Log:Rift Crisis II, Scene 11

Rift Crisis II 2019/03/29 Grimm Kalwara Titan Ghravvruhs

11

While the heroes and their opponents have ceased hostilities for something of a parlay, something happens. Those who are mystically sensitive will notice great elemental magics to the north. But frankly, you don't have to have mystic senses to tell. The temperature drops further suddenly, and swirling snow begins to fall, reducing visibility, over much of the city. The water between the island and the mainland freezes solid in an instant. And, just visible through the snow, a body of troops begins the crossing over the ice. They move in a particular direction, as if heading for a particular target.

Grimm mutters over to her allies, "I guess they're still casting spells. I don't think they'll actually let us talk down hostilities."

Kalwara looks to the others, "If they divide their force like this we can defeat them in detail. Some should stay here to hold the bridge. Some should deal with this invasion force."

Titan grimaces. "I'm inclined to bring the tower down around the heads of whoever is inside."

Titan says, "That might cause the army to turn around."

Grimm takes a moment to focus to make her personal illusion as the Queen of Shades more lasting. Making the outfit solid, styling her hair, keeping the impressive looks.

"Looks like we'll have to fight. I can hit large groups of them, but I have to be careful to not risk hitting you, too. My dragon can help some, too, but," Grimm looks towards him, "He won't exactly be gentle. I could summon another shadow to help."

Titan shrugs, "In situations like this...if you take out the leader, the problem is solved."

Titan looks at the tower. "How do you two want to play this? I'm leaning toward leaping toward that tower and smashing into it."

Kalwara smiles, "Too far for me to leap..." and after a teasing pause. "But I can run fast."

"I like that plan," Grimm says. "Do you think there'll be enough heroes to respond in time to protect the city?" She strokes her dragon under its chin. "I can be in two places at once. Kind of."

Grimm chuckles. "I could open us a gate inside, but...I kind of like the drama of you smashing through it, big guy."

Grimm's shadow starts moving out of sync with Grimm, like it has a mind of its own. It starts to look around, then starts "peeling" off of the ground as it detaches from Gabrielle. It starts to gain dimension, going from 2D to 3D, before solidifying into a darker, monochromatic version of Grimm. The real Grimm turns to her shadow. "Alright. I'm going to need you to stay here for this fight." Her shadow self nods.

Titan nods. "How do you want to play it then? Just gate in? Is it in range for you?"

Grimm radios in the details to Starguard to alert them about the danger, then looks to Titan and nods. "I could gate us around the world if we needed to. Getting us there won't be too difficult."

Grimm orders her dragon and her shadow. "Don't let the armies get into the city or hurt people. Fight them and help any heroes who come." She looks to her shadow. "If it's necessary or if you've won the battle here, gate people to me."

Titan nods. "Let's try the gate, then. Tehre might be innocents in the tower that I don't want to crush."

Grimm nods and tries to focus as she looks towards the tower. "I think this person can summon these ice monsters. I'm also sensing something...demonic in nature." She focuses a moment. "Get ready," she says, then a dark dot appears in the air and starts to widen enough for two people to go through at a time.

Grimm narrows his eyes in concentration as the group flickers and goes no where. "It's...it's warded. I may need a moment to think about this," she says with a blush of her cheeks.

The teleportation simply doesn't work. Though a loud wail goes up from deep within the fortress.

Titan nods. "How about...get us just outside the fortress. And I smash inside."

Grimm nods. "I can try that. It sounds like it hurt someone trying to get it. Let's hope the warding is only on the walls." She places a hand on Titan and Kalwara's shoulders and focuses again, this time just trying to get themselves outside the walls of the tower.

The trio arrive outside the main tower, in a courtyard surrounded by many towers... about 10' off the ground. Luckily, such inhabitants as are in line of sight are surprised by this.

Titan glances to Grimm, "Main tower, right?"

7 guards are positioned on the steps leading up to the door of the biggest tower.

Grimm nods as she floats weightlessly. "Yep, go for the biggest tower."

Kalwara lands in the classic three point stance, half kneeling with one hand on the icy ground. She takes in the scene, sensing the positions of threats nearby by waits for Titan to open the way into the tower.

Titan lands and leaps forward, directly at the door, trying to smash through it...even if it opens the other way. He shouts as he leaps, trying to get the attention of the guards, but also not hit them directly.

Titan strikes the door with his shoulder, and smashes through the magically enhanced door of ice with a single strike. "RRRRAAAAAGGGH!"

Kalwara glances up at Grimm, "Up... or Down?Stairs go both ways."

Grimm looks up and down. "I'm ...not sure. They're not casting right now. It was too hard to tell from a distance."

Grimm feels out with her Shadow Sight. "I think there's just a few people about upstairs. But down? There's something...cold and metallic stopping me from sensing past it.

Kalwara comes up from her landing stance. Her sword is drawn so fast it seems to almost just appear in her hand as she charges up the stairs to the doorway like an elemental storm of wind tossing and tumbling the intervening guards out of the path.

Kalwara waits for her battle companions to catch up. Specifically Titan because now she's closer she can tell the door ahead is likely beyond her ability to open.

With the door crashed open by Titan, Grimm follows. From floating in the air weightlessly, she flickers and appears closer to her companions, now standing on the ground. Her eyes swivel to one of the guards. "Where is your Sorceror King, I wonder," she says, trying to sound like an evil queen.

"Their king is downstairs. The basement, where there's a safe room. And...these guards are terrified of King Ghravvruhs," Grimm says to her compatriots. "They don't know what is beyond the door."

Kalwara nods to Grimm but continues to wait for the doorkeeper

Titan flies off in the direction of the other door. "I guess let's rid that sucker open and find out, hmm?" He tries the same thing that he did with the front door...but can't get as much velocity.

There's a resounding clang. The door looks unharmed.

Titan slams into the door and it doesn't budge. "Bah. I hit it a little awkwardly."

Kalwara still waits. There's nothing she can do that's likely to touch the door. But she can watch the battle team's back.

Grimm winces as Titan slams into the door. It looked like it should hurt, but Titan seems fine. "I'll try and weaken it a bit for you," she says as she flickers and reappears by the door. She holds her right hand out to her side, then swipes in a viscous motion as a slice of shadowing energy flashes over the door.

The knife blade seems to vanish at the point it should be touching the door.

"Weird...my shadows are useless here," Grimm says.

Kalwara advances and pokes the door with her sword. Perhaps a divine blade will strike against dark evil magic?

The door shows not so much as a scratch.

Kalwara returns to guarding the stairs and the backs of her companions.

Titan winds up for a large punch, trying to put everything he can into it...and hopefully drop the door with a blow.

The guards pick themselves up off the ground and get into formation to attack the heroes - they're either suicidally loyal or more scared of their master than of you.

Grimm's eyes widen as she senses something beyond the door. "S...something's being summoned on the other side! Something demonic!" she warns, but too late for Titan to stop.

The door is ripped off its hinges. More than that - the whole chamber is shifted off its foundations!

As the door, covered in wards against scrying, teleportation, magical attacks direct or indirect and just about everything else mystically imaginable is brought down by its one weakness - sheer brute force - those within are revealed. There are 4 ice elementals - ice creatures, not the weak swirly snow ones - standing guard by the door, though one just fell down as the room shook. There is a huge winged creature, very vaguely humanoid, winged, made it seems almost of shadow. And there is a rather handsome middle aged man, dressed in fur-lined robes, of great dignity. Or who would be of great dignity if it hadn't just landed on his backside.

Kalwara turns and sees the door is opened. She sprints forward and engages every enemy in the safe room chamber trying to throw them off their feet.

Kalwara shakes ice from the boot after kicking at the ice elemental's legs, "They are of burning cold." she warns.

The elemental she thew lands on it's face. The king gets a boot in the chest knocking flat on his back.

The action continues directly in Scene 16.