Quinn floods himself with healing energies after enduring the Vrocks' attacks.
He then sets himself to finishing the pair of lesser Vrocks.
Ezro takes a moment to study the situation before checking Alikia, and seeing her still wounded, summons Iomedeas healing energies to close her wounds.
Pressing a chaste kiss onto Aravashnial's forehead, Alikia grabs Ezro's wrist . "Wait right here, we'll be back to get you home safe." As she speaks to Aravashnial, her crossbow begins to glow a familiar light blue color.
"Once more into the fray." she murmurs to herself, before magically reappearing back onto the rock.
Aladir moves up next to Alikia, who then uses dimension door to get him and Ezro back into the fight. Aladir, uses the scale to grant his rapier the good property so he can hurt the vrocks. Quinn heals himself, and sets about bringing down one of the lesser vrocks so he can then concentrate on the leader. His first strike takes down the vrock in front of him, then he steps over to attack the other lesser one. Ezro, sees that Alikia is sorely wounded and cures her of most of the damage done to her. Hyram continues his assault on the lesser vrock and wounds it.
The lead vrock and the other, take a step back, and begin their dance of death again, and as before the lead vrock glows, and lightning rains down on the group. As you watch the dancing, another vrock materializes to replace the one that just died.
Hyram, seeing Quinn and himself suffering from the attacks of the Vrocks, uses his mythic ability to enact Earth Protection
He will then attack the lesser vrok.
Letting out another scream of pain as the washes over her again, Alikia clutches her crossbow with a white knuckle grip. With a tingling sensation in her fingertips, Alikia's eyes glow a nauseating black color as she points a finger at the lead vrock. "I refuse to lose to the likes of you!" she shouts out with a disjointed voice, making a ripping motion with her hand pushing extra power behind the attack.
Hyram, Earth Protection is a standard action; can't do both that and attack at the same time.
Again managing to evade the wave of energy that washed over the group, Aladir determines to put a stop to that continuing threat. Viewing the the newest vrock to enter the arena to be the larger problem, as it is freshly arrived to the fight and in closest proximity to squishier allies, the elf turns his attention to that foe, drawing in a deep breath as he once more draws on the wells of mythic power in his body, that same familiar power of fleet movement rushing over him as he flashes over to the right-most vrock and lays into it, crying aloud,"This one's mine!"
...and with a determined look on his face, his keen eyes see still more weaknesses in the creature's defense and he presses the attack!
Reeling at the sudden teleportation again, he raises his hand as if to try and ward away the damage that comes his way, but unsuccessfully. The blast of power hits him and he grits his teeth.
Raising his holy symbol he calls upon Iomedea to heal them, "Inheritor! We are in a bind!"
Turning to Quinn, Hyram, and Aladir, "We need to take down that leader!"
"Weaker ones first!" Aladir insists as he completes his attack.
Quinn lets another burst of healing energy flow into his burn wounds.
Quinn steps up to one of the grievously wounded Vrocks and slashes through it viciously, and follows it up by hurling his blade at the other Vrock in a burst of golden power.
vs SR 24 (a 1, really!)
vs AC 24 Hyram (+18 to hit and I miss three out of five!!!)
Once again, Aladir quick reflexes saves him from all the sound damage that the vrocks generated and deciding to take on the newest arrival, uses his mythic powers and wounds the creature severely. Not able to escape the full power of the vrock damage, Alikia attempts to steal the lead vrock mythic power, but she is not able to overcome the vrock resistance to her spell. Quinn also, takes the full damage from the vrocks, but he heals himself of some of the wounds and then kills the two regular vrocks with Radiance, one by swinging the sword, and one by throwing it at the vrock that Aladir wounded. Ezro doubles up on channeling the healing power of Iomedea, healing much of the wounds. Hyram casts Earth Protection, helping his companions, and then steps up to the lead vrock and prepares to assault it, as well as hopefully taking attacks away from the others.
"Kill the leader, he is using his power to summon the others, and his eyes glow read each time, he brings one in or screeches" and he casts a spell on the lead vrock but it fails.
Now that you have been warned about it you see, once again, the lead vrock eyes glow red, and another vrock appears. He than attacks Hyram and scratches the Inquisitor.
Aladir turns his attention to the vrock leader now that the population of them has been somewhat whittled down, moving that direction to the limit's of his natural speed before engaging his mythic power again, closing the distance with the vrock leader and striking as the golden aura of his mythic power fades.
Hyram smiles at the lead vrock. I cast judgments against you! He switches to Irabeth's sword.
Ezro takes another 5 foot step forward and channels Iomedeas energy to heal his allies, excluding the demons.
Alikia lets out a feral scream as a sickening black rune appears on the back of her left hand. "Zorniger Geist, wenn du denkst, dass du über uns erobern wirst, wirst du dich schrecklich irren." She snarls out as she casts another spell, causing her eyes to glow with a golden hue. "Muss schnell los." She mutters out, offering the lead vrock a snear.
Radiance reappears in Quinn's hand as he steps forward for attack. A burst of Abyssal-speak from Alikia finally breaks through the lethargy oppressing Quinn's attacks. In a strange mimicry of the Vrock's, Quinn's eyes burst red as molten red veins trace across his ashen skin.
vs AC 24 Quinn
vs AC 24 Quinn (sorry man, but you really whacked it)
Aladir hold just a moment to let Alikia cast her spell, and everyone is significantly faster. Aladir then moves up to attack the lead vrock with all his attacks, and only scratches the creature. Quinn takes a step and lays into the lead vrock and severely wounds it. Hyram swings twice and misses, but the extra attack granted by Alikia spell hits and he wounds the creature further. Ezro provides Iomedea healing power, and almost all of the groups wounds are healed.
Both vrocks attack Quinn since he really whacked the lead one hard, and he is the closest to the new one. The regular vrock hits Quinn twice while the lead vrock hits him four times.
Holding his holy symbol to the heavens and towards the Vrocks, Ezro beseeches an incantation to Iomedea to call down her power upon the vile creatures and to smite them, bringing forth a blinding light between the two creatures.
"Back to the Hells from which you came!"
You will not hurt anyone else!
Quinn ignores the injuries he is taking. He ignores the last Vrock altogether, sidestepping himself into peril to place the leader between his and Hyram's blades.
Red and gold light ebbs and flows across Quinn's veins, a momentary war between righteous and demonic powers. Even Radiance tinges red briefly. This needs to end.
After a momentary battle within, the golden light takes the advantage.
Aladir uses his newfound speed to try tumbling around the perimeter of the lead vrock, enough to get him into a flanking position with either of the other two combatants in the melee.
Once in that position, Aladir stab at the lead vrock with his rapier.
Seeing the lead Vrock still standing, Alikia grits her teeth and taps into her newfound power again. "You sure like dancing, don't you?" she snarls, as golden light begins to surround the lead Vrock, "How about you dance to a different tune?"
vs AC 25 Aladir
Alikia casts a spell at the creature, trying to turn it into a small bird, but the vrock just ignores the magic aimed at it. Aladir tries to move around the creature, but he fails and the vrock bites him for his failed effort. Aladir, tries to stab the lead vrock from where he is, but misses. Quinn uses his mythic abilities to continue pounding on the lead vrock, and brings it to a point where Hyram finishes it off. As the lead vrock dies, the other vrock disappears, and the five of you are left alone on the rock.
That demon has been obliterated! Now let's ask our friend what he is doing so far from where we last saw him. Hyram says with the blood of the vrock still dripping from his sword.
Aladir starts for a moment, as if surprised by the demons' sudden disappearance, but then immediately turns his attention to Aravashnial, going over to the man and removing any bonds that might be holding him while simultaneously checking him for injuries.
"Aravashnial, how in the worlds did you get here? Are you injured? What were those demons doing to you?"
Quinn takes a parting shot at the vanishing Vrock before falling to the ground in exhaustion and injury. "That was a trial," he says managing to hoist himself into a sitting position.
With a sharp kick, Quinn manages to flip the grotesque Vrock leader on his back. "This scum was engaged in some sort of ritual. I've seen it once before... I think. Those crystals," he points towards the far bank, "are the key, I'm certain."
Quinn rifles through the Vrocks gear for a moment before looking up. "Nahyndrian crystals," he says, unconciously pulling the name from memory.
Quinn searches the corpse of the fallen vrock, but he finds nothing of interest. After everyone is finished searching around this area, Alikia teleport everyone back to the other side, so that you may have conversation with Aravashnial.
"Anevia was doing some scouting, and came across two opportunities for you. Just north of here is the lair of a woundwyrm, a great dragon in service to Baphomet. This dragon has been raiding the country side, and her lair was stumbled on by Anevia. This is perhaps the greatest foe you will face in these lands, so be careful. The other opportunity is that their is a Temple to Baphomet further north, that would be a good place to gather more information about the enemy and perhaps deal them a significant blow if it could be reclaimed. I was sent with some soldiers, who that vrock threw into the molten lava, before he began that ritual, because I have a scroll that will teleport me and the men back to Drezen after I delivered this message. Is there anything that you wish me to tell Irabeth and the Queen when I get back?"
A Dragon in service to a demon? Sounds like we need to rid ourselves of this menace! Hyram says as he looks in the direction of the dragon's lair.
"I would suggest we hit the temple first...reclaiming it would give us somewhere to recover and use as a staging ground for moving further in. Not to mention it might contain information or artifacts that would be useful in taking on the wyrm."
Alikia pulls the sleeve of her tunic over the back of her right hand as Aravashnial gives them the rundown of threats to their blossoming stronghold. "I concur with Aladir. A staging ground would be an invaluable supply to have."
The last tinges of demonic red fades from Quinn's eyes and the gold returns even brighter than before.
Alikia hides her hand within the folds of her sleeve. Quinn frowns briefly at the odd behavior but does not comment. "Dragons are formiddable on their own. This one will surely be empowered as our demon foes have been."
"We need to be well prepared for that battle. I agree that the temple should be first."
Quinn looks back to Aravashniel. "We have dispatched a defrocked priest to Drezen to seek redemption. Since you can teleport, you may arrive as soon as he does. Kindly see that he is well treated."
"Also, Hyram liberated Wintersun Hall. The Northmen of Wintersun are now pledged to his service."
"I will ensure that he is treated well, and inform Irabeth of the North Men change of heart." He says his goodbyes and pulling a scroll, reads it and disappears.
Following Aravashnial directions you travel several days north along one of the great chasms in this plain, you cross over and come to where the Temple is. A large cave opening in the side of one of the many large hills is where Temple is.
Perhaps Aladir can scout it out before we knock! Hyram says with a grimace at the elf which us his way of trying to smile.
Aladir gives an absent-minded nod, moving forward slowly and deliberately, wary for any who might be spying on them as they approach, picking his way toward where the temple lies within the cavernous maw of the hillside.
Overcome with a morose feeling, Ezro says "This place was once a holy site for Iomedea. We should be sure to reconsecrate this site once we eliminate Baphomets filth from it."
Readying himself, Ezro says a short prayer to the Inheritor.
Aladir sneaks up to the cave entrance, and peeks in. There is a small cavern, and at the back back wall, perhaps fifty feet away from the entrance is a short flight of stairs leading up, flanked by two statues.
Aladir wills himself into invisibility, then creeps to the side, trying to maneuver to the point that he can see around the edge of the stairs and up into the structure itself.