Once her sister walks away, Gabbi sits back down on the stone Allie warmed. Her face falls into her hands.
Their goal is too close to lose sight of it now, though, so she only allows herself a few moments of wallowing. She wipes at her eyes and shuts that part of herself away behind doors and chains - preferably never to be exposed again. She sniffs, wipes her eyes, and squares her shoulders. The emotional walls rise, stronger then ever and she takes quick steps back to join the others.
"Does the Tyrant mean nothing to him?" Gildais says. "You're his familiar, right? What's he doing?"
Nosoi's eyes still glimmer with intelligence, but he does not respond, rather, he cocks his head to the side inquisitively.
"Well, now what do we do? Are we still challenging the... Tyrant?"
"Absolutely. We need to go back to Lysandria and see if she's going to hold to her promise..." Allie agrees. "Then Absalom and the Tyrant..."
"I can't imagine her not double-crossing you." Gildais answers as he strings his bow.
Nosoi flutters over to Amnayel and perches on her shoulder
"Then she will not live to regret it." Allie says with a smile. "Gabbi doesn't like people double crossing her."
"I've noticed." Gildais exhales in a cold chill. "I... I don't either."
You return to the central chamber to speak with Lyanthari. As expected, the daughter of Urgathoa is far from amused. "I wanted you to destroy a few of Tar-Baphon's squabbling servants, but you eradicated all of them! Except for the mewling traitor who cowers at your heels!" She levels her scythe-arm at Gildais. "It is time you answered to the Pallid Princess for slaying her children. I will send you to her personally!"
Lyanthari rushes forward to meet Amnayel directly. She declares judgment on the paladin and swings her scythe claw at her. Amnayel barely manages to bring her shield up in time to block! Her two vampire minions spring forward beside her, bashing at Amnayel with their shields. One lands a hit.
"You know, villains really are annoyingly predictable." Allie says with a sigh, infusing her sister with divine power.
"I do not understand, where is Ulrich and why has he not returned yet?" the aasimar asks when they are ready to depart in the morning. "Surely we are to give him some more time to return from wherever he has temporarily departed to."
She looks to Nosoi, sure that her friend has answers. "He has said nothing to you?"
---
When Lyanthari crosses them, Amnayel wishes she could say she is surprised. "It was inevitable that this would end with your destruction."
Deflecting most of the blow, she returns her own series of strikes after smiting the soon to be permanently dead-dead servant.
Nosoi replies in Celestial "He must have valued his life above slaying Tar-Baphon. He's not coming back." His voice is even more monotone than usual, and he gazes blankly in front of him.
"He has doomed us all."
Gildais springs into melee and targets the vitals of a vampire with his own devastating bite. A wave of cold emanates from his icy, jagged teeth.
"He hasn't doomed anyone other than himself," Gabbi corrects in a voice bereft of emotion. "But you're correct in that he's not coming back."
~~~~~
She levels her scythe-arm at Gildais. "It is time you answered to the Pallid Princess for slaying her children. I will send you to her personally!"
"You can certainly try. And when you fail - and you will - I will send you to your judgement in front of the Pale Lady," Gabbi answers as she draws her bow.
Amnayel connects with one smite, and Gabbi lands several shots. Lyanthari is badly wounded but she does not fall. Gildais tears a huge chunk out of one vampire's flesh.
Lyanthari and the vampires assault Amnayel again! One vampire lands two lucky hits!
Allie targets a vampire with the power of sunlight!
The inquisitor remains focused on Lyanthari until she falls and then directs her arrows to the vampires.
Ice crystals form out of the moisture in the air, and flesh begins to harden. Gildais rips at the vampire with tooth and claw!
"If I can do just a little bit of good before the end, I will fight to the death!"
+stunned for
Though she's been hit twice, the combined injuries aren't even worth her time healing. She swings her blade four times, speaking a bit between each strike. "I have to admit, of all of the foes we have faced in the last weeks, you by far are the least dangerous. How did you come to possess such station with so little power?"
Lyanthari’s furious shrieks are cut short as Gabbi’s arrows impale her and lay her low. As the daughter of Urgathoa falls, the inquisitor shifts aim to the vampires. Between Gabbi, Gildais, and Amnayel, soon all of the undead here have been destroyed.
The teleportation circles are unguarded. Stepping through them will take you to Absalom and within striking distance of the Whispering Tyrant’s armies...
"Evil really is stupid..." Allie says in a tone of surprise. "I never thought it was actually as true as the stories - but if anything they're worse! Oh well. Ready to head to the big city girls?"
Assuming everyone else agrees Allie leads the way into the circle, apparently without a care in the world.
"I don't know, Lyanthari might've been stupid, but the Tyrant is far from it." Gildais says
"I want to do things right, just for once."
After looting, Gildais follows Alessandra onto the circle.
"Not stupid," Gabbi says in a clipped voice. "They're just erroneously putting their faith in the Tyrant and he's not worthy."
She takes a steadying breath and follows her sister through the magical gateway.
Stepping through the portal, you find yourselves in a rocky depression about 20 miles northeast of Absalom in the Cairnlands. Several hundred feet away, a cohort of the city’s First Guard is destroying the last of a ghoul horde and moving to take cover behind some of the Cairnlands’ many fortifications from millennia of failed sieges.
The soldiers eye you uneasily when you make your presence known, especially with Gildais among your ranks. Eventually, though, one of them calls out in recognition. "You are the heroes from Roslar's Coffer in Lastwall, aren't you? The Knights of Ozem told us about you!"
You quickly receive the attention of numerous high-ranking field commanders eager for news from Lastwall, information about Tar-Baphon’s reinforcements, and your in general. Captain of the First Guard Rothos of House Vastille meets personally with you.
"We are happy to have you here. Absalom has received some reinforcements, famous heroes, and seasoned commanders from across the Inner Sea region to fight against the undead army, but I'm not sure whether even this additional aid is sufficient to counter the Whispering Tyrant’s horde." Once he learns that you have cut off the lich's reinforcements and have a special means of defeating the Whispering Tyrant, Rothos insists you join him for a meeting with the commander of reinforcements from the Five Kings Mountains, the dwarf Erga Sweirhall, and leader of the reinforcements from Osirion, Yesel of Sothis.
The trio listens your report with interest, though Rothos pushes you to focus on elements directly related to the Whispering Tyrant’s allies and resources. It’s clear to these leaders that you are highly capable combatants who could eliminate key lieutenants and siege weapons in the lich’s army. These tasks might normally fall to elite agents such as those in the Pathfinder Society, but most of the Pathfinder Society departed for Gallowgarden to eliminate another of the Whispering Tyrant’s tools. However, the potential to invert the Radiant Fire and deny the lich the weapon intrigues Rothos in particular, even as he doubts that the lich would ever employ the weapon here; whereas the lich devastated other cities, he has not used the weapon on Absalom yet (Absalom’s leaders think this is because he wants to avoid damaging the Starstone Cathedral).
Yesel counters this, citing years of hunting the undead and knowing that even the most coldly calculating ones can be taunted; the Whispering Tyrant might be goaded into using the Radiant Fire. Erga objects, noting that the Radiant Fire’s blast could wipe out untold numbers of Absalom’s defenders—and civilians in the city itself, if the Whispering Tyrant were to advance. She insists that any ploy to spur the Whispering Tyrant into using the Radiant Fire must be made soon.
So long as you agree, Erga and Yesel volunteer to put pressure on the eastern wing of the Whispering Tyrant’s forces, whereas the First Guard will sally against the center and the west flank to keep the lich from committing himself to any one front. In turn, you must strike key objectives and insurmountable foes that would otherwise break the defenders—all the while making it clear that you're the ones causing the Whispering Tyrant such grief.
Gildais takes the amulet and a cloak
Having the ability to dispel magic at will, Gildais casts repeatedly on the circle after teleporting through. Even a small inconvenient to the Tyrant would feel good.
"Annoy the Tyrant into doing something stupid? I think we can manage that!" Allie says with a grin. "I'll need a lot of diamond dust though - we have considerable goods we can exchange for it though, Absalom will not be worse off."
"So," She continues once the negotiations are done. "Where shall we be heading first? Any thoughts?"
Gabriella shakes her head. "I'm no military tactician," she says with a frown. "We should head to where we're most likely to attract Tar-Baphon's eye, wherever that may be."
The First Guard has identified a towering enemy lurking just behind a wide hill topped with a partially-buried siege castle. Rothos asks you to confront it before it lumbers forth to destroy the defenders.
The Whispering Tyrant may be the true threat to Absalom, but the most powerful combatant the First Guard has seen so far is this towering colossus composed of hundreds of corpses pulled from the shallow graves in the Cairnlands. The soldiers have nicknamed this colossus the Cairn King. Destroying it would uplift the city’s defenders’ spirits and send a clear message of defiance to Tar-Baphon.
"Well, I'm ready to die whenever. Let's find the Cairn King, and dethrone it." Gildais hisses drily with icy breath.
"What do you think will annoy him more, defeating the thing or the fact that it isn't even going to be hard?" Allie asks lightly. "You can take it down, right sis?"
Despite her casual words Allie is going to ensure that Gabbi is bolstered to the nines before the battle begins...
Turning to Gildais, Amnayel shakes her head no. "I appreciate your dedication, but now is not the time to throw in for death, not yet at least. We still have our primary objective ahead of us and I for one will not be stopped until we complete it."
With regards to the Cairn King, Amnayel agrees with Allie's statement. "I have no doubts she will dispatch this creature quickly."
Turning to the inquisitor, she adds "I will keep your path clear."
"Heh, I don't die that easy. Not with your archer on our side. Just saying that my death won't be a loss, and I'm done running from it."
Amnayel nods, satisfied with the response. "Very good. Let us go and by her some space then, shall we?"
"What do you think will annoy him more, defeating the thing or the fact that it isn't even going to be hard?" Allie asks lightly. "You can take it down, right sis?"
Gabbi looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "With all of you supporting me, how can I fail?" she answers with a sad smile.
"You can't and you won't." Allie replies, letting her hand rest on her sister's cheek for a moment. "I love you."
Gabbi leans in and presses her forehead to her sisters. "You are my strength and soul," she replies before taking a deep breath and turning to the others. "Let us go forth."
It doesn’t take long to track down the Cairn King. This enormous monstrosity looks like a pile of fresh humanoid bodies shoved into a shambling humanoid shape. It lumbers towards you as you begin to attack it!
Allie stays right next to her sister, not entirely sure what she can do against a construct with an anti-magic field.
Gildais moves to within 60ft to cast Cone of Cold on the Cairn King.
Gabbi takes in the visage of the foul construct and rises a bit into the air to watch it for just a moment before drawing her bow.
As predicted, it doesn't take Gabbi much effort at all to annihilate the enormous construct. With all the power granted to her by her goddess and her sister's blessings, each arrow tears through the fleshy colossus, and with the final strike, it collapses into a mound of inert corpses!
"I don't even know why we bothered!" Allie yells, "What a waste of time. He may be the Whispering Tyrant but I'll shout about this victory all day!"
She hops up onto the mount of corpses and plants the flag of Absalom on the peak.
"Let's see how he likes that."
Gabbi nods at her sister and fires an arrow shimmering with magic into the air to draw attention to the flag before gliding through the air to land next to Allie.
Allie's words seem to have struck a nerve. In the distance, you can see a lone, horned figure flying above the battlefield, over a thousand feet away. It levels a rod, then suddenly a crackling green beam lances across the distance to strike Gabbi!
The figure swiftly withdraws back to the safety of the armies.
Allie winces but then smiles to see her sister just fine.
"Well I think that worked!" She says. "Maybe a couple more wards up next time..."
Gabbi shakes her head as if to rid herself of the shock before nodding at Allie. "Let's go find out who we need to take out next."
About an hour later, First Guard scouts provide desperate reports of a shadowy giant leading a group of undead out of the Immenwood. The forces look poised to outflank one of Rothos’s sallying forces! By the time you arrive, the undead have left the Immenwood and are marching through the hilly Cairnlands.
A nightwalker leads a force of undead soldiers, sweeping east in an apparent attempt to outflank the defenders. When you move to confront them, the enemies prepare to attack!
Gildais moves towards the mass of undead, leaving the nightwalker to Gabriella. He summons a cone of cold to freeze the troops into icicles.