Sindri: are you doing Move actions during those two rounds?
Everyone:
Sindri rushes back to the wagon, searching for something to use against the swarm among the scholar's belongings. He gives up mid-way, however, and dismisses Jack. He begins to summon other creatures, knowin full well these actions will take time.
Angus, at the doors, discerns that he has no idea whether the swarm will be held back by the door. However, he does see that the swarm is coming up the steps very fast, indeed on Julius' heels, and suddenly wishes he were farther from the doorway. He yells "Run for it" And then goes as fast as he can towards the other end of the temple; by this point, I'm afraid, there isn't that far he can go before the swarm overtakes him! ((remember, we're starting this round here; you moved to the door to check it out; then checked it out; then ran for it. That means at most you can go 20 or 30 feet away, much less than the swarm's movement.))
Keepiru and the Archer have the same idea, one throwing his daylight-imbued starknife, the other firing off as many arrows as she can into the mass of hellish insects. The "crawling chaos" is struck well, and thanks to the daylight spell the priest and ranger can see that every single one of their attacks hits a bug. Yet the sheer mass of the target, and the plethora of targets within one target, overwhelm their single-target attacks. The darkness is knocked away around the lone beetle Keepiru hit, until the swarm moves past that area: then the darkness begins to fill the temple.
The scholar and Julius lock eyes as the rogue escapes the tunnel. The two of them start running together, side-by-side, out of the temple.
Julius finds that the only ride was the wagon mule; he could unhitch it from the wagon and hope it takes a rider, or he could keep running.
The scholars eyes lock onto the Gem. It's real! Julius, you must hand that thing to me immediately! Give me the gem!
The swarm moves into the top level of the temple. It is massive, covering so much more area than any groups of spiders or rats you've ever seen in previous adventures. It is an onslaught of crawling horrors, overwhelming you with their incessant chanting in strange, otherworldly voices. The daylight starknife is an orb of light their bodies begin to swallow, and despite the clear day outside the temple you find the area inside filled with darkness.
Angus is quickly overwhelmed by the swarm, being covered by the trillions of hungry mouths tearing at his flesh. ((13 damage))
Keepiru and the Ranger, too, are far too close to the door and are covered by the swarm ((13 damage)), which moves shockingly fast across the ground here.
Ragnor, still dryheaving and trying to thank his friends, finds himself likewise covered ((13 damage)).
Each of those afflicted immediately find the experience both horrifying and nauseating as the swarm covers them and chants strange things into their ears. The suffocation of the swarm, the thousands of mouths consuming them, and now the psychological attack of the voices in your heads is enough to potentially drive you insane! ((please roll Will and Fort saves))
Julius, Singri and the Scholar are outside the temple, by the wagons, but can see the temple filling with darkness and hear the cries of the ranger, if not others in the party.
NEXT ROUND! WHO STILL LIVES?
