Khalid finds the climb difficult. A handhold breaks away under his grip and for a few moments he contemplates a fall until Linah drops her rope right next to him. The inquisitor grabs on, sliding down and taking up position on the edge of the lava pool, mindful that there are at least two salamanders lurking somewhere.
Zeladiel hangs near the ceiling, covering the others with his elemental rod of ice.
Zeladiel takes up a high position. There is no sign of the salamanders but surely they are around....
? !
Still panting from the exertion of his brief rage and with blood flowing down his legs, Grall draws a javelin and readies to throw at the first enemy to come into sight.
The Snake Temple
Round 5
Ordered Initiative
Sajan 23
Flamebrother 22
Nuveril 21
Linah 18
Khalid 12a
Zeladiel 12b
Javelin Salamander 9
Grall 4
??
Effects
- Mage Armour (Zeladiel, Sajan)
- Protection from Fire (all)
- Haste (Zeladiel, Linah, Khalid, Sajan)- expires round 7
Notes
- Each square in the upper cavern is difficult terrain from the mud coating the floor.
- The chute down is in Linah's square.
- Distance from lava cavern to upper cavern is 40', cavern is 60' high.
- Flamebrother is small. Javelin salamander is medium.
- Note lava is bad.
- Crossing the land sections in the lava pool will require jumping (DC 5 / DC 10 for 5'/10' provided 10' running start).
Sajan, watch out forrr the otherrrs. I am badly hurrrt but if Linah can help me we can make a rrrun forrr that statue and trrry to drrraw them out?
Linah decends down the rope as fast as she can . She looks in terror at the wounds on Grall and the sea of fire that lies between them. "Stay out of the way!" she calls out to Grall.
Linah decends down the rope as fast as she can . She looks in terror at the wounds on Grall and the sea of fire that lies between them. "Stay out of the way!" she calls out to Grall.
** spoiler omitted **
Linah decends down the rope as fast as she can . She looks in terror at the wounds on Grall and the sea of fire that lies between them. "Stay out of the way!" she calls out to Grall.
** spoiler omitted **
On the alert from an attack, Sajan easily leaps back over to the first island, which bobs slightly under his weight.
"No!" Nuveril growls angrily, seeing Sajan take up a position in the lava pools. "Why do you cede the choice of a battlefield to them? They have every advantage out there and can pull us into certain death! Make them come to us on the solid ground, where we can flank them and they cannot merely dive back into the lava to retreat! They cannot escape us if we work together! On the rock islands we each stand alone!"
Taking the rope in both hands and throwing one last look at the mud pool where the flamebrother continues to lurk, Linah quickly descends the rope, reaching the bottom just as Khalid makes a running jump for the first island.
Hasted, the inquisitor clears the jump easily but just as he lands (B,9) a whole series of things happen nearly at once.
As if been given some kind of signal, the salamander who attacked Grall surges out of the lava (from under the surface at C,10), its dangerous tail darting out at the inquisitor who manages to duck under.
Readied Tail Slap vs Khalid miss
Zeladiel points at the salamander and an icy beam of burning cold flies forth.
Scorching Ray (elemental cold)
ranged touch (precise shot, point blank)
cold damage (point blank) x1.5
"No!" Nuveril growls angrily, seeing Sajan take up a position in the lava pools. "Why do you cede the choice of a battlefield to them? They have every advantage out there and can pull us into certain death! Make them come to us on the solid ground, where we can flank them and they cannot merely dive back into the lava to retreat! They cannot escape us if we work together! On the rock islands we each stand alone!"
Hearing Nuveril's wailing behind him as he makes the jump, Sajan grits his teeth and replies just before the creature appears-
Nuveril- please be quiet. I wouldn't want Linah to cross without someone nearby to help her if shes attacked.
The salamander is tough and strong with scales as hard as armour. It is not however, particularly agile and Zeladiel's ray hits it dead on in the centre of its torso, frost spreading over the point of impact. The creature shrieks in anger and pain at the cold based attack.
Readied action:
Grall's shot is a tough one and the arrow flies high and to the right of its target.
The flurry of action continues.
Linah looks up to see the flamebrother appear at the top of the shaft. Badly battered by its brief encounter with Sajan, the creature seems compelled to continue to fight, still cradled in its rage.
Disdaining the rope that would seem to burn through at its touch, the salamander simply propels itself forward, hissing as it impacts hard with the ground below. Landing prone, it seems to have enough vigor to find its feet, although black blood runs down its sides.
Yet the flamebrother is not the only foe to make itself known. Another salamander rises out of concealment between two of the floating islands (H,15). There seems little doubt that this is Thratnias. Only a slight narrowing of features marks her sex but she is even bigger than her partner. One hand holds a black iron stabbing spear while the other, two javelins of different make, she seems to take pains to avoid dipping these in the lava.
The salamander seems little interested in parlay or talking at all. As she closes she tosses one of the javelins almost casually at Zeladiel, exposed on the wall and it transforms into a bolt of lightning which slams into the wizard with brutal force.
Javelin of Lightning
A chortle from above heralds the appearance of the earth mephit, flying down into the chamber from one of the fissures in the roof not too far from Grall and Nuveril. The little creature seems all too happy to speak.
Nasty mans get what they deserrve now! Oh yes. Andgrronakrraks has told Thrratnias everrything! She will reward Andgrronakrraks and nasty mans will be gone!
Sajan 23
Linah 18
Zeladiel 12a
Grall 12b
Javelin Salamander 12c
Khalid 12d
Flamebrother Salamander 12e
Thratnias 12f
Mephit 12g
Nuveril 12h
Reflex +4
Even as Zeladiel reels in pain he thinks, "Useful spell, I'll have to learn that."
He shouts at the imp, "You lied to her. We are not assassins for Lesaar."
Nuveril curses angrily as everything she was sure was going to happen happens. "Damn it, Sajan, when are you going to start letting us kill things? After it leads to the death of us all?"
Still doing his best to ignore Nuveril's wailing, Sajan goes on the offensive.
Sajan steps to the south and delivers blows at bewildering speeds, his fist coating itself in frost as he delivers the first strike in his flurry.
Sajan's blistering ki-enhanced attack is again succesful, the monk managing to slap away the salamander's spear with his left hand while delivering a number of punishing blows with the right which split the creature's scales in places. Together with the damage from Zeladiel's spell, the salamander is left badly wounded.
The creature shakes its head in an attempt to recover its focus hissing at its partner.
'Nias we musst kill them quickly or withdraw!
"Zeladiel, meet me on the other side", Linah says before she closes her eyes and the air around her starts to shiver. A burst of energy marks her start as she rushes for the far ledge to get to Nuveril and Grall.
"On my way."
Zeladiel tosses a small seed at Thratnias that blossoms into a massive ball of cold blue flame, engulfing her and reaching her companion, but falling just short of Sajan.
fireball x 1.5 cold
Zeladiel then hastily takes cover next to Grall
Linah's will manifests in another blazing channel of positive energy, each of the salamanders shrinking back momentarily. However, the strong willed creatures seem to shrug off the worse of the effect though, hissing in anger at the priestess. The javelin salamander is scored on the face and arms but the damage is not enough to put it out of the fight.
Flamebrother Will pass
Javelin Salamander Will pass
Thratnias Will pass
Realising she could conceivably be caught between the three, Linah rushes toward Sajan and Khalid. Leaning back from Sajan, the salamander lashes out yet again with its tail, hitting the poor cleric hard in the chest a blow she feels even through her fine armour. The cunning creature batters her again and again with the tip, preventing her movement.
AOO Tail Slap vs Linah hit
Grab vs Linah success
Constrict damage if hit
Zeladiel's spell washes over both salamanders, the cold damage again particularly potent against the creatures but the two seem almost ready for the attack, ducking their heads down into the lava to avoid most of the effect. The salamander currently holding Linah has too much of its body above the surface to properly shield itself though, its body covered in wounds it clearly cannot take much more.
Reflex Javelin Salamander pass
Reflex Thratnias pass
Thratnias hisses at her consort.
Retreat and heal! I will handle them!
Grall 5' shifts to -f/12 and fires two arrows at the creature hoping in its grapled state it is easier to hit!
Grall's first shot clips the salamander's shoulder but simply bounces off the hard scales, the second goes wide, the vapour in the chamber making it difficult for the gnoll to draw a bead.
The salamander impeding Linah seems inclined to crush her, but wounded as it is its instinct for self preservation seems to prevail. It releases the priestess, withdrawing down into the lava with a frustrated hissing and vanishing from sight.
Khalid delays, waiting for Thratnias's approach.
The wounded flamebrother drags itself over the rocky ground. If the creature is not simply fighting on its rage alone it can't be far off. The wicked creature seems to smile though as it closes on the isolated Linah. (E,8)
I have thiss one, Thratniass! 'Ware the large warm blood is powerful!
The salamander attacks with its spear in both hands, abandoning all subtlety and stabbing again and again at the priestess's exposed areas. Linah manages to turn away blow after blow with her scimitar but without her shield each attack gets closer than the last until the salamander finally scores a long cut to the priestess's left arm that leaves her staggered. The flamebrother hisses in anticipation of its impending kill...
Spear vs Linah hit!
Thratnias still holds what you can only assume is another lightning javelin in her left hand but appears to have tired of the hit and run tactics. She comes in hard and fast into the space her consort vacated (C,10). She wastes no words but you fancy that as she comes her pointed teeth seem to elongate.
Attacking Sajan, she thrusts with her shortspear, probing the monk's defenses. The nature of her weapon is revealed as Sajan makes what he thinks is a routine block. The point of the spear delivers a painful jolt of electricity, momentarily slowing the monk and allowing the salamander to land a thankfully shallow cut to the monk's ribs. As Sajan falls back, the salamander whips her spear straight over and across at Khalid. A strong attack but one that the inquisitor manages to read and his frosty blade meets the serpent's electrical one in a shower of sparks.
Short spear vs Sajan (power attack) hit
(shock)
Cleave vs Khalid miss
The mephit seems content to opportunistically observe the encounter (at least for now). It turns to Zeladiel.
Andgrronakrraks knows the trruth. Nasty mans made deal with Lessarr. Nasty mans get what they deserrve for not trreating Andgrronakrraks with rrespect. Thrratnias rrespects Andgrronakrraks now oh yes. Andgrronakrraks will lead the flamebrothers when Thrratnias deals with Lessarr!