"Another figure with him!?!?" Gamin calls out in concern. "The get him out, surely! Whatever it is it could tear the man limb from limb in that state!"
As Baphos carefully activates the wand, a pulse of positive energy spreads across the crumpled figure. Some of her wounds close, but most remain and though her body twitches at the energy for just a moment, she still is unconscious.
At this second infusion of healing, the collapsed figure stirs. Her eyes flicker open, dazed at first then recoiling from Baphos with her eyes wide in concern.
"You, you are the demon's lackeys, come to finish me? So be it!" she cries out grabbing at the sword at her feet. Then, almost mid-lunge, she stops. Her expression shifts, and slowly her hand retracts from the weapon. "No, no I was beaten, retreating. If you were with him, I would be slain already...." Wincing at her injuries, she straightens and tries to stand. "You, you are not agents of Koth'Vaul, are you? The Glabrezu monster? I am...the best translation in your Taldane is 'Sulianna'."
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I am not an agent of a Glabrezu, whatever that might be. My name is Lukaas, Lukaas Penn. I am a Pathfinder, a lover of arts, women and wine, not necessarily in that order, and a servant of Caiden Caillean. Do you need my help, gentle lady? PLease do tell us what's going on here, as my friend here requested.The truth would be most welcome, as I suspected the "gnome" was lying. I detected some piscine odor when he talked to us-in other words, I smelled a fish.
”He is no gnome.” Sulianna says with a steely gaze towards Lukaas and Baphos. ”That thing is Koth’Vaul of the 32nd layer, a glabrezu, a treachery demon, tempter of the vilest sort and an Abyssal abomination.”
”It was bound, thankfully, by a cabal millennia ago. But mortal work fades, and I sensed the creature Koth’Vaul would soon break free. So I came to destroy him before he could escape upon the countryside.”
She grimaces. ”I underestimated how much the bindings had already degraded, and how strong he was, to my own shame. That pet of his,” she nods towards the pile of flesh that was once a dragon zombie, ”knocked me within his reach. Our fight was extended, and I was barely able to retreat into here. This circle warded me from his minions assaults but in exchange I was as trapped as Koth’Vaul.”
The being’s eyes alight on Kalkamedes standing before her. ”But Lukaas and Baphos I and you others, it appears my missive worked. Kalkamedes: you heard my mental plea for aid while wandering near! Thank you! I cannot…is he asleep?”
From around the corner a cackling sound comes from the ‘gnome’ as he calls back. ”Oh, did your little message get a bit muddled in transit Azata? Why whover could have dampened that?”. In the blink of an eye the gnome disappears and in its place stands an enormous demonic figure, fnags glistening as they spread in a wide grin while horrid pincers click agitatedly.
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Watching the entrapped gnome intently as the others communicate with the Celestial being stood above Kalkemedes, Killia's eyes widen as Koth'Vaul reveals their true form and only with a great force of will, do they keep their gun steady and not firenin blind panic.
"So, Angel-kin, what exactly can we do against that?"
”Koth’Vaul is bound for now, but only for now.” Sulianna says, her voice rising with urgency. ”I am unsure how long I have been indisposed. His wards were weakening even before our battle. I came to slay him, but I…expended too much of myself. Still…”
The figure looks at the Pathfinders crowding her by the circle. ”I retain enough power to send him back to the Abyss, banish him for centuries from this plane. But between my own circle and my wounds I am not capable of doing so myself. Still, I can bestow it on one of you. Fuse the dismissal energy to an unvarnished spirit so that you can use it to send him back to the depths he came. Please, can one of you aid me in this?”
At another burst of healing from the wand some more of the celestial's injuries fade. She still seems extensively hurt, but is in no immediate danger.
Sulianna nods deeply in return and beckons the bard to approach. Once he does and enters the circle she rests a hand on his forehead. A rush of visible enrgy flow down her appendage and into Lukaas, who feels flush with power as Sulianna slumps backwards.
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Idril holds his ornate blade with two hands and stands next to Lukaas. "I do not know if you are very foolish, or very brave, but I will see this path through. I stand by you Lukaas Penn. Let us send this demon back to the twisted depths it came from." Idril's face flashes into a twisted snarl before he again gains focus and stares in the demon's direction.
Sukune smiles as he listens and nods as others are stepping up completely.
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The limit between bravery and utter foolisnesh is very thin, Idril. I'm usually very foolish, especially with beautiful young women.
The bard smiles under his beard, and acts with full confidence and bravado.
As Lukaas and the rest of the group approach, Koth'Vaul lets out a deep snarl. The hulking glabrezu locks his gaze on you.
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Lukaas drinks a little from a worn out flask before answering
And you, Koth Vaul, remember that with a simple bottle of potent alcohol-well, make this two bottles, just to be sure-I will wash away the memories of your existence. So go back to Hell, or the Abyss, or even to the High Heavens, just to have fun. Swim into a sea of holy water and see if you enjoy it.
By the Lucky Drunk will, Sulianna's power and all the authority I gave to myself in this peculiar situation, begone, ugly thing, now and forever and ever and ever, until the last drop of the last alcoholic beverage is drunk, until the last mornin" after splitting headache has faded away, until the last pub has closed in the wee hours of the days. That's my curse, and it's not an half-hearted one.
And if you ain't down with that, I got two words for you...
Lukaas eyes glitter with amusement
At Lukaas' last words the glabrezu's howl is cut off abruptly and the runes etched in the floor flare visibly to life. The beast's form shimmers, twitching and convulsing for a few seconds. Then all at once there is a mighty bellow echoes throughout the chamber and a foul stench whips by carried by an unseen wind. Koth'Vaul's body seems instantly to dissolve, ripped into a million individual motes which fade away just as they appear.
The runes dim slowly back to their original state. The circle still stands. Koth'Vaul however, has 'buggered off'.
"So, it's done then." Sulianna's voice calls out from her own circle. "Less a victory than hoped, but a victory nonetheless." There is a note of satisfaction in her voice.
"Your guide, the sleeping man who heeded my call? Is he still safe? Bring him here: I think now I should be able to heal the twisted side-effect of my missive."
Sukune gently lifts the sleeping Pathfinder and brings him over to Sulianna. "Here you are, ma'am."
Sukune brings Kalkamedes over to the female figure and presents the sleeper to him. Sulianna lays her hands upon the ex-paladin and closes her eyes. you catch several phrases muttered under her breath in celestial as she focuses. Her eyes leap open, as at the same time Kalkamedes begins to blink and utter a tremendous yawn.
"Aaaaaaaah, what, what time is it?" the man mutters as he raises lidded eyes. Looking around, a concerned expression jumps to his face and he reaches down at his side for a non-existent weapon. "And where am I? Who are you?"
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Are you looking for this blade, Kalkamedes? as Therin holds up Gamil.
We were tasked to discover the reason for your sleepwalking. It seems as though we have....and found a little bit more than we anticipated we would. indicating the female holy being in front of them and pointing to the circle that held Koth'Vaul.
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Killia's eyes widen momentarily as the the fiend is torn from the material plane and banished to whichever pit it came from. With the threat vanished, the scavenger slings his rifle back over his shoulder and nods to Lukaas. Joining Idril with a quirked brow as Kalkamedes is brought towards the celestial being, he nonetheless doesn't taise his rifle.
When Kalkemedes' stands and begins to question everything, Killia smirks.
"These questions, and more, are best answered in somewhere warm and comforting, preferably with breakfast. Heidmarch was at your cabin so may explain more."
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"These questions, and more, are best answered in somewhere warm and comforting, preferably with breakfast.
Lukaas adds to Killia sentence
And with something strong to drink. I don't won a duel against a beast from the Abyss everyday.
He bows once again to Sulliana, kissing her hand gently
Would you grace us with your presence while we rejoice, Mylady?
"Ah, Lady Heidmarch sent you then?" Kalkamedes replies to Therin. "Then you have my thanks, my eternal thanks." Accepting Gamin, he looks the broken sword over. "Gamin! I see you've taken good care of him - existing conditions excepted of course. I do hope it wasn't too much trouble."
Sulianna gives a strained smile to Lukaas at his recommendation. "That would be a bit problematic at the moment. This circle is sealing me inside as well at Koth'Vaul was. Please, I would be much indebted if you could break it before you leave. Simply interrupting the runes should be enough."
”My health is fine for now. Just break a gap in the circle and that should be enough – even a crack.”
At this, Kalkamedes motions to Therin to retrieve Gamin and strides forwards to begin chipping away at the weathered stone. After a few minutes of work, the concentric circles surrounding the azata are cut through with an indented line. As the last blow is struck, Sulianna’s eyes glow with a divine light and she stands. In a blink she teleports out of the circle to reappear behind you in the greater cavern.
”My eternal thanks to each of you. I apologize for any trouble I accidently caused you, but know that you have helped strike a blow against the corruption of this land. I will go now, to report and recover the full force of my facilities. But I am indebted to you, each and every one, and if you should call upon me again I will do my best to repay the favor.”
She gives a deep nod, and then with another flash she disappears.
After a moment, Kalkamedes slumps to lean along one of the chamber’s walls.
”So...you said something about going back. A drink might be nice, hour be damned.” he says with a smile.
Kalkamedes shrugs with a frown at Idril's words. Gamin however speaks once again from his hands. "If she was in fact as noble as she claimed, then her spirit could have been able to reach a noble soul, touching it beyond the normal means of magic. There are stories of such events, though before I would have thought them myth. Of course such a thing could only work if the recipient truly bore a worthy mantle."
Kalkamedes' face grows slightly flush as he quickly continues. "Or we just wandered a bit to close and unknowingly got hit by some outsider voodoo. Does the reason matter? Let's just go home, as soon as you guys are finished searching."
Looking around the rest of the basement chambers, Therin Baphos and the rest find that the lower level is mostly bare. While the size of the circles and the countless claw marks hint that this facility once operated on a massive scale, the Thrallkeepers or whoever came after them left little behind.
Scattered about the shallow pool however, are a strange assortment of odds and ends, a makeshift hoard for the now at-rest undead dragon. Hundreds of loose coins dot the basin floor, along with two black stone pots sealed with wax. Inside the pots sit a scabbard of vigor, a vial of refreshing red liquid (potion of cure serious wounds), a phylactery of faithfulness and five polished pieces of amber.
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I'm interested by the magic circles. I'm not a specialist in extraplanar creatures, I'm afraid, but maybe the Pathfinders would be glad to know the kind of magic used here. Could we copy the runes on a parchment, or something like that, before we go? And of course, I'll pay the first round of drinks when we are back.
”Kalkemedes, will you be able to show us a less swamp filled route back?”
The Pathfinder smiles. Wouldn’t be much of a mapper if I couldn’t.”
The journey back to Kalkamedes’ cabin is, true to the man’s word, a much simpler affair. Fully awake and aware of his surroundings, Kalkamedes manages to guide you through a series of shortcuts and well-cleared trails.
It is close to mid-morning by the time you finally arrive back at Kalkamedes’ cabin. Seeing you approach, Sheila Heidmarch exits to greet you from the door, her clothes and hair a bit ruffled as if from a lack of restful sleep. ”Ah you’re back. Praises all around then. And Kalkamedes, are you…”
”Well.” he replies, and relief blossoms across the Venture Captain’s face. ”I feel as though my night issues should be behind me. I’m sure these men can tell you more, but for now let me prepare something. It’s been a long night.” He heads inside the cabin. As he goes, you can hear whispers and muttering from him and Gamin, apparently conversing on some matter.