Armasse has finally come! Well.. not quite yet! The festival officially begins at noon and you all find yourself in the Clydwell Plaza, eagerly awaiting the opening ceremonies. Crusaders, clerics and mercenaries from all over the campaign are represent in bright colors displaying their orders. Among them you can easily spot the Everbright Crusaders, staying well away from the alcohol and gambling stands, as well as the Order of the Fire Lance, the Order of the Sunrise Sword and finally the Eagle Watch. As you watch everyone around you, you start to notice various crusaders giving the Eagle Watch a wide berth, but not out of respect.
You can also see a single banner proclaiming the Riftwardens, but no one stands vigil by the standard. Rumors have been circulating for years that a small group existed in Kenabras, and whispers have started like wild fire at the appearance of the banner!
Getting up early the next morning, Vaelor studied his book. The first page he turned to, went blank and writing bagan to appear.
"Are you ready, to slay demons?"
Pulling out a quill and ink, he replied, Always, just wish I didn't have to deal with you.
"You signed the contract, now deal with it."
Why do you care?
"My reasons are my own. Just remember; your magic, comes with a price."
The words vanished and the pages normal contents appeared.
Looking around the festival, the Sorcerer spotted the Riftwarden Banner, and headed that direction to investigate.
Kayla rises early and heads outside loking for a nice grassy area she starts her stretching exercises limbering herself up for any great feats of acrobatics that may be needed today.
to watch ehr you would think she has no bones or joints as she twists herself like a pretzel than unwinds her self.
some might even consider her movements a touch erotic.
Reinnwulf gawped at the sights around him as he took in the Armasse preparations. The throngs were heavy, though he had almost gotten used to them by now. What still amazed him was the intermingling of races. He has seen such a thing, in part, in other places, but here it was even more so. Human and goblin, orc and dwarf, elven, tielfling, and a hafl dozen others, all crammed together for the sole purpose of battling evil.
It was refreshing, honestly. Too often, he had seen the same crowds of people ignoring the evil among them, and choosing not to oppose it. The paladin from the previous night was right - a good man should oppose evil, honor his ancestors, and strive to make the world a better palace for his children.
Reinnwulf moved to a vendor's stand and haggled for a bit of dried fruit and a meat pie. The pie was hot, scalding his tongue, and he nearly choked on the flaky pastry, but it was well seasoned with salt and wine, with bits of potato, beef, mushrooms, and onion. He happily ate the pie while he walked.
He marveled at the banners of the different groups, and stopped before the Riftwarden banner. Why are the others flown proudly above their members, and this one stands alone?
Confused he turned to the nearest person and asked, "Why does no one stand firm beneath this standard? Should not they lift high their banner with pride, and shout their deeds to the heavens in full face of their ancestors' pride?
Vaelor, you feel a light hand on your shoulder as you admire the banner. You turn around to see a familiar, fatherly face smile at you. A middle edge Elf that you know all to well gestures to the banner. "Still living in the past I see? One day we will find out what happened to them." Aravashnial hangs his head in sadness as he says it. A pose you have seen a lot recently as your adopted father has seemed increasingly depressed as of late. "Come! You should be enjoying more of the fair!"
At the approach of the large Ulfen man, Aravashnial spreads his arms wide. "The Riftwarden's want to make it known that they help the crusade, but do not want to bast in that pride. They seem to prefer their anonymity"
Kayla, as you stretch, you can't shake the feeling that you are being watched. As you look around, a happy green face appears out of no where, nearly startling you. "Cute lady my size! Havok never see ladies his own size! Always super tall! I like you lady? What's your name? Me Havok!" A small goblin looks up at you with curious and excited eyes.
Barundar strolls slowly through the throngs of people that had gathered for this year's Armasse, looking to and fro, here and there, feeling a degree of frustration at how they all seemed caught up in the reverie, completely forgetting just how close they were to the demon hordes ready to slay them all at a moment's notice.
Maybe the woman the night before was right...maybe they needed this venting, just once a year, to get the seriousness of their situation out of their minds. Even so...they might as well have been telegraphing their vulnerabilities to the enemy, broadcasting to every demon in the area that they would be off their guard.
It only put him that much more on edge, made him that much more wary. There was no way he could enjoy the celebration...not when there was so much at risk. And so he continued on, slowly making his way through the crowds, trying to remain as aware of his surroundings as he could.
Kayla, as you stretch, you can't shake the feeling that you are being watched. As you look around, a happy green face appears out of no where, nearly startling you. "Cute lady my size! Havok never see ladies his own size! Always super tall! I like you lady? What's your name? Me Havok!" A small goblin looks up at you with curious and excited eyes.
Kayla initial only has a view of the goblin upside down. Once he speaks to her she cartwheels back to an upright position.
Havok? Now why would you like me? You don't even know me, I could be a cold blooded gblin killer she says this last part with a mock sneer. grrrr
after a pause she laughs You can call me Kay
Weyland strides through the crowd, armour shining, basking in the sunshine and hum of people. Goodly people gathered in the remembrance of a goodly god. Looking around and seeing all their smiling faces, made the sacrifices of the crusades worth it.
Seeing the odd avoidance of the eagle watch, Weyland wanders over to the standard to take stock of the situation.
"Ho Friends" he calls in greeting, "How stands the watch? You seem a little less popular today."
Enshi strolls out of the temple, letting himself stretch to his full height. He had drawn the dawn shift in the infirmary, and even on this day, there were still many that needed tending. As he strolls slowly around the square, Enshi takes note of the various banners and Orders that are represented here. I wonder what's going on with the Eagle Watch. And that lone banner, standing by itself. Maybe if I wander over there, I'll be able to avoid Father for a bit before the ceremony.
Seeing a familiar face headed toward the Eagle Watch, Enshi will head that way as well. "Ho, Weyland. How does the new day find you after last night?"
"And what do these Riftwardens do that makes them unable or unwilling to show their faces in the light of day? And why does no one approach those with the eagle banner? It bespeaks ill that the forces joined in battle against this demon assault are so divided."
"Believe me when I tell you, the Riftwardens fight the Demons of the Worldwound at great cost." Vaelor answered.
Aravashnial smiles to the ulfen, "You must be a new arrival in Kenabres. The Eagle Watch are well known. They believe that the enemy doesn't just exist out there in the Worldwound, but in here as well. Improper influence from what they deem to be corrupted countries and governments. As such they are defiantly not popular."
Aravashnial turns to his adopted son Vaelor, "Come lad, there's someone I wanted to introduce you too!"
* * *
Havok hops up and down in excitement "If you were a cold blooded goblin killer, you would go BOOOOOOM" Havok opens his jacket to show off his many devices, elixers, and more importantly, bombs. He cracks you a toothy smile as he shows you the dead man switch he has rigged to his floppy pirate hat. "You kill me and steal my fancy hat, BOOOOOOM!" You notice that he is missing several fingers on each hand, demonstrating that he's not entirely careful with his explosives.
"What bring Kay to festival?!?!"
"Who?" Vaelor asked his Foster Father as they continued.
Catching sight of several of the individuals that he had seen at the Defender's Heart the night before, Barundar makes his way slowly through the crowd over to them, holding his dorn dergar in one hand, the chain draped over his shoulder and the heavy iron ball on the opposite end lightly hitting his back with every step. He seemed relieved to notice a familiar face, but not necessarily happy for it.
"Hail! it's crakin' tae see some known faces in this mass. Ah dinnae lik' big crowds lik' this. A jimmy cud git stabbed in th' back 'n' na'body wud know it 'til th' culprit was well 'n' gone."
Seeing Enshi heading in his direction, Weyland slows his pace so the man can join him.
"The day finds me well. A more glorious day for Armasse, we could not have hoped for. There does seem to be something amiss between the Eagle watch and the other crusaders, though. I had thought to inquire and see if I might be of assistance.
kay ponders the question a moment. nothing really. Its a festival and I used to be a circus performer.
as she says this she bends backward into a handstand then launches herself in the air with a flip to land on her feet. Tada!
"Ah, like that dark-haired girl last night. The one from Cheliax. I can imagine that they see no difference between that kind and these demonspawn...no difference at all." He trailed off as he mused to himself what that woman and her ilk dealt with on a daily basis. Foul prejudices aside, they strove against this evil the same as any other.
Just then, he heard the dwarf rumble up beside him and looked down and smiled. "Hail, and well met, friend dwarf! The crowds bother me, as well. What say we head over to yon alehpot and soak up a pint or two before this Armasse gets started?" Reinnwulf pointed to a stall with a couple of kegs of ale sitting out and tapped, not yet warmed by the morning sun.
"Mind if I tag along? I just finished a shift at the infirmary in the temple, and I'd like to stretch my legs a bit. Perhaps I could help."
Aravashnial smiles to his foster son, "Why thee...." A soft chime echos through the square and everyone becomes silent, interrupting Aravashnial's next words. "Appears Armasse has now started! Time to go to the opening blessing."
And with that, Armasse officially began at noon, with the blessing of the festival by Lord Hulrun himself, ruler of Kenabres. The crowd gathered in Clydwell Plaza quieted as the aged inquisitor took the stage, clad in shining, resplendent armor. He cleared his throat, but just as he was about to speak, a bright light shone from the west, as if the sun were rising from the wrong direction. Hulrun’s shadow fell huge and distorted across the cathedral’s facade. A moment later, the sound of a thunderous explosion ripped through the air and earth, along with a violent tremor.
To the west, the fortress known as the Kite—the location of Kenabres’s wardstone—had vanished. In its place, a brilliant plume of red fire, lightning, and smoke erupted into the heavens.
A moment later, a powerful roar accompanied a welcome sight rising from the crowd—Kenabres’s greatest guardian, the ancient silver dragon Terendelev, who had until that moment been attending the opening ceremony disguised as a human.
Above, another form appeared, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking. A humanoid shape three times the size of any man, with skin coated in fire and lightning, gripped a flaming sword and whip. The creature’s identity was immediately obvious:
Khorramzadeh, the Storm King of the Worldwound, had come to Kenabres!
As the ground continued to shake and disgorge demons into the streets, the dragon and the balor lord clashed above. The fight was over in a few harrowing moments, as the balor cut deep into Terendelev’s body, swooping down to strike the dragon and arresting her charge. A few more blows, and the titanic duo spiraled downward toward the crowd
The sight of the dragon smashing into the facade of the Cathedral of St. Clydwell is one no witness would ever forget. At that moment, a titanic demon erupted at the far end of the plaza, reducing several buildings to ruins as it smashed into this world. The rift it created shot across the plaza, and this time there was no escape—it opened below your feet, angling away into darkness.
Even as you fell, the dragon noticed your plight. Though she saw death standing over her, she seized this final chance to save a few more souls. After she uttered a few arcane words and stretched out a bleeding talon, you felt her magic take hold of you, slowing your plummet into the darkness as if you were feathers falling into a pit. Yet the fall remained as inexorable, and as you drifted downward into the depths, the last thing you saw was the Storm King standing before the ancient silver dragon, his sword lashing out and cleaving full through her neck. As her severed head fell, the rift above you slammed shut, and the light of the world above was gone.
You awaken.
The world around you is dark and all you can sense is the smell of dust and dirt.
Kayla, Barundar and Vaelor, you are able to see in the darkness. You see several boulders and debris from the square that had fallen with you as well as nine total people, each including yourself . You notice the body of a large spider off to the side, seemingly smashed by a large boulder from the fall.
Coughing for a few moments from the dust, Vaelor finally was able to say, "Everyone alright?"
Kayla blinks a couple times a quick check to see all or parts are still attached. upon seeing the dead spider, she flips up to her feet and draws her small blade. scanning the area for signs of more spiders.
well, unless these people work for the clan, I can assume they will not find me here, wherever here is
Enshi winces as he sits up. Even with whatever Terendelev had done, either he had hit something hard or something had landed on his ribs. "Doing alright here, apart from being blind. Is anybody hurt? I'm a healer. I can help out."
Awaking to darkness, Weyland groans in pain, and fumbling at his side, he pulls out a sunrod. Striking it, light blooms in the darkness and he stands up, raising the glowing rod high above his head.
Taking stock of his surroundings he says, "Ah Enshi, I am glad you are well. Iomedae has smiled on us this day. I just hope that those in the city above are as fortunate. Let's see if there is anything we can do for the wounded."
Ever alert, Barundar is still taken by complete surprise. He had certainly been preparing himself for an assault on the festivities, but never in a thousand years would he have thought the Storm King himself would show his face!
He had been preparing to follow the others into a fighting retreat, praying to Torag to escape to take his vengeance later as well as for Terendelev's help. Seeing the mighty silver dragon fall beneath the balor's blade was horrifying...the fact that the city's guardian had used his last breath to save the six of them beyond humbling.
Rolling in the air, he landed on his feet beneath the ground, coughing as the kicked-up dust filled his lungs. Even without Weyland's sunrod, he was able to see perfectly, sudden flash of light when it was activated made him cover his eyes with a grunt of discomfort.
"A'm a'right, a'm alright...by th' gods. Is everyone else ok? We must fin' a wey back tae th' surface. Thay wull need a' th' hulp evacuatin' that thay kin git!"
Seeing no immediate threats, Barundar picks up his weapon, gets to his feet, and begins searching the cave for an exit or any way out of the chamber they are presently in.
Enshi blinks at the sudden flash of light, his eyes demonstrating a strange reflective quality normally seen in cats or other animals. "Let us hope that the Inheritor smiles more on the others in the city than she does on us. How is everybody doing?" Enshi rolls up to his feet and moves around from person to person, examining them for wounds.
Reinnwulf rolled himself out from a small pile of stone and dirt, coughing slightly. Brushing the dirt off of himself he managed, "By Erastil's horns, what was that thing? And the dragon? It saved us...sort of..."
His words trailed off into the dim light as he started patting himself down, making sure various items were still on his person. Glancing down, he saw his ranseur sticking out from the same pile of dirt and rocks that he himself had been under. He reached down and pulled it out.
Glancing at the spider, Reinnwulf approached it warily, ready to strike if it was not as dead as it seemed. He waved off Enshi's attentions, realizing that he was mostly just bruised and sore.
Looking to the Dwarf, then up, he asks, "Any thought how deep we are?"
"That was the Storm King, Khorramzadeh. A demon of immense power. Terendelev seems to have saved us even as she fell before him."
As a few of you look around, you notice something glinting in the dirt around you. As you look closer, your certain they are silver dragon scales, six in all.
Reinnwulf, you swear you just saw the spider move a bit. But as you blink your eyes, it's still very dead from the fallen debris.
Enshi, most of everyone is unhurt, but besides the individuals you met in the inn last night, there are three additional people with you, a young human female, a middle aged male human, and a middle aged male elf. The young woman shies away from you as you get close, but she yells out in pain, favoring her left leg.. She see's your holy symbol and seems to visibly relax. "Sorry good ser, I didn't notice you where a Sarenrite. I'm Anevia, Anevia Tirabade." Before you can examine her though, the middle aged human comes bustling over. "Sarenrite?! That means you must be a healer, please look at my wounds! I'm certain they will become infected from all this dust!" At first glance you know his wounds are superficial, but his fright is understandable for one of his position as you can guess from his tattered clothing that he is a pampered lord.
Vaelor, as you look around, you suddenly notice that your foster father, Aravashnial is lying on the ground not far off. As you approach him, he gets up and mutters "Who's there?!?". Right away you see the gory burnt mark across his eyes. What's left of his eyes have turned a milky white.
"It's me Father, Vaelor. We fell underground, I don't know how deep. It appears we were saved by Terendelev." the Sorcerer replied as he helped the Elf to his feet.
"My eyes, lad. Why do they burn so much! I can't see anything, shed some light for me so that I may see our surroundings. Last thing I remember was seeing the Storm King. The heat from his whip was so overpowering..." He goes to rub his eyes before wincing in pain.
"Father....... There is light here. One of the Paladins lit a sunrod. You're.......... you're blind." Vaelor's voice cracked several times as he explained his foster father's new found affliction.
"Hold the light steady, man. The spider looks to be dead, but I thought I saw it shift." Reinnwulf continued to walk towards the spider's corpse, spear at the ready and peering intently into the gloom around him.
"Is everyone all right? The fall was a bad one, and the rocks worse, but we should be moving, and looking for a way out of this place soon. I do not know much about cave-ins, but I do know I do not wish to be caught in one if more rocks fall here."
Kayla, after scanning the area not finding additional threats. she sheaths her blade and takes notice of the silver dragon scales in the dust and dirt below.
bending over she grabs one of the scales to examine it.
definately silver dragon, can't think of any other creature given the circumstances
moving next to examine the spider Kayla slips the scale into her pack.
Barundar, himself noticing the scales glinting in the light as Kayla moves to them, walks quickly over to one of them and picks it up, holding it against the light of the sunrod. "One o' Terendelev's scales...the storm laird must've sheared thaim aff. Five o' thaim left, looks lik'." he says aloud, casting a pointed glance in the gnome's direction.
"Seems ainlie fair fur us each tae hae one...so we ne'er forgoat tae wham we owe oor lives. " he adds, offering one of the scales to Vaelor, Enshi, and Weyland. The final scale he takes to Reinnwulf so he can help the Ulfen look over the apparently twitchy spider corpse.
"I am a servant of the Dawnflower, my lord, yes. If you'll give me just a moment to examine the lady, her leg appears to be broken. I will be able to heal you just as soon as I have made certain the lady can walk."
Enshi moves to the lady, running his hands experimentally over her leg before calling on his inborn gift for healing. "May the Dawnflower smile upon you, Miss Tirablade"
Once he has finished with her leg, Enshi will move back to the lord. "My apologies for the delay, my lord. It was necessary to insure that the lady was functional. Let me examine your wounds." As he examines the man's wounds, Enshi moves his holy symbol across the cuts and scrapes, erasing them as if they had not been there at all.
Weyland takes a scale from Barundar, looking at it sadly. "So falls the great Terendelev. Many tears will be shed for that one's passing, but now is not the time."
Looking around at the group he say, "Everyone stay together. If you have wounds, Enshi may be able to ease them, but I beg that you try to endure all but the most grievous of hurts. We may be trapped for some time down here and who knows what dangers lurk in the dark. If anyone has any idea about where we are or how to return to the surface, please speak up. I find myself woefully ignorant of the city's depths."
Reinnwulf takes his scale from Barundar and looks at it curiously. He has never really seen dragonscale up close like this before, and the milky white color with the rippling pearlescent sheen fascinated him. He reluctantly put it in his pack and continued walking towards the spider.
Guiding his foster father towards the others, Vaelor replied, "I am currently unharmed, save for some bruising." Turning to the Cleric, "Sir, is there anything you can do for my Father's eyes?"
As each of your touch one of the dragonscales, the glint off some unseen light source catches your eye, but if you look, you find none. You suddenly understand that your scale is magical and works just for you.
As you get closer to the spider and jab it with your spear, the jarring motion suddenly causes the spider to animate and move. But you suddenly realize that its not the spider itself moving, but something inside. Before you can ponder this further, four large maggots burst forth, covered in varying degrees of spider viscera.
Hearing the squishing sound of the spider exploding, Vaelor turns around to see the disgusting little things. Pointing his index and middle finger at one of them, he says, "Bniwit Naz." A ray of blue energy shot towards his target, bits of ice falling to the ground as it traveled.
Reinnwulf stepped back as the maggots burst out of the spider. "Biggest maggots I ever saw!" He watched at Vaelor's spell sprayed into one of the creatures, then dove into combat. His spear lashed out with an adroitness not usually seen in big men, the tip slicing as well as stabbing, constantly on the move.
Move to 10', preferably with 3 or more within the 10 foot range.
Also, combat reflexes give me up to 2 AoOs, which I will go ahead and roll now, just in case you need them.
"Enemies!! Close ranks and protect the wounded."
Weyland will draw his sword and move towards the maggots.
Draw or Sheathe a Weapon: If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move.