Though the sun is already well above the horizon, the sky brightens further – a second dawn of brilliant white, marking the presence of another celestial body beside the sun itself. It seems to be drawing closer.
Myllandra’s voice echoes desperately within the mind of each of the companions.
You must destroy Juiblex now!
Druidic healing floods through the heroes as Ras raises his magical staff, and the heroes redouble their efforts. As mighty as this demon lord of oozes is, Juiblex falters before the combined might of warriors and spellcasters who have everything to lose. The North’s mightiest champions stand equal to this abyssal threat, and Juiblex’s dark mass quivers as it begins to lose coherency.
But then Belhifet appears alongside the demon, one muscular hand reaching out to touch the giant vile ooze as he chants a spell of healing. Reality itself seems to cry out in wretched pain as one great evil grants power to the other (
Belhifet casts Heal and Juiblex regains 70 points). Juiblex stirs with newfound strength, and Belhifet instantly teleports up and away out of the Faceless Lord’s reach – who slams up against Halla’s elemental form and unleashes powerful acids that injure the druid enough to significantly weaken her (
After resistance Halla takes 28 acid damage and loses concentration on her spell, though she remains a water elemental). As her restricting watery tides recede, Juiblex surges forward in a mass of black slime and bile (
Al and Erevain each take 14 acid damage. Ug takes 15 acid damage and 26 poison damage).
Strangely, Juiblex’s last mass to leave the portal is charred, and somehow is even marked with dancing hellish flames that waft acrid smoke as they burn at the ooze. The massive demon bears fresh injuries beyond what the party has inflicted.
As Juiblex emerges from the churning portal, the approaching light on the horizon grows brighter. And more painful. Deep within the light the silhouette of a figure is barely discernible. As awe-inspiring as Myllandra’s true face was to behold, this creature must be mightier still, an angelic being so powerful as to be a force unto itself, as calamitous and devastating as a volcano or earthquake. The Scourge. Even at such a great distance, the power it radiates will soon become blinding.
Behifet’s sneering chuckle rumbles through the air from his vantage above the battlefield.
"Should you survive this, will you ever be so eager to ask the Upper Planes for aid? How many thousands are about to die, Scourged by that ‘good’ to which they pin their hopes and dreams, yes? And here am I, on the edge of destruction. At the heart of it all, orchestrating every moving piece!" The archdevil throws his horned head back and laughs, form crackling with the same energy that presages his teleportation, then looks down at the portal.
"Behold!"
The portal to the Abyss begins to bubble once more.
OOC:
Still Round 6, but I think most people did not use their movement. The portal is now unblocked. Anyone who wants to try to jump into the portal to close it can make an initiative check (remember disadvantage from exhaustion) and describe their thoughts/words as they go for it.
