The Dark is Rising - WotW Part II (Inactive)

Game Master Darkness Rising

When Tkaara gets to the top of the she hisses:
What vile magic of light is this? That is the seal. And we are going to break it. Unfortunately, I do not seem to be able to enter the room.

Tkaara tries to step forward, but the burn of the vile Mitran magic prevents her from entering the room.
We need to do away with that elemental, then we can start the ritual. This seal cannot be broken too soon.

When the group gathers back down the stairs a ways:
I do not know what I will be able to do in this fight. I can provide you all with some protection from the energy of that monster. And I can provide most of you with other defensive and offensive assistance. But, I do not think that I will be able to physically enter the room.

Tatienne readily identifies the creature as a huge lighting elemental: deadly against those wearing metal armour, and immune to bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning, critical hits or flanking. In addition, elementals do not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack. Finally, it is immune to electricity.

SUNDAY 10 ABADIUS

You wake to a cloudy Winter's day. The Caer Bryr - being on top of a tectonic plate having masses of volcanic activity - remains a steaming jungle; but out there in Farholde and the rest of Talingarde, Winter is not merely coming; it is here.

As good a day as any other to kill an elemental.

While they ascend the stairs, Etna chants a spell, and a translucent veil of energy shimmers around her for a moment. Once they've reached the top of the stairs and are ready to attack, the ifrit gestures toward her companions, and the air fills with the smell of sulfur: even with its pungency, if fills them with vigor.

Tatienne wakes serious, any facade of politeness or etiquette dropped. There was a time and a place for the Doctor's approach to niceties (which is to say no approach at all). Today was just such a day; pure focus, little time, or inclination, for anything else.

After meditation, dwelling on the awesome destructive power of the Hells, the transformative natures of her companions, and her own inner well-spring of insight, Taty takes a light breakfast (ration and tea), and leaving her mithral breastplate, approaches the stairwell with the others.

"Anyone with a magic weapon, I can enhance it to make it more fatal to this elemental. I can also make you larger, able to land more viscious blows. And if anyone needs to see in the dark, just ask."

As the group move back up, Tkaara is annoyed.
Not much I can do unless someone is able to eliminate the protection in that room. Probably from the seal.

I can give us all protection against electricity. It is not perfect, but should reduce any electrical attacks the elemental may use. I can also provide some additional defense against normal attacks and can improve all of our morale to make it easier for you to land attacks.

Shortly before entering, Tkaara will cast Resist Energy (communal) (makes Resist Electricity 20) - lasts 12 minutes if used on all six of us.

7 rounds before entering - 6x Shield of Faith and then Bless (all last 7 minutes)

"Let us see if my new formula works as expected..." Before leaving camp, the Doctor produces one of his now-familiar brass syringes and plunges it into his arm. Moments later, the sickening sound of bones popping and muscle tearing emanates from him as he assumes the lupine form of the Beast. There is a key difference, however: the hulking shoulders split and from them emerge a pair of great, leathery wings. Amber eyes and razor teeth gleam in the weak light as the Beast surveys its surroundings, eager to kill.

Before the battle proper, the Beast deftly pulls a half dozen vials from its bandolier and quickly downs them all. It accepts the women's spells, eyes cast up the stairs toward Its prey.

Felrin tells Taty that he does not think her spell to make him larger will work on him, but otherwise agrees with the various proposals made by the team, adding some ideas of his own.

"I will transform myself for the fight, and become invisible, in order to get in position by the lightning creature," he offers. "When I strike, the rest of you will move in and attack."

Barring any objections or revisions to the plan, he spends a few moments in intense prayer, then begins intoning the words of his own spells, calling on the power of Asmodeus to guide and protect him, as well as the peculiarities of his blood to change him into his troglodyte form. With a snap of his fingers, he vanishes, then speaks a few more words of divine power before saying, "Let us go, Ninth Knot."

Armorless but with spear in hand, Erevan waits patiently as spells are cast and abilities used, feeling the various magics strengthening and protecting him and the others. And as the doctor and the tiefling change into far more monstrous forms, he looks at them and studies them with mild interest. 'To think the vampire is the more human-like of the trio,' he ponders briefly.

Once everyone appears to be ready he adds his own contribution, as the shadows and the darkness around them, both literal and metaphorical, coalesce, acting as weapon and shield and armor in more ways than one.

Once everyone is in position, Etna opens her mouth, as if to issue an order, but the elemental is the only one to hear it, as it echoes trough its ears.

Taking aim at the elemental with her wand implement, and picturing the burning fires of hell, brings forth an explosive ball of fire blanketing the space the elemental is in.

The invisible Beast lumbers awkwardly into the air on Its vast, batlike wings, aiming as best It can toward Its quarry.

Felrin glides silently into position just ahead of the others, then waits a moment for everyone to get in place. He launches the attack with a magically charged claw, tearing into the towering elemental!

Tkaara curses as she is unable to move into the room to aid her companions.
Bloody seal. You will be broken and destroyed in but a few short moons.

Action: Delay - unless she is able to somehow get into the room.

Retconned surprise round action

The Beast, having been awkwardly circling Its prey like a huge, invisible buzzard, exults in the rush of adrenaline when Felrin pops into sight nearby. It strikes with startling speed, fangs like swords closing on the strange, amorphous body of the elemental. Somewhere behind the predator's mind, the Doctor wonders at the odd sensation of harmless electricity running through his jaw, and the almost spicy flavor...

Letting the others take the initiative and employ spell and tooth and claw in their fight against the elemental, Erevan then moves to join the tiefling and the Beast, using his magically bestowed ability to fly to approach the strange foe.

The ambush goes off completely as planned: the elemental howls in pain as your various attacks shred it; gobbets of fizzing ichor drop to the floor below where they land in sizzling pools.

It is however, very, very fast - faster than you perhaps had taken into account. Tendrils of energy leap out from it, directed at Felrin and Ottakar. The reek of ozone fills the air around you.

Surprise round is over, Round 1 is GO! Party is up

Tkaara waits until her companions have finished attacking the elemental, and then causes a bright burst of color to appear about the extra-planar creature.

Remember about Haste, everyone!
Etna smiles satisfied when her companions attacks land on the creature. Gesturing at the creature, she conjures forth a ray smelling lightly of sulfur toward the elemental, trying to weaken him.

Felrin grunts as the massive storm of energy swats at him, but his infernal blood allows him to shrug off the electrical charge it delivers. He then retaliates, calling on Asmodeus to grant his claw devastating power against the elemental and lashing and biting at it with power and speed!

Status: 57/66 hp

Taking note of the ease by which the elemental dodges her fireball, as well as her companion's close proximity to the creature, Taty points her wand at the elemental, and from it springs a thin ray of fire, which snakes out towards the elemental, as if alive...

Felrin's claws shred whatever was left holding the elemental together; and it simply bursts apart in a fizzing cloud of steam. A stream of sizzling ichor trickles down from the sanctum's dome, in rivulets of electric rain.

Tkaara hisses as the elemental bursts asunder under the blows of Asmodeus's servant.
Well done all. Now lets get rid of that accursed seal. A few short nights of prayer and we will free the land of that holy relic.

Removing the parasol from her pack, Tatienne holds it above her head as the electric rain falls around the group. It was unfortunate that she didn't have the parasol out to begin with; hopefully her travelling clothes won't be too marred by the elemental's demise. Examining the seal, the relic hunter ponders works of such a nature. There are of course many ways to break circles, holy or unholy, the easiest probably to physically interrupt it. Perhaps the seal is similar?

Disappointed at how brief was the violence, the Beast glides back to the ground and immediately goes about collecting the precious residue in a vial.

"That was...," Erevan remarks as the various magics expire one after the other, "...brief." There is a hint of disappointment in his tone that mirrors Ottakar's. It is not the lack of violence that causes it however, but simply the fact that he did not get the chance to put his skill to use. That and the curiosity regarding how the various spells cast on him would have worked.

"Well, with this, we should have cleared the temple of any hostiles that may interfere. Now..." Etna sighs, avoiding the shower of electric particles "Where should we begin? It will take months to complete the ritual, and I'd personally prefer if we started making this place suitable for defense...and living, as we'd have to conduct the rituals daily. Where should we start?"

Tatienne nods. "Indeed. We'll need to make the Horn habitable. And of course our safety should be paramount. I can start animating the dead in the charnell pit, and perhaps the boggards can be whipped into some sort of outfit resembling a professional security force."

Felrin can hardly believe it when the powerful elemental bursts apart so quickly, after all the preparations and prayers before the fight. Still, he's glad it's over, and is ready to begin the next step in their work, nodding at Tkaara's suggestion that they turn their attention to destroying the seal.

As the others weigh in, Felrin listens and considers, then offers a suggestion, "Some of us will be better suited to the task of destroying the seal, while others will be less able - or perhaps unable, in Tkaara's case - to contribute to that effort. The seal will take time to undo, and I suggest some of us begin on it right away, while others set about making the horn more defensible and more livable."

He thinks a moment, then continues, "While I have little interest in venerating any but the Dark Prince, I feel that destroying the seal and calling forth Vetra-Kali is an important step to bringing about Asmodeus' kingdom here in Talingarde, and it should begin right away. I feel duty-bound to take part in the Supplication to Darkness, the Cursing of the Light and the Call Across the Void. As my time allows, I will also put in place a temple to Asmodeus here, and support the restoration of the Horn as a secure place for us to live and plan."

Tkaara, who has once more begun to look rather haggard, looks to Felrin with her bloodshot eyes, more bloodshot than they were the prior day.

I care not about making this place comfortable. Eliminating this seal is our objective and I shall do all I can to see that the seal is broken. Whether it is finding "volunteers" to participate in the ceremony, or keeping guard while you rest and perform the ceremony, I shall be here.

She pauses before continuing.
However, I require sustenance other than that which you all prefer. We will need to find some source as hunger causes longings in my new form, just as starving does for you all.