Advancement

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+25 +4 for poison
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 35 > [d20=10]

Bylthel holds on just long enough to channel healing energy through himself, wound gone, as meanwhile the succubus and Darmor continue to wage war.

> roll 1d20+27
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 37 > [d20=10]
> roll 2d6+20
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 30 > [d6=5,5]
> roll 1d20+30 (+5 arcane strike)
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 48 > [d20=18]
> roll 1d20+30 (+5 arcane strike) crit?
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 37 > [d20=7]
> roll 2d8+30+5d4
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 53 > [d8=5,5][d4=4,3,1,2,3]

Both are blooded, by Darmor is knocked to his knee. He's breathing roughly, coughing up blood from being impaled, the succubus looming above him.

Antenora's expression is grim, "I'll be waiting for you," she murmurs, eyes on it.

[Ebiris]

And he got a special gift from Marie too! "Don't count him out yet," Alicia says, since Bylthel's free to hopefully intervene.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+25
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 29 > [d20=4]

As the succubus goes for the killing blow, it never comes. Bylthel rushes in, a mace blow avoided by an inch as she leaps back. It buys the wounded knight a moment, a moment to be healed by the deva's hands. Not all the way, but enough to stop the bleeding.

Antenora exhales at that, "Finish her," she murmurs.

[Ebiris]

"The odds are a bit better now," Alicia says. Mandol at least is holding his own if not contributing much else, though Curlah needs a hand for sure.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+22
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 41 > [d20=19]
> roll 1d3+1
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 3 > [d3=2]
> roll 1d20+13 SR
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 18 > [d20=5]
> roll 1d20+21
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 30 > [d20=9]
> roll 1d8+12
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 15 > [d8=3]

Meanwhile below, Curlah manages to get away, shoving away the stone warrior and chanting, "Syala, burn away evil!" A flame strike scorches down, but somehow the stony woman isn't hurt by it. It's resisted, a chance to charge in and hit her right in the stomach. Curlah staggers from that blow, defenses dropping.

At the same time above...

> roll 1d20+28
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 32 > [d20=4]

The minions are falling to the dire tiger, giving him the space he needs.

Meanwhile, in the main event? The succubus begins to gather power, at the same time Darmor staggers forward, swinging for her in one desperate lunge.

> roll 1d20+27
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 30 > [d20=3]
> roll 10d6
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 40 > [d6=5,4,3,3,5,6,2,6,2,4]
> roll 1d20+8
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 16 > [d20=8]
+4 more, forgot to add bracers to his saves notation.
> roll 1d20+20
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 26 > [d20=6]

The blow is dodged, long enough for fire to spread everywhere. Bylthel is burnt but up, while Darmor burns and screams, armor reddening as he stays on his feet, somehow. At the same time Bylthel takes the change, one great mace swing right for her.

> roll 1d20+25
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 28 > [d20=3]

Which sadly misses as the succubus takes to the air.

[Ebiris]

Mandol really needs to stop playing with the small fry and get involved with the real action! "Darmor can't take much more, they need to either put Marilye down or back off for him to heal."

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+28
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 40 > [d20=12]

With a final fury three of the minions are struck down, Mandol leaping into the air and chasing the succubus as she flees. The succubus turns to it - and in that one moment holy energy erupts around her.

> roll 1d20+16
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 27 > [d20=11]
> roll 10d6
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 24 > [d6=4,2,2,1,5,1,5,1,1,2]
> roll 1d20+23
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 24 > [d20=1]

The wounded succubus screams as holy power dazes her, leaving her bleeding all over and eyes pure white. In this state she can't dodge Mandol's charge and...

> roll 1d20+28
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 31 > [d20=3]

With her so wounded, a pounce does exactly what you'd imagine it does. The succubus is torn limb from limb, gear falling as her body is sent screaming back into the Abyss.

[Ebiris]

Alicia looks like she wants to sigh but is too classy to quite let it out. "Well, so much for interrogating her. At this point I'm just glad they're winning. Get Curlah out of the ground and they're done," she says to Antenora.

[Anastasia]

"Unfortunate," Antenora agrees aloud. "....I keep feeling that we've been on the other side of this."

[Ebiris]

"Next time you see Mystra, ask her how she felt watching us fight Zetsubokou?" Alicia suggests, picking an example of a battle gone horribly right.

[Anastasia]

Antenora concedes that without a word being spoken, while meanwhile...

> roll 1d20+21
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 30 > [d20=9]
> roll 1d8+12
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 15 > [d8=3]

Curlah is taken, beaten, pounded. It's a tight battle but the terrain just disfavors her too much. Her head cracks like an egg and that, as they say, is that.

Above tavern goes begin to rush out, but Bylthel is there. He stands there, glaring at them.

> roll 1d20+25
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 37 > [d20=12]

It stops the rush as he says, "Stay." Just a word cows them, while Mandol comes down, licking his chops and then sniffing the ground, around where Curlah was taken. He begins to dig, working on down.

[Ebiris]

Curlah already died, so this will be a case of having to simply recover in Sylica and being forbidden from the astral for some time. A shame, and a deeply unpleasant experience from everyone she's seen that had to endure it in the past.

Actually given how teleport spells work by you briefly going through the astral plane, is an outsider barred from the astral unable to teleport for the duration? And how does the ban duration work with the astral having no concept of time? Purely academic curiosity.

"At least get Curlah's things and then come home," she says quietly, her voice unheard by her followers.

[Anastasia]

It doesn't stop teleporting and it just works - from what you know about the Astral, it probably comes down to how the Incarnation set up the Astral. You can make a K:A check if you'd like more details.

[Ebiris]

Sure, why not. Take 10 for 60.

[Anastasia]

Both seem to work in spite of logic otherwise. It doesn't disrupt teleportation despite touching the Astral. The leading theory is that the repulsion the Astral provides to a soul that died there is used to propel the teleportation, but this is not proven. Likewise, bans expire when they should, in spite of the realm being timeless. That's one that's generally accepted as simply being the way it is.

Meanwhile your party begins the cleanup from there - healing, searching and digging up Curlah. There's no sign of the woman who got the better of her - she seems to be hiding or have fled. They're methodical about it, getting her equipment, then raiding the succubus's possessions. They search and a few glares from Bylthel stops any resistance, gathering up several things - including some writings and a diary from from the succubus.