My Lady Starsong, thank you for guiding my steps... Isilme mouths silently as she watches the butterflies drift by one after another until she is surrounded by a swarm of them. She reaches out to touch her goddess's ephemeral guides, but they merely float through her hand. "Val, are you seeing this as well?" Isilme asks after noticing Valaria looking about as well.
"One moment... What is ahead of us through the double doors, Joran?" she asks, her gaze fixed on the doors ahead. Listening carefully, she tries to make out if anything might be moving beyond it.
"Oh, more dungeons, jail cells. Nul's torture chamber. The jail wardens' barracks. It doesn't connect to where yer goin'," Joran responds.
You don't hear anything.
Isilme gets close enough to the jail cells to see that some of them are occupied. But they seem long-dead... they aren't moving, and they smell.
Ehren flinches when he first steps into the chamber, taken aback by the unseeable evil that permeates the place. As foul and chaotic as they were, even the Wounded Lands did not wear away at him the way the dungeon did. Walking barefoot through that teeth-ridden wasteland did not seem so bad by comparison. The whispers only make matters worse, but they are quickly drowned out by Isilme's tune.
"Is something wrong, Isilme?" Ehren asks with a frown, wondering what might have caught her attention. With the ritual seemingly close to completion, he was wary of anything that might distract them from their task.
Ary wasn't pleased with leaving a potent enemy weapon behind, but it would have been a waste to return to the room and get it herself, one that possibly could have resulted in danger to her allies... and so against her better judgment, she leaves it, heading down into the dark behind Joran. With a bit of luck, none of their foes would stumble upon the thing.
Ary visibly flinches, tilting her head as they step into the darkness below... despite the fact that Ehren's magics prevented the darkness from reaching them, despite this, Ary moves calmly forward, if a bit slowly. "Is... is this what the Abyss always feels like?" Ary asks, clearly perturbed. "Is it worse?" she asks, looking to Xanderghul. "Perhaps it's energy pooling outwards from the rift they're working on?" she suggests, pausing as Isilme looks away from the direction they were going and stops. She doesn't parrot Ehren's question, though her sentiments are the same, as she stands with Faith at the ready, Radiance held gingerly in her hand.
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Stepping into the aligned dungeon filled Xanderghul with a strange, nameless anxiety. He hadn't felt this sensation in literally hundreds of years, and it was one which he had hoped would not play a repeat performance in his life. To combat the homely feeling of comfort, he digs a sharp thumb into the knuckle of his index finger. The sharp pain helps him focus, and he follows the rest of the group further into the dungeon.
While neither Hinagiku nor Ary had really elaborated upon their ideas, Xanderghul could tell that they were both on the right idea. He nods to Hinagiku. "Yes, I think it has to do with the ritual. This is raw Abyssal energy, strongly aligned towards destruction and chaos. It is like this everywhere you go in the Abyss... deeply uncomfortable for everyone and everything that doesn't share demonic ideology."
"If it's progressed this far, we must be running out of time..." Taking a moment, he refreshes his illusory protections, surrounding himself with many fake copies. The spell had performed perfectly in the last fight, and he knew that there would be another.
Xanderghul's next worry was about this Vhane fellow. The dwarf had helped them against the lessor demons in Staunton's retinue, and he had turned against his brother to do so, but Xanderghul hardly had a strong sense of familial loyalty, or much knowledge of what it was like. Just because Joran had used the heroes to get himself out from under the thumb of an abusive superior did not mean that he was a friend, or even an ally. He could just as likely be leading them into an ambush to advance his own position. He watches the dwarf carefully, ready for the worst.
"I definitely see it," Valaria murmurs in awe as the swarm of glowing butterflies drifts past them. One of her hands comes up to her cheek and she rubs it absently. "I can feel Lady Starsong's power stronger here. Perhaps she's trying to tell us something. Or guide us somewhere. There might be something down here that she wants us to see." There's a hint of obvious excitement in the tiefling's voice. Perhaps there's more to these dungeons than just evil and death. "I wonder if we're meant to see it now, or return once the ritual is stopped."
"The Song of Spheres would not send us down the wrong path at a time so vital," she says. "We should see what is here quickly.
"A vision from my lady Starsong, Ehren... It seems she would guide our steps to the rooms beyond this door," she adds, responding to the Archdruid's voiced concern.
"I... am uncertain that we have the time, Isilme." Ary responds, but it's clear that she isn't against the idea. "It could wait until after we are finished, I am certain... but if you truly believe it's a vision from Desna, then it's important that we follow it. We haven't gotten this far by ignoring the divines."
Hinagiku's brow furrows at Isilme's comment. Was the song of sphere truly calling, or was the evil of this place trying to mislead them? Hinagiku quickly searches in her mind for any spell she might have read about in her book on magic, and none seemed to be able to single out a person, illusions were there for all to see, not a few.
"If we are certain this is not a trick, than trusting in a goddess is wiser... " she whispers back, she did not have the impression that the Song of Sphere was the most dependable goddess, but she obviously opposed demons.
"Mr. Xanderghul, could this be where you saw the prisoner?"
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Xanderghul heaves a sigh. A great, big, deep sigh of exasperation. However, knowing his compatriots and how 'holier-than-thou' they all were, he restrains himself and keeps the sigh completely inward. A sort of mental sigh, where nobody could hear it. "You know," he says, "There are cultures where the shamans take psychoactive drugs before their 'visions'." He emphasizes it with finger-quotes before continuing, "You won't believe it - after they take the drugs, they see weird things."
Nonetheless, he beckons them towards the door that they're drawn towards. "Certainly could be, that's for sure," he says to Hinagiku. "Even if this is a god's vision... well, gods have their own agendas that they consider above the agendas of mortals. They're not always there to support you. Really, it's the other way around."
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"Unless you have something you need to tell us about our meals that you haven't shared, I very much doubt any of us are high at the moment," Val says dryly to the wizard's usual condescension. She wasn't sure how he managed to stand up in the morning with an ego that heavy. Her teeth grind together hard enough that those standing next to her can hear it, but she forces herself not to respond to his obviously targeted jab. "Apparently I had an assh*le phase and didn't realize it. Thank the gods I grew out of it." She takes a deep breath. "If it is a prisoner, then perhaps they're a follower of Desna. She might want us to help them."
"I believe this to be of great import," she answers Ary without hesitating. Her life had been in service to the Great Dreamer, and she intended to keep it that way, even if she was free to choose her own path now. She knew now--as she did then--that Desna would not lead them astray.
She turns towards the cantankerous shabti when he compares the sight before her to some religious ritual, rolling her eyes at him. "Hardly a surprising attitude coming from one who has lived your life, Xanderghul. I do not hold it against you. The Song of Spheres guides the steps of travelers and explorers. That she saw fit to grant both Valaria and I a vision is an indication that something of great import lies beyond these doors. Perhaps elsewhere and elsewhen what you say might be true, but here her goals are ours, as are those of the Inheritor."
"That seems a likely possibility, Val, or perhaps an item that might aid us in the trials and tribulations ahead." Turning back towards the door, she steps forward to open it. "Joran, we must check in here quickly before we continue deeper," she whispers, letting the dwarf know not to run off.
"What could she possibly want us to see in a place like this?" Ehren wonders aloud, his tone betraying genuine curiosity rather than skepticism. He goes quiet for a moment, his fingers habitually drumming the side of his staff as they often do when he is deep in thought. It certainly seemed possible that this was some matter of trick conceived to lead them astray, but it would be an awfully convoluted one.
Even after all the time he has spent around the two of them, Ehren could not claim to know very much about Desna. He knows that she is a good goddess, and that she is often the one to thank when they escape a narrow brush with death. He knows that two of the people he trusts the most have devoted themselves to her, and that they have received her blessings in turn. They were his friends. For this, that was more than enough for him.
Saying nothing of the countless herbs Green priests may or may not have partaken of, Ehren ignores Xanderghul, if only for plausible deniability. He gives Isilme and Valaria a nod, communicating his implicit trust.
"Alright. But let us hope that Lady Desna can bless us with more than just good luck."
Xanderghul shrugs. "I suppose it's all the more fool me for following you, if I'm truly skeptical, huh?" There was no convincing any of them, really. And besides that, it wasn't like Xanderghul was under the impression there was anything in this dungeon they could run into and not defeat. He just wasn't looking forward to the day that someone used their goddess to trick them into doing something terrible. And to be honest, that day could be today.
Hinagiku's tail and eyes suddenly stop flickering as the seed of an idea born from her kitsune mind finally pierces through her ordered thoughts. A subtle smile appears on her lips.
"Mr. Xanderghul, you say the evil here is a sign that the rift will soon be open... yet the Song of Spheres is calling Mrs. Isilme and Mrs. Valaria, why not use deception to gain time and find the source?" Hinagiku pauses, the idea so alien to her gives her pause, yet it still seemed the wiser. "yes... with Mr. Xanderghul's hat, you could appear as Mr. Staunton Vhane, and find what you need to find."
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"You only say that because you haven't experienced true faith before, Xanderghul. It looks foolish to those on the outside, I know," Ayavah says. She looks to Valaria. "Well, lead the way! I want to see what your goddess has in store for us."
Their mind made up, Isilme tries the door, but finds it locked. Joran sighs.
"Well... if ye insist Just be quick n' quiet. Don't want to rouse ol' Nul..." he says before trudging over to unlock the door.
Isilme and Valaria lead the heroes along, following their vision, down a long passageway that extends past multiple prison cells before ending with a barred chamber to the east. Like the previous cells, these contain prisoners... though they aren't moving, they don't quite smell like death, as the others did. An alcove along the south wall includes another set of iron doors leading south, while opposite this is a barred gate that provides access to another set to the north. It is towards these doors Isilme and Valaria are urged, and so, Vhane unlocks these as well.
This leads to a large interrogation chamber, flanked by two prison cells. The entryway to each cell is lined with multiple layers of arcane sigils scribed into the floor, lintels, and even on the bars of the door. While the symbols around the western door glow with a red light, those to the east do not, and its prison door hangs open.
Isilme and Valaria lead the heroes to this eastern cell, which they find empty. The walls have been decorated with the etchings of hundreds upon hundreds of butterfly images. The entire cell feels different from the rest of the dungeon, and those who enter find that the unsettling feeling dissipates as soon as they cross over the door, replaced by something soothing, like a mug of warm milk on a cold night. The constant undercurrent of whispers and moaning is noticeably absent within the room as well.
The stream of butterflies leads you past the prison cells, curving around the corner, and finally into this empty cell. The butterflies flutter into the cell, each landing to rest on one of the butterfly carvings on the wall. There, they rest for awhile, and you are surrounded on all sides by glowing, blue butterflies resting on the wall, their wings softly undulating.
The Song of the Spheres has clearly blessed this room. Your spirits uplifted, you can feel the aches in your body dissipate, and you feel stronger for it.
On the northern wall a short prayer has been etched into the stone:
"HEAR MY PRAYER, LADY LUCK. FOR IT IS LUCK I NEED IN ESCAPING THIS CELL, NOT JUST THE LIFE BEHIND THESE BARS, BUT AN ETERNITY SPENT SHACKLED TO THE ABYSS ITSELF. IF YOU TRULY ARE THE TENDER OF DREAMS, THEN TENDER UNTO ME A NEW EXISTENCE. LET ME SING THE SONG OF THE SPHERES, SEE THE STARS WITH NEWBORN EYES, AND ESCAPE THE PIT UNTO WHICH I HAVE BEEN CAST. BRING ME GOOD FORTUNE, MY LADY, BRING ME A NEW SPIRIT MADE CLEAN, AND I WILL FOREVER BE YOURS, IN LIFE, IN FAITH, IN ETERNITY. I AM READY. I AM FINALLY READY."
"Shackled to the Abyss itself..." Ayavah whispers, reading the inscription. "Hmmm."
Though the other heroes cannot see what Isilme and Valaria can see, they still feel reinvigorated when they enter the room as the goddess blesses each in turn. They feel stronger, and more ready for the challenges ahead... the goddess knows that they will need it.
Congratulations! The heroes are now Level 9!
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Xanderghul is too distracted by surprise and, frankly, wonder, to really take note of the powerful runic magic that covers the walls of these cells. If only there was some way to predict when deific intervention would or would not come into play.
As far as he can remember, Xanderghul can only recall one instance of a god personally interfering in the lives of mortals. That was the event which had brought Xanderghul to Golarion, long ago. In a way, he owes his life to Aroden's age-old war against the cults of Deskari. However, there are some who believe that Aroden's personal meddling is what had cost the god his life. Modern gods seem no longer to be able to exert personal influence on the world... or perhaps they simply had to be secretive about it.
As he considers this, his forehead begins to prickle. At once, a great torrent of magical knowledge begins to fill his mind. Xanderghul is well familiar with this situation - periodically, some knowledge seems to pass down from his creator's memory to his, so he doesn't act surprised at all. Still wary of trickery, as any trickster is, Xanderghul contemplates the nature of divinity and the vindication of his holy friends as his mind floods with new arcane power and his body with renewed vigor and skill. Without a word, he sits down with Brae-Hagen's old spellbook and begins to quickly inscribe new formulae into his book.
Hinagiku's tail flicker get less and less excited as Isilme and Valaria simply walk into the prison. Her kitsune mind was disappointed about the lack of treachery. But it did now matter now as they appeared quite safe, better than safe, they were in a haven. The feeling that slowly penetrates Hinagiku is enough to let her recenter herself and get ready for one more battle.
"An escaped prisoner then... good. Maybe they will join us in our fight against whoever is leading the ritual." Hinagiku whispers, getting ready to head.
"Indeed," Val murmurs, her voice barely higher than a whisper. One hand reaches out and touches one of the butterfly carvings on the wall. She can feel the warmth from her own mark of Desna seeming to pulse in time with the soft fluttering of the wings of the spectral butterflies that surround them. "One who was indeed blessed by Lady Desna. I wonder if this was meant to give us just a moment's respite so we could be stronger for the coming battles, or if it's simply a lingering echo of the Song of the Sphere's blessing to help them escape." She closes her eyes and takes a moment to bask in the relief from the Abyssal energies surging outside. It may be the only moment of relief they get until the battle is won. "This prayer is curious. Perhaps they were repentant and imprisoned for it. It seems they turned against the Abyss. Once the battle is won, we can see what we can learn of them and what happened here."
Suffused with the warmth of Desna's blessing, Ehren closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of contentment, glad to be rid of the dungeon's malign influence, if only for a little while. In that moment of perfect peace, he focuses inward and finds in himself a new power, a power cultivated by time and experience. It felt as though a whole world of possibilities had just been opened to him; all he had to do to realize them was reach out and grasp them. Suddenly, his fears and doubts about the future no longer seemed so important.
When he opens his eyes again, he reads the prayer on the wall, increasingly curious about the cell's former occupant. He could not shake the feeling that this was a fated encounter. But what did it mean?
"This blessing was meant for us as much as it was meant for them," Ehren suggests to Valaria as he steps back out of the cell. The unsettling aura creeps back in, but it does not seem to bother him as much as it did before.
As Ary steps into the room, the badgering influences of the abyssal rift vanish, and in their place... an epiphany. Something that had been troubling her for days, perhaps weeks, had finally puzzled itself out: How to save Sana. And while this was assuredly not an answer for all of the predicament, but one simplified answer for a trick that wouldn't be expected at all by the shadow demon: A ranger binding it in a circle. It was completely unorthodox and may well allow the heroes to free Sana without ever touching her. Ary chews her lip as she looks to writing on the wall. "Thank you, Starsong." she says simply with a nod of acknowledgement.
"These runes... there aren't many things that they could be used for. Binding, Discipline... they must have something to do with the cell. Xanderghul, do you still have that powdered silver? I think I just figured out how to use a bit of it."
Anevia for her part sticks a finger into her ear and twists it a few times as she enters the cell. "Augh, that's so much better. There's been pressure ever since we changed altitude." Anevia says with a grin. "So... what was in here, Xander?" Anevia asks as she looks at the wall with interest, as she stands in the calm space, she seems to relax, and the shadows cast by Ehren's daylight spell seem to deepen along her form.
Xander closes his book and stands, putting it away among with other books. "A hooded prisoner and a couple of kelavakus," he says, breathing deep through his nose. He feels very good. Ready to take on ... well, something. A vampire and some cultist spellcasters, if he knew well enough. "You think Desna's blessing eradicated the jailers or did our prisoner?"
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Isilme walks into the cell, entranced by the carvings of butterflies about the room. She steps carefully across the threshold and approaches the wall, her hand moving across the surface, disturbing the repose of the butterflies that had come home to their carvings. As her hand passes by, they flutter out of the way, swirling about her briefly before returning to their resting spots. Turning to read the prayer carved in the wall, she wonders who it was that had been trapped here.
Whomever you are, you were set free by my lady Starsong as well it seems. she thinks as she looks about the room. Images of her return to the world after Li'an's death and of her visitation by Desna in her dreams after the Grey Garrison flash through her mind, reminding her of how far she'd come herself. Lost deeply in admiration for her goddess, her hand comes to rest on the wall, but instead of the cold stone she feels a warmth emanating. Turning back to her hand she watches as, one-by-one displaced butterflies land upon the back of her hand. Instead of resting there, however, they sink into her hand, collectively taking the form of an ornate butterfly tattoo of intertwined silver and blue.
She holds up her hand, examining the mark of her goddess and focusing further on the warmth. Moments later the symbol begins to glow with a blue light and a wave of energy spreads out from her, filling the chamber with a healing energy. As the wave dissipates she turns to the others. "A gift from the Song of Spheres," she says in a mixture of surprise and delight. "As she has blessed us all, it would seem. I knew that she would not lead us astray in our time of need."
"It is more than just an echo, Val, but I also believe we are meant to find this prisoner. After all, if appears to be luck and coincidence, then it is just as likely the intended outcome. If my lady Starsong granted freedom to this prisoner, it was likely by disabling whatever those runes were outside the room, and not by causing harm to her jailer. Ary is right, it must the runes have been some sort of binding spell. Perhaps the others are seeking out the prisoner as we speak. I hope that they will be able to protect themselves until we can find them or free Drezen from this demonic occupation, even if they cannot aid us directly."
"Well," responds Xanderghul, choosing to overlook the rapturous glee that fills Isilme for the moment, "If Desna didn't zap her jailers away, it means we've probably still got a couple of kelavakus lurking around. We'll have to watch out."
Taking his own advice, he moves to stand by the door and in the hallway. He cagily looks both ways, nodding at Joran if the dwarf is still out there and hasn't just run away. Religious events of opposing religions often were dangerous, after all. "If you guys are done reveling, I think we're still in a hurry, last time I checked." As much as he couldn't deny that they had received a definite divine blessing, the... praising and all that bothered him. Obedience to a higher power based off of its infinite power seemed silly when there were so many different omnipotent beings in play, and when they weren't really able to play any direct part in the lives of mortals. He just didn't understand it, and even more importantly, they were in the middle of something important.
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"When coincidence seems too convenient, I prefer to call it fate," Ehren remarks with a slight smile, watching Isilme curiously. A destined encounter awaited them over the horizon - of that he was certain. But the path that would lead them there would not be without peril. Xanderghul was right to be wary. Victory seemed close at hand, but one misstep is all it would take for everything to be lost.
"The prisoner carries Desna's blessing, just as we do. Let's worry about ourselves for now," he says, turning to join the wizard in moving onward.
"Let us make haste then," Isilme responds turning one last time to look at the cell and its inscriptions before heading out.
Val nods and shakes herself. "You're right. My apologies, the aura of this cell is distracting. I'm ready to keep moving."
From her vantage point by the door, Hinagiku is able to see the effect the room has on her allies, from the frantic scribbing of Xanderghul to the religious awe of Isilme. A small smile appears at the corner of the monk's mouth. But soon disappears to be replaced by a blank stare as the bard emanates a wave of healing energy; that is something she had not expected. The power of the gods was truly amazing.
"Yes, we should go now." she then adds to her companions words.
As Isilme finishes her channel, the burst of silvery energy bursts out from her tattoo and fills the room, roiling past them and deeper into the dungeon.
Suddenly, the butterflies on the wall take flight once more, exploding forth in one enormous swarm. They fly out and back from where they came, vanishing from sight as they turn the corner.
The dungeon itself shakes and trembles, and the divine magic from the room seems to dissipate. However, the omnipresent evil seems to have been suppressed, at least for the time being...
Timer: Round 87 Round 67!
But there isn't much time to gather their thoughts, as a group of prison guards passes through the hallway at that moment... the heroes, having left the doors open, are readily visible from the halls.
"Oh shi-" exclaims one of the guards, quickly drawing a falchion from his side.
Hinagiku = 21
Mook #6 = 21
Mook #3 = 20
Isilme = 19
Ehren = 17
Ary = 17
Joran Vhane = 16
Anevia = 14
Valaria = 13
Mook 5 = 9
Mook 2 = 9
Xanderghul = 7
Mook 4 = 6
Mook 1 = 5
Ayavah = 4
Round 1!
1. Hinagiku (longstrider, aligned fists)
2. Mook #6, Mook #3
3. Isilme (expeditious retreat)
4. Ehren (greater longstrider, ant haul, 2 CHA drain)
5. Ary (longstrider, heroism, AoO stance, darkvision, enlarge person)
6. Joran Vhane
7. Anevia (darkvision, 2 CHA drain, sniper eye stance)
8. Valaria (m. heroism, aligned starknives x2, blur, sniper eye stance)
9. Mook #5, Mook #2
10. Xanderghul (see invis, 4 mirror image, 1 STR drain, 3 CHA drain, longstrider)
11. Mook #4, Mook #1
12. Ayavah (resist fire)
Hinagiku is up!
Hinagiku's ears perk up as she suddenly becomes aware of the approaching guards and enters her fighting stance. With a few sweeping strides she winds down the corridor and quickly swipe at the man's legs. And, as the cultist falls, she softly whispers to her friends.
"I can see three... and... wait, some bloodied people... what..."
When Hinagiku steps out into the hallway, two additional jailors charge at her, blades drawn. But she uses their momentum against them, dodging beneath the first's swinging blade and leaving them off-balance. But she soon finds herself flanked on both sides, and one manages to leave a shallow cut through her already tattered cheongsam.
Isilme, Ehren, Ary, Anevia and Valaria are up!
Wasting no time, Ary quickly crosses the intervening space, stepping in beside Hinagiku to slam her shield into the nearest cultist, disrupting them from taking advantage of her ally's exposed flank.
Anevia meanwhile slips into the opening created by her Commander's movements and neatly looses an arrow through the intervening space, aiming for a chink in the tiefling's armor.
The weakening of the taint of the abyss feels like a breath of fresh air to Isilme. She smiles noticably for a moment before the call from the guards and Hinagiku's warning bring her attention back to the matters at hand. "Staunton has fallen and the Song of Spheres has granted us a reprieve from the oppressive nature of the abyss! We will not fail those depending on us in Paradise Hill and back at Nerosyan!" Stopping next to Joran, she draws her rapier and prepares to fight the incoming cultists.
Ehren, Ary, Anevia and Valaria are up!
Val hurries to get to the front of the group as the Abyssal cultists swarm toward them. "At this point, all these guys are doing is being a nuisance," she sighs as the cultist swarm around them.
Ehren is up!
Ehren looks over his shoulder with a frown, disappointed but unsurprised to see that more cultists have arrived. Still holding his daylight-imbued chunk of rubble, he extends his index finger and points it at one of the cultists. He could feel himself brimming with new power, but there was no need to waste it on these foes. The tip of his finger glows green, before suddenly firing a glowing projectile of acid.
After Ehren douses the cultist in front of him with acid, Ary steps in front of him and smashes him heavily into the wall with Faith. Anevia carefully lines up her shot against the opposite cultist, leaving an all-but deadly wound. Seeing how easily they tore through the first two, the other cultists seem to opt to keep their distance. Two more file in and draw bows, and arrows that light up with magical flame. The closer of the two fires at Ary - she is the largest target, after all - but her hands are already trembling and her shot veers wildly. Ary easily blocks it with her over-sized shield, and the arrow snaps in half on impact. Joran then lumbers forward and smacks one of the cultists upside the head. He falls to the ground, unconscious, bleeding heavily from both the wound on his head and the wound on his side.
Xanderghul is up!
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Xanderghul's focus doesn't waver as their nice shiny religious moment is interrupted by a patrol of poor, hapless, about-to-die-pointless-deaths guardsmen. He supposes, as he moves into battle, that it was literally exactly what they had wished for. They were Deskaran cultists. Dying a pointless death was kind of the end that they were all looking for.
In that way, from a certain perspective, Xanderghul could see the appeal of Iomedae. A hero never fails to die a heroic death, and Iomedae's soldiers nearly all aspire to be heroes. On the other hand, they seem to have a foolish penchant of seeking out that death. You can't have everything, he supposes.
His appearance shifts as he moves past Ary, his true location flickering and blurring. Instead of a clear picture of the multiple Xanderghuls, a blur covers the entire range of his motion and he only appears sporadically within it, making it impossible to intercept him as he approaches. Getting into position, he raises a hands and, with a quick arcane phrase, a burst of multicolored light washes over three of the cultists beside him. The light overwhelms their senses and threatens to send them crashing to the ground, stunned or unconscious.
The flash of light knocks two of the cultists out of the fight almost entirely. Further away, one of the cultists steps to the side to line up a better shot. He then fires twice at Xanderghul, but he simply destroys two of his duplicates.
Ayavah is up!
Ayavah hesitantly moves down toward the fight, keeping a bit back from anyone with an actual weapon drawn. "If you're going to be such a big target..." She reaches out and touches Ary's back and a shimmering haze forms around the towering warrior.
Just as Ayavah finishes her spell, two babaus suddenly materialize out of nowhere in the middle of the hallway, flanking either side of Xanderghul.
Round 2!
Hinagiku is up!
As soon as Hinagiku sees Xanderghul’s predicament, she steps in, only leaving a whisper behind.
”I am leavig this one to you ms. Valaria.”
With flowing movements she closes in with the wizard, and keeping her back to his and his multiple images, she slowly pivotes to get a view down both corridors before stepping out and with a surprise strike, knee the babau’s leg.
”There is one more guard down the corridor.” she whispers as she steadies herself for retaliation.
Hinagiku knocks one of the babau to the ground, only for another one to appear behind her...
Isilme, Ehren, Ary, Anevia and Valaria are up!
Unperturbed by the appearance of their enemies, Ary slams her shield into the Babau that appeared between Xanderghul and freedom, putting the full force of her form into the movements, slamming him into the wall to make space for a simple egress for Xanderghul. "I've got you, Xander." she calls out, her tone resonating.
Anevia, meanwhile slips into the corner - the shadowy-est one, deep and dark, and isolated from the daylight of Ehren's magical pebble. She leans back for a moment, looking around the room, before finally firing at the only enemy not already flattened into a wall or on the ground, threading the needles that were her allies to try for the perfect shot.
"And I've got him finished." Val raises her daggers and delivers several quick, stabs, driving the blades into the blood demon's hide.
Ehren did not have anything particularly exciting to contribute to this battle. Despite the second wind granted to them by Desna, he was still woefully short on spells. Those few he did have, he would not waste on the likes of these cultists. He gives the babaus some consideration, but seeing their rather precarious positioning, he decides to trust the others to take care of them.
Finger still extended and glowing stone still in hand, Ehren looks for a clear line of fire in the crowded hallway before launching another bolt of acid at one of the cultists.