Melianthe continues to cackle. Absinthe loads and fires her crossbow, once again feeling the hex's fortune aiding her aim. The bolt clips Andaisin, drawing a hiss of irritation from the undead priestess.
"Enough of this cursed noise!" Andaisin screams, flying a circle around the Urgathoa statue to attack Melianthe.
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Seren will fire that magic missile now
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Melianthe rocks back from the force of the blow and lands on the ground.
She pulls out a potion and drinks it.
Seren fires off his wand, sending two winding beads of force slamming into Andaisin. Cherias takes a careful step back. Tobar grips his rapier, waiting to attack but unable to reach the flying priestess.
Segang moves to within 10' and attacks. Not that if the enemy is up high enough he will move closer.
"Away from her, you worthless blight!" Absinthe shouts as she reloads and fires.
Segang stabs but misses Andaisin as she flies away. He moves over, driving his spear into her tentacle-torso. Melianthe holds the line, continuing her cackling to sustain the hexes. Absinthe reloads and fires, but the bolt misses by a few inches.
Andaisin slashes at Melianthe again, silencing her. Melianthe settles towards the floor, trailing blood. Andaisin then spins, attacking Segang with her other claw.
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Seren sends two more force beads into Andaisin's back. She snarls at him but remains focused on Segang.
Cherias's life link draws some of Melianthe's wounds. He steps over to her fallen form and tries to cast a heal without lowering his defenses. Unfortunately, he gets distracted by Andaisin's looming form and fumbles it.
Tobar steps back, then rustles around Andaisin's remains, looking for anything to use against her new incarnation.
Absinthe pulls a healing potion from her belt and rolls it towards Cherias. The instant the bottle leaves her hands, the Tiefling rubs off, splashing through the basin and towards and up the statue, rapier once again in hand.
Segang gets clawed but some of the damage is transferred to Cherias and then almost as much is blocked by his damage resistance.
The barbarian strikes twice with his spear hoping to find an opening.
Segang gets clawed but some of the damage is transferred to Cherias and then almost as much is blocked by his damage resistance.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Segang gets clawed but some of the damage is transferred to Cherias and then almost as much is blocked by his damage resistance.
Segang pierces Andaisin again, this time deeply. She spits and hisses in rage, closing in on the barbarian.
Absinthe rolls a potion vial towards Melianthe, then splashes into the fountain pool. Immediately upon contact with the fluid, she feels sickened to her core.
Andaisin attacks Segang savagely, slashing him hard with her pestilent scythe claw.
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Gagging and shuddering, Absinthe staggers back out of the pool.
Shivering at the sensation of disease crawling through her veins, the Tiefling shudders to a halt behind the undead blight -- and jumps up, stabbing at the undead cleric.
Hit will the scythe like claw Segang runs out of range and does only what he can do. He strikes back at the creature with his spear.
Seren hits Andaisin with another pair of force missiles, chipping away at her undead vitality.
Cherias absorbs more wounds from Segang and Melianthe. Melianthe regains her consciousness, looking up to find Andaisin floating just overhead. Cherias steps away and heals himself, managing to keep his focus this time.
Tobar approaches Andaisin cautiously, careful to avoid her attention.
Segang stabs at the priestess, but with his flagging energy, cannot pierce her defenses.
Absinthe tries to circle and make a flanking ambush, but Andaisin is aware and avoids it. Andaisin slashes hard at Absinthe as she maneuvers for position, then continues to rend Segang.
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Absinthe crashes to the ground, unmoving and bleeding.
Melianthe hexes Tobar, of all people, with Fortune, and begins to chuckle weakly.
More MM and some tactical movement.
Andaisin emits a gurgling snarl as Seren hits her again with force magic.
Cherias absorbs wounds from Segang, Absinthe and Melianthe. Backed against the wall by the undead priestess, Cherias calls out for holy power and barely touches her trailing tentacle mass. Where the holy energy brushes, her putrid flesh burns away. Cherias sighs, exhausted of his life oracle powers.
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Melianthe weakly hexes Tobar, who moves up and stabs with his borrowed rapier, but cannot pierce Andaisin's skin.
Worried about his friends Segang steps back and attacks twice with his spear.
Coming back to awareness, Absinthe rolls away from the hideous undead blight hovering above her. As soon as she hits the wall, the Tiefling whips a dagger out of her belt and at Andaisin's back.
Absinthe draws a dagger and stabs at Andaisin feebly. Across the room, Segang backs up a little for space. With his back against the wall, he thrusts his spear hard at Andaisin's center mass. Driving towards him hungrily, she is impaled a few feet onto the spear. She lets out a hideous scream, spewing phlegm and bile as the flesh around the spear collapses from within.
" failed... youuu..." she exhales a death rattle as her body decomposes into its putrid components. A few seconds later, all that remains of Andaisin -- clots of blood, curdled milk, bile and chunks of rotted flesh -- hits the floor in a disgusting mess.
"Cherias," Absinthe groans as she sinks back against the floor. "Che.... ri.... as...."
Cherias slumps down beside Absinthe, clearly as exhausted as she, but he gives a warm, weary smile, glad to be victorious.
"I feel sick," Absinthe feebly mumbles, her lips turning blue as her body starts to tremble. "That filthy fountain.... Can you fix me?"
He shakes his head weakly. "The symptoms yes, but I haven't the power to cleanse the disease. Even so, I'm completely spent..." His head sags. You can see his body is covered in many bruises and abrasons, wounds absorbed from the life links.
"I have one casting to remove disease..." says a weary, bloodied, prone Melianthe. She rises unsteadily to her feet.
"Potion," Absinthe mumbles. "Drink the potion, Melianthe, then use the wand. You look.... done in."
The Tiefling's eyes flutter closed as she hugs herself. "Ughk! This sucks! What kind of diseased mind would intentionally do this to a whole city full of people? The queen is beyond mad, she must be evil!"
Tobar pokes one of the skull-adorned boxes with his rapier. "Arkminos wanted one of these coffers in exchange for Ruan, right? Let's get him back and get outta this hell hole!"
"We need to.... destroy this place," Absinthe mutters, without opening her eyes. "Can't.... let it abide. Too much chance.... of spreading the sickness. Others diseases."
Seren floats down carefully to the ground, moving about as he can and assisting Cherias from person to person to use the wands.
"Stay here and rest for a moment. I'll take this coffer to the vampire and then we will devise a way to destroy this filth before we leave."
Seren eyes Segang's hammer as he leaves, "Whatever it takes."
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Segang looks more tired than wounded and seems more concerned with his friends than his own wounds. He postulates Breaking things down here might actually spread the disease. I would not have the water of the fountain flow into the cities water..
When Seren offers to deliver the coffer Segang objects. Not good for you to deal with a vampire alone Seren. Even if he seemed honorable before. No, we should loot this place and make our exit. He shoulders his spear and moves to retrieve his hammer. I am tired. I could sleep for a week. Please, let us leave together.
Melianthe nods wearily at Absinthe and produces four scrolls. "A minute, if you will..."
She reads them, shuddering and shaking, one slender hand tapping her own shoulder.
She then tries Remove Disease on herself.
"No one will come in here, that is for certain. We have evidence aplenty. We need to get those Varisians and get a cure...immediately..."
She collapses in a fit of coughing, and takes a look at her hands, already beginning to welt with pustules. She grins almost idiotically. "Damn. Are they on my lovely face as well?" She sighs. "Absinthe and I are contagious. No bodily fluid contact--don't smirk, Tobar--and perhaps, stay away from our coughing. Abby, we should put on those damned doctor's masks."
Seren looks at the wounded and exhausted barbarian skeptically, "You should probably stay here and get healed. But feel free to come defend me."
Seren will return the box and get the Varisian and then come back.
"You all search her for magic yet or perhaps any hidden goodies in the altar?"
Seren will detect magic throughout the room.
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Seren returns a couple minutes later with Ruan in tow, dazed and confused. Tobar rushes to his side, holding up his fellow prisoner. He breathes a sigh of relief, nodding in thanks. "I will see he gets back to his sister when we get out of here. We cannot hope to thank you enough!"
Lady Andaisin's gear, armor and weapons lie amid the rancid gore of her remains. They include a potion vial, a corset-like breastplate, an ornate scythe, a belt, cloak and headband, and an onyx symbol of Ugathoa. She also carried a purse holding 27 gold, 3 silver and 2 copper. Seren detects magic from each item except the holy symbol.
Seren's thorough search turns up a well-concealed compartment in the base of the statue. Inside are a number of ceremonial instruments used for various Urgathoa rituals: two grim candleabras made from human hands encased in silver, several sticks of exotic incense, two wands, and a bone scroll case holding two divine scrolls. Seren detects magic from the wands, scrolls and 3 of the incense blocks (some are non-magical).
Even wounded I am tougher than you little half elf. the barbarian tells Seren.
Segang looks over the armor and decides its too heavy and would restrict his movement. He lifts the scythe and slices the air a few times with a smile. This feels good in my hands. Is it enchanted?
After looking through the loot Segang states All of this research is quite important I am sure but equally important is the fact that these prisoners seem to be immune to the blood veil disease. Also I know we must walk carefully as I think we all now know that the queen is implicated in all this but proving it I am sure will be quite hard. What is our next step?
Are you criticizing my performance? I stood between this creature and my friends. And I offer to stand between you and the vampire. I am confused.