Galin continues his assault, this time with more confidence, and lands a solid blow.
Abelard collapsing under the demons assault shocks Steave. Concerned about their flank, he ignores his injuries and engages the spell-casting demon. His demon-killing blades slashes into the creature spraying evil ichor throughout the hallway.
He laughs at the demon's pain. Since it worked so well, he throws himself into another swing.
Yridhrennor pulls a healing potion from his sack and gives it to Abelard.
Galin pressed the attack, thrusting his blade forward at a babau-shaped shadow.
Seeing Abelard fall made Steave heedless of his own wounds. He charged the spellcasting babau, slashing deep into its unnatural chest. A sheet of flesh peeled away, almost eagerly, to reveal an empty skeleton made of rune-carved bone. Three large beetles fell from within, each landing belly-up on the ground.
Theran put his muscle behind another blow to the wounded babau, staggering the demon and crunching abyssal bone.
Yridhrennor rushed to Abelard's side and poured a healing draught down his throat. The blind crusader's bleeding stopped, but the potion wasn't enough to rouse him.
The wounded babau flew into a frenzy, its attacks coming in jagged, spasmodic motions. Theran's divine wards flashed about as the demon struck, but its found its way past them to rend flesh. The other, facing Steave alone, had more trouble as the crusader's trusty shield interposed but for one claw strike. That slipped above the shield just in time to come near opening Steave's throat. He couldn't take many close calls like that.
aw
Babau vs. Theran. His AC is 20 from shield of faith.
Well bugger. Total 25.
Babau vs. Steave. His AC is 26 just now.
miss
miss
Yridhrennor will give Abelard another heal potion
Galin attempts again to strike at the demon, this time missing even the shadows,
Theran charges the next demon. "Die for your crimes!"
Steave grits his teeth as the claw tears into his skin. He backslashes his longsword staying behind his shield. But the defensive posture does not connect.
Abelard comes back to life with a start. "Thanks, partner," he mutters to Yridhrennor.
He squints at the demon standing over him. He doesn't quite trust his legs to hold him, and standing would make him vulnerable anyway. He gives a crooked smile. Good thing part of his swordplay training was from the floor. Wielding his falchion deftly, despite its size and his prone position, he strikes at the demon with all the force he can muster. "Time you were gone."
Yridhrennor poured a second healing draught down Abelard's throat, reviving the blind crusader.
At the elf's side, Galin made another go at the demon he missed a moment before. Between the darkness and taking care not to heedlessly step on Abelard, his blade missed its mark.
Theran charged the demon that Steave faced alone, crying out "Die for your crimes!" and swinging wildly.
Gritting his teeth, Steave healed himself and remained in a defensive stance, his blade but not connecting for his caution.
Abelard thanked Yridhrennor and got straight back to the hard work of crusading. [b]"Time you were gone," he said, swinging his falchion without letting small details like standing deter him. The arc of his blade crossed both of the demon's legs, separating hooves from limbs. The rest of the demon boiled away in a cloud of foulness, but the hooves remained, full of crawling worms.
The second babau didn't take the fall of its companion as cause to repent, but instead latched on to Steave's shield with both claws and hauled it down to bite deep into his shoulder before the crusader could pull free. Steave knew he was gravely hurt, but not down yet.
And now there's one babau. It attacks Steave.
Steave feels his life blood leaking on the floor. His longsword has become too heavy to penetrate the demon's skin.
He nods to Theran who appears uninjured and steps back.
Abelard wearily stands up, calling on his Empyreal patron for divine healing.
Feeling greatly refreshed, he wordlessly points his falchion at the remaining demon. The threat is clear.
Theran keeps swinging. it doesn't matter who kills it, but they can't give it an opening to escape.
Now frustrated, Galin begins to put more force behind his attacks, which doesn't seem to help his accuracy in the slightest.
Yridhrnnor mutters a few words and small hole appears underneath the demon's feet.
His wounds left Steave's strikes slow. The demon did not do him the courtesy of making a conspicuous effort to dodge them, but instead stepped lazily clear of the cold iron. Steave fell back a step, just out of the demon's reach, and healed himself.
Weary from his own wounds, Abelard rose and petitioned the Heavens for their mending. Considerably restored, he pointed his falchion at the remaining demon. It would not long evade righteous wrath.
Theran pressed his attack, caring less for claiming the glory than dispatching the fiendish foe. The babau took him more seriously than Steave, putting on a show of silent acrobatics to escape his swinging earthbreaker.
Frustrated by previous failures, Galin redoubled his efforts to strike. The demon proved too fast all the same.
Yridhrennor cast a simple spell and a shallow pit opened beneath the babau's hooves. It overbalanced and fell to the ground, exposed and vulnerable. Theran and Galin descended on it with a vengeance when it stilled for an instant, summoning some arcane power. Shadows congealed about it, but dissipated when their cold iron struck home.
dice liked someone this round.
Demon tries a teleport, provoking.
that's a hit since it's prone
Nope.
Yridhrennor smiles with satisfaction and pulls out his crossbow. He'll wait for a clear shot at the prone demon.
Abelard gives a crooked smile on seeing the demon fall prone "Well, how 'bout that symmetry." Wasting no time, he charges it, swiping his falchion across its skull.
Galin shows no emotion upon seeing his foe fall, stabbing again and this time hitting his mark.
When Galin reinforces Theran and Steave, the old crusader closes in on the demon trying to finish it. Gritting through the pain of his wounds, he slashes down from the high guard position and into the shoulder of the demon.
He keeps swinging, driving into the creature. Even if his swings aren't landing, he can box in the demon for the others.
Yridhrennor readied his crossbow while the other crusaders closed in on the babau.
Abelard smiled and spoke as he charged, "Well, how 'bout that symmetry." His blade cleaved into the demon's skull. It split open and emitted a vile stench, but the demon continued to scrabble about, trying to regain its feet. An instant later, Galin pierced the demon's chest with his slim blade. Its body went limp and boiled away in a flash, leaving a dark, oily residue on the ground.
Yridhrennor breathed a sigh of relief. We did it! Unfortunately, I'm all out of spells for the moment, so I shall refrain from sneaking for the time being
Abelard carefully cleans off his blade, before sheathing it and attending to his injuries.
He then distributes the rest of his healing as needed. There's not a lot spare.
Steave centers himself and staggers over to the group. The purifying spirit dissipating with the death of the demon.
Galin channels his divine energy and does his best to heal Steave,
"Thanks Galin." Steave replies to the healing.
"Thanks Galin." Steave replies to the healing.
You should heal up before you go anywhere else. Falfaerel caws from his perch on Yridhrennor's shoulder.
Theran will step off for a moment, shaking his head over his problems in the last fight.
Theran's blessings left him nearly at perfect health again.
Latest totals:
Yridhrennor: 21/21
Abelard: 33/33
Galin: 32/38
Theran: 47/50
Steave: 19/38
Here, Crusader, drink more of these.
Yridhrennor offers Staeve more of the cure potions.
Here, Crusader, drink more of these.
Yridhrennor offers Staeve more of the cure potions.
HP
[dice=2 potions CLW for Steave]2d8+2+19 HP
Yridhrennor pauses. It might be best to withdraw for the moment. I can do little more for us in battle. We can restock and return tomorrow. He blushes and looks down at the floor, then back up at Staeve and the other crusaders. Um.. that is.. um.. if that makes good tactical sense?
"Aye, Yridhrennor, you're right. Irabeth planned for us to make multiple raids. Maybe we can leave an easier way inside while we depart? What say you?" Steave asks the others.
Galin nods, I agree, I think we're all too tired to do much more here today.
Theran looks unhappy about leaving these creatures alive, but nods and withdraws with the rest.
Theran looks unhappy about leaving these creatures alive, but nods and withdraws with the rest.
The crusaders withdrew to Defender's Heart with only a few incidental clashes on the way back, though they saw and heard more activity in the distance as they left. It seemed someone surviving had noticed their visit.
Theran looks unhappy about leaving these creatures alive, but nods and withdraws with the rest.The crusaders withdrew to Defender's Heart with only a few incidental clashes on the way back, though they saw and heard more activity in the distance as they left. It seemed someone surviving had noticed their visit.
Steave plans out the next day's distraction and assault with Irabeth.
Steave plans out the next day's distraction and assault with Irabeth.
Irabeth is very happy to offer advice. Her distraction attack cost some lives, but not too many. She expects that she could keep it up for at least three or four more days, though the demons will get wise to the strategy eventually.
Yridhrennor and his familiar enter the room from a side door, the elf's nose is buried in a book on demons. Falfaeren squawks, and taps the scholar's left ear indignantly.
Watch where you're going, you fool! You almost walked into a that brazier.
The elf blearily looks up from the book he is reading, and then gives a small jump from another peck by the raven. Falfaeren, really! Do be more careful! You almost made me drop this tome in the fire! Dabnards' Demons, Devils, and Daemons is irreplaceable! He's considered the foremost authority on lesser fiends, and I cannot lose this book!
Authority! Hah! He never got passed Demons! His book never got to Devils, nevermind the Daemons!
Yridhrenor blushes and turns back to his book. Well, it's not exactly his fault. It's hard to write when your hands are being peeled off by fiends in the first layer of Hell. But, really, he managed to do quite a bit of work, there are adequate references to the other types of fiends. And, his familiar and apprentice did much of the writing anyway based off.. Yridhrennor blanches and looks quite ill. his anecdotes. He shakes himself and closes his book.
Crusader, would it be prudent to enter where we left off and continue? They may regroup. Also, I have prepared a spell that will allow us to rest in the garrison. Although, we will need to find a bolt-hole for us to hid in. A closet of some sort should suffice.