The battle begins in earnest as arrows and lighting glaive launch towards Malavon. The dark elf chuckles and lifts a hand, creating a glowing lattice of webs that spins in the air. The projectiles hit the magical barrier and are utterly halted in their forward momentum (
Malavon casts Shield, deflecting the lightning glaive and Vince's arrows - this means that resources spent to deal extra damage, etc, are refunded, and NOT expended). He raises a white eyebrow.
Then light erupts in the room as Zenithral’s shining arrow pierces the web shield, dispelling its magic and continuing on to slam into Malavon’s chest. The drow archmage gasps and staggers back, sparks flying about him as various magical protections are dispelled by the enchanted arrow (
The arrow dispels Malavon's mage armor, and also the contingency spell he had in place).
Then the fight is on in full. The minotaurs bellow and bring their axes to bear. Alalla blocks one with her summoned glaive, but the other batters Reothadh’s armor (
Reo takes 18 slashing damage, unless he casts Shield), and then Ug joins the fray, laying into one of the minotaurs with heavy swings.
The drow soldiers cringe against Zenithral’s light, but then react quickly, dropping their crossbows and whipping out slender swords. Or, at least two of them do. The one presumed to be Nym takes another step back and looks about the battlefield, eyes searching out details. The other two dark elves close in on Zenithral as the half-elf tries to gain height, and one of them scores a painful strike on his thigh (
Zen takes either 29 damage, or only 16 if he casts Shield. All a mix of piercing and poison). A blur intercepts a second strike as Erevain steps into place, and the surface elf works sword and shield to keep his dark cousins at bay. These opponents are skilled swordsmen, however, and Erevain takes several hits (
Erevain takes 36 piercing and poison damage).
Zenithral’s light shines brighter as Ilmater grants him divine power to bless his allies, and one of the drow shies back from the intense brilliance. His foot snags on a loose stone, and he nearly careens over the edge of the lava chasm – and then a short poke from Nym’s rapier sends the soldier to his fiery, agonized doom (
Drow Warrior 1 dies).
The spellsword on the right balcony waves a purple blade down at the party, unleashing a bolt of lightning that crackles into the party’s front rank. Alalla and Ug, their reflexes finely honed by the last half-year of adventuring, cleverly use the bulk of their minotaur foes as a bulwark against the lightning blast (
Al and Ug each take 14 lightning damage). Reothadh, deep in his own spellcasting, takes the brunt of the spell (
Reo takes 28 lightning damage, or just 14 if he casts Absorb Elements).
Ras weaves a spell of his own, unleashing druidic magic that compels the spellsword above to freeze in place. The drow feels the spell begin to take hold, and raises a hand crossbow towards Ras. The bolt goes wide as Ras’ spell settles into place, paralyzing the spellsword.
Working as a team, Alalla and Ug finish off one of the minotaurs. As it dies, Ug’s eyes flash an icy blue as he seizes control of the corpse even before it hits the ground. It turns about on hooved feet to deliver one last blow of its axe against the other minotaur before collapsing to the ground. A last rattling breath leaves its chest, and the animated corpse lies still.
Reothadh, Hero of Dorn’s Deep and Scion of Frost Giants, looms larger as he works his spell. With mighty hands further strengthened by magic, he grasps Ug and tosses the goliath up to Malavon’s balcony, where Ug’s form also begins to swell. With furious, thundering steps, the enlarged yeti barbarian bears down on the slim dark elf wizard before him.
In desperation, Malavon pulls an hourglass from a pocket of his robes. He holds it high, murmurs a complicated incantation, then hurls the hourglass to the floor before Ug. It shatters.
And so does time.
Malavon casts Time Stop. Basically he gets to take a couple extra turns. He casts Delayed Blast Fireball, and then Blink.[ +- ] Time Stop
You briefly stop the flow of time for everyone but yourself. No time passes for other creatures, while you take 1d4 + 1 turns in a row, during which you can use actions and move as normal.
This spell ends if one of the actions you use during this period, or any effects that you create during this period, affects a creature other than you or an object being worn or carried by someone other than you. In addition, the spell ends if you move to a place more than 1,000 feet from the location where you cast it.
[ +- ] Delayed Blast Fireball
A beam of yellow light flashes from your pointing finger, then condenses to linger at a chosen point within range as a glowing bead for the duration. When the spell ends, either because your concentration is broken or because you decide to end it, the bead blossoms with a low roar into an explosion of flame that spreads around corners. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes fire damage equal to the total accumulated damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The spell's base damage is 12d6. If at the end of your turn the bead has not yet detonated, the damage increases by 1d6.
If the glowing bead is touched before the interval has expired, the creature touching it must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the spell ends immediately, causing the bead to erupt in flame. On a successful save, the creature can throw the bead up to 40 feet. When it strikes a creature or a solid object, the spell ends, and the bead explodes.
The fire damages objects in the area and ignites flammable objects that aren't being worn or carried.
[ +- ] Blink
Roll a d20 at the end of each of your turns for the duration of the spell. On a roll of 11 or higher, you vanish from your current plane of existence and appear in the Ethereal Plane (the spell fails and the casting is wasted if you were already on that plane). At the start of your next turn, and when the spell ends if you are on the Ethereal Plane, you return to an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of the space you vanished from. If no unoccupied space is available within that range, you appear in the nearest unoccupied space (chosen at random if more than one space is equally near). You can dismiss this spell as an action.
While on the Ethereal Plane, you can see and hear the plane you originated from, which is cast in shades of gray, and you can't see anything there more than 60 feet away. You can only affect and be affected by other creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Creatures that aren't there can't perceive you or interact with you, unless they have the ability to do so.
The sound of glass clattering across the stones seems to echo on and on, an interminable length. And yet, no time has passed at all when the combatants blink and find the wizard vanished. But something has changed. Inexplicably, there is nestled between Alalla, Reo, Ras, and Vincent a glowing bead of fire. Much like the precursor to a fireball spell, but immobile in the air. The sphere quivers, then compacts to a smaller size. Then it explodes, searing the air and lungs with power far more potent than any mere fireball (
Basically it got 1 turn to grow more potent, then Malavon steps into the Ethereal Plane and simply ceases his concentration, triggering the detonation).
As the group staggers about, trying to recover from the devastating magic, another crash sounds from the corridor behind them as two hideous, bug-headed monstrosities (
Umber Hulks) burst from the walls near Vincent. With chittering mandibles and maddening eyes, they bear down on the party from behind.