GoCorral

This session was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube. I had the name tags messed up for the first part of the session in the video, but hopefully you can figure it out. We had everyone attending and played our usual way, Skype for voice and video and Roll20 for a virtual tabletop.

Last Preparations

The showdown would take place at Nox Castle with Blendegad fighting alongside the Xorians. To secure these conditions the Alliance side was allowed to bring twelve people. Gorwinua, Torin, Eathirilu, Tagenadi, Hektor, and Danar of course, but also Astyanax, King Mero III of Mars’ Oasis, Alabaster of Mars’ Oasis, Gradorian, Junai, and Kig Yupington. One summoned monster would be allowed before the fight as well (Hektor selected a Solar to be brought in by gate). Ten minutes would be set aside before the fight to cast preparatory spells.

With the negotiations done the party left the formian hives. They decided exactly which buff spells they would cast on each other for the fight. Eathirilu designed a new epic spell specially made for the final battle. It gave him immunity to dispel magic effects, dimensionally anchored anyone he grappled, suppressed freedom of movement on anyone he grappled, and gave him +11 to grapple.

Enter the Dragon’s Den

On the day of the duel the Alliance party showed up as agreed and were met by a human attendant. They exchanged greetings and the attendant told the party that he was instructed to not talk with them beyond what was necessary. He led them through a series of twisting corridors and passageways. Nox Castle is famous for people getting lost in its winding maze-like interior.

As the twists continued, someone in the group looked behind them and was shocked to find that half the party had disappeared! The “extras,” Astyanax, King Mero III of Mars’ Oasis, Alabaster of Mars’ Oasis, Gradorian, Junai, and Kig Yupington, had all vanished into the maze! Whipping their heads around the party realized the corridor had widened and they had arrived at the throne room.

Hektor demanded of the attendant, “What did you do with the other Alliance members?”
“The hallways are confusing, sir. Maybe they got lost?”

The massive throne room was windowless. The space was dimly lit by torches that flickered off of numerous gargantuan statues. Tapestries and closed doors lined the edges of the throne room. At the far side of the room was an enormous marble dais. The forefront of the dais was covered in a carpet spun from golden thread. At the back of the dais was ANOTHER dais, this one made from dark volcanic stone. Atop this structure was a throne that seemed to be made of magma upon which King Jevaninada sat in all his purple splendor. The throne was encrusted with rubies and behind it was a tapestry depicting the Titanomachy. At Jevaninada’s side were his faithful servants, Barejando and Darudanano, and two dragovinian priests.

Off in the dark left corner of the room there was an entrance to a malevolent cave. Broken masonry, crunched bones, blood, entrails, gold, jewels, weapons, art, and viscera surrounded the entrance to the cave. At the mouth lay the impressive bulk of Blendegad the Reaper. An awesome presence exuded from the dragon god. He had grown stronger since the party had last seen him. Were it not for the party’s mind blank protections, they would’ve cowered before this greater being.

In the front corners of the throne room, closer to the Alliance heroes, were groups of dragovinian nobles who had come to witness the triumph of their god and his avatar. These nobles were protected from harm by walls of force, blocking off the corners of the room.

Jevaninada addressed the party, “You have arrived.” He pulled an alabaster hourglass from behind the throne and set it on the ground in front of him. As the sand began to pour he said, “Ten minutes.” The attendant guide scurried from the room.
Hektor accused Jevaninada, “You cheated! You’ve taken half of our fighting force away!”
Jevaninada shouted, “How dare you accuse me! You brought your companions to my Castle. I’m sure they will show up eventually, but the terms were ten minutes after the first of you entered the throne room our fight would begin. Such is the pact and so it will be kept!” Jevaninada slammed his hand upon the hourglass for emphasis.
Hektor said, “Fine. We can do it without them.”

As the casting of buff spells began the two groups kept an eye on each other to track the spells the other side was casting. Notably, the dragovinians cast cursed blade upon their weapons, a foul enchantment that prevented healing. Only the most powerful spells could overcome the effects to stitch wounds back together.

Gorwinua analyzed the magic items that their foes wore as well. Their items were fairly standard. A few stood out as unusual, but she was unable to determine the enchantments on those items.

Beginning of the End

The party finished their spells and took up positions around the room. A spinosaur-transformed Eathirilu and Tagenadi stood in the front closest to the throne. Danar, Torin, and Gorwinua were behind them. Hektor stayed at the back of the throne room with his summoned solar beside the wall of force protecting the Xorian nobles. Gorwinua took a deep breath and began singing. She started with a high pitch outside the range of normal human hearing and then descending into a wailing that filled the entire room with the loudest sound the combatants had ever heard. As she sang a wall of force came into being between herself and the dragovinians.

The two dragovinian priests combined their power together and set up a dispelling screen across the room at the front of the dias. This shimmering wall would strip away many of the magical protections of those who walked through it. After casting it the two priests ran to the back of the room. Danar reacted quickly and with a flick of his wrist he unraveled the magic of the dispelling screen.

Hektor and his summoned solar cast dispel magic on Jevaninada and Blendegad respectfully. Jevaninada has prepared a special ward against such magic. The spell rebounded onto Hektor. It would’ve stripped him of many of his magical protections, but Gorwinua used her song’s power to catch the spell in the air. Gorwinua whipped the energy around and sent it flying at Barejando, taking away most of the active spells on him. The solar’s casting did the same to Blendegad, notably removing the dragon’s greater spell immunity. Torin threw another dispel magic at Blendegad. Jevaninada, Darudanano, and Barejando all activated scarabs of invulnerability that they wore, making themselves temporarily impervious to all attacks.

Eathirilu charged in and attacked Blendegad. The dragon god’s neck twisted like a serpent, simultaneously evading Eathirilu’s bite while making one of his own. Tagenadi let out a cry and charged Blendegad. Invigorated by his ally’s cry, Eathirilu joined the attack against the Reaper. Blendegad responded by snapping at both of them. Tagenadi and Eathirilu hammered their attacks into Blendegad, cutting into the dragon god. Tagenadi took a moment and activated his own scarab of invulnerability.

The two dragovinian priests ran forward and cast spells on to Blendegad. They reapplied his greater spell immunity and his freedom of movement. Eathirilu continued his assault on the dragovinian ranks. He grabbed Barejando in one of his dino-claws and Jevaninada in the other. At the same time Eathirilu and Blendegad continued to bite, each dealing massive damage to the other. Hektor’s solar flew forward to assist Eathirilu. Hektor stepped forward and imprisoned the two dragovinian priests within a forcecage, cutting them off from Blendegad.

Gorwinua threw another dispel at the dragovinians, but she poured her melodious voice into this spell causing it to resonate between Barejando, Darudanano, and Jevaninada. The spells protecting and enhancing the dragovinians were shredded. Gorwinua swiftly changed her song’s tune to a shrieking dissonant sound. The cacophony assaulted her foes and wormed its way into Barejando’s mind. He grimaced in pain as Gorwinua’s sonic power filled his head with a flaming migraine like nothing he had ever experienced.

Danar shot forward at the distracted Barejando. The dragon prince carved an X in the dragovinian’s body and moved to decapitate him, but as he did so a burst of dark light shone forth, warding off Danar’s new finely crafted sword. Torin raised his arms and brought down the might of Athena. Barejando’s dark light was dispelled as the goddess’s power entered his form. He shone with light and his body burst into dust, unable to contain it. With a flick of his wrist Torin also healed Eathirilu’s many wounds.

Jevaninada gritted his teeth and the King of Xoria moved faster than the eye could follow. He appeared behind Danar and stabbed him through the back. The light went out of Danar’s eyes. He fell to the floor and dropped his sword. Darudanano made sure Danar was down with a swift claw swipe and then he kicked Danar’s sword, Dragorogi, into the corner of the room.

Eathirilu picked up Danar in his jaws and tossed his body to the corner where Dragorogi had landed. Eathirilu continued his attack by grabbing Jevaninada in his dino claws. Wrestling with the little dragovinian, Eathirilu separated him from his bodyguard, Darudanano.

Tagenadi whipped his kusari-gama around hitting sharp points on Blendegad’s limbs as the dragon tried to attack. This defensive maneuver was designed to prevent Blendegad’s claws and wings from hitting anything but the metal of Tagenadi’s weapon. Tagenadi stepped carefully away from the Reaper god as he stalled his attacks, bringing the death knight closer to Darudanano.

Eathirilu chewed on his royal snack, Jevaninada. Jevaninada bit Eathirilu right back. The giant dinosaur came out the winner in the exchange, dealing Jevaninada grevious wounds. Blendegad’s godly power darkened the room. He phased past Tagenadi’s defensive strikes and tore into Eathirilu dealing several terrible wounds.

Gorwinua flew up to the ceiling and lined up a shot on Blendegad. She fired off a gray ray of antimagic at the dragon god. It slammed into the Reaper and he became covered in a dull aura. Blendegad screamed as his godly powers were stripped from him. The aura stripped away layer after layer of divine dragon. Blendegad shrunk and changed shape, leaving behind a tall draconic humanoid. The new Blendegad held a bloody sword, a battered wooden shield, and he wore breastplate of elven craft. Gorwinua paused for only half-a-second, astonished by her success. The dragon god was reduced to a grim being, something similar to her and her companions in power instead of the juggernaut he was before.

Hektor cast his most powerful magic to accelerate his body into hyperspeed. Hektor used another one of his greatest spells to shapechange into the form of a titan. He used more of his super speed to enact a forcecage around Blendegad’s humanoid form. At hyperspeed the dragovinian had no chance to counter or evade Hektor’s entrapment. Normal time resumed and Blendegad found himself trapped within a magical box, a box which could only be escaped through magic. With two spells, an antimagic ray and a forcecage, the Reaper had been neutralized (Xorian Wars 31/Alliance 22). There was no escape. Blendegad screamed mutely and threw himself against the walls of his cage.

Hektor continued his spellcasting flurry and threw a disintegrate ray at Jevaninada. Unfortunately, the ray rebounded off of Jevaninada’s protections, straight back at Hektor. Gorwinua stepped in to protect Hektor and caused the magical energy to explode just as it left the Xorian King’s body. Jevaninada shrugged off the explosion like it was nothing.

Torin called upon Athena to use him as her instrument. Channeling her divine power, Torin let positive energy fill the room. He resurrected Danar and healed Eathirilu’s injuries.