Shae looks at Illborn with one perfectly arched eyebrow. "I hope you are feeling agile today my good physician....."

She suddenly smiles showing that her statement was said in good humour.

"Sir Floradine, do you think we might be able to use that staff again. I don't like the idea of anyone dodging their way through that unhappy and deadly maze." She looks to the knight and pointedly glances at Shanjalae, "Some of us might find it a little easier."

[Please note as a matter of logistics that the staff opens a portal exactly 50 feet in front of it, and the room is 75 feet across.  Each square represents 5 feet.  Therefore, if you use it, you will open the portal between the 4th and 5th statues.]

Sir Floradine tries the teleportation staff to see if it will work.

Floradine uses the staff, and the vial drains of liquid.  You guess that it probably only has one more good use before the liquid is drained entirely.

The portal opens, and you see the far portal opens fifty feet in front of it...  It is directly between the fourth pair of statues (the demon-like guardians).  This is probably about the best position.  If you walk through, then you will step through to a moving floor, but you will be just past the danger of the statues and just before the rolling stone ball.

"No time like the present," Kallad says and steps through the portal.

Shae doesn't wait either and begins to follow but assures that Shanjalae goes through the portal straight after her father, and then she quickly follows.

Joseph takes up the rear of the group as they walk through the portal.  He is not sure what to make of the statues and floor but will do anything not to have to find out what they are all about.

Illborn follows Shae, ready to steady his feet when he comes out the other side and careful not to bump anyone at the far end.

Kallad, then Shanjalae, then Shae, and the Illborn step through the portal.  Kallad steps through, gains his balance and helps Shanjalae as she steps through.  Shae teeters for a moment but gets her balance and helps Illborn as he nearly falls forward into the rolling ball.

It is at that moment that movement draws your attention to the left. With a vicious warcry, one of the mutant orcs dives forward from its hiding place behind the demon statue, a sword falling toward Kallad.  The attack is so sudden that Kallad takes the brunt of the sword in the shoulder.  (9 hp dmg).

From around you come the cries as more of the orcs pop up from their hiding places to attack.  The one orc engages with Kallad, and another runs at Shae and Illborn from the nearby statue.  A third orc steps out from behind the fifth statue, an arrow nocked in his bow.

Behind you, two orcs, apparently surprised by the party's use of the portal, step out.  They look at the entrance where Joseph and Sir Floradine still wait by the portal.  So far, they do not attack, apparently waiting to see if the two will go into the portal or not.

Fearing the portal exit may be too crowded, Floradine sidesteps the portal and tries to cross the rock gutter to attack the nearest orc on the left.

Joseph is startled but not completely surprised by the attacking Orcs.  Stepping away from the portal he draws his bow and notches an arrow.  Drawing back he begins to fire at the most opportune foe.

Shae grabs Shanjalae by the shoulder and roughly pushes the girl behind her and towards Illborn, using herself as a shield against the approaching orc.

"Doktor, look after my sister," she yells as she sends one dagger spinning towards the charging orc, and readying the Dragon Maw in her other hand to used in melee.

Kallad backs up and grabs Shanjalae with his right arm.  Then he carefully watches the moving ball and runs through the gutter to the far side with Shanjalae in tow as he protects her from any orc onslaught.  He is focused on fending off the orcs' blows instead of fighting them directly.  Then he does the same thing with the next gutter, hoping to take Shanjalae all the way to the far double doors and to safety.

Illborn uses his dagger to fend off whatever orc is attacking him.  If he is not being attacked, he casts armor on himself.

[Please refer to this map to tell me where your characters move and which orc they attack.  Orcs are numbered O1 through O5.  This map is the result at the end of this round. The black spot is the portal opening.]

[Please keep in mind that the floors are shifting each round.  They move as follows:  (A,B,C=down) (D,E,F=up) (G,H,I=down) (J,K,L=up) (M,N,O=down).  Each round lasts 6 seconds.  The round ball moves at the rate of 5 feet per second and each round ball is at the first arrow in each gutter for the beginning of this round and will end up at the last arrow by the final part of this round.  The top row of squares and the bottom row of squares are angled up (the ramp for the balls to travel before being pushed back the other direction).  A stone block at the top of each ramp pushes the stone balls back in the opposite direction.]

[Confused?  Good...I did my job.  This is chaos, so be prepared.  Also, because the floor under your feet is moving in the direction of the balls' movement, be prepared for modifiers during battle, as it is very hard to maintain balance, fight, and move around.]

ROUND 1
Sir Floradine moves past the stone...avoiding being hit, but he must wait for it to pass, so he does not have an opportunity to attack this round as he carefully steps onto square D3, where the floor is moving in the opposite direction.

Joseph fires off an arrow at O2, hitting it.  (6 hp dmg) (Joseph has not yet stepped onto the moving floor.)

Kallad jumps forward with Shanjalae behind him...  They avoid the stone ball but are blocked by orc O5 who steps to M3 to block him.

Shae throws a dagger at O3, hitting it.  (3 hp dmg)

Illborn swings at O4, missing.

O1 swings his sword at Floradine, but the unsteady floor causes his swing to go wide.  O2 swings at Floradine from behind with his axe, hitting him.  (8 hp dmg)

O3 swings a serrated saber at Shae... (critical miss) but he hits the statue instead and drops the weapon.  He reaches for his dagger...

O4 swings at Illborn with a short axe, hitting the doctor.  (5 hp dmg).

O5 gets an arrow off at Shae (before moving to block her father's escape).  The arrow hits Shae in the arm.  (4 hp dmg).

Shae winces in pain as the arrow strikes home.  Pushing the pain aside she suddenly snarls and launches herself at the orc, swinging the Dragon Maw dagger in a deadly arc.

"In the name of Lynx!" she screams in a battle cry.

Joseph Continues to fire off arrows from his vantage point on the non moving section of the room.

Floradine swings his two handed sword in a wide arc at Orc O1.

Illborn continues going after O4 with the dagger.

Shae swings the Dragon Maw dagger, scoring a hit on the orc.  (5 hp dmg).

Joseph fires off two more arrows.  The first hits O2.  (4 hp dmg).  The second flies through the spot where the orc was just before the floor shifted again.  The arrow flies off across the room, ricochets off one of the rolling boulders, and comes inches from imbedding itself in Shae's face.

Kallad waits defensively for the orc.

Illborn swings but misses.

Sir Floradine swings, hitting the orc with such force that it falls against the claws of the lion statue, which further pierce its back.  (12 hp dmg).  The orc, hurting badly, rushes after Floradine in anger.  He pushes Floradine back into the gutter...but Floradine manages to jump and roll onto F3 before the boulder comes rolling through.

O2 jumps across the gutter...making it safely, but he trips on the moving floor at the far end and does not have time to attack this round as he pulls himself up off the ground.

O3 also tries the rush maneuver (apparently something they had planned).  His rush catches Shae by surprise, knocking the breath out of her.  The boulder is rolling close.  ...Luckily, her cat-like reflexes let her jump to safety.  The boulder actually hits her as it passes, but it does no harm.

Simultaneously, O4 rushes Illborn with the same tactic. ...Illborn is not so graceful.  He falls into the gutter and hits his head.  (2 hp dmg).  He tries to jump at the same time Shae does...but his medical skills have not prepared him for this.  He makes it halfway up before the boulder hits his legs, ripping them off just above the knee.  Illborn clutches his stumps and falls onto his back in shock.

Kallad is ready when O5 rushes him.  He manages to grab the orc's collar and propel him into the gutter.  The orc trips over Shae and the sprawling form of Illborn and into the gutter.  But the boulder has passed and will not return for another four seconds.


This message was last edited by the GM at 09:07, Fri 06 June 2003.

Unsure if Illborn is still alive after such horrendous wounds, Shae yells, "Father help the Doctor. Use Gan's potions if you can!"

Not waiting for a reply she jumps feet first on to the sprawled orc's back (O5), trusting on her weight and agility to help keep him down long enough for the ball to come rolling back.

She keeps a steady eye on the other orcs, fighting defensively if necessary.

As the ball approaches she will attempt to leap back to Kallad and Shanjalae.

Illborn gasps at the pain and holds his dagger up defenseively.  "The portable hole!" he shouts.  "My wish.  I need my wish!"  He drags himself away from the ball as shock begins to set in.

Joseph fires an arrow...hitting O1 in the back. (5 hp dmg) The orc is knocked off balance and falls into the pit.  You wonder for a moment why he doesn't try to get out of the pit as the ball rolls toward him before realizing that the arrow killed him.  The stone boulder bounces slightly as it rolls over O1.

O2 swings at Floradine, hitting the paladin.  (9 hp dmg).  Floradine swings his two handed sword, hitting the orc.  (13 hp dmg).  The orc manages to dodge the statue as it is thrown back by the impact.

O3 jumps into the portal, exiting just next to Joseph.  He hurls himself onto the Ranger, knocking Joseph toward the southern lion statue...but Joseph manages to duck low and avoid impact as the orc is still grappling him.

O4 attempts to cross to where Illborn is, but he has to wait for the round boulder to pass first.

Shae jumps down on top of the orc.  You hear his expulsion as air as his breath is knocked out of him.  Then Shae...jumps back to safety, just missing the rolling boulder.  The orc is not so luck.  With a popping and crunching sound, it rolls right over the orc.

Kallad waits for the best timing and then helps Shanjalae across to the double doors.

Illborn holds his dagger poised in one hand while he pulls off his belt to make a tourniquet.  Meanwhile, he gets weaker.  (-2 hp dmg)
END OF ROUND 3 MAP

This message was last edited by the GM at 04:10, Mon 09 June 2003.

The druid lets out another snarling howl as she swings her dagger at the brutish orc, hoping she will divert his attention away from the injured Illborn.

"Father! Some help would be useful over here." she yells again to Kallad.

Sir Floradine yells out, "I have the portable hole.  Someone bind his wounds until we get rid of these orcs."  Floradine swings again at O2.