noobs, it is time for Uncle Bjorn’s Awesome Pep Talk. This will be our last attempt. If we fail because we suck, I will be putting a poll on the forum to see if people want to come back and try this on Friday instead of going to Greyhallow Hall to do the opera event. But by far the best scenario here is that we kick butt now and go to the opera on Friday.”
[Raid][Mordant]: is that it?
“Do not question the glory of the pep talk.”
Nobody else questioned the glory of the pep talk, so Ella pulled out her axes and charged Lady Bloodrose for the fifth time. Phase one went pretty smoothly. Ella basically spent her time jogging round the central pit, picking up Veiled Attendants before they could activate the ritual pillars. She was occasionally grabbed by an Entangling Briar, but the DPS got her out of them pretty sharpish.
Morag: “Careful, attendant wave in five, don’t push her over yet.”
[Lady Bloodrose] says: Enough of this. Fall before the legions of the Netherworld.
“Well, crap,” sighed Morag. “Next time, less DoTs.”
“I’m on it. Slow DPS on the adds please.” Drew picked up the first attendant and sprinted back across the chamber towards the Pillar of Death, where the second one was channelling a beam of purple energy that would give every enemy in the room a massive damage boost.
“Portal team in. Rest of you, on the attendants.”
“Shit shit shit.” That sounded like Bjorn.
They managed to burn the two attendants down fairly quickly, but while Drew was maintaining aggro, Netherworld Minions were swarming out of the still-open portal.
“Adds in the ranged.”
Ella scuttled backwards round the pit, throwing a taunt at the armour-plated insect demon thing that was presently chewing on Small Mangy Owl.
“Pet tanking for the win,” said Ialdir, as Drew began whaling on the monster with his axes.
[Lady Bloodrose] says: Blood of my blood.
That was bad.
“Pillar of blood up,” called Bjorn. “All deeps on the boss. Watch your stacks, and get in the light if you need it.”
Drew was doing okay for Heartsblood, and he didn’t want to a drag a pile of enemies over to where the raid was stacking to rid itself of the fallen elf’s malicious influence.
For most of phase two they were playing catch-up, and Drew was beginning to feel the pressure. Because of the attendants, they’d been slow on the portals, and because they were slow on the portals, there were lots of adds to control, and Bloodrose was looking healthier than she should have at this stage in the fight. The RNG Gods had also decided to screw them, and she kept drifting towards the Pillar of Blood, which was the least dealable-with of the debuffs.
When she hit about thirty-two percent, Mordant succumbed to Heartsblood on his way to the theurgist, turned zombie-mind-slave, and started carving up the raid.
[Lady Bloodrose] says: Mine, mine forever.
[Raid][Mordant]: shit soz
“Put him down,” cried Bjorn. “Put him down like a dog.”
It was slightly demoralising to have to take out one of your own party members, but Mordant disappeared in a hail of arrows and shadow.
That put them further behind on portals, which meant they had to halt DPS on Bloodrose until they could get the last one closed. Drew quickly scanned his raid frames, and it wasn’t good. Only one casualty but everyone was hovering at about fifty percent health, and the healers were looking uncomfortably low on mana.
[Lady Bloodrose] says: Must I do everything myself?
They pushed into phase three, and Lady Bloodrose descended into the pit, thorns and roses spiralling out of her body and filling the chamber. From the tank’s perspective, this was kind of the most straightforward part of the fight. He rushed forward to get her attention, and started smacking her with his axes. Morag was going to be running around dealing with the briars, which would be coming thick and fast now that the Pillar of Thorns was permanently active.
“Full burn, full burn, but don’t forget the barbs.”
It was basically carnage. As Bloodrose’s health ticked lower, the debuffs from the pillars stacked higher, and the screen exploded with briars and special effects.
Drew’s Heartsblood was getting into the high eighties, so he called to Morag for a tank swap, and she got to him just in time for Ella to reach the theurgist before she went psycho on the raid. Drew’s fingers were a little slippery on the mouse as he grabbed the boss back. It was a tricky manoeuvre to coordinate at the best