Xanderghul moves slowly at first, past the allips and into the castle's front courtyard. They circle around aimlessly, babbling their own personal torments, but do not move into the castle proper. The castle's keep seems well abandoned. Remembering that there wasn't much on the western side of the castle than the wardstone, and that the wikkawaks basically just avoided it, he heads east. The snow here is stained with blood - some sort of battle was waged here.
Past this area still he moves towards the prisoner pens. He finds this area likewise empty.... the prisoner's pens and all. Not a soul remains, nor a body.
There are drag marks in the snow - they seem to indicate that bodies were dragged away and into the towers... the ones that connect up to the skywalks.
Which is well and good, because his invisibility spell is just about to wear out...
Peeking around, Xanderghul begins to talk to himself, like he used to. "I bet they had some sort of fight for leadership of the clan," he mutters. "Stupid cannibals." Seeing the drag marks on the ground, he creeps towards the towers, doing his best to be quiet and careful.
Xanderghul walks carefully towards the towers. He carefully opens the door and follows the blood trail up the stairs... on the top level, where it connects to the skybridge, he finds the remains of half-eaten wikkawak corpses. An arm here, a gnawed on ribcage there... It's all very gruesome and disgusting, but nothing compared to day-to-day life in the Abyss.
Xanderghul looks around. This place seems pretty deserted, but he could go investigate Ugmitok's ice caves, if he wants. Perhaps someone is holed up there. Or, he could visit the menhir. Or, he could just turn around and head back towards the army. Or perhaps he has another destination in mind?
Xanderghul idly pokes one of the disgusting wikkawak pieces with his foot. Strange. He was almost expecting the human corpses. The wikkawaks must have brought them with. That was foolish, if it was true. If his group's assertion that they were afflicted with wendigo psychosis was correct, it would likely spell doom for the wikkawaks.
He looks around. Would Ary be satisfied with what he'd found? Was there something interesting to find? Perhaps in Ugmitok's caves. He heads down there, slowly losing his caution.
Xanderghul crosses the skybridge and over to the tower where he found Variska hiding just two days past. He goes back down the stairs and heads towards the lower castle - that domed building refitted with bone frames stretched with skins serving as a crude roof. He passes through the concealed doorway and back down into the cellar. He listens carefully as he goes down the long flight of stone stairs which gradually transition into a long tunnel composed of solid ice. He doesn't hear anything, and indeed, as he passes through room after room, the the caves are hauntingly devoid of life. The entry room, with its three standing stones, has been defaced. The stones have been painted with blood, and Nathru's corpse lays in a naked, crumpled heap before it.
He wanders through the caves, checking out the rooms that the heroes had passed by on their previous foray into their depths. He eventually passes the polar bear's cave - like the others, it is empty. The bears completely missing. Most of the other rooms he finds are domiciles, or what passes for sleeping chambers for barbaric goblinoids... until finally he comes across a wooden door. It was apparently once barred shut, but the door is now partially open. He glances in, and finds that it appears to be a store room.
The room is filled with crates and barrels... many of the barrels are open and empty, apparently looted by the fleeing bugbears. But many remain closed. Xanderghul cracks some of the barrels open... he finds blankets, clothes, tools... and lots, and lots of food - grains mostly, inedible to the carnivorous wikkawaks. Nearly enough to feed the army for a week.
Against another wall lies a large, wooden crate. It is filled with piles of frozen, severed heads.
Xanderghul feels satisfied he's looked through the ice caves thoroughly. He's been down here awhile, and it is likely the army below is ready to leave by now. Should he head back?
Xanderghul nods with satisfaction as he finds the stores of grain. It might be worth it to get some people up here to recover this stuff. Either way, the allips will have to be dealt with. He heads back towards the surface. Not wanting to deal with the allips again, when he reaches the surface of the ice caves he casts a polymorph spell. Shifting into the form of an arctic bird, he flies out of the castle and as far down the mountainside as he can make in 7 minutes before reverting to human form and hiking the rest of the way down.
"I don't know," Ehren admits with a frown, his fairly comprehensive knowledge of the region failing him in this instance. He did appreciate Ary's concern, however. "Do you anticipate that we will be crossing the river more than once? Control water would spare us from needing a proper ford. If you're thinking in the long term, it might be more prudent to just build a new bridge."
"As for Isilme, I've no objections to her being healed first."
Sosiel nods. "Very well. Come with me, Chevalier Isilme, I will see what I can do, if Shelyn permits."
He asks Isilme to follow him to the chapel, where he begins his invocation. A little while later, Isilme feels the harm done to her mind and body dissipate... she feels better than she has in quite some time.
-----
The army has been ready to march for almost thirty minutes by the time Xanderghul returns from his scouting mission. The tents are all put away, horses harnessed to their wagons, siege engines packed back into constituent pieces.
"Hopefully we can get everyone cured again quickly," Isilme says, grateful that she would finally get the curse she'd suffered removed.
When Sosiel finishes his work, she smiles at him. "Thank you Sosiel, that is twice today your blessings have aided me. If there is any way I can return the favor, please let me know."
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While waiting for Xan to finish his scouting trip, Val takes some time to commit her thoughts to her journal, as usual.
I ended up getting the privilege of sneaking inside and scouting out the demon’s fortifications. It was actually far easier than I expected it to be. A couple of potions were all I needed to slip through a gap in their defenses and search the place from top to bottom. As it turned out, the demons were as weirded out by dealing with the wikkawaks as we were and they were starting to get antsy. The cultists in particular seemed rather off-put by everything going on. And apparently Ary has also gotten a reputation as ‘the Bishop who just won’t die’, so I need to work that little nickname into a conversation at some point. Still, that did make it all the easier to search the area and find out their numbers and the defenses set up around the tower.
The attack itself went remarkably smoothly, save for a few small hiccups. Our artillery broke through the front, our cavalry crushed their monstrous aurochs, we ambushed their teleporting flankers, and swarmed the courtyard in front of the tower. We did accidentally activate the defense golem, but we shut it down before there were too many injuries and things worked out relatively well. There were some casualties of course, but this is a war, so I can’t really afford to dwell on that. The fact that there weren’t all that many is a blessing in and of itself.
Invading the tower itself was a bit more of a mess. Somehow Xan and Daisy got possessed by shadow demons while we weren’t looking and things quickly turned into a clusterf*ck when Arastrax’s abominations swarmed us and we had to deal with that. Xan may be an ass sometimes but fighting our friends wasn’t exactly a something I was looking forward to. Thankfully we were able to drive the demons out with magic and beat them to death personally without having to actually fight our friends. We even managed to drive Arastrax out of Jorsal without killing him, though the demon escaped so now we have another demon with a grudge very likely hunting us down. So that’s fun.
I spent the evening helping Ayavah with her research after I made sure she recovered from her wounds. She’s really not suited for military life. Hopefully once the Drezen campaign is over, she’ll be willing to stay away from the frontlines. So long as Ary trusts her enough to let her out of her sight for ten seconds. That’s a worry for the future I suppose.
Xanderghul jogs into the camp, quickly making his way to Ary's side. "I explored up there pretty thoroughly," he says, "No wikkawaks. They fought each other for leadership of the tribe, probably over the lack of possession of the horn. Then what was left of them got out of there. I found Nathru's corpse by their ceremonial standing stones, some cannibalized wikkawaks in one of the towers, and about 1500 pounds of grain in the caves. Their prisoners weren't there, either living or dead. There were two allips who haunted the entrance."
"Allips are a special type of ghost, driven to insanity. They can't hurt you physically, but they can drive you insane too. They're not terribly dangerous, though."
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Hinagiku silently accompanies Annabelle to the edge of the camp, letting her go out ridding and hopefully dealing with her emotions. After saluting her from the gate of the fortifications, the monk begins her meditation. There, under the starry and frigid sky and amidst the white snow, she slowly adopts her first form. Letting the years of practice guide her, she effortlessly moves meditative stance to the next. With each motion, she breaths out her cares and emotions and breaths in peace and serenity.
First, Hinagiku recalls her near deaths in battle, at the hands of onis, and then at the hands of the wikkawaks. There was barely any fear there. This was good. But there was overconfidence, for she should never think that she can endure more than she truly can. And so with better knowledge of her own self, she exhales. Allowing herself to be humbled by the experience, she breathes in.
Then, her thoughts go to her possession. Fear and helplessness had been there. Yet, she had overcome them in that very moment. Acceptance had guided her thoughts, saved her from trauma. And so, breathing out, she lets the memory sink back, confident that it is untarnished, one memory among others. Breathing in, she reminds herself to be thankful to her training.
At last, there was the matter she had discussed with Ehren. To preserve their cordial relationship, she had had to avoid some details; there was no point worrying the druid before she herself knew what was going on. And so, Hinagiku closes her eyes, and through the slow motion from martial form to martial form, she directs her gaze inwardly to the serene ocean within her mind. Unflinching, the monk stares straight at her own self, seeing through all she has repressed or refused to acknowledge in the last few days. And through it all it starts to make sense: there was something new about Ehren, feelings she had not had before. She had always been curious about the man and is connection to the land. But now, there was more, her mother had infused feelings into Hinagiku, an immense gratitude toward Ehren for what he had done. And the feeling, being forced upon her, had invaded her very thoughts… and yes, now Hinagiku realized, it had created feelings she thought would never occur again… she was infatuated with her companion.
Slowly breathing out the thought, Hinagiku gently and gracefully adopts the next meditative stance. Now she knew, her mind had been laid bare, and she had accepted what she had found. She could now deal with it now, forget about hope or hopelessness, and simply acknowledge that her perception of the man had changed, if only temporarily. Breathing in, she accepts the information for acceptance would allow her emotions and thoughts to flow and stop them from interfering with the serene ocean.
While helping out to pack up where she can, Hinagiku notices Xanderghul entering back the camp. And so, she follows him, curious to know what news he brings from Icerift. Upon hearing that the wikkawaks have left the fortress, Hinagiku smiles. The stone was free from them, at last.
”Should we still raid the granaries at Vilareth then?” she asks, turning toward Ary.
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Done for the evening, Isilme heads back to join Ledsa and Külə. Finding Ledsa asleep laying against the Unicorn, Isilme sits down and rummages through her pack for Li'an's journal to write in. Finding what she believes to be the journal, she pulls it out and opens it to where she'd left off writing. Looking at what she'd last written.
إلان وأنا تم تعقب الثقافات خلال الشهر الماضي. الليلة الماضية وجدنا شيئا لا يصدق. كان لدى أحد الثقافات ملاحظة تشير إلى أن طقوس رئيسية ستجري في موسبراد. ورأى أننا يجب أن تبلغ الصليبيين حول الوضع ... الفقراء حكيم قليلا، دائما القلق بشأن الطريقة الصحيحة للقيام بهذه الأمور. تلك القصة تهمني قليلا، ولكن. وكان الصليبيين معاركهم ضد الشياطين، وسوف تستمر في الحصول عليها.
غدا ثلاثة منا سوف نرى ما قصة هذه المدينة الصغيرة أن أقول
Tomorrow the three of us will see what story this little town has to tell.
Surprised, she closes the journal and traces her fingers across the fine leather cover. She had forgotten that it had been returned to her by Kitarlo when they had saved him from Laktharis. Opening the book again, she read the last entry again, remembering the vision they'd had at the Gray Garrison after they had shattered the fragment of the wardstone there. Her original memory seemed so far removed now, and instead she saw herself there with the rest of her companions watching it. Somehow even the Gray Garrison seemed like ages ago, nevermind her time in the sword and life before Mossbrad.
Running her hand across the blank next page, she reached for her quill. Dipping it in the small well she carried, she began writing.
الليلة نستريح حول برج الحرس في قاعدة قلعة إيسريفت. كان الصليبيون في أرواح طيبة هذا المساء، ونحن الآن الاستعدادات للرحلة في العالم الصحيح. الأحداث التي أدت إلى أخذنا من إيسريفت جعل مرة أخرى لقصة التي سيتم تقاسمها عبر منديف عندما نعود منتصرا.
في حين أن المعركة ضد أستراكس وهزيمتنا من قواته كان مؤثرا بالتأكيد - لقد تمكنت من تحرير سر جورسال من حيازة بعد كل شيء - كان إقامتنا مجموعتنا في إيسيرفت نفسها التي هي الحكاية الحقيقية هنا.
للأعمار، وقد كاليك مسكون جبال شمال منديف. حكايات النفوس فقدت في البرية تختفي، وجدت الأطراف تمزق كل طرف آخر من أطرافهم. الأصدقاء والأحباء مدفوعة جنون البرد والجوع في الشمال. ووجه جثث البراري تعذيب فريسته ليلة واحدة في وقت واحد، ببطء تجريدهم من عقلهم حتى، في الماضي، تحولوا أصدقائهم في جنون أكل لحوم البشر.
كان جوعه قويا جدا، وأعماق فوساره منخفضة جدا، أن العالم نفسه دعا إلى بطل لتخليصه من الوحش المخيف. العديد من المصلين من الأخضر أجابوا على هذه الدعوة، على أمل مساعدة العالم في سعيها لتكون خالية من كاليك قاتمة والأهوال أطلق العنان مرارا وتكرارا. ومع ذلك لم يكن أي من درويدس قوية بما فيه الكفاية، ولكل واحد هلك بدوره، حتى أوجميتوك هذا هو.
الكاهن / الشامان من قبيلة ويكاواك، وقالت انها استجابت
من خلال ثروتنا التي منحتها لي ستارسونغ، تمكنا من تحطيم عقد لعنة لها، ورافقت لنا منذ ذلك الحين.أعمق داخل، إهرين تعلمت نداء العالم أننا تدمير القرن الذي كان يهدف إلى إبعاد كاليك. القيام بذلك سوف يلغيه من هنا، وهو أفضل ما يمكن القيام به بعد انحراف أوجميتوك لرغبات العالم.
طاردنا من قبل حشد من بوجبارز الأبيض، ونحن مختومة أنفسنا داخل واحدة من المباني الرئيسية وعملنا طريقنا وصولا الى المستويات الدنيا من القلعة. كان هناك واجهنا إفيجي من وينديغو وضعت من اللحم والعظام التي حاولت قتلنا. جنبا إلى جنب مع أعضاء آخرين من قبيلة بوجبير، قاتلنا تمثال المتعفن العملاق. والحمد لله، فالاريا وغيرها جعلت العمل القصير من الشيء، وترك لنا حرية التوجه إلى مزيد من الانخفاض بحثا عن أوغميتوك.
واجهناها أخيرا داخل الغرفة الرئيسية واجهتها في القتال. كانت المعركة قصيرة ولكن شرسة. الحمد لله كنا قادرين على الضغط من خلال دفاعاتها وجلب لها أسفل قبل أن تتمكن من وضع سحرها للاستخدام. وبما أنه كان لا يزال ضوء النهار، كنا قد نجا من خطر وجها لوجه مع كاليك. كان واضحا في تلك المرحلة ما يجب القيام به، وتردد إهرين لا حتى أدنى لتدمير القرن، ومنع وينديغو من العودة.
بشكل مثير للدهشة بما فيه الكفاية، مع أوجميتوك قتل، كان من السهل بما فيه الكفاية لاستيلاء السيطرة على بوجبارز.
While the battle against Astrax and our defeat of his forces was certainly impressive--We did manage to free Ser Jorsal from possession after all--it was our group's sojourn into Icerift itself that is the true tale here.
For ages, Kalek has haunted the mountains of Northern Mendev. Tales of souls lost in the wilderness disappearing, parties found having torn each other limb from limb. Friends and loved ones driven mad by the cold and hunger of the north. He roamed the wilds tormenting his prey one night at a time, slowly stripping them of their sanity until, at last, they turned upon their friends in a cannibalistic frenzy.
His hunger was so strong, and the depths of his depravity so low, that the world itself called out for a champion to rid it of the fearsome beast. Many worshippers of the green answered that call, hoping to aid the world in its quest to be free of Kalek's taint and the horrors he unleashed again and again. However none of the druids were powerful enough, and each one perished in turn, until Ugmitok that is.
The druid/shaman of a wikkawak tribe, she heeded the call and crafted a horn by which to banish the foul wendigo from the lands forever. Unfortunately the druidess betrayed the world and instead bound Kalek to the horn. This granted her control over the immensely powerful being, which she used to gain power for her tribe. With the aid of Kalek, they were unstoppable. They raided nearby kellids and travellers for sacrifices to Kalek, and in return they themselves were blessed with the wendigo's curse, ascending to become wendigos.
It was this power that kept Arastrax from capturing Icerift outright, and it was that power that we encountered when we entered Icerift ourselves. Both Ehren and Hinagiku had heard the cry of the world begging for a savior. Sneaking past the wikkawak and demon armies battling each other, we entered Icerift proper, seeking to find what was calling our two companions. It was there we encountered and saved Variska, a warrior who had been cursed by Kalek and was nearly driven mad by the psychosis.
Through fortune granted by my Lady Starsong, we were able to shatter the curse's hold on her, and she has accompanied us since.
Deeper within, Ehren learned the world's plea that we destroy the horn that had been meant to banish Kalek. Doing so would banish him from here, which was the best that could be done after Ugmitok's perversion of the world's desires.
Chased by a horde of the white-furred bugbears, we sealed ourselves inside one of the major buildings and worked our way down into the lower levels of the castle. It was there we faced an effigy of the wendigo crafted of flesh and bone which attempted to kill us. Along with further members of the bugbear tribe, we fought the giant rotting statue. Thankfully, Valaria and the others made short work of the thing, leaving us free to head further down in search of Ugmitok.
We finally encountered her within her main chamber and faced her in combat. The battle was short but fierce. Thankfully we were able to press through her defenses and bring her down before she was able to put her magic to use. And since it was still daylight, we had been spared the risk of coming face to face with Kalek. It was clear at that point what had to be done, and Ehren hesitated not even the slightest to destroy the horn, preventing the wendigo from returning.
Amazingly enough, with Ugmitok slain, it was easy enough to usurp control of the bugbears.
Isilme smiles as she looks down at her writings. Somehow, writing in her own journal brought her strong feelings of nostalgia, something she had not expected. Satisfied for the evening, she closes the book up and sets it aside with her writing utensils before curling up under her blanket for the night.
"Excellent find, Xanderghul. I am surprised we did not find that on our original pass through." Having additional supplies would make it much easier on them once they entered the Worldwound. "Obviously others should chime in as well, but I suspect that with what is available in Icerift, we might not need to raid Vilareth, although we might still wish to do so."
Ehren smiles at the good news, though in the back of his mind, the development with the wikkawaks was as troubling as it was convenient. Not only that, but Xanderghul's mention of the allips dredges up memories of Ghalcor. If they were going to claim the supply cache, it seemed only right that they take the time to put the insane ghosts out of their misery.
"That would give us enough food to last well over a week. Certainly enough time to reach Drezen. But we do have consider the possibility that the siege will be drawn out. In any case, our supply is likely to be short by the time we emerge victorious, and there is no guarantee that there will be untainted food there. Since it will not significantly delay our march, perhaps we should conduct a raid, just to be safe."
Xanderghul nods. "I agree. A quick raid would benefit us a lot, I think. How many people would we need to carry all the grain down? We could bring just a few over how many we think we'd need, take out the allips, and haul it down. No reason to haul the whole army up the mountain. Give most of them a few hours of rest."
"What do we need... maybe forty people? Have each person carry forty pounds of food?"
"We'll find someone for you, Daisy. Pairing you with Annabelle seems somewhat ideal as you're technically a civilian. Though I seem to have already muddied that line with Valaria and Ayavah." she says, biting her lip.
* * *
"Allips." Ary frowns. "Beings born of madness, driven to suicide. They're trapped in the lives they'd lived, unable to get free. I can think of few worse hells." She huffs. "Worse, they spread that hell to those around them, sowing destruction and death and bringing our world a little closer to theirs." Her hands run along the gauntlets they'd claimed. "If either were involved in what happened at Ice Rift, I'm fairly certain at least one will be focused on the Crusades, and probably the leadership specifically. If that is the case, and they recognize Pernigrais's belongings, they'll likely target me. I could then withdraw while it follows and the rest of you could bring them down with hopefully relative ease. What does everyone else think?"
"As for involving the troops directly in the movement of food... I would prefer we limit their exposure to the horrors of Icerift. It could be the case that it would better prepare them for the Worldwound" she says, subconsciously running the fingertips of her gauntlet over her arm, remembering the hellwasps, "But it's also... exceedingly horrific. Is it possible for us to do the majority of that work while Ehren does the digging?"
She pauses once more, before continuing. "I'm somewhat worried that J-" she pauses, scowling slightly, fist clenching in frustration, "Arastrax may have taken over the hobgoblin tribe. I'm not certain he would stoop to that level, but... it is a distinct possibility."
"It's a little more than an academic difference to distinguish between hobgoblins and bugbears," begins Xanderghul, "But nonetheless, I agree with your tactics."
"We would have to travel up and down the mountainside five or six times in order to cart down all of the food, and then we would have to travel the distance between here and wherever Ehren is slated to do the digging. He is certainly able to dig while we do the heavy labor, but I would rather bring a squadron with us and cut it down to one trip. We don't even have to involve them in fighting."
"The army will need to march a ways before they reach the river to ford, and if we wish to move fast, it will be best if Ehren clears the path for them. Leaving behind a handful of help and a wagon will likely be the best bet for loading things up quickly. I can hasten the wagon's return travel, and since the trip is short, we can easily push the horses some on the trip to catch up with the army. Raiding Vilareth is a decision we can save until we've made camp and prepared the ramp up."
"Alternatively, we could empty out the bags of holding now, and simply load up what will fit in them. We would not be able to take the entire amount, but it would minimize the amount of effort necessary to return with it."
"Just Valaria and I, if we emptied our bags, could haul... perhaps a third of it in one run? Our bags are rated for four-hundred and fifty pounds, then attaching some sacks to my backpack's straps should give us a couple hundred more. Dragging a wagon in by hand would make it mostly trivial. We could leave the horses outside, bring the wagon as far as we could, load it up, and bring it back out... then hitch it up. Also, if we plan to do that raid tonight, I could loan Ehren my muleback cords and that would allow for significantly more carrying capacity, right? Then it would only be a question of how many containers an otherwise unladen Heron with passengers could carry."
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"I don't like that the tribe just vanished. They may not have their 'god' anymore, but they're still dangerous and vicious. We should make sure that a message gets to the local villages so they know there's a pack of bugbears on the loose. And we should inspect the grain carefully. I wouldn't be overly surprised if there's something unfortunate mixed in with it."
Hinagiku gently nods in agreement while Valaria presents her concerns.
"I have to agree with miss Valaria's concern. A disappearance is always worrisome... but it can sometimes simply be a boon, it all depends on the cause of the disappearance."
"We should remember to remind our clerics to prepare a few lesser restorations tomorrow for whomever ends up fighting the allips." says Xanderghul, reminding his allies.
"Allips are the ones that keep muttering right? Have you guys thought about using a twiddly-finger way to block out their talking, or maybe stuff your ears full of wax?" Anevia suggests.
"It would be most ideal if we timed things so that we all cross the river at once. My control water spell will last for over an hour, but I should only keep it effect for as long as necessary," Ehren says, struggling to think of ways to reduce the back and forth. "If we send Irabeth and the army ahead of us, we can catch up to them with the supplies from Icerift by using my fire elemental form. That way we can take care of the allips ourselves, without depleting the army's resources. Most of us have faced one before, after all."
"It might be better to have you hastening the army's movements, Ehren. Without you to clear the path the wagons will barely be able to make any headway."
----
The heroes decide to take a wagon and horses up the path to Icerift to retrieve the stolen food from the ice caves. The only thing that stands in their way, as Xanderghul had discovered on his scouting trip. Ary realizes that it wouldn't be wise to bring the horses too close to Icerift and the dangers there, so they leave the horses a little bit away. They could then use their various bags of holding to haul food back and forth, or even just haul the wagon to the entrance of the caves without the horses.
They then proceed to the front barbicans... they hear them before they see them - a faint susurrus, barely intelligible...
'Alem, Joshua has gone mad... we must get Commander Pernigrais... we have to go...Alem... we need to go...'
'so much blood... gods... so much blood...'
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Isilme calms herself and takes a deep breath as the allips' voices become audible. In a hushed tone she sings what sounds much like a lullaby at first, except the lyrics are clearly in her native celestial.
"أصوات تلك التي مرت لفترة طويلة لا تزال في الريح. \\ الاتصال بنا من شاطئ بعيد، متمنيا فقط أن يكون الرد عليها. \\ في الوقت المناسب أصواتهم لن يكون أكثر من ذلك، لأحبائهم وانضم إليهم بعد ذلك."
The warm, soothing melody of her song fills the air, drawing the attention of the others away from the hypnotic babbling of the shades before them.
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Anevia had opted - just barely- to come along. Whispering things that lead to madness weren't one of her strong suits. But intangible things that could be detonated with force arrows sort of were.
As soon as she starts to hear whispering things, she looks for any sort of cover she can find to get an advantage against them.
"Thank you miss Isilme." Hinagiku simply answers, recalling the events at Ghalcor's tower. She did not want want the azata to lose her mind again.
Stepping forward, she stand in front of her companions, hoping that,once they are spotted, the allips will focus on her rather than her friends.
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With the army ready to march, Ehren decides to stay behind, trusting the others to retrieve the supplies from the castle. Taking his position at the front of the army, the druid bursts into flames, transforming into a fire elemental again. This time however, his flaming body is even larger than that of his human form. Once he is given the signal, he begins the tedious process of melting a path through the snow.
Xanderghul accompanies the remainder of the group as well, ready to multiply the offensive capabilities of his allies to the best of his ability.
"Fair warning, I'm running short on ways to kill things that aren't solid. So if I don't hit very hard, there's not much I can do about that."
Writing in her own journal in her elegant Celestial script makes Isilme feel more content than she has been in a long time, and when she is finished she feels calm and at peace, despite the horrors she witnessed the previous day. It is almost as if she feels detached from herself - a spectator of her own life, like the battles and drama of the day before happened to another person. It is a feeling that reminds her of long ago, when she was still in her own body... the feeling of knowing she is a witness of a new story that she would be happy to tell to many generations of people in the future.
When she goes to sleep that night, her dreams are fragmented - she recalls her life prior to meeting Elan - a life of wandering the planes in various disguises - meeting many interesting people and telling their stories. It is a strange dream where she feels simultaneously herself... and like a distant onlooker looking in. When she awakes her memory of the dream feels like catching water in a sieve - though she remembers having it, the details are fuzzy, like all of her memories from her life as an azata. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant dream, though it causes her present body to feel strange and alien to her initially upon waking.
Initiative Rolls!
Initiative Order
1. Ary & Anevia
2. Allip #2
3. Isilme
4. Ayavah
5. Hinagiku
6. Valaria
7. Allip #1
8. Xanderghul
Isilme's song drowns out the allip's babbling, lifting the heroes' spirits.
Anevia looks around for cover. Unfortunately there isn't much out here on the mountain-side - the path has been cleared of any large boulders. She notices that she could duck inside of one of the crumbly buildings, but there is an awful amount of snow in-between her and them...
Ary and Anevia are up!
Ary moves forward to be in line with Hinagiku, and then prepares herself to take a swing at the first Allip that presses forward. Her focus then moves to allowing her allies to move more freely.
Meanwhile, Anevia slowly picks her way forward through the snow, quietly as she can, positioning herself to whammy the allips as soon as they get close enough.
* * *
If the Allips close within range of Ary, Radiance's soft light seems to almost become solid as it swipes horizontally across the allip's writhing form, rendering it as it once was - solid, and flesh, and tearing through it violently.
Anevia vanishes from sight as the furthest allip turns, hearing Isilme's lullaby. It sees Ary and snarls, flying across the snow at her with an outstretched claw. But she was ready for this - Radiance rakes across the ghost, seemingly hacking it half. It shrieks in pain and its wispy halves rejoin. Its claw swipes through Ary's face, going straight through her and leaving no physical harm... only to her mind.
As the allip's claw goes through your face, you make fleeting contact with its mind... you see through its eyes for a moment. You're there, standing in a room in the barracks, watching your former friend - his eyes are wide as he sinks his teeth into a dead soldier's neck, ripping out a mouthful of flesh and swallowing, fresh blood dribbling down his chin and front. He looks up at you - you're next! You stumble backwards and shut the door. You turn to run, the sound of screams echoing throughout the fortress....
Isilme, Hinagiku and Valaria are up!
Val closes in on the undead monster, trying to focus on Isilme's music over the monster's babbling. Then she swipes across it with her knife.
With the threat from the allips' madness inducing ramblings passed, Isilme switches to inspiring her allies. "Dark though their spirits may be, they pose no threat to us. Even Ghalcor--himself driven mad--was unable to overcome our power!"
Isilme knocks an arrow as she imbues the bow with magic, causing the arrow head to burst into flames. She aims carefully to avoid Valaria in the way and unleashes the arrow at the farther of the two Allips, hoping to wear it down before it approaches.
Sunlight glints off Valaria's starknife as it arcs through the air - it swipes through the allip, leaving a trail of black smoke behind it.
Isilme's shot is without peer - the enchanted arrow causes the allip to twist and writhe at the injury.
Hinagiku is up!
Hinagiku gives a quick side glance to Ary, trying to assess whether th3 woman is still in control of her mind.
Not noticing anything different, the monk slips into her fighting stance before striking the spirits with fists, elbows, and knees.
Hinagiku strikes at the spirit repeatedly, and her final strike - a long, theatrical swing, strikes downwards into her enemy. The ghost - an amorphous, roiling mass of dark smoke, writhes and changes form and shape multiple times. When it reforms, it is wispy and transparent - barely visible.
The other allip hurls itself across the snow at the heroes, its razor sharp claws raking across Ary's chest. They go right through her armor, and Ary is shocked by a sensation akin to being dunked in ice cold water.
The other allip charges you, and your fracturing mind again fades. This time, you're on in the courtyard, sprinting past as your comrades in arms go mad... attacking one another, devouring one another. The snow is stained red with blood.
"In here, quick!" A priest ushers you into the chapel, where others are hiding. You look around at the frightened faces and your mind goes someplace dark... you begin fantasizing about what they'd taste like, how their warm, wet blood would feel in your mouth.... you're suddenly overcome with revulsion... your mind spins and you vomit onto the snow. Oh gods, what are you thinking... Oh gods! You look around at the horrified faces around you, and realize... you can't stop yourself. There is only one way out of this madness, you think, as you reach down for the knife you keep tucked in your boot...
Xanderghul is up!
Xanderghul stays where he is... reaching into the shadows in his robes and flinging a writhing clump of darkness at the closer allip. The shadows wrap around the allip and ensnare it in darkness.
Round 2!
Ary realizes she hadn't been breathing and suddenly gasps as she comes to, the chill of the air around her a shock compared to the warm blood she'd felt pouring down her chest only moments before. She snaps her head around bewildered for a moment, before lashing out against the more injured Allip.
Anevia frowns as all of the spacing between herself and the bad guys just fades away. Not that anyone could see it. She contemplates moving for a moment, then shrugs - invisibility has its perks - and draws her bow back. She appears for a split second in a flash of silver light as a shortsword arcs past her allies flying straight for the uninjured Allip.
With both of the allips in melee, Isilme hesitates, trying to find an opening to fire. When Xanderghul's shadows ensnare the one she'd shot earlier, Isilme quickly unleashes two arrows at it, surprised to find them following one of Anevia's short-sword shots.
Radiance cleaves through the allip once again, and this time the spirit cannot reform.. it wails into the mountain sky as it vanishes from sight. Behind her, Isilme sends another flaming arrow with expert precision plunging into the remaining allip... a small wound compared to the enormous, gaping hole that Anevia's spectral shortsword leaves in the creature.
Hinagiku and Valaria are up!
As soon as the first allip vanishes in smoke, Hinagiku turns her head to focus all her attention on the remaining spirit. Wading through the snow as quickly as she can while leaving an open path for Valaria, the monk reaches her foe and lunges at its heart with her fist.
Hinagiku punches straight through the allip's body, feeling cold smoke wrap around her fist as she withdraws. The ghost is but a faint wisp now, rapidly fading from sight.
Valaria is up!
Anevia's longsword blasts through what is left of the allip, leaving just wispy, black smoke in its wake.
Combat ends!
After defeating the allips, the heroes head down into the ice caves to retrieve the wikkawak's stolen food stores. With everyone working together, and no major danger present in the caves, it only takes a few trips back and forth to gather all the food and grain and place it on the wagon.
"Well, that was easy enough. Let's get back to the army quickly then. This place is a little disturbing still, even with all the cannibals gone."
As Hinagiku finishes helping charge the last of the grain onto the wagon, she wipes he furry brow.
"Unfortunately, it probably with stay so." she answers to Valaria.
She pauses for a moment, before turning toward Ary.
"I would like to visit the menhir. I want to make sure that it is fine. It will not be long." she says.
Hinagiku draws a deep breath at the entrance to the room. What would happen? Would her mother speak to her again? Stay silent? Would her mind be invaded once more. There was no point in dreading it, she needed to be centered and ready before entering. And so, joining her hands together, one of her meditative form, she calms her inner pool. Then, she slowly pushes the door open and steps in.
"Do be careful, Hinagiku. With the wikkawaks gone and curse lifted, there may be more spirits wandering about the fortress."
Isilme heads to the wagon and helps get it turned around and ready to go before climbing aboard. Summoning her flute, she begins playing a melody similar to the one she'd played when they were fighting the shadow demons, replaying a small segment of the piece with variations of increasing complexity.