Day Five of the Odinsleep (He Has Us Surrounded!)

Day Five of the Odinsleep; (12:06 pm)

Ra'ziir recoils in surprise at being hit by this Malekith. The bladesinger continues to hold Grumbar's Razor in one hand as he

rapidly gesticulates with the fingers of the other, “Festinare” he whispers, pointing to each of his companions as his spell takes hold. Suddenly, he, Grotto, and Cedron are all imbued with great speed. He tightens his grip on his sword once more and bounds in, blade flashing. Once again, his aggressive action temporarily suppresses his spell. The Svartaelf takes full advantage to jab with his spear when the opportunity presents itself. The weapon pierces the bladesinger's magically hardened flesh as easily as tissue paper, punching through the lower right side of the abdomen and bursting clean through. Ra'ziir's smoking obsidian blade slashes back and forth, leaving a trail of ash that serves to obscure him from view. The sharpened volcanic stone hits and hits again before Malekith manages to evade a strike before being hit once more. The strikes, which would have felled an ox, drive him back half of a step and cause him to release his hold on Cedron.

Niklas continues to skirt around the outside of the tower, making his way around to the window on the far side. As he moves, he reaches back and pulls out an enchanted arrow of seeking. He grips the shaft with his teeth and, with a final burst of speed, he finally reaches the windowsill.

“Fortification...” Drax thinks to himself, “there are ways to defeat that protection.” The assassin's eyes remain trained on the Svartaelf, watching every step, every shift of weight, taking in each detail and using it to formulate a perfect strike. Moving slowly and carefully, the assassin from Greyhawk pulls forth a ceramic vial and opens it, pouring a potent venom crafted from extract of the black lotus to his blade.

Grotto pushes himself to his feet, spits a gobbet of blood and clutches his holy symbol. “Hanseth,” he begins, murmuring the words to a prayer. Malekith's ear perks up as the dwarf prays and the Svartaelf lunges toward the scarred dwarf. His height, already increased to nearly 10' by his armor and the spear's natural length leave Grotto well within range. The blow pierces the dwarf squarely and, for the second time today, Grotto is thoroughly impaled. Burning agony fills Grotto's entire being as Malekith rips the spear free and levels it toward Cedron.

Kysek backs up slowly, shaking his head as he mentally rifles through his weapons and spells. He quickly concludes that he hasn't much that will harm this deadly foe. “It's worth a shot,” he thinks as he concentrates, chanting, “Доминировать над человеком”. The elf gathers the energy of his spell, feels it build and then releases it at Malekith. For the briefest moment, Kysek thinks that he sees Malekith's eyes glaze over though the slits of his horned helmet but the Svartaelf shakes his head, breaking the gold elf's mental hold before it can be solidified.

Cedron hits the ground but manages to keep his feet. He quips, “That is one fine horn! And I must admit, I did not see the change of costume coming. Let's see if I have something to coordinate.” The minstrel-priest begins chanting the words to a spell of his own and Malekith strikes. The deadly spear shears through the chain link's of Cedron's armor with ease, the force of the blow driving the words to Cedron's prayer from the cleric's lungs.

Malekith slowly shakes his head at Cedron, “No. Let us not. I expected more from the lot of you. The ugly one is nearly dispatched, you fare only a bit better and the rest of you hide behind spells of invisibility.” Red-skinned hounds, each the size of a mastiff, begin leaping out of the glowing portal. In moments, just shy of a dozen fiery hounds stand in the room. The large canines leave smoldering footprints on the stone floor. The dogs howl and unleash cones of flame. Some go left, others right, and some graze the floor and ceiling. Malekith's eyes dart all around, searching for “empty” person-shaped holes in the flames. He strikes twice in Ra'ziir's direction. The bladesinger's spell of invisibility and the concealing smoke from his sword confound two of the strikes but one stab strikes true. Once again, Ra'ziir's spell blunts the attack but the force of the attack leaves him staggered and gasping for breath.

Outside, Raven and Shadow continue their battle against the grizzled Jotun. The frost giant has grabbed its axe and used it as a cane to level itself up on to one knee. It lets out a brutal war cry and begins frothing at the mouth, entering a berserk rage that will end only when it or its foes lie dead on the field of battle. The elf screams his challenge in turn, his blades of adamantite and cold iron flashing crimson beneath the noonday sun. Slabs of leg muscle are sliced away, ligaments and tendons shredded. The giant begins to falter, despite the adrenal surge as both savaged legs fail. The ground shakes as it falls, sprawling face first on the rocky ground. As it struggles to rise, Shadow swoops in and pierces its throat with Swiftwind, bringing its life to an end. As the Jotun expires, Raven's sword-induced rage suddenly abates, leaving him with wobbly knees and a spinning head.

= = = = = =

• Bubo: 100% health; Bless (12 minutes, 3 rounds remaining),
  
• Cedron: 65% health; Bless (12 minutes, 3 rounds remaining), True Seeing (11 minutes, 4 rounds remaining), Bear's Endurance (11 minutes, 7 rounds remaining), Divine Flames (2 rounds remaining)
  
• Drax: 100% health; Nondection (active until 7 pm), Undetectable Alignment (active until Day Six at 5am); Spider Climb (99 minutes, 7 rounds remaining)
• Grotto: 2% health; Bless (12 minutes, 3 rounds remaining), Protection from Evil (8 minutes, 3 rounds), Fly (8 minutes, 3 rounds remaining)
  
• Kysek: 100% health; Half of the Tome has been read, Bless (12 minutes, 3 rounds remaining)
• Niklas: 76% health; Barkskin (49 minutes, 8 rounds)
• Raven:  94% health; Bless (12 minutes, 3 rounds remaining), Bull's Strength (14 minutes, 7 rounds remaining)
• Ra’ziir: 65% health; Find the Path (118 minutes, 7 rounds remaining), Greater Invisibility (10 rounds remaining), Fly (16 minutes, 3 rounds remaining), Stoneskin (120 hp/169 minutes, 7 rounds remaining)
• Shadow: 97% health; Fly (15 min, 1 rounds remaining), Bless (12 minutes, 3 rounds remaining),
• Spewer: 100% health; Bless (12 minutes, 4 rounds remaining), Mass Invisibility (16 minutes, 3 rounds remaining)