DrK's Age of Worms IC pt3

[DrK]

Zarina

Zarina emerges from the swirling plumes of fire the eviscerated remains of the beetle crumbling into dust behind her.

A look of worry expands into a wide grin as the maze is reflected back upon the Spellweaver and it vanishes. She pauses, "Mirriana, you are amazing. You continue to save us."

She takes a breath, brushing the gold filigree belt with a hand as the ruby glows taking away some of her pain, "We should ready ourselves, it may be back in mere seconds."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move: stand beside Mirriana
Swift: minor shift 12 HPs
Standard: 3 charges Belt (4d8)[10]


HPs 73 / 118 + 12 temp
Saves: +13/11/8 +6 superior + 4 morale
AC +12 luminous, shield +8 dragonskin +3 Natural +2 dex +2 dodge +1 haste = 38 FF 33 Touch 15


Heart of Air (feather fall)
Heart of Earth (Temp HPs [25% fortification])
Greater Luminous Armour (-4 to hit, +12AC) hours
Shield (+8 AC) 20 minutes
Heroics (Martial strike [searing blade]) 100 minutes
Superior Resistance
Dragonskin [white] Cold Resistance
Blur 13 mins

Mirriana: Heroes feast (+1 morale Atk/ vs fear)
Mirriana: Mass conviction (+4 morale to saves!)
Merrick: Mass Resist Energy [Fire]

Harbringer:
Heart of Fire (+10ft speed)
Heart of Air
Greater Mage armour
Haste


Devotion +4
Stance: Mystic Phoenix (+1 CL, +2 dodge AC, DR 6/EVIL)
Xtal: +3 vs Death/Negative energy effects
Rite: +2 Saves vs Death / Fear

[RCgothic]

Mirriana

I blow a puff of air from my cheeks, relieved by the moment's respite.

"Still a little closer for comfort than I'd like!" I reply to Zarina.

"Cure critical wounds" I cast on Elkist, stepping round the space the spellweaver dissappeared from and resuming our shield wall.

"It'll reappear right here! Could be seconds, maybe minutes. I'm going to cast Silence to hamper its spells, so if anyone has anything with verbal components to cast now's the time! Merrick stay back 20ft, you'll be fine. Elkist, Zarina, when he appears we'll keep him pinned *here*!"

I pause briefly to give an opportunity for Spellcasting and replies before touching a hand to my shield. "Silence!"

The room goes deathly quiet.

Spoiler

Show

Mass Shield of Faith -> Cute Critical Wounds (4d8+13)[34] for Elkist.

Silence.

All manouevres available next turn.

[Starbin]

Landahl Snowstrider, Halfling scout

Lan was hurt. Hurt bad. He drifted between reality and memory, unable to focus. Was it the burning of corrupt flames that hurt so much? Or was that the biting cold of the frozen mountains? That chittering ... a beetle? No ... it was the clacking of an entombed, coming closer. The others ... the others were ... dead? Captured? He couldn't remember. It was just him ... a survivor who wasn't going to survive this final battle. It was all over but the dying now ...

A shout ... clashing steel ... a wave of energy ... somewhere, a soft voice ... 'I am giving you each a bit of my divine connection ... use it wisely' ...

Forcing his eyes open, Lan muttered a mystic word and relief flooded across his body. The burning sensation dulled as he pushed to his feet. Up ahead, his friends battled the six-armed fiend, having slain the other guardians. A snarl, low and quiet, erupted from the halfing as he began to spring forward. More healing cleansed the burns as he ran, but before he closed with the others, the fiend disappeared. Blinking, he stopped for a moment, then smiled. He moved to within 40' of the missing spell weaver, then he called upon a spell he had yet to cast - one that challenged his abilities, but the return ... well, it would have to do.

One moment, a burned halfling was standing there. Then he began to grow, rapidly. His face elongated into a monstrous snout as his arms and legs turned into huge, clawed limbs. A silvery chitin replaced his skin. Where Lan had stood before was now an earth hunter, a bullette. It hunkered down hungrily as it waited for the spellweaver to return ...

---

Casting Aspect of the Earth Hunter. This should be fun ...

Spoiler: Status

Show

HPs: 71/89; AC: 21 (26) FF/Touch: 16/16
F +12 R +16 W +8
Skills: Listen/Spot/Search +18 Move Silently/Hide +20 Tumble +34 D Device +20
Spells (4/6/5/2/2) 0: create water, guidance, mending, light
1: detect fav enemies, gravity bow, embrace the wild, hunter's mercy, sniper’s shot, surefooted stride, CLW x2
2: fell the greatest foes, fell the greatest foe, invisibility, exacting shot, exacting shot, CMW
3: decoy image, find the gap, find the gap
4: aspect of earth hunter, deeper darkvision
Javelins (+21, 1d4+2 / +22, 1d4+3 w/in 30', bane vs undead)
Items: 1/1 Laughing Rogue; 1/2 Quicksilver Boots; 1/2 Horizon Walker
Effects: Aspect of the Earth Hunter (70min) Travel devotion (as a swift, move speed 8 rounds); +10 Tumbling, detect favored enemies (w/in 60’; 70min); embrace the wild (30’ blindsense, +2 Spot/Listen; 70 min); deeper Darkvision (120’, 7 hours), Fire Resistance 30; Mass conviction (+4 morale bonus vs all saves; 120min); Heroes Feast (+1 attack, immune poison/fear)

[DrK]

Time slows down, each beat of your heart echoing in your own mind even as you stand in complete silence... A handful of seconds pass, Zarina looks to Lan, a worried grin on her face at seeing him bloodied but back in the fight. She reaches out to Mirriana, a gentle pat on Mirriana's shoulder to reassure their defacto warrior cleric leader.

Spinning the sword she rests the blade on the ground, tip down, head bowed in prayer for a second savouring the brief pause.

OOC
1 round passes...

Zarina - Spends full round restoring Manoeuvres

All players please post a round of actions. When. Will the spellweaver return!

[redzimmer]

Merrick

Regaining his feet, Merrick casts a Displacement glamer upon Mirriana.

As the warpriest blurs, he then brings forth another alien giant centipede. to stand in a flanking position behind where the lichfield just stood.

Spoiler: PseudoCentiFiend Friend Returns!

Show

Fiendish Pseudonatural Centipede (CR 9)
NE Gargantuan Magical Beast
Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft
________________________________________
AC 18 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 16
HP 24d8+24 (132 hp)
Resist and SR Fire 10 Ice 10 Acid 15 Electricity 15, SR 22
Fort: 9 Ref: 6 Will: 4
________________________________________
Speed 40, Climb 40
Melee Bite +11 melee (2d8+9 plus poison)
Space/Reach 20 ft/15 ft
Base Atk BAB +9; Grp +27
Atk Options Bite + Poison
Special Actions
True Strike (Su): Once per day
Poison: DC 17, 1d8 Dex/1d8 Dex
Smite Good: Once per day
Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, a pseudonatural gargantuan centipede can take the form of a grotesque, tentacled mass. Despite the alien appearance, its abilities remain unchanged. Other creatures receive a -1 morale penalty on their attack rolls against a pseudonatural creature when it is in this alternate form.
________________________________________
Abilities Str 23, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 2
Special Qualities
Resistance (Ex): Resistance to acid and electricity /15, cold and fire /10.
Damage Reduction (Ex): A pseudonatural creature gains damage reduction 10/Magic.
Spell Resistance (Ex): A pseudonatural creature gains spell resistance 22.
Darkvision 60 ft.
Vermin traits
Feats
nil
Skills Climb +14, Hide -2, Spot +4

"It will be too optimistic to hope the Maze confounds him longer than a few seconds. If I die, promise me your will find the Sphere of Annihilation and stick it right up Dragotha's empty pelvic bone!"

[RCgothic]

Mirriana

With silence descending over the chamber I try and project an aura of calm as I ready myself to strike when the spellweaver reappears.

Spoiler

Show

Readied attack (1d20+20)[38]
Damage (1d8+4)[10](1d6)[2]

[DrK]

With a crackling of reality the lich, its face a rictus of rage stumbles back into reality, 9 shimmering versions of it fluctuating and spinning in a vast array of arms and crackling magical features. The beasts shimmers with a magical shield, that oscillates around all the images, even as one of them is shattered by Mirianna's blade smashing into a thousand flickering images.

Its staggers off balance for a second as it looks up, a telepathic, "You shall not survive this affront" muttered at Mirriana as it surveys the 3 women standing around it an the gargantuan gold and silver centipede, its voice and creaking undead flesh silenced by Mirriana's spell.

OOC

It spend its full round action to escape the maze and return. 8 spell weavers (i.e. 7 mirrors + the original) await your turn. He does not look happy.

[RCgothic]

Mirriana

The lich's threat doesn't perturb me. As a Spellcaster myself I know how dire it's situation is, trapped in a zone of silence and flanked and surrounded by warriors. I don't reply to it's telepathy and speaking is pointless, so I merely tilt my head slightly as if to convey Oh Rly?

My blade flashes out, deliberately striking multiple images within reach.

Spoiler

Show

Attacks:
(1d20+20)[25]
(1d20+15)[29]
(1d20+10)[27]
Against images: (9d8)[5][3][2][4][1][2][5][7][6](35) Vs 8, first 3 unique, 1 hits.
If I actually hit him I'll deliberately move on to target images.
If any hit:
(1d8+4)[9](1d6)[3]
3 images down. 5 remaining.

Shield block or WRT:
(1d2)[1]
Shield Block

And Iron Guard's Glare, Protection Devotion, and Spell Turning are still in effect.

[redzimmer]

Merrick

That is practically our group’s motto, Merrick says, mentally commanding his celestial centipede to attack all the liches in its reach.

Meanwhile he fires magic missiles from outside of the silence zone.

Spoiler: Attack and magic

Show

Holy Centipede (1d20+11)[24] damage (2d8+9)[24] nearest spellweaver.

Magic missiles
(1d4+1)[4]

[Ghostfoot]

Elkist

With the false weavers quickly falling Elkist focuses in on the last remaining alien abomination, the true lich. She arcs her blade around her, heavy edge chopping and slashing at the sorcerous evil.

Spoiler: attack rolls

Show

Swift: Holy Surge (2d6)[7] damage on first successful hit
Free: Sacred Vengeance
Full: Lightning Sword (1d20+16)[18] (+11 base, +8 str, +2 weapon, +1 morale (Heroes Feast)), +5 Law Dev, -11 PA), damage (4d6+42)[56] (+16 str, +2 weapon, +2 gauntlets, +22 PA, +2d6 sacred vengeance) + (1d6)[5] shock damage

Lightning Sword (1d20+11)[13] (+11 base, +8 str, +2 weapon, +1 morale (Heroes Feast)), +5 Law Dev, -11 PA), damage (4d6+42)[57] (+16 str, +2 weapon, +2 gauntlets, +22 PA, +2d6 sacred vengeance) + (1d6)[5] shock damage

Lightning Sword (1d20+6)[11] (+11 base, +8 str, +2 weapon, +1 morale (Heroes Feast)), +5 Law Dev, -11 PA), damage (4d6+42)[52] (+16 str, +2 weapon, +2 gauntlets, +22 PA, +2d6 sacred vengeance) + (1d6)[1] shock damage

[DrK]

Zarina

Zarina takes an involuntary step back as the Spellweaver reappears, its ancient bones covered with eons old dust and a patina of decay. Its musk strong and alien. Even as its words ring in her ears she shakes her head trying to resist the involuntary fear that such a being conjured. The images vanished rapidly as a flurry of glowing magic missiles from Merrick and Mirriana's flickering sword smashed through all of them, the images shattering like glass, 2 being absorbed silently on the Lich's shield.

Elkist leaped forward, her lightning blade striking out but it could not make contact even as Zarina flanked wide to set up an attack with Lan. The massive centipede lunged forward, its fangs cracking the lich's ancient exoskeleton. Distracted by the centpide Zarina senses her moment and lunges forward

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Swift: Searing blade
Full attack: +16+4 K.dev+1 haste+1 feast +2 flank -4 PA
Dam: 1d12+5+4+10 PA + 1d6 vs undead +3d6+9 fire

Attack (1d20+20)[38] dam (1d12+19)[24]+ (1d6)[6] + (3d6+9)[20] fire Miss 20% as Spellweaver blurs (1d100)[67]
Attack (1d20+20)[22] dam (1d12+19)[26]+ (1d6)[2] + (3d6+9)[18] fire Miss 20% as Spellweaver blurs (1d100)[64]
Attack (1d20+15)[23] dam (1d12+19)[23]+ (1d6)[3] + (3d6+9)[16] fire Miss 20% as Spellweaver blurs (1d100)[86]
Attack (1d20+10)[17] dam (1d12+19)[22]+ (1d6)[1] + (3d6+9)[17] fire Miss 20% as Spellweaver blurs (1d100)[98]




HPs 73 / 118 + 12 temp
Saves: +13/11/8 +6 superior + 4 morale
AC +12 luminous, shield +8 dragonskin +3 Natural +2 dex +2 dodge +1 haste = 38 FF 33 Touch 15


Heart of Air (feather fall)
Heart of Earth (Temp HPs [25% fortification])
Greater Luminous Armour (-4 to hit, +12AC) hours
Shield (+8 AC) 20 minutes
Heroics (Martial strike [searing blade]) 100 minutes
Superior Resistance
Dragonskin [white] Cold Resistance
Blur 13 mins

Mirriana: Heroes feast (+1 morale Atk/ vs fear)
Mirriana: Mass conviction (+4 morale to saves!)
Merrick: Mass Resist Energy [Fire]

Harbringer:
Heart of Fire (+10ft speed)
Heart of Air
Greater Mage armour
Haste


Devotion +4
Stance: Mystic Phoenix (+1 CL, +2 dodge AC, DR 6/EVIL)
Xtal: +3 vs Death/Negative energy effects
Rite: +2 Saves vs Death / Fear

[Starbin]

Landahl Snowstrider, Halfling scout

The bulette-Lan roared as the weaver returned, speeding across the distance. At the last moment, the large beast leapt forward with its claws extended. All four paws slashed downward at the spell weaver, using Zarina’s flank to help the attack.

---

Move forward as swift; full attack skirmish, flank with Z.
Att 1 - (1d20+23)[38], Dam - (2d8+8)[21]+Skirmish - (6d6)[20]=41
Att 2 - (1d20+23)[33], Dam - (2d8+8)[12]+Skirmish - (6d6)[18]=30
Att 3 - (1d20+23)[39], Dam - (2d8+8)[18]+Skirmish - (6d6)[25]=43
Att 4 - (1d20+23)[40], Dam - (2d8+8)[14]+Skirmish - (6d6)[19]=33

Spoiler: Status

Show

HPs: 36/89; AC: 21 (33) FF/Touch: 16/16
F +12 (16) R +16 (13) W +8
Skills: Listen/Spot/Search +18 Move Silently/Hide +20 Tumble +34 D Device +20
Spells (4/6/5/2/2) 0: create water, guidance, mending, light
1: detect fav enemies, gravity bow, embrace the wild, hunter's mercy, sniper’s shot, surefooted stride, CLW x2
2: fell the greatest foes, fell the greatest foe, invisibility, exacting shot, exacting shot, CMW
3: decoy image, find the gap, find the gap
4: aspect of earth hunter, deeper darkvision
Javelins (+21, 1d4+2 / +22, 1d4+3 w/in 30', bane vs undead)
Items: 1/1 Laughing Rogue; 1/2 Quicksilver Boots; 1/2 Horizon Walker
Effects: Aspect of the Earth Hunter (70min) Travel devotion (as a swift, move speed 8 rounds); +10 Tumbling, detect favored enemies (w/in 60’; 70min); embrace the wild (30’ blindsense, +2 Spot/Listen; 70 min); deeper Darkvision (120’, 7 hours), Fire Resistance 30; Mass conviction (+4 morale bonus vs all saves; 120min); Heroes Feast (+1 attack, immune poison/fear)

[DrK]

A stream of magic missiles from Merrick and the flickering sword of Mirriana shatter the mirror images before the jaws of the centipede close around the lich, but it slithers free with its magical protections. THen Lan and Zarina strike. The harbringer of the Age of Worms is rocked! In all of its millenia it has never been in such a precarious position, with many of its spells expended and trapped in a magically silenced area the lich trembles as its ancient bony frame reels under the impacts of the force javelins, three of its arms are shattered, a colossal blow from Zarina shatters another few ribs.

Dropping to its knees it projects its thoughts out towards the group at large, its 3 working skeletal arms raised in supplication. "Argh, I am bested.... you shall not detsroy me. I know of the Worm God. I was there, I was there when he sacrificed the city for his ascension, only I can stop the coming of the age of Worms... Destroy me and the lands of Oerth shall suffer the apocaplyse...

The lich looks near undeath, its body shattered and only its unholy will clinging onto the frame of bones and magic sustaining it.


OOC
Yup, >150 damage from Zarina and especially Lan have smashed it no virtual death! Do you grant mercy to such a creature of tormented and evil power that helped birth a God seeking the annihilation of all life?

[RCgothic]

Mirriana

With the spellweaver defeated I dismiss the silence spell on my shield. I find it distasteful to communicate telepathically with this creature, and I'm confident we can tear it to pieces before it can try anything.

"Why would we trust anything you say? You've been wrong about everything so far. And I will *not* overlook your crimes!"

"For the murders of everyone in this city, and all the deaths your works have caused beyond, as Chosen of Mystara I pronounce Death."

My blade flashes in a brilliant arc to part the lich's head from its body, as well as any limbs it might raise to defend itself.

[redzimmer]

Merrick

“A profound sentiment, but empty until we destroy its phylactery.”

The past echoes of this cursed city still ring in Merrick’s mind. He wonders if the lich or Kyuss knew of the vision left behind. Perhaps more could be found.

But first, the soul jar...

[Ghostfoot]

Elkist

Elkist watches impassively. The job now done she turns her attention to the environment at hand. Looking around the room "How would we recognize its phylactery, master mage?"

Spoiler: Detect phylactery

Show

Would detect spirits work?

[DrK]

The very air in the Ziggurat seems to harden as if the structure was drawing breath as Mirriana's blade swoops down ending a reign of terror that was trapped here two millenia ago and begane many centuries before that! There is a smash and a splintering sound as the creatures strange alien skull is disintegrates into fine powder before the entire underground tomb begins to vibrate and shake, a long drawn out death scream as the Spell Weaver's once immortal soul is drawn down to the dark places of the planes where there is no hope...

All save of the party are thrown to the ground as the ground trembles and there is a mighty rumbling and crashing from high above that seems to reverberate for an age. The dust raining down from the ceiling blinding and cloying. As the shaking stops Lan and Merrick can see the lake of the worms is no more... the magic sustaining this place shattered with the death of the ancient lich, a great crater like basin 50ft deep now filled with the dessicated remains of millions of bones of tiny worms... and worryingly the bones of a third(and now dead) massive worm!

Another visions hits you all before you begin to move around. The centre of the room spinning and melting into darkness as the air fills with strange and frightening whispers of a hundred voices speaking a hundred languages. Slowly the coalesce together into a single voice speaking familiar words. The Prophecy is born again. The Age of Worms is coming upon the world, the signs are here... Your sense spins as you perceive the world like a quilt beneath you. Undead legions of soggy worm infested corpses stirring all over the world. A demonic tree bursts from the heart of a city you don't recognise, a comet falls from the sky in a great mushroom shaped cloud of devastation. Another city wreathed in black smoke is gripped by shadows with long claws. A cackling man in a cowled hood attaches a strange unholy hand to the stump of his arm, black power flowing from it as they join. A city in a caldera of a volcano is consumed partially by fire...

As these scenes flash by they are accompanied by a crushing sense of certainty, as if you are seeing what has already come to pass. Yet finally whispering voices speak once more to you accompanied by a wave of blackness "The tripartite spirit once again becomes one and with its aid the mighty are undone" and then "one the eve of the Age of the Worms a hero of the pit shall use his fame to gift a city to the dead". These two clearly still to be realised...

Even as Merrick speaks of the phylactery he realises that this lich was no typical being Its essences is gone, the magic of the ring of black obsidian is shattered and the curse that accompanied the birth of Kyuss is shattered! As you stand there you chunks of black rock and dessicated worm bones drift down from the ceiling and you realise that you dare not tarry long lest you become trapped in the spot of your victory!!

Spoiler: Victory!

Show

For the vision Knowledge (arcana)(history)(religion)(planes)(geography) can all help

In destroying the alien lich you have attracted the eyes of the Gods and gained their attention!
Each of you has 4 fate points. These are one use re-rolls of a d20. Once used they are gone for good.

What now? Are people wanting to press onto the Part 7 of the Age of Worms?

[RCgothic]

Mirriana

I pick myself up, dusting worm skeletons off my armour. Gross.

"I don't think it had a phylactery," I reply to Elkist and Merrick. "If it ever did it must have been lost in a previous age. Look, I don't think it's safe down here. Grab anything that looks useful and let's get out of here. We can report back to Manzorian and see what he makes of all of this."

On our way out I cast one of my remaining spells - Dark Way - to bridge the crater and expedite our retreat.

[DrK]

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