(Presuming the cauldron is still there, Istvan's gonna whack it with his mace!)

(20:33, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 7 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 2,4.  whack cauldron (if present) with mace!)

"Ghaaah!" Lazarus yelled as the demon left a mark on the wizard's flesh. However, the attack had only encouraged Lazarus to move even faster than before, and he soon took refuge in the dining hall with the others.

"Think you can hold him off for a moment or two?" he asked Lucius. It seemed Istvan was already experimenting with destroying the cauldron. But if Istvan's attempts failed, Lazarus wanted to be ready with a backup plan. He began taking stock of what the group had available for performing a ritual that could use the cauldron's own magic to destroy itself/the demon.

---

Taking the damage. Don't leave me behind!
20:48, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 3 using 1d4.  Damage from demon.
Two damage after armor.

Lazarus is also using his Ritual move. The magical effect I hope to achieve is, "use the cauldron's magic against itself to destroy it and/or the demon." (See my character sheet for ritual move details.)

Lucius nodded at the wizard's suggestion, taking a deep breath before turning around to face the demon. Blocking the broken door with his own body, he invoked his divine authority: "One last chance, demon! BEGONE FROM THIS WORLD!"

This was no mere shout. The words delivered an ultimatum, felt instinctively by everyone present: stand down or fight.

14:00, Today: Lucius rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  I am the Law.

The way I read the move is, the demon can choose to listen, flee or attack. But if it attacks, it will be only me and not my allies.

Let me know if there's additional defy Danger roll required for holding the doorway.

Istvan gives the cauldron a good whack.  It resonates through the room, but not through the whole castle; its contents do dampen the sound somewhat.  Also, your hands tingle for a minute from the impact.

Before the cleric can give it another go, Lazarus comes over and nudges him aside.  The wizard does his best to quickly analyze the magical energies here in order to work his ritual.  As expected, it's not good.  You can work with it but you're not going to like it.

And then there's Lucius.  As he stands at the door (or the remains of it anyway) he sees the red mist flowing up toward him.  The bats follow along, but not the servant who had been there before.  As soon as the mist gets close it takes solid form again, and quickly, none of that gradual dramatic reveal nonsense.  Fully formed, the demon towers over you, all red muscles and black claws.  He bellows "YOU do not give orders to ME, puny mortal!"  And then he moves to attack.

Istvan - no roll needed there; hitting an inanimate object isn't a Move unless there's a really specific reason it should be.

Lazarus - dark magic is versatile, so you get a couple of options here.  If you proceed with the ritual, pick one:
-put some of your own blood into the ritual - 2hp worth should do it, but it means that The Other Side now has a blood sample from you
-you don't put anything in, but something will probably splash out.  You and your allies will all risk necromantic scars.
Either way, you should be able to pull it off in just a minute or so.

Lucius - the demon attacks you, but you have the initiative.  If you focus on fighting you can roll Hack and Slash, though you know it will take a lot to seriously hurt it.  If you focus more on blocking the entrance, then roll+Str:
10+  You keep the demon at bay and put it at some kind of disadvantage (describe how)
7-9  You struggle but keep the demon at bay, or you put it at a slight disadvantage but suffer a minor cost in the process (my choice)
6-  The demon makes you pay for your impudence - 2d4 damage, and maybe something else too.  If you get this result more than once then it may get past you and into the room.
...or if you have either idea then maybe another move is called for.  Whatever you choose, I Am the Law will give you a +1 on all rolls against the demon until one or the other of you is defeated.

Lucius yells over the demon, pure adrenaline and holy fervor overcoming him. "RAAAAAAAAH!"

He unhinges the remains of the door and sends it crashing down at the demon, hoping to slow it down a bit.

11:30, Today: Lucius rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  You shall not pass!

I Am The Law +1 coming in clutch!

Unsure what 'your choice' refers to. I'll take disadvantage to the demon at a minor cost.

(What the GM means is that the GM will choose, not you, Lucius.)

When Lazarus realized his options, he hesitated. His first instinct was to play it safe and refrain from giving demonic forces anything he could avoid. He didn't mind getting a few new markings from ritual side effects. Both his arms were a testament to that. But he also knew that Istvan's and Lucius's faiths were important to them, and he doubted they would appreciate receiving scars connected to necromantic magics...

And so the wizard took his still-glowing dagger and slashed his palm (the way these rituals often required), dripping his own blood into the concoction before his allies could object. "Double, double, foil the trouble. Fire burn and caldron bubble. Cool it with a wizard's blood, and may the conjuring be a dud."

---

Taking the 2 HP option.

Istvan is sad that whacking the cauldron didn't do something obviously good, like destroy it or cause the evil to go POOF!

Istvan, seeing that Lazarus is Doing A Thing, will stand ready to help defend him (or do anything else that seems useful) as best as possible.

(But not literally rolling the Defend move because not only is Con Istvan's dump stat, but he's currently also still Sickened from the shenanigans downstairs, so officially Defending would probably be a disaster.)

Lucius manages to push the demon back with the piece of door he wields.  It's not clear that he has actually hurt the thing, but he has at least created some space and kept it out of the room for now, buying Lazarus a little more time to work his spell.

However, while Lucius is focused on the demon itself, he ignores the bats that it has possessed or enthralled or whatever exactly.  They do fly into the room, and then split into two groups - one harassing the paladin, and the other targeting the wizard instead.  Istvan does his best to swat them away and is able to keep Lazarus safe for the moment.  However, with the bats split into two groups, it is clear that he can only assist one friend or the other, not both.

Lazarus - mark off your hp and keep going with your spell - you will need to stay focused on it a little while longer in order to complete it.

Istvan - I think the Defend move does fit pretty strongly with what you're trying to do here.  If you're going to hold back from rolling for it then I think it will limit your effectiveness as well, though OTOH it does also mean holding off on the potential consequences of blowing the roll.  And of course you may find another tactic that works, with or without an associated die roll.

Lucius - the bats aren't hurting you at this point, but they are pretty distracting, so take a -1 penalty while they're bothering you.  Which balances out the +1 that you have against the demon.

Istvan continues to try to help Lazarus, figuring that he very much doesn't want what the mage is doing to go wrongly.

(Let me know if you need a swatting/shooing roll. (Dex? Str?))

Lucius looked to his left, then to his right, and found himself without any more stuff to throw at the demon. He settled (valiantly, I'll add) for the next best thing - himself! Charging at the demon with reckless abandon, stalling it in the narrow corridor. Never mind the pesky bats.

04:27, Today: Lucius rolled 8 using 2d6+1. You shall not pass 2: Electric Boogaloo.

I choose to struggle, but keep the demon at bay.

As his companions risked their lives to give Lazarus more time, the wizard did his best to continue concentrating on the task at hand. He continued reciting magic verses to complete his ritual:

"Eye of red, and ruby fog,
Slaves of bat, and tongue of grog.

Wizard's blood, I felt the sting.
A man's possessed, demonic cling.

For a charm, sans potent trouble,
Nix this hell-broth, boil and bubble!"

Lazarus continues his spell.  A sound of hearts beating begins to emanate from the cauldron, slowly at first and then starting to speed up, with a distractingly unsteady rhythm.  Then another sound starts, the screech of warping metal, and you see the cauldron buckle in a couple of spots.

But the bats are closing in.  Istvan does his best to keep them away from the wizard but they can dodge faster than he can swing.  And they can spread out too, which means that Istvan might have to do some running and diving to keep them away as long as needed.

Istvan, choose one - you get too close to the cauldron and risk dark magic contamination, or Lazarus has to roll DD+Int before he can complete the spell.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Lucius puts all his might into holding the demon back, while it pushes against him to try to get into the room.  The bats try to distract Lucius but so far he is able to ignore them, more or less.  And then he hears something else - footsteps coming up the hall, light but at a moderate pace, definitely coming in your direction.

Keep your attention on the demon, or check on the newcomer and risk losing him - what'll it be?

(Istvan, in this particular set of circumstances, is a coward. Lazarus is gonna need to roll...)

Istvan continues to do his best to harry the bats, making sure not to get too close to the cauldron and the eldritch energies involved...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Thu 18 Feb 2021.

Lucius would like to know who was approaching him - but the demon required his full attention. The struggle continued, with the paladin rising boldly to the challenge despite being in the lower weight class.

Besides, with all the swords and claws swinging about, the chances of someone sneaking past Lucius were low.

Right?

Lazarus did his best to continue his chant, but the bats were making it increasingly difficult. His mind was having difficulty timing the rhythms with the rhymes. And in this particular ritual, the rhythm was almost more important than the words he was saying. He just hoped that all of their efforts didn't end up being for naught...

---

Not a good roll...
15:16, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger + Int, ritual.
+1 XP!

It had all been going so... well, maybe not "well" exactly, but in the right direction at least.  But then things take a sudden turn.

Out in the hall, Lucius keeps the demon pinned down, but then someone else tries to pin him.  The someone else turns out to be that servant you had lost track of earlier, and the "pin" is in fact a large kitchen knife.  But she wields it clumsily, and you've got armor, so the opening strike only draws your attention rather than your blood.  The red glow in her eyes says there's more to come, however...

Lucius - you've got bats harassing you, a possessed servant trying to stab you, and a demon wrestling to get past you and into the dining hall.  And we already know that you can't seriously hurt the demon right now, so Hack and Slash isn't really an option unless you want to focus on the bats.  For anything else right now, I'm thinking it's Defy Danger, using whichever stat you can justify.  And with no additional modifier, since we still have the bats balancing out your bonus against the demon.

Meanwhile, in the dining hall, the other bats get around Istvan and create a serious distraction for Lazarus while he tries to pull off some serious magic.  He stumbles for a moment in his chanting, which results in a pinging sound from the cauldron, followed by one of the hearts launching out of it and exploding into a gory mess a few yards away.  The cauldron is vibrating now, and red lightning flows in low arcs around its surface.  That part was supposed to be happening anyway, but if you can't regain control soon then it could definitely start doing some things that it shouldn't...

Lazarus - roll+Int to regain control of your spell.  No extra modifier for the bats; I'll call it good enough that they put you in this spot in the first place.

Istvan - sorry, I don't have a specific roll for you to make here, but if you can think of a way to help then you're welcome to try it

On the brink of getting overwhelmed, Lucius gets desperate. He drops his sword - for just a moment - and straight-up wrestles the demon, somehow getting a good grip on the horns! This upsets the demon, who fights to release itself by flailing wildly - but that's just what Lucius wanted. Demon's own strength is used against it, as he releases his grip unexpectedly - sending the fiend flying towards the servant.

A couple precious seconds gained, at least. Lucius picks up his sword from the ground, and prepares for another round.

22:37, Today: Lucius rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Defy Danger Str.

Lazarus wiped the side of his face and spit out the bit of exploded heart that had landed on his lip. Disgusting. "Keep those bats at bay!" he yelled to Istvan. Although he had no clue how the cleric might succeed at the task. The wizard then refocused his thoughts and began reasserting control over the ritual.

He reached his golden arm toward the red lightning and made contact. His entire arm went numb as if he had been laying on it the wrong way for hours. He fought through the pins-and-needles sensation, however, and directed the demonic electricity back out his other arm and into the cauldron once more. "Bring around the 'tricity, sockets full of tingly. Ashes, ashes. Caul-dron down!"

---

Int roll:
15:45, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Regain control over the ritual.

On the word "down" there is another pinging sound.  Then another, and another, and then the awful shriek of warping metal as the whole cauldron folds in on itself.  Red lightning shoots out from its center, into the hallway, right over to the demon.  The jagged lines of electricity surround it like a fishing net and then pull it back.  The demon bellows, a sound which becomes increasingly high-pitched as it shrinks into the space of the collapsing cauldron.  And then both are gone in a puff of red smoke.

The bats fly away through the nearest open window.

The servant faints, dropping her knife with a clatter.

And then, at last, it is quiet in the castle.

"Hey!" Istvan yells at the bats. "Get back here! We had a bet! A bat bet! Or something...!"

Then he realizes there are people who might need further assistance. He hurries over to the servant. "Hello? Hello? Are you all right?" He tries a basic checking of vital signs, tries to bring the person around...

"It's... over?" Lucius asks hesitantly, no one in particular. With the servant girl being taken care of by Istvan, the paladin shambles back to the main hall, smiling weakly. "Well then... I suppose we earned a rest." He sits with his back against the wall, slowly drifting to sleep...

He opens his eyes, rather surprised, after a few moments.

"Damn, I forgot I don't need sleep. Guess I'll just sit here."

"If you do want to take that rest now, you won't hear me object," Lazarus replied to Lucius from where he was laying on the floor. His arms were spread wide and he was breathing heavily. Rituals could be intense sometimes. "Perhaps we should still find a more secure spot though, eh?" They still hadn't finished clearing the entire castle after all, but it did seem like they had probably eliminated the biggest threats. He doubted the servants would try anything against a group that had defeated both their vampiric and demonic masters in one go.

Istvan's attention eventually wakes the servant.  She slowly sits up, looking around in confusion, and asks "What... what happened?"

"We rid this castle of several great evils," Lazarus replied to the servant from where he was still laying on the floor. He then sat up and looked around again. He was already starting to catch his breath.

"I think I am going to go find a nice library or study to hole up in. Take a little nap, refresh my magics, and maybe select a few books to renew my stores. Considering the magic we have witnessed here, they surely have some interesting reading material somewhere around here. Maybe even some spells if I'm lucky!" Reinvigorated at the prospect, Lazarus groaned to his feet and began searching for a good place to rest that would fit his criteria.

"Let's rest up for a bit, but let's also not get too ambitious with our wanderings. We know that there is at least one area of this castle that is still not safe yet." He was referring to the hall where they knew traps were still hidden.

---

Looking to find a place to rest that has at least one bookshelf. Lazarus wants to replenish his Bag of Books with some new reading material if possible. (And rest and Level Up twice.) Does Lucius want to keep watch since he doesn't need sleep?