"And we will stop them as assuredly as we are stopping you," Fabian retorts. "You are but a slave to a debased ideology."
If Bollwerk's attack didn't finish her off, Fabian will pull out his Wand of Magic Missile and fire one off at the half-elf.
Kazul grimaces at the blow! Assuming Bollwerk was intelligent and moved to H6, Kazul moves diagonally to H8 to trap her in a flank!
Raising an eyebrow at the staying power of the minotaur, Farasha steadfastly ignores the tiefling's grandstanding, concentrating on ending the threats as quickly as she can.
Jeslyn reels under the hits from Kazul and Fabian. Then the buffalo appears and smashes into her with its great bulk. She staggers backward, barely keeping her feet. "Slave I may be, but the power I serve will be victorious, unlike the false usurper godling you follow, Iomedaean!" Once more she steps forward, slashing with her scythe. Once more, blood flows as she connects!
"Iomedae is no 'false godling'!" Fabian cries. "She is the Inheritor, and she is the one true hope for Golarion!"
He fires off another magic missile from his wand, wishing that he still had more powerful spells left.
Her arrows going wide, Farasha narrows her eyes then points at the cultist
Desna strip you of your unholy protections...
The buffalo smashes into Jeslyn again, twisting her sideways and into Sjurds bolt. She screams in pain and reaches up with clawed hand to yank the bolt from her side. Fabian's missile hits her and she bares her teeth, mocking the wizard's claims about Iomedae.
Then Bollwerk steps up and runs her through. She looks down at the sword piercing her abdomen, slumping to her knees. She looks up at the tiefling paladin, an evil smile on her lips. "It has begun. She is coming..." Jeslyn manages to rasp out. Then she dies.
Collecting the helms with reverence in the hope to have them cleaned and mended Bollwerk looks around for his comrades. "I think we are close to our end. If necessary, please run Kazul. And it was my honor."With determination the Paladin moves through the door ready to face his destiny!
Fabian drifts back down to the ground. "She? Who is she?" he wonders. "I don't think Baphomet would usually go by that pronoun. Another priestess? A herald?"
He moves forward and looks at the body of Jeslyn.
Whilst everyone is still in the room, Farasha releases the last of her healing energy.
I don't know Fabian, we should probably finish clearing, and cleansing, the rest of the garrison whilst we ponder what she meant.
Farasha follows Bollwerk, still ready for anything.
"Thanks, Farasha!" Kazul is relieved as some of his grievous wounds close. He follows the paladin.
This circular room’s original purpose is unclear, but now it seems to be a trophy hall of some sort. A low stone pedestal sits on the floor in the middle of the chamber under a domed ceiling. Atop the pedestal is an iron, barbed cage—and within the cage sits a chunk of softly glowing white stone.
Moving in to protect the wearer of the rod of cancellation of any last surprises Bollwerk speaks up."Quick... use the rod! It seems we were on time!"
Farasha produces the rod, glancing around at her companions and smiling
Just in case things go badly now, it's been an honour and a priviledge fighting against the dark with you. Desna bless your souls and dance with you in the boneyard
and with that, she steps forward and touches the rod to the wardstone fragment.
Fabian steps into the room behind Farasha, ready to support her as necessary.
Waiting to see what happens when Farasha touches the wardstone...
Farasha has to extend her arm through the cage around the fragment reach it with the Rod of Cancellation. The moment she touches it, the wardstone fragment explodes in a blast of golden light and the sound of an angelic choir. Hundreds of razor-sharp shard of stone spray outwards, destroying the cage and shredding the contents of the room! By some miracle, none of you are harmed in the explosion!
For a second nothing happens, then suddenly you are assaulted by a rapid series of visions and memories that you - somehow - can understand and comprehend.
Rather than diffuse the energies of the wardstone border as the Eagle Watch surmised, the destruction of the fragment is like a the plug being removed from a dam. All of the energy of the entire wardstone border rushes through the 'hole' caused by the destruction of the Kenabres stone. The energy of all of these simultaneously draining artifacts washes over you, covering you a golden light and stunning you as your bodies try to cope with the power overwhelming you!
All along the border, the other wardstones flash with golden light as well, momentarily supercharging their effects. Thousands of demons are destroyed by the flash while many more are severely wounded. The attacks along the borders cease, and the surviving demons flee back into the Worldwound, thus they do not witness the final effect...the Wardstone Border goes completely inert.
You receive a vision of the first Wardstone being erected in the Kite here in Kenabres in 4639 A.R., in a ritual involving the aid of the Hand of the Inheritor - the herald of Iomedae: a golden, winged angel with a halo of swords around his head. This event happens soon after the Second Crusade begins.
In the year 4665 A.R. you see a vision of a 20-year-old Hulrun leading the burning of dozens of supposed “witches” in the courtyard of the Kite before the wardstone. This event launches the Third Crusade.
In the year 4692 A.R., you see a vision of Khorramzadeh the Storm King leading a brazen attack on Kenabres. The Storm King manages to strike a resounding blow with his sword against the wardstone, which suffers only the tiniest of cracks as the balor’s sword shatters. Khorramzadeh is then attacked and forced to flee when the silver dragon Terendelev nearly kills him. This event launches the Fourth Crusade.
In the year 4712 A.R., you see a vision of Irabeth chasing a burly dwarven man — Staunton Vhane (leader of the Hammers of Heaven mercenary group) into the courtyard containing the wardstone. Both paladins are heavily wounded, and as Staunton backs against the wardstone, smoke rises and he screams in pain. He ducks to avoid one of Irabeth’s blows, then manages to smash her knee with his hammer, dropping her to the ground. Staunton seems ready to deliver a death blow, but the sound of approaching soldiers forces him instead to back away and summon a fiendish giant wasp that he swiftly mounts and then f lies away to the north, abandoning Kenabres.
You see a vision of Minagho, a beautiful demonic woman with a long thin tail, clawed hands, and curling horns protruding from where her eyes should be, placing the wardstone fragment in this room and of Jeslyn using a wish granted by Minagho to create the cage around it before Minagho teleports away.
You see a vision of an event you know will now never happen — Areelu Vorlesh using a deep purple Nahyndrian crystal the size of a human’s head to corrupt the fragment, causing the entire border to flash with nauseating mauve fire that evastates the border cities and transforms countless crusaders into half-fiend slaves of the Worldwound. You realize at this point that the demons’ entire plan was to draw as many crusaders to the border to defend it from their attacks, in order to maximize the damage this event would have caused.
Drawing in a deep breath Bollwerk allows himself a smile."We did.... we did win!"
Still recovering from your swoon, you barely sense the sound of mailed feet charging up the stairs behind you. Irabeth charges in along with several of the soldiers of the Eagle's Watch, although you can barely register this fact. Just then the image of a semi-transparent beautiful demonic woman appears in the room before you. This is none other than Areelu Vorlesh, creator of the Worldwound herself!
She regards you with a smoldering fury in her red eyes. "This only delays your kind's extinction," she sneers, "At the least, I can take the time to hasten your own."
Irabeth charges forward with a shout, sword raised. "To me! To me! For Kenabres!" she cries, and the soldiers with her charge as well.
Areelu simply waves her hand, and the brave Eagles Watch stop dead in their tracks, dropping their swords and clutching at their throats. They turn to you with looks of desperate horror on their faces as they swiftly suffocate...
Drawing in a deep breath Bollwerk allows himself a smile."We did.... we did win!"
Areelu looks at you with a malicious sneer until she realizes that you are not suffocating. "Your precious stone seems to be still protecting you from my magic. No matter. It will not protect you from my slaves!"
She spreads her arms wide, and a rift tears in the reality around you. A half-dozen babau demons tumble through into the room. Behind them, you catch glimpses of even greater demons waiting to pass into your world: vrocks, glabrezus, even a marilith.
Suddenly the energy infusing you pulses back outward. You are no longer stunned, and in the same moment the spell affecting Irabeth and her troops ends. She drops to ground, barely alive. As this happens, the powerful energy hits the Abyssal rift and slams it shut. Areelu screams in agony as the magical feedback tears into her body, shredding wings and breaking bones. Her image vanishes with a snap!
While the rift may be closed, the babaus remain. Immediately, they attack with a snarl. Three work to summon more of their kind while three attack, claws dripping with acidic ooze.
Each of the demons tears into their target: Farasha, Bollwerk and Kazul. Their claws rake your flesh...then a strange thing happens. While you cringe, expecting horrific wounds, the damage caused is minimal! What's more, the acid of their claws does not seem to have any affect on you!
"What´.. doesn´t matter... IOMEDEA! Fear our Bravery!"
And with a quick slash Bollwerk attacks the nearest Babau moving aside to give Farasha a clean path so that she can step back and shoot again in his shieldshadow!
Kazul follows suit, attacking the same demon as the paladin, if it is still up! If not, apply to a fresh one, but he misses poorly.
You can feel the surge of power still within you. You know that if you just focus it, you can make it work for you.
Farasha takes the opportunity Bollwerk provides and steps begin the paladin to get enough distance from the demons so she can shoot without concern.
She draws and fires with perfect calm, feeling the energies of the wardstone still flowing through her and guiding her movements.
[ooc]Fabian?]/ooc]
Fabian looks at the images passing by in his mind with wonder. The Hand of the Inheritor! He feels Iomedae's divine power (for that's what he believes this to be) surging through him.
When the Babau's appear, his combat instincts kick back in. He raises his staff and speaks some arcane words. When he finishes, the others in the room feel their reactions improving.
Radiance carves the babau in front of Bollwerk and Kazul, spraying ichor and acid about the room. You've heard: the acidic secretions of these demons can harm those who wound them, but the acid seems to have no effect on you!
Farasha hits, does some damage, and causes the demon to shriek in pain.
One of the demons in the back manages to summon another of its kind, bringing the total to 7! Then the three in the back cackle evilly as they cast darkness - an effect that is dispelled as soon as it appears - by the bright golden glow about you! Screaming in frustration, the front three attack, all claws and teeth. Bollwerk takes two hits, as well as Kazul who takes three - but suffers no damage as the attacks fail to penetrate the powerful resistance you now carry!
And there's something else: your wounds begin to heal!
Marvelling at the golden aura emenating from the heroes around her, Farasha revels in the effect it is having on the accursed demonspawn.
Feeling Fabian's arcane energies speeding her movements she patiently draws and fires again.
Feeling the acid on his skin, but no burn then the speed of the spell course through him Bollwerk renews his attacks with a vengeance!
Feeling the healing energies surge through him, and seeing the others' wounds heal, Fabian suspects that the grace of Iomedae is with them, and he changes his usual tactics -- focusing on defense first, doing things such as activating his protective ward -- and goes on the offensive. He picks one of the Babau's that has already been wounded and targets it with a magic missile. Holding up his staff, three golden bolts of magical force shoot out at it.
Kazul continues his attacks.
Damage:
Damage:
Bollwerk cuts down the wounded demon, and a second dies under the weight of the rest of the parties assault. The rest of the babaus swarm, screeching their Abyssal warcries. Slashing and clawing they vent their fury on you...with little to no effect.
Their expressions turn from rage to surprise when it becomes clear that they cannot cause you serious damage, that the acid secretions that are their trademark doesn't effect you.
Farashs continues her stoic assault on the demons, arrows flying with supernatural speed from her bow.
Moving forward and keeping a clear line of attack for Farasha Bollwerk strikes again against the closest demon.
Fabian tries to take a couple of demons out of the combat so that his friends can focus on fewer at once. He raises his staff, and casts a spell, opening up an interdimensional pit.
Arrow, sword, falchion: another babau dies cursing you. Fabian's pit catches two others, sending them down into its extra-dimensional space. Sjurd's bison fails to catch one under its hooves, and his shot misses.
Farashs continues her assault.