Galadel remains on the periphery of battle, confident in the prowess of his melee-inclined companions to effectively deal with the gargoyles.

OOC: DM Post to keep game moving.
This message was last updated by the GM at 17:14, Sat 26 Dec 2015.

Ben floats down to floor-level and pools up along the ground while the battle continues, uncertain when he will undergo deposition, or indeed, if he will ever?

Galadel has vanished from sight, leaving Rath, Inas, Eagle and Saliq to handle the three gargoyles, which seem keenly focused on taking down Rath and Inas as quickly as possible.

Two gargoyles scrap with Rath. Clawing, raking and biting continues, the fatigued warrior is now under serious pressure as the monsters pin him against the wall. Rath does his best to ward off their attacks with the Devilsbane, but the attacks come furious and he eventually succumbs to his wounds!

Standing a few paces distant, Inas sees his companion slump to the ground, the trident falling free of his hand. But the ranger has his own struggle and does his best to thwart the gargoyle's attack. He takes a few wounds in the process, but he is still conscious, for the moment...


OOC: Rath is hit for 14 points of damage and is now unconscious and bleeding out (-1). Inas is hit for 9 points of damage.

Longshadows' Gargoyles
AC 5
HP 25/25 (Rath), 0/26, 6/23 (Inas), 0/21 (Inas)


PC       AC    HP    AP  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10   Notes
Ben      7   34/34   1   19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9   Init +2, Gaseous Form
Eagle    6   51/51   0   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Galadel  4   17/17   2   18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8   Invisible
Inas     2   12/60   1   16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6
Rath     2   -1/48   1   16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6   Unconscious, Invisible
Saliq    7   19/19   3   19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9   Init +2



OOC: PCs are UP!.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:29, Sun 27 Dec 2015.

Seeing Rath fall, Eagle shrugs off Saliq's attempt to pull him away from the battle. The druid resolutely grips his staff and wades into battle once more, taking aim at the grievously wounded gargoyle savaging Rath's fallen body. He hits with a solid thwack and takes the thing down.

OOC: Hit for 3 points of damage.

With renewed determination, Inas charges the nearest gargoyle slashing it twice across the midsection and nearly felling it.

11:39, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 16,9 using d20+2,d8+4 with rolls of 14,5.  Round 3A.

11:39, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 13,8 using d20+2,d8+4 with rolls of 11,4.  Round 3B.

Seeing Rath go down Saliq grits his teeth and rejoins the fight against the nearest gargoyle. Sadly his swings are to little effect.

---

OOC: 17:48, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 11 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 10.  Attack with Jambiya Moonblade.

Galadel sees Rath fall to the ground.  The monsters that attacked him seem insane, not caring for their own survival, nothing but attacking and killing radiate from their actions, in his odd mind he wonders how they manage to procreate.

He can't hurt them much now, and has little healing left but maybe he can save Rath long enough for the others to turn the tide.

Invisible himself, he leans down, reaching out a hand through the gaps, and speaks a few words, and Rath vanishes from sight.

Rath is there one moment, bleeding on the floor, the next he is not. But the vicious gargoyle does not take notice of this, its blind rage and sheer hatred for the living is focused on Eagle for the moment.

Eagle defends himself with his staff, but the rabid gargoyle still manages to injure the druid. Inas is on the ropes now, but has managed to slay another gargoyle.

Ben, still in gaseous form can only watch on, helplessly as one by one his companions are torn apart by the gargoyles.


OOC: Eagle takes 8 points of damage. Rath loses 1 more hit point and is now at -2

Longshadows' Gargoyles
AC 5
HP 25/25 (Eagle/Inas/Saliq), 0/26, 0/23, 0/21


PC       AC    HP    AP  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10   Notes
Ben      7   34/34   1   19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9   Init +2, Gaseous Form
Eagle    6   43/51   0   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Galadel  4   17/17   2   18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8   Invisible
Inas     2   12/60   1   16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6
Rath     2   -2/48   1   16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6   Unconscious, Invisible
Saliq    7   19/19   3   19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9   Init +2



OOC: PCs are UP!.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:23, Mon 28 Dec 2015.

Eagle chokes back his emotion as he sees Inas fall to the floor. To his right, only Saliq remained, Galadel had disappeared in the middle of the battle (though he suspected this was a magical occurrence and not a situation where the spellcaster had merely decided to abandon his companions...he would surely return any moment with a trick up his sleeve...)

Ben had been crushed by blocks when the ceiling collapsed, at least as far as he knew. Rath was already gone.

Gritting his teeth with determination, he attempts to strike the gargoyle again, but it is to little effect.

"Melora, grant me your wisdom and mettle..." he says to himself.

Exhausted, covered in grime, sweat, blood, and gargoyle ichor, and slowly succumbing to despair, Inas is unable to make meaningful contact with the remaining adversary.

07:46, Today: Inas Eoinsson rolled 9,9 using d20+2,d8+4 with rolls of 7,5.  Round 4.

There are more arcane words spoken and the injured Ranger suddenly vanishes from sight, it is odd but the party seems to be vanishing one at a time.

ooc: invisibility on Inas

A lone gargoyle now faces Eagle and Saliq, the last of the five companions who is either not invisible or in gaseous form. The gargoyle examines both opponents and judges Eagle to be the greater threat and pounces on the man.

Eagle twists and dives, avoiding the brunt of the monster's attacks.


OOC: Eagle takes 4 points of damage. Rath loses 1 more hit point and is now at -3

Longshadows' Gargoyles
AC 5
HP 0/25, 0/26, 0/23, 0/21


PC       AC    HP    AP  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10   Notes
Ben      7   34/34   1   19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9   Init +2, Gaseous Form, Invisible
Eagle    6   39/51   0   14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4
Galadel  4   17/17   2   18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8   Invisible
Inas     2   12/60   1   16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6
Rath     2    4/48   1   16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6   Invisible
Saliq    7   19/19   3   19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10  9   Init +2



OOC: PCs are UP!.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:48, Tue 29 Dec 2015.

Eagle draws back a few feet and utters ancient words, drawing a swarm of biting flies onto the gargoyle. The gargoyle is overcome by the teeming mass of insects and can do little but ward off their pestering little mouths.

"That will keep it occupied for quite a while," he says to Saliq. Looking around he calls out, "Galadel, Rath, Inas. Ben?"

OOC: The insect swarm will do 2 points of damage for the next 10 rounds and the gargoyle will be unable to do anything else during that time.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:47, Mon 28 Dec 2015.

Seeing that the swarm has now distracted the last gargoyle, Gal breaths a bit easier, just a bit.

Gal's disembodied voice...

"I'll handle Rath, Inas is still around, just not visible.....".  Dragging the unconscious Rath a few feet further away from the battle, Gal speaks a arcane word dismissing his previous spell so Rath pops back into view.   He will then go about binding the man's wounds, shoring up his health and stopping the bleeding.

Rath is now stabilized and no longer in danger of dying, but remains unconscious.

Eagle breathes a sigh of relief but mentions he no longer has the power to cast any healing spells and asks whether Galadel can perform such a rite. Unless somebody has a potion of healing, there will be no other way to revive Rath until the party can rest.

Gal answers, "I am completely out of arcane magic, that is the first time in a long time that has happened to me, I feel half undead myself.  Luckily, my spiritual magic does not drain me as much, I still have several spells left, but only one of them with a minor bit of healing, I will cast that on Rath now that I have him stabilized". 

Praying over the fallen warrior once he gets the chance, he casts a Cure Light Wounds on him.


ooc:
15:51, Today: Galadel rolled 2 using 1d8 with rolls of 2.  CLW on Rath.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Mon 28 Dec 2015.

Inas . . .

[Private to DM Storm: . . . circles the gargoyle, watching it, making sure it makes no move toward the party, and tries to keep to its back so that if the need to attack it arises, Inas can do so from the rear.  But, for at least one round, Inas is going to catch his breath.  But if the gargoyle seems to attack any of Inas's visible comrades, Inas will attack immediately.  (Although, I know from what was said this will not happen, but Inas doesn't know that.) :)]

Galadel is able to heal some of Rath's wounds, but the warrior remains unconscious. Meanwhile, Inas and Eagle stand ready to intercept the struggling gargoyle should it rid itself of the pesky flies before expiring.

Several minutes pass in this state, until finally, the gargoyle struggling to get free of the insects, Eagle suggests Inas dispatch the gargoyle.

"The spell will end soon, I suggest you finish off the gargoyle before it directs its attention to either of us," the druid says.

Presumably, Inas does so, and with great efficiency.

The party is exhausted and battered, but victorious. Four gargoyles now lie defeated in the vampire's sanctum. A few moments after the last of the gargoyles has been defeated, Ben re-materializes.

The thief has returned from death, or so some may believe!

"The Raven-Queen be praised, we have survived," Ben exclaims, still invisible, but now able to speak.

Galadel feels a hand touch his, then place something within it, assuming he is willing.

"This is a potion of healing, see if you can convince Rath to swallow it."

As Ben's hand moves away the potion becomes visible.

"Ben!" Saliq whoops in delight, his handsome but rather solemn face blossoming into smile. "I knew you'd be back! You'll have to tell us what trick you managed it!"

His elation cooled as his eyes turned to the sarcophagus. "Our mission is not yet entirely over my friends. We need to open that and slay the vampire once and for all."

Galadel jumps slightly as Ben hands over the potion.  Though also invisible, the theif's good hearing and senses correctly guessed his position "But...Ben...how....oh praise be..." though invisible it is clear the young man's voice is betraying his emotions.

Galadel will gently lift the warrior so his body is angled up and head tilted slightly forward.  He will then very slowly, allowing the mans swallowing reflexes to do the work, administer the potion.

Once that is complete, assuming Rath revives somewhat, Gal will quickly fill him in on what he missed and urge him to remain resting for the moment.

Standing he will speak a word of prayer and look around the chamber.

ooc: Find Traps
This message was last edited by the player at 14:33, Tue 29 Dec 2015.

Rath drools a bit and then coughs to life, looking up at Galadel with a squint. Assured he's not dead, Rath listens to Galadel's briefing, then drags his own bleeding, battered body to its feet.

He looks around to count his visible companions and smirks when it sinks in that Ben, though unseen, is alive and well after all. "Scristos, you're nearly a wizard to match Musfara."

With a rough touch, Rath probes a deep and bloody gouge across his face and winces. Then he wipes the blood from his eyes, takes up his trident, and waits for direction from Saliq. Privately, Rath believes the time for retreat may be passed.

"Me a wizard? You just came back from the dead!"

Rath feels the invisible hand of the the little thief attempting to comfort him with a slap on the shoulder.

"We're not done yet, old soldier. Catch your breath, we may have to press on..."

Inas, no longer invisible after dealing the final blow to the last gargoyle, (I assume), speaks up to object to Saliq's suggestion.

"That was close.  Too close.  Pursuing the vampire now is foolhardy.  Rath just escaped death, and I'm not far behind.  And everyone's powers are at low ebb.  Fighting him now would be pointless; the outcome, a foregone conclusion."

"I know little of the foul magic of necromancy," Saliq conceding, "but I do know that the vampire fled from our fires. I believe he too is injured and had to retreat to his lair to heal. For all our injuries this may be the last time Lord Myron is so vulnerable... and I doubt he'll forget us when is restored to the fullness of his powers."

"Good points, all," Eagle interjects after hearing the merits of continuing on versus retreating.

"On one hand, we have dealt Lord Myron, the vampire, a serious blow. Presumably sent him flying back to his coffin," he says while eyeing the polished black coffin occupying the far half of the room. "If Saliq's counsel is to be believed, which I am inclined to do so," he adds with a supportive smile.

"On the other hand," he intones, "we have stretched ourselves quite thin pressing ever deeper into the vampire's lair."

The druid looks around the room once more, "Any additional encounters may be too much to handle in our present state, with both our warriors battered so. Were I to have the ability to offer any healing, I would do so. Sadly, I do not."

"Do we have any additional healing potions tucked away in our packs?"

OOC: Eagle has four 1st level spells remaining.