A wave of crackling heat washes over you. Shielding your eyes, you can see a mighty oven at the back of the chamber, its oversized door glowing red with heat. Skulls, other bones and fallen bricks litter the corners of the chamber, and all is covered in soot and ash.
In the center of the chamber stands an obese man, with the desiccated skin of a dried out corpse, but somehow still alive. His head is cast back in triumph or anguish, a still cloud of inky black shadow gouting from his open maw. The frozen cloud hangs above him, rising into darkness.
"Oh dearie me. The King Rat at last," murmurs Dagobert. He ducks prudently behind Vandis before the barbarian can slap him again.
"This is'n nothin' I was paid to deal with. What do you think's wrong with the bloke?"
The dessicated figure stares wide as you enter, pain clear on the gaunt features of his shriveled face. The creature tries to speak but the results of the dark ritual prevent him from speaking.
Soon, the familiar, unwelcome sounds of dozen of bats can be heard coming from the stairs in the room.
An expression of mild concern crosses Dagobert's face.
"Flying rats. I still don't like them, you know. It seems un-natural to me."
The ritual seems it might be vaguely familiar to the avenger.
The Beggar-King seems to have created a small rift into the Shadowfell. Judging by the configuration of runes and ritual components around the room it seems like he has repurposed the nearby furnace to fuel the ritual. This could explain the surprising lack of people in the demesne considering the empty cots you've found and the rumored numbers of the Beggar-King's army compared to what you've seen.
The sound of the bats draws nearer as the Beggar-King continues to try and speak through his smoke-filled mouth.
Dannad drops his tools and draws his blade.
Dagobert wonders if he remembered to write a will.
Umbra Bat Swarm
Dannad
Hawkseer
Beggar-King
Galad
Vandis
Dagobert
The large bat swarm fills the air with their screeching as they come pouring out of stairs leading to the upper level.
Dannad
Hawkseer
Beggar-King
Galad
Vandis
Dagobert
Umbra Bat Swarm
Hawkseer moves into action, circling around the figure he hopes really is the Beggar King.
Dannad sprints forward and brings the pommel of his dagger around to smack into the Beggar King's face.
CRITICAL HIT! So, 17+16=33 Damage + = 35 Damage.
Reaching the Beggar-King, Hawkeer and Dannad open him up savagely to begin the melee. They pay for their proximity, however, and weaken in the Beggar-King's dark ritual.
The Beggar-King, refusing to be taken so easily, raises him arms in a violent, upward motion. Several of the charred remains on the floor shuffle and rise together, forming two crisp and jagged skeletons that move to attack Hawkseer and Dannad. At the same time, the Beggar-King's hand is ringed in purple and black flames before he strikes out at Dannad, tearing a gash through the halfling's scalp as he tries to dodge.
The skeletons then lash out with bony claws.
Galad
Vandis
Dagobert
Umbra Bat Swarm (Aura 1)
Dannad (Ongoing 2 necro/cold)
Hawkseer
Beggar-King (Aura 1, -2 attack se)
Cinder Skeleton 1
Cinder Skeleton 2
The spirit rushes into the fray, slashing at the skeleton before readying itself to block any blows near it.
Dagobert holds his nose and thumps his staff hard on the ground, targeting the bats and the Beggar King.
"Both very unpleasand," he mutters indistinctly. "Add I dode like using this power. Id hurds."
Galad moves about the room looking for advantage, though his attack still fails to cause any damage to the cinder skeleton.
Dagobert's burst sends the the beggar-king reeling, he shakes his head in protest as the blade smoke continues to pour through his gaping mouth. His watery, sunken eyes seem on the verge of tears.
Vandis feints with his sword before shoulder-checking the nearest skeleton.
The bat swarm takes a moment to attack the spirit companion before realizing it is not made of flesh and is immune to their biting, swarming attacks. Also, several of the bats felled by Dagobert's attack return to life and take to the air once more to join the rest of the swarm.
Dannad (Ongoing 2 necro/cold)
Hawkseer
Beggar-King (Aura 1, -2 attack se, 10 ongoing)
Cinder Skeleton 1 (prone, marked)
Cinder Skeleton 2
Galad
Vandis
Dagobert
Umbra Bat Swarm (Aura 1, 10 ongoing)
Dannad deftly ducks around the Beggar King to sandwich the man between himself and Hawkseer, then quickly brings his blade up to slash along the human's flank.
Dannad's dagger strike draws a great deal of blood from the withered king but the necrotic aura surrounding the man continues to eat away at Dannad.
Hawkseer's divine power wavers slightly in the face of such evil, but the cinder skeleton feels the pain regardless.
Hawkseer (pending action)
Beggar-King (Aura 1, bloodied, dazed, -2 attack se, 10 ongoing)
Cinder Skeleton 1 (prone, marked)
Cinder Skeleton 2
Galad
Vandis
Dagobert (5 ongoing se)
Umbra Bat Swarm (Aura 1, 10 ongoing)
Dannad (bloodied)
HP: 28/35
Surges: 2/11
AP: 1
Enc used: None
Daily used: Knee-breaker
The lightly armored Beggar-King continues to get pummeled by Hawkseer and the rest of the party.
The Beggar-King snarls and emits an terrible burst of necrotic energy that washed over the entire party, nearly putting Dannad on his back.
The first cinder skeleton then rises once more to its feet to attack Vandis with a charred claw.
Refusing to be so easily cast aside, the second skeleton returns and slashes at Hawkseer.
Galad
Vandis (2 ongoing fire)
Dagobert (5 ongoing se)
Umbra Bat Swarm (Aura 1, 10 ongoing)
Dannad (bloodied)
Hawkseer (2 ongoing fire)
Beggar-King (Aura 1, bloodied, dazed, -2 attack se, 10 ongoing)
Cinder Skeleton 1 (marked)
Cinder Skeleton 2
Vandis shoves past the Beggar King's bodyguard and hefts his bastard sword at the vile monarch.
HP: 21/35
Surges: 2/11
AP: 1
Enc used: Lunging Strike
Daily used: Knee-breaker
Vandis and Galad combine their attacks perfectly to end the beggar-king.
He collapses to the ground, slain, along with the remaining bats and cinder skeletons. The charnel furnace is instantly extinguished, plunging the chamber into darkness. Through the dim light you can see the cloud of inky shadows rushes from his corpse, escaping into the ruined tower above.
A frigid wind washes over the chamber, chilling your blood and freezing the sweat beading on your brow. An instant later, a thundering groan fills the air. Crumbling bricks, showers of sand, and falling blocks tumble from above as the dungeon around you begins to collapse.
"Good work, my friend."
Dagobert's nose continues to bleed ...
... before finally stopping.
He notes the rumbling with some concern.
"Sobethig wed ub the dower"
falling blocks tumble from above as the dungeon around you begins to collapse.
Dannad sprints for the exit to the room as it starts to collapse.
Galad follows the others out.
The remnants of the ruined tower shudder all around you. The air bears the hard edge of winter’s chill, freezing the breath in your lungs as tiny bits of ash drift down like falling snow.
Looking up you can see the clear night sky, framed by the rim of the ruined tower. Crouched on the tower’s lip, blotting out the moon, is an enormous dragon that seethes and flares like an ember.