I also forgot to mention the bodyguard had:
-a full plate armor
-a masterwork glaive
-a masterowrk dagger
-a potion of cure moderates wounds
-a potion of bears endurance
The northern room is a bedroom made for comfort you can tell this is were the captain resided.
Under the bed is a lockbox that can be opened using the key worn by the captain.
The lockbox holds a small leather pouch containing an assortment of semiprecious gemstones (three chips of lapis lazuli worth 10gp each, two bloodstones worth 50gp, a citrine worth 50gp, and a white pearl worth 100gp) as well as two scrolls each inside a scroll case.
The lockbox also contains a long, thin darkwood sword case worth 200 gp.
As mentioned in the note, the contents of the long darkwood case is by far the greatest treasure present. The case is not locked—inside lies a
breathtaking longsword—a weapon of obviously superior craftsmanship with a razor-sharp blade that appears to be made of solid shining gold and a magnificent bejeweled mithril hilt. This is Radiance, a powerful sword once wielded by Yaniel, one of the Worldwound’s most famous heroines.
Neither of the names sound familiar to Varn. He hands the two wands to Tessai nearby. "You and Selka would make best use of these wands I believe, they are divine in nature. This one can bring about a spiritual weapon and the other is a wand of healing. This potion will shield your with the power of your deity, while this one here will cause the imbiber to become invisible for a time. I do not know much about the glaive... I will have to try another time."
When they enter the captain's room and discover the treasure within the elf's eyes widen at the beautiful sword. "It's beautiful... look at the craftsmanship!" His slender hands reach out to pick up the sword to examine it closer. "Such artistry was wasted upon the likes of that filth..."
Raven is taken aback at the beauty of the weapon. "I never knew weapons could be so lovely. I only had them for function, not for form. How fantastic to find a weapon of legend, here!"
Orlando's eyes pop at beholding the magnificent sword.
"It's true! The sword Radience!" He handles it as if it were made of glass before reluctantly putting it back.
"Ah, it is no doubt a relic of Yaniel's order of paladins. I wish that I could be worthy of it. At the very least we could keep it out of the hands of those vile Baphomet worshipers."
Tessai's eyes grow wide as she stares upon the exquisite, and fabled weapon - she looks for words but finds none, simply standing very still.
As the opportunity presents itself, she picks Radiance up, admiring the craftsmanship, quality of the blade, its weight and swing - "It is an astounding weapon. Heavy with a history of glorious deeds, and feats of valour"
At first the blade seems inert and it doesn't respond to anyone touching it but when Tessai picks it up it begins to glow softly.
Varn watches as the weapon is admired by all; however, he looks at Tessai with wonderment as the blade begins to glow upon the tiefling picking it up. "Look, the blade responds to her touch!" The wizard may not know as much of the minds of the divine; however, he knows enough about magic to know some weapons will choose the wielded most worthy.
Even so... "Let Aeron hold the blade a moment, Tessai. I am curious..." He waits eagerly to view the results.
The blade stops glowing when Tessai lets go and doesn't react to Aeron's touch.
Orlando whistles softly.
"The blade has chosen itself a champion..."
When she grips the weapon, she can immediately feel its perfect balance, the stark metal is cold but not uncomfortable to the touch. As she stares more and more at the blade, it begins to glow with a soft hue.
There is no additional outward effect, but her mind and soul feel as if they have been ripped from her, and thrown somewhere else. Tessai has lived most of her life with nightmares about her early years - flashes of pain and desperation from her early years, running wildly amock in the wastes of the Worldwound, well before her 'father' Darius took her in.
The feeling from holding Radiance in her hand seemed to push back all the darkness that she has always felt lurking just behind her eyes, replacing it with a burning, righteous fervor and hope, as if she could simply rise to the surface and reclaim the Kenabres from whatever disgrace has befallen the city.
The sudden overwhelming burst has her reeling back - almost not able to hold the sword in her hands, she releases the grasp on the sword allowing Aeron to take it. Leaning to the wall for support, her breath is labored, and the strong tiefling seems to not be able to stand on her feet - "By the Goddess..." - she whispers, her expression revealing an unusual and unmistakable proximity to Aroden's Herald, a proximity she had never claimed or felt so keenly before.
"Wield it well, Tessai! Let's go set right what is wrong in Kenebres, and then get home."
Raven looks to the others for sign of what to do next. "We still haven't found a passage to the surface...Any suggestions?"
Aeron tucks his old gear safely away. With the dangers they were facing, the time had passed for sentimentality. Slipping into this new gear with a shudder at the morbidness, he readied himself for the next challenge.
"I think we have just saved a great weapon of good from the clutches of evil. Wield it well Tessai."
"I guess we backtrack our steps and keep looking."
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"Before we go there a few more things I need to mention. Drezen is the name of a fortress crusaders of the first crusade on the edge of the world-wound. It was meant to serve as a staging area to wipe the worldound clean but it fell a century ago as the crusaders were pushed back the demon horde. Also if the note is true and the Tower of Estrod is under cultist control then something must be done. It cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the cultists. It is a library that contains all the knowledge and research on fighting demons the crusaders have accumulated since the first crusade including information on the making and maintenance of the wardstones, the other locations are the home of Kando Nyserian and the other is unknown to me it sounds like a jewelry store but if we have a chance we should investigate these locations once we reach the surface."
"Investigate these locations? Are you insane! We must get this information to captain Irabeth of the Eagle watch! I'm certain they are still up there and fighting for the city and this information could make a huge difference in the battle! They will surely send soldiers to each location if they learn about this."
"What about the other names mentioned, Wise One?" Raven asks the blind mage. "Hosilla must be this dead cultist, but what of Vorlesh or
Lord Dakari, are these names known to you?"
"Were the dead cultist paladins we found dead back not wearing gear of the Eagle Watch but holding symbols of the evil Baphomet, lady? How can we know how high the infiltration goes?" Raven asks Anevia. "It seems we can only trust ourselves to complete this mission."
Varn smiles when the blade responds only the Tessai, slowly nodding his head. "It is as I thought; this blade has chosen you, Tessai." He then turns his attention to the two as of yet unidentified scrolls...
When the discussion turns to the group's next course of action Varn contemplates all the events, circumstances, and comes to the same conclusion as Raven. "Indeed, this is all assuming the city still stands and there are even any defenders left to whom we can show our evidence."
He looks about at the others. "We must not forget... the Worldwound is not simply a problem for the Crusades. If these demons break free from their prison, the northern lands will fall within days..." He looked at the others intently to ensure they full well understand the meaning behind his words.
"Your advice is sound Aravashial, but I don't think there is much point is formulating a plan until we see how bad thinks are above. The library may be a pile of ashes and there may not be any soldiers left to send. If there is any city yet standing when we emerge, it might be best to try to find any remaining crusader elements to link up with. If nothing else. they'll have information of how things stand in the city."
"Were the dead cultist paladins we found dead back not wearing gear of the Eagle Watch but holding symbols of the evil Baphomet, lady? How can we know how high the infiltration goes?" Raven asks Anevia. "It seems we can only trust ourselves to complete this mission."
"Absolutely not! Irabeth would never betray her cause! I know her, she is pure and righteous to the very end and it would take more than a horde of demons to bring her down..."
It's obvious from her body language and the tone of her voice that Anivia cares deeply for this Irabeth person and knows her on a personal level.
"I'm afraid none of those names are familiar to me. However you are right we must get to the surface in order to determine the best course of action" replies Aravashial.
You search the southern room and find it to be a kind of throphy room The worked stone walls of this large room hold a number of shelves, each of which display the preserved bodies of dire rats, bats, rock vipers, cave lizards, and other creatures that pose in eerie stillness. A bedroll has been laid out to the southeast.
You find nothing of worth in this room.
Having explore this entire section you find no way to proceed other than back the way you came.
Tessai nods at her companions, as they encourage her to wield the sword proudly - something she would never have expected just a couple of days ago while receiving sidelong glances in Kenabres due to her fiendish heritage, when even she doubted her own calling.
Removing the magical morningstar, she hands it to Varn, then receives the sword from Aeron again - the feeling is not overwhelming this time, but instead more peaceful, more akin to a calm determination.
With a look to Selka, and still wielding Radiance, she nods - "I will do my best friends, and I have not yet forgotten the contents of that note we have found - we may have stumbled upon more than we have bargained for, but now that we have" - she looks at Aravashial - "If there are safe houses for any of the forces that have assaulted Kenabres, we surely must look into this matter as urgently as possible" - she stares at the swor again - "But Aeron is correct, our first priority is leaving this underground complex - although after what we have witnessed I dread to gaze upon Kenabres, only after we have done so can we decide where to move next"
Raven tries hard to remember the directions Lann had given them before they went over the barricades against the evil mongrelmen.
"See that barricade? Their lair is just beyond that. I cant see anyone from here but there are surely guards on lookout. The lair itself is a network of caverns closely connected by short tunnels. Each cavern is a "room" of sorts and it's like a maze...You can find the way to the surface is you take a left at the first two intersection and a right at the third...Assuming the layout is the same I haven't been up that way in over a year."
Trying to retrace their steps, Raven leads the party back through the one-way secret door, and into that chamber, then proceeds to try to follow these directions.
You get back trough the secret door and in the large room you find a pair of Dretches waiting. They spot you as soon as you enter the room but they hesitate.
knowledge the planes to identify.
Seeing the horrible creature, Aeron moves in to attack one with his fancy new glaive.
"Ahh! What are these things?"
Round 1_____
Standard Action
for a possible piercing damage.
Move action
Drop crossbow, draw sword.
"What? Where did those things come from?"
Varn recoils at the sight of the demons in their path. "These are dretchs! Minor demons, but demons nonetheless! Their bodies are tough, but weak to cold iron and weapons aligned for the power of good!"
Varn pushes his way to the front line, and calls upon the power of his father's ring! He points a finger at the dretchs and a spray washes over the demons in a myriad of colors!
Aeron strikes Dretch 1 for 8 damage.
,
One of the Dretch (#2) is hit dead on and knocked out cold while the other (#1) turns away in time and is unaffected.
Orlando misses.
As soon as she spots the demons, Selka steps up and tries to impale them on her spear. "Foul fiends! Get back to pit that spawned you and leave this world at once!"
Raven and Tessai your up.
Tessai moves forward, Radiance shining in her hand, and swings at the dreadful creature - "What foul monsters are these?" - she questions her companions, her mind fully focused on cutting it down.
Raven fire her bow at the creature landing a decent blow.
Tessai follows up with an attack using Radiance, the blades slices deep into the creature ignoring it's natural resistance to damage like it was non-existent and the demon is destroyed tuning into a foul green smoke and vanishing.
The glow around Radiance seems to intensify and it becomes very bright. Tessai has a hard time seeing all of sudden and wills the light to stop and it does.
Tessai finds that she can now cause Radiance to shine like a torch or stop simply by willing it to do so.
You quickly dispatch the remaining demon and move on.
You find a few more rooms but the remaining guards have fled.
You continue on and finally find the way out it seems to be a passage that goes up and connects into the Kenabres sewers.
Makes reaction posts and I will add more later.
You can also level up to level 3.
You enter the tunnel making you way into the sewers, you start looking for a way out and you suddenly arrive at an exit were you can see open sky.
You find yourselves inside an enormous crevasse in the city that goes down all the way into the sewers. The sides of the crevasse are slopes that you can climb whiteout too much trouble.
You find yourself in a city very different than the one you were in just yesterday. The attack that began yesterday is for the most part over. The tremors and demonic attacks have devastated the city, leaving it a smoking, apocalyptic ruin. Deep chasms riddle the city, while the paths of enormous demons have left ruinous trails of rubble extending out from the city’s heart. Above, the once-familiar skyline of Kenabres and forever
changed—the tower of the Kite and the Cathedral of St. Clydwell having been completely destroyed, while elsewhere plumes of dark smoke still rise from the smoldering remains of burned-down buildings. Fat buzzards wheel above in skies scarred by red smoke and black clouds. The Worldwound has expanded its borders, and now the city of Kenabres is enveloped in it.
Aeron survey's the destruction with horror, "By Torag's beard, what has happened here..."
He takes a deep breath to steady himself, "Alright then... Where do we start."
"They succeeded..." - Tessai whispers - "The city has been taken, or simply razed - there is no way to know for sure. But we are definitely in the heart of it... Can you feel it Aeron? It suffuses the air" - Tessai moves slightly forward, two steps up a boulder - "Kenabres is no longer a bastion against the horrors of the Worldwound - it is now part of it" - she stares grimly at her companion, then again off into the distance.
Again next to the others, she adds - "If it is up to me, there would be no doubt as to where we should go next - to the closest destination between Nyserian Manor, Topaz Solutions, or the Tower of Estrod..." - she lets the thought hang for a moment - "We need to get to the bottom of this. Understand the foul play at work here - we must do it!"
"Were are near the town center...My manor is not far to the north of here. If we go I can give you the gold I promised for my safe return. Two-thousand gold pieces! Get me there and it's yours!...Also Nyserian Manor is not very far from mine I can show you were it is from there."
"Forget gold! We have to go to the Defender’s Heart. If any members if the Eagle watch remain they will be there. Another option would be going to my home to the west of here. The captain of the eagle watch, Irabeth... If she was forced to leave the city she would leave a message for me there so I would know were find her."
"I agree with Tessai that we should investigate the safehouses, The tower of Estrod in particular that isn't very far from here but I also have a personal request. Several high ranking members of my order were having a meeting at a place called The Librarium of the Broken Black Wing. They are all powerful mages who specialize in the slaying of demons. I would like to go there to investigate if any of them survived but it is quite a ways to the south of here."
Here is a map that includes a marker for every location you know about that is of importance.
Raven, so full of hope when she finally saw the blue sky above her, is horrified as the heroes climb out into the destruction of Kenebres. The sweet breeze that used to blow her is stilted and the air is thick with death and evil.
"I almost wish we were back in the ground...almost." she says her voice quavering.
As the paladin calls the group to action, she shakes away the cobwebs and readies herself.
"Either Horgus manor and then Nyserian or the Tower of Estrod. Which will it be. I am ready for either."
"We all have loved ones we want to check on and I want nothing more than to rush to see if my house still stands, or.." Aeron's voice breaks a little, "or whether my mother is alive, but I think we need to stick together and that means we have to take turns. "
Aeron's face scrunches up in concentration,
"I don't think we want to cross the city any more than we have to. Maybe we drop off Horgus and use his manor as a safe house to raid the Nyserian manor. Then maybe swing east towards the defender's heart and stop by my house along the way?"
Orlando looks about at the devastation.
"It's true, it really happened. I thought it was perhaps a play I had remembered vividly."
He rubs his head.
"Yes, yes, by all means let's drop Horgus off first."
"By the gods... I had feared... But this..." - Selka murmurs when her eyes settle upon the devastation.
She remains as if transfixed for a long moment, the sight of the ruined city, once a bastion of light and hope against the demonic hordes of the Worldwound, obviously unsettling her deeply.
Finally pulling herself together, Selka turns toward the others - "We can't let it end like this... We must not let it end like this! T-There has to be others, still fighting, we need to find them and do anything in our power to retake the city!" - she throws a rapid glance at the ruined buildings around, trying to determine their position - "Trying to reach one of the safehouses would probably be for the best... But we need to take care of the wounded first. Anevia can barely walk, and Aravashial needs to regain his sight... We could try to reach your manor, Horgus, and if it's safe have you, Anevia and Aravashial hide there while we proceed to Nyserian Manor, or the Tower of Estrod and assess the situation..."
Horgus is delighted "So it's decided! We shall go to my home first and then you can go investigate the situation at the other locations."
You make your ways north towards the manors.
The area you are in is heavily devastated not a single structures still stands, all have been burned to the ground. Carrion birds in the hundreds feed on corpses scattered around. You don't notice it at first but after a while it's obvious something is a little off with these birds.
A massive flap of wings gets you attention as a massive bird flies your way. A giant vulture goes straight for Anivia and Aravashial, Anivia spots the creature just in time and pushes Aravashial and trows herself to the ground just in time to avoid the snapping beak. The bird continues on it's flight and lands about 20 feet away from the group. Standing 13 feet tall this massive bird is quite intimidating as it watches you carefully with hungry eyes deciding whether or not it should try again.
Larger even than condors, giant vultures dwell only in regions where carrion is both large and plentiful, such as the primeval wildernesses where megafauna roam. They also flock to regions torn by war, feasting on the dead with no concern for allegiance or race. Giant vultures rarely wait for wounded creatures to finish dying before they feed, and are much braver than most wild animals. A giant vulture, for example, wouldn't think twice about swooping down on a heavily armored column of soldiers just to snatch up a few wounded stragglers from the end of the line.
Looking up at the birds, Tessai notices that in fact something is different - straining her eyesight a tad further confirms just that - "These are not mere carrion. They are fiendish in nature, most likely drawn here for the carnage in the city grounds - damn these foul creatures!" - her voice trails off when the huge bird lands in front of them without fear.
"What is this now..?" - she ponders with a frown on her face, immediately drawing radiance and taking a step forward - "You will find no carrion here to feed on! Begone!" - she tries to shoo the creature away, in spit of having no idea how it will react.
Aeron waves his hammer at the bird, "Get ye gone, foul creature. You'll find no easy meat here!"
The bird shows no sign of fear and steps forward and spreads it's wings letting out a threatening caw and snapping it's beak.
It's most likely trying to the you to run so it can pick-off and eat those who cant run.