Round 2.5____________________
Anumil moves up to contact the enemy cultist, drawing his sword along the way.
The elemental attacks.
The badger too.
Sunny slides a bare foot forwards, "Here... ye be soundin' funny. Like ye got a cold..." She suggests of the lady with the flail.
"May-hap I could offer ye some soothin'?" She asks, pointing to her, silver whip absently dangling from her hand. (^_^)
"Hmmpf... another wayward simpleton. Folly sends more than we can fit in our pits... " She casually flicks a finger toward Sunny. "Seize her."
The aquatic goblin octotaur creature lumbers awkwardly toward Sunny... it works its torso like a creepy bellydancer propelling itself forward on land, and grabs at her with its over-sized pincer... too casually to catch her.
The cultist is already stumbling when Corum's elemental cracks him in the hipbone. The leg on that side quits on him, and he goes down hard... seemingly unconscious. The metallic ball which had been harassing Anumil drops and suddenly appears mundane.
In the room at the far north end of the hall, you see figures rush back and forth. Likely preparing to receive intruders.
Varian steps back and performs a coup de grace on the fallen cultist, just to make sure he stays down.
Corum is concerned as Suny is attacked, he sends his badger to protect her and his elemental to harass the man in the room as he runs behind her. It is ironic that he sends his minions to protect her while he himself takes cover behind her.
Corum gestures and illusory copies of the elf move with him confounding would-be attackers.
Round 3_____________
Hearing of the possible threat to Sunny, Anumil double moves to (U,14) and assumes the Total Defense stance (AC27).
The first cultist is now clearly dead.
The summoned aberration stabs at the badger with its glossy black pincer - tearing a hunk of scruff from its neck - while Anumil positions in front of Sunny.
Sunny smiles and nods at her friends coming to see what's going on in the room that's peaked her interest. Seeing the dammage being done to the poor badger, Sunny raises her voice and begins to admonish the tentacly creature.
"Here! Ye be stoppin' with the grabby an' tha' snappin' an' such!"
She also looks to Varian to see if he wants her to move to of the way a little.
The summoner steps away from Corum's earthen minion, and waves his arms about dramatically "Shah huri uuug!"
The floor under the earth elemental drops, but somehow it is able to barrel to the edge before tumbling.
The aberrant gobloctopod slides away from the sloped edge of the pit, and then thrusts his clacking pincer at the badger. One of its tentacles slaps at Anumil's thigh - trying to knock him over or break his guard, but fails to do either.
Since his opponent is clearly dead, Varian turns and joins the others, leaving the dead behind.
Round 4____________________
Anumil smiled and nodded at the creature next to him.
"Charmed I'm sure." He said, rolling out of his defensive stance and lashing out with his rapier.
for a possible piercing, magic and precision damage.
for a possible extra piercing, magic and precision damage.
Sunny wriggles past Anumil still extorting her companions... by continuing to berate the tentacle..thing...
The badger retaliates.
As Corum's nasty badger/wolverine tears up the creature as he flies into a feral rage, Corum gestures to his friend Varian and he begins to grow.
Corum's earth elemental goes after the summoner, gliding through the earth with ease.
Anumil carves into the summoned aberration with ease as it retracts its oversized claw from the badger. There is then a flurry of claws and fur as the enraged badger tears into the gobloctopod like a chew toy.
The summoner's creature dematerializes as it drops.
The earthern minion cracks the orc summoner hard in the knee. The summoner hobbles back - with little space left, but with incredible speed conjures his own earth elemental. The orc's earthern minion immediately backhands Corum's.
At the north end of the hall, troops in ornate armor begin to assemble.
One yells a couple gruff phrases. The response is difficult to hear.
"Oh... the usual. Spare the exceptional... near death is fine. Kill the rest."
Suny simply throws herself at the other woman, attempting to get a hold of her.
And attempts to throw them both back down the hatch... Or at least inconvenience the spell caster.
The orc's earthen minion swings at Sunny as she makes her way to its master. There is little room to maneuver, and Sunny must step on the slightly open hatch to get to her foe. A couple slats crack, but she does not stumble.
Sunny is not able to tangle up or topple the summoner, but the orc is taken aback and effectively cornered if nothing else.
Round 5_____________
Anumil perked one ear at the talk.
"I have no idea what those orcs are saying, but whoever is talking back said something about 'the Usual, spare the exceptional, near death is fine, kill the rest.' An officer or employer no doubt."
Move to (U,18)
He uncoiled in a swift thrust against the elemental defender.
for a possible magic, piercing and precision damage.
for a possible extra magic and piercing damage.
Corum's minions make sure the summoner is taken out.
The badger rushes to attack the summoner, moving quick and comfortable in the shifting terrain. A natural climber and burrower, the pit did not slow down the bloody furball.
Corum gestures and a pea sized object detonates in the larger room. A fiery explosion almost comes out in the room engulfing the two men at the edge. He grasps his rod so no one in the blast can effectively use magic.
Corum turns to now giant Varian. "You are ready to go!!"
Anumil chips away stony plating and thrusts through the elemental's core in one strike. The orc's earthen minion turns to rubble, then dust, then nothing.
The fiery explosion in the north room and its lasting echo are near-deafening. The screams and cries within the blast radius do cut through the ringing in your ears.
Varian's growth now complete, he takes a moment for the flames to die down before making his next move.
The orc summoner tries to both bat away Sunny, and kick off the badger before weaving another spell in guarded gestures.
A steaming cold dagger appears in her right hand. She flips it in her palm ready for a downward stab.
Varian charges up the hallway, stopping 15' back from the guards and blocking their way as he attacks the one on the left.
The orc guard is hit hard just as he was recovering from the blast. He is nearly bowled over and his shoulder destroyed. Though broken he still rages forward to attack like a lurching zombie. The armored guard beside him charges forward immediately after.
Beyond the guards, Varian gets a fair view of the North chamber. There is a channel of water which cuts the room into a "near half" and far half - which is raised and contains what looks like a very wide altar.
Another summoner stands behind the altar, and a figure in similar armor as the guards - plus wide epaulets, cape, and steel helmet which looks like a misshapen skull. He points toward you, and yells. "Hold them off while these feeble initiates recover from the evoker's hellfire!"
There are faint glows of light and murmured casting - out of Varian sight - on either side of the doorway.
A moment later... the same voice. "What!? Why have you stopped the ritual?" Varian sees the helmed figure turn sharply to the nearby summoner - who is "rattling" his hands as if shaking off hand-cramps.
Varian takes his aoo on the injured guard as the fellow moves into his threatened area.
Varian's hammer cracks the injured orc guard in his good shoulder. He spins and careens into the stone wall, then falls unmoving.
The second orc guard's ax swings well wide of Varian.
"D'ye give up?" Sunny asks brightly of the other woman.
The badger sees the weapon and is still bleeding and raging. He attacks the summoner.
The earth elemental joins the fray and slams two mighty fist into the summoner.
Corum advances with his mirror image duplicates to right behind Varian and fires another pea sized object into the room detonating in the center of the room in another fiery explosion. Grabbing the disrupting rod, Corum makes spell casting once again difficult with the residual drain on magic.
The orc summoner snorts at Sunny's reminder of the option to surrender - thumbing her broken skull amulet....
She is then brought down, and quickly dispatched by Corum's summoned minions.
"Awe..." Sunny is sad that the woman was arrogant, or silly and had to be dealt with by Corum's friends. With a sigh Sunny simply takes a step and drops into the waters of the pool/pit who's lid is open.
"What's down here?" She wonders.
Anumil flicked the dust off his blade and turned to Sunny.
"Well, that was... Wait! Sunny!" He shouted in alarm.
He rushed over to the open pit and looked down.
Corum points to the guard facing Varian.
"You can still survive this if you surrender. You don't have to end up like all your friends."
You see Sunny in a submerged cage just below the trapdoor of the pit.
All around you is water, and you can see a similar cage - which must be below the the room south of you. Inside that cage is a (sleeping?) female who looks exactly like you - minus wings. Her cloak floats about her, and a glob of something covers the top and back of her head like a lumpy cowl.
"Sunny! Oh for cryin' out loud..." He said.
He looked around for a hard point to anchor a rope. Tying it off, he drops the other end into the shaft and starts to climb down.
All around you is water - as far as you can see, and you can see a similar cage - which must be below the the room south of you. Inside that cage is a (sleeping? ) female who looks exactly like Sunny - minus wings. Her cloak floats about her, and a glob of something covers the top and back of her head like a lumpy cowl.
Is Sunny OK? Is she stuck in the cage? If so, I will try to free her first. If she is free and OK, I will indulge in curiosity, cast Light and swim over to the other cage.
She is fine... the trapdoor is the only top to the cage, and she is otherwise unrestrained. (If you drop into the trapdoor opening, you are in the cage)
You are able to work one of the brackets loose - which secures the cage to its mounting. The little extra wiggle room would make it easier to do the same for three others it would take to completely remove the cage from the floor above.
The other Sunny does not react to the light, but at least you can see her a little better - and can see no injuries.
After working one of the brackets loose on the cage, Anumil shook his head and motioned for Sunny and him to surface.
"That was a lot of work," He gasped. "I really think we can have an easier time by going to the next room and drop in from the top. I'm pretty sure that room is just like this one." He grabbed the rope up and arched an eyebrow at Sunny, waiting for her reaction.
"An' here I were thinkin' that peoples were makin' things up about 'All us Elfs lookin' alike ta' them'.." She huffs.
At Anumil's urging and indication she surfaces and listens... Before nodding in agreement and climbing out of this box to go and look for the lid of the other box.
"Here! Is stranger an' stranger, in it?" She asks,even as she shakes most of the water from her wings.
She tugs on Anumil's sleeve,
"Here? Shouldn't we be standin' besides Corum?" She asks.
Round... 8?
Move out to (T,12)
He sees Varian engaging the guards and goes to help.
Sunny as well sees Varian (And Corum?) encountering guards and also moves to help.
Corum sees if his second fireball did any damage. He is really glad he memorized two fireball spells this day.
"Oooo! Sparkly!" Sunny exclaims at the fire-works. (^_^)
The forces in the north room take longer to recover from Corum's second blast... their pained howls linger.
The commander hollers. "Cover is of no use! Advance, and bring down the evoker! the pain! Let it "
"Skourta! Summon your render!"