Karethas realizes that Amir has succeeded in making passage. He curses is own stupidity, ”I was wrong! Passage is through the worm. Stand still and be swallowed.” He waits for the worm’s attention to turn away, steps through the arch and stands very still.
Varkata stops attacking, keeping the blade up in defense, and steps back carefully, "And they didn't think to tell us? Better to surprise us, was it?"
Seeing that the attacks on his object of worhsip have stopped, Anwar scowls through his flaming beard at Karethas. "I said that the Burning One is the Way. You do not listen." The great creature- which Varkata thinks resembles a fiery version of the great Purple Worms that haunt the deepest depths of Golarion down to the venomous stinger which is checked though Kzrira still suffers from the venom. The great maw drops upon Karethas next sucking the wizard up. Anwar shouts and Karethas is seen no more.
Fort:
Varkata holda her position cautiously, "Will your 'Burning One' still take us, or will it continue to strike?"
Anwar grimaces, "Stop your stupid attacks and surrender to the Chain of Fire. You will not be harmed."
Kzrira, looking a little weaker than usual, calls out to Varkata. [b]Might as well charge into its mouth, that is what everyone else did.
With that, Kzrira flies into the creature's mouth, returning the griffon to its miniature form as she does.
Currently - 6 strength
Anwar shrieks with extreme annoyance. The Great Burning Worm as big as a tower bites the tiny mortal flying at its face. The rows of horrible teeth are not held in check and Kzrira disappears broken and bloody down the hatch.
Anwar shouts, then with a sigh turns to Varkata. "I would not advise that approach. Just stand still before the Arch."
Fort:
Giving up, Kzrira drops down in front of the archway as instructed and hopes for the best with her broken and battered body.
With Kzrira swallowed and no one left. Varkata surrenders, lowering her sword and offering herself up to the great worm.
*******
Amir and Karethas look back down the sloping corridor that ends in bubbling magma. The dim red glow from the molten stone backlights two dark forms that are suddenly disgorged in succession from the burning ooze and land on the living brass at their feet. Kzrira bleeds freely and can barely rise to her knees as she struggles against the mortal venom. Varkata nearly lands on her companion as she is spit from the fire.
The passage is twenty feet wide and twenty feet high sinking into lava at the low end and rising to end in a featureless brass wall 80 feet ahead.
Fort:
Kzrira's face is swollen and looks black in the red-tinted light. She shakes uncontrollably, but staggers to her feet. She's very weak, but will survive.
Varkata looks around, then says, "Give me a minute or so to heal Kzrira -- I'd rather take the time to use the wand and save my magic for what's coming."
Varkata pateinetly mends Kzrira's wounds little by little with the minor healing wand.
Although still in pain, with her muscles atrophied, Kzrira struggles to her feet, the weight of her equipment almost unbearable.
I do not know if you can cure the energy drained by its poison, but I will be not much more than a hindrance as I am now.
Karethas frowns, ”I can help a little bit.”
Kzrira feels slightly less drained, but still very weak.
-4 strength (8 Strength)
Varkata shakes her head, "I'm afraid I can't - Efreet aren't generally poisonners, and so I asked for spells that would help me destroy them. I didn't want to lose a potential bit of battle-magic to carry spells I didn't expect to need..."
She sighs, "I really should have looked into a few scrolls."
Karethas does what he can, but Kzrira remains weakened from the great burning worm's venom. The Heroes survey their surroundings. Currently, they appear trapped between a pool of lava and a wall of living brass.
With some hesitation Amir will inspect the wall, if nothing visual yields results he will deign to touch it...
Amir's Rogue-y senses are tingling. He suddenly has the suspicion that an unwary touch may cause the wall to somehow push them all into the molten slurry at the end of the sloped corridor!
Amir pulls back his sleeves and gingerly moves his fingers over the hot brass. After long tense moments, the wall slides down safely. The old rogue wipes sweat from his brow and confidently leads the way forward to the bottom of brass stairs leading up. The large corridor continues after the landing first to the right for 250 paces and the right again for about 1000 paces before the passage ends in another wall. Amir double checks it and then finds a way to open it again.
Beyond is an octagonal room rising to a domed apex high overhead. Roaring flames burn in sconces throughout the chamber. The wall you passed through is covered with a bas relief of a horrible barbed devil. Doors of different sizes—some composed of close-fitting brass bars, others formed from riveted brass plates, but all bearing heavy locks—stand closed on each wall of the chamber. All of the doors and bars glow red with heat. Heavy benches complete with manacles at top a bottom and racks or cruel edged and hooked tools identify this place as a torture chamber and dungeon.
Varkata looks around and winces, "This is... truly disturbing... Not that we'd need more reasons to want to destroy them."
A quick check finds all the doors locked except the one opposite the hidden entrance. It opens to another large corridor of brass. Another 300 paces and it turns left to fortified door. Varkata turns the heavy bolt and you enter a chamber:
The brass ceiling of these casement chambers seems to bow under the great weight of the fortress above. Stairs punctuated by landings, complete with firing ports, look out over the citadel’s entry. You are apparently at the base of some barbican or gatehouse to Jhavhul's estate. a broad stairway leads up past tall arrow slits.
Kzrira looks up at the stairs with their firing ports.
That looks reassuring. Who knows what they might shoot out of those ports.
She looks to her companions.
Something tells me that we might want to fly up there rather than walking up those steps and give Jhavhul a chance to shoot at us. Any chance you could make us all invisible Kaarethas?
Varkata says, "I have a fly spell prepared, it's a gift from the Accidental God. In fact, based on our trip into the volcano, I think we can all fly -- the question is whether that would be enough to avoid archers - especially since we'd be a lot more visible without Karethas' invisibility."
Varkata frowns, "Don't like being exposed... But even without invisibility, flying will be faster.."
Kzrira activated her bronze griffin and Karethas hops up behind her. Amir and Varkata step upon the flying carpet and the Heroes ascend up the stairway past rows of arrow slits that look out over an entry ramp. The next level up is another large guardroom with arrow slits to the west and south. There is also a stout door to the south. Dual stairs lead up at the north end of the chamber. These chambers are now largely devoid of furnishings, but not of guards. A giant that somewhat resembles an Azer sits upon the stairs up. He is broad and stands twice as high as a very tall man. Fire rises where a beard would be like an Azer, but his skin is like black basalt. A pair of large wolfish creatures with red-brown fur and glowing red eyes immediately start barking loudly.
Karethas
Kzrira
Varkata
foe
Kzrira looks behind her at Karethas:
Any clue what that is and what might be useful against it?
Varkata says dryly, "We're on the Plane of Fire. I think it's just safe to assume everything we have to fight is immune to fire." With that, she starts whispering the words to a simple prayer, calling on the Drunken Hero to give her a small piece of his luck in battle.
Kzrira shrugs as she guides the griffon with her knees.
The giant is on fire, I assume that my cold arrows will not be appreciated.
With that, she begins to unload arrows at the giant.
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage: <-- 1d6 is cold damage
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage: <-- 1d6 is cold damage
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage: <-- 1d6 is cold damage
And her aim is less than stelar.
"Hell hounds," Karethas says, "adapted to the infernal regions of Hell and quite welcome among the Efreet, I see."
Kzrira's arrows are deflected by the giant's heavy plate armor. The massive creature palms a brass globe from the pile at his side and sends it flying back at Kzrira. The boulder-sized sphere hits her. The hellhounds keep barking sending cinders out of their mouths as their teeth snap. Amir swoops down for a landing as Varkata calls upon divine favor.
Kzrira grunts as the boulder strikes her.
Anything you have to stop those rocks? They hurt. She calls over her shoulder to Karethas as she continues to fire at the giant.
Attack-rapid shot: <-- maybe?
Damage: <-- extra 1d6 is cold
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage:
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage:
Unfortunately, her shots continue to be less than as accurate as she would like.
Seeing the damage done by the first rock, Karethas decides that making it harder for the giant to see the companions is advisable.
Cast Glitterdust on the giant, also get the hellhounds if they are in range.
DC19 Will or all sparkly (and blind)
Karethas casts a spell from the back of the bronze hippogriff and the giant is consumed by a glittering cloud. The fiery goliath yells and grabs at his eyes. Kzrira keeps firing at the massive, heavily armored man and is able to target unprotected areas hitting twice out of three shots. The hounds glance back at the strangely acting giant and then charge the landed rug. The mastiff-sized hounds snap at Kzrira and one sinks blackened fangs into her thigh.
Seeing the giant unable to protect itself, Kzrira continues to launch arrows at the fiery monstrosity.
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage: <-- 1d6 cold
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage: <-- 1d6 cold
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage: <-- 1d6 cold
Kzrira keeps loosing arrows, but despite its blinded condition, Kzrira finds that the giant's heavy armor remains a formidable barrier as her arrows bounce off leaving only dents and no spilt blood.
Varkata pulls away slightly from the creature's bite, then quickly spins the blade in her hand, feeling it hunger to strike the thing down, as she tries to clear herself a path to the giant while he's still off-balance.
for
for
Swinging the black-flame blade forward and back, Kzrira easily cuts down one of the infernal guard dogs.
Varkata holds position, waiting to slice the other hound and rush the giant.