Ch. 3: Hell's Bells

[GreyWolfVT]

Odilo decides to adjust his spell casting tactics and casts Stinking Cloud on the ape like creatures focusing as close as he can to target it on the center of their numbers.

[Inferno]

The Unseen Servant:

As another formidable barrage assails the gorillas of the green, the passive master continues to wait with humility and patience; the wondrous Jade Destiny still resting silently in its scabbard.

[Scott308]

Risdac Egargi

Seeing that the apes do appear to be taking damage from the fire, the giant is determined to put an end to this RIGHT BLOODY NOW! The staff did a nice job, but really it is about as effective as a spell cast by a child. He doubts the apes can stand against the full power of a great mage. Remaining kneeling, he begins uttering mystical words of power, intent on bringing about his scorched earth policy in regards to the infernal apes. Unfortunately, his new body betrays him at a critical moment, and he is unable to get the intricate hand gestures required to launch his fireball correct.

Spell Casting (Somatic) DEX Check (18): [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19 Oops.
Fireball: [10d6] = 36; [7d6] = 26

[AleBelly]

Hallagad shakes off his stupor, and looks above. He backs to the far wall, hoping to get a view of the grape apes. He hurls his hammer of thunderbolts at one (does not include modifiers, such as the -4 for cover)

Attack with hammer of thunderbolts +3 [1d20+4] = 19+4 = 23 damage [2d6+6] = 7+6 = 13

[Zhym]

Combat Round 3

With the evil apes once again visible, Tanner, Rool, Xale, and Hallagad launch arrows and hurl hammers while the casters begin casting and the Unseen Servant calmly waits. The centermost ape sprouts four arrows from its body thanks to the sharpshooting of Tanner and Rool. It staggers and bleeds snot-green ichor, but lives. Xale's hammer smashes the skull of the leftmost monster; it falls from the ledge. The squishy "splorp" it makes when it splatters in the unnaturally overgrown algae below is oddly satisfying. Hallagad's hammer bounces ineffectively off the wall about five feet below the ledge—the apes are too far away for his weapon to reach.

The two remaining apes quickly back away to make room for the other three to move up. They concentrate their fire on Risdac, but none of their bolts pierce the giant's natural and magical protections.

Two black oval voids, swirling with dark energies, appear near you—one at each end of the hall. But nothing comes out. In seconds, they are gone.

Odilo completes his spell. A grey-green cloud of noxious vapors, 20' to a side, comes into being just below the ledge and reaching up into it. One of the apes begins coughing and choking. The others howl in laughter. I FART WORSE THAN THAT, MORTAL!, you hear in your heads.

Risdac has had enough of waving his stick around. He doubts the apes can stand against the full power of a great mage. Remaining kneeling, he begins uttering mystical words of power, intent on bringing about his scorched earth policy in regards to the infernal apes. Unfortunately, his new body betrays him at a critical moment, and he is unable to get the intricate hand gestures required to launch his fireball correctly. Its power is weakened—enough that most of the apes survive what would otherwise be lethal power. You hear one ape's death cry from behind the ledge—probably the one Tanner and Rool turned into remote arrow storage a moment ago.

Hallagad completes his spell of protection for Risdac.

Four infernal apes remain.

Notes:

Stinking Cloud has a range of 30'. The ledge is 35' up. The range is to the center of the area of effect, so the cloud extends 5' high and 10' back on the ledge (and 15' down from it, to 20' over your heads).

Risdac spell misfire: [1d100] = 29

The fireball does half damage for 31 points before saving throws and adjustments.

-----
Status: Tanner (H CG F19): 104/107; Hallagad (H LG P15(Pelor)): 41/93; Xale (D NG C14[9](Dalt)/F13): 74/75; Khogeki (H LN M16): 35/78; Risdac (Giant NG MU17): 47/58; Odilo (1/2E NG MU17): 34/54; Malibran (H LG C20[13](Pholtus)): 64/90; Rool (H LN T20): 64/85;
Effects: Temporarily visible: Rool; Entangle (cast in Round 1); Stinking Cloud (Odilo): 17 rounds; Protection from Evil (Malibran, on Risdac): 39 rounds
Light Sources: Continual light coin (Tanner); Continual light dagger (Odilo); Light (on Shield, Malibran): 13.2 turns; Resist Fire (Malibran): 9.2 turns;

[ravenn4544]

Malibran, loathe to use his precious healing scroll, opts to unleash the Might of Pholtus on these unholy hellish brutes. Raising his Holy Shield, light shining brightly to give even more effect, he attempts to banish the foul beasts for all time. "By the Glory and Righteous Good of Pholtus - return to the Hell that has spat you out!!"

Turn Undead (special): [1d20] = 20

[GreyWolfVT]

Odilo casts his magic missile spell that he held back from using earlier at ape closest to him in the pit.

Magic Missile [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5 [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5
Magic Missile [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5 [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2 [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5

[AleBelly]

Having prepared very poorly for the foray into hell, Hallagad decides to make himself useful by standing in front of Odilo to shield him from any missile fire.

[Urson]

Tanner

att[1d20+3] = 11+3 = 14 THAC0 4
att[1d20+3] = 7+3 = 10 THAC0 4

arrow [1d6+3] = 4+3 = 7
arrow [1d6+3] = 1+3 = 4

Tanner fires two arrows that thunk solidly into the rightmost of the apes.

[Inferno]

The volley does not relent, and having no missile weapon worthy of contribution, the Servant humbly renders himself Unseen and silently moves to investigate the area where the closer black void had momentarily appeared. (unless doing so forces him to walk through the entangling tendrils)

He sprays a quarter of his waterskin's contents about, at waist height, trying to expose any invisible lurkers here. If none are hit, he'll quietly observe the puddles he's just created for errant footfalls.

[Scott308]

Risdac Egargi

With a sigh, the giant goes back to using his less effective, but more reliable, staff to shoot balls of fire at the demonic apes, almost like some sort of Faerun candle.

Fireball (Staff): [8d6] = 31

[Zhym]

Combat Round 4

The evil apes don't stand a chance against your next round of attacks. Tanner delivers another pair of arrows to the rightmost ape, who yet lives. Malibran commands the apes to return to the Hell that spat them out—a strange request, considering where you are. But it seems to work—whether because of Malibran's command or the damage they already suffered, the sinister simians seem more than ready to be rid of this business. They turn—

—and get blasted into charred little ape bits by another one of Risdac's fireballs.

The Unseen Monk investigates the spot where the gate had opened a moment ago. He sees no sign that anything came through.

All is quiet again, for the moment, except for the creaking of the stones and the usual vague unidentifiable noises in the far distance.

-----
Status: Tanner (H CG F19): 104/107; Hallagad (H LG P15(Pelor)): 41/93; Xale (D NG C14[9](Dalt)/F13): 74/75; Khogeki (H LN M16): 35/78; Risdac (Giant NG MU17): 47/58; Odilo (1/2E NG MU17): 34/54; Malibran (H LG C20[13](Pholtus)): 64/90; Rool (H LN T20): 64/85;
Effects: Temporarily visible: Rool; Entangle (cast in Round 1); Stinking Cloud (Odilo): 16 rounds; Protection from Evil (Malibran, on Risdac): 38 rounds
Light Sources: Continual light coin (Tanner); Continual light dagger (Odilo); Light (on Shield, Malibran): 13.1 turns; Resist Fire (Malibran): 9.1 turns;

[Urson]

Tanner

Nice work, everyone!

[Scott308]

Risdac Egargi

Eh. I disagree, at least as far as I am concerned. I used a magic staff, something that the weakest mage could have done just as well. I botched the attempt at casting my own spell. It went off, but I didn't get it quite right and it was far less effective than it should have been. A mage with unreliable spellcasting ability becomes a liability to the rest of you.

[ravenn4544]

Malibran disagrees. "I'd say you did splendidly, Master Mage! Any fight you can walk away from is a good fight - especially considering our current hellish whereabouts! Let us praise Pholtus for this blessing and keep a stout heart as we delve forward!"

He considers. "I do again urge us to consider a rest, however, to recover our lost items and our spell powers. Keeping a watch on that cliff is prudent also."

[Inferno]

The disembodied voice of the Unseen Servant says, "Those twin black portals... It's possible something is still here with us, invisible. Does anyone have it in their power to see the unseen?"

If the grasping flora has fallen quiet, the stealthy sensei moves to the location of the second disc and sprays his water skin to make a fine mist.

[Rex]

Xale
"I agree on the rest once we have recovered my pack. There is evil everywhere here, best to be prepared at all times."

[Norjax]

Rool Diov

The master thief concurs with his monk companion's concern about the assumed portals. Rool stores his bow and looks around the area at his end of the hallway.

OOC: He will avoid the foliage while it is animated.

[Scott308]

Risdac Egargi

Unfortunately, I have no magical means to find anything invisible, but I do have chalk that I could crush into a powder and fling it into the air, hopefully coating anything invisible. However, there is no guarantee it will work, especially if whatever came through can understand us and moves away.

[Urson]

Tanner

I've got the magic to reveal things, but I hate to waste it on a suspicion something is invisible...