The Mouth of Doom: Session 45

General Summary

Double Tap

At Ansible’s waist the familiar smoke that usually announced the warlock’s return to the Wrenjers was pouring out of the obsidian rod. This time though it was Vadim materializing after spending some time in Ansible’s home away from home. The bard reformed surrounded by walls of horrific detail of the servants of the Master and their deeds. Behind him lay the barracks and Vadim could make out the massive statue of the Master looming over the large temple room ahead of him, just past Jarvis. Te’Leyuura had nervously fallen back, to give her attempt in dispelling the magic in the room a fighting chance. She released her held breath while she shredded the magic in the room that she had assumed was a Hallow spell. The vrock had been screeching ever since the rogue had dealt it a massive blow. The demon approached the hallway, screaming and stunning most of the Wrenjers before it retreated dodging Jarvis’ attack. Although he hadn’t been present when they had first breached the doors, Vadim greeted the servants of the Master with a well placed Fireball, slaying a few of the skeletons and two of the clerics.
Knowing his last arrow had dealt the demon a massive blow, Artem hid from the Vrock before notching another magical arrow. His aim was true and it seemed that the demon was having trouble staying aloft. When Enya had been dropped into the lava, Ansible’s Sickening Radiance triggered as the spell did not distinguish between foes and friends. Using some quick thinking the extremely injured druid fey-stepped up to the ledge, looked back to her companions in the doorway as the arch cleric glanced down at his sacrifice. A glyph flared near Enya and she was once again on the ground, at least this time it wasn’t on fire. After taking some time to heal, she stands to move out of the radiance. As she approached one of the ‘fallen’ clerics, she could tell they were not dead. From atop Erukoesk, Leofric brought out his pink spiritual weapon to attack the nearest combatant right before he channeled the twilight, giving his friends near him some much needed boost of health. In trepidation the arch cleric looked back at the statue of the Master, it seemed like he didn’t want to make eye contact, as the vrock was barely alive. Jarvis held his position in the doorway, ready for the pain that he knew was coming his way. Ansible, who had been one of the servant’s main targets, moved back and downed a healing potion from her belt. The warlock then targeted her eldritch energy at the vrock. As the vrock fell, in Abyssal the statue boomed “failure.” As the arch cleric clutched his chest, magic from the Master ripped half of his vitality to feed the vrock.
Standing in the doorway, Jarvis was tough to hit so the undead turned their attention to one of the stunned Wrenjers. Zetwuzadi had recoiled from the demon’s shriek and as she staggered a bit back her head was no longer tracking the enemies and she was stunned. One of the large undead ogres grabbed the paladin and shoved her into the room. They then took turns trying to hit her. The high priest stumbled down a bit with the force of retribution from the Master, in anger he tried to cast a stored spell in his ring; however, Jarvis’ ring countered it. The cleric then stumbled back towards the statue and down the stairs. From her position, Enya could see the desperation in the cleric as he yelled out to his minions to kill her as a sacrifice would regain his standing with his Master. Pouring out of the walls, more undead rushed towards the Wrenjers. Three attacked the stunned paladin with only a couple managing to hit past her armor, draining her of some of her vitality. The wights moved into the hallway, and absolutely wrecked the warlock who did land a critical hit as one of the undead moved away.
The acolyte who had pretended to be dead, stood and approached Enya and in a sad attempt to noodle arm grab the druid, the cleric stumbled to the ground. Another one approached her and dealt a mighty necrotic touch. Ansible, who had been holding her ground ever since her spell had made her a target, fell when two spiritual weapons landed. One of the acolytes pushed Zetwuzadi into the lava, screaming “another sacrifice!” When she dipped out of sight, it was clear that Erukoesk was going to follow. From the way back of the hall, Te’Leyuura stood over Ansible’s body and dropped a fireball into the room, slaying many of the undead. The vrock landed with an eruption of bones in front of Jarvis to face off with the artificer who had entered the room. Vadim followed up his previous fireball with another well placed burst, slaying many of the rest of the servants of the Master. It was clear that the unconscious Zetwuzadi was in need of help. Artem wiggled in place for a moment before he kitty zoomed into the temple, down the wall to the paladin to feed them a healing potion. As they left the hallway, Leofric called out that he would get Enya and Ansible. Jarvis moved around the vrock and as they moved a bit too close to the lava, another glyph activated and dealt the sturdy artificer some damage.
Erukoesk rushed into the temple and as they crossed the threshold, Leofric’s held healing spell was released, landing gently upon the party. As with Artem’s approach, Zetwuzadi’s celestial fey bear took some damage from the sheer heat of the lava. The bear climbed down, and Zetwuzadi was able to pull themselves out of the lava. Once again back on the stone floor in the temple, the paladin landed two hits and smited the demon. It was clear what the zombie ogre wanted to do and as it wound up it’s club to knock the bear into the lava, Vadim distracted them calling them weak. Upset with the ineptitude of his minions, the high priest brought the darkness around him and approached the group. Up to a few moments ago, Artem was invisible and with his new vulnerability, one of the wights grabbed the rogue and shoved him into the high priest’s spiritual guardians. The Wrenjer’s had managed to slay a few of the clerics, unfortunately it only took one of the alive ones to heal the others. Only a few skeletons remained, two units. One of the units entered the hallway and engaged two of the squishier Wrenjers while the slacker squad missed their targets once again. At least this time they remembered to attack. Both the wizard and the bard tried to target the high priest to drop their concentration but they were unable.
Still being held by the wight, Artem steadily aimed their shortsword, rendering them useless. Enya, who was stuck in the high priest’s aura of darkness and hate, fell unconscious once again. Luckily, Leofric withstood the aura and healed his fellow Wrenjers before he took his holy symbol and dusted the remaining skeletons. Standing up in the hallway, Ansible raised her hand and told the high priest to be gone to the shadows. Although some of her companions did not understand celestial, they knew what she had done. The high priest was banished. With their leader slain, the Wrenjers were able to focus on slaying and double tapping the clerics.
While they were focused on the combatants, Enya had bled out on the stone floor. But as the last undead ogre crashed to the ground, Leofric ran on his wee legs across the temple. His prayer to Tlombi built in power as he clutched Enya’s hand in which he had placed the diamond. Leofric could see Enya decomposing in front of his eyes, her eyes sinking back into her head but the cleric was able to force his way through death with help by Tlombi. As the statue stared down at the two figures on the stone floor, Leofric could feel the heat of the Master’s stare through the statue as the small cleric stole one of his sacrifices. Enya awakened knowing what was awaiting her before Leofric stole her from it. She was being dragged down when she felt the warm touch of a pink flame burning across her. The druid awoken to a tiny aethrin holding on to her. Looking about the room, Enya asked if she missed all the fire before simply stating that the lava was too much fire.
As the time the high priest would be brought back was approaching, Jarvis asked the others if they were going to take him alive or dead. Those that answered seemed to want him alive and they prepared their attacks. But as the banishment dropped, they heard a voice that although they have never heard before it’s deep, resonating and painful to their core, it plinks off their bones as if it’s trying to pull their skeletons out. “Death does not answer to you, I am it’s Master. Everything you strive to accomplish in your worthless lives will turn to ash and dust” and as it finished the dried and desiccated corpse of the arch cleric hit the stones. It looked racked with necromancy and frozen in a perpetual scream. With the room cleared, they knew that their task was not yet complete.

Report Date

28 Aug 2021