Knife-ear? Huh, that's a new one. Shugo remains unfazed by the weird nickname. He snickers, "A Black feather you say? HAH! OH I wonder where that came from. Maybe your own bird?!"He gestures to the griffin, and falls silent when Alex steps forward all angel-like. Wow, that kid sure seems angry.
Then the vision hits him. It all happens so fast. Everyone, even the pelmeni lady. They all fell, leaving him alone and then...nothing. He failed.
He blinks and reality returns. Only, his flawless stance shatters, and his imposing demeanor falls with it. "D-dddueuuuuuHHHh, guys?! I think we've made a horrible mistake!" He exclaims frantically, sword hand shaking. "UUUUuuuuUUUH I have a better idea." Once he gets his legs to stop shaking so much and actually listen to him, the elf dashes around the genasi and towards pelmeni lady. Once there, he scoops her up in his left arm, and prepares to make a run for it.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alex is about to respond when the griffon and then the vision strikes, leaving him stunned and breathless. Blood seeps down from the wound on his chest, staining half of his emblem. Fear grips him, and he realizes how out of his depth he really is. Stupid. He shouldn't have rushed in like that, but... this was what he is called to do. How could he have just stood there and watched... wait... where is the halfling? His eyes search desperately for a moment, but then he forces them to focus on Cezars. His hands shake, and sweat trickles down his temple. Even his hands are sweating, making it difficult to hold onto his blade. Every fiber of his being is telling him to run, to fly away, but... he can't. Even with his hands shaking, he can't just leave.
"I..." he forces the words from his mouth. "I.. won't.. let you." He swings his sword at the griffon, finding that he doesn't have the strength or mental fortitude to advance on Cezars himself.
Attack: 9 Damage: 13
Then, whether his attack lands or not, he steps backwards 5ft before flying upward twenty-five feet. He might be too frightened to stand his ground, but he can't just turn tail and run. So flying upward was the only thing he could think of to satisfy both his desire to flee and his desire to stay and fight.
"That's it... you've-" *He suddenly pauses as his face turns pale with horror* No... it can't be... *He frantically shakes his head to see that everyone else has been murdered and only a Fire Genasi with a glaive remains* No... I was right... he has broken it long ago didn't he?! Crap... my teammates... Ethan... Yuri... Tenebris... Xenia... they're not breathing... no no! *He frantically tries to parry his hits but gets knocked down* RIXI! NO! DON'T-
*He fades to black... but then slowly comes to his senses again as he somehow finds himself still standing*
"Ugh... what the..."Wha... w-w-what happened?! I swear I thought I felt Rixi's double edged blade drawing the last of all of my extra souls from my body... how am I still standing?! *He glances at his teammates who were equally nerve-struck. No... this was all a dream... and I fell for it... *His arms are noticeably shaking as his grip on his katana loosens slightly from the nightmares he had to relieve* Did I miscalculate or something?! What... It was Stupid Rixi... not Rixi... dang it... If I can't face him... I can't face Rixi should this happen to him... but... no... stay focused. You... you can.... ugh... "I... if you can understand me, miss griffin... you... Are you aware of what your master... is trying to achieve? Are you just...going t-t-to... blindly follow him until... u-u-until his demise?! If s-s-so then... you... you think your cheap tricks will work on us?! *His katana's electricity crackles even more as he unsheathes it and simultaneously strike it onto the ground at the same time in one motion.* IaidoKaminari Waza... ENOUGH! (居合度 雷技... ENOUGH!)"
Translation: Iaido Thunder technique: ENOUGH! (He doesn't bother saying the spell name he just wants Cezars to stop it)
*Assuming he was able to activate Bladesong and Blur previously, he'll move 10ft up so that he's standing in front of his teammates and blast Cezars and his griffin with 1st level thunderwave (DC 14 CON or get blasted with 11 thunder damage and move back 10ft); If not he'll activate the former abilities in this round*
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The halfling allows herself to be scooped up without protest, good thing she's small, or else it would be a chore to drag her around. "W-we have to do something!" And then... it hits her, these guys were her customers a few days later, maybe a word of encouragement will help. "A-alright, if you win this fight, I'll give you all a free lifetime supply of kvass... just don't drag me into this!"
Alex's sword cuts the gryphon in her chest, bloodied feathers fly out from where the sword made contact. "ÁÁÁÁH! Jjrrr, tu á catiga por esta!" She screeches.
"Grrr, you will pay for that!" Cezars translates, it's a bit odd how he even translates the Alharisian onomatopoeia too, but at least you will understand what she says even without knowing Alharisian, how convenient. Both of them strike Alex in anger as he takes a step backwards.
AOO
Cezars: 12 to hit, 9 slashing damage.
Felića: 8 to hit, 9 slashing damage.
Round 2
"She isn't just my mount, you fool, she is my friend! The only one that isn't stupid or utterly competent like everyone else on this damn planet!" He says, directing at Renar.
His mount chirps along with him, "El salvar me vida í seguher el é võ!"
"I saved her life and she will always follow me, you know how loyal gryphons are, anyways..." Cezars twirls his sabre and rushes toward Renar, "Tell me what you cherish most, give me the pleasure of taking it away!"
Landing in front of the hooded boy, his blade glows with the dark energy you saw earlier. He holds it in the sky for one moment, before bringing it down and striking Renars, "Dark Blade!." His gryphon rears her claw back and slashes at his knee.
Cezars
Action:Inflict Wounds at Renar: 15 to hit, 16 necrotic damage
Bonus Action: Telling his gryphon to attack Renar: 11 to hit, 8 slashing damage
And then, Renar's Thunderwave hits him (at the end of everyone else's turns)
CON Save
Cezars:9
Felića:13
The two of them manage to resist the blunt of Thunderwave, but it still hurts nonetheless. Cezars grunts, gritting his teeth, his gryphon is in a much worse state than him, she's breathing heavily as electricity dances on her feathers. Two or three hits and she will go down.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alex immediately feels guilty for hitting the griffon. It isn't her fault that her friend is such a... well, evil jerk. Sure, it would have been nice if Renar's words had meant something to her, but still... loyalty can blind you. He looks down at the griffon and says, "I'm really sorry, but your friend hasn't left us much of a choice..." he pants, breathing heavily as blood seeps from his chest, falling to the ground below him. He looks to Cezars, "Do you think we enjoy this? Cause it seems like you do! How dare you threaten what we love when all we are doing is our duty to protect the innocent. What sort of lawman are you? Cause you just look like a bully to me."
He turns his attention back to the Felica, "I don't want to hurt you, but if you insist on defending your friend then you don't leave me any choice. Surely you can see that he is in the wrong here, why not help him see that? Then we wouldn't have to fight."As he speaks, he places one hand on his chest and casts cure wounds on himself. Usually he wouldn't treat his own wounds first, but... well his limited healing abilities won't do his comrades any good if he goes down first.
Cure wounds: 6
Then he points his sword at Renar and says, "Light of the heavens, protect my comrade that he may vanquish this evil." Then a shimmering golden shield appears in front of Renar, pulses, then wraps around to surround him in a semi-transparent orb. (Shield of Faith)
Seeing her new friends being injured she does her best to keep them up and fighting, even if her hands are shaking due to the vision and fear. She presses her hand to Renar's shoulder as she hums a light melody. Cure Wounds to Renar: 8 healing
Her voice get slightly louder as she retracts her hand, the magic of her voice swirling around her allies. Activating Mantal of Inspiration: 5 temp HP to herself, Alex, Renar, and Shugo.
"ARGGH!" It hurts... what the heck... I'm thankful I've managed to keep my spell up but... is this what Rixi would turn out to be in the future?! But wait... he saved the griffin? He saved... maybe I could turn his own words against him and make him realise that there still
Concentration: 15 (Blur is still up)
"You... you saved her? From what?! What happened to her?!"I snarl as I change stances, let go of my sheath and grip my weapons with two hands to reataliate against him. If 'Stupid Rixi' saved that monstrosity rather than mercilessly ended her life, there must some reason for having sympathy for her... I don't what it is, the real Rixi would have been able to handle this better but... It wouldn't hurt to find out, right? "You had an opportunity to kill her right?! When you saw her injured in I-don't-know-where, something drove you to save her... rather than to abuse her and put like everyone else... Not everything you did was against whatever the law is do you not realise that?! You did something good; You must have a very good reason for doing so rather than to end her life! Let me guess: You were alone weren't you? No one understood you up until this day?! What is it?!"
Katana Melee Attack (With Booming Blade): 24 to hit, 6 Slashing (And if Cezars moves next turn, he'll take an extra 5 thunder damage)
Seeing her new friends being injured she does her best to keep them up and fighting, even if her hands are shaking due to the vision and fear. She presses her hand to Renar's shoulder as she hums a light melody. Cure Wounds to Renar: 8 healing
Her voice get slightly louder as she retracts her hand, the magic of her voice swirling around her allies. Activating Mantal of Inspiration: 5 temp HP to herself, Alex, Renar, and Shugo.
Faerie Fire is up still.
I was about to lurch forward when I felt someone... placing his soft hands on... no wait... *he wanted to blush as soon as he hears Venet's but the thought of Cezars acting all bloodthirsty prevents him from doing so* "T-t-thanks. I'll return the favour for later."I softly speak as she heals me. And then I hear Alex granting me a special armour of some sort. I mean, my bladesong armour is fine but... W-w-well I'm not complaining anyways. I'll take it. "You look badly injured. Stay back if you can. I'm not sure if I can do this alone but... I'll handle this!"
"I am doing something!" Shugo exclaims, fear still making his voice shrill. After scooping up the halfling woman, he books it towards the large rock just down the road. Wait, she'll give him more free food if he helps win the fight. He stops and sets her down behind the rock. "You just stay over here, If anything happens to you this whole fight is meaningless."
(I believe since he's farther then 30ft from Cezars that I get to make another wis save against being frightened. Wis 7. Guess he's still scared)
Standing up he looks back at his companions. Alex isn't looking to good. Ugh, he's going to have to go back and help isn't he. He grips his sword. The elf never thought himself to be particularly brave, but he never thought himself a coward either so why does he feel this way. Well, pelmeni lady is safe for now, guess it's time to try to keep his companions alive, if he can figure a way to hit the guy while staying away from him. He looks back at the halfling, and puts a shaky fist to his chest, "I can't promise we'll win, but I can promise we'll try our best." Then he starts running back towards the group. (Taking the Dash action again. I'll get as close as I can without breaking the rules of being frightened.)
Taliyah is walking down the eastern road, staff casually slung over her shoulder when she first hears the commotion. She hurries towards it, hoping she's not too late, and that her patron's not guiding her wrong. When she sees the group fighting Cezar, she stops, drops the staff off her shoulder and goes into a massive roundhouse swing with it like a maul, the eyes of the dragon head carved into the top lighting up with a golden light. As she reaches the apex of her swing, the golden light fades from the dragon's eyes as it condenses into a beam in the dragon's mouth and shoots towards Cezar's griffon. Meanwhile, her sprite familiar Pixel, is flying while invisible towards the griffin as well, having the used staff's swing as a boost, stopping once he's near the griffon. Taking a deep breath, Taliyah shouts towards the other members of the group. "I'M NOT TOO LATE AM I? DOES ANYONE NEED HEALING?"
The halfling merchant peeks her head out from a rock and sees a newcomer, a silver Dragonborn, who appears to be another lost tourist. She quietly smiles to herself, maybe the battle will turn in their favour, after all. For now, though, she'll keep herself secure behind this rock just like the Priyehan tourist instructed her earlier.
Cezars grunts as Renar's blade hits him in the leg, his mount jumps up in the air right as Taliyah's Eldritch Blast is about to contact. Both of them snaps their head towards the new foreigner.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you overgrown lizard!" Cezars scowls, pointing his sabre at the Dragonborn, "You can just walk away without saying anything, yet you didn't... stupid tourists, I WILL HAVE YOU ALL DEPORTED!"
Initiative:
1. Pixel
2. Cezars
3. Alex
4. Venet
5. Shugo
6. Janina
7. Renar
8. Taliyah
Round 3
Cezars turns back to Renar, flourishes his sword, and strikes, "Just fall already!" He slashes two times, his mount rears up and strikes him with her claws."And if you all don't shut your mount, I will sew it shut once you are all in the dungeon!"
Cezars:
Action: Multiattack—two attacks with Scimitar at Renar: Attack 1: 10 to hit, 5 damage. Attack 2: 9 to hit, 8 damage.
Bonus Action: Telling his mount to attack Renar: 8 to hit, 12 damage.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
*Notcies a random beam zipping patch his sight and glance to where it came from* Wait... a newcomer?! A dragonborn?! Where did she come from?! And who side is she on?! Ours or his?! ARGH NO! Focus... forget about her for the time being... *Glances back to Cezars as his eyes continue to glow yellow*
This idiot... I wanted to know what drove him to save her rather than kill her... even if a paladin has broken his oath, Rixi told me that if someone can help steer them back in the rigth direction, they will be able to become a lawful one again unless if they break their oath a second time. Can he even be redeemed just like me in the past? "If I were you I'd either answer what I just asked or I eat my words right here and right now, you arrogant piece of crap! *Both blade and sheath crackle with yellow lightning again* Inazuma Iaido Waza... GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! (稲妻 居合度 技: GET OUT OF OUR SIGHT!)" *He effortlessly blocks both of Cezar's hits with his katana as he spin jumps mid-air like a ninja; whilst in mid air he withdraws it back into its sheath and using it to block the griffin's strike before dealing Cezars a strike to the head the moment he lands*
Katana strike #2 (with the sheath this time except there's yellow lightning surrounding it and he is descending from mid air after spinning):
24 to hit (advantage if Cezars is wearing metallic armour22 to hit; forgot that frightened and faerie fire cancel each other so no advantage, 4 Lightning Damage and Cezars can't make any reactions if it hits.
I need to snap out my trance fast... *Taking advantage of his spell if it lands he'll use all except 5ft of his movement and will take the AOO from the griffin whilst doing so; WIS Save: 8, didn't work* Damn it!
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Taliyah reaches out to Pixel over their bond, and instructs the tiny to fly back into the bush nearby, and then take a shot at Cezar's mount, in hopes it falls asleep. As she does, she begins to spin her staff clockwise, golden light starting up in the dragonhead's eyes, chanting in Carolean as she does. "THROUGH FIRE BE PURGED EVIL-DOER!" As Taliyah shouts, she slams her staff on the ground, causing a rift of golden-white light to form in the air above him. Taliyah turns towards the halfling woman hiding behind the rock near her, crouching down as she does so, hoping that this makes her look less intimidating to the woman. "Is everything alright Ma'am? You're not hurt are you?" She puts her hands together and smiles, causing golden light to pool in them as she does so. "II can heal you if you have injuries, diseases and poisons are a bit beyond my skills at the moment though." While's she's speaking with Janina, the rift fires a small starburst made of light down at Cezar.
Pixel's Shortbow Attack: 26, 1 damage on hit. If the attack hits, the griffon has to beat a DC 13 Con Save or be poisoned for a minute. Failing the save by 5 or more means the griffon falls unconcious for the same duration, unless it takes damage, or someone takes an action to shake it awake.
Taliyah's Sacred Flame deals 5 radiant damage to Cezar unless he beats a DC 13 DEX save.
Venet runs further off still shaking slightly as she runs towards the trees. She takes a moment to gather herself. Wis Save against Frightened: 15
After a moment she blows out a breath as she comes back to her senses then yells towards her companion. "You can do it, Alex!"
Bardic/Magical Inspiration to Alex: 1d6
If a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die from you and casts a spell that restores hit points or deals damage, the creature can roll that die and choose a target affected by the spell. Add the number rolled as a bonus to the hit points regained or the damage dealt. The Bardic Inspiration die is then lost.
A smile flits across Alexander's face when a newcomer joins the fight. Well, he doesn't know who she is but she couldn't have chosen a better time to step in! Regardless, he still can't rid himself of the fear gripping his chest. It keeps him from moving closer to his target, and he can't shake it no matter how many times he tells himself not to be a coward. Then he hears Venet's voice telling him that he can do it. He spares her a glance, sending a small thankful smile in her direction, then does the only thing he can think of that will let him land an attack without flying back down towards Cezars.
Pulling out his handaxe, he throws it at the former Paladin, hoping that his axe throwing skills have not gone out the window since the last time he'd used them.
Attack: 8 Damage: 7
"Go ahead and try!" Alex shouts at Cezars. "They are just defending the people you are supposed to be protecting! And to make it worse, they are defending them FROM YOU!" Great God above, he is going to have a talk with the Church after this. Hopefully something can be done to get this man removed from power as quickly as possible.
Since he is ending his turn further than 30ft away from Cezars (since the enemy moved): Wis save: 21
(planning on using that inspiration on my next turn!!!)
Shugo lets out a startle yelp when the dragonborn suddenly burst in out of nowhere shouting at the top of her lungs. Well...at least it sounds like she's on their side. (Wis save critical fail)
Why the heck is he so terrified right now?! Hand still gripping his sword, he pulls a dart from his belt and chucks it at the raving paladin.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Felića CON Save—Pixel's poison:8
Cezars DEX Save—Taliyah's Sacred Flame: 15
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
"Do you think I'm going to tell you? No, I won't! Not until I-ARGH!" Cezars gets hit square in the chest with Renar's sword, but right after that, he smirks and points a finger upward. "Hellish Re—" A circle of purple flames surrounds Renar, but before it can do any damage, the electricity from Renar's spell takes effect, Cezars convulses as static courses through his veins, cancelling the spell. He had no time to dodge Shugo's dart and it hit him in the back, but it seemed that Alex's projectile went off its mark.
The arrow hits the gryphon right in her chest, and she screeches in pain, "ÁHH! Ẽ envenodo!"(1) It's hard to see her expression through that beak, but she's clearly distressed, she would be sweating bullets right now if she had a sweat gland. Nonetheless, seeing Renar walks away, she uses this opportunity to claw him in the back
Felića AOO:14 to hit, 10 damage
The fire Genasi shakes his head after recovering from the shock"You little..." Cezars glares at the Dragonborn before he commands his mount to side-step the Sacred Flame. "Come here, lizard!" He points his sabre forward, but his gryphon doesn't obey his command right away. She's standing there, heaving and coughing.
Cezars slap his gryphon's lion rear, "Move!" After a few more attempts, he manages to'restart' his mount. He flies toward the Dragonborn, lands right behind her, and makes quick, consecutive slashes. His mount slashes with her claws, but it seems that her stance is much more shakier due to the effects of the poison.
Cezars
Action: Multiattack—two attacks with Scimitar at Taliyah: Attack 1: 13 to hit, 7 damage. Attack 2: 21 to hit, 9 damage.
Bonus Action: Telling his mount to attack Taliyah: 8 to hit, 12 damage.
The halfling merchant looks up at the Dragonborn stranger, "I'm alright... just help my customers first, worry about me later!" She points at the party, there are some bruises on her face, but nothing major compared to the injured party members. "Reminder to myself: next time, buy a crossbow and hire caravan guards." She ends her turn at the same spot, she won't be that much of use anyway since she doesn't have any weapons on her and she can't cast a spell. For now, her priority is to survive... and give them a lot of kvass after all of this is over.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
*Reflexively parries a claw attack from the griffin* They're aiming for the dragonborn... And... oh gosh... I wish I could get their attention but... I still feel super shaken... I may as well move back 15ft so that I can compose myself... WIS Save: 20 *He flashbacks to the time when was found as a stray fox boy in the Neverwinter Jungle by Ethan and Rixi, all because, the latter reached a hand, asking him to join, rather than shun him again; The time where his life changed forever, started with a simple act of holding hands. As he relives this memory, all of a sudden, his frightful demeanour changes to a rather hostile one as the nails on his hand sharpen, to the point where he leaves visible marks on his katana sheath*
I can do this... I must do it. That's my mission right now! He saved me... no, Ethan... and Rixi... they both saved me... from over 300 years of turmoil. this isn't the Rixi I know for so long. He's still here... in my heart... I owe them everything. Even if I must give up my life... *He unsheathe his katana and uses the rest of his movement to stomp towards Rixi whilst he snarls VERY loudly, like his prey has finally been found* I will finish... I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED!
"HEY! STUPID RIXI!" I yell with extreme hostility as my silver blade shines before crackling with blazing hot lightning once again. The thing is though, I don't want to kill him without knowing why he's insisting on doing what he's doing right now. I need answers! I need facts and logic, before I come to a conclusion on whether I should put him out of his misery or not. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE FINE WITH ME AS YOUR OPPONENT! WHY'D YOU SWITCH TARGETS?! OR ARE YOU AFRAID OF FALLING TO A "CHANGELING" WHO ONCE WENT DOWN THE SAME, TRAGIC PATH LIKE YOU, COWARD?!" *He grips his katana with all of his might as he begins to slash not once, but thrice in the same attack*: "Katana Waza... Uneru nami! (刀 技...うねる波, Katana technique: Rolling Waves) GRRAAAGGHH!"
Attack (With booming blade again): NAT 20 (20,8), Damage (Non-lethal this time): 12 Slashing + 3 Thunder if Cezars moves again
The rolling waves attack: (Whenever Renar scores a crit, he will perform a move where he will slash multiple times in the one 'attack')
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"AAAGH!" Having not seen Cezar move to attack her, Taliyah stumbles forward a bit before turning to face the fiery warrior in front of her. She moves away from Janina towards Shugo, hoping to draw Cezar's attention away from the merchant. "You seem like quite the hothead, so why don't you cool down for a bit?" Taliyah raises her staff and inhales deeply, the eyes lighting up as she does so, with sparkles of golden light dancing across her scales and clothes. She then exhales, letting out a burst of frigid air fly forward in a fifteen foot cone, catching both Cezar and his mount in it. While he's distracted by the frost breath, Taliyah releases her spell and Misty Steps over by Renar, and then moves a bit further back so Alex and Renar are closer to Cezar then she is. "If my eyes don't deceive me, his griffon is poisoned! You should be able to potentially ground it easier then normal!"
Non-lethal Frost Breath Damage (DC 12 Dex save to only take half): 1
Knife-ear? Huh, that's a new one. Shugo remains unfazed by the weird nickname. He snickers, "A Black feather you say? HAH! OH I wonder where that came from. Maybe your own bird?!" He gestures to the griffin, and falls silent when Alex steps forward all angel-like. Wow, that kid sure seems angry.
Then the vision hits him. It all happens so fast. Everyone, even the pelmeni lady. They all fell, leaving him alone and then...nothing. He failed.
He blinks and reality returns. Only, his flawless stance shatters, and his imposing demeanor falls with it. "D-dddueuuuuuHHHh, guys?! I think we've made a horrible mistake!" He exclaims frantically, sword hand shaking. "UUUUuuuuUUUH I have a better idea." Once he gets his legs to stop shaking so much and actually listen to him, the elf dashes around the genasi and towards pelmeni lady. Once there, he scoops her up in his left arm, and prepares to make a run for it.
Alex is about to respond when the griffon and then the vision strikes, leaving him stunned and breathless. Blood seeps down from the wound on his chest, staining half of his emblem. Fear grips him, and he realizes how out of his depth he really is. Stupid. He shouldn't have rushed in like that, but... this was what he is called to do. How could he have just stood there and watched... wait... where is the halfling? His eyes search desperately for a moment, but then he forces them to focus on Cezars. His hands shake, and sweat trickles down his temple. Even his hands are sweating, making it difficult to hold onto his blade. Every fiber of his being is telling him to run, to fly away, but... he can't. Even with his hands shaking, he can't just leave.
"I..." he forces the words from his mouth. "I.. won't.. let you." He swings his sword at the griffon, finding that he doesn't have the strength or mental fortitude to advance on Cezars himself.
Attack: 9 Damage: 13
Then, whether his attack lands or not, he steps backwards 5ft before flying upward twenty-five feet. He might be too frightened to stand his ground, but he can't just turn tail and run. So flying upward was the only thing he could think of to satisfy both his desire to flee and his desire to stay and fight.
"That's it... you've-" *He suddenly pauses as his face turns pale with horror* No... it can't be... *He frantically shakes his head to see that everyone else has been murdered and only a Fire Genasi with a glaive remains* No... I was right... he has broken it long ago didn't he?! Crap... my teammates... Ethan... Yuri... Tenebris... Xenia... they're not breathing... no no! *He frantically tries to parry his hits but gets knocked down* RIXI! NO! DON'T-
*He fades to black... but then slowly comes to his senses again as he somehow finds himself still standing*
"Ugh... what the..." Wha... w-w-what happened?! I swear I thought I felt Rixi's double edged blade drawing the last of all of my extra souls from my body... how am I still standing?! *He glances at his teammates who were equally nerve-struck. No... this was all a dream... and I fell for it... *His arms are noticeably shaking as his grip on his katana loosens slightly from the nightmares he had to relieve* Did I miscalculate or something?! What... It was Stupid Rixi... not Rixi... dang it... If I can't face him... I can't face Rixi should this happen to him... but... no... stay focused. You... you can.... ugh... "I... if you can understand me, miss griffin... you... Are you aware of what your master... is trying to achieve? Are you just...going t-t-to... blindly follow him until... u-u-until his demise?! If s-s-so then... you... you think your cheap tricks will work on us?! *His katana's electricity crackles even more as he unsheathes it and simultaneously strike it onto the ground at the same time in one motion.* Iaido Kaminari Waza... ENOUGH! (居合度 雷技... ENOUGH!)"
Translation: Iaido Thunder technique: ENOUGH! (He doesn't bother saying the spell name he just wants Cezars to stop it)
*Assuming he was able to activate Bladesong and Blur previously, he'll move 10ft up so that he's standing in front of his teammates and blast Cezars and his griffin with 1st level thunderwave (DC 14 CON or get blasted with 11 thunder damage and move back 10ft); If not he'll activate the former abilities in this round*
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
The halfling allows herself to be scooped up without protest, good thing she's small, or else it would be a chore to drag her around. "W-we have to do something!" And then... it hits her, these guys were her customers a few days later, maybe a word of encouragement will help. "A-alright, if you win this fight, I'll give you all a free lifetime supply of kvass... just don't drag me into this!"
Alex's sword cuts the gryphon in her chest, bloodied feathers fly out from where the sword made contact. "ÁÁÁÁH! Jjrrr, tu á catiga por esta!" She screeches.
"Grrr, you will pay for that!" Cezars translates, it's a bit odd how he even translates the Alharisian onomatopoeia too, but at least you will understand what she says even without knowing Alharisian, how convenient. Both of them strike Alex in anger as he takes a step backwards.
AOO
Cezars: 12 to hit, 9 slashing damage.
Felića: 8 to hit, 9 slashing damage.
Round 2
"She isn't just my mount, you fool, she is my friend! The only one that isn't stupid or utterly competent like everyone else on this damn planet!" He says, directing at Renar.
His mount chirps along with him, "El salvar me vida í seguher el é võ!"
"I saved her life and she will always follow me, you know how loyal gryphons are, anyways..." Cezars twirls his sabre and rushes toward Renar, "Tell me what you cherish most, give me the pleasure of taking it away!"
Landing in front of the hooded boy, his blade glows with the dark energy you saw earlier. He holds it in the sky for one moment, before bringing it down and striking Renars, "Dark Blade!." His gryphon rears her claw back and slashes at his knee.
Cezars
Action: Inflict Wounds at Renar: 15 to hit, 16 necrotic damage
Bonus Action: Telling his gryphon to attack Renar: 11 to hit, 8 slashing damage
And then, Renar's Thunderwave hits him (at the end of everyone else's turns)
CON Save
Cezars:9
Felića:13
The two of them manage to resist the blunt of Thunderwave, but it still hurts nonetheless. Cezars grunts, gritting his teeth, his gryphon is in a much worse state than him, she's breathing heavily as electricity dances on her feathers. Two or three hits and she will go down.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Alex immediately feels guilty for hitting the griffon. It isn't her fault that her friend is such a... well, evil jerk. Sure, it would have been nice if Renar's words had meant something to her, but still... loyalty can blind you. He looks down at the griffon and says, "I'm really sorry, but your friend hasn't left us much of a choice..." he pants, breathing heavily as blood seeps from his chest, falling to the ground below him. He looks to Cezars, "Do you think we enjoy this? Cause it seems like you do! How dare you threaten what we love when all we are doing is our duty to protect the innocent. What sort of lawman are you? Cause you just look like a bully to me."
He turns his attention back to the Felica, "I don't want to hurt you, but if you insist on defending your friend then you don't leave me any choice. Surely you can see that he is in the wrong here, why not help him see that? Then we wouldn't have to fight." As he speaks, he places one hand on his chest and casts cure wounds on himself. Usually he wouldn't treat his own wounds first, but... well his limited healing abilities won't do his comrades any good if he goes down first.
Cure wounds: 6
Then he points his sword at Renar and says, "Light of the heavens, protect my comrade that he may vanquish this evil." Then a shimmering golden shield appears in front of Renar, pulses, then wraps around to surround him in a semi-transparent orb. (Shield of Faith)
(Renar now has +2 AC bonus until Alex either loses concentration, or 10 minutes transpires)
Seeing her new friends being injured she does her best to keep them up and fighting, even if her hands are shaking due to the vision and fear. She presses her hand to Renar's shoulder as she hums a light melody. Cure Wounds to Renar: 8 healing
Her voice get slightly louder as she retracts her hand, the magic of her voice swirling around her allies. Activating Mantal of Inspiration: 5 temp HP to herself, Alex, Renar, and Shugo.
Faerie Fire is up still.
"ARGGH!" It hurts... what the heck... I'm thankful I've managed to keep my spell up but... is this what Rixi would turn out to be in the future?! But wait... he saved the griffin? He saved... maybe I could turn his own words against him and make him realise that there still
Concentration: 15 (Blur is still up)
"You... you saved her? From what?! What happened to her?!" I snarl as I change stances, let go of my sheath and grip my weapons with two hands to reataliate against him. If 'Stupid Rixi' saved that monstrosity rather than mercilessly ended her life, there must some reason for having sympathy for her... I don't what it is, the real Rixi would have been able to handle this better but... It wouldn't hurt to find out, right? "You had an opportunity to kill her right?! When you saw her injured in I-don't-know-where, something drove you to save her... rather than to abuse her and put like everyone else... Not everything you did was against whatever the law is do you not realise that?! You did something good; You must have a very good reason for doing so rather than to end her life! Let me guess: You were alone weren't you? No one understood you up until this day?! What is it?!"
Katana Melee Attack (With Booming Blade): 24 to hit, 6 Slashing (And if Cezars moves next turn, he'll take an extra 5 thunder damage)
How he slashes (without holding onto the sheath): https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1074081157093801994/1163273232363835402/shadowslayer.gif?ex=653ef99f&is=652c849f&hm=f5128857a7e7a392863175e20fd663ffcdf9dad9c4b8f3e136fb3e1b39946157&
I was about to lurch forward when I felt someone... placing his soft hands on... no wait... *he wanted to blush as soon as he hears Venet's but the thought of Cezars acting all bloodthirsty prevents him from doing so* "T-t-thanks. I'll return the favour for later." I softly speak as she heals me. And then I hear Alex granting me a special armour of some sort. I mean, my bladesong armour is fine but... W-w-well I'm not complaining anyways. I'll take it. "You look badly injured. Stay back if you can. I'm not sure if I can do this alone but... I'll handle this!"
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"I am doing something!" Shugo exclaims, fear still making his voice shrill. After scooping up the halfling woman, he books it towards the large rock just down the road. Wait, she'll give him more free food if he helps win the fight. He stops and sets her down behind the rock. "You just stay over here, If anything happens to you this whole fight is meaningless."
(I believe since he's farther then 30ft from Cezars that I get to make another wis save against being frightened. Wis 7. Guess he's still scared)
Standing up he looks back at his companions. Alex isn't looking to good. Ugh, he's going to have to go back and help isn't he. He grips his sword. The elf never thought himself to be particularly brave, but he never thought himself a coward either so why does he feel this way. Well, pelmeni lady is safe for now, guess it's time to try to keep his companions alive, if he can figure a way to hit the guy while staying away from him. He looks back at the halfling, and puts a shaky fist to his chest, "I can't promise we'll win, but I can promise we'll try our best." Then he starts running back towards the group. (Taking the Dash action again. I'll get as close as I can without breaking the rules of being frightened.)
Taliyah is walking down the eastern road, staff casually slung over her shoulder when she first hears the commotion. She hurries towards it, hoping she's not too late, and that her patron's not guiding her wrong. When she sees the group fighting Cezar, she stops, drops the staff off her shoulder and goes into a massive roundhouse swing with it like a maul, the eyes of the dragon head carved into the top lighting up with a golden light. As she reaches the apex of her swing, the golden light fades from the dragon's eyes as it condenses into a beam in the dragon's mouth and shoots towards Cezar's griffon. Meanwhile, her sprite familiar Pixel, is flying while invisible towards the griffin as well, having the used staff's swing as a boost, stopping once he's near the griffon. Taking a deep breath, Taliyah shouts towards the other members of the group. "I'M NOT TOO LATE AM I? DOES ANYONE NEED HEALING?"
Taliyah's Initiative:5
Pixel's Initiative: 23
Eldritch Blast Attack Roll: 10
Eldritch Blast Damage (If It Hits): 4
Pixel Stealth: 25
Janina WIS Save: 21
The halfling merchant peeks her head out from a rock and sees a newcomer, a silver Dragonborn, who appears to be another lost tourist. She quietly smiles to herself, maybe the battle will turn in their favour, after all. For now, though, she'll keep herself secure behind this rock just like the Priyehan tourist instructed her earlier.
Cezars grunts as Renar's blade hits him in the leg, his mount jumps up in the air right as Taliyah's Eldritch Blast is about to contact. Both of them snaps their head towards the new foreigner.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you overgrown lizard!" Cezars scowls, pointing his sabre at the Dragonborn, "You can just walk away without saying anything, yet you didn't... stupid tourists, I WILL HAVE YOU ALL DEPORTED!"
Initiative:
1. Pixel
2. Cezars
3. Alex
4. Venet
5. Shugo
6. Janina
7. Renar
8. Taliyah
Round 3
Cezars turns back to Renar, flourishes his sword, and strikes, "Just fall already!" He slashes two times, his mount rears up and strikes him with her claws. "And if you all don't shut your mount, I will sew it shut once you are all in the dungeon!"
Cezars:
Action: Multiattack—two attacks with Scimitar at Renar: Attack 1: 10 to hit, 5 damage. Attack 2: 9 to hit, 8 damage.
Bonus Action: Telling his mount to attack Renar: 8 to hit, 12 damage.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
*Notcies a random beam zipping patch his sight and glance to where it came from* Wait... a newcomer?! A dragonborn?! Where did she come from?! And who side is she on?! Ours or his?! ARGH NO! Focus... forget about her for the time being... *Glances back to Cezars as his eyes continue to glow yellow*
This idiot... I wanted to know what drove him to save her rather than kill her... even if a paladin has broken his oath, Rixi told me that if someone can help steer them back in the rigth direction, they will be able to become a lawful one again unless if they break their oath a second time. Can he even be redeemed just like me in the past? "If I were you I'd either answer what I just asked or I eat my words right here and right now, you arrogant piece of crap! *Both blade and sheath crackle with yellow lightning again* Inazuma Iaido Waza... GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! (稲妻 居合度 技: GET OUT OF OUR SIGHT!)" *He effortlessly blocks both of Cezar's hits with his katana as he spin jumps mid-air like a ninja; whilst in mid air he withdraws it back into its sheath and using it to block the griffin's strike before dealing Cezars a strike to the head the moment he lands*
Katana strike #2 (with the sheath this time except there's yellow lightning surrounding it and he is descending from mid air after spinning):
24 to hit (advantage if Cezars is wearing metallic armour22 to hit; forgot that frightened and faerie fire cancel each other so no advantage, 4 Lightning Damage and Cezars can't make any reactions if it hits.I need to snap out my trance fast... *Taking advantage of his spell if it lands he'll use all except 5ft of his movement and will take the AOO from the griffin whilst doing so; WIS Save: 8, didn't work* Damn it!
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Taliyah reaches out to Pixel over their bond, and instructs the tiny to fly back into the bush nearby, and then take a shot at Cezar's mount, in hopes it falls asleep. As she does, she begins to spin her staff clockwise, golden light starting up in the dragonhead's eyes, chanting in Carolean as she does. "THROUGH FIRE BE PURGED EVIL-DOER!" As Taliyah shouts, she slams her staff on the ground, causing a rift of golden-white light to form in the air above him. Taliyah turns towards the halfling woman hiding behind the rock near her, crouching down as she does so, hoping that this makes her look less intimidating to the woman. "Is everything alright Ma'am? You're not hurt are you?" She puts her hands together and smiles, causing golden light to pool in them as she does so. "II can heal you if you have injuries, diseases and poisons are a bit beyond my skills at the moment though." While's she's speaking with Janina, the rift fires a small starburst made of light down at Cezar.
Pixel's Shortbow Attack: 26, 1 damage on hit.
If the attack hits, the griffon has to beat a DC 13 Con Save or be poisoned for a minute. Failing the save by 5 or more means the griffon falls unconcious for the same duration, unless it takes damage, or someone takes an action to shake it awake.
Taliyah's Sacred Flame deals 5 radiant damage to Cezar unless he beats a DC 13 DEX save.
Venet runs further off still shaking slightly as she runs towards the trees. She takes a moment to gather herself. Wis Save against Frightened: 15
After a moment she blows out a breath as she comes back to her senses then yells towards her companion. "You can do it, Alex!"
Bardic/Magical Inspiration to Alex: 1d6
If a creature has a Bardic Inspiration die from you and casts a spell that restores hit points or deals damage, the creature can roll that die and choose a target affected by the spell. Add the number rolled as a bonus to the hit points regained or the damage dealt. The Bardic Inspiration die is then lost.
A smile flits across Alexander's face when a newcomer joins the fight. Well, he doesn't know who she is but she couldn't have chosen a better time to step in! Regardless, he still can't rid himself of the fear gripping his chest. It keeps him from moving closer to his target, and he can't shake it no matter how many times he tells himself not to be a coward. Then he hears Venet's voice telling him that he can do it. He spares her a glance, sending a small thankful smile in her direction, then does the only thing he can think of that will let him land an attack without flying back down towards Cezars.
Pulling out his handaxe, he throws it at the former Paladin, hoping that his axe throwing skills have not gone out the window since the last time he'd used them.
Attack: 8 Damage: 7
"Go ahead and try!" Alex shouts at Cezars. "They are just defending the people you are supposed to be protecting! And to make it worse, they are defending them FROM YOU!" Great God above, he is going to have a talk with the Church after this. Hopefully something can be done to get this man removed from power as quickly as possible.
Since he is ending his turn further than 30ft away from Cezars (since the enemy moved): Wis save: 21
(planning on using that inspiration on my next turn!!!)
Shugo lets out a startle yelp when the dragonborn suddenly burst in out of nowhere shouting at the top of her lungs. Well...at least it sounds like she's on their side. (Wis save critical fail)
Why the heck is he so terrified right now?! Hand still gripping his sword, he pulls a dart from his belt and chucks it at the raving paladin.
To hit: 20
Damage: 6
Felića CON Save—Pixel's poison: 8
Cezars DEX Save—Taliyah's Sacred Flame: 15
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
"Do you think I'm going to tell you? No, I won't! Not until I-ARGH!" Cezars gets hit square in the chest with Renar's sword, but right after that, he smirks and points a finger upward. "Hellish Re—" A circle of purple flames surrounds Renar, but before it can do any damage, the electricity from Renar's spell takes effect, Cezars convulses as static courses through his veins, cancelling the spell. He had no time to dodge Shugo's dart and it hit him in the back, but it seemed that Alex's projectile went off its mark.
The arrow hits the gryphon right in her chest, and she screeches in pain, "ÁHH! Ẽ envenodo!"(1) It's hard to see her expression through that beak, but she's clearly distressed, she would be sweating bullets right now if she had a sweat gland. Nonetheless, seeing Renar walks away, she uses this opportunity to claw him in the back
Felića AOO: 14 to hit, 10 damage
The fire Genasi shakes his head after recovering from the shock "You little..." Cezars glares at the Dragonborn before he commands his mount to side-step the Sacred Flame. "Come here, lizard!" He points his sabre forward, but his gryphon doesn't obey his command right away. She's standing there, heaving and coughing.
Cezars slap his gryphon's lion rear, "Move!" After a few more attempts, he manages to 'restart' his mount. He flies toward the Dragonborn, lands right behind her, and makes quick, consecutive slashes. His mount slashes with her claws, but it seems that her stance is much more shakier due to the effects of the poison.
Cezars
Action: Multiattack—two attacks with Scimitar at Taliyah: Attack 1: 13 to hit, 7 damage. Attack 2: 21 to hit, 9 damage.
Bonus Action: Telling his mount to attack Taliyah: 8 to hit, 12 damage.
The halfling merchant looks up at the Dragonborn stranger, "I'm alright... just help my customers first, worry about me later!" She points at the party, there are some bruises on her face, but nothing major compared to the injured party members. "Reminder to myself: next time, buy a crossbow and hire caravan guards." She ends her turn at the same spot, she won't be that much of use anyway since she doesn't have any weapons on her and she can't cast a spell. For now, her priority is to survive... and give them a lot of kvass after all of this is over.
Alharisian transcription
(1) "OWW! I'm poisoned!"
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
*Reflexively parries a claw attack from the griffin* They're aiming for the dragonborn... And... oh gosh... I wish I could get their attention but... I still feel super shaken... I may as well move back 15ft so that I can compose myself... WIS Save: 20 *He flashbacks to the time when was found as a stray fox boy in the Neverwinter Jungle by Ethan and Rixi, all because, the latter reached a hand, asking him to join, rather than shun him again; The time where his life changed forever, started with a simple act of holding hands. As he relives this memory, all of a sudden, his frightful demeanour changes to a rather hostile one as the nails on his hand sharpen, to the point where he leaves visible marks on his katana sheath*
I can do this... I must do it. That's my mission right now! He saved me... no, Ethan... and Rixi... they both saved me... from over 300 years of turmoil. this isn't the Rixi I know for so long. He's still here... in my heart... I owe them everything. Even if I must give up my life... *He unsheathe his katana and uses the rest of his movement to stomp towards Rixi whilst he snarls VERY loudly, like his prey has finally been found* I will finish... I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED!
"HEY! STUPID RIXI!" I yell with extreme hostility as my silver blade shines before crackling with blazing hot lightning once again. The thing is though, I don't want to kill him without knowing why he's insisting on doing what he's doing right now. I need answers! I need facts and logic, before I come to a conclusion on whether I should put him out of his misery or not. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE FINE WITH ME AS YOUR OPPONENT! WHY'D YOU SWITCH TARGETS?! OR ARE YOU AFRAID OF FALLING TO A "CHANGELING" WHO ONCE WENT DOWN THE SAME, TRAGIC PATH LIKE YOU, COWARD?!" *He grips his katana with all of his might as he begins to slash not once, but thrice in the same attack*: "Katana Waza... Uneru nami! (刀 技...うねる波, Katana technique: Rolling Waves) GRRAAAGGHH!"
Attack (With booming blade again): NAT 20 (20,
8), Damage (Non-lethal this time): 12 Slashing + 3 Thunder if Cezars moves againThe rolling waves attack: (Whenever Renar scores a crit, he will perform a move where he will slash multiple times in the one 'attack')
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
"AAAGH!" Having not seen Cezar move to attack her, Taliyah stumbles forward a bit before turning to face the fiery warrior in front of her. She moves away from Janina towards Shugo, hoping to draw Cezar's attention away from the merchant. "You seem like quite the hothead, so why don't you cool down for a bit?" Taliyah raises her staff and inhales deeply, the eyes lighting up as she does so, with sparkles of golden light dancing across her scales and clothes. She then exhales, letting out a burst of frigid air fly forward in a fifteen foot cone, catching both Cezar and his mount in it. While he's distracted by the frost breath, Taliyah releases her spell and Misty Steps over by Renar, and then moves a bit further back so Alex and Renar are closer to Cezar then she is. "If my eyes don't deceive me, his griffon is poisoned! You should be able to potentially ground it easier then normal!"
Non-lethal Frost Breath Damage (DC 12 Dex save to only take half): 1