While walking around the City Veronica watches each of the Dark Ones studying their aura for malign traces. Some, she already knew were wicked, but she held out hope that it was not all of them, that some had managed to tend to the inner light in such a dark place.
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Roland gets kinda impressed with the scouts, being so effective as to not be seen. He doubted the monster was not aware of their approach, since they were a large party, and not very stealthy. But of course, maybe the stars - that could not be seen from here - thought otherwise. He knew he was ready to fall like a comet upon them. "They got rid of the guards, two of them. Those are their weapons. We will split and fight in a cave where the tentacle beast might be, while they are going to fight something else on the other one." Then he switches to Dark Folk, at least the little he learned from them. "If you get in trouble. Buy yourself time. We will come there later to aid you."
After taking notice of the weapon used by the enemy, he approached with the others and got his weapon ready.
Probably it was for the best not having the dark folk around them, since they could be mistaken by slaves and really mess up with his focus. No, that would not do, so he thanked the gods for splitting them up.
He thanked Veronica and Catcher for the spells, now that he could see in the dark. Since Gromff was doing the strategy he heard it, conscious his job was damaging, not thinking, it would seem. "Wait till they move on you, then Roland Smash!"
... He then walks forward, adding a blessing to his weapon that causes it to glow yellow. "Yer game got room fer another."
The hellish soldiers did a double take when they saw the dwarf trodding toward them, right where they were supposed to be keeping guard. Their eyes were drawn to the magnificent, golden, gem-encrusted flail that was glowing with heaven's light. Dice and coins were scattered as they made for their glaives that leaned against the cave wall...
Mjolvandr made itself known verbally,
"Devils?! Oh, yes!! By the gods, YES!"
Initiative Rolls
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Round 1
They seemed unprepared. Well, Gromff certainly wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. He steps close to the nearest one and stays close like stink on a...well, this guy.
But even this close to two disgusting Bearded Devils he manages at least one solid hit.
While the chess pawns moved into position, he had time to shake his head to the lousy hammer and, why not to say, the wizard who followed its steps. He could not understand why people (and hammers) kept boasting around like that, instead of aiming properly, or maybe controlling their breathing to match their swings. Such a waste of efforts, but there should be a reason for that, who knew?
Well, Gromff was onto them, they were onto Gromff. Catcher enhanced their speed. Veronica had already protected them, and was probably ready to join in. So now it was time for hulk Roland to smash things.
And indeed the dwarf had a great memory, by recalling Roland had killed one of those creatures with a single hit to the head. But that was a long time ago, and certainly these creatures would be better trained than those pitiful devils back then. It was also possible that the barbarian is not as strong now as he was at that time, of course, or maybe he was not used to fighting devils anymore. A lot could go wrong in here. It almost seemed like a new challenge when he walked towards the other Bearded Devil to strike it with DP!
Or maybe we should say same old same old.
Damage: 9 str +2magic +15PA = +26
Veronica smiles at Catcher and responds in soft, hushed tones. "I, too, have a bad feeling. But it is the right thing to do. And it does not seems as if there ist anyone else here that could accomplish such a deed. These people deserve to be free, to make their own decisions instead of being slaves."
With the spell complete, Veronica takes a moment to gently grasp Catcher's shoulder. "A sacrifice may make myself weaker, or even gone, but it wouldst leave thee strong. Thy group already has plenty of warriors, thyself included, but only one capable of magic. If the choice must be made, it is for the betterment of the mission that it be myself. If thee thinkst rationally, separated from emotional attachment, it is the choice that gives the world the best chance."
Removing her hand, Veronica has quite a grin when she adds "And it is my choice to make, and one I am happy to make that the world might be saved."
Veronica was unsure of this plan, not preferring to let Gromff take the brunt of the first attacks. Still, he had proven more than capable of such a task before. And once the Devils were upon him she gripped her weapon in both and charged forward, her teeth gritting as she brought all of her strength and momentum into an overhead swing.
The two iconic serrated glaives, likely used in the torture and murder of countless mortals, lay motionless against the cave wall. A limp clawed hand lay pathetically on the floor nearby, left open from a failed attempt to grasp it before the dangerous usurpers could engage. The companions all stood there, some splashed in a fair amount of devil's blood, towering over the broken bodies of the pair of barbazus that really didn't stand a chance.
The nearby slaves turned to look at the commotion, though they remained dispassionate and disconnected from any impact the death of their guards might have. A brief pulse of soft light emitted from the darkness -- or more specifically, from an odd white statue upon a dais not far from the recent melee -- followed immediately by all nearby slaves' eyes glossing over and returning to their duties forthwith.
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A shouting voice intrudes upon your thoughts, screaming loudly without anyway to shut it out --
The cavern very suddenly began to change around the friends, shifting from a natural cavern to that of manufactured brick and mortar building. Walls shot up from the ground, separating every member of the group from one another in their own 5'x 5' room. Everyone's darkvision prevents them from a feeling of utter claustrophobia, but these partitions have trapped the heroes and ended their plans to free slaves in a heartbeat!
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When the terrain starts to shift Veronica quickly grabs and wraps her cloak around herself. The walls appear and seem solid, but the Paladin relaxes her vision and finds that she can still see the pulsing of her companions nearby heartbeats in her blurry red vision.
She reaches out with her pick and taps the wall. But there is only a brief moment of resistance before it gives way and the whole thing can be seen for the falsehood it is. In a strong voice she shouts "It is a deception! The walls are naught but an apparition!"
"I remember them being tougher," Gromff says, nudging the bloodied corpse of one of the devils. A booming voice in his head distracts him from the carnage. At first, he thought it was his hammer. It was the only thing that had been able to speak in his head. Then he remembered what they were dealing with.
Round 2
Just as the thought about mind-manipulating squid heads popped up, so did a cleverly constructed masonry trap. Gromff spins once to see that he was indeed trapped in brick cell. Or was he? It sprang up perfectly and without the floor giving way. It was perfectly placed to catch all of them. The brick too seemed far to perfect too, almost like it was painted on. Gromff reaches out a hand and feels the wall easily give way. The tactile impossibility shatters the illusion.
Gromff hefts his flail and moves towards the statue. The thing glowed just before the walls went up. They must be connected.
The devil was too easy, but it seemed the big fish was nearby. And indeed walls grew from outta nowhere.
Roland looked behind him swiftly, noticing there was no escape without breaking something. Well, good thing he was good at breaking something. He swung at the wall, aiming to put a hole on it at once, but even with his strength it did not seem to do much against the solid construction, which was odd enough and made him think for just a second.
The not enraged barbarian clearly heard Veronica mentioning that the walls were just an apparition, but that was not the case. The monster, as it knew they were coming, set an ambush to try to delay the barbarian while he killed the rest of the team, and nothing other than the strongest material on earth would suffice to hold him for long. And these were not blue as Gromff's previous weapon, but rather like rock. So they could be broken, one just had to keep trying.
So twice more Roland tried to breach the wall on the same spot, having no apparent result. He was about to go all in!
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An illusion, of course it must be! There’s no way such nice wall would appear out of nowhere! Things got even clearer as Veronica issue her warning. Catcher strides forward, passing thru the wall that was supposed to trap her ”Is that all? Am I supposed to be impressed?” she says to the voice yelling inside her mind.
But then, she looks to the side and the barbarian hitting the illusory wall with almost all his mighty! Gods! That alone made the trip to this place worth it! ”Hit it harder Roland! It’s almost breaking!” she encourages the not enraged man.
With no apparent enemy on sight, she stays prepared to cast a spell in case one appears.
As the majority of the group's minds penetrate the mirage arcana that sprung from nowhere, the unfortunate barbarian was locked inside of a cell of illusion, though the walls felt as real as any other.
While Gromff and Catcher move forward to head off further confrontation, a new infernal illusion threw them more figments to distract and confuse the already tense situation. With another brief flash of light from the statue, every slave in sight - drow, pech, darkfolk - suddenly shifted into the forms of bearded devil guards or into what must be what Fuelyon called the illithid; slimy-skinned humanoids with writhing tentacles in place of their mouths.
All of these new enemies turned and ran toward the usurping heroes! The devils swung their serrated glaives while the "mind-flayer" illithid sent forth waves of distortions that washed over the party with 'fwoop' sounds. The waves hit like a ton of bricks, threatening to knock the friends into unconsciousness.
[dice= "Barbazu" A vs Veronica]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice= "Barbazu" B vs Veronica]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice= "Barbazu" C vs Gromff]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice= "Barbazu" D vs Gromff]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice= "Barbazu" E vs Gromff]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice= "Barbazu" C damage]1d6+1[/dice]
You had a readied action to cast a spell at the next enemy who presented itself. Suddenly you're surrounded by enemies, so this is a tough call, rule-wise and RP wise. There were a couple of enemies who ran from around the south corner, but that happened after the slaves were re-imaged as enemies. Since your readied action is supposed to happen first, I'll let you choose to fire at
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Veronica holds cloak high, the strikes coming at her seeming slow and clumsy for a "Devil". Glancing back, she sees Roland still struggling against the illusory walls. Knowing they might need his strength, she moved back towards him, calling "Sir Roland! Thy walls are but an illusion! Watch and follow, for we have no time to dawdle."
Taking a moment to make sure to stay clear of his swings, she dashes through the walls before grasping his arm and trying to pull him through.
As Veronica attempts to free Roland, she shouts back at the others "The slaves are covered by an illusion! Be wary of your attacks!"
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”What? How?” The mage is startled for a moment as the slaves turn into enemies and start attack, her knees buckle and she almost fall unconscious, barely able to stay in the fight, the good thing is, that helped her clear her mind and she now can see which one are the enemy and which one are the slaves.
”Roland, destroy that freaking statue!” she yells after receiving an attack from the devil.
The prepared spell, she takes a single step forward , condensing the energy on her hand, and trying to touch the devil.
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After the spell is out, she activates her bracers of shield and proceed to attack the devil in front of her.
Round 3
I wave of psychic energy rolls over Gromff unlike anything headed ever felt. If it was naught but a physical pain he could deal with it. But this attacked his mind directly. Divine power shielded his mind but buckled under the tremendous assault. One second, Gromff was marching towards the statue with a purpose. The next, he was lying on the ground, limp as a fresh corpse. A fate that might become reality in a few seconds.
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Gromff's limp hand suddenly clenched with a fury around Mjolvandr's grip, an impulse caused by a surge of electricity issued forth from the gaudy weapon itself. It cried out audibly as the dwarf swooned,
"Oh no you don't!"
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The barbarian was shaken from his scatter-brained state as Veronica's hand poked through the brick wall as if she were a ghost. Presented with incontrovertible evidence that he had been deceived, the illusion vanished from sight straightaway.
Though one illusion had fallen, he was now faced with a scene that he dared not believe - Gromff and Catcher nearly swarmed with devils and bearded devil guards.
”Roland, destroy that freaking statue!” she yells after receiving an attack from the devil.
The spellsword pointed out the pale tentacled statue behind the line of melee, then pointed out which of their enemies were truly foes. Making a quick calculation, Roland then realized that all the slaves were no longer there, meaning that they had likely been bespelled to appear as devils. Noting immediately that only two of the devils wielded their iconic serrated glaive weapons, he knew exactly what Catcher was referring to.
Roland suddenly charged forth into the fray, charging past the faux devil and into the barbazu's swinging at Catcher. His mighty hammer collided with the devil half-a-moment after the young mage's lightning touch sent ripples of destruction through its form. The combination of attacks destroyed the being, sending it to the floor in a loose broken heap, but not before the devilish pair swung their blades to intercept the attack.
All of the faux-devils and faux-illithid raised their arms, covering their eyes to shield the shining beacon of light that is now Roland!
Just as Gromff's consciousness faded a sharp pain shot through his body and mind. The shock was enough to stave off the darkness. Gromff stomped his foot to prevent falling over and panted more out of fear than exertion. Had he passed out, the floor probably would have been the last thing he saw. "Thank ye. Don't do that again."
Damage: 9 str +3magic +2rage +12PA = +26
I'm confused if we are to act again or not.
A massive shadowy form of what looks to be a 16 foot-long spider skitters along the ceiling toward the melee, coming from the southeast part of the chamber. It is moving nearly silently and with great ease for something of its size. As it draws nearer, closer examination reveals that it is not in fact a spider, but a humanoid of sorts, but with four arms and a gaping toothy maw for a head.
The monstrosity is out of reach for those on the ground, but it can very likely reach those on the ground nearby.
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This creature is a gug. Gugs are inhuman monstrosities that dwell in the deep places of the world, loathed by other races for their carnal rites of slaughter. Gugs are 16 feet tall and weigh nearly 2,000 pounds, but they move with an eerie, unnatural gait as though their limbs contained far too many joints. They can contort and distend their limbs for greater reach or to wriggle easily through impossibly Small passages.
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The true bearded devil stepped back to take advantage of his greater reach, then using both hands swung his filthy glaive at the largebarian who had joined the fray. His blows were perfectly aimed, opening deep cuts that would have felled a lesser man.
The damage a bearded devil deals with its glaive inflicts persistent wounds that cause 2 points of bleed damage. Bleed caused from an infernal wound is particularly difficult to stanch—a DC 17 Heal check stops the damage, and any attempt to heal a creature suffering from an infernal wound must succeed on a DC 16 caster level check or the spell does not function. Success indicates the healing works normally and stops all bleed effects on the victim. The infernal wounds caused by a bearded devil are a supernatural ability of the devil, not of the weapon.
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The true illithid, as pointed out by Catcher, stares hard at the young mage, its tentacles writhing and reaching while it uses its innate psionic powers. A surge of mental energy assaults the spellsword, but shatters like a glass mug against the floor, utterly failing to have any effect.
An audible pop! sounds out over Roland, and suddenly the warrior's arms felt heavier and sluggish compared to moments ago.
The small army of slaves appearing as devils and mind-flayers continued their mindless attacks upon their liberators, swinging mining picks and shovels as makeshift weapons.
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Gromff shakes the darkness from his eyes and realizes he's in a pinch. He saw through the veil and realized he could take no actions against everything around him. They were all slaves acting against their will. And the thing that nearly killed him was on the other side.
Using his lowered center of gravity and great strength, he barrels through the slave ahead of him and right at the Illithid.
The surly stout warpriest powered his way through the crowd of attackers, knowing that he will need to move forward to get to the greater foes in need of putting down. This daring move left his flanks exposed to attack, however the barrage was mostly deflected by Gromff's plate armor.
Round 4
Gromff arrives next to the real Illithid, murder in his eyes. "For Moradin," he says pointing at the squid-faced caster. He isn't sure it knows Common but he is sure it is about to get his point about how he felt about mental manipulation. Violently.
The warpriest's gilded weapon swung heavily down upon the mind-flayer, the strength of his God behind every pull, yanking the business end of the flail through the air as if it were a toy. Unsure if the under-dwelling creature spoke his tongue, he could be certain that it understood the righteous fury administered by a war priest. Heavy, wet sounds accompanied each blow, nearly knocking the illithid to the ground under the heavy assault.
Gromff, you pick up empathic vibrations from your weapon. With each blow it conveys a sense of sated thirst and satisfaction.
If Roland had the time, he would certainly look up to notice that the strong daylight that shone upon the cave came from an angel-like halo above his head, but he was too focused for that, and failed to notice both that and the other enemy creeping around. He barely noticed how much the cave trap messed up with their organization. A strategist would have goosebumps at seeing Veronica back there, surrounded and split from the rest of the party, but the barbarian was completely unaware of that. He had a statue to go after, but there was a little bothersome creature in front of him. One that could piss him off a lot, but it was not very dangerous after all. He should have gone after it when he had the chance, stepping up to the devil, but the slaves distracted him and he let the enemy get away. So let it be, boring monster on his corner.
He move up towards the barbazu like a bolt of lightning, even if that opened his defenses for a second. But he did not attack the devil, no, he had another target in mind. One that DP never tasted before, and that was dying by Gromff's hand. Roland, taking the mantle of the kill-stealer, stepped up to the Illidth and delivered its last meal.
Damage: 9 str +3magic +2rage +12PA = +26
Veronica brings her cloak up, trying to ward off the slaves as she tries to shift around the crowd. But as she does she focuses on the feeling of Roland's heartbeat ringing deep within her own. Urging her heartbeat in sync with his, she can feel the heat in her body leaving and filling Roland, his heartbeat ringing in her ears.
Veronica stared hard at the barbarian, reaching out intangibly to connect with his life essence, readying herself to close his wounds as they came.
The glorious wet sounds of weapon impact continued; half a moment after Gromff's last blow, Roland's massive hammer came down upon the mind-flayer's face, shattering its flimsy skull and caving it in completely. The gory mess that remained dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Not wanting to be left out, Catcher added to the pools of blood on the floor with her greatsword, humming with magical power and from the speed with which it cut through the air. The sword clove open the devil's flesh, giving it a pair of infernal wounds of its own. It stared wide-eyed in fear at the ferocious attack.
Seeing the ferocious and swift onslaught before it, one that had destroyed multiple of its wicked allies, the bearded devil stepped away from the hopeless melee. A brief moment later he was wreathed in hellfire and vanished, leaving only a whiff of ozone and brimstone in the dank underground air.
While four of the slaves continued their mindless assault upon Veronica, the rest backed away from the other friends while staring upwards, staring at the sudden thrashing whir of furry clawed limbs that rained down from above! The number of attacks was unnerving at first but they seemed to be clumsily-aimed for the most part.
No longer hidden, the heinous sixteen foot long monster was seen hanging from the ceiling by its legs, swinging four of its too-long clawed arms, and dipping down for a bite! -- a bite from a head that almost entirely made of mouth!
The pale beast once again spoke directly to your minds...
A fiery bead of light zipped through the darkness from the far east of the cave, flying directly at the friends. Night was turned into day as the bead rapidly expanded into a rushing ball of super-heated flame, engulfing the spellsword, warpriest, and barbarian -- and one of the unfortunate slaves who stood too close. The poor thrall falls to the ground from the severity of the scorching.
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With a rare display of metal strength and alertness, Catcher jumps out of the illusory fire, taking almost no damage from it, she wanted to warn others about the nature of the danger, but there’s no need to do it after they either resisted or fell prey to the spell. Better keep her mouth shut, at least for now.
The problem now, was hanging above her, just outside reach, such bothersome thing… and she was sure she didn’t want to tangle in melee with the one above. From his attacks, Catcher knew it was far more punishment than she could take. She leaves it for the others, and moves towards the statue, ducking down, trying to avoid any attack from above.
The hands and tools of the slaves rain down upon Veronica, but she continues to hold them at bay, her cloak and armor keeping her safe as she slowly worked her way towards her friends. But then the flash of fire hit and the Paladin gasped. Abandoning her careful gait, she rushes by the slaves, the scars around her eyes glowing with a faint red light. "Broken God, mend our wounds that we might stop these wicked fiends and free these people!"
The red light rushes outward, briefly leaving faint red motes of light, filling the area with a gentle warmth.
Round 5
Roland noticed a creep attacking from above, but it would probably not be easy to hit it, although what the wizard was doing was ridiculous. She wanted him to attack the statue, that now was doing nothing to them, probably just a distraction. At least Veronica was keeping them alive, spreading energy around to heal them, and Roland, thirsty as he might, absorbed most of it that added a radiance around his not-anymore-bleeding body.
Suddenly he heard a Swoosh coming from the darkness, and looked to see an explosive ball of flame moving towards them, except it seemed totally fake, like an illusion as everything in this place.
He was basically quite sure it was fake, but even illusions can bother you, so he still tried to dodge it anyway, and manage to come out of it almost unharmed.
Then it was time to retaliate! Roland moved his feet a little to improve his footage and then spinned and threw his hammer up with all his strength, trying to take away the creature's grasp on the ceiling.
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”What ye durned fool doin’?” the dwarf scolds the barbarian when the man throws his weapon at the enemy.
Such crazy tactics. He opts for a safer route as he thinks Time to prove yer worth Mjolvandr and the dwarf projects in his mind a horsechopper.
”What ye durned fool doin’?” the dwarf scolds the barbarian when the man throws his weapon at the enemy.
Such crazy tactics. He opts for a safer route as he thinks...Time to prove yer worth Mjolvandr... and the dwarf projects in his mind a dwarven longhammer.