Bublaka readies an action to dispel the god's next spell.
For his action, Friar moves within 30' of the dwarf and readies an Empowered Heal that goes off if Valgrim suffers more than 150 points of damage.
The Ghaele Azata also readies Dispel Magic to dispel Kyuss' second spell, if he casts one.
Alie's spell fails to penetrate the undead god's magic resistance. However, Valgrim has no issue driving his greataxe into Kyuss' corporeal vessel, damaging him greatly.
Round 9:
Blow after blow, the dwarf's rage drives the 20' undead god to his knees, but he's still alive after the dwarf's onslaught, though gravely injured.
Seeing the god looking weak finally, Bublaka tries a spell.
The weakened Kyuss evades the bard's blasts of sonic energy. He is then engulfed in the sorceress' magical fire, but emerges unharmed by the fire, much to Alie's surprise!
Round 10: Kyuss
Kyuss laughs as his fast healing kicks in, "You were so close, fools. But it is written that the Age of Worms shall come to pass!" The demi-god casts magic, literally stopping time!
Kyuss smiles as his summoned minions take out the priest. He then shifts his corpse as a free action to swallow Valgrim!
Finally, with his Swift action, he casts a Quickened Dispel Magic at Valgrim, if the dwarf is not engulfed, seeking to dispel his Death Ward. If he is engulfed, he aims the spell at Alie seeking to remove her Fiery Body protection.
The bard doesn't believe there's anything he can do for the Friar and suspects he won't survive the next round in reach of two massive demons, but he readies an action to dispel the god-to-be casting again . He will cast defensively and should auto-make the concentration check.
They don't, so one AoO.
AoO:
Damage:
You can make your Wish now.
With the penalties from his negative levels momentarily suppressed, Valgrim raises a fist at Alie and full-attacks Kyuss!
Kyuss absorbs Valgrim's two punishing blows, but is still up!
Round 11:
Round 11:
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I can’t believe this day has finally come.
Vug saunters up to the battlefield.
"Hey, what's up guys? Did I miss anything?"
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Still healthy by his standards, Valgrim lets loose a rage-fueled full-attack on the demi-god, focusing more on accuracy than sheer strength. His 10' frame, though still dwarfed by his 20' opponent, drives his epic greataxe into Kyuss' worm-ridden corpse, stripping the demi-god of his essence, as the worms struck wither and die. Perhaps imagining the foul and cowardly manner in which Kyuss dispatched Friar, Valgrim focuses on one thing and one thing only: the destruction of Kyuss! His first three blows land, as sweat, grime, and blood covers the dwarf's forehead and blur his vision. Kyuss screams agonizingly, loud enough to shatter windows in a 10 block radius! He has never suffered such pain in his existence, as the dwarf warrior's epic greataxe severs his ties to this plane of reality. Unaware of any of this, Valgrim continues swinging, his blows connecting with only air, as Kyuss' essence is absorbed back to the monolith, while his corpse collapses in a deluge of dying worms onto the roof. Valgrim is protected by his Protection from Vermin spell, as the Kyuss worms wither, die, and turn to ash before his very face. In the same instant, Bublaka rushes to Friar and heals his wounds, saving his life at the last moment. The summoned demons, fully aware of what Valgrim just accomplished, know they are no match for the might of the dwarf and they teleport away, choosing to flee until their summoned magic ends and they are transported back to the Abyss.
From your vantage point, you can see the oppressive pall over the city dissipates, the clouds of green mist fade, and any undead still in the city immediately collapse. The surviving broodfiends and other non-undead allies immediately flee the city. Seconds later, the monolith, which contains Kyuss' essence, melts away in a wash of writhing green worms, as you move safely away, which over the course of the next minute, devours the Spire, Ziggurat below it, and down into the core of the city, creating a 100' wide pit, before turning to ash. This becomes forever known as the Pit of Worms.
The threat is finally over! Manzorian's words, transmitted telepathically, sweep over you: Congratulations warriors! Agath, Celeste, and I are very proud of your efforts. You saved us all and you should be proud. As you see the plumes of smoke all over the city, the buildings reduced to rubble, the bodies in the street, and the cries of orphaned children, you know the outcome would have been much worse without your efforts. You saved many worshipers, safely stored away in Alie's extra-dimensional mansions, whom you now let out since the threat of extinction has passed! They all appear a bit confused, as they look over the ruins of the city. However, when they look to the skies and no longer see the green clouds and note the Spire has disappeared, they stare blankly at the party. Tears overcome some, while one yells out "Long live the saviors of Alhaster! Glory to the Vanquishers of Kyuss!" That lone voice turns into a cheer for the party.
With his fury-driven swings, Valgrim strikes at the demi-god's essence, until Kyuss is no more! He looks back and is overjoyed when Bubba gives him the signal that Friar is still alive. He smiles as the demons teleport away and he drops out of rage and collapses to his knees, fatigued with his face covered in tears, sweat, blood, and grime. When the monolith melts away, Valgrim flies out of the way, grabbing any party members who cannot fly, as the party watches from afar their destruction.
Later, when the party liberates the citizens from Alie's mansions and the party is overwhelmed by the cheers, Valgrim smiles in appreciation but leaves it Bubba and Friar to say the appropriate things. He was always one for action and not words. After the cheers die down and the party rests, Valgrim discusses helping to rebuild the city as well as returning to Dragotha's lair for the rest of the treasure, now that the dracolich has been destroyed forever, before any new threats can move in.
Epilogue:
After joining the party on that last venture and splitting up the enormous treasure and selling any unnecessary magic items, which could literally take months to accomplish, Valgrim eventually leaves Alhaster, saying goodbye to his companions if they have other plans, and buys himself a fancy cottage in Magepoint as his retirement home when he can no longer travel freely due to old age. For now, he looks forward to any future adventures (extraplanar most likely) that Manzorian can tempt him with and continues to travel throughout Greyhawk to keep himself entertained, learning about new cultures and meeting new people. He is a ranger after all, so his home is the road.
Friar wakes up in Bublaka's arms, "Did we do it? Is Kyuss destroyed?" He looks up to see the dwarf vanquish the demi-god and smiles, knowing all the sacrifice was worth it. He quickly heals with a scroll. Before heading to free to citizens from the mansions, Friar heads down to the ground floor and searches for Exousia's body. He is determined to give her a proper burial, as he cannot bring her back to life. He gives an impassioned speech at her funeral for all her efforts to push back the tide of darkness. Friar helps heal Alhaster and its citizens with his magic in the rebuilding process.
When Valgrim suggests returning to Dragotha's lair, he heartily agrees, as he has a promise to keep to Exousia. He gathers his share of the gold, which is likely greater than 25k and at the entrance to the lair, Friar casts Miracle and requests that an obelisk dedicated to Exousia's memory be erected. He then requests that Alie cast a Permanency spell attached to a Wall of Light around the obelisk to symbolize that just like Exousia's spirit, the obelisk is a beacon of shining light in the darkness.
After this venture, when the companions go their separate ways, Friar sets up/administers to the Church to Sarenrae/Pelor in Alhaster.
When Friar's eyes flutter open, there is no disguising the relief in the bard's smile to see that his literal wish has come true. He quickly helps the cleric to his feet as they watch the structure self-destruct around them.
As the citizens are released from their magical boltholes and they look around at the ruins of their great city and the cheer goes up for the heroes, Bublaka uses his magic to amplify his voice as he recalls a song of Alhaster's past, a victory song from a war long ago known as "The March of the Silvered." Being familiar to those listening, they quickly join in. Once the crowd is in full throat, he lets his voice trail and enjoys their enthusiastic performance amidst the destruction.
As the citizens of the city work to rebuild, the bard seems to be everywhere, sharing jokes and stories and songs to lighten everyone's load or to inspire them in their work.
At night, he works with Celeste or he stares out into the night sky, a vague and unexplained look of concern on his fact. No one recalls him sleeping after the battle with Kyuss.
When the city's new museum to the arts is completed, during the dedication Bublaka stands on the steps and shares the "Ode of Valgrim's Vanguard". He puts every fiber of his being into the delivery of a masterpiece combining his talent for the spoken word with his master of song and his magical abilities to enhance them both. The crowd is enraptured with the telling and even the children hold still to hear the tale of where their heroes came from and how they came to be in a life-and-death struggle with stakes no less than the world itself.
The tale begins modestly, the companions on a small adventure to investigate a local mystery. As they travel, they learn much and they become stronger. Many fought, a few fell, and only four were still striding the road when the end came in Alhaster. Valgrim Twin-Axe, Friar Feres, Bublaka - these followed the road from that early mystery to Alhaster. Vug Vang, Chisora, Urg Legbreaker - these stepped from the road prior to its conclusion. Others joined the group - Rhiannon d'Deneith, killed by a coward's blade while helpless; Guardian Raya Iatos, a victim of one of Kyuss' many powerful allies; Vulcan Stormwrath, who left the path for a time only to return and fall at the hands of an abyssal commander; and Alie Saechell, whose magic was critical in the final battle and whose name will be sung for ages as one of the saviors of Alhaster.
He sings of otherworldly creatures and undead, of giants and dragons, of monsters the world has only whispered of in myths. All of these encountered and slain as the heroes pursued the being that sought to return to the world and destroy it, Kyuss.
In the end, the war came down to a single battle, an epic challenge between four mortals and their allies against a god. Above the ravaged city of Alhaster, a god was killed so that the world entire might live.
After much time passes, the recitation and song stops and there is silence in the courtyard. For a moment, Bublaka is afraid he's done too much, that he's offended his audience or stunned them with the enormity of all he has shared. But only for a moment as he sees some of his listeners openly weeping as they begin to applaud. Some kneel down in reverence to the Dawnflower for a moment for her blessings that time after time kept the heroes moving forward through her chosen, Friar Feres. Someone in the crowd begins singing "The March of the Silvered" once again and he realizes that the old standard has gained a fresh meaning as he encourages the singing of the crowd.
When the crowd's performance is complete, he amplifies his voice once more. "Thank you. Maybe the sun of Sarenrae and the stars of Desna shine down on Alhaster all of her days." Waving to the crowd, he conjures up a portal of shimmering blue light, steps through it, and is never seen again on the streets of Alhaster.
After teleporting to a room rented under an assumed name where he could disguise himself, the bard travels to Manzorian's manor on foot. There, he leaves the majority of his share of the treasure in Celeste's capable hands for the betterment of the city. "Thank you. Tell the others that I shall miss them, but my heart has been somewhere else for a while now and I must follow. Or don't tell them anything - that may be more fun. Peace, my friend."
Using one of two scrolls he has purchased in the intervening days, he hugs Celeste before teleporting away. To this day, he has not returned to Alhaster, but people still speak of his performance on the steps. Celeste has acted on his behalf as a patron of the arts, supporting classes for children and adults alike. He is a legend in his own time simply by disappearing without a trace at the height of his skills. Just as he'd hoped.
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Alie closed her eyes as she used the Wish scroll on Valgrim. She knew she remained within arm’s length of the demon. She fully expected to give her life for her friend to have one more chance to take down the evil arising god.
She heard a loud, piercing scream and knew her time was done. She clinched her eyes even tighter, but nothing happened. Alie finally trusted herself to open them to see what exactly happened. She saw the dwarf standing victorious somehow. It wasn’t a dream, she didn’t think.
She grins and waves at the collection of people as Bublaka gives his address and song. Alie was no public speaker so she didn’t bother to try and speak to the mass.
After receiving her share of the bounty, Alie bids the other two to not leave just yet. She used a good but if magic and fortune to create two gold coins, one of which she gave to Valgrim and the other to the Friar. ”If you ever need me, speak my name three times to the coin. I’ll come find you lickety split,” she told the boys, giving each of them a hug.
She then followed Bublaka’s lead and teleported away. To her next adventure and beyond...
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Alhaster heaps much praise on the shoulders of the heroes for their role in saving the city. Afterwards, many options are available: politics, becoming leader of a church or mage academy, but alas, only Friar follows the calling to lead Sarenrae's flock. After looting Dragotha's lair, each hero has about 100K in gold, which is more than enough to erect obelisks and any other fancy you may have. Alas, the bard and the sorceress disappear one night, and the dwarf warrior walks away into the sunset, seeking his next adventure. The legend of the four heroes will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all who knew them....their actions saved the world from an age of undeath. They have accomplished enough and are allowed to fade away into the black......