Rayne nods at Kudera and kneels at man's head, putting her hands onto his shoulders to hold him in place.
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Kudera does her best to hide her surprise when it's Rayne who offers to hold the man down.
"Thank you, Rayne. I'm going to pull it out as quickly as I can, but you'll need to continue holding him down till I finish casting Stabilize after the blade is out. If this goes well, we may still be able to get some answers from him."
Moz flies down off Kudera's shoulder and gives the witch some space. Even the raven seemed to recognize the delicate nature of the procedure. An errant falling feather might be all it would take to ruin the operation.
As she had so many times already that night, Kudera says a silent prayer to her guardian. With a final moment of hesitation, the witch grips the blade with both hands and pulls it out as straight and true as she can.
The bleeding that had stopped temporarily once again resumes. Kudera drops the blade away from Oreld and immediately begins casting Stabilize on the man.
"Please Oreld, we need you to pull through. Prove you're stronger than that hobgoblin's blade. You can make it. I know you can."
The alchemist's shop is neatly organized, its shelves filled with jars, bottles, and paper envelopes. Much has been destroyed or looted buy Arthorion and Dalvin find three vials of antiplague, five bottles of bloodblock, a bottle of fire ward gel, and two flasks of defoliant. A well-used marble mortar and pestle sitting on Oreld's counter looks valuable as well.
A door stands closed in the eastern wall.
The Taldan alchemist grunts when Kudera removes the spear, but her magic seems to calm him. His eyes flutter open. "K-kudera?" he asks, voice strained.
"K-kudera?" he asks, voice strained.
Kudera smiles when she hears Oreld speak. A weight is lifted off her shoulders and she relaxes a bit, in spite of everything else that had happened so far that night.
"Yes, Oreld. It's me. Arthorion, Aubrin, and other friends are nearby. I know you're badly injured, but we can't afford to linger as there are other hobgoblins and perhaps even worse creatures not far away.
"Do... do you think you can walk? If not, we'll have to make a stretcher for you," Kudera says, looking around for anything the group might could use as an improvised stretcher.
"Oreld, before we go, it's important that you understand the situation. The hobgoblins have taken Phaendar bridge. The bridge is our only chance to escape. If we're able to defeat the ones guarding the bridge, we'll need some way to destroy it to prevent the other monsters from following us. Is there anything in your shop we could use to do that?"
With Aubrin's help, Arthorion empties the shelves into a sturdy sack, placing the mortar at its bottom and the more delicate items on top. He then puts the sack down and waits for Oreld's reply.
"Sorry, Dalvin, it's probably best that Rayne and Arthorion help with this task," Kudera says with a sad smile in the gnome's direction.
Dalvin gives a small nod in response, not surprised by the suggestion. The gnome helps Arthorion get the useful items they've found into the larger man's sack, holding onto one of the vials of bloodblock.
The Taldan alchemist grunts when Kudera removes the spear, but her magic seems to calm him. His eyes flutter open. "K-kudera?" he asks, voice strained.
He hurries it over to Kudera. "We found some of this on the shelves," he says, offering the bottle to her. "There's more if you need it."
With Oreld awake, Dalvin takes another look around the room, noting the closed door with interest. "I'm going to go see if there's anything in that room," he says quietly to Arthorion, not wanting to disturb Oreld as he begins to recover. Dalvin walks over to the eastern door and gives it a try.
As Dalvin walks over to the carOreld blinks for a moment, struggling to grasp the witch's words. "Destroy the bridge? I have a powder I was experimenting on as a stump remover in my cellar behind the door." His eyes widen in shock. "Wait, the door!"
His warning comes too late. When Dalvin opens the door, a taut wire snaps, releasing a plunger of acid. The device sprays out the open door, grazing the gnome.
Dalvin yelps as he jumps back, too late to avoid being splashed by the acid. He silently curses himself for not being more careful. Of course Oreld would have something preventing unwanted guests from snooping around his shop. In any other circumstance he would have deserved that.
"Sorry, sorry," he apologizes, rubbing his arm where the acid hit him. "I think I'm okay." Dalvin steps further away for the door, waiting for Oreld's instructions before triggering any more traps.
Beyond the door lies a workroom and part-time clinic, as well as a comfortable bedroom.
A rug has been hastily kicked over a cellar door.
---
Oreld reaches into his pocket and places a key into Kudera's hand. "This opens my cabinet. All of the ingredients to make the explosive powder are in there," He glances toward the room. "There are others in my cellar. I hid them there, your parents included."
Kudera eagerly takes the key from Oreld.
Mother, father...
She quickly stands to her feet and says, "Thank you, Oreld. Thank you so much."
Not knowing what else to say, Kudera hurries into the workroom, passing up Dalvin as she goes, knowing his wound is superficial.
Kudera moves the rug away from the cellar door and fumbles with the key for a moment before using it to unlock the cellar door.
Despite her joy at knowing her parents were safe, there were still tiny wrinkles. Where were her brothers? Were they with her parents? And what of Arthorion's family?
With more apprehension than she would have liked, Kudera opens the cellar door to see who and what lies within.
"Y'okay there, Dalvin?" Rayne gives the gnome a quick scan as she walks past him to Kudera. As the young witch moves to open the cellar door, Rayne retrieves the key from her and opens the cabinet. She stands before it, staring at the contents; she quickly realizes that she doesn't really know what she's looking at, and calls over her shoulder.
"Are you in any shape to put this stuff together for us, Oreld?" She turns back to the group. "Or do any of you have any idea how to combine this stuff into something that works?"
Arthorion puts his hand on Dalvin's shoulder. "You were quick on your feet Dalvin. I'm glad it was just a tiny splash," he says with a honest smile before moving on to help get the ingredients. When Oreld mentions Kudera's parents, a glimpse of hope crosses his heart, which promptly sinks at the absence of any good news regarding his own family. I shouldn't envy her. She is a good person, and she deserves to have her family well and safe. Everybody does. Plus, her brothers are still out there. We need to find them, too.
He shakes off these thoughts and focuses on the task at hand, stopping next to Rayne. Arthorion reaches for the subtances, ready to stuff them in the supplies sac, but pauses in doubt. "Do we take them and mix them up somewhere else, or should we produce the gunpowder here?"
"Y'okay there, Dalvin?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't give it another thought."
"You were quick on your feet Dalvin. I'm glad it was just a tiny splash."
Dalvin grins at both of them, appreciative of the worry. When the question of what to do with the chemicals, the gnome is at a loss. Better to leave that to Oreld.
"I'm going to go check outside, make sure no one's about to sneak up on us." With that, Dalvin turns around and heads out the door to where he had Drako sit and keep watch.
The cabinet contains various alchemical components stored in jars, vials, and bottles.
---
Oreld grimaces at Rayne's question, reaching towards the wound in his stomach. "I'm afraid I'm in no condition to help. If you look on my desk, there are instructions. Everything you need is in the cabinet."
---
Kudera throws open the cellar door revealing a trio of huddled, blinking people: a fortune-teller named Zaflah and Kudera's parents, Nimas and Ajanah.
"Kudera?" her father asks. "Is it over?"
---
The world outside is madness. Half of Phaendar burns Hobgoblins, bugbears, and minotaurs drive residents of Phaendar through the streets, towards the menacing stone tower in the center. Luckily, it seems that they're ignoring Oreld's store for the moment.
"Well... okay then."
Rayne scoops up ingredients from the cabinet and takes them to the nearby alchemy lab. After placing them on the surface, she looks at them with concern. "Here goes nothing," she mumbles to herself. Carefully reading and rereading the instructions as she goes, she puts all of the specified bits and pieces together in a bowl, hoping along the way that she doesn't end up blowing herself up in the process.
As she finishes, she's still unexploded and the powder looks correct, she thinks, at least based on what she understands from the instructions. She picks the bowl up and takes it to Oreld. "Is this right?" She offers him the bowl so he can check her work.
Kudera gives her father a sad smile at his question.
"No, father. I fear it is only just beginning. We have to leave Phaendar. The hobgoblins have some sort of massive structure in the center of town. We don't stand a chance against them. Running is our only option."
The witch looks at both her father and mother, then says to them, "Where are Daxton and Gilroy? Have you seen them?"
Dalvin stands next to Drako, still obediently guarding the store, as he stares out into the carnage in horror. Fighting the instinct to both run into the fray to help the prisoners and to run far away, he carefully, quietly walks back into the shop.
"They're ignoring us for now," Dalvin says as he joins back up with the others. "But it just keeps getting worse. They're leading prisoners into that awful tower. We need to hurry before they realize we're here."
"They are taking prisoners, then," Arthorion says, not sure whether this is good or bad news. Standing next to Dalvin, he turns his head to look at Rayne and Oreld. "Let's hope she got it right, so we can move on. If this worked, we have a chance of saving some people, after all." The miller tightens his grip on the sword and clenches his teeth. "I still need to check the Riverwood Shrine for my wife and daughter, as well as Kudera's brothers." He kneels on one leg and looks straight into gnome's face. "I know we should cut our losses—you know, just get the powder and run away while we still can. But I need to do this. I'll understand if you and the others decide to go with Aubrin to the bridge."
Dalvin stares at Arthorion for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "No, I'm sticking with you," he says. "You of all people deserve that, after what you did for me."
Dalvin glances at Rayne and Oreld for a moment, wondering and hoping that she was successful in mixing the powder.
Arthorion places his bulky hand on the gnome's small shoulder and smiles gratefully. "Thank you, Dalvin." The man then stands up and approaches Kudera, giving a nod to her parents. "Kudera. Dalvin, Drako, and I are planning to check the Riverwood Shrine next. Considering the situation, it's very possible there are people barricaded in there. It's maybe our last chance to find Rowena, Flora, Daxton, and Gilroy. As soon as we're done mixing the powder, we'll go, and we'll bring back everyone we can. I think Aubrin will be leading another group to the bridge."
Only then does Arthorion identify the third-villager, the local fortune-teller. "Madam Zaflah, what does the future hold for us?", he asks, already afraid of the probable answer.
Oreld takes the bowl from Rayne, sniffs it and winces. "It certainly smells right. Now put stick one of the stiff wicks I have back there and tie a burlap sack around it. I should have both in the back room."
---
Kudera's father shakes his head. "They ran off during the festival. We were hoping they were with you. You haven't seen them?"
Zaflah, her makeup runny from crying, sniffs and looks down at her hands. "I-I don't know," she stammers. "I left my cards when I ran."
Following Oreld's instructions, Rayne finishes putting all of the pieces of the bombs together, feeling rather pleased with herself.
"Alright guys, we have bombs. We should get to the-." She turns to those of the group behind her, ready to suggest they make their way to the bridge, and stops. It was clear, just from the looks on their faces, that she was going to have to put up with a few more stops before she could get out of here.
Her shoulders fall slightly, resigning herself to the situation. "So. Where to now?"
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Kudera grimaces at her father's question. "No. I haven't seen them in several hours. I'm hoping they'll be at the Riverwood Shrine. That's where we're headed next."
Turning to the others, Kudera sees that Rayne appears to have prepared the bombs to Oreld's specifications. She then looks back down at Oreld sitting on the ground.
"Father, can you and one of the other townsmen help Oreld? Arthorion, Dalvin, Rayne, and I have to go to the Riverwood Shrine now."
Kudera turns back to her companions and nods at each of them in turn. They started this horrible night together. It only seemed appropriate for them to finish it together.
"Let's make for the Riverwood Shrine. I fear we have little time left."
"Let's go", Arthorion agrees, stepping out of Oreld's Fine Shop and heading for the shrine.
Dalvin lets a small smile show on his face, though not for long. They had the bombs! They found Kudera's parents! They were slowly finding their way to small victories. If Riverwood Shrine has Kudera's siblings and Arthorion's family, well... It was hope, at least. A glimmer of hope in a dark, dark night.
"Come, Drako," Dalvin commands, relieving the dog of guard duty with a pat on the head as they begin to move on.
Securing the wounded Oreld, you move as swiftly as you can through the burning streets of Phaendar. Headed towards the shrine, you pass a dead-end alley occupied by ruined wagon. A single wolf, lean and hungry, stalks down the path towards a pair of villagers: a middle-aged woman and a small girl, clutched to the woman's leg.
The panicked woman looks up and notices the party passing by. "Arthorion!" she cries.
It's Rowena and Flora.
Focused on moving forward to the shrine, Arthotion barely notices the dead-end alley, but the familiar voice calling his name makes him stop dead in his tracks. He turns around and sees two people he knows too well: his dignified wife Rowena, a slightly overweight middle-aged woman whose poise has not diminished with age.
Only then he admits to himself that he had already given up the idea of ever again seeing her her thin lips curve into a smile, her stark black eyes, always attentive, light up with joy, or her wavy greying hair braided in a top knot bun, falling on the sides to frame the tanned skin of a life working the fields. From the pose, he can tell she is ready to give her life for the small girl clutched to her leg; little Flora, the much celebrated daughter whose bright green eyes—almost supernaturally green—have always struck Arthorion as a hint of draconic blood, like his own. Indeed, the brown-haired little girl looks nothing like her mother, but resembles her father greatly.
Chance has reunited them, but it alone will not keep them together, Arthorion realizes. In a matter of seconds, the miller is upon the wolf. Swinging his wife vioently, Arthorion allows his blood to boil, if that's what it takes to get Rowena and Flora through this horrible night.
Seeing Arthorion's attack miss the wolf, Rayne grabs two of her daggers and quickly skirts behind the beast, aiming for its neck with both blades.
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The wolf yelps in pain as Rayne sinks a knife into its hip. The beast turns and snaps at the rogue, but she manages to dart away.
Kudera's heart skips a beat when she sees Rowena and sweet Flora. She had no intention of letting a wolf be the pair's end. There were far worse things in Phaendar tonight.
The witch stares at the wolf, willing it to weaken its defenses.
Dalvin looks at the wolf with pity. Either a starved wild animal or, more likely, an abused "pet" of the hobgoblin legion. He recalls the Calm Animals scroll in his pouch and is almost tempted to use it. But we'll be in the forest soon, he reminds himself. Better to hold onto it and put this creature out of its misery.
Dalvin points to the wolf and orders Drako to attack.
Drako runs to bite the wolf while Dalvin aims an arrow at the wolf.
The night's events had started taking their toll on the halfling. Despite the brave face she'd put on, the injury she gained at the trading post slowed her down more then she wanted to admit. The pain it caused was enough to keep her presence at Orled's to a minimum. She hated being that weak... She couldn't save anyone if she let a little scrape keep her down! With them coming up on the shrine, she swore she wouldn't let herself be hald back again.
The wolf threatening Rowena and Flora was her chance to make good on at silent oath. Joining Arthorion and Rayne, she rushes into the fray and takes a quick stab at the beast.
Drako falls upon the wounded wolf, snapping at its face and neck. In seconds, the creature is dead.
Rowena scoops up Flora and rushes to meet Arthorion in a fierce embrace.
Kudera smiles as Arthorion embraces his family. A burden was lifted from her shoulders. And yet, Kudera's heart remains heavy. Her brothers were still missing.
She is happy for Arthorion and doesn't want to take away from his happiness, so she keeps quiet, hoping the group will move on to the shrine soon.
Dalvin lowers his bow as he whistles for Drako to return to his side. Giving Arthorion and his family some space, Dalvin walks over to Clementine. "How're you feeling?" he asks with concern on his face. "Here, I still have the cure scroll we found on those first hobgoblins..." He trails off, remembering how this horrible night started. It feels like they've been fighting for years now.
Arthorion lets the rage go as soon as he sees the wolf down on the ground. He takes Rowena in his arms, pressing her and Flora against his chest. "Thank the gods," he whispers in Rowena's ear, without feeling the need to add anything else. The miller lets go of his family and looks into Rowena's eyes while giving a quick update of the situation.
"We're headed to the shrine. The Rivani boys are still missing, and we're trying to get everyone out of this mayhem. We have enough powder to blow up the bridge and prevent the Iron Legion from following us across the river." As he explains, he can notice his wife's uneasiness with the plan. "I know. It's risky, but we're sticking together. If they hadn't helped me and agreed to keep going, we wouldn't have found you," he smiles. He points to Rayne, Clem, Dalvin and Kudera. "Turns out we have quite a party here. We've been doing well so far. Now, come with me so I can protect you and Flora, but keep away from the fighting, alright?" He takes Rowena by the hand and keeps moving to the temple.
Rayne watches Arthorion reunite with his family and briefly wonders how her few friends that survived the ordeal back home are faring... or if they're even still alive.
She shakes her head as if to clear those thoughts from her mind and sullenly falls in step behind Arthorion and his family as they make their way to the temple.
A bit embarrassed to see she was stabbing a corpse, Clem quickly withdrew her blade and tried to pretend it didn't happen.
"How're you feeling?" he asks with concern on his face. "Here, I still have the cure scroll we found on those first hobgoblins..." He trails off, remembering how this horrible night started. It feels like they've been fighting for years now.
The halfling turns to her similarly-sized companion and rubs her wound with a frown. "Can't lie. It kinda stings..." She follows up with clapping a hand on his shoulder and giving him a smile. "But that's what scratches do, right? No need to waste good magic like that."
"We're headed to the shrine. The Rivani boys are still missing, and we're trying to get everyone out of this mayhem. We have enough powder to blow up the bridge and prevent the Iron Legion from following us across the river." As he explains, he can notice his wife's uneasiness with the plan. "I know. It's risky, but we're sticking together. If they hadn't helped me and agreed to keep going, we wouldn't have found you," he smiles. He points to Rayne, Clem, Dalvin and Kudera. "Turns out we have quite a party here. We've been doing well so far. Now, come with me so I can protect you and Flora, but keep away from the fighting, alright?" He takes Rowena by the hand and keeps moving to the temple.
"Glad to see you two're alright, Mrs. Aegas." she tells the woman as her comrades continue toward the temple. "And don't worry. No hob, mino, or nasty wolf's gonna touch either of ya with any of us around."
"But that's what scratches do, right? No need to waste good magic like that."
Dalvin scratches his orange head as he returns Clementine's smile. "As long as you're sure." He resets his pack and turns his attention back to the group. He gives a half-hearted wave to Rowena and Flora, happy to see old familiar faces despite the carnage of the night.
"Alright then. To the shrine."
A glowing warmth washes over the group. The pain in Clementine's arm vanishes, the wound sealing up before her eyes.
Aubrin lowers her holy symbol, breathing heavily. "I should have done this sooner, I need to keep you all standing if we're making it out of here alive." Her own wounds have improved a bit from her healing, but she remains in dire condition, using a pair of survivors to keep her up.
Rowena smiles at Clementine, her eyes red from crying. "Thank you, Charlotte."
---
Most of Phaendar's architecture is intended to be strictly functional in design, a necessity for life on the frontier of Nirmathas. The Riverwood Shrine is the exception to this rule, constructed from logs dredged from the thick silt of the ice-cold Marideth River.
To the left of the shrine is a moss-encrusted stone monument, a place holy to the Green Faith, and older than any structure in the town by far.
A wooden deck surrounds the front of the octagonal temple with broad archways leading into a place of worship. Carved birds, branches, and fruits decorate the wooden supports of the temple's entryway. A dead villager is curled up on the wooden deck before the temple, built to keep parishioners out of the mud on holidays and celebrations when more people attend the shrine than the building can hold. A wolf, lean and savage from hunger, worries at the body.
The powerful canine glances up at the approaching party with piercing yellow eyes. It darts its tongue across sharp white teeth before rushing to attack.
Arthorion meets it half-way, Aubrin's blade flashing in a deadly arc. He lands a blow in the beast's flank, splattering blood across the deck.
Rayne pulls her daggers out and darts forward. Usually she'd feel some kind of guilt over ending the life of an animal, but she had no reservations about killing these creatures. She'd seen first had the kind of damage they could do. Getting rid of them was her pleasure.
Moving quickly to position herself behind the wolf, she plunges her daggers into its body, one in the neck and one in the ribs.
Rayne's dagger slices into the wolf's neck, dropping the beast.
Angry voices can be heard from within the shrine, although their words are lost between the wooden walls and the sound of battle from further in the town.
Dalvin barely has a chance to move before Arthorion and Rayne make quick work of the wolf. He watches them with awe. The voices within the shrine catch Dalvin's attention and he darts up to the door, but stops when he sees the dead villager. He tries to get a closer look at them before going into the shrine, to see if the body is anyone he might recognize.
Keeping her daggers in hand, Rayne creeps up to the doors of the shrine, listening closely to see if she can discern who is inside and what they're saying.
Kudera quickly follows Dalvin and Rayne up to the door. She was grateful she hadn't had to deal with another wolf. Why were they in Phaendar anyway? Had the hobgoblins drawn them somehow?
Staying behind Dalvin and Rayne, Kudera also tries to listen for any sounds from inside.
Inside the shrine is a picture of carnage. The religious statues and symbols have been singed and hacked by hobgoblin weapons. A dozen bloody bodies lie on the floor, although one villager remains alive, kneeling before a pot-bellied hobgoblin soldier.
A second hobgoblin, a female dressed in padded armor, swings a wicked axe again and again into the altar of the shrine. She cocks her head towards the other Ironfang, poised to kill the defenseless man.
"Hori entzun duzu?" she asks in a gruff voice. "Zerbait horman. Ezazu."
The male hobgoblin shrugs and begins walking towards the door.
Kudera is horrified at what she sees in the shrine. She frantically searches the room for her brothers, now hoping that they weren't in the shrine at all.
Please, guardian, let them be alive.
Kudera waits for the others to move in, knowing she'll only be a liability if she tries to go in first.
Pulling back from the crack in the door, Rayne growls quietly, a string of increasingly violent thoughts running through her mind as as she listens to the hobgoblins speak, unable to understand what they're saying to each other.
Though disgusted by the gore inside the building, she presses a finger to her lips and motions for Dalvin and Kudera to move to the side of entrance and prepare for an attack when she sees the hobgoblin make his way towards the door. Gripping both daggers, she presses her back to the wall beside the door and waits, ready to strike if the creature decides to step outside.
Dalvin looks up, unable to identify the poor man who was murdered on the steps of the shrine, just in time to catch a glimpse of the scene inside. His eyes grow even wider as the Rayne closes the door when the hobgoblin starts to move out.
Dalvin nods and silently puts his bow away and pulls out the sickle hanging at his side. He didn't often use it, but for a sneak attack like this it seemed more appropriate. He quickly moves to the right side of the door, ready to cut into the monster's heart.
"Did you hear that? Check outside. Now."
Natives to Phaendar would recognize the body outside as belonging to Noelan, the elderly caretaker of the shrine.
Heavy boots trudge across the wooden floor of the shrine and up to the door. He opens the portal a crack and peers out into the streets.
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