The Pathfinders spot the undead and act immediately. Sulana nad Reznor quickly position themselves to send an arrow each straight into one of the undead, taking it down!
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Sulana can't quite get a good angle on the creatures from where she is, so she runs up next to the Flexing Shield. "Do me a favor and keep them off me, will you?" Not that she has any doubt he will, he's made it clear he views that as his role in the group.
Flex's eyes widen slightly as he turns to Sulana. With especially wet looking eyes he gives her a nod, "Certainly, my lady! Thank-you for asking." He takes a large sniff and wipes at some "dust in my eye," before bracing his shields in his usual charging position. With a loud roar he lunges forward at the remaining undead. He screams at the thing as he barrels into it, "Don't even think you can lay a finger on Sulana!"
The team continues to make short work of the undead before them with a teary-eyed dwarf charging, shield first, the remaining creature.
A bolt of pure force thumps into the creature, sent from the wand in Cassiopia's hand.
Then Niva steps forward to deliver the final skewering blow needed to end this particular combat.
As the undead falls the Pathfinders see the “soul tear” draws fragments of their soul energy back in and repairs itself, leaving an ugly red scar hovering in the tapestry. A few stray threads remain.
Despite Niva's interest, they are unable to determine much about the magic involved.
Reznor, taking a closer look determines that the thread may be useful in conducting further repairs on the tapestry.
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(2 of 2)
Suddenly, it becomes clear that the astral invaders’ retreat is merely a ploy. More invaders pour through the rifts to reinforce their companions. Their reckless assault tears the holes wider, and the entire demiplane begins to shift and fold. Locations fade and vanish, reappearing miles away, now separated by a wide expanse of barren, rocky wasteland. The invaders continue to pour through, and the tapestry’s exhausted repair mechanisms cease to function altogether. The triumphant attackers converge on the Pathfinders scattered across the wasteland.
Then, the sky turns red.
A primal screech pierces the tapestry, and a colossal ruby-flamed phoenix appears in the sky, its wings nearly blocking the sun. It swoops across the sky at tremendous speed, its tattered feathers leaving a trail of smoke. With another screech, it flaps its massive wings, and countless fiery feathers shoot towards the invaders. As the feathers strike, they explode, incinerating much of the invading force. Then the phoenix turns its attention to the other outsiders—the mass of Pathfinders—and beats its wings once more. A barrage of feathers strikes the wasteland, and from each resulting inferno emerges a bird of pure ruby-red flames.
Aram Zey’s voice echoes. “Can you hear me, Pathfinders? The tapestry is in its death throes! You are cut off—I cannot help you escape. Destroy the phoenixes—perhaps their magic can repair the tapestry!”
All around, flaming feathers barrage the tapestry. The scattered demiplane natives are unharmed by the inferno, as is the landscape itself. Screeches echo across the ruby-tinted landscape, and the tattered birds of ruby fire close in.
Cass
Niva
Reznor
Shield
Sulana
Vina
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Well, this looks dramatic and exciting.
Before combat begins, Reznor casts longstrider upon Flexing Shield, adding 10 to his base ground movement, and bless upon the party as a whole, adding +1 to all to hit attempts and saving throws vs. fear.
On round one, Reznor begins his Sermonic Performance: Inspire Courage +1 (7th round of 9/day)..
As Nocticula rose out of the Abyss, its fires roared around her, but she was not touched! Fear not these phoenixes! Their flames can not stop our redemption of the tapestry and those dwelling here!
He then moves forward, drawing his bow as he does so, until he stands next to a small tree a little over 100 feet from the Phoenix.
After Reznor positions himself while speaking words of encouragement and inspiration, Sulana steps to the side and once again demonstrates her ability with her bow sending an arrow unerringly toward the creature, tearing a hole in its fiery form.
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Flexing gives Reznor a nod of appreciation as he feels his feet seem to move a bit faster. He jumps up and down a few times before giving a smile, "Oh this feels nice. I think I can keep up with everyone this way!"
He strides forward with a burst of speed and...
... keeps barreling forwards into the phoenix.
Shield once again demonstrates one of the ways he chooses to live up to his name by charging forward and introducing the fiery creature to his namesake, adding as much attitude as he can muster to said introduction.
The phoenix-like creature ignores Shield and instead makes a move toward Reznor seeming to fly straight toward him.
Cass and Vina both throw spells at the creature who is possibly made of sterner (fiery) stuff than they expected.
As Reznor's arrow pierces the creature its fire intensifies, seeming to burn through its very being. Only a single, tattered ruby-red feather is left behind.
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Flexing lashes ouyt with his shield in hopes of preventing the pheonix from flying away and harrying his friends
The dwarf then rushes over to cleric, accidentally skittering past the tiefling with his nearly doubled speed. "Whoops, still not quite used to how much faster my feet are!" He doubles back and gives the man a wide grin. "Oh, I like this spell, whatcha call it again? Might have to get a wand of it to have people cast on me now n then!"
He reaches down and picks up the feather looking it over. "I ain't got a bleeding clue what in the High Dwarven Heavens to do with this. Anyone got any ideas? I could tie it to my arm if not. Splash a'red would highlight the peak!"
Question for the GM, can anyone use soul stitch or just Reznor?[/quote
Vina gently takes the feather, and uses her psychic senses to see the auras of the Tapestry swirling all around them. Spotting the metaphysical tear, she focuses her mental energies on the feather to use it as a kind of magnet, and pulls at the threads of the demiplane so that they wrap themselves around the feather.
Kn.Arcana to repair, Guidance: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 1 = 21
The others watch as Vina delicately repairs a small section of the Tapestry. As she does so the feather crumbles to ashes. The ashes ignite into majestic ruby flames, which swirl through the air toward the colossal ruby phoenix in the sky.
Cass
Niva
Reznor
Shield
Sulana
Vina
The team has little time to deal with the tapestry and reorganize before another of the fiery creatures flies in and narrowly misses slamming into Cass.
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The colossal ruby phoenix grows more resplendent and terrifying with each restored feather that soars into the sky to meet it. The magnificent bird lets out a final screech as its shroud of flames intensifies, utterly consuming it. The phoenix is gone. As ruby ashes drift towards the tapestry, the invaders, seeing the tapestry’s last defense has failed, pour through, their entire force pushing through the largest rift in a massive final attack. The entire world shudders as the rift widens.
Aram Zey steps forward to rest under the falling ashes. “Pathfinders, you fought bravely and well, and your sacrifices were not in vain.” Aram Zey pauses, and his expression turns pensive. “But, the tapestry’s tale has not yet ended. There is clearly a force at work here that is greater than we realized,” he gestures out toward the invaders, “Furthermore, we have not permanently repaired the demiplane—we have only patched the worst of the damage and prevented irreversible catastrophe. I fear that…” Aram Zey’s voice trails off for a moment, “Yes, just as I thought.”
The ruby ashes begin to glow, faint as smoldering coals at first, and then intensifying, coalescing, and swirling in beautiful patterns as they lift Aram Zey into the air. “It seems the key to defending the tapestry is allowing its guardian to be reborn. I will do whatever I can to provide the arcane energy necessary to keep the tapestry stable. In the meantime, I hope the Society will search for a more permanent solution. I refuse to believe that the knowledge of the legendary Ruby Phoenix herself has been lost to us forever.” The ashes and Zey converge on a single point, a great ruby ember in the sky. There is a spark, and then the ember explodes. A wave of fire engulfs the tapestry as the Ruby Phoenix emerges from the explosion with a triumphant, piercing cry. Aram Zey floats within its heart, his body engulfed in ruby fire. The explosion’s flames reach the invaders first, turning them to ash and cinders. The flames wash over the tapestry’s defenders without harming them. The tapestry burns—but the fires replenish it, scouring the wasteland and restoring the tapestry’s original environments. The phoenix beats its wings, sending wave after wave of fire into the Astral rift and searing the portal shut. The phoenix soars in a great arc across the sky and flies off toward the sun.