Pizazz's Beyond Annihilation

The giant magic ball in the middle is a sphere held up on some kind of plinth, right? So Mordekai could at least see under/past it to see Kurik down?

Finally out of the storm, Mordekai will skirt round to the North of the giant magic sphere, even dashing to make up extra distance away from Auril and towards Kurik and Kari.

As a bonus action he'll cast Healing Word for 6 on Kurik.

The Kenku can suddenly been seen standing over Zendrak's body. Though, for anyone who hadn't noticed before, the body is clearly that of Badger, the groups gnome wizard. A human skeleton worth of bones, all covered in gold lay sprinkled over the body.  The Kenku lowers himself next to the gnome.  The three undead all died there, and their belongings are laying about as well. He grabs a mace and shoves it into his backpack before placing the point of his nasty looking dagger at Badger's throat. 

In an awkward sentence strung together my a myriad of different voices, he says, while looking to Kari, Mordekai, and now Kurik...as the goliath blinks grime and blood from his eyes, "It is time to surrender. Leave or the gnome dies."

Kurik and Mal's actions!

Zendrak: 28 | Auril: 21 | Kari: 20 | Thay Lich: 20 | Mordekai: 16 |  Kenku: 15 | Kurik: 14 |  Mal : 11 | ThayWiz2: 7

Mal continues along the pillar to her right moving east and then back south, going back into the room, hoping to meet back up with the rest of her companions, and hoping there are a lot fewer opponents in the room.

Hoping Auril gets confused when she eventually passes the hand and continues out into the open city.

Kurik pushes himself up.  His eyes are a little blurry and he he stumbled forward a little.  "What did you say?  I couldn't quite..." he began to say and then he cast his magic.  For a moment things seemed to slow as his eyes darted around then it rapidly sped up having picked his points.  

Move: stand and then walk south 15 feet.  That will put Kari, Badger, and the Kenku in range.  

Action: Use scatter spell to move Kurik, Badger and Kari further north towards Mal.  Kurik will remain in sight of Mal and shout at him.  The kenku needs a wisdom save DC 16 or be transported 120 feet to the NE.

If the wizard tries to use counterspell, Kurik would try and counterspell his counterspell

Kurik pushes himself to his feet....stumbling a bit, and glances around for his allies.  Where'd Mal gone?  It's a good bet she went north if the storm kept following her.  Glancing around at fallen and hurt allies and the gnome's life being threatened, he reacts almost with instinct.  He stumbles a bit closer and then looking around, casts his spell....trying to spread the enemies and allies to the wind.  The Lich is quick with a counterspell, but Kurik unleashes his own counter magic and the spells spray bright red sparks across the space.

Kenku save : 16 vs DC 16. 

Kurik and Kari suddenly appear, outside of the tower structure, on the north side. The storm with the ice queen within it has moved north a bit as well, but seems stalled in between two of the supporting pillars. Meanwhile, in the shadows of another of the gaps, Mal hears a commotion behind her and sees two allies appear, plus the gnome on the ground. The golden bones that were strewn across him seem to have come with his body as if they were stuck to it. 

The storm seems to swirl, but fails to make any headway.  

Kari's action.

Zendrak: 28 | Auril: 21 | Kari: 20 | Thay Lich: 20 | Mordekai: 16 |  Kenku: 15 | Kurik: 14 |  Mal : 11

Kari doesn't care about the sudden shift in space, she barely cares that she may be bleeding out herself, but she does care that the gnome might still be alive if the kenku wasn't just bluffing. So she forces her body to move close the suddenly gnomish form again and pulls out her healer's kit. Thank the gods for her old drill seargent who had drilled into her thick skull the importance of a battlefield medic. As she blinks blood out of her eyes and tries to stabilize Badger she says to the others We need to leave while we have the chance, find someplace to hole up and come back when we're stronger.

Mordekai glances around, seeing that he and the group are now freshly situated outside of the main chamber. Kari bends down and does her best to stabilize the gnomes wounds. It seems as if, for the moment, he isn't dying. 

Kurik, Mal? 

If Mordekai doesn't see an enemy coming towards them on his turn, he'd see Kari tending to the unconscious Badger and cast Cure Wounds on him for 7 hp.

Mal hears the noise behind her as she whips around bringing up the crossbow to fire assuming Auril has caught up to her. Seeing the group and the state that they are in, she puts the crossbow away, runs up to Badger and slings him over her shoulder and then continues her run to the east. (total movement 60' move plus cunning BA).

Calling out loud enough for those close by to hear but hopefully no one else will be able to hear her, "Time to go boys, not sure how much longer I will be able to hold Auril at bay."

The ring of ice practically shrieks in Mal's mind as she rushes away, but her will holds onto the energy of the thing, keeping the interposing hand in place. Behind them they likewise hear a shriek of loss, hate and anger, but it seems the icy hand is sufficient to hold back the weakened goddess....much to Mal's surprise.  Badger blinks his eyes open, and looks about, "What the devil have you all done this time, where are we?"  Not having time to answer, he's hauled to his feet, and then the lot of you head directly east away from the central tower. There's a faint shimmer as you pass through the protective field and enter one of the city's 8 ruined districts. You pass by huge chunks of fallen stone, moving past two large towers before moving down some stairs and in amongst a sprawl of ruined buildings, half of which are locked in a massive pillar of ice that stretches down from the ceiling.  The group of you move into a building, quickly hiding within to decide your next move.  Badger looks about, his eyes glazed and looking thoroughly confused.  "I...I had a dream...that I was tall. And that I had a sword of lightning. I've no magical potential what so ever. Where are we?"  The normally blustery gnome looks more than a tad unsettled by finding himself here, in this state.  "Who in all the rocky holes in the multi-verse, are you?" he says to Mordekai, pointing a shaky, bruised hand.  "And...oh my...it's so cold....Mal....is this your doing..with that ring!"  He grips his own shoulders, his breath puffing out in white plumes.  The faint green lights from the cities street lamps shine enough to leave you all standing in dim shadows inside a ruined building that seems to have once been an apartment building.

Mordekai nods charmingly to Badger.  "I thought we'd met, but it seems Zendrak took over earlier than I realised.  My name is Mordekai.  You must be the real Badger.  You say you have no magical potential...did you have beforehand?  Did Zendrak take that from you?"  Mordekai listens and watches as Badger answers, paying close attention to Quinn's reactions to the responses too.

"We should rest - at least for a short time.  Are we safe enough here?  How is everyone?"

Kari puts her hand out and covers Badger's face with it. Shh shh shh, we are hiding from some very powerful things. I don't know if they saw where we went, but a ret of any kind would be good. Maybe we could take turns resting and keeping watch? She collapses more than sits down, leaning against a wall.

Chuckling a little Mal turns to badger, "Remember that ghost back in the mines with all the goblins or kobolds...well whatever they were." As another chortle escapes her lips, "Seem that ghost took over you body and started to make it more presentable, or at least more like the body it used to have. And well we attempted to rid your body of the ghost but it threatened your life so we had to play along for awhile. Seems when your body was knocked out cold the spirit lost its hold and here we are. Oh right, seems we are currently farther north from when you remember and are currently hiding out in a Netherese city and we stumbled upon some ancient site where some fools were performing a ritual and some Thayans were fighting them. Then of cour4se the Ice ***** Auril joined the combat and unfortunately I had ti finally use the ring to help us live. Which now of course the ice ***** knows where it is, or at least the general vicinity. So our life probably just got a lot more dangerous."

 A smile spreading across her face, "Glad you are conscious and in control of your body again?"

The cold of the icy caverns seem to press in on everyone once again...forgotten for the brief period of that most chaotic battle. The hard black rock ground, and the blank ruined walls of this cities buildings are frozen and sitting or leaning only serves to suck the body heat from your body.  All the same, winter gear and thick furs do their job.  The bones that were strewn about the ground near Badger seem stuck to his body actually and as you limped into this ruin they seem to remain stuck fast to his clothing.  He plucks at them with consternation. 

Then Mal's concentration on the hand that was holding back Auril evaporates as the magic ends.  She glances out of the house from the shadows....waiting...dreading.  But somehow no winter storm can be seen pursuing them...and the hazy green light of the city is all that can be seen amidst the silent city.  After such a ruckus as the battle made it seems uniquely odd that this entire city within a massive ice cave once again is as silent as a tomb. 

Badger keeps his voice down, as he pulls furs from his backpack to bundle himself up, yanking on some fur lined gloves.  He plucks some more at the golden bones glued to his clothes with a deepening frown.  Glancing suspiciously over at Kari he pulls out a set of augury dice and begins rolling them, letting them land and trying to read the signs.  After a moment he scoops them up and says,  "A good rest and I'll have my magic back, then we'll see about all this other stuff." 

Kari, one of her eyes swollen with blood, veins across her body shot through with black evil energy...swaying gently where she stands looks as if she's been killed twice over, yet somehow is still standing....though it's clearly in a daze.  No one escaped the battle unscathed...and between black dead frozen flesh, terrible slash wounds, and magical fire everyone looks very beaten up.

As the minutes turn into an hour, the silence continues and it is clear that any battle back by the huge sphere has ended. Its just as clear that the ice maiden has decided to not pursue you for the moment. Your quick rest done, it seems Badger has other ideas than getting going, since he's completely wrapped himself in a fur pile and is snoring loudly. 

Sighing but settling in a bit more, Mal says, "So we might as well try for along rest as I am sure everyone could use it, As I seem to be the one least hurt, I can take first watch."

(Everyone can level up!  Also, a long rest is achieved without interruption!)

But, also, everyone please make DC 15 Con saves.  There is no immediate effect, save or loss, so feel free to continue with post-rest activities.

When the group is done resting, the gnome figure sleeping within the pile of furs finally stirs.  The furs are pushed off, and a now familiar dark haired human stands up.  All signs of the gnome are once again gone and the figure known as Zendrak stands up.  He glances around at the group as if he'd just arrived.  "We must locate the bones of the dead Lichs from the battle. With these, I shall be able to find their phylactery's, which we must destroy within the next ten day, lest they return to continue their blight upon the world." 

Con save: 26

Kari wakes feeling much better. Seeing that Zendrak is back she scowls and squints her eyes, possibly thinking about something, before starting the day with a few stretches. You have a very one track mind. Would it trouble you greatly not to run off at the first sign of... whatever sign you're looking out for? You're lucky to still be alive right now.

Zendrak narrows his eyes at Kari, "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. What other task could possibly more important than destroying these plagues on the world that have been around a thousand years?"

It's clear to the others though, Zendrak seems to have a one track mind and seems urgent about his calling, to the detriment of the groups health in the last case.

Mal opens her eyes and sees Badger's body is once more possessed and she smacks her forehead, "Oh great, your back, wonderful. I guess let's see if there is anything left of the battle we witnessed the other night and see if we can pick up any tracks or clues on where we need to go to find this forge or whatever it is to get rid of this ring. Hopefully before Auril finds us again."

As their running stopped, Kurik picked a wall and slumped against it.  "A rest sounds great.  Time to recover from all of that.... We walked into some craziness."  He shook his head.  "I bet we could have taken out the Frost Maiden if not for all the others.  But at least we know we can take her now."

Turning to Zendrak, Kurik says, "You like talking out liches huh...  Destroying phylacteries.  You should really take a the time to chat with your host.  Badger there, Mal, and my father went up against Acerack himself and spanked him pretty good by all I've heard.  And then made out of his crazy tomb with a bunch of phylacteries with intent to find out how to destroy them...  There is a thought.  If what ever can take out the ice ring is here.  Maybe it can smash the phylacteries back home."