Auriel raises his halberd with every intention of finishing the cambion when he suddenly vanishes from sight, gone in a blur of distorted air.
"Coward!!!" the paladin shouts in frustration.
For a heartbeat, he stands frozen, weapon still raised, eyes searching the space where the fiend stood moments before. Is he still here? Or has he fled entirely? The Eladrin doesn't lower his guard, half-expecting an attack from the shadows.
When nothing comes, Auriel exhales sharply, angered at having been denied the killing blow. But there's no time dwell on it and his attention snaps to the remaining danger. Hex.
He strides toward her as she closes on Hildigrim. "I'm sorry," he says tightly, "but I need you to wake up."
Without hesitation, he brings his gauntleted hand across her face in a sharp slap, hoping the sudden shock will break the fiend's hold.
Action: Slap Hex across the face. Do I have to roll an Unarmed strike for this? I rolled a 25, and I guess the damage is a a fixed value of 5 HP?
OOC: OK, so if we went with Option 2, how many feet away from Hex did Hildigrim get? Was she able to get within melee range?
OOC: Hildigrim was originally within movement range of Hex before moving 25 feet away, so Hex was able to close the distance by dashing in the previous round. So, she was able to reach the barricade and pull up on Hildigrim this round.
Hex's attack will hit, and Auriel's attack doesn't succeed in snapping Hex out of it (WIS Save: 10 fails), so we still have actions from Carlthuzad and Hildigrim remaining this round.
Carl keeps moving toward Auriel, but he sees what happens to the Cambion and thinks that he recognizes it. I bet that it just performed a misty step! Now where did you go...
He looks around the chaos of the prisoners and what has just transpired, listening for the sound of a pop or any shimmering distortions, trying to locate the Cambion if it teleported across the battlefield. He readies an eldritch blast in his hand for when he spots the fiend.
Perception : 16
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
OOC: Sorry it took me so long to respond. Didn't notice the OOC question or I'd have tried to get that answered from my phone.
Prior to Hildigrim's "option 2" in the previous round, he was within movement range of everyone else (including Hex). The cover he was seeking would have been the barricade, within his 50 feet of movement. Regardless of whether or not he had moved a full 50 feet, Hex dashed on her turn, starting from within movement range of Hildigrim, so she would have enough movement to reach him on that turn (without attacking). Then, on this turn, she is already within melee range and able to make an attack with her scimitar.
Hildigrim grunts out of both physical and emotional pain as Hex's blade cuts through his shoulder. He registers Auriel's open-handed blow to the tiefling and the fact that she doesn't respond. "I ... I ... can't," the halfling croaks.
Holding his bloody arm against his stomach, he prepares to dodge her next attacks.
Hex's blades whirl toward the shocked Hildigrim, the halfling barely realizing his companion's lethal intent in time. Her scimitar slash repeatedly, cornering Hildigrim until Auriel's gauntleted fist smashes into Hex's cheek, rocking her to the side. The angry glare that returns makes it clear that her mind remains under the cambion's effect.
Carl's eyes roam the entire battlefield, waiting for the cambion's reappearance, but no target arrives for his magic to strike.
Auriel curses sharply when he sees the look in Hex's eyes—clear proof that she is still under the cambion's influence.
Spitting a curse after the vanished fiend, the paladin throws his halberd to the ground, where it clatters loudly. Then, without a second thought, he lunges forward, grabbing Hex as tightly as he can to yank her out of Hildigrim's reach.
"Snap out of it, Hex!"he exclaims. Then, glancing at Carl and Hildigrim, he adds, "We'll have to break the charm by force."
Action: Grapple Hex (Athletics Roll #1: 18 If she succeeds against it, he tries again. Roll #2: 20) Movement: if the grapple succeeds, then Auriel moves Hex as far away from Hildigrim as possible.
Carl locks eyes with Auriel and nods, his hand gripping tight into a fist, he looks conflicted. He gives a quick glance over at the Lord Regent and mutters under his breath, “We gotta get out of here, times a wastin’! Sorry Hex, don’t take this personal, but ya gotta snap outta it!” And he swings right at her jaw as Auriel is trying to restrain her in a grapple.
Punch : 21 to hit, for 2 points of bludgeoning damage.
He keeps looking around the area for sight of the Cambion, or to spot any other combatants that are coming toward them.
Hex manages to deftly slip out of Auriel's arms, ignoring the paladin and attempting to finish off Hildigrim but, before she can, Carl clocks her in the jaw.
WIS Save to break Cambion's charm: 14
--- If she does succeed: She snaps out of the charm and her expression is immediately filled with shame and regret, dropping to her knees in front of Hildigrim and grabbing him by both arms to cast Cure Wounds on him. "Oh gods, Hildigrim. I'm so sorry."
Action: Casting Cure Wounds for 9 points of healing.
--- If she doesn't succeed: She simply shakes off the hit from Carl and continues her assault on Hildigrim.
Action: Scimitar Attack 1 - 14 to hit (miss) Scimitar Attack 2 - 15 to hit Damage - 10Hunter's Mark - 3Favored Foe - 1
Hex and Auriel struggle with one another, each wrestling to grab leverage, Hex's limbs flailing as Auriel tries and fails to keep her back from Hildigrim. Her scimitars flash upward, wheeling on the halfling - and then she is on the ground, rocked by Carlthuzad's fist. Halfway back to her feet, the world seems to narrow back into her vision, like a cloud slowly lifting. Her scimitar is halfway through the air toward Hildigrim when she regains control of her senses, stopping the strike short.
OOC: Each character has received 725 XP for defeating the remaining guard and chasing off the cambion!
Hildigrim flinches as Hex grabs him by the shoulders, his body reacting before his mind catches up. For a heartbeat, his breath catches, then she speaks, and understanding rushes in behind the pain.
She’s back.
He exhales a long, shaky breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, as the warmth of her magic knits flesh and quiets the worst of the ache. His fingers curl briefly into her sleeve, not to restrain her, but to anchor them both.
“It’s … it’s all right, Hex,” he says gently, the words meant as much for himself as for her. “You weren’t in your right mind. It wasn’t your fault.”
He forces himself to look away from her face and scan their surroundings, every shadow and broken line of sight suspect. Part of him dares to hope the devil used the chaos to flee — that the immediate danger has passed, even if the greater one has not.
His jaw sets as duty reasserts itself.
“Let’s get the Lord Regent to safety,” he says, voice low but firm, already shifting into motion. “Before the other guards return.”
"He won't leave without the rest of the prisoners. We need to free them quickly. Your mission regarding Spernik as well, Hildigrim. One of the guards mentioned bringing prisoners to him. He's definitely here."
Hex begins making her way around the prisoners, cutting their ties and setting them free as quickly as she can. She's on edge the entire time, her knuckles white as she grips her scimitar tight, just waiting for the guards to return and the cambion to reappear.
Once they're free, she does a quick search of the dead guard's body for any keys or information that could prove useful before finally heading over to where Aleyd and the dead knights lay. She moves their bodies somewhere safer and out of the way. "I wish we could give you a proper burial but, for now, this will have to do."
Carl stands there with a grimace on his face, shaking his hand, clearly not used to punching people. He pulls out his small knife for carving and helps Hex to cut the bindings of the remaining prisoners, then quickly says "Which way, we have to leave, and now!" Then he hears Hex mention Spernik to Hildigrim and he stands, slowing his movements. "As I said before, I'll go with ye if there is more to be done. But the Lord Regent needs to get out of here, quickly."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Auriel retrieves his halberd and leans against it for a moment, taking a few seconds to collect himself after the fight with the cambion and the struggle with Hex. It was one thing to face a fiend in battle—but to see one turn a companion against the others was something he never wished to witness again. He curses the creature once again, seething at the thought that it still lives, free to spread its influence elsewhere.
There is no time to linger, however. As the others move to prepare, the Eladrin makes his way toward the Lord Protector and offers a respectful salute, as befits one of Ector Brahms' station.
"My lord," Auriel says gravely, "I regret to inform you that Captain Aleyd Burral fell buying us the opening needed to free you and the other captives." His jaw tightens for a moment before he continues. "We would gladly escort you to safety ourselves, but there is still one matter that cannot be left unresolved. Spernik must be dealt with."
He pauses, then gestures toward the freed prisoners. "Could you lead them to the Laughing Goblin? The route should be clear, we encountered no resistance on our way here. Other survivors are gathered there, and we have secured passage out of the city for all of them tonight."His voice lowers, firm and resolute. "Phlan is lost. But we cannot not allow its Lord Protector nor its people to fall with it."
The Lord Regent Ector Brahms is helping the captives that had been tied with him to stand when Auriel approaches.
"Aleyd..." he mutters, looking to the spot where she fell. He offers Auriel a salute in return, and walks over to a pile of refuse in the courtyard, pulling out a length of fine red cloth. He snaps it open, affixing it to his shoulders before moving over to Hex, who stands now over Aleyd's body.
Aleyd lies in the street where she fell, dead, her shield still gripped in one hand and her longsword at her side. The undirtied polish of her scale male seems to practically glow, contrasting the dark circumstances. "Damn..." the Lord Regent grimaces, visibly upset at the body. "Aleyd was one of the most dedicated Knights in my command," he says, chewing on his lip in seeming frustration. "She oft let her morals get in the way of her duties. It is no surprise she would do so again today."
He turns to Auriel and locks eyes, a fire raging inside the man's gaze that belies his calm speech. "Spernik is here, or at least the Tears spoke of bringing captives to him. If he truly is, then he will be inside the Gate, likely at the precipice. They've been bringing captives into the castle to dig. I suspect they seek the old Pool of Radiance. I overheard my own captors speaking of those that tired from the labor being offered as 'tribute' to Vorgansharax."
Many of the captives have yet to be freed, though Carl works quickly to cut the bonds of more. Those who have been freed mill about nervously, eyes watching the Lord Regent or anxiously scanning the barricades and doors of the Gate. A young human girl enters the courtyard, the one from the tree outside, still dirtied and bloodied up to her arms. She brings her goat with her, but leaves it behind at the barricades as she walks a beeline toward the fallen Tear of Virulence while the party speaks with the Lord Regent. Hex recognizes the girl, seeing her pull back the Tear's head, pull a dagger from her belt, and cut a crimson line across the dead man's throat.
Joining Hex, Auriel, and the Lord Regent beside Aleyd’s body, Hildigrim gives a brief bow — more instinct than etiquette.
“Lord Regent,” he says quickly, already scanning the shadows. “You need to be moved to safety. Now.”
His eyes snap back to the man. “But we’re going after Spernik, and we don’t have time to get lost inside the castle. If you have someone who knows the passages — secret ones included — I need them with us.”
He brushes at his tunic, attempting to subtly draw the Lord's eye to his Harper pin.
Hex watches the young girl with curiosity until she suddenly slices open the dead man's throat. At that point she steps forward and tilts her head at the girl. "Um... can I ask what you're doing? He was already dead, if that was the concern."
Auriel is momentarily distracted by the appearance of the girl and her goat. The strange duo causes the Eladrin to fall silent, staring at them wide-eyed—expression that only deepens when the girl calmly slices the fallen guard's throat.
"What the…?" he starts to mutter, then stops himself. As Hex steps forward to address the girl, Auriel simply shakes his head and lets her handle whatever that is.
He turns back to the Lord Protector. "The Pool of Radiance?"he asks. "What is it, exactly?" (OOC: if we've discussed this before, I've completely forgotten about it!)
Auriel listens to the reply, then presses on, urgency in his voice. "We can't linger here much longer. My Lord, do you think you could gather these people and lead them to the Laughing Goblin? We could escort you, but doing so would cost us our chance to deal with Spernik. And he seems far too dangerous to be left alive."
OOC: OK, so if we went with Option 2, how many feet away from Hex did Hildigrim get? Was she able to get within melee range?
Auriel raises his halberd with every intention of finishing the cambion when he suddenly vanishes from sight, gone in a blur of distorted air.
"Coward!!!" the paladin shouts in frustration.
For a heartbeat, he stands frozen, weapon still raised, eyes searching the space where the fiend stood moments before. Is he still here? Or has he fled entirely? The Eladrin doesn't lower his guard, half-expecting an attack from the shadows.
When nothing comes, Auriel exhales sharply, angered at having been denied the killing blow. But there's no time dwell on it and his attention snaps to the remaining danger. Hex.
He strides toward her as she closes on Hildigrim. "I'm sorry," he says tightly, "but I need you to wake up."
Without hesitation, he brings his gauntleted hand across her face in a sharp slap, hoping the sudden shock will break the fiend's hold.
Action: Slap Hex across the face. Do I have to roll an Unarmed strike for this? I rolled a 25, and I guess the damage is a a fixed value of 5 HP?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
OOC: Hildigrim was originally within movement range of Hex before moving 25 feet away, so Hex was able to close the distance by dashing in the previous round. So, she was able to reach the barricade and pull up on Hildigrim this round.
Hex's attack will hit, and Auriel's attack doesn't succeed in snapping Hex out of it (WIS Save: 10 fails), so we still have actions from Carlthuzad and Hildigrim remaining this round.
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Carl keeps moving toward Auriel, but he sees what happens to the Cambion and thinks that he recognizes it. I bet that it just performed a misty step! Now where did you go...
He looks around the chaos of the prisoners and what has just transpired, listening for the sound of a pop or any shimmering distortions, trying to locate the Cambion if it teleported across the battlefield. He readies an eldritch blast in his hand for when he spots the fiend.
Perception : 16
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
OOC: Sorry to keep holding this up, but Option 2 would have resulting in 50 feet of movement, right? Or could he not move that far away?
OOC: Sorry it took me so long to respond. Didn't notice the OOC question or I'd have tried to get that answered from my phone.
Prior to Hildigrim's "option 2" in the previous round, he was within movement range of everyone else (including Hex). The cover he was seeking would have been the barricade, within his 50 feet of movement. Regardless of whether or not he had moved a full 50 feet, Hex dashed on her turn, starting from within movement range of Hildigrim, so she would have enough movement to reach him on that turn (without attacking). Then, on this turn, she is already within melee range and able to make an attack with her scimitar.
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Hildigrim grunts out of both physical and emotional pain as Hex's blade cuts through his shoulder. He registers Auriel's open-handed blow to the tiefling and the fact that she doesn't respond. "I ... I ... can't," the halfling croaks.
Holding his bloody arm against his stomach, he prepares to dodge her next attacks.
Action: dodge
Hex's blades whirl toward the shocked Hildigrim, the halfling barely realizing his companion's lethal intent in time. Her scimitar slash repeatedly, cornering Hildigrim until Auriel's gauntleted fist smashes into Hex's cheek, rocking her to the side. The angry glare that returns makes it clear that her mind remains under the cambion's effect.
Carl's eyes roam the entire battlefield, waiting for the cambion's reappearance, but no target arrives for his magic to strike.
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Auriel curses sharply when he sees the look in Hex's eyes—clear proof that she is still under the cambion's influence.
Spitting a curse after the vanished fiend, the paladin throws his halberd to the ground, where it clatters loudly. Then, without a second thought, he lunges forward, grabbing Hex as tightly as he can to yank her out of Hildigrim's reach.
"Snap out of it, Hex!" he exclaims. Then, glancing at Carl and Hildigrim, he adds, "We'll have to break the charm by force."
Action: Grapple Hex (Athletics Roll #1: 18 If she succeeds against it, he tries again. Roll #2: 20)
Movement: if the grapple succeeds, then Auriel moves Hex as far away from Hildigrim as possible.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Carl locks eyes with Auriel and nods, his hand gripping tight into a fist, he looks conflicted. He gives a quick glance over at the Lord Regent and mutters under his breath, “We gotta get out of here, times a wastin’! Sorry Hex, don’t take this personal, but ya gotta snap outta it!” And he swings right at her jaw as Auriel is trying to restrain her in a grapple.
Punch : 21 to hit, for 2 points of bludgeoning damage.
He keeps looking around the area for sight of the Cambion, or to spot any other combatants that are coming toward them.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Contested Grapple Check (Acrobatics): 24 and 23
Hex manages to deftly slip out of Auriel's arms, ignoring the paladin and attempting to finish off Hildigrim but, before she can, Carl clocks her in the jaw.
WIS Save to break Cambion's charm: 14
--- If she does succeed: She snaps out of the charm and her expression is immediately filled with shame and regret, dropping to her knees in front of Hildigrim and grabbing him by both arms to cast Cure Wounds on him. "Oh gods, Hildigrim. I'm so sorry."
Action: Casting Cure Wounds for 9 points of healing.
--- If she doesn't succeed: She simply shakes off the hit from Carl and continues her assault on Hildigrim.
Action: Scimitar Attack 1 - 14 to hit (miss)
Scimitar Attack 2 - 15 to hit Damage - 10 Hunter's Mark - 3 Favored Foe - 1
Hex and Auriel struggle with one another, each wrestling to grab leverage, Hex's limbs flailing as Auriel tries and fails to keep her back from Hildigrim. Her scimitars flash upward, wheeling on the halfling - and then she is on the ground, rocked by Carlthuzad's fist. Halfway back to her feet, the world seems to narrow back into her vision, like a cloud slowly lifting. Her scimitar is halfway through the air toward Hildigrim when she regains control of her senses, stopping the strike short.
OOC: Each character has received 725 XP for defeating the remaining guard and chasing off the cambion!
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Hildigrim flinches as Hex grabs him by the shoulders, his body reacting before his mind catches up. For a heartbeat, his breath catches, then she speaks, and understanding rushes in behind the pain.
She’s back.
He exhales a long, shaky breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, as the warmth of her magic knits flesh and quiets the worst of the ache. His fingers curl briefly into her sleeve, not to restrain her, but to anchor them both.
“It’s … it’s all right, Hex,” he says gently, the words meant as much for himself as for her. “You weren’t in your right mind. It wasn’t your fault.”
He forces himself to look away from her face and scan their surroundings, every shadow and broken line of sight suspect. Part of him dares to hope the devil used the chaos to flee — that the immediate danger has passed, even if the greater one has not.
His jaw sets as duty reasserts itself.
“Let’s get the Lord Regent to safety,” he says, voice low but firm, already shifting into motion. “Before the other guards return.”
"He won't leave without the rest of the prisoners. We need to free them quickly. Your mission regarding Spernik as well, Hildigrim. One of the guards mentioned bringing prisoners to him. He's definitely here."
Hex begins making her way around the prisoners, cutting their ties and setting them free as quickly as she can. She's on edge the entire time, her knuckles white as she grips her scimitar tight, just waiting for the guards to return and the cambion to reappear.
Once they're free, she does a quick search of the dead guard's body for any keys or information that could prove useful before finally heading over to where Aleyd and the dead knights lay. She moves their bodies somewhere safer and out of the way. "I wish we could give you a proper burial but, for now, this will have to do."
Carl stands there with a grimace on his face, shaking his hand, clearly not used to punching people. He pulls out his small knife for carving and helps Hex to cut the bindings of the remaining prisoners, then quickly says "Which way, we have to leave, and now!" Then he hears Hex mention Spernik to Hildigrim and he stands, slowing his movements. "As I said before, I'll go with ye if there is more to be done. But the Lord Regent needs to get out of here, quickly."
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Auriel retrieves his halberd and leans against it for a moment, taking a few seconds to collect himself after the fight with the cambion and the struggle with Hex. It was one thing to face a fiend in battle—but to see one turn a companion against the others was something he never wished to witness again. He curses the creature once again, seething at the thought that it still lives, free to spread its influence elsewhere.
There is no time to linger, however. As the others move to prepare, the Eladrin makes his way toward the Lord Protector and offers a respectful salute, as befits one of Ector Brahms' station.
"My lord," Auriel says gravely, "I regret to inform you that Captain Aleyd Burral fell buying us the opening needed to free you and the other captives." His jaw tightens for a moment before he continues. "We would gladly escort you to safety ourselves, but there is still one matter that cannot be left unresolved. Spernik must be dealt with."
He pauses, then gestures toward the freed prisoners. "Could you lead them to the Laughing Goblin? The route should be clear, we encountered no resistance on our way here. Other survivors are gathered there, and we have secured passage out of the city for all of them tonight." His voice lowers, firm and resolute. "Phlan is lost. But we cannot not allow its Lord Protector nor its people to fall with it."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
The Lord Regent Ector Brahms is helping the captives that had been tied with him to stand when Auriel approaches.
"Aleyd..." he mutters, looking to the spot where she fell. He offers Auriel a salute in return, and walks over to a pile of refuse in the courtyard, pulling out a length of fine red cloth. He snaps it open, affixing it to his shoulders before moving over to Hex, who stands now over Aleyd's body.
Aleyd lies in the street where she fell, dead, her shield still gripped in one hand and her longsword at her side. The undirtied polish of her scale male seems to practically glow, contrasting the dark circumstances. "Damn..." the Lord Regent grimaces, visibly upset at the body. "Aleyd was one of the most dedicated Knights in my command," he says, chewing on his lip in seeming frustration. "She oft let her morals get in the way of her duties. It is no surprise she would do so again today."
He turns to Auriel and locks eyes, a fire raging inside the man's gaze that belies his calm speech. "Spernik is here, or at least the Tears spoke of bringing captives to him. If he truly is, then he will be inside the Gate, likely at the precipice. They've been bringing captives into the castle to dig. I suspect they seek the old Pool of Radiance. I overheard my own captors speaking of those that tired from the labor being offered as 'tribute' to Vorgansharax."
Many of the captives have yet to be freed, though Carl works quickly to cut the bonds of more. Those who have been freed mill about nervously, eyes watching the Lord Regent or anxiously scanning the barricades and doors of the Gate. A young human girl enters the courtyard, the one from the tree outside, still dirtied and bloodied up to her arms. She brings her goat with her, but leaves it behind at the barricades as she walks a beeline toward the fallen Tear of Virulence while the party speaks with the Lord Regent. Hex recognizes the girl, seeing her pull back the Tear's head, pull a dagger from her belt, and cut a crimson line across the dead man's throat.
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Joining Hex, Auriel, and the Lord Regent beside Aleyd’s body, Hildigrim gives a brief bow — more instinct than etiquette.
“Lord Regent,” he says quickly, already scanning the shadows. “You need to be moved to safety. Now.”
His eyes snap back to the man. “But we’re going after Spernik, and we don’t have time to get lost inside the castle. If you have someone who knows the passages — secret ones included — I need them with us.”
He brushes at his tunic, attempting to subtly draw the Lord's eye to his Harper pin.
Hex watches the young girl with curiosity until she suddenly slices open the dead man's throat. At that point she steps forward and tilts her head at the girl. "Um... can I ask what you're doing? He was already dead, if that was the concern."
Auriel is momentarily distracted by the appearance of the girl and her goat. The strange duo causes the Eladrin to fall silent, staring at them wide-eyed—expression that only deepens when the girl calmly slices the fallen guard's throat.
"What the…?" he starts to mutter, then stops himself. As Hex steps forward to address the girl, Auriel simply shakes his head and lets her handle whatever that is.
He turns back to the Lord Protector. "The Pool of Radiance?" he asks. "What is it, exactly?" (OOC: if we've discussed this before, I've completely forgotten about it!)
Auriel listens to the reply, then presses on, urgency in his voice. "We can't linger here much longer. My Lord, do you think you could gather these people and lead them to the Laughing Goblin? We could escort you, but doing so would cost us our chance to deal with Spernik. And he seems far too dangerous to be left alive."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren