The woman's sickle snaps up to block your blow, but her inhuman speed is just a fraction too slow. Your staff strikes the same spot as before, and you hear vertebrae snap. The life leaves her eyes, but she remains standing for a brief moment longer. "Foolish mortal. This body was nothing but a distraction. The ritual is taking place even as we speak. You're too late." She collapses and ceases to move.
Iris snorted slightly. The woman clearly didn't understand, and after checking to be sure she was unconscious, Iris briefly checked her for anything important - documents detailing the meeting site, for example - before moving sufficiently far away and channeling positive energy through the air.
Hmph. She still had a long ways to go before she could truly channel power - might need to pick up a mortal wand so she could save her energy, but at least she still had some of her magic left. She'd have to be careful about how she used it, though, because this probably wasn't over yet.
Rather than rushing to the ritual, however, she dashed towards the central part of the town and began looking for anyone who was still here. Much as she hated to admit it, she probably couldn't take down an entire group of cultists on her own just yet - especially if any more of them were like that woman. She hoped to locate the father of the boy with the stirge - he hadn't seemed too bad - but anyone capable of fighting would do.
"Listen up. Your town is in trouble, and don't even try to pretend otherwise - we don't have time to waste on such nonsense. There's a ritual going on that needs to be stopped - it's dedicated to a demon lord, not any goddess of good, and your families will never be safe so long as this threat remains. If you truly care about them, you'll help me and go fetch anyone else who can be trusted so we can work together to end this threat. Are you willing to seize the new day with your own hands?"
There's no danger of her getting back up. As it turns out, she's stone dead. Once you've healed yourself, you begin searching for Oric's father. As it turns out, he's pretty easy to find - in fact, he practically grabs you. "Someone's taken Oric! Please help!" When you mention the ritual, his face goes slack. "Oh gods, they're going to use Oric. I know where the cult meets. Let's go. Hurry!" He begins to run toward the outskirts of town, banging on doors as he goes.
I knew there was something about him I liked. Iris thought cheerfully. It was a bad sign when a deity was fooled by the actions of mortals - even if she did have an excuse at the moment - and she explained what she could to those who came along. She didn't want to waste much time if innocents were in danger. She'd save them if she could and avenge them if she couldn't. Death was... less important to her than it was for many mortals, since she knew what happened to their souls, but that was no excuse to not do her best.
Once all were together, she did a quick tally of heads, then turned to Oric's father. "Lead the way. I don't know if they'll be expecting us or not - assume they are." she said, gesturing for him to show the way.
You and Vioric are able to gather around 20 villagers. The rest are either too old/young to be of much help or prefer to remain neutral. "After all, we don't know nuthin' 'bout no ritual stuff, and life's decent enough here. I aint about to get all riled up over what could be nuthin."
Vioric leads you to a dilapidated farmhouse. "This here's the old Chenowitz place. People tend to give it a wide berth, but I seen people hangin' around there some nights, and sometimes I hear chanting coming from the cornfield."
"All right." Iris said, turning to those who'd come to help. "I'm sorry to inform you that many of your fellow villagers are fond of Ghlaunder - he is no true deity, but he is powerful enough to grant magic to his followers. The Gossamer King is the ruler of bloodsucking insects, and it will not be surprising if some of them are present up ahead. I believe Mosquitoes and Stirges are the most likely to appear, and may do so in considerable number. If any of you have some small talent with offensive magic, that may be helpful. If not, do your best to flee from any great swarms of insects, and work together to take down stirges as quickly as possible. I'm sure you all know how dangerous they are when not properly tamed. I will be most upset at you if you die on me when we're saving your village - I may even go find your soul and yell at you for awhile." This was something she could actually do once she regained her powers. "If I am attacking something, do your best to help me take it down as quickly as possible. It is likely to be the greatest threat, and the faster it's down, the safer everyone will be." With that, she directed the group forward, heading towards the maze. She was close to the front, though not at the very forefront of the group.
As you begin to pass by the farmhouse, a scarecrow jerkily steps around the corner. The rudimentary wings on its back give the figure a crude resemblance to Desna, but the fact that it has sickle blades for fingers marks it as a potential threat.
"Keep moving!" Iris directed, encouraging the villagers to move past the scarecrow's area and towards the field. Such guards would rarely pursue too far, but if it kept moving after them, she wanted to be able to surround it so they could work together to take it down as quickly as possible. It would be better if they could avoid combat, though - she needed them as strong as possible if they were going to take down the other cultists here.
Having no desire to fight the walking sickle-handed scarecrow, the villagers rush to give it as wide a berth as possible. It takes a slow swing at a pitchfork-wielding farmer, but he quickly dodges. It soon becomes clear that the monster's assigned patrol area is mainly concentrated around the farm's front door.
As you prepare to enter the maze, some nearby cornstalks rustle and the demon pig from the Founders Feast charges out. It's still quite injured from the beating you gave it earlier and is clearly desiring to return the favor.
"That creature is easy to strike, but difficult to harm." Iris warned the crowd she'd brought with her. At least one victory might do a lot to boost their morale, especially if they could get through it without much trouble. Hmm... "I'm going to distract it. Once it's focused on me, I want you seven to rush in and surround it from each place I'm not - then we'll all attack it together." Once she was certain they understood the plan, she faced the creature. "Do you truly wish to die so quickly? Then come at me!"
Although you manage to hold the qlippoth's attention, the animate plants on its back snap at the closest villagers and inflict several wounds. Nontheless, the mob takes it down surprisingly fast. If, in fact, qlippoths appear on fairly regularly, they probably have a bit of experience combatng them.
It took perhaps a dozen seconds for Iris to bend down and stabilize the injured villager, whereupon they were quickly moved to the side where they ought to be safe enough for now. They would be in no immediate danger of dying, at any rate, but that was all the time she could spare them for now. As she went, though, she did convert her Charm Person spell into curing energy, figuring it was best to be as healthy as possible for this.
After tending to your wounded companions, you proceed into the corn maze. As you begin to pick your way through the cornstalks, you hear a startled shout from the rear of your improvised militia. Turning, you see Leonard Kriegler. He grins, and his face dissolves - leaving behind only a mass of whorls and slits. This ... creature ... proceeds to effortlessly snap a villager's neck and step off the path. His malleable body easily maneuvers through the thick cornstalks, and he's instantly lost from sight. From somewhere to the right, you hear a sinister chuckle.
You realize that Leonard is actually a Faceless Stalker. This race of shapeshifters is resistant to bludgeoning damage and can stretch its arms to gain increased reach.
"Step away from the cornstalks!" Iris snapped out as the monster attacked the group. "You'll need blades in order to damage him properly. Stay on your guard and don't give him the opportunity to surprise you." Her own weapon, rather unfortunately, lacked a blade she could poke enemies with. "Ready yourselves to pin him down - he may be able to drink a bit of your blood, but you'll live, and he'll be much easier to kill once you can surround and slash him. These are the monsters threatening your families - nobody else can protect them." That ought to motivate them.
The villagers ready themselves, and as soon as movement is spotted, they rush en-mass at the Leonard monster. The first two to reach him are felled with precise slashes from a sickle he drew from his belt. Then a particularly-brave man tackles him at the knees. Leonard tries to get up, but more townsfolk dive on him and hold his arms and legs. He thrashes about violently but is quickly restrained.
"Quickly!" Iris urged, addressing those with sickles and any other kind of bladed item. She needed as many of them cutting the creature as possible. She whipped her own staff through the air and towards the creature's skull a moment later, hitting as hard as she could to help the villagers out and help them understand that they could do this. Deities were great, true, but it was best to never underestimate the potential of mortals...
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Emboldened by their success and enraged that this monster has been living among them for so long, the villagers slash/stab/beat Leonard in a frenzy. In just a few seconds, he's nothing more than a bloody mass on the ground. You even have to pull some of the more enthusiastic villagers off of his corpse.
Gear
+1 sickle
Potion - cure moderate wounds x2
Your navigational senses are good, and you only make one wrong turn on your way to the center of the cornfield. There, you find a thirty-foot diameter glade. The ground has been stripped down to bare earth, and soil is heaped in a ring around its perimeter. Two large bonfires stand at the eastern and western sides, while an enormous mass of roots topped by thick strands of timber sits at the glade's center.
Twenty-five cultists stand evenly-spaced around the edge of the glade. Their robes and masks lie on the ground beside them, and their nude bodies are instead clothed in thousands of mosquitoes. You notice that none of the insects are feeding on the cultists. The only one not covered in mosquitoes stands atop the timber alter in the center - Mayor Kriegler. He wears robes of gossamer and holds a long sharp spear. Bound at his feet is Oleg.
The cultists around the glade's periphery are chanting in unison and don't appear to notice any of you. Mayor Kriegler, on the other hand, looks up with an annoyed expression as you enter. His face quickly calms, though, and he politely makes you an offer. "You're not supposed to be here, but no matter. You're welcome to cast aside your weapons and join us. Otherwise, please remain where you are and don't disturb us. We're almost done."
Iris took the time to tend to the injured villagers before moving on, making sure they wouldn't bleed to death before she collected the items - and, incidentally, passed . Most of them seemed to be in excellent shape, though, and she gave them a smile. "Excellent job so far, all of you. However, be careful to not let your guards down yet - our task tonight isn't finished."
She passed the sickle to the most capable-seeming follower, instructing them to stay close to her and try to help flank any foe she fought. She was capable enough of using sickles, but her sacred staff was the only weapon she cared to actually wield. There was no reason to selfishly keep something she wouldn't use, especially when she preferred to see mortals seizing a better future for themselves anyway.
With that, she lead the way forward, feeling vaguely grateful for the simplistic design of this field. "The morning light moves at its own pace." she answered, quoting from her holy book as she scanned the number of foes. They seemed to be in some sort of ritual trance... very well, then. "All of you, stay close to me. If your fellows attack, put them down, but feel free to leave them be unless they attack first." She moved forward with her group a moment later as she faced down the Mayor. "You have made your choice and lived with it... but I will not permit you to hurt others any longer." As rehearsed with her followers, she shot forward as soon as she was in range, magical light erupting from the runs on her staff as she charged it with power. Those she'd already talked to - including the one with the special sickle - ought to be joining in to pin the mayor in a circle while the rest focused on guarding and supporting them.
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As you charge, three Fiendish Giant Spiders materialize in front of you. The mayor sighs. "Please just let me finish. Then we can discuss things. If you interfere, the salvation of one will doom all to starvation."
Iris nimbly slipped through the air before bringing her weapon down on the mayor, leaving the spiders for the villagers to deal with. By now, they ought to recognize the value of working together to bring individual targets down as quickly as possible, and ought to be able to rejoin her soon.
"Stagnation ultimately leads to collapse and failure - and Ghlaunder is its lord." Iris retorted as she jabbed twice through the air...
...and failed to come anywhere close to striking the man. Was he being protected by something...? Well, no matter. The basics of the matter hadn't changed, and she still intended to bring him down as quickly as possible.
One of the spiders is a bit quicker to react than the others and takes an ineffectual bite at you as you fly past. As your initial flurry misses, Mayor Krieglar gives a reluctant sigh. "So be it." He raises his spear and thrusts it at you.
You narrowly dodge its sharp point, and the mayor back up to create some separation. Below you, your militia throws itself at the demon spiders as the cultists continue to chant.
Iris wasted no time at all in pursuing the man, whipping her staff through the air again after to closing the range between them once more. She only went for a single swing this time, her previous failures having been sufficient evidence that trying to attack with a full flurry might not be the best plan at the moment.
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Besides, this let her hit harder, and she may have taken a little pleasure in smiting the wicked. "Indeed, I see no reason to waste time in disposing of you so these people can get on with their lives once more." she said candidly.
You exploit a tiny gap in the mayor's defense and manage a quick hit. He grunts and takes another step back - to the edge of the ritual platform. Thinking quickly, he manifests a spear of force that floats in the air. With a sudden motion, it streaks forward and lands a nasty gash.
Below you, the villagers are locked in combat with the demon spiders but seem to be gradually gaining the upper hand. The chanting from the cultists is beginning to lose its uniformity, and you can see a few of them beginning to look around in confusion.
Iris winced at the blow, then attacked the mayor with renewed ferocity, spinning her weapon around and around to strike him from different angles. "Come, mortal!" she cried out. "Prepare to face Pharasma!" A great goddess, that one, always quite willing to take on the extra job whenever an evil mortal was sent her way. Iris was quite fond of her, really, though they didn't interact much.
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The mayor's spears (both physical and magical) stab at you, but you're able to deflect them with a dexterous twirl of your staff. Mayor Kriegler's expression darkens before resuming its calm facade. "You're really causing a lot of trouble, but I won't let it interrupt the proceedings. One way or another, this ritual will be completed." He flicks a finger at Oleg, and the magic spear floats over to his body and prepares a stab that will surely be fatal.
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Iris launched into a frenzy of attacks as the mayor dared to threaten an innocent. Magic was accurate - often brutally so - and she wasn't entirely certain that she could stop his magic spear from striking the boy... but she could unleash everything she had and attempt to take him down as fast as possible, hopefully destroying his concentration (or better yet, dropping him permanently) to stop his dreadful deed.
The mayor is knocked back by your brutal assault. Dropping his weapon, he closes his eyes and begins a prayer to Ghlaunder as his magic spear begins to slowly sink toward Oleg's chest.
In the glade below, the spiders have been defeated and sent back to their home plane. Several villagers have been injured, but none are dead. The cultists' chanting grows stronger as the mayor joins in, and you can tell that it's moments away from reaching a climax.
Iris lashed out with her quarterstaff, sliding her hand down its shaft as it moved to switch into a two-handed grip and interrupt the cultist's attempts to execute an innocent child. Indeed, they'd gotten here none too soon... but she would not fail now.
for
With a powerful blow, you strike down Mayor Kriegler. As he collapses, the magical spear fades away - inches from piercing Oleg's chest. The ritual disrupted, the cultists fall to the ground, stunned. The glade is only quiet for a moment, however, before the mayor's body begins to writhe and spasm unnaturally. His stomach bulges, and then a creature bursts out in an explosion of gore. This giant mosquito-like creature rapidly grows to the size of a man. Wet with blood and internal fluids, its wings hang limply at its sides, but are drying quickly. Soon, it will be able to take flight. Your militia backs away in shock and disgust while the cultists slowly begin to regain their senses. They gaze ecstatically at the beast.
The creature's powers stretched out towards her... and Iris' eyes flashed as pure willpower shattered its attempt to slow her movements. As if she would ever let Abyssal powers touch her that way! Lightning sheathed her hand a moment later as she channeled power into it and punched out at the creature. Her staff flashed as she did so, improving her ability to strike the beast.
"Magical weapons only! This creature needs to be taken down as quickly as possible!" Iris called to her companions - including the one that had been given the sickle. She honestly wasn't relishing the thought of facing it without greater magic... but a goddess did not turn from evil simply because defeating it might be difficult.
You carve a chunk out of the Blightspawn's exoskeleton, but it doesn't seem unduly bothered. It extends its proboscis lazily in your direction but fails to connect. Its wings are already almost dry, and it'll be able to take flight in just a few more short seconds. Your villager ally with the magic sickle bravely charges forward, but his pace slows to a crawl as soon as he closes to within 20ft of the monster. The cultists are beginning to snap out of their torpor, and the rest of your allies move to restrain them.
Iris switched her grip on her staff to one hand as she focused on her innate powers and called forth a ward to protect her from the creature's future attacks.
"Focus on helping me strike it!" she called to any of her companions who might be able to avoid the cultists and help out. "This creature is too dangerous to let loose!"
The creature lashes out with its stinger a second time. Thanks to your spell, it doesn't hit any particularly-vulnerable areas, but you to suffer a nasty wound . It then spreads its wings and lifts straight off the ground . It ends up 25ft in the air and looks down at you balefully. As it begins its flight, your sickle-wielding ally almost manages to strike it, but a wing buffet knocks his weapon awry.
Her staff whistled through the air, but failed to connect with the creature - and Iris held out one hand. "I'm disappearing as part of my magic - don't worry, I'm not leaving the area." she informed those who'd come along with her. A moment later, she vanished from sight.
Once she'd vanished from view, she quickly pulled out the potions she'd obtained earlier, downing each of them. Her magic hadn't recovered enough for her to make the invisibility last any longer than that, but at least she ought to be able to avoid getting hit - especially because she'd moved away from where she'd been standing. Thus restored - unless there'd been a problem - she was ready to rejoin the fray.
Ghlaunder's spawn pauses for a moment as you vanish, but quickly regains its composure. With its biggest threat missing, it contents itself with strafing nearby villagers - starting with your magically-armed friend. It's accuracy is deadly, and three villagers drop before your spell wears off. You notice that its wound seems to be healing with each inflicted casualty.
Iris didn't actually bite back a curse - such phrases weren't in her nature - but the feelings were much the same as she reappeared. With a little more power, she'd be able to crush this creature - but she hadn't been able to recover the spells she'd used earlier in the day, and her reserves were quite low by now.
"Back off and let the creature focus on me!" she called out, darting forward and whipping her staff through the air as she tried to catch the creature before it could buzz away again.
...Drat.
Fortunately, the blightspawn is in the middle of impaling another villager when you come out of invisibility. You only manage to land a glancing blow, but it knocks the monstrosity off-balance - providing just enough of an opening for Viorec to grab the magic sickle and slice its wing.
Lightning sheathed Iris' hand as she struck out a second time, hitting the infernal creature as hard as she could and trying to outpace whatever healing it had. "Good job!" she called to Viorec, smiling at him. "Now, let's finish this as quickly as we can!" The sooner it was dead, the fewer people would be in any danger.
Sparks arc across the creature's body at your touch. Viorec attempts another swing but overcompensates and misses badly. Fortunately, he doesn't cut himself. One of the other villagers, meanwhile, manages to graze one of the blightspawn's legs. It barely deals any damage, but every bit helps, right? It retaliates by reaching out one of its uninjured legs. You barely bat it aside but get the sense that it just attempted one of its more dangerous attacks. You could almost swear that it hat a flicker of magic around it for a brief moment.
On the glade below, more villagers rush to your aid as most of the cultists have been subdued. Several are still fighting, but that portion of the battle appears to be nearly won. The remaining cultists are almost certainly still fighting due to religious fervor. If their icon was struck down, their morale would be obliterated.
"And one more time!" Iris cried, imposing her will on reality and demanding that it bow to her wishes. Under ordinary circumstances, she should never have been able to cast her electrical magic so many times in a day - but such limits were for mortals, and she'd never been a big believer in being too weak to change the things you wanted to change. The dawn would always turn night into day and change the world for the better. Lightning crackled around her hand as she jabbed out at the creature's eye - not, perhaps, the most noble of attacks, but she wanted to get all the accuracy she could from these attacks, and delivering them through her staff was actually a bit harder. That said, her bare hands were about the only weapon besides her staff that she permitted herself to use. To say she adored her sacred tool was quite an understatement...
"Come on, all of you! We're nearly there!" she added, cheering the villagers on. She might be the flashiest one here, but she was perfectly aware of the fact that this would have been far, far more difficult without their help. The mortals were the true heroes here.
Your fingers stab into the monster's eye, and you see electricity flash inside its skull carapace. It reels back in anger and pain and lashes out once more with its needle-like proboscis . The surrounding villagers continue to swing wildly at the blightspawn, and although at least one connects, its tough exoskeleton shields it from harm. Nonetheless, your spells are taking a toll on the beast, and it appears to be severely injured. It flaps its wings violently, and the villagers are blown a few steps as it begins to rise higher into the air .
Iris let go of her staff with one hand, then reached down to her belt and pulled out the Sword of Station. "Get back here!" she demanded as she pointed it at the beast and called upon the powers within the sword, even as she sent another burst of divine energy through her staff to re-ignite its magical powers and help it cut through the beast's defenses once she got it back into range.
The blightspawn pauses as you utter your command, then shakes its head and continues its ascent. All is not lost, however, as the momentary pause gave several villagers time to enact a truly-desperate attack. Vaulting from the shoulders of one his compatriots, a brave (or suicidally-foolish) man somehow manages to sever a wingtip, sending the beast down onto the tines of two readied pitchforks. It spasms and begins to rise, but you can see that it's at the last of its strength.
"Halt." Iris commanded, calling upon the powers of the Sword of Station a second time to try and force the creature to stay in place. She glanced towards the villager with the sickle a moment later - one of them should have had it right now, anyway. "Strike now! The rest of you, help him deliver the final blow!" she decreed, doing what she could to hold the beast in place for them. They'd remember this for a long time if she killed it... but if they killed this foe themselves, they'd learn a far more valuable lesson about their ability to solve problems with their own hands. That was a lesson a village mired in stagnation needed to learn - and as a goddess of beginnings, what else could she do but encourage them?
Despite your command, the blightspawn continues to thrash about until Viorec steps up and gives a final slash with the magic sickle. Ichor sprays from the cut, and the creature goes limp. As the light fades from its eyes, you hear a voice inside your mind. "Impressive performance, little godling. I'll be watching...."
With their avatar's defeat, the remaining cultists will is shattered. Their invincible champion has been slain, and they have no idea what to do. Your allies, meanwhile, cheer wildly as Viorec unties his son and holds him close. Looking at you, he mouths, "Thank you," but is clearly too overwhelmed to say more at this time.
Iris took just a moment to give him a smile before sheathing the sword and hurrying over to the fallen, checking for any remaining signs of vitals. There wasn't much magic left in her, but if there was any possibility of saving them, she wanted to be sure she took it.
Voices (and threats) would be dealt with in due time - her job wasn't over yet, and she had no intention of stopping before she had completely accomplished her task. She still needed to see if she could gather more information on the tax collector - her hopes were fairly dim on that prospect, but perhaps the cultists would be a little more willing to talk now that their lord's power had been shattered in what should have been a moment of triumph.
Once she'd tended to anyone she could, Iris gave out the final rites, praying over each of the departed. These were no idle thoughts - Pharasma was perfectly capable of hearing prayers about the dead, and Iris had every intention of eventually following up on them to see what had happened to them as a result of her intervention here. The quickest way to do that was simply asking the Judge where they'd gone.