Wasting no time with tucking away the wand, Joneth instead lets it fall to the floor and draws his curved sword, its black blade almost drinking in whatever light still remains immediately around it. Immediately he strikes at the tiefling in front of him, the opening attack a horizontal slash aimed at his opponent's left side.
Eudocia attempts to press the advantage, but her blade is turned. Gregori withdraws a step to call upon the power of his heritage and banishes the globe of darkness.
Theodric wades through the melee and sends another volley of magical missiles, putting down the injured tiefling and bloodying another as Harrol repositions to assist Joneth.
Unfortunately Joneth is unable to take advantage and his slash is caught sufficiently by the tiefling's armor to be turned.
The tieflings take advantage of the momentary clearing in the fray to sidle towards Theodric and attempt to put down the mage with the damaging wand - while the third focuses upon the small and faithful...
Short Sword at Theodric: for
Short Sword at Theodric: for
Short Sword at Harrol: - confirm:
for
...the companions paying for it with an outpouring of blood as all three blades sink deep. Harrol in particular taking a wicked cut that slides between his ribs.
Action Tracker (Round 3): Tieflings, Eudocia, Gregori, Theodric, Harrol, Joneth
With a growl of anger Gregori sends his blade slicing towards the wounded of Theodrick's attackers.
"Leave him alone, fiendspawn," Joneth veritably commands the tiefling that struck Harrol, the cold steely tone behind the words unmistakeable. Taking care not to allow his foe any openings, the magus utters a brief incantation, once again awakening his sword's sleeping power as the markings on the black blade glow silvery blue before also appearing on his enemy's chest. The strange weapon, guided as much by its wielder's hand and skill as by its own magic and the sentience behind it, slashes at its target twice in quick succession.
As the tiefling obliges Eudocia by presenting its flank to her rapier, she doesn't miss the opportunity. Although the damage inflicted is minimal, perhaps she at least got its attention. "Come on," she urges it, gesturing with the blade still painted with its blood as she steps back once more. "Afraid to fight a girl?"
Harrol lets out a cry of pain, nearly folding under the blow. He pales as he watches his lifeblood spilling by his feet, reeling for a moment. The weight of the holy symbol around his neck is enough to remind him of the stakes. He plucks himself up and drives his dagger into one of the fiendspawn.
Theodric stumbles back, clutching his wounds. He realizes in all of their haste that he forgot to erect his magical defenses.
How careless of me... he mutters to himself woozily, struggling to stand as he draws a parchment from his bag and reads the incantation written there.
The grievous wounds suffered by both Theodric and Harrol serve to stir a vengeance within the hearts of the companions as the action is reversed. Eudocia's point slides through muscle, before Gregori's heavier slash cuts deeper. Theodric shifts backwards, clearing the way for Harrol's dagger and Joneth's assault to cut down the last of the tieflings. You suck in breath as you take stock of the new rooms that have been opened to you.
The room from which the tiefling's sprang looked to be a meeting room of some kind. Upon the table is a half-finished card game... that was using still decaying finger segments as some kind of gambling chip. The faces of the portraits that hang on the walls of this room have been slashed. Two marble planters lie smashed in pieces on the ground, and mud streaks across the white stone floor.
The room where the solitary tiefling was attempting to flee for assistance was once a shrine. A bracket shows where a longsword once hung over a stylized gold sunburst affixed to the south wall. Lines of strange runes are carved into the walls on both sides of the sunburst. Dried blood and excrement have been smeared across the sunburst and a short bench for kneeling that sits on the floor. There are celestial runes written also that are prayers to Iomedae that are unusually florid and complex.
The fallen tieflings have little of interest upon them - bearing leather armor studded with pig-iron and shortswords. A scattering of 65gp can be put together from the all of them.
"A shrine for the faithful to pray before proceeding," Eudocia muses. "I don't suppose there's any proscription on the non-faithful, though, or the cultists wouldn't have been able to take the Garrison. Master Harrol, can you see to your health and Mr. Abernathy's? Mister Shadowbane, are you well? Shall we pile the bodies in the card room for now? We can add the remains of Lord Hulrun and Mr. Nyserian as well, to get them out of the way. It's a shame to leave them within the walls, but demonic corpses piled on the doorstep are apt to attract attention we don't need right now. Fortunately, the new occupants have done such a bang-up job of vandalizing the place," she sniffs, "the marks of violence and bloodshed we leave behind will blend right in."
Frowning at the defacement Gregori takes in the room.
"Yes that's probably the best course of action" the paladin says dragging corpses into the card room. "We need to make a sweep of this place once every one is healed up."
"We have to presume there are more enemies somewhere through that door," she goes on, ludicrously keeping her voice low, as if anyone who might hear it didn't just hear the sounds of battle. "That's where their runner was headed before Master Harrol stopped him from sounding the alarm." She smiles at the halfling.
Harrol responds to the desecration of his goddesses shrine with a sharp kick to the dead tiefling in the chamber. Fuming and tears in his eyes, he sees to piling up the bodies as best as his small frame can, channeling his goddesses light when he's well clear of the bodies.
"Let's be movin' on now so. I want to be havin' a few choice words with these demons."
The fallen vermleks are easily hefted inside to join the tieflings in repose. Before the door to the Garrison is drawn closed, you can hear battle sounds in the middle distance... most likely the Crusader's continued diversionary attempts.
The Northern door opens into a 20' deep and 12' wide windowless room that has little of interest apart from the two doors that lead further onwards - one to the North, and the other Westwards.
A cautious attempt on the Western door finds it locked, while the Northern one appears to be unlocked.
Theodric pulls a potion out, drinking the contents but thinking better of imparting his knowledge of the desecrated shrine to the others.
Allow me a moment to better prepare myself before we continue.
The mage intones a spell and, in an instant, there are 5 identical images of his form.
Mr. Shadowbane--by all means, after you.
Joneth moves towards Gregori, sword in hand and a half-smile of eagerness clearly evident on his face. "Mind if I join you, paladin? No reason for you to have all the fun," he remarks as his smile widens.
"By all means." Gergori says with a grin. He leads the way through the unlocked door.
"Wait," Eudocia urges them, holding up her hand. "Do you hear that?" She moves back into the desecrated shrine and inclines her ear toward the eastern door. "There's something in there. Screeching. I don't understand what it's saying." She shakes her head.
As Theodric casts his defensive spell, Harrol will follow suit, warding Gregori and Joneth with shield of faith. "Take, ye, the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
As Eudocia draws his attention to the screaming Grgori puts his ear to the door.
The sounds and words that Gregori hears are akin to a pair of squabbling teenagers... except with phrasing more puerile and horrific both. Some kind of argument as who got to cut out the tongue the last time?
Gregori shakes his head in disbelief. "I'd swear that this was the conversation of psychotic cultists, but they're speaking Celestial. Something about whose turn it is to cut out the tongue."
With a look of righteous fury the Paladin, tries the door knob quietly.
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Harrol:
Eudocia:
Joneth:
Gregori:
Theodric:
Stoicism and dainty fury at his command, Gregori swings to door open... unto a scene confusing at first, though the evident depravity deepens as you take it in.
The room was once some sort of museum, but its contents have been smashed and scattered across the room even the shelves have been shattered and torn apart in places. The decapitated bodies of two knights, their armor and bodies broken and mangled, lie in the ruins.
The source of the celestial screeching is now evident... two demonic figures - ratlike abrikandilu demons (or wrecker demons) are conducting a macabre puppetry show. Holding the severed heads of the knights in their hands they are making their mouths move in a mockery of speech as they screech the holy tongue of the celestials with crudity. However the fresh arrival of yourselves cause them to drop the skulls... and the screeches turn instead to delight...
Action Tracker (Round 1): Joneth, Abrikandilu, Gregori, Theodric, Harrol, Eudocia
"Hope you do not mind," Joneth quickly remarks as he moves past the paladin and into the room, keeping his eyes on the demons and trying to remember anything he might know about such creatures. Regardless of the stirring of memory or not, however, the magus is not one to waste the opportunity to strike at such foes, a decision that finds Morathil in complete agreement; the sentient sword's whispering 'voice' in his mind urges him on, eager to feel demonflesh part beneath its sharp edge.
Joneth's blade cuts into the demon's flesh, but if anything the creature relishes in the pain as it turns defense into assault.
As the demons converge around him Joneth begins to have a sinking feeling develop in his gullet... as claws and teeth thrash and rend...
Claw: for
Claw: for
Bite:
Flanking Claw: for
Flanking Claw: for
Flanking Bite: for
...both of the demonic beasts gleefully exchanging their severed crusader heads for a new plaything. Filthy nails rake deep gouges across Joneth's chest and in the act of fending away one creature, the other sinks it's ratlike maw into his shoulder. Wrenching it free from the abrikandilu's jaws he looks down to see a bloody mass of ruined tissue.
Action Tracker (Round 1): Joneth, Abrikandilu, Gregori, Theodric, Harrol, Eudocia
"Mister Joneth! I don't think you should-" Harrol starts, as the magus breaks ranks and is harried by a vicious counterattack.
Theodric rummages in his bag for a moment, but instead of producing some great weapon, he just displays a small mirror.
Vile creature! Gaze upon your true form and despair!
Eith a roar of righteous fury Gregori's blade flashes out as the vile creature before him.
"Back to whatever vile corner of the Abyss spawned you!"
Gregori's blade fuelled by divine fury carves easily through the resistant flesh of the demon before him, cruelling it with a foul wound - but not sufficient to drop the creature.
Theodric presents his mirror and calls out to attract the abrikandilu's ire...
Will Save:
...and though his gesture is blocked by the fray of battle and the wall, it still causes the demon to hiss and sputter incoherently with rage and fear.
Action Tracker (Round 1): Joneth, Abrikandilu, Gregori, Theodric, Harrol, Eudocia
Action Tracker (Round 2): Joneth, Abrikandilu
"Gentlemen! Clear that bottleneck so we can take the fight to the demons!" Eudocia instructs. "Mr. Revane is surrounded in there."
Eudocia delays as Harrol looses an accurate slingstone through the crush...
Despite his wounds or perhaps even because of them, Joneth's resolve is not diminished. Taking a step to better position himself and perhaps allow the rest of his companions to join the fight, the magus slashes at the closest fiend twice in quick succession or at the very least attempts to, his sword's markings once again glowing as if in response to the demons' savagery.
...Harrol's choice of cold iron proves correct as the slingstone leaves tangible damage upon the beast.
Joneth's first strike is the only to land, but he makes it pay - his sword cutting through demonflesh like it were syrup and adding a second brutal wound to Gregori's first. Remarkably despite the two near mortal injuries the foul beast fights on.
The heavily damaged beast sees no way to move to strike at the hated mirror, so instead focuses on trying to force the paladin to give way...
Shaken Claw at Gregori:
Shaken Claw at Gregori:
Shaken Bite at Gregori:
...though it's frenzied assault fails to defeat the Paladin's defences.
While the second follows Joneth's movements and continues it's own bloody assault - claws and maw tearing...
Claw at Joneth:
Claw at Joneth: for
Bite at Joneth: for and Fort save DC 13
...managing two more open wounds upon the magus.
Action Tracker (Round 2): Joneth, Abrikandilu, Gregori, Theodric, Harrol, Eudocia
Action Tracker (Round 3): Joneth, Abrikandilu