As the unrisen approach, they don't get close enough to attack, but they are so awfully hideous, they may affect you anyway.
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The sight of the unrisen only serves to focus Zarnel's disgust. He smiles as he steps slightly into the room and silently thanks Ashava and Vildies for this chance to destroy Evil. He spins the hammer's haft in his hands so that the spike lines up with the white stone's facets before putting all of his might into the swing.
The unrisen are hard to kill: Defensive Abilities include meant to live, rise again; Immune undead traits, and Weaknesses include resurrection vulnerability.
Awfulness (Ex)
An unrisen’s form is horrifically distorted. Any creature that sees an unrisen within 60 feet must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds.
Once a creature is subjected to an unrisen’s awfulness aura, it is immune to that unrisen’s awfulness aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Essential Salts (Ex)
An unrisen destroyed by fire damage, disintegration, or as a result of its resurrection vulnerability is reduced to a handful of metallic blue-green salts. Reducing an unrisen to 0 hit points while the undead is in the area of a consecrate or hallow effect also reduces the creature to its essential salts. These salts can be used as a material component for the casting of spells that restore life (such as raise dead, resurrection, and true resurrection), reducing the total cost of that spell’s material components by 1,500 gp per handful of salts.
Meant to Live (Su)
An unrisen takes no damage from positive energy. Whenever a positive energy effect would otherwise deal damage to an unrisen, the unrisen heals half that amount of hit points instead.
Resurrection Vulnerability (Su)
A raise dead or similar spell cast on an unrisen destroys it (Will negates). Using the spell in this way does not require a material component.
Rise Again (Su)
One round after an unrisen is destroyed (unless it was reduced to its essential salts—see above), it returns to unlife at half its maximum hit points (26 hp for most unrisen), reforming in the square in which it was destroyed. Any creature that witnesses an unrisen rising again must succeed at a DC 16 Will save or be stunned for 1 round; this is a mind-affecting fear effect. An unrisen can rise again no more often than once per hour; if killed a second time within this hour it is permanently destroyed (note that this does not reduce it to its essential salts). The save DC is Charisma-based.
The necrocraft are a bit more straigtforward, with good speed and nasty claws. They have trample, which seems rather useless here.
The ritual stones are roughly trapezoidal, measuring 4 feet wide on their longest edge. They are made of marble, weigh approximately 1,800 pounds, and have hardness 8 and a break DC of 45.
The white stone cracks under Zarnel's blow. It will take at least a few more hits to really destroy it, but it does appear that this might be effective.
In addition to brute force, Mylvwara determines there are a couple other approaches you can take.
Second, the stones can be physically moved to misalign the energies. Each stone is keyed to the area of effect of the school of magic where it begins. Moving a stone to a different facet’s area of effect disrupts its focus.
Third, a spellcaster can reroute or temporarily block the flow of magical energy between the stones. They can do this with a variety of spells or abilities that disrupt, suppress, or manipulate the flow of magic.
White stone: 21/100
While it took alot out of Mylvwara, the lion destroys the blue unrisen.
The red undead construct rambles up behind the lion, which is just out of range and the red stone was in the way, preventing a charge.
White stone: 21/100
Dekion puts the yellow undead down.
White stone: 75/100
Selune, loyal as always, presents a small squad of bears standing watch over her elven lord.
The necrocraft responds to a single hit from the lion with a swipe of his own.
White stone: 75/100
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When the still invisible Eldon finally recovers from the nauseating feeling, he steps forward unrolling the scroll and starts readying the powerful words within triggering the dispel magic spell to destroy the red crystal magic.
Eldon seems to succeed in disrupting the red stone's influence.
As Mylvwara predicted, both of the unrisen do rise again. Seeing this does assault your senses.
White stone: 75/100
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Zarnel sees the creatures return to unlife, and though he is appalled he is unshaken in his righteousness. To his nearest and oldest allies, Selune and Mun, he reminds them of why they are here. "Be brave, my friends! Together, we can overcome any Evil!"
He then slams his hammer into the white stone once again.
With the white stone shattered, the paladin strides across the marble floor to engage the unrisen to the north.
[ooc]2 of 4 rounds of Vicious elapsed.[.ooc]
Dekion ignores his fear and slices again at his foe, cutting it deep, but not deep enough.
Zarnel does one better, clearly immune to fear and bolstering those near him. The slam attack destroys the white stone.
The green stone moves 10 ft, and another 10 should do it.
Red is struggling on the edge of the pit, but then it falls in!
Other pathfinders swarm in to help, and the disruption is practically complete. The undead attack, but between being weakened and circumstance, they just aren't able to inflict enough damage on any of you, despite many being stunned.
The summoned auroch completes its move and that is enough to destroy the last of the stone's energies.
Through the terrible dark and palpable evil of the dungeons of Gallowspire, the expedition fights its way to the surface. The earth beneath and around them continues to shake, and undead monstrosities continue to fight, but the Pathfinders are implacable in their progress. Finally, after many more hours, the dim light of day greets the surviving Pathfinders who emerge from the outskirts of the Gallowgarden. Most show signs of desperate battle and deep exhaustion. As the light grows and shatters the clearing clouds, a few shouts of congratulations soon become a rousing cheer.
Marcos Farabellus steps forward triumphantly. “My friends, I have never been so proud to call myself a Pathfinder as I am today. Thanks to you, and to everyone who gave their lives to this mission, the world does not need to fear a terrible undead blight. The Whispering Tyrant may be a figure of legend, but you have challenged his plots, and you have emerged victorious. Your bravery and determination stand as a shining example, not just to your fellow agents, but to the world. Let us face the challenges ahead in the same spirit. Let us honor our dead and carry their memory and stories with us as we move forward into a new day. Explore! Report! Cooperate!”
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Heady with the success of their triumph over Evil, the golden paladin works his way around the crowd of Pathfinders. He congratulates or consoles the survivors either slapping their backs or giving hugs when appropriate.
Selune gets a big bear hug and a scratch behind the ears, and he bids a fond farewell to the pair.
Zarnel gives Mylvwara a hug, not in a creepy way, but simply as a friendly (though perhaps oblivious) man to a female colleague.
With one arm still around her shoulders, he nods once to Broker as the valiant half-orc strides away.
Eldon and Dekion each get good strong hand-to-forearm shakes. He thanks them both for their strength and commitment.
"Thank you all for your efforts to destroy this Evil. I look forward to fighting alongside each of you again. Take care, my friends!"