Kyle hurriedly fires a pacification dust shot past the kitty siblings onto the Northics, it's not even scented this time around.

  "Northics can spam domination spells.  Please be particularly brutal."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:35, Mon 18 July 2016.

Mits flies up to the top of the statue's head.  She honks its nose and more lasers come out of the butt to fry the nothics!  Lasers also shoot from the nostrils to burn the giants!

"Teehee!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:36, Mon 18 July 2016.

<Deep Speech>"Ouch!  Hehe.  These cute kittens mean business.  Heh."

<Deep Speech>"Right?  Hah.  Let's..."

BAMF!  Pacification dust!

<Deep Speech>"..."

The nothics get positively livid and charge at Kyle!  But Timothius and Rai hurt 'em bad, knocking one out!

The steel predator circles around May till its in range of her and Mits then lets out a bone-rattling roar that deafens and dazes Mits!

"Ow.  Deaf now."

<Giant>"You two.  Get the magi-cat on the statue.  You, with me on the... alligator?"

The giants attack!  Mits gets hit hard, blood flying from her mouth!  May also gets hit just as hard, but she's resisting half the hurt right now.

<Giant>"HaHA!  Worthy foes!  No wonder the cambions didn't last long!"

Voice still burning, Raichel says, "You know not with whom you contend." and she blinks into being in front of dreadguard 1 before becoming nothing but electricity and charging through the lot of them! The dreadguard she hits first feels hit so hard that another hit like that WILL down him. While the steel predator and the bahlik gur feel a stout zap, the other dreadguard feels a substantial shock, now feeling halfway to the grave as well.

"We are saving our best for Arantor! You are obstacles! Nothing more!"

---

Spark Form v D1,SP,BG,D2. CRIT(47)! Hit(45)! Hit(41)! Hit(38)!
 CRIT DMG on D1: 70
 Normal dmg on others: 35
 +13 on vuln radiant (D1 and D2)

D1 HP: 181 - 83 = 98
SP HP: 388 - 35 = 353
BG HP: 434 - 35 = 399
D2 HP: 147 - 48 = 99

Timothius mews sadly at having been forced to down one of the nothics. But he immediately shakes it off and turns to see his sis beginning to hurt. He changes into an angel, flies past her with a bright smile and a wave, causing Mittens to no longer be deafened, then lands on the dreadguard's shoulder, bending forward slightly. "He called us worthy foes..."

In a heavenly voice, Timothius speaks supernal while looking the boss giant dead in the eyes with a genuine smile, "Our reputation is to spare those who surrender." his expression changes to a stern, if still cute, finger-shake ( http://cdn.xl.thumbs.canstockp...canstock10378687.jpg ) "Now if you attack anyone, I'll give you a time-out."

---

Save v stunned: 19 success!
 Mittens grantes save throw: 15 success!
Minor: Change into angelic form
Move: Fly to and land on dreadguard 1's shoulder
Standard: Pacify v Bahlik Gur. Hit(34)!
 If Bahlik Gur hits or misses with attack, he is stunned.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:07, Mon 18 July 2016.

May whacks the nearby giant, then hop-skips her way to the boss, the steel pet, and the other giant. WHAAAACK! That is one supremely vicious weapon. Literally. ;) "For calling us worthy, I will honor your challenge, fellow warrior!"

---

Standard: Inexorable Advance v D2,BG. Hit(42)! CRIT(49)!
 dmg: 44 shift 1 before each attack
 CRIT dmg: 59
Move: Defiant Shield (Immune to forced movement)

D2 HP: 99 - 44 = 55
BG HP: 399 - 59 = 340

  Kyle tosses a grapefruit into the air (Thanks, free action perks), and draws his bastard sword in an underhanded swing, cleaving the front of the Northic's massive eyeball away

"AAAAAA!"

  And slicing the Grapecruit in half, which plops down onto the stump.

"AAAAAAAAA!"

  "Not dead, Timothius."  This would probably come off better if you weren't drawing a pupil onto the grapefruit half, Kyle.

"Thanks, bro!"

Mits winces at the grapefruit fatality KO.  Something especially ouchie about that.  She grabs the stone version of Arantor by the horns and kicks her heels, pointing commandingly at the enemy.

"Arantor!  Fire breath attack!"

The statue spews a massive blast of fire!  One of the giants collapses.  Mits claps.

"Encore!  Encore!"

Accompanied by dramatic music, a blazing Arantor rises from the flames http://elmundodelosdragones.bl....jpg?v=1355413152489  and draws two guitars made of fire, one in each hand!  It then starts beating the baddies over the head with them repeatedly!  Another giant passes out!

Bahlik Gur and the steel predator stagger.

<Supernal>"Surrender already, you idiot!" the predator shouts.

<Giant>"OK! OK!  You clearly win!"

He drops his weapon and backs up.

<Giant>"...But can I at least wrestle the aligator?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:42, Mon 18 July 2016.

Timothius translates. May gives a thumbs-up. "Sure! You can wrestle me! After we finish what we're here for."

Timothius translates and then says, "We're fighting Arantor in order to step through a portal in order to stop an evil exarch from performing a ritual."

Timothius binds up the nothics for later use as pets. Raichel motions for the giants to follow along.

May, Rai, and Tim all rest up on the magic carpet.

  "I suppose by this point, it's less surprising to them that their master is just a stepping stone to our real problems."  Even if Kyle remains at times surprised by such.  Oh hey Kas, fancy meeting you here and hanging out. Yeesh.

Mits rests up and helps with tying up baddies and whatnot.  "Flame dragon dual wielding fire guitars.  This is fun."

Kas chuckles.  "It's still surprising to me that you all let your enemies live."

Mits shrugs.  "It sometimes works out.  Got a general to join us against his master.  Got you to join us."

May says, "SO glad for that! Kas is cool! I'm gonna fashion a sword just like his for my collection. And if Kas could have a hand in it, all the better for authentication purposes of my replica!"

Timothius nods. "That general joining us was a huge relief. That then became very valuable."

Raichel nods. "Yeah. Ironic, isn't it? Normal people never forget their enemies because their friends usually outnumber their enemies. For us? I've forgotten the names of half the important badguys we have fought, but our true friends and allies are so few, their names stick out."

  "While it may seem naive to leave so many alive in combat, it has also had a surprising amount of practical value at other times.  Even if I am not particularly the best at always holding to Timothius's wishes."

"Overall, we're at war with Tiamat.  Already took down two of her exarchs.  This one rated a painting..."

She shows off the painting.

Kas looks impressed.  "Well good luck with that.  I'm already on the naughty list of one evil god.  Don't need more enemies."

Timothius says, "That's fine, Kas. It isn't a matter of making enemies with Tiamat on purpose. It's a matter of self-defense, honestly. She's trying to conquer the Prime Material and in the process has been killing quite a few people, including people we cared about. Frankly, she leaves us no choice."

May says, "Tiamat so greedy, her staunchest followers are bums because they have to give everything they own to Tiamat."

Raichel says, "I'll feed her greedy, fat faces with my fist."

  "it is true that people have a tendency of ruining their lives by messing with where we live."  Up to and including making them aware there was someone to smack in the face at all, by attacking them first in case they wanted to smack them in the face.

Fun times are had but soon it's serious business again.  The group finds Arantor's lair!

When the PCs reach the precipice that affords a
view of the lower cavern, read:
Below you paces a huge skeletal dragon, shaking its head
from side to side and muttering “Oh, no…oh, no…” The
dragon is within a chamber more than a hundred feet long,
with alcoves and crevices along the periphery. Stalagmites
and stone pillars dot the landscape, and gray mist coheres
in low spots on the cavern floor.
Along the western wall is a circular portal limned with
lightning. You can see shimmering movement within the
dark circle, but from this vantage point, you can’t make out
what lies beyond.
Arcana or Religion Check
DC 26: The areas of strange mist scattered around
the cavern are laden with memories tied to the dark lord,
Arantor. Perhaps what is contained within them could
prove useful in vanquishing him.
Dungeoneering Check
DC 23: The hero notices that the subterranean stream
has weakened the rock in the marked squares to the point
where a sudden blow might shatter it.

http://www.fantasycartography....--Domain-Caverns.jpg

Features of the Area
Illumination: The cavern is dimly illuminated by
phosphorescent fungus, glimmering insects, and the
flickering balefire emanating from Arantor.
Stalagmites and Pillars: The large stalagmites
and pillars are blocking terrain, while the areas of
smaller stalagmites are difficult terrain and provide
cover to those behind them.
Shadowed Crevices: The crevices marked (C)
seem to extend farther than they should and rapidly
fill with strange mist and shadows. A character that
enters one of these crevices must spend one entire
turn navigating the oddly shadowed passage before
emerging, at the start of their second turn after entering, from a different, randomly determined crevice. A
DC 26 Arcana or Dungeoneering check made during
the turn spent in transit allows the player to randomly
select two crevices as possible emergence points and
then choose the one they prefer.
Subterranean River: An underground stream
runs just beneath the surface of the cavern in the
indicated squares. It flows to the southeast at a rate
of 4 squares per turn; move anything in the water 4
squares in the direction of the flow at the start of its
turn. A series of stalactites plunge into the river as it
exits the cavern; any character not actively attempting to dive below them is automatically stopped from
continuing downstream. Crawling out of the stream
and onto an adjacent square of rock counts as moving
through difficult terrain but is otherwise unimpeded.
Thin Stone: The stone over the subterranean
stream is quite thin, barely capable of sustaining the
weight of creatures standing upon it. Any melee or
ranged attack can target a square of the thin stone
instead of a creature. Bursts and blasts automatically
target all the squares in their area, treating them as a
single target. The stone has AC and Fortitude defense
of 20, with other defenses at 15. An attack that deals
more than 15 damage destroys the stone square(s)
it targeted. Anyone standing entirely on destroyed
squares of flooring drops into the stream automatically. Anyone standing partially on destroyed squares
of flooring is allowed a saving throw to avoid falling
into the stream.
Mists: Anyone standing in the mist-filled squares
can access the skill challenge. See SC1 below.
Ceiling: The ceiling of the cavern is 50 feet above
the floor.
Western Wall: Along the western wall is a vertical circle with short forks of lightning emerging
from the circumference. This is the portal to the
lich’s stronghold and “Grasp of the Mantled Citadel.”
Creatures within 5 squares of the portal can see a
shimmering image of the Forest of Twisted Souls in
Vaerothim (PCs who saw the tapestry in the Cavern
of Statues can make a DC 25 Perception check to
make the connection ), but the portal doesn’t work
without the key of betrayal, which is the Sword of Kas.
Southern Alcove: This disused alcove appears
to hold no more than rocky debris, but when Imrissa
dies, an illusion fades away and Arantor’s hoard is
revealed. Treasure parcels L, M, N, and O are here,
along with the Sword of Kas (described below). When
the illusion drops, Kas appears near the cavern

May telepaths to the team, "Well there's our tormented foe."

Timothius telepaths, "Those mysts are connected to Arantor's memories. If we could explore those before even picking a fight, we could probably save ourselves a lot of pain."

May telepaths, "If you guys are willing to wait, I can use my invisibility armor, sneak around, and collect all that info, then come back and share what I learn."

Raichel telepaths, "As long as Arantor doesn't notice us, you MAY as well."

  Kyle nods, "At least you're tough enough to make it out of anything but essentially instant death. But considering the melodramatic nature of these caves, keep an eye out for such."

"LOL!" Mits telepaths.

She's had lots of practice keeping her loud outbursts under control.

May soon discovers that entering the mists allows one to access the skill challenge...

This encounter works best when some players are
working on the skill challenge while others are fighting Arantor directly.
...the players will be constantly assessing whether their
characters are more useful in the actual battle or in
the skill challenge.

The Weight of Remorse Level 23
Skill Challenge XP 0*
Arantor’s past is a bloody one, full of carnage and slaughtered
innocents. Taking the faces of his victims and calling on his
remorse, you seek to distract, disable, or even turn his rage
against himself

The PCs hope to call upon Arantor’s conscience and sense of
remorse to help them defeat the dark lord and the Imrissa.
Complexity
3 (requires 8 successes before 3 failures).
Primary Skills
Bluff, Diplomacy, History, Insight.
Bluff (DC 22 standard action)
The PC spins stories about the lives of Arantor’s victims, playing up
their innocence and the tragedy of their undeserved slaughter.
Diplomacy (DC 22 standard action)
The PC begs and pleads with Arantor for mercy while playing the
role of the victim he or she resembles or attempts to call upon
Arantor’s decency and honor.
History (DC 27 standard action)
The PC recites a litany of the places and peoples ravaged by
Arantor in his time, allowing his or her allies to better tailor
their stories.
A successful History check also grants a +2 bonus to the next
Bluff or Diplomacy check.
Insight (DC 22 standard action)
The PC appeals to Arantor’s conscience and feelings of remorse,
slowly homing in on the correct path to take.
A successful check also reveals that a failed Intimidate check
enrages Arantor. A check result of 27 or higher grants a +2
bonus to the next check in the skill challenge.
Secondary Skills
Arcana or Religion, Intimidate.
Arcana or Religion (DC 14 0 successes, minor action)
The PC uses their extensive knowledge of the flow of magic or the
undead to discern the effects each check has had and steer their
allies accordingly.
Using these skills doesn’t count as a success or failure for
the challenge. Instead, the result grants a +2 bonus or –2
penalty to the next character’s check.
Intimidate (DC 22 1 success, standard action)
The PC uses their assumed faces to threaten Arantor with divine
judgment or to demand to know why they were attacked.
A failed check enrages Arantor, providing him with a +2 bonus
to attack rolls and a +6 bonus to damage rolls until the end
of the PC’s next turn.
Special
A character who has discovered Imrissa’s name and uses it
during this skill challenge gains a +2 bonus to all checks. If
Imrissa’s spirit is present, all PCs gain a +5 bonus to their
checks. These bonuses do not stack.
Success
Arantor guards himself against the influence of the Imrissa and
does not act on Imrissa’s turn until he uses shattered prison.
Each success has additional consequences as follows:
1st Success: The character deals 4d10 psychic damage to
Arantor.
2nd: Arantor takes a –1 penalty to attack rolls and all
defenses until the end of the encounter.
3rd: The character deals 4d10 psychic damage to Arantor.
4th: Arantor takes a –1 penalty to attack rolls and all
defenses until the end of the encounter, and betraying
breath recharges only on a 6 until Arantor uses shattered
prison.
5th: The character deals 4d10 psychic damage to Arantor.
6th: Arantor takes a –1 penalty to attack rolls and all
defenses until the end of the encounter.
7th: The character deals 4d10 psychic damage to Arantor.
8th: Arantor takes a –1 penalty to attack rolls and all
defenses until the end of the encounter, and Arantor does
not act on Imrissa’s turn until he uses shattered prison.
Failure
Imrissa retains some of its hold on Arantor despite the appeals
to his conscience. The effects already accrued remain, but
the skill challenge can no longer be accessed during this
encounter.

In general, Arantor will fight those PCs who fight
him. If a specific PC succeeds twice in a row on the
skill challenge, consider sending Arantor after that
PC specifically. On an instinctive level, Arantor
knows how crippling multiple successes can be, especially if they’re easy for the character to accomplish.

May returns to the others and quickly begins switching her armor back to her Dawn Warrior Armor and telepaths everything she felt, saw, heard... "I think if we all surprise the guy, we could really knock him down several pegs and put him on a more even playing field."

Raichel says, "So we all drink invis potions and carefully make our way to the mysts, then tell him how it is."

Timothius nods. "By the time he realizes what is going on, he will already be filled with remorse. And since these verbal assaults only hurt him because of his conscience... maybe I could call upon Pelor to make him unable to attack so he will simply sit there and take it from us until we attack?"

May paths, "We'll see. So far, the only downside is that to sneak up on him with this, we'll need to be clumped up for his breathe weapon. But I think we can handle that just fine."

After all; the group has resist 10 or higher of most everything and May has "haha I decided to save now" which triggers the cascade of save throws for most of the team.

  "Mittens, it does need clarification that muppet based reenactments while amusing, will not fill them with emotional horror."  Or maybe it would due to contractual skill challenge DC results?  Probably for the best not to check.

"Challenge accepted," Mits paths back at Kyle, summoning a cute draconic sock-puppet.

She nods to May and paths, "Adding to a badguy's eternal torment in order to save the world!  Doesn't get much better than this!  Onward to adventure!"

Sip!  Disappear!  Sneak over to mist.  Wait for others to be ready.

Timothius uses his insane levels of insight and gives a sorrowful look. He telepaths his insights to the team to help them out.

Having scouted ahead and soaked up the mysts earlier, May has an insight or two of her own. "As the child of a dragon, I look up to dragons like yourself! If I have the chance, I could become mighty and wise like a dragon!"

Raichel calls out in a voice that reminds Arantor of many of his victims, "What did any of us do to earn your ire?! Why would you hurt the innocent?"

Timothius calls out, "There is good in you, Arantor! If there wasn't, you would not be remorseful of your past deeds! Haven't you suffered enough? Break the curse and become good again!"

---

May insight: 22 success!
Rai diplomacy: 27 success!
Tim insight: 39 success and +2 to Kyle so he can auto-succeed.

4 successes if we count Kyle's auto-success. But will be up to him how he flavors it.

rolled 8d10 psychic damage for the three successes accrued from my characters:

Arantor HP: 819 - 40 = 779
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:50, Fri 24 Mar 2017.