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Ami takes a quick step back to the east so she'll be flanking opposite Boros, takes careful aim, and unleashes a quick slash at the patches of devil showing between the great snake's coils.
for
for
Feeling her Goddess's power flowing through her, Merelda sneers.
"Eat steel devil!"
Not accepting that the creature they fought was going to take them down Cassandra lashed out again with her glaive and prayed that her aim would be true.
Amigail's falcata almost takes off the devil's arm just as Merelda plunges the rapier through the devil's back. Cassandra watches as the wound with her glaive seals up complete You watch it stop laughing. Now an unbridled rage grips its face as it rakes again at Boros.
But the creature weakened from party's attacks can barely lift its claws let alone endanger the snake. You watch as the ravens now free of the blindness flock towards the group and begin to rip at the eyes of Amigail and Cassandra.
Innis wraps herself in a fragment of Calistria's Divine Storm. Cloaked in furious swirling winds she unleashes the wrath of lightning gifted to her. She cackles wildly as power courses through her.
The cloud lightning rips through ravens singeing them all. You watch as hundreds of feathers explode and crinkle on the stage. Those bird that are able to escape disperse in various directions.
Lililinda circles the platform a bit, then fires her wand again.
"Xaeen! Zap him or something! I know he's resistant, but you have a good chance to get through!"
Amigail does her best to shield her eyes with her buckler. When the blasts of electricity and fire disperse the swarming birds, Ami locks eyes with Innis and gives a grateful nod. Though there's some blood marring her face, the warrior woman's eyes are intact and burning with the need for vengeance.
In the ecstasy of Innis' triumphant moment she senses eyes upon her. And why shouldn't there be, having obliterated the malevolent dark birds? She returns the intense gaze allowing Amigail to bask in...Calistria's...? Innis...? Glory. Whatever the case may be.
Innis notices how surely the other woman moves having unlocked her own potential for heroism...for a time. Yes there certainly was potential there hidden in the shell of an unreliable or tragically unlucky warrior.
With the last tightening of its coils Boros crushes the devil and you watch as rhe devil's body turns to ashes as it returns to the fiery inferno of the lower planes.
Merelda curses and turns to Kirzon, spitting blood before she speaks.
"That snake of yours saves us again. It would be almost embarrassing if we weren't so beat up. Are you OK dwarf? You eyes are covered in blood, and your movement is odd."
As Merelda goes over to attend Kirzon the rest of you look about but can find no trace of Yndryssa. You doubt she could have went very far on foot but searching for her would likely take some time.
Frowning, Merelda signals to Cinder.
"Cinder. Stay near Kirzon and help him and Boros. I'm counting on you. We will need them both if we intend to finish this with all of us alive."
Lililinda looks around. "Xaeen, dear, where did your friend run off to?"
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Innis regroups with the team not in the least surprised that Yndryssa had fled. She motions for them to resume some semblance of a formation. With Sister Merelda barely able to stand Innis takes her to the side to heal her with a spell as Lililinda asks her question.
"It's about time we lost the dead weight anyway..." She flicks her offensive wand out of her sleeve and unleashes fire upon Liil's pet. Innis tries to do things too quickly and the ray scorches the earth at the skeletal mages feet.
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Lililinda jumps between Innis and Xaeen. “EXCUSE me, but WHAT ARE YOU DOING? She is under my control, and thus my protection! It’s the least I can do after taking away her agency.” the little fashionista shouts, “If you have a problem with her, please discuss it with me!”
Innis laughs spitefully "You are chained by a delusion of your own making Lililinda and you haven't the strength to protect anything.
She continues both furious and disgusted."To think you choose an imaginary friend rather than side with your one true ally. The folly."
Despite having anticipated this conflict well in advance Innis can't help but feel betrayed by the gnome's foolish-do-gooder's heart.
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Shaking her head, Merelda can't disagree.
"She's right Lilli. You can't trust that creature forever. And trusting Innis to keep her word to such things is naive at best."
Xaeen looks at Lililinda and pauses for a moment standing silent, "I do not know she will not answer my messages."
While Lililinda continues to converse with Xaeen on her whereabouts Merelda brings the others over in false assumption to listen to the conversation, but as the changeling gets close she draws one of her wands and directs its magic at Xaeen.
The fire rips past Xaeen who immediately begins to start casting a spell of her own.
Amigail, falcata still in hand, moves closer to Lililinda and Xaeen, though whether she intends to attack or help defend the undead is anyone's guess. She stares hard at Innis, but again...is it defiance in her eyes or is she awaiting an order from the Calistrian?
2. Xaeen (??? HP)
3. Merelda (HP 17/24)
Kirzon (HP 28/28)
Boros (HP 32/32)(shaken)
Amigail (HP 35/42)(shaken)
Lililinda (HP 18/18)[/ooc]
Cassandra grips her glaive but stands there unsure what to do as well. She stares over at Amigail hoping to find some answer but only sees the same doubt.
Cassandra grips her glaive but stands there unsure what to do as well. She stares over at Amigail hoping to find some answer but only sees the same doubt.
Unlike her teammates who also seem to be ensorcelled by the delusion of friendship between Liliinda and Xaeen, Innis does not hesitate. She weather's their skeptical stares with absolute confidence. The power she commands is almighty and threatens to obliterate the skeletal mage in a single blow.
"This creature attempted to and will kill us given half the chance. You cannot control it forever and in this domain of the dead to think other powers cannot wrest control from you, how deep is YOUR arrogance?"
As Innis delivers her sharp wisdom towards the gnome the wand's fire lashes the undead creature immolating it where it stands. Set aflame the creature collapses to the ground leaving the party now to deal with Innis' brash action.
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Innis stands triumphantly and makes a show of slowly stashing her dangerous wand. As an enchantress herself the idea of being lost in your own illusion disgusted her. Clearly this new spell was too much for Lililinda to handle.
She cannot resist the urge to further barb the gnome "See? I dare say you've never protected a thing in your life. Such meager strength, fallen to your own spell. Fear not, I have set you free."
She scans her allies slowly, ready in case any seek to challenge her.
Amigail moves up behind Lililinda and places the hand of her buckler arm on the gnome's shoulder in a show of support. "You did well bending Xaeen's will to your own, but there's truth in what Innis says. What's done here is done, and we have bigger fish to fry...including the one that got away."
Turning to Merelda, she asks, "Would you be willing to send Cinder on a scouting mission to try to locate Yndryssa?"
Merelda shrugs. Calling on the wasp, she directs him to perform a circuitous route again high above looking for the hidden skeletal woman.
"Return quickly to Kirzon's side however. He will need your support."
Cinder buzzes away to circumnavigate the area again, just as he did before.
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Lililinda stands bewildered as the others move on. She stares down at the pile of charred bones that are all that remains of her ward, wondering what she could possibly have done to deserve such spiteful words. The only thing she knew now for certain was that she could no longer consider that woman a friend.
Innis cocks an eyebrow that Amigail would be the first to speak up and in her defense. She offers a subtle but appreciative nod to the swordswoman even as she attempts to console the grieving gnome.
Having destroyed Xaeen and crushed Lililinda's will to fight she claims her prize from the pile of charred bones. She adds a Stranger's lifeforce to her own. She feels almost better than she did before the curse took hold but not entirely full as if this was a shadow of what wellness should feel like.
As the team waits for Cinder to return from scouting Innis channels a blessing to restore some of her wounded warriors then investigates the platform where the devil was summoned for any clues or perhaps an excuse to be alone.
Cassandra was caught off guard by what had happened and was more than a little outraged at Innis' behavior. Was she right? Probably but that didn't excuse the way she acted by so callously trampling across an ally's given word. She'd been noticing the woman's increasingly erratic behavior for some time now and resolved to part ways with her when this task was accomplished as it wasn't in her to abandon even so fickle an ally in the midst of danger such as this.
Cinder flies about and returns several minutes later. The group is still brooding over Innis' action to incinerate Xaeen.
Cinder reports that Yndryssa is nowhere to be found seemingly vanishing. Given that time is of dire concern for many of you the group pushes on past the plaza. Walking through the streets it is alarming how quiet these ruins are. You occasionally see an undead raven pop out to watch you high above from some roof.
You travel a little less than an hour when you see a slender, slightly leaning 100-foot tall square tower dominating the skyline of the ruins. The entire tower is wreathed in a perpetual cloak of flickering yellow-green flames.
Merelda sighs and let's her sarcasm drip from her mouth.
"Yeah that's not intimidating."
"The Burning Tower at last..." Innis admires the ominous dancing flames that wreath the tower.
"Let's be done with this." she adds grimly. She motions for Cassandra to continue at point and the team to follow. She prepares her protective spells as the team makes to enter the tower.
Innis calls upon Calistria's blessing to Aid Merelda emboldening her lifeforce with positive energy.
Dark energies continue to sustain Innis.
Nearing the tower you see that not only is the tower aflame but the flames seem to extend from the tower about 30 feet.
"So is the fire real or just an illusion for...WAIT. Will the head affect it? We needed the head right? Maybe the head will do something to the flame? If we present it properly?"
"Waving a severed head at the giant, eldritch fire isn't any less sane than what's happened to us so far, so why not?" Lililinda comments glumly.
Amigail tags along stoically, flashing a brief, grim smile at Lililinda's words.
As Merelda contemplates how to get to the tower she notices something in the corner of her eye. Through the fanning flames she spies what looks like an opening.
Moving closer she directs everyone to her finding. There you can all see a small passage that winds into the whirling flames.
Innis inclines her head acknowledging Merelda's sharp eyes. The team uses the opening to make their approach.
Innis looks back at Kirzon old and blind, practically an invalid "You druids can shapeshift into anything but growing an extra set of eyes is too much to ask of you?" she complains as if his state personally inconveniences the Changeling.
She cocks her head an furrows her brow putting the pieces of this particular puzzle together. She calls a momentary halt as she riffles through Amigail's pack and produces a potion.
"Drink this..." she says placing a vial into his hands.
"Glad I never drank that," Amigail comments quietly to Cassandra.
"Bzzzz-BzzzzzZZZzzz! Bzz."