As Pax sees Sekkar drop she feels her heart stop. She has no idea how to rescue everyone. Besides, they’re retreating into a death trap. She has only one desperate last chance as she heads for the door down below….still all tied to the hope that the brains death is the key. As she goes she sends a couple more blasts of magic at the brain. (eldritch blast) Attack: 10 Damage: 4. Attack: 23 Damage: 7

Cyrog: conc checks: 19 (legendary resist #2 to pass), 9, 12. Cyrog DEX save: 17 (legendary resist #3 to pass). Orcus DEX save: 27

Pax makes a judicious retreat from under the Demon Lord's brutal wand, tugging at Rhayna until she reluctantly follows, and taking two more passing shots at Cyrog. The tentacles recoil in response, but the brain manages to retain mental control over Prince Derendil. Then in a sudden explosion that lights up the chamber with a flash, Kirin unleashes his fireball. The flames completely engulf both the brain and the Demon Lord above it, but although Orcus grunts in pain, the effect of the flames lighting up his skeletal face from below simply makes him look even more menacing. And when the flames clear, Cyrog seems to have avoided much of the damage by shielding itself with its tentacles.

Sekkar hangs limply in the grip of the tentacle, with Dawnbringer somehow still hooked in his claw. But like a cruel child torturing a wounded animal, the sadistic demon revels in drawing the lizardman closer and closer to the moment of death, and continues to squeeze him with the ghostly skeletal hand. Meanwhile, another tentacle lashes out from Cyrog, striking at the newly summoned earth elemental.

Chill Touch (adv) v Sekkar: 34 Damage: 16 necrotic (one death save fail on a hit)

Tentacle Attack v Elemental: Attack: 21 Damage: 28 bludgeoning (missed)

Gradually the shimmering in the air begins to resolve, and one by one a dozen mind flayers materialise in the chamber, with more still coming. The first of them simply peer around at the chaos unfolding, their facial tentacles wriggling with anticipation at the feast of sentient minds to which they have been summoned, and yet there is still a pause as they await the command from their grotesque undead commander. Their arrival prompts the telepathic equivalent of a shout of jubilation from Cyrog, who senses the moment of victory drawing closer. Drawing power from the puppet master, Cyrog summons a spectal appendage of its own, this one in the form of a rotting tentacle, which attempts to wrap around Kaylyn, even as it sends its quaggoth minion against her.

Chill Touch v Kaylyn: 20 Damage: 26

Claw v Kaylyn: Attack: 6 Damage: 5
Claw v Kaylyn: Attack: 10 Damage: 8

Now surrounded by a dozen powerful minions (with more arriving) who will obediently follow whatever instructions he gives to his pet, and confident that none can oppose him, Orcus ignores all other distractions and continues to squeeze the life out of Sekkar, and a deep, horrid demonic chuckle can be heard as he draws the lizardman to the very threshold of death.

Chill Touch (adv) v Sekkar: 24 Damage: 13 necrotic (one death save fail on a hit)

But in his over-confidence, Orcus fails to note how damaged his pet has become, and how slender his puppet strings actually are. Kaylyn's summoned elemental shurgs off the blows from Cyrogs tentacles and charges directly at the brain, slamming into it with all its stony might.

Slam v Cyrog: Attack: 13 Damage: 13
Slam v Cyrog: Attack: 24 Damage: 13

With a shudder, the brain slumps into its briny pool, the tentacles fall limply to the ground, and the mental presence that has filled the minds of all suddenly vanishes like the morning dew. Derendil ceases his violence against Kaylyn and turns wide-eyed to seek out Sekkar's whereabouts, even as Orcus releases his grip on Sekkar in sudden surprise as he senses the demise of his pet. And the eyes of the mind flayers (who now number close to twenty) turn as one toward the Demon Lord - looking with unmistakable hatred toward the one who would deceive them with the promise of undeath for their master only to exercise dominion over their entire colony.

Orcus senses his error immediately, but first vents his anger against the one that dealt the final blow to his pet. Extending his wand toward the elemental, the Demon Lord speaks a single word in Abyssal... and the elemental crumbles to the ground.

Orcus casting Power Word Kill against Elemental

Kaylyn is next.

 Combat Log

 Conditions

As Kaylyn feels the chill touch of the tentacle she reacts to the attack "Return to the hole you came from" she says as she tries to avoid the attack.

Subtract 4 from the Chill Touch attack using Cutting Words as a reaction.

A blaze of white light suddenly surrounds Sekkar as Kaylyn heals Sekkar for 21.  "TIME TO GO SEKKAR! " She yells as he comes back to consciousness. 

Bonus action Healing Light. 

She then dodges as she starts moving away from the doorway and back east 30 feet.

Mind flayers continue to appear in the chamber, but as crowded as it is becoming, they all share a common purpose - to retaliate against the demon lord. As they begin to bend their psychic powers against him, Orcus draws on his own formidable might, extending his hand one again, and a swirling black vortex starts to rise from the floor in the midst of the mind flayers, extending like a column until it forms a cylinder that touches the roof. 

On the east side of the chamber, Kaylyn runs back to the entrance to where Kirin remains standing since the barriers dropped, and eastward into the corridors of the mind flayer lair. Pax and Rhayna flee westward, away from the dead-again Cyrog, and from the battle that is about to commence between Cyrog's progeny and Orcus. It appears that several captive kuo-toa also were brought back with the mind flayers, but with these now abandoned by their distracted captors, they start to scatter in all directions - some to the tunnel on the west (toward Pax and Rhayna) and some through the corridors on the east (either the southern one near Kirin and Kaylyn or the one further north).

Sekkar comes to his senses only to find himself still in great pain, still clutching Dawnbringer's hilt (although the blade has extinguished), caught between the mind flayers and the demon lord, and just within the swirling vortex of death. The vortex causes him no harm, but makes him feel sick to the end of his cloaca, as though his scales are loose and his claws and fangs might just fall out. And through the pain he hears Kaylyn's voice calling for him to depart. It is difficult to see through the vortex, but Sekkar is used to the darkness, and he sees that of all his companions, Derendil alone remains in the chamber, running into the heart of the conflict and the vortex, pushing through the growing crowd of mind flayers, toward his reptilian friend...

Rhayna and Sekkar are next

Through the painful pulsating noise in his head, Sekkar heard Kaylyn's voice, fresh as a breath of cool air in this sudden grill pan of death. He tightened his grip on the Daenbringer, relieved to find the sword was still with him, he dashed towards that voice hissing on the go to Derendil - "run!" - and hoping, that kuo-toa, whose backs were blocking the view, were a good enough distraction for whoever might try to stop him.

Full available movement (dash plus whatever is left for standing up) to get to the corridor with Kirin and Kailin.

Derendil on his turn will keep close to Sekkar.

With the “death” of the undead elder brain. “Nooooo!!! Ohhh come on you guys.” Rhayna still at Pax’s mercy. “Seriously you people.” With their exit of the lair, Rhayna stops trying to write to her Journal, while still being carried by her colleague. She realizes that Pax is still pretty hurt. “Ohh fine.” She touches her and heals her. (Cure Wounds lvl4: 25). Then the Cleric looks around. “Where are the others??”

(Out of combat. Everyone can jump back in wherever and whenever you wish)

Pax/Rhayna

Kaylyn/Sekkar/Kirin

Pax lets go of Rhayna, "Thank you...it turns out demon lords really pack a punch."  She rubs her dented metal plate wincing slightly. 

She glances at the Kuo-tao and says in undercommon, "We must get our friends, then yes, away as quick as we can...is there another way out besides through that room though?"  She glances back where the Illithid and Orcus are doing battle.  

She charges down the passage, around to the left, past the tubes and into the other room, "Hey...guys...this way, the Kuo-toa can lead us to their village..." 

"Well then," Kirin tries to make as many mental note as he can before he looks for an exist and hightail it away from the sight, "I have visual confirmation of my theory and when im on peril of instant death I can proably come up with several methods to displays my theory is correction,"

"Back way lead the one out here." Sekkar was hardly in shape for any serious deduction but the group already knew that there were no exits in this part of the ship. "Oomkaan, Praat and Gluup," it was half addressing / half introduction, "yes, go we are away here off together." Then tried to shake off this contagious way of talking and address the more sane part of the group. "Can cover us with shadows, sort of. Remember, like in tunnels before? Might help to get past the fight. If someone knows the better way - say, because we need to run. We are dead no matter who wins if stuck here."

He just finished his grim prediction, when Derendil in Common more broken than the one kuo-toa spoke, announced Pax's arrival and the girl herself brought the first good news in this wretched place. Sekkar did not waste time even for nodding. "Let's go."

Pax nods, "I agree, we need to get through that room. If you can shroud us with darkness, it may give us our best chance.  Let's go." 

She keeps near Rhayna, ready to help guide the girl through the room in case she dally's. Pax takes a deep breath (2nd wind for : 10 hps). Then she casts a spell on herself, summons the shadows from all around her to coalesce across her body. (Armor of Agathys at 3rd level, 15 temporary hps, arcane ward up to 6 hps.)  With a nod, she gets ready to push forward through the room, guiding Rhayna by the elbow through Sekkar's hopeful darkness.

Pass without Trace on everyone and dash like hell to the exit wherever it is!

Kaylyn, unable to understand the language of the Kuo-toa watches for danger as Sekkar seems to know these ones, or they know him.  "I'm ready to leave this place if they know a way out." She says in common.  "Can we get out?"

Rhayna follows Pax. (I am taking Bless is gone by now.) "I am right behind you Pax." The Cleric is actually looking forward to be able to take another look at the elder brain, if allowed. She takes out her Journal, and has her quill ready, just in case.

Gathering together around the remaining kuo-toa (with Oomkaan, Praat and Gluup soon joined by Blugblug and Garble who ran through the northern corridor and came around the long way), the five intrepid explorers prepare the magic spells that will aid their sprint one last time back through the brain chamber.

It is a scene unlike any the mortal eye should behold. About two dozen mind flayers fill the chamber, some standing and others levitating. Amongst them are another two dozen ghouls, zombies and other foul undead, clawing and gnashing at the illithid defenders, but just as quickly having their feeble minds blasted with psychic energy, or being dominated and turned against their master. And what a master! One of the most powerful beings in existence, standing tall and majestic among the hordes of battling creatures, radiating waves of pure evil that weaken his foes, clutching at them with ghostly skeletal hands, and summoning yet more and more undead minions to replace the fallen.

The most disconcerting aspect of the entire scene is the relative lack of sound! The illithids speak not at all, nor cry out in pain or death; the undead are unheard save for the gasps of their slobbering maws, and the great demon lord has no need to communicate with his minions, nor does his abyssal magic create any clamour. The mighty feud thus proceeds like some strange silent unearthly pantomine.

Somehow amongst this tranquil chaos, the group slip between the grasping claws and the writhing tentacles, the necrotic waves and the psychic blasts, protected both by subterfuge and abjuration, and guided by their desperation and will to survive. The short distance feels like an eternity, but by and by the brave party burst clear of the mayhem (joining the final two kuo-toa escapees, Ploopop and Suuush) and run on and on and on, not stopping until their bodies can go no further, the relief of escape finally surfacing above the vivid memories etched forever into their overtaxed minds.

=========================

Congratulations on surviving yet another encounter with a Demon Lord. That and the defeat of Cyrog the Elder Brain is sufficient to advance to Level 10.

Please take your time levelling up. I have a number of things on for the rest of the week, and may have very little time to post before the weekend.

(Did the group come across Pax and Rhayna?)

(The whole group met up and run away together)

(Woohoo!  We didn't die!  High fives all around!) 

Pax sits down, pulling her helm from her head. Stringy red bits of hair hand down across her face, sweat dripping from the ends and running down her face.  She grimaces as she adjust herself....still feeling the hurt from two of the demon lords strikes. 

The shadows swirl around herself as she looks to the Kuo-tao, and in Undercommon says, "Thank you for guiding us from that place." 

In common to the rest of the group, while still breathing heavily and sucking in wind, says, "The Kuo-tao say they will lead us to their village. We should not tarry....once you've rested, let us continue on." 

The ragged band make their way quickly through the tunnels, striving to put as much distance between them and the pandemonium of the illithid compound. At long last, after many hours of hard marching through what appears to be an old passage carved by a purple worm, the group again take their rest, too tired to even set a watch but relying instead on magical means.

Thus the journey continues - long hours of travel with infrequent rests, and sleep when weariness dictates - now accustomed to the lack of sun or stars to mark the passage of time. The kuo-toa flap along on their webbed feet, mostly silent (which in itself could be considered a good thing) in their private contemplation of the fate that has befallen many of their fellows. After a few days of travel however, Sekkar begins to recognise various familiar features, and soon relies no more on the guidance of the fishfolk to lead the group onward, until finally they reach the small subterranean lake on the shore of which is the village he says is named Loopdilploop.

There are scarce few fishfolk left, with the newly-returned ex-captives almost doubling the numbers of those that remain in the village. Still, despite their decimation, they welcome the return of their one-time friend Sekkar as well as his companions. No mention is made of past history, but Sekkar implicitly feels that their rescue of the fishfolk from the mind flayers is sufficient to repay his own debt to them for having done the same for him so long ago. The group are given as much comfort as one can expect from the typically chaotic kuo-toa habitations, and take the time they need to recuperate.

=================
Thanks for your patience guys. I should be back to my regular daily posting schedule now. Feel free to RP your brief downtime at the village, let me know if there is anything you'd like to do, and shortly we can continue onward to Gravenhollow.

Pax is quiet in the fishing village. She seems to regard the ravaged Kuo-toa village with sadness that has really hit home. The fish people are alien, strange. Once, she would have called them evil monsters. But something in the girl has come to realize that the world is not as simple as she once thought. Her simple ideals of honor, and good, and evil or much more complex. There is still evil, for certain....she has faced it now many times. Even now she stares at its result, the pain and suffering inflicted.

In her downtime, she absently spends time flipping through the wizard books she has, wishing she had the resources to be able to study, scribe and learn some of these spells. Each morning, she gathers the group and casts a ritual spell on them all, granting them the ability to breath water. The fear she's held ever since they'd almost drowned in the cave has evaporated the moment she'd found a way to twist magic to solve the problem. Part of her wished for a desk, an endless supply of arcane materials, and several months of peace and quiet. But she knew...that was not in the cards for her. Her morning routine, which included push ups, sit ups, some other training, and cleaning and oiling her armor helped her focus and make sure her mind was right each day. She never knew when they may next face a deadly foe. 

Otherwise, with the rest of the group, she just makes sure she eats meals with them, listens to them, and spends time with them. They've become close friends and she couldn't imagine going through this without them. 

That all said, they could not stay here long....duty called, and evil was clearly not sitting on it laurels.