CELESTIAL  CAPER

November 20, 2010


Day 3  (cont.)  <date TBD; late spring>

2:00pm  (cont)

The four Cure Light potions are distributed to Axe, Suruse, Valia, Zeln.

3:00pm

We crest over a low rise and, about a mile away, see a building, looks like a half-ruined cathedrial.  There are miles of flatbed with scrubs around the building -- no cover.

HR mentions that he is sensing only cross-planar activities: drowning out everything else.  We arrange ourselves into a pair of scrimish lines:

                 Axe                             Tarva                       Surune

Rowan                   Zeln                             Ninalyn                       Velia

and start walking toward the cathedral, whose front doors are in plain view.  The sharper-eyed people notice that there are small stakes driven into the ground, with small flags fluttering, maybe about 4" high in total, about every 200'.  When we are roughly 3,000' from the cathedral, an arrow thunks down next to Tarva.  That's an incredibly long distance for an arrow shot: The best Tarva can do, with her Bow of Distance, is 2,200'; Rowan could shoot at 3,300', by combining her own Bow of Distance with a Ranger spell of Hawkeye -- perhaps the shooter, whom we can't see, is doing something like that.  As we advance, a second arrow also misses Tarva,  just as she's passing a line of flags.  Zeln casts Fogcloud about 280' in front of us: it starts as a 20'x20'x20', but then drifts into a larger but less dense shape.  Despite that the next arrow, at the next row of flags, does hit Tarva.  It feels somehow twisted, Tarve has an impression that someone has just totally scanned her; HR says that the arrow has somehow interacted with Mordenkainen's Amulet.  Tarva tells everyone to run towards the building, and -- bad mistake -- says go as fast as you can, rather than having the group stay together.  Zeln casts Phantom Steed and takes to the air; Ninalyn begins flying; Tarva casts Expiditious Retreat.  As Tarva passes the 2,100' flags, she is hit by another arrow, for 17, which HR tells her attempted to Banish her from this dimension.

1.  Velia 240' -> 1,860; Ninalyn 240' -> 1,860; Axe 320' -> 1,780; Tarva 480' -> 1,620; Surune 240' -> 1,860; Rowan 240' -> 1,860; Zeln 240' -> 1,860; arrow hits Tarva for 15.

2.  Everyone moves closer; arrow hits Tarva for 14.

3.  Everyone moves closer; Rowan also shoots at door: arrow sticks out of wood; Tarva notices that the stakes and flags have stopped after about 1,000'.

4.  Everyone moves closer; Axe notices the stakes stopping, yells this info out; Tarva reaches doors, sees that each one has an arrow slot running from 4' to 12' above the floor; Zeln also casts Stinking Cloud through arrow slot into inside of building, Tarva saves; Axe notices that a general feeling of dread and oddness is getting worse.

5.  Velia 240' -> 900; someone casts a Slow spell on Tarva, cancelling out her Haste, spell was definately not cast from behind the doors; Ninalyn 240' -> 900 at 60' high; Axe actives his boots to fly, 180' -> 640; Tarva casts Delay Poison on herself [five hours], shoves on the door -- which, surprisingly, opens and swings in; more surprisingly, the Red Dragon inside breathes Fire on Tarva for 41, Tarva saves vs Fear, yells "Red Dragon!"; Rowan casts Protection from Elements::Fire on herself [50 minutes], 240' -> 900; Zeln casts Time Stop:
1. moves to door -- is Shaken by Fear from nearness to Red Dragon: -2 all rolls;
2. closes door
3. casts Hold Portal on doors
4. moves 240' back

6.  Velia 240' -> 660; Ninalyn 240' -> 660; Axe 360' -> 280, 90' high [building is 100' high at peak], sees unusual dark spot on roof, near front; HR says the building gate feeling "feels like home", "Albion or Feyland?" asks Tarva, "Yes", "Can you find the Gate?", Tarva hears muttering above her as a Blade Barrier is cast where she is, she escapes for 27, but the whirling blades are now blocking the door, yells "Spell Caster on Roof!"; Surune 240' -> 660; Rowan 300' -> 600; Zeln flies to roof, sees large hole in it with melted-looking edges, believes that there is no structural \ support damage from the hole, ducks below edge of roof.

7.  Velia 240' -> 420; the feeling of the Gate opening is deferred, and continuing longer than previous occasions; muttered spells from the roof: Zeln saves vs Feeblemind, but his Phantom Steed is dispelled, Zeln's Feather Fall ring brings him down next to the Blade Barrier; Ninalyn 240' -> 420; Axe lands on the roof near the darkness, can now see what's inside, yells, "half woman half snake six arms", attacks one but misses; Tarva moves to left corner, looks down side wall for an entrance, windows along wall, nearest 40' away, 30' up to sill, asks HR, "Is our amulet holding the gate back?" "No"; Surune 240' -> 420; Rowan 300' -> 300; Zeln reserves for Evil in range to cast a spell against.

8.  Velia 240' -> 180; Marilith-1 to Axe hits for 33; Marilith-2 flanks Axe hits for 32, both wreathed in black aura; Ninalyn 240' -> 180; Axe Rages [lasts through round 19] hits M-1 for 23, miss, miss, miss; Tarva climbs to window, looks in, sees main room 100' wide with front doors centered along front, South, wall, 120' long, with last 20' opening up into wings, doors in middle of North wall, large hole in ceiling just south of North wall, ceiling about 80' high; two 30' x 30' interior rooms, with their own ceilings about 30' high, nearest one has a door facing East (towards Tarva), other 'room' has Red Dragon (RD) on top of it; Surune 240' -> 180; Rowan moves back to 400' away, can see Maraliths from there, shoots M-2 for 15; Zeln casts Teleport to move himself to roof, identifies the foes as Marilith Demons, yells, "Maralith Demons, immune electricity, poison, DR except Good and Cold Iron, SR".

9.  Velia activates her boots for flight, goes up 90'; gate is still hanging; M-1 hits Axe for 18, 49; M-2 hits Axe for 33, 60 (Axe has 76 left); Ninalyn casts Flame Strike on M-2 for 60, moves 60'; Axe withdraws to Ninalyn; Tarva climbing another 30', but slips and makes noise, noticed by RD; RD breathes through window on Tarva for 33; Surune to the right front corner of the cathedral; Rowan shoots M-2 for 19, 14, 14, 14, 19; Zeln casts Baleful Polymorph on M-1 and turns it into a small lizard, jumps off roof (to Featherfall down).

10.  Velia charges, uses Flick of the Wrist on M-2 for 48; gate finally opens; M-2 on Velia for a total of 113; Ninalyn casts Heal on Axe for 150; Axe charges M-2 for 23; Tarva defensively casts Cure Serious on herself for 25, drops to ground for 17; RD misses its snatch at Tarva; Surune climbs to nearest window, sees the same view as Tarva, from other side, 'internal' room nearest her has door facing her; Rowan shoots M-2 for 15, 20, 20, 17; Zeln lands, casts Fly.

11.  Velia tumbles away; M-2 on Axe for 47, 70; Velia and Axe notice rainbow lights on left side of roof; Ninalyn charges M-2 for 25; Axe on M-2 bloopers, loses turn; Tarva is back to the left front corner, sees Zeln, says, "Zeln can you get me to the roof?", casts Cure Serious on herself for 30; RD does something; Surune climbs higher up building; Rowan shoots M-2 for 15, 14, 18, 16, Zeln flies up to roof.

12.  Velia spellcrafts on rainbow lights: nothing, sees Zeln, points and says, "Zeln: sparkley stuff thataway", charges M-2 -- AoO for 17 -- for 50; M-2 -- AoO Ninalyn for 21, Velia for 49, Axe for 24 -- disappears and appears behind Rowan, hits for 34; Nalfeshnee-1 appears admidst Axe, Ninalyn, Velia, all fail and are Dazed; Tarva sees M-2 behind Rowan, moves 120' and switches to bow, shoots for 13; RD flies through hole in roof; Surune climbs to 10' below roofline; Rowan tumbles for 30', runs another 240'; Zeln yells, "Nalfeshnee" (Nal), casts Disintegrate for 94.

13.  Velia dazed; M-2 Teleports to behind Rowan, hits for 16; N-1 disappears; Ninalyn dazed; Axe dazed; Tarva casts Magic Missile on M-2 but SR makes it fizzle; RD breathes on Velia for 0, Ninalyn for 64, Axe for 64, moves towards them; Surune on roof, gets between RD and companions, yells, "if you can hear me get up here!"; Rowan drops bow, draws Kheteru, hits M-2 for 14, 15, kills, sheathes Khetru and picks up bow; Zeln casts Orb of Force on Red Dragon for 36, drops below roof line.

14.  Velia dazed; Ninalyn dazed; Axe dazed; Tarva moves to building; RD on Surune bites for 35, grapples, has Surune in its mouth, moves to edge of roof; Rowan shoots RD for 20, 15, 18, 17; Zeln pops up, casts Slow on RD but it saves, flies down and around corner.

15.  Velia dazed, Ninalyn dazed, Axe dazed; Tarva casts Magic Missile on RD but it fizzles, sheathes HR and draws bow; RD spits Surune out to hit the ground 90' from the building for 39, tail swipes for 27 on Axe, 13 on Velia, knocks Ninalyn off roof to 30' away for 28; Surune gets up, moves; Rowan shoots RD for 47, 19, 20, 15, 20, 18; Zeln flies up, casts Cone of Cold for 60.

16.  Velia dazed; Ninalyn dazed; Axe dazed; Tarva shoots RD for 6, 10; RD to Zeln, bites for 77, grapples, in mouth; Surune to wall, up 30'; Rowan shoots RD for 17, 19, 14, 50; Zeln reserves for being spit out.

17.  Velia to Ninalyn; Ninalyn moves 30' to center herself, casts Cure Critical Mass on Axe, Velia, Ninalyn, Surune, Tarva for 34; Axe drinks Cure Light potion for 11; Tarva sees Nal-2 behind Rowan, yells, "Rowan, behind you!", shoots for 12, bloopers; RD flies to 30' from Rowan, breathes flame through Zeln for 66 onto Rowan for 6, Zeln dies; Surune climbs down, goes towards RD; Rowan moves to near building, shoots RD for 18; Zeln dead.

18.  Velia drinks Cure Serious potion for 26; Ninalyn casts Holy Aura [through round 33] on Ninalyn, Surune, Tarva (+4 AC deflection; +4 saves; SR 25 vs evil; being hit blinds); Axe drinks Cure Light potion for 12; Tarva shoots Nal-2 for 12, 11, 7; RD spits Zeln's body at Nal-2's feet, says something in Abyssmal (which Velia understands), flies away; Surune gets between Zeln's body and Nal-2, "help me"; Rowan shoots Nal-2 for 20, 18, 18, 19, 16, 20; Zeln dead.

19.  Velia runs past Nal-2 and turns, preparing to flank; Nal-2 -- Surune AoO for 37+6 -- grabs Zeln's body and Teleports away; Ninalyn drinks a Cure Moderate potion, moves; Axe drinks a Cure Light potion for 8, moves; Tarva moves to Ninalyn, putting up bow and drawing wand, casts Cure Light on Ninalyn for 8; Surune to group; Rowan to group; Zeln missing (and dead).

20.  Velia runs to group, tells us, "Dragon said, 'Take this to your master'."; we all hear a soul-wrenching scream from inside the cathedral; ...

Run ends in mid-round.