Protectors of Golarion (Wrath of the Righteous AP)

Game Master Sensen

"Maybe I'll actually get to fight the next batch." Merixia isn't going to hold her breath on that one, though, given that she's a bit slower than everyone else. But maybe she'll have a bit of a head start to even things out, given that she never actually descended to the tower before Elliot, Verene, and Thesius obliterated the hapless demonic defenders. She flies for the next tower as fast as her wings will carry her.

The next closest tower is just across the gateway from their current position, and a swift flight over reveals that it, too, is empty of any demons. Where did they all go?

I'd say it takes less than a round to get there, because of haste, but getting to one of the other two will take at least a couple rounds.

"Thank you," Thesius says with a determined nod to Elliot as he further enchants the spear he holds.

Upon their arrival to the next tower and noting it's absence of brimoraks, Thesius does his best to quickly survey the area for them.

Perception Check: 1d20 + 23 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 23 + 2 + 2 = 47 (+23 Base, +2 Heroism, +2 Heightened Awareness)

(Looks like Heightened Awareness is missing from Thesius buffs.)

"Let's try the other towers... they are likely hiding in ambush somewhere. I hope, if there is a swarm of them, that we can also take a swarm of fireballs. Maybe we should take care spreading out as we fly to the next one, just in case, Elliot worries.

I would suggest we fly into the next one very spread out.

Thesius points out the tower the farthest to the east. "At least one of the demons are on that tower. I fear they may be trying to wear down our magic capabilities."

He will follow the group towards which ever tower they decide to go while maintaining some distance to help prevent dispel magic from hitting multiple of them at once.

"Understood. We are fortunate to have your keen eyes, my friend — I never could have spotted a small creature at that distance." The multiplied reptilian Verene soars after Thesius and the rest of the group for the easternmost intact watchtower he pointed out, doing her best to keep exactly forty feet of horizontal distance between herself and any of the others, just as before. If anyone's magical flight does get dispelled, the single-syllable spell to catch them is ready in her mind.

"Got it!" Merixia turns and flies toward the indicated tower.

"Are we being led around on a teleportation wild goose chase where they just refuse to fight us?" Elliot says, honestly amused at the idea. If nothing else, it showed a great amount of respect from the enemy towards their prowess. "Guess it's a good thing most demons can only teleport once a day."

The champions soar towards the tower that Thesius has indicated, their forms accelerating beyond natural speeds as they do so. Soon they are within eyeshot of the tower's top, and it is quickly obvious that the brimoraks have congregated here.

Combat Start

Round 1

Initiative Order is Verene, Merixia, Elliot, Thesius, Azira, brimoraks. Bolded characters are up.

"All right! Let's spread out in teams to avoid fireballs. Meri, how about we take the green one over there?" Elliot suggests, and unless stopped, quickly flies into flanking position.

As he does, his sword takes on its namesake ecliptical black and white colourscheme and what follows is a lightning-quick barrage of attacks performed by him and his partner!

Elliot spends 1 MP to activate evil outsider Bane. I think that leaves him at 4 MP. Also, he will flank with anyone in case Meri has other plans and someone else wants to join the melee up north.

attack, outflank +4, assuming haste is still up +1, demon bane: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (17) + 25 = 42
damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 14 ⇒ (3) + (1, 1) + 14 = 19

attack crit confirm, outflank +4, assuming haste is still up +1, demon bane: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (17) + 25 = 42
damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 14 ⇒ (2) + (2, 5) + 14 = 23

attack #2, outflank AoO, outflank +4, assuming haste is still up +1, demon bane: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (5) + 25 = 30
damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 14 ⇒ (3) + (1, 1) + 14 = 19

Well, should Merixia join in this dance/flank, she gets +4 hit from outflank and a bonus attack if she uses her AoO!

"Lead the way!" Ooh, lots of demons. Spreading out to avoid everyone getting fireballed at once is an excellent idea. Merixia swoops toward the brimorak to the northwest, splitting off from Elliot at the last minute to catch the demon in a pincer maneuver.

Move and attack with Mythic Power Attack + Furious Focus + Destructive Smite.

Attack + Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 36

Damage + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (1, 4) + 2 = 38

AoO+ Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge - Mythic Power Attack: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 37

Damage + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (4, 3) + 2 = 41

Pretty sure it's dead, but hey, might as well roll to confirm the crit.

Crit Confirm + Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge - Mythic Power Attack: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 34

Crit Damage + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (6, 5) + 2 = 46

If this is a super tough brimorak and it's still alive, it is now nauseated from crusader's edge and shaken from weapon of awe. Please let me know if I got any of the math wrong, that's a lot of modifiers.

At first it very much resembles their last battle with a bevy of brimoraks. Elliot darts in, and as Merixia swoops after him, uses the distraction to harry the demon in his usual lightning style, throwing up gouts of its boiling black blood—

And then Merixia annihilates it in two mighty swings of her bastard sword.

Verene blinks. "All right then," she mutters to no one in particular.

She refocuses on her own responsibilities, weaving the spell to conjure the web carefully. She had added a layer of extra complication to it this morning, to make it exceptionally hard to resist, but doing so also put it just at the limits of her ability to memorize. Verene forms the words of the chant with precision, twirling the bit of cobweb around and around with her hand. A huge half-sphere of sticky, glimmering silver strands explodes around and between the three farthest demons, the catapult, and the outer wall of the tower. Compared to the last time she cast it, it looks like there are about twice as many strands in the same amount of space.

Standard: cast Persistent web in the area indicated on the battle map, DC 22 Reflex twice or be grappled: cannot move, -4 Dexterity, -2 on attack rolls, and a required concentration check to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability. Spell Resistance does not apply. The DC of the concentration check is not explicitly clear from the spell text, but since we know that the effective CMD of the web is the same as the original spell save DC, I think the concentration check DC would be equal to the original spell save DC + the level of the spell or spell-like ability the grappled creature is trying to cast. That is, DC 22 + spell level. The web is flammable, and a flaming weapon or other fire source can burn away one 5-foot square in 1 round. Presumably a fireball placed in the exact same location as the web could burn the entire thing in one round. Normally things caught in a flaming web take fire damage, but of course brimoraks are immune to that.

Verene then swoops to the other side of the tower from her companions, remaining airborne but trying to stay over the twenty-foot-thickness of the outer walls of the citadel, so that even if she somehow falls, she will not have far to go. Fly 90'.

Thesius once more activates one of his medals while flying in. Hearing Elliot's words, he splits off and aims to flank another with Azira. Taking up position 5 feet away from one of the brimoraks, he lashes out with his longspear.

(Swift action to use Righteous Medal of Valor to boost strength, move action to get in range, and standard to attack)

+1 Cold Iron Longspear Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 29 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +1 Haste, +2 Heroism)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 1 = 13 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor)

I forget whether Mythic Feats take a Mythic Power to activate, but I think so? Also, Elliot, I'm not sure if you're rolling the AoO preemptively (if you are, that's fine), but crits only trigger the AoO for the partner, not for the crit-er. I think you probably know, but I wanted to be sure.

Round 1 Wrap-Up

Elliot soars forwards, sharing his plan with the other champions, and slashes with his blazing black blade, carving chunks out of the brimorak with flowing ease. His lover follows swiftly after him, her wings burning bright as she hacks its head off with a powerful blow.
Burning Blood vs. Elliot 1: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Burning Blood vs. Elliot 2: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Not sure whether Merixia's fire resistance applies before communal protection from fire. I'd say it probably does, so I'm not rolling for her.

Verene unleashes a potent web around two of the brimoraks, which also entangles the catapult, preventing it from being used at all for so long as the spell lasts - and then swoops around the tower, settling to hover above the wall next to it. All three of the demons are caught fast by the sudden sticky threads.
Black-lined Reflex vs. DC 22, partial cover: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 1 = 19
Yellow-lined Reflex vs. DC 22: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
White-lined Reflex vs. DC 22, partial cover: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 10 + 1 = 14

Thesius drives straight forwards, his longspear driving through the unprepared brimorak's guard and into its chest. The creature yelps, stumbling back just in time for Azira to dart forwards and slash at its rear with Radiance's golden blade - with Wulfric beginning a stirring tale as she does so. The hapless demon stumbles back, unable to stop the assault, though its burning blood does strike back at Azira, singing her clothes.
Azira vs. Purple, flanking, heroism, Inspire Courage, haste: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 31
Azira vs. Purple, flanking, heroism, Inspire Courage, haste: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 33
Damage, Inspire Courage: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 16 + 2 = 19
Damage, Inspire Courage: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 16 + 2 = 24
Burning Blood vs. Azira 1: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Burning Blood vs. Azira 2: 1d4 ⇒ 3

I'm aware I'm so not wielding Azira to her capacity, but I've got so many other things to juggle, I can't be arsed.

The brimoraks, now able to react, take to the offensive. The injured purple-lined demon steps out of Thesius' range and strikes at Azira with all its might. Its longsword blurs out in a series of skillful strikes that distract her from the oncoming hoof, which catches her in the solar plexus.
Purple-lined Longsword 1 vs. Azira: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19
Purple-lined Longsword 2 vs. Azira: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Purple-lined Hoof vs. Azira: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Confirm Hoof Crit?: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18 No.
Hoof Damage: 1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 Her spell also takes then 1d6 ⇒ 6 fire damage.

One of the entangled demons lined in white ignites its weapon, which burns away the web within which it is trapped, then unleashes a powerful fireball centered off of the web's own center.
Fire Damage: 6d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 6, 6, 6, 4) = 32
Azira Reflex vs. Fireball, partial cover: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 14 + 1 = 18 Azira's spell takes 16 damage for her.

The now-freed black-lined brimorak advances across the tower, then gestures sharply, speaking a single word in Abyssal.

Summon Brimorak, low summons: 1d100 ⇒ 29

In a burst of Abyssal fire, another brimorak lined in orange appears next to Azira. With a bellow, it slashes at her, taking advantage of her distracted state and the fact it's flanking with its comrade. Its sword bursts into flame as the blade hums through the air towards the paladin. Though she isn't able to deflect the first attack, which cuts into one arm, she is able to avoid the second and the hooves that follow it.
Orange Longsword 1 vs. Azira, flanking: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 13 + 2 = 32
Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9 The spell takes 1d6 ⇒ 4 fire damage for her. Azira is at 60 hp.
Orange Longsword 2 vs. Azira, flanking: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 2 = 19
Orange Hoof vs. Azira, flanking: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 7 + 2 = 12

The final brimorak, still entangled in the remaining web ignites its sword, burning away its bindings, and turns to exhale a burst of flaming blood at Verene, who darts aside, letting her spell take all of the burning heat that she cannot avoid.
Fire Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 5, 6, 2) = 18
Verene Reflex, haste: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 11 + 1 = 26 Verene's spell takes 9 damage.

Round 2

Everyone's up.

Thesius, Azira and Elliot disabled all the catapults in their mission two days ago while Merixia was repairing the bridge, right? So although this catapult is still here, it shouldn't be usable anyway.

Mythic feats mostly do not take a mythic power to activate, but are passive abilities like regular feats. Some include the option to spend a use of mythic power for a special effect. E.g. Mythic Power Attack lets you spend a use of mythic power to ignore the penalties to hit from Power Attack for one minute.

I really don't think that all of the brimoraks should have been able to get out of the web as a free action and act normally, as I noted in the discussion. But moving on.

Verene flies closer to the cluster of furious fighting around Azira and disrupts the subjective perception of time for the four demons nearest her, causing them to drastically slow down.

Move, cast slow on Pink, Orange, Black and White. DC 21 Will save.

Elliot stares lovestruck as Merixia casually cleaves into and then decapitates the Brimorak they were fighting. "Awesome!" He says, giving her a high-five. "Follow up with the yellow one and then the other ones from the back?" He suggests, then flies off to the heavily injured demon, intended to flank the remaining four with Azira and Thesius were it to presumably fall in short order.

Move, ready attack for flank (or just attack if Meri goes for a different one), then strike.

attack, previous buffs, assuming +4 outflank, +2 inspire courage, evil outsider bane +2: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (3) + 25 = 28

damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (4) + (6, 2) + 16 = 28

Not seeing a way to flank due to the varying height of the area, Thesius flies up above the injured brimorak. A prayer on his lips, he stabs downward in hopes of finishing the beast.

(Swift action to activate Archaeologist's Luck, move action to fly up 5 feet above the purple-lined brimorak, and standard to attack)

+1 Cold Iron Longspear Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 = 19 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +1 Height, +2 Heroism, +3 Archaeologist's Luck)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 1 + 3 = 12 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck)

Merixia grins and returns the high five. "Looks like Azira's in trouble, and that demon is on its last legs. You can finish it off without a problem. I'll meet you on the south side when you're done." She blows him a kiss and takes off toward the southern edge of the tower.

With the help of Verene's haste spell, the cleric reaches her quarry- the newest demonic arrival- in seconds. Raising her sword in both hands, she dives toward the enemy in a powerful attack.

Move and flank Orange with Azira. Sorry Elliot, but I'm pretty sure you can take one badly wounded brimorak on your own even without Outflank. Mythic Power Attack + Furious Focus + Destructive Smite.

Attack + Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 12 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 29

Damage + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (2, 6) + 2 = 37

Whoops, I forgot Inspire Courage +2 on both of those rolls. I don't want to edit the dice roll directly, so please just add 2?

Round 2 Wrap-Up

Verene unleashes another spell on most of the brimoraks, whose movements all slow to a dramatic crawl as though they fight through molasses to even get their weapons into position. Her power easily overrides the demons' innate resistance to magic, leaving them unable to move with their customary speed.
Pink Will vs. DC 21: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Orange Will vs. DC 21: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
White Will vs. DC 21: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Black Will vs. DC 21: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Elliot flies over what little of the web remains and lashes out with his extended arms, cutting deep into his yellow-lined target's side. It shrieks, blood spurting from its wound, but the distance between them leaves the aasimar free of any burning blood.

Thesius flies upwards, stabbing down with Desna's blessing, but his sweat-slicked hands and the smoky air around the demon make him slip, and the spear deflects off of its hide.

Merixia, meanwhile, lets her wings take her to the side of the newly summoned demon, slashing down with another brutal blow, sending the demon stumbling forwards and negating its inability to hit her with natural weapons (and approach her at all), as it is a summoned evil creature. Blood sprays back at her, striking the magic Verene wove around her and leaving no harm.
Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Azira Fort Save vs. Smoke Breath, heroism: 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 2 = 17 Ouch. I think that automatically fails even if I mythic surged it?
The smoke surrounding Azira's foes gets into her lungs, and she coughs heavily as she struggles to get air in and out. Still, her focus is unwavering, and she attacks the newly summoned demon with Radiance. With the insane speed granted by Verene's magic, she is able to rip it to shreds, leaving it bleeding out for a heartbeat before it disappears back to the Abyss.
Azira vs. Orange, flanking, heroism, inspire courage, haste, sickened: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 - 2 = 32 Not that it mattered.
Damage, inspire courage, sickened: 1d8 + 16 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 16 + 2 - 2 = 19
Burning Blood: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Azira vs. Orange, flanking, heroism, inspire courage, haste, sickened: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 - 2 = 40
Crit Confirm?: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 - 2 = 27 Yep.
Damage: 2d8 + 32 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (8, 1) + 32 + 4 - 4 = 41 That leaves it literally at -1 hp. Impressive.

One of the two uninjured brimoraks lined in black gestures at itself in slow motion, and Verene's spell dissipates, freeing it from its slowed state. With that, it dashes away, settling next to Azira, sword at the ready.
Dispel Magic vs. DC 18: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

The other uninjured demon lined in white takes an agonizingly glacial step away from Elliot's enhanced reach, and unleashes its own anti magical ability - but this time, it targets Verene. With a sickening lurch, Verene feels her fly spell disappearing, leaving her hanging in the air without anywhere to go except down.
Dispel Magic vs. fly DC 18: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

The most-injured demon lined in yellow takes a stumbling step backwards and attempts to dispel its own slowness. Fortunately for the champions, the magical energy fizzles, and it gains no speed whatsoever.
Dispel Magic vs. DC 18: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

The final demon lined in purple/pink takes a step away from Azira and focuses on dispelling its own slow. It takes care not to give any opening to Thesius' cold iron spear. With a surge of magical energy, it fails to break through the magic sealing it.
Concentration Check, Combat Casting: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 4 = 21
Dispel Magic vs. DC 18: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Round 3

Everyone is up.

"You want me to take the far side by myself? Ah, you spoil me, love," Elliot responds to Meri as she joins the others. Left to his own devices, he is left with the choice to go for the critically injured yellow demon or the fresh white-ish one. Knowing the yellow one had already teleported, he instead focusses on the ininjured demon, thinking that if he had to, he could come back to finish yellow later. Also, if it tried to come back, he could just cut it down on the way.

Full attack white, potential flank if someone joins, outflank +4?, inspire courage +2: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (4) + 23 = 27

damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (3) + (2, 4) + 16 = 25

Attack attack white, spell combat/spellstrike with brand, potential flank if someone joins, outflank +4?, inspire courage +2: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (3) + 23 = 26

damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (4) + (6, 4) + 16 = 30

Attack attack white, haste attack, potential flank if someone joins, outflank +4?, inspire courage +2: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (9) + 23 = 32

damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (4) + (1, 3) + 16 = 24

Prescience, 8/10 remaining: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Verene wobbles in the air slightly, but stays flying as the slowed demon's mind rips at the fabric of her carefully woven spells and wards like a claw sliding over hard-scaled flesh looking for purchase. Her own focus feels as clear and sharp as a diamond compared to the molasses-slow movements of the demons. She turns right and blurs over the center of the tower, ending just above its northernmost crenellations.
That caster level check result of 13 isn't enough to dispel her fly. If it is targeted specifically at the fly effect, the DC on that would be DC 20 (same as her normal save DCs for 3rd-level spells, without the benefit of the righteous medal), and the dispel would try, fail, and do nothing. However, if it's a general single-target dispel magic that goes down the list comparing the CLC result to each active spell effect until it finds one it can dispel, a result of 13 would be enough to dispel one of the two CL 1 spells affecting Verene: either shield or endure elements. I think you choose randomly which one is affected. Up to you whether the demon was targeting the fly or taking a more scattershot approach, GM.

Her whispered message sounds in the others' minds. "If one of them successfully summons again, attack the summoner, not the summoned demon. Killing the summoner also sends the summoned one back to the Abyss immediately. It's more efficient."

With a flick of her wrist, Verene activates the spring-loaded sheath holding the magic missile wand, and it thuds into her hand. She points it at the critically injured brimorak that Elliot turned away from (Yellow) and speaks the command word with cool precision. Three blue-white shooting stars arc out of its tip and bend inexorably toward the demon.

Magic missile v. Yellow, CL 5, damage 3d4+3 force, 28/50 charges remaining: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (4, 4, 1) + 3 = 12
Caster level check to overcome spell resistance, CL 5: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Using the Prescience if better for any save or etc. Verene has to make over the next round.

There's one demon down. Azira can probably take the remaining one on her own and then go help Thesius. Elliot, meanwhile, is now facing two demons. One of them is badly injured, but still. Merixia flies up briefly to avoid Azira's opponent and lands opposite Elliot to flank the nearer of his two enemies. As she descends, the cleric brings her sword around in a vicious slash.

Move and attack. If Elliot kills White, Merixia will flank Black with Azira and attack that one. Using another Destructive Smite.

Attack + Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 12 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 12 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 36

Damage + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe + Inspire Courage: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (3, 3) + 2 + 2 = 46

Thesius takes note of Verene's words and continues to press the brimorak (Purple lined) with his longspear. His movements hastened by all of the enchantments upon him.

+1 Cold Iron Longspear attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 34 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage, +2 Heroism, +1 Haste)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 11 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage)

+1 Cold Iron Longspear attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 36 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage, +2 Heroism, +1 Haste)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 13 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage)

+1 Cold Iron Longspear attack - Critical Confirmation: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 26 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage, +2 Heroism, +1 Haste)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 12 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage)

Man these posts are tough. Disregard what I wrote about Verene's spell failing. It was from a mistake in the previewing process.

Round 3 Wrap-up

Elliot's long limbs drive Righteous Eclipse through looping patterns that cut deep into the once-uninjured brimorak, who yelps and stumbles forwards.

Verene, meanwhile, unleashes a volley of magic missiles at its badly hurt fellow, who struggles to remain standing, but perseveres, glaring at her.

Merixia pushes through the black-lined brimorak's smoky breath and swoops to join her lover, slashing the brimorak in two and spraying herself with the burning blood again.
Merixia Fort vs smoke breath, magic circle against evil, heroism: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 2 + 2 = 21 No sickened here.
Burning Blood: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Thesius unleashes a hail of thrusts down at the hapless brimorak, who nearly falls, volcanic blood oozing out of its wounds but not touching his skin.

Azira Fort vs. Smoke Breath, heroism: 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 14 + 2 = 36
Azira takes the chance to attack her uninjured foe, slashing with Radiance in a whirlwind of golden metal. Each blow falls hard, carving deep into the flesh of the demon, but blasting back at her with its boiling ichor. Fortunately, Verene's spell holds, keeping her from excessive injury.
Azira vs. Black-lined 1, inspire, heroism, haste: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 31
Damage: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 16 + 2 = 19
Azira vs. Black-lined 2, inspire, heroism, haste: 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 17 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 37
Damage: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 16 + 2 = 21
Azira vs. Black-lined 3, inspire, heroism, haste: 1d20 + 12 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 12 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 36
Confirm?: 1d20 + 12 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 12 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 33
Damage: 2d8 + 32 + 4 ⇒ (8, 1) + 32 + 4 = 45
Burning Blood: 3d4 ⇒ (1, 2, 4) = 7

The hideously injured yellow-lined brimorak takes a half-step away from Elliot's long arms and focuses its attention on Azira. The magic that protects her from flames vanishes, leaving her open to the next brimorak's assault.
Dispel Magic against communal protection from fire vs. DC 18: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Said brimorak, lined in purple/pink unleashes its fireball at the heroes on the southern part of the tower. Though they all avoid the worst of the flames, Azira is still scorched by the heat, bereft of Verene's protections.
Fire Damage: 6d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 6, 1, 3, 1) = 15
Azira Reflex heroism, haste: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 15 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 28
Thesius Reflex, heroism, archeologist's luck, haste: 1d20 + 11 + 2 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 2 + 4 + 1 = 29
Merixia Reflex, heroism, magic circle against evil, haste: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 26
Elliot Reflex, heroism, haste: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 14 + 2 + 1 = 26
Everyone makes it, only Azira takes 7 points of damage. The resistance on everyone else's spell goes down by 7.

The last of the surviving brimoraks lined in black takes the chance to strike back at Azira, its sword and hooves a blur of fire, keratin, and steel. Fortunately, the paladin is more than prepared, and knocks aside each and every blow.
Black-lined Sword vs. Azira 1: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17
Black-lined Sword vs. Azira 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Black-lined Hoof vs. Azira: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Round 4

Everyone is up.

spoiler=Statuses]

Verene: HP 48/48; AC 20, touch 18, flat-footed 18; Prescience 8/10, Mythic Power 5/7, endure elements 24 hours, mage armor 7 hours, heightened awareness 70 minutes, anticipate peril 7 minutes, fly 7 minutes, protection from evil 7 minutes, mirror image with 6 images for 7 minutes, alter self 19 minutes, message 70 minutes, heroism 60 minutes, communal protection from fire 15 minutes (99 points); Thamyris: HP 24/24; AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 18, merge with familiar 7 hours
Merixia: HP 65/65; AC 27, touch 15, flat-footed 24; pyrotechnics 1/1, true strike 2/2, protection from evil 1/1, Touch of Good 7/7, Destructive Smite 4/7, Channel 3/3, Mythic Power 5/7, keen edge 7 hours, ironskin 7 minutes, bull’s strength 7 minutes, crusader’s edge 7 minutes, shield of wings 7 minutes with five wings remaining, weapon of awe 7 minutes, divine favor 2 rounds, heroism 70 minutes, communal protection from fire 15 minutes (93 points)
Thesius: HP 43/43; AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16, uncanny dodge; Archeologist’s Luck 10/12, Lore Master 1/1, Mythic Power 7/7, protection from evil 7 minutes, fly 7 minutes, heroism 60 minutes, heightened awareness 60 minutes, archeologist’s luck 3 rounds, communal protection from fire 15 minutes (101 points)
Elliot: HP 69/69; AC 29, touch 22, flat-footed 20, Arcane Pool 4/6, Righteous Eclipse Arcane Pool 1/1 pyrotechnics 1/1, Mythic Power 5/7, blade tutor’s spirit 7 minutes, alter self 19 minutes, shield 1 round, longarm 7 minutes, blur 9 minutes, heroism 60 minutes, keen and +2 for 5 rounds, evil outsider bane 7 rounds, communal protection from fire 15 minutes (97 points)
Azira: HP 53/73; AC 30, touch 20, flat-footed 21; glitterdust 1/1, smite evil 3/3, lay on hands 7/7, panache 4/4, divine bond 1/1, Mythic Power 7/7, Radiance Legendary Power 2/2, fly 7 minutes, keen edge 7 hours, heroism 60 minutes
Wulfric: HP 39/39; AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15; bardic performance 14/15
All within 30’ of Wulfric: Flagbearer
All: communal protection from fire 15 minutes (108 points), tears to wine 70 minutes, shared training 90 minutes, haste 2 rounds, perfect placement 2 rounds, Inspire Courage +2
All within 10’ of Merixia: magic circle against evil 70 minutes

[/spoiler]

Frowning at how heavily all the brimoraks seemed to be focussing Azira, Elliot steps back towards yellow and shouts. "Hey, leave her alone! Your fight is with me!"

attack: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (2) + 21 = 23
damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (1) + (6, 1) + 16 = 24

attack, spell combat brand: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (12) + 21 = 33
damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (4) + (6, 2) + 16 = 28

attack, haste attack: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (10) + 21 = 31
damage: 1d4 + 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (3) + (4, 4) + 16 = 27

Not assuming a flank this time since I reckon the others will be busy cleaning up the other two.

Verene surveys the battle and holds the charges of her wand for now. "You have them on the back foot. I am ready to signal the knights." She reaches for the signal whistle that she placed on a cord around her neck, as agreed upon with Irabeth beforehand, and raises it to her toothy snout, gripping it awkwardly between her immobile lips. Delay until after the other PCs' turns. If they kill the final three demons, she will blow the agreed-upon two blasts on the signal whistle. If one of the demons is still alive after the turns of the other four PCs, she'll attack it with the wand of magic missile instead.

Oh, how Merixia loves Verene's protection spell. A whole fireball and she isn't even singed! The cleric spins around and steps forward to close the gap between herself and the demon trying to hit Azira. "Die!"

5 ft step and full attack on Black. With more Destructive Smite, woo!

Attack 1 + Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 12 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 12 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 38

Damage 1 + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe + Inspire Courage: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (1, 4) + 2 + 2 = 42

Attack 2 + Outflank +4 + haste + heroism + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + Inspire Courage - Mythic Power Attack: 1d20 + 12 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 12 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 29

Damage 2 + Mythic Power Attack + Destructive Smite + bull's strength + divine favor + crusader's edge + weapon of awe + Inspire Courage: 1d10 + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 9 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + (1, 3) + 2 + 2 = 38

Thesius flies in and continues to press the demon with quick thrusts of his spear. The battle at hand was winding down and he had no intent of giving it the room to summon a friend.

(5-foot adjustment and full attack)

+1 Cold Iron Longspear attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 33 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage, +2 Heroism, +1 Haste, +1 Height)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 16 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage)

+1 Cold Iron Longspear attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 32 (+7 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage, +2 Heroism, +1 Haste, +1 Height)
+1 Cold Iron Longspear damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 18 (+4 Base, +1 Righteous Medal of Valor, +3 Archaeologist's Luck, +2 Inspire Courage)

"You're so thoughtful to rush to my defense," Azira says Elliot and Meri with a smile as she places her glowing free hand to her burn, "But I'd much rather they attack me than anyone else."

Lay Hands: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 5) = 11

As her blistered skin returns to its unblemished natural state, the paladin brings Radiance's gleaming golden blade dancing towards the demon next to her again.

I'll burn 1 panache on my 1st successful hit to add +7 damage (mostly because I like being down 1 point so I have room to regain 1 if/when I crit).
Radiance 1 (heroism, haste, IC, flank): 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 17 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 26
for: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 16 + 2 = 21

Radiance 2 (heroism, haste, IC, flank): 1d20 + 17 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 17 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 25
for: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 16 + 2 = 26

Radiance 3 (heroism, haste, IC, flank): 1d20 + 12 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 12 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 28
for: 1d8 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 16 + 2 = 23
ouch, apparently RNG is unhappy with my absence, lol

Well, apparently I screwed up on the formatting of the last post. Oh well. Welcome back to Azira!

Round 4

Elliot flits towards the badly injured brimorak, striking through his sister's web at it. It does get cover. I also moved you so you wouldn't have to go in to the web while still being able to attack yellow. The first attack he launches gets caught up in the sticky webbing, but once he tears his black blade free, he slashes viciously down on the demon, splitting its skull.

Merixia's wings flare as she drives towards the sole remaining uninjured brimorak, slashing with all her might and divine fervor. Ragathiel's rage pounds in her head, nearly blinding her to everything else around her. Blood erupts from the wounds, spraying all over her and filling her mind with ever more hunger. She will destroy these fiends.
Burning Blood: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Burning Blood: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Thesius floats towards his target, releasing a hail of thrusts at the hapless brimorak, who lifts its longsword to deflect and parry as best it can. The longspear pierces its eye once, then its heart, sending a splash of boiling ichor up the haft, but leaving Thesius ultimately unharmed - which is more than can be said for his fallen foe.

Azira Fort, heroism, magic circle against evil: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 14 + 2 + 2 = 31
The Sword Knight of Iomedae fights through the smoky breath of her foe, healing herself with a touch before slashing viscerally down on the demon, which sends blood spraying back at her. However, Radiance slices the brimorak's throat, dropping it to the ground where its searing blood scorches the stone.
Burning Blood: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Combat Over

Seeing the last demon fall, Verene blasts the signal whistle, which echoes over the city and keep. The Knights of Kenabres respond with the blaring horns that call to a charge, and the paladins begin their charge forwards. In the courtyard below, the champions see dretches, tieflings, and Kellids alike swarm towards their fortifications, with several dozen beginning to head towards the gate. Alarms - shouts, gongs, and more - erupt across the courtyard. The battle is about to be joined.

"Well... this is it, isn't it? This is what we've been working towards all this time," Elliot says as he watches the massive melee beginning to take form below. "And I know there's no guarantees, even with the wardstone power. So... before we go put it to use, I wanted you all to know that, on the off chance something happens to me, that it was an honor to fight alongside you all," he says, smiling earnestly at his companions.

He then takes a deep breath and tries to focus on the scene below. "Now with the sappiness out of the way, how about we fly to their outer ramparts and fight inward, disposing of whoever the demons and cultists really want to keep out of sword's reach?"

Elliot refreshes his Shield from the Shield wand, after that he's ready to keep going!

"Well... this is it, isn't it? This is what we've been working towards all this time," Elliot says as he watches the massive melee beginning to take form below. "And I know there's no guarantees, even with the wardstone power. So... before we go put it to use, I wanted you all to know that, on the off chance something happens to me, that it was an honor to fight alongside you all," he says, smiling earnestly at his companions.

"If I die, please put it on my tombstone that the fighting was a chore and a burden, and I hated every minute of it," Verene says brightly. "But it would have been much, much worse without you. And there's only us to see it through, so let's get to it."

She grabs the curl of licorice root and briskly chants the now-familiar words, with an additional clause to encompass the layer of complexity she added to make it last longer. Verene casts Extended haste on everyone for 14 rounds.

"Now with the sappiness out of the way, how about we fly to their outer ramparts and fight inward, disposing of whoever the demons and cultists really want to keep out of sword's reach?"

"Once I have the barriers set up, certainly." Losing no more time, Verene turns and streaks away, covering over five hundred feet in less than twenty seconds* as she retraces their flight back to the great hole in the citadel's ramparts where the front gate used to hang. She keeps her eyes on the relatively narrow section of the courtyard between the western gatepost and the side of the fortress.

As soon as she is in range, Verene pauses in midair, grabbing a tiny white quartz crystal from her pouch. Her eyes start to glow white and she lifts it in her palm in a raising, beckoning gesture, chanting a long sentence of unfamiliar words. The crystal goes icy cold against her skin, then vanishes. At that exact moment, a wall of thick, perfectly smooth blue-white ice stretching seventy feet long and about thirteen feet tall appears between the stones of the fortress and its ramparts, cutting off some of the swiftest-moving defenders from their fellows and blocking access to the gate-hole from the left side of the citadel. Verene spends one use of mythic power to cast wall of ice with Wild Arcana at effective caster level 9.

By a quick measure on the geographic map, I think Verene can get back to a place close enough to cast this medium-range spell in 3 rounds or so while hasted and flying. Her regular speed with those spells up is 90 and her top speed is 180' (since you can't Run while flying under the power of a fly spell.) 540 feet should put her in range to create the wall of ice in the first designated place, closest to the gate.

"May the gods watch over us," Thesius says before adding, "but let us trust in our own strength before all else. We can do this and I agree that cutting off the head of the beast is a worthwhile tactic to employ."

He quickly follows after Verene, keeping his distance as before. They would soon enough be joining the battle proper below.

While he does so, he keeps his eyes peeled for points and people of interest.

Perception: 1d20 + 23 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 23 + 2 + 2 = 37 (+23 base, +2 Heroism, +2 Heightened Awareness)

The champions soar towards the site where the battle is about to be joined, and their kobold-shaped wizard summons up a tremendous wall of ice between the gathering northwestern forces and the gateway. The six can hear screams and curses boiling out from their side of the wall as the Worldwound's forces are cut off from easy access to one another. The thunder of hooves grows louder and the crash of metal on metal comes from the gate side of the wall as the Knights of Kenabres come crashing into the somewhat gathered forces in a mounted charge. Blooms of nauseating smoke erupt across the battlefield as the dretches exercise their power.

Do you guys want to drop down to fight directly, or go and set up the spells like the plan goes? At a glance, it seems like about a third or so of the forces are probably cut off from the rest and have to go around the long way.

Verene will definitely keep casting the walls at the chokepoints as Aron suggested and we agreed upon with Irabeth in the command meeting beforehand. She's just doing the one closest to the gate first, as was requested. Didn't want to get too ahead of myself!

Verene turns back the way she just came and heads for the second of the three chokepoints Aron pointed out on their map of the inner citadel at the same magically sped pace. Now that she is here, she sees this is a wider area, so she cannot make a wall with one casting of the spell that will stretch all the way from the ramparts to the inner fortress itself. However, she can force the defenders into a narrow pathway that necessitates climbing down into the moat and then back out if they want to fight the crusader army of knights and freed mercenaries without dealing with the wall somehow. A mere six seconds after the first, the tiny chip of crystal turns cold in her hand and a perfectly smooth wall of ice springs up from nothing in front of the very noses of some of the cultists and their demon allies — this one ninety feet long, ten feet high, and the same nine inches thick.

The multiplied form of the little white kobold continues flying along the lines of the outer ramparts, making all haste but also keeping its thick crenellations between herself and the courtyard, in order to present a less tempting target to any archers on the ground. In less than half a minute more, a third ninety-foot-by-ten-foot wall of ice springs up at the back of Citadel Drezen's massive inner courtyard. Once more, it does not reach quite to the walls of the fortress, but it does touch the uneven rocky base, and the defenders will have to climb down into the moat, around or under the wall, in order to progress.

Okay, I hope that's enough to set the stage for any battle description, and the fighting is probably going on even as she's doing this.

Thesius continues to trail behind Verene as she sets up the blockades. His eyes darting to and fro scanning for where they might be of the most use once she has accomplished her mission.

(Not wanting to split the party, Thesius was following Verene as she sets up her spells. He's trying to discern where they might join as soon as she is done to make the most of their abilities as I assume we may be making surgical strikes.)

Elliot chuckles at his sister's deadpan comments and follows, his speed once again magically enhanced.

"Wow... it, ah, looks as though we're going to have to work hard to pull our fair share of weight," he says, very much impressed buy just how massive Verene's walls of ice were and how they probably had just won a large part of the fight on their own. Not much could reduce the entire effective size of an army by two-thirds - but his sister was one such thing.

"So... shall we?" He says, ready to strike at the nearest strategic target from above.

"Well... this is it, isn't it? This is what we've been working towards all this time," Elliot says as he watches the massive melee beginning to take form below. "And I know there's no guarantees, even with the wardstone power. So... before we go put it to use, I wanted you all to know that, on the off chance something happens to me, that it was an honor to fight alongside you all," he says, smiling earnestly at his companions.

Merixia hovers above the fray, figuring out where to cast her remaining spells. "I'll repeat what I said earlier. If you get yourself killed- if any of you get yourselves killed- I will figure out how to resurrect the dead just so I can yell at you." She pauses, the mock-stern expression on her face softening. "May Ragathiel's eyes fall upon you and his wings shield you."

As Verene makes to fly off, the cleric holds up a hand. "Wait a moment, please. Everyone, descend to within forty feet or so, I'm going to cast prayer to help us and hinder the enemy." Once they're within range, Merixia begins her Celestial prayer for Ragathiel to grant them his strength and weaken their foes.

Hmm. Looks like Verene has the walls covered. If archers become a problem, I can wind wall them then. Something else, then. Something like holy smite. She grins and aims for a group of demons who are threatening the crusader cavalry.

Prayer (40 ft radius centered on Merixia) on us and whoever's underneath us, then holy smite (20 ft radius) wherever it looks like it would do the most good. On demons, preferably, but a mixed group of demons and cultists would work too.

Holy smite on evil outsiders: 7d6 ⇒ (1, 5, 1, 6, 6, 6, 1) = 26

Holy smite on evil creatures that are not outsiders: 3d8 ⇒ (5, 6, 6) = 17

Will DC 19 for half damage and to avoid being blinded for one round.

While the others pause briefly to cast spells, Azira draws a potion of cure light wounds from her bag and downs it.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Having lost track, in the heat of battle, of her companions' specific tasks in shaping the course of the fight, the paladin keeps Radiance at the ready as she follows Verene and the others around. Her eyes, however, are continually drawn to the citadel where she knows their real target lies in wait.

Sorry, I (ooc) am not entirely clear on what all we need to do before we charge in after BBEG. So, I'll mostly be on auto-follow until then. Unless you want me to go in and start clearing out some of the cannon-fodder while you finish up outside?

Hm... How to handle this best...

The walls continue to sprout up, cutting off more and more of the demons' forces from the ongoing battle - even as she continues to do so, the ones in the closest vicinity to the attackers are falling, screaming and dying against the might of the Knights of Kenabres and their foot soldiers.

Merixia helps by unleashing a powerful pair of spells down upon the battle, empowering her allies and smashing her enemies with the might of Ragathiel. A satisfied pulse of fury fills her heart - she is in the right place at the right time. This is what she ought to be doing.

After that, the crusaders are able to settle in to guard themselves against any demons and cultists that continue to move south from the eastern part of the courtyard - and a few settle in to block any projectiles that are fired from the keep itself (not that there are many).

It takes some time, but the battle finally stills after several minutes. Several squads of crusaders - paladins and not alike - begin fanning out into the surrounding courtyard to search for any survivors to capture or clean out, as their behavior merits.

Just gonna brush by the battle to let you all get back down and speak with Irabeth. Who's spent Mythic Points for this?

During the fight:

Seeing the plan unfold before them, Elliot soon sees that the cultists and demons in front of them were, in fact, doomed. They were both trapped, outnumbered, outclassed and cut off from the rest of their army. They had no chance. Not even a brief glimmer of hope. No light.

"So that you can be a light to your friends and enemies both."

He halts his assault then, remembering his goddess' words. Was that not his directive? Were there not those among them who might deserve a second chance at life?

He would be Sarenrae's sword - her blade of mercy .

"If you want to live, face me!" He calls out as he advances, channeling wardstone power into his sword, soft blue hues coating its metals as he cuts them down.

One. Five. A dozen. Two dozen. After that, he stopped counting.

They were alive, he knew. Her mercy had seen to it. And when they returned, these lucky few would be judged. Maybe they would or deserve death in the end, but for the others - a tiny bit of hope in the dark. It was all he could offer, but it would have to do.

Elliot will spend 1 MP to make his weapon Merciful when he is in the thickest of the fighting, which increases his damage and makes it non-lethal for 1 minute (3 mp left). After that runs out, he will just switch to regular non-lethal damage. How many prisoners that results in is up to you of course. Aftet the battle ends he will report to Irabeth after instructing the crusaders to not kill the incapacitated cultists.

During the battle:

Seeing little room upon the ground to maneuver, he stows his spear and takes out his bow to fire upon the slowed, but still approaching reinforcements.

His keen eyes helping him pick out prime targets. When presented with someone aiming to organize those around them, he takes the time to point them out with his dancing lights spells to alert their troops of a organizing force that needed to be dealt with.

Their was eloquence in adding disarray to chaotic beings.

Thesius will like conserver his energies as they are mainly for less extreme circumstances, but I'll burn another 3 rounds from his Archaeologist's Luck for important/dire situations during the battle.

After the battle...

Thesius longs to join the search for survivors, but realizes it may be key to strike while the iron is hot. So he quickly joins his friends in reporting to Irabeth so that they may discern their next move with haste.

GM: Verene expended three mythic power to cast the walls and two to cast fire protection on us and on the vanguard. She has 2/7 uses of mythic power remaining for the day.

During the battle
After raising the icy walls to break up the enemy forces and eliminate their advantage from the fortifications they had prepared, Verene is conservative with her spells for the remainder of the battle. Trusting Thesius's keen eyes to discern where the knots of trouble are, she focuses her efforts on the places where his dancing lights travel, and the enemies soon learn that to be illuminated by them is hazardous to one's health. She uses her dazing cantrip on individual human cultists while they are locked in combat or attempting to give orders, causing them to stand staring stupidly instead of doing either; she also borrows Merixia's wand of spiritual weapon to attack dretches and tieflings, since a weapon made of magical force will ignore the dretches' unnatural toughness.

If she sees a knight or one of the recently rescued mercenaries in a tight spot and looking like he or she might fall, Verene swoops in to help with the healing wand. Fortunately, bolstered by Elliot, Azira and Merixia's frontline prowess, Irabeth's leadership, Anevia's archers, Sosiel's healing, Aravashnial's summons, and the horn of assured victory, the army does not seem to need her much as it steadily chews through small groups of enemies, rotating out soldiers nauseated by the dretches' poisonous clouds and then reforming the battle lines with grim efficiency.

Uses of spiritual weapon wand: 1d3 ⇒ 2 47/50 charges remaining.
Uses of cure light wounds wand: 1d4 ⇒ 3 21/50 charges remaining.
I think she can't fail to activate these with Use Magic Device while heroism, heightened awareness, and the righteous medal of clarity are active, unless she rolls a 1, but a 1 means no activating the wand for 24 hours and that could potentially be relevant tomorrow, so I'll just roll 5d20 to make sure.
5d20 ⇒ (3, 15, 14, 11, 12) = 55

After the battle
Verene feels the fly spell ending and drifts gently to the ground near Thesius, landing with a light thump. A few of her magical duplicates were lost to lucky shots, but most remain active, and she is still in the kobold form. She sees Elliot turning away from some enemies that are crumpled but obviously still breathing, and sighs as she realizes what must have happened. "Well, time to report in." She starts looking for Irabeth's distinctive gold-armored form atop her warhorse and trots over with the others when they are ready.

Irabeth nods her greeting to the heroes. "Well done, all of you." She says shortly, her attention mostly focused on directing her troops. "I think we've captured the courtyard fairly effectively. Now all that's left is to besiege that." She points at the Citadel. "Doria, don't try to heal them yourself, get them over to the medical building!" She commands a paladin that is healing one of the rescued footmen, who looks abashed and hastens to do so.

"Sorry," she says, "it's still a bit of a mop-up operation, but we're basically done. Now, we'll have to meet up with the others soon, so hold a few minutes." The half-orc looks sharply at another paladin. "Sword-Knight Jhastander, I want a report on casualties as soon as possible. Get to it!"

"Yes, Knight-Commander!" Arles Jhastander salutes and hastens to do as commanded.

After another fifteen minutes, the Knights of Kenabres have settled down into a siege formation, mostly guarding the exits from the courtyard, but with a significant number surrounding the exits of the keep proper.

Outside, in a makeshift command post on the northern side of the bridge, Irabeth meets with her command staff. "Alright, report."

"We have six dozen prisoners - mostly Kellids, but more than a dozen tieflings." Anevia says. "The dretches have been wiped out almost completely - if there are any left, they aren't going to be a serious threat to our patrols, so long as there's at least one paladin in every one."

"We've lost six foot soldiers and one paladin." Sosiel says grimly. "Fourteen more of the former and three more of the latter are injured enough that we'll need to give them a chance to rest for a time."

Irabeth looks upset briefly, but swiftly dons her mask as a Knight-Commander. "Good. What happened with you six?" She asks the champions.

"The brimoraks were dispensed with without much incident, but they did try to lead us on a chase initially," Thesius states in a matter of fact manner before continuing, "After which we worked on discerning where we might be of the most use while Verene hindered our foes with her walls of ice."

Looking towards the citadel, he asks, "Should we press while the iron is hot? Many of our spells are still active."

"None of us sustained any real injuries. The best they could do was land a scratch on Azira, which took pretty much all their concentrated effort. After that, they were dead," Elliot adds to Thesius' report. "I agree that if there is something of note that could be done now, I am ready to continue. Our long-lasting spells are still functional. What should be our next target? If I understand the situation correctly, most of their army is still surrounding the citadel, and Verene's ice Walls are currently seperating them from us. Is that correct?"

Merixia swoops in for a landing in front of Irabeth, splattered with blood from helmet to sabatons. She had joined Verene in targeting the trouble spots that Thesius illuminated. Except, of course, Merixia was down in the melee with her sword. "Thesius and Elliot covered it all, I think. I have enough magic left for the day that I can keep going a while longer. Unless you need me with the wounded?"

"If I understand the situation correctly, most of their army is still surrounding the citadel, and Verene's ice Walls are currently separating them from us. Is that correct?"

Irabeth said "I think we've captured the courtyard fairly effectively. Now all that's left is to besiege that," so my impression was that we and the army have cleared out the enemies in this inner courtyard, Elliot.

Most of Verene's magics have faded while they wait an additional fifteen minutes for the rest of the command staff, leaving her in her ordinary human form once more. Except for the pink stone slowly orbiting her head, she looks rather plain and out of place in her loose undyed linen robes, compared to most of the heavily armored warriors around her. "Enough of my spells have worn off and cannot be re-cast that I will not be at my best if we attempt to breach the fortress today," she warns in response to the proposal to continue onward. "I could be useful in perhaps one more battle today. I did prepare the arcane eye to help us spy and plan our attack, however, if anyone can find even a small hole in the castle that extends to the inside. A broken window, a door with a grate, a ventilation shaft — anything."

*During Battle*
Azira joins Meri in swooping down on those areas where the fighting is thickest. Twirling gracefully through the air, she reigns deadly golden slashes from Radiance down on the demons and cultists on the ground below her. In addition to the extra mobility afforded by flight, her height has the added benefit of limiting how much blood splatter can reach her.

*Whilst Waiting*
Azira lands with the others and watches as Wulfric safely finishes his descent (from a bit higher than she and Meri had been flying). When the bard lands, he quickly employs a few quick prestidigitations to clean the blood from her clothes, his own, and then the rest of the group’s.

*Now*
”I always favor pressing the advantage, when it’s reasonable,” the Sword-knight adds, “and I still have most of my magical resources available, but if too many spells have been expended and exhausted to continue, then I could use what healing I have left to aid in our forces’ recovery…”

She thinks for a moment and then continues, “perhaps we should allow to Verene to scout the citadel with her magic and then decide whether to attack now or wait until tomorrow?”