Aelerie's heart sinks at seeing her celestial eagles disappear and Laro and Javell be overcome by flames. "Are you two alright?" Drawing courage from the ruby pulsing in her hand, the arcanist moves toward the bend in the tunnel, keeping her back pressed against the eastern wall. She rattles off a quick incantation but holds the spell until the diabolic hound is in sight once more.
Aelrie cannot make anything out in the smoky tunnels. Either it's the smoke or the hound is very good at concealing itself.
"I'm fine. You go right, I'll take the left." Laro says as he moves forward looking for the dog, ready to attack it.
Virdel scurries to keep up with the others in pursuit.
Albus allows the others to go ahead guarding the less martial members and the children he still has bow in hand.
"Okay kids join hands, Master Harg would you be so kind and to take hold of one of them, I don't want anyone getting lost or confused in this smoke."
Albus will be relying on his hearing more to sense if an attack is coming.
In Draconic, "Follow along you're safer with us."
Javell races ahead, his wounds closing even as he rounds the corner and throws a dagger at the hellhound. While the smoke barely hinders him, the hound nimbly dodges the hasty throw.
Javell races ahead of the others,but just like everyone else cannot find the wily hound in the billowing smoke of the tunnel.
Not until the hound is right on him, fiery teeth flaring in a snarling charge.
The hound's teeth nip Javell but Desna's grace seems to protect the warpriest as he is only slightly singed by the hound's jaws.
Hound 29
All remaining Eagles Gone by Hound flame
Albus 11 HP /2 Dex
Javell 8 HP (4 healed)
Unwilling to archer into melee, Albus puts away the bow and readies his axe. After checking that the kids are as safe as they can here, he advances toward the beast stopping where Laro is and checking, more with hearing than sight, for any other threat besides the hideous hound thing.
Albus doesn't detect anything else in the tunnels other than the hound.
Aelerie moves deeper into the tunnel, stopping just behind Albus and Laro. Words in the First Language fall from her lips as she casts another spell. But, whether because of the stuffy confines of the cavern or due to a rare lapse of focus, the icy crystals Aelerie conjures melt as soon as they materialize and the spell fizzles.
Virdel hurries forward to a clear spot and fires at the hound.
Javell takes the hit, grunting slightly, "Desna, be my shield and protect me." he whispers as a dagger materializes in his hand and he gives a quick, but deadly jab to the dog.
Both Virdel's bolt and Javell's slash hit the dog and with a howl it disappears into the ether.
Combat over.
"It really seemed to have it out for you," Aelerie mentions to Javell by way of asking if he's alright. "Quickly, let's get out of all this smoke. Children, keep your heads down." After herding the children into place between herself and Virdel, Aelerie turns to address the kobolds. "What lies at the end of this tunnel?"
Aelerie turns around to see that the kobolds did not follow when the rest of you chased after hell hounds in the smoky tunnels where the fearsome dwarf monster lives.
The children, even Kimi, follow Aelerie's instructions in this alien place while Whisper whines.
You hear a rhythmic thudding sound from ahead.
"The kobolds! They're gone!" Aelerie whisper-hisses, trying not to let her voice carry through the tunnel to whatever is making the thudding noise. She huffs a sigh, feeling as though she's fallen for the same trick over again. "Let's keep going, and hope that they have more sense than to try and cross us."
Albus nods wearily, "Yes, they broke their word, we owe them nothing now. If we come across them again, we will be enemies most like, nothing to do for it though, we must move ahead. Master Laro if you please, lead the way." Albus stays in melee mode assuming arrows are of less use in the steamy tunnel. He'll keep a watch out.
"Come closer, let's join up, we have too few warriors to cover front and back well. I'll take the rear guard, an all to good chance we will have guards on our backs soon enough."
"Maybe we should pause here a minute and heal some. I could use some healing and you could use a bit Albus. Once we're healed up, I'll be happy to lead the way." Laro replies when asked to lead off.
Once the healing is done, Laro starts moving very quietly forward looking for danger.
Virdel perks up when he sees Laro gesturing at his own wounds. "Did you need healing then? Here, I can help with that."
He draws out his wand and taps the warriors to heal them.
Javell likewise contributes as much healing as needed.
Laro creeps out of the tunnels with the rest pretty close behind.
A loud crackling sound fills the room Laro and the group emerge into. The smoke that pours from it is blistering hot and lit with a strange orange light. A massive forge responsible for the hellish atmosphere takes up the entire far wall of the cavern.
Between the forge and the entrance stands a massive anvil, and nearby rest hammers, prongs, and other blacksmithing tools.
From the anvil the choking odor of smelted steel tinged with burnt hair and flesh wafts to the group on a foul wind. The jangling of heavy chains echoes ominously. A hulking dwarven figure wrapped in heavy steel is at work banging with its hammer and forging what seems like a chain. Its face, hands, and body are riddled with glowing hot hooks and half-melted razor wire. Black smoke rises from its smoldering beard, framing its freakishly contorted face in ashy darkness.
The rythmic banging you heard in the tunnels is coming from this bizarre monstrous creature as it works and Aelerie's ruby blazes a deep angry red as she gets closer to the hideous creature.
Unfortunately Laro can't help but cough at the billowing smoke.
And the tormented thing raises its head and spies all of you. It hefts its darkly shining hammer and as it moves the chains draping its form spring to life like metal serpents, reaching for you....
Moving from behind its anvil the infernal looking dwarven figure marches to within 5 feet of Laro and breathes out a cloud of stinging sooth, ash, and glowing embers that covers him, and Javell.
Laro manages to avoid the dust going into his eyes but cannot get away from the heat damage from the cloud. Javell on the other hand not only gets burned but receives fire damage.
Even as the forge spurned breathes out its foul breath the chains that wrap around it flail at Laro, acting as if they had a vile life of their own.
The chains slam into the halfling hard. Dealing a lot of damage to the brave, but now very injured rogue.
The cloud of burning embers seems to start to thin into the surrounding smoke, but it hasn't dissipated yet.
Laro 20
Javell 3 blinded
After being savaged by the chains, Laro screams in pain, as tears stream down his face. I must save the child from this torment! As he falters, a new resolve seems to come over him. He moves out of the smoke and toward the dwarf and attacks it.
Albus attempts to close into melee with the burning dwarf seeing no other choice but move and win quickly. Before passing though the cloud of ash he tries to close his eyes and hold his breath long enough to pass hoping the path he picks doesn't trip him up.
Don't think with all of that, Albus can attack yet.
Albus is able to get past the cloud in one move to face off against the dwarf. He ends up flanking the monster with Laro.
Aelerie watches in shock as the cloud of burning ash engulfs Laro and Javell, and then Albus. She is even more horrified as she hears Laro's screams and at last glimpses what the kobolds had been referring to as "The Chain Dwarf". As her mind works to identify what the tortured creature is, she shouts a warning for the children to stay at the entrance to the cavern.
Javell blindly gropes forward, moving until he no longer feels the burning around him. "Ah, my eyes sting!"
Laro's brave swing is stopped cold by the chains that wrap around the dwaven monstrosity. One misshapen eyes focues on the halfling as it hefts its warhammer meaningfully.
Javell, as soon as you stumble out of the cloud, which does not take very long, you can feel the burning sensation subside, and your eyes start to sting less.
Unfortunately you can't see quite yet but as you blink rapidly you get the sense that you will be able to soon.
Albus takes a mighty swing (or not).
To hit target. Threatens critical on a 20. Bless, Power Attack
Damage Power Attack
To confirm a critical if rolled. Bless, Power Attack
Damage from critical.
Albus swing cuts through the monster's chains and gouges out a large chunk of rancid flesh.
"It's a Forge Spurned! An undead that can regenerate, so use divine magic or weapons if you have it!" Aelerie, for her part, consolidates the last of her arcane power to call down the closest thing she can to divine intervention.
As the ruby in Aelerie's hand continues to throb red and angry the three heavenly eagles she summons screech in outrage at the unholy monster they're faced with and they savage the forge spurned with beaks and claws of divine fury.
One
Two
Three
Five attacks And a Crit!
Divine retribution assaults the suddenly surrounded forge spurned as heavenly beaks and claws savagely smite the evil in front of them as they rip and tear and stab and bite the misshapen monster's head to bloody shreds. Its roar of anger turns into moans of pain and then a keening wail as one of the eagles swoops in to claw a deep wound into one of its misshapen eyes.
Still. It Lives.
Virdel's eyes go wide as Aelerie describes the horror they are facing.
"Albus, wait!" calls Virdel as he runs into the smoke behind the woodsman. When he catches up on the other side, he grabs hold of Albus' greataxe and gives it a divine blessing.
The Forge Spurned continues its oddly guttural wailing as it shifts away from the all the enemies surrounding it. It seems to be keening something over and over
Now free of all of its foes flanking it the deformed monster lashes out at the two that its still standing next to while seeming to keep its guard up.
The suffering hellspawn misses the near death halfling with its own warhammer swing. The chain though, which seems to have a malevolent life of its own rips through the eagle it is next to which disappears in a puff of silverly light.
It's hard to tell in all its smoke but it seems like the forge spurned stands a little straighter as it goes into a defensive crouch.
The eagles regroup as they chase the forge spurned, speeding at it with their claws outstretched.
The dwarf's continuing litany goes up a register as the second of the eagles scores a deep claw mark on the Forge Spurned.
Javell's eyes clear as he blinks away the remnants of the Forge spurned breath.
Unfortunately Virdel was not able to get to Albus in one move in the last round as he stumbled through the thick smog spewed by the Forge spurned. He's only able to get to Albus side coughing and heaving.
He gets singed quite badly by one of the floating embers from the Forge breath.
The dwarf looks around wildly, it seems to be looking for an escape route. From the forge the human child continues coughing. The kids with Aelerie are terrified of the dwarven keening though Kimi tries not to show it. Whisper has started to yip.
Laro 20
Javell 3
Albus 5
Virdel 6
Eagle 3 Gone
Forge 35-5+7 = 37
Javell narrows his eyes, "Aelerie, you said this thing could only be killed with holy magic?" He clenches the grip of his starknife, and magical runes trace themselves along the glowing blades as he circles the cloud of embers.
Laro smiles as he is still alive after the dwarf's swing and maneuvers to a slighter better position and attacks the dwarf with all he has.
Aelerie feels a pang of pity for the creature once she deciphers its cries, but it isn't enough to stay her from trying to end its unnatural existence. As pitiable as the Dwarf is to the arcanist, he made his choice when he decided to forsake his God and turn to evil. Regardless of whatever punishment Droskar has in store for those that fail him, Aelerie doesn't intend to allow the Forge Spurned to collect any more souls.
"Holy magic helps, but any damage sufficient to overcome its natural healing will do." So saying, Aelerie speaks an incantation and sends a ray of divine light toward the Forge Spurned.
Albus is surprised at Virdel's call, halting shortly out of range of the unholy creature. Virdel swiftly arrives but is too busy choking on the terrible miasma of the fiend.
Seeing the others have the unholy dwarf surrounded, Albus, not wishing to waste time and suspecting what Virdel has in mind, he tries to reach the suffering child while Virdel recovers.
If he has any actions left, Albus will free or if needed pickup the child. He will try to stay out of the reach of the dwarf.
"Hold on against the demon, I'll get the child"
Virdel's eyes are watering as he emerges from the smoke. "Oh gods, what a nightmare!"
He lays his hands on Albus' weapon and encourages him: "Go get that demon!"
One of Laro's swords finds a gap in the chains that are writhing around the dwarven form and sinks into the rotted flesh underneath all the way to the hilt. The Forge Spurned's wail turns into a ear rending screech for a moment before it vanishes much like the hell hound before him did.
The only thing left of the Droskar damned monster is its warhammer and the chains which writhe for a moment like snakes before going still.
Albus reaches the child who seems to be unconscious in all the smoke.
The ember filled smoke breathed out by the undead dissipates. The smoke from the Forge still fills this room and the tunnels however.
Aelerie's ruby, oddly enough, is still pulsing a deep, angry, red.
Did you kill it? Kimi asks from the back. Is Jurin okay?