Lightning flashed overhead as the rain continued to fall, a stinging spray of water driven by the raging wind. Theryn squinted as he tried to make out any targets in the darkness. The snorting and nervous whinnies of the nearby horses were loud in his ears. Water gushed from a broken eavestrough directly onto the flanks of a miserable horse whose scraggly mane was tangled and hung over its long face. Theryn spied the poncho-wearing elderly man who was descending the stone steps of the lighthouse’s porch. The man was wearing a hat with earflaps, from which dangled loose tying cords. He was shouting something at Varien to the south, but the monk couldn’t make out the words. Well, we’re weapons-free on this mission , Theryn thought to himself, unlimbering his stormbow . He cast ensnaring strike and let fly with the bow, launching an arrow through the stormy sky. The arrow struck the man squarely, and he staggered back as a writing mass of thorny vines sprouted from the shaft of the arrow to ensnare him, rooting him to the ground. Theryn coldly drew another arrow and loosed it. The arrow struck the restrained man squarely between the eyes, the impact knocking his hat from his head. Eyes wide, the man sagged back, held upright by the writhing vines, his body sagging limply in death. The smoke from Bob’s fireball began to clear, though many pieces of flammable material inside both rooms of the beacon level now smouldered or burned fiercely. From his hiding place, Bob spied another figure joining the magic-user from the stairwell. The humanoid figure was tall and lanky, though solidly built, wearing a helm and chain mail skirt over his otherwise bare green skin. The creature’s skin was covered in dozens of sharp-looking barbed spines, and in his clawed hands were gripped two wicked axes of black-red steel. “Siegfried, there’s a green man here who’s taller than you!” Bob shouted. “I’m going to kill him!” Siegfried called cheerfully from his position near the doorway. The green-skinned creature growled something in Infernal and elbowed the magic-user aside as he registered Bob’s presence before him. The hands holding his axes ignited in flames, and made a throwing motion with his right hand, sending a bolt of fire towards Bob. The blast struck the tabletop above Bob’s head. The creature frowned and threw with his left hand. The bolt of fire impacted on the stone wall of the lighthouse. The creature advanced on Bob. Outside, Er-Wind dashed across the open space in the aftermath of the fireball explosion, and drifted towards the apertures at the top of the lighthouse. He squeezed through the window space next to the beacon and spied the melee. Siegfried activated his eldritch sight and nonchalantly entered the room, disdaining the Harpy archer as he searched for magical items of interest on the person of the two other enemies in the half-moon chamber. Ashes began to swirl around his broad shoulders. The Harpy frowned as her song continued. She launched a kick at Siegfried that missed by a mile as he walked past her. “So, which one of you is in charge of this disgrace?” Siegfried asked. He pulled out a clipboard and quill with a flourish. “Have you any idea how many ships have been sunk due to your negligence? Who’s in charge here?” The creature and the magic-user both chuckled darkly in response. Siegfried approached the robed magic-user. “Well, I suppose that puts you in charge of this mess,” he said, twirling his quill. Before the man could react, Siegfried thrust his bladed gauntlet at him as he cast a hexblade curse. He missed with his first strike, but danced around the magic-user and struck him from behind, kicking him five feet forward. The man stumbled forward, cursing under his breath. The creature chuckled and said something in Infernal that caused the magic-user to look sharply over his shoulder and bark, “Would you shut up, Narn?” “Does Narn have anything amusing he’d like to share?” Siegfried said, tapping his quill to the clipboard smartly. The creature spoke telepathically to Siegfried. “By all means, keep kicking that one around.” The creature laughed again. As Varien stood his ground, a second figure exited the lighthouse chamber into the storm. Humanoid, he looked withered, with sallow skin and eyes sunk into his prominent skull, from which dangled tangles of lank hair. Spindly and think, he was wearing the tattered remains of a robe over a tabard and belt, and was utterly heedless of the driving rain and powerful gusts of wind that blew across the bluff. His eyes glowed with purple energy as he surveyed the remains of the man Theryn had just killed and shook his head. “It is so hard to get good help these days,” he muttered. Then he turned and pointed to Varien. “Now! Cower, as the Hand of Nessus closes around thy throat!” Shadowy energy began to build in his hands as he launched two bolts of necrotic power and Varien and Theryn. Varien cast shield , stopping the bolt and its shadowy tendrils in mid-air against his invisible mantle of force. “Did you hear me?” the man cackled. “The Hand of Nessus! I want to be very clear about that!” “You are a fool to reveal yourself to me!” Varien shouted back. Theryn was struck by a bolt as cold as the grave, which sent him reeling. Tendrils of shadow wrapped around him and he found himself unable to move. As he struggled, he caught sight of something strange happening to the dead body of his target. The man shuddered in his web of vines, his skin feverish, and there were sickening undulations beneath his skin. The man’s head flopped back, mouth agape, the fletched end of arrow’s shaft pointing skyward, and his jaw opened wider than was normally possible. A hideous dry cackle, as though air was being forced through his lungs and larynx, reached Theryn’s ears. Something crawled its way out of the man’s throat, looking like an oversized wasp. Theryn could tell from the roiling of the man’s corpse that there were more bugs where that came from. “Hellwasps,” Theryn said, his lip curling in disgust. The wasp creature looked about furtively with its compound eyes, and crawled back into the corpse’s mouth. The dead man began to speak in a raspy voice. “I…hope…this…body…wasn’t…someone…you…knew!” One of his arms jerked to life, like a marionette, and reached up to yank his poncho away, revealing a tumorous mass of tissue riddled with comb-like apertures. His body jerked as a cloud of stingers shot out from the holes in his torso. Theryn deflected the stingers with a twirl of his bo staff and grasped one, hurling it back at the wasp-riddled man. The stinger lodged itself inside of the combs, and something inside squealed. The corpse began to jerk rhythmically as it returned to a form of unlife, blood pouring from its open mouth and its mangled upper body. It tore itself free from the magical vines ensnaring it and began to lurch towards Varien, a horrible buzzing sound emanating from its body. The humanoid at the doorstep turned around and shouted, “Lucius! Scratch! Get out here!” There was a puff of brimstone as the doors flew open to reveal two hulking canine creatures, their breath like steam in the rain. Howling, one of them charged at Theryn; the other dashed towards Varien, its eyes glowing ruby red. Theryn ducked out of the way as the creature’s jaws snapped down next to his head. The creature growled as it reared up, preparing for another strike. The human magic-user grumbled as he got to his feet and turned to face Siegfried. “Make me look stupid, will you?” “Sir, you have done that to yourself,” Siegfried said, shrugging. He pointed his staff at Siegfried. “Let’s see how you like it if you can’t look at anything!” Siegfried stepped forward and batted the man’s staff aside. “You don’t need any help looking foolish,” he said as he cast counterspell . “Narn, make yourself useful and deal with this interloper, would you?” the magic-user said, backing away from Siegfried. “Narn, are you going to let him speak to you like that?” Siegfried asked, eyes wide. Alec walked resolutely towards the Harpy. “Hey, babe, you ever been with a barbarian?” he said lustily. The Harpy Archer rolled her eyes as she continued to sing. “Damn it, Alec, have some dignity,” Siegfried said. Bob twinned a guiding bolt and fired one at the Harpy, which missed. The second guiding bolt struck the spiny creature, who hissed something in Infernal. He grabbed a chair to use as a shield. His spiritual weapon cracked the spine-covered creature on its helmet, knocking the attacker back “Go to thorny jail,” Bob hissed. The Harpy Archer flapped her wings nimbly and retreated. She raised her bow, which was crafted from wood shot through with icy blue lines, and sighted down at Alec. “Is this Cupid I see before me?” Alec asked dreamily, as the first arrow flew past his head. Her second arrow thudded into Alec’s chest. Frost coated Alec’s torso, radiating out from the arrow. The Harpy continued to fire arrows at Alec. Her third and fourth arrows also struck him squarely, but the charmed barbarian didn’t flinch. On the lighthouse roof, Yeemik jerked awake. Looking around and seeing no targets, he took flight from the roof and swooped down into the lighthouse, nodding at Er-Wind. Hearing the sound of battle in the next room, he flew in and skidding to a stop. “Hello there,” he said to the room’s occupants. He looked at Alec, Bob, the magic-user and the Harpy before turning back to Bob. “We’re hitting people I don’t know, right?” “Right!” Bob said. Yeemik smiled, swinging his censer-flail menacingly as he cast abjure enemy at the magic-user. The robed man cowered in Yeemik’s presence, unable to move out of the way. “I’ll deal with you later,” Yeemik said scornfully as he turned to the Harpy. “Taste my lightning, bird-bitch!” His swing connected upside the Harpy’s head, and the paladin followed through with a smite. He swung again, smiting the Harpy with a body blow. Yeemik swayed from side to side, moaning as he swooned and fell to his knees. “That Tiefling needs a new weapon,” Siegfried muttered. “Why do the bad guys always think they’re the most terrifying people around?” Varien said as he activated his mantle of flame . Flames curled around his armour. Varien dropped his fly spell. He then pointed his sword at the necrotic magic-user. “Burn in the flames of the Fulminator!” He shouted as he cast immolation . A pillar of fire descended from the stormclouds, casting an orange glow overhead as it landed atop the creature, wreathing him in fire. Undaunted, Varien began to close the distance between himself and Theryn. The hellish hound’s jaws snapped shut on his leg as he did so, scorching his legs with fiery fangs. The sentry attempted to stab Varien in the back but missed. “Wait, don’t just run away from me!” he shouted. He attempted to cast hold person on Varien, but the paladin was able to break free from the enchantment. Theryn charged his stormbow and fired it at the burning man. He reeled as lightning played over his blazing body, as did the wasp-infested zombie. He loosed a second arrow, which struck his target. He turned to the hellish hound and grit his teeth, preparing for the inevitable. This won’t hurt a bit , the spine-covered creature said telepathically to Siegfried. It will hurt a lot ! He swung his barbed tail at the half-orc. Siegfried winced as the spine-covered tail struck home. The creature then attacked with his axes, striking Siegfried again, but Siegfried managed to parry his second attack. As he parried, Siegfried looked at the axe with an appraising eye. There was something otherworldly about it, as if it had not originated on this plane of existence. Er-Wind gathered up his elemental energy and moved, extinguishing all flames in his path, and slammed the Harpy. The Harpy’s song turned into a scream as she was buffeted by Er-Wind, feathers flying. Er-Wind’s second slam attack failed to connect. Er-Wind howled. “That didn’t hurt as much as this will,” Siegfried said as he hexed the cowering magic-user. He walked past the spined creature, ignoring the swing of his axe. Where are you going? The creature spat telepathically. “I’m killing someone worth killing,” Siegfried said over his shoulder. He struck the magic-user with his bladed gauntlet, slashing his neck open. He followed up with a jab to the kidneys. Siegfried pointed to the spiny creature. “Now, make yourself useful and don’t make me walk back over there.” The burning magic-user raised his hands towards Varien. “Fire may purify, but death is absolute!” he shrieked as he sent two grave bolts at his targets. Theryn grimaced as the necrotic attack tore into him. The purple-eyed attacker surveyed his surroundings even as he continued to burn. “Lucius! Scratch! Swarm! You know what to do!” He turned and ran back into the lighthouse. The windows on the first level of the building began to glow a fierce orange as the doors closed behind him. The zombie shuddered as another cloud of stingers were ejected in Theryn’s direction. Theryn deflected the attack and threw a stinger back at the zombie. The zombie shambled towards Varien. The two hellish hounds bared their teeth at Theryn and Jack as they prepared to strike.