20120417_Recap_Buffyverse_Slaying of Lila

This is a place holder...I just wrote the recap for the training mission, someone elses turn...

Fast moving up the ranks of her coven from her deals, kills, & court successes, she had earned great praise twice, once for finding the Mayor, and again for the LDPD surveillance drones launch (to 'protect' the city). With the death of her mate, Mayor Wilkins, and the ruining of the 'tough on crime' event, she went from rising star to out of favor and subject to possible culling. (*1)

With little to lose since already 3 coven members dusted, she risked a forbidden contract with Underdark assasins (*2) for revenge on the Slayers that ruined everything for her. With Wolfram & Hart surveillance teams set up in neighboring houses of where each of the Slayers live, she found Blade as a lone target as he was exploring (i.e. robbing) a neighbor's house and sprung a full scale attack.

Surrounded in a home they can enter, she sent in a W&H wetwork team of 4 high level operatives (16th) as well as 4 elite drones (16th) against the lone Slayer Blade. Fate was on the side of the Prophesisied Ones however, for she chose the most elusive Slayer to target. Surrounded by 8 high level enemies alone, Blade did a house to house teleport home, turning invisible as he did. This would have completely ended the encounter except that the drones' cameras can record in many spectrums and still saw the invisible Slayer.

Buffy, the artifact sword, just so happened to have been telepathicly checking in on Blade (she does this with all of you), and was able to mentally alert 4 other Slayers nearby, including the most powerful Slayer, Angelus, who was already on his way to visit Blade. After 1 rnd completely alone, the next had Angelus running down the block to aid Blade, who after teleporting home, teleported again to his attic, completely out of line of sight from everything. The Vampire wetwork unit tried to pursue Blade, but wasn't invited & couldn't enter, while 2 of the elite drones blasted Blade's home's windows & searched for Blade unsuccessfully, with the other 2 flying high towards Angelus.

With Lyla watching it all from a neighboring rooftop, calling in the outsourced team, Angelus was battling 4 Vampires + 2 drones all by himself for 3 rounds and was near to death (which Angelus actually likes... usually), until Telgarth & Aura were able to join in and help. Angelus activated his magical boots flying out of range of the Vampires to take on both the drones as well as Lyla herself (who only meant to watch), forcing her to immediately start fleeing.

When Aura & Telgarth came on the scene, Blade was still hiding but finished healing up from the ambush, Angelus was flying 50' up fighting the drones, Telgarth with his magical sight ran after Lyla, and all 4 Vampires ran down Aura since she was the only one they could reach, immediately bloodying her up pretty badly.

Aura did a teleport swap with her companion 45' away into Blade's house which likely saved her life as she went from bloodied, alone, and surrounded by 4 fresh Vampires, to behind the magical barrier that the Vamps couldn't cross. Blade had rejoined the battle by now and everyone was appreciative of her healing from inside the sanctuary of Blade's home.

Because of the split focus on both the drones & Lyla (who was still fleeing), the battle was still going 6 rounds later when Kenneday was able to join and aid everyone with further needed healing. The battle was winding down but was bloody enough to sap all the healing magic of both women before victory was the Slayers, who chose to delay dusting Lyla for the time being (since they didn't have her urn yet), but Blade decided he didn't like being targeted for assasination took it out on the captured Lyla, carving her up in a way no living could survive.

After 5 mins of torturing Lyla and recouperating, a Lexus shows up on the scene with 5 Humanoids dressed in baggy sweats & hoodies (20th), but with Squid-like heads no one's every seen before. They were teleporting at will and mentally projecting screaming images in the minds of the Slayers stunning, dazing, and feeding off the mental energies of the Slayers with strange mind magics. Blade took no chances and as soon as the Illithids showed up, he immediately dusted Lyla, beginning the best coordinated battle the Slayers ever fought, handling this tough threat dropping 1 Illithid every round. Unfamiliar with the Underdark beasts' powers, Angelus pursued the last 2 quite a ways away from the rest of the party when he was near 0 hits (which he normally does all the time). Since both Illithids were bloodied by this time and one very teetering near death, a timely critical hit caved in Angelus' skull, before the other Slayers could join, and for the 2nd time saw Angelus die, this time needing Ember's magic to bring him back to life.

Knowing without destroying her urn, Lyla would return in 1-30 days, after ressurecting Angelus (who seemed slightly different after his visit with the Raven Queen *3), the party wasted no time attacking Lyla's loft in pursuit of her urn. Because of her recent favor with the clan, she was staying at a very nice penthouse suite with a roof courtyard. Blade was just about to harmlessly exit the elevator first, when Kenneday used her magic to slide Aura out in front of him, provoking an attack from a powerful warding glyph (18th) above the elevator that only targeted non-undead. All the Slayers immediately noticed the magical properties of the 2 large statues (18th) flanking the penthouse front doors across the rooftop courtyard and focused their attack on them, but doing surprisingly little damage, or none at all.

The battle was in full swing when 2 Wights (18th) and 2 Wraiths (17th) joined the fight. Telgarth's Oath magic was thwarted when the Gargoyle stayed in stone form after being badly damaged, forcing him to attack a non-oathed enemy while around 6 times various Slayers tried to push/slide it off the roof while it hibernated in stone form, but the large rock proved too heavy & made every save until it rejoined the battle (unhealed thanks to Telgarth's magics). Ignoring the glyph which was doing significant damage to the non-undead Slayers, the Slayers eventually fought through and won the encounter and found the glyph only attacked the living as long as they were on the courtyard, safe inside Lyla's penthouse.

Once inside the very nice penthouse, the party only found dummy computer files & such until they eventually found a hidden vault with 2 powerful magic items, but no urn anywhere. Determined, the Slayers kept searching and eventually found 2 small holes leading into a rather thick inerior wall that snaked in an 'S' pattern preventing line of sight in. True to a hunch, Angelus used phasing magic to go in and discover a hidden closet with an urn that had magic dust refroming in it. The party heard breaking clay before seeing Angelus reemerge from within the wall.

Meanwhile, Blade went outside & harmlessly hacked away at the glyph so it wouldn't attack his friends upon exit.

Post Script: The party's loot from the day included 1k gp worth of residuum from each of the 4 police drones, 10k each in residuum from each of the 5 Mind Flayer assasins, a Lexus registered to W&H (that can magically drive itself to a stated destination obeying traffic signals, slowing/stopping for pedestrians, etc.) and 2 powerful magic items from Lyla's vault.

Note: There is no market for magic items, so cannot be sold for more than masterwork value.


*1: If a Vampire coven downsizes from 20 to 12 (or 12 to 8, etc.), It's usually the weakest members that are targeted, unless a higher ranked member is out of favor. This occasionally causes some intercoven 'politics'...

*2: Magic is only forgotten about on the surface world. The Underdark is not under Vampire rule, except so far as they all know they are not welcome anywhere on the surface where their very presence reveals the lie of the magic coverup in the Buffyverse surface.

*3: Ken is wanting to switch PCs, which I hope no one else wants to do since it kinda messes up the story

Interested in pursuing contacts for crafting more powerful items, Angelus talked the Slayers into looking up the Toknosfar contact the party heard of from the High Council member that helped send everyone home from Castle Strahd. An easy insight check revealed that he was looking everyone over trying to find certain birthmarks on the Slayers, and catching the clue first, Angelus made an obvious gesture to his mark. After a couple others did, Harvey's demeanor became much more friendly & less gaurded. "I heard you'd be looking me up soon. Hey, have any of you ever considered a career in show business?"

When the party suggested that they could use some custom crafted magic items, Harvey told the Slayers that recently (right after the party fought Queen Akasha, coincidentally) the Plasmanatti High Council declared all magic items banned/destroyed and outlawed any crafting for 100 years, so would be a tough request to fill without compensation for the risk. That's when the party told Harvey about Selena, the non-evil Vampire that helped the Slayers way back at the casino (& was Blade's partner in theivery).

When Harvey found out Selena wasn't a minion, everyone agreed to an introduction for an introduction as fair trade (Selena & the item crafter). "You really must be the Prophesisied Ones, for your timing couldn't be more perfect for what you're wanting! (smiles big) I'll commission my plane to have you resc... er, pick him up tomorrow morning. I hope you like the desert, because you'll need to go to Eqypt to find Mr Gold, one of the few crafters crazy enough to make items despite the High Council decree..."

As the party is getting up in the morning to go to the airport & Bloodstein's plane...

Friday's encounter will begin at Kenneday's home...

bradly wrote:
*3: Ken is wanting to switch PCs, which I hope no one else wants to do since it kinda messes up the story

After playing the same PCs for a year or so I think it's pretty normal for someone to want to switch characters/roles. You may want to add ways for the slayers to come and go.

Also, in Buffy, didn't they have slayers come and go? I've only seen a few of the episodes, but actors are always coming and going on other shows.

I believe Ross and Stu gave a few suggestions as to what could become of Angelus...

This is a perfect time to switch. I think we can just say Angelus died when the Flayers sucked his brain out.

Ross wrote:This is a perfect time to switch. I think we can just say Angelus died when the Flayers sucked his brain out.

Sounds like Angelus may turn evil...

after ressurecting Angelus, who seemed slightly different after his visit with the Raven Queen..

I have it planned out. Ken; have both PCs ready Friday...