Seeing Dazl heal Kaydanna's wounds , Rav stands next in line. "If you have any remaining healing energy stored up I could certainly use it Dazl. I'm worried that the corrupted Azata will come back with reinforcements and I don't want to be caught at less than full strength"
Round 8:
Ravarel detects no magic on the archons' corpses and regains 4 points.
Ghaele's turn:
The double doors to the southern door across the pit burst open and you see the outline of the ghaele, still covered in glittering particles. She smiles and speaks, pointing at you, "There, undead guardians, mortals walk the grounds of the ziggurat. Destroy them in the name of Kyuss!" Behind her, you see 4 undead creatures. Three of them look identical, wearing baroque green armor and wielding greatswords, writhing worms moving through the chinks of their armor. You see the 4th, an undead witch doctor in full regalia worn over full plate armor. Behind it is what appears to be a library covering the back wall of the room.
Pyrrhus gestures and whispers a couple words and, apparently, nothing happens.
"Stay where you are and let them come to us... I do not like the idea of fighting again with a hole behind us... let them come..."
Swords of Kyuss:
Kelva speaks, "Kill the priest first, he can confuse you with his holy energy. I resisted him a couple of times but he stunned my allies."
Sword of Kyuss #1 points at Dazl and suddenly, there is an explosion of negative energy in a 15' burst that hits everyone except Ravarel!
Sword of Kyuss #2 follows suit:
Sword of Kyuss #3 follows suit:
edit: Rav can teleport all of us out of here if needed. But I need to be able to touch each of you to make it happen. If we get spread out teleporting everyone may not be possible. Not saying that's what we have to do. But it's an option
to his companions in a quiet voice "I don't feel so good. Maybe discretion is the better part of valor here. "
"AGREED! I'll block their path with a Wall"
"Argh... I'll do this, mage... prepare yourself to take us out..."
FAIL
FAIL
FAIL
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Dazl, as an immediate action, grants Kaydanna a reroll on her first missed save, before the black energy engulfs him.
Screams fill the air as the negative energy explosions rock the party. Seeing the wounded, the wormcaller tries to pick off the remaining party members.
Wormcaller:
First, it leads off with a Quickened Hold Person on Siggut () and then it unleashes a Flame Strike on Ravarel and Pyrrhus (
Seeing many companions being hurt, Pyrrhus creates a wall of stone, closing the entrance of the room their enemies were, trapping them within.
Dodging the worst of the column of flames a smoking Ravarel sees his companions writhing in pain around him and knows we have to get out of here. Using his Arcane Bonded Staff Ravarel casts Teleport touching each of his companions before completing the spell and arriving in
"to say that did not go well would be quite the understatement "
at some point we sell the armor and shield taken from the Kyuss Knight.... And if there is time I'd like to visit the Archmage Tenser and give him the unholy sword to dispose of
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not bad...
"Agreed Siggut. Death Ward spells are mandatory if we are to take on the followers of an undead God. I wish I could cast those. However those spells are Divine in nature and outside my capabilities."
The Wall of Stone blocks off the undead, giving the surviving but wounded heroes time to escape and teleport back to Magepoint, arriving safely.
Upon the party's arrival in Magepoint, they seek Tenser's assistance, but they are told he is off world, taking care of personal matters. Agath, cleric of Pelor/Sarenrae, receives you in his Temple and is disappointed to hear about Thak's death (he hopes he joins his brother in the afterlife) and though he does not know Dazl, he is willing to cast Speak with Dead to see if the spirit is willing to return. After the necessary preparations, he speaks to the witch doctor's spirit, who tells him fortune has not favored him and he cannot cheat death, so he declines to return to life. Agath relays Dazl's wishes to the party and is eager to learn what evil forces befell the party in the ziggurat. He is amazed by the party's story: "A corrupted ghaele azata and two sword archons?! Yes, I remember hearing about the headstrong Kelva, a champion of good, who thought she and her allies could storm the ziggurat and vanquish the den of evil. She disappeared from lore and we all thought her dead. This is a worse fate than she deserved." Agath is genuinely saddened by the news for a few seconds but composes himself. As he hears more the party's story, he concurs with the party's findings that the Swords of Kyuss are the elite shock troops and the Wormcallers are the priests. "The Knights of Kyuss are rare, said it be composed of Kyuss' personal bodyguards in life. It is said they are each are tainted with special unique gifts, so beware. I am sure there are more Knights in the ziggurat. Now, while you have suffered losses and fled, there is no shame in surviving and learning from defeat. The forces you face are powerful and to return without a holy priest would be suicide. However, I may know of an ally, who would be willing to aid you. She is an aasimar and she comes to me much for counsel. In fact, she is here, meditating and praying. She harbors a hatred for undead like no other. She was not available when the party was summoned before. I think you would be wise to use her talents." Agath rings a bell and has one of his acolytes summon the aasimar. When she appears, Agath introduces her to the party with much pride.
Daleranna walked into the temple, with her cloak covering her sensitive eyes, to find that the famous warriors have already returned and this could only mean two things: they were already victorious or the faced defeat. Unfortunately she noticed it was the second case by seeing the body of what looked like a shaman.
So my mission is still not completed... perhaps this happened by the design of the Goddess but I'm reluctant to think she would agree with a victory by the hands of Her enemies... Well, at least it was easy to find the druid...
The elf moved forward, still trying to hide her features. It was always better when she revealed herself then when others notice her features first. She made no sound as she walked.
Pyrrhus bows to the new member of their party and introduces himself with his thundering voice.
"Hum... a priest... I welcome you, servant of the light. I'm Pyrrhus, the archdruid of the Nyr Div..." His talk is interrupted by something he noticed. He turns his head towards the door, inspecting a new figure at the temple. "It looks like we have another one who wishes to talk to us..."
Daleranna stopped where she was but kept her face hooded for now. Under her cloak, it was possible to see a black and shadowy studded armor and a quiver at her back. No other weapons were visible.
"Hello brave warriors. My name is Daleranna Mooneyes, from the Faerie Kingdom of Celene, and I seek two things: firstly, deliver a message to the Archdruid Torrent from Hildefer, the Feathered, the Grand Druid of the dominion of Greyhawk..." The elf focuses Pyrrhus. "The Grand Druid requests your presence as soon as possible. She fears for the safety of the Nyr Div since she senses an unknown blight approaching. She also asks you to remember your sacred vow. That was the message..."
"The second thing I seek is to join you in your mission for I fear I'm also bound to it by the will of my Goddess, Sehanine Moonbow, Goddess of Moonlight and the Lady of Dreams. She sent me a dream, ushering me help against the Age of Worms..." She then removes her hood, revealing her elvish features and also her dark skin... the skin of the cursed elves, the drow. "If you accept my help, I vow not to rest until our mission is completed."
Daleranna remains silent, waiting for any question or comment about her motives or cursed appearance.
The druid's watery skin boils at the message, especially the reminder about his vows. He bows to the elf and then looks to his now former companions.
"I must apologize but I have no choice but to follow my orders. It is uncommon for we, druids, to receive a direct order or summon but I must obey... once I have met with the Feathered I shall return to your aid if possible... meanwhile, I wish you all the luck in the word for we are all counting on you..." With no other words, the water elemental takes the shape of a small bird and flies away from the temple.
Agath welcomes in the stranger and bids the druid farewell.He is a bit taken back when she reveals herself to be a drow. However, his eyes glow for a second and then he relaxes, "This holiest Temple of the Sun welcomes you, Daleranna. I am Agath, the High Priest." He is a middle-aged human male with a long severe face and black hair, favoring a black robe covered in twinkling stars. "My companions gathered here may introduce themselves. The Goddess sees your noble heart and knows not to judge a book by its cover. That you know of the upcoming Age of Worms and seek to prevent it speaks volumes about your character. Please join us in the Library, where we may all speak and sit." The acolytes bring wine and cheese, as the party discusses its plans further in private.
From out of the back of the temple comes a stunning unearthly beauty. Dressed in priestly robes of Pelor/Sarenrae she smiles upon approach.
"Good morning and well met all. I am Elise, Servant of Sarenrae and Agath here tells me your group is in dire need of aid. Fear not! The dawn has arrived! We shall all bath in the sun's glory! In other words Pelor shall watch over us and we will prevail.."
Sighing..
"What can you tell me of our foe?"
Agath gives the new arrivals the following recap:
"The Age of Worms is foretold in a prophecy that speaks of a coming apocalypse, an age of death and writhing doom. Normally such rumors should be dismissed—doomsday prophecies are typically the product of nothing more sinister than madness. This prophecy is different. It can be traced back, through various incarnations in books, tablets, and carvings on walls, for over two thousand years. It does not change in content during this time—it has not evolved through clumsy attempts of fanatics desperate to reword its predictions to support their agendas. This alone would be enough for it to merit further study. But even more interesting is the fact that in the last few years several of its predictions have actually come true. For this reason, we sent this band of heroes to Kuluth-Mar in the Amedio Jungle, far to the south, in a quest for knowledge since that is where Kyuss ruled the city more than two thousand years ago from a fortress called the Spire of Long Shadows. We believe and our heroes have confirmed that this spire was the site of Kyuss’ ascension to godhood. There, the band faced powerful undead warriors and guardians and corrupted servants of good. They can tell you more specifics."
Elise looks shocked! "Undead Abominations! That will not do at all.. We must go and cleanse them! Evil cannot hide from Pelor's Light! May Sarenrae's blessings fall upon us! When do we leave?"
Rav has no problem Daleranna's drow ancestry. He has some drow blood running through his veins, it is just not readily apparent.
"Welcome Daleranna...Our path is very dangerous, but if you are brave, skilled and willing we will gladly accept your help"
turning to Elise..."and Welcome to you as well Mistress Sunwake. A servant of Pelor will be a VERY welcome addition to our group. Our path looks to be filled with undead foes and fallen angels. We did not make it far into Kuluth-Mar before the foul energy attacks of the undead warriors drove us back. You and your God's help will be very useful in the coming days. "
looking at both of the newcomers "So far we have faced and defeated a Kyuss Knight teamed with beetles whose sonic energy stunned some of us. We had to flee the corrupted Angel who blasted us with Prismatic Spray and Chain Lightning (powerful spells) when she came at us with reinforcements, 3 undead soldiers of Kyuss with powerful negative energy blasts and an undead Cleric of Kyuss. If we are protected against the negative energy I feel confident that we can prevail vs those foes. What lies past them, who knows."
edit:"The day is young. But we have been gone from Kuluth-mar too long and I don't want to give the enemy any more time to prepare....Are there any more questions or shall I teleport us there to resume our quest?
"I can handle protections from necromatic energies.."
"So we have the God of the Sun and the Goddess of the Moonlight watching for us... in a couple cultures there is a rivalry between the servants of day and night but rest assured that The Lady of Dreams hates the undead abominations as your Glorious Sun. I think we need nothing more. Please, do not mistake my eagerness with foolishness for I agree with you Ravarel, there is no time to lose." She thinks for a couple seconds before continuing. "I'm more used to work on the open world but we are going to clean a tomb if I correctly understood... do you wish for me to go ahead and scout? It is usually the way I work, in the shadows... as you may have guessed I'm an archer and hunter... I trust you Master Frost and you Lady Krysstalla to keep our enemies away from me and I'll make sure to cover them in arrows."
"Indeed Sir Dwarf, there are many different undead that have such abilities. It would not be wise to venture to far ahead Daleranna.."
The elf shakes her head. "Oh, you misunderstood me. I'm fully aware that my ability to hide will be severely compromised and I agree that it would not be wise to scout too far ahead but this place could be trapped, right? Also, even if our enemy spots me, it is important if I could spot him also, right? The sooner we know about the danger ahead, the sooner we'll be able to react... that being said, I have no intentions to go too far ahead, just a couple steps. Also, a good arrow when they are still getting ready to face us could mean the difference between life and death..."