The eagle flies in when it sees the skeletons and attacks with holy fury.
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"Skeletons," Kahwen sighed as he saw their new opponents. He knew just how effective his sword was going to be against them. Might as well be using his bow against the drake again.
Still, he could get up front with Hadza and help his friend in crushinating the bony foes.
Seeing the darkness, he opened up the Wayfinder hanging from the chain around his neck, more than a little comforted by the glow that it projected.
Then, he moved forward, coming up behind Hadza to make sure none of their opponents could stab him in the back and setting himself up to do the same to them when the opportunity arose.
It had worked well against the drake so Kahwen took up the same defensive stance in case one of the skeletal warriors got close enough to attack him.
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Kahwen sheds some light onto the area with his wayfinder to reveal the skeletons hiding beyond the unnatural smog.
Hadza recognises the formidable looking opponent as a skeleton champion and the lesser as bloody skeletons. He knows that the weaker looking ones have no special attacks, and sharp weapons are almost useless against them.
Taking the charge, Hadza advances and with the help of the light, swings hard to put a skeleton out. Kahwen, Nigel, and Dark slowly advances. Additionally Dark cast shield on himself to protect himself against the undeads.
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Haska prepares himself by drinking an extract while the eagle flies into the dimly lit area flying right over the bones that Hadza put to rest. The eagle faces immediately another skeleton!
Angela follows up, hustling behind, and gives Kahwen a little bit of a push by boosting his defences! However her shout doesn't reach Kahwen over the sound of the rushing river.
Shadowy tendrils from the floor suddenly reach out to grab the eagle! However, the eagle notices the surprise and manoeuvres in time to avoid the shadows reach.
With the eagle in the vicinity threatening the livelihood of the ritual, the army of undead skeletons immediately charge forward to eliminate it. With strong attacks, they overwhelm the eagle sending it back to it's home plane.
Also upon closer inspection, the group notices that the rift tear near the altar seems to be growing slowly and is emanating negative energy!
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Dark fires a beam of positive energy towards the powerful looking skeleton. As he is knocked and hurt slightly, he turns and grins menacingly.
Additionally, the positive energy seems to have affected the rift. Negative energy seems to have stopped.
Hadza and Kahwen braves into the darkness to take on the skeleton army focusing their efforts on the same enemy. Surprisingly, Their attacks are deflected by the skeletons swordsmanship.
He cackles evilly proclaiming. "Eshimka will destroy your souls when the nightwalkers return! All hope shall be lost as you feel endless despair and pain!"
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To everyone's dismay, the bloody skeletons have amazingly good reflexes as they balance their bones.
With a semi-distraction, Haska takes the opportunity to head in and hurl a bomb landing right at the skeletons feet before he is able to react. *KABOOM!* Bones fly everywhere. Red is hit in the impact, but his bones slowly attempt to put itself back together.
From a distance, Angela continues to attempt to aid Kahwen by giving a little cheer!
Shadowy tendrils continue to attempt to hinder your advances. Hadza is able to power his strong legs through the masses but the same can't be said of the Kahwen and Haska as they find the tendrils slowly wrapping around their legs, forcing them to a standstill.
Seeing the opportunity as the tengu is stuck, the remainding skeletons pounce on him! Slowly the bloodied skeleton walks towards and swipes! And the tougher one swings his sword. But perhaps due to the earlier positive energy their attacks are weak and are unable to land a hit.
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For someone who depends on mobility as much as Kahwen does, being restrained like this is a nightmare. He wants to slice through the tendrils holding him but one is wrapped around his forearm so that he can't use his sword.
Instead, he tries to twist a wiggle free.
He ALMOST makes it, too, but can't quite slip free.
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The acid that Nigel throws touches the undead and sizzles. Meanwhile, Dark has inconsistent luck aiming, and finds his spell going wide of hitting anything.
From a distance, Angela still continues to attempt to aid Kahwen by giving a strong cheer!
In another dimension, Pathfinders that are fighting the same fight have started to close the portal, it's effects carry everywhere! The undeads seem a little weaker, and the bloody skeleton finds itself in a daze as a consequence to the effect.
Although the portal looks to be closing, the shadowy tendrils doesn't seem to let up and continue to wreck havoc as they grab hold of all the three pathfinders, hindering them from advancing against the undead horde.
And the skeleton lieutenant strikes against kahwen once more. But with a little boost from Angela to his confidence, Kahwen defends himself well and knocks away the sword even though the tendrils have him locked down.
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Dark and Nigel continues to provide arcane range support from a relatively safe distance. As they do, Kahwen frees himself in time to dodge one of their poorly aimed spells so that it hits the Skeleton champion behind him.
The positive energy once again surpresses the negative energy in the circle momentarily, and Hadza takes the opportunity to swing his Lucerne hammer with one hand to knock the champion in the skull strong enough to break it!
Still Angela doesn't relent and continues her inspiring cheer favouring Kahwen. Everyone is almost sure that she has strong feelings for him!
The tentacles continue to do what it's supposed to, grabbing a hold once more on Kahwen, and maintaining on a strong grip on Hadza. But surprisingly with all the wiggling, Haska's grip is loosen enough for him to break free!
The red skeleton plays a dancing game with Kahwen around the altar and reachs out to lash at him! But Kahwen stays a step behind just enough that it cannot reach the tengu.
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Although the portal seems to be closing, the Pathfinders struggle against the last undead. Their spells fly out of sight and the frontline works around the shadow tentacles.
Angela struggle to support Kahwen is real, and is continues to do so.
As Dark's positive energy missed, the negative energy resumes and overflows to this plane.
Meanwhile the tendrils hold the pathfinders back once more, hindering them annoyingly!
But even with the help of the shadows, the skeleton fails to land an attack, possible due to weakening with the rift closing in.
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Angela scans the situation with a look of dismay on her face, that is until she catches sight of Kahwen wrapped up in a pile of tentacles. Blushing slightly she looks away. With occasional glances at the tengu she clears her throat and calls out in a cutting voice. "I thought I could leave you to handle this yourselves, and you have for the most part, but you seem to be completely incapable of handling this last skeleton! Fine, I guess I should actually get in and help."
She then moves up closer to the fight and tries to distract the skeleton enough to let someone land a good hit.
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"We're trying, Friend Angela but it's these stupid tentacles that keep interfering! Stupid, stupid tentacles! Does anyone have a smaller weapon they can loan friend Hadza? Preferably a hammer or mace or club?" Kahwen replies with obvious consternation over their failure.
So far, none of the skeletons has really been a threat but the nuisance they are causing is preventing the Pathfinders from dealing with the rift.
He twists and turns once more to get free of the tentacles.
But is again unable to struggle free. He pulls out one of his arrows in his free hand, though. A poor melee weapon under the best of circumstances, it is going to be even less useful against the skeleton, but if he can get into the right position...
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As Medda and Anok join your group of Pathfinders around the stone circle, she assists you with the binding ritual. Medda thrusts Ivvora’s hilt into the portal, calling on Vildeis for aid. The shadow rift shrinks and closes, releasing a massive shock wave that knocks the Pathfinders, the Twinhorn warriors, and Medda to the ground. A field of dark, rippling energy remains, suspended above the stone altar. As Medda reaches out to pick up Ivvora’s hilt—the already broken blade now spider-webbed with new cracks—a supernatural silence descends. Only the telepathic rage of some unseen menace cuts through the quiet. “You dare to shut me out?” it rages. “I see you, but I do not see her. Where is the dwarf woman, Ivvora, who fought me so long ago? Has her mortal body failed at last? Has the realm of the living at last lost its protector? Know this: when the long shadows reach out again, I will grasp them and claw my way back into your world to see your flesh devoured by my children.”
Sound returns to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, and Medda cautiously stands. “It seems that Eshimka still lives and has even left this foul scar on our world,” she declares. “If we are to believe its promises, the fiend will attack on the next winter solstice. If we are to survive, we must be ready. Nearly a millennium ago, Ivvora held the key to defeating Eshimka. By following her legends and discovering her fate, we may harness the same holy power that banished this fiend—and together end the beast entirely.
“When we set out, it would be the privilege of this following to have the Pathfinders at our side. But that is a trial for another day. Tonight, at last, we rest.”
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Celebration and preparation have filled the last two days. The Twinhorns are both relieved to have thwarted the villain Eshimka and resolved to help the following’s spiritual leader, Medda, retrace the paladin Ivvora’s millennium-old steps. After hours of considering and retelling ancient stories preserved by oral tradition, Medda gathers the Pathfinders.
“The holy warrior Ivvora came to us in pursuit of Eshimka, whom she vanquished and banished with the Twinhorns’ help. However, she would not rest for long, and she insisted on seeking out other evils in the area. At that time, the most fearsome threat was Grathatonhakis, an immense white dragon that lurked in the Tusk Mountains and would strike our camps. Ivvora learned what she could, left her dagger with us, and departed to slay the dragon. She never returned, and neither did the dragon. Exactly what transpired is unclear from our legends.”
Medda cradles the fragile remnants of Ivvora’s dagger. “This blade kept Eshimka at bay for so many generations, and now it is ready to fall apart. Ivvora held the key to defeating Eshimka, and by learning her fate or communing with her spirit where she fell, we might harness the same power. Then we shall not just reseal the shadow fiend but destroy it once and for all! From our tales we have learned where the wyrm Grathatonhakis laired. Let us set out together to learn what happened—and who might have taken the caves since.”
The trek is long and cold, taking the group first across the tundra and then into shadow of the frigid Tusk Mountains. As the trail winds around a frozen lake, the snap of a snare echoes over the ice, and a Pathfinder is whipped into air by a cleverly laid trap. Medda scowls and announces, “Pathfinders, we have kobolds. Keep within earshot and spread out. They aren’t just a threat; they may also be our best better to finding the dead dragon’s lair.”
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Glad the portal was shut, even if only temporary.
Listening to the story of Ivvora and her last known quest to defeat a white dragon. "She must of died while killing the dragon. Or let us hope she killed the dragon."
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Making his way across the cold tundra, Dark grumbles about snow getting into his boots. "I need to learn the resist elements spell for times like this."
As the kobold's trap is sprung, Dark draws his sword. "Maybe we should keep one of them alive to question."
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"I think we will not return from this little trip if the dragon is not dead. Breath that freezes living flesh hard as stone, claws live swords, skin harder than any man made armor, I feel I am braver then the average man, but that would be suicide."
He walks along with the group mumbling under his breath, "If it is not dead, I am not attempting to kill it. I am going home."
"If we catch a live kobold, we should have it help us avoid the traps of it's buddies. Does anyone speak draconian?"