Champions of Mythology

Having had time to recover from being, rudely, chucked off the shield by Melquarth's wave, Roxane didn't have time nor strength to perform an illusion, but she did manage to throw two axes at one of the cyclopes, one at the cyclopes feet, and one at the cyclopes head, at the same time, taking advantage of the fact that the shield was smaller than the cyclopes.

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

As the cultists stumbled around in their confusion, Sethos began plucking the crossbow bolts from his hide and sealing each wound with a quick burst of heat, which would also hopefully kill the disease.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Will you make a contract with me?

Glaukon winced at the smell, trying to hold in his disgust, but he carried forward anyway. When they came to the door that he pointed out, Glaukon simply nodded in agreement and peeked down the corridor. Pits or not, the entire area reeked of death and decay.

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

"Oof! Ah! Ouch! Shit! Damn it! Urk!" Ishaq constantly mumbled as he ascended, the bolts hitting him every now and then making him yelp and grunt each time. He pulled hard on his legs and arm, while flapping with his wings in the other direction, in order to chuck the piece of the pillar at the crossbowmen who were pelting him.

"Hey, look out!" he shouted down at Roxane and Melqarth.

He dived down at the cyclops not being axed by Roxane, to try knocking him over with his talons.

Melqarth trusted Roxanne and Ishaq to take care of the cyclopsi, and instead focused on the cultists coming out, and rushed into combat with them, trying to take advantage of the entrance to the temple so that he could not be surrounded by the smaller cultists.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

After a short recovery period, Buliwyf pulled himself to his feet by using Warrior's Spirit and drew his weapons and spoke to his Draugr allies. "Come, let's go kill a Cyclops." With that, the three nordic warriors commenced a charge towards the nearest Cyclops.

edited 12th May '14 2:12:22 PM by Eachiunn

Ishaq tossed the rubble at the gastraphetes-wielding cultists, crushing one and sending the others scattering.

The cyclops easily blocked Roxane's first axe that spun toward his head, but the distraction cost him, as she deftly threw a second between the thin gap between the boards of the shield and the marble ground. His right foot was relatively unprotected, and the weapon bit deeply into his flesh.

The giant did not howl in pain, hardly seeming to notice the deep cut bleeding profusely. But nonetheless, he became unsteady on cut tendons, and leaned heavily to the other side, using his shield as a sort of crutch as he ducked behind it. The other drew back his long cleaver-blade in an attempt to cut the harpy in two.

Ishaq swooped down in that moment, but his attempt on the second cyclops was cut off by the other four, staunchly guarding their ally. A huge, rusted blade met his dive, and while his massive armor absorbed the blow, he was sent sprawling upon the rubble of the column before the shield wall. The cyclops would not miss such an opportunity, and moved forward to press his attack.

The cylcops's huge weapon came down upon a draugr shield instead; splitting it and dismembering the undead warrior, but saving Ishaq from the blow. Buliwyf, with a madness in his blazing red eyes, and bleeding from several deep wounds, was standing on the rubble behind him.

Sethos felt somewhat better after sealing his wounds, but he still felt unsteady. Few cultists yet remained before him, and they were worse off than he.

Melquarth's skill with the spear let him easily hold the few cultists behind the door at bay, but he could feel his gift of invincibility beginning to wane.

A stench far worse than the unpleasant aroma of the cultists began to rise to the left of the bulk of the party, from somewhere in the woods that lined the temple. The sounds of buzzing insects followed shortly thereafter.

---

Nyarthek began down the hallway to the right, away from the pits and toward where he believed the armory to be. He stopped at another corner, peeking around cautiously, and silently motioned for Glaukon to come over.

Two guards stood at a heavy door at the end of the corridor, cloaked in human leather. They were brawny, and both held golden hoplons and shortswords.

Nyarthek leaned close to the merman, "this may be difficult without weapons, but we don't have much time. Is there any more clever sorcery you want to reveal, or should we just rush them?"

edited 12th May '14 1:16:28 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Glaukon peeked quickly at the two guards warily, then slipped again behind the corner. "Perhaps there is a way we can get them to abandon their posts," he whispered to Nyarthek. He looked around, seeing a smallish-sized rock on the ground by the wall. He picked it up, then wound his arm back, tossing it as hard as he could down the pathway that led to the pits. The rock clattered loudly against the walls and floor. Hopefully the guards would go to investigate the sound. Then, Glaukon hid behind one column of the archway, hurriedly gesturing for Nyarthek to hide behind the other one.

edited 12th May '14 8:29:32 PM by AllHailThrall

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

Nyarthek did as he was bid, nodding approval to Glaukon. The guards seemed startled by the sudden noise of the rock, but wordlessly headed toward it. It seemed their vision was much poorer than the merman's in the dark hallways, as one sheathed his sword in favor of a torch off the wall to light the way.

The door now clear, the Horakhti man pushed it open without sparing another moment. The inside was surprisingly sparse; a number of gastraphetai lined the walls along with hundreds of spare bolts, but other than that there was little else that looked like it should be there. Thrown in the middle of the room carelessly was several weeks' worth of semi-valuable items stolen from prisoners who had passed through this godforsaken island. Glaukon's equipment was on top; the green orichalcum sparkling dully in the remaining torch's dim light.

Nyarthek stood completely still in the doorway, as if in shock. The volume in his voice rose dangerously,

"Where is my sword!?"

edited 12th May '14 9:22:05 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

"Thanks for the help, pal!" Ishaq hollered to Buliwyf as he rolled to the side and righted himself, standing up. "Let's take these guys down before they get more reinforcements."

He gave a mighty smash with his fist into the ground to throw up a big pile of dirt, making sure to grab a rock that fit comfortably into his large grasp, as he stood up again. Fanning his wings out, and flapping them, he sent a cloud of dirt at the cyclopses' heads. He hoped that having to fight while blinded would make it harder for them to fight. As he did so, he took the relatively small rock he had grabbed, no larger than his open fist, and threw it at the torso of the cyclops that had tried to kill him.

"Oh no, you hear that buzzing? I hope those aren't bees. I hate bees."

edited 13th May '14 1:07:05 AM by nman

Solhildr thrust her shield forward and a pillar of light would descend upon Buliwyf, healing his wounds.

She then directed her remaining hoplites into battle against any remaining enemies.

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

Melqarth decided to fight more aggressively, feeling the invincibility beginning to wane.

He tried to dispatch the cultists at the door as quick as he could.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

The threat of the cleaver-blade looming, Roxane panicked, and started throwing all of he weapons at the cyclopes in order to distract him, aiming for the vital areas, and where the cyclopes' attack and small shield left him unprotected, having an even ratio between the two.

If she got out of the situation alive, the harpy would reply to Ishaq's comment, "Bees? They choose the one thing that can chase me? That's just plain evil, can I just say. These cultists just aren't considerate to the needs of their victims. I mean, I'd understand having fleas, or flies, but bees, wasps and the like. But bees? That is totally out of character for these Parlat people."

edited 15th May '14 10:44:57 AM by Tricksen

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

Chereen curled in a ball around his wounds hoping someone would heal him soon so he could get into the fight.

Trump delenda est

Glaukon stealthily moved towards the treasure chamber, putting on his armor and grabbing his weapons from atop the pile. He jumped though, when Nyarthek rose his voice. "Shh! Shout and the whole cavern will hear you!" he whispered. "For now just take one of these," he muttered, pointing to the countless crossbows on the walls. "They're sure to have stashed your sword somewhere else," he told Nyarthek. He brandished Thyaferos, then walked back towards the door. "Those guards will come back any moment. We have to hurry."

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

Melqarth's spear had made short work of the cultists who poured through the main door, so his attention turned to the crossbowmen being forced back into his area by the rampaging lizardman. Caught between the two champions, they did not last long.

Taking advantage of the slow opponent, Roxane deftly tossed several various implements of death into the cyclops' relatively unprotected right side, causing his attack to falter and land hard to her left, making another crack in the marble. Undaunted, the monster pulled his weapon from the stone to take another swing. It became clear to Roxane that these giants were relatively unskilled combatants, meant more as a distraction or a meat shield than a means to dispatch the cult's enemies.

On the other side of the shield wall, the cyclopes regrouped in the face of Ishaq's reinforcements. The four "Myrmidons" facing away from the temple began to march forward, Ishaq's dust doing little to hinder them as they plowed through the column's rubble with their shields like a great bulldozer. His stone bounced off their collective aegis without effect, making a clanging sound against the gold metal hoplon it struck.

Solhildr's ethereal warriors charged into them from either side, flanking the cyclopes as soon as they pushed past the stairs, but their translucent spears seemed to barely scratch the juggernauts' armored hides. They pressed on, pushing the champions back toward the buzzing source of the terrible odor.

Chereen, on his side behind everyone, was able to see what offended his nostrils so. Three bloated horrors were unsteadily advancing across the field toward him and his allies, swarms of flies in tow, feeding on countless open soars. They could hardly be called men at this point, though the elf could tell that was what they once were, and there was an unimaginable sorrow in their eyes. They all had sharp knives, limply held in swollen fingers.

---

Nyarthek was tearing apart the pile in a mad frenzy looking for his lost weapon. He had the prisoner's belongings scattered around the room before Glaukon's words seemed to have any effect, "You don't understand, my sword is –" Nyarthek stopped and shook his head. "You're right, they must have it somewhere else. It's far too valuable to lay among this rubbish…."

"I have no idea how to shoot one of these," he said dismissively, forgoing the crossbows entirely, and instead grabbed a simple shortsword he had unearthed from the pile.

The clatter he had made seemed to be too much, however, and frantic footsteps could be heard down the corridor, torchlight rapidly advancing toward the armory door.

edited 15th May '14 11:16:42 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Glaukon winced at the noise that Nyarthek was making, then sighed. "No, I think I have a pretty good idea," Glaukon told Nyarthek, looking down at Thyaferos, and then gripping it tightly. He then brandished it towards the guards, the tines crackling with lightning. "I think we have a fight on our hands. May the gods favor us well!" He glared down at the hallway, entering a battle stance, holding his shield in front of him and keeping Thyaferos pointed down the hall.

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

Ishaq sighed, figuring that those big eyes weren't the big targets he was hoping for. Those things were too well defended, but if he could just manage to get their shields away, the others could probably overpower them, at least if they ganged up. Hephaestus's gifts meant that he had great strength, but cyclopses did too, so even with his current oversized stature, he didn't think he could win a tug-of-war with one of them, not as long as his right arm was busted.

But, he realized, he didn't have to just rely on his arms.

He jumped towards the nearest cyclops, his talons forward. He aimed them at the shield the cyclops was carrying, hoping to get a grip and fly away with it.

Xyka looked to the two cyclopses split from the main group. He made his way over to them and headed for the one with the wounded foot. If the cyclops could be knocked over, it would become easy prey. Xyka leaped towards it, flanking it with his Shield Charge to try and catch it off guard.

grup we please

Tutting at the cyclope's ungraceful technique, and overall stupidity, Roxane allowed her weapons to reappear in her hands again and this time made them invisible, to add another element of attack to her arsenal, again going for the unguarded areas, although with an intent to finish this fight, and as such being daring with her throws and going for the Cyclopes's head an neck where possible.

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

Sethos began to, unsteadily, walk towards each stunned cultist before quickly snapping their necks with his strength.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Will you make a contract with me?

Ishaq got ahold of the shield, his talons digging into the wood. The cyclops was on the outside of the line, and pestered as he was by ceaseless spearthrusts of the spectral hoplites, his grip faltered. The falconman made off with the heavy shield, flying awkwardly out of its owner's reach. The cyclops took a futile swing at Ishaq as he escaped with his prize before turning to the three hoplites. A wide, two-handed swing cleaved through them all at once, dispersing the ghostly warriors.

The formation left him behind as it pressed the other champions further away from the temple. Sethos, Solhildr, Buliwyf, and the remaining draugr warrior were finding themselves off-balance by the three cyclopes who yet maintained the shield wall. They were nearing the fallen Chereen, who was in danger of being trampled underfoot.

Roxane's attack was relentless, though seemingly ineffective against the heavily-armored opponent, who went on the defense again as his second swing found only air and was met with a few more minor cuts to his right arm. His attention fixed on the harpy, he was seemingly indestructible behind his shield. He held his long blade at his side, leveled at her like a spear in case she came too close. He seemed to see through her illusions, reacting to her invisible projectiles just the same.

Xyka found his way around the other cyclops, his agility allowing him an edge against the heavy creature's slow reaction times. His mighty charge hit its side hard, the horned shield goring the giant's fattened torso. Its foot, wounded by Roxane's throwing axe, gave out, and the cyclops fell hard onto his right side.

---

The guards had returned at a brisk pace, but slowed their advance as they peered into the dark armory. The one bearing the torch reached out towards Glaukon and Nyarthek, as if to make sure they were there. Then a spark of electricity from the merman's trident gave the two away in a brief flash, and the men charged.

Nyarthek grabbed the rim of the torchbearer's gold shield as it came at him, and pulled the guard off balance. The guard attempted to block a swing of the shortsword as it came around, but the brittle wood of his torch gave way and the Horakhti warrior's blade found his flesh. A rapid series of stabs into his cloak brought him down.

Simultaneously, the other guard bull-rushed Glaukon in a similar manner.

edited 18th May '14 5:48:02 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Seeing the shambling creatures coming up from behind, Chereen shouted a warning.

"Rear attack!"

edited 18th May '14 4:40:06 AM by tricksterson

Trump delenda est

Solhildr put away her spear and shield and nocked an arrow into her bow. The shield on her back started to glow and the bow became covered in sunlight. Solhildr had cast Suncraft.

She lifted up the bow a drew the string back then let it fly at the advancing cyclopses. As the arrow moves through the air it grows brighter.

edited 18th May '14 7:19:38 PM by PhilosopherStones

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

Xyka seized the opportunity and scurried onto the fallen cyclops. His shield still stuck in the beast's stomach, he held his spear with the intent to stab it repeatedly.

The cyclops does not die so easily, and it continues to fight Xyka while he attempts to outmaneuver it.

grup we please