3 - 118: The Third Piece

[K Man]

Krysta, Caelith, Girud, Mordrock, Galdren, and Garor - Brother Hingar nods and lifts his sword to his side, ready for combat. He motions to Vorren and Jannoch, urging them to follow. The trio of paladins rush out of the small mouth of the tunnel, proclaiming their faith and the sword will be the end of these hellish creatures...

Once you round that tiny corner and the room opens up, you get a better picture of what you're dealing with.

This room is large, about 60 feet long and half as wide. Humans of various ages, sexes and health-condition hang from the walls and ceiling, their bodies wrapped in chains. Two demons position one vat of boiling oil beneath a prisoner, obviously intent on dropping the hapless soul into the device. Next to this vicitm, another soul writhes mercilessly as though something is bothering it...something invisible...

The paladins scream as they lead the charge on the surprised devils...

(Cohorts will act on your initiatives...if you have them.)

[Initiative: Vorren, Krysta and Girud, Caelith, Brother Hingar, Galdren, Mordrock, Garor, Jannoch]

{Garor - Due to the nature of Hell, spells like Prayer have a lessened effect, especially on enemies. It will do nothing to them, but it should still affect you all.}

Map;

                     | R  |
                     |I MA|
   __________________|GNDK|
  / ©©  ©©¢   ©©     B  J \_
  |     ¢               V   []
  []                   ¤    ©|
  |        ¢¢               ©|
   \_©©__©©_©©©____©©©_____[]

[/pre]


© = Captured Victim
¤ = Screaming Obelisk
B = Brother Hingar
J = Jannoch
V = Vorren
I = Caelith
M= Mordrock
A = Adelia
G = Girud
D = Galdren
R = Garor
N = Alton
K = Krysta
¢ = Kochrachan Devil

COUNTDOWN - 01:22 Hours to Apocalypse Clock Chime...

0 out of 200 Restoration points earned.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuri and Romar - {Still a little confusion. Is Yuri going outside to speak with demon or doing it from inside? Please decide}

[Heal Check, Romar. Fail.] Daniel's wounds continue to bleed...looking ever worse by the second. Perhaps at this rate, something drastic will need to be done to save his life...only to turn him over to a demon.


EDIT: Daniel @ -3 HP
__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Fangor the Fierce]

Krystas bow springs into action, firing off two arrows as she takes a 5 foot step south to get a better angle. She will aim for the clearest shot, should the paladin be blocking her view.

+2 Mighty Comp Longbow of Shock, +14/+9, 1d8+3, +1d6 Elec dmg, x3, 100', Piercing
(Prayer Included for +1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adelia, sensing something else is wrong here, immediately grips her weapon, surveying the scene with a scrutinizing eye. She spies the obelisk, and takes a moment to think of anything that might destroy it. Knowledge Arcana +7, Knowledge Religion +11 (Prayer bonus included as well)

She will then ready her powers, letting them build up first and will release them when the time is right... For now, she simply moves next to the obelisk, intent on helping where she is needed next as she studies the structure. Perhaps this is where she can help the most, if these things prove to fuel the demons...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mordrock, seeing his two women jump forwards quickly, follows suit. He has his arrow readied, but since the othes are sure to be in melee quickly, he knows he can not get any good shots off. Instead, he moves towards the captured beings being held by chains. He inspects the chains, and sees if he can successfully break the locks. (Open Lock +12, but penalty for no tools... I really need some tools)

[GeneralMHB]

Yuri stops and listens to Romar, realizing what he is saying may be true. Yuri curses himself for letting anger be the determining factor in his judgment. He glances over at Romar, stopping short from the door.

Very well, we will speek with him from here. Anger has clouded my previous judgment.

Yuri then speeks up in the same language as the demon.

[glow=red,2,300]Gfarlex, it is with unfortunate news that I must tell you that Maycera, Arch-duchess of the Eternal Falls of Pain and the Fields of Infinite Sorrow, is dead. The killer is near death in my arms now. Her last words were written as followed:[/glow]

Yuri then mutters the exact words of Maycera's last confession to Gfarlex, if that is indeed who he is.

[glow=red,2,300]I, Maycera, Arch-duchess of the Eternal Falls of Pain and the Fields of Infinite Sorrow, write this, my last confession.

I write this with all that I have left, only the blood in my veins, pumped from a shattered heart. It matters not how much I bleed and write for I will take my life once this is is written.

I have been fooled.

Once a Queen of betrayal, I have let my guard down only to be betrayed myself and it cost me the one thing I have EVER cared for...Gfarlex, my love.

I have been held captive here by a priest whose cold heart belongs in a ruling council of the nine. He torments me daily, forcing a little bit of knowledge out of me everyday for one he calls 'The Master'. He wants to know the inner workings of hell, of the planes and of the power to transcend them. For what purpose I know not...

To get this information from me, my captor claimed that he had my love held in a cell similar to this one and that one would speak the knowledge...or the other would die.

I was a fool.

To protect Gfarlex I told him everything. Once done, the betrayal took place. He told me that my love was already dead and that he would leave me to rot in this cell, thinking about spending the remainder of eternity without Gfarlex...

I cannot fathom such an existence.

I write this, in my native tongue...

...hope that one of my brethren revenges me appropiately...seek out...one called...Daniel...
[/glow]

He adds:

[glow=red,2,300]What do you wish of me now?[/glow]

He awaits a reply.

(OOC: Yuri was going outside, but Romar convinced him otherwise. He's staying inside, with Daniel in his arms. BTW: Was this language Infernal or Abyssal?)

[VemuKhaham]

Romar looks a bit foolish as he witnesses the change of language. He never learned more languages than the one they spoke at home, except maybe for the occasional loose celestial word that priests used over and over during their ceremonies. Wait, he knew this one dwarven song as well, which they used to sing in The Dancing Donkey, the local tavern over in Carealal, where he came a couple of times a year, going with his father to bring the crops to the market, and after some memorizing he had learned to make out some of the words' meanings as well. He had also heard that the elves were good at making songs, but he knew few elves back home, and even fewer of them ever came to the Dancing Donkey. Anyway, one thing he could figure out was that this language was neither Elven nor dwarven, and most certainly not celestial...

No, it was a demonic tongue, a language that even if he could learn it in its entirety with all its grammar and vocabulary combined in one single day, he would refuse to ever speak. He would rather speak orc.

So he just listens and dares not add anything to Yuri's long speech, not knowing what was said already, while looking at Daniel with concern.

[Japic]

Seeing the foe lined up before him Girud moves forward to do what he does best; Killin' things. Unfortunately they were too far away to do damage right away, so he moves forward until he can practically smell their breath. They would pay soon enough. {move to map position below}

For possible AoO sake (2 possible): {+15 to hit, 2d6+11 dmg, Crit 19-20x2.} {bypasses lawful damage reduction}

AC is 22 Should they attack first next round.

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

As the massive hulk of a man moves closer to their foes Alton steps lively moving nearer the prisoners he's trying to protect {on map}. He draws back an arrow and looses it at one of the demons that appear ready to hurt (or are hurting) a prisoner.

Shortbow +11 to hit, 1d4+2d6+2 damage. Crit 20x3.

AC is 21 should they manage to get by Girud at any time.

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

                     | R  |
                     |I MA|
   __________________|  DK|
  / ©©  ©©¢   ©©     B  J \_
  |     ¢               V   []
  []         G   N     ¤    ©|
  |        ¢¢               ©|
   \_©©__©©_©©©____©©©_____[]

[/pre]

{EDIT: I forgot to add in the prayer bonuses, all better now}

[TheUdjat]

Caelith frowns as Girud charges towards battle - while content that he is doing so, he is mildly upset that the large man was so quick - He had wanted to do a bit of prudent preparation.

But such plans are easily amended. He looks to Galdren, certain that he will be the next to charge into the fray. Calling forth the magic ingrained in his mind, Caelith chants out the flowing, staccato syllables of magic, reaching forth and touching Galdren's shoulder. When the spell is so cast, he speaks to the warrior, "Fight in the center of our allies at the front. You will all bear my protection."

((Magic Circle against Evil. Even reduced, it should still give a +2 deflection bonus and a +2 bonus on saves vs evil creatures. Works in a 10' radius centered on Galdren.))

[Jevva]

Galdren faces Caelith, glad that he held back long enough to receive the blessing. "Thank you, my friend. I'll see you on the other side."

Galdren follows Girud, backing him up and bringing Caelith's protection with him.

Flaming Katana of Ooze Bane 1d10 +5 +1d6, +13 (For AoO's)
AC: 24 (As is Girud's, because of the MCaE)

[BluSpecs]

Garor slowly moves into the room toward the center, if and of the baddies get close enough he attacks

Masterwork Maul (+12/+7, 1d10+6, . 20\x3 Ghost Touch