The Triad

A growl sounds from below as Aribeth gets to her feet. A moment later, she teleports onto One-Eye's broad back, blades held in reverse grips and stabbing down. One sword finds purchase, sinking into the brute's skin - which is fortunate, for it provides the paladin a handhold when One-Eye tries to shake her free.

Gritting her teeth with determination, she raises her second sword and stabs down again, this time striking true. "Tyr smite thee!" Channeling her greatest divine might into both weapons, Aribeth lets loose twin blasts of searing, radiant light into the enemy's back and neck. She can only maintain the effort for so long, however, before one of her swords slips free from her grip and tumbles off the ship's deck.

Used Misty Step as a bonus action to teleport, then hit twice (straining on the second attack). Burnt two 4th level spell slots to smite on each hit, dealing 14 slashing damage and 59 radiant.

One-Eye is perhaps the most fearsome and capable combatant the heroes have ever encountered. The monstrous warrior fights with Alalla's skill, Aribeth's fury, and Zenithral's precision. And accompanying every blow is that tremendous thunder! Still, his thick skin and thicker armor begin to show numerous wounds and holes.

The fight will soon be over... but will any survive it?

One-Eye blocks an attack from Alalla, catching her sword on the haft of his spear. For a moment they glare at each other, weapons locked, muscles straining (One-Eye burns a Legendary Resistance to pass his save vs Al's fear). But then his head snaps forward and down, headbutting her from above and denting her helm (Al takes 19 bludgeoning and 20 thunder). She staggers backward and loses her footing on the ice, tumbling over the splintered railing. One of her hands catches the edge, however, keeping her from falling onto the frozen River Styx below. But it's a tenuous hold, and Alalla's muscles ache from catching Zenithral and Halla earlier today. She hears One-Eye's heavy footsteps approaching, even as she feels her grip begin to slip...

Al failed her strength save. If she can't turn it into a pass, she falls down to the ice (though it looks like she passes her Int save if she does fall!) If she passes, she'll be able to pull herself up onto the ship again, no movement expended.

And then Aribeth appears in the air above the orclopes, landing on his back and driving her weapons home. He twists and bucks, trying to shake the half-elf free. At the same time, Zenithral's arrows slam home, nearly driving One-Eye over the ship's edge. But One-Eye isn't finished yet. He reaches up and grabs Aribeth's arm, then flings her off the ship once more (After resistance, Aribeth takes 8 bludgeoning and 3 thunder, and then 11 psychic. Her memory drain penalty increases to a d6! Al takes the same amount of all damage three types.). Turning, One-Eye hurls his spear Zenithral's way, puncturing through both arcane wards and magical armor (Zenithral takes 29 piercing and 24 thunder damage).

Not sparing a moment, the brute leaps from the ship, not even bothering with a running start... and lands upon Aribeth, who would surely be dead from the impact if not for her own magical armor and Alalla's protective spell (After resistance, Aribeth takes 13 bludgeoning and 8 thunder. Al takes the same amount). The paladin crunches a crater into the dark ice as One-Eye grinds his foot down on her. The thrown spear returns to his hand then and he raises it high, ready to slam it down through Aribeth's chest. He lets out a roar of conquest, daring anyone to challenge him!

Alalla passes the save against fear! Aribeth is immune to fear. Zenithral fails the save, and so is frightened! While frightened of One-Eye, Zen's speed is 0 and he begins to fall... and once he touches the ice he will fail his save and take 22 psychic damage

Still hanging from her one hand, Alalla notices an image in the ice below her, a memory sucked away from Aribeth. Orcs rampage and kill Aribeth's friends and family. Fire, blood, rage... This is how orcs will be, should Alalla fail today.

Wounded, frightened, and falling, Zenithral almost feels the ice reaching up to greet him. It reminds him of the darkest part of his life, when he was similarly held captive by fear as a leader of Bryn Shander's militia. But he has come so far since then, grown so much. Will fear cause him to fail as it did once before, or will he continue on in spite of it?

If Zen can slow his fall, he will be able to take his actions next turn before he hits the ice.

Alalla hangs from the ship, watching in pain as Gruumsh's champion rips into Aribeth. As her muscles strain, the orcelops roars out his challenge.

A challenge? He challenges? He's here on Torm's challenge. Her challenge.

Well. She has been facing Gruumsh's challenge her whole life. It is time to be finished with it.

Al heaves herself up onto the deck, then turns and leaps at Gruumsh's champion. She lifts her sword and the flame brightens with the force of divine energy. With perfect form and perfect stance she gets past his defense and completes the challenge.

AC: 22
HP: 81

Dumb-Eye takes 149 lethal damage total YOOOO

Zenithral manages to partially deflect the dreadful spear, thunder and wind curling around him. (Zenithral casts Absorb Elements to gain resistance to thunder damage, taking 12 less thunder damage from the spear.)

Zenithral's eyes widen in terror at the display of raw power. He drops to the ship's deck, trembling. If he had still been flying higher than a few feet, the fall and tumble into the Styx would have been devastating.He watches as Alalla, despite the terrifying storm god's cry, fearlessly charge and begin to unleash an impossibly brilliant display of divine and martial might.

"Aribeth!!" Gruumsh's champion would surely kill her!

With a celestial word of healing echoing over over the ice, healing light emboldens the paladin, if only slightly. (Aribeth regains 8 HP) Perhaps she would use her own powers to heal herself enough to survive.

He can't get himself to move—the fear is too much—but he manages to place a glowing hands on his heart and prepares to take a fatal wound. (Healing Hands to regain 18 HP. Zenithral plans to use his last Martyr's Empathy to take the next instance of damage Aribeth takes that would knock her out.)

HP: 70 / 169
AC: 17
On the deck
1 level of exhaustion

"Our 'father' didn't get my last message. Send him this one," Al tells Gruumsh's champion in orcish. Then his head is gone.

She quickly takes in the chaos and the desperate state of her allies. She grits her teeth and spits an orcish curse, breaking into a sprint in the same breath.

"You're on the way," Al tells Aribeth, slowing not a stride to grab her by the neck of her breastplate and tow her along toward Zenithral. Al lifts her with a grunt and sends some of her own Paladin healing into Aribeth's body. (Aribeth gains 15 hp)

"I'm coming, Zenithral!" Alalla shouts. "Don't make me tell Halla I lost you again!"

Zenithral had expected a devastating blow. But he had been impaled by Zariel the archdevil, and that scarcely compared to the pain he felt now.There was no thought. No memory to flash before his eyes. No last anguished cry to escape from his lips. Only pain.

And then darkness.

1 level of exhaustion
Death Saves: 1 success, 1 failure

Alalla drops to her knees beside Zenithral, careless that she's dropping Aribeth as well. "We won, Zen, we won," she says, pulling his head into her lap. She sends healing into him through her palms. "We won because of you, Zenithral. Don't you dare be a martyr about it." It's meant to be joking, but her voice is a plea instead.

"Great Torm, let us not be too late," she prays. "We won. We won."

(Zenithral gains 15 hp.)

Zenithral's eyes flicker open, dazed as he coughs up blood. He closes them again, trembles, and sobs.

"Let's..." he moans. "...never do that again." He finally manages a chuckle and a dazed smile.

He coughs again and notices chunks of ice still cracking and falling from the ceiling. "And lets get out of here..." He holds a hand out so Alalla can help pull him to his feet.