Where hope dies (Afina, Surarruthru, Calleigh)

[Ebiris]

"Take or destroy everything but don't waste time sorting through it," Afina advises since Surraruthru is most interested in looting, turning invisible and flying through the opposite wall to take a peek rather than going further in. Until they're discovered spiralling their way around and in will let them cover the most area and do the most damage after all.

[Anastasia]

The Master heads along, saying to Afina as she peeks in, "The enemy is asleep now, but likely will not stay that way forever. We must hurry, yes."

The next room has dozens and dozens of shelves, all full of glass bottles full of colored liquids. Probably potions if Afina doesn't miss her guess. They're neatly sorted and labeled in Infernal, a glance showing such rows as 'Inflict Minor Wounds' 'Haste' and 'Jump'. The center of the room is taken up by a huge stone slab that floats several feet off the ground. Lying on that slab is a withered thing, red skin ashy and blotchy with white welts. Its teeth have fallen out and rotted, lying around its neck. Its eyes are gone. Afina's knowledge tells her that this may have once been a balor.

The captured demon's body is studded with tubes. Some push an iron-gray liquid into the balor's body, while others extract liquids of all various colors from it. As you watch this, you can see the balor's scales slowly moving. At times they shift into symmetrical and orderly patterns, only to sluggishly revert and break open into irregularity. Then they smooth over and sort themselves out again, only to repeat this pattern over and over again.

[Ebiris]

Well she knows what happens when a balor dies, so that's one way to wreck everything, although more likely than not Surraruthru will want to loot all those potions. Flying back into the study she speaks up, "Next room has a balor, probably here for the same reason as Cresiel but with different means. Could be an ally if we can heal it, otherwise we're best off just killing it and letting the blast wreck that chamber." But do they have any capability to heal it after expending that on Cresiel is the question.

[Anastasia]

"Don't sully your souls by working with a fiend like that," Cresiel strides into the next room, "Send it back whence it came when the time is right. Or not, for it suffers here for its sins, rather than punishing others. The reversal is only the wages of its sin."

As Tannin helps load in books quickly, Sylvie also peeks in, "He turned a balor into a potion cow?" she murmurs, whistling, "No fear at all."

[Ebiris]

"We're not going to leave Lixer with any resources if we can help it," Afina tells Cresiel. "Either it leaves with us, or it leaves now. Everyone back in the study so you don't get caught in the blast," she says, gathering that they don't have the means to heal it (not to mention it's probably half-corrupted by law and would need a wish or something like Cresiel). Once everyone's safely behind cover she presses her blade against its neck, which while made for killing devils should serve enough here. "Back to the Abyss you go," she says before driving it in to sever the spinal column and then immediately darting back to slip between the compression waves of the impending explosion.

Coup de grace damage is 80 so DC 80 fort or dead.

[17:41] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+34 presumed necessary ref save evasion
[17:41] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+34 presumed necessary ref save --> [ 1d20=12 ]{46}

Spoiler: ShowHide

Afina: 208+20/208, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 23), moment of prescience (CL 23), resist energy (cold) (CL 23), resist energy (acid) (CL 23), shadow form (CL 23), mind blank (CL 25), shield (CL 23), greater heroism (CL 23), haste (CL 23)
AC 72, spell resistance 38, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance (applies to spells as well), freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/7/6/8/3/4/6/6/4

[Anastasia]

Cresiel nods and steps back with the others, the door closed. Afina slices the balor's throat open and...

> roll 1d20 needs a 20
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20 needs a 20 --> [ 1d20=13 ]{13}

Bright light fills the room, the burst rattling the walls and ground. But Afina's untouched, the room properly trashed after the explosion. Broken potions are seared into the walls, scorch marks everywhere.

[Ebiris]

Afina then goes to open the door to let them back in. "Safe," she reports, seeing what exits remain from this scorched chamber for them to press onwards.

[Anastasia]

There's a door on the opposite wall. It's scorched but looks more or less intact.

[Ebiris]

Turn invisible, flit through the wall to have a look, then come back and report her findings. It's a good system and Afina keeps at it!

Haste has probably worn off by now.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Afina: 208+20/208, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 23), moment of prescience (CL 23), resist energy (cold) (CL 23), resist energy (acid) (CL 23), shadow form (CL 23), mind blank (CL 25), shield (CL 23), greater heroism (CL 23)
AC 71, spell resistance 38, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/9/7/6/8/3/4/6/6/4

[Anastasia]

So it has.

Does Afina have darkvision or anything like that?

[Ebiris]

Funnily enough it's not on her sheet but she's an outsider so darkvision 60 as standard. Also blindsense 30.

[Anastasia]

This room is pitch black. Not a single bit of light is in here. The walls and floor are bloodstained, but no one seems to be in here. No doors are around to be found, save the one leading into it.

[Ebiris]

Probably just the balor's previous accommodations. "Empty," she reports as she comes back, now going to fly through the wall by the door that leads further into Finality to have a peek that way.

[Anastasia]

This leads to a short hallway. There's a door on the right, a door on the opposite wall and a Necrolyte walking from that door towards the door to the room the party's in.

[Ebiris]

Back Afina goes, reappearing and going to hover above the door. "Corridor with necrolyte inbound. Kill it as soon as the door opens," she instructs.