Arc will check out the content of the trunk and ask that Reiko examine the desk. After he recommends quietly I say we make our way around to the large tent. If we strike it must be quick and meaningful as we are likely to bring down the entire camp upon us. Can anyone cast a silence spell?
Reiko quickly goes over the desk.
The writing desk is open, as Reiko finds, and she finds a slip of paper talking about tieflings needing armor repair kits and more water from someone named Berrexi. It is addressed to someone named Exorius...with respect.
Arc, meanwhile gives a barely audible gasp as he divines that the three vials contain more of the shadowblood you found before.
Arc will take it to make sure it does not fall into the wrong hands.
Once the group is ready to move out, Reiko leads off again - stalking silently as the grave.
Sir Bastion follows with Reiko around the encampment toward the larger tent.
Reiko quietly pads up to a tiefling guard and slips her wakizashi up into the side, and lungs and heart, of each guard. Her hand closes over each mouth and each guard dies with no more than a whisper.
As she motions each of you on, a few tiefling voices ring out in the night...but in normal conversation. Once you get to the back of the large tent, Reiko silently slashes a part in the tent walls. She holds up her hands, stopping any from going in. She pulls open the slit just enough to see inside what is obviously the command tent. You see a man shaped creature...with hideous horns on his head, bat-like wings, and beastial legs conversing with two elegantly armored tieflings and a shivering dretch. The conversation is about an army of paladins approaching...your army! It appears that they are not yet aware that your army is encamped so close to them.
The wizard silently mouths Demon! and points at the creature.
Cassandra lightly waits for everyone to be in position, and ready for an assault, before triggering her Channel ability, dealing damage to all evil outsiders in the radius.
Sir Bastion nods his readiness, and prepares to slice through the tent wall opening a path for his allies.
Arc prepares a glitterdust to hit the incubus and his minions. He will use a mythic point to require the enemies hit to make two saves to succeed instead of one.
Reiko cleans the blood from her blade while glancing into the tent, then sheathes her katana for a moment before redrawing it.
I'm ready to move in and attack the demon!
Reiko draws her katana which glows with a barely discernible new radiance. She tenses in a half crouch and nods to Bastion, ready to rush into the tent as soon as the Paladin slashes a doorway.
Cassandra's channel catches the tieflings and the dretch which stuns them for a moment, but the incubus simply grins and gives very little sign to show he even felt the blast.
Arc's spell, however, catches them all and an ensuing roar rewards for your efforts.
Power Attacking
Before Bastion's slash has fully cleaved a new flap in the tent, Reiko flows through the gap. Without any pretense of honor or fair warning, she hilts her katana deep into the demon's back then twists the blade hard and wrenches it out with a slash that etches ribs and widens the initial wound.
Before either the tieflings or the dretch can react, Paritosh and Reiko's attacks bring the demon to its knees, acidic blood dripping to the floor profusely. A gargle comes from its throat as it stares in wide-eyed disbelief before slipping fully to the floor.
The tieflings stare in disbelief as well, and the dretch-in so far as a reaction can be told from its face-has not decided what its next coures of action should be.
Us again? Ok, I'll charge the Dretch, assuming there's 10' to do so.
Power Attacking and charging
Sharing the ferocity of the assault of the demon leaders, Sir Bastion moves up to one of the tieflings.
"Iomedae, guide your servant's arm to slay this foul creature."
Arc maneuvers into the tent in order to line up a Color Spray to catch the tieflings (primary and the Dretch, if possible.
A vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from your hand, causing creatures to become stunned, perhaps also blinded, and possibly knocking them unconscious. Each creature within the cone is affected according to its HD.
2 HD or less: The creature is unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, and then stunned for 1 round. (Only living creatures are knocked unconscious.)
3 or 4 HD: The creature is blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, then stunned for 1 round.
5 or more HD: The creature is stunned for 1 round.
Sightless creatures are not affected by color spray.
...
...
Arc's spell, however, catches them all and an ensuing roar rewards for your efforts.
...
Reiko waits half a heartbeat for the others to act before taking full advantage of their opponent's disbelief... by springing toward the dretch. Her katana is a blurred fan of steel, slashing down in a deadly arc designed to shear the demon in half.
Arc's spell discos out and stuns a tiefling, the other dead before the spell even hits by Bastion's mighty wrath. Reiko's katana severs the dretch's head clean from its body in one stroke, and Paritosh's charge slightly alters course to kill the stunned tiefling. The battle is over before it ever really began.
On the table are various figures of clay (you hope) and a map of the area. There is also a missive written in Abyssal that appears to be in code...and a map. The map is a layout of Drezen, with some markers for defensive positions and a couple of questions marks.
There are sounds outside of the tent of creatures gathering.
Arc quickly casts Detect magic as he gathers the map and missive. He will quietly name any items that radiate magic to be taken.
Paritosh stands ready to charge and attack any creature that comes into the tent.
Arc gasps in surprise, the incubus' scimitar is a boon! It is a +1 planar scimitar.
A tiefling voice calls into the tent from outside, "Sir, may we enter to assist if needs be?" The tone of the voice suggests that at some point, someone has not asked permission to enter before and it ended badly.
Paritosh pokes himself in the chest with his thumb, and then makes a "lip buttoning" motion with his hand. He then points at the others, makes a "talky talky" motion with his hands, and points towards the tent flap.
Arc points to the scimitar and motions that it needs to be retrieved but does not say a word. And with that he begins to back out of the tent.
Sir Bastion gathers up the scimitar and slowly moves to the opening they had come through.
"If I had need of your assistance, I would have called for it. Go add more wood to the fires, as I believe that maybe all you are good for. Interrupt me again and it will be your last."
He looks to the others and gives a shrug, in a manner indicating 'well let's see what happens'.
Paritosh gives Sir Bastion a thumbs up, and heads towards the way they came in...
A stifled noise comes from the front, something along the lines of "I told you not to ask!" and then silence. You slip out of the tent with no further incident.
In the morning, your army gathers. The enemy camp seems to be in some sort of disarray...as if you didn't know why!
"General Bastion? It is yours to decide."
"The Inheritor has guided me my entire life and I follow a set of vows and oaths to her. Two of those vows are brought to the top of my list for this very situation."
"One, I will never suffer an evil outsider to live if it is in my power to destroy it. I will banish fiends I cannot kill and purge the evil from those possessed by fiends."
"Two, when in doubt, I may force my enemies to surrender, but I am responsible for their lives."
"I would allow the teiflings to surrender, offer them a chance to turn away from their demon masters and start their path of redemption. But the demons, the dretch, must be destroyed. What say the rest of you? Will we ride down and offer the teiflings this one time offer?"
I would just as soon route them. The teiflings are infernal in nature and have chosen who they serve. But I do understand that some few of them might find redemption, even if they do not deserve it. If you wish to offer them terms then I will agree to support that plan.
"The Dawnflower also teaches that a chance for redemption should be offered, at least to those not following the Rough Beast."
Paritosh looks expectantly at Sir Bastion.
Sir Bastion smiles at his allies words and sends runners to the Knights of Kenabres to only approach to the ridge line and await a signal to charge if things go poorly.
Then attaching a white pennon to Paritosh's lance, if he permits, he rides forward with the others to present terms for the teifling surrender and demon army's destruction.
As your shining force sets up atop a ridge looking down into the camp, Bastion raises his fist. A rare beam of sunlight pierces the reddish grey sky and glints off the metal on his gauntlets. He gives a rousing speech about forgiveness and the righteous fury of the Inheritor. The tieflings tremble and surrender to a person. The dretch's attempt to attack, but having planned to destroy them all along, Bastion cuts his fist down in a straight line and sortie of paladins smite their evil from the face of Golarion.
In the morning, your army marches victoriously into the Worldwound proper. The success and jubilation felt throughout the previous encounters is immediately dampened as you cross even a few hundred yards into the blasted place. The sky is malevolently red, like an infected scar, and the air is still and stiflingly hot. Nothing grows here, aside from barren and bonelike cacti.
About a day out from Keeper's Canyon, your scouts tell you there is a still standing building that looks like a chapel, perched atop a cliff overlooking the river.
"We should check that out."
"I agree Paritosh, but we should be wary. It seems odd that a possible chapel would still be standing, even one near the edge of the Wound."
"Does anyone recall any chapels on our maps or in the region?"