Landing in a meadow, you don't see any threats.
King Joseph turns to the LAT . "Secure the area, and provide a perimeter until all are present."
The team does as instructed, searching out the nearby area and securing the grounds. Ryada's team comes along shortly after on the dire bats. Then another squad lands with the bats as well. It looks like three squads for now.
Rachel dismounts her pegasus as the group lands. The witch murmurs a spell, granting her increased agility. She draws her elven curve blade from its scabbard and stands beside Joe, nodding her readiness. Her enchanted veil obscures her expression.
"The area is secure, No viable threats in sight." Lancelot reports. "Shall we advance to the castle. The outerwall is 600 feet away past that treeline."
"Any idea if we've been sighted yet?"
"No sir. We haven't seen any signs of life."
Joe then gets a sending from Merlynn, "Osirus occupied with demonic infestation. Their leaders are in control of the movement. You have one hour to change course or the castle will crash."
King Joseph nods and shouts over the din of adventurers. "NEW OBJECTIVE! Locate and secure Castle Control Room! We have one hour or this castle crashes! Expect demonic resistance!! Team Leaders, gather your forces! We are heading in NOW!!"
|
team Ed form in! Damn it I said on the double. We need to move as a team to our new objective being the control room of the tower and we have forty five minutes to get there and land this thing safely. Let's move!
Eds team will move in from the closest entrance turning right at each available and using Ed for scent to try to find the right spot.
"What am I smelling for?" He asks after he transforms into his briar form.
Sir Lanceleot and the LAC form up and move to the castle with Joe. Getting to the glittering golden walls and yet there is no entrance. A few of them pull out grappling Hooks with rope and throw them. A magical barrier stops them from getting over the wall.
Hustling up to the castle wall, King Joseph unsheaths Escalavar and uses the magical sword to test any perceived resistances, hoping the king's blade might have some effect on the magical barrier.
The barrier apparently does not protect the wall. Just the top of it. As Escalavar hits the metal on the wall you feel the vibrations in your arms. You left a decent sized dent in the metal.
"Do we have any spellcasters that can cast dispel magic on the castle wall?!" King Joseph calls out to the multitude.
The LAC consists of a Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, and 2 Rogues.
They look at Joe and shrug. The rogues begin to look for other ways into the castle.
+10
One of them walks 40 feet to the right. He inspects the area closely and then pulls down a cleverly hidden lever. A section of the wall lowers slowly onto the ground like a drawbridge but the portculis is still down barring travel into the castle. Looking through you can see bodies, large humanoid bodies and all sorts of gore. There are about 10 bodies in the 100 feet by 300 feet courtyard.
She stands ready with her squad of 10 soldiers. At the mention of dispelling magic she has no answer. Though if the rogues did not work so effectively she may have aided them. But she just remains next to them.
King Joseph thanks the rogue who found the lever. Addressing the rogues together, King Joseph asks, "Can you open it? If not..", Joe called over to his warlord. "Frank, please standby. We might need your godling strength."
Rachel stands at the ready behind Joe, sword raised in anticipation of making contact with the enemy.
"We might have to use brute force to open that gate", King Joseph warns.
The rogues continue to look without answering Joe...
Rachel helps assist in the search, looking for a way inside!
The rogues do not touch the portcullis. They look and eventually state, "I see a winch above. If we had some magical assistance that would likely push it, otherwise we need someone to lift it so someone can go get the winch."
The barbarian and fighter of the LAC nod to each other and step forward putting their weapons away. They grab onto it and lift...
fighter saves
You can see a spell wash over the barbarian as he looks weakened, though that does not stop him from trying to heave the metal and wood barrier.
They lift it a few inches and then try again.
This time with help or on their own they lift the portcullis to their shoulder height. The rogues and the rest of the LAC quickly move below the raised portcullis to the open courtyard. There the rogues move off to the right.
The paladin and knight take defensive styles protecting the two holding up the entry.
Ryada and her soldiers quickly join and follow. Making a protective wall of metal with the paladin and knight.
As the rogues work, King Joseph jogs over to the leven noblewoman and beckons her in to talk privately. "Lady Ryada, a word please?"
She lets the soldiers do what they have trained for, protection. Protection of each other and citizens. Maybe even protecting royalty and nobility, though she is no royal they have ever protected before.
She moves out with an immense speed and looking over the battlefield. Now on the other side of the courtyard she waves the soldiers to advance.
She speaks into her ring, "The 10 bodies in the courtyard have claw and bite marks upon them. Though no sign of enemies that would have inflicted such things are nearby or in sight."
She pulls out a wand and casts shield upon herself. Then she casts another spell before putting her ear to the door.
She then whispers to the ring, allowing you all to hear as if she was talking to the Night Hawks that are within a mile, "Creatures lie in the next room, Night Hawks forward. Tell the soldiers to keep the defensive position they have now. Joe I need your strength to open this door. I can barely budge it. The magic upon the door is preservation and defensive magic. Don't attack it."
There are two doors, each of them are 40 feet high, and 20 feet wide. A solid oak door reinforced with gold bracings. Magical runes glow upon its face.
Ed over hears the voice from the ring and nods, then charges forward under the portcullis and around the wall of soldiers. Moving with grace and clearly leaving space between them and himself.
Looking within the large corridor you see pillars off to the right and left every 10 feet or so. Each pillar is 5 feet thick. There is space beyond the pillars. Vases and tapestries had decorated this room but they are now broken or torn. The room has been ransacked. No sign of any creatures.
King Joseph runs over to the magic door. After several desperate tries, the paladin opens the entryway.
Looking into the room, the holy warrior wonders aloud, "The demons must still be closeby."
"Yes indeed," she replies to Joe in a whisper adding, "they wait behind the pillars. Do we form a line or go to them?"
She pulls out her rapier to have it and her silver short sword ready.
Lesser Weapon Augment Crystals: Acid and Electricity
Two-Weapon Fighting-2/-2
MC Cold iron mace
Ranged dagger (thrown) +12 (1d4+1/19-20)
Special Attacks
distraction, studied target (+1 attack, +1 damage, and +1 skills),
sneak attack +1d6,
He stands at Joe's and Ryada's heels, ready to show his worth. Just waiting for the word.
"Ready? Go!" King Joseph whispered, then shouted as the ran forward to attack.
Rachel hexes the creature nearest Joe that he didn't target, cursing it with misfortune. As she does so, the air shimmers around her and she vanishes from sight.
Round 1
As Joe went right, Ed went left. Around the pillar to try to bite the abyssal creature. His thorns sticking into the flesh of the creature.
plus painful thorns
Round 1
Joe gives the signal and your group charges into the large chamber. Ed bites deeply into the small creature. Joe critically hits the critter slicing it cleanly in half. The blood splatters, the body falls but moments pass as it distorts and the remains are soon gone. Niversal follows and inspires the group. As Rachel follows Joe she sees another creature further down and hexes it. Ryada moves in and follows Ed. The creatures not in combat scream and race to the other side of the room.
Round 2
Round 2
He bites the abyssal creature again. More thorns sticking into the flesh of the creature.
plus painful thorns.
-----
Rachel Hexes another of the poor creatures with misfortune.
Round 2
She studies the critter, moves into flanking, and cuts the creature down with a slice from her silver blade. She does her best to see where the rest of them ran off to.
Round 2
Noticing the strange behaviors of these creatures, King Joseph takes a moment to take in the battlefield, and identify what these creatures are.
Rachel remains invisible as she moves up alongside Niversal.
Even the lowest demons of the Abyss are dangerous and filled with a driving need to spread ruin and dismay. The lowly dretch is as hideous and foul as it is cruel, even if it lacks the strength and power to realize its need to brutalize others in its native realm. The lot of the dretch’s existence is to serve more powerful demons as victims, and only the lucky few survive long enough to evolve.
The dretch is a favorite target for dabblers in Abyssal summonings to call forth. Relatively weak and easy to bully, dretches can often be pressured into long periods of servitude with only vague promises of the opportunity to vent their frustrations and anger on softer foes. Yet the prospective dretch-summoner would do well to remember that these demons are as craven and untrustworthy as they come. A dretch faced with a more powerful foe is only too eager to trade what it knows for its pitiful excuse for a life.
King Joseph shouts out to his forces, "They're dretches! Low-level demons but very dangerous in these numbers! Don't let them overwhelm you!"
Niversal continues to inspire the group with his song. Ryada cuts the creature down with a slice from her silver blade that is between her and Ed. Joseph another of the dretches comes at you as the rest of them have vacated the room.
Round 3
Round 3
She quickly asks the group, "Should I go after the fleeing host or help Joe?" Seeing Ed go to Joe she moves to the other door.
Round 3
Ed growls out, "Go! I will help Joe." With that said he double moves to get into a flanking position with Joe.