"You will not get by me monsters!" shouts Quillan with righteous indignation. He rushes forward, axe ignited with holy light as he tears into the nearest derro. Energy swirls all about the avenger and swallows the surrounding derro up, unceremoniously depositing them further into the room.
Outraged screams rise from the surviving derro as Quillan mallets one into a bloody pulp and forcibly removes three more to distant areas of the chamber.
From the Eastern corridor, some further derro warcrys.
Dorvin rushes in and his rage obviously affects his attack.
The bombardier shifts and dumps the repulsive contents of his next bombard on Isari. Against his will, he finds himself unable to move as acid eats into his flesh.
Lightning arcs out of Isari's blade, pulling the reaver closer to him.
The Reaver expires with a tormented squeal as Isari contemptuously rids himself of the derro poisons.
Unable to reach their primary target, one of the remaining reavers scream for reinforcements, while of the others, one makes an attempt to strike down Dorvin, while the other sends a crossbow bolt towards Abelard.
1d20+11=12. R3 (shortsword) v Dorvin. Abject fail
1d20+11=22. R6 (crossbow) v Quillan. Miss.
1d20+11-31. R7 (crossbow) v Abelard. Crit.[/ooc]
The Fire Shepherd never flinches nor stops in his binding ritual as the bolt hits him, nor does he move away from the possessed dragonborn waiting, sword in hand.
Rusty
Nayce sends his shadowy noose after R7.
The reaver's triumph is short-lived indeed as Nayce strangles the creature. Hideous gargling sounds fill the air.
Rusty looks upon Abelard with blind, murderous rage. "You! It's all your fault!"
Standard: Reaping Strike vs Abelard.
Attack
Damage
If I miss I still do 5 points of damage.
Save Poison
Save Dominated
Rusty's blade swings and falls on the defenseless Fire Shepherd, but such is Abelard's sense of purpose that the worst of the attack is brushed aside. Mere seconds later, the dragonborn's body cleanses itself of the poison, and with that cleansing comes clarity of mind.
Quillan moves back in a defensive position between Abelard and the rest of the room again. His axe remains at the ready, however, prepared to chop down anyone who comes close.
Quillan quietly prepares himself and his axe to demolish anything reckless enough to come near him.
Dorvin whales upon his foe.
Dorvin's axe hits nothing but hewn rock as the reaver survives against all likelihood.
The screams for reinforcements seem to be producing results. Paddy footsteps can be heard along both the northern and eastern entrances, along with guttral derro battlecries.
Amenephus hurls a bolt of divine light at the only reaver he can see. With a horrid squawk, the creature is reduced to nothing more than a smudge on the floor. Then he backs sedately away from his exposed position between the entrances, edging carefully behind a furnace.
It proves too early to celebrate however, as more bombardiers appear, this time through both entrances, howling cries of encouragement to other bretheren, still in the passageways.
Out of ammunition for his unholy bombard, B5 stabs bravely, but pointlessly at Nayce.
The new arrivals try to dominate all those in range.
To his horror, Rusty feels his mind slipping away from him again as the vile poison travels through his body once more. Isari likewise turns glassy-eyed.
Against his will, the swordmage finds himself moving swiftly in front of the eastern entrance where a hail of arrows from the incoming reavers greets his arrival.
No longer master of himself, Rusty turns his formidable attentions to Abelard once more.
"I cannot ... yet I must!"
Standard: Reaping Strike vs Abelard.
Attack
Damage
If I miss I still do 5 points of damage.
Save Dominated
Cursing his loss of free will, Rusty strikes the worthy Fire Shepherd as tears build in his eyes.
Abelard never stops his gestures, but manages to murmur, "We do as we must. Battle on, dragonborn," as the blow lands true.
Nayce attempts to dispatch the nearby derro with his sword.
Shaking his head, Rusty resolutely throws off the effects of the poison.
"Rusty, make some distance now if ye' can. Don't want that happening any more," says Quillan, creating some distance himself.
Quillan then turns his attentions to Isari who is clearly not in his right mind either. With a quick prayer and a summons, Quillan's spectral brother appears beside him.
"Keep the vermin from gettin' through. I gotta' help the human."
Quillan then runs up to Isari while grasping his holy symbol and places his palm firming on Isari's back.
"Out of his head ye' foul creatures!" he yells.
Quillan's swift action shakes Isari back to self-awareness while his brother takes up a position protecting the Fire Shepherd.
Dorvin yells, "Come on, sonny, get back in the fight!" at Isari, as he charges at one of the few remaining derro in the room.
Dorvin's brisk words inspire Isari and he shrugs aside his wounds.
Then the dwarf charges at the nearby reaver, wiping it out, followed seconds later by the obliteration of one of the bombardiers as Amenephus sends a bolt of divine light into the screaming horror.
The bombardiers advance, sending more bursts of repulsive fluid towards the party. Both Isari and Dorvin feel their free will slipping away from them.
The rest of the bombardiers swap to their second vile canisters and acid splashes towards the group.
Once again, Isari finds himself unwillingly attacking an ally.
Isari
Isari's blade cuts through the air, leaving frost in it's wake.
Isari smites Quillan and curses himself inwardly as his mind abruptly clears. He does so in time to see yet more derro bowmen burst through the doors and open fire on Abelard, with a pair unable to see the Fire Shepherd aiming at Quillan instead.
Nayce sends his shadowy noose after one of the derro.
Shadow loops around the neck of the bellowing derro bombardier, silencing it forever.
Moving lightly, Nayce blends into his environment so completely that few even realise he is there as he moves alongside Dorvin.
The acid sizzles and Quillan can do little to help himself as he struggles against his immobilization. He chooses to wait for the opportune moment to strike.
The ponderous dragonborn snaps out of his stupor and rushes forth to aid his friends.
OOC:
Move: NW-N-N-N
Action: Dance of Steel against R9
Attack
Damage
Effect: If I hit the target is slowed until the end of my next turn.
Rusty's blow turns the luckless derro into nothing more than a splash on the stonework.
Dorvin in the meanwhile, turns his unwilling attention to Nayce.
Dorvin writhes in agony.
Dorvin's eyes stay glazed and his axe strikes deeply into Nayce, despite the Assassin's concealment.
Amenephus takes a long look at the encroaching derro.
"You shall not pass here," he pronounces calmly, teleporting up the room and unleashing a burst of divine light on them.
As the glow dies away, four derro have been obliterated.
Their canisters expended, the bombardiers draw short swords and advance.
Acid continues to eat away at the immobile Quillan who can only watch while his friends hack each other to pieces. Still, he prepares for the worst, his axe always at the ready.
"Snap out of it Dorvin. I'm gettin' tired of watchin' out for my own allies!"
vs. AC
damage and on a hit, if an enemy other than B9 hits me then B9 takes 4 radiant damage.
Nayce sends his shadowy noose after another victim.
For once, Nayce's noose is cast aside and he leaps elegantly clear of the possessed dwarf.