Quednys extends his hands to stop Elriel from grabbing his coins. "Your coins are not good here, my friend. Please, come with me so I can give you something to eat." He guides you to the communal kitchen where the cook's assistant, a pretty old woman of varisian heritage, and you soon end up with a stew of something and a piece of warm bread... it is not the most delicious meal but it is warm and nutritious at least.
After you grab your meal, Quednys waits for you to sit in a spare table before opening his journal, looking for something. "Terrace Del'Ven... alive, Alexis Terrabane... deceased, and Balthor Illysian... missing." The old man looks with sorrow at Rukzha. "I'm sorry but your friend Alexis has perished during the attack... her body has already been cremated I'm afraid so I can't even offer you a grave for you to pay your homages... Balthor was not found yet but since he is in this journal it means someone already asked for him so it is possible that someone is already looking for him..."
Brevon pales as Sabrina departs and for a fleeting moment he thinks to pursue her. But the fire in her eyes tells him all he needs to know. There would be no reasoning with her now. "She will return to us in time," he says, more to himself than anyone else.
Brevon hadn't realized how hungry he was until the aroma of...(stew?) reaches his nose. At the table, he thanks Sarenrae for placing the heat of hunger in his belly, reminding him that he is still alive, there there is work yet to be done. He ponders the identity of the tired-looking man reflecting back at him in his spoon, then carefully dips it into the chunky, gray soup.
A note of garlic. Pepper. A bit of dirt. To be expected. He mops his bread into the last bits, carefully picking out a piece of gravel.
He bows his head as Quednys reads through the list. How many more names shall appear on his list? How many never will, their identities forgotten in an ocean of time?
"I am sorry, Rukzha. I..." he would like to say something more, something comforting, but what could he possibly say to comfort her? Mere words cannot bind a broken heart.
Instead, he simply places a hand on her shoulder, then steps to the back of the room. "The light is fading. We'd best be off."
_____
Rukzha is too worried waiting for the answer to start on the food, instead she looks on Quednys with a mixture of hope and apprehension. His news about Terrace give him some hope, at least the whole squad didn't perish, but that hope is quickly squished when Alexis' status is delivered. Tears start forming in her eyes as she stares at Quednys and listens to him delivering the rest of his speech, though she isn't really paying attention. The stream of tears grow stronger and she starts sobbing. "Alexis... No... Not Alexis... Her words are almost lost amidst the crying. "She was like a sister to me..." The slightly younger woman had been like the older sister she never had. The human girl had helped the half-orc out with whatever she needed, protected her and they had shared so much histories and secrets.
Once she recovers from her grief Rukzha eats. She hardly tastes the food, but she still downs it.
Later when Brevon suggests to head off she interrupts weakly, "No... Let's see if we can trade for some more useful gear than what we got first..." Her heart is not in in, but that doesn't stop her brain from working, always trying to find the best solution tot he situation at hand.
Arrika takes a bite of the stew, then raises her napkin to clean her mouth - surreptitiously transferring the sprouted eye of a potato from her mouth into it and flicking the tiny plant onto the floor before replacing the napkin on the table. Gamely she continues to eat, but more than once she flicks a glance downward to Kelumarion, his head on his crossed paws next to her seat. ::I gain my sustenance frrom the enerrgy of Nirrvana when I rreturrn therre, and it would be wrrong of me to take food from the mouths of the hungrry...: Onlookers might have taken the huff of breath as a pant of exertion, but Arrika knew his chuckle when she heard it.
No one was chuckling when Rukzha returned to the others with her news, though. I'm...so sorry...I had hoped all your friends had made it through the attack... Arrika knew loss - and she knew that words did little to assuage it, only time and distraction. So when the half-orc woman moves to plans for going through the Eagle Watch's supplies, Arrika joins in, listing off the protections and boons she'd hoped to share and racking her brain to try and keep up with Rukzha's arcane knowledge (though it does little good). Her methods are vastly different from the southron wizards', but she's every bit as clever as they...
Elriel gulps down his food like it was his last meal.
He has little to add to comfort the half-orc other than walking up to her and putting his hand on her shoulder, "demon blood will be spilled for your friends. I promise."
The half-elf takes off his magic ring and hands it over to the witch, "Here it seems you know your way around magic much better than the rest of us. Certainly better than me. I trust you know how I prefer to fight. I like to move and strike quickly."
He sort of bowed his head, "Please acquire equipment as you deem necessary. I, for one, trust you."
He then looked at his companions, "Do we all have cold iron weapons? We'll need those..."
"Thank you for your support." The words and hands of the others does not lessen her grief, but at least it makes her feel not alone.
---
Rukzha looks over her companions, her eyes are drawn to the mace at Arrika's side. "Hmm, Arrika you haven't used that mace you are carrying yet, right? It's worth quite a bit, a shame to see such a good weapon not be put to good use. Maybe we can trade it for something more useful to us, and someone else will get use for it in turn? It's a shame magical cold iron weapons are so expensive, I don't think we have enough to trade for one of those, even with all the other bits of armor and weapons we got, but maybe we'll be able to find some better armor? Staying protected is just as important as being able to take down the enemy. Let's look for armor first." As she speaks, she regains some of her lost luster. She's still sad, but at least she's quite engaged in what they are doing.
"About moving quickly, I know just he thing Elriel. There is something called a Quick Runner's Shirt. It'll make you able to do amazing feats of speed. Terrace in the order uses one to move and strike with both his blades at the same time, it's quite impressive. You could do the same thing. It might be more useful than the climbing ring. If we trade away a few of our potions as well, maybe we'll be able to get a Pearl of Power so I can do something more than just healing and slumbering when we go to investigate these safehouses as well."
"We got quite a few potions. Potions are great since anyone can use them. However if you know magic, like me or Arrika, or even Brevon through his goddess, then wands provide more uses for the same gold. Would be nice if we find someone willing to trade such."
Quednys doesn't wait for you to finish your meal before moving around the inn, back to his duties. After about half an hour, Rukzha is able to trade most of the weapons and armors you have encountered so far for more interesting and useful armors and magical items. The amount of time necessary for such task was higher because of the general disorganization of the place... even if Quednys was doing his best to keep everything in order, there were many recovered items that weren't properly catalogued yet, making the process of looking for them quite challenging.
Elriel was finally successful in ushering the group back into the ruined streets, even if they were unable to find Sabrina... with the prospect of losing the opportunity, they decided to leave her behind this time. It was also much more faster to move around without Anevia and her crutch to slow them down.
Moving between two enormous rifts, the group of survivors managed to cross a section of the city that was the most ruined so far, with almost no building still standing, many forever buried into the darkness. After just about half an hour walking they were able to reach the Topaz Solutions, guided by both Rukzha and Arrika.
A wooden sign above the door bears a carving of a bundle of orange herbs and flowers hovering over a beaker filled with smoking orange liquid. The building's windows are tightly shuttered, but the front door hangs halfway off its hinges.
Before setting out Rukzha uses her freshly acquired Pearl of Power to regain the usage of her web bolt spell. Her eyes shine as she studies the pearl. "This feels amazing, it lets me regain some of my power." For a moment the sadness is almost forgotten, but it quickly returns.
She turns towards Arrika. "I can use the summoning wand, but I believe you can as well. Maybe it's better that you carry it now that I've regained some of my magic?"
Rukzha looks around curiously, but she's obviously too distracted to notice anything amiss. She's too busy thinking of what's ahead of them. Her voice is still hushed as she looks to the others. "So, what do you think waits inside? Should we protect ourselves against evil before entering? The wand doesn't have a ton of uses and it could be used to break mind control if necessary. We don't even know if there are enemies inside, nor if they are evil like the demons."
Elriel thanks the half-orc girl, "You've done very good. It's a pleasure having you around. I think you just became our quartermaster of sorts."
--------------------
Elriel's ears once more pick up noise ahead. He signaled for the rest to stop, "There's walking and talking inside and things being dragged around. It sounds like looters but they are not aware that we are here outside."
He looked at the building, "Perhaps it's best we make our presence known and set up an ambush for them once they come outside. I can be the bait and you all can hide."
Brevon grips his newfound ranseur anxiously. "You seem skilled at subtle footwork," Brevon observes in a whisper to Elriel. "Why not allow me to announce our presence and, if necessary, you can spring from the shadows. As Rukzha suggests, we don't yet know they are evil. Battle may not even be necessary."
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Rukzha smiles at Elriel. "sharp ear you got there Elriel. If they are looting, then they probably don't have good intentions. Though they probably don't have good intentions either." She dons her mask.
"Standing out here and calling out to them doesn't seem like much of a surprise to me. Maybe we can use the invisibility from the wand to sneak up on them? We don't need much skill with stealth to sneak up on them if we are invisible. Though it might be enough that one of us sneak in invisible to hear what they are up to so we can better plan what to do next."
Elriel stopped the wand using, "Listen, we may be overreacting. They could be just looters. Let me a bit closer to see if I can determine what's going on."
He then kept to the sides of the building and stealthily crept closer.
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It would be safer under the cover of invisibility. Rukzha was about to say, but the words dies on her tongue as Elriel has already set off. I'll get him to be more careful next time...
You're right, Arrika agrees, taking the wand from Rukzha and sticking it into her belt. As Elriel creeps toward the building, Arrika stays back with Rukzha and Brevon, nervously grasping her spear haft and watching the half-elf approach the shop. Kelumarion watches as well, ready to spring into action if something goes wrong.
Brevon holds his breath, cognizant of the breeze emanating from the massive fissures all around them.
The half-elf scowled and returned to his companion and told them what he had seen.
He breathed in, "Unless we use the wand and we all become invisible, I think call them out and ambush them."
He looked at Brevon, "I could be the bait but if you are up for it, I'll be sure to stay close. What do you all think?"
"I fear the weight of my armor will hinder any attempts at subtlety. I would volunteer to draw their attention. I may not be much, but in this I pray I can show my worth."
He turns to Rukzha, Arrika, and Kelumarion. "Are we in agreement?"
Rukzha breathes a sigh of relief when Elriel returns undetected. "That was risky. It would have been safer to do what you did while insvisible."
"I still think at least attempting to sneak up on them is the superior tactical option, however that's only if we are going to fight them. Are we sure we can't talk them into surrendering? Though I'm not sure what we are going to do with looters... We can't very well drag them around. And there isn't really any punishment we can give tha won't either leave them easy prey for the demons or just have them go right back to looting after we let them out of our sights. Just talking will probably not help, right?"
"I would prefer it another way, but seeing that you both are for it, let's go with your method. Brevon could call them out while both you Elriel and Kelumarion hides."
It sounds like a plan. Arrika answers to Brevon's comment. But, if they are just looters...aren't they really just trying to survive, at this point? I mean...many of these shop owners aren't coming back, and there's no sense in letting their goods sit and rot. And if the Topaz Solutions is housing the cultists responsible for this... She gestures to the destruction surrounding - not that anyone needs much reminding. ...well, I can't truly say the looters are doing much harm, relieving them of supplies. Hells, it's what we're likely to end up doing, too.
Call to them, Brevon - just shout and ask whether anyone's in there or something - and we'll see if they engage us or get scared off. If they scatter, let them go. There's no sense wasting our resources on petty thieves - we've got bigger problems.
Brevon musters his courage, then calls as loudly as he can: "You there! Well met! We are searching for survivors. Are you in need of aid?"
"Making a couple of them fall asleep won't hurt them and it'll make things a lot easier if they do decide to fight us." Rukzha comments as she readies to make whoever comes out of the house that decide to approach Brevon fall asleep.
At Brevon's words, the door is opened and three men appear, none of them openly carrying weapons but with visible swords in their belts. They seem to measure Brevon for a while before speaking. "Na, I think we are good... the city is a mess so we're just looking for something to help us to leave the city. Nothing for you to worry about!" The man smiles, obviously wishing that you'll leave them alone.
Are their intentions really that good? Rukzha wonders silently as she tries to catch a glimpse of them from her hiding place.
You all notice that they are saying the 'truth' but what are they looking for is the real question. They are clearly hiding something and wishing to be left alone.
"Maybe I can be of help! I myself just arrived. I can point you toward the exit!" He shocks himself by making this remark in a joking fashion, smiling friendly and trying to win their trust.
____
Elriel smiles to himself as Brevon 'politely' ushers the looters out. They would hopefully get the hint. If not, more extreme measures would need to be taken because they needed to get in that house.
He grips his swords tightly and waits to see the looters' reactions.
The man shrugs and slowly walks towards Brevon. "Well, why not?" He then looks inside the building and yells. "Boys, we are leaving... grab our stuff!"
The man continues to walk towards Brevon without making any mention to draw his weapon.
Seeing that they seemingly decides to go along with Brevon and not ready for combat Rukzha relaxes slightly. She let's out a breath she didn't know she was holding and the throbbing at her temple stops.
The man reaches Brevon while other five men appear at the door, one of them carrying a large sack. "So... where is the safest exit from Kenabres? I think we are really sick of all these demons roaming around..." The man waits for instructions even if the other five are already leaving the building, walking towards the east.
The man reaches Brevon while other five men appear at the door, one of them carrying a large sack. "So... where is the safest exit from Kenabres? I think we are really sick of all these demons roaming around..." The man waits for instructions even if the other five are already leaving the building, walking towards the east.
Elriel was satisfied that these are looters. Just like us.
He spoke to his companions, "Survivors just like us. We should let them go."
tag?
The half-elf stepped out of hiding, "Sorry but we have seen people with intents other than just surviving. The Eagle Watch is gathering in the Defender's Heart Tavern. That's probably your best bet."
He then added, "We're here to check this place out on their behalf. Is there anything that we should be aware of before entering?"
As Elriel appears the man in front of Brevon jumps a bit, startled by what seems to be an ambush but once he speaks, the man drops his guard once more. "Yeah, I think we've already got our share of Kenabres and we have really no love for the city, even more in ruins... We already thought that this fight was a lost one and now it seems we were right after all. We were once members of the Ash Ravens mercenaries but now that it is disbanded and our chance of getting paid are minimal, we've decided to take this payment from the ruins before returning home."
He steps away from you and moves towards the other men. "We have not really found anything in this shop but you might be luckier than we were..."
Although he doesn't put away his weapons, the half-elf relaxes some, "I think they're being honest. Just trying to survive."
He then addresses the mercenaries, "Well, I don't know who can pay you but your sword arm sure would be handy. Why not stay around and fight this blight? You know there will be nowhere to hide unless we defeat the demons."
"None could fault you for trying to survive an impossible situation," Brevon says to the mercenaries. "Go in peace and safety if you must. Or stay and fight with us. It is your choice."
He nods to Elriel. "Good work handling that. Let's check inside the building." Brevon will move toward the building.
Rukzha tries to recall what she knows of this mercenary group, then removes her mask and steps forth as well. "They said the army was coming here. At least staying with the Eagle Guard there will some semblance of safety in numbers until that happesn. Who knows what waits outside the city? Might have to fight just as much out there as in here. Say, what do you have in that bag there?"
::Good - nice, honest looters,:: Arrika remarks to Kelumarion, a hint of a smirk in her mental voice. Her grip loosens slightly on her long spear (but only slightly). Striding forward with Kelumarion beside her, she catches the conversation about the former mercenaries' job situation and the invitations from her allies to join in the fight. He's right, you know - we could really use the help, and you look more than equal to the task. Or, if you'd rather, I'm sure the Eagle Knights would be glad to take you in as defenders...I know they've shown a lot of gratitude for our help so far. She punctuates the hint at payment with a subtle wink.
Even after your encouraging words it and the many nods you get from the men, it becomes clear that they have no intention to join the resistance, the crusaders, or even other mercenary band... perhaps loot a couple more buildings and then leave Kenabres altogether. After a couple minutes you lose the men among the ruins.
Topaz Solutions was once a relatively unassuming herbalist's shop that specialized in alchemical equipment and potions. Its proprietor, a Templar wizard named Aigon Topaz, apparently has long since abandoned the shop, taking its valuables with him. The place is mostly looted and a mess with many broken glass and substances scattered around.
Not sharing the mercenaries point of view but somehow understanding, Elriel let them go even as he watched them retreat.
He then stepped inside the herbalist shop and started looking for anything that may indicate that this was some sort of safehouse. The litter on the floor left him little doubts, "Nothing here. If there ever was anyone, they left when the demons attacked."
He kicked more debris, "Are we ready to go? Where's the next supposed safehouse?"
"With the city having fallen I guess most people are just looking out for themselves. The Ash Ravens were never the most dedicated to the cause, but they were decent folk. I don't think we can fault them for not wanting to continue fighting after what happened, even if we all disagree." Rukzha shakes her head with regret as they watch the former mercenaries depart.
Rukzha doesn't find anything at once either. Still she wants to search more. "Not so quick Elriel. We should take the time to search more thoroughly. There might be something here well hidden."
Heeding Rukzha's advice, Arrika and Kelumarion work together to pore over the shop - digging through broken debris, shifting furniture aside, tapping on walls and floors. Finally, after several minutes of searching, her diligence is rewarded as she notices that one of the bottles contains not an actual preserved brain, but a model of a brain fashioned from clay left soft. A vial of expensive "chaay pudeena" leaves that smells suspiciously like mint tea, a bottle that turns out to be filled with solid resin and quartz flakes instead of liquid and alchemical reagents...and a hollow thunk when she taps the shelf's back wall. Elriel? Rukzha? Brevon? I think I've found something!
While the rest are searching Rukzha busies herself to scan the room for magical auras. Perhaps there is something magical here that the others have overlooked? Once that is done she joins in the searching for real.
Rukzha smiles when Arrika reveals what she has found. "Great! I knew there was something here."
She approaches to find the stairs. "I wonder what's down there. Could just be a cache of supplies, or we could find more cultists or even demons."
"Light. We need light even if it will announce our arrival."
The half-elf listened to see if he heard anything before heading down there."[/b]
He looked at Brevon, "Stay close big man, OK?"
Elriel still was confused about Kelumarion but he had become a little bit more comfortable; he was know talking to it, "Er... you should ah... come as well. Unless you want to... stay here. I guess."
He wanted to ask him where he went after the girl went to sleep but decided those were questions for another time.
Brevon exhales in dread as the staircase opens before them, its dark maw gaping ominously. It is pitch black. His hands begin to quake.
He is about to suggest that they return to the encampment when Elriel wades into the inky darkness. No fear in him.
His heart begins to race and a cool sweaty sheen forms on his palms. He rubs them nervously. Anywhere but here, anything but this..
He reaches first for his ranseur, doubting that his crossbow will be of much use, and hoping against hope it won't be needed. With his other hand he finds his silver ankh. It is cool to the touch and trembles in his hand. "B...b...by all that his holy and merciful," he whispers urgently, "guide our s...s...steps within the dark. Illuminate our path. Show us the sun. Guide us with your light."
His heart skips a beat as the ranseur begins to glow, casting a pale light down the steps. His own features are illuminated in a ghostly flicker. Ahead, he can now make out the form of Elriel. "Do not be afraid," he offers, his own teeth chattering. "Sarenrae's light shines even in the darkest of places." He squints his eyes shut tight, straining to remember a holy prayer, as he takes the first step, then the next, preparing to face the dark.
"Uh Brevon, I've seen how you fight. You'll need both hands. Give me the torch. I'll manage with only one hand free." Rukzha comments to Brevon pulling out the torch. "Though it would be even better to use a spell. Sadly I don't have it prepared. I'll be sure to do so for tomorrow. Unless you have it Arrika?" Rukzha looks to the summoner.
I do - here. Taking a strip of cloth from her pouch (the same, Elriel recognizes, as the one she'd used in the caves), she murmurs a few words and sets swirls of light moving across it, tying it to her forehead and illuminating the shop in a soft golden glow. There.
...come down...miss...me...
Brevon could swear the draft from below carries her voice. He shakes his head to clear it. Surely, this is just a consequence of the insomnia. Not sleeping can mess with a man's mind, he knows. Surely. He rests his forehead against the cold stone wall, trying to take slow, deep breaths and calm his heartbeat.
Rukzha's voice breaks the silence like a hammer striking a mirror. From the shadows, a green hand flies toward him. He jumps back, flat against the wall, panting heavily. "N-No!" He stares back at her with wild eyes, momentarily lost in another place. Soon he refocuses, glancing around nervously and swallowing thickly. "No. Thank you, I c-can manage fine with m-my own light."
Arrika's light spell improves the situation considerably. "Thank you Arrika," he breathes in relief. "You are a blessing."
Torch in one hand, ranseur in the other, he follows Elriel.
The air in this basement is damp and musty-smelling. The walls and floor are packed earth, while dozens of gourds hang from the ceiling beams. A sludge of rotting plant matter covers the floor. Against one wall, a wooden table holds a strange apparatus that looks like a clockwork toy of a snake-bodied, six armed woman holding a sword in each hand. A tightly corked bottle, filled with what looks like water, sits before the statue. A wooden chest covered with engraved runes stands under the table, and a sinister image of a star surrounding a goat's face is painted on the wall above the table.
"It's much more practical if I carry the light, since you'll need both hands if we do end up in a fight. And if you drop it to grab your weapon, it might put things on fire or even worse go out, leaving you blind. Hopefully it won't come to that..." Rukzha mutters before following after the men.
Rukzha points at the demonic symbol. "That's one of Baphomet's symbols! This is indeed a place for cultists. Though it looks like they've abandoned the place for now. I wonder if we'll find anything useful or informative down here." She looks around carefully. "I'll check if anything is magical." She stands in one corner and scans the remainder of the room with her detection.
Elriel bid everyone to stop, "The statue. It's rigged but I think I can take care of it."
He took out a pouch with some thin, stiletto-like tools. "I think it has some sort of word or phrase to disable it but without it, anyone getting near will make the statue break the bottle. or something like that. Just stay put for a few seconds."
He smiled, he always smiled and tried to diffuse the tension with some light-hearted comment when he wasn't sure he would be able to succeed, "And don't breathe, OK."
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