Nasira, seeing her friends still fighting the creature even in its maw, moves slightly to make sure that they are within range of her goddess' blessings.
She casts a spell of healing on the dwarf before invoking a more general blessing on the entire group, excluding the beast from the effect.
Yes you do have line of sight Nasira.
Taking a step to the side, Zeriax unleashes on the monstrosity again - "We strike back fiend. There is no repentance for you"
miss chance for Zeriax
Zeriax sees the threat to Morgrym and Maelchar and lines up a rapid series of arrows designed to punch a hole in the toughest creature. Yet something terribly wrong occurs as every single arrow misses his target or fails to puncture the dragons scaly hide. He can only look on in horror as he can imaging what is about to happen to his friends...
CMB
In a flash Morgrym and MAelchar are devoured whole as the dragon mucnes gleefully on their bodies.
bite damage each
sonic damage
acid damage
Good guys up!
As his prediction of being swallowed comes true, he shakes his head in annoyance while he gives the dragon of piece of his mind. "JUST SO YA KNOW, BEAST! I DON'T TASTE LIKE CHICK...!" is all he manages before becoming engulfed.
Finding himself surrounded by acid and getting pummeled by the muscles within, the dwarf's ire increases tenfold and he explodes with a plethora of attacks with his claws as he continuously yells, "CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE...," while he slashes away.
The dwarf refuses to quit and just continues his assault on the beast without even a second thought.
So'rien strikes again at the nearest ally.
----------------
Maelchar
----------------
As Maelchar finds that he also is headed down the throat of the beast, "Well... just forget what I said," he manages just before he's engulfed as well.
lead blades damage instead
Between the 2 of them Maelchar and Morgrym ar just manage to create a large enough hole for them to slip out of. Lucky for them before they get digested alive in the acid that sits in the creature's stomach.
Trying to maintain her distance from the beast, Nasira extends her divine gifts to heal Maelchar of some of his injuries.
GArith moves up with Radiance and leaves a deep gash with his blade. The holy power of the sword bypasses the demonic wyrms defenses and the dragon knows who it must target now to reduce the pain from the attacks.
Nasira heals Maelchar keeping the warrior on his feet.
Again Zeriax takes another step back, but his focus does not diminish, even if his aim seems askew - "We will not falter monster, not until you are finished"
miss x3 all 3 hit
Zeriax, undauted by his previous efforts continues to fires arrows at a rapid clip. This time his aim is much improved as 3 of the arrows strike the dragon deeply wounding it.
Pakak joins in the fun as he summons power from withint o mythically cast a magic missile dealing damage.
The dragon looks very hurt now but still is a serious threat to you all.
Knowing that Garith could hurt it with its weapon the dragon turns its focus upon him solely looking to take out the dangerous warrior.
Concentration check
Garith feels a strange sensation as his body slowly begins to turn to harden...
bite for
claw 1 for
claw 2 for
tail slap for
wing 1 for
wing 2 for
Knowing going back for his hammer is a waste of time, he does the only thing he knows to do... attack with reckless abandon.
Finally free of the confusion, So'rien glares at the dragon with a look of complete confidence. He then moves his hands into a rhythm until a tiny ball of fire forms in the center of his pattern and without hesitation... 'pushes' it straight toward the dragon. And what looks to be a deceiving tiny ball of light...
...truly turns out to be nothing more than a campfire gone marginally bad. Chewing on the bottom of his lip in thought as he rubs his chin, "Pathetic. It must be my mechanics. I'm just not getting the rhythm between the flow of my right hand as opposed to my left. I believe it's lagging a bit, ergo, the lack of a perfect circle, ergo, the lessen of power," he concludes, mumbling to himself.
---------------
Maelchar
---------------
Maelchar drops Demonslayer and draws Braceheart, stabbing straight in the direction of the heart of the beast if it has one.
|
Garith weathers the spell unflinchingly.
Being able to harm the Dragon may have drawn it's ire, that ire did not give the dragon the ability to harm the Shield-Bearer of Iomadae. Every attack is turned aside in a blinding flash of divine energy emanating from the Paladin's shining shield and the single attack that passes into range is instantly turned aside and countered
He then lays into the Dragon, swinging radiance.
for
for
for
for total of 57 damage for that attack
His first swingat the creature's face goes wild and the beastie easily turns it's head away from the blow, but the followup is devastating thanks to the guiding hand of Iomadae.
Yes you can Garith...go ahead and right the narrative as Morgrym and Soriano added the damage in as well at the end.
|
|
Disgorging it's meal of Morgrym and Maelchar, the Woundwyrm turns its attention to Garith, but is frustrated by the Bastions divine fortifications. With their target's attention taken up, Sioren scorches the Wyrm's flesh with mythic fire, and Morgrym rips chunks out of its body with a furious flurry of class.
The Woundworm rears, unable to touch the Paladin turns its head to glare at the dwarf. In the beast's weakened state it senses the Radiance as the blade flares with diving energy and can do nothing as the sword screams toward its now exposed neck.
The Woundworm is felled, body crashing to the ground, head landing on the corpse and bouncing off to roll a short distance.
Are you alright? In my confusion I was unable to do much to defend you Garith says, then glancing down at the party, he looks to Nasira, and will fly down to her.
As Garith finishes the beast off, Morgrym walks over to the beast's head. "I told ya we were gonna kill ya, didn't I, beastie? The only thing I regret... is that it wasn't me!" he says, given the head a mighty kick.
Walking back over to the others as his rage subsides, "Nice work, lot. Real nice work. I need a rest." He moves over to where he dropped his hammer and picks it up. He then takes a moment to catch his breath.
Nasira looks little the worse for wear to the paladin’s eyes. As the beast fell, she closed her eyes and began a prayer of thanksgiving to the Dawnflower, followed by another expression of fervent gratitude to the Inheritor.
Opening her eyes to the Shield-Bearer’s concerned look, she just smiles and shows him a fresh pink scar where her robes are still in need of mending thanks to his blade. ”Worry yourself not, holy warrior. The Dawnflower did not send me a thousand miles to die on a friend’s blade. Her healing sustains us both.”
Looking around, she muses, ”I wonder if the beast shared more than its appearance with the great dragons. The ancient blues of my homeland were reputed to guard incredible wealth. Such treasure would serve our cause and our city well.”
To track the wyrm back to its lair will need a dc 25 survival check...
After finally catching his breath, he moves over to the others. "I'll see what I can do to aid in that regard, lass."
No taking 20 on this Sorry
Zeriax stands tall as the beast falls down, then begins moving amidst his companions, checking first on Morgrym and Maelchar.
"Nice work, lot. Real nice work. I need a rest." He moves over to where he dropped his hammer and picks it up. He then takes a moment to catch his breath.
"Indeed Master Ironfist, and the same to you" - he bows to the dwarf and Maelchar - "Not many can claim entering the gizzard of such a beast, and then leaving to tell the tale"
As the dwarf moves to try and track where their foe may have come from, Zeriax joins him - "Perhaps I can be of assistance"
You are able to follow the wasted tracts of land back to a plateau dotted with caves. In the largest of the caves you see the gleam of metal reflecting back in the daylight.
Caravan goods worth 18 points of Goods each.
The dragon’s actual treasure is mixed in with the
Goods, and is worth much more. This hoard consists
of 12,300 cp, 17,450 sp, 4,800 gp, 260 pp, five tourmaline
gemstones worth 50 gp each, a platinum holy symbol of
Iomedae in the form of a tiny longsword worth 500 gp,
a wand of stoneskin with 22 charges, a suit of +4 mithral
scale mail, a +3 cold iron evil-outsider-bane longsword, a
belt of dwarvenkind, and a scroll tube trimmed in gold
worth 250 gp that contains a scroll of restoration, a scroll of
greater dispel magic, a scroll of heal, a scroll of spell resistance,
and a bloodstained letter written in a hasty hand. The
letter is addressed to Sosiel Vaenic—it’s a final message
from his missing brother Trever that describes how
his patrol was attacked by the woundwyrm and Trever
managed to survive. The letter goes on to indicate that
Trever intends to make his way to the creature’s lair to
attempt a rescue of several fellow crusaders who were 4 taken alive, and that if he doesn’t make it, whoever
finds the letter should deliver it to his brother Sosiel.
"Perhaps we should search the other caves?" - Zeriax nods at his companions once the contents of the letter are revealed - "Could it be that mayhaps Trever still lives?"
Looking with wide eyes at the hoard, Zeriax' comment brings the cleric back to the moment, "You are right. We should not risk abandoning a man out here. If he survives, perhaps the other four do, as well."
Thinking back, she adds, "Though I hold out little hope. They would have had to do so via stealth."
There is nothing else in any of the caves. No remains either. Pretty sure eaten and digested by now,
"Nice work, lot. Real nice work. I need a rest." He moves over to where he dropped his hammer and picks it up. He then takes a moment to catch his breath.
"Indeed Master Ironfist, and the same to you" - he bows to the dwarf and Maelchar - "Not many can claim entering the gizzard of such a beast, and then leaving to tell the tale"
The dwarf lets out a light chuckle. "Yeah I guess that's true. Never thought of it like that. Probably still have ta embellish a bit to me fellow dwarves when this is all over. Can't have 'em thinkin' I was swallowed by the beastie. I'm thinkin' maybe I just jumped in and caught 'im by surprise, hm?" he says with a wink.
As the dwarf moves to try and track where their foe may have come from, Zeriax joins him - "Perhaps I can be of assistance"
Shaking his head at his own futility, "Thanks, lad. I'm a bit off me game it seems."
There is nothing else in any of the caves. No remains either. Pretty sure eaten and digested by now.
As they search throughout all the caves, Morgrym shakes his head in disappointment. "Blast. Looks like none made it out. Well here's hopin' they know they've been avenged."
|
|
Yes. And hopefully Sosiel can find some solace in this as well. We shall return with this note for him. but do we want to do this now, and check in on things at Drezin, or should we venture further afield while we are away from the city? Garith asks his companions.
Should we try to take steps to locate the alledged "Trator Succubus" that Jerribeth placed a bounty on? Or make attempts to locate or learn more of the Worm that Walks, Xanthir Vang, the one that sent the attack during Pakak's wedding? Garith muses. Jerribeth's Ivory Sanctum is, if i recall, hidden behind Vang's Illusions, so he is likely going to need to be address before we can address the Sanctum.
Or do we return to Drezin to let them know the Woundwyrm is gone and start preperations for the next phases of the Crusade.?
The dwarf lets out a light chuckle. "Yeah I guess that's true. Never thought of it like that. Probably still have ta embellish a bit to me fellow dwarves when this is all over. Can't have 'em thinkin' I was swallowed by the beastie. I'm thinkin' maybe I just jumped in and caught 'im by surprise, hm?" he says with a wink.
"We have a deal, master dwarf" - Zeriax nods with a smile, then turns his head to listen as Garith goes through their several options for the next steps to take.
Yes. And hopefully Sosiel can find some solace in this as well. We shall return with this note for him. but do we want to do this now, and check in on things at Drezin, or should we venture further afield while we are away from the city? Garith asks his companions....
"I would like to chase any of those avenues friend Garith, specifically the bounty set by Jerribeth. And believe me I much preferred the vast outdoors than the confines of city walls" - the monk offers - "But the truth is we have no clues which could aid us regarding any of the paths we seek to unravel" - he ponders - "Unless there is something I am not remembering... Obviously we can continue with the exploration as we have done so far"
"It has been a full day. I suspect the past presence of the Wyrm makes this a relatively safe place to rest and gather our strength while we decide what our plan of action will be. Do you think we will be able to leave these items here or do we need to transport them back to the city lest they be stolen. The goods should be helpful for the city - it was probably destined there in the first place. I would hate to lose them."
|
|
Upon arriving back at Drezen with the first load of Goods, Garith takes a bit of time to speak to and gather some of the elite soldiers he has worked with over the past few months. "Soldiers, my friends, I am sure you have heard about what happened with Father Jeskar. He is doing better, but our Demonic enemies are clever, insidious. I believe we need a special force trained to listen for and seek out such machinations with the goal of protecting the people of Drezen, even the ones the Demons seek to subvert. To that end, I am going to begin construction on a Temple to our lady, The Inheritor from which this organization will operate." Garith tells the men he has recruited.
This Inquisition will be an integral part of the community, supporting the people, assisting with the rebuilding, and offering a place of prayer and worship. We want people to come to you with concerns so you can help them, and root out Demonic corruption.
Garith will gather his team and lay out plans for construction of the temple and get the men on it so they will be done within the month. If he can get a hand from other casters with Walls of Stone, He'll ask for that, but the Priest will start saying services as soon as the Statue and Altar are up
He will check in and work on the Temple while in Drezen between taking trips to move all the goods to the city.
|
|
Garith gets the reports on what has been going on in the city, and is pleased to hear about the market and town hall. As we expand our agricultural endeavors, we will need to prepare commensurate security as well.
He will also go to where the medals are stored and says before the medals, For the sake of the crusade, we recovered valuable information on the methods of out enemies from maps and battle plans.
After a few days of downtime as you manage your individual affairs you get the urge to continue exploring the Marchlands. Yet even that seems sort of droll everything east of the molten river has bee explored and pacified, for now. East and south of you is territory held by the crusaders while north of you is the trackless region of the icewastes. AS you are making plans Irabeth bursts through the door. Heroes, I have need of you. After lunch I was not feeling well so I laid myself down to sleep. As I lay there I felt a tugging at my consciousness. Knowing the dangers of such devious means I tried to resist the sensation. However I was overcome with a feeling of aloneness, anguish, misery, and above all hopelessness. My compassion got the better of me and I relented to pull. Instantly I was transported miles away to an abandoned and nearly destroyed fortress. Arriving there I witnessed a strange scene. It appeared that a demonic creature wreathed in holy light was trapped while other demonic creatures clothed in darkness stalked the first. The creature in white turned to look directly at me. She then spoke saying 'Please, Irabeth. You're my only hope!' After that I drifted up and away from the ruins and sped back here.
I urge you now, travel fast to the Southwest and look for a ruined fortress. Once there prepare for a pitched battle the likes you have not participated in yet and free this being wreathed in white. I do not know its name but I felt it with my whole being that it needs succor.
AT this point Aron speaks up quickly, The histories have made mention of an old Sarkosis fortress dedicated to Desna. It fell in the second crusade and is believed to be 100 miles from here. Give me 10 minutes I will have a map of that area brought forth.
Aravashinal chimes in as well. It is possible then that with the correct location identified on the map we could have So'rien teleport you there immediately to the area. While not arriving in a specific location you will be close enough that it should be a short travel to get to the fortress itself.
Indeed preparations are made quickly as Aron grabs the appropriate map dating 80 years earlier. Knowing the approximate location necessary and calling upon his mythic power So'rien teleports you to within a mile of the fortress. Looking around it is easy to see the object in the distance and travel there is relatively easy.
After a century of brutal war, very little of this old Desnan
holy place remains intact. The roofs of most locations have
crumbled away long ago, leaving only a few areas covered, the rest of the fort has been left open to the elements.
The walls vary from 5 to 20 feet high and are scored with
deep gashes or pitted by acid and alchemical burns, making
them relatively easy to scale (Climb DC 10). Many of the
standing exterior walls are crumbling. As a testament to
the passage of time, a few sparse sickly trees have taken root
amid the broken stones of the lonely hilltop ruins.
As they survey the scene, Morgrym removes his earthbreaker from its sheathe. "We've little time. Let's move." The dwarf then heads out toward their destination.
|
|
Do you believe this vision was of the succubus Aureshalae, mentioned in Vhane's journals? We have found notes indicating the import of her capture for the demons... garith inquires of Irabeth's vision.
out in the field
Well, I am the last to suggest stealth... but Zeriax, can you scout ahead as we approach, see if you can get a read on the composition of the enemy force there hunting the being we seek? Garith throws a cloak over his spiked armor, hoping that the matte black finish on his commandeered gear and a covering will make him less visible...
"Already on my way friend Garith" - Zeriax nods, then moves off toward the structure, after casting a simple spell to allow communication.
Under stealth and invisibility Zeriax approaches the ruined keep. The outside walls surrounding the structure are mostly intact leaving little space to visually see inside. The one exception being the front gate house. At last that is what you assume it was at one point as you can make out 2 lowered porticullis blocking the path forward. You assert no creatures at the moment but can hear the sounds of something crawling around in what would be the large open area to the northeast past the walls.
Zeriax keeps himself hidden, and carefully climbs over the walls to take a peek.
Perception +12 each
Perception
Perception dice]d20+17-5[dice]
Zeriax you see 4 demonic creatures with spiked tails in the courtyard. Also perceived on opposite corners of the keep on the NE and NW walls are 2 drake riders. You don’t think they have spotted you...yet.
Zeriax doubles back to inform the others on what they are up against - "We will need to focus on the flyers, and also the demonic creatures on the ground" - he whispers - "We should decide how to organize ourselves now. I will be on the team assaulting the drake riders"
Nodding, "I'll be takin' the ones on the ground. Any idea what the blazes type of demons these are? What kind o' demons are sportin' spiked tails?" he asks, looking to the others.
Know planar dc 21