It is a shame but I understand. It was a good 4-5 years playing with you all.
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"One down!" Vitalis calls when he destroys the first devil. He ignores the devil trying to stab him but not getting past his hellknight plate and instead steps over to the more injured devil (green) who blasted him with magic. He slashes at that devil twice. "You don't hit a hellknight unless you are prepared for the consequences."
I say rush them, they seem less powerful than they look. And they're outside the range of most of my spells, anyway.
Vitalis boosts his speed and dashes across the room, roaring as he does so. "RRRaaaaarrrrgh!" He takes his weapon and slashes at uniila in the rear.
Looks like they are in no hurry to approach. Should I just move forward? Or maybe move back into the first room to force them closer?
Vitalis glances warily at the row of doors to his right. "Let them come to us. I don't want to get flanked by anything coming out of one of these rooms behind us."
Vitalis' weapon stretches to impossible lengths across the room to smash the face of the devil in front of him. "How do you like that, devil? Your doormen didn't even put up a fight. Do you think you can do better?" ◆◆Extend Gauntlet, Strike (Yellow) (Up to 120 ft.)
Vitalis' weapon thirsts for the blood of the devil that struck Edrakk and Vitalis uses a blessed counterstrike to quench it. "Not on my watch!" Then he turns his attention back to the devil he has been fighting and strikes at it again. Afterwards, he takes a step closer to Edrakk. ◆Blessed Counterstrike (Blue)
Vitalis chases after the fleeing devils and strikes twice and the one to his right (red). "Where do you think you are going? Are you not having fun?" ◆Stride
Vitalis swings a warm up strike. Then he throws out an insult at the munagola in front of him. "Is that the best you can do, you pencil-pusher? You should be ashamed to call yourself a devil. I've met imps more threatening than you." Then he strikes again, this time harder. ◆Strike (Red)
The devils are shocked at Vitalis’s decorum at saying he’s eager to kill them. They knew what was coming. It looks like they are close enough for me to use my Battle Cry. If one does become frightened, Vitalis also now has Moderate Dread on his armor. DC 29.
"We do not have an appointment but Odexidie is expecting us. We're supposed to have a password but for the life of me, I just can't recall what it was. Odexidie said if we forgot it, we'd just have to kill you instead. That's a real shame, isn't it. Tell me, is your desk job worth your life? Because I'd be more than happy to take it. Just being here is filling me with a bloodlust that needs to be sated."
Vitalis gains 9175.01 gp. Wow. I think that's the most gold I've seen all game so far. I'm going to spend my money on: Charm of Greater Resistance (Fire): 975 gp Upgrade the Lesser Dread on my armor to Moderate Dread: 1,575 gp Upgrade the +1 Striking runes on my gauntlet to +2 Greater Striking runes: 1,900 gp Add a Greater Extending rune to my gauntlet: 3,000 gp Buying 10 x Snapleaf Talismans: 90 gp (9 gp each) Total spent: 7,540 gp I'll save the remaining 1635.01 gp Also selling my 5 javelins for a negligible 1.25 gp I'll work on updating my character sheet
The description of the greater flaming rune says it ignores fire resistance which was why I was interested but if we can’t equip it yet, sell it for the gold for now.
No problem. I you really wanted it, I'd give it to you.
Vitalis was going to take the greater symbol of conflict.
In that case, I'd totally take the greater flaming rune if no one else wants it. But I can't afford to attach it after spending the money on the armor runes. Maybe I'll have have enough after we sell. Or if not, we could just hang onto it until I can afford it. I also don't want to be taking all the loot, so if someone else wants it, they can take it.
Vitalis shares what he knows. "Barzillai was interested in the Kintargo Contract. That's the document that has allowed the Thrunes to win the civil war and rule over Cheliax. Why was he interested in that? He's already a member of the ruling family. Unless he was such a megalomaniac that he was looking for a way to usurp the queen. What am I saying? Of course he was." "That document seems to indicate that that trinket will open a portal to Hell, specifically the Fallen Fastness of Dis. I am absolutely loathe to ever step foot on that plane and even more loathe to actually make a deal with a devil. But we need to find out what Barzillai's contract entailed. If he is still alive in whatever form, be it living or undead, or if Kintargo is still in danger, we need to know and we need to stop the threat. This Odexidie devil may be able to translate the document into a simplified form that we can comprehend. But there is no doubt that he won't do it for free. We best be prepared to pay." "And I don't suppose there is any way to discover the password Barzillai was supposed to use? But if not, cutting our way through a swarm of bureaucratic devils is not an unpleasant thought."
From the loot: Vitalis would be interested in the +2 greater resilient runes for his armor and the greater symbol of conflict could be useful too.
Vitalis looks up to the sky and issues a prayer to Shelyn. "Thank you." ”Is…is it over…?” "No. It's never over with Barzillai!" He throws down his halberd in anger and starts stomping on the remains of Barzillai, crushing his husk of a body into splinters. "Damn Barzillai! Damn Mephistopheles! Damn it all! When will the people of Kintargo be safe? This was meant to be a celebration, but instead it was yet another in a long string of bloodbaths." Vitalis walks over to the edge of the bridge and stares off into the distance. "How many innocents did we lose this time? How many more funerals will I need to attend? Can the Silver Ravens truly keep the city safe when devils can appear at any given moment? I'm just so tired of it all."
Vitalis notices the peculiar nature of Barzillai. It seems almost as if he has been transformed into some form of undead or construct. But Vitalis does not has the luxury of pondering the mystery while a dragon looms over him. Barzillai seems out of the fight, at least temporarily, so Vitalis turns his attention back to the dragon that won't stop biting him.
Happy Easter
"Think about how many more centuries you could have lived if you hadn't followed this madman. Now that's all for naught when I slay you." Vitalis taunts.
Vitalis strikes Rivosair once then despite knowing Rivozair will likely bite at him again, Vitalis follows after Barzillai and swings his halberd crackling with holy energy. "No matter how many times I need to fight you, I will do so, if it means protecting Kintargo." Vitalis pulls Barzillai closer and triggers the reaction from the holy property on his weapon.
Vitalis curses when Rivozair reacts and bites him. "By Shelyn, I won't make that mistake again." Then he grits his teeth through the dragon's breath. "I was forged in hellfire. You'll have to do better than that."
Vitalis lays on hands on himself then strikes at the dragon with another series of attacks. Then, although Barzillai has ignored him this time, he steps to a position to protect himself from flanking anyway.
Vitalis attacks Rivozair multiple times then steps back to force the dragon to move if it wants to attack back.
Vitalis' jaw drops as he looks up at the sky. He throws his wine glass to the ground and growls in exasperation. "You have got to be kidding me! What does it take to get rid of this guy?" Vitalis shouts to the other Silver Ravens, "Keep the citizens safe. We'll handle the rest." Round 0 Vitalis draws his potion of quickness and drinks it. He wipes a dribble of liquid from his lips on his sleeve and discards the vial to shatters alongside his ruined wine glass. Then he readies his weapon with a determined glare.
Round 1 "You humiliate yourself with every action you take, Barzillai! Why have you even come here? For petty revenge? What a sad man you've become. You are not wanted here. You hold no power here. Asmodeus' presence has been purged. A new mayor has been elected. You have nothing. Nothing but hate. And I will not let you use that to hurt anyone else!" Vitalis calls to his allies, "Spread out if you can. Don't let the dragon catch us all in its breath." First, Vitalis expands his aura. Then with no other escape, Vitalis shields his face and leaps through the wall of fire. He charges past Thrune to get within reach of the dragon. "Here I am big guy. You want a piece of me?"
232 pp, 5,590 gp, 12,750 sp, 31,162 cp, various art objects and items of jewelry worth a total of 5,875 gp, a scroll of 6th-rank raise dead capable of reviving a level 13 creature (worth 2,900 gp total), the details on how to perform the control weather ritual, three tapers of sanctification (Asmodeus, unholy), and a chalice of justice affixed with a greater Balisse feather. Vitalis whistles at the chalice of justice. "Woo. That's a nice weapon. Almost makes me want to practice using a longsword. I know those filthy Asmodeans weren't using this. It was probably confiscated from when this was a church of Aroden." They likewise feel…a twinge of annoyance and frustration before it leaves—it seems that the exorcising of the bells has made Asmodeus truly abandon this place. "We actually did it. Against all odds, we did it. Pissing off not only the Thrune family but also the god Asmodeus himself is definitely going to come back to bite us one day. But not today. Today was a good day for Kintargo." At the celebration, enjoys the food and drink. He seeks out some notable people to have small talk with and discuss plans for the future, including Octavio Sabinus, Jilia Bainilus, Laria Longroad, and Zachrin Vhast. He makes a concerted effort to avoid any members of the Tanessen family, especially his father, knowing that the Tanessen's fortune and reputation are likely to vastly diminish after his actions to oust Barzillai Thrune from Kintargo. He looks up at the unveiled statues and comments to no one in particular, "A bit much. Don't you think? I hardly feel like what I've done is statue worthy."
You're not wrong, Xavier. I too am a little discouraged by the current speed of the game. I would definitely prefer it to be more consistent. That said, you are doing a great job and I would like to keep the game going if we can push through it. But if we need to end it, I will understand. <3
"Argh! Alien, you've made a mistake. I was forged in fire!"
Vitalis steps in the room to strike at the creature. His eyes need to time adjusting to the sudden shifts of light and darkness and his aim is off. "Don't let it escape. Whatever it is."
Barzillai speaks in several places about an immortality ritual he refers to as the heart’s harvest. He notes that, after spending time researching in the diabolical chapters of the Book of the Damned, he came upon a method by which he could commune directly with the archdevil Mephistopheles! It was from Mephistopheles himself that Barzillai learned how to perform the heart’s harvest! The notes make very minimal mention of the details of the ritual, but does mention that a key part of it is the act of Barzillai ripping his own heart out from his chest. And…it gets a bit muddled here because no one crit succeeded but there’s also something about him then needing to “live out the rest of his natural lifespan” in Kintargo…for some reason… Vitalis listens to Chances explanation intently. ”Well, that would explain the shrine. So, if Barzillai needed to “live out the rest of his natural lifespan”, and we unnaturally shortened that lifespan, that could explain were he went off too. Maybe Mephistopheles took him back. Serves him right. If you make a deal with a devil, you’re always going to get burned. I hope he’s have a good time in Hell.”
Vitalis shares what he knows about these cultural artifacts. Pointing to the displayed jaw, ”This is the jaw of the first high priest of Asmodeus to serve in Kintargo, the half-fiend Algier Mandraxaid.” The pointing to the pair of eyeballs, ”These eyes belonged to Meyib Tanessen, a changeling priestess of Asmodeus who crafted the temple’s Hell Engines back in 4649 AR. My father has spoken of her proudly in the past when regaling the many achievements of the Tanessen family. I had no idea her eyes were kept on display though. How morbid.” Lastly, pointing at the severed arm, ”This one, I know nothing about. Although that’s a holy symbol of Aroden on its finger. Come to think of it, Asmoden was missing an arm, wasn’t he? Could this be his? Too bad he’s dust. Maybe I would have given it back.” When we open the door with the being of light, ”GAHH!”
"I think we did it. If I were betting, I'd say that Asmoden creature was the glue holding this temple together. It'll be a long time before the church of Asmodeous rebuilds its strength in Kintargo, for better or worse. Let's make sure nothing else is lurking in the shadows and then get out of here."
"Keep at him! He's slowing with every step. I'd appreciate it if he took a few less steps though." Vitalis chases after the enemy and strikes again.
◆Stride
Vitalis leaps (or flies) over the pit then smacks Asmoden with his weapon. "You're the last one standing. Time to take you down a notch, piece-by-piece if I have to."
Y’know, that was the bell I had difficulty coming up with a good flavor for Edrakk specifically, so I’m gonna say that you creating something genuinely really compelling out of my half-assing is enough to earn a +3 circumstance bonus to your check, which makes it a success. I agree. Ya'll have impressed me with the bell interactions.
Vitalis steps up to the last bellringer. "I hoped you'd just let yourself wither away (from spirit damage) but I can see that you are insistent on being tenacious. You've brought this upon yourself."
Asmoden’s cursebound and clumsy conditions each increase to 4. "Looks like you are falling apart over there Asmoden. If you need to rest, I'd gladly give you a final one. Although, I'm not looking too good either." Vitalis attacks the nearby ringbearer.
◆Strike (yellow)
"Good work, Jisara and Chance! Keep it up!" Although it is difficult to see with his eyes clouded by the blood streaming out of them, he looks to his left and his right and sees that the enemies have split into two separate groups and is torn about which ally to aid first. He makes a split-second decision to aid Edrakk.
Vitalis steps off the fire then swings twice at the most injured bellringer (red). ◆Stride
I’ll give y’all the chance to reroll those if you want to. At the very least I’m gonna assume that Jisara rerolls that nat 1 since it’s nearing the end of the month.
Vitalis strikes at the Bellringer (green) next to him. (Pushing him SE if he survives). Then walks around the lip of the hole to try to start helping Edrakk and strikes at next Bellringer (red). "Your minions are running thin, Asmoden. How long do you think you can keep this up?"
Vitalis, if you're so inclined, you can cast lay on hands on me at a distance, and I can spend my reaction to use Familiar Conduit, letting you use Thatch as the origin point. Since he's in my square, I'd then be in range. Okay. Will do. Hang onto your next reaction then.
I’m gonna assume Vitalis does NOT reposition using the crit spec, but definitely correct me if I am wrong.
Vitalis is surprised at the bellringer's reappearance. "That was unexpected." Seeing how badly wounded Jisara is looking, he focuses on getting rid of the undead creature adjacent to her.
◆◆◆Strike x3 (Blue)
Making the executive decision to reroll that!
Vitalis steps over to one of the bellringers, putting it between him and the pit. Then planting his foot on the creature's chest, he attempts to push the beelringer off the edge with a mighty shove.
"Asmoden? What blasphemy is this, false idol? Regardless of what you call yourself, you are an abomination that will be destroyed." Vitalis moves away from the hole. He doesn't know if any of these creatures have magics that might cause him to fall. Then he takes a swing as the Asmoden monster.
Then he expands his aura.
I wasn't planning on doing anything in particular to it. There are dozens of bodies left in our wake throughout the temple. Clean up is for someone else to do. Unless Vitalis has a reason to think Corinstian's body stands out as important over the other bodies, he won't think twice about just leaving it where it lies. The way you ask, makes me think there may be some significance, but I'm not sure Vitalis would recognize it, unless there is a knowledge or lore check you want me to make or something.
We could always rest again afterwards or clear the rest without any more 4th-rank slots. I'd hope there wasn't anything left as dangerous as the last two fights. But who knows.
Get those bells. If we don't have another way, can I buy a potion of flying for 100 gp if it is available in the city?
The recall knowledge ability is good on its own but it is also even more powerful because it will increase my mental and bludgeoning resistances since they increase for each hellknight/armiger feat I take.
Probably because I didn't know about it. I thought all the archetype feats where class feats. I didn't realize there was a skill feat mixed in there. I would definitely consider it for my next skill feat.
I vote for resting outside of the temple. Then returning to clear out the last few rooms. Do we have a means to fly up to the bell tower? If not, maybe buy a scroll.
Vitalis shouts at the fleeing cultists and devils. "Go on! Get out of here! Tell your friends the Silver Ravens sent you!" ”The Lord of the Ninth will curse you forevermore for your sins in these halls! Especially you, you witch!” Vitalis screams at the mental assault. "Aaah!" Then breathes a sigh of relief when it comes to an end. "I think it's over. We did it. Barzillai is gone. The ritual is cancelled. We saved the day." "We should probably make sure nothing else is lurking around in the temple and we need to get up to those bells, but at least there's no world ending event around the corner." |