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"Perhaps I should travel with more cow-smiters, that's a wonderful plan," Benji comments with a rusky yet high-pitched chuckle. He steps in behind his orcish compatriot to help clear the way- trying to break a skeleton to make the vanguard's path just a little safer. As he says this, however, he recognizes that his verse is wavering and his throat is dry.

[Move to R11, attack s1 with longplank, maintain song if still possible.]

"If you say so," Gaheris replies to the dwarf, figuring he knew what he was talking about. He nocks another arrow but turns away from the undead, and instead fires it at Cultist 3.

The efforts to break through the zombies and get warren into the room is a little more difficult then expected. Zurgo deals a resounding blow, lopping off an arm, a leg and a fair bit of the zombie's side, but this just caused the zombie to hop awkwardly towards him and try to bite him. Benjamin wields the stick with all the finesse of a militiaman at work, and his blow is blocked by the skeleton's shield. Ishan tosses the vial of holy water that Warren just handed him, which further dissolves the rapidly falling apart zombie, but it also splashes onto the skeleton and takes out it's spine, causing it to collapse into a pile of bones.

This grants Warren the opening he needs to get into the room, and Zurgo does his best to block the zombies from reaching Warren as he passes by them. This, at least is successful. Once all the pieces are in place, Warren channels divine energy, flowing all around the room and spilling outside. This completely destroys the last remaining skeleton and dissolves a bit of the three zombies, which in one case is enough to finally put it to rest. Zurgo also feels slightly better after this. The last two remaining zombies see the holy man and move to surround and kill him.

Jasmine is effective at stopping the dark ritual. a task that she completes by giving the last cultist a large wound to match that which hsi companions bore. However her ranged support has a little bit of trouble. Brooks, although deturmined to get revenge, is only good enough with his crossbow to hit a wolf once in two shots, probably, against cultists with unholy reflexes and cunning, he appears to be rather ineffective unless he gets lucky. He doesn't, so he retreats to reload his crossbow. Gaheris, while he might be a better shot, can't actually see his target so he gives a good shot based on what he can hear and barely make out through the darkness, but it's not good enough to hit the cultist. This leaves Jasmine in a rather unfortunate situation, the cultist she just left and the one she just attacked are both rather mad at her, and work together to stab her with their poisoned daggers. She's able to dodge the blow from the one in front, but the one behind sinks his dagger into the back of her neck, fortunately not into anything vital, but the poison still seeps into her bloodstream.

Kanock continues his duel with the strange undead here, neither seeming to get much of an upper hand. The undead manages to stab Kanock, but he heals the wound immediately just by touching it.

Then Benjamin starts hearing something from above, footsteps outside the shack, at least 5 or 6 people, although who or what they are is unclear at this point.

Zurgo uses arcane strike and attacks z1 (1d20+6): 20 vs AC, hit, (1d12+8), 12 damage, zombie is heavily wounded.
Benjamin moves to R11 and attacks s1 (with blunt pole) (1d20-4): 3 vs AC, miss.
Ishan moves to R11 and throws his holy water at z1 (1d20+3): 10 vs touch, hit, (2d4) 3 damage, z1 is critically wounded. Holy water splashes (DC 11); 8, 11, z3 saves, skeleton does not, skeleton takes 1 holy damage and is destroyed.
Zurgo moves to T10, provoking AoO's from both zombies: 12 and 11 vs AC, miss.
Warren moves to U10, provoking AoO's from both zombies, however they have already used their AoO this turn and don't have combat reflexes.
Warren channels positive energy (DC 14): 13, 6, 11, 7, all of the undead fail and take full damage (2d6) 3 damage. z1 is destroyed, s2 is destroyed, z2 and z3 are slightly injured. All living beings heal for a like amount: (Zurgo and c9 are the only injured in the area), heal for 3. c9 is still at negative HP and remains unconcious.
Brooks shoots at c3 (1d20+0): 6, miss. Brooks moves back to O19
Gaheris shoots at c3 (through the cover of darkness) (1d20+6): 14 vs (AC+4), miss.
Jasmine moves to R23, provoking an AoO from c3: 15 vs AC, miss.
Jasmine attacks c4 (1d20+7): 13 vs AC, hit (1d6) 4 damage. Cultist is heavily wounded.
Kanock attacks u (1d20+4): 9 vs AC, miss. Kanock uses lay on hands on himself, heals for (1d6): 6 HP.
c3 moves to Q23 and attacks Jasmine (flanking): 13 vs AC, miss.
c4 stabs at Jasmine (flanking): Natural 20, critical hit, 6 damage and poisons her.
z2 moves to U9, z3 moves to T11
u shifts to T17 and stabs at Kanock: 19 vs AC, hit, 5 damage.
c2 keeps the cloud of darkness going and shoots a dark bolt at Gaheris: 7 vs touch, miss.
Jasmine takes damage from poison: 2 damage. Jasime saves vs Poison: 18 vs DC 13, Jasmine saves, poison is removed.

Unaware of what is happening in the darkness, and not able to hear the approaching footsteps, Gaheris fires another arrow in the dark at cultist 03, hoping to get lucky.

All Orcs who enter a rage have their vision tainted red, it's the blood obviously enough, but did it explain the LINES?

In all of the Berserkers Zurgo had questioned over the years, not one recalled seeing the red tint of bloodlust as a series of small lines circling the edge of his vision. Granted most don't recall much when they become sated. Even important facts, like numbers of foes slain!

All Zurgo knew was that they disappeared, roughly every other heartbeat, and when they dissipated, so too would his strength.

20
19
18.....

there where still enemies standing, In any other circumstance a proper Orc would have executed Warren on the spot for such weak power. instead Zurgo struck the bleached and charbroiled flesh dummy behind him with desperate resolve.

(arcane strike as swift, attack z2)

Benji's ears perk up at footsteps from above. Reinforcements- but for whom? His enchanted song was at an end, and he had no intelligent way to help against the foes his group currently faced. Instead, he would have to lay an ambush. "Mind taking care of things here?" He asks of Ishan, "There may be more of these sullen robe-types on the way from above."

Crouching in the darkish corners next to the stairs, he prepares to play a very special tune for those who venture down...

[Move to Q5, hide and prepare Shattersong for the staircase and whoever comes down it- of course, if they're not cultists and monsters, try not to blast them.]

Jasmine lets out a small cry once she is stabbed, but it seems to only anger her more than anything. "Oh, now you want to play," she says with a grin as she continues her onslaught on the cultist in front of her.

Ishan gets a chill down his spine and looks up, "Too late for second thoughts I guess, who knows maybe its some orcs, at least they wont raise us after they kill us."

Decision time. Ishan moves to the door of the other room. Seeing the dark cloud he gets another idea and files it away for later. He readies his spear and yells into the room, "Something's happening outside lets wrap this up. Spotting the undead warrior he moves towards it.

(Eagle eye on darkness, I think I saw this somewhere before.... Move to s17)

The fight is winding down quickly, in the east room Zurgo deals a powerful blow to a zombie, slicing its legs off so quickly that it remains standing on them, this however causes problems for it as it tries to lunge at him. The result is the zombie falling apart in inert pieces. The zombie behind him has much better luck, taking a veritable bite out of his shoulder that would be severely dangerous for his health, if not for Warren. Warren's back away from the zombies and pours the last of his granted divine energy into Zurgo, closing his wounds and regrowing lost skin.

Ishan opts to travel to the south room to make sure they were doing as well, here he sees the darkness spell of the necromancers one more time, but he's unable to figure out the motions required to cast it, despite his keen perception and knowledge of how to learn such things. Next to him Kanock finally manages to slip under the undead's guard and lands a devastating blow on the creature, slicing it in half. Jasmine also meets with success, slicing the cultist in front of her down with two swift strokes. The cultist behind her is ready to stab her, but gets hit by an arrow just as she turns on him. As he quickly takes stock of the situation he finds that the only other cultist still alive is busy surrendering and in so doing removing his only form of cover, and revealing that the undead creature has been destroyed, and that reinforcements were starting to pour into the room for the party. He surrenders as well.

Benjamin opts to lie in ambush for whomever is coming. He hears a shout from above. "I hear combat, get over here quickly." Followed by footsteps coming down the stairs. The voice was human, not very useful, it could be more cultists, or it could be bandits, or it could be... Slithzerkai? Benjamin realizes who is coming down the stairs just a fraction of a second after he shoots shards of solid sound at the imperial soldier that had given him a hard time at the Ichabodd Inn. Alex is fast enough to get out of the way of the shards just in time, but he doesn't look pleased by this. Very unimpressed. "It's some blasted drow, be extra careful for traps and don't go anywhere alone." It takes him only a second more to register that he's seen this drow before. "Oh, it's the runt from the Inn. Did I catch you in the middle of betraying your group? I told them they were foolish to trust you."

Gaheris shoots at c3 (though the darkness) (1d20+6): 24 vs (AC + 4), hit, (1d6) 1 damage. C3 is critcally wounded.
Jasmine makes a full attack on c4 (1d20+5, 1d20+5): 21 and 17 vs AC, both hit, (1d6 each), 5+1 = 6 damage total. c4 is slain.
Brooks reloads his double barreled crossbow
Kanock shifts to S17 and attacks the undead: 17 vs AC, hit, (1d10+6) 16 damage. Smite evil damage ignores all types damage reduction. Undead is destroyed.
Zurgo uses arcane strike and attacks z2 (1d20+6): 11 vs AC, hit, (1d12+8) 13 damage.
Ishan moves to R17 and uses Eagle Eye on the darkness (1d20+5): 12 vs DC 15 (DC higher due to spell level, and that he didn't actually see it being cast), failure.
Warren shifts to V11 and casts cure moderate wounds on Zurgo: heals for 13
Benjamin moves to Q5 and hides (1d20+6): 14.
Benjamin prepares Chord of Shards against the first thing to come down the stairs.
Alex comes down the stairs, triggering Benji's readied action. Benji makes a Relfex save to NOT hit Alex (as he is not a cultist, monster is up to debate)(1d20+6): 9, failure, he casts Chord of Shards on Alex
Benjamin casts Chord of Shards on Alex (DC 13 reflex): 19, save, spell has no effect.
z2 and z3 attack Zurgo: 20 and Natural 1, one hit for 9 damage, one critically fumbles for 4 damage to itself. z2 disintigrates.
c2 and c3 make morale checks: 2, 14, they surrender.

No one really tells an Orc that the fight is over, they usually just wait until the orc has run out of things to hit.
Zurgo had not run out of things to hit, the zombie bite told him. Zurgo responded with his own, rune covered fangs.

(arcane strike attack z3)

Gaheris takes out his rope. "On your knees," he says to the cultists, "and hands on your head...or my beautiful friend here will end you both."

Using the rope, Gaheris will attempt to tie up the cultists before they have second thoughts about escaping.

"And here I was hoping to repay him for stabbing me in the back," Jasmine says with a disappointed sigh. She keeps her swords pointed at the cultist as Gaheris works.

As Ishan watches Kanock slice the undead in half he breathes a sigh of relief, then almost jumps out of his skin when he hears a large bang coming from the stairs. "It seems we might have another problem, once you've got them tied up we need to figure something out."

Moving back towards the stairs he sees a soldier descending, and maybe speaking to Benjamin, seeing imperial colors makes him feel a little. more comfortable but Ishan keeps his hand on his spear anyways balancing between relaxed and ready he moves to Benji's side.

"Ah I was wondering when reinforcements would arrive I only put that request into command 2 years ago, better late then never. Ishan Fording, former Imperial scout and EAD, (elite alchemy division he whispers to.Benji) What can we help you with."

"Terribly sorry, these stairs are closed to the public, I'm afraid. Please, do watch your step." Benji answers while startled, not sure why he ended up releasing his spell on a single target. He taps into the small pool of magic that is his birthright, and envelops the staircase in darkness.

[Cast darkness, centered on Alex, go prone.]

Zurgo makes sure to finish the fight before doing anything else, to this end he dismembers the zombie that bit him. Warren lowers his staff and looks around the room. "I guess we should bring this guy back to consciousness then," he muses, but hearing the scuffle out in the hall he instead makes his way over there.

The cultists, thoroughly intimidated and heavily outnumbered, offer no resistance to Gaheris as he ties them up. "If you kill us, we will come back even more powerful, and we will hunt you down." One promises.

"Then bring back my cows or I'll show you something more powerful then your scrawny hides." Brooks interjects, he hasn't shot his crossbow at them yet, but he looks like he would like nothing more then to kill them both right here.

Meanwhile out in the hallway Alex's glare at the drow is paused long enough for him to look the former solder over. "If you were in the EAD then you know that if you want something done right, submit a report to the bureaucracy. If you want something done in your own lifetime, do it yourself." This, was enough time for Benjamin to cover the entire staircase in darkness and dodge out of the way. Right as the light goes out, a group of imperial soldiers charge down the stairs, which are now dark, one of them loses his footing and they all tumble down the stairs in an unruly pile, not very far from where Benji lay.

A few seconds later Alex's staff lights up, to reveal a furious Slithzerikai standing over a pile of four imperial soldiers, quivering with rage. "I commend your enthusiasm guys, but try to be a little more careful when marching down stairs in the dark. The stairs are, after all, closed, as this drow spy so nicely put it."
Alex looks ready to snap and hit Benjamin any second now. Perhaps the only reason he hasn't yet is because he was too busy being at the bottom of a dog pile of soldiers.

Zurgo uses arcane strike and attacks z3 (1d20+6), 24 vs AC, hit, (1d12+8) 13 damage, z3 is destroyed.
Gaheris ties up two cultists (DC 21 to escape).
Benjamin casts Darkness, lighting drops from dim light to darkness the the area. Then he drops prone.
(Combat's over so I don't see a need to use the map, unless it starts again).
Alex makes a reflex save vs Imperial soldiers: Natural 1, he gets caught in the avalanche of soldiers (5 damage).
Alex stands up and casts light on his staff.