Time slows for Zeladiel as he steps back out of the elemental's reach, his head throbbing from the rapid expenditure of arcane magic (not to mention the creature's punches). The magic comes at his call though, the darts of force slapping into the creature. One, two, three. It takes the third to do it, the summoning magic binding the elemental to the material plane unravelling as its form rapidly fades away into the air, sending one last gust against the elf's face like a caress.
Grall's concentration slips with his rage. He stumbles, his falchion passing over the priest's head as it cuts back at the barbarian with its axe. Grall rolls backwards. Not his cleanest move but he avoids the priest's swings.
Nuveril's target tries frantically to maintain an active defense against her and Sajan as the halfling presses it. A greataxe isn't much good on the defensive though, Nuveril ducks under a wide vertical swipe and has plenty of time to land a solid blow to the side that snaps several of the priest's ribs straight through its heavy armour.
Linah's channel revitalises Zeladiel, Khalid and Grall (closing both the barbarian's wounds and the added fatigue from the storm-burst).
The casting priest growls as his spiritual weapon fades out of existence . Surveying the slaughter he moves back between one of the archways and toward the western doors (Z,36), calling out loudly.
Masterr! We are defeated, the spirit of air destroyed. The slayerrs are strrong but wearry!
"Lucky" makes it through the double doors and out of sight.
Still focusing on his defence with the archer targeting him, Sajan strikes out at the gnoll Nuveril wounded.
The unfortunate priest between Nuveril and Sajan half opens its mouth to curse at the halfling. Only half as the monk steps in, driving it hard in the chest and throat and finishing it.
All the King's Gnolls
Round 8
Ordered Initiative
Carrion Guard Archer 14
Carrion Initiate 13
Khalid 11a
Zeladiel 11b
Grall 7
Nuveril 6
Linah 3a
Carrion Priest (Z,36) 3b
Sajan 1
Effects
Bless (All)
Blur (Grall)
Enlarge Person (Sajan, Grall)
Bull's Strength (Nuveril, Sajan, Grall)
Fatigue (Nuveril, Grall)
Shield of Faith (Khalid)
Weapon of Awe (Khalid)
Prot from Evil (Linah)
Notes
- There's a low rail on the staircase but its not enough to provide cover. Large creatures will squeeze on the steps.
- The room has dim light (20% miss conditions) through to about 20' high and the near part of the pit and darkness beyond. A light spell generates 20' of normal light. A bullseye lantern provides normal light in a 60-foot cone and increases the light level by one step in the area beyond that, out to a 120-foot cone.
Its hard to hear over the top of the furious battle but you can hear many gnoll cries, particularly from above and beyond the western door. It has not been long and the gnolls still seem to be gathering but it seems you will face substantial further forces eventually.
The particular voice you heard shouting before seems to have gone silent...
Almost out of melee combatants to keep you occupied, the archer chances a final shot at Sajan before dashing north deeper into the room (AC,29). It finally has some success, the shot well aimed at the centre of the monk's chest. While Sajan manages to get an arm up to take most of the impact, he takes a nasty gash and can feel the poison coated to the arrow tip working immediately to steal away his strength.
Arrow vs Sajan (bless) hit
With the archer and other priest moving away and the elemental destroyed, the remaining initiate runs after Grall, axe held high over its shoulder. It willingly accepts a hit from the barbarian, a powerful side cut that comes close to taking it from its feet. But not quite. The priest brings its weapon down hard with all of its strength and hatred ... only for it to pass harmlessly through the momentary image of Grall's left arm.
AOO Falchion hit
Greataxe vs Grall miss
(smite)
Falchion vs Priest
As his opponent stares stupidly off-balance after its miss, Grall hacks his falchion sidewise into its neck, killing it almost instantly.
Zeladiel breathes a sigh of relief as the elemental vanishes, but catches himself almost immediately. With a fluid motion he turns and unleashes an arrow at the archer.
+1 Longbow
damage
Zeladiel then staggers forward down the steps, pulling out a scroll of haste as he does so.
Turning her head to avoid the blood spray from the gnoll crushed by Sajan's oversized fist, Nuveril catches sight of the archer in the corner. She lopes over toward it, stepping in within hammer-range in a position to pin it between herself and the weapon rack. "Sajan, a little light?" she requests. "Go ahead," she tells the gnoll, swinging her weapon from side to side casually. "Shoot that thing again. I dare you."
Damage is correct. Thc.
Linah rushes up to Zeladiel and grabs his arm. With a prayer she closes the worst of the wizard's wounds, at the same time battling with her conscience for conserving her powers. She did not like it, but the biggest threat still lay ahead and she would need her most powerful spells to stand a chance of defeating it.
"Stay back and out of reach", she tells the elf, with guilt coating each word.
"I was."
Sajan manages to resist the archer's weakening poison while Khalid moves down the steps, some of his worst bruises and scrapes slowly healing over.
Zeladiel's aim is off, although he catches the archer's attention as he follows Khalid. It has soon has more pressing concerns though with Nuveril pelting after it.
Linah heals the larger part of Zeladiel's wounds.
The surviving priest, the thrower of the elemental gem, hustles to the second set of double-doors (X,27).
With single minded purpose the six heroes continued their dangerous (many would say foolhardy but epics are rarely written about the cautious) mission to slay the Carrion King and preempt an apparent gnoll invasion of northern Katapesh.
Finding hundreds of gnolls encamped on the surface a few miles from the legendary Temple of the Beast, the Gnoll King's seat, the heroes searched for another way in, aided in part by their ranger contact Rasoul Mehdi. Forging a precarious truce with the flamebrother leader Lesaar and slaying his master, the powerful salamander Thratnias, the group managed to infiltrate the lower levels of the Temple of the Beast directly, bringing the surprised gnolls to battle in the heart of their power.
With the benefit of surprise and bolstering magicks the group swept through the gnoll's hasty defenses like a whirlwind, the mighty barbarian Grall slaying the gnoll's captain with a single blow of his enchanted falchion and his companions Sajan and Nuveril scattering the bulk of his forces like leaves. A troublesome air elemental proved the group's most effective obstacle, the summoned creature inflicting substantial damage on the Moldspeaker Khalid and the elven mage Zeladiel before finally being dispatched back to the elemental planes.
With gnoll forces gradually building above and around and apparently blocking their way back to the surface, the heroes, weary and now low on resources, were determined to find and bring an end to the Carrion King himself....
Vol II, Chronicles of the Legacy of Fire
- Sage Askinder AR 4905
Sajan charges the Gnoll next to Nuveril, clearing the room in swift strides and seeking to snap its neck.
While Nuveril forces the archer back nearly to the spear racks, Sajan lopes at it directly, striking the gnoll several times in the face. It sways, very nearly staggered by the attacks.
Past the set of pillars to the north the remaining priest speaks to the double doors.
Masterr. Your gnolls are defeated! They are here, bearring the Sunb*++*es' mark.
All the King's Gnolls
Round 9
Ordered Initiative
Carrion Guard Archer 14
Khalid 11a
Zeladiel 11b
Grall 7
Nuveril 6
Linah 3a
Carrion Priest 3b
Sajan 1
Effects
Bless (All)
Blur (Grall)
Enlarge Person (Sajan, Grall)
Bull's Strength (Nuveril, Sajan, Grall)
Fatigue (Nuveril, Grall)
Shield of Faith (Khalid)
Weapon of Awe (Khalid)
Prot from Evil (Linah)
Notes
- There's a low rail on the staircase but its not enough to provide cover. Large creatures will squeeze on the steps.
- The room has dim light (20% miss conditions) through to about 20' high and the near part of the pit and darkness beyond. A light spell generates 20' of normal light. A bullseye lantern provides normal light in a 60-foot cone and increases the light level by one step in the area beyond that, out to a 120-foot cone.
You can hear many gnoll cries, particularly from above and beyond the western door. It has not been long and the gnolls still seem to be gathering but it seems you will face substantial further forces eventually.
The particular voice you heard shouting before seems to have gone silent...
The archer, still gripping its bow, whips it at the monk and attempts to withdraw to the north.
Grall double moves to 10,11/O,P and looks down that corridor ready to convey what he sees.
Satisfied that Zeladiel's wounds are no longer life threatning Linah makes her way down the stairs as fast as she can to join up with the others.
Zeladiel follows Linah down the stairs with the Scroll of Haste still clutched in his hand. When he looks up and sees the retreating archer, he smiles grimly and points, shouting an arcane word.
A force missile leaps from his fingertip and strikes the archer unerringly in its back.
force missile damage
Snarling in anger that she let the archer get away, Nuveril shouts, "Sajan! Light!" and darts north after the priest, determined that she's going to smash something.
Khalid makes it about half-way across the room, a mobile bubble of light.
The archer, substantially battered from Sajan's blows, is reaching for another posion smeared arrow and starting to turn when Zeladiel's force dart takes it unerringly in the back of the neck. It stumbles stupidly for a second before dropping its bow and pitching forward into the pit of carrion.
Grall moves parallel to Khalid, looking through the partly open first set of double doors. It is dark beyond but his darkvision further reveals the north-south corridor, the northern part apparently ending in a large alcove littered with bones. There is also a passage-way to the west. At the limit of Grall's vision this seems to extend into a hall and the barbarian can just see a hollow diamond-shaped column framing a spiral staircase upwards. Grall sees no sources of light and no creatures although he can hear gnolls calling to each other from the west and the south.
Her target lit by Sajan's lantern, Nuveril dashes forward to engage the remaining priest, ramming its axe out of alignment with her shield and landing a well-placed and powerful blow to its sternum that cracks a protective armour plate and sends it back a step.
With Zeladiel out of danger, Linah heads down the stairs as fast as she can.
Murmuring a prayer, the priest turns a complete circle, bringing its axe back under control and whipping it around in a viscious horizontal sweep. A killing strike against a lesser warrior but Nuveril reads it in, ducking at the right moment and the blade passes a few inches over her head.
Greataxe vs Nuveril miss
(smite)
The priest steps back (D,8) past the double doors, opening up space in front.
gh
cp
z + ?
Not really. Its convenient as a DM to make hidden dice rolls and frankly i'd prefer them in a spoiler than rolled 'behind the scenes'. I do the same in my games.
Sajan moves to G/H 10/11, hurling a shuriken at the Gnoll over Nuveril's body, aiming the tiny projectile at its throat.
(Firing into melee penalty included.)
(Damage die of Shuriken not increased.)
Reaching over Nuveril, Sajan flicks a shuriken over her head, the tiny missile punching into the priest's forehead with all of the monk's magically enhanced strength. It crumbles to the floor, its axe bouncing off a discarded bone.
Your last enemy falls although something, your warrior instincts perhaps, tells you that any pause may be fleeting....
All the King's Gnolls
Round 10
Ordered Initiative
Khalid 11a
Zeladiel 11b
Grall 7
Nuveril 6
Linah 3
Sajan 1
Effects
Bless (All)
Blur (Grall)
Enlarge Person (Sajan, Grall)
Bull's Strength (Nuveril, Sajan, Grall)
Fatigue (Nuveril, Grall)
Shield of Faith (Khalid)
Weapon of Awe (Khalid)
Prot from Evil (Linah)
Notes
- There's a low rail on the staircase but its not enough to provide cover. Large creatures will squeeze on the steps.
- The room has dim light (20% miss conditions) through to about 20' high and the near part of the pit and darkness beyond. A light spell generates 20' of normal light. A bullseye lantern provides normal light in a 60-foot cone and increases the light level by one step in the area beyond that, out to a 120-foot cone.
The gnoll force above is sounding more organised while the gnolls on this level still seem to be coming together.
Sajan, Nuveril, we should get some healing or additional magical prrrotections and then find this "Carrrion King".
Sajan turns calmly after dispatching the final Gnoll with a shuriken, his voice softly inquiring-
Let them come to us? This is a strong place to defend.
Nuveril gives the monk a furious glance for stealing her kill, then opines, "Too many doors. If they come from above, they can throw spells or javelins at us at will from the stairs, and we cannot counter. But at least there is some light...," she admits grudgingly.
Look at the pair of you. Your in no condition to rush the enemy. I hear them to the west. We should seal any other exits we can and await their attack. Gnolls are rarely subtle. Perhaps once you've recovered...
"My 'condition' is fine," she snaps back. "I had the gnoll at bay. Waiting does nothing but give them more time to muster their forces."
Zeladiel makes his way down the stairs.
"Far too many ways in here. I have only arrows and I'd prefer a corridor. Do the fallen have anything useful?"
detect magic