Winter nods ready. "I can use the wand the doctor gave us. Before we go, do either of you need healing?"
Ven shakes his head at Winter, "Thank you, I'm fine."
He waits for Aenian to scout ahead.
Before Aenian heads further up the stairs, Winter holds up a hand. "A moment, please." She closes her eyes and concentrates for a minute. You see a chain of emotions cross her features, from jealousy to sorrow to rage. Then, as before, the orange ectoplasm draws away from her and coalesces as Autumn.
The spirit looks about to say something, but Winter silences her with a finger to her lips.
Aenian scouts up the wide, rubble-strewn stairs. It turns two corners and opens into a chamber that has almost entirely collapsed upon itself. Shattered pieces of wall and ceiling timbers, knotted like broken fingers, slump precariously. Despite the chamber's near ruin, a number of tables, chairs, and bedrolls lie about the room. A hall choked with fog lies through a gap in the wall to the north.
Three Apostles in Orpiment sit at the table, playing a card game in the light of a mass of half-melted tapers. They do not yet notice Aenian watching from the shadowy stairwell.
Aenian turns to the others behind him and holds up three fingers and then points to the other room. He then floods the room with darkness before moving quickly in and to the left of the door.
The apostles cry out in surprise as the magical darkness fills the room. Stools clatter to the floor as they stand and draw their crude weapons. "What?!" one cries, "Zandalus sees!" another.
"Keep it down!" a woman shrieks from the other side of the room.
Ven moves to the edge of the darkness and then holds with his crossbow ready.
Aenian stays comfortably in the darkness and readies for approach.
Not bothered by the darkness, both Winter and Autumn move up into the room beside Aenian.
"I hear something," one of the Apostles says. "Who goes there?!" another shouts into the gloom. They stand in the dimly lit area by the table, weapons brandished.
"What's all the noise about?" the woman's voice screams again from the far corner.
Ven will speak up. "Fellow apostles of Zandalus, we are under attack! Step through the darkness and assist us against the pagans below!"
Aenian waits, still as stone.
Autumn gives Ven an amused look but adds her voice to the bluff, "Help us, please!"
Both efforts are for naught, for one of the Apostles sees right through the bluff. "Hold! It's a trick!" Nervously, the other two keep in position by the table.
"Damnitall, I told you to shut up!" the woman from the back screeches. A grizzled older woman, probably near 70 years old, steps from a nook at the far side of the room. Despite her age, she appears to be quite nimble and strongly-built. She flexes her fists, coming to an abrupt halt at the edge of the darkness. "What in the Hell's is this?" She squints, trying and failing to pierce the murk.
Ven changes tactics. "We have you surrounded, crone! Surrender and we'll spare your miserable lives!"
Aenian holds
"What did you call me?" Aggra snarls. She pushes forward into the murk, hands held up like grasping claws. "C'mon!" she orders the other apostles, leading them forward. Moving towards Ven's voice, she reaches Winter first.
Aggra doesn't even see Aenian until he stabs her in the gut. The old woman screams in rage and surprise and spins, hands grasping.
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The apostles come up behind Aggra, swinging and stabbing at Autumn and Aenian.
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Ven backs up and readies his crossbow in case the apostles come out of the darkness.
; success!
Aenian knocks aside Patch's crowbar and slides Red Destiny along the inside of the weapon cutting through the man's arm. He rips his blade out and stabs back again at Aggra, aiming for the heart trying to end the fight quickly.
Aenain parries and ripostes the patch-wearing apostle's attack, then twists and drives Red Destiny deep into Aggra's gut. She groans, spitting up blood, and collapses to the ground.
Winter and Autumn team up on the female apostle, hitting her with claws and fists.
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Visibly dismayed by Aggra's quick fall, the apostles still hold their ground and fight back. The middle one, with a smile on his face, cries out, "Zandalus!" as he moves up and slashes a cleaver at Aenain.
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Ven continues to hold his readied action.
Aenian lazily slaps at the crowbar but fails to deflect it. He follows up with a jab.
Ven continues to hold. Aenian misses his parry but strikes an effective counter, dropping the apostle with the crowbar.
Winter slashes her claws, bringing the female apostle down with a raking hit across the neck.
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Autumn spins and lunges at the remaining apostle, cracking him across the face and in the chest with two solid punches. He reels but keeps standing, smile intact.
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The man continues to fight, screaming, but with more zeal than skill. His cleaver slashes only air as he tries to repay Autumn for her attentions.
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Aenian dances over to flank with Autumn.
With deft precision, Aenian sidesteps and downs the last apostle.
Unencumbered by the darkness, Aenian rifles through their belongings and looks over the crates, "Quickly, let's search and move before any others get wise that their friends are down."
Ven will detect magic and will help search the bodies and the area when the darkness is lifted. ”Well done, Aenian and Winter.”
Autumn snorts, "Of course, she gets all the credit." She shakes her head.
Other than their makeshift weapons (cleaver, knife and crowbar), the apostles have nothing of real value. Aggra too, except for her wristguards, which radiate magic.
On the table, the cultists were using a strangely ornate Harrow deck to play whatever gambling game they were up to. There is also small piles of small jewelry and coins, twelve pieces of jerky, and a pearl tooth.
"Check those out with your fancy senses," Aenian chucks the wristbands at Ven as he sweeps the table contents into the haversack.
Ven munches on a piece of jerky as he examines the wristbands. He will detect psychic significance on the area.
Ven detects nothing of significance in the area. Also, he cannot identify the wristguards' magical properties.
As you look for a way forward, you note that the only exits are two holes in the northern wall. Yellow mist leaks out from the far side and obscures your vision into the far room.
Ven steps into the first hole and looks around.
"Time to face our dream demons, eh, Ven?" Aenian shudders as he steps into the mist, shooting one last sidelong suspicious glance at Winter and Autumn as he does so, his sanity still not completely healed.
The yellow mists swirl and snake around you, blocking any sight further than your outstretched hand. Together, you tentatively step forward. Then, a gust of wind from somewhere carries the mists away, giving you a few moments to see the room around you.
Cracked pillars bent at broken angles support a sagging ceiling. While most of the walls look ready to fall apart, the northern wall has done so, creating a massive gap open to the strange weather beyond. To your left, the wall in the best repair is laden with parchment pages covered in stark lines of coal and chalk.
Three oneirogens stand by the northern gap, spouting yellow mist through the opening in an endless cascade. They take no notice of you, or if they do, make no reaction to your presence.
A hall stretches to the west.
Ven scans the room and then approaches the wall with the parchment papers and examines them.
Aenian moves toward the ineirogens, blade a the ready.
Aenian moves into the middle of the room, Winter and Autumn following a few paces behind. Ven walks over to check the papers on the south wall. The oneirogen continue to ignore you.
"Hey, Ven. These things are non-responsive, but they seem to be spitting out the mist. Destroy 'em? I don't think they really are people any more."
He indicates to Winter and Autumn to surround the west most oneirogen with him.
Ven pulls away from the drawings while shielding his eyes. ”Yes, destroy them!”
He draws his quarter staff and joins the others.
Getting near the oneirogen exposes you to the effects of the mists.
Aenian strolls into the mist and beckons firnthe others, looking to all attack simultaneously.
Ven fights through the drowsiness as he moves to a flanking position with Aenian and assists his attack.
Ven gets into position opposite Aenian, and Winter and Autumn move to flank the oneirogen between them. At Aenian's signal, you all attack!
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Aenian nearly drops his sword, but Winter and Autumn land a few hits on the defenseless oneirogen. He soundlessly recoils, then spins on you with fists flailing. The other two oneirogen snap to attention.
Ven continues to flank and assist Aenian.
Aenian curses his luck and attacks again, hoping to drop one before the others engage.
Before the Oneirogen can attack, Aenian stabs it through the chest. Without sigh nor groan, its eyes roll back and it collapses, bleeding. The flow of yellow mist from it quickly slows and ceases.
Autumn spins to face the other two, stepping up to defend Ven and laying a punch on the closer foe.
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Winter calls out a prayer and extends it to Autumn.
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The enemies silently close in and surround Autumn, hitting her with powerful blows. Autumn grunts and snarls, venting her pain!
Ven steps to a flanking position with Autumn and assists her attack.