Darvesch smashes the altar twice with his axe forming a deeping crack in its surface. In anger, the taller vampiress rushes up behind him seeking to stop his blasphemous desecration of the temple. However, she hisses in anger when her dagger is blocked by his well-wrought armor.
Behind her, the tiny dolls attempt to attack Alis en masse. In a whirlwind of motion, the princess strikes out with her mace as each one attempts to get close enough to strike her. The first, the one that was attacking her previously, gets smashed to bits, an underhand swing launching its debris into the air. A glowing red stone flies out of it and skitters across the floor behind the northern pillars. Each of the other three also get cracked before they are upon her.
Furiously, the three remaining dolls attempt to stab and slash at her, but the agile elf girl seems to dance between their strikes, evading them all.
Back by the doors, the skeletal snake with the human skull begins to sway back and forth in a rhythmic, hypnotic dance. For a moment, those of you close enough to see it are almost lulled into lowering your guard, but you manage to snap out of it — all of you save Talvyra who becomes transfixed by it.
The look on Shëakatri's face belies her surprise at her intended host's tenacity. Behind Alis, the tall, brunette vampiress looks ready to assist her mistress, but Shëakatri shakes her head, the two evidently exchanging a non-verbal message.
As the proxy smiles, her spawn ducks away faster than either Ieana or Lureene's elemental can react. She moves to the doors and heaves them open admitting a flood of creatures composed of bones with glowing eyes. There are four tiny dolls, seemingly composed of black hair, children's bones, and twine. You also hear the soft scrape of bone on tile. A long, sinuous skeleton of a large snake, its head a humanoid skull with a snake's jaws reveals itself and slithers into the room after the dolls.
As Priyya walks up onto the dais, the vampiress currently sitting in two-inches of blood in the center of the room looks at Darvesch incredulously. "Are you not going to DO something?!"
It is clear that she is waiting to see what the rest of you do here, unwilling to move while the dwarven warrior is standing over her with his axe.
Next Up: [Lureene], Darvesch, (Sasha), (Spawn), Mal; Alis, Shëakatri, Priyya (delaying) [readying] MAP: Z-Temple of Charelle, (Round 1065c)
The tall brunette looks up at Darvesch, blue eyes full of fear. "Quickly, we must get the circlet from her hands without any of you touching it! The relic has no hold over my kind!"
The dark-haired beauty looks to Shëakatri, who nods in return. She rushes forward and attempts to steal the circlet from Ieana's head, but the struggling spellcaster is able to evade the attempt.
She bares her teeth as the aura of icy flames blackens even her ivory her skin slightly from the intense cold. In frustration, the vampiress gestures at Mal to grab it.
Darvesch rushes forward, hurdling the stream of blood and rushing up behind the tall vampiress. Before him is a sizable, dry fountain. Standing to the side as he is, he can clearly see the glare of the force field completely sealing off the alcove in which Yarzoth stands.
The vampiress glares at his sudden approach, but purses her lips when she catches the gaze of her shorter associate. "Have you a plan, warrior?"
Before any of the rest of you can react, the tall vampiress breaks free of Yarzoth's spell and charges her, leaping over the channel of blood with blinding quickness. A blade concealed within the red sleeves of her gown appears in her hand and she executes a masterful strike straight at Ieana's heart!
Perception DC 22 (Alis, Darvesch, Lureene, Sasha):
You notice that even as Yarzoth's eyes narrow, Ieana's face seems to show a hint of fear. You hear her murmur something almost inaudible against the vampiress' frenzied scream. It sounds like spellcasting.
Spellcraft DC 20 (Alis, Lureene):
You realize that she is not only casting a Wall of Force spell, but she is faster than the vampiress!
Recognizing that Ieana/Yarzoth is attempting to cast a powerful protective spell, Lureene attempts to counterspell it, but her mastery of the arcane is insufficient to disrupt the more powerful caster's spell.
"Dread, beautiful Charelle, severed your 'god's' head even before she rose to her current station. She has only grown in power in the ages since, you are a fool!"
"Oh, how much more noble for you serpent filth to deign yourselves worthy to enslave others. Those who crawl in the dirt in their bellies were born to serve! You should wish to be found so worthy, infidel!"
Darvesch seethes inwardly and tries to direct his anger at the remaining vampire, but she ducks the massive blade. In one last attempt to vex him, she stabs with her thin blade, but it skitters harmlessly off his superior armor.
"Do wait for me, my warrior," she says alluringly before attempting to retreat into the fog.
Yet the fuming dwarf has none of it. He steps up behind her as she retreat and lands a powerful blow on her with his axe. With a cry, she falls, dissolving into mist even as he strikes the floor.
Knowing a losing scenario when she sees one, the vampiress with the wavy, black hair attempts to grab onto Alis instead. Yet fortune is unkind to the blue-eyed beauty. Her dress catches on the floor stopping her short and leaving her open to reciprocity.
The princess gladly takes advantage of the opportunity, sinking her blade into the vampiress' chest. With an angry hiss, the undead creature disperses into the mist, vanishing from sight.
'Lucia' clenches her teeth at the bite of the elven rapier. "Silver-steel?" The word practically sound like a curse upon her ruby lips.
Her eyes narrow as she glances between the three shorter women, particularly the sun priestess and the roguish beauty with the accursed blade.
When Darvesch's words ring out, she lunges, hoping to take advantage of the distraction to fake-out Alis. However the sacred consort of Súmalya isn't fooled. When she parries what the vampiress could reasonably have expected to be a killing blow, the dark-haired beauty attempts to flee, employing the same agile footwork that Alis has.
Darvesch's axe strikes hard, but even as he spins, he notes the vampiress' wounds still heal at a remarkable rate. Still, his attack hits hard enough that it throws the lightweight woman off balance long enough for him to begin moving south.
The dwarf has to step carefully to avoid tripping over Mal or Talvyra, yet as he tries to move past the furious hunting cat, he find that she is attempting to restrain yet another white-robed vampiress with questionable success. Judging by the blood pooled around Mal's neck and on her face, it's clear that she's been gorging herself on his blood while the dwarf was occupied elsewhere.
"Leaving so soon?" With preternatural speed, her tiny hand lashes out striking his leg and he feels a growing chill spread throughout his form as yet more of his life force is drained away. Not a moment later, he feels the other vampire's rapier sink into his shoulder. She coos at him, "Yes, join your taaall friend at our feast!"
Irritated by the interruption, 'Aerys' resumes her natural form, a lithe young woman in a white dress with wavy black tresses and haunting blue eyes. Surprised by the panther's unexpectedly aggressive loyalty, she is unable to break free, fangs showing as she exerts herself.
While Darvesch cannot yet see the pale-skinned beauty, he can certainly see Mal's poor condition and Talvyra's furious defense of him.
At once Lucia's form shifts. No longer does a powerful erinyes stand before you. Instead it is a beautiful young woman in a diaphanous white gown now stained with blood. Catlike eyes glare at Priyya, luscious lips curled back in a sneer that reveals sharp fangs.
In a sultry voice, the tall, dark-haired beauty says, "So what you lack in charm you make up in passion. That is... admirable."
Ignoring the sounds of fighting from the south, Darvesch stalks thru the fog, axe at the ready, eyes searching for the orchestrator of this madness. Yet even in crossing the whole room so that he can just make out all of the walls, his sweep still reveals nothing.
Nothing?!
From behind him, Darvesch hears the barely perceptible sound of a woman snickering, although it is not Ieana's voice. "Poooor brave warrior, sooo helpless, sooo alone..." Sounds like it came from AV14.
Further South... Going ahead with enemy actions since Darv's actions did not bring in-range.
Even for all of Talvyra's fury, it is not enough to inflict more than minor scratch marks upon the shape-shifting vampiress' flesh. 'Aerys' bares her own fangs at the great cat standing protectively over her 'big brother'. Flaunting her nigh invulnerability, the evil woman continues to siphon Mal's blood, the panther unable to tear her loose. As she does so, even the new wound from Talvyra clamping down on her shoulder heals without flaw, blue eyes glowing red in her feeding frenzy.
Rolls:
Perception Checks D 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29
Will DC 17 D 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 30 resistance, SLA, good hope
The vampiress smiles alluringly unfazed by the fact that Priyya is clearly not attracted to her. "Won't you be good now and stand still for me, child?"
Rolls:
Dominate DC 17+2 P Will 1d20 + 14 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 14 + 1 + 2 = 21 mind-affect, good hope P Bluff 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 C SM 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
The attack sears away at Ieana's flesh, burning her badly and she recoils in horror, her form shifting to that of a beautiful young woman garbed in a simple white dress of an ancient style you have never seen before. In the center of her golden girdle, seemingly etched in blood, is the same fanged skull rune that you have seen elsewhere in the temple.
The pale-skinned beauty gazes intently at Priyya, a smirk on her face revealing a pair of sharp fangs. She speaks softly, her voice melodious and exotic, "Clever, young one, yet you trespass in the halls of Charelle the Ascendant. You would do well to beg for a swift death..."
Next Up: Darvesch, Alton, Mal; Sasha, Lucia, Ieana?, Priyya, Lureene, Alis, Grimnon
MAP: Z-Temple of Charelle, (Round 342b)
Good Hope: +2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. R412
A hp:28 = 28/30 Comprehend Languages R1056, Mage Armor R3603 k:15 = 15/15 D hp:65 = 65/68 L hp:48 = 48/48 ghoul fever 1/2 saves DC 16
Mage Armor R3601 M hp:66 - 28 = 38/66 diseased
Int 10 = 10/12 Barkskin R602 t:42 = 42/42 P hp:41 - 7 = 34/41 1 negative level DC 17 Mage Armor R3602
