Tombs of Scoria: Episode 91

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== Synopsis ==
Within Scoria's lair, the Brothers determine that a petrified Beholder eye is the source of anti-magic halting their advance. Imrik works with Drekis High Command to form a plan to destroy the eye, Reducing ballistae and moving the siege weapons into position for a surprise attack on the eye. Brave soldiers volunteer to operate the ballistae, sacrificing their lives, but successfully destroying the eye in the process. With the anti-magic field gone, the Brothers, Vash, Braengaeng, and Shine defeat the ramp's defenders, sending Scoria into retreat. The Brothers decide to pursue Scoria along an upper pathway through the lava flows of Dragon Peak, readying themselves to clear out Dragon Peak's remaining defenders.
==Recap==
===Siege of Dragon Peak - Day 2===
The Brothers and Shine stand before the anti-magic ramp, discussing how to overcome the obstacle before them. Recalling Xorathis’s forcefield capable of reflecting magic, the Brothers have Shine breath weapon the field to see if it reflects, and have the assembled strike team back up. Shine reports her breath weapon worked without issue within the field. Anton detects Scoria and finds she is nearly directly up the ramp, though she somehow cannot be seen. The Brothers call for retreat back to the army’s base camp and discuss a potential escape from a trap. Anton detects Scoria and finds she has made her way back to the top of the mountain and suggests an attack from the secret entrance. 
The Brothers decide to cast , realizing they know a specific time Scoria left her mountain, so as to find what exit Scoria uses. The Brothers then think to contact the elves for their knowledge of the secret entrance into Scoria’s lair, but The Queen reminds them that all attempts to contact the elves have failed since suffering Scoria’s wrath. The generals note that a strike team armed with magical weapons would be able to attempt an assault on the ramp as long as they moved in quickly enough, but the soldiers would eventually fade under the sweltering heat of the mountain.
The night passes uneventfully, ending the second day of the Siege of Dragon Peak.
=== Siege of Dragon Peak - Day 3 ===
Anton casts on the time Scoria left her lair to attack Drekis. The Time Pool succeeds, where he sees the top of Dragon Peak. The mountaintop emits smoke and is guarded by a swarm of harpies. Scoria emerges from the smoke, clawing her way up before leaping off the mountain. Imrik sees that the swarming harpies carry flickering spears, which he thinks those might be spears capable of turning into lightning bolts upon being thrown, dealing 8d6 damage. He rules that the mountaintop entrance is a dead end.
Imrik casts to , asking for the elves’ knowledge of the secret entrance, not wishing for direct aid. The Ambassador responds, saying they never found the secret entrance, only suspected it, knowing only of the ground and mountaintop entrance, and that none of their raiders have ever returned. 
The Brothers, Shine, and Drekis High Command go over a number of plans on how to proceed through the ramp. After scrying and using near the , Imrik finds the top floor filled with a second row of salamanders and some , and a huge closed chamber that could fit Scoria behind them. They go back to the ramp, Anton casts on them. Imrik attempts casting beyond the magic-dispelling area, but the spell fizzles. Anton casts and orders 2 elephants to attack the salamanders, but the elephants are slain. He casts the spell again, 4 giant boars appear, which are also cut down. Imrik and shoot arrows at salamanders, after damaging them, the monsters move into anti-magic zone and cannot be attacked.
After a discussion with Shine, Imrik scries on the area again and Anton notices an object, which appears to be a petrified beholder eye, mounted atop the ceiling looking down on the ramp, generates the anti-magic field. Eventually, Imrik and the generals draft a plan to cast on ballistae to miniature size and bring them forth to the ramp, then take shots at the beholder's eye once the anti-magic disrupts Imrik’s spell. Imrik reasons that while reduced, the ballistae can be moved into position without the ramp’s defender’s or Scoria’s notice. At the same time, the Brothers and Shine will fly in the skies above Dragon Peak to distract Scoria from the ramp.
The army is able to find a few volunteers willing to outright give their lives in a suicide mission, though the number of willing volunteers is minuscule in proportion to the rest of the options. The generals express concern that the position outside of Dragon Peak cannot be held forever, and that with enough time, Scoria will begin to attack supply lines, standing and starving the army. Imrik takes time to meet with the leading soldiers, Darren, Megan, and Memo, volunteering for the ballistae operation, and promises each soldier a military pension for their families. Imrik scrys on the ramp to show the operators of the ballista the exact angle of the shot. The army rests, ending the third day of the siege.
=== Siege of Dragon Peak - Day 4 ===
The Brothers and Shine take to the skies. Imrik leaves to communicate with the soldiers about Scoria's whereabouts. Tyrael deploys his Ioun stone. In Dragon Peak below, the operation to destroy the anti-magic field succeeds as Captain Memo’s ballista strikes true and shatters the petrified beholder's eye. Imprik, who accompanied the strike team, relays the information to Imrik that the operation has succeeded. A fight breaks out as the ramp’s defenders descend upon the strike team. All the ballistae operators and guards are struck down as the supporting forces scramble for retreat, with only 1 in 3 surviving, though the anti-magic field is no more; 4 of the Salamanders are slain in the battle. Scoria remains near the top of Dragon Peak, seemingly unaware of the progress made below.
The Brothers reconvene with the generals and signal they are ready to attack the ramp’s defenders. The Brothers move into the lair with Shine, , and . They instruct Shine to hold her gas-breath weapon for Scoria while they fight below Shine’s maw. Anton casts and ; Imrik casts . Tyrael casts the Scroll of Protection From Fire and deploys the Ioun stone. Anton detects Scoria and finds she is directly on top of them.
=== Combat Start: The Brothers, Vash, Braengaeng, and Shine vs. Scoria and Her Lair Guard ===
Round 1
Braengaeng fires a volley of arrows, dealing 48 damage, killing 2 salamanders and wounding another.
Imrik casts , dealing 24 to and severely wounding most of the ramp’s defenders.
A flies forth from an unseen source, testing Tyrael’s Ioun stone; the Ioun stone holds true and absorbs the spell, consuming 3 of the Ioun stone’s 29 charges.
The Salamanders charge, Tyrael kills 4 on arrival. The surviving ones fail to harm Tyrael or Anton, but destroy charges. Anton’s repels the constricting attacks of the Salamanders.
hell hounds attempt to discharge their fire breath, but their attacks are completely dispersed by the the Scroll of Protection From Fire
Cleric of Voraci casts another Dispel Magic, absorbed by the Ioun Stone, 23 charges remaining
Marksmen release a volley of arrows, breaking the brother's Stoneskin.
Anton casts Conjure Animals, summoning 5 Giant Stags. The Giant Stags see the enemy mage and cleric and charge at the spellcasters. The Giant Stags are undeterred by Scoria’s dragonfear as the Stags stomp on and gore the enemy casters, running the casters down and killing them.
Scoria lowers her head down from a pathway leading up into the ceiling, devouring one of the stags with a single bite attack
Orcish marksmen fire another volley at Imrik, no hits.
Tyrael continues carving his way through the Salamanders, slaying more of the creatures.
Round 2
* Imrik fires a flurry of arrows at the orcish marksmen, outright slaying 3 and mortally wounding the fourth orc.
* Frustrated by the Brothers’ fire immunity, the hell hounds charge, biting ravenously but failing to cause any harm.
* Anton strikes with Spear of Rohanna, kills salamanders and demon-hounds
* Stags continue their ravage in Scoria's lair, killing the mage and charge after the fleeing Cleric of Voraci
* Vash finishes a few wounded hell-hounds
* Braengang continues firing, finishing off some of the last few Salamanders.
* The orcish marksmen continue to fire at Imrik and Anton’s stags, failing to harm Imrik but killing one of the stags.
Round 3
* Tyrael kills everything in the vicinity but 1 hell hound
* Imrik kills the last hell hound nipping at his feet
* Braengang kills another orc and gravely wounds another. 
* An orc lands a successful attack against Imrik before fleeing. Imrik regenerates his lost HP.
With all of the ramp’s defenders slain or fleeing, Scoria retreats up the ceiling pathway.
Combat End.
The Brothers declare the battle won and decide to not pursue Scoria further. Tyrael calls for soldiers to move up to hold the newly gained ground and scout ahead for traps, they are met with 4 remaining orcs. Imrik decides to deal with the few orcish marksmen that remain, casting Imrik’s Immolation and flying up to the orcs to burn them out, killing them. The Brothers rest, ending the fourth day of the siege.
Scouts report back that the upper pathway, formerly occupied by Scoria, snakes up and up, eventually coming to a room exposed to an open lava flow, sweltering in heat. The room then leads into a hallway ending in a tall, vertical chamber with viscous lava that falls within the chamber pooling below. Scouts on the main ground path come across steam and arrow traps activated by pressure plates. The traps menace the scouts, but they report the traps would be a trivial matter for the Brothers to overcome. They line the passageways with Scouts in case Scoria decides to ambush. 
The Brothers clear out the path with traps, the main ground path becomes so hot that soldiers need to strip out of their armor or succumb to heat exhaustion. 
The Brothers rest, ending the fourth day of the siege.
=== Siege of Dragon Peak - Day 5 ===
Anton and Imrik relearn spells. The Brothers discuss which path to take, eventually deciding that they may clear out some traps for the army’s sake, but that they will ultimately proceed along the upper pathway with Shine. Tyrael reasons with all the defenders slain the day prior, only Balaerius, Father Zarthan, and Scoria herself remain as major threats, and that the final fight with Scoria is imminent.
Category:Tombs of Scoria Episodes