Zed's face twitches. His arm lashes out like a snake, grabbing the possessed woman and lifting her clear off the ground. He seethes in her face. "You are surrounded and bound by holy warriors, your demise is certain. If you were smart, you would flee now, before we invoke the magic to tear apart your essence."
Zephra cocks her head, looking curiously at the possessed woman, as she activates a wand on herself. "May I?" she asks, then extending her hand to touch the woman.
Sola very subtly gives Gaelan a sidelong glance when he seems to jumps to an ungenerous conclusion, but says nothing about the matter. Instead, she nods politely to each of the knights as their names are given and then replies, ”As I said while approaching, I am Dame Solaris. The woman examining the crone is Sister Zephra and this is Aja. Are you on some kind of patrol out here or are you working towards some specific end?”
"This poor woman, Lacramoria. Can anyone cast the creature from her?" Gaelan looks at Sister Zephra and Aja to see if they can cast Dismissal or Dispel Evil.
"Lacramoria" laughs at Zed and in a sinister voice, speaks, "I am enjoying this vessel too much for now. Maybe one day you will rue your words undead scion." More laughter erupts from the woman.
Bump.
"An unintelligent spirit, at least we have that going for us. I have no other means of forcing the creature out, does anybody else?"
Zephra shrugs. "I can't tell anything about the possessing creature." To the knights, she says: "Do you need backup on your journey? If not, uh, I wish you safe travels and a successful exorcism at the end of them."
"I'm sorry. Exorcism is for higher education at the temple. I dropped out much earlier. And we didn't pack a scroll either. In other words. Good luck on your journey."
Aja was clearly sympathetic and a little angry with herself.
Zephra stops them after conferring with her allies. ”Wait, there might still be something I can do,” she says. While others keep the possessed woman busy, Zephra prays for guidance and prepares owl's wisdom, sure casting and dismissal. Then when everyone is ready she casts them.
Sister Zephra holds onto her divine focus and begins to intone divine magic, moving her hands over the possessed and manacled Varisian. The demon immediately recognizes the spell being cast and screams, ”NOOOOOO! STOP!!! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!” The possessed woman struggles against the manacles with all of her might, trying to burst her bonds and tear at the warpriestess with an evil sneer across her face. Her body begins to levitate off the ground as the party members hold her down and when Sister Zephra finishes her incantation, you all hear a wicked unearthly scream, ”VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!” and thereafter Lacramoria’s body collapses on the ground. A few seconds passes before she opens her eyes, all signs of possession gone. She begins to weep in gratitude and hugs Sister Zephra tightly, constantly thanking her over and over for her benevolent act.
"Good job. I guess you made a new enemy." Aja says laughing.
Zephra awkwardly pats Lacramoria and looks to the others uncomfortably. "That's... that's all right, that's..." She licks her lips. "Can you, uh, tell us anything about the creature that was inside you? Was it a follower of the Whispering Way, maybe?" Part of her is slightly worried that she has upset the delicate balance between good and evil for personal reasons, rather than following the aims of her goddess.
Zed's approval of their newcomer rises quickly at the successful exorcism. As the evil entity cries out in anger, Zed for the briefest moment has something that approaches a smirk on his face. "Warned you."
With that handled, Zed fades into the background and allows the others to finish negotiations. He's sure they can handle it. Meanwhile he keeps watch.
"Nicely done, Sister." Gaelan pats the warpriestess on her back as he hurries to pick up a blanket from the paladins' camp and cover the naked Lacramoria. "There, there, Lacramoria, let her go. The evil has passed. We wouldn't want you to freeze in this cold. Let the nice Sister go."
If she lets the warpriestess go, Gaelan will cover her with the blanket and feed her some rations. "I think the exorcism was successful, brother paladins. You heard the demon's voice leave her body. We should release her from the manacles immediately."
'
Sola watches with great interest as their newest companion works her magic. Clearly impressed with the outcome, she places a hand on the warpriest's shoulder and offers, "well done, Sister, your goddess has smiled on us in this dark place. Thank you."
Turning back to the not very responsive knights she asks, "have you searched the wagons at all? Maybe there's some clothes in one of them that we could give this woman?"
Sir Garvis answers you, "We are out on patrol when we passed through the nearby village of Witherleaf and saw the possessed woman being held in a cage by the villagers. We took possession of her, despite the pleas of her family, and were heading back to Vigil when we ran into you all, bless Iomedae."
Miras speaks, "Quite impressive, Sister. Though we revere different deities, we are in awe of Pharasma's skill today." The paladins detect evil on the fortune-teller and sensing no more evil, quickly move to unlock her from the manacles. She then hugs Sister Zephra tightly until thanks to the elf's tender words, she releases her and lets Gaelan wrap the blanket around her as it is quite chilly.
Anca, the female paladin, who has been silent till now, has a smile on her face upon seeing the resolution of the matter. She looks at Solanis and answers, "I have a few extra sets of clothes in my pack. I will bring her some clothes to wear." She turns in military fashion and searches through her backpack for some clothes, which she brings to the fortune teller. Lacramoria quickly puts them on.
As Lacramoria eats voraciously the breakfast provided by the paladins, she begins to relate to you her tale. "What I am about to tell you is somewhat shameful, but I did it only out of necessity. I was a simple villager...wait, my family, are they safe?! Please tell me nothing happened to them while I've been caged. By the gods, we must head to Witherleaf immediately. Please, please I beg you, accompany me." The fortune teller is nearly hysterical, as she struggles to stand, ready to rush off, tears in her eyes.
"Please," Sola says calmly as she places a hand gently on the woman to still her, "you are not yet ready to rush off... you must eat and recover some strength or you may not make the journey back. So eat, and as you do you can tell us what happened and why you will need our help immediately in Witherleaf."
Solanis calms down Lacrimoria a little, but she retorts, "Lassie, my family is in trouble, trust me! I got enough strength when it comes to their safety. I can tell ya the story on the way but we gots to move now!"
Sir Garvis looks at his fellow soldiers, "Go on ahead, it seems like that lady has some real emergency. Let us pick up our things here and we will catch up. We just came from that village so I don't see the rush."
When you're some distance from the paladins walking with the fortune-teller, she speaks quickly, "Glad to be away those righteous asses!" She looks at Gaelan and Aja and realizes her slip up. "Look, no offense, but I understand that I was possessed and all, but for those bastards to take me away from my village, despite my family's cries and pleading! That was heartless in my opinion. They were just blinded by their black and white view of the world. The world is not like that...it's gray most of the time. Anyway, I was the only one protecting my people and family. You see, this region has long been menaced by the Deathbringer, at least that's everyone calls it...a skeletal red dragon! I realized the danger my people were in and call me stupid, but I made a pact with some dark powers through my tarot cards in order to be possessed so I could channel the demon's power to drive off the dragon. And it was working for awhile! The demon in me managed to drive off the dragon one time. But now I fear the worst...what if the dragon returned when I was locked up away from my people??! My family?!" Tears roll down her cheeks, as she wipes them away and continues walking toward the village. "Look, judge me all you want, but I was keepin' my family alive and that's all that matters in my book!"
Sola looks questioningly at Gaelan for a brief moment.
I suspect we may need to revisit that confession after this is all over, but for now perhaps it will be better to focus on the Deathbringer first and this woman's transgression afterwards... unless Gaelan feels this must be handled immediately...
"Lead on quickly," she encourages the woman, "if this 'Deathbringer' has returned we will put it to rest."
"If there is an evil dragon we shall add it to the list of dead we make on our way. Lead on."
Zephra purses her lips, not liking that the woman is using their generous assistance to impose upon them the responsibility to give more help. She shakes her head to herself and sighs, her thoughts dwelling on her fears. This sort of thing is why the Lady remains neutral in these sorts of conflicts, I think. Perhaps the dragon is somehow associated with the followers of Tar-Baphon, which would justify this side-job. But Iomedae's chosen will insist if I object, and so I must go along with it.
With Solanis' magic increasing the party's movement rate, you reach the village after a 20 minute walk. Unfortunately, you find the blackened remains of an old village flanked by large earthen mounds. Many of these barrows have been excavated or have collapsed, and the once-sealed entrances of several of these tombs have been sundered open. Smoke still rises from the charred remnants of almost two dozen Varisian wagons scattered haphazardly among the mounds.
Upon coming to the realization of the fate of her village, the Varisian fortune teller falls to her knees in tears.
Sister Zephra feels awkward about the fortune teller's misfortune, and to distract herself she looks about the wreckage, searching for clues to confirm what happened.
I hate to be callous at a moment like this but inviting in one evil in the hopes of staving off another was never going to have a happy ending... if only she had contacted the church instead, or the Knights of Ozem... surely someone would have been concerned enough to come look into an undead dragon... now that we’re here, we should probably look into it, although we can’t afford to spend a great deal of time hunting for it...
”I’m sorry for your loss,” Sola says to the fortune teller with some authentic sympathy. Turning to her companions she states more matter of factly, ”we can’t afford a lengthy delay, obviously, but if there truly is an undead dragon nearby we should destroy it. Aja, why don’t you fly up with me and we’ll see if there are any signs of its lair. Zephra, Gaelan, please see what clues you can find on the ground.”
Flying upward, the knight surveys the surrounding area for any sign of a lair.
"A true tragedy. If only we had come here faster." Aja stands over the charred remains and sends prayer to each one of them.
She moves to the lady and takes her in her arms.
"Do you have anywhere to go, where you will be save?"
"Zed, take this." He hands him the Staff of Souls, they were presented by Edjureus.
"Why don't you ask one of the deceased, if they saw the direction the dragon came from or went afterwards."
Before: Gaelan gives Dame a look that we will deal with Lacrimonia's confession later, after the crisis has passed.
A little before: "Skeletal dragon? Hmmmm..."
Now: The paladin tries to console the fortune teller, who just lost her family.
Sister Zephra and Zed together piece out the remnants of the battle.
Gaelan's research into the undead once led him to the subject of Raveners. Most evil dragons spend their lifetimes coveting and amassing wealth, but when the end draws near, some come to realize that all the wealth in the world cannot forestall death. Faced with this truth, most dragons vent their frustration on the countryside, ravaging the world before their passing. Yet some seek a greater solution to the problem and decide instead to linger on, hoarding life as they once hoarded gold. These foul wyrms attract the attention of dark powers, and through the blackest of necromantic rituals are transformed into undead dragons known as Raveners. Their breath weapon is filled with negative energy and drains the life from its victims. Furthermore, it is said that if you die in the presence of a Ravener, it will devour your soul.
As Zed is piecing the scene out among the charred wagons, he suddenly sees a horrifying sharp fanged crone surrounded by 2 green specters of young women come into view on the top of the one of the barrows, about 40' from the party! They look like they have evil intentions toward the party and are shocked when Zed sees them. However, as he looks back at the party, he sees their surprised looks as they see no threats!
Zed recognizes the specters as witchfires, incorporeal undead, who can turn invisible at will and shoot flame bolts. He recognizes the fanged crone as a Night Hag, an evil outsider, who can also turn invisible at will and has resistance to weapons that are not made of cold iron and magical and is immune to charm, cold, fear, fire, and sleep.
Sister Zephra sighs with relief when Zed spots their invisible attackers and identifies two of them as undead. A sign from the Lady of Graves, perhaps? Thank you, Pharasma, for giving me clear direction in this unhallowed place, she thinks.
She chants words of praise to Pharasma while making magical gestures and casts invisibility purge. Now able to see the enemy within the 60' sphere of invisibility cancellation, she moves quickly toward them, filled with religious fervor, and throws one of her daggers at the closest specter.
The dagger bounces back to her hand afterward.
"Witchfires. Incorporeal undead, can turn invisible, shoots flames. A Night Hag, an evil outsider, can turn invisible, need magical cold iron to hurt it. Immune to charm, cold, fear, fire, and sleep." Zed quickly communicates. "Gaelan, here." He passes a hand over Gaelan's elven curve blade, hovering above it and rattling it back and forth. The weapon glows with an eerie grey light. "That will strike the Witchfires with full force now."
Aja was just about to fly off, after talking with the crying lady, when Zed shouted. "Good Job, Sister!" Aja acknowledges the warpriest's invivibility purge.
Aja moves 20 feet upwards to be level with the enemies and from each of her hands a ray of searing sunlight shoots towards the witchfires.
x1.5 = 87
x1.5 = 94
Sola glides back down to bring her companions into the range of her abilities and begins to recite one of the more popular sections of Moreau's epic 'Conquest of the Knights of Ozem'.
[dice=Touch attack vs. witchfire 1]1d20+10
[dice=damage]13d6+13 x1.5 = 87
[dice=Touch attack vs. witchfire 2]1d20+10
[dice=damage]13d6+13 x1.5 = 94
Let's say 25'.
"Undead dragon...true abomination! We must end its existence if it is within our possibility." Gaelan rattles off his knowledge of them to the party. "We will avenge your family, Lacrimoria. I swear it!"
When Zed alerts him to the attack, the first thing the paladin considers is the crone's frailty and her susceptibility to getting killed by a fireball or other area effect spell. "It's dangerous out here for you, Lacrimoria. Hide in this barrow...your life depends on it! Do not come out until I come for you!"
As Sola's story rings out, she concentrates on their enemies for a moment and a burst of twinkling motes surrounds them.
Round 1:
The Night Hag curses at Zed as he removes their invisibility.
She casts Magic Missile at him, sending 4 energy missiles at him doing: damage.
"I hate ghosts!" Aja shouts, while moving a few feet back. Then she casts two more rays of bright light.
x1.5 = 96
Sister Zephra activates her sacred weapons and throws both daggers at her enemies!
Sola flies forward and levels her longspear at the night hag, trusting that Gaelan will be charging in behind her.
Seeing the others have the situation well in hand, Zed charges in to deliver a blow, not bothering to spend any additional resources on it.
He lands a well-aimed, if not particular strong blow.
Now that the crone is safe, Gaelan engages the battle. The elf double moves into melee range, but is sure that the party will kill the last enemy before he even swings.
Surrounded and wounded, the night hag tries to flee now that her coven has been destroyed, but the party strikes her down.
After combat, Lacramoria comes out of the barrow when it is safe. She directs her comments to the party, though she focuses mainly on the elf who has been so attentive to her. "Thank you for saving my life, yet again. These lands are plagued with such evil. My life here is over. I will mourn my lost family in due time. But my saviors require a gift." She pauses as if trying to remember, then walks to a specific location, and begins digging in the dirt with her hands.
As she digs, the four knights from Lastwall arrive at the burned village. Sir Garvis views the scene and sees the dead hag's body. "Looks like we missed the fight. Miras, Filip, and Anca, tend to their wounds. It's the least we can do for our travelers." Your wounds, if any, are healed by the paladins.
In the meantime, the fortune teller digs up a sack from the ground and retrieves a rusted pitted gauntlet. She approaches the party. "It is clear that you are not knights on patrol. Your sense of purpose tells me that you seek to rid this evil from this land and thus, seek its source. You are traveling through dimensions to reach your goal." She cocks her head and signals in the direction of the witchgate. "Deadly bars of iron and piercing shrieks await, striking cold the hearts of men. I believe this may help. I found it one day in the fields and felt it like it had a grander purpose so I hid it until the time was right. The time is now. Thank you all again." She hands Gaelan the gauntlet and upon touching it, he knows instantly it is a Gauntlet of Rust. Lacramoria tries to muster a smile but cannot. With that she signals the knights, "If possible, I would love an escort to Vigil. There is nothing left for me here now."
Sir Garvis looks to the party to see if they agree. If there are no objections, the Knights of Ozem vow to protect Lacramoria.
"A word in private, Sir Garvis?" Sola asks as she lands next to her fellow knight and begins walking away from the others.
She lowers her voice to a whisper and informs him, "This woman, Lacramoria, she admitted to us that she wasn't possessed against her will but allowed the demon to take her in the hopes of gaining enough power to protect this village from an undead dragon. Clearly she failed. We'll take a quick look around for the vile creature before we leave but our quest is urgent and we cannot afford to linger too long. So, knight to knight, I entrust the woman to your care, and leave it to your discretion how best to handle her transgression, and I would ask that you report to your superiors about the dragon. If we find it, we'll send word to you that it has been destroyed; otherwise, please try to see to it that your order deals with it."