Alvarius winces from the assault but still moves a bit closer, joining Nicky in trying to placate the spirit.
"C'mon now, Godcaller! Would you at least let us talk this through?"
The amurrun once more endures the spiritual onslaught as best he can. He then presses back at the spirit with his own bond to natural spirits. ""The spirits of creation blessed Onye Dinta," he growls. "Onye Dinta will not be cowed."
He then moves to where he can intercept the frost owls should they attack his companions.
"Again, another god manifests before us, dragging its grandeur into our path like some cosmic peacock displaying its feathers. Do they not tire of their own theatrics? Their endless need for worship, their ceaseless declarations of power—an exhausting parade of divinity flaunting its superiority over mortals already burdened by their toil.
This one, no doubt, believes itself unique, special in its omnipotence, as though we have not seen its kind before. How many gods must we encounter before they understand that their awe-inspiring forms no longer faze us, that their grandiose presence has become little more than a tedious interruption to our journey?
Let this one step forward if it must. We are weary, yes, but not broken. If it seeks worship, it shall find none. If it seeks battle, it will find opponents who no longer marvel at celestial might. We have seen gods rise, and we have seen them fall. Another manifestation changes nothing."
He will then send an Amped message to Onye to do his thang.
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The pair of ice-rimed owl spirits don't stand a chance as Nicholo and Grundle are able to show god caller Gennin Wintersun that you are indeed worthy. Sakuachi reaches into her bag and pulls forth her Astrolabe. "This is all I have that remains precious to me. Ulikuq gifted it to me at the start of my journey." The God Caller reaches out and accepts the astrolabe before dissipating into bright motes of light.
Once more the central chambers rush inot the well, emptying the central chamber in it's entirety. The doors should be clear to open now.
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Nicky listens to the repudiation from Grundle. His eyebrows raise as he's sort of shocked to hear the brazen words come from such a small being with large eyebrows.
As the God Caller is cowed, and is given an offering - Nicky quips, See, I thought the gift was going to be knickers from a hot babe, and instead she gives an astrolabe!
Like how I got that rhyme in there?
Nicky preps himself. Arming with the rapier for the next room. The next room is going to be a fight, no more gifts to give -- unless Sakauchi really does give out her knickers.
He moves to the doors. Ready to open them with one hand as soon as he has back up from the rest of the team.
Daehalya shakes her head at Nicky's gape ... though she is impressed with his rhyming skills. "Perhaps you should train to be a Lion Blade when we're done here," she teases.
"M'ma Agha Onye guard the hidden cities of the amurrun where outsiders are not allowed," the catfolk says with a solemn tone underneath his mask. "Daehalya is making no sense. Nicholo would never make the cut. Nicholo is too noisy."
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WHAT?! Oh No! I am not too noisy. I can be quiet.
Nicky then further proves that he can not do that, and contrary to his desires, proves Onye correct.
He moves in a creeping- stealthy type mannerism. all the while betraying anything close to stealth by talking.
See how light my feet are? Yes, you'll have to use theatre of the mind as I'm currently wearing a clinking breastplate- but for those with the cosmic power of imagination, can easily see that I have the moves of a
high ranking LionBlade...... whatever they are.
in a voice that is far too high to really be stealthy.
I would make a cut. I refuse to think someone with a clip board is gonna say,"Er. Sorry. Guess Again Nicky. You can't be a Amurrun secret dwelling place guardian."
"They are the guardians of Taldor, or so I have heard. But perhaps you could be a Twilight Speaker. We don't require quiet, though we must learn to live with it in the Crown of the World. Those who don't end up like poor Ezgara."
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The door to the cistern is massive, watertight, and made of magically reinforced cold iron. The door remains sealed but glows with soft silver light. As you approach the door, Sakuachi asks if you are ready, then presses her hand to the door. Ruun, the Sarkorian god who’s been guiding Sakuachi through the sewers, fills the seer with power. The massive door rumbles, then swings forward, allowing your group into the chamber.
A few inches of fetid water cover the ground of this vast stone reservoir. Two giant arthropods with otherworldly features tangle amid the muck. On the edges of the chamber, four narrow tunnels set into the walls allow water to drain in ordinal directions. Though three of the drains are open and appear to be functioning normally, the northeastern drain’s seal is broken, and somehow, the tunnel is filled with thick blue ice.
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Nicky looks at the thick blue ice. He thinks of comments to make about how he can easily turn that blue ice into yellow Ice, but he's been a bit over the top in the penis jokes lately.
So, he bites his tongue, pulls on his horn and asks instead, So, Crown of the World people, any idea of how to deal with a huge chunk of ice?
Also, thank you for referencing Ezgara. Wowzers was he a talks to himself all the time grumpy puss.
Nicky looks at the whole area looking for odd things. He pulls out his magnifying glass and looks at the remnants of the broken drain's seal. Maybe forensic clues could be had.
Looks like the rubble spray has the door or gate getting broken from the inside. Probably by expanding water mass as it got frozen.
Mag glass and Follow a lead.
"There is nothing to deal with, other than to step carefully on it. It is a way of life," Daehalya says. "But it seems odd here..."
"Onye Dinta notes that Sakuachi has made three sacrifices," the catfolk says. "There is nothing else but to stride forward."
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Deahalys inspects the arthropods. They seem mostly harmless, though corrupted by the demonic energy in the area. Overal they aren't large enough to cause any harm to anything.
Sakuachi sprints toward the ice-choked drain in the northeast corner. “The god calling to me is this way!” she cries. When she nears the drain, the ice blocking the tunnel rapidly melts of its own volition, like curtains parting, allowing Sakuachi to crawl inside. As she begins to crawl through the air ripples as a massive pincer reaches out from another plane for her and briefly misses. Just as quickly, the ice magically re-forms behind the seer, blocking anyone from following her as if protecting Sakuachi.
A sharp pain is felt in your minds as a powerful demon enters the room from a magical dimensional tear. A horrifying amalgam of horse and scorpion also known as a “beast demon. It reaches into the fetid water below causing it to form droplets of deep red moisture to form on the ceiling. It begins to rain blood from above covering the room in a deep red hue. Some of the blood begins to pool together as a trio of babau demons emerge from the water below. They cackle with sadistic glee as the demon speaks to all in the room. "Strip their flesh then bring me the girl." It calls out in abyssal in your minds.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
Alvarius
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Yellow)
Babau (Blue)
Daehalya
Grundle
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Surprise, surprise. Captain Stoop-id brought a trio of horned people to act as rabble.
See, being a fellow horned being - You share a lot of my traits. You are fairly useless. Don't do much more than take up a five foot amount of space, and will be TOTALLY INEFFECTUAL this combat. I'm not only talking to you Blue-ey Babau. I'm talking to you and your keen. Watch how my companions dismantle you and make you go poof back to an abyss.
◆ Take out Rapier.
◆◆ Bot Mot! The Babau Demon - Blue as he's within 30 feet.
◆◆◆ Raise Buckler.
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Nicholo raises his buckler and his quip is completely on point! or at least it would have been if the blood demon could understand a single word that Nicholo was saying.
Malgamon pushes past the bloody demons and gives Nicholo a stare that would freeze the bravest of warriors.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
➤ Alvarius
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Yellow)
Babau (Blue)
Daehalya
Grundle
Grundle observes the macabre tableau without expression.
"God or demon, are we not just all an accumulation mortality to be chipped away by violence?"
He shoots an Intimidating Glare at the large demon.
He then picks up the debris in the cistern with his mind and swirls it in a vortex.
At the sight of the demons, the amurrun's black mane smolders like a breathed upon coal. He in not fast enough to act before the giant demon rushes forward. The amurrun speaks the ancient words of transformation. He shifts into a glowing mist that expands and ultimately recedes to reveal the giant hunting cat.
The spotted cat bites at the pincered monstrosity.
"Well friends, that seems to be a lot of fiends. Let's see if I can slow them down somewhat."
Alvarius speaks a few arcane words, waggling fingers in strange ways as he pulls forth magic. A curtain of elemental fire raises up from the ground in front of the babaus and atop the malgamon, penning them in and obscuring sight.
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Nicholo wets himself as his body frezes in fear. Alvarius quickly moves into action as a curtain of flames rises from the ground and envelops the chamber's occupants, effetively splitting the room in half.
Onye's black mane smolders as his anger rises even further. He leaps forward, biting at Malgamon, drawing dark green blood.
The trio of blood demons pace the area looking for a way through the flames. You watch as they seep back inot the bloody water and translocate on the other side of the flames all around you.
Onye protects Nicholo while he is defenseless, biting inot the Babau's body. The wound spurts a gout of acid into Onye's face.
Critical Success The attacker is unaffected.
Success The attacker takes 1d6 acid damage.
Failure The attacker takes 2d6 acid damage.
Critical Failure As failure, except the weapon used to Strike the babau becomes broken, unless the weapon is made of a material that is immune to acid.[/ooc]
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
Alvarius
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Green)
Babau (Blue)
➤ Daehalya
➤ Grundle
The cat whips his head back as the demon slime burns his tongue.
HP 68/83
AC 25 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 3
Fort +11, Ref +17, Will +12 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 2
Deviant backlash DC: 5
Effects:
Daehalya grimaces as the thing stabs her, but sweeps its legs out from under it, before driving her staff home. Hoping to clear space, she leaps over the prone demon to move into the room.
Grundle has a flash of possible alternate realities before he is snapped to attention by the sudden appearance of the demon.
"Get away from me, idiot!"
Range touch; Targets 1 living creature
Saving Throw Will; Duration 1 minute
You dull the target’s mind; the target must attempt a Will save.
Success The target is unaffected.
Failure The target is stupefied 2.
Critical Failure The target is stupefied 4.
He then raises a Shield against any (probable) retaliation.
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Daehalya quickly sweeps the demon to the ground, jabbing the end of her staff into its chest where it spits up acid onto her arm before getting out of dodge.
Grundle shoves away at the demon as it appears beside him as he shields himself from the grasping claws coming his way.
Nicholo's paralysis slowly wears off as he finds himself able to move again and finds Malgamon right in his face as he and Onye square off against the massive demon.
The demons large pincers reach out to grab ahold of Onye and squeeze the Amurrun tight as Onye howls in pain.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
➤ Alvarius
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Green)
Babau (Blue)
Daehalya
Grundle
Bleeding, the giant hunting cat leverages his feline strength to pry the pincers holding him apart long enough to leap back to the ground. He snaps at the demon in frustration while carrying close to its legs.
Daehalya easily avoids the caustic slim .
Finding himself in a dangerous melee, Alvarius whirls through casting two spells. Completing the first, a shield of force energy springs up to protect him.
With hands swirling in arcane gestures, he finishes his second spell and releases a jolt of arcing electricity that lashes out at the two nearby babau.
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Alvarius whirls through his complex magical chain shielding himself as quickly as posisble. forming a barrier made of arcane electricity that shocks the two babau.
Onye manages to free himself and tries to fight back but misses as the demon steps just out of range of his claws.
The trio of Babau lunge forward with their spears looking for soft poits to make grievous wounds while the one Daehalya tripped gets back to its feet.
Onye protects Nicholo but fails to deal and sort of injures to the Babau in the process.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
Alvarius
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Green)
Babau (Blue)
➤ Daehalya
➤ Grundle
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↺ - The leaves of the cloak move to protect Nicky, lashing at the Babau. The thorns on the cloak rake across the Babau's red arm trying to dig in deep enough to hurt it and get to it's slime like blood.
Nicky stabs at the creature with his rapier, enjoying the flanking and strategic advantage Daehalya is giving him. At the same time, he's cringing at the fact the huge demon is at his back.
◆ against a flat footed opponent
◆ ◆ second attack flat footed
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆Raise Shield
Trigger A enemy’s Strike would hit you and you weren’t already concealed, hidden, or undetected by that enemy
Your body flickers momentarily into the Ethereal Plane. You become concealed for 1 round, and the flat check for concealment applies to the Strike that would have hit you. If the flat check fails, the Strike misses you.
Awakening When your body flickers, you momentarily assume a terrifying form. If a creature fails the flat check against concealment from your Eerie Flicker, it becomes frightened 1, and it doesn’t reduce the frightened condition from this effect at the end of the same turn it gained the condition.
Awakening You can choose to compress your flickering movement into a single moment, increasing your chance to avoid the triggering attack in exchange for a shorter-lived effect. If you choose to do so, the flat check for concealment against the triggering attack increases to DC 9, but the concealment affects only the triggering Strike.
Appears in Dark Archive, Gatewalkers
Alvarius uses his magical shield to project himself from the worst of the devil's harms.
HP 68/83
AC 25 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 3
Fort +11, Ref +17, Will +12 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 2
Deviant backlash DC: 5
Effects:
"We're too spread out!" Daehalya cries. "We need to work together!"
She slams her staff into the closest babau, her limbs turning ice white once more. As she looks around, she tries to predict what the green devil will do.
Critical Success You precisely discern the target's strategy, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the creature until the start of your next turn and a +2 circumstance bonus to your next saving throw against the creature before the start of your next turn.
Success You deduce the gist of the target's strategy; as critical success, except the circumstance bonus is only +1.
Failure You fail to discern the target's strategy and gain no benefit.
Critical Failure You misinterpret the target's strategy and take a –1 circumstance penalty to AC against the creature until the start of your next turn, and a –1 circumstance penalty to your next saving throw against the creature before the start of your next turn.
Grundle, receiving his first real damage since they met, is shocked.
"This is indeed unfortunate. Especially for me."
His eyebrows twitch and spark with psychic energies as he unleashes his psyche.
"But especially for you."
He then proceeds to Shatter the Mind of any enemies in a 15 ft cone (I think this catches Blue, Green, and the skeleton in orange).
Followed by a burst of what can only be described as Psi on Blue
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Daehalya swings with the power of a titan at the babau absolutely crushing its ribs in but fails to discern the demons true strategy or intentions.
Grundle's eyes sparkle with psychic energy.
Grundles shatters a portion of their broken minds as his latent psychic energy rips through some of the babau's bloody body.
The demon avoid's Nicholo's cloak but not his blade as it drives deep into the demons side as his form begins to flicker back and forth.
Malgamon reaches out with his mind as he glares at Nicholo. "Stay where you are. We aren't done with you yet."
Nicholo feels the spell take hold as his body begins to lock up once again.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
➤ Alvarius
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Green)
Babau (Blue)
Daehalya
Grundle
Painful as it will be, the giant cat turns his teeth and claws toward the nearest babau in an effort to weed down their enemies.
Ally Resist All 9
Step as necessary
Not liking how this is going, but otherwise thankful that Grundle is helping him fight these two babau, the skeleton wizard steps away from the flanked position and speaks words of magic. "Gwledd Fampirig!"
He places a bony hand on the babau, roiling black energy flowing from the creature to Alvarius. "I'm just going to borrow some of this. No hard feelings."
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Alvarius empowers himself drawing upon the corruptive energy of the demons in the room. draining one considerably. Onye swipes a massive claw to the side, wounding another demon as he actively avoids the acidic blood spraying against the floor.
Onye protects Nicholo as both Nicholo and the demon are severely wounded in the process.
Alvarius receives a much smaller grievous injury than Nicholo did as his spell saved him from all of the wounds.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
Alvarius
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Green)
Babau (Blue)
➤ Daehalya
➤ Grundle
HP 68/83
AC 25 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 3
Fort +11, Ref +17, Will +12 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 2
Deviant backlash DC: 10
Effects:
Daehalya grimaces ever so slightly in frustration as she's unable to protect everyone due to the space between them. [i]One at a time. First this one needs to fall, and then we can go on to the next.[/ooc]
Her staff continues to swing in its hard, landing with a brutally hard blow on the demon's side.
Critical Success You precisely discern the target's strategy, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the creature until the start of your next turn and a +2 circumstance bonus to your next saving throw against the creature before the start of your next turn.
Success You deduce the gist of the target's strategy; as critical success, except the circumstance bonus is only +1.
Failure You fail to discern the target's strategy and gain no benefit.
Critical Failure You misinterpret the target's strategy and take a –1 circumstance penalty to AC against the creature until the start of your next turn, and a –1 circumstance penalty to your next saving throw against the creature before the start of your next turn.
Grundle sees that Nicholo is fading and attempts to bolster his spirits.
"Do not fear. Death is inevitable but not necessarily permanent."
◆Soothe the Mind: Nicky regains 16hp.
Grundle then attempts to address the source of the problem by entering the mind of the Malgamon.
◆◆
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half damage and becomes frightened 1.
Failure The target takes full damage and becomes frightened 2.
Critical Failure The target takes double damage and becomes frightened 3.
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Daehalya swings her staff around hard, clocking the wounded demon in the side of the head killing it before trying to better predict the babau near Nicholo. Daehalya is still unable to deduce the demons true intentions but can tell it is definitely killing and chaotic.
Grundle soothes Nicholo's mind a bit to take it oof of the pain before entering the mind of Malgamon. This causes extreme distress to he babau who wounded Nicholo as it recoils in pain from theinjuries it caused being healed.
This intrusion of Malgamons mind seems to frighten it.
Nicholo is paralyzed by fear as his body locks up once gain.
Malgamon's pincers reach out for Onye trying to grab ahold of the Amurrun.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
➤ Alvarius
➤ Onye
⠀⠀➤ Uhu
Babau (Orange)
Babau (Blue)
Daehalya
Grundle
"No offence, Grundle. But I can't stay here."
Alvarius retreats towards the more physically reassuring form of Onye, hands moving through a conjuration as he goes. When he completes his spell a jumble of rocks appears in mid-air... Only to cascade down on the babau still in melee with Grundle!
The giant hunting cat is too busy dodging the massive demon's pincers to be very effective in putting down the nearest babau minion.
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Alvarius grabs a portion of the ceiling and brings it raining down on top of the babau. It doesn't have nearly enough time to get out of the way.
Onye cleaves his wy through another of the Babau demons as his powerful claws rip its chest open.
Onye only gets hit by a small portio of the acidic blood as it sprays the floor violently.
Wounded and afraid the babau melds back into the bloody floor as it curses Malgamon and flees via dimension door.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Nicholo
Malgamon (Red)
Alvarius
Onye
⠀⠀Uhu
➤ Daehalya
➤ Grundle
HP 68/83
AC 25 (+1 vs. traps), deny advantage, cold resistance 3
Fort +11, Ref +17, Will +12 (+1 vs. traps)
Hero Points: 2
Deviant backlash DC: 10
Effects:
"And then there was one," Daehalya says as she rushes around the remaining demon, sticking her staff between its legs and twisting as she moves.
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Finally able to move. Finally less frightened by the situation. Nicky moves into action.
Maybe it was the sheer number of enemies from the abyss. Now that it's just the big, bad boss of things - and we outnumber him-- I'm not as scared of the situation.. Nicky thinks to himself.
◆ Devise a stratagem
◆ ◆ Guarded Step - 5 feet towards the demon.
◆ ◆ ◆ Raise Shield. AC now 25
Hey Grundle, why are you WAAAaaayyyy back there. it's as if you are pulling a Nicky and pulling yourself out of the fight!
Grundle's emotional outburst ends as abruptly as it started and he droops into a grumpy funk.
He scuttles closer to Mackgammon and issues a decree.
"Demon, hear me now. Your malice is as ancient as the void, but it is not without limits. By the laws that govern flesh and shadow, by the weight of names long since buried in forgotten tongues, I forbid you from striking against my allies. They stand beyond your reach, their fates no longer yours to shape.
As for the skeleton—let it be known that our concern for its well-being is negligible at best. Whether it crumbles to dust or lingers in its unnatural state is of no consequence to us. And yet, even it shall remain beyond your grasp, if only because I will it so.
You will lash out at neither flesh nor bone. If your rage demands release, then turn it inward, let it gnaw upon itself, let the infernal fire that fuels you consume you from within. But you will find no satisfaction here, no quarry upon which to unleash your wrath. Obey, or be unmade."