Ahmose coughs loudly.
Excuse me. Excited for this next unknown to become known...Sir Tandyn...
The Blue scaled kobold turns to Thawm.
5 silver he gets attacked.
A long table and six chairs have been pushed against the western wall. On the opposite wall, a tapestry depicting a map of Mendev hangs from a silver rod, the tapestry has been slashed several times and splashed with filth. A bedroll sits on the floor, and on the nearby table is an array of alchemical devices and a long wooden sword case wrapped with cords, as if ready for travel.
Ahmose waits. The Alchemist ponders how it will happen. Ogre demon with an axe? Perhaps, a minotaur demon pint sized with an axe? Maybe a group of wacked out, kool-aide drinking, singing death metal backwards Cultists with axes!
The kobold winks at Thawm as the Paladin opens the door!
Nothing.
Nothing.
The Alchemist frowns.
What the f%+$ lazy writing...can a kobold get a malnourished dog, or something! A f@&!ing lame squirrel who perhaps sold its soul! Shit!
Absently counting out silver, reluctantly handing them over to Thawm, the complaining Alchemist decides to brighten up his morning by playing with his brand new Alchemy set!
"Thanks?" Thawm manages, looking at the silver pieces.
She tilts her head and watches Ahmose, slightly confused.
The paladin opens the sword case, studies it, and holds it for everyone to see.
"Demon's bane. One of the most sought enchantments in the crusade and likely the very one Irabeth sold." He offers the case to Aroden.
"I didn't see anywhere else to check down here. Let's head back up to the room with the basin and stairs leading further up."
"A potent weapon for her then. I hope she gets good use out of it."
Cecily heads upstairs with Tandyn.
Dorek pays little mind to the sword, searching around the room in vain for anywhere the cultists might hide a prisoner. "Saba? Saba, w-where are you?" As Tandyn makes his way upstairs, Dorek follows close behind, still searching for his daughter.
Scrying Chamber
The southern portion of this room holds a wide alabaster basin filled with bloody entrails. The outside of the basin is carved with images of warriors around a raised sun, holding longswords aloft. A flight of stairs ascends to the west.
Tandyn begins removing long dangling handfuls of entrails from the basin. "The wardstone and whatever guards it are probably up those stairs." He proceeds to taking armfuls. It will be single file without much concern for our rear." He reaches deep into the basin and begins sloppily plowing the entrails with his arms up and out over the side. "Ugh, we should know our marching order. I'd also like to try some additional preparations just before we go up." He casts prestidigitation. "We also need to know who will take the wand and use it on the wardstone."
Aroden helps clean the basin.
"Allow me to grant you a blessing," says the wizard. He casts Human Potential on Sir Tandyn.
He then casts See Invisibility (3 encounters) and reads his scroll of Shield (2 encounters).
Thawm pulls out the scale of Terendelev that she has been carrying.
Running a finger along the thick edge, she wonders aloud "Do you think lightning is more likely? Or ice?"
Ahmose seems practically giddy, as the Alchemist is busy Brewing Potions for two hours with his new chemistry set!
"Do you think lightning is more likely? Or ice?"
"No idea. Would you mind putting a splash or two of water in this basin?" Tandyn finishes using magic to clean the basin and starts using it on himself.
"Dorek, look into my eyes for a second. I think I've worked out a different trick you might like."
He takes out the wand of bless weapon. "Would anyone like their weapon blessed?"
"Me!" Thawm volunteers enthusiastically, offering her crossbow to Tandyn before conjuring a few waterskins worth of water.
Cecily uses her scale of Terendelev to empower her claws, but when Tandyn asks if anyone needs weapons blessed, she looks down at her hands with a more critical eye. I...
She hesitantly looks back at him as she pulls a silken pair of gloves back over the talons. "I will be fine."
Feeling vulnerable about her claws, she closes herself off, hardens her expression, readies herself for upcoming battle.
She grates out, just to herself, "I. Will. Be. Fine."
And with a pop and a magical sizzle, the air before her briefly shimmers as a magical barrier manifests in front of her.
"Oh!"
Tandyn uses the wand to bless Radiance and Thawm's bolt.
"I. Will. Be. Fine."
And with a pop and a magical sizzle, the air before her briefly shimmers as a magical barrier manifests in front of her.
"Oh!"
Tandyn blinks a few times and chuckles. "Impressive. I know you'll be better than 'fine.' But just in case..." He places a hand on her shoulder and carefully intones a few magic words.
"Alright. Line up and let's go."
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She blinks back a few times then turns away as she feels herself blushing, feigning a last check on her equipment. Y-yes, let's."
At Tandyn's request, Dorek meets his gaze with his own monocular stare. As the mesmerist implants the trick, images flash through his mind - Tandyn taking the sword Radiance in his hands, his constant lessons on the code of an Iomedaean paladin, how he has always been at Dorek's side during the... distressingly large number of life-threatening challenges the motley group has faced within the past two days. And each time, Tandyn has never abandoned his companions - he has always been the first into battle and the last to leave it. For an appreciable fraction of those battles (though not quite enough to make him feel any less the coward), Dorek has been... if not next to his paladin ally, then at the very least adjacent to him. In the orthogonal sense. Generally with his blades halfway embedded in a fiend's spinal column, so there is that.
As Tandyn breaks the stare, Dorek blinks, shaking his head to clear it. "We'll w-want to be ready to fight, my friends. If that f-fool Faxon is to be b-believed, then Minhago has a h-hand in this attack." He scowls and spits at the powerful demon's name. "The Beast of Raliscrad, here in Kenabres! My friends, we may d-die this day, but if we die, know that we die in glorious battle!" Seemingly comforted by this thought, he readies his blades and takes his place in the formation, ready to fight through whatever forces stand between the ragtag group of survivors and what is left of the Wardstone.
Thawm uses the scale to grant herself, Tandyn, and Cecily resistance to electricity. Next she puts the scale away and holds her crossbow ready. She nods to affirm that she's ready to go.
Hall of First Fatalities
At the top of the spiral stairs, a wide hall stretches for thirty feet before ending in a door, which has been beaten down and rent into multiple pieces. Two alcoves on both sides of the hall hold torches that burn with white light. Each torch illuminates a pedestal, on each of which rests a battered and broken steel helm.
Guarding the door is a large powerfully built man, or what would be a man if it weren’t for the fanged bull’s head, and cloven feet. As he sees Tandyn followed by the rest of the party he bellows, ”About time! RAAAAAGH!” He holds up a great axe that looks like it could fell a large tree in one swing.
Wardstone Chamber
This circular room’s original purpose is unclear, but now it seems to be a trophy hall of some sort. A low stone pedestal sits on the floor in the middle of the chamber under a domed ceiling. Atop the pedestal is an iron, barbed cage, and within the cage sits a chunk of softly glowing white stone, the wardstone fragment!
The last line of defense for the fragment is a horrid woman. Her body is twisted by foul energies, her left foot is twisted oddly causing her to lean to one side, while her right arm has been transformed into an insectile pincer. Strapped to her are bones of every sort as a sort of grisly armor. She grips a scythe tightly, leaving little mystery to who she serves in this war.
Round 1
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As the massive bull-like creature comes into view, Dorek springs into action, leaping over his friends' heads and clearing the low banister to stab his sword at the fiendish creature's bovine legs. "This is for my brother, H-Huresk Devaimai-Windstep, dead at your h-hand! And t-this is for my daughter S-saba, whatever you m-monsters have done with her!"
Huffing and puffing his complaining Blue-scaled Kobold arse up the winding, dizzying, tortuously tedious turning and turning spiral staircase, Ahmose sighs at the sight of the Minotaur.
Swiftly taking a freshly formulated form of fun out of his pocket (deep pockets), the pragmatic Alchemist smashes the glass vials on Cecily!
He seems in the way. Perhaps, if he were Reposition(ed) so that our Paly and Rogue can do their thing?
The Alchemist reconsiders his previous thoughts.
F$&* it. Stay there and take this ass kicking!
Winking with his right eye, Ahmose then takes out another different kind of Potion that totally never was True Strike....
Ahmose pushes Cecily.
It's for you.
Ahmose thinks....
The fiendish minotaur's eyes follow Dorek's every acrobatic twist and feint with unnatural cunning, the beast hefts its greataxe with speed you thought not possible for something this large and swings it into Dorek's side. At the last second Dorek moves with the swing, leaving the rogue merely grievously wounded and not dead. The bull headed man gloats, "Puny fiendling, kneel before your masters as you were made to!" He is rewarded for his taunt with a sword in his calf.
Ahmose does his thing coating the minotaur in dragon's snot.
The woman in the next room begins to intone a foul chant, "Lord Deskari! Hear me! Bless them as you have blessed me!" Tandyn's limbs begin to twist and contort causing him great pain.
Round 1
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"Foul witch... hiding behind your"
"giant sticky cowboy!"
Muscles burning, Tandyn dashes around the railing. "For Kenabres!"
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Though he cannot see much yet, Aroden has a glimpse of a possible success in his future.
He moves up and catches a glimpse of the beast.
"A half-fiend minotaur."
He casts Burst of Radiance, catching both the minotaur and the scythe-wielding cultist in a blast of holy power.
Ahmose enjoys his dragon's snot bomb results....
Tandyn advances and again the minotaur reacts far too quickly for its prodigious size. Luckily for Tandyn he is able to deflect the swing with his shield causing it to dig into the floor, sending dust and pebbles everywhere. Tandyn wastes no time sliping Radiance into the half-fiends flesh, despite his “blessing” from the Locust Lord.
Aroden’s plan works just as he predicted with both of the servants of the demons being burned by the light and temporarily blinding them.
The minotaur screams in frustration and lashes about wildly with his axe, horns, and teeth, but since it’s unable to determine your precise location the axe only carves deep gouges from the stone walls.
Round 1
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Round 2
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Cecily takes advantage of the minotaur blind flailing to slip almost past it. Along the way she drops into her combat stance, and once in position she lets her anger at this thing's existence takes over. She rakes her claws toward it with increased strength at its towering solar plexus, trying to knock the wind out of it.
Dorek gasps in pain as the axe strike almost lifts him off his feet, but he scowls at the demonic minotaur's taunts, his resolve strengthened. "This f-fiendling will not kneel to your d-debauchery, servants of e-evil!" Lashing out again, he buries his blades in the fiendish creature's hide, but this time, the minotaur is the one to narrowly miss a grievous wound.
Ahmose peers through the legs of Dorek and the Minotaur to see the Witch being a pain in the ass.
The Blue Whisper gives her the finger!
The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell.
Thawm decides that now is a great time to use her blessed crossbow bolt. She fires at the half-fiend.
She... tries too hard to avoid shooting Dorek.
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"A half-fiend minotaur."
Tandyn quickly averts his eyes as Aroden lights up the room. "How does that work? Isn't that three halves? Half cow, half boy, and half fiend?" He carefully avoids the blinded foe's menacing blows that slam randomly into the walls. "What a spell!"
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"How does that work? Isn't that three halves? Half cow, half boy, and half fiend?"
"THEY MUST BE SMALLER HALVES!" Cecily heatedly explains.
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"THEY MUST BE SMALLER HALVES!"
"OR MAYBE THAT'S WHY HE'S SO LARGE!"
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"THEY MUST BE SMALLER HALVES!"
Dorek's crimson eye flicks over to where Cecily and Tandyn stand as he weaves between the minotaur's frenzied attacks. "They're called q-quarters, Cecily. Look, my mother was f-fully Kellid, and my f-father was half..." He trails off, thinking for a moment as he jerks to the side to avoid the minotaur's goring horns. "...half whatever my g-grandfather was, so I'm t-three quarters K-kellid, do you s-see?" He leaps backwards as the minotaur's axe splits the flagstones where he had been standing, his attention split between the battle and his conversation. "Interestingly, it's m-mathematically impossible for a c-creature to be precisely o-one-third fien..." The minotaur's fanged jaws snap down at his face, and though he ducks, its gnashing teeth shear off the tip of his horn. "...Point t-taken. I'll s-shut up now."
Ahmose yells to Thawm!
Double or nothing, Dorek gets chewed into thirds!