Anna fires her second crossbow. The bolt flies true, but sadly it bounces off the woman's armor. Kimberly moves closer to the building while Danica opens the door.
The Festrog moves forward toward the door, but Anna's previous attack hinders its movement and it doesn't reach Danica. At the same time, two of the three windows shatter as armored skeletons jumps through them. They land near Anna and Kimberly, their empty eye socket looking for any living targets.
Seeing enemies outside the building and near Kimberly, Theopolis charges forward. With his shield held in front of him, he aims for the closest skeleton putting all of his strength into the attack. Surprised by the violent charge, the skeleton is slammed against the wall of the building. Theopolis moves a bit back, expecting a counter attack, but the skeleton just falls on the ground in a pile of bones.
The cultist gets closer to Theopolis and then releases her scythe. The weapon flies by itself toward the Paladin. The weapon passes through the windows, sending some glass shards flying, but misses Theopolis by a few inches. The weapon then flies back to the cultist.
Kimberly shields her face as the glass shatters near her. she quickly responds to the sudden undead presence with her own counter attack.
A wave of energy bursts from her harming any undead in range.
As the paladin gets to within range to haste the entire party Tolvan casts his spell.
Anna takes a step away from the skeleton, then dives through the window and tumbles inside the shop. She rolls up and presses her back close against the wall. She readies a shot against the cleric, hoping to disrupt the woman if she begins casting.
Danica moves into the build to go toe to toe against the creature.
"Every into the building and out of the open."
The hastened monk makes a series if swings towards the festrog.
Mage Armor, Haster --> AC 27
Tolvin waited for Theopolis to join the rest of the group and then cast his spell. Almost everyone in the group feels time slowing down as they reflex sharpen. After the attack from the cultist, Kimberly releases a wave of positive energy, hitting the skeleton directly. It has weakened, but still standing. Anna does an impressive dive through the window and then disappear from view. She then fires her crossbow at the cultist but sadly the shot goes wild. Danica moves into the building, spinning her nunchaku. She hits the creature directly on the head, but it, shake it off and growl at her.
The skeleton outside the building moves toward Theopolis and attack him with its longsword. The blade manages to pass the Paladin's defense and open a small cut on his arm. The festrog tries as best as it can to get to Danica, but the inquisitor proves to be too agile and avoid all the attacks.
Pulling a wand as he 5' steps to the right Tolvan fires a glob of acid at the Festrog. He targets a part of the large creature not blocked by Danica.
Danica press the creature onward now unleashing 2 strikes on the creature. this time calls upon the power of the Dawnflower to heighten her abilities.
Mage Armor +4, haste +1 ===> AC 27
Tolvan uses a wand to fire a glob of acid at the large creature. The magical glob barely misses the creature, hitting the back wall instead. Theopolis looks over his shoulder. "Follow Danica, I'll be right there." With that, he uses his shield to attack the skeleton. The powerful blow makes it fall backward in pièces on the ground. He then moves closer to the door, but wait for the two casters to get inside first.
Seeing her minions falling the cultist repositions herself in the room. She casts a spell and a scythe made of pure dark energy appears over Danica. It swings at the inquisitor, but she is able to dodge it. As she is casting, Anna fires a bolt from her crossbow, but again, misses the mark. The cultist turn around and look straight at Anna with a wicked smile. Danica attacks again. This time she hits the creature with a powerful strike, inflict some serious wounds on the undead monstrosity.
Seeing the cultist through the window, Kimberly looks for an opening in her defenses.
hopefully seeing what looks like an opening, You are an abomination in the eyes of Pharasma, I am here to bring you to judgement.
A bolt of black light flies at the cultist.
Kimberly sees the cultist through the windows. Calls on some of the divine energy to releases a bolt of energy. It hits the cultist, inflicting some damage. The festrog continues its attack against Danica, hoping to get at her. This time it came closer to hitting her, but still misses. It growls in frustration at the agile inquisitor.
Theopolis moves inside, determine to bring the big creature down. He uses his shield as a weapon, bashing the creature with it. The creatures is heavily damaged but still standing.
Tolvan readies his staff as he moves and fires his acid wand at the cultist. He then uses a shift to appear behind her and waves Anna to close and flank with him.
Anna smiles at Tolvan as she steps up to take advantage of the opening he gives her. She draws her mithral dagger and stabs upward into the woman's midsection.
Changing target, Tolvan uses the wand against the cultist. This time the acid missile hits her in the back. As she turns around to face the new threat, Anna advanced on her and stabs her in the lower back. Hissing with rage, she takes a step back and moves closer to the wall. She then summons unholy energy and aim it at the rogue. The air seems to solidify around Anna as the energy envelopes her. The spiritual weapon continues to attack Danica with no result.
"Stay outta my mind, b*!#$," Anna hisses back.
Danica, again, twirls her nunchaku overhead and around her waist in order to distract the festrog. Then she smack the creature with the free end of her weapon. "THEOOO.....Let us be done with this creature."
Mage Armor +4, haste +1 ===> AC 27
Anna, with all of her mental power, resists the cultist's attempt to render her helpless. On the other side of the room, Danica attacks the festrog again. Finding an opening, she brings down her weapon on the creature. With two quick strikes, the large undead falls to the floor and stop moving. The dark magic that was animating its body is now gone. Theopolis moves closer to the cultist, but the furniture and counters prevent him from getting in reach.
Tolvan fires his wand again and with an almost playful smile shifts again to offer Anna a flank.
Anna jabs with her dagger two more times, still taking advantage of the distraction created by Tolvan to make sure her stabs do the most damage.
Once again, Anna uses the opening created by Tolvan to strike with her dagger. The blade sinks deep in the cultist, making her cough up blood as the steel strike vital organs. The second strike finishes her off. She collapses on the floor in a rapidly growing pool of blood. With the fight over, you are able to inspect more the room. In one corner of the building is a corpse of a human woman partially eaten. Here and there, you find rusted tools like cleavers and knives. In the small room you find chains hanging from the ceiling with hooks. The floor is also covered with animal bones.
Tolvan casts Detect Magic to aid his search of the room.
Danica stands above the dead festrog and spits at it. "Good riddance."
She begins to wander around the room looking for anything out of the sorts.
She then states aloud for her friends to hear. "What do you guys think about bringing our captured cultist here for questioning? Show her this is what happens when they cross us. And we can hook her up here instead of her being outside in the bushes."
Both Tolvan and Danica search the place. They don't find anything of real value aside from what the cultist had on her. They find marking on the walls however. The same type they saw earlier on another building in the village. The runes are highlighted with fresh blood. Looking at the body in the corner, you can easily take a guess of whose blood was used. On the cultist, Tolvan find a potion of cure serious wounds, three vials of unholy water, a magical bracelet (+1), a magical Mithral scythe (+1), onyxes (worth 450gp) and her unholy symbol.
The cultists are once again conducting some ritual and sacrificing people for an unholy purpose. We need to move quickly to try to disrupt whatever their purpose is. The elf inspects the runes closely wondering if anything can be accomplished by removing them now.[/b]
Danica helps the removal of the cultist's items. "Items not being used by us can be stored in this building. We should not be encumbered with such items. We can come back later and sell it off. Anyone claiming the potion of cure serious wounds?"
Danica takes the vial of unholy water and pours it out in the dirty. She takes the empty vials and stores it in her backpack for future use."Never know when empty vial will be needed. Maybe Kimberly can create some holy water."
Nice knife work Anna. Tolvan comments and then asks [b]Do you have the next target for us?
Anna beams, wiping her knife off the cleric's cloak, then twirling it in her fingers with a flourish.
Looking out the window, she surveys the ruins for signs of their fight drawing other bad guys. If it's still quiet, she points over to a tall building to the north. "There's a candle shop and a home that's got a good view of the square. We could go there next, and from there decide if it's safe to try to get through the square to the tower where Vrood is."
Kimberly had decided to look over the partially eaten body. not so much for treasure, but more as to identify the body as best she can. she offers a silent burial prayer to Pharasma.
Kimberly will accept the empty vial, I will try my best to put these to good use.
we have ensured that the undead creature will not reanimate, right? Also, I agree Dancia, lets use this cultist as leverage to interrogate the other one more thoroughly.
Move the woman here if you like but I am not in favor of questioning her. She is a fanatic and likely knows little anyway. No, our path is clear. Lets us clear the candle shop and then deal with the square.
Anna's lips press tightly as she recalls her earlier attempt to execute Duristan. She knew the guy and had almost pulled the trigger. Would this cleric be easier? A total stranger who worshipped an undead goddess? Was she beyond redemption?
She shakes her head clear of those thoughts and focuses on Tolvan's suggestion. "All right. I'll scout and let you know what I find."
She flips up her hood and sneaks out, heading to the chandler's.
Anna heads back outside, passing one of the few houses still standing, she makes it to the Chandlery. Again, she is lucky enough to not cross any patrol on the way there. The double door to get inside the of the shop are slightly open. Peeking in, Anna can see inside the gloomy shop. Hundreds of candles fill this shop’s shelves, lying in pale lumps of tallow and wax beneath years of dust. Several small copper kettles hang suspended from an iron rack over a brick hearth. Above the kettles, dozens of half-completed candles hang from iron rods. On a nearby table sits a spool of twisted cotton thread, waiting to be measured and cut into wicks, as well as a variety of wooden molds.
Anna slips away from the doors, and sinks deep in a patch of tall weeds as she whispers to the group what she saw through Tolvan's message spell. She checks her crossbows to make sure they're loaded while she waits for them to arrive.
Fetch her if that is your mind Danica. Anna is already calling for us to move. Tolvan says with patient insistence.
"I can get her later. We stay together as a group. We can come back here to regroup." Danica follows Tolvan's lead.
Motion the other to follow Tolvan follows Anna's path to the new building. As he leaves he informs We come.
Knowing she can not move the cultist by herself, Kimberly agrees to leave her where she is for now.
moving as stealthily as she can.
Trying to stay out of sight, the group moves to join Anna at the Chandlery. Once in a while they think they hear someone else moving about, but the sound seems distant. Crossing ruined walls and building, they reach the shop and wait. After a few seconds, Anna leaves her hiding spot and joins them. The slightly opened door of the shop doesn't look too welcoming in this gloom atmosphere.
Danica approaches the open door and stops before it in a crotch position. She puts her finger to indicate a pause and for silence. She then uses her senses to check out if anything stands out.
Danica's hold position right in front of the door. She concentrates for a few seconds, trying to find anything wrong with the room. She about to call the all clear, when it hit her. There is a heavy accumulation of dust in the shop and there is no glyph carved in the wall. For some reason, no one came into this place.
Danica whispers to the group, "There is no glyph carved on the wall.... and there is heavy build up of dust. This place has never been used."
Danica motions for the others to stop and she crosses the threshold into the building. Nunchaku is out and ready for action.