Kharona had sped off after the girl. She was fast so he had tapped into the accelerated time of his peoples' home and caught her. He wasn't interested in chasing the Drider. His targets were the Devourers. He simply assumed he would be the only able to match her so that she didn't run headlong into a trap by herself.

To be honest, he also had no wish to be in the same chamber as the Minotaurs he had wounded.

He breathed an inner sigh of relief when she decided to hold up.

My people are only descended from the Drow. I have no understanding of thie hand signs, he told the half-Drow as she started twisting her fingers in their complex secret language. Whatever grudge you obviously bear towards them does not mean it is smart to heedlessly run after them by yourself.

Kharona knew all about the need and desire for revenge. Wasn't that his simple reason for a years long war with the Flayers? He had learned caution though, something this woman threw to the wind.

"Quiet! We don't want them to know they were followed, iblith." she hissed back as quietly as she could. "If you wish to help me, remain hidden. We will wait for them to make camp before attempting anything."

Just waiting on the other thread - if they decide not to try & catch you, the driders will make camp after some time passes.

Kharona stood quietly for an uncomfortable span of time. He stared at the strange female who wanted to chase after the half-spiders. With one quick shake of his head he turned and started back down the corridor to where Yuthel and the others were, channeling his anger into the silver blade still flaring from his hand.


Try to set Psionic Focus: 11 are you serious?
Move Action: Psychic Strike
Yet another 1. awesome. Sometimes it's not even fun
Try to set Focus on the way back (mainly to get a successful roll): 16
now it's becoming a joke.
Take 10 to set Focus: 20
Focus set

This message was last edited by the player at 10:55, Wed 06 Sept 2006.

Ok, Illianka is alone on this one. You are welcome to give chase regardless - the others are not following, and when they camp you can probably take at least one down and escape safely, especially with that position swapping trick and a better movement speed than the drider.

Waiting until they camp, Illianka follows silently before casing out their position, looking for ways to enter the camp without alerting sentries and the like...

The driders leave only one of their number awake, in a tunnel which is about 15' wide and fairly straight.

Staying hidden, Illianka approaches as close as she can without being detected, then throws a dagger down the corridor. She's aiming for the wall on the other side of the camp.

[private to DM Daniel: 12:16, Today: Illianka rolled 16 using 1d20+5. Attack Roll (Ranged). ]

The dagger makes a clear tinkling sound, and the drider turns towards it, then goes to one of it's comrades, shakes it awake, and walks down the corridor to investigate the sound.

As soon as the Drider turns its' back, Illianka breaks into one of her blinding-fast dashes and drawing another dagger before swooping down on a sleeping Drider.

[Private to DM Daniel: Manifesting Burst as a Swift Action to get as far into the middle of the group as I can, then manifesting Defensive Precognition. Next round, I attempt to coup-de-grace a sleeping Drider as a full-round action before manifesting Burst again the round after that and attempting to escape.

The drider who suffers the Coup-de-Grace suffers 8 damage and needs to pass a DC 18 Fortitude save or die.

22:11, Today: Illianka rolled 8 using 2d4+2. Damage (CdG). ]

Illianka dashes into the group as the awakened drider stands up, slits a sleeping driders throat swiftly then turns and runs away again, outpacing the remaining drider's, who give up only a twenty metres down the corridor. Clearly they don't want to leave their comrades alone and asleep.

Illianka recovered the dagger she'd thrown on the way through, and now moved back to examing the two remaining, Driders. Both were awake, she saw, and while staying as hidden as she could manage she attempted to judge if either of them were injured, and if so which one were worse...

[Private to DM Daniel: 15:12, Today: Illianka rolled 13 using 1d20+1. Heal (Assess Injuries).
15:12, Today: Illianka rolled 15 using 1d20+7. Hide. ]

One has minor wounds only, and given a chance to study it better you see it carries an amulet with the DeVirr house insignia on it - clearly the leader. The other is also nearly unharmed - you suspect that the leader is a cleric of Lolth.

"Burn..." Illianka whispered to herself as she drew a bead on the leader with her finger before manifesting her powers once more, calling forth a beam of ice-blue power that arced towards the Driders' chest...

[Private to DM Daniel: using 2 PP to manifest Ray of Energy (cold) at the leader... leaving me with 5 PP remaining.

00:33, Today: Illianka rolled 21 using 1d20+5. Attack.
00:34, Today: Illianka rolled 6 using 2d6+2. Cold damage. ><]

OOC: That power has a range of 35' when you manifest it.

The ray lances down the corridor into the drider, and it reacts instantly, charging down the corridor towards you and lunging with daggers drawn and slashing across your cheek (7 damage).

"Traitorous scum! Return to your house and salvage what is left of our honor. Lolth punished us greatly for your escape - do you not recognise me?"

[Private to Illianka: The drider's face vaguely resembles one of your older sisters who often beat you.]

The other drider is unable to easily get through, and jostles for position behind the leader.

"Then why do her bidding, Akordia?" Illianka asked, jumping back to get more space and flinging a dagger. "Abandon them, forget the demon that made you into this!" she brought the dagger in her left hand around to deflect her sisters' next attack, knowing that it would come even as the dagger glanced from the driders' carapace.

[Private to DM Daniel: 5' step backwards, then (fighting defensively) throwing a dagger.
14 + 1 = 15 (miss)
AC for this round: 20.]

"You forgot your place long ago. Had you felt her power, you would understand - none can withstand its might. She is our GOD."
That final word is punctuated by her lunge towards you (Make an AOO as she attempts to overrun you; you can try to stop her or avoid her & let her past.)

"I'm not pure enough to feel that! What should I care for a bitch goddess who won't respect me?! The half-blood retorted, striking as the drider presented a flank, her dagger biting between the armour plates before coming up to try and block the monstrous creature's weapon as 'she' bore down upon the smaller humanoid...

[Private to DM Daniel:
00:29, Today: Illianka rolled 24 using 1d20+4. Attack of Opportunity.
00:29, Today: Illianka rolled 20 using 1d20+4. AoO Confirm Crit.
00:29, Today: Illianka rolled 2 using 1d4+1. Damage.
00:30, Today: Illianka rolled 2 using 1d4+1. Crit damage.
00:31, Today: Illianka rolled 20 using 1d20+2. Dex (Resist Overrun).]

Illianka's dagger cuts into her sister Alauniira's leg, bringing her crashing down to the ground. The drider scrambles to her feet, then clasps her hands around the symbol of Lolth she wears about her neck, a sickly light emanating from the gaps between her fingers. "You will never know freedom, house-traitor. All you come close to shall suffer the curse of Lolth, and you shall bear her mark! Come here - and pay your penance."

"I think not. Goodbye, dear sister..." With that, she steps back and calls the flames to her hand before thrusting the energy ray at Alauniira.

[Private to DM Daniel: Burning 3 PP to manifest Energy Ray (Fire)
03:37, Today: Illianka rolled 20 using 1d20+5. RTA (ER+3).
03:38, Today: Illianka rolled 15 using 3d6+3. Damage (Flame Ray +3).

9 PP remaining.]

Alauniira staggers back, haggard and wounded as the flames lick at the her limbs.
"Your skills have grown since you left, but they will not save you this time!" she screeches.
Taking her hands from the unholy symbol around her neck, you see they have taken on a gangrenous hue before she slaps you across the face.
The slap leaves a cold burning sensation, and you note that her hands have returned to their normal appearance. You feel quite ill and out of breath.
"See how Lolth rewards traitors? Return to the flock, to the ways of your stronger heritage - you can yet salvage your life."

OOC: Take 2 points of CON damage.

"Your vile magic is your own power, not hers, no matter that she shows the way to shape it." Illianka coughed, then, as the desease took effect. A moment later, she was focussing her power again to finish off the Drider.

[Private to DM Daniel:
Again, 3 PP on Energy Ray (Fire)...
09:36, Today: Illianka rolled 12 using 3d6+3. Damage (F.
09:35, Today: Illianka rolled 14 using 1d20+5. RTA (ER+3).
6 PP remaining.]

"Gyah!" she shrieks as the flame plays over her body, her skin shriveled and burned. "Enough! The curse will destroy you and all who stand with you. My mission is complete, whether you should kill me or not. Olorae - make sure she does not follow us."
Alauniira turns and runs past the other drider, which seems busy weaving a spell of it's own - power shoots from her hand into your body, and you feel very, very tired in spite of resisting the worst of the spell. Then Olorae (the other drider) turns and runs after Alauniira.

OOC: You are fatigued and cannot run, and will therefore be unable to catch up to the driders as they run away (which they now do).

"No..!" Illianka struggled to chase after the two driders, but fell to her knees after only a few steps before collapsing down so that she was sitting on the ground between her folded-back calves. Her head drooped forward, hair falling around her face to hide it as she realised her failiure. "Come back..." She whispered, half to herself.

She was still sitting like that, bleeding from a cut across her cheek and wracked by exhaustion when the group found her. [Private to DM Daniel: since I assume they're following, because that's the direction the city is in...]

PM
[Private to Illianka: Before the group gets there, you have some time to, say, take the exceptionally nice-looking daggers the slain drider had carried (they are about the right size to be a short sword in your hands). You are probably less keen about the ring with a spider design that curls around your finger, but it is a mark of some favor amongst the drow to be granted such a ring.]