Illumination: Dim green phosphorescent light (generated by the fungi coating the walls) fills the chamber.
Ceiling: The ceiling is 50 ft. high.
Blood Pool: A 20 ft. deep pool dominates much of the chamber. Its water is calm (DC 10 Swim check) but opaque.
Stone Walkways: Many 5 ft. wide stone walkways span the blood pool. The walkways do not hinder the movement of Medium or smaller characters but Large or larger creatures must squeeze when upon them.
Many narrow, submerged passages pierce the walkways allowing swimming creatures to pass from one part of the pool to another.
Stone Walls: Phosphorescent fungi cloak the walls making them slippery and difficult to climb (DC 20 Climb check).
Steep‐Sided Island: Rising 30 ft. above the waters of the Blood Pool, the island’s flanks have been studded with sharpened spikes, making the steep steps in its centre the safest way to its summit.
Steep Steps: It costs 2 squares of movement to enter a square containing steep steps. Characters cannot run or charge on the stairs and the DC of any Acrobatics checks made there increases by 4. Fragments of bone and skulls litter the steps.
High Altar: This massive, squat construction dominates the island top. Its surface is pitted and scarred.
"What the heck is yon critter?" pointing to the poorly concealed creature across the room.
"Let's find out"
Then raising his voice.
" Hello the island, we can see you behind the altar. Please come out, we would like to talk. "
The spirits of this place are confused...that fire has no light... Ausk mumbles while shuffling forward
Oho! Yes, you there! Why does the Fire spirit have no light? Come, we wish to know yes.
Vilesse twirls her hand and her now-familiar quartet of dancing lights coalesce out of the air. She gestures at the far end of the room and they zip off to illuminate the area Wilf indicated.
Once it realizes it has been spotted, a horribly bloated, muscular and hairless humanoid lumbers forward on squat, incredibly powerful legs. Its face is set in an otherworldly, bestial grimace. It lurches to the top of the stairs and roars out with incoherent hostility. Though you do not recognize the language, if indeed thee is one, the meaning is quite clear. A challenge has been issued...
"Reckon that one ain't friendly. "
Vilesse grips her spear tighter and frowns up at the creature, trying to categorize it in her mind.
Round 1
Initiative Order
Vilesse
Wilf
Shard
Wulfric
Ausk
Tomi
Wilf will rush forward to strike it down.
but fails to connect in his haste
Wilf will hold his action to miss the critter if it comes to melee and attacks him.
Vilesse frowns and stows her spear on her back to get out her crossbow. "It's a tuathi demon. Resistant to all but cold iron and blessed weapons. Immune to lightning and poison, almost as resistant to acid, cold, and flames. And these have an aura around them that can make even the bravest man run screaming."
"I... am not sure we can defeat this creature." In spite of her words, she racks a bolt and fires it at the demon.
Vilesse's aid is true and her bolts cuts across the vast chamber to strike the Shard in the torso, but the grotesque creature swats it away as if dismissing an annoying insect.
It roars again and lumbers down the stairs.
"Ah reckon we'll know if we kin kill it after I hit it. " and he will again ready an action to strike it if it makes into into melee range.
Ausk chants and hoots stamping his spear upon the cave floor for emphasis Spirit Mother, Spirit Father. Guide our weapons to seek the flesh of our enemies!
"Well that only leaves us 2 options that i can see. A, attack it and hope we can do enough damage to overwhelm it's resistance. Or B, back out of here, hope it can't follow and source one of those items, falling back on plan A if it follows. What do we reckon?
"Reckon ah prefer to take my chance hitting it. "
Tomi moves into the room and fires off a sling stone at the slowly approaching demon...
..but the stone flies well wide of the creature and splashes harmlessly into the lake.
Round 2
Initiative Order / Status
Shard
Spawn
Vilesse
Wilf
Wulfric
Ausk
Tomi
The bloated Shard of Lhamskarr continues its lazy lurching approach. It walks around the pit and to the edge of the island, where it stops and bellows at you again, clearly daring you to come to it.
As it howls and gestures, you notice the small flaming sphere floating in the middle of the chamber begins to slowly drift in your direction. It closes to about 40' away, still a good 40' above you. There is a rippling play of colour across its surface and suddenly Tomi's torch bursts into a flashing, fiery blinding glow of colored aerial lights!
The lurching Shard at the far end of the chamber seems just as taken aback by this display as the rest of you...
;
"Argh, I can't see!"
Gah! Spirits of Darkness cover my eyes!
"Right, lets back up until this clears and hopefully draws them into a tighter space where we can reach them. Anyone else that can see, lend a hand."
Vilesse throws her hands over her eyes just in time to keep from being blinded. "The fire sphere is alive!" She racks another bolt and raises her crossbow, ready to fire as she backs away with the others.
Know:Planes: This is a Maughuxin’s spawn. They have normal demon resistances and can fly. Creatures of fire, Maughuxin’s spawns hurls fire bolts at their enemies and have other minor spell‐like abilities.
Tomi for once chooses discretion over valor and heeds Wulfric's call to retreat...sort of. Get the others out. I'll cover you! He takes a step in front of Wilf and begins casting a summons.
Leading Wilf back, dtrp by step. Wulfric then sets himself in an ambush position, ready for anything that comes through the door.
"Ok Tomi, we are safe. We can ambush them as they come through. "
After she helps Ausk back through the door, Vilesse moves behind the others and readies her crossbow. "The ball of fire is another demon. It can shoot bolts of flame as well as create other magical effects. Like the other, it is resistant to much of what we can do to harm it."
Again an celestial eagle blazes into existence to attack the party's aerial foe...
;
...soopwing in and biting at the ball of flame.
Round 3
Initiative Order / Status
Shard - blind 4 rnds
Spawn
Vilesse
Wilf - blind 4 rnds
Wulfric
Ausk - blind 5 rnds
Tomi
The Spawn of Maughuxin flares angrily and slams into to eagle...
; HIT
; Miss
...immolating the bird and almost sending back to the celestial planes.
At the far side of the cavern, the blinded Shard mewls and fumbles its way back to the stairs.
Ausk blindly holds his spear out to attack anything not declaring itself in front of him.
Wilf being blind will just be led around. He can't very well fight.
" Oi Tomi, get in here. Right, I say we taunt them into here, we can use the passage to funnel them into our range, and hopefully in the meantime your blindness will clear."
Stepping into the passage, Wulfric yells. " What, are you afraid to come and fight us, you cowardly little cockroaches.
Wulfric then steps back in and braces up.
The fearless eagle continues to tear and peck at the demonic fiery ball...
= miss
= miss
= miss
...to little effect
Tomi heeds Wulfric's words and falls back with the others, readying his short sword.
Round 4
Initiative Order / Status
Shard - blind 3 rnds
Spawn
Vilesse
Wilf - blind 3 rnds
Wulfric
Ausk - blind 4 rnds
Tomi
From their hiding places in the fire alter room, the party cannot see much of what is happening inside the room...
;
...but a pained shriek, a splash and then silence marks the end of Tomi's summoned ally.
Round 5
Initiative Order / Status
Shard - blind 2 rnds
Spawn
Vilesse
Wilf - blind 2 rnds
Wulfric
Ausk - blind 3 rnds
Tomi
Ominous silence comes from the chamber ahead, a gradually increasing glow the only sign that the demonic ball of fire continues its lazy approach.
Ausk continues his readied action from before.
Vilesse continues to hold her crossbow ready to fire as soon as she sees either the spawn or the shard.
Round 6
Initiative Order / Status
Wulfric
Tomi
Shard - blind 1 rnds
Spawn
Vilesse
Wilf - blind 1 rnds
Ausk - blind 2 rnds
The Spawn eventually floats into view. Wulfric swings his pole arm at it while Tomi leaps forward...
; Miss
; HIT
... Wulfric's blow cuts nothing but air. Tomi manages to stab at the floating ball of flames but most of the force of his blow is absorbed by the creature's demonic resistance.
The spawn responds by trying to sidle between its two attackers (putting it inside Wulfric's reach) as it pulses with abyssal flames..
; HIT
; Miss
...Tomi is burned by the attack but Wulfric's shield protects him from the scorching heat.
Brought into sudden view by Tomi's leap forward, a roiling vaguely humanoid‐shaped mass of blood‐red liquid rolls forward behind the spawn Crimson spray splatters the ground about it as it hugs tightly to the passage wall in an attempt at stealth. Once it realizes it has been spotted, it straightens up and emits an ear-splitting howl
...
= Pass
perception to try to figure out where the enemy is (since I'm blind).
But he is simply too disoriented and has no idea.
Ausk holds, still blinded.
The blood creature's scream freezes Vilesse in her tracks.
Unable to swing his polearm as the spawn is so close, Wulfric takes a step south and swings his Guisarme.
Vilesse drops to her knees, momentarily stunned by the sonic attack of the approaching bloody demon .
Round 7
Initiative Order
Wulfric
Tomi -(5/6 rage rnds left)
Shard
Spawn
Blood
Vilesse
Wilf
Ausk - blind 1 rnd
Wulfric steps back and swipes at the floating ball of flames and deals it a solid blow.
;
Tomi likewise manages to deliver another slashing hit, but the reliant little sphere endures. It clearly doesn't like the odds though and starts to back out of the alter room even as it buffets Tomi with concussive waves of heat...
;
;
The dripping blood soaked humanoid behind it seems keen for a fight and steps up closer. It spies Wulfric and assaults his mind with images of desperate men drowning is a sea of blood. .
Status
Wulfric
Tomi: 9/22 hp (5/6 rage rnds left)
Shard
Spawn - wounded
Blood
Vilesse: 12/13 HP
Wilf
Ausk - blind 1 rnd
MAP
His eyes finally clear and he sees a threat ahead of him, so he steps forward (diagonal I think) and swings at the thing.
but apparently his eyes are still not quite clear.
+1 if a fear effect
Easily brushing off this mind attack, Wulfric steps forward to strike at the spawn and swings again.
Ausk continues to hold and will attack anything within range that seems hostile.
Vilesse grimaces and shakes her head to throw off the effects of the creature's scream. "It's another demon, a personal demon of the Guardian of the Abyssal Lake of Blood. It can summon others of its kind."
She throws a wave of baleful energy at it, hoping to weaken it for further attacks.
Round 8
Initiative Order
Wulfric
Tomi
Shard
Spawn
Blood
Vilesse
Wilf
Ausk
Wulfric follows the retreating spawn, clipping it again with his guisarme thanks to the blessings of Ausk's spirits.
Tomi stabs at it as well...
;
...and the thing finally succumbs, the life hissing out of it like a deflating bladder.
The Blood of Felclugh evades Wilf's clumbsy swing and and counters with a flurry of dripping claws and fangs...
; Miss
; Miss
; Miss
...But Wilf manages to keep his weapon between him and it and narrowly avoids injury.
The bloated Shard, its own eyesight finally restored, navigates its way across the last of the walkways and charges full tilt into the battle with poorly disguised glee. A palpaple aura of dread blankets the party at its approach.
= Pass
Status
Wulfric
Tomi: 9/22 hp (4/6 rage rnds left)
Shard
Spawn - dead
Blood
Vilesse: 12/13 HP
Wilf
Ausk Bless (13/20 rnds left)