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Ridley lobs the bomb too hard and it flies over the head of the skeletal champion. It lands 10 feet away from it and the resulting explosion, whilst spectacular, fails to injure any of the undeads.
Salarian moves up close, ready to call on Sarenrae's divinity to blast the undeads. Xantanax races into the stone circle despite the grasping tendrils and energy waves, swinging at the nearest skeleton. It would have been a mighty blow if he did not stumble over an expose tree root. His blade instead cleaves into the standing stone beside him, chipping out a large pebble.
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Ree grits her teeth "Gods I hate undead! The hell with waiting for them to come out here let's get 'em!"
She will activate the "orc bonus" for nimble moves and precise strike for this fight as she charges the yellow one!
If she's attacked by the skeletal champion she'll spend panache to attempt a parry and riposte.
She'll yell at the champion during all of this her hair seeming to flare more fiery than normal "You and me coward quit hiding behind your minions let's go!"
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Ree moves into the circle and pierces at the skeleton with her rapier. Although she manages to puncture its collarbone, its bony surface repels much of the force her strike. What's worse, the blood on the surface on the skeleton flows over the wound and in front of her eyes, the crack on the bone heals over!
The skeletal champion grins wider, if that is even possible, that the party has entered the circle and gestures for the skeletons to attack. All the undead swarm forward.
The skeletal champion accepts Ree's challenge and paces towards her, swinging its weapon. Despite Angela wielding the longspear in its direction, it barely glances at the small humanoid, doesn't viewing her as a threat. Ree manages to dodge out the way of the skeletal champion's longsword, but fails to parry the strike.
The remaining skeletons swing their rusty scimitar and claw at the respective Pathfinders in front of them. Their attacks are clumsy, however, and only Xantanax got cut across his chest by a scimitar slash.
However, these are not the only hazards the party has to deal with. The black tentacles lashes out at Ree and Xantanax. Both of them fail to duck out the way and the tentacles coil around them tight, binding them in place.
Almost immediately after, a wave of necromantic energy burst from the portal, draining the life force of Ree and Xantanax.
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I'm going to delay until after Ree and Xanatax have an opportunity to attempt to escape the grapple and Angela has a chance to move out of the splash zone, then toss a bomb. The criteria for my target is as follows:
If Ree and Xanatax escape, I will throw at the champion once everyone is clear.
If just Ree escapes, I will throw at the orange skeleton.
If just Xanatax escapes, I will throw at the green skeleton.
If neither escapes, I will toss at the intersection behind the champion and the yellow skeleton (where I put a little explosion marker on the map).
Regardless of what happens, I will shimmy north or south as needed to try to get a clear shot (haven't moved myself yet. Feel free to move me as soon as everyone else has acted)
Gah, I'll get you this time ya big bucket of bones! Let my buddies go!
Splash damage is 6 points of damage, DC 16 reflex for half.
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[dice=Break Grapple]1d20+5
[dice=Will Save]1d20+3
Xantanax breaks free from the grappling move of the tentacles! He then winces in pain as he takes damage from the negative energy.
That is correct as I understand it. You have a move action left. However, if you do more than a 5-foot step of actual movement, you will provoke attacks from the skeletons. So you can 5-foot step out of the tentacles, then draw a weapon or something like that. Or just not use it of there is nothing really productive to do.
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Angela takes a swing at the skeleton champion, figuring if she can actually do damage it won't immediately heal over.
A few seconds later she steps back and readies to interfere with the champion's next attack.
"Xantanax, thank you for seeing what happens when you get too close, as well as that invaluable report of information we could not have inferred ourselves, but I think you probably shouldn't have gotten in the range of the tentacles in the first place."
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Ree will use charmed life to help her saving throw against the negative energy!
She will then use derring-do to help her escape artist attempt!
Assuming 27 beats the tentacles CMD Ree escapes and will take a five foot step back out of the area (nimble moves lets you take a 5 foot step in difficult terrain) to stay near and guard Angela!
If the champion attacks her again she will again try to parry and riposte!
Ree will call out to Ridley (in ignan if he speaks it but common if not) "Don't be afraid to catch me in the splash radius! I'm an ifrit I like getting singed from time to time!"
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Angela swings at the skeletal champion but her longspear clatters harmlessly off its bony body. It does not even notice the attempt. She steps away from the stone circle, attempting to distract the skeletal champion but again, it continues to ignore her.
Salarian steps to the edge of stone circle and releases a wave of divine energy, filled with power from the sun, bursting through all the skeletons. The skeletal champion and two of the other skeletons seems to manage to resist the bulk of the attack, but one looks significantly worse for the wear. Eerily, all the undeads swivel their skeletal heads to stare at Salarian.
What is perhaps more heartening is that when the divine energy sweeps over the portal, the necromantic energy pouring out from it seems to be suppressed. The tentacles look as energetic as ever, however.
Xantanax, perhaps buoyed by the divine energy, despite being weakened by his injury, summons his strength and breaks himself out of the hold of the tentacles and steps out of the stone circle. Ree adopts a different method but similarly manages to slip out of the tentacles' tight hold on her, also steps out.
This was exactly what Ridley was waiting for. With his allies out of the splash area, he lobs his bomb over the head of Salarian. A fiery explosion engulfs the skeletal champion, and the two surrounding skeletons as well as Ree are caught in the periphery. This burns the two skeletons to crisp, as they collapse into a pile of charred bones.
The two remaining skeletons fixate on Salarian, ignoring everyone else, seeking to disable the source of divine energy which interferes with the portal. They both step forward and strike at him. The skeleton remains as clumsy as ever, its scimitar and claw only connecting with air. The skeletal champion, however, is a more masterful warrior, and its longsword slices deep into Salarian's shoulder.
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Swaying in agony over his wounds, Salarian retreats away from the heat of the battle. Xantanax grits his teeth through the pain and chops at the skeleton in front of him, smashing it to pieces. Ridley lobs at bomb not at the remaining skeletal champion but at its feet. The resulting explosion catches the skeletal champion full-on, who with its attention on the retreating Salarian, fails to duck out the way. The blast tears it apart and it falls into pieces!
While the lieutenants are destroyed, the portal remains open, threatening to pour out more undeads that would eventually overwhelm the Kellid lands. You see no choice but to brave the tendrils and waves of negative energy to try to close the portal!
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Ridley wastes no time jumping into the tentacley, negative energy filled circle to attempt to shut down the circle. He rubs his hands together with glee at the prospect of getting to tinker with this portal thingie.
Hey Sal! Can ya use your magic to keep these negative energy pulses at bay while we work?
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Glad to see the undead have been dealt with, Angela gives the waving tentacles an apprehensive look. "Those things better not mess with my clothes or anything like that!
She then slogs through the mess of the getting up next to the portal and takes a moment to appreciate the magical energies that must goi into fueling it before trying her hand at that ritual Medda would not stop talking about.
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Angela pushes her through to stand next to the portal, and recalling the key words of ritual from Medda along the travel north, she articulates them with power and gusto. Almost immediately, the portal shakes and wavers, as if some external force is clamping down on it. The rest of the party stare at that briefly, whilst the tendrils reach out towards her. Ridley quickly runs in and joins Angela in intoning the same arcane words over and over again.
"... මෝඩ මෝඩය වහන්න මෝඩ මෝඩය වහන්න මෝඩ මෝඩය වහන්න ..."
The portal shakes even more violently. It is almost imperceptible at first, but quickly it becomes apparent - the rift is starting to close, slowly but steadily!
Around the field, you see other Pathfinders nearing the end of their battles with the undeads, as more and more join in, contributing their efforts in shutting down the dimensional portal. Across the distance, you see Medda and her ever-hovering Anok, surrounded by her Kellid warriors closing in, in her hands is grasped Ivvora's hilt. Blood is pouring out from her in rivulets, some from the wounds taken in combat, but others are just pouring out of her like perspiration as she strains to summon the summon of Ivvora.
Perhaps the Twinhorn warriors, with the assistance of the Pathfinders, might make it in time after all... It now depends on the collective effort of the remaining Pathfinders...
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Angela looks at the closing portal and fading tentacles before glancing back at Ridley and shrugging. She reaches out and gives him what is likely a contender for 'most ambivalent high-five.' "I don't know if 'nailed' is the right word, but we certainly do work well together. Have you ever thought about being a secretary, Ridley? You have the mind and patience for it."
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Ree just kinda blinks at the end of all that looking around for any other threats. "Yea seriously great job you two and everyone! Oh yea Angela here. I had your jacket cleaned just kept forgetting to give it back to you..." she'll give a wry smile "thought you'd find the whole thing funny back when didn't know you'd take it so seriously."
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Angela takes the jacket back, and graces Ree with one of her rare smiles. "I guess I can forgive you, especially as you got it cleaned after all and some of that is my fault; I've had more than a few comments by venture-captains that I can be too serious at times, sadly it's mostly Drangle Dreng who says anything and that man could do with being a bit [I]more[/I[ serious. I appreciate the attempt at levity; a happy group tends to be more efficient but I can motivate myself just fine."
After they close the portal, Angela tries to pull Medda aside. She looks the woman directly in the eyes. "I know we didn't get off on the right foot, but you've proved yourself to be a competent and trustworthy woman. How would feel about working as a contact for the Society? If any thing goes wrong in this part of the world again, such as having men steal your towns most prized possession, we'd be glad to step in and help if we can. All you'd need to so is send regular messages to the nearest lodge, which is in . We really could use someone who knows what is happening around here. For example of that portal had blown open without us here, we wouldn't have heard anything about it until it would be too late to do anything to fix it." Angela takes a breath before continuing, "So how does that sound?
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As Medda and Anok join your group of Pathfinders around the stone circle, she assists you with the binding ritual. Medda thrusts Ivvora’s hilt into the portal, calling on Vildeis for aid. The shadow rift shrinks and closes, releasing a massive shock wave that knocks the Pathfinders, the Twinhorn warriors, and Medda to the ground. A field of dark, rippling energy remains, suspended above the stone altar. As Medda reaches out to pick up Ivvora’s hilt—the already broken blade now spider-webbed with new cracks—a supernatural silence descends. Only the telepathic rage of some unseen menace cuts through the quiet. “You dare to shut me out?” it rages. “I see you, but I do not see her. Where is the dwarf woman, Ivvora, who fought me so long ago? Has her mortal body failed at last? Has the realm of the living at last lost its protector? Know this: when the long shadows reach out again, I will grasp them and claw my way back into your world to see your flesh devoured by my children.”
Sound returns to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, and Medda cautiously stands. “It seems that Eshimka still lives and has even left this foul scar on our world,” she declares. “If we are to believe its promises, the fiend will attack on the next winter solstice. If we are to survive, we must be ready. Nearly a millennium ago, Ivvora held the key to defeating Eshimka. By following her legends and discovering her fate, we may harness the same holy power that banished this fiend—and together end the beast entirely.
“When we set out, it would be the privilege of this following to have the Pathfinders at our side. But that is a trial for another day. Tonight, at last, we rest.”
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Medda sighs wearily, turning to head back to the Kellid camp, with Anok supporting her by her side. She is momentarily taken aback when a halfling approoached her, so well-groomed that you would not believe that she had been involved in a major battle with undeads just moments ago.
She looks puzzled at first, but as Angela explains, Medda nods and smiles. "I agree, young one. An alliance between the Twinhorns and the Pathfinder Society might be the best gift that the Blackros might have given us in stealing Ivvora's hilt." She turns back to look at the stone circle, looking troubled. "Next winter solstice, I might need to call on your aid again..."
She lets out a deep sigh and turns to look at everyone in the party with a bright smile. "But enough of such gloomy thoughts! You have my eternal thanks for stepping in when you had no need to. And no doubt, Eshimka would not have been turned back if not for you. Come, it is now time for revelry! You have seen us battle, now you will see us celebrate!"
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