Your second blow connects but is mostly turned aside by its infernal resistance. Growling at you, it drops its weapon and lashes out with its jagged claws.
One of the fiend's claws catches the big orc in the meat of his shoulder but the bloody wound doesn't stop Skaar for a moment.
Both of your blows narrowly miss the devil, who's quick to respond with his claws. Behind you, Syl uses a dagger to close the book, and the flames vanish from the room.
"Girl, get that thing outta here", Skaar warns before stepping in to throw another crushing combination. "I'll deal with this ugly bastard."
---------------------------------------
The devil only manages another two slashes before you send it back to Hell.
With the devil destroyed, Skaar takes a moment to catch his breath.
"We need to spread out and search the house. Look for signs of Yargos or more of these things", he says. "Don't try to fight 'em if you find more of 'em. Leave that to me."
There are no more devils in the house. Yargos ends up being very easy to find: he's one of the bodies in the study. He's alive, but badly injured.
Skaar retrieves his healing wand and tends to the wounded man's injuries.
And then this own.
Yargos coughs a few times and opens his eyes. He looks absolutely devastated. "Oh, gods... What have I done?"
"I was hopin' you could tell me", Skaar jokes. "When we got here there was a devil 'bout to steal your book. Is that what caused this whole mess?"
Yargos nods. "I'm afraid it is. I'd been searching for that book and its companion volume for quite some time. Supposedly, they contained a ritual for binding and trapping the denizens of Hell. When I returned home, I attempted the ritual. Fool that I am! I'd misunderstood! The book was a prison holding an entire legion of Hell's forces. The ritual set them free! Even worse, I don't have the book needed to end the ritual!" The old man starts to sob.
Skaar stares at the old man in silent disbelief. He didn't know if foolish ambition or pride had led Yargos down this path but now it remained to the Unfailing Pillar to aid him in correcting it.
"You'll have time to cry for the lives lost after this is over. First you gotta help me figure out how to end this. You say another book has the ritual to send these fiends back into their prison. What book? Where is it? Is it inside the city still?" Skaar rests a massive paw on the sobbing man's shoulder. "You have the strength to make this right but you've gotta steel your courage and reject despair."
Yargos gave a long sigh as he began to calm down. "I was just trying to do some good by trapping one of Hell's legions. I guess I'm just no good at this stuff anymore.... There's two books: the Infernal Incantation and the Celestial Song. The later volume's supposed to hold incredible persuasive powers and is linked to this accursed devil book. There's supposed to be a way to use them together to disable their powers, but I'm not sure of the details. When I realized my mistake, I sent the Celestial Song to an associate of mine: Ollysta Zadrian. She's one of the city's paladins and an expert of Celestial lore. I can take you to her. I've caused this endemic; it's my responsibility to fix it, but I can't do it alone."
Please with Yargos's renewed resolve, Skaar claps on the old man on the back. Gently.
"That's the spirit. Show the girl and I to Ollysta. We'll figure out this mess together."
"She spends most days in Gilltown, removing necromantic items from the black market. I'll show you the way." Before you leave, Yargos hands you two small vials. "These'll help you take down any devils we run into on the way."
The hustle and bustle of Absalom's Easgate district is nearly deafening as hundreds of locals make their way from their homes in the residential quarter to places of business and pleasure elsewhere in the city. In the distance, the sounds of chattering voices, stamping feet, and even the occasional cry of traveling elephants break the calm. The noises recede into the background as Yargos Gill pushes ahead into a side street alley. The old man eventually stops halfway in the alley by an open refuse bin to catch his breath. Taking advantage of the opportunity, a quartet of thugs attempt to ambush you. Although you easily defeat them, it appears that someone else in the city is interested in the Infernal Incantation.
"I don't like it", Skaar growls as he tightens his chokehold on the last conscious thug. "Syl, see if the others have anything on them that might tell us 'bout who hired 'em."
Knocking the man to the ground, Skaar sits on him and cocks one huge fist back in promise of the violence that might follow.
"Talk whelp or I'll make sure you are stuck eatin' through a straw for the rest of your sorry life! Who sent you? What do you know about the Infernal Incantation?"
"Okay! Okay! I'll tell ya! We got hired by the Sea Witch to steal some book. We're supposed to meet him in the smugglers' tunnels under Gilltown. That's all I know!" While you interrogate the thug, Syl searches the bodies of his unconscious buddies. "Hmmm, that's interesting." She holds up a coral dagger. "These aren't from around here. These would fetch a pretty penny on the black market."
"Good find girl. Gather 'em up and we'll find someplace to sell 'em later."
After tightly binding the survivor, he drops the beaten thug in a heap alongside his companions.
"We'll have to stop by Gilltown after we visit Ollysta and hopefully get a lead on the Celestial Song. Let's go Yargos. Every minute that passes puts this city in more danger."
It's very possible you'll end up killing two birds with one stone. Ollysta spends much of her time in Gilltown, and today is no exception. An assemblage of dilapidated wooden shacks, baked-clay huts, and random tents denotes the neighborhood. The smell of stale water mixed with a hint of long-decayed seafood permeates the air here. Only a handful of people wander the area, the majority of them gillmen, though a smattering of other humanoid races mingle here as well. Most seem to be perusing the small stalls and impromptu markets, haggling with their gillman owners.
Ollysta is easy to find. Currently, she's haggling with a merchant over a strange unholy symbol.
"Ollysta", Skaar calls as he approaches the paladin with his usual swagger and Yargos and Syl in tow. "The name's Skaar and you're just the woman I've been lookin' for", he explains with a smirk. "Yargos here tells me you have the key to stoppin' these invaders from Hell. Do you anything about a book the old man gave you a bit ago? One called the Celestial Song. We think it's part of a ritual, one that'll bind the devils away again."
Calmly motioning for you to wait, Ollysta continues her negotiation with the merchant. After several minutes, it's finally complete, and she turns to you. "Now. What's this about the Celestial Song? Did the Pathfinders finally track it down after all these years? When will the recovery team be sent out?"
"When did you send it to her?" Skaar asks the old man at his side. "It sounds like Ollysta never got her hands on the book."
Yargos looks worried. "I'd sent my assistant, Nicola, out this morning to give it to Ollysta. He came back without it and said everything went smoothly." Syl nudges you and whispers, "That other dagger I found in the old guy's house? The corpse holding it had identity documents with that name."
"Damn. Based on what the girl tells me someone offed your servant and was impersonatin' him. When's the last time you saw him? We need to track his ass down and find out who he gave the book to."
Yargos grimaced. "He was the first one the devils killed when I initiated the ritual."
"Then that leaves this 'Sea Witch' as our only lead. Do any of you know 'bout the tunnels undead Gilltown?"
The gillman merchant Ollysta had been negotiating with looks around cautiously before butting in. "Lookin' for the old smuggler tunnels, are ya? Being' a legitimate businessman, I'd never have anything to do with what goes on down there. Not that I know about any doin' or anything, heh heh! But I can sell ya a map."
"This had better not be a trick", Skaar growls. "How much? And keep in mind, we're tryin' to put an end to the city's devil problems."
The gillman smiles placatingly. "A guy still has to eat, right? I figure a map of the smuggler tunnels should be worth ... let's say 5gp."
More concerned with the city's safety than one slimy merchant, Skaar gives the gillman his coin. "Make it quick."
Upon Ollysta's insistence, Yargos remains with the Paladin. He has a lot of explaining to do. As both the Infernal Incantation and the Celestial Song are needed to end the ritual, you hold on to the tome.
Following the merchant's instructions, you travel to a cave network at the edge of town. A hot wind passes over the area here, and all other sounds seem to die, as if following an unknown cue. Without warning, the ground ahead begins to glow a bright orange-red hue, and the symbol of a perfect pentagram burns itself into existence. A whispering hiss fills the air. "Our bindings will soon be shattered! Now feel the wrath of Hell!" The air shimmers, and a trio of Barbazu materialize in front of you.
Skaar growls and gestures for Syl to fall back a step. "We've got trouble!"
The Unfailing Pillar touches his own bulging chest with a bit of divinity, thickening his hide and causing a dense carpet of chest hair sprout up.
Your skin hardens as the trio of devils rush in. Their infernal weapons swing down in unison. Behind you, Syl is carefully studying their movements as she draws a pair of gleaming daggers.
Skaar grunts in surprise as his fiendish attackers are on him in an instant. The hulking orc is quick enough to knock aside two of their hell-forged weapons but the third is only stopped by his magical aegis and thick hide. Growling, like an animal he puts his fists up and focuses on the biggest of the bunch and as the Unfailing Pillar takes a step forward, his brawny form swells in size until he's literally as large as a giant.
"Be careful girl! These ugly bastards mean business."
Your blows have reduced effect against the devil's thick hide, but you still deal a good bit of damage. As they attack again, Syl begins to maneuver around toward their flank. Their glaives give them the advantage of reach, but if she can get inside their threatened area, she'll be able to assist you with her silver daggers.
Barbazu: 23pts damage
Moving with blinding speed, Skaar shifts his stance to block a potential nasty injury.
***
You easily block the devil's blow, and your return strike serves as the distraction Syl needed to slip inside its defenses. With a pair of quick slashes, she finishes it off
Realizing that their powerful but inaccurate blows aren't getting through your guard, the remaining two Barbazus switch to more careful attacks.
The bearded devil's change in tactics prove effective and begin to overwhelming the Unfailing Pillar's defenses. He parries one blow only to be caught with two more.
***
Taking advantage of his High Priestess's presence, Skaar smashes the next opponent with his huge fists.
Between your fists and Syl's blades, another devil falls. Only one remains.
Skaar's growl becomes thunder when the devil's glaive ends up buried deep in his side. He lunges for his last opponent with fire in his eyes. As he wraps his tree-trunk sized arms around his opponent, he squeezes with enough power to crush boulders.
"I will break you!" he roars through the pain of his injuries.
Roaring in rage, the devil thrashes about in a desperate attempt to break free.
Despite the blood pouring down his torso, Skaar turns up the pressure. "I have broken giants with these arms. You are nothing!" he growls.
The devil struggles briefly, then goes limp.
Entering the smuggling tunnels, it quickly becomes obvious that buying the merchant's map was a very good idea. The tunnels are mazelike and frequently turn back into themselves. After quite some time , you begin to hear angelic chanting in the distance. As you move closer, it becomes far more audible, until you find yourself having to raise your voice in order to carry on even the simplest conversation. The chanting appears to be a form of Celestial, but it's difficult to understand as the walls turn it into a cacophony of overlapping echoes.
"This is it!" Skaar shouts over the chanting for Syl's benefit. "Watch my back and stay close."
Before continuing, the Unfailing Pillar channels a bit more of his divinity, imbuing his fists with greater force and mass.
Once he gets a nod of understanding from his High Priestess, Skaar ventures on.
The tunnels open to a vast chamber of crudely-cut stone that extends upward sixty feet to a large, cavernous ceiling littered with moss-covered pipes. Eight tunnels exit the chamber, four on each side of the room. With the exception of the two southernmost tunnels, slabs of solid granite block the tunnels several feet down the halls. In the center of each of these six granite slabs is a crude, rusted chain extending into a hole. A set of great stairs begins at the halfway point of the room, ascending upward to a sealed metal door. Inexplicably, the stairs begin at a height of thirty feet off the ground, their base made of the cut stone that fills the room.
"It looks like we've gotta get up to the stairs and get to that door", Skaar explains to Syl while pointing toward the metal door above. "I'm guessin' that involves pulling these chains in a certain order. Do any of 'em look like their rigged with traps?"
Skaar pulls the first chain, gently at first and then harder.
None of the chains appear to be trapped. More than likely, tugging a chain will open the corresponding grate.
Skaar grabs a firm hold and tugs on chain #1. "You might want to back up girl."
As you pull the chain, large granite slabs drop to block the entrances of the center two tunnels . Simultaneously, the slab connected to the chain you pulled rotates 45 degrees, releasing a torrent of water into the chamber. After approximately 20 seconds , the slab rotates back to its former position, locking the water in the room.
"That explains how we're supposed to get up there", Skaar says as the water pools up around his chest. "You a good swimmer? I think I'm gunna have to pull the chains a few more times."