Galin nods and takes the portion he is passed, Thank you, but who is Jehotek?
"One of the celestial spirits who gives power to me. It's a contract of sorts, and if accepted, his will can influence your behavior a bit. It's like a little voice in your ear, giving you suggestions on what to do. Fear not, he's a goodly sort with unimpeachable credentials, but sometimes a bit too quick to forgive... even if he does particularly hate the fiends of the Abyss. But then, I suppose not letting our hatreds dictate our behavior is part of what separates us from the demons, so I can't think it's all bad. I don't think fostering love and compassion is quite the right approach for the things still in that fort, though, so don't accept that when he asks unless you're really sure about it."
"Interesting. You're right I think I'll get to know the guy first before inviting him in," Hope smirked.
Blink looked at Valissa blurrily. "That sounds...kinda spooky, actually. I think I get into enough trouble without any invites to share my mind." She took the rations anyway, but eyed in like it might explode and offer her a deal for her soul at any moment.
Valissa smirked slightly at Blink's comments. "You get used to it." she said. "I've been working with spirits for decades, though, so I'm used to their... quirks. Mostly they just want to ride along and experience the mortal view of things." Her own mind was rather more crowded than it seemed, with no less than three entities besides herself currently occupying it. Fortunately, since she hadn't drawn on their powers much yet, they were pretty quiet.
Fully arrayed, refreshed, and ready, the crusaders return to Drezen. They brush aside assaults from demons who present them little threat and at some length arrive back at the head of the stairs descending into Drezen's dungeons. They find the doors there shut against them.
"Not worrying in the slightest," Blink muttered as she looked at the doors and moved up to them. She moved cautiously, scanning the area for traps and pitfalls and rather hoping that she was not going to end up getting stabbed with anything poisonous, diseased, cursed or magical as soon as she reached the doors.
Valissa let Blink move ahead - the sylph seemed quite good at what she was doing, and it was a good chance to start evaluating the capabilities of those still here. She focused slightly as they got close, and when she opened her eyes again, they glimmered with magical energies that helped detect the wicked.
Hope scanned the windows and roof of the fortress, just in case of enemy archers or other surprises.
Hope found no archers lurking about the battlements. She and Blink both detected the magic of two spells etched into the dungeon doors almost too finely to be seen. But they were poor efforts done in haste. Blink dealt with both handily and the dungeon of Drezen was open to the crusaders again.
The crusaders descended into Drezen's dungeons once more. As before, they found every wall marked with Abyssal runes that seemed to move in the corner of the eye and other blasphemous carvings. They passed the cellblock where Blink nearly perished at the hands of spectres and came to where she'd nearly perished at the axes of mighty minotaurs, a torture chamber that radiated a palpable chill. Fresh blood remained on the air, on the floor from the late battle, and also on the rack in the room's center. Long rows of cruel implements hung from the walls.
"Well this place is cheery," Hope whispered sarcastically. "Are those... minotaurs?" she asked peering down the hall into the room to the group's left.
"Oh, we are gonna sanctify this place so hard..." Valissa muttered under her breath. "Are any of those spectres left?"
"Well this place is cheery," Hope whispered sarcastically. "Are those... minotaurs?" she asked peering down the hall into the room to the group's left.
Galin shrugs, moving quietly along the hallway and keeping his eyes forward as he responds, Probably, we've gotten attacked in just about every room of this place so far.
"They do hate giving ground without a fight." Valissa agreed. "Let's be sure they don't hurt anyone else." Magic pulsed near her fingertips, and she kept her palm open, ready to send out a burst of power if need be. For the moment, however, she was content to follow the others - she was a supporter, not a leader.
Shaking off her momentary reverie of the room full of very dead minotaurs, Blink looks around. "OK, let's do this clockwise. It worked before." She stretched, feeling the freshest batch of scars, and headed to the door to the East, and checked it for traps.
The room appeared safe, so far as Blink could tell on a careful search. Confident of that, the crusaders pressed on to check the doors in sequence. Behind each they found a smaller torture chamber wherein lay the fresh and heavily mutilated remains of what appeared to be Mendevian peasants, all pointing in a generally westward direction. Each of them lay near an Abyssal inscription written in their own blood upon the floor which. None was a complete message, but they formed one when taken together.
Your death awaits behind the secret door by the stairs. Come soon, or not as you like. Mendev is full of farms. -Staunton Vhane.
Hope had dealt with terrible things in her life. She'd faced down monsters and demons and led hundreds of refugees out of the worldwound. She had been trained by Sarenites and accepted by Iomedeans. She was the first and only Desnan Paladin. She thought she was prepared for whatever horrors and darkness the forces of the abyss were prepared to throw at her.
Delusion. Vanity.
This was more than she was ready for. It was senseless. It was madness. It was cruelty for no purpose other than to hurt the souls of whoever witnessed it.
And it worked.
Hope took an involuntary breath as the scope o the horror unfolded before her and she turned away. "Oh dear gods."
Galin swallows down bile as he looks around the chamber. For as much as this feels like a trap, we need to go through that door and end this before they kill more innocent people.
"...someone needs to buy this one a pen." Blink said, looking around. "I mean, if he had..a..." Slowly, the scout wound down. She just kept slowly looking around at the desecrated remains, her already pale skin becoming more and more sallow.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. If she'd been faster, if she'd been better, if they hadn't had to stop so often because she'd been hurt or wounded and had just been able to press on one more room they could have saved these people.
Just one more room...
"A moment, please." Valissa said, carefully making sure all of the bodies were in range before gesturing the others back. A circular mark of salt and ash appeared on her forehead and flashed brightly - as it did, a column of holy fire erupted on top of the bodies. Hopefully, it was enough to break them apart in their entirety and leave naught but ashes behind.
"I'll not have enchantments on those bodies to make them rise and strike against people from behind." she said quietly. "It is difficult to be too cautious when dealing with demons - they've tried such tactics before. We shall give all the fallen here a proper funeral when the fortress is free."
Steave reverently nods and non-verbally supports Valissa's action.
Hope closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath to get her emotions under control. She wasn't sure if she envied Valissa and Steave's pragmatic reaction to such horror, or if she was concerned by it. The idea that this kind of senseless evil was something anyone could get used to was uncomfortable. Still, it was necessary. To fight evil you had to be able to look it in the face.
She nodded to herself and turned around, offering silent prayers as the bodies burned.
"Who is Staunton Vhane?" she asked grimly.
Sniffing, Blink replied, "One of the masters of this place. A necromancer, I think."
Galin jumps for a second as he remembers that Valissa and Hope have just joined their group. Vhane was a crusader who turned traitor and may have been responsible for the original fall of Drezen. We met what remained of his brother already, he asked us to kill Staunton, which would put him to rest.
"Even traitors get a chance to surrender." Valissa noted as Galin jogged her memory. "'Tis part of what separates us from the demons, because we must be better than they are if we are to succeed without losing ourselves. But should he fail to do the wise thing, which I suspect is rather more likely, then by all means let us deliver him unto Pharasma for judgment."
Perhaps. Galin nods, But he will have that chance when we are armed and prepared for battle. I have no trust that he will give himself up now.
[dice=Know Local (Have I picked up any information about Staunton Vhane over the years?)]1d20 + 14
Once Galin mentions it, Valissa realizes she's heard the name before in similar contexts. It just never registered to her as one she was likely to face herself. The fall of Drezen was long ago and even a turncoat dwarf might not have lived through the decades since, surrounded by so many demons and vile cultists. Few mortals did.
"For now, let us move on. The more we dawdle, the more time they have to prepare, and I'd rather not give them more opportunities than necessary." Valissa said, gesturing to the next door.
The surrounding torture chambers and their grisly contents dealt with, the crusaders had little choice but to accept Staunton Vhane's invitation. Back to the cellblock they went, where Blink redoubled her efforts to search the huge space. At length, she found the hidden door.
Blink took a deep breath, trying to focus after the hideous message and the all-encompassing, soul-crushing guilt that came with it. She examined the door to try and figure out how to open it, and if it was trapped. Hopefully it didn't involve the standard loose stone/torch/manacle lock.
Blink took a deep breath, trying to focus after the hideous message and the all-encompassing, soul-crushing guilt that came with it. She examined the door to try and figure out how to open it, and if it was trapped. Hopefully it didn't involve the standard loose stone/torch/manacle lock.
[dice=Perception]1d20+10+2
[dice=Disable Device]1d20+17
So far as Blink could tell, the door was not trapped. It would be an easy matter to open it, using a fairly simple concealed latch.
Blink did so, hoping nothing exploded in her face. Once she was sure there were no invisible axe-wielding minotaur spellcasters lurking behind the door, she began to move along the passages length. Hopefully it's secret nature would meant they hadn't thought to trap it.
Valissa followed behind the bulk of the group, her Detect Fiendish Presence spell active and scanning the area. She had no interest in being on the front lines, but that was no excuse to get sloppy and let her guard down. There was, frankly, no such thing as 'too paranoid' when it came to dealing with otherworldly horrors possessed of strange magical powers.
Blink did so, hoping nothing exploded in her face. Once she was sure there were no invisible axe-wielding minotaur spellcasters lurking behind the door, she began to move along the passages length. Hopefully it's secret nature would meant they hadn't thought to trap it.
[dice=Perception]1d20+10+2
The hidden door appeared safe enough to Blink. Opening it revealed a high terrace and an elevated lift in the form of a ten foot wide cage held aloft by an array of pulleys and chains. A set of double doors stood on the chamber's far end, on the lower level. Between them spread a large chamber contained within red hot, glowing walls. Heat wavered in the air. Wisps of vapor wafted up from the floor and walls alike. In the room's center squatted a huge forge made of black stone and red metal. Four snake-bodied humanoids worked the forge, bent intently over it as flames danced down their spines.
As the door swung open, Valissa's divination nearly overwhelmed her senses with the magnitude of abyssal taint beyond.
She had no idea what the forgers were, but Blink snuck back to the others to report. "I think I found some kind of forge. It's still working, it seems, which I can't imagine they'd be doing during an attack unless it was important. Do you want to charge in, or shall I lure them out so we can fight out here?"