Reign of Winter (Inactive)

Game Master Just a Mort

Last Night:

Crummock sighs.

"Истина может повредить; Я могу оценить вашу боль - я тоже видел, как умирает моя собственная семья, и в то время я ничего не мог с этим поделать. Однако я не позволял этой боли потреблять меня. Я не буду лгать - боль всегда будет с тобой, и время от времени что-то зажжет память о том, что когда-то было, и ты почувствуешь новый прилив боли, но в конце концов, ты найдешь способ уметь живи с этим."

Now:

"Он может быть опасным, будь мы тоже весьма опасны. До сих пор мы хорошо справлялись со всем, что мы здесь встретили. Что касается вашей внешности ... что мы можем скрыть," he says, turning to Mr Whiskers with an expectant look.

Basically, I am suggesting that we cloak his appearance, then try to pass ourselves off as a maintenance crew at each of the 'pillars', so that Victor can work his 'magic' ;-)

'I like the way Crummock thinks.' Einar nods his head in a toothy smile, "Lets stash these furs in a building first. No maintenance crew would be walking around with purple bear fur." Nodding at Victor as he reaches back and touches the handle of the shotgun. "Do we give him a weapon? Or do you think he would shoot himself of purpose?"

Hey Mort any juicy info. you want to give us on the now deceased purple bears?

They're dire bears? Hmm purple bear suits are cool. You get a +1 for diplomacy for having such a cool suit, for having a purple suit. Viktor needs to be suited up to get close enough to dabble with it.

Crummock nods to Einar.

"Agreed. Stash the furs until we can properly cure them. I am... reluctant to give him a weapon."

He then hands Viktor one of the 'gas mask' suits.

"Положите это, и мы можем начать нашу работу."

I intend to use Cultural Adaptation to mimic a local accent/mannerisms, then 'Take 10' on my Bluff checks to pass us off as maintenance workers. That gives us a Bluff of 28, plus whatever circumstance bonuses Cultural Adaptation and the suits give us.

The party and Viktor don their suits and infiltrates the towers without any problems, except for a few sympathetic comments on Victor's gimp leg. The towers in the inner courtyard, instead of being living soldiers, instead are baykoks. They do not sense anything amiss and act like their living counterparts. You know, just doing what they did in life, standing guard

Viktor sets forth like a true expert, flawlessly disabling the world Anchors.

When the last world Anchor is deactivated, the counterpart of the Akuvskaya Monastery—which is currently hovering between worlds—is called down to Earth and merges with the dilapidated ruins of the monastery chapel, presenting an image of the monastery fully restored. Its bulb-shaped domes rise toward the heavens, and pulses of arcane energy flash through the chapel’s stained-glass windows, casting eerie silhouettes on the snowy ground around it. Perhaps most disturbingly, soul-piercing shrieks cut through the air, echoing throughout the prison camp and into the empty wilderness beyond.

Then, with a poof of smoke, a headless horseman wielding a revolver and riding a eerie horse-like creature’s skin is an inky blackness appears in the air. Fire spurts from its steeds hair and nostrils, and its hooves spray sparks.

On the belt of the horseman lies his head - which the party recognises as the Cossack Colonel Lavrenti in the photo.

Mr Whiskers recognises his mount as a nightmare.

The Colonel himself has risen as a dullahan.

I'll set up map when I get home. The Colonel and his mount are 40ft in the air.

Of course, you could talk to him too

Recognizing the horseman, Mr. Whiskers call out to it "Полковник Лавренти, мы здесь, чтобы остановить безумные планы того, кого называют Распутиным. Не могли бы вы помочь нам против того, кто предал вас?"

"Kak ty zval menya, krysa? U menya yest' imya? YA prosnulsya zdes' i obnaruzhil, chto khochu okhranyat' eto mesto. YA, dolzhno byt', ne sdelal etogo v zhizni - vot pochemu ya zastryal zdes' pravil'no?" Lavrenti answers.

Mr. Whiskers brings out the diary they found.

"В лагере" he says as he gestures to the Colonel's yurt "Мы нашли дневник, написанный вами. В основе этого дневника лежит то, что мы знаем, что вас предал Распутин - человек, который использует этот лагерь, чтобы получить личную силу для себя."

Holding the diary above his head, Mr. Whiskers adds "Если вы хотите, вы можете прочитать его сами."

"Da, eto byla moya palatka. Menya?YA napisal dnevnik?" He sounds incredulous.

He motions his nightmare to land and then takes the diary and starts holding the book to his head at his belt and leafing through it. "Eto moya ruka, vse khorosho napisano ..." He mutters to himself, then his eyes reflect a whole lifetime of pain and regret as the memories return.

"Oni vse mertvy. YA provalil ikh vsekh. i teper' ya obyazan sluzhit' tomu, kto predal nas ..." He utters, in despair.

He turns to Mr Whiskers with sorrowful eyes. "Vy videli kogo-nibud' iz moikh lyudey?" He asks with a catch in his voice.

I would rather he hadn't asked that question...

He has been betrayed and lied to. As tempting as it may be to avoid it, I will tell him the truth.

Somewhat unsure, Mr. Whiskers admits "Да, мы познакомились с некоторыми из них. Когда мы это сделали, мы понятия не имели, кто они, видя их только за чудовищные формы, которые у них были."

Looking up at the rider, he says "Надеюсь, их настроение теперь обретет мир в загробной жизни."

Feel free to assume that Mr. Whiskers will answer questions on that subject truthfully.

He nods grimly, ” Ponimayu. Eto za plokhoye slukh, no ya blagodaryu vas za pravdu. YA ne dumayu, chto lyuboy iz nas naydet pokoy, poka Rasputin ne budet ubit, a yego merzkaya rabota ne budet otmenena.”

Then he gives a bitter smile, ” Teper' ty mozhesh' menya ubit' - vozmozhno, eto budet k luchshemu. No ya budu podnimat'sya snova nastupayushchey noch'yu - veroyatno, bez pamyati o tom, chto proizoshlo do sikh por. Vynuzhdennyy povtoryat' tsikl - bez nadezhdy kogda-libo nayti mir.”

Do you want to kill him or just leave him outside?

Looking to Crummock, he asks "Есть ли что-то, что можно сделать, чтобы сломать цикл?"

I'm not fond of the idea of killing him if he will just come back the next day. Looking for options.
Kn: Religion, Heightened Awareness -- ways to put the Colonel to rest: 10 + 13 + 2 = 25

Yes - if you disrupted what Rasputin has been doing - all undead and supernatural things in the camp will be banished. Or returned to being dead.

Of course if you wanted to game the system - you could just come in every night and farm him for phat lewt - but as a GM I would just declare that his gear vanishes upon death.

Lavrenti will let you pass - so you don't really need to kill him either.

After some discussion in Russian of what they know, Mr. Whiskers says to the group "Кажется, единственный способ найти отдыха - это уничтожить мировой двигатель и положить конец планам Распутина. Я за то, чтобы оставить его здесь."

Looking up at the colonel, he requests "Поскольку возможно, что вы забудете, позволите ли вы нам вести дневник? Если мы снова встретимся, это позволит нам напомнить вам, кто вы."

I am in favor of leaving him here. You should allow at least one other player to pipe in with their opinion so it isn't Mr. Whiskers making all the decisions. Einar already considers him too bossy.

I note that if the colonel is destroyed after the world engine is wrecked, we should be able to get his loot afterwards. The choice to leave him doesn't preclude us getting the items -- just delays it.

Lavrenti hands back the dairy. ” Smert' v b * tch, da? My dazhe ne mogli obresti mir v etom. Da, derzhite moloko, chtoby vy mogli pomoch' mne vspomnit' proval, kotoryy ya ...“

” YA molyus', chtoby Bog sledil za vashimi usiliyami - yesli on vse ravno budet slushat' molitvy ot odnogo proklyatogo, takogo kak ya.“ Then he gives the party a military salute. ” Idi vpered - i boginya.“

"Я не думаю, что вы провалились. Мне кажется, ты был почетным и верным человеком, попавшим в ужасную ситуацию."

Earlier Retcon on the night before

Anastasia seeks out Mr Whiskers wailing that her life is one huge mess. ” Yesli Otets mertv - vpolne veroyatno, chto bol'sheviki ubili ostal'nuyu chast' moyey rasshirennoy sem'i. YA ne dumayu, chto lyuboy, kto zainteresovan v sokhranenii svoyey zhizni, predostavit mne ubezhishche. Ne govorya uzhe o tom, chto ya otlichayus' ot nikh - oni ne poymut. Oni nazyvayut lyudey, kotoryye obladayut osobymi sposobnostyami mutantov - ya slyshal o uzhasnykh eksperimentakh, provodimykh nad nimi - vo imya sikvenstva. Mne nekuda idti - i nikto ne obratitsya. Togda ya byla printsessoy. Teper' ya zhelannaya zhenshchina.“

And she has no idea how to fix it.

Lavrenti gives Mr Whiskers a sad smile, "Для вас это так приятно. Ничто не меняет тот факт, что мы потерпели неудачу в отношении тех, кого" поклялись защищать."

Then he barks out a humourless laugh, "Chert, my ne mogli dazhe ubit' sebya dolzhnym obrazom."

...Einar already considers him too bossy.

You mean the princess thing? Well, that and the giant elk Einar wanted to butcher :-)

'Sworn to protect, then mislead and imprisoned after death.' Einar shakes his head, partially in pity, partially in disgust. He looks from the nightmare mount to the armed spectre, nodding forward. "When we end Rasputin that will let him rest. If he is willing to let us pass we should do so."

Mort, who is the creepy guy in the business suit that is with us?

Viktor. You raised him, remember?

Anastasia

Mr. Whiskers looks at her, then twitches his nose. His eyes blink a few times in surprise. It seems I have to state the obvious to her.

"Я верю, что вы правы, что в этом мире нет места, где вы были бы в безопасности. К счастью, вам не обязательно оставаться в этом мире."

He pauses a moment to let that sink in.

Gesturing around at the hut, he says "Когда мы встретились, я пообещал привести вас в хижину вашей бабушки. Вы неправильно поняли, что я имел в виду бабушка. Эта хижина - ваша бабушка Баба Яга. Это то, что привело нас в этот мир и может привести вас в другие миры."

"Есть несколько миров, в которых люди обладают магическими способностями, такими как ваши, включая тот, из которого я родом. Я только посетил несколько из них, но до сих пор были люди на всех."

He then takes he hand and brings her into another section of the hut, away from the injured. "Настало время встретиться с Зоркой, кикиморой или домашним духом, который заботится об этой хижине. Она может помочь вам узнать больше о своем наследии и вашей магии."

...and having heard her name I doubt it will take long for Zorka to appear.

Now

”Davay! YA byl polezen, ne tak li?”,”Viktor says in a servile voice, ” I teper' my idem v krepost' Rasputina! Eto budet yeshche khuzhe! Vy mogli by peredat' mne zaryazhennyy pistolet ... eto ne tak, kak budto ya sobirayus' vystrelit' VAS v spinu ili chto-to yeshche ...”

Like a rotten tooth in an infected jawbone, the restored chapel sits in the prison’s central yard. Strange lights flickering from within, and its onion-shaped domes scintillate with a sickly purple light.

Many motes of sickly purple light coalesce together, forming four stained glass statues martyred saints that move to attack the party.

Mr Whiskers Init: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Einar Init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Crummock Init: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7
glass golems: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Mr Whiskers knowledge arcana: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (9) + 27 = 36

Mr Whiskers recognizes them as advanced glass golems. They are immune to magic, have DR 5/adamantine, and their attacks cause bleeding.

A glass golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against a glass golem, as noted below.

A shatter spell damages a glass golem as if it were a crystalline creature.

A keen edge spell affects all of a glass golem’s slam attacks as if they were slashing weapons.

A magical attack that deals cold damage slows a glass golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds (no saving throw).

A magical attack that deals fire damage ends any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. A glass golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.

Party up, Slide 15

Mort ninja'd my post!

Viktor. You raised him, remember?

yeah, I totally forgot about him.

'poor guy, he doesn't even have horns.' Einar smirks at Viktor's request, pulling out his Kunia he offers it to the scientist. "Не навредить себе."

Viktor requests a weapon

Mr. Whiskers stares at Victor for a moment.

Then he says "Мы видели танки. Мы знаем, насколько мало вы цените жизнь других."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 13 + 2 = 35 What is he plotting now? I don't trust him.

Then he does a double-take as Einar actually gives the guy a knife!

Yeah, I got ninjaed by Einar.

Oops, missed that there was a combat starting.

Mr. Whiskers casts haste and then moves out of the way.

Earlier

Dimitri does show Einar how to use the double barreled shotgun. He suggests that Einar carries it around, and fires both shots then switches to whatever weaponry he feels comfortable as the enemies close.

This twin-barreled shotgun’s barrels can be fired independently as separate attacks, or both can be fired at once as a standard action (the attack action).

A double shot that fires bullets is inaccurate, and takes a –4 penalty on both attacks. A double shot that fires bullets targets only a single creature and increases the damage of each barrel to 2d6 points (Small) or 2d8 points (Medium) for a total of 4d6 or 4d8 points.

Now

"YA dazhe ne znayu, kak ispol'zovat' etu veshch'. Navernoye, ty vpadayesh' v lyudey?" Viktor looks at Einar, exasperated. He keeps the kunai, though.

with victor
Einar smiles a toothy smile. "Или вы ударяете их по голове им."

now
’Blast, I should get the adamant sword back.’ Hearing Mister Whiskers description of the strange glass figures, Einar begins to rage casting mirror image as he does so. He enlarges as his cambion ancestry becom-ing prominent. Hearing Mister Whiskers casting haste, he smiles as he draws his hammer and moves to attack the nearest glass figurine. ”Glass figurines, he’s attacking us with glass figurines? What will be next golden candelabras?” he attacks the most southern one.
mirror image: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Haste: Move: draws hammer, 5 ft step. Attack: + 2 (large) hammer rage (AC 24) large, PA, FF
attack: 1d20 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 25 + 1 = 30 for damage: 3d6 + 18 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6, 5, 6) + 18 + 12 + 2 = 49

Mr Whiskers

Mr Whiskers thinks Viktor doesn't mean any treachery - and that probably after all this is done - Viktor doesn't intend to hang around any moment more then he has to...

"Eto byla nauka. Uchenyy gotov chto-to sdelat' dlya svoyey raboty. Ty ne poymesh'." Viktor answers. "Krome togo, net otkhodov, ne khochu. Yesli u vas khoroshiy mozg, no vashe telo ne tseluyet ... ne ispol'zovat' dlya etogo, chtoby idti vpustuyu, net?"

"Lyuboy iz vas khotel by popast' v tank? YA obeshchayu, chto etot protsess ne budet tyazhelym. Nam prosto nuzhno vybit' tebya iz sebya, poka eto delayetsya." Viktor offers.

Einar's blow damages the glass golem but it is still up.

Greta moves up to the one Einar attacked and trips it, then stabs it with her admantine longsword.

longsword, trip: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (14) + 22 = 36
longsword, Greater trip AOO, PA: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30
dmg: 1d8 + 22 ⇒ (7) + 22 = 29

The glass golem Einar and Greta attacked looks damaged. 74 pts done

The night before

"YA khochu otpravit'sya v mir, gde ya ostanus' odin i ostavlyu svoyu zhizn' v mirnom monastyre. YA ne khochu snova uchastvovat' v politike - eto tol'ko prineslo mne bol'. Vy znayete kakiye-to takiye miry?" Anastasia asks Mr Whiskers.

Anastasia conversation

Mr. Whiskers scratches his head and thinks a moment.

"Миры? Нет.

Я слышал о некоторых местах, которые пытаются быть такими. Я не знаю, насколько они близки. Это зависит от того, насколько широко вы интерпретируете политику."

Dimitri attempts to blow-up one of the glass golems.

+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 24 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 24 + 1 + 1 = 38, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 25 + 1 = 32 damage.
+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 24 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 24 + 1 + 1 = 38, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 25 + 1 = 27 damage.
+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 24 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 24 + 1 + 1 = 27, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 25 + 1 = 27 damage.
+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 24 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 24 + 1 + 1 = 39, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 25 + 1 = 30 damage.
+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 19 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 19 + 1 + 1 = 27, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 25 + 1 = 32 damage.
+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 14 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 14 + 1 + 1 = 22, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 25 + 1 = 32 damage.

Using Clustered Shots, starting on Einar's golem, and then moving onto a new target (ideally one of the ones further away).

Geist then pounces on one of the injured golems!

Bite: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 15 + 2 + 1 = 33, for 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 damage, +1d6 ⇒ 2 Fire damage.
Claw: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 15 + 2 + 1 = 19, for 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15 damage, +1d6 ⇒ 1 Fire damage, +1d6 ⇒ 4 Acid damage.
Claw: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 15 + 2 + 1 = 28, for 1d6 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 damage, +1d6 ⇒ 3 Fire damage, +1d6 ⇒ 5 Acid damage.
Claw: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 2 + 1 = 38, for 1d6 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 damage, +1d6 ⇒ 4 Fire damage, +1d6 ⇒ 2 Acid damage.
Rake: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 15 + 2 + 1 = 26, for 1d6 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 damage, +1d6 ⇒ 6 Fire damage.
Rake: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 15 + 2 + 1 = 27, for 1d6 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9 damage, +1d6 ⇒ 6 Fire damage.

Crummock, meanwhile, simply delays.

Seeing Geist's attacks, Mr. Whiskers shouts "No! Don't use fire on it! That heals them!"

Unfortunately, it is already too late as Geist has already attacked.

*Magical* attacks that deal fire damage heals them...

Crummock! You've been making too many attacks. Ignoring the following:

+1 Holy Reliable Rifle: 1d20 + 24 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 24 + 1 + 1 = 27, for 1d10 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 25 + 1 = 27 damage.

Haste lets you make 1 more attack at full BAB. It does NOT let you rapidshot again.

Dimitri blasts the golem Einar has been attacking up, then turns on the golem at the back, firing two shots at it. Geist bites and claws at the golem, but does not manage to take it down.

Flaming works fine on golems actually.

The first golem tries to slap Einar around.

real Einar? 1 hits: 1d7 ⇒ 3
Slam: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (3) + 18 = 21

real Einar? 1 hits: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Slam: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25

The second golem also tries to slap Einar around.

real Einar? 1 hits: 1d5 ⇒ 3
Slam: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (2) + 18 = 20

Einar loses 3 of his doppelgangers.

The last golem tries to slap Geist around.

Slam: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (12) + 18 = 30
Slam: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25

The slams harmlessly bounce of Geist's armor.

Greta unfortunately gets slapped by one of the glass golems as she moves up to one of them.

Slam: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (12) + 18 = 30
dmg: 2d8 + 7 ⇒ (1, 7) + 7 = 15
bleed: 1d8 ⇒ 4

She tries to trip, then stab it.

Longsword,trip: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (15) + 22 = 37
Longsword, PA: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35
Longsword, PA confirm?: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22
dmg: 2d8 + 44 ⇒ (3, 1) + 44 = 48

And she deals the prone glass golem a mighty blow.

Golem Geist and Dimitri attacked is at 115 dmg done. Golem Greta attacked is at 48 dmg done

Party up

'At least their hitting the images instead of me.' Einar smiles as he attacks the glass figurines. "You should have ran." He attacks the first one until it is shattered then attacks the second.

Einar will full attack, swinging at the most injured of the two he can reach first, then using the remaining attacks on the second.

Haste: Full Attack: + 2 (large) hammer rage (AC 24) large, PA, FF
attack: 1d20 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 25 + 1 = 43 for damage: 3d6 + 18 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6, 3, 3) + 18 + 12 + 2 = 44
attack: 1d20 + 16 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 16 + 1 = 36 for damage: 3d6 + 18 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (5, 2, 5) + 18 + 12 + 2 = 44
attack: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 11 + 1 = 14 for damage: 3d6 + 18 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (4, 2, 3) + 18 + 12 + 2 = 41
haste: 1d20 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 25 + 1 = 46 for damage: 3d6 + 18 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (5, 3, 3) + 18 + 12 + 2 = 43
confirm crit: 1d20 + 25 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 25 + 1 = 31 for damage: 6d6 + 36 + 24 + 4 ⇒ (5, 1, 5, 2, 6, 6) + 36 + 24 + 4 = 89

edit: just looked at the map, If Einar can 5 ft step to get a better angle attacking one glass creature, and then still be able to attack the other he will take a 5 ft step.

Einar smashes the prone glass golem with two blows of his hammer, then with a well-placed blow, shatters its neighbour into thousands of glass fragments.

14 does not hit their AC, but the crit confirms and it's a 1-shot

Mr. Whiskers watches the battle, but decides it is almost over.

Delay. It is golems and the battle is nearly over. I can't stop the bleed either.

Dimitri fires a last barrage of rifle bullets at the last glass golem, shattering it.

Maggie: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (18) + 26 = 44
dmg: 1d10 + 25 ⇒ (10) + 25 = 35

Crummock taps Greta with a CLW wand, stopping the bleed.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

5 rounds later, after Einar drops his rage and recovers from his fatigue

Nailed to the cruciform crossbars of the monastery's front doors is am emaciated corpse. It is stripped bare to the waist, its body marked with crude tattoos, and a long mustache droops over the macabre grin that only rigor mortis can bring.

Mr Whiskers Init: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Einar Init: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Crummock Init: 1d20 ⇒ 11
spirit: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

A gaunt and translucent humanoid with puncture injuries to both wrists and both feet rises out of the corpse Its face is twisted in eternal pain and its eyes flicker with a reddish glow.

Mr Whiskers knowledge religion: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (8) + 17 = 25
Greta knowledge religion: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

Greta recognizes it as an advanced Cruxifixion Spirit. It is incorporeal and has the following ability.

Crucify soul:

Five times per day as an attack action a crucifixion spirit can point at a single living target within 60 feet and crucify its soul. This requires the crucifixion spirit to succeed at a ranged touch attack. If successful, the target’s soul is ripped from its body, which collapses in a heap on the ground. The target’s soul appears as a translucent copy of the victim and is suspended above the spot its body collapsed, crucified in midair to a translucent, “X” shaped structure, the soul held in place by translucent spikes or nails. The victim is not dead and is visible to all those viewing it.

A crucified soul cannot be attacked or affected by anything, cannot take any actions (other than trying to escape, see below), and experiences excruciating pain that deals 2 negative levels to it in the round it is crucified, and one negative level each round thereafter. There is a Fortitude save required to remove the negative level. A crucifixion spirit does not need to concentrate on this ability for it to continue to affect a target.

It can direct attacks against a different opponent. A crucified creature can attempt to escape each round by making a Will save. If successful, the creature’s soul is freed from its torment and returns to its body in the same round. The target is stunned for one round, but afterwards can act normally. A creature slain with this ability cannot be returned to life except through the casting of a wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell.

8 rounds haste left

The Cruxifixion spirit flies above the party, becoming blurred, then attempts to Crucify Dimitri's soul.

20% concealment, its about 40 ft in the sky.

range touch: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (19) + 18 = 37

Dimitri gives a pained scream as he collapses in a heap on the ground as a translucent copy of him is suspended above the spot he collapsed, crucified in midair to a translucent X shaped structure, held in place by translucent nails.

Dimitri takes 2 negative levels.

Party up

Greta yells at Mr Whiskers, "I need to get up there! I don't have any magical ranged weapons!"

Mr. Whiskers casts fly on Greta, but mentions "You will have to wait if you want a sword to attack it." Force Sword, she has used it before.

He hands Viktor a smokestick with a tindertwig tied to it, saying "Используйте это, оно создаст облако скрывающего дыма, чтобы существо не могло видеть всех!"

Standard: Cast Fly. Move: Take out item and hand it to Viktor

Viktor steps forward then lights the smokestick Mr Whiskers gave him up and the whole party is covered up by smoke.

Everyone can't see/be seen from outside the smoke cloud.

"Eto pokhozhe na khimicheskiye granaty, za isklyucheniyem togo, chto oni ne yadovity." Viktor remarks.

"YA predpochitayu veshchi s bol'shey ... Ognennoy moshch'yu." Viktor complains.

Retcon. Viktor does not move from where he is and pops the 10 ft smoke cloud, as shown by black box.

'Blast, need to free Dimitri' Frowning when he sees what the ghost thing does to Dimitri Einar shakes his head and tells Viktor, "Пусть эксперты работают, останавливаются, успокаиваются и не сжигают себя." Einar casts fly, and as he ascends toward the ghost he draws the ghost touched longsword.

standard: cast fly, Move: toward ghost drawing sword, GM Mort could you place Einar in the appropriate spot? He will follow the ghost raging next round