Felicia runs alongside her companions, charging into the fray towards the Prince. He blood runs hot as her eyes fill with visions of the creature before her and she gives a scream of rage as moves.
The survivors burst into the room. The two Kingsmen who had been acting as guards are caught by surprise and can't react as the Prince is suddenly attacked. Only the other, more elegant knight, keeps wits. With blinding, inhuman speed the knight steps across the room, intercepting Pengaal with two quick saber slashes. They don't wound, but they're enough to push Pengaal away momentarily. He can't stop all of them, though, and the rest of the survivors break through to attack the Prince.
Ludwig delivers a brutal blow with his scythe just as the Prince turns around. Siegschwert dives in after and drives his greatsword into the mans chest. The Prince coughs violently, crimson spraying from his lips as he struggles to stand. Felicia shoulders her way in and slams her shield against the hilt of Siegschwerts blade. The sound of the two Twilight Knight weapons colliding is glorious and the colossal blade is pounded through the Prince's sternum, impaling him to the ground still standing.
Blood pools on the ground, but the battle is not over yet. Behind them the two Kingsmen and the other knight have collected themselves and now stand between you and the door you came in.
.
Spinning on his heel to properly face the shrouded man, Pengaal slaps at the saber with his machetes in a cautious test of his opponent's skill.
Now being the one second to if not the closest to the guards, her having been farthest back on the charge, she steps away from them and begins to prepare her blinding bolts as they orbit around her.
|
Siegschwert left the sword, still embedded in both the Prince's corpse and the ground, as a token of their struggle.
As the Librarian Knight slowly turned towards the Kingsmen and the elegant knight he drew the Replica Sword.
Bringing the hilt to his chest, blade upwqrds to the sky, the huge man saluted his foes as by bowing slightly as he brought the sword to his right with the tip pointing to the ground.
"We bring you... honour... in death... We'll free you... of this suffering..." he said as a phantom Flower Knight appeared behind him, almost a shadow merged with the Librarian Knight.
Both the knight and the shadow braced the sword with both hands and readied themselves to battle.
Felicia turns from her pinned foe, the red hot anger still corsing through her body. Her eyes land on the Kingsmen just out of her reach and with a yell she dashes across the room, slamming into the nearest one.
Ludwig continues his assault, attacking the closest King Man.
In the center of the room Pengaal faces off alone against the strange knight. He drops into a practiced stance and focus on his opponents weapon hand. Two quick strike and the saber clatters to the ground lightly. It's strange, he could have sworn that he... dropped the sword? Pengaal doesn't have long to consider it because the knights armored fist immediately smashes him across the jaw, tearing flesh and bruising bone. What follows is a savage rain of blows as the knight pounds Pengaal who can only barely fend off some of the attacks. One makes it through and cracks his eye socket, another follows shortly that knocks the wind out of him.
Around the room the rest of the Survivors spring into action again. Yuria conjures her lightning bolts while Siegschwert draws his replica blade. With a moment of focus he commands forth the spirit of the Flower Knight whose ethereal form manifests just over his shoulder. Amid the sounds of battle the Flower Knights song can be heard softly. Felicia moves against one Kingsmen and swings her shield. Though the blow is deflected, it gives Ludwig a window to come from behind with his scythe. Unfortunately the think armor stops the blow short. The kingsman retaliates with his halberd, delivering strong chops to Felicia and Ludwig. The other kingsman turns on Yuria and approaches menacingly, knowing that she is not protected.
The Hand 204/225
Kingsman 1 136/136
Kingsman 2 136/136
With a cry of pain Felicia staggers from the rain of blows. She positions herself into a favorable position with Ludwig and lets loose a furious onslaught as she feels the adrenaline surge through her.
|
|
Wielding the Replica sword with both hands, Siegschwert lets out a roar as his ironclad body moves his surprising alacrity towards the elegant knight.
The Librarian Knight unleashes a powerful barrage of thrusts and overhanded slashes, aided in each attack by the Flower Knight's shadow.
"Suffer not the traitors! Vanquish all evil!" he yells as he attacks.
Using Raging Hunter Pounce and Power Attack.
If any attack hits, he will activate Armiger's mark.
A blinding bolt crackles after the Knight as Yuria steps back, deflecting it after the approaching enemy-
She would step back to catch as many as she could in the radius of her healing as she looked and called out for help "I will require a hand to handle this one, but first..."
A smile flicks across her face "You will not defeat my Champions so easily, defilers of the temple!"
Beaten, bloody, and bruised, Pengaal cries out in pain but still stand. He squints through his one good eye and makes a madcap rush of attacks at the Hand. His machetes dart out in hard hacking motions, striking at the neck and the groin at odd angles in a desperate attempt to find flesh.
I'll be using Flat Iron Riposte on his first attack (assuming I'm not dead due to the 9 bleed damage I think I'm taking next turn) to try and throw him off the bridge. The acrobatics check has to be higher than the Hand's attack roll.
Shaken from the blows, Ludwig growls from pain but doesn't loosen the grip on his weapon and lunges it with full force into the joint of King Man's armor.
Felicia grabs the attention of the Kingsman. Having already fought the earlier two, she knows that their defenses were sturdy so she focuses on keeping it distracted while Ludwig moves in with his scythe. Together the two manage to find purchase in the armor, though the soldier is far from dead. Even so, he is unable to land any telling blows on the two Twilight Knights in return.
Siegschwert rushes to the side of the staggered Pengaal. He slashes at the knight who confidently attempts to block the sword with only a finger tip. The replica sword collides with armored gauntlet and the spirit of the Flower Knight shines brightly for a brief moment. The elegant knight recoils and hisses, blood springing from its wounded hand. Pengaal takes the opportunity to deliver a series of chops to the midriff. Unbowed and with a wave of his cape the knight disappears in a cloud of smoke, reappearing next to the impaled corpse of the Prince. He strikes an elegant pose and, shockingly, speaks:
"Behold, for I am the Hand of the King" comes the booming voice. There is a certain spectral quality as the tone rises and falls even as he speaks. It carries undeniable authority as it echoes throughout the room. "I admire your mettle, ye knights. Tell me, your names?"
Pengaal, meanwhile, struggles to stand. His vision fades as he loses the lost of his blood to the stone floor. As his vision fades, he is greeted by the sight of Yuria glowing gloriously. Healing energy fills his body just as he is on the brink of unconsciousness. The other Kingsman does not let this go unchallenged and he follows after Yuria, finally catching her with his halberd.
The Hand 171/225
Kingsman 1 136/136
Kingsman 2 74/136
|
|
"I am Siegschwert of Eissenhorn... Last of the Librarian Knights... Member of the Twilight Order... Friend of the People of the Sun... and I will defeat you!" exclaims Siegschwert as he lifts his sword over his right shoulder.
With a furious sweep, the Librarian Knight attacks aiming to cleave the Hand in two and send him flying away from his friends.
I will be using Golden Swipe. If hit, I can move him 10 ft away and I deal 6d6 extra damage.
If I hit, I will try to move him in the opposite direction to where Pengaal is and then move to keep engaging him in melee.
"Ludwig of Albira, Knight of the Twilight Order," he announces, lunging at his opponent.
Yuria continues her curious smile as she presses a hand to the halberd wielding knight "I am Yuria, of the People of the Sun, a brilliant incandescence for these Champions of the Abyss!"
A soul reveals itself and begins to drain energy from her attacker as Yuria begins to bring herself back to full health from the blow "You picked the wrong champion..."
She would then back step in a quick slide so that she could be back to back with Pengaal
As she steps back to stand next to Pengaal she lets her second lightning bolt strike out after the halberd wielding knight-
"You will not kill me so easily!"
Still dizzy and delirious from nearly falling to the void, Pengaal blinks the stars of Yuria's healing light from his eyes and slurs a few words as he struggles to his feet. "I... *hng* Wha? I... Pengaal. A painter. And it is not yet my time - I have errors yet to atone for."
Finding his feet again, Pengaal pirouettes around Yuria and attacks the threatening Kingsman with fury renewed.
If it doesn't take it's AoO, I'll still use FIR if anything attacks me, with the same goal.
Again, a full attack. If any attacks hit, I'll mark the Kingsman with Armiger's Mark.
As her blows connect Felcia gives a small smile of confidence as she yells "I am Felicia of the Twilight Order, unbowed and unbroken!"
"Very well" continues the Hand. Siegschwert interjects with a furious swing. Even with his totally superhuman agility, the Hand cannot dodge this blow and it strikes resoundingly against his breastplate. The force is so great that he is sent sliding across the floor, kicking up a small cloud of dust. The figure pants heavily under the weight of the blow, yet still stands.
"...I was foolish to forget how tenacious you Twilight Knights can be. That is a mistake I shall not repeat."
The Hand casts his hand out dramatically and Siegschwert is immediately struck as a malignant force attempts to usurp his consciousness.
Across the room the rest of the conflict rages on:
Ludwig and Felicia remain locked in combat with one of the Kingsmen. The halberd flashes dangerously, sending both of them sprawling to the floor with deadly wounds.
Pengaal moves to engage the Kingsman threatening Yuria. Her draining touch fails, while the lighting appears to have little effect. Fortunately it is just distracting enough to allow Pengaal to deliver a biting blow with his machete. He tries to protect himself against retaliation but fails and is wounded slightly.
Kingsman 1 136/136
Kingsman 2 74/136
Yuria immediately presses a hand to her chest as she takes a five foot step in the direction of Ludwig and Felicia while whispering over to Pengaal "Pengaal... I know your state is bad, as is mine... But I must ask for your assistance dear Champion... I only need a moment and I can raise them both. I will not allow them to die."
She gives a glare at the Hand "...You... You do not get to kill my Champions. They do not die here. Not without my permission. As I said before.... You attacked the wrong one."
Yuria's hand glows a radiant white as she raises it directly at Felicia, fully restoring her health as she clasps both hands together and exclaims "FELICIA, CHAMPION OF THE ABYSS, RISE."
Having barely blocked one of the strikes with his conjured shield, Ludwig counter attacks with his own weapon.
With desperate glances back and forth, Pengaal redoubles his assault against the Kingsman in the faint hope of laying him low so he can turn his attentions to Sir Siegschwert.
Just a full attack; I've a feeling stopping to recover maneuvers would be fatal.
Edit: Crit Confirmation and damage:
Felicia feels the hard bite of the halberd as she begins to collapse, feeling the encroaching darkness once again. She sets her mind to trying to stay conscious as a calming warmth suddenly washes over her. The darkness vanishes and her head clears as Yuria comes into focus. "Thank you as always Lady of the Sun."
She regains her footing and stands against the foul creatures calling out to her comrades "Fear and falter not, for our cause is right and these twisted things shall be cast once more into the darkness!" Staring at the Kings Man that had come so close to falling her, she reels back, and delivers a mighty swing.
Siegschwert charges at Yuria and the battle descends into absolute chaos. In his addled state, Siegschwert somehow misses the healer who then heals Felicia. Pengaal leaps onto the back of the Kingsman and digs his machetes between the plate. The Kingsman roars and turns on him with his halberd, landing a single minor blow. Felicia delivers a strong bash with her shield to the Kingsman, causing him to stagger momentarily. It shakes its helmeted head but is unable to bring its weapon about.
The Hand watches all this silently. Even in the still air of the chamber, his cape flows lightly.
The Hand 129/225
Kingsman 1 88/136
Kingsman 2 40/136
With one foot braced against the ground, Pengaal makes to hook the other around the Kingsman foot and pull him to the ground. He follows with a barrage of cuts and slices.
Neither of those attack rolls include any bonus for the Kingsman being prone.
Yuria takes another five foot step towards Ludwig and Felicia as she holds a bright white light out, similar to that which healed Felicia only seconds ago.
She keeps her gaze on the Hand as she calls out to all of them "Fight fearlessly, Champions! I will do all I can to keep us from falling."
Yuria shakes her chime in her hand so that the sound of a bell resounds throughout the room. Her eyes, normally a glimmering gold when casting, are instead a brilliant and sparkling white "Be revived and filled with life, through the purity of the sun, Ludwig. Do not worry, you will not die..."
Yuria whispers more to herself than to anyone else "I've still got a few tricks left..."
Pengaal sends a Kingsman sprawling to the ground and delivers a cutting blow with his machete. The Kingsman slowly gets back to its feet, guarding itself with its halberd so that Pengaal cannot take advantage of it, but also unable to attack in return.
In the fray, Siegschwert leaps across the room and drives his sword into the exposed back of the unsuspecting Ludwig. Hot blood spills across the dirt floor and Ludwig can only turn to Siegschwert with a look of betrayal and horror wrote across his face as he collapses to the ground.
Ludwig having fallen, the Kingsman turns its attention to Felicia. It raises its halberd and smashes the but against the ground, and Felicia feels herself once again assaulted by an overwhelming burning sensation.
Across the room, the Hand has turned away from the combat and to the corpse of the Prince. Delicately he lays a hand upon the hilt of Siegschwerts mighty blade and begins to pull it free, first from the stone and then from the body itself. With his other arm he holds the body of the prince up and gently lays it on the ground once the sword is free...
The Hand 129/225
Kingsman 1 64/136
Kingsman 2 40/136
|
|
Blood. The first thing Siegschwert witnessed when he came back to his senses was Ludwig's blood and his look of betrayal. "No..." muttered the knight as he processed what has just happened "NOOOOOOOOO!"
The cry, part despair and part wrath, foretold the charge. He turned around until he caught sight of the Hand, placing his corrupted hands on his sword and freeing the Prince, and with speed a man of his size shouldn't have he jumped and dashed towards him.
"Die, wretched bastard!" he yelled as his shoulder collided with the Hand's chest, aiming at oppening his guard, before trying to split him in half with a powerful overhanded chop.
As the Kingsman staggers in a very human moment Felicia gives the wicked creature a chilling glare of disgust. "Die" she commands as she reels back and and takes the opening.
Felicia tries her best to fight through but the scorching pain is too much to withstand as she staggers and cries out in agony.
Not willing to give the Kingsman (or himself) time to rest, Pengaal lashes out with another flurry of blows at it's tin-pot head.
Yuria gives an angered sigh as she sees Ludwig has still remained on the ground, fallen and unconscious. Her light burns a brilliant white in both hands, mimicing the ritual she had done just a moment ago for Felicia "RISE, LUDWIG, CHAMPION OF THE ABYSS."
Healed and invigorated by the Deep Speaker's magic, Ludwig stands back up to face their enemies.
"Do not underestimate the Twilight Order!"
As he exclaims that, Ludwig strikes the Kings Man across his his chest.
"Do not succumb to their curses, friends!"
"No." states the Hand simply. He turns on his heel with lightning speed and utilizes the flat side of Siegschwerts tremendous blade to block the attack.
"You insignificant worm" he spits. "Is there mind enough if your head to even comprehend your situation? That I could sweep you aside like so much chaffe, should I choose to do so?" He punches Siegschwert in the gut, emphasizing his words. "Twilight order or not, you are merely men, and I will see you bloodied, broken, and hopeless before you could even hope of slaying me"
Felicia surges with desperate strength and slashes the staggering Kingsman with the sharpenend edge of her shield, creating a massive gash and shattering the length of its halberd as it attempts to save itself. It falls to the ground, spassiming, and Felicia is rewarded with a new wave of burning pains as she once again feels her bones shatter and rearrange themselves once again, drawing her deeper into the Kings Curse.
Pengaal also delivers a strong slash to the remaining Kingsman, causing it to shudder. It stabs with its halberd, trying to fend the painter off with a few shallow cuts.
The Hand 129/225
Kingsman 1 48/136
Kingsman 2 Dead
With a violent grinding she feels her bones begin to rearrange and pain shoots through her and Felicia gasps as she feels herself slipping further from her humanity. Her mind swims, her vision narrows; it becomes difficult to recognize who's who as the battle swarms around her. She notices a corpse laying at her feet and far off is a man clashing with another, who are they?
A slow heartbeat goes by and suddenly her pain and confusion is replaced by her anger. The creature's ichor pools from it's misshapen body and her shield gleams. Felicia sets eyes on the second Kingsman giving her compatriots trouble. "Fall to your knees!" She cries as she raises her shield as she delivers a hearty blow.
Matching Felicia's shield-blow with his own machetes on the Kingsman's other side, Pengaal comes as close as he's ever come to praying in hoping this ends the fight so they can turn to the Hand.
+
+
+
|
|
Siegschwert spits, more blood than saliva,
as the Hand's fist connects with his belly .
This traitorous bastard, he dared speak of hope and hopelessness. He knew nothing of both, Siegschwert knew them really well...both being like distant relatives that visit when less expected.
With a roar the Librarian Knight used his left fist to grab the Hand by his right shoulder, while his right hand summoned every bit of strength to try and drive the Replica sword through the Hand's heart.
As his blade pierced the traitor's chest, Siegschwert grabbed the hilt with his left and threw a rabid, wild punch to the Hand before extracting the sword again.
"I have no hope... I feel no hopelessness... I bring the hope to those who bear the dark sigil!"