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After hanging the banner, and the army taking over the town and manning posts both in the Citadel and the Town, you take a few days off to rest. Early one morning, Aravashnial comes to you and reports, "I have had a sending from Queen Galfrey. She personally will not be coming, however she is sending a large contingent from her army, both warriors, merchants, and others that will be able to rebuild Drezen. She also is sending a messenger with a note from her, and the messenger should be here on the morrow."
Another day passes, with the army cleaning up the town, and settling in. The next morning a messenger arrives and brings a note from Queen Galfrey to you.
"Merchants?" Quinn starts as he accepts Galfrey's note in turn. "She wishes to rebuild Drezen?"
Quinn reads through the note. "It is good that our victory spurs our brethren to greater success in the South. But, what does she intend for our armies here in the North? Is Drezen to be spear into the heart of Deskari's legions, a shield against his march into Mendev, or a salve to heal the Wounded Lands around us?"
Quinn passes the note along while eyeing the messenger. "How soon will the Queen's contingent of soldiers and tradesmen be arriving?"
"I also am glad that our success is spurring the armies on to greater morale. Rebuilding Drezen seems like a good idea to me, with the Sword in place, it's untouchable by the demons and their ilk; we just have to ensure someone like Vhane isn't able to get his paws on it again."
"Do we still have Vhane's journal, by the way? I was so caught up in the horrors he wrote of that I completely forgot it named a succubus who is apparently some kind of Abyssal heretic. Aru-something...I can't remember the name now. But I do remember it said she was kept prisoner here. I think...I have a feeling that that cell we found, with the Desnan symbols and the prayer etched into the wall...I have a feeling that was her. Before we leave, I want to go back there. Re-center myself. That was one of the strongest connections to the Song of Spheres I've ever felt. Desna willing, we may run into her ourselves at some point. I hope that she's been able to escape Vhane's minions, at any rate."
"As far as where we should go from here, I think it'd be a good idea to seek out counsel from Irabeth, Sosiel, and Aron. I know a lot of the basics of the Worldwound's history, but I've never studied it to the depth they would've."
Hyram grimaces when he hears that merchants are on the way. I would think that fortifying this citadel would be more important than opening marketplaces, but that is why I am a humble servant and not an administrator!
Yes! Surely there are more demonkind that need to be expelled from these lands. Let us talk to the advisors and see which area is more apt to have them!
"My Lord. The contingent is riding hard, and should be here in two days. The merchants, laborers and those willing to bring the city back to life should be here in four days, as they are pulling wagons with supplies."
"Quinn, can we not be all those things? As we push forward it will be the merchants, and builders who do more to heal this land after us." Looking to the others he smiles, "Also it will be them who bring the good food and drink, yes? Crusaders are many great things, but 'Cook' is not one of them."
Gathering Irabeth, Aron, Sosiel, Aravashnial, Anevia and Horgus, you prepare for a council on what to do next.
"It is a good thing that the Queen is sending merchants, laborers and craftsmen. It will take all their efforts to rebuild this town and properly ready it for war."
"I would suggest that you search for the source of the Nahyndrian crystals mentioned in one of the journals you found. If they are the source of the transformation, outside of the Wardstone that transformed you, then it would be helpful to stop the Abyss from obtaining them."
"This redeemed Abyssal creature would be extremely helpful in trying to understand what plans and methods in use, and if there is anything it could help us learn about the enemy."
"I can provide a general map of the area south and west of Drezen. You should be able to find new information, and resources in our fight against demon kind."
"Well My Lord. Is there anything else that we can help with? I believe that we will await the new arrivals, including the new contingent of knights and the rest."
Alikia glances up from one of the recovered volumes at the mention of leaving the citadel. "If we must travel out into the wilds of the Worldwound," wrinkling her nose at the thought, "I suppose to track down these Nahyndrian crystals would be a worthwhile goal. It at least gives us a focus." Returning back to her tome, Alikia returns to half-listening.
Once he realizes Irabeth was addressing him, Quinn unconsciously begins rubbing one of his vestigial horns. "I am just a soldier. Capturing an enemy stronghold is in my wheelhouse. Rebuilding it into a functioning city, however..." Quinn shrugs helplessly.
"The words 'redeemed' and 'Abyssal creature' hardly go together in my mind. It is clear that the dwarf and the shadow demon that ruled here hated this demon, but that does not make her our friend. The enemy of our enemy is not always an ally." Quinn looks at Hyram and Aladir. "Nevertheless, we possess some skill at tracking evil. If it still lives and remains in the area, we should be able to run it to ground."
Quinn turns to Alikia and Ezro. "What of the Forge? That is an asset Vhane prized greatly. Could it not be turned to our use?"
"Normally I would agree with your assessment, Quinn, but I can't help but feel like this is a different, unique situation. We all saw the prison cell, the butterfly carvings and the prayer etched into the wall. The connection I felt to Desna there...that was not something that could be faked. Given the information we have, I can't imagine anyone being in that cell except this redeemed demon. And I can all but guarantee that, whoever it is, they aren't faking it."
"But...I do agree that the crystals are a priority for us...even if I'm right and it is this redeemed creature of the Abyss, we have no way of knowing where they are. So...I am agreed with you, Alikia."
I can be sure they aren't faking it! Hyram says proudly. He then sees the look of hope on Aladir's face. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. he adds trying to take the harshness (and the hint of excitement) out of his words. Realizing he is most likely failing horrendously, the Inquisitor tries to change the subject. Yes! the crystals should be our next objective He nods at Quinn and like brother Quinn says destroy any evil we may encounter!
"I wouldn't kill a creature merely because it looks demonic," Quinn smirks while tapping his own Abyssal features. "But, neither would I give one a pass merely because of a bit of graffiti."
"I have never encountered, nor even heard legend of a demon worthy of trust. We shall see."
"Nor would I expect any of you, or myself, to give a pass to a demon because of mere graffiti. But this was a great deal more than simply that; I can feel it." he answers, his voice as certain as it could be.
"Indeed we shall see. I only hope the other demon-hunters continue to be unsuccessful."
"I think it wise to keep our minds open to this demonic possibility, but not to open. As for the forge though, yes perhaps we could reconsecrate and turn it towards our end in helping to converted artifacts or constructing weapons of holy power ourselves. I think it could be an invaluable asset. Hyram, perhaps we could combine our strength in trying to consecrate this forge." Ezro says to the group.
Following Ezro lead, before you set out for the lands south and west of Drezen, you decide to try and redeem the corruption forge. With Ezro and Alikia pondering over the notes from Staunton Vhane's journal, you hope that you may be able to redeem it.
Hyram will confer with Alikia on the subject of religion.
Having no knowledge of the arcane, Ezro tries to aid in his Religious teachings, as much as he could.
Quinn parses his small bit of bardic knowledge for the benefit of the group.
Alikia nods along as the others offer assistance with pointing out the various religious iconography. After about thirty minutes of referencing the journal and listening to her friends, an epiphany occurs. "Ah, I think that this will take some time to fix, but it is doable."
With the help of all in the group, Alikia figures out how the Corruption Forge can be saved and turned into a Purify Forge. She can provide the Crafting ability , but Ezro will have to memorize the Hallow spell daily and cast it until the Forge is redeemed. Once the spell is cast, and Alikia goes to work on the Forge she will have to determine if she and Ezro have completed the proper actions.
Hyram watches anxiously as Alikia and Ezro try to redeem the forge, not sure if it is working or not.
Pulling on her heavy duty gloves, Alikia gets to work attempting to fix the forge into something that could be used without damming ones soul to the Abyss for all eternity. However, after the first day of chanting the supposed incantations, Alikia emerges from the room with significantly singed hair and smelling strongly of brimstone and moldy water. "I don't think my fixes took, unless we were going for explosions. That worked really well."
After Alikia comes out and tells the group that her ministrations did not work on the forge, you spend the night discussing what you will do on the morrow, when the first contingent of knights that Queen Galfrey is sending, shows up.
"The only one of us who is able to discern how to restore the Forge, at present, is Alikia...and there's no telling how long it would take for it to be figured out with her working alone. I say we continue forward and hope that something along the way will give us more information, that will help us restore the Forge. The longer we delay here, the further advanced the enemy's plans become."
I agree. Perhaps when the Queen arrives there might be those with her that can help our learned companion here.
Alikia offers Aladir and Hyram a sour expression, "I'm doing the best that I can, given the circumstances. It probably took a group of cultist or demons to create this thing, and I'm working mostly solo." punctuation her statement with an overzealous stab on whatever was in the mystery meat concoction today, Alikia's gaze sweeps around the dining area, pausing on Eron and Aravashnial. "Just give me one more day, I don't want to leave it here unattended. Some poor Paladin will probably touch it and fall from grace or something." She mentions, only half-joking.
"Excuse me, I think I may have an idea." she mentions to everyone, before approaching Aravashinal and Eron. "Aravashnial, Eron if your plate is not too full, could you help me with the forge? My studies alone have not been enough to redeem it."
"I'm happy to give another day for an attempt; I intended to leave that option open. It is no fault of yours that the understanding of magics is something I've never studied... though I may pick up a smattering of it now, just in case."
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Not happy that she can do this on her own without some help and luck, she asks Aravashnial and Aron for help.
"I would like to help, but I know nothing of spells or spellcraft. I am a simple man, however Aravashnial should be able."
"Yes, I can help. I, like you, have the ability to craft items, which seems to be what you were doing. However my knowledge of spells and spellcraft is not as advanced as you, but I will gladly do what I can to help."
As the day is nearing an end, you all break for the night. When morning comes, the contingent of Queen Galfrey army shows up, and reports in to Lady Irabeth and Quinn. The captain hands Irabeth a sealed letter with the Queen seal on it. As she opens and reads it, you can see that she is staggered somewhat.
"This can not be. Lord Quinn, this most have been meant for you." and the captain tells her that he was there when the Queen penned the letter and gave him instructions on just this issue and that the letter was indeed meant for her.
"It seems that the good Queen has assigned me as the leader of Drezen, and with the coming people, she wants me to help rebuild it so it may be a shining light to the World Wound and a staging place to finally close this evil off. Lord Quinn, she also has instructions for you to scout out the areas that Aron mentioned and see to clearing out the lands of the evil. I am sorry My Lord. It really should be you in charge here, and not I."
Quinn's normally stoic face masks his confusion as he accepts the letter from Irabeth. While the substance is easily understood, Quinn reads it through twice before it's meaning becomes clear.
If asked, even if ordered, Quinn would have tried to graciously decline the rule of Drezen. He would have argued, truthfully, that he did not believe himself suitable to such a role... that there were others, including Irabeth herself, much more capable. And yet... in spite of himself, Quinn was immediately conscious of an acute sense of loss.
He hands the letter back to the Lady Irabeth, stammering a bare salutatory remark made honestly but without his normal conviction. "There is no one I would trust more..."
...
Hours later, Quinn is standing some distance from a shattered wall when Irabeth finds him. "New duties keeping you busy?" he asks self consciously. Before she can answer, he launches his sword at the broken wall. The blade lodges itself deep, shattering masonry, but we'll wide of the target placed nearby. A moment later the sword returns to Quinn's hand.
"I've tried it with a few weapons," he says nodding to a pile of axes, daggers, and spears around the target. "It's only the swords that return to me. Not just Radiance, though," he says, sheathing the golden blade and picking up a mundane steel sword. In an explosion of golden light Quinn flies into a spin, launching the blade over and over again in rapid succession. The wall practically explodes in a shower of rock and dust as the blade bites into it repeatedly, each time returning immediately to his grasp.
"This is not the sword's power," he says as he tosses aside the chewed-up and dented blade. "It's not my power," he says hurling a dagger at the wall and then waiting a moment for the dagger to return to his hand. When nothing happens he walks over and picks up the wayward dagger. "This is the goddess's power. The sword flies where I throw it and returns when I will it. So, am I to be the Lady's sword? Driven upon her enemies and then called back at victory?"
Aladir takes advantage of the respite of time given to the group to do as he said, making his way back down to the prison cell with the engraved prayer and butterfly images.
The moment he crosses the threshold of the room, he is again overwhelmed with a sensation of peace and serenity, the feeling of closeness to Desna filling his spirit to overflowing. Lowering himself to the floor, his back against the bars of the cell and facing the prayer on the wall, he begins talking, slowly at first but growing more comfortable as the moments pass.
It was less a prayer and more a simple conversation; he felt that there was nowhere on Golarion he'd ever been where he would be nearer to the Song of Spheres, and so he just...talked. Of his childhood, scrimping and saving to help his family get by. Of the disaster in Kenabres that first brought the entire group together and everything that had happened to them since. The abilities that had been granted to all of them by the wardstone's explosion, somehow uniquely tied to the talents and skills It occurred to him that he had spent precious little time communing with his goddess since everything had started...and while a few moments here would not make up for it, at the very least he could begin the process.
When he finally felt that he had spoken everything on his heart, he simply basked in the aura of the room a while longer. How much time passed, he wasn't sure; it might have been a few minutes, it might have been an hour, it might have been more. Eventually, though, he realized that his meditation needed to end, so he rose from the floor and went back to the ground level of the citadel to find the others.
Alikia vanishes into the forge area, this time practically dragging Ezro and Aravashinal behind her, as she begins fiddling with even more runes. It takes nearly half the day for her to realize that she has been talking to Aravashinal in Hallit, in place of common. By that point, while making better time and breakthroughs than yesterday, she realizes that most of the day had been wasted.
Dragging herself upstairs, slightly disheartened. "No luck today, but I'm ready to move out. I'll try again when we are here for another day or two." she mentions to the others, "Thank you Ezro for your help today. I wouldn't even be able to make headway without your magical connection to Iomedae."
"Of course Alikia, I can only imagine how much evil is ingrained in that forge, it may be some time before we can redeem it!"
Hyram, not interested with the endless petitions that are a given when running a settlement, is surprised that Quinn seems...disappointed. Fear not Brother! A few days on the road hunting demons and you would not want to trade places at all with Irabeth!
Hyram nods not unexpectedly at the news that the forge is still corrupted. He nods in assent with Ezro. Agreed! I am sure it took the friends of demon-kind many days to corrupt it!
He then grabs his meager belongings. Shall we continue on our journey?
At Hyram's words, Quinn's fiendish features relax and the young... very young... guardsmen he had been only a handful of weeks before shines through.
"I was dreading this year's Armasse celebration. Every year I had attended, I had hoped to be chosen as squire to one of the Crusading Knights. Passing the age of majority was more painful in some ways than being poisoned with demon's blood and awakening like this," he taps a jagged horn.
"Bah...!" Quinn casts aside the dagger he'd been holding. "I'm a Knight-Commander of a Crusader Army, just as I had wished. I never wished to be a beurocrat, settling petty disputes and levying taxes..."
Quinn starts to walk towards the stables, but pauses after a few steps.
"... it just would have been nice to have been asked."
Spending the night in Citadel Drezen, you wake to a caravan of many wagons, escorted by more knights arriving at the Citadel. These are the merchants, laborers, craftsmen, and families that intend to settle in the Fort and rebuild it to be the shining light for the Crusaders in the battle for the World Wound. As the folk begin to settle in the town surrounding the Citadel, you meet with Irabeth and the council one last time.
"There is a shrine to Erastil located to the south. If you would investigate I would appreciate that."
"I will continue to work with Sosiel and any others that have skills in magic to try and redeem the Forge while you take the harder task of clearing out the foes in the southern area. Good luck to you. We will talk when you return."
"I would suggest that you follow the dry river bed back east and Keeper Canyon. Then head south to Vilareth Ford. From there I believe that you can find the Shrine to Erastil by going west and slightly north. From there, continue to search the area to the west, and you should be ok. As we gain information hear, we will use sending to contact you."
After the final instructions, and suggestions from the council you leave the city and begin the journey using the suggestions that Aron provided. After reaching Vilareth Ford, you leave the familiar path, and head inland hoping to find the Shrine of Erastil. You come to a lava flow and according to Aron, this is where you should find the entrance.
Searching the area, you look down the cleft and about 200 feet down, just above the lava flow, you see an opening in the wall.
Aladir creeps up to the opening in the wall, still feeling somewhat paranoid, and tries to see what might be beyond the opening.
A trek through the wilderness of the Worldwound would not normally be the kind of thing that would lighten someone's spirits. Nevertheless, Quinn's mood improved steadily the deeper they got into the wild lands.
Quinn felt no connection to the land due to his demonic nature, but he was definitely more suited to it because of it. Brambles and briars that tore through flesh skidded harmlessly off of his naturally hardened skin. The unnatural heat of the region felt like a cool breeze to his natural resistance. The result was that he never felt the doldrums of the march. When they crossed the ford, Quinn had started humming mindless tunes to himself. By the time they reached the lava flow separating them from the chapel, he was positively cheerful.
Looking over the edge, Aladir frowns slightly, noting the opening near the lava flow. Looking back to the rest of the group, he shrugs slightly. "Well...unless we've got a bunch of fly or spider-climbs available, or unless someone can levit...wait. Quinn, don't you have the scale from Terendelev that allows you to levitate? Would that be enough to get us all to the bottom? Even going one at a time if it's necessary."