Krissina ends the spell, so she can speak normally again.
"Well that was ominous."
"What did it say to you Krissina.?"
"Oh, um" it never occurred to Krissina that no-one else knew what they were saying.
"It said it was the protector, watcher. and asked who defiles the shrine... Um, hold true to the pact, or hope is lost, a price will be paid. I tried to ask it about the pact, but it called us Unbelievers and left.".
"Do we think the pact is just about the altar, or have the villagers made some pact with whatever that thing was? - We should probably hurry back in any case?" Krissina heads out of the cave and peers around, should the... infernal speaker still be around.
Comfort sounds good to Uriah...
"I expect bad things to happen, but I guess there's nothing to be done. Back to the village we go, I suppose."
Ander steps cautiously out of the cave and checks to make sure the coast is clear.
|
As Ander uses the rope to scale the ravine, he pops his head up and sees this ugly demon back up to a tree and begin charging!
Balyzar
Eilren
Ander Meliamne
Krissina
Shoun
Bad guy
The Warlock climbs fast after Ander and steps to one side at the top to view the demonspawn. Horrified by what he witnesses Eilren unleashes a dark purple blast of fey energy at the monster
As Ander uses the rope to scale the ravine, he pops his head up and sees this ugly demon back up to a tree and begin charging!
Ander quickly steps up onto the top of the ravine, then waits to receive the monster's charge.
|
|
The fleshy devil tumbles down the ravine, landing hard on its head and shoulder. The deformed creature stands unsteadily at the feet of Eilren
who quickly flings purple eldritch energy in its face!
The creature falls to its knees and begins to melt and bubble into a puddle at the Eilren's feet. Almost as if in response, lightning flashes in the sky and thunder rumbles.
Krissina pokes the fizzling puddle with a stick, but has no further insight.
Uriah tugs and pulls in vain at the slippery rope.
Poor Uriah just looks foolish now...
Finally, after much struggle, Uriah arrives at the top. He says What's going on up here? as if nothing untoward happened and it didn't just take him some ungodly amount of time to climb a rope.
Sizzle climbs quickly, staring at the dead creature.
He points down, and says "The first layer of hell is Baator. Only the weak are cruel."
At the top, he surveys the scene and says "We should head back to the village. We don't have a lot of time to prepare."
|
|
After everyone makes it back up the rope, the party heads back to the village and begins to hear the familiar singing from the crones at the bonfire. You have not seen them take any breaks, or even seem to sleep. Perhaps at that age, you do not need to sleep, or perhaps they sleep in shifts, but there are always multiple voices singing...
As you pass, you see them all watching you with interest as you pass, but they do not falter in their singing.
The rain has not lightened at all, in fact, the patter of raindrops becomes a constant drone that you are all almost able to tune out by now...
"Yes? Did you need something?" Ander says to the crones as they watch him.
"Of course we did. Thank you." Shoun bows in a show of respect to each of them, then turns and heads to the barn.
Once the group is gathered in the barn and Melisande is not about, Shoun will say "I think we are being played for fools. It is my belief that these 'loonamen' we have encountered are involved. Their stories are Identical, even down to the focus on the eyes. Add in the fact that we found a journal in a cave in a forest with at least one demon that matches the journal we recovered from the...'survivor', and it seems to me that they're not what they seem."
"Here is what I propose: Our group has a public fight, and then the best two members of our group at hiding leave the village in a 'huff' so to speak, then sneak back to observe the 'victim'. The rest of us should work on fortifications, traps, that sort of thing. That's where I think that our local asset will be best able to assist us."
Shoun wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, shrugs, and then says "Of course, that's just my suggestion."
"If you feel that Verik needs surveilling then I'm your Elf. However I can slip out of here," he indicates the barn with a wave of his pale copper hand, "with the greatest of ease. Without any elaborate ruse," the Wood Elf frowns. "It would give me pleasure to put my skills to use. I'm really not strong enough to help with your fortifications anyway."
Eilren turns to Krissina again, "I seem to be ever waiting for you to part with the readings of the writings we find... What does the scroll say..? And will someone take the time to translate the tome..?"
"Well, growing up in a library has to be good for something right? Lets take a look." Krissina checks the seal for distinguishing marks before unsealing it and reading it's contents.
I guess we go hide in the barn again, better make sure the goats don't get any ideas about all the papers though.
|
|
[list]
After watching Verik, Eilren will look around for elevated positions from which to shoot bows or fling magic taking note of any sturdy looking trees and buildings with roofs that will hold an elf's weight (or a man). He quietly wonders what all the fuss is about not having any foreboding of a invading force. He only half believes what they have encountered and learnt but plays along in support of the people he has fallen in with.
Shoun will focus his efforts on creating palisades.
|
|
Krissina will read/translate and then wonder around finding where the others are working and give them an update.
"The book, tells us the resting place of some items named 'Dragon Masks' - could our undead Dragon be something to do with them do you think?"
"Also the Scroll is a contract, between the 'folk' and 'servants of queene', souls and treasure for power and casting away of outsides... not entirely sure what to make of it to be honest."
I assume the 'Dragon Masks' aren't elaborated on.
Uriah isn't interested in manual labor so he idles his time away, playing his lyre and otherwise being a bother. He alternates his lyre playing with complaining, loudly, about their accommodations.
|
|
Throughout the day, 'Sande has been trying to help with the building of the defenses. She is not very strong and not very smart, so most of the time, she throws muck about, just happy that she is helping.
After spending the day researching and setting up defenses, you all are a variety of soaked, exhausted, and miserable as the sky grows dark with the setting sun.
You all sit in the barn, discussing what has been done throughout the day and all of the information that you learned from the book and scroll. Somewhere in the night sky above the thunderclouds, Selune has raised an old moon, a slim and fading crescent. In the wind and rain, its light is lost to you. However, through the sheets of precipitation, a pale glow and swirl of fog, seemingly unaffected by the storm, approach the landing. Screams of the damned ride the wind!
Some shambling figures emerge from the landing a couple dozen of the figures are small, short, maybe 4 feet tall or so, while there are only two taller figures that seem to stand about human height.
The approach slowly and seem to just wash over the village!
Balyzar
Eilren
Ander Meliamne
Krissina
Shoun
Short bad guys
Tall bad guys
Initiative Order
Eilren 20
Ander Meliamne 20
Balyzar 16
Krissina 13
Shoun 8
Sizzle 6
Tall bad guys 6
Short bad guys 5
When is Eilren not cloaked and fading in shadows? Definitely not now when there are enemies on the field!
The weird elf will sneak to within range and use his fey powers to mesmerise as many of the smaller assailants as possible into a magical sleep
Sizzle presses a hand to his holy symbol, muttering words under his breath. He raises his arms above his head, and a glow descends on the assailants. "Darkness good." He mutters to himself sadly.