"Go and meet him then." Quinn strikes.
Watching quietly as Quinn, Hyram and Aladir attack the remaining cultist, Alikia waits to see what will happen.
Ezro takes a moment to catch his thoughts and breath, scanning the battle.
-----------------------
Aladir shoots an arrow at the retreating cultist, and wounds her. Both Alikia and Ezro, seeing her ready to fall hold there actions. Hyram steps up and even though he has to strike around a corner does hit the cultist, but it is Quinn who steps up and puts her down.
A quick search of the bodies provides 2 potions of cure light wounds, 1 scroll of cause fear, 1 scroll of comprehend languages, 2 masterwork chain shirts, 2 masterwork glaives, 20 gp and two unholy symbols of Baphomet.
Hyram is relieved he contributed to the battle and did not leave it to Quinn to shoulder all of the brunt of it. He stares up the ladder. hmmm...As much as I am curious to see what she was running to, I don't like the idea of leaving anything behind us. Perhaps we should go and see what is behind the door before going up.
Quinn nods at Hyram's suggestion. Before leaving the room, however, he sniffs at one of the vials the women carried; then tips it back.
"Lann, have you heard of this 'Hosilla' before?"
Aladir, wasting not a moment, puts another arrow to his bowstring and nods his head toward the door leading east .
"We do not want to give our enemies further time to prepare for our arrival. We should press on and finish here before we check the ladder."
Pausing for a moment to look at the door in the opening room, Alikia readjusts her backpack, before following Aladir. "I concur. Let's finish up this floor before we travel below. I would hate to have our way out blocked by enemies that we failed to deal with." Following the holy men of Iomedea deeper into the complex, Alikia offers a silent prayer to any deity that will listen.
Quinn quickly downs one of the potions, and asks Lann about Hosilla, while Aladir heads to the eastern door to check it out.
Lann replies to Quinn, "we have heard rumors that some above grounders have come down here, but till now I did not believe it. Perhaps Hosilla is one of them?"
Aladir tells the group that he hears rushing water in the room beyond, but the door is not trapped.
Perhaps we should take a look behind the door? Hyram says to no one in particular.
Quinn nods. "Leave no stone unturned. This Hosilla is an agent of the abyss. I can only guess how the wardstone might have been weakened for this attack."
"Agreed. We shouldn't leave any area unsearched. Whoever this Hosilla is, she must be dealt with before we can move on and not just for the threat she poses to the Crusaders. Lann and the others are in serious danger having an agent of the abyss holed up so nearby. I'm ready to go whenever you all are."
Setting yourselves up, Quinn opens the door and you hear a muted roar that echoes down the walls of this hallway. Near the eastern end, the worked stone gives way to natural cave walls, just before the hall ends at an open shaft. Hanging over the edge of the shaft is a knotted rope—the other end tied to an iron spike driven into the ground. Entering the room, Aladir and Quinn look over the edge and see that the shaft drops about forty feet to water rushing from the north to the south. It looks like there is a cave with perhaps a ten foot ceiling down there.
Quinn hesitantly looks down the hole. "I am... not a strong swimmer. Let's check the other door, shall we?"
Hyram glances down at the water, and also has no interest in going for a swim. I concur. Unless anyone has any potions of water breathing, I think it is best to leave whatever creature went down there alone - for now.
Aladir visually searches the door for traps, and finding none puts his ear to the door, announces to the group "not trapped, and I do not hear anything" and then steps back to let Quinn and Hyram open the door.
Opening the door you see in the southwestern part of this room, stout stone chairs surrounding a block of larger stone that serves as a table. The table’s top strewn with bone dice and cracked clay jugs. Stained canvas pillows rest on the chairs. A copper bowl filed with coals hangs from the ceiling, filing the room with warmth and an orange glow. In the southeastern corner there is a hole in the floor with a rope ladder hanging down. In the northeastern corner, a door is open and the narrow hallway slopes downward steeply. The walls are stained with foul-smelling streaks of refuse. A mound of rotting garbage lies heaped at the far end of the hallway.
Aladir slowly creeps up to the hole in the floor with the rope ladder leading down, trying to position himself to hear any noise coming up but not be seen.
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Aladir hears a slight rustling coming from below. There is at least one creature fidgeting in the space below.
Quinn moves to the rope ladder, whispering to Aladir, "This is a death-trap." Quinn's eyes glow a deeper red as he lets his vision adjust to the darkness. "Follow quickly."
Quinn steps over the edge, his foot landing smoothly on a pillar of cloud as the magic of Terendelev's scale takes over.
Aladir wastes no time, shouldering his bow just long enough to descend after Quinn.
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As Hyram watches Quinn levitate down, he thinks, Now that is the way to go! He will sheathe his sword and put his shield on his back and follow the elf down the ladder all the while taking a look down frequently and listening intently.
Ezro waits for the others to descend before stowing his shield and sword, and descending.
Reaching the bottom he will pull his sword first.
Quinn steps forward out of the cloud so his companions and climb down also. Aladir climbs down and steps to the side, Alikia climbs down and steps back, Hyram climbs down and steps up next to Quinn, while Ezro, being last climbs down and is still within the cloud.
The four foes draw their clubs and stand behind the low barricade.
Aladir UP
Hyram will draw his blade and reach out and touch Quinn. May Iomedae heal your wounds!
As he looks at the cultists he mutters to his compatriots. I guess its too much to hope that they will just come out and surrender! He adds a chuckle. Let's send them to their foul deity shall we?
"Indeed. Let's!" the elf agrees, taking a shot at one of the cultists despite fact that they are huddled behind a barrier.
"Iomedea seeks to challenge us! Let us not disappoint The Inheritor!"
Hefting his blade, and drawing out his shield, the half prepares for battle.
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Quinn hisses as one of the flying javelins draws a bloody line across his shoulder, though it immediately knits together as Hyram's spell flows into the wound. He steps forward to the flank, bringing his morningstar down hard.
The non-wounded mongrelman swings and hits Quinn hard, while the wounded one opens the door behind him and steps into the back room, where you here a voice speak in common, "you ran, you die" and the death scream of the mongrelman, and see him drop to the floor.
Aladir UP
Aladir quickly steps to the center of the room, drawing another arrow against his bowstring and looking beyond Quinn and his opponent, trying to eyeball the one in the next room that killed the mongrelman. If he can get a clear shot on him, he takes it.
Hyram will draw his shield and take and climb over the barrier Quinn, You are grievously wounded, get yourself some healing while I take your place.
Alikia's eyes widen as she spots the man cut down one of his own. Loading her crossbow, Alikia senses that this man will be a tougher fight than the cultist she faced upstairs. ".حماية الدرع" Alikia states, allowing a force shield to materialize next to her.
Seeing what happened to the man who runs, and seeing Alikia casting a spell of some sort, Ezro decides to ready the group himself. Moving up behind Quinn, he prays, beseeching Iomedea to heal him.
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Quinn grasps his wounded appendage, once again feeling the healing energies course through his system. He bashes down hard on the remaining mongrelman, swatting him aside to get to the greater enemy.
The tiefling, seeing a clear shot at the one who wounded him, shoots his crossbow, but misses. He drops the crossbow and draws his short sword. A quick word is spoken by the female that Quinn sees thru the door way, and a glaive made of force attacks him, but misses.
Aladir UP
The way now clear for his sight, before the others move in to engage the tiefling through the doorway, Aladir attempts one more shot at him.
"Hosilla, I presume..."
Aladir's arrow arcs through the doorway, and Quinn dashes through in its wake.
Hyram will step behind Quinn. Whoever he is, I pass judgment on him! Hyram will then touch Quinn. Brother Quinn! You will also be Iomedae's instrument!
The woman steps up, "judge me! I pronounce Baphomet judgment on you!" and she attacks Hyram but seeing her servant go down throws off her attack with the glaive.
Aladir UP
Quinn ducks past the woman's angry lunge at Hyram, spinning through the move to bring his morningstar to bear. "The judgements of the offal of Abyssal scum is worthless."
Aladir rushes into the room, moving as quickly as he can to back up his allies. Seeing the situation they are in, he quickly tosses his bow onto the table in the room, drawing his longsword as soon as his hands are free.
Taking a moment to inspect the room, Alikia's mind races. Noticing that the woman has engaged with Quinn and Hyram, she settles on what to do. "Hosilla, I presume." She practically spits out the name, before starting her summoning ritual.
Aladir UP
Ezro beseeches Iomedea to heal her faithful.
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Aladir quickly makes his way around to cover Hosilla from behind, raising his sword as he shouts aloud,"Nowhere to go now, woman! Surrender, lest we sent you to your beloved Baphomet!"
Madam, the only thing that will be filthy will be my sword when it will be covered in your foul blood! Hyram says as he brings his longsword down against the woman.
Aladir quickly makes his way around to cover Hosilla from behind, raising his sword as he shouts aloud,"Nowhere to go now, woman! Surrender, lest we sent you to your beloved Baphomet!"
"No quarter for this one," Quinn says, surprisingly calmly. "I'll not suffer her to live any longer." Quinn casts aside the morningstar, grasping at Hosilla before she can cast any more spells.
As her summoning ritual completes, an eagle bursts into existence at Q 32. Mentally prodding the creature to attack, the small bird claws and pecks at the woman. Alikia meanwhile, points her crossbow at the woman, holding her shot as Quinn grapples the cultist. Watching worriedly as the front lines attack, Alikia is unable to come up with any witty quips.
Hosilla continues to attack Hyram, missing with her glaive.
Aladir UP