Middle Earth FA64 D&D Game: Ninth Adventure – Against the Cultists

"Somehow, I don't think covering the steps in oil is really going to affect something that large", remarks Rorimac.

"It might if it falls twenty feet onto stone. Even an injury on something that nasty is worthwhile."

Drindoleth will begin casting Warp Wood on the stairs, intending to focus it so that the supports under the beast will give way.

As Drindoleth focuses his spell, a large rock like creature of flat surfaces and sharp angles comes into view. The Warp Wood completes and the stairs splinter and send the oddity tumbling down. Some poor soul screams in agony as a ton or more of rock lands on him. The stairs are shaky looking and have a 5' gap in them. As the were circular they are largely unusable.

"Huh. That's probably better than fighting the thing. What should we do about it now?"

"Wow, I guess wood beat rock, because looking at it, rock was going to beat axe......umm, perhaps I'll just go downstairs and take a look at who or what is left. Perhaps someone might want to finish off upstairs" Rorimac draws his cloak about him to vanish and starts to levitate down the gap.

Ithilneth grows concerned upon hearing the large crash.

Thoroncir will carefully walk closer to the stairs' edge and peer over.

From outside, Mulligan hears the crash and wonders what is going on. Given the general lack of screaming and fighting from her friends, it should be ok.

Hopefully Gonung is begining to get some support.

*searches memory for any mention of such a creature in tales*

Does it look anything like the Pukel-men figures of Druadan Forest?

This seems like nothing Gil-Gandel can recall. Though the story of the Wose that helped protect the house of a tall men in the first age does come to mind.

What can Rorimac see as he levitates carefully down the stairs?

Yes, that Wose story surely came up in a fireside chat with Ghan some time. From what I remember, it's possible that there's a magician about the place with some sympathetic injuries now. We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure.

When we need to get back down, I still have my hithlain rope to help us.

Drindoleth is rather concerned about that scream and who may have been injured--or, most likely, killed--in the fall of that beast. He'll also go to the edge of the stairs and look down.

Peering down the party sees confusion and dust. The rock creature is laying on a broken man with several others trying to help him out using long levers. But as Rorimac starts down a creature of death stares hungrily at him ignoring the invisibility. This gets the attention of several others.

Outside Gonung has indeed rallied a large part of the men. It seems their service was not completely willing in most cases or at best opportunist and the wind appears to be blowing poorly for the cult.

Is there any other way back downstairs that Thoroncir can see?

These stairs were the only way down.

"Huh. Should I burn them? They're kind of sitting ducks, and we'll never get down there successfully if we're opposed. Can we issue an ultimatum? You know, 'Surrender or face the consequences?'"

From upstairs someone shouts down, "Burn them, they are evil as evil can be!"

From upstairs, where our party is? Thoroncir looks around to see who shouted that.

"Well there are still a few of them down, there, but they are not getting up here any time soon, stairs are wrecked. Oh, and the can see me despite being invisible, or at least something down there can." Rorimac floats back to the ground floor.

"My guess is anyone who might want to surrender will killed by the others anyway, but there is no harm in giving them the option."

Ceol also looks around for the source of the shout (was it in a language we all could understand?)

It was probably Sala on the upper floor, most of the party is on the main floor.

"I agree that we should destroy them. If they didn't surrender after we destroyed the werewolf, they are unlikely to ever do so."

"So be it. Stand back; I'm going to do this quickly."

Did Rorimac see anyone who looked like the Head Evil in charge, or was he the one under the creature.

Rorimac moves back from the broken staircase, "I'll let you know what's happened after you cast it."

Ceol stands back from the edge, as well, to let Deor cast.

Deor's Fireball causes screams of pain and Rorimac can report that confusion is strong and the stairs are on fire this time.

"Whew! I'm parched. I've burned through a lot of spells quickly here, so I may not be much help for a few minutes."

Deor will retreat from the edge, crouch down, catch his breath and consider his next available moves.

Sir Thoroncir isn't sure what he can do from his present location, but he stands ready for any threat to him, to Gilraen or to his other companions.

Mulligan is outside ensuring that any fighting in the town is going to go Gonung's way. Hearing the sound of another Fireball going off seems to indicate, the rest have it in hand and that whatever menaces had appeared have been dealt with.

From inside, Rorimac looks back over through the smoke of the stairs to below to see how many of the cultists and if the creature survived Deor's blast.

Low chanting is heard from below.

"My friends," Thoroncir calls out to those of Gil-Gandel's Fellowship still on the ground floor, "can you not stop whoever is chanting? I suspect it may be a dark mage, who ought not to be allowed to finish whatever spell he is casting."

The Sea-knight will then turn and explore more on the second floor. What does he see?

"Do we have any other spells which we can send down there? I would rather not risk sending members of our party."

"That sounds ominous, anyone recognise what they are saying?" says Rorimac currently floating above the stairwell. "Someone really needs to shut them all in one go."

Looking down if he can see any of the cultists, he will start firing at any chanting to see if he can put them off from whatever they are doing.

Still waiting for anything to shoot at - though if there are any burnables we could drop down there, we might inconvenience them that way.

"I have some squibs we can throw down there. They won't do much damage, but they might do enough to distract the enemy."

Ceol will ready his bow, and start firing down at chanters, if he has a clear shot.

The squibs fly down and Rorimac drops down and starts spraying arrows. This gives Gil-Gandel a chance to drop down a few steps and fire off a volley and retreat.

What they see is chaos of injured, undead charred and a would be caster now filled with 4 arrows. The rock creature is however back on its feet but the man he landed on is not moving. It is trying to pull down the stairs Gil-Gandel is on.

"Powerful magics must animate that stone creature. It is possible that their motivator has been killed or destroyed and only remnants still cause it to move, but that is unlikely. I believe that either a warlock or possibly an inanimate focus drives this... thing... and our best chance to defeat it is to destroy its focus."

Could be. Does the rock creature have any obvious object on or about it?

Better make ready to spring clear...

"What does a focus look like?" Rorimac starts peering down to see if he can see anything which would fit the description. Probably something big, obvious and shiny.

"Could be anything. May be dozens or hundreds of feet away. I wonder if there's another way down?"

Thoroncir stands ready to help Gil-Gandel, if he needs any assistance getting back off the stairs. Would his Numenorean longsword likely have any effect against a rock creature, or would it just dull the blade?

Gil-Gandel before leaping back to solid floor sees the rock creature actually has odd runes etched into the top of its head.

"Huh. Those runes are probably animating the thing. No one's carrying Stone Shape, are they?"

"While I'm keeping an eye on that monster down there, does everyone else want to make sure that the rest of the house is clear, perhaps let those outside know what is happening. They might like to know of the demise of the cultists down there."

Rorimac continues floating above the stairwell, staying out of reach, but keeping the creature occupied.

I do not have Stone Shape prepared. Drindoleth?

Drindoleth nods to Gil-Gandel that he does have Stone Shape prepared. Since he would need to touch the stone to cast it, how close can he currently get to the creature? Would he have to drop down onto it?