Mystran rest

[Anastasia]

The battle - the dead versus the living, from the lowliest corpse to Hanna herself - freezes as you enter. As Nial stirs and rises all eyes are on you - your entrance has momentarily stopped the battle if nothing else.

Hanna recovers first, and lets out a cry of, "You heard her," she shouts, "The enemy has committed unspeakable blasphemies. END THEM!"

What power surges in your veins, goddess? Have you come to feed my slave?

The voice is the barest whisper in your mind, almost a phantasm of it. Were you mortal, you might think it a trick of your imagination. You can almost feel your canines ache and thirst tickle the back of your neck, but you resist such a presence with a moment of will.

It is a feast moon. Look high into the sky and see.

Meanwhile Nial surges ahead with Hanna, the battle joined again, the dead only now starting to recover as battle surges all around you.

You have also have talked to many deities before. This is a voice of power, a voice of authority. It is not the voice of the divine, not quite. It is something twisted and wrong, something that seethes against your mind. Like sharp fangs dragging across your brain, always a threat to sink in and drink.

[Ebiris]

Free action to use greater foresight's 1/round divination on knowing where the source of that voice is.

Also just basically what's the layout like here? Does Alicia have an idea of where the soul siphon is from her tussle with it?

Spoiler: ShowHide

Aliciavatar HP: 855+20/855
Active spells: Many moments of prescience (CL 38), extended mind blank (CL 39), extended nondetection (CL 39), extended ray deflection (CL 39), repelling shield (CL 38), epic mage armour (CL 36), sensual blessing (CL 38), greater foresight (CL 38), seira's arcane thesis (CL 38), freedom of movement (CL 36), greater heroism (CL 36), greater visage of the deity (CL 36), recitation (CL 36), true seeing (CL 36), divine insight (CL 36), mass energy immunity (cold) (CL 39), celestial valor (CL 36), opal inviolability (CL 37)
Defences: AC 106, CMD 114, spell resistance 51, energy immunity (cold, unholy), status immunity (polymorph, petrification, disease, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), nondetection (DC 54), freedom of movement
Stat buffs/penalties: +10 armour AC, +25 competence perception, +7 insight AC/ref/init, +4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha, +9 shield AC, +3 luck AC/saves, +4 morale attack/skills/saves, +4 sacred attack/damage/AC/saves, +6 bonus hd, +6 competence attack, +4 competence fort, +10 SR checks, +5 spell DCs
Perceptions: Arcane sight, darkvision 60, true seeing, scent, tremorsense/blindsight 60, perception +79
Sorcerer spells: 6/16/15/13/8/9/14/8/8/8/7/6/6/5/5/2
Duskblade spells: 6/22/22/22/11/6/15

[Anastasia]

Give me CL on divination, he has defenses up.

The layout is a fairly large cavern - about 50ft by 80ft. It's currently full of heroes and the dead waging war. There's a passage deeper in ahead, from which the dead come.

[Ebiris]

[19:34] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+38 CL
[19:34] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 53 > [d20=15]

[Anastasia]

'The Blood Castle,' is the answer you get.

You can sense whatever's draining the soul is ahead, not too far.

[Ebiris]

That's such a worthless answer, every vampire calls their castle that.

Well anyway, the avatar enters the fray without necessarily upstaging the heroes of Aurora here or making it too easy for them. Nial's probably having fun at least. "At them, the stealer of souls is not far!" she encourages, a single beam of silver fire clearing her own path while she exhorts the warriors of righteousness.

2 quickened mass snake's swiftness on either side to give everyone in a 20 foot radius burst an immediate free melee attack.

[20:04] <@Ebiris> roll 40d10 DC 46 ref half
[20:04] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 230 > [40d10=230]

Spoiler: ShowHide

Aliciavatar HP: 855+20/855
Active spells: Many moments of prescience (CL 38), extended mind blank (CL 39), extended nondetection (CL 39), extended ray deflection (CL 39), repelling shield (CL 38), epic mage armour (CL 36), sensual blessing (CL 38), greater foresight (CL 38), seira's arcane thesis (CL 38), freedom of movement (CL 36), greater heroism (CL 36), greater visage of the deity (CL 36), recitation (CL 36), true seeing (CL 36), divine insight (CL 36), mass energy immunity (cold) (CL 39), celestial valor (CL 36), opal inviolability (CL 37)
Defences: AC 106, CMD 114, spell resistance 51, energy immunity (cold, unholy), status immunity (polymorph, petrification, disease, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), nondetection (DC 54), freedom of movement
Stat buffs/penalties: +10 armour AC, +25 competence perception, +7 insight AC/ref/init, +4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha, +9 shield AC, +3 luck AC/saves, +4 morale attack/skills/saves, +4 sacred attack/damage/AC/saves, +6 bonus hd, +6 competence attack, +4 competence fort, +10 SR checks, +5 spell DCs
Perceptions: Arcane sight, darkvision 60, true seeing, scent, tremorsense/blindsight 60, perception +79
Sorcerer spells: 6/16/15/13/6/9/14/8/8/8/7/6/6/5/5/2
Duskblade spells: 6/22/22/22/11/6/15

[Anastasia]

In his defense, it might be the original Castle of Blood if it's the First Vampire.

With this the group surges and the way ahead for you is clear - you can go onward if you wish, or stay with them as Hanna leads an attack against them, to finish off the dead.

[Ebiris]

Alicia will stay with Aurora's forces, destroying the undead and moving with them to reach and destroy the thing ahead where if anything can be done for the souls it has eaten, she will do it.

I am wroth, but I will not usurp your command here Hanna. These are your soldiers, not mine.

[Anastasia]

As Hanna cleaves apart a zombie and leaps away from the flame?

'Thank you for that. Act as you see fit.' Her message is a little terse, as you see Nial cleave one of the zombies apart with one blow.

[Ebiris]

She doesn't even use her sword, it's all magic right now. Half boosting the warriors, half slaying the undead, Alicia measures her actions to not take away fully from the challenge or accomplishment of the ones already fighting here before she swept in.

She's still decisive, this is after all the highest tier of divine response she's meting out.

And when the way is clear she's the one leading the way towards the soul siphon.

[Anastasia]

Give me Intimidate with a +20 circumstance bonus.

[Ebiris]

[17:03] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+88 many moments of prescience dropped
[17:03] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 106 > [d20=18]

I never even added the +20 on the roll so that's 126.

[Anastasia]

The dead flee in terror. Some burst into flame as you pass and they retreat, only to be slain by Aurora's soldiers.

Ahead is an archway, fortified by several great behemoths of bone and skulls in the form of massive hounds. Long ago you faced creatures like this - charnel hounds. What were once mighty foes for you now turn and whimper, fleeing away as fast as they can. They do not bare to bar your way now.

[Ebiris]

As well they should. She hasn't even made herself big, but her presence is suffocating, every measured step she takes towards her goal a toll of the clock striking midnight.

She's very good at killing.

[Anastasia]

The archway parts - and you sense unholy ground ahead, unhallowed to evil. Within this place a figure comes forth - tall and broad, blonde and with visible fangs. He is dressed in cape and rich clothes, like a nobleman.

With a grand gesture, "You are the cow who dares challenge me?" he bellows, "So fearful you bring an army of sows with you?"