OOC: Where!?

Oh, no, just kidding, it's not. You can run, run fast, run hard, but I promise what I want from the story will happen. =P

So Maldrek runs, i'll get him in a second, anyone else alive?

OOC: Nope, unless Slither has a AC of 22

Which I doubt

Well, since Shy isn't on too frequently, i'll narrate the situation instead of dragging out the inevitable and have the story progress.

Tonight. HAHA!

(Ok, I'm on mobile, so I can't see breakdowns very well, but has anyone else noticed that there are an awful lot of red (a.k.a. Nat1) rolls for attack from the yuan-ti and not a whole not of critical fail results? There was one on the last page and I believe it was not consequenced.)

OOC: I believe the reason may be that we are meant to lose this brawl. I see no other reason that we would be so stomped without a possibility of retreat. We’ll see if my hypothesis is correct

OOC > Yes, that became sadly clear when Clayton's hypnosis spell produced three new Yuan-ti from the bushes. :) We're harshing on Crispy, but Bree had some standout moments in this fight, and I liked the image in my head of her and Maldrek back to back, teeth bared, standing to the last... of course, she exploded before she got there, and Mal is rabbiting. Literally. With a teensy horn on its head, rabbiting.

I know it is a fait accompli, but for fun I'm going to roll Death saves.

17
1
18
15
15
8

Save! Fail, fail... fail. 24 seconds later, Mal is carrying a much dead Bree.

OOC: Now now, Mal might do a medicine check!

If you guys wanna roll new characters PM me with your new idea. Eventually the yuan-ti force catches up with Maldrek and beats him to a pulp. There isn't much place to hide.

And don't worry Barlow, my crit fails of the yuan-ti wouldn't have made much of a difference. =P

OOC: So we’re all dead then?

"If you guys wanna"

Is the other option to not continue playing the adventure? What level would these new characters be? And would they start in Omu, or elsewhere?

Looking at your HP numbers, yes, i'd say you're all dead or dying. You did not survive this fight.

PM me with ideas if you wanna continue the adventure.

Maldrek runs at 80 feet per round I like to see them try.

INTERLUDE

(Well, THIS is no good! What are we going to do NOW?)
(I dunno, this was YOUR idea, not mine!)
(Well, we have to do SOMETHING.)
(You SHUT up, i'm not speaking to YOU.)
(Oh, you STILL upset about that spear?)
(Ugh, STOP it, you two, they're dying or DEAD!)
(Ok, THINK THINK! We can't move without them.)
(I have an idea!)
(Oh, nice of YOU to speak up..)
(I'm NOT working with YOU..)
(Look, we can settle our difference later, ok?)
(Whatever it is you have in mind, make it quick.)
(Ok, ok, listen up!)
(I like my host, I want her again, ok?)
(Ugh, she's NOT gonna be happy with us...)

The yuan-ti hiss and cheer as Maldrek stumbles, clearly crushed at the sight of his sibling Bree succumbing to her wounds. The yuan-ti waste no time catching up, and as the sword rips through his chest, Maldrek remembers the fond times they had together, and the fact that he actually let Syndra down. As you slowly fade away into unconsciousness, you can feel yourself being dragged by your hair to the rest of the dead bodies of your former adventurers, tossed aside like a rag doll as the yuan-ti hiss and celebrate their victory. Your vision fades to black, but not before you feel a writhing sensation in your belly, and a snake slithering out of your mouth. You try and reach out to Bree, but everything is wet with blood, and your organs cease to function any longer as everything turns to black, the sweet release of death taking hold. If you could see, a snake is slithering out of Bree's mouth as well - the yuan-ti do not notice it. All that was after was black.

Yasei knew this day would come. She kept drifting from life, to death, and back again as the battle raged on. Shariel took a nasty arrow to the head as she retaliated - and then her face was neatly split and she fell - you could barely see a snake slither out of her mouth. No one else noticed it but Yasei. She rolled on to her back. Father..There were so many. This was my chance. I told myself I wouldn't fail you. I had hoped, in my deepest wishes, to make you proud. To make the family proud. But I have failed. I lay on the ground, but I find myself smiling. I have been honorable. If only you could see. If only there was some way to let you know. It was a good death. I have fought with honor. You would have been proud. As Yasei dies, a snake pushes it's way out of her mouth, and the connection between aspect and mortal fades. That was the moment your strength finally failed you, and you died.

Clayton and Slither were the first to see it, as they were the last to die. They held on a bit longer than the others, and the feeling of the snakes exiting their mouths would be a sensation one didn't feel everyday - but they weren't going to live to tell anyone. As you fall to the ground, the yuan-ti stop cheering and noticed the snakes slithering towards them. You fall at an angle that you cannot see what's going on, but you can hear it as you pass into oblivion. 

Yuan-ti screaming. Being ripped apart. Wet, violent, horrible sounds of death, murder, and pain. It is clear from the earth shaking movement that the snakes have turned into something so titanic and awful, it makes the King of Feathers sound like a kitten. They are communicating between each other, in a language you have never heard before, spoken in sound that is unearthly, melodic, and horrific at the same time. The sounds of death stop, and just as soon as it begin, it ends.

And so do you.

SOMEWHERE ELSE

You all awake suddenly and violently where you lay, and as you look around the world is completely lush, and vibrant, and beautiful. It appears to be a prehistoric jungle. You take a moment to look yourself over and realize you're not dead anymore, but you don't recognize this place you've just woken up in, and have a feeling you are not alive either. As you move your limbs around, you are completely unhurt. Everywhere you look, it is beautiful and perfect - and a massive, titanic snake is looking down upon from the sky at you all with a mixture of relief and disappointment. A voice penetrates your mind. She is so large, she is coiled around whatever planet you're on, and her gaze, even here, penetrates your very soul.

THANKFULLY, I HAVE COLLECTED YOUR SOULS BEFORE THE SOULMONGER COULD TAKE THEM. BUT TIME IS SHORT, AND IT IS CLEAR YOU NEED MY HELP. EVEN HERE ACERERAK SEEKS TO THWART ME. WE DONT HAVE MUCH TIME.

The Oracle of Orolunga, in all her beauty, if words could describe it, is a giant feathered serpent - beautiful beyond compare, and truly enormous. When she speaks, her mouth does not move, and in the distance, you can see the shapes of your trickster gods in all of their original animalistic beauty. Even now, they tease and fight and bicker amongst themselves, unaware or unconcerned about the mortals they had just inhabited. Wherever you are, it is not the same time or space you have just come from. She takes a moment to look you all over, and notices that Bree is not among you all.

The Oracle gives you a choice. She will not be able to help you again. You need to become more powerful to face Ras Nsi or Acererak. Chose ONE. If you chose #1, you can do #2 later. 

#1 Fight and vanquish Ras Nsi - you will be resurrected and reborn at level 7. You can keep your trickster god.
#2 Fight and vanquish Acererak - you will be resurrected and reborn at level 9. You can keep your trickster god.

THE CHAMPION OF THE ASTRAL PLANE

Bree, you awake again on a table of light, screaming at the top of your lungs before you realize the blazing pain you were in has completely vanished. You look yourself over and realize that not only are you not burnt...you're not a gnome anymore either. In fact, you can't really tell WHAT you are. You look yourself over and you are a being of pure light and power taken humanoid form. Angelic creatures and warriors of the astral plane look as if they have been expecting you, and they kneel before you. As you take in and try and process what is happening, you realize that it's possible your soul went someplace else. Is this heaven? It can't be. There is..fighting(?) outside? You can hear it. Wherever outside is. Everywhere you look, there are buildings of pure light and structures of gold as far as the eye can see. It's all so beautiful. Could this be the place you were before? During the battle with the yuan-ti..when you surged? You get up from the table, and even though you do not speak the language of the Astral Plane, the angels and warriors of light are telling you that it is time. And you understand. Somehow. 

You are donned with armor and weapons of pure light and gold, and even though you cannot fathom it, you can wear and wield these weapons with such skill and ease - you never knew you had these skills. That's when you hear and see the sounds of battle. The demons are attacking the Astral Plane, and billions of warriors of light are defending the plane. Clearly, you are different from the other warriors. You are bigger, more heavily armored, and armed. Millions of warriors are looking at you, waiting for you to say something, looking over the edge of galactic infinity. Unsure what to do, you raise your sword, and you unleash the greatest holy force the Astral Plane has ever seen against the astronomical numbers of demons from the Nine Hells. You eventually get called into battle and the carnage is unlike anything you've ever known. You are powerful. You are unstoppable. You are a living weapon armed with heavens wrath as the demons fall all around you and before you. Soon, you forget your name. People keep calling you something else.

The battle lasts a lifetime. Then another lifetime. And then another.

You realize that time is no longer a concept to you, no longer meaningful, no longer relevant. Only the death of the demon hordes consumes you. You drop your weapons and shed your armor and realize that they, too, are trivial - you become so powerful over the eons you can rip apart anything with your bare hands and nothing can hurt you. Nothing. Soon, you realize your past life is nothing but a memory, and after a bit longer..you forget it completely.

After about as long as it takes a galaxy to form, you realize the concepts of feelings, compassion, love, and friendship mean nothing, and the angelic forces of the Astral Plane take the fight to the Nine Hells. There, you fight and fight and fight till the very physics of the universe bend to your will - but the things you are fighting can do the same as well. As the battle rage in places no mortal can comprehend - reality warps around you and the legions upon legions of heaven and hell collide in a battle the no one will ever understand, no one will ever comprehend, or never even know. You become so powerful the universe is no longer able to contain you. No longer able to describe you with it's laws. Soon, you learn to create your own cosmic laws. Even the other beings you know fear you. You come face to face with evils, entities and powers that have shaped realities and multiple universes - and further into other dimensions until you are one with them all. You are everything and everywhere.

At this point, what you've done, where you've been, what you have seen - defies description with words. 

Clayton wakes up screaming, “Elizabeth!” He looks around, slowly processing his current situation, “I had the weirdest dream. I was arguing with god about jailbreaks or something... I don’t even know.” However, Clayton shakes himself awake and focuses his gaze toward Shagambi then towards his party, “Now, I’m fine with sticking it to a super lich. However, I don’t know about you all, but I really, really want to stick it to that pompous snake lord. What are y’all’s thoughts?”

"Ras  nsi hurt my friends, yes? I ...want... to hurt him too."

Bree... abides.

;)

Whatever you choose, level up appropriately, and the Oracle returns you to your bodies at the place where you fell. You are the same...yet...different.