"Not bad . . . they are tools. Animated by magic, science, or both they perform a predetermined set of duties. 'Guard a passage.' 'Protect me.' 'Dig a hole.' They perform these tasks until they or the world fall into dust. My father has created hundreds, if not thousands, over his long years."
"In other words, if not on our side, yes - very bad. I agree with Toramin's assessment - they are unorthodox for the style of catacombs we've seen thus far. You never told me your father was a constructor, Toramin. How industrious."
It could be this is all a ruse meant to delay us from her real location. Then again, we don't want these things at our backs. "Very well. If we are to combat this bunch, let me state I have the capability to strengthen our battle potential either here or when we meet Acera - not both. I can hasten us and strengthen us, but the effects will likely expire before she arrives."
"Save your magic."
Bjorkus drifts forward until he’s over Gabe’s head.
He grabs one of the bladed disks from his hip and with a grunt hurls it at the undead.
"I thought you knew, Dalton. When you used to tease me for my diction and upbringing, I thought you must have heard of Alavar, the so-called Master Maker, professionally speaking. Though my mother is the one who shares your particular gifts."
"I thought you knew, Dalton. When you used to tease me for my diction and upbringing, I thought you must have heard of Alavar, the so-called Master Maker, professionally speaking. Though my mother is the one who shares your particular gifts."
"Now, now - it's just not everyday you see a man as skilled with his words as a warhammer!"
"I daresay your mother would be thrice as useful here though; little of what I have readied is particularly useful against those on their second lives, and if she were skilled with earthmoving, that could be invaluable underground."
The topic of creators got him thinking about their previous observation.
"Elemental metal magic has potent battle applications, but from what I understand also not strong against the undead."
Dalton shuffles forward in the hallway, ducking to the East of the rubble to allow the others' movement.
The party moves closer while letting Toramin take the lead. Bjorkus throws a chakram but it's horribly aimed.
The two wights raise their longbows, firing them at Toramin, but both arrows rebound off armor.
Rilka
Gabriel
Raul
Toramin
Dalton
Enemy
[spoiler=Dice]
Toramin continues his long slog towards combat using the full defense option.
Gabriel stays behind the dwarf, seeing little need to break formation. Especially after their last battle. It had been necessary then to take out a key threat. Here, it would only serve to get him killed... Something he couldn't allow to happen.
”Golums? Rilka said, eyeing the statues and convinced by Toramin’s logic.
She marches behind Bjorkus and sees the arrows bounce off Toramin’s armor. She hurries from her place in the line, to get a shot off before the wights are engaged in melee. Once she’s clear of the rubble, she fires her pistol at the closer wight.
Perhaps the hostages are back there...
There was little they could do about them though until the undead were taken care of. However...
Bjorkus drifts behind Toramin and hurls another disk.
Rilka slips forward and with a resounding crack! draws first blood, making one of the wights stagger back. The pistol crack in the refined space leaves ears ringing. The melee part of the party moves up, continuing to stay behind Toramin. Bjorkus whips his second chakram but it bounces off the collapsed pillar. Raul casts a quick glance to Dalton, then steps forward while his jaw turns into a muzzle and he resume his bestial form. He follows in behind the party, nostrils flaring.
The two wights both fire arrows off at the exposed Toramin, but the stalwart dwarf has no problems deflected the arrows. Suddenly the gargoyle next to Toramin lashes out at both Toramin and Gabriel, clawing at the dwarf and trying to bite and impale the tiefling. Toramin weathers the blows but Gabriel gets a piercing wound in his side, and he feels his very life force weaken from the wound. The other gargoyle also rips to life, screeching and flying across the room to claw at Toramin. The sudden viscous onslaught catches him off guard, and the gargoyle actually manages to leave some scratches on the dwarf. The wound is minor, but he feels his life force being drained from the wound.
Rilka
Gabriel
Raul
Toramin
Dalton
Enemy
CW1 - 3 damage
CW2 -
DWG1 - 5 temp HP
DWG2 - 5 temp HP
No need for the cantrip now...
"Focus the gargoyles! They are the true threat!"
Dalton put word into action by buffeting the nearest of them with a squall of force.
Toramin assumes his stance, and aims a vicious strike against the one that injured him.
Bjorkus drifts forward to help Toramin cut down the wounded gargoyle.
Rilka witnesses Toramin and Gabriel get hit as she starts to reload. Packet of powder, bullet, and ramrod. The actions come naturally, done without even thinking, as she presses herself against the wall in case Bjorkus or Raul want to squeeze past.
Gabriel swings wildly at the nearest Gargoyle, but the cold energy that sapped him makes feel sick and his swings are wild.
Rilka gets ready for her next shot. Gabriel attacks but his swings are wild. Toramin raises his new dwarven weapon, and with a terrible blow caves in the head of the gargoyle, destroyed it with one hit. Bjorkus runs up to hit the other one and rends a blow through its chest. Raul runs up past the party, but the gargoyle lashes out as he does so and leaves a terrible furrow of blood on the werewolf. Raul snarls and gives a mighty blow which decapitates the gargoyle, finishing it off for Bjorkus. Dalton redirects his spell to the wights, slamming one of them.
The wights freeze for a moment, as if no longer under a spell. Then they see the invaders and raise their bows again.
Rilka
Gabriel
Toramin
Raul
Dalton
Enemy
Raul - 13 damage, 2 negative levels
CW1 - 9 damage
CW2 -
Again going for Total Defense, Toramin moves forward.
Gabriel briefly has an idea, but seeing that long chain in his friends hands, decides to duck around behind cover again and wait. If need be he could still attack but Toramin could handle those creatures without having to get close.
Rilka spins and weaves around Gabriel and Toramin to stand next to Raul. She aims and fires her pistol at the wight she hit before.
Hearing less on the side of his party's harm, Dalton moved forward.
Bjorkus drifts forward gripping his two-handed sword as he does. Using his aerial advantage and the terrain below him, the bull hacks at the damaged wight with cleaving blow.
With another deafening crack! Rilka leaves a hole in the wight. Gabriel begins focusing a cone of detect evil, picking up the presence of evil on his first round. Toramin moves forward and takes a defensive stance. Raul vaults himself over the fallen pillar and gets ready to chop at the undead. Dalton hustles to get to the fighting. As Toramin and Dalton move up they can see farther down the hallway, where they see another collapsed pillar before the room disappears into darkness. Bjorkus drifts closer and hacks down at the damaged wight, leaving a large wound in the undead.
The wights start fighting again, one taking out a longsword and swinging at Raul while the other fires at Toramin again, but both attacks bounce off armor.
Rilka
Gabriel
Toramin
Bjorkus
Raul
Dalton
Enemy
Raul - 13 damage, 2 negative levels
CW1 - 28 damage
CW2 -
Toramin sends his leaden ball hurtling into a wight's face. Despite his fatigue and defensive style, the dwarf lands a mighty blow.
Gabriel trusts his friends to end the fight, preferring not to be weakened further himself before their final confrontation, and instead continues to focus on his ability. If there was any time at all to posses someone right now would be it.
With a satisfying crunch Toramin crushes the skull of the damaged wight, sending it back to the realm of the dead.
Maintaining his superior position, Bjorkus chops at the last undead.
Rilka reloads and takes a few steps back.
Raul attack visciously, but his attack are aimed poorly.
Dalton focused his mind, determining what level of quality the equipment Acera's minions carried. I wonder if this was a premeditated escape plan?
Rilka gets ready for her next shot. Gabriel continues focusing his detect evil, picking up two sources of evil. Bjorkus uses his new blade and leaves a bad wound in the still standing wight. Dalton begins detecting magic, picking up magic at first.
The wight turns with its red eyes full of fury, striking at the half-minotaur who hit it. It stabs into Bjorkus's thigh, sapping his strength.
Rilka
Gabriel
Toramin
Bjorkus
Raul
Dalton
Enemy
Raul - 13 damage, 2 negative levels
CW2 - 17 damage
Toramin grounds his feet into the stoney floor and draws the strength of the earth into his battered form. He lashes out with his chain-flail. Once. Twice.
Toramin's new weapon rings true again, dropping the final wight.
"We must be getting close. Hurry, we must stop her before it's too late."
Toramin walks to the front of the group -- a little stiffly -- seeking to take the fight to the necromancer.
"A few moments, Toramin. Catch your breath. I would like to see if there is some sorcery beyond our base expectations here."
After some focusing, Dalton deduces that the only magic in the area is the items the party is carrying and the quickly dissipating necromancy that was powering their four enemies.
Toramin nods.
This day has been a death march. A few moments of consideration could prevent it from being our own.
The paladin lets his supernatural senses expand, slowly. Whose tread does the earth reject?
Ending his concentration, Dalton sighed. "There seems to be no workings out of the ordinary here. At least not any more out of the ordinary. We should press our advantage; I don't think she expected us to push so quickly."
Gabriel follows after the group, the borrowed greatsword in his hand ready to meet out justice to Acera once and for all. He pauses when the group does but he can feel the weight of darkness on his chest. More emptiness that made the supernatural sense he and Toramin employed feel even more painful to draw upon.