisoners. Probably the lowest ranking looking male, moving up the apparent chain of command until someone fails their save.
 
lostsole31
 
 Spoiler: Flair 
Normally, YOU need to determine who is where on the totem pole, not me. But honestly, it doesn't matter, because ...
 
The second person that Flair attempts to affect with Milo's truthtelling shows that further questioning won't matter: he/she simply refuses to answer any questions.
digiman619
Flair balled his fists. Of course there wouldn't be an easy way. Of course. He felt Flavio, the man he once was, in the back of his mind once more; all he had to do to release this frustration bubbling within him was to take it out on the prisoners. They were the cause of it, after all. Hell, that might also loosen their tongues. It was a win/win!

Except to do that would be to surrender himself to the madness; to abandon the foundation of his being and the ethos of his choices mattering.  To let that  stronzo  win.  So he instead excused himself grabbing one of the books strewn across the floor before stepping past the barricade that Kris and Jaume were about to venture forth from, hoping to break line of sight for a bit, at least to the prisoners.

He left his frustration out, slamming it against the wall as he grunted, not really caring that he was likely audible to the other room. He wanted something bigger, stronger to smash, but there was nothing as helpful as a spare plank to pick up, so he made do with what he could. After thoroughly wrecking the book's spine, he began tearing pages from it, until soon its loose pages covered the floor.

All in all, this process didn't take more than a minute or two, and it left him panting. After another deep, calming breath, he returned to the party.   "Okay, let's get searching."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flair won't move more than 10 feet from the door, and if he sees anything approach, he will snap out of it and will call the rest of the party.
 
lostsole31
The party reaches the second floor of the manor via this flight of wooden stairs, which creak ominously as they make their way up.

It is dark up here, and you need light. The assumption is that, per usual, Brother Jaume casts  light  on his quarterstaff. The stairwell ends at a door (to the east).

 Vilma , because of the tight corners of the stair well, and an unknown layout up here, will you also cast light on something of yours?
silphael
Waiting to advance, Vilma casts Light on her weapon.
lostsole31
Plenty of light right now in this cramped landing/ hallway.

Without even needing to try to listen, Brother Jaume, Kris, Vilma ... and even Flair (though he is 15' away ... and down the stairs by the door) all hear a strange noise from the other side of the door. It is not quiet, and it is an inhuman sound that somehow expresses or characterizes half-suppressed laughter or amusement.

What do you (plural) do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume motions for the others to back down the stairs.
lostsole31
The party backs down the stairs, pushing Flair as they do so into the dining room.
Blackhawk101
  “I don’t know what that is but we should rest first before taking on any new threats. Do we have any rations left?”  
lostsole31
Out of al five of you, only one person has any food whatsoever .... Vilma has a half-ration of food.
digiman619
Flair sighed.   "Yeah. At least one of us gonna have to head back into town to pick up supplies. Which is going to be risky; pending our successful investigation, we're technically kidnapping these people, so we have to be subtle about this. If we tip off the constabulary before we get the evidence we need, everything falls apart."  
silphael
Vilma nods.

"  I can go get food for everyone and come back, I just need to know where would the shop for it be. Wouldn't be the first time I'm lying to authorities, if that's what you're worried about.  "
lostsole31
Dorn says,   "I'm just used to eating at one of the two taverns."  

Kris says,   "I don't need to eat."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume speaks up.
  “ I can run to town and back carrying food and make good time. I know it may not look like it, but I was always good in the races at the monastery. Kris can fly so she is a good choice if she wants to go. Anyone else?”  
lostsole31
  "Sure,"   says Kris.

  "No more to go, though,"   warns Dorn.   "That is just myself, Vilma, and Flair remaining."  
silphael
"  Are you sure you'll be okay ? We need food for all of us, and the prisoners, preferably for a few days. That's a lot, even with fresh food.  "

She asks Jaume.
lostsole31
  "Let's find the food first,"   says Kris, her peabrain a little overwhelmed at trying to think what the end result would be.   "One problem at a time."  
Blackhawk101
  ​“I can buy a backpack and the load shouldn’t be a problem…no armor and just a stick. Everyone pitch in some money for the provisions .”  
digiman619
Flair bites his lip throughout this exchange. He didn't want to stand around doing nothing. If they brought in unwanted attention, there was nothing he could do until it was too late. On the other hand, he had to agree that he wasn't particularly useful as far as being a pack mule went, and they needed it to be quick.   "Okay. I'll stay here."   He paused, arguing with himself for a few seconds before adding ,  "You might want to check in with Ms. Wretz.If anyone will know how to surreptitiously get supplies up here, it'll be her."   
lostsole31
Kris is going with Brother Jaume, but she is completely broke.

Dorn coughs up three gold for his part.
silphael
"  We'll probably need as much as you can carry, with the prisoners. Take this.  "

She hands him her last platinum coin, and 4 gold coins.
Blackhawk101
  “I have 30 gold pieces and a platinum piece. All together it should be more than enough.”  He scratches his beard thoughtfully.
  “What should I say to Ms. Wrentz about what we are doing?”  
silphael
"  I'd say 'We are investigating near the town, and can't come back right now. Once it bears fruit, we'll be back. It shouldn't take too long from now on.' If she asks for more details and you think you cannot hide it from her, add where we are, and 'What we have found so far is highly suspicious, but wouldn't yet constitute proof in front of a jury, so if the inhabitants come back, the best way you could help would be by delaying them without taking risk for yourself.'. You think you'll need the details ?  "
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grins sheepishly.
  “Well I prefer the direct approach; I am not comfortable with subterfuge. I think we can trust her and that she has the town’s best interest at heart. I will do my best and we will see how it goes. Come on Kris! Stick with me and keep an eye out.”
  He will remove the barricade from the exterior entrance and head out moving quickly but on alert.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Double moves at 40’ each until outside the gatehouse where he will open up to full run  speed back to the Sleepless Detective agency.
 
lostsole31
Kris has no problem keeping up, and you both get to the Sleepless Detective Agency, whereafter you knock, enter, are offered warm tea (oh, so warm) and only sit for a few minutes before Ms. Wrentz comes to greet you.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume stands and bows slightly at the waist.
  “Good day to you Ms. Wentz.”  
lostsole31
  "Ms. ....  Wrentz ,"   she corrects Brother Jaume.   "It's an older Varisian name, and you don't look Varisian, so I suppose it's forgivable. How may I help you? The Silver Wagon says that you and your friends didn't show up last night. You can bet that all sorts of worries abound in the rumor mill right now. And where are the rest of your friends?"  
Blackhawk101
The portly friar blushes as he scratches his beard.
  "My apologies, Ms. Wrentz. I am not so good with names!"
"As to your question, we have been following up on some leads and we went to visit Ivy Hill. The day before yesterday (in the rain), we walked to the manor and inquired to see the count. At the gatehouse, we were told unceremoniously through the door that we were to leave or there would be trouble. We insisted and we were attacked by several rough men; two cannibal barbarians called Kuru from Garund and a roguish gentleman. We defeated and captured all three alive. Upon inspection of his person, we learned that the rogue was some sort of follower of "The King in Yellow" by the holy symbol he carried. The King in Yellow an ancient god and not a good one. We ran into some of his followers during our time in the asylum."
"As we pushed further into the compound, we were attacked by some animated shrubs; protectors of some sort. We were able to destroy or drive them off eventually. We sought shelter in a near-by guest house and were met by two well dressed gentry. They called themselves Asa Lalith and Daelene Spence of Caliphas. The gentleman was a rogue or assassin of some skill and the woman used evil sorcery. St. Dorn and I could sense the evil in them and they attacked us. We managed to overcome them and captured the woman but her consort was killed in the exchange. We rested overnight in the guest house and continued our investigation in the morning."
"We are running low on supplies, so we headed around back of the main manor building to seek the kitchens. Trying a likely entrance, we were again accosted by three evil cultist that attacked us using channeled negative energy! They were dressed in yellow robes and were holding silver holy symbols that look like a three-armed triskelion. After a fierce battle, we were able to overcome and subdue the cultists. We moved on into the dining room and finding little of interest, we moved into an adjacent hallway. It is there that we were attacked by a horrifying creature of nightmare! We managed to drive it off and it disappeared but not before it killed our brother Jens. Flair called it a Hound of Tindalos. It seemed like if was after us specifically and was not necessarily part of the household."
"We explored the next room which housed a collection of Lowls family artworks and strangely a well dressed man in some sort of stasis spell. At that point we decided to move the captured folks to the main house and hunker down there. I was sent back with Kris to gather supplies and report in."  
Brother Jaume sits down and takes a sip of tea.
  "Something evil has taken root at Ivy Hill. We must get to the bottom of what is happening there for the good of the town! Do you have any advice or support to provide? Otherwise, I must gather supplies."  
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz listens carefully to Brother Jaume's telling, who took nearly no breath between each new change of thought. She sits quietly for at least a minute before nodding twice very slowly as she is digesting everything.

  "Personally, all I can say is that I am a private business owner, and you are looking into something for me, and while the legal issues reflect on me, at the same time fortune can render easy an ill deed, such as you uncovering a cult and monsters at the home of our absent Count Lowls."  

She has to think a bit more, while sipping some tea.   "So, the Druman mercenaries that remained - for many of them left when the Count couldn't keep up payment for the 20 or so we had before - are at Fort Hailcourse. That is what passes as our local military garrison and police force. Have you gone there? It's also where you will find the Magistrate Tillus Padgett and can plead your case there. I would advise that as soon as possible, because even though you state that those you have subdued are 'evil' and there are monsters, we are still a nation of laws, and everything you said - while impassioned - is getting wildly out of hand without any legal oversight. If you want, I can accompany to show you where it is and perhaps to smooth over as best as possible any misunderstandings. But you have to prepare yourself for the very real possibility that .... legally? This might not go the way you had hoped. But it is illegal to hold hostages when we don't know the status of the count's home at this time."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume beams a full wattage smile at his employer.
  “Ms. Wrentz, your assistance is very much appreciated! We realize that we were possibly overstepping our authority but please understand that while we have the best interest of the town in mind, this is also a personal matter for us. We cannot remember our pasts and this cult seems to be involved.”
”The law must be upheld and we are not above it. We will accept punishment for our actions, if need be.”
  Brother Jaume finishes his tea and rises.  
”Let’s visit the Fort and see what assistance they can offer.”
  
lostsole31
She gets herself dressed nice and cozily for the weather, and the three of you head out....

As you walk, she informs you that Magistrate Padgett has been missing for days ... or at least not seen in the town, and many of the mercenaries protecting the fort defected after not being paid for weeks. In response to the lack of protection and the missing magistrate, second-in-command Constable Barawyn Cesyll ordered the fort closed and hasn’t allowed in any visitors. But Ms. Wrentz wants to see  what  type of response is at the fort right now, sort of what she calls a "data point."

Built entirely of stone on one of Thrushmoor’s hills, Fort Hailcourse is the seat of the town magistrate and houses a small garrison to protect the town.

Ms. Wrentz tells you that supposedly a person from the capital named Royal Accuser Omari suspected some type of foul play and was supposed to force an inspection of the for over a month ago. None of them have been seen since. The only member of Omari's entourage was a junior cleric named Winter Klasczka, who was sent instead to investigate rumors of ill dealings at the Briarstone Asylum, and as you well know, she ... and you ... had quite some adventures, each in your own way. Brother Jaume (et. al.) saved the day, while Winter was the one trying to deal with basic survival and taskings for the less heroic survivors that escaped the Apostles in Orpiment.

Now everyone in town knows that something is amiss in Fort Hailcourse, but they're too afraid to break into the building to find out what. Of course, like she said, Ms. Wrentz is more interested in seeing if there is ANY reception at the Fort, and its external material condition.

The main area of Fort Hailcourse is 20 feet high, with the five round towers and the donjon reaching a height of 40 feet.

The only entrance to the fort is a set of 10-foot-high double doors located on the south side of this large stone building. Tarnished brass door knockers carved into the shapes of perching birds hang on the doors, and the hatch for the spyhole remains shuttered.

  "Are you ready?"   Ms. Wrentz, as much for verification as a signal that she will not be knocking.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume nods and thumps his staff on the ground.
lostsole31
.... and his quarterstaff makes muted thukking sounds on the cold ground.

Yup. And the two women look at Brother Jaume, curious what that was supposed to accomplish.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume waits for Ms. Wrentz to knock and then realizes she is waiting on him.
  “Oh..you want me to…right!”
  He steps up to the door and raps the knocker several times.
lostsole31
Nothing happens right away, so no "doorman," and in this milieu people know to allow a little bit of extra time for a door to be answered. But at some point, it seems like maybe the first knock was missed/ ignored/ forgotten.

 Brother Jaume , are you persistent, and keep knocking after every 30 seconds or so ... or do you give up after the first knock goes unanswered?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks to the women and shrugs. He will rap harder and again every minute or so for 5 cycles before giving up.
lostsole31
The first knocks on the main doors don’t immediately draw a response, but after a few moments of persistence the spyhole opens, revealing a harried-looking, young blond woman. [See Discord handouts.]

  "Constable Cesyll, Ms. Wrentz here from the Sleepless Detective Agency ... and my junior colleagues Brother Jaume and Ms. Marquering. Brother Jaume, you are closer to the action. You should be the one to mention the issue."  

The woman's eyes furtively track to Brother Jaume and calls out,  "Why are you here?" 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume bobs his head at the constable.
  “Good day constable. My name is Brother Jaume of the Green Abbey.”  

He pauses as he gathers himself to push forward.   
“During a recent visit to the Ivy Hill Manor, my companions and I encountered people and events most disturbing!
The place is overrun with cannibals, evil sorcerers,  animated shrubs and yellow robed cultist! We have been unable to locate the count or his vassals. One of my companions was killed by some tentacled, teleporting hound!
You and your fellow constables are needed there right away!”
  
lostsole31
 "Fort Hailcourse is shuttered!"  she says.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks to Ms. Wrentz for assistance.
  “What does that mean?”   ​he asks the constable.
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz carefully comes closer to the door hiding what seems to be a beleaguered woman. She speaks more softly, but still Brother Jaume hears easily enough.

  "Barawyn, what's happening? Why is Fort Hailcourse shall we say, 'closed for business?'"  

The constable replies,  "I'm just following orders from Magistrate Padgett, and only a command from Count Lowls could supersede them." 
  "Constable Cesyll,"   Ms. Wrentz says with a bit of a harder edge, but trying to appear compassionate,   "a noble has a duty to the people on his lands. This friar brings well-wrought claims of murder, death, kidnappings, and monsters that exist past the edge of belief. The noble's duty exceeds the man himself."  

The constable replies with exasperation, gripping the edge of the spyhole as a child gripping a security blanket.  "The disappearances in town .... of course I'm aware of them, as are the few retainers we have here in Fort Hailcourse. I've spent sleepless nights trying to come up with a plan to deal with the situation, and I sent messenger pigeons out days ago seeking reinforcements, but as of yet no one has replied." 

There is a long pause while Ms. Wrentz seems to consider this with a very neutral mask. Finally, she says,   "Barawyn, peace be upon you. Pharasma help us all."  

The harried woman shuts the spyhole.

  "Let us not speak until we've returned to my office, Brother Jaume, for I fear every breath removes necessary heat from our bodies."  
 
 Spoiler: Brother Jaume 
Ms. Wrentz has given Brother Jaume the impression that there is something she wishes to discuss, but not at this location, and she seems concerned.
 
Blackhawk101
  “Yes Ms. Wrentz. Let us hurry. Time is short and I fear events are in motion that will have dire consequences for this town if we do not act!”  
lostsole31
Back at the Sleepless Detective Agency (or "SDA," as the lazy Kris is dubbing it), Ms. Wrentz says,   "Fort Hailcourse has been taken over by an unknown enemy. I know Constable Cesyll. That was not her. The scar that should be on her right hand was on her left. You no longer can support on any local governmental functions. We do not know for sure, but we can assume that the force you are meeting against in Iris Hill is either an opposing camp, or more likely an associated entrenchment of whatever group has Fort Hailcourse at this time. I recommend you pull your friends out of Iris Hill. You do not have the means to properly care for prisoners, and it will not happen here. Say what prayers you have for your prisoners but then speed them to Pharasma. All worries about legality are now forfeit as Thrushmoor is now effectively under siege-by-subtlety."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks at her aghast.   “Kill them?! There must be an alternative. I think I will check with Winter at the church. Maybe there are some people there that can assist us?”
  He rises to leave.   “Can you provide any assistance with a backpack and provisions? I have funds to purchase them but I am not certain which establishment would be appropriate.”  
lostsole31
  "Backpack? No. Provisions for the employees of this venture and not a single heartbeat more ... as in, I am not feeding prisoners because of your folly ... not 'provisions' that are like rations, but come to the agency during this time and we can make this your base camp,"   she says.   "But, if you insist on dragging around cultists for foolish concerns, then food, lodging and other concerns relating to prisoners are your own concern ... and also will not be accepted at The Silver Wagon or The Stain."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume frowns at Ms. Wrentz comments regarding the prisoners.
  “I am sorry you feel that way. Preserving a life no matter how tarnished or misspent is not foolish. I have enough sin to atone for without killing helpless people. I am no executioner! The disposition of these prisoners will be up to the proper authorities…assuming there are any to be found.”
  
BJ asks Ms. Wrentz if Winter is at residence currently or if she is out.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

If she is there, he will request an audience. If not, he and Kris will head to the new temple thanking Ms. Wrentz and bidding her adieu.
 

  
  
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz gives a noncommital response of some sort.   "Winter Klasczka has decided to spend more time at New Chapel with the inclement weather."  
Blackhawk101
Thanking Ms. Wrentz, BJ and Kris head for the new temple with haste.
lostsole31
Ta-da! You're there.
Blackhawk101
BJ will ask around to find Winter.
lostsole31
Winter shows, asking how she may be of help, and how the rest of the party is doing.
Blackhawk101
  “Winter, there are things happening that are most disturbing! Can we speak privately?”  
lostsole31
She takes you and Kris to a side area for privacy.
Blackhawk101
  “Winter, there are strange events occurring in Thrushmore that may be connected to what happened in the asylum! During our investigations, our group entered Ivy Hill Manor and found it over-run with cannibals from Garund, yellow robed cultists of The King in Yellow, evil nobles from Caliphas, and a dimension hopping hound! Not to mention when I visited it, Fort Hailcourt was closed and we were met with an imposter at the gate!”
  The portly friar takes a deep breath to collect himself.
  “We lost Jens to the hound and we have collected prisoners but we are low on supplies. We have a secure room in the count’s manor where we have holed up while Kris and I went to get help. Ms. Wrentz said we could use the detective agency as a base of operations but she would have us kill the prisoners instead of providing for them. We could really use some help with food and any able bodied people to help hold the post we established at Ivy Hill. Can you help us?”  
lostsole31
Winter shakes her head.   "Sounds like they made their bed, and they await my Lady's judgement. I am already low on food which is from the good graces of townsfolk for these patients here. I will not give an apple to those that likely led to the death of my leader before this trouble began. There are not many prisons in Ustalav like there are in some places, such as Andoran. Either a person can be fined and sent on their way, or they are not likely to change, and they are sent to judgment. I don't understand why, in the absence of secular authority, you are unable to do what is needed."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks profoundly sad.
  “I believe that the spark of life is a divine gift. I don’t have the right or authority to take the life of another person. If they attack me and they should die as a result of me defending my life and the lives of my community, then so be it. To take the life of a defenseless person is wrong and I won’t be a part of it!”  
 Brother Jaume scratches his beard and looks pleadingly at Winter.
  “If you cannot provide provisions or personnel, is there a place in town we can purchase food?”  
lostsole31
Winter gives you directions to Farmer's Square. They  should  be open, but it is so bitterly cold that they may have shuttered the market for today.
Blackhawk101
Kris and BJ make haste to the market. BJ keeps an eye out for a place to pick up a large sack or backpack on the way.
lostsole31
You don't find anyplace to get a container on the way. You get to....

 Farmer's Square:  This series of buildings in eastern Thrushmoor houses a granary, a bakery, and an ox mill run by the community as a whole. The few halfling citizens of Thrushmoor reside here, as well as the town’s freeholders. Most of the residents of Farmer’s Square are rarely seen in town during the day, as their farmlands lie beyond the town’s edge, sometimes as far as an hour’s ride away.

They have firepits going strong here, despite and because of the weather, as nobody can afford to not do business at this time.
Blackhawk101
BJ will approach the bakery to see what they have for sale. He wants to gather as much semi-perishable provisions as he can afford and carry. If the farmers have large sacks, that will do. Bread, cheese, dried meat and or fish, fruit, nuts etc. Once done, he will jog back to Ivy Hill if possible with the load.
lostsole31
Between the two of them, and with cheap burlap sacks (that will not be worth any type of effective reuse), the currency Brother Jaume gives several vendors (dairy, butcher, fishmonger, farmers, etc.) will be enough for 72 pounds of food (eff. 72 rations).  The two of them head back to Iris Hill Manor.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume and Kris shout their names so the barricades are removed. The weary monk slumps down on the floor and motions to the others to gather around.
  “We did not encounter any enemy forces. We hurried to the Sleepless Detective Agency to see Ms. Wrentz. I relayed our progress and encounters over the past several days at Ivy Hill and asked for her aid. She was concerned that we had stepped outside our legal authority to invade Ivy Hill and urged us to visit Fort Hailcourse to petition the constable for help. She came along and after knocking for awhile we were turned away! The fort and the constables inside are essentially shut down. After leaving, Ms. Wrentz told me that the woman that had answered at the gate was an imposter! She had a scar on the wrong hand.
  BJ scratches his beard.
  “Ms. Wrentz urged us to continue and to protect the town from the influence of this insidious cult. She also told me that to keep the prisoners alive was a foolish waste of time and resources. I disagreed and so set off to check on Winter to see if she had any manpower or food to spare. Unfortunately, she did not. She also preached killing the prisoners and could spare no food. We then made our way to the market to purchase food and came back here.”
  The big man looked sad but resolute as he recounted his day’s events.
  “We shall not stoop to murdering defenseless prisoners because it would be more expedient to do so!”


  
silphael
Vilma nods.

"  I'm not really surprised at the authorities being... what they are. I don't think it really changes anything, except maybe that we now know they won't move. As for the prisoners, regarding the cannibals, do you think we can convince them to reform ? I doubt that if they have been recruited and brought here as mercenaries I doubt they will change, but it's probably worth a try ? We probably won't be able to convince them to fully change their ways, but at least we ought be able to convince them to stop hunting people.  "
digiman619
Flair chuckled to himself after hearing Jaume's update. Of  course  the constabulary were out of commission. When was anything working in this  macchia di merda  of a town? On the other hand, that took some of the pressure off; without the threat of the cops cracking down, they had much more leeway in finding the evidence they needed. On the other, that meant more work once they were done here; as then they'd have to deal with the imposter as well.

  "Of course we won't"   Flair says to Jaume.   "If they fall trying to stop us, so be it, but attacking them whilst they're helpless is just bad form."   He then turns to Vilma.   "I rather doubt it. While they don't have a physiological  need  to eat sapient flesh like ghouls or other montrous humanoids, they are predispositioned toward it because of their adrenal systems. And if nothing else, it's a huge cultural thing. It'd be like dropping a pacifistic follower of Cayden Cailean into the middle of Cheliax and expect them to be okay with with all the slavery and devil worship."

  ​ 
 Spoiler: translation 
sh*t stain
 
silphael
She shrugs.

"  First, I doubt there are pacifist followers of the Drunkard. But even if there was, pacifist doesn't mean non-violent. You realize that if we cannot change their anthropophagy, we cannot let them go, because they will kill again. Helpless or not doesn't matter.  "
digiman619
Flair sighs.   "Yeah, probably. I'm kind of hoping we can hold them long enough to get the town guard sorted and make it their problem"  
Blackhawk101
  “I agree with Flair but the disposition of the prisoners is a problem to be solved in the future. Now we must deal with the forces of the King in Yellow here in Ivy Hill …and then we can try to sort out Fort Hailcourse. It is a daunting task yet it seems we are on our own to complete it. We must persevere!”
  He pushes up from the floor with some effort and he extends his hands towards the group.
  “If anyone wishes to join me in my prayers to Erastil in the morning, I would welcome the company. It must be done outside as the evil of this place blocks my ability to pray to him. You would be most welcome.”

  Later he will distribute the food they brought and divide the rations among the group first and then the prisoner; giving them rations.
He will look for a good place to store the remaining food.
Before bed, BJ will give the group and then the prisoners a medical examination to determine health status.
lostsole31
If you are guarding the food outright, it is cramped quarters but food can go in this area. Everyone is fed, but Kris holds off.

All prisoners are badly wounded to even comatose in some cases (which does not mean they "stay stable" if not tended more often).

Still, it gets to be evening. and Kris has the watch. For whatever reason, the gods decreed she need not sleep (or eat for that matter, though she enjoys it when she can, as it helps her emotional outlook).

Does anyone do anything else before going to bed? (It is assumed that Brother Jaume has already gone to sleep, her player's post.)
silphael
Vilma nods.

"  That means we won't have much time to explore here, then the watch. Let's see what we can do tomorrow.  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Nothing specific to do.
 
lostsole31
Kris takes the watch as the party sleeps.

 
    Starday, 7 Lamashan 4715 AR 
Waxing Crescent. 35 / 15 F [Wind Chill: 10/ -15F]. Light snow (1"). Winds SW 20 mph. Low humidity.   

The next morning, what changes do you (plural) make (if any) to your normal setups?

 Flair , spirits/ constellation/ vestigial bond (if any), and binding checks, please.
digiman619
Flair ponders his options. Seeing that they weren't in the same legal jeopardy they were yesterday and that they were worried about keeping themselves and the prisoners fed, he opted to bind Humble Obhai rather than Milo, despite the prior being a bit trickier. Since they were down their healer, he thought sadly, he also picked Urbo, focusing more on its positive energy aspect.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Binding check on Obhai  (1d20+14)[ 24 ] . 20 for a good check, 25 for capstone. Choosing Secret Lore (Perception) as the constellation aspect, and Vestigal Bond (air elemental).
Binding check on Urbo:  (1d20+14)[ 16 ] . 17 for a good check, 22 for capstone. Choosing Radiant Missile as the constellation and the Vestigal Boon (giving me 2 more channel energy and the ability to use it to harm undead.
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume works up a good sweat doing his morning katas outside before praying to Erastil. Hopefully the weather has improved.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

pray for spells =
(1st level) : magic weapon (1), bless (domain) , shield of faith (1), touch of truth telling (1), mighty fist of the earth(1)
(2nd level) : barkskin (domain), bulls strength (1), admonishing ray (2).
(number of spell slots)
 
silphael
Vilma makes sure her usual strength based mutagen is ready.
lostsole31
Okay, the party is ready for its day. What do you do?
Blackhawk101
BJ checks on the group, the prisoners and finally the stasis guy. If nothing has changed, he says;   “Allright, let us go see who is making the noises up stairs.”
  He grabs his staff and opens up the barricade to go into the dining room and upstairs.
lostsole31
 
 Spoiler: St. Brotherwhere 
St. Dorn assists you in this endeavor...
Blue Cultist is awake, but barely, not disabled or comatose. Also, he had healed the physical ailments he had suffered to balance and strength.
Green Cultist is still comatose, but with the ministrations you and St. Dorn have given last night and today, she is not in danger of destabilizing without trauma.
Daelene Spence is at about 30%.
Cultist-Green (from the gate) is still comatose. He had quickly healed the most basic dangers to musculature and organs, but Brother Jaume and St. Dorn had been unable to properly set the shattered hand. He will have use of his hand, but it will be limited and likely something he carries with him for the rest of his life. He had also suffered some horrible wounds to the face that are beginning to heal, but have a way to go yet.
Kuru-Red is ~30%.
Kuru-Blue is ~50%.
 

The stasis field is still in place. Kris, as before, will stay behind to guard the prisoners.

The blockade is moved from the door to the kitchen .... and while the door is shut, it is blustery cold in here, albeit without the wind that is moaning outside promising even greater chill should one be foolish to go out in it. Of course, sitting comfortable as you please, and having come in from it is Winter Klaczka, working on some paperwork. She had started a small fire in a brazier, but it hasn't yet had time to provide its warmth to the dining room.
 
 "Well,"   she says, taking off her eponymously-named coat to reveal the chain hauberk she wears,   "you aren't dressed for outside, so my guess is we're going up the stairs?"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume laughs at seeing the unexpected guest.   “Winter! Praise Erastil you are here!”   He gives her a welcoming hug.
digiman619
Flair raised an eyebrow. Since when did Winter take the field? Was she combat ready this entire time and just chose to say back when his team fought and died fighting the Tatterman? Or was she something else taking a familiar form to deceive them?
  
"Yes, this is an unexpected arrival. What brings you away from your patients?"  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Asking for Sense Motive/appropriate knowledge checks
 
lostsole31
 
 Originally Posted by Blackhawk101 
 Brother Jaume laughs at seeing the unexpected guest.   “Winter! Praise Erastil you are here!”   He gives her a welcoming hug. 
 

Which she is completely powerless to stop, and looks confused and even a little miserable. Oh, wait, that's not misery .... that's lack of oxygen.

She needs a few recovery breaths once the big man lets her go.   "They were never supposed to be my patients, if you remember. I was Royal Accuser Omari's administrative assistant, sent to review Briarstone Asylum's records while Omari conducted her business with the office of the count. That's why I was at the asylum when The Recent Unpleasantness occurred. But my bardic training came with psychiatric and medical training, and nobody else had the wits about them to create a redoubt for the survivors. Recently, Corbin was released on his own recognizance, but since extreme stress could make him a liability to any adventuring group, he has moved on. Meanwhile, the surviving staff knows full well how to handle the rest of the patients and they do have a regimen.

"Ms. Wrentz told me last night of your progress and the issues at Fort Hailcourse, which only clues me in further that Royal Accuser Omari did, indeed, meet with misadventure or malfeasance. With Jens' death; a closer step to solving my boss' death or at least whereabouts; the kidnappings and graffiti in town; sightings of malformed ghosts in the street; and so much else going on ..... I think Pharasma has made it clear to me that I may die sooner, but in real service rather than hiding as an 'inherited shrink' for the mentally afflicted of Briarstone.

"That, and Ms. Wrentz seemed to imply .... or I inferred ... that my warm lodging and sumptuous food has come with strings. So, here I am, the Priestly Puppet prepared to position myself in peril for your party and the praise of Pharasma."  
digiman619
Flair exhaled, the tension he was holding releasing now he was sure of her bona fides.   "Yeah, that tracks. I wish we had a better situation to greet you with, but things are what they are."   He sighed.   "We never seem to catch a break, do we?"   He smiled (a bit wearily, to be honest), but nonetheless offered her his hand   "Regardless, you're more than welcome here."  
lostsole31
She doesn't "shake" hands with Flair, not properly, but rather she does offers her hands in the way that some ladies do, by clasping over the top of the proffered hand, and then simply pressing warmly. It is possible because this is because she is prissier than she lets on. Or, more likely, because shaking Flair's hands the normal way with her claws poking through her gloves it would open up the terminus of the brachial artery and vein in his wrist.

At this exchange, Flair's arm, hand, upper chest, and cheeks become noticeably warmer and his pulse double-times, but his mouth becomes dry and his throat a little hoarse. It could be because Flair is embarrassed or otherwise generating his own hormonal response, but it is more rational to believe in such a stoic creature so completely in control of himself as Flair that surely it is Winter somehow generating that heat artificially. Yes, surely that's the answer.

So, how will you advance up the stairs? You have Brother Jaume, St. Dorn, Vilma, Winter, and Flair.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume takes the lead moving up the stairs. To Winter he says,   “Some sort of disturbing creature upstairs. Let us take a look!”  
lostsole31
Assuming that is a request for co-clerical backup, Winter will fall in line behind Brother Jaume. Today, St. Dorn will take the rear.

That leaves determining who will be in the very middle, and who follows that person .... which order for Flair and Vilma?
digiman619
Flair offers the middle slot to Vilma; he does most of his combat at range if he can help it.
lostsole31
It is assumed .... and will be the lighting effects for tokens ... that Brother Jaume, Vilma, and St. Dorn all put a  light  spell on their weapon.

The group gets up to the door, and as before, everyone can hear that awful, strange, vaguely laugh-like chittering from the other side of the door.

What do you do?
Blackhawk101
With a nod to the group to check if they are ready, Brother Jaume will open the door once everyone confirms.
digiman619
Flair draws and reloads his crossbow before nodding to Jaume.
silphael
Shield and weapon out, Vilma nods, ready.
lostsole31
St. Dorn and Winter both have a mind to cast spells, but then think the better of it on the very (small) chance they might surprise whatever is chittering in the next room.

Brother Jaume opens the door, and he sees some type of large room, but only a portion of it, when he does so ... and he doesn't see anything dangerous, only hears it.
Blackhawk101
BJ moves toward the sound being quiet as he can but knowing clanking is sure to follow from the stairs.
lostsole31
Meanwhile, the rest of the buffet follows him. Brother Jaume steps a few feet into the room, and is uncomfortably close (he thinks) to the noise, and is about to move a little bit more....

 Surprise Round ...

S17:  Something bites Brother Jaume in the left knee for  13 , but Brother Jaume manages to just wriggle away from getting grabbed.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T17:   Before Brother Jaume can cry out, he hears a snap of something about  him, and then another. With the second snap he is struck in the head for   10 ( +1d4 bleed ) .  Brother Jaume's sixth sense is operating well, though, and at the sound  of the third snap he puts out his quarterstaff, feels resistance, and  hefts it towards the northern wall and there is the sound of impact and  pain.

 R1T15:   Brother Jaume , you take   1 bleed  .  What do you do? There is something big, invisible, with a mouth or beak  and sharp-ended tentacles. Your monastic senses actually helped you  unwittingly counterattack. What do you do?
Blackhawk101
  “*Grunt!* I need some healing! It’s invisible and right here!”
  The portly friar steps to the South and unleashes a flurry of rapid strikes at the invisible beastie.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Five foot step to the South. FAA, flurry of blows, Channel Smite first attack, spend 1 ki for extra attack. All attacks with attuned fist.
 Ki strike: All unarmed strikes are considered magic for the purposes of damage reduction.
  to hit1  - (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 13 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+5)[ 9 ] 
  to hit3  - (1d20+9)[ 26 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+5)[ 8 ] 
  channel  - (2d6)[ 9 ]  DC Will sv 15 for half
 
lostsole31
 R1T15:  “*Grunt!* I need some healing! It’s invisible and right here!”   Brother  Jaume calls out. The portly friar steps to the South and unleashes a  flurry of rapid strikes at the invisible beastie. His first fist,  glowing with positive energy, hits nothing. The glow diffuses. The  second hit likewise hits nothing, but the third, ki-infused hits  something muscular and wet. It is a solid blow, and yet something about  the landing tells Brother Jaume that it might not have hurt the creature  as much as he hopes.

 R1T14:   Vilma , there is  light   on your morningstar, and your shield is readied. You saw Brother Jaume  step south, and from the rapid succession of attempted attacks, he only  moved 5' total. Vilma doesn't see anything, but guesses where the  creature probably is. What do you do?
silphael
Casting a spell, Vilma calls on her goddess' help before stepping in.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action : Divine Favor.
Swift action, judgement (Justice so +1 sacred bonus to attack)
Move action, 2E to get into melee.
 
lostsole31
 R1T14:  Casting a spell, Vilma calls on her goddess' help before stepping in.

 R1T12:  St. Dorn casts a quick spell on Flair,   "For when you need a little extra focus,"   before he sets off into the room beyond, heedless of any danger from a large invisible opponent.

 R1T11:   Flair , St. Dorn cast  guidance   upon you. The creature is not yet visible, but based upon the movements  of others, you can get a sense of its "boundaries." What do you do?
digiman619
Flair quickly went over his options. An invisible enemy was going to tricky to fight, as his radiant missiles required line of sight to fire. Indirectly hitting it via area effects might be a good idea, but not one we can capitalize on if it's not undead. And while a lot of invisible things are undead, not all are. He needed more data to determine specifics on this thing.

And a surefire way to tell if something was undead? See how it reacted to positive energy. Add that to Jaume's cry of pain, Flair stepped forward and sent out a healing wave of energy, both to aid his friend and to test if it also healed their enemy.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step forward, channel positive energy to heal Jame and stop his bleeding/see how that effects the baddie.  (2d6)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T11:  Flair quickly went over his options. An invisible enemy was going to  tricky to fight, as his radiant missiles required line of sight to fire.  Indirectly hitting it via area effects might be a good idea, but not  one they could capitalize on if it's not undead. And while a lot of  invisible things are undead, not all are. He needed more data to  determine specifics on this thing.

And a surefire way to tell if something was undead? See how it reacted  to positive energy. Add that to Jaume's cry of pain, Flair stepped  forward and sent out a healing wave of energy, both to aid his friend  and to test if it also healed their enemy. An average burst of energy  blew forth, and Brother Jaume was just visible enough to get   6 healing  . Unfortunately, since the enemy is invisible, Flair has no idea if his burst affected the whatsit or not.

 R1T7:  Winter casts  sanctuary   on herself, asking the Lady of Graves for her protection. This means  that whatever Winter does, it is likely to be passive aid for the party  and not offense, which tracks with what she said of herself.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T17:   When Brother Jaume countered and the big thing apparently bonked  against the wall, the teetering-laughing noise had stopped. In fact,  there wasn't much sense of movement. Now, however, it begins again. In  the middle of battle, there is that awful, vaguely mocking laughter-like  sound. There is a snapping sound and a slash appears on St. Dorn's  right lower leg for  4 mod ( +1d4 bleed ) . Another snapping-slashing across Dorn's chest for  4 mod .  A third snapping sound, but Brother Jaume has been listening for it and  senses he ducks just in time. Vilma, however, senses a large beak-mouth  try to bite her, and she pushes back; she even thinks she almost had a  chance to push the thing back a few feet but its mass resisted her.

 R2T15:   Brother Jaume ,  you are no longer bleeding. As before, the creature is still invisible,  but you are pretty sure of where it is. What do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn on deck ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume moves to the South ten feet hoping to avoid any attacks of opportunity. He draws his silver MW dagger on the way. Once in position, his form ripples and twists as he enlarges to strike at the invisible foe.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 10 ft move South
SwA: Enlarge
slash with dagger (slashing damage)
  to hit  - (1d20+9)[ 14 ] 
  to dam  - (1d6+6)[ 8 ]  enlarged
 
lostsole31
 R2T15:  Brother Jaume moves to the South ten feet hoping  to avoid any attacks of  opportunity. Unfortunately, hope is Vilma's  gig as there is a horrific snapping sound.

 Brother Jaume , roll a Ref save (you are not yet enlarged, so no DEX penalty)!
Blackhawk101
Obligatory text to appease the GITP gods.
 
 Spoiler: REFLEX Save 

 (1d20+7)[ 26 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T15:  Instead of losing fingers, Brother Jaume "only" has his left arm holding his staff mauled by a horrific toothed beak for  29 + grabbed ,  causing the friar to call out in extraordinary pain as he is held in  the clutches of the monster. Unable to freely expand he slashes at  whatever is holding him, his dagger bouncing off of a slick, rubbery  hide.

 R2T14:   Vilma , you are filled with Milani's demand for justice. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Seeing her ally grabbed, Vilma sweeps around with her morningstar, attempting to bash the creature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Well, standard action, attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 27 ]  (with +2 from Divine Favor + judgement not counted)

  Damage  - (1d8+10)[ 16 ]  (+1 from Divine Favor not counted)
 
lostsole31
 R2T14:  Seeing her ally grabbed, Vilma sweeps around with her morningstar, attempting to bash the creature, but doesn't hit anything.

 R2T12:  Dorn suffers   4 bleed  .  He steps back and away a little bit, and puts his faith in the  likelihood that if Brother Jaume is being held, he is taking all of the  monster's focus. He performs first aid on himself to stop the bleeding.

 R2T11:   Flair , you still have  guidance . What do you do?

Winter on deck, Critter in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair makes an educated guess and rushes into the room. Once he gets past the invisible thing, he gets some distance between him and it and touches Jaume on the back. For an instant, Flair seems to shrink and Jaume disappears, but in the blink of an eye, Flair returns to his normal size and Jaume reappears behind the beast, teleported out of its grasp.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA: Move past my allies into the room. 1 square east, 1 square southeast, and one square southwest. On the move to southwest, I will Acrobatics to try and avoid the AoO. I can take 10 on this check, so the result is 17.
If I get attacked and grabbed, I will spend my standard action to attempt to break the grapple.
Otherwise, I will activate the Ethereal Jaunt major granted ability of Humble Obhai to teleport Jaume out of the grapple.
 
lostsole31
 R2T11:  Flair makes an educated guess and rushes into  the room, realizing that he can't fully clear the invisible monster  because of his desire to jump defensively in the places he thinks it  might be. Once he safely gets  past the invisible thing, he touches Jaume on the back. For an instant,  Flair seems to shrink and  Jaume disappears, but in the blink of an eye, Flair returns to his  normal size and Jaume reappears 10' away from where he was, teleported  out of its  grasp, but at a new attack vector.

 R2T7:  Winter  comes strolling right through. When she sees that she isn't attacked,  she brazenly casts a spell and touches Brother Jaume for   14 healing  .   "Either  my sanctuary spell protected me, or when it attacked Brother Jaume when  he tried to move it was too focused to attack others that open  themselves up."   
 Spoiler: OOC 
In other words, no Combat Reflexes from big ugly.
 

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T17:   The ti-ttering sounds seem to go right over Vilma's head and behind her  into the narrow passageway behind her! If this thing is a normal large  creature, that is hard to conceptualize since the ceiling is only 10'  high, and Vilma never felt it brush by her. Vilma gets attacked, by  something big trying to bite her, and it just barely is unable to get  through her armor!

 R3T15:   Brother Jaume ,  quarterstaff in one hand ... dagger in another. Still seriously wounded  even after Winter's healing. Unable to get to the monster that is now in  the hallway with Vilma blocking the door. What do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume, who is feeling a bit like an over-used dire wolf chew toy, sighs with relief.   “Whuff! Thanks Flair and Winter. That beastie packs a punch!”
  Blood drips from several deep puncture wounds in his robe, pattering to the wooden floor. He drops his dagger and grasps his holy symbol and prays to Erastil for aid.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

swap a second level spell (bulls strength) for CMW.
 (2d8+4)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T15:  Brother Jaume, who is feeling a bit like an over-used dire wolf chew toy, sighs with relief.   “Whuff! Thanks Flair and Winter. That beastie packs a punch!”
  Blood drips from several deep puncture wounds in his robe,  pattering to the wooden floor. He grasps his holy symbol and prays to  Erastil for aid, giving himself   17 healing  .

 R3T14:   Vilma ,  this thing chose to go into the passageway and surely must be squashed  into it uncomfortably. Usually, squeezing means diminished defenses and  attacks. Do you hold the breech and just do what you can yourself,  taking all of the hate unto you? or, do you start to try to lead it back  into the larger room? What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Raising her shield, Vilma holds the breech, hitting from behind it.

"  Come closer, I can hold it !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll use Defensive Stance during my attack, at -2 attack, +2 dodge bonus to AC (total 26. I'll get +1 sacred bonus to AC per adjacent ally if people get closer as per Phalanx Fighter (with Solo Tactics) as long as the creature is Evil).

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 25 ]  +2 from spell and judgement.

  Damage  - (1d8+8)[ 9 ]  +1 from spell.
 
lostsole31
 R3T14:  Raising her shield, Vilma holds the breech, striking at where she thinks it is, but not hitting anything. "  Come closer, I can hold it !  "

 R3T12:  While he has a spare moment, St. Dorn casts a spell on himself and then moves up behind Vilma.   "I'll give you some more protection here in a second,"   he says to her.

 R3T11:   Flair , you have guidance ready to go. What do you do?

Winter on deck, Critter in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair moved to Vilma's side and touched her on the shoulder, concern in his currently opaque eyes.   "This should help!"   he says as a symbol seems to spread cross his hands and forehead, though it vanished soon thereafter. 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Obhai cooldown:4
5 foot step to just 'below' Maeni. If I have to MA to get there instead, so be it.
SA: Activate Urbo's major granted ability, giving Vilma 4 temp HP (lasts 1 minute or until used).
 
lostsole31
 R3T11:  Flair moved to Vilma's side and touched her on the shoulder, concern in his currently opaque eyes.   "This should help!"    he says as a symbol seems to spread cross his hands and forehead,  though it vanished soon thereafter, and Vilma feels an infusion of  fortification (  4 THP  ).

 R3T7:   Winter moves in to the last adjacent spot behind Vilma. "Here, to give  you a little insight to conquer this fiend," she says, and casts a  spell, touching Vilma's shoulder and filling Vilma with some fleeting  sense of the future. 
 Spoiler: Vilma 
You have  guidance  cast on you.
 

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T17:   There is a snapping sound, and Vilma feels impact at her leg. But it  isn't a normal direct impact so much as something attempting to pull her  down. It happens again, and this time she has something briefly hook  around her shin and pull towards "it" until Vilma falls. Something  slashes her chest for  7 (+1d4 bleed) , blasting right  through the protection Flair had provided, but at least it was there for  this strike. And there on the ground, something bites Vilma in her left  shoulder for  7 , but her prone position means she  actually has better leverage than expected to use her full body weight  to pull down and not be grabbed.

 R4T15:  Brother Jaume, what do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  “Flair, can you do your teleport trick to get me behind this thing on the stairs?”
  BJ asks before moving to the corner of the room and channeling healing power.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move South 15 and East 5
SA: channel energy (you can roll)
 
lostsole31
 R4T15:    “Flair, can you do your teleport trick to get me behind this thing on the stairs?”   BJ asks before moving to the corner of the room and channeling healing power (  9 healing   to self, St. Dorn fully healed,   6 healing   to Vilma).

 R4T14:   Vilma , you are currently prone, and with the friar's help you are no longer bleeding and your wound is very light. You have  guidance  at your disposal. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma stands up, and strike at the creature, her shield still up.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to stand up, standard action to attack on the defensive.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 28 ]  +1 from judgement
  Damage  - (1d8+8)[ 13 ] 

Current bonus to AC/CMD, +5
 
lostsole31
 R4T14:  Vilma goes to stand up, but is bit in the right shoulder in the attempt, taking  12 ,  but she is so defense-focused with friends around her that she rolls up  out of a potential grasp like a resolute and angry pillbug. This time,  when she attacks, her blow finally lands solidly against something  rubbery-hard, yet giving. When she looks at her morningstar after the  strike, there is some type of transparent fluid on her weapon's spikes.

 R4T12:   St. Dorn calls on Torag to protect his servant's ally, and he touches  Vilma's back. There is a faint glow of a downward hammer that surrounds  Vilma.

 R4T11:   Flair , what do you do? You have a  guidance  still extant on you.

Winter on deck, Invisi-critter in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair shouts back to Dorn.   "It takes a bit to recharge, sorry!"   He then charges forward to the beast, slamming his fist into the side of it. Intellectually, he knew this was a bad idea; he wasn't exactly amazing in melee, but he'd had lost enough allies to just stand around and wait for them to drop it.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Obhai Cooldown: 3
Urbo Cooldown: 4
MA: Move to the invisi-baddie. I don't think I have a line to charge at the thing, but I'll charge instead if I can.
SA: Attack. I've got Blind Fight, so it's effectively only got a 25% miss chance vs me. I've instead got my crappy attack bonus to worry about.
 (1d20+3)[ 22 ] . If the number on the die is at least 12 and no more than 17, I will spend two points of Inspiration on the attack.  (1d6)[ 3 ] 
damage  (1d6)[ 6 ]  I don't remember what the [1d6+2] notation is for, but if it's applicable, use that instead. Regardless, I trust you to roll the miss chance.
 
lostsole31
 R4T11:  Flair shouts back to Brother Jaume,    "It takes a bit to recharge, sorry!"     He swings his fist around the corner, but missing. Intellectually, he knew this was a bad idea; he wasn't exactly  amazing in melee, but he'd had lost enough allies to just stand around  and wait for them to drop it.

 R4T7:  Winter  looks back to Brother Jaume, knowing he'll do more in close quarters  than she will. She nods from his direction to the floor at her spot, and  then she steps back. She starts speaking, but instead of telling a  story, she starts to act out a monlogue of a famous Ustalavan high  drama. She speaks with such intensity and verve, it has a surprising,  buoying effect on the members of the party.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T17:   Once again, the tittering sounds shift .... from the west of Vilma,  echoing in the corridor .... to overhead of Vilma and Flair and St.  Dorn, and into the room. The table in the middle of the room, shudders,  indicating that it brushed against or is next to it, and the sounds of  the tittering continue south until the creepy, quasi-laughing sounds  aren't adjacent to the party anymore, but definitely sounds like it is  coming slightly above Brother Jaume. That is when he gets bitten in the  head for  11 , but doesn't grab him. Again, because of  the weird, noisy nature of whatever you are fighting, you all have a  good sense of where it is, despite its invisibility.

 R5T15:   Brother Jaume ,  quarterstaff in off-hand and silver dagger in right. You know where  this thing is (and you know it is 5' off the ground, with a height  advantage against you, but as before ... it is invisible. What do you  do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ fights back against the invisible assault.
    “Get to the stairs and close the door. I will try to follow!”   
He moves along the wall.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FRA:flurry of blows, risky strike, drop dagger, spend ki point for additional attack; stunning fist all three attacks Fort save DC 16
  Hit1  - (1d20+7)[ 21 ] 
[roll=dam1]1d8+9[/roll]
  Hit2  - (1d20+7)[ 8 ] 
[roll=dam2]1d8+9[/roll]
  Hit3  - (1d20+7)[ 16 ] 
  dam3  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
five foot step West

”Get to the Choppa!”
 
lostsole31
 R5T15:  BJ fights back against the invisible assault.  His first two attacks completely miss, and his ki attack doesn't strike  solidly enough against some type of rubbery, slick surface.   “Get to the stairs and close the door. I will try to follow!”    h e calls out as he inches west along the wall.

 R5T14:   Vilma , you are currently in Defensive Stance, with a guidance at your call. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma waits at the door, letting her allies pass but ready to strike at a sign of the creature approaching.

"  Then come, I'll hold it here ! Or dispel its invisibility ?  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll ready an attack. Since the creature is so noisy, it'll be when it arrives in melee range, with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 18 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+12)[ 20 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T14:  Vilma waits at the door, letting her allies pass but ready to strike at a sign of the creature approaching. "  Then come, I'll hold it here! Or dispel its invisibility?  "

 R5T12:    "As a paladin of Iomedae, I cannot allow others to stand in my stead,"   says St. Dorn.   "Yes, Vilma, hold the breech here; but I will go aid Brother Jaume. I cannot allow others to die while I live again."  

St.  Dorn bolts forward, trying to avoid the thing but going underneath it,  but the older man isn't so acrobatic. His lower left arm gets bitten for   9 mod , and then he is grabbed. It seems a bad place to be, but he calls out,   "My guilt is my guidance to redemption!"    and there is a slight glow around him as he swings his hammer in the  grapple, but he does not land a blow, and the faint glow disappears.

 R5T11:   Flair , what do you do? You still have that  guidance  waiting for use.

Winter on deck, Monster in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R5T11:  Having little to help, Flair listens to Villma  and withdraws all the way downstairs to the exterior door of the dining  room, crossbow trained on the stairs.

 R5T7:   Winter maintains her dramatic monologue, taking a quick, defensive break  to cast a spell on Dorn to fully heal him. She then steps back by the  window.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T17:  The creature holding St. Dorn continues to hold him and can't seem to hurt him, despite biting him.

 R6T15:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume surveys the room for anything helpful to identify this foe; specifically to determine if this is a haunt or a creature he can analyze.
Then BJ moves 5 ft to the East before unleashing another flurry of kicks and strikes.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

move 5 ft East
FAA, flurry, spend ki point for extra attack
  to hit1  - (1d20+9)[ 15 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+5)[ 12 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+5)[ 10 ] 
  to hit3  - (1d20+9)[ 18 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+5)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T15:  Brother Jaume surveys the room for anything  helpful to identify this  foe; specifically to determine if this is a haunt or a creature he can  analyze, but he does not have enough information. He moves 5 ft to the  East before unleashing another flurry of kicks and strikes. His first  strike misses, but he makes an upward knee strike with a jump that  connects! He knows he contacted hard as he lands, but it does feel its  weird rubbery nature resist some or all of his power, but he's not sure  by how much. The laughing does change, though, and heartened by this,  Brother Jaume does an upward cartwheel kick but doesn't connect.

 R6T14:   Vilma ,  what do you do? Only Flair went past you, and he continued out of  sight. You heard him trundle completely down the stairs, you're sure.  Also, you have an unspent  guidance  still.

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
"  Flair ! They aren't going to fall back ! We fight !  "

Vilma steps in melee, and attempts to hit the creature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action directly south (2S).

Standard action, attack with Risky Strike, using the Guidance on the roll.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 17 ] +1 from judgement, +1 from Guidance.
  Damage  - (1d8+12)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T14:   "  Flair! They aren't going to fall back! We fight!  "   Vilma calls down. She then steps into melee, and attempts to hit the  creature, calling on a split-second insight she receives. Amazingly, her  Hail, Milani! pass is successful as she feels her morningstar solidly  strike and likely pierce the creature.

 R6T12:   St. Dorn concentrates but nothing  appears to change visually or in the status of either combatant.

 R6T11:   Flair , you are downstairs, covering the stairs with the crossbow, and now you are being called back upstairs.

Winter on deck, Critter in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair's eyes darted across the room. He had only now realized the huge gap in his repertoire invisible enemies represented. He looked for a bag of flour or other container of particulates to try and negate its invisiblility.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA: Look for a bag of flour or similar.

If I find it, I spend my other move action holstering my crossbow and 5 foot step towards it.
Otherwise, Flair will swear and start running back up the steps.
 
lostsole31
 R6T11:  Flair's eyes darted across the room. He had only  now realized the huge  gap in his repertoire invisible enemies represented. He looked for a bag  of flour or other container of particulates to try and negate its  invisibility. He simply thinks through his memory palace of when he went  through the cupboarded dining room previously, cataloguing far more  dishware and tableware than anything like a larder, and definitely no  from-scratch baking needs like flour. Convinced there is nothing in the  dining room to help, he colorfully swears in Infernal (that which will  not be reprinted here, for want of corruption checks from the listener),  and begins to head up the stairs again, annoyed that it takes longer to  go against gravity than it did coming down the stairs.

 R6T7:  Winter is still there, still giving her dramatic monlogue. Vilma recognized the effect of the  guidance ,  but realizes that the dark-haired changeling's verve might have  something to do with her success on that last strike as well. Winter  casts a spell and steps up and touches Vilma, who now feels protected  somewhat against the forces of darkness and malice.

 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T17:   St. Dorn, who isn't tasty at all, is released. The teetering laughter  sounds move slightly .... still above folks' head, but slightly  northeast against the eastern wall. There is a slash against Winter's  left foot for  8 ( +1d4 bleed ) . Then there is a slash against Brother Jaume's right hand for  5 ( +1d4 bleed ) .  St. Dorn gets struck by something, but not wounded. Finally, Brother  Jaume's defensively spinning quarterstaff protects him from a bite.

 R7T15:   Brother Jaume , you take   1 bleed  . What do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ flinches away from the stinging attack and tries something different.
  “Going to try to harm it with positive energy.”
  The moneric clasps his holy symbol and a burst of positive energy spreads from him filling the room.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

five foot step to the West
channel positive energy to harm undead.
 (2d6)[ 3 ] 
DC 15 will save for 1/2
 
lostsole31
 R7T15:  BJ flinches away from the stinging attack and tries something different.   “Going to try to harm it with positive energy.”

  The  moneric clasps his holy symbol and a very weak burst of positive energy  filters throughout the room. Brother Jaume has no idea what the effects  might have been - if he harmed the thing at all.

 R7T14:   Vilma , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Hoping to put an end to this fight, Vilma steps into melee before swinging her glorified club.

"  Let's get this over with !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step SE, then standard action to attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 16 ] +1 from judgement
  Damage  - (1d8+12)[ 14 ] 
 
digiman619
Flair continues running back to the action, hoping that his failed plan to circumvent the invisibility hasn't doomed any more of his teammates.
lostsole31
 R7T14:  Hoping to put an end to this fight, Vilma steps  into melee so she can swing her glorified club. She brushes past St.  Dorn, and in so doing opens up a bite from it. She swings her weapon,  but misses. Annoyed, she calls out, "  Let's get this over with!  "

 R7T12:  St. Dorn puts a hand on Vilma to give her   2 healing   before stepping all the way back against a door on the west wall.

 R7T11:  Flair continues running back to the action, hoping that his failed plan  to circumvent the invisibility hasn't doomed any more of his teammates, and steps back into the room.

 R7T7:   Where Winter had been struck, she had been steady in the performance of  her dramatic monologue. There is a brilliiant white glow from the gash  on her foot; as the wound closes, that brilliant white consumes her and  then flashes throughout the rest of the room to provide   7 healing    to Brother Jaume and Vilma (stopping the former's bleeding). Winter no  longer seems to be wounded. She DOES however, seem to be confused by  this turn of events, and moves to the far side of the room. To her  credit, she maintains her performance.

 End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T17:   While "above" everyone's head, or at least in a relatively high  position, the malicious laughing sound seems to move a little bit so as  to be somewhat over the table in the room. Brother Jaume's belly gets  struck for  11 ( +1d4 bleed ) ; Flair's upper right arm gets slashed for  9 mod ( +1d4 bleed )  and his lower arm for  7 mod ;  Brother Jaume manages to instinctively block a fourth slash. Then, the  bite comes, striking Vilma in the side of her abdomen for  14 . This time, it maintains a hold on her! 😦
 R8T15:   Brother Jaume , you suffer   4 bleed  . What do you do? You can tell from Vilma's bodily position, that she is held by whatever the monster is.

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
The bleeding monk staggers to the West and clasps his holy symbol to pray for aid once more.
  “Now what?”  
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

five foot step to the west
channel energy for healing
 (2d6)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R8T15:  The bleeding monk staggers to the west and  clasps his holy symbol to pray for aid once more, providing up to 4  healing in a burst for those that need it, and stopping all bleeding.   “Now what?”  
 R8T14:   Vilma ,  you are currently being held in some unseen, monstrous beak, though you  do have a host of protective/offensive spells on you. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Since the creature now holds her, somewhat revealing its presence, Vilma strikes again.

"  Come here ! It's there !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Since I'm using a one handed weapon I'm fine afaik. Standard action to attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 17 ] +1 from judgment
  Damage  - (1d8+12)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R8T14:  Since the creature now holds her, somewhat revealing its presence, Vilma swings wildly in its embrace. "  Come here! It's there!  "

 R8T12:  St. Dorn doesn't do anything special, but looks towards the west, trying to get some perspective.   "I sense the evil, but I don't have it pinpointed yet."  
 R8T11:   Flair , you still have  guidance  available. Also, Urbo's major ability has reset. What do you do?

Winter on deck, Critter in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair moves up to strike this thing, shouting in frustration at his otherwise uselessness thus far.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA: Much like last time, I'll move to the invisi-baddie. I don't think I have enough distance for a charge, but I'll do it if I can.SA: Attack. I've got Blind Fight, I've got two chances on the miss chance.  (2d100)[ 67 ][ 85 ](152) . I've instead got my crappy attack bonus to worry about.
 (1d20+3)[ 6 ] . If the number on the die is at least 12 and no more than 17, I will spend two points of Inspiration on the attack.  (1d6)[ 3 ] 
Damage  (1d6)[ 5 ] . I don't remember what the [1d6+2] notation is for, but if it's applicable, use that instead.
 
lostsole31
 R8T11:  Flair moves up to strike this thing, shouting in  frustration at his otherwise uselessness thus far, and the frustration  continues as he whiffs his kick (because he has a feeling he doesn't  wanna touch it with his hand!).

 R8T7:  Winter  continues her dramatic monologue. She then goes to the north end of the  room, prays for guidance for the grappled warrior, and touches Vilma  again.

 End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T17:   The creature maintains a hold on Vilma at her abdomen where it bit her,  and starts to chew and drain her blood and vital fluids for  9 +  1 Con  .  This blood drain effect is both good-not-good and bad. The bad is  obvious, as color starts to drain out of Vilma's face. The good-not-good  is that as blood goes into the creature, it begins to show up and is no  longer invisible, as Vilma's blood reacts with it to give it a bloody  red color. That  would  have been good, were it not for the fact that now the party can actually see this eldritch horror!

 Everyone , roll a SAN check! Flair and Vilma, you both have a  guidance  effect you can use.
 Flair , you need to roll a second Will save for a different reason ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume recoils in horror at seeing the face of their foe.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Will save
 (1d20+11)[ 30 ] 
 
digiman619
 
 Spoiler: Will saves 
San check: Use my 1/round replacement with INT for will checks. If the number on the die is less than 10, spend 2 points of Inspiration  (1d20+14)[ 22 ]   (1d6)[ 4 ] 
Second Will save: Use the Guidance (including it in the roll).  (1d20+13)[ 15 ] 
So 26 on the SAN check 15 on the second Will save; 17 on the second save if I'm allowed to use Inspiration.
 
digiman619
 
 Spoiler: Inspiration 
If this is allowed, spending 2 more Inspiration (Think this makes 6 I've used today) to add to the second save  (1d6)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T17 (Cont'd):  Vilma's mind is not protected against  horror, but is protected from the horrors of evil, and the insight  helps. Still, something like this thing cannot leave a mind truly  unaffected (  3 SAN  ). For their parts, St. Dorn and Vilma also are able to resist the primary part of the horror of this creature (  3 SAN   each).

Brother Jaume likewise is strong of mind, recoiling from the horror, but only partially affected by it (  3 SAN  ).  Unfortunately, the weight of so much mental horror - even if not  individually overwhelming, has had its toll on the friar, and he suffers  a massive cognitive overload.

Flair sees the red moving through  the body, and as it is a slow reveal, is able to prepare his mind for  the assault. It's horrible nature still is tough to handle, though (  3 SAN  ), and just this stress is enough to send the already fragile schizophrenic into a complete mental freakout ( confused ).

 R9T15:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ groans and staggers to the East. He appears to shake his head before his form twists and grows larger. His staff plows into the creature in a series of powerful strikes.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

five foot move to the East
SwA: growth domain power: enlarge
FRA: flurry of blows , risky strike
  to hit1  - (1d20+6)[ 26 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+15)[ 19 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+6)[ 17 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+15)[ 18 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
Critical hit severity roll( if it applies)
 
 Spoiler 

 (1d20)[ 20 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T15:  BJ groans and staggers to the East. He appears to shake his head before  his form twists and grows larger. His staff plows into the creature in a  series of powerful strikes. The first connects for  15 mod , and the second connects for  14 mod . Brother Jaume notes that despite a perfect execution of his first strike, it doesn't seem to be as effective as he had hoped.

 R9T14:   Vilma , you are currently being grappled by the now-visible whatsit. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Still standing, Vilma strikes again.

"  I won't hold it for long !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard attack with Risky Strike, then as a swift action change judgement to Healing (Fast Healing 2)

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 27 ] +1 judgement
  Damage  - (1d8+12)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T14:  Still standing, Vilma strikes again. With her opponent visible, she easily lands a blow that does  10 mod . "  I won't hold it for long!  "

 R9T12:   St. Dorn's brow relaxes, as he no longer needs to concentrate, for evil  has revealed itself. He gestures a salute to the monstrosity holding  the Milanite.   "I don't know what  you are, but I know you are Evil's tentacled hand-puppet, and with  Torag's strength lent to me, I shall lay you low!"  

St. Dorn charges forth, a faint sheen around himself and his warhammer and smites it for  17 .

 R9T11:   Flair gets the sense that Vilma is not grappled by a larger creature,  but that a larger creature has merely "docked" with its  controller-human! Only he can see the truth, and his visual HUD has her  fully computed, whereas it is only now compiling data on the larger  monster. He points his crossbow at her and fires, but the bolt is  deflected by her armor. Flair reloads.

 R9T7:   Winter   blinks at Flair having just shot at Vilma, but she maintains her  monologue (which still affects Flair). Realizing that the heroes need  just a little more help, she prays to Pharasma to give aid in battle to  all .... except Flair. She then steps to the side, but is still adjacent  to Flair.

 End Round 9, Begin Round 10 ...

R10T17:  This time, the monstrosity only bites down harder on Vilma, maintaining the hold and doing  13 +  2 CON  .

 R10T15:   Brother Jaume , do you maintain your size? What do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
The enlarged and battered monk looks like he is trying to say something to Vilma but no sound is heard.
Concerned, he presses the attack on the monster.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Sw=enlarge
FAA= flurry with staff, risky strike
  hit1  - (1d20+6)[ 19 ] 
  dam1  - (1d8+15)[ 16 ] 
  hit2  - (1d20+6)[ 21 ] 
  dam2  - (1d8+15)[ 22 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T15:  The enlarged and battered monk looks like he is  trying to say something to Vilma but no sound is heard. Concerned, he  presses the attack on the monster. His first attack with the staff lands  for  12 mod , while the second strikes even harder with the friar's desperation to save Vilma for  18 mod , enough for the thing and Vilma to fall to the ground.

 R10T14:   Vilma , you are prone and "held" by the unmoving monster. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma stands back, steps aside, and heals herself.

"  Flair ! Gets over it !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to stand up, the 5 foot step away, and standard action cure light wounds.

  Cure  - (1d8+4)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T14:  Vilma's body begins to knit its wounds (  FH2  ).  Vilma begins to stand, but Flair - who is still currently focused on  her as an enemy - gives a weak front kick against her armor as she takes  to her feet, steps aside, and heals herself with a spell for   11  . She looks at him and shouts,   "Flair! Get over it!  "

 R10T12:   St. Dorn stands over the creature, and notes that power still surges  through him, which is all he needs to understand. He strikes at the  monster with all his might. The faint glow surrounding him and his  weapon is gone and he says confidently,   "It is dead,"   as he steps away from Flair.

 R10T11:   Flair ,  you are still confused. Assuming you could act normally, what do you  do? You have an unloaded crossbow in hand. 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Roll percentile  and state your hopeful action as an if/then statement. DO NOT roll  percentile in Discord and then try to play out an unfavorable  result.
 

Winter on deck, Brother Jaume in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair's mental state was akin to a man an on a bucking bronco; desperately seeking balance and having a moment where the various forces acting on him reach equilibrium for a second. And in that second, he decides that the best course of action is to get away from anything that could trigger another dangerous reaction from him before he can get himself straight. Dropping his crossbow, he teleports himself away, moving back to the stairway and around the corner. denying himself a target to lash out at if he can't bring himself under control.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free action: drop crossbow.
SA and MA: Teleport via genie's jaunt to the staircase and move around the corner so I can't see the rest of the party.
 
lostsole31
 R10T11:  Flair's mental state was akin to a man an on a  bucking bronco;  desperately seeking balance and having a moment where the various forces  acting on him reach equilibrium for a second. He suddenly realizes that  Vilma is not the enemy, and the overwhelming confusion has him babbling  to himself incoherently.

 R10T7:  Winter stops her monologue and calls out,   "Everyone,  back away from Flair, and set up to dodge or block any incoming attack.  I've seen this before in schizophrenics. He'll come around. He's just  processing."   She then steps away from Flair and into the  hallway and gets ready to block with her claws if she  must. 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I.e., total defense.
 

 End Round 10, Begin Round 11 ...

R11T15:   Brother Jaume , do you remain large? If not, what square do you end in? What do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume drops to normal size. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, apparently directed at Winter. He then readies himself.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

drop growth; ending up in the relative NW square.
Ready action to grapple Flair if he attacks in Range of BJ.
 
lostsole31
 R11T15:  Brother Jaume drops to normal size. He opens and closes his mouth a few  times, apparently directed at Winter. He then readies himself.

 R11T14:   Vilma ,  Milani no longer favors you  your  divine favor  drops, but you do   FH2  .

St. Dorn on deck, Flair in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair again tries to get a hold of himself long enough to drop his weapon and get away from his teammates.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Same plan as last time; drop weapon as free action, get back down the stairs and out of sight of my teammates.
 
lostsole31
 R11T14:  Vilma just stands ready in a defensive posture  to block or ward anything Flair sends her way, but otherwise trying not  to seem too aggressive in posture.

 R11T12:  St. Dorn likewise does the same, but doesn't move back.

 R11T11:  Flair again tries to get a hold of himself long enough to drop his weapon and get away from his teammates.

After maybe a minute or two of tension, it seems like this episode has ended.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks like he is trying to speak to the group but no sounds are made. He makes some panicked arm motions.
lostsole31
From his arm motions, it seems like Brother Jaume is trying to gather everyone together in a clump.

  "I think he is wanting to heal us by channeling the radiance,"   says St. Dorn, stepping closer to Brother Jaume.   "Brother Jaume, is there some reason you can't speak?"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume’s face flushes as he gestures at Dorn.
lostsole31
   "Embarrassment,"    St. Dorn softly mutters in understanding, slowly nodding his head. He looks to the rest of the group.   "Flair! Hurry back up here! Brother Jaume wants to heal us all. Winter, Brother Jaume is having trouble .... communicating. Speaking. That's why charades."  

Once Flair gets back upstairs ...

Winter, who has the training nods quickly and says,   "I think the horror of what we saw today ... or the culmination of horrors that the friar has faced ... has caused what we in mental health call a 'cognitive block.' Don't try to 'develop a physical language' through predetermined movements. It's normally speaking and writing, but it continues to any defined or formatted communication, so he couldn't even do sign language, as that is just 'writing in the air.'"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume just shrugs dejectedly and clasps his holy symbol and silently prays for healing burst.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: channel positive energy-healing
 (2d6)[ 5 ] 
 
digiman619
There is a pause for a good three seconds or so before Flair comes back up the staircase. To put it bluntly, he looks like crap. He's clearly just recovered from crying, and his demeanor is one of tired resignation. If he still had hair, you get the impression that it'd be a mess right now. Still, he took deep, calming breaths as he approaches.   "Okay"   he says simply before getting within range for the heal.
lostsole31
And with Flair, Brother Jaume lets out a burst of healing of moderate strength, but it seems to exhaust him. Brother Jaume gives out a large exhalation and in addition to his brainpan making it hard to string together rational thought, now there is a light-headed woozy quality to it all, while at the same time he feels "empty" somehow.

Winter looks at the horror and its reeking flesh.   "What is ... was ... that thing?!"  
Blackhawk101
BJ doesn’t spare the horrific creature a second glance as he makes his way back to the “camp” downstairs.
digiman619
Flair took another deep breath as he inspected the corpse. There would be time for dealing with his trauma later. Right now, they needed to know what this thing was and if there was any further danger this thing could cause.
lostsole31
Vilma, more of a scholar than she lets on, with a particular focus on known - or potential - enemies of the faith, can assist Flair in looking over the dead monster to learn more about it. It just so happens that both of them have read the same work ( Lords of Sorrow ) that detail an encounter with such a creature. The fact that it is believed to come from beyond the stars (or when splayed out looks like a mutant starfish) and its propensity for sucking blood had the author refer to it as a "star vampire." It doesn't appear to be made of quintessence, but definitely looks alien in appearance, leading the two to assume that this is not an outsider, but an aberration (and all that entails).

Flair and Vilma find these pores that contain exit points for hundreds of minuscule tendrils all about its body. They remember that the larger, less-prepared author of the work mentioned that "snake-like forms - like oversized cilia - spilte forthe to lap up Anderias' flesh-flowing bloode." [sic] They don't remember seeing this in use in battle, and none were extended beyond the body. After a brief discussion it is determined that despite the creatures' ability to cause bleeding wounds with its razor-sharp talons, there was so much positive energy being used to heal the bleeding that not enough blood must have fallen for those "flexible proboscises" to have gotten a worthwhile excess of falling blood. It appears these proboscises likely could extend 10' or so from the creature.

There are numerous ventrils about the body, which when studied don't appear to be intake for oxygen like mouth or gills, but something like multiple Jacobsen's organs. The creature likely had a powerful olfactory sense, and given its desire for blood, this may have been used to guide the aforementioned proboscises to fresh blood, and those bleeding freely.

Its overall structure is such that it was likely stronger, or at least on par with, Brother Jaume, but its lack of a skeletal structure or standard striated, longitudinal muscle means that pound-for-pound .... it is incredibly strong (as expected), but not as strong as it could be for its size ... and that is likely given its numerous orifices, sensory areas, etc.
silphael
Still wounded and weakened, Vilma shares the knowledge gathered with the others.

"  It seems to be a... star vampire, or something like that.  "
lostsole31
Brother Jaume had gone downstairs, and Winter looks over Vilma. Shocked, Winter exclaims,   "Esobok droppings, Vilma! How can you even stand! Listen, Brother Jaume was significantly wounded as well. How about we take a break downstairs, and I can include him in a few healing bursts?"  
digiman619
Flair nods.   "Yeah, this... this was an endeavor. Let's take a breather. I..."   he pauses,   "I could use a bit to get ahold of things."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume finds a quiet spot to sit and pray silently, rocking back and forth.
lostsole31
With St. Dorn as the last man out, shutting the upstairs door to the rank mess on the other side, the party removes downstairs and gathers with/near Brother Jaume, cautiously gathering him into the dining room and shutting the door so as not to provide unnecessary healing for the prisoners.

Winter's first expression of positive energy ... again, which she does without showing Pharasma's symbol ... fully heals Flair. Two more bursts, and Brother Jaume has a very light wound. Vilma is now healed as well as her body can be, given the blood drain she suffered.

With a different spell, Winter is able to restore Vilma's overall blood supply, and therefore putting her at peak vitality.

Winter says,   "I have plenty of clerical special powers available, but my clerical magic is depleted. I am more prepared with bardic magic now than a Pharasmin priest if we should go again after a break, including the ability to heal light wounds.  How is everyone else?"  

St. Dorn answers,   "I've used a few simpler prayers, though a few simple prayers are much of what I have outside of special abilities granted me. But Torag so empowered me against that dread creature that I do not think he will answer my plea should I need to smite more evil. I would be willing to go again after a break, to break Evil's hold over this fane, but I cannot speak for anyone else."  
 Brother Jaume ,  Flair , and  Vilma , what are your inputs as to what you have available and if you'd go again today or not?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume gives Winter a grateful squeeze in response to the healing but just shakes his head and holds his throat. In response to the query he doesn’t respond.  He sits back down in the main hall against the wall to pray.
silphael
Vilma smiles sadly.

"  I still have a solid reserve of magic granted by Milani, and if we rest it will bring back the question of how do we feed the prisoners.  "
digiman619
Flair had been busy helping the wounded as well, making sure that they were all okay. Once he had been convinced that they were fine, he was able to pause long enough to answer her question.   "I'm still in one piece. I could do more exploring today if I needed to."   he says, though the weariness in his voice is very much apparent.
lostsole31
St. Dorn talks with Kris, to let her know what has happened so far.

Let's say you take an hour break .... everyone seems like they're willing to go.  Brother Jaume , do you go along?
lostsole31
Winter looks to Brother Jaume.   "Will you come with us? Touch  this  [left] hand if you will, touch  this  [right] hand if you want to stay behind."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume’s tear filled eyes bulge and his face flushes with the effort to try to communicate with winter. He makes frantic motions to try and get her to understand.
lostsole31
Winter nods her head and looks to the rest of the party.   "It's as I feared for a cognitive block, and Brother Jaume feels it. Magic, even if not a language by which to convey syntax and meaning as we understand it when it must be spoken, still uses the part of the brain that Brother Jaume cannot access. He can go with us, but his magic is suppressed until, or if, his cognitive block can be removed."  
Blackhawk101
BJ is forlorn but touches Winter’s left hand as he gathers up his staff.
lostsole31
Flair, Vilma, St. Dorn, Winter, and Brother Jaume reconvene in the upstairs room that has the body of the star vampire. Note that you haven't searched the room or the door leaving.

What is the plan?
digiman619
Flair had done his best to comfort Jaume; even if he wasn't under the influence of a spirit, he was afraid for his friend and wanted to help him how he could. Once they got back upstairs, Flair inspected the room, hoping to find something that would lead to some answers.
lostsole31
The smell up here in what appears to be a sitting room is awful with the star vampire's body.

With the party searching the room, it sppears that Lowls used the large, round table in this room to host intimate dinners, to play cards, and to stage seance sessions and other parapsychological experiments, as some of the bric-a-brac sitting around would indicate. The room is lit by candles and by a shifting, soft light emanating from the surface of the table. Upon inspection, the soft light is simply a moody-ambiance version of  continual flame . The windows are shuttered. There's nothing more of interest or value in this room.

There is a door to the west.

What does the party do?
digiman619
Flair readies his crossbow as he looks to his teammates. Once he gets signals of readiness from everyone, he opens the door to the west.
Blackhawk101
BJ continues to mouth a silent prayer as he kisses his holy symbol. He gives Flair a nod.
lostsole31
Flair opens the door to reveal a north-south corridor beyond.
digiman619
Keeping his crossbow up, Flair motions for the rest of the party to follow as he goes down the hallway.
lostsole31
As Flair steps into the hallway, there is a door immediately across from his position, but unlike the well-lit sitting room, this hallway is completely dark. Only the many lights from the party and the sitting room illuminate a small portion of where Flair stands, and it would be foolish of him to traverse south blind.

But while he is letting his eyes adjust to the point he realizes that tactic won't be enough, Flair thinks he hears something ....the scampering of tiny creatures running along the areas between the walls and the floor.
digiman619
Flair steps out of the hallway and into the room they were in previously, closing the door behind him.   "Okay, there's something skittering out there, but it's pitch black. Anyone have a torch or other light source?"  
lostsole31
St. Dorn's voice creaks from the sitting room after a sigh and a breath as he says as slowly and compassionately as he can,   "Son, step back in here. Nobody doubts your senses, your acuity, or your courage. But you are the last person here who should be going from front. Vilma? You are the most heavily armored, will you take the front? And then maybe Flair behind her since he does notice odd things ... like whatever he's hearing."  
silphael
Vilma looks around in the seance room for a small item to light up then throw in the dark room. Something relatively sturdy, to not shatter when hitting the ground.
lostsole31
Ironically, Vilma will find a candle that she casts  light  on and then tosses it into the hallway, lighting it up for Flair.

Sure enough, 5' to the north is the wall (no window) that is the end of that extension as the outside of the manor is on the other side.

Where Vilma dropped the candle is right next to a door to the west.

The candle's  light  shines south into the darkness another door to the west 20' down from the nearer.

Immediately to Flair's south, it seems there is a washbasin and faucet.
digiman619
Flair will nod at Dorn's words and move towards the middle of the party. He just wanted this endeavor to be over, but putting himself at risk like that wasn't going to solve anything.
lostsole31
 Vilma , do you take the lead as recommended by St. Dorn?
silphael
Nodding, Vilma opens the way, her currently shining shield ready.
lostsole31
Viima steps out into the hallway, realizing as she does so that her shield is no longer shining since she had cast light on the candle. She stands next to a door to the west, and sees only a sliver more that Flair saw before.
silphael
She casts Light on her shield again, to advance with the light source.
lostsole31
And with that, the light immediately drops from the discarded candle and back onto Vilma's shield.

 Vilma , deal with the door next to you, or head south down the passage?
silphael
To the other, she speaks.

"  Let's not allow them to split us through that door first.  "

And she opens the door.
lostsole31
St. Dorn moves up behind Vilma so she is not alone when she opens the door. A strong smell of vinegar hangs in the air of this simple, but well-appointed, bedroom.
digiman619
Flair follows his teammates, looking into the room, though he remains in the hallway for now.
lostsole31
As Vilma and St. Dorn turn their heads from the stench of vinegar, Flair moves to the upper corner of the hallway to peer in, and sees what seems to be a body on a bed.
digiman619
Flair looks at the form on the bed.   "I think I see someone on the bed. We should check if they're alive, dead or undead  ."
lostsole31
Since there are no sounds of battle or immediate danger, Winter - from the back of the group - looks to Brother Jaume and says,   "Brother, with me,"   and assuming he follows she enters the room to inspect the bodies. St. Dorn will follow behind them and go into the room as well.

The guest bedrooms of Iris Hill are well furnished and reasonably tidy, though they suffer the same general state of neglect as the rest of the manor. In addition to the two beds, writing desk, and cabinets, the room holds a wooden vat of vinegar. A woman's body that has been decapitated lies on the southern bed. The lower body of what a quick check will reveal was a man is likewise laid out on the other bed. The room looks like the scene of a pair of gruesome murders.

After a brief check of both corpses, assisted by Brother Jaume, Winter looks back to Vilma,   "Fine if you and Flair want to check, but there doesn't appear to be any animating force here. These are inanimate body parts. Just a minute, though ..."  

Winter and Brother continue to check over the gore, and then Winter, having been given some good charades-insight (yes/no style) from the friar looks to the group semi-assembled in the room.   "The bodies appear to be separated parts of two undead that are not present. But the bodies as they are are  not  undead ... only the portion that separated. They aren't here, and I don't know where they are, but I think this vinegar is somehow related to preservation."  
silphael
Still at the entrance, Vilma jauges the length of both sides of the corridor.

"  So some flying head undead ? I suppose it doesn't advance by rolling on the ground, right ?  "
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume pantomimes something to Flair although all can see him. Whether successful or not, he shuffles over to the cabinet to check that out.
lostsole31
In regards to Brother Jaume's pantomime, this one has Winter stymied at first, and even everyone tries to get in on this like a bad game of charades, but anything that tries to "codify" his actions (i.e. number of syllables, "sounds like," etc.) is functionally "language" and the cleric can't even aid there. Finally, with some incorrect but intuitive spit-balling by Vilma, St. Dorn offers,   "There's a head that's ... slightly open? No wait, a head that's ajar? A HEAD  IN  A JAR!"  

And Brother Jaume points to his nose with one hand and points to her with the other excitedly.

The party begins to search the room. As evidence that Count Lowls used these rooms to accommodate the PC during his dream experiments, one of the bedside tables holds four empty glass phials and a notebook penned by Lowls. The notebook contains the names of Lowls’s test subjects, as well as a lengthy series of notes about his suspicion that Ulver Zandalus was the key to discovering Neruzavin, the lost city in Casmaron that holds three Star Stelae similar to those in Thrushmoor. The last entries in the notebook detail the PCs, identified by name and accurate data about race, gender, height, and weight, all of which the count referred to when administering the exact dose of a special sleeping drug (which the empty phials once contained), provided by someone named Miacknian Mun.

The headless woman is clad in a delicate-looking blue robe with tiny embossed runes across it's entire surface that registers as magic ... and a chain shirt. The cabinet nearest to that corpse holds a variety of things.
 
 Vilma and Brother Jaume detect the magical aura, but it is strong and they can't "read" the aura. 
 Normal chain shirt 
 Scrolls:  sepia snake sigil  (x2);  see invisibility  
 Composite shortbow [+3 STR] w/ (20) arrows 
 Short Sword 
 (165) gold 
 

So, with Brother Jaume's proffered comment ... the evidence that covers everyone there (except Winter) ... and what seems to be a murdered woman that wasn't robbed (but might be some type of headless undead?) .... what does the party do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will gather the scrolls and stuffs them in his belt. He makes a gesture to the others and then waits.
lostsole31
St. Dorn says to the group,   "Brother Jaume thinks we should take everything."  
silphael
Vilma nods from the entrance.

"  I agree, we take everything.  "
lostsole31
Okay, the group has gathered up everything. Now what?
Blackhawk101
BJ nudges Vilma out into the hallway.
lostsole31
Flair lingers, looking over the notes, and sees the following names called out:
 
 Dorn Krolaeg Blackminer 
 Jaume Pau Brodeur 
 Maeni Llioredn 
 Krisztina Boyka Marquering 
 Gherardo Flaviano Pavesi 
 Jens Ronnie Turnbull 
 

Flairs knows he experienced others, but no matter how hard he tries, he has only vague flashes of others, but nothing fixed .... not even enough of a memory to describe someone not on this list to another, and definitely not their names. If he asks any of the others, everyone else here likewise has the same issue ... fleeting images of others not listed, but not enough to verbalize a description, and definitely not enough to remember names.
silphael
Vilma slowly advances down the corridor.
lostsole31
The rest of the party continues south along the corridor behind Vilma as well. Vilma gets to the next door to the west, which is directly across the hall from the window to the east overlooking the entrance to the manor.

Now what?
silphael
She points at the door.

"  Ready ?  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn looks to Flair,   "Check the door clear from the north side, I'll be on the south to back up Vilma, and when you give the safety-go, whe'll breech. Sound good?"  
digiman619
Flair frowns as he looks on the list. Logically, there was no reason that he shouldn't be able to remember the others. He remembered there being at least two iterations of Briarstone, he remembered losing his crossbow when he dropped it and shifted before he could pick it up. He remembered the fight against the Tatterman and the ritual to pull the asylum out of the Dimension of Dreams. But nothing about the people he fought with except the group at the end. He's pretty sure that some of them died, but he can't recall any of the specifics anymore, and that bothered him. Were they only possible versions and not real people? If do, did that mean that they never could have actually succeeded to get out of the Asylum, as they never really existed? Or were all of them equally possible and their victory 'locked' Flair and his teammates in as the 'real' people? Did they create the universe, or had it molded its history for them? Did that imply that the other iteration failed, or that they succeed and went on to live in their own timeline, creating/molding another universe that was only briefly parallel to ours via the Dimension of Dreams?

Dorn's words shook Flair from his solipsism as he focused on the task at hand. He nodded and moved into position, promising himself to think deeper on the topic when he had the opportunity.
Blackhawk101
BJ grips his staff and waits for the door to open.
lostsole31
Vilma opens the door. This is another bedroom appointed in the same  style as the previous .... sans a vat of vinegar and gruesome corpses.

 Everyone , it definitely sounds like not-that-stealthy folk hiding in the room.

 Begin Round One ... 
 R1T27:  There's the sound of a woman casting from the north side of the door, just inside the room!

 R1T23:  Winter responds by casting a spell of her own on herself. She then moves to the south of the hallway, by St. Dorn. Meanwhile, a little trickle of blood comes down her nose, but that's it.

 R1T21:  A man's voice is heard casting a spell from the south side of the door, just inside the room!

 R1T21:   Brother Jaume , what do you do? The door just opened is adjacent-west of Vilma.
Blackhawk101
BJ will delay until the way is cleared.
lostsole31
 R1T21:  Brother Jaume delays ...

 R1T18:   St. Dorn casts a spell, giving a litany against the wages of sloth, at  the one enemy he can see (to the north). He then moves past Vilma and  into the room. The northern enemy doesn't attack, but the southern does  as a rapier can be seen striking out to catch against the saint's  studded leather briefly. He then jukes south out of view of Vilma but  calls out,   "Vilma, step in five feet so we can flank the man to the south! You'll also be flanked, but you have armor. Focus attacks to south."  
 R1T7:   Flair , what do you do?

Vilma on deck, northern enemy in the hole, Brother Jaume delaying...
digiman619
Flair can't get a good view on anything in the room, so he waits until Vilma moves in so he can get into a better position.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Delay until after Vilma moves.
 
lostsole31
 R1T7:  Flair can't get a good view on anything in the room, so he waits until Vilma moves in so he can get into a better position.

 R1T6:   Vilma , what do you do?

Blue on deck, Winter in the hole, Brother Jaume/ Flair delaying ...
silphael
Vilma steps in, calls Mitani for help, then attempts to bash some skulls.

"  Don't be too slow then !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step W, then using my remaining judgement for destruction (+2 damage), and standard attack on the southern one, with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 13 ]  Potential +2 from flanking
  Damage  - (1d8+9)[ 15 ]  +2 from Destruction judgement

Then I'll use my immediate action on the first attack that's flanking me, for Split Second Defense, making it not flanking me.
 
lostsole31
 R1T6:  Vilma steps in, calls Mltani for help, then attempts to bash some skulls, but completely misses. She calls out, "  Don't be too slow, then!  "

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T27:   Blue, a robed woman to the north that is standing atop a low table  (high ground advantage, but not enough to put her at 5' elevation),  attacks Vilma with her rapier but at the last second Vilma's insight  helps her as she ducks back enough for the rapier to scrape lightly  against her armor.

 R2T23:  Winter moves in and,  while being no acrobat, yet manages to tumble quickly enough to foil any  attacks for her movement. On the downside, she tries concentrating on  and effect and apparently fails as nothing happens.

 R2T21:  The man to the south (Red), attacks Vilma from flanking, but hers is a steel shell of forged protection.

 R2T18:  St. Dorn gives a single strike that hits the man in his lower right arm for  10 .   "Flair, Brother Jaume, fill in!"  
 R2T6:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume/ Flair delaying, Blue on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ grips his staff and moves south in the hallway until adjacent to the door and Vilma. Grimacing at the prospect of moving through a space flanked by two opponents, the intrepid Moneric moves in, following Dorn’s saintly direction. He steps into Vilma’s space and then immediately to the SW putting him next to the male combatant. If able, BJ will attempt to disarm the man with a powerful flick of his staff or if the man is fighting unarmed, swing a NL punch at his head.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move S in the hallway until adjacent to the open door and Vilma. He then moves one square West into Vilma’s square and then five feet to the SW, ending his movement.
SA:try to disarm red opponent. If unarmed, he will strike him with a NL punch strike.
  to disarm  - (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  reduce score by two since powerful maneuvers doesn’t include disarm.
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
  to damage  - (1d8+5)[ 6 ] 
 
digiman619
Flair growled in frustration.   "Winter, I'm gonna shuffle us; get ready"   He then used the power of Obhai to move them around the room, stepping out of danger range once he arrives.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
SA: Use Ethereal Jaunt to move myself and Winter (I can move a number of targets equal to my binder level, and 10 feet from our starting squares. I move one square southwest and one square west (ending where Winter was) and Winter moves one square southwest and one south (ending up on the 'bed').
5 foot step west.
 
lostsole31
 R2T17:  BJ grips his staff and moves south in the hallway until adjacent to the  door and Vilma. Grimacing at the prospect of moving through a space  flanked by two opponents, the intrepid Moneric moves in, following  Dorn’s saintly direction. Blue completely misses him, but Red stabs Brother Jaume in the buttocks as he goes by for  6 .  Brother Jaume then moves out of that dangerous point and southwest to  threaten the man. He then disarms the man with a powerful flick of his  staff, knocking the rapier to the ground.

 R2T16:  Flair growled in frustration as he steps into the doorway to be able to see the porting destinations.   "Winter, I'm gonna shuffle us; get ready."   He then used the power of Obhai to move them around the room, stepping out of danger range once he arrives.

 R2T6:   Vilma , what do you do?

Blue on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Now flanked, Vilma keeps hacking at Red, still standing between both cultists to keep them also in a disadvantageous position.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Attack with Risky Strike on Red.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  flanking not counted.

  Damage  - (1d8+9)[ 11 ]  +2 from destruction judgement not counted.
 
lostsole31
 R1T6:  Now flanked, Vilma keeps hacking at Red, still  standing between both cultists to keep them also in a disadvantageous  position. Her morningstar punctures and bludgeons Red's inner right  elbow for  13  as he gives a yell of pain.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T27:  Blue does a terrible fakeout attempt on Vilma and then clearly misses.

 R2T23:   Winter backs up against the far while taking out her dagger. She begins  another stirring dramatic monologue from a Pharasmin passion play.

 R2T21:  Disarmed of his rapier, Red draws his dagger and thrusts against Vilma's armor, but then steps out of being flanked.

 R2T18:  St. Dorn fills right into the spot vacated by Red. He concentrates and casts a spell on Brother Jaume ...

 R2T17:   Brother Jaume , St. Dorn just gave you a  guidance . You know he gets annoyed if you hoard it "just in case." What do you do?

Flair on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume focuses his wrath on the cultist to the South with a flurry of strikes with his quarterstaff.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

attack red cultist
FAA, Risky Strike, Flurry with a NL punch with stunning fist and then quarterstaff, spend a point of Ki for extra attack.
First attack use guidance.
  to hit  - (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 16 ] 
regular damage
  to hit2  - (1d20+6)[ 7 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d6+12)[ 15 ] 
  to hit3  - (1d20+6)[ 12 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d6+12)[ 14 ] 
 
digiman619
Flair takes a step back and loads his crossbows before firing it again at Blue
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step east
MA:Reload crossbow
SA: Fire at blue  (1d20+4)[ 13 ]   (1d8)[ 4 ] 
If the number on the attack die is between 8 and 14 (for a result of 12-18), roll inspiration  (1d6)[ 3 ] 
So a total of 16 to attack
 
lostsole31
 R2T17:  Brother Jaume focuses his wrath on the cultist  to the South with a flurry of strikes. He punches him in a nerve cluster  in the bicep as it meets the elbow for  17 . The man is  overcome with pain, dropping his dagger, and holding his left hand over  where he was struck. That very human reaction stops the monk's second  attack cold, even having him pause with a bit of vulnerability longer  than necessary before he recovers himself, uses some of his life  essence, and his staff strikes against the man's chain shirt.

 R2T16:  Flair takes a step back and loads his crossbows before firing it again at Blue, but the bolt barely scrapes across her armor.

 R2T6:   Vilma , what do you do?

Blue on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Now that Red is away, Vilma turns toward Blue, still attempting to pummel the cultist to the ground.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Attack with Risky Strike on Blue.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 28 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ]  +2 from Destruction not counted.
 
silphael
 
 Spoiler: Crit rolls 
 (2d6)[ 9 ] 
 (1d20)[ 14 ] Not sure if the second is necessary.
 
lostsole31
 R2T6:  Now that Red is away, Vilma turns toward Blue,  still attempting to pummel the cultist to the ground. Vilma's  morningstar connects solidly with her chest for  20 , briefly knocking the wind out of her.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T27:  Blue concentrates and casts a spell on herself for   9 healing  .

 R3T23:   Winter maintains her monologue, and taking advantage of Red being loopy  right now, she steps up to Brother Jaume and casts a spell on him for   7 healing  , though she didn't use a holy symbol for this healing spell.

 R3T21:  Red is stunned ...

 R3T18:  St. Dorn swings hard at Red, but Red's erratic, swaying movements while stunned confuses the living saint.

 R3T17:  Red recovers from being stunned.  Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Flair on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume twirls his quarterstaff around and slams into the Southern cultist.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA: Risky strike, flurry of blows with staff attacking red cultist ]
  to hit1  - (1d20+6)[ 16 ] 
  to hit1  - (1d6+12)[ 15 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+6)[ 26 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d6+12)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T17:  Brother Jaume twirls his quarterstaff around and  slams into the Southern cultist. The first attack barely clinks along  his chain shirt, but the second is a perfect billiards-type thrust to  the cheset for  19  that is accompanied by a loud crack of the man's sternum as he falls.

 R3T16:   Flair , what do you do? Your crossbow is unloaded.

Vilma on deck, Blue in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair pauses as he brings all of his analytical powers to bear on Blue. In the hubbub he hadn't been able to get a good look at his foes and if there was going to be an easier way than just smacking them, he'd have to find it himself.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
SA: Check-Up on Red (Heal check vs. DC 10 + 1/2 target's HD + their CON). Note that binding Urbo gives Flair a bonus on Heal checks.
MA: Knowledge check against these baddies.
 
lostsole31
 R3T16:  Flair pauses as he brings all of his analytical powers to bear on Blue.  In the hubbub he hadn't been able to get a good look at his foes and if  there was going to be an easier way than just smacking them, he'd have  to find it himself.

 R3T6:   Vilma , what do you do?

Blue on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
As the other cultist falls, Vilma keeps attempting to take down Blue.

"  Last one, let's go !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Swift action to switch judgement to Justice for +1 to attack. Standard action to attack with Risky Strike.
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 16 ] +1 from judgement
  Damage  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T6:  As the other cultist falls, Vilma keeps  attempting to take down Blue, but Blue deflects the morningstar as Vilma  exhorts the others, "  Last one, let's go!  "

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T27:    "Hastur will strike at you through me!"   Blue shrieks while letting loose with a nega-blast. Winter is completely unaffected. Brother Jaume, St. Dorn, &amp; Flair take   3 NE  . Vilma takes   6 NE  .

 R4T23:  Winter continues her dramatic oration as she backs up against the outer wall. She casts a spell directed at the cultist.   "We don't need to hear any more of your accursed mutterings, you nutter."  
 R4T18:   St. Dorn fishhooks around, jumps up on the bed and then off it to come  at the woman from the side of the desk. He swings at her legs, but she  jumps over the attack.

 R4T17:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Flair on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume turns, takes a step North and unleashes a flurry of attacks at the remaining cultist; His face is calm as his fists fly.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Free: five ft step North
FAA: Risky strike, flurry of blows, NL all attacks, first punch :stunning fist
  To hit1  - (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  To hit2  - (1d20+7)[ 17 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
spend ki point for additional attack
  To hit3  - (1d20+7)[ 14 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+9)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T17:  Brother Jaume turns, takes a step North and unleashes a flurry of  attacks at the remaining cultist; His face is calm as his fists fly. His first strike is in her babymaker for  13 NL .  Her body doubles in on itself as she drops her rapier in pain. That  opens up success for Brother Jaume's next fist which nails her right in  the boob for  18 NL . Calling on his ki, he tries to  finish her off but this time her armor saves her from being dropped  outright. For his part, Brother Jaume huffs from the effort of having  spent the last of his ki.

 R4T16:   Flair , what do you do?

Vilma on deck, Blue in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair pauses for a moment. Right this second, there's not a whole lot he can do to help, and the only remaining belligerent is literally backed into a corner. So instead he calmly walks over to the dropped rapier and picks it up, his still-empty crossbow in his dominant hand.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA to walk to the rapier and MA to pick it up. I'm not gonna do much with it (I think I'd be taking TWF penalties if I tried, frankly), but at least it's out of harm's way.
 
lostsole31
 R4T16:  Flair pauses for a moment. Right this second,  there's not a whole lot he  can do to help, and the only remaining belligerent is literally backed  into a corner. So instead he calmly walks over to the dropped rapier  (from Red, because he can't in and reach Blue's which dropped in her  square - on the table) and  picks it up, his still-empty crossbow in his dominant hand.

 R4T6:   Vilma , what do you do?

Blue on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Decided to end it now, Vilma swings her morningstar again toward Blue.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 10 ] +1 from Justice judgement
  Damage  - (1d8+9)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T6:  Deciding to end it now .... again, Vilma swings  her morningstar again toward Blue, but completely misses. Vilma was used  to the woman's agile dance-like maneuvers, and her stunned sway throws  Vilma off.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T27:  Blue is stunned ...

 R5T23:  Winter continues her dramatic monologue, unable to do much else at this time.

 R5T18:  St. Dorn suffers from the same issues as Vilma, though he is more savvy.   "It seems that she has a field up to deflect those of virtue."  
 R5T17:  Blue recovers from being stunned.  Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Flair on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair dropped his empty crossbow and idly flicked his thumb across the rapier's edge   "You know"  , he said, addressing the remaining opponent,   "if you just surrender, we could avoid all this unpleasantness"  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Do a Diplomacy check to try and convince them to surrender. I'm 98% certain this won't, but as I said previously, I've got nothing else to add at the moment.
 
Blackhawk101
BJ twirls the heavy oaken shaft and launches a flurry of accurate strikes at the cultist.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, flurry of blows
  to hit1  - (1d20+8)[ 26 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d6+6)[ 12 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 25 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d6+6)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T17:  BJ twirls the heavy oaken shaft and launches a  flurry of accurate strikes at the cultist. The first strike hits her in  her unprotected right hand for  13 . As she begins to fall foward, the monk's staff hits her straight across the chest to knock her into the wall for  8 . The blow having kept her flopped on the table like a discarded doll.

 R5T16:  Flair dropped his empty crossbow and idly flicked his thumb across the rapier's edge.   "You know"  , he said, addressing the unconscious woman,   "if you just surrender, we could avoid all this unpleasantness."  

It appears that his diplomacy worked, for she has surrendered consciousness!

 Combat Ends ... 
digiman619
Flair looks up to see the cultist slump to the floor before shrugging.   "Or that works too, I guess."   He then leaned the rapier against the wall before retrieving and reloading his crossbow. Once that's done, he'll attempt to check on the vitals of the cultists, suggesting that they gather any who still live back with the others.
lostsole31
  "At this point,"   says St. Dorn,   "we're down to using bedding - of which there is plenty - to use as hog-tie material."  

And with removing weapons, unholy symbols, spell component pouches and any other handle-able gear, St. Dorn (and any else who wish to help) begins tying up the unconscious cultist (she is KO'd, not dead).
Blackhawk101
BJ will help Dorn tie up both cultists in silence.
lostsole31
St. Dorn stops Brother Jaume.   "He is dead, we don't need to tie him up. It seems his heart went into sever myocardial infarction from which he did not recover when you hit him with your staff. It's okay, brother, you defended yourself against evil. Feel the weight of the loss of life, but don't let it mire you in guilt when you gave righteous action."  
Blackhawk101
BJ nods to Dorn sadly. He heads over to examine/search the room.
lostsole31
The group searches the room, and they find a small stash in the drawer in the nightstand. The drawer contains a pouch with the following:
 
 360 gp 
 Three objects yet to ID, but radiate magic: a pearl, a vial with a viscous fluid, and a simple-looking stone. 
 
Blackhawk101
BJ will help the others collect the items and then hoist the unconscious cultist on his shoulder to carry down stairs. He heads back the way they came.
lostsole31
As Brother Jaume gets to the area of the basin just  outside the sitting room, with the rest of the party following, scores of rats come zipping out of various  little holes and cracks and crevices in the walls and baseboards to  swarm over Brother Jaume (and his precious cargo), and St. Dorn.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T21:   Flair , what do you do? Your loaded crossbow is in hand.
digiman619
Flair swears in Infernal as he runs past the rats.   "It's a swarm! Use bludgeoning weapons and area effects if you can and spread apart as much as possible!"   And in spite of his own warning, he fires his crossbow at it, hoping to do some damage despite it going against its harder defenses.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA: Move 30 feet north.
SA: Fire at the Swarm using risky strike.  (1d20+3)[ 9 ]   (1d8+2)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T21:  Flair swears in Infernal as he runs past the  rats, though the end of the hall is 10' shorter than expected (20' from  original).   "It's a swarm! Use bludgeoning weapons and area effects if you can and spread apart as much as possible!"    And in spite of his own warning, he fires his crossbow at it, hoping to  do some damage despite it going against its harder defenses, but his unfocused shot just hits wall.

 R1T17:   Brother Jaume ,  you are currently in moderate encumbrance as you carry the unconscious  cultist woman, and there are rats all about. An arm/hand is needed to  steady the woman, so you can't use your quarterstaff while you hold her.  What do you do?
Blackhawk101
BJ will grit his teeth and make a run for it.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

double move
MA: 15’ to the East, 5 ft NE, 5 ft N, 5 ft West
SA: Move 5 ft West, down the stairs (?), 5ft East into dining room, 5 ft South, 10 ft. West, and 5 ft South if any left.
 
lostsole31
 R1T17:  Brother Jaume grits his teeth and makes a run for it, getting downstairs (off map and out of initiative).

 R1T12:   Vilma , what do you do?
silphael
Vilma walks closer to the swarm, before starting the rats' extermination task.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to move (1N, 1NE (or 2N 1E, which is still a move I can make)), then standard action to attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 13 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+11)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T12:  Vilma walks closer to the swarm, before starting  the rats' extermination task. She finds that she can't turn the corner  because there is a basin there, so has to continue past and into the  midst of the rats before dropping her morningstar, but really only  killing a single rat on a weapon spike.

 R1T11:  St. Dorn steps out of the mass of rats and just north of the doorway to the sitting room and starts smashing with his hammer for  11  to the swarm.

 R1T9:  Winter uses her rarely-used claws as a changeling to tear into the rats, doing  4 .

 R1T8:  The rats surge forward, but the AOOs attempted against them all fail. They then begin to nibble on all three heroes: Flair ( 1 ), Dorn (nothing), Vilma ( 3 ). It's creepy, but none of the heroes are freaked out.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T21:   Flair , unloaded crossbow in hand, but not the best weapon as you are in the midst of rats. What do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ....
digiman619
Flair stomped on the swarming pile of rats before moving south; spreading out as far as possible was key to keep the swarm from overwhelming them.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
SA: Risky Strike melee attack the swarm  (1d20+3)[ 10 ]   (1d6+2)[ 3 ] 
MA: Move south as much as possible; make the swarm have to pick a group of targets instead of getting all of us.
 
lostsole31
 R2T21:  Flair tries to stomp on the swarming pile of  rats before moving south, but ends up just kicking them off his legs. He  then bolts to the south.

 R2T12:   Vilma , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Still more or less trapped in the middle of the rats, Vilma keeps trying to squish them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 28 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+11)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T12:  Still more or less trapped in the middle of the  rats, Vilma keeps trying to squish them. Her big, spiky weapons smashes  down, squashing enough rats that the remainder scatter!

 Combat Ends! 

Now what?
digiman619
Flair nods as Vilma in appreciation to her martial skill.   " Brava ."   He will then turn to the rest of the party.   "Once we drop off our new friend here, everyone who got bit by those things should get the wounds cleaned out; rodents like this might be carrying all sorts of infection that we don't want to catch."  
 
 Spoiler: Translation 
 Remember, Italian has grammatical gender, so it's "Bravo" with the correct feminine variation
 
lostsole31
"Our new friend here" is no longer here, with Brother Jaume having GTFO'd as soon as the rats had shown.
digiman619
Flair realized that he was pointing to someone not currently there (he'd not yet finished his turn when he started), so he simply shrugged and went downstairs to catch up.
lostsole31
St. Dorn looks to Vilma as he uses the basin and sink right there on the second-floor hallway.   "Yech. Rat guts."  

Winter stands by to make sure St. Dorn doesn't wash rat guts off his warhammer alone.

 Vilma , what do you do? Do you wait here for St. Dorn to finish. In fact, do you also wash off your rat-gutted morningstar?
silphael
Slowly nodding at Flair's initial remark, Vilma then joins the rat guts removing team.
lostsole31
 Vilma , roll a Fort save ...
silphael
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Let's roll then !
  Fortitude  - (1d20+5)[ 24 ] 
 
lostsole31
 Surprise Round ... 
 S21:  Vilma feels a sharp pain under her right shoulder, in the armpit where her armor is vulnerable, taking  29 +  1 poison    +  5 bleed  .

 Begin Round One ... 
 R1T22:   Vilma , roll a Fort save vs. poison. You take   5 bleed  .  You can barely stand. Right next to you is a blond woman. You don't  know where she came from, and she is holding a dagger with your blood on  it, blood that flows freely from the artery in your armpit. What do you  do?
silphael
Feeling her blood splattering around, Vilma steps aside, closer to her allies, and quickly heals herself, before putting her shield back on her arm.

"  Some cultist rogue, right there !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step north, then standard action to cast cure light wounds on myself, then move action to recover my shield.

  Healing  - (1d8+4)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T22:  Feeling her blood splattering around, Vilma steps aside, closer to her  allies, and quickly heals herself (which stops the bleeding), before putting her shield back on her  arm. "  Some cultist rogue, right there!  "

 R1T21:    " Rogue ?! Ha! Know that your death comes at the hands of Risi Nairgon,  assassin ."    She takes a little vial out and sucks down its contents. Her pupils  become like that of a feline, she drops her dagger, and steps forward  while drawing her rapier. But instead of just stepping into combat  range, she moves forward and then hops up onto the basin, looking down  and threatening all three of the heroes.

 R1T20:   St. Dorn tried to concentrate on something, but Risi's aggressive  maneuver threw him off. He wasn't actually intoning a spell, but it is  clear he was concentrating.    "Winter, go tell the others what is happening."  
 R1T13:  Winter says,   "Until Vilma healed herself, her life signs were fragile. I have more healing power. You go."   She then concentrates and succeeds in her casting, touching Vilma for   6 healing  .   "I'm sorry it's not more, Vilma. But ... it's been a day."  
 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T22:   Vilma , what do you do?
silphael
Her shield now in place, Vilma swings her not fully cleaned morningstar at the assassin.

"  Call the others, we'll need their help here !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to attack, without Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+7)[ 13 ] 

Phalanx Fighter gives me +2 sacred bonus to AC and saves currently.
 
lostsole31
 R2T22:  Her shield now in place, Vilma swings her not  fully cleaned morningstar at the assassin, pushing past a magical  protection to graze against her clothes, and what seems like fine mesh  link chains underneath. "  Call the others! We'll need their help here.  "

 R2T21:   The assassin gets a sense of the defense of the armored woman who  gathers strength from her friends. She jumps down from the basin, but  far less deftly than when she first went up. Vilma sees an opening and  swings again, but doing no better than before, but St. Dorn gets in a  lucky shot against the woman's belly for  11 . Risi lands and splatters some of the gore in the basin right in Vilma's eyes, blinding her!

 R2T20:  St. Dorn didn't really see what happened to Vilma, and he is footsteps are heard leaving quickly away.

 R2T13:  Winter casts a spell on Vilma for   5 healing  .

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T22:   Vilma , you're blind! What do you do?
silphael
With her forearm, the inquisitor wipes her eyes clean of the gore, before attempting to hit the assassin again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to try to remove the blind condition, standard action to attack without Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 27 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+7)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
 
 Spoiler: Vilma 
 R3T22:  With her forearm, the inquisitor wipes her visor  clean of the gore, but some of it had actually gotten into her eyes.  She desperately attempts to hit the assassin again. She thought she made  a great attack, but in her blindness she connects with nothing. It  isn't until after her attack that she starts to see  again. 
 Spoiler: OOC 
There is no "Hollywood photo op"/ fantasy art  rendering BS in my games for people who wear armors that specify wearing  a helm. But that's not me going "ha, ha, you can't reach your eyes" because action by you doesn't remove the effect of a dirty trick without a special ability...  that's just a notice that if people want to start Hollywooding their  armor, especially to the most vulnerable part of your body, you're going  to take partial armor penalties.
 

 R3T21:   Vilma's eyesight only returns just as the assassin judged it and with  some sneaky swordwork fakes out Vilma and stabs her in the joint  section, this time under her left underarm to pierce  28 ( +5 bleed ) , dropping Vilma instantly from nerve damage and a punctured lung.
 
lostsole31
 R3T20:  St. Dorn speeds into the northern end of the main hall.    "Come quick! Assassin! Vilma was already poorly off, and I don't know if she held out or not!"   
 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T23:   Brother Jaume ,  you had since had time to deposit your unconscious prisoner, and your  staff is in your hand. Do you double move upstairs as quickly as  possible?
Blackhawk101
Face frowning in concern, BJ hustles back upstairs.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

double move back upstairs.
 
lostsole31
 R4T23:  Face frowning in concern, BJ hustles back upstairs, getting to just above the bottom stairs from the kitchen.

 R4T21:  Risi picks up and puts away her dagger.

 R4T20:  St. Dorn double moves out, knowing Brother Jaume needs the light, and bypasses Brother Jaume by 10' up the stairs.

 R4T13:  Winter comes around the corner and passes St. Dorn to look at him and down the stairs at Brother Jaume.   "I  channeled energy to stop her bleeding, but Vilma's down. I think the  assassin started out invisibly. I don't know if she's chasing me or  finishing off Vilma."  
 R4T7:   Flair , Kris is down here on prisoner watch, and everyone else has gone back upstairs. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck.....
digiman619
Flair runs back towards the stairs, cursing himself for not reloading it earlier. Clumsily getting the bolt into place, he continues his charge upward to defend his teammate.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Mechanically, what will happen is Flair will spend a move action to get to the stairs, drawing his crossbow as part of that action. He will then spend a second move action standing completely still and reloading it.
I'd rather this be described as trying to reload while moving (and the split focus slowing him down), if at all possible, though
 
lostsole31
 R4T7:  Flair runs back towards the stairs, cursing himself for not reloading it  earlier. Clumsily getting the bolt into place, he continues his charge  upward to defend his teammate.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T23:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume nods to winter and rushes past Dorn through the Starfish vampire room and into the hallway.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: complete going up the stairs onto the second level(10 ft of movement). Turn East an go 15 ft. Turn South and go 15ft. (End first move action).
2nd move action: Turn West and Move 15 ft. Into the hallway. Assess what is happening. If the assassin is still there, move to threaten her square if possible.
 
lostsole31
 R5T23:  Brother Jaume nods to winter and rushes past  Dorn through the Starfish vampire room and into the hallway. Because of  going up the stairs and Vilma's prone body, he didn't quite have enough  to get adjacent to the blond woman, but he sees her now, a rapier and  dagger in her hands. She puts the dagger away, and with a clean  movement, takes a little tiny pouch out of her belt and wipes the tip of  her rapier with some icky-looking fluid. Then she looks at Brother  Jaume and smiles.

 R5T20-13:  St. Dorn and Winter hustle in right next to Brother Jaume. St. Dorn says,   "It won't do for us to engage her singly in the hallway. That's what she wants from us."  

The blond assassin smiles and nods to St. Dorn in amused consent.

 R5T7:   Flair , loaded crossbow in hand. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Risi Nairgon in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair continues to swear as he gets into position.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Double move to get into position, though I intend to stay at least 20 feet away if possible.
 
lostsole31
 R5T7:  Flair continues to swear as he gets into position. He is still on the stairs by the time he is done a hustle.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T23:   Brother Jaume ,  what do you do? It should be noted that the light is coming from St.  Dorn's warhammer, as the light that was on your quarterstaff hasn't been  there in a little bit.

Risi on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ drops his staff and grabs Vilma’s body and drags it to the space behind Dorn. He will maintain his starting position or return to it.
lostsole31
 R6T23:  BJ drops his staff and grabs Vilma’s body and  drags it into his own space, the farthest he can go as her body, armor,  and gear is much heavier than Brother Jaume can easily handle.

 R6T21:  The woman steps up to Brother Jaume and double-finger pokes at Brother Jaume, but St. Dorn briefly steps in the way and gets blinded instead! Though blind, he smiles beatifically.

 R6T20:  Having heroically allowed himself to be blinded, he concentrates on something carefully. but maintains his position.

 R6T13:  Winter heaves and drags Vilma into the corner.

 R6T7:   Flair , what do you do? Remember that going up stairs is double movement. It's also dark now where you are, so that doubles movement again.

Brother Jaume on deck, Risi in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair continues his trek to aid his trouble prone friends, doing his best to not trip in the darkness.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Pretty much the same as last turn; move as much as I can safely. If after one move action I have eyes on the target, I will shoot it with my crossbow. If not, double move; making sure to stop no closer than 20 feet from the assassin
 
lostsole31
 R6T7:  Flair continues his trek to aid his trouble prone  friends, doing his best to not trip in the darkness. You don't get very  far as getting up the stairs in the dark is difficult, but by the end  you are looking down the stairwell hallway into the sitting room where a  few candles are burning.

 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T23:   Brother Jaume ,  quarterstaff is dropped. St. Dorn has been blinded, though likely only  temporarily. Vilma has been dragged out of the way. What do you do?

Risi on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume glares at the assassin and attempts to grab her with his meaty hands.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: attempt a grapple
 (1d20+8)[ 19 ]     +2 unarmed combatant, +1 Dedicated Defender trait
MA: none
 
lostsole31
 R7T23:  Brother Jaume glares at the assassin and  attempts to grab her with his meaty hands. It isn't a complete failure  as he tussles with her, but she manages to evade his grasp.

 R7T21:   She seems confused as she is poised to attack the vulnerable and blind  older man, but she resets and focuses on Brother Jaume instead. She  gives him a painful poke to his left upper arm for  18 +  1 poison     + pain effect  . 
 Spoiler: Brother  Jaume 
Though technically you do not have the staggered condition, the  effect is the same as you will only be able to use a MA or a SA on your  next round.
 
She then steps back a little.

 R7T20:  St. Dorn asks,   "Did she try to attack me? or, did it look like she wanted to, but didn't?"  

Winter answers,   "Yes."  
  "Good,"   says St. Dorn.   "She still there?"  
  "No."  

St. Dorn just steps into the area once held by the assassin.

 R7T13:    " Sanctuary ?"   asks Winter.

  "Yup ... grace."  
  "  I didn't see you cast.   Probably the best use of that I've seen,"   Winter continues, and then shouts,    "Flair! We're in the hallway if you hear us! Vilma still down, St. Dorn is blinded."   

Winter, who never let go of Vilma, continues to move and drag her.

 R7T7:   Flair , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Risi in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair rushes to the aid of his teammates, hoping that he won't be too late to help.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Third verse, same as the first. Move up. If a single move action is enough to get him within 30 feet of his obviously wounded allies, he'll channel positive energy. Otherwise, he'll take a second move action, getting closer (but not within 20 feet of a visible enemy).
 
lostsole31
 R7T7:  Flair rushes to the aid of his teammates, hoping  that he won't be too late to help. Flair turns the corner and only has  to move a total of 15' before he sees all party members, all within 30',  not including the bad guy. Winter is in the middle of slowing dragging  Vilma towards the sitting room. Flair lets loose with a healing burst of    8   to those that need it, fully healing himself and St. Dorn, and bringing Vilma to consciousness.

 End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T23:   Brother Jaume , you know that St. Dorn's  sanctuary   will only keep the assassin at bay if she doesn't try to tumble past  him, but otherwise offers a breath of peace for a second. Vilma just  awoke, though is still prone, and her morningstar is under St. Dorn's  feet (and glowing). What do you do? Remember, your pain is such that you may only take a SA or MA this round.

In addition, roll a Fort save vs. poison!

Vilma on deck, Risi in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Grimacing with the pain, the stout moneric attempts to hop up onto the table in the hallway; hopefully bringing attacks to bear on their assailant and depriving her of the height advantage.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: attempt an athletics check to hop onto the table to the SE.
 
lostsole31
 R8T23:  Grimacing with the pain, the stout moneric hops  up onto the  basin counter in the hallway; hopefully bringing attacks to  bear on their  assailant and depriving her of the height advantage.

 R8T22:   Vilma , you are prone.  Your shield is readied on your arm, but your morningstar lies on the  floor by St. Dorn. You are not threatened by the enemy. What do you do?

Risi on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma grabs her weapon, and stands back up.
lostsole31
 R8T22:  Vilma grabs her weapon and stands back up.

 R8T21:   Risi steps away from the annoyingly protected older man and the man she  can't possibly beat - because the latter has the high ground. In one  smooth motion she takes something from her belt and downs it, just as  St. Dorn recovers his sight.

 R8T20:  St. Dorn feels for Brother Jaume's staff to pick it up, handing it in the direction of the clonk.

 R8T13:  Winter, like Flair, lets loose positive energy from her body without need of a holy symbol, providing upwards of   7 healing   to Brother Jaume and Vilma.

 R8T7:   Flair , you have a loaded crossbow in hand. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
digiman619
Flair moves into the hallway, his crossbow trained at the assassin, steadying himself should she make hostile action against the party.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA:Move 20 feet to be in the 'corner' between Dorn and Vilma.
SA: Ready an attack against the assassin if they make an attack against a member of the party.
FrA:Do the whole assessment thing.
 
lostsole31
 R8T7:  Flair moves into the hallway, his crossbow trained at the assassin,  steadying himself should she make hostile action against the party.

 End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T23:   Brother Jaume ,  what do you do? The assassin is out of reach, you are standing on a  basin counter, and St. Dorn is handing you your staff (MA to take).

Vilma on deck, Risi in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grins fiercely and then leaps of the table and rushes towards the assassin and through her, to end his movement directly behind her.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA+ SA: overrun maneuver plus move action
Move SW 5ft. Then 10 ft South
overrun:  (1d20+8)[ 11 ]  +2 for powerful maneuvers
 
lostsole31
 R9T23:  Brother Jaume grins fiercely and then leaps off  the table ... badly ... but somehow manages to keep his feet. Wildly  off-balance, his attempt to overrun the assassin merely serves to help  him prop himself up into a more steady stance.

 R9T22:   Vilma , what do you do?

Risi on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ..
silphael
Vilma takes out her mutagen, and drinks it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Well, mutagen for strength bonus, basically.
 
lostsole31
 R9T22:  Vilma drops her morningstar so she can have a  hand free to take out her mutagen and suck it down. Her muscles swell  and distend, pressing her armor's bindings to the limit even as her mind  begins to fog over a little.

 R9T21:  Risi takes  out a hand crossbow while stepping back and aims at Brother Jaume.  Flair's shot goes off, but misses. Her shot likewise goes off at Brother  Jaume, but he swats the bolt aside.

 R9T20:  St. Dorn puts away his hammer and puts a hand on Brother Jaume for   2 healing  .

 R9T13:  Winter channels again for   8 healing   to Brother Jaume and Vilma.

 End Round 9, Begin Round 10 ...

R10T23:   Brother Jaume , St. Dorn still has your staff. What do you do?

Vilma on deck, Flair in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume tries to overrun his adversary again now that he has better footing.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA+SA: move South 15 ft, maneuver as part of the move action: Overrun
 (1d20+8)[ 16 ]  +2 from powerful maneuvers
 
lostsole31
 R10T23:  Brother Jaume tries to overrun his adversary again now that he has better footing, but she manages to hold him off.

 R10T22:   Vilma , what do you do? Your morningstar is on the ground at your feet.

Flair on deck, Risi in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma grabs her weapon, and steps forward.

"  I'm not sure you can keep fighting her that way !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to recover my weapon, and 5 foot step S.
 
digiman619
Flair yells at his teammates as he reloads his crossbow.   "Moving us back!"   he shouts, once again using his teleportative ability, though this time he displaces all of his teammates. He then steps into a towards the room; better to face her there than in a narrow hallway.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA: Reload crossbow
SA: Use  genie jaunt , Obhai's major power. I can move up to my binder level of people 10 feet, so here's the movements:
Winter: 1 East, 1 North
Vilma: 2 East
Dorn: 1 NE, 1 E (to Winter's previous location)
Jaume: 2 N (to Dorn's previous location)
5 foot step East (to Vilma's previous location)
 
lostsole31
 R10T22:  Vilma grabs her weapon. "  I'm not sure you can keep fighting her that way!  "

 R10T21.5:  Flair yells at his teammates as he reloads his crossbow.   "Moving us back!"   he  shouts, once again using his teleportative ability, though this time he  displaces all of his teammates. He then steps into a towards the room;  better to face her there than in a narrow hallway.

 R11T21:  Risi drops her rapier, steps forward, reloads her hand crossbow, and shoots past the monk to hit Flair for  9 +  1 poison  .

 R10T20:    "That's it, my sanctuary is done,"   says St. Dorn. He then prays for a battle spell for himself as he heads back into the hallway behind Brother Jaume.   "Your staff, sir, or I drop it."  
 R10T13:  Winter gives another burst that fully heals Brother Jaume and Flair, and gives   11 healing   to Vilma.

 End Round 10, Begin Round 11 ...

R11T23:   Brother Jaume , do you take your staff from St. Dorn or not (MA), because otherwise he says he's just going to drop it. What do you do?

Vilma on deck, Flair in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
The intrepid moneric shakes his head negative before charging towards the assassin again.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

attempt an overrun maneuver as part of a move action.
MA: move 15 feet south
SA: attempt to overrun his opponent
 (1d20+8)[ 22 ]  plus 2 from powerful maneuvers
 
lostsole31
 R11T23:  The intrepid moneric shakes his head negative  before charging towards the assassin again. It is quite the tussle, and  Brother Jaume is barely thrown off.

 R11T22:   Vilma , what do you do?

Flair on deck, Risi in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma gets ready for more trouble.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll take a 5 foot step S, then ready an attack if she arrives in melee reach.
 
digiman619
Flair swore at the monk, as he was doing the exact opposite of what he was told.   " Tu denso cazzo di madre,  fall back!"   He then, continuing to swear, moved behind the monk, as if to start to pull him back himself. He instead reached over the man's shoulder to punch the assassin, as it was a better option than accidentally shooting Jaume in the back due to his horrible positioning
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step/MA to get behind Jaume
SA: Use my Pugnacious trait to increase my reach for one attack. If the dice is an 8-16, spend inspiration and Daring Exploit on it (1d20+4)[ 22 ]   (1d6)[ 5 ]   (1d6)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T22:  Vilma gets ready for more trouble.

 R11T21.5:  Flair swears at the monk, as he was doing the exact opposite of what he was told,   " Tu denso cazzo di madre,  fall back!"  

That swear seems to come back at him with karma as the poison in the system to cause him to take   1 poison + weakened  . Continuing to swear, he moves behind the monk as if to start to  pull him back himself. Instead, he reaches over the man's shoulder to  punch the assassin, as it was a better option than accidentally shooting  Jaume in the back due to his horrible positioning. His fist bounces off of unseen magical protection.

 R11T21:   Risi steps back to where her rapier is and reloads. She shifts her feet  when she shoots, and her own rapier underfoot causes her stance to  shoot well into the ceiling.

 R11T20:  St. Dorn  moves into the sitting room with the others while getting out his  hammer, drops Brother Jaume's staff, and gets ready to hit her with his  hammer should she come in.

 R11T13:  Winter delays ...

 End Round 11, Begin Round 12 ...

R12T23:   Brother Jaume, St. Dorn took your staff into the next room. With his  hammer leaving, so did the light and you are in darkness. What do you  do?

Vilma on deck, Flair in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume does not move.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

delay
 
lostsole31
 R12T23:  Brother Jaume does not move.

 R12T22:   Vilma, your readied action didn't occur. What do you do?

Flair on deck, Risi in the hole ...
silphael
"  Come over here !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Vilma delays as well.
 
digiman619
Flair continues to swear at the stubborn monk, touching his shoulder before falling back a few feet.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Use Urbo's major granted power to give him 4 temporary HP.
MA: move to the north. I intend to channel energy to him next round, and we've had this "finessing where the edge of the channel burst" bit was before, so I'm asking for you not to "Gotcha!" me and put me so Jaume is currently just on the edge channel burst range, especially since there's nothing in the way of that maneuvering (as far as Flair is aware of, at least)
 
.
Blackhawk101
BJ moves past Flair and into the room to the East with the rest of the party. He picks up his staff and nods to St. Dorn.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move North 10 ft and East 10 ft. I cannot tell where Dorn dropped the staff but if it is in Dorn’s square move 5 ft North and pick it up. Otherwise move to the staff directly and ready to pick up if BJ is in a legal place.
SA: pick up quarterstaff
 
lostsole31
 R12T22:   "  Come over here!  "  shouts Vilma.

 R12T21.5:   Flair resists the remainder of whatever poison was affecting him. He  continues to swear at the stubborn monk, touching his shoulder before  falling back a few feet to the shuttered window to the north. He doesn't  see Brother Jaume (or the assassin) anymore ... of course, he was only  lucky to touch Brother Jaume in the darkness as it was.

 R12T21:  The assassin cannot be seen by those in the hallway.

 R12T20:  St. Dorn re-readies ....

 End Round 12, Begin Round 13 ...

R13T23:  Brother Jaume moves out of the darkness and into the sitting room, picking up his staff, and nodding to St. Dorn.

 R13T21.5:   Flair , you are the last one in the dark hallway, light only just barely spilling in from your allies. What do you do?

Risi on deck, St. Dorn in the hole, Vilma/ Winter delaying ...
digiman619
Rather than leave himself as a target, Flair rushes back into the room, readying himself to strike back at the assassin should she reveal herself.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
MA to get into the room with my allies.
I don't recall at the moment if my crossbow is loaded or not. If it is, ready an action to fire at the assassin if she comes into visual range. If it isn't, reload my crossbow.
 
lostsole31
 R13T21.5:  Rather than leave himself as a target, Flair rushes back into the room,  readying himself to strike back at the assassin should she reveal  herself.

 R13T21:  ...

 R13T20:  St. Dorn re-readies....

 End Round 13, Begin Round 14 ...

R14T23:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Flair on deck, Risi in the hole?, Vilma/ Winter delaying ....
Blackhawk101
BJ attempts to hop onto the table to his South. Whether or not he is successful, he readies himself.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: jump up to the south
SA: BJ readies an attack with his fist should the assassin enter his threatened area. NL damage. No sauce.
  to hit  - (1d20+9)[ 17 ] 
  to damage  - (1d8+5)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R14T23:  Brother Jaume hops onto the bureau to the south and readies himself.

 R14T21.5:   Flair , your readied action did not go off. What do you do?

Risi on deck? St. Dorn in the hole, Vilma/ Winter delaying ...
lostsole31
 R14T21.5:  Flair simply resets his readied action to attack the assassin if she comes into view.

 R14T20:  St. Dorn resets his readied action...

 End Round 14, Begin Round 15 ...

  R15T23:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Vilma on deck, Flair in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume waits; ready to act.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

BJ will ready an action to strike the assassin is she appears.
 
lostsole31
And now, with everyone readied (and re-readying) and delaying ... several, several seconds pass.

Does anyone break the standoff because you're impatient, or do you maintain taut vigilance?
digiman619
Flair keeps his crossbow aimed. It wouldn't be the first time that an enemy went invisible and left him hanging for a few minutes before it was apparent that they were gone.
lostsole31
About 20 seconds go by. Flair feels both of his vestige major abilities  return. Vilma, with her shield readied, moves just out into the corridor  to block the doorway and protect her friends.  Yet another taut fifteen  seconds go by...

 Flair , roll a Fort save. You are unaware  of the danger and cannot choose to respond with an ability which you must invoke, which is  not  the same as "not knowing what the save is  for." You cannot use your Deductive Leap for this saving throw.
digiman619
 
 Spoiler: Fort Save 
Extra text!
 (1d20+4)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 Suprise Round:  There is a ruffling sort of thump behind the party.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T25:   More movement, and sounds like someone drinking something, with the  faint tinkle of a tiny glass vial dropped and breaking on the floor.   " Now  I'm ready for the lot of you,"   says the assassin's voice.

 R1T20:   Vilma   you spin to look into the sitting room. In addition to your standing  (and still gobsmacked) party members, Flair is face down on the rug.  There is a pool of blood fast spreading outwards from his head. What do  you do?
silphael
Vilma looks around, trying to find the broken glass, before advancing to try to protect who she still can.

 
 Spoiler 
Since some glass broke, there should be shard somewhere ? Then moving 1E 1SE, and readying an attack if I get a glimpse of her presence within my threatened area. (and I still haven't recovered my morningstar)

  Attack in case  - (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
  Damage  - (1d4+6)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T20:  Vilma looks around, trying to find the broken  glass, and sees some just north of where Flair lays. She then advances  to try to protect who she still can.

 R1T19:   Winter backs into the corner after she turns and sees Flair. She doesn't  have to check his body, for a spell from Pharasma that has been running  for many minutes still tells her what she now tells you.   "Flair is dead. Not dying .... dead."  
 R1T12:   St Dorn turns and looks at Flair and the noise, then listens to Winter.  With a grimly set jaw, he steps over to the sitting room door to the  hallway .... and shuts it. He then turns around.

 R1T8:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Vilma on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Hearing the glass break and Flair fall, Brother Jaume leaps from his perch on one table to the larger central table; his bare legs and fluttering robe passing close to Vilma as he leaps past her. Landing with a thump, his muscles bunch and ripple as his form grows large. He readies to swing at the assassin should he detect her.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA:five foot jump to the East
SwA:enlarge. Expand to fill the table.
SA: ready an action to swing staff at assassin if he detects her location.
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T8:  Hearing the glass break and Flair fall, Brother  Jaume tries to leap from his perch on the bureau to the larger central  table, but falls ... his bare legs and fluttering robe passing close to  Vilma as he lands prone on the ground to the south of her. Landing with a  thump (and  1 damage ), his muscles are sore as he the stands up, abashed.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

  R2T20:   Vilma , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma moves to where the glass shards are, then keeps looking around there, especially down the stairs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 1N, 1 NE, 1N, and looking around.
 
lostsole31
 R2T20:  Vilma moves to where the glass  shards are, and in doing so finds the assassin and goes right up to her.    "Here!"   shouts Vilma furiously as her morningstar clobbers the assassin  in the head for  13 .

 R2T19:  Winter vaults over Flair's body and deals with the mess of the star vampire to come up next to Vilma, dagger in hand.   "You like to kill? See what the stillness of death is like for yourself!"   she  says, tears forming in her eyes as she concentrates on something. A  pale energy surrounds her open hand and she tries to touch the assassin,  but Risi is too quick for her.

 R2T12:  Just as  St. Dorn's battle spell falters on himself, he is called again to it.  St. Dorn hops up onto the table and throws a Hail, Milani! pass as he  casts a spell and then shouts.   "Stop fighting!  Everyone stop fighting so as not to break the charm ... just in case it  caught hold. Risi Nairgon, hurt no other person. I seek parley."  
 R2T8:   Brother Jaume , the boon Flair gave you before finally fades. What do you do?

Risi on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will move up next to Winter; ready for whatever happens.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: double move.  15’ North, 15’ East (costs 30’ difficult terrain), 5’ N, 5’ NW.
 
lostsole31
 R2T8:  Brother Jaume will move up next to Winter; ready for whatever happens.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T25:    "What do you want, old man?"   Risi calls out to the man standing on the table while she is seemingly ready to cause harm.   "You  and your friends made a nuisance here, and I've been asked to  assassinate you. Maybe I let an old chowderhead like you go, and I'd be  fine with that if go you did ... from Thrushmoor, and bother no more  about this place. Just you, though. Your metal-skinned bitch here is  gonna' die for hitting me like that."  
 R3T20:   Vilma , what do you do? Do you delay, ready, or act?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
"  You stay there for now !  "

She readies an attack in case Risi is faking her parleys.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to ready an attack in case Risi does anything else than talking.
 
lostsole31
 R3T20:  "  You stay there for now!  " Vilma snarls as she readies an attack in case Risi is faking her parley.

 R3T19:  Winter delays ...

 R3T12:    "Let me put it to you another way,"   says St. Dorn.   "You  have killed one of ours. Individually, you are more capable than any  single one of us. But you have two clerics, an inquisitor, and a saint  of good gods. We have the ability to consistently heal each other at a  rate that outstrips your ability to harm. You may kill another one, or  even two of us. But in the end you will be killed, and there are those  of us who will still survive. Is your mission to kill as many as  possible before dying yourself? If so, then continue to fight. But if  not, then take your win of one dead and be gone from here with your life  intact, and the rest of us with ours."  
 R3T8:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Risi on deck, Vilma in the hole, Winter delaying ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume readies to act if the assassin attacks.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

ready an action to attack if the Assassin makes a hostile move
NL punch, no sauce
  to hit  - (1d20+9)[ 27 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+5)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T8:  Brother Jaume readies to act if the assassin attacks.

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T26-25:  Risi takes a few long seconds to consider St. Dorn's words, and then says,   "Agreed! I have killed one in Hastur's name, and Melisenn will be happy for it."  

She  then withdraws - but not before Vilma attempts a clumsy attack against  her - and then down and around the end of the hallway, and you hear her  footsteps fast moving downstairs.

 R4T19:  Winter drops her effect and immediately kneels down and tends to Flair.

 R4T12:  St. Dorn says,   "I  will make sure she heads out. Vilma, just let her go. Don't attack  again or we risk losing the charm, and everyone is in peril for want of  blood."   He then heads downstairs.

 R4T8:   Brother Jaume , what do you do? The light just went away, so only wan candlelight from the various tables and bureaus is in this room, but Winter is trying to look over Flair's body in this dim light.

Vilma on deck, Risi in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume watches the assassin leave and then forlornly helps Winter with Flair.
lostsole31
Vilma, what are your intentions?
silphael
"  We might see her again. Or not. Which might be an issue, but good enough for now, I hope.  "

She doesn't seem intent to follow for now.
lostsole31
St. Dorn will come up, bringing his light with him, a minute later saying,   "She left out the pantry door, and I locked it behind her, for whatever good that will do. Watched her go across the field until from angles I lost her, but she was heading towards the gatehouse."  

With the party's help, Flair's body is actually lifted and placed on the table for ease of autopsy. After several minutes, backed up by Brother Jaume (who could only just helpfully point), Winter informs the party,   "Flair was killed in a single stab of a long, piercing weapon that increases width slightly ... in line with the assasin's rapier. The puncture struck him in the lower brain stem that influences autonomic systems - life systems, basically - and caused what is known as 'plastic paralsysis' .... basically, all electrical signals to the rest of the body instantly stop, including the contractions needed for muscular control to stand or grip. The rapier continued through several parts of the main bulk of the brain and out through his right eye ... the one that glowed. As quickly as the rapier went in, it was withdrawn.  Flair was dead before he hit the floor. He never saw the attack, and likely never even felt it, so he didn't suffer."  
  "I recommend for now,"   says St. Dorn sullenly,   "that we bring Jens' body up here to lie next to Flair until we can bury both properly. The star vampire is too big to move, so it seems that this room is going to be body-central for now."  

He then goes to Vilma, laying a hand on her for only   1 healing   and sighs.

St. Dorn looks to Brother Jaume,   "My friend, if you can understand me ... Vilma is still appreciably wounded. Can you heal her? My healing is for emergencies, and doesn't come close to what you can do. Winter already told me she was exhausted."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume just shakes his head in frustration. He grabs his head as if in dire pain and then grasps his throat with both hands. He looks to St. Dorn and Winter imploringly.
lostsole31
  "Time,"   says Winter.   "If we had the luxury, I could give you proper psychoanalysis to help you get past this block, and even help you face past trauma to overcome the cumulative effects as well."  

Jens' body is brought up and lain next to Flair's on the table upstairs, and useful items that Flair had are removed. Winter casts  gentle repose  on Flair's body, as she had done yesternight with Jens corpse.    "There. Now I am all out of spells for the day."  

St. Dorn goes to the SE corner of the sitting room and picks up a silver dagger and then gives it to Brother Jaume.   "It's been sitting there all day. Be careful of leaving your things around, this dagger is important to you for five benefits you otherwise don't have ... it's high quality; it's silver; it cuts; it stabs; and it's a damn useful tool."  

St. Dorn looks to the others.   "With Winter out of her magic .... me out of most of mine ... Brother Jaume using all-a his channels ... Vilma, I don't know how you're doing, but I don't think even psychologically with the loss of Flair, let alone our current resources, it would be a good idea to continue. All in favor for calling it a day, raise your hand or say, 'Aye?'"  
Blackhawk101
BJ raises his hand wearily.
lostsole31
Winter raises her hand, and now everyone looks at Vilma.
silphael
She nods.

"  I still have enough resources to fight during the night if needed, but not really more than that, so yeah, we should rest.  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn respectfully verifies the sitting room's western door is shut, and the party leaves Jens and Flair and goes downstairs to the main hall where Kris is watching over the prisoners.  The job of prepping the meal for selves and prisoners is done, though that makes for a cold meal. It boggles the mind why the main room to the north is just a dining room, and nothing else around seems to be a kitchen thus far.

Once the group has helped Kris feed the prisoners and eaten what they can for themselves, the party doesn't do any interpersonal cross-training, but rather beds down, hoping that Kris' alertness and the barricades hold against any other intrusion.

 
  
  Sunday, 8 Lamashan 4716 AR (First Quarter) 
Weather: 50/ 30 F. Winds S 5 mph. Dry. Wind Chill: 45 / 25 F.    
 
It's chilly, but insulated, in the great hall, and it promises to be a slightly warmer day today.

 Brother Jaume  and  Vilma , do you do anything different for your dailies? Also, do you reprepare anything that is NOT included in dailies, but is a limited resource (such as mutagen)?
silphael
Vilma prepares her mutagen.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will take a spare cloak or blanket if one is available in his size (or robe with mystical symbols from party treasure) to keep warm as he goes outside. He will return in one hour and takes his staff with him.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

BJ will see if he can find a cloak, blanket or robe he can wear over his current clothes before heading outside to pray silently. If he fails to find anything appropriate, he will go as is.
 
silphael
Vilma looks up the stairs.

"  We've got stuff to finish up there anyway, and we need to make it quick now, given our remaining food.  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn nods and says,   "I agree that speed is our friend, but so is communication. I think we should inform Ms. Wrentz of our progress and the loss of another of our number."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume nods his head and points to St. Dorn.
lostsole31
Winter interrupts,   "Yes, okay ... I know you are working for the Agency as contractors, I get it. But more important than that .... Vilma, you are still wounded from yesterday. And Brother Jaume really needs me to take a day with him to try to help him get back to connecting with language. To ask that he put his life on the line, and yours by extension, when his ability to heal or support through his own faith is pretty rough. I'm sorry, but I think we need to take a day. St. Dorn and Vilma to talk with Ms. Wrentz while Vilma heals, and I to have a couple sessions today with Brother Jaume."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume appears contemplative and then nods reluctantly and points to Winter.
lostsole31
St. Dorn nods and looks to Vilma.   "Coming to see Ms. Wrentz with me?"  
silphael
She nods.

"  Let's go, even if I probably shouldn't be your first option to talk with law enforcers.  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn and Vilma head off to see Ms. Wrentz at the Sleepless Detective Agency.
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz sits there in complete stillness and control with her teacup and saucer in hand, unmoving for at least thirty seconds, which seems like an eternity to St. Dorn and Vilma after they imparted to her their story and the report of Flair's death.

She calls in her assistant and confers quietly with her before her assistant walks out and she turns around, putting empty teacup onto saucer onto mobile tea service.

She looks at Vilma, possibly disapprovingly, it's hard to tell, but definitely with no ounce of smile or cheer. Then, she turns to St. Dorn, and notes the disheveled nature of the old man in his cassock and beaten light armor. Finally, she speaks.
  
"Thrushmoor no longer functions as a proper town. The lord's manor is a war zone with strangeness and death. Fort Hailcourse is unreliable, and should have been your primary. Many prisoners are on hand, but among your number are those who refuse to do what cannot be done when there are not enough resources and the town is - though they don't know it - on a war footing.

"I am taking over the investigation."  
silphael
"  If the town is on the edge of war, since those are prisoners, I don't see how it's making things any easier. What, you're planning to execute prisoners of war ? Anyway, if you want to join, good. Though right now investigative talent is unlikely to really make the exploration of both places any easier.  "
lostsole31
  "I've had time to think about our 'moral quandry, so I have a proposition,"   Ms. Wrentz begins.   "We don't have the facilities for proper internment, and turned over to the authorities they simply get hung. How about ... each day ... we go in and take one of the prisoners. Somberly, almost as if it is to be an interrogation-execution detail. Once we have the prisoner-of-the-day well away from Iris Hill Manor, we take them to the edge of town, give them a day of bread, and tell them to leave town under pain of death. They have a fighting chance. Without fellow prisoners, they are less likely to return to Iris Hill, and their own fear and paranoia propels them down the road. If they return, however, no more dithering. They are put to death. They were shown mercy and scoffed at it."  
silphael
She nods.

"  I was considering it as well. And from what I heard about this countryside, adding a few cannibals won't really make things worse, so yeah, let's do this.  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn nods as well,   "As good a solution as anything, Ms. Wrentz."  

He shifts in his seat while he takes a spoon to mix the honey into his tea a little more.   "Now, you say you are taking over the investigation. Which since we were subcontracted to you, seems perfectly fine. And as a local person of means, if someone outside should come to this hate-encrusted town you would likely be received better. But what did you have in mind when you say 'taking over the investigation.' Are you asking my group to remove themselves? .... Is this a subtle way of having our employment terminated?"
  
Ms. Wrentz shakes her head only as much as possibly needed to convey the negative, a picture of efficiency in bodily movement.   "I have a partnered team just returned from an investigation abroad, in addition to a few investigators in town that I've asked to hold on taking any new cases, as I admit I saw something like this happening within the realm of possibility. My investigators will assist you in the processing, feeding, and watching of the prisoners so the talents of your more experienced people are not taken from the task at hand. Though, allow me to inform you now the two investigators going with you are quite senior in the agency and are no slouches.

"Then, once we have your full group together .... outside of any that are on prisoner detail ... we shall discuss everything discovered and determine the best means of moving forward. I am not a friend of the sunk-cost fallacy just because of death, and I do not wish for your tea to dogger on if doing so is not in the best interest of the investigation. Agreed?"
  
 St. Dorn , who obviously seems to like the plan, tries to hold his consent (though Vilma sees it plainly) as he looks to Vilma so as not to pre-empt her.

Vilma, what do you say?
silphael
She nods.

"  That sounds good.  "
lostsole31
  "Alright, here's what we need to do,"   she begins.   "Relinquish your current spot at Iris Hill and fall back to New Chapel with Ms. Klasczka's patients. There's room and open area enough to segregate the prisoners. That will probably be much easier to watch them than in a mid-siege mentality at the manor and without having to worry about placement and furniture.  I'll send some of our junior detes over to act as guards in the interim, and then your lot can come back to me and we can discuss what to do further.

"You might come back to the Manor, but it isn't a tactical imperative right now. Let it go for now."  
silphael
"  I'll go gather them, then. Let's hope that assassin left as was discussed.  "
lostsole31
And with that, the group makes it back to Iris Hill Manor with a handful of junior detectives to help.

Brother Jaume and Winter may now interact.

Ms. Wrentz says,   "In the meantime, two of my very best detectives ... celebrated from  Caliphas to the Palatinates for being the non-pareil of mystery-solving  and troubleshooting ... the epitome of discretion where needed, and  flair when desired .... Special Detectives Goleri and Emerov will be the  two joining us. I have every confidence that once they catch up with us, our problems in Thrushmoor will be untangled and laid bare for dispatchment!"  
DrK
 Winter 

Winter sits on a plush chair opposite Brother Jaume.   ”Concentrate once more. Try and make a song, singing comes more easily than speech for many with aphasia or similar issues. Come now, start with a hum.”   She starts humming gently, her voice melodious and forming an easy and slightly jaunty tune as she waits for Brother Jaume to join in.

Even as she starts again she looks up hearing the noises from below. Rising cautiously she offers a slightly stern.   “who goes there? State your name and purpose.”  
lostsole31
Cesadia calls out,   "It's Ms. Wrentz, your boss, with your friends Dorn and Vilma."  

The three of them appear to the north from the dining room area, followed by a handful of several junior employees.

  "Pack up the prisoners. Tie them well. We're decamping to the New Chapel and quitting Iris Hill Manor for now,"   she adds.
Blackhawk101
BJ looks to Winter for askance and then shrugs his round shoulders. He rises to help prepare the prisoners.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter's slight tension seeps out of her as she spies Wrentz and a collection of others plus their friends.   "I will not be sad to be abandoning the horrors of this manor for a while."   She looks to Bother J' and smiles reassuringly,   "I would hope we cna work on your voice more when we are in a more relaxed location like the New Chapel."  

She then starts checking the bindings on all the prisonsers to ensure none can escape to cause trouble. As Wrentz enters she looks up,   "We are still keeping the prisoners then? Have we enough food at the Chapel. It it will be tight with the remaining survivors from Brimstone."   But as she listens to the answer she will continue to prepare the prisoner for transport.
lostsole31
St. Dorn offers,   "Ms. Wrentz has a plan, but one that should be mentioned without the ears of the prisoners present."  

Ms. Wrentz adds with admiration for her own people,   "Trust me, as soon as Special Detectives Gomeri and Emerov get here, they'll help make quick work of the mystery and the problem. Allison Kindler actually wants to add their personalities to one of her next novels - a romantic mystery. When I say 'celebrated by heads of state,' I mean that they've been asked to court in Ustalav, Molthune, and even far away Druma. They are the finest warriors, clever with magic, and surpass me in every way with deduction. When I retire, if they haven't opened their own business, I no doubt will leave it to Gomeri as Emerov is ever the doughty support. Oh, I'm sure you've even heard of Gomeri and Emerov with the Lost Waif of Kinton, or their actions in stopping the Ghoul Street Slasher, or pershaps---"
  
And at that, she is interrupted as a minor employee, red-faced and out-of-breath runs in and whispers to her and Ms. Wrentz stops cold. Though unflappable, it seems she is disturbed by what she hears before she gasps,   " Werewolves,  you say?!"  

Ms. Wrentz looks to the party, her stony demeanor a little off-kilter with regret as she says,   "Ever the dangers of Ustalav's woods test our greatest heroes. Ever our greatest heroes meet their doom in Ustalav. It seems Gomeri and Emerov will not be joining us after all."  

She turns back to the assistant.   "Then we are on our own?"  
 "Not exactly, mum. We've another scheduled return today." 
  "No!"   Ms. Wrentz gasps after a second of realization, looking askance at her assistant.   "Not those rough-hewn reefclaws!"  
 "Yes, mum.  The Wilde childs are due here any minute now from Caliphas." 

Ms. Wrentz recenters her thoughts and with forced jollity and bland admiration she says,   "Yes! You shall be helped by the Wilde sisters, who led to the capture of the Tamrivena cat--"
  
 "Acquitted." 
  "Uh, stopped the kidnapper of Ardis!"  
 "Who burned death with three of his victims." 
  "And, uh, broke up the pesh drug ring in the lower quarters of Caliphas..."  
 "Lillian stole half the evidence, OD'd, and that was what got her into the rehab center, where she was released a few days ago." 

Ms. Wrentz just stands there.   "Yup, we're screwed. This job just got a whole lot more difficult."  
 "Look, mum,"  says the assistant blandly,  "our vainglorious heroes return." 

Coming across the large Iris Hill Manor yard, freezing in the cold weather, are two figures, the aforementioned Wilde sisters.

 Seresy  and  Lillian , describe yourselves!
Farmerbink
Even from a distance, the duo is easy to distinguish.  One broad-shouldered and tall, the other slight, two women stride through the manor gate side by side.  The one on the left (the broad-shouldered woman) paces forward with long, urgent strides, covering ground fast enough that the less-driven sister has to occasionally take several quick steps just to keep up.

She approaches the meeting purposefully, eager for the warmth of walls and fireplaces.  Lowering her dark purple hood reveals distinctly Orcish features, failing to completely hide keen eyes.  "  Ms. Wrentz,  " the taller woman murmurs with a slight inclination of her head.

"  We were told to report to you at our earliest availability, but little else.  "  Her hands part, indicating the gathering.  As she removes her cloak to hang near the fire, she adds, without looking, "  How can we help you?  "
DarkOne-Rob
As the women enter the room, the smaller can be heard speaking. "  ...Well, they say you have to  want  to get clean before their treatment will work, and I didn't, so...  " the airy-voiced woman trails off as she stares into the middle-space between, her steps light but steady. "  Besides,  " she sighs, "  It was a lovely trip and where am I going to find a stash like that again? You can hardly blame me.  "

The curvy, exotic-looking woman in a low-cut courtesan's outfit is dripping with overt lustiness. There is no doubt as to her intent wearing such clothing - she wants the men's attention on the holy symbol of Calistria tattooed on her brazenly exposed chest and she wants the women who see her to grow sick with envy. As she turns and sees the collection of people talking to Ms. Wrentz she smiles dreamily and laughs in a tinkling, high-pitch. "  Look, Seresey! We're expected and they've already assumed so much that's wrong! Maybe coming down to this mudhole will be worth it!  " As she laughs Lillian Wilde's form is positively distracting. Those looking (usually everyone) can't help but notice the numerous piercings and tattoos covering her skin (below the neck). She walks up to the two men (but  not  the assistant) and circles them slowly. "  One of you smells...nice...  " she says before shrugging and returning to her sister's side. With a yawn she stretches and then looks vaguely in the direction of Ms. Wrentz. As she's about to say something she brushes at something unseen before her eyes. When it doesn't appear to go away she follows it with her gaze, apparently forgetting the gathering of people entirely as she follows it off several feet to the side and then stares into the air, apparently unseeing...
Blackhawk101
A large bald man with homespun robes and a prodigious gut hustles up to the pair of newcomers, beaming. Silently, he shakes each one’s hand in turn pumping it up and down vigorously before giving each a enthusiastic bear hug. His eyes twinkle merrily as he grins at the two women from the depths of his bushy brown beard.
He waves goodbye before finishing rounding up the prisoners.
silphael
With pale skin and freckles, Vilma has an harsh face and a body that, despite clearly feminine curves, would make any follower of Kurgess pale in envy.
She wears a collection of scars, consequences of her former life as a mercenary and isn't really ashamed of those anymore.

Wearing a full armor, a shield; a few vials, most empty, and a morningstar to her belt, with a wooden holy symbol shaped like a rose around her neck, she seems ready for a war.

She speaks in a raspy, slightly unsettling voice, probably the result of another scar.

"  Welcome in this cultist's den, then. I'm Vilma.  "
Farmerbink
Seresey inclines her head to the woman, eyeing the retreating man in confusion.  "  Well met, Vilma,  " she responds.  "  Can I ask who  that  was?  " she punctuates the question with a nod towards the portly man hurrying away, still looking mostly at Ms. Wrentz.
DrK
 Winter 

As Ms Wrentz enters Winter nods and smiles offering a warm hand of welcome, relived that she can soon leave this dire manor. Shen then nods smiling at the two newcomers. Winter approaches and offers a polite nod of the head. Winter is tall, taller then most of the Varisian woman in fact and willowy moving with a strange grace that seems almost unnatural. With pale alabaster skin, raven black long straight hair and stunning eyes, one emerald, one amber she is a striking figure, although her lithe frame is shrouded in long green robes but with the clink of chain from the chain short she wears.    "Greetings Seresy and Lillian. I am named Winter Klaczka, I am an ardent follower of Pharasma, a once cleric in the Temple of Caliphas before I came here to help the mad and disturbed in Briarstone." "     Glancing round at Vilma as well she offers a thin smile,   "It would seem that Ms Wrentz has realised that the fairer sex is stronger in the face of the things we now see hear."   

After introducing herself she helps tightly bind the prisoners and get them ready for transport before approaching Ms Wrentz when the prisoners are out of earshot.     "What is your solution then to the prisoners? Are we to offer the long sleep and rid ourselves of their burden."   
lostsole31
As if to specifically interrupt any further discussion, another man says,   "We have an idea, but we wlll discuss that at New Chapel once the prisoners are secured there. Hello, I am Dorn ... Dorn Krolaeg. There are some who call me 'Saint Dorn the Protector' but I don't know that I am entirely earning of that term, especially with two of ours killed of late."  

He was once a hale and hearty man, and in truth he still is. This man of 50 fifty winters has a balding, gray-white pate and gleaming hazel eyes that seemed to take in everything around it while conveying compassion. He isn't very tall, though not particularly short, either, and is of a slimmer weight (5'8", 173 lbs.). Some of that height might be because of a noticeable stoop. He doesn't appear to have any physical ailment ... no hump or anything, yet it seems he is used to stooping for some reason. There on his forehead - not a tattoo or birthmark, but a type of blue ash or paint - is the symbol of an iron hammer. The head is down and the handle up. It is a simplistic design, and likely done with a type of devotional finger paint with only a few minutes of application at best. He has seen some years, and old age is not too far away.

His studded leather is simple, serviceable, even poor by comparison to the armor possibly worn by others in the party. It has seen some use. In the man's hands is a simple warhammer, and that warhammer bears some type or runes and the same upside-down hammer symbol, though a little more ornate. He wears a scholar's outfit with his studded armor. Hanging from his neck is a gleaming version of this same symbol, this time more ornate than anywhere else.

 

  "And, pleeeeease...."   says a woman who is a complete contrast to the previous speaker.   "Pleeease tell me that I am done doing eternal prison watch. I'm bored, and if I don't do something more exciting, I'm going to find better skies to do more exciting things under!  Hiya! I'm Krisztina Boyka Marquering, but you can call me Kris."  

She is the same height as the Dorn, but perhaps even more solidly built, though still lithe in movement. The really off-putting thing about her is that the parts of her body (mainly the face, neck, and hands) that show are the color of the sky and of white clouds .... even with white patches moving about her skin lazily like clouds.



 

The prisoners ... whom you find out are cultists of some power known as "Hastur" ... are moved under guard of the party to New Chapel. There is an area where there are insane patients and a nursing staff, but where you drop the prisoners right now has no contact with them.  With the prisoners then under guard under a couple intern detectives, Ms. Wrentz calls the party ... such as it is now ... to a private section.

Ms. Wrentz begins,   "The intention is to take one prisoner a day, say nothing to their fellows, and remove them from the group, leaving the other prisoners to think whatever they will. We will then give them a little bit of food and let them leave Thrushmoor. If they return later, they are to be killed on the spot. This is to satisfy those who do not wish to kill prisoners out of hand, but we do not have proper facilities for long term internment. Too much time and manpower focused on that."  
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian turns as each new speaker introduces themselves, sniffing the air and looking at them intently for a moment. After she's made her own, internal assessments of each PC her gaze wanders again, looking around and noting the movement of prisoners with some interest. She follows the others as the Hasturans are moved, eyeing each prisoner curiously as they are managed.

When Ms. Wrentz explains the plan to the gathered PCs Lillian appears distracted. "  Are they not dangerous? This doesn't make sense - if they're threats, then why free them? If they're  not  threats, then why are they prisoners in the first place? Who is this 'Hastur' and why do some people want to offer them mercy?  " she asks, looking back in the direction of the prisoners for a moment before looking to Ms. Wrentz for her answer...
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz makes it a point to nod slowly at Lillian's question, and then emphatically turns to Vilma, lifting her eyebrows as to direct Vilma to give her point of view of events.
silphael
Vilma answers.

"  Those prisoners are cannibals. As far as I know, they were recruited here as mercenaries, not cultists, and releasing them outside of town with no weapon but some food is probably the most humane way to deal with them we have access to. From what we've seen, they don't seem to be very stealth inclined, they were employed as guards. As for captured cultists, I'm not sure any kind of interrogation could give result without torture, and the first to suggest that would have to deal with a spiky ball to their face.  "

Although her voice is still just as unsettling, she seems to have a way with words, as if inspired by her faith or something like that.
lostsole31
  "Either way,"   adds on St. Dorn,   "that's who they are, and the agreement we made amongst ourselves and our party for handling of the prisoners. Of course, that beggars the question, 'Why us?'

"Something is going on at Fort Hailcourse, the normal seat of secular law enforcement in town. We have yet to investigate. This means with the local lord, Count Haserton Lowls - who was responsible, most likely, for the amnesia and internment of our fellows - is not in town, having left his manor in the hands of cultists and interstellar horrors. Iris Hill Manor is the county manor home that we just quit."

"So, we are redoubting here and while we are not even a proper mercenary company, we were hired by Ms. Wrentz to figure out what's what. This hasn't worked and has resulted in the deaths of two of our members. Ms. Wrentz is taking over strategy, and has said we are on 'war footing' with Thrushmoor under siege as the normal power centers ... Fort Hailcourse and Iris Hill Manor ... are held by those who definitely the greater good of the town in mind."  

Where Vilma doesn't seem personable, but her words bespeak wisdom ... St. Dorn, on the other hand, has wisdom  and  verve, and is remarkable in his ability to interact with others, especially those of different or competing faiths.
Farmerbink
Seresey follows each speaker calmly and keenly, listening intently as they offer their perspectives.  She snorts derisively and purses her lips at Vilma's response, but keeps her peace otherwise until after St Dorn add his thoughts.

 " So your plan is to set a handful of cannibals loose outside of town to be killed and eaten by whatever catches them first?  You'll have to forgive me if I find your sense of the humane underdeveloped.  Your sense of  irony,  however, intrigues and entertains me. " 

Turning to St. Dorn, she nods slowly.   " I see.  I had wondered why we were directed to a manor house. "   Seresey glances at Ms. Wrentz periodically to judge her take as she continues summarizing.   " So we've been called in to help you investigate Fort Hailcourse, evacuate it if necessary, potentially rescue the local count, and two of your number have already been slain?  Other than mad cultists, what  have  you seen?  Zombies and skeletons, or worse? " 
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian turns vaguely in the direction of the speakers until her sister speaks. Then she nods along with a distracted smile. "  Hmmm...very 'noble' to let cannibals live...Too bad, though. It's not often when justice and vengeance align...  " she says a bit quietly with a shrug.

"  Vilma, there are better ways than torture to get answers from people. But maybe not fanatical cultists...of... what  exactly? Hastur? What is Hastur?  " Lillian's sultry tone of voice and suggestive body language leave no doubt as to what she was about to recommend until her spoken thoughts guided her away from that line of investigation.

With a sigh she turns towards St. Dorn and looks at him seriously for a moment. "  You think Count Lowls gave you amnesia - deliberately - and you are trying to find him? For more 'mercy?' Or has  he  at least warranted some revenge? Either way, I'm all for this, but I'd like to know your motivations here. Can  we   " Lillian inclines her head towards her sister, "  trust you to help us out? Or are we just extra hired hands and on our own if things go sideways?  "

Leaning back Lillian smiles, sweetly, and gestures towards Winter and Vilma. "  Their motivations are clearer...at least I recognize their faiths. How did your previous comrades die?  " she asks, with a piercing look.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter remains uncharacteristically silent as she hears the plan, but a faint look of distaste appears in her face.  ” So we would let these savage lose to prey upon whom ever they   

Shaking her head she busies herself looking through the books and any notes on the patients that are also
Being kept here in the church
lostsole31
With Winter's unease of the plan, Cesadia's gaze at Vilma doesn't waver.   "Well, Vilma? That is the best plan I could concoct for all parties, but there is a flaw with the cannibals. Do we get to dispatch them, or have you more ideology to throw our way?"  
silphael
"  Setting them free in the woods is going to risk them ambushing people on the roads, and if we consider their death in there to be relatively certain, then I doubt those deaths will be merciful or swift. But with the food available, we're going to struggle. I'm still in favor of killing them swiftly and as painlessly as possible, but there were objections. And, well, if we talk about the cultists, it seems their faith in their Hastur is also giving them powers, as if it was a god.  "
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz looks to the other dissenter, the one who spoke most passionately ... Brother Jaume.

  "Brother Jaume is suffering from an affliction where he may not speak at this time,"   says St. Dorn.   "But as his voice, so goes his vote. As an Toragdan, we strive to defend, and we cannot do that if we litter the countryside with the evil malcontents who were beaten and are likely to lash out again. Ours is not a religion of redemption."  

Brother Jaume, it looks like the prisoners are going to be executed. Do you do anything?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume shakes his head in the affirmative and a single tear falls as he sits down and clasps his holy symbol to pray silently.
lostsole31
  "That settles it, then,"   says Ms. Wrentz.   "I look to you (plural) to sort out your housework in that regard, and I will have hire some hands to take care of the bodies once done."  

So, who volunteers to do the deed?
Farmerbink
Seresey shrugs.  "  I'll not slaughter anyone based purely on the say-so of someone I just met.   will,  however, think more of you for doing the deed yourselves.  "  She winks with a thoroughly discomfiting smirk.
silphael
Showing her weapon, Vilma asks.

"  Anyone has a weapon more appropriate for execution than this one ? I'm not asking for a Final Blade, just an axe or something similar.  "
Blackhawk101
A bleary eyed Brother Jaume approaches Winter. He drops to his knees and imploringly stares up at her before guiding her hand to his throat as he attempts unsuccessfully to speak.
Farmerbink
Seresey glances around in obvious confusion.  "  He can still  write,  yeah?  "
lostsole31
  "I will handle this,"   says Kris.   "Dorn, can you give them the honor of knowing they are to be executed, and perhaps a benediction ... and then watch the door, please? There's a small panel that I'll open so you can make sure they don't get out of in desperation."  

St. Dorn nods, and they both head to the room of the prisoners.
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian turns her unfocused gaze in the direction of the discussion, apparently noting their silent companion with enough curiosity to clear up her fog-addled mind a bit. "  An 'affliction,' you say? Has no divine power been enough to heal him? Is it a disease or worse, a curse?  " she asks everyone without taking looking away from Brother Jaume.

When Kris volunteers Lillian nods disinterestedly and says, "  Good, that's settled. Now since few of my questions seemed to have answers, I suppose it's up to us to investigate. Once the deed is done, where are we going first?  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn is already gone with Kris ....
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks to the others and sadly nods in agreement.   "I agree, it is harsh, but a swift death now offer more mercy than they would offer to the their victims."   As Kris moves to start the bloody work Winter offers a hand,   "Would you like any assistance"   then falls silent as St Dorn moves to assist, and offers a silent prayer to Pharasma to speed their souls on their onward journey.

As Brother Jaume approaches and drops to his knees clutching his throat she looks down at him and reaches out a hand to rest reassuringly on his shoulder.   "I may be able to help. I believe your aphasia is a symptom of the mind rather than a result of physical damage from our battles in the Asylum. I believe we can work through this, however it will take time. The damage to the mind and the soul is more complex in some ways than damage to the body."    

As she looks to Wrentz,   "So miss Wrentz, you'd recommend the Fort next? We can see what has occurred with the Constable and the Militia."  
lostsole31
  "Yes, but I don't like to repeat myself, so I will wait until those two have returned,"   Ms. Wrentz answers.   "In the meantime, as we are now on a war footing, I am temporarily lifting the moratorium on the ingestion of liquors, spirits, and malts. That said, it is to celebrate life rather than to get blitzed, so I ask any who partake to do so with proper moderation."  
Blackhawk101
A beautiful smile spreads across the face of the kneeling Brother Jaume. A shaft of warm sunlight from a nearby window, bathes him in a golden glow.
lostsole31
.... before he notes in horror that it isn't static sunlight, but the bright, erratic light escaping the windows of the room the prisoners are in .... being reflected against some glasswork across Dennok's studio ... and then reflected again into this room's window of the New Chapel. It is the flash of lightning being used to electrocute the prisoners.

After several minutes, and an increasing smell of ozone and burnt flesh escaping from elsewhere in the chapel, St. Dorn and Kris return.
DrK
 Winter 

Seeing the crackling lightning and sounds of execution Winter grabs Jaume’s head and turns it to face her pale smooth face, mismatched eyes staring into his.   ”It had to be done. Do not take it upon you. We will talk, you and I, each day. I can bring you back.”   She breathes for a second and moves her hand to his chest, a brief,   “If I may, Pharasma’s gift can help quell your fears”   and assuming he nods will release a pulse of Pharasma’s power into him

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Casting lesser restoration to heal  (1d2)[ 1 ]  sanity damage
Can be done once per day so will be a slow progress but every little helps
 


To Miss Wrentz she nods.   “Very well. As Kris and St Dorn are returned let’s us hear of the Fort and seek answers there. I would know of where my mistress went and be done as fast as possible with what assails your town.”  
lostsole31
While still afflicted with his aphasia, Brother Jaume does feel better from that simple casting.

With all hands present, Ms. Wrentz begins. "Thrushmoor is under siege. That much is obvious. You've met with nothing but death at Iris Hill, and it may hold more, but right now we need the town back more than you need your feelings of vengeance or the need for answers sated. Count Haseltown Lowls is gone .... right now that is a mystery for another time. Before we can really reassert the rule of law in Thrushmoor and get it back and functioning again, Fort Hailcourse has to be taken.
  
"Fort Hailcourse is the seat of the town's government. Magistrate Padgett has been missing for days. Before it closed, I heard that many of the mercenaries protecting the fort had not been paid for weeks (likely a side effect of Count Lowls diverting the county's taxes to pay his own expenses, I'll warrant). In response to the lack of protection and the missing magistrate, second-in-command Constable Barawyn Cesyll ordered the fort closed and hasn’t allowed in any visitors. Last I heard, when things started going south at Briarstone with you lot, a Royal Accuser Omari was on the grounds at Fort Hailcourse, and has never been seen exiting. I understand, Dr. Klaczka, that was your boss.

"Now, I went with a couple of the mercenaries here to Fort Hailcourse recently and persistently knocked on the doors. A harried-looking Constable Barawyn Cesyll opened the spyhole. She shooed us away. I had a strange feeling and left it at that. My intention is that we go en masse and knock again ... politely ... and persistently."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume sighs as Winter’s spell eases his insanity slightly. He gives her a quick hug and shuffles off to pray in a corner.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter listens to the detective and then nods.   "A most prudent course of action. I can leave the refugees here, with the remaining staff and your kind help with supplies they should be fine here for a few days whilst we investigate the Fort. After the Fort though.."   her eyes follow Brother Jaume,   "I will need at least a week of quiet seclusion to work with Jaume here. Injuries of the mind need seclusion and peace."  

She busies her for a few minutes making sure her daggers at her waist and that all the straps on her chain are properly cinched tightly before nodding to Ms Wrentz.   "Please lead on. I'm sure St. Dorn here can be most insistent in his knocking."  
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian watches the exchanges between the mute man and the Pharasman with intense interest. Noting the restorative magic and its apparent impact on the man, the Calistrian nods thoughtfully. "   A doctor and a cleric of death - how wonderfully unusual!   " she murmurs to herself.

When Ms. Wrentz addresses alcohol use and moderation Lillian audibly snorts, laughing and looking at her sister with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "   Her 'moratorium' never slowed me down before, but it's nice to be given permission, I suppose...   " she first whispers. Then louder she asks Ms. Wrentz, "  Does that include other, more interesting substances? Or will I have to continue to use when you aren't watching?  " With a shiver she allows her eyes to roll back into her head as she appears to remember some rapturous experience with a distracted smile. Once she's recovered her composure she listens to the woman's answer and nods, regardless of the verdict.

"  Unless something is very,  very  wrong, I should be able to help get the door open,  " she says after learning of the plan to go to Fort Hailcourse. "  Calistrians are generally welcome wherever lonely mercenaries sleep, and if they still resist I can sneak in and help find another way for all of you inside. Let's start with a gentle caress and only move to striking if there is no other choice. Shall we?  "
Farmerbink
Seresey listens, quietly focused on their newfound companions interactions before giving Ms. Wrentz her full attention.  She rolls her eyes at Lillian's playful antagonism, but doesn't interrupt.

Finally, after checking the hilts of her blades with a motion long-since become second nature, she nods.  "   Most  Calistrians,  " she interjects, "  are generally welcome,  " she murmurs with a smirk.

As the unlikely gathering leaves, she frowns.  "  Really, though.  What sorts of things killed the other two?  People don't  usually  just die for no reason.  "
lostsole31
St. Dorn looks at Seresy looks and says,   "Jens was killed by some horrorible, dog-like monstrosity that kept jumping into and out of cracks in the room. Flair was killed by an assassin named Risi Nairgon. The hound escaped. We came to an accord and Risi supposedly left; let's hope she keeps her word, given her failure to kill all of us, save one."  

Ms. Wrentz, meanwhile, looks to Lillian,   "Doors to forts are usually made so a mad woman with a nail file can't get through. As far as 'other substances,' didn't you just return to us today from drug rehabilitation?"  
DarkOne-Rob
"  Mandatory detox doesn't really work - you have to want it,  " Lillian responds without hesitation. "  And I have no reason to want to stop...  "
lostsole31
  "Discussion for another time,"   says Ms. Wrentz.   "Are we ready to go?"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks around to see if there is a water flask or similar container he can have. Then he picks up his quarterstaff and nods he is ready.
lostsole31
There is a clay pitcher he can take. He would have to carry it in one hand, and his quarterstaff in the other. Does he take it?
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian shrugs and smiles, clearly ready to go.
Farmerbink
Seresey nods, rolling her eyes a bit.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter eyes the woman a tad nervously at the mention of rehab and other substances but then nods in the affirmative to Miss Wrentz.   "Very well Miss Wrentz please lead on. If this was where Mistress Omaria went than I am keen to see if we can find of her."    She pauses and looks at Jaume and pats him on the cheek gently.   "I am sorry our session was cut short, but shall work on this together each time we get a chance. I'm confident that with enough work we can help you find your voice once more."  

With very little in the way of weapons to check, she pats the daggers once to make sure they are there, she follows the others out towards the Fort.
lostsole31
Brother Jaume does some type of pantomime, but it is not understood, and the group leaves for Fort Hailcourse. Not knowing what is to be, Brother Jaume leaves the clay ewer behind.

The main area of Fort Hailcourse is 20 feet high, with the five round towers and the donjon reaching a height of 40 feet. The only entrance to the fort is a set of 10-foot-high double doors located on the south side of this large stone building. Tarnished brass door knockers carved into the shapes of perching birds hang on the doors, and the hatch for the spyhole remains shuttered.

What do you do?
DarkOne-Rob
As they approach the keep, the clothing Lillian wears magically shifts. While it's clear she is still wearing her armor underneath her apparel is more revealing and presents her holy symbol tattoo (emblazoned on her upper chest) for all to see. Once close enough she strides up to the gate, her body language and facial expression leaving no doubt as to her intended purpose. Knocking on the door she announces, "  Hello? I am a holy priestess of the Lady in the Room, Calistria, goddess of lust. Will you let me inside to minister here? I promise - you will appreciate what I have to offer...  "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
All of the various social skills are at +7 - Lillian is more than willing to engage in her goddess' worship, but she does intend to help her companions inside too, so there is some trickery intended. She also has Profession (Temple Prostitute) at +9 - I'd like to think this could be used instead of a social skill, or perhaps to add a bonus to the other check.
 
lostsole31
A minute goes by since Lillian's verbal-only accostment with no response.
DarkOne-Rob
After waiting for long enough to be sure her effort won't bear fruit Lillian turns to look at her companions. As she leads them out of earshot she says, "  Well, kindness doesn't seem to work. This leaves either direct assault or trickery, and Calistria champions the latter. Shall I attempt to sneak inside and open the gate tonight? Scaling the walls and hiding won't be difficult for me, and if it goes poorly I won't stay to be captured...  "
lostsole31
  "Or....."   Ms Wrentz pauses for effect,   "... or ... your voice isn't as penetrating of a stone and metal fortress as you think. Your knock leaves something to be desired. I'm pretty sure I could be sitting inside and not have a chance to hear you if this is a solid military fort, which is what it is. Direct solid-to-solid transmission of sound.  Brother Jaume, will you do us the honor of knocking, please?"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grins and his muscles writhe and swell under his skin as his stature grows into that of a large creature. His enlarged fist pounds into the wooden door with a resounding boom before he shrinks down to normal size while continuing to pound away at roughly five second intervals. He will continue this for two minutes or until someone answers.
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian watches with interest as one of her allies demonstrates his significant power. She nods when he's done and prepares to repeat her introduction and speech to anyone who answers the door.
silphael
Vilma steps to the side of the entrance, looks around, then comes back.

"  Maybe there is a side entrance ?  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll basically step 6 W, then back, after looking there.
 
lostsole31
Vilma moves 30' to the west, but doesn't see a sally port or side entrance.

After a few moments of persistence, the spyhole opens, revealing the worn-looking Constable Barawyn Cesyll.   "Please state your concerns."  
Blackhawk101
His duty complete, BJ moves to the side to let the verbal members have access.
lostsole31
St. Dorn looks to Winter.   "When all is said and done, you actually have more claim to make demands, given your boss was last seen here and never again."  
DarkOne-Rob
After waiting several long breaths Lillian walks up to the door and repeats her offer for the lonely souls inside. While she is wearing her armor underneath, her apparel is revealing and presents her holy symbol tattoo (emblazoned on her upper chest) for all to see. With a sultry, inviting expression she says, "  Hello, Constable. I am a holy priestess of the Lady in the Room, Calistria, goddess of lust. Will you let me inside to minister here? I promise - those inside will appreciate what I have to offer...  "

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
All of the various social skills are at +7 - Lillian is more than willing to engage in her goddess' worship, but she does intend to help her companions inside too, so there is some trickery intended. She also has Profession (Temple Prostitute) at +9 - I'd like to think this could be used instead of a social skill, or perhaps to add a bonus to the other check.
 
Farmerbink
Seresey marches near the front in obvious confusion and concern.  "  A fort with no one on watch- nor even close enough to hear simple knocking at the only entrance?  Curious.  "  She purses her lips thoughtfully as  Brother Jaume literally swells to the size of an ogre at the gates before anyone inside the supposed military structure bothers to respond.


 
 Originally Posted by lostsole31 
   "Please state your concerns."   
 

"  Goodness, where to begin?  You're supposed to be the presence of law and order in this region?  It seems clear you've abandoned any pretense of even maintaining a show of force for those outside the walls.  I knew things were rough, but I had no idea we were needed  this  badly.  "

She retrieves and bares her own holy symbol.  "  We and our companions are here in search most immediately of answers, but perhaps more thoroughly to be the hammers in service to whatever nails plague Thrushmoor.  Why don't you let us in so we can get down to business in a more reasonable fashion?  "
lostsole31
  
 
The constable seems agitated by the attempt and the mass of armed people outside the door and she shouts,   "Look! I am taking care of it the best I can. You're the Sleepless Detective Agency,"   she yells, noting Ms. Wrentz,   "why don't you do something about the mess in town!"  

And with that she shuts the hatch.

Ms. Wrentz says to the those assembled.   "Aaaannyway, I noticed the first time that a scar that is on the constable's right hand when she held it up to prepare the hatch ... should be on her left. If I remember correctly, the  real  Constable Cesyll once confided to me it was a scar she received in childhood. That there was an imposter, and Fort Hailcourse is, therefore, held by hostile forces."  
Farmerbink
A short snort escapes Seresey's lips.  "  Underhanded methods are nearly always more entertaining, anyway,  " she murmurs, after the latch is resolutely shut from within.  She turns her attention to Wrentz and listens carefully to the woman's explanation.

"  Well, they certainly aren't doing much to keep things... grounded, around here.  Do you plan on coming with us, or shall we walk you back to the manor before we get started?  "
lostsole31
Seresy turns to ask even as Ms. Wrentz is loading her hand crossbow and says,   "Don't mind me. Consider this an audited field exercise for your team, Wildes."  
DrK
 Winter 

Winter eyes the constable unhappily then glowers at Wrentz’s words.   ”I wonder what magic can make such a disguise. But if she is indeed an imposter we’ll have to find an alternative way in.”  

She steps backs and looks up at the fort and to the left and right looking for alternative ways in before looking back at the door.   “I hesitate to ask, but would any of you have experience of circumventing locks such as that one?”   she asks delicately pointing at the lock on the stout double doors.   “If not, I hope we have rope and someone can climb.”   she adds looking up atop the high walls
Farmerbink
Seresy snorts.   "  Didn't seem all that hesitant to me     - Yeah, we've... got a fair bit of experience-  " she glances to the top of the 20-foot walls briefly, before she retrieves a small set of metal tools.  "  Either way, really.  Harder to hurt yourself with a few little trinkets, though.  As inattentive as our 'constable' appears, I think a distraction elsewhere might prove apt.  "  She looks around the gathered group expectantly.
lostsole31
What Ms. Wrentz had said earlier holds true, even for the two of the sisters that is not necessarily a "mad woman with a nail file," and that is the nature of the Fort's door is not anything you can "pick" open.
silphael
This time, Vilma goes to the other side to have a look, looking for a place to set up a grappling hook. And a rope.

"  Maybe we can try the other side of the fort ?  "
Farmerbink
Seresey nods. “  Seems prudent. Perhaps Brother Jaume would favor us with another attempt to break down the door? Be the effort genuine or otherwise, no doubt climbing the wall would go largely unnoticed with all that banging.  ”
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian watches the goings on, looking mildly put out at the not-so-subtle insults directed her way. When her sister considers getting to work and realizes there is no lock to pick the spacey woman looks to one side of the fort with a bored expression. Sighing, she removes an extract from her bandolier and says, "  I'm going up to get a good look. If it's safe I will come open the gate. If not, I'll help set a rope to climb.  " Then she drinks her extract and easily scales the wall, carefully looking over the top for signs of guards or lookouts.

 
 Spoiler: Mechanics 
Drink a  Monkeyfish  extract, then climb the wall. Once within 10-feet (a move action) from the top she will slow and finish climbing stealthily, peeking over the lip of the wall and trying to get a good view of things without being seen herself. If there is an obvious place where she can hide - hanging vines on the wall, a shadowy cleft, etc... - she will aim to hide there as she observes the inside of the fort.
 
DrK
 Winter 

Winter steps to allow access to the door for Brother Jaume and then watches with some interest as their new companion drinks something and then tries to scurry up the wall. She watches with a keen eye and waits to see what Lillian reports then shrugs as the wall is too sheer . As she waits she glances at Wrentz,   "Interesting agents you have brought, colourful, but they do seem rather competent."  
lostsole31
Lillian finds that the smoothly-fitted stones of Fort Hailcourse's first story are completely beyond her ability to climb, even with her extract.

 Brother Jaume , do you attempt to do a straight up breakage, or do you seek to batter things down with your fists the long way? Either way, please make rolls. Feel free to make a bunch of them to save time since you aren't in combat.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will set down his staff, enlarge and attempt to push and break the doors.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Enlarge each attempt
 (1d20+5)[ 24 ] 
 (1d20+5)[ 24 ] 
 (1d20+5)[ 9 ] 
 (1d20+5)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
Brother Jaume is unable to break open the door with a single burst of force, and recognized that after only one attempt (so he only used one use of enlarge) that to For Hailcourse's credit, it is a fine, stout keep door ... proof against a quick break from a giant.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume shrinks down to normal and shakes his head.
DarkOne-Rob
Lillian looks at her webbed hands and feet in obvious disappointment as her extract fails to provide enough of an advantage to scale the walls. "  I've one option left - Vessex, fly up there, get a look around, and tell me what you see, please,  " she says as she opens her familiar satchel and frees the unusually-large wasp inside. It flies up and looks around, intent on following Lillian's directions and giving her mistress an idea of what to expect inside the fort.
lostsole31
The housecat-sized wasp buzzes abruptly ... 
 Spoiler: Lillian 
  &lt;"Yezz, Mizztrezz!"&gt;  
 
..and flies off and up, moving around in lazy circles to do so. Vessex is gone over the lip of the battlements for several seconds before she flies back quickly and Lillian senses alarm from her. Landing on the ground in front of Lillian, Vessex buzzes again. 
 Spoiler: Lillian 
  &lt;"Creepy puddle! Almozt flew right over it, but it wiggled funny, and I don't like it. I did zzee that mozt of above is ztone roof, but zzeveral turretzz and a couple placezz that zztuck up above the level of roof but weren't turretzz had doorzz."&gt;  
 
DarkOne-Rob
"  It looks like there is some ooze or pudding inside - dangerous enough to spook Vessex. Also, if we can get to the roof there are several doors there we can try to use. Looks like we need some foothold for me to climb or a grappling hook and rope...  " Lillian tells her companions, looking about expectantly.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will pick up his quarterstaff and move East around the fort to see if there is anything to see since has neither rope nor grappling hook.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks with curiosity at the wasp then looks asks quietly   ”Can the wasp carry the grappling hook up and hook it somewhere for us.”  .

Then taking at step back and glancing up and down the walls liking for any windows   “If not we need a battering ram or some mechanism for disrupting the wooden door.”   she offers, pondering if her goddess has that capability in her prayers.
lostsole31
Does anyone else move around to the east with Brother Jaume?

Meanwhile, Kris says,   "I can get up there and hook a grappling hook, but I'm none too interested in tangling with anger-goop."  
DarkOne-Rob
"  If you can hook the rope, I can join you,  " says Lillian. "  The rope should help enough for my extract to do the rest. Then the others can follow, unless we want to sneak to the door and open it for them...  "
lostsole31
Kris takes the grappling hook and floats up to just reach and attach and hook the grappling hook before she flies down quickly, obviously nervous about being near the top.

But the hook is securely set.
Farmerbink
As Brother Jaume begins to leave, Seresey calls out, " make some noise over there- we might need it. "  She then puts a had to Lilian's chest- not gently, but with familiar affection.  " We both know you're not going up that rope first, sis.  Be ready to join me. "

The keen-eyed woman takes a few breaths to focus herself, and begins to climb.
Blackhawk101
BJ hears the request and looks for some stones to bang together.
lostsole31
The area around the Fort is (or was) well-policed. There are no loose stones, but Brother Jaume finds he can clack his quarterstaff on the cobbled walkways, but either he has to go out of sight, or return to the party ... and given Brother Jaume's mindset, he returns to the central walkway to create noise.

Seresy has a little trouble starting out, but even for her this isn't that terrible of a climb, and she makes it steadily up to the top, taking a look around. Directly ahead to the north is a non-turret tower, part of the main keep ... as well as to her northeast. The area to the north does not have doors from her current vantage, but there are stairs at the area to the northeast. Otherwise, much of what she sees ... what isn't part of guard towers ... is stone roof.
silphael
Vilma gets closer to the rope, grabs it, and starts climbing as well.
lostsole31
Vilma stows her shield and begins climbing. Seresy had a faint bit of technique, but is not very strong. Vilmahas no technique, is wearing heavy armor, but is quite strong. Still, she makes it slowly up the rope, and Seresy backs up from the edge to give her room, putting her out of sight.

Just as Vilma makes it to the top .... still technically climbing and not quite over the battlements, but enough to see ... she sees that Seresy's body is mostly disintegrated by some type of goopy sheen that covers her. Seresy is dead, killed quickly and noiselessly by this stuff, and wandering pseudopods seem to drift to "point" at the helmed head of the inquisitor looking over the battlements from the outside.

 Vilma , do you just drop down? do you climb down cautiously? or, do you try to climb over the battlements to meet this thing alone? what do you do?
silphael
Realizing the presence of the goo, Vilma lets the rope slip through her finger, hoping to fall on her feet.
DrK
 Winter 

As Vilma slides down rapidly Winter looks at her in surprise as she had been readying to try and climb the  rope. Seeing the expression on Villa’s face she exclaims   ”What is it? What did you see up there?”  
lostsole31
.... which she does, initially, before gravity and inertia continue to plant her on the stone ground on her butt, back, and back of helmet as well as her feet, taking a bell-ringing  12  damage on the cobbled walk.

Everyone saw her. While difficulty climbing, Vilma was definitely at the top, and seemed to have purposefully let go.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume rushes over to Vilma to offer aid.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks in surprise as Vilma plummets beside her and joins Jaume in offering aid. Seeing her injured she focuses and a pulse of light seems to emanate from her as she channels energy into the poor injured Vilma.   ”What happened? What did you see? Where is Seresy?”  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Convert summon I to cure light wounds  (1d8+5)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
The healing energy heals most of what Vilma suffered, though she still does have from spillover wounds from yesterday as well still extant.
silphael
She shakes her head.

"  She's dead. The ooze got her right as I arrived, there is nothing more to do. I'm sorry.  "
lostsole31
For her part, Lillian seems incredibly calm. Like terrifyingly business-as-usual, though perhaps less chipper. She was just told that her twin sister was killed and she says nothing.
Blackhawk101
The shocking news hits brother Jaume especially hard as another member of his flock is laid low. He drops to a knee grasping his bronze holy symbol in a white knuckled grip, silently mouthing something. After several moments he stands and looking pale but resolute he gets Ms. Wrentz’ attention. He points towards the East side of the fort and then motions for everyone to follow him.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter steps back, face in shock.   "Dead, dead? Just like that with no warning and no fight?"   She turns to looks at Ms Wrentz,   "Where have you brought us!"   before turning her attention Lillian and offering her some comfort and a kind word.  As Jaume points to the other wall she nods,   "Yes Jaume, lets not look further for this wall if only death awaits at the top of this wall."   and helping Vilma up she'll head around to the eastern wall.
lostsole31
The party moves eastwards past the turret, paralleling a wall until it curves subtly around, and with stained glass windows at its eastern edges.  The stained glass windows only show the most basic dimensions inside, and are otherwise too decorated and colored and not of the same normal transparency glass as a normal window to provide a proper view, and are too small to enter if broken. Meanwhile, coming around to the eastern side of the fort reveals a wide cobble carriageway heading NW-SE.

There are no visible entrances into the Fort from his way. Keep circumnavigating the Fort counterclockwise?
Blackhawk101
BJ continues to walk around the structure counter clockwise.
silphael
While circumventing the castle, Vilma adds.

"  Yes. As I looked, the slime was finishing her off, sadly. There might have been something else that stopped her from moving away, but I didn't have time to investigate, and fighting it up there sounded like a bad idea.  "
lostsole31
The party is now due north of the keep along the cobbled carriageway, and still no other ingress...
Blackhawk101
BJ examines the walls of the keep for hidden entrances or possibly ways inside.
lostsole31
Unless you stop and go 5' by 5' for a search, a casual glance reveals nothing. The party continues along the north side to the northwestern corner, setill finding nothing. Looking south, the carriage rounds pathways are seen, and the party now goes south along the western side. Finally, the party finishes their circumnavigation of Fort Hailcourse.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks around at the other members of the group expectantly. When nobody does anything for few minutes he starts examining the stonework of the fort moving carefully to the East looking for a way in or up.
lostsole31
The party circumnavigates the entire keep again, taking a little more time, but again not a deep-in search ... spending 10 minutes before getting back to the front gate, having found no alternate ingress.
DrK
 Winter 

The priestess scowl deeply, her face still pale slightly from the shock of losing one of their numbers to an unseen foe on the roof.   "Well Ms Wrentz, what would you suggest? THere is clearly something amiss here with a person eating ooze on the roof and no way in through the door. What do you suggest we do next?"    She looks back towards the high walls and complete lack of windows or entrance.   "I don't see any other way in unless we can work out an alternative way to carry the grappling hook up the wall and then avoid that dreadful ooze?"   
lostsole31
Ms. wrentz looks to Brother Jaume.   "I am to understand that a lot of those with your training are good at breaking boards and the like. Good, showy dramatic stuff for a single break. But are you trained to put forth constant pressure on materials to break them over time?"  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks at the large stout doors doubtfully but nods. He puts down his staff and takes up a position in front of the doors. His size doubles as his muscles suddenly writhe and bunch under his skin. He places his hands on the door and pushes, straining mightily.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SwA:enlarge x6 if needed
SA:Attempt to breakdown the door
Strength check +4 large not included
 (1d20+5)[ 15 ] 1
 (1d20+5)[ 20 ] 2
 (1d20+5)[ 17 ] 3
 (1d20+5)[ 9 ] 4
 (1d20+5)[ 25 ] 5
 (1d20+5)[ 17 ] 6
 
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz is highly proper, and certainly doesn't facepalm with incredulity.   "Stop,  please ,"   she says after Brother Jaume's third attempt (meaning BJ only spends three enlarge attempts).   "That's not ... you have no chance that way.  Strike  the door. Don't try to wrench it off its hinges in one go (one after the other). You're not that strong. But you are strong enough to take small bites, several at a time.  Strike  one of the doors, not both ... one. Firm, determined, measured, with the power you can put into your body and hip. Don't assume it will go in one strike. It will take many, as this door was meant to withstand great punishment."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume scratches his beard thoughtfully he switches stance to strike powerfully and maximizing his enlarge ability. He grows large and his meaty fists strike the door in the same spot on one door.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SwA: Enlarge x3 as needed. He will stop if the door breaks.
SA: Full Attack, flurry of blows, risky strike
  attack 1  - (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
  dam 1  - (1d8+9)[ 16 ] 
  attack 2  - (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
  dam 2  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ] 
next flurry
  attack 1  - (1d20+8)[ 28 ] 
  dam 1  - (1d8+9)[ 15 ] 
  attack 2  - (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 
  dam 2  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
last flurry
  attack 1  - (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
  dam 1  - (1d8+9)[ 16 ] 
  attack 2  - (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
  dam 2  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
Brother Jaume enlarges and with full focus of power he strikes the eastern of the two double doors twice to do a total of  10  damage to it.

Shouts from within.

 Round One ... 
 R1T25:  An arrow flies out of the western murder hole next to the entrance to hit Brother Jaume in his left knee for  8 +  4 fire  .

 R1T23:   Krisztina casts a spell on herself, holding a hardened leather strip as  a force field shimmers over her momentarily before disappearing. She  flies west and up to a height of 15' by the southwestern turret,  hopefully out of sight of arrows.

 R1T20:   Brother Jaume ,  knowing that nothing is helped if the party doesn't break open the crab  shell to get the meat, keeps his size and pounds away, doing another  16  to the eastern of the two double doors. The door can only take about another round or so of this punishment.

 R1T18:   Winter , what do you do?
DrK
 Winter 

Winter clicks her tonhue angrily, a shouted,   "You in there, you are a coward... open the door and face us."   before she steps up behind the massive Brother Jaume and taps the side of his injured knee and draws a dagger.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Draw a dagger (move action)
Cast Cure light wounds (Bard spell)  (1d8+3)[ 11 ]  healing
 
lostsole31
 R1T18:  Winter clicks her tonhue angrily, a shouted,   "You in there, you are a coward... open the door and face us!"   She draws a dagger and and casts a spell on the massive Brother Jaume, tapping the side of his injured knee for   11 healing  .

 R1T15:    "I got something coming out for you!"    shouts a heavily accented voice from inside the eastern arrow loop,  with an arrow flying out that gets deflected by Brother Jaume.

 R1T12:   Vilma , what do you do?
silphael
Vilma drinks her mutagen, before stepping close to the door, taking out her morningstar.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, drink mutagen.

Move action, 2 N.
 
lostsole31
 R1T12:  Vilma drinks her mutagen, before stepping close  to the door while taking out her morningstar. Her muscles engorge and  distend, barely constained by her metal armor.

 R1T11:    "Any day now,..."   says Ms. Wrentz, delaying.

 R1T9-8:  Lillian casts a spell on herself as she gets behind St. Dorn, with her wasp following.

  "... Brother Jaume,"   continues Ms. Wrentz.

 R1T7:   St. Dorn moves right up to the western arrow slit.   "I sense his evil .... moderate ... and that's not usual except for undead and those devoted to evil powers."  

Foolish though it might seem, he looks into the arrow slit and he calls out as he backs his head up from the hole,    "Juju zombie! Undead! Hardy as a zombie, but sapient, fast and with a powerful fist."   
 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T25:  As expected, an arrow flies out of the western murder hole at dorn to strike him in the upper right arm for  2 mod +  2 fire  .   "Yeah? But what the hell are you? My arrow shoulda' skewered you, target practice!"  calls this man's similarly accented Taldane.

 R2T23:  Kris delays...

 R2T20:   Brother Jaume, still enlarged, strikes the eastern of the two doors  twice, and with his second hit he splinters the door and the bar that  was holding it into place!

 R2T19:  Kris comes out  of delay to cast a second protective spell on herself before she flies  into the main entrance. A heavy fist swings at her clumsily as she flies  past and then up again, now at a height of 10' inside.

 R2T18.5:  Ms. Wrentz double moves inside while drawing her hand crossbow.   "I concur. Juju zombies. So, anti-undead tactics are best,"   she calls from inside.

 R2T18:   Winter , what do you do?

Blue (eastern) on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

At mention of the ju-ju zombies Winter tries to recall what knows of them before scowling,   "Vile creatures. You have escaped the boneyard long enough, let me bring you the rest you so wrongly flee from."   Darting forward she steps into the doorway and darts to the left or right (depending on where makes the most sense when she enters) and then surveys the room before releasing a pulse of her own holy power in a wave around her.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Know (religion) check to recall knowledge on Juju zombies
Walk into the room and step to left or right depending on enemy placement so she isn't blocking the door
Channel energy to harm undead  (3d6)[ 12 ]  damage Will save for half
 
lostsole31
 R2T18:  At mention of the ju-ju zombies Winter tries to recall what knows of them before scowling,   "Vile creatures. You have escaped the boneyard long enough, let me bring you the rest you so wrongly flee from."    Darting forward she steps into the doorway and darts to the left or  right (depending on where makes the most sense when she enters) and then  surveys the room before releasing a pulse of her own holy power in a  wave around her. Though she faces down Red, he resists to to only take   6 PE  , but Blue takes the full force of   12 PE  .

 R2T15:   Blue drops his bow, draws his longsword, steps up to Winter while  changing into a different fighting stance more suitable for a sort of  cautious melee. He seems to be trained in some unorthodox fighting  style. He begins with a two-handed power strike of his longsword, but he  seems to wink in and out of reality, making him hard to track or  counter, and he hacks at Winter's upper left arm for  15 + staggered +  2 WIS    as something about the strike seems to corrupt her senses and focus. As  keenly developed as her own life energy is, Winter finally realizes  that it was a type of poisoning of her ki, her life force.

 R2T12:   Vilma , what do you do?

Lillian/ Vessex on deck/ in the hole ...
silphael
Calling upon Milani's guidance, Vilma dashes inside, trying to push Blue inside the room, to open the path.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Swift action, judgment, on justice (+1 to attack rolls).
Move (and not a 5 foot step because of my other action) action to go 1 NW.
Standard action : bull rush attempt on Blue, trying to push them toward NW. I'll follow as far as possible, to at least limit their return to the rest of the melee.

  Bull rush attempt  - (1d20+13)[ 27 ]  including +1 from judgement and +2 from powerful maneuvers
 
lostsole31
 R2T12:  Calling upon Milani's guidance, Vilma dashes inside, pushing Blue deeper into the room (below Kris).

 R2T9-8:  Lillian tells her wasp to stay and closes into the gap, blasting away with positive energy that does  7 PE  to Red, and   14 PE   to Blue.

Vessex delays.

 R2T7:   St. Dorn carefully casts a spell on himself to increase his battle  speed and darts in, tumbling NE to be in a position to cover Ms. Wrentz,  his warhammer now in hand.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T25:   Red drops his bow and takes out his longsword and shifts his fighting  stance to one similar as the other. He then does the same attack, though  without as much decoration, where his sword is impossible to keep track  of and scores a crit to Winter's right tricep that does  22 .

 R3T20:   Brother Jaume , you return to normal size to be in line to go through the door. What do you do?

Kris on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Normal sized Brother Jaume moves into the keep without his trusted oak staff. It seems abandoned there, lying in the dirt.
BJ moves in trying to avoid the swinging combatants. He steps to the side of the JuJu zombie and he clasps his holy symbol and releases a burst of positive energy.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 10’ N, 5’ NW
acrobatics “attempt” to avoid any AOO
SA: channel positive energy to harm undead
 (3d6)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T20:  Normal-sized Brother Jaume moves into the keep  without his trusted oak staff. It seems abandoned there, lying in the  dirt. BJ moves in trying to avoid the swinging combatants. He steps to  the  side of the JuJu zombie and he clasps his holy symbol and releases a  burst of positive energy. This time, it is Red who takes all (  14 PE  ), which Blue resists (  7 PE  ).

 R3T19:   Kris brilliantly comes down in an aerobatic maneuver while drawing her  rapier. She lands in flank, her sword lashes out like a viper to strike  in the back of the left knee with such deadly speed that the undead  mercenary burns from within before turning to dust, his equipment  scattering on the ground.

 R3T18.5:  Ms. Wrentz shoots her hand crossbow at red, but the bold is deflected by its studded leather. She speed reloads her weapon.   "Doctor Klasczka, get away from him! He 'has' you. Ask why later; do now."  
 R3T18:   Winter , i.e. "Dr. Klasczka," you are staggered, and an ally just gave you warning/ advice.

Everyone else sees Winter's wounds knit at an incredible rate (  FH8  ). You aren't sure you've ever seen her appreciably wounded in combat before.

Vilma on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter staggers at the first blow, her power diminshed, her light faltering. Distracted the second one is able to slash her heavily as well, trailing blood and disoriented she blindly lashes out at the one beside her (red) with her dagger. Shaking her head trying to clear the feeling of sluggishness from the first one's strike

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Standard action: Stab red (using power attack equivalent)  (1d20+8)[ 15 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T18:  Winter staggers at the first blow, her power diminshed, her light  faltering. Distracted the second one is able to slash her heavily as  well, trailing blood and disoriented, she blindly lashes out at the one  beside her (Red) with her dagger. Shaking her head trying to clear the  feeling of sluggishness from the first one's strike. In her delirium, her blade clacks off of its studded leather armor.

 R3T12:   Vilma , what do you do? Note that you are currently presumed to be two-handing your mace as your shield is stowed.

Lillian on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Her morningstar in hands, Vilma moves toward Red, before bashing it with all her might.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action : N, NW, SW

Standard action : attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 19 ]  +1 from judgement not counted
  Damage  - (1d8+18)[ 26 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T12:  Her morningstar in hands, Vilma moves toward Red  before bashing it with all her might, her morningstar smashing through  its arm and into its body ... dusting it and releasing the soul  splinter.

 Combat Ends! 

Ms. Wrentz is able to recover the bolt with which she missed. Lillian calls Vessex to her side.

What do the rest of you do?
Blackhawk101
Grunting satisfactorily, brother Jaume stoops to collect the gear dropped by the two zombies. Of particular interest are the bows and arrows being used by them. He presents his collection to the group but holds on to one of the bows and quivers if it is a long bow.
silphael
Vilma looks at Winter, before taking the direction of a door toward the inside of the fort.

"  Are you ok ?  "
Blackhawk101
BJ will check the others and give what aid he can after examining them. His face is an angry mask as he goes about his task but his touch is gentle.
lostsole31
 
 Originally Posted by Blackhawk101 
 Grunting satisfactorily, brother Jaume stoops to collect the gear dropped by the two zombies. Of particular interest are the bows and arrows being used by them. He presents his collection to the group but holds on to one of the bows and quivers if it is a long bow. 
 

Brother Jaume picks up a masterwork longbow (not composite) and a mostly-full quiver of arrows. He hasn't picked up anything else yet.

 
 Originally Posted by silphael 
 Vilma looks at Winter, before taking the direction of a door toward the inside of the fort. "  Are you ok ?  " 
 

 Winter , you heal another  8 .

 
 Originally Posted by Blackhawk101 
 BJ will check the others and give what aid he can after examining them. His face is an angry mask as he goes about his task but his touch is gentle. 
 

NOTE: This action has NOT happened yet.

Winter (only), what do you do?
DrK
 Winter 

Winter glances at the gash in her arm, the wound closing as she waits and shakes her head.   ”My thanks but no, I will be okay. It was the first blow, it did something I don’t understand.”  

She looks at the first wound and ponders the strange feeling that robbed her of some of her energy and then looks at the others.   “Did anyone else get injured? It seems they took a dislike to me. If you give me a few moments to gather myself. But troubling that there are undead, and powerful ones at that here.”  
lostsole31
Lillian moves over to the western door with purpose.   "I have magics that Calistira in her infinite grace gifts me withal. I shall not waste Her blessings."   She opens the door.   "Looks like we have a hallway heading north while to the west we have the stairs to the turret."  
silphael
Walking toward the hallway, Vilma adds.

"  They know we are here, and if anyone was directly in the turret they would have already joined the fray. I say we start with this floor, before climbing up to deal with the ooze.  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Before we destroyed the undeads, was any of them looking like the woman the creature that opened was impersonating ? Or were they looking like beef jerky (as in, somewhat desiccated undead flesh ?
 
lostsole31
Vilma looks at the scorch marks, and realizes during the battle that nothing like the constable was fighting them. They were both men. And while looking dessicated and all corpsey, they had beards. Even their armor and weapons have a distinctive cultural "feel" about them, and they spoke in an unfamiliar accent.

Vilma steps past Lillian and Vessex into the hallway - a 5' wide passageway running for 15' N-S, with spiraling stairs to the west. The passage to the north ends at a door.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks at the others and up at the turret stairs.   ”I agree. The roof seems like it would be best avoided.”   Then gazing down the corridor she offers Vilma light.   ”Would you like light Vilma”  
lostsole31
While waiting for an answer from Vilma regarding illumination, Lillian  enters and moves north past Vilma, and opens the door ... revealing  another mercenary on the other side!

 Surprise Round ... 
 S23:  Though Lillian and her wasp seemed primed for danger, the mercenary still strikes first, hacking her in the upper left leg for  17 + staggered !

 S12:   Lillian, still riding a spell (barely) from the last fight, stabs the  merc in his own lower leg, but doesn't seem to really hurt it.

 S7:  Vessex moves in to sting, but the merc clips the wasp for  10 . Vessex continues, but misses the sting.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T25:   Hearing the sounds of battle, Kris zooms west into the hallway and then  calls for those not yet there, "There's no more room in here!" before  she flies back out into the entry hall.

 R1T24:   Brother Jaume , your staff is outside, and you still have the bow in hand that you had just picked up (quiver worn). What do you do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume knocks an arrow and readies to shoot.
  “Lillian, retreat to us!”  
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Ready an action to shoot a foe should they appear.
 
lostsole31
 R1T24:  Brother Jaume knocks an arrow and readies to shoot, and shouts unintelligbly.

 R1T23:  Brown steps back and tries to swat the annoying wasp using some type of focused attack, but misses.

 R1T16:  Had Brown been smarter, he would have held his position, but he just unwittingly opened up a place for Vilma to go  if  she wants to press forward, rather than fall back. What does  Vilma   do? 
 Spoiler: OOC 
As an "ally" two sizes smaller than you, you may  share/occupy the same square as Veress, the wasp, the green-ringed,  black-field token.
 
silphael
Profiting from the mistake, Vilma presses forward, swinging her morningstar at the mercenary.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 2N, standard action attack with Risky Strike. (the weapon is in two hands since I forgot to put my shield back on)

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 11 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+18)[ 21 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T16:  Profiting from the mistake, Vilma presses  forward, swinging her morningstar at the mercenary. She overcommits with  all or nothing and misses wildly. This throws off and enrages the  juiced up woman, possibly leading her to make mistakes in the future.

 R1T15:  St. Dorn looks to the others still in the gatehouse with him, after Vilma disappears to engage to the north and says,   "I don't think anyone's coming back into this room."  

He  then tears west and north at his enhanced speed and tries to jump  directly over the mercenary! It's not pretty as he just barely clears  over the zombie's head, but it works and th zombie wasn't ready for it.  He slams his warhammer onto the helm of the mercenary for  20  and calls out,   "Another undead foreigner to the northwest!"  
 R1T14:   Green enters the battle, as if mystically called forth to do so by St.  Dorn, and now has Dorn in a flank ... as Dorn and Vilma have Brown so  flanked. It slashes Dorn in the back with some type of special maneuver  with his sword for  10 mod + staggered .

 R1T13:  Winter lets forth holy power to slam into the mercs. Brown resists (  4 PE  ), but Green takes it all (  9 PE  ).

 R1T12-7:  Lillian casts a spell on Vessex for   6 healing  , and directing Vessex to her familiar satchel. Vessex returns to the satchel, which Lillian secures.

 R1T5:    "Let's stop woolgathering, folks,"    Ms. Wrentz says to the others still in the gatehouse. She moves to just  the other side of the doorway and shoots at Brown, her bolt deflected  by armor. She speed reloads her crossbow.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T25:   Kristina flies out of the gatehouse into the corridors with everyone  else while getting to a height of 10' - out of reach of the undead -  flying to a point above Brown. She casts a spell and a beam of heat  leaps forth from her finger to strike Brown in the upper arm   4 mod fire  .   "They have a strong fire resistance!"   calls down Kris, a bit miffed at the minimal effect of her spell.

 R2T24:   Brother Jaume , nobody listened, and your action didn't go off. What do you do?

Brown on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume moves into the hallway and attempts to move through the first opponent to St. Dorn’s location if there is room; otherwise he will release a burst of positive energy.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

move into hallway and attempt an overrun if there is room next to St Dorn. Otherwise channel positive energy to “turn undead” making sure he is within 30’ of both Zombies.
 
lostsole31
 R2T24:  Brother Jaume moves into the hallway and sees  that not only is there nowhere for him to go, but there's nowhere for  him to take a breath to channel positive energy, and he steps back just  inside the gatehouse.

 R2T23:  Brown does some type of special maneuver against St. Dorn when he hacks into Dorn's right foot for  12 mod  and then suddenly disappears from his position.

 R2T16:   Vilma ,  what do you do? Vilma sees that Brown suddenly teleported on top of a  rack that still threatens Dorn. Meanwhile, you are still in that weird  overcommittal state that might make mistakes with an attack.

St. Dorn on deck, Green in the hole ...
silphael
Her morningstar still in hands, Vilma attempts to move through the enemy lines, to help Dorn, before focusing on Brown.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, 2N then 1 NW.

Standard action, attack with Risky Strike on Brown.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 21 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+18)[ 22 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T16:  Her morningstar still in hands, Vilma attempts  to move through the enemy lines to help Dorn, but Brown is standing on  top of a cot that she wold have had to go to. Vilma pushes past the  enemy. Brown's sword clangs against her armor, but Green's sword dings  the back of Vilma's helmet as she goes by for  12 . Vilma  finally gets past that gauntlet, unleashing her wrath to strike Brown  in the upper right arm and into his chest to destroy him!

 R2T15:  Dorn says a quick prayer on himself to heal   10  , and then swings at Green.

 R2T14:  Green strikes St. Dorn's lower left arm for  11 mod + staggered , but holds its position.

 R2T13:   Winter moves forward and then releases another positive burst, but this  time to heal allies. 
 Spoiler: Results 
Lillian and Vilma get   9 healing  .
Dorn gets   12 healing  .
Vessex is now fully healed.
 

 R2T12-7:   Lillian moves in and hops up on the cot where Vilma had destroyed Brown  and crosses blades with Green. Vessex closes with its mistress.

 R2T5:  Ms. Wrentz (5'8", 135 lbs.) moves up carefully, taking careful position to hide behind the slimmer Winter (5'8", 105 lbs.).

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T25:   Kris maintains her 10' height and flies to the north and botches a  spell really badly, and then babbles to herself incomprehensibly, but  only for about three seconds or so before she recovers.

 R3T24:   Brother Jaume  ... who does NOT have the powers of speech ... what do you do?

Vilma on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will attempt to enter the fray once more. He moves in and down the hall, looking for a spot to strike the zombie. If he can, he performs a powerful leg kick against the foe; if not, he will continue to move to an open space past the combatants.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move W 5’ and N 15’ to put him in melee with Green. Available move 40’ standard.
SwA: channel smite  (3d6)[ 9 ] 
SA: strike at zombie, crescent leg kick
  to hit  - (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+5)[ 13 ] 
if a spot is not available in melee, keep moving to next open spot either single move action or double. If SA remains, shoot with bow.
  to hit bow  - (1d20+7)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T24:  Brother Jaume will attempt to enter the fray  once more. He moves in and  down the hall, looking for a spot to strike the zombie, and getting up  behind Dorn. The remaining merc is being mobbed by allies, so Brother  Jaume takes aim and shoots. Not being any kind of a CQB archer, though,  the arrow goes high and skips off the wall.

 R3T16:   Vilma , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Green in the hole ...
silphael
After taking down Brown, Vilma attempts to bash Green down, then finally dons her shield.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 13 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+18)[ 25 ] 

Move action to don shield.
 
lostsole31
 R3T16:  After taking down Brown, Vilma attempts to bash  Green down, but the undead proves much more agile and trained in  defensive combat than expect as her morningstar is blocked. With an eye  to her own defense, Vilma dons her shield.

 R3T15:  St. Dorn lays a hand on himself for  8 healing . Staggered, he puts all of his faith and will behind a single swing against the monster's lower right arm, striking true for  18 . Immediately afterwards, St. Dorn manages to catch himself and is no longer in irons.

 R3T14:  The merc hits Lillian in the left shoulder with a powerful downswing for  15 .  No sooner is that strike delivered than the undead appears directly  behind Ms. Wrentz to the south, seemingly blocking off all other routes  to it.

 R3T13:  Winter lets off another posi-blast to hurt the thing, getting it fully for   11 PE  .

 R3T12-7:  Lillian steps to where the juju was to be able to look south, her wasp following. She casts a spell on herself for   11 healing  .

 R3T5:  Ms. Wrentz withdraws north and northwest into the barracks.

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T25:   Kris flies south as far as she can and once there, descends a few feet  to attack with her rapier. She blades stabs through its arm and into its  chest, destroying it. It combusts and disappears, its equipment  clattering to the ground.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
BJ will check everyone and provide non magical medical aid if needed.
if his one arrow survived and then collect it and all the fallen equipment and stash it in the cart in the entry hall. He will keep two stocked quivers and the bow.
lostsole31
 
 Originally Posted by Blackhawk101 
 BJ will check everyone and provide non magical medical aid if needed.
if his one arrow survived and then collect it and all the fallen equipment and stash it in the cart in the entry hall. He will keep two stocked quivers and the bow. 
 

Unfortunately, Brother Jaume's arrow shattered against the stone wall, but he can top off his quiver and take another.

By this point, Brother Jaume recognizes Winter as a senior physician, but she gladly accepts Brother Jaume's quiet assistance. Here are triage results:
 Lilian:  ~80% 
 St. Dorn: ~90% 
 Vilma: ~65% 

Lillian casts CSW on Vilma to fully heal her. She then casts CMW to fully heal herself. St. Dorn lays hands on himself to likewise heal all wounds.

Meanwhile, the dropped gear of the undead mercs are plopped in the cart in the gatehouse.

Overlooking the fort’s courtyard, this spacious room (where the battle was last fought is fitted with bunk beds, small chests, and stools. A rancid smell lingers in the room.

Do you do anything in this room, or leave? If you leave, there is a door to the north ... or the entrance you came in from the south leading to the tower stairs.
Blackhawk101
BJ will check/search the room.
lostsole31
The party begins a search of the room, and Lillian is more calm now that her primary combat buff has subsided.

This part of the fort was used to lodge its mercenaries. The dormitory is sparsely furnished with bunk beds, wooden lockers, stools, and coal braziers. The beds are all carefully made and all gear is properly stowed in the chests as if the room were ready for inspection. An arrow loop opens on the southwestern wall and a door is to the northeast and more to the south another is to the east. Two other doors north and south (the south the one you entered). To the north of the room, an archway to the west leads to stairs that go upwards to one of the turrets.

There is a half-drunk jug of milk stored beneath a bunk. Now, days later, the jug of milk has spoiled, leaving a thick curd floating atop the vessel and stinking up the barracks.

This what the party found on a quick search after about two minutes.
Blackhawk101
BJ will nock an arrow and head for the NE door. He will listen at the door before opening it if it is safe.
lostsole31
Not hearing anything, Brother Jaume opens the northeastern door (i.e.,  the door that is east, but slanted to north.  In opening the door, he  sees a courtyard ... and three large dogs that were sitting calmly on  the cloudy day all stand and growl menacingly and bay loudly.
 
Begin Round One ...

R1T25:    "It won't do to just close the door on them just to let them starve,"   says Winter.   "Best to make quick work and give them mercy, as their training probably can't be deprogrammed."  

She  begins to recite a dramatic monologue to steel the hearts and minds of  the party for this unpleasant work of killing dogs. She steps out of the  way.

 R1T22:  Brown charges Brother Jaume and bites him in the left calf and shin for  7 .

 R1T21:   Kris' body seems to evaporate smoothly into something like a raincloud  as she goes past Brother Jaume and floats to a height of 5' off the  ground.

 R1T19:  St. Dorn moves up, ducking past  Brother Jaume outside, but not quickly enough as the older man gets bit  in the right shoulder for  1 mod . He zooms out into the courtyard and north to threaten a pooch, bringing his warhammer down on the upper back of Green for  17 .   "For the record, this is honorless work, Winter, but necessary,"   Dorn sighs, before his eyes track to the southeast.   "Heads up! There's a fourth dog out here as well."  
 R1T17:   Lillian looks at her wasp and nods her head before she takes a small  vial of fluid and has an interesting, almost orgiastic response, to its  effects before moving behind Brother Jaume while taking out her whip.

 R1T16:  Blue moves to engage St. Dorn, his armor keeping him safe.

 R1T15:  Vessex flies out and at Brown, who was too focused on snacking on the balding man. The dog is stung for  1 NL +  1 poison  .

 R1T14:  Red now appears and closes towards St. Dorn.

 R1T12:   Brother Jaume , you recover from being jacklighted by a charging dog. What do you do?
Blackhawk101
Wincing from the bite, Brother Jaume unleashes a flurry of strong kicks at the dog attacking him. He doesn’t seem to display the tendency towards non-lethal attacks that he does against other foes.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA: flurry of blows, risky strike, ki Pt for additional strike
  to hit1  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  to hit3  - (1d20+8)[ 17 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T12:  Wincing from the bite, Brother Jaume unleashes a flurry of strong kicks  at the dog attacking him. He doesn’t seem to display the tendency  towards non-lethal attacks that he does against other foes. By the time he is done, the dog is completely dead.

 R1T11:   Ms. Wrentz gets on top of one of the beds, carefully holding her skirt  as she slowly and stealthily moves to the next bed, looking out the open  door as she readies her hand crossbow. She hunkers down behind the mass  of Brother Jaume. She mutters to those adjacent to her,   "Pity. They were good Ustalavic hounds - now starving. Be careful. They can pull a grown man to the ground."  
 R1T9:   Vilma , what do you do?
silphael
Her shield finally in place, Vilma enters the court, before getting ready with a quick prayer.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move E then 2 NE.
Standard action, unless there is a hound in melee range, casting Divine Favor.
 
lostsole31
 R1T9:  Her shield finally in place, Vilma enters the  court, but by the time she stumbles past the fallen dog in her heavy armor,  she doesn't have anything else in this breath for her prayer to be cast.

 R1T4:  Green circles St. Dorn and snaps at him.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T25:   Winter , do you keep inspiring courage (FA) with your dramatic monologue? What do you do?

Kris on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Continuing the dramatic monologue Winter strides forwards trying to get past and get into the room to finish a dog herself.   ”the cold embrace of Pharasma’s realm little beasts.”   she says in her melodic voice

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Free: maintain inspire courage
Move: into combat possible
Standard: stab with knife using  (1d20+9)[ 10 ]  dam  (1d4+6)[ 7 ] 
(Not including inspire courage bonuses)
 
lostsole31
 R2T25:  Continuing the dramatic monologue, Winter strides forwards into the couryard to finish a dog herself.   ”The cold embrace of Pharasma’s realm little beasts,”   she offers in her melodic voiceas she stabs at Blue wildly.

 R2T21:  Kris' gaseous body floats out into the courtyard.

 R2T19:  St. Dorn slams a hammer into the pooch that he flanks with Winter, rocking it for  20 + disabled  before he steps back against the courtyard wall.

 R2T17:   Lillian moves out to the yard with whip in hand and snaps it at Blue,  almost tripping it but for its four legs. She seems to gesture to her  wasp.

 R2T16:  Blue turns and snaps at Winter,  misses, and the exertion from the bite after having been hit so hard is  too much as Blue passes out.

 R2T15:  Vessex enters the square with Blue and tries to sting the hound.

 R2T14:  Red closes on St. Dorn, biting him in the groin for  3 mod . The pain of the bite is too much for the old man as he falls to the ground ... not unconscious, but still prone.

 R2T12:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume moves into the courtyard stepping over the deceased dog at his feet and moving to flank another dog with Dorn.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 10’ step to the NE (difficult terrain), 10’ N, 5’ E, 10’ NE.
SA: attack red dog with a kick, risky strike
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T12:  Brother Jaume moves into the courtyard stepping  over the deceased dog at his feet and moving to flank another dog with  Dorn. He gives a powerful snap kick to the Red's shoulder for  18 .

 R2T11:  Her hiding barrier gone, Ms. Wrentz hops off the bed and out into the courtyard, shooting at Green for  3 + disabled  with her hand crossbow before speed-loading it.

 R2T9:   Vilma , what do you do? The weird mental fog you suffered in last battle no longer affects you.

Green on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Stepping into the brawl, Vilma swings her morningstar at Red.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, 1 NW, 1N, 1NE (which is 4 squares, and should avoid any threatened area).
Standard action, attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
[roll=Damage]1d8+13
 
silphael
 
 Spoiler: OOC 2 
Of course I forgot to close the damage roll.

  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T9:  Stepping into the brawl, Vilma swings her morningstar at Red, hitting it in the forward back area for  15  with a resounding crack ... dropping Red.

 R2T4:  Green bites St. Dorn with a soft crit to his right shoulder for  4 mod  before its own wounds catch up to it and it falls.

With all dogs down, it is short work to put them to the sword.

 Combat Ends ... 
DrK
 Winter 

Ending her monologue, but keeping her knife out in case any more dogs appear in the courtyard Winter looks around, an expression of distaste on her face.   "An unfortunate thing to have to do. But better than that to let them starve cruelly. "   With a shake of her head she turns to more practical matters,   "Is anyone injured? The Goddess of the grave can find the strength to prevent you seeing her if you have need of her blessing?"  . She'll then move from person to person to see if they are injured and if they need some of her healing attention.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If 2 or more people need healing then use a channel energy  (3d6)[ 6 ]  to all her allies
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume explores the courtyard as the others do a medical check.
lostsole31
Winter sees that Brother Jaume and St. Dorn are wounded, and channels energy. Brother Jaume appears fully healed (faintest abrasion) and St. Dorn is now fully healed.

Kris comes out of gaseous form.

Brother Jaume and Ms. Wrentz note several doghouses on the eastern section of the courtyard. There is also a well in the northern part of the courtyard.

All told there are some seven different doors coming into the courtyard from around the perimeter, including the one from which you entered.

Nothing of value or interest is in the courtyard (or doghouses).
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume smiles at Winter in thanks for the healing. After finishing his search of the courtyard, he will listen at the door to his North (after silently shushing Ms. Wentz out of the way) and unless he hears something, he will attempt to open it.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter gazes around at  all of the doors and then with a sigh nods and smiles back at Brother Jaume.   "Yes Jaume, I agree. Unless anyone else has any suggestions,"   and she pauses to look at Miss Wrentz who is likely the only one who may have been here before.   "I'll follow you in. But be ready for trouble, this place has had nothing but danger and monsters so far within."   She emphasizes her point, clutching the heavy dagger in her hand and looking determined.
lostsole31
Brother Jaume goes to open the doorway to the north, but finds that it is locked.
Blackhawk101
BJ takes out his set of lock picks and attempts to unlock the door.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

kick the door twice with a flurry, Risky strike
  to hit1  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 13 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
Brother Jaume successfully, er, "unlocks" the now ruined door. A hallway is on the other side.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume carefully steps in and looks around, bow and arrow at the ready.
lostsole31
Brother Jaume had seen a door to the north before he had stepped in, though once he steps in, a corner to his closer northwest obscures it. An arrow loop is on the closer short wall, and there is a door around the corner to the southeast. A set of stairs to the west goes up.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks around, seeing what is about. If nothing, he will listen at the door to the North and try to open it if it is clear.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter tries and fail to conceal her grin as Broker J smashes the door, a wry   "Maybe some anger management or finding something breakable to vent your frustration may be helpful in our therapy sessions."   Watching carefully for any danger she follows him through and searches around the room. Using her magical senses to scan the room seeking to detect anything of a magical nature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Detect magic and slowly rotate 1 round per direction to scan for magical effects
 
lostsole31
Winter steps into the room to the center and casts her spell, looking east.

Meanwhile, Brother Jaume listens at the door and hears nothing.

Winter shifts her position to southeast and detects no magic.

Brother Jaume finds that this door is locked as well.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume checks to see if there is a way to unlock the door from this side.
lostsole31
There DOES appear a way to unlock the door from this side ..... if you have the key.
Blackhawk101
BJ does have a key…He fires off a flurry of kicks at the door.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA: attempt to kick open the door, flurry, Risky strike
  to hit1  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 16 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
As Brother Jaume kicks at the door, the NPCs move into the room at various positions, leaving Vilma just outside in the courtyard, and Winter nowhere to turn with her  detect magic  without the likelihood of getting false positives from teammates.

With the second kick, the door is wrecked open, revealing another barracks on this side, but this one not occupied by juju zombie mercenaries.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter follows "BJ" into the next room, patting him on the shoulder.   "Its not the most traditional method of dealing with locked doors but I cannot pretend to be unimpressed but its effectiveness."   she says whilst smiling. Moving into the (hopefully empty) barracks she begins to search around the room for any clues as to what may have happened or if there are any living people who aren't zombies or feral.
silphael
Vilma joins the others in the newly opened room, and helps to search the place.
Blackhawk101
BJ moves in, bow at the ready.
lostsole31
So, the party is split into two rooms, and Vilma seemed interested in starting a search of the hallway. Does Brother Jaume slow his roll for rooms to be searched, or does he just trundle ahead, heedless?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will help search the barracks room he just entered.
lostsole31
The party splits up and takes three minutes to do a quick search of the hallway and the larger barracks, but find nothing of interest. Winter doesn't find anything magical.

So, egresses from these two areas...
 
 Hallway #1: Wooden tairs go up. 
 Hallway #2: Door to east (and south). 
 Hallway #3: Door to south (you just came in that way). 
 Barracks #1: Door to south (the one the party is using to the hallway). 
 Barracks #2:  Double doors on southwestern wall are exterior doors, and you are pretty sure they go to the courtyard. 
 Barracks #3:  Tower stairs spiral up. 
 Barracks #4:  Door on west wall to far north. 
 

Where to next?
Blackhawk101
BJ waves the rest of the party towards him and then he listens at the Northern West facing door.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Barracks door #4
 
lostsole31
The party gathers behind Brother Jaume. He hears nothing on the other side of the door.
Blackhawk101
BJ will attempt to open the door …with extreme prejudice if the door is locked from this side.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, flurry of kicks, risky strike
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
The door is unlocked, and Brother Jaume opens it, but as soon as he does, at the far end, he sees something moving.   "Intruders!"   comes the shout from the west.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T29:   Hearing the call echoing around the stone fort walls, Kris immediately  takes to the air, zooms past Brother Jaume at the doorway, heads west  and a little north and climbs to a height of 10'. She is heard casting a  spell, and Brother Jaume sees a beam of heat hit the foe for   8 mod fire  .   "More of these dead fighty guys; still heat-resistant,"   Kris calls out.   "I think I see at least three of them."  
 R1T28-26:  Yellow (the one BJ sees) gets into a stance and shoots Kris in the head for  7 +  5 fire  .   "More around the corner, down the hall,"   it says.

Purple  comes around the corner to close on Brother Jaume while entering a  different fighting stance and drawing his longsword, and then strikes  Brother Jaume in his left upper leg for  18 + staggered . Then, from around that corner, an arrow flies up to hit Kris in the right shoulder for  8 +  6 fire  .

 R1T25:   Brother Jaume ,  these damn mercs know some sneaky fighting arts. Either that, or it's  something to do with them being undead. Either way, you are staggered so  you may take a MA or a SA, but not both (nor a FAA or FRA). Your bow is  in hand. What do you do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume winces at the painful injury but holds it together well enough to grasp his holy symbol. A wave of golden Energy bursts from him in all directions.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

channel energy to harm
 (3d6)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T25:  Brother Jaume winces at the painful injury but holds it together well  enough to grasp his holy symbol. A wave of golden Energy bursts from him  in all directions. Purple sees what you are doing and prepares itself, and another way down the hall is barely visible (  5 PE   each), but Yellow was focused on Kris and gets sideswiped (  11 PE  ).

 R1T23:   Ms. Wrentz repositions herself and then shoots at the zombie, but the  bolt shatters against the wall. She speed loads her crossbow.

 R1T17:   Winter , you have your dagger in hand. What do you do?
DrK
 Winter 

Winter steps up to beside Jaume and lunges through the door at the undead beast, she rests a hand on Jaume,   "You are injured, step back and let it join us and we can surround it."   she steels herself and hopes not to suffer anymore mental injuries.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

step up to beside the Jaume
Stab purple through the door way with risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T17:  Winter steps up to beside Jaume and lunges  through the door at the undead beast, hitting only its armor, she rests a  hand on Jaume,   "You are injured, step back and let it join us and we can surround it."   she steels herself and hopes not to suffer anymore mental injuries.

 R1T16:  St. Dorn moves up, readying a hammer blow.

 R1T13:   Lillian, with Vessex in the familiar satchel, moves up well east of  Brother Jaume snapping her whip overhead to try and disarm the merc.

 R1T12:   Vilma , what do you do?

Vessex on deck, Kris in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma gets ready to act once Jaume has freed the way.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Delaying until after Jaume's turn.
 
lostsole31
 R1T12:  Vilma gets ready to act once Jaume has freed the way.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T29:  Kris concentrates, and a peal of thunder cracks in the middle of the two archers to do   2 sonic   to Yellow and   5 sonic   to Pink. She then flies south out of view.

 R2T28-26:   Yellow steps south. Purple does some maneuver of his blade, and then  attacks Brother Jaume. His blade appears at the beginning of the arc,  and doesn't reappear until after it almost hits Brother Jaume, but the  monk is wary of strange trickery and dodges before being struck.

 R2T25:   Brother Jaume ,  while defending against that last attack, you regained your composure  over the pain and are no longer staggered. What do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume smiles at the half dead zombie fighter before taking a five foot step to the East and shooting him in the face.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: five foot step
SA: shoot purple fighter with longbow
risky strike
  to hit  - (1d20+7)[ 26 ] 
  to hit  - (1d8+4)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T25:  Brother Jaume smiles at the half dead zombie  fighter before taking a five foot step to the East and shooting him in  the face for  12 .

 R2T23:  Ms. Wrentz hops up on the stairs behind Winter, trying to hide.

 R2T17:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter lunges again with the dagger, cursing inwardly that she had neglected her martial training when she was training for the priesthood. She then steps back, gesturing at the beast

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Stab with risky strike
 (1d20+8)[ 18 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 12 ] 
5ft east
 
lostsole31
 R2T17:  Winter lunges again with the dagger, barely  scratching its armor after reaching past the doorjamb, cursing inwardly  that she had  neglected her martial training when she was training for the priesthood.  She then steps back, gesturing at the beast.

 R2T16:  St. Dorn re-readies himself.

 R2T13:  Lillian snaps her whip past Brother Jaume, trying to trip the merc.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T29-26:  Purple shuts the door.

 R3T25:  Brother Jaume, what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole, Vilma delaying ...
silphael
Vilma steps in toward the door, and reopens the door.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 1 NW 1 W (potentially one more W if the merc moved back, then opening the door
 
lostsole31
 R3T25.8-.5:  Vilma steps in toward the door, and reopens  the door, and as soon as she does so, the merc on the other side tries  to trip her, but fails.

 R3T25:  Brother Jaume, what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks around and spying the door to the Southwest, he moves to it and attempts to open it.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: five foot step to the SE, 5 ft step South to door
SA: open door
 
lostsole31
 R3T25:  Brother Jaume looks around and spying the door  to the Southwest, he moves to it and attempts to open it. He has to  really push, as something heavy-ish is on the other side. Once he opens  the door, he notices that one of the dead mastiffs in the courtyard was  making him have to work harder to open the door.

 R3T23:   Ms. Wrentz carefully comes from her previous spot, uses Vilma's bulk  and movement as a distraction, and then shoots past her at the  mercenary. The attempt was good, but the bolt still bounces off the  foe's armor.

 R3T17:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter glances around behind her,   "Why won't you die you horror"   she exclaims and glances at the others to make sure no-one is bleeding too heavily. Stepping back towards the undead she tries to drive her dagger into its skull to disrupt the necromantic energy powering it

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

5ft foward
stab the undead w/risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 27 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T17:  Winter looks around behind her.   "Why won't you die, you horror!"    she exclaims and glances at the others to make sure no-one is bleeding  too heavily. Stepping back towards the undead she tries to drive her  dagger towards its skull to disrupt the necromantic energy powering it, but instead catches it in the thick of the neck for  5 mod , as it seems resistant to the thrust of her dagger.

 R3T16:    "Good thinking, brother! Lillian, follow us around. The rest of you keep pressure on this side,"   counsels St. Dorn before heading out into the courtyard.

 R3T13:  Lillian follows....

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T29-26:    Kris flies in from the west with rapier in hand and lowers her flight  to normal height to provide flanking for Vilma. The other zombie  mercenaries appear at the other end of the hall, looking around, and  then shouting and pointing when they see Kris.

 R4T25.8:   Purple steps into the room and offline from the flank, seemingly  focusing on something and getting into a very defensive stance.

 R4T25.5:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ....
Blackhawk101
BJ steps into the courtyard stepping over the dogs and quickly North to the door there. He opens the door unless someone already has. If they have, he moves in to melee with an adversary.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move 5 ft to the SW (diff terrain cost +5’), move 15 Feet West (+5’ diff terrain), move 10 ft North to Door. Total =40.
SA: Open door or if open, MA to engage enemy in melee. One of the zombies that is not already engaged.
 
silphael
As the undead takes the defensive, Vilma presses forward, swinging her weapon.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step W, then attack as a standard action, with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 29 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T25.5:  As the undead takes the defensive, Vilma presses forward, swinging her weapon down onto its left shoulder for  12 mod .

 R4T25:  BJ steps into the courtyard stepping over the dogs and quickly north to the door and opens it.

 R4T23:  Ms. Wrentz quick-loads her crossbow and crouches down behind Vilma's bulk, attempting to hide.

 R4T17:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter pauses as everyone else seems to bolt away leaving her and Vilma holding the doorway. Taking a gulp she glances at Vilma,   "I guess we had best hold the doorway here..."   before lashing out again with a dagger.  " Shout if you are hurt I cannot seem to hurt it much but I can preserve you from harm"  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Stab with risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 20 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T17:  Winter pauses as everyone else seems to bolt  away leaving her and Ms. Wrentz holding the doorway. Taking a gulp she  glances at Vilma, who is just the door,   "I guess we had best hold the doorway here..."   before she bolts into the room, opening herself up for an attack, catching the cleric in the left foot for  11 . Winter gets into a corner and lashes out again with her dagger, but its focus on defense protects it.

 R4T16:  St. Dorn takes up a flanking position with Winter and attacks, but is blocked.

 R4T13:   Lillian moves in and to the north, keeping a spot open for Brother  Jaume to mob purple while Lillian draws a rapier on the move and misses  wildly against Yellow.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T29:    "I- ... I need healing,"    says a bloody Kris to Winter. She doesn't move, but does look left and  concentrates as a peal of thunder erupts from the western end of the  hallway, doing   8 sonic   to Pink and   7 sonic   to Yellow.

 R5T28-26:   Pink advances on Lillian, as it and Yellow both change their fighting  stances, each with a bow in off-hand and a longsword in their primary.  Yellow swings and is easily blocked by Lillian, but Pink's blow comes in  to light crit slash Lillian along the abdomen for  19 . Lillian screams in pain.

 R5T25.8:   Purple seems to have completed whatever special defense it was  employing. First, it steps out of flank. Then, it seems to do some type  of swordwork - both faking out Kris while also doing some type of windup  - and then attacks her. Though flat-footed, the merc's sword is still  stopped by two layers of magical force protection that Kris has.

 R5T25.5:   Vilma , what do you do? She hears Ms. Wrentz whisper to her,    "Don't move yet."   

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
silphael
Given the number of undeads showing up, Vilma gets ready to go on the offensive once Winter is done with whatever she's preparing by casting one spell.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action, casting Divine Favor. Swift action, starting a new judgement (of Destruction for +2 damage).
 
lostsole31
 R5T25.5:  Given the number of undead showing up, Vilma gets ready to go on the  offensive once Winter is done with whatever she's preparing by casting  one spell.

 R5T25:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole ....
Blackhawk101
Seeing an adversary in front of him and flanked by an ally, he unleashes a flurry of well placed kicks.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, flurry of blows, Risky strike , spend one Ki point for +1 attack
  to hit 1  - (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
  to hit 2  - (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 11 ] 
  to hit 3  - (1d20+8)[ 10 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+9)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T25:   Seeing an adversary in front of him and flanked  by an ally, he unleashes a flurry of well placed kicks. The first hits  in the merc's upper left arm for 12 mod, as the other two kicks are  unable to get past armor and thick hide.

 R5T23:   While Brother Jaume keeps Purple busy, Ms. Wrentz snipes at Purple from  her hiding place behind the armored hulk that is Vilma. The bold flies  into Purple's skull, destroying it. As she speed loads her crossbow, she  says,   "I appreciate the help, Vilma."  
 R5T17:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter hears Kris’s cry for aid and reaches out, a pulse of glowing golden energy flowing outwards to heal all of allies hurt by these vile creatures

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Channel energy for healing  (3d6)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T17:  Winter hears Kris’s cry for aid and reaches out, a pulse of glowing  golden energy flowing outwards to heal all of allies hurt by these vile  creatures for up to   7  .

 R5T16:  St. Dorn casts a spell on himself before stepping forward to engage the remaining mercs and perhaps to protect Lillian.

 R5T13:   Lillian snarls, and calling on the Goddess of Vengeance, lets loose  with a similar golden glow as Winter gave, but this one to harm. Both of  the mercenaries seem particularly capable of resisting such an attack,  and only take   6 PE   each. She then steps back a few feet.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T29:    "That helps a lot, and helps everyone, but I could really use a bit more focus,"   says Kris to Winter. She looks west and concentrates, with another peal of thunder ripping into both mercs for   8 sonic  . She nods, approvingly, but says,   "That's all of that I can do."  
 R6T28-26:   Bows are dropped and two hands on longswords now. Both mercs do the  same exact type of attack to Dorn, but he manages to deflect both.

 R6T25.5:   Vilma , Cesadia is no longer using you as a sniper's block. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
silphael
Now more free to move, Vilma walks into melee, joining the frontline, and aims at Yellow.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 2W 1 NW.
Standard action, attack with Risky Strike.
No change to judgment (so still +2 damage, not counted in the damage roll)

  Attack  - (1d20+11)[ 18 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+14)[ 21 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T25.5:  Now more free to move, Vilma walks into melee,  joining the frontline, and aims at Yellow, striking him in the armor  squarely, but his unnatural hide ends up being proof against the strike.

 R6T25:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume moves South and West to attempt to open the nearest door on the West wall of the courtyard.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA South 5 ft and West 10’
 
lostsole31
 R6T25:  Brother Jaume moves south and west and opens the  nearest door on the west wall of the courtyard. It opens, and when it  does, a thick mist flows out, but in a strange concentration, as if  bound by an unknown magical field rather than flowing naturally.

 R6T23:  Ms. Wrentz moves up and crouches down behind St. Dorn.

 R6T17:   Winter, what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Listening to Kris Winter nods and again channels a pulse of energy, this time praying to her goddess for a more effective pulse of healing power

 
 Spoiler: Channel energy  


Channel  (3d6)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T17:  Listening to Kris Winter nods and again channels a pulse of energy, this  time praying to her goddess for a more effective pulse of healing power, giving everyone who needs it up to   11 healing  .

 R6T16:   St. Dorn takes out his silver dagger and with a brutal slash that cuts  through several of Yellow's straps in his studded leather, cuts deep  into the chest cavity, destroying the undead. He holds his position as  he understands the need for teamwork with Ms. Wrentz.

 R6T13:   Lillian drops her rapier and takes out a small tube of some type of  stinky paste that she applies to the very light remnant of a wound. It  must sting, because whether she shouts orcish obscenities, a war cry, or  both, she now seems like a woman possessed.

 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T29:  Kris  flies out the door to the south, across the courtyard and past Brother  Jaume, and back into the fort. Casting is heard to the west, and a beam  of heat slices into Pink's right shoulder, but does it no harm.

 R7T26:   The last undead mercenary steps to the south and tries to do some  fakeout swordwork against Kris. While not really confusing, it follows  up with a brilliant blade-side smack right in the center of where Kris's  eyes and nose would meet in the lower center of the forehead for  blinded , while fighting with more defense in mind.

 R7T25.5:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
silphael
Further pressing the undead, Vilma keeps smashing, hoping to end the fight here.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Swift action to change the judgement bonus to a +1 to hit. Standard action to attack the undead with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+11)[ 17 ]  (+1 not counted)
  Damage  - (1d8+14)[ 22 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T25.5:  Further pressing the undead, Vilma keeps  smashing, hoping to end the fight here. Again, the tines of her  morningstar punch past studded leather, but not the thick hide of the  zombie.

 R7T25:   Brother Jaume , what do you do? This inexplicable fog makes it hard to see past.

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume eyes the fog warily and then shakes his head in the negative. He shuts the foggy door and then moves back to the North to re-enter the keep.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: shut the door
MA: 10 ft to the NE (or in other words equivalent to 10’ East and 10’ North).
 
lostsole31
 R7T25:  Brother Jaume eyes the fog warily and then shakes his head in the  negative. He shuts the foggy door and then moves back to the north to  re-enter the keep.

 R7T23:  Once again, Ms.  Wrentz' excellent use of tactical placement helps her as the zombie is  suprised when she suddenly pops up from behind St. Dorn. Sadly, her  accuracy wasn't up to the same level as her stealth, as her shot misses  (and she spee reloads.

 R7T17:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter frustrated looks over the sea of her allies backs, the undead (hated by her mistress Pharasma) and holds aloft her holy symbol releasing a pulse of power to destroy the undead

 
 Spoiler: OOC  


Channel energy to harm undead
Will DC 20 for half
 (3d6)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T17:  Winter looks over the sea of her allies' backs.  Frustrated, she holds aloft her holy symbol, releasing a pulse of power  from her body to destroy the undead so hated by her mistress, Pharasma.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
BJ grunts satisfied. He will check everyone for injuries.
lostsole31
With Brother Jaume assisting Winter, the party is as follows...
Ms. Wrentz, St. Dorn, Vilma, Winter: Unwounded.
Brother Jaume, Lillian: Negligible wounding.
Kris:  ~70%
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will use channel energy to heal those he can.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

 (3d6)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
With that burst, everyone is now fully healed except Lillian, who has light to neglible wounding.

What now?
Blackhawk101
BJ searches around for an arrow to replace the one he fired, not going far.
lostsole31
Since the mercs had quivers of arrows, Brother Jaume tops off at two quivers (40).

Ms. Wrentz is able to recover her two missed bolts.

What now?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume examines this room.
lostsole31
It turns out that the fog that Brother Jaume saw was a defense that Kris threw up when she was badly wounded. She dismisses the effect.

This L-shaped room is mostly empty, but holds a few neatly stacked piles of military-style camping gear sitting against the walls. A case of arrows sits near each of the arrow loops. An extinguished hooded lantern sits on the floor near the arrow loop in the western wall.

It takes 2-1/2 minutes to do a quick search through here.

Swept clean on a regular basis, this spare room holds enough supplies to provide a place for up to 10 additional mercenaries to sleep, though Fort Hailcourse has never needed that many soldiers. Two arrow loops in this room allow views outside, and a spiral staircase in the northwest corner allows passage to one of the fort’s towers. The arrow loop on the west wall provides a clear view of Iris Hill, and the inhabitants of Fort Hailcourse have used this line of sight to send signals using a hooded lantern if other methods of communication weren’t available. The lantern sits on the floor near the opening. In addition to serving as an extra place for lodging, this room also provided a place for the mercenaries to practice when the regular rainstorms that wash across Thrushmoor forced them inside.

In addition to the juju zombies’ gear, the PCs can collect the camping gear, the hooded lantern, and a box of 20 tindertwigs in the western arrow loop. though that might comically weigh down the group. What do you want to do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume ignores the common gear and waves the others to follow him. He heads to the straight wooden stairs up located East and South of their current location (D6).
DrK
 Winter 

As Brother Jaume channel's energy she smiles and nods.   "My thanks Brother."    She looks around then at the others and seeing there is not a huge amount of interesting things she turns to the stairs and follows Brother Jaume, a pat on his shoulder.   "Its okay, you still are a boon to us, even without your voice."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grins from his bushy beard and ducks his head at the compliment. Once the group is assembled, he heads up the stairs.
lostsole31
Just as Brother Jaume is at the uppermost part of the stairs, but not  yet on the next floor above, someone jumps out! Fortunately, Brother  Jaume and Winter (the only two who can see this new person) are too wary  to be surprised.

 Begin Round One ... 
 R1T24:  Vilma, unaware of trouble and just behind Winter around the corner, is in delay ...

 R1T19:   Brother Jaume ,  you are at the top of the stairs (on the stairs, not on the top floor),  and something jumps out at you with weapon drawn.  You have your bow in  hand. What do you do?

Vilma delaying ...
Blackhawk101
The burly Moneric appraises his opponent and then tries to overrun his opponent and move into the next floor.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FrA: Assess the situation
MA + SA: Move 5' East and 5' North using overrun maneuver. Since he has Powerful Maneuvers, +2 to check (not included) and opponent cannot choose to avoid. if opponent fails, it is knock prone if I succeed by 5 or more.

Combat Maneuver check
 (1d20+9)[ 27 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T19:  The burly Moneric appraises his opponent,  finding him truly alien, before pushing past him successfully to get  onto the main floor! As powerful a push as he gave, though Brother Jaume  did not knock the nimble creature down.

 R1T18-13:    "What's happening?"   calls up Ms. Wrentz, hearing a commotion. She delays, as do St. Dorn and Kris.

 R1T10:   Winter , what do you do?

Vilma delaying ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks up in surprise as the creature leaps out at them.   ”A monster, it’s vile.”   she swears loudly before stepping in with her knife to jab at the vile creature

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Winter moves 5ft to tye east
Stabs with risky attack  (1d20+8)[ 26 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T10:  Winter looks up in surprise as the creature leaps out at them.   ”A monster, it’s vile,”    she answers. She swears loudly before stepping in with her knife to jab  the disgusting creature's right forearm. It was not an easy strike, as  she barely punched through two layers of magical protection and its  scales to deal  11 . Meanwhile, a third defense protects the monster as an arc of energy strikes Winter for   6 electricity  .

 R1T9:   The bogey just barely manages to get a spell off. Suddenly, the stairs  under Winter (and where she stood a minute ago), as well as the walls  and bannisters around that area, are covered in some type of oily sheen.  Winter brilliantly keeps from losing her footing, but she'll have to be  careful.

 R1T8:  Lillian delays with the other NPCs, waiting to be told there's room.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T19:  Brother Jaume, what do you do?

Winter on deck, Enemy in the hole, Vilma delaying ...
silphael
As the passage opened, Vilma rushes up the stairs, hoping to help.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
One move action to move up the stairs. If I see the opponent, and it's clearly not roomy enough to join the fight, I'll move back down to let anyone with better ranged options in.
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume turns to face the creature. With a grunt of effort he attacks with a spinning back fist strike meant to stun it. That move is followed up with a straight kick and a crescent kick in a flurry of martial arts moves.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, first attack stunning fist, no sauce, flurry of blows, spend ki Pt. For additional attack
  to hit1  - (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+5)[ 9 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+10)[ 21 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T24:  As the passage opened, Vilma rushes up the  stairs, hoping to help. She barely manages to keep her footing and looks  up just long enough to see that she can't get through and then  carefully steps back down again.

 R2T19:  Brother  Jaume turns to face the creature. With a grunt of effort he  attacks with a spinning back fist strike meant to stun it. That spinning  back fist powers through layers of magical protection, only to be  stopped by its scales. It was enough contact, though, that an arc of  electricity zaps out to hit Brother Jaume for   6 electricity  ,  but when that happens, something seems diminished in the fish-man's  protection. The smell of ozone is strong, but there is no longer a faint  limning blue light about the thing. That move is  followed up with a straight kick and a crescent kick in a flurry of  martial arts moves, but none manage to hit it.

 R2T18:   Ms. Wrentz, barely catching a glimpse of Vilima's up/down and guessing  there is a spot open that Vilma couldn't take advantage of, slowly and  carefully moves up the stairs, just past Vilma. She moves quickly at  first to pass others while going upwards, and then slows down for  stealth and to better manage the oil slick she now finds herself  standing in.

 R2T10:  Winter, what do you do?

Bogey on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Resolute in her attacks Winter nods to Jaume, a quick muttered   ”Press the attack, I will heal your wounds after this.”   as she lashes out with the knife once more, now more than ever convinced that something deeply wrong and evil was happening in this fort. If her own wounds, the burn from the arc of electricity she pays no heed.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Risky attack  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T10:  Winter's electrical burn completely heals. Resolute in her attacks Winter nods to Jaume, a quick muttered   ”Press the attack, I will heal your wounds after this.”    as she lashes out with the knife once more (her dagger being repelled by magical force), now more than ever  convinced that something deeply wrong and evil was happening in this  fort.

 R2T9:  Seeing the human woman's wounds  completely close over, the bogey does some type of hissing, and speaks  in a burbling language. It concentrates on a spell, and then three  arcane bolts lance out to strike Brother Jaume for   13 force  .

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ....

R3T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
silphael
Not in a situation to join the fight, Vilma screams before stepping to the side.

"  Come down, things will be easier here !  "
lostsole31
 R3T24:  Not in a situation to join the fight, Vilma screams before heading downstairs and moving to the side,  "  Come down, things will be easier here!  " 
 R3T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Nodding to Winter, the doughty monk continues to strike and kick at his opponent.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, flurry of blows, spend ki Pt for extra attack
  to hit 1  - (1d20+10)[ 21 ]  stunning fist
  to dam1  - (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
  to hit 2  - (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
  to dam 2  - (1d8+5)[ 12 ] 
  to hit 3  - (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+5)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T19:  Nodding to Winter, the doughty monk continues to  strike and kick at his opponent. With his first attack, the creatures  tries to block with its trident. While failing the block, the monk's  blasts past one layer of magical protection but not the second. Now  getting a feel for the monster's exceptional magic, Brother Jaume is  happy he was going with more accurate strikes this time, and  successfully kicks it in the left elbow for  12  and does a straight fist to its chest for  8 .

 R3T18:   Ms. Wrentz made noise as she popped up because she slid out a little on  the slick stairs. Her failure is paid with a wide miss. She speed loads  her crossbow and then carefully heads down.

 R3T10:   Winter , what do you do?

Enemy on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R3T10:  Winter winces, but follows Vilma's advice,  carefully withdrawing while navigating the greasy stairs. She was never  that acrobatic, but she manages to get away ... all the way downstairs  and past Ms. Wrentz.

 R3T9:  Fishlips is nervous of the big man, and fails to invoke a spell.

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T24:   Vilma , what do you do? Brother Jaume still needs to make his way down.

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
silphael
Vilma waits for Jaume to come down, and ask Winter.

"  How is it up there ?  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Delaying for now.
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will drop his longbow and attempt to grapple the fishman. His large hands attempt to find purchase on the slippery mage.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FrA: drop weapon
SA: initiate a grapple
+2 to roll due to unarmed combatant ( not included)
 (1d20+9)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T24:  Vilma waits for Jaume to come down, and ask Winter, "  How is it up there?  "

 R4T19:  Brother Jaume drops his longbow and attempts to grapple the fishman.  His large hands fail to find purchase on the slippery mage.

 R4T18:  Ms. Wrentz delays ...

 R4T10:   Winter , what do you do? You were asked a question (see Vilma, above).

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole, all others delaying ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks at Vilma,   ”Some sort of disgusting scales beast armed with magics. It’s powerful and strong. Brother Jaume needs our help.”   Looking at all of her allies she announces   ”The lady of grave feels your rage, she welcomes though you send and gives you her blessing.”  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Cast bless
 
lostsole31
 R4T10:  Winter looks at Vilma,   ”Some sort of disgusting scales beast armed with magics. It’s powerful and strong. Brother Jaume needs our help.”   Looking at all of her allies she announces as she casts a spell,   ”The Lady of Graves feels your rage. She welcomes you, and gives you her blessing.”  
 R4T9:   Fishlips succeeds this time on casting a spell, and with an electrified  hand tries to touch the cleric, who blocks the monster at the forearm.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Since Jaume doesn't appear, Vilma walks up the stairs, cautiously.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna go up if I can, to try to help Jaume.
 
lostsole31
 R5T24:  Since Jaume doesn't appear, Vilma walks up the  stairs, cautiously. Because of the greasy stairs, moving cautiously  means she ends 10' from the monster.

 R5T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Fishlips in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
The determined moneric gamely gives the grapple another go.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: initiate grapple; +2 unarmed combatant nic
 (1d20+9)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T19:  The determined moneric gamely gives the grapple another go, but is unable to even land a hand on the creature.

 R5T10:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Infused with a new found aggression and the blessing of her goddess Winter storms back upstairs, blade in hand (and if there is space) she will last out at the odd reptilian beast

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Risky attack w/ bless
 (1d20+9)[ 14 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T10:  Infused with a new found aggression and the blessing of her goddess  Winter storms back upstairs, but fails to manage the greasy area and falls down the stairs partway, taking  4 .

 R5T9.5:  St. Dorn comes out of delay, with Winter there at his feet.   "Nobody  doubts your bravery, and I've seen you fight different than before.  You've found your stride, and now your knife is fast and keen. But  Vilma's heavily armored and lives in war. Let her take the next spot."
  
He calls up,   "Vilma, call down with reports. Brother Jaume, make your way down if possible!"  
 R5T9:   Fishlips says something to Brother Jaume, but neither he nor Vilma  understand his debased language. It stabs Brother Jaume in his left  thigh for  15 +  18 electricity   as  the electricity jumps from the trident into Brother Jaume's body. It  snaps at the friar, and then a claw misses so wildly to almost give  Brother Jaume a chance to trip it, but the thing recovers.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T24:   Vilma , you are on slick stairs, with slick stairs leading up the last 5' to the enemy. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Cautiously climbing the last steps, Vilma calls to Jaume.

"  Jump over the railings !  "

To try to create an opportunity for Jaume, she swings her weapon at the creature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to close in, then attack at the creature, with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T24:  Cautiously climbing the last steps, Vilma calls to Jaume, "  Jump over the railings!  "

To try to create an opportunity for Jaume, she swings her weapon at the  creature, blasting past two force layers of magical protection, only to  be stopped by the creature's scales once her momentum is gone.

 R6T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Badly wounded, a desperate Brother Jaume attempts to overrun his opponent and move down the stairs.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Use overrun maneuver as part of movement.+ 2 to roll from Powerful maneuvers
SA+MA

 (1d20+9)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T19:  Badly wounded, a desperate Brother Jaume  attempts to overrun his opponent and move down the stairs, but he is  stopped cold, making no progress.

 R6T10:   Winter , you are prone on the stairs. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Fishlips in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Muttering a curse that she certainly did not learn in the temple school Winter drags herself to her feet. Then looking up the stairs begins to intone a long prayer to Pharasma to inspire bravery and fighting spirit in her friends. A snarled   "All who live must face her judgment, and yours will be harsh"   to the scaled creature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move stand up
Standard: Start inspiring courage
 
lostsole31
 R6T10:  Muttering a curse that she certainly did not learn in the temple school  Winter drags herself to her feet. Then looking up the stairs begins to  intone a long prayer to Pharasma to inspire bravery and fighting spirit  in her friends. A snarled   "All who live must face her judgment, and yours will be harsh!"   she shouts up at the scaled creature (who is currently out of sight).

 R6T9.5:  St. Dorn goes back into delay ...

 R6T9:   Almost as if a fencer were to use such a weapon, Fishlips dances with  his weapon. As hideous as the creature is, his mastery of the trident is  almost mesmerizingly beautiful to Vilma. Not so to Brother Jaume,  however, when Fishlips makes a devastating strike to Brother Jaume's  head with the tines of its forked weapon, right to the brain, for  21 + 3 INT , dropping the valiant friar.

It  spins to thrust the trident at Vilma, more as to maintain combat  positioning, and tries to bite her, but her armor holds fast.

 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T24:   Vilma ,  Brother Jaume just dropped, and with Winter around the corner of the  stairs and nobody behind you, it is likely that nobody else knows this.  What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
"  Jaume is down, we need to take down that creature !  "

From her position on top of the stairs, she keeps trying to club the creature to death.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action, attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 20 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T24:  "  Jaume is down! We need to take down that creature!  "  shouts Vilma from above. From her position on top of the stairs, she  keeps trying to club the creature to death, but it parries her.

 R7T19:  Brother Jaume is unmoving, but currently not bleeding out, either.

 R7T10:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Hearing the shouts about the Jaume the priestess hustles forward, this time careful to try and hold onto the wall and claw her way up the stairs slowly over the grease. (Hopefully) reaching Vilma she releases a pulse of healing energy excluding the monster

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Advance very cautiously
Channel to include Jaume  (3d6)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T10:  Hearing the shouts about the Jaume the priestess  hustles forward even as she heals the remainder of her wounds, this  time careful to try and hold onto the wall and claw her way up the  stairs slowly over the grease, and doing so brilliantly. As she reaches  Vilma, she realizes that she can't see Brother Jaume, who is 10' above  her on the floor, and a burst wouldn't help him from her current  position, so she keeps her power in reserve.

 R7T9:  Again, Fishlips appears to botch a spell, Vilma's threat looming too large for it.

 End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Since Fishlips isn't backing away, Vilma keeps pressuring, her morningstar trying to carve a path into the flesh.

"  Hold steady, Jaume is right behind it !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Let's attack again with Risky Strike then.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 16 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R8T24:  Since Fishlips isn't backing away, Vilma keeps  pressuring, her morningstar trying to carve a path into the flesh, but  it just tings the weapon away with its own. "  Hold steady, Jaume is right behind it!  "

 R8T19:  Brother Jaume lays there ....

 R8T10:   Winter , what do you do, as you are unable to get to or see Brother Jaume right now?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter standing behind Vilma taps her on the back,   ”Its dark but I cannot make light, step back and let me duel with this beast, stand ready should I fall”  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Delay, is intend to maintain inspire courage but not sure if I pay the round now or at delayed initiative
 
lostsole31
 R8T10:  Winter, standing behind Vilma, taps her on the back,   ”It's dark but I cannot make light, step back and let me duel with this beast, stand ready should I fall.”  

Winter starts up a different dramatic monologue, one which she uses when she is less giving courage ... but looking for her own.

 R8T9.5:  Overhearing what is needed, St. Dorn comes up the stairs (just off map behind Winter), and casts a golden glow on Winter's knife.

 R8T9:  The enemy concentrates, and three arcane bolts light Vilma up for   10 force  . A little trickle of blood is seen from the eyes of the foe.

 End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
As the creature is right there, Vilma, wounded, strikes back.

"  Thanks for the light !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action, attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T24:  As the creature is right there, Vilma, wounded,  strikes back, but Fishlips brilliantly parries ... and then far less  brilliantly misses with a riposte. Still thankful for the light and  hopes of turning this battle around, Vilma calls back, "  Thanks for the light!  "

 R9T10:   Winter , what do you do? You are currently monologuing.

St. Dorn on deck, Fishlips in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter still speaking strident prayers tries to help Vilma, assisting her ally in the defeat of the monster.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Cannot do anything, just stand still and keep up Inspire courage to give Vilma the boost
 
lostsole31
 R9T10:  Winter still speaks out the strident prayers  found within one of the most famous Pharasmin passion plays to try to  help Vilma, providing what assistance she can to her ally in the defeat  of the monster.

 R9T9.5:  St. Dorn goes back into delay.

 R9T9:  Fishlips just can't get a break when it comes to concentrating on a spell, and something electrical fizzles.

 End Round 9, Begin Round 10 ...

R10T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Not planning to give up despite her so far light wounds, Vilma keeps attempting to club the fishlike being.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Attack with Risky Strike again.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T24:  Not planning to give up despite her so far  light wounds, Vilma keeps attempting to club the fishlike being, but the  tip of his morningstar is deflected by the tip of its trident. It gets a  riposted that clatters off of Vilma's armor, and it seems like the  enemy is getting tired as well.

 R10T19:  Brother Jaume's body really rallies as his ki gives him   6 healing  !  He sees the fishman focused on Vilma and stands, moves over to the  banister by Winter, and drops down in her square, allowing himself to  slide down the stairs some on the grease, ending up prone and out of  danger or even sight of danger on the stairs between Winter and St.  Dorn.  He looks up at the two of them and smiles as if he just got the  Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, even though his performance was more  of nerve than talent.

 R10T10:   Winter , a  badly wounded Brother Jame is on the stairs behind you, finally safe  (for now). Do you keep inspiring courage? What do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

As Brother Jaume flops down the stairs beside her Winter smiles in a kindly manner, ending her prayer and slowly clutching the wlls lowers herself to beside Jaume.    "I'll be back in a mere moment Vilma, keep holding it off."    After that he kneels beside Jaume and strokes him on the cheek,   "Not your time quite yet. My mistress may want you, but not today!"  . The powerful healing pulse then washes over him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move hugging the wall to Jaume
Convert Prayer --&gt; Cure Serious Wounds  (3d8+5)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T10:  As Brother Jaume flops down the stairs beside her Winter smiles in a  kindly manner, ending her prayer and slowly clutching the wlls lowers  herself to beside Jaume.    "I'll be back in a mere moment Vilma, keep holding it off."    After that she kneels beside Jaume and strokes him on the cheek,   "Not your time quite yet. My Mistress may want you, but not today!"   With a prayer, a powerful positive pulse then precipitates over the prone priest for   16 healing  . A quick check by Winter can tell that Brother Jaume is still only at about one-quarter total health.

 R10T9:  Fishlips concentrates, and electricity arcs betweens the tines of its weapon.

 End Round 10, Begin Round 11 ...

R11T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
With Jaume now safe, Vilma keeps pressuring the monstrosity, hoping to take it down before it can attack.

"  I'll hold it here !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Attack with Risky Strike ! (because at some point I'll roll normally)

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 21 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T24:  With Jaume now safe, Vilma keeps pressuring the monstrosity, hoping to take it down before it can attack. "  I'll hold it here!  "

She swings mightily and upwards to smash it in the right bicep for  21 !

 R11T19:   Brother Jaume, standing just off of the greasy area now that Vilma and  Winter are in, gets to his feet easily enough, and gets into a defensive  stance.

 R11T10:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 
  "Keep up the good work"   she shouts encouragingly to Vilma as she see's her friend hitting the creature before she turns back to Jaume.   "You stay there, you are still bleeding, don't move anywhere"   Resting her hands on the next most serious energy she channels more holy power into it, the wound sealing shut leaving only a faint red welt.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Calm emotions --&gt; Cure Moderate
 (2d8+5)[ 7 ]  healing to Jaume
 
lostsole31
 R11T10:    "Keep up the good work!"   she shouts encouragingly to Vilma as she see's her friend hitting the creature before she turns back to Jaume.   "You stay there, you are still bleeding, don't move anywhere"    Resting her hands on the next most serious wound she channels more  holy power into it, the wound sealing shut leaving only a faint red  welt (  7 healing  ). Still, Brother Jaume is still sporting plenty of other wounds.

 R11T9:  Perhaps because of Fishlips' high ground advantage does its trident thrust strike true against Vilma's hip for  6 +  6 electricity  . A follow-up thrust and a bite are stopped by armor.

 End Round 11, Begin Round 12 ...

R12T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Groaning from the pain, Vilma strikes back, hoping to finally see the creature going down.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
  Damage  - (1d8+13)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R12T24:  Groaning from the pain, Vilma strikes back,  hoping to finally see the creature going down, but only smashes past one  magical barrier to get stopped by the second.

 R1T19:  Brother Jaume stays where he is, maintaining a totally defensive posture, his head swimming still.

 R1T10:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole ..
DrK
 Winter 

Seeing Vilma getting hurt more Winter again shouts at her,   "Vilma, withdraw"   whilst waiting to see what her friend does

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Delay to see what Vilma does
 
lostsole31
 R12T10:  Seeing Vilma getting hurt more Winter again shouts at her,   "Vilma, withdraw"   whilst waiting to see what her friend does.

 R12T9:   Being on the floor whereas Vilma is on the stairs is very likely the  crucial piece of the puzzle that gives Fishlips the leverage to drive  its trident into Vilma's upper left arm for  12 +  2 electriity  . As Vilma raises her shield reflexively high from the pain, Fishlips then stabs Vilma in the groin for  8 +  3 electricity  . It bites at her, and very nearly got through Vilma's armor that time.

 End Round 12, Begin Round 13 ...

R13T24:   Vilma , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fishlips in the hole, Winter delaying ...
silphael
Still paying attention to the fishy abomination, Vilma withdraws down the stairs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Full round action : withdraw action, moving down the stairs at half speed. As always, it doesn't provoke from the starting square.
 
lostsole31
 R13T24:  Still paying attention to the fishy  abomination, Vilma withdraws down the stairs. She tries to move  carefully because of the slick, but she in heavy armor and shield, the  bill comes dues. Vilma's foot goes flying out from under her and she  lands where she started, Winter's shocked stance keeping Vilma from  sliding down the stairs farther. Vilma is now prone at the mercy of the  monster!

 R13T19:   Brother Jaume , you  barely see around the corner of the stairs (you are on different maps),  and you saw Vilma plotz. There are no "gaps" to move into, and Winter is  ahead of you. What do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Vilma in the hole, Winter delaying ....
Blackhawk101
BJ attempts to Grapple Winter and hoist her up to the railing as high as he can, stepping into her space.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter shakes her head and shrugs off Jaume, a stern   "No"   a he grabs hold of her. Stepping forward she uses Vilma's prone form to help her keep her footing as she advances slowly up the slippy steps and lunges at the scaled demon assailing them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 24 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 11 ] 

Singing had ended so no bonuses that I'm aware of
 
lostsole31
 R13T19:   Winter , Brother Jaume inexplicably tried  to grab you ... but you didn't know what he was doing or why and easily  kept from being grappled.

 R13T18:  Winter shakes her head and shrugs off Jaume, a stern   "No"    a he grabs hold of her. She tries to step forward, but Vilma is active  and prone in the slick, and Winter is not able to occupy that same area  .. only move past it. She stays where she is for now.

 R13T9:  Gleefully, the monster puts more power behind its strike and slams its trident down into the prone woman's belly for  11 . The electric field had ended, but so does Vilma's movement. Then, its second strike crits Vilma in the chest for  16 ,  the tines of which are heard clunking into the wooden stairs. When it  retracts its trident, Vilma's chest rises limply upward for a bit before  it extricates its weapon, a cruel smile on playing on its face. The  blood coming from Vilma is that of liquid leaving an inanimate bag, none  of it pushed out through any arterial action, for the heart is stopped.  Worse, something about having killed Vilma seems to reinvigorate it  somehow.

 End Round 13, Begin Round 14 ...

R14T19:   Brother Jaume ,  you saw that happen. Now that Vilma is no longer moving and squirming,  horrible as it is, you could stand where her body lays on the stairs.  What do you do?

Winter on deck, Fishlips in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume makes an heartfelt moan of despair as he backs down the stairs. Once back to the group he prays for aid and channels a burst of energy, healing himself and those around him.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

channel energy healing
 (3d6)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R14T19:  Brother Jaume makes an heartfelt moan of despair as he backs down the  stairs. Once back to the group he prays for aid and channels a burst of  energy, healing himself and those around him for   12 healing  , which fully heals Kris (the only other one down here besides Brother Jaume who was wounded).

 R14T18:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Brother Jaume in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks on in horror at the brutal execution of Vilma, guilt streaking through her as she replays all the different actions she could have taken to pull Vilma to safely earlier. Then rage clouds her vision and she steps up, steeling herself as she uses Vilma's body for stable footing and lunges savagely at the vile monster

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Risky attack  (1d20+8)[ 12 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R14T18:  Winter looks on in horror at the brutal execution of Vilma, guilt  streaking through her as she replays all the different actions she could  have taken to pull Vilma to safely earlier. Then rage clouds her vision  and she steps up, steeling herself as she uses Vilma's body for stable  footing and lunges savagely at the vile monster, missing.

 R14T9:   Fishlips has such a mess of things magically, though, as again it fails  to concentrate on a magical effect with Winter's ferocity in his face.

 End Round 14, Begin Round 15 ...

R15T19:  Brother Jaume, what do you do?

Winter on deck, Fishlips in the hole, Kris delaying ...
silphael
Squinting her eyes, Kris flies up the first half of the stairs, trying to fly up above Winter to not fully engage the fishy abomination, before unleashing a baleful ray at it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Let's fly and attempt to use that perfect flight quality to stay outside of melee range of that thing, then cast Ray of Enfeeblement on it.
  Ranged touch attack  - (1d20+8)[ 10 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
BJ motions to Saint Dorn to come with him up the stairs and the moves up the stairs . Once in position at the landing beside Winter and with his back to the wall, BJ will squat and link his hands as if to give someone a boost up.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move up to stair location behind Winter.
SA: ready an action to give boost to someone try to climb over stair railings.
 
lostsole31
 R15T19.5:  Squinting her eyes, Kris flies up the first  half of the stairs, trying  to fly up above Winter - but having to stay behind her and not directly  above so as to not fully engage the fishy abomination - before  casting a spell and unleashing a baleful ray at it. Unfortunately, it  misses.

 R15T19:  BJ motions to Saint Dorn to come with him up the stairs and the moves up  the stairs behind Winter, but slips on that spot and falls prone, sliding back 5' (just off map) to the point where the stairs direction.

 R15T18:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Glancing behind her she see's the others climbing and nods.   "Climb up, circle behind them."   she calls as she continues to advance on fishlips knife flickering and darting as she tries to catch it despite its magical wards

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


risky stab  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
DrK
 
 Spoiler: Winter critical confirmation 

 (1d20)[ 11 ] +8 to confirm
- if its double damage and hits then extra  (1d4+8)[ 11 ] 
- If a d20 random result is needed  (1d20)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R15T18:  Glancing behind her, she see's the others initial climbing attempts and nods.   "Climb up, circle behind them,"    she calls as she continues to advance on fishlips knife flickering and  darting as she tries to catch it despite its magical wards. She succeeds with a lucky soft crit to its upper left leg for  12 .

 R15T9:   Fishlips backs away a few feet, but now protected by the bannister it  concentrates and its trident's tines sparkle with electricity.

 End Round 15, Turn 16 ...

R16T13:   Kris ,  what do you do? The "2" on the bird means that you are 10' above the  area of the steps that your square indicates, which in this case means  you are at the level of this upper floor. Note the bannister to the  north keeps you from simply floating northwards. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Flying down behind Winter, Kris casts a spell, before touching her, gathering layers of force to shield Winter from the abomination's assaults.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Going down, then casting Shield on Winter.
 
lostsole31
 R16T20:  Flying down behind Winter, Kris casts a spell on Winter,  gathering layers of force to shield Winter from the abomination's  assaults.  But it doesn't happen. No sooner does Kris cast the spell then it instantly protects Kris instead. Today is the first time Kris realizes that even though her  mage armor  spell can be cast on others, her  shield  spell cannot.

 R16T19:   Brother Jaume ,  you had fallen prone from the slick stairs, but you slipped into a  section not so slick. You are just around the corner and 10' behind  Winter. What do you do?

Winter on deck, Fishlips in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume rises to his feet he tries to move up the stairs to the slick landing without falling.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: Rise to feet from prone
SA: Move 5 ft up the stairs to the landing. Stop there unless he can switch movement modes to climb but from what I have read, that is a no.
 
lostsole31
 R16T19:  Brother Jaume rises to his feet he tries to  move up the stairs to the slick landing without falling. Unfortunately,  the slick wasn't just put on the stairs themselves, but included the  bannister and support structure in the 10' in front of the top, so  anything he would try to grab onto would also be slicked. Brother Jaume  is now also standing directly underneath Kris.

 R16T18:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter grins at Kris, grateful for the support even though it wasn't successful. She looks at Fishlips and shakes her head,   "There can be no mercy for. Only your death will slake Pharasma and give company to our friend you sent to the Boneyard"   . She then advances stabbing at it again

 
 Spoiler: Risky strike 


To hit  (1d20+8)[ 9 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R16T18:  Winter grins at Kris, grateful for the support  even though it wasn't successful. She looks up and around the bannister  at Fishlips and shakes her head,   "There can be no mercy for ....."    And  here for a second, likely choking over the anguish of the death of  Vilma, she wasn't even able to finish that sentence. She gathers her  composure through seething teeth and hisses,    "Only your death will slake Pharasma and give company to our friend you sent to the Boneyard!"  

She  advances up the stairs to the top and stabs again even as Fishlips goes  to parry. It's a wild stab that Fishlips easily deflects before making a  riposte ... but that attack is so hysterically bad that it ends up  being distracted by the electricity going up and down its own weapon!

 R16T9:   Fishlips thrusts at Winter and misses, then opens the external door and  steps outside. In doing so, while not a bright, sunny day outside, some  light comes into the upper room. This is easily noted by those  downstairs who see the increase in indirect outdoor light.

 R16T8:  Ms. Wrentz hustles to get to the point right before the slick. St. Dorn calls up,   "Status!"  
 End Round 16, Begin Round 17 ...

R17T13:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R17T20:  Kris flies up and over the bannister and down to land on the floor above.   "He's a fishy-guy, right? I'm sure he misses the water."   She casts a spell, sending a concentrated jet of water at the enemy.   "Aww, I only pushed him five feet, but he's away from the door outside, now."  
 R17T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Fishlips in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ attempts to move up the stairs and to the next floor North of Winter 10’ and pick up his bow in the adjacent square to the south.
lostsole31
 R17T19:  Brother Jaume attempts to move upstairs, but by  not trying to move more slowly than normal, he slips on the grease and  falls. Ms. Wrentz around the corner keeps him from tumbling down the  stairs at all. Brother Jaume gets back on his feet.

 R17T18:   Winter , what do you do?

Fishlips in the hole, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter snarls a most unseemly curse under her breath as the enemy darts away. A more audible   ”No you don’t”   follows as she darts to the door seeking to catch the murderer and run him through on her blade.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move to door and then to fish lips
Risky stab  (1d20+8)[ 23 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R17T18:  Winter snarls a most unseemly curse under her breath as the enemy darts away. A more audible   ”No you don’t”    follows as she darts to the door seeking to catch the murderer and run  him through on her blade, but only cutting into one layer of magical  protection before being stopped by the second.

 R17T16:   St. Dorn carefully and slowly makes it up the stairs and past the  slicked areas. He gets out the door and tries to be acrobatic but  Fishlips is too canny and stabs St. Dorn in the chest with its trident  for  5 mod +  1 electricity  . St. Dorn taps Winter's shoulder really quickly to look at  ..... something ... that is right next to where St. Dorn ends up.   "What in the Forge's locker is  that ?!"  
 R17T9:  The electric effect on Fishlips' trident ends. He stabs Winter in the belly for  8 , and misses with its next attack before it steps back a few feet.

 R17T8:  Ms. Wrentz very carefully makes her way to the top of the stairs.

 R17T5:   What seemed to Winter to be a puddle or glistening rock suddenly lashes  out at St. Dorn with a pseudopod, but the spry older man ducks out of  the way.

 End Round 17, Begin Round 18 ...

R18T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Flying after Winter, Kris throws a cold ray at the scaled one.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly E 10 feet, then standard action to cast Ray of Frost.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 24 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R18T20:  Flying after Winter, Kris throws a cold ray at the scaled one, hitting it squarely in the gut for no apparent effect.

 R18T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Carefully, the battered moneric (TM) will climb the stairs; stepping past Vilma’s unmoving form, Ms. Wrentz and then stop in the square with his bow. He looks for fishface as he picks up the weapon.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 1/2 speed to move up to the next floor. Stop after moving 5ft North in the square with his bow.
SA: pick up bow
 
lostsole31
 R18T19:  Carefully, the battered clonk (C)   will climb the stairs, stepping  past Vilma’s unmoving form, Ms. Wrentz, but then having to step past  Kris farther into the room since she is now where he had been before,  and doing so takes enough time that he doesn't get his bow. However, he  does see Fishface outside to the east.

 R18T18:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Feeling worried by the ooze she still looks a the wounded and retreating murderer and darts forward, lashing out with a underhand stab aiming for its gut.    "Come, gods damn you just fall."    she hisses

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


5ft forward and risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 12 ] 
 
DrK
 
 Spoiler: Critical 


Critical effect  (1d20)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R18T18:  Feeling worried by the ooze she still looks a the wounded and retreating  murderer and darts forward, lashing out with a underhand stab to its gut with a light crit for  12 .    "Come, gods damn you, just fall,"    she hisses.

 R18T16:   St. Dorn steps back to the outer side of the doorway and casts a spell  on himself, a softly-glowing nimbus of Torag's protection around him.

 R18T14:  Lillian carefully makes her way up the stairs most of the way.

 R18T9:   Fishlips seemed to have been going through some trial, but it seems it  is clear of it now. It concentrates, and its trident again glows with  lightning. It then steps away from Winter.

 R18T8:  Ms. Wrentz moves into the room slowly, hunkering down behind Brother Jaume.

 R18T5:  The mass'o'goo doesn't advance, but writhes. St. Dorn gives a grimace and a grunt for some reason.

 End Round 18, Begin Round 19 ...

R19T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Kris switches to more dangerous spells, and casts a burning ray at Fishlips.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting Scorching Ray at Fishlips.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R19T20:  Kris switches to more dangerous spells, and  casts a burning ray at Fishlips, but the spry ichthyoid ducks the  searing beam. Kris feels her own form of heat as she exhausts her last  high-powered sorcery.

 R19T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do? Your bow is still on the ground right under where Kris is floating.

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ will pick up his bow and fire an arrow at the fishman.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: retrieve bow from adjacent square
SA: fire an art at the fishman.
  to hit  - (1d20+9)[ 13 ]  no sauce special or otherwise.
  to dam  - (1d8)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R19T19:  Brother Jaume picks up his bow and shoots at the fishman, missing.

 R19T18:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Seeing the fishlike creature retreating and the pudding not moving emboldens the cleric as she continues on the offensive trying to fell this beast that seems like it won’t die!

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Step forward
Risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R19T18:  Seeing the fish-like creature retreating and the pudding not moving  emboldens the cleric (who fully heals again) as she continues on the offensive trying to fell  this beast that seems like it won’t die! But her dagger skips off of its outer force layer.

 R19T16:  St. Dorn calls on Torag to aid him in battle and then steps forward to the ooze.

 R19T14:   Remembering a fight from earlier, and assuming that the now-christened  "battle cleric Klaczka" needs help, she comes upstairs and outside up  behind Winter. Calling on Calistria to aid the changeling woman to  avenge the death of her sister, she casts a spell on her fellow sister  of the cloth, removing the blocked chi that had Winter's mind in a light  fog (  2 WIS healed  ).

 R19T9:  Fishlips stabs Winter in the left knee for 6. The electricity doesn't harm her at all. He steps away from her.

 R19T8:  Ms. Wrentz pops up and fire but the shot is poor. She speed loads and heads outside.

 R19T5:  The protoplasm misses St. Dorn with a pseudopod.

 End Round 19, Begin Round 20 ...

R20T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Since frost didn't work, Kris tries out acid, flying above the battlefield.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly forward and up, then standard action to cast Acid Splash.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 1 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R20T20:  Since frost didn't work, Kris tries out acid,  flying above the battlefield. The acid spatters on top of the creature's  head for   2 acid  .

 R20T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ moves back West 5’ and channels healing.
 
 Spoiler 

MA: move 5ft West
SA: channel energy healing
 (3d6)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R20T19:  Brother Jaume moves back 5’ to the west and  channels healing. It is the most powerful channel he has ever made, but  will also be today's last as he heaves out a sigh from the expenditure,  providing up to   17 healing   to himself and St. Dorn (fully healed).

 R20T18:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter keeps advancing on their retreating enemy, ignoring the sizzle of the electricity that strikes her she lunges forward stabbing again.   ”Surround it, it cannot get away.”  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

5ft to fish lips
Stab risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R20T18:  Winter keeps advancing on their retreating enemy, ignoring the sizzle of  the electricity that strikes her she lunges forward stabbing again.   ”Surround it, it cannot get away.”  
 R20T16:    "I hear you, but I am wary of whatever this creature is,"   says St. Dorn, looking at the glistening gray glob.   "Mayhaps this is what hath slain Lillian's sister?"  

St. Dorn easily backpedals away from the glob and takes a path to bring him up to Fishlips, though he misses with his hammer.

 R20T14:   Lillian, hearing St. Dorn's accusation, then points to her southwest  where lies a partially dissolved carcass. She screams in anguish and  studies the monster before putting away her whip and taking out her  rapier and stepping south.

 R20T9:  The electricity on Fishlips' staff goes away. It casts a spell on itself and seems to disappear.

  "It was  invisibilty !"   calls out Lillian.

 R20T8:  Ms. Wrentz studies the glob.   "It's  an 'id ooze.' No discernible weak areas to exploit. Its acid dissolves  metals and organic material, not stone. As you can tell, its coloring  means it is very hard to see, which is why the Elder Wilde was surprised  when it attacked her. I don't know where it gets its name, though."  

She shoots the thing for  9  before stepping back to reload.

  "It felt like...."   St. Dorn begins.

 R20T5:  The id ooze slams against Lillian's mithral shirt, but not long or hard enough to cause harm.

  "...I was attacked...."  
 End Round 20, Begin Round 21 ...

R21T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Since acid just worked, Kris reiterates.

"  I'm nearly out of power...  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
So, moving slowly further east and up, and casting Acid Splash again.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 26 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 3 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R21T20:  Since acid just worked, Kris reiterates, "  I'm nearly out of power...  "

With  only one enemy now visible she casts acid splash at the id ooze. It  seems doubtful, because it melts things corrosively. Kris' aim is  perfect, not surprising, but a smile breaks over when she realizes that  the id ooze takes the full   4 acid  !

 R21T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck ....
Blackhawk101
BJ shuffles forward a few feet until he is in the doorway. He knocks an arrow looking for a target.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 10 ft East
SA: ready an action to fire at the fisherman should he reappear.
 
lostsole31
 R21T19:  BJ shuffles forward a few feet until he is in the doorway. He knocks an arrow looking for a target.

 R21T18:   Winter , what do you do?
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks about,   "Gods damn it, he escaped."    Eyeing the ozze she backs 10ft to the NE (away from it), asking   "What is it?"   as she eyeballs it and waits to see what happens

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Moves 10ft NE (so top right of the map) and see if she can recall any knowledge about the ooze

Ready to stab it if it attacks her with risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 15 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R21T18:  Winter looks about,   "Gods damn it, he escaped."     Eyeing the ozze she backs away from it (but having to adjust for the  hard corner of the banister of stairs leading up to the donjon) asking,   "What is it?"   as she eyeballs it and waits to see what happens.

 R21T17:  St. Dorn puts away his warhammer and takes out his heavy crossbow on the move to the south.

 R21T14:  Lillian steps back, takes out her buckler from her haversack, and readies it.

 R21T12-11:   Brother Jaume (only) sees a strange, gray, protoplasmic mass come up  the stairs, stopping over Vilma's body, and starting to dissolve her  flesh and armor. It is followed by a hunchbacked, green-skinned humanoid  with a wide, frog-like head but a mouth more akin to that of a toothy  fish.

 R21T8:  Ms. Wrentz backpedals away from the id ooze and shoots it for  7  before speed loading.

 R21T5:  The id ooze closes on Lillian and hits her in the shoulder for  9 +  3 acid  , its pseudopod closing around and grasping her!

 End Round 21, Begin Round 22 ...

R22T20:   Kris , what do you do? You are currently 10' above the surface of the roof below you.

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Unsure if it will work or not, Kris sends her last ray at the ooze.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying further up and south (sticking to minimal distance) as a move action. Standard action, cast Ray of Enfeeblement at the ooze.
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  Str penalty  - (1d6+2)[ 3 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R22T20:  Unsure if it will work or not, Kris sends her  last ray at the ooze. The ray of greasy dark grey hits the ooze, though  it is impossible for her to tell what effect - if any - it had on the  ooze.

 R22T19:   Brother Jaume , your  readied action did not occur, though now you have new problems as you  see another of these ooze-things beginning to gobble up Vilma's body and  armor, and there's another fish-person on the stairs beneath it! What  do you do?

Winter on deck ...
Blackhawk101
BJ steps to the East five feet, turns and closes the door behind. He drops the bow and holds the door closed (if possible). He grunts loudly several times.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FrA: 5’ step to the East.
SA: close the door
FrA: Drop bow
MA: (?) hold door closed. If there is nothing to hold on the door or the swing is the wrong way, he will clap his hands to try to gain the group’s attention with the grunting]
 
lostsole31
 R22T19:  BJ steps to the East five feet, turns and closes the door behind. He  drops the bow and holds the door closed. He grunts loudly  several times.

 R22T18:   Winter , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter glances around briefly seeing if there are any other doors or ways of the roof, before looking at BJ holding the door shut.   "Is there more coming?"   she asks, a note of worry in her voice as she thinks of how tough and vicious the strange reptilian beast had been. Darting froward she lashes out with a dagge at the ooze seeing it hurting her friend.   "We need a way off this roof!"  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move 15ft SW to attack the ooze with risky strike
 (1d20+8)[ 13 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R22T18:  Winter glances around briefly seeing if there are any other doors or  ways of the roof, before looking at BJ holding the door shut.   "Is there more coming?"    she asks, a note of worry in her voice as she thinks of how tough and  vicious the strange reptilian beast had been. Darting forward she lashes  out with a dagger at the ooze seeing it hurting her friend.   "We need a way off this roof!"  

Her plunging strike zips into the pathetically vulnerable monster, doing  10 !  But Winter drops her dagger quickly when she realizes it is completely  consumed. It clatters mutely to the ground as the remainder of acid on  the blade completely dissolves her weapon.

 R22T16:  St. Dorn adjusts his position and shoots his heavy crossbow, the bolt tearing into the ooze for  11 .

 R22T14:   Lillian tries desperately to wriggle out of the grasp that was likely  what killed her sister, getting free! She tumbles several feet away.

 R22T11:   Despite Brother Jaume's efforts, the door is powered open, and Brother  Jaume has to jump back a little so as not to be swept off the roof into  the courtyard below. Another fish-man warrior with trident stands there.

 R22T8:    "Brother Jaume, do what you can, but the rest of us ... killing this first id ooze is priority,"   says Ms. Wrentz as she repositions over by St. Dorn. Her much smaller quarrel still hits for  9 . She reloads.

 R22T5:   The id ooze hits everywhere and everything within reach ... except Winter.

 End Round 22, Begin Round 23 ...

R23T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Since acid worked earlier, Kris sticks to it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Acid Splash again ! With once again a small move, this time north since the ooze moved south.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R23T20:  Since acid worked earlier, Kris sticks to it. She backs up a little and flecks it again with her cantrip for   3 acid  , the fluids of the magical caustic interfering, diluting, and harming the ooze's own delicate fluid balance.

 R23T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume fires off a quick jab and spinning kick at the fishman!
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FrA: flurry of blows, risky strike , unarmed strikes
  to hit1  - (1d20+8)[ 20 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R23T19:  Brother Jaume fires off a quick jab to the fish-man's jaw for  12  and a spinning kick to its shoulder for  13 .

 R23T18:   Winter ,  I forgot, but when your dagger was destroyed, that also extinguished  the light St. Dorn put on the dagger. Not that it matters as you are  outside in the gray day. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter hisses in frustration as the dagger melts but looks at the ooze and the fish thing attack Jaume and realised that things are getting desperate. With two of their number dead she does not want to risk more. Steeling herself and praying to her gods that her natural healing can save her she stretches her fingers releasing her long claws and slashes at ooze trying not to scream from the acid

 
 Spoiler: Claws 


Use claws with risky attack
 (1d20+7)[ 21 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 10 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 21 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R23T18:  Winter hisses in frustration as the dagger melts but looks at the ooze  and the fish thing attack Jaume and realized that things are getting  desperate. With two of their number dead she does not want to risk more.  Steeling herself and praying to her gods that her natural healing can  save her she stretches her fingers releasing her long claws and slashes  at ooze trying not to scream from the acid. Her incredibly fast strikes zip and tear through the ooze to do  18 , but she takes   8 acid   for her troubles.

 R23T16:  St. Dorn reloads his crossbow.

 R23T14:  Lillian casts CMW to fully heal herself, but she has to take a breath after that exertion.

 R23T12:  Ooze #2, having digested its meal, comes upstairs and tries to whip a pseudopod at Brother Jaume from around the doorjamb.

 R23T11:  Fish-man Blue attacks Brother Jaume with trident, claw, and bite ... missing with all ... and then backing up a few feet.

 R23T8:   Ms. Wrentz shoots the ooze, and it finally discorporates ...it creates a  broad puddle ... but its acidic enzymes denaturing immediately. She  then speed loads her hand crossbow while moving to he corner of the  raised building.

 R23T4:  Brown Fish-man appears at the doorway.

 End Round 23, Begin Round 24 ...

R24T20:   Kris ,  you are currently 20' in the air. The ooze that was on top of the  building has been vanquished. Primary Fish-man has not been spotted.  Brother Jaume is facing off against enemies inside the upper story room  you had come out from. With your height and so close to the door, you  can't might target the fish-man facing off against Brother Jaume, but at  such a severe angle from height that it has improved cover. What do you  do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Flying down to the south of Jaume, Kris takes out her rapier and tries to stab the creatures at the other side of the door.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly 1 SW (and down to the ground) while unsheathing my rapier.
Standard action to attack with the rapier with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 10 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 10 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R24T20:  Flying down to the south of Jaume, Kris takes  out her rapier and tries to stab the creatures at the other side of the  door, but the doorway fouls her attempt.

 R24T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks concerned as he swings at another fishman.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA: flurry, risky strike
  to hit 1  - (1d20+8)[ 17 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R24T19:  Brother Jaume looks concerned as he swings at another fish-man, elbowing the creature in the neck for  12 , and then punching it in the upper arm for another  12 .

 R24T18:   Winter , you fast heal all the acid damage that you took. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Breathing a sigh of relief as the blisters on her hand heal she steps 10ft towards the line of her friends.   ”Call out if you are injured friends. And let me tell you the tale of Sister Barras of the Silent sisters…”   she launches into the tale to inspire her friends as they hold the door

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

10ft left
Start to inspire courage
 
lostsole31
 R24T18:  Breathing a sigh of relief as the blisters on her hand heal she steps 10' towards the line of her friends.   ”Call out if you are injured friends. And let me tell you the tale of Sister Barras of the Silent sisters…”   she launches into the tale to inspire her friends as they hold the door.

 R24T16:  St. Dorn crosses north and shoots his crossbow at the fish-man in the doorway, missing.

 R24T14:  Lillian heads south and then west out of sight around the far side of this roof-borne extension.

 R24T12:  A pseudopod lashes out at Brother Jaume, missing.

 R24T8:  Ms. Wrentz follows Lillian out of sight to the west.

 R24T4-3:   Brown jabs at Brother Jaume with its trident, but is blocked.  Meanwhile, yet another Fish-man (Green) climbs up the reminder - not of  the stairs - but of the banister to leap over and onto the floor  safely, out of reach of the big man while it takes out its own trident.

 End Round 24, Begin Round 25 ...

R25T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Flying inches above the ground, Kris keeps stabbing with her rapier.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to attack with the rapier, with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 13 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 10 ] 
  Elec dmg  - (1d6)[ 2 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
Still bleeding slightly from several cuts, BJ continues to battle his fishy foe with a flurry of fists!
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FaA: Risky strike, flurry
[roll=to hit1]1d20+8]/roll]
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
[roll=to hit2]1d20+8]/roll]
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R25T20:  Flying inches above the ground, Kris keeps  stabbing with her rapier, but as she is more given to force than finesse  in attacking around a doorway, it is no wonder she fails to hit her  mark.

 R25T19:  Still bleeding slightly from  several cuts, BJ continues to battle his fishy foe with a flurry of  fists! He punches Brown in the chest for  15 , and even as it falls he scores a killing blow to it.

 R25T18.5:  Enraged, the wounded Blue steps over the body of his friend and stabs out at the blocking monk.

 R25T18:   Winter , do you maintain your bardic performance? What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R25T18:  Winter continues her dramatic monologue and  casts a protective spell on Brother Jaume. A soft, bluish-white glow  surrounds the clonk that pushes aside incoming  weapons. 
 Spoiler: Winter 
She cast  shield of faith  on BJ.
 

 R25T16:  St. Dorn reloads his crossbow and follows the other ladies who went around the other side.

 R25T14:  Lillian opens the western door to this room, snapping her whip at Green.

 R25T12:  The id ooze swings at Brother Jaume.

 R25T8:  Ms. Wrentz was standing behind Lillian, but then pops out of sight to the south.

 R25T3:  Green steps up to Lillian to attack with trident, claw, and teeth.

 End Round 25, Begin Round 26 ...

R26T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Blue in the hole ...
silphael
Since the ooze is still around, Kris flies away, then throws around some acid.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Let's say flying south, since I can't see where the ooze is at all on the map, weird &gt;&lt; 1S

Standard action, acid splash on the ooze.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 2 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks around concerned that most of his allies have left. He is reassured when he sees Lillian at the Western door. He fires off a quick flurry of kicks at the fish man.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FaA: flurry of blows, risky strike
  to hit 1  - (1d20+8)[ 20 ] 
[roll=to dam1]1d8+9]/roll]
  to hit 2  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
[roll=to dam2]1d8+9]/roll]
 
lostsole31
 R26T20:  Since the ooze is still around, Kris flies  away, then throws around some acid that spatters on stone. She still  doesn't see the ooze, but she remembered that they can be hard to see.

 R26T19:   Brother Jaume looks around concerned that most of his allies have left.   He is reassured when he sees Lillian at the western door. He fires off a  quick flurry of kicks at the fish man - first to his head, and then to  his belly. He was already beginning to fall with the head kick, so the  belly shot probably killed him, his body falling atop that of his  fellow's.

 R26T18:   Winter , you are  currently inspiring courage. Kris seems confused or can see an invisible  opponent, as she is flicking acid around on the rooftop. What do you  do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Humming under her breath to keep inspiring Jaume she asks in a musical sing song voice   ”Is there anymore or have they all been vanquished?”   She breathes heavily trying to peer through the door to see if Vilma’s body is there
lostsole31
 R26T18:   Emoting with her body instead of the monologue  to keep Jaume inspired, Winter asks in the lilting patter of a dramatic  stage actor,   ”Is there anymore or have they all been vanquished?”    She breathes heavily trying to peer through the door to see if Vilma’s  body is there, though she doesn't see from this angle, as Vilma's body  was on the stairs.

 R26T16:  St. Dorn comes into Brother Jaume's view (now behind Lillian) and he shoots the heavy crossbow, hitting Green in the thigh for  7 ,  as Winter using her body to emote this round instead of her voice - and  being unseen by St. Dorn - means he doesn't benefit from her  performance.

 R26T14:  Lillian tries to concentrate on a spell, but loses it, so she backs out of the way.

 R26T12:  The second ooze just rolls over the bodies of the two fish-men and swings a pseudopod at Brother Jaume.

 R26T8:   Ms. Wrentz pops out from the side of the door but the fish-man is not  surprised. She fires at Green while ducking his trident, grazing its  cheek for  3 . She calls out while speed-loading her crossbow,   "Yes, Pharasmin! A fish-man for me here, and another id ooze inside for Brother Jaume on your side!"  
 R26T3:  Green re-attacks, but finds Ms. Wrentz ducking to the inside of its hafted weapon.

 End Round 26, Begin Round 27 ...

R27T20:   Kris ,  you just heard there is an id ooze, but another one that is on the  inside of the building. They must have dispatched the other id ooze  while you were focused on something else. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will step to the East and pick up his bow in the square he vacated. He will fire an arrow at the ooze.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FA:5 ft step to the East
MA: pick up bow
SA: shoot ooze, Risky strike
 (1d20+7)[ 24 ] 
 (1d8+4)[ 9 ] 
 
silphael
Flying toward the free space, Kris tries to get a shooting opening.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 2 NE 1 E, then shooting acid at one enemy inside if it's in sight.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 1 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R27T20:  Flying towards an open area, Kris attempts an  equally open shot with another casting of acid splash. It's actually a  completely graceless shot, and yet even with Brother Jaume in the way,  these oozes seem completely incapable of any kind of defensive movement  as the acid still hits it for   3 acid  .

 R27T19:   Brother Jaume steps to the east and picks up his bow from the square he  vacated. He fires an arrow at the ooze, easily hitting it for  10 .

 R2T18:   Winter , you were inspiring courage. What do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Winter looks ahead as another foul creature oozes to the door. Singing of the stores of St Andres she advances to the door. A knife lashing out even as her own wounds close up.   ”When will it end..”   she shouts to the others


 
 Spoiler: Ooc 


Maintain song +1 hit/dam (not included)
Advance to the door
Stab enemy w/  (1d20+8)[ 20 ]  dam  (1d4+8)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R27T18:  Winter looks ahead as another foul creature oozes to the door. Singing  of the stores of St Andres she advances to the door. A claw lashing out  to strike for  10 , though she suffers   4 acid   herself.    ”When will it end!?”    she shouts to the others.

 R27T16:   St. Dorn bolts forward. He seems to stumble at the doorway, which draws  a counter from Green, but the good saint is ready and forces the  trident down into its own leg for  6 . St. Dorn tries to push past the fish-man, who repels the man and forces him back to where he was before.

 R27T14:  Lillian moves up and tries to stab past the doorway.

 R27T12:  The id ooze hits hard against Winter, but not hard enough to hurt her.

 R27T8:  Ms. Wrentz steps back to the side and shoots at Green. It is a grazing crit against Fish-Man's shoulder that strikes for  13 . She reloads.

 R27T3:  Green steps up and catches Lillian on the side of the neck with its trident for  6 , slashes at her with a claw, and then bites her in the chest for  2 .

 End Round 27, Begin Round 28 ....

R28T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Having only a rapier, Kris keeps shooting acid at the basic blob.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 1E (and up)
Standard action, Acid Splash.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 20 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R28T20:  Having only a rapier, Kris keeps shooting acid at the basic blob, hitting it for   4 acid  .

 R28T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume tugs gently on Winter’s shoulder before stepping to the South. He readies to shoot the blob.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA(?)= tug on Winter
FrA= step 5’ South
SA: ready to shoot blob if Winter moves away from it.
 
DrK
 Winter 
  ”The boneyard will welcome you…”   she mutters, now angry and cross as she lashes out. Her natural healing challenged by the sizzling acid on her claws. Lashing out with both claws as she prays she the. Steps back to the side to clear Jaume’s view.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Swift: maintain song
Risky attack Claw 1  (1d20+7)[ 13 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 8 ] 
Risky attack Claw 2  (1d20+7)[ 11 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 11 ] 

5ft step to the south

Not included inspire courage
 
lostsole31
 R28T19-17:  Brother Jaume tugs gently on Winter’s shoulder before stepping to the South. He readies to shoot the blob.

  ”The boneyard will welcome you…”   she  mutters, now angry and cross as she lashes out. Her natural healing  (  FH4  ) challenged by the sizzling acid on her claws. Lashing out with both  claws as she prays she strikes the monster, and both claws strike for a total of  21 , though she suffers   8 acid   herself.

She steps back to the side to clear Jaume’s  view, who in turn shoots it for  4 .

 R28T16:  St. Dorn drops his heavy crossbow, takes out his warhammer and swings, missing wildly.

 R28T14:  Lillian steps back to cast a spell on herself for   7 healing  .

 R28T12:   The id ooze moves outside and swings a pseudopod at Brother Jaume.

 R28T8:  Ms. Wrentz steps back and shoots the fish-man in the leg, chipping his bone from the brilliant shot and doing  10 + 1 DEX , dropping it as its trident clatters to the ground. She speed loads her crossbow.

 End Round 28, Begin Round 29 ...

R29T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Brother Jaume in the hole ...
silphael
Lacking reliable melee options against such an opponent, Kris sticks to her chemical assault.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, moving 2W.
Standard action, Acid Splash.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 1 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R29T20:  Lacking reliable melee options against such an  opponent, Kris sticks to her chemical assault. The ooze is ridiculously  slow and easy to hit, and the spell's simulated caustic breaks down  molecular bonds for   3 acid  .

 R29T18:   Winter , you are currently inspiring courage. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
DrK
 Winter 

Still assailed by the beast she continues to offer loud strident prayers to Pharasma even as she slashes at it with her hands still wincing at the terrible pain in her hands

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


swift: continue inspire courage
Full: Claws with risky attack (not including Inspire Courage)
 (1d20+7)[ 12 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 8 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 27 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 9 ] 

5ft step to the south
 
lostsole31
 R29T18:  As her previous wounds fully heal, and still assailed by the beast, Winter continues to offer loud strident prayers  to Pharasma - taken from a famous passion play in Her honor - even as she slashes at it with her hands still wincing at  the terrible pain for doing so (  6 acid  ).  But the pay off is that the ooze's bonds finally fail it and is no  longer able to keep hold as neutralized, only slightly tingly feeling  good spread over the floor inside and the fort's roof outside. The  second id ooze has been defeated. Winter steps away, but not far enough before ooze splashes over her feet, no longer causing pain.

 R29T17:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume splashes through the Ooze to enter the room to the West. He looks around for opponent’s to put holes into.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA; 5 ft NW and 10 ft west.
FrA:assessment
SA: ready an action to shoot active enemies in this room.
 
lostsole31
 R29T17:  Brother Jaume splashes through the ex-ooze to  enter the room to the west. He looks around for opponent’s to put holes  into. He had crossed over two fish-men at the doorway, and there's  another fallen fish-man out the western door, but he currently sees no  active enemies.

 R29T16:  St. Dorn calls out,   "All clear west!"   as he picks up his crossbow and puts it away.

 R29T14:  Lillian steps up and performs a coup de grace on Green.   "Okay, NOW we should be clear!"   she calls.

 Combat Ends! 

What do each of you do? It is understood that Winter ends her bardic performance.
DrK
 Winter 

As the enemies all seem to have fallen Winter darts inside with a cry of   ”Vilma”  , although she knows it was too late from the killing blow she still hopes that a spark of life may remain

As she hustles inside she shouts out,   “Call out if you are injured.”  
lostsole31
What remains of Vilma .... is hideous to look upon. When the second id ooze came up the stairs, it stopped for a round to completely immerse her body and to snack on her body and items.  Her body is a slurried mess and she has no surviving equipment.
Blackhawk101
BJ will close the outside door once everyone is inside. He will wave in the dawdlers.
DrK
[B]Winter[/]

Winter kneels by the mess and offers a series of low prayers to Pharasma. After a few moments she joins the others. Her hands clench in frustration as she reaches them.   ”Vilma is gone, beyond anything any of us can do. I grieve for her.”   she adds

Reaching them she looks around the roof for any other doors or place to go next, eyes slightly narrowed in rage at the causal murder of a colleague.
lostsole31
Lillian picks up her whip and goes inside the structure.

Cesadia is unable to salvage her one missed bolt, and she comes inside.

St. Dorn, too, is unable to find his missed bolt ... and also helps Brother Jaume out but likewise can't find the clonk's missed arrow and will come inside.

Kris is assumed to come inside as well.

  "A similar sight sits outside that was surely Seresy,"   says Cesadia as she closes both doors for privacy's sake for now.

The smell from Vilma's body is horrific. Everything in this room is in disarray. Overturned and broken furniture litters the floor, and sprays of dried blood mark the room’s stone walls. A cracked mirror hangs on the eastern wall at the top of the stairs to this room.

What now?
DrK
 Winter 

The slightly bedraggled looking priestess offers up more prayers shaking her head.   ”Shall we search this room for some clues as to what these strange beasts are?”   she asks as she crouches beside the fallen fish creature. Examine it she ponders what it may be,   “Does anyone know what this creature is?”  
Blackhawk101
As BJ shakes his head and makes an inclusive gesture to include the group followed by pantomime of laying his head on his folded hands and points downstairs.
lostsole31
  "The  grease  is on the stairs, still,"   says Cesadia.   "We can warrant a deep search in here, including studying the bodies of a couple of our foes."  

It takes 22 minutes for the party to do a deep search in here, including a careful look of the fish-men.

Formerly occupied by the head stewards of the fort, this room once sported the quaint trappings of a couple’s pleasant life together. The stewards worked as the fort’s cooks and household administrators, but then this tragedy occurred to end that, it seems.

A portrait of an aging couple lies amid bloodied and torn bedclothes near a large double bed. The room’s wardrobe stands open, its contents spilled out in front of its mahogany doors. It is clear that in addition to the fight in this room, someone rifled through the stewards’ belongings in search of something, rather than mindless destructive vandalism.

However, the party searched much more methodically (and much less manically), and a secret cache under the floor planks is discovered that holds a pouch with 11 silver, 44 gold, and three freshwater pearls (100 gp each).

In addition, careful inspection of the room's contents reveals a skeleton key stuck to the underside of one of the desk's drawers with a wad of dark red wax.  It is unknown to what lock (or locks) this skeleton key is made to tumble.

As far as the fish-men, Ms. Wrentz seems to lead the charge on this with a most unlikely second ... Kris (who usually does not appear as the brightest tool in the milk bottle). Though humanoid in form, the fish-men are incredibly bestial in shape, far beyond what one would expect of more "civilized" humanoids (which would include even "uncivilized" humanoids like goblins and their ilk).

Cesadia says,   "This is what mankind for millennia have called 'skum,' though I am sure that is not what they call themselves, as it is doubtful they happen to refer to themselves by such a pejorative. They are monstrous humanoids, and their savagery makes them tougher and more savvy in combat than expected. They also are surprisingly quick of limb and resistant of mind. As you no doubt have surmised from their webbed features, piscine forms, and gills, they are an aquatic race.  The heavy webbing on their legs and their build is entirely meant for swimming; this means they aren't as quick on land as a normal human, but substantially faster in water than a human is on land. As with most monstrous humanoids, and as requires a deep water creature, they don't refract light like most animals but like a dwarf they are able to see a light spectrum we humans cannot when it is completely dark.

"Skum are the most prolific and successful of the countless races created  by the aboleths to serve as slaves. At the height of the aboleth  empire, skum were legion and their armies waged many wars upon the land,  yet now that the aboleths are in decline, skum have been set loose to  manage on their own.

"Though aquatic, they appear to be amphibious, but I don't know if that is a partial amphibious nature, and that like many other amphibious creatures what their water dependency timetable might be."  
DrK
 Winter 

Eyeing the key suspiciously she nods at the looted pearls and monies.   "So.. you say these beasts are from the depths of the world. What would bring them up to the surface, and more to the point to this keep here?"   Still kneeling by Vilma's now dissolved corpse,    "What is worth it to them being here that would defend it so ferociously."   

As she looks about the others she points upwards to the roof,   "We have a key that will hopefully open most of the doors one may hope. Shall we explore the upper levels or head back down to the depths."   She nods upwards,   "I would favour the higher levels if that makes a difference."  
Blackhawk101
Bj listens to Winter but is clearly exhausted and blood continues to drip from his various injuries. He stomps a sandal on the wooden floor and again makes the hands under head pantomime and points downstairs emphatically.
lostsole31
  "We should see to what healing may be done, and then my vote is downstairs,"   says St. Dorn.
DrK
 Winter 

Seeing the urgent signs from Brother Jaume Winter smiles and apologises.   ”Im sorry I had not stopped to check out your injuries. Here. All of you. Come closer.”   she finishes speaking and waits for any of her allies to approach before channelling healing energy

 
 Spoiler: Channels 


Channel twice to heal people
 (3d6)[ 11 ] 
 (3d6)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
It takes one burst to heal everyone but the friar, but the second burst heals him fully as well.

Now what?
Blackhawk101
BJ will gather the group and attempt to usher them down stairs and to a barracks room. Once there, he will use what is at hand to barricade the doors and take first watch while the others rest.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter nods to Brother Jaime.   ”Ah, rest. That is a wise plan Jaume. It’s been a long day and we have had a serious loss.”   She looks sad and helps make the barricade and will offer rations and water to everyone else.
lostsole31
Because a door was blasted in the closer barracks, the party has to go to the northwestern barracks, but can barricade the doors to the courtyard and other fort points pretty easily.

Winter makes an empty offer, for she has no rations to offer.

Only one person has food ... and only five rations, though Kris can mention she doesn't need to eat. Lillian shares away all of her rations with the group. She is calm now, though in grief. She had seen what must have been her sister's remains on the roof - very similar to Vilma - and assumes that with the death of the id oozes, Seresy has been directly avenged, at least creature-to-creature, though not by way of whatever organization or intelligence is here now.

There are buckets here for Winter to cast water into for others to share.

You'll find out that just as Kris doesn't need to eat, nor does she need to sleep, so watches won't need to be made.

Anything else to do in the evening before going down?
Blackhawk101
BJ will pantomime to Winter by clasping both hands to his head and making a painful expression. If she doesn’t understand, he will make three fingers jab into his forehead and then fall down. He will look up at her expectantly.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter approaches Brother Jaume and offers him a slow embrace before sitting beside him.  " I am so sorry Jaume I do not understand. Is there something else wrong? "  she asks and motions for him to sit down and examines him carefully to see if anything else is wrong aside from the malady that is affecting his mind (but one she can do no more for today until she prays for spiritual power in the morning.)

 
 Spoiler: Heal check 

heal on BJ to see what else may be wrong  (1d20+15)[ 33 ] 
 


After examine him she smiles sadly and pats his head.   ”Yes I see. A sore head, they hit you hard and interrupted your energy flow. Let me tend you this evening and we can pray for more help in the morning if needs be.”  
 
 Spoiler: Tend to Brother Jaume 


With a +15 to heal she can do the long term care taking “0” so I need to roll?
Will help Brother Jaume recover 2 ability and double HP
 
silphael
Kris gets ready for a long watch.
lostsole31
    Moonday, 9 Lamashan 4716 AR (First Quarter Moon)    

Morning. Time for daily routines.

Does anyone make any changes to their daily setup?
DrK
 Winter 

Winter has a troubled sleep with dark dreams and is almost happy to rise in the grey pre dawn light.   ”Morning to all”   she offers as she begins her morning prayers.

 
 Spoiler: Spell changes  


Cleric 0: Stabilise —&gt; Detect magic
Cleric 2: Calm emotions —&gt; 2nd Lesser Restoration
Cleric 3: Invisibility purge —&gt; Stunning barrier (Greater)
 
lostsole31
Now that the party has prepared themselves for the day, what is the plan?
DrK
 Winter 

In the morning after her prayers Winter will go and see Jaume.   "Good morning. How are you this today? I hope you managed to rest. How is your head does it feel better?"   she asks checking him over before resting a hand on his head,   "I would like to discuss the issues with your voice, but we do not have time to day so we will have to try and be expedient."   
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Does Jaume need a lesser restore for the Stat damage?

Also, cast Lesser Restoration on Jaume to remove some sanity damage  (1d2)[ 1 ] 
 


After tending to jaume she looks about.   "Did we want to clear the lower levels? I know there was still much to explore in this horrible place. And these reptillian fiends must be coming from somewhere."
  
lostsole31
With the casting of that spell, Brother Jaume's aphasia and schizophrenia are both dormant now. He still suffers some minor effects relating to sensory "artifacts" and distraction, but he can fully articulate in language ... and can now take a half hour to go prepare his spells at last!

It is only due to Winter's incredible medical prowess that she determines that while Brother Jaume's base cognitive functions healed just fine ... and he is as sharp now as any normal man ... there is only the slightest degradation of cognitive function. Not enough to really affect him for what he does, and he would be fine tomorrow, but it is there.

Winter, what do you do?

 Brother Jaume , do you make any changes to your last setup for cleric spells?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume leaps to his feet and gives a hearty yell.   “Huzzah, my friends! I can speak again!”
  The jovial moneric grasps the surprised Winter by the arms and whirls her around in a spirited jig before kissing her soundly on the cheek.
  “My great thanks, devoted healer! I am whole again!”  
The portly friar scrunches his eyes and pulls at his beard in thought.
  ”Now that I am aware of the lessor restoration spell can counter the madness, I shall pray to Erastil for the power to heal the affected. Point me to the most sorely afflicted and I shall see to their needs shortly!”  

BJ sits down and begins to pray furiously.
DrK
 Winter 

Winter grins widely as Jaume speaks.   ”My friend. I’m so glad you are able to speak once more.”   She gives him a warm embrace then sits back and allows the others to congratulate him.   “We are not done yet though Jaume. The first steps of tye journey are done but the road is long.”  

Once Jaume is sorted she’ll look at the door,   “Back to the ground floor? There was more to explore?”  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume nods to winter.
He will create food and water for the group and then at Winter’s direction see to healing any mental afflictions he is able, one spell use per individual.
lostsole31
[As discussed in Discord, a hold on the food creation...]

After checking over everyone, nobody is currently suffering from any noticeably strong mental or physical maladies (no diseases noted, no ability damage), so no need to cast  lesser restoration  at this time.
Blackhawk101
Checking to see if everyone is ready, BJ will cast light on his bow and move towards the SE corner of the courtyard.
  “I believe there is more to explore to the SE on this level. Tally Ho!”  
DrK
 Winter 

Winter claps the happy priest on the shoulder.   "It is good to hear your voice once more. I am glad you seem better. Yes, I think that is a good idea, lets clear the ground level and then push upwards floor by floor."   She follows Jaume closely watching him protectively and follows him down towards the new rooms, sadly, at this time only a clawed hand ready for danger.
As they walk she will keep an eye out for any discarded weapons.
Blackhawk101
Noticing that Winter no longer has her dagger, Jaume offers her his fine silver dagger.
  “Please take it. I never use it and was merely keeping it because it is good workmanship. It would gladden my heart if it helped keep you safe.”  
DrK
Winter takes the dagger with a grin.   ”My thanks. It’s a beautiful piece. I’ll try and not lose this one in a strange beast made of acid.”   She shivers as the memory of Vilma hits her,   “I’d gladly not see something like that ever again.”  
lostsole31
The party gets into position at the door to the south in the southeastern section of the courtyard.

The only "prep" is that Brother Jaume's Erastilian green light glows from his bow.

Now what?
DrK
Clutching her dagger Winter waits for them all to make ready before she swings open the door and takes a look through…
lostsole31
This room is furnished with a wooden desk decorated with the Ustalavic coat of arms. The walls are almost completely draped with warm, woolen tapestries.
DrK
Winter heads into the room carefully looking for a way through or if there is anything useful in here. If there is nothing threatening she’ll head towards the tapestries to examine them.   ”Moss Wrentz, would you be able to check the desk?”   she asks figuring that she may be the most knowledgeable on finding clues.
lostsole31
  "In the future, in this place held by a hostile force,"   says Ms. Wrentz coldly to Winter,   "it might be prudent to allow Lillian to assist me heading in first so as not to catch your death of trap. Lillian, come now."  

The two ladies (with wasp in familiar satchel) enter and go to inspect the desk, which stands by the southern wall, ignoring for now the small cabinet and chair that sit against the northern wall. To the south is a spiral staircase that leads upwards. Several doors lead from this room. A small mirror hangs on the door leading to the east.

It only takes them a few seconds to look over the desk to call it safe before stepping up to the cabinet. Ms. Wrentz almost missed something, but at the last second Lillian noticed something and pointed it out.   "There is a discoloration at the lock here that tells me there is a trap on the lock that is likely poison. Give us a minute, please."  

She looks to Winter.   "Perhaps you would feel safer in the hallway with the others. This is tricky work, Dr. Klaczka."  
DrK
Winter looks at Wrentz and gives a small shake of her head.   "I trust you, I will remain near the door in case you need assistance if anything goes wrong"   she offers as she steps back only slightly watching Wrentz and Lillian with some mild curiosity.  Seeing them about to start on the poisoned trap she starts to sing quietly, a sad ode from one of the pharasman death hymns, the solem tune hopefully soothing Lillian and Wrentz's nerves.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

She'll start a song of Inspire Competence (+2) to help them disable the trap
 
lostsole31
It takes them 8 rounds ... and therefore 8 rounds of Winter's bardic performance ... but finally you hear,   "Disarmed. It was a poison needle trap."  

It takes her two tribes, but Ms. Wrentz is able to pick the lock of the cabinet.    "All clear!"  
DrK
Winter claps a hand politely,   ”Well done. I’m going to have a closer look at the tapestries.”   before moving to have a look leaving Lillian and Wrentz to look at the desks.
lostsole31
 Surprise Round ...

 As Winter is looking at  tapestries in the southern spur of the room, but with Brother Jaume  outside and his light coming in but not perfectly, its dim in this room.

Cesadia says in alarm,   "Look! The Mirror!"  

Lillian spins around to look as well.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T20:   Kris , you heard Ms. Wrentz' voice, and you also see ... something ... just step into partial view. What do you do?
silphael
After shielding herself with layers of force, Kris flies in.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting Mage Armor on myself, then flying SE-3S up.
 
lostsole31
 R1T20:  After shielding herself with layers of force,  Kris flies in, passing a humanoid with a mirror finish about it and two  glossy short swords seemingly projecting from it. It ... or her? as it  has undressed, mirrored breasts, long hair, and an otherwise feminine  form ... stabs at Kris as she flies past, the short sword sparking off  of her recently applied magical armor. Not only is the mirror-person  mirror-like, but it seems they have mirror images about it as well.

 R1T20:   The mirror-lady deftly moves to the south and jumps atop the desk and  stabs Winter in her right elbow and severing an attached muscle there to  do  23 + 2 STR + 1 DEX . The mirror lady continues her movement by stepping along the desk to the corner.

 R1T16:  St. Dorn casts a spell upon himself before drawing his warhammer and stepping up to the door, but not through.   "Brother Jaume, get in there with your light!"  
 R1T12:   Winter , you   FH8  , but that only deals with generalized damage to flesh, not to severed muscles. What do you do?
DrK
Winter hisses in pain as the slash bites deep doing real damage. She looks at the figure trying to work out what it is…. Before she chooses a spell to hurl at it
lostsole31
 R1T12:  Winter hisses in pain as the slash bites deep doing real damage. She  looks at the figure trying to work out what it is before she chooses a  spell to hurl at it. She thinks, and something comes to mind.

 Winter , care to finish your turn?
DrK
Winter hissing in pain isn’t sure what to cast so lashes out with the dagger as she plays for time and hopes her arm will be recoverable

 
 Spoiler: Stab 


Risky attack  (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T12 (Cont'd):  Hissing in pain, Winter isn't sure what  to cast, so she so lashes out with the  dagger as she plays for time and hopes her arm will be recoverable.  Despite all of the mirror images surrounding the mirror-lady, Winter's  cut hits true against the creature's right hand for  6 .

 R1T11:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume steps into the room and stops to pray to Erastil.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: SW 5 ft, S 10ft.
SA: cast Prayer
 
lostsole31
 R1T11:  Brother Jaume steps into the room and stops to  pray to Erastil, but in doing so a woman atop the desk inside - a woman  with mirror image and yet made out of a mirror, seemingly - stabs  Brother Jaume in the chest for  11 . The pain is enough for Bother Jaume to lose his spell, but at least there is good light in here now.

 R1T9:  Vessex buzzes in its satchel!

 R1T6:  Lillian casts a spell, asking for Calistria's blessings on the party.

 R1T5:  Ms. Wrentz moves down the southern alcove and becomes very still.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Mirror Maven on deck (well, desk), St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Given how crowded the room is, Kris flies away, before unleashing a ray of fire.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1N, then casting Scorching Ray at the mirror one south.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 13 ] 
  Fire  - (4d6)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T20:  Given how crowded the room is, Kris flies away, before unleashing a ray of fire, but the mirror-lady darts out of the way.

 R2T19:   At a far lesser value than Winter, the mirrored surface that is  distorted where Winter struck her starts to very slowly ripple to repair  itself (FH1). From her spot on top of the desk, she performs this  dizzying, flashing dance with her two blades, ending with a single stab  to Brother Jaume's chest when he wasn't ready for it for  25 .

 R2T16:  St. Dorn casts another spell on himself before stepping in and right up to Brother Jaume and the mirror-lady.

 R2T12:   Winter , your wound continues to knit (FH8). What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
Winter now supported by her allies slashes once more before stepping away from the beast looking at her wounds.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Risky attack  (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 
5ft to the east
 
Blackhawk101
Surprised by the potent attacks from the mirror lady, Brother Jaume steps back and prays to his God for healing.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: five foot step North
SA: Swap Archon’s Aura (3 lvl) for CSW.
try to use True devotion to retain the spell
 (3d8+5)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T12:  Winter - now supported by her allies - steps  towards the beast and slashes high, cutting what she thought would be a  belly, but only getting rid of an image.

 R2T11:   Surprised by the potent attacks from the mirror lady, Brother Jaume  steps back and prays to his God and receives 15 healing, though the  spell is still gone for today.

 R2T6:  Lillian  takes a moment to look the mirror-lady over and snaps the whip to try to  disarm her, but fails so badly she drops her own whip.

 R2T5:   Ms. Wrentz sneaks up the little passage and pops out to shoot, but  mirror-lady was ready and ducks, with not even an image as a consolation  prize. Ms. Wrentz quick-loads her weapon.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Mirror-lady on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Since the mirror lady is still standing, Kris keeps shooting. It ought to work at some point.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1W, then casting Scorching Ray again.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 15 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T20:  Since the mirror lady is still standing, Kris  keeps shooting. It ought to work at some point. Just not this point. She  moves out of the way quickly, but luckily the wider area covered by the  images surrounding her means that an image goes away. A fair  consolation prize, if any.

 R3T19:  The Mirror-Lady's blemishes continue to smooth over (  FH1  ).  With impossible skill she acrobatically jumps off the desk and tumbles  around the room before anyone can respond to her to get to the  northwestern corner. She gives a bad power thrust towards St. Dorn, who  handily defends against the clumsy blow.

 R3T16:   St. Dorn steps away from the door and concentrates on a spell, but this  time the threat posed by Mirror Lady is enough that he loses his spell.

 R3T12:   Winter ,  you heal from the remainder of general physical trauma (only). What do  you do? You can't go directly NE because you are on the far side of the  desk. If you try to go east along the wall, it counts as difficult  terrain because of the thin passage and chair.

Brother Jaume on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
Winter looks at the mirror beast flicking the knife around in her hand, hopping over the desk she advances and lunges at the mirror beast with a fast vicious stabbing motion

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move action: move 5ft NE
Str: risky attack  (1d20+7)[ 15 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T12:  Winter looks at the mirror beast flicking the  knife around in her hand. Hopping over the desk, she advances and lunges  at the mirror beast with a  fast vicious stabbing motion, "killing" an image.

 R3T11:   Brother Jaume ,  you can't see it on the map because of the tokens, but there is  furniture between you and Mirror-Lady, so you have cover from each other  at your current position. Kris is flying directly above you. What do  you do?

Lillian on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume drops his bow and grabs the interfering furniture and tosses it out the North door.
lostsole31
 R3T11:  Brother Jaume drops his bow and grabs the interfering furniture and tosses it out the North door.

 R3T6:   Lillian picks up her whip and chugs an extract, and then shrinks down  to about 3' tall. She then goes over to the desk, and climbs up on top  of it while taking out her shortbow.

 R3T5:  Ms. Wrentz moves into the position vacated by Lillian, and hunkers down behind the friar's large frame.

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T20:   Kris , what do you do? You are flying directly above Brother Jaume, in reach of the Mirror-Lady.

Mirror-Lady on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Keeping her  distances, Kris shoots again, this time with a cold ray, hoping to remove images for her allies.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1SW then 1S, then casting Ray of Frost.
(PBS taken into account)
  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 20 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T20:  Kris tries to keep her distance, but not before a  mirror-shard shortsword slams against her magic armor. Kris shoot a  cold ray this time, helping her allies by popping yet another image.

 R4T19:   Continuing to slowly smooth out her "wound," the Mirror-Lady. She then  begins a complicated attack sequence with her gleaming shortswords,  focusing her fury against the friar who flung the furniture. Brother  Jaume blocks the primary, but gets stabbed in the shoulder by the  secondary for  7  (despite an attempt by St. Dorn to  block it), but then his brilliant monk defenses protect him from another  follow-up of a second attack from each blade.

 R4T16:  St. Dorn steps back, puts a hand on Brother Jaume for   11 healing  , and then looks at the creature.   "I  see a faint aura of evil from this soulsliver - a creature who takes  the form of victims, but in reverse, and feeds on them. I fear from what  Ms. Wrentz said about the scar on a different hand that your friend  Constable Barasill or whatever is deceased."  
 R4T12:   Winter , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
The doughty moneric (TM) spins into a flurry of accurate punches and kicks, attacking the mirror creature.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA: flurry of blows, stunning fist, additional attack (1ki Pt)
  to hit 1  - (1d20+10)[ 14 ]  NL +stunning fist
  to dam1  - (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
  to hit 2  - (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+5)[ 7 ] 
  to hit 3  - (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
 
DrK
Committed now to the knife fight Winter grits her teeth slashing upwards at the silvery form

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Risky stab  (1d20+7)[ 17 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T12:  Committed now to the knife fight, Winter grits  her teeth slashing upwards at the silvery form, powered by Lillian's  bless spell, and slashing it along its belly for  7 .

 R4T11:   The doughty   moneric   clonk (TM) spins into a flurry of accurate  punches and kicks, attacking the mirror creature. His first attack is  blocked and deflected by her masterful use of two blades for defense,  but Brother Jaume has far more weapons to bring to bear. While she is  focused with that block which takes away the last image, he stomps on  her foot for  7 NL , and then drops to his knee on the other foot for  11 NL .

 R4T6:  Lillian hops off the deck while drawing her rapier and stabs the Mirror-Lady in the left bicep for  15 + 2 STR , and Mirror Lady gives an anguished, oddly ringing cry with that strike.

 R4T5:  Ms. Wrentz pops out from behind Brother Jaume and shoots, misses, and reloads.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T20:   Kris , all images are gone. What do you do?

Mirror-Lady on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Given the mirror creature is surrounded, Kris sticks to simple spells.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1E, then casting Acid Splash.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T20:  Given the mirror creature is surrounded, Kris  sticks to simple spells. All of the noise she makes from casting easily  telegraphs her attack, though, and the Mirror Lady dodges.

 R5T19:  Mirror Lady gets   FH1  .  She continues her focus against Brother Jaume, though this time she  starts to fight with a little more defense in mind. Her first attack  stabs Brother Jaume in his upper right arm for  8 ; the second comes low to get him in his right calf for  8 ; her first sword stays high and stabs him in the cheek for  8 ; and he finally deflects the last attack.

 R5T16:   St. Dorn can only watch helplessly as behind the line of heroes he is  unable to help protect his friend. He prays to Torag to intercede on his  behalf, his words devolving into some other-speak of a spell, and the  older man touches the larger and light goes into Brother Jaume. Instead  of healing, Brother Jaume is filled with the sense of many Toragdan  paragons who have gone before to accomplish great deeds. Everyone  looking at Brother Jaume can tell that as long as you can keep him  alive, he has become something ... more.

 R5T12:   Winter , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
Winter winces at the savage triple stabbing of her friend. And looks at the creature,   "Thing of evil. You are not welcome here"    she speaks loudly, trying to distract from Jaume onto herself as she raises a had and  a pulse of healing energy washes out over her and all of her allies but avoids the mirrored monster


 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Channel energy (excluding the enemy) healing allies for  (3d6)[ 11 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume presses the attack even as his life blood patters to the stone floor at his feet.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, flurry of blows, normal damage, no sauce, spend 1ki Pt for extra attack
  to hit 1  - (1d20+12)[ 32 ]  + stunning fist
  to dam1  - (1d8+5)[ 7 ] 
  to hit 2  - (1d20+12)[ 19 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+5)[ 12 ] 
  to hit 3  - (1d20+12)[ 18 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+5)[ 8 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
 
 Spoiler: crit confirm 

Critical hit confirmation roll
 (1d20)[ 11 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T12:  Winter winces at the savage triple stabbing of her friend. Looking at the creature she speaks loudly,    "Thing of evil. You are not welcome here!"     She  raises a hand and  a pulse of healing energy washes out over her and all  of her allies but avoids the mirrored monster (  11 healing  ).

 R5T11:   Brother Jaume presses the attack, now that his life blood no longer  patter so freely to the stone floor at his feet. His first attack is a  gorilla thump to the top of her head, braining her for  13 + staggered . He rechambers and then back elbow strikes her in the chest for  12 . Finally, giving in to the flow of his charged life force he finishes with a ridge hand strike to her upper left arm for  8 .

 R5T6:  Lillian steps back and casts a spell that seems to have no effect.

 R5T5:  Ms. Wrentz ducks down behind the big lummox again.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T20:   Kris , what do you do?

Mirror-Lady on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Still flying in circles, Kris keeps throwing acid at the mirror. It should, at some point, tarnish it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 1W, then casting acid splash
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 3 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T20:  Still flying in circles, Kris keeps throwing  acid at the mirror. The acid splash damages the mirror, but not enough to destroy it.

 R6T19:  The Mirror-Lady  gets  FH1 , then does a quick step right through the mirror that Kris  just damaged. There's a brief warping of the partially ruined mirror's surface,  but then she's gone.

The party stands in tension for several more  rounds before it becomes apparent that Mirror-Lady isn't going to just  jump right back out again.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
Breathing heavily, BJ Will smash the mirror just to be sure. That task completed, he will spam channel positive energy: healing until everyone is reasonably healthy.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

heal the party until everyone is within 5 hp or close enough.
 
lostsole31
The mirror is now broken.

Brother Jaume channels twice until the last wound on him barely shows.
Blackhawk101
The big man chuckles heartily and pats St. Dorn on the shoulder.
  “Well that was harrowing! Good teamwork my friends!”
  He checks out everyone for lingering injuries and gives them a friendly hug and a clean bill of health.
DrK
Winter spins watching the mirror and pushes the fragments away from her lest tiny figures jump out.   ”I wonder what foul sorceries caused that. My thanks Jaume for the healing.”   

Flexing her damage arm she looks at the damage and shakes her head.   “that was sore. It should heal by tomorrow i believe. shall we continue to delve deeper into this place?@   she then asks the room at large
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume picks up his bow and looks around the room.
  “Let’s finish checking this room.”  
lostsole31
After finishing a search in here, the cabinet holds the following...
 
  Cloak of elvenkind  - allows wearer to be incredibly stealth. 
  Returning  dagger - if attuned, this dagger - when thrown - returns to the wielder after a few seconds. 
 Leather bag containing the following: 634 gp, 71 sp, 171 cp. 
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume is not interested in the items or coins but will help carry party treasures.
He walks over to the door to the East.
  “Let’s try this way.”
  He tries the door to the East.
lostsole31
Brother Jaume opens up the door to the east out of the magistrate's office and...

 Surprise Round ...

  S13:  ... and gets nicked in the neck ( 3 ) by a waiting fish-man with a trident.

 End Surprise Round, Begin Round One ...

R1T18:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume responds to the surprise attack with violence, as he unleashes a flurry of blows.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, flurry of blows, risky strike
  to hit1  - (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+10)[ 30 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
 
Blackhawk101
for the character police, this post has been extended for your reading pleasure.
 
 Spoiler: crit severity check 

 (1d20)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T18:  Brother Jaume responds to the surprise attack  with violence, as he unleashes a flurry of blows, opening with a  spinning drop kick to its shoulder for  14 , and then following that up with a snap kick to break its leg for  17 + 1 DEX + 1 CON + Speed Halved . The fish-man immediately falls to the ground, unresponsive.

 R1T17:  Ms. Wrentz delays ...

 R1T16:   Lillian passes the friar and into the room, stepping to the north. With  a stab to the gut, she finishes the fish-man off with her rapier.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume eyes the fallen creature sadly as enters the room to the East.
  “Such a waste…”  
lostsole31
This room contains a long wooden table and a dozen chairs. A pair of decorated chests and a display case featuring a collection of creations from some of Thrushmoor’s artisans sit against the walls.
Blackhawk101
BJ will suggest a full search.
DrK
Winter fusses over Jaume   "Are you okay? Is it a deep wound?"   she asks peering down at the dead fish man and quietly pushing the trident away. Still distracted by the beautiful cloaka nd dagger from the previous wound she nods to Jaume,   "Yes, yes, clues would be good"   then turns over the magical cloak and dagger in her hands.    "Why would these be left behind?"    sh ask out loud.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume smiles at Winter.
  “Just a scratch, dear lady! Nothing to worry about now.”

  
BJ pulls on his beard as he ponders the question of the cloak and dagger.
  ​“No idea.”  
lostsole31
  "Probably because they weren't 'left behind,'"   offers Cesadia as she comes into the dining room.   "I have a feeling that the magistrate and his wife probably didn't get a chance to leave. Meanwhile, the occupying force didn't know these were in the locked cabinet."  
silphael
Nodding, Kris adds.

"  We should fully search the place. Maybe it will have clues about the magistrates whereabouts, but it indeed looks grim for them.  "
lostsole31
The fish-man had a trident.  He had nothing else. I doubt you want to lug a trident around.

It takes 36 minutes for a good, solid, methodical search of this room. In that time, the  bless  on the party ends, as do the two enchantments on St. Dorn, Lillian's  reduce person , and the spell on Brother Jaume that made him feel incredible.  Brother Jaume has to re-up the green  light  on his bow.

The table settings are well crafted, but not overly elaborate; the chests in the room contain high-quality tablecloths and banquet supplies. The tableware (goblets, platters, candlesticks, and more), decorations, and tablecloths in the chests look expensive, but even with Winter aiding Lillian, value is unknown. A pair of crystal goblets, used for marriage ceremonies, rests in a velvet-lined box and the two figure they are worth 250 gp. However, because of the size and fragility of these items, they need to be kept behind here in the dining room ( D9 ) until the Fort is secured.

Not counting the way you came in, there is a door to the east ... and to the north there is a door to the north and to the west.

Lillian will take a few rounds to pray over Winter's wrist. While Winter's wrist is still stiff, she has full strength again.

Now what?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume decides to try the door to the East.
  “Let’s try this way!”  
lostsole31
Just as Brother Jaume opens the door, he faintly hears guttural whispers  and smells the strange smell of the fish-men. Danger! Sure enough,  three of them are in the room waiting for him.

 Begin Round One ... 
 R1T24:   Brother Jaume , green light emanates from the bow in your hand. What do you do?
Blackhawk101
  “Danger! Fishmen, I am bringing the fight to you!”  
Brother Jaume steps into the room as his muscles bunch and tendons writhe under his skin. Feet and fist strike in a flurry, seeking his enemies.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FaA: flurry of blows, risky strike.
FrA: 5ft step East
SwA: enlarge
attack yellow once and pink once.
  to hit1  - (1d20+11)[ 23 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d10+10)[ 18 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+11)[ 25 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d10+10)[ 20 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T24:    “Danger! Fishmen, I am bringing the fight to you!”   Brother Jaume steps into the room as his muscles bunch and tendons  writhe under his skin as he grows to the height of a giant!. Feet and fist strike in a flurry, seeking his  enemies. A foot finds the upper left arm of Pink for  18 , and a fist strikes Yellow in its upper right leg for  20 .

 R1T24:   Winter , what do you do?
DrK
Winter scowls at more fishmen but feels gladdened by the thunks of Jaume’s attacks.   ”Pharamsa favour those who would send their foes to the boneyard.”   she shouts out blessing all of her allies

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Cast bless
 
lostsole31
 R1T24:  Winter scowls at more fish-men, but feels gladdened by the thunks of Jaume’s attacks.   ”Pharasma favor those who would send their foes to the Boneyard!”   she shouts as she casts a blessing upon all of her allies.

 R1T20:  Yellow's trident is blocked, but it slashes Brother Jaume's upper arm ( 4 ) as he comes down to block the weapon, before reaching its neck forward to nip that same area with a bite for  2 .

 R1T18:   Kris , what do you do?
silphael
Having a shooting line, Kris casts a ray.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, flying slightly up, 1 SE 1 S.
Standard action, casting Scorching Ray at the fishman I can see.
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 15 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T18:  Having a shooting line after a quick adjustment where she's flying over the table, Kris casts a ray. Of course, she doesn't  really  have a good line, as the big lummox of a friar in the way throws off her shot.

 R1T15:  Pink stabs Brother Jaume in his left elbow with a trident ( 5 ), scrapes a line across his belly with a claw ( 1 ), and bites him in the left shoulder ( 7 ).

 R1T12:  Ms. Wrentz hides in her current position.

 R1T11:  Purple adjusts position to the north and around the room's obstacles, taking a very protective stance.

 R1T9:  St. Dorn steps to the doorway and lays a hand on Brother Jaume for   5 healing  .

 R1T7:  Lillian opens the familiar satchel and says something in an unknown tongue.

 R1T6:   Vessex (Lillian's wasp familiar) flies into the room and tries to sting  Purple, but Purple's defenses are so solid, that the wasp get ponged in  the head ( dazed ).

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T24:   Brother Jaume , do you size back up or relinquish size? What do you do?

Winter on deck, Yellow in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume shrinks down to his normal rotund self before spinning into a flurry of kicks and punches at two of the fishmen. The last kick at the left enemy is particularly powerful.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Shrink down in the SE quadrant
FAA, flurry of blows, risky strike , style strike: knockback kick 2nd attack.
yellow fishman
  to hit1  - (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
pink fishman : style strike: knock-back kick
  to hit2  - (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 15 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T24:  Brother Jaume shrinks down to his normal rotund self before spinning  into a flurry of kicks and punches at two of the fish-men. The first punch misses Yellow, but kick  at Purple is particularly powerful - a brutal kick to its left lower leg for  15 , and knocking it back 5'. It wasn't quite as far as Brother Jaume had hoped, but then the fish-man falls over from the pain.

 R2T23:   Winter , what do you do?

Yellow on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
Winter having blessed the party darts through the door chasing after the injured looking purple and drives forward with her dagger attacking with a keen determination.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Enter the room, and move to attack purple
Risky strike with dagger on purple  (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 8 ] 

(Bless bonus to hit not included)
 
lostsole31
 R2T23:  Having blessed the party, Winter darts through  the door, chasing after the injured-looking Purple. Yellow thrusts a  trident at her as she passes. Winter drives forward with her dagger at  Purple, attacking with a keen determination to stab the fish-man in the  groin for  8 .

 R2T20:  Yellow, not realizing the futility of it all, sidesteps to flank Winter, but she avoids everything it has for her.

 R2T18:   Kris , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Purple in the hole ...
silphael
Staying on top of the table, Kris shoots at Yellow.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly down to stand on the table, then standard action to cast acid splash on Yellow. (PBS accounted for)

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T18:  Staying on top of the table, Kris shoots at Yellow, hitting it in the left shin for   2 acid  .

 R2T12:   From her hopefully-hidden position, Ms. Wrentz moves carefully over to  the fallen body of the previous battle's fish-man and from behind the  table shoots at Yellow. It seems its fishy eyes note her just in time,  but her bolt still catches the side of its neck for  6 . She speed loads her crossbow.

 R2T11:  Purple steps back and with a mighty stroke hits Vessex for  10  with its trident, though its claw and bite find only thick carapace.

 R2T9:  St. Dorn casts a defensive spell on himself. Yellow seems to ignore St. Dorn as the elder man takes up position in the corner.   "Keep your position here, Brother Jaume, that I may aid you against this one."  
 R2T7:  Lillian moves to the doorway, but no farther in. She sets up a strong defense with buckler and rapier to protect the shooters.

 R2T6:  It takes several seconds, but the wasp is no longer dazed.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T24:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Yellow in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ takes advantage of the flanking position with Winter to end the threat from a fishman.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky strike, flurry of blows, target yellow fishman
  to hit 1  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
  to dam 1  - (1d8+9)[ 15 ] 
  to hit 2  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  to dam 2  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T24:  BJ takes advantage of the flanking position with  Winter to end the threat from a fish-man.  Two fast blows are all it  takes for the enemy to be dead before it even hits the floor.

 R3T23:   Winter , what do you do?

Kris on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter nods thanks to Jaume,   "Gods bless you Jaume."   bfore she hops over the barrier to her right and goes to stand by Jaume,   "Send him to the boneyard"    she murmurs giving him a spark of divine guidance

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move to rigght 5ft and then south 10ft to be beside Jaume and Cast guidance on him
 
lostsole31
 R3T23:  Winter nods thanks to Jaume,   "Gods bless you Jaume."   She hops over the barrier to her right and goes to stand by Jaume.    "Send him to the Boneyard,"     she murmurs giving him a spark of divine  guidance .

 R3T18:   Kris , no enemies in sight. What do you do?

Ms. Wrentz, Purple in the hole ...
silphael
Now flying again, Kris enters the other room, before throwing acid at the last fishman.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 4E 1 SE, then casting Acid Splash at the last fishman. (which might still be in range of Point Blank Shot)

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T18:  Now flying again, Kris enters the other room, before throwing acid at the last fish-man, but also just missing.

 R3T12:   Carefully moving along the southern wall, Ms. Wrentz tries to take up a  hidden position in the southeastern corner. She shoots, hitting Purple  in the left shoulder for  6 , before speed-reloading.

 R3T11:  Purple stabs the wasp for  4 , but fails to land claw or bite.

 R3T9:  Seeing Lillian's familiar getting lit up a few times, St. Dorn moves forward and touches the wasp to grant   9 healing  .

 R3T7:    "Thank you!"    says Lillian to the saint as she steps into the room, calling on  Calistria to heal the monk so he may continue her own mission of  vengeance. She touches Brother Jaume for   10 healing  .

 R3T6:  Vessex the wasp familiar aerobatically flies right up to the fish-man to sting him it in the neck for  1 NL +  1 poison  .

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T24:   Brother Jaume , you are currently operating with a  guidance  for whenever you want to use it. What do you do?

Winter on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume says a quick prayer to Erastil before knocking an arrow and firing at the remaining fishman using whatever guidance Lillian granted him to aid his aim.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky strike at purple , [prayer to Erastil is just speaking out loud.]

  to hit  - (1d20+9)[ 17 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+4)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T24:  Brother Jaume says a quick prayer to Erastil  before knocking an arrow  and firing at the remaining fish-man using whatever guidance Winter  granted him to aid his aim. Unfortunately, even with the help from the  bless  and Winter's  guidance ,  Brother Jaume only recently took up the path of the archer. While  skilled with the bow's use in target shooting, he has yet to really  train in combat shooting, and his arrow skips off the scales of the  fish-man.

 R4T23:   Winter , what do you do?

Kris on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter, having blessed Jaume now rushes forward leaning over the barrier to slash at the fish man without even offering a word of threat or surrender

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move: Move directly north until in range of the Skum
Standard: Risky attack  (1d20+7)[ 13 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 

(Bless or other conditional attacks not included)
 
lostsole31
 R4T23:  Winter, having blessed Jaume, now rushes forward, leaning over the barrier  to slash at the fish man without even offering a word of threat or  surrender.

 R4T18:   Kris , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Purple in the hole ...
silphael
Staying on the ground, Kris keeps shooting.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 1 NW. Standard action to cast Acid Splash again.
  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 24 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T18:  Staying on the ground, Kris keeps shooting, hitting the fish-man in the left foot for   3 acid  .

 R4T12:   Ms. Wrentz repositions north of the doorway to be unseen by the enemy.

 R4T11:   The fish-man seems to be suffering from the wasp's poison, acting drunk  and loopy. It steps back and makes several desperate attacks against  Vessex.

 R4T9:  Though St. Dorn moves forward to  keep up the pressure, he still doesn't attack. He touches the wasp again  with healing power to close the remainder of its wounds.

 R4T7:  Lillian comes up and around from the east to attack wildly.

 R4T6:  The wasp artfully zooms into the fish-man's area and stings his left inner elbow viciously for  1 NL .

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T24:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ dashes forward and moves past St. Dorn to strike at the fishman.
  “Not so fast, my fishy friend!”  
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move 20’ North (25’ of movement from body being difficult terrain), 5’ NE.
SA: attack with risky strike
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T24:  BJ dashes forward and moves past St. Dorn to knee the fish-man in the stomach for a crushing  17 , and dropping the enemy to the ground.   “Not so fast, my fishy friend!”  
 R5T23:   Winter , all fish-men are down. What do you do?

Kris on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter looks around the room at the downed fish people, breathing heavily she nods to the others.   "Well done Brother Jaume, that was most impressive. I wonder how many more of these creatures there are"   Looking at her allies she asks,   "Are any of you wounded?"  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Speak to the party, essentially taking no actions.
 
lostsole31
 R5T23:  Winter looks around the room at the downed fish people, breathing heavily she nods to the others.   "Well done Brother Jaume, that was most impressive. I wonder how many more of these creatures there are"   Looking at her allies she asks,   "Are any of you wounded?"  

[Winter removed from initiative.]

 R5T18:   Kris , what do you do? Do you drop from initiative or perform an action?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
"  I'm fine, let's search the place.  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Dropping from initiative here.
 
lostsole31
 R5T18-7:  Kris, followed Ms. Wrentz coming into the room and St. Dorn relaxing ... drop from initiative.

Lillian performs a coup de grace on Purple.

Does anyone stop her from performing CDGs on the other downed fish-men?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume looks on sadly as the fishmen are put out of their misery.
He muses to himself,   “Perhaps they were just trying to support their own communities by invading this town or perhaps they were simply doing the bidding of a more powerful entity. Nevertheless, this community has the right to defend itself and if they cannot be reasonably incarcerated then the only option is to put them to death.”
  He looks around for his spent arrow as he searches the room.
He smashes any mirrors they find.
DrK
Winter will turn to look at Jaume, a hand placed on his shoulder.   ”It is good you can think well of the lm. But these beasts have done murder here and deserve little more than the Lady of Graves judgement.”  

She’ll then join the others in a quick search of the room to see if there are any clues or valuables left on tye bodies
lostsole31
The walls of this semicircular room are clad in wood up to half of their height, and decorated with murals of the town’s civil life on the upper half. A bench runs along most of the curved outer wall, under three grated windows fitted with stained glass. Opposite the bench are a trio of high-backed chairs and a desk with a stool. Two more benches sit in the middle, near a central pillar that supports the ceiling.

This large room was used by the standing magistrate to hear complaints from Thrushmoor’s citizens, hold trials, adjudicate lawsuits, and preside over civil ceremonies.

There was no mirror in this room to destroy.

Each of the fish-men had a trident, but unless you claim and carry one yourself, those weapons are too bulky to carry around.

It takes four minutes of a quick search in here, but anything of value had been cleared out some time ago.

Brother Jaume is unable to retrieve his errant arrow.

No mirror in this room to destroy.

Now what?
DrK
Winter breathes a sign of relief as nothing jumps out or attacks them. With nothing discovered he points to the door to the north of the room,   "Shall we continue?"   she asks approaching the door and having a quick listen before proceeding to open it.
lostsole31
The door is opened, and the room is partially illuminated, revealing what seems to be some type of archives.
Blackhawk101
BJ moves in to investigate.
lostsole31
Two wide cabinets with reinforced doors stand against the north wall and the ascending stairway in this room. A perforated metal bin sits near the fireplace in the northeastern corner.
Blackhawk101
BJ will move in and will try to open the cabinets; with force if need be.
DrK
Winter follows BJ into the room and pauses in the centre of the room concentrating hard as she seeks out any signs of magical prescence... if time allows she'll scan the 4 quadrants of the room starting with the north and sweeping clockwise.
silphael
Kris nods.

"  We can, and should, take the time to search thoroughly.  "
lostsole31
This room, at the base of the fort’s tallest tower, contains the archive of the magistrate’s office. The stairs lead up. Documents detailing decades of the town’s administration can be found in the two locked cabinets (effortlessly entered by Ms. Wrentz. Here the PCs can find copies of trial records, building permits, ships’ logs, notary deeds, contracts, and other such paperwork. Examining these documents, the PC can learn much of what happened under the eye of the law in or near Thrushmoor.

Meanwhile, Winter finds a magical bookmark that lies in what appears to be a book of Pharasmin hymns. Once the fact that it is a bookmark of deception is known, it reveals that the book is actually a book about the Dreamlands, explaining the various denizens of that otherworldly realm (worth 75 gp to a collector).

That is just the overview you learn in 22 minutes of searching, magic detection, lock picking, and form perusal.

You could spend an additional 2 hours per major bit of knowledge in the records here, or spend as much as 8 hours to learn everything there is to learn in here.

What do you want to do?
Blackhawk101
After the initial search, Bj suggests that they move up stairs.
silphael
Kris agrees.

"  We will have the time to look through all that knowledge later, but for now we should advance.  "
lostsole31
During that time, of course, the  bless  spell has abated.  Light  orisons have been restarted.

Brother  Jaume leads the way up, followed by Winter; then Kris ... St. Dorn ...  Lillian and Vessex .. and finally Ms. Wrentz, who has only a few bolts  remaining for her hand crossbow.

As Brother Jaume nears the top,  he sees a room furnished with a large table, a few comfortable chairs,  and a standing mirror. The room appears reasonably clean compared to the  rest of the fort. A fireplace sits cold in the corner, and a pile of  books and folios is spread across the table.

 Surprise Round .... 
 S19:   Brother Jaume, something tries to jump out at you at the top of the  stairs. It looks like that sorcerous fishman who killed Vilma is back!  What do you do? 
 Spoiler: Surprise Round 
MA or SA, not both, which means  also no FAA/FRA .... but FA/SwA are allowed. The enemy is at the top of  the stairs, and a bannister blocks access to the south and west. You are  also 5' below the enemy.
 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume scowls at the fishman spell caster.   
“Time to return to where you came from!”
  He drops his bow and grabs the guy.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Perform grapple
 (1d20+9)[ 18 ]  +2 from unarmed combat
 
lostsole31
 S19:  Brother Jaume scowls at the fishman spell caster.   “Time to return ...."   he says as he carefully drops his bow at his legs and tries to grab the guy, but is rebuked.

 S16:  The fishman stabs BJ in the side of the neck with its trident for  15 .

 S8:   Brother Jaume saw the fish-man, but he failed to see the figure south  of him, using the banister to hide herself, but Brother Jaume's defenses  deflect the short sword to the side. If she - the mirrored lady -  hadn't tried to strike her through the banister, she would have cut his  throat for sure.

 End Surprise Round, Begin Round One ...

  R1T23:   Winter ,  what do you do? You can barely see Mirror Lady because you are well  below the floor level on the stairs (and the banister is in the way  above as well).
DrK
Winter gasps as she see's Brother Jaume stabbed in neck and hears the shouts of that vile fishmen back again. Chanelling her anger she lets the energy flow out healing the damage inflicted on jaume

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Standard: channel energy excluding enemies  (3d6)[ 6 ]  healing
 
lostsole31
 R1T23:  Winter gasps as she see's Brother Jaume stabbed in the neck and hears the  shouts of that vile fishmen back again. Channeling her anger, she lets  the energy flow out for   6 healing   on the damage inflicted on Jaume.

 R1T22:  In the back section, Brother Jaume delays ...

 R1T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Fish-Man on deck ....
Blackhawk101
Having learned his lesson about fighting on the stairs, BJ withdraws.  
 “Everyone down! Winter: my bow please.” 
  
 Spoiler: crunch 

withdraw downstairs and move to full Square at the bottom.
 
lostsole31
 R1T19:  Having learned his lesson about fighting on the stairs, BJ withdraws.   “Everyone down! Winter, my bow, please.”  
 R1T16:   Fish-Man stabs the bow for 4 mod with his trident, then is silly enough  to bite down at it, but the awkward bend down doesn't work with his  physique as he misses and seems quite winded. He claws the damaged bow,  and destroys it, and the green light upstairs winks out of view, plunging everyone without darkvision into darkness.

 R1T14:  Vessex buzzes (delays) ...

 R1T12:   Kris, Winter is just above you, but you don't see anything else unless  you move past her. Or, simply go downstairs like Brother Jaume  suggested. What do you do?
silphael
Kris flies downstairs, trying to keep the group together, shielding herself with a layer of force.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying down as a move action, and standard action to cast Shield on myself.
 
lostsole31
 R1T12:  Kris flies downstairs, trying to keep the group together, shielding herself with a second, outer layer of force.

 R1T9:  Lillian moves down, mentally instructing Vessex to do the same.

 R1T8:  Mirror Lady backs away from the banister.

 R1T7-6:  Ms. Wrentz backs down and farther back, as does St. Dorn.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T23:   Winter , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fish-Man in the hole ...
DrK
Winter prays for the fallen as  still angered over the loss of her friends she steps up, eyes penetrating tye darkness and stabs at the fish creature hard with the dagger

 
 Spoiler: OOC  


5ft towards it
Stab with risky strike  (1d20+7)[ 11 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T23:  Winter - still angered of the loss of her  friends - steps up. Her eyes penetrate the darkness and with her dagger  she stabs as quickly as she can at the fish creature, but it darts away.

 R2T19:   Brother Jaume , you heard Winter go up, not down, and battle has been re-engaged. It is currently black as pitch in this room. What do you do?

Fish-Man on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume sighs and quickly casts a spell and light springs forth from an arrow in his hands, retrieved from his quiver.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA converted to SA: retrieve object-arrow
SA: cast spell Light
 
lostsole31
 R2T19:  Brother Jaume sighs and quickly casts a spell and light springs forth from an arrow in his hands, retrieved from his quiver.

 R2T16:    Breathing very heavily, the fish-man attacks with trident, bite, and  claw in a manner much more enervated than previously before he steps  south.

 R2T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian/ Vessex on deck/ in the hole ...
silphael
Kris flies up the stairs, planning to stay behind Winter to support her from there.

"  We can't let her fight alone !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly up the stairs, staying away from melee. Once there, if I'm behind (not necessarily right behind her) I'll cast Acid Splash on the fishman. If it's not enough, I'll keep moving to get closer.
 
lostsole31
 R2T12:  Kris flies up the stairs, planning to stay  behind Winter to support her from there. She ends up at Winter's height  (5' off the stairs she stands above). "  We can't let her fight alone!  "

 R2T9-8.5:  Lillian and Vessex move to right behind where Kris stands above, not wanting to stand directly below the storm sorcerer.

 R2T8:   The mirror-lady had used the features of the room and the fish-man to  hide, but now she darts forward to stab Winter in the cheek and jaw for  20 + disoriented .

 R2T7:  Ms. Wrentz delays ...

 R2T6:  St. Dorn nods and heads up the stairs, ending up directly below Kris.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T23:   Winter , what do you do as your wounds begin to knit?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fish-man in the hole ...
DrK
Winter reels as the mirror lady appears from nowhre to strike out at her and shakes her head, blood leaking from the savage wound. Holding the knife low Winter snarls a curse and jabs at the fishman once more, a shout of   "For Vilma"   snared out through gritted teeth as she lunges forward

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Stab the piscean with risky strike  (1d20+7)[ 17 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T23:  Winter reels as the mirror lady appears from nowhere to strike out at her  and shakes her head, blood leaking from the savage wound. Holding the  knife low Winter snarls a curse and jabs at the fish-man once more, a  shout of    "For Vilma!"     snarled out through gritted teeth as she lunges forward, but her knife  just barely clears the banisters to glance off of her foe's force armor.

 R3T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Fish-Man on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume motions to St. Dorn and Ms. Wrentz to follow him. He turns and opens the door to his South.
lostsole31
 R3T19:  Brother Jaume motions to St. Dorn and Ms. Wrentz to follow him. He turns and opens the door to his South.

 R3T16:  Upstairs, the fish-man stabs down at Winter, striking her in the hip with his trident for  8 .

 R3T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian/ Vessex on deck and in the hole ...
silphael
Hoping to quickly get rid of those creatures, Kris sends out a beam of heat, flying toward the wall.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Fly 1W, then cast Scorching Ray at the fishman.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 16 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6+1)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T12:  Hoping to quickly get rid of those creatures,  Kris flies up and over the overhang and banister and towards the wall.  She casts a spell and a beam of heat lances out to strike the fish-man  in the upper right arm for   13 fire  .

 R3T9:  Lillian points over the banister in the direction she last saw the fish-man go and tells Vessex,   "Avenge my sister's death."   She then casts a spell on Vessex, who in turn disappears.

 R3T8:  The mirror-lady attacks Winter. She nicks the cleric's neck for  6 , strikes her chest for  9 .

 R3T7-6:    "No need to follow and slow us down,"   says Ms. Wrentz.   "And that is a great plan, friar."   She heads out of the room and opens the next door. St. Dorn follows, passes that door

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T23:   Winter , you are no longer disoriented, and your wounds continue to knit (  FH8  ). What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fish-Man in the hole ...
DrK
Winter hisses again in pain as she is stabbed and ashes out with the dagger at the mirrored foe looking around for her allies.   "Beware, another glass creature has joined the fishman"   Even as she does so she thanks the Lady of the Grave that her body can heal so quickly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Risky attack vs the mirror foe  (d20+7)[ 17 ]  dam [/roll]1d4+5[/roll]
 
lostsole31
 R4T23:  Winter hisses again in pain as she is stabbed  and lashes out with the dagger at the mirrored foe, the blade clacking  off the glassy exterior. She looks around for her allies.   "Beware, another glass creature has joined the fish-man"   Even as she does so she thanks the Lady of the Grave that her body can heal so quickly.

 R4T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Fish-Man on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume heads South through the door into the “dining room” He dodges right around the tables and moves to the door farthest South on the West wall (that they entered from). He moves West into the room where they fought the mirror lady first (D7) and then heads to the South and up the stairs. He stops at the top of the stairs to survey the area.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Double Move action
take note of St. Dorn and Ms. Wrentz and their direction of travel.
 
lostsole31
 R4T19:  Brother Jaume heads South through the door, but  Ms. Wrentz is right there with the door to interrupt him, pointing him  to the hallway instead. "This way! Stairs!"

Brother Jaume, having  no reason to doubt here, instead goes through the door she had opened,  and after a slight move from an alcove, finds himself in the hallway  that leads to the stairs up which they had gone to the ruined room where  they first fought the Fish-Man. Brother Jaume doesn't see St. Dorn, but  realizes that his friends pointed him along a much faster way. He just  passes St. Dorn on the stairs and is ends up in the goop that was once  Vilma.

 R4T16:  The fish-man stabs Winter in the left knee with his trident for  6 , and misses with bite and claw.

 R4T12:   Kris , you are 5' off ground level in this room. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Vessex in the hole ...
silphael
Focusing on the fishman, Kris keeps shooting while sliding to the south.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 2S, and standard action for another scorching ray at fishman.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 15 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6)[ 16 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T12:  Focusing on the fish-man, Kris keeps shooting while sliding to the south. Her  scorching ray  lances into the fish-man's left thigh for   17 fire  . But that was quite the exertion as a headache hits Kris - her most powerful spells now depleted.

 R4T9:  Lillian sheathes her rapier and takes out her whip as she steps up behind Winter.

 R4T8.5:  Vessex appears, having attempted - and failed - to sting the fish-man while invisible.

 R4T8:   The mirror-lady does a fine job of faking out Winter, who does a  slightly better job of seeing through the attempted feint, and she  blocks the single sword strike.

 R4T7-6:   Ms.  Wrentz is heard (by Brother Jaume) getting into position behind St.  Dorn, who in turn passes the friar on the stairs so he can open the door  for him. St. Dorn peers over the lip of the stairs down to Brother  Jaume,   "That superstructure to the  northeast - that is where the fish-man retreated before. Up those wooden  stairs to that section, I'm sure of it!"  
 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T23:   Winter 's wounds continue to knit. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fish-man in the hole ...
DrK
Winter grins as the fish man is hit by the flames. Stabbing out again she also reflects on her poor choice here of running in so blindly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Risky stab on fish man  (1d20+7)[ 16 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T23:  Winter grins as the fish man is hit by the  flames. Stabbing out again to the air, she also reflects on her poor  choice here of running in so blindly.

 R5T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Fish-Man on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume gives St. Dorn a thumbs up as he rushes past. He moves onto the roof and up the stairs to the NE.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

double move up the stairs. Assuming that there are foes upstairs, he will move into position to threaten as many as possible, including any mirrors in the room.
 
lostsole31
 R5T19:  Brother Jaume gives St. Dorn a thumbs up as he  rushes past. He moves onto the roof and up the stairs to the NE and ends  up at a closed door.

 R5T16:  The Fish-Man offers  a brief respite to Winter by spinning to give his attention to the wasp  appearing behind it, but with only his bite getting close as it fails  to penetrate chitin.

 R5T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Vessex in the hole ...
silphael
Flying north, Kris shoots acid at the fishman, hoping to finally take it down.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1N, then casting Acid Splash at the fishman.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 10 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T12:  Flying north, Kris shoots acid at the fish-man, hoping to finally take it down, but her spatter of acid hits the floor instead.

 R5T9:   Lillian draws upon her keen awareness of the situation, looking for  inspiration. She then snaps her whip at the mirror-lady's swordarm but  fails.

 R5T8.5:  Vessex - technically flanking  with Winter because of its elevation and Winter's lower point on the  stairs - stings the fish-man in the left hand for  1 NL +  1 poison  .

 R5T8:  The mirror-lady nicks Winter's neck with her off-hand sword for  7 , and with the same sword clips Winter's elbow for another  7 .

 R5T7-6:   St. Dorn steps outside, sees something as he continues moving, and calls out,   "Brother  Jaume! I'm sorry. I was wrong. That is too high. I see a door on the  end I'm going to. Up to you to check that door or come down our way."    He disappears around the north and western side of this superstructure  (to BJ's vantage). Ms. Wrentz looks like she is going to bypass the  ladder as well.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T23:   Winter , you continue to heal (FH 8). What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fish-man in the hole ...
DrK
Winter winces as she is cut twice more, blood spilling onto her robes, a muttered   "This was a foolish move, why cannot I control my temper..."   she says as she tries to avoid claws, tridents and daggers. Lunging forward she tries to drive the mirrored creature back and away from her

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Risky attack vs mirror lady  (1d20+7)[ 17 ]  dam  (1d8+5)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T23:  Winter winces as she is cut twice more, blood spilling onto her robes, a muttered   "This was a foolish move, why cannot I control my temper..."    she says as she tries to avoid claws, tridents and daggers. Lunging  forward she tries to drive the mirrored creature back and away from her.  Her dagger clacks hard against the mirror-skin, but doesn't crack it.

 R6T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Fish-Man on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume hurries down the stairs to the roof and shouts   “Go!”   to St. Dorn and Ms. Wrentz. He continues West into the room where Vilma perished and as far West as he can get to the door there; opening it if able.
lostsole31
 R6T19:  Brother Jaume hurries down the stairs to the roof and shouts   “Go!”   to  St. Dorn and Ms. Wrentz. He continues west into the room where Vilma  perished and all the way up to the western door in that room.

 R6T16:   The Fish-Man takes no more pain from the wasp sting. He spins around  towards Winter, leaving the wasp be(e) for now. He misses with all  attacks.

 R6T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Vessex in the hole ...
silphael
As the fishman is now bothered with the wasp, Kris flies eastward, her rapier in hand, to add more stings.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 2E (unsheathing rapier on the way if it wasn't already unsheathed)
Standard action to attack.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+5)[ 6 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T12:  As the fish-man is now bothered with the wasp,  Kris flies eastward, her rapier in hand, to add more stings. Even  exhausted, though, the fish-man wards away Kris with his own trident.

 R6T9:   Lillian casts CMW on Winter, and completely heals her wounds.  Lillian pants from the effort, though.   "That was the last of that tier of my divine magic."  
 R6T8.5:  Vessex has to land, no longer controlling a flank, but does so in fish-man's square (who misses the wasp as it descends).

 R6T8:   The mirror-lady is taken aback when all of Winter's wounds are now  healed ... all that effort wasted. It takes up the whirring blades,  though. The first stabs Winter in the right shoulder for  9 ; the off-hand misses; the main re-attack crits Winter scores a deep wound to Winter's head for  11 + nauseated ; and the final off-hand stabs Winter, but doesn't penetrate her sublimely hardened skin.

 R6T7:  Ms. Wrentz moves up to the side of the door where St. Dorn stands, and opens it for him.

 R6T6:   St. Dorn now appears to the west, and moves in to right underneath Kris  with a charge, warhammer striking the fish-man in the upper right arm  for  10 .

 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T23:  Though a terrible blow, yet Winter's wounds already begin to knit incredibly quickly.   Winter , you are   nauseated  . What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Fish-Man in the hole ...
DrK
Nauseated by the pain of the flayed skin on her head Winter can do nothing more than stand there taking the savage blows from her opponents. A fleeting thought of  ”Well at least I’m blocking their escape.”  plays through her mind

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


With only a move action she will stand there and do nothing this round
 
lostsole31
 R7T23:  Nauseated by the pain of the flayed skin on her head Winter can do  nothing more than stand there taking the savage blows from her  opponents. In true party girl fashion, Lillian holds her hair back while Winter vomits.

 R7T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Fish-Man on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume opens the door and (hopefully) steps in and attacks closest foe.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: open door (if locked, kick it open SA)
FA: 5 ft step to the West
SA: strike opponent with quivering palm style (stunning fist), risky strike
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 17 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T19:  Brother Jaume opens the door, looking outside,  and with a dead fish-man at his feet from yesterday's battle. Looking  out to the west he sees the remainder of the roof to where it continues  and then drops off the western side of the fort.

 R7T16:   The Fish-man continues against Winter, hitting her in the chest with its trident for  3 , and slashes her upper right arm with its claw for  3 .

 R7T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Vessex in the hole ...
silphael
As Winter staggers, Kris keeps stabing, hoping to lighten the number of enemies, while hovering.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to hover, and standard to spike.

  Fly  - (1d20+13)[ 30 ] 
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+5)[ 7 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T12:  As Winter staggers, Kris keeps stabbing, hoping  to lighten the number of enemies, while hovering, but frustrated by the  weapons skill of the Fish-man who deflects her yet again.

 R7T9:   Lillian puts her whip in her buckler hand and immediately gives medical  aid to Winter. Interestingly, Winter realizes through her distress that  Lillian has no formal training at all, but just "feels" her way to  giving aid, and yet it still seemed to be effective, because Winter is  no longer nauseated! If she were to be given real training, Lillian  could be a gifted physician.

 R7T8.5:  Vessex can't land a stinger.

 R7T8:   The mirror-lady thinks that Winter is still in distress and tries to  feint the Pharasmin again, but Winter easily ducks the single strike.

 R7T6:   St. Dorn looks at the Fish-Man and says, "Creature of Dark Waters, you  shall not escape us to cause harm again!" His hammer glows and he begins  and onslaught, catching the enemy in the lower right leg with his  warhammer for  12 . He lets his hammer slip low, and with  its inertia down he uses it for a moulinet to then come overhand and  slam the enemy in the chest for a bone-crushing  21 , dropping the Fish-Man at last!

 End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T23:   Winter , now healed through Lillian's intuition and your own curious biology (  FH8  ), what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
Winter nods happily,   "Yes Master Dorn... well struck"   she says, lashing out at the mirrored creature with the dagger but feeling much happier about the situation now

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


attack  (1d20+7)[ 15 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R8T23:    "Yes Master Dorn! ... Well struck!"    Winter nods happily. She lashes out at the mirrored creature with the  dagger but feeling much happier about the situation now, despite two  longer blades blocking her humble dagger.

 R8T19:  Brother Jaume, what do you do?

Kris on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Bj will wheel around and exit the room to the East before turning North, following the other two looking for the fight.
lostsole31
 R8T19:  BJ wheels around and exits the room to the east  before turning north, following the other two while looking for the  fight. He finds his way to the open door, moves in, and gets right up  behind St. Dorn. He notices that the Fish-Man has been dropped.

 R8T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Vessex in the hole ...
silphael
Using her aerial mobility, Kris takes position on the other side of the mirror lady, stabbing again.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, 1E 1NE (probably provokes, fly check just in case)) then standard action to attack mirror lady with Risky Strike.

  Fly  - (1d20+13)[ 27 ] 
  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 12 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 8 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 3 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R8T12:  Using her aerial mobility, Kris takes position  on the other side of the mirror lady, stabbing again, but the flashing  blades brilliant deflect the rapier.

 R8T9:  Lillian gets a mischievous smile behind Winter and says,   "Hey, Pharasmin. Let me show you the power of Calistria!"   She touches Winter's shoulder, and Winter feels all tingly.   "The next time you really want to succeed at some type of attempt, just think about that bit of luck I gave you."  
 R8T8.5:  Vessex withdraws and flies around the long way to perch on a banister support by Lillian.

 R8T8:   Mirror-Lady keeps her position at the top of the stairs for what little  tactical benefit it gives her against the ever-healing Pharasmin. She  stabs Winter in the left thigh for  9  and in the abdomen for  6 .

 R8T6:    "In the name of Torag, I send you to meet whatever demonic force will embrace you!"    calls out St. Dorn before dropping his warhammer on the Fish-Man's  chest. A faint nimbus that had surrounded St. Dorn seems to dissipate.   "It is done. The monster has been vanquished."  
 End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T23:   Winter ,  you have the tingles. What do you do? 
 Spoiler: Bit of Luck 
You may use  it for any 1d20 that you roll.  Roll twice, and take the better  result.
 

Brother Jaume on deck, Kris in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R9T23:  Winter (  FH8  )  opens herself up to Calistria's blessing and earns success as her  dagger slashes the mirror-lady's upper right thigh just slightly, but  enough to do  4 .

 R9T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Kris on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume attempts to hop up onto the desk and, if successful, move into position behind the mirror lady. If he makes it, he will attack with a karate chop.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: hop up onto desk to the SE 5’ (counts as 10’). If successful continue to move 5’ East, and then hop down 5’ to NE. Use extra movement if difficult terrain.
SA: Strike mirror lady
  to hit  - (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+5)[ 8 ] 

if hop fails, try second time with move only
 
lostsole31
 R9T19:  Brother Jaume hops up onto the desk and moves  east, though finds that the cluttered desk makes movement a little more  difficult. Still, he is very athletic and uses his downward motion to  attempt a knife hand strike, but a deflection field protects the enemy  and his attack is thrown aside.

 R9T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Vessex in the hole ...
silphael
Flying to an advantageous position, on the other side of the stairs the mirror lady is using, Kris keeps stabbing.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 1E 1NE, flying up is necessary to flank the mirror lady (up since she's on the stairs).
Fly roll in case AoO hits.
  Fly  - (1d20+13)[ 19 ] 

Standard action, stab with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 10 ] 
  Elec Damage  - (1d6)[ 3 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T12:  Flying to an advantageous position, Kris gets  stabbed in the belly with what to another person would have been a crit.  It still hurts, though, as it does it nips for  6 . Kris gets to the other side of the stairs the mirror lady is guarding and stabs the enemy in her upper left arm for  10 +  3 electricity   ... the first significant wound on Mirror-Lady in this engagement.

 R9T9:   Lillian prepares herself should Winter fall by casting a battle spell  on herself. She then puts her whip away and has Vessex stand down for  now.

 R9T8:  The Mirror-Lady's form starts to very slowly smooth out over her wounds (  FH1  ).  She then makes an incredible acrobatic movement to go over and past  Winter, then catch banister on the side and vault past the side of  Lillian and Vessex, and end up on the other side down the stairs! She  makes a poor distracting attack against the wasp as she goes by and  continues down. Now everyone is stopped up with the Mirror Lady on the  stairs 10' below Vessex/Lillian (off map). It seems that Lillian  preparing a battle spell on herself was almost prophetic.

 R9T7:   Ms. Wrentz, who had been hiding outside biding her time to jump in with  a surprise shot, swings the eastern door open, and then is confused  when she doesn't see a target.   "Where is she?"  
 R9T6:  St. Dorn doesn't waste any time. He is out the door to the west.

 End Round 9, Begin Round 10 ...

R10T23:   Winter s' wounds continue to knit (  FH8  ),  and she sees the Mirror-Lady 15' below her on the stairs, 10' past  Lillian/Vessex. What do you do? Note that the stairs are such that you  can't get past an ally on the stairs (despite normally being allowed to  move freely through allied squares in more open terrain).

Brother Jaume on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
Winter breathes in relief as the mirrored foe vaults over and looks down at Lillian.   "The lady of the grave guide you. It is too fast for me"   she murmurs offering Lillian a blessing for when they engage the mirrored foe. Aside from that she takes a careful breath, a hand picking at the rents in her cloths from daggers and trident.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Cast guidance on Lillian
 
lostsole31
 R10T23:  Winter breathes in relief as the mirrored foe vaults over and looks down at Lillian.    "The Lady of the grave guide you. It is too fast for me,"     she murmurs offering Lillian a blessing for when they engage the  mirrored foe. Aside from that she takes a careful breath, a hand picking  at the rents in her cloths from daggers and trident.

 R10T19:   Brother Jaume ,  the stairs are not wide enough to allow allies to pass through allied  squares as you might under normal conditions. Also, at your angle, you can't see past the top of Lillian's head. What do you do?

Kris on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume does a quick search of the room.
lostsole31
 R10T19:  Brother Jaume takes stock of the room he's in  ... the first person to have done so. This room is furnished with a  large table, a few comfortable chairs, and a standing mirror. The room  appears reasonably clean compared to the rest of the fort. A fireplace  sits cold in the corner, and a pile of books and folios is spread across  the table.

Up the stairs from the archives (area  D10 ),  this room provides a comfortable place to read. The chairs are well  stuffed and the large table allows someone to spread out numerous  documents and books for research. The stack of books on the table shows  that someone was doing exactly that before the fort was compromised. The  eastern door to this room opens onto the fort’s battlements (area  D13 ).

 R10T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Mirror-Lady in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R10T12:  Kris is bored, and does a quick search of the  spot she is in (green 'X' denotes searched square) - checking furniture,  walls, and floor - but doesn't find anything of interest.

 R10T9:    "Vessex, kill her!"    says an alarmed Lillian, realizing that she is now in a bad spot  compared to the enemy. Figuring that the enemy is enjoying some type of  magic to be dominating the battle this time, she casts a spell. Winter  sees powerful arcane magic wash over the Mirror-Lady with no effect.   "Either she has no magic on her, or my dispel attempt wasn't powerful enough to get rid of anything."  
 R10T8.5:  Vessex buzzes forth as directed. It fails to avoid getting a painful poke in the thorax for  15 + staggered  ... painful enough Vessex misses its sting.

 R10T8:  Mirror-Lady (  FH1  ) stabs Vessex for  9 ,  and as the wasp falls, the Mirror-Lady's continued attacks completely  open up Vessex. First, Lillian lost her sister at this place; and now  her familiar as well. The Mirror-Lady steps down a few stairs, taunting  Lillian with her swords.

 R10T7:  Ms. Wrentz hears the battle down the stairs, sighs, and is gone from sight as she heads south along the roof.

 R10T6:  St. Dorn's voice is heard shouting from below,    "Come down! I am going to stay at the door down here to block her escape!"   
 R10T23:   Winter  (  FH8  ), what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
Winter slips past Lillian and chases after the mirrored creature,   ”Time to meet your maker.”   she snaps angrily, feeling better now she is mostly healed up and slashes out with the dagger

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move to mirror lady
Risky stab  (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T23:  Winter tries to slip past Lillian, but the  stairs are too cramped. And she bristles in anger, ready to get back in  the fight now that she is almost fully healed again.

 R10T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Kris on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume moves to the mirror and smashes it with a meaty fist. He grunts with satisfaction.
   “Retreat up the stairs and use ranged attacks instead!”
    
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move to mirror
SA: punch mirror , risky strike
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T19:  Brother Jaume moves to the mirror and smashes it with a meaty fist. He grunts with satisfaction before calling out,    “Retreat up the stairs and use ranged attacks instead!”    
 R10T12:  Kris gives a check of the other side of the couch, wall, and floor.

 R10T9:  Lillian takes another extract and calls out,    "Yeah,  no. Most of us aren't really primed for that; the stairs are too  crowded; and we want to close her in. She self-heals, so letting her  scamper off and heal doesn't help. Come down so we can pin her with Dorn  at the door."   

She then steps farther down the stairs while drawing her rapier and stepping right up to the foe.

 R10T8-6:  Winter, you see the Mirror Lady fake out Lillian and then stab her in the left thigh for  13 .  St. Dorn's voice is heard calling on Torag to help him smite this  second evil creature this day. Winter sees St. Dorn's hammer strike the  Mirror Lady in the left shoulder from below for  16 .

 End Round 10, Begin Round 11 ...

R11T23:  Winter (  FH1  ),  you are 10' above the stairs from Lillian ... who is just above the  landing from Mirror-Lady. And though you can't quite see Dorn, you know  he is on the stairs just below the landing. What do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Kris in the hole ...
DrK
Winter, trapped on the stairs issues a frosty   "Make way, let us pass"   before following Lillian and taps her on the back with a healing touch

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move to Lillian; Summon monster I --&gt; Cure light wounds  (1d8+5)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T23:  Winter, trapped on the stairs issues a frosty,   "Make way, let us pass,"   before following Lillian and taps her on the back with a healing touch that completely removes all of Lillian's injuries.

  "Thank you, Winter,"   says Lillian in a grim voice.

 R11T19:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Kris on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume moves down the stairs as far as he can.
  “The King in Yellow will no longer hold sway in this place!”
  The enraged moneric casts a spell and a fist sized chunk of rock is created and flies at his enemy.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move 10’ East, 5’ NE, then West down the stairs as far as he can go with his remaining movement.
SA: cast mighty fist of the Earth spell targeting mirror lady.
  to hit  - (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+5)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T19:  Brother Jaume moves down the stairs as far as he can and shouts,   “The   King in Yellow   will no longer hold sway in this place!”    T he  enraged clonk casts a spell and a fist sized chunk of rock is created  and flies at his enemy, but she uses a sweeping "X" pattern to shatter  the rock before it ever gets close to her.

 R11T12:   Kris , what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Mirror-Lady in the hole ...
silphael
Kris flies down the stairs, passing above Brother Jaume, attempting to get a bearing of her surroundings, before throwing acid at the mirror lady if in sight and range.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly at least 2W, then flying to the closest empty spot (in the air so probably easier).
Standard action, casting acid splash.
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
  Acid damage  - (1d3)[ 1 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T12:  Kris tries to fly past Brother Jaume, but the  stairwell at that point is too cramped to pass (as stated by the GM, oh,  so many times already). Still, she does see the Mirror-Lady at the  lower landing before a smaller set of stairs turns to the south into the  room below. Unfortunately, with everything in front of her, it is too  distracting and she misses.

 R11T9:  Despite seeing a split-second into the future, the mirror-lady blocks Lillian's attack.

 R11T8:  The mirror-lady (  FH1  ),  despite an enspelled killer above her, focuses on the creature below  and trips St. Dorn before then failing to launch directly past him, and  instead adjusting to leap over the railing's corner. As she does so,  Lillian stabs the mirror-lady in the right hand for  4  as St. Dorn swings wildly. She then rushes south out of the door of the room.

 R11T7:  The loud clack of a hand crossbow firing is heard with a loud cry of pain.

 R11T6:  St. Dorn stands, steps over to the Mirror-Lady and Winter sees him crack her in the leg with his hammer, dropping her.

 End Round 11, Begin Round 12 ...

R12T23:   Winter , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck Kris in the hole ...
DrK
With injuries on many of her allies and the apparent creature going down Winter looks about.   ”Another day to avoid my mistress.”    she suggests then unleashes a wave of healing energy to heal her allies

 
 Spoiler: OOC  


Channel energy excluding mirror lady
 (3d6)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R12T23:  With injuries on many of her allies and the apparent creature going down Winter looks about.   ”Another day to avoid my mistress,”     she suggests as she then unleashes a wave of healing energy to heal her  allies who are in the room or on the stairs (so, all allies except Ms.  Wrentz) for   14  .

 R12T19:   Brother Jaume , do you delay for Winter and Lillian to move off the stairs, as you can't push past at this point?

Kris on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R12T19-12:  Brother Jaume and Kris both delay ...

 R12T9:  Lillian hustles down the stairs and out into the hallway.

 R12T8:  Though Winter might not see it from her vantage point, the Mirror-Lady's wounds very slowly begin to knit.

 R12T7:   Ms. Wrentz steps into the dining room, slides a chair over and lifts a  corner of it, and then smashes a leg down into the Mirror-Lady's head,  and the entire body shatters into tiny shards of glass to heal no more.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will check the group for injuries and commiserate with Lillian about the death of her beloved companion with a warm hug.
lostsole31
In hugging the passing-for-human half-orc Calistrian, she also provides comforting-caressing touches of her own ... that go well to either make the friar blush, or to have him ask for the HR director for possible sexual assault. 😦 In truth, she judges his response very well, and keeps from going too far over a line while causing that line to extend a bit, as with other things.
Blackhawk101
The rotund friar does blush mightily at the extra attention from Lillian.
He carefully removes himself from her embrace before readjusting his robes.
“  Well I see you are feeling better. If you need anything else later, just let me know.”  
 He puffs up his chest and hooks his thumbs into his belt in an obvious effort to regain his composure.
  “Got to keep our spirits UP in this place, Don’t you know! Ol’ One Eye teaches us that community and fertility …well, that they’re just plain natural! No need to be …ashamed or whatnot…. I will just go check on the others!”

  ​He hurriedly moves off, mumbling into his beard.
lostsole31
  "Well, that was a slip, don't you think?"   asks Lillian.   "Isn't Erastil usually depicted with two working eyes, but is called 'Deadeye' because of his archery skill? There is something referred to as a 'one-eye,' of course, something that half of a Calistrian congregation might have."  
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grins through the bush of his beard.
  “A slip? I think not! Erastil is well known for always hitting the target and his worshippers are dedicated to following his lead!”  
lostsole31
The mirror-lady doesn't have anything on her shattered glass remains. Even her short swords were formed from her (a la T-1000).

What now?
Blackhawk101
  “Is anyone injured?”   asks Brother Jaume.
lostsole31
Brother Jaume's question gets Winter to begin triage (with the friar's assistance) to determine that only the healer's have any issues at all, with only one minor injury... Brother Jaume: Light wound (~90%). Minor cognitive issues.
Winter Klaczka:  No injury, but continued tendon strain.
Everyone Else: Healed. 
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will pray for healing.
Once that is complete, he will address the party.
  “We are in good shape physically but I am depleted on my spells and other abilities for the day. I suggest we make camp here for the day before continuing.”
  ​ 
 Spoiler: crunch 

swap 1 level magic weapon for cure light wounds.
 (1d8+5)[ 11 ] 
 
DrK
Winter looks about, flexing her arm.   "Before we stop anywhere I'd like to make sure any mirrors are smashed into very small pieces. Although Desna may not like us afterwards."   She looks about and nods to Jaume,    "I am not depleted overly and could go onm but am happy if not to take watch to help keep us safe. "   
lostsole31
  "I AM depleted, and I DO want to go on,"   says Lillian.   "We don't know what the enemy has in store. Right now, I think if we pull out, we lose our initiative. Who knows how these ticks will dig in, or possibly even find a way to fortify, before we go through and hunt them down."  
Blackhawk101
BJ looks to Kris and Ms. Wrentz for their opinions.
lostsole31
  "I'm almost out of bolts,"   says Ms. Wrentz.   "Just three remaining. But no amount of rest is going to help that. The constable - now deceased - ordered them for me and I picked them up here. I'll just have to make do with weapons of opportunity. We need to claim the fort as much for Thrushmoor as our own needs."  

St. Dorn says,   "I am at about half of all my available resources. But as a Toragdan, I am more about defense ... slow and steady wins the race. I think we can press on unless it is a hardship to someone who feels their resource are tapped. In which case, yes, call it a day. We already lost Vilma and Ms. Wilde's sister. If it helps, I think Torag will no longer favor me this day in smiting the wicked."  
 Kris  ... what is your opinion?
silphael
"  I think I can continue. Even if I'm out of my most powerful spells.  "

She nods.
Blackhawk101
BJ scratches his beard as he speaks.   “Very well, we will continue. However, I would like to return to the courtyard downstairs where we first encountered the enemy and pick up another bow.”  
lostsole31
As the group follows Brother Jaume to the courtyard and the entry gate, they find that all of the juju zombie gear has been destroyed ... unsuitable for continued use. It seems that small, sharp blades were responsible for this destruction.

The "who" becomes obvious, as in that entry gate area .... is a nicely polished mirror in the corner.
Blackhawk101
Frustrated, BJ makes a karate kick to the mirror.
lostsole31
That mirror is now as dead as its transitor.

Ms. Wrentz is inspired by Brother Jaume's idea, though, and scrounges enough bolts in the party treasury for two cases.

Where to now?
Blackhawk101
  “Let us continue to explore and be sure we have rid this place of the vile influence of the King in Yellow.”
  BJ turns to the West and heads for the stairs up.
lostsole31
Lacking direction at this time, the friar provides it as the group goes up the western of the two south central tower stairs. Once on the second deck, this round room in the tower is used for secure observation of the grounds outside via an array of arrow loops. A spiral staircase descends to ground level, while a circling wooden stair climbs upward to a trap door at the top of the tower. There is no roof access here.

Now what?
Blackhawk101
BJ heads back down to the ground level and heads North into the sleeping quarters and from there Northwest into the stairwell and up.
DrK
Winter follows the others, her ears and eyes sharp to any danger. Spying another mirror she looks around,   "The undead, mirrors that leap to life and these amphibian filth. A strange collection of foes to be working together."   Looking at the walls and the wings, she does glance back Wrentz.   "Does anyone recall seeing a door down? I would wonder if the fish people are coming up from a sewer or the base of a well or water source?"  
lostsole31
Nobody recalls anything of the sort.

The next guard tower to the north's second story is exactly like the last one.
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume scratches his beard thinking.   “    While it is good to clear these unexplored areas of enemies, I just remembered something. When we were fighting the undead mercenaries North of the central open courtyard, I tried to find a route around them and I opened a door to the West from the courtyard. I did not enter the room because it was filled with an an unnatural fog. It may have been a temporary manifestation but we should check it out.”
  Unless there are any objections, BJ will head downstairs and find a door East into the courtyard and then North looking for the fog door he remembers.
lostsole31
Are there any objections?
silphael
Kris finally raises her voice.

"  That was me. The fog, that is.  "
Blackhawk101
  “Fine. We will continue on then.”

  BJ will head downstairs and take a door North.
lostsole31
The party then finds that the tower turret to the northwest is as all the others before .... stone stairs to this level, and wooden stairs leading above.
silphael
Kris shrugs.

"  Let's go down for now ? I think ?  "
DrK
Winter who had been following shakes her head,   "I am all turned around I'm afraid. But I am happy to follow any where you lead. I hope that Pharasma or Desna will see us safe as this place has taken a heavy toll on us so far."  

As she follows she makes sure to keep her knife in hand lest more mirrors or fishmen appear.
Blackhawk101
BJ walks down the stairs and to the East looking for an unexplored room or the next stairs up.
lostsole31
The party follows the friar down to the barracks below that were at the north end, coming down the tower from the northwestern turret, and going to the next set of stairs which is the northeastern turret, and finishes off the northernmost extension of exploration as well. From this point, they see northernmost section of the traversal roof on this mid-level (remember that nobody has bothered climbing to the very top of any of the turrets).
Blackhawk101
  “Let us check the roof while we are here.”
  BJ climbs the wooden stairs up.
lostsole31
Brother Jaume climbs the wooden stairs up to the top of the turret where there is a ballista overlooking the north. There is a shelf with several ballista bolts under wooden cover to protect them from the elements. It is a commanding view up here, and only the tallest part of the fort to the southeast obscures vision farther out from this turret.
Blackhawk101
BJ will admire the view before descending back down to the ground floor.
  “Follow me my friends!”
  He will head SE and then South to the wood stairs up. He will wait for the party before heading upstairs.
lostsole31
And this brings us to the place where Vilma was killed on the stairs, there is a dead fish-man right outside the western door, and the room is in a shambles.
Blackhawk101
  “Let’s gather Vilma’s remains and do a search of this room.”
  Somberly Brother Jaume will look for a carpet or tapestry to collect the remains.
lostsole31
So, Vilma's remains ... the reason her body is not difficult terrain on the stairs is that much of her body was putrefied and broken down to a protoplastic mass by the id ooze. There is now a horrific and indelible stain on the stairs. Sure, you could get this piece or that of gory goo .... but, not really much to "collect."
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume will ask Lillian if she would like him to say a few words for her sister.
lostsole31
  "I said words for my sister,"   says Lillian.   " This  bitch was  your  friend. You say words for her."  
Blackhawk101
Embarrassed, Brother Jaume does his best to muddle through a short eulogy.
  “Oh my! My apologies! I must have taken one too many tridents stabs to the brain.”
”Vilma was a good friend and a valiant fighter. Although her time here with us is over she will continue to fight the forces of Chaos in the next life. May Ersastil and her chosen deity watch over and protect her. Amen.”  
DrK
Winter looks at the pair, also slightly embarrassed, before joining Jaume in a prayer to pharasma to bless what little remains of Vilma. She kneels down silently, lost in prayer for a long minute before nodding.   "As you say Jaume. Yes, we must press on and clean out what vile creatures remain here."    She looks around the others taking a deep breath atop the roof and enjoying the view before they have to descend into the depths.

She'll look at the steps and way down,   "Well, shall we finish this?"  
Blackhawk101
BJ gives the room a quick search and then goes out the door to the East. A quick search there and If there is nothing on the roof, head up the stairs to the North as you come out from this door.
lostsole31
This is it, no doubt ... the donjon. The highest non-turret part of Fort Hailcourse.  The party gets into a line outside the closed door with Brother Jaume in the front. Now what?
Blackhawk101
BJ prays to cast a spell, nods to the others and opens the door.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Cast shield of faith
 
silphael
Kris makes sure her force shield is still up, before showing that she's ready.
DrK
Winter asks for guidance from the gods before nodding with a smile towards Brother Jaume

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

cast guidance
 
lostsole31
The spells above cast or re-cast, Brother Jaume opens the door.  He was  internally expecting trouble, and he is completely unsurprised by  something in front of him, but ...

 Surprise Round ... 
 S19:  A gout of fluid flies down from the north to hit Brother Jaume in his left arm with a wound that leaves him reeling for   20 acid + (-2 penalty to AC)  . He screams out raggedly in pain.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T19:  Even  though he is reeling from the pain, Brother Jaume hunkers down and that  instinct saves him as another gout of brownish-green fluid sails over  his head to arc down and land on stones below, sizzling with fell  caustic power.

 R1T18:   Kris , you are the  last person on the stairs at the bottom, with St. Dorn behind you and  standing on the roof. For the purpose of understanding height, Kris is 2  full squares below the height of Brother Jaume and the door. What do  you do?
silphael
Kris flies to the side of the stairs, trying to get a look inside the dungeon while staying at range.

"  Jaume ? What's happening ?  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Flying up to Jaume's height, staying away from the door (like 10 feet away from Jaume and the door if possible). Since I'm flying up, it might take both of my actions, so if I still have my standard, I'll ready an attack with my rapier to attack if an enemy gets in range.
 
lostsole31
 R1T18:  Kris flies to the side of the stairs, trying to get a look inside the dungeon while staying at range. "  Jaume? What's happening?  "

 R1T16:   At the doorway, a half-formed shape of a snarling dog rises up out of  grayish foam. It swings something like a wet, globby fist at the side of  Brother Jaume's neck for  9 , proving to be quite strong, even as another malformed extension punches Brother Jaume in the right elbow for  7 .

 R1T11:   Winter ,  Brother Jaume - who was wounded previously, is getting hammered by  something that you can't quite see. He is on the cramped landing, and  you are on the just below Lillian who is just below Brother Jaume. What do you?
DrK
Winter looks down the stairs not seeing much but can see Jaume getting assaulted by something.   "Pharasma he is not ready yet"   she utters and reaches out a hand towrads him as she channels healing energy over her friends.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Channel energy over the party  (3d6)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T11:  Winter looks down the stairs not seeing much but can see Jaume getting assaulted by something.   "Pharasma, he is not ready yet,"   she utters and reaches out a hand towards him as she channels healing energy over her friends for up to   10 healing   to Brother Jaume.

 R1T7:   Brother Jaume , you hold a green- light   arrow in hand, and are still pretty wounded, but unless you do an  acrobatic jump to the roof 20' below, there's not much to be done for  movement. Unlike in the cramped stairwell previously, there is space to move past allies on the stairs this time. What do you do?
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume takes a quick beat to analyze his opponent.
  “There is an aquatic creature here with claws. He is backed by another fishman. Do what I do: hit and move!”
  The burly Moneric strikes the creature in front and then moves to the bottom of the stairs behind St. Dorn.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: Risky strike , spend 1 use of stunning fist
  to hit  - (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+9)[ 15 ] 
MA: move down the stairs 15’ West, 15’ South.
 
lostsole31
 R1T7:  Brother Jaume takes a quick beat to analyze his opponent, then advises,   “There is an aquatic creature here with claws. He is backed by another fish-man. Do what I do: hit and move!”

  The burly friar strikes the creature in front, hitting it in the center of mass for  15 ,  and its entire form wiggles and shakes and Brother Jaume has icky gray  foam on his hand even as he sees the punch shape of his fist slowly  begin filling in with the unsettling, semi-liquid nature of the lead  foe. Brother Jaume then turns to go downstairs, ducking an AOO from the  creature, and makes it the bottom of the stairs behind St. Dorn.

 R1T6:  Ms. Wrentz hunkers down where she is, looking for a surprise shot should a foe come out.

 R1T5:  Lillian drops her whip as she moves up the stairs and draws her rapier, and then stabs.   "Got a tiny chunk of it,"   she says.   "It's  a doppeldrek - a shapechanging ooze. You can't stun it, take advantage  of weak spots you see, or even create your own weak spots. It is  mindless, but controlled by the fish-man somehow."  
 R1T4:  St. Dorn delays ...

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T19:  Lillian dodges a burst of acid just like Brother Jaume had.

 R2T18:   Kris ,  your readied action did not occur. You had seen the fish-man shape a  ball of acid between its hands before it shot it at Lillian. What do you  do?

Doppeldrek on deck, Winter in the hole ...
silphael
Given how physical those tend to get, Kris shots an exhausting ray at the opponent closest to the door.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action, flying 10 feet E.
Standard action, casting Ray of Enfeeblement at the opponent closest to the door. (fort dc 15 to halve the str penalty)

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
  Str penalty  - (1d6+2)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T18:  Given how physical those [oozes] tend to get, Kris shoots a multicolored ray at the opponent closest to the door, doing  6 temp STR damage .

 R2T16:  Despite its sudden weakening, the doppeldrek slams Lillian in the elbow and upper arm for a total of  13 . Also, its body starts to close around where it was wounded (  FH2  ).

 R2T15:  St. Dorn rushes up the stairs into the gap.

 R2T11:   Winter , what do you do?

Brother Jaume on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
In the cramped confines Winter realises there is little she can do to offer physical support, but with Jaume still injured and Lillian struck she once more beseeched Pharasma for healing, sending a pulse o healing over her allies excluding the enemies...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Channel to heal allies  (3d6)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T11:  In the cramped confines Winter realizes there is little she can do to  offer physical support, but with Jaume still injured and Lillian struck  she once more beseeches Pharasma for healing, sending a pulse of   10 healing   to Brother Jaume and Lillian.

 R2T7:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
BJ delays.
lostsole31
 R2T7:  Brother Jaume delays ...

 R2T6:  Ms. Wrentz resets her readied action.

 R2T5:  Lillian studies the opponent in front of her and does a power stab for  2 .

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T19:  The fish-man adjusts his position and misses Kris with a gout of acid he shoots at her.

 R3T18:   Kris , what do you do?

Doppeldrek on deck, St. Dorn in the hole, BJ delays ...
silphael
With no more reliable ranged spells, Kris flies somewhat closer, shooting acid at the fishman.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 2W 1N as a move action.
Standard action to cast Acid Splash at the fishman (bonuses from point blank shot taken into account).

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 28 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T18:  With no more reliable ranged spells, Kris flies  somewhat closer, shooting acid at the fish-man. As the burst acid looks  like it's going to make dead center on Kris' target, the fish-man does  ... something ... that seems to drain him a little, but whatever it was  has no effect as he still gets hit in the chest for   4 acid  .  Kris notices there is a sort of funk or mist surrounding the fish-man  now. Nothing that conceals his features, not that thick, but something  that was barely noticeable before is not a little more noticeable.

 R3T16:  The doppeldrek continue to heal (  FH2  ). One of its slams clobbers Lillian in the chest for  5 .

 R3T15:  St. Dorn touches Lillian to give her a little bit of his saintly power.

 R3T11:   Winter , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Lillian in the hole, Brother Jaume delaying ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume stops delaying and grasps his holy symbol of Erastil in a meaty fist as he prays for healing.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Swap a (3rd lvl) Lesser restoration for cure moderate wounds.

 (2d8+5)[ 13 ] 
 
DrK
Winter looks up at the at the narrow stairs, feeling frustrated by the cramped conditions.   "Is there space to advance and surround them?"   she asks, before following up with an impassioned.   "In the name of the Lady of Graves strike down those who oppose you and send them to an early invitation with the Lady."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


No movement
Standard: Start bardic performance
 
lostsole31
 R3T14:  Brother Jaume stops delaying and grasps his holy symbol of Erastil in a meaty fist as he prays and gains   13 healing  .

 R3T11:  Winter looks up at the at the narrow stairs, feeling frustrated by the cramped conditions.   "Is there space to advance and surround them?"   she asks, before following up with an impassioned,   "In the name of the Lady of Graves! Strike down those who oppose you and send them to an early invitation with the Lady."  
 R3T6:  Ms. Wrentz stays where she is, ready to shoot.

 R3T5:    "No!"    calls down Lillian over Winter's now continuous performance - which  started as an oratical plea before turning into a dramatic monologue  often put to opera in Karcau.   "The doppeldrek controls the doorway.  There are windows, for what good that does folks."  

Using the holy insight granted by the saint, Lillian makes another careful thrust against her quarry for  3 .

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T19:  The fish-man adjusts his position and throws another ball of acid that Kris just manages to dodge.

 R4T18:   Kris , what do you do?

Doppeldrek on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Since the doppeldrek is on the way, Kris switches target, throwing acid at the doppeldrek.

"  There's something odd with the fish-man !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly 1 toward W, and standard to cast acid splash again.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T18:  Since the doppeldrek is in the way, Kris switches target, throwing acid at the doppeldrek to hit it squarely for   5 acid  . She calls out, "  There's something odd with the fish-man!  "

 R4T16:  The foamy bits continue to connect on the doppeldrek (  FH2  ). Though weakened, it swings wildly at Lillian, the second swing actually making a lucky connect to Lillian's belly for  7 .

 R4T15:  St. Dorn offers another blessing as before.   "Different, Kris? How so?"  
 R4T14:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  “Lillian, strike and move down!”    shouts brother Jaume. 
  He moves North 10’ and then waits. He gathers himself to hurry up the stairs.  
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

 SA: ready an action to move into Lillian’s position once she leaves. 
 
lostsole31
 R4T14:    “Lillian, strike and move down!”    shouts brother Jaume.   He moves North 10’ and then waits. He gathers himself to hurry up the stairs.

 R4T11:   Winter , do you continue your dramatic monologue (which is not a general oratory, btw)? What do you do? 

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
Winter looks up the stairs and the narrow entrance,   "Accursed beasts... begone from these doors and let us enter"   she calls out before continuing   "In the lady of Bones' name your time has come and prepare to embrace your fate."   Winter calls out as she continues her exhortations to help her allies

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Continue inspire courage to help people in the doorway
Nothing else as she can't move up or down in the cramped space
 
lostsole31
  R4T11:   Winter looks up the stairs and the narrow entrance,   "Accursed beasts... begone from these doors and let us enter"   she calls out before continuing   "In the lady of Bones' name your time has come and prepare to embrace your fate."   Winter calls out as she continues her exhortations to help her allies.

 R4T6:  Ms. Wrentz does subtle movements like a cat that wiggles its bum before pouncing.

 R4T5:  Lillian hisses at Brother Jaume, wanting to  disobey the fat friar who would take away her vengeance, but finally  thinks the better of it. She slams her rapier into the doppeldrek as  hard as she can as powered by St. Dorn's blessing for  11  and then darts downstairs as the doppeldrek strikes at her all too late.   "If you had given me another three passes, I wouldn't be wasting resources, you jerk,"   she says to Brother Jaume as he launches up the stairs.

 R4T3:  With the spot open, Brother Jaume heads to the spot Lillian just vacated.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T19:  The fish-man finally hits. Even with a limited target area because of the doorway, the gout of acid splashes over Kris for   11 acid  . That will definitely provoke a scream of pain from Kris.

 R5T18:   Kris , what do you do?

Doppeldrek on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Flying to line up again with the door, Kris takes out a stone, before throwing it behind the fishman, provoking a loud bang.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1E and taking out the thunderstone, then throwing it behind the fishman, such that the 10 foot radius bang hits both creatures. (attack just in case)

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 25 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T18:  Flying to line up again with the door, Kris  takes out a stone, but finds that alchemists - in their creation of such  helpful objects - don't actually design their alchemical "weapons" with  the same ease of form as classical weapons. The only thing that helps  her is not the thunderstone but her own perfect flight. She lobs the  thunderstone through the doorway against the far inside wall of the  donjon and a loud report erupts in the hopes of deafening both  creatures.

 R5T16:  The doppeldrek's foamy body continues to reconnect (  FH2  ). With one pseudo-hand it slaps Brother Jaume's right wrist for  5 , though he blocks the other.

 R5T15:   St. Dorn just gives Brother Jaume the same ability he was giving  Lillian, and Brother Jaume feels a wash of benevolence and  righteousness.

 R5T14:   Brother Jaume , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume eyes his opponent carefully and then unleashes a flurry of powerful kicks and hand strikes; three in rapid succession pepper the Doppledrek.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky Strike, Flurry of Blows, spend Ki Pt. For additional attack
  to hit1  - (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 15 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+8)[ 20 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 14 ] 
  to hit3  - (1d20+8)[ 25 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T14:  Brother Jaume eyes his opponent carefully and then unleashes a flurry of  powerful kicks and hand strikes; three in rapid succession pepper the doppledrek for a total of  42 !

 R5T11:   Winter , do you keep reciting your dramatic monologue? What do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
Still trapped on the stairs and seeing Brother Jaume's furious attacks Winter continues to inspire the others with tales of those who have braved the Boneyard's gates.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

maintain song
 
lostsole31
 R5T11:  Still trapped on the stairs and seeing Brother Jaume's furious attacks  Winter continues to inspire the others with tales of those who have  braved the Boneyard's gates.

 R5T6:  Ms. Wrentz maintains her stealth and readiness.

 R5T5:  Lillian delays ...

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ... 
 R6T19:  The fish-man shoots acid at Kris again, but with two fighters in the way he misses.

 R6T18:   Kris , what do you do?

Doppeldrek on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Flying away, Kris keeps shooting at the doppeldrek.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 1S as a move action, and casting Acid Splash at the doppeldrek (PBS counted).

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T18:  Flying away, Kris keeps shooting at the doppeldrek, sizzling it for   4 acid  ...

 R6T16:  ... half of which the doppeldrek immediately heals. It swings low and cracks Brother Jaume's knee for  8 + reduce speed to a maximum of 10' . It hits him in the stomach for another  8 .

 R6T15:  St. Dorn continues to give Brother Jaume the focused blessing.

 R6T14:   Brother Jaume , your knee has been cracked. What do you do?

Winter on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Brother Jaume grunts in pain at the injury to his knee but keeps attacking the unnatural beast with his fists.
  “Oof! Servant to the King in Yellow, Your foul taint shall be purged from this place and her citizens! This I vow!”

   
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky Strike, Flurry of blows, +1 ki for additional attack
  to hit 1  - (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+9)[ 12 ] 
  to hit 2  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+9)[ 13 ] 
  to hit 3  - (1d20+8)[ 17 ] 
  to dam3  - (1d8+9)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T14:  Brother Jaume grunts in pain at the injury to  his knee but keeps attacking the unnatural beast with his fists, landing  with all three and splattering the doppeldrek!   “Oof! Servant to the King in Yellow, Your foul taint shall be purged from this place and her citizens! This I vow!”  

The splattered remains of the doppeldrek do NOT count as difficult terrain. Do you take a 5' step in?
lostsole31
Brother Jaume steps into the donjon.

 R6T13:  Lillian races up the stairs to the spot where Brother Jaume was.

 R6T11:   Winter , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Fish-man in the hole ...
DrK
Winter, seeing Jaume stepping into the room cheers them on,   "Well done Brother Jaume, feel the power of the Gods in your veins"   she continues seeking to inspire the others

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Still trapped on the stairs
So continue unsouring song
 
lostsole31
 R6T11:  Winter, seeing Jaume stepping into the room cheers them on,   "Well done, Brother Jaume! Feel the power of the Gods in your veins!"   She continues seeking to inspire the others with dramatic monologue in the meantime.

 R6T6:  Ms. Wrentz maintains her position, but calls out,   "Brother Jaume! Give us a report of the room and if there's space for us to come through or not!"  
 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...
 
 R7T19:  In heavily accented Taldane, the fish-man burbles.   "At last, you have come to me!"  

A  sheen of blackish green effuses out of some bodily openings under his  scales to coat not only his claws, but drips from his teeth as well.  Spattering on the carpet, this unwholesome fluid sizzles and pops as it  eats through a bit of the carpet and wood. He darts low to bite Brother  Jaume in the side of his rotund belly for  16 +  6 acid  .  Brother Jaume ignores the initial sharp pain from some  semi-anesthetizing effect, but it was still a brutal bite. A claw rakes  across Brother Jaume's chest for another  16 +  6 acid  ,  and down goes the mighty friar. With two slashes in, the fish-man  commits to the last to rake the back of Brother Jaume's arms and back  for  13 +  5 acid  .  The fish-man then sidesteps farther into the donjon.

 R7T18:   Brother Jaume is down, and you don't know his condition. It turns out  that fish-man was hiding two lights under the bushel ...the ability to  speak the lingua fraca, and being far more deadly in melee than expected  after his tossing around globs of acid.

Lillian knows the score, though, and she calls out to the group,   "He killed Jaume!"  
 Kris , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
silphael
Rapier in hand, Kris flies in, using her superior agility to try to take the fishman down.

"  You will pay for this !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action to fly 4N, then standard action to attack with rapier.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+5)[ 7 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T18:  Rapier in hand, Kris flies in, using her  superior agility to try to take the fish-man down. Her rapier gets past  his chain shirt, but not his thick, fishy scales. "  You will pay for this!  "

  "I'm  ulat-kini , wench!"   he responds with a disturbing, goggle-eyed leer.

 R7T15:   St. Dorn makes a prayer in dwarven, not spell-speech, then moves up  past Lillian and inside to stand protectively over Brother Jaume's body.    "Lillian, get everyone to get Brother Jaume's body out of the way."  
  "Listen, old man--"  
  "NOW!"  
 R7T13:   Lillian drops her rapier and pushes pulls Brother Jaume's body into the  spot where she still stands.  She is sweaty from the extreme effort of  dragging so large a man a mere five feet.

She has a sense of what might come next and looks down at Winter,   "No more room yet inside, Winter, sorry. Take the friar from me, would you? Dorn is cranky."  
 R7T11:   Winter , Brother Jaume's heavy body lays beneath Lillian's feet. Do you maintain your oration? What do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, ulat-kini(?) in the hole ...
DrK
Winter see's Jaume's limp body being dragged out of the room hisses and curses as another of the party have fallen. She leans forward and with all her strength drags him down the steps towards safety.   "Oh Jaumes, why did you have to run in"   she mutters, grief flowing into her as she checks for pulse.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


step up 5ft
Drag Jaume's body
Heal check if needed  (1d20+15)[ 18 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T11:  Winter see's Jaume's limp body being dragged out of the room hisses and  curses as another of the party have fallen. She moves a few stairs up, drops her dagger, and with  all her strength drags him down the steps underneath herself.   "Oh Jaumes, why did you have to run in"   she mutters, grief flowing into her as she checks for pulse ..... and confirms that he is dead.

 R7T6:   Ms. Wrentz moves up, drops her hand crossbow, and does the same in  dragging the friar's corpse to underneath where she is standing.

 End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T19:  The ulat-kini continues what he was saying to Kris before,   "Ulat-kini,  what you human call 'skum.' But you are the skum to us. You are  breeding fodder. Pay for that? Ha! The price is paid, you just want  bloody satisfaction, but I'll satisfy myself with you, brood mare!"  

He  steps back and effusing from his skin and then floating around him is a  mix of dark brown and greenish-black fluid that he swirls around  himself dangerously, a terrifying display ... but with St. Dorn as your  ally so close nearby, the display - while impressive - doesn't shake  Kris' and Lillian's resolve.

 R8T18:   Kris , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
silphael
Attempting to create a tactically sound positionning, Kris flies around the fishman, hoping that they wouldn't have many opportunities to keep casting.

"  Let's keep pressuring them NOW !  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1SW, 1W, 1NW, then standard action to attack with the rapier.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+5)[ 6 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 1 ] 
 
silphael
 
 Spoiler: Crit roll 
And some text to make sure to be above the minimum

  Crit roll  - (1d20)[ 20 ] 
  Crit severity  - (2d6)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R8T18:  Attempting to create a tactically sound position, Kris flies around  the fish-man - even as he snaps at her with a bite - hoping that they wouldn't have many opportunities to keep  casting. "  Let's keep pressuring them NOW !  "

She stabs the ulat-kini in the bicep for  20  with a crit!

 R8T15:   St. Dorn steps up to flank as Kris had hoped, and begins an onslaught  with his hammer. His first strike hits the enemy's lower leg for  13 , but his second is stopped by armor.

 R8T13:  Lillian picks up her rapier and closes around the northeaster side of the enemy.

 R8T11:   Winter ,  you had to drop your silver dagger to dragon Brother Jaume. Also, you  had let your performance lapse last round. What do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, ulat-kini in the hole ...
DrK
Winter looks at the dead Jaume and feels rage building in her, her voice fills with the most powerful magics she knows as she utters  single syllable of a great power and a wave of power washes over allies and enemies alike as she advance to the top of the stairs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move: Move to top of stairs (as far as allies's placement allows)
Standard: cast Prayer
 
lostsole31
 R8T11:  Winter looks at the dead Jaume and feels rage  building in her, her voice  fills with the most powerful magics she knows as she utters  single  syllable of a great power and a wave of power washes over allies (except  Kris, who is too far to the west to be seen/ affected by Winter)) and  enemies alike as she advance to the top of the stairs. When she does  this, the faint miasma increases, but it is obvious that Winter's power  overbears the skum's own, burning through the miasma for Pharasma's  power to yet affect him.

 R8T6:   For now, Ms. Wrentz continues dragging Brother Jaume's body downstairs.

 End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T19:    "I am Itsqaal-Thoal, leader of the ulat-kini here. And you insects shall not contain my wroth."  

He snaps at St. Dorn and then slashes the older man's right shoulder for  9 mod +  2 acid  . When he comes around for another claw, St. Dorn thrusts the top of his hammer head to the fish-man's jaw to  daze  Itsqaal-Thoal!

 R9T18:   Kris , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ..
silphael
Sliding slightly, Kris keeps stabbing.

"  Wait, who uses wroth as a noun ?  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step S as a free action (while flying because why not) then attack with the rapier, with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 19 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 11 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T18:  Sliding slightly, Kris keeps stabbing. The prayer helps, but not enough as she pushes past chain, but not scales. "  Wait, who uses wroth as a noun?  "

 R9T15:   St. Dorn continues with his onslaught against the dazed skum, but the  hardened defenses of the opponent and its intuition keep it from harm.

 R9T13:   Lillian has been studying her foe this whole time, and now - though  floating slightly above ground as Kris is over a table but still barely  "ground level" - Lillian makes her strike, but the skum's chain shirt  deflects her attempt.

 R9T11:   Winter , what do you do? You have no weapons in hand right now.

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Itsqaal-Thoal on deck ...
DrK
Winter follows the others into the room, anger still flowing through her. Seeing the skum she lines up next to St Dorn, clambering atop the desk if needed before slashing down with her hand at the skum, her nails extending slightly into razor sharp edges...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move into the room beside St Dorn. Clambering atop the desk if needed
Risky strike with claw on the skum  (1d20+7)[ 21 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R9T11:  Winter follows the others into the room, anger still flowing through  her. Seeing the skum she lines up next to St Dorn, clambering atop the  desk if needed before slashing down with her hand at the skum, her nails  extending slightly into razor sharp edges and cutting across the outside bony part of his elbow for  9 .

 R9T6:  ...

 End Round 9, Begin Round 10 ...

R10T19:   Itsqaal-Thoal stumbles about, still dazed from St. Dorn's hammer.

 R10T18:   Kris , what do you do? You are at "ground level" but with high ground advantage.

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
silphael
Stabbing once more from her vantage point, Kris then hovers north.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Attack as a standard action with Risky Strike, then 5 foot step N.

  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 11 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 13 ] 
  Elec damage  - (1d6)[ 2 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T18:  Stabbing once more from her vantage point, Kris  then hovers north. She still has high-ground advantage because of the  bed, and this time flanks with St. Dorn.

 R10T15:  St. Dorn continues his onslaught at full power. Both strike past armor to scales, but not beyond, even with Winter's  prayer  and Kris' position.

 R10T13:  Lillian also struggles to get past armor.

 R10T11:   Winter , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Isqaal-Thoal on deck ...
DrK
Winter looks down, smiling cruelly as they surround the fish priest.   "Your time has come. Prepare to go to whatever pond in the abyss that spawned you"   she mutters as she slashes out with both hands and their long edged claws.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Full attack with risky strike
 (1d20+7)[ 18 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 8 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 23 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R10T11:  Winter looks down, smiling cruelly as they surround the fish priest.   "Your time has come. Prepare to go to whatever pond in the abyss that spawned you,"    she mutters as she slashes out with both hands and their long edged  claws.  His skin stops only one claw as the other scoops low to rake his  calf and shin for  11 .

 R10T6:  ...

 End Round 10, Begin Round 11 ...

R11T19:  Itsqaal-Thoal is  still  dazed.

 R11T18:   Kris , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
silphael
This time, Kris slides north, still stabbing.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step North, then attack with Risky Strike.

  Attack  - (1d20+7)[ 13 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+7)[ 10 ] 
  Elec Damage  - (1d6)[ 3 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T18:  This time, Kris slides north, still stabbing, but even though he's dazed Itsqaal-Thoal instinctively moves out of the way.

 R11T15:  St. Dorn continues to burn favor with another onslaught. His first is a soft crit to the fish-man's left elbow for  26 , knocking the fish-man back just enough so that Dorn's reattack only bounces off of its armor.

 R11T13:  Lillian fails to connect.

 R11T11:   Winter , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Itsqaal-Thoal in the hole ...
DrK
Winter grins as St Dorn connects solidly.   "Well hit..."   she shouts out as she continues to claw at the ugly looking fish creature,

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Full attack with risky attack [prayer not included (if its still running )]

 (1d20+7)[ 12 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 9 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 19 ]  dam  (1d4+7)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R11T11:  Winter grins as St Dorn connects solidly.   "Well hit!"   she shouts out as she continues to claw at the ugly looking fish creature. The  prayer  isn't enough to get her second claw past its scales; too bad she stopped her dramatic monologue.

 R11T6:  Ms. Wrentz sneaks up the stairs to the doorway.

 End Round 11, Begin Round 12 ...

  R12T19:    Itsqaal-Thoal shakes his head, and is no longer dazed. He looks around  and gets a sense of things, and then lashes out this time at Lillian. He  bites her in the face for  5 mod +  2 acid  ; slashes her left hand with a claw for  6 mod +  3 acid  ; and misses with his last. He then steps away.

 R12T18:   Kris , what do you do?

St. Dorn on deck Lillian in the hole ...
silphael
Hoping to keep pressuring the creature, Kris casts one more ray, then flies toward the corner of the room.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to cast Ray of Enfeeblement (since the duration is way past expiration now) (fort save DC 15 to halve the penalty)
Move action to go 1SW 1S.

  Ranged Touch Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 15 ] 
  Str penalty  - (1d6+2)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R12T18:  Hoping to keep pressuring the creature, Kris casts one more ray that strikes the fish-man in the chest for   3 STR   damage. Kris then flies toward the corner of the room, and he snaps at her with his fish-mouth as she does so.

 R12T15:   St. Dorn steps down to flank and again do an onslaught. He cracks  Itsqaal-Thoal in the head for 20. The fish-man already starts to fall  when St. Dorn's warhammer completely stoves in the fish-man commander's  head.

 Combat Ends! 
lostsole31
Lillian goes outside to collect her whip.

In the meantime, you will find the following on the fallen ulat-kini commander:
 
 Masterwork chain shirt 
  Wand of CLW  (33 charges remain) 
 Key ring with a bunch of keys 
 

Ms. Wrentz says,   "I say we all work together, mainly Ms. Marquering and St. Dorn, to move Brother Jaume's body down to the entryway to the fort. After the loss of Brother Jaume and this victory against the one I guess who was in charge of these other 'ulat-kini' as he called himself, I feel we need to honor the friar's death and our victory with a break. But we dare not give up ground. In fact, I say we hold the donjon here so that enemy entry is limited to the one doorway - unless they fly and come in the windows.

"What say we?"  
DrK
Winter crouches down beside Jaume’s body and offers up a heartfelt prayer to the lady of graves. Then as Ms Wrentz speaks she nods   ”A rest will indeed be well received. We can mourn our losses and make ready to clear the fort from anymore of these vile creatures.”  

Nodding she’ll help straighten up and clean Jaume before he’s laid to reverently in safe place allowing them to rest. Looking around she offers   “Does anyone need healing? He was a nasty brute.”   she adds the last whilst looking at the dead fish creature
lostsole31
Lillian raises her hand for healing. Upon triage, Winter determines that Lillian is at ~45%, seriously wounded.
Blackhawk101
  “Aye Ms. Wrentz. It is a good plan for the time being.”  
A morose St. Dorn will help shoulder the substantial burden of Brother Jaume down to the entryway. He then clears the remains of the fishman from the Donjon dumping them unceremoniously from the roof. He cleans up as able and finds a place to rest in the Donjon after taking a look around.
lostsole31
During this time, Brother Jaume's last gift in this world - the green light on the arrow - will extinguish. St. Dorn and Winter have to make the light for the party now.

A search of what was apparently once the magistrate's apartment is made, but nothing here remains of value.  All this work is done, and then you realize ... there is no food. In fact, no proper sleeping gear.

Ms. Wrentz says,   "We must give up our ground after all, to maintain our own strength, and drag the friar from here and go to my agency. We will have beds and food there. I am sorry I didn't think of logistics. Does anyone dissent? Because I don't think we can handle another day of this with empty bellies and tired bodies."  
Blackhawk101
  “You be right in ‘yur thinking, Ms. Wrentz. That makes the loss of the friar doubly painful as he had the ability to provide such sustenance through prayer to his God. ” 
He will make ready to move Brother Jaume.
DrK
Winter nods and heads to Lilian, a warm smile as she examines the wounds and places her hands upon them, where they are healed

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


2 x channel to heal everyone  (6d6)[ 20 ] 
If needed Cure serious (stunning barrier)  (3d8+5)[ 20 ] 
If needed Cure moderate (bulls strength)  (2d8+5)[ 13 ] 
 
lostsole31
Winter's channel heals all but Lillian, and one spell finishes her off.  Assuming Winter throws a bull's strength on herself or Lillian to be of more help to St. Dorn and Kris, they carefully remove Brother Jaume from Fort Hailcourse and make it back to the Sleepless Detective Agency.

Brother Jaume really had nothing of value except 4 silver coins and a wand he never used ... probably because he was ashamed. It was likely related to his past life/memories, as it is a  wand of death knell , a magical item that does not allow for morally relativistic arguments (except amongst the corruptible) as it is an evil item.
Blackhawk101
Tonight St. Dorn will hold a memorial service for the late friar focusing on Brother Jaume’s welcoming personality and strong commitment to community.
DrK
With all healed Winter will cast a spell of keeping (gentle repose) on Jaume’s body to make sure he stays in a good shape and will join the others in helping prepare him for his journey to the beyond.
silphael
Kris finds a small corner to sit in and cry, having lost so many people lately.
lostsole31
That done, does the party turn in for the evening after a hot meal?
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will retire for the evening.
lostsole31
Fed, watered, and sad, the heroes retire for the evening.

That night, there is a faint dinging above Kris' head! 😎

 
   
 Toilday, 10 Lamashan 4716 AR 
Weather: 60/ 40 F. Light rain (1/2"). Dry when not raining.   

The next morning, Ms. Wrentz sees that all are fed for breakfast.

Does anyone change anything on their daily lineup, or leave anything behind at the Agency?
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn does not change anything in his line up.
DrK
Winter had risen early and spent a long time head bowed in prayer to the Goddess of Death. She felt weary, the sheer number of friends that had died in the past few days weighed down upon her, she had not been able to save them, and for Jaume, they had just managed to break through his muteness and healed him before he was snatched away.

Having finished her prayers she checked the knife at her waist, wishing not for the first time she had listened to the trainers of the martial aspects more in her youth before heading to the kitchen to find some food. When she finds the others she offers a curt   "Good morning my friends, shall we finish resolving the mysteries in that accursed place today. We have lost too many friends to not solve this problem."   , pausing she looks about.   "Does someone have that wand of healing we found yesterday, it would be best if we bring that."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


No change to spell load out
 
lostsole31
Lillian says,   "It's clear by now I'm not quite as adept in physical combat as the rest of you, so I will take custody of the wand for now."  
DrK
Winter nods and holds Lillian's shoulder for a time,   "There are many skills more valuable than combat and you have many of them. Look at me, I am no warrior"   she replies before handing the wand across towards her.   "Let us hop we can be safe today when we head back there."  
lostsole31
The party makes their way back to Fort Hailcourse. Where do you recommend picking up?
silphael
Kris offers.

"  I think we should make a tour of what we already explored, just in case whatever remained up there split and tried to secure what we saw.  "
Blackhawk101
  “Aye. I am curious about the keys carried by the leader of the fishmen. Did we come across any locked doors?”   St. Dorn asks.
lostsole31
In discussion with Lillian, Ms. Wrentz says, "I'll lead us through on that tour.  I have a pretty good sense of how Fort Hailcourse is laid out. There is one room off the entrance to the courtyard and magistrates office that we didn't check, and given what we haven't seen yet, I would wager a shiny copper that's the kitchen. There are some places where we also did not really give a good search for at the time as we were a bit haphazard."

The party makes their way back to Fort Hailcourse, which seems just as they left it. From the lobby they take the eastern door to the magistrate's office, where there was a door to the west that hadn't been checked ... a "void" to Ms. Wrentz' keen sense of direction.

While in the magistrate's office but before opening the door to the possible-kitchen, does anyone do anything, take anything out, or make any preparations?
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will cast two chanted spells. Afterwards, his war hammer will glow with light.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

cast expeditious retreat and light
 

  “Ready,”   he says resolutely.
DrK
Winter pulls out her dagger, holding it tightly to her side.   "We must be careful and stick together. No-one is to run off, we cannot lose anyone else"   she murmurs. She makes no other preparations but will follow towards the door that they didn't explore and listen carefully looking around cautiously for any mirrors or wet patches on the floor that my suggest fishpeople
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will take point and move to the doorways to the South.
lostsole31
Lillian has buckler ready but is safety check in front.

Without having defined it, St. Dorn's warhammer glows a soft hue of gray, but as brightly as a torch.

Lillian checks the door safe and opens it. Exactly as Ms. Wrentz had called it, this small kitchen is fitted with a cabinet and a stone worktable. A blackened iron cauldron hangs in the fireplace. A set of stairs leads up.

  "No need to check the stairs,"   says Ms. Wrentz.   "Those are stairs that also went up - just like the hallway outside - to the place where we fought the first skum commander that included Vilma's death. Let's search the kitchen for clues."  
lostsole31
A quick search of the kitchen is conducted that only takes 1-1/2 minutes. Nearly all the food prepared for the inhabitants of Fort Hailcourse came through this kitchen, the exception being the times when the weather was nice enough to cook in the courtyard (northern door). Since the kitchen shares a wall with Magistrate Padgett’s office, the fort’s cooks would exit the kitchen to the courtyard to deliver meals to the dining room or retrieve supplies from somewhere (you're not sure where the larder was, nothing you've found fits the bill). A flight of stairs leads up to the stewards’ lodging (area  D12 ), where Vilma was killed on the alternate set of stairs.

The cabinet here contains enough kitchen tools and cutlery for a couple of cooks, and enough dishes and flatware for about two dozen diners. The cauldron in the fireplace contains a greasy residue and some discarded humanoid bones—the remnants of the skum’s last meal of a sacrificed townsperson.

Ms. Wrentz says,   "That leaves two places remaining. One we've cleared, but we didn't take time looking through the archives. The other is a set of stairs going down that we passed that likely go to a root cellar or wherever food was stored.  Which do we want to do first? Cellar first, and then a comfortable afternoon reading in the library?"  
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn suggests the cellar.   “Better to get any fighting out the way.”  
DrK
Winter grins at Ms Wrentz,   ”I appreciate the optimism, but I agree with the sentiment, we should explore the cellar and make sure no more of those fish people are there.”  
She’ll follow the others when they all head to the stairs
lostsole31
Before heading down, what type of marching order do you each recommend?
Blackhawk101
At. Dorn will take the lead.
DrK
Winter nods at him,   ”I shall follow you Dorn, I pray no more of those fish men willl be found.”  
lostsole31
Lillian doesn't let Dorn take the lead down the narrow stairs.   "Sorry, but I'm going to look for any surprises left behind by an alerted foe. It's too much trouble to shift position. Besides, Dorn, I'm a little better protected if an enemy should get the jump on us."   She pats her mithral chain shirt for emphasis.

The group heads down and as soon as the stairs end there is a door. Lillian listens at the door while checking for danger. Finding none, she opens the door. With nothing jumping out at her, she goes in, and the rest of you follow.

It takes Lillian only a minute to do a quick safety check. The walls of this cool and surprisingly dry subterranean room are lined with sturdy shelves laden with chopped wood. A couple of axes sit propped in the corner, and a small hatchet is driven into a stump used to split smaller logs and make kindling. There are three doors going to this room - the one you came through, one to the east, and one to the south.

Lillian did a quick search to verify no traps. Are you happy with that, or do you want to do a deep search?
Blackhawk101
  “Aye, ladies first.”   says St. Dorn to Lillian with a half bow.
The first room in the cellar is obviously wood storage for the fort.
  “Let us keep moving and save our investigations until after we cleared this place of danger. I suggest the door to the East.”  
lostsole31
Lillian goes to the eastern door as the rest start to fill in the "line." She holds up a finger and turns around, now in "business mode."    "I hear voices talking on the other side. Don't understand the language. I think it's more skum."   
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn readies his war hammer and nods grimly to Lillian.
lostsole31
She goes to check the door as quietly as she can, only to find that it is locked. She gestures to Ms. Wrentz that the door is locked and the detective nods and moves up, requiring St. Dorn to step back a little. Because of the shelves, there is only room for one of them to work, so Lillian gives up her space to the better safe cracker. Ms. Wrentz gestures for her to get behind St. Dorn, and for the older man to return up to her for his light. She moves slowly as to do this as quietly as possible.

She fails the first attempt. The tension in the wood storage room is palpable as everyone is as quiet as can be, and knowing what to listen for, they faintly snippets of a discussion in the other room (not enough to hear words or anything).  In then end, it took Ms. Wrentz four attempts and a total of a minute to final unlock the lock, and it seems she did so quietly.

Everyone gets back in formation, and then Lillian opens the door quickly, surprising those beyond.

 Surprise Round ... 
 S22:  Kris, what do you do? This is a surprise round, with normal surprise round limitations.
silphael
Seeing the creatures, Kris sends a blistering ray their way.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action, casting Scorching Ray at Red (only one in range).

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 11 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 S22:  Seeing the creatures, Kris sends a blistering ray  their way, but misses as she's trying not to hit the back of the heads  of some three allies in the way.

 S15:   Winter , what do you do? This is a surprise round with all that entails.
DrK
Seeing the skum on the far side of the door Winter's eyes narrow. She did not hate many things but she grown a hated of these vile creatures. Beseeching the Lady of Graves she calls down her blessing on the party to fortify hearts and spirits.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 



Cast Bless
 
lostsole31
 S15:  Seeing the skum on the far side of the door Winter's eyes narrow. She  did not hate many things but she grown a hated of these vile creatures.  Beseeching the Lady of Graves she calls down her blessing on the party  to fortify hearts and spirits.

 S12:  Lillian casts a spell upon herself and disappears from view.

 S11:  Ms. Wrentz hunkers down behind the line of heroes.

 S4:   St. Dorn , what do you do? It is a surprise round (and all that entails).
Blackhawk101
  “Stay close!”   yells St. Dorn as he moves into the room, war hammer at the ready.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Dorn moves East 15’ and 5’ NE.
 
lostsole31
 S4:    “Stay close!”   yells St. Dorn as he moves into the room, warhammer at the ready.

 End Surprise Round, Begin Round One ...

R1T22:   Kris , what do you do?
silphael
Flying forward, Kris casts another ray.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 3E, then casting Ray of Enfeeblement at Red (fort save DC 15 to halve the penalty. Duration is 5 rounds)

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 21 ] 
  Str penalty  - (1d6+2)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T22:  Flying forward, Kris casts another ray that strikes Red in the left knee for   3 STR damage  .

 R1T16:  Green charges St. Dorn, stabbing him in the chest with its trident for  3 mod .

 R1T15:   Winter , what do you do?
DrK
Winter seeing poor St Dorn attacked leaps forward, pushing past the two others to reach the skum and stabs at him with her blade.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move past Kris and Lilian to stab at red with Risky attack  (1d20+8)[ 11 ]  dam  (1d4+6)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T15:  Seeing poor St. Dorn all alone, Winter attacks  with a leap forward, pushing past the two others to reach the skum and  stabs at it with her blade, but overextends from the effort to get there  and misses.

 R1T14:  Blue hisses in anguish, unable to get to an enemy.

 R1T4:   St. Dorn , what do you do?

Red on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn grips his war hammer tightly in two fists.  “Your spread of evil and Chaos ends now!”   he growls.
He summons his grace to put extra damage on the creature who struck him.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

spend 1favor pool For Grace : Favored Onslaught, FAA, risky strike
attacks green.
(assuming diefic obedience)
  attack1  - (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
[roll=dam1]1d8+1d6+12[/roll] includes holy damage
  attack2  - (1d20+10)[ 16 ] 
[roll=dam2]1d8+1d6+12[/roll] include holy damage

he will use Bodyguard, favored Bodyguard, Protective Faith trait, and In Harm’s way to aid adjacent allies and take the attacks if they would be hit as much as possible between rounds.

*reminder: protection from evil +2 deflection bonus. 5/evil damage reduction, Grace: non goog creatures within 30’ take -1 attack rolls.
 
lostsole31
 R1T4:  St. Dorn grips his war hammer tightly in two fists.  “Your spread of evil and Chaos ends now!”   he  growls. He summons his grace to put extra damage on the creature who  struck him, hitting it in the head for 24, and then in the head again to  completely brain the skum.

 R1T3:  Red attacks Winter and St. Dorn bats its trident away. It attacks with claw and tooth as well, but she is too quick for it.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T22:   Kris , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Blue in the hole ...
silphael
Since she can't easily move into melee, Kris simply launches acid bubbles.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard action to cast acid splash at Green

  Attack  - (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
[/roll=Damage]1d3+1[/roll]
 
silphael
 
 Spoiler: Oops 
Apparently I can't recheck my spelling, so here it is :

  Damage  - (1d3+1)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T22:  Since she can't easily move into melee, Kris  simply launches acid bubbles, striking Green in the left foot. Then  again, Green is dead already, so .......

 R2T15:   Winter , what do you do?

Blue on deck, Lillian in the hole ....
DrK
Winter parries frantically as she avoids the trident, claws and teeth. She bares her own teeth as she stabs back at the beast

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Risky attack on red  (1d20+8)[ 22 ]  dam  (1d4+6)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T15:  Winter parries frantically as she avoids the  trident, claws and teeth. She bares her own teeth as she stabs back at  the beast into its upper left arm for  9 .

 R2T14:  Blue now jumps into the fray, stabbing St. Dorn in the neck but drawing no blood.

 R2T12:  ....

 R2T11:  Ms. Wrentz moves forward carefully behind Kris before popping up and shooting Blue in the left foot for  12 . She speed reloads her crossbow.

 R2T4:   St. Dorn , what do you do?

Red on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn continues his onslaught, attacking both creatures. He growls a curse at the fishmen as his hammer falls.
  “Back to the pits you spawned from, fiends!”
   
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky Strike, spend Favor to continue Onslaught striking red and blue.
  to hit red  - (1d20+9)[ 20 ] 
  to dam red  - (1d8+12)[ 16 ] 
evil dam red  (1d6)[ 1 ] 
  to hit blue  - (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
  to dam blue  - (1d8+12)[ 15 ] 
evil dam blue[roll1d6[/roll]
 
lostsole31
 R2T4:  St. Dorn continues his onslaught, attacking both  creatures. He growls a curse at the fish-men as his hammer falls,  striking Red in the upper right arm for  17  and Blue in the chest for  18 .   “Back to the pits you spawned from, fiends!”  
 R2T3:  Red stabs Dorn right in the head, but is too weakened by Kris' spell to harm him.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T22:   Kris , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Blue in the hole ...
silphael
Taking flight, Kris passes above Red, hoping to create a tactical advantage for the party, before stabbing him with her rapier.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move action 5E, going 5 feet up then 5 feet down to land "behind" Red (yeah, I know that provokes). Then I attack with the rapier.

  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 16 ] 
[roll=Damage]1d6+5[/rol]
[roll=Elec Damage]1d6[/rol]
 
lostsole31
 R3T22:  Taking flight, Kris passes above Red, hoping to  create a tactical advantage for the party; it is partly successfully  when Red completely and wildly misses, but unfortunately, Blue  soft-crits her with the trident for in the chest for  10 . She lands behind Red and stabs it in the neck for  6 +  2 electricity  , dropping it.

 R3T15:  Winter, what do you do?

Blue on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
DrK
Winter glides forwards as "red" falls and lashes out towards blue,   "You shall die creature."   she utter under her breath as drives the knee towards it

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


risky strike  (1d20+8)[ 27 ]  dam  (1d4+6)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T15:  Winter glides forwards as a skum falls and she lashes out towards the last one remaining.    "You shall die, creature,"    she utters under her breath as drives the dagger into its chest, dropping it.

The party puts the fallen skum to the knife to be sure.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
  “Well done. Make a quick search but keep ‘ya wits about you. There are liable to be more of them about.”

  St. Dorn makes a quick check of the room.
lostsole31
The group makes a quick search of the central area and the cells of this prison.

That first door that was already ajar (and then opened by an invisible Lillian has a cot with REALLY nasty fish-stink, so you can guess this is where the skum might have taken shifts.

The middle cell contains the partially butchered bodies of two humans—Thrushmoor citizens who had been recently kidnapped and sacrificed.

The last cell contains one victim awaiting sacrifice. Curled up in the corner of his cell is a young man. He looks up at you weakly, definitely malnourished and says,    "My name is Sholn. Have you come to take me to my little sister Holissa?"   

Apart from tridents of average make, the skum had nothing of value.
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will attempt to free the captive.
  “Easy son. We will get you out of there. You are safe now.”  
lostsole31
He wasn't tied up or anything. Opening the door "frees" him, but he may need help walking and getting out of here.
DrK
Winter sees the injured prisoner and rushes to the bars, a muttered   ”someone open the door they look injured.”   before she releases a pulse of holy energy to fill the room healing the prisoner and her friends.

 
 Spoiler: Channel 

Channel energy  (3d6)[ 10 ] 
 


If/When the door opens she’ll crouch by the prisoner and check him for any injuries.   “how did you come to be here and who took your sister away?”  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Heal check  (1d20+15)[ 25 ] 
 
lostsole31
   "I was knocked unconscious and brought here some unknown number of days ago,"    he says.    "I didn't say my sister was brought here ... I just thought my sister might have told you about me since the rest of the town isn't likely to have looked for me."   
silphael
Looking toward the others, Kris speaks.

"  I don't remember someone named Holissa, do you ?  "
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz shakes her head.   "Sorry, I'm really terrible in that I deal much more with my agents and detectives and the shopkeepers who keep my custom. I don't socialize in Thrushmoor, otherwise. Though I will admit I've seen this lad about town from time to time, sometimes accompanied by a much younger girl."  
DrK
Winter grins and helps the man to his feet.   "Are you feeling a little better now? It is dangerous in ere so we will have to keep you safe here and you may have to stay with us until we can get to the doors."   She looks carefully at him and looks around at the others,   "Did anyone know his sister?"  
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn motions to the former prisoner.
  “Stay here and barricade the door. We will be back for ya when we clear this level.”  
silphael
"  Stay safe, once we have secured the place, we will come back to help you find your sister.  "
lostsole31
Where does the party go from here?
DrK
Winter nods to the man offering him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before nodding to the door to the south of the room.   "I think that is the last one in here? Shall we investigate this one as well?"  , if the others agree she'll move to the southern door and open it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


For clarity, this is door on the southern edge of D22
 
lostsole31
Winter tries to open the door, but it appears to be locked.

Ms. Wrentz (primary) and Lillian (secondary) put away their weapons and work together to attempt to disable the door. In the meantime, Lillian's  invisibility , the  bless , and St. Dorn's  expeditious retreat  all falter due to time.

It takes the ladies a full minute to defeat the lock, and then they put away tools and go back to position with weapons out (Lillian with whip).

Given her willingness to take front, Winter opens the door.

Motes of dust hang heavy in this room’s stale air. Crates and barrels stand along the damp stone walls. A plastered portion of the wall in the southwest corner of the room has begun to crack.

Now what?
DrK
With her light glowing Winter steps into the room and stops by the door, a brief cantrip to sense magical auras as she scans the room before heading in to search around and see whats in the crates and the other bits and bobs in the room. A whispered,   "Lets see what we have here shall we"  
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will aid the searching of the storeroom.
  “Let’s make it quick.”  
lostsole31
Motes of dust hang heavy in this room’s stale air. Crates and barrels stand along the damp stone walls. A plastered portion of the wall in the southwest corner of the room has begun to crack.

The party begins a quick search, but where do you begin the search?
DrK
Seeing the new appearing cracked plaster Winter heads cautiously to that corner to investigate
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will assist the search along with the rest of the group.
silphael
Kris does what she can to help, heightening her awareness for that purpose.
lostsole31
 Winter , roll a Fort save!
DrK
 
 Spoiler: Fort Save 


Winter's Fort Save  (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
+4 vs Sonic effects
+2 vs Mind affecting
 
lostsole31
 Surprise Round ... 

A hand and face appear from  the wall and the crack where Winter was focused, and thrusts its hand  into Winter's heart. She resists going into cardiac arrest, but she  still suffers   25 force + hampered (1/2 speed, and can't take 5' step) . 
 Begin Round One ...

R1T29:   Kris , what do you do?
silphael
Flying slightly away from the fight, Kris throws projectiles of force at the creature.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Flying 1N (still unsure if I can 5 foot step or not while flying, but that's the idea) then cast Magic Missile, with both projectiles at the wallface.

  Damage  - (2d4+2)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T29:  Flying slightly away from the fight, Kris throws projectiles of force at the creature that slams into it for   6 force  .

 R1T22:   Winter , you have your silver dagger in hand. What do you do?
DrK
Winter screams in surprise as her chest seizes at the spectral force, she looks about trying to spy the attacker before she stumbles back, holding the dagger in a warding defense, a cry of   "there is something wall, beware"   to her allies.

 OOC: Withdraw 10ft (NE,N) to be by the door 
lostsole31
 R1T22:  Winter screams in surprise as her chest seizes at the spectral force, even though she already begins to heal (  FH8  ). She looks about, trying to spy the attacker before she stumbles back,  holding the dagger in a warding defense, a jabbering cry to her allies of,    "There is something ... wall, beware!"   
 R1T21:   The spectre steps out of the wall after Kris and seems to get into some  type of stylized stance, though it reaches out at St. Dorn. Its hand  plunges right into St. Dorn's chest. Though the older man successfully  rallies to keep from being affected by the bulk of the attack, he still  takes   22 aging + disoriented   ... something a middle-aged human does not do well with.

 R1T18:  Cesadia calls out,   "It's a force ghost! Incorporeal undead. Very resistant to positive energy attacks!"  

She then heads out the door and around the corner while getting out her crossbow and hiding.

 R1T14:   St. Dorn , you have your warhammer (w/ light) in hand, and are a little disoriented. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  “All right then! Let’s see if this ghost is resistant to a war hammer wielded by a Saint! Torag, guide my hand!”
  The older man gathers himself and unleashes an onslaught of heavy hammer blows at the undead creature.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SwA: Smite evil, risky strike , 2 handed grip [I did not add bonuses if it is evil, as he doesn’t know]
FRA: use Grace onslaught for plus one attack action for 1 pt.

  to hit1  - (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+12)[ 14 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 28 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+12)[ 13 ] 

He will use his Bodyguard ability to aid his teammates should they be attacked instead of him; including the Mercys : Favored Sacrafice and In Harms Way.
 
lostsole31
 R1T14:    “All right then! Let’s see if this ghost is resistant to a war hammer wielded by a Saint! Torag, guide my hand!”
  
The older man gathers himself as a faint glow gathers  about him, and he unleashes an onslaught of heavy hammer blows at the  undead creature. The first strike goes through the ghost's thigh for  5 mod ,  greatly abated not only by the incorporeality itself, but also  seemingly by the blue force field surrounding it, glowing like a soft  blue candle. Still, all of that includes the fact that this thing is  definitely evil. The second attack goes through the neck for another  5 mod .

 R1T8:   Lillian steps back out into the hallway, takes a waterskin out of her  magic backpack, and then pours an extract into the waterskin.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T29:   Kris , now facing the full horror of this spectral death, roll a SAN check. What do you do?

Winter on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
silphael
Trying to make sense of the creature, Kris flies away, sending more projectiles of force.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
First, SAN check (-2 misc included, no idea where it's from ?) :
  Will  - (1d20+5)[ 10 ] 

Then, 5 foot step NE, and casting Magic Missile again.
  Damage  - (2d4+2)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R2T29:  Kris tries to make sense of the ghostly horror (  SAN 3  ) and flies away, sending more projectiles of force that strike for   8 force  .

 R2T22:   Winter , roll a SAN check. What do you do?

Spirit Killer on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
lostsole31
 R2T22:  Winter's healing kicks in, despite taking  1 SAN  from the sight of the horror. She lets loose with a burst of positive energy that the ghost resist for   5 PE  .

 R2T21:   The ghost moves around to the side, does a fake out on St. Dorn, and  puts his hand into his head. The older man resists, but still takes  15 + bewildered .

 R2T18:  Ms. Wrentz steps out and takes a solid look, suffering  3 SAN . She shoots and misses, as the ghost seems to have been aware of her. She speed reloads.

 R2T14:   St. Dorn , roll a SAN check. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Truly haggard now in appearance, the aged saint tries to help his allies by pressing the attacking onslaught.
  “I could use some healing!   he wheezes.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

  SAN  - (1d20+16)[ 25 ] 
FAA, Risky Strike, spend 1 favor for Onslaught  (not including smite evil bonuses)
  to hit 1  - (1d20+9)[ 24 ] 
[roll=to dam1]1d8+1d6+12[/roll]
  to hit 2  - (1d20+9)[ 11 ] 
[roll=to dam2]1d8+1d6+12[/roll]
 
lostsole31
 R2T14:  Truly haggard now in appearance (and taking  1 SAN ),  the aged saint tries to help his allies by pressing the attacking  onslaught. The first strike goes through the spirit's chest for  5 mod .    “I could use some healing!"   he wheezes.

 R2T8:   Lillian casts a spell and steps down to touch St. Dorn to fully heal  him! St. Dorn's coloration goes back to normal, and some of the wrinkles  and liver spots disappear.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T29:   Kris , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
silphael
Kris flies away from the brawl, before surrounding herself with layers of force.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 2E 1SE, then casting Force Armor on myself.
 
lostsole31
 R3T29:  Kris flies away from the brawl - easily dodging the AOO - before surrounding herself with layers of force.

 R3T22:  Winter, what do you do?

Enemy on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter glares at the savage and evil undead monster, she channels the holy energy of her Goddess, eyes blazing with holy light.   "Be at rest, your time here is over"   she snarls

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


channel energy to hurt undead  (3d6)[ 8 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T22:  Winter glares at the savage and evil undead  monster, she channels the holy energy of her Goddess, eyes blazing with  holy light.   "Be at rest, your time here is over"   she snarls, and her energy rips past the ghost's resistance to take   8 PE  .

 R3T21:   The ghost floats north a few feet, its misty form confusing to Lillian,  and doesn't dodge when he puts his hand in her belly. She does resist  the corruption, though, taking   19 aging  .

 R3T18:  Ms. Wrentz sneaks over to the west of the doorway.

 R3T14:   St. Dorn , you are no longer bewildered. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  “Torag, help me send this evil thing back to whatever hell spawned it!”  shouts St. Dorn with another onslaught of war hammer attacks.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, risky strike, spend Favor for onslaught , smite evil in effect but not included in rolls
  to hit1  - (1d20+9)[ 23 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+12)[ 13 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 24 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+12)[ 14 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T14:    “Torag, help me send this evil thing back to whatever hell spawned it!”  shouts St. Dorn with another onslaught of warhammer attacks, the first swooshing through for  4 mod , and the second whooshing through for  4 mod .

 R3T8:   Lillian studies the ghost, focuses on a prayer and her hand glows after  the casting, and she reaches out and despite trying to pull on  inspiration she misses. At least her hand is still charged up.

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T29:  Kris, what do you do?

Winter on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
silphael
Staying at bay, Kris keeps shooting a barrage of force.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting Magic Missile again at the ghost.
  Damage  - (2d4+2)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T29:  Keeping her position, Kris keeps shooting a barrage of force that strikes the ghost for   5 force  .

 R4T22:   Winter , what do you do?

Ghost on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Emboldened by the impact from the previous time Winter advances 5ft towards the Ghost, once more he eyes blazing with holy power as she releases more holy power

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


5ft towards the ghost, Channel energy  (3d6)[ 11 ]  Will save for half
 
lostsole31
 R4T22:  Emboldened by the impact from the previous time, Winter advances 5' towards the Ghost. Once more, her eyes blazing with holy power, she  releases holy power which tears into the ghost for   11 PE  .

 R4T21:  The ghost goes through the wall and attacks wildly at Cesadia.

 R4T14:   St. Dorn , the ghost went into the hallway. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Grunting with anger, St. Dorn moves North and then West next to Cesadia. Summoning his holy power, he attempts to touch the ghost. Then he prepares to intercept any attacks against any adjacent allies that the ghost might attack.
  “To me for your protection!”  
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: move North 15’ and 5’ West.
SA: Lay on hands (MTA)  (2d6)[ 3 ] 
use Bodyguard , In Harm’s Way, Favored Sacrifice to aid allies adjacent by boosting AC and intercepting attacks.
 
lostsole31
 R4T14:  Grunting with anger, St. Dorn moves North and  then West next to Cesadia.  Summoning his holy power, he attempts to touch the ghost but misses  wildly. Meanwhile, he dragged so much detritus and debris from the floor  of the other room with him that when he stopped, the dust kicks upwards  into his eyes, blinding him. Despite this, he he  prepares to intercept any attacks against any adjacent allies that the  ghost might attack, calling out,   “To me for your protection!”  
 R4T8:  Lillian moves up to St. Dorn, voicing softly so he doesn't strike her, and tries to help him clear his vision, but fails.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T29:   Kris , what do you do? Rapier is in hand and  mage armor  is strong.

Winter on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
silphael
Planning to count on her mage armour, Kris flies closer and keeps casting.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving W, NW, N, N, then casting Magic Missile again.

  Damage  - (2d4+2)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T29:  Planning to count on her  mage armor ,  Kris flies closer - though she has to stop short of intended because of  Lillian's position - and keeps casting, two bolts striking the ghost for    5 force  .

 R5T22:   Winter , what do you do?

Ghost on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter, hearing the sounds to the NW passage steps towards the door that her friends vanished down and then as she can see the ghost continues to send pulses of holy power at it!

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

move to the door to the west to catch sight of the ghost
Channel energy again  (3d6)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R5T22:  Winter, hearing the sounds to the NW passage steps towards the door that  her friends vanished down and then as she can see the ghost continues  to send pulses of holy power at it, but it seems very good at resisting such an attack and only takes   2 PE  .

 R5T21:   The ghost steps through the wall, and reappears right next to Kris.  This surprises Kris as it puts its hand through the upper lung at her  right shoulder .... and while there is a superficial sting, it seems to  do no damage. Now it is the ghost who is surprised!

 R5T21:   Ms. Wrentz heads north into the center cell and presses her body against the wall to surprise the thing if it comes out again.

 R5T14:   St. Dorn , you wipe the dirt out of your eyes and you see again. Lay on hands energy is charged on your hand. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn moves S and attempts to touch the apparition. He positions himself to protect his adjacent ally.

 
 Spoiler: Crunch 

MA: 5 ft step to the South.
Attempt to touch the ghost with lay on hands positive energy to damage.
 (1d20+7)[ 25 ] 
 (2d6)[ 3 ] 
 Continue to shield adjacent allies if attacked with Bodyguard and  In Harm’s Way, Favored Sacrifice to aid allies adjacent by boosting AC and intercepting attacks.
 
 
lostsole31
 R5T14:  St. Dorn hoped to catch it before it made it  fully through the wall, but fails, as the ghost is now in or south of  the wall itself.

 R5T8:  Lillian fails to move  south into the lower room acrobatically past Winter, and the ghost  passes its hand through her head to do   21 corruption    to the cleric, causing her to retreat even farther away into that  room.. Lillian simply touches herself with her charged spell to give  herself   15 healing  , removing much of the aging she just took.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T29:   Kris , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
silphael
Kris flies away, purposefully giving the ghost an opening as she does, before casting her last volley of force projectiles.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving S twice (not a 5 foot step), then casting magic missile at the ghost.

  Damage  - (2d4+2)[ 10 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R6T29:  Kris flies away, purposefully giving the ghost  an opening as she does, and the ghost takes full advantage of the  offering ... passing its hand through her abdomen and lower back   20 corruption  .  Once south of Winter, Kris begins to cast a spell and the ghost hits  her again, this time passing its hand through her casting arm. She does a  better job resisting this time, only taking   14 corruption  , but it was still painful enough that she lost her spell, and  the sorcerer feels her mana ticking away.

 R6T22:   Winter , what do you do?

Ghost on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter looks at the ghost and whispers a low curse,    "Enough of this"    she murmurs as she skips towards it and holds out a hand glimmering with holy power to try and cast it back to its undeath


 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move to ghost
Speak with dead --&gt; Cure serious Wounds Touch attack  (1d20+9)[ 17 ]  dam  (3d8+5)[ 17 ]  Will for Half
 
lostsole31
 R6T22:  Winter looks at the ghost and whispers a low curse,    "Enough of this."     Standing before it already, she begins casting a spell, assuming that  the ghost cannot harm her, but as she casts it swings a blue-glowing  left fist that strikes her in the left shoulder for   14 force  , knocking the wind out of her and making her lose her spell.

 R6T21:   Kris just barely recognizes the fist-fakeout that the ghost does -  keeping her from being caught flat-footed - but his right hand still  passes through her chest. Knowing what's coming, Kris resists, but still  takes   16 corruption  .

 R6T18:  Ms. Wrentz repositions to the southeast corner of the main outer hall.

 R6T14:   St. Dorn , lay on hands is still loaded on your hand. What do you do?

Lillian on deck, Kris in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  "Step South Lass so I can reach the ghosty!"   growls St. Dorn to Winter. He readies to move once Winter moves.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

Ready an action to step 5 ft southeast and attack the ghost with war hammer and Risky strike once Winter moves.
  to hit  - (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
  to dam  - (1d8+12)[ 15 ]  Smite Evil is in effect but not included.
He will continue to  use Bodyguard , In Harm’s Way, Favored Sacrifice to aid allies adjacent by boosting AC and intercepting attacks. 
 
lostsole31
 R6T14:    "Step south, lass, so I can reach the ghosty!"   growls St. Dorn to Winter. He readies to move once Winter moves.

 R6T8:  Lillian drinks the contents of her waterskin, and then puts it back at her side.

 End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T29:   Kris , what do you do?

Winter on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
silphael
Cautiously flying away, Kris starts turning her stronger spells into more magic missiles.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step SE (and up) and then casting magic missile with a level 2 slot.

  Damage  - (2d4+2)[ 6 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T29:  Kris tries to cautious fly away by going back  and up, but she underestimates the effort it takes to go upwards, and in  that split-second of understanding the ghost passes its hand through  her protection and her high-center chest. She was so focused on the  flight that when she gets hit she doesn't resist the aging effect. In  mid-air, the already seemingly gone from youthful Kris to current  middle-age, rapidly goes through the cycle of life as she falls ...  through old age, into an old crone, and her head splits open on the  rocky floor as her brains spill out ... making it completely without  doubt what her current situation happens to be.

 R7T22:   Winter, Krisztina "Kris" Boyka Marquering, one of the Briarstone Asylum  patients whom you felt responsible for and had survived ... was just  killed in a most horrible way in front of your eyes even as you enjoy   FH8  . What do you do?

Ghost on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
DrK
Winter screams in anger and grief as Kris is killed by the foul apparition that they cannot seem to hurt. Opening ehrself once more to ehr gods she directs all of disgust at it channelling yet more positive energy at the thing,   "Be gone... why will you not depart this realm"   she cries as she does so

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Channel Energy at the ghost  (3d6)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R7T22:  Winter screams in anger and grief as Kris is killed by the foul  apparition that they cannot seem to hurt. Opening herself once more to  her gods, she directs all of her disgust at it, channeling yet more positive  energy at the thing. It resists, only taking   6 mod PE  .    "Be gone! Why will you not depart this realm?! ?"   she cries as she does so.

 R7T21:   The ghost steps northwest through the wall. Thus revealed, Ms. Wrentz  fires her crossbow, but St. Dorn is in her way and her shot misses. The  ghost fails to fake out St. Dorn and misses the paladin.

 R7T14:   St. Dorn , what do you do? Your lay on hands is still charged on your hand.

Lillian on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  “You’ll pay for that, you fiend!”   screams Saint Dorn the Failed-Protector as he unleashes another Onslaught of hammer blows.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky Strike, Smite Evil, pay 1 favor pt. For onslaught
  to hit1  - (1d20+10)[ 19 ] .  +5 smite
  to dam1  - (1d8+12)[ 16 ]  + 4 Smite +  (1d6)[ 2 ]  evil

  to hit2  - (1d20+10)[ 24 ] .   +5 smite
  to dam2  - (1d8+12)[ 15 ]  + 4 Smite +  (1d6)[ 6 ]  evil

  He will continue to    use Bodyguard , In Harm’s Way, Favored Sacrifice to aid allies adjacent by boosting AC and intercepting attacks.

   
 
lostsole31
 R7T14:     “You’ll pay for that, you fiend!”    screams Saint Dorn the Failed-Protector as he unleashes another onslaught of hammer blows. Both blows strike for  5 mod  and  6   mod .

 R7T8:  Lillian keeps her position, casting a spell to Calistria that gives her   12 healing  .

 End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T22:   Winter , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Ghost in the shell ...
DrK
Chasing down the vile ghost Wimter channels her most powerful spell into trying to unmake it

 
 Spoiler: OOC  


Move to ghost
Convert other 3rd level spell to cure serious
Touch  (1d20+9)[ 14 ]  dam  (3d8+5)[ 17 ]  Will for half
 
lostsole31
 R8T22:  Chasing down the vile ghost, Winter stands  astride a dead skum and begins to channel her most powerful spell into  trying to unmake it. It throws a blue-glowing fist at her, which is  stopped by her armor, and she succeeds in her casting, but likewise  fails to land her own attack, the powerful spell still charged on her  hand.

 R8T21.5:  Ms. Wrentz moves north into the eastern cell to hide.

 R8T21:   The ghost bolts southeast through the wall faster than Winter or St.  Dorn can react, and Lillian screams in pain in the next room.

 R8T14:  St. Dorn, what do you do?

Lillian on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Growling in anger, St Dorn moves into the storage room and swings at the ghost with his warhammer”   “Stay next to me!”  
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 5’ East, 5’ South, 5’ SE, 5’ South. He uses extra movement as needed due to difficult terrain.
SA: Risky Strike, smite evil
 (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
 (1d8+12)[ 13 ]  plus smite plus  (1d6)[ 4 ]  good damage

  He will continue to     use Bodyguard , In Harm’s Way, Favored Sacrifice to aid allies adjacent by boosting AC and intercepting attacks.
  
 
lostsole31
 R8T14:  St. Dorn moves into the storage room and swings at the ghost with his warhammer, in anger growling,   “Stay next to me!”  

It would normally have hit him with his smite, but it has cover in the wall, and that is all that St. Dorn hits.

 R8T8:   Lillian studies the ghost, puts her whip in her buckler hand, and  concentrates on a positive energy spell. She misses her target, and  steps back 5'.

 End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T22:   Winter , you have CSW still charged on your hand. What do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, Ghost in the hole ...
DrK
Winter hides in anger   ”you will suffer for what you’ve done”   as hearing the cry of pain she gives chase, racing to stand by St Dorn and punch the ghost in the face with her glowing hand!

 
 Spoiler: OOC  


Move to ghost
Touch ghost with charged hand  (1d20+9)[ 11 ]  dam  (3d8+5)[ 20 ]  Will for half
 
lostsole31
 R9T22:  Winter seethes in anger,   ”You will suffer for what you’ve done.”    Hearing the cry of pain, she gives chase, racing to stand by St Dorn  and swings at the ghost's face with her glowing hand but misses.

 R9T21.5:   Ms. Wrentz carefully makes her way in the new darkness to the south,  carefully to the doorway. She shoots at the ghost, but misses and speed  reloads.

 R9T21:  The ghost ducks into the floor and then comes up in the floor behind Lillian to touch her in the hip for   14 corruption  . Lillian is looking decrepit now.

 R9T14:   St. Dorn , you lost the lay on hands you had charged when you attacked two-handed with the hammer. What do you do now?

Lillian on deck, Winter in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn (wracked by guilt) moves forward towards the spirit and his holy hammer hums through the air as he swings it towards the fell entity.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SWA: wracked by guilt trait- 1/ day +5 attack and damage to evil creatures for 1 round.
FA: 5’ step North
FRA: Risky strike, use 1 favor for onslaught, smite evil
  to hit1  - (1d20+10)[ 24 ]  +5 smite and +5 trait
  to dam1  - (1d8+12)[ 20 ]  +4 smite +5 trait +  (1d6)[ 6 ]  good

  to hit2  - (1d20+10)[ 27 ]  +5 smite and +5 trait
  to dam2  - (1d8+12)[ 18 ]  +4 smite +5 trait +  (1d6)[ 6 ]  good

use : Favored Bodyguard to use aid other (adjacent allies) AC if attacked using AOO x3/ round. If the attack is successful, he will use In Harm’s way to take the damage and Favored Sacrifice to gain temp favor.
 
lostsole31
 R9T14:  Wracked by guilt, St. Dorn moves forward towards the spirit, his  holy hammer humming through the air as he swings it towards the fell  entity. The hammer drops upon and through the ghost's body. As it is ripped apart, he shouts,   "I'LL ... BE BAAAAACK....!"  
 Combat Ends! 
DrK
Winter pauses, looking back at the poor body of Kris. A shake of her head   ”Hiw many will this house of horrors take?”   she wonders tiredly. Then with her hand still aglow with power she offers,   “is anyone else injured by that things foul touch, I have healing for one who would need it.”  
Blackhawk101
  “I am unhurt… physically. See to Lillian as she looks ready to drop.”   says St. Dorn tiredly as his war hammer drops from numb fingers. He scrubs his face for a few seconds as if to remove some residual horror.
  “Aye, this place exacts a heavy toll. The King in yellow will pay dearly for the death it has wrought!”
  The old man will pick up the weapon and its worn grip feels comfortable in his hand.
  “I do na’ understand what Kris was doin. It was like she wanted it to touch her? Maybe she was under some sort of spell from the ghosty.”  
lostsole31
Winter touches Lillian to discharge the spell for   15 healing  , even as Lillian discharges her own spell on herself for   12 healing  . Meanwhile, after two rounds Winter has purged the last of the force-wound and aging she had received.

Lillian then casts another spell on herself for   17 healing  , with less than a light wound remaining.

How much care do you give to searching this room?
Blackhawk101
Dorn will check the room and the surrounding hallway for a blanket, tarp or tapestry in which to transport Kris’ body. Baring that he will use an intact crate.
  “We are spent and distraught over Kris’ death. We need to return to the detective agency and rest. We can give Kris her burial and return Sholn to his sister Holissa.”
  The Saint moves about his task with great sadness.
  “She was a being of air and light. She d’na deserve to die in this darkness.”  
DrK
Winter nods,   "Another buried searching this King in Yellow. Although I do not know that I am spent, merely saddened and riven by grief. But I'm not sure if there is much left to seacrch in this place?"   Even as as she speaks she'll look to the others to see if they can suggest any other locations?
lostsole31
Lillian and Ms. Wrentz do want to check this room where you fought the ghost. Given St. Dorn's and Winter's reticence, it will be a quick search that takes two minutes.

Used as an interrogation and torture chamber years ago, this room was converted into a storage area after those cruel practices fell out of favor with Thrushmoor’s leadership. However, the chamber has been clearly undisturbed for years. A heavy coat of dust lies on sealed crates full of old clothing, out-of-fashion furniture, outdated militia uniforms, disassembled weapon racks, broken furniture that someone had planned to repair at some point, tapestries in need of patching, extra bedclothes and chamber pots, and older files that have been moved from the archives to make room for more relevant records.

Careful inspection of the southwestern part of the wall in this room reveals unpleasant secrets. It reveals this portion of the wall used to be a corridor that was sealed up with stone blocks and plastered over long ago. The dampness in the room and the hasty stonework have caused the plaster to crack. Chipping at the plaster reveals gaps in the stones that were put up without mortar.

There is plenty here to help transport Kris.

Do you wish to knock down the weak stones and see what's beyond, or do you wish to jet out now?
Blackhawk101
Sensing that this filled in wall has something to do with the damned ghost, St. Dorn bashes in the masonry with his hammer.
lostsole31
St. Dorn starts hammering, while Lillian helps peeling at the loose plaster.

It takes some time, but the barrier finally comes down. It reveals a section 5' square that has a lot of rubble in it. A check reveals another poorly constructed wall to the west.

Do you bring down the next wall?
Blackhawk101
Dorn lets out some of his frustration on the next barrier.
lostsole31
Sealed from the outside world for many years, this cell smells like a tomb—which it is. This cell was once used to detain prisoners the authorities wanted to keep separate from others, or those subjected to torture in the adjoining room. Following the corse within's murder, the corridor to this cell was stuffed with bales of hay and then walled in with stone blocks.

Once St. Dorn has broken down the wall and the bales of hay removed, the PCs find a locked cell door. However, they can peer into the room through the grate in the door. Huddled in the middle of the floor, next to a bench, lies a body. The dessicated corpse is dressed only in a ragged loincloth, and has undergone a process of natural mummification. The most recognizable features of the corpse are several large tattoos on the torso and thighs, mostly depicting abstract, swirling monstrosities with too many eyes and too many mouths.

Ms. Wrentz picks open the door, and a search is done within, including a quick autopsy, a magic-emanating stone of red and blue is found.
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn searches his memory for the proper method of putting the corpse of the spirit to rest.
lostsole31
St. Dorn has an idea, but bounces it off the others, and with St. Dorn and Kris' input, Ms. Wrentz works out that the partially-mummified body resembles that of the ghost. It looks like simple extraction of the body from the cell and then a proper burial would likely be all it takes to make sure that the ghost doesn't rejuvenate.
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will gather enough tapestries to wrap both bodies and then will carry Kris out of the fort and back to the detective agency.
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz will modify St. Dorn's intentions, as everyone is helping move bodies (and it is very difficult), and that is to take the bodies to the New Chapel of Pharasma.

Any dissension on this change?
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn agrees with taking the bodies to the chapel.
DrK
Winter follows the others and agrees to stand a vigil over the fallen as thy are laid out. She offers a prayer to the fallen Kris and then casts a spell of warding to stop her body suffering any ill effects, a sad look to the others,   "It will keep her body fresh until this can be resolved."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Cast gentle repose on Kris
 
lostsole31
Winter, interacting with temple staff, the bodies can be properly buried tomorrow at mid-morning. As the ranking priestess with Midwife Trillis Mavaine still missing, Winter will need to be the officiating priestess.
DrK
Happy to let the temple staff tend and wash the bodies. Winter will rest for the evening, reading through the holy texts of Pharasma an wil rest for the night ahead of a burial the following day. In the evening as they rest she wil seek out the rest of the party,   "What now I must wonder?"  
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will run his face with his hands, trying to wipe away his exhaustion.
  “On the morrow, we will lay another companion to rest. The fight against this terrible foe extracts a heavy toll.

  He will look to the others to gauge their resolve.
  “I feel the need to see this through until we wipe away this yellow stain or die trying! What say you?”  
lostsole31
  "All but a small section of Fort Hailcourse is liberated. But there was a section to the west in the basement yet to check,"   says Ms. Wrentz.
Blackhawk101
  “Aye. You are right Ms. Wrentz,  ” St Dorn says tiredly.
  ”Do you feel we are a large enough group to complete the task?”  
lostsole31
  "We are the only group here to complete the task,"   says Ms. Wrentz.   "After Fort Hailcourse is completely liberated, my civil obligations technically end. After that, it's about whether or not you and Winter care to solve the issues surrounding Briarstone and the Count. Because Thrushmoor is rudderless, Lillian and I will continue to aid you. But Thrushmoor is on the road to nowhere, and Count Lowls' is out there now enacting whatever fell plan that all of his activity in Thrushmoor led him to, and led him away."  
Blackhawk101
  “Aye,”   agrees Dorn as he pulls on his beard.
 He looks to Lillian and Winter for their input.
silphael
"  We will have to be cautious, because of our limited numbers, but if we can finish cleaning up the fort, we might get more information about the situation ? Anyway, I'm with you for now.  " Lillian agrees as well.
DrK
Winter looks at Dorn and the others.   "After losing our friends. After seeing the chaos brought to the town we must see this through to the end."   She sits with the others and pauses in her words.   "It is a sad thing, but remember the Boneyard welcomes those who are worthy and our friends will be judged by the Lady of Graves and be rewarded for the valour they had in life. We will miss them but they will be exalted in the world they have departed to."  

Looking at the windows,   "I agree though, back to the Fort and to solve its mystery once and for all tomorrow"  
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn nods.   “It seems we are in agreement.”

“I do want to make sure the imprisoned townsfolk is reunited with his sister.”  
lostsole31
Speaking of which, the young man has been escorted by/ has been escorting you since the exit from Fort Hailcourse. Being in psychological shock, he hadn't tried to wander off on his own. The party reunites Sholn with Holissa in a tearful reunion, and she will take care of him. He is likely to carry mental trauma with him for years to come, but is in the loving care of family once again. Holissa gives many tears of gratitude mixed with sorrow, as the man she originally approached - Brother Jaume - sacrificed himself to help her family be brought back together.

Does the party return to the Sleepless Detective Agency to rest for the night?
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will return to the detective agency.
lostsole31
As does the rest of the party to take advantage of Ms. Wrentz's renewed and updated hospitality for the night.

That night, there is a faint dinging above the heads of Lillian, St. Dorn, and Winter!
lostsole31
    Wealday, 11 Lamashan 4716 AR (Waxing Gibbous) 
Weather:  65 / 45 F. Heavy rain (up to 1-1/2").   

The next day, what do you do for daily setup?
silphael
Lilian keeps her spells and formulaes prepared so far, and adds Life Pact to her level 2 spells, Stone Shape to her level 3 spells, and Ironskion as a level 2 extract.
Blackhawk101
The next day, St Dorn rises and performs his daily rituals including his Deific Obedience to Torag. Sensing new powers from his deity, he prepares additional spells today.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

New spells memorized.
 Cantrip: Virtue, Level #2: Surmount Affliction.
 
lostsole31
What is the plan for today?
Blackhawk101
With an even more dour expression than normal, St. Dorn gathers the group together to plan for today's effort.
  "Today I believe the plan is to continue with clearing the basement level of Ft. Hailcourse. Hopefully we can utilize that location as a base to assail the manor house in the future. If everyone is ready with their preparations, let's head out."

  
DrK
Winter nods to St Dorn   "Yes I agree. I have prayed long and hard and have beseeched the Grey Lady that no-one else goes to her boneyard"    Checking her knifes and a prayer to her Goddess she nods.   "I stand ready, we can leave when we want. I am refreshed as much as I can be to offer aid to any healing and succour."   
lostsole31
The party makes their way to the first room in the basement of Fort Hailcourse, and stand before the door that hasn't been checked yet. Lillian checks it clear. It is unlocked.

Any buffs or preps?
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn readies his hammer and nods to Lillian to open the door.
DrK
Winter pauses, breathing slowly.   "I do not want to bury any friends today. If you are sorely injured shout as as soon as you are able, or at least step away from the combat and allow me to tend you. We have lost too many comrades in the past few days. I feel their loss keely even as my mistress gives them fair judgement and succour for the afterlife."   That said she'll lightly just tap both St Dorn and Lillian offering them some divine guidance

She glances at her dagger and armoure, now gleaming slightly and nods,   "I am ready"  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 


On the way there
Armour attunement --&gt; Chain shirt
Weapon attunement --&gt; MW Silver dagger

Before we open the door:
Guidance on Lillian and St Dorn
 
silphael
Whip in hand, Lilian opens the door.
lostsole31
Lillian opens the door to reveal more skum.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T20:   Winter , what do you do?
DrK
Winter freezes, a muttered,   "More accursed skum"   before she begins intoning the words of the First Book of the dead, an ancient prayer of the boneyard that some heretics even claimed came from the Old Gods of Osirion desert!

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Move: Draw weapon
Standard: Start Inspire Courage
 
lostsole31
 R1T20:  Winter freezes, a muttered,   "More accursed skum!"    before she begins intoning the words of the First Book of the dead, an  ancient prayer of the Boneyard that some heretics even claimed came from  the Old Gods of Osirion desert!

It seems the Old Gods heard,  and Winter senses something very, very off, as if her insides were  falling in upon themselves. Winter screams in terror and pain and in  recognition of the blasphemy she put to words with her anger.

A second later, and Winter is gone from sight.

 R1T19:   St. Dorn ,  you don't know the language, but you sensed the blasphemy spoken, as if  the words attacked your core being. And now Winter is gone. What do you  do?
Blackhawk101
With a blasphemy on his lips unspoken, St. Dorn steps up to the Skum and unleashes an onslaught with his war hammer.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FA: 5’ step to SE
SwA: smite Evil on blue scum
FAA,Risky strike, Spend Fate point for Onslaught on Blue
  to hit  - (1d20+9)[ 15 ]  * smite not included
  to dam  - (1d8+12)[ 20 ]  plus  (1d6)[ 5 ]  vs. evil

  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 24 ]  * smite not included
  to dam2  - (1d8+12)[ 17 ]  plus  (1d6)[ 1 ]  vs. evil

Readied action(s):
if adjacent ally is attacked, spend AOO to Aid Another skill per Bodyguard ability to give +2 AC.
 
lostsole31
 R1T19:  With a blasphemy on his lips unspoken, St. Dorn steps up  to a skum and - with a quiet prayer of smiting - unleashes a strike with  his warhammer that strikes Blue in the hip for  25 .

 R1T18-17:  Green steps up to stab St. Dorn along the elbow with its trident for  2 mod ,  and missing with its claw and failing to get through the man's armor  with its bite. Despite the smite protection, Blue stabs St. Dorn in the  hip but doesn't hurt him; a claw along the elbow likewise doesn't hurt  him; but the bite hits his upper arm for  2 mod .

 R1T14:  Ms. Wrentz moves to the southwest and takes a low profile.

 R1T13:   Lillian , you have your whip in hand and no buffs at this time. What do you do?

Red Skum on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Lilian studies Green, then turns invisible. She then whispers for her allies :

"  I'm here, you can pass.  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Studying Green for Studied Combat, and casting invisibility on myself, then taking a 5 foot step W to clear the path.
 
lostsole31
 R1T13:  Lilian studies Green, then casts a spell to turn invisible. She then whispers for her allies, a few feet to the west,  " I'm here, you can pass. " 
 R1T12:  Red stabs St. Dorn in the right shoulder for  5 mod , but fails to land claw or bite.

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T19:   St. Dorn , what do you do?

Enemies on deck and in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
  "Torag sends his regards in the form of this hammer!"   shouts St. Dorn.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

 FAA,Risky strike, Spend Fate point for Onslaught on Blue 
  to hit 1  - (1d20+9)[ 26 ]  +Smite
  to dam1  - (1d8+12)[ 20 ]  plus  (1d6)[ 5 ]  vs. evil

  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 12 ]  +smite
  to dam2  - (1d8+12)[ 15 ]  plus  (1d6)[ 1 ]  vs. evil


 Triggered action(s): 
 if adjacent ally is attacked, spend AOO to Aid Another skill per Bodyguard ability to give +2 AC.

 
 
lostsole31
 R2T19:    "Torag sends his regards in the form of this hammer!"   shouts St. Dorn and strikes Blue dead and ruined, ending the smite.

 R2T18:  Green steps to flank St. Dorn. With its trident it stabs into the older man's left forearm for  1 mod , bites at the same wound for  2 mod , then claws his left shoulder ineffectually.

 R2T14:  Ms. Wrentz shoots at an unsuspecting Green in its right forearm for  24 . She steps back and speed-loads her crossbow.

 R2T13:   Lillian , what do you do?

Red on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Lilian touches Dorn, blessing him with luck, before stepping inside the room, profiting from her invisibility.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Using one daily Bit of Luck on Dorn, who will be rolling twice every D20 during his next turn, then moving SE, then 2E.
 
lostsole31
 R2T13:  Lilian touches Dorn, blessing him with luck,  before stepping inside the room, profiting from her invisibility, and  standing atop a fallen skum.

 R2T12:  Red misses with its trident, and fails to harm the St. with bite and claw.

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T19:  St. Dorn, what do you do?  
 Spoiler: Luck 
You get to roll d20 rolls twice, taking the better of the two.
 

Green on deck, Ms. Wrentz in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn targets the Skum surrounding him with an onslaught of hammer blows. One each.
 
 Spoiler: crunch 

  FAA,Risky strike, Spend Fate point for Onslaught on Green and Red.   
   to hit green1  - (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
    to hit green2  - (1d20+9)[ 29 ] 
    to dam green  - (1d8+12)[ 19 ]  plus  (1d6)[ 5 ]  vs. evil 
   to hit red1  - (1d20+9)[ 14 ] 
    to hit red1  - (1d20+9)[ 14 ] 
    to dam red  - (1d8+12)[ 20 ]  plus  (1d6)[ 1 ]  vs. evil 
  Triggered action(s):  
  if adjacent ally is attacked, spend AOO to Aid Another skill per Bodyguard ability to give +2 AC.
  
 
Blackhawk101
 
 Spoiler: severity check 

That’s a crit against Green Skum.
  severity  - (1d20)[ 12 ] 
and if luck counts for this roll also
  severity 2  - (1d20)[ 5 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T19:  St. Dorn targets the Skum surrounding him with  an onslaught of hammer blows. He does a thunder strike against Green,  killing it outright, and then following up with a strike to the side of  Red's neck for  21 .

 R3T14:  Ms. Wrentz slowly crosses west and shoots the last skum in the shoulder, collapsing its lung and killing it.

 Combat Ends! 
Blackhawk101
  "Well done everyone! Let us search the room."
  St. Dorn begins a quick search.
lostsole31
The many wooden shelves in this room are stacked with wooden crates, paper-wrapped packets, and small clay jars sealed with wax. Smoked trout and other dried fish hang from metal hooks fixed to the ceiling. A number of boxes and containers have been emptied and smashed, and now lie in pieces on the floor, along with discarded fish bones and other refuse.

This room houses the fort’s food reserves. Since the skum have been in Fort Hailcourse, their hunger has increased. They have been living off these supplies without much enthusiasm, dreaming of the banquet of human flesh that would follow an attack on Thrushmoor, if ever they dared. Smoked fish, hard cheese, dried fruit, corn, oil, wine, vinegar, and other bottled or canned foodstuffs fill the untouched containers.

One of the skum carries a key. All three carry tridents, nothing else.
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn with collect the key.
  “Let’s continue our exploration of this level and make sure we have rooted out all traces of evil here!”

  St. Dorn moves to the West.
lostsole31
St. Dorn starts down the passageway and almost bumps into an id ooze that was moving towards the sound of the combat.

 Begin Round One ...

R1T7:   Lillian ,  you are still invisible. You see the surprised meeting between St. Dorn  and a kin of the creature that killed your sister. What do you do?
silphael
From where she is, Lilian starts casting

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Full round action to cast summon monster 2 to summon an earth elemental, which will appear behind the ooze.
(rolls still there but pointless)
  Attack  - (1d20+9)[ 24 ] 
  Damage  - (4d6+1)[ 12 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T7:  From where she is, Lilian starts casting.

 R1T4:  Ms. Wrentz enters and she shoots the blob for  9 , and quick loads her crossbow.

 R1T3:   St. Dorn , what do you do?

Id Ooze on deck, Lillian in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn backpedals a little bit and then lays his palm on his chest as he prays to Torag for assistance.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

MA: 5 ft step East
SA: Use Lay on hands  (2d6)[ 9 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R1T3:  St. Dorn backpedals a little bit and then lays his palm on his chest as he prays to Torag, and is fully healed of his wounds.

 R1T2:  The id ooze follows its prey and lashes out with a pseudopod to slam St. Dorn in the chest for  5 mod +  5 acid  + grappled !

 End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T7.1-.0:   Lillian's spell ends and she brings forth a hulking little creature of  earth and rock. It pounds the ooze with its little fist for  10 , but that same little fist takes   5 acid  .

 Lillian , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Still invisible, Lilian stows her whip and takes out her shortbow.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Afaik that's one standard and one move ?
 
lostsole31
 R2T7:  Still invisible, Lilian stows her whip and takes out her shortbow.

 R2T4:  Ms. Wrentz moves to the southeastern corner of the room. She easily lands a shot into the murk of the ooze for  9  before reloading.

 R2T3:   St. Dorn , you are currently being grappled by id ooze.  You  have other-life visions flashing before your eyes of more plant-like  monsters cutting open your skull and eviscerating your brain.  What do you do?

Id ooze on deck, Lil' Rocky on deck ...
Blackhawk101
Saint Dorn the Protector whips the gleaming head of his trusty warhammer in a furious series of blows, pounding the offensive goo!

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

FAA, Risky Strike, spend Favor pt. for onslaught

  to hit1  - (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
  to dam1  - (1d8+6)[ 10 ]  +  vs. evil  - (1d6)[ 3 ] 
  to hit2  - (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
  to dam2  - (1d8+6)[ 13 ]  +  vs. evil  - (1d6)[ 4 ] 
  Triggered action(s):  
  if adjacent ally is attacked, spend AOO to Aid Another skill per Bodyguard ability to give +2 AC.

  
 
lostsole31
 R2T3:  Saint Dorn the Protector whips the gleaming head of his trusty warhammer  in a furious series of blows, pounding the offensive goo, pounding on it the first time for  10 , but then both the metal and wood of his warhammer is dissolved, his trusty warhammer now destroyed.

 R2T2:  The id ooze squeezes St. Dorn for  10 mod +  7 acid  .

 End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T7.1:  Little Rocky punches the ooze for  8 , but takes   1 acid   for its troubles.

 R3T7:   Lillian , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Getting closer to Saint Dorn, Lilian converts one of her spells into a healing spell.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
5 foot step W, then converting Zone of Truth into a Level 2 heal (on Dorn, obviously).

  Healing  - (2d8+6)[ 17 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R3T7:  Getting closer to Saint Dorn, Lilian converts one  of her spells into a healing spell that completely heals St. Dorn of  all of his wounds.

 R3T4:  Ms. Wrentz misses as  her bolt strikes the wall and falls upon the ooze, dissolving the  ammunition. She quick reloads and adjusts position.

 R3T3:   St. Dorn , what do you do?

Id ooze on deck, Tiny Rocky in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn struggles to free himself from the grasp of the acidic ooze.
If successful he will use acrobatics to move 5’ SE.

 
 Spoiler: crunch 

SA: attempt to break grapple using CMB
 (1d20+7)[ 26 ] 
MA: move acrobatically 5’ SE
 Triggered action(s): 
 if adjacent ally is attacked, spend AOO to Aid Another skill per Bodyguard ability to give +2 AC.
 
 
lostsole31
 R3T3:  St. Dorn struggles and frees himself from the grasp of the acidic ooze, and then steps away carefully.

 R3T2:  The id ooze slams against Lil' Rocky, but has trouble getting past its rocky hide.

 End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T7.1:  Lil' Rocky power-pounds the ooze for  12 , taking   1 acid   itself.

 R4T7:   Lillian , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, St. Dorn in the hole ...
silphael
Lilians shoots at the ooze, before moving away.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Shooting with the shortbow with Risky Strike, then moving 1SW 1S.

  Attack  - (1d20+3)[ 16 ] 
  Damage  - (1d6+1)[ 4 ] 
 
lostsole31
 R4T7:  Lillian shoots at the ooze for  4  before moving away, no longer invisible.

 R4T4:   Ms. Wrentz shoots at the ooze, doing  10 . The ooze stops moving and quivering. She reloads.

 R4T3:   St. Dorn , the ooze stopped moving, but it is such a weird creature, you don't really know what that means.

Ooze on deck? Lil' Rocky in the hole ...
Blackhawk101
Lamenting the loss of his trusty hammer, St. Dorn delays.
lostsole31
 R4T3:  Lamenting the loss of his trusty hammer, St. Dorn delays. 						

 R4T2:  As if with great difficulty,  instead of with the fluidity it had before, the ooze looks like it tries  to rally to attack Lil' Rocky, but can't quite do it, and then the ooze  goes very still.

 End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T7.1:  Lil' Rocky pounds the ooze for  10 , taking   5 acid   for its trouble.

 R5T7:   Lillian , what do you do?

Ms. Wrentz on deck, ooze in the hole, St. Dorn delaying ...
silphael
Lilian takes a new arrow and sets it ready.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Readying an action to shoot the ooze if it moves again. Not stopping the elemental from attacking though.
 
lostsole31
 R5T7:  Lilian takes a new arrow and sets it ready.

 R5T4:  Ms. Wrentz picks up debris, moves a little, and tosses it (missing) at the now-quiescent ooze.

 End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T7.1:  Lil' Rocky slams the ooze for  12 , but the corrosives on its fist destroy it, and it pops out of existence.

 R6T7:   Lillian , you readied an action didn't go off, and you don't even have LOS to the ooze right now. What do you do?

St. Dorn delaying ...
silphael
Lilian moves to the north-east, giving one last order to the elemental.

"  Keep punching it, to be sure.  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving 2 NE then "giving an order" to the summon. Unsure the type of action but it looks like it doesn't matter.
 
lostsole31
 R6T7:  Lilian moves to the north-east, and thinks of giving an order, but sees that the elemental is no longer around.

 R6T4:   Ms. Wrentz picks up more debris and chucks it hard at the gray,  translucent muck, and the thing completely discorporates and splashes  outward ... only a very large wet spot evidence of its existence.

 Initiative Ends! 
Blackhawk101
With a heavy sigh, St. Dorn the hammer-less takes out his heavy crossbow and loads it.  “Let’s finish sweeping this area.”

  ​He moves to the East.
lostsole31
The All-Missile Trio crosses the 10' hallway to the next room. This musty cellar contains a dozen wooden kegs, several demijohns, and dozens of empty bottles standing on shelves along the wall.
Blackhawk101
  “Check the room.”   mumbles St. Dorn, the hammer-less. He checks the room without much enthusiasm.
lostsole31
It takes the party just a little over a minute for a quick search of the room. The room is filled with stacked vessels of all shapes and sizes, but nothing else of interest.  There is a single door to the north.

Cesadia checks the door, which is locked.  She unlocks the door. She is there with hand crossbow ready, ready to open the door.

Party ready?
Blackhawk101
Crossbow locked and loaded, Dorn nods his agreement.
lostsole31
  "Wait a minute!"   says Ms. Wrentz with a hiss of alarm and steps back.   "Lillian, I think the door may be trapped. I don't have any tools on me. Do you think you can disarm what's there?"  
silphael
Lilian steps closer, looking for the mechanism.

"  I might be able to. Unless it's magical or something like that. Let's see...  "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Let's try to disarm it then ! (since iirc you treat that roll as a "cannont take 20")

  Disable Device  - (1d20+11)[ 21 ] 
 
lostsole31
Lillian succeeds at disabling the trap.

Ms. Wrentz thanks her employee and then the door is opened. This room is built around a water well, which opens to the sky above at the apex of the ceiling and descends into a shaft at the middle of the floor.
Blackhawk101
  “Watch yer selves. There could be danger here.”   warns St. Dorn.
 He moves into the room following the others, crossbow tracking right and left, searching for targets.
lostsole31
It only takes the party two minutes to do a search here. This is the fort's well. The rope and bucket are up topside in the courtyard right now, and the well drops 40' from here (50' from the courtyard).

Do you do anything else in here?
Blackhawk101
  “Aye. It looks like a dead end.”   
St. Dorn scratches his thick beard thoughtfully.
  ”Could the scaly wretches be climbing up outa the well?”
  He will look at the well and the general area for signs of recent passage and encourage the others to do so at well.
lostsole31
The well is wide enough for someone to pass through, but no proof of any recent ingress or egress.
Blackhawk101
  “Shall I go up and lower down the bucket and rope so one of can climb down to see if there is another entrance below?”  
lostsole31
Ms. Wrentz shakes her head.   "We aren't equipped or even trained for cavern aquatics. I think we need to call our victory. I think we did it ... got rid of the enemies in Fort Hailcourse so we can turn it back to control of the land. I do want to go back above to check all spaces. There's a ... hole ... in my mental model of the fort. I think we missed a place. Even if we didn't, I want to verify what administrative materials we can find."  
Blackhawk101
  “Aye. We will search your “holes”, as you put it.”   grumbles Dorn.  
 “Maybe later we can bar this well entrance to prevent access if the scaly buggers came from there.”   
lostsole31
  "Absolutely not,"   chides Ms. Wrentz.   "This is the water supply to the Fort, but that is for the next commandant of the Fort to figure out."  

At this point, Ms. Wrentz finds she is wrong, but there are several rooms that were gone through quickly in CQB rather than exploration. most notably the Archives. The party will spend the rest of the day here.

This room, at the base of the fort’s tallest tower, contains the archive of the magistrate’s office. The stairs lead up to area  D14 . Documents detailing decades of the town’s administration can be found in the two locked cabinets (which the party opens). Older records are kept in the fort’s basement. Here the PCs can find copies of trial records, building permits, ships’ logs, notary deeds, contracts, and other such paperwork. Examining these documents, the PC can learn much of what happened under the eye of the law in or near Thrushmoor.

The following finds related to Count Lowls. It takes 2 hours of sorting through the various papers and logbooks to uncover any one of the following pieces of information, or 8 hours to discover
them all.

 
 One cabinet contains records of a lawsuit presented against Count Lowls by a bookseller from Thornstep, who lamented not being paid for an occult book titled The Revelations of Hali. Lowls lost the case, and was ordered to pay the price of the book. A later note indicates that months passed before the payment was actually issued. 
 A memo documents an official interrogation of Count Haserton Lowls IV about the unexplained death of his mother, Nemira, made at the request of her elder brother in Kerse. The response from the count was that his mother died suddenly of the same strange disease that claimed his father, and was buried privately in the family crypt under Iris Hill. Despite a strong protest from her family in Kerse (and the offer of a substantial bribe), the magistrate was unable to gain legal access to Iris Hill to investigate further. 
 A document shows the record of arrest of one Brother Jaume Pau Brodeur starting a brawl at the Silver Wagon. The arrest resulted in Brother Jaume spending the night in a cell below Fort Hailcourse and Lowls having to pay a fine of 50 gp to avoid any further inconvenience. 
 A memory summarizes the proceedings of the trial for high treason against a certain Dr. Clymes Prett, accused of having poisoned Count Haserton III, and sentenced to “die in his cell." 
 

The record of the lawsuit against Count Lowls is evidence that he was overextending his coffers with his own research on the lost city of Neruzavin. The memo of his interrogation shows that something strange surrounded the death of his mother. The arrest record of Brother Jaume shows that he was not the best of people.

It is late when you are finished going through this material, and it is time to return to the Agency for rest and repast.
Blackhawk101
St. Dorn will ask for a few minutes to search for a replacement hammer before they return to the detective agency.
lostsole31
The warhammer was neither a weapon of choice, nor a backup weapon, for any of the undead guards. Also, as a reminder, there is no weapon sales in Thrushmoor.
silphael
"  How far is Iris Hill ? We might have to give it a visit...  "
lostsole31
  "A little late today, don't you think?"   asks Ms. Wrentz.
Blackhawk101
  “Tomorrow then.”   sighs St. Dorn, the Dejected.
 He will go with the others to the detective agency.
lostsole31
Once back at the Agency, do you do anything before going to bed?
Blackhawk101
Dorn will give Torag an extra prayer of thanks at keeping the group safe today before going to bed.