***
***
The stalker assesses the new threat behind it, and decides to divide its attention between the invisible acrobat on one side and the translucent hag on the other. It trains its right-hand sword on Appario and its left-hand sword on the spiritual hag.
Appario is struck once, taking another 5 damage, while a slight hiss of frustration escapes the stalker's lips as its sword slices clean through the hag without effect.
The throbbing in his previous wound is lessened, as his health expunges the poison therein.
***
Maddok hears a door opening to the west, followed by the room beyond becoming even darker than before. The supernatural darkness also spreads into the hallway, although the Morrowfall's light halts its progress at Maddok's feet.
Hearing no movement, Maddok suddenly hears the sounds of coordinated stabs, mingled with "Moooooo!"'s coming from the celestial bulls.
The moo's of one bull are cut brutally short, while the moo's of the other become decidedly sadder.
Immediately following, Maddok hears an angry voice speaking loudly in a language he doesn't understand, then a loud slap.
***
Livia's wings bring her close to Maddok, where she whispers in his ear. "A bigger dark man entered, but he stayed in the corner! The small ones moved around, then one of your bulls died, and the other was wounded! But one of the small ones went to the big one and spoke angrily, and then the big one slapped him!"
While speaking, she creates another crude map for him, pointing out the enemy locations .
***
Maddok gives a silent thanks for the spirit's sacrifice.
"Little brother, I need your light!"
Within the now supernaturally dark room, the lone spirit-bull blindly tramples the contents of the room.
Xerath will continue to fire tragic missiles at the dark stalker.
Derek curses under his breath and quickly begins to withdraw to aid his big brother.
"I'll be back Appario, never fear."
Before leaving, he calls on the power of the Morrowind, biding it to blind the stalker.
"You love the darkness, then dwell there without sight!"
Yahirma gapes at Derek's tactical retreat. What is he doing? It's right there in front of - and now he's gone to gawk at livestock...
Just to spook the stalker a bit following its futile offensive against the hag spirit, Yahirma encourages her local spirits to swipe the stalker's left-handed blade.
Come and get it, she thinks while twirling her new blade inexpertly and giving the dark stalker a mocking smirk.
Once again galvanized by proximity to his little brother, Maddok moves to the entrance of the room and swings his hammer through the corner into the creeper hiding behind it.
"Never fear?! Fear!? Me?!! No!"
Appario sighs as the light fades from view and leave him with an unseen dark foe trying to gut him.
Appario sheathes Extortion and again takes total defense.
lay on hands
AC 25, touch 17, flat-footed 22. (+7 armor, +3 Dex, +2 shield, +2 deflection, +1 dodge)
hp 44/61
Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +8
Lay on Hands: 3d6 healing (2/5 used)
Smite Evil (+2 to hit, +2 AC, +6 damage) 2/day - 1 used
Divine Bond 6/min day. -used
Yahirma glances at the shortsword and gives it a shake, wondering why it - or perhaps something near it - is spouting non-infernal nonsense.
Just my luck that I nabbed an intelligent weapon...
***
One of the creepers is trampled under the bull's hooves, while the other creepers and the stalker all evade its wild cavorting.
Maddok's hammer easily finds its target, smashing into the nearest creeper with force. Maddok isn't sure, but he might have cracked some ribs.
***
The other stalker at first appears to easily shrug off the attempt at blinding it, but at the worst possible moment the stab in its back from the spiritual ally causes its body to divert its attention. The half-smile that had been forming on the stalker's lips vanishes as its eyes go blind.
As one sword flies from its hand, the stalker shouts curses in a language noone nearby understands. Unseeing, it attempts to get past the defensive Appario to introduce Yahirma to the cold steel of its sword.
Failing in its attempt due to Appario's entirely defensive stance, the stalker hisses again, then settles for driving its remaining sword into the invisible defender.
The sword slides past Appario's defenses, dealing 6 damage, leaving the stalker to gain at least some minor amount of satisfaction from the situation.
***
The grounded creeper stands, leaving itself open to the bull's attack.
The bull's horns drive deep into the creeper, leaving it bleeding profusely but still standing. It drives its dagger into the bull.
The attack fells the bull, sending it back to its heavenly roaming grounds.
***
Most of the other creepers converge on Maddok, two among them using the dim lighting currently prevailing in the room to hide themselves from view until they're close enough to attack.
Only one of the daggers strike the Shoanti warrior, now that his defenses have been bolstered by his little brother's arrival. The attack deals 9 damage.
***
The stalker speaks softly to the angry creeper in front of him, raises its voice slightly to give an order to the one behind, then lays into the angry one with its twin swords.
The dissenting creeper is sliced into pieces, and combusts in a flash of bright light.
rounds
Both the stalker and the nearest creeper succeed at averting their eyes, yet the flash of light still leaves them both temporarily blind.
***
The archon's blessing blunts the pain from the wound but Maddok returns the favor by roaring a warcry and laying into the creeper in front of him with a pair of looping blows.
Maddok's hammer crushes the creeper into a pile of pulp, which momentarily explodes in a flash of sharp, bright light.
rounds
Everyone affected are able to avert their eyes, yet the dark folk are still rendered temporarily unseeing.
***
Pitiful creature - it is stabbing at nothing!
Not entirely certain as to exactly what type of darkness is engulfing the hallway, Yahirma tries to magically illuminate the room by making her buckler glow. The hag spirit mercilessly continues its assault.
The light spell indeed provides no luminous effect, but the hag succeeds at striking the blinded stalker twice.
Livia makes her way north, ending up above Yahirma's shoulder. Itching to try out her new abilities, she sends a force ray towards the blind stalker.
The ray strikes the stalker, and Livia exclaims happily in Infernal as she becomes visible.
"Did you see that! I hit him!"
***
Xerath realizing this is going to be a long fight moves to K22 while drawing his spear. He then strikes at the stalker, the weapon almost piercing right through Appario, but the Taldan is able to react and let it pass.
***
Xerath's spear strikes something in the pitch black darkness ahead, too far away to be Appario.
***
Appario, waiting for light, keeps up the total defense.
healing
AC 25, touch 17, flat-footed 22. (+7 armor, +3 Dex, +2 shield, +2 deflection, +1 dodge)
hp 54/61
Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +8
Lay on Hands: 3d6 healing (3/5 used)
Smite Evil (+2 to hit, +2 AC, +6 damage) 2/day - 1 used
Divine Bond 6/min day. -used
***
***
Realizing it's unable to get past the defensive wall created by Appario, and finding itself attacked from all sides, the blind stalker withdraws through the door and down the stairs.
However, the darkness remains. Taking a second look, Yahirma can virtually see tendrils of darkness emanating from the point of the short sword she captured from the stalker, combating the daylight emanating from the artifact in Derek's hands.
***
In the other room, the stalker in the corner calmly pulls a vial from its belt and smears some sort of black goo on one of its swords. As it finishes and throws the vial away, its eyes clear of the lingering effect from the flashing light.
The two creepers on either side of Maddok withdraw from his immediate presence, moving slowly to avoid falling. The last creeper also moves, leaving all the dark folk spread about in the room. All of their eyes also clear from their temporary blindness.
***
Derek moves into the room, moving up near Maddok to help his brother with what little combat skills he does posses.
This might be considered good training...
As he nears the opponent, he crosses punchline over his chest, adopting one of the most basic combat stances he learned, the one swashbucklers call Rosebush, waiting for just the right time...
There! One opening presents itself as the creeper drops its guard temporarily.
Derek quickly twists his hand so the rapier spins around under the creepers guard and stabs up low, Revealing the roses thorn.
The whole manoeuvre ends with the rapier quickly retreating to its previous position, all done in less than one second.
Yahirma pulls out her hot weather outfit and folds in once around the sword, hoping that the darkness will dissipate. With a chagrined glance to where the stalker had been, she makes a quick request in infernal before slipping into the room with the stairs (I 24) for a quick glance to see where the enemy retreated.
"Livia, would you mind keeping an eye on that one?"
Yahirma uses a swift action to fly her hag-spirit next to the stalker for an attack.
Yahirma uses a swift action to fly the hag-spirit down the hall to M21.
The darkness is contained by the outfit, allowing Yahirma's buckler (and Appario's boot) to shine with light as she moves into the stair-room. Once she reaches the top of the staircase, it's clear that the stalker is still nearby. The staircase and whatever lies below is bathed in supernatural darkness.
Following Yahirma, Livia dives into the darkness. Returning shortly afterwards, the imp whispers a brief report before diving back in and disappearing from sight.
"It's standing by a door, groping for the handle!"
A translucent dagger-wielding hag moves past Appario and Xerath down the hallway towards the western room.
***
Derek's expert swordsplay puts several cuts on the creeper's lightly armored body.
***
Maddok steps alongside his little brother and focuses his fury on the cornered creeper with a pair of blows driving his opponent into the ground.
Miraculously, the creeper still stands after Maddok's furious barrage. There was a satisfying crack of broken ribs accompanied by spitting of blood following the blacksmith's first blow of the hammer, but the creeper managed to sidestep the second blow.
***
Xerath double moves back into the western room to N17, his spear ever ready.
Derek winces at the horrible sound of bones being cracked, then gawking in stupefied awe at the resilience of the debased and filthy creature before him.
Asmodeus black crotch!
Maddok nods.
Appario will move to O17, drawing Extortion as he does.
Maddok suddenly realizes he hasn't seen Appario since he cried out in pain.
"Xerath, did you find Appario in the hall?"
"No, I have not seen him. The fool must have run away." "Or ran off to tell his master."
"I'm right here. The creature fled when it couldn't overtake my invisibility and when it was blinded. We'll still have to hunt it down when we finish with these. Sure are a lot of them."
The creeper in the corner throws a dagger at Xerath, while the two creepers flanking Derek both attack him. The stalker bides its time, waiting for one creeper to step away before he moves in to take advantage of the remaining creeper's flank.
The flying dagger misses Xerath, but Derek isn't as lucky. Both creepers hit him, dealing a total of 21 damage to the bard. However, the stalker slices the empty air around Derek, perhaps surprised by Appario's disembodied voice suddenly coming from right beside him.
***
The big Shoanti's fury reaches a crescendo as he sees Derek's blood spilled.
With an inhuman growl, Maddok swings a pair of crushing blows at the wounded creeper in the corner.
"Fight me cowards!"
And where do you think you're going? Yahirma wonders - almost betraying her position by chuckling aloud. As if sensing impending torment, the hag-spirit flies over (J24) to join Yahirma. There it silently motions with its knife and pantomimes the slitting of the hapless stalker's throat. With nobody but Livia and the changeling's ectoplasmic companion as witnesses, Yahirma happily obliges.
Stepping forward as necessary to get a good view (going down the stairs a bit if needed and assuming there aren't lots of beady eyes awaiting her), Yahirma channels the dark stalker's panic and forges it into dull, golden links. The chain complete, she whips a finger forward in a silent command.
Upstairs, the hag-spirit quickly cackles.
Maddok's furious blow crushes the rest of the hapless creeper's body, causing it to combust in a flash of too-bright light.
rounds
Both Appario and Derek are rendered blind by the flash of light, while Maddok's fury helps him fight off the nuisance. However, when Maddok tries to step towards the stalker, he finds the way blocked by someone unseen.
***
Derek curses bitterly at failing to heed his own advice, desperate to do something, he launches into the Avalanche of steel routine that he recently learned, targeting the stalker.
The first movie is to attempt to make the opponent focus on your feet, Derek attempts to do that by a quick jig.
When and if the opponent does look down you unleash Rising Kraken by swinging the pommel of your blade up to connect with the chin.
As the opponent reels from that you step close, hook your leg around his and make him lose balance.
Finally, as he recovers you unleash the second attack known as the Iron needle.
Maddok whirls his hammer in hand as he surveys the remaining opponents, daring them to make another move against the bard.