As Orin and Cerin attack Nualia, Gwyn skirted around to get behind the crazed priestess.Despite her anger, she looks at the wicked blade and falters as she gets ready to stab Nualia in the back.
Helena moves up the stairs, spear-butt dragging on the ground. "You'll not escape so easily!" she hisses.
Shalelu draws back on her bow, and hesitates for a long second before releasing her arrow.
...miss
...crit threat
...no!
Monster status
Nualia: AC 20, hp 21/73
Tsuto: AC 19, hp (-8)/52, unconscious, dying (dead at -13)
Round 9, continued
Gwyn, now invisible, draws back her shortsword to stab Nualia in the face... but is briefly overcome with a flash of terror... she can feel the eyes of Lamashtu upon her, and she can't bear the consequence of attacking the Demon Queen's servant... but then the feeling suddenly vanishes.
Orik steps onto the stairs leading up to the dais, and the statue of the robed man animates, swinging its glaive down at him. Nualia seems to have anticipated this and ducks as it swings above her. But Orik sees it, and likewise ducks. The move puts him off-balance, and his attack on the priestess is clumsy, and his sword clangs harmlessly off her left greave.
Kyraian draws his bowstring, pointing another arrow at Nualia. But, try as he might, he can't force himself to release it. His arm starts to shake as he continues to will his hand to let the arrow fly, but cannot.
Helena charges up the stairs. Upon setting foot on the first step, the statue of the robed figure swings its glaive, slashing at her! The blade connects, cutting a nasty gash. But she continues up past it, and jabs Nualia's demon-arm with her spearhead.
The bear-that-is-Cerin lumbers up the stairs, hot on Helena's heels. He also didn't anticipate that the trap would so suddenly spring again, and the glaive slashes along his back. Lumbering past his friends, Cerin snaps at Nualia, but only gets his teeth around her armor.
Shalelu lets fly an arrow that hits Nualia in the neck! She makes a disconcerting gurgling sound, and clutches at the arrow.
Round 10
Nualia pulls the arrow out, spraying blood around her. At the same time, she gurgles a prayer to Lamashtu, and the blood immediately stanches. She then acrobatically dodges past her attackers, evading their attacks.
Nualia jumps off the dais, landing in a roll, and tumbles back onto her feet, standing next to Tsuto's sprawled body (and Kyrian). She casts a spell, uttering a horrific wail, then reaches down and touches Tsuto. Tsuto shudders and groans, and his skin immediately turns a pale gray color, as if he'd been dead for days. Nualia seems stronger.
Gwyn skirts around the blades, squeezes past Cerin, then hops over the fountain to land on the floor. She rushes up behind Nualia, mithral blade gleaming as her spell unravels. A furious yell on her lips as she stabs at Nualia, aiming for her kidneys.
Realizing what's about to happen, Kyrian moves over, dropping his bow in order to reach for his blade instead. "This isn't going to end well guys..."
Orik reacts by instinct, raising his shield as he spies movement on his periphery, deflecting the whirling blade as it goes by. Spying a chance to end Nualia, he gives a warcry and raises his warhammer high, racing towards her. He breaks his stride as he gets close, finding it impossible to bring the hammer down upon her.
Shalelu moves back to get a clear shot, then fires another arrow at Nualia.
Round 10, Continued
Still invisible, Gwyn moves to the edge of the dais, leaping over the fountain, landing catlike on the main floor. She rushes beside Nualia to strike her at unawares, but slips in a pool of Tsuto's blood mid-thrust. Gwyn suddenly blinks back into view, but her blade deflects off Nualia's breastplate.
Orik's shield deflects the statue's swinging glaive, and he rushes toward Nualia, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Nualia instinctively raises her own blade and parries.
Kyrian drops his bow and pulls his shortsword, but the sudden fear of Lamashtu prevents him from attacking.
Helena also moves off the dais, jumping off the edge to the floor.
She lands kind of hard, but then rushes to join the fight, stabbing at Nualia past Gwyn with her longspear...
...but the evil priestess easily swats the spear away with her nasty-looking sword.
Cerin-bear lumbers down the stairs, trying to avoid the swinging glaive. But the trap seems to vary the height at which it swings, and the blade connects, cutting a deep gash across Cerin's right haunch.
Shalelu moves for a clear shot and lets an arrow fly, but one of the stochastic motes of light still surrounding Nualia deflects it.
Round 11
...override. 5 hp.
Monster Status
Nualia: hp 33/73
Nualia, realizing that she is surrounded and that you have cut off her escape, begins laughing maniacally. "I have you where I want you!! You are all DEAD DEAD DEAD!!!!"
She calls a brief prayer to Lamashtu in Abyssal, and a dull red aura glows around her. She then faces... { } ...Gwyn. With a madness-fueled grin, Nualia shrieks, "Time to die, elf!!"
Gripping her blade with both hands, Nualia slashes viciously at Gwyn. Gwyn tries to parry with her mithril shortsword, but the fury of the demon-priest's blade easily knocks Gwyn's defenses aside. The sword cuts across Gwyn's abdomen, neatly slicing through her leather armor, cutting deep into Gwyn's belly. Gwyn clutches at the gash as her lifeblood gushes from the wide wound, as her vision tunnels out and she collapses to the floor.
Gwyn's eyes widen for a moment before a line of searing hot pain lances through her belly and the room spins as the force of the blow sends her stumbling back and turns her around. With a clatter, her sword falls to the ground. She lands and slides along the ground, pale and frail as her life's blood pools on the floor.
"GWYN!", Orik shouts, his eyes widening with fear as Nualia brings the elf low. He turns to regard her. "Alright, b%&@~. That's IT. You killed those townsfolk, you killed goblins that displeased you - you even killed Tsuto, and I was looking forward to slitting his throat myself. But you do NOT get to kill her!" He steps over Gwyn's unconscious body, providing some meager protection, and swings his hammer again at her, channeling his rage into his swing.
Cerin staggers. Gwyn collapses. Kyrin looks one good shot away from unconsciousness. In her scarves, Helena can feels Fluff's heartbeat feebly struggling. Shaking with white-hot anger, she plants her spear firmly in the ground. "We will not fall," she hisses, eyes flaring. "WE WILL NOT FALL!" she repeats, her voice shaking as wisps, then gouts of vibrant green flow from her staff and hands, bathing the room in a verdant glow before vanishing.
Round 11, Continued...
Gwyn collapses to the floor, bleeding out.
Orik shouts a challenge to his former employer and slashes the demon-priest across her already-scarred abdomen, cutting a deep wound.
Helena calls out to the spritis of life. The scent of fresh spring rain suffuses the room as warm, greenish energy rises from the ground. You all feel freshened as your wounds start to heal supernaturally quickly... Nualia is excluded from this effect.
Gwyn's mortal wound is stanched and she immediately stops bleeding. She draws a sudden gasp of air and her eyes snap open.
|
The large bear stops in shock as Gwyn falls, a look of anguish on his face. He lumbers over to tend to her and huffs in relief as Helena's wave of healing energy washes over both of them. When Gwyn's eyes flutter open, he nods at her, then turns back to Nualia and charges her with an ear-shattering roar!
Shalelu fires a white-fletched, white-shafted arrow at Nualia.
Getting a second wind from Helena's magic, Kyrian dispenses with the quips and focues on stabbing Nualia...
...but she easily sidesteps the clumsy attack.
Cerin, also feeling re-energized from Helena's blessing, charges Nualia, but can't get past her defenses.
Shalelu fires a pure-white arrow at Nualia, hitting her in the soulder.
A light blue magical pulse courses through the priestess' body.
Nualia seems to stagger as her eyes flutter. She struggles to stand, but her arm goes limp and her sword clatters to the floor. She staggers to her knees as she stammers, "Mother... will... kill..." She then lies down on the floor, breathing heavily... almost like she's snoring.
Round 12
Shalelu looks at the slumbering demon-priestess with incredulity as she lowers her bow. "I didn't think that would work! Someone tie her up!
That magic won't last long!"
Gwyn stands to her feet, then grabs her sword from where it fell. Battered, bloodied, and enraged, she kneels next to Nualia and raises her blade above the priestess's throat.
"Die b#++#."
Orik huffs and puffs as he watches Nualia fall, incredulous that the ordeal is finally over. He's about to fall upon her and crush her skull with his hammer when Gwyn crawls over the aasimar, sword in hand. Let her have it, he thinks to himself. She's earned the kill more than me.
|
|
As the Demonic figure falls, Cerin shifts back to his normal size and form and stares at her with pity. Upon seeing Gwyn crawl towards Nualia with her blade, he reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Gwyn," he says gently, "I know you want revenge right now, but pause a moment and think about it. She wasn't born this way, she was twisted by an unfortunate life. It could happen to anyone. I won't stop you if this is what you really want, but killing someone in battle is one thing, and murdering a helpless person in cold blood is another.
This will stay with you, trust me..."
Gwyn hesitates as she visible trembles and tears begin to fall down her cheeks.
"Gwyn... killing her is what Nualia would do. Be better than that."
"Gwyn," Helana says softly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're better than this." Letting her spear fall to the ground, she reaches for the shortsword, gently pulling it back.
Gwyn doesn't resist as Helena pulls the sword from her grasp. Her shoulders and ears droop as she is pulled back to her feet. She looks at her friend, and tears begin to stream down her face as she buries her head into Helena's shoulder and begins to cry.
"She killed her," she weeps, "she killed Fluff!"
There is some motion in Helena's scarves, and the head of a songbird weakly works its way out.
The bird tweets, "As Ailson Kindler once said, 'Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated.'" The bird pauses and cocks her head aside to look squarely at Gwyn. "But it's nice to know you care!"
"Fluff!"
Gwyn's face splits into a smile as she scoops the little thrush up and holds her close.
"I'm glad you're okay," she whispers to Fluff.
Shalelu smiles at the reunion of Gwyn and her familiar, then straps her bow across her back. Without a word, she takes out a length of rope and kneels beside the unconscious Nualia. Gently, so as not to wake her, the ranger ties Nualia's hands securely behind her back, and also ties a length of rope between her ankles so that she can't take a stride of more than a foot-and-a-half. Finally, she stuffs a cloth in Nualia's mouth and ties a length of rope across her mouth around the back of her head, making what seems to be a very effective gag.
Shalelu slides Nualia's sword across the floor, then removes two daggers from Nualia's belt and another from her boot. She also takes the silver symbol of Lamashtu from around Nualia's neck.
At this, Nualia begins to stir from her magical slumber.
"I think this is a mistake," Orik says, having picked up his own sword in the meantime. "She would have killed us all. We'd be doing the world a damn favor ending her. But, hey, not my call."
"Orik, I don't think it matters. Let the sheriff take care of her. Cerin and I are gonna need some help getting out of here," Gwyn says weakly, suddenly aware of how badly hurt she is.
Sheathing his blade and retrieving his bow, Kyrian starts to slowly walk around, trying to gather himself as well as see if he can find anything of importance in the room that may help the group piece together any lost ends in their conflict.
"Aight guys, just make sure she's tied tight and unable to cast. I'd love to kill her after everything, but I would imagine that there's a whole town who'd like to see the justice done themselves. Besides, if we find anything else in here, we may need her alive anyways to piece it together. The whole situation still seems sketchy to me..."
Kyrian takes a few moments to look around the room. First off, he notices the pressure plates on the stairs up the dais that activate the trapped statues... he's pretty sure the trigger and the swinging of the blade is mechanical, but whatever is powering it is probably some kind of magic.
On the floor of the dais is a mosaic of copper-colored tiles that forms the shape of an odd, stylized, seven-pointed star within a circle.
Looking through the bric-a-brac scattered on the tables and shelves, he notices a couple of books that are open to images of demons... particularly one that looks like a huge wolf-creature. The writing of both of these books is in a language he doesn't know how to read.
In addition, you find extensive notes in several journals, all written in the same neat handwriting. A cursory glance indicates that some notes have to do with planning the attack on Sandpoint, some are screeds against how poorly she'd been treated, some are prayers to the Mother of Monsters, and some notes are about freeing an imprisoned demon. It will likely take the whole group several hours to sort through all of the notes.
Additionally, there's a lot of weird and disturbing items that Nualia may have found interesting and collected. None seem particularly valuable... some
Her fury subsided with her reunion with a very-much-alive Fluff, Gwyn casts detect magic and scans the room.
The fountain bubbling on the dais radiates strong Divination magic.
A paperweight that appears to be a preserved eagle's claw also has a magical Transmutation aura.
On Nualia herself, her armor and bastard sword are magical, as is her belt. The contents of a small crystal phial in her satchel is magical, as is an amulet she's wearing around her neck. The amulet is a simple silver disk inscribed with the same seven-pointed star symbol that's on the floor of the dais.
Tsuto's body is also still wearing some items that are magical: his boots, a set of finely-crafted leather bracers, a potion, and 12 of the arrows in his quiver.
You also find that Nualia and Tsuto have some mundane valuables...
Nualia has:
a masterwork composite longbow (+3 Strength)
2 masterwork kukris
gold holy symbol of Lamashtu
20 platinum nobles
35 gold ducats
a vial of antitoxin
Tsuto has:
a masterwork composite shortbow (+1 Strength)
a set of concealable thieves' tools
a bag of marbles
a bag of caltrops
two daggers
A gold ear stud set with a green gem
5 platinum nobles
75 gold ducats
30 silver shillings
"I can take a look, but I hope we don't have to fight it today. I'm down to a few sparks of fire and fiends tend to shrug that off."
Both Gwyn and Fluff are in rough shape. the discovery of magic goodies doesn't elicit much from the elf and Fluff is positively mute compared to her normal self.
"Hey, if it's in demon jail, then it can stay there for all I care," Orik says. "If she'd freed it, why didn't she sic it on us? If you want to check things out real quick, then fine, but we can't have another battle like this. Gwyn and the squab - FLUFF, fine, sorry, stop giving me that look, Fluff - nearly died, Helena looks like she's spent, and Cerin? You took a Hell of a beating. Shalelu, Kyrian and I are about as healthy as we're going to be, so if we're checking out the rest of this area, then we should probably lead, but I have no interest in dying here. We beat feet the minute things get bad."
As you discuss your next course of action, Nualia's eyes snap open, and she struggles at her bonds. Her eyes dart among you with a look of fear and hatred. She makes a muffled attempt at speech for a moment, then falls silent.