Vondal trundles closer as his dretch claws happily at C1, bloodying the badly made construct, but missing C2.
Varis makes his way cautiously across the treacherous surface, his concentration broken as his feet seek safe purchase on the rocks. He remains in full view of the archers.
Aurix thunders straight forward across the bridge and aims his wrath at the bloodied stone contruct flanking the farmgirl, roaring out a challenge.
Aurix marches straight into Melee range of the stone contruct and looses a blast of ravening Dragon-like fire breath, then snarls and cleaves his axe at the thing, meaning to chop it down to size, aiming straight at its mishapen legs.
Move action to R16. Minor Action: Encounter Power Dragon Breath aimed at Stonefist Defender
Dragon Breath, Close Blast 3
Fire Damage:
Standard Action, Steel Serpent Strike on Stonefist Defender
Damage: and Target is slowed until the end of Aurix's next turn and Cannot shift.
Anastria steps carefully forward on the bridge, firing another blast in the cursed archers direction.
Anastria winks at the nearest archer, killing him with her devastating glance.
Aurix stomps over the bridge and attempts to set fire to the defender. His attack does nothing, but his follow up blow is much more potent. The creature is barely holding together now.
Determined to rid itself of one intruder at least, it drives its spiked fist into Luce.
Luce winces and is driven to her knees by the fist of the protective golem. 'At least everyone has got across the bridge safely.' she thinks groggily seeing the first wave of reinforcements in the shape of the dragonborn protector. A thin smiles crosses her lips as she starts to breathe heavily, the motes from Aurix fire breathe drift of the air.
Sweat and blood dribbles down her face as she looks at the creatures surrounding her, knowing that they maybe as doomed as her.
As the remnants of Aurix's firey breath drift over the Stonefist Defenders body. Luce regains her senses, or loses them. 'This is stupid but..... if I can take them down.' She starts drawing upon the ancestral lands, the spirits of her lands, defiled by the worship of this abomination. The fires intensify around the defender, already weakened by the blows of the others and thorns sticking out from him. They burst out in a ball of fire, causing the area to be filled with red-hot cinders. 'Just like me, fire back home. But I ain't cleaning this grate owt.' Luce thinks as she dodges under the first blow.
As she regains her senses the claws and blows come from the the golems. Luce tries to avoiding the worst of the strikes as she maintains the ritual evocation to the primal spirits of the land, gently stroking the wolf's paw fetish that her Grandmother gave her.
Luce gulps and gathers herself, taking her cue from Aurix's fiery breath to incinerate what is left of the Stone Defender. A small pile of smouldering clinker is all that remains and C1 looks to be about to collapse as well.
Drop Javalin
Minor Action transfer spear to main hand
Move action move to S16
Action Myrmidon Formation
if hit
start of next allys turn every ally adjacent to Tiberious will get 5 temporary hit points
Tiberious continues over the bridge and barely pauses as he demolishes C1, offering reassurance to Aurix and Luce in the process.
Looking a little grim now, the archers turn their attentions back to Luce, while the last clay scout changes targets and attempts to slow the warlord down with visions of failure. To no avail. Tiberious shrugs aside the feeble assault.
Keeping her unclouding eyes upon the scout as it tries to cripple Tiberious; Luce is caught off-guard by the arrows of the eagle-eyed archers as they slew into her body. She lets small howl of indignation, certain that the company would be victorious but whether she would stand to find her brother...?
The dretch shuffles over to the clay scout but fails get get purchase.
Varis gets his footing set, and realizes that he will need to take a quick step back to shoot at one of the remaining archers. He shoots hastily, eager to continue on toward the side of the building. Getting closer, it isn't the blocking of Vondal's light that helps him hide, as much as it is his enemy beeing too far in on the top of the building that blocks the line of sight. Using it to his best advantage, he disappears once again.
Seeing Luce take yet another hit Anastria steps forward and recites a little farmers ditty used to remind themselves that winter is but a season and the spring will come again. She weaves healing magic through the poems words just as and directs it at the farm girl who she was starting to become quite fond of.
She then focuses on the other archer on the walls and lets the fey powers rise up inside her as she fires off another blast.
Vondal's Dretch has no effect on the last scout, but its movement is distracting enough for both Varis and Anastria to hit their targets. Both archers fall without a word, leaving only the nearly-mindless construct. Anastria's ditty is exactly what Luce needs to keep her in the fight.
Feeling somewhat impressed by the Captain's show of confidence and leadership, the Dragonborn surges forwards and swings his axe brutally at the last standing foe, roaring out another challenge in his basso voice.
Crushing Surge Attack
Crushing Surge Damage, Critical: 1d10=10+5=15
Aurix's axe smashes powerfully right on target and he roars into the contructs 'face', his heart pounding and blood racing as he proceeds to begin to hack the Scout into pieces.
Concentrating on nullifying the pain, Luce closes her eyes. Anastria's beautiful song about the cyclical nature of life, reminds the Dales lass of a similar ditty her Grandma used to sing on the cold free-day evenings. The rain and sleet hammered against the windows, but Luce was safe and warm by the fire.
Holding onto the feeling, she slicks back her hair with the blood from the small scalp wound. 'Me head's like granite, as Old Jarl usually says.' Giving a reasuring smile (and look of gratitude) to Anastria; "I'll get thee t' jar I promised."
She looks to the stoic protector, the unsentient light in it's eye's flickering evilly. A resolute look spreads across her visage; inexorably Luce calls upon the power of the spirits on the land and dales. Focussing upon her feral instincts she leaps towards her prey.
”Arrrrggghh” ’I always forget how much it hurts.’
Nails draw back followed by fingers; becoming little more than stumps, as between them sharp claws rip their way through flesh. Luce’s face contorts in pain, her teeth sharpening as her mouth extend to form a muzzle, and the rest of the face subtly alters apart from her eyes. They remain an icy cool blue, shining with pain, excitement and exhilaration. The downy hairs covering her body thicken throughout creating a soft velvet fur. Glowing with a soft golden sheen, as her whole body elongates with a crunching of bones and tearing of sinew. Thickening and becoming muscular Luce’s outstretched torso within the blink of the eye appears to that of a lioness. With a stretch she lands before the golem's form.
Her claws slash at the golem ripping the clay and stone from it's form, she lets out a howl of joy at being unleashed.
Under the combined onslaught the clay scout crumples as Aurix and the strangely changed Luce land near simultaneous blows.
Luce looks to Anastria and the eladrin lady could swear that she winks her crystal blue eyes at her slowly. Feeling guilty the lioness rubs the side of her neck against Aurix's greaves. 'Don't be mad...' she thinks as she purrs.
Fluidly her form flickers and the young woman from the mountais is stood next to you. "If I were thee, I'd be careful of that symbol. I ain't know owt about t' arcane, but could be a trap." she stands and slides a hand through her hair.
Aurix blinks down at the huge cat that was previously Luce the farmgirl rubs against his greaves and then changes back and he cocks a ridged eyebrow at the girl in puzzlement. Ordinarily he might have asked, in a much gruffer tone the question he voiced, but right now, she had stood beside him in combat, so she had earned at least a little grudging respect.
"Pardon me asking Girl...Luce. But what exactly in the Nine Hells was that, I've fought people of your race, what with the fuzzy skin and longer canines, but I've never seen one of them turn into a bloody cat before."
Anastria walks the rest of the way down the bridge. " Yes, for a farm girl you are full of surprises! " She says with a wide smile.
Blushing slightly, which is not complementary to her complexion; "Oh well, that as Old Jarl says, is t' blood of t' land. After a few pints, he tells that my ancestor, Huron, were one of the ferals. One of t' were-creatures who could change their shape with the passing of the seasons or as the land teaches us. According to the songs Huron was a great hero who strode t' hills, pacifying it."
With a wink of her almond eyes; "Cause it mostly shows in my appearance, the soft fur and..." she says whilst flexing her fingers with their clawed tips.
"Me gran, shes a healer and spiritualist and she taught us. By listening to the spirit of the land and focusing your energies you can change your form to that of an animal. Mostly I be doing large predators as they love to run, like me." the pure smile of joy at this statement lights up her face.
"In fact, assuming another form is so natural I can use me claws to shove them that wants to harm people away."
Seeing the looks on the guardsmen's face; she is a bit abashed hat she ran off ahead of the group but her Dales bred pride forces her to take a different responsibility. "Aye, I kin see it in yer faces - that I know you think I shouldn't have run off ahead. I like running, though and someone had to secure t'other end of the bridge."
"Else like one of the constructs could have blocked the bridge and held or thrown us all from it. But if I got to t' other end and held it I know you would have continued on. You have a honourable face." Luce says looking at her feet, not thinking of the possible outcomes if her friends weren't so skillful.
Aurix grunts once at the girl and shoulders his axe while keeping the weapons drawn, already expecting another attack. "There's a fine line between rushing of to secure a position girl, and running off alone because of fear for your family. I believe your intentions, we all do methinks. But you're of no use to your brother or family dead. You'd do well to remember that."
The Dragonborn advances a little and squats down with his eyes kept forwards in case of attack, axe still held in his fist as he joins in others in a short rest.
Given the relaxed pace after the last combatant goes down, Varis casually approaches the wall and attempts multiple times to climb to the roof, glad that no one sees him this side of the building. He takes a short breather up top, sitting with his legs over the side facing the bridge. He quietly waits as everyone else also works out the kinks from the fight, before he clambers down the inside wall to secret himself within the shadows of the corner away from the light as best he can.
The young lass glances at the shadowy figure out of the corner of her eye, not trying to draw attention to him. 'He wants to be hidden, well best respect his wishes. He can cover us from the shadows.'
To the dragonmans' statement Luce responds slightly defiantly; "Aye, I know if I were lost that I would be of no use to him. But I see thee are a good man you would rescue Kyle and the hobbits from this vile cult." she praises him.
"I won't promise that I won't do it again, but I will not let you down." Luce responds.
She moves towards the door, looking at the large archway. "Does one of t' magicky type wanna check out that evil symbol. I'll look at this door - although they just came out of there it may be trapped."
Luce moves to the door taking a breather, whilst she observes the door. Checking for hinges, contact poisons, direction of swing (& any scratches upon the floor), murder-holes, carvings upon the door. She brushes her hair out of her eyes; "Anyone got a bit of water I am parched."
Luce goes over to the door and heaves it open.