Kerrec's bolt finds its target but the damage appears minimal. Vidar's missiles find their target and the hound grunts in frustration as it assaults Kithian. Cam's spells triggerut the gobbos seem surprisingly resilient as ony the second one in line falls to the floor.
Camillo will draw his longsword and attack the first goblin in line while maintaining his inspiration for the party.
Attack
Damage
Confirmation roll
Damage
He gives the third goblin in line a very nasty smile as he inserts into his lyrics that Shalelu should turn around.
Kithian
Bruzathmus and Goblin (North hall)
Rullis
Kerrec
Vidar
Goblins (East Cave)
Camillo
Shalelu
Toshio
Nualia and Hounds
Camillo savage the goblin that opened the door with a straight thrust through the vitals and a downward slash that spills those vitals to the floor. The second goblin falls to the floor as Shaleu does indeed turn in time to plant an arrow solidly in the mouth of the third goblin who is caught mid scream as the arrow burrows into its brain. The fourth and only remaining conscious goblin in the southern chamber seems like he will run as soon as he can will his legs to work.
Kithian
Rullis
Toshio
Toshio
Rullis Trip Attempts
Rullis Dam
Tosh Dam
Toshio advances on Nualia For my Family! and comes very close to mauling the woman in earnest but the force of the samurai's strike is turned a the very last moment by Nualia's own sword but the cut is deep none the less.
Kithian fights off his hound effectively and manages to keep his feet despite being flanked. The other hound steps cautiously to fill the void left by the samurai but instead chooses to take on the newcomer rather than follow up on it s previous prey. The hound snaps and bites at Rullis with savage ferocity and the cleric's defenses are overwhelmed as teeth gnash and bite about Rullis' torso. Rullis does manage to keep his feet however.
Family is a weakness! A curse! spits back the priestess as she flails wildly at Toshio with her clawed hand, missing by a wide margin. Which proves to be a faint of sorts as the priestess brings the serrated edge of her blade directly into Toshio's ribs with cracking force. It will be the death of you.
Rough map of current shrine sitrep:
0000
HKH0
0TR0
N000
Despite his mental fortitude, the sudden onslaught by such hideous and ferocious beasts whose teeth tear deeply into his flesh has him suddenly fearing for his very life.
Kithian sanarls and swings an overhand chop at the wounded Hound.
Power Attack:
Damage:
"This is the point where we decide, to live and fight or surrender and die!"
For a moment, Vidars aim moves from the hound to Naulia and back, but seeing how weak she is, Vidar decides to see if he can finish her of once and for all.
Kerrec
Crit Confirm?
Kithian turns to his hound and brings the falchion down with brutal force. Though the blade's damage is impeded by whatever dark forces protect the hound, the blow is sound and the hound howls in pain at the assault though remains on its feet.
Voices titter from the eastern hallway but no goblins emerge to challenge the paladin holding the corridor. In the southern room the sole conscious survivor of Camillo's spell turns tail and runs back out the room disappearing from sight.
Kerrec casts a wary eye to the shrine room and the companions behind him, careful to take in all his angles to ensure his readiness when he is suddenly brutally savaged by a Bruzathamus who seems to materialize from nowhere in the northern hallway. A full sized large flail is brought with sickening force on the paladin's shoulder, metal on metal scream as bones are stressed and flesh is broken. The power of the blow is so great that Kerrec is almost brought to his knees as red and black fill his vision and his hearing goes quiet for a split second. The bloodied and battered bugbear howls in furious victory at the obvious damage he has done to the paladin.
Seeing Nualia close to falling and feeling vulnerable himself, Toshio focuses less on power and goes for accuracy
The weakness is YOURS!
Despite the panic coursing through him, Rullis holds onto the wand and activates it one more time on Kithian before ducking away from the dangerous maw of the hound. "You need this more than I do!" He ducks under creature and steps away, fearing that the creature will follow.
And the cleric nearly craps his pants as he turns to escape only to see a huge bugbear pound Kerrec into the ground.
Kerrec is, in fact, brought low by the bugbear's blow. The sound of his armor colliding with the stones brings a smug smile to the bloody face of the goblinoid warrior and causes Shalelu to turn over her shoulder from the southern hallway and utter dark words in elven.
Camillo continues his singing and turns at the sound of the armored man hitting the stone.
Leaving the sleeping goblin to what he hopes is a dandy nightmare of sword-wielding bards, Camillo moves toward the bugbear as though to engage him directly before suddenly throwing himself to the side and past the goblinoid.
Acrobatics
Attack
Damage
Weird format dump;
Camillo turns down the hall and cartwheels past the bugbear in a deft series of acrobatic maneuvers. Though now behind the bugbear the bard's attack falls short of hitting the mark.
Shalelu meanwhile draws a bead as the bard moves and lets loose the instant the bard has found his position. An arrow from the borrowed longbow buries expertly into the bugbear's knee and Bruz howls in pain offering curses and foul insults in goblin at the elf. Bruz looks to be flagging and seems to be searching for an exit.
Toshio shifts his stance utilizing his training to ensure rapid and accurate strikes over the brute strength of his previous attempts. The weakness is YOURS! The katana darts past the cleric's defenses and Nualia again lets out a worn grunt as she takes the blow.
Bloodied, bruised and obviously tired Nualia seems close to death's door but keeps her feet, her unearthly blue eyes noting the sparking and flickering bones on the altar that seem almost ash. A slight smile plays at her lips. My Mother will take me but you will die at her servant's hands. I wonder, will your god take you up so lovingly?
Forgoing the use of her clawed hand as before, Nualia instead takes up the bastard sword with both hands and drives the blade down on the samurai with as much force as she can muster. The blow is true and the the weapon heavy and despite he best attempts Toshio is caught in full by the wicked teeth of the serrated blade. The attempt is too much for Nualia however as she crumbles to the floor apparently unconscious, blood seeping from her wounds.
Kithian
Rullis
Trip v Rullis
Dam v Rullis
Kithian continues to beat, pound, parry, block and kick against his hound and once more keeps its terrible teeth from finding an opportunity to strike. Unlike its companion this hound seems battered and bloodied surely a solid strike away from death.
Rullis, however, is not as lucky. Terror stricken by magic and witness to the brutal assault on his friend by the bugbear it is all Rullis can do to keep his feet as he is leapt upon by the hound that has chosen him as prey. Sharp teeth drive deep into the cleric's arm and the weight of the hound and the sheer savageness of the wound see Rullis slip into the slow coma of impending death as he is brought to the floor under the hound's assault.
Kithian yells in frustration as he continues to battle the hound.
Power Attack:
Damage:
Kithian brings the scimitar down with a yell of fury and though the blade is slowed by the damn dog's supernatural defenses it simply isn't enough to save the creature. The blade bites deep into the dog's spine and it collapses to the floor with a fading whimper.
Bruz looks frantically about, both at the bard and the elf and guardedly turns his flail over in his hand. The decision is a quick one and the bugbear steps over Kerrec's limp form and uses the cover of the eastern passageway to withdraw from the fray, limping along on his injured leg, hurrying into the darkness.
Mop it up.
Vidar begins to move over to Rullis, Calling for aid as he does so.
"Dash it all master Stillman, I can't have you dying right now, you'll have to do it on your onw time."
"I need help here, now!"
Vidar then aims the wand at the remaining hound.
Wanting to end Nualia but seeing this fight turning dire, Toshio about faces and steps to attack the last hound.
As the hound throws Rullis to the ground, the wand he was clutching in his hand clanks softly as it hits the floor and slowly begin rolling away from his lifeless body.
Camillo, seeing Rullis on the ground, tells Shalelu, "Two men down, Shalelu. You cover Kerrec, I'll see if I can't get to Rullis' wand."
Camillo hustles over to the fallen cleric. Letting his sword fall, he grabs the fallen wand and prepares to use it next round.
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Positioning:
K0HR0
0T00V
So Cam will provoke trying to root around in Rullis' square but the Acro check gets you by.
Vidar moves to the cleric as the man falls bleeding, Dash it all master Stillman, I can't have you dying right now, you'll have to do it on your own time. Seeing that the cleric is threatened and in dire straight the uncommonly warrior like wizard levels his wand at the hound and calls over his shoulder to comrades otherwise engaged, I need help here, now! Missiles fly and strike the hound exploding in the sound of glass and energy. The hound seems hurt but still quite vital.
Camillo looks at the downed paladin and across to the ranger, Two men down, Shalelu. You cover Kerrec, I'll see if I can't get to Rullis' wand. The elf nods grimly her eyes lingering over the route of Bruz's escape but she takes a knee to check the paladin as the bard runs into he shrine.
Though the floor is slick with an impossible amount of Rullis' blood, Cam makes a dive for the cleric's wand falling to his knees and sliding up to the cleric, the maneuver keeping him a breath away from the snapping jaws of the yeth hound. It is on the ground that Cam can see the damage; a hand and a half wide bite from Rullis' forearm that has torn so deep the vital blood pumps to clot but finds no flesh to bind to, arm broken deep to the marrow and a set of puncture wounds in the cleric's leg where other blood flows but does not seem to stop. Rullis is short for this world without aid.
Toshio senses the tension and turns on heel to take a brutal overhead swing at the hound and he finds his mark; the katana slicing through the air and chopping into the head of the hound. It is obvious that only the dark magics that protect it are all that kept the blow from being lethal as the hound gushes dark ichor from its neck but continues to growl and snap at the foes amassing around it.
Kithian growls, his face contorting and the veins in his neck bulge as he rushes the hound.
Power Attack:
Damage:
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Stabilize Check:
Despite the giant pool of blood forming around him, Rullis' wounds begin to clot and seal right before Camillo's very eyes. This is an obvious act of Gozreh as he looks down upon his faithful follower from the clouds above, preventing him from dying before his time. Now it is only up to his comrades to keep the hound from finishing him off.
Toshio seeing the creature reeling attacks again
Toshio
The hound weakly attempts to chew on Toshio but fails. Kithian rushes into the fray but misses with a slightly too wide swing. Rullis' wounds do seem to stop their onward flow and deep in the bowels of Thistletop it seems for just a moment that the thunder and rain has reached such a loud cacophony that it can be heard even beneath the wood and stone.
Camillo's got exactly two things on his mind: Heal Rullis, Heal Kerrec. So his action this turn will obviously be to trigger the wand on poor Rullis.
Presuming that this will have the visible effect of stopping the bleeding, Camillo will work to get to Kerric to do the same.
Acrobatics, if necessary to roll away
"Enough! Go whence you came!"
Even though the wounds close up, the cleric's eyes fail to open.
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Vidar casts the wand in the direction of the final hound and the magic missiles fly unerringly and drop the creature once and for all. There is an eerie silence as the confusion of combat simply ends. The bones on the altar sputter and hiss, all but one small section nothing but ember and ash.
Camillo uses his newly acquired on Rullis and as the healing energy flows into the cleric there is distinct sound of snapping and popping as the bone reknit's itself to wholeness. Perhaps unsurprisingly though as Rullis' flesh knits back together, the distinct impression of black teeth scar Rullis' newly healed arm; a mark on his mortal flesh that he has come into contact with the lowest and darkest reaches of the evil planes themselves.
Shalelu grunts and swears to herself as she drags Kerrec through the double doors and throws them shut. The few goblins chitter in the dark unsure of what to do. Desperation may drive them to die at our hands but I thought a break might be nice... She plops down next to the paladin and furrows her brow at his wounded shoulder. She nods grimly, satisfied that the wound is vicious but that Kerrec is still alive and not in danger of an immediate death.
Toshio looks across to the alter an uses his sword to knock the ashes far away. Relieved he was able to defeated Nualia before the ritual was complete.
He then moves over to the prone and dying woman and places his sword tip at her throat.
Irori guide and heal you home.
The then plunges the blade into the base of her throught, preserving her gear and her beauty.
He looks around for a shroud.
Look around for anything that may help us get out of here. The champion still lives, he too, must die to end the threat to the villiage.
Toshio examines Nualia's gear...
"Quite, for all we know, the only way out is past us, so they may atempt to rush us at any point. We should get every member of the team on their feet.
I cannot help with that, but I can use the time to discern any magics the people in here might have possessed."
The ashes and remaining bone flicker as they fly from the altar, the soft light of their unearthly ember dying in the air. There is no sound or sight merely a feeling that evil was undone.
No shroud can be found in the shrine so Nualia is left uncovered though it is just as well when Vidar casts his magical gaze as her armor is one of a handful of objects that register magical properties. Aside from her armor her blade (a bastard sword) is magical as well as a medallion that she wears that bears the "Sihedron" rune, that multi-point star of Thassilon that Vidar knows so well. Other than these items the only other items of note on her person is a pure gold symbol of Lamashtu. While hideousit is heavy and surely would fetch a fair price amongst collectors, jewelers and the like.
Any other treasure, gear or supplies are elsewhere and not on her person.
Shalelu grunts as she stands As far as we know the only way out is past Toshio's horse. If Bruzathmus tries for the bridge we may well find that the horse or the bugbear lie dead in the trophy hall.
In the quiet interlude Kithian can now feel a certain "unease" about the shrine, one that Rullis and Kerrec could confirm were they conscious. As agents of the divine they instinctually know; this is unhallowed ground. Nualia had truly been busy in this place.
Toshio looks at the ranger. The bridge was destroyed by the goblin druid, while we were on it, he'll find no escape there.
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Shalelu appraises Toshio, Indeed my point. I assume, from my limited knowledge of your family traditions, that if you are trained as you are the horse is trained too...Bruz was knee capped and has a damaged shoulder. Though he got the jump on Kerrec if he confronts your horse...well...I would guess it doesn't end well for him in his current state.
Toshio looks to the others.
Let's go. Nualia and the rest of whatever gear is here aren't going anywhere. We can return after we've cleared this place and checked on my mount.