Anauroch - The Great Desert

[Omen of Peace]

Mael heard the breaking down of a wall, but it seemed to come roughly from the opposite end of the cavern. Suddenly he realized he could have been in the wrong place and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He had Don step away from the wall.


Meanwhile in the main cavern, the heap of rocks at the center began to rumble as the stones slid to coalesce together. The resulting pyramidal mound soon became impressively high, yet it remained ever-shifting: the rocks that it was made of kept falling out or, in turns, kept being pushed up by some invisible hand.

The mound slowly began to flow toward the breach and the two embracing giants like a controlled avalanche...

[OOC]
Mindsighters: no sign of Intelligence from it - either it's mindless or its mind is protected (the former seems more likely).
I begin to describe its movement in the next round (call it an advance warning for the people present), but mechanically the mound hasn't moved yet.

[OOC: Spellcraft 26 or Knowledge Arcana 42]

Spellcraft: it looks like the result of an Animate Object spell, though the spell shouldn't allow animation of discontinuous objects.
Knowledge: it is an Animated Object.

[OOC for BP only]

Azur didn't try his luck with the second construct ; there was a perfectly usable tool right there that he could turn into an environmental hazard. He melded into one stone - the process was definitely not as interesting as possessing an actual creature, for the thrill of being able to reach out and take absolute command of a mind and body was absent.

He paused briefly to look at the goblin, fascinated to realize that the creature had somehow absorbed part of the lifeforce or perhaps the soul of his comrade.
That's an Evil-aspected ability... could he be one of my Abyssal cousins?

Then he began to call the other stones to him. He didn't know exactly how it worked but could do it instinctively - something to do with sympathy, the attraction of like to like.

Sticks and stones under control he sent shortly after to Mael. The halfling relaxed a bit.

[OOC]

Move to heap, standard action to possess it, free action to control its shape.

[Surreal]

OOC

Oops on the mindsight, since Mag has that as well. Oh well, this will add a bit of interesting drama to party interaction regardless.

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

Without releasing it's pin, the towering war machine raised one cylindrical arm up.  A seam split down the middle and the two halves opened up.  Steam billowed out from within and many gears and pistons could be seen briefly.  The metal hand retracted inward like a turtle's head while two other devices flipped out and then snapped into place from the wrist before the whole arm assembly closed back up snugly like the seam had never been there.

For anyone watching or to the Maug facing it's doom, the machine's hand had been replaced by a massive metal scultped dragon's head, gleaming in gold or brushed bronze.  It's jaws were fitted with clockwork gears and the crystals the sculpture had for eyes suddenly sprang to life with an angry glow. The Mechanical dragon-hand opened and snapped it's jaws closed once, twice, sending resounding rings through the underkeep before a vicious titanic sword sprang forth from the jaws with intimidating speed.  It was in a flamberge style with a thick wavy blade ending in a forked tip, emulating a stylized dragon's tongue or perhaps a gout of flame.  Lightning crackled around the dragonfist, arcing across the blade and between the sharpened fangs.

"Speak your last."  The voice was hollow, angry, and elemental.  

So this is likely my last post for the week.  I *may* be able to get one more off tonight if my friend lets me use their computer.  Oh, and since I haven't really used an action this turn, Marc will activate true strike again in preperation for a coup de grace...

[Brainpiercing]

[ooc For MARC]

You can only use a light weapon, natural weapon or unarmed strike in a grapple. Just use the mouth, not the blade. Also, you can only CDG a helpless target. Jaslach is grappled, but not helpless. Nevertheless, of course you can attack with True Strike. OR, since you are technically one round ahead, and Jaslach actually goes before you, just use your other "weapon systems", which are available again in round three. (This round for you.)

Also, you should write out your actions in the prose, even using UMD to activate True strike.

[ooc for everyone]

Waiting for Daelric; However, in the interest of advancing, and counting the high probability that Daelric will not actually interfere with the fight as it is going now, I'll just post the next turn for Jaslach. Daelric has one turn retroactively and his next round, too.

Jaslach was seeing that his surrender was being ignored. Even though he did not see a probable chance of turning the fight around, he was not ready to give himself up entirely. With all his might he pushed and heaved against the grapple, trying to get out, but his enemy was just too strong for him.
With a lucky twist of his stone body he managed to escape the locked arms, and dropped to the ground.  Here he was out of good options. The only things he could think of were running or hoping for a lucky hit with his Stone Spitters. This he went through with:
If getting free didn't work, he could only resort to more straight-forward violence. With both stony hands clamped together he smashed past his enemy's defenses, and found a weak spot!

Jaslach's grapple to escape the grapple: 33; quick counter-roll for MARC: 25+5=30. If you disagree please roll again and I'll edit.
Jaslach's attack roll (Slam): AC hit , 20+6+7-4-1=28, Nat 20, Confirmation AC hit 25, 22 damage=2x11=1d8+10 (duh, rolled a 1 on the damage roll This is a hit since your Dex bonus and Shield AC can't be applied in a grapple, at least not against the other grappler.

And YES I can try to break from grapple and attack in the same round, because breaking from grapple takes the place of a single attack action, of which I have more than one.

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

A few things: first I am posting from my phone, probably the last time til I get back, so pardon any brevity. I think my language is getting confused with mechanics. By CDG I wasn't referring to the mechanic but to the general idea of a killing strike. I didn't post the UMD in my prose because the wand is internal, it is reflected in the crackling arcs of lightning. I may be misunderstanding the wording of the SRD regarding escaping from a grapple but it says instead of attacking you can check for escape...can one do this and still get an attack in? In any case I'd prefer to make my own rolls so... (grapple escape counter) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2617788/  oh snap! 19+25=44! Oh, and the sword-tongue was just for effect... I'm about to get Big-O on his ass with my discharge vents...how's that for a double entendre?!?     

[Snizor]

‘As I suspected’, Daelric thought to himself as Cat confirmed the demise of the Half-Dragon.


Daelric picked up his pace, trying to catch up with Maglu'glath (Safety in number, after all).

OOC:
Double move to AH 31

[Brainpiercing]

[ooc]

Snizor: Daelric is moving into the reach of the moving pile of rocks. Of course he's invisible, but... not sure you realized that. AND, I'm sorry I can't find your email adress anymore, if you sent me a PM with it I must have deleted it by accident.

A summary:

Thistle and Jaslach have already posted their actions for round 3.
Mag, Daelric, and Cat have only posted round 2 actions (With Cat's round 2 action following on the bottom of this post).
Mael has only posted for round 2
The moving pile or rubble has posted for round 3 as well.

I'm going to update the map to the BEGINNING of round 3, which means those who haven't posted actions for that round may do that now.

Cat followed Daelric into the cavern, when suddenly the rubble in the center started moving.
Holy crap, what is that? he gasped in Daelric's head. I can't see it like normal... people or critters.

[Omen of Peace]

The rubble moves 30ft to the North then stops.

Meanwhile, Mael strains his ear, trying to make sure no scary thing is approaching him.

[OOC]

The rubble "runs" 6 squares North for the current round (as I said he would last round).

Mael delays almost indefinitely (except if the constructs get closer).

[Brainpiercing]

[for OoP]

Animated Objects can't run, AFAIK.

[for everyone]

Snizor and Surreal are still up.

[Omen of Peace]

[OOC]

I don't see why, but if that's the case then it simply hustles (20ft).

[Brainpiercing]

[OOC]

I don't see why, but if that's the case then it simply hustles (20ft).

Construct generally can't run, for some reason.

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

Probably because they already have  so much going for them that the designers made them slow and lumbering, so you can at least run away from them. Makes the ones with Haste scarier too...

[Snizor]

Daelric, having decided that sticking with Maglu'glath would be his safest course of action, remained where he was.

OOC

Spellcraft:1d20+16=27(to identify what the pile of rubble is)

Daelric plans to just follow Surreal for now.

[Surreal]

"Beasts of metal and stone, and now the earth itself moves beneath us... what deviltry is this? Move back you idiots! Why in the gods names are you moving towards the monsters?"

ooc:

action... uh, move away from the centre? Did anyone actually say the rubble was on our side? For all we know it's another monster/hazard coming to surface

[Omen of Peace]

[OOC]

Nope, no sign of the rubble being on any side.

@BP: where did you get that from? I believe you, but I couldn't find it. Some rules text about running relates max duration to Constitution, but if anything it should mean constructs can run indefinitely...

[Brainpiercing]

[ooc]

Ok, honestly, I don't know where I got this from. I USED to think, too, that constructs could run forever. It was the basis of all the trains and wheelboats in the game, which are really quite fast overland. Then I read somewhere that constructs generally can't run (with the exception of living constructs). Now I can't find that anymore. So.... unless someone finds it, constructs officially CAN run, and they can run forever and ever, just like undead. (Not living constructs, though, since they can still take non-lethal damage.) AND I've actually also found this in one of the rules of the game articles, so.... you're good to run

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

So you never replied to my last post BP and I've been waiting for you...

[Brainpiercing]

Alright, we now officially start turn 4, I think.

Jaslach was not yet dead, which sort of surprised him, but was welcome anyway.
He once again braced himself against the stranglehold.

Attempt to break from grapple:
Grapple check 34.
If this succeeds, drop to the ground and move to AK12

If it doesn't succeed:
Use slam again, AC hit 12....

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

So before I post please clarify: Did or did not Jaslach break free and smash Marc? I'm a little confused about the order of things.  Last round he tried to get free and I rerolled and beat him...so is it still my action in round 3 and then we move to round four or is it his turn and I'm next?

[Brainpiercing]

Last round he tried to break free, but when that didn't work, he hit you. This round he is again trying to break free. You have to make your opposed grapple check.