Pizazz's Beyond Annihilation

Tic responds mentally to Mordekai, “No problem. Oh yes. Um, that is ‘First, summon flame to your hand.’ It’s written with Draconic characters but it’s Loross, the language of ancient Netheril. It refers to an 8 step ritual to access the central tower. It’s not related to the anvil.”

"Then that is that," Kurik says and he begin moving towards the anvil.  When near it, he will give it a cursory exam while extinguishing the flame on his sword and sheathing it.  Then with some undue caution, he picks up the hammer feeling it's weight and looks over at Mal. 

"This is way too easy but it is all we got at the moment," as she walks over ans asks for the hammer, uncharacteristically she continues, "I have put you all in enough danger, this is my burden to bear regardless of the outcome. I have no idea what is about to happen, but be prepared for anything and stay back, just in case."

She will then approach the anvil and take a look at it to see if there is anything special she should take note of or by any chance instructions.

Perception: 14

Arcana: 5

Kurik walks up cautiously to the anvil, while Kari, Mordekai, and Mal watch on. He reaches out grasps the hammer. A voice speaks into his mind, that seems to be coming from the anvil. “Bring me your items of power, and together we shall destroy them.”

Otherwise, as Mal approaches and looks about, and Kurik otherwise examines the anvil and hammer, there are no other instructions, and no other voices or responses emerge. 

Worm squirmed at the sound of that within his head and his armor pulsed with displeasure.  Kurik made an audible "sh sh sh," noise as he tried to calm his passengers down.  He things to the hammer.  "It is not my items I've come to destroy but one of my companions.  He carries a dangerous thing and it should be removed from existence.  It is powerful and has a will of its own.  Will that be an issue?"

The hammer does not respond to your thoughts. The message seemed very scripted, as if it was designed to greet a new user...and was less the welcome of an intelligent item.

Kurik shrugs.  "Alright, Mal.  Let's do this..." he says.  He grips the hammer and then asks.  "Do you want the honors?"

"Please, let me do the honors." Mal will take the hammer and then removes the ring from his hand and place it on the anvil and take a swing.

Mal, make a charisma saving throw. 

Mal Charisma Save: 6

Everyone stands back as Mal takes the heavy hammer from Kurik.  Then she pulls off her glove, revealing her almost blue, icy hand, and reaches for the frost covered ring upon it. She pauses there for a moment. 

Inside her head, growling of the rings ego is like a wall of ice trying to stop her from moving. Though it doesn't verbalize, its feelings are clear. It thought that she would come around. It thought that she would realize how powerful the ring made her. Really? She really wants to destroy it? She could never. NEVER.  It is TOO powerful. She will be like everything else, a frozen remnant, when she could have been a queen!  How dare she?!?  HOW DARE SHE?!?  

Punching through the mental wall of ice, visions of the horrid frozen world pulse through her mind...but she pushes through, grabbing the ice ring, twisting it until it untethers from her flesh...leaving behind a blackened ring of dead flesh.....and pulls the thing from her finger...placing it onto the anvil. 

Even with the thing off of her finger, it screams at her with emotion, rage....betrayal, disbelief, and yet still, somehow through it all, sweet whispers promising a kingdom of ice to her.

She swings back the heavy hammer, and brings it down onto the ring. 

The entire city and chasm shake. Bits of frost and ice detach from the roof and clunk to the ground. As the hammer hits the ring, a vision is unleashed into Mal's minds eye, and the minds of everyone in the room. You witness...a summery haven. A throne, made of flowers, sits within a grove that looks like a wonderous paradise. The ring sits upon a table made of living wood that grows from the ground. 

Mal looks...the ring is still there. She swings again.

The entire city shakes once more. More ice and frost. Outside you hear what must be massive icicles from the ceiling come crashing down into the city.  Everyone witnesses once again a flash of a vision. The vision has zoomed up...and there is a person, a woman, of....ageless beauty and wisdom, sitting upon the throne, you see only her face, with the thrones back in the view...she looks at you, and your heart swells, overwhelmed with beauty.  As the vision vanishes, there is a shriek, an inhuman howl throughout the city....followed by a thousand other shrieks of rage from all over.  The ice queen knows what you are doing. She has brought her legions here to stop you and claim the ring.

Mal looks..the ring is still there.  She swings again.

The anvil breaks. In half. The hammer's head comes off, rolling across the ground, cracked through, its runes fade to black. Once again, the city shakes, more crashing as ice chunks tumble all around, you're all jostled as the tower shifts back and forth. Another vision. The beautiful queen lifts the ring of winter to her finger....her heart stopping eyes and lips smile gently....as she puts the ring on...and then the rings melts away in an instant, leaving only a wet glistening spot on her finger. It is done.

The shrieking throughout the city is now continuous and grows louder. A quick glance out a window shows dark forms rushing through the city towards the tower. They seem to come from every direction, except the area of the central tower that is protected by the field.  A shocking cold wave of air washes through the windows, filling the room....heralding Auril's arrival.

The ring is still there. Sitting upon the anvil. Whole and unharmed.  The smug, self satisfied emotions from the ring roll through Mal's mind. If it shared the visions of its own destruction, it is hiding its reactions very well. 

Tic's voice bubbles into Mordekai's mind, "Do you have any idea what that was?!" 

Everyone roll initiative. 

Auril: 14

Snow golems: 13

Frost Giant skeletons: 15

Winter wolves: 12

Coldlight Walkers: 4

In his head, Mordekai replies, "Uh, yeah.  That was the anvil.  Breaking.  It didn't work.  I suspect we're going to have company very soon.  Should work as an effective distraction from what you've got going on though."

Initiative: 9

Mal Initiative: 16

Kurik stares in surprise.  Then blinks and shakes his head.  The ring is far more powerful than he could have thought, but thst beautiful woman.  She must be more so to cause it to melt out right.  He turns to where Auril comes thinking, "If we can't destroy a ring, we can kill a demigod "

Iniative 11

Kari watched the mighty blows and felt the shaking, suddenly nervous as she remembered the thick ice that they magically waked through to get to the city. The cold wind makes her heart rate spike with fear, and the moving shapes out the windows have her clutching her glaive tightly as her eyes dart around. We need to fight smarter than last time, we can use the stairs to our advantage.

Initiative: 10

"****." Mal grabs the ring off the anvil and then puts it back on his finger, then will move to a corner and attempt to hide. "What are we doing?"

Stealth: 25

The room is octagonal and has no corners to hide in, but there is the stairwell or the remains of the anvil to hide behind. Mal grabs the ring, slipping it back on her finger. The harsh icy cold of this place does not vanish like it usually would, and instead the ring feels painfully cold on her finger.  She grits her teeth and bears it for the moment.  She suddenly feels the impending doom of a presence arriving, and ducks behind the anvil.  

With a "woooosh" of cold air that blasts through the room, a winged but hunched, half owl, half goat creature shimmers and appear standing just inside the room near a window.  Icy cold and pure malevolence ripples from the goddess in her monstrous form. She sees the broken anvil and what must be her version of a smile appears on her face. Her voice ripples through your minds in a harsh, frigid tone, though you can detect some amount of relief in her voice, "Nay, it is too powerful. Give me the ring and you might yet live another day..."

Outside, the howl of wolves combines with the shrieks and yells of strange creatures that close in on the tower from across the city. The tower shakes slightly as something large grasps onto it from below...while the sounds of creatures making an egress into the tower and racing up the stairs can be heard. 

Kari's action!

Initiative:  Mal: 24 | Auril: 23 | Wolves: 20 | Skeletons: 17 | Golems: 16 | Kari: 10 | Auril LA | Mordekai: 9 | Auril LA2 | Walkers: 6 | Kurik: 4 | Auril LA3

 Kari might not be smart, but she can read a room. This creature is hostile! As soon as she is sure that it is within her reach she makes a quick attack, grins and gives a manic chuckle, then swings again as she settles into her attacks. "Are you sure you can take on all of us?"

Reaction - Glaive Attack (Polearm Master): 23 Damage: 13 Slashing

Bonus Action: Rage

Action: 2 Glaive attacks. Attack 1: 17 Damage: 14 Slashing, 3 Rage Attack 2: 15 Damage: 8 Slashing, 3 Rage

Extra Effects:
• Ancestral Protectors - While raging, the first creature you hit with an attack on your turn has disadvantage on any attack that isn't against you, and when the target hits a creature other than you, that creature has resistance to the damage dealt by the attack.
• Slasher - reduce a creature's speed by 10 until the start of my next turn
• Slasher - On a critical hit the target has disadvantage on all attacks until the start of my next turn

Kari lunges forward, her glaive weaving in and out like a snake, lashing at the demi-god, sending sprays of frost and ice showering the ground....as she laughs maniacally!!

She opens her mouth and a spray of ice cold rushes towards Kari. 

Attack on Kari: 14 Damage: 56 cold damage. 

Mordekai and Kurik are up!

Initiative:  Mal: 24 | Auril: 23 | Wolves: 20 | Skeletons: 17 | Golems: 16 | Kari: 10 | Auril LA | Mordekai: 9 | Auril LA2 | Walkers: 6 | Kurik: 4 | Auril LA3

Mordekai transfers his Hex onto Auril, and unleashes 3 bolts of Eldritch Blast at her, before cutting across behind Kari, skirting across the top of the stairs, to the other side of the room (near the east wall on the map if possible)

Attack: 31 Damage: 20

Attack: 20 Damage: 18

Attack: 18 Damage: 13