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"Don't be silly Ary, Lleuad would get jealous. I'm a one-blade woman," she says with a smile. "And if you've already dreamt of it, someone else may have already decided it's yours," she added with a brief glance upwards.
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Ary picks up Radiance and the sword suddenly glows with golden light.
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Ary stops for a moment, as the blade springs to life in her hands. She doesn't say anything as she just holds it, blade flat to the horizon, mouth agape.
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Li'an looks amazed, watching Ary holding the shining blade, a weapon that was supposed to be dead. "That's amazing Ary, it really did choose you!"
She looks down at Lleuad and then back to Radiance. "Is..." Li'an starts asking, hesitating. She lowers her voice to a whisper and continues, "Is it saying anything to you?"
Markus picks through the scrolls and potions as well, helping Ehren to identify them.
When the sword is found, and it glitters brightly, he looks on in amazement. He casts detect magic to see if it's magical, as well as any of Hosilla's equipment.
He opens his mouth a moment, and then closes it. He takes a breath and says, "Maybe we should..use it? What better time for a paladin's sword, right?"
"I..." she stammers, then shakes her head, looking away and towards Li'an. She lowers her voice as well, caught up in the moment. "Uh... no. No it isn't." confusion gave way to more confusion, as a dazed Ary just looks at Li'an, somewhat confused by the question.
"Uh... I mean. It's just..." she stammers in a panic as she sees the look on Ary's face. "It's nothing... forget about it." she says, smiling weakly as she puts Lleuad away.
"But you have a new weapon, and one blessed by Iomedae! Our journey down here has been something else, hasn't it? Torag's blessed temple, The lost children of the first crusade, radiance found and returned to life. It's even less believable than when I told it to Chief Sull!" she says, changing the topic.
"Uh. Yeah, okay." she says, being completely un-Ary-like and not prying. A combination of bloodloss and elation and confusion causing her to miss the cue to pounce on something embarassing.
"And yeah. it's definitely not insignificant." she smiles softly, remembering it all through rose-tinted goggles, in the moment. "Still gonna have to get Avi back down there one day."
"Finding a legendary weapon and restoring it's power. This is starting to truly feel like one of the old tales. Such a weapon... it would have been a tragedy if these fiends had managed to corrupt it. Such a sword belongs in the hands of one of the Inheritor's true followers." She smiles encouragingly at Ary. "I said it once and I'll say it again. The gods are watching us."
Markus and Ehren identify the cultist potions as two potions of cure light wounds.
Ehren identifies two of the cultist's scrolls as both being of Cause Fear.
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"Maybe they are, Butterfly." Ary nods, offering her a small smile. "Maybe you two will get something neat out of this long trek" her smile turns into an Ary grin, "Like a bed?" and then she slips out of the room, the sly interaction being utterly ruined by the wet squelch as she walked back to her seat.
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"When that day comes, I'll join you," she says, smiling at Ary. "I imagine some of the others will want to come too. Hrut will probably want to visit the temple again at some point I suspect."
Noticing the fact Ary's still somewhat out of it, she ushers her back out to the room to rest. Returning to the original long box, she digs out the bag of gems while Markus takes a look at the two scrolls. "Any luck identifying those? If not I can take a look through all of them using read magic."
The mongrelmen look on at astonishment at the glowing sword in Ary's hand. Truly like something out of a storybook.
"Hoooleeeee cow!" Anevia exclaims. "That's incredible, Ary! That thing is gorgeous." She pauses, thinking over the note Valaria read aloud. "Three safehouses, hmm? Irabeth and the Eagle Watch will need to know about that. That's some excellent information, right there. Maybe we can root out the cultist infiltrators that way?"
Aravashnial grins. "Did they say the Tower of Estrod? Hah! I knew there was more to Estrod's death. He died two years ago....they said it was of natural causes but I suspected poisoning"
Horgus, unusually for him, doesn't take the opportunity to scoff at Aravashnial's usual conspiracy theories. He sits there silently.
Valaria frowns slightly. "Well that explains one safehouse. Any other names on here ring a bell. It's important to the city's safety." Her eyes turn toward Horgus and she looks him straight in the eyes. "Anything at all."
Horgus stares at the tiefling woman and shudders. "I...I.... you said Nyserian Manor? That... can't be. Kandro Nyserian... he's my friend."
"And a noble." Aravashnial rubs in, rather childishly for a man going on 150 years old.
Horgus doesn't reply. He just looks sad.
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Li'an picks through the bag of gems, trying to get a feeling for what's in it as she enters the main room.
"So if Radiance was stolen by cultists, it's likely that Irabeth's was as well, isn't it? Did Kandro Nyserian know about the weapon and where it was kept Horgus? Even if it wasn't him, perhaps his staff was infiltrated and he mentioned it without thinking?"
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"And I'm sure every one of these cultists, including Hosilla and what'sis'face were people's friends, too. They're not all bad people. To get where these guys are... you kinda have to be monstrous. But it's easy to lose your way, you know?" she says, trying to get Horgus to focus more on her than the fact that he was being chided.
If she were stronger willed, she'd probably say something about a broken clock being right twice, or that if you threw enough darts at a map of Kenabres you'd have picked out every cultist in Kenabres as well... but she wasn't really the type to hurt feelings... even when they were being crushed by the offender.
"We don't have proof that he's a cultist until we find it. He could be a sympathizer, a cultist... or he could be in some sort of danger. Does he have any family? Anything someone could hold over his head?"
She frowned at Li'an; she was doing something Ary likely would have done, had she not cared about Horgus.
Li'an finds three chips of lapis lazuli, two bloodstones, a citrine, and a white pearl.
Horgus thinks. "Now that you mention it, yeah. I told him that I bought her sword....it probably was his staff. He always let the most undesirable riffraff into his manor. You get what you pay for, I always said to him."
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It is perhaps difficult to tell since he is already a quiet young man, but Ehren is stunned into silence by Radiance's reawakening. Receiving Torag's blessing at his temple was one thing, being graced by Desna's luck at a certain unmentionable chasm another. But this sword was as tangible as the earth around them. He could not help but to smile softly at its radiant glow.
Unfortunately, the reality of their situation did not leave much time for him to feel joy.
"Then that just leaves Topaz Solutions," Ehren says with a frown, "Today was my first time being in Kenabres... does that place sound familiar to anyone?"
"Was Irabeth's father's blade magical, Anevia?" Ary asked; it wasn't necessarily true that it was something significant... a well-maintained sword from the first or second (or even fourth) inquisition could probably be worth a pretty penny if it had a storied past.
"Actually... come to think of it. You didn't seem to care about weapons earlier, yet you bought one. Did you have a buyer lined up, or did it mean something to you?" she turned her attention back to Horgus.
Horgus huffs. "I don't, what need do I have for weapons? But she seemed very eager to sell it off, and I have no shortage of gold. I viewed it as a good investment. And for the meantime, a nice conversation piece to go over my fireplace."
Anevia nods, frowning slightly. "It was a gift from her father... it had been passed down through the Tirablade family for generations. It was enchanted to fight demons. I... I... still can't believe she sold it. It meant everything to her, to her faith, to our family..."
"Well, I suppose that solves that mystery then. If the manor is being used as a hide out, then we might be able to find it hidden there," Li'an said.
"Anyone have any experience appraising gems? I'm not really versed in the value of gems," she said, tossing the small pouch up in the air and catching it repeatedly. "I'd imagine you've seen more gems than us all combined Horgus, do you appraise your own gems?" she asked, holding out the pouch.
Horgus peers into the bag and snorts. "Semi-precious gems? No, girl, I only deal in stuff worth my time. You could maybe purchase one horse with that."
"Well, if you don't dislike weapons, you can carry my old sword, so you can have your own source of light, if you like." she says, holding it out, hilt first. "I'll have to get it back, though... it kinda belongs to the church."
"I don't really know anything about gems." Ary shook her head. "But speaking of gems, Topaz Solutions was an apothecary up top, wasn't it?"
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"So another sword meant to kill demons stolen by cultists for their own use." She sighs. "I think we're dealing with the worst kind of villains. The kind with a sense of irony."
She looks at Anevia walks over to her, putting a hand on one shoulder. "We'll get it back. We won't let it stay in the hands of a bunch of cultists."
Li'an lets out a sigh at Horgus's attitude regarding the gems and grabs the bag back. "I don't know how Ary does it," she thinks, eyeing Horgus briefly before putting the pouch away.
"So we've got a horse worth of semi-precious stones," she says to the others, mimicking Horgus's seeming disgust at having to value such worthless baubles.
"Yeah, I remember it vaguely. Proprietor's name was A-something. Alon? Algol?" she responds to Ary about Topaz Solutions.
"I suppose we won't know where we should go first until we find out where the way out of here takes us," Ehren says as he takes one of the cultist's daggers for himself, more for use as a tool than a weapon. He hesitates before going on. "Though I would like to get to the Kite as soon as possible. The menhir... I have to see it for myself."
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Walking over to Ary and Cheersing her blade with his hammer and a big grin,
"Wow Ary that is a beautiful blade! We are truly blessed of the gods this trip, it is unfortunate that the "trip" cost us so much... Regardless I will testify to the blade coming alive for you, I think it, or she, chose you I have not doubt!"
"I think Ary needs more healing then me, especially if we are going to be fighting demons, she does have all the cold iron after all, perhaps I should stay behind with the rear guard."
Horgus watches Hrut peer at the gems closely.
"The pearl is the only thing in there worth mentioning. Maybe 10 platinum for that."
Anevia smiles warmly at Ary. "D'awww you really do care! But you really need to get that leg looked at. You are bleeding all over these people's dining room. Talk about rude!" she gestures to the big meeting hall, which is basically covered in cultist blood anyway.
Ary gives Anevia a slight shrug; Irabeth had sold the sword, and didn't seem to be coerced. The connections also seemed to absolve Irabeth of foul play as well... for now. At least Li'an was good at this portion of the consoling... though if they got it back, she was going to be completely torn: Give it to a crusader that will use it... or give it to the owner who will hang it over his mantle.
"It is, isn't it?" she said with a grin. "But... no, it's definitely best that you're on the front lines. Cold Iron or no, you're just... better at it. You'll be a terror once we get you equipped properly."
She looks down at her leg, and sighs. "First Fen'wen, now you, too? Ugh..." she says as she starts to dig out the healing potion.
"Last chance to help me stop being outnumbered before I drink it."
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"Alright, I cannot turn down the Chosen One of the Tunnels if she wants me to get beat down first and then come in at the end and save everyone, I guess that is how it is going to be!" Hrut chirps back with a hearty laugh.
Li'an found a cleanish section of floor and sat herself down, finally allowing herself a chance to rest. "I'm sorry Ary, no one will save you this time. You're doomed to be healed by that potion," she said , teasing Ary.
"Mmhmm. I'll be waiting for all the glory in the back, where it's nice and safe, and no one but me gets torn to shreds." she proceeded to uncork the vial and drink it, wincing slightly. "I swear these things taste like concentrated almonds."
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"We can take the supplies back to the village and then head back through the tunnels."
"Agreed. Any of the arms and armor we're not using can be of use to the people of Neathholm. Normally I'd suggest we sell the extra stuff, but we're getting well-armed allies out of it so..." She shrugs.
"A trip back to Neathholm to help them get the supplies back there sounds reasonable to me. It's only an hour round trip and it's still fairly early in the day. Should we take out the two creatures Hosilla had summoned that are further down the path first?" she asks, wondering if it's safe to leave without having dealt with them first.
"That... is a good question. We don't know how they'll react to her defeat. Actually, I'm surprised she didn't call them when the fight turned against her. Or bring them to begin with when the other cultists showed up."
"Worst case scenario they attack the village we are in and we maul them like ants on a grasshopper, I would rather take the stuff back, make sure the mongrelfolk that were lead astray are dealt with properly, then come back when it is just us and no dead weight, personally."
"I believe that we should kill the demons before we go anywhere. We don't want them wandering around anywhere, especially with our allies, sans cold iron, around here." pipes in Markus, He reaches into his own pack and withdraws a potion, offering it out to Ary. "You probably need this as well."
Anevia yawns, plopping herself up onto the table to sit down. She stretches out, fully extending her arms and back. "Liiiiii'an watcha talkin' about? We've been at this forever. Not that I'm not in a huge hurry to get to the surface or anything. I can't wait to see Irabeth again. But I only have a couple of hours left in me, I think."
Lann winces at Hrut's wording, and the other mongrels murmur softly.
Wenduag's eyes narrow. "Right. So how would you like them "dealt with" if we're not guarding them while you head up to the tunnel exit?" She points at the three unconscious bodies on the floor.
Hosilla begins to stir awake, moaning. She is fully unarmed, her things on a pile on the ground nearby.
Anevia plops off the table and limps into the other room looking for arrows. Unfortunately, they are all broken, except one.
"6 arrows left already," she sighs. "Why do we keep finding only crossbow bolts? Cultists need to stop being lazy about their ranged weaponry. Build a nice bow arm."
Anevia's exhaustion made Li'an reconsider. "You're doing much better than I would in your situation, Anevia. I suppose we've all earned some rest, but we'll still need to hang on for another couple hours."
Li'an frowned at Hrut's use of the term, "After all their hospitality, to still call them that..."
"Lets kill the demons then to be sure. The worst case isn't them attacking us in town, it's them waiting until we're gone and then attacking the town when they're least expecting it. I'm not sure how intelligent they are, but perhaps they could even flee to the surface in search of help."
"Hosilla's waking it seems," Li'an says, getting up and walking over. "Someone have some rope? I can tie her and the others up."
When she'd finished tying them up she wandered over to Ary. "Ary, do you mind if I have a look at that wand? I think I could put it to use."
Ary watches the suddenly icy (by comparison) demeanor of the cultists, and wonders what upset them. Maybe it was the dead weight comment, and they didn't get the joke.
She shrugs a little, nothing for it, as she slides the wand Li'an-ward, and digs out her rope for her to use.
She then rolls her eyes and drinks the potion that Markus profers. "I'm gonna feel really badly when someone else dies because I drank all the magic water."
Her leg wound scabs over and seals up most of the way, just leaving an icky purple-brown-yellow bruise that looks like it's a bit hard to move.
"So... I'm thinking while it's a good idea to clear out the demons... it'd be better to help our friends get all of what they need moved safely back to town. We can rest and recuperate, a little more, and then head topside... I'm in a hurry to get up there, but I'm not in a hurry to get us all killed by rushing. If less than a dozen able-bodied folks are the difference between Kenabres falling and holding up another day..." she shrugs, trying to rationalize her decision to be safe, rather than sorry, when people's lives were on the line.
"Your Chieftain suggested that he was ready to head topside with us if we could get people to support it. Do you guys think you could learn to use all this armor and these glaives and stuff by the time that happens? It'd be rather nice to see you guys beating them back with their own weapons." Ary grins, "And this is some of the best armor I've ever seen for someone who values mobility. If you guys want it, you're welcome to any of it. Just as long as you'll put it to use."
She then turns her attention to the others, "If you've got any dead weight, stuff you won't be using in a fight, you could probably pass it off to one of us mules." she motions to Hrut and herself, "That'll keep you spring chickens a bit more lively, and won't hold us up overmuch."
"We should definitely take all the glassware and paper they've got, whether the potions and magic will be of value is a good question, but I'm sure it's worth its weight in ways to avoid dying."
Lann looks at the glaives and nods. "I think so. They don't look too difficult to use. If we can move back to the surface I am sure they will come in handy for fighting alongside you."
"We should not leave those creatures be," Ehren says with a frown.
"Yeah, yeah... and if they're demons, I've sworn an oath to send them home." she nods, getting to her feet.
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"Taking another night to rest might be a good idea. We have no idea what's up in the city and no idea where anyone friendly will be. If we go up unprepared, we're in for trouble. I say we clear the demons out and then get some rest before heading up the the surface."
"Ugh, I'm getting too old for this. And you immortally young types can shut yer pie-box." Anevia stands and stretches, winking at Valaria, Li'an, and Markus. "You can wait one more day, cantcha, Irabeth?" she murmurs.
Wenduag nods, picking up a glaive and giving it a few experimental swipes. "We can watch these people right here. Worst comes to worst we throw them into the refuse pile."
In the background, Hosilla groans, but she is clearly too out of it to say much.
"Okay, so, Hrut in front? Or are we scouting? Are we ready to go or do you want to patch up more first? Remember - demons are telepathic, so once we've alerted one we've alerted the mess of 'em," Anevia continues.
Val frowns and looks over the group.
"Most of us aren't too badly hurt anymore. It's up to Ary and Hrut if they want more healing or if they're ready to go. As for scouting, I think we already know more of less where they are and I'd rather have everyone together if we're battling demons."