81st of Summer (Cont.)
Climbing the Tower
The party makes some final preparations and casts some warding spells that will last for at least ten minutes. They head up the stairs with Krud, Abbit, and Piers at the vanguard. They are unable to detect a very well concealed Glyph of Warding, which detonates as they run by. Piers is able to shield them from almost all of the concussive force, but it nevertheless emits a loud thunderclap that alerts everyone nearby.
Opening Volley
When they reach the top of the tower, the group finds two shadowghasts on the northern side of the room. The big three are nowhere to be found. They attack the shadowghasts, with Krud almost succumbing to one's paralyzing claw attacks. As the party's opening volley comes to an end, they hear a loud rallying call from underneath the tower -- as Jericho screams out a command to his immortal troops. Every undead soldier begins marching on the Hall of Heroes at once. The dragon also starts to attempt flying back to the tower, despite being engaged in battle with the Blood Hunters.
Gabe triple backflips back into the tower. It looks like the Big Three jumped out of the windows to avoid a full round of attacks.
Gabe rushes in and stunning strikes Abbit and Piers, locking up their muscles. Jericho sends a powerful Hellfire Orb into the group as they stand near the stairs, though Abbit and Piers's auras. Regardless, the main group takes a considerable hit that might have otherwise been fatal.
Temporal Shunt
Chrono Magus casts Temporal Shunt on Meera, which makes her disappear completely from the perspective of everyone else. For Meera, she's in the same space. But in a different time. Hall of Heroes legionnaires are alive and well, and bracing for an attack. A woman with wavy brown hair and red eyes comes up the stairs: Selena. A woman with scarlet hair and bright red eyes followed. Her original self, Chikara Nadir, during the invasion of the Hall of Heroes. Wisp is just behind them. Both Selena and Wisp look quite young.
Meera shouts out: "I'm from the future! Don't trust Xer! And Selena, Chikara would never betray you!"
Selena does not believe this for a single moment, and Chikara lunges at Meera with a fancy looking rapier. Meera then pops back into the current time.
The Chaotic Middle
While Meera was gone, Piers entered a harrowing angelic trance after assuming that his best friend had been completely removed from existence. He flies over to Chrono Magus and smites him with furious wrath. The rest of the party has gotten Gabe surrounded on all sides and Hart beans him in the face with a metal chair. The others add their own brutal additions to the smackdown.
Krud critically succeeds on a strength check to rip Hoo'Ax'Dyuu out of Gabe's back, taking away his unlimited ki and becoming empowered for the remainder of the battle, able to breath radiant breath in addition to doing more damage with Hoo'Ax'Dyuu in hand.
Chrono Magus casts Time Ravage on Nôx -- a powerful ninth level spell. He takes considerable necrotic damage (reduced by half to save his life) and ages rapidly, becoming the equivalent of a 95 year old man thirty days away from death. Many of his abilities are drastically reduced. Nôx then Blinds Chrono Magus in retaliation and casts Heat Metal on Gabe's gauntlets, forcing him to toss them off.
Abbit attempts to cast Greater Restoration on Nôx, but the spell isn't strong enough to undo Time Ravage. Talitha is able to Bane Jericho and Chrono Magus, though their average attacks and saving throws remain pretty potent.
Gabe is surrounded and beaten to death by almost the whole group.
Chrono Magus casts Cloudkill to do area of effect damage since he cannot see. All while Jericho unleashes powerful attacks with his blade.
The Dangerous Finale
A banshee -- their old foe from just outside Hatena -- has been slowly flying up to the battle since Jericho screamed, and has been summarily ignored until now. She enters the room and uses her Wail ability, causing Piers, Nôx, and Krud to drop unconscious.
Talitha uses Healing Word to bring the unconscious back up again and buffer up the others. Most of the party is nevertheless in dire straights, only one or two good attacks away from defeat.
Nôx fires his bow twice, killing the banshee and a lingering wraith despite being an old man.
Chrono Magus attempts to cast Invisibility on himself and flee, but Nôx casts Counterspell. Abbit and Piers then swiftly kill him as he attempts to escape.
Hart slams Jericho to the ground. Meera critically hits him with her rapier while prone, doing massive damage. Hart then teleports in the air to do a Superstar signature move, dropping down on top of him for additional damage. A hasted Krud hits him repeated with his hammer. Piers flies over and gets a critical smite, dealing massive damage and killing Jericho, then crits again and kills the last remaining wraith. With Jericho's death, the undead army is immediately destroyed as their source of power is eliminated.
They've.... won!
Hoo'Ax'Dyuu's Divine Ascension
After the battle, Hoo'Ax'Dyuu sincerely thanks Abbit, having been insecure about the group going through with it! But... he feels funny. Sick, almost. What's... what is happening?! He starts floating off to the sky. Krud holds onto the axe, which separates from his spirit. Talitha pleads with him. If you're becoming a god, can you bring Nôx back to his old self?! As thanks?!
Hoo'Ax'Dyuu says he's got just one little miracle within him, and he expels a burst of divine light, using a limited Wish spell to mimic Greater Restoration and undo the effects of Time Ravage. Nôx is no longer an old man!
Hoo'Ax'Dyuu rises to the heavens to become a lesser deity, but leaves behind a golden reliquary for Abbit. Inside which is an Amulet of the Devout with a symbol that he personally made to symbolize their partnership -- an axe holding hands with a frog warrior, hearts surrounding the both of them.
His original body becomes a magical relic called The Holy Axolyte, which becomes Krud's new weapon. Jericho leaves behind a powerful sword called Impavidus, an eldritch bow named Venator, and a suit of enchanted plate armor. They also find a Bloodbane Ring on Chrono Magus, which siphons the user's life force to do extra damage.
Other Loot
The group also scours the entire Hall for additional loot and finds some rubies, some spell components, a big chunk of money, and...... an Alchemy Jug. Oh no. Otherwise, much of the Hall has been picked clean by treasure hunters over the last few centuries. Most of the items here were brought in by Jericho's forces.
Returning to Saria Village
The party uses Antiphony to travel back to the Forest Temple.
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