"I can make nothing of the letter, I'm afraid...though the text by itself is ominous enough. Whatever that crystal is our enemies clearly have great plans for it...and if the insinuations of that note are to be believed, their success would mean the end of the city and every good person in it. We should keep going as quickly as possible."
Hyram nods approvingly at his and Quinn's handiwork. I am ready whenever you all are.
Quinn brushes the dust of demolition off of his breastplate. "No one will be using this place for such vile ceremonies again any time soon."
He carefully folds the sheaf of papers, but takes another look at the note. The names and other oddities did not mean anything to him. But, something did stand out. "This says, '... finish the job and turn the wardstone fully to our use.'" Quinn looks up at the others. "Does that mean the thrice-cursed Khorramzadeh did not destroy the wardstone? Can it be repaired?"
"We should consult with Aravashniel soon. If anyone might know these things, it would be him."
As the group exits, Quinn stops to gather any supplies left behind by the cultists. "Any food or bandages will greatly aid the Eagle Watch. They'll be triply important once the city is re-secured and the refugees start appearing. Even these bedrolls will find use, I'm sure."
Finishing up at the tower, you head to where the Nyserian Manor is located. As you get there, what was once surely a stately manor is now nothing more than a pile of rubble and a gouged trough of ruin.
"They destroyed their own safehouse," Quinn says unnecessarily. "I wonder how many of their own are buried in that rubble."
"Aravashniel's library is not far from here. We should consult him and his books on the meaning of this note. The Eagle Watch will need more than names, if we can provide it."
Sounds good to me. The Inquisitor says as he nods his head in agreement with the Paladin's assessment.
"Agreed, though I think Irabeth should be made aware of what we have learned as soon as possible. The other leaders, too."
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"Aravashniel had been researching the cults unsuccessfully. I would doubt he knows too much over the Eagle Watch who have been fighting the last few days. I would not discount him though, he might know something." Ezro says as they wander the desolated and destroyed streets of Kenabres, watching the shadows and ruins, in case something might jump out.
You make your way over to the library, where you dropped off Arvashnial. Showing him the note, he tells you that " Minagho is the demonic ruler of the ruined city of Raliscrad in the Worldwound, and Vorlesh is the woman rumored to have helped open the Worldwound in the first place. I do not know what Nahyndrian crystals are, but my friends and I can research this and let you know in a few days time, my friends."
Tagging along behind everyone, Alikia ponders the meaning of the destroyed safehouse. "Maybe that creature made of worms attacked here as well? We should let Irabeth know that all three safehouses have been taken care of." Wiping the grim that had accumluated from walking the ruined city off her brow, she allows the three Iomedeans to decide the next course of action.
Yes, Let's check in with Irabeth. Perhaps there is something else we can take off her plate. The Inquisitor adds.
"What do you know of this 'Red Morning Massacre'? Was that an atrocity in Raliscrad, or somewhere else?" Quinn asks the elf.
"Research that crystal quickly," Quinn encourages the group. "We have no idea how old this note is. The 'daughter' may already be on her way here to finalize their plans."
Quinn nods at his fellows' suggestion. "Let's hurry. The Eagle watch may at least know of more cultist activity."
You walk back to the Defender's Heart, and the guards recognize you and permit you entry. As you enter, a young defender comes up to you, "you are back. Irabeth wants to see you right away. Please come with me."
Following the boy, he leads you to Irabeth and an older gentleman. She asks you, "I see that you arrived. Please tell me what happened at the cult locations."
"Good evening, Commander," Quinn greets the half-orc. "Sir," he nods to the older gentleman. "This is Aravashniel, of the Blackwing Library," he introduces.
"Nyserian Manor is nothing more than a smoking crater, by the enemies own hand. Topaz Solutions was little more than a braggarts gauche attempt at a trap, easily dispatched. It did yield these," he removes the box with the holy symbols.
"The Tower of Estrod yielded much more." Quinn hands over the sheaf of papers and the handwritten note. "The basement was being used for unholy rituals, and was commanded by a tiefling named Faxon."
"According to the documents, the enemy has some significant plans in place for the wardstone that guarded Kenabres. If the documentation is to be believed, whatever their plans are will soon cause more than a little trouble for the entire city...and, I suspect, a great many more people than that."
we are at your disposal. Hyram adds.
Helping to lead Aravashnial to Defender's Heart, Alikia pauses slightly before entering the inn. "Aravashnial, who is Quendnys Orlun? Is he also one of your allies?" As they are led to Irabeth, Alikia keeps quiet and nods in assertion at Quinn's account of the events.
"He is the founder and head librarian of Blackwing. I saw him at the ceremony before the ground opened up."
The elder man, sees Aravashnial, "my friend. I saw you drop into the ground and thought you dead. It is good to see you again." and he goes to Aravashnial, and seeing his bandages and eyes, "we have healers here. I am sure that someone can restore your sight." He pauses a moment as the two man greet each other, then continues, "I have been told that Blackwing has been destroyed" to which Aravashnial responds that while damaged heavily, it is still standing and the assistant librarians were working on repairing the building and books.
Irabeth watches as the two men greet each other, then begins speaking to the group. “As horrific as recent events have been, we’ve come to realize that they are, in fact, merely a prelude. The razing of the Kite, the destruction of our wardstone, Terendelev’s murder, and the assault on the city were nothing more than opening gambits. The Worldwound is on the march in a more concentrated assault than we’ve seen since the fall of Drezen. It’s fair to say the Lord of the Locust Host is finally making his move. The end of this hundred-year-war is upon us, and it falls to us to ensure victory.
While the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth were scattered, those who serve the Lord of the Locust Host himself remain concentrated in Old Kenabres. What we’ve heard from within the barricade they’ve erected is ominous. The cultists are waiting for something, and based on our own information and what you’ve managed to recover so far, it sounds like the vile witch Areelu Vorlesh will soon be coming to Kenabres. And it appears that we’ve determined what she intends to do.
When the wardstone was destroyed by the Storm King, it exploded and destroyed the Kite. The network along the border failed, but did not fade completely. I believe this is because a significant portion of our wardstone still exists, and that the cultists have taken it to the old garrison in Old Kenabres. From what we’ve learned, they’re hoping to engineer a way to somehow reverse the field generated by the wardstones—essentially, to use our own greatest defense as a devastating weapon.
The attack on Kenabres had a predictable result: causing the crusade to gather at the border to defend it. Some wonder why the demons haven’t attacked in stronger numbers. I believe that Areelu was counting on us massing along the border, and that if she can corrupt the wardstone field, she can strike a devastating blow against us all. In effect, we’ve lined up for the slaughter.
Vorlesh is surely seeking some object of great Abyssal power, likely the Nahyndrian crystal mentioned in the missive you recovered, and with it she intends to turn the source of our hope into an unimaginable nightmare. We cannot hope to evacuate everyone from the border—I doubt they would give up the defensive line even if they knew what the enemy planned. But we can still stop this from happening—we just need to have someone infiltrate the Gray Garrison, locate the wardstone fragment, and destroy it."
Infiltrate the Gray Garrison? hmmm We have had mixed luck infiltrating groups lately, but we'll try! The Inquisitor says with a smirk.
Quinn's jaw nearly hits the floor. He stands mouth gaping, rows of razor-sharp black teeth exposed. "But... you can't mean to destroy the wardstone!"
"You just said yourself, the only reason the entire line hasn't failed is because this one still functions. If we destroy it, what's to stop the entire demon horde from overrunning Kenabres? or all of Mendev?"
"We can't just destroy it!" Quinn looks to Aravashniel, "It can be repaired, right? Right!?"
"No...I believe she is right, Quinn. Think about it for a moment. Right now, the demons are now throwing their full weight behind this campaign. They probably simply don't see it as worth expending more resources than they've already committed to it. Yes, they sent the Storm King, but that was only to deal with Terendelev. Once she was dead, there was little that could stand in their way...at least, by their thoughts."
"So say we let the wardstone stand. We successfully fight off this particular threat against it. The next time, they won't be so light on their attack. The wardstone may not be destroyed, but it has certainly been damaged if this many demons are now wreaking havoc in the city. Do you think someone could be brought in to repair so powerful an artifact before another assault could be launched? Before an even larger, stronger force of them is on our door? There is a larger plot at play here, my friend. What if Irabeth is right, Quinn? What if Areelu manages to corrupt the wardstone field? What could that do? Kill every crusader in the area? Or worse, turn them against their allies and add them to the demonic ranks? Such a blow would likely spell the end of the Crusaders campaigns...and my fear would be that it would spread the reach of the Worldwound to a far greater area while the rest of the world scrambles to mount a response against the hordes. It may spell the end of Golarion altogether."
"Irabeth didn't say the demons are paused in their assault because the wardstone still exists. She said it's because they are waiting for something else to happen."
"No...no, the possibility of a corrupted wardstone cannot be allowed. It must be stopped as quickly as we may stop it. We have no idea where they would get this 'crystal' from. We are not strong enough to take on the players behind this scheme. Our best, most immediate chance of repelling this invasion is as Irabeth just told us: destroy the wardstone."
"By the Inheritor this is all insanity. Destroy the Wardstone to halt an invasion?" Ezro says, after listening to Aladir.
Fidgeting with the hilt of his blade, he thinks for a few moments, "Say we find some means of destroying this wardstone. What then? We will have a hole open in the warding. Either we need to end the worldwound in that case, or move Nerosyan to Kenebras. Both are very unlikely to happen."
Looking around he continues, "I understand the means of the immediate fix, but what of the long term?"
"I believe the human saying is: 'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.' I'm certain that the leaders of the Crusade will have some idea of what the next step will need to be once we get to that point. And who knows? If the demonic leadership believes that corrupting the wardstone will flood the area with negative energy to their benefit, perhaps destroying it will flood the area with positive energy to our benefit."
"On the contrary," Quinn shakes his head, "we are burning the bridge behind us as we tear down the walls that have protected us."
"I pray you are wrong, and that the Wardstone can be healed. But... either way, the next step is to infiltrate the Grey Garrison."
"Though that leaves one question open that needs to be answered..." Aladir trails off, then turns to Irabeth.
"How exactly do you propose that we go about destroying an artifact of such power as a wardstone?"
"It is a gamble, but by taking away the lowest hanging fruit it should delay Vorlesh's plan indefinitely. From what I can remember, the Kenebras wardstone is the only wardstone to have been attacked since they were installed." Running a hand through her blond hair, Alikia purses her lips, contemplating something.
"I understand your concerns. However, what is left of the wardstone is just a fragment, and does not have the full power of a complete wardstone. We must completely sever its remaining connection to the field, by destroying it. Doing so will rob Vorlesh of a crucial chink in the wardstone field’s armor and prevent her from using it against the crusaders unless the demons can manage to destroy another wardstone — Something I don’t think is possible in the short term, for the Kenabres stone has suffered numerous attacks over the past several years that made this final destruction possible." She wryly adds, " Almost as if the demons have been planning for this day from the start. The fragment is useless at this point to the us, and as long as it exists it will continue to be a liability. It must be destroyed."
Irabeth continues, "Quednys Orlun has the perfect tool to destroy it" and she nods to the wizard, who holds out a rod and says "this is a Rod of Cancellation. Just touching the remaining wardstone fragment with it should drain whatever charge is left in the stone and disconnect it from the rest of the wardstones." He holds it out to the group.
Irabeth waits for someone to take the Rod of Cancellation, then continues. "A small, elite force like you can strike at the Gray Garrison, infiltrate it, and deal with the situation. We, the remnants of the Watch will go on the offensive through out the city, which will force at least some of the cultists now in control of Old Kenabres out to attack a few dozen sudden uprisings of crusaders. This will certainly give you the advantage you need to attack the Gray Garrison. We do not expect you to get in and achieve the goal on the first try, so I suggest you plan for multiple attacks and while the cultists will certainly shore up their defenses between forays, multiple strikes should wear them down.. We will time our uprisings to coincide with your forays against the Gray Garrison. As long as you can destroy the wardstone fragment before Vorlesh’s arrival, it will all be worth the risk."
Aladir nods, reaching out to take the Rod of Cancellation from Irabeth's hand. "With the permission of the group, I'd like to hang onto it. I will not pose near the visible threat of the others, and should we get into a situation where quickly getting to the wardstone is required, I think it likely that I would have the easiest time navigating any foes in the way to get there. All that's important is destroying the wardstone, not killing every demon between us and it."
Quinn nods his understanding, but makes no move to take the rod. "So, we sever the limb before it corrupts the whole body... It may be the best course, but we will be weaker for it. It hardly feels like victory, even if we should succeed."
"You said you've scouted the enemy's lines. Where is the likeliest place for us to breach?"
Irabeth, do you have any suggestions on how to infiltrate the Gray Garrison? Passwords? Contacts? Hyram asks hoping that they can infiltrate this group easier than the other groups they have tried to bluff/intimidate their way through.
As you prepare to leave, two unexpected things happens. First Aravashnial takes off his backpack, "My friends, while I wish I could come with you, myself and the librarians found an old hidden cache of items that may prove useful on your quest. Take the pack. It contains eight potions of cure serious wounds, four potions of lesser restoration, 10 +1 evil outsider bane arrows, a chime of opening (10 charges), two cold iron longswords, a wand of magic missiles (CL 5th, 31 charges), and a wand of daylight (24 charges)." He is then lead by Quednys out of the room in search of a healer that might be able to restore his sigh.
The second is that one of the guardsman excitedly brings Horgus into the room. "I have donated most of the supplies that were stashed in a secret room in my house to the Watch. Hopefully it should help in the retaking of Kenabres." As Irabeth starts to thank him, he gruffly "Harrumph. No need." but he looks pleased and embarrassed at the positive attention from the Paladin.
Hyram will turn to Horgus. I want to thank you again for the gift of this sword. I have already put it to good use destroying the enemies of this city, and I will continue to do so until Iomedae calls me home. You have honored me with this gift.
Carefully picking up the wand of magic missiles from the pile of goods that Aravashnial offers, Alikia offers a quiet thank you to the Riftwarden and the head librarian. As Horgus arrives with supplies for the rest of the crusaders, Alikia is surprised. Horgus was not the same man she met at the bottom of the hole. Offering a friendly nod to the nobleman, Alikia checks her supplies, to ensure that everything looks alright, before shouldering her bag.
"Irabeth, before the five of us head out, could you tell me what the Gray Garrison was before the cultist overran it?" Waiting by the door as the others gather their supplies, Alikia skims through Millorn's spellbook, wondering what could have caused such a brilliant dwarf to turn insane.
Ezro examines and procures one of the cold iron long swords offered from the pile of goods. Examining it and nodding, he secures it to his belt
"I feel that this could come in handy later. Thank you for the supplies, my friend."
Seeing Horgus providing supplies, he smiles at the flustered man, and pats him on the shoulder, "Thank you for the supplies. Iomedea watch over you, and know that your contribution lightens her heart of worry for her soldiers survival."
Looking around, Ezro will ask of Irabeth, "Is there an area to procure additional supplies before setting out by chance? Not that this is not enough, but it is best to be over prepared."
"These arrows are quite the treasure... it would be my joy to put them into a demon's chest." he adds, lightly running the tip of his finger across the sharp end of the arrow.
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Quinn thanks Horgus and Aravashniel. "You have both proven to be good friends of Kenabres, the Watch, and our little band. When we retake Kenabres it will be in great part with your help."
He spends a few minutes searching through the arsenal that Aravashniel provides, taking one of the restorative potions, the remaining wand, and the small chime. "These are useful little devices. Though, having Aladir nearby is worth ten of these. I may still find a use for them."
"Quinn, perhaps I could get more use out of that wand. I believe the best wand for you involves an edge...and is much bigger...and is a sword. The best wand I think you can wield is a sword." Ezro says with a chuckle.
Quinn smiles at the jest and hands the wand over to the cleric.
Aladir gives a light smirk, giving a dismissive wave of his hand at the compliment. "Such kind words. And you know what they say about flattery. It gets you everywhere."
Dividing up the supplies supplied by Aravashnial, and thanking Horgus, who blushes and "harrumphs" at your thanks, you head to the Gray Garrison.
When you reach the area, you see a large stretch of buckled ground and rubble that stretches before the Gray Garrison, an aptly named structure that squats across from the open ground that once stood before the Cathedral of Saint Clydwell. That cathedral is no more — nothing remains but a towering mound of rubble and a deep, jagged rift in the ground. You see two strange look guards in front of the only door to the Garrison.
Quinn draws a potion of invisibility from his pouch. "Any idea what those creatures are?" he whispers to the others.
Aladir squints his eyes, staring at the strange figures guarding the door of the Garrison, trying to make them out.
Hyram will also look to see what the guards are and try to detect evil on them.
Taking a closer look, the guards appear to be morbidly corpulent versions of dead men.
For now they seem to be ignoring you.
"So...a watch, then. Certainly not anyone on our side unless we've suddenly taken to using undead. Or at least, things that definitely look undead..."
Ezro makes a grimace at the corpulent indviduals.
"Inheritor guide us...preferably not into those things A humble request to be sure." he says.
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Squinting her eyes at the deformed men, Alikia ponders what could possibly be a cause for such a deformaty. "No... I don't think that they're undead. They seems a bit too nimble for that. Maybe they're souls on there way to becoming a toad demon?" Loading up sense, she takes aim at the nearest one.
"Regardless of what they are, are we ready to attack?" Offering everyone a nervous smile, Alikia waits for the front line to move out before moving to take a shot with her crossbow.
I do have a cantrip that can be used as an opening volley, but I will have to be within thirty feet. He will turn to Alikia, Do you know that spell as well?
Quinn removes three vials of holy water from his pack. "Take these," he offers. "Give me enough time to get in close, then begin your attack."
Quinn draws Radiance and downs the potion of invisibility, and skulks out along the wall towards the dead things.
One of the bodies looks like it was / might have been Lord Hulrun.