Home for Monsters (Part 3)

The spiders fall away, killed by the spray of lightning. The woman that they were attached to is slightly the worse for wear. There's little time for Heinrich's apology however as now the walls are becoming thick with webbing.

GAME: Heinrich rolls Reflex: (3)+4: 7
GAME: Olav rolls reflex: (16)+2: 18
GAME: Hetzakoatl rolls reflex: (5)+2: 7
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6: (6): 6

As Heinrich and Hetzakoatl get caught in the webbing a wall of flames comes bursting forth, burning the webbing away and flash-baking the two caught by the ingenious trap.

Olav jumps back, avoiding first the webbing and then the fire.

Hetzakoatl yells and bats at the flames on her arm. "Augh!"

Heinrich quickly pats the flash of flame off of his surcote to keep it from igniting, all the while saying, "Ah ah ooh, ee, that's hot!" and dancing around like someone wholly encased in suddenly hot metal armor (because he is).

GAME: Heinrich rolls Perception: (15)+6: 21
GAME: Olav rolls perception: (3)+7: 10
GAME: Hetzakoatl rolls perception: (17)+7: 24

Olav is a little busy evading the fire, but the rest of you notice that there is a man at the end of the hall who quickly opens the door and slams it shut behind him.

GAME: Heinrich rolls Strength: (6)+3: 9

Heinrich sees the man's brief appearance at the door in front of him, and immediately jumps to the conclusion that he must be to blame for all this. Without a moment's delay, the knight runs at full tilt, charging the door with his whole, armored body weight like an enraged barbarian, but the door withstands the assault. Once the Arvek Nar regains his senses from the bell-like ringing of his own helm, he says, "Well, that's something to report to the magazine... Their doors are solidly constructed."

The white-scaled Sith gestures at the man at the end of the hallway. "Hey! Stop!", she yells. With raised eyebrows, Hetzakoatl watches Heinrich bodyslam a door and bounce. "That wass ... unwise.", she intones.

Olav isn't exactly sure what's going on, but Heinrich seems determined to get through that door, which seems like a reasonable enough next move to him. And he _is_ a barbarian, albeit not currently an enraged one, which he figures might help. So he follows the Hobgoblin and stands in front of the door. "Together?" he says, before slamming the door with his shoulder...

GAME: Olav rolls str: (20)+3: 23

Heinrich nods to Olav, and says, "Yeah. We gotta get that wizard, and make him pay!"

The door buckles suddenly with the combined effort. Suddenly you are let into a room which has several weapons hanging on the walls. Vials and potions of unknown origin mark the shelves as well as several tomes and books. There's no obvious way out, and there stands the man who is the seeming cause of the spells which harmed you. He's a tall man, pale in complexion with commanding blue-gray eyes. There's something indefinable about him which seems to suggest that he is a force to be reckoned with.

"This, is unexpected."

"Let'ss just do it without further injuring ourselvess.", the Sith-makar suggests.

"SURPRISE!" Olav shouts, unsure whether they're supposed to be killing the imposing-looking man with the books.

"Better Homess and Dungeonss. Would you care to give an interview about your dungeon?", the Sith wonders of the man.

Heinrich takes a thorough look at the man and opens his mouth to speak, but aborts whatever it would have been when Hetzakoatl speaks first.

"I know who you are." The man's voice is flat, and his knowing eyes peirce you as though he truly /does/ know you. "And I do not welcome you here. Go, now."

Olav considers that. "Except I'm pretty sure we don't get paid if we do that," he explains.

Heinrich looks at Olav quizzically, then back to the mage-in-residence. He simply asks, "And how do you know us? Have we gotten drunk together?"

Hetzakoatl runs a hand over her head. "Oh, alright then. We'll have a quick look about and then head out."

The mage stares at you for a long moment and then shakes his head, holding one hand forth. "You will not disturb this place." Arcane words flow forth from his mouth.

GAME: Olav rolls will: (8)+2: 10

Olav begins to check out the shelves, touching things with his dirty gauntlets... then abruptly stops and backs away from the shelf.

GAME: Walery activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Dex
GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+10: (13)+10: 23
GAME: Walery rolls 3d6+5: (13)+5: 18

Walery was just quiet (and less helpful than usual) up until now, but as things begin to get alarming, he fiddles with his death ray and presses a button on his beltpack. An eyepiece slides in front of one eye, and plates of armor slide around to form up around him. He shoulders his death ray and works a lever, flipping it to FIRE. He squeezes the trigger, and a bolt of fire zips from the business end of the death ray and strikes the enemy, where it leaves a scorch mark.

GAME: Olav rolls cmb: (20)+5: 25

Olav seems to be thinking hard about his options before moving towards the wizard and grabbing his arm firmly.

GAME: Heinrich rolls falchion: aliased to Weapon1: (1)+8: 9 (EPIC FAIL)

Heinrich thrusts his falchion at the wizard, but barely misses eviscerating Olav instead, as he pulls his thrust. He says, "Awesome move, Olav, but I almost skewered you."

GAME: Olav rolls cmb+5: (16)+5+5: 26

Olav takes advantage of the opening the Wizard affords him to wrap his arm around the wizard's neck, pinning him to the ground. Very neatly.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+12: (20)+12: 32

The wizard whispers something to Olav, and then with a few more arcane words whispered around the man's headlock, and a twist of his fingers managed by a miracle, he vanishes without a trace.

GAME: Hetzakoatl rolls weapon1: (16)+3: 19

Hetzakoatl blinks at the wizard's disappearance, but swooshes her staff through the space he was occupying. "Hmm. Teleportation? I wonder how far he has gone? Erm, be careful looking around, yess?"

GAME: Olav rolls cmb: (20)+5: 25

Olav grunts as the wizard vanishes from his arms and immediately launches himself at Heinrich, grabbing his arm much as he had the wizard.

GAME: Heinrich rolls Melee-4: (20)+7+-4: 23 (THREAT)
GAME: Heinrich rolls Melee-4: (1)+7+-4: 4 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Heinrich rolls 1d3+3 nonlethal: (2)+3 nonlethal: 5
GAME: Heinrich rolls CMB: (15)+7: 22

Heinrich was just about to make another attempt at disembowelling the wizard when POOF! - he vanishes. All of a sudden, he notices that Olav tries reflexively to reassert his grapple, but on Hank instead of the now absent wizard, so he slaps the barbarian and says, "Hey! It's me!" and pushes the human off of him.

Meanwhile the wizard remains absent from this location, his lingering effect felt by those watching the two combatants now wrestling in the middle of the room.

Hetzakoatl stares at Olav for a few moments, and then Heinrich. "Can you ssit on him or something, without hurting him too much? I think he hass been charmed."

GAME: Walery casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
GAME: Walery rolls 1d8+5: (3)+5: 8
GAME: Olav rolls cmb: (5)+5: 10

Olav attempts once again to pin down the dangerous hobgoblin, this time getting nowhere near him.

Walery can't do much about the wrestling around, he looks a bit nervous in fact. He's just here to shoot things. What he can do, though, is extract a small red ampule from his work belt. He comes up by Hetzakoatl and says, "This won't hurt, I think," and he uses it on her. There is a Pssst and the red liquid drains out. Her injuries grow less severe as if by magic.

GAME: Heinrich rolls CMB: (8)+7: 15
GAME: Heinrich rolls CMB: (6)+7: 13
GAME: Olav rolls cmb: (17)+5: 22

Heinrich tries a couple maneuvers in a futile attempt to turn the tables and grapple Olav instead.

...but instead Olav grapples him! "Will you CALM DOWN already?"

GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d4+1: (6)+1: 7

Suddenly the wizard appears back across the room, silvery shots of magic appearing from his fingertips and slamming into Walery's chest.

GAME: Hetzakoatl casts Hydraulic Push. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
GAME: Hetzakoatl rolls sorcerer+Intelligence: (14)+3+4: 21
GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+10: (19)+10: 29
GAME: Walery rolls 3d6+5: (13)+5: 18

The white-scaled Sith leans upon her staff, and nods to Walery. "Thank you. That wass a particularly nassty trap. I am glad y..." She blinks as Walery is blasted, and she turns, thrusting forward the palm of her hand and speaking several words of magic, a jet of water rushing outward from her hand to knock the feet out from under the wizard. "Quick, while he is down!"

GAME: Olav rolls cmb: (19)+5: 24

Walery gahs as he's struck just as soon as he's stopped paying attention. "By Reos, you'll pay for that," he growls, shouldering his death ray again, cycles the action expelling a spent brass piece with odd runes on it. Pulling the trigger, he launches a bolt of raw magic flame toward the wizard while his friends fight amongst themselves. "Snap out of it, he's back," he shouts, though there's probably magic afoot. He can't do much about that.

Olav forces Heinrich to the ground with an arm behind his back.

GAME: Heinrich rolls CMB: (20)+7: 27

The wizard makes a noise of surprise as he goes down, he doesn't bother to stand up but rather gets to a knee and irritably he pulls out a scroll and with a few arcane words he vanishes once again.

Hetzakoatl eyes the two wrestling on the floor, and moves around them, stepping to the table. Which she carefully begins to move to the opposite side of the room, taking into consideration the two on the floor, and getting by them best as possible.

GAME: Olav rolls 1d100: (10): 10
GAME: Heinrich rolls 1d100: (6): 6

After quite a lot of rolling around on the ground, knocking things over, and generally causing havoc, Olav successfully subdues his (in his mind) assailant. "AND STAY DOWN!!!" he says, straddling the armored man.

Unsure whether he is more frustrated at his own rotten luck or at the tenacity of his worthy opponent, the grappled Sir Heinrich Sturmlanze, Knight of the Scale, yells out, sounding very upset.

Olav proceeds to choke the helpless knight into unconsciousness.

Hetzakoatl steps forward now. "Alright, alright!", she says, placing a hand on Olav's chest. Pushing him back, gently, if he so yields. Then stooping to look Heinrich over. "Thiss is why wizards are exceedingly irritating. Not that they can do thiss, but because they don't often stick around for their comeuppance."

Walery eyes Olav and Heinrich, then Hetz, and says, "Are we all ... ourselves now? Only this," he gestures with his death ray, "doesn't give gentle kisses."

Heinrich snores in hobgoblin fashion.

Olav shrugs as he gets up. "I have no beef with you... _he_ was the one who attacked me. I assume the wizard charmed him, or something."

Hetzakoatl snorts and eyes Olav, "No, the wizard charmed you. He spoke in your ear."

Walery grumbles about wizards. "And they complain that artificers are bad," he mutters.

GAME: Olav rolls perception: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Hetzakoatl rolls perception: (19)+7: 26

"He attacked me!" Olav replies, incredulous.

GAME: Walery rolls perception: (10)+9: 19
GAME: Heinrich rolls Fortitude: (5)+8: 13

Hetzakoatl gestures with her hands. "It matterss not, you were the one charmed. No one'ss accusing you of anything. But you musst have it sstraight: you grappled the mage, he spoke into your ear and vanished, then you and he...", the White-scale gestures at Heinrich, "Got close and dirty on the floor."

As you look around the room it doesn't take very long to realize that the bookshelf where most of the books are moves when tapped lightly. Thus it swings open into yet another hallway leading you downwards…

"Down and down she goess, where she stopss, nobody knows.", Hetzakoatl intones. "Perhapss we shall enjoy a rematch with our wizardly friend."

-TBC-