The gnome's armor starts whizzing and the sound of clanking gears can be heard. Despite his appearance he is quite adept at using his size to cushion blows.
He gives a small laugh at the new comrade, "So as I was saying, medusae aren't related to snakes at all. You do know what a medusa is? I sure hope so because this sure seems like a lair, not like the petrification has anything to do with my assessment, no sireeeeeeee! We can fight here together just well enough alright!?"
Without losing a beat he pulls a narrow hose from his pocket. Within a flash from the nozzle a slick grease starts spraying out.
"I'm a gnome not a mustachiod child but thank you for your concern!" He draws his small knife and tries his best to look fierce before giving a tiny chuckle.
1 conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V S M (A bit of pork rind or butter)
Duration: 1 minute
Slick grease covers the ground in a 10-foot square centered on a point within range and turns it into difficult terrain for the duration.
When the grease appears, each creature standing in its area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must also succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
As he tries another swing, Kar answers the one who engaged conversation with him. "I was looking for fresh air, you could say."
Finally hitting and removing a big chunk of stone from the statue he's facing, he overhears some of the conversation going on. "Medusa, hmm?" he thinks aloud, his face adopting a wary gesture.
Both of the animated statues fall prone as grease springs up beneath them! Their stony limbs slam and clatter loudly against the stone floor.
”An I be Odak. Well met.” Kargoroth and the Professor are now introduced to the strange sight of a stone dwarf. He could almost be mistaken for the animated statues, save for jagged edges of stone protruding from his skin. His features are still recognizeable but not the perfectly sculpted faces of the medusa-created statues.
Looking from the fallen statues to the newcomers joining the fray, Odak takes on an incredulous look. ”How’n the nine hells are we ta be findin allies around er’y corner? I d’na understand but I ain’t complainin’. Thanks to ya lad!” And with that, the dwarf brings his flame-wreathed axe down on the nearest statue.
Trying to clear a pathway to his allies, Myras looks to the statue to his northwest while remarking slyly, "I've had quite enough of you big clay buffoons! Stand aside!" and under his breath utters a curse: "You call yourself a statue? I've seen better craftsmanship from an Umber Hulk!"
Kargoroth finishes off the most injured statue while Galinndan and Odak break more chunks from other statues. The gnome causes two to fall down with his spell. Cyrus hesitates and doesn't land a blow. Myras attempts a spell, viciously mocking the statues, but they seem to mindless to be affected.
The prone statues stand up and strike at Rankle, landing one blow (5 dam) but then falling back down. The near one also strikes Galinndan (3 damage). The other statutes strike at Kargoroth and Odak, hitting the dwarf once (20 to hit for 3 dam).
"I'd bet my good eye these things don care bout no insults." Cyrus huffs between his stabs.
Galinndan smiles a little at the gnome's response even as he continues to ring his blades off the statue.
"As you will, Professor! Fight on!"
"One little chip at a time! That's the gnomish way. Or well sometimes it is many chips, I'm not always the most careful when it comes to cave ins you see..."
Another vial pops open, begging the question about where he keeps them all but a quick cloud of acid makes the question ultimately unimportant.
Myras sneers at the goblin, muttering under his breath in a high-piched mocking tone: ...bet my good eye these things don care bout no insults... He leans forward to stab with his rapier at the statue in front of him.
Myras then calls out to the Professor: "Oi, be careful with those vials! I don't want to have to deal with an alchemical burn!"
trying to press the advantage together with the weird Dwarf, Kar lets go another swing on a statue, this time one of the two left in their melee. "How's things going on back there!" he shouts, hoping the other group manages better than his rusty and clumsy arms.
Nodding at his apparent new ally, Odak focuses his axe onto the same target as Kargorth allowing the flames from his axe to jump to the adjacent statue.
Odak tries to land a blow with his axe but doesn't quite manage it. Neither can Kargoroth land anything but a glancing strike on these stone statues. Myras' attack deflects as well! And Rankle's spell is dodged with great agility! Only the rangers manage any progress this time.
The statues attack viciously, striking hard with their stony limbs! Rankle gets kneed hard in the head (10 dam) while Galinndan is struck solidly (8) and Kargoroth and Cyrus get their fair share (3 dam each).
Cyrus swings his two blades wildly as the group continues to chip away at the animated statues.
Galinndan sways slightly from the stony blows but does his best to not relent in the pace of his return strikes.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Myras tries to squeeze behind Cyras and Odak to get a shot in at the statue they've been attacking. He's tempted to try and leap over Odak but doesn't want to offend him.
"Don't mind me; just had a difficult time reaching anyone back there!" He chuckles nervously, trying to brush off his embarrassment.
Upon entering the chamber with the others, he seas Galinndan off-kilter and tries to encourage him.
"I've seen worse, wood-elf,
wearied by the fight,
stand with strength
and slay these statues!"
In the chamber he sees for the first time the dagger-wielding gnome who's been hurling the vials and almost lets out a chuckle before thinking better of it. He knew better than to judge a threat by its size. Grinning slightly, he nods to the gnome and the paladin before stabbing at the statue Odlak and Kargoroth are attacking.
"Will these things ever go down?" Kar shouts, frustrated by the futility of his attacks. Trying once more, he hopes to be productive this time.
Odak is surprised when he notices Myras appear to his left. “Skinny elf snuck right behind me an’ I didn’t even notice” he grumbles to himself quietly. ”I ain’t be mindin ya if ya keep singin’ those sweet words o’ magic.” Odak replies.
”Chew on that ye dumb statue.” It’s clear that Odak will not come to any realizations as to how these statues may have been created. Even with the evidence of two new allies being brought back to flesh fighting before him.
Ready with another vial, the gnome lets it fly toward his two targets again.
"Okay, you know what this is getting utterly ridiculous! Who thought that such statues could be so difficult to deal with!"
He uncorks more acid from his flask, wondering when he will have the chance to take this combat experience and update the formula.
Galinndan, Cyras, and Odak strike solid blows, bringing down two of the statues finally! The Professor's acid damages two of them but Kargoroth and Myras can't manage to hit their attacks. The statues lash back, however, striking the gnome and the dwarf hard (three 18s to hit and a bunch of misses. 10 dam to Rankle and 3 to Odak).
"They begin to fall! Keep it up!", says Galinndan as he circles another statue to ring blows upon it!
Morale rises a bit on Kar when he sees some of the statues fall. With four men ganging up on one of the last remaining, he foresees a short future for it, and tries to make real his revelation.
The self proclaimed Professor gets hit hard again.
"We... Almost... Have Them."
He tries to pop open another vial but it clumsily topples on the two stone statues near him.
"If I must pull back I will but we aren't the kind to do that right Mister Enemy of Demons and Dragons and Dungeons?"
"I prefer to be the lsat to pull back, as I am fast enough to pull it off. But yes, we are not, Professor of Explosions.", Galinndan replies with a grin.
Bolstered by the felling of one of the statues, Odak tries to bring an end to the remaining statue in front of him.
Quite happy to see a statue fall, Myras stabs at the statue to his northeast:
He then looks to the wounded professor to offer healing aid:
”Vehement vial-tosser
Vociferous rambler
Learned gnome, never may
You kneel in defeat
Petrified no more but present
In person to pursue
Statues and stone-gazers
And all who stand against us.”
Cyrus swipes out with his blades twice more.
The mismatched group of fighters grow confident when they take a couple of statues down then spend some time attacking lackadaisically. It doesn't work well. Only Myras lands a blow while Rankle manages to damage one statue. The statues lash back out at those who damaged them but only Rankle is hit (20 and 21 to hit for 15 damage total).
Getting hit hard again, he shakes his head then starts to scurry away using his small size to his advantage.
"I'll be back here! Just going to take you up on that offer from earlier!"
Astonished at how resistant these things are, and wondering how do they not rule the world already, Kar still presses on, convinced that their sheer number will, one moment or the other, end up rewarding their efforts.
Kargoroth finally lands a solid blow, finishing off the statue in front of him!
Now that the immediate threat is dispatched, Odak takes stock for a moment and looks at the newly forming group of allies. Shaking his head he mumbles ”Not another dwarf t’be seen. I shoulda went with Gal and Zoltan...”
The sour dwarf then hefts his axe and charges toward another opponent.
"Ha! Take that, you useless lump of stone!" Myras cries as the statue comes crumbling to the ground. He turns to the others and hisses "Advance together and you won't get caught out. Keep your eyes down!" He places himself behind Galinndan, sheathes his sword, and loads his crossbow, readying himself against any unseen attacks.
"Understood, Professor!", Galinndan says as his blades flash!
Cyrus advances upon more of the statues.
Kargoroth finishes off a statue while Galinndan and Odak tear chunks of stone from another. But the two remaining statues do not intend to fall easily.
They step up and swing their heavy limbs. Galinndan dodges twice while Odak ducks under a punch but then the statue kicks him hard in the shinbone (7 dam).
Professor Rankle Boomtop clearly earns his name as he plucks another vial and throws it down at the two foes.
"You're so so so so so so so lucky that I have been stone for... Whatever time it is! I know you can't understand me anyway so that's why I'm just going to---" The sizzle and giggles cuts off his tirade.
Murmuring a prayer in thanks for the combat blessings, Kar turns around on order to help in the other melee. He struggles to find some room, but in the end manages to deliver a heavy blow...
... and fails again .
Myras looses a bolt from his crossbow, pointed past Galinndan at the southernmost statue:
He tries to distract from his blunder by humming a tune:
"Grumbly Dwarf, green-flame wielder
Guard your eyes but hesitate not
To crush and crumble statues aplenty
Crowded deep within the cave."
Galinndan keeps up a steady rhythm of blows, ducking and weaving.
Odak quickly looks over his shoulder at Myras and is surprised as the magic of his words flow over him.
Thinking there'll be no way he can get to melee range, Kar decides it would be nice to keep his allies up. He closes in with the newly arrived Gnome and pats him in the back, invoking the healing power of his deity.
"Here, Sir, let me soothe your wounds."