(Yes, I possess the Sommerswerd)
The figure beside the fireplace does not reply. Instead, it stretches out a gloved hand and takes up an iron rod which is lying upon the stone mantle. The moment its fingers close around the haft, a crackling blue flame ignites at its tip.
‘Draw steel!’ commands Nathor, and his men respond by unsheathing their swords in readiness for combat. The Sommerswerd hums with power as you release it from its scabbard and hold it before your face. You sense that the figure is not human: it possesses an aura of evil that marks it as a dark disciple, a magician versed in the forbidden black arts of the Nadziranim.
Suddenly there is a low, concussive boom and a spiral of blue flame shoots the length of the hall, fired from the tip of the figure’s iron stave. It connects with the blade of your divine sword and rebounds, shattering one of the tall windows into a thousand glittering shards.
‘Take him!’ shouts Nathor, and his men rush forward, but a second blast from the stave puts an end to their brave advance. All three are cut down by an arc of blue fire that leaves their corpses heaped and smouldering in the middle of the hall.
Nathor curses the sinister figure and it responds by uttering a chilling, inhuman laugh. Now you sense a new danger approaching—the being’s sickly laughter is summoning its minions to the hall.
‘Lord Nathor!’ you cry. ‘We cannot prevail here. We must escape … Follow me!’
And with these words, you race to the window and leap feet-first through the shattered pane.
(I roll an 8)
For a few moments you hurtle through the cold night air, oblivious to your surroundings. Then, in a terrifying instant, you glimpse the flagstones of the keep and the roof of the castle stables: they are more than a hundred feet below.
Your stomach churns with fear as you watch the hard, unyielding flagstones of the keep come rushing towards you at dizzying speed.
(Yes I have KA and Sun Thane)
Using the Brotherhood Spell Slow Fall you are able to control the rate of your descent. Unfortunately, Lord Constable Nathor does not possess this ability and, as you are beginning to slow down, he comes tumbling past you, his eyes and mouth wide with terror.
You stretch out and make a grab for his cloak as he hurtles past. You manage to get a grip and hold on fast, but as you are nearing the ground, the cloak comes unfastened and he falls the last twenty feet to the flagstoned keep. Upon landing, you discover that Nathor is still alive, but his left ankle is badly broken and his face is cut and bruised. Despite his obvious pain he manages a smile, revealing gaps where he is missing two of his teeth.
Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your fingers to his injured foot (reduce your ENDURANCE points score by 3). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from the gatehouse with their swords drawn. You draw your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.
Castle Guardsmen (impostors): COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 48
(Much better forces! Alright, I have a +9 I think – so I’m about to blow this crap up. I toss a 4 and 8. 30 to my 4. A 5 and 7 finish, and I took 3 more. 7 damage total to me)
You leap over the heaped bodies of the bogus castle guardsmen and sheathe your bloodied weapon. Then you take hold of Nathor and carry him into the stables where you heave him across the neck of a saddled horse. Quickly you mount this steed and urge it to the gallop, bursting forth from the stable doors at a breakneck speed. Outside, the castle keep is alive with screams and curses as you steer your horse towards the gatehouse, where, to your mounting horror, you see that the portcullis is beginning to fall.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Telegnosis and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Lord or higher, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 2. If you possess Animal Mastery, add 1.
(So I get +7. I roll a 1 which would normally fail, but not with those bonuses)
You race through the gatehouse arch just moments before the heavy portcullis comes crashing down. Without daring to look back, you urge your horse across the wooden drawbridge and along the open track that lies beyond. The angry shouts of the gate guards echo from the battlements but so too do the unexpected sounds of clanking chains and baying hounds