"Whatever you need to talk, now's the time" the ranger says, with little sympathy for Ragrim.
Then he tries to assest his actual power and inspects the surrounding, looking for clues about how to open the doors.
Dungeoneering (16, 25)

Sureiya can't get much of a read on the aura surrounding the Fell King, except that it is ominous. On the door he has a bit more success, however--the Dragonsworn spell opens the door from the outside, but from the inside, only the Fell King's magic should be able to open the door. However, with repeated and potent application of magical force, it might be possible to override the spell.

Thelkra slides towards Sureiya and whispers, "Listen, if them dragon spirits were poisoning him against reason before... I have a hunch this could be our chance, since they're gone!"

Overriding the Fell King's spell of sealing on the door would be a difficult skill challenge involving ritual-related skills (arcana, religion, nature) other than heal, but dungeoneering could be used. The level on it is quite high though, as the Fell King created the spell you're opposing. You would not however be able to benefit from any rest while undertaking the challenge.

The smaller spirit's healing aura continues to heal wounded allies, except for the shaman for some reason.

Sustain CFTSW, healing everyone up to >>76923

As the group gathers around the spirit and the battle standard to heal up during this respite, Sid points out, "The Fell King commands immense power! Think of all the good that could be done with that!" Nodding, as if satisfied with himself, he adds, "If we could avoid a fight--and we're in no shape for another tussle like that, frankly--perhaps we could work out some arrangement with him, to use that power for a good cause!"

As for the Fell King himself, he still appears confused, as if trying to work out some kind of internal conflict.

Ramuh considers it worth an attempt.

"I believe we have well demonstrated that we are not powerless afore the might of your dragons," Ramuh declares, "and so I would like to inquire once more into your purpose here. If the Draakhorn is to be sounded and invite calamity, why do you choose now to invite conflict?"

pls notice me ragrim-senpai http://orokos.com/roll/299207

The Fell King regards Ramuh with an intense look. "You know very well my motives! My vengeance is... is..." He pauses, and looks upwards, again appearing confused, then says, "It all seems so... petty, now... when--why--Grrah!" He suddenly grips his forehead and leans back slightly while growling, as if in pain.

That's... he's fighting the influence?

Torinn flips back his mask to allow himself to speak more clearly, having his mount slowly, slowly circle around Ragrim.

"Is this really what you want, Ragrim?" he asks. "Would she have wanted this?" he presses, giving that part a moment to sink in. "Who does this conflict help? You? Her? Your daughter? Your clan?" Torinn shakes his head at the last part. "My own clan has been wronged, but I haven't tried to instigate conflict over it out of revenge. And you don't have to either. You're better than that, aren't you, Ragrim?"

Diplomacy: http://orokos.com/roll/299465 27

Halfway around, Torinn spies Nightfall. The sword is an eyesore and feels like it doesn't belong. Cautiously approaching it, the dragonborn steels himself for whatever might happen next and removes the blade from the ground.

Move near Nightfall
Put away sword
Put away shield
Take 10 on strength check to pick up and remove sword

"Ra-grim...?" the Fell King repeats seemingly incredulously, as if Torinn had said something absurd. The dragonborn's words seem to affect him greatly. "Was--Am I...?"

With tremendous effort, Torinn rips the enormous blade out of the ground. As soon as he holds it--awkwardly, it's much too large for him to wield--he can feel that it holds tremendous power, perhaps much of it yet untapped.

Though the immense latent power within the blade commands much of the paladin's attention, the spectacle unfolding before him manages to divert his gaze. The Fell King seems to be falling forward, his body dissolving into the air as he collapses. However, there appears to be a "core" remaining of the body; a medium-sized humanoid creature. As more of the Fell King's armored body disappears, more and more of the orc beneath is revealed--he appears to be wearing nothing above the waist, and has only a topknot of slick black hair contrasting his grayish skin. Below the waist, his legs are mostly concealed by an elaborate furred loincloth, decorated with teeth and bone, that seems to have been made of some predatory animal.

Slowly, the orc begins to pick himself up off the ground, and Thelkra rushes to his side.

"Ragrim Dragonsworn, also called the Fell King" Sureiya explains.
"You are tyrant who is accused of plotting war, deceiving their people and hurting many. Right now, there's a battle between your forces against ours. If you're ready to accept your defeat, we'll need you to stop your troops."

Insight for Ragrim's condition (13): http://orokos.com/roll/299529

Thelkra seems a little alarmed at the accusations Sureiya is making, but Ragrim waves a hand, as if to forestall any objections she might have. "I am not that far gone, ranger. I remember now."

The rogue turns back to the orc shaman. "Father..." she says softly. "It's over now. The spirits can't control you any longer, so I'm sure--"

Again, Ragrim holds his hand, palm out, and Thelkra stops mid-sentence. Ragrim does not look into his daughters eyes, instead turning a grim, determined gaze forward as he says, "The spirits of Abeir influenced me and clouded my judgment, yet only one individual can be held accountable for my deeds, and that is me. They could distort my senses, steer me away from second thoughts, but they could not control my body or my words. Those decisions are ones I must be held responsible for."

Thelkra seems dumbstruck at these words, and only shakes her head softly, but Ragrim only turns to face her, "It is we mortals who have the power to show kindness beyond that of angels, or commit sins to put demons to shame. There can be no scapegoat for our actions--spirits, gods, or otherwise. I called those spirits, and they preyed upon my feelings of despair, hatred, and vengeance... but they were still my feelings. And so when I fell, it was my own weakness that was the cause."

Turning back to Sureiya, Ragrim nods curtly, then says, "I will do my part to put an end to the hostilities. Afterward, I will submit to whatever judgement you and yours will render unto me. The rune that opens the door is upon the throne--there's also a command word--as well as communication spells that allow me to coordinate with my shadar-kai subordinates."

"Our job here was to stop you, nothing else. Still... I find it unfair we had both to clash our swords and kill so many to get here, yet you get to live" Sureiya continues, showing anger and regret.

Then he turns to Thelkra, wearing a serious expression "If you wish to spend some time with your father, this is your only chance. We've got a war to stop, and I doubt Kraag and the rest will show him any kindness."

Last edited at 15/06/10(Wed)14:54:21

"An unsightly farce. Your defeat would be far more satisfying were your intentions genuine."

Myn is more or less satisfied by his pitiable state and likely execution, however.

>>76933
The shaman looks super tired, but tries voicing her concerns. "Facing judgment sounds very noble, Mr. Ragrim, but there are other worries. People from our lands are after your power, and may very well kill you to achieve their possibly not so noble goals. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

The shaman faces the party here. "If Mr. Ragrim's power cannot be passed on, I would like to suggest that he escape instead, and make amends some other way. If he lives, he would be our best countermeasure against any leyline-hungry villains, whether he can remain in control or not, though it would be best if he could. If he starts doing something bad, I promise to help hunt him down again."

Ragrim insight for a purpose I can't remember. (35) http://orokos.com/roll/299743

Last edited at 15/06/10(Wed)21:06:41

Bernkastel: Ragrim's mental state can be best described as someone having a veil taken from their eyes--as if they weren't able to see the whole picture until now. Something was clouding his "vision", as it were, and now it lifted, and his new perspective has changed his approach towards matters. There is, however, no small amount of disorientation and confusion within him, however, like how a blind person may not be able to comprehend "sight" until they are accustomed to seeing.

Ragrim regards the shaman, and appears to be formulating a response, the door leading to the outside of the throne chamber opens, revealing two humanoid figures standing directly on the other side.

One is very familiar, as you saw warlord Kraag fairly recently. The other is also familiar, but perhaps quite unexpected--Grand Duke Prestor. Prestor is clapping at a steady pace, as if in applause, as the two stride inside. Behind them, you can see a small collection of armored humanoid figures--four in your immediate field of vision, though they appear to have strange, fiendish features which suggests possible diabolic origins.

"A splendid performance all around, would you not agree, Kraag?" the duke says, indicating the orc warlord beside him.

A grinning Kraag replies to Prestor in a tone that suggests the two know each other well, "Oh, I dunno. These shamans love their melodrama--a bit too heavy on the theatrics if you ask me!" On the last word, the door closes behind him, after the exact same interval that it remained open when the party originally entered. The armored humanoids appear to have remained behind--they appeared to have orange skin and two black horns emerging from their heads, and were clad head-to-toe in black plate armor, with large black shields and longswords to complete their armament. They also had slender tails that gave them an especially fiendish look.

Sid and Thelkra are thoroughly shocked by the appearance of these two individuals, and Ragrim regards the duo with narrowed eyes. "Th-the Grand Duke and... what the hell's goin' on?" Thelkra manages to stammer.

"Why, I was hoping you could regale me with tales of your stunning success," the duke replies with no small amount of condescension.

>>76938
"To put it bluntly, I think it's him," declares the shaman, gesturing to the duke.

Anon says roll insight to determine intentions for the duke and Kraag. (24, 29) http://orokos.com/roll/299772

"I wonder whatever you could mean," the duke replies mockingly, moving forward slowly yet purposefully.

"Harnessing the strength of the leylines took me more than a half-century of trail-and-error," Ragrim says steadily in response to the shaman, but keeps his gaze fixed upon the duke. "It's not something that can just be taught, or stolen."

Bernkastel: From the duke, you can't get even a hint of a clear sense of him. It's as if he's well beyond your capability to read--a literal brick wall. Kraag, however, is easier to read, he is quite amused and pleased with himself, and supremely confident. There's also an undercurrent of threat, as if he's just waiting for a fight, or a reason to pick one. Yet, he doesn't seem inclined to start one on his own, he's waiting for something.

The ranger regards Kraag and the Duke with skepticism, but attempts to remain polite.
"Duke, we weren't expecting to find you here. It pleases me you were certain of our victory, but it wasn't needed."

Then, he address to Kraag, who had been a pain lately "However, if you worked for the Duke, why wouldn't you tell us before? Why you had to keep it a secret?"

"It's quite strange that you'd need to hire assassins when you can arrive here so easily unscathed, Mister Prestor. Surely you could have spirited a squadron or two here to slay Mister Ragrim without much trouble."

A strong opponent of condensation, Myn begins to weigh his odds of survival if he were to magic the duke's face.

Torinn lets his mount grab the sword in its jaws, having no use for it himself. He then inserts himself between the Duke and Ragrim.

"I have to insist that you stay back," the cavalier says carefully, "for your own safety." He's still trying to process what's going on.

Let Rutger take the sword
move to Q-R/15-16
get ready to draw weapon and shield
diplomacy: http://orokos.com/roll/299918 (17)

Last edited at 15/06/11(Thu)12:23:57

Ramuh, who had been deep in thought, interposes himself now between Fell King and Duke Prestor, wary.

"A shocking turn of events... What of the two who'd guarded our backs?" the elder inquires, his grip on his staff firm and resolute. "I did not think we were at a point where it was safe to waltz right into the keep," he adds.

Move to one north of banner of healing.

When Torinn rides Rutger and interposes himself and his large mount between Ragrim and the Grand Duke, Prestor pauses, and Kraag moves up beside him, drawing his large weapon. However, Prestor remains on point, and Kraag does not move to attack. "Oh those guys? We were drivin' the enemy back, and Halvangh, along with Elayne and Cragmaul, took off to draw away the fliers, while I guarded the door. Up until Prestor showed up." Turning to face Sureiya, he adds, "Like I said back then, Prestor's my boss, so I wasn't gonna talk about it without consultin' him first."

Instead, the duke replies in a theatrical tone that is notably lacking the same smug condescension it contained before, "There is no need to fret. I am not interested in the orc." He turns his head to look back at Myn, and adds, "And I should remind you that I never sent you and yours to assassinate the Fell King. In fact, learning that you had taken it upon yourselves to confront him was a surprise to me as well--though not an unwelcome one. Indeed, the last time we spoke, I was under the impression you were merely going to suppress the leyline and weaken our adversary. As for Kraag, he has long served as my agent in Many-Arrows, keeping me informed on the political situation in that region. You might understand why I did not wish for our association to be advertised openly."

At this point, the duke turns his gaze back north, first towards the leyline convergence that is the most impressive spectacle in the room, then to the ground where the remains of the two twisted fell dragons you battled shortly after negotiations with the Fell King originally broke down. There isn't much left, to be honest, most of their bodies were broken into small pieces when they ripped apart the storms of elemental energy that preceded their reappearance as spirits that fought alongside the Fell King, but there is a little bit left. "Ever since you adventurers brought back information on the transformation the fell dragon you fought in the Troll Hills underwent... well, I've been intrigued."

Turning back to face Torinn, Ragrim, and Thelkra, duke Prestor grins, and adds, "And somehow, this 'Fell King' has discovered how to infuse ordinary beings, such as fell dragons, with powerful elemental energies, transforming them into creatures not unlike the so-called 'catastrophic dragons'. Such a feat could tip more than one balance of power, if applied judiciously."

>>76945
"I see, Mr. Prestor. Do you have a dragon willing to suffer the side effects? Mr. Ragrim did say the process turned the dragons really dumb."

Prestor turns to face the shaman, and again takes on a condescending tone as he explains, "Of course, the process could use some refinement. But then, the value of shock troops in the form of dragons to one who had dragons under his command... dragons that would normally be capricious and self-serving, transformed into lesser, more easily controlled beasts, cannot be understated."

Prestor and Kraag begin to move to the left, around Torinn and Ramuh, heading not towards Ragrim Dragonsworn, but towards the remains of the fell dragons. When Prestor moves within about fifteen feet of Ragrim, the orc shaman stiffens, then says, "Be wary. That is no eladrin--that man is a dragon."

"A dragon?" Sureiya repeats, rather confused.
"Is that really the Duke Prestor?"

Myn, who has killed more dragons than eladrin at this point, views the odds more favorably.

"I don't suppose you have some capricious and self-serving relatives you intend to quell with this method, then."

Last edited at 15/06/11(Thu)20:20:00

>>76947
Him too? Why are there so many dragons? "I guess you're the dragon embezzling Baldur's Gate's resources? ...Does it count if you're in charge of how to spend them anyway?"

"You must show some respect," Prestor protests, waving a finger as he and Kraag continue to move northward, finally coming to a stop between the two sets of dragon remains. "I am not merely 'a dragon'. I am Daragoth the Desolator, the Scourge of Abeir."

Thelkra gasps. "Yer that dragon Valanor's huntin'!"

Spend healing surges to recall Owlbear and recharge healing infusion as per OOC post.
Recover Bridge of Shades and Shared Agony.
Minor action: Activate Skald's aura.
Move action: Move southeast one square.

It's not a matter of whether or not Torinn is upset by this turn of events.

It's a matter of just how upset he is.

"Before we get to that, then," he asks conversationally of the Duke, "could you do something first?"

history check: http://orokos.com/roll/300179 (15)
take mini-rest to recover powers
diplomacy check to get Duke's attention: http://orokos.com/roll/300180 (34)

>>76951
Ignored. That's not nice. "I've never heard of a Mr. Daragoth. Anyone else?"

>>76954
Making the educated guess that the paladin is probably going to hit someone soon, the smaller spirit positions itself near the to-be enemies while the shaman takes a few bites out of Sureiya's healing fruit.

SC near duke and Kraag, but only moving directly adjacent when it looks like combat is imminent. If both isn't possible, just next to the duke.
Shaman eats fruit, and moves four squares east and one square north. Last move action used to move just the spirit.

Deathwing history (19) http://orokos.com/roll/300364

Last edited at 15/06/12(Fri)13:55:03

History check:http://orokos.com/roll/300365

"It seems your judgment will begin sonner than expected, Ragrim" Surriya says, carefully preparing for another bloodshed.
Heal according to keikaku.
Recover disruptive strike.

History: All three of you know basically the same information. None of you have heard of Daragoth the Desolator in particular, except for when Thelkra mentioned him a while ago. However, you have heard of the general political makeup of Returned Abeir. Abeir itself is a land ravaged by war between mortals, primordials, and powerful creatures such as dragons. Returned Abeir in particular is a landmass transplanted from Abeir to Toril, and is largely ruled by dragons, who constantly fight amongst themselves for power and influence. They rule over a large population of primarily fey humanoids and humans, which occasionally are able to rise up and overthrow the dragons and take control of isolated regions.

The duke turns to face the boisterous dragonborn, and fixes his gaze on Torinn, despite the appearance of the owlbear and the approach of the spirit. "Unlikely."

Torinn trails behind them, smiling slightly. "Oh come now, it's actually very simple!" he explains, moving around to the throne. "All you really have to do is-"

The cat crosses the distance before the Duke can blink, suddenly in his face. Both Torinn and the big cat stop inches from him, reared back and winding up their strikes. Torinn using his blade, Rutger using Nightfall. He lets the momentum build as much as it can, before they both swing.

"GET! FUCKED!" he howls at the Duke as he unleashes his furious attacks.

move to G/H-14/15
Charge Duke Prestor w/ Holy Smite and end at G/H-12/13 (http://orokos.com/roll/300438 http://orokos.com/roll/300439 crit for 35 damage and dazed)
spend action point to attack with Nightfall http://orokos.com/roll/300445 (21, 14 I think)

Torinn bounds to the side on his big cat before hurling himself directly at the grand duke. He manages to drive his blade directly into the humanoid standing before him--which causes him to wince slightly. "Hmf," he mutters, taking Torinn's sword in his hand and shoving it backwards. Rutger swings the giant sword at the duke with his mouth as well, but the swipe goes wild and doesn't really come close to connecting.

Though the dragonborn's blade was infused with holy energy which did seem to daze the grand duke, and he struck a critical blow, piercing him completely through, the dragon-eladrin seems to regard the attack as a minor annoyance. "If this is what you wish..."

Thelkra appears taken aback, and begins shaking her head nervously while drawing her body back, "N-no! We can't fight him, not like this! Daragoth's way out of our league!"

Prestor raises both hands into the air and gathers flaming energy into each, then throws them down at the ground. The fire bursts into a rolling wave of flame that crashes against Torinn, his mount, and the owlbear. The paladin feels the heat scorch his armor, and it warps slightly and begins to slip off his shoulders, leaving him more vulnerable.

"...you will burn." Prestor says simply, his mouth twisting into a wicked grin.

"We've gotta bail! Valanor told me, never fight this guy head-on! He's an elder red dragon!" Thelkra yells in desperation.

The duke regards Thelkra with scorn. "I thought I told you not to refer to me as 'a dragon'."

Torinn's charging melee basic attack hits Prestor in the suprise round for 26 damage plus 9 radiant damage, and Prestor is dazed until the end of Torinn's next turn.
Torinn spends an action point! (Normally I don't think you can do this in a surprise round but I'll allow it this one time). Rutger attacks with nightfall but misses.
Prestor's instinctive desolation triggers, allowing him to use flames of desolation as a free action. Attacking in a close burst 3, he hits the Fortitude of Torinn, Rutger, and Myn's owlbear for 20 fire damage, and they all take a -4 penalty to all defenses until the end of Prestor's next turn. Rutger reduces the damage to 10. Rutger takes full damage from the attack because of destructive flames allowing Prestor's fire attacks to ignore up to 10 points of resistance.

Initiative
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Desolation): 36
Sureiya (Anonkun): 30
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Desolation): 26
Thelkra (NPC Ally): 23
Myn Nthelsyr (George): 23
Ramuh (Lili): 22
Bernkastel (Voyager): 18
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): 20
Sid Silversprocket (Ally): 15

Players and Allies
Myn Nthelsyr (George): (Q-12) 70/70 HP, darkspiral aura 4, resist 5 fire
Book Imp (Myn): (In Myn's Space) Passive Mode
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): (Mounted) 62/82 HP, resist 5 necrotic, -4 to all defenses
Rutger (Torinn's Mount): (G/H-12/13) 21/41 HP, resist 5 all when mounted/10 vs close/area attacks, -4 to all defenses
Sureiya (Anonkun): (O-11) 75/75, resist 2 all when bloodied
"Bernkastel" (Voyager): (R-15) 63/68 HP, resist 2 thunder/fire/cold
Ramuh (Lili): (O-15) 67/67 HP, resist 5 lightning/thunder
Sid Silversprocket (NPC Ally): (Q-10) 77/77 HP, resist 5 lightning
Spirit Companion (Voyager): (I-10, Elevation 1)
Elemental Spirit (Voyager): (Not Present)
Apsaumbas (Myn's Owlbear): (I-12) 15/35 HP (Bloodied), -4 to all defenses
Thelkra Dragonsworn (NPC Ally): (K-16) 68/68 HP
Ragrim Dragonsworn (???): (M-15)

Enemies
Unstable Leyline Convergence (Hazard): (???)
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): (H-11) -35 HP, dazed
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): (J-9)

Notes
Knowledge for the Grand Duke is arcana or nature. Kraag is nature.

>>76962
That seems reasonable. "Elder red sounds bad. Mr. Ragrim, now would be a good time to open the door; we'll have to take our chances with the guards outside."

Nature for Deathwing (23) and Kraag (25). http://orokos.com/roll/300476
>Kraag is level 15 soldier, Prestor is level 18 controller
>kraag is elite, prestor is solo

Last edited at 15/06/12(Fri)21:05:34

Bernkastel: Kraag "Bloodspire" Dragonsworn is an elite warrior trained in the use of a fullblade while mounted. Though his fighting style lends itself towards mounted combat, he is perfectly capable of fighting when not mounted as well, and is mighty in comparison to your current party as a level 15 elite soldier. He has no particular resistances or vulnerabilities. In addition to his fullblade, he also seems to have a spiked chain strapped to his leather armor, that he can use to wrap enemies up and pull them in close, binding them while he slices them up.

Grand Duke Daval Prestor is the shapeshifted form of Daragoth the Desolator, an elder red dragon. In this form, he tends to use strong fire magic with large area of effect, as well as igniting enemies with exceedingly powerful burning flames (he is a level 18 solo controller). He is very resistant to fire damage. At both close range and from afar, Prestor will unleash a relentless barrage of fire spells.

"Make haste! We'll keep em busy!" Sureiya says, focusing on Kraag, slowing him down so he can't stop Ragrim.
Begin the Hunt against Kraag, I get useless +2 init, Kraag is quarried and I get +2 power bonus to attack against him.
Ranged twin strike! (two hits for 14 and 14) and Kraag gets slowed. http://orokos.com/roll/300681
Move to O-13
Perception check (26) http://orokos.com/roll/300688

The Grand Duke looks over to Kraag. "Punish the half-orc. Not the one that struck you, the other one. She's insulting me verbally... I'll take care of the one that's insulting me physically," he instructs in a monotone voice.

Sureiya quickly focuses on the battle unfolding before him, overcoming his initial surprise and singling out the enemy orc. He hurls his blade twice at Kraag even as he begins to charge forward, and thanks to the sword slicing into his shoulders, the orc stumbles and doesn't get as far as he would've liked. Prestor, heedless of the paladin's blade which slashes inches from his face, makes a series of arcane gestures, which end with Torinn being completely engulfed by an immolating flame. The fire does not disappear, and continues to follow the paladin as he reels backwards slightly, though the dragonborn manages to remain composed even in the face of the fiery onslaught.

When Kraag gets as far as he can, he takes his fullblade in one hand and draws a long, spiked chain in the other. Ragrim's face twists in intense concentration as Kraag whips chain around his wrist several times, then lashes out towards Thelkra with it. The spikes on the chain embed themselves in orcish flesh and with a tug, Kraag pulls his victim in and stabs forward with his fullblade.

Sureiya sets his quarry with begin the hunt, gaining a bonus to attack as well.
Sureiya uses twin strike as a ranged attack, hitting Kraag twice for 14 damage and 14 damage, and Kraag is slowed until the end of Kraag's next turn. Sureiya moves and uses perception. He doesn't see anything he hasn't seen before.
Grand Duke Prestor provokes an opportunity attack from Torinn, attacking him with a ranged attack, immolate foe, which hits for 21 fire damage and ongoing 20 fire damage (save ends). Torinn's opportunity attack hits duke Prestor for 12 damage. http://orokos.com/roll/300695
Kraag moves and uses holmgang on Thelkra.

Initiative
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Desolation): 36
Sureiya (Anonkun): 32
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): 26
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): 24
Thelkra (NPC Ally): 23
Myn Nthelsyr (George): 23
Ramuh (Lili): 22
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): 20
Bernkastel (Voyager): 18
Sid Silversprocket (Ally): 15

Players and Allies
Myn Nthelsyr (George): (Q-12) 70/70 HP, darkspiral aura 4, resist 5 fire
Book Imp (Myn): (In Myn's Space) Passive Mode
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): (Mounted) 41/82 HP (Bloodied), resist 5 necrotic, -4 to all defenses, ongoing 20 fire damage (save ends)
Rutger (Torinn's Mount): (G/H-12/13) 21/41 HP, resist 5 all when mounted/10 vs close/area attacks, -4 to all defenses
Sureiya (Anonkun): (O-13) 75/75, resist 2 all when bloodied
"Bernkastel" (Voyager): (R-15) 63/68 HP, resist 2 thunder/fire/cold
Ramuh (Lili): (O-15) 67/67 HP, resist 5 lightning/thunder
Sid Silversprocket (NPC Ally): (Q-10) 77/77 HP, resist 5 lightning
Spirit Companion (Voyager): (I-10, Elevation 1)
Elemental Spirit (Voyager): (Not Present)
Apsaumbas (Myn's Owlbear): (I-12) 15/35 HP (Bloodied), -4 to all defenses
Thelkra Dragonsworn (NPC Ally): (K-16) 68/68 HP
Ragrim Dragonsworn (???): (M-15) -17 HP

Enemies
Unstable Leyline Convergence (Hazard): (???)
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): (H-11) -47 HP, dazed
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): (J-9) -28 HP, slowed

Notes
Knowledge for the Grand Duke is arcana or nature. Kraag is nature.

Thelkra winces as the blade stabs clean through Ragrim, drawing orc blood as he pulls it out. Locked into a vicious melee with Kraag, Ragrim grasps the orc's wrist with a hand that isn't pinned to his side by the spiked chain, and yells, "Thelkra! You and your allies get out of here, now! I will hold them off!"

"Fath--Ragrim! I can't leave you behind!" Thelkra screams in protest.

"Ragrim Dragonsworn is dead. Only the Fell King remains!" the orc shaman yells back. "And there can be no forgiveness for what I have done. It is better this way. Just promise me you'll fight them to the last--now go!"

Ragrim Dragonsworn interposes himself between Thelkra and Kraag, taking the hit instead. Kraag pulls Ragrim into an ajdacent square, and Ragrim is restrained (escape DC 30) as long as the two remain adjacent, and Kraag becomes immune to forced movement via a push, pull, or slide until Ragrim is no longer restrained. Kraag crits Ragrim with his fullblade for 32 damage.

Thelkra turns, her vision blurred slightly by tears, and looks towards the door. "We couldn't escape if we--"

"I will handle it!" Ragrim says, elemental energies wrapping around him. The leyline pulsates in rhythm to Ragrim's struggles, and his form begins to dissolve, dissipating into a stream of energy that heads for the throne sitting beneath the leyling convergence.

Ragrim Dragonsworn calls upon the leyline and transforms back into the Fell King.

Initiative
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Desolation): 36
Sureiya (Anonkun): 32
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Enemy): 26
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): 24
Ragrim Dragonsworn (???): 23+1 (Delayed)
Thelkra (NPC Ally): 23
Myn Nthelsyr (George): 23
Ramuh (Lili): 22
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): 20
Bernkastel (Voyager): 18
Sid Silversprocket (Ally): 15

Players and Allies
Myn Nthelsyr (George): (Q-12) 70/70 HP, darkspiral aura 4, resist 5 fire
Book Imp (Myn): (In Myn's Space) Passive Mode
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): (Mounted) 41/82 HP (Bloodied), resist 5 necrotic, -4 to all defenses, ongoing 20 fire damage (save ends)
Rutger (Torinn's Mount): (G/H-12/13) 21/41 HP, resist 5 all when mounted/10 vs close/area attacks, -4 to all defenses
Sureiya (Anonkun): (O-13) 75/75, resist 2 all when bloodied
"Bernkastel" (Voyager): (R-15) 63/68 HP, resist 2 thunder/fire/cold
Ramuh (Lili): (O-15) 67/67 HP, resist 5 lightning/thunder
Sid Silversprocket (NPC Ally): (Q-10) 77/77 HP, resist 5 lightning
Spirit Companion (Voyager): (I-10, Elevation 1)
Elemental Spirit (Voyager): (Not Present)
Apsaumbas (Myn's Owlbear): (I-12) 15/35 HP (Bloodied), -4 to all defenses
Thelkra Dragonsworn (NPC Ally): (K-16) 68/68 HP
Ragrim Dragonsworn (???): (L-12) -32 HP, restrained (escape DC 30)

Enemies
Unstable Leyline Convergence (Hazard): (???)
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): (H-11) -47 HP, dazed
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): (J-9) -28 HP, slowed

Notes
Knowledge for the Grand Duke is arcana or nature. Kraag is nature.

When Ragrim finishes his transformation, he standing in front of his throne. With a wave of his hand, he activates a rune on the throne, and the door blocking egress from the tower slides open.

Outside, Elayne, Halvangh, and Thalwynn are standing over a group of fallen devil-like creatures--the same armored ones you saw before. Elayne seemed to have been in the middle of casting something, perhaps trying to open the door, and Thalwynn yells inside, "Wut tha hell? Ah dunno wut'n tha name o' Moradin's goin' on 'ere, but we've worn out our welcome!" Pointing backwards, she yells, [color=brown]"Tha shadar-kai armies 're routed and headin' back this way! And 'f tha weren't enuff, thar seem ta be devils 'n tha keep! We gotta get outta 'ere, now!"[/b][/brown]

Suddenly, the entire tower begins to shake, and energy wraps itself around both of Ragrim's hands as he holds them back, towards the leyline convergence. He fixes a determined gaze forward, and both Prestor and Kraag turn to face the Fell King. "Interesting... very well," the grand duke says, grinning wickedly. "Let us see just what you and that leyline is capable of, first-hand."

Thelkra bolts towards the door, and Sid looks ready to tear off after her.

The Fell King teleports to his throne as part of the transformation. He activates the door. Thelkra runs her speed towards the door.

Initiative
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Desolation): 36
Sureiya (Anonkun): 32
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): 26
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): 24
Ragrim Dragonsworn (???): 23+1 (Delayed)
Thelkra (NPC Ally): 23
Myn Nthelsyr (George): 23
Ramuh (Lili): 22
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): 20
Bernkastel (Voyager): 18
Sid Silversprocket (Ally): 15

Players and Allies
Myn Nthelsyr (George): (Q-12) 70/70 HP, darkspiral aura 4, resist 5 fire
Book Imp (Myn): (In Myn's Space) Passive Mode
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): (Mounted) 41/82 HP (Bloodied), resist 5 necrotic, -4 to all defenses, ongoing 20 fire damage (save ends)
Rutger (Torinn's Mount): (G/H-12/13) 21/41 HP, resist 5 all when mounted/10 vs close/area attacks, -4 to all defenses
Sureiya (Anonkun): (O-13) 75/75, resist 2 all when bloodied
"Bernkastel" (Voyager): (R-15) 63/68 HP, resist 2 thunder/fire/cold
Ramuh (Lili): (O-15) 67/67 HP, resist 5 lightning/thunder
Sid Silversprocket (NPC Ally): (Q-10) 77/77 HP, resist 5 lightning
Spirit Companion (Voyager): (I-10, Elevation 1)
Elemental Spirit (Voyager): (Not Present)
Apsaumbas (Myn's Owlbear): (I-12) 15/35 HP (Bloodied), -4 to all defenses
Thelkra Dragonsworn (NPC Ally): (AA-15) 68/68 HP
The Fell King (???): (D/F-13/15) -32 HP

Enemies
Unstable Leyline Convergence (Hazard): (???)
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): (H-11) -47 HP, dazed
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): (J-9) -28 HP, slowed

Notes
Knowledge for the Grand Duke is arcana or nature. Kraag is nature.

"Acceptable."

"There's no time to argue. We need to evacuate before Mister Ragrim's sacrifice is made for naught."

Myn moves to leave, beckoning the owlbear with a wave but dropping his imp on the floor as he goes.

Minor action: Imp to active mode
Minor action: Curse Kraag.
Move action: Run to Y-15, Owlbear to N-11.

As the warlock calls upon a very unhappy imp and seemingly indifferent owlbear to block the way and distract his foes while he escapes, the entire tower begins to shudder. There are loud crackling sounds, and the floor begins to rumble slightly. Kraag appears distraught at this turn of events, and whirls to face the Fell King, "You'll kill us all, you fool!" He readies his sword, and the duke simply keeps smirking, though he winces, and grabs at the spot where Torinn stabbed him earlier.

Myn curses Kraag and sets his imp to active mode. Myn runs, and his owlbear moves. Torinn takes ongoing 20 fire damage, ignoring 10 resistance.

Initiative
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Instinctive Desolation): 36
Sureiya (Anonkun): 32
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): 26
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): 24
Ragrim Dragonsworn (???): 23+1 (Delayed)
Thelkra (NPC Ally): 23
Myn Nthelsyr (George): 23
Ramuh (Lili): 22
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): 20
Bernkastel (Voyager): 18
Sid Silversprocket (Ally): 15

Players and Allies
Myn Nthelsyr (George): (Y-15) 70/70 HP, darkspiral aura 4, resist 5 fire
Book Imp (Myn): (Q-12) Active Mode
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): (Mounted) 21/82 HP (Bloodied), resist 5 necrotic, -4 to all defenses, ongoing 20 fire damage (save ends)
Rutger (Torinn's Mount): (G/H-12/13) 21/41 HP, resist 5 all when mounted/10 vs close/area attacks, -4 to all defenses
Sureiya (Anonkun): (O-13) 75/75, resist 2 all when bloodied
"Bernkastel" (Voyager): (R-15) 63/68 HP, resist 2 thunder/fire/cold
Ramuh (Lili): (O-15) 67/67 HP, resist 5 lightning/thunder
Sid Silversprocket (NPC Ally): (Q-10) 77/77 HP, resist 5 lightning
Spirit Companion (Voyager): (I-10, Elevation 1)
Elemental Spirit (Voyager): (Not Present)
Apsaumbas (Myn's Owlbear): (N-11) 15/35 HP (Bloodied), -4 to all defenses
Thelkra Dragonsworn (NPC Ally): (AA-15) 68/68 HP
The Fell King (???): (D/F-13/15) -32 HP

Enemies
Unstable Leyline Convergence (Hazard): (???)
Grand Duke Daval Prestor (Enemy): (H-11) -47 HP, dazed
Kraag Dragonsworn (Enemy): (L-11) -28 HP, slowed, cursed (Myn)

Notes
Knowledge for the Grand Duke is arcana or nature. Kraag is nature.

Ramuh quits the battle.

Double move run out, towards safety!

"Do what you must, but you cannot throw your life away here! Not against some lizard. You promised to submit to our judgment, and we will hold you to that even if I have to drag you out of here myself!"

Wait for Ragrim to respond

Last edited at 15/06/15(Mon)16:42:39

>>76971
"That is not going to work, Mr. Ragrim. The leyline isn't going anywhere, and just look at Mr. Daragoth's face. He will take what he wants here regardless of what you do. You will be far more helpful to us alive, so come with us, instead. We can have Mr. Halvangh carry away Ms. Thelkra."

Last edited at 15/06/15(Mon)16:44:11

"I will not surrender the leyline to this creature--not without a fight," the Fell King growls, straining under the enormous elemental magic he is channeling. "Please. I know this is not sufficient payment for my crimes, but there is no time. You adventurers and my daughter all stand a better chance of escaping if this bastard is dealt with."

Turning his palms forward, the former Ragrim seems to strengthen, and the elemental energy begins to flow through and into him. As he grows in power, Prestor looks towards Torinn and replies, "Lizard? You're not getting out of here alive, bastard son of Bahamut."

"RRAAARGH!" Ragrim screams, hurling an enormous blast of fire and lightning down upon Prestor. Torinn is forced to recoil slightly at the intensity of the blast, but it does not harm him. Prestor appears reluctant to turn back towards Ragrim, raising his arms defensively in order to weather the onslaught, and for a brief moment he stumbles, seeming to favor the wound inflicted upon him by the dragonborn, but he emerges relatively unscathed.

At this point the power Ragrim is using is taking an enormous toll on both the tower and the Fell King himself. The enormous orc falls to one knee, and yells, "GO!"

Torinn snarls at Daragoth, making a well-known gesture of insult towards dragons that roughly translates as 'frog with scales'. He is, however, forced to acknowledge the reality of the situation. Namely that Daragoth getting the leyline would be Bad. "This isn't the last time we'll see eachother, I promise you that," he says to the Fell King, and nods at him, "Godspeed."

As a final insult, Torinn breathes lightning at the dragon. So that he is branded by him, if only briefly, with yet another stinging reminder. The fires surrounding him extinguish as he slips away, running out of the tower.


gesture infuriatingly at the dragon guy
dragon breath on dragon guy to sanction (http://orokos.com/roll/301319 (31, 4)
double run to AC/AD-15/16
save against ongoing: http://orokos.com/roll/301312 (15)

Last edited at 15/06/15(Mon)19:55:10

"Tell my daughter that I am sorry..." the Fell King gasps, beginning to pull himself up. Torinn's lightning breath seems to especially irritate the duke, as the electric energy actually seems to connect and cause some damage. Prestor clenches his teeth and begins to raise his hand in Torinn's direction, a look of fury upon his face.

Sid flees as fast as his gnome legs carry him, tossing a healing canister towards Torinn as he does so. "I wish it weren't so, but I know a lost cause when I see one!"

The entire tower is shaking down to its foundations at this point, and even the bridge seems to be starting to crumble. Thalwynn, Elayne, and Halvangh all look on nervously, and Thalwynn yells, "Ah still have no idea wut's goin' on, but we gotta hurry, move, move!"

Torinn's dragon breath hits Prestor for 4 lightning damage, and the duke is subject to his sanction until the end of Torinn's next turn. Torinn double-runs and saves, making a rude gesture in the process.
Sid double-runs and uses curative admixture on Torinn. Torinn regains 27 hit points.

>>76977
"This is a big mistake, Mr. Ragrim!"

Still, the shaman really has to consider her own party's safety first. While she escapes, the smaller spirit moves next to Ragrim, infusing him, and then reappears to overlook the proceedings.

Move action: Run to Y-14. SC to G-12.
Standard action: Spirit Infusion for Ragrim.
Minor action: Call SC to V-14, elevation 1.

Last edited at 15/06/15(Mon)20:43:28

As the shaman flees, she infuses her spirit into the Fell King. So directed, he swings an elementally-charged fist down upon the much smaller humanoid--the blow connects with a Prestor's open palm, who is forced again to turn away from Torinn. He doesn't look happy about having to keep dealing with the Fell King, and the blow itself doesn't appear to have done much damage, but it did cause the ground around Prestor to compress slightly.

A wave of flame erupts from Prestor, partially engulfing the Fell King in its fiery desolation--but in the process, he is seared by divine energy as a result of the dragonborn's sanction. Moreover, the Fell King seems to have been only half-affected by the desolating flames, and he strides forward out of them, ready to confront Prestor head-on. The grand duke snarls and glances briefly in Torinn's direction. It appears all of the party has escaped except for Sureiya.

"Hmpt. He looks strong, better watch out."
The ranger also attempts to join Prestor's bullying, hurling his sword at the second the mean dragon use his flames against Ragrim. Sureiya however finds himself rather outclassed and runs as well.
Disruptive miss http://orokos.com/roll/301329
Double run to outside.

Sureiya's hurled blade does not connect with its target, the duke merely shrugs it aside. Prestor is blasting Ragrim with an enormous, rolling wave of flame even as the door slams shut behind the ranger. As soon as it connects with the floor, the door splits down the middle, damaging the arcane circle on the door--it would appear the activation rune is now damaged.

The bridge is cracking and breaking even as the now rather large group runs south towards the keep, before the entire section of bridge in front of you collapses entirely, cutting off entry to the keep--unless you can manage a eighteen foot horizontal jump.

"Moradin's beard!"[/brown] Thalwynn cries out, coming to a screeching halt only a half-meter from the jagged edge of the bridge. She whirls to Halvangh, [color=brown]"How many o' us can ye fly outta here?!"

The silver dragon looks very worried as he considers briefly. "Well... two of you could ride, and I could probably manage to carry two more in my claws at the same time. Any more than that would be too taxing to fly..."

"Damnation! Maybe you can fly some of us out, then come back...? Thelkra suggests, even there is a enormous cracking sound in the tower that only shortly precedes a large portion of it breaking away and falling to the ground below.

Passive Perception DC 21: Even amongst the sounds of the keep and bridge collapsing around you, you can hear what sounds like heavy wings beating in the distance. Taking a moment, you can make out that it sounds like a single, large set of wings approaching your current location at a very high speed.

"Eh, something's coming very fast, and it's fast" the ranger says, though he's not very sure of what is it.
Perception: (18) http://orokos.com/roll/301353

When Sureiya gives the party this information, Thelkra begins desperately scanning the sky. Suddenly, she begins pointing at what appears to be a glinting of light--golden light--shining through the misty sky. "Valanor! It's Valanor!"

Emerging from the mist seconds later is a gargantuan dragon with gold scales--from head to tail this dragon must be more than eighty feet long, and with an even larger wingspan. Even as he descends quickly towards the gathered humanoid party, the keep itself is starting to crack and break apart, and it feels like the bridge has less than a minute left before total collapse. The gold dragon that Thelkra referred to as Valanor lands lightly on the half-bridge that remains, as close to the retreating party as he can, and announces, "Climb on, friends! We're getting out of here, now!"

It would seem there's little time left. Explosions are rocking the tower, and a huge elemental storm is starting to leak out from inside, fulled with fierce-looking lightning strikes, fiery explosions obscured by clouds of dust, and great winds carrying shards of hail.

Thelkra's Perception: http://orokos.com/roll/301356

>>76983
He really was a dragon, huh. But that's a really convenient yet late time to arrive. "Mr. Daragoth is inside with Mr. Ragrim. Is it still okay?"

"What the... are the gods mocking us? When did we suddenly got inside of a dragon circus?" the ranger rambles to himself.
Then, the pieces of the mystery slowly connect in the head of the half-orc. And things suddenly make more sense.

"...well, I guess you two were good friends. But how did Daragoth escape your sight for so long?" the ranger complains, even though he prepares to take a ride on Valanor senpai.

Myn wonders what's keeping his owlbear as he mounts the silver dragon.

Last edited at 15/06/16(Tue)10:23:06

Belatedly, the owlbear scampers up behind Myn, having somehow escaped from the tower before the door closed. Elayne climbs atop Halvangh behind Myn, and Sid exclaims, "Great googly moogly! It's a good thing you're here!" as he moves over towards Valanor.

The gold dragon turns its head slightly to face the shaman, then explains in a sagely voice, "I assumed as much, but the tower will collapse before I can do anything about that. More importantly, we need to evacuate." He briefly glances in Thelkra's direction, noting her conflicted look, and says, "I'll explain everything later, Thelkra." He nods to Sureiya as well, indicating the same for his question.

>>76987
Stuck between a collapsing bridge and flying dragons, the shaman climbs on Valanor.

Torinn's a little distracted/really upset for talking. He dismisses his mount and climbs onto the golden dragon.

Last edited at 15/06/16(Tue)11:30:13

The owlbear begins to gnaw on the dragon's hide.

Wondering what's making Ramuh hesitate, Sureiya hurries him.
"This big guy is a friend of us, don't be shy and hop on!"

Last edited at 15/06/16(Tue)18:46:29

Halvangh picks up the owlbear with one claw and then takes off. The rest of the gathered adventurers, Thelkra, and Thalwynn climb on Valanor's back, and with a heavy sweep of his wings, he takes to the air. Riding the golden dragon, you feel a strange warmth and safety--as if it would be impossible to fall from his back, and no adverse weather conditions would affect you.

As the two dragons swoop away from the crumbling keep, the tower collapses on itself completely. As the top portion of the tower caves in and the walls collapse, there is an enormous explosion, and an intense elemental storm forms over the area where the tower once stood. The storm continues to linger in the tower's place even as the bridge and the keep break apart and collapse as well. This kicks up an enormous cloud of dust over the entire area, though the elemental storm is clearly visible in the dust. It may take some time for a clearer look to be available, so the dragons begin to fly you towards a nearby ridge overlooking the region.

>>76993
New thread!