He moved to stand protectively over the fallen woman.
"She's still breathing, so you're not murderers... yet. Now stand aside and let me heal her, and maybe I can forgive you."
After berating the knights, he murmurs a prayer and reaches out to touch the dying woman, a soft silver glow around his claw.
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"No!" the leader Doria of the group says. "If you don't let her die, then the enchantment won't work! You're surrendering to the demons!"
The two blinded knights aren't able to do anything, but Doria steps forward and attacks Sverix.
She slices into Sverix with her longsword (newly tainted by the blood of the woman Sverix just stabilized), doing 4 points of damage.
Anevia comes up behind one of the blinded knights and bonks him in the back of the head with the hilt of her shortsword. Unfortunately, with the man's helmet, she is not able to make good enough contact to knock him out. He turns, draws his longsword, and attempts to attack back, but flails blindly in space as Anevia ducks.
Horgus takes a few steps back, mumbling to himself, "It's even worse than I thought."
"No, you're acting just like them!" Sverix roars back, lashing out with tooth, claw, and wing.
Sverix's voice rises from a growl to a roar. "Drop your weapons NOW OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"
Sverix casts stabalize on the unconscious knight once the other two drop their swords.
"Anevia, would you please pick up all of the weapons? I'm going to heal the woman they hurt, and then we'll decide what to do with these other knights," Sverix says, turning back to the unconscious almost-sacrifice.
He chants a quiet prayer to Apsu and reaches out to touch the former prisoner.
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Anevia begins to pick up the weapons.
After you heal the woman, she wakes up, but seeing a dragon standing over her, she immediately flinches and closes her eyes in fright.
After a moment she opens them again, and, sitting up, says, "Thank you! If you hadn't come along... that woman would have killed me, and nobody would have been able to do anything about it. These knghts... what happened to them? They bear the symbol of Mendev, they aren't demonic cultists!"
Standing up, she says, "My name is Klarah. I've been scrounging for food. Both of my parents are injured, and hiding in a basement nearby. I've managed to stay out of anybody's sights before now, but I thought these knights would be helpful...."
She shakes her head. "I've seen various different cultists in town. We all know of Deskari, the demon who opened the Worldwound, and some demonic cultists are his. But not all of them. Some of them seem to follow other demon princes."
"I heard some of them talking. Apparently the witch Areelu Vorlesh is planning on coming to Kenabres herself, and taking the city as a trophy."
You know of Areelu Vorlesh. She is one of Deskari's most powerful lieutenants, a once-human witch who has made somehow the transition into becoming a half-succubus. She is widely believed to be the architect of the Worldwound, and many suspect that she's on the trail of other power sources for her master, for otherwise why would she be exalted so highly, over even demons such as the Storm King Khorramzadeh, whom you saw lead the initial assault on Kenabres and who killed Terendelev.
Looking back at Sverix, Klarah says "If dragons have heard of our plight and have come to aid us, then perhaps there still is hope."
Sverix can't quite bring himself to say that there aren't any other dragons nearby. "There is hope," he insists instead. "But we've found out about some demon cultists around here, too. I think these knights just went crazy, though."
He casts pitying eyes over them for a moment, then turns back to Klarah. "If we get you back to your parents, will you be safe? I could help heal them while I'm there, at least, and then we can take these knights somewhere else. But we'd better move fast."
The young dragon looks back over their group, now with even more prisoners. He'd have to figure out what to do with these knights... For now, though...
"You'll come with us," he orders, "then when Klarah is safe we'll come back and decide what to do with the knight who tried to fight me. If it's not far, she should be safe for a couple of minutes until we get back."
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Klarah says, "My parents are not far from here. It will only be a few minutes. Thank you!"
Anevia agrees to wait and stand guard over the unconscious stabilized woman who attacked Sverix. Horgus wants to travel with you, though, as he's seen you in action enough that he feels safer that way.
A couple of blocks (relatively uncluttered by debris) away is the woman's house. The house itself is blasted out, but the doors to the basement are sturdy. Her parents are below, and at first are shocked to see a dragon, but are quickly reassured by Klarah's story of your having saved her. Looking them over, you see that their injuries are similar to Anevia's -- there's not much you can do with them yourself, as it would take more powerful magics to restore them, but you also believe that with rest and time they should recover.
You return to where Anevia is. Horgus says, "We can't drag these three with us. They violated the law; they are guilty of conspiracy to murder. While normally I would like to see them go through the usual legal proceedings, we don't know if enough of the city's government is intact for that to happen. We can't set them free, as they will be a hazard. I think we should make a summary judgement on them right now."
Anevia looks like she's inclined to agree.
The leader is still unconscious, but one of the other two men says, "No, you can't do that! We thought it was necessary to fight the demons! Doria was very sure. All we've seen are the people of Kenabres cut down, demons and demonic cultists running free through the streets. We were desparate! We needed an edge?"
Horgus says, "And the three of us feel nearly to our deaths in a pit, but you do not see us abandoning the ways of civilization, do you?"
Let me know how you proceed.
Sverixalint bows his head. He wanted to say that he was too young, just a child, not old enough to judge the lives of men... but he was a dragon, still. There was no one else to do this, so... he'd just have to do it.
But what would he do? They'd surrendered, he couldn't just execute them... there was no prison to hold them in, either. But they were, as Horgus said, guilty of conspiracy to murder, and their leader guilty of attempted murder. They couldn't just be let free. They had to be punished somehow.
He thought on this for a long, quiet minute. At last Sverix looks up. "Let's get your leader awake so I don't have to say this twice."
He ambled over and used his wand to heal her to consciousness.
Once she is awake enough to understand what was being said, Sverix launches into his decision. "You should all go to trial, but we don't even know if there are any courts left or anything like that, so I have to choose now. You're all guilty of trying to kill Klarah. But two of you did surrender, and you didn't succeed, so you shouldn't be executed."
He starts pacing slightly. "There aren't any prisons to hold you, and dragons don't do things like whipping or whatever it is you humans do. So we have to do something else."
Sverix stops and looks at the three knights very seriously. "I'm going to give you a choice. First, we can strip you of your weapons, armor, and supplies and banish you from the city."
It was almost a death sentence. Without weapons or armor, it was unlikely they'd survive to leave the city, and without supplies they'd have trouble staying. But that was why it was a choice.
"Or... you can swear to me that you will never draw your swords against an innocent again, no matter how good you think the cause is, and to obey my orders. Then you will get your swords back. You will keep them sheathed unless I tell you otherwise. If you draw them without my orders, I will kill you. If you try to run away, I will hunt you down and kill you. You will come with us and defend us, putting yourselves in danger to save our lives and obeying my orders, until we find someone with authority to judge you properly."
He glares at them and bares his fangs. "You know I can kill you if you break your word. Do not think you can sneak away at night, for how many times have you heard of a thief coming upon a sleepig dragon and living to tell the tale? But if you keep your word, I will recommend that your eventual final judgment be light. Now, what is your choice?"
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The two men who surrendered look at each other, but Doria, the leader (wh is back up with that healing), looks at them with scorn.
"If you take his offer, you are working with the demons! He took from us the only advantage we found for ourselves! He would either enslave us, or send us to die. Do not trust him. He may look like a bronze dragon, but he's been sent as a deceiver to challenge our souls, to undermine our resolve to do what's necessary to fight back against the demons who would take our city from him!"
The two men look uncertain again.
(Give me either a Diplomacy or an Intimidate check; based on what you wrote, either could be appropriate. You may take 10 if you like. I'll then roll Intimidate for Doria, to see how influenced the other two men are.)
Sverix growls at Doria. He should never have healed her, but he will not kill humans if he doesn't have to. Not after the dwarf down below.
But for now, he turns his attention to her two men. "Who is the demon here--the one who advocates killing the innocent based on a story she heard about it maybe helping kill demons, or the one who with his own claws rent the life from a demon? You cannot fight demons by becoming like them, else you shall be just as bad as they."
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The two knights appear uncertain, cowed by Doria, but it appears that they're getting the sinking feeling that Sverix is right, and that Doria has led them astray.
After a tense pause, one of them says, "I will put myself at your mercy. I will pledge to defend you, and support you in your fight to save the innocent and protect them from the demons. I will accept whatever punishment you deem fair for my errors."
The other one nods, and says, "I will as well."
Doria shouts, "FOOLS! This is how the demons get you! It is the temptation of the succubus that you face, only even more subtle and devious! The promise of never having to get your hands dirty, the promise that you can win without sacrifice!"
She turns to Sverix. "I will not give in to your deception. Take my weapons and banish me from Kenabres if you will. I will find other people who can stand firm, and we will come back and retake this city from you, and from the demons!"
Sverix doesn't rise to Doria's bait, instead viewing her with mingled anger and pity. "I hope you find the army of Mendev coming, because we could really use the help. But you've made your choice. Remove her armor."
He watches with the same expression the whole time as she is stripped of her armor and gear. "Now go. Don't let me find you in the city again before the demons are purged from its streets."
He turns to the other two knights. "I'm glad you made this choice. Anevia, will you please give them back their swords? Just remember, don't draw them without my permission, and stay in front of me where I can see you. Now let's go."
He has the group go first to where Klarah is hiding and gives her Doria's weapons and armor. "You may not know how to use them, but just having a sword can help scare off robbers, and you can sell it after the city is rescued to get some money to get back on your feet," he explains, then turns to Horgus. "Okay, Horgus, let's get you to your house."
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Klarah thanks Sverix profusely, and promises to pay him back if her family is able to propser again in the future. Horgus nods his approval at her promise.
You come to Gwerm manor Miraculously, amongst the destruction that has beset much of Kenabres, Gwerm manor appears to be mostly untouched.
Horgus leads you into the manor -- where things are a bit disordered. After he spends a short time looking around, he comes back with a very disgusted look on his face. "The entire household staff seems to have deserted the place. They probably figured I was dead as I was at the Armasse celebration where the crack opened up. And, that may be what saved the manor, as the demons may have been more interested in finding people to kill than simply buildings to knock down. But, still! I paid them well! You think they would show some loyalty! Worse, they seem to have made off with a number of my family heirlooms and valuables."
He shakes his head sadly. "Take off the veneer of civilization, and too many of the rabble will quickly descend into chaos."
He goes to his vault, which remained secure. Opening it, he says, "Hmm, I promised you a thousand gold pieces if you were able to escort me to the surface, and even though there were multiple stops and fights along the way, you have done so. You recognized my importance and did a ... well, an above average job, I suppose one must say, at getting me back to my home." He seems to have trouble being nice even when he wants to.
He hands over a small sack with a thousand gold in it.
"I will remain here. But, of course it is important to me that Kenabres be rebuilt, and its defenses secured again. If... if you wish to report to me progress on that matter, you will know where to find me. If the place is under attack, I may take refuge in my vault."
Although it's not obvious, you believe he has just offered to help you again in the future.
Do you want to say anything else, or being moving on to the third location?
Sverixalint's heart swells with pride at Klarah's thanks. It swells just a bit more at Horgus's reluctant praise later, as he recognizes the proud man's reluctance to bestow it.
He is more than glad, however, to take the generous contribution to his growing hoard.
The young dragon thinks over Horgus's last statements. "I'll make sure you know what's going on," he says, realizing the human is probably going to be alone and scared now.
With that, he turns to Anevia. "Okay, time for your home at last. How are you holding up, Anevia? I know we've walked a lot. I could have one of them help you if you need," he nods at the two knights.
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Anevia says, "I'm OK. The pain... isn't bad. It's just frustrating that I move so slowly."
"But, let's get going. I really want to get home, and make sure that Irabeth is OK."
She does not seem to want to contemplate the possibility that Irabeth did not survive the initial assault.
You head through Kenabres towards the Tirablade residence. This takes a little longer, as you have to make more detours around parts of the city that are completely blocked by rubble.
As you're moving through one ruined section of town, you see a couple of men step out from behind buildings ahead. They have small demons with them. You recognize the symbol that the cultists bear -- these are cultists of the demon prince Baphomet, the same demon prince with whose cultists you tangled in the land of the mongrelmen below ground.
DR 5/cold iron or good
Immune to electricity and poison
Resist acid, cold, fire
They mostly attack with claw and bite, but they can cast cause fear and stinking cloud once per day. Unless they're summoned themselves, they attempt to summon another dretch (with about a 1/3 chance of success) once per day.
"So...." the cultist ahead of you (square R12) says as he steps out from behind the wall where he was lurking. "It's not just ordinary citizens any more! Now we have some crusading knights, and a bronze dragon no less! Your deaths will glorify Baphomet...."
Anevia whispers in your ear from just behind you, "There's another one lurking around a corner behind us."
Here's a map of the situation as things get started. The two captured-and-hopefully-to-be-redeemed knights, whose names you've learned are Tobias and Orrin, are the two fellows in square S20 and U20.
Orrin's instincts allow him to act first. He draws his sword as he moves forward, and cuts at one of the demons. The thick blubbery hide on the demon, however, doesn't give to the blow of his longsword. Orrin then suddenly realizes that he's violated your terms of surrender by drawing his weapon without being told to do so, and looks back at you with alarmed wide eyes.
Anevia takes a step back and fires her longbow at the cultist down the alley behind you. You hear a "thunk" and a groan of pain as she hits.
The closest cultist in front of you casts a spell.
Tobias, seeing the look on Orrin's face, delays, and turns to you for guidance.
Action Order
- Orrin
- Anevia
- Cultist #3 (Q18)
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Cultist #1 (R12)
- Cultist #2 (M23)
- Dretch #1 (L24)
- Dretch #2 (R13)
- Cultist #4 (W14)
- Dretch #3 (V15)
You are up!
Sverix meets Orrin's gaze. He gives a small nod, then roars, "Knights of Mendev! Draw your blades and strike down the cultists! I will handle the demons. Tobias, handle the one behind us."
Orders given, the young dragon confidently strides forward while murmuring a prayer to Apsu.
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Tobias nods and, drawing his sword, double moves to engage the man behind you.
The cultist furthest forward moves to U15 and engages Orrin with his scythe. Orrin deflects the blow with his shield.
The cultist in the alley behind you (M23) swings his scythe at Tobias; he also fails to hit, as Tobias dances out of the way.
The dretch in the alley behind you splorches forward and starts flailing at Tobias, with two claws and a bite. All it manages to do, however, is scrabble at Tobias' breastplate, and the knight remains unharmed.
The dretch furthest ahead (starting in R13) charges Sverix. Sverix's bite cleaves into it, leaving it bleeding and dying on the ground ten feet away from him.
The last cultist (starting in W14) moves around to T15 to engage Orrin. He has no more luck than the other cultist in penetrating Orrin's armor. The knights and dretches begin to question if they are really rolling d20s, or just d10s....
The last dretch lays into Orrin. Although one claw and its bite are deflected by Orrin's armor, one claw does hit Orrin, doing a few points of damage.
Orrin swings his longsword at the cultist directly in front of him. He cuts into the man, saying "foul demon worshipper!" as he cuts him. At least Orrin talks like he's one of the good guys...!
Anevia takes a five foot step up behind and to the side of Sverix so that she'll get a clear shot on one of the cultists. Promising herself that she'll take Precise Shot next time she gets a new feat, she fires into melee, but just misses him.
The cultist who cast Protection from Good moves forward to engage Sverixalint, stopping 10 feet away and attacking with a glaive, but his weapon is at the moment no match for the scales of a dragon.
Action Order
- Orrin
- Anevia
- Cultist #3 (S19)
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Cultist #1 (U15)
- Cultist #2 (M23)
- Dretch #1 (M24)
- Cultist #4 (T15)
- Dretch #3 (V15)
Sverix steps forward and tears into the cultist, hoping he can kill him quickly enough to rescue Orrin.
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Although his bite does not penetrate the magical protection against good creatures that the cultist had summoned for himself, Sverix is able to tear the demoniac apart with his claws.
Tobias takes a swing at the cultist in front of him before stepping back. The cultist parries the swing with his scythe.
The cultist directly in front of Orrin attempts to cut the wayward knight again with his scythe, but comes nowhere close to hitting. The second one, however, cuts deeply into Orrin -- it's not a critical hit but it's close. Orrin is badly wounded.
The cultist back in the alley with Tobias steps after Tobias, but is not able to get an effective attack off against the knight. The dretch with him also steps forward and attacks Tobias. Thanks to the knights shield and solid breastplate, the demon again is not able to damage him.
Likewise, the other minor demon is not able to damage the bleeding and harried Orrin.
Anevia, recognizing that Sverix is going to go help Orrin, steps back to fire at the dretch in the alley near Tobias. She hits it, hard enough that some of her arrow's damage penetrates the dretch's damage resistance. She makes a mental note to pick up some cold-iron arrows.
Orrin, recognizing that he's in trouble, withdraws, leaving Sverix an open lane towards the two cultists and the dretch in front of him.
Action Order
- Orrin
- Anevia
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Cultist #1 (U15)
- Cultist #4 (T15)
- Cultist #2 (N23)
- Dretch #1 (N24)
- Dretch #3 (V15)
Sverix is up again!
Sverixalint strides forward, taking a deep breath, then exhaling a blast of frigid air and shards of ice over the two cultists and the dretch.
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Sverix breathes out a 30ft cone of ice (check out my special effects). The two cultists take the full force of the ice blast, but the dretch manages to duck under the worst of it, and thanks to its cold resistance takes no damage from the remainder. The cultist to the right is overcome by the cold and keels over; the other one is badly damaged, but still fighting. "The beast consume you!" the remaining cultist shouts, undeterred by the demise of the two companions he can see.
Tobias swings at the cultist in front of him before taking another retreating step. He cuts the man again, damaging him and leaving him on his last legs... but as with his friend in front of Sverix, the cultist continues his assault, stepping forward again and cutting at Tobias with his scythe; again Tobias is able to fend off the attack.
The other cultist charges Sverix, but is cut down by Sverix's opportunity bite before he can get to the dragon. Sverix bites deeply into the man, tearing off his harm and half of his chest. The blood spurts out around Severix's muzzle; as the remains of the man falls to the ground, Sverix again realizes that the taste of fresh prey is tempting....
The dretch moves forward to attack Sverix, but only gets a mouthfull of tough dragonhide. The other dretch back in the alley steps forward and again tries to tear into Tobias. Tobais fends off the bite with his shield, but in so doing leaves him open to two claw attacks, both of which it. Tobias is wounded, but still has fight in him.
Orrin sheathes his longsword and takes out his heavy crossbow.
Anevia fires her arrow at the cultist, but the man ducks as the arrow zings over his head.
Action Order
- Orrin
- Anevia
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Cultist #2 (O23)
- Dretch #1 (N24)
- Dretch #3 (V15)
Sverix is up again!
Sverix snaps at the dretch, hoping to finish the creature off with his bite and then run to see what's happened behind him.
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Sverix's bite doesn't finish off the dretch, but the claw does.
Tobias swings his longsword again, failing to connect with the cultist, as he steps back, drawing the man towards the street.
The cultist, unexpectedly, runs forward to Anevia and attacks her. Despite her broken leg, she's able to dodge the swinging scythe.
The dretch steps forward again. The demon's bite only gets a mouthful of Tobias' armor, and Tobias fends off one claw with his shield, but the other claw connects, leaving Tobias more seriously injured (but still up).
Orrin moves to get a clear shot with his crossbow, and fires at the cultist who attacked Anevia. He hits, leaving the man disabled, but still up. Anevia takes a step back and fires her longbow at him, dropping him. Only one dretch remains.
Action Order
- Orrin
- Anevia
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Dretch #1 (N24)
Sverix is up.
Sverixalint growls in disgust at the taste of the dretch, though he's glad enough that it takes his mind off the taste of human flesh.
"I'm coming" he shouts as it falls, whirling and running towards the corner where Tobias is backing away from the remaining dretch.
He stretches out his neck and snaps at the little demon with his fangs as he arrives.
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Leaving bloody dragon-shaped footprints, Severix makes his way to stand in the remains of another cultist and attack a demon. He bites it, doing full damage thanks to the spell he cast upon himself earlier. He tears away big chunks of blubber from the demon, but it's still moving.
Tobias brings his longsword down at the demon, but the demon ducks out of the way. Tobias takes a step back.
The demon, seeing Sverix as the new threat, takes a step forward and attacks him with tooth and claw. The demon cannot get through his supernatural protections, however.
Orrin reloads his crossbow and fires at the demon, but the bolt clatters harmlessly against the wall of the ruined building at the edge of the alley. Anevia also fires her longbow, but has no more luck.
It's down to Sverix to finish the menace off....
Action Order
- Orrin
- Anevia
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Dretch #1 (Q24)
Relieved that the end of this grueling battle is in sight with none of his side dead, Sverix tries to finish off the demon with claw and fang.
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Sverix is able to destroy the last demon with his claws.
There are a few moments of silence as the streets, littered with fresh corpses of people and demons, bears witness to the breakdown of order in Kenabres.
Orrin, still badly wounded, says "Doria was wrong. It wasn't sacrificing innocents we needed. It was a dragon."
"She was wrong, but not because of me," Sverixalint says, turning to look at the knight. "She was wrong because doing evil is never justified, no matter how much you think you need it. Now..."
He hesitates, but he knows he has to do this. "Orrin, why did you break your oath?"
The young dragon nods slightly. "By your oath, your life is forfeit. But the intent of the oath was hardly to kill you for fighting demons. It was to insure you would not draw blade with intent to escape as soon as someone attacked us. It would not be just to kill you for fighting by my side... and what's more, your rashness already almost got you killed."
"But neither can breaking your oath go completely unpunished..." He trails off, thinking for a bit, then refocuses on Orrin. "As you have proven yourself too rash with a sword, you shall no longer bear a sword until I'm convinced you've learned to control your impulses. Give your sword to Anevia, but keep your other weapons."
He looks at Tobias. "I think I'll also relax your oath, if you will not complain. You may both draw and use your weapons if we are attacked without waiting for my permission. I would ask, however, that you wait for my instructions before charging forward. We will fight better side-by-side when we can manage it. Now, let me see to your wounds."
Sverix pulls his wand out and waves it over the two injured knights twice.
That done, he looks over the battlefield. "Let's see if they had anything useful, then keep moving," Sverix says.
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Orrin responds to Sverix's question, "Instinct. There were demonic cultists, together with demons. I believed we had caught them flat-footed, and I acted. Only as I was making my first attack did I realize that I had violated my oath. I was not trying to escape-- I was trying to slay demons."
He has a sour expression on his face when Sverix takes his sword away, but he does not say anything.
Anevia says to him, "Just stay near me."
Both of them nod when Sverix indicates that they should follow the dragon's lead in combat, seeming to understand the reasoning of coordinating actions.
Each one of the cultists had a scroll of comprehend languages, a scroll of cause fear, and a potion of cure light wounds, all of which you can collect. They also each have a vial of unholy water, but I'm guessing you'll just want to dump that out, or otherwise render it useless.
You continue picking your way though the ruins of Kenabres. You come to Annevia's home, a modest home in the Southern part of the Gate district. From what Annevia's told you about her wife Irabeth, you'd expect somebody with her standing in the Eagle Watch to be able to afford a larger house. The home is still standing, but the door is closed.
Anevia takes a couple of steps towards the door. "Irabeth?" she calls out. "It's Aneiva. I'm alive."
After a pause with no answer. "Irabeth?"
Another pause with no answer.
Let me know how you proceed.
"She's probably with the Watch somewhere, right?" Sverix suggests, not wanting to think of the other possibility. "But I'll bet she'd leave something behind to tell you where she went. Let's go in."
He pauses a moment. "But I should go first just in case."
Without waiting for a reponse he walks up to the door and tries to open it.
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Anevia gives Sverix the key, and he opens the door. Looking in, the house looks quiet. The room Sverix sees occupies most of the interior space of the building. There is a small table with four chairs around it and, in a southern nook, a desk with a chair at it. There are two doors out of the room. Anevia walks up behind you, not quite in sight of the door, and calls, a litte less loudly, "Irabeth?"
Then, in a whisper to Sverix, "Do you see anything?"
Tobias and Orrin remain silent, although they are both tense.
Sverix shakes his head and ambles into the residence. He carefully looks around, sniffs at the air, and then walks over to the table and checks to see if there's anything on it. If he sees nothing, he then goes over to the desk.
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Sverix moves into the room. He doesn't see anything; the house looks like it's still lived-in, but nobody is home right now. The surface of the table is clear.
Anevia moves to the door, a concerned look on her face.
As you are looking around, suddenly a fire beetle pops into existence in front of Anevia and attacks her! Catching her flat-footed, it bites her, doing 4 points of damage.
Anevia reacts by drawing her shortsword and stabbing at the beetle; she connects, and luminescent ichor sprays out of the wound.
Tobias and Orrin both delay, waiting for an order from Sverix.
The beetle bites at Anevia again, doing another 3 points of damage.
Action Order
- Anevia
- Fire Beetle
- Sverix — Current
- Tobias
- Orrin
"Knights of Mendev, draw your weapons and defend Anevia!" Sverix orders. "Anevia, there's someone in here. Get back while I take care of him."
Figuring he'll hit two birds with one breath, he exhales a cone of frost into the southern nook, aiming it so as to hit the beetle as well. A corner of his mind notes how he'd been using this breath so often instead of his own bronze dragon lightning.
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(I had you take a 5' step to the right, so that a cone straight south wouldn't zap Anevia outside the door, but would fill the entire South nook.)
The fire beetle freezes and disappears -- it was evidently (and unsurprisingly) a summoned creature, as it left behind no corpse.
You suspect you damaged the creature you detected with blindsense, but aren't sure, as you don't hear any reaction.
Anevia takes a step back as both Orrin and Tobias take a step forward. Tobias draws his weapon, and Anevia hands Orrin's sword to him. The two in-process-of-being-redeemed knights ready to attack anything hostile that comes out the door.
You don't hear or see anything from the hidden creature.
You're up again.
Sverix stares right at where he thinks the unseen creature is and growls, "I don't know who you are and why you're attacking us, but if you don't SURRENDER I'll kill you."
"I WARNED YOU!" Sverix roars, then charges forward, teeth snapping at the spot where he knows his target is.
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Another fire beetle appears in the doorway, and immediately attacks Anevia. However, Tobias' and Orrin's readied attacks go off first, and both of them slice at the fire beetle. As they cut into it, it disappears in a poof of arcane sparkles even before it can complete its bite upon Anevia.
Two magic missiles pop out from the corner where the invisible foe is, slamming into Sverix and doing points of damage to the dragon. Immediately thereafter, a half-orc wielding a ranseur appears, as the attack he just made negates the invisibility he had going. You also see why he used the Wand of Magic Missile in his left hand, as you're now too close to him for the ranseur to be effective.
Anevia moves into the room sheathing her shortsword and drawing out her bow as she does so. When the half-orc sees her come into the room, he shouts at her. "Your wife will fi nd your corpse in bed waiting for her, Anevia Tirablade!"
After a moment of confusion, Anevia says, "You're Vagorg, aren't you? I recommend surrenderng; Sverixallint will have mercy even on your type, but he won't hesitate to put you down."
"I will put down your pet dragon, and then slice you down the middle, leaving a gory spectacle for your bride to find!"
It doesn't look like he's going to surrender.
Sverix flinches slightly at the missiles' impacts, but isn't seriously hurt.
"You're making it easy to decide to kill you," Sverix growls, then begins his usual ferocious assault on the half-orc.
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Sverix puts the half-orc sorcerer down with two swipes of his claws.
"If it's any consolation," Anevia says, "he's not a demon worshipper. Just regular every-day scum trying to get revenge for a perceived slight. Irabeth told me about him. A criminal she caught in Tymon; he was planning arson on a rather grand scale He thought she should have cut him some slack because of their shared race, but Irabeth is a Paladin of Iomedae. She does not cut slack for those who do not deserve it."
"I suppose he blames her for his having been imprisioned. It's a good thing you were with me; had I been by myself, I don't think I could have handled him."
The body of Vagorg has some interesting things on it. There are two potion bottles labeled "Invisibility", one full, one empty. There is the wand he used to fire a pair of magic missiles at you. He's got 42gp. And, the ranseur he holds -- which he was never able to use, because you cornered him -- looks to be quite nicely made, and is probably magic. It will take somebody able to identify magic items to learn more about the wand or the ranseur. (As you track what you have, note that you found them on Vagorg, so if later you're identifying them I'll know where to look.)
Anevia goes through the rest of the small house. The door to the south leads to a small bedroom. There, Anevia goes directly to a hidden alcove -- evidently a secret storage place that she and Irabeth use. There, she finds a note. Anevia's tension is visibly relaxed as she reads the note. "Irabeth survived the attack!"
She makes the butterfly symbol of Desna over her chest.
"Thank Desna, thank Iomedae. She says that her legion has made a headquarters of Defender's Heart, and that I should find her there."
You know of Defender's Heart -- it's the largest inn in Kenabres, a stout stone structure. (It's the large stone building with the central round part and the four stubby wings just above its label on the updated map below.)
Anevia looks at you. "You've already done so much -- you are the reason that I, Aravashnial, and Horgus survived belowground, and were able to make it to the surface. You're the reason all of us made it to where we wanted to go here. But can you do another thing for me? Can you help me make it to Defender's Heart? I must see Irabeth. And... there's a good chance that she can use your help, as she may be one of the few trying to restore a semblance of order to the city."
I've included Defender's Heart on this map. I've also marked the three locations (caled "safe-houses") that were mentioned in the letter that you found on Hosilla, the leader of the Baphomet cultists who had taken over the warren of the hostile mongrelmen belowground.
Sverix listens to Anevia's words gravely. "And thank Apsu that I've been strong enough to help all of you," he adds at the end of her words, thinking that his god may well have arranged for him to be here where he's needed.
But... why hadn't he saved Terendelev? Had... had Dahak had something to do with the attack?
He shakes off the thought and refocuses on Anevia. "Yes, we should all go to Defender's Heart. We need a place to rest, and... well, that's probably where the closest thing left to someone who can decide what will happen with Tobias and Orrin will be."
He looks over at the two knights. "After how you've fought, I think I can tell them you deserve leniency."
He turns back to Anevia. "Let me look at these things real quick, though."
Sverix casts detect magic and tries to identify the ranseur and figure out the wand's command word and remaining charges.
He puts the wand in his carry-sack. "I can carry the weapon, if someone can tie it on my back or something," he says. "They'll probably need all the weapons they can get at Defender's Heart, and this one is magic."
Once all of that is taken care of, Sverixalint takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. One last effort, and then he can rest for a bit before the next challenge, he thinks. It's been a long day.
"Everyone ready to go? Let's get going."
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Sverix is just able to analyze the aura of the Ranseur. It's a unique item; he's not sure of it's name. (For your reference, the name is Ranseur of the Gargoyle, but Sverix wouldn't have a way to know that.)
A ranseur of the gargoyle appears to have a head crafted of obsidian, but is in fact as hard and resilient as steel. This weapon functions as a +1 ranseur that grants a +4 bonus on disarm checks rather than the typical +2 bonus a ranseur grants. Up to 5 times per day as a swift action, the wielder of a ranseur of the gargoyle can cause its skin to harden for 1 round, gaining a +2 enhancement bonus to its natural armor score.
Sverix, Anevia, Tobias, and Orrin pick their way through the ruins of Kenabres. The distance from the Tirabalde residence to Defender's Heart is only a little bit longer than the distance from where you emerged from underground to Blackwing. You make the trip without notable trouble, although you do see a looters scurrying away as they catch sight of you a few times. You might have thought to chase down the looters, but Anevia would have asked that you stay on task, and you would have realized that if you got into the business of chasing down every looter or minor miscreant in Kenabres at the moment, you would never get to more important things.
As you get to Defender's Watch, you see that the stout stone building is still intact, evidently having been largely ignored by the demons on their first pass. It is now clearly defended. A makeshift barricade of debris from the attack as been constructed around the Inn's entrance, and as you approach you can see guards in some of the windows of the Inn.
As you approach, the door opens, and one of the guards steps out. "Anevia! Captain Tirablade will be happy to see you?"
"Captain?" Anevia muses quietly.
You get to the entrance, welcomed by the guard. You're barely through the threshold when a heavily-armored half-orc woman with the symbol of Iomedae prominently displayed on her armor runs up, shouting "Anevia!" The two women embrace tightly, Irabeth saying, "You made it!"
After they release each other, Anevia gestures to you. "This is Sverixallint. He's the reason I made it here. In the initial attack, he and I, and a couple of others, fell into the crevasse that opened at Clydewell Plaza. Terendelev did something with her last breath to allow us to survive the fall. Sverix is the main one who kept us alive, and allowed us to make it back to the surface."
Everybody's face takes on a pained expression as Anevia mentions Terendelev. Irabeth approaches you, and reache out a hand to shake yours, and then hesitates with an awkward expression, as she realizes that she doesn't know if dragons, even ones close to the size of a human, actually shake hands.
"I thank you for bringing Anevia back to me, and for the others you saved. What news? What have you seen, and what do you know?"
Sverixalint can't help but feel proud at Anevia's praise, in spite of sharing the feeling of loss at the reminder of Terendelev's death. Indeed, the past week had awakened in him a confidence and pride that he likely would not otherwise have known for many years.
He considers Irabeth's hand for a moment, and then simply nods deeply to the paladin in what could almost be called a bow. "Hello, Captain Tirablade. I'm Sverixalint, but you can call me Sverix for short."
"To answer what we've seen, a lot, and I'm tired, so I'll give the short version now."
He briefly describes their struggles in the dark, the alliance with Neathholm, the cultists and the letter they'd found talking of safe-houses in Kenabres.
"Oh, and we found this paladin sword. I think you should probably have it." Sverix points at the sword tied to his back.
Once that is taken care of, he continues, describing the challenges they'd faced aboveground, and getting Aravashnial and Horgus back to their homes, and the surprise that had been waiting at Anevia's house.
"And after that, we came here thanks to the note you left Anevia," he finishes, just in time to yawn hugely. "And I'm kind of exhausted from fighting all that stuff today. Could we maybe rest and then talk in the morning? I want to help more, but..." he yawns again, now that he's thinking about rest "Even young dragons can't keep going forever..."
"Oh but before I sleep, I told you about Tobias and Orrin. They are guilty of assisting an attempted murder, but... I think their leader convinced them it was right, and ever since they surrendered they've been brave and loyal soldiers, if maybe a bit impetuous." Sverix glances at Orrin, then looks back at Irabeth. "I think their sentence should be comparatively light."
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Irabeth listens to what Sverix has to say.
In response to the revelation about the Neatholm mongrelmen: "That's good news! I'm glad to hear that there are First Descendants still alive, and that they are keeping the faith. I will send some of the Eagle Watch knights down to cement the alliance that you started."
In response to the reports of the chaos in the city, "Yes, we have seen much of the same. The main demonic force laid waste to the city, and pulled out, but a number of mostly minor demons remained behind to satisfy their own sick appetites and to cause mayhem. Demonic cultists are sacrificing survivors. The usual scum you find in any city are taking advantage of the situation to bully others and to loot. And, as you have seen, the devastation has broken some people, causing them to go mad."
"It is unfortunate that the Riftwarden order has been all but destroyed. Few even knew of the order's existence in the first place. It sounds like it is thanks to you that one of that order survives."
"I knew of Horgus Gwerm before. Some find his manner rather off-putting, but...." She briefly shares a look with Anevia. "Ultimately, he is a good man, in ways that few know. I believe that your having treated him with respect and having brought him to safety may turn out to make him into a great asset."
In response to the demonic cultists down below, and the note you found on Hosilla saying that there are still three safehouses for the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth, Irabeth will grimly respond, "Those cultists are among the most dangerous of the enemy right now. They have spies everywhere, and have apparently been among us for decades. Only recently has proof of their presence been manifesting. I personally managed to root out one of their more powerful members— the leader of a group called the Hammers of Heaven. We all thought of Staunton Vhane as a model crusader, but as far as I was able to discern, he’s been working for the demons for decades. There’s even evidence he may have been the one to betray Drezen 75 years ago. They knighted me for that discovery, but I’m still not sure why, since he slipped through my fingers and is out there still, causing who knows how much more damage...."
She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "We will have to speak more of this later. I hear that you are tired, and need some time to rest and recover. Tomorrow, I may ask you for more help."
"For now, yes, we can find a place for you to rest. I will see to Tobias and Orrin. It sounds like they have been serving you well after you stopped them from committing a horrible crime. I fear we may hear from this Doria again."
"Speak with Kimroth Otai about accomidations." With a smile, she adds, "I fear we will not have a mound of coins and jewels for you to sleep on, but I suspect you will find the accommodations better than what you've been dealing with since your fall."
Kimroth Otai is a old human man who is missing his right arm. He's quite friendly, indicating that he's the proprietor of Defender's Heart, but in the current situation he's turned it over entirely to the Eagle Watch for it to serve as their wartime headquarters. He shows you to a room where you will be able to curl up and sleep and recover.