Rather than follow the narrow passage into the worked chamber the party continues to follow the earthen cavern to see how far the tunnel leads. After following it for another 50' or so, there is another opening in the stone into a worked room. A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman stands in the middle of this chamber, her stony expression twisted in fury. The woman wears flowing robes, and her long hair is held back from er face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a runic star with seven hooked points. Her right hand holds a glittering ranseur of steel and ivory. Three other exits lead off of this room; a set of narrow stairs straight ahead which lead down into the darkness, a short hallway ending in a door to the north, and a worked passage to the south.
Again, rather than venture into the strange complex, you continue to look through the smuggler's tunnel to the end. Not much further ahead the cavern opens up into a large chamber- obviously once a prison, as testified by the nearly two dozen cells that line the room's perimeter. A rickety wooden platform overlooks the room, with two flights of stairs descending to the prison floor 10' below. A 5' wide wooden walkway runs from the northern edge of the platform to a passageway to the east.
As the party makes its way around the walkway, ready to check around the outer edge of the complex and work inward to prevent too much from getting behind them...
...everyone notices more hissing and the grating noise of scratching claws against stone. Looking below another trio of those strange monstrosity's from near the entrance shamble out from poor hiding places within the cells and start for the stairs, their eyes full of hatred and promising a viscous battle.
Round 1
HP 12/12, AC 16
Round 1, 19/22
Ansruath moves his blade to strike at the creature closest to him. Growling low as the blade goes through the air.
Raising his crossbow to his shoulder, and sighting down it at one of the beast, Flit grins around the butt of the cigar he had been smoking. "Suck Cold Iron, punk!"
Spitting out the Cigar, Flit moves towards the creatures slowly, raising his crossbow, keeping his eyes peeled for other danger.
Raising his crossbow, Flit snaps off a shot at one of the beasts.
'Here we go again,' Tardek mutters, drawing another bubbling vial from his side and hurls it the length of the chamber.
vs. touch
fire
Round 1
Action 1
Gorgoron attacks the nearest creature, leaning into his spear strike to drive the blade home.
Action 2
Gorgoron hurls a bolt of flame into one of the creatures.
(vs. touch).
The half orc alchemist quickly mixes a dangerous concoction and lobs it at one of the advancing monstrosities. The throw comes up short and wide, however, and crashes against the stone floor, erupting in a gout of flame. The creature quickly reacts, attempting to dive out of the way of the blast, narrowly dodging the red-hot flames. The strange being nearest Ansruath starts climbing up the beams supporting the wooden walkway, and drags itself up before him, hissing meanly before lashing out with its split jaws in a viscous attempt at a bite.
As the brute's fangs tear past Ansruath's armor and into the half elven warrior's flesh its eyes pulsate with an eerie, crimson glow. The fighter's mind begins to dance with insane visions of murderous rage and hatred of all that is. The ire is so tremendous it threatens to overwhelm him. All the while another disgusting creature races out from its hiding place with uncanny speed and passes beneath the supporting beams of the walkway to menace Alyoma. It snarls just like its companion as it lunges forward to try to sink its teeth into the sorceress's ankle.
Thankfully the rickety stairs prevent the creature's attack from gaining any ground and its mandibles rip off chunks of the old wood with a sickening crack. It chews its mouthful quickly to dust as though promising great pain to the young woman. The final one in the trio lopes up the stairs before it, eyes bulging with rage as it growls at Dehrisan, but before attacking it lifts its face to the air. A disturbing, watery slurp issues- what almost sounds like mucus-filled nostrils sniffing. Its head slowly turns to Flitter, as if fixated on the Halfling and directs it's attack toward him.
Luckily, with the gap between the platform where the beast lunges from and the walkway on which Flitter stands, the monster is unable to find a good angle of attack and its slavering jaws are relatively easy for the small crossbowman to sidestep. With a perfect avenue of attack Gorgoron drives his spear into the...thing threatening Flitter and Dehrisan. The pale fleshed beast gurgles in anguish and turns its hate-filled eyes to the priest as he withdraws the speartip from its gut, dripping with viscous, dark blood. Alyoma quickly moves backward away from the monstrous creature and hurls a bolt of arcane force into its chest with a quick utterance and gesture. The magical volley aduibly thumps into the creature, winding it. Ansruath attempts to retaliate against the one which attacked him, but finds its speed difficult to compensate for as his blade harmlessly slices through the air.
Round 2, 14/22
Ansruath feels sickened at the vision that was shown to him and decides to finish this creature off before it can harm others. He moves his blade to strike at the creatures head.
Tardek raises his crossbow and fires at the monster threatening Flitter.
Flit takes a step away from the creature and begins to reload.
Flitter takes careful aim at the monster assaulting Alyoma and with a practiced squeeze of the crossbow's release sends a bolt through the creature's pallid torso, spearing it, while he ducks a powerful lunge from the nearby assailant. Thick ichor leaks from its wound as it howls in pain and rage, but remains standing, snapping its mandibles in the halfling's direction. Dehrisan hisses an arcane curse, trying to lull the strange being into magical slumber, but it seems to not even notice hexes effects. Tardek takes a shot in an attempt to aid his beset colleague, his bolt flies wide. The creature Flitter skewered races up the stairs in a rage. Once near him, much like the other, it pauses to sniff the air, its eyes bulging as it becomes entranced and tries to lock its jaws around the short crossbowman. Its ally starts slashing and biting wildly in a furious frenzy, its sharp fangs sinking into the ranger's flesh, while the monster assaulting Ansruath continues his attack.
Gorgoron pulls his bloody spear free of the monster's body, while shouting encouragement to his allies. Resetting his stance, he thrusts again, with deadly sharp cold iron.
Gritting his teeth, Flit feels a wave of twisted emotion sweep over him, followed by dark twisted visions. Shaking his head sharply, Flit forces the emotions and visions down, before continuing to reload.
Round 2, HP 12/12, AC 16
"Flit!"
Alyoma takes a 5' step back, brings up and loads her light crossbow, and fires at the creature attacking Flit.
"It seems my forethought is not as practiced as I'd imagined..." Dherisan mutters under his breath the creature shrugs off his spell. His preferred hex is useless, and one of his two remaining spells would prove similarly futile. He measure his options for a moment, and then, against his better judgements steps between the beasts before him, reaching towards flit with a glowing hand and trusting in his protective wards to guard him. "Hang on Flit! Keep your head together!" He lays a hand on the halfling's shoulder, knitting his wounds. He nervously glances from side to side, reconsidering the wisdom of his maneuver.
Gorgoron stabs again, his spear piercing the creature's flesh, and causing it to clutch its oozing wounds. Despite the wicked assault the monster remains fixated on the halfling, eyes alight with rage. Healing energies coalesce about the witch's hand as Dehrisan steps up to mend Flitter's wounds. Alyoma snaps off a quick bolt from her crossbow but the shot harmlessly sails past the ranger's assailant. Despite the visions of anger and destruction dancing around his head Ansruath pushes forth with a strong swipe, but the creature hops back in an attempt to dodge at the last moment, the blade only barely grazing its torso and drawing a thin line of blood.
Confirm Crit:
Damage:
Crit Damage:
Cursing under his breath, Tardek rapidly recalculates hos trajectories, while reloading, he yanks the winch with a loud click, and takes aim, breathing out steadily as he pulls the trigger once more.
vs. K10
Gorgoron will thrust again with his cold iron spear.
Round 3, 7/22
Looking a bit injured Ansruath's face hardens as he readies to swing his blade at the creature once again. He levels his blade at the creatures head before swinging his blade to the left.
Flitter deftly dodges the lunging fangs of the monsters as he reloads his heavy crossbow, keeping a collected head in the heat of battle. Snapping off another shot of a crossbow of his own, the alchemist's shot whizzes by the pallid skinned creature, unfortunately off course.
In a furious flurry of claws and teeth the strange beings counterattack, two directing all of their ire at the halfling ranger, the other continuing its rabid assault on Ansruath. Only a single claw finds its way through Ansruath's scale armor to nick the flesh below, but many such hits seem to be taking their toll on the warrior. Flitter manages to dock, dodge, roll, and weave his way though the slew of attacks directed at him, but one manages to sink its jaws into his shoulder, its eyes glowing blood red as the short crossbowman's mind once again dances with visions of terrible destruction and homicidal rage. As Gorgoron attempts to finish one off, it swaps aside the spear at the last moments preserving its wretched life for the time being. Weaving another arcane ritual Dehrisan attempts to curse one of the assailants, but again the brute manages to stave off the affect without a second glance back at the witch.
Alyoma raises her crossbow and takes careful aim, just s she squeezes the release the foul beast turns toward her and spreads its split jaws in a hiss. After the string twangs the monster down her sight pauses for a moment, crossbow bolt impaling it through its open mouth and erupting from the backside of its nick. Shortly after it slumps to the ground in a bleeding pile of rubbery flesh.
Ansruath takes a mighty swing which strikes true with a blow with enough force that it might have cleaved the creature in twain, but the sickening visions in the half elf's mind cause him to turn his deadly blow into merely a fierce one, which cuts deep into the monster's side.
Biting back the bile that rushes in to his throat, Flit staggers against the rail for a moment, before pushing himself upright once again.
"You bastard..." Gritting his teeth against the waves of nausea and anger that washes over him, Flit takes a step beside the downed creature, kicking it roughly, before aiming his Crossbow at the remaining one.
"This wont stop me..."
Raising his Crossbow, Flit stills himself as best he can, before squeezing the release.
Round 4
Another spear thrust!
Round 4
Tardek curses again, more loudly. 'Hold on Flitter. Just a bit longer.'
He reloads the crossbow and fires it at the monster in I10.
Dherisan curses under his breath as the creature shakes off his hex once again. He steps back and begins weaving his hand together. "Flit, get ready to let that bolt fly!" With a snap of his fingers, a series of sparks erupts from the tip of Flit's newly loaded bolt.
Round 4
Alyoma reloads her crossbow and fires at the other creature that is attacking Flit.
Round 4, 4/22 HP
Ansruath growls as he sets his blade to strike at the beast once again.
Thanks for tallying damage carefully! But I was just asking if it looked like our weapons weren't working or not.
Flitter quickly skirts the edge of the narrow walkway, with a few sidesteps, deftly moving about the strange creature's unconscious form, and unleashes another bolt, its tip barely grazing his assailant's side, drawing a thin line of dark blood. It snarls in rage as it continues its onslaught. It stops a moment later, falling to the rickety wooden planks as a spray of blood erupts from its neck, Tardek's shot ending the beast.
As the final raging beast before Ansruath fights with unrelenting vigor in light of his ally's deaths one of its mandibles nicks the half elven warrior's neck. The overpowering anger that was gripping his mind intensifies to the worst headache imaginable, threatening to overtake him. As he staggers from the strange after effects of the creature's attack, it slashes through the scale mail over his torso, it's claws rending deep and dropping the half elf before it. The monstrosity gives a terrifying howl of triumph as its steps back, and sets its glowing eyes on your party's priest with a surprising level of intelligence, as if daring him to step forward and face it in combat.
Gorgoron gives one more powerful thrust and spears the creature that just dropped his compatriot through the gut. Viscous blood tribbles from the gurgling creatures mouth as if crumples into a twitching pile on the walkway, rivulets of its blood dripping to the stone floor below.
Tardek pants rapidly, his breathing rapid already from his enhanced mutagen state.
'Well done my friends. That was a tough battle, and well won,' he smiles around at his companions and pats Flitter on the shoulder.
'Do you need healing my friend? I'm sure our friend Gorgoron will offer, but I can brew a tincture if you are still in need.'
Flit grins, leaning back on the railing. "I am not so hurt dear Consultant. I am sure a quick prayer from friend Gorgoron here will be enough!"
Gorgoron stops to catch his breath, leaning for a moment on his spear. "A good fight, and well fought. I'll see to the injured. I will be channelling the healing flows of my mistress, so please insure the creatures are good and dead, if you would."
Gorgoron moves to Ansruath, as he is stirring and coming around. "Hold still friend, we'll have you good as new in no time." He draws forth the wand of healing and uses it on the fallen warrior.
Waking up he looks at Gorgoron than says "Thank you Father." He than stands to look around nodding as he sees that the creatures are all dead before turning to the others "These beasts are very odd. I would also be careful of their bite it seems to hold some poison that causes visions. Now is everyone well or should we rest?"
"Well, I'm not injured, but I'm ill-prepared to fight these creatures. If we take some time to rest, I can re-convene with Ember and select dweomers that would be more suited to combating them. As it stands, I'm not going to be much use in a fight."
"What say you Friends? Do we retire from this hell for the night and return upon the morrow, when we can be more prepared?" Flit slides his hat back to the back of his head, tipping it up, to grin at the others.
'Maybe your right. But we've barely started, and the tunnel remains open to allow reinforcements and the infiltration of goblins.'
'I would favor pressing on, a bit more. But I am happy to bow to the greater wisdom of the collective.'
Pressing on would be good, but with Dehrisan feeliing that he would not be able to help in battle, perhaps we should momentarily withdraw and reatempt this on the next day.
"I suggest we keep going, for a while longer at least. I am still near full strength, as are Flitter and Ansruath. I suggest we keep going a bit longer. The longer we delay, the more likely it becomes that we might be interrupted by goblins, or by the creatures coming up from below."