H130, Day 234, 4 AP (Hadrian)

[Stix]

Hadrian's hands turn up a multifaceted clear crystal almost an inch across -- more importantly, his eyes are quick enough to spot Lorrip palming at least two small objects and tucking them discreetly into his sleeve.

"Found a big one there, di'n't'cha?" the tiefling comments with a too-wide grin.

[exile]

Hadrian raises the crystal up before his eyes to examine it, lips pursed and brows furled in apparent concentration.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Now lets have a look at the other ones you’ve got there too, hey Lorrip?”

That was all. No accusations. No recriminations. Just a statement of fact. Lorrip had been caught, and Hadrian wanted him to know it. Quietly he prayed the tiefling was bright enough to see an exit from an uncomfortable situation when one was offered. This didn’t have to become a trial by jury just yet, and hopefully the fact that Hadrian still towered above the others would discourage any foolish thinking.

[Stix]

Lorrip's unwholesome smile goes slack as he tumbles to the fact that he's been caught, and he tenses as if to bolt.

Seeing that Hadrian makes no move for him, though, his grin resurfaces as quickly as it vanished. "Arright, cutter, there's no peelin' you...." With a quick flick of his wrist, he produces a scintillating aquamarine sphere and an uncut lump of red-and-black stone.

"Looks like an Ossan pearl an'... well, th' other stuff might be Gehennan bloodstone, but I can't tell."

[exile]

Hadrian scrutinizes each of the proffered gemstones in turn, turning them over and over again in his fingers. “Seems like an odd thing to go to the trouble of sealing up in granite, hey?” he remarks at last. “Won’t do you much good in a battle, unless you plan on buying your way out of it I suppose.”

Hadrian casts a simple divination on the stones on the off chance there was something more mysterious to the stones than the eye could ascertain.

ooc: Detect Magic. I’m also going to add a few rolls to this...

Spot Check (to try to determine if Lorrip used any additional sleight of hand to “reveal” the wrong two objects)
[dice=20+3]
Appraisal (Clear Crystal)
[dice=20+4]
Appraisal (Pearl)
[dice=20+4]
Appraisal (Blood Stone)
[dice=20+4]

[rand=97621098621650215164890819663208233437488361979648094093114903]

[Stix]

(Hadrian's reasonably sure these are the same two objects Lorrip concealed in the first place.)

"Ta hire mercenaries with, is my guess. Tanar'ri don't understand tactics, but most of 'em're canny enough to pay a berk to understand for 'em."

Burgess begins to make a panicked hooting noise, pointing frantically toward a hillock of wreckage.

(Listen check, if you please)

[exile]

Hadrian’s attention is brought about in response to Burgess’ urgent call, and his gaze follows the man’s frantic gesturing. Craning his neck, the Bleaker strives for a glimpse of whatever has thrown the poor basher into such a panic.

Listen:
[dice=20+3][rand=13727164975544836494582830065139399153283749468466094958750870849]

[Stix]

Burgess' yowling drowns out most of the noise, but Hadrian could swear he hears... well, something.

"What? What's there?"

"Quiet!"

"I didn't hear anything!

"That's because --"

Two strange, batlike beasts rise from behind the slope. Where there should be a body of some manner, instead there is only a warped, elongated humanoid head bristling with green, worm-like tentacles on its scalp and chin.

First one, then the other shrieks some impossibly loud and horrifying noise, and both beasts fly frantically toward their startled prey....

(two DC 12 Will saves)

[exile]

(I assume spiritual weapon has worn off by now, but has enlarge person? I'm also guessing this is a surprise round so I don't get to act yet?)

“This’ll have to wait, cutter,” Hadrian remarks, pocketing the stones. Hefting his spear adeptly in two hands, the aasimar squares himself against the enemy.

Will Save
[dice=20+7]
Will Save
[dice=20+7]
Knowledge: The Planes (to identify the creatures, let me know if you want a different roll.)
[dice=20+12]
[rand=30857722420374721021609778429733454391871428028283550057302264737]

[exile]

(If ever there was a will save I didn't want to fail... Bloody Varghouls.)

[Stix]

Hadrian is paralyzed for
[dice=4]+[dice=4] rounds[rand=2138159393850226436400066203805204284081877725160149003354557486026]

[Stix]

Lycenia and Burgess are likewise paralyzed by the fearful cry of the vargouilles. Clay takes up a defensive stance by Lycenia, and Lorrip darts across the broken ground to find cover.

Vargouilles target
1-2: Burgess
3-4: Lycenia
5-6: Hadrian
7: Clay
8: Lorrip
[dice=8][dice=8][rand=8508220473304182521780773530778573759197209426089950621783657606]

[Stix]

Both Vargouilles are attempting to kiss their paralyzed victims.

Burgess
[dice=20+3]
Hadrian
[dice=20+3][rand=41995695659757426419710857657841883680249859914985731425913463196]

[Stix]

The first vargouille approaches Burgess, probing his mouth obscenely with a grotesquely long tongue. The second flies straight for Hadrian, attempting to do the same, but flapping too excitedly. It succeeds only in circling his head.

Clay Initiative
[dice=20+2]

Vargouille Initiative
[dice=20+1][dice=20+1]

Vargouille #1 targets
1-3: Lycenia
4-5: Clay
6: Lorrip

[dice=6][rand=56613393443206285077597847568525988618719672267104970778773298601]

[exile]

(Ooo, chalk up one crit miss to the bad guys. I can't remember, does an attack against a paralyzed target break the fear effect, successful or otherwise?)

[Stix]

(You may roll init for Hadrian and take actions normally in this round.)

Vargouille #2 bite Hadrian
[dice=20]

Clay AoO vs. Vargouille #1
[dice=20]

Vargouille #1 kiss Lycenia
[dice=20+3]

Clay attack vargouille #1
[dice=20+4][rand=4338549904944624084385229852277787707492260296868935323423283505]

[exile]

Abashedly coming back to his senses after a moment's frightened hesitation, Hadrian narrowly steps out of the path of a frenzied lunge by the closer of the aggressive hell-spawned creatures. Summoning his strength for the counter attack, Hadrian utters the syllables of a harrowing invocation and lets loose a barrage of azure hued missiles from his outcast arm.

(OOC: Five foot step out of threatened range; casting Empowered Magic Missile as a level 3 spell: 1 missile is directed against Vargouille #1, 2 missiles are directed against Vargouille #2)

Initiative:
[dice=20+1]

Damage (Against #1)
[dice=4]
X1.5 +1

Damage (Against #2)
[dice=4]
X1.5 +1

[dice=4]
X1.5 +1[rand=020707047446709037867991063549172248071179596002866050963383776445825]

[exile]

Total Damage:
5hp force damage against #1

11hp force damage against #2

[Stix]

Clay Damage
[dice=6+2][rand=902118005785088245957065440570222047891433493616041021274072729486]

[Stix]

Both vargouilles crash to the ground, subdued quickly by Clay's blade and Hadrian's spell.

Burgess stands panicking in place, trembling and wide-eyed, while Lycenia tries in vain to spit out the foul taste of vargouille tongue. Lorrip has yet to come out of hiding, if he's even still around.

[exile]

As the last of his arcane missiles strikes true, sending its target into a final spiraling dive, Hadrian feels the euphoria that has seized his thoughts since the morning light begin to slip from his grasp. He had come to build a paradise, butwhat he had encountered was a wasteland unwilling to be tamed. The Bleaker’s resolve was not broken, but the gravity of the situation dictated that he reassess his plan at the very least.

“I think perhaps discretion in this instance is the better part of valor,” he remarked, voice held level through simple bloody minded will. “Three of our number are fled, and what’s worse, two of the remaining have suffered a vargouille’s kiss. The next few hours are critical, though the proper care, I believe, is beyond my ability. Come, Burgess, Lycenia, if you are not otherwise injured let us get back to the Hive. The Slags will have to wait for another day and better preparation.”

Knowledge (Arcana), DC 20; Check to determine whether Hadrian is aware of a cure or treatment:
[dice=20+12][rand=56463850273614637732025678728531417678577343327867282142602465782]