"SHIT!"
Merelda immediately dives for Kirzon and Boros, checking to see if she can help.
"What happened??!"
The battered image of her teammates shocks Innis into focus. Seeing only one enemy corpse she does question "Yes and where are the others..." gesturing towards dog-like corpse and wary of the secret entrance that Cassandra barely able to stand, guards over.
She draws the infernal healing wand at this point her teammates know that more unpleasantness is to come. She weaves dark magic to slowly pervasively restore their bodies.
She hands Kirzon the pilfered potion "Be a dear and identify this" she asks as the team recounts the events that transpired.
When Innis asks, "Where are the others?" Amigail briefly considers replying, "We ate them while waiting for you folks to get back" but decides that's not a particularly wise course of action. Instead, she humbly thanks Innis for the infernal healing and relates the monster's sneak attack and fear-inducing powers.
Innis holds back a biting remark as the implications of this singular enemy nearly besting all of the team's warriors settles in. Her arrogance is replaced by a grudging respect for the dangers they continue to face.
"You did well today in mastering your fear and besting this monster. Continue to walk with me and our enemies know our pain thrice over. Maybe even after all this business is settled you might consider joining on with me. I could always use someone with such...dedication." she steps close offering her last words intimately for Amigail's ears only.
Innis moves gracefully past Amigail taking centre stage commanding the room. "I thank you Amigail, Cassandara, Kirzon for your vigil but I must ask that you continue it. I have important matters that MUST not be interrupted. Merelda and Lililinda you WILL assist me. Calistria has been kept waiting long enough and will not be delayed a moment longer." It is clear that there is no room for protest in her words.
The Changeling sheds her priestly vestments assuming her more natural form crimson locks spilling out from her stolen blonde wig and functional traveling attire. In the short time traveling with her about the city it seems she has become almost impossibly so, more beautiful than previously before. She prepares the spellcasting supplies for her ritual and when she is ready invites her coven over to participate.
Reluctant to leave the others, Merelda moves to assist Innis.
Lililinda steps to her place, and gets to work under Innis's direction.
Innis masterfully conducts both the divine energies of Sister Merelda and the arcane talents of Lililinda. The ease no doubt due to her own dual-nature and magical knack.
As the ritual nears completion Innis can almost feel her goddess' presence in the room threatening to overwhelm all of her senses.
Innis starts in a whisper "So many forces seek to claim my soul the Call...something much darker lingering in my blood and even you Calistria."
Her voice builds with both defiance and conviction. "If I must have a cage let it be that which stokes the Unquenchable Fire. I give myself to you my Lady and if I must be caged then I Name The Wind itself! For nothing but The Tempest can hold me and never may The Wind bind me in place!"
She gathers the holy symbol, its many golden links incandescent with magic, the weaves shuffle with the hiss of falling rain. Innis clasps the wondrous item around her neck. Suddenly a furious protecting gale surrounds her and vindictive lighting dances out of the tattoos on her skin in a show of force never before seen of the subtle priestess. She feels ascendant as power courses through her. But the moment vanishes sharply. Innis collapses to her knees her body weak and weary, she coughs a bloody mist, a reminder that there is much to be done. Still she smiles inwardly accepting the challenge.
Amigail blinks stupidly at Innis's words to her, saying nothing, and then gives the idea more thought. Her only musings about her life after this quest had been to keep her father from the gallows and care for her mother. Perhaps she could pledge herself as a follower to the Calistrians...especially if they were to help save her father from the noose. The case was right up their goddess's alley: Nathan Trentwell had killed the father of a navy sailor who'd tried to force himself upon Ami...a crime of vengeance. There were possibilities here....
For now, though, the young swordswoman merely does as Innis bid, keeping watch while the Calistrian performed her magic ritual.
Innis stays awake a while getting used to her bond with her holy symbol. She sings softly playing lullaby's on her harp.
While tired and weary it provides a better backdrop than the ambient emptiness of the dark lair.
Suddenly very matronly, Merelda points to everyone still awake.
"Everybody get some sleep while we can. I will take the watch for now, and Cinder will help me. I will wake Lillilinda as soon as I can't keep my eyes open any more. Now if we can just close that stupid secret door..."
Kirzon looks on the other side of the door and sees that there is a lever. He pushes it and quickly heads back into the altar room before the door slides up and closes the passage.
Feeling a little safer Kirzon prepares some herbs to help draw the fever away from the wasting disease.
Innis, Calistria's newly empowered priestess and self-appointed champion resists the progression of the disease.
Amigail takes up Merelda on her offer, snoring softly as she sleeps. When she awakens, she notices that her nose is bleeding slightly.
The little tailor has trouble sleeping as the curse works its way deeper into her body.
Cassandra had forgotten the altar could help her and managed to shuck her armor and fall asleep rather than use it. She was just to weary to think right now and drifted off very quickly.
When Cass woke up she felt rested and in somewhat better shape but her body still felt the same as far as the disease went. She managed to do her morning calisthenics and ate breakfast before asking, "With all the excitement lately wasn't there something about that altar Lilli? Something you said seemed to help?"
"Oh, yes, I touched it, and I felt some sort of blessing wash over me." Lililinda replies. "I was healed, I believe."
Moving to the alter Cassandra reached out to touch it and felt a rush of energy flow into her from the alter. It began to knit the last of her wounds closed, even seemed to get rid of the taint of that vile healing wand that Innis had used on her last night, and she felt better than she had in days. Oh my, thanks for reminding me of that Lilli."
Innis takes to her morning duties with renewed focus, still charged from last night's ritual. She tallies the team's resources with meticulous care and frowns as Amigail reasons that the magical belt should be given to Cassandra. She gives Amigail a calculating look trying to get the measure of the other woman, wondering to herself "why would anyone willingly refuse power freely granted?"
She offers no pointed response and instead wraps her arms around Cassandra's waist setting the belt in place. She lingers for a moment savoring the the almost tangible aura of physical prowess the glaive-wielder emits.
"Sister, are you well enough to lead us? Your eyes fare better than the others in the dark..."She notes Merelda's weakening state with concern.
Merelda coughs again and spits a glob of blood into the room's corner and smiles blood-tinged teeth at her.
"Stop looking at me like that sister. I'm not dead yet..."
With a smirk and toss of her ponytail, Merelda gathers her stuff.
"Don't worry 'oh bearded one.' I've been PAID to wet...certain things...at certain times and places. Good bladder control comes in handy for such activities."
Innis chimes in "As I recall it's your snake that goes limp at the slightest hint of provocation. Pity, I guess size doesn't matter after all. At least we Sister, need not fret about such frivolities.
The secret door slides down opening into a still darkness a brief spasmodic cough from Lililinda leaves speckles of blood on her recently cleaned robes.
She does not look good no matter the smile that she casts upon her face to alleviate your worry. Wherever this path takes you the only hope is that it will be towards the cure before it is too late.
Moving ahead with Merelda leading the way you see a narrow set of stairs that spirals ever downward into the earth. Innis and Kirzon look down aided with their darkvision and after many revolutions, the stairs seem to have no end.
You all take a deep breath and begin to travel down in a single file. You lose track of time when the long stairway finally ends. It abruptly opens into an enormous cavern. Various underground lichen seem to cast a low glow over the cavern. A dozen or so feet away is a road or trail, paved with gray bricks embedded into the cavern floor. The road trails away out of sight to the south into a veritable forest of fungi and giant mushrooms.
Rapier in hand Merelda releases her Ioun torch to again orbit her head.
She whispers to the others.
"I do not think we are in the city anymore. We traveled well below any city sewer level. Ancient things lurk and slumber down here in the deeps. Be Cautious and quiet. Strike at danger first, before it strikes you. Stay close. Cinder? Scout ahead for me and let me know if you spot anything dangerous before we get close."
Cinder takes off without much effort or sound from Merelda's shoulder, quickly disappearing in the dark.
Innis motions for the group to take defensive positions as they descend to the cavern floor. "Kirzon, plants would be your specialty anything to worry about?" she asks seeking the insight of the old dwarf.
“Oh, for Heavens’ sakes!” Lililinda gasps weakly, “What is this, one of the Vaults of Orv? We’ve certainly gone down far enough.”
Merelda nods.
"It could be. We traveled down pretty far Lilli. Maybe not to Orv itself, but some of the upper reaches definitely. Very dangerous territory too. Maybe even more so than Orv. Orv is said to have societies and cities, much like above. Consider this to be...the jungle of the underground. Here, you are either predator or prey."
From where you are it clearly appears you are on a ledge. The grey brick path snakes down the ledge and eventually hits the floor below and then gets lost in the fungi forest.
Merelda sends off Cinder to scout while Kirzon examines just exactly where they find themselves. Although Kirzon doubts that you are in Orv the depths which you have traveled are still much farther than expected. He judges you must be almost half a mile below the surface.
As Kirzon announces that the lichen is harmless a piercing shriek fills the area around you. From up above you are all to slow to react to two dark figures that crash into your party.
One creature attempts to fly into Merelda but she quickly moves out of the way. The second one proves to be more skilled than it's companion but is turned away by the mag armor. The creatures look to be made out of the stone itself
Taking a step back Merelda screams at the monster!
+ Daze
Ami reacts to the attack, hooking around as much as possible and takes a practiced cut at the stony beast.
for
for
Innis creates some space for herself distorting the area around her as a natural defense.
Innis is ready to let loose some scathing words to fluster her team's assailants
For the next minute, the target takes a –2 penalty on all attacks rolls made against creatures other than you and has a 10% spell failure chance on all spells that do not target you or that have you within their area of effect.
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As they began to move down further into the depths in their search for the source of this plague Cassandra kept her glaive ready as usual and was alert for trouble. When they came into caverns and talked of deep caverns she found herself out of her depth . The place was very strange, almost like entering another world entirely, and it was then that she learned just how different the place could be.
Some sixth sense warned her that something was hurtling through the air from above to attack them and she lashed out at it institutionally. If she hadn't been an expert with her glaive, or close to it, she never could have done it.
With the fight now well underway Cass shifted slightly so that only one of the creatures, the one she first swiped at, was in her reach and lashed out with a heavy blow.
Cassandra lashes out with her glaive taking the creature squarely in the leg as it flies over her head to attack Merelda. Cassandra stares with bewilderment as she sees no mark left from her previous attack.
Setting her feet she turns and slashes with the glaive catching the second creature in the shoulder. A bestial grunt escapes the creature's mouth this time as it turns to face Cassandra the glare is short lived as Amigail sprints by her and opens a deep gash across the creature's forearm with her heavy blade.
Kirzon sends Boros to attack the closest creature and the snake begins to wrap its body around the stony creature. With the creature now held firmly by Boros, Kirzon calls upon The Great Tree Spirit and provides guidance to Cassandra.
Merelda takes a step and screams at the foe blasting it with a concussive force that causes it to slump barely aware of its surrounding. Innis shouts something at the creature causing it to flinch from the gravity of her words.
The creature attempts to lash out at Boros sinking its teeth into the body of the snake.
In the light of her stone, Merelda tries to figure out what the thing is...
“EEK GET AWAY” Lililinda shrieks and slaps at the creature before stumbling back.
Merelda you quickly recognize the creatures as gargoyles. Their magical nature making their skin able to resist any mundane weapon quite effectively. You also understand how they were able to sneak up on you as they have the ability to blend in with the rocky environment of this cavern and to maintain a still position for as long as they like. They have no other weaknesses that you are aware of but are quite hardy creatures with a ferocious tenacity
Innis continues to undermine her enemies combat ability with nothing more than the weight of her personality and carefully timed words.
"Gargoyles! Hit them with Magic!"
Stepping back a bit next to Innis, Merelda whispers again then touches Cassandra's Glaive!
As Merelda steps back to cast a spell Innis commands Kirzon "Step up and keep this one busy!"
Lililinda misses the gargoyle but Boros easily sinks its teeth past the toughened skin puncturing the lung of the creature. The gargoyle coughs up blood as it dies within the coils of Boros.
Kirzon moves and defensively brings up his shield doing his best to keep the creature separated from the ladies of Calistria.
Amigail steps up to the last gargoyle, looking for a flanking buddy, then unleashes another slash of her enchanted falcata.
for
Cassandra watched the fight unfolding, one of the creatures was down, crushed within serpentine coils, within seconds and the other was being warded off by Kirzon. Cass moved quickly bringing her weapon around to menace the last goyle and readying to strike when Amigail, who was already starting to move, lashed out at it.