The demons charge in! Two assault Balthasar, one Arianna, One vance, and One bitey! Balthasar holds off one while the other wounds him. The others just can't seem to find their feet and receive wounds all around to some degree or another!
With her weapon hopefully ready, Zoranda charges at the creature attacking Bitey. Still keeping her nose covered, Zora swipes at the demon with her starknife, trying to flank it with her smaller companion.
Iolaire, perched on the walls, takes advantage of the demons stupidity and moves to flank the one fighting Arianna, knowing that the others could take care of themselves.
Bitey continues to chew at his foe.
Aria continues to hack up the foul gas as she knocks back another arrow and lets it fly at which ever one appears most wounded.
Aria gasps as the icy arrow flies from her bow. How am I doing this? Is it something that happened from the fall?
Balthasar continues coughing from the cloud, and grunts from the pain of the demon's attack. Still, he presses his attack, striking back at the one that hit him, adopting a more defensive stance.
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Satisfied that one of the foul beasts were dead Arianna turned around on the one attacking her.
Fighting off the smell again she looked at the demon next to her, a grotesque mound of foulness that had belched out a cloud that smelled as bad as it appeared. Wanting to get away from the cloud Arianna swiftly attempted to dart around the dretch hoping that its lumbering mass made it less likely to be able to hit a nimble fighter.
Serena coughed in the sickening smoke, then took up a totally defensive position to try and avoid any attacks that might come her way. This was... probably one of those moments she wasn't going to tell other people about. A fabulous, world-changing sorceress she was not.
Still coughing, Thrall swings trying to end the fight quick and make the gas disappear.
Working together like they know what they're doing, the team manages to take out three of the monsters! Only two remain!
One of them was standing beside the one that Vance and Trall take down. It bites Thrall!
The other was standing hear Arianna, but it misses her.
"Arg! Damned weakling!" Thrall lifts his sword in fury and lets it fall upon the small demon, trying to split it in two. "Feel the Wrath!"
With the demon down that had been threatening Bitey, Zora turns and moves to the one after Arianna now. Getting into a flanking spot, Zora swipes at its side to get its attention.
Serena continued to defend herself - she couldn't aim very well while sickened, and at any rate, the warriors seemed to have this well in hand. She wasn't the sort of arrogant mage who always wanted to be at the center of combat. Rather, that would just make her more of a target...
Bitey continues to gnash and chew at demon flesh.
Balthasar turns his attention to the final one near Arianna, striking with his sword.
With the creatures falling Aria takes aim at the most wounded and lets her arrow fly.
Io, still above the worst of the cloud, strikes down again with Radiance!
Though there are some missed opportunities, the party manages to overwhelm the demons and slay them!
The cloud dissipates slowly and the party finds itself in the Kenebres sewers. Several hours of wandering generally east later you find an exit. The sewer water grows more worrying as you go with more and more evidence of blood in the water. You surface in the south east of Kenebres.
The city is all but unrecognizable. Rubble and bodies are everywhere and fat buzzards wheel around in lazy circles in the sky. Speaking of the sky, it is tinged red with dark red clouds and black smoke rising from the remains of burning buildings. The Worldwound has expanced, and Kenebres is now enveloped in it. The towering landmarks of the cathedral spire and the Kite are simply gone.
Though not leveled, Kenebres still looks as bad as Zora had feared. Maybe worse. "We're not out of a pinch yet," she comments, looking at the piles of devastation.
Aria is struck aghast as she sees the city in shambles. "Maybe it is a good thing father died... Seeing the city like this would have destroyed him."
"...The city was attacked." Serena explained to Aravashnial, mindful of her duty to aid the injured. "We should probably keep moving, either to find help or escape the city. Are there any places that might have held out? Secret bases, maybe, or a headquarters with more paladins than usual?"
Bitey tugs on Zoranda's clothes at hip level, much in the way of a young child wanting to be picked up. "Bitey sleepy tired from all the running rounds and fighting. Where we now? Why this city look like home but all smooshed?"
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Arianna stepped out of the tunnel and gapped at the horrible state of the city. "mother.." She whispered to herself certain that the ill woman had probably not made it out of the city itself and considering the state of things it was doubtful she'd made it.
Fighting back her own tears she took stock of the situation "We should be cautious on our approach..it may be dangerous to trek across the city without being at full strength..and without knowing what we are walking into."
"It's because bad creatures came and hurt this city like they tried to hurt you," Zora explains in a quiet voice as she crouches and places a comforting hand on Bitey's head.
Bitey rubs his giant goblin eyes and yawns. "Course Bitey right, Bitey knows what is going on. Bitey going to take a nap nap, then Bitey gonna get a bite to eat... then Bitey gonna take back the city. " Curling up like some deformed cat, the wee goblin closes his eyes. "Night night."
Balthasar stares at the broken, destroyed city of Kenabres, looking out at the smoldering ruins. Iomedae protect us, he thinks, looking at the devastation. Had his family managed to escape the city? If not, had they found a safe place? He could only pray, and speculate.
The others talking snaps him back to where they are and their current situation. "Yes, of course. We'll need to rest, but we cannot lower our guard. We should have two on watch at all times. I'll be one of those on the first watch - would anyone care to join me?"
Focus on the mission, Balthasar. Keep these people safe. Kenabres was a city full of paladins and crusaders - some of them have to still be alive.
Aria steps forward at Balthasar's call. "I'll stand watch with you"
"I'll take the next watch as well," Zora says, preferring to be with Arianna.
Balthsar nods to Aria in thanks.
Once the others have gone to rest - he isn't sure how many will actually get sleep - Balthasar sits, leaning against the wall, looking out at the destruction.
Armasse had started like any other. There had been nothing to indicate such a powerful attack - and yet the demons had struck at Kenabres and destroyed the Wardstone. Terendelev, the great silver dragon protector, had been slain, spending the last of her life to save those who journeyed with him now instead of herself. Surely she had been far more important than he was - than any of them were. Terendelev's presence could have rallied the crusaders, helped them hold, maybe even prevented such a massive slaughter. Why had she chosen to save them?
Getting up, Balthasar takes a few steps towards the entrance, then draws out his sword and kneels down, sword held vertically before him, point down. Iomedae, I do not know what path has been placed before me, and I do not know if I have the strength to walk it. I do not know why my life should have been spared and Terendelev's was not. I do not know the fate of my family, of a line of crusaders stretching back to the Worldwound's opening, when my great-grandfather led our family and his retainers from Cheliax to Mendev. There is so much I do not know.
I do know this. I have sworn an oath - to you, and to Mendev. To fight the demons until I can no longer draw breath. To defend Mendev from all threats. To guard against the dangers of the Worldwound, and to be the first line of defense in protecting the rest of the world from demonic depredations. I have failed in this oath, for Kenabres has been destroyed. The Wardstone trapping the demons has been broken. Yet, this night, before this destruction, I re-swear my oath. If there is a way to save Kenabres, I will find it. If there is a way to drive back the demons, I will find it. If there is a way to protect Mendev and ensure your continued glory, I will find it. And if there is not - if there is no way accomplish these goals - then I will fight until either the demons are slain, or I am. This do I pray in the your name.
Once done, Balthsar gets up and returns to his post, renewed strength in his step, and a new-found determination shining in his eyes.
Iolaire says little, apparently shocked by the devastation wreaked on her city, but goes around tending to people's wounds as best she can before they all go to sleep.
Iolaire sleeps through the night until woken for her watch, and spends the time deep in prayer - although Radiance is never far out of vine reach.
The next morning she makes her rounds again. "Does anyone need healing before we move on? Lady Shelyn has renewed my ability to help us."
Bitey murmurs sleepily."Bitey have many boo-boos."
Thrall is shocked at the sight of the ruined Kenabres, even though he was expecting it. "Holy Lady..."
A lot of dark thoughts cross his mind, but in the end he finds the resolution to stand by his actual companions - a strange and motley lot indeed - and take whatever Fate is going to throw at them tomorrow with resilience and hope. For now, as some of them suggest, resting seems a nice idea.
Before catching some sleep, and while praying for his wounds to close, Thrall comments on something that has just occured to him. "Guys, should we come back and tell the people down below of the situation? Maybe they deserve to know what's going on, and maybe they want to move to a safer spot."
[ooc]If I heal some HP by sleeping I'll be alright by the morning.
Iolaire lays her hands first on Balthasar, to good effect and then on Bitey with less. "I can do that again Bitey, but it might be better to wait until later in the day. Would you like my potion instead?"
"Bitey be ok, feel pretty awake now too. Want Bitey to go back to new family and tell them what happened to old family?"
"The Children of the First Crusade? I'd rather learn more about the situation beyond what we know first. Besides, I suspect they will not want to leave their home." Looking at the ruined city, he says softly, "I know I don't."
You are in the far south east of the city many hours from the city center on a good day, and this is most definitively not a good day.
The party sets out into a city that is a shadow of its former self. The streets are quiet and empty with evidence of a fleeting population everywhere. Buildings are smashed or burned, houses are enmity, and belongings are strewn about as citizens shed everything they thought was allowing them down.
There are bodies too. A hand under rubble here, a vivisected paladin there, the left half of a mother and right half of a child over there.
The party has many objectives. Which do they want to head for first?
Thrall nods to Balthasar's words. "Okay. Then let's find out if there's some kind of resistance here by. If there is, we should contact them."
"I know of group of people that usually know what's going on in town," Zora speaks up. "They're small and survivors, so they should still be around." I pray to Desna that that is so. Oh, Desna, lead me to my friends once more and guide my steps here in this place that was once a safe haven.
Balthasar considers their options. ”I think the first thing we need to do is find supplies. It would take hours to reach the city center on a good day - the rate we will have to travel is likely longer. I think we should first see which of our non-combatants lives closest to our current location. Zoranda, where can we find this group?”
Once she answers, he will go to Horgus, Aravasnial, and Anevia to ask them how close their respective locations are.
Back alleys and holes in the walls. "They won't be easy to reach. They will most likely be holed up in the walled district on the western side of the city. We did have a stash of supplies before, but nothing can be sure at the moment."
"What about finding Irabeth? And Avarashnial, you are a member of the Riftwardens are you not? Do they have anywhere safe we could stay?"
"A Riftwarden place would be good..." Serena agreed, a bit biased towards anywhere magically-inclined. There was no telling what useful weapons of war they might have stocked away.
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Arianna shot a wary glance over at Zoranda as she suggested going to her 'friend' as if it were not something she was overly eager to ever do again. "I don't know what would be best." she admitted turning her attentions back to the rest of the group. "Supplies are good for us but I think we also need to try and get some help to deal with the safe houses we've located thanks to that note, or someone who can deal with them, otherwise there may be setbacks in retaking the city because the cultists and demons will have positions to fall back to."