Chapter 1: A Peaceable Kingdom

[Ed]

Oss grumbles at the exchange between Streko and some unknown voice knowing well that it means more trouble.

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Jeff, the rest of this assumes that Oss can move past Tamyra.
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Oss pushes past the woman and mutters, "Too narrow."
He fishes into his belt and thumbs at a small archery target replica as he whispers the words to a spell.
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Casting True Strike

[Darren]

Turning his head slightly to look behind him, Kalarian yells, "Watch behind us. We don't want to be outflanked!" Then, turning his head back to the warforged, he hunches his shoulders slightly, tensing his arms for a powerful blow with his scythe. A small smile turns his lips upwards as he swings.

_________
Kal is going to kick the warforged's ass.

[Jeff]

ROUND 2

21 = Warforged
20 = Dhaz / Pellorien / Taymra
13 = Oss
9 = Tangat
5 = Grafth / Kal / Streko
4 = Goran
________________________

The warforged fixes its stony eyes on Grafth (who is slipping away), then turns back to where the rest of the group approaches. The military pick in its grasp raises and falls, driving straight through Streko’s shoulder, punching through cloth, leather, flesh—and scraping the bone. A small fountain of blood erupts as the warforged withdraws its weapon, and Streko can do little more than gasp from the sudden pain…then drop, unconscious, to the ground in a growing pool of blood. Kal, standing immediately behind him, can’t even tell if he’s still alive.

At Oss’s words, Taymra nods gravely, allowing him to pass. Her face changes, as though she has an idea, and she sprints back toward the stairs. Dhaz, who stands there, has turned his face toward the stairs leading down as well. Just then, Goran appears below, one landing down—with bow in hand.

Oss speaks the words, the almost exact words spoken by Kal mere seconds ago, enacting a spell.

Tangat lets out a loud whine, bounding to Kal’s side, his nose facing the dead or dying halfling.

Grafth withdraws from the warforged’s reach—knowing the hall is too crowded for him to help Streko at the moment—and dashes cautiously down the hall. The body on the floor is human, middle-aged, and quite dead. There is a rapier, so shiny it probably never saw use until a few moments ago, lying nearby. Night winds whistle through the shards of broken glass. Though the shattered frame—the window is large, nearly floor to ceiling in height and as wide as it is tall—Grafth can see the lights of Chalice Center immediately to the north, a sprawling complex of indoor and outdoor facilities. A soaring, slender tower rises above the rest: the House Lyrandar docking tower.

At just that moment, firelight catches Grafth’s eye. To the left (west), a massive ring of fire is drawing closer from that direction—an airship*, and very close. In the hall, doors are beginning to open at the commotion.

Kal makes a vicious swing with his sharash, utilizing both hands in the swing, arcing up and down, knowing with certainty he will not miss. The scythe blade slashes into the wooden fibers of the warforged’s torso. Both splinters of wood and an ink residue from its body spray out against the wall. The construct shudders from the devastating attack, but it’s still standing firm.

Just then, a second warforged (or the first, from Goran’s point of view) appears behind him, having run in from somewhere else. Goran, with an arrow already knocked, spins from where he is on the steps and looses the missile. Unfortunately, he didn’t have proper time to aim, and the arrow smacks against the wall.

_________________________

• Warforged's attack = 25 (23 = confirmed critical hit—14 damage!)
  
• Oss casts True Strike.
  
• Kal’s attack: 12 + 2 + 20 (true strike) = 34 / damage is 10 +1 = 11)
  
• Goran’s readied action brings him from initiative count 17 to 4, just behind the 2nd warforged
  
• Goran’s attack: 2 + 6 = 8 (miss)

Streko won’t bleed to death until 5 rounds have passed, so he can definitely be stabilized.

* Airships are wood-based vessels held aloft by air or fire elementals (often both), and are usually owned and piloted by heirs of House Lyrandar.

[Josh]

"A man has been murdered," Grafth calls out down the hall, as doors swing open. "Someone alert the watch! There is trouble afoot!" If any of the tennants try to flee, he will direct them away from the direction his party is in.

The shifter once again turns his attention to the open air. He tries to see beyond the firey ring under the coach... can he make out who, or what, resides within?

He advances to the side of the opening further from his compatriots, and readies his shortspear. He's far enough away from the window to aim well, but not too far to preclude rushing in with his axe as his next move.

If someone passes into the building from the ship, he will attack them with the spear as they enter the hall.

[Ed]

Oss pulls a small bag from his robes and tosses it at the warfored with a grunt.
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Throwing tanglefoot bag with a +24 modifier plus whatever he rolls.

[Lara]

Are the walls in the stairwell solid or is this an open-air kind of stairs where you can see above and below you? Might there be opportunity for line of sight, if you can find it? If so, Pellorien will move to the stairwell, attempt to sight the oncoming warforged, and try to use Fenwolt's Color Spray wand on it. If not, well, then I guess she'll move along the stairwell as far as she can and be ready with the wand for whenever conditions are right for using it.

[Joe]

Streko bleeds.

Profusely.

[Darren]

Kal growls as his halfling friend is struck. Turning his head slightly to see Oss coming up behind him, he again turns back to the warforged, the grin coming to his face again. Seeing the Tanglefoot bag fly past his head, Kal feints with the butt of his sharash towards the warforged, then once again brings the weapon down in an arc onto the construct.

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This is gonna be good...

Don't worry, Streko. I've been where you are! Help is coming!

[Jeremy]

D'oh!

Goran issues a silent apology to the spirits of his ancestors...for sucking so much on his last two shots with his masterwork bow. He will nock another arrow and shoot again, when the opportunity arises.

[Jeff]

ROUND 3

21 = 1st warforged
20 = Taymra
13 = Oss
9 = Tangat
5 = Grafth / Kal / Streko / 2nd warforged
4 = Goran / Pellorien / Dhaz
________________________

Reacting not at all to Streko’s defeat—as if it were merely part of its job—the warforged steps forward, right over the halfling’s body (by Olladra’s luck, not stepping directly on him) and swings its pick at Kal. Expecting the attack, Kal easily sidesteps the swishing blade.

Pellorien, from Goran’s sudden attack, realizes another enemy approaches. She cannot see through the left-hand wall (even though the stairs themselves do have that open-air quality), so she races to the next land, beside Goran, and readies her wand to use the moment Goran gets clear. Taymra joins her, readying her crossbow for a clear shot.

Oss launches his tanglefoot bag with perfect accuracy. The bag ruptures upon impact, dousing the warforged with fast-adhering alchemical glue, slowing its movements dramatically.

Tangat dashes along the wall to the right of Oss and Kal and ventures to get to Streko. He clamps down on the halfling’s collar and begins to drag him backward. The warforged takes advantage, and on the backswing of his failed attack against Kal, swings again at the wolfdog. The pick just scrapes Tangat’s furry hide, drawing blood. Tangat, still hurt from the previous fight, yelps from the pain and drops into unconsciousness…Streko’s collar still clenched between his teeth.

At Grafth’s warning, the doors that have opened slam back again, the residents retreating into their apartments again. The shifter tries to assess the airship outside, but it hasn’t moved fully into view and there don’t seem to be any incoming newcomers to the fight just yet. He can see the blazing ring of the fire elemental, and he can make out shouted commands from the ship—human, he thinks—but nothing more.

With the warforged too close now, Kal has to release his sharash. He draws out his Deneith sword and slashes wildly at the construct, bolstered by sudden rage at Tangat’s sudden injury. But the swing is too wild, and glances weakly off the warforged’s plated arm.

Goran steps aside to give Pellorien room as he nocks another arrow. Pellorien points the wand and blasts a cone of colored lights at the arriving warforged. As the violent colors wash over the construct, it stops in place—stunned and overwhelmed…

Making it an easy target for Goran, who releases two arrows in fast succession. The first is a perfect shot, burying to the feather in the woody fibers of the warforged’s neck (it would have killed a normal man in an instant). The second badly scores the armor of its chest. The warforged teeters in place, but it’s still standing.

Almost heedless of Goran’s arrows, the shifter Dhaz stumbles crudely past, half slipping down the stairs, half running—but doing so at an impressive speed. He makes it to the bottom of the steps, directly in front of the stunned warforged and raises a fist. Dhaz looks like he’s about to pass out, but he also looks like he wants to contribute to the battle…

_________________________

• Warforged's attack = 7 (miss)
  
• Oss ‘s attack = 14 + 3 + 20 (true strike) = 37 (hit)
  
• Warforged’s Reflex save = 18 (success, but it still suffers penalties)
  
• Warforged’s attack of opportunity = 18 (6 damage to Tangat)
  
• Goran’s attack: 20 +6 –2 (rapid fire) = / 24 (18, confirmed critical hit!) / damage is tripled = 19!) / second attack: 7 +6 -2 (rapid fire) 11 (hit, thanks to Pellorien’s color spray) / damage is 3 + 2 = 5
  
• Pellorien moves to initiative count 4 as a result of her readied action
  
• Streko loses another hit point as he bleeds.

[Lara]

"Nice shooting," Pellorien says to Goran. "Maybe we should try to coordinate like that in the future." She grins and looks around. "Do you need my bow here? I'm wondering if they might need help inside with the other one."

[Ed]

Oss stifles a cheer at his successful hit, hoping to continue his luck. He launches into a spell and shouts the words at the warforged before him.

__________________________________________________
Lesser Orb of Electricity

[Josh]

Grafth, silent as firm a statue, waits in position. He doesn't afford himself any satisfaction in the fact that his warning has kept the residences safe for the moment.

The shifters eyes don't move from the opening, waiting to see the flicker of the crafts firelight grow brighter, and for the possible entrance of another attacker.

His ears, meanwhile, strain to hear all around him, and all that approaches him.

[Darren]

Kalarian growls at the warforged as a rage comes over his eyes. "You'll pay for that," he says, nodding towards Tangat. Turning his head slightly, he says to Oss, "Send him to Khyber!" Kal then raises his sword to his shoulder and lunges at the warforged.

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Sucker's gotta die! Longsword attack!

[Jeremy]

His sense of manners makes Goran unable to ignore Pellorien's gracious comment, and he gives her a smile and appreciative nod, while shouldering his bow.

At the moment it appears that the half-crocked shifter is about to become badly hurt, or worse.

The half-elf sweeps out his sword and lets loose the loudest, most ferocious battle cry of which he is capable and lunges at the warforged (once he may be permitted to do so, of course).

His goal is to prevent Dhaz from becoming potted meat. If possible, he will put himself between the shifter and the warforged. Of course, if Dhaz has something up his sleeve and is visibly in control, Goran will not interfere.

[Jeff]

ROUND 4

21 = 1st warforged
20 = Pellorien / Taymra
13 = Oss
9 = Tangat
5 = Grafth / Kal / Streko / 2nd warforged
4 = Dhaz / Goran
________________________

The warforged seems utterly unfazed by Kal’s meager threat. It feints with its heavy pick in the usual downward arc, then reverses it suddenly. The curving head of the pick cracks against Kal’s blade near the hilt. He tries to maintain his grip, but it slips. The Deneith blade flies free and clatters against the wall, then lands on the floor near his feet. If Kal tries to recover it with the warforged still standing in front from him, his defenses will open.

Taymra slips past Pellorien, goes down several steps for a good shot—difficult, with the shifter in the way—and empties her crossbow. The aim is good, but the bolt strikes the construct square in the thickest portion of its plating, breaking upon it. “Damn it,” she mutters.

Pellorien races back up the steps (presumably?) with an arrow ready, but she can see how difficult a shot would be in such tight quarters. She may attempt to slip her way through the hall to the other side of the warforged.

Grafth hears the whine of the fire elemental as the ship draws steadily closer, then he hears a new sound. The cry of a great bird. Turning his eyes to the right (northeast), he sees the dark shape of a bird—a dragonhawk with a rider making its way through the air towards the airship or the window.

Weaponless, Kal is forced to attempt a spell. He focuses the best he can under the circumstances, but is too flustered to pull it off. He loses his concentration as the warforged maintains a dangerous threat to him.

Oss conjures and hurls a ball of electricity. Kal’s body directly in front of him partially blocks his view of the warforged, and by trying to avoid hitting the Deneith hour Oss’s throw isn’t an easy one. The electric orb roars through the air, but the warforged sees it coming, angling its head inches away from it. The orb dissipates when it strikes the wall at the end of the hall.

Dhaz opens his fist and slams the palm of his hand into the warforged’s face. The hinged metal jaw breaks loose under the force of his blow and the entire head is partially dislodged, remaining attached but situated at an odd ange. The warforged’s body crashes loudly to the floor.

Goran...is left without a target. The warforged is down.
_________________________

• Warforged’s disarm attack roll: 16
  
• Kal’s opposed disarm attack roll: 12 +3 = 15 (failure)
  
• Taymra’s attack: 8 (miss)
  
• Pellorien uses a double move to get where she is.
  
• Kal’s Concentration check = 2 (failure, spell is lost)
  
• Oss’s ranged touch attack: 12 +3 -4 (firing into melee) = 11 (miss)
  
• Dhaz’s attack: 15 (hit) / damage is 8
  
• Streko loses another hit point as he bleeds.

[Lara]

Jeff, can you please work out the game mechanics here? Can Pellorien tumble past the warforged and then attack (or attempt to drag Streko out of harm's way)?

[Jeff]

She can make a standard move (30 ft.) and a Tumble check (DC 15) to freely bypass the warforged. Moving Streko out of the way is a problem in itself, though. If you go to pick him up or move him, it provokes an attack of opportunity (as it did for Tangat) that Tumble can't help you with. If you're okay with that chancing that attack of opportunity, then I'd say Pellorien could drag him 5 ft. away from the warforged northward.

Essentially, moving is one action and picking something up (a body or otherwise) is another move action.

[Josh]

The shifter takes in this new information, and does his best to make sure that his body is not in a direct line of attack. He is still silent and steady, accustomed to the patience required for a successful hunt.

His plan of action still stands; he will attack at first opportunity anyone who may enter through the broken window.

[Darren]

Kalarian's anger has reached a new height. Seemingly weaponless and realizing that casting a spell will be difficult in his current state of mind, he draws a dagger from the straps on his right leg and thrusts at the warforged.

___________
How come we got the unstoppable one?

[Jeremy]

Goran laughs, barks a hearty congratulations at the shifter and, sword in hand, dashes back up the steps to help, if he can.*

If, by the time he arrives on the scene the W.F. is even nominally in hand, Goran's first order of business will be to magically heal (Cure MW) Streko. He will also do his best to stop the bleeding (I think my healing skill is +6), and quickly!

---

*Probably be wouldn't know for sure that another W.F. is up there, but clearly he must know there was combat.

Also, at the next opportunity, Goran will try and avail himself of some berries!

[Lara]

Quickly assessing the situation, Pellorien nixes the idea of making any sort of display of tumbling heroics in favor of the possibility of stalling the warforged much like the other one on the stairs. She raises Fenwolt's wand and, hoping against hope that it still has at least one charge in it, aims at the 'forged.
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Stepping forward if need be in order to get the thing within the area of the spell effect.

[Jeff]

ROUND 5

21 = 1st warforged
20 = Pellorien / Taymra
13 = Oss
9 = Tangat
5 = Grafth / Kal / Streko
4 = Dhaz / Goran
________________________

The warforged attempts wades into Kal with the war pick leading, but the tanglefoot glue has slowed its movement too much. Kal steps easily clear of the heavy swing.

Pellorien sidles past Oss along the right-hand wall, stops beside Kal, and points her wand at the warforged, unleashing a torrent of painfully bright colors. Kal is forced to shield his eyes as they stream past him—but when the magic spray vanishes, the warforged’s body stands still, stricken by the display.

Pellorien feels the last vestiges of magic fall away from the wand. She knows its power is spent.

An easy target now, Kal sticks the construct with his dagger. The wound is effective, but not yet not to fell the thing.

Nothing enters through the broken window, but Grafth is getting a better idea of what’s going on. The airship’s hull of polished dark wood floats into view about forty feet away from the window. The ring of fire extends closer, but about two stories up, no doubt warming the occupants of those apartments. Grafth sees a porthole in the ship facing him, and a warforged visage stares back at him without expression—the same faceplate design as the warforged around the corner from him. Higher up on the deck of the airship, which Grafth cannot see, he hears shouts and barked orders. To the east, a small squad of dragonhawks is approaching. From one rider a bolt of lightning snakes across the sky and strikes something on the deck of the ship. Grafth doesn’t know Aundair too well, but he’s fairly certain the dragonhawk riders wear Fairhaven colors and are attacking the most unwelcome airship.

The smell of fire and ozone is strong in the air. A glance down the hall, where Grafth can hear the sound of a battle concluding, makes the shifter feel as though their hallway skirmish is one small part in a greater conflict.

Goran races up the steps to see where he can help. As he sprints away, he hears a horrid tearing sound—wood?—from where Dhaz and the prone warforged are, and then a clash of metal against metal. When Goran gets to the hallway on the 5th floor, he sees the tail end of a vicious fight involving an angry Kal, an unconscious Tangat, a bloody Streko, and a sticky and stunned warforged.

With the warforged still stunned and virtually helpless, Kal is able to pick up his sword and run it through the thing. The construct crashes to the ground.

Goran reaches Streko and lays a minor healing spell upon him, ending the blood flow and stabilizing his body.

Taymra turns to Tangat, doing her best to staunch his wound.
_________________________

• Warforged’s attack roll: 7 -2 (entangled) = 5 (miss)
  
• Warforged’s Will save = 7 (failure, blinded and stunned)
  
• Kal’s attack: 9 +2 = 11 (hit) / damage is 2 +1 = 3
  
• Goran takes a double move to get where he is, but can’t cast a spell until next round.
  
• Tangat loses another hit point as he bleeds.
  
• Streko loses another hit point as he bleeds.

Effectively the next round, since the warforged cannot act and no new enemies have appeared:

• Kal's attack roll: 14 +3 = 17 / damage is 5 +1 = 6
  
• Goran heals Streko 1 hit point, stabilizing him.
  
• Taymra's Heal check = 22 + 2 (Pellorien's assistance) = 24
  
• Tangat is stabilized.

Turn-based mode is over.

[Darren]

Breathing heavily from the exertions and from rage, Kalarian nods at the woman from House Orien as she helps his friend. Seeing that both Tangat and the halfling are being taken care of, Kalarian picks up his sharash and moves to the end of the hall. It's possible that anyone looking carefully enough might think that he was moving away so quickly to avoid showing the fear and distress he feels seeing Tangat and Streko so badly wounded and knowing he is currently helpless to assist them any further. Moving to Grafth, he looks out the window.

"I don't think we can stay here any longer," he remarks to the shifter, seeing the fight take place in the sky outside. "Our comrades need help right now. We've got to get to a Jorasco healer before we can do anything else. We're not going to get any more answers tonight."

[Jeff]

When Tangat's still form is settled, Taymra gets up and follows Kal to where Grafth stands sentry by the window.

"He will live, Kalarian," she says to him, though it's not clear if she's referring to the dog or the halfling.

She shakes her head at the fight outside...which looks like it's moving away. The airship, still not fully in view, begins to move westward. Three dragonhawks wing through the air around, and the crackle of spells can still be heard. Distant shouts from other people in the tenement tower can be heard. Shock and confusion, mostly.

"We can't stay here. They've got the scent on us—or that book. We need to keep moving or find a way to shake them altogether. I have an idea, but I agree—let's get to a healer first. I can lead us to the Jorasco hospital."

[Josh]

Grafth feels his body relax, though his mind is far from it. "Agreed," he says to the others, "Let's move, and quickly."

He looks down at the murdered man. "Shameful," he says, though gives no clue as to what he is referring. To Taymra he says, "Do we retrace our steps, or gather the others and take an alternate route?"

[Darren]

Kalarian places a hand on Taymra's arm and nods his thanks to her. Returning to the others, it is clear that his heart is heavily burdened as he picks up Tangat. "Let's go," he says, looking down at Streko as he adds, "quickly."

[Jeff]

"No splitting up," Taymra says decisively. "If there are any more warforged from that batch looking for us, we won't last long in small groups. I can lead us out of here through a different exit. We shouldn't retrace our steps."

The hum of elemental airship slowly recedes, and you can still hear the dragonhawks' cry in the night air. One of the doors nearby peeps open, a small girl peeking out.

"Twelve Bloody Moons," she says, stepping between the door and the dead body on the floor, attempting to block the child's view. "What's going on?"

Taymra looks to the rest of the group, awaiting any final words.

Dhaz comes up the steps and rounds the corner. He still looks unsteady but his eyes are sharper. Under his arm he's carrying a warforged head, still dripping its oil residue.

[Lara]

"Let's go, then," Pellorien says. "I don't feel like sticking around to explain any of this mess to whoever from among the authorities shows up."

[Josh]

Grafth stows his weapons and picks up Streko, as carefully as possible.