1 - Cedric
2 - Eldred
3 - Johan
4 - Sebastian
I'm not putting Agrippa on watchout because, well, he is Agrippa and is the only one that needs to sleep 8 hours per day.
@Sebastian
You reckon there’s still some hours until dawn. The night thus far have been pleasant.
The ever so present wicked energy does not bother you that much anymore, place feels almost nice. It gives you a sense of control. Here, you can do whatever you think it’s good and best for promoting your deity’s faith. There’s no more hiding.
From time to time, Cytheria Rex paces near you, this eerie horse-like creature. Her skin is an inky blackness. Fire spurts from its hair and nostrils, and its hooves spray sparks. You know it’s capable of speech, if one understands the language of hell.
The silence in the night is broke when the alarm set of by Agrippa in the second floor triggers. Someone just entered the second floor.
Cedric hears the alarm and rises. He looks to Ulf and motions him over to help him don his armor. The ape holds the pieces in place as Cedric fastens the buckles.
"I hope the defenses hold Ulf. This damn heavy armor takes so long to put on. Hexor, Vexor prepare yourselves we have company."
19/20 rounds to put on armor.
Hearing the Alarm, Agrippa summons Gulugur and Faalthraaz to his side.
He tells the Zebub Go and see what has set off the alarm, report back to me. The Zebub goes invisible and teleports away
To Gulugur he says Find Master Hale. We will meet at the throne on the second floor
Agrippa hurries across the hallway from his room into the Throne room. If he has time he casts his normal preparatory spells
Agrippa's imp wakes Johan and relay's the wizard's message. The big man grabs for his armor and bellows for a servant. Help me with this! he says to the scurrying lackey. To the imp he says, Rouse the others - Get Eldred and Grumblejack to meet me here, then we move together to the throne room.
Eldred awakes with the imp tugging at his clothing and starts strapping on his mithril armour before gathering his weapons and heading to Johans room.
Sebastian is busy in the days before the messenger arrives, the priest conducting the lengthy rituals to assume control of the undead guardians as well as working on the Horn's defenses.
His first priority is securing the prisoner and several stone shape spells later the only way in and out of the cell is through the narrow bars set into newly formed rock.
I can make a new door when its time to bring him out, the priest says with satisfaction. The undead archon is stationed to provide even more security.
Second is work on the second level and Sebastian is just about finished on the ooze room when the message arrives and he concentrates on more combat related prayers.
He is meditating quietly when the alarm blares at the entrance two the second level.
Whispering a protective prayer the priest calls out to the guardian daemons and nightmare and commands them to extend their senses. The priest too tries to perceive any intruders lit by the green glow exuding from the Horn's structure.
@Sebastian
Enemies he said.
Enemies indeed.
Would he save some for us to eat?
Ask him to do that you should.
The daemons stares at each other for some seconds as Sebastian hear the voices again
Keep an eye we will.
We will indeed.
With that, one of them disappears in a hellish fiery smoke, as the other continues in the same place he was, guarding the sanctum.
--
Cytheria Rex does not objects you mounting her, as she was ordered by Johan to help. It does not take long, and in the cold pre-dawn, you reach after some time, the second level entrance. The trap is spur, the vines killed. Strangely enough, the skeletons and zombies guarding from the side rooms are still there, intact and unhurt.
A quick inspection reveals that the vines were destroyed mostly by savage sword blows and piercing stabs. Daggers and swords, were the weapons used.
@Johan
The man’s scurries and tremble with you yell at him. Clearly the servant thinks his time has come. If not from the intruders, them from his masters.
@Agrippa
After moving from your room near the throne, and going to Johan’s as requested, the Zebub devil arrive teleporting directly inside the room.
”Master, someone entered the place, but we couldn’t see them. Only hear.” it says in abyssal and waits there, for more instructions.
@Eldred
Donning your armor is easy and fast, you can do it alone and moving. Soon after you received the call from Johan, you went to his room, where the man is still struggling to get in his armor.
@Cedric
With the servants help, you are busy donning the heavy armor which has been used in several battles already. The lustrous dark plate.
Grumblejack arrives, soon after, with no armor, but carrying his gigantic earthbreaker.
"Grumblejack don't fit the armor too well. Too much time to put it, the little un's barely hold the thing." he complains.
You have done well Faalthraaz, I may give you one of the interlopers to play with... Agrippa says, and then he casts See Invisibility on himself.
We wait here for Master Hale, or Master Crofter...
To Grumblejack Agrippa simply says I hope you are hungry, because there are intruders for you to eat.
Johan stands stoic and silent as the servants strap on his armor. He frowns at Grumblejack's lack of preparedness, but secretly agrees with the ogre, begrudgingg every second this suit of steel takes to put on. When finally done he strides into the fountain room to meet the rest of the knot and face down these invaders..
Sebastian relies on the accuser devil (more or less) to alert its master as to the incursion but still sounds the horn with the prepared call. Enemies, 2nd level entrance.
He wastes no time reassuring the daemons.
---------
At the entrance he grimaces at the dead and bypassed guardians.
... an abjuration ward against undead, divine magic?
Calling the undead in reach, Sebastian commands them into the lair proper and spurs the nightmare in behind.
Come my beauty, let us show them fear.
There must be a better way to put on armor. I must talk to the wizard on enchantments that will help with this.
After the armor is on Cedric takes up his shield and blade and heads to Johan's room.
"What do we know of the alarm? johan we must come up with a better way to armor ourselves. Perhaps there is magic to help put on the armor. Are we ready?
I am ready, Eldred says with determination, fitting an arrow to his bow string.
The trap lay open and busted. Anyone that passed this way was able to avoid it somehow.
Cedric, Johan, Agrippa, Eldred and Grumble are finishing their preparation, donning armor, casting spells, getting ready for any intruder.
Being mindless vermin, all the spiders cared about was to create a new nest and eat. Being here in this place for some time now, gave them the opportunity to fill the corners with webs, making a cozy and comfy new home. Food? Strangely enough from time to time one would enter, and be locked inside. Them it was only kill and eat.
===//==
Pugsley, Wednesday and Uncle Fester all perked up as the entrance to their lair opened. That usually meant food was coming. Sure enough, prey moved in, quiet and warm. Puglsey farthest from it, watched his web-mates tense in anticipation. His spinnerets quivered in anticipation, as he waited for the prey to move farther into their lair.
Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.Food.
Pugsley, Wednesday and Uncle Fester tries unsuccessfully bind the meal in their web, alerting the half orc about their presence.
Sebastian commands the undead to move out to the throne room, and kill the invaders.
”Ain’t that nice? Spiders! We got some here.” the half orcs says as the new enemy appears.
”Stop yabbering and finish them.” a woman voice sounds, but there’s no owner to it.
”Ya, ya. You say so.” a strong voice answers as a strange foreign with red skin, horns and a large curved sword appears out of nowhere.
"Ain't you getting better?" the red skinned man asks when the rogue felled the spider in one hit.
"Are you crazy? I've always been this better!" The half orc answer;
"Shut up the both of ye!" a difference voice says.
--
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The webbing under Pugsley's feet shiver with the death throws of his nest mates, and the surviving spider instinctively climbs higher to get away from these predators. He fires another gobbet of webbing at the first attacker.
The Skeleton charges in recklessly!
The other skeleton charges across the hall...
;
The third skeleton, unable to reach the green-skinned humanoid that his companions charges advances more slowly across the hall until it spies the red-skinned one, then pivots and fires its crossbow him.
;
On Sebastian's order, the two zombie boggards begin running down the hall to surprise the enemies from behind.
Fairly sure that the undead will do little but slow the dangerous invaders down, Sebastian readies a prayer if any come into sight.
”Seven holy hells! Won’t they stop appearing?” the dwarf complains walking out of his hiding, holding his holy symbol high and yelling. ”Let ye be gone!” as a burst of holy energy fills the room.
Two of the burning skeletons, near the half orc burst in flames as the holy energy hits them.
"Hey! It burns!" the half orc yells as the flames hit him.
"Only because you are weak!" the Barbarian laughs while attacking the other skeleton.
the third skeleton explodes but offers no harm at all to the red skinned man. "See?" he asks the orc.
"Ha, ha, ha. I'm not fire proof. Damn you." The half orc says while throwing a dagger at the last spider.
Pugsley fires one more gobbet of webbing at the half-orc ten darts behind a pillar, trying to hide from these merciless butchers!
Fast Zombie Boggard CR 2
NE Medium undead
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +2 natural)
hp 24 (4d8+4)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4
DR Immune cold; undead traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee spear +6 (1d8+3), tongue +1 touch (sticky tongue)
STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 11, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 16
Feats Toughness,
Skills Racial Modifiers +16 Acrobatics when jumping, +4 Perception, +8 Stealth in swamps
Froooak
The first Boggard moves forward, lashing out with its spear at the woman
The Second Boggard follows, but stops short and tries to catch her with his tongue
"Good gods! Won't they stop showing up?" the woman says as the boggards appears in the throne room as well.
"Get to work ye lad!" the Dwarf complains as he one more raises his holy symbol claiming for his god's blessing.
One of the zombies is able to endure the blast of holy energy, tho none of them were destroyed by it.
"Posca, face them with your weapon!" the red skinned man laughs as he moves to engage.
And with swift and brutal efficiency, the laughing barbarian dispatch the zombies.
"I might as well help." the woman says as she moves to get a line of sight with the hiding spider, waving her hands and conjuring her magic.
And in those burning rays, Pugsley meets his fiery end.
[ooc] On a meta-gamey note, we got these guys to use up two channels, a scorching rays spell, some sort of mass invisibilty, and put 4 dmg on their rogue plus whatever they expended killing the assassin vines - not a total waste.
As Johan straps down another vabrance. Go find Sebastian. Keep him safe. He orders the partially armoured Grumblejack. and if Cytheria Rex has returned to his stable, send him here. he adds.
I'll keep him out of trouble... meet you near Sebastians chambers, says Eldred slinking off in Grumblejacks wake.
While our villains prepare to meet the threat, they hear several sounds nearby.
Fighting, laughing, explosions and them everything is quiet again.
Leaving outside, Grumblejack and Eldred meet Sebastian at the intersection with the throne room, prepared to cast one of this miracles as it seems.
Grumblejack hear Johan's orders and move to obey. Ever since his transformation, the ogre was a lot more reliable and trustworthy.
"Hey Un." he says when he sees Sebastian mounted in the nightmare "Get back, Grumblejack is here to keep your little head from rolling off your shoulders."
What have you gotten to report Friend?
Sebastian speaks softly.
It looks like our invaders are destroying our minions in the temple. They have at least one caster. Care to take a peek?
Reaching down from the nightmare, Sebastian places a prayer of invisibility on the archer.
Eldred sneaks on ahead for a look.
Concerned that the invaders may be heading straight for the sanctum stairs, Sebastian allows Eldred some time to get ahead before carefully nudging the nightmare forward. Grumblejack he quietly orders to stay where he is.
He stops before the doors to the room though, trusting Eldred to assess the situation but staying close enough to provide support.
With his invisibility protection, Eldred creeps ahead to spy on the invaders, to see what they are doing.
The invaders seems to be... searching the place, as good adventures they are.
The woman is more concerned about the throne tho. Clearly she felt it has magic.
Not that much time after, Sebastian follows.
Something grabs Hassan attention. Maybe the nightmare hooves hitting the ground, or the sound of Sebastian breastplate. There’s no way to know for sure, but a brief sound make by the red skinned man as everyone on edge, as they prepare to check the room entrance.
As the minutes seem to drag into weeks, Johan becomes more and more frustrated. He glances over at Cedric and responds, Agreed. This waiting is infuriating.
He cuffs his manservant on the back of the head as he fumbles with a buckle. Not tight enough fool! Do you want that greave to come loose while I fight? If our enemies spill my blood due to your incompetence, I assure you I will come back here and spill an equal amount of yours!
"This is why I suggested protecting the throne room only. Perhaps when this is done we can have Sebastian stone shape a new room off the spiral stair case. I do hope he lives, as I don't have that type of divine power."
Eldred had no idea that anyone would be coming with him and winces at the amatuer efforts that have surely bought death to them all. He hedges back to the wizard and hisses Veil yourself and run!, he then moves back away from the adventurers knowing that the Hell steed will have to die to distract them.
Why send me to scout if he is going to follow me!, he raves internally.
Agrippa doesn't hesitate, he goes invisible and commands Gulugur to do the same.
Where is Faalthraaz and why hasn't he given me an update on where the enemy is located!
Eldred pushes the nightmares head around towards the apartments and smacks it on the rump - he hopes that this will cause the horse to lead the adventurers closer to the others where an ambush can be set up... and give the nightmare a chance to survive the onslaught that is surely coming its way if it doesn't get out of here.
He then slinks to an out of the way place and hides hoping the adventurers will follow the nightmare and allow him to slide in behind them.
He hedges back to the wizard and hisses
With his invisibility protection, Eldred creeps ahead to spy on the invaders, to see what they are doing.
(...)
Not that much time after, Sebastian follows.
Eldred had no idea that anyone would be coming with him and winces at the amatuer efforts that have surely bought death to them all. He hedges back to the cleric and hisses Veil yourself and run!, he then moves back away from the adventurers knowing that the Hell steed will have to die to distract them.
Why send me to scout if he is going to follow me!, he raves internally.
Agrippa paces inside the room with while mentally cursing his infernal pet: Where is Faalthraaz and why hasn't he given me an update on where the enemy is located!