Nargun brings the fight to his foe, relentlessly attacking until he has an opportunity for carnage
Twilight summons a magical weapon of her own, the yellow whip smacking the Urgathoan in the face.
Artegall slashes a sheet of red across the nearest cultist's forearm.
Mirela quickly shoots off a couple of arrows that miss and Whisper hops forward to bite into at the cultist's leg armor without penetrating.
Nargun chops right through the cultist in front of him, hacking the evil priest into pieces.
In the face of the heroes deadly advance, the priests start to converge on the center of the room, taking shots where they can while carefully withdrawing.
The spectral scythe floating over Nargun slices hard into the barbarian's shoulder again. Whisper also takes another wicked slice as the wolf's target steps away to cast another spell. Artegall's defenses remain unassailable and his attacker takes a few wary steps back toward his companions.
Wizard 0: Acid splash, Mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic. 1:Mage armour, Vanish, Magic weapon, (S)Colour spray.2:Spectral hand, Spectral hand, (S)Blur | Subtle misdirection 2/6.
Bonded item A:0/1, D: 0/1. Pearl Lv1 0/1, Lv2 0/1. Wand cure light (21). Wand daze monster (8). Wand prot.evil. (46). Wand magic missile (18)
The spectral whip continued to harry Urgathoa's priest, snapping and cracking loudly as it lashed out.
Back at the doorway, Twilight put a hand on Mirella's shoulder "Even the best hunter welcomes a streak of good luck". The gentle warmth of the touch carried with it another of Callistria's blessings.
"Nargun, help me keep them away from the tank!"
Artegall follows his foe and presses the attack.
Mirela steps into the room and continues her barrage of arrows feeling both the righteous anger for the wolves who hid their evil in sheep’s clothing, but also the burning desire to extract revenge on those who caused her city so much damage.
Then Whisper again tries to bites at the cultist who is causing her so much pain.
Nargun moves on the now bloodied and slippery floor. His big axe swishes into the air with a threatening sound
Calistria's whip snaps the Urgathoan in the face again, cutting a deep furrow across her forehead and veiling the evil priestess in her own blood.
Artegall and Nargun both press the attack but can't get through the priest's armor underneath their robes.
Mirella sends a pair of arrows at Twilight's quarry, sinking one deep into the priestess's thigh, which makes her an easy target for Whisper to drag to the floor.
Nergun's target ducks back out of sight only to reappear a second later by the door behind the barbarian, while the others form a grim line at the center of the room surrounded by dead daemons.
Whisper's prey struggles to her feet and they all attack with singular purpose, scythes humming through the air and ghostly weapons slashing down from overhead.
By some miracle- or perhaps Calistria's blessing- only a few of the many attacks strike home, with Nargun taking a bit of damage but Whisper taking a serious hit.
The situation seems hopeless for the cultists but they seem determined to fight on.
Whisper snaps at the purple Cultist as it tries to stand up.
The foe reacts too quickly for the dwarf, who miss it
Calistria herself guided the dwarf's hands this time, and the second blow result in massive and bloody carnage
Artegall similarly slashes at his foe.
He will expend Studied Combat to do his Studied Strike damage as well.
While not quite as explosive as Nargun's attack, Artegall also lands a presumably mortal blow on his foe.
Wizard 0: Acid splash, Mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic. 1:Mage armour, Vanish, Magic weapon, (S)Colour spray.2:Spectral hand, Spectral hand, (S)Blur | Subtle misdirection 2/6.
Bonded item A:0/1, D: 0/1. Pearl Lv1 0/1, Lv2 0/1. Wand cure light (21). Wand daze monster (8). Wand prot.evil. (46). Wand magic missile (18)
As Mirella pushed into the room, Twilight took the opportunity to step into the doorway giving her a better view of what as happening.
Seeing the priest that her spectral whip had been attacking fall to Nargun, she reassigned it to the other priest who had approached the tank. Artegall's concern about the opponents freeing the beast within the tank had her concerned.
Twilight noted with a little disappointment that even with Callistria's blessing of luck, one of Mirella's shots still missed. Perhaps her patron was unhappy with supporting the activities overseen by Erastil?
This time she tried a slightly more subtle blessing, perhaps something less overt would be acceptable.
Mirela continues to fire off a string of arrows.
Then Whisper again tries to bites at the cultists before her.
Twilight's whip snaps at her new target but misses.
Nargun literally cleaves his opponent into two separate halves, starting at the top of the cultist's skull and smashing all the way through the dead man's crotch. Almost before the evil priest could recognize what had happened, the Urgathoan's halves were falling away from each other to collapse on the ground with a sick, wet slap.
The barbarian slashes at the next target but that one, flinching away from the sudden carnage, quickly steps away from Nargun's bloody axe.
Artegall dispatches his foe as well, if with a little less... gore.
Mirela turns her target into a pincushion and Whisper drags the injured priestess to the floor and tears out her throat.
With all but one of her companions dead, the priestess near the leukodeamon's tank yells to the ceiling "Mother of Monsters, protect your children!", smashes open the glass with her scythe and turns to run. Stinking, steaming yellow water explodes out over Artegall and Mirela as the winged, horse-headed daemon spasmed and seemed to instantly double in size as it flexed out of the confining glass.
The daemon's flexing wings catch Mirela by surprise and she's horrified to feel the monster's inhuman strength. It blasts her out the door, directly back into Twilight, with enough power to launch both women off the catwalk. The thing didn't even seem to notice as it shook itself free of the confining glass, instead looking around at the closest possible targets- Artegall and Whisper.
The otherplanar horror reached down to slash Whisper with its claws even as her master struggled to keep from flying off the catwalk.
It hits the wolf solidly once but the wily animal manages to dodge out of the way of its second slash.
Artegall already made a Knowledge (Planes) check, so I will try to share the information in what could be said in a few seconds:
"Use blessed or silver weapons or holy water, not energy attacks! Nargun, RAGE!"
Artegall will take a 5' step, Study and Challenge the fiend, and ready to attack when Nargun is in position.
His Challenge gives everyone a +1 circumstance bonus to hit the fiend in melee.
His AC is 27, as before.
He will be giving Nargun a +3 to hit if Nargun steps into a flank (+2 flanking, +1 from Challenge).
Whisper bites at the fleeing cultist as she turns to run.
Mirela manages to dodge at just the last minute so while she is pushed back she is able to use the doorframe to slow herself down just enough to keep her from flying over the railing.
Wizard 0: Acid splash, Mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic. 1:Mage armour, Vanish, Magic weapon, (S)Colour spray.2:Spectral hand, Spectral hand, (S)Blur | Subtle misdirection 2/6.
Bonded item A:0/1, D: 0/1. Pearl Lv1 0/1, Lv2 0/1. Wand cure light (21). Wand daze monster (8). Wand prot.evil. (46). Wand magic missile (18)
The creature didn't look that big, squeezed into the tank like it was. However once the tank shattered the foul beast stretched out to its full size knocking Mirella back into her. While Twilight managed to block Mirella over the edge, she herself went helplessly tumbling over the railing to the floor below.
Fortunately she managed to grab the railing just a little and even though it wasn't enough to stop her rapid decent, it did allow her to blunt the majority of the impact. Sill, she landed sprawling with a painful thud.
Scrambling back to her feet, all Twilight could see from this vantage was Mirella and mere glimpses of the extraplanar horror through the grating and doorway.
Doing the only thing she could from down on the floor, she called on Callistria's blessing once more.
Whisper trips the cultist as she tries to run then pounces on her back, ripping into the unarmored gap under her arm.
Artegall bravely issues a challenge to the fiend, squaring up against the huge monster to fight it face-to-claw.
Mirela saves herself from toppling over the railing but unfortunately Twilight does not.
"RAAAAAGH!" Nargun throws himself at the daemon, axe poised to rip into the monster.
The furious dwarf rips into the daemon's back, his axe tearing through the monster's wings and back and leaving sizzling white flames in its wake, celestial energy burning the fiendish monster's flesh. Screaming in pain and surprised to find a celestial enemy at its back, the leukodaemon spins away from Whisper to lash out at the one who'd just hurt it so badly.
Spells exhausted but not willing to leave the fight even in the face of certain death, the Urgathoan cultists attack, shouting prayers to their goddess as they do- one even trying to jump to her feet even with a wolf snapping at her.
The daemon practically jumps on Nargun, biting and clawing furiously against the deadly dwarf.
Artegall attacks the cultist as she tries to stand, striking to knock the scythe from her hands.
Whisper also bites at the cultist as she tries to rise.
Mirela attempts to get to the others but sees the cultist as she steps through the door, so she offers herself up as as distraction to try to pull the cultist away and steps back as she snaps off a shot from her bow.
Meanwhile Whisper slides over to get a better angle on the Cultist's hamstrings.
Nargun continues his relentless assault on the creature
Twilight watched with dismay as everyone disappeared from her sight. While she could still just barely see the abomination through the floor grating and the open door, there was little she could do about it.
Wincing a bit from her bruises, she began the trek back to the stairs and up to the catwalks.
Artegall slashes at the fiend. He lacks holy power, but hopes he can still make an impact.
Whispers trips and finishes off the second-to-last cultist while Twilight takes on the last one, firing an arrow into her back.
Artegall slashes the daemon with impressive power and technique but finds the thing's inhuman hide nearly as hard as an old-growth tree.
Nargun heroically hacks into the daemon's torso, leaving more lines of pale white fire burning across the fiend's rent flesh.
The cultist spins and slashes her scythe at the archer while the daemon continues to assault the celestial barbarian.
With the arrow in her back, the cultist is too distracted to fight very well but the daemon's bite and claw are dead-on.
Mirela calls out for Whisper: Whisper Defend!
Then she takes A 5 foot step back and reaches into her quiver of special arrows. Aiming past the cultist she fires off two silver arrows at the big demon.
Meanwhile in response to her mistresses command, Whisper runs over and tries to drag the cultist attacking her mistress to the ground.
Nargun doesn't care about the otherwordly powers of the creature, or the pain it can inflict, or the fear it can induce.
He just knows that it stands between him and the man with Lamm's voice.
Lamm, the man who killed his beloved one.
Lamm, the man Nargun sees in every foe he kills, when the hate, the love, the grief are too much to keep inside his soul
And that is a fatal mistake.
Whether it's a fatal mistake for Nargun or his foe is irrelevant. Whatever the odds are, the dwarf charges head on. Sooner or later, Nargun will die. But he doesn't care that much.
the might of the Heavens strenghtens his blows, and the axe rises and strikes relentlessly, sending blood, ichor or whatever might be in the daemon's body flying everywhere.
Die, Lamm! Die! Die! And rise again, so I can kill you once more! PLease, rise again! I want to kill you so much, so many times!
Continuing her trek back up to the fight, Twilight still couldn't see her companions, only just glimpsing Nargun and the wolf at the last minute through the door that the cultist stood in.
With no way to get through to them, she simply called on Callistria to once again bless her companions that were doing her holy work.
Mirela misses but Whisper and especially Nargun do not. The wolf pulls the cultist down to the ground and savagely breaks her neck while Nargun tears into the daemon with mighty blow after mighty blow, chopping the fiend into pieces as his blessed axe burns through the otherworldly monster's unholy flesh.
The towering monster falls, unable to face Nargun's celestial fury.
Not having realised the magnitude of his heroic deed, Nargun pants and cries, having killed another monster but still unable to help his deceased beloved
I swear I will kill Lamm. I swear it my dear... He will shed a liter of blood for each tear he made you unleash. I will kill it a thousand times, if you could only come back from the grave, if only for a day, an hour, a minute, come back as a living and loving person, come back so I can love you, and hug you, and kiss you... Lamm stole your future, our future. I will hunt him and snatch his years yet uncome.
He gives a deep sigh, and looks at Twilight
Princess, when I have finished to kill all our foes, I will need you to bring me to your temple. Your goddess might have some place for me, even if I'm not enticed by her lustful ways.
Artegal, do we need one of our foe alive for interrogation, or shall I kill them all?
We do be ‘aving’ one still unconscious and tied up near the entrance. I see no reason to be keeping these abominations alive…. But we also can’t leave the bodies, as they clearly turn bodies into undead and I don’t want to be ‘avin’ to kill then all again.
Artegall lowers his sword.
"Well done, Nargun! That was a masterpiece of carnage. I thought that foe was beyond any of us."
"As to these cultists, I don't wish to interrogate any, but the Guard may want to. It will be good to know how far this conspiracy goes, and who outside of this temple was involved. Maybe they have funders among the nobility or something.
Even these acolytes may have overheard something. The more of them there are, the more likely that we have one who was lucky enough to have some information.
So for that reason, I would bring them bound and unconscious to the Guard, if they have arrived at the Hospice by now. Let the authorities handle them. That's my suggestion anyway - I know I am the new one here.
And as to the dead ones, I suppose Mirela is right and we have to clear out the bodies."
The Guard... Yes that do be making sense.
Mirela goes around and casts Stabilize on those of them that are not already dead.
The last two fights did be taking almost all we 'ad... If the Doctor and Mage are not 'ere they probably retreated to something even more secure. I really think we need to be resting and gathering our resources rather then running ahead.
This would be a good time to retreat and see if the Guard do be up in the 'Ospise. Maybe we can be bringing some of them back down to 'elp us with the bodies...
Maybe Nargun and I stay 'ere and be guarding the doors and Twilight you and Artegall go back? If anyone do be seeing anything we retreat to the others, rather then fighting...
"Let's barricade them in their room first.
Ideally, we'd be able to fight them without their preparatory spells. It might be possible for us to rest and regain spells and them not if we harass them and make them think a battle is imminent. That might or might not work.
But first, a barricade so we can choose the timing of the next battle."
Artegall starts moving crates in front of the door.
Twilight breathed heavily behind her mask as she clutched at her bruised side where she had fallen. Looking down at the dead travesty she seethed at the prospect that those responsible might be given time to escape. But at the same time it was true, they were exhausted and dying in the process of pursuing vengeance was generally frowned upon as it exhibited a lack of cunning or imagination.
After Artegall began stacking stuff to barricade the door, Twilight had a thought "Why wait for the guard? Look at this place and what has been done here. At this thing that they could have set loose on the city. Proof and process be damned. Secure those doors well and stack that debris high Artegall. We will set it alight. Burn this place clean and be done with it.
"I would want the Guard only for the sake of interrogating any survivors.
I am concerned that the cult might have other allies within the city, and it would be important to know who those allies are.
Yes, Nargun could threaten them, but people will say anything to make torture stop. The Guard will have specialists who can better discern truth from fiction. Inquisitors, perhaps.
It might come to nothing. Maybe everyone affiliated with the cult is here in this complex. Maybe they have no other supporters in the city."
Well at least the Grey Maidens must support them. There is no way all this was built and the people dragged down ‘ere without them knowing. That means the queen must know, and maybe the nobles too…
We can't burn the place before we make sure there are no innocent held hostages somewhere deeper in the building, Princess. Yeah, we could rest here, but that means our foes will rest too, or maybe escape. There might be another way out, or they would have push their way through us.
Mirela is about to reinforce the burn them argument when she hears Nargun,s statement on innocent victims.
Damn, I ‘adn’t been thinkin’ of that
If there do be another way out, the leaders are gone by now, or they did be bringing in reinforcements. This place is clearly ‘uge. I did be seeing at least nine doors that we didn’t open and every time we opened a double door it be worst then the last one….
I do be knowing you want vengeance but Twilight and I as both out of the blessings that protect us. If we do be ‘itting another group like this we will be dying and that won’t be getting anyone vengeance. We should ‘ave allies above. We need to use them to retreat and consolidate what we ‘ave done already.
Artegall keeps moving things nearby - not falling back to where the bedframes are. He will use workbenches, rat cages, the scythes of the defeated cultists, and anything else he can find.
"Let's start healing Nargun and Whisper in case they come out before we have the barricade ready."
"I would argue against falling back to the Hospice. I would rather camp here, near these double doors. If there is a way out through the doors that we haven't checked - the doors behind us - then falling back to the Hospice would let our enemies slip out that way."
Looks like Nargun has 7 rounds of Rage left, and a lot of healing needed.
And it looks like our casters still have a few spells left, plus several uses of domain abilities (Bit of Luck, Touch of Good, Touch of Chaos) and many wand charges for healing. Mirela seems to have a Wand of CMW with unknown charges.
We do be knowing that the physician you questioned said there were dozens of cultists down ‘ere and along with Lady Andaisin. We haven’t seen anyone matching a woman leader and only maybe seen a dozen people.
Someone raised all these zombies and summoned those demons unless the mage did all that alone, That tells me there is another spell caster down here and probably another batch of cultists.
I really don’t want to rest down here and have them sneak up on us when ‘alf of us are asleep.
But your point about there being an exit behind us is a good one. Maybe we should be alarm in’ the big doors somehow and check these other doors to see if we can find any info about what is really down ‘ere behind us. There might be beds or something that will tell us how many priests are really ‘ere.
Plus I don’t want to have a group pile out behind us if we do be opening that door.
"We can't... Twilght cut herself off, reading the room. She had already considered whether there might be prisoners. Based on everything seen so far she was willing to take that chance and deal with the fallout later. The responses to the suggestion however made her decided to drop it.
"We can't stay here. This place is going to be crawling with the Queen's personal guard any time now. There is no doubt that she is involved and I am confident that she will be keenly interested in covering up as much of this as possible.
Whether we finish here or leave, we aren't here, the Maiden's show up, relieve the Guards of the investigation and cover everything up. We get away with knowledge and work out our next move.
Yes I know that the Maiden's don't have jurisdiction over the Guard, but this hospice was run by the Queen and her appointed doctors and protected by her personal Maidens. She might have a claim to the investigation. I have no clue who gets to investigate what.
However, If we are still here when Kroft and the Maidens show up, then things get messy. Will the Queen abandon her accomplices to the Guard? Will Kroft abandon us to the Maidens? Or will it come to blows between the Guard and the Maidens which might end up in an all out civil war."
Twilight shook her head "Whatever we decide, I think it would be in our best interest not to be here when the Maidens show up."