Annabelle spurs her ghostly mount faster, and Blossom valiantly takes off across the battlefield, keeping abreast with Ary. When they reach the forty-foot mark, however, Annabelle digs her heels into Blossom's side and shouts - "Up!" and Blossom leaps into the air, attempting to carry Annabelle high enough to strike at the flying captain. Annabelle raises her cold iron glaive high, swiping at the enemy commander's legs and feet as they pass below him.
Coming down from their graceful arc of leaping, the pair ride on towards the burning hole that Markus left, Annabelle with a grin on her face regardless of whether she was able to strike at the commander or not.
Annabelle's glaive parts the air with a humming whine before leaving a jagged wound in the alchemist above her. As she rides, the army runs forward, the infantry slowed by their heavy armor.
Meanwhile, the cultists within the encampment surge forwards into the still-smoking crater, drawing numerous scythes to attack the undead wasps and Annabelle.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south. Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. It is difficult to see the opposing army within the heavily tented encampment, but many appear congregated along the southern walls, firing on the incoming army with crossbows.
The heroes are aware that the enemy forces include a vrock, but they cannot see it.
The army stands 60' away from the southern entrance, except for Markus, who is 90' away, and Nurah, who is 85' away.
Irabeth and Aron charge with the army, staying 10' in front of the slower front-facing infantry. Ary charges ahead of them, still.
70' away from the entrance flies the enemy commander, directly above the army, 30' in the air.
Round 2
Markus is up!
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Markus continues moving forward in front of the infantry, passing behind the flying commander before wheeling around and targeting him with the focus of Markus' necromantic power - 'Tu dolor tenebrae' drops out of his mouth, and the Commander can feel intense pain in his eyes and thighs. Afterward, he calls out - "Defend yourselves from those that defile the land!"
Meanwhile, the wasps heed Markus' command, their sword-sized stingers weaving in and out of the cultists accosting them.
Irabeth sighs under her breath, slightly furrowing her brow. Annabelle had broken her position and endangered herself needlessly. Now, there was little they could do without endangering Ary.
The alchemist commander feels Markus' influence on his muscles and eyes - as his vision clouds he quickly uncorks a vial at his waist and mixes it with another. He imbibes the strange mixture swiftly and his vision returns.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south. Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. It is difficult to see the opposing army within the heavily tented encampment, but many appear congregated along the southern walls, firing on the incoming army with crossbows.
The heroes are aware that the enemy forces include a vrock, but they cannot see it.
The army stands 60' away from the southern entrance, except for Nurah, who is 85' away.
Irabeth and Aron charge with the army, staying 10' in front of the slower front-facing infantry. Ary charges ahead of them, still.
70' away from the entrance flies the enemy commander, directly above the army, 30' in the air.
Sosiel is up!
"Of course, dear," Sosiel says to Aron just before he rides off for the front lines. The Shelynite could not quite keep up with someone on horseback, but he could at least stay in range of his own spell.
He grimaces at the sight of the acid explosion, his first impulse being to heal those wounded by the blast... until he sees the culprit floating right above them. It seemed more pragmatic to eliminate him, first. Sosiel did not know what sorcery was keeping the tiefling aloft, but he was all but certain that it was a spell of some sort. The cleric murmurs and waves a hand at the alchemist, intent on stripping away whatever magic is affecting him.
Sosiel's spell hits, and the alchemist flickers once, revealing him to have been four feet to the left of where he originally appeared.
Aron is up!
Aron pushes forward with the army, his sword in one hand and the other guiding his horse at the head of the charge.
The flying alchemist wrinkles his nose with distaste as one of his magical auras is stripped from him by a cleric below, but he focuses his attention on the spearheading enemy commander away from him. Just barely out of reach of the golden motes swirling around her form, he tosses another vial into the fray....
The bomb explodes, coating Ary's horse in flaming acid and splashing Aron and Irabeth behind her. Her bright, red cloak catches on fire and her exposed skin sears from chemical burns.
The alchemist cackles and flies off towards the encampment at a blinding speed.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south. Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. The enemy army is congregating within the large crater he left, ready to receive the incoming army.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 30' in the air.
The heroes are aware that the enemy forces include a vrock, but they cannot see it.
The army stands 60' away from the southern entrance, except for Nurah, who is 85' away, and Sosiel, who is 100' away.
Irabeth and Aron charge with the army, staying 10' in front of the slower front-facing infantry. Ary charges ahead of them, still.
Nurah is up!
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Nurah moves up alongside the majority of the army, calling out to them to bolster their spirits.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south. Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. The enemy army is congregating within the large crater he left, ready to receive the incoming army.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 30' in the air.
The heroes are aware that the enemy forces include a vrock, but they cannot see it.
The army stands 60' away from the southern entrance, except for Sosiel, who is 100' away.
Irabeth and Aron charge with the army, staying 10' in front of the slower front-facing infantry. Ary charges ahead of them, still.
Ary is up!
Ary calmly pats out the flames as she continues to guide the horse with her knees. It hurt, sure, but she'd had much worse on multiple occasions... the motes follow the pair's moving form as they ride towards the crater.
Ary partially unlatches her cape and beats it against her breastplate to put out the flames, the red singed an ugly black. She'd need to fix that with her ring, later.
Annabelle curses as she finds herself in the center of a writhing mass of Deskari cultists. She shouts, "Get off me, you louts!" before swinging a sweeping arc around her with her glaive - the cultists duck, though she manages to cut through one of their hoods, revealing a bulbous misshapen head underneath.. She spurs Blossom on, and the ghostly horse lunges down to chomp at a cultist before wheeling around and riding out of the mass of enemy combatants.
Annabelle holds her bloody glaive above her head, shouting, "C'mon! Let's get 'em!"
The crusader army roars in response, running past Annabelle and pouring into the crater, with Ary, Aron, and Irabeth at the head.
"Swords at hand!" yells Captain Cobelen, tossing his bow aside to draw his own longsword - a plain piece of cold iron except for the handle, engraved with his family crest, a pair of sables countercharged. Cold iron clashes with the steel scythes of the enemy cultists as the two armies finally meet.
The vrock suddenly appears amidst the frey, grabbing a screaming crusader and flinging him across the battlefield, screeching his challenge to whomever dares to face the fearsome wrath demon.
And yet, just under the din of war an ominous chanting can be heard, and even worse - a horrific stench hits the heroes' nostrils, wafting from deeper within the encampment.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south.
Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. This has left an enormous crater in which the two armies clash.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 30' in the air.
Within the fray are Irabeth, Aron, and Ary. Also within is a fearsome Vrock,
Annabelle stands 45' away.
Nurah and Markus stand 60' away.
Sosiel stands 100' away.
Round 3!
Markus is up!
Markus' eyes flit between the army's Commander and the vrock demon that suddenly appeared, the battlefield suddenly chaotic and mad. He points a grey finger at the flying alchemist, shouting at his wasps, "Scions of unlife! Destroy that man, he who flies above and brings death to those who are good!"
The wasps obediently charge at the alchemist commander, stingers hanging down until they reach him, at which point they elongate sickeningly as the undead things stretch out their thoraxes to meet the man.
Markus himself continues to slog towards the battlefield, passing Annabelle and Blossom. He gives the ghostly horse a pat and Annabelle a look that was meant to be comforting and positive but ends up just being determined and stressed. He hopes that Aron, Ary, and Irabeth engage the vrock, as he's sacrificing the ability to attack for the ability to pray for luck - he closes his eyes, murmuring to himself that the battle will work out, and uses his sorcerous power to influence every action just so.
Having fallen rather far behind, Sosiel breaks out into a full run, intent on joining the battle.
The commander's eyes narrow as he is suddenly surrounded by undead wasps. He smoothly maneuvers through the air, nimbly dodging the sluggish constructs - until a moment of overconfidence allows one of Markus' minions to dumbfound his defenses and strike past, goring him solidly in the abdomen and leaving a seeping wound.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south.
Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. This has left an enormous crater in which the two armies clash.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 30' in the air.
Within the fray are Irabeth, Aron, and Ary. Also within is a fearsome Vrock,
Sosiel stands 20' away.
Markus stands 30' away.
Annabelle stands 45' away.
Nurah stands 60' away.
Irabeth is up!
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Ary spurs her mount forward, moving out just ahead of her men - further than both Aron and Irabeth ride - serving as a spearpoint. Glowing motes flow outwards from her as she concentrates, her body naturally guiding Libi II without requiring any of her attention.
Ary calmly pats out the flames as she continues to guide the horse with her knees. It hurt, sure, but she'd had much worse on multiple occasions... the motes follow the pair's moving form as they ride towards the crater.
Much like a swift action, an immediate action consumes a very small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. However, unlike a swift action, an immediate action can be performed at any time—even if it's not your turn. Casting feather fall is an immediate action, since the spell can be cast at any time.
Using an immediate action on your turn is the same as using a swift action and counts as your swift action for that turn. You cannot use another immediate action or a swift action until after your next turn if you have used an immediate action when it is not currently your turn (effectively, using an immediate action before your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for the coming turn). You also cannot use an immediate action if you are flat-footed.
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Irabeth grits her oversized teeth when droplets of the fiery acid splash her face, neck, and arm. However, the adrenaline rush induced by entering the fray quickly makes her forget the pain.
Parrying trusting, fighting through the cultist foes, the paladin's attention is drawn by a screech. The vrock. Hopefully the only one. Pushing away the strike of and enemy cultist, she pushes her mount forward, but knowing the fright demon cause in animals, she elects to dismount.
After taking a few more steps forward, bringing her within 15' of the vrock, Irabeth readies her shield and sword, and takes up the demon's challenge with a yell:
"Here demon!"
Irabeth follows her answer concentrating her faith into her sword and selft, embuing them with the righteous of the Inheritor.
The vrock chortles. "Irrrrrrrrabeth," he says. "How Vhane wishes to cut Soulshear into your flesh! He'll have to make do with a corrrrrpse."
His razor-sharp claws glint wickedly in the morning sun as they move in an arc to meet the paladin.
Aron is up!
Aron guides his horse around the vrock, being careful to stay our of the reach of it's claws, just in case it's quick enough to lash out at him as he moves. He drops to the ground, sword in hand and ready to move in.
Ary is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, quite literally everywhere at once as the cultists swarm around to receive her men, not even seeming to notice the lingering pain from her chemical burns. The opposing commander watches her with eyes narrowed. His right hand goes to his belt, slowly feeling along the numerous vials he has stored there, before settling on one. He toys with it in-between his long, grey fingers for a moment before darting up and away from the wasps, backing away 30' up into the air and flinging it at the undead monstrosities, nearly blasting it into bits. Huge hunks of exoskeleton rain down onto the battle raging below them.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south.
Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. This has left an enormous crater in which the two armies clash.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 55' in the air.
Within the fray are Irabeth, Aron, and Ary. Also within is a fearsome Vrock,
Sosiel stands 20' away.
Markus stands 30' away.
Annabelle stands 45' away.
Nurah stands 60' away.
Nurah is up!
Nurah closes with the rest of the melee, coming up behind Irabeth, calling upon her magic to obfuscate her true location from the vrock. She calls out to the surrounding troops afterwards, "Defeat these demon worshippers, for Commander Bishop and the Queen!"
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south.
Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. This has left an enormous crater in which the two armies clash.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 55' in the air.
Within the fray are Irabeth, Aron, Nurah, and Ary. Also within is a fearsome Vrock,
Sosiel stands 20' away.
Markus stands 30' away.
Annabelle stands 45' away.
Ary is up!
Ary wades forward through the fray, still guiding Libi with her knees, every few moments, disappearing from the horse's back and taking the place of one of the motes just as they become a full Crusader, each time her shield lashing out to intervene with a blow meant for an ally... and then returning to the horse's back as if she'd never gone.
"Do not funnel! Retain spread positioning! Someone put some holes in that bomber!"
The truth was, it was infinitely disorienting. For more reason than one. But she held her focus as best she could, and tried to use the snippets to give a better view of the overall battlefield.
"Irabeth, I have you covered, get in there! The arrows are restricting its movement, take advantage!"
Then she presses forward behind Irabeth, as she bashes her way towards the Vrock through the melee.
The commander coughs and spits out a wad of blood, his armor punctured with three enormous stab wounds from the wasps' wicked stingers.
Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! You can hear the sound of a cultist war drum beating from within the fray... you glance over and see it's an armored skald, beating on a drum made of a piece of leather pulled taut over a hollow insectoid carapace.
He's building a group of schir into a terrible enraged frenzy. One spears his halberd clear through a horse owned by a cavalier of the Flaming Lance, the dead creature falling onto the poor soldier and trapping him as the frothing mad goat demons close in from all sides...
Annabelle is up!
The army heeds Ary's command, spreading out as best they are able within the encampment, which ends up slowing the rate all of the men are able to stream into the encampment to engage foes. In any case, the crusaders match the cultists one for one within the encampment already.
Ary rides Libi II through the crowds, picking out an enemy cultist and swinging Faith into her blindside, the blow descending into her from above like a shadow of death. As she does, she leaves her back exposed, and a cultist swings at her head with a vicious scythe. She reacts just in time to avoid being beheaded, twisting away as the blade's sharp edge cuts deeply into the back of her neck and down her shoulder. Her blood runs red, disappearing into the crimson hue of her billowing, singed cloak.
Annabelle sees the vrock appear among their soldiers, and sees Irabeth answer the creature's challenge. She spurs Blossom forward, and the pair surge towards the demon and the paladin. "Don't forget about me! Hey, you ugly vulture! Pick on something your own strength!"
She glares at the creature, but doesn't move directly into melee range just yet. The vrock glares back, completely unaffected by the young cavalier's challenge - in response it lets out a horrific shriek! Crusader and cultist alike, nearly all nearby freeze in their tracks, dropping their weapons to the ground in shock and horror - though thanks to Ary's rallying cry the crusaders are definitely less affected than the vrock's own allies.
Markus' fiendish wasps continue to attack the alchemist commander, their stingers weaving a deadly cage of sharp implements around the nimble enemy, though this time the wounded commander manages to move just slightly faster than the slowing creatures.
Markus himself moves a few steps closer to the melee fracas before targeting the vrock with a spell - the army could handle the enemy tiefling combatants, and nobody seemed to care too much about the alchemist commander for the time being. The vrock was the primary threat, and he knew that the group had to move farther into the base as quickly as possible. His eyes flash for just a second as he reaches out towards the vrock, inflicting the monster with pain. The creature shrieks once, blinking its beady little eyes rapidly before its vision clears back to normal.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south.
Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. This has left an enormous crater in which the two armies clash.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 55' in the air.
Within the fray are Irabeth, Aron, Nurah, and Ary. Also within is a fearsome Vrock, currently engaged with Irabeth.
Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! You can hear the sound of a cultist war drum beating from within the fray... you glance over and see it's an armored skald, beating on a drum made of a piece of leather pulled taut over a hollow insectoid carapace.
He's building a group of schir into a terrible enraged frenzy. One spears his halberd clear through a horse owned by a cavalier of the Flaming Lance, the dead creature falling onto the poor soldier and trapping him as the frothing mad goat demons close in from all sides...
Sosiel stands 20' away.
Markus stands 30' away.
Annabelle stands 45' away.
Round 4!
Sosiel is up!
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"Cavaliers, give the schir a wide berth! Sunrise Sword, press forward into them. I want that Skald and its demons taken down!" Then as she starts to ride forward, she and her horse both slump in place, Radiance clattering to the ground beside her, while Faith remains strapped to her arm.
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Sosiel finally reaches the battle, glaive in hand. As he eyes his prospective opponents, he allows the weapon to spin in his hand, already building momentum for an imminent strike. The vrock was clearly the greatest threat present, but he could hardly overlook the danger that their lesser foes posed. Trusting his spell to keep his love safe for the time being, he follows after the crusaders of the Sunrise Sword, intent on joining their assault against the schir demons.
"For the Crusade!" he calls out, lashing out with his whirling glaive.
Captain Cobelen drives his gleaming sword into a schir, letting the body fall to the ground and dissolve into smoke and ichor before responding, "Yes, Commander! Sunrise Sword! Follow me!"
Sosiel strides onto the battlefield, standing out from the ragtag cultists and battle-hardened crusaders with his particularly immaculate garb. He whirls his glaive, a whipping slash leaving a dividing laceration in a nearby cultist that begins to soak with dark substance through their robes.
The heroes lead an army of 160 crusaders on a 400' x 400' -ish circular cultist encampment, enclosing a defending force of 100 or so soldiers. The encampment is fully barricaded on all sides by 5' tall barricade made of wood, except for a small 15' wide entrance to the north and to the south.
Markus has blasted open the barricade so that the southern entrance is now 60' wide. This has left an enormous crater in which the two armies clash.
The Commander, an alchemist, flies 20' within the encampment just beyond the crater, 55' in the air.
Within the fray is everyone, except for Markus, who stands 30' away from the melee. Also within is a fearsome Vrock.
Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! Ba-Doom! You can hear the sound of a cultist war drum beating from within the fray... you glance over and see it's an armored skald, beating on a drum made of a piece of leather pulled taut over a hollow insectoid carapace.
He's building a group of schir into a terrible enraged frenzy. One spears his halberd clear through a horse owned by a cavalier of the Flaming Lance, the dead creature falling onto the poor soldier and trapping him as the frothing mad goat demons close in from all sides...
Irabeth is up!
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Hearing Vhane’s name only strengthen Irabeth’s resolve. She readies her shield to walk into the Vrock’ area of control, and, with Ary’s direction, quickly closes the gap between herself and the demon. There, facing the creature’s waist, she prepares to strike, her sword lifted high and gleaming with holy energy. Momentarily interrupted by the creatures screech, Irabeth grits her teeth, and with resolve shakes of the pain, and brings down her sword on the monster.
”There won’t be an escape, for him or YOU!” she calls over the sound of battle as she strikes ”Now!” she finishes, her voice directed at Aron, but her gaze fully on the vrock.
The sharp edge of Irabeth's longsword leaves a neat pair of slices flayed from the wrath demon.
Aron is up!
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Ary begins to slump, but manages to retain her weapons -and- control, though Libi II still ultimately succumbs.
Aron feels the shriek tear through his body, but Ary's words strength his resolve and he pushes through. Hearing Irabeth's shout, he surges forward, staying low to try to avoid the vrock's claws and his blade aimed straight for the vrock's exposed back. He aims for the meeting between it's arms and it's back, hoping to hamper the demon's movement
Aron ducks beneath the Vrock's claws and drives his blade deep into the vrock's side, He twists it as he draws the blade out, dealing horrific damage to its insides despite the monster's innate healing factor.
Meanwhile, far above the battlefield, the commander flies down and away from the wasps until he is a mere 30' above the battlefield, moving faster than they can react. He chucks his bomb up at the cluster of wasps, blowing two of them into smithereens and leaving another one with a fractured and burned exoskeleton. He wipes some blood off from his face and smirks.
Nurah is up!