GM Kiora's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Kiora Atua

Ehren goes to bed after a rigorous session of note-taking that leaves his hands sore and his eyelids heavy. He is a bit sluggish in starting his morning routine, though thankfully, meditation required little in the way of movement. As he sits there one with nature, an odd thought occurs to him. One that he could not quite put into words. He commits it to memory before opening his eyes, ready to start this auspicious day.

"Such things will take time to learn," he says, catching onto the discussion about sign language, "I... think we will have all the time we need."

Her accent is improving!

Continuing to smile at Ary,

"كنت أنام مثل الموتى، لا يقصد التورية . أرى أنك تمارس السماوية بك ، ممتازة !"

"It was just a thought that occurred to me, maybe in situations where we can only use sight or like when we are pretending to be unsavory types, it just may be a useful thing to have.... Assuming we stick together after all of this."

I wonder how many, if any, of my brothers are left..."

"The crusaders will need all of us once we're up there, I'm sure of that. And given what we've been through to get back to the surface, I doubt they'll be eager to split us up," she said at Hrut's concern about the group sticking together. "They won't forcibly conscript anyone, but I don't think any of us is the type to leave Kenabres with things as they are now."

Ary puts on her concentration frown once more, brow furrowing, as she puzzles out what Hrut had said. Rather than responding in celestial, though, "I.. what? No.." she seems a little flustered, "I was just reciting the same prayer I recite every morning to my Lady."

She seemed to jump on the continued conversation of shared languages. "Yeah, that does sound like a good idea... and maybe you're right, Fen'wen. Maybe they'll make us into a taskforce." she shrugs a little. It was certainly true that her personal skills made her more of an asset to a team, than going anything alone... and sticking several skilled trackers together was like putting every iron you have in the same fire.

"Normally I don't stay in one place too long, but I can't ignore innocent people in danger and demons running amok. So I'm at least here until the situation in Kenabres is resolved. After that, we'll see."

"My place is here in Kenabres," Ehren says resolutely, "That is what I decided even before this all started."

In the morning, after Anevia is done praying to the Inheritor, she seeks out Markus – doing whatever he does in the mornings to prepare his spells. Plopping herself next to him she murmurs, so that someone would need to be eavesdropping to overhear: ”Hey! If me giving you s%&$ is making you uncomfortable, let me know. I can always just give Li’an even more s**$ to make up for it. I was just trying to see if I could get you to blush anyhow.” She grins, but she looks concerned all the same.

"No, it's okay." says Markus, munching on a bit of rat soup. He looks up at and smiles at Anevia. "It really does feel like having friends, regardless of what it's like on a smaller level. So it's nice. I've never really had friends before, so... it's nice."

When they're talking about what to do when they reach the surface, Markus is adamant and resolute. "I'm not leaving Kenabres for as long as there's another person there to help. So... I guess as long as you guys are there, I will be too."

Anevia grins at Markus and then gets up to address the rest of the group. "I'm glad you're thinking about staying. We... we can really use all the help we can get. New recruits are rare these days," she thinks for a moment. "Well, that might change with what happened at Armasse and stuff. But still. You guys are really talented! So I'm keen to collect those talents." Her eyes dart to Valaria. "I used to have a major case of wanderlust, but I found a real purpose here. And my Lady Desna still sends me on trips and adventures pretty much every day. Maybe you'll come around?"

After a moment, Anevia turns to Lann and frowns. "I don't know. We don't exactly have manacles, or anything. What do you guys think?"

Still need an answer as to how you plan to deal with your cultists - both the two corpses and the three live ones.

"We should interrogate the cultists now. We'll need any advantage we can get when we go up there," Li'an said, although she wasn't terribly sure how to go about it. "Maybe we could have Markus and Hrut work on them? Perhaps Markus could try to sweet talk them while Hrut threatens them?"

Because no interrogation is complete without Good Cop/Bad Cop :P

"I'm not really sure we're at all qualified. For the interrogation. And dragging them along is precarious at best. We definitely need to get them topside... but..." she shrugs. "I think it'd be better to keep the live ones knocked out, and just work together to get them hauled up top."

She looked over to Markus, head tilted, wondering what it was that made his mood swing so far.

Leaving the decision as to whether to interrogate up to Markus/Hrut since they'd be the ones who carry it out!

However, the cultists are stable and conscious, though disabled. I'm really looking for a plan as to how you transport them - particularly the dead ones.

"I don't think we need to transport all of the cultists - only Hosilla and maybe one more." says Markus. "We were planning to bring them topside to prove that there's cultists, yes? We only need one for that. And we were planning to interrogate Hosilla, right? We only need Hosilla, who is also one cultist."

He looks at the bodies they have. "I say we bury the three, execute the tiefling and carry Hosilla topside to face justice alone."

"They'll know different things, though. I'm sure Hosilla's as in the dark as most of the rest of her group, but they'll know different people. I'm actually willing to bet that the Tiefling has a better idea of all the things going on than Hosilla does."

She waits for a moment, "Not because he's a Tiefling... but because Hosilla was a little too into what she was doing. At worst, I'd say bring both. And... I'm not into executions. If one of you's up to it, sure... but I didn't sign on for cutting down unarmed folks."

Markus raises an eyebrow. "You want me to wake him up and give him my dagger so you can cut down an armed person?"

He taps his quarterstaff on the ground a couple of times. "Better yet, you want to feed and clothe him for the rest of his life while he sits on a comfortable bed in a prison? If there's even a working and available prison. I bet if we bring them topside they're getting executed anyway, and that's still on your hands even if you didn't do it."

Ary pursed her lips for a moment, then completely skipped what she felt was a rhetorical question.

"But it is not for me to decide his value. If he'd died in combat, or had bled out, it'd be a different story. And I don't know that he can change. I don't know what they'll do with him. The point is, that isn't for me to decide. It isn't for me to choose what his value to society, to the crusade, to the world is. He could be a lost soul just as easily as he could be a monster. Until we've spoken to him, and I won't trust a thing he says, honestly... we don't know. It's better that we put him in the hands of people who do know what they're doing. If you think that's you and Hrut, by all means. Ask away."

She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face, "When in doubt, I may force my enemies to surrender, but I am responsible for their lives." she intoned, "They didn't surrender... and I have -very- little doubt that he's an evil scumbag that slits throats and steals holy relics..." then she frowns, the frustration of being put on the spot seeping away a little, she turned her face to Markus in an appeal, "But I'm just a soldier. Not an executioner."

She looked over to Anevia, remembering her story of being trussed up waiting on a paladin to finish her off... and finding forgiveness in that moment, rather than death.

"I think the information they have will be useful up above. Having more than one of them able to be interrogated makes it more likely the Eagle Watch can get something of value out of them. But it's also useful for us to see if they know something that might be of use on our trip up. That's why I think we should interrogate them before we leave as well," Li'an interjected. "If we decide that we're not taking all of them with us, perhaps we can ask Chief Sull to deliver judgement on them then. After all, their crimes were as much against the people of Neathholm as Kenabres. Would that work for you Ary?"

"As for the bodies, while it's a grisly solution, we could just take the heads with us. They're preserved now, and a head will suffice for identifying them to be able to root out any conspirators still around."

Ary nods to Li'an. "I'd say it's more fitting to have him decide than for one of us to just kill a guy without any ceremony. I'd prefer him alive, and will take him as my responsibility... if that's alright." she chewed her lip, as she shied away from discussing the grisly... but applicable... solution.

"Hosilla and Uziel are likely to know the most... they should come with us," Ehren suggests, skirting around the idea of executing anyone. "As for the others, we could do as Anevia suggested before and simply leave them at the outpost. If the crusaders prove receptive to an alliance with the people here, they should have no trouble retrieving the bodies."

"The bodies will only be preserved for three days. While I'm hopeful, we don't know for sure that we'll make contact with the crusaders within three days. Even if we do, they may not have enough people available to send on such an errand," Li'an said. Normally she'd be ok with it, but there was just too much they didn't know about what was going on up above to just leave them behind. "Perhaps we could take them to the surface and hide them near wherever we exit the sewers? Then we can come back for them or send someone else without needing to give them directions down to the outpost."

Switching topics back to the living cultists, she added, "So the third cultist we'll leave to Chief Sull's judgement, and then take Hosilla and the tiefling with us?"

"I think we need to remember one thing though," Val chimes in, sounding unusually somber. "There's no telling how much of the city is intact and how many crusaders are still alive. And we don't have the resources to care for prisoners long-term or transport prisoners long distance. If it looks like there's not going to be a way to get them to the crusades to face justice without risking ourselves or risking their escape, we're going to have to take justice into our own hands. Because I refuse to risk letting them escape and cause more havoc."

So far the only thing we have consensus on is to keep Hosilla alive.

Here's the concrete opinions we have tallied:

Interrogate the cultists now?
Yes: Li’an
No: Ary

Fate of Uziel?
Execute him: Markus
Against bringing him with us, but no concrete opinion as to his fate : Valaria
Bring him with us: Ary, Ehren, Li’an

Fate of the male cultist?
Execute him: Markus
Against bringing him with us, but no concrete opinion as to his fate: Valaria
Leave it up to Chief Sull: Ehren, Li’an
Keep him alive: Ary

What to do with the dead bodies?
Leave them here: Markus, Ehren, Valaria
Cut the heads off or bring them to the surface and stash them somewhere: Li’an.

I'm gonna give you a few hours... or more, depending on who is online right now, to correct me if I'm wrong in these tallies... or if some of you want to change your opinions due to things the others have said.

But if we keep the votes as is, we're going to: Bring Hosilla and Uziel to the surface, leave the male cultist up to Chief Sull, and leave the dead bodies with the underfolk.

I DO need someone to weigh in as to whether or not they want to interrogate the prisoners now or just leave it up to the crusader leadership, in order to break that tie.

In particular, I would like Hrut's opinion as to what to do with the male cultist as there is the widest variance of opinion there... or possibly for someone else to change their stance.

Ary nods, matching the somber. "That's what I meant by 'my responsibility'. she nodded to Li'an, after a moment, "Yeah. I can agree to that, I guess." Poor Stormtrooper.

Lann leans against the entryway, arms crossed as he listens to the heroes discuss the fate of the surviving cultists. ”It wouldn’t be a problem to keep the dead bodies here, and Seer Opoli could keep them in better shape that way. We routinely preserve the bodies of our best hunting kills as trophies for bragging rights. You saw a few of them at the outpost. Though truthfully, why you are going to such lengths for corpses puzzles me."

”The cultists were disguised as crusaders… this means there could be more crusaders on the surface who are traitors. If we could get the bodies identified, then this could help the crusades uncover other traitors. It’d be useful for an investigation. Though Li’an is correct – all we’d need for that function are the heads. She and Valaria are also correct in that we don’t even know if there are crusaders left on the surface, and that it may take much longer than three days to find them even if they are there,” Aravashnial explains. "It seems that leaving them in your hands would be the best call."

”…Of course there are crusaders on the surface,” Anevia snaps at Aravashnial, agitated. ”But yeah, they might be hunkered down somewhere if large parts of the city were taken. In any case, we know the wardstone is intact so Old Kenabres is probably in good hands, at the very least. I think it would be a good idea to interrogate them. And yeah, the inquisitorial team would probably be better at it….cultists can be tough nuts to crack, they’re all loony…. inquisitors usually use some kind of brain-f@*$ery magic to do it, I think. I think the live ones would be more use to the crusades…. alive. But without manacles there’s a good chance of them escaping, and they’ll definitely be a drain on food and resources until we find Irabeth and the other crusaders. So I can understand just wanting to off them too. It’s a tough call.”

Horgus grumbles, munching on Ary’s offered trail rations. ”Bah! Who cares? The dhampir has the right of it. Just execute the lot of them and let’s go already. Why are we still standing here talking about it when we could be leaving this wretched place?”

Anevia ignores Horgus completely. "I think the biggest question here is whether or not you guys feel up to questioning them now... what do you guys think? Only Ary has really offered an opinion there."

Ary didn't bother to mention that Horgus and Markus agreeing on something was a stark sort of terrifying.

"Yeah, I'd say leave the bodies here. If it's not really problematic for you guys. If it is, then we'll just have to make do. Without manacles, we'll just have to keep them tied up, and move a bit slower... and we'll have to be careful with our watches if we have to take a break... but Horgus has the right of things. The day is burning away and we need to get moving. The sooner we get going, the sooner Irabeth and the Eagles can take these guys off our hands."

"I don't think we are qualified to interrogate them," Ehren says, shaking his head, "We might not even know the right questions to ask... or be able to make them answer."

"Lets skip the interrogation and get moving then. We'll leave the corpses here so they can be preserved until we're ready to send someone to retrieve them," Li'an said, coming to the conclusion that interrogation now was unlikely and might not garner them anything useful at this point.

Lann nods. ”Alright. Well, I guess we should inform Chief Sull. The prisoners are being held at his hall anyway. Come along, he might have questions of you.”

The group leaves the bodies in the care of Seer Opoli, and head up the hill in the center of Neathholm to Chief Sull’s hall. He sits in the longhouse on his great throne made of an insect carapace. To his right are the cultists – they are gagged, probably because once they regained consciousness they were unable to keep their mouths shut – and under watch by Wenduag and two of her hunters.

Lann kneels before Chief Sull, then stands and gives his report. ”Chief Sull,” he begins, reverently. ”The crusaders are leaving for the surface now. They wish to keep the dead cultist bodies in the care of Seer Opoli. The cultists are crusader traitors, and they hope that if their leaders can identify the bodies, they can root out any other traitors in their midst.”

Chief Sull nods, focusing his one good eye on Lann as he speaks. ”This seems wise. I am happy to offer aid in any way that I can in this matter.”

Lann continues, ”They want to bring the demon-spawn and the cultist leader, Hosilla, to the surface with them as prisoners for interrogation and eventual judgment. However, the other man is likely to be more of a hindrance on their travels than he is to be of any aid to the war efforts. They have asked that you judge his fate.”

Chief Sull contemplates this for several moments. Finally, he speaks, his voice somber. ”In Neathholm, we have been fortunate that truly vile people are a rarity in our town. Those who have proven themselves unfit to live among us have been exiled in the past, banished from our presence forever more. But this is not an ideal solution for the cultist. If banished, he is likely to report to his superiors our location and we will be destroyed, the very fate that Wenduag had worked so hard to avoid. At the same time, we do not have the resources to keep him here. I must send Wenduag and her best hunters to the neighboring tribes to alert them to our return back to the surface. Should he escape, I risk the lives of my people. Therefore, the only solution I have is to execute him.”

Lann nods. ”Your judgment is wise, Chief Sull.”

”I will leave this to you, Wenduag.” Wenduag also nods and grabs the male cultist roughly. His face is blank and expressionless as he is taken out of the hall.

Chief Sull returns his attentions to the heroes. ”Leading is not always easy,” he sighs. ”But I believe that is what the Inheritor would want me to do. In any case, let’s stop talking of the dark past. We have a bright future ahead of us. You are still to inform the Crusaders that we wish to form an alliance with them, in exchange for safety on the surface above?” He smiles at the heroes, revealing his enormous, yellow rat teeth. ”I wish you safe travels, my friends. I look forward to hearing from the crusaders soon. Once we have word that it is safe for us to return to the surface, we will return to our ancestral homeland, and fight alongside you once more.”

Enough of you have spoken up that you want to move on so I am writing up the scene change right now…so if you want to react to this stuff or do something before leaving you need to do so right now or you will miss your chance :P

It's... kind of a big deal so it'll take me awhile to finish the post. Thanks for being patient!

One question though - who is going to be in charge of walking Hosilla and Uziel? Speak up! Or volunteer someone. It mostly matters for positioning in case a fight breaks out while you are walking together.

Ary has volunteered for Uziel. It's up to the others for if they want her to babysit Uziel, Hrut -and- Hosilla, though :p

So, Ary, if you’re walking Uziel are you still taking the rearguard while you do this?

That... is a good point. Ary being in the back with a prisoner leaves us with less opportunity to stop said prisoner should bad things happen. At the very least she'll put him in front of her... other thoughts on this?

I'd say put Ary in Rear guard with the NPCs, then Hrut watching the Prisoners, then Ehren and Markus, and finally Val and Li'an up front. Alternately we could have Ary and Hrut guarding the prisoners with Ehren on rear guard and Markus in front of him.

"We will do everything in our power to make sure that the people of Neathholm, and all the other Children of the First Crusade, are welcomed back to Kenabres, Chief Sull," Li'an says with a bow.

The heroes bid Chief Sull and Neathholm farewell. Lann escorts them back to the underfolk outpost. As they walk, he breaks the silence.

”I hope you would grant me one small favor – I would like to walk with you to the world above. Just to see it. I… understand that my appearance would make me unfit to accompany you when you return to the crusaders. Chief Sull is hopeful that they will embrace us with open arms, but I am still unsure. I think… it is the best chance we have, though. It is that or retreat even further underground, and there are far worse dangers than giant vermin in the underdark.”

The group arrives at the outpost, and the men and women guarding the entrance salute the heroes as they pass, thanking them once more for their aid and wishing them safe travels.

They pass through the outpost, taking a left and returning to the cistern with the small ramshackle maze. Guided by light from Radiance the group emerges into an old sewer tunnel that leads about a hundred feet before connecting to more recently built sewers, and more importantly, to the first of several ladders returning to the surface.

As the heroes emerge from the sewers, they step into a city vastly different from the one they left at the start of their adventure on Armasse. Though it has merely been four or five days, the tremors and demonic attacks have devastated the city.

All that remains is an apocalyptic ruin.

Deep chasms riddle the city, while the paths of enormous demons have left ruinous trails of rubble as far as the eyes can see. The streets are barren of intelligent life. The buildings around them are destroyed, either forcibly ripped apart by enormous demonic monsters, or burnt into mere shells. Plumes of red smoke still rise from the smoldering remains of a few burned-down buildings. Bodies lay decaying in the streets, being devoured by fat buzzards – some demons and cultists but mostly crusaders and common people. The air smells of death and decay. Enormous vultures wheel above in the skies, peering down at the heroes, eagerly awaiting their demise so that they can continue to fill their bellies with the flesh of the damned.

It is nighttime. The sky is clear and cloudless, and Lady Desna's stars twinkle above, the streets illuminated dimly by the half-full moon – likely the only comfort the heroes have amidst all of this horror.

But what should stand out the most – to all of you – is the proof that Anevia’s assumption that Old Kenabres would be a secure haven is utterly false. Above, the once-familiar skyline that lead you all to the festival square is forever changed. The Cathedral of St. Clydwell and the comforting presence of the Kite – the bastion that once held the sacred wardstone is completely destroyed. All that remains is an enormous crater. A permanent, ugly, scar.

The heroes' traveling companions - Anevia Tirablade, Horgus Gwerm, and Lann are about as different as people could possibly be... but they all react to the sight the same way. They don't say a word. Their blood drains from their faces, leaving them pale as snow, even whiter than Markus.

Only Aravashnial is spared the horror. He snaps, at last, impatient at the group's stunned silence. "Well? What has happened?"

"Gods preserve us," Valaria whispers, her voice catching in her throat. "It's... it's bad. Gods, so many dead. And the city is... shattered. The cathedral and the wardstone fortress... their both gone. Completely gone."

Earlier...
With a stern gaze,

"I say we bring them back to the city for trial and interrogation... not in that order... I feel it important that some with the proper skill do this."

Now

Looking around at the ruins before him Hrut is almost at a loss for words, seeing the destroyed buildings and still burning fires Hrut has to fight back his emotions. Shaking his head,

"Dear god! There is almost nothing left..."

Li'an stared at the remnants of the city, unsure what to say. The walls she'd spent so many years looking down at the city from were gone, as was pretty much everything else. In its place, a hellish landscape that promised nothing but death. The sense of devastation, loss, and hopelessness that washed over her left her feeling numb inside.

"It's worse than anything I could have imagined, Aravashnial," she said, a profound sadness evident in her voice.

Ary stands, mouth agape, just... not speaking. Then she pulls at the ropes that are attached to Uziel, forcing him to look at the devastation. "IS this the kingdom that your Dark Lord promised you? Ash and ruins and devastation as far as the eye can see?"

Her jaw set, as she stared into the rogue tiefling's eyes, to see if there was any trace of anything she would refer to as humanity within him. Her knuckles were white as she gripped Radiance in one hand, and the rope in the other.

"Old Kenabres... that is where... we must go..." Ehren murmurs, his voice almost a whisper. Wet with tears not yet shed, his eyes stare in the direction of the obliterated Kite. With what appears to be a great effort, he staggers forward a single step. Somehow, his body felt heavier, more numb than it ever had before. Was what he felt now hope, or desperation?

Markus opened his mouth, but unlike usual he couldn't speak. What solace he had found in his friends in the past few days, what unlikely happiness he had was all gone. He felt himself retreating inwards. All those dead. All those Good dead people... it couldn't be fair. How could there be all of these dead, and he, Markus was left alive? What kind of god decided that?

If it was Iomedae, Markus didn't want anything to do with that noble diety. Nothing.

He had been thinking, on the climb up, of telling Aravashnial about a psionic technique he had learned about in Caliphas that might allow Aravashnial limited sight again, but... Honestly, Markus wasn't sure that he wanted Aravashnial to be able to see. Not when this was here.

Uziel and Hosilla are bound and gagged. Uziel locks eyes with Ary, his lips around his gag contorted into a cold sneer. Hosilla's face is blank - something she has likely trained herself to do. She makes no reaction to the horrific sight.

Aravashnial listens to the heroes, his grip tightening around his quarterstaff, nails digging into the wood. "....I see. It is as I feared then. The city is lost?" he says, grimly. He turns towards Ehren's faint voice, frowning. "If the Kite is gone going to Old Kenabres is a fools' errand. I suppose our only solace is that the demons succeeded in their goal - destroying the wardstone - and now have left the city rather than attempt to take it. I imagine it is only a matter of time before they use the void in the wardstone field to move into Mendev. How do the skies look? Is the sky red as blood? The stars blotted out by black clouds? That... is how I remember the Worldwound, and would be a good indicator if its corruption has begun to cross the border into Mendev."

Horgus appears to be in utter shock, his mouth hanging open. He has no words.

Anevia, like Ehren, keeps her eyes locked on Old Kenabres. She mumbles incoherently, but you can make out -"...The Kite. She ran towards the Kite. Oh gods. She didn't have her sword. Oh, gods." Anevia trembles all over, leaning onto her crutch for support. She seems dangerously close to a breakdown.

Lann collapses to his knees, not staring at the death and destruction around them, but up at the sky. "It's.... so big," he says faintly. "I feel sick. Like I'm about to be swallowed whole. Does it end? It's...darker than I expected. The old stories...describe endless, all encompassing light. So bright it hurts your eyes to look directly at it."

Suddenly, once again, the earth begins to tremble, as violent tremors take hold into the ground beneath the heroes' feet, making it difficult to stand. They rocket out and away from the center of the city, from Old Kenabres. One of the ruined buildings nearby crumbles to the ground with a thunderous crash.

The earthquake only lasts for a few moments. Lann stands upright with a bolt. "Gods, the tremors, again. Neathholm. I must go." he turns to the group. "It is urgent that you send word of whether it is safe or not to leave the underground right away. If these earthquakes continue, there will be nothing of us left. We need to evacuate. Please, do this for us."

Ary grinds her jaw, and shoves the Tiefling hard, towards the ground. She retains her grip, but intones: "I will not tarnish her glory through base actions." Her mouth seems to continue that, even as she continues to hold the trailing rope and her sword.

"Just get them up here, Lann. We need all the allies we can get right now, and if I get court marshaled, so be it. Bring as much as you can. At the very least, we can get your people somewhere safe, and their lives are more important." She continues to hold the rope, but doesn't do anything more threatening with it.

Instead, she turns her attention towards her companions, "The moon and stars hang where Desna placed them." she informs Aravashnial, as she wraps her shield arm around Anevia's shoulder. Her voice is barely a whisper, as she turns her full attention on Anevia "We will find her. I promise."

There is no intonation, this time, just sincere, softly spoken words, as she focuses her attention on Anevia, "My strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died. She doesn't need her sword as long as she knows you're out here."

Li'an looked around the ruined city again. In many ways, it was a physical representation of how she'd felt so many years ago. The devastation in her mind had been no less complete, the horror no less real than what was before her now. That had been a personal battle, however, and she had fought her way out of that hell alone, one day at a time. It would be a lie to say she was free of it now. It was always there, haunting her, demanding energy to remain focused lest the despair swallow her whole again. Yet she'd made it this far on her own. What laid before her might truly have been too much for her to handle, were she to try to battle it by herself.

Li'an took another deep breath and spoke, "I've been to this place before, not physically maybe, but in my heart, in my mind. I've felt this sense of hopelessness and loss." She paused for a moment and looked at Markus. "I suspect you have too Markus, and perhaps all of us have had something similar," she continued.

"I've fought my way out of that nightmare for almost twenty years, alone. It has taken almost everything I had to make it this far. This..." she said, turning around to gesture to the collapsed buildings and walls surrounding them. "This horror is, very likely, more than I would be able to handle, more than any one of us could take."

She looked at the group assembled around her: Ary, whom she'd known for a few years now and trusted as much as she'd trusted anyone in her life; Aravashnial, whom she'd not spoken with in decades, but respected deeply, and in many ways was all the family she had left; Anevia, the goal she'd striven for all these years, and someone she now wanted to consider a friend as well. Ehren, whose quiet but wise demeanor brought a much needed sense of calm to the group; Horgus, who despite his faults, simply wanted his life back, something she could relate to; Hrut, a veritable tower of good, representing some of the best aspects of the crusaders; Markus, a reminder not only that others have suffered greatly in this world, but also fought the daily battle to continue on towards whatever fate had in store for them; and finally Valaria, from whom Li'an hoped not just to hear stories, but perhaps, one day, create new ones with.

"But I didn't make it up here to witness this alone. We all made it here together, and together we might endure what would be too much for any of us. If what I've experienced is any guide, it won't be an easy journey: It will be pain, it will be suffering, and every day will be a battle to reach the next. But it's a burden we can carry together until we reach our fated end, whatever that might be. I swore an oath to keep fighting for the crusades and for this city until the day I die or the threat is ended once and for all. The gods as my witness, I don't intend to go back on it now!"

Li'an turned away from the group to look on the city, partly because she had nothing else to say, but also to give her time to regain her composure.

Without turning around, she added "You may be right that they've left, Aravashnial. The sky is still filled with stars and clear of clouds, it's not much, but it's a silver lining nonetheless."

Val's eyes wander over the ruins and smokey air. She steps back and steadies Ehren as he stumbles, her own hands trembling as she keeps him standing. She can't think of anything to say, despite her silver tongue. There's simply no words for what they see before them.

Her voice finally emerges, soft and sorrowful as she looks up at the sky, still lit with the stars and the silvery glow of the moon. "I've seen this place before. My dreams have been filled with nightmares as of late. Pictures of demonic rampages and horrible destruction. But I refuse to believe that the lady would send me here if the destruction was inevitable. There must be something we can do. There must be."

Li'an's words ring through the air and she stands straighter, her eyes going hard despite her body still trembling. "They say that the greatest of friends are forge in fire. Well, we've been through fire and stone and darkness, to end up right back where it began. Here and now, I refuse to say that everything we've gone through was just to see the ruins of a demonic victory. Until I see the bodies of the crusaders and the ruined shards of the wardstone, I refuse to give up and let this be the end of Kenabres."

The realization that she has friends, real friends, for the first time in decades, helps lift her spirits enough to bring a small smile to her lips. "It seems like my decision on what I'm doing next is decided. I'm with you, all of you, until the end of this."

Markus still doesn't speak for awhile, even after Li'an addresses him. He knows he's suffered, and he supposes he knows that she has too. Honestly though...he's not sure he believes that she's gone through the same kind of suffering as he has. She's had a longer life, so it's possible, but...Markus is judging.

Valaria and Li'an seem to perk him up a little bit, though. Just a little bit. "If, um." he stumbles on his words a bit. "If we think the demons have left... We ought to comb the area for survivors."

He looks down to the ground, and behind them at the sewer entrance. "It's likely we're in better shape than a lot of people here. And if we're planning to stay in the city until further notice...maybe we ought to look for someplace to sleep. We could go to Horgus' house to start."

"No! It's still there, it has to-" Ehren is unable to finish his sentence, abruptly jostled by the the sudden quake. Right on cue, that same immense pain wracks the druid's body. He cries out and stumbles in mid-step, raising a single hand to clutch the side of his head, but somehow, he manages to keep his footing. It was a terrible feeling that he felt, but beyond the pain, there was something else he had not noticed before. Something he had been too weak to take notice of. Several expressions pass over his face in the space of a few seconds, ranging from sheer horror to one that might have held a glimmer of hope. He moves his hand to his forehead, rubbing it as his body heaves with a quiet chuckle. Perhaps he was truly going mad with grief. So that’s how it is, then.

"The quakes... they are not being caused by the demons. Not directly, at least," he says exasperatedly, regaining his composure. A faint smile graced his otherwise grim features. "The earth itself is fighting against the Storm King's corruption, purging its influence from the ley. The wardstone field - it is still there." Ehren could not explain how this was possible, let alone how he knew it to be true, but his ravings sounded excited. If the Green had not yielded, why should he? He looks to the stars, proof perhaps that he was not insane.

"I was sworn to this land the day I was born. This is what I exist for. And all of you... it is by no coincidence that we crossed paths. We have all already found proof of that." He looks back down to his first real friends, a glimmer in his eye. He then looks back to Old Kenabres. There was a longing to go there, but he had calmed somewhat. He reluctantly yields to the thought that he would have to wait.

"Horgus' place is a good place to start."

"Hear that, Hawk? The stars and earth itself are still on our side. And that means there's still hope." she says, slowly, then nods. "We'll get you home, Horgus. If you're right, it should be the best hope we have for a bastion. After that, we should scour the area for cold iron; that'll have a huge impact on our ability to take down the demons we face. Plus, survivors are likely to have buttoned down in anything fortifiable with access to the same. After that, I'd say we head to the Kite. We should investigate any churches still standing along the way. Holy Water, Church Weapons, Potions, Scrolls. Home base with supplies, armaments, scouting."

She's continued to support Anevia during this time frame. If it were true than Li'an couldn't do this alone... it had been markedly so for Ary. She was only human, after all. And it had been less than a decade since she'd ran. If it weren't for other people to be strong for, she'd have likely fallen apart a long time ago.

And as far as friends went... these people had seen more of Ary's true face than nearly anyone still alive. She could hold it together and not march into the Worldwound alone as long as they were there.

She gave Anevia's shoulder a squeeze, though who it was truly for, only Ary knew. "Besides... would the Inheritor have set everything in motion for us to receive Radiance, a sword I'd likely never have seen, let alone touched, had she not had a plan for us?"

Uziel stumbles, his eyes wide, but he is yanked back to his feet by the leading rope. He glares at Ary but doesn't attempt to speak through his gag.

Lann looks at Ary, hesitant. He turns from her to watch Ehren as he speaks, merely listening for now. Finally, he nods. "Right. That's what I need to do." He turns to the rest of the group. He stands tall and straight, and offers them a salute. "Thank you for all you have done for us. Be safe. Until we meet again." After the group makes their farewells, Lann heads back down into the sewer entrance, after one final wistful look at the stars.

Anevia leans into Ary, her eyes wide. "Y-yeah. You're right. Irabeth's a tough b!$~@. If I could survive this hell, she definitely did." She clutches her silver longsword pendant. "Iomedae...Desna... Shelyn. Anyone who is listening out there. Please watch over Irabeth," she whispers.

Finally she turns to the group, her face resolute. "Irabeth's out there somewhere waiting for me. We have a home in the eastern side of town in the Gate District... um you know Bluerock Boulevard? The street with all the inns on it? Around there. I'd like to go there... so I can see if I still have a home... and also whether my wife has left me any notes. If she lives, she would have left me a note in our secret place." She rolls her eyes. "I was a thief y'know, so I'm really fickle about where we keep our valuables - there's a strongbox inside the wall in the basement - even if the building was flattened it should be there. If she's alive she would have left me a note there, I just know it."

Aravashnial nods. "Alright. I have a request as well. There is a library in southern Kenabres in the Gate District - Blackwing. Li'an, you are familiar, yes? I would... like it if you brought me there. ...Just to see if it is intact."

Horgus blusters. "Need I remind you that you are all being paid to escort me to my home? Forget this nonsense about libraries and wives - my manor is in the Gate District, adjacent to Truestone park, a little northeast of here. I demand to be taken there at once!"

Gwerm Manor, the Tirablade Residence, the Librarium of the Broken Black Wing (called "Blackwing" by locals), and Li'an's home have been added to the Map of Kenabres. I know that many of you have said to go to Horgus' house first but I want you to review the locations of these additional places on the map relative to yourself before moving forwards. Please propose where you'd like to go next after consulting the map.

In addition, Ary, are you fine with Hrut watching the prisoners in the middle while you take rearguard as Li'an suggested? Does anyone else have any ideas about how to position the prisoners?

I am perfectly happy with that. :p Someone taking the prisoners from Angry Ary is probably in everyone's best interests. :P

"If I remember right, the library is on the way to Truestone... and Bluerock is a little ways up from there. That makes that path the logical choice, yeah? Sorry, Horgus, but a quick pitstop is better than doubling back... once we get everyone safe in Horgus's house, we can get you home quickly, sound good, Hawk?" she asked, looking towards Anevia.

Edit: Aid Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 13 +3 to Val, for trying to push our heroes in the direction we like :p

I'm assuming everything on the map is either common knowledge or we've been filled in on where everything is for us outsiders.

Val nods slowly, clearly thinking about something. "Hmmm, I think Ary's right. The library is closer than your manor, Horgus. It would make the trip faster and safer if we hit each location in order, rather than running back and forth across the city as it is. I know you want to get home, but it's much easier for everyone involved if we make Aravashnial's trip on the way, then head to your home immediately afterward. We'd have to go straight past it to get Anevia home anyway."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

"The library ought to be in our path." agrees Markus. "There might even be some knowledge there capable of being preserved. Horgus' residence might be a worthwhile place to store any books we might recover from there. Better than being exposed to rain, if rain ever comes."

Markus approaches Aravashnial. "Hey, Aravashnial. You just said something that reminded me of something I remembered from my days at university." he scratches his head. "There's a certain kind of magic - magic of the mind. There are people who learn to control their bodies and the world around them using only the power of their minds, and I read about a technique that they used that duplicates the effects of synesthesia. It allows you to change certain senses into other sensory inputs instead."

"It's useable on a limited basis, but it's very learnable, given time and effort or a good teacher, and, well... it could allow you to see again."

Diplomacy?: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

"Oh, right. And I did kind of promise Markus I'd take him to a library for Armasse..." Ary realizes, thinking back. That felt like months ago.