Ch 6: Part 4: The Throne of Abraxas: Session 106

[15:36] <@Kilarra> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:36] <@Kilarra> ~~~Chapter 6: Descent into Midnight~~~
[15:36] <@Kilarra> -Session 106-
[15:38] <@Kilarra> After meeting up with an amassed force of Chardas and summoning some extra planar allies, the siege of the Throne of Abraxas had begun. The Chardas, superior in numbers and led by a dozen of their warrios that had been enlarged by Kjell, and accompanied by the two Ghaele's, had moved to assault the majority of Allevrah's minature army.
[15:39] <@Kilarra> Meanwhile, the party joined the fray shortly thereafter, intent to weaken the drow forces before punching a hole and moving on towards the Unholy Temple itself. After taking down almost two dozen soldiers, a dozen driders, and a dozen dire bats, the party made a short range teleport courtesy of Kjell to move on to their next goal
[15:42] <@Kilarra> Kjell takes a moment to catch his breath after the fight and teleportation, looking around to the party, "Are you all okay to keep moving for the moment?"
[15:44] <Aluthyra> Kahree frowns, putting away her maces for a moment to look over several quite noticeable gashes on her body. "I can keep moving, don't want to." She shakes her head. "Shit hurts."
[15:45] * Kilarra pulls out a potion bottle and passes it to Kahree, "This should be enough to get you going again. We can take a proper bit of recovery... well, as much as magical healing can offer anyways, once we reach that bridge."
[15:46] <Aluthyra> Kahree sighs and nods, taking a gulp of the potion.
[15:47] * Kilarra frowns as the gashes barely mend. "Bit worse than I eyeballed it." She pulls out another, "Now's not exactly the time to be conservative with supplies."
[15:47] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods appreciatively, taking another gulp.
[15:48] * Aluthyra presses her hand to her chest while waiting for her companions, reinforcing her skin, once again, with ki.
[15:49] * Kilarra nods, "My wands still have plenty of juice left, so I'll bring them out once we get to the Bridge."
[15:49] <@Kilarra> Kjell looks to Aluthyra, "How long was that bridge? and how wide? I wouldn't want to take up the whole thing at thise size."
[15:53] * Aluthyra nods. "The bridge is about two miles long, thirty feet wide. We shouldn't wait to the end of the bridge to heal though... demons guard its end." Aluthyra frowns. "The edges of the bridge are slanted... so be careful. It would not be difficult for one of the vrocks to push us off into the blood below."
[15:53] * Kilarra nods, "Then we heal up when we reach the near end of the bridge, and keep our eyes peeled crossing it."
[15:54] <@Kilarra> Kjell gestures to Aluthyra, who had scouted for them, "Lead on."
[15:54] * Aluthyra nods, lifting off of the ground and guiding her companions a few feet off of the ground.
[15:57] <@Kilarra> Kjell follows, sword out and spell arm up.
[15:57] * Kilarra follows at Kjell's side in case he needed further buffing or healing, being a big target.
[15:59] <@Kilarra> As the party moves on, Kjell's enlargement spell wears off a little short of the bridge head.
[15:59] <@Kilarra> Kjell frowns a bit, "I hope the Chardas won't suffer too much without their enlarged warriors."
[16:00] * Kilarra shakes her head, "I don't think they mind dying for this, and Jezelle and her friend will keep their casualties to a minimum. We just have to make sure to do out part."
[16:01] * Aluthyra nods. "Then let's move. The sooner we end this, the less die."
[16:01] * Kilarra pulls out her curing wands, "Alright, everyone gather around. We haven't been followed so far, so now's as good a time as any."
[16:03] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods, moving closer to Kilarra.
[16:03] * Aluthyra drops to the ground, wings folding at her back.
[16:03] * Kilarra uses the moderate curing wand three times on each of them, then touches up the rest with the light wand
[16:07] * Kilarra holds up her cure light wand. "Almost dead. Good thing i bought two of them way back when."
[16:08] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods, "Let's hope we don't expend them -before- we get inside the Fortress." He brings his sword back up and steps onto the bridge.
[16:10] * Kilarra puts her wands away and follows Kjell, counting on Aluthyra to spot for them from the air.
[16:11] * Aluthyra stays just above the party, flying.
[16:11] <Aluthyra> Kahree stays in the back as she follows.
[16:14] <@Kilarra> Neither Kahree or Aluthyra sees anything approaching them as theycross the two mile span of the bridge, although they occasionally make out the faint din of the battle going on behind the
[16:14] <@Kilarra> them
[16:15] <@Kilarra> The bridge ends at a level landing, flat and even but for the slopes where ripples in the black blood below lap at the stone. A great stone gate, nearly twenty feet wide and at least as tall, is carved out of the giant cliff. Each door bears a hideous symbol of a demonic face surrounded by a coil of snakes and with two snake tails descending from the mouth.
[16:16] <@Kilarra> Here, Aluthyra, Kilarra, and Kjell can see, as the former had scouted, a dozen Vrocks and three Glabrezus.
[16:16] <@Kilarra> Kahree however, does not see that. She sees only four Vrocks, and a single Glabrezu.
[16:20] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu stares at the visible party with a mix of wry amusement and disdain, while the Vrocks, this time unhampered by invisibility, take notice. They cackle and jeer, hurling insults in abyssal.
[16:20] <Aluthyra> Kahree frowns, drawing her maces. "Aluthyra, didn't you say there were more of them...?"
[16:20] * Aluthyra raises an eyebrow. "Twelve and three as I said, yes?"
[16:21] * Kilarra blinks, looking to Kahree, "There's exactly how many she said. Twelve Vrocks, three Glabrezus. The three are at the gate while the Vrocks are in groups of three amidst the cliffs... right?"
[16:21] <Aluthyra> Kahree shakes her head. "No," her eyebrows furrow as she replies, "There are only four and one."
[16:21] <@Kilarra> The Vrocks cackle some more, shrieking and cursing. None of them are attacking just yet, but none seem interested in getting out of the way either.
[16:22] * Kilarra considers that and pulls out a balm, applying it to her eyes, which then glow white. "She's right, they're using mirror duplicates."
[16:23] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu scowls at that.
[16:25] <@Kilarra> Kjell readies his sword, "I don't think they're going to give us much more opportunity to stand and gawk now."
[16:31] <Aluthyra> Kahree scowls, stepping forward. "Just try it," she boasts, showing her fluidity with her maces in a quick flourish.
[16:32] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu seems unimpressed, but the Vrocks actually look al ittle intimidated
[16:33] <@Kilarra> Kjell smirks. He had an idea. "Aluthyra, I'm gonna mark the real ones for you." He casts magic missile, aiming one of each of the five projectiles at each of the clusters of demons. The arcane missiles would strike unerringly, tagging the real ones for Aluthyra to target
[16:37] <@Kilarra> The arcane missiles hit their mark, leaving just enough of a mark. Although the wounds are duplicated on the mirror images, Aluthyra can still see which of the 'three' of each demon was hit as the real one
[16:38] * Aluthyra nods, raising her bow and aiming for the glabrezu. She lets loose a barrage of six arrows at the demon.
[16:42] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu is pelted with arrows, roarign furiously. It looks grievously wounded, but remains alive.
[16:43] <@Kilarra> The Vrocks swoop down to engage the party in close quarters. The first two let out horrific screeches to try and stun their enemies
[16:45] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra is unaffected by the screeching, but Kahree, Kjell, and Kilarra are all stunned
[16:46] <@Kilarra> The remaining Vrocks go after Kjell, who was targeting, and Kahree, who was intimidating
[16:47] <@Kilarra> However, the slightly weakened morale from Kahree's display leaves them a little lacking in the talon department
[16:49] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu snarls at ALuthyra, and then shouts a single, immensely powerful word in Abyssal, leaving the Aasimar stunned as well.
[16:52] <@Kilarra> The Vrocks Cackle in unadulterated, sadistic glee at the stunned party before them. The two that had come close claw, bite and rip at Kjell and Kahree, while the remaining two swoop in to claw at Aluthyra and Kilarra
[17:06] <@Kilarra> In spite of the party being stunned and having dropped their weapons, their skilled insight or armour or both manages to keep them from suffering any ridiculous amount of harm
[17:07] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu teleports away somewhere
[17:07] * Kilarra shakes off her stunning with a frown as the big demon makes its escape. She hadn't drawn a weapon, and instead attempts to dismiss the Vrock on top of her.
[17:10] <@Kilarra> The Vrock on top of Kilarra squawks as its shunted back to the abyss.
[17:12] <@Kilarra> Kjell shakes off the stunning as well and picks up his sword, taking a single swing at the Vrock on him
[17:14] <@Kilarra> The Vrock takes the hit with gusto
[17:17] <@Kilarra> The remaining Vrocks attempt to carve up Kahree and Aluthyra again, while the third lets out its withheld stunning shriek now that the party was active again
[17:20] <@Kilarra> The Vrock attacking Kahree manages to sink one set of claws into her gut, followed by clamping its beak hard on her shoulder.
[17:21] <@Kilarra> The Vrock going after Aluthyra only manages to sink its beak into her arm, but her bark hard skin is hard to do any real damage to
[17:24] * Kilarra pulls out a scroll and attempts to dismiss the Vrock going after Aluthyra next.
[17:25] <@Kilarra> The Vrock stubbornly remains rooted in the material plane
[17:25] * Kilarra gives a frustrated growl. She had such a good track record for dismissing Vrocks
[17:28] <@Kilarra> Kjell, not stunned, goes after the Vrock on him the old fashioned way. With a couple of sword swings, using his other hand to increase the striking power
[17:30] <@Kilarra> The added backhand seems to do the trick, although Kjell's sword still seems to being doing less harm than it would against a non-demonic target.
[17:31] <@Kilarra> The Vrock attacking Kahree backs away, then holds out a claw, attempting to shove Kahree with telekinetic force over the edge of the cliff and into the lake
[17:36] <@Kilarra> Kahree is shoved right to the edge of the level landing, but manages to keep her balance and not fall in.
[17:37] <@Kilarra> The Vrock attacking Kjell however, flies back away from him as well, aiming to finish what its partner started and even the odds on their lost companions
[17:37] <@Kilarra> Kjell takes a swing as it moves back, but misses
[17:38] <@Kilarra> The Vrock's telekinetic push shoves Kahree over the edge and she begins to fall towards the lake of black blood.
[17:44] <@Kilarra> The third Vrock continues trying to carve up Aluthyra. Since she could fly, shoving her telekinetically would do shit all
[17:45] <@Kilarra> it manages a nasty gash with one claw but it otherwise ineffective
[17:46] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu reappears in the fight undeneath Aluthyra, looking ready to reach up and rip her apart with its pincers
[17:48] * Kilarra frowns at the reappearing Glabrezu. If it got its claws on Aluthyra while she was still stunned, it would not be pretty. She runs up to it and attempts to slay it magically.
[17:48] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu swipes at her with a pinsir as she approaches
[17:50] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu gets its pinsir right around Kilarras arm and snaps it clean off
[17:51] * Kilarra screams, but slams her hand, alight with eerie flames, into the claw in retaliation.
[17:54] <@Kilarra> The Glabrezu, severely weakened by Aluthyra's opening onslaught, succumbs to Kilarra's slay living spell, and tumbles off the bridge
[17:55] * Kilarra lets out another scream and cradles her stump, using a quickened healing spell to staunch the bleeding.
[17:57] <@Kilarra> Kahree falls into the Black Blood, immediately hit with an unnatural wave of cold
[18:01] <Aluthyra> Kahree gasps, desperately looking around for a way out. Seeing a ledge, she attempts to make a swim for it.
[18:03] <@Kilarra> Kahree, suffering from the cold and not a strong swimmer, can't make it to the ledge. At least there's no curent pulling her around or under
[18:05] * Kilarra calls to ALuthyra, "Go get Kahree out of that shit, I don't know if she can swim or not." She wagered not, given she came from fire elemental heritage
[18:05] * Kilarra 's voice is cracked and shakey from the severe injury she just sustained
[18:07] <@Kilarra> Kjell launches a flurry of magic missiles at the Vrock he had wounded, which was flying out of reach
[18:08] <@Kilarra> The missiles find their mark, the Vrock now fairly injured
[18:10] * Aluthyra frowns, having difficulty with leaving Kilarra in her state, but nods, flying down for Kahree...
[18:13] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra is able to grab Kahree and keep her from going under, but it will take a little more effort to pull her out of the black blood, its mire thicker than regular water.
[18:14] * Aluthyra frowns. "Hold on," she directs, still trying to hoist Kahree out.
[18:15] <@Kilarra> The two healthy Vrocks fly out of Kjell's reach, they begin chanting in abyssal.
[18:15] <@Kilarra> One of them manages to summon an additional Vrock
[18:15] <@Kilarra> The injured Vrock seems pleased at the additional demon, and dives down towards Kilarra, who looked like easy prey now
[18:16] <@Kilarra> The Vrock manages to catch her in the side with a gash.
[18:17] * Kilarra grunts, but at the moment was very confident in saying she'd had worse.
[18:18] * Kilarra frowns, "Not on my watch you Vlak'teth." She pulls out another scroll and points it at the fresh Vrock.
[18:18] <@Kilarra> The new Vrock is immediately shunted back into the abyss
[18:18] * Kilarra smirks weakly.
[18:19] <@Kilarra> Kahree continues to feel the Black blood rapidly drain the heat form her body.
[18:21] <Aluthyra> Kahree groans, barely holding on to consciousness, but remains still, holding onto Aluthyra.
[18:21] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra is able to hoist Kahree out of the black blood, it dripping off her in thick dollops
[18:22] <@Kilarra> Kjell steps in to fight the Vrock attacking Kilarra. If she could keep dismissing the others, he could finish this one himself
[18:24] * Kilarra isn't exactly happy about her current state, but knew that such risks were the price for coming here in the first place. Besides, this one she could actually fix once they got rid of the demons.
[18:25] * Aluthyra keeps Kahree close and holds her tightly as her wings carry the pair back up to the bridge. Aluthyra lays Kahree down behind her, next to her bow, ready to pick up the bow in defense of Kahree and her companions.
[18:25] <@Kilarra> The Vrocks don't seem happy about the loss of their reinforcement, and begin... dancing? And chanting in Abyssal nearly 50ft in the air, away from Kjell's sword
[18:27] <@Kilarra> The Vrock on the ground attempts to stay on Kilarra and keep her from interrupting the other two
[18:28] <@Kilarra> The Vrock manages to get both its claws, its beak, and one of its hind talons into Kilarra, tearing her up rather nastily
[18:30] * Kilarra frowns. This wasn't getting any easier. She takes a step, putting Kjell between herself and the Vrock before trying to cast another dismissal
[18:32] * Kilarra frowns as her scroll fizzles. "I've only got one left. Aluthyra, get one of them ASAP. I don't think we'll like what happens if we let them finish dancing." She grits her teeth, coughing up some bloody spittle.
[18:37] <Aluthyra> Kahree sits up with a groan, placing her hand to her chest. With a hurt mumble, she's invisible.
[18:39] <@Kilarra> Kjell shifts his sword to his left and charges up a spell in his right, hitting the Vrock with two swings and a flurry of arcane missile in an attempt to finish it off. For the sake of Kahree and Kilarra, he maximizes the Missiles.
[18:41] <@Kilarra> Kjell's spell combat brings the Vrock down finally, toppling over the edge of the bridge into the lake.
[18:42] * Aluthyra frowns, grabbing her bow and aiming for one of the dancing Vrock. A single shot is all that she's able to get off, but she tries to make it her best.
[18:49] <@Kilarra> The Vrock takes a solid hit, but they keep dancing.
[18:49] * Kilarra frowns and tries to put her last scroll to use
[18:49] <@Kilarra> The Vrocks keep on dancing
[18:51] * Kilarra curses in abyssal. "Not my day."
[18:53] <Aluthyra> Kahree stands, retrieving her maces and keeping her distance.
[18:54] <@Kilarra> Kjell decides to wait. He wanted to keep a bit of power in reserve, since they still had a temple to contend with.
[18:54] <@Kilarra> Kjell trusts Aluthyra's skill with her bow
[18:55] * Aluthyra frowns, letting loose another six arrows at the previously injured vrock.
[18:56] <@Kilarra> The Vrock is made into a demonic pincushion, and the crackling ball of lightning building up between the two dancers disperses harmlessly
[18:57] <@Kilarra> The last Vrock dives for Kilarra, hoping to finish her off.
[18:57] <@Kilarra> It manages a hit with one of its claws, but not the other.
[18:59] * Kilarra attempts to heal herself up a bit so she didn't get iced before ALuthyra could finish the last one off
[19:01] <Aluthyra> Kahree charges at the last Vrock, growling as she swipes a mace at its body, ending her invisibility. Her face is contorted into an angry and pained expression, and her skin color is off, paler than usual.
[19:02] <@Kilarra> The Vrock shrieks at the unexpected blow to its gut, then topples backwards, unconscious.
[19:03] <@Kilarra> Bleeding internally, it would die in under a minute
[19:03] * Kilarra spits blood at it
[19:03] <Aluthyra> Kahree huffs, kicking the body. "Fucking demons." She looks to Kilarra. "...You can fix that?"
[19:04] * Aluthyra flies over to Kilarra's side, worry across her face, waiting for her answer.
[19:04] * Kilarra cradles the stump, "I've never done it before, but... it should be possible."
[19:05] * Kilarra looks to Kahree, "How about you? Taking a bath in that stuff... you look like you've got pneumonia."
[19:05] <Aluthyra> Kahree huffs, shaking her head. "Not well... just, fix yourself up first, I've been through worse."
[19:06] * Kilarra pulls out her holy symbol, "Can't same the same here." She gestures to her stump with it; "Calistria, show these demons that broken limbs won't break our resolve."
[19:07] * Kilarra notes, "This is gonna be gross to watch, so you might wanna avert your gaze."
[19:08] <@Kilarra> Kjell steps over to the unconscious Vrock and slits its throat to be on the safe side
[19:09] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods, turning.
[19:10] * Aluthyra hesitantly turns her head. As long as Kilarra can heal herself... She sighs.
[19:13] <@Kilarra> Kilarra feels a sharp stinging as the bones of her stump break through the magically cauterized wound, stretching and pulling outwards, with strands of muscle and sinew growing and threading through them. Skin regrows over the muscle, starting at the base of the stump and spreading down to the tips of the fingers. In all, the regeneration takes 18 seconds, leaving Kilarra with a new arm, although it has blood on it from where the stump
[19:14] * Aluthyra turns after several more moments, relief flooding her features as she sees Kilarra's healed appendage. "Good..." she sighs. "Hopefully those were the only demons here."
[19:15] * Kilarra grimaces, flexing the new appendage, "Wow... it worked." She smiles weakly, "That was fun, but let's try not to do that again. Everyone still alive?"
[19:16] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods with a groan, turning back around.
[19:16] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods, "I am largely unharmed."
[19:17] * Kilarra pulls out her first light curing wand, burning the last three charges on Kahree first and foremost, before looking to assess how much more work she had to do. "Good, because we're not turning back while we're still breathing."
[19:19] <@Kilarra> Kjell chuckles, "WOuldn't have expected to."
[19:20] * Kilarra starts with Kahree, who was the worst for wear. Which was saying something considering she just had to grow a limb back.
[19:22] * Kilarra has to burn 17 charges of the cure light wand, but felt it would be better to save what was left of the moderate one.
[19:23] <Aluthyra> Kahree smiles, stretching as the cold of the black blood wears off. "Thanks."
[19:25] * Kilarra frowns as, after fixing up Kjell and Aluthyra, her second light wand was more than half drained. "Okay, new plan." She pulls out three scrolls and casts them on herself.
[19:26] * Kilarra smiles as the rest of her wounds mend much more gently than the regrown arm. She stands up, flexing the new arm a bit and taking a couple practice swings with her mace.
[19:27] <Aluthyra> Kahree sighs. "Alright... time for the next fight then?"
[19:27] * Kilarra chuckles weakly, "Nobody lose any more bodyparts until tomorrow, okay?"
[19:28] <Aluthyra> Kahree rolls her eyes. "I'm sure we'll all try not to."
[19:29] <@Kilarra> Kjell actually chuckles a bit in response. He felt like he could use a bit of a laugh after that kind of ordeal. "I think its safe to say the place will be on alert for us now, and we don't know how many are inside. Kahree, check the door."
[19:31] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods, approaching the door and checking for any traps or locks.
[19:31] <@Kilarra> The door has no lock, and Kahree finds no traps.
[19:33] <Aluthyra> Kahree keeps checking! She's not going to trust any demonic door!
[19:34] <@Kilarra> Half a minute of meticulous searching allows Kahree to find at the base of the door, a glyph marking a magical trap. The power of her true sight from the glyph of watching lets Kahree see that the magical aura of the trap was being surpressed, making it less obvious
[19:35] <Aluthyra> Kahree frowns, activating her magical bracers. Within a moment, the transform into masterwork theiving tools, and she gets to work...
[19:36] <@Kilarra> Kahree manages to break the lines of the glyph and disable it
[19:38] <@Kilarra> -End Session-
[19:38] <@Kilarra> Rewards: 1 EL 16; 19,200 Expeirnece Each