As the naga dives for cover, Lilika and Marcel open up separate arcane assaults on the serpent-man priest, Sartoss. The ground rumbles and shatters, bruising his legs and nearly trapping him. A split second later that rumbling becomes an ear-shattering blast of thunderous sound that beats against the priest's body as a physical force.
STATUS
Sartoss - 39 damage, Spiritual Weapon
Nycholas - 45+0/89 hp, Enlarged
Sanaz - 60 damage, Unknown Aura, total cover
Lilika - 74/74 hp
Wymond - 97/99 hp, haste
...Triath - 31/48 hp
Marcel - 53/62hp, Bless (5')
The wily serpent-priest lets his spiritual weapon fade away as he stabs Wymond with a rapier. He then invokes his demon-god. "Aya! Aya! Kro'akoth! Ssenikala Sartossim Ahvaala!" and all his injuries heal before your eyes! Seeing this, Nycholas tries to stab the serpent-priest with his glaive but it's so long it gets in his way in these close quarters.
STATUS
Sartoss - 0 damage
Nycholas - 45+0/89 hp, Enlarged
Sanaz - 60 damage, Unknown Aura, total cover
Lilika - 74/74 hp
Wymond - 89/99 hp, haste
...Triath - 31/48 hp
Marcel - 53/62hp, Bless (5')
Nycholas is too surprised by the snakes hasty retreat to feel its powerful bite. "Wow he just... left his friend."Nycholas shrugs, intoning arcane wordsof power. Electricity crackles in the air and dances across the young man's armor. With a small step forward he swings his glaive at the abandoned snake, the Electricity coursing through his armor shooting up the haft of his weapon and discharging into his opponent at the moment of impact.
Wymond grunts as he takes the hit, and his new dwarven resilience just barely beats back the venom on it. Then he blinks in surprise as Sartoss heals himself, and glowers.
"Turnabout's fair play, I suppose," he grouses. If he could heal himself in the middle of a fight, so could the snake-man.
Nycholas steps forward and destroys the demon-priest Sartoss, slicing into the serpent-man's scaly torso and delivering a devastating blast of lightning to his innards. Sartoss stiffens and shakes, then falls to the ground, smoking.
The dark naga, sensing that his time in the Shrine of the Awakener is at an end, quickly departs down into the depths.
COMBAT OVER!
Lilika prepares to pull out her magical healing reserves, but pauses when she realizes Nycholas is a deft hand at mundane healing methods. She gives him a nod (perhaps of... respect?) and moves over to the hole in the floor and looks down it.
Seeing the snake has fled out of sight, she instead starts looting the chamber, starting with Sartoss.
"Thank you Nycholas for your aid." Marcel says as he searches the area for anything of interest.
"Sss..," muses Slaagh the troglodyte. "Bad blood between serpent-people. Heads cut off god statues, new statues here. Small group of god-worshipers. I think you will see the other half of this story soon. Kro'akoth not main serpent-man god. Serpent-folk worship Ydersius. Him with head cut off, yes."
Lilika rolls the body of the dead demon-priest and finds that while ol' Sartoss didn't carry much, he did carry two beautiful magical rapiers, strange rose-colored prism and a gold unholy symbol of his demon god, Kro'akoth.
Looking around the shrine, Marcel spots a number of jeweled death masks down in the pit surrounding the Emerald Spire.
Marcel discovers a suspicious panel on the west wall and, suspecting a door, manipulates several stones until one moves, revealing a doorway into another room. That room is an octagon with a middle section sunken down a foot. In the center are a desk and chair surrounded by four candelabras. To the west, the walls are lined with bookshelves. To the north, a bed rests against the wall. To the east are two basalt statues whose heads are wreathed in fire.
Nycholas jumps when Slaagh speaks. "Ah! Who are you?!"
Lilika takes some time to study the gear with Nycholas while the others are healed.
She holds out the rapiers and notes, "Very fine quality and magical." She holds up the dusty rose prism aeon stone. "And this will allow you to cast the shield spell once a day. It'll float around your head." She shrugs and hands the items out to the others. "Nothing of use to me."
When Nicholas jumps, Lilika raises an eyebrow. "That's Slaagh. His people lived on another level of the Emerald Spire. He joined us."
She pauses, then crosses her arms. "Who are you?"
She eyes Marcel, then Nycholas, then Marcel. When had one become two..? Clearly she cycled through companions too often if it took her this long to notice...
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Wymond spits on Sartoss' body, then looks down into the hole the man-snake retreated into.
"AN' DON'T COME BACK!" he hollers, before turning to check on Triath.
"Ye okay, mate? That bastard nearly spitted ye."
Triath grunts in the affirmative, and then aids Nycholas with the treatment process.
He listens to Slaagh's assessment and nods.
"These were...wuzzat word fancy churchmen use? Hairy-ticks?" he asks. "Ye know anything else about these snake-men, Slaagh?"
He picks up Sartoss' unholy symbol and stares at it with a look of disgust.
"When we get back topside we oughta melt this thing down. Let the memory of this Kro'akoth die with his priest."
When Nycholas is introduced to Slaagh, Wymond goes over and give the xulgath a reassuring bro-hug.
"Yeh, don't you worry none. Slaagh's a good man, an' a fine torchbearer too!"
At Lilika's question he raises an eyebrow.
"This here's Nicky. Was doin' some work for Royst an' came with us as we left his house...we were in so much of a hustle to get back here an' beat the straw outta Sartoss we didn't really get introductions down."
"I is Slaagh, sir. I is working for the company as a torchbearer." This unassuming yet horrid-smelling fellow waves his burning torch by way of explanation. "Xulgath left when company put to sleep Skraa-orm thagh, the god in the box. Xulgath chieftainess say Slaagh stays with company."
Turning back to Wymond, Slaagh adds "Sss. Yes. Hairy-ticks. Snake-people worship old, old snake-god Ydersius. Sometimes Ydersius is having a head and sometimes not. Slaagh does not understand this. But Sartoss and Sanaz say snake-people worship new god. Stronger god Kro'akoth."
Slaag considers and shrugs. "End of trouble, I guess. Slaagh thinks Sanaz will go back to Ydersius and say he never knew Kro'akoth."
"But if we go deeper in the Spire, which we will, we'll probably run into those Ydersius-worshipers an' find Sanaz with 'em," Wymond replies with a nod.
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"He cannot have gotten far. We should pursue him now." Marcel says.
"Don't know how far we'd be able to follow him. I may be shorter than I used to be but I ain't thinner!" Wymond comments.
"You are probably right. We should find another way to wherever ne went eventually." Marcel says.
"We should see what is in there." Marcel says as he moves to stand by the closed door.
"Aye," Wymond agrees. "Best proceed carefully. We don't know if Sartoss left any nasty surprises in case his parishioners started sniffing around his stuff."
He look at the location Marcel indicated, checking to see if something was awry.
Four stone pillars support the lofty ceiling of this chamber, each patterned like writhing serpents. Between two of the pillars is a large hammock. The room was once beautiful, but is befouled with piles of garbage, bones, and excrement in every corner.
Two hulking humanoids, slabs of muscle with hatefully beady eyes, misshapen visages, and malformed bodies, live here. One was resting on the hammock, but is rising as you open the door. The other has a huge hook in its hand and is ready for battle.
Seeing you, it scowls and spits. "Not snakes! Derg! NOT snakes. I'ma eat this one. He's got real purty lips!" He leers at Wymond.
Wiping sleep from his misshapen eyes the other yawns. "I'ma hurtem real bad, Ferg. Then eatem. They tastses better scared!"
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) -
Derg (Orange) - Prone, Weaponless
Marcel -
Toragh Madh -
Wymond -
Nycholas - Enlarged
"Hey Wymond, what's all the shouting about?" Nycholas can't see anything from where he is.
"BIG HUNGRY LADS LOOKIN' FOR A FIGHT!" Wymond shouts back to Nycholas. "OGRES, METHINKS!"
Unable to see what's going on, but well aware that everything down here tries to kill her, Lilika chants a few thrumming words and places her hands on the ground. A moment later, a creature made of earth and stone rises up from the ground a ways ahead. It gives her a nod and hustles forward.
The boulder trundles forward and tries to chomp on the nearest ogre.
A grinding mass of stone shaped vaguely like a human rumbles up out of the ground and launches into a massive uppercut, slamming the Ferg in the jaw and breaking several teeth!
Ferg roars at the Living Boulder, terrifying it, then slices it twice with his huge hook, reducing the elemental to a pile of rubble seconds after it was summoned. Derg rolls out of the hammock, picks up a big javelin and hurls it at Wymond but it sticks into the doorway, quivering.
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) - 18 damage
Derg (Orange) -
Marcel -
Toragh Madh -
Wymond -
Nycholas - Enlarged
"Ohhhh...that ain't good," Wymond says gravely when Lilika's elemental falls so quickly.
Seeing boulders fly, Marcel jumps into action. He raises his Shield spell to guard him and casts Haste on Wymond.
A slender elfin creature appears out of thin air and attempts to stab Wymond in the neck! The dwarf's trusty armor deflects the blow. The creature the runs up the wall moving with such astounding speed that it runs across the wall and darts into the backfield.
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) - 18 damage
Derg (Orange) -
Marcel - Shield
Toragh Madh -
Wymond - Haste
Nycholas - Enlarged
"GAH!" Wymond exclaims when he's ambushed and nearly stabbed. "THEY GOT SOME LITTLE ONE TOO!" he barks to the others. "SPEEDY BUGGER TOO! WATCH YOURSELVES!"
Lilika raises an eyebrow as the elemental crumbles to pebbles. After half a beat of hesitation, she circles round the Emerald Spire, trying to get an eye on her foes while staying out of reach. She chants a few gravelly words, causing the ground beneath the orange ogre to heave open, then slam shut on his trapped limbs.
Nycholas draws an iron nail from his spell component pouch and slams it into his breastplate, casting another enlarge spell on himself. He and his impressive armor grow in size as he strides up to Triath, brandishing his huge greatsword. "If you're so hungry, why don't you come out here and eat someone your own size?" Nycholas calls, gesturing to Wymond that he should back up. They can come out and face our swords, or stay in there and face nature's wrath.
Trigger: A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it’s using.
You lash out at a foe that leaves an opening. Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn’t count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to this Strike.
Wymond nods as he sees Nycholas's gesture.
"Move back, Triath!" he says, and Triath nods and steps back.[/b]
Then he smacks at Ferg twice with his bardiche.
Then he pulls back towards the Spire, keeping between Marcel and the door.
"COME AN' GET ME, YE PILLOCKS!" he taunts.
The ground opens beneath Derg and he falls in heavily. The ground slams shut and he howls in pain!
"Ferg! Muh leg, Ferg! Ground's got muh leg!"
Nycholas once again grows large and Wymond takes some shots, but the huge Ferg batters aside his awl-point.
"Dang it Derg! Quit faffin' around! We got breakfast ta catch!"
The giant shuffles forward and swings its hook through the doorway, slicing Marcel and opening up a bloody wound on Wymond's thigh.
The rearward giant hurls a javelin, but narrowly misses impaling his brother. He then heaves and pulls his leg free from Lilika's spell. Finally, he limps forward, badly injured and furious.
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) - 18 damage
Derg (Orange) - 38 damage
Marcel - 52/62 hp, Shield
Toragh Madh -
Wymond - 79/99 hp, Haste
Nycholas - Enlarged
Marcel reaches out and seizes Ferg's shadow. The giant looks panicked as something is happening but he can't tell what it is.
The creature in the background invokes the names of several unknown entities and points at Wymond's glaive. The paladin feels the shock of something striking his blade, but the weapon appears to be fine. The fast little man curses.
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) - 26 damage, Enfeebled 1
Derg (Orange) - 38 damage
Marcel - 52/62 hp, Shield
Toragh Madh -
Wymond - 79/99 hp, Haste
Nycholas - Enlarged
Nycholas summons the glaive again, but he can't hit the large target through the narrow doorway.
Wymond joins with Nycholas striking at Ferg!
;
;
;
Although Ferg parries Nycholas's attack, Wymond's poleaxe jabs the giant in the kneecap. "Ow! Dangit! That hurt!"
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) - 43 damage, Enfeebled 1
Derg (Orange) - 38 damage
Marcel - 52/62 hp, Shield
Toragh Madh -
Wymond - 79/99 hp, Haste
Nycholas - Enlarged
Lilika raises her hands up, causing the ground under Ferg and Derg to rise up in a jumble of scree.
The she raises her shield to defend herself.
Wymond thrusts his bardiche and leaves a bad cut across Ferg's cheek.
As the ground begins to crumble at their feet, the two giants struggle to maintain their balance. Ferg bangs his head on a pillar and appears to be barely conscious. Derg stumbles badly, twisting his leg.
"Derg!" yells Ferg. "Run fer it! They's too ornery ta fight!"
With that, the bleeding giant turns and runs for the stairs.
"Get back here and fight you buffoon!" cries out the fast little man.
"You fight 'em shorty!" cries Derg, who also turns and runs.
STATUS
Lilika -
Ferg (Red) - 64 damage, Enfeebled 1
Derg (Orange) - 53 damage
Marcel - 52/62 hp, Shield
Toragh Madh -
Wymond - 79/99 hp, Haste
Nycholas - Enlarged
Marcel moves forward and casts a spell at the creatures!
Blasted nearly out of his little pointed boots and left without his meat shields, the swift little man zips out of the room almost faster than you can see.
STATUS
Lilika -
Marcel - 52/62 hp
Wymond - 79/99 hp, Haste
Nycholas - Enlarged
COMBAT OVER!