Lumrolur moves into the wall, rapier first, going through as fast as he can so he can see on the other side. Once there, he helps Rurm with the silver-mace-zombie. He cannot reach others for now, but this will change soon.
Logrim gestures to Ludo commanding him to move through the illusory wall and help those on the other side. As the steel defender moves Logrim clips his wrench to his belt and scoops up his crossbow. He moves down the stairs towards Alma and Jack. As he moves he makes a mental not to develop some device that lets him swap weapons without having to drop one to the ground. His mind fills with the beginnings of a prototype when he remembers that there are still zombies present.
Ludo bounds through the illusory wall and and moves to intercept the zombie dragging Brydum away from the group. He claws at the zombie hopefully giving Brydum the chance to break free.
OOC:
Ludo would have stayed near Logrim after getting free and would not move until commanded to by my PC.
Action: Sheath my wrench and pick up my crossbow.
Move: Down the stairs to the space between Alma and Jack.
Bonus: Command Ludo to attack.
Ludo Move: Moves to the zombie grappling Brydum.
Ludo Action: Ludo attack on zombie: 1d20+591d8+26
From his new vantage point, Aric can see the zombies and the brave fighters facing them. He summons yet again elemental magic to help
OOC:
move to the location where his bondfire was.
Action: cast create bondfire on the zombie in front of Russet (the one closest to the stairs at 13hp) dc 12 dex or 7 fire damage. If zombie remains there at end of turn, save again or 1d8 fire damage
Bonus action: if allowed, Aric will use the illusory wall to hide (nimble escape - racial) from the zombies. Stealth check 11
My understanding is that Aric is 6ft high from the main fighting surface. He's quite content to stay perched there.
Lumrolur's deft stroke dislodges the silver mace from the zombie just in time for Arik to ignite the ground beneath its feet. Even as the zombie's desiccated flesh burns away like a bonfire, it continues to flail about, fueled by dark magic. Fire may prevent the corpses from being twice-animated, but the zombie persists even through flames that would kill a man.
Anyone wearing metal armor can feel a palpable hum. Russet's snowy fur and the dwarves beards are starting to stand on end.
From aloft, Jack can barely spot the runic circle – the bright light of the bonfire makes the runes harder to see (They faintly glow in dim light). The runes are fluctuating faster and faster with light, like moonlit reflections playing on the surface of water.
Alma can sense the prickling abjuration magic building to a fever pitch – whatever latent magic is held within the circular room will unleash soon (initiative count 20 next turn...acting before it requires rolling initiative and meeting or beating 20).
Tearing into the zombie dragging Brydum, Ludo gives the dwarf the moment he needs to wrest the Dain's Horn from the zombie. Its putrid teeth gnash, dripping saliva onto his beard.
Suddenly, Russet drops his shield and leaps behind Brydum with a battle cry, "Eullllllyaaa!" Thrusting with a long grip, he spears the zombie with such force that it's knocked clear across the room, freeing Brydum. Gripping Brydum's shoulder, Russet pulls him back outside the circular room, adopting a defensive posture.
"Thanks, long ears," grunts Brydum, the highest of praise coming from the surly dwarf. "I have the horn!" he exclaims triumphantly to Jack, Logrim, and Alma.
Rurm douses another zombie in holy water, its corpse melting before your eyes into dust as searing light emanates from its many wounds. He too falls back, trying to form a shield wall at the entrance to the circular room.
Angrom is unable to convince himself to leap blindly through the illusory wall. "Rothe's dung! Dumathoin can keep his secrets," he pants, huffing and puffing down the stairs, re-equipping his crossbow and taking aim from behind his fellow dwarf.
Three zombies remain.
GM:
INITIATIVE @Aethmud It's your turn! Then the zombies will go.
3. The Fast Group
✓Aric – create bonfire
✓Russet (GM-controlled)
✓Zeth
✓Lumrolur 2. The Middle Group
✓Alma – detecting magic, light
✓Logrim & Ludo 1. The Slow Group
Jack
✓NPC Dwarves – Brydum hp 13 9, Rurm hp 139 5, Angrom hp 13 0. Zombies (AC 8)
burning hp 1
cold-damaged hp 10
speared hp 2
Destroyed on critical, radiant reducing to 0 hp, or 20+ damage from one attack. If you deal ≤19 damage, compare to sequence of pre-rolled “saves”, if “save” ≥ damage dealt, zombie remains a threat: 7, 5, 2, 1, 20 /
20, 15, 17, 9, 11 /
15, 12, 13, 11, 7 /
13, 16, 15, 15, 8 /
18, 9, 8, 18, 11 /
Brydum hp 13 9, Rurm hp 139 5, Angrom hp 13; AC 18 (chain mail, shield), speed 25; Str +2, Dex +0, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0; advantage save vs. poison / resistance to poison; darkvision 60 ft, passive perception 10; Battleaxe +4 hit, 6 (1d8+2) dmg; Light Crossbow +2 hit, 80/320 ft, 4 (1d8) dmg; Defender (reaction): if a creature attacks the dwarf or a creature within 5 feet of the dwarf while it is wielding a shield, the dwarf can use a reaction to give the attacking creature disadvantage on the attack roll.
As an action, you can splash the contents of this flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw it up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged attack against a target creature, treating the holy water as an improvised weapon. If the target is a fiend or undead, it takes 2d6 radiant damage.
Alma is distracted momentarily by the magic emanating from this corner of the room. Her eyes flit over it, and she reaches to grab the scroll. But before she can take the time to decipher any of it, she senses the magic in the circular room ramping up. There's an inevitability in the air. Like the ominous crack of a frozen lake.
"It's about to go off!" she calls, "Everyone, get back! Lumrolur, move! Logrim, call Luddo back!"
Brydum hesitantly brings the engraved horn to his lips and blows it – a deep resonant sound echoing through the temple's ruined mead hall.
There is no discernible change to the building magical energy that Alma can perceive or the light fluctuations to the runic circle that Jack can spy from his fluttering position near the 15-ft ceiling. Static energy builds stronger in the room as Lumrolur dives clear below Jack.
However, Alma and Logrim can see the stone chalice in the statue's hands shimmer and become a real silver chalice!
Jack's eyes widen in horror as he spots the flickering runes on the floor, and begins to realize that they are somehow growing stronger. "Everyone, get out of the circular room now!" he chirps, his voice frantic with urgency. "There's a magic circle that surrounds the whole room—and it’s building up energy!" Jack's mind rushes as he ponders the possibilities, whether the magical runes will try to turn everyone into zombies. Or... maybe turn the floor into a pit of lava? Or, or, conjure a lightning tempest. Uh, ...maybe all three at once?
"Russet, Rurm, Lumrolur, fall back now!" Jack yells, fluttering frantically near the ceiling. "Aric, Zeth, come down the stairs, get away from that trick wall! Logrim, bring your brass cat to heel, we need everyone out of there!"
Jack flits a few feet further back from the room, up against the far corner of the stairs next to Logrim, mulling over how his ice magic hasn't quite been cutting it against these relentless zombies. He decides to try a different tactic.
Conjuring a small illusory replica of the Dain's War Horn in the center of the room, he calls out to the zombies, his voice dripping with mock enthusiasm, "Hey, you rotting relics! Why don't you go fetch that shiny horn over there?" Hoping against hope that the zombies might start to shamble towards the illusion, Jack whispers urgently to his companions, "Everyone, keep clear! Let them gather in the middle."
Casting Minor Illusion, a cantrip, to conjure a replica of the Dain's War Horn in the center of the circular room. "If a creature uses its action to examine the sound or image, the creature can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC." Jack's spell save DC = 15
Turning to Zeth, he adds, "Zeth, now’s your moment! Get down the stairs here and hit them with your disintegration spells! Your zombie-zapping prowess is just what we need right now!"
