A3,B3
Same as tomaito for the most part, our priority should be reuniting but we should be prepared to fight the demon hand if need be. I think we will be better off killing it before leaving the castle or it will likely get stronger and pursue us. Worse D'graz and the count could turn it to their own purposes.
A3 - Ariel is still weak
B4 - Bless your weapons but then make a run for it, can we escape across the window ledge? If not just run like fuck down the corridor away from the guards and hand
You listen closely with your ear at the door, waiting to hear the fading footsteps as the Count leaves. Unfortunately, you can hear nothing as at that moment the rain begins to pick up.
Wisdom Roll: Failure...
You grow impatient and decide to chance opening the door. Surely the Count would have somewhere better to go? He didn't, as it turns out. You open the door with a loud creak and find him sitting upon the second lowest step of a large stairwell winding its way up around a central column of stone. He looks up at you, his bleary, pained eyes focusing on you with growing realization that you are not merely an apparition. He stands up with his hand going to the hilt of his blade.
"Lady Ariel, my good bard. Please do not run! I have need of you!"
You are already hot-footing it towards the large double door, heaving it open with the remain vestige of your strength. It is incredibly heavy, but terror at the thought of being recaptured and subjected to further tortures by Merik drives you on. You create just enough space for your small frame to slip through the crack in the door. The count dives toward you, his hand gripping the hem of your dress so that part of it rips away as you flee, leaving your leg exposed up to the top of your thigh.
The heavy door closes behind you and you are able to plunge head long down a corridor with open windows on either side. The rain falls with urgency as a lightning flash brightens the midnight sky and a mighty clap of thunder pummels your senses. You are halfway to the doors at the far end by the time the Count shouts at you again.
"Ariel! Stop! Come back!" he shouts.
You ignore him and push through the far doorway to enter upon a scene of chaos. Soldiers are being flung about, struck down, or entangled by a tentacle horror in the main hall. You're quite certain - unless the trauma and exhaustion have led you to hallucinate - that the tentacles are sprouting from the animated severed hand of the demon, Nragus.
Upon sighting it, the creature seems to preternaturally sense you, as with a screech, the tentacle horror begins to scuttle and shamble in your direction, moving past the guards with ease. One soldier thrusts a spear through a tentacle, freeing his entangled companion, only to be rewarded with another tentacle wrapping about his neck and snapping it with a vicious, coiling twist. Another enterprising man-at-arms brings the full force of his halberd down upon the hand, but a mystic force bounces the edge off harmlessly.
Perhaps only a dozen guards remain, and you are about to run for certain when you notice a door on the floor above open and see Hadrian, an elf, and some strange glowing cat lady exit onto the landing. The demon and the soldiers are in between you, but maybe you could find someway to reunite with them?
"Blight that Osvar! How'd you escape girlie?" From your right you see the all too familiar form of Merik. Dressed in grim leather armor and armed with a whip and blade, your tormentor stands blocking your most obvious exit. You can tell he's not advancing because he is noticing the tentacle demon barreling towards you.
"Guess this might be what ye'd call a rock and a hard place, eh girlie?" He says, though there is some nervousness in his voice.
What do you do? (A)
1. Fuck this noise, I'll take my chances with the Count. Slip back the way you came and potentially fight the noble.
2. Run past Merik. If he interferes, stab him with your sword, but continue running.
3. Pull out your flute and try playing your dragon song on Merik.
4. Shout to get the attention of Hadrian & Co. Then try to run into the main hall, but stick to the sides, trying to avoid the tentacle monster and keep as many soldiers between you and it as possible.
5. Pull out your flute and play a song to aid the soldiers fighting the demon.
6. Attempt a dashing maneuver to cut the rope holding that conveniently placed chandelier, simultaneously getting you to the floor above, near Hadrian, and also landing something heavy on the demon and/or enemy guards. This will totally work.
7. Suggest an awesome plan of your own.
***
(You are now Hadrian)
"If the demon hand is after us, we may be forced to slay it. Elise, can you bless my blade so that it can harm the creature?"
The priestess nods. "I think I can do that much, so long as you swear to wield the sword in defense of my faith and with respect the precepts of safe-guarding secrets lost yet destined to be found. The blessing will only work for a warrior of Zerica."
You consider this. You have up until this point always been solely devoted to Jorn. Jorn is not technically a god, but an Imperator. A manifestation of order, law, and duty. He is worshiped through actions, not through prayer. He does not speak and expects nothing from his followers except that they fight against the ever rising tide of chaos. You doubt that such a being would be jealous of you vowing to defend another god. However, he would expect you to honor any pledge to the letter - and vowing to be a warrior for the goddess Zerica would be to join that religion. You wonder if there might be a potential conflict of interest in doing this, even if the immediate need is dire. (B)
1. Pledge yourself as a warrior of Zerica, truly and with all the honor of a paladin.
2. Speak the words Elise and her goddess want to hear, but in your heart, you remain true to Jorn and the service of order alone.
3. Decline the blessing, saying that you cannot agree to follow Zerica.
Afterwards you move to the door, your sword at the ready.
"Stay close. We'll avoid the creature unless we absolutely have to confront it."
You burst through the door, sword and shield up, taking in the scene. The soldiers are fighting what appears to be a losing battle. They operate professionally, as a squadron, but their tactics are drilled with human opponents in mind, not this monstrous horror from Hell. You see a brave man save his fellow man by spearing a tentacle, only to have his neck snapped in brutal retaliation. Another man's direct blow to the hand is rebuffed as though he had connected with naught but steel and stone instead of demon flesh.
"Hurry!" You command, motioning to the stairs that will take you to the lower level. It's then that the creature screeches and starts to move hastily in a direction away from you. Your eyes scan where it is heading and recognize the figure of Ariel, looking quite tousled and worse for wear, but thankfully still alive.
Staying close to the wall, you start to move down the stairs. A young guard with a spear and shield stands at the bottom landing, looking between you and his fellows who are being slaughtered by the creature. You can see the fear in the boy's eyes. You recognize it clearly, having seen it in countless young men over the years. He's not seen battle before, and now he's being thrown into hell itself. He's probably watching friends and mentors being murdered.
And yet, he stands in your way as well. What should you do? (C)
1. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong team. Kill the soldier before he remembers what his orders are and tries to kill you. Then get to Ariel before that demon does.
2. Tell him to run. You'll let him get away so long as he doesn't interfere.
3. Challenge his cowardice. Tell him to fight the demon and save his friends if he can. Then use the opportunity to get to Ariel and flee yourself.
4. Attempt to knock him out, rather than kill him.
5. Tell him to "follow me if you want to live" in your best Ah-nold voice. Then lead on towards Ariel, and then eventually out of this keep for good.
I'm reeeeally tempted to go with A6, but with Ariel kind of failing at life, we probably shouldn't chance it. So, A1 it is. B3. 'Nuff said. C4. Young + scared = stupid beyond all reasoning. He's just as likely to get himself killed as us, so take him down while he's still in shock.
The gambit I'm playing here is that the soldiers realise that we're the good guys and their bosses are wankers and so turn to our side, the young lad either finds a massive pair and does the sort of hero work that only an overly inspired greenhorn can do... or provides a distraction in an opportune moment to absorb a blow meant for our already beat up heros
A not sure either 1. were not likely to get a good role right now. tell the the party to follow her. If we can capture the count we can expose him to the guards and play the hero by finishing the demon. This could work with 5 too since more soldiers would survive. ,B1,C5
Die roll for tie-breaker: A6 wins, along with B3 and C5.
This is it, you figure. Either play it safe and run back towards the Count, or face the horrible danger head on in a death-defying act. Your survival instinct screams at you to take flight, but you already learned once tonight what cowering before your enemies ends with.
You see the rope that holds up the wrought iron chandelier over the great dining table. It's wound about a metal hook in a complicated and thick knot. Only cutting the rope will do for your plan, so you take as tight a grip as you can, knowing that your strength is compromised.
"Just what do you think you're--" Merik runs out of time to speak to you as you swing your sword, hoping that your timing is right to crush the monster while rocketing you in the direction you intended.
Some great tales of adventuring types include that of the dashing hero or heroine who is able to complete these sorts of maneuvers with great ease and poise. They make such actions seem simple, as all professionals do with their respective crafts. But such grace under fire derives from well-practiced movement and dedicated training. The sort that you've had for your music and academic repetoire, but not for rope swinging and acrobatic tricks.
As such, your endeavor is something of a disaster. On the bright side, perhaps with repeated performance and without the strength sapping effects of necromantic poisons, you will eventually be able to do something like this, but for now, the following occurs:
You grossly mistime the descent rate of the chandelier, missing the demon entirely, but managing to crush a soldier quite nicely instead. Your grip is not tight enough as well, such that you are pulled out over the precipice of the dining area before you slip, the rope begins to burn your hand, and you tumble headlong into the fray of combat. The only positive thing of note is that you do manage to right yourself in time to land on your feet, behind the demon hand, and take no damage from this move. You are now in a bit of a tough spot, having put yourself closer to the demon hand and thoroughly trapped against a wall, nearby to the Count's high seat.
The demon turns your way, sending tentacles slithering through the air towards you. Do you... (A)
1. Attempt to duck, weave and dodge the tentacles, hoping to flee.
2. Fight the tentacles off with your sword.
3. Try to hide behind the Count's chair.
4. Use your flute to aid the soldiers that are still alive.
5. Something else?
***
Meanwhile, Hadrian has forgone the blessings of Zerica, feeling deep within his soul that he cannot undertake the direct aid of a goddess that he is not sworn to. He must fight with his own power and with an unflinching dedication to Jorn.
Elise cannot hide the downcast disappointment, but she has little time or inclination to object. She has accepted that Hadrian will not easily or possibly ever sway from his path of dedication - not even if she could grant him many gifts through the strength of her faith.
The three individuals move down the side stairs, and that is where Hadrian locks his gaze with the young soldier. Bloodied, yet unbowed, the paladin stands confident in his scale armor, with his griffon shield showing off the crest of his station. Even in the Dalish Upplands, the soldiers know of the Paladin of the Inner Circle, and of the Griffon Knight in particular.
"Follow me if you want to live," Hadrian says. "Fight with me if you want to live with honor."
The young soldier's mouth drops slightly as he takes in the white knight's majestic aura, then hardens his eyes, sets his jaw closed again, and nods.
"Yes, Sir Hadrian!" he hefts his spear.
Behind him, the elven archer raises a brow in surprise, and appraises the knight once again, a quixotic smile upon her lips.
"Paladins," Elise mutters to herself, shaking her head.
Hadrian rounds the corner and sees the commotion caused by Ariel's latest misplay.
"Bards," he mutters, before accepting the fact that he must get Ariel out of there. Taking a deep inhale, Hadrian marches forward, his sword and voice rising as one. "Men of Dal! In the name of Jorn, I call upon your duty to your land, your lord, and your kin. Suffer no evil to live! Send this demon back to the Abyss! Eyyaahhhh!"
Reina shouts out an enthusiastic battle cry as well, though it's in her version of elven and no one else in the room quite catches its meaning.
From Elise' point of view, the knight and elf seem fairly straightforward in their battle plan, but she considers what she might be able to do in another sense. She's still quite uncertain about how best to use her powers, but she knows that Zerica is a Goddess of Secrets and Knowledge, whose domain controls Truth and the Perception of Truth. Distorting the truth is within her purview, and as such, you believe the true strength of this miraculous power, though by no means its extent, could be the ability to cast illusions. It would take some thought on her part to craft one in a combat situation, but she believes that the divine magic would be slightly easier to handle if she channeled her goddess' pure domain.
Of course, hitting things hard with a mace or blasting them with raw magic could also work, if one is prepared to get a little dirty. (B)
1. Have Elise join combat normally, kitty battle priest style. Bonk the hand enough times and the thing should die.
2. Have Elise bless her own weapon. Demons are an enemy of Zerica, and you think you can bolster your own performance if you take a little time to say a dedicated prayer.
3. Try to craft an illusion to fool the demon's senses, making it miss Ariel and Hadrian and the others.
4. Try repelling the demon with raw magic.
5. Try to craft a more creative illusion. (Suggest one.)
A3 then 4 - playing her flute like a goon whilst the tentacles are flying towards her is just begging for rape.
A2 - divine power is the only thing that can kill this thing so we need a divine weapon seeing as Mr My-God-Is-Better-Than-Yours refused a logical offer.
I'm assuming that the lack of eye stalks means this thing "sees" with it's other senses, so simply distorting the room wouldn't necessarily work. Completely obscuring its perception altogether, however, could be effective. B3.
Your quick-thinking puts you squarely behind the Count's chair. Made of thick, sturdy oak, the tentacles from the demonic hand batter harmlessly off of it, allowing you time to take out your flute and press your lips against the metal.
You begin to play a melody, and using your arcane bardic arts, weave a spell to invigorate the teamwork and efficiency of your allies. Three soldiers remain in the hall in fighting condition, along with Hadrian as he rushes into the fore. The two soldiers who were already waving their spears do what they can to goad the hand into the paladin's path, with the third, younger soldier launching himself into battle beside the knight, united by circumstance against the otherworldly monstrosity that has infected Barrowbridge Keep.
The spear is turned aside by the unnatural armor of the hand, but Hadrian's blade finds a way to bite deep into the hand. His unrelenting purpose and the teamwork of the soldiers, boosted by your song, rendering up an opening for a direct hit.
With amazing accuracy, an arrow shaft hits one of the digits perfectly below the knuckle and severs the middle finger from the rest of the beast. You have little clue as to how much credit your song can take for the terrific blows being scored on the demon, but you do know that it went incredibly well.
The hand begins to swirl around, its tentacles flailing at unseen things above it, ignoring for the moment the paladin and soldiers. Elise stands with her hands clasped in murmuring prayer while her eyes and tattooed skin glow orange, channeling the miraculous energy to distract the demon.
A crack sounds and Reina looks down to see her arm wound about by Merik's whip. Her eyes go cold and bloody-minded, but this only makes the torturer smile and give a merciless yank.
"Get over here!" He growls, and the fae woman pitches in his direction, dropping her bow to the ground as she lands on her knees at his feet.
In the ensuing moments, the temporary illusions that surround the tentacle hand of Nragus fade, and immediately its tentacles batter Hadrian in a full on assault. With its defenses up and its aggression focused, the battle turns against the valiant warrior. The young soldier stands his ground, but is unable to find an opening. Hadrian bats away a tentacle, only to have two more ram into him with crushing force.
Hadrian takes 6 damage after the armor blocked 3. 5/23 HP.
Meanwhile Reina pulls out her knives and bares her teeth in a savage manner, her eyes lit up with hate as she stares down Merik.
"Whatsa matter, fairy? Miss me?" the sadistic man taunts her as she races forward. His eyes then light up with a battle fervor as well and he sends his lash toward her, which she dodges with the nimbleness that her race is known for. His sword sweeps, her knives flash, and the two pass one another, each of them wearing brand new cuts that start to seep blood.
"Ah, now there's the fiesty fuckdoll I know..." he sneers, tapping the point of his sword against his tongue to taste her blood.
"Sadistic freak," Reina crossed her knives in a reactive stance. "I'll make you choke on your own tool!"
You survey the scene of the battle and debate about continuing to play your music or using this opportunity to join the battle and possibly sway it. Hadrian looks quite bloodied, but has the aid of the three soldiers still helping him, while Merik and the blonde elf woman who's now dressed in tight, dark leathers seem to be going at things in a one on one situation.
Some girl with cat ears and glowy eyes is standing over on the far side of the room. You're not entirely sure what her deal is. Above you, over the railing on the upper level's inward facing balcony, the count looks on anxiously at the disarray beneath him. His eyes seem to be switching between yourself, the demon, and the Merik/elf girl fight. He has his ornate sword in his hands, but looks reticent to rush down the stairs and place himself in danger. The demon itself is gouting ichor and doesn't look to be in the greatest of shapes either. What will you do?
1. Continue to play your flute to aid Hadrian and the soldiers.
2. Draw your sword and try to back(hand)stab the demon.
3. Change your song to one of healing and try to reinvigor the paladin.
4. Change the target of your aiding song to the elf, since she's on her own.
5. Play your dragonsong to goad the Count's pride and rage against Merik.
