"Thanks..." mutters Adowyn to the prophet, then she finishes healing herself before rushing towards Dailung with her wand of cure light wounds on the ready...
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Hellion wracks their brains for what they know of the Drow and find it difficult, mostly because they are not meant to exist. The Pathfinder libraries hold some information on the Dark-Skinned evil Elves, who stayed on Golarion during the dark times. They are known to worship Demon lords and delight in cruelty and sacrifice.
You spend some time gathering their gear and healing your wounds and have two options of where to go. The question is, where next?
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'Bravely' the Prophet reaches past the holy warrior to quickly push open the door before darting back. The sight that greets you is similar to the room upstairs, but is clearly wrong. Yellow puffball fungi nearly a foot in diameter and chunks of orange and purple crystal glow faintly in the gloom of this round chamber. Strange plaster frescoes depicting acts of violence cover the walls, and in the centre of the floor stands an altar made of petrified wood that supports a collection of decaying eyeballs laid in an offering bowl like a demented still-life.
Shax, also known as The Blood Marquis, is the demon lord of envy, lies, and murder. Typically depicted as having the head of a dove and bird-like legs, Shax is known to eat the eyes of victims. His unholy symbol is a silver feather on a pool of blood.
This is not all that resides in this place however, you can see an Elf at the back of the room, bound gagged and severely beaten. Also, rearing out of the vegetation is a large Plant creature!
Adowyn
Hellion
Jezabel
M
Dailung
Ali
Prophet
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Suddenly Salubri's eyes seem to gloss over, and for just a brief moment, it seems that the tattoo on his forehead seems to open. In a strange, monotone voice, he mutters "Behold the haven of the Bloody Marquis,. . . Shax! A cruel and deceptive Demon Lord with the head of a perfect dove and lower extremities meant to mock the very hosts of the Celestial. Father of the Babau and Shadow fiends, he is the "lord" of both envy and murder. Beware, for his true home houses foliage that drinks the very blood of the living upon it's abyssal cliff, and this is but a reflection on this realm. . ."
Just before falling to a knee, when his eyes return to their normal shade of flames, the priest mutters, ". . . eyes are his belly's trophy."
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As soon as she sees it Adowyn let's 2 arrows fly towards the strange plant
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Adowyn's well placed shot pierces a hole straight through the recent threat. As it falls it lets off a mighty scream which causes you to grab at your ears, glad that it did not have chance to pull it off in life. Something terrible reacts with the Altar in the room and the decaying eyeballs begin to fill up with blood.
With a flash, the Unholy symbol upon the altar glows a dark red and three more creatures are summoned into the room. Two darkly handsome humanoids with batlike wings, curving horns, and bestial legs that betray their demonic origin. The other is a strange ghostly creature Only this shadowy bat-winged demon’s teeth and claws have any sense of physicality to them—the rest is lost in darkness.
The Humanoid Demons eye you beyond the altar, one steps towards Jezabel and strikes out with a Scimitar, while one steps behind the Hellknight. Jezabel is struck two harsh blows, and the demon seems to revel in the pain it causes, fortunately Jezabel is able to shrug it off. Obviously poorly effected by the Summoning, the scimiatrs miss the Hellknight.
The Shadowy Demon at the back raises it hands and hisses in an unwholesome language. A small pea-sized ball of flame darts into the other room where it explodes, catching All in the main chamber and setting the Fungi ablaze!
Adowyn -13
Hellion -22
Jezabel -40
Enemies
Dailung -5
Ali -5
Prophet
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Humanoids
Shadowy
Underneath her armour, a brand in the shape of a sihedron itches...
"Incubi!" she relishes "You'll find I don't buckle so easily to your charms... and my blade is the only thing you'll be kissed by today!"
Attack
Damage
Crit?
Add Damage
Attack
Damage
"Damnation!" she curses as she's engulfed by the fireball then she shoots again, this time aiming for the shadowy figure but hearing Hellion mention the demonic nature of the creatures she opts for her cold iron arrows instead of the regular ones!
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As Jezabel pulls back and the Prophet calls forth a protecting circle, trapping one of the Incubi inside, Hellion strikes two solid blows, though a deal of the damage inflicted was resisted by the creature's otherworldly protections. Adowyn takes aim, however they miss due to Ali moving at the wrong moment and spoiling the shot.
Trapped inside the bubble, the Incubi steps towards Ali and strikes at the Paladin with their wicked scimitar, whilst the one wounded by hellion does the same.
for +
for
Ali deflects one blow and is saved from a second due to the Prophet's protections. Hellion is struck a mighty blow that sends them reeling and wracked with pain!
The Shadow demon steps forwards and seeks to tear apart the Hellknight. A Claw is rejected by the Sihedron brand burning on Hellion's skin, however the other claw and the bite get through.
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Adowyn -13
Hellion -47 + 7 Non-lethal ; Sickened for 2 rounds
Jezabel -40
Enemies (Blue -56)
Dailung -5
Ali -5
Prophet
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"Going to be like that is it?" the wounded Hellknight spits as the enemy start to press in on her and she sees she's stuck in the room as her comrades flee.
Her anger flows through her in a controlled wave of cold fury as she channels her hate as instructed by her Lictor "I'll deal with you in a second" she glares at the Shadow Demon, and turns to punch the incubus in the face.
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
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Adowyn lets another 2 cold iron arrows fly towards the incubus in front of her since the shadow demon seems to be under cover
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"Lady Irriseni,. . ." sidestepping a wild swipe, "I'm not overly familiar with either the "Darkive" or these "Shadow Fiends", but,. . ." narrowly avoids the firearms backblast so close, so, so loud, "but one would think they might be,. . . what's the word," takes a random wingslap to the chest, more annoying than anything, "perhaps a mascot?"
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Through blade, arrow and shot the Incubi is torn apart through well planned teamwork. Ali calls forth his Holy rage to strike the Shadow Demon and lands an impressive blow, however much of it is resisted by the Demons naturally smokey form.
Seeing the Paladin ahead, the Shadow Demon attacks with ferocity.
and and
and and
and and
Adowyn -13
Hellion -47 + 7 Non-lethal ; Sickened for 1 round. Smite Chaos (Shadow)
Jezabel -40
Enemies Shadow -19 (Shaken)
Dailung -5
Ali -16 (Smite Evil Shadow)
Prophet
"Yeah... die already smokey! says Adowyn shooting again with her cold iron arrows.
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The Prophet's arm touches nothing but smoke, but the combined assaults of the other agents tear the shadowy creature apart and it dissipates into nothing. With the demons felled, the blood reaction in the altar diminishes and seems to settle once more. With the demons death, the only things of note are the altar, though its power is diminished now and an elven captive.
Bound in heavy manacles, clearly mistreated and battered the Elf looks at you weakly, though their eyes are still alive with hate towards the enemies here, he looks upon you with relief. "Well met," he wheezes slightly, "I am Caldion, and I am an outrider for the Shin'Rakorath."
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"Yes, well met" the Hellknight winces as she pulls out her Wayfinder "Before you continue, I just need to check a few things..."
She makes no motion to remove the shackles, instead she casts afew spells...
"Let's begin again, I suggest you speak honestly, you know I am a Hellknight yes? And so you know how we deal with liars. The truth is all I care about, and I have little interest if you were thieves or adventurers. Who are you? Who are the Shin'Rakorath? How did you get to be here? What do you know of these 'drow'? Have you directly or indirectly willingly participated in or facilitated the worshiping or consorting with Demons, provided them support or succor, or studied and or practiced demonology? have you, willingly or otherwise, been subjected to any type of demonically influenced ritual, torture, possession, or other personality influencing magic? Have you had in your possession any items, artifacts, or goods - whether manufactured or naturally occurring - that have been or could reasonably be linked to or associated with demonkind or their followers?"
The Hellknight awaits the answers, and the judgment the may require.
"Nice..." mutters Adowyn.
"I guess by your moral code being almost sacrificed to a demon could constitute "demon worship". More to the point, who were the strange elves we met in the previous room?" she goes back and returns with one of the elves bodies.
"You are an elf. They are elves, although of a different colour. How do you explain this?"
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"You are right, it could be, but it could also be a signal to us to look more carefully for charms, compulsions, signs of possession, demonic infestation, or domination. Have you ever had a possessed person turn on you and your party? I have. It can be rather fatal. It's not a moral code in play here, it is a simple matter of determining what unseen traps might be sitting right in front of us. Do you just blindly and blithely walk around in snare filled forests because the flowers look pretty - or Elven - enough huntress, or do you stop to look for signs of danger and the tracks of trappers first?" Svetlana points out, matter-of-factly. She then goes back to awaiting her answers.
"When I look for danger I don't ask questions. I don't need to. People lie. Facts do not, as long as you know where to look. And asking too many questions about stuff that matters very little is rarely productive, it's more likely to distract from what's important. Enche... these bluish elves. Are they drow mr Caldion? And who are you if they are?" Adowyn answers Svetlana and asks her question to the bound elf at the same time.
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Hiding a wince as they shuffle up the wall and into a better sitting position, the bound Elf meets the Hellknight's gaze impassively. Unfazed by the tactics, the Elf surprises you slightly by nodding. Grateful for the assist from Dailung, he slips free of the manacles as he answers, though it is clear he does not have the energy to stand.
"A wise tactic when you are clearly unaware of your foe." he begins, "As I said my name is Caldion of the Shin'Rakorath, It means 'Lantern Bearer' in the tongue of my people. We make it our mission to keep the night safe from things like these creatures and those you have met in the tower."
He pauses to take a deep breath, almost hissing in pain at the effort as he does so. "As for how I got here. These creatures managed to take me by surprise while I was on patrol. I would call on my comrades to end this infestation, but I suspect they would not arrive soon enough to eradicate the creatures as they slither back into the darkness below." It is clear that his passion lies in hatred of the creatures he refers too.
He shakes his head to the next line of questioning, allowing you time to have your own debate while he regains his breath and slowly begins to move his tortured muscles. "I have never participated in dark rituals, involving demon-kin or otherwise. The Vermin had their 'fun' with me and liberated me of my possessions, which I see you carry." he says pointedly at Adowyn and the bow they have borrowed. "Don't think I blame you for taking It. it is a fine weapon and you are welcome to it. I have no need of it in my current state." As they say this, the Elf raises their right hand which is missing to key fingers to archery and is poorly bandaged.
"Back to your point though, I was subject to no magic, and my possessions are only those gifted to me by my kith and kin, who have been fighting Demonkin before you or your Order were even thought about, Hellspawn."
He quickly recovers his composure and breathes deeply, before beginning a terrible coughing fit. "Apologies, my passions get the better of me. How do you explain the black skinned of your own race? A poor question." he thinks for a moment before sighing. ""The creatures are awful -worse than the demons that they worship. Their leader has stolen important documents from this ruin. No matter your own motives-I will not assume that you are the sort to return the texts to Kyonin anything is better than allowing those creatures to keep the documents."
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"Ahhh see there you go 'People lie', that is right huntress. Didin't take you long to start talking the same language as the Chelish" Svetlana smiles again "And with due care and attention, I have confirmed what this man is saying is fact. The traps you deal with are mechanical in nature, the traps I deal with tend to breathe, and I consider hidden foes to be rather important" Svetlana smiles politely once again, used to creating some discomfort in people.
"That is a terrible tale Caldion, you are brave to have held up so well through your ideal" Svetlana hands him some rations and her waterskin "I have one remaining curative potion, only a light onr, you are welcome to it if it will give you the strength to stand and move. We will drive those creatures from this place and secure anything they have for investigation, perhaps it will give us a clue to any grander ambitions they may have"
"My concern is for your safety, we need to push forward, and likely into combat - that would see you face potential danger and certain death should we be defeated, or you can stay here or leave this place, but be exposed and alone, which has its own risks."
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While others might not care about individual dignity over the fleeting concepts such as "truth" or "the law", Salubri can not bear to see another enchained, and will level his Adamantine Scimitar at the bindings, nearly severing it the first time, and following with a second that does.
Before the man speaks, I'll give Hellion a look, not condemning, but rather meant to find the smallest chink in her soul's fortress to plant the seed of true justice, that that is melded with compassion, and the possibility of trust rather than simple blindness to a cause. "We should not judge a person before we have walked in their shoes. A confession under threat is,. . . unreliable." Returning his gaze to the captive, looking into his eyes as if searching his very soul, "Please, friend, continue. If you are indeed the source of light I seek, all shall be revealed as I was,. . . told."
As the man says his piece, Salubri will mutter to Adowyn, "Keep an open soul, sister. What is fact is not the same thing as what is truth. . ." as he pushes over the alter, crushing the different eyes as they fall and making short work of the evil alter.
"I'm sorry, my friend. I seem to have missed it, as did the Knight of Hell. Can you please say all of that once more?"
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"I make no apology for being thorough, especially in the circumstances. Remind me to tell you what we found when a bunch of loving Caydenite clerics thought the same thing about a disguised Succubus, stomach turning the result. You forget, I do walk in their shoes every day, even he recognises it" she gestures to Caldion as though seeking confirmation"Hellspawn wasn't it? Indeed I am. My existence alone is an everyday reminder to be cautious. Caution is especially prudent down here as none of us have any real idea what we are dealing with"
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"I do not recall ever uttering the word "Hellspawn", sister." placing a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Perhaps, we should discuss sometime why thou uttered that? At a later time, of course. As for the rest, I am not advising that we be careless. Rather that we use our heads and our soul's hearts, not just the shadow of our sword arm."
"I spoke the truth earlier, sister, when I said I know not your alliance's,. . . goals. And I ask this of thee as a true question; Does your Darkive not propose that ALL knowledge has it's "good" uses? Let is find the truth of this one, that we might have an idea. Then we might begin to form a judgment. Not beforehand, which will likely assure that our suspicion is true, at least for us regardless of all else, like the truth."
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Caldion gladly accepts the water and is careful to take small sips and eat sparingly, knowing that to gorge would be disastrous. He waves the offer of the potion with a smile.
"Keep it friend, once my strength has returned I can pray to regain my own magic." he replies softly. "Ahh Angelkin, your Hellknight companion refers to my words said in anger. For she does indeed bear a curse that others judge her poorly for."
Lying against the Stone wall, Caldion closes his eyes for a moment. "I shall be here awaiting your return, I will rest a while if you do not mind."
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"No, you didn't say it - he did" she gestures to the Shin'Rakorath, "He understood my caution and saw the sense in it too. We aren't wandering the gardens of the Petals District of Absalom down here, we're knee deep in the lair of Demons and their worshipers. Scrutiny and prudence are the keys to unlocking the truth, which we have now done, and we know as a result this man is what he appears to be.
The goals of the Archive are to study all sorts of items, divine and profane, in the pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge may be used for good or evil - even if the only good it can be used for is to act as a cautionary tale for others. I work for the Archive because I work for Zarta Dralneen, other than that I have no great admiration for the work they do other than in its usefulness in finding information that helps our investigations"
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"Rest up and regain your strength then, the enemies above us have been defeated, so perhaps that is a safer area to rest in. We will need to press on shortly, for I see no signs of ongoing accommodation here, and if they are not carrying bedrolls and rations then I suspect they are expected somewhere else sometime soon. Best not give the game away eh?"