Episode 2

ENDGAME ROUND 4 (EG R4)

EG R4
Initiative Order

29. Bryn
25. Iasu
22. Kray
16. Trece
15. Elam
14. Hound X Alpha
11. The Howler
_8. Hound Y Weasel
_7. Bull Maeriks
_6. Hound Z Guard
_3. Namtur
_2. ThornWho has the ball now?
Hyp

Trece vs. The Howler
EG R4

Like a walking dead-man, Trece stalks forward with no sign of fear. No hesitation.

His injury appears to be fatal. It is inconceivable how a man could still be breathing, much less walking, with his chest split open.

Yet Trece is advancing. Attacking. Closing in like a predator against an unnatural beast, an epitome of primal ferocity. And Trece armed only with a sharpened spoon.

But it is no ordinary spoon. Though forged in haste, it was forged for a purpose. Perhaps no one knows why white cast iron inflicts such devastating damage against the flesh of creatures from the Underworld. No one here knows why at least, but still it is true.

Trece's weapon, made specifically for him, given to him by the avowed conspirator Palla Ba, was constructed of pure white cast iron. And now it is in the hand of a man who himself, whose body and mind in entirety, has been forged into a weapon.

Trece stabs high and arcing down, a strike delivering both maximum force and perfect precision. The sharpened point of the knife-like handle dives into the Hound King's left eye like a garden stake jabbing into a tomato. A burst of blood and fluid.

The Howler recoils and rolls back reactively, roaring out in pain and fury. The tissue around the eye instantly bursts into a black discoloration. Creeping lines of gray, following vessels in the beast's face and neck, race outward from the site of the wound, as if some sort of internal necrosis is rapidly occurring along the lines of blood circulation.

But Trece does not slow in the least. Just as he finishes the first devastating stab, he is already pulling the blade out to continue the assault. With fist and weapon, Trece dives forward and descends upon the monstrous beast.

In a tearing strike, Trece cuts downward and splits open the gullet of bulky flesh that hangs below the Howler's maw of sharp teeth. Blood and gel sludge spray outward from the rugged wound, covering the Howler, Trece and the floor in a gruesome splash of gore.

All the while, the tissue on the monster's head and neck continues to blacken, a cascade of damage spreading outward from the eye wound.

It is an unbelievable sight - an 8' long, 500 pound monster of pure muscle, fangs, claws, and spikes being overwhelmed by a fatally injured, unarmored, robed man wielding a pin knife.

Yet it is happening.

The Howler tips backwards and tumbles to the ground. Twirling up quickly, the beast recovers its stance, yet Trece does not relent. He steps forward. Still advancing. One step in front of the other.

The man is taking the monster down.

ENDGAME ROUND 4 (EG R4)

EG R4
Initiative Order

29. Bryn
25. Iasu
22. Kray
16. Trece
15. Elam
14. Hound X Alpha
11. The Howler
_8. Hound Y Weasel
_7. Bull Maeriks
_6. Hound Z Guard
_3. Namtur
_2. ThornWho has the ball now?
J

The Howler
EG R4



The Howler is massive. As it stumbles, rolls, and scrambles to right itself, its claws and spikes flail and crash about dangerously to anyone in the vicinity.

The bull and Kray instinctively give some berth, Namtur struggles to step away, but Trece drives forward without regard for his own safety.

The blinding strike to the eye is a devastating injury. The Howler cannot fully stabilize. The enigmatic degradation of tissue rolls down the beast's body, spreading to the edge of the neck, transitioning to the shoulder and chest within seconds.

But the Howler is no animal of this world. It does not easily become prey. It's instincts are not completely animalistic. It is a beast from another world. A world of pain, suffering, and fire.

Crouching down low, tensing every muscle, the Howler, King of Hounds, rises up and bellows out a terrible roar. The sound echoes through the stone chamber like a concussive force. Every one can feel the shake of it in their own chests.

As its massive body quakes from the strain, the Howler bursts into flames. A shockwave of heat and fire rolls outward in all direction, scorching everything in its path.

Fire damage. Area of Effect. Damage rolled separately for each person susceptible.
DEX Save DC 14 for half damage.

Engulfed in flame, the Howler stands back to its full height. It is now a living pillar of fire, a giant monument of death.

And it attacks the thing it hates most in all of the world in this moment. The inferno monster dives at Trece, breathing out a column of fire as it sets upon him with a flaming maw of teeth.

Fire Breath to Trece. DEX Save DC 14 for half damage.
Attack Trece. If hit, DC 14 STR Save or knocked Prone

Hound Y
EG R4


The hound cannot move well. Its muscles are sliced apart. Its skull is cracked. One of its lungs is punctured and flooded with its own blood.

But it is fully ignited now, and it can drag itself along the ground. It does so. A repulsive display of unnatural depravity. A contempt for life, its own and all others.

The hound smells the bull and does its best to burn one more living thing to death.

Movement

Not close enough to get into range for proximity fire damage to Bull Maeriks.

ENDGAME ROUND 4 (EG R4)
Initiative Order

29. Bryn
25. Iasu
22. Kray
16. Trece
15. Elam
14. Hound X Alpha
11. The Howler
_8. Hound Y Weasel
_7. Bull Maeriks
_6. Hound Z Guard
_3. Namtur
_2. ThornWho has the ball now?
CB

Required Action, Kray, Maeriks, Trece: DEX Save DC 14 for half fire explosion damage

Required Action Trece: DEX DC 14 for half fire breath damage

Required Action, Trece: STR Save DC 14 or knocked Prone

On mobile, typing as if I had no hands... will update later with sexy language and narration stuff...
Lol autocorrect!
13 damage taken.
Press forward, shoving toward slime. 2x if necessary. If first is successful then move away to safety (avoiding OA reaction). Move after second no matter what, random east or west.

Bull Maeriks vs. The Howler
EG R4

The bull backs away from the flame avoiding much of the heat and flash, but then turns again to charge straight into the fiery monster.

Howler Attempt to Resist Shove 1

The bull's head and shoulders are engulfed in flame as it closes in.

Proximity Fire Damage for engagement
Bull Maeriks wins Shove 1 comparison

The Howler seems off balance and weakened. It cannot stand against the charge of the bull. The flame-engulfed monster is rolled and knocked backwards. Fire surges and whirls as the flaming mass takes the impact.

Hound Z
EG R4

The brutalized and chemically poisoned hound makes it to its feet, but cannot gather itself under control. It limps in a small circle, shaking and vomiting. Foam is pouring from its mouth and nose. It hangs its head low, disoriented in its misery.

ENDGAME ROUND 4 (EG R4)
Initiative Order

29. Bryn
25. Iasu
22. Kray
16. Trece
15. Elam
14. Hound X Alpha
11. The Howler
_8. Hound Y Weasel
_7. Bull Maeriks
_6. Hound Z Guard
_3. Namtur
_2. ThornWho has the ball now?
X

Thorn stands ready to fight if approached, but the threats in the room remain at a distance away.

The one injured dog is now fully enflamed. It cannot move very quickly, but it is still mobile to some degree even as the fire that burns its body rages hotter and higher with every passing second.

But that fire pales by comparison to the raging inferno that is the burning Howler. The monstrous beast is like a huge living flame, burning so hot that waves of heat are rolling through the air. The light from the fire shines through the whole chamber now, showing visibility throughout the room that almost makes the place unfamiliar - bringing the details of the room to light suddenly as the previously oppressive darkness is washed completely away. The team sees the blood and carnage splattered all over the floor, cut and broken bodies, the repulsive sludge with the remnants of body parts swirling within - plus most of the group themselves are covered in blood, whether it is their own or their fallen enemies.

The Howler is not consumed by the bonfire that surrounds it though. The dog beast seems to be restoring its stance. The crackling and hissing of fire sound out through the chamber, but the Howler's flesh is not melting as that of its minion hounds. The fire sits atop the King of Hounds like a coat of armor.

Yet there is something wrong for the beast. Its flesh continues to blacken on its left and front side, originating from the white cast iron wound that punctured its eye. With its one good eye, The Howler scans to assess its enemies. With a sniff and a shudder of tense muscles, the monster roars out in unbridled fury. The sound of it fills the whole room in a reverberating shockwave.