Presuming the fiend has long reach with neck out tail or wing, Djack is unsure he could reach it without being swatted away.
If the big warrior will turn tail, so will he.
Djack moves out of the room.
He is not 100% certain, but Rocko does see something that might pass for a lantern; a cylindric shape with a chain attached to the top. It shines brightly in the PC's light source, or perhaps with an inner light of its own. The item is on the far side of the treasure pile from the dracolich.
Rocko is about to put the lantern out of his mind when out of the corner of his eye, he sees a fluttering of black wings land heavily next to the shining object. He stands briefly in shocked silence as he realizes what he's seeing. Apparently his animal companion had been secretly following, expressly against his master's orders.
"Kaki! Sho tuka-tai!? (Gnollish: What are you doing!?)"
The raven is clearly far too small to fly with an object almost as large as he is, but appears adamant in making the attempt.
"This shiny! You need it, yes?"
Rocko launches himself toward his brave, foolish companion.
"Iddit! That thing will kill you!"
Seeing the action, Chaucair and Amideo are uncertain what to do. Chaucair merely holds his position near the door and starts Inspiration +2 for Round 2.
Top of Round 2. Keep the original initiative: party first, Dracolich end of Round. Amideo can act twice if Simeon turns up, otherwise I'll act for him in Round 2 at an appropriate time.
Djack wonders what the bird is all about.
Djack sees the item, right near Kaki. It definitely is similar to the description given by Mestra Espindola.
Looking to Rocko, WHAT'S THE FREAKIN' PLAN?!
As Rocko is heading toward the pile, waving for Kaki to fly toward the doors.
"NOT DYIN'!"
Bugger! Fan out... surround the creature. Djack stalks wide right, angling so that he's within striking distance.
Amideo says to the party, "I will hold it off for as long as we need to grab the lantern!" He draws his blade as he rushes in, hoping to buy time for the raven to grab the lantern.
He points his sword at the dracolich, "Foul beast! Undead monstrosity. You have struck the first blow, and so I am honor-bound to strike the last."
Charging in alongside Djack, he takes a swing at the undead dragon. This was what heroism meant, truly. He was in his element, and ready to triumph.
The elf swears aloud in her langauge before plunging herself into the muttering depths of a chant. She only has one casting left, and she hopes to Xenxolotl that this faithful frog can help them leap into victory.
"Go! Take it!" She shouts to the creature, who valiantly flings its tongue forward to grab and pull back the lantern. Hopefully without swallowing it as well.
Catching the creature by surprise that the tactics have changed, Amideo strikes the undead dragon. The blow is, of course, not fatal, but it has its desired effect.
Djack moves cautiously but dauntlessly toward the beast from a different direction.
Yoltzin's frog grabs hold of the lantern chain and pulls, moving the device back toward Rocko.
Zia pokes her head back into the room.
"Oh, we're doing this? Okay." She aims her wand into the room and fires two Magic Missiles at the beast.
The creature strikes out at Amideo.
Bite:
Claws
Chaucair runs toward the lantern/frog
"Rocko, I got the lantern! Go help the warriors!"
As Rocko is heading toward the pile, waving for Kaki to fly toward the doors.
"NOT DYIN'!"
Rocko's companion obeys, seeing the lantern now having been retrieved and also on its way toward an exit.
Top of Round 2. Party may act.
Djack tries to tumble to a position opposite Amideo.
The dracolich lashes out with a wing at Djack, but it misses, and he ends up where he was aiming for.
Djack watches as the decayed wing passes within inches of his eyes, good nostrils flaring at the stench.
Thank you, Gramms... Djack be nimble, Djack be quick.
Again the elf breaks into a chant, yet something else seems to be fueling her words. Dark phrases have been threaded in alongside her pleas for assistance from the otherworld. Her amethyst eyes flash with a power that could at first be mistaken for malignant. "<Come to me and twist your flesh, take upon you the form best suited for Bloody Death. Come to me spirit, and let havoc wake!>"
With a violent slice of her hand downward, the veil is lifted as a beautiful lack leopard appears midway through it's pouncing attack. Where one would find a head, there was instead a skull wreathed in white hot celestial fire that trails along as it arced through the air.
The effort of summoning seems to drain the elf somewhat, yet she still moves forward in order to get into a better position so that she might lend healing assistance wherever it was needed next. Her frog meanwhile can tell when it's task is still yet to be properly finished, and leaps over to the bard in order to complete the lantern handoff.
Well, Rocko was thinking of avoiding a fight, but he'll commit if everyone else has.
"Here goes all! RAAAA!"
Rocko will let loose a battle cry as he rushes forth to contribute his mightiest axe swing.
Yoltzin's summon latches on with the bite and kicks the beast with its powerful rear legs repeatedly.
Rocko's powerful strikes are rebuffed as the warrior swings wildly at the dracolich.
Chaucair runs toward the exit of the room with the lantern.
Amideo may act.
Zia snipes again from the doorway with her wand of Magic Missile.
Amideo makes a single attack at the dracolich before backing off by 5'. He's still quite injured.
At that point, the dracolich attacks Rocko and Djack.
On Rocko:
Bite:
Claw:
On Djack:
Tail:
Things look dark for the party. Djack and Amideo are injured. Rocko falls to his knee, ready to drop unconscious. The enemy, while having taken a lot of damage to its body, still stands, and could use another breath attack unexpectedly.
Top of Round 3
At that point, however, Chaucair peeks back around the corner, and activates the Lanterna Venerata. The undead dragon immediately pauses, and begins to back away from the party.
Everyone is healed 17 HP, and the opponent seems clearly frightened.
Rest of party may act.
Zia fires another round of magic missiles from the wand:
Djack tries to push the group's advantage, tumbling closer for a strike.
Step out of the shadows... and into the light!
Both of Djack's attacks strike home. The creature growls, more out of anger and frustration than pain.
The creature appears prepared to withdraw as it raises its wings for flight.
Rest of party may act.
"I have seen the fires of prophecy, I have heard the whispers of fate. They tell me that though we dance with death a victory still sits before us. Rocko, onto your feet!" Yoltzin speaks, hands bathing in celestial fire as she slams them onto the gnoll's aching back.
Regardless of the validity of her words, her valiant spirit of death continues to fight on.
Regardless of the validity of her words, her valiant spirit of death continues to fight on.
Yoltzin's celestial leopard strikes repeatedly at their foe, though it only scores one good hit, from a claw.
Rocko and Amideo may act.
As much as Rocko would like to unleash his fury on this mighty foe, he gets the feeling better tactics are called for here. He'll make both an axe swing and a shield smash, but he'll focus on accuracy over power.
"We just be takin that fancy light with us, if'n you please. Let us go with it peaceful like, and you can guard the rest as you want. Seems more than plenty to spare, and I be thinkin' that light weren't your Master's to be keepin, anyway."
As he speaks to the beast, Rocko realizes it's not listening. Its eyes have glossed over, the spark of unlife having left it. Amideo barely manages to get out of the creature's way as it falls.
The undead beast gone, the treasure seems now unguarded. The following will be added to your party treasure:
1490 gp in gems and jewelry
2411 gp
The bulk of the coins are, of course, silver and copper. You may add any amount up to 2000 coins worth of those to your individual character sheets.
Finally there, are some unusual magic items.
You find:
1. a full-sized oval mirror on a swivel, but looking into it reveals only a black and blue vortex.
2. A turquoise and silver ring that emanates transmutation magic.
3. A thick tome titled "Manual de Saúde Corporal."
Amideo whoops in triumph, ”Well fought, companions! What a mighty beast we felled!”
Chaucair holds up the Lanterna.
"And, mission accomplished. If this thing is half as powerful as I think it might be, it is best in the hands of someone like your Maestra," the bard says, nodding to Djack.
"A wise old woman without ambition to use it foolishly, like I just did. I did sort of save the day, though, didn't I?" The famous bard congratulates himself a bit more than is tasteful.
You did, brother... It was glorious! Djack collapses, stretching his legs, back against some large chest.
Perhaps, we make our way back and return to clear the vicinity another time? He looks around.
"Indeed," Chaucair says agreeably.
"I, for one, have had enough adventure for a while! When we get back to Albarra, I'm heading on to Santa Merceda and my first love, the stage."
The elf's shoulders slump as she senses the severance of soul from bone. Her summoned spirits have begun to circle the desiccated corpse, honing in on the remnant spirit of the elder-wing so that it might be taken in for it's long delayed final judgement. "It is done... Praise be to Xenxolotl, he has foreseen our perseverance this day. I'll need... I'll need to cremate the beast's heartscale in accordance with tradition. The rest of it's body may be salvaged for our needs"
Yotlzin has hope that the creature's soul might find peace, and yet her knowledge of liches makes her doubt. If this creature willingly ended its life to live immortally in undead form, its soul is likely bound to an item held somewhere distant for safe keeping, whence it could return to upon the death of its body to be "born" anew. The group might not have seen the last of this foe; though, for now at least, it is no longer here with them.
Rocko is still rather stunned that they were able to beat such a powerful foe at all.
"My tribe has stories of beasties such as this being tough beyond anything else. Are we for sure it is dead ... well, not not dead ... or whatever it was?"