"Peace, old figment. The pall-o-dine works a righteous healing upon your old bones—applying the only balm your withered heart desires—spitting ire and uncouth rage.
Bile for balm, bile for balm—what a wolfish old man, a terror to kings and angels. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dentris Maltrada. He knows no equal."
"Enough, pup! I am much abused. Lay not your hands on me, pall-o-dine! I’ll rise without your Power’s urgings. I’ve work left indeed."
Ilsandra speaks soothinglyu lust creeping into her voice as she comes to hang upon Laraxod's arm. "Strange old wizard, loyal and dear heart. He’ll join us in the marriage bed and one last night of bliss will be his for the taking!"
"Well there would certainly be room."
"Ahghem" Lazarod stammers as Ilsandra digs her fingers into something sensitive and unseen.
"A lovely sentiment, my princess of Hell, disturbing though it may be." Pollux manages woodenly
Stepping up next the poised Larazod with the seductress draped all over him, Drovald tries to bring forth something other than frustration at the plays long performance into his voice.
Enough. It is time. I am not long of your company, but know that I would stand by you all through six hundred trials. trying to find Pollux's hand when Calseinica is covering him so completely is difficult. Finally seperating the two for a moment, Tal grasps hands. Take hands with me, half-breed. My sins and yours are one. Our destinies intertwine, and I walk your path with you to the bitter burning end.
"I’m honored."
Haanderthan sneers and laughs derisively. "How touching. These sentiments of yours are nothing but dreamy clouds, soon to be shred by Asmodeus's rending claws."
"Face of hazy dream-like bliss, kiss like fire. I burn for you, princess. Cling to me, dig your talons into my chest and touch my heart with white-hot caress."
Somehow Pollux manages to keep a straight face.
LArazod gets his wish. She digs her welll manicured and well sharpened nails deep into soft and tender bits of pollux's pale flesh and in a stage whisper halfway between barely contained passion and snarling anger she speaks
"I am yours for one thousand blissful years. Drink my sizzling blood from my wrist, or anywhere else you like—let us seal this sinful compact and consummate our love in the heat of battle."
With that she presses her mouth against Pollux just in time to suppress a cry of pain as she grips, digs, and crushes a place that makes the rat wince.
She releases her grip slowly as Pollux is paralyzed by pain very much aware that movement might cause more permanent damage. As the pain turns to merciful shocked numbness she lets go of him completely hanging off him demurely.
Tal just stands there with mouth agape at Calseneica's brazenness on the stage. Snapping his mouth shut Tal cringes as the agony that Pollux must be going through. The pain inflicted must be harsh as well.
With mock respect for Dentris, "Dentris, you old cur, dog curled by your master’s feet. I can’t call you friend, but a truer servant I’ve never known. Loyalty is the mark of greatness. Know that my sword is yours." Meraxilar completes his line with a smile and an over dramatic taking of a knee.
Calseinica releases Larazod from her terrible grasp and goes to hang off of Tal like some gaudy ornamentation. "Great Tormentor, Drovalid Vorclune, let it be said a man who can bear the vicious ministrations he renders upon his foes is a great man indeed. Though I am pledged to this young half-breed, know your courage sends shudders through my loins."
Oh my gods i hope that Lily does not hear about this. I am sure that she would understnd it is all an act, but Calseinica acts very well.
Pulling her hands off of him, Tal holds her slighty away. Head tilted downward as if abashed by her words he responds, You do me sweet honor, great lady. I stand in awe of your passion, and these worthy nobles’ unshakable courage. Removing his hands from hers and going over to Meraxilar, Even this milksop of a pall-o-dine stands hard against the torments of Hell—harder than the fiercest witch.
Left sullen eyed and frame slumped in resignation "I am already destroyed. Shatter my bones to dust and flense my flesh a thousand thousand times and still I will not have suffered the length of pain inflicted on me today." her eyes resting on her beloved Lazarod like limpid pools of water.
Stepping to form a triangle with Cal and the overly familiar woman.
"Though I never desired your love I have always valued your companionship fierce Krona"
Spitting on the floor Krona fires back a barb filled with hateful invective "Hollow words from the man who destroyed me so." though it's force is mellowed by the fact that Krona appears as a shadow of herself.
Calseinica's saves , ,
Turning to the 'fair' Krona, Tal's face becomes softer as he tries to picture Lily's face instead. Keeping this image in front of him and blurring his eyes to prevent the actual sight before him, it looks like almost a tear appears in the mighty Drovalid's eyes.
Speaking softly bit for all to hear,, Then hear words from one who would see you uplifted and renewed. Ever since mine eyes have laid upon you I have dreaded to bring my lash against you.
Broken from her reverie at Drovalid's words, Krona looks upon him warily and regains some of her bluster "Just as well. All should fear to bring harm to me lest I tear their heads from their shoulders and spear it on my spear as I paint my skin in their blood as a warning to all who stand against me." puffing out her tusks in challenge at what she tries to ken Drovalid's meaning.
Tal continues to bite the inside of his cheek to make his eyes water. This is as much to hide Caldazar's face and put lily there in its place as it is a benefit for the play. Biting a little harder to make his voice a bit thicker with emotion, No fierce Krona. I would have held back for fear of marring your flesh. Never before has a woman caused such desire in me. If you would have me Krona I would be yours.
Once finished with his line, Tal braces for the inevitable...!?!?!?
Struck dumb as though hit by a runaway bullock cart Krona rocks back on her heels. Seeming to agonize over the statement for a few long moments before she emits a sonorous moan that sounds roughly akin to a water buffalo in heat. Krona rushes at Drovalid, leaping upon the torturer and bearing him bodily to the ground with her bulk.
Sitting astride the newly prone torturer, Krona runs a hand gently down his cheek. There is a certain sparkle and fire in her eyes that shows that she is enjoying this moment immensely. Krona then hooks her left hand under Drovalid's helm and tears it from his head with a single bestial tearing motion. Her hands then take a firm grip of the hair on either side of his head and pulls his head up forcibly towards her questing lips.... and tongue...
Krona roughly scrunches her face into Drovalids, her fake tusks crushing Drovalid's lips painfully as her lips sit over his mouth parted wide like the sluices in a canal. Krona's tongue snakes forth to penetrate Drovalids defences like a parasite seeking succor and crudely swishes around like a cold fish flopping on the dock desperate for the safety of the ocean.
Releasing his head to thump painfully back upon the stage Krona raises her head to the heavens. Her loins grind back and forth in a manner similar to a timber saw wielded by drunken lumberjacks... shuddering and forcing the breath from Drovalid's lungs. Krona roars her pleasure at the heavens for a good hand of seconds before shouting "Then let this final trial shake the foundations of the world! And let our love making shatter the ceilings of hell!" her groin driven rocking motion driving growing more intensified as she speaks and culminating in a back arching scream of ecstasy.
Krona then slumps down so that her face is close to Drovalid's and gives the taciturn devotee of the god of war a playful wink before Krona rolls off her steed of love and lies panting upon her back.
Even the tears blinding him can not shut out the face of Caldazar as Tal ISPs forced bodily to the ground. Landing hard, the breath is driven from his lungs. Not even having time to breath in again, it is all Tal can do to hold himself together as his head feels like it is getting ripped off. Just as the helm comes away, Tal tries to breath deep. Instead of getting a full breath of refreshing air, all Tal gets is Cal's tongue forced into his mouth. Too shocked to move or breath, Tal let's Caldazar finish before finally trying to breath once again. Please gods nooooooo.... How am I ever going to be able to survive such an ordeal. Please Gorum, let me face a dozen howling barbarians seeking my blood than to have Caldazar abuse me again.....oh gods nooooooo......
As the final lines are said the audience shares a full body cringe with Tal as the two lovers finally part.
You each turn towards the back of the stage where you clearly heard the movement of something large being guided by many small things. As a second curtain rises you see a dire and terrible swamp revealed with a terrible land inhospitable to any kind of civilized life and bound to carry innumerable terrors for Larazod and his ilk. As you gird yourselves for battle two enormous skeletons baring wicked claws and terrible dagger like teeth clatter towards you from the swamp with murder and mayhem clearly on the agenda. They move just slowly enough their baleful eyes locked upon Larazod giving you just enough time to react.
Caldazar
Merax
Pollux
Tal
Good Guys: 12.5
Bad Guys initiative
Bad Guys: 12
GOOD GUYS BY A NOSE!!!
Krona brings up her morningstar in a warding gesture at the entry of the massive skeletal beasts. Thoughts go to her patron and to beg for her aid in guiding her hand this day... hopefully the plea being lost to the audience whose eyes are upon the skeletons.
round 1
Lazarod takes advantage of the momentary window to dart across the stage and cower behind the lovebirds.
Kneeling there he begins to dray strange swirling marks on the boards with a soft green chalk
The two behemoth skeletons plod forward towards the assembled group pausing ever so slightly. Taking advantage of their lack of focus and the precious few seconds it offers, Tal rushes forward weapon raised high above him. Tal Brings the war axe down upon the beast with all the force he can muster. Hopefully he can keep it occupied while the others get into a more advantage position and start their spell slinging.
Move to f19
Charge Power, expertise attack
Damage
With a brief assuring nod to Tal, Meraxilar touches something underneath his shirt and chants in a low tone. A ball of swirling darkness materializes and grows into the shape of a Shadowy Greataxe and heads for the second Skeleton , as Merax closes in .
Spiritual Weapon Attack:
Spiritual Weapon Damage:
MEraxilar and Tal crunch and smash into the massive skeletons as they plod along towards their intended victim but they move forward heedless of MEraxilar's thirst for destruction or Tal's biting axe.
One even manages to simply walk around the stage and reaches out with a scything claw to remove the offending fake tiefling's head. Only a terrified squeal and timely duck deflects the claw off of his mage armor. The other skeleton moves in looking to rip Larazod apart as well.
Calseinica gasps in shock and bleary eyed and shaking wiht barely controlled panic she thorws herself in front of the skeleton barely ducking under another scything claw as she manages to palce herself between pollux and imminent harm.
GROUP IS UP!
Swinging at the skeleton going after Larazod, Tal hopes to slow it down or at least damage it e ough that it will eventually crumble to dust after repeated blows. However the shock of it ignoring him is too much and Tal swings wide.
Aoo when it is being flanked with Caldazar. automiss
Continuing with the assault Tal 5ft steps to E20 and attacks again.
Power expertise attack
Damage
This time he connects but without as much power as he would have liked. Being almost between the two skeletons is not an ideal situation but there is nothing else for it.
Power expertise attack
Damage
AoO: for
Filled with the fervor of the bloodied rose, Krona roars as her morningstar seeks an opening in the skeleton's defences before following up with a second blow.
Attack: for
Meraxilar moves into a position to cover Tal from being flanked by both of these large skeletons. With his back to Tal's, Merax attempts to delay the second juggernaut.
"Foolish Tal, just foolish. You would not want me to deliver pieces of you to Lily, let alone console her in her grief, do you?" Merax grins at Tal before continuing with his bone grinding.
Attack (Skel #2):
Damage:
Spiritual Weapon (still skel #2) attack:
Spiritual Weapon (Force) damage:
Smiling at the grim yet humorous Meraxilar, Don't worry about me. It is going to take more than a couple of claws past my shield to bring me down. Lily does not worry about my sake. She worries more about those I do not show mercy towards. Have faith. This is merely entertainment until we get to the last with Handerthan.
Feeling the wind from the bone things claw Pollux looks up from his treasonously scatological drawing of Thesing. "You're too dead to play with. Go play with Tal."
Pollux crushes a bit of the chalk and hurls the resulting soft green powder upstage. The resulting cloud twists around Calcenica the critically confused and her bony dance partner in order to fall on the armored form beyond. The doughty fighter, surprised by the sudden greening accidentally inhales some of the mysterious powder.
A moment passes and in that moment Tal sees a great three lobed eye and hears the chattering of uncounted mandibles. When the moment passes he finds himself on an equal footing with his bony opponents.
With a flurry of magnificently timed swings the group manages to knock the legs out from the leading skeleton before Krona smashes it to bits. Meraxilar turns his destructive ire against the second skeleton barely dodging a return swipe as he moves in.
The crowd ooo's at the ever growing drovalid as the skeleton reaches out with talon and fang to rend the tormentor to pieces. Unfortunately the gm's dice roller refuses to let him roll above a ten and thus he is spared the scything might of the skeletons big damage dice.
GROUP IS UP!
Kicking the fallen skelton with one boot, Krona roars and charges at the second - intent on ending the combat quickly. Heedless of danger her lump of spiky steel flashes forth with bone-crunching intent...
Charging Morningstar: for
Having the one behemoth drop to the combined blows gives Tal more hopeful for finishing the act quickly. Setting his feet, clutching the overly large axe, Tal again swings with Meraxilar and Caldazar to bring the skeleton down.
Power expertise attack
Meraxilar shifts his grip on the axe and brings it around again after Tal stumbles Abit from his sudden growth. "Perhaps it's best you stay with the child-sized axe after all, you could hurt yourself."
Attack:
Damage:
After missing himself, a sheepish grin plays across his face. "Hmm, I seem to have offended Gorum."
As Merax swings, his spiritual weapon bears down on the skeleton from behind one final time before dispersing into nothingness.
Spiritual Weapon Attack:
Spiritual Weapon Damage:
Pollux stares into Castors eyes for a moment. This draws a twitter from those audience members not distracted by Tal's huge, tracks of land. Castor then scampers up the Iron Giant and yanks painfully on a bit of hair that escaped from his helmet. The sudden distraction seems to clear the warriors mind and relax his straining muscels.
Caldazarcharges forward eating a nasty claw across his face the would leave a rather convincing scar as he slams into the skeleton with his morning star sending bone shards flying in all directions.
The rest of the group manages to whiff with amazing incompetenc as the malevolent glow in the skeltons eyes dim just a touch before brightening into full fiery glory. It renews its assault on the much softer Tybain taking a demonic crusade against the "paladin". The assault is overwhelming and with the slightest whisper of its massive swordlike claws Meraxilar is saring down at a white costume quickly turning red with fresh blood. As the black fleshless maw of the creature descends he gets a brief look at dagger like fangs before he feels his skull begin to fracture.
GROUP IS UP!
MAP is unchanged save for Caldazar's position.
Pain at having her flesh rended assuaged by the visceral pleasure of splintering bone, Krona maintains her rage-fuelled assault - outwardly seeming to not have noticed Tybain being mauled...
Morningstar: for
Meraxilar falls to the floor as his axe lands beside him. Oddly, the last conscious thoughts in his chaotic mind were of tasting Lily's marvelous soup once more after the play.
Seeing the mighty 'paladin' drop, Tal abandons the idea of protecting himself as he throws himself at the behemoth with his axe. Dropping his shield to grip the weapon with both hands, Tal brings the axe down with a massive overhand chop.
Power expertise 2-handed attackguidance used flank not included
Damage
With a devastating blow from his mace caldazar manages to knock the legs out from under the creature before Tal manages to smash its head in with his axe.
The curtain descends almost immediately as soon as the last foe falls. Calseinica holds her forehead and looks paler than normal. Her sudden benevolence towards Pollux confusing even to her.
Thesing is practically vibrating fury as he is turned away from the group trying to contain his outrage.
With one more act left to go MEraxilar lies bleeding on the ground.
Pollux walks over to the bleeding Merax and stoops over his bleeding form.
Castor calmly reaches up and tugs gently on an ear nearly seveered bu the skeleton's bite.
"Wakie wakie Xarem. You are too heavy to become a figment."
Pollux digs around in his costume, rather too near where Calseinica was crushing for onlooker's peace of mind, before removing a crusted and moldy wooden bottle. Pollux bites off the wax seal, chewing it for a moment before swollowing with some difficulty. He then dribbles some of the metallic silvery powder into the more exciting of Merax's wounds. He is still for a moment seemly entranced at the reaction as the powder hits the open blood stream.
Seemingly disappointed by the results he dumps the remainder down Merax's open gullet.
Dropping his morningstar, Caldazar turns to Merax's fallen form and calls upon his patron. The warmth of Milani does not easily come, so Caldazar nicks his palm before attempting again - allowing the bloodied rose to act through his bloodied palm. Reluctantly the divine power roils forth and makes the servant of the unmaker more whole.
Merax slowly regains consciousness to find Pollux and Caldazar standing over him. To Caldazar, "Not exactly the fairest of women to wake up to, barely passable even. You have my thanks nonetheless." Looking over to Pollux, "I see you might have worried over me as we'll, vagabond. You would know that I'm not entirely sure that being around to puzzle out your eccentricities a few more weeks is a good thing. You have my thanks as well. Now if you both would help me up, let us finish this farce."
After rising, he uses two more charges of the wand on himself.
Wand of CLW: and
He picks up his axe and walks toward Tal, "I seem to be hungry, Tal. Lily's soup would greatly aid my recovery. I thought that to be worth mentioning."