** Part I: Fire and Ash **

[SARRMATT]

Before possible conflict and the group descends to the room below
When offered weapons by Karlane Whisper politely declines most of them. "I am too clumsy, the darts would not only endanger our enemies but also ourselves in my hands." The mage considers the black powder, unsure at that moment if it was a spell component or not. "I feel that I have an affinity for the glaive or the staff. Though I doubt you have enough healing spells to waste on me should I dare use this glaive. I have a dagger of some worth, the blade is tacky and smells of apples but I know not why. As I had mentioned earlier, I am not one for combat but I shall aid efforts as best I can from afar."

Before possible conflict
[OoC:] My character sheet has down glaive as one of the character's weapon proficiencies. I believe that when thrown that weapon returns and the throwing character needs to make a DEX check to catch it or be cut by the returning weapon correct? Does weapon proficiency modify that chance to catch the weapon safely? Just to be clear I have no intention of throwing the thing or using the thing if it is given to the character. His combat strategy remains: to run away when safe to do so and use cantrips and ranged spells from afar to maximum effect. If the character is actively engaged please have him weigh options and whatever seems the best option between Run away, Invisibility -> Run away, Chromatic Orb -> Run away, Wet himself -> Offer a bribe to the foe to let him live, Wet himself -> Draw Applebane the dagger -> Flail wildly with it while whimpering and pleading for aid from allies.

Whisper says nothing positioned at the back of the group. His eyes shift about looking for enemies to their sides and back knowing that conflict was likely soon to start. There had to be a few places where he could retreat to.

[spike]

Drusilla scowled at Whisper and said to him, 'stop being such a sod! Prepare whatever spell you have that will be of some use' she admonished as a stern mother might.

Sarancen says 'It's Galtrath, great. We're all doomed' he sighed in resignation and drew a crossbow then unfastened the safety.

Azonia drew her curved sword and wore a smirk on her face, 'vile scum' she hissed.

Drusilla casts a spell causing a protective wall of thorns to encircle the children from their handlers.

[Chris1234]

Relying on her elven camoflage gear, Karlane remains still and silent, studying the enemy caster as she'd been taught by the spectral assassin.

[spike]

The blonde haired man said 'Go and fetch these fool rebels, and bring them down here at once'

Ten black guardsmen roar 'for the glory of the imperium!' they hurl grappling hooks upward and they securely attach to the edge where the lift is.

Sarancen fires his crossbow at the first soldier, hitting him. The soldier cursed his luck as his crossbow jams, and he hurls the weapon at the same soldier angrily. It flies wide, missing its mark. 'Do we have a plan in mind?' he asked.

Azonia: 'Yes, we fight your comrades' she launches her whirring curved kuri sword and it flew across all of the rope-lines the guardsmen were using to scale the wall. They fall down some 17 or so feet and onto their backs, groaning.

The warlock began chanting 'xiombray nolgoth koranth ulduriz!' shooting Azonia with a ray of light when it strikes her she collapsed to a knee, fought some inner struggle against it then recovered quickly using her weapon as a crutch 'your enfeebling ray won't weaken me, mage!' she yelled.

What does Idrys and Whisper do?

Sarancen will guard the area near the lift and attack any who try to get up that way, Azonia will assist him.

Drusilla begins praying, there's a strong wind that floods the spacious bed chamber, holy and powerful and pierces through your bodies and soul, your bodies aureate with shimmering gold light briefly. Each of you feels more righteous now.

Lucien shrieks away, 'argh, the pain of your heavenly auras is agony!' he hissed.

[TristenC]

The red film descends over his eyes as the pointed teeth descend. Idrys draws both swords and charges the caster without a word. [full out attack.]

[SARRMATT]

So if I have it in my head correctly there are a lot of targets prone below them 17'. Whisper would choose Web in that case and then step back and crouch low for partial cover from those below.

[spike]

ROUND 1:

Whisper moved over to the lift and peered down, placing a spider on his tongue he ate the arachnid and then spit out a glob of web into his hands, chanting swiftly 'zultan nurinug kalamar garinungkadol solomot!' dropping the sphere into the throng of black cloaks, ensnaring them in the sticky webbing, and four of them are held fast and seem to get more stuck as they resist more.

Idrys leaped off of the ledge and began flying toward the blonde haired warlock with his sword pointing the way, which unnerved some of the black guard who saw that his movement weren't natural, but appeared to be a mixture of flying and levitation. His whirring blades swung but failed to strike the warlock, who eyed him with a smug, wry expression, 'What? You dare? You little bastard!' he roars, and two of his subordinates, both ripped themselves out of Whisper's web and drew longswords and daggers, charging at Idrys 'protect our lord!' the first yells as hecomes at you with his longsword at the ready.

The blonde mage said 'do not harm him too badly, we've need of him' he said grinning, 'you wish to kill me, eh warrior? You want to run me through with your skinning blades...yes...I can see the fire in you...good. Such fury can be best served under a new master'

Karlene: actions?

Sarancen, seeing Idrys leap into the fray curses in frustration and runs after him to protect his back saying 'how in the hell did he do that?!', Azonia accompanies him but leaps over and lands perfectly without harm, light as a feather even. The soldier shook his head 'must be them boots of jumping I heard so much about, need to get me a pair!'

'For Elsmyere!' she roared, preparing a javelin for throwing.

[Chris1234]

Karlane tries to Stealthcast 2.Silence 15'rad on the mage so as to maintain her camouflaged status.

=======
Stealthcast TN<18 [1d20] = 8 success!
Range: 120', CT: 5 segments, saving throw: none, duration 6 rounds.

[spike]

The warlock is now silenced.

FYI: stealth casting only disguises the fact you are CASTING a spell, it doesn't disguise the fact that you attacked WITH a spell. Hence, while you can hide that you're casting a fireball, once it's released doesn't mean you won't be seen or detected having launched actual spell. I will allow a check at 1/2 INT to determine where spell originated from.

BLACK GUARD ASSASSIN#1: though webbed, removes his crossbow and fires at Sarancen the bolt sinks into the soldiers right leg and he grunts, but is far from finished.

BLACK GUARD ASSASSIN#2 throws a dagger at Whisper, and it sinks hilt deep into the mage for --16 hp. The soldier growled 'time to die, you little fool' the dagger pierced him so deeply that it embeds into his bone.

BLACK GUARD ASSASSIN #3 attempts to hide in shadows but isn't doing a very good job at it.

ROUND 2:

Azonia skewers the warlock with her first javelin, unleashes a second that strikes true also. The blonde haired man grunted but seemed relatively unscathed, even though the first missile pierced his leg.

Drusilla leaped downward and landed in an agile roll on the ground.

IDRYS: (20, 25% assassination) runs his invisible longsword straight through for -18 hp damage, killing him with a damning blow. Your sword pierced through his stomach and bursts out of his back from behind. As he collapses on the ground, his body fades from existence and disappears entirely.

Whisper, Karlene: state actions

[Chris1234]

Karlane hisses at Whisper, "Stiff the mage."
Assuming she's not religiously forbidden from using them, the priestess throws 3 darts at the mage.

======
Due to the Cloak of Elvenkind, Karlane might get the round with surprise bonuses versus the mage (+2 to hit and no Dex bonus for the defender).
Darts will have to hit modifiers: -3non-proficient, +2 Dex and certainly at least the first dart should get the invisibility bonus (+2 to hit and no Dex modifier for the mage).
Dam for darts are normally 1d3+1(for strength). Dart RoF = 3/round
1st dart contains nasty poison, the second one is explosive and the third one is normal (as only two, one of each type, were filled to learn how to do it.)

[SARRMATT]

[OoC:] Whisper will remove the dagger and let it clatter to the floor just before casting either (both have 30 yards range) sleep(if an AOE is needed) or Charm Person(single target on a foe near the man who almost just killed him). If possible he would then lay down prone on the ground with his movement providing full cover to those on the ground below them.

[spike]

ROUND 2: Whisper muttering arcane words of power beneath his breath removed a cricket from his pouch and it leaps into the air from his outstretched hand then turns into a cloud of sprinkling spores which renders three black guard assassins asleep. There are still three more to contend with.

Drusilla unleashes a spell when a shimmering crossbow made of pure light materialized in the air and began to cock and load itself, taking aim at BLACK GUARD ASSASSIN #1.

BLACK GUARD ASSASSIN #2 says to 1 and 3: protect the others, I'll take out their wizard. And he takes a bead at Whisper 'one shot is all I need'

BLACK GUARD #3 says 'I'll get that stinking bitch hiding up there' and takes a shot at Karlene, nailing her with a bolt for -6 hp damage. She feels very sluggish as some toxin is introduced into her bloodstream.

[TristenC]

Idrys charges the guard that attacked his sister, Wrong move, dead man!

[spike]

The black guardsman gains the initiative for ROUND 3.

He hurls his spent weapon at Idrys, the flying crossbow strikes you in the chest (-2 hp blunt damage) then he rips out a two handed sword from his back, sneering at you 'cur, you dare? I'll tear your damned head off!'

Your invisible blade misses but you spun and upper cut the soldier with your offhand shortsword (-6 hp) he grimaces under the blow but is far from out of the fight. The other two soldiers turned and shot Idrys with their double crossbows (-6 hp dmg) and you feel some strange delirium overcome you and are now poisoned. You feel sluggishly slowed now (1 attack every 2/turns, automatically lose initiative until cured)

The last black guardsman who flung his crossbow is slain as Drusilla's spiritual crossbow peppers him with two spiritual bolts. He grins even in his last fleeting moments of life, talking through gurgling blood 'you bloody idiot, where do you think you can escape that you shant be found?'

Sarancen dispatches Black Guard Assassin #2 with a devastating blow from his longsword. The third assassin roared 'traitorous scum, prepare to die!' just as he completed his sentence, two javelins from Azonia plunge into the small of his back and he hacked up blood then fell over dead.

Sarancen says 'we'd better make haste out of here, this is just an assassin team, there's doubtless a larger force not far and they'll have Orcs and a priest with them' he goes around and slits the throats of the sleeping guardsmen, then hands Idrys a flask 'drink it, it's Dwarven brandy. The only cure which neutralizes the poison. Sip it lightly, it's rather expensive' he chuckled.

[Chris1234]

{OOC: @Spike - need clarification please. Has the mage and all 5 guards that came in with him been killed?}

Assuming all the invaders have been dispatched:
Karlane says, "Lucien? They appeared to be able to sense my presence. Did you detect anything abnormal about the guards? Were they some of the 'Shades' that our enemies seem to be making?"
While listening to any reply, unless prevented from doing spell casting by the poison,she cast Cure Light Wounds on herself (can't afford to go into 'hungry-vampire' mode).

The priestess then asks, "Who is injured here?"
And then, "War council, up here in 10 minutes, please. Idrys, will you supervise a search of the 5 guards? Keys, maps, orders, valuables. My thanks, brother." She then says in a slightly louder voice, "We leave here within the half hour."
She then heads off to find Drusilla to ascertain disposition of the ex-prisoners and the best method of getting them safely away.
If she passes Sarancen she says, "We'll sort out money before we leave."