The Severed Hand

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Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 6:47 pm
Sep 29, 2018 6:47 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Zenithral's eyes widen. What? He was going to murder these children? Fiendish children, yes, but children! Nessa's parents were both evil, yet she turned out to be a force for good. Could these two not end out the same?

"STOP!" Zenithral demands, aiming his bow at Erestor, purple energy swirling around the arrow. "Tell me right now. What will slaughtering these children do? I find it very hard to believe that their mere existence binds Mother to the dark arts she's become consumed by. We may take them, but we will not kill them."
Last edited September 29, 2018 6:47 pm

Rolls

Charisma (Intimidation) - (1d20+2)

(14) + 2 = 16

Alalla

gardensun

Sep 29, 2018 6:47 pm
Sep 29, 2018 6:47 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Alalla gives no sign that she heard Halla's apology as she finishes cutting her bonds. "Zenithral went with Erestor alone. You gave us little choice but to play along with him. Supposedly they are trying to save Zenithral's mother, but..." Al shrugs, her discomfort at the words on the walls, irritation at Halla, and fear for Zenithral all simmering together to create a burning anger in her gut. She clamps down on it, a reflex perfected over time, but it makes her words emotionless and flat. "We came here looking for your corpse. Maybe we will bring his home instead."

Work done, she stands, not meeting Halla's eyes. "What happened here..?" Alalla wonders aloud. "Or is it happening?" She grips her glaive tightly, her eye tracing the frenzied words carved into the wood.
Last edited September 29, 2018 6:54 pm

Erestor

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 7:17 pm
Sep 29, 2018 7:17 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Erestor's head snaps over to fix a glare on Zenithral. "What? You babbling idiot! Do you have any idea the lengths I've gone to, the debts I have incurred to come this far? I sold myself to Belhifet - did his dirty work - for the chance to get close enough to strike this blow." He growls through gritted teeth, a vein bulging from his temple. "If I must continue to bear this burden alone, I will. You won't stop me here!"

Far faster than a striking viper, Erestor slashes at the girl child.

Rolls

Initiative (adv from Dagger of Warning) - (1d20+5, 1d20+5)

1d20+5 : (5) + 5 = 10

1d20+5 : (11) + 5 = 16

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 7:21 pm
Sep 29, 2018 7:21 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
"You're the idiot here!" Zenithral shouts. Zenithral fires, but not before Erestor strikes.
OOC:
Zenithral will use Martyr's Empathy to take the first hit.
Last edited September 29, 2018 7:30 pm

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+3)

(11) + 3 = 14

Inspiration - (1d20+3)

(3) + 3 = 6

Longbow 1 - (1d20+11)

(11) + 11 = 22

Damage - (1d8+5)

(3) + 5 = 8

Erestor

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 7:25 pm
Sep 29, 2018 7:25 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
The sword blade dives down to slice across the girl's throat, its magic sizzling as it pumps poison into the wound. The girl drops with a spluttering gasp. The boy merely stares in shock.

Zenithral calls on the powers of Ilmatyr to transfer the wound to himself. He feels blood well up in his throat and poison burn, but fortunately his own neck is thicker than the girl's. On him, it is unlikely to be a mortal wound.

The girl draws a clean breath, and scuttled back against the wall, clutching at her brother.

Erestor stares down at his bloody sword, then at Zenithral. "Blight take you, boy. I should have brought Arannis instead! Even that old fool would have understood the stakes!" He flings his dagger at Zenithral, burying it in his stomach. Zenithral feels more poison flood through him.
OOC:
Zen needs to make 2 Con saves, DC 15. On saves he takes half damage from the poison rolls.

Rolls

Erestor vs female cambion (adv) - (1d20+11, 1d20+11)

1d20+11 : (6) + 11 = 17

1d20+11 : (18) + 11 = 29

Dmg (piercing, sneak attack, poison - save for half) - (1d6+8, 5d6, 7d6)

1d6+8 : (2) + 8 = 10

5d6 : (34466) = 23

7d6 : (3542134) = 22

Attack 2 vs Zenithral (dagger) - (1d20+10, 1d20+10)

1d20+10 : (12) + 10 = 22

1d20+10 : (19) + 10 = 29

Dmg to Zen (piercing, poison) - (1d4+5, 7d6)

1d4+5 : (4) + 5 = 9

7d6 : (1564653) = 30

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 7:42 pm
Sep 29, 2018 7:42 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
White light streaks from the girl towards Zenithral. He feels the knife dig into him and poison surge through his veins. He glows weakly as radiance fights off the poison. (Zenithral regains 14 hit points using Second Wind) Sheer determination keep him on his feet as he looses two glowing arrows, sparking with purple energy. One flies just by Erestor's head and the other grazes his face. The arrows conjuration magic fades, however...reminding him of the strange effects he sensed when trying to conjure Fluphy.

(Erestor takes 8 damage. He passes his Charisma save against Banishing Arrow)

In a moment of desperation, Zenithral draws on the remaining arcane energy he can muster and tears at the Weave trying to summon the flumph and trigger whatever enchantment protects the place.

"INTRUDER! DWARF!" he screams. If the shadows of the past were sentient, someone might come to his aid. If not, it would have been at least worth the attempt.


Used Second Wind, Banishing Arrow, Action Surge and Spell Slot for Weave shenanigans
HP 27/79
AC 17
Last edited September 29, 2018 8:40 pm

Rolls

Constitution Saves - (1d20+5, 1d20+5)

1d20+5 : (5) + 5 = 10

1d20+5 : (18) + 5 = 23

Second Wind - (1d10+10)

(4) + 10 = 14

Erestor Charisma Save - (1d20+2)

(16) + 2 = 18

Strength (Athletics) to Shove - (1d20-1)

(4) - 1 = 3

Opposed Acrobatics (Not looking great) - (1d20+6)

(17) + 6 = 23

Longbow 2 - (1d20+11)

(7) + 11 = 18

Damage - (1d8+5)

(2) + 5 = 7

Halla

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 8:16 pm
Sep 29, 2018 8:16 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Halla sucks in a breath at the rebuke, but holds her tongue. "I don't know anything about this place, except that Arundel always told me to stay far away from it." She puts her face in her hands for a moment, then clenches her fists and staggers to her feet. "Then I'm going after them. That murderer will turn on Zenithral at the first opportunity."

Alalla

gardensun

Sep 29, 2018 8:33 pm
Sep 29, 2018 8:33 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Alalla turns her eye cool eye to Halla. "Is this about Zenithral, or Erestor? Don't go haring off, making the same mistake twice." She adjusts her eyepatch quickly as she looks away. "We are battered and bloody and on our last legs, Halla. Zenithral almost died earlier today and so did Ug, just a moment ago. I'm not sure what help we can offer Zenithral, anyway. Erestor needed him specifically to be able to enter the tower."

Erestor

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 9:13 pm
Sep 29, 2018 9:13 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Erestor curses as one arrow draws a line of blood across his cheek. The girl holds her brother close and scampers toward Zenithral. Erestor stalks forward as Zenithral desperately claws at the enchantment spread over and throughout the Hand.

He gets the impression that the web should not be malleable. It should be firm and unyielding, set in its structure. It was originally a masterpiece, woven together by the Hand's greatest mages as a last act of defense in the face of certain doom. But something, somewhere, had gone wrong. Zenithral can feel it, a taint that instantly warped the life of everything within the Hand's walls.

"What are you doing, boy? Stop!" Erestor holds out a hand to halt Zenithral, but the half-elf continues to poke a hole in the web. As he prods at the tiny gap, the ancient taint reawakens.

Like a crazed, eternal guardian evolved beyond its creator's intent, the web lashes out at the offending hole made by Zenithral.

A terrible rumbling rends the air. The companions at airship and guardhouse look up to the Hand to see one of the towers explode - kind of. Chunks of the tower fall, and then begin to float, as if frozen in some kind of stasis. Separate, and yet held together by magic, the pieces of the tower slowly revolve in midair.

What is happening up there?

The floor of the dormitory splits, fracturing into a dozen large pieces that somehow stay aloft. Erestor stumbles back with a cry, barely grabbing onto a ledge before falling. Zenithral has only moments before he becomes separated from the children. If he is quick, he may be able to grab them and get back through the hallway and down the stairs to a solid level.
OOC:
Some sort of check to speed you along would be appropriate. Persuasion to have the kids not fight you fin you grab them, or an Acrobatics check to have speedy footing.

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 9:49 pm
Sep 29, 2018 9:49 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Zenithral frantically looks for a secure, sturdy route to get to the children and escape.
Last edited September 29, 2018 9:55 pm

Rolls

Intelligence (Investigation) - (1d20+6)

(9) + 6 = 15

Erestor

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 10:17 pm
Sep 29, 2018 10:17 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
With a quick glance Zenithral takes in the pattern of cracks. He shoulders his bow and grabs the two cambion children. His... half-siblings. Timing his way back through the dormitory perfectly, he avoids the largest cracks and flees into the hall.

The cracks follow him, floor breaking apart and chunks of the stone walls tearing free, but he manages to keep himself and the children ahead of it the worst of it. The girl snuggles her face into his chest. The boy watches all the destruction with a furrowed brow that looks almost comical on a face so young.

Zenithral races down the stairway just as the rest of the tower above him loses its integrity. Thankfully, whatever magic has ripped the stones free does not let them fall down to crush the three in their mad scramble.

Zenithral stumbles down the last few stairs and into the hall where he had witnessed Kayleesa and Gelarith's conversation. But no one is here. Sometime in his desperate running and dodging, everything had changed back to the drab conditions he has come to associate with the current timeline.

The web's strange eruption of seems to have been confined to the tower above. This place seems to be stable. Zenithral makes his way across the floor of the great hall, passing heaps of rubble. Is that Orcish writing on the floor?

The sound of something heavy hitting the floor behind him makes Zenithral turn to see Erestor hauling himself to his feet. The elf is covered in dust and scratches, and seems to be favoring one foot. But in spite of his wounds, the assassin's grip on his sword is strong. "I will end the three of you here. Perhaps when all of Ilmadia's spawn are slain she will remember who she really is!"

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+5)

(9) + 5 = 14

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 10:29 pm
Sep 29, 2018 10:29 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
"Or maybe she'll remember who you really are!" Zenithral spits back. He sets the children down and shrugs his bow back off his shoulder, but Erestor, once again, is much faster.
Last edited September 29, 2018 10:31 pm

Rolls

Initiative - (1d20+3)

(5) + 3 = 8

Erestor

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 10:30 pm
Sep 29, 2018 10:30 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Erestor is a blur across the rubble as he rushes Zenithral - who is too slow in putting down the children. He is just barely reaching for an arrow when Erestor's sword rams through his chest. Zenithral feels immediately numb. He slumps as his father rips the sword free... but what is that on Erestor's face? Confusion? White light... Zenithral blinks and straightens as light pours from him into the girl wrapped around his leg.

Girl uses Martyr's Empathy, and takes the damage instead of Zenithral.
[ +- ] Martyr's Empathy
Her eyes flutter closed and she collapses, a wound on her chest oozing inky black blood. Her brother stands nearby, tears streaming down his face. He steps forward and speaks one awful word.

Boy casts Power Word: Kill on Erestor
[ +- ] Power Word: Kill
Erestor falls flat on his back, dead eyes staring up at the ceiling.

The boy crouches next to his sister as she shudders. She is nearly gone.

Rolls

Erestor vs Zen - (1d20+11)

(20) + 11 = 31

Dmg (piercing, poison) - (1d6+14, 7d6)

1d6+14 : (5) + 14 = 19

7d6 : (1243413) = 18

Zen con save DC 15 - (1d20+5)

(14) + 5 = 19

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 11:04 pm
Sep 29, 2018 11:04 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
Zenithral is stunned. It takes him a few moments to realize that he's still alive, and the girl is dying. He looks at the girl, then at his hands, and they burst to light. He falls down to his knees and places them on her wound. (Uses Healing Hands. She regains 11 hit points.)

Araklusta

Sep 29, 2018 11:11 pm
Sep 29, 2018 11:11 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
The healing light closes the wound enough that the girl stops trembling. She sits up, glowing red eyes watery with tears of pain. She looks at Zenithral, then at her brother. The boy drops to his knees, twin trails of dark blood dripping from his nose. After working such a powerful spell, it is a wonder the boy is not dead.

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 29, 2018 11:43 pm
Sep 29, 2018 11:43 pm
Re: The Severed Hand
"Come," Zenithral says, rising and lifting the children to their feet. Though the bleeding from the dagger in his stomach has slowed, he steps slowly, grunting from the effort.

...

Zenithral stumbles as he crosses the bridge with cambion children in tow, holding one of each of their hands. His eyes hard and weary, but soften when he sees the group round the corner. "He's dead." he says simply. Before anyone can ask questions, he looks at Fergy. "Fergy. Show them who you were before you were reincarnated." He looks down at the children "It's alright. We take care of everyone."
Last edited September 29, 2018 11:51 pm

Rolls

Persuasion (Keep children calm and gain their trust further) - (1d20+6)

(15) + 6 = 21

Alalla

gardensun

Sep 30, 2018 12:10 am
Sep 30, 2018 12:10 am
Re: The Severed Hand
"I suppose we do..." Al murmurs, taking in the strange sight. "You can tell us about it at the ship, Zenithral. We all need food and rest."

When everyone has had wounds tended to and the children are clothed in spare shirts and given food, Al approaches Zen once more. "So... want to fill me in?"

Nessa Fergy

yaroto98Inactive forever!

Sep 30, 2018 12:12 am
Sep 30, 2018 12:12 am
Re: The Severed Hand
Fergy casts alter self and changes into her old tiefling self.

"Ummmmm, what now?"

Zenithral

Carcabob

Sep 30, 2018 12:32 am
Sep 30, 2018 12:32 am
Re: The Severed Hand
"That's it." Zenithral replies to Nessa. "Thank you."

...

Later, Zenithral recounts the whole thing to Alalla, including the remnant past, his grandfather's brother, the attack on the city, the blood in the room and on the children, the fight with Erestor, the explosion, the race to escape, the final encounter with Erestor, and the children's display of power.

Alalla

gardensun

Sep 30, 2018 12:47 am
Sep 30, 2018 12:47 am
Re: The Severed Hand
"That's a lot more questions than answers..." Alalla murmurs, running a hand through her hair, her visible eyebrow high. She looks over his shoulder at the cambion children, in part to check on them, but also to avoid her reflection in Zenithral's half plate.

"What- wait," Al hesitates, then continues. "I've been practicing Elvish," she says, transitioning to the lyrical tongue. "What are you going to do with them?" Her pronunciation is off and her words come a little slowly, but she is understandable.
Last edited September 30, 2018 12:48 am
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