Heavy is the Head - Campaign thread

Lam tenses up as the violence that had been threatening their every move looks like it’s about to become very real. He lifts his greataxe.

Initiative: 11

The humanoid construct (Fitz2) leaps down to the floor, and swifly moves around the potions table to approach Ali. As it moves, a metal blade slides out of its forearm, a shortsword built into its body, glowing with magical energy.

It is Sha-Gravis' turn.

Initiative: Construct; Sha-Gravis; Flybert; Hemlock; Cubert; Saoirse; Lam; Eliza; Ali; Fitzwhistle

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

"Stop stop I will try to solve all our issues!  If a 'spark of life' is all you need... I will help Fitzwhistle with transferring his essence into his construct.  Please let us try and do this then with Fitzwhistle free we can place him into protective custody somewhere safe.  Ali listen he may die in the process, but it is his way, please let me try... Fitzwhistle can you stop your construct from attacking?"  Sha-gravis takes a big breath hoping he is capable of what he is offering.  Just in case he will assume a defensive stance (dodge).

end of turn.

(Roll persuasion)

Quote from PolarisUnmoored >>

(Roll persuasion)

 persuasion 20

"... the alcoholic content might creat a dont remember serotonin loop, in which ... Oh really? excellent! Thank you, young cleric. I'm starting to think I really will finish the project. Cancel code indigo. In any case, according to the 17 law of alchemical...." The constructs freeze in place, flybert drifting back to the floor.

"An arrow in flight can't return to the quiver," Ali responds icily. He is not convinced.

It is Hemlock's turn.

Saoirse had hoped that Sha could convice Ali, but was disappointed to see that the lizardfolk continued with the intention of attacking. So without a second thought, she drew the dagger and jumped down to the floor. A table cluttered with alchemical components and the like stood between her and her target, but the genasi didn't think about it too much and just stood on it, knocking over some of the jars and flasks in the process. When she found her equilibrium, she attacked with both weapons, though she tried to hit non critical points of the lizardfolk's body...

Hemlock puts a hand on Fitzwhistle’s shoulder, attempting to help him focus.

”Sometimes you have to have a little faith. Drink the potion, and maybe it will give you the clarity to finish your work”.

Action: Guidance on Fitzwhistle

Lam narrows his eyes and gets into a fighting stance, staring right at Eliza. For a moment, it seems like he might head in her direction- but he suddenly leaps off of the upper level that he is on and charges after Ali, stopping only when he reaches the table, right next to the spot where Saoirse is. He growls “No! No arrows!” in what must be a response to Ali’s last remark, and he takes a wild swing with his greataxe, blunt side first. He seems to have forgotten that he weighs half as much as normal at the moment.

Ali's skin is already raising into a painful welt where the rapier smacked hard against his snout, but he just barely manages to turn the dagger away with a dexterous twist. 

Fitzwhistle downs the potion.

Ali ducks under the greataxe, and combined presence of four feet and a swinging axeblade sends some beakers rolling a bright pink bottle falls off of the table and cracks open - off to Lam's left. The vapor rising from it is strangely purple, rather than green. Who knows what that was for?

Eliza looks at Ali, and her fingers move into the starting gestures if the hold person spell as she speaks what sounds like magic words, but nothing happens. "Ali is too powerful! He is resisting my super helpful magic and stuff!" She walks closer to Fitzwhistle as she attempts the casting.Hemlock and Sha notice that she doesn't actually follow through with the motions, and that the magic words may well have been total nonsense. (Bad deception roll for Eliza).

Despite the blades swinging around him, Ali does not back away, instead firing two arrows in quick succession at the gnome. The first seems to be headed straight for fitzwhistle's head, when a fizzing sound suddenly comes from under his shirt, and a shield of energy flickers around him, deflecting the arrow. The second arrow flies wide, as Ali fires it while trying to dodge Lam, and doesn't even get close enough to activate the shield. "See reason! The crown would be the end of freedom!" He twists and runs away from Lam and Saoirse to get to a better position - risking their opportunity attacks as he does so.

"Golly gee **** me that's one hell of a brew there druid. I haven't felt this lightheaded since I escaped Tim, and that guy was like a Lich or something. Omygod, I remember Tim. I'm notta sposta member him, cuz it was on the expedition, but I totally remember that guy. Hey there dont shoot me buddy! Ive only got so much arcane juice and my personal protecter uses thatbstuff op fast. So no shooting.Just a little hammer to the temple for membering, but I've had so much worse headaches; this ant no thing. Thang. Thingamagig.. Did I tell.you you're a big guy? I'm sure you get that all the time, but from.my perspective you're huuuge! That's part of why the construct is talller than me *hic,* I always wanted to look people in the eye.  Oh, right, the project! Yeah, I've already drawn the symbols, but I need somebody with blood magic to act as a binder and channel my spirit to the construct as they kill me. That's the last piece. And you've got a blood hunter, so we can do this. She just has to ritually kill me in a bloody way, while the cleric is ready and the construct still works and I sure do hope I'm.right about all this cuz otherwise it would be a terrible way to go. Better than rotting up here  which I will do by the way. Rot  I mean..."

Fitzwhistle spends his turn and more rambling, but it is clear the potion had a functional effect. And that the gnome is drunk.

The construct stands menacingly but lifelessly, inert without a clear command.

It is Sha's turn. 

Initiative:; Sha-Gravis; Hemlock; Saoirse; Lam; Eliza; Ali; Fitzwhistle

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

Sha-Gravis moves toward Eliza believing she has harmful intentions towards Fitzwhistle.  As he gets into melee range he unleashes, Illumination.  

 Sha yells out to the rest, "She lies!  They both intend to eliminate Fitzwhistle."

With her attention fixed on Ali, Saoirse doesn't listen to Fitzwhistle's gibberish, and when she sees the opportunity to hit the lizardfolk again her hand moves even before she even thinks about it.

- Where do you think you're going? - she says, as she once again hits with the rapier.

Then, stepping down the table and following her target she attacks again, her intention to finally knock Ali down and preventing him from attacking the gnome once again.

Again, Ali manages to avoid the greataxe, but the rapier is just too fast for him. Another smack of the blunt edge against his neck has him stumble for a moment in his retreat, though he regains his footing alomst immediately. Saoirse is able to hit him twice more as she follows - including a gash on his arm from the dagger. "I am doing what must be done!" He is clearly hurting at this point.

 Eliza flinches, as a flash of light eminates from Sha. It clearly hurts her, while Hemlock and Fitzwhistle blink in the momentary brightness, unharmed and comfortable. 

It is Hemlock's turn.

Initiative:; Sha-Gravis; Saoirse; Hemlock;  Lam; Eliza; Ali; Fitzwhistle

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP 

Hemlock listens to Fitzwhistle with interest, satisfied that his potion is working.

"This Liche, Tim. He is the one who commanded you to stay here? Or someone else?", he asks just as Ali almost skewers the gnome with an arrow.

He turns towards Ali, annoyance plain to see on his face, and steps in front of the gnome to block any line of attack. "Ali bin Ansar, protector of the Drakewood, stand down. We are your allies, more than you know". With that he takes out his star map amulet, with the gem gifted to them by Hamza inlaid into it, and holds it for Ali to see whilst shielding it from Eliza's view.

"I hope you are aware of that which I hold, and the meaning of it being in my possession", he says before putting it away again.

"Know that if you persist, I will take action to stop you".

When Ali runs away, Lam stumbles after- getting on top of the table and tromping around some chemicals, doing his best to avoid actually stepping in anything he doesn’t know the contents of. He nearly bowls over in an attempt to keep up with Ali, and takes another wild swing of his greataxe across the new obstacle between them, trying just to knock Ali down. His mind is racing- he wants to say so many things to Ali, who clearly has good intentions but is only just making things worse. Unable to think and keep up with Ali at the same time, he just roars, “STOP!”

Ali drops to his knees and his bow clatters to the ground -  conveniently just as the greataxe swipes through the air where his head had been a moment before. "A sapphire dragonstone! My humblest apologies. I did not know. How may I serve the great wyrm?" He looks at Lam as he roars, a focused calm on his face as if to say "It's not because I'm scared of you," but he stands down.

Eliza grabs Fitzwhitsle's multitool, easily pulling it from the inebriated gnome's loose grip. "Actual dragons!? Nopenopenope. I'm getting Saffi before all this gets her killed. Hope you save the world, but also, screw you guys." With the tool in her hands, she turns toward the window, and "傳送" in a cloud of mist, disappears and reappears outside. She begins to fall - though slowly and carefully, surrounded by a faint silver aura.

"Naw, naw, Tim's alright, he doesn't want to be an undead monster. I mean, he is an undead monster, and he super tried to kill me, but nonofthat was up to him... ooowww. I'm really not supposed to be remembering all this. It's the crown's fault he's stuck, which is wierd, because I'm prettysure the crown dosnexist. Nope nosuchthing justamyth go home to your tower *hic* annyway it was very clever of me, getting outta there. Sorry i couldna help Timmy tim tim Timmerino, but I was focussed on saving my own butt, my own tiny little butt. Hey - did she just take my tool? It's my favorite tool! I even gave it a limited recording capability once i realized that my mind might be altered during the expidition- that tool knows everywhere I've been! Hey - whishsish I'd membered that I did that earlier, woulda been useful. But I'm notta 'sposed to member anything even tho I do somtimes. It hurts a little to memberber now, but it useually hurts wayalot worse. It's gonna hurt to die, too, but not as bad I think. My new body won't hurt in the brain at all everer though! Help me start Fitz2!" 

It's Sha's turn - or you can exit initiative and let Eliza get away.

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

Sha hearing Fitzwhistles claim runs to the window and casts command “RETURN” at Eliza.  (Wisdom DC 14)

Eliza jumped from about 110 feet up, with feather fall active. She looks at Sha as she falls (at a rate of 60 feet per round), and despite his voice reverberating with Divine power as he tells her to return, she sticks her tongue out at him mockingly. (Nat 20 on wisdom.save). 

Saoirse almost roars in rage when Eliza manages to get away with the very thing that could help them in their quest. Whatever did she want that multitool for, if she didn't want to get involved in all of this in the first place. Was it only to piss them off? Well, if that's what she wanted, he had definitely succeded.

- Damn you! I'll hunt you down wherever you go, you hear me? - the genasi said, and her whole frame blazed, matching her anger, as she made a cut in the palm of her hand, which she then clasped into a fist that started dripping orange-colored blood. It was too bad that the her binding curse wasn't going to work to the fullest due to the feather fall spell, but she casted it anyway, hoping that it would give time to exit the tower and hopefully catch Eliza. 

Without waiting any second, she rushed down the stairs, running as fast as she could. There was no way she was going to let the wizard scape that easily.

Aack!" Eliza says involuntarily as her body tenses up and refuses to obey her commands. She continues to fall slowly.