The area ahead of you is collapsed, with the roof open to the sky. There is a narrow crack at the top leading into the area beyond - Lymwin could probably squeeze in there, but the rest of you would have trouble. The balcony to your right (top of map) seems free of vegetation, with a narrow path leading along the side of the temple, but the left one is completely overgrown.
Adeah, you detect nothing beyond what as been described.
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"Good thinking, comrade Roland." The fop of a priest relaxes a bit, allowing the bad memory of the recent monkey bloodbath to subside from his thoughts.
Stepping up to the fore, he lingers a reassuring pat the musketwoman's lower back with a brief prayer before assisting the witchy-warrioress in her searching... a comforting hand upon her shoulder blade also with a brief prayer as they look.
You move along the outside of the temple, along a narrow path that seems to be kept clear for passage, although not by very large creatures given the small overhead clearance. The path leads to a second balcony that opens into the temple's main chamber, on the far side of the collapsed area. Dim light enters through the several holes in the ceiling .
A 20-foot-tall sculpture of a mountain dominates the north end of this large chamber. A statue of a figure (now missing its head) sits in the lotus position at the mountain’s peak, while smaller statues of monkey-faced pilgrims rest on ledges farther down the mountain. Shattered pieces of yet more monkey statues litter the floor. In the center of the room, a small enclosed shrine made of dark brown stone faces south toward the rubble. It seems that the entire place has been not just ransacked but purposefully broken, one small area at a time.
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The priest rolls his eyes at the swashbuckler's haste. "Do be respectful, comrade Roland."
Picking up a small piece of the rubble at his feet, he mutters a brief prayer to the Lady of Graves. The stone begins to glow a radiant light. He tosses it underhanded, closer to the center of the room, shedding some better light on the situation.
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"Look alive, people, noises up ahead. Scratching, like. Could be nothing, but I can't be sure."
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Roland enters the room, and several monkeys scamper out of the holes in the ceiling as you enter. However, several larger monkeys don't flee, hanging on the overgrowth near the ceiling and regarding Roland will cold, oddly-intelligent eyes that seem to shine in the dark. Then Grigori throws his light stone in, illuminating the room, and you see that they're not monkeys.
Clinging to the wall near the ceiling 20' above ground, are 5 pairs of fiendish creatures. Each pair seems to be a reddish devil, but its limbs and torso is intertwined with its companion's, so that they seem to be impaled on each others' arms. All five of the creature pairs seem identical, and shift quickly in and through each other, making it hard to tell which one is which. Each creature holds a kukri in each hand, and smiles evilly as you enter.
Sorted initiative: Adeah, Grigori, Roland, Lymwin, Rapunzel.
Everyone is up! Declare your actions for round 1. Recall that the creatures are all 20' above the ground right now.
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"Knew I heard something." Adeah raises her musket, training it on the nearest of the creatures, and waits. Please stay where you are, she silently tells it. It'd be a lot easier that way.
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Round 1
Adeah raises her musket, training it on the nearest of the creatures, and waits, ready to fire at whichever one attacks first.
Grigori casts bless and then sheaths his rapier.
Rapunzel draws an arrow and fires at one of the creatures! . She strikes it in the chest, and it pops like a balloon, disappearing into fragments of smoke that quickly dissipate.
The swarm of (now 4) intertwined pairs of creatures all scuttle down the side of the shrine wall, tittering madly in a high-pitched voice that sounds disturbing like a swarm of monkeys. Adeah's line of fire is blocked by the statue, and so she fires just as the creature reaches the square in front of Roland. Another of the creatures explodes in a puff of smoke.
The swarm of creatures slashes in unison at Roland with their kukri, still hanging from the wall at about 5' height. Roland fails to parry the attack and takes a slash across his forearm as a result.
Lymwin tosses a bomb at the swarm of creatures, trying to avoid hitting Grigori and herself. The bomb misses, catching a protruding end of the statue, and explodes prematurely.
Roland slashes at the creature-swarm, but fails to connect.
End of Round 1 - Adeah, Grigori, Rapunzel are up!
Round 2 (partial)
Adeah fires and hits another of the creatures, but instead of exploding it lets out a shriek. A red spot appears on its side, a spot which is mirrored in the other 2 creatures as well.
Grigori, Rapunzel are up!
Round 2 (partial)
Adeah fires and hits another of the creatures, but instead of exploding it lets out a shriek. A red spot appears on its side, a spot which is mirrored in the other 2 creatures as well.
Grigori draws his crossbow and loads a bolt, ready to fire the next round.
Rapunzel drops her bow and moves up drawing her curved blade and swings it, trying to remember which creature Adeah wounded. The creature she hits explodes into wisps of smoke, leaving only 2 "pairs" of creatures.
The creature drops to the ground and goes into a fury, slashing and clawing at Roland and Rapunzel!
Lymwin takes out her light crossbow and loads a bolt, mumbling some angry gnomish words.
Roland is up for Round 2, and Adeah, Grigori and Rapunzel are up for Round 3!
Round 2 (complete)
Adeah fires and hits another of the creatures, but instead of exploding it lets out a shriek. A red spot appears on its side, a spot which is mirrored in the other 2 creatures as well.
Grigori draws his crossbow and loads a bolt, ready to fire the next round.
Rapunzel drops her bow and moves up drawing her curved blade and swings it, trying to remember which creature Adeah wounded. The creature she hits explodes into wisps of smoke, leaving only 2 "pairs" of creatures.
The creature drops to the ground and goes into a fury, slashing and clawing at Roland and Rapunzel!
Lymwin takes out her light crossbow and loads a bolt, mumbling some angry gnomish words.
Roland dances around the creature and slashes it with his rapier. His blade draws a red line across the creature's back, one which immediately appears on the mirror image as well.
End of Round 2!
Round 3 (partial)
Adeah fires again and hits the creature.
Grigori fires and then reloads.
Rapunzel steps in and slashes at the creature, but her blade is turned by the creature's unnaturally-tough hide.
The creature, somewhat cornered, slashes Rapunzel with its kukri, and then dances around and past her and continues its attack against Grigori!
Lymwin and Roland are up!
Round 3 (complete)
Adeah fires again and hits the creature.
Grigori fires and then reloads.
Rapunzel steps in and slashes at the creature, but her blade is turned by the creature's unnaturally-tough hide.
The creature, somewhat cornered, slashes Rapunzel with its kukri, and then dances around and past her (through her square and then up one square) and continues its attack against Grigori!
Lymwin releases the bolt, which bounces off the creature's skin.
Roland moves up and attacks. He manages to hit the creature and penetrates its resistant hide, and the creature turns and shrieks at him.
End of Round 3 - Adeah, Grigori, Rapunzel are up!
As a damage assessment, the creature seems to have been barely slowed by any of your attacks; none of the wounds appear to be bleeding badly, and even the bullet wounds aren't as bad as they should be.
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Seeing his bow shooting blanks, the priest drops it as he carefully steps back from the marauding creature's blade and claws. "I svwear, this has never happened before!" he reassures nearby Adeah.
The priest then draws his sword once more. Raising his free hand up to the heavens, he mutters a prayer to his deity for battle prowess... and his blade begins to glow.
Round 4 (partial)
Adeah reloads and fires! She hits, and the creature dissipates in a puff of smoke, leaving only a single conjoined fiend.
Grigori steps back, dropping his bow and enchanting his blade. As he recites the prayer to Pharasma, the fiend's twin heads watch his every move, pure hatred in their eyes.
Rapunzel steps back and enchants her weapon as well.
The creature leaps forward and focuses all of its attacks on Grigori!
Grigori falls under the onslaught of blades and claws. The creature crows in jubilation as the priest falls.
Lymwin and Roland are up!
Round 4 (complete)
Adeah reloads and fires! She hits, and the creature dissipates in a puff of smoke, leaving only a single conjoined fiend.
Grigori steps back, dropping his bow and enchanting his blade. As he recites the prayer to Pharasma, the fiend's twin heads watch his every move, pure hatred in their eyes.
Rapunzel steps back and enchants her weapon as well.
The creature leaps forward and focuses all of its attacks on Grigori!
Grigori falls under the onslaught of blades and claws. The creature crows in jubilation as the priest falls.
Lymwin fires a bolt that hits the creature, buts drops away without leaving a mark.
Roland stabs the creature, piercing its hide and wounding it.
End of Round 4 - Adeah and Rapunzel are up!
Round 5 (partial)
Adeah cries out as Grigori falls, then fires at the creature and hits it squarely. The wound seems less severe than it should have been at this range, though.
Rapunzel steps forward and slashes the beast, spraying foul ichor across the well. The creature reels from the impact, and both heads turn to glare at Rapunzel.
The creature steps over Grigori's fallen form, and then both sets of eyes roll back into their respective heads for a moment. Suddenly the creature's form multiplies, several identical copies shifting around in the same area.
Lymwin and Roland are up!