..........
[Initiative]
Does my first blast count as my round? If not I go invisible again fly 30 feet from last location and get set to fire another blast at my last target unless he is dedad already then I go for the other one.
[That init is next round This round ambush was eldritch blast & K'tch's knives before init sequence. Can Kirath turn invisible again after blasting? He needs to actually cast a spell for that one. The Buffs are move =, but casting a spell is full round action.]
[The guards get a round of action now before next round where whole party will show.]
.....
hmm I thought spells (or in my case invocations were a standard action) oh well if you rule it that way I will blast again instead of going invisible.
Back with Du'minh and the others, the psion raises her eyebrows, clearly startled by some input from the mindlink.
"...The warlock has initiated the attack. Shall we...?"
“Thought you'd never ask,” grins Du'minh and heads for the sounds of blasting and screams.
“Certainly wouldn't want to miss the ball after coming this far.”
"By all means...", and Ii'Jyka hustles towards the targets.. she engages the Yuan'ti thats is not targeted by the mage with a swipe of her own if able...
HP: 50 of 57 (-2/ +3)
While somewhat disappointed at the lack of true enemies, Ar'dru is glad to be back at the fore of the fighting as he charges at the singed guards slashing his blade across horizontally in a brutal reaping motion.
[ooc- sorry about those first 2 damage rolls]
Du'minh bolts down the corridor and charges whichever of the yuan-ti guards appear more wounded yet standing, swinging his flail in an uppercut to crack its serpentine head.
OOC
Are yuan-ti also treated as having psi-like abilities rather than spell-like?
...
Kirath attacks one of the new guards with another blast of arcane might. (since I am attacking from above do the tower shields still count as cover since I am over the top of them)
[Ranged attack from above can bypass tower shield, but you might hit a friendly. In fact you WILL if the blast is area-effect. Is it? or is it targeted? I assumed area effect since I let you hit 2 guards before.
EDIT: Then again, you just rolled a 19, so you can target a single guard ... or the shield slave, your choice]
Eldritch blasts are just single target only think of it as a ray (unless I had taken some different invocations) I will go for one of the slaves so the tower shields will be less of a problem for the rest of the party.
Uups, forgot Initiative roll:
[Assuming here that both the shield-slaves have been dealt with. If not, target any remaining shield-slaves.]
As the group rushes into the gardens, Ya'shenn draws the illithid-wrought dorje and fires on the nearest yuan-ti guard.
[Hmmm.... in that case you should have hit only1 guard at the outset, and the other should be still alive. Well, I don't feel like editing the post, and they were standing right next to each other, so it'll stand. Just remember you are firing into melee, and this goes for Ya'shenn too.]
I have pointblank shot and precise shot for feats so that shoold not be problem
[Ranged attack from above can bypass tower shield, but you might hit a friendly. In fact you WILL if the blast is area-effect. Is it? or is it targeted? I assumed area effect since I let you hit 2 guards before.
EDIT: Then again, you just rolled a 19, so you can target a single guard ... or the shield slave, your choice]
EDIT Squared: Since Kirath's eldrich blast only affects a single target, I WILL edit the post above, and re-post it after this one.
Kirath's edrich blast engulfs one of the soldiers, the darker, leathery-looking one. The Yuan-ti screams and starts rolling around on the ground.
K'tch stands and runs forward, throwing knives. The first hits the other Yuan-ti in the chest, just above the armored plate. It sticks there, and the soldier grasps at it and yanks it out. The yuan-ti stands back up, and wincing in pain hefts then throws his spear at K'tch running towards him. The bard dodges at the last second, recieving a tiny, bleeding cut on his cheek. He draws a shortsword, and the singed Yuan-ti draws a wavy-bladed sword.
======
The sound of armored githyanki boots resounds down the corridor. The Yuan-ti facing K'tch widens its reptilian eyes and shouts something in its own language. Three more guards hustle down the path from behind the foliage. They are supported by a pair of slaves bearing tower shields to protect their inhuman masters.
[DM- will keep init order for rest of garden battle; Gy-Nath=24, K'tch=21, Ya'shenn=18, Kirath=14, Ii'jyka'vaar=12, Du'minh=11, All Guards=9, Ar'dru=5, all illithids=? (will roll when you see one)]
K'tch starts singing a tune as he stalks around the guard and the two fence. The tune is unfamiliar to anyone who hasn't been a resident of Git'riban for a goodly amount of time, as it is in fact a gith pirate song.
Slave driver ... the table has turned
Catch a fire ... ye gonna get burned
Catch-a-fire
Every time I hear the crack of a whip
Me blood runs cold
We remember on the squid ships
They brutalized our very souls
Now we *know* that we are free
Though not from poverty
Great Gith, this illigitamacy
Ain't just a way to make money
Slave driver ... the table has turned
Catch a fire ... ye gonna get burned
Catch-a-fire
The other githyani warriors emerge into the gardens.
The burned guard manages to put himself out, and stands, aided by his spear. He does not get all the way up before Gy-Nath rushes up and runs him through.
Ya'shenn points the force dorje at the new squad of guards coming down the path, and thinks into it. The blast, however, is deflected by one of the shieldmen.
Kirath, hovering in the air, has a better angle of attack. He is able to fire over the tops of the shields, and hit the soldiers behind. He does so, releasing another eldrich blast of hellfire. The yuan-tis' armor incorporates a leather hood, and so the soldier's armor seems to take the brunt of the damage. One of them is burned, but not fatally, and they all continue to advange together, long spears sticking out in front of the shields.
Ii'jyka'vaar and Du'minh move to intercept these newest guards, leaving K'tch to his duel. Du'minh strides forward and swings the arbiter. He must get by the slaves with the shields in order to attack the yuan-ti soldiers. He choses one, and brings the wicked flail over the top of the shield. The strike catches the slave on the top of his unprotected skull and pops a hole in it. The slave falls to the ground.
Ii'jyka'vaar, meanwhile, simply rushed up and kicks the shield of the other shieldman. Already off-balance from Ya'shenn's blast, he staggers backward into his master. Ii sees her opportunity, and uses her blade's reach to strike at one of the Yuan-ti. The strike catches the soldier in the forehead, and it gushes blood. The Yuan-ti falls back but does not fall down. It clasps one hand over the wound and still tries to stab forward with its spear, but is ineffective.
The other two soldiers, however, are not ineffective. They stab forward with their spears, which manage to find their way through the armors of both Ii and Du.
A few yards behind them, they hear K'tch's song end in a cry, as the yuan-ti proves the better fencer and slices into the githyanki bard.
Ar'dru finds that the gardens provide even less room to spread his wings than the corridor did. He has two choices, land behind his fellows, or head upward and come back down on the guards. He elects the later, and a few seconds after Ii pulls back off her enemy's spear, she sees the bulky form of the dithka'gith swoop down like a winged reaper from the soldier's left side, and chop the yuan'ti in half at the waist. The sweep is so great that it also slices open a second soldier, the one Ii already wounded, and fells him too.
[end rd 1]
[am before all guards and thought to post now, so]
Ii'Jyka curses some unknown Gith curse amalgamated with a prayer that sounds like a deathwish to her target and oath to Nergal... [so foul, it cant be described in mere words].. and hacks at any target that she can get near with a full hatefilled sweep of attacks... ignoring her spear-stab wound..
Her blade seems to understand more about who wields her and who the targets are and drinks deeper from the unfortunates then from Ii'Jyka herself
HP: 40 from 57 (-10 spear, -3 dam. to self, +3 fast heal)
Ii brutally slays the frightened shieldman in her way, cleaving his head.
Meanwhile K'tch fights his own battle. He fences with the pale yuan-ti soldier, but is outmatched. The yuan-ti gets an opening and stabs him in the stomach. K'tch retreats backward, but is hit again above the eye as he does so. He continues to fight, but he has suffered two very serious wounds.
[Du'minh is still facing one guard, some what burned and without a shieldman. Ya'shenn & Kirath can also act before the guards, but no not before that nat20, so they can't save K'tch the pain]
Without a pause Ar'dru reverses his swing and thrusts into the belly of another nearby guard, baring his teeth but missing his opportunity to open the guards throat. (He'll assist K'tch and give flanking bonuses if possible)
[Unfortunately Ar'dru is last in init order. If either of the remaining guards are still standing by the end of the round, Ar'dru will finish him off.]
[ooc - ah well, I've bagged 2 anyway, no big.]
Du’minh grits his teeth at the spear wound and spares the burned guard not a moment to steady himself before the gith retaliates with his own assault. He propels the Arbiter ahead in less of a swing and more of a barely arching upwards path, catching the guard just at the top of his chest with the flail-head curving towards his throat.
“You snakes have broken your honor - for that I will break what’s left of you!”
If the result should clear a path to K’tch, Du’minh dashes through the broken lines to join the hard-pressed bard in his duel.
OOC
Power Attack -2/+4
If the first attack hits and drops the guard, Du’minh moves up and engages the yuan-ti troubling K’tch, flanking it if possible. If not, Du’minh will take another swing to try and finish the job.
Seeing the bard getting cut up Kirath flys over and fires an eldritch blast at the singer's opponent. Hoping to put him down quickly. So he can land and heal the bard.
[I'm guessing there are too many opponents between Ya'shenn and K'tch for her to heal him this round.]
The psion's eyes widen as the bard's music is interrupted. She activates the dorje another time, aiming for the yuan-ti that is causing some difficulties for K'tch...
Ya'shenn levels the force dorje at K'tch's foe, but the yuan-ti is moving around too much, and she misses. K'tch is driven back by the yuan-ti's swordplay. K'tch trips backward, but before the yuan-ti can capitalize, a blast of eldrich flame engulfs him. He dies, screaming, or would have except Ar'dru puts an end to his screams with a sweep of his greatsword.
K'tch rises and bows to Kirath in thanks. He says nothing, nor does he speak to anyone, being greatly humbled by having been beaten in bladework by a graith.
The path before the party is clear. Kirath can see from his vantage that winding stone paths cris-cross the garden, but they all converge on the center. There lies the only place of archways for a portal to center on besides the entryways. A tall gazebo rises from the middle of the garden, surrounded by a stone courtyard.
The foliage is too thick for Kirath or Ar'dru to see any more details than this without approaching the gazebo.
[Spot checks for Everyone plz]
[Spot check]
Spot check
Spot check.
"Euhm...Huh?..."
Ii'Jyka being to oblivious to the world decides that she has to use an ability she often ignores, and that is her ability to blur her near surroundings..
(defensive posture and activate psionic blur racial ab.)
HP: 43 of 57 (+3 fast heal)
After wiping the guards blood off his blade and armour Ar'dru again takes to the air, seeking to hover 10'-20' above the gazebo and keep watch over the surrounding area.
[a few more spot rolls below if nothing happens immediately]
Kirath looks around and says "Beware the Gazebo I hear they are nasty beasts!" Just kidding!
Kirath takes a look around seeing nothing else of interest then lands. He then asks the bard if he has a need for healing. If so Kirath barks the command on his healing wand 3 times on him.
Du’minh covers his wound up and proceeds carefully towards the stone courtyard while keeping a close eye on any signals from Ar’dru hovering above the gazebo.
The Rish begins to circle the perimeter, making a survey of the courtyard and waiting for the whole group to be mobilized before closing in on the gazebo.
Ya'shenn eyes K'tch with concern... but it seems that the warlock is already tending to him. Nor has she missed Du'minh's spear wound, though the Rish-i-Chal seems well enough for the moment. Sensing the apparent caution of the others, the psion makes a series of hand signs similar to those she had used in Mudshow's lair, indicating her intent to remotely view the area.
[Clairvoyance to see what's inside the dread gazebo and courtyard, as well as further down the garden paths.]
K'tch is greatly, though not fully, healed by Kirath. Next to them stands Ya'shenn, her eyes closed. Her mind's eye races along the path toward the gazebo. It is a much larger structure than she anticipated, and somewhat further than she expected seeing a glimse of its roof through the trees and bushes. Along the path between the githyanki and the gazebo are two more patrols of guards. Having observed the now-defeated patrol along with these others, Ya'shenn concludes that a shiledman is a personal slave to the yuan-ti soldiers. Some have them, some do not, and some have more than one. The two patrols she sees consist of, respectively, two spearmen with two shield-slaves, and a spearman and a bowman with three shield-slaves.
There is a grey stone courtyard surrounding the structure, the stones laid out to look like the scales of a coiled snake. The gazebo itself is raised by six steps, and is open with archways between pillars carved to look like strees writhing with snakes. The floor of the gazebo has a tile mosaic ... of snakes.
Inside and around the gazebo are several soldiers and slaves ... and two illithid. The ghaik are barely recognizable as such, as they are hiding inside large hoods to protect them from the impending dawn. Still, their robes are a different style than the yuan-ti's, and Ya'shenn knows a ghaik when she sees one. Two illithid are a threat, but certainly one the warriors can handle. Slightly more problematic are the number of yuan-ti and human slaves in the area. Around the gazebo arehalf a dozen squads of soldiers, each consisting of two spearmen, a bowman, and three shield-slaves. Inside the gazebo with the illithid are three yuan-ti who are much more snake-like than the soldiers. Two are still basicly humanoid, but the third is a huge serpent with arms. All of the more-reptilian yuan-ti are dressed in silks, with siver, gold and gemstone jewelry. Though seemingly unarmored, they have onate swords at their belts. The larger serpentine one bears an ornate longbow made of composite materials.
One of the cloaked illithid steps closer to the abomination, "We are being observed again. In detail this time, the psionic trace is active. Get your minions alert."
The yuan-ti hisses loudly something in its own serpent-tounge.
... Ii'jyka'vaar does not notice the camoflaged serpent in the bush next to her ... until it strikes.
Evidently, activating her blur ability was providence, for the snake misses her.
Kirak says to the rest of the party. "I could soften up the rank and file up a bit before the rest of you engage them" Brandishing a wand with runes that look like flames gracing the slender piece of wood. "What do you all think?" Before anyone can answer the scrawny warlock rises into the air and fades from sight. "Do not worry this time I will not attack until you give the word Kithrak Gy-nath"
For the sake of thoroughness, the psion checks whether the yuan-ti and slaves -- particularly those near the two ghaik themselves -- appear to be actively mind-controlled.
Upon those words, Ya'shenn quickly ends the manifestation of the power -- though she's not entirely surprised. Using hand signs, she describes the situation to the others -- as well as the fact that, unfortunately, the ghaik know that they are being observed. Presumably the group has relatively little time in which to act.
Between rapid hand signs, the psion draws one of the graith-forged daggers from Lavendar's collection and tosses it at the snake.
Ii'Jyka, snaps out of her revery and kicks into action with her weapon a blur, attacking the snake
HP: 40 of 57 (-6 dam to self, +3 fast heal)
(ooc: fast reply, will be able to post more on suday, really working to much and not enough sleep)
With a flash of her blade, Ii makes short work of the viper. Its head falls to the ground.
OOC: If I used the skiff's ram to collapse the gazeebo, how many enemies would I kill? 
Also, how many rounds will it take me to close with the gazeebo?
ooc: how big is the viper? is it worth keeping for a nice pair of boots or anything? lol.
Na'rai has surrendered command of the ship's helm to Sthar and ordered one of her other soldiers to man the triple crossbow, expecting to close into personal combat. She holds her fork in one hand and braces herself against the bulkhead with the other. Looking over his shoulder, she instructs her second in command to bring the skiff in low to hit the pillars of the gazeebo to maximise the structural damage. (OOC: all terrifying 4d8 of it |:? It'll probably kill me with it's AoO anyway 
) The other crew members have been instructed fire into any of the outlying groups of thralls and yuan ti with the triple crossbow (or to bomb them, depending on their stations) as the skiff makes it's attack run on the gazeebo and very probably bounces off.
Na'rai will D-door off the ship into the group of githyanki (ie everyone else) before it begins it's run (OOC: hopefully giving me a full round on the ground to act but if not at least the opportunity to make introductions. Also, is it reasonable to assume I have a mindlink to Sthar if I need him on the ground as well at some point or if he needs my suppourt.)
Behind your group, you hear the distinctive pop of annother githyanki's dimension door ability. She is tall and gaunt, even by githyanki standards, though she is well muscled. She wears light-looking armor, which is heavily worn and scratched, but considerably less baroque than most githyanki armor. It is collored a dull matte grey, but beneath, silvery metal can be seen where the armor is pitted and scratched. It is adorned with jade patterns and copper rusted green. The armor is covered in smooth blades and spikes, whose placement has been given great thought in order to make movement easy. Some plates have been tied with cloth to keep them quiet She wears a heavy helmet--also spiked along with a protective copper plated facemask and an officer's plume--both are green. Long black braids fall from her helmet. Even by githyanki standards, she is inordinately overarmed. Most conspicuosly, you see she is resting on a large, forked polearm that seems to be cast from astral steel as a single piece--it looks exceptionaly sturdy. Both of the tines are serrated, and it's haft is decorated with spirals of jade. She also wears a finely wrought greatsword over her back. You can see see seven other weapons on her person (4 daggers, a sickle, a mace, and a powerful-looking longbow). You recgnize the symbol of the Band of Jade, known for it's shock troops, inset into her breastplate.
"Na'rai Shar Kish'ir of Jade," she says, tilting her mostly covered head in acknowledgement, "Kith'rak," she adds, acknowledging Kirath politely, but with no particular enthusiasim in her voice. Most of her attention is directed to the gazeebo and the rapidly incoming skiff. "What is the plan of attack?"
OOC: Bladedancer, because we have been serving together, it might be wise to share some of our backgrounds. Very probably, we don't get along particularly well.
Gy-Nath is about to answer Na'rai directly, but stop himself and gives a bow of the head to Kirath before continuing. "Have your skiff ram the structure in the center. This will likely drive the ghaik out of their shelter, especially since the several archways caused by the pillars are their real reason for being there. If the bounded spaces are broken they will want to be elsewhere and quickly. Those of our number with flying mobility will create a distraction and a hazard in a direction we do not want them to go, while the rest of us hit them when they are on the move."
The githyanki make ready and study their surroundings. The viper that struck at Ii was but a taste of what would await them should they try to go through the foliage instead of sticking to the winding stone path.
The paths are wide enough to avoid any more random poison fangs in the bushes, but they are winding and complex. In order to navigate them without getting turned around is to have a flying scout with the party wo can spy out the layout. Alternately, the githyanki can all see where the gazebo lies, in order the dimension-door there.
Using hand
signs, she describes the situation to the others -- as well as the fact that,
unfortunately, the ghaik know that they are being observed.
While enveloping himself with his own innate visual distortion field, Du’minh pays close attention to Ya’shenn’s report of numbers and positions throughout the gardens. He runs through the information and focuses on keeping an impression in his mind for suitably clear teleport drop-in sites.
...
"Na'rai
Shar Kish'ir of Jade," she says, tilting her mostly covered head in
acknowledgement, "Kith'rak," she adds, acknowledging Kirath politely, but with no
particular enthusiasim in her voice. Most of her attention is directed to the
gazeebo and the rapidly incoming skiff. "What is the plan of
attack?"Behind
your group, you hear the distinctive pop of annother githyanki's dimension door
ability.
Du’minh offers a quick nod of acknowledgement, momentarily pondering how troublesome it would be to move around in the class of skiffs he’s familiar with when carrying such an extensive and bulky weapon arsenal. This is not the time for full introductions, however, and he focuses on the battle to come.
Gy-Nath
is about to answer Na'rai directly, but stop himself and gives a bow of the
head to Kirath before continuing. "Have your
skiff ram the structure in the center. This will likely drive the ghaik out of
their shelter, especially since the several archways caused by the pillars are
their real reason for being there. If the bounded spaces are broken they will
want to be elsewhere and quickly. Those of our number with flying mobility will
create a distraction and a hazard in a direction we do not want them to go,
while the rest of us hit them when they are on the move."
“Kith’rak, with a maze this extensive we might be able to save time by burning our own short cuts through the foliage, guided by Ya’shenn’s insight or as directed by Ar’dru or Kirath from above. I recommend keeping a few incendiaries with the ground team before we split up.”
The Rish keeps a close eye on the gazebo as it is smashed by the skiff, keeping wary of any flying debris that might come their way.
OOC
Activate concealing amorpha (aka psionic blur).
What does Du’minh know about the Band of Jade’s political affiliations post-Vlaakith?
"I say we keep to the path to avoid unneeded contact with additional enemies..." as she lifts the dead snake...
Gy-Nath smiles at Ya'shenn. "Let's"
The cielings are just under20 feet*. Ar'dru kicks forward with a strong thrust of his wings [due to his faster move speed in the air, he's on point. Ar'dru will be close enough to charge next round, while the others can't]
[Kirath and K'tch get 1 round before the other PCs arive, then initiative is as normal]