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Rejuvenated by Xylas's healing magics, Haruf is able to regain his strength. The sudden shock of going from nearly dead to fighting shape threw off his aim with the mace however. Haruf then tries to return the favor of a bite of his own. His teeth only gnash air as the the incorporeal shadow demon consistently fades in and out of existence.
Calli continue to rally the party as she kneels beside the fallen Kale. She is able to slip off the necklace with no further event.
Out of spells, the youthful priest stands behind Haruf and with a touch bestows Erastil's blessing on him.
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Unable to stretch out after 1000 years of eternal rest, Iulia is unable to offer any aid to Haruf.
The shadow fiends tries to bite the rogue again, while contemplating his next move.
The pain is too much to bear this time. Haruf falls to the ground as his body goes slack. The mace bounces off the floor with a loud clang.
"Sorry Ma'am, I'm tapped out. All I got is Erstil's blessing." The youthful priest steps behind Calli and with a touch bestows Erastil's blessing on her.
Cursing in Elven as Haruf goes down, Guillaume continues hacking at the demon's shadowy form hoping that maybe *this* cut will finish it.
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Guillaume finds the flesh of the shadow demon once again. It howls out in pain, slumping to one hand on its shadowy leg. The shadow demon tries to spread its wings, but wispy bonds appear to continue to hold it in place.
With Haruf on the ground, the shadow demon turns its attention to Guillaume. It only weapon, an inky maw, strikes out at the druid.
The shadow demon nearly falls over upon itself. Half bent over, it leaves its neck open for the killing blow ...
Xylas repeats his tactic giving Calli a touch of Erastil's guidance.
"You are not wanted here! Back to the Abyss with you!" once more, Guillaume attacks with the longsword, hoping to finally banish it from this plane.
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Guillaume deliveries a final fatal thrust into the shadow demon. His cold iron sword flashes with a blue light. The demon tries to claw upward to escape but its is futile. Slowly from the ground up, the shadowy wisps of the demon begin to dissipate. After a few moments, the demon is gone and the halls are silent.
Gently guiding in soon after, Kwislingyr lands in great hall. The gold dragon appears thin and frail but impressive none the less in the sunlight. It reaches out and lightly touches Haruf and Kale with the tip of one of his claws. The magic he produces is able to heal the two and allow them to awake.
Kale slowly opened her eyes and sat up to see her friends, Kwislingyr, and the dragon. No demon in sight. When the dragon speak of the necklace, Kale goes to remove it and finds it is no longer around her neck. "What... happened?" She asked those around her. "After my body passed out I no longer knew what was happening."
Xylas looks a bit peeved at the dragon. "I sure hope you're planning on destroying that. It seemed kinda dangerous for you, too."
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When Kale stands in the sunlight, an inch thick bang has been turned stark white.
Kwislingyr takes the necklace and folds it under one of his scales.
Sensing Xylas's disposition, Kwislingyr calmly replies,
Kwislingyr rises up and clips one of his scales. With one of his claws, he etches magical runes on the back of the scale.
Kwslingyr respectfully nods, then rises up on his wings. The initial gust nearly knocks everybody to the feet. The dragon soon departs through the opening in the ceiling in which it created.
Hanclay shuffles forward with remorse in his eyes, overwhelmed by everything that occurred this days.
"Thank you for what you have done. I am sorry I have doubted you. I do not have much to offer, but I will aid you as much as I can. The world may have changed since you last were with us, but many things have stayed the same. Come now, you must be ravenous."
Hunclay tries to turn the mood a bit with some dry humor.
"Ever wonder why zombies always try to eat brains? I think its because they just woken up and are hungry. Now we can't have you going off and terrorizing the countryside just because we are short on bacon and biscuits..."
Over the following weeks, Hunclay does his best to acclimate everybody to the new world. Soon after, the group and Hunclay go their separate ways. Hunclay stays in touch with letters. He is a wealth of knowledge of the the Inner Sea and is able to provide letters of reference and credit when times are tough. And it appears times are tough all over.
Throughout the years, the letters become less frequent and the writing more erratic. Hunclay writes about how he is constantly furthering his research into the destruction of evil artifacts and how he is looking into the heavens for his answers. One could say he has become obsessed with his work.
With time, the party is also able to get a proper Identification of each of the magic items they obtained in the Crucible of Dark Souls. All vendors believe the all the items are cursed in some way and are unwilling to purchase them at any value.
Additional Rewards: 550 XP, 150 gp each.
Thus ends The Exorcists. We will continue with the Dragon's Demand after a brief interlude.
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Haruf gets a lot calmer once things are explained to him and he's able to buy his daggers once again. He hides 6 of them in the pockets of the Vest of Escape he got from the monks, but keeps 2 of them sheathed unhidden for quick use.
After acquiring some armor and adventuring gear, he starts regular excursions around the premisses to become acquainted with them, always with the hood up.
He says to his companions who, although he doesn't consider exactly friends, are the only ties he has to his past:
This mace was very strong against the demon, but I don't have a use for it. Take it who will.
After the tangle with the demon Kale started wearing her hair back, save for the now stark white strip which she let grow and braided to hang by her face. She seemed to treat it as any other scar she had.
"It might just be good to have on us." Kale told Haruf. "If you don't want it I will carry it on my belt, you can wash your hands of it Haruf." She said.
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Dear Friends,
It has been some time since our last correspondence. For that I apologize. I further apologize that this letter was not written in revelry but a call of assistance. I need help and there is nobody around here I trust. I fear I may have endangered us all.
Meet me in Belhaim. It is a small town along the river that borders Galt and Taldor in the Verduras Forest. I shall meet you in the Wise Piper Inn after sunset.
Please be urgent.
Humbly yours,
Balthus Hunclay
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The town of Belhaim appears to be quite rustic at first glance. However under that facade, Belhaim is self-sufficient. The river provides fish and clay from its shores can be turned into some of the finest pottery in the land. However being nestled within the Verduran Forest, there are no major trade routes and can be difficult to get to.
The Wise Piper is a friendly inn, decorated in bright colors and well polished wood. The party is greeted with smiles as they arrive at dinner time but before sunset.
"A few new faces, I see. Well, my name is Talia. Are you joining us just for a meal or will you be staying the night too?" Talia is a young woman who is friendly to all of her guests but appears to have control of her inn.
The Wise Piper is half full of men and women catching up on the day's news followed by a pint or two to wash the work away. Everybody appears to be in good spirits.
Kale offers the woman a nod as Calli goes about introducing them, Kale was sitting closer to Haruf than any of her other friends. Over the few years they had been in this new time, Kale had gotten closer to Haruf. "If we don't leave, we'll get rooms." She said with a nod.
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Talia takes Calli's hand with a firm shake.
"Pleasure to meet you all and welcome. So a dwarf you say, eh? Is he a local? No dwarves live around here. There is a gnome, ole Bassy. She's been around a couple generations. My the stories she can tell.
"Then there is also the halfling, Jacoba Kivris. She works for the Hall of Records but she and her lot only come in here once a year after the taxes are collected. Damn it all, and that's next week. Need to get on that.
"Maybe you're here early?"
Easing forward from the rear of the group, Guillaume throws a somewhat quizzical look Calli's way, but smiles at the proprietor. "I believe what my friend means to say is that he's not a particularly tall man. I seem to recall him being human when last we met him, though it has been a few years, admittedly. Balthus is his name. By the way, I do hope my young friend is welcome in this fine establishment. he says, reaching down to pet a sizable brown cat at his side.
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"Ah, a follower of the Green Faith I see. Then you will fit in nicely here. We actually have a separate room just around the corner for such companions. As long as he is well behaved, your friend is welcome."
It is obvious that Talia is avoiding the subject of Balthus Hunclay as she escorts the party to their seats.
"You are friends with the wizard in red? Honestly, I didn't think he had any. At least not around here. If he does come in, that most certainly make my day."
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Iulia immediately heads for a table and orders some drinks. She nurses her drink with a certain religious intensity as the others speak for a bit.
"A shame he's stuck with that moniker. I never did like red on a man; too much like the color of blood."
She laughs at Calli's comment. "Oh come now, wizards aren't that odd. They're just... focused. Spend some time with a coven, dear, and you'll see what odd is."
Her face grows rather more flush after a few drinks, but before she can get too far into her cups a rustling comes from underneath her voluminous skirts. Moments later, a miniature pig sticks its head out inquisitively, and gives a whining snort up to the witch. Mechanically, Iulia pours out the rest of her ale into a bowl and sets it down on the floor. The pig begins to slurp the liquid up greedily.
Iulia looks at Talia and winks. "Oh don't mind Sweetooth. He's just spoiled with people food. Now dear Talia, you make it sound so dull around here. There must be something just a bit more interesting going on around here. A soul needs some excitement once in awhile; wouldn't want things to get dull."
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In response to Iulia's remark, the walls of the inn rattle. Everybody inside is startled, letting out gasps and followed by a few curses. A sense of dread over comes the party as the patrons begin to comment aloud.
"Goll-lie, that sounded like thunder. Storm must be close."
"But there isn't a cloud in the sky..."
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Haruf, trying to be as inconspicuous as he can, has his hood up and avoids responding when he's mentioned. When Kale talks about getting rooms, Haruf smiles at her.
When the would-be thunder sounds, Haruf instinctively reaches for his daggers, although he doesn't draw them immediately. He looks for a place to hide in case he should need to ambush someone.
Eyes narrowing, Guillaume shakes his head. "No. That was no thunder. To my ears, it sounded more like a landslide." Turning to the bartender, he asks "Are there any hills hereabouts that are prone to that sort of thing?"
"Land slide? you sure Guill?" Kale asked as she turned her head. 'Well, I should learn by now to trust your elven ears." She said with a playful smirk.
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Talia replies to Guillaume, "There are hills around, but not that close."
Soon after, a young boy with red page-cut hair and freckles cracks open the door to the Wise Piper.
"The Witch Tower has fallen!"
This news sends everyone in the tavern heading out to gawk at the dust plume rising from the place where the tower once stood. They join a group of people quickly making their way to the east.
"I hear kobolds where found among the ruins."
"Oh really? How many you think."
"To bring down the Tower, maybe a dozen. Maybe more."
With this event being the most excitement the small town of Belhaim has had in recent memory along with the talk of kobolds, the party decides to follow the masses. And the fact nobody is left to pull the ale.
The claim of a dozen kobolds is something of an exaggeration. In fact, only two scaly corpses can be spotted in the black stone rubble of the collapsed building, but that's two more dead kobolds than anyone in town expected to see. Kobold sightings have been few and far between in the area around Belhaim.
At the site of the collapsed tower, two locals putter about aimlessly. One wanders about scratching her head, and the other stands with hands on his hips, chewing on a stalk of grass.
"Watcha reckon, Deputy Hodd?" the woman says as she tosses a piece of rubble to the side.
"Well, Deputy Mulle," replies as he runs his hand through his thinning hair. "Musta been dem kobolds. But no way only two of dem did it."
Someone from the crowd suggests checking to see whether the wizard Hunclay knows anything about what happened, given that his manor shares the hill with the tower. The deputies argue for several minutes, over who'll knock on the wizard's door.
"I have already been there," an elderly woman says dressed in a black petticoat and top hat to mark her profession. "There is a third kobold corpse. That one terribly charred, lying upon the wizard's doorstep."
Deputy Hodd comes off the scree and makes his way to Hunclay's manor nearby.
"Thank ya', Calladastina. Guess we better check her' out."
Deputy Mulle grabs Hodd by the arm to stop him.
"But what if magic is still active on the wizards door. Could cook you too."
Last to arrive on the scene is a refined woman that stands out among the crowd of simple folk. Dressed blacks and purples, Baroness Origena Devy is accompanied with her regal looking teen-age son, Arnholde. They take charge of the situation. After listening to reports from those gathered at the site, she looks briefly at the obviously over-matched deputies and then scans the crowd, desperate for someone with sense to assist her. Her eyes fall on the party for the first time. The Baroness parts the crowd to approach the group and asks a simple question.
"Who are you?"
Kale, who was leaning on Haruf's shoulder as she listened to everyone, looked to the group then back at the Baroness. "Well if you want names I'm Kale, this man I'm leaning on is Haruf. Then to my left are, Guillaume with his Mira, Calli, and Iulia with her Sweetooth. You want anythin' more talk with Iulia, I just hit things." She gives a playful smirk as she finishes her words with a shrug. "though I can say we are friends of Hunclay."
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Iulia curtsies to the "Yes, M'Lady. Our presence was requested by Master Hunclay for some matter of import, although he was sparse with the details. We're a... collection of men at arms-and-spell, fortune seekers and ever-do-wells."
"Moreover, it would seem that we are also recently unemployed, if our contact has perished a-bed. However, if you've a infestation of kobolds, well perhaps we could kill two birds, or kobolds, with one stone. Our little troop would be happy to rid your town for the goodwill of the town, and of course a small fee. We would hate to go hungry, and I'm sure you fine folks would hate to have those scaled menaces bringing down more buildings."
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The Baroness smiles slightly as Iulia's proves a point.
"Friends of Hunclay you say? I didn't know such a thing ever existed. Today's your lucky day. Mulle and Hodd here can't handle this without the Sheriff to hold their hands, and I want to know what happened here. You seem to be a capable bunch. If you go in there and look through the rubble and find out what happened and why there are kobolds in my town, I'll pay you lot 500... no 550 gold pieces total. .
"While you are looking in the ruins, keep an eye out for any signs of your friend, Hunclay. It seems somewhat suspicious to me that he's not presented himself yet. Let me know what you find."
A small crowd has gathered around the rubble of the collapsed tower. Only fragments of the first and second floors still stand. An enormous heap of cracked stone and splintered wood from the tower lies in a low mound here, tumbled partially down the hill to the southeast. The mound of rubble forms a natural ramp that leads up to the now-exposed second floor of the tower above.
Entering the ruined building is actually more difficult than it first appears. Though the tower's ancient iron front door remains in place, all the rubble blocking it from the other side prevents anyone from using it to enter the tower.
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Lady Origena draws close to the party and whispers in hushed tones so that only they hear.
"My fool husband lost his life poking around in the damn tower. I have come to think of the that accursed place as his memorial. I am not too surprised the old ruin finally fell.
"But Hunclay has long pestered me for permission to knock the tower down. His absence in the crowd is quite suspicious."
Guillaume looks closely at the tower, trying to discern the safest workable method of getting inside. "One way or another, this will be easier if we have some rope." He glances around the other party members. "Anybody?"