Should we rest a day or continue on?
"The demons want to delay us. That's enough reason for me to move forward."
It only took a few more hours before the army marched clear of the Ahari Gorge and at last reached Drezen. The paladins make swift work of a contingent of humans and tieflings positioned on the south bank of the former Ahari river. Over the next few days of hard campaigning they rout a force of schirs on Paradise Hill, freeing a large number of captured mercenaries, and then dispatch a horde of ghouls and other undead in a twilight battle across Drezen's former cemetery. Tired though they were, they now had command of the approach to the citadel.
The next day, Sosciel approached them with a report of what Aron and other scouts had learned.
"My lords," the paladin intoned. "The only approach to Drezen itself which will support our force is over the Ahari bridge. The enemy have weakened its supports and chained great beasts to them. We believe that if the force marches, they will tear the structure down and send us to the bottom of the gorge."
"Beyond the gorge are the watchtowers. To march through them would invite the enemy to attack us from both sides. They have siege engines placed to rain rocks and worse upon us from above if we do."
"Nearer camp, after the Battle of the Boneyard, our men found a large vault that shadows cling to. The men confirm it is evil and we have every reason to fear something powerful within. It may wait for us to advance before striking."
"I can detail men to approach each task in small teams, but if my Lords will forgive the presumption, I believe each fit particularly to your skills."
"I would suggest we deal with the evil in the vault first. We don't want enemies at our flank when we attempt the bridge." The old crusader offers his advice.
"Agreed," Blink nodded. Never leave an enemy behind you was pretty much a rogue's creed.
Yes, let us deal with the vault first, and and perhaps we will learn something about how to best approach the bridge in the process.
The crusaders make their way to the vault, a simple stone building that looks remarkably intact for being in the Worldwound. At least it looks that way so far as they can see, as a darkness pulses about it in a strange, smooth cloud that only shows parts of the walls at a time. Where they can see through, someone has scrawled large, black runes into the walls. They appear rather more dense around the small porch that fronts the only entrance to the windowless building.
Allow me to consult my books. Perhaps I can learn something of this place in the histories..
"Yridhrennor, do the runes mean anything useful? Is the darkness magical?"
+ 2 more if anything counts as a magic item
Yridhrennor knows that Drezen housed a cemetery that became the final home of numerous veterans of the First Crusade. A large vault like this would hold the mortal remains of either a distinguished band and/or a prominent leader and close intimates. Given fears of rising undead and the protean nature of the Worldwound, such dead would have been cremated. He also thinks it likely that the vault would have been extensively blessed and warded, but such things may not have endured a century of neglect.
The darkness is some species of evocation, likely of maligning character. Beyond it he detects abjuration auras around the entrance, which appear to be attached to some of the runes. Many more look to be magically inert.
The darkness is magical, although what it doesn't I cannot specifically say. It belongs to the type of magic that is most destructive. It is possible that's it's but simple magical darkness, it is also possibles that it is something deadlier. The runes hold warding magic. These tombs are often warded against undeath and demons, but the chaos of the worldwound could have corrupted these magics. They could have been laid by those who oppose us.
"Can you dispel it?"
I.. I can try?
I.. I can try?
Yridhrennor tries to dispel the darkness.
pikachu, i choose you.
I will not be able to dispel any more magics today.
"We'll just have to live with that," Blink said with a nod, and moved towards the entrance, wary of any traps or defenders that had been hidden in the darkness.
"We'll just have to live with that," Blink said with a nod, and moved towards the entrance, wary of any traps or defenders that had been hidden in the darkness.
[dice=Perception]1d20+9
Yridhrennor's magic struggled for a moment and the darkness roiled, gathering near to him and bulging out before a spiderweb of brilliant light appeared across its surface. It shattered and boiled away.
Moving forward, Blink saw the telltale shimmers of warding magic about some of the runes blocking the vault's door.
"Good job. Let's go. Anyone want to sneak in? Or I can lead. " the old crusader suggests.
"More wards," Blink warned, holding up a hand.
"More wards," Blink warned, holding up a hand.
[dice=Knowledge (Arcana)]1d20+9
Now that Yridhrennor has a better view of the runes, he'll assist Blink as she studies them. Perhaps their combined efforts can reveal more about their natures. Falfaerel peers at the magic and sprovifes what insights he can, too.
Blink and Yridhrennor are both reasonable confident that the wards hold blasting spells in abeyance, ready to spring out and do their work. Such things can be prepared to only strike certain sorts of people. Given the environment, the odds are quite good that they would smite do-gooders. There's a chance that they were set by the vault's builders and would thus be meant to go the other way, but Yridhrennor thinks that given the time and the black aura he just dispelled, that's unlikely. If the wardings are original, it's likely they've been corrupted by abyssal energies anyway.
"Well, I don't use attack spells very often, so it's not too bad for me..." Blink shrugged, and looked at Yridhrennor.
Neither do I. It's entirely possible that they hold the sells ready to be used. Perhaps an experiment? Unfortunately, I haven't memorized those spells, today.
Neither do I. It's entirely possible that they hold the sells ready to be used. Perhaps an experiment? Unfortunately, I haven't memorized those spells, today.
Yridhrennor burns his last mythic point and summons a silvanshes to investigate the traps
A devastating conflagration of lightning, fire, cold, acid, and strange miasmas erupted when the silvanshee crossed the wards, but when the chaos of magic faded all the warding magic faded away. The door to the vault stood undefended.
Blink flinched back. "Oh dear gods, I am so glad summons aren't real creatures. That was awful." Still, the smear probably wouldn't vanish for another half minute or so.
Regardless, Blink moved towards the entrance once more...really, really hoping there were no more wards to sacrifice fluffy creatures to.
Yridhrennor turned his arcane sight back tot the runes, did they radiate magic anymore?
Yridhrennor turned his arcane sight back tot the runes, did they radiate magic anymore?
Blink's unharmed approach and Yridhrennor's divination both showed that the silvanshee expended all the wardings present.
Blink moved inside, checking to see if there were no living guardians at the entrance. It wasn't going to be fun if they'd disturbed something else unpleasant.
Blink slipped inside the vault and found herself in an antechamber. The walls bore defaced signs of Iomedae, Torag, Erastil, Desna, and numerous empyreal lords. Small niches beneath each may have once held candles and other offerings, but all now overflowed with filth. Another pair of doors stood closed against her, thin tendrils of ash reaching from out beneath them.
She found no trace of further wardings or mechanical traps.
Blink moved to the entrance, beckoning the others to move along and enter, before studying the net set of doors.
Blink moved to the entrance, beckoning the others to move along and enter, before studying the net set of doors.
[dice=Perception]1d20+9
So far as Blink can tell, the doors are untrapped.
Gesturing to the others, Blink slipped the doors open and slunk through. She didn't like this. Nasty things did not put wards on a place like this for giggles.
Blink skulked further into the dark of the vault. She found rows and rows of small niches with broken urns spilling ash on the floor, and two clouds of billowing ash vaguely shaped like warriors, just as surprised to see her as she was them. Behind them lurked a similarly stunned hunched, bat-winged horror.
Blink doesn't see 'em.
And they don't see Blink.
That's...kind of unfair. I feel cheated out of a surprise round. But I'll add a few mythic ranks to them and it'll all work out. Just you see.
always acts in surprise
Crapnappies and sauce!
Galin follows Blink through the doors, bow in hand, and as she opens the second set of doors he takes a second to look around before noticing the cloudy figure right in front of them. He jumps a bit, moving half a step back as he raises his bow and sends an arrow into the center of the cloud's mass.
Yridhrennor follows into the crypt, staying close behind everyone else. His power had been sorely defeated battling the vrocks, he would need to be more cautious going forward. He sees the ash-shaped warriors and immediately searches his memory for clues to defeat them.
Then, the wizard intone a mystic spell. Gwirodydd o'r awyr a golau, darian dy was oddi wrth nerth drwg yn When he's done, star dust sprinkles from the heavens and coats his body in a soft bluish-white glow.
lets use a prescience
I'll save this roll to use if it's advantageous for me to do so at any point until my next turn.
Galin follows Blink through the doors, bow in hand, and as she opens the second set of doors he takes a second to look around before noticing the cloudy figure right in front of them. He jumps a bit, moving half a step back as he raises his bow and sends an arrow into the center of the cloud's mass. The arrow tore through the cloud of ash, sending ripples across its body as it passed.
Yridhrennor follows into the crypt, staying close behind everyone else. His power had been sorely defeated battling the vrocks, he would need to be more cautious going forward. He sees the ash-shaped warriors and immediately searches his memory for clues to defeat them. He recognized neither of the foes before him, despite his extensive education in matters demonic and magical.
Then, the wizard intoned a mystic spell. "Gwirodydd o'r awyr a golau, darian dy was oddi wrth nerth drwg yn," When he's done, star dust sprinkles from the heavens and coats his body in a soft bluish-white glow.
The ash clouds flowed forward and reached into Blink and Galin's chests, chilling them to the bone and tearing at their souls. Both gasped in pain and dark ash flowed from their mouths to join the clouds menacing them. The form of the one Galin struck returned almost to its previous coherence.
To the rear, the winged creature spoke a blasphemous phrase and more ash rushed from the broken urns to mantle it in a cloud in the vague shape of a crusader's armor.
hit
1 negative level
hit
1 negative level
Wings casts a spell and gets an AC boost.
Shuddering at the attack, Blink slid past the creature and behind, taking up position to flank with Galin. If the winged one caused enough trouble she would attack it by teleporting.
Theran slides up to keep them from pushing us back. He joins in on the flanked opponent to take him down quickly.
Yridhrennor quickly mutters a fast incantation and suddenly, a pit appears beneath the feet of the flanked ash-man amidst a great spray of earth!
Galin drops his bow and draws his rapier, lunging forward and striking at the ash thing pincered between him and Blink.
Shuddering at the attack, Blink slid past the creature and behind, taking up position to flank with Galin. If the winged one caused enough trouble she would attack it by teleporting. She struck deep into the mass of floating ash, but her blade barely seemed to find purchase.
Theran slides up to keep them from pushing us back. He joins in on the flanked opponent to take him down quickly. Like Blink's and Galin's, his strike threw the ash beings far less into chaos and disruption than hoped.
Steave marched into the antechamber of the vault and hurled his shield. It glowed with holy light as it flashed through the bulk of the flanked ash creature, spreading roiling chaos through its form and spraying loose ash about.
Yridhrennor spoke the words of a spell and a new silvanshee appeared and struck at the undamaged ash creature. The catlike outsider launched itself at its foe, but its best hits had little effect.
Galin drops his bow and draws his rapier, lunging forward and striking at the ash thing pincered between him and Blink. He scored a fair hit, further disrupting the cloud.
The ash beings converged on Theran, striking him from the front and side. Unnatural chill flooded his body and he felt a cruel tugging on his soul, but fought it off.
The other creature spread its wings and rushed forward in a dark tide of ash and laid into Blink with claws and fangs. Her blood flew freely and her muscles seized with yet more unnatural chill, freezing her in place.
Steave's Attack. Pretty sure I did this right...
. Total 62, halved to 32. Still more than half its remaining hp.
Talked it over with Y and he's not keen on the risk that someone will blow a save and end up taking falling damage with his targets.
Silvanshee with pounce and heroic strength and flanking
3 damage after incorporeal reductions
Bad guys
Wings for Blink
hit
nope
saved
hit
failed :(
hit because she's paralyzed
24 damage
He sees that Blink is vulnerable to the undead, and he will not let her fall. So he slams into her, to move her out of harm's way and put himself in.
Steave continues forward and slams the ash undead.