The demoniacs finish their summoning ritual as 5 succubi appear out of the air to surround Arigoder. They leave a space open though for Hepzamirah to attack through.
multiple succubi mele attack on Arigoder None of the lesser demons attacks hit the agile warrior. Hepzamirah goes next as she swings her mighty 2-handed weapon Blancher
for
for
for
for
and for good measure she hits him with a head butt
gore for
Finally she gives the paladin 1 final blow with Blancher as part of her mythic power to bring him down.
for
The demoniacs turn their attention to the rest of the party waiting for more of the 'heroes' to get closer to them.
Unable to reach the demon, Morgrym narrows his eyes and looks to help the paladin. "Welp, it looks like I'm ta slaughter these other demons 'afore I be slaughterin' you, demon wench!" Morgrym charges one of the lesser demons, swinging mightily as he nears it.
Damiel moves across the room and fires at the nearest succubus before spending a mythic point for surprise strike against the same demon.
and
and
Nasira moves toward the melee, trying to reach her allies to provide healing, but comes up just short for her best healing, so she tries to deliver some to both of the front-liners instead.
Try to keep the little ones off my back, Arigoder cries, then steps in, closing the distance with Hepzamirah, bringing Radiance to bear, calling on his mythic power to reinforce the celestial energies in his blood.
As Nasira moves closer each of the demoniacs unleash a blistering ray of light striking her with unholy power.
Searing light touch attacks
for
for
for
for
for
for
Morgrym moves up and obliterates one of the summoned succubi. Damiel is not to be outdone as he plants 3 arrows in the chest of the succubus driving it back to the depths.
Arigoder takes the fight directly to Hepzamirah landing a critical strike and one other blow. He then readies for the next round of incoming attacks. Nasira heals the front line (and maybe herself now if needed)
Most of the rays miss the cleric, but three strike her squarely.
Ansha follows after Nasira into the newly-created tunnel.
The 3 remaining succubi surround Arigoder hemming him in and providing aid to Hepzamirah. The last takes a swipe at the paladin with her claws trying to drain him of some health with her touch.
vampiric touch attack for
Hepzamirah takes the help granted to her from the lesser demons as she lashes out with her titan maul. I will drive you from this mine and use your blood to strengthen my research!
Blancher
primary for
secondary with aid plus surge for parried
tertiary with aid for not parried
quaternary for
The demoniacs move up to heal Hepzamirah while they can knowing they have limited resources for healing.
Hepzamirah down by 1 from last turn after healing
Arigoder calls on the Inheritor for help - not to tend his wounds, but to strike down the evil thing before him - and, glowing with power, swings the blade at the demon.
Nasira approaches the beleaguered warrior. Calling on her goddess, she reaches out with healing for Arigoder and her allies.
Damiel slides forward, giving up extra shots for an angle on the daughter, and takes a shot, calls on his mythic gifts for a second quick shot with a Surprise Strike.
and
and and
Damien continues firing at her eminence but the first shot almost breaks the bowstring causing him to second guess the pull of the second shot. Both fly wide off the mark.
Nasira continues to pump positive divine energy into Arigoder bolstering him and healing the wounds as fast as Hepzamirah can create them.
Ansha has some fun causing mischief as she targets a group of enemies with a confusion spell waiting to watch the chaos commence.
Arigoder does indeed call down the power of iomedae as he hits the demon spawn 4 times...2 of which target extremely weak and vulnerable locations.
As soon as Hepzamirah takes the final critical wound Hepzamirah looks as if to flee again in he depths of the mine. to intervene. She suddenly gets a shocked expression and then cries out in pain. Her body suddenly rips open, collapsing in a shower of corruption as the smoking, ghostly image of a towering horned demon spills up from her rapidly decaying
remains. This is no mere sending from Baphomet—this is a
partially real projection of the actual demon lord himself.
Baphomet roars as he emerges from the ruins of his
daughter’s remains, and as he does so, his booming
telepathic voice fills the PCs minds, giving them the
following message.
“Mortal worms! You have destroyed my daughter. But even in
her failure, she proved of use to me, for while you toyed with
her, I took from your mewling patron one of her own! Know,
fools, that none of those you value are safe from me. Even
your goddess Iomedae knows my wrath, for I have claimed her
herald as my latest plaything, stolen from her as you whiled
your time away in the Midnight Isles. And now, I do the same
to you! When I am done with you, your bones shall join those of
millions more within the walls of my Ivory Labyrinth!”
The partially real form of the Lord of
Minotaurs begins to take awful, physical form—Baphomet
manifesting before you. Yet just before the demon
lord can do so, the shadows suddenly darken around
his form, then rush in and surround him in a vortex of
violence. Flesh begins peeling away from Baphomet’s
frame, and a horn suddenly snaps off at the root. The
demon lord shrieks in pain as a familiar, feminine voice
speaks from the shadows.
“No, lord of slain daughters. This is my realm, and these are my
guests. You are the intruder here, and your bones shall decorate
my palace walls if you choose to remain!”
Baphomet shrieks again, but then his form shrinks away
and vanishes as he chooses instead to f lee from Nocticula’s
presence. With the demon lord of minotaurs gone, the
shadows congeal before the PCs, granting them a glimpse
of Nocticula’s feminine curves somewhere in the darkness
as she speaks one final time.
“And so you have done it. I must admit, I’m a touch surprised.
You have more in you than I suspected. Rest assured, mortals,
that your enemies will claim no more of my realm’s blood
for themselves. Yet you have made a greater enemy than
the children of gods tonight, and I suspect you will be facing
Baphomet again. Were that I could be there to watch. I must
say, I’m not sure who would prevail in such a clash! No matter—
the way to the Midnight Fane and your homes on the Material
Plane lies before you. You have but to step into my shadow to
be on your way home.”
of commune, a scroll of true resurrection, a wand of restoration
(11 charges), and a decanter of endless water.
Gear +3 full plate
Blancher: This Large +4 adamantine heavy pick
has a haft of petrified bone and a head
of crudely formed adamantine.
Blancher is unusually heavy and must be wielded
with two hands, but it deals damage as
if it were a Huge weapon rather than
a Large weapon. On a successful critical hit, it deals 1d12
points of bleed damage (this bleed damage does not stack
with multiple hits) and 1d3 points of Charisma damage as the
victim’s flesh, hair, and eyes are blanched and whitened.)
amulet of natural armor +2, belt of thunderous charging,
Fasciculus Labyrinthum :The rune of Baphomet emblazons this
slim, leather-bound volume. Taken from
a larger work, the Fasciculus Labyrinthum
details many of the rituals of Baphomet
worship. Included in its pages are details
of how to operate the imago lens and
incomplete instructions to constructing one. As long as the
book is carried (even if carried in an extradimensional space
like a bag of holding), it grants its carrier immunity to maze
spells and a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against
insanity and confusion effects.
Imago Lens: The imago lens appears as a 3-foot-diameter semitransparent
disc of amber gripped in the jaws of a metal demonic frame.
This device functions as a crystal ball with telepathy and true
seeing—a successful DC 24 Will save allows a creature to resist
being scried upon by the imago lens. Once per day, the imago
lens may instead be used to create a projected image of the
user, as the spell project image. The user may project this image
into any location she has observed before, either in person or
via scrying. Once the image is projected, the user can sense
the world around the image as if she were there, communicate
with nearby creatures, and even cast spells. The image cannot
move from its current location. Using this effect is not without
risk; if the image is dispelled, the user must succeed at a DC
25 Fortitude save or take 4d6 points of Constitution drain as
her body reels from the sudden disconnection and her soul is
warped and twisted by the lens’s powerful magic. The imago
lens is a chaotic evil artifact, and each time it is used, a nonchaotic-
evil user must also succeed at a DC 25 Will save to resist
having her alignment shift one step closer to chaotic evil.
headband of inspired wisdom +6,
powdered diamond for glyphs of warding (worth 800 gp),
8,050 gp
Lifting up the heavy pick, Morgrym smiles wickedly. "Ya know, I'm thinkin' this little weapon might come in real handy. Wouldn't it be a nice bit of karma ta slaughter that stupid bull with his own weapon?" he asks rhetorically, nodding, relishing the thought.
Stowing the weapon, Morgrym proceeds to scoop up all the coin within the magical bags. "You can never have too much coin."
As Hepzamirah falls, Nasira cries out, "Flee, followers of the Daughter of Baphomet! Lest her doom fall upon you this day!"
Presuming the interaction of gods before them and the blessing of Nocticula on the party renders them more or less safe, she will wave her friends close and say, "Come, let the gifts of the Dawnflower knit some of your wounds." She will begin doing what she can to heal the party members.
Arigoder wavers unsteadily as he releases the power in his blood, the thrum of energy ending abruptly. Inheritor, he begins in a silent prayer, letting out a deep breath, ...this victory was yours, your hand guiding mine. Thank you for your faith in me. With that, he wipes the blade in his hand clean, and sheathes it carefully.
He chuckles at Morgrym's joke, "I'm all for seeing strong dwarven hands planting the pick between his horns. See what you might be able to mine out of there."
He approaches Nasira with a smile, "You've already used many of the Dawnflower's blessings on me in the last few minutes... Honestly, you're the only reason I survived that particular bit of rashness... or, really, the last three or four, now." He gives the cleric a playful wink, then lets out another breath before adding, "...I did just survive that, right? I mean, this isn't what I was told the afterlife would look like."
With the intervention of 2 demon lords the lesser demons have all fled from you rendering you quite safe…for now.
"Who needs further healing before we move on. There's no guarantee that where we land will be safe..."
Arigoder shakes his head, "Your last spell restored me wholly."
Ansha seems to visibly relax now that their demonic enemies have fled. Rejoining the party, she starts looking herself over, smoothing out her skirts and readjusting her bodice, finger-combing her hair and generally trying to make herself seem a bit more presentable. Given their surroundings, not to mention the various blood and ichor stains she's got spattered all over herself, it seems a bit incongruous.
"Glad that's over with," she says. The enchantress looks to the others and asks, "Shortest way out of here is definitely the shadow portal, right? If I remember right, I felt something askew when I tried to cast teleportation magic in this place earlier."
Without much of a pause for discussion, she steps into the shadow portal.
Nasira opens her mouth to say something, but shrugs, "Guess that's decided. Wherever she is going is where we need to go. Thank you for your generosity, Lady." The cleric steps into the portal behind Ansha.
Damiel starts, "Nasira, weren't you...", but she's already stepped into the shadows. "Right, then." He stows his bow and, putting a hand on his rarely-used sword, follows.
Shrugging, he looks to the paladin and says, "I'm guessin' we're goin' this way." Morgrym then follows after the others.
Arigoder chuckles at the dwarf, "Guess so. Aren't we supposed to be the the reckless ones?" He waits to a 3 count after Morgrym steps though the portal, then draws Radiance and follows.
With Ansha leading the way all of you head into the pitch black shadow that Nocticula provides.
Arigoder stops the prayer to take a breath, taking comfort in the sense of peace and warmth... and no longer feeling the oppressive taint of the Abyss all around him. Finally, he completes the prayer, Inheritor, I thank you for the strength and protection you have given me -- and I vow to keep striving to be worthy of them...
He stands, then blinks as he thinks of the darkness trying to overwhelm him in the wall of shadow, Let's find the others and make sure they made it through without protection, Lady... He places a hand on Radiance to reassure himself, then leaves the shrine to find his companions -- starting with Nasira. He thinks, surely the Dawnflower will have guarded her as you did me, and we may need her to burn away the shadow from the others, though even as he says it to himself, he realizes that's not the whole reason.
Quickly shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Morgrym looks around and sees he's back home. Glad to hear the sound of hammer upon steel within the smithy, Morgrym breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Thank the gods. That was a feelin' I never want to duplicate.
Stowing his breaker, he heads for the Main Hall in an effort to find the others.
Damiel blinks, black curtains held firmly closed in one hand. He opens his other hand to see if the glowing bauble is still there. He tries to sort out his mixed emotions from the passage back. He's been a creature of shadow in all but fact for a long time. The fact that these shadows were so disturbing to him... that requires some reflection.
He takes stock of his gear and himself, mentally and physically.
Nasira opens her eyes to see the radiance of her personal shrine to the Dawnflower. Kneeling and smiling, she realizes she had a holy symbol in each hand, both the mundane one that has been her trusted companion for so many miles and the precious one she liberated weeks ago. She stows them reverantly before leaning forward and placing her hands and forehead on the floor before the shrine and performing long-overdue obeisance to Sarenrae in thanksgiving. She is confident that her goddess has seen her companions through to the material plane - she will find them later.
As you recover from your foray through the Midnight Isles you hear strange and worrisome bits of gossip floating on the air. The most serious and most talked about deals with the Hand of The Inheritor: Iomedae's Herald.
While the being known as the Hand of the Inheritor is powerful, he is no match for a demon lord. When a desperate priest called upon
Iomedae’s herald to aid in an attack on the demon-ruled
city of Raliscrad, Baphomet saw his chance. He dispatched
Ylleshka, the warden of his great Ineluctable Prison, to
the battle. Her capture of the herald and retreat to the
Abyss broke the crusader army and saved Raliscrad from a
critical defeat, and now one of Iomedae’s closest agents is
the Horned Lord’s prisoner.
The priest who called upon
the herald to aid in an attack on Raliscrad has taken his
own life in shame over his role in allowing the herald to be
taken, and the blow has done terrible damage to crusader
morale—had not the actions of the PCs bolstered the Fifth
Crusade’s hope to new highs, such a catastrophic and
humiliating defeat might well have broken the crusade’s
will to go on.
For now, the war seems to be at an uneasy standstill. The
crusaders are rebuilding their courage but at the same time
resisting the urge to surge back into the Worldwound in
an ill-advised attempt at revenge, while the demons seem
unusually hesitant to go on.
The first indication that something unusual is
happening as you sit together for lunch is the sudden increase of ambient light. This
brightening is visible only to all of you as the servants
ushering in your food and drink don’t react at all. It increases swiftly to
the intensity of the noonday sun, and then beyond. Yet this
brightness does not cause pain or discomfort. Instead, it
fills each of you with a feeling of pride and hope. Just as the
light grows to what would normally be blinding level, the
you suddenly find yourselves in what appears to be a vast cathedral.
The cathedral in which you find yourselves is truly
enormous. The ceiling rises out of sight above, and the
walls bear stained-glass windows that move and change
to depict the famed acts of Iomedae. Soft light fills the
vast space, and choirs of angels and archons sing from
unseen reaches of the cathedral. Iomedae herself takes on
a somewhat humble form, standing no taller than she did
in her mortal life, yet none who look upon her can mistake
her for anything other than a goddess. Her cloak is blood
red, indicating her mind is on the battles to come, but
her sword is sheathed and her shield is lowered. As she
appears, she nods to you, each individual perceiving
her focus as being on him or her, then speaks.
Welcome heroes. I am Iomedae. You are those who have
proven most worthy to strike back against the Abyss’s latest
injustice: the kidnapping of my own herald. Answer my
questions truthfully and be found worthy of the great task I
would set before you. Remain silent, and be known as cowards
in the face of evil.”
Arigoder pales, his mind a jumble of competing thoughts -- none of them able to form fully or direct him until he falls to one knee before the goddess, "My Lady Inheritor," he says almost unconsciously, his voice barely a whisper...and barely recognizable, even to himself.
Surprised by his voice -- or maybe even at the fact that he could even find the power to speak those three words -- he begins to focus the flood of thoughts and emotions in his mind, the goddess' words echoing and adding fuel to the flame of his devotion and purpose, burning away the noise and chaos inside him. After only the slightest of pauses, he adds, in a resolute -- though still clearly awestruck -- voice, "I am, as always, at your service."
Damiel stands there, blinking in the bright light, for a moment, a bit shocked at the attention of a god directly on him. He shakes his head in amazement, bows deeply, and says, ”Lady Iomedae, I am not sure I deserve to travel with this lot, but I am certain I don’t deserve recognition from a god such as yourself. But if you are sending the heroes to bash demon skulls, I’m in.”
Nasira takes the appearance of a goddess in stride, smoothly moving into a kneeling position and bowing from the waist. ”Lady of Valor, ally to the Dawnflower whose warmth fills and sustains this humble servant, your presence brings great honor to this one. Know that your request aligns with the mission my mistress has placed me on and so I will aid your captured servant. I am Nasira Yusra Abujamal and so long as my goddess grants me breath, I will do this.”
Not really sure on how to speak to a god, Morgrym cuts his eyes toward the others as they speak before refocusing upon Iomedae when they finish. "Um, whatever ya need, lass. Er, goddess lady. I mean Lady goddess, is what I mean." He cringes at the uncomfortable awkwardness of it all. Blast it all! I've no idea what ta say.
Somehow, Ansha isn't fazed by the sudden shift in their surroundings. She even manages to keep her surprise in check at Iomedae's sudden appearance.
Awkward, Ansha thinks to herself as the goddess becomes visible. Well, what's the worst that can happen?...Wait, don't answer that.
"Lady Iomedae, it is indeed grave business that your Herald was captured. If we can be of any assistance, I am sure my companions and I would be most happy to do what we can."
Iomadae nods her head in acknowledgement of all your words. However, she does give a slight eyebrow raise to Morgrym as he stumbles through his words. The topic at hand is much too serious for her to give any other countenance but you are certain that if times were better, she would have smiled at the dwarf's attempt at formalities. Her gaze lingers upon all of you though after you have spoken weighing your words.
I am impressed that some of you are bold enough to look upon my face. Not many would dare to do such a thing...and I favor boldness. When facing demonic foes , one must be bold, as I was when I faced my most dangerous enemies. Tell me, then, which undead lord did I slay while leading my knights of Ozem into the Three Sorrows, and why do I think you might be worthy to carry the legacy of that knighthood into the depths of the Abyss?
This question refers to events that unfolded during the
Shining Crusade, when Iomedae defeated Erum-Hel, the
Lord of Mohrgs, at the Battle of Three Sorrows. The defeat
of the mythical mohrg overlord proved to be a turning
point in the Shining Crusade, and is recalled today by the
faithful as the Fifth Act of Iomedae.
Nasira remains on her knees, "My lady, I would not presume to know the thoughts of a goddess. I can only offer that those assembled before you, as I am sure you already know, have entered the Midnight Isles and treated with Nocticula on behalf of the forces of good of the Worldwound. We would do so again if necessary."
I am impressed that some of you are bold enough to look upon my face. Not many would dare to do such a thing...and I favor boldness. When facing demonic foes , one must be bold, as I was when I faced my most dangerous enemies. Tell me, then, which undead lord did I slay while leading my knights of Ozem into the Three Sorrows, and why do I think you might be worthy to carry the legacy of that knighthood into the depths of the Abyss?
Looking around at the others, wondering if they're going to answer first, Morgrym goes ahead and speaks up, seeing the others are in deep thought. "To your first question: I have no idea. And as far as your second question goes: Well, I don't know anythin' about carryin' any legacy but I can tell ya this... I HATE demons and I want ta kill 'em all. They've tormented me for a very long time and there is no end ta me level of payback that I'll be payin' 'em back with. Don't know if that qualifies or not but," he shrugs, "that's my take for what it's worth."