Variel runs out to Rybals side, uses his special power to designate Rybal as his new designated target, and hits him with a hex as a free action... a healing hex.
Healing
With his standard action he casts web and prays to all that is holy, that it works... if nothing else it creates a barrier to hinder those currently attacking Rybal.
Rybal, knowing the magic can't protect him forever, tries to raise his guard and taken down the next headless foe quickly.
Rybal ignores the other foes, saving his focus for the leader.
Drak will leave Rybal's side for the moment and will get in front of Variel, powering his Pact Blade as he goes.
Round 5 (continued)
Variel heals Rybal then webs up the knights that could chase him.
The two knights get stuck in the web and one is stuck on the other side.
Drak slashes at his target but not getting past any of her defenses.
Brice moves in trying to grapple the foe that is facing off with Drak. The headless woman quickly swats away the lumbering giant and says "I shall deal with this thing first, then you're next marked one." The headless woman draws a blade of frost and starts cutting Brice some new scars.
Chara takes on one of the knights further away stabbing at it quickly. Though is knocked back, the knights nearby take aim and fire. All gunning for Chara. Suddenly a burst of light emanates from her head and at her feet a small blue dog has erected a shield blocking the arrows from her. Chara in her surprise looks around in panic. "What.. what is that?" The blue dog barks menacingly at the knights then teleports on top of the knight's face in front of her and starts chewing of the helmet.
Al lobs another bomb at the knights further away catching some of them ablaze.
Misha and Flint take the opportunity to take down the blind individual knight. Casting a spell and firing on her with black powder weapons.
The knight on the other side of the web spots some of the townies hiding, and starts to run after them. The townies draw up the basic weaponry hoping for the best.
Snow yells at the captain to get back and she quickly does another swoop killing the last of the back log of archers that aren't the headless warrior. This headless warrior marches forward and kill one of the regents men, then begins to clash swords with the captain.
The regent's men slays the last knight inside the town and begin to move to back up Malthu. Ingrid and Diaz march up before then and tag team one of the knights killing him.
Two of the knights remaining try to bring down the Paladin and the headless knights goes after Ingrid.
One misses Malthu while the other strikes quite well.
End of round.
Scorpion 1 and Headless Knight
Scorpion 2 and Knight near Chara
The elf hits one of the soldiers with a charm person spell (green highlight) and yells, Help me! They seek to kill you and I both! DC15 will save, Range 40ft.
Round 6
Rybal moves up trips the headless soldier onto the ground and then stabs him straight through the gabs in his armour.
The two scorpions flail at the knights distracting them but not able to do much else.
As Variel sets of a the charm person spell he feels an odd sensation, something isn't quite right about the spell. Usually he knows that it helps suggest courses of actions. However he registers that someone is doing that already and all he's done is overridden someone else's spell of a similar variety.
The soldier takes a step back drawing a short sword "You won't take me alive, you liars!" The soldier cries out at the other knights.
Malthu meanwhile reinforces the line, healing himself and others keeping them in the fight.
As Variel sets of a the charm person spell he feels an odd sensation, something isn't quite right about the spell. Usually he knows that it helps suggest courses of actions. However he registers that someone is doing that already and all he's done is overridden someone else's spell of a similar variety.
The guards are all ensourcered to do harm!
Drak seeing one of the knights distracting the others moves to flank with Brice and opens up a sneak attack.
Brice helps Drak and brings down the man. Chara helps out the blue dog that has appeared to stab the knight damaging it some.
One of the horsemen that had broken from the pack chases down a few villagers killing two of them as the other two manage to run and hide. Flint and Misha run down re-positioning themselves.
Snow and the captain flank with the headless women and bring her down before she can do much else. The captain stands in awe wondering if Snow will do anything to him, instead she makes to fly off again.
The brutal melee at the gates between the knights of the regent and the knights in black continues. Blows continue to be traded and one knight on either side goes down.
Round end, Round 7 start
The two scorpions in their final round on this plane reposition themselves to flank one of the warriors.
Scorpion 1 and
Scorpion 2 and
They'll vanish at the end of the round, knowing deep inside their celestial insectoid brains that they were mainly useless!
Variel moves up and casts sleep on the three remaining guards, hoping to take out at least 2 of them.
Drak should be in a position with Chara to take out the guard beset by the scorpions.
We need to regroup, shouts the Elf. We have won the center! The flanks are at risk
All three soldiers that Variel targets fall asleep.
Misha, Flint, he says pointing his blade at the lone rider Northeast of him. That one, run him down! Get the villagers to fall back! Snow, help Malthu at the gate! We don't stop fighting until they die or throw down their swords!
He steps up and swings his weapon at the lone awake footman
Variel puts three of the soldiers to sleep, taking them out of the fight. The last one standing is confused at the magic happening around her and stays her blade for the moment.
Rybal moves in and close in on the webbed soldier driving a spear through her.
Misha and Flint begin to run across the village to bring down the last soldier. On foot they are rather slow but manage to approach her.
Snow flies up in the air and lands on the other side of the final front.
Malthu cries out for the opponent's surrender, and in an ill twist of fate, the final Dullahan takes of her helmet revealing herself to have no head and yells back a counter offer.
"Oh we have lost have we?" She says cocksure of herself. "Women, take off your helmets and put your blades to your throats!" All of the remaining soldiers suddenly stop attacking, and remove their helmets raising their swords to their necks as commanded.
Chara seeing the one under the command spell in front of her doing the same suddenly yells out: "Claire?! What...?! What's going on?!" Chara suddenly looks around at the other dead soldiers, crawling over to one and removing the helmet. "No...NO!" The villagers looking at the onslaught also begin to recognize the soldiers with the helmets off and are shouting out names, crying out at the soldiers.
The remaining Dullahan laughs "I hope you realize who these knights are now. Surrender to Ebrahim now! He will show mercy to those remaining."
Round 7, over.
Rybal recoils from the revelation, far more stung than from the deadly impact of the weapons that struck him. He yells to all of the defenders: Bind their wounds! Disarm their weapons! They are friends beguiled by magic!
He turns to the Elf: Variel, use your magicks to stop them from killing themselves. Leave the headless craven to me...
The massive soldier steps over the prone forms of the sleeping curse-victims and bellows a challenge to the remaining headless rider.
Craven! Coward! You hide behind the skirts of women, and think yourself clever! I will NEVER bow to your demands! Face me now like the warrior that you claim to be! Or is your head gone because it is lodged inside the nether regions of the 'Dandy in White'?
"Hmph, fine you large oaf you will get your fight. Though if any others interfere they will die one by one." She gets off her horse and takes a step towards Rybal, it seems he has been successful in coaxing her into a fight. Though instead of closing the distance she forms a lance of ice that she throws at Rybal.
In Rybal's surprise he doesn't dodge the shard.
Though flints shield still being active takes the brunt of the damage. Malthu runs up to those who are incapacitated though not dead and heals them with the light of Sarenrae.
The elven warlock gives the remaining foe in his area wide berth and double moves to be closer to the conflict.
Rybal braces himself for the blast, but the spell luckily holds out. He advances on the headless foe, flinging aside his shield to grip his blade with two hands.
He tries to trip her, continuing to strike.
Rybal trips over the Dullahan but is unable to free the weapon from her grasp. She kips up from the ground fairly quickly tumbling back out of range, Rybal tries to skewer her but his aim is rather clumsy.
She retaliates with turning the grips on Rybal's weapon very slippery and icy.
Rybal not wanting to give this Dullahan even an inch, grasps his weapon firmly the newly formed sheet of ice crunching underneath his palms.
Rybal growls and lunges forward again, swinging his blade repeatedly at the headless foe.
She falls prone again, Rybal stabs throw her 3 times. She looks to be getting worn from the constant blows. She rolls out of the way again, though this time, in her desperation, she says; "I wish..."
She pauses for a moment thinking on her word "...to be free." She says at last, you are sure that the wish to win crossed her mind but you aren't sure why she went with that.
A brief moment later before Rybal can do anything more she lets out a shriek, her body snaps in multiple places and she slumps to the floor.
All the women drop their weapons and fall to their knees, crying with relief. Shock and sadness worn on their faces.
As the magic tears the dullahan asunder, Rybal collapses to his knees, both from fatigue as well as frustration. He drops his weapons and roars in fury.
Grraagh! Ebrahim! I will rip your throat out!
He then hangs his head in shame, defeated, hoping the others with more skill can save the lives of the wounded villagers.
Variel does his best as a healer to treat the wounded.
Take 10 = 16.
With the battle over Malthu helps any who can heal aid those that they were fighting. They aren't able to save all of them but are able to save those that fell just before the Dullahan revealed the ploy. The villagers and the knights are glad for the victory but the tone is still sombre. The dead will be missed, the villagers gather up the dead and bring them to the church. There are too many to bury in one go so they opt to make a funeral pyre instead.
The party alongside their friends help mop up what is left of the battle, taking the armour and weapons away putting them in storage just in case they might need them again.
As the morning sun rises higher in the sky and all that is left is the blood soaked battlefield, Chara approaches the party again with the strange blue dog held in her arms. It is barking happily, perhaps it's the only thing happy with the outcome of the fight. Chara asks, "Look I know that you didn't mean to kill the ladies on purpose. The whole town knows that. They are thankful that Chamarel still stands instead of being torched to the ground. So don't let that get you down. I'll miss my friends dearly but even so we can move on. I've come here on behalf of my friends and the town, can you all come say a few words at the funeral. It would mean a lot to the townsfolk."
It is the least we can do... I fear I have no flowery words however. My skill is not with my tongue.
With the battle over Malthu helps any who can heal aid those that they were fighting. They aren't able to save all of them but are able to save those that fell just before the Dullahan revealed the ploy. The villagers and the knights are glad for the victory but the tone is still sombre. The dead will be missed, the villagers gather up the dead and bring them to the church. There are too many to bury in one go so they opt to make a funeral pyre instead.
The party alongside their friends help mop up what is left of the battle, taking the armour and weapons away putting them in storage just in case they might need them again.
As the morning sun rises higher in the sky and all that is left is the blood soaked battlefield, Chara approaches the party again with the strange blue dog held in her arms. It is barking happily, perhaps it's the only thing happy with the outcome of the fight. Chara asks, "Look I know that you didn't mean to kill the ladies on purpose. The whole town knows that. They are thankful that Chamarel still stands instead of being torched to the ground. So don't let that get you down. I'll miss my friends dearly but even so we can move on. I've come here on behalf of my friends and the town, can you all come say a few words at the funeral. It would mean a lot to the townsfolk."
Rybal nods solemnly. I will speak some words over the pyre,
Then, wordlessly, the massive warrior carries the bodies of the fallen carefully, as though they were sleeping children, to the pyre location. He retrieves his weapons and gathers his friends to speak about the events. Find Ebrahim's, [/b] Rybal grabs the Elf's shoulders in a vice grip, a bit too tightly. And I will put an end to this menace.
With that he starts toward the house with the transportation circle, stopping back to look at Drak expectantly.
I am strong, he states matter-of-factly. But we strike at shadows against the man-in-white. He knows our weaknesses and strikes at us from afar, laughing in his tower. Strength will not help us, only knowledge will. We don't have much, but a name is something. Ebrahim...
There is a palpable sense of menace as Rybal spits out the word.
He turns to Variel. Your book may hold some answers. Snow may know something of value as well, an old sage or someone with ancient knowledge. Everyone has a weakness. Find me Ebrahim's Rybal grabs the Elf in a vice grip by the shoulders, perhaps too tightly. And I will put an end to him.
The half-orc starts walking towards the house with the transportation circle, pausing to look back at Drak expectantly. Come with me to see Akiros and retrieve the others.
If the shadows are where he lurks then that's where I will strike at him. He will feel us nipping at his heels and we will bring him down.
Drak will look around the battlefield, particularly around the Dullahan leader where the duel was held, checking to see if there is any information he could glean.
He will also say a few words to the villagers during the pyre -
The losses are felt keenly by all of us. The village was put through a crucible this day and courage has persevered. Remember this when other challenges face you.