Her sword stained with red, Irabeth roars out a prayer to the Inheritor and charges northwards. She brings her weapon down on the abrikandilu, putting it out of everyone's misery.
"The Light of the Sword be with us, this is dark work." Irabeth cleans her sword and takes in her surroundings.
End of Combat
The Gray Garrison is now silent as the group takes in their surroundings. Tiefling and demon corpses litter everywhere. This building has been despoiled and twisted to demonic purpose. The room you now all stand was once a shrine to Iomedae but has now been fouled - excrement and blood stain the walls. The only spot which seems unsullied is a bench for kneeling before the sunburst on the wall.
Worse yet, the bodies of two of the most famous, powerful men in Kenabres are now naked and slain outside, having been invaded by disgusting parasitic vermlek demons.
Dejik instructs the rangers to collect any unbroken arrows (if they're using the Durable cold iron arrows she gave them, they can recover all that we shot), then checks the doors for magical traps.
She grimaces at the desecrated shrine. It pains me to leave the Inheritor's shrine in this state, but I think we should continue the assault. We can clean the place when we're done.
Nilus spots the desecrated shrine and says a short prayer to Shelyn. Dear Lady, please bless us in this time of need. Your beauty is needed to restore the mar left by the demons. it hurts Nilus to leave the shrine in such a state, but Dejik's practicality seemed more apropos.
As Nilus kneels at the shrine to pray, he looks up and notices something interesting. The overly complex letters of the prayers engraved on the wall, when looked at from this angle, take the shape of a longsowrd. Written upon the sword are the words:
"Let us inherit thine arms, Iomedae."
Irabeth kneels beside Nilus to pray as well, and spots the same letters.
"Interesting, those words aren't in any of the canon."
Standing, she points to the north and east. "Where to?"
Sarkast points to the eastern door. "That way is along the exterior, while the other goes further in. I suggest we start on the perimeter."
He checks both doors, both for any physical traps that might be on them, as well as listening for sounds.
Judged? By whom?
"Sarenrae would wish us to cleanse this place and restore it. But, we need to continue to root out the infestation from the entire garrison and destroy the fragment. It is close. I can feel it. We should clear the battlements and try and get the doors open once more, if we can. That way any reinforcements that manage to make it can join us inside."
I cannot tell, but it is a benign presence. I can feel it.
Sarkast checks the door, which is untrapped and silent. He opens it to reveal a destroyed museum.
This room was once some sort of museum, but its contents have been smashed and scattered across the room-even the shelves have been shattered and torn apart in places.
The decapitated bodies of two knights, their armor and bodies broken and mangled, lie in the ruins.
Sarkast quickly searches the room, allowing the more religious among the group to make any prayers they wish to say for the dead knights.
Sarkast repeats his checks on the next room, systematically working the group around the perimeter of the building.
While Sarkast does a search, Nilus tries to set the remains in some sort of order and semblance of respect.
Irabeth pitches in, and helps set the dead in positions more dignified. Following Nilus' lead, the two say appropriate prayers over the dead to help guide their journey. As the two speak, a sense of well-being and relief washes over the party.
Sarkast is unable to find much, the abrikandilus have destroyed everything. However, beneath some rubble he pulls free a gorgeous morning star, the yellowish gleam to the metal giving it away as adamantine.
"That's a pretty bauble, indeed. Perhaps we should go back out into the entry way and try the other doors. It look sas if there is nothing here for us until we clear the garrison and can return to set this shrine aright."
Dejik will assist the search with Detect Magic and Detect Evil, praying silently while she does so. Since she mostly trained as a scout, her knowledge of specific rituals is lacking.
Sarkast moves on to the next room, checking both doors for sounds of activity, then opening the northern one first if both are quiet.
Sarkast creeps into a wide hallway, which like the rest has been destroyed and smeared although there was less here to ruin than in the shrine and museum. He pauses in the corner, listening intently.
His patience is rewarded. He can barely hear some noises coming from the north door. The clack of metal, the shuffle of feet, and the general sounds of people trying to be quiet who are not good at being quiet.
To the west, he just hears low grunts and snarls. Having encountered enough of the creatures, he's fairly sure the room to the west is packed with dretches.
Sarkast examines the two doors, looking for a way to lock or jam either.
Sarkast comes back to the group and whispers about what he found. "What do you think? Lock in the people and deal with the demons, or the other way around?"
I'd prefer to deal with the demons. If there are no demons around to threaten--or inspire--the people, we might have a chance of convincing at least some of them to repent. Dejik nods to Nilus. I think that's our best chance of saving them.
Nilus shrugs, Where my blade passes, there is less chance for beauty in the world. This is true, but these here have made their choices. We come to them with a Rose, but they get only one chance to see the light. the paladin makes a weary smile and raises Radiance. What we have seen here, cannot be unseen. We must end this tonight.
"Look, I am all for the redemption of evil, but let's face the facts. These people aided a demonic incursion that destroyed a city, killed countless innocents, and they are planning on using the wardstones to kill even more before moving on to the next location. I don't think too many of them will be interested in repentance. Why don't we just do our jobs, destroy the fragment, and let the gods worry about who is worthy and who is damned?"
Ayesha paused for a moment, then followed up with "But, that doesn't mean we get to become monsters ourselves in the process. We have been chosen, by the gods or by circumstance, to save the remnants of this city. Let's do what we came to do, in a manner that would be judged worthy...if someone was watching over us..." Ayesha trailed off into a speculative silence.
Sarkast listens, then asks again, "So should I lock the door with the demons behind it, or the one with the people behind it?"
"Let's kill the demons first, before they can summon more of their kind"
Indeed. Nilus moves to charge through the door as soon as it is opened.
Yes, the demons first. If the melee people want to flank the door, the First People and I can line up to shoot anyone who makes it past you.
As Sarkast locks the first door, Dejik draws the wand and re-casts Bless Weapon on Jinxx's bite. If there's enough time, she'll also cast Bless Weapon on Ayesha's scimitar.
Sarkast quietly jams the lock on the door he hears voice behind, then stands with weapons ready between the two doors.
Ronan casts Mage Armor on Jinxx
Ronan has his crossbow ready and loaded with cold iron bolt.
3... 2... 1...
BANG! The door flies open to reveal a room absolutely packed with dretch! However the creatures seem very prepared for your presence and are unsurprised. They immediately spring into action.
Dejik snaps off an arrow as the door flies open with her readied attack, which slams into a charging dretch.
Blue Dretch
Green Dretch (6 dmg)
White Dretch
---
Sarkast
Ronan
Jinxx (bless weapon, mage armor)
Dejik
Nilus (daylight)
Irabeth
Ayesha (bless weapon)
---
Grey dretch
Red dretch
Yellow dretch
One of the dretches immediately chants a spell, and a horrid green gas fills the air as it activates a stinking cloud! Two more charge in at the group.
Jinxx leaps on the Dretch that is first through the door
Lam fires through the door at the dretch.
Trying not to be sick all over Jinxx, Ronan moves back out the door to try to find clear air.
Radiance leaps in Nilus hand, almost of its own accord, as the Paladin spins around his golden weapon whirling.
Ayesha ripped her scimitar across the nearest dretch.
Dejik readies her bow again, planning to fire as soon as the cloud clears.
Lam fires through the door at the dretch.
Two dretches charge through the door and are immediately torn to piece by he party as Nilus skewers both of them on hsi glaive, drags them in, and they are then hacked to the ground by Sarkast, Ayesha, and Jinxx. Unable to see anything, the mongrel archers hold their actions.
Unable to really see what's going on, the group then suddenly spot a dretch emerge from the fog and throw itself on Irabeth who easily parries the attack.
A loud BANG comes from the north door. Obviously those inside the door have been alerted and are unhappy that the door is locked.
Jinxx rips into the dretche at the door (red)
Grumbling about the fog, Sarkast swings his weapons at the demon in front of him.
Ayesha blinked at the foul mist, trying to clear her eyes. A shape moved before her and she swung her scimitar in a short arc.
Packed in too tightly to wield Radiance Nilus drops his favored weapon and draws his Longsword. The Rose! The Rose! he cries as he attacks with the Longsword two handed
Dejik abandons her readied action, draws the wand that Ronan bought for the group, and touches Nilus's longsword.
Sarkast and Jinxx both stab heavily into the dretch in front of them and with a cry to his Goddess for help. His prayer is righteous and blade strikes true; the dretch falls dead before them.
Irabeth readies an action to strike at the next thing that shows up.
The mongrel followers all withdraw out of the stinking cloud; Samra succumbs and almost collapses as she begins dry-heaving.
Stinking Cloud active, 1 round remaining
White Dretch
---
Sarkast, Lam, Doron
Ronan (nauseated, 3)
Jinxx (bless weapon, mage armor)
Dejik, Samra (nauseated, 2)
Nilus (daylight)
Irabeth
Ayesha (bless weapon), Danis
---
Grey dretch
Yellow dretch
North room