"A lot of my fellow guardsmen hoped to use the Guard as a feeder into the Eagle Watch," Quinn says as he stands and stretches. "Irabeth, you say...?" Quinn rubs one of his horns in an absentminded way while he tries to recall the name.
"That attack was sudden. But, rest assured... the Lady will not abandon us. And there are other powers for good working in our favor," Quinn waves to indicate the temple they stand in. "Have faith that we will prevail."
With that, he grabs a bight of cloth and begins helping wipe the dust away.
When the shrine is as clean as they can manage, he finds a spot close by the door. "Will you kindly take first watch?" he asks Horgus. "You needn't fight. Merely rouse me if you hear the glass against the door shatter? Rouse me in two hours, in any event. I will take the middle watch."
Hyram, isn't it? You heard me" she says. "Irabeth is my wife. She is a Paladin of Iomedae, and was with the Eagle Watch in the square. I just pray to Iomedae that she is still alive after that battle. Seeing this temple to Torag brought memories of her to me."
Yes, My name is Hyram. I have been up at the front scouting with Quinn, so unfortunately I have not had a chance to speak with many of you.
and my social skills leave a lot to be desired, but social skills are not needed in my profession.
It sounds like Irabeth is a brave warrior and I am sure she has Iomedae's favor. I will pray that you both will be reunited soon. If there is anything further you need, don't hesitate to ask. Hyram then contorts his mouth in a shape that for him is a smile, but to anyone else barely looks like a grin.
He will then go to Aravashnial. Unfortunately my healing powers are inadequate to restore your sight, but perhaps they can heal some of your other wounds. Here. Hopefully you feel better. We will be resting here the night so if there is anything you need, just ask. He turns to go, then realizes he never introduced himself to the elf. By the way, my name is Hyram. As he walks away, Hyram thinks to himself, I must work on my social etiquette!
As he passes by Horgus, Hyram will stop and say, My name is Hyram. If there is anything you need, let me know. Hyram will ready himself to see if the man will come back with one of his caustic insults.
He will then go over to where Quinn, Alikia, Ezro, and Aladir are discussing the watch order. I need at least eight hours of sleep to gain my limited number of spells, but I will be glad to take either the first or third watch.
Quinn hands the two potion vials to Alikia. "What do you make of those?"
Setting aside her journal for a moment, Alikia recalls the words for casting her detect magic spell. As her eyes again turn a brighter shade of green, she concentrates to attempt to identify what magical properties, if any these vials contain.
"I think I know what this one is." Handing the first vial back to Quinn, "but I have no clue what this second one is. I'm sorry." Picking up one of her remaining trail rations, Alikia absentmindedly nibbles on it, while observing Hyram and Anevia interact.
"I'm sure that a Irabeth is fine. She's probably out looking for you worried sick. She's a paladin, after all. They don't get defeated easily." Offering Anevia a smile, her Alikia attempts to hide her excitement at Aravashnial announcement.
"You are a rift warden?" Jumping up from her bedroll, Alikia closes the small distance to the full elf. "My parents were Rift Wardens. Did you know them? I was told they went on a mission into the Worldwound, just after I was born. It would've been about 23 years ago. My surname is Sokol, did you know anyone who shared it?"
For the first time since she was sent away to Nerosyan to control her powers, Alikia allows a glimmer of hope for her dream of encountering her parents flare up. If Aravashnial knew them, she could at least maybe get a description, or a first name.
"You are probably right, Sir Gwerm...nevertheless, I would feel much more at ease having another swordarm available, should it become necessary. But let us hope it simply does not come to that, my friend." he answers with a smile. Whether his attempts to butter the man up are obvious or not, he is thankful that the noble is being more receptive to his suggestions than when they first landed in this cavern.
After Alikia is unable to identify the second potion, Aladir offers to give it a shot himself.
After the attempt, whether failure or success, he turns his attention back to the others. "Aye. If Irabeth is a paladin, I doubt a warrior of their caliber would fall so easily even in circumstances as trying as these. We will reunite the two of you as quickly as we are able." he says to Anevia, hoping to assuage her worries and fears.
The elf seems a little taken aback by the sudden excitement shown by Alikia, quirking a curious eyebrow upward, though he doesn't say anything about it.
Finally, Aladir will offer to take the last watch of the night for Quinn so that the tiefling...or should he still regard the man as human, since his race was no cause of his birth?...would be able to get a few extra hours of sleep before they set out again.
"Yes. Right now she is probably rallying the Watch to fight back these demons. When we get to the surface, I do want to go to our house. She would have left some kind of message for me there" she responds to the kindness shown to her by the group.
"Yes, I can watch. If I hear anything I will wake you" he says to Quinn, and as Hyram walks by he nods in agreement to him. Horgus then moves over next to the door and sits down, facing it, not leaning on anything so he can stay awake.
"Thank you for the healing" he says to Hyram, as most of his wounds, excepting the damaged eyes close up, and he is left with just a few scrapes and bruises. He replies to Alikia, "ah, that is where you get your interest in magic. Alas, I have only been here for two years, so the names are not familiar to me. Perhaps when we get to the surface we can head to a place that I know with folks who have been here longer and may know of your parents."
Watches set, you sleep and watch and after what you believe to be a "normal" nights rest, you study and pray, and there were no interruptions during the night. It is almost like Torag watched over you and would not allow anything down here to interrupt your recuperation.
Forming up in the morning, Quinn leading, Hyram with light on his shield, Ezro, Anevia, Aravashnial, Horgus, Alikia and Aladir, you head south from the temple and after about forty minutes travel the winding tunnel, turns east and opens into a cavern that Quinn tells you is about forty by forty feet, with an opening in the south east corner. Looking around, you see stone figures are carved into the walls of this cavern. Each depicts a different crusader clad in armor and wielding weapons, but their carved stone features contain expressions of sadness.
"Ah, yes. I recognize the flavor. It's a minor healing potion. I'm sure it'll come in handy before much longer if previous experience down here holds true." he says, for the moment storing the potion in his backpack.
After the uneventful night of rest, for which Aladir was sure to thank both Torag and Desna for the next morning, he quickly gears up and gets ready to go, taking up his position at the rear of the party. When they see the carvings in the wall in front of them, Aladir scratches his chin, staring at the faces and trying to remember if any of them have any significance to the region and its history.
Having a quick and thorough sermon in the morning, and a reciting of Iomedeas, 8th Act, Ezro takes his position and moves with the group, keeping his eye's peeled. As they approach the room, he lets his guard down a little, taking in the artwork. Looking around the room with great interest, he moves up to study one of the statues.
"Interesting find to say the least. I wonder who carved them and what they stand for. Depending on how old they are, they could be mourning the passing of Arazni...that is the only idea I have."
Hyram thoroughly enjoys Ezro's sermon and he also enjoyed hearing Ezro recite the eighth act of Iomedae, but as an Inquisitor, Hyram personally likes Iomedae's second act. Although there is nothing wrong with the act concerning the Black Prince. The second act where Iomedae goes and frees the city of Eleder which is being held hostage by a coven of witches seemed to speak more to him as someone who goes out in the world to bring Iomedae's justice to her enemies.
Fully inspired as he contemplates the second act, Hyram will take his usual place behind Quinn. On seeing the statues, Hyram takes a moment and reflects on their sad countenance. If you saw the sights that we saw on the surface, the sadness in your expressions would be warranted.
"Yes. Right now she is probably rallying the Watch to fight back these demons."
"If the stories I've heard of Irabeth hold any truth, then I'm sure you're right." Quinn smiled as he leaned back against the wall near Horgus. He mumbled one or two more unintelligible responses to the conversations around him, but was almost immediately asleep.
Looking around, you see stone figures are carved into the walls of this cavern. Each depicts a different crusader clad in armor and wielding weapons, but their carved stone features contain expressions of sadness.
"Interesting find to say the least. I wonder who carved them and what they stand for. Depending on how old they are, they could be mourning the passing of Arazni..."
"Or the fall of old Sarkoris," Quinn says as he moves along the rows of statues.
Fighting down the disappointment in hearing that Aravashnial was a relatively new recruit, Alikia's thanks him for the opportunity to introduce her to some more Rift Wardens. It may not be her parents, but it was a step in the correct direction.
Most of Alikia's watch was occupied by her writing in her new journal, and burning through the three candles that she found at the old campsite. Her watch with Horgus went without any major arguments, as the nobleman appeared to be adapting to his situation better.
Waking at her normal time, she politely declined to attend the morning ceremony, instead she busied herself with memorizing and practicing some spells from her book. After hearing everyone else readying themselves to move, she quickly repacks her gear, now slightly lighter, thanks to the removal of four trail rations, before rejoining her spot near the back of the line.
As they come across these crusaders carved in stone, Alikia looks on in wonder. "Woah. Who are these people? And why are they here?"
"Carved what? Are they statues? Can someone describe them in detail please?" he asks.
Hyram will shine the light of his shield on the carvings and describe them to Aravahnial with as much detail as he can. He will describe their physical appearence, dress, and weapons if they have any. After he is finished, he will ask the elf, Do these carvings mean something? Do you know who they are?
"Or the fall of old Sarkoris," Quinn says as he moves along the rows of statues.
Shaking his head he says, "I don't think they are statues of old Sarkoris, these individuals are crusaders. If I remember correctly Sarkoris was a land of many gods, and a great deal of druidism. I don't think crusaders specifically fit into their society."
Checking over the statues, Ezro tries to find some holy symbol of some kind carved into the stone statues. He found it odd that such artwork was hidden in the caverns beneath the city, and that there was no obvious religious element.
"If this is artwork of crusaders, there must be some element of religion here. People don't crusade for no reason, and normally, religion is a major part of artwork involving crusaders and paladins."
"Carved what? Are they statues? Can someone describe them in detail please?"[/b]
"Aravanshnial, they appear to be figures carved into the walls of this cave. They are all wielding weapons and clad in armor and look like a different person. I can explain in more detail if you would like."
Carefully studying the nearest statue, Alikia will go into as much detail as she can about the race, height, gender, distinguishing characteristics, and any heraldry the carved statues appear to be wearing. She will also explain that their expressions look sad.
"Or the fall of old Sarkoris," Quinn says as he moves along the rows of statues.Shaking his head he says, "I don't think they are statues of old Sarkoris, these individuals are crusaders."
Quinn shrugs as he moves among the statues. He peers into a few corners and behind a few statues.
"The First Crusade was made up of a great deal of displaced Sarkorans. Of course, it is their children we banished to this place." A note of anger at the revelations of the treatment of those children sounds in Quinn's voice. "Perhaps that is what they lament."
"You'd think that, having lived in this area as long as I have, I might have picked up a little bit of knowledge of the area's history. Guess I was too busy trying to stay alive." the elf mused aloud, though he seems to be talking more to himself than to anyone else. Snapping out of his daze, he looks back to Quinn while he examines more closely one of the statues nearest him.
"Certainly possible...though I still hold out hope that if we should find any of those descendants they will help us fight back against the demons and get back to the surface."
"You'd think that, having lived in this area as long as I have, I might have picked up a little bit of knowledge of the area's history.
"Really! That supports my theory that I believe I mentioned before, that the mongrel men living below are descendants of the First Crusaders. The armor and weapons you describe are from that time!" exclaims Aravashnial. He seems very excited that you have found proof of what he believes.
"We have to move on. I need to talk with the Librarians about this." He is almost giddy, for an elf.
"The Librarians?" Quinn asks.
"I hope we do find these... mo- these men," Quinn rolled word mongrel around before refusing to utter it. "There is more than one Wound in this world, that needs to be healed."
Hyram listens to Aravashnial expound upon the statues. The excitement of the blinded elf amuses Hyram. With all that is happened, he is excited that his theory is correct. Glancing once again at the sad carvings, Hyram will turn to Quinn, Whenever you are ready. Seems we have librarians to find as well as a way out.
Grinning at Aravashnial's excitement over the historical find, Alikia scans the area they came from looking for anything that could cause the group harm. "Who are the librarians, Aravashnial? I'm not familiar with that group."
Glancing at Hyram, Alikia readjusts her pack, waiting to move on. "I think we are good to go back here, Hyram."
Quinn takes a last look around the cavern, taking in the pitiable reliefs. "History lessons were not my forte. But, the First Crusade was only a partial victory, as I recall."
Quinn levels his spear in front of him, and heads towards the cavern exit. "The demons withdrew and took on the remaining tribes in the Northmunds, and the Crusade faltered to a stop."
Aladir stands silently, making a mental note to look more into the regions past before turning and following Quinn and Alikia toward the exit.
Forming up in the usual marching order, Quinn leads the group thru the small opening in the southeast corner to a new room, that is dimly lit. A small campfire and a well-used bedroll, along with a few utensils and tools, sits near another cave opening in the far wall of this cavern.
You see a blurry dwarf, and suddenly a magic missile comes from his hands and hits Quinn.
Hyram UP
Quinn barely has time to register the presence of the dwarf before he is slammed in the chest by two magical bolts. He stumbles off to the side, and shouts, "Ambush!" as the others follow him into the cavern.
From beneath his guardsman's cloak, a long, barbed tail snakes out. Wrapped tightly in the coils of the barbed end is the potion Quinn and Aladir recovered from the cavern ledge. Quinn grasps the potion and downs it quickly.
Hyram, following Quinn, barely sees the source of the light, but he does see Quinn stagger back with a new hole in him. Hyram will call upon Iomedae for healing for Quinn,
And move into the cavern . As he moves into the cavern, Hyram can now see the source of the magic missile.
We are under attack by a Dwarf! Hyram cannot believe this is the second dwarf they are fighting in days. And here I thought the dwaves were among the goodly races. Where are these corruptions coming from and who sent them? Hyram thinks with his sword and shield held firmly in front waiting for the Dwarf's next attack.
Watching as Quinn charges forward around the corner, Alikia takes a deep breath. If they were under attack, it might be from someone else who was caught down here. "Quinn, don't kill him! He could just be trapped down here like us!" She shouts after the city guardsman.
"دروع" she murmurs to summon a set of nearly invisible armor to help protect her. As she moves to cover the spot that Quinn just left, Alikia drops her bag, in order to move faster.
"Quinn, don't kill him! He could just be trapped down here like us!" She shouts after the city guardsman.
Quinn's grunt of pain eases into a grumble of displeasure as the healing magic takes hold. "Presuming he doesn't kill me first!" he growls back at the summoner.
Seeing the dwarf attack Quinn as they came intot he room and listening to the other half-elf int he group, he quickly agrees with her. The dwarf could simply be taking an offensive defense in these catacombs. Better safe than sorry.
"I agree with Alikia, do not kill him! He could have merely been defending against an attack he thought coming!"
Moving up to Quinn, Ezro holds out his holy symbol and calls upon Iomedea to fill the area with her healing energies.
"Dwarf! We are not your enemies!" he yells out.
The dwarf, cackles with glee "that's right, don't kill me" as he casts a spell and his dagger flies towards Quinn, and although the Paladin deflects the dagger, it quickly returns to the dwarfs hand. "Get ya next time freak."
Hyram UP
I do not think this one wants to talk! Hyram shouts as he moves next to Quinn. May Iomedae guide your hand Hyram says as he touches Quinn.
Quinn steps forward stabbing at the dwarf with his longspear. "You had a chance for peace."
Assuming their enemy isn't already finished off by the time Aladir's turn to act comes up, he will quickly move forward toward the enemy in a line that will enable him to approach from a less direct angle, hoping he will have an opportunity to contribute in a melee fight against the crazed dwarf.
Holding up his holy symbol again, Ezro beseeches Iomedea for her blessings, "Inheritor bless our blades to strike true to lay low this poor adversary!"
"Dwarf! Please lay down your weapons and surrender. It is not too late to stop this foolish attack. You are out numbered!" he yells to the dwarf.
Frowning heavily at the other caster, Alikia aims her crossbow at the dwarf. He appears to be within the range of her crossbow, so she shoots "Quinn. I take back what I stated earlier."
Unable to withstand the recoil, however, Alikia's shot goes wide, before embedding itself into one of the walls of the chamber.
The dwarf takes a five foot step back and casts a spell as a vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from his hand and engulfs Quinn and Hyram
Pass - Ok;
Fail - 2 HD or less: The creature is unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 (2) rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 (4) rounds, and then stunned for 1 round.
Hyram UP
Quinn's spear thrust clips off of the cavern wall, missing the dwarf badly. Before any of the others can engage, the dwarf steps deeper into the cave and a flood of colored light washes over the demon-blooded guardsman.
Quinn screams. He casts aside his longspear and launches himself through the rainbow spray.
As the shower of color surrounds Hyram, his senses are overloaded until he can no longer see and process his surroundings. He hears Quinn shout "Enough!" as he starts to lose consciousness...
Watching as the dwarf creates a pattern that overwhelms the front line, Alikia takes a deep breath before pulling a candle and a small fetish bag out of her spell component pouch. 'Guess now's a good a time as any to see if my studying paid off.' She thinks bemusedly to herself, before she starts to chant.
"أدعو الاتفاق الذي أدليت به لاستدعاء عليها حليف من الطائرات الخارجي. يخرج و اقراضي حفظك ."
"Blast it all!" Ezro yells as he charges at the dwarf, as the color spray knocks Hyram out.
"If you will not surrender, then I bring Iomedeas vengeance onto you evil creature!"
The dwarf, somehow manages to cast a spell, and he and Quinn begin to levitate off the ground and out of reach.
Ezro UP
Now that he is in range of the dwarf, if he is still standing when Aladir's next action comes up, he will strike at the mad foe with his sword.
The battle rages around Hyram, but he is oblivious. In his mind he is still surrounded by the bright colors...
Ezro watches as the dwarf levitates away with Quinn attached, swinging as he floats by.
"I feel the Inheritor has a sense of humor today!" he yells in surprise.
Finishing her casting, Alikia opens her eyes only to see Quinn and the dwarf floating in the air. "Man, I need to learn how to cast with my eyes open." She says to herself as she reloads her crossbow and takes aim at the dwarf. If she gets a good hit off on the dwarf, she may cause Quinn to fall. Taking a deep breath, Alikia decides to wait until Quinn is closer to the ground before taking her shot.
Meanwhile, a small bird appears on the battle field. It ruffles its feathers before taking flight towards the dwarf to attack. Clawing at the dwarf's scraggly beard, the small bird screeches in triumph.
Celestial Eagle
NG Small animal
Senses darvision 60 ft.; low-light vision; Perception +10
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Defense
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AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 5 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +4, [ b]Will [/b]+2
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5; SR 6;
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Offense
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Speed 10 ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
Melee 2 talons +3 (1d4), bite +3 (1d4)
Special Attacks Smite Evil 1/day
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 11
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills fly +8, perception +10, Racial modifiers +8 perception
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Special Abilities
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Smite Evil As a swift action (adds Cha bonus to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD against evil foes. smite persists until target is dead or celestial creature rests)
'Ah, I'm sure that the guard can handle a fall.'
Releasing her bolt, Alikia hopes that it finds its way into the dwarf as opposed into Quinn's back.