Hyram stares at the city silently with his companions. Why must these foul creatures destroy everything they touch? he thinks. He sighs and prays silently to The Inheritor hoping that she will give him strength in the coming battle.
In the morning, Quinn awakens refreshed and restored. He quickly begins distributing the healing potions among his men. "Take care with these. This will be a bloody campaign, no doubt. They are not to be taken at the first scratch of blade or claw."
Almost immediately, as the last of the healing potions is handed out, Quinn feels a surge of power from Radiance. Pulling the blade free of its scabbard, he allows golden light to flood around him. He senses no more surges from the blade, but within himself he feels a surge of lament at the loss of Yaniel, a surge of gratitude that the magnificent sword had passed on to him, a surge of possessiveness over the golden blade followed closely by a surge of guilt... both of which he tamps down immediately. "A responsibility, not a gift..." he whispers to himself.
Almost before there final day's march begins, it is over. Quinn stares into smoldering heart of the last Crusader city. "The Sword of Valor... heh," he laughs awkwardly. "I guess I thought I would be able to sense it when we drew this close. It must be dormant. Well... we shall soon awaken it."
Just before Alikia heads to bed, she pulls out the mostly spent wand of magic missile. As she feels the arcane magic within her thrum, she concentrates an pushes some of it back into the wand. Beaming as wand glows a dark evergreen in the twilight for a moment with a sense of pride, she stores the magical item in her rucksack before drifting off to sleep.
When morning brakes Alikia meditates for an hour, as she re-memorizes her spells in order to be prepared for the march ahead. As the divine followers head back up to the temple to consecrate the holy site, Alikia ensures that everyone's mounts are properly taken care of and loaded. As Quinn returns and begins to distribute the healing potions, Alikia watches in amazement as Radiance begins to pulse. Hearing the mumble assurance, Alikia places a reassuring hand on the Paladin's shoulder. "I know no one else who is more than capable of handling such a responsibility, Quinn." Mounting her horse, Alikia follows the army towards the lost citadel.
When they arrive at the fallen citadel, Alikia's eyes glimmer with hope. "Where should we start? Our enemies are vast and can see in the dark." Turning her attention to the remains of a small city, Alikia frowns heavily. "We need to gain a foothold before we can assault the citadel." Dismounting her steed, Alikia pulls out a crossbow bolt before drawing a rough sketch of the city in the dirt road. "I would suggest that we claim Southbank and then either assault the Cemetery or Paradise Hill. However in the end, it is your decision Quinn." Standing up, Alikia scans the area with a determined gaze lost in her own thoughts.
Quinn smiles at the conjurers gentle reassurance. "It's not the burden that I fear. It's the pride. Hubris is a powerful weapon demons can use against us." Quinn looks off into the distance. "This weapon is not mine. It is Yaniel's blade. But, in her memory, and in the Lady's name, I will wield it against our enemies."
When they arrive at the fallen citadel, Alikia's eyes glimmer with hope. "Where should we start? Our enemies are vast and can see in the dark." Turning her attention to the remains of a small city, Alikia frowns heavily. "We need to gain a foothold before we can assault the citadel." Dismounting her steed, Alikia pulls out a crossbow bolt before drawing a rough sketch of the city in the dirt road. "I would suggest that we claim Southbank and then either assault the Cemetery or Paradise Hill. However in the end, it is your decision Quinn."
Quinn looks over the hazy pall of the city, and back to Alikia's improvised map. "The bridges will be critical. I have no desire to ford or ferry the river. Seizing the territory south of the river is a given. We cannot proceed unless we can assure free movement to the bridges. And I have no desire to leave the enemy space to operate. The Southbank and Cemetery must be ours before nightfall."
"The cemetery seems like it would be of particular import. Demons are bad enough to deal with and it's not hard to envision some among them raising the dead to serve as stumbling blocks against our advance."
"Well, Commander...this seems like an appropriate time for an inspirational speech from our fearless leader. Think you've got one in you?" the elf asks, giving Quinn a jesting elbow in his side.
"Well, Commander...this seems like an appropriate time for an inspirational speech from our fearless leader. Think you've got one in you?" the elf asks, giving Quinn a jesting elbow in his side.
"I thought the time for that was at the start of our journey!" Quinn laughs. "Bah! I wasted my best material on the outskirts of Kenabres!"
How about 'Don't Die!' The Inquisitor helpfully offers.
"Aron and I should scout out the city to get the lay of the land. With my scouting skills and Aron knowledge of battle tactics we should be able to provide information on the best places to approach and what needs to be done to free the city as well as retake the Citadel and return the Sword of Valor to its rightful place." She then grins at Aladir, "want to come with us?" and then looks to Quinn, "as long as it is ok with you for us to do the scouting?"
Hyram goes to prepare himself for the coming battle through prayer, mental and physical exercise.
Quinn nods to Anevia. "Be on your guard. The demon commander of the armies we just marched through teleported away before capture. The entire city may be on alert for our scouts."
Quinn watches Hyram walk off to a secluded spot to prepare for battle. Acolytes at the Cathedral were often encouraged to engage in such rituals. But, Quinn himself rarely found his center in quiet meditation. "Captain Hedrick," Quinn calls as he draws his sword. "Kindly select four of your best swordsmen." Quinn grinned a black-toothed smile as many more than four volunteers started lining up at his words.
Very quickly the sound of furious sparring echoed through the camp.
Anevia, Aron and Aladir take off to the north to investigate the city and the surrounding area. Several hours later, the three of them come back to camp and after assembling the group, Irabeth, Captain Hedreck and the other senior commanders, they report their findings.
"There are six places that we believe need to be taken care of before heading into the Citadel itself. Three of them should be fought with the army, but three of them would best be handled by you Sir Quinn and your comrades.
Army Battles:
Southbank: A large number of tieflings and human cultists alike are camped in Drezen’s southern district, and they’re guarding a large amount of what appears to be captured crusader gear. Defeating this army would reduce the cities defenses, and the gear could be used to help our army.
Paradise Hill: A large amount of schir demons hold Paradise Hill, once a district of warehouses and food stores that sat atop the high ground east of the citadel. It appears the demons are now using the area as a prison for captured crusaders. Rescuing them could provide reinforcements for the army.
Drezen Cemetery: There are a large numbers of undead lurking in Drezen’s cemetery, particularly ghouls. Until these undead are wiped out, they’ll continue to be a dangerous element that could whittle away at the troops during the night.
Skirmishes:
Haunted Vault: The largest vault in the cemetery seems to be surrounded by eerie shadows, as if some vile magic were at work within. We think the vault should be investigated.
Ahari Bridge: While the rivers of Drezen are dry, their beds and the steep angled gulches will present a difficulty for mounted paladins to navigate. One bridge is destroyed. Securing the remaining bridge will help the army’s mobility when the time comes to attack the citadel.
Drezen Watchtowers: Citadel Drezen is surrounded by a wall and seven watchtowers. Each watchtower seems to be guarded by a few figures, and each is armed with a large catapult. Disabling as many of these catapults as possible makes the siege more effective.
With the report given, the scouts, Irabeth, and Captain Hedreck await orders.
Hyram listens to the report and is grateful once again that he is not in charge. Each target has its benefits and Hyram is unsure which one would be more beneficial. He looks over at Quinn and feels he owes it to his friend to offer some sort of opinion on the matter. Finally he blurts out, I think perhaps the cemetery. We don't want to lose any part of the army to senseless attacks by undead when they can be taken care of, and if we ignore it, it might affect morale. That is my opinion anyway. The Inquisitor then breathes a sigh of relief feeling he has 'done his duty' as an advisor to the commander.
"I agree that the cemetery needs to be taken care of before nightfall, but I would say that either Southbank or Paradise Hill should be taken first. Either of those targets would give our forces a shoring and make us better capable of dealing with the threats that will follow."
[/ooc]
Quinn listens as the scouts describe the layout of the city and the forces arrayed against them. He continues to listen as Hyram and Aladir lay out possible scenarios. "I wouldn't leave the honored fallen to suffer the depraved presence of ghouls and shadows. Nor do I care to leave the living imprisoned by demon and cultist for a moment longer than necessary. But, none of these things matter if the army is restricted from free movement and under constant observation."
Quinn shakes his head in frustration. "This is an impossible decision."
Quinn paces for a moment. "The ghouls at the cemetery are too dangerous to allow. Rescuing the soldiers means little if they are picked off in the night by ravenous undead. Other decisions can wait until the cemetery is secure. Captain Hedrick, ready the men to assault the cemetery."
"If you have not yet prepared spells," he says to Ezro and Alikia, "wards against death and disease would be welcome."
Ezro listens to the conversation, happy to simply provide support where necessary. He smiles and nods to Quinns request, "I believe that would be a wise decision I will see what Iomedea might grant us."
Skirting around the Southbank area and heading to the west, Quinn instructs Captain Hedrick to prepare the army for a battle with the large number of ghouls that are infesting the cemetery.
The Knights of Kenabres, lead by Captain Hedrick and Lady Irabeth, position themselves just in the tree line to the south of the cemetery and waiting for the Commander Quinn order to attack.
hp 13
DV 13; OM +3
Tactics standard, withdraw
Special darkvision, disease, paralysis, undead traits
Speed 2; Morale +4; Consumption 0 Commander Turgath (ghast; Cha +4; no boons)
Quinn crouches beside the centermost unit in his small army. "Ghouls do not fear death. They will surrender to their ravenous hunger as soon as an enemy appears. A single volley and a charge. Commit yourselves fully."
The Knights of Kenabres emerge from the tree line in well-drilled formations, launching a flight of arrows towards the ghouls. Quinn hoped the volley would be as devastating as the one employed against the tiefling army days before. But, such wishes were in vain. The arrows fell among the ghouls wounding them. The follow-up attack was effective, but not overwhelming. The ghoul army still had some un-life in them.
After the volley, Hyram rushes in with sword in hand slashing at any undead that he sees. It seems that for every one that he hacks away, two more take its place. These are not easy foes to defeat! the Inquisitor thinks.
- vs. Knights DV 18 (20 - 2 aggressive)
Aggressively attacking the ghouls in an attempt to overrun them quickly, the Knights let loose a volley of arrows, bringing the peace of death back to the undead creatures. They then charge the ghouls, and more of them die, but the Knights did not completely destroy all the ghouls. Even as unthinking as they are, with some many returned to true death, the ghoul army counter attack does no damage to the Knights.
CE Large army of ghouls (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 146)
hp
DV 13; OM +3
Tactics standard, withdraw
Special darkvision, disease, paralysis, undead traits
Speed 2; Morale +4; Consumption 0 Commander Turgath (ghast; Cha +4; no boons)
The ghoul army surges as the Knights' army charges in. But, the enemy falters without doing significant damage. Quinn watches impassively as a pair of his knights quickly remove the few wounded from the center of battle and the healers rush to treat the wounds. Meanwhile, scores and scores of the enemy lie fallen around them. With a victory in reach, Quinn does not try to expose the army more than necessary.
"Pull back the reserves. Guard against flankers and stragglers."
vs.. Knights DV 20
After the battle, Captain Hedreck and Irabeth report back to Quinn and the group. "That went well sir. The Knights were a bit nervous going into battle against so many undead, but the decisive win has made the men more hopeful that we will wipe out this menace."
"A good victory," Quinn agrees, a little self-consciously. "Lady Irabeth, you and Captain Hedrick secure this ground. Continue with the mopping up operations. Send scouts around and run down any remaining ghouls that you can find. If left alone, they will rebuild their numbers quickly at our expense."
"In the meantime," Quinn turns to his friends, "we should confer and decide on our next course of action. The vault is here, and remains a priority. But, perhaps not the top priority.
"If you want my take on it, I say we handle the vault now. It's got to be taken care of sooner or later and right now we are already in the doorstep."
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Hyram, cleaning off undead body parts from his armor agrees. While we are here, we might as well clear it out.
"The most dangerous part of war is not always the enemy. We cannot grow heartless and cold in our decisions. Those are our fellow crusaders on the Paradise Hill, under the lash of demons."
"The calculations of war... the chess game we must play... I will not risk the army. Nothing we must do can succeed without our Knights. But, we can put ourselves into position to liberate those crusaders. I would like prefer to attack the Ahari Bridge. Let the dead keep the dead for another day."
"With the bridges under our control, we can secure all of the Southbank before nightfall. When the next dawn breaks, we will be in a position to assault Paradise Hill and liberate our fellows."
Aladir seems hesitant of this perceived change in the plan, though in truth, the next step was never really discussed by the group.
"If that's your decision, I'll follow it, Quinn. Still...I hope that whatever evil that lurks in that crypt will not take advantage of our withdrawal, however temporary it may be. Perhaps that is the best decision...it will be easier to handle situations like the crypt if we are able to return and mop up on our own."
"I do not think it cold and heartless to act against the Vault that is right here. We assaulted the undead army here because of the danger that they posed to our forces, but who is to say that whatever malevolence lurks inside poses less of a threat simply because the force is smaller in number?"
"No matter what happens, We spent the morning clearing the undead from this area. I expect we might have a few hours, at the most, to continue. It would cause no great delay to deal with the crypt now and not leave an unknown element at our flank, then deal with the Bridge following. Tomorrow we could then make our way to Southbank and Paradise Hill. Our forces there would still be liberated on the same day as in your plan and have a potentially great threat already dealt with."
Sighing in relief as the army is able to quickly defeat the army of undead, Alikia listens to the arguments over where they should launch the next attack. "Quinn, Aladir, you both have some good points. However, in order to take Paradise hill, we should also ensure that nothing from Southbank will come up from behind. I would suggest that we ensure that this so called Haunted Vault is dealt with, before anything ill can sneak out of it under cover of darkness and sew discord." Flipping through her small journal with her notes, Alikia offers the group a small shrug. "At least, that's my opinion."
We don't know what dark magic is at work in the vault. It could be what is raising this undead army. It would not benefit those that we lost today have their sacrifice be in vain if the undead will rise again tomorrow with our dead now among their ranks! Hyram offers.
"I suggest we clear out the crypt. I understand the plight of our fellow crusaders, but in securing the crypt we fully secure the graveyard. We do not know what horrors may lay sleeping there through the day and might come out at night." Nodding to Alikia, and Hyram.
In the face of overwhelming opposition, Quinn surrenders. "I do not care to leave an enemy at our doorstep. Let us see to this vault. But, quickly... the sun is already high in the sky, and much more of Drezen requires our attention."
Approaching the vault in the southwestern part of the graveyard, it seems that this one vault is particularly corrupted - this stone building seems to be cloaked in rippling shadows even during the day, not that daylight ever gets all that bright in the Worldwound.
As you approach within 40 feet of the vault, everyone, but especially Quinn, Hyram and Ezro feel sluggish and ill at ease.
Seeing how everyone, especially his fellow Iomedae followers seemed to feel really uneasy, Hyram will cast Ward The Faithful
Quinn shakes off the uneasy feeling from the inky shadows clinging to the mausoleum. "I was wrong. This place needs to be cleansed. Immediately."
Quinn watches as Aladir approaches the door first. Once he checks it over, Quinn will carefully reach for the door to push it open.
Though the same sense of unease and dread falls on Aladir, he is able to suppress the base instinct, instead maintaining his position with the others and keeping his rapier ready in hand, knowing that a crypt is not likely to provide space for a bow and arrow.
Cautiously, he approaches the door and attempts to determine if anything nefarious has been done to it.
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Ezro shakes the feeling of sluggishness from his body, and grips his holy symbol tighter.
"There is indeed great evil here. Be on guard." he says.
Holding up his symbol, he gives a quick blessing to the group.
Aladir approaches the inner door, and hears nothing, and finds the door not trapped and unlocked and tells the group that. The sense of dread continues, and actually grows somewhat stronger as you get closer to the center of the vault.
As they move further into the crypt and the oppressive darkness seems to press further in on the group, Aladir slows his pace a bit, until he's walking just in front of Quinn. Even with his magical rapier close at hand and ready for striking, he is wary of being too far ahead of the others.
"If you want me to scout further, please say so and I will, but for right now I think I'd feel safer with the stronger sword-arms a bit nearer at hand."
I'll be close to you! Hyram says gripping his sword tightly. There is something foul in this place!
"We should not separate. This is a dark path. We should walk it together." Quinn moves to take the lead through the next door.