Chapter 5: Blood and Fire

[Darren]

Kal smiles at Charis. "I like the way you think," he offers, "but we should probably try to keep them alive. Is there anything in Ralsor's storeroom that we can use to soften their fall?"

[Ken]

Belarin keeps his attention on the looming bulk of the Dissolution, hoping to spot any crewman foolish enough to reveal his face...

OOC: As said earlier, Belarin will save curse of the dark dream for anyone inside the wheelhouse or who appears to be manning a large weapon. Otherwise, anyone else who reveals himself will get the eldritch blast.

[Jeff]

Lever runs into the storage room himself for a moment, as if he hit upon an idea.

Charis found nothing particularly soft, but in the storage room there are large canvas tarps (meant for covering and protecting cargo), which could be used to catch people, provided several people spread out and held the tarps taut.

The caped man aboard the White Phoenix temporary disappears from view as the Thunderhead moves lower, and a little bit closer. Soon the bow of the latter will be directly below the bow of the former.

The Dissolution appears to be drifting backward, and the long cable with its flaming harpoon at its end continues to retract. Soon it will reach the White Phoenix again. Even as the dark ship floats slowly backward, a few shapes do appear at the rail. The roundish metal heads of warforged. They're out of range for any of Belarin's spells. The movement between them does suggest that they're doing something particular, not just watching...

[Darren]

Kal catches Lever's movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking at the warforged, he nods and waves the construct to bring the tarps out. Then he returns his attention to the other ships. "Amal," he says without looking at the man, "do you think you could hit those warforged with one of Ralsor's crossbows?"

[Marcy]

"There were tarps," Charis answers, "but I'll need your help carrying them and we'll have to have enough people hold the corners, at a minimum. Come on!"

Without looking to see if Kal follows, Charis sprints toward the forecastle to get the tarps.

[Josh]

Grafth follows Charis to help retrieve tarps, but not before glancing back at the Dissolution with concern.

[Jeff]

Amal hefts one of the crossbows Charis had placed on the deck, eyeing the Dissolution as he lifts up a bolt for loading. "No, my lord*," he says to Kal. "The best I can do from this distance is stick it in the hull."

It takes a few moments, but Charis and Lever grab the largest of the canvas tarps and drag it out onto the deck. Fortunately, by the time they manage to spread it out—with Grafth's help—Ralsor has gotten the tip of the Thunderhead just below the White Phoenix. But the Phoenix begins to shudder dangerously, making Ralsor's ship utterly still by comparison.

As he grips his portion, Lever speaks some arcane words, and Grafth and Charis feel the canvas become more supple in their grasp. But to hold the tarp close enough to the Phoenix and taut enough to catch the injured, Grafth is forced to scramble up onto the raised portion of the Thunderhead's fore.

The caped man on the Phoenix appears at the rail, a glimmer of hope on his face. The moment he sees Grafth, Charis, and Lever holding the tarp out, the man shoves an unconscious crewman over the rail. The body falls fifteen feet and thuds into the tarp—which is tight enough to cushion the fall.

"Help!" the caped man shouts, "There are others! I can't do this alone!"

From where he stands, the underside of the Phoenix comes within Grafth's reach...he thinks he might be able to climb up, if someone were to take his place.

___________________________

* And indeed the maximum range for a crossbow bolt is 30 squares (150 ft.). The Dissolution is a bit further than that and slowly moving away at the moment.


Updated map.

[Marcy]

Jul 12, 2009 21:54:23 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"Help!" the caped man shouts, "There are others! I can't do this alone!"

From where he stands, the underside of the Phoenix comes within Grafth's reach...he thinks he might be able to climb up, if someone were to take his place.

"Kal, Amal! We need your help!" Charis yells. "Take Grafth's place so he can go up and help throw them down!"

[Ken]

"Go, help," calls Belarin to Kal after hearing Charis' call. "If the Dissolution gets closer, I promise I'll sear any idiot who shows his face." Belarin looks back to the enemy ship, although his hope for retribution today seems to be fading by the moment.

[Darren]

Kal nods to Belarin, then slaps Amal on the shoulder and motions for him to follow Kal to the tarp. As he moves, Kal looks at the cable leading into the Dissolution, and an idea crosses his mind.

__________________
Jeff, is the cable metal? Can Kal tell? How far away is it? Could Kal conceivably hit it with a Lightning Orb? If so, is it conceivable to think that this might electrify the cable?

[Joe]

Streko will assist any of the White Phoenix crew that needs to be stabilized andbe available to whoever else needs his abilities.
____________________________________________________

Writing deadline for first draft in 8 days - 2nd draft three weeks after that...I will check at least once a day, but don't expect Streko's customary eloquence for a short time, unless he feels suddenly inspired...which no doubt will happen at some point!

[Josh]

Assuming someone has taken his place, Grafth moves away from the tarp, gauging the best possible way for him to make it safely aboard the White Phoenix.

[Jeff]

As Grafth gauges the climb, the White Phoenix shudders. You hear a distant crack! beneath the rumble of the flames, and you know the hull is beginning to split. The fore suddenly comes downward and actually slaps the tip of the Thunderhead. You feel the vibrations through the deck, but Ralsor's ship holds.

Lever, standing beside the others with tarp in his hands, exclaims, "No more of that, please!"

Now the climb looks easier. Grafth grabs at the Phoenix's hull and searches for some sort of handhold or at least a good grip. The climb is awkward, and takes him two successive tries, but with his view of the open sky blocked, he's able to concentrate on the task and just climb. In a few moments, the shifter is perched at the railing of the White Phoenix, ten feet above his companions.

Down below, Kal, Amal, and Streko have come upon the scene for assistance. The first of the unconscious and injured crewmen has already been dropped to the tarp, so Streko is able to drag the human's body off the tarp and onto the deck. Even at a glance, Streko can see the man will live—a few burns, nothing dire. From the screams coming from the other ship, though, Streko suspects his skills will soon be tested.

From where he crouches, Grafth can see the true devastation of the Phoenix. More than half of the ship is engulfed in flame. He can spy several dark shapes motionless on the ground—crewman who never had a chance.

However, the caped Aundairian whirls when he sees Grafth. Around him are two men and one woman, each of them partially burned but alive. He immediately picks up the woman and walks toward the rail. "Everyone else is dead, including the pilot," he says to Grafth, his voice hoarse from shouting. "There is no one controlling the elemental. It's going to drop anytime." He nods in the direction of the two remaining crewman. "Bring them over, please."

The Aundairian strikes Grafth as vaguely familiar, but in this chaos, hasn't the time to figure out how.

Motion within the inferno catches Grafth's eye. A shape moving strongly, walking about as if it weren't a deathtrap. Then the man-sized figure then emerges from the flames.

Grafth has never seen anything quite like this, but his recent experiences around Shadowcrest Manor have made him instinctively wary of humanlike people with diabolical features...

The newcomer is tall, lean, and muscular, clad in a suit of thick chainmail. The tattered remains of a cloak hang from his frame, burned beyond repair. Large horns protrude just behind his brows and taper backward, and dark hair—is it actually blue?—is bound behind his head in a braid. A thick tail longer than Streko flows out behind him. Where Grafth sees skin on the man, it is a tannish red in color.

The creature fixes eyes upon Grafth the color of solid gold. And it just then that the shifter realizes the horned man is carrying something—a small, halfing-sized figure, which he bears behind a large, irregularly-shaped shield. The creature wears a sword at his belt, and bears the scars of a seasoned warrior. Smoke rises from his body, and his armor looks hot to the touch.

The caped Aundairian looks down, unaware of the newcomer, and drops the crewman in his arms to the tarp below.

Meanwhile, Belarin hasn't turned his eyes from the Dissolution. He sees the heads of the warforged stirring, then sees some sort of device rise into view above its port bow. It looks like a ballista, but the bolt-shaped tip doesn't look detachable...

____________________________________

Grafth's Climb check (1d20+8=12) (failure)
Grafth's Climb check (1d20+8=22) (success)

To confirm, only Grafth sees the newcomer at the moment. But the description is relevant for the rest, when they see him, too.

Updated map.

[Darren]

Kal grips the edge of the tarp tightly. "Move, shifter!" he calls up to Grafth. "Get them over here now or we're leaving without you!"

[Ken]

"I think we should go faster!" calls Belarin. "The 'forged over there are readying a ballista shot!" Angry and frustrated, he hurls an arcane blast toward one of the enemy warforged. He knows they're out of his range, but he hopes that even a moment's distraction might delay the ballista attack.

OOC: I made a roll just in case a nat 20 was in my future and the DM was feeling generous. Alas. And no, Jeff, Belarin isn't using the pact dagger ... yet! ;D
Eldritch blast attack (1d20+5=18)

[Josh]

Grafth looks at the fiery figure with interest and concern, but his thoughts are disturbed by Kal's rather obvious request from below. Moving toward the bodies, he drags the nearest one over to the edge ship's edge.

"Aundarian!" Grafth shouts, "Help me put him over, and we'll get the last one together."

[Joe]

"May the Soverign Host look upon us with favor...Olladra be blessed...I fear this is going to get very unpleasant..." Streko prepares to assist the rest of the White Phoenix's crew.

[Jeff]

The Aundairian gives no response to Grafth, but does quicken his already exhausted pace. He drops the woman in his arms down to the tarp below—where Streko, already praying to Olladra, drags her to the deck to give her a quick examination. Together human and shifter bear the next injured man to the rail and drop him over as gently as possible. There is one man to go.

Meanwhile, Belarin sends his arm out and unleashes a blast of silver-and-red fire toward the Dissolution. The fey magic only reaches half the distance, and Belarin isn't even sure if the warforged took notice of it. Grafth sees the red-skinned newcomer turn his head, marking the trail of magical fire as it flares out over the sky.

"Take the boy," the diabolical man says, then, holding out the form in his hands. Grafth can see that indeed the figure is a human child, and that he's suffered some minor burns.

Just then, across the way, the ballista on the Dissolution pivots, pointing directly at the bows of both the Phoenix and the Thunderhead. Belarin calls out, warning everyone. Expecting some sort of arcane blast, Belarin is the first to see it—

But it isn't fire or lightning the ballista discharges, but some sort of liquid stream. The substance is white-gray, and gradually spreads into a conelike spray as it stretches across the distance. Kal, Belarin, and Amal hear a soft rattle as tiny droplets of the spray pelt them harmlessly like small pebbles...

By the time the full blast reaches the two airships, the strange alchemical liquid has dissolved into four individual strands, which hardens almost instantly—like some sort of glue or calcified webbing. The strands are thick, and glimmer as if still sticky, and now cling firmly to the Thunderhead (in three places) and even the bow of the White Phoenix (in one place).

Just as you begin to react—immediately wondering if the weblike strands can simply be cut—the massive harpoon hook already impaling the Phoenix is jerked back toward the Dissolution with frightening force. As the hook surges backwards through the crippled airship, it tears the hull apart. Grafth feels the deck beneath him shudder and pitch. The stern side of the Phoenix cracks and splinters, much of it already falling away into the sky below, carrying away some of the fire. A number of blackened bodies disappear along with the detritus.

The Aundairian stares in horror at the ruin of his ship, and for a moment all anyone can do is look at the scuttled ship. The fire elemental that served as the Phoenix's ring, previously hidden by flame, becomes visible again, but it's beginning to flicker and break away altogether.

From the Thunderhead's wheelhouse, you hear Ralsor cursing loudly.

Meanwhile, several warforged from the Dissolution climb up onto the strands from their side and begin to cross toward you. Although moving as fast as they can, they move relatively slowly, as many warforged do, like soldiers weighed down with heavy armor. Each carries a military pick in his hands. Two of them (#1 and #2 on the map) have what appear to be crossbows in place of right hands.

Despite the peril Thunderhead, its tiny crew, the Aundairians, and your party are now in, one thing at least has become clear: enemies are about to move within range.

__________________________________


Roll initiative, mes amis, if you're able....and state your actions for round 1 of the fight to come!

Updated map.

[Darren]

Kal grimaces as the webbing ensnares the Thunderhead. Then he grins as he sees the warforged climbing across. "See if you can cut that," he yells to Amal and Mist, pointing at the strands. "Grafth, get back here now!"

Stalking towards the railing, Kal pulls Skyfang from its sheath and gives the dagger a quick glance. He points one hand towards the approaching warforged, lighting dancing between his fingertips.

_____________________
Alright, Jeff. I don't know exactly when the warforged will be in range, but Kal intends to hit them with Dancing Lightning, using Skyfang as an implement, as soon as they are. I guess that would be a readied action?

Update: Kal will target whichever one comes into range first. I didn't see the numbers earlier, but it doesn't really matter. As soon as one of them is in range, and adjacent to others, he'll let loose.

[Jeff]

Yes, a readied action is a trigger. "When XYZ happens, I will do this." So then when the triggering event occurs, you slide down in the initiative order to that moment. Dancing lightning has a range of 10, so he can't do it until a warforged comes within 10 squares of Kal. Can you modify your post to include which warforged he's going to target? That's why I numbered them.

[Ken]

Belarin is momentarily dumbfounded by the creation of the web bridge between the ships. His gaze hardens as he sees the warforged begin to move across. Using the ship's railing for cover as much as possible, he moves a dozen feet toward the first of the alchemical "anchors." As he does so, he feels shadows from different parts of the ship rushing toward him, caressing him like a lover.

He pulls the Wood Mistress' gift -- the Pact Blade of the Court of Dusk -- from its sheath in his belt. He stares at it for a moment, knowing that his life will never be the same from this moment on. The hunter will become prey as well. "A pity," he says aloud. "I was hoping for one more night of peaceful sleep. Alas..."

He rises from his crouch as the warforged approach, glaring balefully at the third one. He points the Pact Blade and proclaims, "Cursed you are from Anger's summit / I doom you now to sway and plummet!"

____________________________________

Yay, I get to rhyme again!

Initiative: 11.
Belarin is moving 3 squares toward the closest web line, gaining concealment through his shadow walk. Once Warforged #3 gets into range, he'll pull out the pact dagger (minor action) and invoke curse of the dark dream. (I was going to use Warlock's Curse, too, but that's another minor action, so I'll wait until next round.) Besides the dagger's bonus, the damage roll also includes +1 for prime target and +1 from the Empowering Shadows feat.

Curse of the Dark Dream attack (1d20+6=17)
Curse of the Dark Dream damage (3d8+5=14) If successful, Belarin can shift the warforged 3 squares. Ideally, Warforged #3 will stumble toward Warforged #4, hopefully knocking at least one of them off.

[Josh]

"Take the boy," the diabolical man says, then, holding out the form in his hands. Grafth can see that indeed the figure is a human child, and that he's suffered some minor burns.

Grafth starts to say something, but the offensive from the Dissolution cuts him off. Quickly he takes the child and looks over the side to make sure his companions are still manning the tarp.

"We've got to act now... stay here and die or fight with us," he says to the Aundarian. With that he quickly vaults over the side of the White Phoenix, the child in his arms. His lithe frame twists in the air so that he will land on his back against the makeshift cradle below.


Grafth's Initiative Roll (1d20=15)
Grafth's Athletics Check after fixing the roll (1d20+5+3=19)

Grafth will only jump if the correct number of people are manning the tarp.

[Marcy]

As Kal moves off, Charis yells to Amal, "Wait! Lever and I can't hold the tarp alone! If you go, you have to get Mist to take your place!"

She then turns her attention upwards.

"Phoenix, if you have anyone else to toss over, do it now! We've got to get rid of these warforged, or we've done nothing more than delay your deaths!"

---

OOC: Charis isn't fighting yet, but once they have the last person from the Phoenix, she will head over to the rail to see if there's any way to disengage the web.

Initiative roll (hopefully I'm doing this right):
1d20=19

[Joe]

Streko notices that the tarp has one less person manning it and, ensuring his latest patient is stable and will survive her current situation, races over to the tarp and holds onto it's edge tightly, waiting for another patient to come down.

[Jeff]

Round 1

24 = Charis
20 = Warforged (double move)
19 = Grafth (move & jump)
16 = Aundairian
14 = Kal (dancing lightning)
14 = Streko
13 = Allies [Ralsor, Mist, Amal, etc.]
11 = Belarin (move & curse of the dark dream)
5 = red-skinned creature
________

Charis remains where she is, calling up to the Phoenix survivors.

The warforged, meanwhile, move cautiously across the calcified strands. They're thick enough to keep from falling, but it seems obvious that the warforged have trained for this tactic, and move without fear across the way.

When Grafth reaches out to take the child, he feels the heat rolling off the horned man; the creature's armor is obviously hot to the touch. Once he's got the boy in a good grip, Grafth steps over to the rail, glances down to see that Charis, Amal, and Lever are still holding it. When Grafth speaks to the Aundairian, the man only nods.

The shifter leaps down, his back grazing the rail and twisting in mid-air. His landing is firm, and perfect. Easily cushioned by the tarp, he turns his fall into a roll, letting the boy safely to the ground and springing back to his feet on the Thunderhead's deck like a hunting cat.

The Aundairian appears at the rail with the last survivor in his grasp. He dumps the man unceremoniously over the rail, desperation preventing him from taking ideal care. The body falls heavily into the tarp with a thud, bruised but alive. "That's the last one!" the man calls out, to let the tarp-holders know. "Except..." He turns his head to look at someone else on board the Phoenix behind him. "Us."

Paying little heed to the goings-on behind him, Kal focuses his attention solely upon the warforged. Coruscating electricity gathers between the glowing dagger in his right hand and the hand that clutches his sharash. With a flick of his wrist, he sends a tongue of lightning spewing from the dagger toward the closest warforged (#3). The lightning rips into the living construct, and a split second later everyone hears an accompanying BOOM of thunder. Small splinters of wood bursting out from the warforged's joints, and its composite plating darkens from the blast, but the other warforged are too spread out to be affected.

Streko pulls the last unconscious body off the tarp and lays him next to the boy. All four patients he lays safely at his feet. A very quick examination suggests to him that he might be able to let them be for the moment. All of their injuries need treating, but not immediately.

"Hurry, damn it!" Ralsor shouts from the wheelhouse. "Once everyone's on board, I'll shake them loose!"

Seeing the last of the Phoenix survivors aboard and that she's no longer needed there, Mist springs up onto the rail of the ship where one of the strands has anchored, and sets an arrow flying from her bow. The missile smacks into one of the warforged's arms, balking its movement only for a moment.

Now freed to act, Amal steps past Kal and Tangat and brings his sword in a two-handed chop at the adhesive strand. Not only does it fail to break it, but the substance seems somewhat viscous still. Amal pulls hard and wrenches his blade free. "Damn."

Belarin stalks close to Mist and the nearest strand, and those facing that side of the ship actually lose sight of him in the gathering shadows. When he speaks his curse, targeting the same warforged that Kal just struck, the warforged halts and staggers awkwardly as if suddenly intoxicated. When one foot steps into open air, it topples—

—and grasps the thick strand with one three-fingers metal hand, just barely catching itself from a fall to its death. Its other hand still clasps its weapon.

Those just below the nose of the Phoenix hear a new voice from up above, a strong baritone. "Get down from here," it says, "I can withstand this flame better than you." Then they hear the sound of a sword clearing its scabbard and heavy steps.

Belarin, from his vantage, is the next to see the horned stranger appear at the rail of the Phoenix, facing the Dissolution with burning gold eyes. "If I can sever this. . .this thing," the stranger says to the caped Aundairian behind him. "The creatures on it will fall to the ground. Then I will join you on the other ship." The red-skinned man holds a curiously-shaped shield and a longsword. He raises up the blade and brings it crashing down on the thick webbing. But like Amal's attempt, it seems to have little effect.

Although he doesn't have much time to ponder it now, Belarin doesn't need the voices in his head to tell him that the devilish-looking stranger probably isn't Aundairian himself.

__________________

Josh: Grafth's got an Initiative modifier of +4, and since your roll was 15, he's actually at count 19.

Darren and Ken: Since the warforged move within range on their turn (at the top of the initiative order), there's no need for them do readied action. They just act as normal.

Ken: FYI, to indicate concealment for Belarin, I'm fading his icon 50%. Also, with forced movement the "target can’t be forced into an obstacle or made to squeeze into a space," so while he can't slide the warforged into another enemy, he can still slide it out into open sky. However, open sky is only 1 square away so that's as far as it went.

• Grafth's Athletics check = 19 (success, no damage taken)
• Mist's attack: 26 (hit) / 7 damage to warforged #4
• Kal's attack (dancing lightning) (1d20+6=17) (hit) / damage is (2d10+5=16) lightning to warforged #3.
• Belarin is concealed (-2 on attack rolls against him).
• Belarin's attack: 17 (hit) / damage is 14 psychic damage on warforged #3 / the warforged slides 1 square toward open air...
• Warforged #3's saving throw to catch from falling = 13 (success)

Updated map.

[Darren]

Kal's eyes widen at the violence with which the electricty leaps from his hand, seeming surprised. Then he smiles.

Kalarian turns his attention to one of the other warforged (#1) and again thrusts Skyfang towards the construct, expecting the same result.

__________________
Except Kal won't get the same result because he's actually using Thunder Slam for the first time.

The intention is to hit warforged #1 with Thunder Slam and then push him 3 squares into open air.

IF warforged #1 is already off the strand by the time Kal acts, he will use Thunder Slam on one of the others that IS still on the strands.

IF a warforged reaches Kal before he acts and is able to attack and hit him, Kal will also use Dragonflame Mantle. He will register great surprise on that one, too.

[Josh]

"Enough!" the shifter calls sharply to the ship above. "Get down here now!" Turning to face the incoming warforged, he sees that the enemy is still a bit out of range, and instead moves past Kalarian to the front of the ship, helping to man the tarp until the others abandon the Phoenix.

[Ken]

Belarin spits when he sees that his target has not fallen to its destruction. As the injured warforged pulls itself back onto the webbing, Belarin smirks and mutters, "Oh, I don't think so..." And with a vicious look, he sends another disorienting stream of insane imagery into the warforged's head.

He then moves up a few steps behind Mist, still wrapping the shadows around himself. He points the Pact Blade at the warforged advancing toward Mist and says, "Your master's plans have gone awry / I'd like to see if 'forged can fly!" A blast of silver and red energy erupts from his hands and through the dagger toward the enemy warforged.

_________________________
Minor action: Shift the previous target (Warforged #3) one square, hopefully into the sky this time.
Move action: Move 3 squares, to a spot behind Mist. Shadow walk is still in effect.
Standard action: Attack Warforged #4 with eldritch blast. If Warforged #4 has already engaged with Mist by his spot in the initiative order, then Belarin will strike #7 if he's in range.
Eldritch blast attack (1d20+5=7) Ack! So much for that...
Eldritch blast damage (1d10+4=7)

[Jeff]

Round 2

24 = Charis (total defense)
20 = Warforged
19 = Grafth (total defense)
16 = Aundairian
14 = Kal (thunder slam)
14 = Streko (total defense)
13 = Allies [Ralsor, Mist, Amal, Fherina]
11 = Belarin (move & eldritch blast)
5 = red-skinned creature
________

Charis drops the tarp and moves to stand in front of Streko and the unconscious injured. She draws her rapier and readies to defend them.

Aboard the Dissolution, the last warforged—that you can see, anyway—stands tall just behind the rail, watching the fight. In its hand you see a wand-like object, not a war pick. The construct holds up the device. Red light flares from its tip, then detaches into a dart-sized bolt, which flashes across the sky faster than anything else. Streaming past the other warforged, who are nearly upon the Thunderhead, the red-glowing dart explodes when it hits Mist. The "female" warforged staggers back under the pressure but retains her feet.

The rest of the warforged have nearly reached the Thunderhead now. One them (#3) now confronts Grath and Amal, and another (#4) readies its weapon against the much-frailer looking Mist.

The left-most warforged (#1) moves only a short distance and stops, taking aim with its crossbow arm toward the cluster of people around the tarp. Seeing Grafth, Charis, and even Streko aware of him, and shielding the injured with their own defiance, the warforged turns its attention back to its closest target. After a resounding click!, a crossbow bolt slams into the armored shoulder of the horned stranger aboard the Phoenix, who stands at the rail. The missile shatters off the creature's armored should, but it forces him back a step and elicits a grunt of pain and anger. It was a direct hit.

After Grafth calls out, the Aundairian man immediately complies. He scoops up his spear and straddles the rail, looking one last time toward his burning ship and the red-skinned stranger. "You, too, damn it! Get off this ship!" he barks sternly. "You've done enough here!" Then the Aundairian jumps down toward the bow of the Thunderhead, landing heavily and with a grunt.

Grafth still stands at the tarp, but isn't sure anyone else will be using it anymore. He turns to face the warforged who is upon him, hold out his axe to parry any attacks.

Seeing an enemy within swinging range, Kal steps back before unleashing his next spell. He swivels the dagger in his hand and aims it at the crossbow-armed warforged. A thunderous blast surges through the air between two of the others before striking the target. But the warforged's pose is steady. The vibrations seem to roll right off it. The warforged, in turn, swivels its head to regard Kal.

Streko turns as well, keeping his back to the wounded and his attention on the oncoming attacks.

Undaunted by her injury, Mist drops the bow in her hand and draws out her scimitar and slashes it deftly across the abdomen of the warforged in front of her. Metal screeches and woody fibers begin to split.

Lever looks around at those gathered nearest him, then claps his metal hands together. He speaks a complex phrase and four sigils of glowing light appear in the air. He swats at them and the symbols disperse, each of them coursing into, and disappearing within, a different ally: Grafth, Charis, Streko, and Kal. The weapons they hold in their hands at that moment glow with a ghostly light. "I advise you to favor those for a short while," he says matter-of-factly.

Amal sends his longsword crashing into the knee of the warforged (#3) who now looms overhead, but the flat of the blade rebounds off its armor.

Belarin hears a tremulous voice not far behind him, fearfully-spoken arcane words in a feminine voice: Fherina, speaking words of a spell. The gnome stands just at the corner, clearly afraid to enter the fray. But she holds a wand in her hand and points it at Belarin. Almost immediately, a second Belarin appears beside him, one not cloaked in shadow. Instead of a green cloak, he wears a red. So perfect is the image that the real Belarin, looking at his illusionary twin, almost wonders for a moment if he's the duplicate. The illusion seems to be moving independently of the real Belarin, flipping the pact blade over in his grasp as if he's about to leap upon a foe and stab it.

Only momentarily distracted, Belarin then gestures casually at the warforged (#3) he previously attacked. The construct stands at the Thunderhead's railing, raising its military pick to strike either Amal or Grafth....then it staggers backward, completely away from the strand, and over the edge of the ship...

With only a metallic grunt of panic, the warforged drops and falls out of sight, plummeting to the ground hundreds if not thousands of feet below!

The other warforged cast a sidelong glance at their fallen companion and you hear a chorus of steely growls among them.

Belarin continues to move, though, sliding into place behind Mist. As he passes by the illusionary double of himself, the red-cloaked Belarin double steps back to accommodate him and winks back at him. Perhaps distracted by this mischievous illusion, when Belarin sends a blast of his eldritch fire at the next warforged (#7) in line, his aim goes wide. The warforged doesn't even need to dodge.

Glaring furiously at the crossbow-warforged, the horned stranger observes quickly that he's the last one aboard the dying Phoenix. He advances to the rail, vaults it, and lingers there, ready to jump below or to strike the oncoming warforged—whatever need demands it. He holds his sword and shield ready.

Below, now Charis, Streko, Kal, and Grafth can see the strange newcomer, standing tall at the fore of the crippled airship. The inferno that blazes behind him casts him in silhouette—large horns that curl back from his head, a long tash that lashes the air behind him—making him look like a devil out of old stories. He looks anxious for a fight, his face turned toward the crossbow-warforged.

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Updated map.

• Warforged spellcaster's (#8) attack: 26 / 11 force damage to Mist
• Warforged #'1 armbow attack: 26 / 10 damage to red-skinned man
• Aundairian's Athletics check: 12 / 3 damage from falling
• Kal shifts 1 square left to avoid an opportunity attack when casting.
• Kal's attack (thunder slam) (1d20+6=8) (miss!)
• Mist's attack: 20 / 11 damage to warforged #4
• Lever's infusion grants a +2 damage bonus to Kal, Charis, Streko, and Grafth for any melee attacks they make until the end of the next round.
• Amal's attack: 13 (miss)
• Belarin shifts warforged #3 one square.
• Warforged #3's saving throw to catch from falling = 7 (failure)
• Warforged #3 falls

[Darren]

Kal looks down at Skyfang and gives a disappointed grunt at the lack of lightning from his last attack. Quickly resheathing the dagger, he steps forward and swings his sharrash in a wide arc at the warforged.

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Kal will use Reaping Strike on warforged #2. He'll move into range, if necessary. Ideally, Kal will stand one square away from the warforged, using the reach of the sharrash, but that depends on where the warforged move, since they move first. I'll trust to your judgement on that one, Jeff.

If Kal gets hit with a melee attack, he will again use Dragonflame Mantle.