Theodora gazes at the pulsating heart of glass that hovers above them, and focuses her thoughts. The malovent thing exudes a strong aura of evil, so powerful that she can almost smell its stench.
And yet... it's hard to notice at first, but she can also feel something holy that's trapped within its malignancy.
"In Sarenrae's divine name, there's something holy trapped within that malignancy. Could it be Dawnflower's Radiance?!?" Theodora explains to the others, her voice full of true hope and wonder for the first time since she entered the castle. "My first instinct is to run up and begin attacking the heart, but I don't want to endanger whatever is inside. Do any of you have a better idea?"
Countessa takes a long look at the heart before moving her hands in the act of casting.
Countessa casts a spell, and her senses heighten such that she can see the magical auras that permeate the world.
The heart glows brightly with a strong aura of necromancy.
"Dark magic," Countessa confirms. "It should be destroyed."
Damian draws his bow. ”There is something good within it? Assuming that isn’t a metaphor, is someone going to be able to catch the good part when it falls?”
At Daimon's question, Theodora, Verran, Countessa, and Petracleus are all fairly sure that a legendary item such as Dawnflower's Radiance probably won't be harmed by a fall of a few hundred feet...
"Okay, it looks like we're just going to break it then." Theodora says with a resolute nod as she begins climbing the stairs to reach the stained glass heart.
Petracleus, his weapons still drawn, climbs the stairs with Theodora.
Damian shrugs, “O.K. then.”
Monster Status
Guardian: 100/102
Round 1
Theodora, Petraclus, Ireena, and Verran begin moving up the stairs, while Daimon and Celowyn take out their bows, nock arrows, and draw.
The stained glass heart seems to realize the party's hostile actions, and pulses with a dull blood-red light. A ray of crimson energy fires at Daimon, hitting him. Daimon feels his vitality drain away.
At the same time, the entire tower itself starts to twist and shake, as if it were alive! The staircase wobbles up and down as well, making the ascent difficult.
Daimon and Celowyn fire a volley of arrows. Daimon's arrow hits, chipping off some of the glass.
While seemingly direct hits, Celowyn's arrows bounce harmlessly off of the heart.
”It has some kind of protection. Does anyone know how to bypass it?”
”You see that? Protected!”
He will move 30 feet up the stairs (auto succeeds on acrobatics check).
"Let's see if this bounces," Countessa mutters, hoisting her wand of magic missiles again. She fires two more missiles at the heart.
Wand of Magic Missiles: 32 charges
Undaunted by the long distance, but terribly unacrobatic in her armor, Theodora moves carefully up the stairs as quick as she can.
Petracleus, not wanting to run too far ahead, paces himself against Theodora...
;
...hit
...hit
Round 2
Petracleus, Theodora, Verran, and Ireena continue to advance up the shaking and bucking stairs. The pulsating glass heart continues to glow with an angry blood-red light, as it fires more rays of magical energy at the party. Petracleus and Daimon are both struck, and both of feel the bone-chilling touch of the grave.
Countessa points her wand at the thing and blasts it with magic missiles./ A few of its stained-glass panels chip.
Celowyn and Daimon also remain on the landing to fire at it. While the arrows seem to hit their mark, they also seem to bounce harmlessly off of some kind of magical barrier.
...hit
...hit
As Verran advances, he studies the malevolent thing. A sudden burst of insight comes to him, as he remembers something he'd once read. "I've read about evil constructs like this! If it's what I think it is, it's animated by the same kind of necromantic rites that make undead corpses walk!" At that, he presents his holy symbol and invokes, "By the Great Spiral of Life and Death, I call the power of the Lady of Graves! Pharasma, lend me your power!" At that, Verran's holy symbol shines with a pale silvery glow as beams of cool radiance illuminate the darkness. The glass heart pulses angrily, yet when the holy light illuminates it, the construct quivers, and not a few of its glass facets shatter.
Monster Status
Guardian: 88/102
Damion will run up the stairs, putting away his bow. (auto succeeds on acrobatics check)
Wincing at the pain, Petracleus continues to run up the staircase... although, noticing how the arrows from Damion and Celowyn seem to have little effect, he is starting to wonder exactly what it is that he can do to help here...
Drawing a small rod of amber, Countessa rubs her woolen cloak along its length while chanting an arcane phrase. Suddenly, the air is filled with the smell of ozone and the crackle of electricity. A lightning bolt shoots from the end of the amber rod, striking the heart unerringly.
(DC 17 Reflex for half)
"The glass is fusing back together, we're going to need to hit it really hard to destroy it." Theodora offers her observation as she moves her full speed of 20 feet up the stairs.
Petracleus, Theodora, Verran, Daimon, and Ireena continue to advance up the stairs, leaving Countessa and Celowyn on the landing below.
Celowyn continues to fire at the floating heart, but her arrows seem to deflect from an invisible shield.
Countessa casts a spell, and a flash of lightning arcs from her outstretched hand to the floating heart of glass. Its glow pulses angrily when struck... and several more cracks spiderweb around many of its facets.
...Overrule- Fails.
...hit
...hit
Monster Status
Guardian: 79/102
The floating heart retaliates against those that most recently hurt it, firing blood-red rays of magical energy at Countessa and Verran. Both strike true, and the heroes feel a painful coldness, as if part of their life-force was drained away.
”Something is coming up from below!” Damion will shout over his shoulder while dashing up the stairs.
"Wings! Something large approaches," Countessa gasps as the dark magic weakens her. Gathering her strength, she readies a pair of magic missiles from the wand, intending to blast whatever comes up out of the darkness.
Petracleus stops when Damion warns that something approaches... hoping that whatever it is can be killed by mortal means, he unstraps the bow from his back - and notches an arrow...
Although heading her fellow companions warning of a sound coming from underneath, Theodora nevertheless moves up the difficult stairs in her heavy armor as quickly as she can.
Round 4
Petraclues nocks an arrow and scans the inky blackness below.
Sword drawn, Theodora continues moving slowly up the bucking staircase.
Hearing the flapping of great wings, Countessa focuses her attention downward, ready to use her wand on whatever appears.
With surprising grace for a man of his bulk, Daimon times his footsteps perfectly and bounds up the stairs past his friends.
Ireena continues to creep forward, sticking close to the tower wall.
Celowyn, realizing that the evil construct is resistant to damage, utters a prayer to the Wind and the Waves, causing her bow to glow.
Verran moves forward cautiously, still holding his holy symbol before him. "By the power of the Lady of Graves, I cast out your essence of unlife!!"
Two more blood-red rays of energy flash from the angrily-glowing heart. One strikes Daimon, and the other hits Verran. Both men feel their life-energy leech away.
At that, you all see the form of a hideous giant bat fly up from the blackness below you, its membranous wings beating mightily!
Countessa gasps, then fires two magic missiles from her wand at the beast!
The bat screeches a terrifying cry with a sound that cuts into your souls!
...hit
...hit
Monster Status
Guardian: 84/102
Strahd: 92/92[/dice]
Damion takes an overhand swing at the gem...
(power attack)
”Dammit, what is protecting this thing?”
Too far up the staircase now to to directly fight the flying menace, Theodora continues to push herself up the stairs.
Though the screech of the creature fills her with fear, Countessa swallows back her uncertainty and blasts two more missiles at the bat.
Wand of magic missile: 28 charges
”Just a stupid bat, nothing to fear.”
Barely retaining his focus, Petracleus lets loose with an arrow...
:-(