Her face red in growing rage for the attackers, Juliette rushes into the fray, targeting the closest blood she can spill. Not wasting any time, she slashes at the brute with her sickle, knocking him over in the process.
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
As Juliette engages one of the bandits entering the camp, Khaled follows suit and attacks the other. The bandit tries to block the Malachite Blade's attack, but Khaled changes direction at the last moment, striking the man in the leg.
Genasi Firesoul: +1 Reflexes, Resist 5 Fire, and Firepulse.
Swordbond: By spending 1 hour with any light or heavy blade, the blade becomes swordbonded. As a standard action, the blade can be called from 10 squares away. If the bonded weapon is broken, the blade can be reforged with an hour of meditation.
Swordmage Warding: +1 AC or +3 AC when wielding a blade one handed and the other hand is free.
Heavy Blade Expertise: +1 to attack rolls with Heavy Blade. +2 to defenses against OAs.
Rose King's Shield: +2 to Endurance. While using a longsword, once per turn melee attacks grant +5 temporary HP. This is improved to +10 if more than 2 squares are moved before the end of your turn.
Aegis of Assault: Target is marked. It suffers a -2 to all attack rolls that do not include Geral. If a target is hit without Geral being included, Geral teleports up to 10 squares to a spot next to the target and makes a basic melee attack.
White Lotus Riposte: Until the SoNT, a target hit with an at-will takes that abilities modifier damage when attacking Geral.
As Geral engages the bandits, a familiar cackling laugh can be heard. The bandits attacking the site are suddenly joined by three hyenas, iron collars around their necks. One goes for Juliette while the other two aim for Khaled and another of the Malachite Blades. All but the Blade are lucky enough to avoid the snarling jaws however.
Yet more archers move around the rocks, into the light, and let their arrows fly. One grazes Cleo and another hits one of the Blades. With the camp quickly being overrun, the blades attack the nearby hyenas with some success.
Shira'stasa watches in a veiled trance as the bandits storm her campsite. I will teach them the power of undeath, she swears. Sensing great power from underneath the sands, the woman calls forth a buried skeleton that surges up and reforms next to where Khaled fights. With a flick of her hand, it bursts into flame, emitting a shrieking call that drops the brigand and his beast's focus.
Somehow feeling Cleo in trouble despite not even looking her way, Shira'stasa suddenly lurches forth across the sands, her hand clutching her tome. With a quick spell, the Tenant summons her familiar to benefit her friend. The woman's zombified hand apparition claws at the archer, and he shouts in terror.
Standard:Flaming Sphere in J7, attacking Brigand 1. Hits Reflex 11(+3), dealing 14 fire damage. Flaming Sphere persists and does 1d4+5 fire damage to creatures starting their turns adjacent. Brigand 1 and Hyena 2 grant CA while adjacent to my Flaming Sphere.
Attack: 2(1d20) +9 = 11; 9(2d6) +5 = 14 Memory of 1000 Lifetimes: 3(1d6) = 3
Move:Walk to F11.
Minor:Mage Hand on A14, forcing Archer 2 to grant CA since adjacency.
Tome Expertise: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls with a tome. Enemies adjacent to your conjurations/summoned creatures grant CA. Enemies immune to fear are immune to this effect.
Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures.
Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Yet more Bandits appear from the darkness, joining their allies. Although most of them are too far away to affect the fight yet. One does reach Cleo, swinging his sword at her, however the agile Tenant easily dodges the attack.
The first men to charge into the party's camp, attack once again. Their blows aimed at Khaled and Juliette, however they too find their attacks dodged or blocked.
Frustrated at the emergence of more enemies, the air around Cleo begins to heat up as it had many times in the past. Leaping forward, she lands a powerful blow against the nearby archer, who reels back in pain. She swiftly whips around to kick the nearest bandit while the archer is regaining his footing, the bandit collapsing into a heap on the ground.
As quickly as she entered the fray near the archer, she leaps back away, facing down two of the other bandits, ready to pounce on them as soon as they make a move. "You should really have just given up after earlier."
Minor Action:Sarifal's Blessing
Effect: Aura 2, allies in aura gain resist 5 fire, enemies gain vulnerable 5 fire, til the end of my next turn
Standard Action:Light the Fire Attack Technique on Archer 2
Attack: 30 vs Reflex = crit!
Hit: Max damage of 22 fire damage, plus 5 more from vulnerability, for a grand total of 27 damage. Archer cunt is bloodied.
Effect: Aura 1, enemies starting their turn in the aura take 5 fire damage til the start of my next turn.
No Action:Desert Wind Flurry of Blows on Bandit 3
Effect: heded
Action Point:Light the Fire Movement Technique
Effect: I shift to (B, 12)
Don't attack Bandits 4 or 5, they will die when their turns start. Effectively already dead. Don't waste your attacks.
MBA: +11 vs AC, 1d8+6 damage. (+1 damage to bloodied targets) RBA: +11 vs AC, 1d4+6 damage. (+1 damage to bloodied targets)
Resistances:
5 Fire
Vulnerabilities: None
Saves:
+2 vs immobilize, restrain, or slow
Active Effects:
+2 to checks to escape grab
+5 to bluff vs insight to discover I am not human Aura 2 til EONT: resist 5 fire for allies, vulnerable 5 fire damage to enemies
Aura 1 til SONT: 5 fire damage when enemy starts turn
Powers:
Nature's Mask Desert Wind Flurry of Blows Blistering Flourish Five Storms Agile Recovery
Second Wind [_] Sarifal's Blessing [X] Light the Fire [X]
Mental Crucible: I gain resist 5 fire (or +2 if I already have resist fire of 5+)
Unarmed Combatant: unarmed attack has +3 proficiency, 1d8 damage, unarmed group, can be affected by ki foci. Must have a free hand to use it.
Unarmored Defense: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield.
Full Discipline: Can only use one full discipline power per round, but can use it as many times as the power would allow (at-will's any number of times in a round, encounters once per round, etc.) Can use full discipline techniques in whatever order I like, and if I spend an action point I can choose a different full discipline power.
Beast Nature: I am considered both a magical beast and a humanoid.
Elusive: +2 racial bonus to checks made to escape grabs and to saving throws against effects that immobilize, restrain, or slow me.
Fey Origin: I am considered Fey.
Language of Beasts: I can speak to and understand natural and fey felines in my hybrid or animal form, and understand but not speak to them in human form.
Shapechanger: I am considered a shapechanger.
Ki Focus Expertise: +1 to damage with ki focus vs bloodied targets.
Unarmored Agility: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor.
Internalize the Basic Kata: I use Dexterity instead of Strength for my MBA rolls when using my Monk Unarmed Strike. My Flurry of Blows can trigger on an OA made with my Monk Unarmed Strike.
Seeing herself surrounded on two sides by foes, Juliette swipes at the canine with her sickle before slipping away from its grasps and towards the still-downed man. Pathetic excuse of a man couldn't even stand back up, she thinks harshly, judging the grounded foe.
Ready Action:Vengeful Guardian
If an enemy subject to my Defender's Aura shifts or hits an ally in an attack that doesn't include me, I make an MBA against the triggering enemy with 1d8 additional damage (+9 attack; 1d10+5 damage)
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
As Cleo brings down one of the bandits and Juliette lands a solid hit on one of the hyenas, Khaled continues to fight off the bandit and hyena attacking him. He parries the bandit's sword away with ease, before striking the man in the torso.
Geral curses as the Hyena closes in, but he's grateful as he strikes the Brigand while he shifts to accommodate Juliette's new position. "We must clear this area quickly before we are overrun with foes!"
Genasi Firesoul: +1 Reflexes, Resist 5 Fire, and Firepulse.
Swordbond: By spending 1 hour with any light or heavy blade, the blade becomes swordbonded. As a standard action, the blade can be called from 10 squares away. If the bonded weapon is broken, the blade can be reforged with an hour of meditation.
Swordmage Warding: +1 AC or +3 AC when wielding a blade one handed and the other hand is free.
Heavy Blade Expertise: +1 to attack rolls with Heavy Blade. +2 to defenses against OAs.
Rose King's Shield: +2 to Endurance. While using a longsword, once per turn melee attacks grant +5 temporary HP. This is improved to +10 if more than 2 squares are moved before the end of your turn.
Aegis of Assault: Target is marked. It suffers a -2 to all attack rolls that do not include Geral. If a target is hit without Geral being included, Geral teleports up to 10 squares to a spot next to the target and makes a basic melee attack.
White Lotus Riposte: Until the SoNT, a target hit with an at-will takes that abilities modifier damage when attacking Geral.
The archers unleash another volley of arrows, hitting Cleo and Juliette. While the hyenas try to tear at the Malachite Blades' legs, although only one can find a gap in their armour. The Blades retaliate, one landing a blow on one of the beasts, while another Blade easily dispatches one of the bandits trying to enter the camp.
Sensing that her ally hardly needs her help, the Tenant spins around to face those hampering Khaled. With deft insight, she commands her terrible minion to reposition, drawing power from her zombified hand and causing it to disappear. The unearthed and flaming skeleton ripples with power for a moment before its ribcage explodes outward, chips of bone shattering and slamming into the bandits.
Move:Flaming Sphere moves to J6, forcing Bandit 1 and Brigand 1 to grant CA.
Minor:Sustain Flaming Sphere.
Standard:Orbmaster's Incediary Detonation centered on J6, targeting Bandit 1 and Brigand 1.
Attack: 6(1d20) +9 = 15; 20(1d20) +9 = 29; 1(1d6) +5 = 6
Hit: Hits and crits for 6 and 11 force damage respectively and knocking them prone.
Effect: A burst 1 zone that lasts til the end of my next turn is formed, dealing 2 fire damage to those starting turns in it.
Tome Expertise: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls with a tome. Enemies adjacent to your conjurations/summoned creatures grant CA. Enemies immune to fear are immune to this effect.
Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures.
Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
The two bandits near Cleo prepare to attack the young Tenant, however she quickly strikes both of them. Dispatching them with ease. The two larger bandits attack Khaled and Juliette although their attacks are parried away with ease, the camp defenders starting to find their stride.
Seeing the pathetic thug before her on the brink of death, she swiftly ends his miserable remainder of a life, a devilish smiling streaking across her face. Her foe gone, she returns her attention to the hyena that had pestered her earlier, intent on giving it a sandy grave as well.
Standard:Savage Reach on Brigand 2
Attack: 20(1d20) +11 = 31 vs AC = Crit
Damage: 15 -> Brigand 2 = ded
Brigand 2's corpse is proned
Move: Shift to G14
Ready Action:Vengeful Guardian
If an enemy subject to my Defender's Aura shifts or hits an ally in an attack that doesn't include me, I make an MBA against the triggering enemy with 1d8 additional damage (+9 attack; 1d10+5 damage)
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
As more arrows find themselves hitting the young tenant, she decides to pull back with the rest of the group in the camp. Maybe they will go for someone else. Stupid archers. Once further from her bow-wielding foes, she joins in ganging up on the man laying in the sand, land a few solid blows against him while he attempts to regain his footing. Temporarily satisfied, she backs even further into camp, hoping to avoid the sights of the snipers in the distance.
Move Action: Blistering Flourish Movement Technique
Effect: move to (H, 14), avoiding OAs. If I do somehow provoke an OA, enemies that hit me with their OA take 10 fire damage (5 base + 5 from aura).
Standard Action: Blistering Flourish Attack Technique on Hyena 3
Attack: 29 vs Reflex = hit
Hit: 11 damage. Until the end of my next turn, my melee attacks deal +3 fire damage.
Mental Crucible: I gain resist 5 fire (or +2 if I already have resist fire of 5+)
Unarmed Combatant: unarmed attack has +3 proficiency, 1d8 damage, unarmed group, can be affected by ki foci. Must have a free hand to use it.
Unarmored Defense: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield.
Full Discipline: Can only use one full discipline power per round, but can use it as many times as the power would allow (at-will's any number of times in a round, encounters once per round, etc.) Can use full discipline techniques in whatever order I like, and if I spend an action point I can choose a different full discipline power.
Beast Nature: I am considered both a magical beast and a humanoid.
Elusive: +2 racial bonus to checks made to escape grabs and to saving throws against effects that immobilize, restrain, or slow me.
Fey Origin: I am considered Fey.
Language of Beasts: I can speak to and understand natural and fey felines in my hybrid or animal form, and understand but not speak to them in human form.
Shapechanger: I am considered a shapechanger.
Ki Focus Expertise: +1 to damage with ki focus vs bloodied targets.
Unarmored Agility: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor.
Internalize the Basic Kata: I use Dexterity instead of Strength for my MBA rolls when using my Monk Unarmed Strike. My Flurry of Blows can trigger on an OA made with my Monk Unarmed Strike.
Geral rushes to the bandit archer on the left, motioning to Juleitte. "I'll handle this archer, take care of the other one and we'll force them into melee!"
Though he rushes the archer with great fervor... His blade just hits sand.
Genasi Firesoul: +1 Reflexes, Resist 5 Fire, and Firepulse.
Swordbond: By spending 1 hour with any light or heavy blade, the blade becomes swordbonded. As a standard action, the blade can be called from 10 squares away. If the bonded weapon is broken, the blade can be reforged with an hour of meditation.
Swordmage Warding: +1 AC or +3 AC when wielding a blade one handed and the other hand is free.
Heavy Blade Expertise: +1 to attack rolls with Heavy Blade. +2 to defenses against OAs.
Rose King's Shield: +2 to Endurance. While using a longsword, once per turn melee attacks grant +5 temporary HP. This is improved to +10 if more than 2 squares are moved before the end of your turn.
Aegis of Assault: Target is marked. It suffers a -2 to all attack rolls that do not include Geral. If a target is hit without Geral being included, Geral teleports up to 10 squares to a spot next to the target and makes a basic melee attack.
White Lotus Riposte: Until the SoNT, a target hit with an at-will takes that abilities modifier damage when attacking Geral.
The hyenas fail to find their way past the Blades' armour, while the archer engaged with Geral drops his bow and draws a dagger to defend himself with, although he fails to find a gap in Geral's defences. The other archers loosen yet more arrows, one striking Geral and another one findign purchase in a Blade's arm. However now with the camp no longer overrun with bandits, the Blades take the opportunity to engage the archers at close range.
With the hyena dead in the sand, Juliette rushes to put an end to the archers at the edge of camp. She slashes away at the bow-wielding man, but he is quick to react and avoids the blade.
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
I'm surprised that worked, Cleo things as her temporary retreat saves her from more arrows flying her way. With the close-range combatants now out of the camp, she rushes over to help Juliette with the nearby archer. As she reaches the man she gives him two quick, powerful jabs to the gut, sending him reeling backwards in pain. You're not getting me anymore, you bastard!
Move Action: Blistering Flourish Movement Technique
Effect: move to (A, 15). If I do somehow provoke an OA, enemies that hit me with their OA take 5 fire damage.
Standard Action: Blistering Flourish Attack Technique on Archer 2
Attack: 19 vs Reflex = hit?
Hit: 8 damage, plus 1 for enemy being bloodied, plus 3 fire damage, for a total of 12 damage. Until the end of my next turn, my melee attacks deal +3 fire damage. If still alive, then...
No Action: Desert Wind Flurry of Blows on Archer 2
Effect: Target takes 5 fire damage, plus 3 more fire damage, for a total of 8 more damage. I then shift to (-A, 14).
Mental Crucible: I gain resist 5 fire (or +2 if I already have resist fire of 5+)
Unarmed Combatant: unarmed attack has +3 proficiency, 1d8 damage, unarmed group, can be affected by ki foci. Must have a free hand to use it.
Unarmored Defense: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield.
Full Discipline: Can only use one full discipline power per round, but can use it as many times as the power would allow (at-will's any number of times in a round, encounters once per round, etc.) Can use full discipline techniques in whatever order I like, and if I spend an action point I can choose a different full discipline power.
Beast Nature: I am considered both a magical beast and a humanoid.
Elusive: +2 racial bonus to checks made to escape grabs and to saving throws against effects that immobilize, restrain, or slow me.
Fey Origin: I am considered Fey.
Language of Beasts: I can speak to and understand natural and fey felines in my hybrid or animal form, and understand but not speak to them in human form.
Shapechanger: I am considered a shapechanger.
Ki Focus Expertise: +1 to damage with ki focus vs bloodied targets.
Unarmored Agility: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor.
Internalize the Basic Kata: I use Dexterity instead of Strength for my MBA rolls when using my Monk Unarmed Strike. My Flurry of Blows can trigger on an OA made with my Monk Unarmed Strike.
Shira'stasa continues her combined assault on the hyena plaguing Khaled. Its mind begins to cave in on itself while the creature is clawed at by the flaming skeleton behind it.
Tome Expertise: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls with a tome. Enemies adjacent to your conjurations/summoned creatures grant CA. Enemies immune to fear are immune to this effect.
Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures.
Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Khaled is burned by Shira'stasa's flaming skeleton although he quickly darts to the side, attacking the Hyena himself, landing a solid blow on the beast.
Genasi Firesoul: +1 Reflexes, Resist 5 Fire, and Firepulse.
Swordbond: By spending 1 hour with any light or heavy blade, the blade becomes swordbonded. As a standard action, the blade can be called from 10 squares away. If the bonded weapon is broken, the blade can be reforged with an hour of meditation.
Swordmage Warding: +1 AC or +3 AC when wielding a blade one handed and the other hand is free.
Heavy Blade Expertise: +1 to attack rolls with Heavy Blade. +2 to defenses against OAs.
Rose King's Shield: +2 to Endurance. While using a longsword, once per turn melee attacks grant +5 temporary HP. This is improved to +10 if more than 2 squares are moved before the end of your turn.
Aegis of Assault: Target is marked. It suffers a -2 to all attack rolls that do not include Geral. If a target is hit without Geral being included, Geral teleports up to 10 squares to a spot next to the target and makes a basic melee attack.
White Lotus Riposte: Until the SoNT, a target hit with an at-will takes that abilities modifier damage when attacking Geral.
As Geral's attack misses, the individual melee's continue. The hyenas miss, with one being burned by Shira'stasa's conjuration. While the archers drop their bows and draw daggers, although attacking with their secondary weapon, they find little success. The Blade's counter attacks are on target though, striking two of the archers.
As one archer also falls, Cleo rushes to the next one. She becomes pale for a moment as she has to run through the darkness to get to it, but the fear quickly passes. As she reaches the man she lands yet another solid blow, leaving a scorch mark in his side before following up with another quick, searing jab. Just let us go to sleep, by the gods!
Move Action: Blistering Flourish Movement Technique
Effect: move to (D, 22), avoiding OAs. If I do somehow provoke an OA, enemies that hit me with their OA take 5 fire damage.
Standard Action: Blistering Flourish Attack Technique on Archer 4
Attack: 23 vs Reflex = hit?
Hit: 14 damage, plus 3 fire damage, for a total of 17 damage. Until the end of my next turn, my melee attacks deal +3 fire damage. If still alive, then...
No Action: Desert Wind Flurry of Blows on Archer 4
Effect: Target takes 5 fire damage, plus 3 more fire damage, for a total of 8 more damage. If Archer dies, I shift to (D, 21). If Archer doesn't die, I shift to (E, 23).
Mental Crucible: I gain resist 5 fire (or +2 if I already have resist fire of 5+)
Unarmed Combatant: unarmed attack has +3 proficiency, 1d8 damage, unarmed group, can be affected by ki foci. Must have a free hand to use it.
Unarmored Defense: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield.
Full Discipline: Can only use one full discipline power per round, but can use it as many times as the power would allow (at-will's any number of times in a round, encounters once per round, etc.) Can use full discipline techniques in whatever order I like, and if I spend an action point I can choose a different full discipline power.
Beast Nature: I am considered both a magical beast and a humanoid.
Elusive: +2 racial bonus to checks made to escape grabs and to saving throws against effects that immobilize, restrain, or slow me.
Fey Origin: I am considered Fey.
Language of Beasts: I can speak to and understand natural and fey felines in my hybrid or animal form, and understand but not speak to them in human form.
Shapechanger: I am considered a shapechanger.
Ki Focus Expertise: +1 to damage with ki focus vs bloodied targets.
Unarmored Agility: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor.
Internalize the Basic Kata: I use Dexterity instead of Strength for my MBA rolls when using my Monk Unarmed Strike. My Flurry of Blows can trigger on an OA made with my Monk Unarmed Strike.
With the bow-wielding man before her cut down in his path, Juliette turns to the one Geral had failed to strike. Rushing over, she too takes a shot at it, slashing at it with her sharpened sickle.
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
Shira'stasa continues to channel energy through her flaming skeleton, and she repositions herself. Sliding near one of the Blades, she launches a vicious psychic assault that sends the hyena near her fleeing. The beast recklessly charges through some of the spike barricades in a frightened escape.
Minor:Sustain Flaming Sphere.
Effect: 1d4+5 fire damage to creatures starting adjacent.
Standard:Beguiling Strands on Hyena 1 and Archer 3. Hits both, Wills 15 and 27, for 5 psychic damage each. Hyena 1 is pushed to P14, going through two spike tiles for 2d6 damage (you roll it?).
Attacks: 8(1d20) +7 = 15; 20(1d20) +7 = 27
Tome Expertise: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls with a tome. Enemies adjacent to your conjurations/summoned creatures grant CA. Enemies immune to fear are immune to this effect.
Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures.
Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Khaled brings his blade down hard on the hyena in front of him. It slices into the beast's shoulder before getting stuck, embedded deep in the creature. Khaled puts his foot on the animal and pulls his sword free, the hyena collapsing to the floor dead, before making his way over towards Shira'stasa and the other Blades.
Genasi Firesoul: +1 Reflexes, Resist 5 Fire, and Firepulse.
Swordbond: By spending 1 hour with any light or heavy blade, the blade becomes swordbonded. As a standard action, the blade can be called from 10 squares away. If the bonded weapon is broken, the blade can be reforged with an hour of meditation.
Swordmage Warding: +1 AC or +3 AC when wielding a blade one handed and the other hand is free.
Heavy Blade Expertise: +1 to attack rolls with Heavy Blade. +2 to defenses against OAs.
Rose King's Shield: +2 to Endurance. While using a longsword, once per turn melee attacks grant +5 temporary HP. This is improved to +10 if more than 2 squares are moved before the end of your turn.
Aegis of Assault: Target is marked. It suffers a -2 to all attack rolls that do not include Geral. If a target is hit without Geral being included, Geral teleports up to 10 squares to a spot next to the target and makes a basic melee attack.
White Lotus Riposte: Until the SoNT, a target hit with an at-will takes that abilities modifier damage when attacking Geral.
The hyena attacks one of the Blades, tearing at his leg. However the Archers continue to fail with their daggers, and the Blades take advantage. The now injured one lands a blow on the nearby archer. He is joined by his comrade who quickly puts down the Hyena, driving his sword through the top of its skull, while the other Blade manages to plunge his sword into an archer's stomach, pulling it out in an upward motion, the bandit collapses to the floor.
With a devilish grin painted across her face, Juliette strikes out at the archer before her, dealing the final blow and ending her foe's life. May Elys damn you to eternal suffering for your wrongdoings.
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
As one of the remaining two archers falls, Cleo rushes back towards the camp next to her friend and one of the blades. Figuring that the other will also fall shortly, she takes the time to take a quick breath and shake off the pain from earlier in the fight.
Mental Crucible: I gain resist 5 fire (or +2 if I already have resist fire of 5+)
Unarmed Combatant: unarmed attack has +3 proficiency, 1d8 damage, unarmed group, can be affected by ki foci. Must have a free hand to use it.
Unarmored Defense: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield.
Full Discipline: Can only use one full discipline power per round, but can use it as many times as the power would allow (at-will's any number of times in a round, encounters once per round, etc.) Can use full discipline techniques in whatever order I like, and if I spend an action point I can choose a different full discipline power.
Beast Nature: I am considered both a magical beast and a humanoid.
Elusive: +2 racial bonus to checks made to escape grabs and to saving throws against effects that immobilize, restrain, or slow me.
Fey Origin: I am considered Fey.
Language of Beasts: I can speak to and understand natural and fey felines in my hybrid or animal form, and understand but not speak to them in human form.
Shapechanger: I am considered a shapechanger.
Ki Focus Expertise: +1 to damage with ki focus vs bloodied targets.
Unarmored Agility: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor.
Internalize the Basic Kata: I use Dexterity instead of Strength for my MBA rolls when using my Monk Unarmed Strike. My Flurry of Blows can trigger on an OA made with my Monk Unarmed Strike.
Seeing the last enemy still engaged with one of the Malachite Blades, Shira'stasa takes the initiative to step across the sands, repositioning herself. With another terrifying psychic assault, the Tenant brings her hand familiar forth, sending the archer reeling and clawing through the spikes to escape her presence.
Minor:Sustain Mage Hand on P12, granting CA on Archer 3.
Standard:Beguiling Strands on Archer 3. Hits Archer 3 for 5 psychic damage and pushes him to O12, taking 2d6 physical damage as he goes over the spikes.
Attack: 16(1d20) +9 = 25
Tome Expertise: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls with a tome. Enemies adjacent to your conjurations/summoned creatures grant CA. Enemies immune to fear are immune to this effect.
Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures.
Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
As Shira'stasa sends the archer running on to the spikes, the man is impaled through the heart as he trips and falls on to one of them. The desert now falls silent once more, except for the crackle of your camp fire.
As the last attacker falls to her psychic efforts, Shira'stasa flicks her hand, causing the apparitions to disappear. She rests her mind for a moment, before ensuring that Cleo is alright. Their power diminishes with every futile attack they make on us, the Tenant thinks. These bandits stand no chance. The sands will bury their bones.
Tome Expertise: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls with a tome. Enemies adjacent to your conjurations/summoned creatures grant CA. Enemies immune to fear are immune to this effect.
Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures.
Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
"Man, I see why we are hunting these guys," Cleo says, as she quickly slumps to the ground to rest. "They suck. I can't wait until the rest of them are dead."Then I can finally go back to my studies. These assholes are eating into my research time!
Mental Crucible: I gain resist 5 fire (or +2 if I already have resist fire of 5+)
Unarmed Combatant: unarmed attack has +3 proficiency, 1d8 damage, unarmed group, can be affected by ki foci. Must have a free hand to use it.
Unarmored Defense: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield.
Full Discipline: Can only use one full discipline power per round, but can use it as many times as the power would allow (at-will's any number of times in a round, encounters once per round, etc.) Can use full discipline techniques in whatever order I like, and if I spend an action point I can choose a different full discipline power.
Beast Nature: I am considered both a magical beast and a humanoid.
Elusive: +2 racial bonus to checks made to escape grabs and to saving throws against effects that immobilize, restrain, or slow me.
Fey Origin: I am considered Fey.
Language of Beasts: I can speak to and understand natural and fey felines in my hybrid or animal form, and understand but not speak to them in human form.
Shapechanger: I am considered a shapechanger.
Ki Focus Expertise: +1 to damage with ki focus vs bloodied targets.
Unarmored Agility: +2 to AC when in cloth armor or no armor.
Internalize the Basic Kata: I use Dexterity instead of Strength for my MBA rolls when using my Monk Unarmed Strike. My Flurry of Blows can trigger on an OA made with my Monk Unarmed Strike.
"You'd think they'd send more than a handful of men to kill us," Juliette says as the final foe lies dead. "Either they're overconfident in their abilities or they know of ours and fear losing more men. Either way, I look forward to ending more of them." Somewhat worn from the fight, Juliette sits herself in the sand to regain her breath. They'll all pay for their crimes, both here and the afterlife.
Flail Expertise: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls that you make with a flail. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. In addition, when you hit with a melee weapon attack using a flail and the attack lets you slide the target, you can knock the target prone instead of sliding it.
World Serpent's Grasp: Whenever you hit a slowed or immobilized target with an attack, you can knock it prone.
Unarmored Agility: You gain a +2 feat bonus to AC while wearing either cloth armor or no armor.
Weapon Proficiency (Kusari-gama): You gain proficiency with the Kusari-gama.
Poised Defender: While your defender aura is active and you're not wearing heavy armor, you gain a + 2 bonus to AC.
Arid Desert Heartland: While you are wearing cloth armor or no armor and not using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex. At 4th level, you gain resist 5 fire. The resistance increases to 10 at 14th level and 15 at 24th level.
Berserker Fury: When you use a barbarian primal attack power, you enter your Berserker Fury until the end of the encounter. Alternatively, you can use a minor action while you are bloodied to enter the fury. The fury has the following effects.
Your defender aura ends, if it was active, and you cannot use defender aura or vengeful guardian until the fury ends.
Some of your powers, such as your barbarian martial at-will attack powers, gain additional benefits, as noted in those powers.
Your melee basic attacks deal 1d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 21st level.
Human Defense Bonuses: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
Geral walks his way back to the camp with the final bandit dead. He motions to the blades. "See how many have the mark, and report back. Either they're testing our defenses, or hoping they can keep us from resting for too long."
He gives his shoulder a stretch, looking at the women. "Any injuries I should know about? We should treat anything major now."
Genasi Firesoul: +1 Reflexes, Resist 5 Fire, and Firepulse.
Swordbond: By spending 1 hour with any light or heavy blade, the blade becomes swordbonded. As a standard action, the blade can be called from 10 squares away. If the bonded weapon is broken, the blade can be reforged with an hour of meditation.
Swordmage Warding: +1 AC or +3 AC when wielding a blade one handed and the other hand is free.
Heavy Blade Expertise: +1 to attack rolls with Heavy Blade. +2 to defenses against OAs.
Rose King's Shield: +2 to Endurance. While using a longsword, once per turn melee attacks grant +5 temporary HP. This is improved to +10 if more than 2 squares are moved before the end of your turn.
Aegis of Assault: Target is marked. It suffers a -2 to all attack rolls that do not include Geral. If a target is hit without Geral being included, Geral teleports up to 10 squares to a spot next to the target and makes a basic melee attack.
White Lotus Riposte: Until the SoNT, a target hit with an at-will takes that abilities modifier damage when attacking Geral.
"Nothing a good night's rest shouldn't fix," Cleo says, longing for the comfort of the bed she left in Crescent Bluff. I bet that cat is hogging the entire thing. All that travel and I never even got to try it out. She sighs as she laments her decision to come with the group again, though she is certain she'd have made it again. It will all be worth it when it's over...
"I'm unscathed," Shira'stasa clarifies to Geral. "But thank you for the concern." She looks around the camp at the bodies of the fallen attackers. Their bones could be useful, but for now they are revolting, so close to where we will rest our heads tonight, the Tenant thinks. "Perhaps we should remove their bodies from our presence. They might attract scavenging creatures, or simply make our camp smell like a butchery."
Irritated by Juliette's unwilling to do the necessary acts, Shira'stasa wordlessly turns from her. Fine, then. Couldn't expect an Imardanian woman of such calling to get her hands bloody. She can bring them down, but she can't deal with them after. Calling forth her spectral hand, she begins to collect the slain bodies of the bandits, gathering them in one place, about ten yards from their encampment. Her own hands flick to and fro in graceful style as the zombified apparition does the brunt of the work.
"About half have the mark," Khaled replies to Geral, walking back over to the group having checked the bodies. "The rest must have already been common bandits who joined them."
"We'll do it," Khaled says motioning to the other Blades. "Get some rest," he adds before making his way over to one of the bodies.
With the bodies moved, the party retires back to their tents and the rest of the night passes uneventfully.
The next morning the camp is packed away and the group mounts up once more. "Hopefully we should make it to Azkahir today, then tomorrow we can start looking for the camp," Khaled says, leading the group back onto the road towards Azkahir.
After the night's activities finally cease, Juliette returns to her slumber, sleeping soundly with the knowledge that her family has been a little more avenged.
"I hope so," Juliette responds to the Blade. "It will be good to be in an actual city again, and closer to putting down those bandits for good."
Azkahir, the Tenant ponders to herself. I never thought I would make it back alive, but here we are, just hours away. I wonder how my mother fares. Shira'stasa had been worrying about her for the past several days, wondering if her mother had been disrupted by the life-threatening warring going on. "I would appreciate a short errand to see my mother in the city. I can meet back up with you at the gates," she offers.
Cleo is groggy and temperamental as usual when awoken, and rides on with disdain for the world as they trek through yet more sand. Khaled's reassuring words do little to improve her mood, as she didn't get nearly enough sleep and she misses the comforts of the Temple she only briefly got to see.
At Shira's comment, she perks up slightly. "I didn't know you were from Azkahir," Cleo says to her friend. "Can I come with you? I don't know anyone in the city so it would be fun to meet your family."I hope they have money, maybe I can nap on some of their cushions while they catch up.
Geral nods to Shira'stasa, doing his part to help pack up the camp. "I am sure we can spare some time. Whilst you and Cleo see your mother, I can accompany the blades and do some information gathering. If they've been preying upon merchants and the like passing through, I'm sure they have some reports of where the ex-blades strike the most."
"Um," Shira'stasa manages ambivalently, taken off-balance by Cleo's genuine interest. It would be nice to have a friend along with me. I've no idea if my mother is even... still here, the Tenant ponders. "I'd like that, Cleo. Though it's just my mother here."
A couple of hours after noon, Azkahir comes into view. From up on a high dune you gain a good vantage point over the city. The large arena dominates the centre of the city. You can just make out large columns of soldiers marching up and down the large avenues surrounding the arena.
A short while later you near the South gate of the city, however you find it closed and guarded by about twenty men. The ramparts above bristle with spears and bows, the men wielding them peer down at you as you approach. The men in front of the gate lower their spears towards you as you near them. "Halt! The city is off limits to outsiders until the Rakh returns," one of the men shouts.
The arena, Shira'stasa remembers with an inward sigh. A waste of life. If only those engaged in such acts would devote themselves to my research, perhaps something useful could be made of their lives, she thinks coldly.
The Tenant scans the walls, counting about twenty armed guards at the gates. The Rakh doesn't seem to take chances. She narrows her eyes when the foremost men bring their spears to bear. Without hesitation, Shira'stasa slips out travel papers from within a pouch, and extends them forward, her arm outstretched. "Tenant Shira'stasa Mavruna," she introduces herself curtly, her posture imposing and rigid. "I am no outsider, I live here when I am not at the Great Library," the woman explains. "These with me are my associates. We are passing through to deal with a plague of bandits to the west. Please step aside."
