Viv concentrates and pushes on the portcullis that has her pinned.
"What the..." Holg spots the falling portcullis just on time to jump in and avoid the metallic thing from crushing him.
Observing the large group of people advancing with bad intentions to his friends, the gorumite produces a pinch of silver from his pouch and trows it to the air while chanting burst of radiance. A brilliant flash of shimmering light descends upon the group.
"That seems like the granades we found in the ruins! Better throw it back!" he then moves as far away as he can from the granade.
Viv pushes and, incredibly, the portcullis actually lifts, then slams upward back into place. It quivers there, shaking, as she rolls out from under the gate and shouts "Move, Holg!", then it falls once more.
Fireday takes a strike at the foeman running away.
"Who are you, and what have you done to the Sarenites here?!" he demands angrily.
Fireday strikes the man again as he retreats. He snarls and clutches at his wounds. "Stand still and we'll show you!" he shouts.
Fireday looks up at the winch and then at Kaska. He says a quick prayer to Iomedae and touches her on the shoulder.
"May her sheltering shield protect you!"
"I'll get this open to even the odds!"
The two bullets hurt enough to convince Kaska to hold her ground and wait for backup. But then she reconsiders. She realizes she's not sure all the guns they have are fired, and being among them would make her harder to hit.
She can't turn back to look, but the situation behind her sounds like a mess, plus she heard the word "grenade". Then she sees Holg's light magic burst on them. Forward is looking a lot better actually.
Kaska runs a diagonal toward the men's, (are they human? she wonders) side to go directly for the hatchet-handed man since he seems the leader. Kill him and we may not need to fight them all.
She arrives with a vicious slash across the body for him.
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Coen does not dive under the gate and instead flinches as it comes down on his friends.
He then casts a spell and directs an invisible force to ferry the blinking grenade away from the group and back toward the mutilated attackers.
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Holg envelops the enemies in a burst of brilliant radiance. They cry in pain as the light burns them, and Hatchet-Hand thrashes his axe wildly in front of him. "My eyes! My frakkin' eyes!" he howls.
Coen conjures an unseen servant, which picks up the grenade and moves it away from his companions.
Viv lifts the gate off of her with a sustained bit of telkinesis and crawls out from under it before letting it thud back to the ground.
Fireday moves to Kaska and blesses her with a shield of faith. The ranger then moves up to Hatchet-Hand and slices him across the chest with her blade. "Frak!" he curses.
The other Smilers pull out glass jars filled with a strange, pink, gel-like substance. "Soothe! Gotta get the soothe!" one says. They rub it on their burns, sighing with relief and pleasure.
Hatchet-Hand swings blindly at Kaska with his stump-axe and draws a second axe in his off-hand. He scores a lucky hit, his blade cutting into the Kellid's side.
The grenade beeps once and then detonates, creating a cloud of foul-smelling toxic gas! Viv is the only one in the cloud, though.
"Your friends are not that friendly Fireday!" as Holg finishes his spell, he makes a spin with his left hand were he holds his greatsword, and recovers the double handed grip of the weapon as he advances decidedly towards the larger group of enemies, making a stop in front of the single one to swing at him with all his strength "Gorum destroy our enemies!"
Viv rolls to her feet and hustles out of the nauseating gas.
Seeing Viv open the gate herself, Fireday turns his attention to the enemy. He calls Iomedae's favor to him.
Then he advances on the group quickly surrounding Kaska.
"You will pay for every wound you have carved in this place, I swear it! Let the Inheritor's justice be done!"
He swings at the man he has approached, hoping it will turn at least some of their attention away from Kaska and towards him. He felt much more secure and sturdy with the armor Kaska had given him and the magical belt he'd procured in Torch, its buckle glittering with a stylized image of the town's namesake.
Kaska grits her teeth against the hatchet hit, trying to keep sound to a minimum so she's harder for her blinded foe to keep track of. She risks the extra time it takes to set up an overhead cleave, and brings her falx down straight at the top of the hatchet-man's head.
Alone on the other side of the gate, Coen takes a second to breathe and consider the situation. He then directs arcane energies into the injured enemy in front of Fireday hoping to drop him before the man behind him closes to melee leaving the android to fight two at once.
Holg moves in on the man who dropped the gate, cutting him down with a mighty smite!
As Viv gets up and moves out of the cloud of noxious vapors, Fireday dashes towards the nearest Smiler and stabs him with his spade. Before he can retaliate, Coen takes him out with a pair of magic missiles.
Kaska brings her fall down in a mighty overhand chop that cleaves through skull and brain! His face split in two, Hatchet-Hand falls, blood gushing from the fatal injury.
"Holy crap! Let's get the frak out of here!" the remaining Smilers cry. They rush around, keeping out of your reach and the gas cloud as they rush towards the gate!
Kaska's blood is up now from the fight, and the pain from her wounds has her angry. She gives chase after the fleeing Smilers, striking at the first one she gets to, screaming at him as she swings.
Observing the powerful attack of Kaska most probably ended the poor assaulter, Holg moves past for the one next to the door "Cowards! Do not run! Be real soldiers and admit your defeat in the battlefield!"
In an effort to both, not to kill a clearly overwhelmed enemy and attempting a display of swordplay swinging fast to both sides in his approach, Holg loses the aim of his blade when it surprisingly strikes the wall of the fortress. The Kellid is left with his weapon out of balance and looking at the enemy with a stupid face were only was pride a second before.
Another swing of Kaska's sword leaves another Smiler dead on the ground. The last man winces as Holg misses him. He drops his weapon and holds up his hands. "Alright! I give up! Don't kill me!"
"Well done." recovering his balance, Holg leans his greatsword on the ground "You were bold but the gods fought on our side with more determination"
The Kellid gives himself some time to recover breath "That was quite a welcome. You were right Fireday, the people here are... interesting"
"I will not kill you. We have already defeated you in homage to the god of war" Holg observes patiently staring at the man's eyes "Just explain us who are you and what happened in here"
"I ain't telling you nothing!" the man sneers.
Fireday angrily grabs the man and lifts him up.
"You have desecrated a sacred place, lied to the faithful and for all we know have murdered innocents. You will tell us what we want to know, if not for absolution then for survival. Tell us, or accept Iomedae's justice and join your fellows in death!" he says coldly.
"Ah! Okay, okay! We're part of a gang from Scrapwall called the Smilers. There's a new gang in charge there now. They're called the Lords of Rust, and all the other Scrapwall gangs have been scrambling to earn respect and favor with them for months now. Our boss Marrow sent us out to claim Aldronard's Grave as our own, so that we could secure it as a gift for the Lords of Rust.
"We killed some of the people here, yeah, but not everybody! We got some prisoners stashed in the watchtower!"
As he talks, the cloud of gas dissipates.
Fireday drops the man to the ground.
"Thank you. You've earned your survival. Maybe in time you'll even find absolution. Tell us more about these Lords of Rust. Why do your gang want their favor?"
"The Lords of Rust are the unquestioned rulers of Scrapwall. Their leader is a frakkin' god called Hellion! You ain't nothing in that town if you don't got the Lords' favor! Apparently one of their bigwigs got killed or something on a mission outside of town, and it's pissed Hellion off! He's pushing all of the gangs to expand outside of Scrapwall and start claiming more territory for him!"
"Meyanda. She isn't dead, at least when we last saw her."
"Scrapwall's overdue for a cleaning anyway," opines Viv.
"Why it is your gangs respect so much those Lords of Rust? How did they get into leadership?" and once this is answered the Kellid asks some more questions "Has anyone you know seen or somehow met with this Hellion?"
Holg looks for the watchtower and signals there "I guess we should start moving there to try free the survivors" he casts detect magic and scans the area for magical items in the Smilers, also having a look for any technology or masterwork qualities.
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"They came to power by being the biggest and baddest bastards in all of Scrapwall--and that's saying something! There's five main leaders of the gang: a violent troll named Helskarg, a half-orc cleric named Nalakai, a strange four-armed red monster called Zagmaander, a chain-wielding ettin named Draigs, and an orc barbarian named Kulgara. And they all sere the god Hellion. Ain't nobody I know has seen him, but we hear his voice all the time, booming all throughout Scrapwall and issuing commands."
None of the Smilers have any magical gear, though much of their equipment is masterwork. Hatchet-Hand also has a second gas grenade, and you find a few doses of the pink stuff they called "soothe."
Heading into the watchtower, you see two men and women that have been bound tightly with rope. All four are naked and appear to be grievously wounded. They look up as you enter and one of the men, a half-elf, calls out to you. "Praise the Dawnflower! Please, release us. I am Captain Andalen Kraklos, paladin of Sarenrae. Have you defeated the vile gang members who assaulted our keep?"
Holg nodes to the man averting a smile "Interesting. I guess we should thanks our encounter now, as we are prevented of whom we face"
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Holg approaches the chained and helps them out of their bindings "Alas, they are defeated. You should be more selective on whom you let in Captain. We came to the fortress looking for rest in our trip. Could you share some accommodation and food? I mean... real food not like those goo's we have been eating for two days now..."
The four knights thank you for releasing them, rubbing at their sore wrists. "You are welcome to use the fort as shelter for as long as you wish. Unfortunately, we cannot offer great comforts, but we can certainly provide a roof over your heads and warm food to fill your bellies. We will have to clean up the damage those villains did and bury our dead. May Sarenrae shine her light upon them in the next world."
While Holg and Fireday talk to the captured Smiler, Kaska checks her wounds. A bullet to her thigh, which is just a deep graze. The second was off in its trajectory enough to actually be stopped by her clothing and mail shirt, just bruised ribs. The hatchet cut is the worst, but she binds her arm and it will heal.
When Fireday mentions the android cleric is alive to the Smiler, she winces internally. Fireday just sealed the Smiler's fate. He can't go free now. He has no place to go except back to Scrapwall and the other Smilers. He will tell them what he knows to earn forgiveness for failing here, or some reward. The Smilers will, in turn, tell the Lords of Rust for the same reasons, and on to this Hellion. That brings Torch to their attention again.
When they are done with him Kaska forces him to lie on the ground and binds his hands and feet. She leaves a length of rope for dragging him along to release the Sarenite prisoners.
When they are freed she offers the Smiler over to them. "This is the last one of the gang living. I will turn him over to you and your justice on the condition he will not go free."
In the ruined stable, you find the knights' clothing and gear, along with the corpses of four more knights, three Smilers, and several horses. After getting dressed, the Sarenites go about the grim business of tending to the dead while Captain Andalen takes your prisoner into custody. "We will ensure that he facing penance for his crimes. But Sarenrae teaches forgiveness and redemption as well. We will spare his life for now and see if he is worthy of a second chance."
Fireday watches as Holg frees the fort's rightful owners, and nods in approval at the Sarenites' decision to spare the ganger but keep an eye on him.
"Is there anything we can do to help you, Captain Kraklos? No disrespect meant, but the fort seems even shabbier than it was when I last visited here."
"You've done quite a bit already," Andalen says. "Unfortunately, with the greater need of Mendev and the front against the Worldwound, the church has precious little time or resources to spend on this fort's upkeep. We will continue to do what we can to offer a bit of shelter to traveling crusaders, though it will be even more difficult now that we are only at half our number." He bows his head in silent prayer for the dead.
Observing Kaska's wounds, Holg channels energy, also to heal the knights.
"Thanks for your welcome Commander Andalen" the Kellid pays observes the half-destroyed fortress "I would like to help you reconstruct this place, but we are charged with a mission in Scrapwall. Any knowledge or advice about that place would be of great help. Specially on how to deal with those Lords of Rust, if you have heard anything of them as of late"
For the rest, Holg is tired and looks for some basic food to eat then sets a modest bed for him to lay down and pass the night "Tomorrow will be another heavy walking journey"
The knights don't have much more information to offer beyond what the captive Smiler told you. They can confirm that the Lords of Rust rule the town and are pushing the other gangs to be more aggressive. They have heard rumors of Hellion, but have no concrete details. Above all, they caution that Scrapwall is lawless and extremely dangerous.
Fireday nods, a sad look on his face.
"I am sorry."
While the others make themselves busy preparing for the next day, Fireday begins walking the fort grounds a bit, looking to the gaps in its defense that might have allowed this gang to take it.
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"Well at least let me help a bit," says Viv. She turns to survey the fort, hands on hips, lips pursed. Then she extends both of her hands, fingers spread.
Stones move. Rubble shifts. Debris, long piled to the side, separates and pieces eerily rise and float, lazily spinning, to move to barricades or walls. Crumbled battlements have damaged parts removed, broken beams are lifted and secured with rope until they can be replaced, pieces of trash and detritus are flung over the wall as if by a catapult.
"You're gonna need a stonemason and a carpenter to really do this justice," she says, "but this is the least I can do for ya."
"We have some food of our own, Holg! Remember that's why we have the pack horse!"
Fireday finds that the walls of the fort are still sturdy. Asking the Sarenite about the attack, they explain that the Smilers used gas grenades to nauseate them before clambering over the battlements. Up close, their armor did nothing to protect them from their strange guns.
The knights watch in awe as Viv effortlessly rearranges the rubble and clears out old debris. "Praise the sun! Truly Sarenrae has blessed us by sending you our way!" Captain Andalen breathes. "That would have taken us weeks on our own! Blessings upon you, friend!"
Holg looks impressed on Viv's demonstration "You really have a full hand of secret skills. That was impressive! Again!" the Kellid laughs with openly enjoying the show "Could you lift a person like that? Make her fly?"
"Well, I guess that means time for sleep. I will wake up at sunrise and do the last shift" comments the man while walking to his place.
Afterwards Holg just goes to sleep, preparing himself for a long journey of war in Scrapwall.
You rest overnight in Aldronard's Grave, and in the morning, you bid farewell to the Sarenites before crossing the river and heading towards Scrapwall.
Scrapwall is an intimidating sight. Towers of rusted iron and hills of rubble and ruin, long ago divested of anything of remote value by tech-hungry scavengers, loom from the dusty surrounding plains. Immense lengths of chain, coils of jagged wire, giant clockwork gears, and old corrugated metal cargo containers riddled with gashes, bullet holes, and the telltale pockmarks of laser fire are piled high, forming a jagged and intimidating hill-like wall surrounding the interior. Scrapwall is 3 miles across at its widest, and the walls of junk surrounding it average 30 feet in height.
A ramshackle pair of buildings with walls and roofs made of strips of leather and fur, timbers, metal plates, and other junk lashed and bolted together sits in a gap in the surrounding mounds of refuse. Between the two buildings runs a crude metal gate, closed to block passage into the open area beyond.
As you approach the gate, a man in shabby leather armor steps out from the guardhouse. He eyes you up and down. "Adventurers, eh? What business have you got in Scrapwall?"
Fireday, his face once again covered by cloth, gives the man a stern look.
"The Lords of Rust's business is our business," he replies, hoping that was suitably vague.
Kaska quickly follows up Fireday's answer, which could be taken in an uncomfortably varied number of ways.
"He means we have goods to sell, what our horse carries and the horse also."
The man looks at the laden horse dubiously. "Aye? Not much trade to be had here. But if it floats your fancy..."
He spits on the ground. "Keep your weapons stowed. My commander's gonna want to ask you a few questions before you go inside." He pulls the ramshackle gate open and gestures for you to follow him.
Coen quietly comes along past the gate. He keeps an eye out but is significantly distracted by his worries from not settling on a story beforehand. Looking at the androids and Khellids travelling with him he can't help but think that improvisational lying will be their strong suit.
Holg bites his tongue to avoid challenging the guards to a single combat in order to gain entry to the place, he finds Fireday and Kaska approach rather refined and interesting. Stepping to the front he guards his greatsword to his back "Perhaps we might trade back with some of the metals and technology you found here. Whom is in charge of the commerce in the area?"
The man barks a short laugh. "Ha! You've never been to Scrapwall, have you?" He shakes his head but doesn't say anything else as he leads you into another building. This large room has little more than a table and a few chairs where two more men and a muscular woman lounge. Upon seeing you, the woman stands to her full intimidating height. She has numerous scars and tattoos, including one of a hawk on her cheek.
Your escort reports what you told him, and the woman eyes you up and down. "Name's Sevroth Slaid. What are yours? Where have you come here from? What sort of goods are you looking to unload?"