Kenan lands Tsonjiin and walks over, letting the bird rest for a few minutes. Liette comes over as well.
"I figure we ought to do it in stages," the gunslinger suggests. "I mean, they've been after us this whole time, and now they're holing up? Maybe we've got them back on their heels. If there were unlimited demons in there, they'd all be teleporting out here to kill us. If we can take out the drakes first, then worry about the mine we'd probably have more luck."
Kenan nods in agreement. "But how?"
Tiknesr pulls on his whiskers and says, "I like the idea of chewing them up one bite at a time. Let's assume we can arrive unseen (say by teleporting or invisibility). Do we know of any of those demons or giants being able to fly? Or are as tough at a range as they are in melee? If not, maybe the answer is to arrive in the air."
"You said there seemed to be a nest? Perhaps -- if we catch them unawares -- Viorel can fry a large number at once, and I can drop a Stinking Cloud on another pile of them. Otherwise, I can put those babies to sleep two at a time, if I can be within 40' of them. To do that, I could fly under my own power, or catch a ride on Tsonjiin's back."
Pausing, he says, "Of course, the downside of that approach is we lose any element of surprise on the demons and giants...and if they *are* able ranged combatants then we're still facing all at once. Another option -- if we have a way to do it -- would be to get into that tunnel they're trying to wall up as quickly as we can. That presumably keeps the drakes out of the picture and it gets us to whatever they're trying to wall off from us...but it also puts us in an enclosed space that they know and we don't, and that they can teleport around at will."
As the conversion progresses, Tiknesr suddenly busts over in a fit of giggling.
"Hohohoho heeheehee Heh heh ho." wiping his brow he says, "Sorry. Sorry. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Now that we know where they are, I can do something I've been looking forward to trying against those damned giants for ages."
He pulls a small ruby out of his haversack. "You wouldn't believe the fun we can have with this thing. Here's what we'd do. I'd put my soul into this ruby. My body will look dead but if appreciate you keeping it somewhere safe. Then we hide the gem a little ways away from the entrance...no more than, say, 120' from the entrance. Aroden can hide it and protect it."
Tiknesr glances over at Aroden, who rolls his eyes...but looks excited at the prospects despite himself. "Aroden can stay invisible, can burrow, and if needed can dimension door around so he should be able to keep this precious gem safe."
"Anyway, where was I? I'll be able to possess those damn giants, demons, and drakes, and get them fighting amongst themselves. If you all want to observe the fun from the distance and come in afterward that'd be fine... or if you want to come in shortly after I start my mayhem, be my guest."
With a dreamy look on his face, he adds, "Hell, maybe I'd just occupy a demon and start dismantling the barrier. If they start attacking me, they're really attacking one of their own... though no matter how we do this we should assume they'll figure out that we're behind this pretty quickly and come after the rest of y'all"
"Oooooh, you're a sweety! I'll get it back, you know. Think of it as a little sightseeing vacation for my soul...and imprisonment followed by death for theirs."
Tittering a bit, the rat man continues, "I'll admit, I was scared the first time I did it, but really, breathing through someone else's lungs -- it's oddly exhilerating! Knowing that their soul is trapped and unable to do anything is just a little bonus," he smiles.
Seeing the look on Abigail's face, he adds "Needless to say, I'd never do such a thing except against heinous foes such as these fiendish giants. I think of the chance to do this as one of the all-too-few silver linings of the bleak work of war."
Crissor blinks thinking on just how sinister and yet...perfectly sound this tactic was. "I'd say only to try it with a drake or giant, a demon might have the means to turn such a devious trick against you, and I like having you alive and well friend."
"Crissors advice is sound. I would try to do it as many times as you can, to sow confusion and distrust among the ranks. Best case scenario we start absolute chaos and anarchy there with infighting. I do have the option of trying to scry on the giant we let go and I do still have some of his blood so it should be succesful, however if we want to do it more than once we would need to wait untill tomorrow. Depending on how things go we could always use this day to harass the enemy and begin our proper assault tomorrow."
As the group is discussing their plan for assaulting the giants, the sand next to Tsonjiin suddenly erupts and three huge beasts resting atop four thick legs that end in sleek, curved claws, whose bodies are covered in red-hued armor plates that drip with foul ichor come rushing out. Their eyes glow red like hot coals, and strange veins between their armor plates pulse and glow like flames. Along their spines, a slender armored crest peaks at mid-back, much like the top fin of a shark.
The three monstrosities attack the roc in a flurry of motion. The roc is torn to shreds and flung everywhere by the demonic ground-sharks in their initial assault.
The demons step up and continue their blood-orgy, targeting Kenan next. Their claws and teeth shred him like a man-shaped head of lettuce in a Tian Xia fried rice restaurant in the foreign quarter of Absalom. Shredded chunks of the steppe-archer rain down Liette, Tikneser, Thaddeus and Viorel as their minds race to catch up with the horror being perpetrated in front of them.
________________________________
Crissor:
Kenan:
Liette
Viorel
Abigail
Tiknesr
Thaddeus
Monster:
Monster:
Monster:
Initiatives
Ichor Sharks 20.33
Party 16.71
Miss
*DR 10/cold iron and good; Immune electricity and poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 21
*Demon Ichor (Su): A slimy red ichor coats the xenarth’s armored plates. Any weapon that touches a xenarth takes 3d8 points of acid damage from the corrosive demon essence, and the weapon’s hardness does not reduce this damage. A magic weapon may attempt a DC 23 Reflex save to avoid taking this damage. A creature that strikes a xenarth with an unarmed attack, unarmed strike, melee touch spell, or natural weapon takes this damage unless the attacker makes a DC 23 Reflex save. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
*Poison (Ex): Bite—injury; save Fort DC 23; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.
*They can climb, burrow, track well and have telepathy.
Still chuckling as he imagines his upcoming Magic Jar mischief, the attack of the ichor sharks catches him completely off guard. "Great Gods, what-- Eww! Oh no! Augh, Kenan!"
His first impulse is to run, but he worries they're too close for that and doesn't want to give them a chance to strike him from behind. Instead he steels his nerves as best he's able, and twitches his whiskers at the two demons closest to him. His heart drops back out of his throat as he sees them both slump down, asleep...but too late to save Kenan.
"These beasts-- these are Xenarth, demonic ground sharks. Tough to hurt with weapons or fire, resistant to spells. Try not to touch them with anything that matters to you; it's liable to be destroyed by acid. Oh, and they have a nasty poisonous bite." Glancing at Kenan and Tsonjiin's shredded remains he adds, ...that is if you live long enough for the poison to matter."
Meanwhile Aroden sticks his ugly face out of Tik's sleeve, staring at the one remaining ichor shark, ready to dimension door Tik and himself away if his master is attacked.
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Viorel manages to push down his fury, time for mourning would be later. "They can also burrow, have telepathy and are great trackers. Take out the one standing!" The mage yells as he starts casting. Soon enough the spell is compleated making everyone in the group faster. After that Viorel sprints off away from the enemy not wanting to get caught in a brawl with those things.
Thaddeus drags Kenan's blood and brains out of his eyes and tries not to scream, not to take in a breath, not to collapse. Instead he steps back, draws a wand and waves his free hand, crying out "Erelus! Akka!"
Two hound-men drop from portals into nothingness from the air and lay into the Bulettes.
Queezle grabs the wand from Thaddeus and activates it, spraying forth silver sparks.
XP 1,200
LG Medium outsider (archon, extraplanar, good, lawful)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, low-light vision, scent; Perception +10
Aura aura of menace (DC 16), magic circle against evil
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+9 natural; +2 deflection vs. evil)
hp 45 (6d10+12)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5; +4 vs. poison, +2 resistance vs. evil
DR 10/evil; Immune electricity, petrification; SR 15; DIEHARD
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +10 (1d8+5), slam +10 (1d4+2) or mwk greatsword +11/+6 (2d6+5), bite +5 (1d8+2)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th)
Constant—detect evil, magic circle against evil
At Will—aid, continual flame, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), message
STATISTICS
Str 19, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +10; CMD 20
Feats Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Diehard
Skills Acrobatics +9, Intimidate +10, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +13, Survival +14; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth, +4 Survival
Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; truespeech
SQ change shape (beast shape II)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Change Shape (Su)
A hound archon can assume any canine form of Small to Large size, as if using beast shape II. While in canine form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, canines include any dog-like or wolf-like creature of the animal type.
The demons step up and continue their blood-orgy, targeting Kenan next. Their claws and teeth shred him like a man-shaped head of lettuce in a Tian Xia fried rice restaurant in the foreign quarter of Absalom. Shredded chunks of the steppe-archer rain down Liette, Tikneser, Thaddeus and Viorel as their minds race to catch up with the horror being perpetrated in front of them.
Still chuckling as he imagines his upcoming Magic Jar mischief, the attack of the ichor sharks catches him completely off guard. "Great Gods, what-- Eww! Oh no! Augh, Kenan!"
His first impulse is to run, but he worries they're too close for that and doesn't want to give them a chance to strike him from behind. Instead he steels his nerves as best he's able, and twitches his whiskers at the two demons closest to him. His heart drops back out of his throat as he sees them both slump down, asleep...but too late to save Kenan.
"These beasts-- these are Xenarth, demonic ground sharks. Tough to hurt with weapons or fire, resistant to spells. Try not to touch them with anything that matters to you; it's liable to be destroyed by acid. Oh, and they have a nasty poisonous bite." Glancing at Kenan and Tsonjiin's shredded remains he adds, "...that is if you live long enough for the poison to matter."
Meanwhile Aroden sticks his ugly face out of Tik's sleeve, staring at the one remaining ichor shark, ready to dimension door Tik and himself away if his master is attacked.
Viorel manages to push down his fury, time for mourning would be later. "They can also burrow, have telepathy and are great trackers. Take out the one standing!" The mage yells as he starts casting. Soon enough the spell is compleated making everyone in the group faster. After that Viorel sprints off away from the enemy not wanting to get caught in a brawl with those things.
Thaddeus drags Kenan's blood and brains out of his eyes and tries not to scream, not to take in a breath, not to collapse. Instead he steps back, draws a wand and waves his free hand, crying out "Erelus! Akka!" Two hound-men drop from portals into nothingness from the air and attack the still awake Xenarth. Of their four slashes with their shining greatswords, only one connects. The blade immediately melts away into nothing in the ichor coating the Xenarth's skin, barely leaving a scratch on its armored plating.
Queezle grabs the wand from Thaddeus and activates it, spraying forth a pool of grease under the awake Xenarth. It doesn't even budge.
Abigail heeds the warning and keeps Dusari Sansa from attacking. She lifts her spear to the sky, and a shower of holy energy comes crashing down. The demons' innate resistance to magic prevents the spell from affecting them.
Liette begins weeping openly as she draws her revolvers and begins emptying them into the demon. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooo!" she screams until her voice cracks and gives out. Round after round blasts through the demon's hide at point blank range, leaving it riddled with holes and leaking more of the ichor that gives it its name.
Crissor draws his bow and begins firing arrows at the demon as well. He sinks four shafts into the creature's head, and still it remains like some demonic siege engine, immune to the weaknesses of the flesh.
--------------------------------
The Xenarth hops forward a few feet, and begins tearing into Liette the same way it did Kenan and Tsonjiin before her. It bites and rends her with its claws, and she reels as the demon's poison floods her body.
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Hit
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[ooc]You're up.
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"No Kenan! No! Crissor barks out, in anger at seeing another friend die horribly to the demonic beasts of this land. He grinds his heels into the dirt, feeling the magic of the haste spell guide his arm in the rhytm of his firing routine.
Upset at the loss of his friend only his first shot slams home with two arrows.
Tik twitches his nose toward the last landshark who's awake, and grins as it too drifts to sleep.
"Ugghh. Poor Keenan. And I may not've liked that overgrown hawk, but even it deserved better than that."
Pausing to look around, he continues. "The question now though is if there are any more of these things coming? I suddenly don't feel safe on the ground...Crissor or Liette, can you do the honors of putting these monsters out of our misery?"
___________________
Crissor growls and snarls. "With more pleasure then I care to really admit, Tiknesr"
He moves with a purpose stomping the ground as he went to finish one off, leaving the other to Liette.
In the aftermath of the battle, Liette looks glassy eyed and is shaking badly. She drops her pistols and just stares at what used to be Kenan.
Viorel walks over the now dead Kenan, the mans hands close into fists shaking violently. "They will pay friend. Not one abyss spawn will remain in this cursed place or I die trying."Comes trough gritted teeth.
"I don't think I can do this anymore. Faraldur, Sigmund, Barek and now Kenan....gone....just....gone...." Liette says quietly, without moving.
"Can you please take me back to Kenabres?" Liette asks shakily. "I just want to go take care of Sigmund."
Tiknesr looks at this broken young woman. He barely knows her, but he knows she's very handy in a fight.
Is there a way that I could broach the subject of her staying for one more battle? No. Look at her. She's not fit to be out here anymore, she'd be a liability anyway...and she deserves the rest
He shakes his head and bites his tongue, letting her friends speak to her.
Quietly, to those who're still alive and fit for battle, he asks, "Thaddeus could teleport her there, and then return to us...if he has the power left to do it...but he'll greatly deplete his power for this fight to come. Or we could all go back together and get back to full strength, perhaps to teleport back here at dawn, though it'll give the fiendish giants more time to do whatever preparation they're up to. And how does that contract you signed work, exactly? If Liette abandons it now, is she still cursed once we fulfill it? Would it make a difference if she stayed nearby, resting, while we take this battle to the fiends?"
"I would need to rest and refresh my spells before I could send us to Kenabres and back. Whether we should or not... Viorel? Abigail? How expended are you, after that... bloodbath?" Thaddeus tries not to look at the shattered remains of Kenan.
Rosa comes back into being, she looks around at the where the battle had been. The Hells always have use for a hound, She smiled. Death for a hound of hell was just something to slow you down a whole, The Hells did not wast talent so back she was sent.
Well back to doing her job, In a moment she was gone again.