The excitement having long past, everyone in the camp finally has an opportunity to get some rest. The six mercenaries split up into pairs to take three watches throughout the night, with Khasra joining the pair taking the first. At any rate, the night passes without incident, with everyone somehow managing to catch a decent amount of sleep.
It is just as well, for it is barely past the break of dawn that Garavel signals for everybody to wake up. You all wake to the scent of bacon and eggs, doubtlessly the handiwork of Hadrod and Hadrah. There is plenty to go around, the mercenaries being particularly enthusiastic about the meal. Only the red-armored guards and Garavel do not join you, instead busying themselves with the dismantlement of the campsite. As everyone else eats, Almah lays out the plan for the day.
"There is an old monastery about a mile northeast from here. Close to Kelmarane to have a good vantage point, but just far enough to escape notice. On top of that, Dashki has informed me that the Kulldis are rather superstitious, and have made a point out of avoiding the place. All in all, so long as we exercise caution, I believe that it would be a perfect place to establish a solid base of operations."
After they have finished eating, the mercenaries lend a hand in loading everything onto the wagons. Zastoran fusses over them as they move his chest of potions, insisting that they move it gently. Even without the animal pen, Hadrod and Hadrah seem to have no trouble keeping the livestock in check, clearly demonstrating their expertise in herding. Rombard of course, is at Hadrod's side the entire time.
A fresh grave is dug out for Eloais at the base of the Sultan's Claw, within the grasp of its mighty roots. Despite seeming anxious to leave, Almah insists that there be a brief service in the man's honor. Having been a friend of the departed, Zastoran improvises a sermon. "He was always looking to the stars, searching for meaning. Now, he is among them," he finishes somberly.
Her expression stoic, Almah orders everyone to move out.
Thurrios' morning will begin with his morning devotions, she is the Dawnflower after all!
He will assist in any way he can. Check in on the little lamb again, and keep his eye on the "gnoll expert."
Marossa wakes up just before the sun breaks the horizon and crawls her way out from under the wagon, brushing the sand off of her bedroll as she rolls it back into its draw string. After taking a short drink of water Marossa begins her early morning cleaning out her flute before grabbing breakfast, waiting until after everybody else has already gotten their plates. Marossa surreptitiously slip a small dose of pesh under her tongue as she eats, seeming much more awake once it starts to take affect, her eyes less hollow than before. After breakfast Marossa moves over to help Zastoran with his wagon.
Two things become apparent the next morning. The first is Khatijah is not a morning person. The second is she is a sound sleeper, not even stirring until one of the mercenaries trips over her.
Which may have something to do with the first thing.
Once she's up she stretches out the kinks in her back and shoulders before scavenging something to eat and wolfing her breakfast down. She finishes getting ready, tying her hair back, donning her armor and shouldering her sword.
By the time she's ready, the others are about to head to the monastery.
"On to our next challenge!"
Despite the relatively short distance to the monastery, the trek takes longer than anticipated. The rough terrain proves uncooperative, making it difficult for the wagons to continue onward. The last stretch is a literal uphill battle, but in the end, the camels prove to be up to the task. Nearly two hours pass before finally, the monastery comes into view. Once the caravan has come within about a hundred miles of the structure, Almah signals for everyone to stop.
The edifice is just barely recognizable as a place of worship. From a cursory glance you see that its outer walls, while intact, have been scaled by creeping weeds. What might have once been a tower lies in ruins, leaving several gaping holes across the monastery's roof. The monastery's only apparent entrance, a large archway, has all but collapsed. It now appears to be more of a gaping hole in the side of the building.
Almah assesses the building from afar with pursed lips. "It is in worse condition than I had hoped. Still... if it has stood for this long, I believe we can count on it to not fall on our heads." She pauses, before looking to your group. "Alas, I am not so foolish as to believe that the monastery is truly 'abandoned.' I am sending you in as our scouts. Clear out anything that might pose a threat during our stay, and then report back to me. The caravan will stay here in the meantime."
Thurrios will look around, and gather up the group with his eyes and start walking I. The direction of the monastery, without checking to see if any follow.
Khatijah leads the way through the ruined archway, her sword out and her eyes wary.
I too will enter, blade drawn.
With his bow drawn, Khasra follows behind Thurrios as everyone makes their way into the ruins.
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A thick tangle of weeds paves the way to the large entryway, invading the monastery through cracks spread throughout the floor. They do not impede progress significantly, allowing to pass into the chamber with relative ease. Within, you find yourselves standing in an immense hallway with a tall ceiling, decorated with ruined murals. Those that are intact prominently feature the sun - together with damaged but distinguishably orange and yellow tiles on the ground, it is easy enough to surmise that this temple is dedicated to Sarenrae, goddess of the sun, among other things.
The open nave is littered with rubble ranging in size from tiny rocks to enormous sections of collapsed masonry, having no doubt fallen from the ceiling. Surely enough, much of the roof in the promenade is missing, filling the room with sunlight. Despite the extensive damage, by some miracle the sixteen pillars in the room are all more or less intact - they are likely all that holds up the rest of the ceiling.
Within the well-lit hall, you can see three wooden doors along the wall to the east. A short stairway at the northern end appears to lead into another chamber ().
As far as you can all tell, there is nothing living in this chamber beyond the weeds on the ground. In fact, the air, thick with dust particles, has a certain stillness to it. Not a sound can be heard.
With tears in his eyes and passion in his breast, Thurrios cries out, "blessed Dawnflower, your holy ground has been forsaken for many years, but we, the faithful, have come to purify and reclaim it."
Thurrios will begin repeating litanies of Sarenrae's faith, I'm sure there is something appropriate.
He will also commence searching for anything of significance, particularly some artifact of the Dawnflower. Heck, even a scimitar, I feel like a noob with this mace.
First glance:
And then, if nothing leaps out, per se, I'll take 20 for a 28.
Marossa nervously follows the rest of the party into the large nave, her hand clutching the small dagger as she swivels her head around like a frightened rabbit. She nearly jumps out of her skin when Thurrios breaks into a loud cry of joy and she turns towards him. "Is... is this wise Asseyed? We haven't explored the entire building yet..."
"Is it wise to shout your intentions to the Dawnflower? I don't see why not? This is her sacred ground after all."
Ducks her head at the mention of the Dawnflower, "Yes Asseyed, I did not mean to be silent with the blessed Dawnflower, I meant if it is wise to announce ourselves to anyone else who might be here..."
Khasra makes a scoffing sound as they move through the ruins.
"Announce our presence, yes. We need to be ambushed." he says with obvious contempt and a hard look at Thurrios.
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"If it's here, then it needs us to ambush it."
Khatijah shakes her head and continues deeper inside the ruin.
Moving with Khatijah, Thurrios muses, "Ahhh yes, pretty standard construction. The main vestibule in the shape of her Ankh."
Perhaps it is fortunate that the building is not whole, for Thurrios' voice does not echo as loudly off the walls as one might expect. You hear nothing but the sounds of your own voices. Asides from the abundant rubble, there is little of interest in the large chamber. That is, until you look further north. En route to the room to the north, you notice that two more chambers () branch off the main hallway. It is difficult to tell from a distance, but these rooms seem mostly intact, each of them holding what appear to be statues, adorning the walls.
Accompanied by Sami, Khatijah moves even further north, climbing the stairway. From atop the steps, it is clear that the room within is a chapel. The vibrant orange and red starburst of Sarenrae still stands behind a film of rusted rainwater and dirt along the north wall, overlooking a collapsed altar. Between the stairs and altar stand dozens of old marble benches, many of them overturned or broken into pieces. A wide walkway bisects the pews, leading straight up to the altar. A select few clumps of red carpet pave the way there.
Even standing in the room for just a moment, it is immediately clear that something does not belong. At the center of the chamber, hanging about ten feet above the ground by a fraying rope is a cluster of gnoll skulls in various states of decay, held together by twine and sinew. The ghoulish, boulder-sized chandelier moves back and forth with a subtle sway, as though pushed by a nonexistent wind.
Provided no one is under the "chandelier", I will cast acid splash and hurl the missile at the fraying rope holding it up.
"Look out!" Thurrios warns.
against a touch AC
Wary of the morbid decoration, Thurrios conjures up a small missile of acid and fires it at its tether. The missile splashes against the old rope, singing right through it. The effect is immediate. A shrill, high-pitched shriek of terror emanates from the chandelier as it crashes to the ground below and explodes, sending shards of bone flying about. Miscellaneous valuables scatter across the ground. Lying amidst the wreckage is a single pugwampi, injured and stunned from the sudden fall. A familiarly oppressive atmosphere suddenly fills the room as, up above, at least a dozen other pugwampis scurry onto the rafters from which the chandelier hung. Most them point their fingers at Thurrios, slinging insults at him in various tongues and making rude gestures at him. Others laugh at the plight of their fallen comrade, who seems quite unable to move.
"Oh my," Sami remarks calmly, frowning at the gremlins' offensive behavior.
Khatijah's eyes widen before she lets loose a string of profanity and colorful curses at the sight of more of those damned, mangy curs.
Marossa looks on in shock as the chandelier's rope snaps and sends the object plus the mangy gremlin crashing down to the floor. As a whole tribe of the creatures suddenly make their presence known Marossa looks towards Thurrios and Khatijah, unsure what to do...
Strangely, the pugwampis up in the rafters do not seem to be very interested in picking a fight. Instead they continue to shout down at you, filling the chapel with deafening chortles, as though they were merely spectators. The sound abruptly dies down when a rather pudgy pugwampi suddenly scrambles onto the altar on the far side of the room. While still rather small, the gremlin is clearly obese, its gut hanging down and multiple chins filling out its neck. A tiny crown of bones rests atop its head, and it carries with it a mace smaller than a person your size would wield, but still far larger than what you might expect a creature its size to be able to carry. With a great deal of effort it hefts the mace, pointing at you all as though it were a royal scepter.
“Man things dare enter King Mokknokk’s court?!” he barks out in broken Common, his voice carrying about as much authority as could be expected from such a small creature. Leaving no room for diplomacy, he quickly switches tongues and begins to shout orders at his lackeys in Gnoll.
Noticing flashes of movement amid the stone pews in the chapel, Khasra and Thurrios become acutely aware that the pugwampis up above are merely a distraction. The two warriors have just amount time to prepare themselves when a quartet of bow-wielding pugwampis abruptly hop out from under and onto the benches.
Initiative: King Mokknokk, Thurrios, Pugwampi 3, Chandelier Pugwampi, Sami, Pugwampi 1, Khatijah, Marossa, Pugwampi 4, Pugwampi 2, Khasra
"An infestation"
I will activate a judgment for +1 to hit and Attack a
Khasra puts an arrow straight at the obese one. He wants to take him out first.
Like the audience above, the gremlin monarch does not seem terribly interested in joining the fight. Instead he plops down and sits on the filth-covered altar, treating it as though it were a perverted throne.
Wasting no time, Thurrios activates his judgment and moves to attack the nearest of the pugwampis. Having not even managed to nock an arrow yet, the creature shrieks when the inquisitor swings his mace at it. Despite being guided by justice however, fate takes an ill turn; an ever-so-brief stumble over a piece of rubble causes him to overextend his swing. The gremlin is just able to duck under the attack, much to its amusement.
One of the pugwampis () further into the room attempts to aid its brethren by firing an arrow at Thurrios. Against the metal scales of his armor however, the miniscule wooden projectile simply shatters, utterly ineffective.
Only now does the pugwampi that had fallen to the ground climb to its feet, clutching its head in pain. The fall has evidently taken a toll on the creature, having bloodied it considerably. Nonetheless, it pulls out a shortbow of its own, though without the crazed fervor of its comrades.
Two of the other pugwampis in the chapel () take potshots at Khatijah and Sami, but their utterly terrible aim results in the arrows flying right past them.
In contrast, Khasra's aim proves considerably skilled. The ranger sends an arrow flying all the way across the chamber, right at King Mokknokk. The arrow seems right on target, striking him right on the chest. When it does so however, there is a soft clang as it simply bounces right off. Pulling aside his rags, the king looks down at the tiny breastplate that had guarded his life. He looks at Khasra with his beady little eyes, filled with hate.
The attempt on its life seems to have riled up the obese king. Getting off its behind, Mokknokk hops off the altar, weapon clanging against the ground on impact. The cheering (if it can even be called that) up above intensifies as he prepares to enter the fight, evidently in melee, unlike his underlings.
Strategy, tactics, religion, and the finer things in life are over Khatijah's head.
This, though, this she understands.
"So the cur wants a fight!" Her voice crackles with glee as she begins to lazily spin her sword about. She smiles and laughs like she's before an audience. She looks the fat pugwampi down and gives it a manic grin.
"Fine by me!" She cries as she charges and tries to split the runt from groin to throat.
Marossa steps back near Khasra as Thurrios and Khatijah charge forward into the room, her voice thrumming out of her throat as she threads magic through her lyrical sounds.
Thurrios swings his mace at the nimble pugwampi. But yet again, what seems like a direct hit abruptly becomes a total miss.
The pugwampi () that had shot at him before tries again, but its aim proves just as horrid as the last time, missing him completely.
The gremlin that had fallen from the chandelier sneers at Thurrios. Hopping onto one of the stone pews, it takes aim at the inquisitor and fires an arrow at him. Despite firing into an ensuing melee, the vengeful creature manages to land a hit on a weak point in Thurrios' armor. He feels a slight pinch as the arrow penetrates his skin, barely even drawing blood.
Drawing one of her starknives, Sami purposefully strides towards the injured pugwampi with a hardened expression. The gremlin, busy cheering over its successful attack on Thurrios, does not notice her come upon it. With a vicious slash of her strange weapon, unluck be damned, the pugwampi is knocked off its perch, left on the ground bleeding. Sami, who has thus far been rather relaxed and easygoing, wears an uncharacteristically bloodthirsty demeanor.
Noticing its fallen kin, the pugwampi Thurrios had attacked () drops its bow and draws a tiny toothpick of a dagger. It stabs at the inquisitor with it, but does not even manage to scratch his armor, let alone injure him.
Khatijah has eyes only for the apparent leader of the pugwampi nest. Large sword in hand, she charges right down the center of the pews, intent on cleaving him in half. Her ferociousness gives the small but fat creature pause, for just a moment striking fear into its heart. Unfortunately for her however, a stray, small piece of rubble stands between Khatijah and the King. Just as she is about to close the distance completely, she stumbles over the stone and swings her sword prematurely, missing the pugwampi completely. He is rather quick to hide any signs that he was ever afraid at all, though his relief is rather evident.
Remaining closer to the entrance, Marossa fills the room with a familiar tune. In spite of the cacophony of barks and cries from up above, the song reaches her companions' ears regardless, strengthening their resolve and filling them with courage.
Another pugwampi () takes aim at Khasra and fires another arrow, but it proves just as effective as the last. That is to say, not at all.
The final pugwampi (), who had not been so quick to act as its brethren, chooses to fire an arrow at Khatijah in defense of its king. As it would so happen however, its arrow is lost in the ensuing melee.
Noting that he no longer has a clear shot at Mokknokk, Khasra turns his attention toward the pugwampi that had shot him. Quickly nocking an arrow, he fires the wooden shaft right at the small creature. Strangely, the attack is a direct hit, but fails to penetrate the creature's skin. The blow does seem to wind the creature, however.
Recovering from his brief moment of panic, King Mokknokk hefts its small-but-large mace and steps forward. With little choice on account of its less than majestic stature, the gremlin takes aim at Khatijah. As it so happens, her shin is at just the right height for it. With a grunt of effort, it swings its weapon at her leg, striking it with a resounding thump. Despite the king's rather small size, the blow packs quite a wallop.
My bad! Sorry, so round 2 needed now?
Khatijah lets out an inhuman howl as the mace cracks into her leg. Part of it from pain, a lot of it from anger.
She glares at the cur-shaped ball of lard and snarls before swinging wildly.
As a Swift Action in round 1, I would change my judgement to a healing one, since I was damaged, and this will likely be a long fight!
Ok, so my round 2 attack, including bardsong:
"I hate pugs." Khasra says with a small amount of contempt.
Switching to a more defensive judgment, Thurrios swings his mace at the pugwampi once more, but the tiny creatures hops right over his blow. Regardless, the tiny wound that had been inflicted on him closes shut.
His attacker () fires yet another arrow towards him, only once again miss completely. It seems happy enough to just participate.
Sami, seeming to grow more irritated with the creatures by the second, abruptly lets out a cry filled with bloodlust. Approaching the closest pugwampi () she could set her eyes on, she looses another ferocious swing. In her rage however, she loses focus, missing her swing.
Brandishing its minuscule dagger, the pugwampi hops side to side, before once again thrusting it at Thurrios. Again however, it utterly fails to penetrate his armor.
Khatijah unleashes a vengeful attack at the pugwampi king, but another sure swing is lost to the gremlins' unluck aura.
Marossa continues to bolster her allies' attacks with her song.
Khasra's attacker () fires another arrow at him, this time managing to land a direct hit right at his face. The small arrow draws blood, but is relatively harmless considering where it had hit.
The last pugwampi () manages to hit Khatijah with an arrow this time, but the damage is barely noticeable.
Khasra once again returns fire at the pugwampi who shot at him, but does not even manage to hit the pugwampi this time.
Cackling maniacally, Mokknokk revs up another swing, but completely misjudges the momentum of its attack this time. Khatijah is able to easily dodge, leaving the fat creature spinning in place, and looking less than pleased.
Khatijah swings again, leaving another furrow in the stone as she misses.
Thurrios heals another point with his judgement, and swings away at his opponent!