[KAUAI]The Rod of Seven Parts: Of Hexes and Gems

Gamad

Out! Out!
Calls the dwarf and makes his way in the direction of the cracked gap.
Not knowing if the shadow fled or is still around, the dwarf takes no chances.

With bulging bloodshot eyes and ears pounding with coursing blood, the hate filled Gudwulf warrior desperately clings to consciousness. Knowing that he would soon be dead, Maelicent clutches the lit wand in his trembling hand and holds its open flame to the oak's leaves and bark (as a standard action). The goblin prays that he will succeed in consigning this vile enemy to a fiery death along with him; it was the Gudwulf way.

OOC: Can Mael see if the Mallorn and Fur's fire has spread to any of the other trees in the clearing yet?

Voadam pulls back, "Hold onto the polearm Brakkus, out of the magical darkness it will light up again."

The thump starts up again. Brakkus knows he can not leave Chev alone to deal with the shaddow and the monstrosity. Brakkus moves foward and assumes a defensive stance, hoping to block other creature's advance and avoid the shadow's attacks. To the shadow he says, "Filthy being. Go back to your hidey hole. Your just a shadow, you can't scare us away."

OOC:
Move to S16. Ready an action with full expertise and fighting defensively to attack anything new creature coming up the tunnel. Speak taunting words to the shadow in hopes to draw its attacks away from Chev.
AC 19, touch AC 16. Attack bonus: -1, Damage 2d4+4

Taking a step forward, Chev swings his trust battleaxe again hoping the blessing of Narn helps him strike true once more. "Go back from whence you came!"

Chev takes a halting step forward and, after finding the edge of the terraced drop-off and successfully manuevering in the dark, thrusts his battleaxe into the darkness. The axe connects with nothing other than air until it finishes the arc it was traveling and comes to an idle rest still in Chev's hand.

Gamad yells "Out! Out!" and scrabbles backward, making for the crack at the front of the cave. By virtue of his dwarven sense of stonecunning, Gamad knows which way to move despite the cloistering dark and though he narrowly misses tripping over one of the terraces between him and the crack, once he is just five feet backward, his natural darkvision kicks back in and he can again see. The entire area at the back of the cave and his companions, however, are still lost to sight.

Pulling back, Voadam yells for Brakkus to continue his hold on his guisarme. Right before stepping out of the shallow pool, Voadam feels the bedrock beneath his feet lining the pool quicken and go soft as if turning to sand. Yanking his feet free but stumbling backward and tripping over the terrace edge above him, Voadam finds himself prone on the hard rock and packed-dirt floor of the cave.

Failed a [fairly easy] balance check in the dark.

Chev feels a coldness sweep past him in the air. Reacting on instinct, the cleric swings again but misses. The magical darkness and the incorporeality of the shadow combine to make things difficult for the battle priest of Narn.

Brakkus grips his polearm fast and challenges the shadow. "Filthy being. Go back to your hidey hole. Your just a shadow, you can't scare us away." Hearing the thump at the far end of the tunnel start up again, Brakkus moves foward and assumes a defensive stance, hoping to block the other creature's advance and avoid the shadow's attacks.

Low hissing speech fills the darkened tunnel and craggy terraced cavern.
[sblock=Voadam]The shadow is hissing in abyssal. It seems to be casting a spell of some sort, one that is taking a bit longer than just a few quick seconds. In the dark and going off verbal components alone, Voadam is unable to discern what spell is being cast.[/sblock]

Initiative:
Chev 16
Gamad 14
Voadam 13
Creature 12
Brakkus 12
Dragging sound 8

With bulging bloodshot eyes and ears pounding with coursing blood, the hate-filled Gudwulf warrior desperately clings to consciousness. Clutching the lit wand in his trembling hand, Maelicent holds the open flame to the oak's leaves and bark. Luck, along with a probable fiery death, is with the Gudwulf; the slim lower branches of the oak holding the goblin readily catch fire. The oak furiously squeezes harder and begins to shake the goblin like a dog would a dead rabbit, dealing 7 points of non-lethal damage. Before all goes black and Maelicent slips to unconsciousness, he grins, pleased to see the mallorn topple over the bonfire in the clearing and a great boom resound with a flash of smoke further in the forest, signifying the fir's retreat and subsequent explosion.

[sblock=Ambrus]Maelicent took non-lethal damage. I have him at -5 HP. Let me know via e-mail if that figure is incorrect.[/sblock]

Gamad

Get your filthy boots over here.
Gamad shouts into the darkness.
Follow my voice you ignorant humans, do not oppose what you do no understand. The creature nourish from darkness, come to the light.
Gamad's voice echoes in the tunnel, his eyes try to pierce the magical darkness but to no avail, he concentrate on the floating lantern and bring it to where he stands

"Loki's ravenous hunger." Voadam curses from the ground. "Its casting a spell. If you can disrupt it do so. It might be trying to summon more of its kind." Voadam gets to his feet and again tries to leave the darkness.

Chev takes a swing at the shadow and hits a solid blow, good for 4 points of damage. One vaporous shadowy wing of the fiend sizzles away to nothing under the finely honed edge of the battlepriest's axe. With an angry hiss, the shadow ceases its spellcasting.
[sblock=Brakkus]Right when Chev nailed the shadow just then, Brakkus was starting to feel lightheaded and weak in the knees. He would've also felt his heart tighten as the shadow tried to possess him. Chev likely just saved Brakkus's life.[/sblock]
Gamad reaches out with his mind to draw the lantern to himself at the front of the cave but finds that he's no longer in range of the lantern and can't control it.

After cursing a warning to Chev and Brakkus then righting himself, Voadam withdraws from the edge of the cave terrace and heads toward Gamad. Though all is dark in the cave, after just a step or two, Voadam finds that the quality of the light changes dramatically; where, by the shadow's spell, the area had been pitch black, the darkness in which he now stands is normal nighttime darkness.

Furious, the shadow bites Chev on the arm, dealing 2 points of damage.The wound grows cold, the edges of the ragged bite stiffen with frost. Though no blood seeps through the open bite, the wound burns with unnatural heat.

Undiscouraged, Brakkus takes a swipe with his guisarme at where he judges the shadow to be. Once again, the blade at the polearm's end goes through clean air without hitting anything.

In the magical darkness, Chev and Brakkus feel the whoosh of wind flowing away from their position down the tunnel. Hair and cloaks are buffeted in the ragged breeze. A hollow seething screech of infernal rage echoes from down the tunnel, followed sharply by a loud thump.

Quite plainly to everyone in the cave, though the shadow no longer lurks close at hand, the magical darkness lingers. Whatever is dragging up the tunnel continues to do so and will likely be at hand within seconds.

Initiative:
Chev 16
Gamad 14
Voadam 13
Creature 12
Brakkus 12
Dragging sound 8