Round 3 Summary
More of the enemy tribesmen fall, and the heroes’ army pushes forward to meet the barbed devils hand to hand. These fiends strike back with clawed hands and spiked tails, and once more the barbarians are shown to be at a disadvantage, for their weapons simply are not effective against supernatural creatures. The two wolfmen have better luck, with their lightning claws fueled by fiend blood itself. In moments there are only a few barbed devils left standing (damages dealt, just check the statblocks to see how things stand).
With the last of Belhifet’s first line buckling, one of the golems moves forward with ponderous steps. Each step causes the ground to rumble, for while this construct is roughly the same size as a frost giant, it is far, far denser. Its black metal, the same metal used in Dorn’s Deep that ignored even the heat of lava, shines darkly in the light of the rising sun. It moves up to the line of barbed devils exhales noxious fumes that descend on the combatants there. The devils prove to be immune to the stuff, like they are to all poisons, but the berserkers are not… A few breaths of the gas are enough to cause several of the warriors to instantly fall dead (Berserkers take a BUNCH of poison damage). The second golem begins to move forward, but the ground torn by Ras’ spell prevents it from reaching the fight just yet.
Vincent’s blast of eldritch magic sends Hjollsted reeling. The two traitorous berserkers turn on the giant specter and slash at it with their axes, but the spirit remains (specter takes 15 damage after resistance). Hjollsted clutches his chest and meets Vincent’s eyes with pain… and hopelessness. Vincent has enough experience with pacts and deals to recognize the lost look in this shaman’s eyes. Hjollsted is one who has mired himself so deeply that he has no choice but to follow instructions from his fiendish masters. Whatever hero this man might have once been, he has cast it all aside for some purpose.
With the traitors distracted, Tansia turns and runs to join her people. With only two enemy tribesmen left standing, she manages to persuade them to cast aside their folly and join her people once more (blended into allies). She watches a few thrown spears bounce off of the golem’s frame, completely useless against this powerful foe (hellfire golem is immune to nonmagical weapon damage). She grits her teeth, then raises her voice above the fray. "Focus on the devils! We can do nothing against this creature!" Her expression falls as more men around her die. Will any of her people be left alive after this fight?
High above the battlefield, silver dragon and pit fiend meet with teeth, claws, and fury. Aerihykloarara is much larger, but Merodach’s supernatural strength is easily a match for her. One silver claw snags the pit fiend’s side and her jaws come down to clamp onto its shoulder (Mero takes 28 damage). Merodach tears the dragon’s teeth free with a heavy punch to the side of her head, and then his own poisoned fangs sink into her long neck (Aeri takes 40 damage). Aerihkyloarara manages to shrug off the poison, but the distraction is costly, for a flap of Merodach’s leathery wings takes the fiend around within striking distance of her precious rider. Merodach’s weapon, a large mace that smokes with hellish flames, swipes through the air and nearly catches Ras, but the gnome ducks away just in time, nearly losing his seat once more in the process. But the devil’s muscled tail cunningly whips around to smack against Ras’ back with strength enough to shatter a normal man’s spine (Ras takes 29 bludgeoning damage).
Aerihykloarara’s terror spikes as the blow connects against Ras. The silver dragon roars and strikes out at Merodach with desperation and clips its wings with her tail, knocking the pit fiend out of the air. It tumbles to the ground below in a tangle of limbs (Mero takes 27 damage and is knocked prone). Aerihykloarara roars again and nearly dives down to follow her foe and pound the devil into the rubble, but fear for Ras overrides her bloodlust. She pauses for a moment in the air, and the hesitation costs her. A boulder smashes into her chest, shattering scales and nearly dropping her (Aeri takes 67 bludgeoning damage). She barely manages to recover and stay aloft, but Ras can feel her shuddering breaths.
With the dragon injured and distracted, the two erinyes resume their sniping, though one takes a hit from Aerihykloarara as it slips away (Erin 1 takes 39 damage). Most of their shots go wide in the chaos of the battle, but on shaft finds its way into Natalie’s side (Nat takes 14 damage and fails her save). The young woman cries out in pain as devilish poison floods her body. Shaking hands reach down to touch the arrow, and she slumps against the wood of her fishing boat.
Peppered with Zenithral’s arrows, Druzil curses and fades into invisiblity, then flaps away (Uncanny Dodge leaves him with 7 hp). Though trying to hide, the imp obviously can’t keep its mouth shut (Druzil rolled a nat 1 for his stealth check haha). Zenithral’s keen ears can hear its complaining from inside a nearby shed. "Ack! Talk about your daddy issues. Bene telemara…" Ilmadia, well-accustomed to Druzil’s voice, also notes the little devil’s location.
In the temple ruins, Joril Frostbeard is having a bad day. Covered in wounds and moving with a serious limp, the frost giant chief needs someone to punish. His bleary eyes pick out Ug’s nearly naked form on the ground and lashes out in rage (After resistance, Ug takes 29 damage). Even as dazed as he is, Ug’s survival instincts are strong enough to keep him alive as Joril smashes down with axe and boot, until one of the blood hunters plants a sparking crossbow bolt into the giant’s eye. With Joril’s injuries still smoking from fire, his trollish regeneration cannot save him. The frost giant chief falls to his knees, then topples to the ground (he dead). A moment later, that same blood hunter takes a boulder to the face and is crushed (he dead too). His brother, wounded and trying to hide behind a broken wall, can only cry out in denial.
As more giants move in on Ug and his blood hunter friends more ribbons of fire streak in from afar to burn them, accompanied by faint strains of terrible music (giants take 22 fire damage). Even separated by an entire battlefield, the blood hunters are a tight-knit bunch. In the past few months they have raided dungeons and fought monsters together, though never have they experienced a battle like this. Still, they took that draught in the Root Cellar Tavern in order to slay evil, and this is their chance to let loose all their frustration and fury on the forces that killed or threatened their friends and loved ones. Behind the giants, Ug notices Jermsy suddenly become visible and cast a spell. Whatever it was supposed to do apparently doesn’t work, however, and Jermsy mutters a few choice words that no child should be familiar with and vanishes into the rubble like a ground squirrel.
Nearby in the ruins, Alalla feels an answer to her prayer. The sounds of battle and death fade away for a single, immeasurable moment, replaced instead with Torm’s clarity and purpose. The antimagic coffer is buried beneath a portion of ceiling nearby, just a dozen feet to her right. A boulder explodes a portion of wall just in front of her face, and she realizes that one of the frost giants has noticed her movements. It lumbers nearby and lifts a large piece of rubble, ready to throw again (Giant 4 has split from the group and followed Al).
The warehouse near Zenithral opens, and out come a few dozen of Easthaven's villagers. Griselda, Old Jed, Apsel, and more stumble into the light, led by one of Ug's blood hunters. With them are a handful of priests of Tempus, members of the Order of the Broken Blade, whose sacred duty it is to protect Jerrod's Stone. The priests stare at the temple's ruins in horror, then leap forward with spells and prayers on their lips to help.
Rolls
badbarian dmg to goodzerkers - (1d12+3)
(4) + 3 = 7
barbed devil dmg to spearmen - (6d6)
(242155) = 19
barbed devil dmg to goodzerkers - (8d6+18)
(36444523) + 18 = 49
goodzerkers dmg to barbed devils - (16d12+64)
(63695293561056153) + 64 = 148
wolfmen dmg to barbed devils - (6d6+15)
(315366) + 15 = 39
spearmen dmg to barbed devils 1 - (16d6+48)
(3126216556611623) + 48 = 104
Aeri opp attack vs Erin 1 (disadv) - (1d20+13, 1d20+13)
1d20+13 : (15) + 13 = 28
1d20+13 : (6) + 13 = 19
Aeri dmg to Erin 1 - (2d10+8)
(39) + 8 = 20
Erin 1 vs Zen, Al, Nat (1 attack each) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7, 1d20+7)
1d20+7 : (8) + 7 = 15
1d20+7 : (11) + 7 = 18
1d20+7 : (18) + 7 = 25
dmg to Nat - (1d8+3, 3d8)
1d8+3 : (3) + 3 = 6
3d8 : (611) = 8
Nat con save DC 14 vs poison - (1d20+1)
(12) + 1 = 13
Erin 2 vs Vince, cleric hunter, Zen (all disadv) - (2d20+7, 2d20+7, 2d20+7)
2d20+7 : (1310) + 7 = 30
2d20+7 : (161) + 7 = 24
2d20+7 : (127) + 7 = 26
Joril vs Ug (2 attacks) - (1d20+11, 1d20+11)
1d20+11 : (13) + 11 = 24
1d20+11 : (7) + 11 = 18
dmg to Ug - (6d12+22)
(567891) + 22 = 58
Merodach vs Aeri, Ras (2 attacks each) - (2d20+14, 2d20+14)
2d20+14 : (89) + 14 = 31
2d20+14 : (45) + 14 = 23
dmg to Aeri - (4d6+8, 2d8+8)
4d6+8 : (5622) + 8 = 23
2d8+8 : (81) + 8 = 17
Aeri con save DC 21 vs poison - (1d20+12)
(14) + 12 = 26
dmg to Ras - (3d10+8)
(876) + 8 = 29
Boulders vs Aeri, Al (disadv), brother 2 (disadv), Mirek (disadv) - (1d20+9, 2d20+9, 2d20+9, 2d20+9)
1d20+9 : (20) + 9 = 29
2d20+9 : (912) + 9 = 30
2d20+9 : (1911) + 9 = 39
2d20+9 : (410) + 9 = 23
dmg to Aeri - (4d10+46)
(9372) + 46 = 67
dmg to brother 2 - (4d10+6)
(7748) + 6 = 32
Aeri vs pit fiend 3 attacks (disadv) - (2d20+13, 2d20+13, 2d20+13)
2d20+13 : (1611) + 13 = 40
2d20+13 : (25) + 13 = 20
2d20+13 : (1316) + 13 = 42
dmg to merodach - (2d10+8, 2d6+8)
2d10+8 : (24) + 8 = 14
2d6+8 : (15) + 8 = 14
Merodach dex save DC 21 - (1d20+8)
(12) + 8 = 20
dmg to Merodach (wing attack, fall damage) - (2d6+8, 4d6)
2d6+8 : (35) + 8 = 16
4d6 : (2162) = 11
Aeri vs Erin 1 (disadv) - (1d20+13, 1d20+13)
1d20+13 : (16) + 13 = 29
1d20+13 : (5) + 13 = 18
dmg to Erin 1 - (2d10+8)
(92) + 8 = 19
Traitor 1 vs giant specter (2 attacks, disadv) - (2d20+6, 2d20+6)
2d20+6 : (1914) + 6 = 39
2d20+6 : (1511) + 6 = 32
dmg to specter - (2d12+8)
(510) + 8 = 23
Traitor 2 vs specter (2 attacks, disadv) - (2d20+6, 2d20+6)
2d20+6 : (1310) + 6 = 29
2d20+6 : (415) + 6 = 25
dmg to specter - (1d12+4)
(4) + 4 = 8
Hjollsted vs Tansia (2 attacks, disadv) - (2d20+5, 2d20+5)
2d20+5 : (1217) + 5 = 34
2d20+5 : (1410) + 5 = 29
Nat concentration save DC 10 - (1d20+1)
(6) + 1 = 7
Nat vs barbed devils (adv) - (2d20+5)
(75) + 5 = 17
Musicians vs frost giants (3 attacks) - (3d20+7)
(13910) + 7 = 39
Dmg to giants - (3d10)
(589) = 22
Druzil stealth check - (1d20+10)
Giant wis save DC 13 vs Hideous Laughter - (1d20+3)
(10) + 3 = 13
Jermsy stealth to hide - (1d20+9)
(15) + 9 = 24
Erinyes 2 wis save vs dragon fear - (1d20+6)
(5) + 6 = 11
giants 1-3 wis saves vs dragon fear - (3d20+3)
(4187) + 3 = 32
Golem poison dmg - (10d8)
(5534126271) = 36