[IC I] The Wellspring Saga: Aurora Tenebrosa

[Othniel]

Snorri

"Instead I strode closer
to glimpse the song's singer
and when I gazed on her
my breath fell away."

Continuing to sing, Snorri also cast a spell as he moved away from the tentacled monstrosity that had been making its way toward the bard.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move to W23.
Free action to maintain Inspire Courage.
Standard action to cast Mirror Image, summoning (1d4+1)[2] images of Snorri in bardic glory.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno and Aldric

The ratfolk and dwarf looked at each other.

"**** this!"

Abandoning their orcish compatriot, the two of them promptly ran in opposite directions, away and down the street. The orc, on the other hand, still in a berserker rage, continued to swing at Juno - but not before Grudrek, aiming as best he could past the paladin, let off a shot.

Spoiler: Actions

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Grudrek vs Orc

Attack: (1d20+3)[9]
Damage: (1d12)[6]

Orc vs Juno
Attack: (1d20+8)[11]
Damage: (1d12+12)[13]

[Nefarion Xid]

"On your right!" Aldric yelled. He waited for Juno to jerk to the left and give him a clear shot before blasting the orc.

Spoiler: Rapid Shot

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(1d20+11)[21]
(1d8+13)[17]

(1d20+11)[15]
(1d8+13)[14]

Final Grit after killing the Orc: 5/6

"So, about that discount." Aldric turned to the shop keeper. "We still at a firm 90% or what?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Juno

"That, and I think you've convinced me." Grudrek looked between Juno and Aldric. "I may not have skimped on the materials for this shelter, but knowing people like that are on the streets? I don't think I can run and hide any longer. You and the army have my weapons for sale - and anything else I can cook up, if I can get my hands on the materials or blueprints."

Spoiler: You Win!

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Everyone gains 500 XP, bringing you to a total of ____ XP.

Henrietta and Amala

Swinging swords and firing guns, the team that Henrietta and Amala had brought with them continued to put in a good amount of work, immediately cutting down several of the imps.

Those that remained looked at each other briefly before squawking in Infernal.

Spoiler: Infernal

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"Retreat!"

They then disappeared, even as the sound of heavy boots echoed from outside the inn, the Titanites and other CP reacting to the call from those inside. The doll, as well, ran around the corner as if to escape from the party.

Spoiler: Amala

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Based on what happened earlier, as well as your knowledge of these imps, you surmise that they have turned invisible.

Snorri, Octavia, and Calantha

It was a war of two fronts. On the friendly side, Octavia, breaking her invisibility, leapt forward at the Azure Head, her expert short swordplay augmented by Snorri's songs into a whirlwind of razors that sent its bulbous head flying. Then, the Herald leader finally retaliated, paralyzing her in place - but for whatever reason, the tentacled beast sent against her went wide with its attack, as well as the one sent against Snorri. Phaeton took another claw to the side, his horn and hooves finding no purchase on the Azure Head he battled.

In the meantime, the leviathanites began to take casualties, the cries of the priests and priestesses rising as the horde of ghouls and zombies began to bite their way through the ranks.

Spoiler: Mass Combat

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The Leviathanites now have two victories and two defeats. One more defeat and they will be forced to retreat; two more victories and they will have the situation in hand.

Spoiler: Round 3 begins!

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Have fun!

[Othniel]

Snorri

"She sang as she bathed
as lithe as the salmon,
all clothed only
in what the gods made."

The Bard's mithral rapier flashed once, striking for the tentacled monstrosity's center mass.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Free action to continue performing
Attack vs. T2: (1d20+11)[14]
Damage: (1d6+4)[5]

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Raising her eyebrows at the sudden disappearance of the imps, Henrietta pointed a finger towards the running doll and said "Catch it. Kill the others." before walking over to the unconscious Devil before her. Rolling it over so that it's head faced upward, Henrietta placed one heavy iron boot on the Imps chest and pressed down hard whilst positioning the blade of her greatsword right against its neck.

Her execution and apprehension stance set up, a scowl grew across the lioness face, and she awaited the Imp to wake up so that she could properly drill some information out of the venomous little worm on what was going on.

"There will be answers for these deaths. By any means necessary, I have to know."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno and Aldric

Icani-Hellas Air Dock, Northwestern Sector, Sixth Circle - 11:00

After bidding Grudrek farewell and promising to return with an escort, Juno and Aldric continued moving north, their ultimate destination the still-under-construction Icani-Hellas Airship Dock. Much as before, the journey was a highly tense one, more than one route averted due to clattering trash or a shaded figure that darted away at their approach.

Eventually, however, Juno found a rather good vantage point near the air dock in the form of a thoroughly vandalized chapel to Balance. Joining Aldric at the top of its bell tower, Paladin and Gunslinger looked out over the building, the beam of light that betrayed the resonance generator's presence shining like an ever-so-faint beacon through the smoke and fog.

The two were currently south and west relative to the dock, and as such were able to look upon the southwestern edifice of the building. A quick check revealed no enemy troops on or around the ground level and entrance of the three-story building, but did reveal an enemy presence on the third-story balcony - two Heralds, each accompanied by an Azure head. Out back of the building, scaffolding was visible, and the framework of what could only be the fabled airship that the dock was being built to service along with it.

Fleshy, pulsating blue biomass was beginning to cover it, and the beam of light from the generator was coming right from the middle of it.

Spoiler: Aldric

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Off in the distance, from the direction of the dock, you hear a soft, deep, eerie groan.

Henrietta and Amala

As Henrietta stood with her boot crushing the unconscious imp into the floor, the windows crashed as the rest of the Titanites and Custos Pacem came in. The sound of squawking and crunching of bone from the backroom told Henrietta that, indeed, the imps had been located and summarily dispatched.

Spoiler: You Win!

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I'll tally up XP later.

Awakening as his wounds knit together, the imp looked up at the woman who held her greatsword pressed against his throat - and let out a screech of terror as he promptly soiled himself, the scent of brimstone-laden excrement wafting delicately through the room.

"Alright! Alright! I do whatever you want! Give you money, power, knowledge, yes?"

Octavia, Snorri, and Calantha

As the tide began to turn once more in the favor of the Leviathanites, the holy clerics tearing into the zombies and ghouls with a renewed vengeance, things weren't going so well for Snorri and Octavia. Although the rogue, summoning all her willpower, managed to break out of her paralysis, another spell fired away by the Herald leader blinded Phaeton, even as the tentacled beast began to grapple and choke the rogue, the monster undeterred by the bolt Calantha put into its back. Phaeton and Snorri, however, did manage to avoid taking any actual damage.

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Clicking her tongue in disgust, Henrietta scowled at the squirming fiend, and began to lean down as her voice descended into a guttural growl "Answers. Now. Why the murders, what's downstairs, why's the door shocking, and what the hell is going on," she took a deep breathe before exhaling her vented fury through her nostrils, her eyes like two globes of hellfire "WHY?"

Looking up briefly, she cast an eye around to the other Officers and Titanites and grunted "Perimeter, secure it."

[Nefarion Xid]

Team Attack Helicopter

"My baby takes the morning train / He works from nine 'til five and then / He takes another home again / To find me waiting for him ..."

Settled into his perch on the bell tower's railing, Aldric lined up the first Herald's chest with his iron sights. With Juno near, he opted to simply adopt a left-handed grip to aim with his good eye. It made no difference to his accuracy, but it always made him fidgety. He thumped the barrel of his rifle in time with the song that was still playing in his head.

"I don't think I have a shot on the generator. But I can start installing ventilation shafts in these jerks whenever you're ready."

[Jade_Tarem]

Team Attack Helicopter

"Hold off on shooting the generator even if you do get a shot at it. That whole scenario with the door has me thinking..." Juno shook her head. "Eh, issue for another time. I guess wait until I drop in on them and start shooting. Your position will be more secure if you wait until they're distracted. Ring the big bell if you get into trouble." She started her wings at a slow flap, rising off the ground in flagrant violation of physics that was somehow classified as 'natural' flight. "You did secure the door and the stairwell, right?"

***

Juno looked down on her opponents - literally. She had elected to rise high into the air at a distance where spotting her through the gloom and fog would be unlikely, and prepared to dive in at her opponents. There was a remarkable amount of history behind such a maneuver, and it had been used extensively during the War on Hell by angelic forces. Nonetheless, when running 'nards-first into an unknown situation where one was almost certain to be outnumbered, it was traditional to shout the name of the most infamous of the Solar Order's paladins. Distraction was the name of the game here - Aldric was the real threat - and it would be very distracting.

So it was that Juno cast a protection spell upon herself and then plummeted toward her enemies, and the entire way down, her battle cry echoed off the nearby buildings. "LLLLEEEEEEERRRROOOOOOY-"

Spoiler: OOC

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In the fog: Protection from Evil
Round 1: Use Ring of Ferocious Action to counter curse, Charge straight down (240 feet!) and attack the Azure Head.

Attack: (1d20+12)[22] (Factors in Charge and Elevation)
Damage: (1d8+6)[8]

[Nefarion Xid]

"All day I think of him, dreaming of him constantly / I'm crazy, mad for him and he's crazy, mad for me / When he steps off the train, amazingly full of fight ..."

Exhale. Squeeze. Squeeze.

Spoiler: Rapid Shot, Focused Aim

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vs Herald 1, move to Herald 2 if he drops
(1d20-1)[17]
(1d8+6)[12]

(1d20-1)[4]
(1d8+6)[12]

Grit 4/6

"Works all day to earn his pay so we can play all night! Wow. Where did I even hear this song?"

[Othniel]

Snorri

"Her skin pale as the glaciers,
her eyes golden as amber,
and her hair gleamed as red
as a new-blooded blade."

Glaring at the creature before him even has he continued to sing, Snorri side-stepped and cast a spell over where Phaeton was fighting.

Spoiler: OOC

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Free Action to continue performing.

5' Step to move to W24.

Defensively casting Glitterdust vs HC and AC1: (1d20+6)[15]
Concentration check if needed: (1d20+5)[21]

[Mathemagics]

Amy

The imps seemingly dealt with, Amy noted the interrogation before glancing toward the warded doorway. Focusing her mind once more, she decided to see if the ward had been expended or still persisted. (It was worth a shot anyway.)

Spoiler

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Casting Detect Magic and checking the door to see if it's still got an aura. If it doesn't, Amy will go ahead and open it to take a look inside.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno and Aldric

"Wha-"

One of the Heralds only had a brief moment of confusion to register Juno's sword slashing at the Azure Head's arm before, courtesy of Aldric, his head exploded, leaving the sentries on the back foot.

Roll for Initiative.

Spoiler: Which you won! Round 1 Begins!

Show

Have fun.

Octavia, Snorri, and Calantha

The battle seemed to teeter on the brink of a knife, the battle poised easily to the way of the forces of good or evil.

In the end, it was Octavia who decided it. Her knives flashed forward once again, plunging into the bulbous head of the Azure Head, which was then pierced by a crossbow bolt from Calantha that sent it gurgling to the floor.

A yell of victory from the rogue inspired the Leviathanites, who, with a sudden surge, promptly killed a good chunk of the ghouls and zombies - and, in doing so, all but secured victory.

The Herald and Azure Head attacking Phaeton sensed this, the Herald promptly casting a spell of flight and beginning his ascent up into the air even as the Azure Head turned, ran, and promptly slipped in the grease Calantha had placed earlier in the fight.

The tentacled beast attacking Snorri swung once again, but failed to connect.

Spoiler: The Leviathanites Win!

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In 3 rounds, they will have defeated all their own enemies and will be available ot help mop up any remaining enemies of the party.

Henrietta and Amala

Spoiler: Catching up on XP...

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You earn 300 XP for defeating the Imps. Combined with the 500 Aldric and Juno earned earlier, this brings you all up to 18325 XP.

The surrounding Titanites and Custos Pacem threw up their hands in a salute as a chorus of "aye-aye's" responded to Henrietta's orders, even as the imp began stammering out an answer.

"Information, yes, yes! Was summoned by scary man, scary man indeed. Black clothes, scary bird mask! Him, his friends, they lure everyone into inn, then use magic to make them sleep. Then, they kill one by one. Enjoyed - DID NOT enjoy it very much." The imp's initial blissful recollection of a happy memory turned sour quickly as he made a haphazard attempt to lie about it. "He in basement, he set traps on doors to let him know if people coming. He wants to summon... Barbazu, I think, yes, Barbazu. He want get devils to help him and friends! 'We will take advantage of the chaos to bring this city to its knees'. Something like that. Please don't kill me."

With the pounding of battle no longer clouding her thoughts, Henrietta found herself able to recall quite a lot about Barbazu...

Spoiler: Barbazu

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Being one of the main foot soldiers of the army of hell, Barbazu, or bearded devils as they are more often known as, are horribly repulsive creatures. Like most devils, they can only be harmed by silver weapons, and have an additional weakness to weapons enchanted with good energies. They are also resistant to fire and poison, and resistant to acid, ice, and - like many stronger devils - magic. Barbazu have two main methods of attack - their beards and claws, the latter of which has been known to spread disease, or their infernal glaives, which have been known to cause persistent bleeding.

They also have the ability to teleport at will, and summon lesser demons to aid them in battle.

Amala, in the meantime, found that, having been activated by Henrietta, the aura surrounding the door was no longer present - however, trying the doorknob quickly revealed it to be locked.

"Allow me."

Stepping forward, one of the Custos Pacem whipped out a series of lockpicks. "Wasn't always on the straight and narrow before I joined up. It's helped me out here a number of times."

After some fiddling, the officer was able to unlock the door, and, after carefully examining it once again, pushed it open gingerly. A narrow wooden staircase led downwards into what appeared to be a storage room, lit dimly by torches.

[Mathemagics]

Amy

"Well that's... horrible. And the city is already on its knees if you couldn't tell."

Amy glared at the diminutive fiend before edging towards the now-accessible door.

"I mean it's apparently not enough that everything is overrun with insane cultists trying to murder everyone. The devil worshipers want to get in on it too? In any case, we should get down there and stop him. The last thing we need is more crazy, right?"

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Staring into the beady little black eyes of the Imp, Henrietta scrunched up her nose in a moment of disgust and cold calculation. Reaching to her waist, she took out her handcuffs and slapped one end of them around the tiny Fiend's waist and the other half on her wrist. "Spared. For now. Don't make me regret this, try anything and," she interrupted her statement with a stab of her Greatsword inches away from the Imp's skull. Dragging the Imp beside her, she grunted "Name?" before waving for her soldiers to fall in line. Stepping over to the now opened doorway, she gripped her greatsword with both hands and kept a wary eye on the Imp floating near her. "Three come with me, BOLO, everyone else stay up here. We have anyway to stop teleportation, serious bleeding, or summoning? Bearded Devils have all three, and are also tough as Hell. Hope you have another one of those spells prepared." And with that she began to descend down the stairs, ready to chuck the Imp at anything that remotely looked like a trap.

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

Now simply holding position, Juno planted a foot against the railing for stability and swung again, hoping for more effect this time.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Attack: (1d20+10)[12]
Damage: 1d8+6

Messed up the damage roll, but it hardly matters. Sometimes you roll a 2.

"Well come on then. What are you afraid of?" Juno held her position, giving them her most irritating smirk.

[Othniel]

Snorri

"When her song ended
she turned and she saw me.
She smiled like she knew me,
as if pleased I was there."

Frustrated at what he perceived as his lackluster participation in the battle, Snorri stepped back toward the creature and stabbed with his rapier.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Free Action to continue performing.
5' Step back next to T2.
Attack vs T2: (1d20+11)[13]
Damage: (1d6+4)[6]

[Nefarion Xid]

"This doesn't exactly seem sporting ..." Aldric mused while squeezing off two more shots.

Spoiler

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(1d20-1)[10] vs Herald
(1d8+6)[14]

(1d20-1)[16] vs Herald/Azure Head 2
(1d8+6)[13]

"I mean, a paladin? That's just unfair."

[Estralita]

Octavia

No time for Octavia to celebrate her kill. Decapitate one head, another pops up .That was they way it went right?

Octavia nodded to the unicorn and moved along side it to flank the head, hoping to hit a weak spot.

Spoiler: New and Improved Sneak Attack!

Show

(d20+11)[24]
(d6+7)[13]
(3d6)[15]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Juno

The Herald, still on the back foot, barely had time to raise his arms as if to cast a spell before Aldric's bullets tore gaping wounds in his chest and head, sending him sprawling to the edge of the balcony.

The Azure heads, in the meantime, began to swarm Juno, the second of them charging toward her while the other swiped at her with its claws.

Spoiler: Attacks

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Claw 1: (1d20+7)[12]
Damage: (1d6+5)[9]

Claw 2: (1d20+7)[16]
Damage: (1d6+5)[10]

Its efforts were for naught, however, as its razor-sharp claws scraped uselessly over the Paladin's armor.

Amala and Henrietta

One of the Titanites stepped forward. "Most of us would not be able to cast this ourselves, but one of the Svamai granted us this scroll for this kind of situation. It will bind any being to this plane, making it impossible for them to teleport." The Titanite who had previously been working with Juno then stepped aside and ushered the new one forward. "I have already expended a few spells today. They will require a fresh batch going forward. Serve them well."

The imp, in the meantime, gibbered gratefully at Henrietta. "Zeppit, lady! Will be big help, lady!"

Descending into the basement, the party peered around the barrels and crates stacked high. There was, at first glance, very little there, the walls covered with graffiti and the odd spatter of blood.

"Summoner have secret door, yes? Take people there for killing."

Seconds before he pointed them out, Amala and Henrietta both spotted some rather suspicious looking carvings in the walls. The words 'DRINK HALF GLASS' were carved in there. Below them, the pictures of a glass on the fuller side, a glass on the emptier side, and a shattered glass were carved - and Henrietta and Amala both spotted that the wood on them appeared to be loose.

"Press wrong one, get acid to face? Zeppit not know answer, but master keep talking about reality when he carve it."

Snorri, Octavia, and Calantha

Octavia continued to show her sheer combat prowess and abilities, striking a sense of awe into those who saw her. The Azure Head, already reeling from being sent into the grease and wounded grievously from Phaeton's (finally) successful onslaught, was helpless as, with a deft strike, Octavia plunged her knives into its brain and tore out what appeared to be its brain, the traditional dying gurgle of the Azure Head visible even over the battle.

Snorri, on the other hand, had much less luck with the tentacle crusher, even as it struck him and Calantha's crossbow bolt went wide.

The Herald, lastly, continued climbing into the air, with a ray of magic striking and then washing over him, the Leviathanite's attempt at paralyzing him having no effect.

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

Looking at the puzzle arrayed before her, Henrietta tilted her head in contemplation before walking over to the wall and stepping to the side of the broken glass carving. "This one," she surmised plainly as if it were a blatant fact "Press it. You're fast, small target, regenerating, and your kind resists acid. Nothing to fear, unless you lied about acid and I'm wrong."

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

The paladin shifted her position mid-air again to allow Aldric another shot, unless he was just conserving ammo now. Learned something from the clank fight after all. She took another whack at the creature in front of her. "So do you guys talk, or did that get replaced by the... apparatus?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Five Foot adjusting and swinging again.

Attack: (1d20+10)[21]
Damage: (1d8+6)[13]

[Nefarion Xid]

Since Juno appeared to have things well in hand, Aldric took the opportunity to reload, walk around the perimeter of the tower and scan the area for movement.

[Othniel]

Snorri

"She rose and stepped toward me
clad just in cool water,
and I? I went to her--
I was a young man."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Free action to continue song.
Attacking T2: (1d20+11)[18]
Damage: (1d6+4)[10]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

It's getting late, so I'm just going to wait until Friday to update the fight with Snorri/Octavia/Calantha.

Juno

As if in reply to her question, the Azure Heads let out a strange, gurgling moan, no mouth visiblee as they made the noise. The wounded Azure Head, noticing that it was outmatched, retreated and charged the window inside the building - but left itself open in the process, even as the other Azure Head swiped at Juno.

Spoiler: Actions

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Azure Head 1 charges the nearest window and shatters it, but provokes an AoO from Juno in the process.

Azure Head 2 then moves up and attacks.

(1d20+7)[27]
(1d6+5)[6]

(1d20+7)[24]
(1d6+5)[6]

Aldric

Looking around the tower into the darkness and mist, Aldric's eyes strained to pick up any details - but they were there, if you knew where to look.

Strangely, no movement appeared to be coming from the Air Dock he and Juno were attacking - at least, none visible from the outside. Looking east and west of the church tower similarly revealed no approaching movement, although he did notice a rope line down to a building in the Northwest, which put it directly west of the airdock.

Then, to the south, movement. The unmistakeable groaning and of the undead could be heard echoing up from the streets, figures shuffling through the fog. Then, a clattering noise - they were not zombies, as previously seen, but skeletons. By Aldric's reckoning, there were 8 of them - most of them armed with simple armor and weapons, but among them was a skeleton whose hands were clearly wreathed in magical flame as they approached the church, about 100 feet away from the entrance.

Amala and Henrietta

Sweating bullets, the imp pressed in the loose piece of wood, and a hidden door slid open in the wall. A woman's scream was heard again - much louder, this time.

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

"Pay attention!" Juno snarled as her opponent made an effort to retreat. The sword flashed up, around, and down through the creature's bulbous blue thing. One disgusting squelch later and he was down. The follow up slash caught the second one across the chest, though not as deeply as she'd have liked. Her eyes lit up momentarily and the wound it had inflicted on her closed. "And then there was one."

[Tychris1]

Henrietta

A small smile curled along her face as the door slid open and the young Officer arced her eyebrow "See?" her small hollow attempt at humor was short lived as another scream pierced the air, and she instantly regripped her sword with new found grit. "Scroll. Lets go." And with that she took point once more, moving forward through the secret passageway eyes focused on any more traps or for the sight of the screaming.

[Mathemagics]

Amy

"Wait, I'm sorry how was it that one-"

Amy's question was cut short by the scream, causing her features to freeze in confusion and apprehension. It took Henrietta's command for her to startle back into action as she fumbled for the scroll while moving to follow.

"Huh? Oh! Right, sorry. Scroll. Okay."

Ugh, what are we getting ourselves into...

[Nefarion Xid]

"Come on kids. You need a much bigger skeleton army."

Aldric looped around one of the railing supports and leaned over as far as he could to get a clean shot.

Spoiler: Rapid Focused Shot

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(1d20+7)[22] Skelecaster
(1d8+6)[8]

(1d20+7)[25] Skelecaster
(1d8+6)[7]

"I am become death, destroyer of ... undeath."