Samson's help is not enough for Levana to land a blow on the swordwraith, but her own attacks are much more successful. Both swordwraiths suffer. S1 is dragged from the centre of the room and bound to his former ally, neither of the pair able to break free from the circling vines that spring from nowhere.
Eagerly, a flash of radiant light leaps from Darion's fingertip as he points at the nearest Wraith, demanding it's attention.
Darion's attack is not enough to harm the swordwraith, but the fervour of his prayers marks it and sends a small amount of radiant pain through the creature.
Lyan's attack just breaks through the swordwraith's defenses and the creature shifts to attack Darion.
Both wraiths heal as they attack. S1 drags deadening claws down Darion's face and breaks free of the holding vines.
Its dominated former ally reaches greedily towards it, but its kindred is too fast. Unable to shake the domination, S2 does at least shake off the vines holding it in place.
Darwyn mocks the uncontrolled swordwraith mercilessly, extra venom in his words from the exhaustion and pain. EDIT: However he cannot summon the injury, and the mockery dies on his tongue.
Well-versed in the Hunter Fighting Style, Norrin stows his bow while drawing his Sunblade to charge Swordwraith 1.
90/90 HP; 3/7 Surges:
Initiative +13; Speed 6
Passive Perception 26, Passive Insight 18; Low-light vision
AP: 0
Conditions: none
Dailies: Attacks on the Run
Encounters: Biting Volley
Norrin picks his weapon and his time well. Radiant light streaks from his blade and lashes agonisingly into the waiting swordwraith.
Samson moves forward and points an opening out to Levana
_______________________________________________
Once more, Samson spots and opening and points it out to Levana, trusting his Seeker friend to take advantage of it.
Levana unleashes a devastating range of biting insects followed up by yet more snaring spirits and all but fells SW1.
Lyan swings into SW1 finishing it and drawing a murmured cheer from SW2 as it watches its former ally disipate.
Darion steps closer to the shade as he attempts to communicate with it.
"Do you know what is in the mouth of the "Devourer?"
Darion's words are well intentioned, but the swordwraith shakes its head helplessly.
"I failed, failed, failed..." Distressed moans fill the air.
What should we do, the domination won't last forever? Darwyn whispers to his party.
What should we do, the domination won't last forever? Darwyn whispers to his party.
"You could try to convince the ghost to reveal the way out of here," whispers the half-orc.
Spoiler:
the swordwraith shakes its head helplessly.
"I failed, failed, failed..." Distressed moans fill the air.
Norrin feels sorry for S2 and tries to seem sympathetic to the wraith's distressed state.
"There, there old chum. You're bound to get heavily-armed escapees from Moil rampaging through here sooner or later. You and your, erm... former colleague did your best."
Then the half-orc tilts his head and with a puzzled expression asks,
"Or is there some other unfinished task that prevents you from venturing onto the afterlife?"
Spoiler:
Norrin moves to K5, switches to his bow and fires two arrows at S2.
'Listen, perhaps you can find new purpose. Tell us how to leave this place and be succesful in a new way!'
The swordwraith slumps in a morose heap on the floor of the archway and looks pathetically at Darwyn and Norrin.
"Open the eyes and the mouth becomes a portal. I failed there as I have failed here. In life I was important, I think. Or impatient - it's hard to remember. Wait."
Cheering up slightly, it seems to remember something.
"My treasures were stolen from me. If you can find them, I might be free. I could roam the Shadowfell and seek the Raven Queen."
"My treasures were stolen from me. If you can find them, I might be free. I could roam the Shadowfell and seek the Raven Queen."
The half-orc smiles, "Your help is appreciated and we shall endeavour to return what was wrongfully taken from you so you may find peace. What should we keep an eye out for?"
"I never passed the portal," admits the swordwraith. I was cut down in this chamber and my blade taken. If you can find it, take it from this place and keep it. It is an honourable weapon."
It looks vaguely at the companions. "I will return the rafters and trouble you no more."
Norrin nods, and turns to the others as the swordwraith floats gracefully up to the ceiling,
"Let's have a break before moving on. Or should we set up camp for the night?"
…
Once the party has rested, the ranger closely examines the centre of the room and manipulates the eyelids of the green face.
Levana scouts the room looking specifically for the sword that the wraith spoke of.
While there are no signs of life among the corpses above, nor any indication at all that they are likely to revive, neither does Levana find any signs of magical equipment. One corpse wears plated gauntlets and boots, but no armour. None carry any weapons. Wherever the restless swordwraith's blade is, it does not lie in this chamber.
On another corpse, she finds a battered journal. Much bedraggled, it does offer some tantalising hints, but little of concrete value. The owner was part of an adventuring group who found and disabled an eldritch engine in the Feywild. This group traced the engine's flow of energy to the Shadowfell, but contains no record of how they arrived here or what this place is.
"They wanted to know why an old eladrin graveyard got restless. Do you know it? - The Garden of Graves they call it. Turns out those eladrin were right. Someone had been tampering. Nice piece of work, channeling the power of the Feywild through the dead. Someone built an engine to siphon off the power and send it - elsewhere."
Norrin stretches and yawns before starting work on the eyes.
As Norrin wrenches the eye open, it explodes in his face. He notices that the sphere of darkness in the mouth briefly disappears, opening into a portal leading downwards. He guesses that opening both eyes simultaneously will be the answer.
"Maybe I can help"
Samson moves over to the other eye and attempts to open it in sync with Norrin and his eye.
The subliminal hum of arcane power you've barely been aware of ceases briefly as both eyes snap open. Instead of the devastating sphere of annihilation, the mouth becomes a portal leads into darkness.
From above, the indifferent voice of the swordwraith you spoke to calls quietly.
"You have one minute to pass through. No more."
Unsure which way he'll emerge from the other side, the half-orc quickly (though carefully) lowers himself into the portal.
Norrin:
You plummet 20 feet into darkness, landing with a thump in a small circular chamber.
From the circular entrance chamber, you see a great feast hall and a fire pit blazing with a bright white flame. A number of high tables are scattered through the room, each set with fine glass and porcelain and heaped with succulent roast meats and sweet fruit.
Along the walls and between the tables, brightly coloured tapestries display scenes of battle, with hundreds of heroes of a dozen races rendered in life-sized detail - all of them swarmed by swirling shadows as they fight for their lives.
The glow of the fire readily illuminates the whole feast hall.
Others: Norrin vanishes from sight.
Samson hustles everyone through, helping those who are less athletic than himself down. Once they are all down he hastily goes down himself.
The rest of the party scramble though the portal plummet 20 feet into darkness, landing with a thump in a small circular chamber.
Above you, the small aperture slams shut, cutting you off from your entrance point. Onwards is now the only way.
From the circular entrance chamber, you see a great feast hall and a fire pit blazing with a bright white flame. A number of high tables are scattered through the room, each set with fine glass and porcelain and heaped with succulent roast meats and sweet fruit.
Along the walls and between the tables, brightly coloured tapestries display scenes of battle, with hundreds of heroes of a dozen races rendered in life-sized detail - all of them swarmed by swirling shadows as they fight for their lives.
The glow of the fire readily illuminates the whole feast hall.
Norrin lands awkwardly and limps out of the way so he isn't crushed.
"Just as well I didn't go head first!" he laughs, then winces due to a broken rib.