"Sacrfice? As in leaving a nice plump dead foreigner carcass out in the open for the dragon to smell miles away? Are you asking for the winged frost breath... they do breath frost, right? okay... FROST breath HORROR to come feast on your door---um... tent-flap-step?" Sylyn is obviously not awesome at the in front of people speeches but she makes up for it with wide hand gestures and being LOUD.
Plus her lovely assistant Ahreni is there to Ooo and Ahhh at the right times, and to look pretty.
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Kitasai slowly leans towards Sylyn and whispers in her ear "Unless they are fools, we are doomed."
Relisha draws her blade and strikes her shield with it a few times. "I stand in guardianship over the rightful empress of Minkai," she declares. "We will commit to assisting you in defeating this white terror that plagues you, but if you attempt to bring harm to us or our charge, you will face the wrath of Sarenrae's chosen"
Her swords bursts into flames.
"And you will fall."
"Err... Flying Kit. Right." Flori says, rather perturbed by the idea. She pulls out her spellbook and sets to work, checking if she can actually do that. By the time it turns out that she can everything has moved on and it's all doom and gloom again.
Relisha does a very good job of being intimidating though so Flori settles for a minor cantrip, just to give her an extra flickering aura of general scariness.
Tunuak counters your arguments, appealing to the villagers by virtue of his being a respected local. While Relisha's icy fury gives the shaman pause, he prevents Sylyn and Ahreni from getting much sway.
The people of Iqaliat give you icy glares as they demand you leave the village at once. Tunuak smirks with satisfaction as he steps back into the crowd.
"I must defer to the will of our people," Hearthmistress Sonuvat says with a shake of her head. "But if you can defeat the dragon, then I am certain they will change their minds about assisting you."
While unable to pinpoint the reason exactly, Tunuak's actions raise the tiefling's suspicions and she focuses some of her newfound ability to read auras on the man.
Relisha detects a moderate evil aura around Tunuak.
A master of reading people, Kitasai studies Tunuak for sincerity.
Deciding he is truthful and a standup guy, he concludes [smaller]”Yes. We have a plan and will defeat this evil dragon.”[/smaller
"I don't like that guy, he seems like he is hiding something." she whispers to the others, nodding to the shaman.
"Tell me Tunuak!" Ahreni calls, trusting Sylyn's gut and Relisha's sight. "Whay are you so keen to appease the dragon? Your best chance of ending its reign comes and all you do is try to send them away again? These are not the actions of a man who cares for his people. A leader who cares takes a risk for the good of his flock, rather than cowering in the snow until they all starve in the ice!"
She turns to the rest of the group.
"Heed not the shaman who screams 'foreigner'. He has not your interests at heart. Battle and bloodshed are now the solution. Don't let him lead you astray. This elder does not speak for me! He's playing a dangerous game. The dragon will show you no mercy. For shame! For shame!"
Tunuak contemptuously turns his back on Ahreni as she appeals to the Erutaki villagers. Her words, delivered with passion and a catchy rhyme scheme, seem to resonate with them, and their calls for you to leave soon become murmurs of discontent.
"I agree that the shaman is acting strangely," Hearthmistress Sonuvat says. "I will accompany you to Tunuak's tower to demand that he explain himself further."
When you arrive at the tower, though, you discover that Tunuak did not return there. However, the shaman’s apprentice, Gluktok, informs you that Tunuak has been spending much time among the wind altars lately, though the last time Gluktok went to the cliff top in search of his master, Tunuak was not there, even though Gluktok had seen him enter the tunnel.
Exploring the tunnel that leads to the clifftop, you discover a secret door along its length! Sylyn notices the door is trapped, though, tied to a floor-pivot mechanism that would drop anybody opening it if not deactivated first!
The archer whistles as she studies the trap. "This one is a nasty one. You stand here, the floor opens, then SWOOSH, you go down. Simple, yes, but still nasty. Wonder what is down there. Rustly blood encrusted spikes? Thousands of bity spiders, maybe..." Sylyn rattles off more options as she works to disable the trap.
"How about we try to avoid finding out?" Ahreni suggests, giving Sylyn plenty of room to work. Once the ifrit is done she closes in, having drawn her glaive in preparation.
"Kitasai, do you wish to go first? I suspect we will be cramped here so I will be at a disadvantage."
She also looks to Flori to provide mage armor for both herself and His-Scowlingness.
His Scowlingness nods and agrees "I will go." and leads the way.
Relisha pales at the mention of 'thousands of bity spiders', but doesn't say anything. She does, however, reach out with her healing abilities to link up with her companions.
Past the trapped outer entrance, a narrow tunnel slopes upward 100 feet to the west and south before ending at a blank wall that contains another secret door. The inner door grants ingress into a wide irregular pit in the upper cliffs, open to the sky above through a crack in the ice, with a ramp circling its way down to a slushy basin 60 feet below. The path is narrow and slick with ice.
Sylyn notices several creatures lurking in rocky niches above the ramp. They are gaunt humanoids dressed in tattered rags. Their skin is pale gray and their eyes are milky white, and ice crystals have formed on various parts of their bodies. They seem to be waiting for you to venture onto the ramp...
"What are they?" Sylyn asks someone smarter, which is most people so it is an open question.
"It doesn't matter especially." Ahreni replies grimly. "I think Tunuak is a lot more than he seems. We should hold our ground here where we have good footing and shot them until they advance. Would you do the honours Sylyn?"
She readies herself to strike the first monster that comes within reach.
As Sylyn aims her bow, the creatures snarl and begin scrambling down the rocky walls to get to you!
"okay, no talking then. They do seem a bit sad... OH!" the snarling scrambling rush toward them makes her let the arrows FLY!
"No talk. My favorite." repeats, moving to attempt and smash the creature.
Sylyn shoots one of the creatures twice, causing it to fall to the ground as its icy body melts away. The other three rush forward, dodging Ahreni's glaive and Kitasai's fists.
The creatures claw at the monk to no avail!
"Whoa! They got here quick didn't they?!?" the archer exclaims as she steps back a step and fires two more flaming arrows at the closest.
Relisha slashes at the nearest creature with her flaming katana.
Ahreni 60/60
Relisha 73/73
Flori 35/35
Kitasai 58/58
Sylyn 58/58
Flori spends a moment wishing she didn't find evocation spells so difficult, the image of a large fireball erupting amongst all the ice creatures is extremely satisfying, but she has to content herself with a minor conjuration instead.
Now that Ahreni is in place, Kitasai begins his full assault routine.
Ahreni waits for it, and waits for it... and then strikes with brutal perfection.
Ahreni annihilates the first foe with a perfect slice, then chops deeply into the next one with her glaive. Relisha finishes it off with a slice from Suishen. Sylyn shoots the final foe with a flaming arrow, then Kitasai pummels it until it crumbles into icy chunks!
With the undead dispatched, you carefully make your way down the icy ramp. Dimly lit by daylight from the crack in the ceiling high above, the slushy basin at the bottom of the ramp is filled with hundreds of bones, all marked with a curious rune like a frost-rimed, three-fingered skeletal hand. To the south, dozens of skulls have been piled into a crude altar. Painted along the icy walls of the pit are Erutaki pictograms, scattered among many more of the strange runes.
The old shaman, Tunuak, waits for you at in front of the altar. A barrier of howling winds swirls about him, providing him with protection. "You cannot save the people of Iqaliat!" he shouts. "It took all of my power to keep the village safe and secure, and for what? I am a joke to them! They call me old and infirm! No longer worthy to serve as shaman! But my people's traditions will not let me retire, so I am doomed to bear the burden of their scorn until I die!
"Well, I choose a different path! If the wind spirits I have served will not help me, then perhaps a different master will! The dragon Vegsundvaag will devour the villagers! It is a doom they have brought on themselves! And their deaths will serve as a grand sacrifice to herald the great Sithhud's return!
"Perhaps if they had treated me better, I would have been merciful, but cold bitterness they gave, and so they will receive! I will sit at the right hand of my new god, and you will die here in this cave!"
Tunuak lifts off the ground on wings of air as he gathers magic in his hands!
"Flying Kit!" Ahreni calls, sprinting forwards. She leaps onto the piled skulls of the altar and pushes off, spinning around in the air with her silver glaive swirling through the snow like a streak of light.
"He wants to sacrifice the entire town cause they weren't NICE to him??" the firey archer exclaims in disdainful surprise. "What is wrong with people?" her arrow ignites and streaks toward shaman. The second arrow has distraction making it wobble as her eyes take in Ahreni as she stretches to attack.
Looking back at Flori Kitsai and says "Ready." as he awaits his magical transformation into Flying Kit.
The winds surrounding Tunuak deflect Sylyn's arrows, but Ahreni scores a hit as she leaps up to slice at him with her glaive. Tunuak hisses in pain before he flickers and disappears from sight, turning invisible!
"Flying Kit. Right." Flori mutters before intoning the words for her spell and slapping a hand on Kit's shoulder.
"I hope this works." She mutters and then has to stifle a laugh as Kitasai rises into the air, propelled by small, bright pink wings now protruding from his ankles...
"Now what?!?" Sylyn shouts, holding her bow string taunt, waiting for the Tool to appear again.
"We wait." Ahreni replies, crouched on the cave floor. "Make sure you block the exit." She takes a long, slow breath and lets the distractions of the world fade and her senses sharpen.
"wwHhoooa" Kitasai groans, his body a little unsteady on his new "feet". It takes a few seconds, but gets the hang of it, the wobbling around slowly diminishing.
All business now, he steadies himself and prepares to throw a punch or kick or flying assault something as soon their foe reappears.
Relisha takes a firmer grip on her katana and with a prayer and hand gesture, summons another blade formed of divine energy.
Ahreni 60/60
Relisha 73/73
Flori 35/35
Kitasai 58/58
Sylyn 58/58
Though Tunuak remains invisible, you can hear him chanting somewhere nearby. Black, greasy energy washes over all of you, wounding you and threatening to make you sick!
"Gah!" flying, sick, Kit gasps, clutching his stomach and nearly vomiting on top of Flori.
Kit turns in circles, searching. "Where is it? I see nothing. Can someone make it appear?"
"Find him, Ahreni," Relisha says with a groan as the force of all the negative energy hits her hard. She grasps at her holy symbol in an attempt to counter some of the harm.
Ahreni 60/60 or 58/60
Relisha 53/73
Flori 35/35 or 33/35
Kitasai 58/58 or 56/58
Sylyn 58/58 or 56/58
Although being looked to as the solver of problems is gratifying Ahreni takes a few long moments to regain control of her stomach before she can start focusing properly.
"He's like the anti-Relisha" Sylyn moans in distress as the sickening unholiness settles into her stomach.
Ahreni wanders about but still cannot sense Tunuak. He must be flying out of range. Fortunately, Flori is able to fill the air with a burst of glitterdust, outlining the shaman before he gets his next spell off!
"That's pretty!" she compliments her friend on the stunning array of glittery colors now coating the turd bucket of a man, before sending two flaming arrows into his flesh.
"Revealed, you have been!" Kitsai says once he's able to locate Tunuak the Glittery. As he flies forward towards him, he builds up momentum and throws a powerful punch!
The winds whipping around Tunuak deflect Sylyn's arrows, but Kitasai lands a solid punch! The old shaman resists being stunned, however. He flies back a few feet and casts a spell, conjuring a spiritual ally made of force! The demonic-looking creature slashes at Kit with its claws, but the mage armor keeps Kit safe!
Emboldened by the miss of his foe, Flying Kit unleashes two punches and a kick at Tunuak!
"HRMMM!" Sylyn sound swears as yet another arrow is deflected by the shaman's winds. Holding her bow to her side, she concentrates on her hand alone and lets a small ball of fire appear just above her palm. A smile appears on her lips, then she rears back and flings it at the flying sack.
"Oh!" she exclaims as the fire almost hits Kit. "SORRY. Maybe I need a little more practice with that thing."
Seeing the others in distress from whatever evil force the shaman has unleashed, Relisha sets about setting it right - starting with Sylyn.
Meanwhile, her summoned katana joins Kit in his assault on the flying figure.
Ahreni 58/60
Relisha 53/73
Flori 35/35 or 33/35
Kitasai 56/58
Sylyn 56/58
With their foe visible once more Ahreni leaps up the side of the cave for a push off!
"We will free the village of your malice!"