[ CLOSED ] Lathbora viran

[serannas]

WHO: Ellana Ashara, Sam Gareth, Korrin Ataash, Mal Reynolds, Katniss Everdeen
WHAT: Gathering herbs leads to an elven ruin
WHEN: mid-Justinian
WHERE: Emprise du Lion
NOTES: ooc info post

The journey to Emprise du Lion is uneventful. The Inquisition has a secure supply line between the region and their base of operations at Skyhold, and that means no battles along the way. Once there, the group stops to rest at the camp near the Tower of Bone before they set out across Judicael's Crossing with satchels or bags in order to gather herbs.


[ ooc: please hold for three top level threads to be posted. all done! go wild. :3 ]

Comments

[el_tybs]

Despite the predicament they are in, Sam cannot help but chuckle at Katniss' question. You didn't need to wear metal to be in the thick of things - just look at Jayne. With magic they were also probably the more properly protected in the group. Course he's not about to get into the conversation since they were concentrating on other things.

The numbers of undead were dwindling, but there were still many. Seeing a group of them gathering together Sam casts out a glyph beneath them that brightens as it detects movement. All at once the group stops moving, paralyzed for a time.

With that done, Sam fade steps across the fight, stopping just short of where Katniss is. "You alright?" Even though asking he still reaches out to place a hand just above the wound to heal it.

[aintwejust]

Jayne grumbles (as much as a dog can grumble) and sprints back to keep an eye on Ellana's flank.

"It's alright, he can use the exercise." Big ole pudgy war dog like he is. Mal's just glad Ellana's out of the frey so he can focus more on stabb'n these beasties without worry'n about magical folk zipp'n in front of him without a word. He and Korrin have a system- new folk kinda muddle it up just cuz he don't know 'em all that well.

Sam locks 'em down, Mal darts in with swift jabs of his spear and cuts of his short sword, getting in what damage he could till they started mov'n.

[gatheringstorm]

The last of the undead near Korrin are relatively close together, so she takes a moment to conjure a static cage, effectively trapping them. There, everyone has a nice bundle of targets. Upon hearing Katniss, she glances over, prepared to toss a potion, but fortunately Sam's right there to heal her. That frees her to join Mal, covering his back as she knows he'll cover hers. Conversation can wait until everything else in the room is dead, and that shoudn't take too long.

[the_effect_she_has]

"It's gushing but it's not anything I can worry about right now." Which is to say, she wants Sam to concentrate on the undead heading for them and not healing her. She lifts her bow, sinking another shot right into the undead's head and sending it flying backwards into two more of it's brethren.

[serannas]

Oh, no, oh no. Katniss is hurt and Ellana feels terrible about it. Yes, they all knew the risks, but that doesn't stop Ellana from feeling as she does. For the moment, all she can do is keep attacking the corpses that are left and keep them away from Katniss and Sam. Korrin's static cage does the trick better than anything, and it allows the group to pick off the last of the corpses with ease. When the final one falls, Ellana leaves cover and comes over to the rest of them, patting Jayne on the head along the way.

"Katniss?" she asks, brows furrowed in concern. "Sam, is she going to be all right?" Now she looks at Korrin and Mal, feeling a surge of guilt wash over her. "You two aren't hurt, are you?"

[el_tybs]

"That's what I'm here for," he mutters, at least healing the wound up enough that it wasn't 'gushing' as Katniss had put it. He doesn't seem at all worried about the undead heading for them, mostly since the others were doing great work in clearing them, and Fortitude constantly kept him informed - like eyes in the back of your head. That and Katniss was picking them off pretty well.

The fight is over relatively quickly after that, at which point Sam has Katniss stand still so that he can fully work on the wound, though there isn't anything he can do about the rip or the blood left over. "She'll be fine, Ellana." He appreciates her concern, but the look on her face certainly makes it seem like she blames herself for it.

[serannas]

Ellana releases a breath of relief and nods her head. If anything happened to Katniss while they were on this trip -- a trip Katniss joined because Ellana asked her if she would -- well, Ellana doesn't know how she'd forgive herself. She takes thinks to heart, and it would have been hard to convince her that it hadn't somehow been her doing.

"I know that we all knew the risks, but it doesn't make me any less sorry that this happened." And yet now the corpses are gone and they've reached the goal of their puzzle solving at last. She looks over towards the box and back to the group.

"I really hope whatever is in there is worth all this trouble. Let's just open it already, and then we can go. We've seen all there is to see here."

[gatheringstorm]

Stepping over the corpses of the undead, Korrin comes to stand by Ellana and rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Ellana. We have healers, potions and grenades. No one's getting left behind." Maybe it's tempting fate to say that, but Korrin's resolve holds, and she knows they have enough to back it up.

"Right, let's see what was worth wading through all those walking corpses. They wouldn't just guard this place for no reason."

[serannas]

She looks up at her friend and releases a breath, trying to let some of that guilt go so she can focus on what lies ahead of them.

"If we're all ready, let's get barriers over everyone," she says, moving up the stairs to stop in front of the box. Her staff is held in a tight grip, and she casts a barrier on whoever is closest. Then she moves to open the lid.

And nothing happens. Of course. At least, nothing happens with the box. What does happen is that in between the group and the door leading back out, a Revenant materializes in place. It's a corpse like the others, but this was the corpse of a great warrior, and it still wears remnants of its armor. Taking its sword, it drives it into the ground between the tiles and reaches out a hand. Immediately, a huge, spectral form of the hand reaches out and grabs Sam around the waist, dragging him towards the waiting Revenant, who then retrieves his sword, ready to strike.

"Sam!" Ellana cries out, immediately sending a lightning bolt down on the corpse to buy Sam some time.

[the_effect_she_has]

"Son of a - " Katniss pulls out an arrow, releasing it at the reaper, following up by another shot, and then another. "Put him down, you diseased Fade bastard!"

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin's eyes widen in horror, then narrow as she forces herself to react. Now is not the time to freeze up. She snarls and casts Stonefist, hurling the Fade-rock ahead before charging and adding her spirit blade as well.

[aintwejust]

"Always the foutu undead-" Two steps forward as Jayne hurtles across the way, going low while Korrin, Katniss, and Mal go high. Can't exactly flip a spectral float'n bitch but he can take aim and hurl his spear, aiming dead center at the damn thing's chest.

[el_tybs]

When the box is opened and nothing seemingly happens, corpses silent around them, Sam allows himself to relax just a bit. Course his guard is down enough that when Fortitude starts to buzz behind him he only has enough time to look over his shoulder before something grabs him by the middle.

The yank is so sudden that he drops his weapon, though his mind is a bit more pre-occupied with the squeezing around his midsection, instinctively bringing his hands down to try and pry himself loose. He silently agrees with everyone else that he would like to be put down. He's panicked but after a moment the mage remembers himself and concentrates, mana flowing through him to phase him through the veil momentarily. He moves far enough to get him out of the magical grasp, tumbling to a knee as he re-orientates himself.

Course it didn't seem like the creature cared for that, less so now that it had a spear and several arrows stuck in it. Seeing as it had planned to strike at him before the Revenant continues with the plan, though this time physically heading in his direction.

Sam meanwhile doesn't care for the plan and gets to his feet and starts to run.

[OoC: So sorry guys. Lost track of this with being sick and all]

[serannas]

"Hey!" Ellana shouts, sending flames at the Revenant next. If she can just get its attention on her instead of Sam, then she can protect him. But when that doesn't look like it's going to work, she follows Korrin's lead as soon as she feels that protective energy surround her again. She Fade Steps forward and slices at an exposed part of the Revenant's chest with her staff blade while temporarily invulnerable before jumping back to avoid any retaliation. That means when her Fade Cloak wears off that she's not inside him to blast him away, and she retreats further back to protect herself. At least she's gotten its attention. Sam is free to run for the moment, since the more immediate threat involves all the people around the Revenant who do have weapons.

[gatheringstorm]

Not caring about the risk to herself as long as Sam is out of the way, Korrin closes in to slice at the revenant with her blade. She makes certain to keep away from Ellana's flames, even as the barrier will absorb them. Barriers can always fall and it's better to be cautious on that end. Those flames also remind her of the creatures vulnerability to them, and when she backs up, it's only to summon a fiery glyph underneath the revenant, triggering it to explore.

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss dd the one thing that the mages really should have done - which was keep their damned distance. At least Korrin had her spirit blade, and she's pleased to see Ellana and Sam moving back as soon as Sam is free.

Korrin has engaged the front, Mal will be attacking there or to the side, so Katniss runs and fires at the same time, sinking arrow after arrow into the creature's back, moving along with it to keep hitting it on it's weak side.

[aintwejust]

Spear embedded in it's float'n weird ass torso, shortsword in hand, Mal and Jayne barrel their way in to cut high and low. He and Kor have done this often 'nuf that he don't so much as blink before carv'n his way in, sparing only the time it takes to yank the spear free. Jayne covers that opening with a mauling of his own, biting and lashing out at whatever his jaws and paws to reach.

At least there's plenty a dumb, evil, and ugly to go around. "Kor- Storm Coast!"

A charge of lightening focused through his spear right into the ugly middle of that sonovabitch. They've done it before. It tingles for a little bit- and that's if it don't burn him.

[gatheringstorm]

"On it!" Without further comment, Korrin whirls her staff and directs that charge of lightning right at the spear. Maybe they ought to keep tonics on hand for this kind of stunt, but if Mal needs it, she has another trick up her sleeve to assist him. Maker bless knight-enchanter training.

[el_tybs]

With everything exploding behind him, Sam doesn't stop moving until he's a good distance away - not stopping until he looks over his shoulder to see that he isn't being pursued. It's one thing going into melee when he wanted to and armed, another when he was being dragged, kicking and screaming. Once he sees that he isn't being followed and the creature is more occupied with everyone attacking it, Sam leans forward against his knees to catch his breath and stop his heart from jumping out his chest. Too close.

He only takes a moment though, moving over to where he dropped his weapon to retrieve it. Armed once more he focuses on making sure everyone has a barrier up and giving everyone beneficial buff like haste.

[serannas]

The Revenant is a mighty warrior and these peons aren't going to--

--oh, he's on fire. Oh, that's quite a lot of arrows. Is that a dog? Okay now this is ridiculous. Is that spear electrified?

Needless to say, the Revenant would be running in terror right now if he was actually in possession of things like sense or logic. Unfortunately, this is a corpse possessed by a spirit with a single-minded goal of killing everything, and he continues to slash at the group with his sword and shielding himself where he can. But there is only so long a decaying body can stand upright when burned, electrocuted, and full of slashes and holes. And let's not forget the dog bites.

One leg snaps, sending the Revenant to his knees. He wavers, arms falling to his sides, then collapses forward to smack the ground with a clang of his weapon and shield.

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss is not going to waste any time the moment that creature is down, and she doubts anyone else is either. So she's going to make sure it's dead by pulling her bow string all the way back to her cheek. Full draw, full aim, and send an arrow right through where that thing's head should be.

She does, however, pull out another arrow. Just to be safe.

[serannas]

The Revenant doesn't move beyond the slight impact the arrow makes. It is well and truly dead, and Ellana is quick to cross the room to Sam's side, touching his arm.

"Oh, Sam. When it grabbed you, I was terrified. Did it hurt you?"