Jeevika Fort Save #1:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (9) + 19 = 28 Jeevika Fort Save #2:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27
Jeevika enters Total Defense and then slowly starts making her way back to the others while staying out of the demon's range.
Standard and move actions. AC is 52 for the turn.
However, despite her caution, the demon's tail proves to have far more reach than Jeevika expected, and the surprise attack manages lightly cut the Holy Vindicator across the face!
The intense magical carnage posed by Eugeni is difficult to put into words. Arcane energy flares, creating an intense light show along the bejeweled walls and golden floors. The creature doesn’t even make a sound as the magics at work tend it apart into unrecognizable bits splattered against the various surfaces of the room.
HP: 155/155; Resevoir 18/19 Permanent Buffs: arcane sight, see invis., freedom of movement (ring) Daily Spells: Current Buffs:
Stats:
AC 35, T 15, FF 29; 50% miss chanceFort +15, Ref +16, Will +17; CMD 26; Perception +17
"Well, it seems that particular evocation has become quite effective in my hands. I can not wait to use it on the bastard who has put us through all this."
Elthariel quickly moves to retrieve her arrows, which are all luckily intact. They appear to be crafted to be extremely durable. It's probably a little odd to actually see her retrieving her ammo as well; up until now, she has always used that spell that gave her unlimited shots.
Since she used durable arrows, Ellie should be able to retrieve them without trouble.
"Please use that spell the instant you see Karzoug, Lord Silva," the lost Edasseril says nonchalantly. Elthariel pauses before adding, "In fact, perhaps you might follow it up with a Quickened double tap?"
Jeevika recharges her shield and then takes the time to heal herself and Elthariel with Setsuna's old Wand of Cure Light Wounds.
Channel Positive Energy - 3/5 Uses Remaining.
Cure Light Wounds x5 on Jeeves:5d8 + 5 ⇒ (6, 6, 2, 5, 6) + 5 = 30Jeeves is now fully healed. Cure Light Wounds x2 on Ellie:2d8 + 2 ⇒ (7, 8) + 2 = 17Ellie is now fully healed.
Setsuna's Old CLW Wand - 21/50
"So before those fiends so rudely interrupted me, I was just about to announce that this barrier reminds me of a Wall of Force. Eugeni, can you deduce anything else about it?" says Jeevika.
Despite the magical healing, it would seem that the fiend's tail attack has left a light but permanent scar on the Holy Vindicator's pretty face.
HP: 155/155; Resevoir 18/19 Permanent Buffs: arcane sight, see invis., freedom of movement (ring) Daily Spells: Current Buffs:
Stats:
AC 35, T 15, FF 29; 50% miss chanceFort +15, Ref +16, Will +17; CMD 26; Perception +17
"It is a wall of force, but unlike any other I have seen. We could try to disintegrate it, I do not know what would happen. I also do not have direct access to that spell."
"Let me give my sword a go first," proposes Jeevika. "It's adamantine composition might bypass much of the wall's inherent strength. I mean, she eventually sliced through those reinforced stone walls. Zoli, mind giving me a hand here? If it functions like a normal Wall of Force, we only need to collapse one section to bring the whole thing down, and Wrathblade is composed of adamantine too."
Whether Zoli agrees to help her or not, Jeevika grabs her blade with two hands and starts chopping away at the force field. However, she finds that her adamantine sword isn't quite the master key she hoped it would be. Still, the Holy Vindicator does make some progress.
So when I was originally writing this post, I thought that the adamantine would ignore the first 20 points of hardness on the wall; by RAW, that doesn't actually appear to be the case. Still, when using two hands, Jeeves deals between 25-32 damage per hit before hardness is considered. Since Walls of Force only have 30 hardness and Jeeves has three attacks per round, she will eventually get through. The job probably becomes much easier if Zoli helps her.
HP 148, Luck 20, Panache 6, AC 48 (T 28, F 34) CMD 40 | F+18 R+28 W+19 (+5 6/day charmed life, +2 vs fear)| evasion, improved + uncanny dodge, reroll (save 1/day + any 1/scene) | Per+27 | Init+12
Zoli tries her hand at the wall, but after a few swings she says with frustration, "Sorry Jeeves. I can carve living things to pieces fast--especially if they're evil--but I don't think this wall's a good match for my fighting style."
Without precision damage, she'll never get > 30 hardness
Ayruzi nods to the little powerhouse who believed in him when he was bound, and says days, "Then let me take a turn. Your gifts will be needed again soon enough."
He lifts his glowing greatsword overhead and begins to hack at it with intense concentration.
Jeevika’s blade seems to cleave easily into the wall, as does Zoli’s, surprisingly. When Ayruzi joins them, however, his first strike is met with a flash of golden energy lashing out at him, sending him reeling back. ”What dark magic is this!?!?” he exclaims.
"It might not be a bad idea," says Jeevika. "However, based on what you told me earlier, I suspect that Karzoug is still stuck in another dimension. I suppose we should check if these doors are some sort of portal first..."
"...They're just mundane doors. Two giant-sized, lavishly decorated doors, but mundane nonetheless," announces Jeevika. She turns to Eugeni and nods, "Sounds good to me."
As the doors open, a radiant golden light flows out from the chamber beyond. From this vantage, all you can see is a set of stairs leading up in the center of the room to something. Before they open too far, a woman’s voice calls out ”Surrender now, Rangers, and perhaps you will be granted mercy. But know this: you go no further!”
As Elthariel steps downward and prepares to fire her unlimited arrows into the Hungerer, she notices Lady Jeevika trot up right next to her.
"How about some good luck?" asks the Holy Vindicator.
"...Sure," Elthariel replies, realizing where Jeevika is going.
"Good luck, Elthariel," says Jeevika nonchalantly as she very lightly pats Elthariel on her shoulder.
Elthariel promptly begins turning her quarry into a pin cushion.
Jeevika relocates next to Ellie as move action and uses Bit of Luck on her as a standard. For the next round, Elthariel rolls twice for all d20 rolls and takes the better of the two results. 7/9 Uses Remaining.
Elthariel takes a 5-foot step downward and briefly pauses when she notices Jeevika trot up to her. After their little exchange, Ellie makes a full-round attack against the Hungerer.
Ellie's Rolls v. Hungerer - DR Only Applies Once - +6 on all Rolls (and +12 on Critical Damage) vs. Evil Outsiders:
"Ameiko, you should definitely tell us about who we're likely to meet going forward," Ryli says while sending the far room into a riot of massive roots and vines pulling and grappling anything evil.
Casting greater black tentacles, 120' radius, attacks and impedes movement of anything evil; neutral and good creatures are unhindered.
Ayruzi lifts higher on his impossibly beautiful wings, and soars into the room.
He says a brief prayer, and divine flame rains down on his foes.
________
Move: Fly over the wall to the Yellow square (staying 30' off the ground)
Stnd: Cast Fire Storm. Those that fail save are also on fire, and take 4d6/round until extinguisted.
.
BTW, Ayruzi is now wearing the +2 Wis headband, which increases his spell DCs by +1 (included below)
Zoli darts in, avoiding some blows, and gives the Hungerer a deep cut to join Elthariel’s arrows. It manages to snap down on Ayruzi as he passes, though, but cannot stop him from completing his spell. Eugeni dispels the blade barrier as Ameiko advances.
Elthariel casually hops aboard Olympus and then fires another volley of arrows; she tries to finish off the hungerer and then focuses all other shots on Ceoptra.
Free action to hop abroad Olympus via Fast Mount and then full-round attack. Firing on Hungerer until it dies and then everything else on Ceoptra.
Ellie's Rolls - DR Only Applies Once - +6 vs. Evil Outsiders:
Forgot room description now that y’all have moved inside:
Pillars of gold support the arching ceiling of this room. The northern wall bears a particularly detailed mural that shows Xin-Shalast at its height, with the face atop Mhar Massif appearing to address its citizens as magical runes and spirals of energy emerge from its open mouth. Yet even this impressive work of art is overwhelmed by what towers in the center of the room—an immense, slowly rotating, thirty-foot-diameter sphere of gold, its surface shimmering with strangely sluggish flames. A stone walkway with a set of stairs leads up to the side of the sphere, where a five-foot- wide ramp leads up to a ten-foot-wide platform balanced precariously atop of the globe, from which a shimmering pillar of golden light shines up to the ceiling above.
HP 148, Luck 20, Panache 6, AC 48 (T 28, F 34) CMD 40 | F+18 R+28 W+19 (+5 6/day charmed life, +2 vs fear)| evasion, improved + uncanny dodge, reroll (save 1/day + any 1/scene) | Per+27 | Init+12
Zoli says, "Don't worry about me, with the grace of the Calamitous Turn, I can handle these guys easily!" and then tumbles and weaves up to the giant, swinging her black scimitar.
_______
Move: tumble to red
Swft: dizzying defense
Stnd: attack
HP: 155/155; Resevoir 18/19 Permanent Buffs: arcane sight, see invis., freedom of movement (ring) Daily Spells: Current Buffs:
Stats:
AC 35, T 15, FF 29; 50% miss chanceFort +15, Ref +16, Will +17; CMD 26; Perception +17
Eugeni snorts in irritation as he has to waste precious seconds flying into position. Once he has Ceoptra in his sights, he unleashes the most powerful blast he can muster.
Same as before, maximized empowered intensified battering blast
"Eugeni, can you decipher anything about this device? I've accumulated some knowledge of the arcane, but it's mostly through experience rather than smarts and education."
To test if the golden sphere is a portal, Jeevika summons a celestial eagle and tries sending him inside.
...He flies inside, gets flustered, flies out, and eventually slams into a pillar; it seems that the golden sphere is not a portal.
Recalling that the flames seemed to stick out to her, Jeevika orders the eagle to touch the fire.
...The poor bird burns away to ash in a matter of moments. Nothing remains.
"...Well, I'm out of ideas!" proclaims Jeevika in frustration. "What do we do now?! Every person who could possibly know how to reach Karzoug is probably dead!"
Ayruzi smiles. "You speak of death like a closed gate, but it doesn't have to be an obstacle. I can speak with these slain ones. Lets see what I can learn from the giants first."
He kneels down beside the body of a giant, reaches a hand up to the heavens, and places the other on the giant's chest. There is a flash of light, and then the corpse gasps.
"You will reach your final rest soon, but before you do, tell me: what is this artifact for? And how does one use it?"
Speak w Dead: DC 21 Will. If the first one passes the save, he'll move on to another. If he can't learn enough from the giants, he'll try The Hungerer and Ceoptra.
While Jeevika tries to figure out how the golden sphere works, Elthariel takes a moment to heal Ameiko with the Staff of Healing. She briefly borrows the Orange Prism for this endeavor.
The giants and Hungerer seem to resist the spell, but surprisingly, Ceoptra’s head seems to succumb to the effects. ”With...the full moon...st-stand...at the portal. At...midnight...bleed yourself...to enter the Focus...” she reluctantly says.
