The acolyte shakes his head. "Haven't had any smaller recruits, no."
---------------------
Cassandra hisses in anticipation. "Yessssss. Let'ssssss."
The other workers crowd into the room behind you as you leave, the giant snake following you through the narrow stone corridor. You emerge from the secret door, and it appears that no one is currently in the immediate vicinity...
And you hear the sound of footsteps approaching from the west.
Adriana says to Cassandra,"Let's go upstairs to link up with my friends."
Cassandra hisses and starts to follow you--but as you reach the bottom of the stairs, several acolytes led by a senior priest in black robes.
"What's all the noise about--RAZMIR ABOVE!" The senior priest cries out in shock when he sees the giant snake.
"Go." Cassandra bobs her head at the stairs. "I will be along shortly."
------------------
"No we are in this together." She pulls out her holy symbol and looks at the approaching group. She yells"Calistria, a true Goddess, has marked you all for vengeance! Drop your weapons now and face the mercy of Man's justice or face Her Wrath!
While the assembled 'faithful' don't seem inclined to surrender, the fact that you're addressing them while a giant snake is right in front of them seems to have taken some of the fire out of their eyes.
"The Living God and His faithful kneel before no pretender!" The senior priest shouts back, his sword coming to his hand. His acolytes stand, frozen in fear behind him.
----------------------
Adriana's voice comes from a stairway beyond the room to your immediate south!
Vixie’s ears prick up under her helmet, and she swivels her head. ”Th-this way, I th-think!”
"Yes," Khalaban replied with a nod. He looked at the acolyte. "My suggestion would be to lie down, be very quiet, and if anyone asks a large bearded man punched you in the head very hard. Alternatively, we can make that reality." As soon as the man dropped Khalaban moved away...or if he didn't he'd punch him in the head.
Maxila sighs at the height-discriminatory policies of this alleged 'Living God' and lets Khala handle the personal negotiations with the surrendered former acolyte who is clearly in over their head.
They start making their way to the stares and Adriana's voice with care, keeping an eye out for traps, guards, or the like.
The terrified acolyte lays down and puts his hands behind his head.
---------------------
The rest of the group comes running down the stairs in time to see Adriana facing off with a cluster of Razmiran priests--and in between them, a giant brown, diamond-patterned constrictor snake. The snake lets out a hiss that sounds particularly angry.
Adriana went and got a snek scaly friend? NEAT!
As soon as Max gets downstairs they look for the apparent leader of the Faker God-wannabe and STARE at them intently.
"Your cult doesn't even understand the importance of scales. Puny mammals."
The leader falters, but shakes his head. "The faithful are not so easily cowed, for Razmir Himself has given me His blessing!"
The other acolytes don't seem too inclined to believe him.
Looking around, Khalaban looked thoughtful. "Let us see. The guard is above. They know about your special supplies, and what they contain. They know about your drugging of initiates. Even if you can defeat us in a fight, something I significantly doubt, then you will find them awaiting you above. Stand down and answer but a few simple questions and perhaps this can be settled more equitably." Perhaps they could simply suffer exposure and banishment.
Vixie hefts her bill beneath her arm, looking... well, she doesn't look especially intimidating, but if stories have spread of her earlier encounter...
Adriana says to the snake,"Cassandra is he the one you want?"
Cassandra hisses. "No. The masssssk isssss the wrong colour."
The cultist leader actually seems to listen to Khalaban's reasonable argument.
"The faithful of the Living God have the right to live as our Lord would dictate." He starts. "But we are not without reason. Speak your questions, then."
Cassandra looks back at the others on the stairs. "Friendsssss of yoursssss, I take it?"
"Yes...they are." she waves to the group,"Hey everyone this Cassadra...she will be helping us. I am just going to say this once. Anybody with one exception who surrenders the guards can get...anyone who fights I am not going to show any mercy, Calistria calls for vengeance. The o e exception is the one who tortured Cassandra here...she gets him. After he answers some questions about relics. Are we in agreement here?"
The senior priest tentatively nods. His acolytes follow suit.
"We seek several items stolen from a tomb near Kassen," Khalaban explained, "Which we understand some of your faithful here have taken. Are they here? And if not, how do we bypass the defences of your vault so that your story can be checked."
"Kassen?" The senior priest repeats. "Yes, some of the faithful visited that place."
"Some of what was taken has been stored here... what is it you seek?"
"A pair of artefacts held by the spirits there," Khalaban replies, supplying what details he can remember and totally not cheating. "Anything else taken would also be appreciated. The tomb is important to the town, and they would prefer it if angry spirits and undead stopped pouring froth from it."
"Artefacts..." The senior priest thinks. "...well, the Vault would contain many treasures donated by our faithful. Some of them may have been generously donated by those who no longer needed them."
"But artefacts? The leaders of the Church would know more. Their quarters are on the highest floor of our temple."
"I know the vault they are talking about it. But I think we will need...a volunteer to open it up." she says eyeing the cultist, "Unless someone give us a idea on how to open it up safely." she looks at her companions."Did someone remember to bring my sword and armor?"
The senior priest pauses, his eyes darting between Adriana and the giant snake between the two of them.
"The Vault requires a passphrase to be spoken before the wards will be dispelled. 'Exalted be the Master, may we be ever worthy of His Steps.'"
Cassandra slithers a bit closer to him and hisses.
Vixie moves over to Adriana and turns around; a fairly distinctive, curved handle is sticking out the top of her backpack.
"Thank you Vixie." she takes the sword, "Did you remember my armor? Not that bid of a deal if you didnt...I have been trained to fight in this." she says indicating her outfit.
"I believe that it's in the pack." Khalaban looked at the cultists. "Shall I escort you to the guards while the lady changes?" The Kineticist was aware that Adriana might not especially care if they saw her change - Khalaban didn't care what state of dress people saw him in, all, and doubted she much did either - but it was a good excuse to get them outside.
"We should get the prostitutes out to." she says as she is getting dressed,"Hey You! Are there anymore dangers down here?"
The senior priest looks back at the acolytes and is greeted with a clamor of dropped swords and truncheons.
"...I suppose you have your answer."
"Hey You! Are there anymore dangers down here?"
"Aside from the snake?" The senior priest replies. Cassandra glares at him.
"The ssssssssnake hasssss a name."
"Er... yes, Cassandra. Of course."
Khalaban nodded at the suggestion of getting the prostitutes out. "A fine idea. If everyone who is leaving will follow me, and I shall return shortly." The big man gestured politely to the stairs, trusting the others could handle the vault now that they had the password - or would wait for a moment if they weren't sure.
The cultists inch their way past the giant constrictor snake and fall into line behind Khalaban.
When he gets back topside, several more rangers have gathered in the courtyard--the team of Speier, Omalia, Davison, Thorne and Galek have dragged the two subdued acolytes outside and are currently conferring with what looks like Guard Captain Weathers.
"How many more are in there?" Weathers asks.
"There was mention of more senior priests, and I imagine they have attendants and guards, but I don't believe there are too many more." Khalaban shrugged a shoulder with a klink. "I fear we didn't get clarification on there numbers, or at least I didn't."
Captain Weathers purses her lips before shaking her head. "Alrighty then--I suspect the remaining ones will be bunkering down and preparing for the worst. Any other civilians on-site?"
Khalaban looked over at Adriana and her friend to see if they knew otherwise, but replied, "To my sadly uncertain knowledge this should be all of them."
Captain Weathers nods. "Of course."
"Let's go, people!" She shouts to the other rangers and draws her sword. "Take 'em alive if you can!"
The rangers begin to advance on the temple doors...
"You want to be careful at some of the doors and definitely if you go upstairs, they have trapped sections of the area that we haven't secured yet. If you have someone who is good at that, you might want to have them on point. I'm definitely NOT good at it, or they'd've been dealt with by now." Max offers with a sour tone. No need to get these people murdered when they are just doing their jobs!
Once the captured cultists have been secured, the rangers breach the front doors of the temple and move in, blades at the ready. Shortly afterward, they kick in the doors to the main hall and move to close the distance with the dug-in cultists. Soon, the battle is joined!
The clashing of steel on steel and the yells of men fighting for their lives ring throughout the building, with neither side giving an inch. One cultist is brought down with blade and shield--another lands a blow vicious enough to send a ranger reeling to the floor.
The sound of *crackling* electricity fills the air--followed by the sound of heavy footfalls from the floor above.
"KHALABAN! GET YOUR TEAM UP THERE NOW!" Captain Weathers yells out before fending one cultist off and dropping him with a shield bash to the temple.
Khalaban nodded and charged back to the stairs, bellowing down to the others,
When the party makes it to the central hall, the source of the heavy footfalls becomes clear. A creature made from hundreds of metal masks joined together into a humanoid shape is descending down the stone stairs. The masks are, for the most part, formed of forged iron, but some of the ones forming its feet, hands and joints are made of silver inlaid with gold. The mask that forms its head is made of porcelain and gold trim, with a sapphire set in its brow.
The mask-creature swats aside a brawling cultist and ranger in its haste to engage the party!
Adriana thinks to herself No one mentioned that thing.
Adriana will move up and hit it
Adriana leaps forward and strikes the creature squarely in its 'chest' with her blade. There's a loud *CLANGING* noise as the sword leaves a dent in a few of the masks, but it keeps coming nevertheless.
The mask-creature brings its two arms back and swings at Adriana!
Both of its arms connect--one punching her in the chest, the other coming right across her jaw with a nasty *THUD!*
Vixie gasps as the creature gets a pair of very solid hits on Adriana.
”M-MISS!!” she squeaks in alarm, rushing forward with her shield up.
She shoves it forward, edge-first, and the force of Kassen is behind her—
—though it may be too much for her to handle!
Vixie's shield *CLANGS* against the shins of the mask-creature, but it doesn't appear to be hurt.
Well, this was going well. Khalaban grunted as he called up his heavy earth weapon and moved to engage.
Khalaban's conjured earthen club catches the mask-creature in the chest--and actually causes it to stagger as several of its component masks are knocked off!
"Dad? Please heal my friend because I don't think she can take another hit like that." Maxilla pleads as they move forwards...