Ulrich uses the aura of desecration to his advantage. He channels out a pulse of negative energy in an attempt to enslave one of the daughters.
Gabby shifts her aim to the daughters of Urgathoa. Her barrage of arrows pierce the first one’s body, and as she falls she shoots a second one twice. Amnayel flies up to the wounded daughter and decapitates her with a mighty slash of her sword! Ulrich attempts to enslave the last daughter but she resists his commands.
The final undead breaks out of her paralysis, but she proves no match for you. Your combined efforts take her down before she can attack again.
"Tomorrow I will speak with our Patron about this." Ulrich says
"The area we are travelling to is experiencing volcanic eruptions, was that correct? If so, we could annihilate the armour there by submerging it into the lava. Otherwise, I could research disintegration, and that should destroy the armour properly."
"Whichever would be faster," Gabriella says as she looks over the armor. "The armor could bring her back in as quick as two days." She glances enviously at the shortbow, but knows that she's no where near strong enough to wield it.
Amnayel stares at the shield, pondering "Sometimes I wonder if I should be carrying a shield. It seems so often that I am forced to use my longsword, I could be better prepared before combat starts with a shield in my other hand."
She shrugs and dismisses it "Such silliness. I need two hands for my falchion, why would I carry a shield?"
Allie takes the bow and attempts to draw it, letting out an impressed whistle at its pull. "I can draw this with a little help." She says, "But damn... graveknights are strong!"
Knowing her sister's love for all things ranged and pointy she collects the bow and slings it over her back, intent on getting some shooting tips later.
You continue on through the overgrown region, and as the sun begins to set, you reach the location where the tower of Gallowspire once stood. Now, it is a massive pit surrounded by field of rubble overgrown with thorny vines and obscured by a massive tree canopy overhead. The pit is 500 feet across and 200 feet deep.
The sides of the pitt—made of the crumbling, ashy soil of Virlych—are slick and steeply angled. A climbing rig of ropes, pitons, stakes, and a winch at the edge of the pit leads to openings in the pit’s sides and bottom.
You hear the sound of massive wings flapping above as an enormous winged shadow swoops down from the canopy overhead. It is a familiar menace--the nightwing the survivors of Vigil called the Haunting Dark! Having forced it to flee earlier, the monster seems intent on taking its revenge!
Amnayel "It is time to finish what we started earlier, it appears. Gather around." Once everyone does so she offers a blessing that concludes with "May Arshea see you through."
She leaps up into the air, Falchion in hand and calls out to it "Nightwing! Today is your final day!"
Gabbi calls down a judgement on the creature as well as invoking a spell of divine energy.
"It's too powerful for me to bind with its True Name." Ulrich says. He starts casting a spell, but it seems like he's waiting for something.
Kamosh flies out of the heckin way, then casts a spell on himself.
The nightwing swoops down to within 50 feet and starts to fire a cone of cold at you, but Ulrich is ready. He counters the magic before it can manifest!
Gabbi grins as she raises her bow and draws back. "You're mine this time," she says under her breath.
Ulrich hustles over to Gabriella and casts a spell to make her arrows extra deadly.
Allie likewise attempts to aid her sister's shots by inspiring the group to greater feats.
Amnayel invokes her bond with the celestial spirit, fusing holy energy into her blade.
Bolstered by numerous spells, Gabbi fires several arrows into the Haunting Dark’s bulk, badly wounding it. The night wing shrieks as it targets the inquisitor with another finger of death, hoping the second time sticks!
Amnayel raises her sword and prepares to bury it into the nightwing when things slow down for her. She sees the creature use its death spell again Gabriella, the same one that it used last time and tried to kill her.
"Gabriella, no!" she shouts as a pang of panic flashes through her as she throws her left arm out towards Gabriella instinctively as she establishes the conduit between the inquisitor and herself once more. This time though, the death effects of the spell are event too great for her to take and she flings her arms wide and screams out in pain loudly as the necromantic energy tears apart her body from the inside out.
Amnayel's body goes limp and her wings lose flight as he body cups and she begins to fall as her eyes begin to close. Just as she is about to lose consciousness however, a brilliant flash of purple-white light beacons.
She beat her wings and stabilizes herself, somehow managing to stay alive.
She touches herself, healing herself again and then heals herself with a burst of positive energy and then looks over at Gabriella to make sure she's safe before shouting at the nightwing "To kill her, you need to go through me first!"
Gabbi grits her teeth in annoyance at yet another sacrifice on the part of the paladin for her benefit.
"What is she trying to do?" she mutters before continuing to fire at the creature.
Amnayel takes the hit for Gabbi, allowing the inquisitor to continue to prove her worth. The dhampir fires arrow after arrow into the nightwing, and the massive undead creature shrieks in agony. Its flight becomes unsteady before it plummets to the ground, leaving a deep furrow in the soil before it finally comes to a stop, lying still.
Amnayel flies down after the creature hits the ground and with her holy blade, she beheads the large creature. When the deed is done, she flies back to the ground and sheathes her large blade. She makes her way over to Gabbi and looks concerned, "Gabriella, are you alright?"
She looks over the inquisitor, inspecting to make sure everything is as it should be.
Ulrich makes a mental note that Amnayel can reactively cheat death.
He walks over to the Nightwing's corpse and begins to speculate. "Gabriella. Your skill with a bow and combined blessings is something of legend. At least one of us should be dead right now if not for you. We must all strive to keep you safe, for if our battles to come will be even more deadly, your survival will be of utmost importance. In short, if you die, we all die."
Gabbi's expression indicates that she's not going to take Amnayel's question in good temper. Her eyes narrow and she opens her mouth to snap out a snide comment, but then Ulrich begins speaking as well. She closes her mouth and looks to him to see where the sarcasm will progress, but then realizes that he's not being sarcastic.
She takes a half-step back and turns to her rock.
"I will look into ways to protect you from necromantic magic. My skills in abjuration and transmutation will likely be a boon to you."
"Thank you Ulrich." Allie says, stepping in to act as her sister's 'nice' voice. "I'm sure that will be helpful. Thank you Amny, she's fine. You're the one we should be worried about. Give me a minute and I can help you out."
With that she takes her sister by the shoulders and guides her away, towards the corpse of the nightwing.
She offers her wrist and as Gabbi drinks she can taste the sweetness and rich life running through her sister's veins, it's like drinking a curative potion, all warm caramel and chocolate without the destructive after-effects. The kiss Allie gives her afterwards is the cherry atop the metaphorical dessert.
"I've got a plan." Allie whispers, [smalller]"You watch out for the monsters, let Ulrich and Amny watch out for you, and I'll watch out for them. You've always got my back so we're all protected. Just remember, I love you. Always."[/smaller]
Once her sister is recovered, internally at least, Allie leads her back to the group. "So? Who has injuries?"
Amnayel frowns when Gabbi does not answer and walks away from her. She looks Alli and shakes her head "I am fine, there is nothing to worry about. Arshea decided to allow me to continue on this quest, granting me continued life to finish the fight."
When the twins walk away she turns to Ulrich and asks "Do you love her?"
When they come back she responds to Alli with "I am fine, thank you for asking though, that is quite considerate of you."
"My necromantic spell absorbed most of the effects. I have but a scratch. It is nothing to worry about." Ulrich replies to Alessandra.
He's a bit shocked when Amnayel asks him a question so directly, but the near-death situation seems to have an impact on him. "Love is... a strong word. It holds an enormous responsibility that I have doubts of upholding. But I do care for her, genuinely."
"I am actually the group healer you know." Allie responds with a wink "Maybe I should give you the kiss of life sometime?" Her smile fades slightly. "Seriously, I know that spell you use must take an awful lot from you. Let me look after you occasionally too." She gives the paladins hand a quick squeeze and then moves away, her other arm still wrapped arpund her sisters waist.
The embrace seems to be what she needs as she almost melts into her sister's arms. When she offers her wrist, the dhampir goes to it like a babe to the breast. Her hands roam unconsciously to caress her twin's form as small moans escape her mouth. After pulling away she meets Allie's lips in a hungry kiss.
When they finally return from their discussion, Gabbi's face is flush with a rosy hue and her eyes are dark. She glances at her sister and then turns to the others.
"I wish to say something that is hard for me, but it needs to be said. I wish to thank you for your efforts today. It's difficult for me to accept that sometimes people are doing something simply because it's the right thing to do rather than for selfish gain. I'd blame it on the training I've had, but that wouldn't be completely honest. I've always been this way. The only one that I've ever trusted is Allie. I feel that I should be offering you that trust as well, but that's ..."
She looks away for a moment.
"I'll try."
Using the climbing kit that has been set up, you cautiously descend into the 200-foot-deep crater and enter the dungeons that once lay beneath Gallowspire. The uppermost level that remains—called the Great Seal on behalf of the gate that sealed Tar-Baphon below—has been almost entirely collapsed by the blast, leaving only a few isolated rooms looking out over the crater at canted angles. There is an opening to the next intact level, as well as another one further down.
The rough stone here contains partial carvings of intertwined skeletons and angels, suggesting the room was once a vaulted cathedral before a powerful destructive force pulverized its reliefs. A stack of crates is covered by a tarp near the north wall. One shrine looks far newer and more intact than the rest of the broken mess.
Four daughters of Urgathoa linger here, and they drift towards you as you get your bearings. But they draw up short before attacking. "You have run across our wayward queen," one says. "Her aura clings to you like a perfume. She has wandered far afield and must be returned home. That is why we were dispatched, along with her loyal bodyguards—we shall return her to her throne. Please, tell us where she can be found. We do so worry."
"And if she doesn't want to come back?" Allie responds. The longer she talks, the longer her companions have to prepare. "Are you loyal to her or to Geb? If to her then she would welcome you no doubt, but if you serve the Necromancer, then you are no-one she'd want to see." She spreads her hands wide. "I am a follower of the Queen, as you are. If you allegiance is truly to her I'd be delighted to help you..."
"We serve Geb, the nation and the man," another of the daughters replies. "But we are the Queen's handmaidens. Only Geb’s kind hand spared her from oblivion, but even all these centuries later, her death haunts her. She struggles with the gift of life everlasting. We worry she may hurt herself if left untended, as she has in the past. She needs us."
"If she needs you then she will find you, will she not?" Allie replies, "A goddess in need would have no issue with finding the assistance she requires. If you are loyal to her then I do not doubt you will find her. But if you serve Geb... well, then you are not devoted enough to her cause."
"I am actually the group healer you know." Allie responds with a wink "Maybe I should give you the kiss of life sometime?" Her smile fades slightly. "Seriously, I know that spell you use must take an awful lot from you. Let me look after you occasionally too." She gives the paladins hand a quick squeeze and then moves away, her other arm still wrapped arpund her sisters waist.
Amnayel half-closes her eyes in a smile when Allie squeezes her hand. "Those are kind words, Alessandra. It is true, that does take a tremendous amount of energy from me, but it is a burden that I wear proudly. If I can keep you all alive, I willingly give my own life to do so. I do so appreciate your thoughts and consideration." she moves her free hand to her chest and touches it as she adds "It means a lot to me and creates warmth inside of me."
As they descend down the climbing kit, Amnayel flies beside them, conversing. "I think I will take up that shield from the knight and give it a try. It has become clear to me that my role is not to try to bring these creatures down myself, but to serve as shield between you and the dangers ahead of us. It is so that I willingly sacrifice my body so that you may dispatch the threats in front of me."
Amnayel watches the conversation silently, letting Allie's more skilled words of diplomacy attempt to resolve this situation with risking any danger. She stands with her blade in hand, ready for trouble should it arise.
”You do not understand,” a third daughter speaks. ”We know our queen is unhappy. But existence isn’t about happiness. Existence is having a place. She has one upon the throne of Geb, just as we have our place at her side. If she is not in her place, then we have no place, and Geb has no need for us.”
It seems Allie’s words alone are not enough to sway the handmaidens to your side. The oracle is going to need some supporting arguments.
"Have you given any thought to the fact that perhaps her place isn't on the throne of Geb?" Gabbi interjects. She not really happy with negotiating with these creatures over just destroying them, but she's willing to follow Allie's lead.
"What's more important to you? Your position in Geb or your queen finding her proper place?"
The daughters exchange glances as some unspoken conversation goes on between them. At length, they turn back, and the fourth one speaks. ”We value both, but we also value our continued existence. We will be punished harshly—and likely destroyed—if we return to our homeland without our queen, but we would like her to willingly return with us and simply choose to stop being miserable—a win-win scenario for everyone involved. If you truly have the Queen’s best interests at heart and are acting according to her will, then we shall allow you to pass unhindered. But we do not speak for the Council Libertine—her graveknight bodyguards. You will likely have to destroy them.”
“Such a dreadful shame to lose cruel, abusive, petty bullies. The Queen shall mourn the loss between sips of wine, I am sure,” the first daughter says, and all four share a dark chuckle.
"How many of the knights are there?" Gabbi asks. "We've already dealt with one of them."
Amnayel grinds her teeth at the mention of more graveknights. She opens her mouth and raises her hands to protest louldy. Just as she is about to speak, Allie looks her way and makes a sharp pinching motion with her hand.
The paladin's shoulders slump and she nods, closing her mouth and stepping back into place as she tries to mimic a statue and refrain from acting out of line.
The daughters tsk at Gabbi’s question. ”Ah, no. That would be telling, and that doesn’t help us bring our dear queen home.”
"Why did I get the feeling that you were going to say something like that," Gabbi says with a roll of her eyes.
Her eyes search through the ruins for other exits. "I guess we'll be on our way then," she says.
There are two exits from this chamber. To the northwest, stairs descend to a room full of shallow, murky water. To the southwest, a passage leads into a blasted cavern that may have once been an ornate hall.
Once they move on, Amanayel speaks aloud to no on in particular as she leads her way into the blasted cavern "I wanted to say that we would crush every single graveknight that we come across, sparing no effort to eradicate all undead i whatever form they may possess, cleansing these foul lands of their stain."