Dragon's Egg - Act III

((New Map. Update shortly - going to be stuck on a conference call for a little while))

 

From her perch, Liadan sights down the center of the three fish demon in front of Gisla and lets her arrow fly. From her angle in the tree, she is able to shoot past Gisla, and the arrow embeds itself deep into the fish demon's pectoral muscle. The demon immediately goes down, clutching at the arrow in its chest.

Cadell orients Llucheden so he can attack the fish demon charging him. He lunges with his sword but the fish demon leaps deftly aside, just enough to dodge the swing of the blade.

Nissa flies above the fray, aiming her missile behind the group of fish demons fighting Gisla. She lets fly with the oil and when the glass breaks and oils splashes out around the point of impact. The fish demon shot by Liadan is unable to move itself from the flames, being unconscious from the arrow wounds. The oil splashes across the unconscious form and the flames feed hungrily.

The two fish demons flanking the unconscious one leap aside, trying to avoid as much of the splashing oil as possible:

Save [1d20+2] = 12+2 = 14


Save [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

Flaming oil splatters them, though they are not as badly damaged as they might have been. Cadell just manages to keep Llucheden in check as the mount rears as the flames grow.

Hall swings a fearsome blow at the fish demon he is fighting. The creature raises an instinctive arm, hoping to bat Hall's arm aside, but the creature's timing is off and Hall's blade shears through its forearm, the severed hand tumbling to the frozen ground in a jet of black blood.

Bressel charges the fish demon making its way around the buildings to the south. His footsteps pound across the hard ground and the fish demon spins toward him, just in time to take the full brunt of Bressel's axe across its chest. The weapon bites deep, and with a groan the fish demon grabs at the haft of the axe, its cold fingers falling across Bressel's as it slumps to its knees. Its strength and consciousness are fading fast.

To the north a second fish demon tries to navigate a sneaky path through the buildings of Arendal. Aliron sets his sights on the creature, but when he looses his arrow it flies wide and thuds into the wall of the Spear. The fish demon casts Aliron a hurried glance and then sprints across the street, disappearing into the space between two buildings.

Keitumah drops from the tree behind Gisla and Cadell. Pressing herself against the wood of the building, she is able to move closer toward Gisla, calling out an offer of goodberries.

If Gisla hears Keitsumah, she gives no sign of it, her attention on the fish demon before her as she lunges forward, her sword arm outstretched:

Attack [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

Damage [1d8+2] = 7+2 = 9

Her sword seems to skewer the creature, and she pulls it from the horrid thing, trailing black blood across the ground. Gisla's shoulders relax a bit, clearly expecting the creature to crumple to the ground. Instead, the fish demon leaps at her with a hissing scream, thick blood running from its sharp teeth and down its chin. Its gaping maw seeks to clamp down on Gisla even as its arms stretch around her in a bear hug:

Bite Attack [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15

[1d6+2] = 6+2 = 8

Grapple [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15

Gisla goes down beneath the creature, the life seemingly gone out of her as she does not even try to resist the grapple.

The fish demon Cadell attacked has similar ideas, leaping at the elf with its mouth agape, sinewy arms seeking to wrap around its prey and pull him from his horse.

Bite Attack [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4

Grapple [1d20+2] = 1+2 = 3

The fish demon's ambitions far outreach its capabilities however, as neither its bite nor grapple come close to injuring the elf or dragging him from his mount. The fish demon bunches its legs underneath itself, preparing for another attempt on Cadell.

Just to the north of Liadan's position in the tree, two gnolls battle a fish demon in the narrow space between structures. In an apparent stalemate, they exchange blows and dodges, neither of them hurting the other.

At the cliffside, Ankari, Baldhart, and Mauve reach the surface. Mauve casts a spell as soon as she reaches the top, and it is a success. For a moment, a barely visible blue shimmer forms around Mauve, then disappears leaving no visible trace of the spell, though Mauve can feel the magic of the shield around her.

Baldhart and Ankari see Bressel with a fish demon on its knees before him, Bressel's axe embedded deep within the creature's flesh.

Ghendra climbs the rope below, and has almost reached the top. His gnoll warriors follow behind.

 

Liadan fires another arrow from within the tree, targeting the fish demon that is atop Gisla. The arrow goes wide, thudding into the frozen ground just beyond the fish demon. Gisla lays motionless beneath the creature, and it prepares to dig its claws into the woman once more...

...only to be distracted by the impact of a small valkyrie against its back. The fish demon whooshes out a breath of air and half falls onto Gisla. With a hiss of rage, it spins, dragging its claws through the air in a long arc intended to eviscerate the small valkyrie:

Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15

Claw Damage [1d4+2] = 1+2 = 3

Nissa tries to pull back enough to dodge the blow, but the fish demon's claws just catch her, spinning her partially around and knocking her about a foot to one side. There is pain in this corporeal form. And blood. ((3 HP to Nissa)).

From atop his mount, Cadell takes another strike at the fish demon before him. The creature avoids the blow, eyeing the elf warily. With a leer, the thing shifts its eyes from Cadell to Llucheden, having apparently decided the horse is a larger target and closer to the ground, and it springs at the beast with its claws:

Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

Claw Attack [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

Claw Damage [1d4+2] = 3+2 = 5

Claw Damage [1d4+2] = 3+2 = 5

Claws gouge horseflesh, scoring lines across Llucheden's shoulder, the furrows filling immediately with blood. The horse shakes its head and flares its nostrils in pain. The fish demon lets out a satisfied rasp and turns its evil sneer back to the elf. ((10 HP to Llucheden))

Baldhart wrestles with the fish demon Bressel was fighting, even as Bressel begins to move away toward the battle. Baldhart calls him back and they both try to get hold of the creature, Baldhart using her intimidating bearing to lend her an edge:

Intimidate Save [1d20+2] = 8+2 = 10

Grapple Check [1d20] = 19

The fish demon seems intimidated, but even so it breaks Baldhart's hold. The creature then twists the other way, trying to break free of Bressel as well:

Grapple Check [1d20] = 12

Successful again, the creature straightens, takes a good look at the two large foes before it, and leaps far out over the edge of the cliffside, its body straightening into a passable dive just before it strikes the water and disappears into the grey sea ((ignore that fish demon on the map. I was going to have him fight, but realized as I was writing this that he would almost certainly leap into the drink rather than face Baldhart and Bressel, especially after being intimidated)).

Hall takes a swing at the fish demon in front of him, but even in its wounded state the creature avoids the attack, black blood streaming from its severed hand. The exertion of avoiding the blow proves costly, however. The creature sways a bit, then buckles to the ground, its good arm behind it to keep it propped up. Eyes fixed on Hall, it backs away across the frozen earth.

The two gnolls fighting near the corner of the building both attack the fish demon before them:

Attack [1d20+2] = 10+2 = 12

Attack [1d20+2] = 16+2 = 18

Damage [1d8+2] = 5+2 = 7

The creature avoids one attack but takes a solid hit from the second. The gnoll's sword sinks deep into the creature, and when the gnoll pulls the sword free the fish demon slumps to the ground, hands cupped against its leaking abdomen. The gnolls grunt at one another as the fish demon falls onto its face.

As the battle rages, Keitsumah draws on life energy, casting a spell out to draw on the power of the plants that lay just beneath the ice and snow. Tendrils of growth spring from the ground, seeking to trap any that move in their path ((Entangle doesn't discriminate between friend and foe, so everyone in the area of effect needs a DEX save. I gave the focus of the spell the best placement possible, though in the future it should be specified (50' radius, for future reference). To get all of the fish demons in it, Llucheden needs to make a save. Gisla would if she were conscious. Nissa doesn't need to make one, since she flies. I centered the spell so Mauve and Hall avoided it. Fish demons will make saves next round)).

Mauve sprints past Baldart and Bressel just as they are wrestling with the fish demon, her sure footing allowing her to skirt them along the cliff's edge without fear of falling into the cold water below. She rounds a building and takes a few steps toward the fight, coming to a stop just as tendrils of grey-green plant growth emerge from the frozen ground to twist and wrap around anything that moves near by.

Aliron rushes after the fish demon he shot at, rounding the corner of the building just in time to see the fish demon emerge from between a second set of buildings perhaps 50 feet or so ahead, and onto one of Arendal's streets. The creature stops a moment to get its bearings and Aliron is able to close the gap with it ((Not on the map, but assume Aliron is about 30 feet behind the creature and it doesn't appear to realize it has been followed)).

Ghendra pulls himself onto solid ground and rushes toward the fray as well, sword drawn as he rounds a building onto the main street of Arendal calling out to his warriors in a howl. The first of the warriors following Ghendra pulls himself up the last few feet of rope to solid ground.