Fley nods as he stuffs food in his face. The long day of adventuring made him famished.
"Everything they say is true. We need to find a plan and figure out what to do. Who knows what will happen if their plan succeeds. We are but humble servants but we will do everything in our power to stop them".
The gnome furrows his brows. "Thank you for all of this. I'm happy there are survivors here. Do you know the extent of the damage? Are there other safehouses like this?"
Irabeth sighs and replies to Donnen "Unfortunately with those killed and captured and those that have fled there are about a quarter of the per-attack population here. There are survivors scattered throughout town but this is the biggest group by far. We have about 200 here." Irabeth looks at Leothar with a grim face “We’ve heard mention of these crystals before, and I fear that they’re tied to something far worse than what’s already happened to Kenabres. My friend Quednys knows more and will be available in the morning.” She then smiles and says "Iomedae has blessed you! Radiance had been stolen and now to see it returned and with power is wonderful in these sad times!" The smile leaves her face becomes serious again. "What other news do you have from your journey? I need to know everything you seen and done so I know what is going on out there."
"Aye, it's right good that he recovered the weapon. The Gods favor him, they do. But...it's not all good. They, well. They saved me. It's bad out there, and I did what I could to rally what knights I could find." She blushed as she spoke and looked away, the trauma of the experience being rekindled in the retelling. "The knights betrayed me. They thought that the blood of a virgin would banish the demons. If not for...well." She sighed, and shook her head. "Plenty of survivors out there, is what I'm trying to say. But they're not all friendly, some are just as dangerous as the demons."
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Ardriel eats his fill, offering some to Yarnala as he does so. The raven eats, as well.
Ardriel nods and says, "The important things have been discussed. As for the rest...during the attack, we fell into a chasm opened up when a massive demon burst from the ground. Before her death, I think Terendelev saw all of us falling and cast a spell to slow our fall so we would not die. We awoke in the caverns below the city - ourselves, except for Dadna, Anvenn, as well as the Elven scholar and wizard Aravashnial and the merchant Horgus Gwerm. We encountered several types of enlarged vermin - maggots, flies, and the like, as we sought a path back to the surface, which brought us to a corrupted temple to Torag. We slew the undead creature guarding it, and re-consecrated the temple. After that, we journeyed further, and eventually encountered the mongrelmen who live below the city. They are the descendants of those who fought the demons in the First Crusade, but were corrupted by the abyssal energies of the Worldwound. As the ones we met escorted us to their village, we encountered two men, deceased fighting some creature, who were dressed as crusaders of Iomedae but were actually cultists of Baphomet. Once we arrived at the mongrelman village, we met with their leader, Chief Sull. He told us that they remember how their ancestors fought the demons, nd though they are few, they are willing to aid us in retaking Kenabres if we ask them. I believe Chief Sull to be an honorable man, and I think we will need all the allies we can get."
"The mongrelmen gave us shelter for the night, and then tasked us with clearing out a fortress used by some who had turned to the side of the demons. In there, we found a couple priests of Baphomet and a priest of Deskari. We killed them all, and that's where we found Radiance, as well as information on three safe houses here in Kenabres used by the cultists of Baphoment. We also found our path back to the surface."
"Once on the surface, we escorted Aravashnial back to Blackwing Library, where we found a crusader who had turned to looting. We rescued the librarians, and then escorted Horgus Gwerm home. We then decided to check out the first of the safe houses, Nysindrian Manor, which was leveled in the attack. We then escorted Anvenn to your home, where a half-orc named Vagorg, who I believe you've encountered, tried to kill Anvenn. Fortunately, he failed, and Anvenn found out where to go.
The second cultist safe house was the Tower of Estrod, where we slew a Tiefling named Faxon, who I believe was a high-ranking leader of the cultists of Baphomet here in Kenabres. That is where we found the note about Minagho and the threat to the Wardstones. After that we went to an alchemist's shop called Topaz Solutions, which had been abandoned by the cultists but not before they left a trap of some Abyssal-corrupted plant creature and a gas. We slew the plant creature, and none of us were slain by the gas, and then we found some holy symbols of Iomedae that the cultists of Baphomet had used for cover. We have them for reconsecration, but they are coated in some substance that may be a poison.
After that, we came here."
Irabeth sits next to Anvenn and listens intently as Ardriel recounts their experiences. She gasps in a few places and nods as the story unfolds holding Anvenn's hand the whole time. When Ardriel finishes she says "Could I see all of the papers you recovered, please?" When given them she spends a few minutes reading them and shuffling back and forth with them. She then places them neatly in a stack and looks over the entire party. "You have done much for Kenabres and for the world as a whole. I thank you for escorting Anvenn and the others to safety. Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth have spies everywhere and have apparently been among us for decades. Only recently has proof of their presence been manifesting. I personally managed to root out one of their more powerful members—the leader of a group called the Hammers of Heaven. We all thought of Staunton Vhane as a model crusader, but as far as I was able to discern, he’s been working for the demons for decades. There’s even evidence he may have been the one to betray Drezen 75 years ago. They knighted me for that discovery, but I’m still not sure why, since he slipped through my fingers and is out there still, causing who knows how much more damage...” Irabeth trails off here for a moment before she shakes her head to clear her thoughts. She then continues "As leader of the Eagle watch I am going to give you 1000 gold pieces for each of the safe houses you investigated. These papers that list operatives by name and their plans are priceless to us. While they won't help us here, these people have moved on to other cities and will help there. For that I am awarding in you 2000 gold pieces. This gold will be in vouchers the merchants here will take or can be redeemed later for gold once the army arrives.
Now about the First Descendants in Neathholm, I will be sending envoys immediately down there once we conclude here. They assistance will be desperately needed and gladly accepted.
I have much work to do this evening before I can rest. Take you time eating and relaxing. There are many merchants here and should be able to acquire most things. There aren't "shops" per-say but most will do business until they turn in for the night. There is also a hospital here with clerics that will heal your wounds and minor conditions free of charge. You can also turn in any holy or unholy symbols there and the clerics will give you what they are worth. We'll dispose of the unholy ones properly and any unholy water and clean and reconsecrate the holy ones.
I must be off now. I'll be happy to answer and questions if you see me later or you can find me in the morning. Once again you have everlasting personal thanks." She then stands and smiles to the group and walks off holding Anvenn's hand.
For her part, Dadna was amazed that she had gotten any gold at all. In her mind, she was the one who had been saved and wasn't involved in most of Ardriel's rather long and impressive story.
As the others went about their business, so too did she go about hers. She wasn't all that worried about her clan, because she knew her parents well enough. Like all dwarves their home was substantially underground and was quite defensive in it's own right. Generations of living in fortress cities tended to instill that mindset in her people. That, and she knew her parents well enough to know that when trouble came they would find shelter and would hold out there. If there was anyone who was going to survive until reinforcements came it was going to be them. That, and what was the point worrying? They weren't at the Heart and it would go against her duty to rush out to find them.
With a purse now full of gold, she did two things. First...she splurged on a set of arms bands, whom a refugee told her that when slipped on could transform the appearance of her garments into any clothes she wanted, which would be immaculately clean and mended (if so desired). Despite such magic being about as useful in a war-torn city as a ballroom gown, she decided that she had to have it. Because she knew that she'd likely be spending a significant amount of time in the field, and a shirt with days (or weeks) of sweat and dirt was just the worst.
And the rest? Well, she reasoned that hoarding gold was the least of her concerns. So she found a cleric of Torag and donated a full thousand gold pieces, asking only that he bless her armor so that the Forgefather might watch over her. She didn't know if it would exactly do anything, but she was certain that it would help her confidence and that the gold would be of use regardless.
Once that was done, she happily ate and drank with her armor off, wearing a dress that she had seen once in the window of a shop in the Gate District that she wasn't able to afford. Knowing that she could now wear it anytime she wanted made the day feel a whole lot better.
Leothar finds an armorer with several suits available. Including a few of dwarven size, one a masterfully made set of plate armor. There are scratches and dents, but at least whatever blood there was has been cleaned off.
"This belonged to one of the many who fell in the attack, I expect."
Leothar looks over the armor some more. There is an engraving of a bulette... there were only so many dwarves in Kenabres who had such quality armor, and the insignia tells Leothar who it was. "Sergeant Raddock. Infantry. A good man. I think his family was from Janderhoff. He had been in Kenabres for about twenty years. He received a proper burial?"
The armorer nods.
"And you will see that his family gets a fair share of coin for this?
I am about his size, just a bit taller... can you make the modifications?"
While the armorer works, Leothar heads to find a priest. He finds a Shelynite novice.
"Greetings. 'Beauty and grace be with you', I believe? Well. I was cursed by a foul tiefling witch. Have you the means to remove this?"
The novice lacks the ability to remove the curse himself, but managed to grab some scrolls from his temple before it fell. One scroll is Remove Curse. The novice looks at the scroll nervously. "It could fail."
"Yes, it could," says Leothar calmly. "But it may not."
The priest is able to read the scroll, and Leothar's curse is lifted. He feels the power return to his limbs. "Praise Torag. And Shelyn. Thank you."
He nods to the novice and heads back to the armorer, picking up his plate armor and a buckler.
"Take my old gear. It's not as fine as this, but is sturdy."
Around 9 pm that night, after making all of your purchases, a page comes to you and says "Commander Irabeth would like a word with you as soon as you can be in the conference room." He then stands outside the door of your room and waits patiently for you.
When emerge from your room the page leads all of you back to the common room and then to a door off of it. Inside is a large table with twelve chairs around it and a map up on one wall at the end of the table. You notice some of the papers you found on the wall as well and the safe houses you cleared out marked on the map of the city. You can also see recent additions to the map showing where chasms have opened in the city and wide paths of destruction that humongous demons made on their way through the city. You see the large chasm you fell through by where the Cathedral of Saint Clydwell used to be. Between there and the desolation from the Kite exploding there is a location marked on the map that you don't recognize though.
Irabeth enters the room with a grim, worried expression. Following her is an older human with a tattoo of a eagle's talon on his cheek. She says "Thank you for all you have done for me and Kenabres. Your arrival at Defender’s Heart couldn’t have been more timely. This is Quednys Orlun, founder and head librarian of Blackwing. He has determined the demons' plan.
As horrific as recent events have been, we’ve come to realize that they are, in fact, merely a prelude. The razing of the Kite, the destruction of our wardstone, Terendelev’s murder, and the assault on the city were nothing more than opening gambits. The Worldwound is on the march in a more concentrated assault than we’ve seen since the fall of Drezen. It’s fair to say the Lord of the Locust Host is finally making his move. The end of this hundred-year-war is upon us, and it falls to us to ensure victory.
“While the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth were scattered, those who serve the Lord of the Locust Host himself remain concentrated in Old Kenabres. What we’ve heard from within the barricade they’ve erected is ominous. The cultists are waiting for something, and based on our own information and what you’ve managed to recover so far, it sounds like the vile witch Areelu Vorlesh will soon be coming to Kenabres. And it appears that we’ve determined what she intends to do.
“When the wardstone was destroyed by the Storm King, it exploded and destroyed the Kite. The network along the border failed, but did not fade completely. I believe this is because a significant portion of our wardstone still exists, and that the cultists have taken it to the old garrison in Old Kenabres. From what we’ve learned, they’re hoping to engineer a way to somehow reverse the field generated by the wardstones—essentially, to use our own greatest defense as a devastating weapon.
“The attack on Kenabres had a predictable result: causing the crusade to gather at the border to defend it. Some wonder why the demons haven’t attacked in stronger numbers. I believe that Areelu was counting on us massing along the border, and that if she can corrupt the wardstone field, she can strike a devastating blow against us all. In effect, we’ve lined up for the slaughter.
“Vorlesh is surely seeking some object of great Abyssal power, likely the Nahyndrian crystal mentioned in the missive you recovered, and with it she intends to turn the source of our hope into an unimaginable nightmare. We cannot hope to evacuate everyone from the border—I doubt they would give up the defensive line even if they knew what the enemy planned. But we can still stop this from happening—we just need to have someone infiltrate the Gray Garrison, locate the wardstone fragment, and destroy it.”
Fley listens to Ardriel's story. By now, Fley's breathing has returned back to normal, no longer is it labored. "So many memories. I can't believe it's only been a few days - if that.". Then he turns to Irabeth, "It's our duty to serve this city. We're glad we can help in any way we can. We need to root out the evil and return Kenebres back to its citizens.".
At the 'shops,' Fley looks around. Something colorful out of the corner of his eye attracts his attention. He immediately walks over - a cloak of resistance. He tries it on and it feels right. The dark purple hues bring out the gnome's eyes. "What do you think? Looks good, eh?"
===========
Fley wanders in to the room to meet Commander Irabeth with the others. He's content - full of food and merriment. But then Irabeth starts talking. 'I'm out of my league here... but I need to stick with this. For Kenebres.'. His mood changes from contentment to focus. "Do you know anything about this Volesh or the objects she seeks to gain?"
Then Irabeth mentions inflitrating the Grey Garrison. Fley's ears perk up. 'That sounds something I can do. Maybe something I can excel at.'. Without looking at the others, Fley immediately agrees, "We'll inflitrate this Gray Garrison, locate the wardstone, and destroy it. We are weary though. Are we able to rest before we head out?"
Dadna nodded emphatically at Ian's proclamation. She thanked the Gods that they had put her on this path. This was a fight worth having, and she was honored to be part of it.
"Torag teaches the value of paying strong attention to your defenses. Even in this case, where we lead a counter-attack, resting before starting out may be wise. I think Fley is right.
While we could go tonight if needed, as Ian says, I would wait until morning if at all possible. I don't think we will find a safer place to rest than this - certainly it would be difficult to rest in the midst of fighting through the Grey Garrison.
Irabeth, do you think the reversal of the Wardstone is in a matter of hours or a matter of days?"
Ardriel frowns, listening to the explanation, then says, "Going in the morning would be best, I think - deprive the demons the advantage of the night. I also don't have the same ability to see in the dark as my Dwarven compatriots have. However, I have a more pressing question. I was but a 36 year old elfling when the Wardstones were created, but I remember hearing they were items of great power - such that creating them required the assistance of Iomedae's herald itself. How are we to destroy the Wardstone fragment?"
[dice=Lore: Worldwound: Who the heck is Areelu Vorlesh and why do I hate her so bad?]1d20+7
See the posts starting here for what you know.
Irabeth smiles and says "You are truly the heroes I thought you to be! Thank you. There is no need to attack tonight. There are preparations I must make to assist you getting to the Grey Garrison. The survivors here will stage attacks on Old Kenabres to draw the cultists away from the wall and allow you to get in undetected. We will also need time for our new allies, the First Descendants, to come up from Neathholm. I don't know that you will be able to accomplish this in one assault so I would plan for several. We will stage assults to coincide with your forays in. As for destroying the Wardstone I will let Quednys brief you on that."
Quednys steps forward and says "Thank you for taking this on. I have a rod of cancellation to destroy the Wardstone piece. I salvaged it from a ruined wizard's shop. With this item, you should be able to drain the last vestige of power from the fragment; in so doing, it will completely sever the wardstone’s connection to the remaining wardstone field. Doing so will rob Vorlesh of a crucial chink in the wardstone field’s armor and prevent her from using it against the crusaders unless the demons can manage to destroy another wardstone—something I don’t think is possible in the short term, for the Kenabres stone has suffered numerous attacks over the past several years that made this final destruction possible. Almost, as if the demons have been planning for this day from the start.”
Irabeth then says "We don't know precisely when Vorlesh will arrive so we need to start tomorrow as soon as you are ready. If you tell me when you want to enter I will let everyone know when to start their attacks. Are there any more questions?"
You have my thanks, mate. I'm glad it had been o'use tae' you. Torag shall bless both of our paths.
The stonelord swings the weapon briefly in the air before sheathing it. While he's currently using a weapon that favors more his cleaving style, he was still overjoyed to be wielding a true warhammer.
It sounds like a plan tae' me, and I'd say we depart on tha' first light. - says Donnen, under several layers of metal - Do we have a map of the Grey Garrison anywhere?
Ardriel takes the rod of cancellation, and then says, "I think Donnen's question is a good one. If we know the layout, we can plan our assault better."
"One last question. Other than the Storm King - who I gather has long since departed the battlefield - were there any enemy commanders of note? I am trying to think what we might face in the Grey Garrison. Any particular cultists or demons that you saw or have had reports of?"
Irabeth looks at Quednys for a moment and the kinda sheepishly says, "The Grey Garrison is.. or was a museum. To be honest I don't know the layout and no one has come forth with a map. Quednys?"
Quednys sighs and looks a little deflated, "I'm the librarian and I should know I suppose. I have visited, but it was long ago. I've had too much going on at Blackwing to keep me busy. It was a museum to the Crusade. I remember there are two full floors and a partial 3rd floor with only two rooms in it. There is only one door in or out." He then shrugs. "I'm sorry I don't have more for you."
Irabeth, looking a little more sure of herself says "Our intelligence doesn't tell us who is in charge in the city now. There are reports of many different demons left and conflicting reports on who might be in charge. Abrikandilus, dretches, glabrezus, schirs, quasits, vermleks. There are also many cultists left as well. I would think that the leader would be in the room with the Wardstone. If there are no more questions, I will see you in the morning."
Ardriel nods. "As chaotic as demons are by nature, it wouldn't surprise me to learn there are several different leaders, each claiming to be in charge, yet dispersed throughout the city. Whatever is in charge in the Grey Garrison will likely be the most powerful demon or cultist in the city - or at least the building."
Ian sits and thinks for a few minutes and sketches out a map of what he remembers about the Grey Garrison.
Good job, mate! - says Donnen, impressed with Ian's memory - 'Tis the best we will get, lads and lass. Get som' rest - I feel we should depart on first light tae' use as much of tha' day as possible.
Donnen himself will do some basic maintenance on his replaced equipment, cleaning up and reviewing it, before proceeding to his prayers for Torag and some rest.
Fley looks at the map. "Impressive Ian. Man of many talents I see.". The gnome yawns. "Dawn it is fellows. Let's sleep and head out at first light."
Dadna looked at the map, and then at Irabeth. "It seems to me, that having reinforcements would be of significant help here. If we look here, we come in and take the Foyer, then clear out the meeting hall immediately. If four to six knights could be spared, then they could follow us up. Two take post at the front door, and two take post facing the shrine. If any cultists try to flee from us, they will run into their blades. If reinforcements come, then the knights will keep us from being surrounded. And if we need to fall back and tend to our wounds, we could have a safe haven. Do ye think such a force could be spared?" Then, she looked at her companions. "Also, it seems wise to me to plan our attack out tonight. Know which rooms we will hit and in what order. So when we get into the thick and blood of it, we don't second guess ourselves in deciding what to do."
Irabeth thinks for a moment and replies to Dadna, "I don't think I could spare that many, or rather should. That number of knights is a team that I would use to pull the cultists out of the area so you could get to the Grey Garrison. One less team may make a difference between you getting there and not. If I can find someone for you I will let you know in the morning."
Leothar hangs back, happy to have someone else assume the responsibility for planning this sort of thing.
One thought does occur to him, however. "You raise a good point, Dadna. Even if we can't get knights to back us up, we can position ourselves to lure the cultists into ambushes. That might let us bring our numbers to bear and take them down faster, rather than us getting bottlenecked all trying to squeeze into a room.
Draw them out whenever we can.
This tight hallway going to the Aerie? I can easily see us getting in each other's way. That's going to be a tough room to tackle."
Ardriel looks over the map. "We could also get attacked from two sides once we get into the foyer, if there are foes in both the meeting room and the shrine, to say nothing of what could be in the foyer itself. A loud fight could draw foes from other rooms, as well, putting us in a long, drawn-out melee. I think when we enter, we need to look and see if there are foes in both the meeting room and the shrine once we enter. If the shrine is empty, one of us should keep watch in that direction for reinforcements while the others deal with any foes that may be in the meeting room. From there, we hit the museum, the temple, and the priest's chambers, clearing the first floor before trying to ascend the stairwell. Each room we strike, someone should keep an eye on the direction any possible reinforcements could be coming from."
Ardriel studies the hallway to the Aerie and says, "We could, but if whatever is in the Aerie is content to remain there and not come after us, we may have no choice. If that happens, we need to burst the door and get as many people into the room as possible to attack who or whatever is in there - that or find a way to trap it in there."
Fley remembers some of the tight corridors of the underground and flinches. 'Those weren't all that fun.'.
The others seem to discuss strategy. "Remember that we do have invisibility potions. We shouldn't be afraid to use them. Sometimes stealth is the best approach, especially since we do not know how many cultists are there or what pets they brought.". He takes a breath. "I'm not afraid of going ahead to scout too. I can be quiet as a mouse."
I will be taking point if 'ya don't mind, brother. - says Donnen to Leothar, shaking his head in agreement as a route is planned in top of the maps - But you stay as near as possible, by mah' side. Dadna can be a little behind with her long reach weapon.
His small eyes then turn towards Fley.
You're as brave as they come, lad. It'd be great to have your help scouting. But we need tae' stay close... We don't know what tools they have at their disposal to detect "meddling scouts". Just be careful, will 'ya? - and he smiles - Let's go with Ardriel's points on looking to see what's empty and what's not tae' position ourselves.
Leothar nods to Donnen. "Very well."
You sleep peacefully through the night and are awakened by a page well before dawn. Once you have prayed and prepared yourself you head down to the meeting room where you met the day before. The room is nearly full when you arrive. Irabeth and Anvenn are at the head of the table, Quednys is on her right and next to him is Aravashnial. Sitting next to him is Horgus. Lining the far wall are 6 mongrelmen. There are six chairs at the far end of the table with a warm breakfast waiting for you. Irabeth motions you to sit in those chairs.
"Good Morning!" she starts once you are seated. "As you can see it has been a busy night around here. Chief Sull has sent some of the First Descendants to assist us. These six here will accompany you to the Gray Garrison.". These mongrelmen are wearing masterwork chain shirts, and carrying a club and a masterwork longwbow.
Irabeth then nods to Quednys. He stands and says, "I must thank you for all you have done for Aravashnial and the survivors in my library. I have brought all of them to Defender's Heart for their safety. Aravashnial has a few words to say as well." Quednys then sits while Aravashnial stands unsteadily holing the furniture to steady himself. He then turns and talks to the corner of the room, not being able to see you still, "I thank you greatly for your assistance in getting to the Library. On our way where we stopped and checked out a cache I knew of to see if it was still safe. Here is what was in there." He uncovers a pile of items on the table and sits. You can see eight potions of cure serious wounds, four potions of lesser restoration, 10 +1 evil outsider bane arrows, a chime of opening, a cold iron warhammer, a cold iron dagger, a wand of magic missiles (CL 5th, 31 charges), and a wand of daylight (24 charges). Horgus then says "I have given some of my personal supplies to Defender's Heart to fight the demon's"
Irabeth then stands and says "Horgus is being modest but we will leave it at that. Everything is in place here and with Anvenn safe I feel I can leave here. I am volunteering to accompany you into the Gray Garrison. We can leave when you are ready."
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Dadna was armored once more, but not she was not the only paladin to be in full plate. When she had met the group they had seemed like a ragtag bunch, wearing a mixture of different kinds of armor, all of which was covered in...the remnants of a very hard day. That was probably the most charitable way to put it. But now? Looking at her companions she couldn't help but see them in a different light. Donnen and Leothar, with their traditional weapons and shields looked like they could not only hold a tunnel against a horde of orcs, but also like they could walk into a clan hall and demand respect. The Bolkite in her fluttered at the sight. They looked like the kind of dwarves whose clans could negotiate a substantial dowry! Her gaze shifted from them up to Ian and Ardriel, and she had to acknowledge that they seemed to her to be ideal members of their respective species. Ian looked like a knight who had walked out of a storybook's pages, what with his plate armor, sword and shield. And Ardriel...she could see now that his chain shirt was made from mithral! And with that bow, and raven; well, if someone had asked her to describe what an elf should look like she would have been hard pressed to describe anything but him. Unconsciously she took off a gauntlet and started trying to fix her hair, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by just how heroic everyone looked when they weren't covered in dirt, dust, mud and blood. And finally she saw Fley. With his leather armor he did not look as sturdy as Leothar or Donnen. With the daggers at his side, he did not look as knightly as Ian. And his shortbow certainly did not look as deadly as the composite longbow that hung off of Ardriel's back. But seeing him she could not help but see him as being the most heroic of them all. The sheer bravery of the gnome touched her, reminding her of what it really meant to be a paladin.
It was on this train of thought that Dadna saw the mongrelmen for the first time. She had, of course, heard about them. The description of the chain of events that had led the group up to the point in which they rescued her had been quite specific. But to actually see them was another thing! From (not quite) swooning over the heroic band that she had fallen into, to seeing ivory tusks, insect chitin, matted fur, scaly flesh, and more! All combined to form hideous humanoid shapes. It was a shock. Numbly the paladin sat down in one of the seats, so taken aback was she by their appearance. She did her best to act normal. Sweet Bolka. She thought. Only a Goddess could find them a wife. Immediately she felt bad for even thinking such a thing. She turned her attention to Irabeth.
"...we can leave when you are ready." Only to realize that she had missed the entirety of what was said. She hoped that the others had the presence of mind to have listened more carefully rather than being caught up in appearances.
Time to rest in a proper bed and acquire supplies had been good to them - they looked much better prepared to fight an army of demons and cultists than they had just the night before. Clad in full armor, with shields and weapons in hand, they were prepared and ready to fight.
A hot breakfast would do wonders for them as well, of course. Ardriel nodded in greeting to the six mongrelmen, Aravashnial, and Horgus, then sat down at the table to eat, passing bits of it to Yarnala, perched on his shoulder. He listened as the others spoke, and once Irabeth was finished, he said, "Thank you, Aravashnial and Horgus, for your assistance. I suspect we will need much of these during the battles to come. Irabeth, you are welcome to join us." Looking at the six mongrelmen, he says, "We are glad of the assistance of the First Descendants, as well. Together, we shall do what we can to ensure victory."
Leothar nods to the First Descendants. "I am glad you have come to support us in our hour of need. I know not what Neathholm might need from the world above, but if there is anything you require, we will try to provide it."
He calls to Aravashnial. "Not even the Storm King himself can stop you from aiding Kenabres. Your devotion is exemplary. I pray that the means to restore your sight shall be found."
He raises an eyebrow at Irabeth's comment about Horgus. Leothar is curious, but says nothing more than "Thank you, Horgus."
Leothar will take one of the Potions of Cure Serious Wounds if there are no objections.
Fley felt extremely rested after the night's sleep. His hair and mustache were frazzled as he hadn't had time to correct them yet. As the others don their armor, the gnome pours over any book that he can get his hands on - texts on demons, archaic languages, maps of the city. When the time comes for the meeting, Fley will brush his hair with his fingers and walk in, head held high.
'Has it only been a day? Or has it been two? Either way, it feels like a year ago that we started this journey.'. He listens to Irabeth explain the plan. With a salute, he greets the First Descendants. "It will be a pleasure working with you."
Then Horgus shows the goods he donated. Fley's eyes light up. With a swipe, he pockets the Chime of Opening, a potion of cure serious wounds, and a potion of lesser restoration.
Donnen greeted his companions, crusaders and mongrelmen with a smile. In such troubled times, it was truly a blessing to find themselves in the midst of allies; it was hard for him to avoid thinking about the lost lives, but at the same time the thought of correcting the wrongs was burning in his heart. Like Ian, the Dwarf also took one of the cure serious wounds potions.
He was completely covered in metal from the new plated armor. A heavy wooden shield was tied to his arm, and a couple beautifully crafted weapons rested sheathed. He felt things were somehow different as his call to better defend his allies was starting to take shape: it was quickly becoming evident that if he was able to be a guardian among them, he could trust they'd be harming any foes that crashed against his protections. As his own blood seemed to be slowly turning to stone, as his very skin was becoming harder and harder, his own resolve was also becoming sturdier and more committed.
If we're all ready to depart, lads and lasses, let's get on tha' road. - he speaks stoically, then tapping twice on his holy symbol - Torag guide our hammers.
You rise from the table and everyone else does and waits for you to exit. They follow you out and you see everyone not on duty has formed a corridor for you. You pause and find the boyer and ask for the arrows and he runs off. As you walk the gauntlet there are too many back slaps and "Good Luck!" for you to count. As you reach the exit the boyer shows up and hands the arrows to Ardriel.
You then march out followed by Irabeth and the First Descendants. Their leader speaks as you march off "What do you want us to do? These cold iron arrows will help greatly against the demons. We are all skilled archers. Just let us know what you need us to do."
Irabeth then speaks up and says "I too am at your disposal. I will take whatever position in the group you need me too."
You give your commands and march through the ruined city. You can see fat buzzards circling over many spots in the city. As you approach the wall to Old Kenabres you find a hole in the wall that isn't guarded and slip in. You hear fighting off in the distance in many directions making it easy to miss any patrols in here.
A large stretch of buckled ground and rubble stretches before the Gray Garrison, an aptly named structure that squats across from the open ground that once stood before the Cathedral of Saint Clydwell. That cathedral is no more—nothing remains but a towering mound of rubble and a deep, jagged rift in the ground. Two hideously obese, naked men armed with scythes guard the Gray Garrison’s entrance.
Ardriel says to the mongrelmen, "If there are guards on our approach to the Grey Garrison, we can work together to focus our fire on them, and perhaps take them down from a distance. Once we reach the garrison, the space will be tight, so we may have you act as a rear guard while we go further in."
The journey through Kenabres is thankfully quiet, without issue, and they approach the Grey Garrison successfully.
Ardriel spies the two obese, naked men guarding the entrance. Squinting, his jaw drops and he blurts out, "One of them is a bloated version of Lord Hulrun - Kenabres's leader! What could the demons have done to his corpse after killing him!?"
On the way over, Dadna fell in beside Irabeth. ”Glad to have ye here. When we do this, I think it’d be best if ye watched over these, ehm, archers. If other crusaders see them it may go south as word of their loyalty won’t have spread. Yer authority would keep them same. And if something that requires a paladin’s blade comes along it’d be right good. Finally, if we fail, ye can lead them in to finish the job. Sound good?”
A good point, mates. - Donnen agrees with Dadna and Ian - Irabeth, your presence with the First Descendants might mean they're not mistakenly attacked by other crusaders and survivors 'round.
He then turns to the leader of the First Descendants.
It's a pleasure to have 'ya with us, lad. Please work with Irabeth, as 'tis will be also a matter of safety. If you surround tha' building, like Ian said, you'll be able to help us flank it in case any demons try tae' escape. I'm sure your arrows will find deserving targets.
He finally knees down Ardriel, as the elf explains what he saw.
Hm... Whatever happened, this isn't Hulrun anymore. - he speaks, then turns to the group, pulling his double waraxe out and smiling from under the plated helmet - 'Ay guess we shouldn't le'em wait, huh? It'd be rude in our part!
He stands up, ready to move towards the guards - but will hold in case any of his companions has any immediate objections.