Shade Part 8
The wall of stones had finally been bashed dow by the great, undead gold dragon. It's head is leaning into the library where so much is happening.
It's eyes, empty sockets with blazing orbs of energy within, stares at the lot of you.
"Death claims this city for its own. Oblivion is its fate, as is your's."
GAME: Kerbasi casts Holy Aura. Caster Level: 15 DC: 25
"Ah. Heh. Shit," Kerbasi says as the dragon appears. He pushes his geekglasses back up his nose and wishes he hadn't. No one really wants to SEE an undead dragon. No. One. "Kravar, do you think you might hold him off a moment?" he asks. The priest moves to a place behind the large warrior. Not quickly, but quickly, his long fingers tugging into his robe and finding the holy symbol there. He rubs his thumb over it, his fingers.
Deep breath, "Lady, please. It's time for me t'even out m'karma. Grant Your Holy Aura to this battle today, that we may defend against Thul's magics and Heth's --" The priest's lips thin, draw a straight line.
The Grey swells, its ghostly aura rising from the earth as a great yawn. The ether-energy rises, surrounding those present--up to fifteen of them that Kerbasi has the strength of faith to ask for. At the end of it, Her symbol is clasped tightly. His shoulders shake and from afar, there's the sound of a Harp.
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1: aliased to 20: (19)+20: 39
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+20: (4)+20: 24
Kisa stares at it, then her mouth kinda squishes up and to the side as she looks about. Well, I mean, at least she closed that door, barred it a bit, and tossed in some caltrops. But... "VARDAM-IT! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?!" She points with a finger, more like stabs her finger, toward the undead dragon thing. Then looks toward the others, "I FREAKING CALLED IT!" Because she did, she didn't tell them at the time of course - she was worried she might wake it - but she totally called an undead dragon.
A reach back and she pulls free the scythe as she lets out a laugh that's a bit too high pitched, a bit too manic, and a bit too worried about what she was doing as she ran toward it with the scythe held up high. She careens toward it with a flash of adamantine as it arches down in its slice. "HAHAHA! Oh gods...!" And coming in close enough to swing she plants, her front foot, sets her rear, and uses her spine to try and cut into the thing with her bladed weapon.
GAME: Kravar rolls 31: (5)+31: 36
GAME: Kravar rolls 2d10+70: (10)+70: 80
Kravar blanches. He draws his glowing Sunblade and grips it with both hands. He's faced great wyrms before. He's fought the mighty undead before. This appears to be both. Against such a foe he knows he - and the heroes he came here with - will have difficulty surviving a long and drawn-out fight. Their best hope is to end the battle before it truly starts, with a decisive blow. He streaks at the creature with a bellowed battle cry, "STOORMGAAARDE!" before striking at the draconic neck. His blade digs deep enough to have severed any normal humanoid's neck...but against this monster it merely bites deep under the decaying scales.
GAME: Durrankar casts Death Ward. Caster Level: 13 DC: 21
Durrankar, seeing Kisa is pretty vulnerable here, taps her on the shoulder.....and the dragon seems less fightening....
GAME: Floofystink rolls 14d10: (87): 87
GAME: Astaren rolls reflex: (16)+5: 21
GAME: Kisaiya rolls reflex: (5)+11: 16
GAME: Durrankar rolls reflex: (20)+11: 31 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
GAME: Kerbasi rolls ref+1: (14)+12+1: 27
GAME: Kravar rolls reflex+4: (13)+10+4: 27
GAME: Kisaiya rolls will: (9)+5: 14
GAME: Kerbasi rolls will+1: (1)+19+1: 21 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Astaren rolls will+3: (19)+16+3: 38
GAME: Kerbasi rolls will+1: (2)+19+1: 22
GAME: Kravar rolls will+4: (11)+9+4: 24
GAME: Durrankar rolls will: (16)+18: 34
GAME: Floofystink damaged you for 42 points. 138 HP remaining.
GAME: Astaren rolls con: (19)+con: 19
GAME: Kerbasi rolls 10d6: (41): 41
GAME: Floofystink damaged you for -41 points. 179 HP remaining.
Kerbasi staggers as the breath washes over them. Heth sets his claws into the cleric's soul and begins to rend, causing him to shake, his breath slow--His hand clutches at his cloth as he fights for breath, at the--at the--
"No! You shall NOT! You shall NOT stand before HER! YOU ARE NOTHING!" The priest grips Vardama's symbol, and thrusts it towards the dragon, an act of faithful defiance fueled by deepest faith. This time, the Harp thunders, sending a ward and dampening the breath's drain. The music, ghostly strums along heaven-strings, intones in solemn notes. One note, and the fatigue falls away. Another note, and the soul is restored. A third, and the Lady's protection dampens down.
A fourth, and healing energy rushes across the field, with the power of the Lady behind it.
"Keep him busy, please!" the priest calls up to Kravar. His voice cracks.
"Little cleric, you know nothing," says the dragon, it's voice an echoing rumble through the crumbled, damaged library, held up by walls of force and walls of stone spells, now. So much of the treasure has already been collected, but yet, there remains more which must be saved.
The golden dragon, it's scales having long since dimmed, opened its maw and let loose a gout of black flame which washed over the group, leaving their skin cold and pallid and Astaren and Kisa collaping to the ground from the sheerf /awfulness/ of it, as if the void itself that fills the creature had reached out and /touched/ them.
It forces itself more into the library, a clawed paw lifting.
GAME: Kravar rolls 30: (20)+30: 50
GAME: Kravar rolls 30: (7)+30: 37
GAME: Kravar rolls 2d10+70: (6)+70: 76
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+31: (13)+31: 44
GAME: Floofystink rolls 2d8+16: (14)+16: 30
GAME: Floofystink damaged you for 30 points. 149 HP remaining.
GAME: Floofystink rolls 4d6: (12): 12
GAME: Floofystink damaged you for 12 points. 137 HP remaining.
Kravar shudders as the black breath washes over him. His field of vision narrows as if his eyes are closing...and then suddenly Kerbasi's spell pushes back the darkness. "Keep him busy," Kravar mutters to himself. "What do you think we're trying to do." His wing's beat and he flies up over the dragon's head. A blow knocks him tumbling in mid-air, but he manages to recover enough to land on the creature's back instead of spinning off into a wall. Kravar doesn't have time to move up to the creature's head - and in truth the blow might have knocked such strategic thoughts momentarily out of his mind. But instead he raises his sword and reverses it before stabbing it down into the monster's back.
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1 +2: aliased to 20 +2: (9)+20+2: 31
GAME: Durrankar casts Flame Strike. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20
GAME: Durrankar rolls 1d20+13: (18)+13: 31
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+13: (1)+13: 14 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Durrankar rolls 13d6: (51): 51
Durrankar winces as the dragon decides to talk smack. All Durrankar does is raise his hand to the skies...then brings it down quickly. the resulting column of divine fire lances into the dragon....with the holy part of it doing the most damage......
GAME: Thyrson rolls ref: (17)+14: 31
GAME: Thyrson rolls will: (4)+15: 19
GAME: Thyrson casts Delayed Blast Fireball. Caster Level: 15 DC: 25
GAME: Thyrson casts Shield. Caster Level: 15 DC: 19
GAME: Thyrson rolls 1d20+15+4: (1)+15+4: 20 (EPIC FAIL)
Thyrson sends a little red streak up at the dragon, which just winks out of existance when it intersects the dragon. However, a shimmering ward appears near his scaly form.
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1 +2: aliased to 20 +2: (20)+20+2: 42
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1 +2: aliased to 20 +2: (7)+20+2: 29
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+20: (2)+20: 22
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+14: (1)+14: 15 (EPIC FAIL)
Quickly, the dragon leaps back, leaps away and into the air, broken and still magical wings flapping it into the sky. You can see through the gaps as it drags Kravar with it, a blast of magic reaching out from it's body to touch the wings with azure light that serems to do nothing.
The dragon's expression, if it can be said to have one, grows irritated. Still, Krqavar is attached to it and the two of them are now easily a huyndred feet in the air.
However, it's roar does something.
Remember the wights? That were pressing against the window? Without the dragon there, they're finding the entrance it made..
..lots of them...
A low groan is heard from the smoking heap that can be called Astaren. He pushes up slightly and spits out a bit of blood and bits his lip, glancing over towards the dragon and the wights he growls, "Damn it all, everybody, over to me. GOnig to negate that dragons breath. Hurry!"
GAME: Kerbasi rolls 15d4: (33): 33
"You are nothing," Kerbasi says firmly, with an intense expression that doesn't fit him and his nerdglasses at all. He has no wife, yet...and yet, he has his faith in his goddess. He writes her letters, letters that should only be sent to a loved one. It's embarrassing and also horrible.
Serraphine must never know.
She'd *critique* his letters.
He looks towards the dragon with absolute conviction. IWhen he raises his hands to conduct a funeral--right there and then--in which he invokes Vardama's name. "We gather here today in the name of the Lady, the Harpist as She guides these souls towards death..." He recites the Words of Passing as he backs towards Astaren. "Praise the Lady," he says between invokations. Then smiles, and it's as cold as the grave.
GAME: Kerbasi casts Undeath to Death. Caster Level: 15 DC: 23
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1: aliased to 20: (12)+20: 32
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 2: aliased to 15: (1)+15: 16 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 3: aliased to 10: (4)+10: 14
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA D: aliased to 2d4+20: (5)+20: 25
Kisaiya sees the Dragon-thingy pull back and then it takes off and the wights begin to pull in! She SIGHS and starts hacking at the wights as she calls out, "HEY! Someone shove a bookcase over, block the hole and what not, yeah?! I didn't /actually/ want to see the wights of their eyes!!"
GAME: Kravar rolls 30: (8)+30: 38
GAME: Kravar rolls 30: (15)+30: 45
GAME: Kravar rolls 25: (11)+25: 36
GAME: Kravar rolls 20: (13)+20: 33
GAME: Kravar rolls 15: (10)+15: 25
GAME: Kravar rolls 10: (9)+10: 19
GAME: Kravar rolls 2d10+70: (15)+70: 85
GAME: Kravar rolls 2d10+70: (17)+70: 87
Kravar is rocked and tossed and nearly flung from the dragon's back as it takes to the air. It's likely only his grip on his sword, which in turn is still driven into the dragon's back, that prevents him from falling. Added to Vardama's blessings keeping his strength up, and protecting his wings from the dragon's spell, and most important of all keeping the effects of that awful black void-breath at bay. Even so Kravar can't shake the feeling that his every heartbeat is on borrowed time. But the same can be said for any adventurer, really. Tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword, Kravar drives it even deeper into the dragon's back, then twists and shifts it, hoping to cut into something vital. If the abomination even has any vital organs anymore.
The wight horde continues to push in.
Mostly, they're just trying to get into the library at this point. A number of them to turn to dust, more or less the entirety of the 'first wave'.
But there they are, the lost citizenry of Dragonier.
GAME: Durrankar rolls 1d20+13+6: (2)+13+6: 21
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+5: (11)+5: 16
Durrankar watches as kravar carves into the dragon. But he lowers his head to find Kisaiya in trouble. "Tyr.....we must bar the wights....." 'Agreed.' Durrankar stamps his staff and vines aggressively reach up and grab at the wights coming through the gap. That is when Durrankar thumps his tail....sending the wight right in front of Kisaiya flying into the air....and landing on his face. "TELL ME YOU'RE GETTING THOSE BOOKS OUT OF HERE!"
GAME: Thyrson rolls 1d20+15+4: (7)+15+4: 26
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+15: (13)+15: 28
GAME: Thyrson casts Chain Lightning. Caster Level: 15 DC: 24
GAME: Thyrson casts Fireball. Caster Level: 15 DC: 21
Thyrson starts pulling energies from the aether, and looses them in two different directions. First, crawling lightning reaches up to the dragon -- and winks out again! Second -- a speck of fire streaks out and explodes in a bloom of fire, crisping a large radius of wights just beyond the gap.
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+15: (17)+15: 32
GAME: Kerbasi rolls will+1: (12)+17+1: 30
GAME: Astaren rolls will+3: (1)+16+3: 20 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Thyrson rolls will: (17)+13: 30
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+38: (16)+38: 54
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d4: (4): 4
Astaren is still spitting out some blood, but one eye is watching the dragon, waiting. Another spit off blood as he gets to his knee's and grasps his ring as he chants quickly the ring glowing brightly and with a wave of his hand the air around him shimmers and moons in several phases appears, "Eluna, be with me, I have to use my backup for this." wincing a moment and then shouting out one last word, "Force!" the air sparkles and shatters around him. Only to have a reforming shatting directly in front of the dragon and extending down to the ground.
The dragon has a problem.
A big one. Namely, Kravar and his sunblade!
It spins around again, long neck craning to obsewrve him as scales are carved away. The wounds are /healing/ -- perhaps it feasts on the stripping of souls it did earlier -- but it's still wounded all the same. With a roaring laugh, the wings on Kravar's back wink out as it dispels them with its magic, thebn spins once and sends Kravar flying of fits body as it wheels about to turn. Kravar is left floating down slowly.
The drawgon wheels and roars again, coming back down, down...
.... until a wall of forcve erupts right in front of it. CRASH!
The fordce wall shudders from the impact, but hold, and the dragon slams into the ground, erruptiug in a pilalr of smoke.
Gelfure and the Djinns hold the line versus the wights trying to slip into her plane, easily, given all the work you've done.
Meanwhile, the lucht hides.
And above in the sky, outside the buggle of darkness.
"I think I know what we have to do," sayu Brndle.
"Y3es," says Fythe.
"We must attack the darkness."
GAME: Kerbasi casts Mass Bear's Endurance. Caster Level: 15 DC: 23
Astaren grins a moment, "Suck it, basard." looking a little loopy as he humpfs for a moment, "Bought us some time to recover, lets make the most of it."
...some of those wights look.... more powerful than the others.
Stronger. As if they had absorbed countless life essences during the fall of Dragonier. Their feet don't evne touch the ground.
They look... hungry.
Negative energy chills to the bone as they draw near.
The new lords of the fallen city.
GAME: Astaren rolls knowledge/religion: (3)+22: 25
"Lady!" Kerbasi breathes, and the strings of the Harp play over the battlefield. The strength of faith draws it forth--emboldens and armors those present. Strengthens their spirits against the armies of undeath. "Let the Darkness fall!"
ATTACK THE DARKNESS!
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 1: aliased to 20: (18)+20: 38
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 2: aliased to 15: (4)+15: 19
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA 3: aliased to 10: (15)+10: 25
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA d: aliased to 2d4+20: (5)+20: 25
GAME: Kisaiya rolls ScythePA d: aliased to 2d4+20: (4)+20: 24
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+17: (17)+17: 34
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+17: (1)+17: 18 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d6+4: (6)+4: 10
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+17: (15)+17: 32
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d6+4: (1)+4: 5
..the wights stream in on the attack, reaching out and ripping and tearing and slamming into Kisa, a couple of them do, including the one she wounded. The rest are stuck in the entaglement, but these seem untouched by it.
Five... six of them now, actually, with perhaps more on the way.
All the same, they leave the battered girl standing bravely against them.
GAME: Durrankar rolls 4d8+11: (22)+11: 33
GAME: Durrankar used a Scroll.
Durrankar sees Kisaiya is hurting, so he runs up and touches her back...while reading a cure spell from a scroll......
Kravar finds himself thrown from the dragon's back. Instead of wings, his cape is just that - a cape, flapping gently as the magic in his ring catches him and sends him floating slowly to the ground. Only the ground is so very far away. At this rate Kravar's not sure how long it will take him to reach the ground. He's not sure if his cape will ever turn back into wings again. And after all this thinking and doubt, Still Kravar hasn't so much as neared the ground. Sliding his sword back into its sheath, the Aesir instead pulls his shortbow from his pack.
GAME: Thyrson casts Chain Lightning. Caster Level: 15 DC: 24
GAME: Thyrson rolls 15d6: (48): 48
GAME: Thyrson casts Fireball. Caster Level: 15 DC: 21
GAME: Thyrson rolls 10d6+10: (32)+10: 42
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (8)+8: 16
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (7)+8: 15
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (20)+8: 28
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (17)+8: 25
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (7)+8: 15
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (5)+8: 13
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (10)+8: 18
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (14)+8: 22
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (11)+8: 19
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (3)+8: 11
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (18)+8: 26
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+8: (17)+8: 25
Thyrson sets lightning and fire into the lords of the city, washing over them. He makes the gap a very bad place to be but they do remain standing.
GAME: Astaren casts Burst of Radiance. Caster Level: 13 DC: 17
GAME: Astaren casts Black Tentacles. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20
GAME: Floofystink rolls 1d20+31: (7)+31: 38
GAME: Floofystink rolls 2d8+16: (12)+16: 28
GAME: Floofystink damaged you for 28 points. 109 HP remaining.
The dragon recovers with a shake of its head.
"All will empty itself into the Void. HEth commands it. He comes, he comes."
Hopefully, he does not mean literally.
..right?
The dragon then lifts up into the sky and charges at Kravar's slowly falling form, slasing him across the chest with its claws in the process as it whjeels back again agilely.
Blood rains down from Kravar's form.
Meanwhile, in the sky above: "...is it ready?"
"Almost. I just need to put the finishing touches. You know, we only have one of these so it better work."
"Let's hope so..."
"FIRE THE MAGIC MISSILE!"
"It's an ANTI-magic missile."
"IT DOESN'T MATTER! WE'RE ATTACKING THE DARKNESS WITH JIT ANYWAY!"
THOOM!
Their cannon fires off a single great magical missile, a powerful torperdo with a nethercite warhead.
The great shell of darkness that had concealed the city visibly cracks to all.