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"Hope it doesn't read 'I memorized exploding runes today.' Nothing evil out here. Let's prepare before we push those doors open." a small, thin voice offers the freaks from a shadow.
"For some reason, I think it did," Sabrina mumbles dryly as she helps Cladissa to her feet.
Naturally, being a sabertooth tiger, the words just comes out as growls and grunts.
"Oww-- ooh," Cladissa's groan in pain changes pitch when she's hit with the wand of infernal healing. The expected revulsion of the unclean healing doesn't come; instead the sensation feels really good and she stifles a moan.
Trying to ignore the pleasurable feeling coursing through her, she casts her own spell to help her recover faster.
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Sabrina nudges Argor with her large feline head until she gets his attention.
"Constantine, have the Hound open the doors; he's quite disposable durable," the saber-toothed tigress attempts to say.
Realizing that she is just growling nonsense, Sabrina points a paw first at the Hound and then at the doors, hoping that the lawman's big brain can connect the dots.
The hound goes forward and pushes the doors open. The archives beyond are a series of wide, interconnecting hallways with high, arched ceilings. Long, stone-topped reading islands run down the center of the halls, dividing them. Dust and cobwebs cover everything, easily marking the recent passage of several large creatures. Tall shelves line the walls, filled with assorted tomes and grimoires. Some of these bear recent damage: shelves smashed and singed, and books lying in scattered piles, torn, tattered, and burnt. Ten feet from the door sits a large desk covered in an assortment of dusty tomes. A large shadow demon hovers in front of it. The dark fiend lets out a horrible otherwordly screech when it sees the hound archon and Pathfinders.
Initiative:
Shadow Demon 27
??? 22
Party 9.6
The shadow demon roils forward, passing through the desk and slamming into the hound archon as a screaming cloud of clawed, toothed darkness.
The hound archon is torn to shreds before it can react, and disappears.
Likewise, Argor conjures forth a protective disc of energy to help protect himself from the demon.
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Rutai whips out the third wand on his back and calls forth the magic contained within to bolster the group further.
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Gianluca raises his voice in his own cry, rising to match that of the demon, as he charges forward. Muttering a prayer to the Host of Delection, his sword glows with a pale lavender flame as he attempts to cleave through the shadowy demon.
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>> If attacked, parry the first attack if it hits less than a 32.
Cladissa's eyes widen in terror as she sees the shadow demon. Memories of her own possession at the hands of such a being assail her, and she wonders if this is the same one. A sudden urge to flee in abject terror threatens to overwhelm her, but before she can act Rutai's wand gives her just enough hope to stand her ground.
Desperately, she throws a Hex at it to strip away the stands of Fortune. Then she cackles to extend the effect.
Hrim draws his bow and exhales a blessing to Count Ranalc.
The shadow demon roils forward, passing through the desk and slamming into the hound archon as a screaming cloud of clawed, toothed darkness. The hound archon is torn to shreds before it can react, and disappears.
Sabrina quickly recasts her shield spell and then moves aside for Gianluca to smite some evil.
Likewise, Argor conjures forth a protective disc of energy to help protect himself from the demon. Rutai whips out the third wand on his back and calls forth the magic contained within to bolster the group further.
Gianluca raises his voice in his own cry, rising to match that of the demon, as he charges forward. Muttering a prayer to the Host of Delection, his sword glows with a pale lavender flame as he attempts to cleave through the shadowy demon.
The purple fury of Arshea cleaves the demon's smoky body with ease, leaving a deep rent in its form.
Cladissa's eyes widen in terror as she sees the shadow demon. Memories of her own possession at the hands of such a being assail her, and she wonders if this is the same one. A sudden urge to flee in abject terror threatens to overwhelm her, but before she can act Rutai's wand gives her just enough hope to stand her ground.
Desperately, she throws a Hex at it to strip away the stands of Fortune. She struggles against the demon's will, but in her fear she cannot overcome it.
Hrim draws his bow and exhales a blessing to Count Ranalc.
Hrim's arrow pierces into the shadowy demon, burning away more of its dark body.
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The shadow demon disappears into the floor, popping back up in the stairwell next to Argor. It bites Cole as it emerges from the floor.
Another demon emerges from behind one of the bookshelves. The emaciated figure looks like a horned human skeleton smothered within a bone-tight hide of slimy leather. It laughs maniacally and readies a longspear. "ಕಮ್ ಮತ್ತು ನನಗೆ ಕೋಳಿಯ ಕೈಗೊಂಬೆ ಪಡೆಯಲು!" it taunts Gianluca.
"COLE!" Cladissa screams as the demon rises from the floor and attacks her familiar.
Then a voice in her head pushes through her panic and suddenly she understands the logic in Sabrina's plan. "Right! Gianluca! Get back here! Hrim, shut the door once he's through! Fight them one at a time!"
Cladissa then fixes a baleful gaze at the shadow demon, stripping away it's defenses and then laughing madly.
Gianluca gets in one slash as the demon attempts to flee him. "You won't get far!" he hollers.
As the horned demon taunts him in Celestial, he shrugs. "I, ah, actually haven't learned the language of the angels yet. Common mistake. I assume you just said, 'please put an end to my retched existence' and I'm happy to oblige...but I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line behind this shadow--oh, and your mother.
"I assure you though, I'll be with you as fast as I can."
With that he takes a step back through the doorway, charging back at the shadow demon and attempting to strike it silly.
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Hrim hovers into the door opening and exhales another blessing to Count Ranalc. He shoots two more cold iron tipped arrows at the shadow demon.
Argor retrieves a bit of licorice root from his component pouch and crumbles it in his hands, reciting the words of magic for a spell.
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The shadow demon disappears into the floor, popping back up in the stairwell next to Argor. Gianluca gets in one slash as the demon attempts to flee him. "You won't get far!" he hollers. It bites Cole as it emerges from the floor.
Another demon emerges from behind one of the bookshelves. The emaciated figure looks like a horned human skeleton smothered within a bone-tight hide of slimy leather. It laughs maniacally and readies a longspear. "ಕಮ್ ಮತ್ತು ನನಗೆ ಕೋಳಿಯ ಕೈಗೊಂಬೆ ಪಡೆಯಲು!" it taunts Gianluca.
Sabrina grits her saber-toothed teeth and quickly rattles out a plan.
::Cladissa, ask Gianluca to attack the Shadow and Hrim to close the doors. We'll fight 'em one at a time!::
"COLE!" Cladissa screams as the demon rises from the floor and attacks her familiar.
Then a voice in her head pushes through her panic and suddenly she understands the logic in Sabrina's plan. "Right! Gianluca! Get back here! Hrim, shut the door once he's through! Fight them one at a time!"
Cladissa then fixes a baleful gaze at the shadow demon, stripping away it's defenses and then laughing madly.
As the horned demon taunts him in Celestial, he shrugs. "I, ah, actually haven't learned the language of the angels yet. Common mistake. I assume you just said, 'please put an end to my retched existence' and I'm happy to oblige...but I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line behind this shadow--oh, and your mother.
"I assure you though, I'll be with you as fast as I can."
With that he takes a step back through the doorway, charging back at the shadow demon and attempting to strike it silly. He slashes the demon twice, but without the ability to harm incorporeal foes, his attacks are much less effective this time.
Hrim hovers into the door opening and exhales another blessing to Count Ranalc. He shoots two more cold iron tipped arrows at the shadow demon. Both missiles tear pathways through the demon's shadowy body, weakening it further.
Argor retrieves a bit of licorice root from his component pouch and crumbles it in his hands, reciting the words of magic for a spell.
After not seeing the doors close, Sabrina quickly cements her hide with even more protective magic and moves to intercept the non-shadowy demon.
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The shadow demon slides halfway down into the floor at Gianluca's feet, before forming claws and teeth to tear at the honeyed hand.
Miss, Miss, Crit
Heh
Gianluca parries the two claws, leaving his legs open. The demon twists around impossibly fast and sinks freezing cold dagger sized fangs into Gianluca's knee, shattering the cap and tearing connective tissue.
The bony demon steps forward and jabs at Sabrina twice with its longspear.
The demonic weapon pinks harmlessly off her barky dual-shielded hide.
Frustrated over losing the spell once already, Argor focused his mind and again recites words of magic. This time, the spell goes off without difficulty and everyone begins moving faster!
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Sabrina lets out a fierce roar and promptly pounces the demon who attacked her; as her claws sink deep into its sides, Yig's Champion lashes out with two vicious bites. While Gianluca is clearly the melee powerhouse of the team, it immediately becomes clear that Sabrina herself is no slouch.
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Her relief when Gianluca draws the attention of the shadow demon away from Cole fades the instant he sustains a grievous wound from its attacks. She had already lowered its defense, so she peers around the corner and hexes it again, this time stripping away its combat prowess.
Gianluca gasps as his knee is destroyed, but draws on his inner passions to keep standing as he attempts to finish off the shadowy demon.
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Hrim smiles when Argor's Haste hits. He shoots three more arrows at the shadow demon.
Rutai bobs and weaves invisibly through the fight to Gianluca, and taps the healing wand against his injured knee.
The shadow demon slides halfway down into the floor at Gianluca's feet, before forming claws and teeth to tear at the honeyed hand. Gianluca parries the two claws, leaving his legs open. The demon twists around impossibly fast and sinks freezing cold dagger sized fangs into Gianluca's knee, shattering the cap and tearing connective tissue.
The bony demon steps forward and jabs at Sabrina twice with its longspear. The demonic weapon pinks harmlessly off her barky dual-shielded hide.
Frustrated over losing the spell once already, Argor focused his mind and again recites words of magic. This time, the spell goes off without difficulty and everyone begins moving faster!
Sabrina lets out a fierce roar and promptly pounces the demon who attacked her; as her claws sink deep into its sides, Yig's Champion lashes out with two vicious bites. While Gianluca is clearly the melee powerhouse of the team, it immediately becomes evident that Sabrina herself is no slouch.
Not only do Sabrina's claws have a hard time hurting the babau, she finds that the slime coating it is a strong acid! The thick mucus begins burning at her claws and mouth as she tries to shake it off, melting flesh.
Her relief when Gianluca draws the attention of the shadow demon away from Cole fades the instant he sustains a grievous wound from its attacks. She had already lowered its defense, so she peers around the corner and hexes it again, this time stripping away its combat prowess.
Gianluca gasps as his knee is destroyed, but draws on his inner passions to keep standing as he attempts to finish off the shadowy demon. The honeyed hand's blazing sword cuts a Z pattern across the demon, trisecting and destroying it! The shadowy bits of its body dissolve and fade from the material plane.
Hrim smiles when Argor's Haste hits. He shoots three more arrows at the shadow demon babau. Unlike Sabrina's claws, Hrim's cold iron arrows go through the demon like paper. A well placed cluster of three shafts blasts a hole through the babau's already shredded chest, destroying it. Its body melts into a bubbling pool of flesh then disappears.
Rutai bobs and weaves invisibly through the fight to Gianluca, and taps the healing wand against his injured knee.
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For the moment, it appears as if all threats have been eliminated.
"Whatever else is down here would have heard that fight. We should stay alert."
Cole meows in agreement, and lends his cat's luck to Cladissa while she casts guidance on herself. Cole slinks off to hide in an alcove and Cladissa cautiously steps forward.
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Sabrina growls in pain as she takes two paws and a face full of acid; thankfully, she manages to close her eyes quickly and avoids being blinded.
"Owowow! Yo, Rutai! Medic!" she howls in her cat tongue. ::Owowow! Yo, Classy, get the imp! Acid in my eyes! Owowow!::
Upon realizing that she is still stuck in moving at six second intervals hearing Cladissa's sound logic, the Naga Aspirant quickly steels her guard and prepares for more trouble.
Gianluca nods, "Stay alert and go forward, while we're under the succor of Argor's enchantment, and before they have much time to react to our presence."
"Sabrina was hurt by that babau demon," Cladissa announces, not willing to address the imp directly. "We'll have to make note of their kind's caustic defenses if we encounter more."
As Argor watches the bodies dissipate physically, he smiles. "These demons are not being returned to their home plane, they are actually dieing. That means if we can kill them here, they are dead for real. At least that is a good thing."
He hovers into the next chamber behind the others.
Rutai flies over and taps Sabrina on the forehead with the wand.
Hrim shifts and Detects Evil.
For the moment, it appears as if all threats have been eliminated.
"Whatever else is down here would have heard that fight. We should stay alert."
Cole meows in agreement, and lends his cat's luck to Cladissa while she casts guidance on herself. Cole slinks off to hide in an alcove and Cladissa cautiously steps forward.
Sabrina growls in pain as she takes two paws and a face full of acid; thankfully, she manages to close her eyes quickly and avoids being blinded.
"Owowow! Yo, Rutai! Medic!" she howls in her cat tongue. ::Owowow! Yo, Classy, get the imp! Acid in my eyes! Owowow!:: Upon hearing Cladissa's sound logic, the Naga Aspirant quickly steels her guard and prepares for more trouble.
Gianluca nods, "Stay alert and go forward, while we're under the succor of Argor's enchantment, and before they have much time to react to our presence."
"Sabrina was hurt by that babau demon," Cladissa announces, not willing to address the imp directly. "We'll have to make note of their kind's caustic defenses if we encounter more."
As Argor watches the bodies dissipate physically, he smiles. "These demons are not being returned to their home plane, they are actually dieing. That means if we can kill them here, they are dead for real. At least that is a good thing."
He hovers into the next chamber behind the others. Rutai flies over and taps Sabrina on the forehead with the wand.
Hrim shifts and begins detecting evil.
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A flapping of wings from behind the group turns heads just in time to see a succubus with blazing red energy surrounding its hand swoop down on Cladissa from the stairwell.
The witch is taken off guard, horrible flashbacks of her past ordeal entering her mind. The succubus smacks her across the face hissing, "Imposter!" The succubus' vampiric touch causes capillaries all across Cladissa's face to explode, blood snaking out in thick ropes to flow into the demon's skin. The succubus appears to swell and engorge like aroused genitalia, her evil cackle ringing in the chamber.
In sheer shock and horror, Cladissa gasps as her life force is nearly drained away. She desperately throws her hex at the succubus -- clearly not the one who had kidnapped her but near enough. She then falls back to seek safety behind Gianluca who is thankfully nearby.
"Good work, Cladissa," Gianluca says, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Now let's banish this twisted perversion of passion from our world."
Gianluca raises his greatsword, says a prayer to Arshea, and chops the demon's head off with one clean stroke.
"I see we're being persued from both sides. Shall I stay with Cladissa, guarding the rear, while Sabrina takes point?"
Then thinking for a second. "Hold on, Sssabs, speaking of you...you look awfully cramped. I wear a holy belt of Arshea that enables me freedom in very tight quarters. Would you like to use it while we're down here?"
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Sabrina growls a reply and then remembers she is unable to speak.
::I appreciate the offer, but no. I'd have to switch back to normal and then swap my belt with yours, but I can only shapeshift three times a day, and I'm already on the third:: she says through Cladissa. ::Wow, that sentence has poor grammar! Anyway, good plan. I say we go with it, though Classy should move to the middle::
Sabrina continues to maintain her heightened guard.
Hrim is astonished by the Cladissa look alike and fires three arrows at the demon.
Cladissa leans up against the wall of the alcove she sought refuge in, clutching at her chest and breathing hard as she recovers from the sneak attack.
After a few breaths and a gulp, she answers for Sabrina. "She can't shapeshift again today, so you hang on to it for now. She agrees to go to the front. I'll stay close to you." Cladissa trembles, fighting off panic and flashes of her memories of her captivity.
Not her. It wasn't her. Of course; it can't be that easy, she thinks bitterly as she studies the remains of the succubus.
The succubus' body remains on the floor, decaying over the course of a minute into a pile of bloody goop.