A second before Vardan charges, perhaps tipped off by a whispered prayer from the cavalier, Drakra steps out and into view.
I bring you only compliments concerning your inbred blood and your craving for the love of rats, for none other would pay heed to one as homely as yourself.
Begin Inspire Courage.
+1 attack/damage - if Drakra goes before Vardan, this should add 1 do Vardan's damage
Fomiel approaches his fellow tiefling.
"Do you wish to hear the tales of devastation the demon kind have wrought in the city? Or should I report it directly?"
Fomiel grows some claws as he approaches and walks around the table. It appeared he thought of moving further along than just past the tiefling and then thought better of it. He turns to face the tiefling from farther along so the tiefling cannot look at them all at once.
"Are you authorized to hear a draconic report?"
Godwin steps into flanking position with the tiefling. Demon worshipping scum. Your life ends now
Init: Faxon, Drakra, Vardan, Fomiel, Godwin
The tiefling's grin grows a bit more feral as Fomiel comes around the table and Drakra makes his announcement. He looks at Fomiel with a snarl and spits the word, "Obscura!. Black, arcane energy swirls around Fomiel's head. He then looks at the charging Vardan and steps back 5' further behind his desk placing Fomiel and the desk chair between himself and the cavalier.
Unsure of what the tiefling is planning, and hoping to stop him from further casting, Drakra loads his crossbow and prepares to shoot the tiefling should he once more attempt to cast.
Ready action to shoot if the tiefling again attempts to cast.
Ready attack: <-- -4 assumes shooting into combat
Damage:
Fomiel had intended to get behind the guard. Things were not going well.
The black energy swirling around Fomiel's head coalesces around his eyes, diving into them, and Fomiel's vision goes black. Vardan finds his charge foiled by the desk but still manages to drive the point of his lance into the tiefling's shoulder. Godwin follows with a slash of his falchion, biting deep into the creature's side
**********End round 1*************
Faxon 13 damage
Drakra 29/29
Fomiel 10/20 Blinded
Godwin 28/28
Vardan 28/28
Thorne 19/24
**************Round 2*************
Init: Faxon, Drakra, Vardan, Fomiel, Godwin
The tiefling turns towards Godwin with a snarl, "Baphomet curses you to a life of weakness" He reaches out and grasps Godwin's arm, and Godwin feels a piercing chill that reaches to his core. Drakra reacts and fires a bolt in the direction of the scrum, but the shot hits the back of the office chair, setting it to spinning slowly.
Iomedae grants me strength that trumps the pathetic curses of your vile demon lord! Godwin shouts letting the light of his Halo shine through!
The purple black energy that surged from Faxon to Godwin bursts into a shower of harmless motes as a halo forms over his head, shining with almost blinding radiance. The Warpriest brings his falchion down with a heavy stroke onto the tiefling's shoulder Thorne pushes close, thwarted a bit until Vardan kicks the spinning chair away.
**********round 2 Cont *************
Faxon 22 damage
Drakra 29/29
Fomiel 10/20 Blinded
Godwin 28/28
Vardan 28/28
Thorne 19/24
Drakra continues his litany of insults at the tiefling, trying to distract him so that his companions can deal with the caster.
I heard that your mother took a ghost home thinking it was you. Said it was the best you had smelled in years.
Free - Maintain Inspire Courage
Ready Attack: <-- ready to fire it/when the tiefling tries to cast or attack
Damage:
It would have been a perfect shot . . . if the broad side of the desk had been Drake's target.
Vardan drops the lance, drawing his long hammer as he stands in the saddle and swings at the tiefling.
for
As he completes his swing, Thorne, recognizing this tactic, steps forward and bites at the tiefling, trying to pull him down with his teeth.
Fomiel claws at his assailant and then backs up.
Fomiel raises clawed hands, and reaches out towards the sound of Faxon, but the two clawed attacks fall wide of the Tiefling. Godwin swings his curved blade, and it bites home again, leaving the cultist bleeding heavily. Vardan tries but can't make contact with his hammer, and then Thorne moves in closer trying to bite the Tiefling, but Thorne also misses
**************Round 2 ended***********
Faxon 31 damage
Drakra 29/29
Fomiel 10/20 Blinded
Godwin 28/28
Vardan 28/28
Thorne 19/24
***********Round 3*************
The Tiefling snarls out some other odd sounding words and a blackish purple energy starts to coalesce about his hand, and he reaches out for Godwin.
Drakra continues his taunting:
Your so ugly, even a dog won't bite you.
Godwin's blow crushes down on Faxon's collarbone with a sharp crack, and the Tiefling flinches away from the blow with a jerk. He reaches out with the glowing hand, but emits a choking sound, and drops to the ground, a think trail of blood falling from his lips.
***********Victory!************
Pumped up with adrenalin Godwin lets his sword follow through mightily and roars And that is what your blasphemy gets you! By the Lady of the sword may you suffer forevermore in hell for your sins!
Coming back down to earth Godwin takes a few breaths to calm himself as his halo flickers away. I say we learn what we can and then burn these heresies clean from the face of Golarion. The cleansing fire will be the first step to healing the wounds of the city.
Godwin takes twenty on perception on both Faxon and the room.
Vardan salutes Godwin with his hammer for the fine blow, then resets it in the sheath, and raises his lance once again. "Given the damage the town has already suffered, I'm loathe to contribute to anything that makes it uglier. If you're referring to the corpses, however, then by all means."
Other than the gear that Faxon carried, a wand, morningstar, heavy crossbow, a quiver with 12 expertly crafted bolts, some intricately carved bracers, and a fine black cloak, the only other thing of note is a small ring of keys holding two keys. Given the one locked door in the room, logic would make you think they can be used on the door. At least one of them.
Using the keys, you open the door to another semicircular room outfitted with with numerous demonic decorations. The green glass lanterns hanging on the walls give the room an eerie glow. A brazen minotaur head hangs from one wall above an altar covered with wavy-bladed knives and curved bulls' horns, while star-shaped symbols in red decorate other walls. A large wooden chest sits near the west wall. Godwin feels uneasy when entering, almost as if something presses against his chest, making him feel anxious. Drakra, however gets a completely unnerving feeling, and catches himself several times, before blurting out uncomfortable truths. Indeed the whole party feels as though telling anything but truths in this place would be a true test of will.
Godwin stumbles back, spitting in fury. Desecrated ground. At the center of Kenabres. At the heart of the fortress against the world wound. By the Light of the Sword if nothing else this room I will burn until a cleric can come and cleanse it properly.
Drakra looks about the concerned, but not overly so, despite the strange feeling.
Perception:
Will:
After carefully inspecting the area from behind Godwin, which he is suddenly annoyed to discover is no longer behind the holy warrior when Godwin leaves the room.
What did you leave for? Not scared of the place? Does not look to be much here. We can probably get what is in the chest. That should be enough to buy our way out of this town, and away from these horrible demons. They give me the . . .
Drakra suddenly stops, realizing what he is saying. Suddenly his face turns even redder than his red hair. Meekly he also leaves the room, attempting to hide behind anything that he can find to make himself as invisible and unnoticeable as possible.
Godwin takes off his backpack muttering prayers to the Inheritor while taking out torches and flint and steel. He's so focused on this that he didn't pay attention to what Drakra said.
Fomiel carries the chest.
Godwin stares at the chest warily before lighting his torches. He braves the room for a moment muttering prayer to Iomedae as he sets the cloth of the altar on fire, then he backs away hurriedly and tosses three more torches into the room at curtains, rugs, or anything else that looks lightly to catch fire. He then retreats and prepare to cast Create Water ONLY if the flames start to escape from the unhallowed shrine room. Otherwise he watches it burn with some measure of satisfaction.
Fomiel grabs the chest and is able to drag it, with some effort, into the adjoining room, as Godwin starts tossing torches into the room, while he doesn't completely destroy the room, enough damage is done to the room that it really wouldn't function as a place of worship any longer. One oddity though, the brazen bull's head seems to be untouched by the flames.
Using the key on the keyring to open the chest, the group finds the following:
2,310 cp, 759 sp, 122 gp, 11 pp, five silver holy symbols of Iomedae, a masterwork longsword, two masterwork scimitars, 450gp in various fine housewares (silverware, table settings etc), and a phylactery that has a spiderweb pattern of cracks along it. Beneath the treasure are a sheaf of papers that detail the Templar's movement throughout the city, listing names and plans for people in Kenabres and other cities that border the Worldwound. It appears in the notes that the plan to attack the city was years in the making.
Finally, a short note in immaculate handwriting lies at the bottom of it all:
Faxon,
You did well to report your superior's mishandling of funds, and I trust that you will continue to server as a loyaly in the weeks to come. You need not command the Kenabres Templars for long, for the city is about to die - I only wish I could be there to take part in its murder, for I have found memoris of my Red Morning Massacre. No matter, I suppose, for your mortal kin will all fall soon enough-as I said, Kenabres' days are short. Vorlesh has already left to meet with our Lord's daughter in the Abyss to secure a Nahyndrian crystal of the proper purity, and once she has what she needs, she'll arive in Kenabres to finish the job and turn the warstones fully to our use. You will know when she succeeds, I suspect! Praise Lord Baphomet!
--Minaghe
Years of trecheary Iomedae preserve us for the vile trickery of the Abyss! Godwin rages his halo flickering on and off as he reads the document along with the others. We must take this back to the others. Their deceit ends here.
Godwin also casts Detect Magic on everything.
Vardan nods, "Agreed. This knowledge can help us see the shape of the treachery and plots -- and mayhap, allow us to see enough to learn where to strike the head."
As the party returns to Defender's Hear, there is certainly much buzz and curiosity as they come bearing a chest with them, and from the effort to carry it, a chest heavily laden. Irabeth greets you all as you enter the Inn, where the old, one-armed Innkeep sets out drinks for everyone. Irabeth looks at the group quizzically, "What do we have here?"
Our worst fears confirmed Irabeth. Godwin says stoically. Two demon worhsipper guards and their leader named Faxon. All slain by us in the name of Righteousness. Unhallowed ground 'neath the tower. Desecrated to be an Evil shrine to Baphomet I think. I burned it but it needs a cleric to Hallow it and take it away from the enemy of The Inheritor.
Fomiel withdrew a chest from the accursed place. The attack on the city was years in the making. The dead Faxon had a letter from Minaghe mentioning a Voresh aiming for a plot to subvert the wardstones to Abyssal use. It must not be allowed to pass!
Vardan watches as Irabeth's face shows shock at Godwin's tale, then silently nods his confirmation. "I wish I could say that Godwin is exaggerating, but, sadly, he speaks truth."
Knowledge(most everything relevant): <-- oh well, any chance I can make each knowledge check separately?
Drakra initially has that feeling that name Minaghe and Voresh are just on the tip of his tongue. After reaching the Inn, he's able to get the help of an initiate, and recalls researching the tales of the Worldwound, and the names Minaghe and Voresh come back to him.
Irabeth takes it all in, and reads the documents. "These reports will be invaluable. Not for Kenabres, but there are names here of people in other towns, contacts, merchants, safe houses. I can offer you 2000 gp for the lot of it. She holds up the letter to Faxon and taps it with a forefinger causing a sharp snap. "As for this, whatever a Nahyndrian crystal is, it can't be good. Quentys may know more about them."
We should be handing these in as a part of our duty Godwin says gruffly But we need to be better equipped as well. So we will take the gold and resort to selling our.. loot.. like common adventurers also. Mayhaps we should go ask Quentys about what the foul demon filth are trying to do?
Vardan smiles wryly at Godwin's comparisons to adventurers, I suppose I should be happy he didn't compare the act of fencing our loot to banditry or brigandry... At least this time, I know we fight in the light of the incorruptible..
He nods, "I think improving our arms... And learning all we can about the fell plot and what's happening... are both excellent ideas."
Working with some of the acolytes, and the modest, but surprisingly complete collection of books, Drakra comes across the information he was looking for about Minagho. Minagho was the demonic ruler of the ruined city of Raliscrad in the Worldwound, first exposed when the 'Wound was opened. Opened originally, the books claim, by Vorlesh. No mention of the Nahyndrian Crystals is in the books here, though.
Irabeth takes the group outside to search for Quentys, and the sight that greets them is at odds with the destruction visited upon the city. Small stalls, hastily built from pieces of the broken town, stand throughout the walled off compound, wares on display. Wherever someone is working, others lend aid, hammering home boards, helping with heavy loads, and all with warm, small smiles. Children, with their indomitable spirits, play at games of tag, or brandish sticks and you hear calls of these would be warriors calling out, putting an end to imaginary demons. Irabeth looks around until she finds her quarry, an elderly man, gone almost completely white in his thinning hair. Stern visaged, but still with a smile and a kind nod or word to any that pass. "Quentys, we have need of your knowledge. This group of, Irabeth looks at the group momentarily at a loss, "agents, has found a rather interesting letter, which mentions some odd things." Irabeth hands the letter over to Quentys, who pulls some spectacles from a pocket and places them over his nose as he scans the letter.
"Ah yes, I see" Quentys reads as Irabeth leads you all to a quiet corner of the compound where you can speak in relative privacy. He asks briefly about Minagho, Vorlesh and the Crystals, and seems impressed by Drakra's knowledge "Not many recall those two, or are aware of them at all. Well done, bard. After receiving no recognition for the crystals, he continues, "Nahyndrian Crystals are said to be receptacles for great evil. The crystalized remains of a murdered demon lord's life force. I am not sure what they could be used for, but assuredly it will be no benefit to anyone with a shred of good in them."
Irabeth sighs and looks at the group again, "You have already done so much. For me personally, but more importantly for Kenabres. I feel reluctant to ask more of you, but I need to know if you will help the city once again. This time on something far more perilous than rooting out Templars. She looks up at the group imploringly.
Drakra and other scholars and acolytes look over the items that you found in the Templars chest and are able to identify the items. One is a smallish wand carved from white wood, and adorned with healing sigils that will heal wounds , the bolts are enchanted to prove more accurate , the bracers are intricately etched with knotwork that Drakra recognizes as Shoanti markings for protection . The cloak is a rich fabric enchanted to help its wearer resist outside forces . From the chest, the wand there is a dark wood, carved with symbols of Iomedae, and is used to bolster allies in battle , and the broken phylactery is recognized by a cleric as a phylactery that once was a sign of faithfulness, and guidance, and would help clergy, especially paladins remain faithful to their deity. The fact that it is broken either speaks to the loss of its bearer to death, or one that broke their faith.
Knowledge(planes):