Will Save -->Muhahahaha
Angmar says nothing to the demon in disguise merely mumbles afew words of prayer to Angrodd to steady his sword arm.
Je'grik enters the room and stays by the door, willing to listen to this old man's tale for a bit.
Why was this room left a cave instead of being worked and carved?"
Man, there's such a large amount of nothing down here. Will we ever find anything of worth, or are we destined to follow false leads?
Most of Apollo's thoughts consist of questions primarily aimed towards his surroundings, but with the addition of two new members, he's unsure as to why Dmitri and the others have not expressed their distrust for Je'Grik and Brek, but figures mostly it's down to the same reason he hasn't - Manners. Still, Kori wasn't known for hers, and Dmitri couldn't care less about most things. Well, apart from women, his patron and all that represents the higher being he worships.
As the party enter, although strange in contrast, incongruous to its surroundings, Apollo looks up towards the golden robed man, sitting atop the throne and places his hand on Nom's head.
Old man! If this is your home I apologise for intruding, but what's your purpose here? Speak now, for I fear those I travel with have little care for formalities, holding far less patience than I.
Kori, why do you insist on threatening to kill everyone we come across. Eurgh...
The old man laughs at Kori's insults, at Brek's timidness, and at Angmar's stoicism. He begins to talk.
"Many years have I languished in this foul place, trapped here by the wards placed by your Pactmasters. Endless decades have I endured the whispering spirits of the wholesome dead, cursing my captors, hating the world I could no longer corrupt. When the Templar came eight weeks past he walked through the walls. The red-men’s seal remained intact. But you, you have broken the seal, and my long captivity is finally at an end. But before I go, I will kill you one by one until the last of you willingly allows himself to be my slave." The old man rises from his seat. "Which one of you, I wonder, shall that be?"
At this last word, he morphs. As his form changes, a mad laugh echoes through the cavern. The old man's mouth opens, and opens, and continues opening until it is terribly wide, and then clawed feet, too large to have fit inside the little emaciated frame, pull themselves out of the mouth. Anchoring themselves on the ground, they pull forth a massive insectoid frame. Comically small wings buzz atop the long body of this insectoid, extraplanar creature, and four emotionless, black, beady eyes regard the party from the front of a face marked by massive, sharp teeth. Last out of the deflating old man is a long, scorpionlike tail, tipped by a sharp stinger. The creature's chitinous skin gleams distractingly and the buzz from its wings gets annoying into the head, causing a headache and distraction.
Initiative:
Angmar - 21
Xulthos - 20
Je'Grik - 20
Kori - 16
Dmitri - 13
Apollo - 10
Brek - 9
Kori grits her teeth as the grating loud chirrup of it's wings pierces her brain, "I am no one's slave! Not any more, and if I have to die to finish you I will, but I will die a free woman and you will die a nobody."
::: PRE-INITIATIVE :::
Unsure of what he'd just seen in front of him, Apollo marched up next to Kori, making sure to keep Nom behind him, as he gripped his hammer tightly, trying not to give this terrible looking creature eye contact.
Kori. This thing feels powerful...Really powerful! It wouldn't be right if I let you face this alone, so....what do you say we end this creatures torment by making it a slave to death?
Wil
Angmar remains unfazed and Angradd's faithful walks right up to the demon and whacks him in the face.
Die ye demon scum!
Attack PA Damage
Angmar walks up to the demon, unfazed and stoic, and because the demon is still not quite ready for battle, Angmar has an easy time of it simply whacking the demon in the face with his mace. A powerful blow, indeed, and amplified by Angradd's holy energy - a blow that would put the Angmar of two weeks ago to shame.
The demon, however, is simply not impressed by Angmar's strength, and laughs as it rears up onto four of its six legs and slashes at him with its claws. One of the claws merely scrapes along his armor, but the other punctures straight through, creating a big rent and a bloody line in his flesh. The creature then follows it up with a powerful piercing blow of tail-stingyness, which punctures the dwarf's armor and then a strong bite right to the neck.
Initiative:
Angmar - 21
Xulthos - 20
Je'Grik - 20
Kori - 16
Dmitri - 13
Apollo - 10
Brek - 9
"I don't believe in making anyone a slave.. wait, you mean kill him, right? I believe in that."
Seeing Short-legs get torn into like that, Kori actually displays an unusual level of caution, saying a prayer... of sorts as she slowly moves toward the thing "War-god, you gave me power to defeat my enemies. Protect me so that I can kill for you. If not, forget you, I don't need your gifts."
The demon falls over Angmar with a multitude of attacks blood splattering all over. The Dwarf is still standing but only barely so.
Brek gapes as the demon tears into Angmar.
"Beware it's a glomeray daemon, an evil creature from Abaddon. It can do impersonation and charming of humanoids, although it is powerfully strong physically, and tough as well, and has significant illusory powers under its belt. A Tough customer actually."
Looking at Kardswaan's greataxe now on his back and next to his longbow, Apollo thinks to himself as he's reminded once again by the encounter he faced several days prior.
A demon again? Last I recalled my hammer had little effect, so I doubt my bow will be much better. How about this Axe? A slashing weapon worked last time, so it's worth a shot!
Looking to his surroundings, he questions the new team members skills, for now was as good a time as any to use them.
Delaying action, he took a defensive stance with this new, powerful looking axe and with Angmar in trouble, hastily asked those around him; I know little of magic, but can any of you give me some kind of magical armour, or power my weapon up somehow? I'm not sure I can survive the hit Angmar just took, and so I want my swing to count!
Nom can sense the caution in Apollo's mind and edges further away from the demon.
His blood starts to boil like he's under the noon day sun as Brek reveals what this.. this thing was. He drew his blade and, gripping it tightly in both hands, charges the daemon with a loud hissing prayer to Sarenrae on his tongue.
Brek calls out
"It's a Glomeray Daemon. Acid and posion are useless against it while its thick hide protects against the elements. Beware of its spells as well. The wings beating are a distraction and that thing knows it while that hide of its reflects light to make it diifcult for us to hit it!"
Brek also adds in the last bits as an afterthought.
"Oh yeah, watch out for claws, its bite and that tail. And ermm it flies too."
Roaring his rage and a challenge, Je'Grik closes on the daemon, bastard sword in hand and swinging hard. The blade cuts into the exoskeleton of the huge creature, cracking the outside of it and biting deep into the thing's fiendish flesh.
Kori, Apollo, and Brek dally around the outside of the battlefield, with Kori surrounding herself in the protection of her deity and Brek shouting information that he'd recalled about the creature they face.
Suddenly, shouting a profane curse and swinging his recently-acquired scythe, Tempest, Dmitri charges Xulthos. His immense wounds that Kardswann delivered him are gone, and the masochistic man is looking for new wounds. Hopefully they scar. Scars are good stories...especially when they're from whips. He's gained a lot of martial puissance since their dally in the abandoned monastery atop the hill, and Dmitri easily cuts into Xulthos with the scythe....or he would have, if a stray light reflected off of the creature's carapace had not flashed him directly in the eye. The scythe swing whiffs quite completely.
Initiative:
Angmar - 21
Xulthos - 20
Je'Grik - 20
Kori - 16
Dmitri - 13
Apollo - 10
Brek - 9
Angmar has almost been chewed to death but he's still standing and swinging and the valliant follower of Angrodd continues his assault with his companions by his side.
Attack flanking and PA Damage with 1d6 precision dmg
Circling around his opponent to flank it with the tiefling warrior, Angmar delivers another crushingly powerful blow. What his physical strength lacks, he more than makes up for in divine power. However, the creature he faces is powerful indeed, and still stands strong after his blow.
Xulthos is growing grim and determined in his battle against the assembled warriors, and he lashes out with bite and claw against those in front of him. Almost as an afterthought, Xulthos' tail sting maneuvers behind him and stings at the dwarf warrior. The tail sting penetrates the dwarf's strong armor and magical protections, sending the stalwart warrior into unconsciousness. Meanwhile, his claws and teeth rip into Je'Grik and Dmitri.
Initiative:
Angmar - 21
Xulthos - 20
Je'Grik - 20
Kori - 16
Dmitri - 13
Apollo - 10
Brek - 9
"Lizard-friend, we must move now, before more of them fall." Kori moves up toward the thing, around to where Short-legs had stood. She focuses her anger letting it consume her every thought. This foul demon will have to be put down. The fool dwarf didn't heal himself, so she will also focus on dropping the enemy before doing the same.
Agreed. We'll just have to make do with what we have!
Rearing up, Apollo looks to the Greataxe now in hand, airing his thoughts out loud; Let's see what this Axe can really do. There's no time like the present and all!
Spinning the axe once around his head and charging the beast known as Xulthos, using the momentum from the original axe spin, Apollo shifts the angle into more of a wild uppercut, hoping to shred the Demons underside wide open!
Brek seeing Angmar goes down calls upon his fiery blood and erects a protective barrier around himself as he moves slowly towards where Angmar is thinking to pull him out.
This thing was nothing short of a perfect specimen from the abyss, and Dmitri drew upon the same knowledge they did of it. The beating of the wings unnerved him, and it tore into his flesh with stark impunity, but not like it had done Angmar. The creature was wise, and it could even bring down the most stalwart of them rather easily, but that was all the more reason for him to keep himself calm and attack the beast naturally.
As the claws sank into his chest, he grinned, knowing that it would take a bit more than that. A wide smile crossed his lips as it drew blood. Not wasting any time, Dmitri whipped his scythe, just as the claw pierced through his armor, clipping the daemon in the most tender part of it's forearm, the shoulder.
The dark purple nectar flowed fast out of it, and a wry smile crossed his lips, happy to have finally drawn blood. And no sooner, either... He found himself standing opposite someone, but he couldn't be remotely sure with the blur of the wings misting his eyes up.
He watched closely as the others took their blows.
Pulling the scythe up and out, and making his presence known, Dmitri taunts him; "Foolish creature! All this time sitting in this hole has made you weak. It's a shame you've spent all this time scheming just to die! You're frail!" he says as he flourishes his weapon about himself. "This isn't even a good wound! I won't fall so easily. Even Kardswann's axe didn't fell me. Do you think you could with these bitten nails!?"
Together, Je'Grik, Kori, Dmitri, and Apollo surround the daemon they fight, and in turn, each delivers a powerful blow to the creature. Kori and Je'Grik flank the creature, each wielding their sword two-handed, and slash through the thing's carapace powerfully. Dmitri taunts the thing while he slashes through a tendon with his scythe, and then Apollo charges it, swinging up and right into its belly.
Entrails splash on the floor, but Xulthos still stands. And he bites the taunt that Dmitri's given him, turning all of his attention on the man. In his desperate rage, he rips powerfully into Dmitri's flesh, screaming, "I am not weak, mere mortal! I will rip you limb from limb, and when I bathe in your blood, then I will be the one who is taunting!" however, when Dmitri still stands, and is still whole, the daemon looks confused. It's not likely that he's ever met a human as tough as Dmitri is.
Initiative:
Angmar - 21
Xulthos - 20
Je'Grik - 20
Kori - 16
Dmitri - 13
Apollo - 10
Brek - 9
Brek Pulls Angmar away from that chaotic melee hoping against hope that he's able to stem the bleeding once he's pulled Angmar far enough away.
Kori maintains the flank she has with Snake-eyes and swings hard again at the creature, seeing that it is on its last bit of strength. She is distracted, however, by her footing while trying not to step on Short-legs.
Keeping his target in sight, Apollo looked out from the corner of his eye, as his great new axe dripped with the dark purple life force of its giant, menacing target. This thing...WHAT POWER! Guess I'll be keeping this for future use! Still, if only I could make my Hammer even stronger. Where there's a will.....THERE'S A WAY!
Smirking, Apollo ripped the Axe violently from the creatures chest and directed it towards the joint of its left foreleg.
DMITRI! called out the man. You want a souvenir? he asked as he attempted to slice through as many of the creatures legs possible, along its left side.
As he taunted Xulthos, Dmitri laughed wide and with great enthusiasm as he was curtly distracted and subsequently torn limb from limb. He licked his lips as the entrails fell from his gullet and belly, gripping his scythe close to him. Time seemed to slow down a bit as he let himself go, quite a bit.
He could hear something from the demon, but his head went numb from the pain in his brow suddenly. The room went a bit red and he could feel himself presenting his whole body to the daemon, with no resistance whatsoever. The fight was over, already, and he wasn't against the idea of a little bit of pain. Some real pain!
The creature's maw sank into his shoulder, and his claws tore his abdomen asunder in the exposed area of his armor. Claws sank entirely into his flesh, all the while he smiled wide. With a slow laugh, Xulthos looked on in blatant surprise as he realized that Dmitri was still alive, and seemed to be in even more surprise as he forced the scythe up into his throat.
He lurched, trying to stop him, but with an unholy fervor, and a small bit of dark energy trailing away from his left eye, Dmitri kept forcing it slowly deep into the fleshy part of his neck. With a victorious chuckle and a dizzy pounding head, Dmitri retorted; "I shall be the one bathing today, daemon." he said as he pushed the blade farther into the carapace. "Though it is fool's blood..."Finally, without being able to stop him, the demon resisted less and less as the pain turned to numbness and Dmitri tore the scythe away severing most of his neck.
Taking a few steps back, covered in the blood from himself, and the recent fountain that Xulthos had proved to be, Dmitri took a stance against the wall with his left hand as the combat was over.
With a satisfied smile, Dmitri slid down the wall, leaving a mixture of red and purple blood painted against it as he slinked to the ground.
Meanwhile ignoring his other party's member's antics, Brek desperately tries to stem the blood flow.
Angmar's life waters dying his red robes even redder giving it an unusual brownish muddy look now.
"Oh no, is it wrap first or push the bandage in first? Do I stab and leave it there to stem it or should I just use my fire abilites and sear it closed?"
Grinning in sadistic glee as his stronger compatriots fail to damage Xulthos (Apollo because he was distracted by pretty lights while he missed every single insectoid leg on the creature, and Kori because she was distracted by nearly tripping on Angmar as Brek pulled him out from between his legs) Dmitri attacks him. Piercing the creature's neck with Tempest, Dmitri smiles as Xulthos' mouth articulates in surprise and pain.
Working desperately to stabilize Angmar, Brek manages to rip a few strips of cloth off of his bright red robe and wrap up the dwarf's wounds, stopping the bleeding (at least for now).
Behind Xulthos' gold throne is a small golden chest filled with ancient relics that must have once been in use by the clerics in this place.
Obviously, these are ancient relics and are the property of the church of Sarenrae. It's REALLY up to you about if you care, but it's very possibly sacrilege to just claim them.
Calming down from his battle fury, Je'grick feels the weight of his own wounds and can tell the others faired little better. Taking his holy symbol from under hus armor and holding it aloft, Je'grik fills several yards with a warm, comforting light.
...and then does so again, having failed to do much for their injuries... Twice.
When the chest us discovered and opened, it takes him but a moment to realize what's inside.
"Treasures of the church... they should be returned." Remembering the.. morals.. of some of the group, he adds a bit more. "They could provide better healing than I can on occasion if we're in good standing with them."
Kori stands heaving deep breaths as she comes down from her battlelust. She looks around the scene, almost expecting more, before she remembers that she too has been given god-power to close wounds. She does so for both Short-legs and Pain-lover. Confused as to why her power does not work as well on the dwarf, she tries again, but still the results are minimal.
She looks around the room, waiting to see something else to fight, something to do, it can't have been that easy. Then suddenly she breaks the calm with a shout and for the first time since any one of the group has known her, a hint of a true and natural smile can be seen at the edge of her eyes, and her mouth is slightly twisted by the unfamiliar movement.
She looks confused at Snake-eyes as he mentions treasures, almost as if he is speaking a foreign language, not quite understanding the importance of anything beyond her own accomplishment. "Yes, whatever, god-treasures. Do what you want with them. I was given god-power." She puts away her blade and looks around like she doesn't know what to do with herself now that she is the master of her own decisions.