GM Fanguar |
Following Max's directions, the party navigates the dangers of the ruined city and reaches the The Librarium of the Broken Black Wing with little difficulty. Max's descriptions have done little to prepare you for the devastation that you see before you. The library stands mostly in ruins, with only the main hall standing in any meaningful way. No one challenges your approach and as you near, you can see that the main doors stand slightly ajar.
At Aglamore's call, a female voice yells out, "Help! He's going to kill us!"
A flurry of curses are followed by the sound of slap and a cry of pain.
A deep male voice call out, "Just walk away crusader. Your god don't live here anymore."
Joao Marcos |
With the sound of conversation, Joao looked from his position to the others, a question written in his expression. Pointing to himself, he described a half-circle with one hand, and pointed two fingers at his eyes, then pointed the same two fingers at the direction that the voice came from. Calm on the outside, he was looking forward to seeing if this were a cultist or just an unlucky brigand. Undoubtedly, there were some in this city still, though their survival had to be difficult.
Maximillian Akorius |
"A champion you shall be, Aglamore. Let your stature match your words." Max begins to cast a spell. Enlarge Person, targeting Aglamore. Let me know if you think that's a terrible idea, and I can stop.
Pytros Ex-Lucarus |
Pytros whispers his orders to the others, "Let's go. Aglamore will draw their attacks with his size, surely. Summon your shield, priest, and fight with caution to cover our entrance alongside Arwen. Move quickly and strike hard and fast. Don't let them isolate any of the wizards, especially Max. Spread out to ensure that we are not a single massed target." Pytros takes a position behind the rapidly-enlarging cleric of Iomedae and the tiefling paladin.
Aglamore |
[It's a great idea! But it does take a full round and Aglamore ain't waiting.]
With a cry of righteous anger, Aglamore kicks in the door, spear held low at his side.
STR check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
GM Fanguar |
The iomedean's kick down the door and burst into the library. The scene inside is horrific. Several corpses lay sprawled where they were cut down and blood pools wetly on the stone floor. To one side several battered and frightened older men and women sit, tied back to back. Around them is piled a haphazard pyre of books.
A man in battered armour, his tabard showing the colours of one of the city's many mercenary company's looms over the a frightened robed woman. In the shadow away from the excitement, you see a pair of nervous tieflings lurking.
At your appearance, the man man raises his bloody mace, "Stay back, or I will splatter her brains all over this place."
Joao Marcos |
While he was intending to get a good look at the place, the two more pious members of the group decided to go through the front door, which left him out. Still, there was something to be said for the direct approach. Since they were going in the front, he shrugged to himself and moved from his hiding place to the side of the main entrance doorway. If everyone was intending to go in, he might as well keep an eye on their rear.
Ruarc Bataar |
Ruarc slips in after the Iomedaens, Justice ready in his hands. When he spies the mercenary, and hears his ultimatum, he growls in a low tone. "Kill her, and you take your own life. We will not just walk away from such a scene."
Aglamore |
Aglamore doesn't do sneaky, but he can buy time for those that do. Suddenly growing to immense size, he thunders down at the man in the battered armor. "Coward! You face the wrath of Iomedae this day! You may leave this place only in chains or in death!"
Maximillian Akorius |
"By the gods..." Max looks into the library, only to see the ghastly scene of carnage, with his friends tied up and a woman held hostage. While the others negotiate, he slips toward the bound survivors and works to cut their bonds.
GM Fanguar |
Oh They're super evilly. Let's get ready to rumble!!
Aglamore: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Pytros: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Ruarc: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Joao: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Max: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Arwen: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Enemy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6
Rn 1
21-7 Everybody!!
6 Baddies :(
AC17, HP 40/40
Everybody can act. Map updated.
Joao Marcos |
One glance around the corner of the door let Joao see that Aglamore was taking up most of it, and from what he could see, this was his best opportunity to cross the doorway, so he used them as cover to cross, intent on seeing just who was where. They had not seen him yet, so his entrance was certain to be a surprise if he did this right.
_________________
Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Move to position on other side of doorway-- Oh, I'm LOVING the rolls. *facepalm*
Ruarc Bataar |
Ruarc charges the mercenary leader. "Die, scum!" he shouts. He cuts a slash in the man's chest with Justice's black blade.
Charge the leader dude.
Attack on Cultist (charge): 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 5 + 2 = 25
Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
AC is 19 this round.
Arwen McLyntier |
Round 1
You Evil scum, no one can get past trough a paladin. Prepared to be judged for your sins
Move up and attack or Charge the leader is i have to, Fighting def
Pa Longsword: 1d20 + 8 - 1 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 8 - 1 - 4 = 201d8 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Current AC 26 or 24 if charged
Pytros Ex-Lucarus |
Round 1, Initiative 14
hp 28; AC 15/11T/FF14; +5F/+3R/+4W
MA: Move 30'
SA: Disarm vs. Mercenary (possibly prone, +4 if so) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Pytros darts through the stacks to the mercenary standing in a magical grease. He reaches out with his whip and yanks at the man's weapon as he falls to the ground. In a disadvantaged position, the mercenary will likely be out of the fight immediately, allowing the rest of them to focus on the remainder of the force.
Aglamore |
Done with talking, Aglamore sets about to do the goddess's work.
He attacks the figure standing to the west of Ruarc.
longspear plus enlarge: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 152d6 + 5 ⇒ (2, 6) + 5 = 13
Player's Note: With enlarge and a longspear, Aglamore's reach is now 15'. He has three AoO's per round to penalize any enemy movement or other AoO triggers in the area.
GM Fanguar |
Ref save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
The tiefling falls in the grease and Pytros deftly removes a short sword from its grasp.
AC17, HP 18/40
Swarmed and badly wounded, the mercenary throws down his weapon. "I yield!! I throw myself at the Inheritor's mercy!"
The tiefling in the grease looks at you despair, while the other slits it ow throat with its own sword.
Joao Marcos |
Joao came around the corner to raise an eyebrow at the scene, having anticipated a fight, only to see the results of a few seconds' engagement. Ever suspicious, he frowned at the sacrifice of one, and after a glance at the other, starts looking for any identifying symbols in the corpse's pockets. "Is there any magic on or near this one?" he said to the one who had requested help of them. His haste was not borne of greed, but concern.
______________
Maximillian Akorius |
"I would suggest that with Kenabres in ruins, we are the proper authorities to dispense judgment. You all are servants of the Inheritor, and I am servant to Aroden himself. The voices of these witnesses and the blood of innocents on these floors speaks to their guilt. Let justice be dispensed quickly, I say. A swift death is mercy enough for these fiends."
Max complies with Joao's request, and searches for magic auras on the corpse. He will do the same for the other tiefling and the mercenary.
Ruarc Bataar |
Ruarc goes to stand with Maximillian. "We're at war Arwen. The government is gone. There's no court left to judge him, no noose left to hang him. I'm a former law enforcer from this very city. This man would pay for his crimes by dying, throwing down his weapon doesn't absolve him of that. We cannot afford to let those who might be equally as destructive as the demons to walk free..."
Aglamore |
"No," says Aglamore with solid certainty. [b]"We will not slay prisoners. We are better than our enemies and we must be ready to prove it. Kenabres does have a government, however much in tatters it might be. We saved three Councillors and brought them out of the bowels of Golarion that they might guide this city. They are the rightly constituted courts, if any there be."
"I am no fool, Ruarc. There will be times when circumstances do not permit us to take prisoners, but this is not one of those times. What hope is there in fighting demons if there can be no redemption? I hate what horrid sins these men have committed and my heart yearns for swift justice, as yours does. We must not give in to that temptation, or we are lost before the monstrous evil we face."
Turning to face the surrendered foe, Aglamore asks "What is your name, fellow?"
Aglamore |
"I'm sure you're right," agrees Aglamore. "and if so, death would be a just and fitting sentence. One I would carry out myself if needs be.".
"Your name, prisoner!"
Iomedaean, actually. I'm not sure a Sarenite would insist on following the law.
GM Fanguar |
This whole AP is about redemption...
The mercenary flashes a fatalistic grin, "Name's Chaleb big boy. I don't know who the freaks are, they just started tagging along once the fun started."
The survivors all cluster around Max, "Thank the Gods that you made it back in time. He came begging for shelter and then started killing everyone. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't arrived when you did."
They decide that there isn't enough of the library left worth saving and pack up a few remaining important tomes. In their hasty packing, one of them finds a badly damaged spellbook and hands it to Max.
The baddie's weapon is a heavy mace +1 and he has two P of CLWs.
Ruarc Bataar |
Once the prisoners are secure, Ruarc returns with the others to the Crusader's base camp. He seeks out Aneiva's wife, and tells her of the situation with the captives, and their need for judgement.
Aglamore |
I get it now!
"Well, Chaleb," says Aglamore, "Mercy is a virtue, but stupidity isn't, so here's how this is going to go. We're going to bind you with ropes and march you back to our camp. Endanger us or anyone with us along the way and your life is very probably forfeit. Then we're going to bring you before a judge who as far as I can see has no reason to let you live and may be eager to balance the scales of suffering before you die."
"So, you have about a quarter hour to convince me and possibly Sir Arwen here to say something on your behalf to the judges. On the other hand, you could just continue to annoy the big fellow over there," he says, indicating Ruarc with a nod of the head. "He eats sins. Did you know that? And you probably look like a holiday feast to him."
Joao Marcos |
As the others spoke, Joao quickly and efficiently searched the downed corpses, then took what time there was to make sense of what remained of the library. He was looking for a book on cults first, relative to this area, and then demons, but he would take what he could find. Despite the looks of the others, he said nothing unless addressed, letting his intent be plain in his motions and focused expression.
Maximillian Akorius |
"Thank you," says Max, taking the spellbook. "It is a miracle that the library held out as long as it did. It seems only this mercenary's treachery allowed the walls to be breached. Come with us to the Defender's Heart Inn. It appears to be a rallying point for the citizens of Kenabres."
Max also peruses the books, looking for information about the Riftwardens.
Pytros Ex-Lucarus |
Pytros follows along, not inserting himself into the discussion about the prisoner's fate. He believes that the man should be hanged for his crimes, and that they would have been justified in handing down the judgment on the spot. With the city nearly destroyed, their personal morality is the only real law that remains. He ponders the anarchy that could result as he reads through the books quickly, tossing them aside if they are not useful. He examines them with the hope that he will find information about the Wardstones or the demonic horde in general.
GM Fanguar |
@Max:I'm fine with you being fully aware of the riftwardens and that the library was most likely singled out for destruction due to that. I'll leave the sharing of that info up to you if/when you so choose.
@Pytros: Nearly every book is related to demonology or to the worldwound. The surviving rare tomes are being packed up, but if you have any specific questions, the librarians might know the answer.
Though the identity of the Riftwarden leader in Kenabres remains unknown, the spokesperson for the organization is a popular figure in town. Beltran Ravenken is a friendly, gregarious man who remembers names and faces after a single meeting and always knows the latest bit of gossip. Beltran specializes in answering questions without giving any useful information away, and assuaging concerns about the Riftwardens while helping conceal the organization’s secretive activities. The Riftwardens have an understandable interest in sealing the Worldwound, but not out of any altruistic desire to save the world. Their more inscrutable beliefs on the importance of sealing planar rifts guide them, and if the chance to seal the Worldwound rose, the Riftwardens would take it no matter what the cost in lives.
The trip back to the Defender's heart proves uneventful and you successfully hand off the prisoners to the crusaders. Aravashnial is heartbroken at the tale of the library's fall and the loss of so many of his friends and colleagues, though he is happy to see that some have survived. Unfortunately, no healer of sufficient skill has shown up to heal his eyes.
The camp is awash with activity as refugees and crusaders hustle to mount the resistance. Within a hour of your return, amongst the swirling chaos, you see Anevia trying to put together a group to recover a cache of weapons from beneath her and Irabeth's house. Then Irabeth herself stops by just long enough to ask if you've managed to check out any of the other supposed cultist hideouts and when you reply in the negative, she mutters, "Going to have to do something about that," to herself, as she rushes off to handle the latest crises. This turns out to be the return of a severely mauled patrol that brings a report of a fiendish troll that has captured a group of townsfolk.
Ball's in your court folks. Let me know if you want to follow any of those leads, or if there is anything else you would like to do instead.
Ruarc Bataar |
"While weapons might be useful, I think we should help the townspeople first. Then check out the cultist hideouts," Ruarc says to his companions after hearing the news of Defender's heart.
Aglamore |
"Agreed," says Aglamore, simply.
In all of this, Aglamore sees more than the mere mortal facts before them. He sees a great moral test. Demons are born of sin, and the defenders of the Worldwound are quite literally fighting against sin made manifest. Though the temptation is to acquire the weapons first, the moral imperative is to rescue the townsfolk.
Pytros Ex-Lucarus |
Pytros shakes his head in disagreement. "Trolls eat human flesh, but it will want to make its meal last. I doubt that it will eat more than one person in the time it will take us to find additional weapons and resources. Look at what the troll did to the patrolmen. We will need weapons. Do any of you have the source of fire or acid necessary to suppress its regenerative abilities? As much as I admire your desire to rush headlong to their rescue, the sensible thing - the thing that will allow us to do so safer and to save more of them - is for us to find additional arms." He scowls as he lays out his analysis, unhappy that he would leave the townsfolk without help for a period, but he sticks by that difficult decision.
Ruarc Bataar |
"Normal weapons will avail us nothing against the foes who overrun the city. Unless the arms are magical, they will be useless," Ruarc counters. "Someone should ask Aneiva for more details on the weapons."