With Matiscio next to him to keep him from being flanked. Evander felt his confidence increase. If they could limit them to two at a time, that would help keep them from being overwhelmed. He again struck at Mephiry.
If I’m hit, Opportune Parry and Riposte.
Parry fails, no riposte.
HP 15/22
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18
Inspiration: 4/4
Panache: 3/4
Effects: Shield 18/20 rounds
Conditions: None
Extracts
1st - cure light wounds [ ], longarm [ ], shield [X
"Which one?"
Didiana was looking to Gilda, her face scrunched up in irritation. It was more so seeing the entire lot of Asmodeans resist a perfectly good spell than the enormous dog bite she'd won in casting it that annoyed her, but it seemed the group had a second chance at wide-spread instant incapacitation in Mrs Grabapple. The sorcerer recognized the pear-green pearl of power.
"Which of the bastards are you throwing the sleep spell on? The hound or the idiots?"
"Alright," the armiger said at the older woman's response. "I'll see if I can give you a distraction..."
"HEY! Itsi redreyii en kailfernum igiirtekh. Itsi hun eukfaah sromanaht mendafa’. Itsi eukseepowaa’ maa’. Etsi wesrat khedekareb emi. Emi nebratronak nüllaan. Maa’. Etsi an nat ashgagna non dünasse. Itsi maa’ ebdee nüllaan! Emi nebratronak!"
Didiana suddenly started shouting down the diabolic dog in a harsh, very condemning tone, in an odd multi-syllabic language of sharp consonants and lilting vowels.
"If any of you scum-sucking troglodytes pretend to piety, pray to your god now! Because you can except more mercy from your god-fiend than from us!"
Gilda hesitates, ever so briefly as she begins weaving her spell, realizing the crux of Didiana's plan. In demoralizing their foes, they'd be less likely to resist her incantation.
"Yer puppy know any tricks? How 'bout.. play dead?!!"
"To Hell with you!" Fists and feet seek to trample the devilish dog back down below to where it belongs.
Matiscio yells, "To Hell with you!" Fists and feet seek to trample the devilish dog back down below to where it belongs. The hound proves too nimble and dodges both of Matiscio’s blows.
Didiana was looking to Gilda, her face scrunched up in irritation. It was more so seeing the entire lot of Asmodeans resist a perfectly good spell than the enormous dog bite she'd won in casting it that annoyed her, but it seemed the group had a second chance at wide-spread instant incapacitation in Mrs. Grabapple. The sorcerer recognized the pear-green pearl of power. Didiana suddenly started shouting down one of the Asmodeans in a harsh, very condemning tone, in an odd multi-syllabic language of sharp consonants and lilting vowels. The pink Asmodean recoils at Didiana’s verbal tirade, seeming to understand the sorcerer's Infernal tongue. He seems quite shaken by her words.
Gregor, recovering his sword from the ground, moves a little closer to ensure that they have the enemy hemmed into their locations. He calls out words of encouragement. "Good recovery team, hold positions. If possible press the front. Focus fire on the hellhound."
Gilda hesitates, ever so briefly as she begins weaving her spell, realizing the crux of Didiana's plan. In demoralizing their foes, they'd be less likely to resist her incantation.
Evander, with Matiscio next to him to keep him from being flanked, felt his confidence increase. If they could limit them to two at a time, that would help keep them from being overwhelmed. He again struck at Mephiry. He hits. The hell hound looks to be on the verge of collapse from his wounds.
Yellow Asmodean strikes at Evander twice. Both blows miss.
Orange Asmodean, tired of waiting for his chance, moves past his yellow companion to strike at Evander from the next square over. Both of his attacks miss as well. He looks over and spots Gregor and says, “Hey! There’s another one over here!”
Grey Asmodean moves to strike Gregor upon learning of his presence. He misses badly.
Light Blue Asmodean moves up, waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Mephiry growls at Evander. Since the investigator was the last to strike the hound, Mephiry bites at him. He sinks his teeth deep into Evander’s leg, before collapsing to the ground, dead.
Pink Asmodean is shocked at seeing the hell hound fall, but recovers a moment later and steps forward to strike at Matiscio twice. He misses both times.
White Asmodean takes a step forward when Pink does.
Evander finds himself being pressed by two of the Asmodeans, with more behind. With Mephiry's two bites, he knew he wasn't going to be up for that long. Still, he hoped that whatever spell Gilda was using would thin their numbers. Hopefully he could take the Asmodeans down before collapsing.
Opportune Parry and Riposte.
If that beats or meets the attack roll, I riposte.
HP 6/22
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18
Inspiration: 4/4
Panache: 3/4
Effects: Inspire Courage, Shield 17/20 rounds
Conditions: None
Extracts
1st - cure light wounds [ ], longarm [ ], shield [X]
As relieved as Didiana was to see the hell-beast fall, she was equally concerned by the damage their own front-line was taking. The sorcerer hadn't seen Evander this bloodied since the tooth fairies. She briefly considered abandoning the whole 'help-Grabapple's-spell-stick-dammit' plan to send a healing potion his way, but forced herself to reconsider. It was not in a hellknight's nature, not in her nature, to take a passive, reactive role in battle. Patching the writer would not win this fight. Gilda's spell could end this in one fell swoop; assisting her was clearly the superior strategy.
Didiana just hoped that it wouldn't leave Evander maimed.
"If any of you scum-sucking troglodytes pretend to piety, pray to your god now! Because you can except more mercy from your god-fiend than from us!"
With her spell of slumber conjured, Gilda directs her ire at the most likely adversary to harm her allies.
Gregor expects at least one of them to come up the alley at him, but he had hoped to get a little closer beforehand. Sticking to his own request, he hauls back and punches with the pommel of his weapon, aiming straight for the guy's nose. He cracks a solid shot right into the man's face, so hard that he preemptively pulls back to avoid following through with a potentially deadly hit.
Matiscio strikes twice at the Pink Asmodean. His first strike misses, but his second hits.
Didiana, as relieved as she was to see the hell-beast fall, was equally concerned by the damage their own front-line was taking. The sorcerer hadn't seen Evander this bloodied since the tooth fairies. She briefly considered abandoning the whole 'help-Grabapple's-spell-stick-dammit' plan to send a healing potion his way, but forced herself to reconsider. It was not in a hellknight's nature, not in her nature, to take a passive, reactive role in battle. Patching the writer would not win this fight. Gilda's spell could end this in one fell swoop; assisting her was clearly the superior strategy. Didiana just hoped that it wouldn't leave Evander maimed.
"If any of you scum-sucking troglodytes pretend to piety, pray to your god now! Because you can except more mercy from your god-fiend than from us!"
While the Asmodean doesn’t look quite as shaken as the one before, he’s still clearly rattled by Didiana’s words.
Gregor expects at least one of them to come up the alley at him, but he had hoped to get a little closer beforehand. Sticking to his own request, he hauls back and punches with the pommel of his weapon, aiming straight for the guy's nose. He cracks a solid shot right into the man's face, so hard that he preemptively pulls back to avoid following through with a potentially deadly hit. He looks bloodied, but is still standing.
Gilda, with her spell of slumber conjured, directs her ire at the most likely adversary to harm her allies. The Yellow and Light Blue Asmodeans succumb to Gilda’s sleep spell. The Orange Asmodean falls for Gilda’s Evil Eye hex.
Evander finds himself being pressed by two of the Asmodeans, with more behind. With Mephiry's two bites, he knew he wasn't going to be up for that long. Still, he hoped that whatever spell Gilda was using would thin their numbers. Hopefully he could take the Asmodeans down before collapsing. His rapier goes straight through the Orange Asmodean, felling him almost instantly.
Yellow Asmodean is asleep.
Orange Asmodean is dead.
Grey Asmodean punches at Gregor. Both of his punches miss.
Light Blue Asmodean is asleep.
Pink Asmodean swings at Matiscio. He hits once.
White Asmodean steps over the sleeping bodies of his companions before striking twice at Evander. Evander parries and ripostes his first strike, creating a deep wound in the Asmodean’s side.
The Asmodean’s second attack hits Evander almost unbelievably hard. The investigator falls unconscious and begins bleeding out, though most of his wounds are internal. The White Asmodean smirks and looks satisfied with himself.
Evander lies unconscious on the floor, continuing to bleed out internally.
HP -7/22
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18
Inspiration: 4/4
Panache: 2/4
Effects: Inspire Courage, Shield 16/20 rounds
Conditions: None
Extracts
1st - cure light wounds [ ], longarm [ ], shield [X]
Gilda's eyes burst open wide as Evander collapses from the barrage of strikes of the Asmodeans.
"Nooo!"
Quickly working up another spell of her own, she rushes forward to tend to her fallen companion, hoping Matiscio will buy her enough time to save him.
"Keep 'em distracted Muscles!"
Evander groans as his eyes flutter open from Gilda's healing spell, finding himself in a great deal of pain. Okay, Evander. Evaluate your position. He was prone, next to an enemy, and possibly in danger of getting knocked out again. He needed to get clear and heal up.
Evander tumbles backwards next to Gilda and into a standing position, rapier at the ready.
Opportune Parry and Riposte
If that beats the attack roll, riposte.
HP 4/22
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18
Inspiration: 4/4
Panache: 2/4
Effects: Inspire Courage, Shield 16/20 rounds
Conditions: None
Extracts
1st - cure light wounds [ ], longarm [ ], shield [X]
The Asmodean felt rather pleased with himself. The fight was not going ideally, with many of his unconscious or dead brethren littering the floor of the monastery, but it was hard to feel too discouraged after a wallop like that. The intruder with the rapier had dropped like a sack of potatoes before his mighty fists. Surely this was the turning point in the battle. Never mind their losses so far; this was where they unleashed their true power and repelled these intruders. And it was all due to him leading the charge. Yes. He felt strong. He felt righteous.
And he felt a cudgel smack into his left cheek.
"Get the hell away from him, scum."
Even blindsided by momentary pain as he was, the fear made its way into the diabolist's mind. It was her. Taking the place of her fallen comrade was the menacing woman with the helmet and charred black clothing. He had really hoped he wouldn't have to be the one to take her on. She gave him the heebie-jeebies, frankly.
"What did I tell you? What did I tell you about mercy? Have you prayed yet, Asmodean? Are you worried that it's too late? Don't worry. It was always too late."
If the words of this woman had spooked him earlier, then he didn't quite know how to describe what he felt now. Because while he could tell himself that her earlier threats were just part of some scare tactics, he could feel the intensity pouring off her now. Even underneath the mask, even with half her face obscured, he could tell that this woman was angry. Furious, even. It made him believe. It made him believe that she intended to acclimate him to Hell before she sent him there.
Seeing Evander fall under the force of the enemy, Gregor loses his calm, but maintains his intent. He punches again, but this time he wastes no time with pulling back on the follow through. He needed to get to his fallen comrade, and this Asmodean stood in his way. He pommel punched again, cracking his hilt-filled knuckles hard into the man's jaw once more.
Matiscio strikes twice at the Pink Asmodean. His first strike hits, killing the man. He then strikes at the White Asmodean, but misses.
Didiana smacks the White Asmodean with her cudgel and lands a decent blow.
Gregor, seeing Evander fall under the force of the enemy, loses his calm, but maintains his intent. He punches again, but this time he wastes no time with pulling back on the follow through. He needed to get to his fallen comrade, and this Asmodean stood in his way. He pommel punched again, cracking his hilt-filled knuckles hard into the man's jaw once more. The man crumples to the ground. Gregor’s pommel strike appears to have severely injured the man, though he does seem to be stable.
Gilda, quickly working up another spell of her own, rushes forward to tend to her fallen companion, hoping Matiscio will buy her enough time to save him. She’s able to stop his bleeding and restore him to consciousness with her spell.
Evander groans as his eyes flutter open from Gilda's healing spell, finding himself in a great deal of pain. Okay, Evander. Evaluate your position. He was prone, next to an enemy, and possibly in danger of getting knocked out again. He needed to get clear and heal up. Evander tumbles backwards next to Gilda and into a standing position, rapier at the ready. Despite his compromised position, Evander’s able to tumble away and stand to his feet without giving the remaining Asmodean a chance to strike.
White Asmodean looks around him and seems to realize the hopelessness of his situation. He turns to Didiana and grits his teeth. If he’s going to go down, he’s going to try and take someone with him. He hits the sorceress twice, but fails to bring her down. The man growls at you and says, “Nox will have all your heads. Any of you lucky enough to survive will wish you hadn’t when that she-devil brings you before Lord-Mayor Thrune. He doesn’t take kindly to insurrectionists.”
"It pains me to say this, but we should probably deal with these mad dogs before they get a chance to bite us. Taking their lives does not feel right ..."
It's obvious Matiscio is aching to get this over with as more pressing matters occupy his mind: Jaya.
Evander drinks an extract he had prepared earlier.
Some of the visible bruises fade a bit, and his insides hurt less. He still isn't in great shape, though.
"Let's tie up and gag the sleeping and unconscious ones. That will keep them from running or crying out. What do we do about Nox?"
The overwhelming stench of rotting flesh fills this wide, table-strewn chamber. A web of barbed chains strangles its way throughout the room’s ceiling, supporting the decayed corpse of a man in drab robes. At the center of the web, suspended above the flagstones by its black iron tendrils, rests a fist-sized, twelve-sided box fashioned from wood and bronze. Wooden cases along the southwestern wall have been smashed and overturned. Small pieces of paper covered with notes are scattered throughout the room, as if someone’s been studying the strange tableau for days.
Didiana was very relieved to see Evander stand. It seemed the writer's days of aggravating her weren't quite over yet, thank the gods. She had considered it before, but the sorcerer really wasn't looking forward to the near inevitable prospect of any one of them dying. Seeing Lia leave had been a relief in many ways. Her mental health was tattered enough without carrying any dead comrades on her conscience, thank you very much.
"What do we do about Nox?"
"Don't know. Frankly, I'm concerned that we've haven't seen her already. Either this place is a lot bigger than we anticipated or she's waiting to ambush us. I say we avoid her if possible. Her and..."
The armiger took a second to count the bodies littering the floor.
"... and the one Asmodean and half-ogre she probably has in tow. Let's find what we came here for and leave."
She looked to Matiscio at the last sentiment. Jaya was the Raven's only interest in this Irori-forsaken hellhole. Fighting Nox was not on their agenda. At least not yet. What the armiger left unsaid was that she wasn't entirely convinced that they could take on the so-called 'she-devil' in their current state. She knew that she certainly didn't have much to offer in a fight against one of Barzillai Thrune's top officers right now. Didiana felt the shivers in her hand that always followed her arcane exertion.
It was that same despondency that drove her to give the room a quick once-over before leaving. Perhaps there was something here to give the Ravens a leg-up on Nox. Or if not that, then at least some explanation for what the Asmodeans were even doing here. Or what was up with the chains.
While the shelves are empty, hints of what the items were remain. One shelf holds a stand built to display an amulet or necklace, along with a discarded note that reads in Celestial, “Markings seem intended to lure worshipers of Abadar into peril.”
Another shelf displays a stand used to hold bracers, or perhaps a pair of gloves. A third shelf holds an empty bookstand, the wood of which is stained black and smells foul. And a final shelf holds a red velvet cushion on which a fist-shaped stone or other object may have once rested.
A half-dozen books on planar theory, used by the redactors to research the box and chains, sit around the room on tables. Together, these six books function as masterwork tools for Knowledge (planes) checks, and are thus worth 50 gp in all. A single dose of dust of emulation sits on a shelf to the northwest.
The situation appears to be a strange manifestation of power that’s likely leaked in from a kyton-influenced corner of the Plane of Shadow. The malfunctioning cubic gate can be deactivated in one of two ways. A successful casting of dispel magic against a DC of 24 would work, as will a successful DC 25 Disable Device, Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device check.
If you’re able to deactivate the malfunctioning cubic gate, though ruined, it’s still worth 3,000 gp as a curiosity.
-----
In the process of searching the room, you also glance into the room from whence Mephiry came. It appears to have once functioned as a lecture hall. Partially burned benches and scorched chairs fill this room, facing a toppled podium at the southwestern end.
-----
From the door leading into the next room, you can see jars of preserved fruits and vegetables and stacks of salted meat filling shelves carved into the bedrock walls. A half-dozen tables in the room are heaped with scrolls, books, and parchments.
On the far side of the room, you see what appears to be the Ogrekin Azvernathi spoke of. He stands at attention with a shortspear held in one hand. There appears to be a chamber beyond him, but you’re unable to determine more from so far away.
Evander looks about the room, and looks at the rather grisly contraption on the ceiling.
"What do you think happened to him?"
"No idea," Didiana replied to Evander. "But let's avoid touching anything that could send us up there to join him, yeah...?"
The macabre display was as mystifying as it was grotesque. Had the trussed Asmodean perhaps done something wrong and as punishment then had his mutilated corpse strung up on display to act as a warning to the other faithful working here? Seemed a bit extreme, even for devil worshipers. And the spiked chains brought to mind a certain other, torturous, deity instead... Didiana had never been entirely comfortable with Nidal being Ravounel's nearest neighbor.
Nevertheless. she quickly perused the reading material strewn about the room and realized that her passing thought on the Midnight Lord hadn't been too far off.
"Hang on, this..." she started. "Yeah. Yeah, it's the box. The Asmodeans were researching it; the box in the epicenter of the chains - it's a cubic gate. That's a very powerful artifact, but I think... I think this one is broken somehow. It's supposed to lead you to other planes of reality, but this one just leaked out some kyton designed horror from the Plane of Shadows. Suppose they aren't called 'chain devils' for nothing..."
The sorcerer looked up from the books.
"Don't get too close to it. It's still active. The chains will try to ensnare you. We could probably deactivate it... either through magic or just jimmying it; most likely worth a fair amount of gold to the right buyer if we did, but I don't think it's worth it. Not right now. Too risky."
----------
Didiana stopped in her tracks at seeing the ogrekin.
Oh. Well, there's the half-ogre.
Strange as it was to see the creature simply standing here, alone and never having joined the fight just a room over, she could only assume that he was here because he was ordered to be here - a good little soldier refusing to abandon his post. Well, the group hadn't found Jaya yet. And if the half-ogre was standing guard over something, it was a fair guess to say he was watching over Matiscio's lady-friend. The armiger turned to the rest of the Ravens.
"Guys, I'd like to try enchanting him. If a fight with Nox is still awaiting us ahead, we should to take any potential allies of hers out of the equation. I can't help but feel that she'll be enough trouble as is... Charming the half-ogre would render him harmless quickly and painlessly - I can't imagine that brute's strength of mind matches that of his body - but I would need to approach him alone. Fear is a mental barrier; the spell is far more likely to succeed if he doesn't see me as a threat."
If the sorcerer felt any apprehension about confronting someone literally three times her size on her lonesome, she didn't show it. The grey eyes were as steely as ever. But she wouldn't go through with any plan without the group's consent. Too much was at stake for disagreements.
Healed up, Evander looks at Didiana and says, "Alright, give it a try. If it goes bad, run back and we'll try to cover you."
Didiana walks toward the ogrekin to try charming him. When she gets in range, she’s able to see a bit beyond the ogrekin. It appears to contain a grassy area with stone steps forming a path that leads further into the area.
The sorcerer casts her spell. The ogrekin tilts his head and grips his spear more tightly for a moment before relaxing and smiling toward Didiana. It probably looks more like a grimace.
He says to her, “Name? No name. Just Lout.”
Lout?
Didiana raised a quizzical eyebrow. Perhaps she shouldn't be surprised. The giant seemed simple-minded; the name was probably not one he'd chosen for himself. She couldn't imagine the Asmodeans using someone, something, like him as anything other than expendable muscle.
"'Just' Lout? That can't be right. A big man like you surely warrants a proper name, don't you?"
The sorcerer spoke in the pedagogic, perfectly self-evident tone of a primary school teacher.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Lout. My friends and I are just visiting, but what does someone as strong as you do down here?"
The manipulation. The violation of another's mind. Gods, it made her wretch. It was everything she hated about herself. She swallowed. Never mind that right now. Utilizing her infernal birthright for a greater good was the only thing that lent her wretched life meaning. She could do it for the Torrent and she'd manage for the Ravens too.
"Lout, have you seen another woman here? Not one of the redactors. Someone who wasn't supposed to be here. Someone who was caught. Might you know where she is?"
To Didiana's first question, Lout says again, "No name. Just Lout."
When Didiana asks about what he does, he stands straighter and says, "I guard this place for the nice devil lady."
When the sorcerer asks about Jaya, Lout says, "Beat up and dead-looking woman? Lout saw woman dragged past me. Nice devil lady wanted to talk to her."
Gregor settles for a single charge from the wand. He doesn't want to eat up too many resources, and it puts him at a decent level of health. He has his bow drawn and nocked in case this thing with enchanting the ogre-kin doesn't work out, or wears off. He doesn't like her being out front alone for it. "I don't like her being out front and alone for this." he expresses as much to the others quietly.
Didiana let out a heavy sigh through her nose.
"Yes, Lout. The beat-up, dead looking woman," she said quietly in the vain hope that Matiscio hadn't heard this description of Jaya.
"Lout? I'd like to talk to the devil lady. My friends and I, that is. You don't need to stand guard here while we talk to her. After all, it's just me, right? No, you deserve a little break. Do you see the fruit preserves over there? The salted meat?"
She pointed to the other side of the room.
"It looks good, doesn't it? Go on. Have some. Have as much as you'd like. You've earned it. It's all all right. You go take a break, and we'll talk to the devil lady. We'll tell her what a good guard you've been. And then we'll be right back."
Gods, she felt genuinely sorry for the poor wretch. If they weren't forced to kill him somehow themselves, then whatever Asmodeans arrived to investigate this mess surely would for failing to stop them. Allowing him this simple culinary pleasure was the least she could do for him. Of course, she considered sending him further away, perhaps to have a chat with 'that nice man made out of pages', but she didn't dare send him past the other room. The sight of all those diabolists littering the floor just might break the spell.
Well. It seemed there was no way around it. The group would have to confront Nox. Killing the despot's second in command - boy, that wasn't how she had expected the day to end.
Lout considers Didiana's words then says, "No fruit. Yucky stuff. Meat? Meat good. Lout eat meat. Lout take break then. Thank you. You nice lady, too. Devil lady doesn't want anyone disturbing her, so I no go in there if I you."
Lout looks towad the next room over, then shrugs, moving over to some of the salted meat. He immediately digs into the meat, consuming it at an alarming rate. His back is turned to most of the room.
Gilda taps the wand on herself after administering the others.
Tucking the implement back into her wide pockets, she squints as she looks about the room. The elder shaman seems unphased by the tortuous implement, choosing to smirk and quip with Didiana.
"Awww, I saw worse. Sometimes the Calistrians would bring in somethin' for high-payers."
Winking, and curious if she can solicit a grin from the sorceress she proceeds to scan the tomes while simultaneously searching for valuables.
Gesturing at the secret panel, Gilda is impressed when the group finally thinks to apply Rexus's key and ply its secrets.
"Nice pen. The angel's a bit of a creep, though. The headband's magic. Makes the wearer more like yours truly, wise even beyond your years."
**
Supporting Didiana's decision to charm the ogrekin, she stifles a smile of her own as the brute introduces himself as Lout and quickly excuses himself for an extended break.
Cracking her fingers, she gestures to the now unguarded door.
"That spell's gonna last a while right? We don't gotta worry 'bout it snappin' and him comin' up from behind us later, right?"
"Awww, I saw worse. Sometimes the Calistrians would bring in somethin' for high-payers."
Winking, and curious if she can solicit a grin from the sorceress...
Far from a smile, the armiger's head snapped to attention with a hard scowl at Gilda's words.
"What Calistrians?"
Revealing any connection to a religion banned throughout Cheliax might not be advisable in front of the hellknight hopeful. But she soon deflated. Didiana couldn't manage any righteous indignation right now. She was tired, mentally, physically and magically. At the moment the sorcerer was all tapped out. She couldn't muster lawful indignation any more than she could manage any spell stronger than the average hedge wizard's.
And this concerned her seeing as they were about to confront the lord-mayor's lieutenant.
"That spell's gonna last a while right? We don't gotta worry 'bout it snappin' and him comin' up from behind us later, right?"
"Three hours or so," she answered just a bit wearily. "But he's just..."
How should she put it?
"... influenced. I'm not actually controlling him or anything. Depending on how the big guy feels about her, Nox might be able to free him from the spell if she orders him to attack us. So let's not give her the chance."
With Lout occupied by salted meat, you’re all easily able to slip past him and into the next area. It proves to be less of a room and more of a subterranean park.
The eastern half of this colossal chamber appears almost theaterlike, with an arched ceiling painted roughly like the night sky and hanging lanterns radiant with cool, white flame. The room presents an incongruous sight this far underground - a resplendent garden, complete with a babbling brook, a gravel footpath, and all manner of flowering and fruiting plants. The pathway winds through the lush grass, over a small footbridge, and to a book-covered knoll at the far end. The brook cascades into the room from the north and flows through a grate to the south.
On the far side of the room, you spot two figures. One is a woman who lies on the ground, her hands and feet tied together with rope. She looks badly beaten, even from a distance. She also appears to be unconscious. Matiscio instantly recognizes her as Jaya. The other figure is also a woman. You all recognize her from the protest at Aria Park. It’s Nox.
Nix appears to be reading something on a bench as you enter the chamber. She hears you enter and begins saying, “Why didn’t Lout announce your arrival? How many times must I…”
She cuts off abruptly as she sees the five of you. She rises to her feet, glaive in hand and regards you.
Nox resumes speaking, “Well, then. I knew the redactors were incompetent when it came to combat, but I thought they would at least have thought to inform me of your arrival. And that Yilliv was also useless, apparently. I figured someone would eventually come for this girl. She hasn't been very forthcoming with details about her accomplices, so it's nice of you to make extracting her confession unnecessary."
She glances past you, as if looking for something. “What have you done with Mephiry?” She demands. “Is he still in the side room? What did you bastards do to him?”
The fiendish woman grips her glaive in both hands as she awaits your reply.
Gregor raises a calming hand, and offers, "Ma'am, we will direct you to your pet hellhound shortly, but first I must read you this proclamation delivered on behalf of the good people of Kintargo, and we their representatives, the Silver Ravens." As he speaks the lines, he draws a furled parchment from his belt, and clears his throat for clarity.
As soon as he finishes, he offers, "That should prevent any tricks or spells from her, or calling out to Lout."
Evander nods in approval as Lout is directed away from the door. Not having to face the ogrekin would make their task easier - although Didana had used up the last of her magic.
Once inside the park, Evander took the time to study Nox. That long shaft of that glaive gave her the ability to strike at them from further away. Fortunately, he had something for that if this turned to violence - a little something he'd mixed up for the occasion.
Gilda simply smiles as the group moves along to confront Nox. Barely recognizing the scroll that Gregor is unrolling, she prepares herself to hear some long-winded exposition penned by her allies, but quickly recognizes the first few words as those that would conjure a spell effect rather than move the woman to surrender.
Five people show up to claim your head and your first thought is to ask about your dog? That's almost... touching.
Or at least it would be if said mutt wasn't also literal hell spawn. Putting aside the dubious virtues of infernal canines and their loving owners, Didiana drew herself up to her full height and tried to appear confident despite her misgivings about the whole situation. She didn't find this difficult; 'playing hardass' aptly summed up her entire career. But the armiger usually had at least something to back up the charade. If not her own arcane power, then the authority of the Hellknights. Right now she had neither. However, she would be a poor hellknight indeed if she let something as meager as 'reality' get her down. So the sorcerer gave the devil-woman her best scowl and opened negotiations.
"Nox. Surrender the woman or die. This is your only warning."
Hellknights were very direct negotiators.
Nox plants her feet and extends her glaive in front of her, ready to strike anyone foolish enough to get in range.
Clearing his throat, he takes a deep breath and in his most official voice says right before casting, "The people of Kintargo request... that you go right back to hell devil-spawn."
With his gamut orchestrated, he whips his bow back out, takes a single side step into the room proper, and fires at the commander. "Hey, Robin, I wouldn't threaten the lady when her magicked help is just in the other room." He offers with a nod toward the room with Lout.
Evander drinks his extract of longarm. His arms seem to shift and elongate as they stretch forward, making him look rather unnatural in appearance. He then moves across the bridge to the other side of the stream, keeping back from Nox, and sets himself for attack. He ignores the unnatural silence created by the bubble, although it is rather strange to not be able to hear anything.
Opportune Parry and Riposte
Riposte if successful
AC 21, T 13, FF 18
HP 22/22
Panache 2/4
Inspiration 4/4
Effects: Shield? 10/20, Longarm 20/20
Extracts
1st - [X] cure light wounds, [X] longarm, [X] shield
"Hey, Robin, I wouldn't threaten the lady when her magicked help is just in the other room." He offers with a nod toward the room with Lout.
"C'mon now, Falcon... You know me better than that. I don't threaten people. I help them see reason."
Didiana wasn't sure why she bothered. After all, the person she was really speaking to was deafened. The armiger would like to threaten Nox, to sow doubt in her mind, to make her hesitate, but this wasn't an option so long as the spell of Silence remained. This limited the sorcerer's slim options further, but at least the fiend-woman would be unable to call for help. Or utilize any spells, however unlikely an option that seemed. Nox didn't exactly look the type.
Alright, Nox. Time to see just how alien your mind really is, Didiana thought as she readied yet another basic mental scrambler. The persistent rumors surrounding their opponent suggested that the group's opponent was of a fiendish nature. The spell she readied was entirely ineffective against such creatures, so if nothing else it might prove whether or not Nox was something more, or rather less, than human.
Gilda gets right to work vexing the devil-touched woman, sticking her tongue out and wiggling her finger before chuckling to herself as she realizes that such antics always seem to work for her.
Evander drinks his extract of longarm. His arms seem to shift and elongate as they stretch forward, making him look rather unnatural in appearance. He then moves across the bridge to the other side of the stream, keeping back from Nox, and sets himself for attack. He ignores the unnatural silence created by the bubble, although it is rather strange to not be able to hear anything.
Nox plants her feet and extends her glaive in front of her, ready to strike anyone foolish enough to get in range.
Gilda gets right to work vexing the devil-touched woman, sticking her tongue out and wiggling her finger before chuckling to herself as she realizes that such antics always seem to work for her. Her antics once again works as Nox takes the full effect of Gilda’s hex.
Matiscio, eager to rescue Jaya, double moves to get into range to attack Nox next round. In doing so, Nox’s readied attack goes off. She misses. As Matiscio continues forward to get in range to attack, Nox immediately draws her glaive closer to her before swinging at the brawler again. She hits this time, dealing a strong blow against Matiscio.
Gregor, with his gamut orchestrated, he whips his bow back out, takes a single side step into the room proper, and fires at the commander. "Hey, Robin, I wouldn't threaten the lady when her magicked help is just in the other room." He offers with a nod toward the room with Lout. Gregor’s arrow flies true and sinks into Nox’s arm. She silently snarls at him.
Didiana wasn't sure why she bothered. After all, the person she was really speaking to was deafened. The armiger would like to threaten Nox, to sow doubt in her mind, to make her hesitate, but this wasn't an option so long as the spell of Silence remained. This limited the sorcerer's slim options further, but at least the fiend-woman would be unable to call for help. Or utilize any spells, however unlikely an option that seemed. Nox didn't exactly look the type. Alright, Nox. Time to see just how alien your mind really is, Didiana thought as she readied yet another basic mental scrambler. The persistent rumors surrounding their opponent suggested that the group's opponent was of a fiendish nature. The spell she readied was entirely ineffective against such creatures, so if nothing else it might prove whether or not Nox was something more, or rather less, than human. Didiana’s spell seems to have no effect on Nox. The sorcerer isn’t completely sure this has anything to do with the woman’s devilish qualities, though, as strong enough opponents can be unaffected by the simple cantrip.