The Ogre has exceptionally-long reach but is painfully slow and clumsy. Slashing weapons work best against it, as its thick hide will lessen the effectiveness of other forms of damage.
The Ogre mindlessly attempts to whack you again but falls just as easily for your tactic of tumbling between its legs. The cult leader remains hidden. It's not difficult to guess what he's doing: healing and buffing himself. Your necromancer ally, meanwhile, decides not to order his minion to attack. Whether he doesn't want to lose it, doesn't want you to be exposed to another dose of spores, or a combination of the two remains to be seen. Instead, he begins to chant an incantation and appears to be trying to detect nearby magical auras.
Iris blew a tuft of hair out of her face as she ducked away from the blow, then let go of her staff for a moment. She simply didn't use bladed or piercing weapons - not unless they could be adapted to fit onto her staff - so magic it was, and she gripped her staff again to charge it with electric power as she whipped it through the air and towards the ogre's knee.
for +
One of these days, she was going to have to master adding channeled energy to her swings - be a nice way of dealing with all the undead. For now, though, she could simply take advantage of her versatility and focus on doing what she did best - adapting to each situation.
Agile Feet: 6/9
Arcane Pool +1: 2/6
Bonded Holy Symbol: 0/1
Channel Positive Energy: 4/8
Divine Vessel: 9/9
Legendary Power: 2/2
Mythic Power: 5/7
Sword of Station: 3/3
You deflect another blow from the Ogre as the cultist suddenly appears behind you, spear thrusting. The first catches you in the side , but you're able to bat away the second strike. The necromancer, seeing his detection spell is no longer needed, fires a sickly green ray at the Ogre. Strangely, the undead appears significantly weaker, although no visible damage is seen. Unfortunately, the cult leader appears almost fully healed.
Iris stepped five feet back, away from the ogre and to the cultist leader's side before taking a moment to concentrate as she drew on the power within her.
Finding it easy to keep her wits about her - she knew exactly what had to be done and was using her superhuman dexterity to good effect - she sent another charge of electricity down her staff before swinging it at the cult leader.
for +
"I hope you are still sane enough to understand the situation." Iris said, never quite forgetting that evil people deserved a chance at redemption - and indeed, that they were the most in need of such things. "Have your minion stand down and surrender - or face Pharasma and justice for your sins. You'll do neither yourself nor your god any good by dying here."
Agile Feet: 6/9
Arcane Pool +1: 2/6
Bonded Holy Symbol: 0/1
Channel Positive Energy: 4/8
Divine Vessel: 9/9
Legendary Power: 2/2
Mythic Power: 4/7
Sword of Station: 3/3
The cultist just laughs. "Whether I die or not is irrelevant. Only Ghlaunder's will matters. We've located the stone, so it's only a matter of time." Presenting an unholy symbol, he channels raw power, and the Ogre's wounds begin to heal. Seeing this, your ally steps up and attempts to distract the large undead. "Take down the fleshy! I'll keep the zombie occupied."
A sad expression crossed Iris' face. "Mortal wills always matter. But since you have made your choice, so be it. May you receive precisely what you deserve." She stepped further away from the ogre, circling the cultist and focusing. She didn't like the look of what the cultist was doing and she was almost distracted... until her weapon lent her a helping hand, anyway.
for +
This time, she drove it straight towards the center of his chest, using a thrust instead of her usual swings to help improve the accuracy of the blow. Most people didn't realize how badly a thrusting staff could hurt them, especially when it struck a fleshy spot like the neck or stomach - all the force was concentrated into a much smaller area, and in this particular case, she'd added plenty of electrical might to the attack.
Agile Feet: 6/9
Arcane Pool +1: 2/6
Bonded Holy Symbol: 0/1
Channel Positive Energy: 4/8
Divine Vessel: 9/9
Legendary Power: 1/2
Mythic Power: 3/7
Sword of Station: 3/3
Your staff *thunks* into the cultist's chest, and you can hear bones snap. A fraction of a second later, your lightning blows out his eyeballs, and he collapses bonelessly to the ground. Your ally takes advantage of the Ogre's momentary lapse of concentration to land a devastating strike that almost severs its spine. It, too, drops.
Loot
Potion - blur x1
Potion - fly x1
Potion - haste x1
Full-Plate Armor x1
Heavy Steel Shield x1
MW Spear
1,700 gp
As you sort through the cultist's possessions, you gradually begin to feel a familiar sensation. Something long lost is nearby, and it can sense your presence. The glow coming from the stone on the altar is pulsing subtly in time with your heartbeat.
Wasting no time at all, Iris hurried over to the stone and examined it for a moment, then pressed her palms against it. "Return to me." she whispered intently, entirely focused on the power she'd approached. One thing she didn't want to admit to others was that she was broken - a goddess was her power in a very literal sense, and as she was now, she was only the faintest fragment of what she'd once been. Everything lost she wanted to regain, restored to the way it should have been - and that purpose took precedence over everything else here on the mortal plane.
The pulsing intensifies with your call, and you can feel the fragment's desire for reconnection. All that stands in its way is the surrounding stone.
For just a moment, pale light leaked out of Iris' eyes as she looked at the stone that was blocking her way.
"Shatter." she commanded, calling on the remaining power within her body to do as she willed and break the stone into as many pieces as necessary.
Light floods the cavern as the stone shatters into a thousand pieces. This glow is briefly as bright as the first light at dawn before it seeps into your body. All that's left are fragments of broken stone. Inside yourself, however, as if a key fitting into a lock, you feel that a part of yourself has been restored.
The necromancer looks at you in confusion. "What did you do? Something's changed. What did you do?"
Courage
The enchanted creatures become immune to fear effects and receive a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, skill checks, and Will saves.
Hope
The enchanted creatures gain a +4 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls.
Iris simply turned and smiled at him. "I recovered something that should never have been lost." she answered, feeling joy rising up within her. "Come, let us check on the others and see if there's any way to escape this place now." With that, she headed back towards the ladder, intending to put down any remaining zombies and do what she could to help those who were still there. She had a number of uses of channeled energy left, and would gladly use them to help anyone injured.
She was delighted at what she'd managed to accomplish today, but that didn't change a thing about her duty to help others - and she intended to rest only when she was absolutely certain the troubles were over.
The necromancer seems unsatisfied with your answer but refrains from pursuing the matter. Despite being a follower of a hideously-evil deity, he's quite well-mannered. He follows you back upstairs and helps you tend to the civilians. All the zombies have been felled (with the exception of the necromancer's stolen minion), and the theatre doors open easily. It seems they had been held shut by some magical force that is no longer present.
Iris was quite glad to see that the doors had been opened, and took the time to explain the situation to the authorities, providing as much information as she could about who had been behind the evening's events and what had transpired at each stage. Only when that was done did she take a seat outside, look up at the sky, and start to sing as a small performance for those who were left. The mortals had endured a horror tonight, one they'd not forget anytime soon - but perhaps a little happiness would provide a good memory to help soothe the bad and remind them that however dark things might seem, the light would come for them.
Only when that was done did she politely excuse herself from the area, intending to go back to her inn and rest up. In the morning, she intended to sell off many of the things she'd picked up, then go and provide further information to the authorities. She was something of a key witness, and while she didn't have the intrinsic focus on law that some of her brethren did, she also had no problem cooperating with it at times like this.
The guards take your statement and allow you to take your leave with the caveat that you return in the morning for a more in-depth interview. While you'd normally be escorted to the station immediately for that, there were certain benefits to being the hero who slew the Midnight Mauler.
Your song calms the crowd of traumatized civilians, and you see that their state of mind is drastically improved. Not only will that make the authorities' work easier, it'll lessen the likelihood of mental trauma manifesting later. You are truly becoming a light to this city - and you haven't even begun to try.
As you retire to your bed, you hear a few faint prayers being uttered. While addressed to no specific deity, the prayers come from those who saw only darkness and destruction before them - until a small spark of hope brought light and banished the darkness. Theirs is a new-found faith, and while they knew not their savior's name, the prayers were simply addressed to "the one who brought light when I had none," "the banisher of darkness," or "the Light Bringer."
Tonight, you dream of an endless black void with only a single candle for illumination. It glows faintly, but gradually grows stronger. Then, with no warning at all, it's snuffed out by an indistinct shape, leaving only darkness.
Iris opened her eyes well before dawn, as she so usually did, and turned to face the rising sun. No. So long as there is a single soul that desires goodness in this universe, darkness can never eliminate the light.
With that, she decided to change her approach a bit. Rather than taking powers from the slavery domain, she focused on the magic of natural goodness instead. One to protect from evil, and one to align a weapon so it could cut through the defenses of evil. When she was finally finished, Iris made her way towards the markets to begin offloading the (heavy) things she'd acquired.
Start: 2134 GP, 8 SP (<- Possibly a bit less if she spent any for the Inn.)
Sell:
MW Shortbow: +165 GP
MW Spear: +151 GP
-MW Spear: +151 GP
-MW Spear: +151 GP
-MW Spear: +151 GP
-MW Spear: +151 GP
Chain Shirt: +50 GP
-Chain Shirt: +50 GP
Full Plate: +750 GP
-Full Plate: +750 GP
Half Plate: +300 GP
Heavy Steel Shield: +10 GP
-Heavy Steel Shield: +10 GP
Potion of Blur: +150 GP
Total: 5124 GP, 8 SP
No purchases. Busy saving up. XD
--
Once she'd emptied her bag - which had been quite full with all that armor inside - Iris hummed under her breath and proceeded to the guard station to help with their investigation and provide whatever other information she could. "Good morning, everyone." she said, greeting them. "How are things going?"
The guard captain thanks you for coming and asks you for a more in-depth description of what transpired at the Opera House.
Iris gave a full account of what had happened - starting with how the play itself had gone (poorly, by any objective artistic standard) and what had transpired afterwards... escaping the room, dealing with the undead, consecrating the area, and generally working to let people out. The only part left out was the part about the stone and her power - that wasn't something she wanted to tell to mortals.
"Ah, and if there are others whose testimony you are uncertain of, I would be happy to create a Zone of Truth for the discussion." she offered. "Under the oversight of expert from your own team who can analyze the spell and determine its validity, of course." A spell from a stranger - even a high-profile stranger - wasn't necessarily acceptable to legal proceedings... but it was a different matter if an internal analysis accepted it.
"Thank you for the offer, but we have a priest capable of casting that as well. We don't want you to further tax your magical reserves on our behalf."
They do tell you know that the cultist you found in the basement tunnels has been identified as Fel Bustrani. Unfortunately, the sheer scale of their thwarted plan implies that the Ghlaunder cult has a base of operations somewhere relatively close by. After all, they needed to smuggle in a number of undead - including an Ogre and a pair of Bugbears, replace the actors with cultists, and recruit a high-level mage to seal the exits.
Iris shrugged. Her staff could create an essentially unlimited number of those fields at need, but she wasn't the type to press the issue if they weren't interested. Besides, you had to let mortals do things for themselves if they said they didn't want your help. It was kind of an obligation unless you had a really, really good reason to override that.
"How quickly do you think we can track down this base of theirs? I'd like to pay it a visit." she said mildly, tapping one finger against the shaft of her staff. "I suspect at least some of them have already gone underground, since it's unlikely they have much strength after what happened, but the thing about eliminating infections is that it's best to be as thorough as possible, or they'll fester until they're strong enough to hurt you again."
"We're currently investigating that matter. We believe that they're located in or near the city, but no useful information has surfaced yet. If you'd care to assist us, it would be most appreciated."
"Well, it's possible people have seen something. I'll see what I can do." she said, standing up and turning to go. If not halted - it was possible they had other questions, after all - she'd soon be in the city, looking around and seeing who could be convinced to speak up a little.
...And she could be quite charming when she put her mind to it.
Nobody's seen or heard anything about cultists, as something much more dramatic just happened. On the outskirts of the city, an ancient temple of Urgathoa has collapsed. Quite a few people were inside at the time, but nobody's come out. The brave souls who have entered the rubble to search for survivors have yet to return, as well. This includes a high-ranking Desnan priest who's capable of returning life to those recently departed. She entered the ruin almost an hour ago and hasn't been seen since.
Well, that was inconvenient... but a priest strong enough to call the dead back was also strong enough to do divination and ask for more information to help root out infestations of evil. Picking up her staff and pausing only to purchase a wand of cure light wounds along the way - channeled energy alone might not be enough to help everyone - Iris quickly hurried towards the temple to see what (if anything) could be done.
It's beginning to rain quite heavily by the time you complete your purchase and reach the ruins. Once a majestic temple, it's now only a scorched skeleton. Walls of thick, blackened masonry stand tall and abandoned, and gaping wounds reveal where stained glass windows once caught the gleaming sun. The roof has collapsed, and only crumbled remnants of masonry pillars remain in standing amidst the piles of rubble. In the southeast corner, you can make out a flight of stone stairs leading underground.
Iris slowed slightly as she reached the steps, checking for signs that the temple was set to further collapse. She had every intention of hurrying, but not to the point of recklessness - she would help nobody if she died before she could so much as see them... and she didn't know what would happen if she perished in her current state.
"All right, where are you..." she murmured.
At the bottom of the stairs is a small room. Two female statues stand in the middle; there arms have been broken off and are missing, and their facial features have been scraped away. Three tunnels lead away from here: a wide tunnel to the north, and two smaller passages to the east and west.
Iris bent down and examined the ground. There probably wasn't going to be much to see down here, but if the temple had collapsed, perhaps enough dust had settled to show one or two footprints and which way someone might have gone.
Just as importantly, looking around might tell her how many other people had passed this way recently.
You notice several different sets of footprints heading toward the large north tunnel. Interestingly, the footprints avoid the patch of ground directly in front of the statues. As you examine that area (without touching it), you notice that the ground almost imperceptibly raised. Clearly, something will happen if you step there.
Also, about 30ft down the north tunnel, you see a large axe embedded in the wall. It's attached to a rod extending to the far wall and is covered in fresh blood. A decapitated body lies nearby.
Iris was careful to note where the probably-trapped places were, and made a mental note to stay well away from those particular areas. With that, she began moving down the northern tunnel, keeping an eye out as she went.
After all, nobody had ever said that you could only put one trap in a hallway. Careful to stay away from the axe, she bent down close to the body and began to examine it, looking for signs of who they were. If an outsider had been harmed by the track, that was disturbing. If an insider had been hurt, that was considerably worse.
She also took a moment to check the bloodstains on the floor and see if anyone had walked through them - whether this person had died before or after the others had gone by would help piece together when things had occurred, and that might be important.
The headless corpse is wearing a familiar style of gray robes, and the mosquito mask lying nearby makes identification easy.
It quickly becomes evident that there are, in fact, multiple traps in this hallway. The entire corridor is completely blocked by a rockfall, although you can tell that this isn't due to natural means. Partially buried under the rubble are a pair of bodies, although their features have been mangled to be unrecognizable. One, however, is wearing Desnan robes.
You also begin to hear movement from a side passage. Whatever's down there, seems to be coming your way.
Carefully skirting every trap she'd noticed, Iris moved to the body in Desnan robes and pulled hard, trying to at least free them from the rubble and move them back towards a safer position. Martyrs who died in the course of following their faith deserved a proper burial - and she'd always liked Desna.
"May your soul rest well - your body shall be cared for." she murmured as she pulled on the corpse.
As you pull the priest's body from the rubble, you hear a snarl behind you and to the left. Looking over your shoulder, you see a Large wolf with an unnaturally-twisted neck. Fortunately, there's a pit between you and it that it seems unwilling to cross. You also notice there's a scroll in the priest's robes and that his cloak is faintly glowing.
Iris raised her staff and pointed it at the wolf, then sent a burst of chaotic energy through the air and towards its side. "Begone, beast." she said firmly. The spell's chaotic nature - changing effects unpredictably every few seconds - was rarely fatal unless someone kept getting hit by it... but it ought to serve as a nice warning. She did not take kindly to others threatening her, whatever their reason, even if they were animals... though she wasn't entirely sure what kind of animal this one is.
Your spell energy washes harmlessly over the creature. It doesn't even react, and you quickly realize that it's a mindless undead .
...Huh. Well, that hadn't gone quite as planned. Her hex probably wouldn't do much to it anyway, and she lowered her staff slightly as she looked at the beast. She backed away from the bit a moment later, maneuvering to give herself enough space to make a running jump across it - though she didn't start running immediately, since she did want to see what the creature was going to do in response.
The undead wolf continues to snarl but makes no move toward you. It's probably intelligent enough to know there's a pit in front of it but not smart enough to realize that it can maneuver around it.
Taking care to stay out of the creature's reach, Iris crouched down, then darted forward and jumped over where the pit and the undead were, intending to land on the other side and take up a ready position for combat. Unfortunately, she still hadn't recovered enough divine power - otherwise, she could have used her staff to fire undead-destroying light, and that would have made short work of this particular foe. Still, one had to do what they could - and she was aiming to settle down behind one of the other traps she'd seen and hopefully draw her foe into it.
The wolf snap is futile as you soar overhead, trapping it between you and an acid-filled spiked pit. In the pit are the liquified remains of at least one humanoid.
Iris flipped her staff around once and pointed it at the creature. A bolt of positive energy shot out of the end of her staff as she called upon its magical powers and sent out a bolt of potent energy that ought to at least weaken the creature before it could get close enough to attack her again.
She had nothing to say to the undead - it was a mindless abomination, and there was no point in wasting effort on it.
Agile Feet: 9/9
Arcane Pool +1: 6/6
Bonded Holy Symbol: 0/1
Channel Positive Energy: 8/8
Divine Vessel: 9/9
Legendary Power: 2/2
Mythic Power: 7/7
Sword of Station: 3/3
ENERGY MISSILE
School evocation; Level cleric/oracle 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components S
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none SR yes
A potent missile of positively or negatively charged
energy (depending on which type you channel) darts
from your fingertip, automatically striking its target. A
positive energy bolt can heal living creatures or harm
undead. A negative energy bolt harms living creatures
and heals undead. Oracles who cast this spell must
decide whether the bolt is made of positive or negative
energy when it is cast.
The amount of damage dealt or healed is 1d6+1 hp/
caster level. The power of the energy is so pure and
powerful that it does not allow its target a saving throw.
The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in
melee combat, so long as it has less than total cover or
total concealment. Objects are not damaged by the spell.
The zombie shudders as some of the bonds of unlife holding it together disintegrate under your spell. It snaps at you, but you're able to interpose your staff.
Iris carefully maneuvered around the creature, positioning it between herself and the acidic pit - and shoved her staff forward a moment later, capping its end with her hand to provide added force. She wasn't trying to hurt the beast this time - instead, she was focused on pushing it straight backwards and into the pit of acid, which would hopefully keep it trapped until its body dissolved. It was a nasty-looking creature, and given her current weakness, she'd strongly prefer to trap it instead of brawl with it.
The wolf's jaws take a sizable chunk out of your leg, and the resulting pain significantly diminishes the force of your shove. Fortunately, it's next attack is able to be avoided.
Tch. Well, shoving it into the pit would certainly have been easier - but it was more resilient than she'd hoped for, and she narrowed her eyes in concentration.
A moment later, she her weapon with all the force she could muster, aiming to bash through the beast's side. She didn't like doing it this way, but now that her first attempt had failed, it was time to move on - and she'd never really been the type to look back and regret when there were still other things that needed doing.
for +
Your strike rocks the zombie back on its heels. Another couple blows like that should put the beast to rest.
Unfortunately, you overextended slightly while striking, and the undead is quick to take advantage of the momentary slip in your defenses.
Those blows were really starting to add up - and Iris carefully stepped five feet backwards to get out of its reach before casting Shield of Faith, intending to increase her protection before darting into the melee. Perhaps she'd be able to shove it into the pit after all... well, she could decide that in a few moments.
The creature slowly shambles toward you as you cast your spell. Fortunately, unlike the exploding plague Zombies from the theatre, the wolf isn't nearly as agile.
Ow.
This... thing... was proving remarkably resilient, and Iris hissed in pain. Still, she had no intention of dying here, and certainly not to a creature like this. She carefully maneuvered backwards, away from the creature...
...then called upon her mythic abilities to shroud her from the gaze of the undead creature.
Agile Feet: 9/9
Arcane Pool +1: 6/6
Bonded Holy Symbol: 0/1
Channel Positive Energy: 8/8
Divine Vessel: 9/9
Legendary Power: 2/2
Mythic Power: 6/7
Sword of Station: 3/3