Zar, remembering the lash of the whip all too well from their last encounter, stays in the back of the group while he notches an arrow.

Sidd cannot quite help himself though. He wants to give talk at least a chance.
''Uhm, good sir?'' He says, adressing the bloated demon.
''Would you be interested in any deal about the cards or a way out of this forsaken plane?''

The good sir replies that he has a good thing going here and he's not about to give it up. Finally, he swears, Darjr's getting what he should be getting and getting it good. He'll be happy to cut you in on the action if you make a move towards his cards.

OOC Meet or exceed init 23 should you care to intrude.

Sidd and Zar look at each other and their companions, and sigh. And grip their respective weapons, going to raise diplomacy to its next level.


OOC: Cannot beat that initiative even with a natural 20...

Felix, ever the pragmatist, has different ideas when he hears the torturer's words.  Besides, he thinks he remembers something about this being Darjr's request, or some kind of metaphysical self-flagellation, or... well, one he gets into words like that there's no use trying to keep thinking.  Anyway...

Well, what if instead of trying to stop you, we join in?  You know, give the guy more of what he deserves, with you rather than against you?  Could we take the cards then?

If this devil has any virtues, sharing isn't one of them. He responds to Felix's overture with a thrust of his poker (hits AC 12 for 4 dmg). Then he snaps his whip at Omm who absorbs its bite with his heavily embossed shield. Crack!

OOC Can't say that I know Felix's AC, Josh. All are up, including your quartet.

Omm charges forward, sword raised high, while belting out a mighty battle cry. The warrior brings down his sword with a heavy chopping motion, hoping to sunder the pig-man's poker in the process. Unfortunately, the blow is wild and imprecise and only sends a shower of sparks as it crashes down onto the floor.

The warrior lifts his sword back up and squares off against his foe.


21:57, Today: Omm rolled 5,3 using d20+3,d3 with rolls of 2,3. attack/sunder.

Zar lets loose of his notched arrow and puts it matter-of-factly into one of the glowing braziers as if he had aimed at it in the first place.

Sidd sighs and takes heart and charges after Omm into the inferno. Unlike the warrior he is not aiming at the demon though - instead he tries to run his unholy crozier through the poor old prisoner. ''Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! It's ought to be for the greater good!''


19:39, Today: Sidd and Zar rolled 4 using 1d6+1. dmg.
19:39, Today: Sidd and Zar rolled 15 using 1d20. Sidd charge prisoner mage.
19:39, Today: Sidd and Zar rolled 4 using 1d20+1. Zar arrow vs prisoner mage.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:49, Wed 10 June 2015.

Felix is unarmored, and his survival thus far has been based more on not being attacked than on standing up to attacks.  The poker does severe damage to the poor halfling, and he falls to the ground quickly fading into unconsciousness.  His last words as he goes are Don't... let... my gloves get... blood on them.

NOOOOO!!! shouts Arnie as he sees his old friend fall to the ground, bleeding badly.  You cannot die here!  We were supposed to make it home together to build a memorial for Dave!  Maybe I forgot to tell you about that idea, but we should do that!  Not a statue though.  I don't much care for statues lately.  Suddenly he remembers who he is and what he does these days, and he lunges for the halfling's body.  Putting his hands just over the injury, he starts fumbling through a prayer of healing, but it doesn't seem to do any good.

Josh rolled 5 using 1d20+1. lay on hands.
Felix is at exactly 0 hp, and will die next round if no one can heal him.

Omm shields his eyes from the flying sparks, grunts in frustration, and draws his sword back up. He then notices Sidd attacking the old man, and is momentarily confused. Then he remembers!

"Ah, hells!" he shouts aloud in self-rebuke. "Bloody hells you pig-eared dumb oaf!"

Of course, this curse is self-directed, channeled from a time when he was still a small child. Words, among others, known all too well to Omm.

The quartet stands idle, anticipating the afternoon's promised rounds of whist.

A bi-directional attacker, the pig-man-devil savages Omm with his poker (hit for 4 dmg) and his whip does no things a whip should ever do to Sidd (2 dmg + a permanent loss of 2 hps). After the encounter, the whip almost appears to bulge with satisfaction.

Even though he's hanging nearly motionlessly from his fetters, the schismed self has little flesh to offer and what's there is equal parts sinew and bone (Sidd hits AC 10 for 4 dmg). Pleasingly, the wound manifests on the poker. You wonder how many of these he can take?

OOC All are up. Or not.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:52, Thu 18 June 2015.

Reeling from the pig-man's attack, Omm grits his teeth, turns and brandishes his sword against the chained old man. It makes no sense, but none of this does to his simple mind. He will trust in the fates of his Gods now.

With a clean, purposeful blow, the warrior swings his sword in a wide arc, leveling it at the old man's head, in an attempt to lop his head straight off his shoulders.

"Die, you old bastard!" he curses between gritted teeth.

OOC: Might be a hit for 5 damage with a Deed die success?


07:51, Today: Omm rolled 5 using 1d8. damage.
07:46, Today: Omm rolled 18,3 using d20+3,d3. attack vs old man.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Thu 18 June 2015.

Sidd gurgles and goes down under the onslaught of the whip. Zar does not let himself be distracted by it though and puts an arrow into the prisoner.


21:42, Today: Sidd and Zar rolled 4 using 1d6. dmg.
21:41, Today: Sidd and Zar rolled 17 using 1d20+1. Zar arrow vs prisoner mage.

Arnie sees Sidd go down, but he is already at Felix's body, and he knows that the wizard has more time left in him (even if only a few seconds more).  Once again he puts his hands on the poor halfling's bleeding body and says, a little more assertively this time, My Lord, I beseech you, allow your unbelievable power to run through my hands and to heal this small man, your unwitting but no less valiant servant.  This seems to work - the hole in Felix's chest closes up just a bit, the hemorrhaging slows down noticeably, and he even opens his eyes and starts mumbling.  Shirt... ruined... kill... bastard...

Josh rolled 17 using 1d20+1. lay on hands.
Josh rolled 1 using 1d6. healing.
I am displeased with my fictional patron deity right now...

As Sidd utters a half-formed order with his last breath, the skeletons, sans scruples, charge the prisoner.

OOC: Hit AC 9 with 5 dmg, AC 18 with 4, a crit for 3 dmg (+ crit effect?), AC 16 for 1.

07:13, Today: Sidd and Zar rolled 9,5,18,4,20,3,16,1 using d20,d8,d20,d8,d20,d8,d20,d8 with rolls of 9,5,18,4,20,3,16,1. skeletons vs prisoner.

Like a locust quartet, the retainers buzz by the porcine poker and sting the yellow king twice -- to death, death with capital letters. Both the torturer and the tortured fall to the ground, devoid of any animating force. Nothing happens, but you know that decomposition has begun and will be more ugly for former than the latter. It's not a total calamity; you can still join the court of the Amber King at the top of the tower.

With nothing to stop you, you collect the three ivory cards: The Ladies in Waiting, The Hierophant, and the Seven of Swords. Already you can hear another quartet plunking its way across the marshes of this demi-plane. What will their game of choice be, you wonder? Vint?


This message was last edited by the GM at 18:50, Fri 26 June 2015.

''Uhm...'' Zar had entertained the hope that the lethal wounds would only appear on the demon when the prisoner was hit. Oh well, you cannot win them all.

Either way, much more important than the fate of the amber king is the life of that idiot bleeding to death on the floor. Zar rushes to him and applies one dose of their dwindling supply of healing salve on his wounds.
Wel, at least if Arnie does not beat him to it with a prayer.

Arnie does indeed beat him to it.  Another quick prayer, waving his hands over the wounds, and in a moment they are reduced to a scar that looks two or three weeks old (Sidd heals 3hp).

Josh rolled 20 using 1d20+1. lay on hands.
  Josh rolled 3 using 1d4. healing.

Omm searches the demon and robed man for anything of obvious value. If they ever got out of this crazy place, he would like to have something to barter for a tankard or two of ale, a healthy feast, and maybe an indulgence or two with some of the working ladies.

He knows the poker pretty well, so his search starts with that.

After completing a cursory search, Omm comments, "Well, it turns out brute force was what was needed all along. At least here." He looks around, trying to see if they missed anything. "Well, we got more of them cards. What's next?" he bluntly asks.

Sidd coughs and rises into a sitting position. ''Arnie, is that you? Thanks, man.''

Zar picks their new cards out of the air and broods over them. ''What now? Claim them for ourselves and see what we can do about this plane? Or trusting in the goodwill of the Enchantress and give all the cards to her?''
''I suggest we return to the manor house first. Perhaps we can get something out of those ladies as long as they are ours.''

''Oh yes! Smooches!''

It would seem that some of you, at least, have developed a taste for the pleasures of this demi-plane, and itch for the kisses of the Ladies-in-Waiting. With their ivory plaque in hand, you could command them shamelessly.

You skeletal lackeys prefer other diversions.

"If it's all the same to you," the octet, formerly a quartet, asks, "mightn't you mind if we play a few hands of elimination hearts in the throne room?"

"It's adjoined by the larder," one volunteers but for the life of you, you can't see how that's relevant. Old habits you guess.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Sat 11 July 2015.

Relevant or not, Felix agrees that a trip to the larder might be nice about now.  Although as far as the throne room goes, he suspects the prince or captain or whoever he was might have something to say about the group's growing card collection, and he says as much to the rest of you.

Omm agrees with Felix's assessment and chimes in, "To the larder then! Let's celebrate our victory over the mantis priest by taking our fill of food and drink!"

A thought crosses Omm's mind, a rare occasion indeed. Turning to address the skeletal lackeys, "What is elimination hearts? I never heard of that."

''We should not play a game of cards here! Not here of all places - it could trap us in this plane for eternity, or until we are slain by the next hapless group of adventurers. No thank you.''
''But yes, once in the mansion we can question the Captain and the Ladies. See whether we can learn a thing or two.''

''Also, that hellhole is in the mansion. Or rather under it...'' Sidd shudders.

Initially, the octet speaks of elimination hearts with reluctance, a look of fear having passed over their collective bony countenance at Omm's inquiry. Essentially, it's just like hearts (which everybody knows) except when a player receives his 13th point, he is dropped from the round, and by that process, the players are eliminated (hence, the name, several lackeys add didactically). At it's best, the game supports an octet-- and that explains everything. A lackey could never deny a master a seat at the card table. Could he?

Back at the great hall, you help yourself to the larder while your men set up a couple of tables and begin dealing the cards, assuming Omm had the grace to not insert himself. It is much as you left it, the large throne set atop a dais, the demi-throne of mahogany to its side. The capstone, the one with the chiseled image of a decapitated three-headed dragon (formerly three-headed?), still lies to the side, granting access to the manor tomb.

The captain, whose card you possess, is not in attendance, but the scent of sour wine and leather polish belie his earlier presence. He's probably out hunting.

It isn't until you've loaded your arms with provender that you realize that the eight bones have commandeered the only table in the room. Not sure where to put his ham hock, cheddar round, and barley bread, Zar teeters back and forth a bit, as his face reddens and his arms strain.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Sat 11 July 2015.

Omm watches spends a little time watching with passive interest as the skeletal retainers play a few rounds of elimination hearts. Like others, he stuffs his face, unsure of when the next meal might be.

Once sated, Omm asks, "So, what's next?"