"Huh...that explains some details alright. Well, if you're on with the protection i'll have to keep pointing at Wendaug. Trying to pair up with a halfling looking like me would probably have you persecuted. ;)
A clear vibe of "witty" comes from the small figure.
"But...Mia is quite different from Lucia, unless Lucia was her maiden name."
"Aside from my situation, i haven't got anything left to barter with."
The evening passes uneventfully, with Wendaug sitting silently across from Verim most of the evening nursing an ale. Morning arrives all too soon with a dull gray rain, the sky streaked with sickly yellow slashes and occasional jagged bands of red lightning.
Rousing everyone at first light Irabeth ensures everyone is well fed and fully healed before ushering the party towards the door. Once we hit those positions we won't be able to give the Gray Garrison time to reinforce. Try to move quickly and return as soon as possible.
Verim almost bites his tongue from Mia's accusation, giving a knowing face. " Heh, you knew what I meant! His conviction, I don't plan on messing with my little sister! Sounds much better than Child I say. And when I mean the same, I mean what you both are.. " Verim finally getting the last piece of armor off revealing a horrendous sight.
Verim's body, while built clearly from intense training or battle was scarred and cut far past aesthetically pleasing. The most recent wounds from The crusaders' longswords during the rescue of the girl showed prominently upon his abdomen. The central body was mostly scar tissue. However the most distinguishing wound was where the heart would be. It seemed to be a massive stab wound circular in shape the size of a small disk. He turned to show similar mutilation upon his back and that the circular wound came out the back. Showing his chest again, A seal with jagged pattern resembling hexagon with 3 colliding diamonds in the middle. It pulsated and from the seal the skin was.. much darker, compared to his arms and head.. the darkness seemed to have spread to most of his upper body at this point.
" This is what I wanted to show you. While I knew, the whole time you were hiding the fact you were.. older, your still not quite.. an adult. I tell you this because these wounds.. and especially this one, came from a Demon. I was young much like you and thought myself a man, ready to help my friends and family. I charged a horned Beast with the Shield you first saw me use.. And then my world was sundered, I was pierced through, tossed around and paraded like a ragdoll.. and then everything went dark. I could do nothing.. I was weak.. I was overconfident. I barely lived.. thanks to My Mom.. they.. they said they had to do something to keep me going. When I awoke.. Alot of My friends..were gone. Many brave warriors died to stop those demons. THESE.. are the type of dangers we face Mia. This is what could happen to you. I want you to see the results, so when you make this decision to accompany us there is no illusion of safety. I don't want to see this happen to you.. okay? And To Wendaug, this is why I can't possibly see you or your kind.. as terrible. " A deathly serious face contrasting Verim's normal features.
" Sure, I got stronger, faster tougher. But There might come a time where you might see me go down Mia.. and not get up. If such a thing happens, you have to promise to keep moving on, Alright? Because Unlike the little things we've handled before.. These Demons will be fierce and their cultists fanatical. Can you promise me that? If you can.. I will promise to have no issue with your staying. The whole city might be dependent on even your actions. When we finally strike their main base. I plan on getting us as far as we can to save what we can. " Verim flexes his left hand the tension still evident.
>Verim almost bites his tongue from Mia's accusation, giving a knowing face.
"Neh, so maybe that joke was a bit too serious, sorry."
After seeing the scars she frowns, yet continues to hear him out.
"...sorry to hear that. Though i'm quite aware what could be, someone's got to try and keep all of you in shape, wouldn't you say?
There's less defending and demon-killing to do when you're heavily injured. But if need be, i won't be playing 'nice', if it saves you guys. Know that i won't take needless risks..."big bro".
;)
She pats Verim's shaking hand assuringly.
"Let's get back to the others."
Verim stops shaking and grips Mia's hand in response... his smile arising once again " I'll be looking forward to it.. 'Little' Sis. NOW, let's go eat.. I'm dying..! " As he goes outside the room without placing his armor back on.. it was too much trouble.
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Verim awakes the next day completely relaxed and more-so Normal once again, save for the skin pigmentation. He had visited the shops he had planned not having too much time to complain, but getting a special item commissioned. He was ready to bust some heads!
" Alright! You all ready to wrangle some cultists!? Let's see, Why dont we try that tower first.. its seems the closest. " Verim looking back for a second... before stepping towards the area, with a pep in his step but clearly, battle-ready.
Looking at Maxwell the half-elf laughs a bit.
"Hardly anything worth calling a secret Maxwell. I've traveled most of my life with Tobongo and you heard my little rant in the caves about food. The most shattering thing I can think of is that I am positive that I've been chosen by the gods to heal the land. Why else would my dreams have changed when I got within a days walk of Kenabres."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Coming down the stairs the following morning made it clear where Luci had disappeared to. More specifically; it was the tall Ulfen woman who preceded her that made it clear - six feet of pure Ulfen beauty and strength who's every gesture and look seemed to draw eyes. She gave Luci a wave as the tiefling came down the stairs. The slight stumble she gave near the bottom hinted at how good a night they'd had.
Luci sat with the others after grabbing some coffee with a smile. "Always wanted to visit the Land of the Linnorm Kings."
Laris has spent much of the evening in quiet reflection, she has no real secrets to share, she bears her heart for most to see.
The following morning she arrives downstairs early and waits for the others, greeting them as they descend. Her eyes darken a little as Luci and the Ulfen appear on the stairs, but just for a moment.
Verim grins wolfishly, as he turned around for a second, still quite energetic. " Great place, pretty cold though.. I guess you didnt have too much fun.. She can still walk! Maybe I can teach yah some techniques Luci, I'll need a volunteer though, HarHAR! " giving a warm smile as his eyes wander, tapping his cheek almost as if in recollection. " Hrmm, then again I tend to go in 'spurts', I think I'm rather 'explosive' when its all said and done. Oh, before I forget, which way do you all want to go? And should we be all.. 'Sneaky' .. " Clanks armor a bit, " ..act like we are part of them, siege the place? "
Rolling her eyes at Verim's outburst.
"I'd prefer to try an alternative approach to head on, but since our objective is to knock them down, maybe just kicking in the door would be more appropriate this time?"
Verim snaps his fingers.. " The passphrase, the one Mia-Sis had reminded me of during the meeting. We could use that, get in before they alert themselves. Then find the head cheese.. or break them down from the inside out. Also stops their whole.. 'get rid of the evidence' thing they were tryin' to do. Nuthin' quite like an internal rout! " he confidently winks at Laris.
"Don't think you could teach me anything she didn't, Verim," Luci said with a sly smile, "and if those puns were your attempt at comedy; don't quit your day job."
Luci shifted a bit in her seat as they got down to business. "Anything involving subterfuge is going to be tricky with me. Even for something as clear-cut as this; paladins can't lie if we want to keep our powers. I mean; I could put my hood up, keep my mouth shut and let you guys do the talking, that might be a way around it, but I'm not comfortable pushing the limits of my vows too far."
" Oh hoo~ I'm full of surprises I'm told. Hrmm but it seems everyone's a critic. " Verim raises his arms in faux-defeat. " That's exactly why I couldn't be one..a paladin that is.. well, that and I'm rarely that strict. Then again it seems you can have certain liberties regardless. Worse comes to worse, we use the pass-phrase and if they give us more trouble than its worth, storm the place. A bit of subterfuge will lessen the effort and probably causalities on our side at least. "
Mia had been down a bit earlier than the others, as such watching everything unfold. Looking faintly at the bird on her shoulder she whispers,
"They really are a special bunch aren't they, Verim might want to watch those lines when Wendaug's around.", she jokes.
The bird makes a few sounds, as if to confirm, before it takes back underneath her hair.
"So long as they don't ask me who I am unless it's an appropriate time to start kicking ass - not sure how well lies of omission go down for paladinhood." Luci gave a small smile as she considered Verim's comments about not being able to be a paladin himself.
"Well... it helps that most paladin orders don't require a vow of celibacy or any sort of actual denial of earthly pleasures - just so long as they don't get in the way of your duty; just doesn't do to show up to a demonic invasion blind-drunk, after all. That's just rude. And who ever said seduction had to be deceptive or misleading? As long as I make it clear that it's just a one-night thing and don't lie; I'm fine. Although worshipping Lymnieris probably doesn't hurt on that front."
"Sooooo....who is Lymnieris?"
"Empyreal Lord of Virginity, Willing Prostitution and Rites of Passage. You'd be amazed how often people forget about that last one. And the 'willing' part of the second. First one seems to fall by the wayside now and then, too. You end up with people only remembering the 'prostitution' bit and getting the complete wrong image. If someone's forced into that work due to circumstances or otherwise against their will; Lymnieris is the one who'll want to get them out of that life."
"...okay....well that's a good goal, getting people out of forced prostitution."
>.> And such topics are a reminder of the drawback being born the way i am. I'd have to live alot longer before i'd look a bit older.
With the new morning, Maxwell was actually still completely asleep and sequestered away in some corner, unconscious with his flail across his knees. The prior night he'd gotten almost no rest and the struggle to get to the present area had been hard on him.
Once the situation becomes raucous, however, he awakes and grabs his things, walking toward the sound.
He walks in just after Luciana points out the details on Lymnieris, but heard everything up past Mia mentioning Wendaug.
"If we've all finished swinging about our collective libidos, I'd prefer it if we could actually talk about the plan for today as Irabeth has tried so dearly for us to pay attention to." he says as he enters the room. "We've got serious business to attend today." he explains. "We should purchase healing salves before we leave, and we need someone to determine what the ranseur we had yesterday is capable of, as I'd like to finally upgrade. I can make it my divine focus later..." he mumbles to himself.
"We don't have much time before we leave, so gather back here when you're ready. All I particularly need is that ranseur and I'm set, but the funds for potions is something we definitely have, right?" he asks.
"As for any cultists we find today, speed is probably our best bet. Then again, we can determine what's best as we go. Kick the door in, make assumptions, and after that kill as necessary. We're starting to work our way up the line, and demons are pretty keen on making their servants destructive. Expect almost everyone to hit like the bastard back at the manor." he says.
Verim smirks at the description of Lymnieris, " Ahh that god sounds like a good time. But that wasn't what I meant about being a paladin. I'm saying Im more used to Mercenary work. Its in my blood more or less, and I dont have the same values as one would as a paladin. I'm too wild at times and even worse can get fairly brutal it seems. " A toothy smile accompanied that last part.
Once Maxwell made himself known he simply chuckled, " Yeah, yeah, business as usual. I got an order going through now but a little for potions if need be.. we got a few from those cultists. I'm sorely hopin' your right about that Polearm, I'd like to see you connect against something sooner or later. Maybe its because your too stiff, maybe you should as Luci if she knows someone who can loosen you up? A good massage is great for accuracy! " Verim laughs heartily, wiping a tear from his eye. " Point is, we arent stupid. We prepare as per usual and get in and get out, go to the next spot as we've got a little under a day to complete this. The enemies? Well I'm not sure how hard they can hit on me, but they aint gettin' anything with a least Dinner and a drink! "
Wendaug glares at Verim, So, that is how you pick up all your women? Perhaps Maxwell would make a more loyal dancing partner.
Verim becomes completely still as if he was caught with something illegal and wrong, a hint of fear. " Wh-What? No its not like- Well I, y-you are... " visibly shaken and trying not to dig his own grave. " You're special and I'm C-COMPLETELY loyal! I'm not some playboy. Dont throw me under the wagon now... I'm just happy you.. are helping but.. Argh words are hard! And Maxwell of all people? "
A small bird's cheerful singing comes from Mia's direction, who pinches between her hair and it is silent again.
Haha..poor Verim.
Verim's knowing eye focus on the bird, one of frustration
You arent helping. Agghh sometimes I forget rule#1 Dad
The druid had slept outside during the night. The guards were here, and Tobongo would watch over her. She had faith in her friend. Waking up she looks for her shield to use as a bowl before remembering she had given it to Luci. She finds the bowl she used for Tobongo's water the day before and used that instead.
"You stay out here and when we are ready we'll come and get you okay Tobongo? Don't give me that look mister I just grew five more feet tall. Now how are we ever going to get you indoors again?"
Walking inside she stretched herself. She hadn't quite caught Luci's entrance as she had been late to the party. Yawning she greets everybody.
"Good morning all. What's for breakfast?"
Laris rolls her eyes at the interchange between Verim and Mia,
"If we all ready, perhaps we should get moving?"
"Okay, on to kick some cultist ass."
Verim seem quite ready to change the topic COMPLETELY. " Righto! Well Talli we arent going to have much more than the tears of our enemies for breakfast! So I hope you nice and hungry because the cultists should make for a fine feast. Oh and don't forget to bring Tobongo.. I bet he's kinda fine with stretch his branches. Anyway To the tower then? "
She rolls her eyes at Verim.
"I'd rather not have a salty breakfast and I'm not on a liquid diet. I gave all my rations to Gwerm in the tunnels."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Departing the Defender's Heart with daybreak, the group carefully makes its way to the nearest location mentioned in the captured letter, the Tower of Estrod.
This 60' diameter tower of dull-gray stone has had its upper levels sheared off by some tremendous force, leaving only the lower floors as a broken stump. To the north lies a mound of rubble, the remains of the towers upper floors.
A look of "ow" shows slightly as Mia looks at the condition of the tower.
"Do you suppose the demon from earlier did a job on this one? Certainly seems possible."
Verim gives a whistle to the devastation looking to Mia, " Whoa does that seem like the case. Ah well, either way let's see if anyone's alive so we can complete the job and go on to the next. " Verim gave the rest of the group a wink before knocking on the door.
He waits for a moment to remember the phrase and says it somewhat calmly, " I've new material for the archives "
Verim approaches the locked door and shouts the pass phrase. For a few seconds nothing happens, then a wrenching sounds as a bolt is thrown back and the door is opened by a young man in chain armor. He quickly ushers everyone inside.
Bedrolls are in the corner, you can find someplace to sleep after you report in to Faxon. the man says, gesturing past his companion towards a staircase along the back wall.
The ground floor of the tower is open to the air - a tangle of wooden supports above being all that remains of the buildings upper stories. Two rubble filled pools flank a central walkway that crosses an open area with a few shelves, a desk, a chair, and a flight a stairs heading down.
Verim gives a wink and a nod to the young mn before ushering the rest of the party in. " Oh don't mind us, you'll have to keep the tree company though, he can't fit down here. I'm sure Faxon will have much he'd wanna know. We'll be right back. "
He moved towards and down the stairs to meet this fabled Faxon.
Passing by the guard Tallina leaves a word of advice.
"Scratch my tree and he will hurt you. Give him some water and he'll mostly leave you alone."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Luci kept her mouth shut as she followed the others. Even by keeping silent, she was sure that she was getting dangerously close to violating the 'deception' bits of her oath. She silently prayed that Lymnieris would understand.
One benefit of worshipping a relatively obscure Empyreal Lord was that they weren't likely to recognise her white cloak as a form of devotion to him.
Descending the staircase, you enter a semi-circular room, empty save for a bookcase and a desk and chair sat in one corner. A huge set of wood and metal double doors stands in the south wall.
The tiefling sitting at the desk looks up from his paperwork as you enter, I'll need a full report of your activities over the past week. You can put all valuables acquired over by the bookcase.
Don't stand there with a blank look on your faces. The sooner we get this over with the sooner you get to catch some sleep and the sooner I can finish my reports.
Between the entrance and arrival at the bottom, Mia checks if she can identify the ranseur's magics.
"Aha.. :). Guys, i figured it out. I've read about this sort of enchantment. It's" [follow GM's spoiler]
Verim looks to the man then looks to the party, then back to the man. He shrugged, " Well, I guess the ong and short of it is.. We fell, Climbed our way up from underground, met some mongrelfolk, met Hosilla... annnnnd " Presenting the Scythe and his shield smiling to the group and back to this man simultaneously rushing him with his shield. " Kicked Cultist and Demon ASS! "
Staggering backwards at Verim's sudden declaration and charge, Faxom frowns as he glares at his attacker. By Baphomet, have you gone mad?
Maxwell, Mia, Luciana
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Faxon
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Laris, Verim, Tallina
Mia stays back and with a shade of purple in her eye casts a hex on the tiefling, DC15 will or -2 AC for 6 rounds.
-2 for 1 round if he makes it.
You dare to place a hex on me child?
" Hah, you should know that Baphomet won't be helpin you now. Giving up would be your best option, Faxon was it?. "
"How rude, accusing kids of things, didn't your mother teach you manners?"
She adresses the others in a hushed tone.
"Guys, this is your que, i'm keeping myself at a safe distance."
Verim gives Mia a knowing twinkle in his eye as he waves around the scythe of the Deskari Priest, which is still engraved and holds the symbol of the God, " Well then you know what they say.. gotta start young.. "