As the ghoul is slain, the torches burning with green flame wink out. Slowly the light returns, this time it's natural color. The corpses of the undead are there, as is one that was missed earlier, but the stranger wielding the heavy sword is nowhere to be found.
Neile stands over the ghoul as it begs for mercy, her breaths heaving like a tired predator after the kill. "No mercy for this one," she growls, echoing Bear's words, raising a clawed hand high. Then Rakeesh's improvised flail is swinging, and she closes her eyes against the smattering of Gore.
Slowly, her breathing steadies, levelling out and slowing as she shrinks back to her own size. "Wha...?" she murmurs, shaking her head as if waking from a deep sleep. She looks down at her bloody hands, the claws gone. "Thanks, old Bear," she murmurs, smiling.
Looking around the chapel again, as if in confusion, she locks her eyes on Ulfr again. "Jingly-Man! You're alive! I knew you would be!" She scrambles over to him, tugging and smashing at his chains. "Did you see me, Jingly-Man? Did you see what I did? I don't remember, but I think they were dancing!"
Ulfr's song fades just after the death of the last foe. In spite of the fact that the woman with the sword was gone, he looks only at Neile. The girl had actually channeled a spirit of the forest! It was incredible!
I did see, Little One. The dance was quite lively, if a bit one-sided both times.
His chains finally snap and he hits the ground with a heavy THUD. He stoops down and hugs Neile's narrow shoulders.
Thanks for coming back for us. He says to the returned survivors is general, but he's looking at the little girl as she breaks the chains of the Dragon-boy.
The beat subsides as the chains rend. Karas smiles satisfied as he collapses on the ground exhausted from the whole ordeal. Never give up hope.
"Thank," *Huff* "You all." *puff* "I need a nap."
"Yes, thank you!"
Bimbur waits for the key.
The girl giggles and grins, hugging Ulfr back, barely fitting her narrow arms around him. "Had to come back, silly! Had to keep hoping and helping!" She grins at Tehina once everyone is freed, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Gail and Twitch slowly emerge from the folds of her ragged clothes, satisfied that the danger is gone.
"See! I told you I couldn't hear them, told you they had to be alive!" she beams. "And now we can-" she breaks off in a wide yawn, covering her mouth with one hand, rubbing her eyes with the other. "'M sleepy now," she mutters, shaking her head in a feeble attempt to wake herself up. "Scaly-Man is sleepy, too."
Rakeesh sloughs off the remains of his shackles, cringing as the blood flows back into his hands. When the feeling comes back into his fingers, he rifles through the remains of the undead.
"I think we could all do with a rest," Rakeesh agrees. "But first, we should cleanse this place of this filth." He scoops up an armful of the remains and begins carrying it out of the chapel.
After scrubbing as much of the taint of undead as he can from the floors and walls, Rakeesh falls nearly unconscious to the floor from exhaustion. "I think a good night's sleep would do us all well. Should we barricade the doors?"
Karas searched for his gear amongst the refuse.
Tchirash lands wobbly on her feet as the chains are broken, and then proceeds to any water source to try and wash off as much of the grime as she can off of herself. She then finds her gear.
"Ooh! I can help! Maybe we can make this place cleaner! Maybe make you cleaner, too!" Neile exclaims, bounding enthusiastically into the task of helping Rakeesh clean the temple and search the undead bodies. "They were dead, but then they became not-dead. We made them dead again. And we're not dead, but not not-dead either," she adds, grinning, apparently satisfied with her summary of the events.
Ulfr immidiately starts the search for his unusual club and pays attention to the undead's belongings only after he has that secured.
As the other recover Tehina first walks over to Tchirash to help her clean herself up before moving to clear the entire chapel. If they were to be using this place as a camping site it needed to be cleaned, "Neile, could you get Aravashniel and the others? They must be worried sick by now." She then turns to Rakeesh and Karas others, "We need to get those corpses out of here. Horgus will have a field day if they're still in here and I'm sure none of us is in the mood for that now."
While the others see to the physical cleaning of the room, Tchirash will begin seeing to the spiritual cleansing, preparing any rituals that may be needed.
"Y-yes, I suppose that is true," Rakeesh concedes to Neile's description of their state. "But, it may not be true for long. I know enough of those creatures to know we have been infected by their filth. That one did not kill us, because when this disease has run its course, we will die and rise as one of them."
"Let's get a fire going, and keep it hot. We will need potable water, and a warm place to rest to purge ourselves of this malady."
Neile nods enthusiastically at Tehina's request, darting from the temple, leaving Gail to flutter helplessly in the air for a moment before perching on the back of a pew. Heading up to the wounded and Horgus, the girl grins. "We won! It's all safe now, and we can sleep there! I'll help you back!" She tugs at Aravashnial's sleeve, attempting to guide him.
Once he had found and again clutched her scale Karas was much calmer. He again tied it about his neck.
Karas groggily nodded and started moving corpses and filth out of the room. Nodding and adding a tired smile to Neile as he passed.
After cleaning up and clearing out the shrine, which takes nearly two hours, you have found all of your gear as well as some items that were already there.
a copper brooch depicting a bat perched on a mushroom— both of the bat’s eyes are tiny amethysts (Found among the rotting remains of something humanoid. The decay and mutilation of the corpse make it impossible to identify better than that. )
a bloodstained masterwork backpack that contains 10 days of trail rations, a flint and steel, a set of caltrops, two flasks of oil, a bundle of 12 arrows, a potion of cure light wounds, and a potion of lesser restoration.
On the huecuva’s body you find a pouch on its belt containing two potions of cure light wounds, and a knotted gold ring
Behind the altar you find a long disused, but still well-made warhammer lying in the dust.
"What do you make of this?" Rakeesh holds the brooch up to the light. "Kabiri, himself? Or something else?"
Rakeesh digs through his piled possessions, pulling out a battered and much used coffee pot. The coffee boils and rattle merrily as he sorts and checks his armor and weapon the following day. "I doubt we are free of the disease that plagues us. But, the devastation of Kenabres cannot wait forever. Shall we carry on? Or take another day of rest?"
Karas nods off after the cleaning, sleeping on an old pew. he calls over his shoulder. "I have no clue and you're probably right. We aren't cured of anything ailing us but we need to get out of here and back to the city. We could be helping them. Who knows how bad it is but I'll be damned if we can't help somehow."
Ulfr simply nods. Let's go.
As the group prepares to hunker down and sleep for the night, Neile scurries about, flitting from one person to the next. She spends extra time with Anevia, trying to help keep her comfortable, even offering her a tattered blanket to keep under her broken leg. Eventually, yawning widely, she half-sits, half-collapses next to Ulfr and curls up under her coat, Twitch and Gail tucked against her chest.
The next morning (or so she assumes), she rises early, crouching on one of the pews like a gargoyle, holding her small body perfectly still. Her eyes close, and she stays that way for close to an hour. Those who look see her lips moving slightly, her eyes flicking behind her lids, but she doesn't stir until Rakeesh's coffee pot begins boiling, at which point she turns her attention to him.
"Keep going. Keep moving, keep looking. People up there, perishing in their plight. City crumbling, pick up the bones."
Anevia smiles warmly at Niele before the waif goes to sleep.
As everyone begins to wake up, they feel well rested. Miraculously, the chapel looks spic and span. All of the dust and cobwebs gone, and even the bloodstains are cleaned up. On the alter you find a warm hearty breakfast with eggs, sausages, and sautéed mushrooms on plates with Torag's symbol on them. In pewter jugs marked with the same emblem are a variety of flavorful juices from fruits that you don't recognize.
Despite the meal, Horgus can be heard grumbling.
After eating and packing, the group heads out. As you round a bend, you can see the ghostly figure of a dwarf with a beard of fire in magnificent armor, his hands resting on the haft of a stunningly beautiful hammer that sits on the ground. His heavily lined face creases as he gives you a small smile of thanks before vanishing.
A little while later, Anevia speaks up.
"So, I was thinking. We know each other's names, but we really don't know each other. I thought we could tell each other about ourselves and get to know each other to pass the time. Would anyone like to go first," she asks, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she talks.
This morning you feel different, as if a part of you is missing. You also feel as if someone is glaring at you, displeased about how you have acted.
"I... don't know how much more there is to tell. Um.." Karas paused a moment before continuing and absently touching the scale that hung from his neck. "I am Karas Argentus, born the son of Crusaders. Orphaned by cultists and imprisoned by them for almost a 3rd of my life. Freed when their ritual went haywire and I killed them. I was found by town guards and released to the care of Terendelev when she told me I was of her blood. I lived as her ward since. Now she is dead and I has a lot of avenging to do."
Bimbur grumbles: "I'm a dwarf. Openin' up and sharin' aren't strong suits."
But he looks at Anevia and makes a point to sit near her.
"But listenin' I can do."
After packing away an extraordinary amount of food for one so small, eating as though she may never get a second chance, Neile shrugs on her oversized coat, gathers her meager belongings, and follows the group out of the temple. When they see the ghostly dwarf figure, she grins, waving to him as he fades.
As Karas finishes his tale, she adjusts her stride to fall in beside him, before hugging him tightly. "You survived, though. They hurt you, but you're strong, you didn't break. And you're hurting again without her, but she's here." She taps the scale hanging around his neck, smiling up at the tiefling. "You're carrying her with you, and that's something."
Picking up her stride again, she swallows, looking around. "I remember... I remember a woman. Heavy hair, chestnut shining in the sun, she called me daughter, I called her ma. Father with his greying hair, father with his greying hands. Warriors both, he of the untracked paths, she of the thundering hooves. Her special friend was Cobbler, hooves bigger than my head. He had no friends; he always went alone.
"Then... I had friends. I think they were friends, I never knew. Still don't. Friendly somtimes, fiendish sometimes. Keep me company, whisper warnings, destroy my dreams with terror." She shudders, her voice cracking slightly. "Mother worried, father wanted to know more. So I told him. And then... they started talking. Saying I was dangerous. Possessed. A liability." She wraps her arms around herself, shaking. "So I left. That was..." She pauses, staring at the cavern ceiling, as if she can see the stars just by focusing hard enough. "Many moons, many nights. Many rains, too. Four winters? Five? Six?" She shrugs her narrow shoulders, temporarily dislodging Gail from her perch; the songbird flits to her hat instead, chirping in irritation.
"Moving between safe spots, finding food, waiting for warmth. Sleeping light, never know what's out there. Just another night. Still have company. Bear sleeps a lot. Shaman knows what to say. Prince is funny. Killer and Slaver, though... they're mean." She drops her voice at this, falling suddenly silent, feet kicking at loose stones as she walks.
Rakeesh sniffs warily at the repast that had appeared. But, hunger quickly overcame suspicion and he eats heartily. He slurps down the scalding hot coffee in a single gulp, exhaling a small breath of steam. However, breaking his fast did not bring a sense of fullness. He did not know how it was possible, but he felt even more diminished.
As they round the bend, and the ghostly dwarf smiles. I have lost favor with Angels and Empyreals, but have gained it with ghosts and ghouls... Rakeesh shakes his head at the thought.
"I am, perhaps, the most wretched creature alive," Rakeesh says in response to Anevia's queries. "I had already incurred the wrath of an Empyreal Lord. Somehow, I have made things even worse. Why I yet live is a mystery. Perhaps his hands are tied by his own decree?"
"My grandfather, Anun Sah Hemet, is Nomarch of an oasis city far to the west of Sothis." Rakeesh sighs heavily. "I must surely have been disinherited by now. But, once upon a time, I was a prince among men, a peer of the realm, honored among the tribes of Elementals in the desert wastes, and the envy of Angels..." Rakeesh runs a withered hand through his limp hair.
"Now, I am nothing."
Ulfr eats more than anyone else at the breakfast table. He makes pounds of meat and eggs, hunks of cheese, and a small river of drink disappear with alarming swiftness. He only stops for the occasional belch our to breathe, but even that is happening less than it probably should.
He acknowledges the shiny dwarf. Seeing an image of divinity should probably have more impact, but he is more concerned with the Spirits than the gods. His totems and fetishes jingle as he walks and he tends to bounce slightly in his step to make the noise at least rhythmic and not annoying.
He listens to the other's tales with his full attention and has questions for them afterward. To Karas he asks, Upon whom week you avenge her? A furious fire such as vengeance is best used when focused. If you rage against all, you will waste strength on those who do not matter.
He respects Bimbur's decision to not share, and asks the Little One after she is finished, I would like to meet your spirits some time. Maybe tomorrow morning you can lead me on a spirit walk. Then I could see if the spirits I seek are right under my nose.
And to Rakeesh he says, We appear to be two sides of the same cloth Fallen One. You who came from everything, now has nothing. I, who come from they who have been made nothing, hope to reclaim everything.
He then segways into his own story, I am Ulfr Uggason. Son of Grama the Splitter, son of Harthir the Cliff-hanger, Son of Ugga the Shield-sworn. I am of old Sarkoris, as is the entirety of my family and forebears. We are the last of the people that fled glorious Sarkoris as the demons of the Pit poured forth and devoured our land, our fields, and our hopes. The women and children fled to far off Varisia and climbed the mountains of the Tamiir-Quah (The Wind Clan) where we at last found refuge. There we remained, a weak, sickly people. Until me.
I am the first true Son of Sarkoris born in years beyond remembering. My physical capabilities bear witness to this. I now travel to see if the spirits can be awakened. For if the Old Spirits wake, then shall the demons flee.
Tchriash takes a trencher of food, grinning as she tries to get some on her plate before Ulfr stacks it all on his. She listens to each in turn, and nods.
"It seems like some of us have reason enough to battle demons, even before the events that took place. While I may not have as personal reason as Karas, or as lofty or noble a goal as Ulfr, mine are simple. I am a child of the crusade, born at its doorstep. I am a child of Kenabres, that protected me. I am a ward of Iomedae, whose priests raised me and taught me. I'll fight for one very simple reason, and yet the best reason I can think of. It is....home."
"There isn't much to say. My parents vanished in the Worldwound shortly after I was born, I was raised by my aunt. She never understood what I was or how I knew things that no child should know. She told me stories about my parents, stories my father had told her about the lands he came from." Tehina has a faint smile on her face as she talks about her father, "He comes from a land where they also fight fiends, stranger, more alien fiends than the demons. Qlippoths they are called. His land knows many small rifts instead of a big one and he came here hoping his knowledge could help the Riftwardens. Here he fell in love with my mother. Here both of them perished."
She wouldn't bother them with the stories of who she had been. It would take ages to recount her lives and none of them seemed relevant right now.
Karas was again stunned by the hug from the young girl as he regained a sense of grounding. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder after her story. "She once told me. Those who wander, are not always lost. you're friends grant you wisdom Neille." He gave her the best smile he could muster before turning to Ulfr.
"My wrath will be levied and sated once I wring the tainted life from the Storm King's throat. Gods help whatever filth gets in the way." He replied with stern determination and a smoldering fire in his eyes.
He also looked to Rakeesh, "No. Not nothing. You are a crusader now. Killing demons is your purpose."
To Tchirash he nods again. "It's home and I wouldn't trade it for any other."
After seeing the ghost he logged it away as a hallucination from the disease.
Neile gives Karas her lopsided grin, and Twitch emerges from her scarf to sniff at the tiefling's hand. "Not lost, silly. I know the streets. This is new, though," she adds sheepishly.
"You live because you breathe," she says simply, looking at Rakeesh. "Butterflies flit their wings and things change. Lords and ladies watch their lands, playing plans. You're here for a reason." She swallows hard, hanging her head. "We all are."
She nods at Ulfr's request, threading her thin fingers into his hand, small and fragile like the bones of a bird. "We're walking now, and they're here. I'll try you show you sometime. Maybe they'll speak to you, too. Maybe they'll be kinder."
Looking at Tehina, she says, "What about your parents before? There's much more, and I'd like to know."
She then turns her smile on Tchirash. "You're not all broken inside. It's why you shine so bright. That will light our way home."
And to Rakeesh he says, We appear to be two sides of the same cloth Fallen One. You who came from everything, now has nothing. I, who come from they who have been made nothing, hope to reclaim everything... I am of old Sarkoris, as is the entirety of my family and forebears... I am the first true Son of Sarkoris born in years beyond remembering. My physical capabilities bear witness to this...
He also looked to Rakeesh, "No. Not nothing. You are a crusader now. Killing demons is your purpose."
"You live because you breathe," she says simply, looking at Rakeesh. "Butterflies flit their wings and things change. Lords and ladies watch their lands, playing plans. You're here for a reason." She swallows hard, hanging her head. "We all are."
"There are laws, little one," Rakeesh responds to Neile. "You may not know them... You may not see them... But, you are bound by them. Angels, Archons, Devils, and yes... Demons... Even the Gods are bound by laws."
"I am here because the Empyreal Lord decreed it. I live because his anger does not unbind him from his decree." Rakeesh clinches his fists.
"You wish for vengeance? You wish for strength?" Rakeesh asks Karas and Ulfr. "Those are topics in which I am well versed."
Then we are well matched, my angelic friend. May the Spirits smile upon us in our endeavors.
Karas looked at his silver clawed hands. "Not much of a wish anymore."
He sighed, "But it looks like the fates have shoved us together for something. Let's hope its something good."
Tchirash smiles at Neile. "Your wisdom and insight will prove to be my council then, if I'm to see us home."
She walks over to Karas, and takes his clawed hands looking at them and then him, "Vengeance can leave a person hollowed, it burns fiercely, but doesn't care what it consumes in being fulfilled. You fight for something now that is more rewarding. That can prove an inspiration for others. We all do. We will see justice done for every life; every mother, every father, every child that Kenabres lost in the attack." she then looks at Tehina, Ulfr, Neile and Rakeesh in turn. "For every parent lost to the crusade, for everyone that lost a home, or were pushed to their limit, there will come a reckoning, and the first step in that is to show Kenabres that there are people that will never give in, even if it means scrabbling their way up from the bowels of Golarion. Thanks be to Torag and all the gods for the meal, but it's time we find our way back home."
So say we all. Ulfr intones.
Karas smiled as Tchirash spoke. "I couldn't have said it better. Let's get topside."
Bimbur nods, "there are laws, but more importantly there is the good like the pride in a mother's eyes as her child takes it first steps. There is also the sin of pride, as those think themselves above laws and judgement."
He intones solemnly: "Often the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
Rakeesh stuffs the gear recovered from the undead cabal into his pack alongside the coffee pot and the gem-inlaid brooch. He slings the pack over his shoulder and sheaths his sword. He glances back at the others and sighs wearily as he steps towards the door. "It's only my second day."