Relan seems focused on his task and notices little else.
Vuloo and Andel both move out of the room and down the stairs and open the northern and southern doors.
While Relan continues to deface the statue and Braelex stares at the harp, Nalar hangs back in the central room.
Andel and Vuloo move to the western doors and open them up into a horrific sight.
At the west end of the entrance hallway, floating over the body of the dead naga are the two caulborn and their strange brain creature from the other side of the menhir. Arrayed on the east side of the hallway are a swarm of black, ghost-like figures with hate-filled red eyes being urged on toward the caulborn by a small anthropomorphic hedgehog. North of the humanoid porcupine is a gore-covered white-haired woman mounted on ... no, emerging from a skinless horse ... waving a steel sword.
Just as Relan is moving to react to the rest of the party, his last strike hits the back of the horse's leg and knocks open a secret compartment from which a bejeweled platinum key falls out.
Vuloo gulps, "We receoverd the shard, as you instructed. We'll happily be leaving now, if you can just kindly point us towards the exit."
Andel scowls, "Careful, the pudwudgie is controlling the wraiths"
Cloud-Braelex floats in after Vuloo and Andel, stopping to billow as the strange, hideous creatures respond.
The caulborn's alien voice resounds through your mind.
Greetings again, humanoids. You’ve accomplished great deeds in opening the Dark Forest to our explorations, and should be very proud. Right now, we could use some assistance removing the current tenants from this place.
Braelex slowly reforms into her physical self. She smiles wanly at the coulborn. "Do you mean the headless horseman? We were looking for its hideaway... and the pantry." She smacks her lips thirstily, then quaffs another extract.
Vuloo nods at the caulborn. "We're at your service! We have at least temporarily disposed of the dullahan and his hounds.
Yes, certainly powerful ... remove the wraiths and the nuckelavee and then we can discuss your reward
And with the thought the wraiths launch themselves forward at the caulborn and the skinned woman-horse rears up and prepares to charge
"Gods, this thirst is unquenchable!" she says, gulping another extract.
Braelex downs another extract feeding her thirst.
The woman on a horse turns and both the horse and woman speak together as one tortuous voice,
"You! You killed my love! You are the reason he won't answer my calls!
The horse expels a horrific breath of withering foulness that washes over Andel and Vuloo causing welts and blisters to erupt all over them.
Vuloo casts Blessing of Fervor on the group.
Vuloo casts his spells and the wraiths swarm forward around the caulborn who use mental powers to deflect them from making contact with them. The battle rages around the two groups with the incorporeal creatures flitting in and out trying to make contact and the caulborn and chrestomath repulsing them with blasts of mental kinesis ... neither party making any significant effect on the other.
The hedgehog humanoid disappears taunting the party as he does so,
"You think you killed the Rider? He will be back to torture you sooner than you think? We'll string you up for him!"
Andel closer to the fray and then fires his shock bow at the nearest wraith.
Relan elects extra movement and double moves towards the undead.
The horse woman that attacked you? Might be tough to get past.
The horse woman that attacked you? Might be tough to get past.
Relan uses the extra movement from the Blessing of Fervor and attacks the horse woman, but misses badly.
"Ugh, I never realized how syrupy some of these are." Braelex starts digging through her pack. "Where's my waterskin?"
***
Nalar grumbles something and moves up, casting fiery rays at the nuckalavee.
;
;
Andel fires an arrow at a wraith and the magically imbued missile sends electric shock through the ghost-like creature as it passes through it disrupting its essence.
Relan moves forward and misses the creature as Nalar fires rays over his head.
Advancing and then rearing up the horse abomination attacks Relan, rearing up and slashing with hooves and sword as the horse head finishes off with a bite.
; HIT!;
; HIT!; + Fort Save DC23 or contract a disease
; miss
; HIT!; + Fort Save DC23 or contract a disease
Vuloo begins casting Summon Monster III (lantern archon).
Seeing the horse abomination stepping up onto the steps to attack Relan takes an attack of opportunity striking to trip the creature.
Vuloo begins a spell as the wraiths flit around the caulborn, one of them gets through and the hooded caulborn flinches with a hiss.
Vuloo's spellcasting draws the ire of the invisible pukwudgie and it fires a pair of quills at the halfling, becoming visible as it does so.
; miss
; HIT!; damage + Concentration DC 27 or lose the spell and Fort Save DC18 vs poison or take Con damage.
Relan steps back and attacks the the horse abomination with a felling smash.
Braelex finds her waterskin and gulps down its contents, making contented noises. She then looks around the dining table, searching for anything remotely edible.
* * *
Nalar casts a fireball to catch as many of the creatures as possible.
Andel is paralyzed with indecision.
Relan steps backward and with a series of expertly timed strikes cuts the legs out from under the nuckelavee and then slashes her gravely as she crumples to the ground. . The blade of the guisarme has a hard time penetrating fully through the creature's skin
Nalar throws an explosion of fire into the room searing everything. Some things dodge, many don't. There is an audible squeal of pain from the puk.
; success
; success
Braelex drinks.
The nuckelavee stands up, provoking. It steps in an attacks the warrior with a full onslaught this time.
; ]
; miss
; ; No; + Fort Save DC23 or be fatigued and take Con damage.
; miss
The pukwudgie goes invisible again as the caulborn and wraiths continue their swirling melee.
Andel backs up and fires his shock bow at the nuckalavee.
He keeps on firing.
; Blessing of Fervor Attack
; -2 con damage
He directs the archon to attack the nuckelavee.
; ranged touch
; ranged touch
The next round he heals himself as the archon continues to attack the nuckelavee.
; ranged touch
; ranged touch
Relan steps back and tries his attack routine again.
if that hits...
if that trips...
***
Nalar fireballs the same area again.
Andel fires into melee and can't find a hole.
Relan smashes the horse creature again and with a massive display of strength just barely forces it crashing to the ground again. It thrashes in frustration before the warrior slashes it again. The creature wards off a lot of the damage, it's bizarre nature resistant to steel, but it is harmed grievously and starts to look panicked.
Nalar sends a follow up ball of fire incinerating three of the wraiths and scorching the nuckelavee again.
Braelex searches the table set for the undead Rider and his hounds. She finds a roasted feast of carrion. The food on the table is a mixture of normal dishes and horrific murder, the latter including a plucked and broiled tengu trussed into the shape of a turkey; a ratfolk with its chest cavity spread wide and its innards jellied; and the centerpiece, a decaying centaur with a cherry in each empty eye socket.
The nuckalavee inhales as if the horse is going to expel a breath again and then coughs, unable to produce the vile phlegm yet. So, she stands and moves forward again, this time biting at Relan with the horse head, but the wily warrior dances away.
; miss
The pukwudgie doesn't reappear.
The archon continues to attack the nuckalevee.
; ranged touch
; ranged touch
Vuloo will cast burst of radiance (DC 19 Reflex) on the nuckelavee.
Andel fires again on the nuckelavee.
Blessing of Fervor Attack