Khazmia: 17
Kyson: 12
Zstelian: 10
Linah: 9
Sekathral: 24
Antagonist: 7
The balls of lightning catch all three of the rhagodessas and Khazmia's magic missiles slam into the most injured one, which collapses into the nearby chasm, fortunately dropping Linah's slumping form as it falls.
Zstelian's blade flashes furiously, carving horrific wounds into the vermin he's facing, which collapses under the weight of its wounds and the fireball from Kyson.
On the other side of the room, Sekathral collects himself and leaps over the gaping hole in the ground, landing on the far side of the rhagodessa, but realizes there's no one keeping its attention now that Linah's passed out. He stabs it and it spins toward him, grabbing him in one claw and drawing him in for a vicious bite.
BR3: 27
Round 4, Init 12
Kyson continues to inspire.
Kyson draws his rod that allows him to cast spells from afar.
He heals Linah, while hoping the others will take out the final monster before she tries to rise.
CMW
Blessing:Each round for the duration of this spell, each of your allies can choose one of the following bonuses for that round at the beginning of its turn (their choice).
- Increase its speed by 30 feet.
- Stand up as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
- Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus.
- Gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves.
- Cast a single spell of 2nd level or lower as if it were an enlarged, extended, silent, or still spell.
Heroism:+2 morale to attacks, saves, & skill checks.
AC: 21 (4 armor, 3 dex, 4 shield)
HP: 80/80
Light the Candle 1/9 used
Channel (6d6) 0/5 used
Heroism 3/11 rounds used
Rod Extend 0/3 used
Rod Reach 1/3 used
Wand CLW 3/50 used
Left hand: Shield
Right hand: empty
touch hit;
fire damage.
Khazmia takes aim at the remaining creature, releasing 3 rays of fire to scorch its hide, then moves the closest lightning ball onto the creature for good measure.
Round 4, Init 12, redux
Kyson continues to inspire.
Kyson draws his rod that allows him to cast spells from afar.
He heals Linah, bringing her from the brink of death.
healing
Khazmia: 17
Kyson: 12
Zstelian: 10
Linah: 9
Sekathral: 24
Antagonist: 7
The creature manages to duck away from Khazmia's ball of lightning, the Keleshite princess' blasts of fire all hit it center mass, and it screeches horribly in pain.
Zstelian closes in and slashes into it as Kyson heals Linah -- bringing the paladin back from Pharasma's gates -- but Kayle hits only chitin, the creature not even seeming to notice her presence.
Seka, caught in its grasp, stabs twice with his rapier, inflicting massive damage before it scissors his chest again with the mandibles, crushing ribs and sending the elf into unconsciousness.
BR3: 123
Round 5, Init 12
Kyson discontinues to inspire as he casts stabilize on Seka's limp form.
Blessing:Each round for the duration of this spell, each of your allies can choose one of the following bonuses for that round at the beginning of its turn (their choice).
- Increase its speed by 30 feet.
- Stand up as a swift action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
- Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus.
- Gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves.
- Cast a single spell of 2nd level or lower as if it were an enlarged, extended, silent, or still spell.
Heroism:+2 morale to attacks, saves, & skill checks.
AC: 21 (4 armor, 3 dex, 4 shield)
HP: 80/80
Light the Candle 1/9 used
Channel (6d6) 0/5 used
Heroism 2/11 rounds used
Rod Extend 0/3 used
Rod Reach 0/3 used
Wand CLW 3/50 used
Left hand: Shield
Right hand: empty
touch hit;
fire damage.
Zstelian's blades do their work and the final creature finally goes down, collapsing into a heap.
With the final creature down, Khaz stumbles forward, hoping against hope that the pirate has survived. "Is he ok, Kyson? Is Linah?" Completely useless at this sort of thing, she none the less tries to help. She kneels next to the unconscious Saraenite, calling her name. "Linah?! Are you OK?! Linah!!!"
Linah can feel herself floating through an immense void when suddenly all of her explodes into white light. Moments later she finds herself back in the cavern looking up at the ceiling. One by one her senses return. The texture of the stone ceiling and the damp smell of the nearby vegetation. The sound of blade on chitin and the overwhelming pain in her leg. With Khazmia's voice she regains full consciousness and her eyes shoot open and focus. "I am all right", Linah says and winces from the pain in her leg as she tries to rise. "What happened? Where are the others?"
"Sekathral doesn't look good, but Kyson is seeing to him. Hopefully he can help get him on his feet too. Here, let me help you." She offers the holy warrior a hand up so they can go join the others.
Kyson checks on Sekathral.
Heal
Sekathral opens one eye, then slowly moves his hand up to his chest, prodding at the ravaged flesh
"Well, that was a blast from the ****ing past, wo'n't it?", he grumbles, feebly. "Where's Linah?"
"I am here", Linah replies relieved to hear the elf's voice. "Thank you, Khazmia" she then continues and accepts the sorceress extended hand. With the help of Khazmia she pull herself to her feet with another wince. She places her hand upon her leg and a stream of warm light emits from her palm as her wound kits together. Lina's eyes has the gaze of someone who has had their being shaken to the core. "Is everyone all right?", she asks making an effort to keep her voice calm and steady.
"I'm just about on my feet, mate, but if anybody's got a blast of what's good I'd really ****ing appreciate a bit of it"
Kyson will heal injuries with his wand of CLW.
Kyson looks at the dead baddies, ready to go on, but not wishing to fight more of those.
Wounds healed, you press on, and after about an hour of walking , the tunnel opens onto a ledge about 200 feet above a massive cavern, nearly a half-mile across and more than that wide.
Within the immense cavern broods a realm of gigantic polyps and intricate fungi so large and elaborate that they seem almost to complement the twisted towers, temples and other myriad constructions of an insane city that can only be Golismorga.
Ruined citadels of cyclopean grandeur tangle amid spires that look to have been grown rather than built -- homes for beings with unspeakable forms. Senseless bridges reach to suicide heights, dropping away into squamous slums and melted ghettos. Seemingly accidental avenues and inaccessible alleys form an unfathomable maze, a labyrinth that stretches to the subterranean horizon.
Across it all bulge images of gnarled, tentacled things and red domes that glisten like unblinking, demoniac eyes. The already stale air has grown foul and close in this place, as if the smell of rot was somehow trying to crowd out the final gasp of freshness reaching these forsaken depths.
Bursting from the demented cityscape, three titanic columns of unearthly violet flame churn silently like the pillars of some gigantic temple, bathing the entire cavern in a nauseating violet light -- a light that seems somehow more horrible than the darkness that lurks at the edges of this nightmare grotto.
Linah asks for some time to collect herself before moving further. When the group does move she insists on taking the lead and taking create care to make sure that the path is as secure as possible, determined to make up for her previous failure. She calls for frequent stops to scout ahead and keeps looking back regulary to make sure that nobody is lagging behind.
"That must be it", Zstelian says grimly when the enormous fungal temple comes into view. "I'll head down first. Don't follow too closely", the old ranger says as he releases Kayle from his wrist and begins the perilous climb down.
Linah is about to protest but she knows that she has no way of decending the walls by herself. Although she strongly disagrees with Zstelian going down alone she concedes. "Be careful. We will follow you." She looks to Khazmia. "I am afraid that these walls are wildly beyond my ability to descend. Can you aid me with your magic?"
Kyson waits with Linah, giving her time to recover and plan.
"I'll walk down on my own. I can probably carry someone as well," Kyson answers Linah, looking over the precipice. "Maybe we should attack at first light on the morrow?"
Kyson's eyes look for movement or signs of inhabitatnts.
Perception
"Well, what a ****ing welcoming sight that is", remarks the elf, sourly.
"Yeah, I could do with a bloody kip", he remarks to Kyson, "So long as no bugger's going to sneak up and chew on us while we're out of it
Sekathral descends the walls gingerly, like a huge, dirty, long-eared spider.
Kyson stops. He doesn't want to go further.
"We shouldn't just rush in there. We can scout from out here. If someone can be invisible, they might even circle the city and see we might learn," Kyson opines.
"Tomorrow, I give us all a good feast and we can enter fully ready for the battles ahead."
Khazmia nods first to Linah, and then to Kyson. "Yes, when we are ready to go down, I can help. But I agree with Kyson that we should attack at full strength rather than tired and roadworn."
Thankful that Zstelian doesn't have to decend down into the demonic city alone Linah relaxes somewhat. From the ledge she surveys the city sprawled infront of the group wondering what horrors lie within. Before settling down to rest Linah kneels on the ledge saying a prayer to the Dawnflower to watch over her companions for what is to come.
The night passes uneventfully, and refreshed in what you can only assume is morning, you begin your descent.
In the morning, Kyson will arise and pray to where he thinks the sun is, staring into the dark until such time as his divine spark is refreshed.
When he is done, he wall upon Sarenrae's gifts to feed the party during their foray into their hardest task yet in assaulting the city.
"Eat! Come eat!" Kyson nudges Sekathral awake with his boot (unless Seka had joined for morning prayers, of course). "You too Kayle. Come eat some of the Foods of the Sun."
When that is done for those that want it (and the full meal takes an hour...there are rituals involved), Kyson will cast some additional magics.
Kyson is ready to descend and can carry one person.
"How many different kinds of ****ing fork do you ****ing need? Bloody rituals. Still, nice grub and at least, being ****ing holy, it didn't go cold while he was at all those frigging prayers"
Sekathral grumbles to himself as he clambers down the shaft.
Khazmia partakes of both the rituals as well as the feast that Kyson prepares. "Thank you for bringing a bit of Our Lady's light to these dismal reaches, Kyson."
When all are ready, she casts overland flight on herself and will offer her slippers to any that might want to use them to climb down, or the opportunity to fly if someone so chooses, (Linah, Sekathral?).
You descend safely, reaching the stone floor of the cavern, where the smell of rot reaches your noses all the more.
Once everyone is down on the ground, Khazmia gazes out over the ugly mess that is passing for a city. She looks to see if she can see any creatures. 'If I can see any of their citizens, I might be able to disguise us all so we can pass more easily."
Linah wrinkles her nose in response of the vast stench of rot. "If this city is densely populated I am afraid that our quest may be for naught. Still it is not a bad idea. We should tread carefully to avoid any confrontations before we know more about our opposition. Sekathral, you are far more skilled at remaining unseen than any of us. Do you think you will be able to scout ahead?"
"You can not be suggesting that we take the city head on?", Linah replies. "We know nothing about the city or its denizens. All we have is a description of the Lords of Dread. What if they are just a fraction of the population of this city? I believe that Khazmia's idea is the soundest, but for that to work we need to get a glimpse of the citizens and I believe that Sekathral is our best chance to achieve this."
"If there were folks alive we would have run into 'em by now, or at least seen 'em scurrying around. If you want me to have a quiet peek I'll do it, but I want to know you lot are there to back me up if I ****ing squeal"
Sekathral half-cocks his pistol with an aggressive gesture, stashes it in his sash where it can be easily withdrawn if necessary, then lopes forward 15 feet or so ahead of the rest, skulking.
You set out to the west toward the nearest pillar of purple flame, the city showing its strangeness in all its glory as you walk: A two-story-tall lung heaves on the side of one structure, gasping irregularly as you pass.
The column is worse, and you immediately feel your stomach start to turn as you get close.
Kyson struggles with his stomach, staring at the lung as if staring at the evil itself.
"Khaz, what is that? What...what is this place? It's so unholy..." Kyson feels the taint seeping from the ground through his shoes and into his body. He chooses to walk 10' above the ground, trying to lessen the impact of whatever taint he imagines.
Perception
"Let's go this way..." Kyson suggests.