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The Bearkin takes the hits her focuses on protecting those behind her. As she did she swung with reckless abandon. Her maul connects and hurts the creature. She did not relent or retreat her rage fueling her giving her life to fighting the horrors of the world, the horrors that robbed her of her family.
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Arianna and Gunnar both score hits on the big demon. Feathered steel and lightning both wound the ugly fiend. The holy lance of Khors misses as the demon is a bit more nimble than one might expect for its size. This is proven even more true as it swings away from the cascade of sacred fire Luthael rains down upon the demon.
This demonic luck is, however, short lived. For it does not fully grasp the danger standing next to the prophet at he charges from the swirl of angelic spirits. Aterro's heavy mace lands with a bone crushing, flesh rending thud amplified by the holy retribution of Thor against the abyssal creature of the beyond. Demonic bones do not merely crack and snap beneath the furious blow, they practically disintegrate. Flesh blackens and putrefies nearly instantly. The demon screeches in horror and pain, doing all it can to slither back and away from the whistling metal mace of doom. Another blow cracks against demon flesh. Although not as charged with Thor's anger, the hit still pummels the demon further back into the abyss from whence it came. Thor's hammer adds to the misery.
But it is Ingryd's revenge that truly puts and end to the demon's brief existence in the Shadow Realms. The bearkin had much to be angry about, not the least of which is yet another dress ruined in the heat...and acid...and gore...and biting beaks...of combat. Channeling the fury of a woman prematurely defrocked, Ingryd slams her hammer square into the upper sternum of the beast. Already crushed by the paladin's earlier blow, any remaining bone is pulverized completely. With little resistance, the bearkin's hammer arcs upward to catch the chin and jaw. Both are shattered and several larger chunks drive upward into the demon's cranium. A sharp shard of skull drives through the flesh atop the demonic head. It drips pieces of blood, brain, and other vile smelling fluids.
A few moments pass before the demon realizes it is actually no longer living. Once it does it quickly collapses to the ground. With the queen's death, the spawn soon follow. Dropping to the ground like an abyssal rain the creatures plop, pop, and flop into oblivion.
Arianna joins the others as the demon falls still. She averts her eyes, not wanting any more fuel for her nightmares, and looks over the others.
"We should see if there are any survivors, though I doubt it. I would not want to leave anyone behind suffering, especially after this nightmare," she says with shudder.
Ingryd slums as she leans on her Maul her injuries and ache to make her huff and puff. As she rests she pretty much is just bound, straps and tattered cloth with her blood and gore-stained fur poking free.
"I could use a drink, a nice hunk of meat and a good nites sleep" Ingryd says as she gave a half smile. As she does she looks back at the others and follows it up.
"I cant be the only one who feels this way"
Holding onto his storm sphere a few more seconds, Gunnar hits the falling demon with an another lightning stroke and then looks for any surviving demon pupae. Once it is clear they are all dead, he lets the spell lapse and leans heavily against the nearest wall.
”After those battles, my magic is nearly spent. Let us look here for the heart and any other items that may be of use to us, then do our best to remove the demonic taint from this place. Only then will I be able to sleep soundly,” replies Gunnar.
"I concur. Let's find a secure place to recover ourselves. Who knows what evil will seek to replace this demoness that her power was keeping in check" Luthael agrees with his companions clearly looking the worse for wear.
His wounds distracting from all else.
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As the titanic she-demon slumps bonelessly to the ground, Aterro is only a heartbeat behind her, his knees buckling and the Aspect of War fading away, leaving only the man, panting and gasping for breath, having given every effort on the battle against evil, and having been a vessel for something not-quite-mortal.
He breathes heavily for some moments, putting his weapon in front of him and leaning his head against it heavily. He catches his breath and spends time to offer up thanks for success in battle. He always considers it cheap as Odin had to lose an eye for such grace, and he must needs only follow in foot steps.
When breath and wind again are known to him he rises and makes a straight line for the cleric, lost in high prayer.
"We stand high in their eyes, brother. I have been spared much wrath, so accept the grace of Thor."
The immediate taken care of, Aterro wanders over to where Gunnar is deep in some arcane detection. "Aye, you have the right of it. Let us put down this mystery."
While Luthael and Ingryd take a moment to catch their breath or ease their various wounds with Aterro's aide, Gunnar cautiously explores the remnants of the piney hall. Magic still radiates from the body of the demon and the massive whip the creature wielded. But perhaps of more interest and curiosity, spiritual power still emanates from the withered tree that was once a central altar.
With Gunnar exploring the central hall, Arianna carefully searches several of the other smaller side rooms. She finds the stairs leading up to the balcony sections, but little else of interest. Much has been looted, destroyed or otherwise corrupted by the demonic presence. What is most certain is that nothing living remains within this central building.
”That whip is magical,” says Gunnar, ”And there are some residual magics on the mother demon herself, so be careful.”
Following the intriguing sense of spiritual energy at the central altar, Gunnar looks for something resembling a “heart” that Arianna spoke of. If he finds it, he calls her over and tries to help her decide how best to deal with it.
As Arianna returns from searching the rest of the now defiled holy place, she stops by Luthael and Ingryd to mend what wounds she can.
"I did not find any survivors. I think that thing and its brood killed anyone they got a hold of," she says, pointing to the dead demoness. "I'd rather not sleep here. Let me see if I can find a better spot for us to rest in."
She sings another note, and turns invisible once more. She leaves the central building and begins looking through the village for survivors and clues that might help them defeat the villains who did this.
As she turns to leave, Gunnar says, “You made contact with a consciousness remaining within the wood, correct? A young tree, barely holding on against the demons? Perhaps taking the heart to him will allow this glade to begin the slow process of healing and regrowth.”
"Maybe, but we have to find it first. It sounds like the ghouls took it from here."
Ingryd sits next to Luthael cleaning the head of her maul from gore as she looked at the man." You doing good Padre?"
"I know I look bad, but I will be okay, wounds heal. Besides I don't plan to die yet" the bear maiden chuckles as she looks at her blood soaked, acid burnt, and wounded body as if it were a simple day sitting down to eat a meal with a friend.
Gunnar finds nothing particularly harmful remaining on the fallen demon other than the pure residual chaos that accompanies such a creature as its physical remains slowly dissipate. It is beneath the bows of the arboreal altar that the wizard discovers something more of interest. With a bit more arcane investigation, Gunnar discovers a hidden portal. While it does not seem to lead to another plane or realm beyond mortal knowledge, it does stand at the top of a long spiraling stairwell whose depths are shrouded in a golden sap colored mist.
Carefully tiptoeing around and over the toxic corpses you begin a long and demoralizing search. You search what must have once been happy homes, thriving workshops, and places of study and storage. Places that once held the hopes, loves, dreams, sorrows, pains, and happiness of an entire people. Now they only hold death and memories of terror and trauma. You find a few corpses in a similar state of those discovered back in the cathedral. Utterly desiccated. Little left by a dry, fragile shell of a being.
Eventually you find yourself in a small nook of five homes grown from a series of branches creating a quiet little cul-de-sac near the central trunk of a tree just northwest of the central building. For the most part you continue to find nothing of interest. A few scraps of some moldy, spoiled food. Broken furniture and other signs of a struggle. It is just as you are about to mark the area off your map that you here it. A noise. Feint. The scuff of a shoe on a hard floor? A surviving demon lurking closer? You can't be sure where, but definitely from one of the surrounding buildings. Glancing back toward the cathedral you realize it is furhter away than you first thought. A couple of hundred feet at least. And there is the noise again.
Arianna takes in a deep breath and holds it. Memories of being chased by the Maiden of Malice flicker through her mind. She wants to run back and rejoin the others, but she knows that if something else was out here, she'd need to know how dangerous it is, and if they need to flee from it.
Arianna swallows as the tension continues to build. She has to remind herself several times that whatever is making the noise can't see her. Unfortunately, she can't find whatever is making the noise in the first place. She thinks about trying to draw out whoever is nearby with an illusion or calling out, but shakes the ideas away. If it is hostile, she'd be in serious trouble. better to try finding the source of the noise first. As she focuses on looking, her footsteps are as quiet as before.
”It would seem likely the heart might be through this portal,” says Gunnar, ”Though I am not particularly attuned to nature—perhaps this is your area, Arianna?”
Luthael nods to Aterro and Ingryd, "Thank you. Khors is testing me again." He deeply exhales. "Together, we will succeed. And you? Ready to go?"
"I am always ready Luth', Been ready the day my children died. Anything between then and death is a blessing" she said telling the holy man that she was always ready to die. If she did, she was ready. Ingryd would defend her friends and allies, slay evil and protect the innocent, but deep down she was also always ready to give up her life.
Sneaking up the steps an through the closed door you find yourself in another simple cottage. Remnants of a prior life lie scattered about. Clothing, bits and baubles, some toppled potted plants now wither....actually you notice that one of the plants sits upright on a shelf near a thin window. It is green. A small bud grows at the end of a thin branch. The soil is damp, recently watered.
You search further and notice something else odd. Most, if not all, of the other living quarters stank of rotting food stuffs. Mostly an assortment of rotting berries, vegetables, and other plant based meals. There is nothing of the kind here.
Yet, your search reveals no one in the three rooms that make up the house. Then you feel the tingle of fae magic. It is a minor magic. A child's weaving really. You begin to poke and pry a bit more completely, letting that inner tingle guide your efforts. Finally, you are rewarded, there, above the table in the ceiling is a opening hidden with the illusion of the the usual branches and leaves the make up a roof in this village. Your patience is further rewarded as another soft sound of movement drifts from beyond the illusion.
Hearing nothing but silence in reply to his questions, Gunnar turns from his investigations to find the elf maiden has disappeared. A few minutes thought and the dwarf does recollect someone mentioned something about scouting about the village for survivors or other dangers. Being caught up in his own investigations and study of the demoness and the curious portal magic, he'd not really given the announcement much thought.
Meanwhile Luthael breathes easier and moves with less pain and stiffness as his own and Aterro's healing magic's ease the prophet's wounds. Feeling much recovered he and Ingryd stand ready to descend through Gunnar's discovered portal or venture elsewhere in search of the exit from the shadow realm so they may deal with slavers and their ghoulish allies once and for all.
”I suppose it is just us, then,” says Gunnar as he carefully steps through the portal and follows the sense of sacred energy that was emanating from it. ”Hopefully this will lead us to the ‘heart’ needed to heal the forest.”
Arianna quietly steels her nerves. She drops the invisibility spell and calls out, first in the tongue of fey, then in the tongue of those fey that reside on this twilit plane.
"Hello. I am not here to harm you. May I join you up there?"
INgryd follows Luthael to meet with the others. She is still gross and wounded but good needed to be done and she was here to do it.
"Come Padre we will be needed soon. Though I know not what power you have left but if you can swing your arm, I can lend you my shield." She smiles still covered in gore.
Luthael hoists his shield in reply to Ingryd, "aye. I might need two shields before we get a rest. But, we cannot leave without Arianna."
He steps away a bit and hollars, "Arianna! Arianna! Where are you?"
”I don’t think this is a portal to another plane, and I would not wish to leave our horse and wagon behind—yet you make sense, Luthael…just in case this is a one-way trip, we should all be together,” says Gunnar.
"...is it? Here to..."
"Quiet...one of the greyskins..." A slightly different voice.
"...to help. Take us to..." You're pretty sure that is a third voice, a little more male but younger than the other two.
"No! Can't risk...just a trick"
"Shhh! What's that?"
You hear it as well. Arianna! Where are you? Luthael's shout echoing through the mist shrouded twilight village. How long have you been gone? Hard to know without sun, stars, or moon to guide. And after getting turned around earlier. Could be ten minutes. Could be the full turn of a glass or more. Luthael calls again.
Gunnar and Aterro step through the portal and finds themselves standing on the precipice of a narrow cliff. A fast flowing river slips over the rocky surface creating a spectacular waterfall that plunges nearly two hundred feet into a wide pool. A long wide valley stretches out before the eyes of wizard and holy warrior. Filled with ancient trees from end to end, the view offers a solid carpet of dark twilight tree foliage. Everywhere except a small clearing on the western edge of the pool. There fires burn. Orange flames send sparks swirling up into the twilight. Surrounded by the flames is a massive living tree, it's branches and roots pinned to place by great iron chains and spikes. The tree shivers and struggles and finally emits a piercing screech that echoes through the forest. It is the same piercing cry you've already heard so many times over the man hours of travel. Surrounding the wretched treant, are more than a dozen pale skinned ghouls tending the fires, dancing or otherwise tormenting the bound creature. Another duo of ghouls, dressed in much finer clothing and standing somewhat apart from the celebrations, watch from the western edge of the clearing. Undead eyes take in the central creatures torment. Hearing it scream, one of the overseer ghouls waves a hand. Two of the revelers break from their dance to gather another iron spike and begin to pounding it into the trees trunk.
Back on the other side of the portal, Luthael continues to call for Arianna with Ingryd at his side. So far neither prophet or bearkin gather any sign of the missing elf.
Paling in anger at the scene before him, Gunnar exerts his will and refrains from rushing into battle right then and there. In a tight voice, he says, "I have precious little powerful magic left. If we are to save the tormented treant before us, we must strike together quickly and decisively as one--focusing on the two leaders off to the side there."
Ingryd hands over her Maul to the priest and bends low to inspect the ground.
Using her senses and skills to look for signs of the Elfs passing in this direction as well as how to then see her. If she did find the ELf lass she would give her a big hug and might have to carry her back towards this portal.
Arianna turns towards the central temple in this village and finds herself now in a dilemma. She could just leave, but that would mean she'd abandon these few survivors to their fate. She could stay here and try to convince them to come with her, but Luthael wouldn't have called her if they didn't need her or weren't worried about her.
She sighs. There really wasn't much of a choice when she thought about it. She couldn't leave innocents to the fickle whims of fate.
"Does this help ease your minds," she asks before placing her bow on the ground and taking off her sword belt and quiver and putting them next to her bow. She raises her hands where they can be seen and steps away from her weapons.
It was risky, but she needed their trust quickly.
"My friends and I fought the foul demoness in the central part of the village. It's dead as is its brood. I promise that none of us have any love for the ghouls that did this, and we're trying to mend what they have wrought."
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"I am of the same mind, Brother. Were we upon the same level, we would be engaging in glorious combat upon this very instant."
Aterro scratches his chin and pauses in ulfish thought.
"Think you ever how this happens to us? When I awoke, I knew not of spitted treants, or demon-queens that slaughtered villages and stole magical hearts for fell rites. But now? Now we are on the other side of an arcane portal contemplating more glory through conquest.
We must truly by Thor's Chosen, for he lacks no tasks to put in front of us."
Aterro shakes his head, banishing the contemplative reverie and re-focusing on the coming dance of STEEL.
"We must needs first find a way down from here. Ah! We could but use a magical carpet of flight..."
He pauses to chuckle. "Oh that's right. We no more have such a thing. I can not recall what we got in its stead but I hope it was worth it.
No matter. Surely if we go left or right betimes we will come to level ground, and thence we can circle back. Those woods are so dense, and the cries of that treant so great, that even my stomping bulk will not be quickly noticed.
Now that we know the tactical scenario--and that is going nowhere upon the instant, we can know how to prepare."
Feeling a strong pang of guilt for trading in their aerial transport to rescue the soul of a poor ancient feline, Gunnar summons Mamluk at his feet, saying, "It was the right thing to do, freeing this creature from its magically-forced indentured servitude, but it has greatly limited our options for transport." Looking at the cat, he asks, "I don't suppose you still have the magic of the flying carpet to give our group the gift of flight, do you Mamluk?"
"A...are you alive?" The bark skinned fae like creature asks quietly.
Ingryd picks up the elf's trail in the slowly fading muck of the fallen demon spawn. It winds through the various buildings of the village, evidence of her announced search for survivors or other dangers.
Ingryd continues on seeking out the Elfkin. She looks back to see if the good Cleric was following.
The good cleric lugged the maul and followed after the tracking bearkin.
"I am," Arianna answers, resisting the urge to try making a clever quip. "Do you wish to come see for yourself? I promise not to move unless told to while you do."
They watch you with equal parts suspicion, hope, and fear. All are thin and frail. Likely from lack of food and water. It is always difficult to tell with these fae tree folk, but you'd get it to be two girls and a boy. The boy being the youngest.
"How'd you get past all of the beaky-biters?" The youth who initially spoke to you asks.
You start to answer when Luthael and Ingryd suddenly appear in the doorway eliciting startled shouts and a duo of small raised kitchen knives and one silver scroll case held protectively in the boys hand.
"Who're they? Were not going to let you feed us to the big ugly beast!"
"I knew it was a trick." Shouts the second girl.
"Teddy!" Cries the boy, staring at Ingryd with wide open eyes.
Luthael hears movement a voices coming from one of the upper level homes on this quiet little cul-de-sac in the trees. One of those talking certainly sounds like the wayward elf. Following the sound, prophet and bearkin step through a doorway into the slightly gloomier, gloom inside the former home. There they come upon Arianna standing, her hands held out in a peaceful gesture, her weapons lying on the floor. A trio of thin, slightly plant-like creatures with large sap-gold eyes, wild twilight leaf colored hair and a bark like skin stand just a few feet from Arianna brandishing two kitchen knives and a scroll case.
"Who're they? Were not going to let you feed us to the big ugly beast!" The first says to Arianna while pointing at both Luthael and Ingryd.
"I knew it was a trick." Shouts the second girl.
"Teddy!" Cries the boy, staring at Ingryd with wide open eyes.
Luthael stops in his tracks and tries to look as harmless as possble carrying a shield and maul. "Um. She is our friend, Arianna. We just killed a bunch of demons to free this tree. She was looking for the heart to restore it. If you don't want to hurt her, we wouldn't hurt you."
Ingryd raises a hand and waves with an awkward smile. She was not well versed in a lot of this type of interaction. At the mention of Teddy she smiles a thoughtful smile. She wanted to hug the child but she held herself back.
"Hi, I'm Ingryd" She says with a calm voice. She had been a mother, and a wife. THese creatures seemed scared. Slowly she let herself get on the ground. She sat down and then laid out flat. Stomach up.
" I'll just lay here. I know what they are going through, I won't make any moves and I'll let you and Padre talk. Pretend Im a rug" Ingryd said as she just lay there vulnerable. As vulnerable as any beast that shows its belly.
Arianna, a little shocked at hearing Ingryd called an ugly beast, is a bit slow to respond and is grateful her friends managed to fill in the gap as she regained her composure.
"Ingryd," she says, her voice stern, "is one of the kindest souls you'll ever meet. I don't appreciate hearing anyone call her ugly nor a beast."
She lowers her hands and, almost despite herself, grins at the youngsters.
"Now, if you're allergic to hugs and motherly affection, that would be good to know as that is the only threat she poses. As Luthael says, I'm Arianna and we with two others killed the demons. It wasn't an easy fight, but we managed it thanks to their strength and more than a little luck and divine help." Her smile fades as she continues and starts picking up her gear. "You three look like you could use a good meal and some water. We have both, and I don't want to just leave you here to whatever fate awaits you, nor can we just leave things as they are. Will you come with us until we can find a safe place for you," she asks.
Sneaking back over to the portal, Gunnar wordlessly offers some treats to Mamluk and prepares to step back through, whispering to Aterro, "I fear you are right, Knight of Thor. Without a rest I will be of precious little use in the upcoming battle...Yet taking my ease while those horrid ghouls spike the life slowly out of the tree seems wrong."
Stepping back through the portal, Gunnar sits down heavily and considers the options as he rests and waits for the others to regroup. He pulls out the powerful Horn of Valhalla, hoping against hope that the it has somehow recharged since its last use--the warriors could at least be a good distraction, maybe buying them time to maneuver and deliver a killing blow to the ghoul leaders even with their diminished resources, but he realizes that unless this horn re-energizes much faster than the typical specimen his speculation is moot.
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"Gratitude, Gunnar," Aterro says, following him through the portal and sitting down heavily across from him.
"I feel this as well, but that tree was in no hurry and nor were the ghouls. So too, we help no one by dying."
Aterro unlaced a boot and looked around. "Where has everyone got to? Are they still looking for our wanderlust bard? Confound she does enjoy the long walks. So great are her exploits that I would not be surprised did she come flying in here, mounted on some odd jumping mechanical Wasp. By Thor's Hammer I can not abide some habits."
He takes out a whetted multitool and starts to repair his armor.
The youngest of the three bursts into a happy giggles and charges to Ingryd leaping upon her outstretched form with gleeful abandon. The empty scroll case clatters to the floor as the young sapling wraps thin arms around the big bearkin.
The middle girl lowers her knife, placing a comforting hand on the oldest's arm.
"It's okay Caw. I think they really are here to help." The youth says turning to Arianna with a nervous smile. "We're sorry miss." She says offering a rough bow to Arianna, Luthael and Ingryd. "We did not mean any harm or insult."
Slowly the oldest looking of the three lowers the big kitchen knife. Uncertainty still wrestles with hope and a desire to believe the elf, but eventually the need for something positive drives away the final remnants of caution and she too offers a formal bow to elf, human, and bearkin.
"I...I am sorry." The piney girl stammers. "We couldn't be sure. And...and with everything...well..." Her voice trails off, then she looks up at Arianna somewhat awe struck. "Have you really killed the demon and all her spawn?"
She grins as she watches the youngest of the three gives Ingryd a hug. It fades as she turns back to the two girls.
"I just put a few arrows into it. Lutheal, Ingryd, Gunnar, and Aterro did far more than I did," Arianna answers. "I'm Arianna Moonwood, not miss, by the way. I'm not much older than you are I suspect. Ingryd is the one getting hugged, and this charming fellow is Luthael." She gestures to the priest of Khors.
"I'm guessing they wouldn't have come looking for me if they weren't worried about me or hadn't found something important. Are the three of you siblings? Are there any others," Arianna asks.
”Pleasure to meet survivors. I look forward to seeing the beauty of your home restored after the demon residue is cleaned away.”. Luthael nods in greeting.
”Arianna, Aterro and Gunnar found a portal and went through to explore. We need to check on them. Who knows how much trouble they can cause without us.”. He hands the bearkin her maul and is obviously anxious to check on his companions.