Grabbing the staff with both hands Philgor takes a mighty backhanded swing at where the imp should have been but hits nothing.
Took my eye off it for half second. Damn that thing is quick.
Lyra moves in and casts a spell on the ant. Its mandibles seem to get just a bit faster and maybe a little sharper. magic fang
The ant clacks and bites at the new devil.
, plus
Philgor: 15
Argus: 10
Ingrid: 6
Lyra: 4
Shackleton: 9
Antagonist: 22
The imp easily ducks Philgor's swing as Shackleton pushes his way into the room and slams his fist into its head, the devil's stinger catching the gnome as he leaves himself open.
Grinding her teeth, Ingrid waits as Lyra moves forward and casts a spell on her summoned creature, which still can't seem to catch the imp, which tries unsuccessfully to get past the gnome and out the door.
I1: 2
After another lash of the stinger, beads of sweat form on the gnome's brow, and his swings all soar wide of the creature's frantic wing-beats.
Philgor slides in behind the imp while it attacks Shackleton and swings the staff with both hands.
Sick of waiting for the devil to exit, Ingrid nudged her way through her allies until she could see it. Calling to it in its tongue, she accompanied her speech with a beckoning gesture.
Lyra hesitates a moment as the ant attacks. Then attempts to slice the imp with her sickle.
ant , plus
,
,
Philgor: 15
Argus: 10
Ingrid: 6
Lyra: 4
Shackleton: 9
Antagonist: 22
Though the staff feels no different than any other staff he's wielded, Philgor's finally able to land a solid blow, battering the small devil. The creature hesitates for a moment as Ingrid's magic takes it, but its able to shake it off with a snarl before being grabbed by the ant, which manages to crush it in its mandibles.
As the sound of combat continues below -- both inside and outside the inn -- Shackleton can feel the poison continue to course through his muscles
Vegazi, almost panting, looks around.
"This is my old tribe, I think," she says, seeming unconcerned with her nudity as she nocks another arrow to her bowstring. "We must find out why they attack. Will you help?"
Ingrid thinks a moment to her request. "Yes. I can call a mist to cover an area. If you would like to stay within it as a point of advantage with your bow, let me know where you would like it conjured."
That should buy us some time at least if there are many more of them outside.
"Bully good job on that summon spell, Miss Lyra!" the gnome exclaims. "What is it you think they're after?"
Feeling bloodied and weak Philgor blushes slightly at the sight of the naked woman in front of him. Quickly averting his eyes he grabs his armor.
"I need a minute to recover and prepare for battle. I will be there a soon as I can"
"Someone look out the window and see what is going on!
"I wish I had magic for that Philgor," Lyra points at the armor. "But my protection magic is only good for me and Olive. Well, unless you want to hit something with your hand." Lyra moves to the window and directs the ant toward any devils she can see. Throwing up the sash the wild caller reports her findings to the others.
"That may help. We must go find more devils," Vegazi replies, turning and getting dressed herself as Philgor races to don his armor.
Outside, you can see chaos on the streets of Arwyll Stead, flocks of devils like the ones you faced outside town assailing buildings and fleeing residents, seemingly semi-formed masses of flesh clawing at anything within range. Screams rise up the stairs from below.
Like Philgor, Argus will take the time to return to his room and don armor. He'll also fills his pockets with some burst jars and thunderstones.
"Gods above and fiends below, that's a whole bloody lot of devil to content with." the gnome says, with a frown, glancing over Lyra's shoulder, the bed creaking under his weight.
Fetching his scroll case, leather coat, and weapons, he stumbles into the hall still strapping on his heavy boots, glancing into Argus' chamber, letting out a low whistle at the arsenal of alchemical supplies within. With a nod in the Alchemist's direction, he stomps down the stairs, trying not to reflect on how woefully unprepared he is.
Philgor finishes pulling the last of the straps on his armor and grabs his weapons and two potions. Heading for the stairs he drinks the potions.
Is this inn secure enough to gather the steaders here? the wild caller wonders.
Lyra shouts to the people outside to reach the inn & shoots down devils from the window.
Lyra casts shield while her allies get dressed & moves to the fighting below.
You can hear screams from below, so you don't think the inn is secure, Lyra.
As soon as you're ready, you head down as a group, weapons and magic at hand. A half-dozen doors stand open, and you can hear panicked cries from further east, by the tavern's taproom.
"If we are going to wait to move together, I too shall hastily don." Lyra passes the open doors to the corner where she can best cover her allies and see into the taproom.
Argus will try to move forward to where he can see what is going on. He has a burst jar in one hand and his cudgel in the other.
With one look, Ingrid knew the area was beyond saving completely. She resorted to her base protective instinct: Survival.
"I'll head towards the entrance, fog up the door and beyond so we needn't contend with more of the hellspawn. I might need one to head with me though. Shackleton? Vegazi? Either or both would be appreciated."
"Those fiends won't know what hit them."
Philgor reaches the bottom of the stairs and rushes into the taproom.
Remembering his military training he yells out, "Let's get the inn secured first and use it for our rally point in the battle."
As you pass the open doors toward the center of the inn, you can see a few panicked inn patrons and tavern-goers flee through the front doors to the north; they don’t stop to talk, but among their shouts and
screams, you can make out that the attackers came through the eastern doors to the taproom.
Before you can do anything else, though, you realize a pair of creatures -- roiling waves of flesh, with half-formed limbs and a dripping tumorous face wriggling amid the fatty surge -- have emerged from one of the rooms you passed and are closing quickly.
They're lemures, the least of devilkind.
"These are your tribe Lady Vegasi? Why serve with these things? Want more can you tell us?" seeing the fleshy creatures, Lyra does not expect an answer, instead she steps back from the creatures and launches another arcane shaft.
When this one spatters against the wall it arcing tendrils form into four legs. A moment later a complete wolf stands there and bites at the fleshy creature.
, plus
Ingrid moves forward to strike the nearest lemure with her warhammer.
How many of these devils are there?
Philgor steps towards the creatures. He thrusts his weapon between Vegasi and Ingrid to stab at the creature.
Argus will drink his extract of bomber's eye, and look around for throwable objects.
He contemplates the burst jar in his hand. "Hope y'all know what an implosion is."
Philgor: 18
Ingrid: 16
Argus: 14
Lyra: 10
Shackleton: 10
Antagonist: 4
Philgor stabs at the creature, though as with the previous attackers, his blow does less than he expected, its impact seemingly blunted in the creature's folds of skin. Ingrid's hammer rocks it more, but it remains upright and ducks beneath the wolf's jaws. It -- and its companion -- claw at Shackleton as he tries to get around them but the gnome's armor holds against their claws.
Unfortunately for Argus, a quick search reveals nothing throwable at hand, though he can see items in the nearest bedroom that could work or in the tavern's taproom.
"They are bad," Vegazi replies simply as she drops her bow and pulls a shortsword. Her clumsy stab doesn't penetrate the creature's tough flesh and the half-feral half-orc growls in frustration.
They lash out in return with their claws, and Ingrid feels twin streaks of pain down her side as she sees her blood drip from two wounds.
L1: 11
Argus will lob the burst jar against the nearest lemure. "Fire in the hole! Get back!"
Then he will run 30' back toward the bar, where throwable bottles, glassware, and other odds and ends await. Behind cover, even!
Philgor watches the wound close up as he pulls his Bec de Corbin from the creature chest.
Time to change tactics
"Stay low Ingrid!", he yells as he swings his weapon to bring the blunt end down on creatures head.
The wolf continues biting at the fleshy creature.
Lyra shoots her magical bow at the enormous amount of bare flesh.
, plus
(cover?)
Stay low? Is that some sort of insult to dawrvenkind?
The judge did not keep straight thoughts as she took her injuries and Philgor grave his counsel. She did, however, recall her ingrained training: The hammer fell down once more.
Philgor: 18
Ingrid: 16
Argus: 14
Lyra: 10
Shackleton: 10
Antagonist: 4
Philgor and Ingrid's unfamiliarity hampers their efforts, and neither is able to land a blow. Argus' bottle hits the closest devil, but despite his cries of fire and holes, it has no immediate impact that any of you can see.
The long bar counter is covered in platters of half-eaten food and Numerous bottles of alcohol rest on shelves behind the bar. Amid the half-empty cups of ale and spilled dinner plates, Argus spots a couple flasks marked with the symbol of Sarenrae, a cold iron dagger, and a small sack of something. A silver raven figurine is half-hidden, tucked beneath a discarded napkin.
Back in the other room, Lyra's wolf distracts her foe, and her arrow slams home, though she can see the fleshy creature's body push the shaft mostly back out after impact. Shackleton dashes around the creature and stabs, but can't find its mark as Vegazi stabs it only to see its flesh slough off the blow before stepping back away from it.
The devils, beset on both sides, lash out with claws, catching both Lyra's wolf though Shackleton's armor deflects the blow aimed at him.
L1: 11
L2: 3
Philgor sees an opening now that Vegasi has moved and attempt to bring his weapon down hard on the creature attacking Shackleton.
His weapon vibrates in his hand as a low beam in the ceiling takes the full impact of his blow.
He growls and holds his potion using the reach of his weapon to support the others and hold the creatures at bay.
The wolf continues its attack on the fleshy creature.
"Leave it," Lyra steps back as she howls at the wolf to do the same. Then she looses another arrow at the same devil.
, plus
(cover?)
Ingrid takes a step back, assuming a defensive stance at the alchemist's warning.
Shackleton will take a 5-foot step backward, peppering the nearest demon with magic-missiles.
The chemicals from the burst jar start to fizz, then suddenly react with a , crushing the coated lemure within and sending a sudden shock wave outward.
Meanwhile, Argus vaults the bar, filling his pockets with anything throwable.
Philgor: 18
Ingrid: 16
Argus: 14
Lyra: 10
Shackleton: 10
Antagonist: 4
Falling back, Philgor and Lyra struggle to hit the devils, though you're finally able to put them down with magic as Argus jar blasts one out of existence and Shackleton's magic missiles finish the second off moments later.
As Argus begins to grab bottles from behind the bar, he notices several more devils, similar to the ones you fought when you met Vegazi, swooping around the taproom. They spot the alchemist and rush to attack.
Seeing the last creature fall he heads off into the main room
Argus lobs a thunderstone into the main hall to disorient the Devils.
Shackleton pauses for a moment to watch the Devils sink to the floor, before rushing to catch up with Argus. (double move. I still can't seem to edit the map()
Ingrid: 4*
Lyra: 3*
Shackleton: 16
Philgor: 10
Argus: 8
Vegazi: 5
Antagonist: 5
Shackleton and Philgor rush into the other room as Argus' stone explodes in a deafening boom, though the devils seem to pay it little heed.
Having made himself a threat, Argus now finds himself the target of the devil's ire, and they wing toward him faster than a man can run.
The first stabs him with a spear, the edge scraping across his upper arm and leaving a bloody trail. The second breathes out a cloud of noxious vapor, which reeks of pure corruption.
Moving forward 5 feet Philgor swings at the devil in front of him
Argus coughs heartily, but manages to clear his lungs. He lets that sensation distract him from the sudden pain in his bloodied arm.
He snatches up one of the flasks marked by Sarenrae's blazing angel. He does not currently have the time to think about what kind of town this must be that holy water is stocked under the bar. It'll probably occur to him later, though. He takes a short step back, avoiding the spear, before lobbing it point-blank into the devil's face.