Kaeldron was staggered by the explosion of power that washed over him. Nearly blind by the light, he lashed out relying on pure instinct. A blow which would have missed any other time instead was uncannily accurate, the glowing spear seemingly drawn to the impure.
"Right!" Claire exclaims. She hurries up to the nearest demon with Radiance in hand and thrusts her blade forward. "For all that is good and holy in this world... GET LOST!!"
"All of those men and women... who have gathered to defend our world... and you would have given them a fate... worse than death! There has never been any question that this filth must be cleansed from Sarkoris and any land beyond!
"Allow No Safe Harbor For Evil," he intones as the glow emanating from his eyes intensifies and he slips into a zealous fervor.
Acid splashes off these demons as you strike them but it does not harm you... as they bite and slash it offers little or no harm to you!
Sariel
Fredric
Kaeldron
Claire
Davok
Irabeth -15
Babau Yellow -76, White -24
Tearing through the light nova like a meteor cutting the dark, Sariel and his bow come for the demons.
His wounds healing quicker than they could be opened, Kaeldron pushed forward with the attack.
It was of little use though. The sheer power coursing throughout his body was almost too much to bear.
This new source of energy burns through Davok, but instead of consuming him, it fuels his actions and his sense of knowing what's right.
"And Lo, The Cardinal Martyr Struck Down All Evil Before Her!"
Davok performs an overhand swing onto the yellow babau in front of him.
Fredric's eyes open wide at the revelations.
And they are glowing solid gold.
The cold iron of his huge sword erupts with equally golden light, as if ablaze.
And he stares at the nearest demon. And roars as he swings to carve it in twain!
"DIE, DEMON!!! DIE THEN DIE AGAIN!!!"
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"You guys are so intense!" Claire exclaims with a big grin. "Like giant rainbows of awesome stuffed into little man bodies! Well, big man bodies but... like, not BIG big. Just muscley sort of big and..."
"Quit fawning and STAB SOMETHING!"
Claire blushes brightly as she swings Radiance at the nearest demon. "On it!"
Tearing through the light nova like a meteor cutting the dark, Sariel and his bow come for the demons finishing off one of them.
Fredric's eyes open wide at the revelations.
And they are glowing solid gold.
The cold iron of his huge sword erupts with equally golden light, as if ablaze.
And he stares at the nearest demon. And roars as he swings to carve it in twain!
"DIE, DEMON!!! DIE THEN DIE AGAIN!!!"
His wounds healing quicker than they could be opened, Kaeldron pushed forward with the attack.
It was of little use though. The sheer power coursing throughout his body was almost too much to bear.
"You guys are so intense!" Claire exclaims with a big grin. "Like giant rainbows of awesome stuffed into little man bodies! Well, big man bodies but... like, not BIG big. Just muscley sort of big and..."
"Quit fawning and STAB SOMETHING!"
Claire blushes brightly as she swings Radiance at the nearest demon. "On it!" Swiftly putting down the badly injured demon with the strike.
This new source of energy burns through Davok, but instead of consuming him, it fuels his actions and his sense of knowing what's right.
"And Lo, The Cardinal Martyr Struck Down All Evil Before Her!"
Davok performs an overhand swing onto the babau in front of him chopping it in two.
Though not imbued with divine energy like the rest of you Irabeth does her best to hold the line and drive the demons back.
The demons drop their spears and renew their onslaught with the fury of the Abyss! One manages to stab Kaeldron in the neck but the wound begins healing quickly enough that it barely matters.
Sariel
Fredric
Kaeldron
Claire
Davok
Irabeth -6
Babau
Fredric responds to the demons' assault with divine rage at their personification of vile evil. An evil that Fredric intends to crush!
With white defeated, Claire begins to take on the pink demon!
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Kaeldron stood completely still as a claw went into his neck. The demon ripped it out Viscious my, spilling blood everywhere. It was the kind of wound that would kill a mortal man. Rather, the gaping hole shone with golden light and healed itself just as quickly as it was opened. Not even feeling any pain he turned to look at the demon, grabbed it with his free hand and plunged his spear into it’s chest.
Consumed by his zealous fervor, Davok does not stop to think of the implications of this newfound power and his vigil against evil. There will be time for reflection later.
"No Quarter Shall Be Given Unto Those Who Will Not Give It," he intones as he brings his axe's head down onto a demon's.
Thrilled by the impossible energies flowing through him, Sariel continues his ranged assault!
Thrilled by the impossible energies flowing through him, Sariel continues his ranged assault!
Fredric responds to the demons' assault with divine rage at their personification of vile evil. An evil that Fredric intends to crush! Peppered with arrows already the devil collapses.
Kaeldron stood completely still as a claw went into his neck. The demon ripped it out Viscious my, spilling blood everywhere. It was the kind of wound that would kill a mortal man. Rather, the gaping hole shone with golden light and healed itself just as quickly as it was opened. Not even feeling any pain he turned to look at the demon, grabbed it with his free hand and plunged his spear into it’s chest.
With the first demon defeated, Claire begins to take on the next demon!
Consumed by his zealous fervor, Davok does not stop to think of the implications of this newfound power and his vigil against evil. There will be time for reflection later.
"No Quarter Shall Be Given Unto Those Who Will Not Give It," he intones as he brings his axe's head down onto a demon's.
Irabeth focuses on the same demon as Claire, doing her best to stay in the fight at this critical moment.
Two of the demons fight on but one tries to flee before it's too late.
Sariel
Fredric
Kaeldron
Claire
Davok
Irabeth
Babau Green -32, Pink -25, Orange -40
"You shall not escape divine wrath, wretched thing!" , Fredric yells as he charges in a line *through* one demon, aiming straight for the fleeing one!
Kaeldron stumbled forward. He could hear the battlecries of his comrades, but everything felt so distant. It was almost as if though he was in a dream. He looked around in confusion, the enormous amount of power threatening to explode out of him at any second. Closing in on a demon he stabbed at it, almost as if though it were an afterthought. The divine energy within him guided the spear, though, more than making up for the clumsy blow.
"Rebuff The Evil Before You To Daunt The Evil Beyond."
Sariel can feeling a fragment of this newfound divine fury melt, but that is nothing compared to the fire roaring within his heart. "Incredible..." he manages as he draws two cold iron arrows.
"Take THIS!"
Sariel can feeling a fragment of this newfound divine fury melt, but that is nothing compared to the fire roaring within his heart. "Incredible..." he manages as he draws two cold iron arrows.
"You shall not escape divine wrath, wretched thing!" , Fredric yells as he charges in a line.
Kaeldron stumbled forward. He could hear the battlecries of his comrades, but everything felt so distant. It was almost as if though he was in a dream. He looked around in confusion, the enormous amount of power threatening to explode out of him at any second. Closing in on a demon he stabbed at it, almost as if though it were an afterthought. The divine energy within him guided the spear, though, more than making up for the clumsy blow.
"Take THIS!"
"Rebuff The Evil Before You To Daunt The Evil Beyond."
With only the fleeing demon left Irabeth charges out to finish off Fredric's badly wounded target.
The energy seems to fade from each of you... or at least become less obvious. Panting Irabeth turns to you "I'm not sure what happened but we've destroyed the Wardstone and a strike team of demons... that makes me confident they're not happy about what we did."
When the final fragment of the Kenabres wardstone shatters, a few tiny shards of the stone remain behind. The magic remaining in these fragments is fleeting, usable only once before the shard
becomes an inert sliver of stone. As a standard action, a wardstone shard may be rubbed along a weapon or a suit of armor to transfer the shard’s magic to the weapon or armor for 1 day.
Weapon: A weapon enhanced by a wardstone shard gains the evil outsider bane quality, and is treated as being made of cold iron and as a good weapon for the purposes of overcoming a demon’s damage reduction. The shard cannot be used to enhance ammunition in this manner, but can be used to enhance a weapon that fres ammunition; doing so causes the weapon to impart these qualities to the ammunition as it is fried.
Armor: A suit of armor enhanced by a wardstone shard gains the spell resistance (13) armor special ability, but only against evil outsiders. Against demons, this spell resistance increases to 17. A nonmagical suit of armor also gains a +1 enhancement bonus as well.
Breathing deeply, Davok's sense of emptiness after a particularly intense battle seems increased now that this newfound energy has receded. He looks downward and notices the remains of the wardstone.
"Look. There are six shards remaining, and six of us. Surely, divine providence is at play here."
He picks the shards up and gives one to each person in the party. Except for Irabeth for some reason.
Kaeldron took one of the shards and turned to Irabeth. ”Then we must have done the right thing.” He felt...odd. Even with the power proving to be fleeting, there was still something left inside of him. He felt sturdier. As if though he were made of stone. ”But where do we go from here? To track down those responsible for this?”
Fredric stomps an armoured boot onto the head of the nearest fallen demon, raises his sword, and yells:
"AND THUS THE WICKED ARE STRUCK DOWN! FEAR RETRIBUTION, MINAGHO, FOR WE ARE COMING!"
He then drives the blade point through what remains of the demon.
Calming and turning to Davok, he nods, reaches for a fragment, then speaks to the group.
"That...felt good. To face such dread foes, and to crush them utterly. I would have us hunt down this Minagho, and visit the same destruction upon her and her ilk."
"That was wild!" Sariel yells, retrieving a couple of lost arrows. "What was that? I still feel funny. D'ya fink th' gods intend fer us to keep goin'?"
”Always.” Kaeldron said, solemnly.
"Maybe in these dark times they chose to offer more aid than normal... I am grateful. This Minagho may be far deeper into the Worldwound or in the Abyss itself Fredric. There are however still demons and their allies still here." Irabeth suggests.
"That was... AMAZING!" Claire exclaims, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together.
When Davok presses a shard of the ward stone into her hand, Claire smiles up at him and blushes. "Thanks."
When the others start to discuss their continued mission, Claire cocks her head to the side, presses a finger against her lips and thinks. "Hmmm... Well, I guess we should go tell the others what's happened. It's like... SUPER important! And then... Irabeth's right." She gives the woman a nod. "There's WAY more work to do here in Kenabres before we move on. More demons and evil and stuff. We should deal with that."
"Certainly. There are many demons still lurking here, and the traitors who aided them, to smash. But our duty will not end there."
When you get back to the defenders Hearth reports start coming in, though cultists are still about the demons have disappeared. One or two reports say that demons actively disappeared while engaged with defenders in combat... at first they were suspected of using magic but then never reappeared.
The rest of the day is a flurry of activity, disorganised and demoralised cultists are captured where possible and killed when not. A few flee but the tide has turned, though in ruins the city looks like it will be returning to the control of the just before too long.
That night as you have a vivid and soothing dream. A beautiful woman dressed in plate armor visits you and thanks you for your kindness and service before apologizing for the fact that she cannot help you in the future. Yet she can grant you a token of her gratitude, and
kisses each dreaming you on the brow.
That night as you have a vivid and soothing dream. A beautiful woman dressed in plate armor visits you and thanks you for your kindness and service before apologizing for the fact that she cannot help you in the future. Yet she can grant you a token of her gratitude, and
kisses each dreaming you on the brow.
That night as you have a vivid and soothing dream. A beautiful woman dressed in plate armor visits you and thanks you for your kindness and service before apologizing for the fact that she cannot help you in the future. Yet she can grant you a token of her gratitude, and
kisses each dreaming you on the brow.
That night as you have a vivid and soothing dream. A beautiful woman dressed in plate armor visits you and thanks you for your kindness and service before apologizing for the fact that she cannot help you in the future. Yet she can grant you a token of her gratitude, and
kisses each dreaming you on the brow.
That night as you have a vivid and soothing dream. A beautiful woman dressed in plate armor visits you and thanks you for your kindness and service before apologizing for the fact that she cannot help you in the future. Yet she can grant you a token of her gratitude, and
kisses each dreaming you on the brow.
The next morning you all awaken feeling well rested.
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Davok woke suddenly. He did not sense danger, and the dream he had left him feeling well-rested and calm after the chaotic events of yesterday. But there was...
Something.
Rising, he swiftly dons his armor, praying for Vildeis' understanding because he must respond to this sense of urgency instead of his normal meditation and reflection. Opening the door to the cell he'd been given, Davok comes face to face with Draghis, exiting her cell across the hall at the same time.
They could see it in each others' eyes. This something. A call of some sort.
There is no need for words, so they turn down the hall and silently descend the steps of the Hearth until they reach the bottom floor. Nothing seemed amiss. The fortification's defenders are going about their duties, not daring to enjoy the reprieve from demon attacks the city has suffered for the past few days.
They stood by, waiting, not knowing where to go next. From outside, voices that are suddenly raised in alarm are cut short by a mighty howl!
"...mother?" Draghis whispered.
Crusaders on the ground floor drew their weapons and rushed to the courtyard outside. Following, Davok and Draghis are made to push their way past tense warriors, all facing a single beast sitting calmly in the center of the yard. A hulking she-wolf rests calmly on her haunches in the middle of a circle of pointed spears, swords, and arrows. She has mostly black fur, although her belly, paws, and the tip of her tail are gray. When Davok and Draghis push their way to the front, the wolf turned to watch them approach, the only movement she's made since she suddenly appeared, howled, and sat down.
Davok approaches the wolf, Draghis a step behind. Looking into the wolf's eyes, Davok speaks to his sister.
"It is from mother," he confirms.
"But also somehow from our goddess," she replies.
Davok smiles and reaches out to place his hand on the side of the wolf's head. Sitting as it is, the wolf's eyes are on a level with his.
"We have much work to do together. What is your name?"
The wolf replies, the sound a gentle growl that those present can feel deep in their chest. But the siblings understand her clearly.
Davok tests the name, nodding. "Anaba."
Claire gets herself ready for the day then wanders off to find her mom.
"Morning! What's for breakfast?"
The next two weeks in the ruins of Kenabres go from excitement to relief before the anticipation of a demonic counter attack starts to seep in. People are taking notice of each of you, you're all able to perform feats of heroism and overcome odds against the cultists in those few days that brings hope.
News of Queen Galfrey’s arrival spreads quickly through the city as her armies arrive—thousands upon thousands of road-weary and battle-worn crusaders thankful for a place to rest, even if that place has been significantly damaged. The crusaders set about refortifying the city. Irabeth is summoned to report to the Queen as are several others.
Irabeth returns after dark and has some significant news. "You're presence has been requested by the Queen."
Claire lets out a loud squeal of glee, jumps up and down, and claps her hands rapidly.
Kaeldron took a much more reserved approach to the news. "It will be our honor." He said, which was probably lost admist the squeals and clapping. He felt blessed, in more way than one. His parents were both alive, which was nothing short of a miracle. Especially given his father's profession of being a paladin of the crusade. And now to be summoned by the Queen? It looked like even in dark times like this, the gods smiled upon him.
Fredric awakens, with a sense of...peace. The sensation has become so unusual for him, that it takes him a few moments to realise its nature.
He gets up, feeling more refreshed and haler than in what feels like a lifetime.
He arms and armours himself, and begins to throw himself into the rebuilding effort. His already-great strength has grown considerably in the past few days, and he is both willing and able to heft rocks that a normal man could not budge.
And then the summons arrives...
******************
Fredric looks more relaxed than his companions have ever seen him, even in the festival. Not serene, but certainly less intense than usual.
With Irabeth's words, he nods.
"While there is much to be done here, I imagine she has good reason for summoning us. It will be done."
"Th' Queen?" Sariel gulps. The lingering effects from the wardstone had left them all with supernatural strength and vigor, but that hadn't prepared him to come face to face with royalty. What would he even say?
Davok nods calmly at the summons. He knows what a queen is, but having grown up "on the road and in the field," as his father used to say, the gravitas of the situation is lost on him.
He and Draghis have spent much of the past few days training Anaba, and he leaves his sister to continue the training while he answers the summons.
"Actually truth be told she's not so much summoning you as coming here and expecting you to be present." Irabeth explains...
...a few hours later the queen arrives, she has a battleworn grace appearing seemingly in her late middle age. Her body guards include knights in beautiful glistening full plate, keen eyed mages and figures who have a habit of fading into the background and being forgotten in any company. "I've heard much about you already but I'd like to hear the matter from you."
"Which matter, Queen Galfrey? The demons' attack? The cultists' betrayal? Kenabres' response?"
Remembering all of his courtly lessons, Kaeldron bowed deferentially upon seeing the queen. ”My liege. On the name of House Darahan, I am at your service. As you wish-“
He faithfully recounted the tale, putting a religious spin upon it. From fate putting five paladins together, of the great dragon saving them...of Claire discovering her divine calling with Radiance. He spoke of the terrible deprivations of the abyss, but also of celestial miracles. He said it with the fervor of a true believer along with the manners of a noble. The tale ended with the destruction of the wardstone, and the effects they had felt.
Where Davok is unsure Kaeldron's training lets him handle the debriefing as deftly as possible.
“While there are some narrow-minded souls among the crusade who blame you for the destruction of the wardstone border, I do not begrudge you for what you did. Far from it. From the sound of it, you saved entire legions of crusaders from a most vile fate by preventing Vorlesh from transforming them, and the blast of energy gave us the time we needed to regroup and prepare for what will certainly come next. But you understand the implications of what you’ve done, I’m sure—the wardstones are gone, but Iomedae has seen ft that you will be their replacement. I can think of no other reason that would explain why their power would have settled in your bodies and souls and didn’t merely fade into the ether. In time, the demons will regroup and reorganize—we can trust their inherent chaos to make this period of regrouping longer than it otherwise would take, but we shouldn’t underestimate them. They’ll be back soon enough. Already I’ve had reports from along the front lines that small groups of demons are attacking fortifications and settlements along the southern border."
"But what intrigues me most is news from several reliable sources that as our fiendish enemies are starting to mass in the southern reaches along the Riftshadow within the Worldwound, they have left several of their northern lairs relatively unprotected. In particular, the fend Aponavicius has taken the bulk of her army from Drezen, leaving it only moderately protected as she joins with the Storm King in Iz to, no doubt, plot greater attacks on larger targets like Nerosyan, Karcau, and beyond. The time is right to strike into their territory. Drezen was the frst of our cities to fall after the First Crusade, and we lost more than our kin and our pride that day. We lost the Sword of Valor, a magical banner carried by the Inheritor herself during the Shining Crusade. If Drezen could be retaken—if the Sword of Valor could once again be held by the crusade... well, I trust I don’t need to explain how well that would affect morale. But with the imminent attacks along the border, I cannot spare many to lead an assault on Drezen. And even if I could, a large army attacking the city would only draw Aponavicius back to defend the place. The obvious tactic is to send in a group of capable heroes with a modest but well-trained army to strike now, while the proverbial iron is hot. And this is why I’ve sought you out. If you can retake Drezen and reclaim the Sword of Valor, not only will you silence the fools who would brand you traitors for destroying the wardstone, but more importantly, you would bolster the entire war effort with your heroism. And I fear we need all the bolstering we can get!"
"My queen, you are both my liege and I have taken the oath of the crusade. I could not refuse this mission even if I wished to. Before we leave though, might the army we march with provision us for the journey? My armor has been repaired as well as it could be, but I would hate to fail in this mission because my pride stood in the way of asking for proper provisions for the coming battle."
[spoiler=Lvl1 Equipment]
Lvl6 Wealth by Level: 16,000
Kaeldron
* Cold Iron Longsword (30 gold)
* Heavy Crossbow, 20 Cold Iron bolts (52 gold)
* Chain Mail with 2x gauntlets (150 gold)
* Spiked Heavy Shield (30 gold)
* Masterwork Backpack (50 gold)
* Fighter’s Kit (9 gold)
* Silver Signet Ring
* 3x cold iron chakrams (6 gold)
* Potion CLW (50 gold)
* 610 gold
* Wardstone Fragment
Total: 987 gold, not counting wardstone fragment
So, Kaeldron is 15,013 gold under his WBL. I know that we are mythic (hooray!) and that makes up for alot. But I don't think that the AP expects us to get into the next book without any equipment?
How much gold do we have right now to buy equipment, or should I be asking the queen for some assistance here? I feel that by lvl6, we should at least be marching to the demons wearing plate.
For his part, Fredric is straightforward in volunteering his take on events and answering questions. He simply does not believe that he or the group have anything to apologise for.
"It shall be done, Your Majesty. While a single demon or their minions stain this land, we have tasks aplenty".
At the sight of the Queen Claire lets out another squeal of glee. She claps her hands and –– eventually –– remembers her manners. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She curtsies prettily and gives the Queen a dimpled smile. "I'm Claire! Claire Calloway!"
"Cailean."