Clancy sees Istevan wince as he moves and the cleric halts the barbarian with a gentle hand to the shoulder. Taking a look at the injury the big man had been trying hide, Clancy just gives Istevan a smile and a 'tsk' before summoning the power of Justicia once again. If there is to be a penalty for aiding his friends, the cleric will accept it with his usual stoicism. He will not allow fear to make him hesitate in doing what he believes is right and just.
= Failure, Disapproval raised to '3'
= Success! 2 HD of healing for Istevan
It takes a few moments for the magic to flow, but Clancy grins as Istevan's wounds begin to heal. "Faith, my friend. Now, let us end the threat of this so-called emerald enchanter."
As the wound from the emerald ogre finally pulls closed, Istevan stands taller and claps Clancy on the back: "Well! I feel 5 years younger after that -- thanks once more to you and your patron, my friend"
You climb back up out of the cave and into the dungeon. From there, you retrace your steps to the northeastern hall and take the curving stairs up to the second floor of the Emerald Enchanter's lair.
Rounding the corner, you see a small chamber with a door on the far wall. Another emerald statue confronts you, this one more horrible than the last. It is a hulking 8-foot-tall humanoid with enormous hooked claws at the end of each arm and a barbed scorpion tail!
The construct surges forward before you can react. It tears into Zathra with its claws, then drives its poisoned stinger square into her chest! The burly woman groans and staggers as the poison burns through her veins, but she remains--barely--standing!
Istevan charges forward with... not enthusiasm, though not exactly reluctance either... uh... resignedly is probably the right descriptor.
Placing himself between the monster and Zathra, he slashes
but is unable to connect.
Their encounter with the nightmarish monster sees Zathra nearly torn to shreds before anyone can react - and though the cleric's first instinct is to heal the barbarian, he can see she yet lives and that it's likely nobody else could survive such an attack. They need time... and Clancy has a spell that might just give them that. Summoning the power of Justicia, the cleric's hand begins to swirly with a grey, ethereal mist which he directs toward the emerald enchanter's guardian with a gesture and a word of power!
20-23: The cleric designates a single creature within 30' and paralyzes it with a word. If the creature is 2HD or less there is no save, but if the target has 3 HD or more, it gets a Will save vs. spell check DC or is completely paralyzed for rounds.
Mirinde is caught off guard by the appearance of the emerald construct and as the others move to engage she wonders whether the spells that created it could be undone here...
Degan is terrified, after his own near-death experience and after seeing creatures eviscerate his far tougher allies.
He hangs back and waits to see what the spellcasters can do.
Justicia lends her divine might to Clancy, empowering his magic! The emerald scorpion seizes up as it is completely paralyzed! It offers no resistance as Istevan, Roscoe, and the terribly injured Zathra chop and slice it to bits! As it is destroyed, the eidolon shatters into fragments of valuable gemstone!
Mirinde sighs as the emerald statue fragments beyond the ability to be scavenged. Still she valiantly gathers up the remaining fragments, adding them to her stash.
Sizing up the injuries suffered by Zathra she nods silently and awaits Clancy to perform his miracles...
More than happy to wait while Clancy patches up Zathra (all too recently, he was the one being patched up, after all), Istevan invites Degan to come with him to inspect the door.
"I hope we find this sorcerer soon -- I'm about ready for a hot meal and three days' sleep."
After helping identify the more valuable gemstone fragments, Degan goes to inspect the door.
He confidently remarks "All clear here, Isteván."
With the threat taken care of, Clancy approaches Zathra with a smile. "Let's get you patched up. I've a feeling the emerald wizard won't got down as easily. We will need your blade." But the cleric quickly realizes that Justicia strongly disagrees with her mortal servant...
Clancy hears Justicia's voice in his mind. "You are MY servant, and you should be seeking to help all in need - not just yourself and your friends. There is a selfish streak in your heart that must be purged, if you truly desire to serve ME. Seek those in need, beyond your own circle, and render healing to them as well. Then, and only then, will our connection will be fully restored." The cleric closes his eyes tightly, then nods and murmurs softly - seemingly in response to nothing that anyone else heard. "Your will, My Lady." But Clancy is not the type to turn away from a friend in need, and so he dares to call upon his goddess once again, in an attempt to heal Zathra's near-mortal wounds.
Zathra groans and leans heavily against the wall as Clancy struggles to channel his goddess's grace. She shakes her head and waves him away. "It's okay. You guys go on and finish this. I'll just... stay here... and rest a bit, yeah?"
Zathra sighs with relief as she receives some healing, though she is still badly hurt. "Good enough. I'll hang back in the next fight," she says.
You proceed through the door the eidolon was guarding. A long, twisting hall eventually emerges into a large room that is dominated by an enormous crystal ball set into the ceiling in the far corner. In the opposite corner, closest to you, is a flat emerald tabletop, much like the one you saw earlier in your explorations. A few chairs and tables complete the room.
It must be from here that the Emerald Enchanter has been observing your progress through his lair. He is not here now--no doubt he waits for you in one of the chambers beyond!
Unless Zathra has a ranged weapon, Istevan will hand her his crossbow and last three bolts: "Hang back, but do some damage when we find this fiend."
"Too bad. Looks like we were overeager in destroying this thing, and broke most of the emeralds".
"Wow! This guy really dig's crystals don't he". Roscoe starts forward... but probably not first in line.
"I will summon some aid once the battle begins," Mirinde adds, "yet 'ware his words, should he open parlay with us."
Once you are ready, you press on into the next room. You have entered an enormous room filled with magical machinery. Four huge vats of boiling green liquid sit in the four corners of the room. On the ceiling above each vat is a series of chains and pulleys that trace a course to the center of the room, where each track of chain ends in a steel cage hanging from the ceiling. In two of the cages are haggard-looking women who begin screaming for help when they see you.
On the far side of the room is a large mass of machinery with a bank of levers upon it. A green-robed, green-skinned man sits there--the Emerald Enchanter himself! Upon seeing you, he throws two levers up. A grinding sound fills the room as the two cages holding maidens begin screeching along their chain tracks toward the boiling vats. Simultaneously, a swarm of eight bat-winged emerald skulls lifts off the ground behind the sorcerer, while two emerald statues rise dripping from the other vats and advance toward you!
Degan hears the women screaming for help, and although he is mortal terror of the many enemies, he makes a heroic leap to save the prettiest nearest maiden!
Roscoe moves full speed towards the Emerald Enchanter...
If I can stop him I can change everything.
Degan leaps up onto the nearest cage, hanging on as it slowly makes its way towards the transmutation vats.
The two eidolons charge in to attack Istevan with their swords, but he parries their blows!
The flying skulls fire beams of burning red light at Clancy and Mirinde! One beam knocks Clancy's legs out from under him, causing him to fall prone!
The Emerald Enchanter casts a spell, sending a single arrow of green force into Clancy's chest!
Mirinde shrugs off the pain here and pauses until all of the emerald foes come into range then proceeds to slash her wrist here then calls out in a clear voice, tinged with anger and disgust at the machinations of the Sorcerer!
Degan scrambles to get more secure position, pulling himself up and getting a foot between the bars so he can stand instead of hanging on.
He then starts to work on opening the lock of the cage.
Coughing blood, the cleric tries to heal himself from the terrible wound in his chest...
Hand Axe
Edge
"You better back off all your helpers. I'm coming for you".
Mirinde invokes the word of power, and the two emerald eidolons transform back into humans! They cry out in relief as they drop their weapons and rush to flee the room. The Emerald Enchanter snarls in frustration and stomps his feet petulantly!
Roscoe moves up and hurls an axe at the wizard, luckily bypassing his magic shield and injuring him! Istevan and Zathra rush past the halfling and climb up onto the platform to confront the enchanter in melee. Clancy's lay on hands attempt fizzles out, and Degan struggles to pick the lock on the cage he is hanging from. The maiden within begs the rogue to hurry as the cages continue to move towards the trasmutation vats, now halfway there!
The Emerald Enchanter calls out to his patron, Azi Dahaka, the demon lord of storms and waste!
You can hear the hissing sounds of snakes from around the room, but nothing immediately happens.
Meanwhile, the emerald skulls turn their focus to Istevan and Zathra as they try to defend their master! Both are hit several times, one striking Istevan with a blow that leaves him reeling.
Grimacing in pain, Istevan grunts in an aside to Zathra: "I am really hoping that killing this jerk puts things aright -- I don't think I'll have the energy to chase down all these skulls after!"
Degan tries again to pick the lock, but he nearly drops his tools!
Mirinde smiles in satisfaction as the Emerald Enchanter voices his frustration here, but when he calls upon his patron for assistance an icy chill travels through her body.
I am loath to do it but...I cannot allow his patron to tip the battle in his favor!
She again gouges a chuck of flesh from her forearm
"Lady in Blue...HEED MY CALL! Azi Dahaka seeks to thwart your goals!"
With the wizard's attention distracted, Clancy again tries to heal himself, despite Justicia's apparent anger at his choice of actions...
Clancy heals himself as Degan struggles in vain to pick the lock on the maiden's cage. Istevan slices into the Emerald Enchanter, but both Roscoe and Zathra fumble! Roscoe simply misses by a wide margin, but Zathra ends up tripping and falling prone!
Mirinde calls out to the Lady in Blue, and the Emerald Enchanter's eyes bulge as his neck seems to stretch out, as if an invisible hand was reaching out and tugging on his head in an effort to rip it off! He resists the effects, but he starts to cough and sputter, preventing him from casting spells for a few precious seconds.
The maidens' cages continue to move along the ceiling tracks. Only a few more moments and they will be over the transmutation vats!
The Emerald Enchanter swings his staff at Istevan, delivering a crushing blow, as the flying skulls fire upon him, one managing to hit!
Istevan does a funny high-stepped dance as eye beams strike the ground around his feet. Only one of them connects, but the whole thing is enough to throw him off balance and he cannot swing his sword effectively.
"Ooh! Aah! Eeh! Zathra, get up off the floor!"
Degan cannot avoid contributing to the comedy of errors.
However, he really wishes that he could succeed here.
Mirinde decides to summon sone additional flying allies to (hopefully) distract the flying skulls further!
With the worst of his wounds healed, Clancy gives a yell and charges at the Emerald Enchanter, hoping that Degan can free the captives from a terrible fate on his own. The cleric casts a spell that he hopes will take the mage out of the fight for a few precious moments...
= Paralyzed for rounds, if target fails a DC 20 Will save
One creature within 30' is paralyzed (3HD or more gets a Will save), lasting for 1d8+CL rounds
Clancy's spell takes effect! The Emerald Enchanter freezes in place, momentarily paralyzed!
Mirinde summons a swarm of bats to distract the flying skulls. Zathra gets back to her feet and attacks a skull, as does Roscoe, trying to eliminate active threats while the Enchanter can't move. Roscoe destroys one of them.
Degan finally unlocks the cage! The maiden within leaps free, falling to her knees and sobbing with relief. But across the room, the second cage begins to descend into the transmutation vat. The woman inside screams in terror! You've only moments left to save her from being transformed into an emerald eidolon!
The skulls are too busy fending off the bats to attack you right now!
Mirinde takes advantage of the situation here to dash over to the control wall and quickly yanks the lever back to the neutral position!
The lives of those maidens mean nothing to me...though the thought of dealing with those eidolons is not a pleasant one...
If Mirinde has stopped the second cage from moving, then Degan will try to swing over to that one and open the lock as quickly as he can.
Clancy smiles grimly as he watches his magic take hold, and with the skulls being distracted by Mirinde's bats and Degan proving himself quite the hero by rescuing the first maiden and on his way to free the second, the cleric strides toward the enchanter with his warhammer gripped tightly in his right hand. Once more he calls upon Justicia, asking for her aid in dealing justice to the evil wizard.
A heavenly host sings softly as Clancy raises his weapon to strike. "Your sins are heavy, wizard - heavier than those I've yet seen. By Justicia's grace, let ours be the hands that weigh them, and mete out the justice you deserve."
+1 to attack & damage rolls, saves, skill & spell checks for 1 turn
Since it seems as though Clancy has the enchanter under control for now, Istevan follows Zathra's and Roscoe's lead and tries to eliminate the more immediate threats:
Unfortunately, he just can't seem to find his footing after that last attack.