Ea takes some time to read the books in the library and take some note for future references.
After some evening prayers to Pharasma, she will go to bed, to rest and recover strenght so she will be able to help the priest tomorrow with the burial ceremony.
Not really a party-goer,Sister Zalinsel.
Yasmin enjoys some drink and the good company of her companions until it is time to meet up with the Lady Commander.
We must be on our guard...if they shut down the Julliver, they might have ears in here and the other inn as well. Trust no one...that will keep us out of trouble.
Rallos casts glances about randomly, trying to see if anyone is watching them.
With Ea electing to stay at the Temple of Silence – her study of likely denizens of the Spire proving to be intriguing, the rest of the friends spend a pleasant afternoon at the Helmed Lady. Folks come and go throughout the few hours that the friends are eating and relaxing – several, prior customers of the Julliver, nod acknowledgements at Grayface et al… others, less familiar with the friends, are maybe a little more standoff-ish… surely a symptom of the tension within the Fort…
…keeping an ear out for rumours or stories, it seems that no-one is openly talking about the Hellknights… their concerns are now more towards the impact that the undead attacks and the closure of the Town gates is going to have upon trade… this time of year, immediately after the thawing of winter, is when trade should be picking up yet, if anything, it is getting worse…
Eventually, when the friends have eaten their fill and drunk enough to be lightly merry, it is time to return to the Citadel… a conversation with Lady Commander Druvost seems somewhat overdue…
Ushered through to the austere offices of the Lady Commander, with surprisingly little questioning from the Hellknights, the friends are invited to take a seat. Offering a glass of wine to each of the friends, the Lady Commander starts by asking, ”It is pleasing to see you so well – I trust that you are making progress in your search for Signifer DiViri? And maybe… you could explain exactly why there is a serpentfolk in my cells?”
Grayface cleared his throat, emoting his desire to speak first.
"Bringing the snake here was my idea. We were deep in the Spire when we happened upon him...at least I think it's a "him". The creature was in a cell, behind steel bars when we found him. We were in need of rest and planned our return to the Fort, but as the snake was not a combatant, he was not slain like his kin. We--" Gray turned to look at his congregated friends, "are not murderers, and so we were left with little choice. We were not going to leave him behind to inform his kin of our arrival, or worse, escape and attack us from behind."
"Admittedly I do not know if he has value to you as a prisoner, but others of his race were conducting foul rituals to a demon-god or some such thing. It is possible that there may be a link to the recent undead attacks, or possibly to other plots yet unknown to us."
"I erred on the side of caution when I chose to bring him here."
"As to DiViri, we are scrutinizing each area we happen upon. We haven't found any evidence yet but if the Signifer is there, she will be found."
"Very well... It seems that your explorations of the Spire are revealing more threats than I had anticipated... It may be many moons before we can once more open our gates", Druvost considers, "That is indeed unfortunate... It will not be popular... But I will protect these people whether they like it or no"
"No sign then of the Signifer? It may be that she explored farther than you have yet reached... Persistence... that is the key".
Standing, and striding to her window to take in the view of the town, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
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Murassa, feeling the liquid courage coursing through him and bolstered by his new allies, decided to speak up. "I've got a question, ma'am," he said, putting emphasis on the pronoun. "Why are you trying to starve the town? Without trade, we won't last much longer. If you don't like it here, wouldn't it be easier to just put in a transfer or something?"
"That's not going to end well," mutters the sorceress at Murassa's comment. She decides she'd better step in.
"Forgive him, Murassa's had one too many drinks, Commander. But he's right that sealing off the town for months creates its own problems. Is it really necessary to do so in daytime as well as nighttime?"
If the Signifier is down there, we'll find her. It's not exactly a small place, you know.
A flash of anger flits across the Lady Commander’s face when Murassa starts to talk about the implications of closing the gates of the Town – fortunately it disappears quickly when Yasmin is forced to intervene, ”Take a look out there… do you know how many people call Fort Inevitable home? Nearly a thousand souls… and it is my sworn duty to protect them. Tell me, what have you heard about the gates being closed? Shall I tell you the truth of it? It is indeed the case that I have been forced to close the gates… yet, did you not pass through those gates? If someone comes to our gate, accedes to our authority and allows their wagon to be searched then they are welcome here… it is as it has always been – the folk who say we have shut the town down are nothing more than gossips, rabble rousers or, worst of all, criminals”.
”Thanks to you, the threat of bandits out there significantly reduced with the demise of the Splinters – but, with the increasing appearance of the undead out near the woods, the Order had to act”.
Pointedly turning the discussion away from the matter of the closed gates, the Lady Commander returns to the matter of Signifer DiViri, ”It seems that the Spire is, as you say, a large place… I shall reassure Lictor DiViri of your continued efforts”.
”Now… it seems that I may have some business to discuss with our mutual Serpentfolk friend – whatever secrets he may have sought to keep from you shall not, I assure you, remain secret for long”
"Thank you for seeing us, Lady Commander. I hope the prisoner will bend quickly and yield worthwhile information."
Gray was content to leave it as it is. There was little, if anything, the friends could say to dissuade her from her present course. That was the heavy burden of leadership - sometimes you had to make decisions that were unpopular. For all he knew the folks at the Julliver were in fact guilty of plotting against the hellknights, and at this point guessing anything was indulging in speculation.
Shaking away the unpleasant thoughts, he waited to see if any of his friends had anything further to add. When all were ready, he turned and walked back to the Lady in pursuit of a good night's rest.
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-Posted with Wayfinder
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Murassa just snorted at the Lady Commander's statement before turning around at her dismissal. As the others joined him outside her office, he said, "Regardless of her platitudes, the people of Fort Inevitable will not take this kind of action lightly. The more that she tries to keep an iron grip on this town, the more control she'll end up losing." Shaking his head as they finally left the building, he spit to the side of the walkway in disgust. "To tell the truth, for the most part I don't have much of a problem with the Hellknight order here. They've done a lot of good for us here. But every time we get a good commander, the job changes them." He gave a world-weary sigh before looking off into the distance.
Giving a small nod to the barkeep, a smirk on his face at her statement about his dealings with the Lady Commander, he joined Greyface at the table he found. "So, Grey, you mind if I call you Grey? How'd you get into the adventuring life?" he asked his usually quiet companion.
"I was a strong boy and so I did some odd jobs to stay fed but soon turned to caravan guard work - it paid well, I got to see places I'd never seen. That's what brought me to Fort Inevitable, and here is where I heard about the Spire."
"I guess I would say I was curious about my potential. I wanted to prove to myself that I am the best man I can be. Now that we've been to the Spire so many times, I've earned more skill - and coin - than I'd ever previously dreamed of. I guess that makes me an adventurer."
Leaving the Citadel, and the Lady Commander with her concerns about the security of Fort Inevitable, the friends return to the Helmed Lady – Signifer Hast and High Mother Dremagne, whilst they may be interested in the friend’s progress, would probably have little assistance to offer at this time. Relaxing into the evening, with good food and more than one drink, the friends finally head to their rooms well fed and slightly merry – a far cry from any night’s rest in the Spire…
Morning brings a light rain, persistent enough to ensure that the streets of the town remain virtually empty when Grayface, Murassa and the others head out to stock up on supplies…
Ea, having spent a restful night at the Temple of Silence, is the only other person present as Father Falindor buries the body that she assisted with the previous day… in the grey drizzle, she impassively goes about her business of ushering the deceased on towards the Boneyard… and, with her work done, bids farewell to the Pharasmin priest and heads off to meet her acquaintances… who, sheltering against the rain, are waiting at the North Gate…
…peering through the rain, watching for hidden threats beyond the walls, the Hellknights open the gate and, once again, the friends embark on a journey to the Spire… four hours or so into their trek, and having debated the merits of using the green crystals, they finally arrive at the Spire Glen and, seeing no sign of movement in the circular clearing, make their way into shelter afforded by the Tower Ruins…
…pushing through the persistent darkness of the structure around the above ground portion of the Spire, the friends make their way to the stairs that spiral downwards – and, with less than fond memories of the spiders, rush through Gorloth’s cellars…
…all has been quiet, devoid of life, even peaceful, until – coming down the stairs towards the Splinters’ hideout Rallos hears a gurgling noise… and babbling voices…
As soon as Rallos heard the noise, he knew instantly what it was.
That noise...it's that gibbering thing..the one that messed up our minds...we should take care of it for good....I don't think it would stand a chance against us now....
Don't tempt Fate, Rallos. Only Pharasma knows when and how we will die.
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Stopping by the old wizard's place to pick up his new bag, as well as two potions of cure serious wounds and three potions of cure moderate wounds from the church, Murassa went to the North Gate to wait for the rest of his party. Once they were all gathered, they made their way to the Spire.
As the nonsense words filtered through from up ahead, he looked over at the others and asked quietly, "So, uh, friend of yours I take?"
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The fighter mumbled under his breath, "I told 'em we should've used the cylinders..."
"Rall, you're probably right. I suppose we should dispose of the monster now? Else how are we going to rent out the space and become landlord entrepreneurs?"
Grayface pulled out and lit a torch then tossed it down into the darkness below, hoping to reveal the threat or to illuminate what distance can safely be traveled.
The torch clatters down the steps onto the landing where the first exchanges with the Splinter bandits occurred... and there, illuminated by the roaring torch - and backlit by the green light of the Spire, is a rolling mass of flesh, eyes and mouths... jabbering and gibbering crazily...
...as the torch comes to rest, hundreds of wide staring eyes - glinting in the light of the torch - turn to face the friends coming down the stairs...
That noise...it's that gibbering thing..the one that messed up our minds...we should take care of it for good....I don't think it would stand a chance against us now....
"Take that thing down!" cries Yasmin, bad memories returning. She steps up and blasts it with everything she's got!
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Raising his arm to stave off the chill that always accompanied Yasmin's sorcerous blasts, he squinted into the newly-lit darkness to reassess the monster, realizing at once that it was bigger and nastier than on their previous visit.
"The monster has gained in size - and likely in strength. Let's do this."
Having recently obtained a practiced grasp on how to harness his inner rage into a physical manifestation, the grizzly warrior hustled down the steps and went right to the threshold of the bizarre terror. He could feel his blood beginning to boil, his heckles rise, and his strength surge to new heights. Drawing Gorloth's Edge during his swift forward attack, he sliced the blade deep into the puddle of eyes and mouths.
I don't remember this creature had green eyes before.. Could the Spire have an influence on it? It seems bigger than in my memories too.
Rallos darts forward , stepping by Gray and flicking his blade at the creature.
You will not get in my head this time, beast.
In the madness of combat, the mouther somehow avoids the worst of the damage from Yasmin’s rays of ice…
…and swirling, boiling and reforming around the injuries inflicted upon it by Grayface and Rallos, it starts to gibber angrily…
Ea positions herself to bring the fight to the gibbering creature, but can't deliver a proper strike
Even as Ea swings her morning star, the gibbering reaches a crescendo... a singing, whispering, shouting cacophony of madness...
...and then, it starts to bite - hundreds of gnashing teeth... chomping and grinding at Grayface and Rallos...
The amorphous monster had several mouths clamped firmly on Grayface's arm and breastplate, keeping him from moving freely and lowering his defenses. This stoked his already-bubbling anger and pushed him on to further heights of frenzy. With teeth clenched and brows furrowed, he stared into a dozen emerald-tinged eyes as he hacked and hacked into the roiling mass.
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Murassa wavered for a second as the screeching and random sounds started to delve into his mind, but he was quick to shake the feeling off. "You will not control me, you filthy s.o.b.!" he declared with a grimace before advancing to the mouther. Finding no easy way to strike it down with his blade, he channeled his mental fortitude into feelings of force before projecting it outwards.
Grayface's blade chops down twice... muscles bulging as he cuts through the bubbling flesh... yet each wound, grievous as they may have seemed, proves to be as nothing to the mad thing...
But Murassa, relying on simple magicks, manages to hurt the abomination...
Rallos stabs himself
Yasmin babbles in unison with the gibbering mouther, moving almost into its reach!
Ea doesn't flich under the mental assault of the disgusting, babbling creature.
But her martial prowess in not up to par with her companions
As madness descends upon the friends, the mass of mouths and eyes jabbers and whistles...
...the gnashing teeth, drenched in spittle and Grayface's blood, continue to bite...
Rallos babbles incoherently in Infernal, for those that recognize it...
No matter how hard he chopped, his sword didn't seem to help. Taking advantage of the lost grapple, the fighter shifted to a defensive mode, hoping to keep the creature at bay while his spellcasting friends could destroy the mouther.
No matter how hard he chopped, his sword didn't seem to help. Taking advantage of the lost grapple, the fighter shifted to a defensive mode, hoping to keep the creature at bay while his spellcasting friends could destroy the mouther.
[dice=Will Save 1, DC 13]1d20+7
[dice=Will Save 2, DC 13]1d20+7
Round 2
Yasmin continues to babble, and strike herself with her rod of piercing!
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Murassa frowned as his comrades-in-arms started acting strangely. Evidently, this strange creature had more than just it's unique appearance going for it. "Snap out of it!" he yelled to Yasmin and Rallos. While that was happening, a reddish aura surrounded his off-hand as his thoughts turned to a burning passion. This creature had to die for affecting their minds like that! With a forceful palm thrust, a searing red beam of light erupted from his hand heading for the beast.
As Rallos and Yasmin continue to dance along to the Gibbering Mouther’s song of insanity, Grayface does his best to protect himself from its gnashing teeth… whilst Murassa, moving to more advanced arcana, aims a searing ray at the creature – an attempt to bring the fight to a quick conclusion – but his aim is poor… and he succeeds in little more than scorching the wall behind the creature.