Ch 3: Part 7: In Armageddon's Shadow: Session 51

[15:32] <@Kilarra> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:32] <@Kilarra> ~~~Chapter 3: The Armageddon Echo~~~
[15:32] <@Kilarra> -Session 51-
[15:36] <@Kilarra> The party has made themselves a safe, or at least as safe as the Armageddon Echo would presumably allow, lodging for one night. Hopefully that one night will be enough to get them through the rest of whatever trials they face within the demiplane.
[15:36] * Kilarra snuggles against the rather warm Aluthyra, content for just a little while.
[15:38] * Aluthyra has her arms wrapped around Kilarra, keeping them close. She smiles as she wakes up, staying quiet to enjoy the last of the peaceful morning.
[15:41] <Aluthyra> Tognik wakes up early for once, anxious to get out of this place. He eats some of his trail rations for breakfast, going down to the main room of the inn and waits for his companions.
[15:44] <@Kilarra> Kjell wakes up and dresses himself quickly before pulling out his spellbook. Expecting Kilarra to have her own preparations to make and Tognik to sleep in as he so liked to (and really, who could begrude him that after all they'd been through in the past couple weeks?) and begins preparing himself.
[15:44] * Aluthyra nudges Kilarra after several more moments. "Kilarra," she whispers, "time to wake up."
[15:47] * Kilarra yawns and stretches. She smiles at Aluthyra, "Good wake up call. You're really warm."
[15:49] <@Kilarra> Tognik, whilst waiting in the barroom downstairs, becomes aware of the draft. The front door of the Fluted Goblet is open. Did they leave it open, or did someone else come in?
[15:49] <@Kilarra> Tognik cannot, as it happens, see or hear anyone else inside however
[15:49] * Aluthyra chuckles, smiling widely. "We'd best prepare." She leans over, giving Kilarra a kiss on her cheek, then hops out of the bed, dressing and preparing herself for the day.
[15:51] <Aluthyra> Tognik frowns. "Odd," he mumbles. Keeping the current location in mind, Tognik turns to head back upstairs, calling to his friends, "Hey, door's open, did we not close it?"
[15:51] * Kilarra smirks and undresses, not really waiting for Aluthyra to leave because she didn't care if she was seen or not at this point. She begins her usual preparations, but is deliberately restrained about them for the sake of not drawing unwanted attention. Naturally, Aluthyra's attention was not unwanted.
[15:52] * Aluthyra turns her head quickly after a short glance at Kilarra. She blushes, then frowns as she hears Tognik. "I will check on him." She nods, slinging her bow over her shoulder, then heads for Tognik.
[15:52] <@Kilarra> Kjell looks out from his room, his Spellbook in one hand, "What's the trouble?"
[15:53] <Aluthyra> Tognik shrugs. "The door was open, and unless one of us left it that way..."
[15:55] <@Kilarra> Kjell ponders, "We were in a haste to find somewhere safe last night, and there was no one around when we came in." He looks to Aluthyra, "Do you think we left it open?" He then then frowns, "Of course, we would be wise not to simply dismiss this, regardless of what we think we did. This is not a safe place to be, and every precaution should be exercized."
[15:56] * Aluthyra shakes her head. "I am not sure. Though, being cautious, we should all stick close to one another. At least all on the same floor with only a few rooms between us."
[15:56] <Aluthyra> Tognik nods, finishing up his ration. "Sounds good."
[15:58] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods. "The drow are tricky and treacherous. If indeed we did have the door closed, it would be likely that someone else opened it, even if we did not witness it."
[16:02] * Aluthyra waits in the hall for any intruders, her bow drawn.
[16:03] <Aluthyra> Tognik concentrates a detect magic spell, just in case any invisible person were to enter the hall.
[16:15] <@Kilarra> Tognik is not able to see anything, but feels as the blade of a rapier is thrust deep into his chest, piercing his heart and stabbing clean through the back of him. He immediately feels the life leave his body, catching a glimpse of the assassin who's blade struck him as his invisibility spell fades away on the attack.
[16:16] <Aluthyra> Tognik gurgles as blood catches in his throat. He falls to the ground without a word.
[16:17] <@Kilarra> Kjell's eyes go wide. "NO!" He yells, pulling out Tyrant's Bane.
[16:18] * Aluthyra growls, drawing her bow.
[16:21] <@Kilarra> The drow assassin, having dispatched one target without even getting noticed until it was too late, decides to try for another. He pulls his RApier ouf of Tognik and rounds on Aluthyra, who was not wearing any armour that he could see.
[16:25] <@Kilarra> The Drow's rapier manages to catch the nimble Aluthyra rather painfully, stabbing clean through her as well, just not hitting anything immediately lethal.
[16:26] * Aluthyra grits her teeth, the rapier sticking her rather painfully.
[16:28] * Aluthyra looks to Tognik's body, plainly angry. She recites her God's creed as she brings up her bow, "I shall then be as Apsu," she fires five arrows. "and I shall end death."
[16:33] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra's anger seems to hamper her aim, but she still manages to severely injure the assassin with a pair of arrows through his chest. He coughs bloody spittly, a lung pierced.
[16:35] * Kilarra stops in the middle of her minstrations when she hears Kjell yell out. She grabs her whip and kicks the door open with a hoof to see what's going on. Upon glimpsing the skewered drow, she ignites her whip and lashes at him with its flaming tip
[16:35] * Kilarra is stark naked when she does this
[16:36] <@Kilarra> Kilarra misses, the drow twisting away form the whipcrack, sweating as the flames miss his face.
[16:38] <@Kilarra> Kjell wordlessly slashes at the assassin with Tyrant's Bane. He was feeling just a little vengeful, but was mostly concerned for the vulnerabilities of his remaining companions, one of whom had just run out into a fight naked.
[16:41] <@Kilarra> Kjell's first swing misses, but his backswing catches the drow assassin hard, exascerbating the already significant wounds from Aluthyra's powerful arrows, felling him.
[16:42] * Kilarra looks around the group, "What happened?" she demands, moving to Aluthyra first to check her wound.
[16:43] * Aluthyra grimaces. "There was an assassin that snuck in. Invisible. He went after Tognik first." She shakes her head sadly, looking to his corpse.
[16:44] * Kilarra frowns at the wound. It was clean through and had just barely missed a lung. Whoever did that was a pro. She glances at Tognik's body and frowns, "Sh'keth. I warned him this could happen." She sighs, then hands Aluthyra a potion, "Drink that. I need to finish preparing if I'm going to be of any use."
[16:45] * Kilarra isn't wearing anything and had nowhere to produce a potion from, so ignore that
[16:45] * Aluthyra leans against the wall weakly, then looks to Kjell. "What should we do with his body?"
[16:45] * Kilarra notes to Aluthyra, "Drink a potion to keep that from bleeding more. I need to finish preparing if I'm to be any use."
[16:46] <@Kilarra> Kjell looks to Kilarra, "Can you revive him?"
[16:46] * Kilarra stops, then leans down to Tognik and checks him thoroughly.
[16:46] * Aluthyra drinks a potion of cure light wounds.
[16:46] * Aluthyra sighs, the potion only healing her slightly.
[16:47] * Kilarra shakes her head, "No, he's dead dead. Right through the heart. I don't yet have the power to raise the slain." She looks to Kjell, "However, his corpse will sitll be salvageable for the next week or so. If Calistria sees fit to grant me that power within that time, or we end this and get him back to Shorafa, then he can be raised."
[16:48] <@Kilarra> Kjell frowns at Kilarra's apparently lack of sympathy, but nods. "Taking him with us would cost time we need to save his life. We should leave him somewhere safe, then reclaim him once we have dealt with the last of the drow." He grips his spellbook, "I shall finish preparing as well, then we shall depart immediately.
[16:51] * Aluthyra sighs and nods. "Both of you prepare... I will stay out here."
[16:51] * Kilarra stands up again, turning towards the room as she curls her whip. "Then I should finish preparing quickly as well. I'm not keen on staying in this place a minute longer." She glances at Aluthyra's wound, wanting to hurry and fix it. Tognik's death, to her, was a grim reminder of the possiblity any of them could die, and she was just starting to really get to know Aluthyra moreso than most people she lusted after.
[16:52] * Aluthyra keeps a hand over her wound as she leans back against the wall.
[16:52] * Kilarra closes the door and gets busy finishing her preparations. She didn't want to die either, not without completing her revenge. Plus she still needed to properly ravish ALuthyra
[16:56] <@Kilarra> Kjell prepares his spells with all haste he can manage, then steps out, looking down at Tognik, then to Aluthyra, "This would be a suitable place to leave him I think. We know where it is, and can easily pass by to collect him on our way back to the portal out." He bends over to pick up his friend, but waits for Aluthyra to voice any disagreement she might have.
[16:57] * Kilarra comes out of her room dressed in her cleric vestements and breastplate. She jabs Aluthyra twice with her wand, wanting to save her more powerful healing for the midst of battle
[16:58] * Aluthyra nods her head. "I would agree." She sighs in relief as her wounds begin to heal, nodding again to Kjell. "Maybe just lay his body in one of the rooms... Give it rest and respect."
[17:00] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods, "That was my intention." He steps into his room, wrapping Tognik with blankets, but not before plucking the fireball wand from his quiver. "I hope you don't mind my borrowing this my little red friend."
[17:04] * Kilarra wraps her tail around Aluthyra, pulling her in for a hug. She hadn't exactly been friends with Tognik, but she did want to at least try to comfort Aluthyra.
[17:05] <@Kilarra> Kjell takes the wand of Expeditious retreat as well, and steps out of the room with it. He uses it once on each of the three of them. "Let us make haste." He then slips both wands away.
[17:05] * Aluthyra thanks Kilarra with a hug, then draws up her bow as she pulls back. "We should move. If there are more assassins such as this, the less time we spend, the better."
[17:06] * Aluthyra drinks a potion of mage armor and channels her ki into barkskin. She nods, ready, and moves out of the inn.
[17:07] * Kilarra decides to wait until they reach the observatory to cast her enchantments upon herself, knowing they aren't going to last too long otherwise.
[17:08] <@Kilarra> Kjell draws his sword and casts his shield spell, recharging it from his arcane pool as he heads out. He leads the group to the Observatory as quickly as he can manage.
[17:10] <@Kilarra> Standing in the center of a small, well-kept park is a tall and imposing building made of black and white marble and decorated with beautiful celestial patterns. Four low domes adorn the building’s corners. A tower rises from its central portion to form a large domed structure from which three ornate telescopes protrude from balconies.
[17:13] <@Kilarra> As the party approaches, another pair of Babau demons on patrol cross in front of their path. They didn't seem to have been standing guard, but immediately round on the party as they approach the observatory.
[17:21] <@Kilarra> The Babau's raise their spears and lunge at Kjell and Aluthyra, since Kilarra was following behind the two of them.
[17:23] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra is nimble enough to duck the spear, but Kjell takes a blow to the side, puncturing him.
[17:24] <@Kilarra> Kjell grits his teeth and glowers
[17:25] <@Kilarra> Kjell quickly draws his cold iron sword, knowing Aluthyra is low on arrows. He takes two swings at the Babau in front of him, while using his off-hand to throw a quartet of magic projectiles in its face.
[17:27] <@Kilarra> Kjell's blade cuts through the demon most effectively, although the acid skin of the Babau is not kind to it. The blast of magic projectiles to the face cause it to scream.
[17:29] * Kilarra has as much desire to end this quickly as anyone else, and focuses on the unharmed Babau; "Begone!" She declares, attempting to dismiss it back to the Abyss
[17:31] <@Kilarra> The Babau is unaffected, glowering back at Kilarra
[17:32] * Kilarra frowns, "Oh come on!"
[17:33] * Aluthyra focuses on the unharmed babau as well, firing five arrows.
[17:36] <@Kilarra> The Babau screams as it is peppered with arrows. The Cold Iron one is the only one that has the full impact, but the others are no less forgiving.
[17:37] <@Kilarra> The Babaus attack Kjell and Aluthyra with everything they have, lunging and biting, ignoring Kilarra who thus far hadn't proven to be any harm.
[17:39] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra is completely untouchable, but Kjell gets another nasty gouge to the side.
[17:39] <@Kilarra> Kjell repeats his attack pattern from before, hoping to finish off the wounded Babau before it could cause further harm
[17:42] <@Kilarra> Kjell carves the Babau apart most thoroughly, withholding his spell charge at the last minute when he sees his sword did the work.
[17:44] <@Kilarra> However, the acidic skin of the Babau did a number on the blade, which is now pocked and corroded, almost to the point of uselessness. The blade remains intact, but its edge is lost.
[17:47] <@Kilarra> Kjell curses his foul luck and hopes Aluthyra can finish the other demon
[17:48] * Kilarra places a hand on Kjell for a moderate curing spell, hoping it will be enough to last the fight so she can save her more powerful fare for the dragon or drow's leader.
[17:49] * Aluthyra aims again at the last demon, firing another barrage of five.
[17:50] <@Kilarra> Only three of Aluthyra's non-cold iron arrows manage to penetrate the Demon's flesh, and they don't do enough to kill the beast.
[17:51] <@Kilarra> The Babau looks between its own wounds and Kjell being healed, then teleports away
[17:52] <@Kilarra> Kjell spits at where it stood. "Great, for all we know it just ported inside to raise the alarm."
[17:53] * Kilarra rolls her eyes as she sets to tending Kjell quickly, "I'd imagine their shrieking and cursing already did that."
[17:53] * Kilarra manages it with 3 doses from her Cure wand
[17:55] * Aluthyra sighs, looking around for any usable arrows.
[17:56] <@Kilarra> Aluthyra finds two shots that missed, but those that struck the Babau are unsalvageable.
[17:57] * Aluthyra frowns. "I doubt the drow will have arrows, seeing as they prefer crossbows. I am... unsure what to do when I run out."
[17:58] <@Kilarra> Kjell sighs, "Would that I had some spells to help you, but I am afraid my ranged alternative has always been magic.
[17:59] * Kilarra asks Aluthyra, "Can you use a crossbow?"
[18:03] * Aluthyra shrugs. "Not as effectively, but as a last resort, yes."
[18:05] * Kilarra nods, "You'd still probably be more effective with my crossbow than I would, so you can take it if you need to."
[18:14] * Aluthyra nods. "If you could... It would be better than nothing once I am running low."
[18:14] * Aluthyra adds, "Lower, that is."
[18:15] * Kilarra nods, "Alright then, but here's hoping we don't have to resort to something that impractical."
[18:16] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods, "Agreed. Let's get in there, get this done, and get out." He sheathes his damaged cold iron sword and pulls Tyrant's Bane back out. He steps up to the door and casts Bear's Strength on himself. "For Tognik." He kicks in the door...
[18:16] <@Kilarra> -End Session-
[18:16] <@Kilarra> Rewards: 1 EL 9, 1 EL 8; 2800 Experience Each