Appario's strike hits something within the mist, and that section of the mist begins moving away, past Vahnwynne and further downstairs.
***
She'll change targets.
Yahirma opens her mouth to respond to what she perceives as Maddok's increasingly garbled words, and with a pained look she gives him a shrug.
I can only hope she can understand my words.
Calling down the stairs as she carefully steps down to M1, she says "Outaxous auton, oh Vahnwynne, kai hupakuow emou. Ou estin kale hous bious thanatokatous kuo zdoheis. Hupakuow autoi Maddokoi!"
She glances back to Maddok, flicks a hand in front of her lips as if to say "speak," and points to the former vampire hunter.
"Ara en toi bioi oun apsimaxeos ous vrykolakous?" she adds to Vahnwynne before channeling a desire to obey through her staff (Command Undead, Will DC 18).
***
The former vampire hunter shrugs away Yahirma's attempt at controlling her, then speaks.
"In life, yes. But see me now! I'm stronger than ever before!"
***
Derek suddenly cannot contain all the words swelling from his chest, and before he can stop himself, they burst forth in a torrent to powerful to cut off.
"Strength? Some strength, to be the monster that stalks the night, to be the terror that you once hunted.
Look at you, you were a hero, unsung perhaps, but a hero nonetheless, what are you now?
Forsaking your love for what? The strength to never once more see the sun? To never know a lovers embrace? To never be able to look at another being without it recoiling in fear or disgust.
I won't believe that you truly think so."
The spawn materializes, as the last remnants of mist vanish from sight. A few of the wounds from Semenya's missiles close up, and it sneers towards Appario.
Vahnwynne directs her words towards Maddok, as she attempts to influence his mind.
"See your friends! They converge upon me, weapons drawn and attempting to have me do their bidding! Will you not protect me from their aggression?"
Maddok falls under her thrall, compelled to protect Vahnwynne from harm.
***
Maddok's voice wavers as Vahnwynne's magical control takes affect.
"Of course, I should have seen it. They could never understand our love."
Maddok growls as he draws his hammer, "I trusted you! How could you?!"
Appario looks at Maddok with an annoyed look.
This is going to cost you.
"Why are you hitting me? It was never my intent to hurt, only save, Vahnwynne...but I don't trust these thralls, neither should you."
Appario speaks the truth.
Diplomacy
Semenya speaks, her tone wroth.
"Does her heart still beat for you, Maddok? Or have you been wrapped into the cold embrace of a love whose embers you cherished? Would the Beast you bear recognize her as anything worthy of its passion?"
"I am a follower of the goddess Chelyn, for whom love is the most cherished gift to mortals. What she offers is not love, but its profanation, willing enslavement."
"You are Maddok, of the Shoanti. Shoanti. Are. Not. Slaves. And certainly not to things such as that!"
Remind the abomination of what she was in life, so she'll free Maddok before he harms Appario! Please!
Diplomacy
"Words are wind big brother, actions are what matters to men such as us don't you think?
I'd ask you to look at the weapon you hold in your hand, not the hammer, but the other, and remember what purpose you forged it for."
Dereks words are full of passion, but he still attempts to use every oratorical trick that he can think of to reach Maddoks mind, hoping to disrupt or at least lessen the power of whatever feel sorcery that is threatening to steal his brothers reason.
***
The spawn falls under Yahirma's control, obeying her wishes, while Derek's song and his friends' words drown out Vahnwynne's commands to the point where her pull on his mind only compel him to move close to her.
***
Yahirma shoos the vampire spawn away as she moves into J2, and the spawn takes a position in H1, where it stands passively. As Yahirma approaches Vahnwynne, she says "Mnemous ous bious, oh Vahnwynne. Mnemous ous chronous meta Maddokoi." She casts salt over the vampire and hopes for the best.
Yahirma's salt strikes Vahnwynne, and she freezes in place while her face is contorted by the surging memories of her dying moments and the recollection of what she has become after death.
***
***
Appario dances to G1, somewhat unaware, but still cautious, the effects of Yahirma's magic and uncertain of the influence that Vahnwynne has over Maddok.
Acrobatics vs. Maddok, Vahnwynne, & the spawn
Appario holds his blade over the spawn and addresses Yahirma, "At your command, Yahirma, I strike at this one."
to hit;
damage.
Potential crit:
to hit;
damage.
His friends' words seem to abate his wrath and he lowers his weapon. Without a word, Maddok walks to Vahnwynne's side, kneels, and stares blankly at her.
Derek continues to orate, focusing on keeping Maddok at least partialy free of the nefarious influence of the undead.
Derek's words all but fall on deaf ears as Maddok continues to stare blankly at the writhing vampiress.
Yahirma takes a deep breath before waving down Appario's blade. "Ou auton antikrouw, oh Appario. Ou aineie toiw vrylakouloiw ei alipa estin."
She puts a hand on Maddok's shoulder, speaks a word of holy protection, and hopes that he, too, can see the light.
Yahirma's protection grants Maddok's mind the additional strength to fight off the remaining influence Vahnwynne's magics had on him, allowing him to once again act normally.
As the domination ends, Maddok blinks a few times as if waking from a long deep slumber. He shakes his head to rid himself of the compulsion's vestiges and looks up at Vahnwynne. Seeing the huntress suffering as she is breaks the big man's heart but he steels himself as he is reminded that it's a necessary part of the process to subdue her affliction.
He nods in thanks to Yahirma and stands.
"Do not fight the memories", he says. "You must recall how it happened so you can remember - remember who you are; remember who I am; remember what we had together."
At that Maddok retrieves the silver stake he forged for her after their unforgettable night together and presents it. He takes a deep breath.
"You are Vahnwynne Malkistra, scourge of vampires, and you are the Moon of my Life. Hold on to that and there is nothing we cannot conquer together."
Appario listens to Yahirma's gibberish with an increasingly confused face.
"What?"
Was that a kill command or a not? Hmm...
As Maddok continues speaking, Vahnwynne's eyes form tears that begin running down her cheeks, while their red glow wavers. Within her immobile form, her eyes turn towards Maddok's with a look of desperation.
***
In response to Appario's bewilderment, he hears the flutter of tiny wings coming closer and Livia's hushed but unmistakable voice in his ear.
"She said not to kill it! It could show the way to other vampires!"
"Believe in me as I believe in you", Maddok says as he meets Vahnwynne's gaze.
Without another word he embraces her. Maddok holds her tightly, unafraid of what she might do if Yahirma's magic breaks.
"Argeus esti hei Vahnwynne, kai hupo autoiw esti hei vrykolakas..." whispers Yahirma as she looks meaningfully between the stakes in Vahnwynne's hands and the immobilized spawn behind her.
Semenya nods, soberly - she's unlimbered the crossbow granted to them by the fallen Pathfinder, loaded with a silver headed bolt. She doesn't have it pointed at anyone in particular...but it's ready to use if needed.
"Appario, stay your blade until this comes to resolution."
When Maddok moves to embrace Vahnwynne, his body tries to recoil from her unnaturally cold flesh. Forcing himself to hold on, his warmth begins heating the vampire hunter. After several seconds of the awkward embrace, her form slumps into his own, no longer immobile. She breaks down into tears, burying her face in Maddok's broad chest and holding onto him as if she will never let go.
"I knew you'd come back to me", Maddok says to the woman in his arms. "It took me too long to come find you, forgive me."
The big Shoanti holds Vahnwynne in silence until, after several long seconds, he interrupts the moment.
"I want nothing more than to take you from this place, to somewhere safe, until we can make the trek to the Hagwood. Yahirma has helped me find information about a ritual that can be performed by a powerful witch that will undo the curse that's been laid on you. But first, we have to stop those that brought you here."
Appario, stunned into silence by the moment between Maddok and Vahnwynne, lowers his sword silently and moves up the stairs (toward E1).
Whispering: "Take all the time you need. I'll stand watch and leave you two alone."
Stealth to E1:
Perception at E1:
Rising, Vahnwynne averts her eyes from the others.
"I have done such ... horrible things. At first, I tried to resist, but ... the urges were too strong! I was weak. I became an ... an abomination, like those I've devoted my life to destroying. Do I even deserve a second chance at life?"
***
Appario moves down to the end of the staircase, where he sees a long, broad hallway in front of him, with another broad hallway stretching out to the left and right (although to Appario's eyes this hallway quickly vanishes in the darkness).
At the beginning of the northern-bound hallway, three sets of huge doors that once barred passage have been partially turned to rubble. At the end of the hallway, a short flight of stairs lead to a circular chamber, from where an object radiates bright light.
Periodically, the light pulses stronger, doubling the distance of the illumination and allowing Appario to see doors on either side of the staircase.
***
"Everyone deserves a second chance and your past is not important to me - our future is."
Maddok lifts Vahnwynne's face by her chin until her gaze meets his again, "We will get through this, together."
"I can't see a thing!" Appario hisses back to the group.
"Can we finish back there and can I get some light up here?"
Appario waits on Yahirma, Derek, and/or Semenya.
Derek barks a short laugh, and when he speaks, his voice is very different indeed. It is like sliding a silk glove of a hand, only to find it encased in a spiked iron gauntlet.
His words are hard, but filled with a purpose, a cold hard certainty that bespeaks a conviction that nothing can challenge.
"Redemption is possible for anybody, no matter what they did or what they are, only ONE thing is needed, the will and the wish to be redeemed.
Even I was redeemed..."
”In my eyes, my crime was much worse than yours, I was alive, but I might as well have been dead, you got turned into a monster against your will, nobody can blame you for that.
I turned MYSELF into something worse than a monster, there is not even a word for what I was...but I stand here now, maybe not the man I could have been, but a man filled with purpose and certainty, with friends by my side and a will to go on.
Can you be any less than me? Can you give up when you have so much to struggle for?”
When he lifts Vahnwynne's head to have her eyes meet his, Maddok sees a faint trace of redness in them, although he can't be sure if it's due to the tears or a lingering effect of the vampirism.
Her eyes search Maddok's face intently, looking for the truth behind his words. Finding it, she nods.
"You're right. You both are. This was not my choice, but a vile curse purposely laid upon me."
Vahnwynne continues holding his eyes with her own.
"You said the curse could be undone by a ritual? What is ..." She pauses, swallowing. "What is this, then? Will I ... revert ... if the ritual can't be performed?"
"Do not worry yourself with thoughts like that. We will not fail", Maddok says with conviction.
"Yahirma's magic has allowed the strength of your spirit and the power of our bond to overcome the worst parts of your affliction. We learned of a ritual that a powerful witch can perform to make the change permanent but first we have to recover an artifact, the Morrowfall."
At Appario's hissing:
"Did the tattooed vampire's mist form come through here? We defeated him upstairs but he escaped us."
Vahnwynne looks surprised.
"The Morrowfall? That artifact is the reason we're here, too. The Lord," She veritably spits the word out, "wants it destroyed. But we weren't able to move near it. The light it emits when approached decimated our numbers. We had been wondering how to proceed for several days."
"He's in his coffin, in the Mausoleum behind the staircase. Father Jair is there, guarding it, along with two of his children. The lesser ones have their coffins in the burnt-out chamber to the west."
"Father Jair?", Maddok growls the name. "Is he another vampire? Perhaps we should deal with him before we try to recover the Morrowfall."
"Yes, he's a vampire, and he has the skills of a follower of Norgorber."
"I don't care who he is a follower of", Maddok says as he draws his hammer. "If he's with this Lord you mentioned he'll pay all the same."
Looking back to the party and ahead to Appario, "Should we clean up the remaining vampires first or try to get the Morrowfall?"
"I'm down to a handful of spells, Maddok. Is there any way we can box it clever, take out the vampire on guard quickly, summon the Beast and move their coffins next to the Morrowfall, letting it do its work for us?'
She looks a bit awkwardly at Vahnwynne. "Can the others compel you to fight against us? How can you assist us indirectly?"
Maddok looks over in a preemptive apology as Semenya mentions the Beast.
"Shu-Ak’eh-Di seeks release. I could summon him to battle this Father Jair but I worry he will be not able to distinguish Vahnwynne from our foes."
Appario keeps lookout, waiting, listening.
Perception
Vahnwynne wrests her eyes from Maddok to look towards Semenya, seeing her as for the first time, and flinching at the sight of the erinyes head tied to her shoulder.
"That's a strange ..." She struggles for words, "head you've got there. Very lifelike."
She turns her attention to Semenya's questions.
"Father Jair and the Mazeflesh Man made their coffins in stone sarcophagi that were already in the mausoleum, as did I. Those are too big to carry out through the narrow hallways leading there. We left the spawn to make their own arrangements. I don't know how they fashioned their resting places."
To Semenya's final question, Vahnwynne shrugs.
"I don't know how this works. I haven't seen or heard of a redeemed vampire before. They could compel me as I compelled the Light of my Life, but that could happen to any of you."
Some of her fire returns at the suggestion of indirect assistance.
"I'm a fighter! I won't stand idly by while my love goes into battle on my behalf!"
Looking back to Maddok, she takes the silver stake from his hands, her hand briefly flinching as she grasps it. Yet she holds onto it tightly, and whispers.
"Thank you. For everything."
***
Appario hears nothing beyond the conversations behind him, and sees no more than when he first began looking. The light at the end of the northern hallway continues to pulse stronger at erratic intervals.
Meeting Vahnwynne's gaze, Yahirma adds "I can help you to stave off the affliction until we can perform the ritual. Alert me in devils-tongue should you feel the need to feast."
She moves down to Appario's side. "I would say that finding the Morrowfall is key, if you desire more light. Otherwise..." she says while pulling out a torch.
With the aid of torchlight, the east-west crossing hallway can be seen in full. Extending 60 ft in both directions from the edge of the staircase, each branch features double doors near the ends. There are also doors on either side of the staircase.
***
Khazrae laughs softly, and whispers, low enough to only let Semenya hear.
"See who's talking about strange things. The vampire hunter turned vampire. Will she now hunt herself?"
Maddok's heart soars as the fierce Vahnwynne he knows comes back to the surface. He gladly hands over the silver weapon he forged for her and offer his extra oil of Magic Weapon as well.
"Let's go."
***
As the party steps into the hall Maddok motions for the group to slow down. He chants briefly in Shoanti.
A small glowing cluster of lights appears and floats briefly near Maddok's shoulder. He greets the creature in his tongue.
The archon drifts among the party imbuing each with a feeling of increased vitality and overall well-being.
Maddok -
Appario -
Derek -
Yahirma -
Vahnwynne -
Semenya -
Livia -