Undvach grates his teeth trying to get the taste of demon-flail out of his mouth before looking up at the demon, unintimidated. He laughs at Faeleen's taunting song, distracted enough that he dodges too late from the demon's attack.
Yelling loudly at the demon, he launches himself at it once more! Unfortunately the hellish corruption coursing through his body and the magic protecting demon combine to make him falter.
As much fun as annoying the imps is, Faeleen decides that more tangible results are also needed; Not that she couldn't stab little holes into and annoy them at the same time. She takes a few steps forward and tries to drive her rapier into the flesh of one of the imps, hopefully disrupting whatever spell it is they're trying to cast while continuing her mocking song.
On minions don't skimp/
Only a fool hires an imp/
They are stupid and they yell/
And they fight worse than they smell/
Initiative
Beleste, Undvach and Jokum
Aren and Faeleen
Jethop and Grrazz
Imps
Demon Lord
Gun Turrets
With a mighty roar, Beleste's blow rips open the gun turret with a flash of bright light and sparks. You hear a murmur of reaction from the crowd as the dimly-lit arena is once more flash-illuminated. The minotaur-demon's adamantine longsword rips open the gun turret and destroys the construct operating the controls in one fell swoop.
Undvach swings madly at the demon lord, but between the demon's blurring effect and the hell-curse the imp inflicted on him, his blows go wide. The chittering laughter of the imps fills his ears, driving on his rage. Fortunately, however, the distraction of Undvach's greatclub swings is enough to distract the demon so that the ray strikes true. The ray LOOKS like it would connect, but instead passes harmlessly through the air next to his head. The blurring effect of the magic on the demon causes the Scorching Ray to miss.
Aren, seeing that the imp wa salready dead, shouts out to his lizard companion, "Charge the Large demon and take it down! Avoid the fire traps on the ground!" He would have to test later how intelligent the creature truly was, but at the moment it seemed more like a mindless animal with malicious intent rather then anything truly sapient. The creature runs after the large demon, avoiding the fire traps as commanded, but its vicious bite misses it's mark entirely.
Selres attempts again to attack the demon, this time using its full assortment of natural weapons in an attempt to rend the creature apart. Aren is surprised by the sheer ferocity of his creation once more as he moves closer to the fray. The creature might not be more then an animal in its intelligence, but it was truly a remarkable thing he had created. He finds himself smiling wickedly as he see's the creature attempt to tear through the illusion surrounding the demon in the hopes of sinking it's wicked teeth and claws into the creatures flesh.
Though shorter in height, it was about equal in size thanks to its longer length. Combine that with the fact that the creatures skeletal appearance made for a very intimidating sight and one might beg the question, which of the two monstrosities was scary? Alone, Aren was almost certain that Selres would be destroyed against such a demon, but the sight was awe inspiring... or nightmare inducing perhaps.
Aren, however, sees that the fight might not be over yet and gets within range to heal his undead creation in case any damage should be fall it. He simply walks through the flames spurting out of the damnable contraption, not even bothering to try and dodge out of the pathetic torches way in his heavy armor.
Aren
Move to k 11 and hold standard action
Selres
Stays where he is and full attacks the big demon
Initiative
Beleste, Undvach and Jokum
Aren and Faeleen
Jethop and Grrazz
Imps
Demon Lord
Gun Turrets
With a mighty roar, Beleste's blow rips open the gun turret with a flash of bright light and sparks. You hear a murmur of reaction from the crowd as the dimly-lit arena is once more flash-illuminated. The minotaur-demon's adamantine longsword rips open the gun turret and destroys the construct operating the controls in one fell swoop.
Undvach swings madly at the demon lord, but between the demon's blurring effect and the hell-curse the imp inflicted on him, his blows go wide. The chittering laughter of the imps fills his ears, driving on his rage. Fortunately, however, the distraction of Undvach's greatclub swings is enough to distract the demon so that the ray strikes true. The ray LOOKS like it would connect, but instead passes harmlessly through the air next to his head. The blurring effect of the magic on the demon causes the Scorching Ray to miss.
Aren's hideous skeletal lizard clatters forward, displaying the lust for spreading death inherent to all undead things. The crowd cheers its approval as it lands a powerful bite on the demon's arm! The demon howls and has to shake his hand hard before he can get loose.
Faeleen recognizes the imps' joint spellcasting as the threat that it represents, and deftly slips her rapier point between the bony shoulderblades of the imp. With a squeal, its casting is interrupted by a rush of blood that sprays over the Ravener's feet. The imp dies on Faeleen's rapier.
Smiling at the carnage all around him, the Ravener looks almost lazy as he scoops the head off of his targeted imp with one claw. Once you got in close and managed to pin one down, these imps die easy.
Imp 5 glares at all of you in hatred, then screams as it clutches at its nose! It looks almost like it's about to cannonball into a pool - but instead, the imp explodes in a burst of fel magic! The demon lord laughs amid the combat as fel chaos energy scorches the surrounding tieflings. Ravener and Faeleen, take negative energy damage, Will save 17 for half.
The final living imp that has not acted steps away and begins to cast a spell on the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord smiles an evil smile as he steps backward and gestures at Undvach.
Then, the gun turret does its flechettes thing at Grrazz. It's just as painful as before!
Nope, no AOO for you! haha
Still blinded from the flare and incapable of making out that the turret was now destroyed despite the screeching and exploding, Beleste would once more bring down his weapon in an attempt to put an end to the blasted thing.
Jokum: yes. Beleste: congratulations, you showed that dead gun turret who's boss. :P
Jokum: yes. Beleste: congratulations, you showed that dead gun turret who's boss. :P
Surprised by the sudden death of all the imps, Jokum looks around the at the main melee. Seeing an imp and the hulking demon were the only living creatures, he begins to move towards them. As he does so he notices the arcane signs they were making and attempts to glean what he can from them.
Eyes widening in horror, he yells, "Kill the imp and hit the demon hard. Those spells they're casting will rip us apart." Hurrying now he walks close to the imp and makes an invocation to capture the dragons essence. Breathing out and roaring the last word, a blast of flame surrounds the imp and the demon both.
The Ravener laughs as the imp explodes. The energy that washed over him hurt, but it was a narrow thing. Almost as if it should have felt good.
The Ravener moves over towards the demon.
Faeleen's song finally falters when the burst of negative energy hits her, disrupting her vital functions and wracking her body with pain as it passes through it. The pain is quickly forgotten, though, when she recognizes from a few stray syllabes the nature of the spell that the demon is casting. She knows well enough what kind of damage Undvach's giant club is capable of causing and isn't at all optimist about their chanches to defeat both him and the large demon.
Intent on stopping the fiend's insidious plans, the tiefling bard charges with her rapier pointed at the demon. But halfway her charge, she shouts out a few magical syllabes and dashes past the demon at incredible speed, leaving behind a rainbow of afterimages going through a stabbing motion.
"Selres, take out that imp! Then focus on the demon again!" The large skeletal lizard seems agitated at having to switch targets, especially when he had just dealt such a grievous blow to the large demon, but it does as commanded. It quickly skitters forward and lashes out at the imp with it's teeth. One slain, the skeletal creature would return its horrid attention on the large demon, eager to continue the fight it had begun earlier with its wicked bite. Aren remains nearby, ready to summon a spell to the aid of his comrades or his creation at a moments notice, but unwilling to expend his energy on the creature unless absolutely necessary. There was no telling how long today would last and how much he would need.
Selres
5ft step forward and full attack, targeting the imp first and then attacking the demon with whatever is left.
oh yes, blur.
Having been slinking around the outskirts of th combat for a while now Grrazz sees their opening/chance.
I'm going to assume that succeeds, but ... let me know if it doesn't?
Initiative
Beleste, Undvach and Jokum
Aren and Faeleen
Jethop and Grrazz
Imps
Demon Lord
Gun Turrets
Round 8!
Beleste carves an enormous divot out of the arena floor, eliciting a few chuckles from the crowd.
Jokum's quick action and devastating fire engulfs the imp, destroying it before its spell can complete! The fire also washes over the demon lord's flesh, causing it to bubble and crack in some places and eliciting a roar of pain. you hear the crowd cheering, in Undercommon. "Well alright then!" responds the announcer, as she flips a switch atop her observation spider. The flame jets' hidden nozzles, pointed at lateral angles, suddenly shoot out over all of you! Everyone standing within 1 square of a fire grate roll a DC 16 Reflex save or take fire damage! Fortunately, unlike the flame jets shooting upwards, these jets only blast once. The demon turns to Jokum, narrowing its eyes as its predatory mind selects a new target for its fury.
Undvach's mind is a primitive tool, made for telling his muscles when to flex and his teeth when to bite down. He's not exactly the philosophical type. His mind's simplicity, however, is an asset in this case - rather than the spell being able to sow subtle doubt in his psyche, as it would in most victims, the spell simply bounced off his brain like a pea shooter off the skin of a rhino.
Selres manages to bite the demon and tear at his now-cooked flesh somewhat, but the demon's flail bats the claws aside. You see the demon beginning to battle more desperately now, fury causing its strikes to have more power than precision behind them as he realizes his minions are all slain.
Faeleen's magic makes her difficult to see properly as she dashes through the demon. A loud SHINK! sound can be heard and the crowd "ooooh!"s. The demon bleeds from a deep cut along the abdomen.
Grrazz can post another action for this round since the imp died before they took their turn.
The Ravener, chuckling to himself, lurches forward and lashes out at the demon, carving three rents in his flesh and dodging the demon lord's immediate counter-strike as the Demon Lord swings his flail in pain.
The demon steps back and chuckles, casting a fel spell on his chest as he mutters, "Ժամանակն է անջատել լույսերը ..."
Faeleen can take an AoO and I assume she will:
Faeleen lands a spectacular stab on the demon as his casting leaves him vulnerable!
Gritting his teeth through the pain, the demon nonetheless manages to choke out the final syllable of the spell!
Everything that was within 60 feet of the demon - that was in dim light - is suddenly plunged into supernatural darkness. Darkvision is not effective. The flame jets are turned off by the drow to make it more difficult for you to see.
slashing
No matter how big you are being surrounded by your enemies is rarely a blessing.
If two attacks hit,
As fire roars from the grates, Jokum gasps in pain as it engulfs him. His fiendishly touched skin provided some protection from the searing heat, but it didn't stop it completely. Smoking slightly from head to foot, Jokum mentally runs over the arcane might remaining to him. Concluding his thoughts, he clicks his tongue in vexation. Little further good I can do today. Seeing the demon's gaze turn towards him, he shivers visibly and steps back and away. Discretion is the better part of valor here I think. Chanting a brief word in draconic he points to the demon and a thin ray of fire burns from his finger towards the beast.
"Grrrr...." Grrazz makes a sound that rumbles in their chest at the fact that all the tasty mouthfuls have been smashed.
"Rrrr...Rrrr...Rrrr"
Bash at it. And bite it. And stuff, as usual.
Rage remaining: 9 rounds.
And, presuming it survives ...
Edit: Max damage on three rolls in a row? XD Woot! Assuming they hit.
Rage remaining: 8 rounds.
Beleste looks on as the demon wraps the battlefield in a layer of supernatural darkness that even his fiendish eyes do not penetrate. From within the murky black, you hear the savage slashing sounds that Grrazz and Jethop make together as their claws rend demon flesh, creating a delightful symphony of slices and slashes that dash the demon to ribbons. The melody of the savage claws is offset by the more civilized - but still deadly - slashes of a fine-point rapier. Fire from Jokum's spell ripples over the demon's many wounds, flowing into the Lord's veins and burning him from within, causing a fel scream to erupt out of the coliseum.
Finally, Beleste hears a bestial roar that he instantly recognizes as Undvach - followed by a SMASH of a blunt object destroying bone.
A few moments pass with no further evidence of combat. The crowd begins to murmur in excitement and anticipation. From above, you hear the drow MC utter a spell: "Hal-taleen!" and the deeper darkness is dispelled. What is revealed to the crowd in that moment elicits a collective gasp from the entire audience.
The demon lord lies dead. His face is caved in, the greatclub still lodged in the sharp angles of the demon's cheekbones. Undvach, the Ravener, AND Grrazz are all feasting on the demon's fallen corpse, tearing off huge chunks of demonflesh between their teeth.
All is silent, save for the sounds of chewing and slaver.
At the return of the light Grrazz begins to back away towards cover, with the largest piece of critter still clamped 'tween bloody jaws.....
Beleste, when the darkness is dispelled to reveal the dead demon lord, the gun turret is retracted into the arena floor.
A few moments go by in silence as the crowd stares in disbelief at the scene. A second ago, the demon lord had its entourage of imps and was handily battling the tiefling squad - now the tieflings are the only combatants standing in the arena left.
The magics of your collars yank you upright again, forcing you to stand at "parade rest." You're aligned in a row facing the audience as they stare at you openmouthed.
You suddenly see Doctor Khan descending from the ceiling on a small loop of webbing that her foot is slipped through. She clings to the webbing and smiles evilly at the audience as she descends. Not a sound can be heard in the coliseum.
Doctor Khan steps off the webbing loop, which is then retracted back into the ceiling. She stands before the row of tieflings behind her, her slaves, facing the stands. With a triumphant shout, she raises both arms to the air in victory! The crowd goes wild! Deafening cheers erupt from all corners of the stands and the drow in the audience stand and cheer, applauding wildly. You see Doctor Khan drinking in the adulation that you earned for her, bowing in mock graciousness and smiling in open gloating triumph. The slave collars keep you still. The crowd begins to chant:
Jethop strains against the collar around his neck to try and look behind him in the direction that he saw the dwarves earlier. Where once there was nothing but an open field, now a row of metallic-looking spikes have erupted from the ground, skewering the hapless dwarves who were headed your way. It appears they fell prey to the hazards of the arena.
Even upon being yanked upright, Grrazz does not relinquish the bloodied prize between their jaws.
"Rrrr...rrrr..."
"Is play time already over?" Beleste would ask in a sarcastic tone as he peered down at Doctor Khan with michief in his eyes.
Doctor Khan glances over her shoulder at Beleste, her red eyes blazing in triumph. All of you suddenly feel the sounds of the roaring crowd diminish, as if some deity was turning the volume down on the universe. Doctor Khan turns her head back to fully take in the crowd's adulation, but her voice echoes in all of your minds.
When the clerics of Lolth finish healing you of your wounds and restore your minds to full clarity, you will strike down the clerics before you and assassinate the Mistress of Ceremonies. Play time is almost over, pets. Almost.
The volume of the crowd is restored to its normal levels and you hear the MC's voice over the crowd, congratulating Doctor Khan on her victory and commending the strength of her pawns. For her part, the Doctor takes a noble bow.
The platform you're standing on begins to lift into the air, rising to carry both Khan and all of you to where the enormous spider lurks in a web overlooking the coliseum.
Doctor Khan releases the tight grasp on your necks, allowing your movement to you again as you rise into the air. The crowd continues cheering and applauding you below.
Listening to the sounds coming from the darkness, Jokum begins sweating at the thought of what must be happening. As the darkness leaves the arena, the tiefling wizard bites back a cry of revulsion and closes his eyes. This is what I must do to survive. These companions are my hope for survival amidst these thrice-cursed drow. Shuddering and drawing a ragged breath, he looks to crowd who are clearly stunned by what they see.
Suddenly jerked upright, he glances at the ceiling as the crashing waves of chanting overtakes the arena. Despite his revulsion by what he had been part of, a certain part of him felt... satisfied. Perhaps even proud. Unbidden, a thought sprang to mind, My arcane might crushes those who would harm me. It will continue to expand and I will be stronger then before. With dawning horror, his mental battle between exultation and revulsion plays out with no one else the wiser.
As the sounds of the crowd suddenly diminish, Doctor Khan's voice reaches Jokum's ears. Eyes widen momentarily before he can get a handle on his surprise. Gulping as quietly as possible, he nods to her. Outwardly, he appears as calm, but inside fear and dread are added to the tumultuous mixture of thoughts already consuming his mind.
Undvach looks up from his rewarding meal of tasty demon flesh as the lights come back on. He fights for a few moments against the pull of the collar's magic as it takes him away from his prize, but relaxes and lets his rage subside when he sees the Doctor arriving. 'One day I'll taste drow flesh. She probably doesn't taste very nice.'
Grinning at the crowd, using any excuse to show off his fantastic teeth, he silently appreciates the Doctor's deceitful comments in his mind.
Your platform rises higher and higher above the adoring crowd until you're level with the gargantuan spider that the MC was commentating from. The spider is clinging to the webbing on the underside of the coliseum's roof - the gazebo having rotated around its body to be situated on its belly. The platform is landed on the spider's belly and Khan steps off, gesturing for all of you to follow. You see strange floating wisp-like creatures circling all of you, and as you glance off the side of the spider's body you see enormous flat stone tablets that your faces are being projected on. The wisps' view is magically translated to the enormous "screens".
The spider's body is covered in a short, dense mat of fur, making it strange to walk on. The body moves and adjusts constantly over time, creating gentle shifts in the landscape you walk upon.
Four beautiful drow clerics approach, wearing ceremonial armor covered head to toe in spider motifs, and begin to chant praise to the Spider Queen. As the smiling Mistress of Ceremonies looks on, the healing magics of Lolth restore you to full vitality.
Wisps float around the Mistress' head as she proclaims, "Congratulations to our fine champions! Doctor Khan has done her House honor in the creation of such fine gladiator slaves!"
As Grrazz ambles/knuckles along they shiver as the magic washes over them. Bestial eyes regard the Drow assembled before the group.
Updated battlemap. I've opened up editing to anyone who can access the link, so feel free to move your character as you see fit. Just please continue to say where you move your PC to in your posts.
Beleste would watch the scene unfold in front of him, while waiting for his chance. Then, as a rejuvenating wave of vitality seemed to take hold of him, he would break his stoic pose and burst into action by suddenly shifting to the side of the drow cleric in front of him as he quickly raised his sword and shouted, "A shame to waste such beauty!" As he spoke, he would test the telepathic link between him and the Doctor by thinking, "My services do not come cheaply. I expect compensation, even more so since the spoils of my previous battles were stolen from me."
Then, with all his might, he would bring his huge lonsword down towards the feeble looking drow...
-
...which would swing wide as Beleste finds his footing a bit hard to find. It appears the ride up has thrown him a bit off-balance.
5-Foot Step to space [C10, D10, C11, D11]
Power Attack