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Being used to Bazar justice where a trashing is cheap and only the smallest price to pay for such a disaster Manuun is eagerly telling more:
"As for the Genie, I think the harpy mentioned he walked through the magic-sealed door leading to the ruined church crypt, after which he was clearly under the control of some evil entity. He is now cruel to her and she was willing to have him killed."
"I also told her that staying in a human settlement is probably to steep a price and offered her help finding a new home but she insisted. She says she can give us easy access and inside information into the battle market. Which is the main place where the gnolls and their leader are staying."
"I have to consult with Princess Almah about that. Go see Father Zastoran to have yourself patched up and to get some new gear." Garavel tells and retreats into the former library.
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Before entering Father Zastorans cellar with the others, Manuun makes sure that all his many cuts and bruises are visible.
"Nethys bless your day Father. We have returned from Kelmarane althoug in much worse shape this time. We have been attacked by a peryton and a harpye and the got the better of us. We barely managed to get away with our lives. Garavel sends us her, so you may help us with our bodily wounds. The wound to our pride will last much longer unfortunately to heal."
"At least they left you your clothes." Father Zastoran chuckles. Once all are around he prays for healing.
"you still look hurt boy." he tells Ohrmizd and puts his hand on him.
Heshan walked over to the priests and held out his worst claw wound.
"We did gave her a run for her money, but that voice of hers was too compelling for us to do anything to her."
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"Thank you Father. Your services are much appreciated. If we can do something for you, you just need to ask."
Then he tries to remember who's in charge of the equipment but comes up short. He turns Once more to the father in search for help.
"Since I am still quite new to the caravan, can you please remind me who could help me with gettin new equipment?"
"Well, that would be me too." Zastoran replies and walks over to a large chest.
Once he opens it you see what looks like a charity armor and weapons donation all thrown into a chest. Like when someone shows at your door and you give just something you won't miss just to get rid of those door to door beggars.
Zastoran ruffles through it and pulls out a rancid leather armor, and a longsword. "Here, that should do."
Thank the gods he doesn't wear armor. But there was still the matter of clothing.
"You don't suppose you have any regular clothes on you as well, do you?" he asked sheepishly.
"Why do you ask. What's wrong with yours? Wash them and patch them and they'll serve you some more years." Father Zastoran tells Heshan.
He then rummages through the chest undtil he finds something. "A sling. Must be your lucky day."
Realizing that he still had his clothes, he shook his head.
"My apologizes. With that said, if you have any potions we could use that would be appreciated."
Father Zastoran slowly closes the chest and turns around. As generous as he is with hand me down gear, this doesn't extend to his potion selection. "What for?"
Father Zastoran slowly closes the chest and turns around. As generous as he is with hand me down gear, this doesn't extend to his potion selection. "What for?"
Heshan shrugged his shoulders. "We could use every bit of advantage we can get to handle the gnolls, even though I do understand the hesitation. We did lose our supplies in our previous mission after all," he sighed.
As Ohrmizd stands around, the defeat written on his face and not saying a word, Father Zastoran reopens the chest and digs out a scimitar, a light wooden shield and another rancid leather armor. "That should set you back on the path."
As Ohrmizd stands around, the defeat written on his face and not saying a word, Father Zastoran reopens the chest and digs out a scimitar, a light wooden shield and another rancid leather armor. "That should set you back on the path."
"You have my upmost thanks." With a slight bow, he turned and headed towards the kitchen to see how those two were doing.
"Yeah, yeah, don't give me thanks, give me progress. I don't want to live in that basement forever. I want a nice room in the palave in Kelmarane."
"And you better have dealt with most of the threats before they notice what's going on. Or they might come after us here."
Ohrmizd eyes Father Zastoran in disbelief for the piece of stinking leather he is handing but says nothing. Sighing resigned he dresses up the armor and tests the balance of the dented scimitar "Well, it must work. There are not many shops to dress up in the area, isn't it?" he does adjust the wooden shield on his arm too.
With the group healed and after a night's rest Ohrmizd joins the group for breakfast "So where to now... the harpy said there was some secret entrance. We also know the one we escaped through"
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"Well we will have to find out what Garavel and the princess decided."
"Apart from that poimt, what do we know? The big building is called a battle market. Sounds like some kind of gladiatorial arena I think. Any idea what kind of building might have a secret tunnel to such a place? Maybe the slave market?"
"Otherwise I would suggest we check out if the Gnolls have enlarged their patrolling patterns, and if this isn't the case we should check out the building they are not patrolling (B12)."
Ohrmizd nods affirmatively "It seems as a cautious move after everything that happened. Let's have a glimpse at those patrols and then head to that other building you are saying Man "
The guarding schedules have changed indeed, and it seems like there is always at least one patrol going around Kelmarane. With all the buildings and especially the battle market in the way it is hard to tell how many exactly though. And they also check around Kelmarane to uncover those hiding at the edge of town.
"Seems like a sound approach," he nodded. "I have the magic to remain undetected, but only for a few seconds. Not exactly useful for a prolonged stealth mission."
Waiting for the right moment, when all visible patrols are heading east, the group hurries to the buildings that the gnolls avoid.
Most of the walls of this forlorn ruin still stand, but the interior walls have been demolished and gutted. Several skeletons litter the structure’s interior, including about a dozen garbed in the red-chitin livery of the Pactmaster Guard. The rest appear to have been clerics of Sarenrae or even common citizens, though the past 20 years have rotted away most of the skin and clothes worn by the corpses. Ash and fire stains the interior walls and ceiling throughout most of the structure, and signs of violent battle are everywhere.
Near the center of the church stands a forlorn stairwell that leads down to a heavily barred door. A strange metal plate with a glowing series of irregularly etched lines mars the surface of the door, casting the stairs in a dull red illumination.
Ohrmizd collects around some of the materials he needs for his magic. He takes from the goats a pinch of fur to work as wool, collects a few parchments and writes down the words of Sarenrae holy texts on the murals of the chapel. The Keleshite stores the materials in a pouch of his humble clothing and then goes down to the catacombs where he looks after the remains of some holy symbol of Sarenrae in between the bones of the dead.
Following Manuun's lead Ohrmizd reaches the church "There has been a horrible battle here... I wonder what happened"
Descending the stairwell the man observes the well barred door "This seems untouched. The church treasures must be here closed. Perhaps we can find something of use" he tries to find the best way to open the door.
Ohrmizd examines the etched lines trying to decipher if they have some meaning.
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"Aehm Miz? You sure you want to touch that? Looks awfully like the place Mistress Undrella described. You know where the Geinie went and cam back possesed. Lets stick to the battlefield for now. I am sure we can find better weapon here than the stuff Father Zastoran gave us."
Manuun is searching the Battlefield for any useful weaponry or Armor, also using detect Magic.
"Hesh, Miz, can you help me with please?"
"They could have at least gotten rid of the bodies by now." Heshan scoffed with a crinkle of his nose at the smell. Nevertheless, he wen about his own investigation of the place.
The markings seemed intriguing though, so he would use Detect Magic as well to decipher the markings.
After his eyes glowed for a few seconds, he whistled at the handywork.
"Whatever this door holds, it is clear someone doesn't want this open. It's an arcane lock, but created with reinforcements."
"Are you sure a genie is trapped here? I barely remember anything that happened with Undrella. I guess it is a mental shield and it is better I do not know what happened" Ohrmizd softly hits his eyebrow with the palm of his hand.
"No one wants us to enter... perhaps we can just dig a tunnel around the door" answers the Kellid to Heshan's knowledge "But let's focus on finding something in the battlefield like Manuun proposes for now"
Despite everyone avoiding the place now, it seems to be properly looted. The only thing Ohrmizd can find is a wooden figurine of an angel in the clutch of the skeltal hand of a Sarenite.
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"No not a genie trapped there. The genie went somewhere underground and came back possessed. But if it was this place how comes its still all locked up?"
"Anyway doesn't look like the place we should enter in our current state. Whatever is behind there seems to be something pretty powerful."
"Lets check out the other places in this area. this secret entrance mst be simewhere."
[ooc]Assuming B13 is the liittle hut behind the church I propose to search that one.
Leaving the curch the group walks around the building and reaches the cemetery. The cliffside behind the ruined church overlooks the fields west of Kelmarane through a ruined series of pillared arches. Across a short yard stands a column about 10 feet tall, upon which stands a splendid statue of Sarenrae with both arms upraised to the heavens.
In the shadow of this statue are five graves marked with the life-sized statues of holy warriors. Remarkably, what appears to be a human man garbed in the fine robes of Sarenrae kneels before these graves, muttering a quiet series of prayers.
Ohrmizd observes the statues for a time "Are those the warriors in your book Man?"
He does follow up Manuun side by side.
Heshan walks behind the inquisitor and slowed his pace.
"How odd. He doesn't look like an all-powerful genie to me."
There is magic aroudn the man and it quickly becomes obvious which magic it is. As you approach, the cleric stands and turns toward you, a friendly smile marking his dark-skinned, handsome face. "Welcome…" he says with a grin. Then his features seem to melt away, leaving a hideous skeletal face garbed in a grubby, fire-stained robe. "…to my church," he finishes. "Your souls will feed the greatest heroes of Kelmarane!"
The quick reaction allows the group to flee the undead person. It follows a short distance, but isn't willing to follow far.
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Manuun stops panting once they are well away from the city. "By the mighty Ora, what creature was that? Looks like he was part of that group which were slain in the church."
"Well this place definitely isn't abandoned by the monsters.
So how about we try a different approach. Sicne the gnolls know we are here we find ourselves one of there patrols searching the desert. Hesahn blasts them with his fancy colours and we whittle down the tribe from the outside. MMight not be the fanciest of all tactics, but maybe we find a few useful weapons this way."
"It seemed some kind of undead. I have heard of rituals able to control such creatures. Perhaps we could research such arts to control the monster and use it against the gnolls" Ohrmizd tries to recover gasp and looks at the landscape of the village "This place is cursed. I cannot stop thinking what is Haleen doing in a place like this. What problem she has to end in this time?"
The man gets a bit encouraged by the suggested tactics "Oh yes! We can find some guano for Heshan! A couple of fireballs in their midst and they will be reduced to ashes!"
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"I think I heard of such a over in Osirion. Its a fallen priest Who denounced Sarenrae probably at this horrible fight in the church and then returned as an undead. He is powerful foe, who can only be damaged by magical Weapons."
"I wonder if there is some way to return his faith in the Dawnflower and lay him to rest? But before we find out we must make sure we survive if he does not want to be helped so lets get ourselves some better weapons."
When Ohrmizd is getting downcast about Haleens problems Manuun tries to lift his spirits. "Have faith Ohrmizd. The women I have seen freeing us has a kind soul. Whatever is keeping her here is surely a just cause and we will find out and help her with time."
Then he turn over to Heshan "So how is your magic? Any Fireballs available. Or at least that colourful spray of yours? I think in order to keep the suspicion away from the monastery we should lay the ambush on the other side of the river. Lets try to find a place a bit higher up such that we can see there patrol when it leaves the city and try to find a nice place to ambush them."
"It seemed some kind of undead. I have heard of rituals able to control such creatures. Perhaps we could research such arts to control the monster and use it against the gnolls" Ohrmizd tries to recover gasp and looks at the landscape of the village "This place is cursed. I cannot stop thinking what is Haleen doing in a place like this. What problem she has to end in this time?"
The man gets a bit encouraged by the suggested tactics "Oh yes! We can find some guano for Heshan! A couple of fireballs in their midst and they will be reduced to ashes!"
Heshan raised a finger into the the air as to object.
"Again, you mistake me for someone much more powerful that I am at the moment. That and best I can do in terms of flames are small balls of light."
To Manuun, he nodded. "I have a ray of electricity... but undead are historically immune to that," he frowned. "That and I am not sure if it would be affected by the spray of colors. But we at least have some crossbows at hand for that occasion."
"Let's hope so friend" Ohrmizd smiles and holds Manuun from the shoulder while looking at the town.
"I am not picky, if you can drop those gnolls with rays of lightning I will hold as much possible the attackers for you to fry them" the man smiles too to Heshan.
"So... let's go, let's wait at the other side of the town where it seems facing a patrol would be easier" Ohrmizd will find a spot near the ruined buildings at the edge of town, where they can follow any patrol and ambush them once at the desert.
Watching the city from afar and a higher level the patrols can be tracked a bit easier. It's hard to see details, but it becomes clear that the patrols are moving far apart. And they are working in shifts. There are different kind of patrols. The ones coming out fo the Battle Market consist of four gnolls. The ones that start from the watchtower are two gnolls and two hyenas.
The only thing that is again unsettling is the large goat like creature that comes out of the ruined building west of the church. But it also keeps a distance to the other patrols and when two of them come his direction it retreats into his "home".
"We better avoid the goat" observing the watchtower Ohrmizd remembers that was one of the last locations they have not visited yet "Why don't we move into the watchtower. We wait for the hyena patrol first, and after we finish them, then we head up into the watchtower and find out what is there"
"Sounds like a good plan to me." With a nod, he began to move alongside the inquisitor towards the watchtower.