"Who the hell would you file a complaint with about us?" Flo says before turning to the door with a start.
Colvyn is waiting on the side, trying to pin point exactly what was bothering him about the woman when the room erupt in total chaos. When the woman turns around and look at the doorway, and seeing Kargas turning that way, he decide to let the big guy handle what ever is coming that way and stay with the woman.
-
---
While Flo and Kargas are glancing toward the door, Nadja's expression snaps from total surprise to a composed smile with such speed that those of you still watching are left to wonder if she'd just dropped an illusion. Seizing on her momentary distraction, she breathes in deep and...
From the waist down, Nadja's form warps, her legs fusing into one long sinuous snake tail, her scales glittering an emerald green. You notice all of a sudden that she's holding daggers in her hands - when she managed to draw them is an open question. She smiles, calling out "Kaven my dear, let us get rid of these interlopers."
Kaven sways unsteadily as she talks, but turns to face you. His eyes look glassy.
|||| SURPRISE ||||
Colvyn
Kellek
Guiness
The lamia woman smiles, showing off her teeth. "I'll have you know they killed themselves. So very full of shame for failing to protect me. Now they're in a better place. Serving a greater purpose."
"I knew there was something wrong with her." He lifts his bow and smiles at the snake/woman thing as it erupts in green flames. "Oh by the way, you know your sister in Magnimar? We killed her, just like we will do to you."
---
"Well my dear Kaven, now you see these villains' true colors." She nods to Kaven. "Let us be done with them."
Kaven's eyes focus once more and he frowns "Ya murdered 'er sister! And now yer going te murder Nadja too?" His gaze hardens and he steps behind Guiness, rapidly drawing his dagger. "Not 'appenin'" He stabs twice with his rapier, each time striking with uncanny speed and precision, before following up with his dagger. Luckily only his first stab manages to get in past Guiness' incredible defenses.
|||| INIT ||||
Colvyn
Flo
Kargas
Guiness (13 dmg)
Kellek
Nadja?
Kaven
"Murder?!" Kargas growls incredulously, the smell of ozone rising with his rage. "We killed her alright, because she was running a gods-damned murder cult in Magnimar." Kargas grits his teeth and lets out another frustrated growl when Kaven strikes at Guiness, drawing blood. "You've been ensorcelled, Kaven. You'll thank us for this later if you survive the next minute." Ignoring the ranger, Kargas focuses his magic and suddenly numerous illusory duplicates spinning around him as he bulls towards the snake-woman.
"Floredana, can you give a time out to Kaven please?" Taking a side steps, he energises himself with divine energy and release a volley of arrows at the snake lady.
Guiness connects with his first hit, but Nadja is able to parry and block the remaining strikes with her daggers and scaly tail. Similarly, all three arrows from Colvyn just glance off her. As Kargas moves by Kaven, the rogue quickly stabs with his rapier, only to pierce an image rather than the real deal. Kargas' rebuke against him seems to fall on deaf ears as Kaven calls back "Ye liars!"
|||| INIT ||||
Colvyn
Flo
Kargas (3 images)
Guiness (13 dmg)
Kellek
Nadja? (19 dmg)
Kaven
Kellek draws a long scroll from his pack and reads it aloud. As he speaks his voice begins to accelerate until it is a high pitched whine.
"I can try!" Flo promises, activating the magic in her mask. She gives Kaven a hard look. "Don't resist, we'll fix you as soon as we can!"
________
-
-
Kaven, eyes fervent and not thinking clearly, steps in behind Kargas. He stabs twice with his rapier and slashes in with his dagger. But all of his attacks only pass through images, shattering them one by one. However, this leaves Kargas open as Nadja lunges forward with her own daggers. The lamia strikes with bewildering speed and precision. Thanks to his uncanny senses, he avoids being distracted by Kaven during the attack but he still takes several wounds.
Nadja gives a broad, pleased smile at the results, though as several of Kargas' wounds close up and appear on Flo instead, she looks a little less satisfied.
|||| INIT ||||
Colvyn
Flo (28 dmg)
Kargas (30 dmg)
Guiness (13 dmg)
Kellek
Nadja? (19 dmg)
Kaven
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"Damn your eyes, Kaven! Don't make me regret not killing you!" Kargas throws himself at Nadja with reckless abandon, sweeping his falchion in wide powerful strikes that leave the serpent-woman little space to dodge. "You seem to get the worse end of this trade, Nadja," he taunts her.
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Flo takes advantage of the change in focus and bursts into a storm of petals that rearrange on the other side of Colvyn. "Fill that worm with arrows!" she cheers, offering her luckiest kaleidoscope to her little friend. As the tiny butterflies sprout on Colvyn's bow, they look at Nadja with a vicious determination.
________
With accelerated mouvement and Floredana's blessing, Colvyn smiles as he sends arrow after arrow at the snake woman. Just to add a better sting, he takes a page from Jakardros and infuses his bow with lightning.
The retaliatory assault against Nadja falls upon her with incredible fury and precision. Guiness lands a pair of burning blows with his hammer. Defending against Guiness opens Nadja up to a multiple slashes from Kargas, two of which cut deep into her long tail. However, it's the divinely guided arrows from Colvyn that do her in. Three shafts pierce through her chest, the last skewering her heart.
Her eyes are still wide with shock at how badly she underestimated her attackers as she collapses to the floor.
Combat Over!
Kaven screams in shock and grief and falls to his knees next to Nadja's body. He drops his rapier and holds onto his dagger with a white-knuckled grip.
|||| STATUS ||||
Colvyn
Flo (28 dmg)
Kargas (30 dmg)
Guiness (13 dmg)
Kellek
Nadja
Kaven
|
Guiness tries to figure out what Kaven is up to--is his charm broken, or is he despairing and wanting to join his mistress in death as he grips his dagger so tightly? If he judges the ranger to still be lacking in control of his actions, Guiness will try and disarm the man of the pointy object so he won't hurt them or himself any further.
Kargas stands there panting as the magical glow leaves his eyes and scars, staring grimly down at Nadja's corpse and the sobbing man holding her. "Kaven," he says slowly. "What was Nadja doing the night the Kreegs breached the fort, Kaven?" Kargas asks the question slowly, not really expecting an answer and suspecting he already knows. "Did she request your help in betraying the Black Arrows?"
Guiness, noticing that Kaven is in a very unstable mental place, recognizes the intention the rogue has to end his own life. With a deft blow of Dragonfist, he knocks the dagger out of Kaven's hand and sends it flying across the room. Kaven wastes no time in grabbing for one of Nadja's daggers instead, but now that you've all been alerted to the situation, you're able to disarm and restrain him fully.
Kaven slumps as soon as he's restrained. His red rimmed eyes stare blankly at the floor.
He doesn't initially answer any of Kargas' questions. It takes quite a bit of insistence, whether that be intimidating or diplomatic, before he opens up and begins to talk.
"I dunno what she was doin'. We were entertainin' 'er you see. As thanks for all the ways she'd always did well for us when we visited Turtleback. She was so sad after the Paradiso sank. 'Er livelihood, snuffed out like a candle. An' the people in town sayin' rude things 'bout 'er." His voice wavers "She 'ad nowhere else ta turn. We all loved 'er. We all-" He starts sobbing once more.
After a long while to pull himself back together, he continues "Only Jakardros 'ad a problem with 'er. Said she was distractin' us from our duties. He's a stone 'earted son of a b$+%&. Not willin' ta 'elp a woman in need. Not willin' ta 'elp a friend down on their luck."
|
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With a gruff grunt, Guiness says, "She manipulated you, Kaven, leaving the fort vulnerable to the ogre's attack. It seems you have some explaining to do--to us, yes--but primarily to the surviving rangers."
Guiness investigates the body of the lamia, looking for papers or clues, plus any useful items of value or magic.
Flo sighs with immense relief. "We did it!" she cheers.
Her hands glow as she closes the worst of the wounds before resorting to the wand. "Should we lock him up in here for the Arrows to deal with?"
________
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Kaven completely disregards Guiness' statement, obviously not willing to see himself as manipulated, but also too distraught to argue. With the rogue unresponsive, Guiness investigates the lamia's body and finds her laden down quite heavily with various gear and treasures. In addition to various items that appear to be good candidates for magical analysis, he finds a small scroll tube filled with a collection of personal documents.
The documents include a deed to a barge named "The Paradiso", several promissory notes that are already marked 'redeemed' and signed by a 'Lucrecia', a few crudely written love letters not penned by her hand, and a single two-columned sheet bearing about two hundred names.
While most of the names are unknown to you, you recognize Kaven Windstrike immediately thanks to the check mark next to it. At the bottom of the sheet, the lamia has written:
"The master's need fulfilled. The dead flow with greed."
1x ??? Dagger
1x Masterwork dagger
1x ??? Silver medallion of a seven pointed star
A gold and pearl ring bearing intertwined snakes (worth 300 gp)
A silver necklace (worth 200 gp)
---
"Lucretia?" Kargas asks no one in particular, reading over Guiness' shoulder. "That her real name, do you think?" Deciding that Guiness has Kaven well in hand, Kargas tromps back up the stairs to check on Jakardros and Vale.
It takes a few minutes for Kargas to head back up to the ground floor and regroup with Jakardros and Vale. In the intervening minutes, the light drizzle outside has strengthened to a pouring rain. Visibility is way down. Kargas finds the two hurrying out of one of the outbuildings and toward the main fort, their bows unstrung and wrapped. The two join Kargas with nods and head down to the basement to talk with the rest of the party.
When Jakardros spots the dead lamia and a half dozen more dead Black Arrows, he takes a half step back. "Bloody hell." His shock turns to a scowl and another "Bloody hell," the second almost whispered.
While Vale walks around the room checking on the Black Arrows and then moving over to put a hand on Kaven's shoulder, Jakardros fills you in on his actions "Before it started pouring, we managed to root out a few holdouts in the outbuildings. We found a few survivors too, being kept in the outside larder. Half-dead of thirst, but otherwise unharmed. Far, far too few though..." He takes a long sigh, steadying himself "What happened here? I'd had a bad feeling about Nadja - didn't seem right that she'd trek through the wilderness alone after her little pleasure raft burned down - but I couldn't have guessed... this." He waves a hand at the lower snake half of her body.
|
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"Just like Magnimar, one of these Lamia sisters manipulating others to do her dirty work and discarding them when she is done. Apparently she ensorcelled every Black arrow you see dead in this room, though she may have been lying about them committing suicide at her command, I don't know. She certainly had Kaven under her spell as he turned on us when she revealed herself and attacked," says Guiness as he lays out the useful items he found on her corpse.
Holding up the seven-pointed star, Guiness adds, "We saw this in Magnimar and Sandpoint too--carved into the chests of corpses dedicated to some ancient evil cult by the Skinsaw murderer."
Looking for a ray of hope, Guiness asks, "How many Rangers did you find? Enough to equip with those supplies we found in the caves and defend this place if the ogres decide to come calling again?"
"Where are the Arrows now? I can bring them food and water," Flo offers. "What will you do now, Jakardos? Do you have enough men to hold the Fort, or will you join us on our journey to Turtleback to recruit more?" Desna knows I want to be free of this place, but it's their home again. I'd want to start a deep cleaning right away!
________
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Jakardros nods his appreciation to Flo and leads your group back up to the surface. You take a quick dash through the rain to reach a low outbuilding whose basement was used as a larder while the Black Arrows were still the only occupants of the Fort. Huddled on the ground floor of that building are only four Black Arrows, each one badly dazed by their deprivation. Flo is able to get some water and food into them, which certainly puts some pep back into their eyes, but it's clear they won't be traveling anywhere or defending anything anytime soon.
Jakardros surveys the group and sets his jaw. "Barely any of us left..." He furrows his brow and pauses to swallow back a wave of frustrated sorrow. "Between the ogres and the lamia, we're in no shape to hold the Fort. And my first priority is that my remaining Arrows are taken care of for the next few days until they can regain enough strength to return to Turtleback Ferry. With only half a dozen of us, there's no way we can maintain a Fort like this, much less defend it against any further raids. That'd take reinforcements, likely from Magnimar."
"For now, we'll gather what supplies we can and hide out in the tunnels. It looks like the ogres never learned of them, so they should be fairly safe."
He sighs "Thank you." He nods and steps forward to shake each of your hands "We would never have been able to drive all the ogres away without you, or rescue the ones we did. Hell, we would've still been captives of those ogrekin, or worse. And with Kaven having some mixed allegiances, even if we'd managed to escape the ogrekin, we would have been doomed regardless of what we tried..."
"As for Kaven, I'm not sure what to do with him. He clearly tried to protect this lamia who was behind at least some of the murders. We don't brook betrayal in the Black Arrows. In simpler times, he would have been severely punished." The way Jakardros says severely punished makes you think its a euphemism. "As is, you're the ones he hurt most directly. I leave his fate up to you."
-----
"It wasn't us he betrayed, Jakardros," Kargas counters, with a shake of his head. "He stabbed me once, but Nadja--or Lucretia, whatever her name is--used her magic to snare his mind. A betrayal is once thing, but anyone could have been escorcelled. I would put him in a cell for a few days and see if the magic wears off before making any decisions. Hells, Guiness and me were kicking the s!%# out of each other after that ogress enspelled us." Kargas grins in the dwarf's direction. "I won."
|
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Guiness bristles at the half orc’s words, saying, ”As far as combats go, the one between us was a draw, as we were confused and separated by fog and flame. If you want to claim you are the best at kicking like a mule, then I must agree.”
More seriously, he continues, ”About Kaven, your idea is sound. See if he can shake the Lamia’s enchantment in a few days—and at least get him to tell you all the details of his enchantment and treachery.”
Colvyn mostly stayed out of the conversation for now. The fact that some of the orges escape could be a problem for later, but right now, he didn't really have the magical energy left to do much about it. Has people ponders about Kaven's fate, he looks over toward the gates that is still open. "We should take a look at blocking those, and then rest for the night. Ideas about what to do next might come more easily after a good night rest."
"A message to Magnimar? I can help with that too. If you get twenty-five words together, we have a colleague who's a Sergeant in the Guard and the ear of the Lord-Mayor," Flo explains. "From what I understand, this Fort plays a significant role in the regional security. I think it would be neglectful if something happened because we weren't willing to communicate it's need quickly enough. By Desna's grace I can get a message to the Sergeant in ten minutes."
"I agree with Colvyn," she continues, smirking a bit at the flaring machismo. "I think it would be worth check the grounds for any interesting tidbits, securing a few rooms, then getting some rest."
________
"A cell it is then." Jakardros shrugs "If that changes anything for him, we'll bring him back to Turtleback Ferry with everyone else. If he was really enchanted by that lamia, maybe he'll have something to share then." His gloomy expression suggests he isn't very hopeful.
He gratefully agrees to Flo's suggestion of sending a magical message. After taking some time to compose a concise message that explains the situation...
> Fort Rannick overrun by ogres. Survivors in Turtleback. Adventurers drove off threat, but need reinforcements to secure Fort and surrounding countryside. Six Arrows in quiver.<
----
After securing the gates, you're able to move back into the tunnels with the remaining Black Arrows and the bound Kaven. The rest is thoroughly well earned. The driving rain outside and the echoing sounds of the waterfall lull you and the Black Arrows to sleep.
----
The following morning when you wake, you find the rain has intensified to a total downpour. A continuous grey sheet blocks sight beyond a few feet, and the roar rolling from the sky drowns out everything other than shouts. A scowling Jakardros offers a perfunctory prayer to Erastil at the sight.
Flo leads her typical morning prayer to the Song of the Spheres, inviting the remaining Black Arrows to join her.
"Does it normally rain this hard out here?" she asks, slipping an arm out against the falling water. She can't help but to smile as it pours down her arm. Not quite like swimming, but still feels nice. I know the others are going to hate this.
"Any tips on expediting this return trip? This much rain would make any journey treacherous."
Jakardros is quiet for a long time after Flo's question before answering "No, not normally this hard. Maybe once or twice in the spring since I took over the post. As for making it back, I don't have any good advice for you. At least ogres don't like the rain."
"Hey, Jakardros," Kargas says as he stares out at the rain with a small smile. "Tell me about this Paradisio that Nadja is associated with. Is this something we should be concerned about?"
Jakardros frowns "I was never there myself, but most of the Black Arrows paid a visit at least once. From what I've heard, it was something of a floating gambling hall moored near Turtleback Ferry out on Claybottom Lake. A few weeks ago it sank - or so I heard I from..." He trails off, looking at the wall with a tense expression. "... from some of the Arrows that are now dead."
"We lost some good men when it sank as well. It was a tragedy at the time. I never cloud have imagined what was waiting for us..." Jakardros sighs. "I can still remember, Commander Lamatar had followed their last rites with lectures about not wasting our time off in idle pursuits. Maybe it was for the best that they had some good times to remember in their last days."
These Lamia are clearly excellent at worming their way into other organizations. Really makes you wonder how much is real and how much is just a facade... Not to mention those Doppelgangers we fought!
"Jakardos, would it be helpful if we stayed for a day or two? If not, we'll just return to Turtleback," she offers.
________
Jakardros nods "No need to worry about us. You've already done plenty between the food and water and liberating the Fort. Vale and I will handle things from here. And I'm sure the folks in Turtleback will be happy to know they don't have ogres breathing down their necks any more."
------------
With things safe for the surviving Black Arrows, you gather your things, undertake any last preparations, and head out into the rainstorm. You're drenched in moments. Sheets of rain fall in heavy waves seemingly from all sides, so that no matter which direction you walk, you always get icy rain stinging your eyes.
It takes a long time to make your way safely down the mountain path that earlier led you up to Fort Rannick. Already, sections of it have become treacherous thanks to the powerful downpour, requiring you to slowly clamber over rocks and balance on slippery slopes. Once you reach the Skull River itself, you notice that the river significantly swollen. The river's waters have risen at least a few feet, already slightly flooding the path that follows the river back down toward Turtleback Ferry. The waters are swift and murky brown.
"Lucky for the ogres, Truce's on," Kargas chuckles to himself. Then he remembers that none of the others have probably been within a hundred miles of Belzen and mentally kicks himself. "Uh, nevermind."
Colvyn puts up the hood of his cloak and tries to stay clear of mud holes that could swallow him whole. "My bow will be close to useless in this rain. And one could almost drown just from looking up. Talk about a miserable day."
You continue downriver as rushing water overflowing from its banks tugs at your ankles. The path proves impossible to follow in places, forcing you to take a circuitous path into the forest before returning toward the river. As you break back out of the forest, you see the old wooden bridge across the Skull River. Surges of water crash into its side and tug at it, but the sturdily built bridge has held firm so far. You cross quickly to the eastern bank and continue on your way.
Not more than twenty minutes afterward, you hear a deep, resounding boom echoes down from the north, cutting through the ongoing noise of the downpour. At first, its not clear what it might be, but as you continue walking, you start hearing a roaring noise building behind you.
You turn, just barely making out a massive grey-white wave against the grey of the rain, rushing down through the valley. You clamber quickly for higher ground as the wave approaches. The surge carries with it broken three trunks and enormous stone boulders, each larger than a person. It tears through the wooden bridge, splintering it like a toy made of sticks.
As the floodwaters rush past your elevated vantage point, it becomes very clear that a flood of this magnitude is going to hit Turtleback Ferry hard. You're about twenty minutes away from it on foot.