Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Vathelokai 05-13-06, 05:04 AM	This is a three week quest for Sybil ap Kalten to join The Arcane Order Standard disclaimer applies; Make comments in the Tavern or by PM. All feedback welcome. NOTE: This quest was originaly started in the thread "Nimbus", where the back story, and the massive first post of this thread were hashed out. Quest Log Quest Goal: Join TAO Week 1 In progress... Sybil wakes up in a destroyed Gladius and finds the city in some sort of war. She heads for TAO to find answers, and is captured by a group of TAO resistance fighters. Sybil talks the remnants of TAO out of imprisoning her, and gets the full story. Items used: none Spells cast/abilities used: Silence Items recieved: None Week 2 Running... Sybil is offered a job... Items used: Spells cast/abilities used: Items recieved: Week 3 not yet ... Items used: Spells cast/abilities used: Items recieved: Conclusion ...
Vathelokai 05-13-06, 05:05 AM	Sybil ap Kalten Sybil is a 5'9" Gold eyed blonde with a wry smile and a lot of laughter in her. She is polite or bawdy by mood. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/uninvitedtruth/sybilpic.jpg Female Human Chaotic Good Bard 4 (ECL 4) Earns 80gp performing as a free action. Experience: 6,163 STR...11 [+0]... (2 pts+1(4thlvl)) DEX...16 [+3]... (10 pts) CON...12 [+1]... (4 pts) INT....14 [+2]...(6 pts) WIS...12 [+1]... (4 pts) CHA...16 [+3]... (10 pts) Hit Points: 20 [6+3.5*3+4=20.5 4HD] AC 18 [+3dex, +0size, +5armor], Touch 13, Flat 15 +4 Force Screen Initiative: +3 [+3dex] BAB/Grap: +3/+3 [+3bab, +0str] Speed 30ft Saves: Fort +2 [+1 bard +1 con] Refl +6 [+4 bard +3 dex] Will +5 [+4 bard +1 wis] Attacks: Masterwork Rapier +7 melee, 1d6 [18-20/x2] +3 dex + 3 BAB +1 Mwrk Whip +6 melee, 1d31 - Non lethal [20/x2] 15ft Reach,+2 disarm attacks +3 dex + 3 BAB Masterwork Shortbow +7 ranged, 1d6 [20/x3] [60' range]+3 dex + 3 BAB+1Mwrk 1 No damage vs +1 armor or +3 Natural armor Feats: Point Blank Shot [human] Rapid Shot [1st lvl] Weapon Finesse [3rd lvl] Bardic Music: Standard Action. Apply Perf to below Bardic Knowledge: Quest/Camp know area stuff Countersong: Counter Sonic Effects 30' Fascinate: Perform Check=Will Save to Resist. Fascinate is an enchantment/mind-affecting ability. Inspire Courage +1 +1 morale vs. charm,fear; +1 morale attack and weapon dmg rolls Inspire Competence ally gets a +2 competence bonus Skills (62 Bard): No ACP32+4+9+9+9=63 +9 Knowledge-arcana [7 rnks, +2(INT)] [7bard] +8 Tumble [5 rnks, +3(DEX)] [5bard] +10 Perform-Sing [7 rnks, +3(CHA)] [7bard] +8 Listen [7 rnks, +1(WIS)] [7bard] +10 Hide [7 rnks, +3(DEX)] [7bard] +10 Move Silently [7 rnks, +3(DEX)] [7bard] +10 Use Magic Device [7 rnks, +3(CHA)] [7bard] +7 Appraise [5 rnks, +2(INT)] [5bard] +7 Sense Motive [6 rnks, +1(WIS)] [5bard] +8 Bluff [5 rnks, +3(CHA)] [5bard] +1 Spot [0 rnks, +1(WIS)] Speaks Common, Draconic, and Elven Spells per Day: [3/3/1] [Spell levels: 5; Cast: 2] 0: [DC 14] Read Magic, Mage Hand, Detect Magic, Daze, Resistance, Lullaby 1: [DC 15] Sleep, Cure Light Wounds, Expeditious Retreat 2: [DC 16] Silence, Hold Person Buffs and Prefight actions: Equipment: Entertainer's Outfit Mithril Shirt +1 [10 lbs][2100 gp] Masterwork Shortbow [2 lbs][330 gp] Masterwork Rapier [2 lbs][320 gp] Quiver with 38 arrows [5.7 lbs][2 gp] Spell Component Pouch [2 lbs][5 gp] Masterwork Medium Manacles [2lbs][50gp] [B]Expendable Items: [CL] Wand of Magic Missile (49) [(CL 1)] [.1 lbs][750 gp] Tattoo of Force Screen (1) [ML 1] [100gp] 2*Tanglefoot bags [8 lbs][100gp] Wand of SummonMonster I (50)[(CL1)][.1lbs][750gp] Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50)[(CL1)][.1;bs][750gp] Whip [2 lbs][1 gp] Scroll of Cure Light Wounds (4)[CL 1] [- lbs] [100gp] Equipment at Home: Gold: 422gp Miscellaneous Statistics: Encumbance: 0-38 (light), 39-76 (medium), 76-115 (heavy) Weight carried: 34.0 lb Small Animal Hit Points: 6 [1d8+2 HD] AC: 19 [+3 Dex, +1 Size, +1 Natural +4 armor], Touch 14, Flat 16 Initiative: +3 [+3 Dex] BAB/Grap: +0/-3 [+0 BAB, +1 Str, -4 Size] Speed: Land 40’ [Base 40] Attack: Bite +2 Melee (1d4+1) Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4+1) Space/Reach: 5ft / 5ft Special Attacks & Special Qualities: Low-light vision, Scent Abilities: STR 13 +1 DEX 17 +3 CON 15 +2 INT 2 -4 WIS 12 +1 CHA 6 -2 Saves: Fort +4 [+2 Animal + 2 Con ] Refx +5 [+2 Animal + 3 Dex ] Will +1 [+0 Animal + 1 Wis ] Skills: Jump +7, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +1 Feats:Alertness, Track Encumbrance: 0-50 lbs (light), 51-100 lbs (medium), 101-150 lbs(heavy) Tricks: Trained for War (Defend, Attack, Come, Guard, Heel, and Down) Equipment: Chain Shirt Barding [12.5 lbs][200 gp] Character Background: Sybil was born to a good family that considered anything but a good marriage to be a bad choice for a daughter. However, music once found willnot be denied, and it wasno great tick to sneak out and join the travelling show. Sybil stays a step ahead of her family and usually on the right side of law. Gladius is just another in a series of interesting places.She wears flamboyant colors and always has a matching plume in her black felt hat. Will always send tactics. +3,200[B]Starting Experience +2,963 Experience Won -0Experience Spent +6,163 Total Experience Fights results: ECL3 FFA (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8139991&postcount=924)ECL FFA Part II (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8140085&postcount=925) Grasshopper (Greezer) vs Aerryl (MindWandererB) vs Sybil (MitzaVolchenko) vs Amaryllis (Snommelp): Dracazar (loss) [+300 XP] [+300+57(perform) gold] FFA ECL3 (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8195398&postcount=984) Sybil vs. Fjord vs. Kendal vs. Almaar: Snommelp (loss) [+375xp] [+375+57(perform)=432gp] ECL3 (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8248187&postcount=36) Sybil vs. Challack (DTFarstar): Warclone (win) [+900xp] [+900gp+57gp(perform)=957gp] ECL3 (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8283782&postcount=65) Sybil vs. Ba'al (Book5): Macbrea (win) [+788xp] [+788gp+57gp(perform)=845gp] EC3 (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8353040&postcount=122)Sybil vs. Death (NiQil): Kagain (loss) [+300xp] [+300gp+57gp (perform)=357gp] ECL3 (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8480425&postcount=233)Sybil vs. Rokk Ohn: Vathelokai (loss) [+300xp][+300gp+57gp (perform)=357gp] Past Expenditures (tot. 1650gp): Gold Tracking +67 leftover from initial equipment purchase +300gp loss to Grasshopper/Aerryl/Amaryllis +57gp performing -100gp replace Tattoo of Force Screen +375 loss to fjord/almaar/kendal +57gp performing -100gp 2*tanglefoot bags +900gp win over Challack +57gp performing +788gp win vs. Ba'al +57gp performing -100gp replace Tattoo of Force Screen -1000gp enchanted mithril shirt +300gp loss vs. death +57 gp singing -50 gp manacles -100gp replacetattoo of force screen -750gp wand of summon I -750gp wand of clw +300gp +57gp performing --------- 422gp total XP Expenditures None Item Charges/Unreplaced Scrolls/Tattoos/Potions/Ammo 1 Charge Wand of Magic Missile (CL1) (49/50 remaining) 4 Arrows
Vathelokai 05-13-06, 05:06 AM	Sybil was sitting in the upstairs lobby of the hotel that TAO used as their headquarters. She had been invited by Hennan, she remembered, many weeks back. She was still here somehow, a fact that was both interesting and alarming to her. The overly plush and velvety couches (most likely magicly enhanced) were a great spot to watch the commings and goings of the wizards. Vandalar, the magister (as the school called their headmaster) came through the room only once every day or so. He never had an expression on his face. It wasn't a bland or bored expression, it was a calculated lack of expression. He greeted Sybil once, and if he ever noticed her again he didn't let on. It seemed to be his way; unless discussing business he seemed to notice no one. Auburn, the diminuitive gnome seemed to come through every couple hours. That was until a few days ago when the note had been delivered from Aranor. Something unusual had happened; Aranor claimed madness had pushed him to attack the gnome. He had sent in his resignation. Strangely though, Auburn had never shown back up. Somehow the coffee adicted summoner had not been revived by the nimbus, or perhaps had gone into hiding. Since that incedent the tone of the guild had become somber. The newer faculty such as Finrod and Histal seemed not to notice, but older hands like Joad and Hennan had become concerned that she had not returned. Even the raskal halfling Tan, who had had some public disagreements with Auburn, had taken notice. Despite the mood, business went on as usuall. Classes were held, speaches were given, bulletins were posted. Sybil had requested a position with the guild on Hennan's recommendation. Hennan's apparent 'job' with the guild revolved around collecting gossip from around the city. As side projects he would fight in the arena (sponsored by his guild) and sometimes tutor apprentices who were having trouble with pronunciation of arcane phrases. Room and board was entirely covered. There was no contract; he could come and go as he pleased. It was a rather sweet deal. After setting up an interview with Cali, the abjurer and hiring director, Sybil was given a room at the hotel for the week. Thus, she had engaged in some people watching upstairs with the guild, and some rabble rousing downstairs in the public tavern. It's past my bed time. If you could throw out some 'day in the life' stuff it would be appreciated. I havn't seen much of sybils personality. My next post should be your first assignment and the start of the action. The sleepy pattern of the guild's life was a nice change of pace. Sybil thought about the people around her and considered their varied motivations as she worked on the phrasing for a new ballad cursing the need some oversized brutes have to paw at women. That note had been interesting, but it seemed to cause little stir in the guildhall. She had never met the gnome that she knew of...she thought she had seen Aranor a few times, but she wasn't certain of that. A loud guffaw through the floor from the tavern below caused Gleason to raise his head and look at his mistress. She patted him on the head absently, and smiled, "You are right old friend, I am brooding, aren't I? Let's go see what is happening downstairs." Settling her weapons about her person in a more dramatic and less useful fashion, Sybil stood and padded downstairs into the tavern with Gleason at her side. She thought she might ask a few discreet questions about Auburn and if nobody knew anything here, she'd just do a good old fashioned bar crawl and see what she could come up with. She might not learn anything, but it would be better than the peace and quiet at the moment. Gleason leads the way down the stairwell and into the tavern. The room is very large, with high ceilings and double doors that lead directly out to the street. Most of the floorspace is taken up by small round tables. The bar runs the lenght of the north wall. There are around ten people in the bar, most of them regulars who live in this district of town; work-a-day wizards with real jobs, drop outs from the order who still like to sit in on lectures, adept wannabes. Sybil slides up to the bar and reels in a talkative halfling with a couple winks and some free ale on the TAO tab. After a less then rousing conversation about the school, the emperor, and how well the halfing has decorated is appartment (you should come see it *wink*), Sybil brings up the number of strange things that seem to happen to the veteran teachers of TAO. Not wanting to diappoint his (not so) captive audience, he starts in... "Sheesh, I can't think of one of them that hasn't been jumped out in the street. Like the big Van; him and Talari and Va'ria... there's something going on there. And Tan! Man oh man, can that guy start a fight. He's started a fight with everyone in this building. I heard one time he got on Auburn's nerves and she laid him out. She' a mean one, that gnome. I wouldn't ever want to tangle with a witch that drinks that much coffee. Am I right? I guess somebody did though, with that commotion over by the warehouses. You didn't hear? Well my cousin tells me that that cloaker Aranor and Auburn got into something. Sounds to me like they had some falling out. Aranor was going to give her a chomping, but that dwarf Ashur showed up (Ashur and Auburn go way back) and scared Aranor off. Strangest thing... I can't imagine why they'd all be fighting on the corner of Namurti and Arjuna. Not a damn thing there; but then, that's a sure sign that wizards is up to something, if there's nothing to notice. Am I right?" "I am sure you are right," Sybil's tone has a teasing hint implying that she thinks the opposite while her mind works on the information. While she allows the halfling to protest that he is indeed right, she considers the area he's talking about wracking her brain for anything that might be odd about the area. Noticing that Gleason is gnawing on a bar stool she orders him back upstairs. Gleason lowers his head and padds his way back up the stairs. Sybil thinks about it, and can't think of anything notable about the location. She knows that many of the TAO teachers and staff keep private residences. Some of them teach classes there, others just like the privacy. Pretty much the entire street of Namurti is warehouses; it's one of those short streets, dosn't lead in or out of the district. Arjuna is a small street away from the major thorough fares. Why anyone would be in that area is beyond the bard, but the fact that 2 powerfull wizards and 2 of the city's well known fighters had a showdown there is a bit intreaguing. Sybil will promise to have a drink with the halfling another time and then slip out into the streets. Watching for followers she'll make her way to that area. Once there, she'll pick the closest tavern to that intersection and see what she can dig up closer to the scene. Sybil heads out into the afternoon sun. She weaves to and fro through side streets until she finds Namurti. It's a wide street, designed for carriages and cargo. There is plenty of trafic, since it is a workday. Further down the road she finds the intersection with Arjuna. The trafic has slowed down at this area, since it is closer to the end of the street, but she can still hear some people working in some of the large warehouse buildings. Sybil notices one of the buildings is a bit odd. There is a slight glow in the cracks of the mortar. It's nearly impossible to see in the daylight. She recognizes it as the rubbing of two magical fields. There are many spaces in the Red Lion that have that type of glow. Wanting to think abit, Sybil moves on to the end of Namurti street. There is a cantina there. They serve harder drinks in the evening when the laborors of Namurti end their work, but now they are serving more refreshing drinks to workers on break. She sits down for a drink and casually asks some questions. A couple of the workers have heard about a fight, something about wizards, but they seem to know nothing specific. One of them, who appears to be a foreman or something, heard that Auburn was involved, and only remembered it because he's seen here come by; but only on off hours when the forman was inspecting things, never durring the work week. Sybil gets the impression that the foreman has seen her come by pretty often and that he never thought twice about it. After a bit the foreman orders all of his men back to work. Half the cantina leaves, and a few minutes later another group comes in. Sybi wil wait and see what she can learn from the new group. when work settles down for the day, she will take a quiet recon of the odd building. None of the next group of workers has ever heard of Auburn. Finding out nothing she dosn't already know, Sybil decides to spend a couple hours alternating between singing for the crowd and harvesting gossip. The sun starts to lower and the barkeep breaks out the first ale keg of the night as the bulk of the workers end their workdays. Sybil slips out the side door and makes her way back to the strange building. It's a long building and the roof is only 10 ft tall. It looks like a windowless warehouse with carriage sized double doors at each end. The end doors are heavily chained and locked. Sybil searches around the outside of the building. She finds a spot where there are foot tracks leading up to the wall. She feels around on the wall. As far as she can see it is a flat wooden wall, but she can feel a door frame and a handle. It's a very short door, hardly 4 feet at the top. With hardly any fidgeting at all the door opens. She cannot see it, but she can feel the open space and the cool air. Feeling brave, she pushes through the illusion and steps inside. The lighting is very dim, only some dancing lights and everburning torches. The building seems to be one huge room. There are two lofts at either end, about 6 feet up; they look more like overhead shelving than anything else. Everything inside of the building is built in minature; the tables are 2 feet tall, the chairs are quarter sized. There appears to be alchemical equipment or something like it on many of the tables. The opposite wall, one of the long walls, is lined all the way along with makeshift shelving made from wide boards sitting on evenly spaced crates. Most of the shelving is empty. There are probably 20 or so books, a heaping pile of scrolls, and a miriad of jars. At second glance Sybil sees what looks like a water clock set in the middle of much alchemy equipment. Peeking up into the lofts, Sybil sees lots of gears and pendulums; perhaps other parts of clocks. Sybil slips into a hiding place and listens and watches for any sign of movement thenl casts Dect Magic and studies the area with her altered sight. Sybil looks around for a defendable position. She spots some crates at the far end of the barn like structure, under one of the lofts. She cautiously walks over and puts them between her and the door. She casts her detects spell and spends a minute scanning the room. There are a number of magic auras; some of the scrolls on the shelves, the clock sitting next to the alchemy equpment. There is a tiny faint aura in the pile of scaps in the loft, but she cannot see what it is. As she is scanning, for a brief second she feels a much larger blip, then it disapppears. She thinks it might be nothing and continues her searching. Almost a minute later the same thing happens, as though some kind of magical presence was appearing for only a second, then disappearing. As Sybil is contemplating making her way to the door, the presence appears again, but dosn't disappear this time. After a moment she pinpoints it, up on the ceiling, but she dosn't see or hear anything. Sybil slips her bow out, remaining in her position to maintain cover and readies to shoot whatever it is as soon as she can target it. If the arrows don't seem to work, she'll switch to her rapier and await it closing and becoming available to strike. If all of that seems in vain, she'll risk the display that a magic missile will cause and attempt to use the wand. Holy crap, a filcher... but it's gold. Are they supposed to be gold? Sybil thinks quick; The four armed, one legged monstrosities were known to grab people and kidnap them. Ruslan, a tribal poet of some fame, had been snatched by one and dropped off in the relm of ghosts. Lucky his ancestors were there to guide him home. It floated down from the ceiling, spinning to survey the room. Sybil realized she couldn't make a run for the door without getting caught. Maybe I can drive it off? Silently she readied the bow and fired at its back. Instantly a field of ephemeral energy appeared, a glowing golden blob of light around it as thought it new before hand that the arrow was comming. The arrow penetrated, slowed by the energy but still accurate. It spun around, contorting all five limbs and just as it focused its attention on Sybil it blinked out of sight. It reappeared just behind her and her defensive row of boxes. Hells! She roiled backward, dodging a flurry of claws and headed for the door while drawing her sword and wand. The creature dropped to the ground and ran straight at her, cartwheeling past her blade and tumbling into her. Sybil tried to roll with it, but the ball of limbs landed on her, pinning each of her limbs with one of its own. Sybil felt a strange tugging, like rushing forward down a hill or falling in a dream. There was a glow emanating from the filchers eyes and it was the only fixed point she could focus on. For a moment she lost herself in it. Then with a jolt she was herself again, inned down and angry. The wand was still in hand and she flicked it, firing an arcane bolt into the monster. The filcher's eyes widened from the unsuspected pain and with animal vengeance it retaliated, clawing Sybil's wand arm. She keeps striking, fighting the falling, lurching, spining sensation that the creature creates. The filcher finally decided it had enough and began pummeling her on the head, creating shooting pains and white light spots in her eyes. The mixture of sharp and numb sensations spins her mind back to the daydream, the momentum of the world spinning below her feet as she falls sideways. The lights from the window and beneath the doors come and go, mixing with the flashing headache she is accumulating. Occasionally, hands reach at her and she absently swats them away. They are inconsequential. The lights, there is a meaning, a code; they are communicating something. Why didn't I ever notice? Light always seemed so straightforward, but I was floating forward past it without realizing... wait, what? Back in her solid body for a split second she's still in the lab, but it's different. All the tools are gone, no clocks or books or crates. There is no daylight through the cracks. The roof seems to be sagging a bit. The monster is still hovering, with a golden glow of time surrounding it like a nimbus. There is an unseen, unfelt last blow as all the inconsequential things shatter and blow out like dust from her consciousness, leaving her floating in the three dimensional light of time. * * * A sharp pain in her head wakes Sybil up. Not a hangover. Horned glowing monster suddenly flashes to the visual centers of the mind. Her eyes shoot open denying the image and taking in the darkness around her. It's not a hangover, I'm alive is what it is. She sits up, unsure what to think of the dark contrast to the golden infinity. It's a bit chilly and damp. The space smells like dirt and mold, which is the same as the texture of the floor. Something in her body says it's been a few hours, mostly the stiffness of the joints. Her mind says otherwise; this is a different time. Not just a different year or era, a different type of time, like the strange sense of having no time. Maybe it's the isolation... the pure darkness. Sybil gets up, taking a couple attempts to get it right. Her backpack is still on, and she fumbles in it for a light source. Flint, steel, and torches reveal a windowless and crumbling room. There's a stair up, but it's partially destroyed and it will take some digging to get out. Best to get my head straight first. She finds her canteen and the water does wonders in clearing her head. Her weapons are gone. She vaguely remembers dropping the bow. The sword and wand must have dropped in unconsciousness. Everything else is intact. Whatever the monster wanted, it was definitely not her things. She had a whip and her summoning wand, and some tangle bags. Well, it could work in a pinch. Half an hour of dirt digging later and light came through the stairwell. A few more splintered boards and Sybil slid through the opening. The building was a ruin with no ceiling and three walls. Some faint moonlight came through the nightime clouds. Stepping out on the street she found the rest of the cityscape just as demolished. Pieces of buildings littered the streets, so of it looked like it had been pushed into barricades at the intersections of streets. Everything was still and silent. There was the scent of rain coming. Is this even Gladius? Sybil moves from cover to cover looking for some landmark. She could be anywhere after all. Damn filcher. And a quarter mile later there it was; the arena, untouched by whatever had damaged the rest of the city. Still trying to grasp it, Sybil heard a sound in the distance. Drums and marching. It was coming closer from the south. Survival became the immediate focus, and Sybil found the closest intact structure to hide in. From the second floor she watched the soldiers move in. Red uniforms, maybe fifty of them headed along the northeastern road. Sybil moves back from the window, curiosity abated, and proceeds to think. Sighing, slightly depressed at the recent turn of affairs, Sybil considers her possibilities. While most armies love a good song from a pretty face, she somehow doubts that the crew she saw earlier would be too thrilled to have her around. Her father had tried to tell her that this was more like what adventure really was about... Sybil settles herself as comfortably as possible and considers what she has seen. It seems like Gladius, but it clearly isn't her Gladius. There is clearly a new order in town, and she wracks her brain for anything similar to the uniforms the soldiers were wearing. Sybil sneaks another peak at the soldiers as they are marching away. They wear red with accents of a dark bluish black. She can see no emblem, either they are too small to see at this distance, or the colors are all they use to identify themselves. As she is about to look away something in the sky catches her eye. A winged figure, humanoid, wearing gold and white appears from nowhere, directly above the soldiers. At the same moment it appears, it begins to shoot rays of light down into the soldiers, who scatter behind debris. Seconds later another figure appears, batwinged, scaly and naked. It charges the vengeful angel. Shouts ring out, and there is arrow fire in the streets. Sybil ducks back inside. The winged angel wore obvious markings of the Celestial forces. So maybe not a new order in town after all. Some kind of war. And if the Celestials are in town, maybe the other organizations are still out there; the Arcane Order, the Living Tree, the Eye. Maybe. Being within sight of the arena, Sybil remembers that the Warfare alliance kept their headquarters near here. From the looks of everything, it was probably destroyed like everything else in this district. If there was war going on, then the docks to the west and south would most likely be controled by some group. The Celestials HQ was northwest. TAO HQ northeast. The south section of town was always known to harbor criminal elements. The east side of town was more working class. It would be impossible to guess where there would be a group of civilians, or at least not soldiers, hiding out.
Vathelokai 05-13-06, 05:08 AM	All rolls Here (http://www.hwx.it/wizards.com/dice.php?sid=215) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/xph_gallery/33559.jpg Large Aberration (Psionic) Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp) Initiative: +7 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+11 Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d6+1) Full Attack: 4 claws +6 melee (1d6+1) and bite +1 melee (1d8) and horn +1 melee (1d4) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Improved grab (with two claws), psi-like abilities, time filch Psi Like Abilities: At will - chameleon, distract (DC 13), psionic dimension door, psionic levitate, wall walker; 3/day - mental barrier. Manifester level 8th. The save DC is Charisma-based. Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft. Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +7 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 14 Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7, Tumble +6 Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Improved Initiative Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: Standard Neither sense each other - Sybil knows there is something magic on the ceiling. Filcher knows that in the future somebody leaves the building. Suprise round -Sybil readies to shoot -Filcher uses levitate to lower halfway to the floor, giving away its position -Sybil identifies creature with bardic knowledge (knows the name but little else) -Sybil shoots with arrow -Filcher uses a free action to create a mental barrier via psi like ability -Sybil hits anyway for 3 damage Round 1 -Filcher gets init -Filcher uses dimention door to appear next to Sybil -Sybil tumbles away, drops bow, draws Rapier and MM wand Round 2 -Filcher tumbles closer and touch attacks to start a grapple. Succeeds and causes 2 damage. It time filches Sybil, and she is dazed for 1 round -Sybil is dazed. (cannot take actions, but can defend herself normally) Round 3 -Filcher is content to continue time filching. Sybil saves again, and this time isn't dazed next round. -Sybil tries to escape but cannot (tie goes to higher grapple mod.) Roud 4 -Filcher tries to knock out his meal but cannot hurt her. It time filches, and she is dazed. Round 5 -Filcher resumes eating Sybils time. Round 6 -Filcher still eating, but this time Sybil saves. -Sybil tries using her wand, and causes 3 damage Round 7 -Filcher gets angry and pummels Sybil for 2 more damage. Sybil resists being dazed. -Sybil keeps using the wand for 5 damage. Round 8 -Filcher punches some more for 3 damage, Sybil is not dazed. -Sybil shoots the wand for 3 damage. Round 9 -Filcher punches for 4 damage. Sybil is dazed again. Round 10 -Filcher punches for subdual damage. Sybil dodges it, but ends up dazed again. Round 11 -Filcher punches for subdual, causes 2 damage. Sybil is dazed by the time shifting. Round 12 -Filcher continues trying to knock out his food. Causes 7 subdual damage, which puts sybil's subdual damage equel to her current hp; therefore she is staggered. Sybil fails her save and is dazed again. Round 13 -Filcher tries again, but sybil dodges the punches. She is dazed again. Round 14 -Filcher punches one last time for 6 subdual damage, knocking Sybil unconcious. It proceeds to take her to its lair and time filch for quite the while... End -Sybil hp 9(15 subdual)/20 [dazed] [confused] -regains 4 subdual hp per hour (wakes in 2 hours, back to normal in 4 hours) -used 1 arrow and 3 charges from magic missile wand
MitzaVolchenko 05-13-06, 01:08 PM	Sybil sits and considers options. Information is what is really needed. The best records are likely to be either at EHTC or TAO. The dockside is likely to be a not so easy place to slip around. Moving quietly and sticking to cover, Sybil will try to make her way to the TAO basement and its records.
Vathelokai 05-15-06, 05:27 AM	Sybil figures it's safer to head out while the troops are busy battling each other. She finds a shattered back wall and slips out, sprinting from barricade to barricade. She plots her course on the run. She takes an easterly route, less tall buildings for scouts. It dosn't slip her mind that there were invisible flying reinforcements for the troops, and she makes a point to find cover from all directions. There are a couple close calls where she hears footsteps in the distance and finds a place to hide before whomever walks by. Finally she enters the southern edge of the Arcadivius district . Only a park and a few business districts between here and the university. She thinks it best to go around the park; just not enough cover. I was working on a district map while you were gone. Sybil is near building 43 in the bottom right. The park is the 4 square cluster of stone looking squares and flowerbeds. Buildings 1-8 in the upper center are the campus. The blue roof on the upper left of the map is the Red Lion Tavern. Arcidivius looks slightly less damaged then the rest of the city. Most of the buildings are standing with minor damage. Every now and then there is a small crater where the once was a building. Instead of spread out destruction, it seems there is very targeted destruction here. As she rounds the back of one of the buildings, she sees 4 soldiers down the road. The soldiers are dressed in celestial forces garb. They don't seem to spot her. She ducks down out of sight and thanks her stars, even though she cannot see them in the cloudy night. Figuring that she can avoid them altogether she plots a different path, closer to the park. Between buildings, she can now see about 20 soldiers stationed in the park. She moves back around the building to rethink her plan again. While she is thinking of a wide circular path to the campus, she hears footsteps in the road. Gritting her teeth at all the interuptions, she peeks through the dilapidated fencing to sedate her curiousity. It's an elf dressed as a commoner. He is going through the motions of trying to move silently, but failing miserably. He is headed in the direction of the four guards. I can provide a zoomed in map if you wish. Using the map link above, Sybil is behind building 44, using the cluster of small houses there as cover from the park. Building 44 was a shop, and there are fences running the edge of the property. The commoner is moveing between 43 and 44. The soldiers are at the north edge of 56.
MitzaVolchenko 05-15-06, 03:06 PM	Is the elf someone familiar from the old days of Gladius? Are any of the CEF'ers familiar? This is going to decide how I react to the elf...whether he is allowed to walk into a patrol or whether I will do anything to stop him from attacking te patrol if that seems his intention.
Vathelokai 05-15-06, 04:27 PM	No soldiers look familiar, nor does the elf. Sybil decides to let the elf be on his self destructive way, and she re hides herself to the best of her ability. The elf stumlbes on and less than a minute later the guards shout out at him. Sybil hears footsteps, running. The elf runs back by the way he came, a few moments later the four guards run after him. They are quite intent on the elf, and don't notice Sybil at all. She can hear soldiers over in the park moving as well. Finally, a lucky break. Sybil moves around the building, heading north for the campus. As she gets out near the street, she can see where the elf ran to; a crumbled building half a block south. The elf has given up it seems. He spins on the soldiers. Another 10 come around a corner from the park, and they form a semicircle around them. Sybil feels a bit sad for the guy, but she needs to move on. But then ropes appear. Dangling down from nowhere, hanging about 10 ft off the ground as though floating of their own will. Rapeling down from 7 different pocket, people who are obviously wizards drop to the ground, casting spells as they fall. Half the troops immediately fall asleep where they stand, some even falling over. The other seven soldiers realize the ambush and form a defensive circle, calling out for aid. Sybil stares hard at the wizards. They don't have a discernable uniform, but none of the teachers at TAO had a dress code. One of them looks like Finrod, a tall blonde dramatic sort of elven wizard. A few of the others look familiar, like some of the students that were studying in the Red Lion, but Sybil cannot be sure.
MitzaVolchenko 05-16-06, 05:20 AM	Seeing Finrod, Sybil hesitates half a breath. Not seeing any killing blows struck she'll dart out of hiding drawing her rapier as she goes and make her way swiftly toward them, sticking to the building walls. She will cast silence on the defensive circle to prevent them from summoning more help.
Vathelokai 05-16-06, 05:43 AM	Sybil moves along the shadowy edge of the building to the maximum range of the spell before laying silence down on the group of soldiers. Sybil is so far away that no one even hears the casting -44 on listen checks. The soldiers begin to panic, not being able to summon help or even give commands to each other. Cat and bird familiars, charged with arcane spells rush into the crowd and more of the soldiers fall. Other soldiers begin to gag and vomit. One tries to flee. Finrod is the first to notice that something is amiss. He spins around and catches Sybils eye just before she darts back into the shadows. There is no sign in his expression. He turns back to directing the other mages.
MitzaVolchenko 05-16-06, 05:09 PM	Sybil will make her way up the street sticking to cover on the off chance that anyone comes around a corner. She wants to get to Finrod and get an explanation, but she is not up for standing unprotected in the middle of a street. She'll move as swiftly as possible without actually running and keep an eye out for any incoming interference.
Vathelokai 05-17-06, 05:32 AM	Sybil keeps moving closer to the battle, keeping an eye out for any other approaching guards. Her vigilance pays off in a way; she hears something strange, a fluttering. She looks up just in time to tiny black bat, nearly invisible against the sky. Must be a familiar. She keeps moving, but the bat circles around and dives at her. Sybil tries to roll but the enchanted bat slams into her, and bounces off into the street. Sybil's gut wrenches and her muscles spasm for a second before she becomes entirely rigid. Ah, bloody hell.... She falls down behind some bushes, well concealed from any passerbys, but unfortunately she cannot see anything either. In the distance she can hear some talking. It's not spell casting, so she assumes the fight is over. Confirming that, she sees booted feet comming. There are two people with robes around their ankles, but she cannot even move her eyes to figure out who it is. They pick up her prone body without talking and carry her down the street aways before they meet up with the other. She occasionally is turned in a way that she sees faces. A couple times she can see the ground; some of the wizards have summoned table sized trays that are following them. It seems that they have loaded the floating trays with all of the guards weapons and equipment. She also sees that Finrod is with the group. Finrod says, "Manacles", and with that one of the humans that follow him places the cuffs on Sybil. Don't you recognize me you jerk!? They round the corner of a building and they stop while somebody disables a lock on the door. The entire crew steps inside. Sybil can feel her limbs a little again, and is finally able to blink. The numb tingling tells her that the rest is comming back. Some of the other wizards began to pry open some boards on the floor. They set Sybil down and Finrod comes over to stare at her. He takes a minute, analyzing her features from multiple angles, before huffing to himself and casting a spell. He continues staring, which becomes markedly annoying. About that time Sybil regains enough muscle control to speak a little, but she sounds a bit groggy. "Remember me?" "Yes, I think I do... allow me to read your mind. And please be quiet until we get below the city. You can think what ever you need to say; I can answer when it is more safe." Sybil can feel the wizards mind trying to push in through the back of her skull. Finrod moves away to check the progress of the other wizards, but she can still feel his presence.
MitzaVolchenko 05-17-06, 01:35 PM	Get out of my head and get us somehwere that is safe to talk, you unmitigated ass! Her thoughts are focused and verge on a shout. She fights the paralysis trying to get to her feet. The next time I decide to do something for someone else, I swear to all the gods above and below I am going to smile and forget about it. It gets me nothing but trouble, just like Father always said it would. Her mental voice is seething with rage fueled by her ever worsening day. Dear gods! I am even sounding like Father now. I tell you Finrod, I blame this one squarely on you. As the immobilization fades, she swiftly regains some semblance of calm in her mind.
Vathelokai 05-18-06, 07:34 AM	Finrod's only reaction is to raise one eybrow. The younger wizards finish clearing the boards and an opening into a basement region is revealed. They all begin to scamper down, taking their spoils with them. Sybil gets up now that her limbs are working and walks over to the hole. It drops down maybe 20 feet. One of the wizards leans over and touches Sybil on the shoulder with another spell. "You can jump. The spell makes you float." The young human wizards sees the sceptical expression. Seriously. Try jumping up and down. He breaks off at that point and jumps down the hole himself. Only Finrod and Sybil are left. After a few choice phrases, Sybils jumps down. The bottom of the pit connects to the sewer system of Gladius. Sybil had heard that there was a massive network of tunnels below the city. The campus of the wizards had it's own tunnels that were over run with foul monsters. At least, that's how it was when she woke up today. No way of telling in this place. Sybil looked upward and could see Finrod covering the opening. The boards seemed to be closing of their own will so she assuemed he was using some kind of advanced mending spell. Once the opening was closed, Finrod simply appeared next to Sybil. The entire crew sighed with relief all at once. Sybil got the impression that either they had done this many times or rehearsed it many time. But that was not so important now. "Damn it Finrod, take these manacles off of me." The senior wizard points to an associate who promptly removes the bindings on her wrists. "I understand your anger, but at the time I could not see who you were, nor had I discovered if you were a spy covered by a disguise. What brings you back to Gladius after all these years?" The elf waves and the entire crew of wizards begins walking down the tunnel at a brisk pace.
MitzaVolchenko 05-19-06, 03:41 AM	Sybil rubs her wrists absently and looks him up and down noting the changes put there by time and trying to discern any traces of anything not right. "I never left Glaidus, Finrod. Remember the missing members? I went looking for them and ended up here courtesy of a Temporal Filcher. For me it has been less than a day since I was last laughing at Jimmy and the dogs," deciding she can trust him to a limited degree she explains things with the short version. [color=orange]"What in the tenth hell happened here? And for my edification how long have I been gone by your reckoning?"[color] She keeps her voice low having no desire to echo through the tunnels and alert anyone hunting the guerilla mages.
Vathelokai 05-19-06, 09:30 AM	Sybil can detect no changes in the quasi imortal elf's form. If anything, he looks a little tired. "Which missing members?" "When Auburn disappeared and Aranor left that strange note." Finrod stares off into space while he pieces things together in his mind. "It has been five years. Auburn didn't tell us what she was doing at her private lab until two years ago. Jimmy sold us out to the highest bidder a little bit before that." Finrod became quiet for a moment, waiting for Sybil to give a sign that the information had sunk in. The other younger mages all become a bit more quiet, walk a little slower, and grit their teeth a bit. "As to what transpired in Gladius while you were away, there are many versions of that. The most common being that we were invaded by beings from outside of space, the Githyanki. Gladius won, but at a cost. Once that was resolved the guilds continued their petty assaults on each other which escelated until the city was in turmoil. It reached a crisis stage; some of the guilds split, some joined forces, some were destroyed. Of course, the true nature of these things is more complicated. I think it best for you to discuss that with all the elders of the guild, for I do not know all the details. If you have a specific question, I can answer it while we walk." The whole crew of them has gone steely eyed. Sybil gets a hunch that the wizards may have suffered heavy losses, and might not even be on the winning side of this conflict. But the determination in their faces suggests that they believe they are on the right side.
MitzaVolchenko 05-19-06, 04:09 PM	Sybil takes the news with a thoughtful nod. "Tan? Hennan? Histal? Vandalar?" her voice is devoid of emotion and her expression locked behind the neutrality of a professional performer. She lengthens her stride a bit to hurry the journey along.
MitzaVolchenko 05-26-06, 07:18 AM	Bump
Vathelokai 05-28-06, 09:20 PM	Appologies. I broke a finger at work and typing has been beyond me. But enough about me... "Histal left and never came back. His clan still has some agents in town, Gaston is second in command of the PSI... well, what there is of the PSI. Hennan and his father came back. They are both here with us." Everyone picks up their pace through the sewer tunnels. Finrod shows a little emotion for the first time. It is anger. "You'll see Tan soon enough. Vandalar... they sent him out to sea," the elf bristles. "Huh?". It wasn't a phrase familiar to Sybil. "The nimbus has gotten stronger, some even say smarter. Five years ago it would assist people in raising the deceased. There were rumors that sometimes there would be spontaneous resurections. Now we know there are spontaneous acts; it happens frequently. For some like Vandalar it happened every time. As long as he was in the city, he was nearly immortal. So they took him out to sea. They bound him with antimagic and threw him under." "Who?". "The Celestials." * * * The secret door to the TAO base was hidden three quarters of the way down a long straight tunnel. The door was invisible and Finrod seemed to know it from memory. He pressed agianst a spot on the wall, and the wall seperated itself. The party quickly hopped inside. It was a massive luxury mansion. Vaulted ceilings, tapestries, carpet, guilded woodwork. The other 10, younger looking mages who were waiting in the front room, cheered and hugged when the gurilla party closed the door behind them. Finrod motioned to Sybil and the two of them skip past the party and into the back rooms. Through a couple side doors they find the lab. It's fairly spartan with covered tool benches at opposite ends of the walls and much open space. There is a small water clock mounted on one of the tables, with gears and pieces scattered around it. A human, a gnome and an elf are standing in the room. Sybil recognizes the gnome as Auburn, but the others are unfamiliar. Auburn looks much older, more than five years, possibly decades older. Her hair is even wilder with many streaks of gray. The wrinkles in her dark brown skin look like knots on a tree. She looks a bit like a dying, frosted over shrubbery. "Oh dear Boccob." She puts a roll of parchment back on the table. She exchanges glances with Finrod, but they don't have to say anything. "Please, let me check something." The little gnome casts a spell that Sybil has never heard before. It sounds wierd, like she's talking backwards. Whatever the result of the spell, Auburn seems a bit blown away. "You were five years in the past, only yesterday. My God... was it my fault? Did I do this somehow? I...I can fix it maybe... if there were more time... I'm sorry." The gnome is nearly in tears. The unknown human and elf men seem only mildly interested in the scene.
MitzaVolchenko 05-29-06, 07:28 PM	"Relax Auburn. I don't think me being now is your fault," Sybil uses her most soothing tone. "Finrod, you said the Celestials did this? And Killed Vandalar? What happened? What caused this? And as long as I am asking questions, how do I get back to when I was before? Should I go back? You said Tan was here? And Jimmy betrayed us?" The flood of questions is like a dam bursting, and hough she pauses to see if there are any answers forthcoming, she clearly has a thousand more questions waiting.
Vathelokai 05-31-06, 07:05 AM	At this line of questioning, the other two men get a little more interested, though it seems they are giving Finrod the strangest set of looks. Auburn composes herself. "Yes, it is mostly my fault. I've been toying with time for quite a while now." "But it wasn't you. It was a filcher that drug me thorough time." "Oh my. Yes, my fault. They are attracted by the type of experiments I was doing. But I thank you for not blaming me." The human steps forward and interupts. "You say Finrod informed you about Vandalar?" Finrod nodds. "And you wonder if the Celestial Forces destroyed the city? Well, they didn't quite do it all themselves. It never quite recovered from the Gith war. Wait, what is the last thing that happened in the city?" Sybil tries to think back through the destruction and violence. "Aranor had just left a note saying that he was leaving, that he had attacked Auburn. I went to look for her. Before that... A couple new recruits had come in. Some guy Xander and Marcos and uh... what was her name... " "Tell me about the campus. Anything that you can think of." "I never went on the campus. There were city guards all around it, and everyone said the lower levels were taken over by demons or something. I had heard that it was attacked by some, but that was before I got to the city." Every is quiet for a moment. The unknown elf who hasn't spoken yet finally says something. "Given our situation, I think it best if we confine her. Ther is no way to tell..." "Hey! I've had enough of that between the filcher and Finrod." "Denshi, I understand, but we don't have to treat her like that." "I'm standing right here." "Well then, I shall spell it out for you. We cannot be sure who you are. We cannot be sure that you were not manipulated before we found you. We do not have the rescources to survail you. All we are sure of is that you have traveled forward in time." "Fine then. Is it possible for me to go back where I came from?" "I don't know. Going forward is the easier way to go, but some have gone back. I'll have to research it." "I still don't feel she should be running around the base." "It's noted Denshi." The human stares the elf down for a moment. "Auburn, care for your friend. You know that time is short. Denshi and I have some things to discuss." Sybil tries to analyze the tension in the room. It could be just war, but she gets a hunch that it isn't. The elders have the same faces that the younger mages wore out in the city, as though they were acting in the face of death. Instinct tells Sybil that these wizards don't expect to be alive for much longer. But the base seems secure. The recruits seem in good morale. Something isn't being said, most likely something that is just obvious to everyone in this time or something that only the elders know. Denshi and the human who seems to be in charge of him walk out of the room silently, and Finrod walks out after them. Auburn smiles a bit. "They are always like that. It seems Quinton has taken a likeing to you. That's a real lucky break, but I'd watch out. He'll probably want favors. So have a seat. The servants will ferry in some food in a minute. I'll try to answer your questions, but if any more come up just interupt me. Easy questions first... This wasn't all the celestial's work. In fact the celestials are a bit divided right now. I'll get to that in a minute. The celestials did kill Vandalar; he organized a lot of resistance outside the city, and when he was around he was laying waste to their buildings. Towards the end he wouldn't come near us. It was too unsafe. It took a lot to capture him. Rispa nearly died when she found out. Tan, well, you know how he can't do anything right? He had gotten into the gith war, got quite a rank acutally. He can't fight or cast spells to save his life, but he can lead. Or I suppose he will learn to lead. But, as I was saying, he can't do most things right, and dying is on that list. The Gith, they have a way of knocking out Nimbus. They would use it when they attacked. Tan was killed in one of those assaults, but he just wouldn't go. His spirit came back to the campus and kept fighting. But the problem is that after the war was over, the ghost never caught on. Still thinks that's who the enemy is. He's over at the campus, guarding it, even though it's destroyed. Jimmy wasn't too loyal to begin with, and when his master was killed he had no reason not to sell what information he had gathered in the last couple years. Ah, there's dinner." While eating, Auburn goes into the recent history of Gladius. About 6 months after Sybil disappeared, the Gith made their first assaults on the city. They were spotted quickly, and large groups of Gladiators (Tan in one of the first groups, suprisingly) attacked everywhere the gith tried to make a foot hold. It was like that for another 6 months before the first invasion force arrived. Around that time, Vandalar had tracked down the Magister, the human who led TAO before Vandalar took over. The Magister took back the lead of TAO, and Vandalar spent some time traveling. In the mean time, Auburn and Sdentch (a half orc from the WAR guild), had left town on a quest. Auburn had found out about a secret group that was plotting the end of the world. She had found two members, Balbanes and Skiros. A third member had been a member of TAO and had been assassinated by the PSI guild. There were two others. Auburn and Sdentch set out to find the artifacts they were gathering, before they could use them to assemble their forces. The city was prepared to deal with the invasion force, but the gith had been preparing much longer. They used their mastery of the Nimbus to strike from the astral plane. The war went on for two years. There were relative periods of quiet occasionaly. A group of gladiators sponsored by the Emperor attacked the leaders, and that was the public explaination of the gith retreat. They had actually been attacked by another force in astral space. Auburn and Sdentch had found that the nihilists were supporting the gith, and with some effort realized that the nihilists needed to control Gladius to finish their plan. TAO was powerless to stop them though. They had infiltrated the guilds of Gladius and as soon as the gith withdrew, the guilds began to attack each other. The city crumbled from it. At first it seemed that the celestials and the Habari were fighting it out, PSI and the EYE along side. TAO tried to stay neutral, and took a number of hits for it. The celestials began to get the upper hand, and PSI splintered. The power hungry ones joined the Habari, and the rest scattered. The celestials interpreted it as all out civil war. They demanded that all guilds either join them in the fight against evil or be declaired enemies. WAR disbanded, being hired onto either army. TLT stopped entereing the city at all and focused on evacuating any who wanted it. TAO again refused to join,and in a vicious battle, most of the surface campus was destroyed. The Magister was killed. Vandalar wouldn't take the reigns, claiming that he was needed in the field, so Quinton, an old friend of the two previous Magisters took over. TAO went into hiding, trying to play at first like they were disbanded. Auburn had learned that the nihilist leader had a secret power; he could control angels in the same way clerics control undead. So whoever gave the orders at CEF was not actually on the side of heaven. Denshi showed up around that time, being sent personally by Boccob, and confirmed the rogue angel story. TAO confered with Va'ria of the Habari and a small task force was assembled to attack the pupet masters. However Habari had it's own pupet master, and the plan failed by the slightest of margins. Man. Can I ramble on or what? I've been making rolls over here (http://www.hwx.it/wizards.com/dice.php?sid=218). sense motive 1d20=12 (+7 skills) diplomacy (untrained) 1d20=20 (+3 chr) Lucky you; you pass the 'encounter'.