| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Still bleeding critically, Elisai slams her blade into Aldern trying to cleave right through him.
Delendir's well placed attack cuts the shapeshifter deeply, but it's not enough to bring it down.
Elisai's blade clams into the wall adjacent to the creature formerly known as Aldern as he shifts out of the way at the last moment.
Delendir starts to sweat as the creature holds on feet "For all gods take Daud out of here!"
Where are you Ghina? thinks to himself the half-elf "We need help in the third stage bedroom Tal! Kiley!"
The half-elf focuses on the claws trying to avoid the creature.
Jessica saw Sunday fall and cried out, "Sunday NO!" She glared at the creatures they were fighting and said a prayer which caused a spear of pure white light to appear, she pointed to the third mudman and said, "Be purified by the light!"
From not too far away Tal shouts, "We're almost there, hang tight!"
Jessica's light blasts the hairless creature, leaving a blackened scorched mark on it's chest where it struck. Both faceless stalkers now look extremely injured, their reserves nearly depleted. Despite that however, it still holds on to Sunday's pale and limp body as he dangles him above the floor. Blood continues to drain from Sunday's body and it is unclear if the man still lives or not. If he is alive, it is with the slightest sliver of life that still exists inside of him.
Aldern's stalker spits out a venemous, "Foolish girl! You cannot win! You think your little light show is going to stop us? We are just the beginning! Father Skinsaw will consume you all!"
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Sunday Daud I did not give you permission to die!" Grace sings as she lays hands upon the dangling masochist once more.
Weary and severely injured, the shapeshifters cannot sustain the same level of offensive capabilities they have previously demonstrated. A half-hearted forearm misses Delendir from the north. The creature isn't letting his prize get away from him however as Daud dangles from his hands and blood drains into the creatures mouth once more.
From the west the stalker gets the sword around with a punch to follow, but both are easily telegraphed and Elisai avoids all contact this round.
From the stairs both Kiley and Tal burst up onto the floor, half out of breath and weapons at the ready. They look around anxiously as they catch sight of the battle in the bedroom. Kiley sees Daud nearly dead and exclaims, "DROP HIM NOW!"
Observing the creature keeps holding Daud drinking his blood Delendir shouts "Big last mistake!"
And so he focuses all his strength bringing down his sword over the driking beast limbs to free the barbarian by the rule of force.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
She glared at the Aldern impersonator and cast another prayer, this time a beam of searing divine light slammed into the creature holding Sunday.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Delendir's mighty blow cleaves the limb clear from the body, pools of black inky bloody pumping out onto the floor. Sunday drops to the ground, unconscious and unmoving. The creature looks briefly at it's arm laying on the floor, as if confused how it could be located down there. A few blinks of it's eyes and it too collapses on the ground, defeated.
"Surrender! Or go with the Brotherhood to the hell!"
Though on the threshold of death the creature begins to bark in laughter, dark black blood dripping from it's mouth. As if in answer it hoists up it's longsword and aims to bring it down on Elisai when Jessica's searing light strikes him down. The flash of light burns a hole straight through the chest of the stalker, sending him and his blade tumbling backwards onto the bed.
Kiley shouts, "Sunday!" and rushes up to him as tears spill from her eyes. She looks frantically back to Grace and Jessica, "He's not waking up!"
Tal leans into the room and observes the chaos. "What... happened. More shapeshifters?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"We happened upon Lord Foxglove and his bride in the middle of a romp. They turned out to be shapeshifters. Another one was hiding in the bathroom."
Grace kneels down next to Sunday.
"Don't worry, Kiley."
Grace begins singing again, letting her magic flow through notes and words and into the idiot who got himself impaled.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Delendir finally breaths normally released from the tension. This time he is not affected by all the blood sliding through his longsword, realising these are not real women but shifting monsters.
He makes a step towards Daud, but quickly backs as help starts to arrive, leaning instead against the toilet door. Released when Daud recovers conscience the half-elf becomes more joyful "Luckily you are as much stubborn to die as you are to learn avoiding rushing in the middle of the enemy"
The ranger looks for something in the room to tie the still alive shifters.
Twitching and coming to in a stir Sunday quickly takes in his surrounding before hacking up some blood and words. "Better me than Jessica or Elisai."
Jessica moved through the crush to check on Sunday as soon as she could and knelt next to him after Grace had healed him andexamined him for further injuries.
She could tell he'd lost a lot of blood and realized stupidly there was nothing she could do about that for now as she had foolishly forgotten to prepare a prayer she should never be without. "I think you'll be alright Sunday, I'm afraid I can't do much about the blood loss. We should get some meat in you quickly."
"Losing blood doesn't bother me as much as you think." he mumbles and rubs the collar of his neck instinctively. "I'm not that hungry, thirsty though... what about wine?"
After tying up the shifters Delendir takes on Daud's words and checks the wine bottles offered by the shifters.
Taking out the cork with his teeth in an amazing display of skill, the half-elf gets a good swallow passing it then to Daud and offering the wine to the rest of the party "At least they had a good taste"
"What will we do with them? The interrogation with the previous ones did not result actually" he says looking at the fallen creatures "They seemed to communicate with someone so perhaps letting them die, despite cruel, is not a bad idea". He then seems to remember something and approaching to the fireplace he checks the lion head there "I found a keyhole here before the combat begun. Let's see what is it about"
Taking out his thieve's tools the ranger makes his work on the head.
Nodding in thanks Sunday will take the bottle and down a good portion of it before offering it to someone else.
"This could have been a trap for us." Grace muses out loud. She takes the bottle from Sunday and swigs down a swallow for herself. "Or it could be this Skinsaw cult felt there was too much value in having Aldren Foxglove 'alive' and managing his affairs for them. A front for a criminal enterprise."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kiley watches Sunday raised from near death and drops to her knees and throws her arms around him, squeezing him tight. In a meek voice she mutters, "You're not allowed to die on me."
Delendir can't seem to get the lock picked on the first go around, but settling in and taking his time reveals a satisfactory audible click a short while later.
The hidden cache contains one of Foxglove’s nest eggs: a bag of 240 pp along with a shallow wooden case containing a number of legal papers pertaining to the townhouse, as well as the deed to Foxglove Manor. The deed indicates that the Foxglove family only financed two-thirds of the manor’s construction 80 years ago; the remainder was financed by a group called the Brothers of the Seven. The deed also bears an unusual clause near the end that indicates that after 100 years, ownership of Foxglove Manor and the lands within a mile “around and below” reverts to the brothers.
Under the case is a thin ledger—the majority of the entries are mundane, but several near the end should catch the PCs’ attention. These are nearly a dozen entries from over the past 3 months labeled as “Iesha’s Trip to Absalom,” each indicating Foxglove was paying someone referred to as “B–7” 200 gp a week for her “trip,” dropping off the payment every Oathday at midnight at a place called “the Seven’s Sawmill.”
Also your assailants were carrying masterwork longswords (2).
At first seizing at the contact on instinct Sunday's body soon relaxes and he returns the affection. "As you command." he whispers back.
Emotional on Kiley's reaction Delendir tries to gather the attention of the others and leave the couple a bit of intimacy.
Meanwhile upon study of the notes and contracts he rereads some passage pointed out by Tal "Mmm... that's interesting, so this Seven's Sawmill is a place related to the Brotherhood somehow..."
The half-elf nods with his head "Aham, you are right, in the contract it says the sawmill is located in Kyver's Islet in Magnimar" he tries to look at his own memories and looks at Jessica "So where is that exactly? What kind of place is that?"
"This seems like a solid lead towards the Brotherhood and I guess that Xanesha that wrote to Aldern" Delendir gathers his longsword and bow "How do you see it? Shall we rest if we go? I can continue straight"
"I'd prefer to take a breather for a moment' Elisai mutters, pressing a hand to her still wounded chest. "Obviously, I had someone shove a damn blade through my chest, so I'd like a chance to catch by breath before we run headlong into some secret organisation . Still, I agree that following up towards the brotherhood would be a good first step."
Delendir nods packing all the found things "What do you think if we go back to the temple? I do not feel comfortable resting here"
Looking to the dead corpses and then to Grace "If you are right and this has been a trap for us, they have been very close to get us. We were extremely lucky today. I guess I need a breather too after all" says the half-elf looking worried at Elisai's deep wound.
Jessica nodded and said, "that would be a wise idea I think though I believe we could heal ourselves well enough to continue if you all want too." She looked very weary, it had been another rough day for her and she very much needed the rest, she just didn't want to say it.
"We could barricade ourselves here, but the temple would have other people to help guard us." Sunday states as he wobbly gets to his feet.
"Perfect. Let's go then" taking the documents Delendir starts walking out of the house. Once outside he calls for Ghina so the hawk knows they are coming back to their temporal base.
Back at the temple the half-elf looks for an activity to drive the mind out of the current tense and disgusting events of the day.
The decides to return back to the temple for some well deserved sleep. The priest who had worked with you previously has no problems sheltering the group when they decide to return, doing his best to make you all as comfortable as possible. Alistair first offers his condolences to Jessica and then informs her of the progress they have made on preparing for her family's burial ceremony.
Though you all are completely exhausted, paranoia causes many of you some difficulty in finding sleep that night. In particular, Jessica and Kiley are disturbed by horrific nightmares of being stripped naked and laying inside of a white room. A woman with black curls and a gold mask enters the room and repeatedly torturers the girls to the point of them awakening with screams. Though the images fade after being awake, they could both swear later that they could hear the gold masked woman laughing even after they were awake.
Eventually dawn arrives with the delicious smell of freshly made bread. The party awakens to find that the temple has gone out of its way to prepare a special meal for the group to allow them to find time to refuel and take a burden from their shoulders.
The meal is interrupted by a city guard who has been dispatched to retrieve Kiley or Jessica and bring her back to Arvensoar. Apparently there is a high ranking member of the court who has questions about the events that had transpired with their kidnapping and entrance into town the previous day that go above and beyond what was told to the city watch. At first skeptical, he produces an official document that states the request. Alistair has had numerous interactions with the court on behalf of the temple confirms that the request seems legitimate and it is even signed and sealed by a justice of the court.
Kiley volunteers to go so that Jessica can finish eating, but Tal quickly stands and notes that he does not feel comfortable with her traveling alone. He states he will travel with Kiley and insists that Jessica and the other stay to finish their meals and get rest, they will be back by lunch.
Before they depart Tal adds, "If for some reason we get hung up in the judicial bureaucracy and can't get out of there before lunch, I suggest you followup on the lead on the mill we discussed last night. We'll regroup later this evening." He gives Jessica a peck on the cheek before the depart. When he senses some trepidation from the group on splitting up again he quips, "Look. We're going to be surrounded by the city watch and law officials, I think this may possibly be the safest place for us in the city. YOU are the ones that will need the luck! Stay safe friends."
Unnerved by the screams waking Jessica and Kiley constantly throughout the night anfd trying his best to keep watch over them has left him in an ill mood come morning.
Barely picking at his breakfast he arches an annoyed eyebrow as the guards disturb them. When Kiley offers to go though he hurriedly stands up. "I'll go too."
Sometime during the night, Grace gathered up Jessica and Kiley and slipped them together into bed. If they were going to wake up screaming, at the very least they could provide comfort to each other.
When the morning arrives and brings with it a judicial summons, Grace fights back the urge to groan.
"Sunday, you can't." Grace says, simply. "I know you wish to protect Kiley but we are already losing both a warrior and our best spellcaster. Losing another warrior could mean the difference between us leaving that mill alive or leaving it in pieces."
Grace clears her throat, then lowers her voice.
"That being said, we are plagued by shapeshifters who can wear familiar faces. Are we all agreed that any of us can, at any time, demand proof of the true identity of any other via blood without it causing rancor or grumbling?"
Grace pauses.
"Or perhaps there is some magical potion, scroll, or item we can buy that will allow us to see through such horrid shapeshifting."
"You're wanting to go while they're gone? But... you still have Eisai and Delendir, they're much better warriors than me." Sunday says meakly.
Delendir assists to Jessica's family burial ceremony. He tries to be close to woman and support her on the difficult time, but not knowledgeable of words, he prefers to avoid talking.
-------------
During the morning, and while he enjoys of the fine breakfast, Delendir nods as Grace tells to Daud he should stay "I do not want to force anyone to stay, but she is right Daud, we will never do it if we lose you too" the ranger looks at the man before adding "Besides, if you want to save Kiley for one and for all, the best way is to uncover this Brotherhood and put an end to their plottings. That will be the best way to protect our friends"
While the bard continues exposing her fair point about the shifters and the blood Delendir eyes move to look out through the window. He seems troubled and hesitant.
After a moment he finally speaks up "I might have a solution..." he touches at his left arm where he secretly dresses an old tattoo "I know one witch able to perform a small blood ritual. Through the ritual you can bind your bloods in such a way you can acknowledge each other spirit afterwards by a simple touch. It is an old Shoanti ritual."
He seems to become a bit uncomfortable and nervous "It happens this witch is living not far away from the Sawmill, here in Magnimar. Or at least she was living there the last time I saw her..." he touches his arm once more "Although we did not end up very well... still... it might be a good idea to check out, she might be able to help on us not being mislead by shifters anymore"
"Or we could wait till they get done and then go investigate the sawmill?" he weakly adds.
Jessica had a horrible nights sleep and didn't even notice when Kiley was brought into the room to share a bed with her. She clung to her friend through the remainder of the night but still didn't sleep well, she felt like that horrid woman was actually in the room with them. When dawn broke she finally gave up sleeping, dressed, and went to the chapel being careful not to wake Kiley. She was still there when the summons arrived and was unaware of it's existence. When her prayers were done she began to perform the song she had written during them, though it was by far her best performance she still put her heart into it. The song was discordant and pained with the events of the last couple of days providing a strong inspiration. She made her way to the kitchen area of the temple and sat down to breakfast with bleary eyes in the hopes that it would help her wake up.
Tal shrugs at Sunday, "Why wait? It would be a more efficient use of time to tackle both tasks simultaneously. I concur with assessments from both Grace and Delendir. Go with the others and we will regroup back here at three bells. In the event that we are being detained longer I will request a messenger be sent to notify you so that you do not worry."
When Sunday still doesn't look convinced he puts a comforting hand on the barbarian's shoulder. "I know recent events have been rough, but truly the entire city of Magnimar is not out to get us. Until given a reason not to, we need to believe in the law and justice system of the city. Having grown up here, I can attest to it's efficiency in dealing with criminals."
Tal looks around notes Jessica still has not arrived from her morning prayers. He proclaims, "I think it's best we leave before Jessica gets back from prayers, it will be easier that way." Looking out over the group he adds, "Take care of Jess this morning, give her a big hug from me. If she gets mad at us, tell her that this was best for her, she doesn't need to relive yesterday right now."
With a wave both Kiley and Tal depart about five minutes before Jessica's arrival. When Jessica arrives she is followed by two fraternal teenage twins, one male and female. Upon seeing Jessica they both move over to her and wrap their arms around her. The female lays her head down on Jessica's shoulder and whispers her regards to her while the boy stays silent. After a moment together they both let go and acknowledge the others in the room. The boy speaks, "I'm Samuel, this is my sister Sarah. If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know."
Tal shrugs at Sunday, "Why wait? It would be a more efficient use of time to tackle both tasks simultaneously. I concur with assessments from both Grace and Delendir. Go with the others and we will regroup back here at three bells. In the event that we are being detained longer I will request a messenger be sent to notify you so that you do not worry."Sunday narrows his eyes at the elf. "Splitting us up does not make us efficient."
When Sunday still doesn't look convinced he puts a comforting hand on the barbarian's shoulder. "I know recent events have been rough, but truly the entire city of Magnimar is not out to get us. Until given a reason not to, we need to believe in the law and justice system of the city. Having grown up here, I can attest to it's efficiency in dealing with criminals."
The barbarian's lips pull back into a snarl once the other man touches him. "You're stupider than I thought if you believe that. You vouching for this place makes me doubt it even more."
Jessica was delighted to see the two, the twins were a bright spot on an already rough day. She returned their hugs, even if a bit weaker than normal, and she whispered a reply to Sarah. She looked to her friends as the twins let go of her and said, "Sarah and Samuel were both in their novitiate with me. I finished before them and then left for Sandpoint for the festival." She turned her attention back to the twins and said, "It's good to see you both again, I missed you both."
Delendir is troubled by the lack of Jessica's daily cheering song, but he just greets her up when she appears as if nothing had happened.
The ranger seems also amused at Daud's decision to not let Kiley go alone, but knows better than getting involved in the couple dispute. He breaths a bit relieved though knowing the group will count on him during the visit to the Sawmill.
When the twins appear, he smiles interested on them "Good! Do you have some wine you can offer? Yavenee has a strong personality, if we want to pay her a visit, I need a good drink before she asks me why haven't I visited her still after so many years..."
He looks at Jessica as she reveals who the couple are It is impressive, how the events we have gone through in Sandpoint have made her much more mature and stronger than this ones here
Sunday narrows his eyes suspiciously at the twins but doesn't otherwise say anything.
Sarah, the taller one, moves her head slightly to one side. "Sir? You mean to drink wine at this hour?" Her head flits over to Jessica as if trying to seek some explanation but Samuel intervenes. "Sarah! This man is an adventurer of renown, not to mention our guest! You heard what we were instructed, to be as accommodating as possible. If he wants to drink in the morning, we shall get him some wine."
He straightens up and nods to Delendir. "My good sir, I shall fetch you a glass of wine immediately." and trots off to do so. Sarah nearly frowns at Delendir, clearly not understanding who would drink wine at this hour.
Delendir looks delighted as the man leaves for some wine "Ah! Delightful! Perhaps I later should ask for some tender meat for Ghina" as he sees Sarah does not understand he specifies "My hawk"
"I hope you are not angry at us because we are taking so much time from Jessica" says the half-elf "She has been the heart of us that have kept pumping her warmth to keep us alive and looking for the authenticity in all this business. I hope you do not mind we take her for a bit more."
Once Samuel is back with the wine Delendir will enjoy of the drink for a while, atoning himself ready to face the day's investigation, and attempting for Daud to soften his spirit about Kiley.
"If no one has something against, let's visit Yavenee and see if the witch can help us distinguish the shapeshifters from our friends" he looks at a small map of the city before leaving the temple "It might even be we can also observe the Sawmill from her house, they are just that close"
And so Delendir packs his things and readies to leave the temple.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Twins, eh?" Grace's eyes take on a look of calculation.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Elisai hears the playful tone in Grace's voice and quickly decides to steer the conversation into waters perhaps less awkward for Jessica.
"So Sarah, how are your studies progressing? Jessica here has probably saved all of us many times times over, and she has shown both Grace and I just how great of a singer she is. Is it the same for you and Samuel?"