Pelner runs through the rain to catch up with the group. "What's going on? Are there more of them?"
"Goblins attacked the Desna temple. Looks like we're going there first. I need to check on the wounded. Probably best to stay together and keep a weather eye out for short, green, and ugly types. Follow me."
Emil lowers his shield to protect himself and walks toward the Desna temple, expecting the others to follow. The light from his holy symbol sends a soft circle of light ahead. He grips his morningstar grimly.
Sir Rhaym nods and follows Father Emil into the temple of Desna.
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Emil says, with some urgency, "I am familiar with this temple and Reed. I'll go and see to the wounded. The Calistria temple was also hit by goblins. We defeated them before they did much harm. Are there any other temples near here which may have been attacked?"
Rhaym, Yverstrix and Emil make their way into the darkened front room of the temple. Someone has lit four candles at the corners of the room, but it looks as if the same thing happened here as in the Temple of Callistra--many of the candles around the room are out and there's the faint remnant of the smell of burnt wicks.
Near the center of the room there is the lump of a Goblin body run through with a short sword, the blood spilled on the floor around him glistens in the candle light.
Ahead there's a door with a smeared reddish hand print on it...
"Be careful in there, Father. There could be surviving goblins."
Koayi ducks out from under Emil's raised shield, moving to the rain-soaked woman. She takes her drenched tabard and uses it to wipe the tears from the woman's eyes, then embraces her.
"Reed will be alright. Father Emil's good at fixing people. He fixed Aeofol up when the goblin bit him. It's okay, it's over now. I'm Koayi. What's your name?"
Koayi is still obviously unhappy with the rain, but she's also concerned about this woman's emotions She's trying to be as comforting as possible, given the rain and the situation.
The woman seems to calm some after the others are gone and she slowly manages to bring her crying under control and finally stop. "My name is Marisma," she says. She looks at Sarmonia. "The Goblins we knew of are all dead, but there are other holy places about. Cayden Cailean and Callistra are probably the biggest..." she stops herself to sniffle here. "But there are shrines and smaller temples all over town. Do you think they're just attacking temples?"
Yverstrix shrugs, his deep voice echoing in the "We don't be knowing just yet... but it could be. Whether it's a strategy to weaken and intimidate, or just a hatred of the gods of light is another question."
"One goblin that we captured talked of being sent by someone who used mind control and sent them looking for something. Did the goblins attempt to take anything from the temple?"
Emil touches Marisma on the shoulder and a surge of warmth flows into her.
Then Emil moves into the room with the blood smear on the door.
"They are goblins, its what they do. The one we captured also mentioned looking for something. Perhaps its just an nothing more complicated than a mass robbery."
"Listen, Marisma. You and your friend Reed are going to be safe, I've sworn vengeance in Calistria's name, and my new friends are very skilled fighters. We'll figure out what's going on with the goblins and do our best to solve it."
Koayi's spirits rise as she enters through the door into the temple, a few paces behind the group. She shakes the water from her fur again and shifts back into her human shape. Her speech slides back into the formal pattern she was using before.
"I would certainly not want to give anyone a scare, and it has just occurred to me that people might mistake me for a were-creature, with all the chaos happening. I had best be on the safe side, I think."
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She sighs slightly and glances around at the others in the group. "Come to think of it, they did kind of seem to be searching for something. They were hunting in corners and flipping things over...they tore into a chest of my clothes as if trying to find something."
As other members of the party enter the room behind Emil and his group, there's a slight grunt up ahead beyond the door. It's barely audible, but then you hear a man curse softly.
"Damned Goblins..." there's a pause. "Where the Hell did they come from?"
Emil moves toward the voice. "Reed? Emil here. Are you injured?"
Pelner steps through the doorway and looks down at the goblin body. "I wonder where these creatures came from. They can't have traveled far in this storm."
Sewers, they probably came from there. After all, you saw the condition of their rags."
Koayi looks down at her filth-covered tabard, wrinkles her nose, and nods.
"I suppose it could be the sewers. The goblin we captured certainly left a lot of refuse behind on me. But they are goblins; is refuse and filth their normal state of life?"
Koayi tries to remember what tribes of goblins live around here and where they live, as well as anything of interest about those tribes.
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Reed looks up at Emil with confused recognition, the lines around his mouth deepening with shadows as he grimaces. "It would have to be you that suddenly showed up to save me, wouldn't it," he smiles.
Reed gets into a sitting position, his hands gripping the cloth that Emil has placed around his leg to stop the flow of blood. His eyes are a piercing blue and despite his age (which is easily higher than Emil's) he's got a full dark head of hair. He looks to Koayi and smiles. "If it weren't for Emil over here I would have guessed the gods sent me an angel." He coughs roughly. "Ugh, first these damn allergies and now I'm having surprise surgery from Goblins. Is Marisma okay?"
As Emil is treating the bleeding in Reed's leg, Emil tells Marisma to see if anyone else was wounded and if so to bring them round.
After he is finished, he'll use as many channeled energy bursts as he needs to bring Reed (et. al.) to close to full. He'll also touch him with his Calming Touch. He won't be able to do anything about possible disease or infections, but he hopes that can wait until more experienced clerics can be consulted.
If needed:
Calming Touch on Reed:
plus removes fatigue, sickness, and shaken conditions.
"Not all angels are beautiful, sir. Emil could be one, in fact. I only know that I am not one. Koayi gives Reed a charming smile and kneels down beside Emil. "Marisma seems to be alright now. Emil did something to calm her down, and she's doing much better. My name is Koayi, and I assume by your injuries and the description that Marisma gave you are Reed.
Koayi bends over, gives Reed a quick kiss on the forehead, and then looks up at the group. "It seemed like these goblins might have originated from the nearby plains. I cannot be certain, but their equipment seemed like it was from that region. Perhaps...we should seek out their leaders to see if they know who sent them here."
Koayi walks back to the dead goblin in the main room, inspecting it for anything that might give a hint about its origins, as well as looking for valuables (even though it probably has nothing worth mentioning).
"What about...what we were discussing earlier? Do you think this could be connected?" Pelner peers out the doorway and seems almost surprised to see the storm still raging outside.
"On second thought, ma'am, maybe we should check at the other temples before we talk more. Who knows what the rest of these creatures could be up to?"
Koayi bends over, gives Reed a quick kiss on the forehead, and then looks up at the group. "It seemed like these goblins might have originated from the nearby plains. I cannot be certain, but their equipment seemed like it was from that region. Perhaps...we should seek out their leaders to see if they know who sent them here."
"What about...what we were discussing earlier? Do you think this could be connected?" Pelner peers out the doorway and seems almost surprised to see the storm still raging outside.
"On second thought, ma'am, maybe we should check at the other temples before we talk more. Who knows what the rest of these creatures could be up to?"
Emil pauses as he inspects how much of Reed's wounds were healed by his channeled energy. "I think you are right about the origin of the goblins. As for what they were looking for, if someone were controlling them, he or she might be able to also see what they were seeing. So the goal may not have been something the gobins were intended to carry away but merely something ...," Emil pauses, as if getting an idea, "or someone they might see."
Emil stood suddenly, "Pelner may be right. The disappearances. Perhaps they are snatching particular victims, using goblins as their eyes to locate them. We should check the other temples, as Pelner suggests. Then we should get some rest. We may be tracking goblins come morning. The rain will have washed away their tracks, but goblins are about as subtle as a plague of locusts. Finding signs of their passage or witnesses to it might not be difficult."
Turning back to Reed, he says, "You owe me breakfast. I'll take bacon and eggs, since I saved your bacon tonight. Lock this place up after we leave. We'll check back in when things seem safe to go out."
Then he pauses and addresses the others he had met in the temple to Calistra. "Forgive me. I am not your leader. Does anyone wish to suggest a different course of action?"
"Oh no, good Father, lead on. You seem to be getting us into more fighting so I'm with you all the way!" Sarmonia says with great enthusiasm.
"If they came from the sewers, where is their access point? We need to stop them from coming up again; either pursue them to their nest, or seal it if it's too small for us." Sir Rhaym said, looking to the local people for guidance here.
"I think they did not care about the rain. They may have used the sewers, but they could have simply sneaked through the streets, trusting to the rain, the dark, and their size to go unnoticed. If that is the case, the access points are too numerous to block. We have to follow Emil's plan and hunt whoever is giving them orders down. My brother and father's lives may depend on it, and I swore vengeance on the order-giver in any case."
Koayi yawns, taking no pains to hide it. She's tired from a long day.
"First, though, we need to check on the other temples and then get a good morning's sleep. I fear night will have left us before we finish our tasks here."
Pelner turns to Reed. "Excuse me, sir, but could you please give us directions to other temples in the area?"
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It appears that only Marisma and Reed were there at the time of the attack and that Reed fended them all off single-handedly. Reed waves Emil away after the first round of healing is done. ”Save it, friend. There might be others out there that need your help more.” He braces himself against the floor to get back to his feet, careful not to put too much weight on the leg.
Reed gives a hearty chuckle at the kiss on the forehead. ”I think that breakfast can be arranged for everyone involved.”
Reed yells to Marisma to fetch him a piece of parchment and he draws out the location of the other temples in the area. There aren’t many of them and they aren’t far.
As Father Emil waits for Reed to sketch out the map, he sings a hymn-like song to himself, but anyone who stands close enough can hear the words. If asked, he will explain that it is a traditional hymn sung to rally people in times of strife. The original hymn is attributed to a bard by the name of Jethro Tull, a legendary inspiration to the followers of Erastil.
"I see a dark sail on the horizon
set under a black cloud
that hides the sun.
Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding.
Bring me my bow of gold as a talisman.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding.
Bring me my bow of gold as a talisman.
Bless with a hard heart those who surround me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind. Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on for the motherland."
Emil's voice is clear and resonant, although not polished.
Once the map is ready, Emil renews his light spell, which expired while the group was inside the Desna temple. Then he bundles up and heads out toward the nearest temple without further comment.
Yverstrix follows the priest, a slight scowl on his face, The old man shouldn't just assume that someone will follow to protect him.... And why in the Abyss am I getting messed up in all of this? Just s few hours ago, I was looking for Grakk..
As Emil and Yverstrix step back out into the rain and wind, Koayi looks back to make sure Marisma and Reed will be alright. she jogs a little to catch up, falling in silently next to Yverstrix. Her head is starting to spin at how many coincidences have happened on this night, and she barely notices that her hair and clothing are getting drenched again. Instead, she's beginning to panic about the entire night's events.
First the storm, then the strangers. Then they all seem to have a reason to be there, most of them one that ties TOO closely to mine. And then, the goblins. It's all simply a coincidence. A whole string of them. No! this couldn't be coincidental. Emil said earlier that this must be a conspiracy of the gods. That's the only explanation that makes sense. Very well, if that's true, I suppose that following along is the will of Calistria. Besides, the plan seems like it'll help me find my family again, so there's no reason to get nervous about it.
After working through her near-panic, she moves closer to Father Emil, hoping he'll use his shield against the rain again.
Slipping out of the temple and hunching over against the rain, Pelner walks alongside the others.
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Reed explains to the group before they leave: "Those few temples that are here in the town are hard to really call temples some of the time. Desna and a lot of the less judgmental sort of gods tend not to have the most organized flock," he coughs slightly, shielding his mouth with his sleeve.
The rain and the wind is less pronounced than before, but still going strong. It's only block over and a few up to the next temple and you have no time in the rush to get there. the small ravine-like trenches that run along the cobbled street for drainage rush away from the direction you're headed and back toward the sea.
A flash of lightning reveals the graveyard that stands before the small building, the "temple" of Pharasma. This was the nearest of the buildings that was marked on the map. The building is stone and has the look of a mausoleum. Two huge covered torches mark the front steps and shed light on a figure slumped over in such a way that the door is held open.
The figure is much larger than any Goblin.
Pelner scrambles between the gravestones and calls out, "Hello? Are you okay?"
To Reed, Emil says before leaving, No need to explain that to me. Erastil's 'temple' in Lake Trinity is used as a community barn and shed most of the time.
When the group reaches the 'temple' of Pharasma, Emil, morningstar in hand, defers to Yvertrix, Rhaym, and Sarmonia, as a look of concern creases his brow. Damn Pharasmites. They give me the heebie jeebies.
Rhaym paused before continuing. He used his paladins ability Detect Evil at-a-glance on the large figure.
Koayi decides she has to see more before rushing into the dark graveyard. She whistles the same tune as before, snaps her fingers, and directs three orbs of light to fly over Pelner's head.
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Pelner weaves his way between the headstones to where the body is slumped over. There's a large red puddle running toward the edge of the steps when he arrives and without any kind of close observation the body can be seen to be that of a dead human woman.
Koayi's light casts shadows over the lower half of the corpses face as Pelner passes.
If Pelner peers into the door there's another figure laying face down in a pool of blood with a jagged makeshift dagger sticking in her back.
Emil says, "It looks as if we're too late. I'll check on the body. Someone should get inside and make sure there aren't any more goblins inside. Give a call if you find anyone alive who needs healing."
With that, he follows after the others to the front of the temple, looking this way and that among the tombstones to see if there are any bodies or enemies among the stones.
Once others have entered, Emil will examine the body to determine cause of death and how long ago she died, if that is possible.
Yverstrix rushes for the door, as requested, saying, "Try to be careful where you walk.. The wet ground might let us track the murderous beasts.. "
Seeing that only the dead occupy this "temple" now, Koayi takes a second to shift back into her fox-form and struggles not to be sick. "Horrible. I guess that the Pharasmics would say 'it's their time', but it still seems unnecessary. The goblins couldn't have known this was a temple, could they? I mean, I've been here a while, and I didn't even know it existed. Someone must've told them exactly where to go."
Koayi busily starts looking around the graveyard, searching for any clues about the goblin's origin point and for any others who may have survived. When she's done, she'll join Yverstrix inside the "temple."
Pelner continues into the temple and looks around. If nothing dangerous is visible, he walks over to the second figure on the ground.
"Perhaps we should check this area thoroughly, there might be something still lurking around."
Sarmonia begins looking around the temple area.
Sir Rhaym stalks the area, keeping his senses, and his Detect Evil, alert for enemies.
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Inside of the “temple” the only sources of light left are the magical ones that you’ve brought with you and the two large torches on the outside of the building shining faintly inside. As Pelner goes further in and the dancing lights follow two benches can be seen off to either side of the body. They’re stone and sit directly in front of huge plaques. The engraving on the plaques can’t be made out at this distance, though the one on the left is completely filled while the one on the right only goes half way down.
Between the two plaques is a closed door.
If any of the group is still looking around the cemetery, Emil calls out, "We should search the temple. Might be good to stick together, although if any goblins remain, they are keeping pretty quiet."
Inside, Emil does check of the 2nd body to see if it still has life. The knife sticking out of the body does not bode well.
If the body is dead, Emil whispers, "May your goddess conduct your soul to peace." After standing, he mumbles, "Not sure Pharasma is much of a supporter of peace, but whatever...."
If the body is alive, he'll remain by it and administer healing magic.
Looking around inside, he examines the plaques to see if he can read them. His light spell still glows from his holy symbol on his chest.
"It looks like we were too late."
Pelner walks to the door at the end of the room and tries the handle, but doesn't open it.
Sir Rhaym comes stalking back.
"Nothing! No survivors, no goblins, nothing!" He said, upset at not being able to come to blows with the enemy.
Koayi walks to the door and presses her ear against it, hoping to hear sounds of life behind it.