Spiny charges, but only succeeds in chipping his teeth on Theldrick's armor.
Hearing Carina's cry, Tanith turns and rushes back up.
Theldrick sneers at the beast. "Go join your master."
His flail smashes into the dinosaur's back, near-crushing its spine and sending it to the ground.
"Iowel!" he shouts at the last tiefling standing. "Close the door behind me, then retreat."
'Iowel' nods. She runs over to Cuetzpalli's prone form and grabs his last spear.
Though Carina has fallen, the flail does not stop coming down.
Robin desperately tries to intercept the weapon, but it just passes through him like he's not there.
The flail's chains let out quiet clinks as the spiked ball flies up, then slams down into the young daemonspawn's chest. This time, Tanith, Robin, and everyone else in the room here a grim crack.
Meanwhile, the skeleton and cultists rush after Tanith. All but one, who steps back and tries to skewer Farrukh.
Like so many of his brethren before him, he fails miserably.
Astraden grits her teeth at the sound of cracking bone across the room, and again at Spiny's fall. She concentrates on the wand. A piercing ring like the sound of hammer on metal emits from it, and Theldrick's holy symbol begins to buzz and rattle once again.
"Farrukh, we need you in here!"
Farrukh Withdraws at speed.
Dammit all. I'm going to kill that bastard priest.
[ooc]
Robin winces at the sound of Carina falling beside him. "Now they've done it." He grunts.
"Tanith!" Robin barks. "We should regroup!" He glances at the tiefling rushing for the door, and growls.
"No you don't." He runs forward to intercept.
"Tanith, get your weapon and get moving." Astraden points towards Cuetzpalli and the remaining tiefling.
Robin's strides grow longer as he bounces his bow to his left hand, and draws his sword in one swift motion. "Try me, tiefling!"
Tanith picks up his poleaxe and rushes after Robin.
Iowel the tiefling narrows her eyes as Robin approaches. "Bring it on, dandy."
She charges with her spear.
He parries away the blow with ease. She lets out a string of Infernal curses.
The skeleton and cultists pursue Tanith. He pays them no heed.
Theldrick keeps walking and gestures at Astraden. "Hextor, let us slay that slaad-loving heretic."
The spiritual flail moves to attack her, but Astraden dodges easily.
It then blinks out of existance.
Robin's composure falters when the tiefling replies.
"Dandy?" Robin replies, missing his mark.
Astraden momentarily resolves into one, but she quickly splits herself again. She keeps the wand trained on Theldrick's holy symbol.
Theldrick rolls his eyes. "His time as a carapaced mammal has left your god weak indeed."
Farrukhs runs over to the corner in the hopes of intercepting Theldrick, and begins climbing.
Farrukh makes it up five feet.
Seething with fury at the death of Carina, Tanith rears back and punches the adjacent skeleton.
"You two need to get lost. Now. Or you're going to get a lot worse."
Tanith destroys the last skeleton. The last two cultists look scared, but determined. One stabs with his longspear, then steps back so the other can do the same. As always, their attacks miss wildly.
From across the room, Theldrick gives a grim chuckle. "Poor, stupid brute. No member of the Ebon Triad stays such through cowardice. They are due such a reward come their death that they simply do not fear death." He taps his chin. "I wonder if she did, though."
The tiefling woman jabs at Robin. "Dandy. Fop. Rake. Damn it, hold still!"
He walks over to the downed tiefling (the one who shot Carina down) and grasps his arm. "Get up, you fool."
The tiefling's eyes shoot open. He staggers to his feet, drawing his greataxe.
Theldrick whispers something to the man.
Whatever remained of the big Kordite's good-natured brawling fades at the priest's cruel jab. He stops pulling his punches and swings a vicious elbow at the cultist's nose.
Astraden switches targets to the tiefling's axe. "No way."
"He's telling him to 'place a veil' and kill Farrukh!"
Tanith's fist hits the man's nose so hard that he feels a crack. Blood is trickling from the cultist's ear as he collapses.
The tiefling stares at his greataxe as it starts to vibrate. The metal blade shatters into scores of little shards before his very eyes.
"No." Robin grunts back, tired from battle.
Farrukh keeps climbing.
You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand. While climbing, you can't move to avoid a blow, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You also can't use a shield while climbing. Anytime you take damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means you fall from your current height and sustain the appropriate falling damage.
Farrukh punches at the Tiefling.
Theldrick scowls at the remains of the greataxe. "Pathetic. Pick up your bow, then."
He leans down, bracing a foot against the far wall. "I'll handle this gangrel."
Without warning, the warpriest leaps at Farrukh.
Farrukh barely manages to slash along the man's wrist before the priest is upon him, sending both of them hurtling to the ground.
The tiefling waits to see who will come out on top.
Iowel the tiefling stabs at Robin again.
This time, she manages to cut a shallow gash in his leg. "Ha!"
The last cultist hesitates, just a moment. Then he charges, his longspear piercing Tanith's side.
Tanith grunts in surprise as he's wounded again but the pain is largely blunted by his smoldering rage. The big Kordite drops the potion he'd been clutching for the better part of a minute and cleaves into the last cultist's shoulder.
Astraden drops her crossbow and lunges forward, the violet energy around her hand suddenly flaring up.
Farrukh is smashed into the ground. The impact doesn't hurt too badly—Theldrick's injured wrist keeps him from putting his full weight on the Kethite—but it does knock him prone.
+
Theldrick immediately springs up as the tiefling draws his bow, leans over the edge and shoots at Astraden. The arrow glances off her helmet.
Tanith hacks into the man's chest, dropping him instantly.
Robin twists behind the tiefling's guard, making a slight cut in her side. She cries out.
Astraden drops her crossbow and lunges forward, the violet energy around her hand suddenly flaring up as she reaches for Theldrick's wrist. She then draws her rapier.
Theldrick wrenches his hand away, but not before Olidammara bestows his 'gift'. "You'll regret that someday, you sniveling snake!"
Fauukh staggers to his feet and draws his shield and sword with quickness.
He lashes out at Theldrick with his scimitar.
Theldrick manages a brutal swipe at Farrukh's shoulder, but Farrukh's attack still makes it through.
Theldrick takes another swipe at Farrukh, aiming to finish the Kethite off.
But a bit of the sand gets kicked up at just the wrong moment, throwing his aim off. Farrukh is spared a brutal mauling. "DAMN YOU!" the priest cries, finally losing his temper.
Despite Farrukh still being up, Theldrick starts to move around.
Astraden's attacks are clumsy, but Farrukh manages to slice deep through the joints in Theldrick's shoulder, damaging the armor and coming off stained bright red. Nonetheless, Theldrick makes it behind the doors.
Immediately, the surviving tiefling spits something dark onto his arrow. As it starts to exude shadows, he throws it with all his might past Farrukh.
Darkness quickly spreads to cover the area. Farrukh hears Theldrick running through.
"Now!" Theldrick cries from within the shadow.
Up on the balcony, still dueling Robin, Iowel's eyes widen. "Oh, shit! Right! Sorry, master!"
She backs away from Robin, towards the throne...
...and presses one of three small rubies on the armrest.
The party hears the double doors slam shut. She grins. "Aw, yes! Got it, sir!"
Tanith grunts in surprise as darkness fills the space but continues his sprint back down toward the melee.
Astraden moves up to the door and gets ready to push against it when Farrukh joins her.