The Wayfinders - Expedition to Tempest Isle

"Gentlemen, I cannot thank you enough for that save." Now that Doral is in the clear, he ignores his wounds and fires yet another volley from his wand at the crystal.

OOC: Just the skull-faced man on the floor in the center of the room.

AC 19 (T13, FF16), HP 46/46, F +5,R+5,W+5
Eldritch blast: +6/+7, 3d6 damage

"This will be a big one! Kill or protect everyone from possession and hope he cannot exist without a body for long!" Glaive calls pointing on the last cultist, conjuring a blast on him.

[sblock=ooc]

active invocations: See the Unseen, Entropic Warding
at-will: Blast, Glaive (+1d6 acid with shard focus), Detect Magic, Teleport, Shatter
[/sblock]

Whisper hurries towards Midian's ape, suddenly realizing that she hasn't shielded IT...and that a demon in a pinch might well make a host of it! As she tries to make it, overhead, her spell gnaws and gnaws at the crystal, knocking shards loose every moment.

(If I can get to the ape in one move action, I'll cast one more Prot from Evil on it. If I can't...then I'll do it as soon as I can. Also, 6d6 damage to the crystals.)

((OOC: Actually, I thought Whisper already covered Garuk before we started attacking the crystal, since we didn't wind up sending him after the others?))

OOC: Yes, Garuk is covered if Whisper wants to change her action

Glaive continues to focus his energies on the skull faced man in the center of the chamber. His next blast goes wide of the mark, nearly striking Kraken in the head, and blasting a chunk from the stone wall at the far end of the chamber. The man cackles wildly and takes a short step back from Kraken. The lights in the chamber darken for a moment as the figure seems to draw darkness around himself like a cloak. A black cloud momentarily obscures him from view. Suddenly, the cloud is pierced as a massive bony appendage arcs out and slams into the ground. It is followed by a second, then a huge head with twin horns protruding from its snout. The darkness brightens revealing a quadrapedal beast with thick skin-like plates protecting its sides. The same light gleams in the creatures eyes and the mouth opens in a mockery of a laugh.
Garuk struggles to his feet with the help of Midian, though the ape is just barely able to move about. Midian continues his ministrations to the ape to get him mobile. Whisper continues to direct her spell against the crystal above while she takes in this unexpected threat. Another volley of missiles from Doral causes another shower of shard fragments. The crystal is now only a third of its original size and quickly disintegrating under the sustained attacks.
Undetered by the mans transformation, Kraken steps in and swings hard. His blade scrapes off tough bone, but two of his swings connect solidly.

A wave of motion passes through the ceiling. The vast rib cage that supports the ceiling flexes as if it were struggling to escape its bonds. You can hear a loud crash as a cloud of billowing dust erupts from the far passages. Through the haze you can see a thin crack of light. Part of the cliff side has given way.

Glaive
[SBLOCK]
You can sense the creature awakening to its full. Dark power spreads out along the skeletal body like questing fingers. You can sense the trapped demon spreading its control to far flung points in the great corpse, slowly gaining coordination and percision. You sense an arm being flexed an instant before the cliff side broke free. You can sense the arm being moved freely now outside the cliff wall and no longer encumbered by stone. Like a great marionette puppet, the body is beginning to move.
[/SBLOCK]

Midian
[SBLOCK]
You watch the transformation with sick fascination. The effect is familiar to you, it is nearly the same as your own wild shape forms but in a twisted parody of unlife. He has assumed the form of a mainland creature, a rhinocerous.

OOC:
I missed the question about how high up the crystal is. It is hanging suspended by numerous black sinew strands, so it is not in contact with the stone. The thoqqua could try to burn through the strands where they tie off to the bone though.
[/SBLOCK]

OOC:
[SBLOCK]
Whisper can change her action, I wasn't sure what she wanted to do next. I'll update the post with her action for last round.

Initiative
Glaive - 22
Cultist - 19
Garuk,Whisper - 17
Doral - 16
Midian - 12
Kraken - 11

Kraken is down 17 hp
Doral is down 19 hp
Glaive is down 4 hp
Midian is down 4 hp
Whisper is down 3 hp
Garuk is at 2 hp
[/SBLOCK]

Midian Rightson, human druid

As Garuk stands feebly, Midian begins to chant, eyes unfocusing as he looks up toward the slowly-crumbling crystal. There is a rumble in the earth of the ceiling, and even as the new form of their opponent is revealed, the burning end of a Thoqqua burst from the ceiling, igniting the threads holding the crystal in place.

[sblock=OOC]Okay, then going ahead with the summons, which completes in the middle of Midian's turn, at which point the Thoqqua can attack, and does so with great gusto! :

Thoqqua attack;damage;burn (1d20+4=24, 1d6+3=7, 2d6=4)

Thoqqua crit confirm (1d20+4=22)

So looks like 14 damage, +4 burn for 18 total damage. It may also catch fire (I'm not sure that an object would get the necessary Reflex save, but the DC is 12)[/sblock]