Chapter 2 - Of Dust, Of Death, Of Darkness

AS Joachim suddenly is awoken from his freez disturbed slumber he jumps to his feet. His Spear instantly in hand. Running he gives it a little boost to its flight and then stops changing his weapon once more to his Greatsword he had gotten out beneeth his sleeping bag.

From there on he will move into the zone of combat (next round) trying to flank if possible, avoiding AoO since his AC is 11 (?) taking 5foot steps around his enemys as needed.

ahead posting

Spear round 1:
Dice Roll: 1d20+4 1d8
d20 Results: 18 (Total = 22)
d8 Results: 4
These dice were omitted, altered, or moved: 1d20+6 2d6+4
Original Dice: 1d20+6 2d6+4

GS R2:
Dice Roll: 1d20+6 2d6+4
d20 Results: 15 (Total = 21)
d6 Results: 3, 6 (Total = 13)

GS R3:
Dice Roll: 1d20+6 2d6+4
d20 Results: 10 (Total = 16)
d6 Results: 2, 2 (Total = 8)

GS R4:
Dice Roll: 1d20+6 2d6+4
d20 Results: 7 (Total = 13)
d6 Results: 4, 3 (Total = 11)

The camp springs to life, everyone now fully awake and rushing to help their companions.
Raen is first out of the gate, and he swings at Tamrik's attacker with two blades. Unfortunately, only his sword makes contact, while the rapier just narrowly misses one of the creature's vines.
Meanwhile, Lorem and the half-orc Korakk descend upon Kashue's attacker. Lorem misses wide, but Korakk brings a pair of heavy maces down upon the weed, their large heads making solid contact.
Garak and Joachim both launch ranged attacks upon Kashue's opponent, but they miss...and so too do Ara and Tamrik, who still manages to break the creature's hold on him.
Delphine and Zetroc, the two magically-inclined members of the group, cast identical spells, one impacting upon each monster. The red balls of energy burn off one of the creatures' many vines, but it seems to barely affect them.
Kashue does his best to shake off the weed, but all he can do is pull out his emergency dagger, stabbing at the creature.

The first weed, having been rebuffed by Tamrik's thrashing and the duo of Raen and Delphine, stubbornly tries to grab him again, but cannot get a solid hold. Kashue, unfortunately, isn't as lucky. Still struggling to free himself, he watches in horror as a large white tube descends from the weed and burrows into his chest. As the thorns pinch tighter and tighter, he can feel the hollow tube sucking at his heart, like some sort of monstrous vacuum.


OOC

Tamrik missed his first attack, but does not give up. He strikes out again, hoping to destroy the weed and to get to Kashue before anything truly horrible happens.

Garak watched as the one that could lead them safely through the desert, Kashue, became a snack for one of the strange plants. Normally, Garak would sit back at this point and watch with amusement as one fought for their life. However, if they lost Kashue, then their survival in the desert would decline significantly. The sand rider was an important member of the group...for now.

Knowing that he could do more damage with his blade, Garak circles with a tumbling run towards the flank of the week attacking Kashue...his finely balanced short sword in his hand. Its blade was as dark as the clear midnight sky. His goal was to sever the white tube protruding from the weed, as it appeared to be the most critical point on the plant. His movements were careful such that his attack would be from surprise as much as possible. Garak was a shadow in the night, and moved as silently as a gentle breeze...

I don't know if it is possible for Garak to draw his blade, execute a charge, and get a sneak attack all in this round. If not, then he circles behind the creatures this round and will attack the next round... I also don't know the bonuses/penalties for charging, hitting from flank, etc. Can somebody please help?

"Damn... Half-orc! I'll hold him still! Use those maces to destroy that white tube or whatever it is!"

Lorem resheates his sword and then grabs the creature, trying to pull it off his friend or at least enough so that the half orc could have a good sight to destroy him.

[OOC]I suppose that trying to pry it off while it's attacked to Kashue counts as a grapple check?[/ooc]

Flowing into the combat, Raen's moves are more like a dance than an attack. His limbs move perfectly in unison, years of practise allowing his body to move with blistering speed and perfect timing. As he spins into another attack, a supple flick of his wrists turns both his blades into a fiercesome sweep. Anyone who sees this move swears that Raens swords actually burst into flame.

Raen inititaes Burning Blade

Attack with Shortsword Damage
Attack with Rapier Damage

As Raen lands from this move, his body automatically drops into his Stance of Clarity, focusing on his current attacker.

The sight of this horrid creature feeding on Kashue spurs the others into increased focus, and the attacks strike hard and fast.
Raen's speed is no match for anyone else, and his deft maneuver causes eyes to widen across the camp. His blades slash through the air, though only the rapier connects. As it hits, it bursts into flame, and Raen smiles in triumph...only to see that the flames quickly die out, leaving the creature in no worse shape than before.
Ara and Delphine both continue their attacks on Tamrik's attacker, with Ara's sling and Delphine's magic causing the creature to shake in its death throes. Tamrik makes one last stab at the creature, and his dagger plunges deep into the creature's brain. As he pulls out his ooze-covered dagger, the creature's grip loosens, and it falls to the ground like a wilted flower.

Meanwhile, Lorem has come to the aid of Kashue, attempting to pull the weed off of his companion. His grip is firm, but the creature slips through, raking the fighter with its sharp thorns. His attempted tug at the monster moves it slightly out of Korakk's swing, so that he only hits with a single strike, albeit a powerful one.
Zetroc follows up his friend's attack with a powerful spell, sending a massive jet of fire straight at the creature. The flames singe Kashue's clothing, but do far more damage to the weed. Though the flames quickly die out, as with Raen's attack, the powerful magic nevertheless disintegrates several thorny vines.

And as the white feeding tube once again descends upon the trapped Kashue, a final combatant strides forward, a massive blade in his hands. As he brings the collossal weapon down upon Kashue's attacker, his entire body swings with the effort. Fortunately, he manages to miss Kashue's head, but the weed is not so lucky. Mere inches before its tube reaches Kashue's chest, the blade slices the entire creature in half, dropping the feeding tube, still writhing, onto the hot desert sand, where it promptly shrivels and dries.

As Kashue breaths a sigh of relief and nearly faints, Joachim collapses onto the sand, the heat and effort of battle taking its toll upon his armored form.

OOC

Raen steps up to the creature and plunges both his shortsword and rapier into its still form, just to be certain. He then wipes his weapons clean and sheathes them. He checks on Tamrik, patting the man on the shoulder for a battle well fought and to make sure that the he was ok, and then moves to check on Delphine, Joachim and Kashue.

Raen plunges his blades into the creature, and watches as it dissolves before his eyes. The thorns turn to dust and fly away in the wind, while the rest of the body curls in on itself, its brain-like center bubbling in the heat. Within moments, the body of the creature is gone, and all that's left behind is a small pile of ash and heavy dust. Something shiny sparkles from within the pile...



It is a small crystal figurine, its center the shape of the creature you just killed. Odd...

Raen pokes the crystal figurine very gently with his sword. If he feels it is safe to pick up he kneels down and does so.

"Hey folks, look at this? Strange ......?"