GM Kiora's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Kiora Atua

The various onlookers and looky-loos whisper amongst themselves at Valaria and Isilme's explanation, but to their credit, do not rise up in violence against the demonic-looking woman. Valais grips the back of Hinagiku's blouse tightly with mismatched claws, shaking slightly from the open stares, but otherwise keeps quiet.

There are a few whispers at Ary's comments though - "Is that Faith?" "I think so... I didn't know Captain Bishop was an elf..." "Half-breed, by the looks of it..."

But if there's anything a Raelis knows best, it's the less traveled route - so with Isilme at the lead, the group avoids the main streets in an effort to get to a crusader command post with as few gawkers as possible. They arrive, expressing a desire to report what they've seen as soon as possible.

There is a pause while the group is scanned upon entry - with several confused paladins attempting to scan Valais only to find no traces of evil upon her- but eventually they are ushered in to see Commander Mazrarad. The Commander is a heavily scarred dwarf woman, and her office walls are completely covered with a variety of weapons, mostly axes but some hammers, swords, daggers and maces as well. She ushers the group in, narrowing her eyes at Valais' horrific appearance, then goes back to focusing on sharpening one of her many axes. She is gruff and to the point.

"Captain Bishop. It's about time we've met." Her eyes trace over Faith's proud form for a moment. If she's surprised by her appearance, she doesn't let it show.

"And.... Isilme and Valaria Alazario is it? Trouble seems to follow you, doesn't it?" she scoffs, recognizing them from accompanying Markus' report on their squad's involvement in the Siege of the Diamond City a few days ago.

"Ah, and Xanderghul, rare to see your face in the Diamond City. I've heard reports that your Pathfinder Lodge has been destroyed this morning. Make your report."

Aid(Isilme): 1d20 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (14) + 2 - 1 = 15 I figure my previously less-eloquent attempt at diplomacy (just-the-facts!) works to help stir the crowd a bit, pushing Isilme to a 35.

Any opinion Ary may have had in regards to the book, she keeps to herself - at least for now. She appreciated both Valaria and Isilme's work in ensuring the crowd recognized Valais as a person rather than a thing. As the crowd begins to mutter, her half-breed ears twitch slightly as she picks up on the strands of conversation. "It is, and she wasn't. But she is now." she says offering a small shrug before being pulled away from the crowd by Isilme.

* * *

Along the way, she brings up her own opinion on the grimoire, choosing neither side. "It's... complicated. Information is what will win or lose us the war. By not sharing the information, we maintain the strength of the knowledge as our own weapon and shield, but leave many others without such defenses. If we share the information, then the edge we have becomes dulled and eventually worthless. Both will save lives, but..." she shakes her head. "Unfortunately... there isn't an ideal solution. I... lean towards sharing the information, if only to damage their ability to move in the near future. Certainly, it could save us later, but removing broad swathes of their effectiveness by rendering their codes worthless is of greater value in the near term. I will leave it to the rest of you to decide... just do so quickly."

* * *

Ary's eyes narrow slightly at the sight of so many weapons just decorating walls. Her index finger traces along the hilt of Radiance, remembering a similar fate that the sword had been subjected to. A minor travesty in its own right. She quirks a brow when the woman seems to direct the comment of 'give your report' to Xanderghul, but seems content to fade into the background for now.

Honestly, I'm not going to be able to make a great report, due to a combination of time, and due to the fact that I don't remember many of the minor details I normally would from having 'been there'. There were far too many scene changes, far too quickly, leaving me disoriented for much of it. Sort of fitting for a Temple of Baphomet, I suppose.

On the way there
"Using the grimoire to root out infiltrators depends entirely on the grimoire only being in possession of those who can be trusted. Given the level of infiltration we have witnessed, it is likely that the knowledge of the book's capture would be leaked long before anything useful came of it," Isilme says, countering Ehren's point. "Case in point, prior to this unexpected jaunt through the dark recesses of the space beneath the pathfinder lodge, we would have happily turned in such a tome directly to Ser Jorsal. From there the book likely would have disappeared without a trace, or been replaced with a copy with incorrect information." She pauses for a moment afterwards and then adds, "But if a majority of the group wishes to turn the book in, or if you feel it best, Ary, I will not object."

----------------------------------
Upon Arrival

"Commander Mazrarad, it is good to see you again,” Isilme says, saluting the dwarf respectfully.

”While it may seem that trouble follows us around, we prefer to think of it as doing what we can for the crusades, since the trouble we find tends to be of the sort which needs to be resolved immediately. For example, the situation at the Pathfinder lodge today. It will no doubt come as a surprise to you that Ser Jorsal was associated with the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth. He had been using a secret temple to Baphomet beneath the lodge to conduct experiments in assembling flesh golems from demonic parts, and even grafting them onto unwilling subjects," she explains to the commander.

She glances at Valais for a moment and then back at the commander before continuing. "Valais here was one of those he used for his experimentation, leaving her in the condition you see her in now. Also there were a pair of infants who had been turned into demons as well. Unfortunately the transformation drove them mad, and so we decided the merciful thing would be to free their souls from that torment.” She looks saddened for a moment, but continues. ”By the time we searched through the ruins, Jorsal had already left the city, though we did find and pore through quite a bit of his research notes. We also found a statue which had been delivered to him bearing a message from a dwarf in Drezen summoning him there. It is likely he has fled to make use of his successes in researching reanimation and grafting of demonic components. Unfortunately, Jorsal’s study down there was rigged with some sort of trap which nearly brought the entire complex down upon us. We only managed to escape with mere seconds to spare.”

Isilme looks at Ehren and says ”Ehren, You grabbed the statue, correct? We should hand it over to the Commander.” After he produces the statue, she looks at the others and says, ”Have I forgotten anything? It has been a rather hectic day after all.”

Once Valais starts grabbing onto her, Hinagiku takes-off her cloak and kindly drapes the pathfinder's shoulder with it, allowing the woman to draw the hood over her head if desired.

When the question of the grimoire is brought up, Hinagiku frowns slightly.
"Miss Isilme, I agree that we must keep this fact from being known by the followers of Baphomet. But Ehren's words are wise too. More so, it would be unwise to keep it to ourselves, if one day we all fall to onis, the knowledge would be lost. I believe she should give it to a high authority, keep its knowledge restrained to a few, but not only to us."

On their way to the nearest crusader command post, Hinagiku remains alert to her surroundings, making sure that no one is following them or coming at them harboring ill intents toward Valais. However, she also keeps an eye on the group, reading its dynamics and trying to figure out what needs to be done to keep its cohesion. Thus, she keeps close to Valais, comforting her every so often. However, her gaze also fall on Ehren, and she remembers his reaction to being healed back in the laboraties. She moves next to him:
"Mr. Ehren, are you feet alright?... and why is it that you always travel barefoot? It seems dangerous? Is it a family tradition?" she asks, in tone serene enough to make the question sound less awkward than it could have.

At the command center
Hinagiku stays at the back, silent, and listens to the ongoing conversation.

Edit When asked about whether she has forgotten anything, Hinagiku speaks up, making an extra effort to speak slowly so she can easily be understood even with her slight accent.
"There was also the matter of Ser Jorsal's squire. He has disappeared but should also be looked for.".

Before...
"That may be so, Isilme," Ehren replies, not at all oblivious to her own logic and wisdom, "But take care not to lose trust in all of our allies."

During the walk...
"They are fine now. Thank you again," Ehren says to Hinagiku with a smile, not at all opposed to shifting to a lighter topic. He looks down at his feet as he ponders her harmless questions. He had never really bothered to give an in-depth answer before.

"Anghofiwch nid bod y ddaear yn ymhyfrydu i deimlo eich traed noeth a'r gwyntoedd hir i chwarae gyda'ch gwallt. Or in the Common tongue, 'Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.' Eschewing the trappings that separate us from nature is one of our simplest yet greatest means of establishing a relationship with it." Even as he walks, the druid wiggles his toes around. "My clan draws its power from the earth itself. For the novices among us, feeling it against one's soles is an exercise in learning to channel the ley. For the rest of us... I suppose it is just a force of habit."

At the command center
Nodding at Isilme, Ehren turns to Ary to retrieve the glabrezu statue. In their hurry to leave the lodge, he had shoved the ugly thing into her pack. He felt a little bad about using her as a pack mule, when a simple spell would have let him carry his own weight - he resolves to keep that in mind in the future.

After producing the statue, Ehren checks it with detect magic to see whether its message was still intact. "It can only be Vhane," the druid posits upon hearing that the speaker was a dwarf. "Commander Tirablade told us his betrayal might have been what caused the fall of Drezen in the first place. We found a map of the city down there, with suspicious markings on it."

"I still find it odd that the statue decided to replay its message to us. I'm not a magic user, but it seems like a strange mistake to have the magic mouth spell recite the message for anyone who finds it." She reaches into her pack and draws out the maps she had recovered from the study. "But I think we have something to fear in Drezen. These maps show movements around the city. I fear that the demons holding the city are scheming something."

"Well," begins Xanderghul with a sly smile, "Like all good stories, it began with a friend flaking off drinking plans." He pauses for effect, realizing probably that nobody's going to laugh, and sighs. "Actually, that's not how very many good stories begin. Maybe that's where the demonic infants and the deconstruction and reconstruction of a good friend came in."

Xanderghul tilts his head, thinking for a minute. "Anyway. I showed up at the Lodge looking for Venture-Captain Jorsal, and I found it totally empty. Well, not two minutes pass after I broke in that there's a knock on the door, and these fellows," he says, indicating the rest of the party, "Show up, looking for Ser Jorsal as well! Well, I thought that was just an excellent, positive coincidence, and we all decided to search for him together. In the storeroom we found Valais here," he waves at the amalgam demon-Pathfinder-thing, "Who told us about a secret tunnel leading to some vague research facility down the stairs. We went down, passed through a broken-down maze, before coming to the place itself."

He puts a hand on his chin. He taps his chin with his nail, and it makes a -tink- noise. Both surfaces are hard, it seems. "We found... a library, and a room full of big vats. The vats had other test subjects in them, apparently humanoids of various type with demonic parts stitched on. I believe one of our present company figured how such a thing happened, but it's not typically something that's possible."

"We spent some time reading, but we didn't manage to recover anything of note before the whole facility began to crumble. We rushed out in much haste, dodging by flesh-construct creatures and tricking a ghostly minotaur servitor of Baphomet."

Xanderghul tilts his head. "And now I need a new job, as both my place of work and my direct superior are missing. We recovered evidence that Ser Jorsal himself is some kind of demonic cultist, and the minotaur mentioned that he was a Deskari worshipper, I believe. Unless he had meant Vhane. Point is, the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth have infiltrated quite high in Crusader leadership, or have at least gained the ability to reliably impersonate Crusader leadership."

Commander Mazrarad listens quietly, the only sound she makes is the scraping of her axe against the grindstone.

"So. Ser Jorsal, a traitor. And just after he was so recently promoted too," she says, thoughtfully. She puts her axe down to inspect the maps and the statue. "So he's gone to Drezen, correct? And that's where that worm, Staunton Vhane is hiding? What are they up to?"

"As for his squire," she says, addressing Hinagiku. "He is either dead or an accomplice. I'm not sure if investing the resources in order to look for him is the right call right now. But I'll bring the matter up to the other commanders."

"As for you... Valais. It seems that you've gone through a terrible ordeal. I think I'll refer you to Commander Valerys' care. If there's anyone who can help reverse what's been done to you, it's the priests of the Dawnflower."

Valais nods mutely, though she doesn't seem very enthused about separating from her new friends.

"Thank you for your report, soldiers. Captain Bishop's direct superior officer was Ser Jorsal as well, so it seems her group is in the same cart as you, Xanderghul... for the time being I think you should stick together until we assign you to a new commander. She's a capable Captain, if a bit younger than what you're used to. I trust you all to make yourself useful in Nerosyan. I'll send for you when I have news. If there's nothing further to add, you're dismissed."

-------

Once the group has finished up with Commander Mazrarad, they head back to The Hunting Vrock, which has been accommodating Ary's group for their stay in Nerosyan. The sun is beginning to set outside, and the tavern is bustling with workers relaxing after a long day's work of helping to rebuild Nerosyan after the recent attacks.

"Ahhhhh there you are! Where have you been!" cries a familiar voice. Annabelle comes flying out to wrap Valaria in a tight hug. The cavalier seems all the way back to normal - indeed - even her long hair has been restored in her revival. She grabs Valaria by the wrist, her grip probably a little tighter than she intended, and drags the group towards a table that she had been saving.

There sits Markus, remarkably clean for a man who spent his day in a surgical unit, along with Sosiel and Aron. The young lovers beam and wave at the group, scooting their chairs to make sure they have room for all six of them.

"You've been busy." Markus says, his crimson eyes flicking to the singed cloth around Ehren's shoulders. "So what suicide mission has Ser Jorsal sent you on next?"

Annabelle smiles at Xanderghul, extending a hand. It's cold to the touch. "Hi! You're a new face. I'm Annabelle, and this is Markus. And this is my dumb brother, Aron, and his boyfriend, Sosiel. What's your name?"

"That seems to be the long and short of it commander," Val says dryly. "I'm sure there's something else awful that we overlooked, considering our luck, but that seems like an accurate summary of events." She smiles at Xanderghul. "Well, it looks like you're stuck with us for now Xan. Welcome to the team. I'm sure you'll be extremely helpful next time we end up going on a suicide mission."

Val is slightly caught off-guard as the ballistic missile that is Annabelle shoots across the room and hugs her upon their return to the inn. "Annabelle! You're alright! I was starting to get worried that something had happened to you." She enthusiastically returns the hug and allows herself to be dragged off to the rest of the group. She chuckles at Markus's question. "Oh, we were looking for him when we found a haunted labyrinth underneath the Pathfinder Lodge that we just had to explore. We found a secret lab belonging to a spy and a bunch of horrific Abyssal experiments that we had to deal with. Oh, and a ghost minotaur sent by Baphomet to guard the place. Pretty standard day overall."

Ehren looks on at Annabelle with a smile, happy to see that she has been restored. When Markus had said that the mask would revive her, he had not known exactly what to expect.

"Ser Jorsal will not be sending us anywhere," Ehren says as he seats himself. "As it would turn out, he has been in league with the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth for quite some time. There is no telling how long it would have taken for anyone to find out, had we not stumbled upon his lair. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that he must have escaped from Nerosyan during the chaos of the demon attack. "

"A... few things, actually." Ary adds, as Valaria mentions overlooking a few things. "I didn't read much of what we found in the initial library we found, but... the alchemist had gathered a great deal of information regarding sacrifices, demonic magic, and... reagents required to utilize such magic. Which brings up the important point that he was utilizing a lot of very nasty stuff that he had to be getting somewhere. Possibly delivered. He had a very large supply of Abyssal Larva, and at least two babies." she adds, making it clear what sort of things were going on within the city's walls.

"In addition, it would seem that the prophecy we were sent to retrieve fell into the hands of a man named Cagriggar, who happens to be a Pathfinder - one that Valais says Ser Jorsal knew. One that bound himself to a demon in order to survive his fight with us before flying into the depths of the city with the prophecy intact. He had allied himself with three others, a Tengu - Graukr?" she says, looking to Hina for confirmation, "A mercenary, Embla, and an Orlovski were also involved. Two of which were supposed to be taken care of by Jorsal once we returned here. We requested leniency for the pair, as well as the return of their belongings, so goodness only knows what he did with them." she adds, shaking her head.

She looks to Isilme, before continuing, looking back to the commander. "I do believe that the work he did could be used for good, however. Most of his notes were destroyed, but if we had soldiers willing to do so, we could likely empower our forces by similar... less damnable processes. I happen to have one soldier within my squad who had a similar fate thrust upon her - a celestial in a mortal form. Unfortunately, I have no way to know, nor desire to seek out how to make all of that possible. A purified process with willing members, including any celestial being willing to aid us, could create a great deal of more potent troops."

Her eyes narrow slightly and her lips purse when it's declared she'll be taking Xanderghul for the time - she'd intended to request a replacement, but now she was glad she hadn't. She knew there was no replacement for Markus, least of all the annoying little man who knew less than half as much about magic - if the number of things he didn't understand of his own apparent field - as the man she'd come to rely upon... but she was used to taking orders she didn't agree with and making them work.

* * *

Out of time. Will try to get a post up for scene change.

Noticing Valais's reticence to be separated from the group, Isilme interjects after the commander's suggestion that the Saraenites will work to heal her, saying
"We will make sure to have our friend Markus come and check in on you regularly when we are out of Nerosyan, Valais. Once you are feeling better, perhaps you can join us in our travels." She gives Valais a smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder. \

When the group heads back to the Inn, Isilme is pleased to see that Annabelle has returned to life again. "Welcome back Annabelle, it is good to see you alive again," she says, stealing a hug after Annabelle has finished ambushing Valaria. When they arrive at the table, she gives Markus a hug, and nods at Aron and Sosiel. "It is good to see you both again! How are you feeling Aron? Adjusting to your new body?" She turns to Markus and asks "And how is your work in the surgical unit going Markus? I imagine they are thrilled to have you helping out."

She lets the others speak for a bit, then chimes in after Ehren. "What Ehren says is true. Apparently Ser Jorsal has been serving the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth for a while. It certainly explains how it happened that Caggrigar and his crew arrived at the tome before we did. Honestly if he had left a note explaining that he had gone for some reason, instead of vanishing into thin air, we likely never would have searched the pathfinder lodge for evidence of his fate, and never would've found the lair or evidence that he'd betrayed the crusades." It *was* mostly luck that had let them find the hidden passage to begin with after all, and without the impetus to find him, it's unlikely that anyone would have ever given that storage room a second thought. "It is a shame he was able to escape unnoticed from the city, I am loathe to think what he might do with his breakthrough in Drezen."

Previously...

Valais nods at Isilme as she is ushered out of the room by a pair of crusaders wearing tabards emblazoned with the holy symbol of Sarenrae. "Okay! Maybe they can fix me," she says, optimistically.

Commander Mazrarad listens to Ary fill in the gaps between her team members' reports. She wrinkles her nose in distaste.

"Ugh. Larvae and children. Even though it means less evidence for us... in a way I'm glad that vile place was destroyed. I'll look into this... Embla and Orlovski, though, if they were sent to Ser Jorsal, their fate was likely similar to that of Valais."

She looks at Valais thoughtfully when Ary mentions the idea of using Ser Jorsal's research for good - "I'm not sure if a patchwork of celestial parts would be much better than one of demonic, but I suppose either way the point is moot if we don't have access to his research notes to begin with. It's something worth thinking about either way."

If she notices Ary's discomfort at having been assigned Xanderghul to her team, she makes no mention of it.

-----

Now....

Annabelle returns Isilme's hug, and breaks her attention away from Xanderghul for a moment to scan the group anxiously... before finally doubling back to Hinagiku.

"Senpai? Is that you?" she says, astonished, before wrapping the kitsune in a tight hug. "Sorry... I didn't recognize you!" She backs off a bit to get a better look at her. "You look beautiful. Come on, sit next to me, senpai."

Meanwhile, Markus listens to Valaria, Isilme and Ehren with a small frown. "Is... that so? That actually makes a lot of sense."

Sosiel crosses his arms. "You know, I saw Ser Jorsal in the city when it was attacked... he was the one who wanted us to change course to the other ramparts... I thought that was odd but who am I to question a Third Sword-Knight?"

Markus stirs together his stewed pork and roasted turnips absentmindedly. "So what are you doing next?"

It is my intention to time skip forwards, so if you have business in Nerosyan/NPCs to check in with, please speak up now. I'll move forwards when all 6 of you check in and declare you're ready to move on.

"I... have no idea. The guy who's been giving us our orders just turned out to be a spy, so I have no idea what's next. Though it does explain why we kept getting sent on suicide missions."

After wishing Valais the best in the care of the Saraenites, speaking of a near future in which they might meet again, and gently pressing her hand on the pathfinder’s shoulder, Hinagiku salutes the woman and leaves the command center with the others.

Arriving at the Vrock and hearing Annabelle brings a brief smile to Hinagiku’s lips. A smile which she quickly hides for they still appear more like a snarl. Luckily, she quickly forgets about it when Annabelle recognizes her and starts praising her new form.

”Yes, it is I. ” she answers, reciprocating with a warm and gentle hug. ”Do not be sorry. No one would recognize me, my new form is so different.” she finishes sitting next to the cavalier.

After making herself comfortable, mostly trying to find a safe and comfortable place to put her tail, Hinagiku continues:
”I am really glad you are back. I was worried when I didn’t see you yesterday.” she says, placing her hand on Annabelle’s before looking at Aron. ”So, you finally have had time with your brother. And with Mr. Sosiel.” she continues, showing a rare enthusiasm. ”Do you approve?” she finishes, a barely noticeable smile on her lips. But it is short lived, for Hinagiku usual mindset reasserts itself over the new alien one. ”Mr. Sosiel, please forgive it’s... no there is no excuse. Please simply forgive me, I did not wish to make you ill at ease.” she says, bowing her head.

"I'm pretty sure just "day to day life in Mendev" constitutes a suicide mission" says Markus dryly. He nods as the bartender, a young woman with golden hair and a scar on her face, arrives to stock the table with fresh bread, plates of stewed beef and cabbage, and several tankards of stout and mead.

Aron grasps Sosiel's hand tightly - the Shelynite laughs.

"Don't be sorry... Hinagiku is it? The Eternal Rose teaches us to find beauty in all things, though I don't have to try very hard to find it in his new form." He gives Aron a sly grin.

Annabelle rolls her eyes. "Ugh, get a room."

"Can we please stop calling them suicide missions?" Ehren asks with a frown, pulling a tankard toward himself. "It's defeatist. Not to mention depressing."

He takes a deep draught of mead before speaking again.

"I suppose they just need time to figure out where to send us next."

Asides from saying goodbye to his father and sisters, Ehren doesn't have any other business.

"You don't need fixing, Valais!" Ary calls to the woman as she leaves, shaking her head slightly. "And it's not about cobbling people together. That's not at all what I'm talking about. One of the weakest amongst the celestials is a being whose very essence is comprised of the minds and souls of several hundred heroic soldiers. Having access to that sort of knowledge, readily, by somehow binding them to the soldiers is more what I'm thinking of. I know it's not likely possible... but it came to mind while I was seeing all of that." she finishes, chewing her lip.

* * *

Ary watches as Annabelle jumps between each of them, smiling slightly - not her typical smirk, though. "Hey, 'Belle." she adds. She was fairly certain the woman would recognize her readily, given her accouterments.

"Well, I mean, to be fair... we did kinda die in the last one. So the term applies." Ary adds in response to Aron as she grabs a chunk of bread for herself, and begins picking it apart. The smirk was back, now.

Funnily, the question was aimed at Annabelle, not Sosiel
Hinagiku lifts back her head calmly, not embarrassed, simply wanting to make sure others were not offended. Her eyes betraying a hint of care and amusement.
"Yes, Hinagiku." she pauses. "Though the attack ended a few days ago, are there still many wounded to be treated?" she says, looking to Sosiel and Markus in turn. "If so, I will head there shortly."

Suicide mission
Hinagiku gently nods in agreement with Ehren.
"Yes, pessimistic. Though we may all be ready to sacrifice ourselves if needed, no lives, not ours are worth wasting away." she says with detachment.

Isilme settles down and orders a drink of mead and some bread to go with it, enjoying the moment with her friends. She laughs at Sosiel's approval of Aron's new body and Annabelle's reaction, and listens as the conversation goes back and forth.

When the conversation turns to the seemingly deadly nature of their missions she chimes in. "While calling our missions 'suicide missions' does seem pessimistic, in retrospect it might not be far off given that our superior officer was working against us. I have no doubt Ser Jorsal might have been tailoring our missions with the possibility of leading us to our doom, after all, it was on his assignment we encountered Mesamorga, Nabasu waiting along our ingress to the city, and Caggrigar and the giant scorpion on the way out. Perhaps some was coincidence, but if we were any less prepared that trip might have been our last." Isilme adds to the conversation. "While we were unable to capture him, we are still here despite his best efforts, and we have uncovered his duplicity and saved Valais. That and all we've done to thwart the cause of the demons overall are worth celebrating," she says, smiling as she finishes.

Annabelle gives Ary a fanged grin. "Captain Bishop! I like what you've done with your hair. Matches the tabard, y'know?"

Sosiel nods at Hinagiku after taking a long draught from his tankard. "Yes, we can always use the help. I didn't realize you were a cleric, or I would have asked you sooner!" He gives her a kind smile.

Xanderghul gladly shakes Annabelle's hand, taking note of her red eyes and her pallid complexion without making note of it. "Aron... Sosiel... Markus... and Annabelle," he responds, taking a moment to point at each person as he's introduced to them, but in a pointedly different order from which he was given the names. It's a mnemonic tactic. "You can call me Xanderghul. I am a Pathfinder, a Crusader, and a recent acquaintance with who I can only assume are your friends? I led them through their most recent deadly questline." He goes with her when she leads the group over to a table, and gets a waiter... or whatever... to bring him some soup and some white wine, if they have any.

"So, it looks like we'll all be working together more. It's just as well - three of you are amongst the most interesting persons I've ever met. Perhaps even second through fourth." He looks at Ehren and Ary, holding up his hands in an attempt at placation. "No offense intended, of course. Classic themes are just as important as reinventions of the self, but a Kellid druid and a demonhunting Mendevian Crusader aren't necessarily unique."

He looks around at his new acquaintances, and apparently new team-members. "Does anybody have any questions for me? I know that humans like to get to know the people they'll be spending time with and my life and self are open books."

Hinagiku eats a piece of bread and some cabbage before answering to Sosiel.
"I am a disciple of the Master of masters." she starts, subtly motioning toward the holy symbol dangling from her neck. "I am simply a novice. Though I follow His teaching, I do not devote myself exclusively to understanding them, unlike some monks. Still, I can heal some minor injuries when needed. I will go meditate for an hour and then I will go wherever you direct me to." she says, standing up.

Before leaving the table Hinagiku salute the others, and leaves for her room.

With Xanderghul
"Humans? Mr. Xanderghul, do you mean to say that you are not human yourself?" Hinagiku asks. She had noticed some peculiarities about the man, but she had thought that he had been somewhat tainted by the Worldwound, not that he was of a totally different species.

After he answers, Hinagiku thinks for a moment before asking the only question which would be necessary.
"Mr. Xanderghul, do you require special care when injured?"

After the meditation, Hinagiku will spend the first part of the night attending to whoever is sitll wounded, and preaching about Irori. Then she'll simply rest and wait for the next mission. Ready to move on.

"No, he is not," Ehren says, having already seen the wizard's otherworldly spirit for himself. He takes another sip of mead. Blunt as Xanderghul's statement was, the druid was not particularly offended. As far as he was concerned, the other man just did not know any better.

"I can drink to that," Val says to Isilme's thoughts. "Maybe we'll actually get a commander that doesn't send us to the most demon infested locations possible when they get around to sending another commander our way."

She chuckles. "You know, I think I never actually asked what's up with you Xan. You certainly haven't aged a day, but we haven't seen each other in decades. Aasimar?"

Xanderghul raises an eyebrow at Ehren's comment about him not being human. Perhaps the Kellid was more educated that his ancestry would otherwise suggest? No matter. "No, I am not human. I've been researching myself for hundreds of years, and as far as I know my body is made of the shard of another's soul. My body is similar to that of a petitioner, and that gives me an indefinite lifespan."

"My natural skill at arcane magic is very similar to that which is studied by the Cypher Lodge, who study Thassilonian ruins. As such, I believe I am a byproduct of research made by a wizard many thousands of years ago," he explains. "Because of my close connection to natural humans, though, I will not require any special dispensation for healing. Thank you for double-checking. It's surprising- ah, significantly? No, not quite. Hmm, it's... quite forward-thinking of you," he finishes somewhat awkwardly.

He rubs the burns he'd acquired during the maze-crawl, grimacing. "If at all possible, I'd like to seek some healing before it's time to sleep, though."

Xanderghul's burns had totally escaped Hinagiku's notice until he mentionned them.
"Mr.Xanderghul, if you desire, join me when I leave to heal some of the remaining wounder of the city, and the Master of masters power should renew your body too." she says, the comment on her forwardness barely noticed.

"Come to think of it, I could use a little bit of medical attention too. That minotaur really did a number on me with his ghost touch thing."

"So you were created?" Ehren asks, the question more or less rhetorical. If his understanding was correct, then Xanderghul was every bit as artificial as the creatures they fought beneath the lodge. Though, perhaps less sinister, less... wrong. Indeed, he appeared no different from a living, breathing man. That invited the more enticing question. Who could be capable of such a thing?

When Xanderghul and Valaria mention their injuries, Ehren opens his mouth again, as though to start saying something. There was little point in concealing his newfound deficiency.

"I'm afraid that I am not much good for that anymore," the druid says with a wry grin, looking down at his hands. "I seem to have lost my affinity for curative magic. And what power my wands have left will soon run out. Perhaps in time I can acquire a replacement, but until then..." He glances at Hinagiku, shrugging with an apologetic look. "I still have the traditional techniques to fall back on, of course. Markus can attest to those."

"That is a bit... unfortunate. We've proven to be quite good at racking up injuries whenever we go someplace. I suppose we should see if we can get our hands on another wand then. There has to be at least once place in the capitol of gods damned Mendev that has one..."

I think I'm good to go.

Pageant of the Peacock/Bluff - Bardic Knowledge(Planes): 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 15 + 4 = 31

Isilme listens to Xanderghul's description of himself with interest and thinks back, trying to recall if she'd heard of such a being before. She focuses on the dreamlike fragments of the knowledge she'd once had before being confined within the blade (and subsequently Li'an's body), and after a few moments begins to speak from her reverie. "A fragment of a whole, taken aside and formed anew to suffer in its place. The child of the most powerful of spell-casters who seek immortality and fear death. Shabti is the name given to such children of vanity and power," she says dreamily, explaining what she knows of the situation to the others.

"Impressive. I can no longer be certain--my memories of such a time have faded--but you might very well be older than I am, Xanderghul," she says as she begins to waken from the trance. "Many Shabti find themselves in other planes when they awaken. Did you awaken out in the planes, or here?" she asks, curious about his origins.

When the conversation turns to healing, she adds "As always, I can heal some as well, although I haven't quite the staying power as Markus had in that regard, and cannot do much more than the most basic of healing spells at the moment."

About healing
Hinagiku turns sympathetic eyes toward Ehren. This must have been what had made him lose patience earlier.
"Mr Ehren, I think you should have this then. I am confidant it will see better use in your hands." she says, handing her wand to the druid.

Later that evening

When she finally retires to her room, Isilme sets down and begins the process of journaling the events of the past two days.

"Created from whole cloth, apparently." says Xanderghul. "I awoke nearly exactly as I am now a long, long time ago in the Abyss."

He traces his facial scar. "This one's a little bit newer, but not by much. I've only been here, on the Material, for... perhaps a twentieth of my life. Exact years become fuzzy when there's no security or safety."

He leans forward, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, onto his elbows. "Ask me more about myself! I knew how to cast arcane spells from the moment I awoke, and had my spellbook with me at that moment as well."

Later that night

Once the party is ready to turn in for the night, Val slips off to her room to record the rather complicated day and get some much needed rest.

Ehren listens on as Isilme explains what their newest companion really is. It was easy to forget that by mortal standards, she was positively ancient; from the sound of it, Xanderghul was even older still. Much like himself, the two of them possessed lifetimes' worth of knowledge. But if his own breadth of knowledge was a deep lake, then theirs was a vast sea. It was all enough to inspire awe, but Ehren was not entirely certain that he envied them.

When Hinagiku offers him her wand, he smiles and gestures with polite refusal. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. It will be as effective in your hands as it would be in mine."

Ary simply sits and listens for a time, allowing the man to enjoy the sound of his own voice share what he will of his own volition.

"I believe the most pressing matters is... what exactly was it that you did for Ser Jorsal. If you've been working for him for more than a few weeks - the amount of time we had, it would be helpful to know if you'd noticed any changes in him of late - to the best estimate of years. Likewise, knowing what he has had you to do would be of significant value, given that we now know that anything you did for him had questionable motivation at best - the very same issues that I've been attempting to evaluate mentally. For example, going to a small town in the middle of nowhere, with Annabelle, when the perfect situation occurred to land her in jail and risk her execution... utilizing knowledge that should not have been available to our enemy... least of all an enemy unaligned to any of our more common foes up to this point."

Continuing this scene a bit...

Aron groans, leaning back in his chair dramatically. "Ser Jorsal, a traitor? I never would have believed it. He always seemed like such a good person."

Sosiel rubs Aron's shoulder in an effort to soothe him, then turns and smiles at Hinagiku, raising his goblet. "Great! It'll be good to have a chance to get to know you, as well. Annabelle's had quite the stories..."

Annabelle buries her head in her hands at the mention of Dawnton. "Yeah, speaking of stories.... ugh, that's one I don't really want to revisit." She stares down at her full plate of food morosely - the barmaid had put it there in front of her without asking.

Markus K.Planes: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Meanwhile, Markus notices Annabelle's plight and places her plate of food underneath his empty one for the barmaid to retrieve when she came back. He glances up at Xanderghul, giving his fellow arcanist a probing stare.

"I've actually heard of that kind of research before. Does that mean your creator is still out there, somewhere? Have you gone looking for him?"

-------------

Moving on...

20 Rova 4713

The next few days are a blur. The next morning, Sosiel spends some time calling upon Shelyn's blessings to aid him in healing the trauma done to Hinagiku's soul.

Nerosyan is busy in reconstruction efforts - Aron, being an engineer, is needed up on the walls to help repair them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Sosiel and Markus work with Hinagiku in various hospitals and medic tents across the city, occasionally travelling out into the countryside to help farmers that were hurt in the recent attacks.

Annabelle gets a job working as a night patrolman, surveying the perimeter of the Diamond City with Blossom along with a small team of other crusaders who are similarly comfortable with navigating the roads at night. During the days she stays in her room at the Hunting Vrock, happy to talk to anyone who keeps her company, but she specifically seeks out her senpai's company above others.

Markus visits her every evening as the sun goes down and locks the door behind him, though it isn't for the reasons Annabelle would like.

Ehren's father and sister linger in the city for a few days, but as the number of wounded in Nerosyan starts to dwindle Gilas comes to visit the group at The Hunting Vrock and declares that it is time they leave to rejoin the rest of the clan. The twins attach themselves to each of Ehren's arms, gripping far more tightly than their small bodies would suggest (they are Kellids, after all).

"Don't you dare get yourself killed! Again," says Audrey.

Ellyn points at Isilme. "You! You treat our brother right, okay? Or else!"

Audrey nods. "Yeah! Our cousin Heldre can talk to bees. You don't wanna mess with someone who talks to bees."

Gilas moves over to shake Valaria and Isilme's hands - his grip is extremely firm, and to someone who wasn't familiar with Sarkorians, would come across as an intimidation play. "Thank you for helping us bring back my son." He then turns to shake Ary's hand. "And Captain Bishop. It's a pleasure to have met you. I'm glad to hear that Ehren has been doing his clan proud with your team."

Since really only Hinagiku told me what she wanted to do during the time skip, please know that I'm always interested in what your PCs get up to during "downtime", since it helps me establish where they are in the world/the sorts of people they interact with.

Also, please go ahead recover your MP and HP to full, for simplicity's sake.

Book-keeping: Ehren charges the sacred prism up a tad and gives it to Commander Mazrarad. Hinagiku recovers one negative level.

Every day, Ehren walks to the Viridian Tankard to join his family in healing the wounded, but more overtly to just spend time with them, knowing full well that their parting would soon be at hand. In spite of his inability to call upon his curative magic on the fly, his capabilities as a mundane healer were untarnished. Ehren finds great satisfaction in the work, a sentiment he was certain that he and Markus shared... and yet, he could not take up the same path that the dhampir did. He pays special attention to Ellyn and Audrey as he works, curious about how their training has come along, and about how the rest of their clan has fared in his absence.

And then every night, he takes long walks on the streets of Nerosyan, much like the one he had shared with his father. Just once he visits the place where he had met his demise and stands there for a long while, reliving the memory. It had taken a little while, but it was as clear as day to him. He remains until he makes peace with his death, and then moves on. Far too much was at stake for him to dwell on it for any longer. During his morning meditations, he focuses not on his death, rebirth or perceived weaknesses, but on what awaited them on the road ahead.

With what time left he has to spare, he offers to start teaching Hallit to Valaria and anyone else that was interested. However, he quietly makes it known that he would like to learn Abyssal in turn, broaching it as one would an embarrassing matter. He could not think of any occasion on which he'd like to speak it, but he would be damned if he couldn't read or understand it.

When the day he had been dreading arrives, Ehren smiles as his sisters attempt to wrench his arms off his body. At least, that is what it felt like they were doing. "I have no intention of dying again," he says honestly, without actually promising anything. "If I did, I would never hear the end of it from the two of you."

With some difficulty (Ehren was hardy, but far from strong), he manages to give Ellyn and Audrey a tight embrace. Maybe a little too tight, at their mention of Isilme. "Take care."

Val takes the next few days to get back to something that she hadn't had a chance to do since before the fall of Kenabres. She finds her way to a library and delves into the books of lore and history. While she no longer sees much need in interpreting her visions, as the situation seems to have done that for her, she finds comfort and adding the tales of the past heroes of the crusades to her collection of stories.

Whenever the stuffiness of the libraries becomes too much to bear, she heads out to find one of her friends. She finds the need to stick close to them stronger than normal. With the memories of their deaths still fresh in her mind, she's abnormally quiet around them, simply keeping close to them to assure herself that they truly have returned and that they're together again.

My spells are updated!

Xanderghul spends his days doing as many things as he possibly can. He ventures out beyond the walls to research the Kakuen-Taka, he accompanies Crusader patrols as a guide and arcanist, and he spends many hours of his downtime during the evenings bothering Valaria (admittedly without any real malice or hurt feelings) about the fact that she didn't remember him. She didn't remember him! He questions the powers of her memory.

He heads down to the rubble of the Pathfinder Lodge and tries to pick through it to recover the few personal effects that he'd had stored there. Little things like a journal or a mirror. Toiletries and such are easily replaceable, but a few things are not. The Lodge's resources being a total loss was something that irked him greatly as well, though Xanderghul is not a strong man, and has no access to transmutation magic, making moving rubble particularly difficult.

He also spends at least an hour with each of his new acquaintances, interviewing them about themselves so he would have at least some idea of what kind of people he was traveling with and their capabilities. A surprisingly diverse and interesting lot, they were... but none of them held a candle to him, as usual.

While the group is busy bidding farewell to Ehren's family, Captain Kathon arrives at the inn - after scanning the mostly empty common room for the heroes, she quickly finds them and heads towards the group. She walks up to Ary and gives her a quick salute.

"Captain Bishop, I presume? I'm Kathon. I'm here to escort you and your squad to the Woundward Command Tower at request of Commander Mazrarad."

After Ary's response, the half-orc turns to beam at Isilme. "Thanks for putting in a good word in with the Commander. I really owe you one!"

Gilas tugs on his daughters' shoulders, gingerly detaching them from Ehren's sides. "That sounds like our prompt to go. Come Ellyn, Audrey. We have many miles of walking ahead of us." The pair reluctantly leave their brother to stand at their father's side. Gilas then embraces his son, not knowing when he'd next get to see him, if at all.

"I know that you will go on to see and accomplish great things, but remember your teachings. Lig nach bheith míorúiltí nádúr coitianta."

With that, Gilas and his daughters leave the inn, an exceptionally long hike ahead of them.

Somehow, I had gotten the impression that we had to state what our characters would be doing in the evening or the next day, not at couple of days. So here goes.

Continuing the supper
Hinagiku lets the information about Xanderghul’s origins sink in, before she asks a question, partly to allow the mage to talk about himself.
”In the abyss? This is where Onis are from no? Mr. Xanderghul, how were you able to escape?” she asks, in her usual gentle voice.

The few next days
After a small dinner with the others and meditation, Hinagiku leaves the Vrock to heal a few wounded people. Even with the limited skills she is glad to help and bring the words of the Master of masters to those who it need most. It only takes an hour before she is back, and continues her much needed meditation alone in her room.

She had to, she was still unused to her new body, though she was much better off than a day ago, and their last adventure had been difficult. Monstrous babies, Valais tortured and changed forever, the horror gnawed at her mind, and if she did not let go of it, it would destroy her peace and center. So she followed her choreography, slowly breathing out the anger and horror, and breathing in sympathy and detachment.

In the following days, Hinagiku spends a few hours each day with Sosiel, tending to the wounded and preaching about the Master of masters to those she healed before returning to the Brock. There she keeps company to Annabelle and Ehren to whom she teaches abyssal. She also takes advantage of this time to get to know the young druid, particularly his connection with the ley, and the parallel between her natural ability to sense the nature of beings to Ehren’s magical senses. At night, she stays shut in her room, out of the view of the others. Although, one evening she does make her way to Isilme’s room to ask a few advice on shapeshifting.

Does Annabelle discuss her brother? Spends time with him?

With Xanderghul
Being interviewed by the Xanderghul is something Hinagiku takes advantage of to speak a few words about the Master of masters as well as her dedication to heal the world of the wounds. But she often redirects the topic of conversation to the shabti’s own life, confident that he actually appreciates it (even if he does not notice it).

With Valaria
Hinagiku welcomes Valaria’s presence, and tries to distract the woman by discussing nice parts of her past, like Xanderghul! She gets surprisingly excited discussing this.

With Ary
Hinagiku still has difficulty to approach Ary, she was the woman she knew the least knowledge, but also the one she wanted to make sure did not blame herself for their death. So she stays with her when possible, trying to ask her about her origins.

Now
Hinagiku simply remains in the background, not wanting to intrude upon the family parting. Though the sight makes her reminisce about the loved ones she left in her home village.

Battle of Nerosyan - 17th of Rova - 36
Perform(Oratory) - Inspired: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (4) + 19 = 23
Perform(Oratory) - Inspired: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (10) + 19 = 29
Gallant Inspiration: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
PotP/Bluff - Bardic Knowledge(Planes): 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 15 + 4 = 28

Tale of Mesamorga - 18th of Rova - 42
Perform(Oratory) - Inspired: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (11) + 19 = 30
Perform(Oratory) - Inspired: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (19) + 19 = 38
Gallant Inspiration: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4
PotP/Bluff - Bardic Knowledge(Planes): 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 15 + 4 = 36

Lover's Lament - 19th of Rova - 40
Perform(Oratory) - Inspired: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 35
Perform(Oratory) - Inspired: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 35
Gallant Inspiration: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5
PotP/Bluff - Bardic Knowledge(Planes): 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 15 + 4 = 34

Isilme spends the next three days helping out as best she can during the day, dropping by the infirmaries to use what little healing magic she has to help out with the less wounded soldiers. She then visits the various crusaders barracks about the city, telling stories to educate the soldiers about the various sorts of demons as she had in Fort Portolmaeus.

In the evenings, she spends time at the various inns she'd visited during the days after the Hezrou incident, reprising the stories she'd shared earlier in the day. The first day she gives an encore of the tale she'd spun at the inns the previous time, The Battle of Nerosyan.

The second day, she tells a tale of the Night Hag Mesamorga and her defeat, a tale which she rather enjoyed sharing after having seen to the hag's humiliation and banishment. The tale takes details the initial encounter with the hag disguised as Illayna in the world wound, and the hag's subsequent nightly visitations, though Isilme changes the situation and names sufficiently to make it harder to tell it is of their own experience with the hag. Playing with suspense and the threat of souls being stolen away, she builds up to the climactic confrontation with the hag, finally ending with the theft of the hag's gem and her subsequent death at the hands of the very heroes she had been attempting to steal the souls of.

On the third and final day, she tells a tale of two lovers parted by fate, drawing both from her own experiences as well as those of Valaria and Li'an. The story revolves around their meeting and falling for each other, and the subsequent loss when one of them dies. The one left behind travels the world in search of a means to see her love once more, and after a series of trials and tribulations is reunited with her lover briefly as a reward from her goddess for her perseverance.

She also takes time the final evening after returning to write a short letter to Aravashnial, catching him up on the goings on.

The 20th

Isilme laughs at Ellyn and Audrey's demands that she treat Ehren right, shaking her head. "I am not certain it is up to me to treat him well, but I will do what I can to look out for him. If you must entreat someone to care for him, however, you should seek out Alace Widowknife, I seem to recall the two of them hitting it off rather splendidly when they met in Gundrun," she says with a wink at the twins.

She returns Gilas’s firm handshake and smiles, ”He would have done the same for any of us, it is the least we could do for him.”

When Captain Kathon arrives, Isilme smiles at her. ”It is good to see you again, Kathon! I hope you are finding your new posting to your liking,” she says with a grin. When the half-orc thanks her, she shakes her head, ”You do not need to thank me, you deserved to be in charge. You stepped forward and took responsibility when your Captain failed to do so, and aided us in our time of need. If anything I should be thanking you again, for it was with your help that we were able to recover Ary, Hinagiku and Ehren’s bodies. They would not be here today were it not for you doing what was right.”

Turning to the three that had been brought back, she introduces them to Kathon, ”Captain Ary Bishop, of course, and that over there is Hinagiku, and the young man over there is Ehren. Ary, Ehren, Hinagiku: This is Captain Kathon, who helped us defeat the Hezrous and recover your bodies.”

"Good to see you again captain," Val says with a smile. "Looks like you're doing well for yourself. I guess your superiors agreed with our assessment of your previous commanding officer. But if you're here with a message, I'm guessing that they've finally figured out what to do with our little band of misfits."

"Nonsense," Ehren says a little too quickly when Alase is brought up, tossing his sisters a hazardous look as his father pulls them away. Isilme had to know by now that she was just throwing fuel on the fire. Without quite changing the subject however, he adds, "Though, I was surprised to meet such a young clanliege. In the Worldwound, no less."

When his father announces his departure, Ehren returns the embrace while nodding at his words. "I will. And I won't. Safe travels, father. Let the rest of the clan know that I will be okay. I am in good hands."

With his family gone, the druid finally turns his attention to the unfamiliar crusader captain. He looks at Kathon quizzically, but breaks out into a broad smile when Isilme tells them who she is. Stepping forward, Ehren gives the half-orc a slight bow of his head.

"Thank you, Captain Kathon. So few of us have the good fortune to have a second chance at life. Your part in our revival was not insignificant." He pauses for a moment, remembering how formidable the demons had been. "You... must have lost some good crusaders, destroying those hezrou demons. I will not squander their sacrifice."

The past few days...

Ehren, Hinagiku, and Isilme each spend varying amounts of time in the various clinics around the city, though Ehren focuses most of his time at the Viridian Flask with his family and Sister Amira. While his sisters are not yet true druids they've already fully mastered cure light wounds - though they are left exhausted after only a few castings.

Hinagiku also spends time preaching on street corners about Irori.

Hinagiku diplomacy (neg level): 1d20 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 - 1 = 5

Unfortunately her thick accent and unusual appearance render her more of a curiosity than a terribly convincing preacher - not too surprising, considering how many citizens of Mendev are utterly devoted to Iomedae. Despite this, she is approached by a few passersby pointing her to a small, impoverished monastery in the northern part of the city devoted to Irori and the pursuit of enlightenment.

Annabelle is always happy to see her senpai during her spare time. She speaks of her brother often, usually with a sense of pride. Apparently Aron recently completed an apprenticeship with a group of dwarven engineers and was well on his way to becoming an accomplished engineer in his own right. Given his history, Annabelle was happy to see how far he'd come. Unfortunately, this meant that he didn't have much freetime, though he made a point of coming to the Hunting Vrock with Sosiel most evenings to eat dinner and catch up with Annabelle and the heroes.

Xanderghul keeps himself busy throughout the city as usual. When he arrives at the Pathfinder Lodge to try and excavate a few personal effects he finds that he isn't alone - several other Pathfinders are there to help him rummage through the rubble. A representative of the Decimvirate is there as well - he takes the time to quickly interview Xanderghul for an account of what transpired there.

In contrast, Isilme spends her time educating crusaders in the various barracks. In the evenings, she fills inns and taverns with patrons eager to listen to her stories, both old and new - her tale of the heroes that outwitted the night hag, Mesamorga, easily being the most popular of her tales to date.

-----

The present

Audrey gasps out as her father drags her out the door. "Ehren, you're hooking up with a clan-liege? You know you're supposed to consult dad before doing something like that!"

"Mae arnom angen mwy o fanylion tro nesaf ni gwrdd!" calls Ellyn.

Captain Kathon shakes her head, humble as ever. "Oh, no need to thank me for that. It was the right thing to do. I'm glad that you've managed to recover your friends. " She then nods at Valaria. "I imagine you'll be receiving some orders soon enough. Well, shall we be off?" The crossbowman waits for the heroes to gather their things before leading the six back to the command bunker and into Commander Mazrarad's office. She is accompanied by some familiar faces - Valais, for one - still looking as demonic as ever, as well as Commander Valerys and Professor Salantris, a stern-looking elf with long, silvery hair and dark eyes.

Commander Mazrarad stands on an open balcony overlooking Nerosyan. The sounds of saws and hammers echo from the city below. She turns to the tall woman dressed in a breastplate adorned with the holy symbol of Sarenrae and says, "Commander Valerys, it seems that the heroes of Kenabres have arrived."

Commander Valerys is an astonishingly young woman for her rank. She salutes Ary. "Captain Bishop. A pleasure."

Commander Mazrarad's gaze remains on the outdoors. "Nerosyan will be rebuilding for a long time to come. However, thanks to the leadership of our Queen, Mendev still has a city to rebuild. I want to personally thank you all for your efforts in helping to contain the threat of the Worldwound. At our last meeting, the Queen mentioned that she seeks new sites to establish forward bases of operations."

"Yet even our victories shine a light on our failures. The treachery of Ser Jorsal was unanticipated. It seems that while we were able to secure Nerosyan and drive out the demonic scourge, we still fester from evil planted within."

Commander Valerys takes over, "We've spent the past few days attempting to cure Valais, in cooperation with some scholars sent by the Pathfinder Society." The cleric splays her hands and holds it up, a gesture reminiscient of the rising sun. "Even the light of the Dawnflower cannot banish Jorsal's darkness; usual healing magic as powerful as regeneration has had no effect."

Professor Salantris nods. "My apologies for not introducing myself sooner. I am Professor Salantris, an arcane consult and professor at the local college of magic. We've tried surgically removing the demonic parts of her body and utilizing regeneration to grow back her human tissue, but the demonic parts simply grow right back. It seems that whatever Jorsal did, he managed to stitch the demonic essence right onto her very soul. She remains something in-between mortal and outsider.... a curiosity."

"My superiors considered using powerful resurrection magic, but Professor Salantris postulates that her soul might be unable to return," says Commander Valerys, sadly.

Valais shifts uncomfortably, then hisses, "Hi skushamb."

Commander Mazrarad steps forward, "But Valais has an idea that she believes could help the crusades as well as herself, but I'll let her explain it to you."

Valais nods. "Greetings, friends, I thank you for your help so far and hope that you continue to BIKHURZ ISH KEM. I need your help now investigating a mystery and Commander Mazrarad won't let me go out alone, búshak ish bi gol, hurzak."

"I've been having strange dreams lately about stone halls, a terrible beast, and a bleeding tree. Echoing throughout is a single word: 'Laktharis'. The crusader scholars say that he is AI SKISHUSHURZ SHOSHISHUSH GHIG. I've also felt a compulsion to go find something in the Worldwound, gol ank krishush."

Commander Mazrarad interjects. "From what Valais has described, her destination isn't too far within the Worldwound. It shouldn't be more than a week's journey on foot, and the Sarkorian Steppe is pretty barren after the demons retreated into the Worldwound after the attack on the city. We'd like you to escort her and help her overcome any trials. Keep her safe and watch for anything that could help her condition. While out there, we ask that you keep an eye out for any abandoned buildings or fortresses we could use and to ensure they are habitable. We've already sent out a scout, an elf named Shyael. We'd like an update on her progress. If you don't run into her, just return to me and report your findings about potential sites. Any questions?"

-------

The below diplomacy checks reflect the character's ability to learn about local goings on by getting into friendly conversations with locals.

---

Commander Mazrarad presses a commendation into Ary's hand. "This is worth 3,250 gold pieces. Use it to stock up on any needed supplies before you leave. Don't forget to stock up on food and water, it might be a bit of a hike. Do you have any questions for us?"

Welcome to side quest... 6.5? It's fairly short but hopefully enjoyable ;)

"So... let me make sure I've got this right. Surgically healing Valais isn't working because the demon parts are grafted on to her very soul, so we're escorting her into an abandoned Sarkorian city that the demons should have abandoned a while ago based on dream vision in hopes that something there relating to this Laktharis that will help."

Knowledge Histoy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

Lore (Sarkoris): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Laktharis...?" Ehren repeats, looking at Valais curiously. By now, the notion of knowing about something he had never heard of before was familiar to him. "He was a living god. One of many idols that my people have worshiped in the past. All of his followers were killed when the Worldwound first opened.

"What could the connection be? Laktharis was no demon. At least, not that I know of."

Xanderghul cracks his knuckles with delight, his grin widening and showing all of his teeth. "You couldn't have picked a better new companion for this mission. There is nobody better at navigating the Worldwound than I."

He looks at Valaria approvingly. "I like your description. I may include that in my journal entry. It makes for a very interesting hook. What a unique quest! I hope the mission itself lives up to the name."