"This creature spoke of the "Awakener", does that sound familiar to any of you?"
Luther shakes his head.
"Let's let Dru unravel the magic armor. Never heard of this Awakener. We can pack up this stuff for later."
Dru picks up and carefully examines the breastplate.
Kro’akoth started with legions of troglodytes already under his command, but he needed to find more followers not claimed by other demons. Over the centuries, he sought out forgotten mortal cults and those who never had gods at all. He now reigns over a network of cults, though few realize they serve the same master. Each cult has a slightly different agenda, but all worship Kro’akoth, even if their lower-level cultists don’t realize it.
Luther did not study very hard at school. He decides as a cleric, he should say something.
"I think the Awakener is probably the enemy of all the god of Slumber."
Scratching his chin, Luther looks thoughtful for about 2 seconds, then he ceases to care about it as he does about all lore and knowledge he was supposed to study.
Luther looks carefully around as they move to the next area down the long hallway to the south.
The corridor beyond the forge leads southwards for around a hundred feet - past an iron door in the eastern wall - before turning to the west and arriving a chamber full of statuary.
In the center of the room is a basalt statue of a serpentine figure, its head wreathed in flickering flame. A dozen smaller statues are clustered on the floor. These depict a different serpentine figure, but all the heads have been chopped off. A pathway through the statuary leads to double doors on the north wall.
Luther prepares a celestial eagle to arrive from its home plane when Symon is ready to open the door.
Symon, still feeling a bit shaky from the last battle, examines the path before him for any kind of trap. If none are found, he moves up to the door and readies to pull it open once the rest of the party signal their readiness.
Find Trap:
Brent stands ready
Dru sweeps the room with a detect magic, just to be sure nothing of value is left behind, then follows the others.
Drusellia detects nothing of further note in the room where the salamander was defeated - beyond the breastplate, which will require further examination, everything else is mundane in nature...
From the room of statues, Symon checks and then pushes on the massive double doors that lead north... Revealing what could only be described as a temple of sorts - on the left and right of the door are six alcoves, some empty and some with rough bedding on the floor. In the center of the main chamber is an enormous pillar of green crystal - the emerald spire with an enormous stone serpent wrapped around it, its head aflame. In the back of the chamber is a raised altar, and behind that a wall mosaic pulses with green light...
An echoing voice booms, it seems to come from all around, saying, “Have you come to seek the wisdom of the prophet? Swear allegiance to the Awakener and my prophecy will be but the first of the gifts you receive!”
"Be careful!! I suspect the snake will come alive."
Luther sends his eagle to hover about ten feet from the emerald spire as he begins to cast another spell.
Armitron moves with Dru into the room at the rear of the party.
”Come… Come… Approach that I may bestow upon you the gifts of the Awakener… Yes… yes.. Come…”
As Luther’s eagle takes flight and people look into the enormous temple – the roof of this room is thirty feet high – someone notices the narrow pit that encircles the spire. As the eagle calls out to Luther, indicating that it has seen something moving, Armitron’s innate sense of evil starts to tingle at the presence of something in the pit
…so far, the stone serpent around the spire has not animated…
Armitron holds position and continues to focus on the area to pinpoint the source, "I sense a great evil in this place..." he states as he draws his sword.
Dru scans the room with detect magic.
what evil? Where? Brent looks around, nervously.
Looking for arcane auras within the room, Drusellia picks up on two moderate fields – one, a conjuration aura, swirling around the spire in a vortex and the second, also a conjuration aura, pulsating within the mosaic…
”Come closer… Come closer… that you may be bathed in the majesty of the Awakener”
Luther moves to send his eagle right into the pit as his badger appears.
Banking and then swooping towards the pit that encircles the spire, the eagle accelerates downwards... and then as one, two, three, four bolts of violet energy flare upwards from the pit... it is vaporised - a small cloud of feathers gently wafting downwards then only evidence that it ever existed.
Chuckling to itself, a huge snakelike body slithers upwards from the pit - wrapped around the spire with rippling muscles along the length of its body, the creature's sharp-featured humanoid face leers a vicious grin at the party...
As the eagle is vaporized, Luther can only say "Whoa!!"
He hopes his celestial badger can put up a better fight.
"Get it, you got a badger on your side!"
XP 600
N Medium animal
Init +6; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 22 (3d8+9)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2
Defensive Abilities ferocity
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d4+2), 2 claws +4 (1d3+2)
Special Attacks blood rage
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Escape Artist +6, Perception +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist
Family ties
The Badger is a close relative of this creature.
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary, pair, or clan (3–5)
Treasure incidental
A relentless predator, the violent and territorial dire badger hunts frequently, killing and devouring a variety of easy prey such as rabbits, deer, and occasionally livestock. These creatures are unafraid of attacking creatures larger than they are, drawing upon an almost legendary tenacity that has won them honor and respect among many races, particularly forest-dwelling gnomes.
Dire badgers reside in deep burrows and warrens dug with their monstrous claws—but unlike typical badgers, a dire badger’s claws are capable of tunneling through solid rock. Dire badgers possess little patience for disturbances or interruptions. Utterly fearless creatures, when confronted they attack brutally, and if injured, they violently erupt into a killing frenzy.
Dire badgers stand 4 feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh 500 pounds.
Armitron chuckles a bit, "I believe I found the great evil..."
He then activates his Divine Bond to empower his weapon against the foe.
Dru smiles, seemingly unimpressed. "Oh, so you like magic?"
She begins casting a spell and a ray of intense light flashes from her outstretched hand towards the naga.
ranged touch
fire
Leveling his crossbow at the naga, Symon fires at the creature.
Attack-ranged:
Damage:
Whilst Symon misses with his attack, Drusellia's torrent of fire scorches the flesh of the enormous serpent... Yet rather than screaming in pain, the creature merely leers at the folk invading his temple, "Fire? Oh yes, I can do that as well.... Now BURN!!!"
...two separate bursts of flame emanate from beneath the coils of the serpent... crashing into Symon and Drusellia...
...and then the creature starts to climb upwards around the green column...
Current HP: 5/37
Being nearly burned alive, and there not being any shadows in which to hide, Symon retrieves a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds in an attempt to last slightly longer in this battle.
CMW Potion:
Luther takes cover as his dire badger appears and steps next to the naga, attempting to smite the evil creature.
Luther summons a replacement celestial eagle.
Armitron charges forward at the dark serpentine creature swingging down at it with all of his might.
Longsword Attack (Keen)
Longsword Damage
Luther lets Armitron know: "I think you should be smiting this one too!!"
Dru's eyes narrow dangerously as she gasps for air following the engulfment of flame. "So, the dark one has magics of his own."
She extends a slender arm and chants a word of power, and a three blasts of magic fly from her fingers to unerringly strike the target.
Her hand outstretched, Drusellia lets loose with a barrage of missiles – unerringly they fly towards the naga… and then, a foot or so before striking their target, they detonate against a rippling wall of force…
Appearing from nothing, Luther’s badger claws and bites at its foe… yet not a single of its attacks pierces the naga’s armoured hide – Rushing forwards, Armitron has equal misfortune with his attack – his sword, swinging upwards in a graceful arc, is deflected by a chitinous spur on the serpent…
Running in at the terrible beast, Brent pulls on his inner reserves and drives a fist through the thick hide…
…and is left off balance as he finds himself flailing at thin air…
Hissing and spitting, the Naga slides around the crystalline column – and bites at Luther’s Badger… whilst flicking its tail, crowned with a terrible stinger, at Brent…
Luther finishes summoning an eagle next to the naga. The eagle crackles with celestial light as it attacks flanking with the badger from the left.
N Small celestial/fiendish animal
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 5 [7] (1d8+1) [1d8+3]
Fort +3 [+5], Ref +4, Will +2
SR 5
Celestial - Resist Acid, Cold, and Electricity 5
Fiendish - Resist Cold and Fire 5
OFFENSE
Speed 10ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +3 [+3] (1d4) [1d4+2], bite +3 [+3] (1d4) [1d4+2]
Special Attacks Smite evil/good
STATISTICS
Str 10 [14], Dex 15, Con 12 [16], Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB -1 [+1]; CMD 11 [13]
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +8, Perception +10; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
Smite evil/good 1/day as a swift action (adds CHA bonus (+0) to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD (+1) against evil/good foes; smite persists until target is dead or the celestial/fiendish creature rests).
Luther's badger flies into a blood rage and bites and claws at the naga.
The eagle attacks with its own flurry.
Luther grabs his holy symbol moving into the room to help and the clanking and jingling of keys is heard as all but the naga get healed.
"Symon, can't you stab it from the flank?"
Brent feels a wave of sleep come over him as the poison takes hold
Must...stay...awake
But alas, he collapses in a heap
Symon will try to get behind the naga by sprinting to the far side of the pillar.
As Brent falls Armitron presses the attack as best he can versus the magic of this dark being.
vs. Displacement
Longsword Attack (Keen)
Confirm Critical
Longsword Damage
Between them, Luther’s summoned menagerie claw and bite at the naga… their attacks are relentless yet only one – an eagle’s claw cutting through flesh – draws blood. Armitron, standing over the sleeping Brent as if to protect him, slashes upwards with his blade… mercifully also cutting into his enemy's flesh…
Scowling as Drusellia’s flames envelope it’s body, the Naga slides further up the crystalline structure… rattling over the stone snake that Luther was previously worried about, it lowers its defences for several moments…
…and, safely nestled beyond the stone structure, it launches a salvo of arcane missiles against its foes…
Luther grabs his holy symbol, and the jingling of keys can be heard as healing infuses all living beings but the naga.
Enraged and blooded, the badger tries to climb and bite the naga.
Fully restored to health, the eagle flies around and just above the naga after the badger makes his attempt.
Luther moves under the naga so he can shield his friends. After watching an eagle and badger unable to much, Luther seems desperate. Out of his favorite channeling magic, he thinks of how to help.
"Climb up there and get it unless you think it will run out of magic."
Round 3 - AoO vs. Naga
Displacement
Longsword Attack (Keen)
Longsword Damage
Striking the pillar Armitron grimaces.
Armitron drops his sword and grasps the crossbow slung at his back taking a shot at the fleeing creature.
Displacement
Crossbow Attack
Longsword Damage
As his bolt flies off course Armitron turns to the group, "We should fall back if we climb we fight it at it's own game".
"Grab Brent and we fall back!!"
As the magical bolt slams into her, Dru slumps into unconsciousness.
As the magical bolt slams into her, Dru slumps into unconsciousness.
zzzzzz
Brent is now Asleep for 2d4 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4 minutes – sorry Brent!!!