Garidan flicks his rapier at the gnoll who stairs in disbelief at the swashbuckler before dropping to his knees and keeling to one side. Slinking into the darkness, Garidan heads towards the battle. The gnolls converge on the few remaining horse lords, slaying them and their steeds. Two of the gnolls engage the auroch, dispatching the beast.
As the only remaining rider, the Captain charges the nearest group separating a gnoll from his head and overrunning another.
We cannot stand against the flames that this gnoll wields. I'm not sure if my magic is strong enough to bring him low. But I can only try.
Despite being loath to call upon a great spirit, Niyut whispers an invocation to Teysura, "Please may your light purge the wickedness of that thrall of flame, Sacred Mother. Please bring healing to my brother and myself."
Though her prayer lacks poetry and is surfeit with practicality, it is sincerely meant. Dipping into her well of power, the light of Teysura unfurls one final time on the tor above.
Light shines through mist.
Knowing that she is the closest and most able of her allies to strike down the gnoll priest if he yet lives, the young oracle continues to make her way towards the ridge. Weaving the shadows around her she renews the blurring effect.
As he sees so many of the friendlies falling, Malz nods. Enough are dead, I can do this now.
Damn, that's cold.
His summoning spell completely, but instead of another aurochs, a bloated retching demon claws its way out. It gives a sound that's halfway between a terrible roar and a curdling laugh.
Malz sneers and yells at the demon in a series of rasps and hisses.
The demon hisses back at him, then turns and gestures to the center of the battlefield. A sickly green fog fades into existence.
After the fog appears the dretch nimbly darts into the battle, falling behind Truk with a chuckle.
The forest drake continues its attacks!
Malz begins yet another summoning spell.
Do you think I'm going to run out soon?
...Aren't you?
You could support me.
Gruskorb steps forward unfurling his two whips. The reach of his whips is much further than that of the gnolls. With two cracks he tries to knock these two dogs from their feet.
Truk'tosh recoils from the hideous demon that appears alongside. It's only by the grace of his years of combat experience that the firebird warrior stays his hand long enough to recognize the hateful thing as one of Malthazir's conjured beasts and not hack it to bloody pieces.
Inspired by the gnoll priest, Truk'tosh calms his pounding heart long enough to call to the spirits for aid. With his free hand he sprinkles a pinch of grave dirt into the open air, a common tribute to spirits of winter and death. The big orc's plea is answered by a sheet of hailstones that spring into being in the open air before crashing down on the gnolls trapped within the demon's poisonous vapors.
From within the mist, another wretched cursing of barks and growls emits and is heard throughout the battle. It is quickly followed by the roar of barks from above. Niyut, now close enough to see what lurks above the mist shrouded priest, can see that a swarm of gnolls crouched upon an unnatural stone bridge that descends from the land above. A mere twenty feet separates the pack from the battle.
A green mist forms in the middle of the battle, and several gnolls seem disturbed by the noxious fumes. One begins to cough and choke. To the west, the psuedodragon presses his attack upon his enemy, clawing at its snout. Gruskorb snaps his whips at two of the gnolls, sending one to the ground. Startled, the hobgoblin looks up as a sheet of ice and snow crashes down upon the gnolls as they flee the green, acrid mist. He smiles broadly when he sees Truk'tosh holding Sa'crÿff's Axe aloft.
Finding his intentions made pointless by the gnolls' own actions, Garidan ceases his attempts at stealth and instead moves at a faster pace to bring himself into ideal range for his sword's odd bone attack. Following a quick glance at the available targets, the swashbuckler whips the blade forward once, launching a vicious shard of bone at one of the unwounded gnolls. After, he enters into his defense stance with a grin and beckons the target of his attack forward mockingly.
Hit
Hit
Hit
Hit
The wounded gnoll howls and rushes at Garidan, slashing him in across the thigh as the swashbuckler's parry is too late. Close by another gnoll wounds the Captain, but is quickly dispatched afterwards by the horseman. Else where, the gnolls attack in vain except for Gruskorb who is wounded by two different gnolls.
Three earth elementals come out of the earth, and all begin eroding away the land bridge.
The dretch attacks the creature right in front of Truk!
And Malz begins another summoning spell.
Trusting in her illusions, Niyut moves beyond the gnolls who are threatening her.
She points her mother's wand and points it into the sky. An icy orb spins from the tip and explodes in the air in front of the bluff.
With a burst of impossible speed Truk'tosh latches the gnoll commander's mighty axe to his harness again and regrips Morgrym's weapon with both hands.
Noting that one of his opponents favors one ankle, he rears back for a powerful blow that capitalizes on that weakness.
Guskorb steps back.
Black energy and lightning coil down the master's whip in a double helix, before lashing out to one of the injured gnolls.
Erupting out of the ground, several earth elementals begin digging at the newly constructed earthen bridge. The ground begins to shake under the stress of the cracks in the bridge's foundation. Malthazir's other minions also continue to create havoc among the gnolls. The pseudodragon continues to attack the d=gnoll before it, clawing it once across the face and arm while the Dretch finishes off the gnoll standing before the hulking half-orc.
With a mighty explosion of ice and snow, Niyut's wand follows the oracle's command and rains down upon the top of the rocky outcropping. To her east, Niyut's brother attacks the gnoll in front of the Dretch. The gnoll staggers and clutches at its chest where Morgrym's axe has left its mark.
Gruskorb steps back and uncoils this whip. The serrated leather strap slices through the gnoll's armor and exposes its organs. It falls to its back and succumbs to the terrible wound.
The gnolls retaliate with vengeance, knocking both Gruskorb and the pseudo dragon unconscious. One gnoll rushes at Niyut and swings where he believes the oracle to be, but her illusory defenses prevail. While the gnoll facing Truk'tosh finds the druid's defense impenetrable, the Dretch is less protected and is dealt a nasty blow from the wounded gnoll before him.
To the north, the Captain and Garidan are both struck with terrible wounds, but they both dodge what could have been a killing blow. The Captain quickly follows up with a single swing of his blade that ends the gnoll's life.
Niyut glares at the gnoll following her but cannot spare any time to destroy it. If the gnoll priest survives her magic, then they would all die.
Still trusting her illusions, Niyut races towards the path up the cliff.
As she approaches, she sends out another orb of ice aimed at the center of the bluff. It explodes with uncommon fury.
To confuse her pursuer another Niyut, surrounded by images, blips into existence a little bit away.
Very aware of the danger that threatens him, but resigned to battle, Gruskorb steps back and lashes the other wounded gnoll with lightning and death.
Garidan follows his attacks up relentlessly, not giving his foe a moment's respite. And his drive pays off, as he slips the blade through the increasingly-harried gnoll's defenses. Accompanied by a hair-raising wail fit to wake the dead, thin ribbons of lightning snake their way up and down the metal before disappearing--along with the blade that bears them--into the gnoll's soft body. With ears bleeding and muscles twitching from the twin applications of the enchanted weapon's rarely-demonstrated abilities, the poor creature can do little to protest the bloody mayhem wrought upon its tender innards.
Withdrawing the blade from what is clearly a fatal wound, Garidan steps over the creature once it drops to the ground and makes his way toward the next group, which he can see have been harassed quite effectively by one of Malthazir's summoned beasts. He doesn't say a word to the wounded soldier he passes, merely nodding politely before fixing his attention on his remaining targets.
Unwilling to get too close, Garidan decides that a bone shard or two would be a better way to announce his presence. As he does so, however, an errant shudder of the ground beneath him--likely from the efforts of those elements dealing with the bridge--causes the swashbuckler's aim to go embarassingly awry, both times. Chagrined, and well aware that he's about to be in a world of trouble, he takes a quick step away and prepares to defend himself as best as he can.
The rogue cruelly smiled at the effectiveness of his violence; it was not that he enjoying slaughter in particular, but he enjoyed being good at something. This was my calling. The wilderness needs a predator as much as it does prey, doesn't it, Querkus?
He kept his wits about him as the enemies became less numerous but more aware of them.
The forest drake snaps at the others, curling up defensively.
The dretch moves slightly around the gnoll in front of it, continuing to attack.
Another earth elemental arrives to flank with Truk, slamming into the gnoll as it appears.
Malz begins another summoning spell.
Truk'tosh strikes his wounded opponent twice in quick succession hoping to end him before the gnoll can retaliate again.
[dice=Conceal20] 1d100
Garidan slips the rapier between the gnolls armor's seams and penetrates the gnolls heart. It glares at Garidan knowing is fate is sealed; then falls silently to the ground. The swashbuckler hurries forward towards the nearest group of gnolls.
As Niyut moves forward towards the stone bridge, her pursuer takes a swipe at the oracle and would have connected with the real half-orc had she not blurred her image. Niyut launches another snowball into the misty area which explodes with an icy assault. Listening for the priest's howls, she hears nothing, but the jeers from above. Looking up at the gnolls on the upper section of the stone bridge, she sees them barking at one another, communicating the results of the battle to those up upon the mainland. Suddenly, she sees several gnolls approach the end of the bridge and begin to secure ropes to anything that they can find.
Back within the battle, Gruskorb slashes at the same opponent, severely cutting the gnoll's upper torso. Nature's balance... yes, it does.
When Malthazir's summoned creatures destroy the two gnolls near the half-orc druid, Truk'tosh moves to engage another attempting to surround Gruskorb. With two successive hacks of his axe, he nearly decapitates the gnoll. It is left clinging to life.
Garidan halts and lets loose a barrage of shards from his rapier at the nearest gnoll that is attacking the drake. Several of the fragments penetrates the gnoll's armor.
The three gnolls converge upon the pseudodragon. Although it artfully dodges the first two attacks, the third gnoll slices deep into it's torso. With a low moan, the miniature dragonkin drops to the ground.
The gnoll following Niyut springs forward slashing at the oracle. Distracted by the multiple images, the gnoll fails to concentrate well enough to land a blow. Similarly, the gnoll facing Gruskorb steps up and nearly drops his falchion attempting to land an attack upon the hobgoblin. Truk'tosh isn't so lucky, however. Clearly out of desperation, the near dead gnoll unleashes all of his fury upon the druid. Landing a massive blow to his midsection.
To the north, the Captain charges forward upon his steed. For one of the gnolls that had just killed the pseudodragon, the last thing he saw was the Captain's shining blade coming down up him. Just to the west, another rumbling of earth signals the subterrainean elementals are continuing to undermine the rocky bridge.
In its dim and flickering light, she begins to weave her protections. Swift Action: Mirror Image." That's from a page or so back.
In its dim and flickering light, she begins to weave her protections. Swift Action: Mirror Image." That's from a page or so back.
Niyut watches as the gnoll's sword cleaves her illusion in twain. That could have been me.
With this brief respite, she calls on her grandmother to heal her wounds. The ethereal power of her ancestors coils around her smoothing away the worst of the burns.
She then concentrates to craft a cunning illusion, she bends the soft light emitted by the stone and her immediate form to appear to be mist and then she plunges into the mist that is obscuring the priest.
I must know whether the Flesh Eater's thrall lives or dies.
After the gnoll embarrassed himself attacking the illusion, Niyut quickly heals herself then makes her way into the misty area. Stumbling about in the haze, she fails to find the priest, and hears no breathing or other sound to indicate that he is nearby.
Outnumbered but hopefully not outwitted, the injured rogue gave up his defensive posture and advanced. With his looping weapons confounding the nearby gnolls, he stepped-in next to Truk'tosh and took his chances with them.
The forest drake falls to the gnome adversaries. Meanwhile the three earth elementals continue to work away at the bridge.
The dretch charges across the corpses, gouging at the enemy Gruskorb is fighting.
The earth elemental attacks!
Another earth elemental appears, flanking with Truk.
Seeing the battle relatively under control, Malz moves closer.
Gruskorb steps next to the injured half-orc snapping his whip at the gnoll to the north. The scorpion whip's serrated tail slices the creature's throat and it drops dead to the ground. In a single fluid motion he spins and lashes at the feet of the one to the southwest, sending it sprawling to the ground.
The earth elemental takes advantage of the fallen gnoll to pounce upon it and beat it to death. The drench charges the gnoll attacking Niyut and lacerates its back with its fiendish claws. As the gnoll turns to defend itself from the drench, another elemental appears and attacks him. Fortunate for the gnoll, it fails to make a mark.
Niyut lurches as she feels the earth near her begins to crumble!
Truk'tosh's dying familiar springs into action in the frozen moment where it appears the orc's opponent is about to land a telling blow. With its last ounce of strength the heroic reptile flings itself in the way of the coming blade.
Finding his opponents swiftly defeated all around him, Truk'tosh cradles his slain familiar and begs the spirits for aid.
Finding one of his bone shards unexpectedly hitting, where he could sworn it was a miss, Garidan decides not to risk another attempt at a ranged strike. Instead, he stalks toward the wounded gnoll, swinging around it to avoid its sword's reach, before darting in to get at its back. With the distraction offered by the soldier opposite,the swashbuckler is able to make an impressive blow with his rapier.
Truk'tosh feels a rush of warmth flow through his blood as he recovers slightly from his wounds with the blessed light of Teysura. The sensation reminds him of the crypts of Eastgate and the first time that he felt the goddess's warm embrace.
To the north, Garidan circles the closest opponent before stepping opposite the horselord and skewering the gnoll who collapses in a heap at the swashbuckler's feet. "We'll struck!" the armored cavalier shouts at Garidan before bringing his horse about to engaged the last remaining gnoll on the northern field. Oblivious to the captain's movement, the gnoll turns upon Garidan but stumbles over the corpse of the pseudo dragon and drops his falchion. The Captain impales the dog from behind as it reaches to grab its fallen sword. With a quick nod towards Garidan, the Captain turns toward the final remaining gnoll who is locked in battle with the drench and an elemental. With a flash of its blade it sends the fiendish creature back to its home plane.
High above Niyut, the gnolls howl as they hurry about. The clash of metal seems to be growing louder. Niyut looks up but cannot see what the beasts are doing through the obscuring mist that has settled upon her end of the stoney bridge.
Niyut moves slightly north to find the dead body of the priest. Frozen by the ice and snow, he was clearly beginning to cast another spell when the icy blast hit him. Glowing about him is are six essences. Their light calls out to Niyut in the mist as if to tease her with the temptation to harvest them with more of the enemy so close!
Hunger. Waves of hunger lap at Niyut when she sees the slain priest. Part of her is disgusted at the urges that have been growing within her. She worries that the great spirit who haunts her is right -- that she is not mortal but another hungry spirit from the spirit world. As keen as her hunger is, Niyut still possesses her cunning.
He has blood and likely magic stored on his body. Enemies are coming and the earth is breaking. I don't have time to get all that I need from him here.
With a pass of her arm, the gnoll and his gear disappear in a twinkle into the sleeve of her robe. She makes sure that his staff also comes with her. With the gnoll stored for later use, she blankets the area with "darkness" and flees east with her prizes.
Niyut silently curses as her clever plan proves unworkable. She cannot bear the thought of leaving this much bounty. Her hunger will not let her.
If the earth crumbles, I can bind him with shadows to my body, and glide in the void until Truk'tosh can fly to me. Malthazir's flight charms last about five minutes. He cast one on Truk'tosh about two or three minutes ago. If worse comes to worse, he can save me.
The young oracle comes up with a frantic contingency as she extracts the gnoll's essences.
Niyut quickly grabs the priests body and smiles as her robe engulfs the corpse. Above her, the first of many gnolls descend upon ropes to the edge of the stoney bridge. Advancing through the mist, they find the oracle just as she snatches up the staff and runs for her brother, casting an illusion as she does so. Bursting through the mist and back to the battlefield, Niyut feels the stone beneath her crumble and break apart. A large crack forms in the rock before her, opening up as the outcropping begins to fall away into the nothingness below. In a single, graceful bound, the oracle leaps over the widening chasm and somersaults to her feet. Behind you, the world crumbles and the master of fire reigns... a fragile voice in her head whispers. She looks back over her shoulder as a half dozen gnolls are taken by the abyss below.
Oseja's tiny claws tug at Niyut's thick hair as the cat relaxes from her mistress' foolishness.
Niyut looks back at the chasm and shudders in relief as the adrenaline courses through her. The master of fire may reign in the west, but each time I encounter the Flesh Eater's servants their power becomes our power. The great spirits ready for war, but they haven't won it yet.
Her thought is part pride and part bravado. She is intentionally not thinking about the fact that the great spirit that bedevils her seems much more interested in her than in its servants -- if the ruby-teethed spirit is the Flesh-Eater.
However, part of it is also hope. Though her personal magic flows from bone, blood, and shadow, she has allies whose magic is much different from her own. Her grandmother is her link to the power of their bloodline that follows in an unbroken chain back to Simur, and the Sacred Mother has ministered to her in the world of spirits. Unlikely allies, but powerful ones. It was the Sacred Mother's gift that allowed Niyut to break the priest of the Flesh Eater. Teysura shelters the spirit talker either despite or because of the darkness within. If more great spirits were like her, perhaps my people would not abjure them.
She breaths out and looks up at the magic stone circling her. "Thank you for your light. Please tell your brother that I'm grateful for your aid. It must be painful to be apart from him."