<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/2vtQHDS.png)</div><strong>Name:</strong><strong>"Arty" Fellbrook</strong>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=311048.msg15089568#msg15089568)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Caravan, On Horseback<br/><strong>HP:</strong>42 / 42<br/><strong>AC:</strong>24<strong>Touch:</strong>15<strong>Flat Footed:</strong>19<strong>CMD:</strong>19<br/><strong>Resist:</strong>Electricity 5, Cold 5, Acid 5<br/><strong>Fort:</strong>+4<strong>Reflex:</strong>+3<strong>Will:</strong>+6<br/><strong>Perception:</strong>+10 [Darkvision 60ft]<strong>Initiative:</strong>+2 [Current: 22 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=140047)]<br/><strong>Spells Remaining:</strong><em>1st Level:</em>6 / 8<em>2nd Level:</em>5 / 5<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Loathe as he was to admit it, Ian had a good point. This attack was not a random act of violence; it was obvious that they were after<em>something.</em>Not the Dretch themselves - they tended to follow whatever powerful individual had bullied them into compliance that day and rarely had much in the way of forethought stratagems - but whoever commanded them. You didn't send out a horde of Dretch for no reason, after all, and not ones that you'd gone to such lengths to physically pull from their dimension. Maybe it was something that the caravan was carrying, indeed. Or perhaps it was more general than that; they happened to travel too close by to whatever the summoner was attempting to do, and had to be eliminated. Maybe there was a specific individual either in or connected to the caravan that they wanted to hurt. Maybe they just needed food, and they were powerful enough that a horde of Dretch was disposable to them...now there was a chilling thought indeed. But of course, Ian had to include a bad point with his good point, and with it he exposed just how little he knew of the nature of Outsiders and Summoning Spells.<br/><br/>It wasn't his fault, really - even Arty didn't have a complete knowledge of the forces involved, and he actually<em>used</em>magic on a daily basis so he couldn't be annoyed at a layperson for a misunderstanding - but it was still something that needed to be corrected.<strong>"Y're right and wrong at the same time, Ian,"</strong>he said slowly,<strong>"You're right that Summoning Spells usually have a short range and a short time limit, but...I don' reckon this was a Summonin' Spell."</strong>He took a few steps forwards, circling the armour and weapons dropped by the creatures when they died.<strong>"See, if they were Summoned usin' somethin' like Summon Monster, when we killed 'em they'd just dissipate, neh? They were just energy takin' the form 'n function of Demons, or the spirits of Demons pulled through 'n given shape. They weren't <em>really</em> here, in the planar sense'a the word."</strong>Well...they were, technically, and they weren't at the same time. It was hard to explain, but for non-magic users, they didn't need to know the whole quantum debate.<strong>"These things? They died th' True Death. They're dead as doornails, an' they ain't comin' back short of more powerful Necromancy than I can manage."</strong>For now, anyway.<br/><br/><strong>"Which means, Ian...they were <em>really here.</em> This weren' a basic Summonin' Spell. They coulda been summoned a hundred feet away, or they coulda been summoned a hundred <em>miles</em> away 'n walked here. They were physically on our Plane. Either we're dealin' with a caster powerful enough t' actually create and hold open a door t' the Abyssal Plane, or there's an open Demon Gate somewhere nearby."</strong>He looked at Ian, then, his lips pulled into a thin, worried line.<strong>"Either way, it ain' good."</strong>he shrugged.<strong>"Y're right, though, that them bein' disguised is odd. But you ain't necessarily right about the reason. It could have been that they wanted survivors, yeah...or they wanted us guessing at their true nature long enough t' not work out their weaknesses. If you don' know what you're fightin', you're less likely to know how to kill it, neh?"</strong>He shrugged.<strong>"Y're right though."</strong>The words tasted like bile on his tongue, but this was no time for pride to get in the way. Demons had a way of...kinda clarifying shit, y'know?<strong>"We should check the area just in case."</strong>And with that, he flicked his fingers, casting Detect Magic to scan around the area, looking for any kinds of signs of spellcasting or summoning. If the Sorcerer was around nearby and had just summoned them with a scroll of gate or something, well, that would make their job a lot easier and his sleep a lot less troubled, he'd say that much!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Mechanics</div><div class="spoiler_body">Arty casts <em><strong>Detect Magic</strong></em> to survey the surrounding area.</div></div>