Round 5
After a quick sigh of relief at the dead gargoyle and a nod of thanks to Lia, Izzy turns on the monsters held at bay by the big Shoanti. He advances and fires around his friend… arrows vanishing into the cloaking miasma. At least one or two thud into putrid undead flesh.
Arrows (30): xxxxx xxxxx
Blunts (30): xxxx
1st Spells (7): xx
Ki Pool (7): xx
Perfect Strike (4):
Blood Intensity (1):
Inspired (1):
Touch of Good (8):
Protection from Evil (1):
Align Weapon (good only) (1):
Magic Circle Against Evil (1):
Dancing Lights (3):
Hero Points (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = 5 hours
Haste = Extra Attack on full-attack, Movement +30 ft, Atk +1, AC +1 (dodge), Reflex +1 (dodge)
Prayer = +1 luck to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks.
Round 5
Zoe crawls silently up and over the wall, trying to remain unnoticed by the dangerous predators.
Effects:
Mage Armor = 5 hours
Haste = Extra Attack on full-attack, Movement +30 ft, Atk +1, AC +1 (dodge), Reflex +1 (dodge)
Prayer = +1 luck to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks.
1 Negative Level = –1 on ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, saving throws, skill checks and -5 HP.
In Karmid's limited vision through the fog, he watches as a flurry of deadly arrows come piercing through. The armored, armed cairn wight before him bashes away the first arrow with its sword but takes two more to the chest and falls backwards. He can't see beyond, but the fourth arrow definitely sounds like it hits beyond, eliciting a dreadful moan from within the miasma.
Drasven seeing Karmid step back retching, moves towards the man thinking to lend him some support and cover as needed.
Ro doesn't back away quite yet, but she does shift slightly to the right, trying to get a better view. She knows where Issengrim's arrows went into the mist, and she heard them hit something. She doesn't have anything to lose by throwing, following his shots, just to see what might happen. After all, her starknife is now back on her belt.
She draws it again, peers into the mist along the line Issengram marked, and throws again.
With a final slice, Ro's starknife shreds through the third wight, which topples back down onto the ground, now slick with undead ichor. The stinking mist dissipates almost as quickly, opening the way into the graveyard beyond.
Thankfully, the sound of fighting has not drawn any obvious attention here in Underbridge. Most people in the neighborhood are still focused on the Towerfall from the day before. So if anyone is coming to investigate--a doubtful proposition--it might be a while.
The graveyard itself has three gravestones, each marked with a name (Vosten, Nandar, Hanzi) and a death date: AR 4630 (78 years ago). Each gravestone is also marked with the ankh of Sarenrae and the words "The Dawn Brings New Light" engraved. All three graves have been recently excavated and refilled.
Not far from the graves, Ro finds an door in the side of the ruined building--one that apparently doesn't lead inside. As opposed to the rest of the shrine, which until Lia's cleaning was in a shambles, this door is in excellent condition. It is also locked.
With the immediate threat ended, Izzy rushes over to his companion, plucking her gently from her hiding spot on the wall. He inspects her injuries carefully and coos softly to the strange creature.
It takes a minute for the mist to clear enough before Ro knows the outcome of her chancy attack. When she finds out, she relaxes with pleasure.
Damn I'm good. Lucky, but also really good.
She takes care as she walks in through the gate for a look around. When she notices the door she goes on over to give it a closer look. It's condition relative to the rest of the structure both intrigues and concerns her.
She will definitely be getting the door open, but maybe, just maybe, there should be some backup on hand when it's opened.
"Hey, real interesting door over here. Looks to be as new as when it was installed, which is weird."
Lia finds a stick and pokes the Gargoyle with it, making certain it was well and truly gone.
She was just about to check on the undead corpses and ask what should be done with them, when Ro shares her news of the door.
She cautiously approaches, while Flutter resumes his AWAC-Duty above the spiderweb.
When Lia pokes the Gargoyle with a stick, she notices that--while it doesn't respond--it is still breathing shallowly. The gargoyle's odd blood has stopped spilling out from the multiple puncture wounds. So while it's down, it's not yet gone.
Zoe coos back to Izzy in self-soothing pain. The slice from the sword was clearly painful enough, but there seems to have been more in the wight's attack that had carried some of the undead's necrotic energy to seep in and infect the bowman's precious familiar.
Ro's careful work with the door causes it to pop open, revealing a narrow staircase leading down below the shrine.
Izzy strokes the wounded reptile. ”This will hurt less, little girl…” He fuses with Zoe, converting her into a stylized tattoo on his back until he can heal her. Turning his attention back to the battlefield at Ro’s statement, he can’t help but smile at Lia’s antics with the stick. So child-like.
He doesn’t want to appear bloodthirsty but there was only one utterly pragmatic option in dealing with an evil gargoyle. Avoiding the subject wouldn’t change matters. He walks over. ”I’d suggest we kill it to prevent further desecrations at its claws. I can handle that, if you prefer.”
Arrows (30): xxxxx xxxxx
Blunts (30): xxxx
1st Spells (7): xx
Ki Pool (7): xx
Perfect Strike (4):
Blood Intensity (1):
Inspired (1):
Touch of Good (8):
Protection from Evil (1):
Align Weapon (good only) (1):
Magic Circle Against Evil (1):
Dancing Lights (3):
Hero Points (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = 5 hours
Prayer = +1 luck to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks.
Once Karmid recovers, he nods at Issengrim’s assessment.
“Do it. Evil or not, make it clean. No need to make it suffer Grimme...”
He then approaches Ro and Lia.
”We’ve done this before. Once we are done up here, let’s form up and try to move quietly down the passage. Let’s keep an eye out for more undead and traps. Someone wants people to stay away from here, so I’m guessing there will be more down there to worry about quickly enough.”
Izzy nods and waits for the others to turn away before carefully delivering an arrow into the gargoyle's eye. Task done, he follows the team down the stairs...
"I think you are better at this kind of thing.", Lia responds to Issengrim, when he suggests to take care of the Gargoyle.
She does not turn, instead watching with interest as the Archer lines up a shot at Point Blank Range. Slightly disturbingly, she does not even flinch when he lets fly and the projectile pierces the creatures skull.
But there is a certain sadness in her voice when she speaks up again:"That is done, then."
She pokes the Gargoyle with the stick twice more, then drops it, stands up, and starts jogging towards Rojava, who got the door open meanwhile, with her usual cheerful demeanour:"Wait for me, Ro, I'm coming!"
The point-blank shot from Izzy ends the gargoyle's suffering. Its shallow, ragged breathing stops entirely, leaving only a few momentary twitches after its death.
Down into earth go the Godtouched of Sandpoint, beneath the once-shrine of Sarenrae. Filaments of pale fungus grow along the brick-lined walls of the staircase as the group emerges into a catacomb. There is no light here, so anything seen must be revealed by magic or torchlight. A thick layer of mud coats the floor, numerous human-sized footprints running along the center while tangles of pale-yellow mushrooms grow near the edges. Around corners, however, the flickering glow of firelight promises something beyond.
Onward they press until they reach a vaulted, brick-lined chamber filled with pillars and lit with a dozen torch sconces. In the center of the room, painted on a dais in reddish gold, is a seven-pointed star: the Sihedron. Around it, between each of the pillars, is a copy of just one of the symbols, painted in an even deeper crimson: sharp but curving from top to bottom, arcing around an empty space and punctuated with a smaller mark near the center. This same rune has been painted on the brick walls all around the room, almost obsessively.
It's difficult to see around the pillars, but it appears as though there there may be an altar on the opposite side of the room from the singular entrance.
Lia looks around:"I don't think Sarenrae would be happy about this."
She traces the symbol on a pillar with her finger:"Not happy at all."
She points at the torch scones:"And someone was nice enough to light Torches for us, too."
Flutter remains near the entrance, flying around and below the web while he still can, remaining there to watch for anything else approaching the entrance while his link to Lia remains sufficiently strong.
Grimacing at the Sihedron symbols and runes, Karmid spits in the corner as he approaches.
"Let's stay out of the center for now. No telling...it looks like some sort of trap to me. Ro? Grimmie? What do you think? Lia? Flutter? Do you understand any of these Runes?"
Karmid tries to piece anything recognizable himself...
Izzy conjures an apparition, a ghostly glowing form, that flits around the external perimeter of the structure. Izzy quietly stalks 30’ behind the ‘ghost’ using it as a lure to draw out any hidden enemies.
Arrows (30): xxxxx xxxxx
Blunts (30): xxxxx
1st Spells (7): xx
Ki Pool (7): xx
Perfect Strike (4):
Blood Intensity (1):
Inspired (1):
Touch of Good (8):
Protection from Evil (1):
Align Weapon (good only) (1):
Magic Circle Against Evil (1):
Dancing Lights (3): x
Hero Points (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = 5 hours
As the group moves cautiously into the room, they hear the light jangle of chains up ahead. When Lia and Karmid speak, a tremulous voice calls out to them. "Hello? Is someone there?"
That voice. It sounds...familiar. Especially to Ro.
Ro shoots a startled and puzzled look at the others.
"Give me a minute, I'll take a look."
After casting Vanish on herself, Ro creeps around to locate the source of the call.
Ro doesn't need to think hard or go far to recognize the source of the voice. Much as they may have tried to deny it, they did always have similar speaking voices. It came along with the territory of resemblance.
Moving around the pillars, Ro looks into a face very much like her own. There, chained to the altar and not wearing her signature armor, is her sister: Fran Brishen.
The voice sounded right enough, but Ro still has a really hard time believing what's she's seeing.
What are the chances? This doesn't seem right...
Of course it's possible Fran could be here as far as Ro knows, but the coincidence involved is hard for Ro to accept. The last, other, place like this room Ro has been in included a tiny devil, an imp. She can't be positive someone or something isn't screwing with her mind.
Ro approaches Fran and squats down right in front of her before dismissing her spell.
"Fran? What in all the hells are you doing here?"
"Hum. That could have been me.", Lia mumbles under her breath, to no one in particular.
Moving up Klar raised, Karmid looks bewildered.
“Is that really…her?”
Izzy continues to walk the perimeter looking for threats while listening to this improbable reunion. He pauses briefly at one of the openings in the wall to put a face to the voice he's hearing.
Fran starts when Ro suddenly appears next to her.
"Ro?! Is that you?!" comes the response. "Thank the Dawnflower to see you!" She rattles against her chains, making a motion like she's going to try to hug her sister, but she's held fast. "I...I don't know. I was out at dinner with this new friend, Xanesha, when I got really drowsy. When I woke up, I was here. Wherever here is."
Fran blinks and looks at her sister. "What in all the hells are you doing here?"
Suddenly worried, Karmid holds out his hammer, pointing at the woman.
“Wait! She could be one of those shapeshifters! Don’t get too close yet.”
Fran's expression widens in shock and then flattens in annoyance. "Well that's a nice how-do-you-do, Karmid. Just stick your muddy boots up by my face while you're at it, huh?" The chains clink as she tries to shift herself to see Karmid.
Fran's reference to Sarenrae makes Ro realize how dense she's being. Of course it makes (some) sense to find Fran here.
Ro takes out her picks and starts working on the locks holding Fran chained after cantriping herself again.
"Hold still, this takes a fine and steady touch."
Ro starts conversing as she works.
"Oh, we came down for the usual, fightin' evil and all that. Funny you mention Xanesha. We had our own run in with her. Different context, but it also ended in tears. I suppose we're hunting her down now, slippery b+$~+ got away. How long have you been down here?"
Ro's careful work seems like it's getting close but doesn't quite manage to undo the lock keeping manacles clamped around her sister's wrists. "Wait, you know Xanesha, too?" she asks, waiting patiently. She seems to blanch at the idea of "hunting her down," and quiets down, seeming uncertain.
When asked about how long she had been down here, she shakes her head. "I'm not sure. A couple of days, I think? Someone in a creepy mask brought me some food and water, but I haven't seen them in a while. I'm real thirsty."
Ignoring her words for the moment, Karmid steadfastly maintains his cautious stance as he remains unsure of her reaction.
Ro curses and stops with the lock picks for a pause to get her head right and into what she's trying to do.
"Anybody bring any water?" she asks in general. She didn't since this just involved a walk in the city.
"If you mean 'know Xanesha' as in having her over for dinner went bad and ending in a fight, then no. If you mean tracking down a murderous cult that she turned out to be directing, then yes. When we met it was because we went to find her to take her out. Alright, be still again."
Ro gives the lock another try.
Like Karmid, Izzy doesn't like what he's hearing. "Woah! Stop! She could be ensorceled!"
He rushes forward, summoning his divine gift, and attempting to break whatever hold Xanesha may have over the woman.
Arrows (30): xxxxx xxxxx
Blunts (30): xxxxx
1st Spells (7): xx
Ki Pool (7): xx
Perfect Strike (4):
Blood Intensity (1):
Inspired (1):
Touch of Good (8):
Protection from Evil (1): x
Align Weapon (good only) (1):
Magic Circle Against Evil (1):
Dancing Lights (3): x
Hero Points (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = 5 hours
"Murderous cult?" Fran asks as Ro gives another go at the manacles. This time they pop off easily and Fran sits up unsteadily, rubbing at her bruised wrists. She frowns and her gaze darkens. "Was Aldern involved?"
As soon as Fran is free of the chains and on her feet, Ro grabs her in a tight hug. She completely ignores Karmid and Issengrim. After she releases Fran, Ro steps back and tells her "I'm really pissed off at you".
"Ha, I brought water.", Lia says triumphantly while handing Rojava her Waterskin. "Say, when you met Xanesha, was she some huge-sized half-snakey lady? Or a street urchiny human?"
Fran gratefully takes the waterskin from Lia and begins downing it in steady gulps. "Human. And not street urchiny, either. Pretty."
Then Fran frowns at her sister. "Why?"
Izzy backs away from the woman slowly as Lia moves forward with water. Something smelled wrong to the archer… her reactions were just odd. He presses the matter. ”So you went to dinner with a stranger, passed out likely from magic or a drug, woke up chained here for a couple days… Has it occurred to you that Xanesha is responsible? How do you feel about that?”
Arrows (30): xxxxx xxxxx
Blunts (30): xxxxx
1st Spells (7): xx
Ki Pool (7): xx
Perfect Strike (4):
Blood Intensity (1):
Inspired (1):
Touch of Good (8):
Protection from Evil (1): x
Align Weapon (good only) (1):
Magic Circle Against Evil (1):
Dancing Lights (3): x
Hero Points (1):
Effects:
Mage Armor = 5 hours
"You snuck out of town and left me a note? What was that about? You couldn't be bothered to take the time to tell me you were leaving face-to-face? How much trouble would that have been? You were staying in my room. You'd have to try harder to avoid me than to find me."
Ro has a hand up with finger pointed at Fran now.
"FRAN! It must be you! Only one of us raised at the Temple would know how much I love dirt on my boots."
Face flaring with obvious surprise, Karmid sets Angela down and rushes over and gives Fran a bear-hug, lifting her easily off the floor.
"I'm so glad those masked cultists didn't hurt you! Did they carve a...symbol on you yet? They were doing that before...we stopped them!"
And just like that, the old happy-go lucky Karmid is back it seems.
Fran looks at Izzy and shrugs. "I mean, it's kind of $#!%ty, yeah. Here I thought I had made a new friend, but it sounds like--" her words are cut off in a wheeze as Karmid scoops her up into a hug and squeezes the air out of her.
"No," she chokes out, waiting for Karmid to put her down. "At least I don't think so. You're welcome to check."
Fran's face dips even deeper into a frown at Ro. "What about you? I invited you to Magnimar. How long have you been here, huh?"
But while we're at it, please make a DC 24 Will save against a mind-affecting charm affect. Please make it in a spoiler. If you fail, then you begin to perceive Fran's words and actions in the most favorable way. If you succeed, you recognize that someone has tried to intrude into your mind, but you don't know who.
Ro's eyes narrow and her nose wrinkles, a little like they might if she smelled something stinky and was made about it.
"What? You slink out of town while I'm not around, but I'm supposed to take the 'come to Magnimar' tacked on to the end of your note seriously? It sounded more like a way for you to avoid feeling bad about yourself for ditching me than an actual invitation."
Ro uses that extended index finger of hers to poke Fran in the chest.
"You never even bothered to send a letter telling me where to find you."
Another poke.
"Was I supposed to come here and wander the streets until I happened to bump into you? How f@!#ing considerate! 'Come visit me if you can find me because I can't be bothered to supply an address!'"
Ro pokes again, and she's raising her voice as she works herself up.
"And then you actually have the gall to try and throw me not finding you in less than a week here at me as some kind of defense for your crap behavior?"
Not wanting to anger Ro any further, Karmid protests only lightly…
“But…its Fran…”
Izzy hadn't actually been aiming his bow in Fran's direction, but he moves it even more away from her now, "That makes sense... and you have kind eyes."
"Hey, Fran. Are the torches all magical? You say nobody had come to give you food and water in a while, but they are all lit. Normal torches would have long burned out if nobody was here - "
Lia casts Detect Magic, to see if the Torches are worth retrieving from the sconces.
The dwarf finds it interesting that someone the group knew was here.
"How long since you left Sandpoint before ending up here?" he asks
Being surrounded and peppered with questions and comments from five different people leaves Fran little time to react individually. She seems to almost blush at Izzy's comment that she has kind eyes, and beams at Karmid's confidence in her. To Drasven she shrugs. "A couple months, I guess." With Lia she rolls her eyes. "You know I'm no good with magic, Lia."
That of course leaves her sister. "What's your damage?" she says. "Couldn't this wait until we got out of here? You really wanna do this in front of everyone?"
But while we're at it, please make a DC 24 Will save against a mind-affecting charm affect. Please make it in a spoiler. If you fail, then you begin to perceive Fran's words and actions in the most favorable way. If you succeed, you recognize that someone has tried to intrude into your mind, but you don't know who.
As for the cone, the closest to her is southeast - but if it's high it probably means she can't look at the others too, so she'd probably look south-south-west, to catch the torches from 6 to 10:30.
"I meant if you ever saw someone light them. Or did they always just burn like they do now?", Lia is curious, turning back towards the torches.