Rue nods firmly, steeling herself as she heads back into the fog for the fallen. Her crimson eyes fall on Hinagiku’s limp form, barely visible through the poisonous haze.
“Hang on, Hinagiku! I’ve got you!” she shouts, kneeling beside her fallen friend. Gripping Hinagiku under her arms, Rue pulls with all her might, dragging the unconscious woman out of the toxic fog and into clean air.
As the mist clears, Rue’s eyes widen in horror at the sight before her. Hinagiku’s face is horribly marred, a deep, ragged wound slicing from above her eye down across her cheek, exposing her teeth and gums beneath. Blood trickles freely from the gash, pooling on the ground beneath her.
But she’s breathing.
“You’re alive,” Rue breathes, her voice trembling. “You’re alive.” She brushes a hand over Hinagiku’s forehead, as if to reassure herself further.
Looking for Beatrix, Rue calls out, “Help me stabilize her!"
Even as she works quickly to bind the bleeding wound with strips of cloth torn from her own sleeve, she glances back toward where Unafe disappeared. “End him, Unafe. Make him pay for this!”
Unafe runs off and bursts into the room. Her eyes sweep across the space, noting the mundane northern third—a stove, a pool of water, a firepit, and table cluttered with the remnants of daily life. The open door to the barren pantry barely warrants a glance.
Her attention shifts to the central portion of the room, where a long wooden table and stools sit undisturbed, starkly contrasting the remnants of the battle behind her out in the hallway - which had been wrecked by the archdruid's powerful magic. The southern end, however, holds her focus. The scattered scrolls on the floor amidst the bookcases seem to suggest hasty retreat.
Sana emerges into a large untouched chamber. The stark emptiness feels wrong, contrasting sharply with the room outside - the furniture there had been strewn about by the archdruid's magic and the furious battle that had taken place within. Her sharp gaze sweeps the room, taking in the strange lack of detail. Her eyes catch on a single table along the southern wall, beneath which rests a large chest secured with a heavy padlock.
While Rue drags Hinagiku and Yui from the gas cloud, Beatrix puts her arms under the Archdruid's armpits and hauls him into the next room over. Once there, she checks them over for injuries, rinsing erstwhile fatal wounds with a bit of clean water before binding them with bandages.
While Unafe and Sana search the complex for Vang and his other accomplices, Beatrix tries to get the Archdruid on his feet. She only had enough healing magic for one of them, and from the looks of it, the Archdruid was already the better-off of the pair. Plus, he was more valuable alive.
Sana breathes a long, ragged breath as she rematerializes fully. "Sorry, Opal. I think you're good to talk again... no more bad guys around just now. We're going to go look for more bad people, though. And talk to some good people. Then we're going to explore for shiny treasure."
Opal hesitates for a moment, before humming slightly, "I'm sorry I wasn't very good."
Sana's brow furls under her helmet as she fights back more tears. "You were very good. You did your best, and we'll do better in the future. I think nearly everyone survived. We'll do better in the future. We'll be ready to protect them next time. I tried to make us good at everything... and didn't protect the people who were actually good at those things. And I should have trusted them. Maybe if I'd talked to them instead of just showing up..." she huffs. "Anyway. Lots of people still to protect. Let's get going, yeah?" she finishes. She heads over to the box, eyeing it for traps.
Sana heads back the way she came, hoping to meet up with Unafe. Her eyes dart to the fallen captain for a moment, making a mental note that they needed to deal with all of the dead... not just her.
With the worst of his injuries mended, Ehren stirs, slowly rousing back into consciousness. His single eye opens and sees a familiar ceiling, giving him context enough to realize they are still in the sanctum. He quickly sits upright, eliciting a pounding headache, but he can scarcely afford to care in light of what he last remembers. The acrid stench of Vang's noxious cloud spells still hangs heavy in the air, information enough to convince him that it could not have been that long since he went unconscious. And yet, the battle appears to be over.
"Thank you," he says to Beatrix, realizing she is the one who healed him. His eye soon drifts to Hinagiku and Yui, both still alive but in critical condition. Staggering onto his feet, he moves to his fiancee's side, at once relieved and concerned.
"Vang... is he dead?" Ehren asks no one in particular, unable to fathom how they could all still be alive otherwise.
Unafe groans as she takes in the spilt scrolls on the floor.
"We've beaten you once, Vang," she grumbles, "And we'll beat you again. Before too long."
She pick up a handful the scrolls in case one might be useful for healing her companions, and then hustles to help out.
As Unafe reenters the room with her companions, she is relieved to see Ehren sitting up. "Praise the ancestors, you're alive!
"...Sadly, Vang is too. He took the coward's path, teleporting away when he was within one blow of death. We will track him down though; evil like his cannot be left to fester.
"First though, we must see to our other companions. Does Hinagiku yet live? Can you revive her and Yui? It's quiet for now but I know better than to think we're truly safe, anywhere in this Wound."
Turning her attention to the chest, Sana crouches, carefully inspecting it. Satisfied it isn’t trapped, she hefts the heavy box into her arms and begins making her way back to rejoin the others.
As she does, Rue's attention shifts to the chest Sana brought back. "That chest might hold something useful—or a clue," she suggests. "If Vang left in a hurry, maybe he left behind something that points to where he fled."
She kneels next to the chest, her fingers brushing the heavy padlock. "We should take a look before we move on. If it holds his plans or anything to help us track him, we can’t afford to leave it behind."
Sana pauses for a moment, she'd intended to deliver the box to the group, and suggest for where to move people, and try to rally who was available to continue searching the building for threats, and then useful tools... but Rue made a point, that the box and where it had come from likely meant it had things more valuable in the moment.
She slumps down and slides the box onto the ground, flicking her arm and wrist. Several metal tools leap from her gauntlets as she bends down to begin working on the padlock. Amber comes over to provide its brilliant light... while it's still available. She nods to Myrna as she bolsters her work with Iomedae's blessing.
"There weren't any enemies in the south and western sections of the building. We still have several rooms we haven't been to or through. I propose we sweep the place, first for threats, then for resources." she shares as she works at puzzling out the lock.
"So, my thoughts on what needs doing right now, is that Unafe and I are in... decent health, and should scout out the building. We can move folks into the barracks, and I can leave Amber with the rest of you while you work to recover the team. If we go this route, I can move Amber to let you guys know we're in danger, if that occurs. Alternately, Rue can stay near the center of the building, if she's willing, and we can keep her updated on everything going on."
She pauses for a moment as she feels another bit of the puzzle fall into place. "We did a lot of good here today. We didn't get Vang... and people got hurt... but you guys took down the retrievers, which could have devastated the Crusades. You broke a terrorist cell apart. You took over an enemy stronghold at least for now." she pauses again, "And maybe we helped some folks that otherwise would have been completely helpless."
Rue watches intently as Sana works on the lock. The faint light of Amber gleams off the tools in Sana’s gauntlet, casting intricate shadows over the chest’s weathered surface. The succubus crosses her arms, listening as Sana outlines her plan, her brow furrowing in thought.
"That’s a solid plan. I can stay here, keep watch and act as a communication hub. If something happens, I’ll be ready to alert the others and step in if needed."
As Sana continues, her expression softens. "You’re right. This wasn’t perfect, but it was important. It’s easy to focus on the failures, but we need to acknowledge the wins. People will live because of what we did here today. And Vang? He’ll slip up. We’ll find him again. Next time, he won’t get away."
Sana opens the chest and finds:
- -- two empty vials with a strange, purple residue.
- -- There is a thick journal written in Abyssal and in code.
- -- There is also a small rectangular-shaped platinum coffer, it does not appear to be locked.
The click of the lock opening draws Rue’s attention. Her eyes narrow as Sana lifts the lid, revealing the chest’s strange contents. Rue steps closer, crouching slightly to examine the items. "Empty vials... that residue looks ominous. Whatever was in them, it wasn’t benign." She picks up the journal gingerly, flipping through the pages briefly, before putting it back.
"This journal... it’s in Abyssal, but it is encoded. Vang didn’t want anyone reading this, that’s for sure. Sorry, I can't make heads or tails of it. But this feels... important. Are any of you skilled at cracking codes? Or do you know someone? Maybe with the Crusades?" Her gaze flicks to the small platinum coffer, her brow arching slightly. "And this? Platinum doesn’t feel like Vang’s style—it’s too... refined. Wonder what's in it?"
"I can tend to their wounds more thoroughly once we are settled in the barracks," Ehren says to the others plaintively, holding Hinagiku's hand and giving it a gentle caress. As upsetting as the news of Vang's escape is, he takes heart from Sana's encouraging words. He looks up at her, managing a small, crooked smile. "Thank you, Sana. If you had not shown up when you did, we would be much worse off than we are now."
The druid still had many questions about how she ended up in the Ivory Sanctum, but they would have to wait.
"Maybe the purple stuff is that crystal they've been using to empower their side." Sana suggests. "It would explain why Vang was so juiced." she says, as she eyes it. "Could probably find someone in the Crusades who would want to study it." she adds as she turns her attention to the coffer, ignoring the book. "Linguistics isn't something I'm great at. I can try to help later, but... it's definitely not my cup of tea. I just know enough to make a fool of myself in mixed company."
Sana carefully inspects the coffer, her keen eyes and magic-attuned senses scouring its surface for anything out of place. The faint shimmer of Amber’s light enhances her focus, ensuring every detail is scrutinized. After a long moment, she relaxes slightly. She opens the coffer.
Inside, her eyes are met with the unexpected—a large glass jar labeled "Zepha’s Heavenly Biscotti". Inside are 6 individually wrapped pieces of biscotti, neatly arranged and dipped or drizzled in rich chocolate. Beneath it rests a single, elegantly crafted arrow. The shaft is fashioned from dark, silvery wood polished to a mirror-like sheen, etched with delicate, glimmering patterns resembling wind currents. Its fletching is made of deep indigo feathers with iridescent edges that shimmer between violet and gold. The golden arrowhead is razor-sharp, shaped like a stylized leaf with faintly glowing runes engraved along its surface, and at its base rests a tiny sapphire gem that pulses softly with inner light.
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Between the healing and honey restoring her constitution, Yui begins to regain consciousness. The first sensation that comes to her is a burning pain in her lungs as she breathes in. Rolling over off the bed, she falls onto all fours on the floor she begins to cough violently, gasping for air. Blood and phlegm spatter on the floor as her fit continues. When she finally is able to catch her breath, she sits back, her legs folded under her and wipes the blood from her mouth.
"Thank you, Ehren," she says as she sees him beside her with what she assumed was an emptied potion jar. Reaching out she calls to Kurushimi, who dutifully appears in her hand. Using the polearm as a brace, she lifts herself up slowly, her chest still burning from the poison. Sitting back down on the bed and clearing her head, she recognizes this as the templar barracks.
"I assume we won then?" she asks the druid. Is Rue alright? What about Hinagiku and the others? You seem to have made it through."
Laying a hand on her chest, she begins to incant a healing spell before breaking out into a coughing fit. Catching her breath again she starts over, this time using her mastery of magic to ignore the verbal components entirely. A dim light washes over her, relieving the pain of the ribs that had been cracked by Vang's magic missiles.
"Has anyone been to study the retrievers?" she asks, curious to see if she could find anything useful in the modified abyssal creatures.
Seeing Hinagiku is still unconscious, Yui takes a moment to use her dwindling magical reserves to heal the monk. Reaching over she gently touches the monk on the shoulder and a warm, celestial light flows over her and through her wounds, slowly closing them.
Sana looks to the cookies dubiously for a moment, before putting them back in, and leaving the arrow be. "There's a pretty high chance... these belong to someone. Maybe the captain, maybe someone she knew. Maybe something else entirely." Sana says as she puts the things back into the box for now. She takes a moment to tame her dancing shadow, before picking up the box to take to the barracks with her allies, where Ehren was beginning the long process of surgically mending their wounds.
She drops off the box and heads to the bathroom, where they'd left the prisoners, taking off her helmet along the way, and having Amber float along behind her, since she was near enough to her allies. Her face softens when she sees the people they'd saved, not realizing until then how tense she still was.
"We think we're safe for now. Vang and a couple of adepts fled, but otherwise we took down most of the people we ran into... including the brain collectors. We're going to move everyone up to the barracks for now, which should be a bit more comfortable, while we do a sweep of the building, to make sure all the enemies are gone. I'm not sure when we'll be ready to move, though."
"There should be enough space for everyone to rest for now, though." she adds, before turning to Unafe, "I'm ready to search the building for threats when you are."
The prisoners, though weary and battered, begin to stir as Sana enters the washroom. Their eyes meet hers, expressions ranging from cautious hope to guarded relief as she delivers her update.
The other kellid, who had been sitting cross-legged with their back against the wall, rises to their full height, their golden-flecked brown eyes locking onto Sana. “You’ve done us a great service,” they say firmly. “You have my gratitude. Moving to the barracks sounds safer—and the chance to rest on something softer than hard tile would be... appreciated.” They glance at the others, nodding encouragingly.
Janos’s eyes flicker to Aedric, who is clutching a tattered piece of cloth tightly. Janos crouches down, gently resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You hear that? We’re safe for now. Let’s get you somewhere better, yeah?” He helps the boy to his feet. Aedric nods, his eyes briefly meeting Sana’s.
The Crusaders stand as well. "I’ll help ensure everyone gets settled,” the Avistani one offers, her calm demeanor masking the exhaustion etched into her features. She places a reassuring hand on the other Crusader's arm as the younger woman wavers slightly, helping her stand. “We owe you more than thanks,” she says.
The Minkaian woman leans lightly onto her colleague but straightens herself quickly. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word,” she says firmly. “We’re not going to waste the opportunity you’ve given us.”
Aedric’s small voice finally pipes up as he clings to Janos’s arm. “Are... are you sure we're safe? They won’t come for us again, will they?” His tone is tinged with the fear of someone who has seen far too much for his age.
Janos squeezes his shoulder. “Not while we’re here. They’ll have to go through me first.”
The other Kellid adds reassuringly, “And me.”
The group gathers themselves, helping one another to their feet as they begin to move. In the barracks, they visibly relax as they take in the room with its neatly arranged beds and the soft, steady glow of the continual flame lanterns. There are pieces of armor strewn haphazardly about on the floor and on the beds, but it is otherwise nice and orderly.
Aedric hesitates before climbing into a bed, but when Janos ruffles his hair and assures him it’s all right, the boy finally lies down, still clutching the tattered piece of cloth. The others spread out, ensuring the others are as comfortable as possible.
Rue enters shortly after and looks around before speaking. “Good work getting them here, Anna. We need to search this place thoroughly—Vang’s gone, but if he left anything behind, it could help us find him or better defend ourselves next time.” She motions, “That book we found in the chest might hold some answers. We should start there, if we can.”
The Minkaian Crusader, overhearing, steps closer to Rue. “Hi. My name is Kaede. Kaede Saito. If there’s anything you need deciphered, I have some skill with languages,” she offers quietly. “I’d like to help however I can.”
"It's nice to meet you, Kaede. My name is Rue. You can have at it, if you want," says Arueshalae. "Just stay here. I will head back to the main hall to keep an eye on things." She nods as Sana and Unafe make their exit, while Ehren begins his work on stabilizing Hinagiku and Yui, who are still unconscious. It would take him quite some time to get them back on their feet.
Sana and Unafe move cautiously down the narrow hallway. The air feels heavy with the remnants of demonic magic, a faint, oppressive thrum that lingers even in the absence of visible enemies. Sana’s sharp gaze darts between the floor and walls, searching for any sign of danger—tripwires, pressure plates, glyphs—but the path ahead seems clear.
At the end of the hallway, they reach a sturdy wooden door, reinforced with iron bands. The faint scent of mildew and damp stone wafts from the cracks around the doorframe, hinting at the room beyond. Sana places a hand on the door, running her fingers along the edges to confirm her earlier assessment. No arcane sigils hum beneath her touch, and no mechanisms click ominously.
While the others decide to search the Sanctum for enemies and opportunities, Beatrix decides to stay behind and look after the former prisoners. Though her magic was totally exhausted, she was still a skilled doctor. She needed rest, but first she looks over the civilians to make sure they're not wounded, and if they were, their wounds would stay uninfected.
While she works she listens to them, trying to get a good sense of their attitude, emotional state, and loyalties. She asks them about themselves, wondering where they were from and how they ended up here.
Sana listens for just a moment longer, skeptical, before deciding to attempt to open the door.
Beatrix approaches the former prisoners with a calm, measured demeanor, setting aside her exhaustion to focus on their well-being. She kneels beside one of the Kellids first, examining their bindings and checking for any lingering signs of injury or infection. Though her magic is depleted, her knowledge and skill as a healer are evident in the precision with which she works, cleaning and dressing wounds. None of these wounds are fresh, she observes after a while. But some of them could still turn bad if they were not not careful.
As she moves to the next patient, Beatrix listens attentively.
"I was stationed at Sesker's Gully." Kaede, the quiet Minkaian Crusader, watches Beatrix with guarded eyes before offering a small, hesitant smile. “I lost my brother to demons, back home,” she says softly. “Joining the Crusades felt like the only way to properly honor him.” She hesitates, but continues. “But, now... I... owe you my life. All of you.”
Janos speaks next, “I was caught by them, because I was looking for my family,” he says, his gaze drifting to Aedric. The boy clutches the scrap of fabric tighter in his hands but leans slightly against his older brother, clearly comforted by his presence. “Now that I’ve found what I have left of it, I don’t know what comes next.”
"My name is Naluna, of Clan Iceveil." says the Kellid that Beatrix is working on. They have a different accent than the Kellids Beatrix is used to speaking to. “I think many of us fight because we have to, not because we want to. My people’s lands are sacred—keeping them untainted was my only goal.” Their voice falters briefly, a flicker of guilt crossing their face. “I failed them, but... perhaps I can still make amends.”
"I'm Dahlia Traynor, Kaede and I were stationed to the same troop. I think... I think we're all that's left." The other Crusader speaks last. “I joined the Crusades to prove that even the darkest places can be reclaimed. That hasn’t changed.”
They have a Yurktiri accent. In most of Avistan outside of Mendev, Yurktiri are thought of as the archetypical Kellid - warlike, mostly worshippers of Gorum, as opposed to the Sarkorians, who mostly follow the Green Faith.
Sana listens for any sounds within, but the silence remains unbroken. With a deft motion, she produces her tools and sets to work on the lock, her hands moving with practiced precision. The mechanism clicks open, and she pushes the door wide, half-expecting something sinister to leap out.
Instead, she finds a small, unassuming room. The faint scent of old fabric and cedar greets her as her eyes scan the space. Two long cabinets line the north and east walls. The pegs along the walls are laden with cloaks and robes, the fabric varying in color and quality. Some are simple, practical garments, while others bear faint embroidery—symbols of Baphomet’s cult.
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Sana does a quick sweep of the room, making sure that nothing seems overly amiss. If the super-secret room she wasn't allowed near was just the coat room, and they were hoping to keep people from identifying them outside... that would be somewhat disappointing. But far better than other possible outcomes. There had been that time with the door and the archdruid, after all.
If nothing seems amiss, she'd relay to Rue what they'd discovered - a closet, likely allowing them to identify the dead and maybe flush out more of the Templar's plans... and likely having its own cache of valuables to root through.
Her next goal was to check each of the side rooms in the room where Unafe had redecorated the most - by dismantling the statue. She suspected there would at least be valuables in the area they'd disrupted the ritual, but she was still more worried about possible threats, than possible gains, at least for now.
Sana moves carefully through the small room, her eyes and fingers attuned to the tiniest details. The cloaks sway slightly on their pegs as she brushes past them, her sharp gaze combing the space for anything out of place. She pulls open a few of the cabinets, finding little more than folded robes and a faint smell of dust and age. For a moment, it seems as though the room truly is as mundane as it appears.
But as she examines the southern wall, something catches her attention. The texture of the paneling is just slightly off—a faint seam where none should be. Sana runs her fingers along the edge, feeling the subtle shift in the wood beneath her touch.
Sana heads for the seam, looking back to Unafe with a grin, before looking it over closely for any signs of foul play.
If she once more doesn't spot anything that seemed too dangerous, she'd pop the panel open to see what had been tucked away here.
Sana's fingers trace the faint outline of the panel, feeling for any signs of danger. Her sharp eyes scan the edges, but the passage seems clean—at least at first glance. Still, she knows better than to trust a seemingly mundane surface in a place like this. She tries to open it, but she finds it is locked.
Sana's curiosity immediately gets the best of her, and she begins to look over the section, slowly attempting to figure out how to open it... gently at first, and should that fail, saurily. For now, she'd use the tools in her gloves to work towards opening it.
With a click, Sana feels the locking mechanism yield beneath her skilled hands.
"Easiest lock of my life." she says quietly to Unafe, uncertain that she could trust it, given the situation... but shrugs a bit, and attempts to pull the space open once more.
Sana carefully pulls open the door. Beyond the threshold, a small chamber is revealed, its oppressive air hitting them like a damp shroud. The walls glisten with thin sheets of moving water, the surface perpetually drenched in cold, black liquid that drips, pools, and is seemingly reabsorbed into itself in an unsettling, ceaseless cycle. Countless Abyssal prayers and jagged runes are etched into every inch of the lead-lined room, their sharp edges pulsing faintly with malevolent energy. A low, discordant drone rises to greet the intruders, an otherworldly hum that vibrates in their chests and twists the edges of their thoughts.
In the middle of the room are two gaunt figures, their skeletal forms unnaturally elongated. Their mottled yellow eyes glow with a sinister inner light, and every movement of their jointed limbs produces a rattling sound. Wicked, gnarled staves, each carved with runes that seem to writhe in the dim glow, rest in their talon-like hands.
Behind them, the walls are lined with three empty stone shelves, their surfaces bare. Whatever used to be in this room must be long gone.
So much for easy.
Sana, however, can see the truth, as she can see invisible things. What appears to be barren stone shelves shimmer faintly in her sight. Riches beyond imagination are heaped upon them: glittering piles of gold and silver coins spilling over the edges, their gleam undiminished by the room’s eerie light. Sparkling gems of every hue catch the faint illumination, casting tiny rainbows across the stone shelves.
There are chests—ornately carved, some spilling open to reveal more treasures within—and a dazzling assortment of jewelry: necklaces heavy with jewels, intricate bracelets, and rings glowing faintly with enchantment. Weapons and armor of incredible craftsmanship and beauty crowd the shelves: paintings framed in gold, fine silks and brocades folded in neat stacks, statuettes in marble and jade, delicate porcelain dinnerware, and suits of armor polished to a mirror shine.
Her gaze lingers on two particular items: a rod of dark, polished wood capped with intricate runes glowing faintly, and a white ash staff that is decorated with inlaid silver runes.
The skeletal figures raise their staves and the droning hum in the room swells into a discordant cacophony. The insidious sound seems to worm its way into Sana’s and Unafe’s minds, stirring primal terror. The figures’ hollow eye sockets blaze brighter, their eerie stare seeming to pierce directly into their souls.
A sudden, freezing cascade pours from the walls, the ever-present black water now rushing out in sheets. It pools unnaturally in the center of the room, twisting and writhing as if alive. The water gathers into a pulsating sphere, its form swelling as it draws more liquid from the walls, rippling with unholy energy.
Unafe’s breathing quickens, her heart pounding in her eardrums. She struggles to fight off the wave of fear that crashes over her, threatening to root her in place. Sana’s vision swims, the overwhelming sense of dread clawing at her willpower.
Round 1!
Sana and Unafe are up!
These skeletal figures are thanadaemons, fiendish outsiders from the plane of Abaddon. They are also known as the Deacons of Death, embodying the inevitability of death by old age.They wield draining weapons that sap the vitality of their enemies, and their very gaze can instill paralyzing terror. Constantly surrounded by an aura of death, thanadaemons are resistant to most energy types and completely immune to acid, disease, poison, and death effects.
In addition to their fearsome presence, thanadaemons are powerful agents of Charon, the Horseman of Death, and are often seen ferrying souls across the River Styx in Abaddon. Their ability to plane shift with their passengers makes them both feared and sought after by mortals and fiends alike. However, their bargains are treacherous, and they are notorious for renegotiating deals when they sense leverage. Thanadaemons’ mastery over death extends to their ability to animate the dead and drain energy directly from their victims, weakening their enemies both physically and spiritually. Their true seeing makes them impossible to deceive, and their immunity to mental tampering makes them formidable opponents against magic-wielders.
Thanadaemons are the personification of death by old age, their very existence a reminder of the inescapable passage of time. They crush the essence of their victims to fuel their regenerative abilities, ensuring prolonged battles tip in their favor. Thanadaemons are supremely patient, often lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to strike or manipulate. They can summon other daemons, particularly hydrodaemons, to overwhelm foes, and their mastery of the River Styx grants them unparalleled mobility across the planes.
"Desna, no.." Sana sighs as the enemy comes into view, wincing at the pressure on her mind from the daemons.
"Thanadaemons!" Sana immediately sends to Rue. "Personified death by aging. Two. Treasure hidden with invisiblity, secret room.
She switches immediately to Hallit, to speak to Unafe. "Thanadaemons and their weapons drain life from your soul. They can raise the dead or summon lesser allies. They see through illusions and can teleport at will." Her shadow darts down her arm as she lets her starknife fall into her hand. She spins quickly and hurls her starknife, before quickly fleeing towards Unafe's flank, relying on her ally to be able to punish the Thanadaemons should they leave through the door. Hopefully they didn't have any soul crystals. Her weapon ricochets back out into the hall behind her, where she catches it.
With Goryon's aid, Unafe shakes off the stab of fear that grips her when she sees death incarnate approach them.
Hearing Anna's warning, Unafe calls on the ancestors to shield their souls.
Full: Cast Deathless (which affects me + allies within my reach)
> You may create an aegis that blocks direct attacks on one’s life. This grants the subject a +4 morale bonus to saving throws against all death spells, Death sphere abilities, channeled negative energy, and other magical death effects, as well as harmful effects originating from healing spells, Life sphere abilities, channeled positive energy, and other magical healing effects. The subject is granted a Will save to negate these effects even if one is not normally allowed.
Swift: Embracing Bear stance - allow the first attack vs me
// If a foe attacks, Unafe will allow the first attack to hit, and then then will make a grapple attack as an AoO
AoO:
Tracking
33 AC +2 vs evil outsiders
34 CMB (37 vs Grapple) +2 vs evil outsiders
105/147 HP & Grazed // -0 due to endurance
24 THP // 11 giant fort, 13 guardian
62 Nonlethal //
3/7 Tension // 3 start of combat
3/6 M.Tension //
. . 0 refreshes remaining / day
3/9 AP //
0/11 MP //
2/2 martial focus //
3/22 SP // -1 Divine Warp
1/3 stone shapes remaining //
2/3 stone to flesh remaining //
DR 2/- vs evil outsiders.
"Understood," Arueshalae responds, quickly. "Give me a second. I think that Ehren and Beatrix are just outside of my range where I am, so I need to get closer to them."
Sana's blade arcs through the air, its edge shimmering faintly with the prismatic energy of her magic, but her fatigue and wounds, and the oppressive presence of the daemons throw off her aim. The blade misses its mark, ricocheting harmlessly off the lead-lined walls and returning to her hand.
The water pouring from the chamber’s walls grows faster, an unrelenting deluge that rushes to the center of the room. The sound crescendos into a deafening roar as the black liquid begins to twist and churn, rising unnaturally. In moments, the formless flood takes shape, becoming a massive, translucent creature of shifting water. Its form fluidly alternates—a towering column, a crashing wave, and a monstrous beast with jagged claws and gaping maw-like distortions. The being pulses with barely contained power, droplets of its essence splashing outward in waves that coat the chamber in shimmering moisture.
Behind Unafe and Sana, the air distorts with a flicker of dark energy, and the two thanadaemons step from the shadows. Their gaunt forms radiate a palpable aura of dread, their skeletal faces locked in grotesque smiles as the seething fire in their eye sockets burns brighter. Their sudden presence cuts off the exit, boxing in the two warriors with death incarnate on one side and the hulking, watery terror on the other.
As the elemental lashes out, its massive limb—a crashing surge of liquid force—slams down toward Unafe. She braces herself, feeling the heavy blow against her mithral breastplate. Her protective stance absorbs the worst of it, and with a surge of power, she lunges forward to grapple the creature. Her hands dig into its rippling form, trying to lock it down, but the elemental’s ever-shifting body defies her efforts.
The elemental strikes again with terrifying force, its massive limb of swirling water crashing into Sana. She gasps sharply, the blow driving the air from her lungs as the icy water drenches her to the bone. Pain blossoms across her ribs, sharp and immediate, as she staggers back, the relentless cold sapping her strength. A wave of disorienting fog envelops her consciousness, scattering her focus like leaves in a storm. Her vision blurs, and the clarity of the battle begins to fade. She struggles against the creeping numbness, her thoughts growing sluggish and fragmented. Names, strategies, and even the faces of her allies seem distant, their meanings slipping away like water through her fingers.
The southern thanadaemon’s searing gaze rakes over Unafe and Sana, its voice a low, rattling growl that echoes with the weight of countless years. “Ulku’draal… shik’votha varuun,” it hisses, its skeletal form trembling with dark energy. “Zhol orrath khraal kashar naakh, zh’arak zhol morthos vil’urak. Ashk’tal thanatha ukhol ral’uth—ka’vothash shen orru tharnal.”
The second thanadaemon steps closer, its hollow eyes flaring with a brighter infernal light. “Sharath uzkalar ul thanatha… khal’hashoth zal’zhor… ” it continues, its tone dripping with contempt, "Gharra zal’urak chaarak! Akzhor’thal—ka’vran nar zhol draas uruk, vorthall zhol ulkar!"
Round 2!
Sana and Unafe Are Up!!
This appears to be some sort of elder water elemental.
Sana gains one Illumination (3) and is currently grazed (68/126) and has 18 nonlethal damage. She spends her second of three confidence and fails the will save anyway.
Hope fades from Sana's eyes as she's slammed into by the water elemental. She fights back against the oppressive fear of the daemons with everything she has, but succumbs nonetheless, all she can do is freeze in abject terror.
With the aid of Goryon's fierce presence in her heart, Unafe manages to shrug off the icy fear and then elemental's horrifying touch.
She turns to Anna, intending to rally for battle, but sees her ally cowed by the aura of death. "Be calm, friend, I will get us out of here."
Unafe then responds to the daemon, "Eth o lau kel raro taro posorgfio fiv O tindo kau pon gau con o. Iar aelathan aro fergo fil naus o. Eth o pon mannurgo feng ar rarodiago, barin po div ad o ev fil, getheren. Biavbo ho orio eth o elrbud ryn ar larialbaiv."
Stnd:
Move: As shown on map, using Acro to try to avoid AoOs and Athletics to jump over the daemons
Swft: -3T for an add'l move (200' total distance, if I measured correctly)
Tracking
33 AC +2 vs evil outsiders
34 CMB (37 vs Grapple) +2 vs evil outsiders
105/147 HP & Grazed // -0 due to endurance
24 THP // 11 giant fort, 13 guardian
62 Nonlethal //
3/7 Tension // 3 start of combat
3/6 M.Tension //
. . 0 refreshes remaining / day
2/9 AP // -1 jump
0/11 MP //
1/2 martial focus //
2/22 SP //
1/3 stone shapes remaining //
2/3 stone to flesh remaining //
DR 2/- vs evil outsiders.
"Anna just reported that she found thanadaemons. Two of them. They’re personifications of death by old age. And there’s treasure—hidden with invisibility, in a secret chamber,” says Rue, telepathically, to the heroes.
Unafe hefts Sana and maneuvers through the tight closet with a combination of astonishing leaps and precise footwork. Her acrobatics carry her past the thanadaemons, their staves swiping futilely as she twists and bounds over them.
Unafe rounds the corner at full speed. Before she can fully register her surroundings, Arueshalae appears, her bat-like wings spread as she flies toward her. The succubus' starknife is at the ready.
“Unafe, Anna!” Rue calls out telepathically. She lands lightly, her wings folding behind her as she steps closer, her piercing red eyes scanning Unafe and the still nonverbal Anna. Both of them are soaked, as if they had just gone swimming, and it would take a minute for Anna to regain control over her panic attack. “Are you hurt?”
Combat Ends!
The hallway remains eerily silent, the oppressive hum of the daemons’ presence and the roar of the water elemental’s movements no longer audible. Seconds tick by, each one dragging with adrenaline, but nothing emerges from the hallway behind them.
"Hold for now, I think I've gotten us away safely..."
Unafe stands rigid until she is sure they are not being pursued. When she is sure they aren't, she says, "It seems they are not pursuing us. Perhaps they are bound to that area only? Or perhaps they are happy to see us work against their captors? Either way, I think we are safe. We'll be back soon."
With that, Unafe comes back to her companions, cradling Anna.
"No." Sana says, eventually. "I'm not. Not too badly, anyway." she says, before looking down to the ground. "Could be worse. Could have just killed everyone here." she says, biting her lip and glaring at the ground.
"I don't have any tools to mend wounds, and I'm not really skilled at it. So I wanted to look for threats while we waited for folks to recover. Do... we have anything available to us to help us recover? There are still rooms to look through... but as long as those things don't follow us, the only unexplored spaces are east of us, I think." she pauses for a moment. "So... we could just keep guard and search around this immediate area while we wait for Ehren to finish his work."
Turning, Unafe makes her way toward the barracks. As she enters, the rescued prisoners stir. Janos, leaning against the wall, straightens and steps forward. “You’re back,” he says in his deep voice. His blue eyes flick over Anna’s shaking form in Unafe’s arms. “What happened? Is everyone all right?”
Naluna moves closer. “No sign of pursuit?” they ask, their voice steady. They wait patiently while Sana regains her breath.
Arueshalae sits next to Sana on the bed, her voice soft, “Hey, now. They didn’t,” she says, her red eyes steady on Sana. “And we’re going to make sure they don’t. We’ll figure out our next move carefully.”
Meanwhile, Ehren works intently on Hinagiku, his hands steady despite the gruesome wound marring her face. The injury is deep, cutting across her features. He cleans the wound with precision, applying a poultice to stem the bleeding before carefully wrapping her face in clean bandages. The makeshift dressing conceals the worst of the injury, but the lines of strain on Ehren’s face reveal how severe the damage truly is.
Satisfied that Hinagiku is stable for now, Ehren exhales and shifts his attention to Yui, lying unconscious nearby. Kneeling beside her, he inspects her injuries, his expression softening as he sets to work. He retrieves clean cloth and water from his satchel, carefully cleaning the blood and dirt from her wounds before applying a poultice of crushed herbs to staunch the bleeding. His hands move steadily, wrapping bandages snugly around her worst injuries. With each careful motion, her labored breathing begins to ease, her color gradually improving as the immediate danger passes. After a tense moment, Yui stirs faintly.
After finishing her coughing fits and using the remaining magic she had to heal everyone. Yui sits up on the bed.
"So what has happened while I was out? Clearly the poison has taken its toll on my lungs. And I see Hinagiku lost an eye. Is Vang dead? How long has it been?"
Arueshalae adjusts her effects as she prepares to leave the room. Pausing at the threshold, she casts a glance back at Yui and the others. “I’ll keep watch at the main entrance,” she says. “Rest and recover. If there’s any sign of danger, I’ll call for you.”
After Unafe’s use of her wand, Hinagiku stirs faintly, her breathing steadying. Her amber eyes flutter open, her gaze unfocused at first as she struggles to take in her surroundings. Slowly, awareness dawns, though the sharp ache of her injuries is evident in the way she moves.
Hinagiku brushes her fingers against the fresh bandages covering her face. “Thank you,” she murmurs, as she takes in the room. “There are others who need help.” Her instincts take over as she sits up, despite the pain.
Utilizing the ancient Tien practice of chi-gong, Hinagiku directs the flow of her ki to the others. Starting with herself, she focuses her energy on knitting her own wounds further, stabilizing her strength. From there, she moves to Beatrix, then to Ehren and Yui, her palms radiating faint warmth as the ki seals their worst injuries. Her motions are slow but deliberate, her serene expression masking her own physical toll.
"I'll come..." Sana starts, but then after a moment, she pauses and shakes her head. "I'll leave Amber with you, and leave her able to bring you to me. If you need anything, I'll be a step away. And if you need arrows I've got five dozen I haven't used." She pauses for a bit as Yui asks what happened.
"He ran away with two adepts." Sana responds as she leans against a wall, and slowly slides down it until she's sitting cross-legged. "I was searching while you guys were out, to try to make sure there weren't any enemies. Found some. Thanadaemons... and I think whatever happens when a water elemental is left in a lead-lined room in the abyss for far too long." she adds. "Unafe told them we'd try to free them if they didn't follow us, or something like that. I wasn't really thinking clearly. Less than an hour, I'm sure."
She watches as Hinagiku mends the worst of everyone's wounds, bringing them back into being capable of enduring at least a little combat. She nods appreciatively, but stays slumped.
Yui sighs when she hears Vang has successfully escaped. But it was a miracle they had won in the end with things coming so close. "We can gather Vang's worms and scry on him as needed. I would like to accompany you all in tracking him and ensuring his death. I believe I owe him for the poison and damage to my ribs." Yui coughs violently as she breathes in afterwards.
"Thanadaemons?" Yui says, thinking for a moment. "It is good you were able to escape from them. I have magic that can help us prepare to deal with them. It is likely they would leave if freed, especially if they see we are prepared to deal with them. I am not averse to just killing them outright however. Whatever is easiest. As far as the elemental goes, perhaps we can try to banish it? Beatrix had luck with her spell doing so today. I will get some rest now and begin preparing my magic. I can help with examining what we have found afterwards."
"Thank you for tending my wounds, Ehren, Hinagiku. I will rest now."
Yui lays down on the bed, seeking sleep. The exhaustion and pain of the wounds wash over her and she quickly falls to a deep sleep.
"Thank you, Kiku," Ehren says once Hinagiku has healed him, relieved to see her back on her feet, though it was clear she would need more bed rest to make a full recovery. With the worst of his wounds mended the druid approaches Sana, listening to her report on the creatures they encountered elsewhere in the Sanctum.
"Daemons... I suppose I should not be surprised. The Blackfire Adepts we encountered in Azir used them as conjured servants," Ehren recalls, the memory of that disastrous mission stinging slightly less in the time since. "One of them was even of the variety you speak of. We defeated them then, so we can certainly do so now... once we are back to full strength."
As he considers his next move, a thought suddenly occurs to him. "We should make sure Grillixbee is dead," he says, recalling that while Unafe had subdued the demon, her body had not dissolved into ichor. In all likelihood, she was still unconscious. It would be unfortunate indeed if the oversight allowed her to escape.
Sana takes a moment as she listens to the others describe their experiences, nodding along, but lost in her own head for the most part. When Ehren mentions ensuring that Grillixbee is dead... she pauses for a moment, then follows after him. Once out of ear shot of the civilians and Crusaders, she speaks quietly. "Not just Grillixbee. If we don't have a way to contain them, we need to deal with all of the fallen that aren't actually dead." she says, biting her lip with too-sharp teeth.
"We should make sure they aren't a threat... but I don't know how you guys normally do that? I know prisoners aren't completely unusual, but... there are risks to weigh."
Beatrix laboriously pulls Myrna from her bag before setting up in the barracks. She takes over medical duties for their sick and injured, but advises that it would most likely be better to return to true safety before spending so much time on long-term care -- especially with daemons nearby. It seemed that the others were more concerned with securint treasure, so she bows to the will of the group wnd submits herself to caring for the sick and the injured.
When Hinagiku recovers, Unafe sits a short distance away while the chi-gong master calmly heals herself and the others who are in need.
Not wanting to interrupt her work, she says to those beside her, "When will I stop being surprised by the serenity that Hinagiku possesses, even after a fight so brutal? Truly, she is a marvel."
At Ehren's suggestion, Unafe agrees, "Yes, while I don't think it prudent to go back into that hidden area until we rest, you're right that we need to make sure there are no demons left alive in the areas we've fought."
1) go with others to coup de grace any living foes we left KO'd. Also (belatedly) kill the locust swarm if it's still there.
2) enter a seance for 10 minutes, losing Fleet Movement and gaining Survivalism: Bone.
3) go to the fallen minotaurs and brain collectors, and 20 min to harvest from both (2 minutes each x 5 minotaurs and 5 brain collectors)
4) (sleepily) stand guard outside the barracks.
When Unafe mentions going to harvest from the Bone collectors, Yui turns over and interjects. "Someone should examine the retrievers while they are still fresh to determine if there is anything valuable to be learned from them." She then turns back and returns to resting.
Myrna's interjections are met with a lofted brow, and an explanation that moving this deep in the Worldwound with wounded people was far less safe than staying in a secure spot for several hours. If there were a better way to hide people, she was open to using it, though.
Sana nods to Unafe, when she offers to do the dirty work. "I, uh... haven't ever taken human life outside of combat, so... thanks for that. And for earlier."