The warlock seems to find some advantage in the momentary flickering of light, and his Wither and Bloom engulfs the gynosphinx in necrotic energy for full effect. The guardian’s concentration is pulled forcefully from Varielky to Auger, and in that moment, the darkness which has plagued you since the beginning of your epic duel with the creature dissipates like steam over a covered pot whose top is ripped off. With this sudden clarity of vision, Auger’s beams pile into the guardian at close range, battering the muscular creature left and right, breaking one of its legs.
The gynosphinx, in pain but not beaten, roars words of power, and from its eyes spurt glowing bonds of radiant energy which whip out and wrap around Varielky, binding her arms, legs, covering her mouth, and lifting her several feet into the air, incapacitating her. But the shield-maiden’s will is insurmountable, and as the guardian bears down on Auger in retribution, Varielky snaps the bonds and is free to act.
(The gynosphinx attempted the spell Banishment on Varielky. Varielky succeeding in her saving throw and the spell is overcome. It is Varielky's turn. The gynsphinx now has 12HP.)
Benita shouts back, “How the flock am I supposed to know how much time we have? They’ve got us surrounded up there. We’d all be dead if we didn’t have good cover. Maybe we can hold them off!?,” she finishes as an arrow sluices away, striking a veteran on the ledge above the pillars in the chest. He topples over, crashing into the ground between Snow and Granophyre. He, the veteran, stands for a moment, before Xurl smashes him with a battle ax, cutting the imperial soldier almost in half.
“What are you doing!!??,” Xurl shouts at Snow and Granophyre. "This place is terrible to defend. We must get out. That way!" He points to the far end of the pool, where the woods slope down into a forested valley.
Then there is a sudden silence as all ears turn upwards to hear the drumming sound getting closer. Not drumming. Huge footsteps. And many hooves.
“It’s the flocking giant. And the flocking imperial cavalry,” Benita says as the battle picks up again.
Granophyre rushes about, not at all careful as he pulls at the vines, trying to see the pillars more clearly. He speaks a mile a minute, having rolled, with Snow’s help, a 39 History check, and is at no loss for theories. Taking the time to check each one out, that is the difficulty.
Snow, when your Mage Hand moves the vines away, you find a series of symbols inscribed over the doorway in the pillar. Following your readings over your father’s shoulder so to speak regarding the Old Mystics, you may be familiar with what these symbols say. Please roll an Investigation check, DC20. Granophyre gives you +5 to the check with a Flash of Inspiration. “After this, I am out of ideas!,” he shouts.
"Hush a moment", Snow snaps at Xurl and Benita just as the body crashes by them. "We are close to an answer here, if only I can piece this together. Perhaps we need a boost", he says to Granophyre.
He looks across to the pair he just snapped at, "That time has come, I need my magic, be prepared". With that he plucks a string on his violin, and channels the magical energy into himself and Granophyre, boosting their intellects. The spell aiding Benita and Xurl ceases.
"I have seen these before, these symbols. Somewhere...". The giant's footsteps pounds down, but he pays no heed.
"My father's notes! They are related to the Old Mystics".
Action: Enhance Ability (Fox's Cunning) on himself and Granophyre (level 3 slot used) Special: Concentration - Enhance Ability - Granophyre and himself - 1 hour Investigation (with Advantage for Enhance Ability: (6, 1)+9+5=20 (Bang on the DC!)
There is a moment - but brief - when Varielky is held aloft, bound by the guardian's radiant energy, during which Varielky must struggle for freedom. Strangely though, it isn't a physical struggle, as despite all strength, Varielky can't break these bonds. Fortunately, Varielky's strength doesn't come from muscle mass alone. Determination, conviction and strong will - developed over many years in the past - which usually aid her in performing physical feats that almost seem impossible for a woman of her build; these qualities now help her in a different way. One she can hardly reason. But she's sure, it's thanks to those qualities that she can somehow break the guardian's bonds.
And now, falling those several feet down, she roars back at the guaridan: "Don't turn your back on me, I won't be defeated so easily by your tricks!" However, alerting the guardian may not have been the smartest idea, as it allows the Gynosphinx to react and defend against Varielky's attack. And yet, since the attack came from above, the guardian's claw - raised to block - no longer defends its soft lioness' body. And Varielky, who lands right in front of the guardian, finds that her short stature has now become an advantage.
Attacking from below, Varielky thrusts Dreygaard with all her might, straight into the guaridan's chest. And the guaridan, one paw raised too high and the other supporting its body weight, cannot stop her, and the red-steel blade sinks deep into the soft flesh, all the way until its hilt touches the Gynosphinx's flesh. On the other side, Auger can suddenly see the tip of Dreygaard sticking out of the guardian's back.
“It is the will of Takal Demesh,” the guardian says with its dying breath. “I have served my liege these twenty centuries and now will sit beside his throne. Think carefully on how you spend the short days of your lives, mortals.”
The energy leaves the gynosphinx’s eyes, and its body sags on Varielky’s sword. You both hear the deafening sound you heard before, a stone wheel, miles across, grinding, grinding, grinding. Everything you see falls into darkness once more.
SNOW
Benita and Xurl gasp as Snow’s spell ends. They stagger, fall to their knees. But they find the strength to stand again, though they both are struggling.
Snow barely notices this, for his mind is quite focused on the puzzle before him, which he realizes he has solved with Granophyre’s help. It is really very simple. The pillars, spaced like legs of a square table, symbolize the four-pointed shield of Takal Demesh. The Old Mystics had been paid dearly by the ancient Cindarrine to develop a magical portal suited to their needs and their beliefs. Four persons must stand, one at each column, and speak the arcane words of power, in order. This sequence will open the entrance.
“But this pillar is broken!,” shouts Benita, as she moves into place beside it.
“Redundancy!,” shouts Granophyre, his Historical knowledge chiming in immediately. “In such ancient magical systems, only two, or sometimes even only one construct could effect the desired result. But all four words of power must be spoken, regardless! Come, come!”
Snow, Granophyre, Benita and Xurl each stand at one of the pillars as Snow, you teach each of them the short phrase they must speak by reading the ancient inscription over each doorway -- or in the case of the broken pillar, from a section of the column lying on its side a few feet from it, covered by moss and sedge.
Above, the thunderous sound of galloping horses causes small pebbles to roll down the escarpment. Granophyre’s golden bird drops out of the sky, a tiny meteor of molten slag which rebounds off of a high tree trunk then plummets to the ground.. Granophyre grimaces. “We are out of time!”
The four arcane phrases are spoken, and immediately a thrumming sound resonates from the floor of the cleft, ‘Vooom!’ The door from each pillar detaches from its column, while beside the broken pillar, the fourth door slides up through rubble. Levitating, the doors join, fitting precisely together at their edges like puzzle pieces. They slam to the ground in front of the escarpment, a 20’ square slab of stone with electricity tracing patterns along its marbled surface. The pillars shift position, cutting through the ground like a paddle through water, to frame them. Now, with a sizzling pop, the stone slab splits in two, forming a pair of doors opening into what before had been a solid cliff face. It is now a 20’ open doorway leading into a long sloping causeway underground whose edges are lit with subtle magical illumination.
At this moment, a tree at the top of the cliff shudders and pulls up from the ground, held aloft by the 40’ tall mountain giant you saw digging in the Imperial encampment. It throws the tree down to crash into the pool below, splashing you all with cold mountain water and crushing two giant hyenas and their riders. The tree’s passage leaves an opening for the roc riders, who perch at opposite sides of the cleft.
AUGER & VARIELKY & SNOW
At this moment, Auger and Varielky appear at the far end of the pool, among the orc riders, who instinctively notch and release arrows at the pair before they realize who you are. You deflect the shots. You see the tableaux before you: Snow, Strewn, La Cass and Xurl at the pillars, which have moved to the cliff face. A portal into the mountain is now open. Above you, a roc on either side of the cleft, a mountain giant having just lobbed a tree into the pool from which the gynosphinx emerged, imperial cavalry lining the edge of the cleft, the avant garde leading the way with shields raised down the pathway at the edge of the cleft.
The giant is 100’ above you, as are the Rocs and C4-C8. C1 is 50’ above you on a sloping path which ends at square H16. You know there are dozens more imperials just out of view over the cliff's edge. There are also more hyena riders off map to the east. Xurl's company totals perhaps 60 mounted orcs.
Auger sees his energies strike the guardian and smiles. Vengeance! Perhaps one more blow and... Auger's thoughts trail off as he sees Varielky push her sword through its body. The action satisfies him and he smiles at Varielky.
That must be it, he thinks and now I will return... to my time... to my age. Right? Auger coughs again. He registers that his body feels no benefit. He is... stuck now? He hears the words... 'Takal Demesh' and is bitter at them. This God took away his time. His short time. The Guardian mocked him as it passed. Use your short time well, it says. It simply was not fair that this could happen to him. Trying to concentrate elsewhere, Auger again looks to the strange sky above them and starts to wonder aloud what has happened here, but he cannot be heard over the grinding sound. Then the darkness takes them again.
Then he reappears. Back where he started. With Varielky. The same place they left. He is surrounded by the orc riders and without giving it much thought, he allows his coat to reposition him so that their arrows pass by him harmlessly. Then he takes in the tableau. Much has changed. The pillars stood in the distance. With Snow and Granophyre. And Xurl and Benita. A portal was open. And--- and a Giant was guarding it? No. That was the giant from the encampment. And the Rocs. And the Imperials. They had been discovered!
Thinking fast Auger takes it all in and says to Varielky, "We need to join them at the portal." Then he yells to the riders. "All arrows at those Rocs!"wondering if they would listen to him. Again, Auger finds himself coughing as he begins moving towards the portal. I'll deal with these, he thinks to himself as he sights the Imperials coming down the cliff face. As he draws energies to himself he feels his otherself at the periphery of his awareness do the same, and then, surprisingly a second other also takes action. This should be quite nasty he thinks, as four terrible beams of colors leap from the ends of his rod and each of his hands. Still angry he is happy to channel destruction for once. Two of the beams have the recognizable characteristic of purple beams and the aqua coils around them. The other two are all colors and none at once, they do not travel in straight lines, jagging here before curving upon itself and redirecting up and leftwards before jagging back towards the targets from the opposite side. These two beams represent a strange kaleidoscope of possible, each only resolving what it is upon making contact with an Imperial.
As he moves, Auger steps on something sharp and briefly looks down, recognizing pieces of Py on the ground.
Details
Move: To Q7, or as close as he can get. Auger hopes to get to a position where he will be out of reach of any Roc claws.
Action: Auger expends two sorcery points and twins Chaos Bolt at level 2, targeting the furthest orcs in range. Let's call it C3 and C4, pending DM ruling on range (120')
Bolt 1 (@C3): Crit! (8, 1, 6, 5 on d8) Auger chooses Thunder damage. D&DB only doubled the damage roll for the D8s so I rolled 4d6 on the side for the rest of the damage. 34 points of Thunder damage.
Snow is jubilant as he puts the final pieces of the puzzle together with the help of Granophyre, and translates the necessary phrases to activate the pillars. He watches mesmerised as the doors detach from each pillar and coalesce in mid air and then slam back to the ground. His eyes are wide as they track the path of the pillars as they now move to frame the slab, which cracks and opens with a resounding pop.
"We've done it", he says jubilantly to Granophyre as he looks upon the sloping tunnel, with it's magical illumination.
And then he hears the crash and splash as the uprooted tree lands in the pool of water, causing death and destruction as it falls. He turns instinctively to watch the carnage, but his eyes are drawn to another sight. Auger and Varielky appearing on the other side of the pool.
"They survived!".
He beckons them to come quickly to the portal, as he cranes his neck up to see the giant and cavalry above him.
"Have your men focus on the Rocs, as Auger has commanded. I will see what can be done about the giant, just make sure if what I try works no-one attacks it", he says to Xurl and the others as he takes his bow and draws it across the strings of his violin. As he does so, and as magic forms within the instrument, he moves towards the doorway and closer to the giant. Then he suddenly stops playing and points the bow at the giant, sending twisting patterns of colour flying across the distance to surround it's head and shoulders.
"Quick, retreat into the portal. We need to work out how to close it once we are through", he says as he moves further back through the doorway, his eyes quickly scanning the interior.
Movement: 15ft to D9 (hopefully that gets him in range) Action: Cast Hypnotic Pattern (Range 120ft causing 30ft cube of effect) - DC19 Wis save (at disadvantage due to the violin). On a failed save, the creature becomes charmed for the duration. While charmed by this spell, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. The spell ends for an affected creature if it takes any damage or if someone else uses an action to shake the creature out of its stupor. Movement: If all appears safe will cross into the portal Passive Investigation: 19 Special: Concentration: Hypnotic Pattern - Round 1/10
Deafening noise, more darkness. But the guardian is dead? Oh, right, they were not in the real world... or, perhaps they were, and yet somehow not with everyone else?
Varielky doesn't have long to ponder that, as soon she finds herself by the pool once more, and this time, back to where Snow, Benita and Granophyre are. Good, that means everything is over, right?
But then, she realises something isn't right. If the giant, the rocs and the approaching calvalry weren't enough, the sound of bowstrings immediately snaps Varielky back to reality. And just on time, for she manages to duck under her shield and avoid any injury. Have the orcs turned against them, now that the guardian they feared is defeated?
But right across the pool, Benita stands alive and well - at least she seems so. And next to her, Xurl. His axe bloodied! But with so much blood, and yet she sees no signs of any such injury on any of her companions. Snow and Granophyre can cure wounds, but with so much blood spilled, some would remain on the victim's clothes, and yet, they're all clean.
What's going on? Who is friend, who is foe? Auger said this place must be the entrance to the core they sought? But the guaridan confirmed. Is this the door behind Snow, which Varielky cannot recall seeing before? What in the gods' names happened while she was gone? And maybe, how long has she been gone?
All these questions surge through Varielky's mind, but there are no answers. Snow beckons, and even if he didn't, it would make sense to get closer. There's too much to deal with here, and Varielky can't do it all at once. She decides to ignore the orcs, confused as she is. If any attacks her again, she'll know their intentions, but they know her, and know she'll retalliate. Perhaps that alone can keep their weapons still.
"Move!"She commands. Whether anyone will listen matters little. She'll push those in her way to get past. Then, she sprints along the southern bank of the lake. For now, that is the best she can do. Once on the other side, she'll think of what comes next.
Action: Dash, running as far east as possible. Not sure how much that would be, with all those orcs in the way.
Status: Rage ends at the end of Varielky's turn unless she takes damage before that.
Auger’s Chaos Bolts fly at the heavy cavalry, destriers covered in plated barding mounted by splint-armored, kite shield-wearing swordsmen, veterans all. The thunderbolt bloodies rider 3, breaking ribs and shaking him like a bug in a jar. Ice covers the next fighter, freezing him in place temporarily, but he flexes his muscles with a grunting yell and the ice shatters. The first eldritch blast rockets into the 1st rider but he takes it full on his shield, completely deflecting the powerful blast up and away. The next rider is not so lucky, and is smashed against the cliff wall. However, his bindings hold and he remains on his mount.
Auger pushes forward, but is hemmed in by giant hyenas. However they are moving in the same direction and all push toward the newly opened door.
Snow’s spell surrounds the giant’s head in shifting lights. It is immobilized (failing its save) as the bard moves, unobstructed, into the newly-opened portal.
The orcs answer to Varielky’s shout, dashing forward with her. By the end of the turn, she makes it to W13.
The roc riders echo Auger’s lead and send a blast of thunder crashing into the cliff face over the warlock. Boulders and rubble rain down on the southerner. Auger, make a DEX15 save. Take 30 bludgeoning damage, or half with a successful save. This is not a magical attack, it is falling boulders. That area is now difficult terrain. The orcs and hyenas immediately in front of and behind Auger are crushed. The creatures yell in pain and are silenced.
The rocs then fly up and bear their rides out of view.
Granophyre, flustered in excitement, fumbles in his pouch and removes a shiny metallic stone, almost dropping it before he throws it, with a magic word, to land at the feet of the leading warhorses. Responding to its arcane trigger, a web of green glowing magical strands explodes out from the stone, temporarily restraining the mounts and stopping, temporarily, the cavalry’s advance. The sage, eyes alight with wonderment, then crosses into the portal after Snow.
Benita looses arrows at the cavalrymen, and Xurl heaves a javelin at the one Auger had brutally damaged, impaling the fighter, who drops his shield and then rolls forward, slumped on his mount. Xurl bellows a command to the hyena riders who spur their mounts and advance at a run, hyena tongues lolling as they yip in excitement.
The cavalry are for the moment halted in place by Granophyre’s magical webbing.
The Hands give healing to two badly wounded orcs, and the company streams along the pool’s unblocked bank. Orcs hidden in the woods wait for the way to clear, loosing arrows at cavalrymen, trying to keep them pinned in place.
Now imperial crossbowmen, who had hidden away from the cliff edge, show themselves, and a volley of bolts rains down. Crossbow fire dances at Snow and Granophyre’s feet.
One missile zips down at Varielky but she catches it on her shield. Another thunks into Xurl’s shoulder. He pulls it out and snaps it in one hand, drops of blood spraying from its razor- sharp tip. Several bolts hit orcs, two of them critting. The crossbowmen then back up out of sight again. The I’s show where they were when they fired.
Snow sees the crossbow bolts strike the floor in front of himself and Granophyre and takes a step back looking to be completely out of sight.
"Back up, Granophyre. Make sure they can't spot you", he instructs Strewn.
That done, he looks around inside the opening as much as possible without coming into view. Perhaps using his spectral hand to help if needed. He is looking for the mechanism to close the portal when he is ready, and also for any possible defences he can deploy to help those outside.
If he spots Granophyre wandering too close to the opening, he mentally pull him back 5 feet.
Skill Check: 15 + (9 for Investigation or 3 for Arcana or 5 for History) Bonus Action: Telekinetic Shove 5ft to pull Granophyre if necessary Special: Concentration: Hypnotic Pattern - Round 2/10
(OOC: did a flat roll, please choose whatever skill makes most sense)
Snow spots a lever in an alcove beside the door which is in a “down” position compared to the others, and theorizes that it could be used to close the doors. Granophyre agrees, as he puzzles out some ancient Cindarrine glyphs that seem to support the theory. There are several other levers as well, in the “up” position. At the end of the causeway, perhaps 100 meters from the opening, a pair of guardhouses flank the corridor where it seems to open into darkness.
The causeway is lit by scintillating light like clouds filled with and reflecting fine silver ore.
Unable to avoid the attack entirely Auger is almost crushed by falling boulders and rocks. His wounds, his advanced age, everything is catching up to him now. Taking no chances, those Rocs would be back soon, Auger moves as quickly as he can, only pausing to release a flashing bolt from the Yemma's Diadem, targeting the same rider he was able to momentarily freeze. Wondering at the next move of his otherself, Auger realizes he has been abandoned for the moment.
Details
Dex save: 14 +2 = 16. Auger takes half damage.
Bonus Action: Yemma Bolt, targeting C4, or C1 if C4 is out of range. 9 +11 = 20. 8 points of radiant damage. Assuming that hits, all attacks against this target have advantage till end of Auger's next turn.
Move & Action: Dash. Auger tries to get as far as he can and through the portal if possible.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky stops and turns, about to run towards the boulders, to pull Auger out. But within a moment, Auger emerges. Injured, but alive, and he seems to be able to run just fine. Varielky resumes her advancement towards the portal, running full speed until she reaches the entrance, where she stops, turning to face the outside. Ready to stop any foe that tries to get through. "Hurry up!" She calls Auger, and then she turns her head for but a moment to look at Snow to let him know she's talking to him. She still doesn't know whether the orcs are still their temporary allies or not. "What's going on here? Are we waiting for all of Xurl's band to get in, or are we trying to keep them out?"
Action: Dash. Running to d-10 (I think, or something close if she can't quite reach that).
C4 is out of range for Auger, so his bolt targets C1. It barely connects, causing 8HP radiant damage. The warlock's dash takes him to a8. He should be able to enter the portal on his next turn.
Varielky dashes to f10, arriving near Snow in the tunnel.
The rocs swoop overhead, and their riders shoot beams of flames at the woods hiding the majority of the hyena riders. Four riders scream in pain as their skin is charred by the magical heat. The beasts howl in fear, and the woods are burning.
Benita keeps her position at the tunnel opening and answers Varielky, “He says he owes you and Snow a life debt. If he was gonna turn sides he would have already! The orcs will go where he goes!”
Granophyre nods to Snow’s command, shouts, “I will look ahead!!,” backs up, and starts moving down the tunnel toward the guardhouses.
Xurl bellows commands at the hyena riders, swearing oaths at them to hurry up lest their first born be fed to the scorpions. He readies another javelin and moves away from the portal. As the hyenas flow around him, he moves toward where the path along which the heavy horses are lined ends at the floor of the cleft. The orc chieftain apparently will attempt to hold that spot. The Hands remain where they are and call their glowing, spinning spears into existence to flank their leader.
Hyena Riders 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 19 enter the tunnel and pass Snow and Varielky on the causeway.
The heavy horses C1 and C2 remain restrained in place, whinnying with anger and blocking the column's advance.
When the Imperial archers step out to fire, the moving orcs, who had held their attacks, let loose a volley of arrows. The Imperial crossbow bolts pass them in midair, and blood is spilled on both sides.
Snow shrugs in response to Varielky, after Benita has had her say.
"I have no idea what the plan is. You have only been gone a short time, and none of that has been spent strategising, we are just trying to escape the Imperials", he says not looking at the shield maiden, keeping his focus on the levers. "I think that Orc chief respects you more than the rest of us, might be you can sort this out, Varielky. You might want to let him know that I can't hold that giant back for much longer, too"
"I wonder if there is something here that can help", he then mutters to himself, trying to make sense of the controls. He is fairly certain he can close the door, but there are a lot of riders and if they are all coming in that will take time.
"He said WHAT?!"Varielky only wanted to save Benita. Saving Xurl was a mere side-effect. Well, it might also allow her to get the rematch she wanted, one day. But a life debt? Where did he get that idea from?
Whatever, she can't spend time thinking about that, now. "Hey!"She calls, as loud as she can. "Snow says he can't wait forever, so you don't have much time before we close the gate, whether you're in or not!" She understands the strategic decision of fighting the calvalry on a narrow road that limits their movement, but for now, Granophyre's web keeps them in place, and their goal was not to kill everyone, but to get in. She knows that will mean the Empire will know about this place, but... they can't stop the roc riders from down here.
"Unless you have any idea how to knock down the big birds, get yourself in here! Now!"
Auger's body hurts. He struggles to move along at the pace he is used to. The hacking cough takes him again. Barely able to hear over his own labored breathing, he processes that the Hyena Riders are going to continue working with them, for now, and that they were going to hold the door if they could until all get through. Struggling to master his own powers, Auger calls on the Yemma's Diadem to support the orcs as best as he can while continuing to move through the portal.
Another radiant bolt goes flashing towards a heavy cavalryman on the path and then, like bubbles blowing out of his head, four glowing balls of shifting energy appear and then arc up and towards the zone where the crossbowmen are peaking out. "Back away if you value your lives!" Auger yells up to the cliffs.
Details
Bonus Action: Yemma Bolt, targeting C4. 8 +11 = 19, for 11 points of radiant damage. Assuming a hit, attacks against C4 have advantage till the end of Auger's next turn.
Action: Cast Ball of Radiance to create 4 spheres per the Diadem's description. Intent is to place them so Imperials will set them off if they move into view to fire crossbows again. Positions: e5, Y5, Z16, V17. 2d4 to any who fail the saving throw and get within 5ft.
Ball of Radiance. You can expend 2 charges as an action to create one to four 3-foot-diameter spheres of radiant energy. The more spheres you create, the less powerful each sphere is individually.
Each sphere appears in an unoccupied space you can see within 120 feet of you. The spheres last as long as you concentrate (as if concentrating on a spell), up to 1 minute. Each sphere sheds dim light in a 30-foot radius.
As a bonus action, you can move each sphere up to 30 feet, but no farther than 120 feet away from you. When a creature other than you comes within 5 feet of a sphere, the sphere discharges radiant energy at that creature and disappears. That creature must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes radiant damage based on the number of spheres you created.
Move: Through portal and then to the side to let Hyena Riders through. e8 or so.
Snow tries, but cannot decode the use of the other levers without further study. His efforts allow him to conclude that the time frame involved will be minutes or hours, not seconds.
Auger’s bolt strikes the armored man full on, however, the imperial expertly turns his shield and deflects the energy, taking no damage. Meanwhile, Auger’s radiant balls of energy take their positions at the edge of the escarpments to either side of the gorge.
One of the roc riders throws a firebolt at Granophyre’s web, which burns away, damaging the heavy horses but not killing them as it dissipates. The horses are no longer restrained.
The other roc slashes at the giant with its talons, inflicting damage and ending Snow’s spell. The roc rider, pleased, shouts an order to the giant, which growls assent.
Granophyre continues hurrying down the causeway.
Benita, stressed and still ill-looking, replies to Varielky.
“You guys saved his life. Orcs are like, men of passion. You, Vee, are the only one he could honorably accept a life debt from. A warrior”
Xurl, oblivious to this conversation, then answers Varielky’s urgings with a snarl and shouts back to her, “I will protect my fighters!”
Then he turns on the very fighters he claimed he would protect, inhales deeply, and emits a feral war cry which echoes back and forth in the narrow chasm. The orcs spur their mounts and the hyenas’ eyes burn with energy in response. Xurl cusses at each rider as he passes him, which only increases their morale.
The Hands send their spinning spears to attack the Cavalry. One crits C2, previously wounded, tearing through his armor like a knife through butter, and severing his shield arm at the shoulder. The man, what remains of him, slumps in his saddle, bleeding out in moments.
Now the cavalry in front of and behind him spur their mounts down the path into the cleft, the lead horseman charging into OH28 and beheading the rider and grievously injuring the mount. The well-trained horses whose riders have fallen move in concert with those surrounding them.
More hyena riders stream through the portal: Riders 10, 18, 20, 21, 22-31, 38, 40, taking pot-shots at the imperial crossbowmen, who likewise rain missiles on the orcs and hyenas.
I3, I6, I11 and I13 take damage from the explosion of Auger’s radiant spheres, I3 & I13 disintegrating in brilliant energy.
Many orcs are wounded by missile fire as the giant, with its enormous motions, now climbs down the chasm wall half-way, using trees and boulders as handholds to control its descent.
The four of you are now inside the portal and with orcs rushing in can barely see what is happening outside the doors. Flames still burn at the far end of the pool, and smoke begins to fill the chasm. In the opposite direction, inside, at the end of the causeway, perhaps 100 meters from the opening, a pair of guardhouses flank the corridor where it seems to open into darkness. Granophyre is 100 feet ahead of you in that direction, as are the lead hyena riders.
As told above, the causeway is lit by scintillating silver light that slowly shifts like cloudy skies.
I’m not posting a map this time, you’ll need to work with what you most recently saw outside the portal.
Orc riders streaming in. Crossbow fire continues from above. Auger feels each of the Yemma's globes expend their energy and go out. There was some kind of rumbly sound, which had to be the Giant moving. Auger looks back through the portal. Did the other orcs leave the trees, are more still coming?
"Can we close this portal?"Auger asks, though unsure if he can be heard over the thrumming feet of the Hyena Riders. Auger realizes that Xurl and his Hands are standing their ground and does what he can to support them, focusing his attacks on the Imperial cavalry as best he can. This time he releases another bolt from the Diadem and then gathers himself enough to release his own twisting energies. With so much going on, he cannot tell if he gets clean shots or not. After doing so he steps back and to the side out of view.
Details
Auger will focus his fire on a single target unless it goes down. Am rolling two dice because not sure whether advantage (from Yemma bolt) or disadvantage will come into play. It seems like C1 is still up, so that one is the lucky customer at least to start.
Move: Steps so he can clearly see out of the portal, but not be run over by a hyena.
Bonus Action: Yemma Bolt. (7,16) +11 = 18 or 27 to hit. 10 points of radiant damage.
Snow looks across to Auger, and is a little taken aback at the sight of his companion, who has aged so much in such a short time.
"Yes, I believe I can close the portal, but how long it takes is anyone's guess. And getting all those Orcs inside is problematic. We need Xurl in here to control them as well, and he doesn't seem inclined to get inside before all his troops", he says in answer.
Having given up on determining the usefulness of the other levers, he stands by the lever he believes will close the portal, ready to use it as soon as everyone is inside. He keeps an eye on proceedings outside the portal as best he can, ready to avoid danger if it comes his way.
AUGER & VARIELKY
The warlock seems to find some advantage in the momentary flickering of light, and his Wither and Bloom engulfs the gynosphinx in necrotic energy for full effect. The guardian’s concentration is pulled forcefully from Varielky to Auger, and in that moment, the darkness which has plagued you since the beginning of your epic duel with the creature dissipates like steam over a covered pot whose top is ripped off. With this sudden clarity of vision, Auger’s beams pile into the guardian at close range, battering the muscular creature left and right, breaking one of its legs.
The gynosphinx, in pain but not beaten, roars words of power, and from its eyes spurt glowing bonds of radiant energy which whip out and wrap around Varielky, binding her arms, legs, covering her mouth, and lifting her several feet into the air, incapacitating her. But the shield-maiden’s will is insurmountable, and as the guardian bears down on Auger in retribution, Varielky snaps the bonds and is free to act.
(The gynosphinx attempted the spell Banishment on Varielky. Varielky succeeding in her saving throw and the spell is overcome. It is Varielky's turn. The gynsphinx now has 12HP.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
SNOW
Benita shouts back, “How the flock am I supposed to know how much time we have? They’ve got us surrounded up there. We’d all be dead if we didn’t have good cover. Maybe we can hold them off!?,” she finishes as an arrow sluices away, striking a veteran on the ledge above the pillars in the chest. He topples over, crashing into the ground between Snow and Granophyre. He, the veteran, stands for a moment, before Xurl smashes him with a battle ax, cutting the imperial soldier almost in half.
“What are you doing!!??,” Xurl shouts at Snow and Granophyre. "This place is terrible to defend. We must get out. That way!" He points to the far end of the pool, where the woods slope down into a forested valley.
Then there is a sudden silence as all ears turn upwards to hear the drumming sound getting closer. Not drumming. Huge footsteps. And many hooves.
“It’s the flocking giant. And the flocking imperial cavalry,” Benita says as the battle picks up again.
Granophyre rushes about, not at all careful as he pulls at the vines, trying to see the pillars more clearly. He speaks a mile a minute, having rolled, with Snow’s help, a 39 History check, and is at no loss for theories. Taking the time to check each one out, that is the difficulty.
Snow, when your Mage Hand moves the vines away, you find a series of symbols inscribed over the doorway in the pillar. Following your readings over your father’s shoulder so to speak regarding the Old Mystics, you may be familiar with what these symbols say. Please roll an Investigation check, DC20. Granophyre gives you +5 to the check with a Flash of Inspiration. “After this, I am out of ideas!,” he shouts.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Hush a moment", Snow snaps at Xurl and Benita just as the body crashes by them. "We are close to an answer here, if only I can piece this together. Perhaps we need a boost", he says to Granophyre.
He looks across to the pair he just snapped at, "That time has come, I need my magic, be prepared". With that he plucks a string on his violin, and channels the magical energy into himself and Granophyre, boosting their intellects. The spell aiding Benita and Xurl ceases.
"I have seen these before, these symbols. Somewhere...". The giant's footsteps pounds down, but he pays no heed.
"My father's notes! They are related to the Old Mystics".
Action: Enhance Ability (Fox's Cunning) on himself and Granophyre (level 3 slot used)
Special: Concentration - Enhance Ability - Granophyre and himself - 1 hour
Investigation (with Advantage for Enhance Ability: (6,
1)+9+5=20 (Bang on the DC!)There is a moment - but brief - when Varielky is held aloft, bound by the guardian's radiant energy, during which Varielky must struggle for freedom. Strangely though, it isn't a physical struggle, as despite all strength, Varielky can't break these bonds. Fortunately, Varielky's strength doesn't come from muscle mass alone. Determination, conviction and strong will - developed over many years in the past - which usually aid her in performing physical feats that almost seem impossible for a woman of her build; these qualities now help her in a different way. One she can hardly reason. But she's sure, it's thanks to those qualities that she can somehow break the guardian's bonds.
And now, falling those several feet down, she roars back at the guaridan: "Don't turn your back on me, I won't be defeated so easily by your tricks!" However, alerting the guardian may not have been the smartest idea, as it allows the Gynosphinx to react and defend against Varielky's attack. And yet, since the attack came from above, the guardian's claw - raised to block - no longer defends its soft lioness' body. And Varielky, who lands right in front of the guardian, finds that her short stature has now become an advantage.
Attacking from below, Varielky thrusts Dreygaard with all her might, straight into the guaridan's chest. And the guaridan, one paw raised too high and the other supporting its body weight, cannot stop her, and the red-steel blade sinks deep into the soft flesh, all the way until its hilt touches the Gynosphinx's flesh. On the other side, Auger can suddenly see the tip of Dreygaard sticking out of the guardian's back.
Status: Rage (4/10).
Action: Attack.
Attack #1: 4+11=15, miss.
Attack #2: 6+11=17, 3+11=14 damage.
Varielky
AUGER and VARIELKY
“It is the will of Takal Demesh,” the guardian says with its dying breath. “I have served my liege these twenty centuries and now will sit beside his throne. Think carefully on how you spend the short days of your lives, mortals.”
The energy leaves the gynosphinx’s eyes, and its body sags on Varielky’s sword. You both hear the deafening sound you heard before, a stone wheel, miles across, grinding, grinding, grinding. Everything you see falls into darkness once more.
SNOW
Benita and Xurl gasp as Snow’s spell ends. They stagger, fall to their knees. But they find the strength to stand again, though they both are struggling.
Snow barely notices this, for his mind is quite focused on the puzzle before him, which he realizes he has solved with Granophyre’s help. It is really very simple. The pillars, spaced like legs of a square table, symbolize the four-pointed shield of Takal Demesh. The Old Mystics had been paid dearly by the ancient Cindarrine to develop a magical portal suited to their needs and their beliefs. Four persons must stand, one at each column, and speak the arcane words of power, in order. This sequence will open the entrance.
“But this pillar is broken!,” shouts Benita, as she moves into place beside it.
“Redundancy!,” shouts Granophyre, his Historical knowledge chiming in immediately. “In such ancient magical systems, only two, or sometimes even only one construct could effect the desired result. But all four words of power must be spoken, regardless! Come, come!”
Snow, Granophyre, Benita and Xurl each stand at one of the pillars as Snow, you teach each of them the short phrase they must speak by reading the ancient inscription over each doorway -- or in the case of the broken pillar, from a section of the column lying on its side a few feet from it, covered by moss and sedge.
Above, the thunderous sound of galloping horses causes small pebbles to roll down the escarpment. Granophyre’s golden bird drops out of the sky, a tiny meteor of molten slag which rebounds off of a high tree trunk then plummets to the ground.. Granophyre grimaces. “We are out of time!”
The four arcane phrases are spoken, and immediately a thrumming sound resonates from the floor of the cleft, ‘Vooom!’ The door from each pillar detaches from its column, while beside the broken pillar, the fourth door slides up through rubble. Levitating, the doors join, fitting precisely together at their edges like puzzle pieces. They slam to the ground in front of the escarpment, a 20’ square slab of stone with electricity tracing patterns along its marbled surface. The pillars shift position, cutting through the ground like a paddle through water, to frame them. Now, with a sizzling pop, the stone slab splits in two, forming a pair of doors opening into what before had been a solid cliff face. It is now a 20’ open doorway leading into a long sloping causeway underground whose edges are lit with subtle magical illumination.
At this moment, a tree at the top of the cliff shudders and pulls up from the ground, held aloft by the 40’ tall mountain giant you saw digging in the Imperial encampment. It throws the tree down to crash into the pool below, splashing you all with cold mountain water and crushing two giant hyenas and their riders. The tree’s passage leaves an opening for the roc riders, who perch at opposite sides of the cleft.
AUGER & VARIELKY & SNOW
At this moment, Auger and Varielky appear at the far end of the pool, among the orc riders, who instinctively notch and release arrows at the pair before they realize who you are. You deflect the shots. You see the tableaux before you: Snow, Strewn, La Cass and Xurl at the pillars, which have moved to the cliff face. A portal into the mountain is now open. Above you, a roc on either side of the cleft, a mountain giant having just lobbed a tree into the pool from which the gynosphinx emerged, imperial cavalry lining the edge of the cleft, the avant garde leading the way with shields raised down the pathway at the edge of the cleft.
You are now situated like so.
The giant is 100’ above you, as are the Rocs and C4-C8. C1 is 50’ above you on a sloping path which ends at square H16. You know there are dozens more imperials just out of view over the cliff's edge. There are also more hyena riders off map to the east. Xurl's company totals perhaps 60 mounted orcs.
We are in initiative as follows:
Heroes
Rocs
NPCs
Cavalry
Orcs & Hyenas
Giant
//
Heroes may post in any order.
Please post actions for Round 1.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Auger sees his energies strike the guardian and smiles. Vengeance! Perhaps one more blow and... Auger's thoughts trail off as he sees Varielky push her sword through its body. The action satisfies him and he smiles at Varielky.
That must be it, he thinks and now I will return... to my time... to my age. Right? Auger coughs again. He registers that his body feels no benefit. He is... stuck now? He hears the words... 'Takal Demesh' and is bitter at them. This God took away his time. His short time. The Guardian mocked him as it passed. Use your short time well, it says. It simply was not fair that this could happen to him. Trying to concentrate elsewhere, Auger again looks to the strange sky above them and starts to wonder aloud what has happened here, but he cannot be heard over the grinding sound. Then the darkness takes them again.
Then he reappears. Back where he started. With Varielky. The same place they left. He is surrounded by the orc riders and without giving it much thought, he allows his coat to reposition him so that their arrows pass by him harmlessly. Then he takes in the tableau. Much has changed. The pillars stood in the distance. With Snow and Granophyre. And Xurl and Benita. A portal was open. And--- and a Giant was guarding it? No. That was the giant from the encampment. And the Rocs. And the Imperials. They had been discovered!
Thinking fast Auger takes it all in and says to Varielky, "We need to join them at the portal." Then he yells to the riders. "All arrows at those Rocs!" wondering if they would listen to him. Again, Auger finds himself coughing as he begins moving towards the portal. I'll deal with these, he thinks to himself as he sights the Imperials coming down the cliff face. As he draws energies to himself he feels his otherself at the periphery of his awareness do the same, and then, surprisingly a second other also takes action. This should be quite nasty he thinks, as four terrible beams of colors leap from the ends of his rod and each of his hands. Still angry he is happy to channel destruction for once. Two of the beams have the recognizable characteristic of purple beams and the aqua coils around them. The other two are all colors and none at once, they do not travel in straight lines, jagging here before curving upon itself and redirecting up and leftwards before jagging back towards the targets from the opposite side. These two beams represent a strange kaleidoscope of possible, each only resolving what it is upon making contact with an Imperial.
As he moves, Auger steps on something sharp and briefly looks down, recognizing pieces of Py on the ground.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Snow is jubilant as he puts the final pieces of the puzzle together with the help of Granophyre, and translates the necessary phrases to activate the pillars. He watches mesmerised as the doors detach from each pillar and coalesce in mid air and then slam back to the ground. His eyes are wide as they track the path of the pillars as they now move to frame the slab, which cracks and opens with a resounding pop.
"We've done it", he says jubilantly to Granophyre as he looks upon the sloping tunnel, with it's magical illumination.
And then he hears the crash and splash as the uprooted tree lands in the pool of water, causing death and destruction as it falls. He turns instinctively to watch the carnage, but his eyes are drawn to another sight. Auger and Varielky appearing on the other side of the pool.
"They survived!".
He beckons them to come quickly to the portal, as he cranes his neck up to see the giant and cavalry above him.
"Have your men focus on the Rocs, as Auger has commanded. I will see what can be done about the giant, just make sure if what I try works no-one attacks it", he says to Xurl and the others as he takes his bow and draws it across the strings of his violin. As he does so, and as magic forms within the instrument, he moves towards the doorway and closer to the giant. Then he suddenly stops playing and points the bow at the giant, sending twisting patterns of colour flying across the distance to surround it's head and shoulders.
"Quick, retreat into the portal. We need to work out how to close it once we are through", he says as he moves further back through the doorway, his eyes quickly scanning the interior.
Movement: 15ft to D9 (hopefully that gets him in range)
Action: Cast Hypnotic Pattern (Range 120ft causing 30ft cube of effect) - DC19 Wis save (at disadvantage due to the violin). On a failed save, the creature becomes charmed for the duration. While charmed by this spell, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. The spell ends for an affected creature if it takes any damage or if someone else uses an action to shake the creature out of its stupor.
Movement: If all appears safe will cross into the portal
Passive Investigation: 19
Special: Concentration: Hypnotic Pattern - Round 1/10
Deafening noise, more darkness. But the guardian is dead? Oh, right, they were not in the real world... or, perhaps they were, and yet somehow not with everyone else?
Varielky doesn't have long to ponder that, as soon she finds herself by the pool once more, and this time, back to where Snow, Benita and Granophyre are. Good, that means everything is over, right?
But then, she realises something isn't right. If the giant, the rocs and the approaching calvalry weren't enough, the sound of bowstrings immediately snaps Varielky back to reality. And just on time, for she manages to duck under her shield and avoid any injury. Have the orcs turned against them, now that the guardian they feared is defeated?
But right across the pool, Benita stands alive and well - at least she seems so. And next to her, Xurl. His axe bloodied! But with so much blood, and yet she sees no signs of any such injury on any of her companions. Snow and Granophyre can cure wounds, but with so much blood spilled, some would remain on the victim's clothes, and yet, they're all clean.
What's going on? Who is friend, who is foe? Auger said this place must be the entrance to the core they sought? But the guaridan confirmed. Is this the door behind Snow, which Varielky cannot recall seeing before? What in the gods' names happened while she was gone? And maybe, how long has she been gone?
All these questions surge through Varielky's mind, but there are no answers. Snow beckons, and even if he didn't, it would make sense to get closer. There's too much to deal with here, and Varielky can't do it all at once. She decides to ignore the orcs, confused as she is. If any attacks her again, she'll know their intentions, but they know her, and know she'll retalliate. Perhaps that alone can keep their weapons still.
"Move!" She commands. Whether anyone will listen matters little. She'll push those in her way to get past. Then, she sprints along the southern bank of the lake. For now, that is the best she can do. Once on the other side, she'll think of what comes next.
Action: Dash, running as far east as possible. Not sure how much that would be, with all those orcs in the way.
Status: Rage ends at the end of Varielky's turn unless she takes damage before that.
Varielky
Round 1 Results
Auger’s Chaos Bolts fly at the heavy cavalry, destriers covered in plated barding mounted by splint-armored, kite shield-wearing swordsmen, veterans all. The thunderbolt bloodies rider 3, breaking ribs and shaking him like a bug in a jar. Ice covers the next fighter, freezing him in place temporarily, but he flexes his muscles with a grunting yell and the ice shatters. The first eldritch blast rockets into the 1st rider but he takes it full on his shield, completely deflecting the powerful blast up and away. The next rider is not so lucky, and is smashed against the cliff wall. However, his bindings hold and he remains on his mount.
Auger pushes forward, but is hemmed in by giant hyenas. However they are moving in the same direction and all push toward the newly opened door.
Snow’s spell surrounds the giant’s head in shifting lights. It is immobilized (failing its save) as the bard moves, unobstructed, into the newly-opened portal.
The orcs answer to Varielky’s shout, dashing forward with her. By the end of the turn, she makes it to W13.
The roc riders echo Auger’s lead and send a blast of thunder crashing into the cliff face over the warlock. Boulders and rubble rain down on the southerner. Auger, make a DEX15 save. Take 30 bludgeoning damage, or half with a successful save. This is not a magical attack, it is falling boulders. That area is now difficult terrain. The orcs and hyenas immediately in front of and behind Auger are crushed. The creatures yell in pain and are silenced.
The rocs then fly up and bear their rides out of view.
Granophyre, flustered in excitement, fumbles in his pouch and removes a shiny metallic stone, almost dropping it before he throws it, with a magic word, to land at the feet of the leading warhorses. Responding to its arcane trigger, a web of green glowing magical strands explodes out from the stone, temporarily restraining the mounts and stopping, temporarily, the cavalry’s advance. The sage, eyes alight with wonderment, then crosses into the portal after Snow.
Benita looses arrows at the cavalrymen, and Xurl heaves a javelin at the one Auger had brutally damaged, impaling the fighter, who drops his shield and then rolls forward, slumped on his mount. Xurl bellows a command to the hyena riders who spur their mounts and advance at a run, hyena tongues lolling as they yip in excitement.
The cavalry are for the moment halted in place by Granophyre’s magical webbing.
The Hands give healing to two badly wounded orcs, and the company streams along the pool’s unblocked bank. Orcs hidden in the woods wait for the way to clear, loosing arrows at cavalrymen, trying to keep them pinned in place.
Now imperial crossbowmen, who had hidden away from the cliff edge, show themselves, and a volley of bolts rains down. Crossbow fire dances at Snow and Granophyre’s feet.
One missile zips down at Varielky but she catches it on her shield. Another thunks into Xurl’s shoulder. He pulls it out and snaps it in one hand, drops of blood spraying from its razor- sharp tip. Several bolts hit orcs, two of them critting. The crossbowmen then back up out of sight again. The I’s show where they were when they fired.
You are now situated like so.
Please post actions for Round 2.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Snow sees the crossbow bolts strike the floor in front of himself and Granophyre and takes a step back looking to be completely out of sight.
"Back up, Granophyre. Make sure they can't spot you", he instructs Strewn.
That done, he looks around inside the opening as much as possible without coming into view. Perhaps using his spectral hand to help if needed. He is looking for the mechanism to close the portal when he is ready, and also for any possible defences he can deploy to help those outside.
If he spots Granophyre wandering too close to the opening, he mentally pull him back 5 feet.
Skill Check: 15 + (9 for Investigation or 3 for Arcana or 5 for History)
Bonus Action: Telekinetic Shove 5ft to pull Granophyre if necessary
Special: Concentration: Hypnotic Pattern - Round 2/10
(OOC: did a flat roll, please choose whatever skill makes most sense)
Snow spots a lever in an alcove beside the door which is in a “down” position compared to the others, and theorizes that it could be used to close the doors. Granophyre agrees, as he puzzles out some ancient Cindarrine glyphs that seem to support the theory. There are several other levers as well, in the “up” position. At the end of the causeway, perhaps 100 meters from the opening, a pair of guardhouses flank the corridor where it seems to open into darkness.
The causeway is lit by scintillating light like clouds filled with and reflecting fine silver ore.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Unable to avoid the attack entirely Auger is almost crushed by falling boulders and rocks. His wounds, his advanced age, everything is catching up to him now. Taking no chances, those Rocs would be back soon, Auger moves as quickly as he can, only pausing to release a flashing bolt from the Yemma's Diadem, targeting the same rider he was able to momentarily freeze. Wondering at the next move of his otherself, Auger realizes he has been abandoned for the moment.
Details
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Varielky stops and turns, about to run towards the boulders, to pull Auger out. But within a moment, Auger emerges. Injured, but alive, and he seems to be able to run just fine. Varielky resumes her advancement towards the portal, running full speed until she reaches the entrance, where she stops, turning to face the outside. Ready to stop any foe that tries to get through. "Hurry up!" She calls Auger, and then she turns her head for but a moment to look at Snow to let him know she's talking to him. She still doesn't know whether the orcs are still their temporary allies or not. "What's going on here? Are we waiting for all of Xurl's band to get in, or are we trying to keep them out?"
Action: Dash. Running to d-10 (I think, or something close if she can't quite reach that).
Varielky
Round 3 Results (cont’d.)
C4 is out of range for Auger, so his bolt targets C1. It barely connects, causing 8HP radiant damage. The warlock's dash takes him to a8. He should be able to enter the portal on his next turn.
Varielky dashes to f10, arriving near Snow in the tunnel.
The rocs swoop overhead, and their riders shoot beams of flames at the woods hiding the majority of the hyena riders. Four riders scream in pain as their skin is charred by the magical heat. The beasts howl in fear, and the woods are burning.
Benita keeps her position at the tunnel opening and answers Varielky, “He says he owes you and Snow a life debt. If he was gonna turn sides he would have already! The orcs will go where he goes!”
Granophyre nods to Snow’s command, shouts, “I will look ahead!!,” backs up, and starts moving down the tunnel toward the guardhouses.
Xurl bellows commands at the hyena riders, swearing oaths at them to hurry up lest their first born be fed to the scorpions. He readies another javelin and moves away from the portal. As the hyenas flow around him, he moves toward where the path along which the heavy horses are lined ends at the floor of the cleft. The orc chieftain apparently will attempt to hold that spot. The Hands remain where they are and call their glowing, spinning spears into existence to flank their leader.
Hyena Riders 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 19 enter the tunnel and pass Snow and Varielky on the causeway.
The heavy horses C1 and C2 remain restrained in place, whinnying with anger and blocking the column's advance.
When the Imperial archers step out to fire, the moving orcs, who had held their attacks, let loose a volley of arrows. The Imperial crossbow bolts pass them in midair, and blood is spilled on both sides.
Here is an updated map.
Please post for Round 3.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Snow shrugs in response to Varielky, after Benita has had her say.
"I have no idea what the plan is. You have only been gone a short time, and none of that has been spent strategising, we are just trying to escape the Imperials", he says not looking at the shield maiden, keeping his focus on the levers. "I think that Orc chief respects you more than the rest of us, might be you can sort this out, Varielky. You might want to let him know that I can't hold that giant back for much longer, too"
"I wonder if there is something here that can help", he then mutters to himself, trying to make sense of the controls. He is fairly certain he can close the door, but there are a lot of riders and if they are all coming in that will take time.
Special: Concentration: Hypnotic Pattern - Round 3/10
(OOC: Is there a roll Snow can make to try and decode the use of the other levers?)
"He said WHAT?!" Varielky only wanted to save Benita. Saving Xurl was a mere side-effect. Well, it might also allow her to get the rematch she wanted, one day. But a life debt? Where did he get that idea from?
Whatever, she can't spend time thinking about that, now. "Hey!" She calls, as loud as she can. "Snow says he can't wait forever, so you don't have much time before we close the gate, whether you're in or not!" She understands the strategic decision of fighting the calvalry on a narrow road that limits their movement, but for now, Granophyre's web keeps them in place, and their goal was not to kill everyone, but to get in. She knows that will mean the Empire will know about this place, but... they can't stop the roc riders from down here.
"Unless you have any idea how to knock down the big birds, get yourself in here! Now!"
Varielky
Auger's body hurts. He struggles to move along at the pace he is used to. The hacking cough takes him again. Barely able to hear over his own labored breathing, he processes that the Hyena Riders are going to continue working with them, for now, and that they were going to hold the door if they could until all get through. Struggling to master his own powers, Auger calls on the Yemma's Diadem to support the orcs as best as he can while continuing to move through the portal.
Another radiant bolt goes flashing towards a heavy cavalryman on the path and then, like bubbles blowing out of his head, four glowing balls of shifting energy appear and then arc up and towards the zone where the crossbowmen are peaking out. "Back away if you value your lives!" Auger yells up to the cliffs.
Details
Ball of Radiance. You can expend 2 charges as an action to create one to four 3-foot-diameter spheres of radiant energy. The more spheres you create, the less powerful each sphere is individually.
Each sphere appears in an unoccupied space you can see within 120 feet of you. The spheres last as long as you concentrate (as if concentrating on a spell), up to 1 minute. Each sphere sheds dim light in a 30-foot radius.
As a bonus action, you can move each sphere up to 30 feet, but no farther than 120 feet away from you. When a creature other than you comes within 5 feet of a sphere, the sphere discharges radiant energy at that creature and disappears. That creature must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes radiant damage based on the number of spheres you created.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Round 3
Snow tries, but cannot decode the use of the other levers without further study. His efforts allow him to conclude that the time frame involved will be minutes or hours, not seconds.
Auger’s bolt strikes the armored man full on, however, the imperial expertly turns his shield and deflects the energy, taking no damage. Meanwhile, Auger’s radiant balls of energy take their positions at the edge of the escarpments to either side of the gorge.
One of the roc riders throws a firebolt at Granophyre’s web, which burns away, damaging the heavy horses but not killing them as it dissipates. The horses are no longer restrained.
The other roc slashes at the giant with its talons, inflicting damage and ending Snow’s spell. The roc rider, pleased, shouts an order to the giant, which growls assent.
Granophyre continues hurrying down the causeway.
Benita, stressed and still ill-looking, replies to Varielky.
“You guys saved his life. Orcs are like, men of passion. You, Vee, are the only one he could honorably accept a life debt from. A warrior”
Xurl, oblivious to this conversation, then answers Varielky’s urgings with a snarl and shouts back to her, “I will protect my fighters!”
Then he turns on the very fighters he claimed he would protect, inhales deeply, and emits a feral war cry which echoes back and forth in the narrow chasm. The orcs spur their mounts and the hyenas’ eyes burn with energy in response. Xurl cusses at each rider as he passes him, which only increases their morale.
The Hands send their spinning spears to attack the Cavalry. One crits C2, previously wounded, tearing through his armor like a knife through butter, and severing his shield arm at the shoulder. The man, what remains of him, slumps in his saddle, bleeding out in moments.
Now the cavalry in front of and behind him spur their mounts down the path into the cleft, the lead horseman charging into OH28 and beheading the rider and grievously injuring the mount. The well-trained horses whose riders have fallen move in concert with those surrounding them.
More hyena riders stream through the portal: Riders 10, 18, 20, 21, 22-31, 38, 40, taking pot-shots at the imperial crossbowmen, who likewise rain missiles on the orcs and hyenas.
I3, I6, I11 and I13 take damage from the explosion of Auger’s radiant spheres, I3 & I13 disintegrating in brilliant energy.
Many orcs are wounded by missile fire as the giant, with its enormous motions, now climbs down the chasm wall half-way, using trees and boulders as handholds to control its descent.
The four of you are now inside the portal and with orcs rushing in can barely see what is happening outside the doors. Flames still burn at the far end of the pool, and smoke begins to fill the chasm. In the opposite direction, inside, at the end of the causeway, perhaps 100 meters from the opening, a pair of guardhouses flank the corridor where it seems to open into darkness. Granophyre is 100 feet ahead of you in that direction, as are the lead hyena riders.
As told above, the causeway is lit by scintillating silver light that slowly shifts like cloudy skies.
I’m not posting a map this time, you’ll need to work with what you most recently saw outside the portal.
Please post for Round 4.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Orc riders streaming in. Crossbow fire continues from above. Auger feels each of the Yemma's globes expend their energy and go out. There was some kind of rumbly sound, which had to be the Giant moving. Auger looks back through the portal. Did the other orcs leave the trees, are more still coming?
"Can we close this portal?" Auger asks, though unsure if he can be heard over the thrumming feet of the Hyena Riders. Auger realizes that Xurl and his Hands are standing their ground and does what he can to support them, focusing his attacks on the Imperial cavalry as best he can. This time he releases another bolt from the Diadem and then gathers himself enough to release his own twisting energies. With so much going on, he cannot tell if he gets clean shots or not. After doing so he steps back and to the side out of view.
Details
Auger will focus his fire on a single target unless it goes down. Am rolling two dice because not sure whether advantage (from Yemma bolt) or disadvantage will come into play. It seems like C1 is still up, so that one is the lucky customer at least to start.
DM of RotFM | AUGER the Warlock (Archfey & the Chain) / Shadow Sorcerer in Age of Resurgence | Rahui & Javier in Sea of Memory
Snow looks across to Auger, and is a little taken aback at the sight of his companion, who has aged so much in such a short time.
"Yes, I believe I can close the portal, but how long it takes is anyone's guess. And getting all those Orcs inside is problematic. We need Xurl in here to control them as well, and he doesn't seem inclined to get inside before all his troops", he says in answer.
Having given up on determining the usefulness of the other levers, he stands by the lever he believes will close the portal, ready to use it as soon as everyone is inside. He keeps an eye on proceedings outside the portal as best he can, ready to avoid danger if it comes his way.
Action: Dodge