Mulluq kicks opn the door. This circular room’s original purpose is unclear, but now it seems to be a trophy hall of some sort. A low stone pedestal sits on the floor in the middle of the chamber under a domed ceiling. Atop the pedestal is an iron, barbed cage—and within the cage sits a chunk of softly glowing white stone.
:
Between the door and the pedastal stands a weirdly deformed humanoid. One of her legs is twisted, and one arm transformed into an insectile limb which clutches a scythe. Her armour seems to be made from fused bone. She snarls as she finishes casting a spell.
Mulluq, seeing only the single enemy, allowed Sol the request he offered, standing still to allow the others to move or fire without him being in the way.
Jod mutters to those nearest him, "So... that's the piece of wardstone in the cage, right?"
As Mulluq hesitates, Kira takes the opportunity to step past him, and take the fight to the enemy, assuming the evil aura isn't the ward stone.....
Kira steps up aggressively but her attack is hasty and her opponent deflects it with relative ease. She then lunges with her scythe.
Kaygan checks that the rod of cancellation is secure and at hand, but doesn't want to reveal it yet. Instead, he draws forth the wand of magic missiles and says the command word to strike the defender Jeslyn.
Seeing an opening to enter the room, Rhok takes the heavy mace in hand as he moves and takes a swing at the odd combination of woman and insect.
Kira shrugs off the blow to her armour without effect.
Hannik draws forth more power fusing it into an arcane shield to protect Ghroth and snaps, "Go! It's time to finish this!"
Ghroth bolts into the room and throws a bone spur studded fist at the mutation's head as he passes her.
Wendaug slides into the room and into the corner where she's not in the way of the sword-swingers.
Booam follows the charge of allies into the room to surround the half-monster, swinging the greataxe in an overhand chop at her hip.
Rhok's swipe meets only air but Kaygan's missiles thump into the woman's chest and make her stagger.
Ghroth bounds forwards and the woman dodges his blow. Her returning scythe is only blocked by Hannik's spell. Likewise, enchantments block Wendaug's arrow for finding its mark, but Booam's axe is not so troubled, opening a gash on her side.
Sol moves with athleticism and grace about the wardstone fragment's defender. However, her armour defeats his blow.
Jod shrugs at Sol's statement. "We could work on that...", but hustles into the room, tossing his bow toward the wall by Wendaug as he slips past Rhok and draws his falchion.
Mulluq faces the enemy possessing the broken wardstone, knowing she intends to use it for some nefarious end, and surrounded by his allies. He bares his fangs while pointing Radiance at her, "You will not defile that which is good and holy any more, as the will of Iomedae will exact Her most righteous wrath upon you, and I will be the vessel she uses to do so."
Mulluq and Kira hack brutally at the last defender of the wardstone fragment. She lashes out at Mulluq with her scythe.
Hannik works her way in behind Ghroth and draws on more power to build his defenses.
Wendaug draws a cold iron arrow and waits for the right moment to strike.
Ghroth goes all in snapping and slashing at the insectoid cultist.
Booam continues his traditional approach, swinging mightily at the foe.
The last defender of the wardstone fragment falls, felled by a crushing bite from Ghroth.
The fragment glows softly within its cage, pregnant with power and seemingly waiting.
Kaygan walks toward the fragment, reaching for the rod to destroy it.
Jod says, "So our best choice is to destroy it? We might actually be able to return with it to the Heart, but you understand why it's a problem better than I do."
[dice=Knowledge Local]1d20+5
[dice=Knowledge Planes]1d20+9
"Our instructions from Irabeth were very specific and logical. We must destroy this, and taking it back just increases the risk of us not managing that. Someone should keep watch while we do this to ensure we are not interrupted."
Jod moves to collect his bow and motions to the mongrelfolk. ”She’s right. Let’s make sure no one gets the drop on them while they do whatever it is they need to do.”
"But why not take it? The mage might be able to use it to reconstruct the Wardstone, or do something useful with it. We can always destroy it if we're attacked."
"The Risk is simply too great. If they turn the Wards into a weapon as Irabeth suspects, we are doomed. Kaygan, the rod."
Kaygan looks torn. He hands Kira the rod.
Kira takes the rod. She stands, and focuses, taking a deep breath. This is obviously a decision she does not take lightly and the rod shakes slightly in her hand. After a moment she raises the rod to the stone, and activates it. Bracing herself for some destructive force.
Mulluq urges everyone to step back away from the stone before they destroy it. He puts his shield across his back, and as Kira goes to touch the rod to the Wardstone, his hands hover just away from her upper arms. If anything goes wrong, he is prepared to spin her around the other side of him so that he can take the brunt of any damage across his shielded back.
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Kira touches the rod to the stone. The result is instantaneous - the stone explodes in a rush of golden light and the sound of celestial voices raised in joyful song. The impact knocks the adventurers from their feet and leaves them stunned, but even as it does so it heals their wounds and leaves them refreshed.
As they lie there, the adventurers are transfixed by visions. Many of these things they have not seen before, yet they inherently understand their import. First, they see the first wardstone being erected in the Kite in Kenabres in a ritual involving the aid of the Hand of the Inheritor, the herald of Iomedae - a golden, winged angel with a halo of small swords around his head; an event which happened soon after the Second Crusade began.
Next, they see a young man - they realise it is a 20-year-old Hulrun, erstwhile leader of Kenbres whose mortal shell they destroyed outside the Grey Garrison - leading the burning of dozens of supposed “witches” in the courtyard of the Kite before the wardstone. This happening launched the Second Crusade.
Then the balor Khorramzadeh the Storm King materialises before them, leading the brazen attack on Kenabres which started the Fourth Crusade. The Storm King manages to strike a resounding blow with his sword against the wardstone, which suffers only the tiniest of cracks as the balor’s sword shatters. Khorramzadeh is then attacked and forced to flee when the silver dragon Terendelev furiously attacks him.
Next they see Irabeth chasing a burly dwarven man, who they realise is Staunton Vhane. Both are heavily wounded, and as Staunton backs against the wardstone, smoke rises and he screams in pain. He ducks to avoid one of Irabeth’s blows, then manages to smash her knee with his hammer, dropping her to the ground. Staunton seems ready to deliver a death blow, but the sound of approaching soldiers forces him instead to back away and summon a fiendish giant wasp that he swiftly mounts and then flies away to the north, abandoning Kenabres.
Then they see a beautiful demonic woman with a long thin tail, clawed hands, and curling horns protruding from where her eyes should be and realise this is Minhago, ruler of Raliscrad in the Worldwound. She places the wardstone fragment in this room and the woman they just slew, Jeslyn, uses a wish granted by Minagho to create the cage around it before Minagho teleports away.
They then see a vision of an event they know will now never happen — a beautiful woman with bat-like wings, a horned brow and glowing red eyes, Areelu Vorlesh, the creator of the Worldwound herself - using a deep purple crystal the size of a human’s head to corrupt the fragment, causing the entire border to flash with nauseating mauve fire that devastates the border cities and transforms countless crusaders into half-fiend slaves of the Worldwound.
The visions fade and the adventurers groggily get up. Suddenly a semi-transparent image of Areelu Vorlesh appears in the room with them. Her face is suffused with anger. “This only delays your kind’s extinction. But at least I can take steps to hasten your own,” she snarls. She opens her arms wide and a rift in space suddenly tears open. Through it they can see a demonic host massing on an Abyssal plain and preparing to surge through.
But the energy from the destruction of the wardstone still infuses them and unbidden it rushes outwards towards the tear. With a crash the rift closes and the feedback rips at Vorlesh, pummelling her body and shredding her wings before her image abruptly disappears. But a group of six slime-cpovered demons have already stumbled through the gap and into the room, looking for mayhem.
As the three in the outer room take up defensive positions, the power from the wardstone’s destruction knocks each of them off their feet. Jod stands and tells the other two to hold their positions while he investigates, fearing all his friends to be lost.