Calla nods in appreciation as the questions reveal mostly useful answers. There may even be an ally in Thorn's End, if they can figure out who's likely to be willing.
In the meantime, they likely need to rest now -- hopefully Greenie's spells help let them pass the night uninterrupted -- and can move on in the morning.
Before he retires for his rest, Anklebiter casts Invisibility sphere over the camp, and Communal resist energy upon those who will be taking watch rotation. With these acts of magic done, the little Wizard rolls himself up in his cloak, rests his head on his backpack and drifts off into dreams.
As soon as Anklebiter sleeps, Duchess comes flapping up to the first person to stand watch and lands on their shoulder.
"My sister and I don't sleep," she points out. "We'll be helping out. No arguing."
Amazingly enough, the night passes without incident. Apparently, nothing was willing to intrude on the bebiliths' territory. Other than a few large swamp denizens, the homunculi saw nothing to report, and you all received a much needed rest.
***************
The morning dawned and you made your preparations. According to Quilindra, it is only a few miles from here to Thorn's End, but it requires a slog through the Tanglebriar, one of the deadliest natural terrains in the world. You tramp through hip-deep murky water, carefully pick your way through coils of stinging nettles and wrist-thick vines with poisonous razor-sharp thorns as long as a finger, and pools of sucking mud that can swallow a person whole in minutes.
The 3-mile trip took nearly 5 hours, and though you saw no other demons, each of you feels like you are being watched. Quilindra seemed to know roughly where you were going, though, and led you through the swamp.
Though you did not have any combat encounters, the swamp trek took a lot out of you. Between the spore-shooting fungi, poisonous vines, and biting insects, the swamp sapped your strength and your ability to go on.
Everyone needs to make 4 DC14 Fort saves, in order, to avoid...
1. Str damage
2. Fatigue
3. Exhasution
4. Con damage
Eventually, you can see the spire are towers of Thorn's End rising from the swamp. The building itself has the beauty and grace of the elven architecture you saw in Iadara, but it has obviously been the victim of time and constant attacks by the demons. One of the towers looks as if it was pried from the main spire, and the lower floors of the fortress are covered in lichen and vines. The outer walls of the bailey appear to have been breached in several places. The swamp had once been cleared of brush and vines for several hundred feet around the fortress, but the swamp had pushed back in, leaving a buffer of only a hundred feet or so. In all, it was a daunting sight.
Though the terrain is rugged and the environment hostile, Bruendor sets a steady pace through the Tanglebriar, grimacing only when stinking, muddy water flows into his boots. "I'm going to need to soak in a bath for a week once we're done here," he mutters.
By the end of the day's journey, Anklebiter is visibly leaning on his staff, his breath a wheeze and his face drawn with fatigue.
"A bath... sounds nice," he manages to gasp.
"What a lovely smell you've discovered," Calla grouses to Quilindra, though she's truthfully pleased to have gotten so far with so little concern.
She grunts as they get the first look at their quarry.
"Invisibility should get us through the cleared area, but any idea of the best entrance point?"
If not, Calla suggests the broken-off tower as perhaps a natural place to start their search.
"And let's remember that at least one person in their may be persuaded to be of help."
Lefrik at some point offers to pick his goblin friend up, "You can ride on my shoulders friend." Sympatheticly, he recalls his brief time of being with no stamina thanks to demons.
Kel strides through the swamp easily and gracefully as she stays above the muck and funky water and floats through the air with each step.
"Desna will grant up bridges of moonlight, maybe they can aid our access to the ruins? At the least it could help us cover the open ground to the walls."
Anklebiter gratefully accepts Lefrik's offer.
To Kelendra, he says: "Or I can cast an Extended invisibility sphere? Either way, we need to start checking for all kinds of traps, snares and guards on our approach."
The close look you got was enough to tell you that the outer courtyard had moving figures in it, figures that were not humanoid. Probably demons, given the flying creatures that you also saw near the top of the main spire.
Quilindra spoke up as you discussed the best means of entry. "If the walls are breached, that means the demons of the area somehow defeated the fortress' defenses. It hasn't completely fallen, though. See those flashes of blue light when the flying demons try and get too close to the upper tower? That's the Maleficus Spike's energies throwing them back. I wonder how they managed to breach the outer walls though? At any rate, I can't see going in through the front doors. There are a number of tunnels that I have heard about, once secret but now more of an open secret among those that fled the tower centuries ago. We can perhaps use one of these to come up into the main part of the fortress. If the Maleficus Spike is still functioning, as we can see it is, then the demons would not be able to get through it along these tunnels. They might be our best chance of entry."
"That sounds good to me," Calla agrees. "Any other defenses on them, meant to keep people like us out?"
If Quilindra can't lead them right to the entrance, she'll help look.
"Um," Anklebiter says, "I have a question. I don't like these Thorn people any better than you guys, but if they're fighting demons... aren't we kind of honour-bound to help them with that? I mean, yes, they're obstructive traditionalists, but demons are demons."
"You remember they tried to kill us? I'm happy to find someone else to help fight demons, but while this Council may not like those demons in the courtyard, they're not better than them either," Calla says resolutely.
"And what if two demons were fighting each other, Anklebiter, would we be bound to help them both? Evil turns upon itself inevitably, that's how the cosmos works." Kel is ready to follow Quilindra to the tunnels, hopefully without gaining the attention of the demons.
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The giant of a man stops and looks at the goblin on his back, "Anklebiter is right. We are heroes not because others are kind to us, but because it is the right thing to be. In the legends, the sagas of MY heroes, they did not know if sagas would be written about them. They were not always praised until during their life times. But they helped others anyway. THe Winter Council maybe selfish, but as far as we know they're not out to destroy the world and over run it as demons are."
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"I'm not so sure they're 'fighting demons' so much as 'running their conspiracy from a demon-infested forest'," Bruendor says with a shrug. "Let's not give them too many lofty ideals here - they're not living here with the intent on killing Treerazer and reclaiming this section of land from the Abyss. They're here because this area is incredibly dangerous, and only a fool with a mission would come to this gods-forsaken swamp." Bruendor punctuates that last statement with a swat of his hand, smashing a bloated, blood-gorged mosquito that alighted on his neck. "They tried to belittle us, to marginalize us, to kill us, and when that failed, to imprison us to remove us from the board. The indys might be the ones threatening to drop rocks on us from the firmament, but the Winter Council are responsible for trying to stop the best damn hope the world has to avoid that fate. If there's a Council elf that is being attacked by a demon, sure, kill the demon first. But let's not pretend that they'd lift a finger to save us if the roles were reversed."
With that said, he follows Calla towards the tunnel entrances, a grim smile beginning to creep across his face. At least we get to go below ground for a bit...
"Fair enough," Anklebiter sighs. "Let us move forward, giant friend Lefrik Olegson."
It was another hour, and much cursing about vague clues, before Quilindra was able to find the entrance to the hidden tunnel. In fact, it was Calla who found the hidden entrance after the bard described "a branch that looks like an owl eating a lion".
The tunnel was long and dark, starting over a half-mile from the outer walls of the fortress and going under the swamp. Finally, it ended in an ornately carved stone door. Quilindra held her hand over the latch for a moment, and then pressed it. The door cracked open nearly silently, and she stuck her head through, looking about before moving through the door and motioning for you to follow.
The room beyond was large, an indoor courtyard of sorts. There was rubble scattered around everywhere, and vines trailed up one wall.
Anklebiter mutters a Word of Power and scans the area for magical auras.
Duchess peeks out of the tunnel and chirps: "So. You guys want me to go scout ahead?"
"Or me?" Magpie offers. "I'll take an invisibility-spell if you do, though."
Calla looks around, checking to see if there are any obvious threats in the courtyard -- or places they can go.
"I'm fine with sending your little creatures to investigate, but do you want to risk losing them again?" she replies to AB's henchcreatures' questions.
"Service is purpose. Purpose is life," Duchess says.
"Besides, we can be rebuilt."
Lefrik couldn't argue with Brue's points. He certainly is irritated with the Winter Council.
And he still doesn't have that statue of he and his friends.
As the servants speak, he nods, "I suppose worse comes to worse, Ankle biter can rebuld them, make them better, stronger, faster"
OOC: Bionic man nunhununhuhn sounds
"We'll take an Invisibility-spell, though," Magpie repeats. "We're loyal and want to be useful, we're not stupid or suicidal."
Calla scowls but does as requested and casts invisibility on the two creatures.
HP 84/84
AC 26/29, touch 18, flat-footed 21/24
Fort +11*, Ref +9*, Will +13*; CMD 25
Divine retribution (DC 18) 0/6; Judgments 0/4; Bane 0/10; Discern lies 0/10
cold iron arrows 0/29; elf-bane arrows 0/3; human bane arrows 0/4
Spells: 0/5 (first-level); 2/5 (second level); 0/4 (third level); 0/1 (4th level); Consumables: Gravity Bow ring 0/3
Effects:
"Just me this time," Magpie forestalls Calla.
Having been enspelled, the homunculus stealthily flaps into the room and commences scouting.
As the homunculus flies into the room, she spotted Quilindra down below, lips moving and waving her hands as if she were talking to someone. Anklebiter didn't have the time to warn the others before an illusory wall behind them fell away, revealing dozens of demons, who stepped quickly into the tunnel behind you, blocking the way. In the courtyard, another illusory wall dropped and there were even more demons. A cackle went up from the gathered throng and one huge brute stepped forward.
It looked like a cross between an ogre, a vulture, and a wild boar. It's pig-like snout twitched as it grinned, showing a mouth full of teeth. One of its clawed hands was wrapped around Quilindra's throat, and it held the half-elf off the ground. The woman's eyes bulged as she kicked her feet and clawed at the demon's hand with her nails, but she wasn't able to penetrate the thick hide. Her face turned purple as the air left her.
The big demon called out, "Oh yes, another mighty band of heroes summoned by the elves to rid their last fortress in these swamps of demons. So brave...and so foolish. Did you really think that we didn't know about these tunnels? That you would be able to sneak in here to destroy us with ease? Look around you. You have what, five? Against my horde? Oh, my apologies, there are also a couple of tiny things with you. Let's call it a 6-to-1 advantage for me, then."
The demon relaxed its hand for just a moment, and Quilindra sucked in a gasp of air before the ham-sized fist closed around her throat once more.
"And you sent in your prettiest bird first, as a present to me and mine? How thoughtful. Now, unless you want to see her head wrung from her neck like a chicken's, you will lower your weapons. All I want to do is talk. Despite your having come to kill me and mine, all we want is the fortress. These weren't always elven lands, you know? There's a reason there are so many demons in the area, and why the elves can't keep us out. These were once demon lands, and they will be ours once more, uncontested by these so-called Winter Council holdouts."
"Now, here's the deal I want to offer you. You go in that tower - you know demons can't enter, right? - and talk to the elves. Convince them to leave, either peacefully, or open the doors so that me and mine can take care of things. Either way, you get to live, and so does this pretty one here. If you can convince them to go without bloodshed, so much the better. If you merely tear down their defenses from the inside, I can live with that, though none of the elves will. We'll spare you, of course, and any treasures you find in the tower can be yours. How does that sound? Do we have a deal?"
Anklebiter bares his teeth in an angry snarl and grips his staff tight.
The Goblin looks to the others...
Calla can feel something invisible land on her shoulder. A familiar voice whispers in her pointed ear: "I saw her talking to someone, I think."
The one talking to you is a Nalfeshnee, often known as an Abyssal Steward. They are highly intelligent, and often serve as wardens to more powerful demons. The one before you has a high SR, and resistances to every energy type. It is also immune to electricity and poison.
Around you are a handful of other demon types, including Brimoraks, Coloxuses, Vrocks, Babaus, and even a Glabrezu. You are well and thoroughly outclassed here.
Anklebiter growls under his breath... and subtly lowers his staff, giving the others a little shake of the head. His ears droop...
"Of course we have a deal." Kel snaps at the demon, "It's not like we had any choice in the matter. We manage the council, one way or another, then we leave you to your lands, agreed."
"It doesn't look like we have much of a choice," Bruendor says, looking around at the multitudinous throng of the Abyss gathered around them, releasing his grip on Bloodbane. "Why do you want the fortress, anyway? I didn't think your lot cared about holding territory all that much."
Calla merely growls.
The others are right, damn it, she thinks. But perhaps this will give us some leverage with the Winter Council...
Lefrik spits on the ground but lets the others do the talking , however, he mutters to the others "How can we trust it not to just kill her regardless? It's a demon. "
"For a member of a race lauded for their long memories, you didn't pay attention in your lessons. Or perhaps your clan knows little about the swamps around here, dwarf. Demons held sway in these swamps long before the elves crawled out of their holes after the Great Cataclysm. The sundering of the world gave us a place here, and it was only the elves' insistence that demons didn't belong on Golarion that had them fighting us. That and their insufferable intolerance of any other race."
"As for trusting me to keep our bargain, well there's the rub isn't it? I could talk for hours about the trustworthiness of demons versus the innate machinations of the elves, but the fact is that I'm not giving you a choice. You either go in there and take care of the elven defenses, or you don't. I either kill this half-elven woman, or I don't. I'm a nalfeshnee, and I hold to the bargains I make. But, if you'd rather my horde simply slaughter you where you stand, that can be arranged."
"Give us the woman and we'll go in there," Anklebiter growls. "I swear on my staff."
"No. She stays with me. As insurance or lunch. Your choice."
"Then she stays as insurance and we go." With the party, Kel attempts to walk towards the tower.
Calla keeps her eye on the demons as she follows Kel.
Once she's far enough away, she tries to gather the others.
"Well, that complicates things," she says. "So now what? The Winter Council deserves what it gets, but Stars' reading means we know an alliance is possible. Not all of this Council needs to die. I don't like giving this place to the demons. We're stuck between a roc and a hard place, and both need to be dealt with. Do we try to find a Winter Council member that we can work with, make some deal that could possibly let us deal with these demons and those members of the Council that truly deserve what they have coming? I'm not sure any of these fools will be pragmatic enough to understand that's what has to happen..."
"Hey! Hey!" Magpie saus as she fades back into view. "Quilindria was talking to someone I couldn't see before the uglies showed up! I'm sure I saw her."
Kelendra moved towards the stairs leading to a pair of double doors. Calla followed, along with the others, to find the doors locked with an arcane lock. Apparently this, along with the protections of the Maleficus Spike, is enough to keep the demons out.
"I have a Knock-spell prepared," Anklebiter whispers, "but maybe we should try knocking and getting them to let us in? If we accidentally disable the whole security system, those demons would be up the stairs like a shot."