** spoiler omitted **
Kia looks towards Arianwyn (or where she guesses he must be). "So what do you suggest we do about the other formorians? If you are so concerned, maybe you and Tutavak could try shoving it towards the exit while we deal with these guys"
She steps towards the nearest wisdom seeker and tries to hit it once more.
"Or, you could encourage one of the seekers to knock it over and then roll it out. Just a suggestion."
Kia analyses the problem while she effortlessly bloodies W2.
Arianwyn turns to her.
"You may, for once, have had a good idea, Miss Rubarka."
Turning to the giant, he fixes it with a baleful blue gaze and points at the Rune Stone.
"You will not allow this treasure to fall beneath the earth. You will, in fact, help to remove it from an untimely tomb. That or annihilation. It is your choice."
"You will not allow this treasure to fall beneath the earth. You will, in fact, help to remove it from an untimely tomb. That or annihilation. It is your choice."
His eyes burning with ambition, the warden looks directly at the giant saying, "You've felt the power of wisdom, now imagine what we can accomplish with fury and creation as well!"
Chary simply looks toward the Fomorian with the same glare she has seen in many mothers' eyes during her travels.
"Together we can bring Wisdom to the foolish."
The bloodied fomorian steps towards the Rune Stone and picks it up easily, before turning to W1 and gazing at him.
"Join us or die here. Choose, Balor."
Balor shakes his head and moves to fill the archway.
"Easy, Ciocal. I'll bury you all and keep the Stone for myself."
He reaches upwards and beats on the archway, sending another shower of rocks from the tortured ceiling.
Tutavak switches to his longspear just long enough to puncture Ciocal, then is next to Balor in the darkness, bow in hand.
Tutavak plunges his spear into Balor (I hope, since that is W1) and himself into the darkness next to his unlikely ally.
Darius looks for another exit and sees nothing useful.
Chary moves up to Balor and aims for the giant's legs trying to move it out of the way.
Chary moves out of the darkness and forcefully shove Balor away from the exit, opening the way to more attacks.
Ciocal nods serenely. "If he will not follow the path of Wisdom, he should fall. Ommmm."
"Here, let me get that door for you. It's the least I can do for previously trying to murder you." The warden says as he rushes past his new ally
He sends his thorns out once again to pull Mr Balor from the archway.
31 vs Balor (W1)'s AC14 damage
Darius ducks politely past Ciocal and pulls Balor further away from door. In the process, he manages to bloody the enemy fomorian.
Kia moves to get a good shot at the renegade seeker, switches to her bow once more and pots a shot.
Kia's arrow just hits Balor and shows the way for her comrades.
Arianwyn keeps advancing, cursing fluently in elven as he does so. Another gout of eldritch power briefly outlines and clearly damages Balor.
Ciocal turns a serene if commanding gaze on his former ally as he continues to chant a disconcerting mantra of unity.
"Ommm. Be still. Ommmm."
He shakes his head sadly as Balor refuses to listen to the Wisdom of the stone, and shifts his burden so that Darius at least is freed from its contempletive effect.
"The Stone will stay here and you will stay with it. Balor looks at Darius and slams his club into the warden. All in vain. It seems the Stone itself wishes rescue.
Grim as death, Tutavak drags himself out of the darkness and up to Balor. Taking aim, he plants an arrow in the fomorian's eye.
Tutavak's aim is superb. Guided by who knows what - Wisdom perhaps? - his arrow drives deep into Balor's eye and the fomorian falls. The thud of his passing shakes the already battered ceiling and another shower of rubble falls over the party. As Balor falls, Arianwyn teleports towards the exit, but can't completely avoid the rockfall. Darius in particular suffers some major bruising.
"Boom! Headshot," exclaims the warden, as Tutavak delivers the fatal shot. However Darius' exuberance is short-lived, as a rather large chunk of ceiling soon falls on his head.
Chary moves as quickly as her leaden feet will carry her towards the exit.
"Well shot, Tutuvak! Now lets leave this place!"
Triumph mingles with well advised caution as the companions start to make their way to the exit.
Clutching his head, Darius staggers towards the exit.
Kia moves as fast as she can and then helps everyone to move a bit further.
"OK, let's go..." She beckons her allies, including the wisdom seeker who is carrying the stone.
As an afterthought, she heals Darius.
Kia uses her most inspiring voice and urges everyone out. Arianwyn speeds through the exit followed by Ciocal and the newly formed group converge in the passage.
Behind you the roof finally gives way and tumbles, filling the chamber with all but impassible rubble and providing a fitting tomb for the Shaman and Ciocal's former allies.
The fomorian holds the stone lovingly and sits down.
"Now we shall contemplate Wisdom's might," he announces before closing his eyes and starting to chant.
Darius nods in appreciation towards the three copies of Kia in his vision.
He tries meditation in an effort to soothe his headache.
"Ommmmmm."
Arianwyn's eyebrows go into overdrive as he watches Darius and Ciocal trading mediational mantras.
For some reason, Kia suddenly feels very sad. As if something momentous is happening, but in a very distant way. She gazes at the rune stone and tries to extract the wisdom of the moment from it.
And well you should be. Vel is one I tell war stories about, and Tutavak has his own place in my memory. But characters don't thrive in a vacuum -- this has truly been a grand joint effort.
Thank you, Rev.
I can't think of a greater compliment for the game and the players.
Darius contemplates being under the clear sky of Pharoe with the Wisdom stone, and how much better it is than being under a thousand tonnes of stone.
I surely will.