INT (Sylvan)
CON
Even the Trollkin's tough constitution takes a hit at the level of cold permeating this particular chamber. He finds the mutterings familiar sounding, but so archaic he can't understand them.
"Zove! No! Why didn't you say something".
Vrindel rushes to where Trevor has brought the unconscious companion, and reaches for the power of nature to help restore some of her health.
Cure Wounds at Level 2;
"Не! Не! Врати го назад! Што правиш? Морам да го имам!" The voice rasps angrily, becoming more and more agitated as Trevor begins to carry Zove out of the chamber. As he sets the unconscious shadow fae back on the ground, the young paladin can't help but notice how her pack, or rather something within her pack, moves around. Thrashing about as if it were trying to escape the neatly tied up backpack. Before Trevor can say anything, Vrindel is there working his magic to revive the fallen wizard. But while the trollkin works, the voice snarls out again.
"Јас ќе го имам сега. E бидам цела и целосна и слободна. Бесплатно! Слободно конечно да побарам одмазда! Почнувајќи од оној што го носи мојот затвор." Just as it finishes speaking, Vrindel completes his spell and Zove's eyes flutter open. Both Trevor and Vrindel watch as the expression on her face flashes from relief to surprise as some sort of magic simply snatches her up, carrying the light elf back into the chamber as up toward the far corner.
"Да! Да! Дојди кај мене. Ослободете ме од овој полуживот. Дојди!"
While Zove floats away, the spear in the center of the room also begins to glow brighter, or rather the runes engraved on the spear grow brighter. The additional light does little to drive away the darkness in the chamber as most of the light is immediately pulled toward the swirling maw of the void gate. The black energy churns in an almost hypnotic fashion until you catch a glimpse of....something....moving just beyond the plane of the gate.
Meanwhile, Aterro stands staring at the long spear standing in the center of the chamber. The cleric makes not a sound or a move. His eyes transfixed on the glowing runes and electrical energy that surges along the shaft and through the body to the gate. Can it really be? Can it be one of the rare, few, Holy Javelin's of Thor? And is it really being used to power some dark fell blood and void magic? The sacrilege is almost unimaginable...
[b]"I will have it now. I will be whole and complete and free. Free! Free to finally seek my revenge! Starting with the one who carries my prison."
"Yes! Yes! Come to me. Free me from this half-life. Come!"
"Have you already forgotten the basic laws of magic?" He says shaking his head, bushy brows curled down, his face taking on the ever-so-boring-now-you-must-heed-my-lecture-of-wisdom look.
"A gate requires large amounts of energy to open. Ley line, worship, blood, souls, whatever. There must be enough to rip the very fabrics of this reality and another, then connect them together. Once open it's easy to maintain with a sufficient source. Closing it again is the trick. Simply severing it from the energy source is reckless and will most likely result in your death and possibly the destruction of our reality. Too much potential for backlash, inter-dimensional collapse, or thousands of other potential disasters. That's why we do it carefully, with a full set of grounding symbols and why you don't create one without permission and supervision!" That one vein on his neck really does look like it will explode this time.
"Now repeat to me the three basic laws of...."
Your eyes flutter open taking in the faces of Trevor and Vrindel looking down at you with looks of concern. Before you can say anything, you feel yourself yanked from the floor and floating up toward the ceiling. And you can feel the books growing agitation and excitement as it continues to try and pummel its way out of your pack.
The frozen gnome makes a swipe at Zove as she moves passed him. But, he is so cold and slow.
"Um. That thing is saying that it wants something of Zove's and killing her will be its first act when it gets it. That's terrible. Stop it!" He shouts.
If Attero is too transfixed to act, the little gnome will run at the Thorspear and try to dislodge it by throwing himself at it with his momentum. Maybe the lightning will warm him up, if this act of desperation doesn't kill him.
shouts Trevor as Zove starts moving and he grabs her arms, pulling her away from the void. As he hears Ibrox, he nods and switches his grip to her pack, pulling it back as strongly as he can.
INT (Sylvan)
Perception
The more Vrindel tries to concentrate the more confusing the words become. The chattering of his teeth don't help any.
Vrindel stares at the brave Cleric wondering why he hasn't leaped for the obvious magical conduit... then it occurs to him that maybe he's been entranced somehow. When he sees the small gnome headed for the area he realizes he can wait no more, and himself dashes towards the spear, hoping to wrest it from the magical portal, before more mayhem erupts.
STR
Aterro stands motionless as chaos erupts in the circular chamber.
As Zove is whisked off of the floor and up toward the dark dome of the chamber, Trevor manages to just clasp the hanging clasps of her backpack. His feet drag across the floor until just the tips of his toes still touch solid stone, but he doesn't completely stop the shadow fae's ascent. As the paladin feels the floor slip away and his feet dangle in the air, Zove's body suddenly triples in size. The added weight plus Trevor's manages to break the magical force pulling her upwards and the creature in the corner lets out an anguished grunt.
Aterro stands and watches, seemingly transfixed by the enormity of the moment.
Zove and Trevor find themselves free of the telekinetic pull. Unfortunately, gravity still functions perfectly and has the expected effect on the giant sized Zove. As she comes crashing down, Trevor initiates a marvelous display of bravery and chivalry by expertly breaking her fall.
Perhaps feeling unworthy to be so close to his gods artifact, Aterro meekly stands asdide while...
The short, quick gnome manages to run under Zove before she hits the ground. Leaping across the remaining few paces, Ibrox grabs hold of the rune and blood empowered spear. With feet off of the floor, time freezes for just a few heartbeats as lightning arcs through his body. For those moments the gnomes skeleton and interior is quite visible to those watching as he pulls the spear free of the pinned body. Booming, deafening thunder bursts upon the entire chamber causing loose stones, rubble, and dust to fall from the ceiling. Cracks pop and grow in the floor and all along the walls of the chamber.
"Nooooooooooo!!!!!!" Cry the four identical creatures from the top of the dome. The singular word clear and understandable in any language.
Aterro remains calm, watching, knowing his companions have everything well in hand.
Vrindel leaps over the fallen Zove and Trevor. With a Zap! that leaves his foot tingling, Vrindel manages to kick the arcing spear out of Ibrox's numbed and twitching hand. It clatters to the side of the chamber spitting sparks and arcing about ten feet away from the two companions and fifteen paces away from the now ominously, flickering gate. It still appears connected to the void gate upon the wall, but the black tendrils of energy that once wrapped both staff and the body where it was secured are quickly unraveling. Those with arcane knowledge wonder if perhaps it is too quickly.
"Будали! Будали! Разнесени будали! Willе ја уништите книгата!" Shouts the creature. "Морам да го имам!" The four creatures begin to scurry along the cracked crumbling dome and down the wall toward the fallen Zove.
Positive that all is well, Aterro remains in place.
Vrindel and a smoking Ibrox lay sprawled across the sacrificial victim, trying to catch their breath for just a moment, when they both feel a definite twitch from the corpse beneath.
The cheerful gnome with an extraordinary instinct of sacrifice is electrocuted. He screams through clenched teeth from the electricity and burns. He blinks shocked that he still lived. His burnt orange hair is sticking more straight up than normal and smelling decidedly burnt, too. And he did feel warmer!
"The creature wants Zove's book! Kill it!" He shouts while hopping to his feet.
He points his finger at the creature and repeats "Ibrox," in a stern voice twice. But, his eldritch blast poofs from his finger. His Patron was not pleased with his actions.
Vrindel rises to his feet ready to do combat with whatever vile creatures these are when he hears Zove's plea.
Well she knows more about these weird arcane matters than I do.
The big man grimaces and heads towards the energized spear determined to carry out Zove's request.
"As long as you get off me, I'm fine with it!" replies Trevor with a wincing voice.
With his magic fizzling out, Ibrox attemps to use Vrindel as cover only to have that foiled as well when the big trollkin follows Zove's advice and moves over to pick up the spear. Gritting his teeth for the expected shock Vrindel grabs the sparking weapon. Instantly every hair on the trolls body stands straight out and arching waves of lightning dance up and down his entire body. Smoke begins to whisp around his ears as he frantically looks around for Zove's book only to notice something still bouncing and bumping around inside her pack as the huge shadow fae and Trevor struggle to disentangle themselves.
Meanwhile, the creature completes its run down the wall and moves toward the mentioned pack and its contents. As it does so four hands casually flip toward Ibrox each sending three darts of black power streaking toward the little gnome. At first it seems a simple illusion or trick but then the twelve bolts coalesce into three solid bolts of force that pummel the gnome.
"Не застанувај на мојот начин вештерка вештерка." It says with a slightly slurred hiss to its speech. "Вашите маѓепсани магии не се натпревар за моќта на Ваел Турог. Застанете на мојот пат и проклетството на Баба Јага ќе изгледа безначајно за казната што ќе ја издржите под моето око."
As it moves closer and further into the light of both the spear and your own torches. The face is suddenly familiar. It is Anymore, the little creature from the beach cave outside of the first village. Or rather it is four images of Anymore. Although its clothing and skin are now caked in what must be several layers of blood and grime. Its face has grown a bit narrower and more pinched, even a bit elvish when seen from just the right angle. But most disturbing are its eyes. Before they were simply black, somewhat mundane. Now a power lurks within them and they glow with a dire crimson and yellow energy swirled with tendrils of pure blackness.
After casting the spell against Ibrox, Anymore staggers, momentarily dropping to one knee. "Не! Не! Не сега!" Anymore says shaking its head back and forth violently. It hands clasping its ears. "Јас сум под контрола. Ова тело сега е МИНЕ. Yieldе попуштиш пред мене!" For a moment the madness and voice grow more ethereal, distant almost, but then it returns and the little creature begins to walk again toward Zove and the book it seeks.
"No! No! Not now"
"I am in control. This body is MINE now. You will yield to me."
Trevor gets to his feet with a groan and readies axe and shield as he walks up to Anymore to block his way.
"Back off!!! We’re not your friends anymore, Anymore..." he shouts, then hesitates, confused, before striking at him.
The electrocuted gnome grimaced as he got slammed with three magic missiles.
He tries to steady his finger pointing at the creature again and repeats, "Ibrox," in a stern voice.
The lumbering Trollkin moves next to Zove, and pierces her prized / cursed book with the tip of the spear.
?
? Advantage?
"Ow! I hope you know what your doing".
Zove attempts to grab the book from her pack, but the bouncing book seems to have other ideas in mind. As soon as she slips the belts of her pack free, the spellbook leaps out all on its own. Landing on the floor with a loud thud, it begins bouncing and crawling toward Anymore. Through her unique connection with the book, Zove feels the books power and its...desire...to reach the Anymore/Teronidas creature.
Surprised by the books animation, Vrindel misses his strike with the spear sinking the bronze tipped point deep into the stone of the floor where the book had sat only a heartbeat before. Electricity crackles and a spiders web of fractures suddenly circle the floor where the spear stands. Continuing to grip the spear, Vrindel still suffers from the electrical power of the thunder gods spear. Gritting his teeth, the trollkin maintains his grips and slowly gains a sense of understanding over the weapons chaotic energy. Like many forces of nature the druid deals with, the spear cannot be completely overcome and controlled, but like the energy of winter, the north wind, the great white bears of him homeland, it must be channeled, guided, respected and accepted for what it is. With this realization, the electrical charge surging through his body is reduced.
Another bolt of Ibrox's eldritch power misses the mark as the little creature ducks at the last moment. A move that causes Trevor's swinging axe to sail past harmlessly.
This time Anymore ignores the gnome and even the big knight standing in front of him. Instead the ancient eyes see nothing but Zove's book. It's pages flipping as it tumbles its way across the rubble strewn floor.
"Јес ... јес ... дојди кај мене!" He says, the glow in his eyes growing brighter and brighter as he reaches out a long thin, bony hand. He speaks again, this time in the simple recognizable arcane words to a spell nearly any apprentice mage learns. At least the first few words are what can be recognized. Then the eyes grow wide and his face erupts in a snarl and multiple curses as nothing happens.
"Не! Тоа е невозможно. Зошто не можам да се сетам? Морам повторно да бидам целосна и цела!" Anymore cries lunging toward the book.
"No! It is not possible. Why can't I remember? I must be complete and whole again!"
The wounded gnome tries to steady his finger pointing at the creature again and repeats, "Ibrox," in a stern voice with more faith.
Bathed in impossibly bright light from behind, Trevor finds it impossible to turn and look back, until the light moves to Anymore.
As the starburst hits, he moves in and sends his axe flying upward, following the void between the creature's legs.
But the light is simply too bright and he misjudges completely his distance.
WIS Save
"Ha! You are like holding the very storm itself. I will not try to bend thee to my will... but if you're of a like mind, I'd like to try and pierce that book again".
The big mans hair still stands on end, but he seems to no longer be in pain.
"Zove! Is that still what you wish"?
Pierce bad book
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"You've gone far enough, little one," Aterro states as his steel-clad fist clenches down on Anymore.
Since the fight above-ground the WarCleric had made no intelligible sounds beyond an omnipresent hacking cough that made speech impossible. He numbly stumbled ahead when prompted, but was otherwise incapable of taking any meaningful action beyond doubling over in pain and hacking.
This was all forgotten when he caught a glimpse of The Spear.
In his heart of hearts, he had not thought that the rumor was true. He had heard of magical weapons, and the entire time had assumed the "Thor's javelin" that everyone was after was some enchanted artifact that held some power beyond that of the fruit of the forge--possibly with the ability of magical lightning, but not really divinity-touched.
Once he glimpsed the real thing, here, on the same plane of reality as him, indeed, within hand's grasp...the sublime feeling from the touch of divinity was more than his mortal head could handle and he surrendered to the enrapture of *KNOWING* Thor's hand had once gripped the object before them.
That something was speaking to them seemed so beneath his attention as the antics of the ant to the elephant. Whatever evilness that might transpose was NOT allowed to pierce this, his one moment of FULLNESS that he allowed himself.
Of course once the weapon had been gripped and lost and tossed again, and the crawling worm Anymore seemed to comes within hands-breath of the thing at last broke him from his reverie.
"In case you think your filthy hands are ever going to grasp so exalted an object as that spear," he says to Anymore, "and you are not motivated to cease thy struggles by my passive hand, I can also provide violence."
He snaps the fingers of his free hand and an ephemeral hammer materializes in the air before coming down on Anymore's form.
"You can remain still or you can die," he poses, his steel grip unwavering.
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This time Ibrox hits with his blast of eldritch power, eliciting another scream of fury and pain from Anymore. But before he can retaliate, Aterro finally recover from the awe of being in the presence of a piece of divinity. Striding forward he grabs Anymore by the nap of the neck interrupting whatever nasty retribution he may have planned for Ibrox. Instead the little creature begins whispering in that same odd rasping voice, but this time in normal common.
"Free me child of a lost land. Free me and I will show you the path to ridding your land of its conquerors." The creature whispers to Aterro. "Cage me now and know that you will doom the land of your birth to forever be the feeding ground for its undead overlords.
As Anymore whispers to Aterro, Zove calls upon the power of the stars themselves and attacks the spirit inhabiting Anymore's sorry body. But whatever portion of the archmage's mind that is working through Anymore, resists the burst of starlight and deflects any damage away. Her spell resisted, she snarls and rolls off of the book, freeing it from her heavy embrace. It also frees it up for Vrindel to strike.
The book leaps forward and lands at the feet of Anymore. As it hits the ground, Vrindel strikes with the spear, jamming in down, through the enchanted spellbook, and into the stone beneath. There is another massive clap of thunder and lightning dances throughout the entire chamber followed by the unearthly sound of a single great bell ringing three times.
At first the place seems to be empty, but then you notice a single pillar of black obsidian stone standing thirty paces away topped with a huge bell of iron. Standing at the base of the stone is a single, tall, heavyset, somewhat elderly looking shadow fae dressed in fine robes and leaning on a long wooden staff. His eyes grow wide in startled amazement as his silent solitude of several thousand years is suddenly interrupted by the tolling o the bell and your appearance.
Anymore immediately ceases his whispering to Aterro and instead starts shaking his head violently. "No! No! I'll not go back. I've waited millennia for this chance, I will not go back now!"
With the last words escaping from Anymore's lips, his body goes limp in Aterro's arms. A smokey black cloud rises from the little creature's nose, mouth, and ears. In moments a shadowy black spirit stands upon the plain. Although slightly blurred by the constantly fluctuating shadow form, it appears to be another elf. Tall, thin, with narrow eyes and a beak like nose. The picture of an ancient elf of the old Imperium down to its long robes and immaculate interwoven gold chains that would have sparkled with gemstones were it not a mere spirit shadow.
The shadow rises and begins to grow larger and larger. Seemingly feeding off of the black lines of the plain. Pulling them up and into its form leaving the plain nothing but a blank whiteness. In moments it towers over you, it's eyes turned toward the great pillar of glassy stone.
"I AM TERONIDAS VOIDWEAVER!" The spirits voice thunders across the open plain, deafening as you clasp your ears to dull the noise. "I WILL BE WHOLE AGAIN AND VAEL TUROG SHALL HAVE ITS VENGENCE!"
At the sight of the great growing spirit, the elf standing guard at the tower, breaks from its stupor and jams the staff into the ground.
"You cannot break free Teronidas. The stars still shine. The world still turns. Your sentence has not come to an end. No matter what trickery you have achieved, you cannot escape the tower fully." The old elf says focusing his eyes completely on the growing spirit.
It is then that you turn to the voidgate to see not the swirling empty blackness of the empty void beyond. But a single giant eye gazing through. The cold black pupil with depths sinking deeper than the void itself flicking back and forth in a pool of white.
A voice rumbles in your minds. The speech at first shattering every nerve in your body as it's very existence is the antithesis of life and light.
"I SEE YOU!!!!" The voice booms. "I SEE YOUR WORLD OF THE ABOMINATION KNOWN AS LIGHT!!! ENLARGE YOUR GATE AND I WILL CLEANSE YOUR REALM OF THE ACCURSED BRILLIANCE"
The wounded gnome cycles through several powerful emotions in rapid succession. Relief when Aterro finally wakes up to engage the enemy. Shock and concern when he realizes that Aterro, Vrindel and Zone are no longer in the room with them. And, potential epiphany when he sees the single giant eye gazing from the void.
Horrifying Trevor, the supplicant gnome asks, "Ibrox?"
"Crap! What just happened?! And where is everybody?! Ibrox! Don't just Ibrox back at me! How do we NOT make that hole bigger!?! Think of something!" says Trevor, frightened out of his mind.
Then he calms just a bit and keeps an eye on the portal and the eye to see if something changes. If not, he might just wait, though he wishes he could run away from that eye....
Arcana
Perception
Trevor's questions jogged the gnome a bit out of his potential epiphany to wonder what happened to his companions. But, he remains supplicating, in case he indeed faced Ibrox.
"THE GREAT DEVOURER IS ELSEWHERE." The voice booms within your minds. "IT IS TIME. I WILL BEGIN THE CLEANSING." The eye backs away from the gateway just enough to allow a massive, three foot diameter, tentacle tipped by a tooth-filled maw that clacks and snaps to slowly begin pushing its way through the gate.
It is at this moment that you recall some of the darker, dark even for the gnomes of Niemheim, experiments performed in the lowest depths of the city. Experiments using undead captured from the Blood Kingdom as energy sources. Especially those with a vampiric nature, for they can be immobilized but remain 'living' indefinitely in order to enable powerful blood and other magics. Unfortunately, useful subjects were simply too difficult to come by, so the tests were discontinued. However, if the gateway is still tied to the Necromancer of Morgau, and he happens to be undead in nature, then theoretically you might be able to close it by killing him. Of course that must be done before the Void Being can establish enough of a foothold in this world to take control of the gate itself. And there's always the risk of energetic backlash since the gate is already unstable and a sudden, uncontrolled disruption of its power could cause any number of unfortunate effects.
Trevor's eyes widen and he says: "No! No! No you don't, by Khors!" and he rushes forth with his axe to strike at the tentacle.
As he feels his axe strike true, he invokes Khors's Blessing to banish this thing back.
"Trevor, remember the vampires outside that powered the trap? See that body over there? Kill it with your divine power! It will close the portal!" The wounded gnome shouts at Trevor.
Then, he focuses on the tentacle and tries to steady his finger pointing at it and repeats, "Ibrox," in a stern voice with more faith.
"What do you mean?! Isn't he already dead? And you want me to strike him while he's already down?!?"
Vrindel reaches out for some vestiges of fey power, to gird him with the armor of a tree.
"What should we do Zove. I'm at a loss"?
Vrindel moves towards the growing figure, the magic of his Quarterstaff thrumming through his grip.
Trevor's axe flares with holy light as the young knight steps forward and cleaves the massive tentacle clean through in one fell stroke.
"AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!" Yells the creature beyond the gate as black and green ichor sprays the room from the flailing stump covering both the knight and warlock in a gruesome, acidic, sticky goo. The clacking jaws at the end of the severed tentacle fumble and clack a few more times and then finally lay still on the slick stone floor.
"FOUL HIDDEN BEAST OF LIGHT!" Rumbles the creature causing more dust and stone to drop from the ceiling and walls and the booming voice reverberates through the already shaky foundation of the keep. "I SHALL FEED ON YOU FOR A THOUSAND, THOUSAND AEONS. I SHALL REVEL IN YOUR SUFFERING. THRIVE ON YOUR AGONY! GROW STRONG ON YOUR DESPAIR!"
The massive eye back away further, revealing little more of the creature except more rubbery, black skin. And tentacles. Lots of tentacles of all sizes swirling and whirling and undulating in a huge mass. They range from fine thin limbs, little wider than a finger all they way up to great massive things as wide as a ship's mast is tall. Two of a smaller size than the first, streak out toward the gate. These seem to crackle with some sort of dark power.
Stepping away from the gate, Ibrox blasts the new tentacle with a burst of eldritch power. For a moment the limb rocks back from the edge of the gate, only to begin moving forward again moments later.
Following the pointing finger of Ibrox, Trevor sees the supposedly dead body in front of the gate. See the open eyes. The slowly working jaw. The limbs that twitch as someone trying to regain control over long unused arms and legs.
”Yes. Trevor. Put him out his misery with divine power. And the portal should close!” The gnome shouts.
Vrindel cautiously advances on the menacing spirit while Zove attempts to feed it illusionary text. For a bit the young shadow fae's ruse works and the creature spends time and effort absorbing nothing.
At the same time, the old shadow fae's eyes glow with a golden light, and suddenly chains of shadow begin flowing out of the staff and winding around the growing spirit. When the chains encircle the lower half of the spirit, the old ones eyes suddenly bulge in surprise as Teronidas reaches down and grabs the shadowy strands attempting to encircle him.
Where his hands touch, the links glow a dark purple and then turn to a dust that falls away. As quickly as the chain is produced, Teronidas turns it to ashes.
"Impossible!" Shouts the old elf. "This is impossible! You cannot defeat the chains!"
"You are wrong old one. I have had over a thousand years to study my prison and all of your tricks. Now you will learn your folly at trying to imprison me!" The spirit of Teronidas rumbles in reply.
Suddenly there is a brilliant flash of white in the 'sky' overhead. Then the entire plain rumbles, jerks and jumps as if an earthquake had suddenly struck. This seems to take both the elf and the spirit by surprise.
Sweat starts to bead on the old elf's forehead as more and more chain pours from the staff. An attempt to overwhelm the spirit who continues to counter it.
"I don't know what is happening outside, but you must help me!" Shouts the elf, strain obvious and evident in his voice. "You must cause him harm. Distract him long enough for me to overwhelm his defenses and secure him once again within the pillar."
[ooc]As a Ranged Attack but using WIS bonus rather than DEX and no right now you do not get a PB.[/dice]
"What?! Look Ibrox, there's no way I'm going to just cut down a man lying down on his back. Not gonna happen! As for you, Big Eye! You should know that this Foul Hidden Beast of Light has a long line of people waiting in line to do all those nasty things you've described. SO GET IN LINE!!!" he says and strikes at the tentacles, ignoring Ibrox's orders.
”Then, we will die. You before me, because I’m getting a head start.” the wounded reacts in exasperation.
”How is this different than destroying the vampires in their cages yesterday? You would let Attero do it, but refuse to save the world by destroying an undead today. You truly are lost, Trevor!“
"How do you know he is undead?! I'm confused now..." replies Trevor while fending off an inquisitive tentacle.
"DESTROY THE UNDEAD, YOU NUMBSKULL! I'LL EXPLAIN IT AFTER YOU CLOSE THE PORTAL TO THE VOID AND SAVE THE WORLD!" The wounded gnome screams at the wound-be knight.
He starts backing away from the portal to get his head start and tries to steady his finger pointing at a tentacle repeating, "Ibrox," in a stern voice with even more faith.
Ibrox briefly knocks a tentacle back through the gate with a blast of eldritch power. Gathering his strength, he staggers back toward the exit while yelling fiercely at the stubborn teen knight and his ever developing scruples.
For his part the knight uses his axe to batter and cut at the encroaching tentacles but as soon as one is knocked back or sliced off, two, three, four more seek entry.
At the same time, the former sacrifice slowly appears to regain control over its limbs and body. His hands move carefully over his chest, feeling the deep wound caused by the spear and where several tendrils of black energy still flow toward the slowly growing gateway.