Silas slashes out with a terrible strike the zombie dragon. The putrefied flesh fells down in strips, showing a patch of bones underneath. The creature continues attacking the party without much caring about the hit, although it clearly caused a lot of damage to it.
Dailung attacks the other hand crawling over Ardain, but trying not to damage the wizard, she fails his hit.
Ardain attacks the dragon with his longsword, slashing out some more dead meat from the legs, then stepping to one side, out of his reach.
The crawling hand crawls then towards the wizard, giving an opportunity to Dailung, Ardain and Silas to hit it.
And Dailung easily finishes the hand before anyone can even try to attack it.
The black dragon moves forward his head, trying to bite Silas.
But the attack is too much clumsy to go over the nagaji scales.
The party melee swarms the ancient beast, Argus slashes over one side chopping of one leg with his greataxe, the dragon turning to him to bite the dwarf in angriness, which is profited by Silas to slash with his longsword from side to side of the zombie dragon, going through the flesh as easily as if it were butter, to the point he even breaks some bones.
Hardly able to move, the undead dragon insist to continue attacking the group, when Dailung profits the distraction to strike the undead with his dueling sword. The pointy stick is stopped by the thick skin of the undead creature, but the hit is precise, just in the point that links the other leg with the body. The dragon loses his balance and hits the floor with a resounding "BOOOOOM!" that reverberates around the cavern.
Koth'Vaul shouts from his prison "No!!! Illvaster!!! My piety pet guardian!!!! You, miserable creatures, you will suffer my rage once I get out of here. Your small tricks are nothing in comparison with the powers of the seventh hell!"
The silence is made in the huge cavern.
A bit afterwards you hear the voice of Gamin, Kalkamedes sword! "You made it great! What can we do now to help Kalkamedes? Who is that woman he went to? How can we help them?"
You approach the second circle, where Kalkamedes is sleeping next to the beautiful elf woman.
You give her a second look, then Gamin says "Oh! This creature is a Ghaele, an agent of the celestial planes, a champion of freedom and good. Why is she here? And why is she so badly injured?"
In fact, looking at her more calmly, Ardain clearly realizes this is an agent of good. She is very badly injured, maybe even to the point of passing away.
Dailung hits the magical circle with Gamin. The magic of the circle suddenly breaks crashing into thousand of pieces. The light of the arcane symbols written in the floor turn off.
The Ghaele is set free. Even then, she keeps laying into the floor, not moving at all. Kalkamedes lays next to her, calmly sleeping at last.
As Dailung provides the Ghaele with a healing potion, she recovers consciousness, looking at the kitsune with startled eyes. "What... what happened... who are you?"
As the Ghaele is explained about Kalkamedes affliction, she smiles deeply and touches the paladin kindly "Oh my dear saviour." she looks at you fuelled with sudden hope "My name is Suliana. The gnome you met in the other circle, his name is Koth'Vaul and he is a demon, more specifically a Glabrezu. Millennia ago, during the reign of the runelords in ancient Thassilon, a conclave of powerful thaumaturgists known as the Thrallkeepers experimented with calling forth all manner of horrors to further the cause of their runelord overlords. Thinking their techniques fawless, the Thrallkeepers summoned numerous otherworldly creatures and attempted to force them into servitude. Thousands of years later, the Thrallkeepers have long since gone extinct, but several of their forgotten projects remain, lurking in ancient, abandoned vaults. One such forgotten conjuration is Koth’Vaul. The Thrallkeepers imprisoned him for centuries here, the Black Edifce; however, ravaged by time, the binding circle that holds Koth’Vaul is now decaying and will soon hold him no more. Once he is free, there will be nothing to stop Koth’Vaul from unleashing his unique brand of terror on present-day Varisia."
The creature makes a pause trying to guess if you, the mortals, are understanding her tale. Thinking you are intelligent enough to do so, she resumes "A month ago, I took it upon myself to seek out Koth’Vaul and destroy him before he could complete his escape. Unfortunately, with the protective runes that bound Koth’Vaul already breaking down, he was much stronger than I anticipated. Using Illvaster, his undead servant to push me into his reach, the demon battled me for two days and three nights, and despite grievously wounding me, Koth’Vaul was unable to deliver the killing blow before I withdrew. Koth’Vaul, though is very patient—he probably thought it was only a matter of time before the last magic circle that holds him degrades enough that he can escape and finish me."
He takes another look at the now sleeping paladin. "For what you say, Kalkamedes should have been exploring the nearby environment of the Black Edifice looking for clues about the runelords. As soon as he came close enough, I sensed his presence, I reached out to him with my mind, and tried to contact him with a plea for help. Koth’Vaul, however, used his own limited powers to dampen
my magical link, blocking the communication. Kalkamedes walked on by, never cognizant of the dueling forces that had touched his mind."
Suddenly smiling glad with hope "But it seems his unconscious still got my desperate call for help! That night, Kalkamedes probably returned home to his cabin and fell asleep, his subconscious quickly remembered the call and took control of his body. Sleepwalking, Kalkamedes unwittingly surely made a beeline for the Black Edifce to mount a rescue for me! His attempts might have failed until I totally lost my conciousness." She then looks at you in a burst of happiness "But then you came with him and opened his way until he reached me. You all are awesome!"
She cannot almost walk still, but somehow succeeds to walk close to Koth'Vaul circle. "Fast, I am too weak to finish him out, but we have to do something before he is released. He is just to powerful, but I have an idea of how we can send him back to his home plane where he will be no more threat to Varisia." looking at Silas, the ghaele places her hand over his head "I bless you with the sacred powers of the celestial plane." The nagaji suddenly feels an astonishing power going through his veins as the ghaele almost faints after giving back her power "Your perseverance has been admirable. I trust you. I cannot do it alone, not enough energy for me, but you have that energy to do it by yourself. I gave you my ability to banish him and send it to his plane." looking at Silas with hope "Go and send him were he will be no harm any more."
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He has no idea what sort of creature a Ghaele is, but gathers that she is a powerful angel. When she puts her hand on his head, he closes his eyes as he feels holy energy course through his body. He could tell, in a way he couldn't explain, that this energy came directly from the celestial plane. He had never felt such ecstasy. So this must be what it feels like to be a fully-realized servant of Iomedae. This is the sort of power he had been longing for all his life. He opens his eyes. "Thank you."
He turns to Koth'Vaul. "You, demon, are going back where you came from. And if you ever return to this plane..." He sneers. "I'll be waiting." He holds out the iron holy symbol he keeps around his neck. He focuses on it, pouring his new-found power into it. As he does so, a short chant escapes his lips in a language he doesn't recognize but which he knows can only be the language of the angels. As the spell reaches its pinnacle, golden light shines forth from his holy symbol and bathes the creature in positive energy. Silas calls out to the demon in the common tongue. "In the name of Iomedae, the Inheritor, Lady of Light and Justice... I BANISH YOU!"
As Silas gives his last words of justice a dazing light sets forth from his sword causing the demon to avert his eyes and place his hands in front of his head trying to fight the intense light. "No! No! Stupid humanoids! You don't know what you are doing! You will pay for this! I remember your faces! I will follow you up for the rest of your lifes! I will..." last words of Koth'Vaul are not heard, as the intense light blinks, he disappears from sight, being send back to the Abyss.
In a resounding general relief, Argus comes up again about Kalkamedes problem. Suliana, the ghaele intervenes then "Don't worry by him lawful dwarf." the good outsider smiles at Argus "I will release him from my call. Kalkamedes has served me and all the good in the world in an outstanding way. His willingness, and his unconscious fight has made him deserve all the blessings of the Ellysium and redeemed him from all the errors he has prior made in his life. Others that told their souls more cleaner hasn't showed the perseverance and openness of spirit he has showed." The ghaele places his hand on Kalkamedes head and a white light shines along the cavern. The old paladin suddenly wakes up from his sleep not understanding what has happened, but seeing you smiling around and the ghaele makes him think something great and releasing has gone finally during the night. "Sorry, have I caused any disturbance? God knows, I could eat a whole caw alone."
The ghaele follows you and Kalkamedes back to the paladin's cabin, where you meet back Sheila Heidmarch "Oh my Pathfinders! Have you succeeded in your mission!?" she, visibly released, hugs strongly at Kalkamedes. After explaining what has happened, Sheila offers Gamin the Missforged to you upon agreeing of Kalkamedes and the sword itself.
Just before leaving, Suliana tells you she is in debt with you for the rest of her live, and so, she bless you and promises to come to your call once you need it. That said, she says good bye to all of you and with a bright light she disappears in the mist of the night to his native plane in the Ellysium.
FIN