"Hmmmmm....." Taz says as he studies the undead.
Tazwell is able to identify these undead as hoar spirits, vengeful undead found in the arctic regions like Irrisen and the Crown of the World, and are made by their horrific and brutal deaths in such environs. They are drawn towards heat and wield the paralyzing cold of the dead of winter in their claws.
"Some people call them 'Hoar Spirits', I generally refer to them as angry, frosty, dead guys." Taz tells the others.
"I know a tune that will keep them at bay, giving you all a sanctuary from which to strike at them." he continues.
He holds out his gloved left hand and, in an instant, his magical guitar appears.
Hylota was annoyed. Undead were quite resistant to many of her powers and spells, and these were likely even resistant to her cold spells. Considering her options, she looked at her companions and said, "I don't know how helpful I will be in this battle, but I'll do what I can to aid you. Tazwell, play your song."
Tazwell stikes a minor chord on his guitar and begins a dark, melancholy song.
He is playing the Fugue de Rue d'Auseil masterpiece, which provides a barrier against aberrations, outsiders, and undead.
He creates a hemispherical barrier up to 45 feet in radius that prevents the undead from approaching. If they're already closer than that, he makes the circle smaller so it doesn't touch any of the hoar spirits to begin with.
As the barrier rises, the hoar spirits notice but since the party has not entered the chamber they only watch with baleful glares.
Tazwell is playing his guitar.
Round 2 of Bardic Performance.
Szasa, not liking the idea of incorporeal creatures, readies an action to attack the first one to get into range.
Hylota casts a spell, and tentacles the color of night emerge from the ground whipping about and grabbing at every undead in reach.
[ooc]Casting black tentacles. I'd like to grab all seven, if possible, but if not, as many as I can. It's a 20' radius spread, so 40' across at its widest point.
As three of the hoar spirits are wrapped by the oily black tentacles of Hylota's spell, the other four manage to elude their grasp and cry like the northern wind in rage. They shamble forward, the first coming into range of Szasa's blade. It is carved deeply but does not fall to her blade. Due to Tazwell's barrier, the hoar spirits are unable to strike at the party.
Vincent brings out his dragon wings and takes to the air towards the spirits, drawing his longspear as he does.
Tazwell maintains his barrier against the spirits.
Round 3 of Bardic Performance.
Szasa will unleash on the enemies in front of her, holding the line while the magic users play their part.
The tentacles keep their grips upon those they've already grabbed, continuing to crush them.
The hoar spirits are divided, the three still entangled remain so, the tentacles crushing into their frozen corpses but they remain upright.
The one Szasa struck before took swings at her with her claws, but neither land blows, deflected by both the swashbuckler's parry and the barrier of sound. The female hoar spirit falls to Szasa's blade, repelled by the audible barrier a couple feet away.
The others are similarly thwarted by the elf's defense.
"Just strumming away over here."
Tazwell maintains his barrier against the spirits.
Round 4 of Bardic Performance.
The tentacles continue grabbing all those within reach, and crushing those they already have trapped.
The remaining hoar spirits become entangled in the tentacles, all of them now taking damage from the arcane appendages.
Vincent stabs at the nearest spirit.
Vincent stabs an undead in the head, poking a large hole into the skull, but the creature still stands.
As the hoar spirits are slowly crushed, you see the crackling energy in the cage suddenly shift into a humanoid shape and it points out towards the remaining hoar spirits, and a wave of the energy washes over them, deflected by Tazwell's barrier.
The hoar spirits' damage is repaired as the energy reaches them, the hole poked into the one's skull restored.
"What's that thing?"
Tazwell adds an extra riff to the song keeping the undead at bay and casts Haste on the members of the party.
Hyltoa frowns as the crackling energy washes over the hoar spirits, healing their wounds. "It's likely some kind of negative energy vortex, although that humanoid shape..."
Unconcerned with the elemental, Vincent continues to stab at the nearest spirit.
Szasa also continues to attack the Spirits, whirling through them, her blade a scythe.
Together Vincent and Szasa down another hoar spirit leaving five attempting to claw through Tazwell's barrier. The negative energy elemental groans in frustration as a second spirit collapses and struggles against the cold bars holding it in place.
The other hoar spirits are still locked in place by the tentacles, but they are not in melee range of the barrier.
.
The Black Tentacles continue gripping the Hoar Spirits and crushing them in their grasp.
"That ball of negative energy in the center is a negative energy elemental. They are quite powerful, and vulnerable to positive energy, such as those from healing magic. Szasa, Vincent, will either of you be able to walk through the tentacles without being trapped by them?"
Tazwell maintains his magical barrier, holding a chord with his left hand.
with his right, he slides out his Wand of Dragon Breath and then lets loose a blast of dragon fire into the collection of spirits.
The Black Tentacles continue gripping the Hoar Spirits and crushing them in their grasp.
"That ball of negative energy in the center is a negative energy elemental. They are quite powerful, and vulnerable to positive energy, such as those from healing magic. Szasa, Vincent, will either of you be able to walk through the tentacles without being trapped by them?"
"It is... possible. Flying over the tentacles may prove more beneficial though."
All of a sudden the inky blackness that has shrouded Diana vanishes and her cage that has trapped her evaporates along with the chains that bound her. Seeing these creatures in the room she readies herself for battle. She raises her shield, and reaches back pulling out her Bardiche then balancing the weapon on her shield she faces outward against the danger.
Hylota is concerned as Szasa suddenly vanishes. "That's not good. We needed her sword."
Suddenly, another woman emerges to the room, drawing out a bardiche and shield and rushing towards the hoar spirits. Hylota drifts over and says, "Hello, dear. Who might you be, and how useful are you?"
Tazwell looks at Vincent and asks: "Aren't you a sorcerer? Don't you know any sorcery?"
Diana sees the group of adventurers in the room and looks unsure if this is something good or bad. After hearing the woman in white speak, she yells back
”My name is Diana, and from what it looks like you could use some muscle....”.
She snears with a visible bloodlust in her eyes and says,
“Which happens to be my forte.”
"Oh, excellent! Would you mind terribly carving a few of those undead up for us? That negative energy elemental in the cage can heal them faster than my tentacles can crush them."
Kabr's arms drop to his sides as the chains and manacles holding them wide suddenly vanish. With a relieved, and not slightly confused sigh, he flexes his fingers for a minute and stretches his shoulders, relishing in the renewed blood flow and freedom of movement. For some reason, after disarming and unharnessing him, the creatures left most of his gear in the far corner of the cell, most likely as a taunt to him - his gear being so close and yet completely out of his reach. Putting everything back on, he notices that his weapons are not in the haphazard pile of gear. No big deal, he thinks to himself. And indeed, once the rest of his gear is in place, with barely a thought, two hammers blink back into their loops on his belt and he pulls both of them out and swings them for a second. Setting one of the hammers ablaze, and with a glimmer of hatred in his eyes, Kabr stalks out of his cell ready for a fight.
The obvious Winter Witch in front of him first caught his attention, but only momentarily before he was close enough to hear her last question directed at the only other female in the room. With reflexes honed by years of combat, it takes only a couple of fluid motions before the flaming hammer is seen flying across the intervening space multiple times striking one of the undead . The second hammer in Kabr's off-hand seems to have returned to its belt loop in the blink of an eye before the first throw.
"Gods I always forget how much that hurts," Kabr says as old aches and pains flare to life again in the wake of the backlash from his weapon.
“I’d be my pleasure.”
The flaming hammer flying out of nowhere to strike at the hoar spirits catches Hylota completely off-guard, but when she sees the Kellid man appear and continue his attack, she smiles and says, "Oh, very well done! You look to be most useful! Who might you be?"
Tazwell looks at Vincent and asks: "Aren't you a sorcerer? Don't you know any sorcery?"
Not quite sure why the bard asks a question he already knows the answer to, the sorcerer simply responds, "Yes." He hesitates a moment before simply asking, "I would gather there's a point you are trying to make with your question?" But his attention is quickly turned to the newcomers who seem to have come out of nowhere. Seeing how the appear to be friendly, "Ah, reinforcements. Very good."
Diana sees hammers go flying from another side of the chamber and takes to the action. Stepping forward and begins to demolish the undead with a series of swipes and jabs with her weapon focusing on one creature.
Diana's weapon tears into a hoar spirit, which gives out a wheeze as it collapses, the tentacles holding it falling away. The hoar spirits that remain also remain entangled.