A half dead creature lies sprawled outside, no wounds are visible on it and its eyes seem opened as if it died in terror, its hands stretching out for something beyond its reach.
The creature's eyes looks mournfully at you....pleading for something.
It's mouth opens but no sound comes out. Half of its body still twiches but it adds no further movement.
The air is heavy with the some form of oppressive magics leaving a depressing miasma all around. It seems that something powerful came this way leaving with it a heavy scent of terror and laughter.
The breeze though is fresh gving all of you fresh hope for it seems the surface world is close..........just beyond this corridor.
"Whatever did this has hopefully moved on. Let's secure what can be secured and press on." Naravash returns to the room they'd dealt with their invisible assailant in and roots around for anything useable - there's no telling what kind of devastation awaits them in Kenabres and they may need every bit of useful scrap they could find.
Perception 15 doesn't find you anything. Try again?
Perception DC 20:
You find a heavy lead box cunningly hidden the south walls, enbossed with the Enblem of Sarenrae. The symbol of the Dawnflower clearly on the top of it although it's being heavily clawed and gourged.
You Find:
Cold Iron Scimitar +1
Mithral Full Plate
2 Potions of Cure Light Wounds
Scroll of Neutralise Poison
Scroll of Remove Disease
Boots of the Cat.
"Stay here and watch the entrance, E-Terah. I am going to search the room." The elf begins to perform a more methodical search.
Melchesiech has a base +10 Perception check with his familiar near him, so taking 10 gets him to a 20.
Melchesiech reaches the south wall and pauses in the search. "Well. Someone was clever--the lead walls of this box serve to block the magical emanations I would otherwise have detected. It has Sarenrae's ankh symbol." With that, the wizard opens the box and raises one eyebrow at the treasure inside. "This will most definitely be useful." He stands aside to reveal the contents of the spoiler above.
"It looks like someone tried pretty hard to get to its contents. Lucky for us it held up so well." He looks over the items briefly, then shakes his head, unable to make much use of any of it personally.
As the others review the contents of the hidden cache, Naravash approaches Anevia, Horgus, and Aravashnial. "Are you all alright? I know we're close, but we're not out of the woods yet. And, when we do make it back to Kenabres, we've no idea what's waiting for us. So while I know we're all eager to get out of here and back home, we still need to be cautious and safe." He looks at Horgus with his last comment, hoping to gently remind the stubborn and proud noble that overextending himself helps no one.
Male Human (Sarkorin Kellid) Summoner 3, AC 14/10/14, Hp 21/21, Init +0, Frt+1,Rfx+0,Wil+4
"If we should reach the surface unmolested, what should be our first destination? I pray all is well above, but we must needs account for the possibility that our foes remain in the city."
"I'd like to get these three to safety quick as we can, but that will depend on where we emerge within the city and what, if anything, remains of Kenabres when we get there."
You also find a note on the creature who finally expires of her horrific wounds.
Note:
Hosilla,
You will remain, for the time being, in Kenabres, but know this: the city’s days are numbered.
Seek a place of safety—the underground den of your mongrel lackeys should suffice to keep you safe from the devastation to come. I shall assume command of Drezen shortly, and once Vorlesh has finished with the wardstone and Kenabres is no longer of interest to us, you are to return to my side.
Excellent news regarding the salvage of Yaniel’s sword from the museum as well—bring it with you, for I believe this weapon could be quite useful once we corrupt it. Before you leave for Drezen, stop by the three safe houses (Nyserian Manor, Topaz Solutions, and the Tower of Estrod—the passphrase remains “I’ve new material for the archives,” for now) to ensure no evidence remains behind.
May Lord Deskari and Lord Baphomet watch over you!
If no one else looks at the note, Melchesiech will pick it up and read it. "This is interesting, if true. The inquisitors may have been correct about the degree to which demon worshipers had infiltrated the city, but on the other hand it does not appear that the city has completely fallen. This sword...is the name Yaniel known to any of you?"
HP 20/20; AC 15, T 11, FF 14; F+4, R+1, W+7; Per +11 low-light
Razul seems suddenly cold. "Demon worshipers infiltrating the city? To what end? Why? And ... Deskari?" He seems to gain a faraway look to his features. "Not here. Not here." He mutters to himself.
"Yaniel? Why Yes. Of course!" Aravashnial responds with some surprise.
"Yaniel, one of the Worldwound’s most famous heroines and a well told tale in Kenabres. It is said she wielded a fine sword devoted to the cause of Righteous but it was lost in the depths and never found."
"Come!" he says.
"The tale itself is splendid but if you have somehow come across reference to it then, it maybe fated to do so..." as he sits down and begins to tell the tale as swiftly as he can, his voice dry.
"This is recorded in the ancient tomes detailing back to the times of the early crusades.
In 4692 ar, soon after the start of the Fourth Crusade, a paladin of Iomedae and renowned demon slayer named Yaniel spoke out against the Mendevian crusaders, accusing them of negligence and sloth, and claiming these faults were what allowed Khorramzadeh to invade Kenabres and damage the wardstone.
Her accusations cut too close to the truth, and in a moment of weakness her superiors threatened to excommunicate her. Instead, she said she would enter the Worldwound and fight the Fourth Crusade on her own, with only her magic sword Radiance for company. The church was happy to see Yaniel go, and in the 2 years that followed, she was thought to have been slain. Yet when she returned to Kenabres in 4694 ar, leading a small army of crusaders she’d rescued, both Yaniel and her superiors had changed.
For her part, Yaniel had shed her pride and insubordination, and had gained a new appreciation for the difficult decisions leaders are forced to make. And the church leaders had learned that sometimes the truth is exactly what you need to hear. Alas, Yaniel was assassinated before the year was out, slain by the lilitu demon Minagho only a week into her second personal crusade. Her followers managed to return to Kenabres with Radiance, but Yaniel’s body had been taken. The sword had gone dark after Yaniel’s death, its magical powers apparently lost, and so the crusaders elected to place it in the Gray Garrison on display. Yet several months ago it was stolen by the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth, who plan to soon send the sword north to Drezen for corruption into a weapon of evil.
Of course the last part being mere folktale and the blade was lost but the recorded as stolen so as to preserve her legacy." Aravashnial mentions the last part as though as an afterthought.
Melchesiech listens intently to his fellow elf's tale. "Yes, most interesting. The sword is mentioned in this note--" In a flat and quiet voice, Melchesiech reads it aloud.
Naravash shakes his head at the tale, unimpressed and slightly aggravated by the blind wizard's play at story-time. "I thought you were eager to rush back to the surface, Aravashnial." He opens his mouth as if to say more, then shakes his head again, thinking better of it.
HP 20/20; AC 15, T 11, FF 14; F+4, R+1, W+7; Per +11 low-light
"Indeed. This storytime of swords and caution will not avail us now. Let us go." Razul seems eager to put the discussion of swords and cultists behind him.
Anevia looks startled.
"Irabeth and the Eagle Watch must know about this and the Sword of Yaniel was thought lost but does it seem that somehow it has being retrieved and kept hidden here? The note does seem to indicate so. Furthermore the sword was retrieved from a museum? How can that be and no one in Kenabreas knows about it." She pauses.
"If the sword is somehow in these caverns but hidden, then it is our duty to retrieve it and take it away from these evil ones. They seek to destroy a priceless artifact! If....If...I could perhaps get it to my wife....perhaps it may be of more use to her!!!"
"Indeed. I for one am particularly intrigued by the mention of the Tower of Estrod being a safe house and would like to either investigate it or learn more about it second hand." Aravashnial comments even as he brushes off Razul's comments.
Melchesiech raises one eyebrow at the merchant's lack of overt response, but says nothing. "Before we search for valuable swords, we must get you three to a safe place--if there are any remaining--and establish what is left of the city after the demons attacked."
Knowledge (Nature) to identify the creature or any other knowledge you think appropriate.
Caelus thinks about the symbol and remembers the bare basics of this particular diety.
Baphomet:
Alignment CE
Pantheon Demon Lords
Areas of Concern Beasts, labyrinths, minotaurs
Domains Animal, Chaos, Evil, Strength
Favored Weapon Glaive
Symbol Brass minotaur head
Sacred Animal(s) Aurochs
Sacred Color(s) Gold, red
"I am not familiar with Kenabres, nor do I know where we are at the moment. If at all possible, I advise that we get Madame Tirabade to a safe place first, since she is the slowest of us; if, however, we are in a position such that we can get Master Gwerm or Master Aravashnial to a safe place of their choice on the way, let us do that. Who can tell where we are?"
"So long as we stay down here in this dank pit, noone!" Naravash's eagerness to put the tunnels and caverns beneath Kenabres behind him gets the better of him as his voice takes a sharp edge with irritation.
"We can't decide anything, where to go first or whom to help when, until we get back to the surface! Do we want to do that now or would we rather stay down here looking for fairytales?"
"That fairytale might amount to something far greater than the sum of its rumoured powers. It is a rallying call. It is something the people might need.......It is Hope in these Dark times." A somber Horgus speaks, his voice suddenly with regrets and tinged with more than a little hope.
"Heroes bearing such a legacy might be what the city need." he finishes.
"For a sum of gold to line your pockets Merchant? To ingratiate yourself to the common men so that you might more willing to spend their gold to fill your coffers?" comes Aravashnial scathing remarks, venom in them scorching in their wake.
"I'll gift you 1000 gold pieces if you were to search this place and retrieve such a thing." Horgus begins.
"Such a representation of hope, maybe what the beleaguered city needs is such an item. A Represenation of Hope. It maybe a rallying cry that the people might need. Also I don't think anything else resides here anymore....."
"There may not be a safe place anyway at all..." He ends off on a somber note.
"I am sorry, Master Gwerm, but were you thinking that we would perform this task now, before anything else? Master Aravashnial and Mistress Tirabade, at least, are not at their best."
Naravash shakes his head,"We don't even know if there are people left to inspire or if any place yet stands where we could spend your coin, Horgus. But if you're somehow so confident that this fairy tale is down here, that there isn't a single cultist or renegade mongrel left, and that finding this icon could spur however many unlikely survivors there are on, then I'll root around for it if it'll mean we can have some semblance of cooperation. We are this close to getting out of this hole and all this dithering back and forth isn't getting us any closer."
"I am confident of this." Horgus stands up straight as he says this with a quaver in his voice.
Anevia however surprisingly speaks up.
"I vote for it as well. My leg endured the journey thus far. I can wait here a while more."
Aravashnial laughs a harsh grating choke.
"You fools, this Horgus is naught but a merchant in league with the cultists! He just wants the blade so that he can sell it to the highest bidder or give it to his Demonic Masters!!! Pay him no heed...."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------
His eyes harden and suddenly it seems that the one speaking is not Horgus but some one else. A flicker of someone who has had to face fear and conquered it.
"There be no danger here and freedom awaits us. If there was we'll be attacked already and not having the time to argue about this. I promised you a bag of gold for bringing me out of this and That Promise I'll keep. I offer an additional 1000 gold pieces for you to find this before we get out of here and it is something I offer not lightly." His gaze seems to see outwards and then.......it passes.
Male Human (Sarkorin Kellid) Summoner 3, AC 14/10/14, Hp 21/21, Init +0, Frt+1,Rfx+0,Wil+4
"If you do not trust Horgus, Aravashnial, can you trust Anevia and her wife? Horgus, would you agree that we will hold and turn over the blade to the Eagle Watch, shoudl we find it? And, friends, should we succeed there, would you join me in giving Aravashnial a pledge to invesitgate the Tower as out first order of business once we handle the matter of Radience?"
Caelus adresses each in turn, earnestly, one hand resting on the bowed head of Oynar.
diplomacy, if needed:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Specifically, GM, Caelus wants to not split the party, but not alienate Aravashnial
Searching the room seems to yield little and it grows tedious as you comb the entire, now empty underground fortress and just when you are all about to give up, you find
An intricate box::
A small leather pouch containing an assortment of semiprecious gemstones (three chips of lapis lazuli worth 10 gp each, two bloodstones worth 50 gp each, a citrine worth 50 gp, and a white pearl worth 100 gp) as well as a scroll of bear’s endurance and a scroll of remove disease.
There is also a long, thin darkwood sword case worth 200 gp. Carved with sigils of Sarenae, the box doesn't seem latched or seems as the the box melds into itself as one unending piece of work.
The rest of the companions from the city above looks fatigued as Anevia hobbles to a sitting position while Horgus moves as far away from the blind elf and takes a seat himself, his chest heaving with the exertions.
Aravashnial though seems fairly excited upon hearing about your discovery.
"Could...it be?"
H 15, if party moves on with no other actions.
This large chamber must have once been a cistern for the sewer system. Walls made of identical stone blocks hold up a lofty ceiling reinforced with elegant stone arches, while the center of the room contains a more recent-looking structure made of brick walls that reach from floor to ceiling.
What's more notable is the rather large burnt hole in the middle leading straight and more blood and identifiable corpses before you find what seems to be some form of fiery explosion that scorched the walls with grime and soot, with the epicentre unmarked and unblemished.
There is nothing else but a long tunnel from which the scent of fresh air unmistakeable.
Naravash's expression softens as the tedious search seems to have been worthwhile after all. He looks over the sword case, "I don't know, Aravashnial. Perhaps? This box is decorated with all manner of iconography associated with Sarenrae - and that seems to fit with what Horgus told us of the sword earlier." He looks back at the case and shrugs, offering it for any of the others to take a look at, "I see no seam though, no hinge by which it might open."
"Nor do I. Perhaps there are others above who will know the secret of its opening." The elf takes a keen interest in the cistern arrangement and the explosion, and will describe the scene in detail to Aravashnial in case he has some idea what happened there. What sorts of bodies are here? Human, mongrelman, others?
Male Human (Sarkorin Kellid) Summoner 3, AC 14/10/14, Hp 21/21, Init +0, Frt+1,Rfx+0,Wil+4
"Perhaps the Dawnflower's temple, an it still stands, has some memory or lore to open it " Caelus says, regarding the case.
The summoner and his eidolon exchange s look as they regard the bodies and damage, then both look, a little longingly, in the direction of the fresh breeze.
"Are we ready to see what has been wrought in the city since we dropped into the earth?" he asks quietly.
Naravash nods at Caelus' suggestion of bringing the box to Sarenrae's followers, provided any yet remain in what's left of Kenabres. With a nod, he takes point once more and begins to lead the others and their charges out of the tunnels and out to the open air. He offers Horgus and Anevia each respectful nods and gives Aravashnial an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder. "Let's see what remains of Kenabres and get you three to where you've asked."
Melchesiech finds that the iconlogy on the box seems to relate to something Sarenae had had done in ages long past but he can't seem to recall its exact significance.
Moving onto the outside world
Emerging what seems to be from the sewers, you step forth into a city vastly different from the one you left since the fall.
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.
The place feels deserted, yet it’s never long before the scream of a fresh victim peals through the soot encrusted streets
Evidence of violence lie everywhere, whether burned buildings, splashes of blood, or dead bodies waiting to be claimed by vultures.
"By the gods above, what or who is that?" a throughly shaken Anevia asks, her trembling legs support her no longer as they quaver and then collaspes fully under her weight, snding her crashing down to the ground.
"It is worse than I've thought..." a pale faced Horgus mutters.
"I...I....didin't think it would have being........so bad." saying the last in a barely heard whisper.
"What has befell us? Someone speak up!" an increasingly irritated Aravashnial demands. His agitation growing as he grabs onto the nearest of you to provide answers.
"I do not know the city well enough to tell all that has changed, but much has. The Kite and Saint Clydwell's are completely gone. The demon that opened the chasms we fell into from the square was, I fear, not alone. The city has been taken by the Worldwound."
The flatness of Melchesiech's voice makes them, if anything, even more terrifying.
Another Skirmish and this one fared badly for you and your patrol. The events of Terendelev's Fall is widely known to most warriors be it for hire or not. You have had found yourself nursed to health after a significant chunk of roof had fallen on you.
Only the sturdy make of your helm saved you though it is now dented beyond repair. You have of course found yourself drafted into the defense force and due to your own skills, soon found yourself 'promoted' as captain of your rather meagre patrol consisting of yourself and 7 others.
At first, the job seemed easy as you found the tiny demons more irritating than dangerous but as time rapidly goes by, the demons have gotten bolder, stronger and more dangerous as it becomes a race to find more survivors, supplies and possible allies before becoming a possible meal for the next fiend to come across you.
It had only being 4 days since Kenabres fell but already, morale is low. The people are frightened and you have to admit, right now with your patrol slain after an unfortunate meeting with this huge Red Horned demon with a flaming whip. You're in bad shape.
You have no allies, no supplies beyond what you already have and you know that night is coming soon in an hours time and that's the time when the more numerous and deadly creatures that makes this city their home comes out to play.
You know with the map in your hand that there is a sewer nearby......maybe it might be a good idea to rest there.
