Standing where he is, Terry looses a shaft at the flyer.
Second Floor clear out - Round 6 - Normal light 30'/Dim 60'
Magical Beast (-8, DC 15 will rd 1)
Khaz, Jocasta, Firinn
Demon (-41, Behind Locked door)
Terry, Lorena[/ooc]
The Peryton Takes the air again, flying south around the corner.
Jocasta snorts in disgust, as every single spell she has used in the fight was worthless.
”Fall back.” Khaz said, with more than a bit of hesitation. ”The enemy is in retreat, but those may have been summoned. We’ve hurt them, and taken no losses. Even if they have time to regroup and fortify, they will be weaker while we will be stronger. We can camp in the entrance, so they can’t flee. I’ll cover ye all as ye head down.”
Lorena makes no move to pursue the peryton, though she keeps her guard up towards the corner where it fled. She pulls the levitation scale from where she'd stashed it earlier and tosses it to the dwarf. "Khaz. You almost just died. We can hold them off for a bit. You go first." I don't think he wants to leave the fight - best if he doesn't decide to stay and get killed...
”So ye do care.” Khaz said, his smile almost hidden under his beard. ”Fine. I’ll meet ye at the bottom of the stairs.” With some reluctance, he fell back.
Firinn, since he's by far in the best shape, guards the rear - shepherding everyone else down first and keeping his bow trained down the hallway for any surprises.
This rearguard is a position he maintains all the way out of the Grey Garrison and until they reach the safety of Defenders Heart.
"I have a little curative magic if needed." He offers quietly.
The Party Descends the Stairs carefully as they are still covered in oil, Terry is able to get down them while leading a rope so everyone has something to hold on too. At the Bottom The main floor has been cleared of enemies, the bodies of those slain still litter the floor and those 2 dead crusaders lay in heaps in the small museum.
"We should take the fallen with us and bury them," says Jocasta, "if we're returning to the Heart."
"Aye." Firinn replies, "We've done well. Take everything we can and fall back." Whistling loudly causes Rionnag to descend to land outside the front door and the roc can easily be loaded with provisions, although it takes a lot of coaxing from Firinn before she will allow a body to be placed on her.
Lifting one of the corpses, Khaz trudged back to the Heart. They had won a victory, but it was not complete. They would have to return, and he but hoped that the villains would still be there.
The Party heading back to the gate to Old Kenbres finds a scout group held up in a mostly intact house. They stop you to ask how things are going, after giving a quick report to them one of the scouts takes off back to Defender's Heart a Head of you. It is slow moving through the city with 4 bodies, 2 of which are nothing more than empty skin.
As you leave The Grey Garrison you look back noticing that the single front window is now gone, looking like it was smashed out.
After what seems like a long time Defender's heart comes into view, figures can be seen moving about along the roof. Irabeth greets you at the door, only wearing some of her armor she has a few cuts and some bruises to go with the fight that took place to divert the majority of the enemy forces in the city.
"Some fallen you found?"
”Aye. The fortress is a damned charnel house. Though it looks like ye’ve seen your own share of action. We cut our way through demons, tieflings, and cultists. I lost count of the fallen. All seemed well until we ran into a pair of powerful demons. We managed to drive them back, but only barely. Thanks the gods none of us fell, though I came damned close. As ye can see, the traitors killed Lord Mayor Hulrun and Lord Kandro, as well as these knights. We’ll see to it that they’re given proper burials.”
"We did manage to liberate some of the arms and armor in the guardhouse," says Jocasta, indicating the holy symbol of Iomedae on the breastplate that she now wears. "The Crusaders hid some in case of emergency. And we managed to cut partway through their forces. Another solid push and we may be able to retake the garrison."
"That is good, we held off a large group of Cultist, some warriors and a rather large demon." Irabeth says leading you inside, once inside you can see triage centres set up, wounded men and women of all races are there. The Children are not present right now which you would figure is for the best.
"You're rooms are still set up and ready for you, if you need healing see Nestrin as he may still have power left after tending to the wounded." Irabeth says heading to a table with Aniva "There is some food to be had, we won't be able to Hold off another large group if you don't get all of the Grey Garrison complete tomorrow."
"I will provide healing." Firinn offers to forestall anyone bothering Nestrin. "Tomorrow we will clear the Garrison, we have a much better idea now of what to do."
Khaz made his way inside, after seeing to it that the bodies were secured. Before they were buried it was best to identify them so that grieving families might first learn what happened. Then it was a matter as to seeing to the distribution of the garrison’s armory. Now was not the time for mercantile interests, but rather seeing to everyone being properly equipped.
For him, he did manage to procure a wayfinder. Shaped like a hammer and anvil, it opened up revealing an intricate network of wires made from precious metals. It also allowed an ioun stone to be slotted inside. It was a thing of beauty, and also a religious icon for his pantheon. Merely having it on him made him feel closer to the divine...something which he knew that he would need for the battles ahead.
Helping move what needs carrying, Terry is quiet on the wakl back, adn after returning to the safehouse.
"I was less useful than ever in there. If I can't start doing better, one of you are going to die because of me." He indicates the crowd of refugees around them, thinking about basic supplies after Irabeth's comment. "These need everything you can do for them, everything you can get them. They can't afford for me to get things that wrong again."
"Oh, I'll go with you and see what good I can be. But if it comes down to it, if the choice is to save me or feed them, I'm just not that important."
"Every blade is important." Firinn responds, "Every blow that someone else can divert from Khaz is our best chance of finishing many of these monsters. Make sure you have some cold iron and then fight on."
With his, not terribly inspiring, piece said Firinn goes in search of a priest who can improve his bow for him and pays for the necessary components.
Jocasta pushes for Terry to sit down and shoves a bowl of vegetable soup in front of him.
"First off, have something to eat. I find I'm always grouchier when I haven't eaten recently," she says.
"Don't make the mistake of saying that you have to have 'value' or that you must 'contribue' something. Life has value. People have value. This is regardless of them 'producing' or 'making' something, whether it's growing wheat or turning demons into dead ichor. Your value is just from being you and from being alive. If you're going to beat yourself up over contributing to the war against the Abyss, keep in mind how many people would volunteer to enter a heavily-defended fortress to fight demons. Just being handy with a sword or bow isn't the only important thing. Having the resolve to take the up the fight matters too. And don't think that we won't need a wide range of talents as we press on against the Abyssal legions. Right now it's hack this and slash that, but the higher you go up the chain, the more it becomes tricks and traps and shapeshifters and strange magics, and more than ever people will come into their own talents in unexpected ways."
"I know how you are feeling Terry." Aniva says looking down at her still broken leg, "I want to be out there and right now I am feeling useless, I cannot even climb the ladder to get to the roof to keep an eye out. Even if I could I couldn't get back down in a hurry and could cause someone to get injured or worse."
"Can't speak to where we might go or what we might see. For now, we need shields, swords, food and water. I have one of the four, and don't seem to use it very well."
"You, Aniva, are the bedrock of hope this shelter is built on. You might want to go out and present a solid sword and shield, but you keep these people hoping and pressing forward, every day. You are doing more here than our group has managed to do out there. Without you here, none of the groups would have a reason to be working out there. Me?" He shrugs, and points at the recent blood stains on the garments of his companions, and himself.
Khaz walked over and slapped Terry on the back. Rather hard given the plate gauntlet. ”Ye’re a part of the team. I almost died back there. One more cultist getting one more swing against me and I wouldn’t be here. Am I strong enough? Of course not. None of us are. But I can say with certainty that if any one of us weren’t there, then at least one of us would have died back there. Now what do y’say we go hand out some of these swords and then get a drink? I’d say it is well earned”
"Take the night to rest Terry, tomorrow is a new day. The Children could use someone to talk to you feel that you would like a place to not feel quite so adult right now as well." Irabeth says with a slight smile.
"Yeah, a night's sleep . . .." As he wanders away.
Lorena helps transport the bodies and gear back to Defender's Heart, but that's it. Once she's collected her share of the loot and made sure everyone who needs it is healed up, using up the last of her magical reserves, she retires to rest, paying no attention to Terry's moping.
Overnight, though, she is once again wracked with dreams. As she flails through an endless ocean once again, her own voice chides her for not doing more to integrate herself into the group and community, but then she finds herself reaching another island, where the mysterious figure from before appears again, praising her for her help so far. Reaching out a shadowy clawed hand, she clasps Lorena's firmly, and the tiefling feels a surge of warm fuzziness flow through her. When she wakes in the morning, she feels better rested and stronger than ever, despite a restless night of sleep.
Night Falls on Defender's heart, a few brave men and women stay up all night to guard against the horrors of the World Wound. Terry is Awoken by whispering just outside of his room.
"They brought in lots of new gear yesterday, we could take some and buy our way out of this Hell Hole." A voice Says
A Second Voice makes a hushing noise, "Yer right but get caught if you keep talking to loudly. Lets go have a look in the stables for what they brought back."
Morning comes, Firinn asked one of the Cleric's to prepare a spell for him today, Firinn grabs some food for him and Rio and makes his way back to the second floor to have the spell cast. Jocasta finds one of the mages and is able to copy the spells she was asking about out of their spell book with some assistance.
Khaz’s morning plan is to get up, pray, eat breakfast, and then see to his armor. Check it for damage, repair and clean as necessary. What could be more exciting?
That morning, Terry seeks out Irabeth. "I heard something last night you need to know about. Two men were standing near my pallet, talking about stealing supplies to sell for passage out of the Worldwound. I didn't hear any names, or see them, but they were going to head to the stables to see what they should take. An awful lot of children wold end up paying the price for their freedom . . .."
At least when I stole weapons I sold them back to the good guys.
"I will assign some more guards to the Stables presently, Thank you for the tip off." Irabeth says standing from the table and heading to a cluster of guards who are sorting out some logistics.
"We will do our best to hold off any reinforcements today but their reinforcements are endless where ours aren't. The Queen is a least a 2 day hard ride out so she won't be here to help, You said you secured the first floor which is good, and some of the second?" Aniva asks
"Yeah. With luck we should be able to push straight through to the second floor." Firinn says, thinking briefly about the desecrated shrine. "There's a lot of work we need to do on the ground, but that can wait until we clear the enemies."
”Aye. And we’d best get a move on. If the foe is sending their forces through the grinder to reinforce it, then it has to be important to them.”
"Let's grab a handful of arrows to refill the quivers, something to eat for lunch, and be on our way, then."
The party groups the resources they need and have paid for, grabbing some lunch as Terry suggests and heads back. The Streets are still earliy quiet, you feel as if you are being watched by nothing comes to attack you. Making your way to the gates of Old Kenabres you find the same scouts but in a different building. They nod you through, a short walk later you are at the open doors to the Gray Garrison.
Lorena wakes up early, spending some time to ponder her latest dream and make sure all her gear is cleaned and in order. Once she hears the others emerging from their rooms, she resurfaces and joins them for lunch and the trek back, not saying much to anyone.
Once they reach the Gray Garrison, Lorena shifts about nervously. They'd come close to death in here the previous day; hopefully this time it would end in a safe victory.
”Well. Last time we went in there a fook ton of them died and none of us. Let’s go do it again.” Mace at the ready, he went in.
Khaz marches confidently into the front door Looking left then right no enemies can be seen or heard. Marching back towards the room with the stairs up, the party again looks into the office and Temple area finding nothing. The stairs up have the dried oil on them making them sticky going up, Khaz leads everyone up finding no enemies. Making your way to the second floor you see the door that was closed and locked by the demon and the rest of the floor to explore.
Terry moves off the stairs and to his right, heading for that far corner (P13) to start the search. If the door is still open, he moves on to looking through the room itself for anything of interest.
Firinn remains at the back, testing the pull on his newly enhanced bow, which is definitely better than it was before.
P11. Conference Chamber
A long table engraved with a relief map of Mendev stands to the
east in this long room. A dozen bodies lie scattered about the
room, each bearing a gaping empty hole in the chest.
P12. Library
Bookshelves line the walls of this small library. Many of the
tomes have been torn to shreds, and smoldering piles of ashes
fill the room with an acrid stench. One small stack of books on a
circular table seem to have escaped destruction.
P13. Aerie
Several stacked horizontal shelves hold a number of small,
straw-lined bird cages. A stack of parchment, three quills, a pot
of ink, and a pile of tiny cylindrical objects cover a nearby table,
while a small wooden door is in one corner of the room.
P14. War Room (CR 5)
Stacks of scrolls, books, maps, and more sit atop a large
hexagonal table in this room. The walls are painted with detailed
maps of Sarkoris, over which features of the Worldwound have
been painted.
You find a Scroll
P16. Barracks
Six cots sit in two orderly rows in this room. The bedding has
been tossed on the ground, and an iron lockbox lies on its side,
empty. A lidless box holds scraps of moldering food, while a pair
of large barrels nearby look to be filled with water.
"Hey, guys. What's this?"
Lorena looks over the bodies in the conference chamber, trying to figure out how they got their chest wounds, and if there was any demon that makes a habit of doing that kind of thing.
In silence Khaz marched through the halls, his unease growing with each step. The battles of the day before were evident, as were the depravities of the foe. He knew that there would be much work ahead of them to resanctify the grounds...if they survived. The fact that the enemy hadn’t met them yet meant that they were marshaling their forces. Or that a truly nasty ambush awaited them.
”Good eyes Terry. Looks like some sort of scroll. Jocasta, ye know what it does?”
Lorean doesn't think it was demons, there was that Magical Beast that no one knew quite what it was so maybe that?
”Onward, then. The locked door we can save for last. Let’s clear this place out, room by room.”
Terry finally moves to the locked door, giving it a quick once over, checking for obvious things like a keyhole on this side, before beginning a more careful examination.
Terry picks at the lock but is unable to open the door, peering in the hole magic sparks in the lock appearing to reinforce it.