Chapter 10: Eye of the Storm

[Jeff]

Team K

The glassteel shard would fetch 80 gp. Sell?

Did the mage just ignore Kal's question about the coin

No, punk. I can't always get to all outstanding issues/questions in a single post.

"I don't suppose you have anything in the way of magical coins? Something perhaps copper colored? Maybe bearing the image of a dragon?

The mage looks puzzled by this. "You mean actually enchanted coins? That do what exactly? No, I'm afraid not. Try...the Temple of the Host. They hoard rare coins there." He says this with a certain disdain, either for the clergy or the gods themselves.

[Darren]

Team K

I know, Jeff. That's why I sometimes remind you. I wasn't sure if you didn't address it or didn't see it. These things have been known to happen.

Kal frowns at the merchant's offer. "Surely it is worth more? This particular shard was found on The Red Atoll. Perhaps you have heard of it? If you have, then you know that items such as this one are not easily acquired. I would think that it would be worth twice what you are offering, but I would be willing to part with it for only 100 pieces of gold."

_____________________
Does haggling qualify at Diplomacy?

[Jeff]

Team K

The mage shakes his head. "I am in no position to bargain with you, my lord. Where an item was found says nothing about its true value, and that is all I am authorized to appraise and purchase from you."

_____________________________

Yup, no haggling here with the Canniths.

And yup, I do forget and overlook stuff sometimes. Lots of things to remember in my life.

[Darren]

Kal sighs with exaggerated suffering. "Very well," he says as he hands over the shard.

[Brian]

Team K

Condign examines both helms. The magical one is nice, but well out of his price range. He takes the other and places it on his head. He looks around for a mirror, but most are magical and he doesn't like what he sees in them. But the helm fits, and it keeps his hair out of his eyes. He pulls out five gold pieces and hands them to the mage, along with the other helm.

"Thank you, my lord," he says. "I'll take the simpler one. The other is nice, but I can not afford such a luxury."

Then he takes the whetstone from Kal, turning it over in his hands. "Interesting," he murmurs. "Thank you also, my lord," he says in a louder voice. "Hopefully I shall make good use of it one day." He drops it into his pouch and waits for the others to conclude their business.

[Jeff]

Team B

Round 4

25 = Belarin
20 = i
17 = Shorak
17 = Adamant
5 = mystery men

_______________________________

Belarin hurries into the open apartment, drawing shadows around him even as he curses the imp with a fey hex. He follows it with a psychic attack, and feels it strike home.

"You DARE?!?!" the imp shrieks furiously in its small but savage voice. "I'll...where are you, dead mortal man?! No hiding! Cheater!!"

Now unseen to the imp, at least for a precious few seconds, Belarin sees a window in the apartment directly across the way. It's shuttered, but hopefully not locked.

"You fools!" the imp shrieks on. "Ignore these. Kill the drow!" Adamant sees the black-and-red creature flap off down the hallway and is swallowed by the rising fire.

Shorak, nearing the bottom of the stairwell, sees the glyphed man in hot pursuit, even as flames continue to travel down the path of "oil," or whatever it is. He pauses, aims his hand crossbow, and grins when the small bolt catches the man right in the color. The cloaked stranger grunts and grasps at the wound, with flows easily with blood. He curses and lashes out a hand: two fiery bolts of light spring from his palm and explode into the wall near Shorak, missing him.

Then Shorak sees the imp for the first time, appearing like the little devil it is at the other man's shoulder.

"Time to burn, elfy!" it chuckles.

• Belarin spends an action point.
• Belarin's attack (eyebite) hits the imp, dealing 15 psychic damage to it and Belarin is invisible to the imp until the start of his next turn.
• Belarin's saving throw failed, remaining poisoned and slowed. Belarin takes 5 poison damage.
• Shorak's sly flourish hits (1d20+9=29) (critical) the glyphed man, dealing 13 points of damage
• Stranger #2 (glyphed man) is bloodied.
• Stranger #2's attack vs. Shorak's Reflex: 13 (miss)

Adamant, meanwhile, whispers a prayer for Belarin but it feels lost in the flames and the fight. Then he cuts into the man with his holy blade, and it's starting to look like there's more blood on the wall of this corridor than in the man himself. Pale and anguished, the strange human fights on, spitting blood and cursing in a foreign tongue. With a swing that probably looks like his last, the man's spiked club strikes Adamant almost directly in the face, putting a dent there and making a very loud noise.

Then the cloaked man screams as the fire starts to consume him. He collapses.

Adamant, too, feels the heat starting to overtake him. For now, his defenses keep him from burning, but it's getting ugly and hot in here.

• Adamant uses Divine Mettle.
• Belarin's saving throw w/ Divine Mettle (1d20+4=5) (failure)
• Adamant's attack (holy strike) hits cloaked man #1 and deals 16 damage.
• Stranger #1's attack vs. Adamant hits (critical), dealing 12 damage to Adamant.
• Fire attacks stranger #1: 1 point of fire damage to stranger #1
• Stranger #1 is dying.
• Fire attacks Adamant: 1 point of fire damage to Adamant, which is negated by his disk.

_________________________

Dave B., yeah, we're dealing with abstracts for the moment. Shorak is about fifteen feet away from both the imp and the glyphed man, with some cover between him and them because of the shape of the stairwell.

[Ken]

Team B

Belarin curses as the imp flies off. Figures that the imp would be the smartest of the three, he thinks bitterly. He momentarily smiles as he senses the life force of Adamant's opponent fade. The shadows around him encourage the warlock to leap through space in response, so he "hops" through darkness over to the shuttered window -- and to Belarin it seems as though the shadows are now trying to speak to him. Then he winces as the poison continues to burn in his veins. First things first.

"Ad-- REDOUBT! The imp is going after Shorak!" he yells. "I'm going out this window -- first door on the left!"

He pulls open the shutters -- and he also grasps the powerful and still-not-quite-understood black candle. Without a second thought and with perhaps a slight thrill, he summons the chilling aura of shadows and prepares to jump. He subconsciously touches the magical ring he purloined from the ir'Turien estate.

_________________________________________
When Stranger #1 dies, Belarin uses Shadow Walk to immediately teleport 2 squares to the window.
Free: Yell toward Adamant.
Minor: Open the shutters. If they're latched or locked, I guess this'll become a Standard action, possibly another Thievery check.
Minor: Pull out the black candle.
Minor: Spend 1 healing surge to activate the candle.
Special: If Shorak happens to kill Stranger #2 or the imp, both of whom are cursed, Belarin instantly teleports to street level and as close to a doorway near the stairs as possible.
Save vs. slowed and poisoned effects: 1d20=11. Success!

[Dave B.]

Team B

Shorak raises his short sword and releases the acid within. A stream of acid flies towards the fire happy human. The acid looks like it strikes home, merging with the fire licking all around the glyph scarred man. With that Shorak backs away towards the front door. "You're next imp. I don't know why you've targeted me, but you have made a fatal mistake."


Standard action:Basic Attack (1d20+9=28)
Damage: (1d6+3=7)
Free action:Trigger ongoing Acid Damage: 5 (save ends) and talk to the imp.
Move action: Move 4 to 6 squares towards the exit. (depending on how far the oil extends.)

[Dave W.]

Team B
"I'm not really built for jumping out windows, Nerrin." Adamant replies to Belarin. "It always seems more like plummeting. I'm going to help Shorak on the stairs."

The warforged rushes to the stairs.
------------ 

I wish I had read Jeff's post last night. My turn's easy, I was thinking I'd still be in melee. 

At Beginning of Round: no one Challenged 

Move Action: Run. Move 7sq down the hall and as far down the stairs. I'll grant Combat Advantage until my next turn.

Standard Action: if the move puts me adjacent to an enemy then I'll attack it with Bolstering Strike (with a -5 penalty for running). But more likely I'll run another 7 sq to close with Shorak's attackers.

Minor Action: in the unlikely event I'm adjacent to some one I'll Divine Challenge them.

At End of Round: maybe someone Challenged 

[Jeff]

Dave, can you remind me where you're getting Adamant's speed of 7 from? Normally he's got speed 5 (6 minus 1 from armor).

[Ken]

I can answer that. He's running, which automatically adds +2 to his speed (PHB, p. 291).

[Jeff]

Thanks, Ken. Duh. I'm reading these too quickly as I try to hurry in my post.

[Jeff]

Team B

Round 5

25 = Belarin
20 = imp (delay)
17 = Shorak
17 = Adamant
16 = imp
5 = mystery men

_______________________________

Finding himself at the window in the blink of an eye, Belarin throws open the shutters (unlocked!), then pulls out the black candle, concentrates, and lights it. Cold immediately suffuses the room, chilling him to the bone. Yet the shadows around him grow thicker and seem to whisper to him.

"Fire today, fire tomorrow," the imp says to Shorak with something like a shrug. Then it vanishes from sight.

Streaming acid from Shorak's blade spatters the glyphed man, who cries out from the sudden shock of it. It hits him directly, scalding his flesh and messing up the sigil on his chest. Then Shorak turns and keeps moving, keeping a good thirty feet ahead of the fire. Soon he'll be at the front door!

Adamant sprints down the hall, the flames growing more unpleasant but still failing to catch him on fire. He reaches the stairwell, which is already aflame, and starts down it. He can hear Shorak further below contending with the other human.

"Naughty toy-man," a voice hisses. "Shouldn't be alive at all!"

And then Adamant feels something jab him in the throat. Instantly, he sees the imp flapping in front of his face, its barbed tail sunk into his throat. It then withdraws the bladed appendage, leaving the fibers of this throat savaged and leaking, and the imp starts to flap away from him.

Adamant feels an unpleasant stiffness overtake his body as venom mixes poorly with the alchemical fluids inside him.

• Belarin takes 5 poison damage.
• Belarin teleports, spends a healing surge, and takes 1 point of necrotic damage.
• Belarin's saving throws succeeds. He is no longer poisoned or weakened.
• Shorak's attack hits the glyphed man. He takes 7 acid damage and will take 5 ongoing acid damage (save ends).
• Fire deals 5 damage to Adamant, -5 for his disk.
• Imp's attack vs. Adamant's AC: 24 +2 (advantage) = 26 (hit) / 9 points of damage to Adamant and he is slowed and poisoned (save ends).
• The imp is 1 square away from Adamant in the stairwell.

If the glyphed man is giving Shorak pursuit, Shorak can't see it, and neither can Adamant. But both hear him screaming...quite possibly from the rising flames.

Belarin, standing at the apartment window and reading himself to climb (or teleport) out, suddenly sees another cloaked figure standing outside on the street. With a bow in hand and a bit of flame lighting one hand. He seems to be eyeing the windows of the tenement. Other people on the street have barely taken notice of him, but he stands out to Belarin because he's standing still.

Refresh image.

[Jeff]

Team K

The glassteel shard has been sold (80 gp gained) and Condign's new tiefling helm has been procured (5 gp subtracted).

Anything else?

[Dave W.]

Team B

Mar 21, 2012 12:52:13 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"Naughty toy-man," a voice hisses. "Shouldn't be alive at all!"

"Well, ummpf," Adamant tries to adjust to the unpleasant stiffness the poison settles in him, "better a toy than a bat with an exaggerated opinion of itself."

"Come, let us find a way to return you to hell."
------------ 

At Beginning of Round: 
• no one Challenged
• Adamant takes 5 poison damage.
• Adamant is slowed.
• Adamant no longer grants combat advantage for running

Minor Action: Divine Challenge on imp.

Move Action: Step forward 1 sq to fight imp.

Standard Action: swing at imp
Bolstering Strike vs AC (1d20+13=26)
If that hits Damage (1d8+7=8)
Also on a hit Adamant gains +3 temp hp 


At End of Round: 
• imp Challenged 
• Save vs poison and slow: Save (1d20+2=8) = Failure

[Joe]

Team K
Not for Streko. He shall keep all his other toys for now.

[Darren]

Team K

As he slides the coins off the counter and into his pouch, Kal catches Rinti's eye and winks at the girl. He realizes that these coins, this amount which seems so small to him, is probably more money than the girl has seen in her entire life. How easy would it have been for our roles to be reversed? Some small trick of fate or destiny which made me who I am and she who she is? Did the fact that we met in this place happen by accident or was there a design to it?

With thoughts of fate and destiny fresh in his mind, Kal says, "If we have time, I would like to visit the temple this man spoke of. Would you all find that acceptable?"

______________
Since Jeff said it's only mid-day and Team B is busy burning down Shorak's apartment, I figure we've got plenty of time.

[Dave B.]

Team B

Shorak turns to look towards the stairs after hearing Adamant and the imp bantering. "Redoubt! If you're coming down the stairs hurry! The flames are rising!" He also looks for glyphman. Hearing the screams of pain, Shorak feels a little pity for him, only a very little. He keeps ahead of the fire as he quickly backs towards the front door.

If Shorak gets to the front door, he will wait for Adamant as long as the burning building allows. If the glyphman comes at him, he will shoot him with his crossbow (Sly Flourish). He's also keeping an ear and eye out for the imp. If the fire get's too hot for him before any of the above happens, he'll exit the building, leaving the door open for Adamant.

[Brian]

Team K

"I do not mind," says Condign. "However, I would still like to try and make contact with someone from the tieflings gathered here. Perhaps that woman I saw earlier, when we disembarked from the Merrow." He turns to Rinti. "Do you remember her? Is this temple and that floating house where we saw her near one another?"

[Ken]

Team B

Mar 21, 2012 12:52:13 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Belarin, standing at the apartment window and reading himself to climb (or teleport) out, suddenly sees another cloaked figure standing outside on the street. With a bow in hand and a bit of flame lighting one hand. He seems to be eyeing the windows of the tenement. Other people on the street have barely taken notice of him, but he stands out to Belarin because he's standing still.

Belarin had hoped that there would be an easier way down. Perhaps if he had time to wait until his friends slew another of the attackers, he could teleport -- a mysterious fey talent that still seemed nonsensical to him after all this time. Yet the nonsense of teleportation is what makes the act so delightful.

Seeing the archer with the flaming hand, Belarin knows that he's too far away for a spell. And Shorak will likely exit at any moment. Belarin realizes that he doesn't have time to wait for one of the other foes to die. Pity.

With the chilling shadows now surrounding him even as he stands still, he jumps out the window!

Landing surprisingly well -- to his own astonishment -- Belarin ignores the pain, as well as any passers-by alarmed by the mass of shadows that suddenly dropped from the sky. With the candle in one hand and his wand in the other, he points the wand at the archer and says, "Lowlife who sought to strike first / Your life is mine, your soul is cursed!"

_________________________________
Move: Jump! The ring of slow descent will help a bit. Acrobatics check to reduce damage: 1d20+6=24
Minor: Inflict warlock's curse on the archer.
Standard: Attack archer with eldritch blast vs. Reflex. Prime Shot is included. Belarin may have combat advantage; certainly, the archer hadn't seen him. If so, add +2. Eldritch Blast attack (1d20+7=17).
Damage if it hit: 1d10+5=15, plus 1d6=3 for warlock's curse = total 18 damage

[Jeff]

Team B

Round 6

25 = Belarin
17 = Shorak
17 = Adamant
16 = imp
5 = mystery men

_______________________________

Belarin hits the cobbled street, and on his feet, with graceful thud—aided by magic and good timing. The shadows gathered around him almost evaporate under the direct sun, but they cling tenaciously to his body. It does create a bit of a spectacle, and both the shadows and his descent have turned a few heads his way.

Among them, the fire-handed archer has already spotted him, and starts to draw back an arrow...

But Belarin is just within range to attack. He flings out one hand, grasping the wand, and blasts the man with red-and-silver faerie fire! It strikes the man and forces him back a step. Belarin can just make out a snarling expression within the man's hood.

Inside, Shorak races to the front door...and sees the floor here is slick with the same substance that's spreading the fire on the floors above. Although he doesn't intend to go outside until Adamant arrives, he does see that the front door appears to be gummed shut with some sort of alchemical glue. The doorknob and lock aren't even accessible anymore, covered in a viscous gray adhesive. He knows he can try to break down the door, but it doesn't look easy.

And it's starting to get smoky in here. Glancing back, Shorak can see the fire is just now reaching the first floor at the stairwell.

Adamant swipes his blade into the imp. It catches the diminutive creature on the shoulder and sends it pinwheeling through the air with a yelp. Then it vanishes from sight, seemingly on instinct. Behind him on the third floor, Adamant can hear the crackle of the flames as they start to burn away the apartment doors. And he's feeling hotter, too.

Though it's now invisible again, Adamant can hear the curses of the imp cycle into a fit of tittering laughter. In the stairwell, and amidst the screams of the dying glyphed man, it's hard to tell where it's coming from.

"Crackled, crackled," snickers the imp from somewhere in the flames. "Wood burns, metal melts..."

Outside, the archer draws back and releases an arrow...which alights with flame as it flies. Belarin winces, expecting the shaft to impale him, but the shadows around him writhe and almost seem to redirect the arrow...just enough....and it whistles just past Belarin's head.

And then Belarin feels a twinge of magic as a cursed enemy perishes in pain and flame inside the building. Belarin is sent hurtling through fey corridors...

• Belarin takes 1 point of necrotic damage.
• Belarin's Athletics check is successful. He takes no damage from the 20'+ fall.
• Belarin's attack (eldritch blast) hits the archer, dealing 18 points of damage.
• Adamant takes 5 points of poison damage. He is slowed.
• Adamant's attack hits the imp, and deals 8 points of damage, and Adamant gains 3 temporary hit points.
• Adamant fails his saving throw. He is still poisoned and slowed.
• Fire deals 6 damage to Adamant, -5 for his disk. He takes 1 point of fire damage.
• Archer's attack vs. Belarin's AC: 19 -2 (concealment) = miss

[/color]___________________

Belarin can teleport now.

[Jeff]

Team K

"The temple?" Rinti repeats. "Sure thing, my lord! I prefer the Host's temple to the Silver Flame's anyway. The priests don't talk as much...'course, they never give alms to the poor, either."

She starts to lead you out of the Citadel of the Twelve.

Condign:

He turns to Rinti. "Do you remember her? Is this temple and that floating house where we saw her near one another?"

Rinti shakes her head. "That tiefling girl's place is in the Harbor. The temple's in Foreglight. A bit of a walk between the two. Not exactly on the way." She pauses. "I like your helmet, by the way. Makes you scarier. In a good way. Do those horns...well, get in the way of stuff?"

As you exit the Citadel, Rinti then asks Kal, "What is it you're looking for, Lord Kalarian? Copper coins? Don't you already have...well, a lot of money?"

________________________

A recommendation, Darren: Go to this page and brush up on any mention of "bronze," not "copper."

[Ken]

Team B

Belarin flows with the shadows, his form moving instantaneously across the square as the glyphman dies. Now, still enveloped in the candle's dark aura and standing behind a piece of statuary a couple of dozen feet away from his previous spot, he maliciously taunts the archer in an effort to get the attacker to flee. He cares not if other people hear the threats coming from the mass of shadows -- all the better for the overall effect, in fact.

"Your cohorts are DEAD, so with you I'll play! You could still flee... if not I'll flay!" As he speaks, he sends his will into the candle, trying to see if there's any attack that his skill and fey talent can pry out of the device.

_________________________________
Free: Belarin teleports 5 squares to a spot that offers some cover and is about 40 or 50 feet (max) away from the archer. If teleporting can't bring him all the way to such a spot, he use a Move action for the rest. He still has concealment from Shadow Walk.

Standard: This is a little tricky, and it's OK if the answer is no. Belarin wants to see if he can manifest an attack power through the candle. It's a reckless, spur-of-the-moment idea, but that's him. He wants the archer gone, one way or the other, and he wants it done quickly before the fire inside gets worse or any of the city guards show up.
If such an idea simply won't work (or at least not without more study), that's fine; Belarin will then attack again with eldritch blast vs. Reflex. It won't be through the wand, but Prime Shot and Empowering Shadows bonuses still apply.
Here's a d20 roll to be used toward either an attack or an Arcana check to try to pull something out of the candle: Attack roll (1d20=18). If you want to first discuss in Belarin's private thread, that's cool.

[Brian]

Team K

Rinti:

Rinti shakes her head. "That tiefling girl's place is in the Harbor. The temple's in Foreglight. A bit of a walk between the two. Not exactly on the way." She pauses. "I like your helmet, by the way. Makes you scarier. In a good way. Do those horns...well, get in the way of stuff?"

"Thank you," says Condign, chuckling at the question. "Well, hats are out of the question. And pillows get shredded pretty quickly. Other than that, I am used to them."

He pauses. Then to Kal and Streko, he says, "The fact that tielfings are gathered here is a situation that I cannot ignore. The Gaash'Kala have had concerns about their presence in the Five Nations, but all the way out here? This may have something to do with why I was sent from the Demon Wastes in the first place. I need to investigate . . . and I need to do it alone. If either of you are with me, I would not be allowed near them. I will be quick and meet you later at the failed professor's house. Or if there is a problem, I will send word to the d'Deneith enclave. I hope you understand."

He looks at his friends, patiently waiting for a reaction.

[Joe]

Team K

Streko nods. "Condign, we have many enemies here and while both Kalarian and I have enclaves we can go to or call to for assistance, you do not. I would feel much more comfortable if we were nearby while you attended your quest, or at least in the general area should you need our services. However, this is your journey and I am no one's master. Do as you will. My only recommendation is patience, if possible, for us to gather and plan, while plans still mean something."

[Dave B.]

Team B

Shorak curses in drow when he sees the sealed door. He quickly moves to the closest apartment door. "Redoubt! The front door has been sealed. Find a window and try to get out that way!" He gets the apartment door open and enters the apartment, heading to the closest window that looks out on the street.

If the door to the apartment is locked, Shorak will pick it.

[Dave W.]

Team B
The imp disappears again and Adamant hears Shorak calling downstairs. 

"Don't you think it's rather unfair to hide? Maybe you're more hurt that I think. In any case, my friends are looking for me, perhaps we can continue this outside.
------------ 

At Beginning of Round: 
• imp Challenged
• Adamant takes 5 poison damage.
• Adamant is slowed.

Minor Action: none 

Move Action: double move; 4 sq... After I asked about the door I realized Adamant can't exactly run full tilt at anything right now... And in fact will need lots of turns to get downstairs at the current rate.  we will want to know eventually.

Standard Action: double move ... See above

At End of Round: 
• no one  Challenged 
• Save vs poison and slow: Save (1d20=10) = success for both!

[Darren]

Mar 22, 2012 19:12:23 GMT -4 Brian said:

Team K

Rinti:

Rinti shakes her head. "That tiefling girl's place is in the Harbor. The temple's in Foreglight. A bit of a walk between the two. Not exactly on the way." She pauses. "I like your helmet, by the way. Makes you scarier. In a good way. Do those horns...well, get in the way of stuff?"

"Thank you," says Condign, chuckling at the question. "Well, hats are out of the question. And pillows get shredded pretty quickly. Other than that, I am used to them."

He pauses. Then to Kal and Streko, he says, "The fact that tielfings are gathered here is a situation that I cannot ignore. The Gaash'Kala have had concerns about their presence in the Five Nations, but all the way out here? This may have something to do with why I was sent from the Demon Wastes in the first place. I need to investigate . . . and I need to do it alone. If either of you are with me, I would not be allowed near them. I will be quick and meet you later at the failed professor's house. Or if there is a problem, I will send word to the d'Deneith enclave. I hope you understand."

He looks at his friends, patiently waiting for a reaction.

Kal's eyes widen, incredulous. "Split the group?" he asks. "Again?"

Kal sighs. "If this is what you must do, then you must do it and I understand. I would feel more secure with you at my side, and I will worry for your safety, but you have proven yourself more than capable."

Now Kal moves closer to the tiefling, speaking for his ears alone. "Remember, we are here to draw attention away from Belarin's team. That doesn't mean we should get ourselves killed or draw the wrong kind of attention before we are ready. Find out what you can, but try to avoid too much notice."

Kalarian straightens and places a familiar hand on Condign's shoulder. "We shall see you this evening at the agreed upon lodging. Do not be later than 8 bells. If it passes 10 and we have not seen you, we will fear the worst and come looking for you."

_____________________
Two things:

If Jeff is okay with another split to run, then it doesn't bother me.

Second, I can't remember the name of the place we said we'd meet at. I'll try to look it up later.

[Brian]

Team K

"I am glad you understand," Condign says to his friends. "I would prefer to have you along as backup, but this is something I need to do alone." His eyes meet Streko's, the move to Kal's. "You see, I have given up something precious to me, and to get it back, I must do what I came to the Five Nations to do. This is but a part of it, nor will this finish it. I do not intend to cause a stir, and I should be back long before eight bells."

He quickly shakes hands with Kal and Streko, and gives a nod to Rinti. Then he sets off toward the Harbor.

____________________________

This was cleared with Jeff before I even brought it up. I don't intend for this side trip to take very long.

[Jeff]

Team B

Round 7

25 = Belarin
17 = Shorak
17 = Adamant
16 = imp
5 = mystery men
_______________________________

Belarin reappears a little closer to the archer; there's no real cover out here, just passers-by, who are starting to take more notice of the fight and are hurrying past now. The shadows cling to him still, even as they chill him, drawn to the wielder of the candle.

When he attempts to channel a spell through the necromantic item, he finds it doesn't work. He has yet to discover or master its deeper secrets, or else it simply can't function this way. So he's left to use his wand instead. The fire hits the cloaked archer, blasting him almost off his feet.

Shorak finds the closest apartment door and discover it is, indeed, locked. He swiftly breaks out his tools and in no time, pops open the door. The inside looks harmless enough, and unoccupied.

Adamant heads down the stairwell as fast as he can, which is not very fast, but he feels his strength starting to return. The magic protecting him from the fire continues to pulse with energy, struggling to absorb the danger. But just as Adamant's reaching the 2nd floor, the imp appears directly behind him in a flash and slashes some sort of razor across the back of his neck, severing more fibers.

"Die! Die!" it shrieks angrily.

Outside, the archer draws back another arrow to loose at Belarin, seeing that Belarin doesn't like to stay still. He shouts something in that twisted language of theirs—but it sure sounds like he's calling over to some others. Then he looses another fire arrow. Missing, he starts to run over toward Belarin, who just doesn't see any solid cover. The statue face of the giantess stares impassively at him from where it rests flushed against the building. The archer is now twenty feet from Belarin.

• Belarin teleports 5 squares.
• Belarin takes 1 point of necrotic damage.
• Belarin is unable to use the candle of night as an implement.
• Belarin's eldritch blast hits the archer, dealing 14 damage to the archer.
• The archer is bloodied.
• Shorak's Thievery check (1d20+12=27) (success)
• Adamant takes 5 points of poison damage.
• Adamant's save throw succeeds; he is no longer slowed or poisoned.
• Fire deals 7 damage to Adamant -5 = 2 fire damage to Adamant
• Imp's attack vs. Adamant's AC: 27 +2 (combat advantage) = 29 (hit) / 8 damage to Adamant
• Adamant is bloodied.

[/color]
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I know we can't account for whatever is sealing the door, but how substantial did the door seem when we came in? Does Adamant think that if he were to run full tilt at it and hit it with his shoulder the door would give?

It's a pretty solid door, but it's still just a wooden door. It's possible to force it open with a Strength check, it's just a bit harder now due to the glue (hint: the glue is stronger than the wood).