"Humanoid goat-ish thing, with lots of fire around it. About the size of a gnome, I think?"
"That does sound like a brimorak — an arsonist demon. Avral's writes that they use fire as a weapon, in a variety of unpleasant ways: sprays of boiling blood, fireballs, heating metal to red-hot. Also, they are surrounded by a choking smoke at all times, and are vulnerable to the cold, although I don't know if that overrides a demon's normal resistance to it. I agree with you, Elliot; protecting our front line from fire would be wise here. But not right now: let's wait until we are almost in sight of their camp, then gather on me. I need you to be within touching distance to transfer the resistance to you when I finish casting the spell."
At five minutes out, she swaps scales with Merixia briefly and turns again into the little silvery-white kobold form she wore for the Gray Garrison. Then she does the same with Elliot to invoke the scale of levitation. Mouse casts one eye backward as the magic of the cold roiling cloud touches her flanks, the little mare's skin twitching all over; but Verene pats her neck and speaks to her a calm voice, and she soon settles.
At Anevia's best guess of one or two minutes from sight of the camp, Verene reins up, slides off Mouse's back, and waits just long enough for the red-gold energy of Merixia's blessing to infuse everyone and for the front-line fighters to gather around. Her eyes glow stark white as she weaves a complex symbol with one precise continuous gesture, chanting. Shimmering heat waves like the air above a hot forge, touched with flickers of orange light, gather above her small white-scaled hand as it sketches the sign, and at the end of the sentence she swiftly brushes her newly clawed fingers over every outstretched hand and arm around her, until the last of it dissipates with a little burning-log pop. She mounts up again and continues with the others, casting two more personal spells on the way, one of which has no visible effect and one of which splits her form into six identical copies of herself.
She glances between between Thesius and Azira, the only two remaining of their group who have no aerial capability. She only has one fly spell prepared. Azira is the obvious choice, since she will doubtless want to keep up with Elliot and throw herself at the strongest enemies as fast as possible. If she is land-bound, that will be harder. She rides up beside the paladin and says conversationally, "So, Azira. Would you like to learn to fly?"
Only at the very last, when the demon encampment is actually in sight, does she pull the shielding wand from her bandolier, use it, and replace it in her bandolier again.
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Once they stop for spells, Merixia dismounts and begins casting alongside Verene. First, she invokes Ragathiel's blessing on the group. Next is her spell of strength; it won't be as effective given the magic of her belt, but still enough to be worth casting. Protection from evil is a no-brainer given the presence of a demon.
Finally, the spell she's been wanting to cast ever since Father Darian demonstrated it for her. Merixia chants the unfamiliar words, feeling a sense of lightness as flames ignite and spread on her back. With the final word, the fire erupts and divides into five enormous wings of flame, her new wingspan at least ten feet from wingtip to fiery wingtip. Flame the horse snorts and tosses his head, but relaxes as Merixia moves away from him.
"Haha! I've been wanting an excuse to try this one for ages!" The cleric laughs and leaps into the air with a beat of her flaming wings, circling the group as she gets a feel for flying. Sure enough, she isn't quite as fast as Elliot, but close.
Now nobody can doubt which deity she serves.
Thesius rides forward with the others and dismounts when they do. Taking the opportunity to cast heroism and heightened senses upon himself while the others buff themselves as well.
Once done, he moves forward with the party and starts to realize each has found new ways to move. He makes a mental note of that as he does not wish to slow the party down in the future.
The brimorak is first to notice the champions as they approach. With a shout in Abyssal, she points her blade at them.
Feeling himself speed up the way it had only once before and with all of his defensive spells in place, Elliot wastes no time, and immediately flies to the rear end of the brimoark to attack, floating slightly above the ground as he struck from above. He imagined the same movements that channeled so much power into Righteous Eclipse previously and feels his weapon become devastating to evil outsiders just as he strikes in tandem with his cold spell!
Fatigued: -2 str/dex until nonlethal damage is removed. Does not stack with itself to exhausted in the case of frostbite.
Entangled: "The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell."
Shaken: A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Shaken is a less severe state of fear than frightened or panicked.
Making use of the element of surprise to the best of his ability, Elliot swiftly flies in to try and land one hit before the fight began in earnest...
Verene, in the form of a small lizard-person in sash-bound monk robes, bounds forward and to the side with clouds lifting her clawed feet, so that she can see the opponents and their positions better. The pink crystal spins lazily past her white-glowing eyes as she takes out a wax-bound drop of dark fluid, chants a long complete sentence, and with a gesture like pulling taffy takes control of the flow of time for the demon and its allies.
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Verene conjures a spell, hurling it at the commander and her bodyguard. The brimorak's eyes flare and a magical wave erupts from it in turn. Unfortunately for her, Verene's power easily overwhelms her own, and slams into the tieflings and demon both.
All five of them immediately slow to a crawl, unable to push through the sheer might of the wizard's potent spell.
Elliot soars forwards, drawing upon the power of Righteous Eclipse. The scimitar blazes gold as he infuses it with holy energy, leaving it hungry for demonic blood. With a fierce slash, he cuts through the demon's hide. A burst of flaming blood erupts towards him, searing his clothes, but he is left utterly unharmed from the heat of the blood. The foul smoke of her breath, however, catches in his lungs, and he just barely manages to keep himself from coughing.
The creature shrieks in pain, furious. Her eyes burn brighter, and she throws off Verene's spell, her limbs suddenly moving at normal speed once more. With that, she rolls forwards, leaving a trail of charred ground behind her, and rushes towards the others. Unfortunately for her, once again Elliot is able to strike with Righteous Eclipse, cutting through her back and spraying himself with the searing blood again. The demon is badly wounded, but remains standing.
Wulfric holds his crusader flag proudly as he begins to orate a tale from the first crusade.
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Hoping to end the demon’s threat definitively enough to inspire its followers to consider surrender, Azira mutters “Iomedae strike you down,” as she moves forward with Radiance. In a flash the golden blade whirls towards the fiery fiend.
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Merixia watches the combat as she soars toward the demon, sword in hand. She was going to cast another spell or two, but this enemy is looking weaker than she anticipated. If she doesn't get in there now, she might not get a hit in! The cleric dives toward the brimorak, her wings trailing fire, and delivers a powerful overhand cut.
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Thesius weaves his way through his companions, a prayer on his lips as he lashes out at the fiery foe. As he moves, he shifts his morningstar into his off-hand and pulls forth the masterwork cold iron heavy mace.
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Thesius swaps his weapons before rushing forwards and bringing his mace down on the brimorak's skull. With a hideous crunch, he sends her staggering back several steps, leaving a path of smoldering ash on the ground beneath her hooves.
Wulfric begins to recite a rousing tale, branching his banner to rally his fellows, while Azira rushes forwards to attack the brimorak - with a single sweep of Radiance, she bisects the demon, cutting it messily in two. The searing blood erupts around her, splattering her skin and clothing. Only the latter burns, however, leaving her untouched by the heat.
One of the tieflings cries, only for Merixia to sweep forwards on her wings of blazing fire, cutting him down with a swift slash from her bastard sword.
The other tieflings begin to scatter, fleeing in all directions and attempting to lose themselves in the rest of their army.
With that, the champions join in the battle with the Knights of Kenabres, just in time for Irabeth's forces to come sweeping in and shatter the tiefling host.
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The bright red-and-orange grippli pulls the miniature Righteous Eclipse from the ashes that were once the Brimorak's thigh, then floats up to quickly surveil the battle.
"It's a massacre; the tieflings are getting slaughtered. If not by swords or spells then by the trampling of hooves - or worse, their own mass," He grimly reports to those unable to fly in the brief lull of battle following all the other nearby Tieflings (wisely) running away from them.
He looks to Iomedae's chosen for leadership among this bloody chaos. "Azira... how should we proceed?"
For the rest of the fight, he would stay near the rest of the group, acting as a mobile precision attacker from the air and relying on his active defensive spells to keep him safe as he does. When and where he can, he tries to prioritize any remaining threats going for Merixia and Verene. If there are offers of surrender, he would take them so long as they threw away their weapons and laid down. The nonlethal frost damage inflicted by his spells through Righteous Eclipse also knocked out a few targets on its own.
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Azira continues to dance through the fray, Radiance's glowing golden blade slicing through enemy cultists. Wulfric follows closely behind her recount tales of historic crusader victories.
She looks up when Elliot calls and shouts back, "If the Dawnflower demands a chance at repentance, offer it to them, but remember: every cultist who leaves this field alive will be free to join up with other evil forces elsewhere, or to terrorize whatever helpless innocent they come upon wherever they go!"
Her advice given, she returns combat.
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The six overlapping kobold-Verenes rise into the air on the pillar of cloud as the brimorak's remaining guards affected by her spell begin to stagger slowly away, struggling to move as though through thick mud. She judges they will not get far, and ignores them. As soon as she can see Irabeth's approximate location in the wave of arriving knights, she reports via the message spell she cast earlier, "The brimorak is dead. No casualties on our side."
From forty feet up, she surveys the battlefield and keeps her friends and the Knight-Commander updated on anything she can see happening that looks important. When a large knot of the cultists over a hundred feet away from the front-line fighting appears to be forming up again around a tiefling shouting orders and trying to organize a counterattack, she sketches a quick sign in flint and silver, and a burst of searing light and the screaming of blinded foes erupts around the would-be leader.
Slightly closer, another group of enemies had the wit to climb a large boulder to use their crossbows while staying out of range of the paladins' swords and their trampling horses' hooves. Verene makes a tearing motion and the solid rock they were standing upon falls away beneath them into a deep pit.
A few sizzling blue-white missiles of force streak from the tip of her wand over the next minute or so, targeting scattered problem areas. Here, a small group of cultists managed to catch a lone knight between them and bring down his horse, trapping him beneath it with his comrades struggling to reach him in time: the tieflings are quickly driven off from the chance to slaughter him by the swift application of unerring missiles from above. Verene hopes the paladin and his horse will survive, but knows there is no guarantee. A handful of other knights arrive to aid him; she turns her attention elsewhere.
A scant dozen wounded cultists are trying to sneak off unnoticed, using tents and rock outcroppings as cover. She sends more missiles their way, separately targeting the most injured individuals with one bolt each. A few fall, while a squad of their force's cavalry notices the direction of the missiles and breaks off from the main group to ride down the sneaking cultist soldiers.
She jerks in surprise as an arrow from an archer she had not noticed sings past her face, passing right through the neck of one of her illusory images and popping it out of existence. Verene raises her wand to respond in kind to the cultist, but in the next moment a blur of glowing gold, red and orange streaks past her for the archer like a falling star. Elliot is on the case. She bares her sharp teeth in a fierce smile and turns back to the larger battle.
It is over in only a few minutes: despite the cultist army's superior numbers, Irabeth's mounted knights are faster, deadlier, better equipped, better organized, and harder to kill than these lightly armed and armored foot soldiers; and her four companions simply scythe through any clusters of enemies bold enough to try them. When it becomes apparent that the battle is won, she uses her wand only to bring down retreating enemies that look like they will otherwise escape, and perhaps be able to regroup later.
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Thesius surveys the field after Azira finishes dispatching the fiery demon in a display of martial prowess. The view clearly showing the meaning of the oft used phrase of [i]quality over quantity[/b].
He returns the cold iron weapon to his side before taking up the adamantine morningstar in his primary hand once more.
Hesitant to leave Verene to fend for herself, he quickly realizes he can do little to assist as she floats up into the air and starts to command the battlefield. Turning to regard the rest of his companions, he notes Elliot has taken up the role he intended to take.
His mind at ease, he wades forward to engage their enemies and aid their allies. Taking queues from his friends actions to lead his actions. Even coming to the aid of the fallen knight and mount at the guidance of the unerring missiles of force.
Soon enough, the crusaders break the tieflings' morale, and they begin to rout. The paladins run down those that they can, but at least two dozen manage to escape the battlefield.
As the battle comes to an end, the noise of fighting fades in time to hear the cries of the wounded and the rush of the now-bloodied river beyond the battlefield. Now, the heroes have a chance to rest and recover from the battle. There are fair few injured crusaders, but also a handful of heavily injured prisoners-to-be.
Furthermore, some Knights discover a handful of survivors of the contingent that once guarded the area - prisoners held in one of the bunkers. All twelve of them are fairly hurt, however, and require more tending.
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Battle clarity fades, leaving her dry-mouthed and shaky. Verene slowly floats down to the ground again, using the time to drink deeply from her waterskin and compose herself. Even in victory, war is anything but clean. The sheer scale of the violence, the number of dead and injured, might have overwhelmed her three weeks ago, before she had had to walk through the ruins of her city, past the piled corpses of her neighbors. Before she had known what it was to take life through magic.
She looks only at what she needs to see. Here are her companions, all appearing hale and well. She rejoins them. For lack of anything better to do in the immediate aftermath of the battle, she stays with the group, using the wand of cure light wounds as needed to supplement the healing of those who can apply it.
Elliot finally descends, his sword thick with blood. He stares at it, cleans it with magic and dispels his shapeshifting spell, reappearing as himself. He rushes to check if his friends were all right, hugging both Merixia and his sister out of sheer relief.
Unsure what aid he could give the army in the aftermath, he finds himself travelling towards the injured captives and asks the officers nearby what was to be done with them.
"Maybe they're beyond saving... but you never know. Yet I can't just offer mercy either, or they'd feign repentence only on pain of death."
He takes out an ink, quill and piece of parchment, then waits for the unconscious enemies to be disarmed, bound and brought to, presumably by placing them in the area of healing of a friendly channeling cleric.
"Tieflings, hear me. My name is Elliot, son of Harran Worthane, Knight of the Fifth Crusade and servant of the Dawnflower. I speak to you now as your fate is uncertain. Many among us argue that we cannot afford to spare you. That to do anything but execute you would risk our efforts. And it is hard to deny that logic," He states. "Still. I can offer a small mercy, at least. What are your last words, and to who? If it is within my power, I will try having these messages delivered for you eventually."
He would then note the messages that weren't just insults aimed at Mendev or its defenders, looking for hints of genuine regret or remorse among those. Perhaps, for those, he could try slightly harder. Perhaps there *was* a genuine path of redemption there, and those didn't need to die here at all...
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It's disappointing that Merixia was too slow to get a hit in on the demon, but at least there are plenty of idiot cultists who can use a good smiting. She wades into battle with bastard sword and buckler, an intimidating figure with her five fiery wings spread behind her and blood flying off her blade. Eventually the enemy's morale breaks, and the ones who can still run flee from the Crusade's righteous wrath.
Elliot finally descends, his sword thick with blood. He stares at it, cleans it with magic and dispels his shapeshifting spell, reappearing as himself. He rushes to check if his friends were all right, hugging both Merixia and his sister out of sheer relief.
Unsure what aid he could give the army in the aftermath, he finds himself travelling towards the injured captives and asks the officers nearby what was to be done with them.
Merixia returns Elliot's hug with gusto, then pulls back to give him a once-over. "You don't look hurt, are there any wounds I can't see?" Blunt force injuries aren't always obvious. Once he assures her that he's fine, she makes her way toward the imprisoned crusaders who once guarded the ford. It doesn't look like they lost any of the army, although several of them are wounded. Merixia and Sosial can fix them up easily enough. As for the dead and wounded tieflings... well, they got what they deserved. Did they really think they could win against a well trained, well supplied army? With only one demon to back them up?
"Hi, I'm your friendly local priestess of Ragathiel. Who here needs healing? Gather round and I can channel energy for you all."
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In the aftermath of the battle, Azira accompanies Irabeth in taking a census of which soldiers are wounded, and if any are missing or dead. When they come upon the rescued survivors, she channels a burst of healing energy to restore them. She also encourages the other paladins to spread around some of their healing, pointing out, "one of us channeling a burst is a better use of resource than three of us healing ourselves- plus that way we can also help those who can't heal themselves."
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Merixia returns Elliot's hug with gusto, then pulls back to give him a once-over. "You don't look hurt, are there any wounds I can't see?"
The magus chuckles. "Just my bleeding heart - as usual. Compared to sparring with Azira and you, these guys were easy. Too easy, almost." He glances back at the scene of the slaughter; the bodies being rounded up presumably for burning and/or some sort of mass burial.
"It's just... before we actually got down to this, I thought I was all too ready to take revenge; to strike back for what happened at Kenabres. But when we actually started killing all of them... I can't say I like it much. I suppose part of me can't help but wonder if we could have been on the other side, if we hadn't had such good people in our lives to take care of us? Still... they made their choices. I suppose I'll go and see if the prisoners are to receive any last rites. Perhaps I can help out there in some way. As part of the command chain I feel it is a responsibility of sorts."
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Thesius lets out a sigh of relief as the battle breaks in their favor. Seeing his companions are fine, he goes about surveying the field for survivors and anything of import.
He assesses the wounds of those he comes across, calling out for aid where needed and using his limited healing magic to stifle the bleeding of those close to death.
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Verene returns Elliot's hug and then realizes that he had to bend down to do it, since he has dropped the grippli guise but she is still in kobold form. She dismisses the spell with an absentminded gesture to return to her normal size and shape.
Seeing that Thesius is beginning to search the area in his customary methodical fashion while the injured are being gathered to Merixia, Azira and the other healers for efficient healing and Elliot is assessing the few surrendered enemies, she joins him in sweeping the battlefield and encampment for any magical auras and things that could be of use to them. "Good thinking, Thesius. Hopefully there will be some supplies we can use; at the very least, any mortal army needs food, after all. Do you think we should be trying to take any of these weapons or armor for the Crusade?" She repeats this question via message to Irabeth.
As she is starting her sweep, she pauses. "Oh— yes, my dear," she murmurs vaguely, out loud, and opens her hand, palm upright. Thamyris springs from it into the air as she does, for all the world like a dove being produced from a hat by a stage magician. "Let us help Thesius in his search. Just like at the Garrison."
Thamyris whistles cheerfully, clearly happy to be flying under his own power again, and zips back and forth above their heads as they search, calling out what he sees.
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Thesius smiles as Verene joins him. "Indeed, perhaps we can find other items of use like intel as well. I don't know how closely this group was tied to the current parties, but one can hope." After watching Thamyris come forth from his safe haven, he greets the bird. "Hello friend, again I find myself grateful for your aid."
He works with Verene to set up a grid based pattern to search by and finds himself thankful for her communication abilities so he is not simply shouting his findings.
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Elliot's call for the last words of the tieflings is met with silent regard, though a few spit in his general direction. It's hard to tell if none of them have anything to say, if they simply don't want to talk to him, if they don't believe him, or if they're just afraid to say anything and be the first.
The healers go through the army, healing what injuries they need to - there are few enough of those, fortunately. Sosiel helps with the efforts, as does Irabeth.
Left alone, it's clear that Thesius and Verene won't be able to loot even a significant minority of the dead (or soon-to-be dead) tieflings. Aron suggests that the rest of the Knights help out, though there is much grumbling. "These things will not only be useful on the march," he agrees with Verene, "but when we take Drezen, they'll help us earn some capital to rebuild the place." After a moment, he shrugs awkwardly. "You learn a lot about building when you're a siege expert." When Irabeth agrees, the paladins look dubious, prove willing to try.
With that out of the way, Aron, Anevia, the First Children, and Korryn all head out to scout ahead, looking for any further enemies that might be in the close vicinity.
Once that is all finished, Irabeth calls the champions to meet with the few survivors of the local garrison. The ranking survivor is a woman - sergeant Kamilo Dann. She and her dozen survivors look definitely the worse for wear, even with their injuries healed.
"Thank Iomedae and all good gods that you came." She says. "We weren't going to last much longer - maybe a day or two."
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Thesius nods while listening Aron. "That is a good point. We'll need funds to secure Drezen once more. We can consider this a start to those preparations."
Watching his allies go out once more to scout, he makes note to himself that he could use to better understand how to stay out of sight so he might assist in these endeavors in the future.
Upon meeting the survivors, Thesius tries to hide the sadness in his eyes with a warm smile. "I am glad we were in time to save all of you and I am sorry we not in time to save more. Fortune is a fickle thing, but I am glad to know some good graces were allotted to us this day. Unfortunately I do not know how much time we have to rest with our current orders." As he speaks those final words, he looks to Irabeth for her input. He suspects they will not be staying for long, but does not simply want to openly discuss their orders without her consent.
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Elliot's call for the last words of the tieflings is met with silent regard, though a few spit in his general direction. It's hard to tell if none of them have anything to say, if they simply don't want to talk to him, if they don't believe him, or if they're just afraid to say anything and be the first.
The magus sighs. He didn't expect it to be easy, or anyone to even be receptive. Still, it was a bit disheartening. Even after getting soundly beaten, twice, was there truly no one among the humanoids with even an ounce of remorse or regret? "I see. One at a time then."
He would try and speak to the prisoners one after the other, leading them away from the rest of the group. He tried to be as neutral and forthright as possible, suppressing feelings of hatred and wondering thoughts among the lines of 'what if this figure killed my parents?', which wasn't easy. Still he tried, finding some comfort in Thesius' presence as well as that of any others there to support him and this effort. Should he continue to find nothing suggesting any were redeemable, he would join in the presumed executions of the prisoners, or assist in whatever else Irabeth and the council of advisors as a whole decided to do with them if he could.
Verene nods in approval and agreement with Thesius as some of the other paladins, with impetus from Aron Kir and Irabeth, move to join them in taking all there is of use or value from the encampment at Vilareth Ford and the bodies of the fallen tieflings, and storing it in the supply wagons. "It is inglorious work perhaps, but glory does not feed horses or raise stone walls. 'For want of a nail,' as they say." And as usual for her, she does not hold herself higher in any way, but takes on an equal part in even the dirtiest work set to the knights without complaint.
When they are taken to meet Kamilo Dann and her group of a dozen survivors of the garrison at Vilareth Ford, Verene notes the haunted eyes of the freed soldiers even now that they are physically healed, and simply bows her head in somber and respectful greeting in response to the thanks. While this is better than the alternative, she does not think they deserve any thanks for their weeks-delayed arrival. She does not want to imagine what torments the prisoners faced at their captors' hands in that time, and how many comrades they lost under what circumstances. And all the options for their next move seem to have different disadvantages: the depleted garrison may not be able to safely hold the Ford with only twelve, but equally it is a long and dangerous walk back to Kenabres for such a small group, while coming along with the Knights of Kenabres will certainly expose them to more battles and dangers they may not be psychologically ready to face yet.
"Sergeant Dann, it was your and your soldiers' resolve that saw you through. How can we best help you as we continue our march?" she inquires. "And what can you tell us, if anything, of the demons' forces in this area — especially between here and Drezen?"
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"Iomedae bless you all," Azira offers when they reach the survivors.
When Verene points out the soldiers' resolve, the graceful paladin nods and affirms, "you all showed great valor here and, as Thesius has said, we wish we could have arrived earlier. We know a lot has already been asked of you--and you have risen to the challenge admirably--but if you're able to provide any insights or intelligence on the enemy's positions or activities in the area, it would be another great service."
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Sosiel touches Elliot's shoulder. "Remember, these tieflings are from the Worldwound itself. Anyone they know or care about, well. We're not going to be meeting them on speaking terms." His expression is grave, dark eyes shadowed.
Indeed, as Elliot attempts to speak to each, he gets mostly rudeness, cold silence, or a mocking laugh. A couple, however, beg for their lives desperately, though their honesty seems in doubt, leaving the magus with the awkward choice of trying to convince his crusader comrades to spare them or letting them be executed. For the moment, they are put to the last of the executions.
Irabeth nods briefly at Thesius. "We are marching on Drezen to reclaim it from the demons." She clarifies for the sergeant's sake.
Kamilo's eyes widen, but she nods before looking to Verene. She swallows, but takes a deep breath and speaks. "When they were taunting us after they first attacked, the tieflings mentioned that there's a much, much larger force in the north, in some place called 'Keeper's Canyon.'"
"Thank you for your kind words, but I did what was right for my troops and for the world - as best I could." She says to Azira, her expression briefly growing haunted before returning to a firmer sternness. The sergeant looks to Irabeth. "Commander, you have come from Kenabres? What news from the south?"
"In brief, the demons' attack is abated, the wardstones have fallen, and the Queen's forces are stationed there."
"The queen must know that the Ford has fallen. I would lead my troops back to the city to make that report."
The Knight-Commander considers for a moment. "Very well. Go with the Inheritor. Things should be safe enough there."
Sergeant Dann nods, before looking to the others inquisitively.
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Kamilo's eyes widen, but she nods before looking to Verene. She swallows, but takes a deep breath and speaks. "When they were taunting us after they first attacked, the tieflings mentioned that there's a much, much larger force in the north, in some place called 'Keeper's Canyon.'"
Verene nods. "A little over a day's ride northeast along the river from here, in the dry riverbed of the Ahri near where it once joined the West Sellen," she elaborates for the others.
"In brief, the demons' attack is abated, the wardstones have fallen, and the Queen's forces are stationed there."
"The queen must know that the Ford has fallen. I would lead my troops back to the city to make that report."
The Knight-Commander considers for a moment. "Very well. Go with the Inheritor. Things should be safe enough there."
Sergeant Dann nods, before looking to the others inquisitively.
Verene's gaze flickers to Irabeth in alarm when she baldly states that the wardstones are no more. She does not think it is common knowledge yet, especially among the demons, that not just the Kenabres Wardstone, but the entire protective magical barrier formed by the menhirs is gone. Until it is, it seems unwise to spread the news widely about, to anyone; for she does not know what Kenabres, Nerosyan and especially the smaller settlements of Mendev will do once the demons lose their wariness of trying to cross the border everywhere.
"We shall outfit you and your people for the journey as best we can, Sergeant. We did not encounter dangers on our route here, besides the weather, but that does not mean they don't exist, and the weather was bad enough. Thank you all, and may your wits and wariness keep you safe."
Verene looks around at her gathered companions and Irabeth. Her voice is calm as usual, but there is an alertness to her posture reminiscent of a cat that has spotted a rat. "'A much larger force than this' could present a serious obstacle to us if they knew of our coming and could make ready and choose their ground. But the few survivors of this battle escaped only on foot, and we are mounted. We can outpace them if we do not tarry. And if we approach it right, Keeper's Canyon would be an excellent place for us to ambush a force camped along its bottom. Archers on top of the canyon's walls, cavalry riding along the dry riverbed of the canyon to trap them. What do you all think?"
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Indeed, as Elliot attempts to speak to each, he gets mostly rudeness, cold silence, or a mocking laugh. A couple, however, beg for their lives desperately, though their honesty seems in doubt, leaving the magus with the awkward choice of trying to convince his crusader comrades to spare them or letting them be executed. For the moment, they are put to the last of the executions.
Elliot tries to sense for any deceit, but it quickly becomes apparent that both he and Righteous Eclipse were woefully unequipped to truly rule out deception at present.
He decides to withhold judgment and tries finding Azira and Merixia. "Hey, mind if I ask a bit of help real quick?" he inquires, somewhat embarassed over the fact that as the representative of Sarenrae this was probably supposed to be his field of expertise. But well, such was life. He'd just have to get good at this eventually, one way or the other. Hm... perhaps Meri could teach him or such? One more excuse to spend time together!
"There are a couple of prisoners who might have some sort degree of remorse, perhaps even the redeemable sort," he continues. "But while the Dawnflower would want me to show mercy, I am also aware that offering a chance at redemption risks the entire army, especially with a much larger force of them to the north. It's not something I would risk here unless I was certain it was genuine... so could you perhaps lend me your wisdom on these last few?"
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"May the stars bless you with fortune," Thesius says to the no longer captive crusaders. He wished them luck in their journey to the queen.
Listening to Verene, he nods as he takes in his friend's knowledge of the region. "It seems a solid plan. I would be curious what the force they spoke of is actually like. It's possible they were lying to instill fear. Regardless, it seems worthwhile to check in on the claims so we don't find another force coming to the aid of those in Drezen or catching us unaware."
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"An ambush is an excellent idea," Azira opines. "How many of the soldiers have bows? I know most sword-knights prefer to fight with swords, so our archers may be somewhat limited. But, even so, a surprise cavalry charge against an unprepared army should be effective, and whatever archers we do have can offer support from above."
Azira smiles warmly at Elliot's request. "I'd be glad to help you, however I can, but I think I should point out that I'm awfully at noticing lies and they're probably all evil... but... isn't that kind of the point? I mean, they wouldn't really be in need of redemption if they had already stopped being evil, would they?"
"If you'd like, we can go meet with the ones you think could be reached, and I'll let you know what kind of auras they have and then, maybe, I could try to talk them into trying out your path to redemption? You have to understand though, if the Crusaders--if we--spare any of them for your sake, they'll be your responsibility; if they fall from that path you'll have to deal with them quickly and decisively before they cause any problems for anyone else."
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The surrendered tieflings throw themselves on the mercy of the three crusaders, desperately begging for their lives.
One or two of those who have yet to beg for their lives, however, seems interested once Wulfric and Azira have made their own offer.
[spoiler=Azira]Though she scans them carefully, Azira sees no evil auras around the tieflings - not even the ones who haven't begged for mercy. This seems unlikely to be meaningful, however, since they probably aren't potent enough to have evil auras.
The sergeant nods sharply at Verene. "My thanks - we'll be, uh, subtle. It's best not to tempt fate." She looks to the others. "Strike at the heart of Drezen, and Iomedae go with you all."
Once she has departed, Irabeth begins to discuss strategy with the champions.
"Our knights are equipped with longbows and cold iron arrows." Irabeth answers Azira. "We'll be able to get at least some fire off. I wouldn't want to just pepper them with arrows though. As Verene suggests, I do want some of us to hit them in melee - our strength is on the charge, often - and if it's a canyon, our archers may not be able to get down very easily... especially if they're on horseback."
"An enfilade would cause them to struggle, especially if they are intelligent enough to be afraid." Sosiel agrees.
"What's going on?" Nurah asks as she arrives at the gathering. Once the situation is explained, she considers. "We don't know the nature of this larger army... if it's only more tieflings, I don't think we need to worry too much. If there're a majority of demons, though..."
"Yes." Irabeth nods. "I'll be relying on our scouts to learn more of their numbers and composition."
"What's going on?" Nurah asks as she arrives at the gathering. Once the situation is explained, she considers. "We don't know the nature of this larger army... if it's only more tieflings, I don't think we need to worry too much. If there're a majority of demons, though..."
"Yes." Irabeth nods. "I'll be relying on our scouts to learn more of their numbers and composition."
"A specific plan of battle can wait until we have more exact information," Verene agrees. "But because we want to travel along the Ahri riverbed to Drezen, I do not think we can avoid this fight altogether. Better that it happen on our terms. It is good that we have plenty of longbows and cold iron arrows, for the First Children, the scouts, and the knights who are best at archery. And like these tieflings, if the enemies at Keeper's Canyon have a more dangerous leader or group, I should think we five — well, seven, with Thamyris and Wulfric — would be best suited to sneak up and ambush them right as the main army attacks. We are not, generally speaking, stealthy, but I can hide all of us at once with magic if necessary, and we have magical options to handle going up and down the canyon walls easily as well."
Once everyone has given their input on a general strategy and Irabeth indicates she is ready for them to move on, Verene returns to the small clearing where their group picketed Mouse and the other horses before approaching the tieflings' encampment on foot, and mounts up again. She is eager to be off, so they do not lose the advantage gained in this battle by delaying long enough for a report of their presence to make it to the presumed larger army camped in Keeper's Canyon.
As they ride on, she thinks about canyon walls and the descent thereof without being seen. Elliot and Merixia can take care of themselves but only themselves. That leaves Thesius, Azira, Wulfric, and me. If I prepare spells as I did today, giving all four of us flight and also providing the group invisibility would leave me near depleted of the Wardstone's power before the battle even starts. The scale can provide levitation for up to three, but not true aerial mobility. The cloud-pillar also makes the presence of something necessarily obvious if one is much above the ground, unlike a normal levitate spell. And although it was useful for me today, if this battle had moved much from its starting place or had more widely distributed and powerful enemies, I would have felt its limitations sorely. Azira seemed perfectly happy staying earthbound and running toward her foes even while Elliot was flying to his and she could have done so as well; so she and Wulfric would perhaps be fine with only the levitate effect to get them safely to the bottom of the canyon. Hopefully we can do so out of sight so the visibility will not matter. Thesius was acting as a mixed striker and healer today, which might mean he would like to be extra mobile to reach the people who need his help. I should wait on preparing those spells tomorrow until we have more information, then ask what they wish to do and prepare as many fly spells as I know for sure we will require from that. We can rely on the Wardstone's power if and as necessary for haste and slow. Perhaps it would not hurt to write a scroll of fly tonight either. It is bound to come in useful at some point.
Oh, Elliot. His soft heart is as inconvenient as it is endearing. "Of course, Elliot. I don't have a zone of truth prepared, but I'm pretty good at reading people." What are they going to do with captives who are genuine about wanting to repent? Send them off with Sergeant Dann, maybe? The last thing they need on this campaign is dead weight.
"I agree with Verene. Speaking for myself, I only have a few long range spells that will affect multiple people at once. Might be useful to try pyrotechnics again... but my main expertise is in melee. If Verene can get us there without being detected, hopefully we can take out the commander."
Thesius nods in agreement. "Indeed, a full plan should likely wait until we better know what it is we face. With that said, I am decent with a bow. However, I am still not fully comfortable firing into combat for fear of hitting my companions. So while I may be able to assist initially, I do think it better we server as a strike force to hit key figures per Verene's suggestion."
He follows his friend to retrieve their horses. He gives her time to sort her thoughts and after they set out he will finally takes the time to talk to her about her thoughts.
"Verene, what are you thinking? While I may have known what you were capable of casting for the most part before, that has changed for a myriad of reasons. Perhaps now may be a good time to take an accounting of what each of us is capable of so we can better coordinate with each other?"
Only one - the one who spoke up after Wulfric and Azira did their thing - seems even a little interested in something beyond living to see sunset.
Irabeth listens to the input of each of the champions before speaking again. "I agree that you seven will be best suited to taking out the leadership, if we can identify them - and that shouldn't be too hard, given that they'll probably be demons." She says. "The question then becomes when - before the arrows fire, afterwards but before we charge? I'll need a better sense of what we're facing." She shakes her head. "Well, we'll have time to decide that later. Let's get prepared to move forwards."
"Before we go." Aravashnial speaks up. "When we cross the Ford, we will be closer to the Worldwound proper than ever before. Things may be... different there. I do not know how many of you have passed through the wardstone network into the Worldwound in the past, but it may be... alien. Keep your wits about you - there are more threats than demons or their slaves alone. Gouts of abyssal energy, the weather itself, Abyss-tainted plants and vermin..." He waves his staff slightly. "Stay on your guard."
There are few enough friendly bodies to bury, and the enemies are moved into a mass grave - an endeavor that takes more than two hours even with all the Knights of Kenabres helping. Afterwards, the Knights take to their horses once more, riding across the Ford and into the Worldwound. As Aravashnial warned, things seem different almost immediately. The sky seems darker, even though the sun blazes bright in the sky, and there aren't any signs of vegetation for the rest of the ride north along the riverbed.
Steep high cliffs rise to their northwest - there is no easy route deeper into the Worldwound from here. Perhaps that's a blessing, since the non-demonic armies would also struggle to get down into melee with the Knights... but not to fire arrows down upon them.
Merixia shakes her head, her expression grim. "I'm sorry, Elliot. None of them truly regret their actions. The ones who claim otherwise are lying, they just don't want to die."
The difference between Mendev and the Worldwound is striking, and ominous. Merixia keeps a sharp eye out for trouble as they travel. From what she's read and heard, anything and everything in the Worldwound will kill you, from the smallest insect to the largest demon. At least there aren't any plants around that might tempt Flame into eating them.
The cleric opts to ride alongside Aron this time, if he's willing. Although she learned the basics of strategy and tactics from her mentor, they didn't cover much in the way of siege warfare. Maybe the Taldan will be willing to share some of what he knows.
Verene listens seriously to Aravashnial's warning. "We will be cautious, and will not touch or approach anything suspicious, or let the horses graze freely," she promises.
"I will eat no fruits and bugs. Not even the juiciest, fattest caterpillar," Thamyris chirps virtuously.
Verene helps dig graves and drag bodies as best she can with the aid of a floating disk to make the work of moving both earth and corpses faster and more efficient before they go.
Verene rouses from her abstraction at Thesius's words. "An accounting of...? Oh! Yes, that seems wise, although I cannot promise a full and complete summary. I can tell you all that I have in my spellbook, and all the ways that I have been able to sense to call upon the Wardstone's power before, but I am also discovering new ways to use it as new problems arise. I know there are some things you can do that I cannot, as well." She spends some time talking shop with Thesius and comparing their arcane capabilities.
"Earlier, I was just considering how we might most efficiently become invisible as a group — if everyone sticks close to me, it should take me just one spell, which I will need to use the Wardstone power to cast — and also how we might acquire sufficient mobility to move down or up steep canyon walls as needed. Of course, we will not know exactly what we need until we are closer and our scouts can tell us the lay of the land and the layout of the enemy encampment. But supposing that, for instance, we want to stealthily descend a canyon wall right before the battle begins, would you like to have the capability of true flight for that mission and that battle? Levitation is much more limited, and I noticed this morning that you were extemporaneously going where you were most needed, whether that was wading in with your morningstar or using healing spells."
On the way, Verene rides with the Knight-Commander, peering at the oddly darkened yet clear sky. "I have traveled up the West Sellen before, but never been beyond the western bank into the Worldwound proper. Have you been on many such expeditions before, Lady Irabeth? Is there anything you wish you had known?"
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Aron is not out scouting at the time that Merixia finds him - instead he's riding with Sosiel and a few knights. As she expresses her interest in siege warfare, he grimaces briefly. "Siege warfare is... well, let me put it this way. When I first started learning, my commander said 'If you can help it, Aron, don't live through a siege.'" He offers her an odd smile. "Even then I thought it was an odd joke. Now though? Now I don't. Sieges are brutal, especially when your enemies don't need food... and can teleport. We're going on the offensive, so the teleportation will be less an issue than if we were on the defensive, but... It depends on what sort of demons there are there. Starving demons out isn't really an option."
Sosiel looks concernedly at his lover, but doesn't speak up.
Irabeth is near the front of their riding column, keeping an eye on things in the fore. "Me? No, I've never been in the Worldwound myself. I studied in Lastwall and fought in the River Kingdoms on my way back... but then I settled in Kenabres and served there." She takes a breath. "The Eagle Watch, as you might recall, focused its efforts on internal security more than external. But I've spoken with a lot of veterans, and this isn't as bad as they said. That... worries me."
Wulfric's face lights up when Merixia mentions pyrotechnics. "You mean the spell that can create a cloud of smoke?" he asks with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. "I know a song that lets people see through fire and smoke! It won't help with the coughing, but it might let us make ranged attacks against foes who can't see us?"
Azira listens to the conversation about tactics and asks, "do we have any idea of where riders might be able to enter or exit the canyon? It would likely be safer to travel above it as much as possible, so that we don't risk being ambushed by archers ourselves, but I don't think we want to get stuck outside of it either..."
Azira, and Wulfric, choose a small group of soldiers to ride alongside. She spends the remainder of the day swapping stories with them about training and past exploits, and about what lead them to enter the order.
The Knight-Commander spares Verene a grin at the joke, somewhat weak though it is. The amusement fades as she replies to the latter part of Verene's words. "Me? I try to keep the expectations minimal here, because if I'm looking for demons in the sky, I might miss a sinkhole trying to eat us at our feet. To help narrow things down, though, I've been consulting with Aravashnial. He's about the best expert we have on things out here - though Thesius has been out before, I think."
She sighs. "From what he's said, aside from the potential demons, their slaves, unaffiliated tribes just trying to survive who would nonetheless be hostile to us, and so on... the very land itself will reject us. He called them Abyssal Geysers. Lumps of earth just barely covering the Abyssal energy beneath. I don't know if we'll encounter any, but we might. Don't drink the water, it might have worse parasites than any you can imagine. Bowel worms, which is a rather innocent name. Same with the infamous demonplague - drives us insane and kills us, but will do the same to animals - and then raise them as undead to fight for the Worldwound."
She shakes her head. "He had a whole list of things, but I don't know how likely we are to encounter them this far out - as you say, we're just inside the borders now."
Other stories include having been born in Mendev, Irrisen, or - in one notable case - Belkezen. Some came north from the River Kingdoms, while others from Lastwall. All share a similar background, however, in fighting against the Worldwound.
The Knight-Commander spares Verene a grin at the joke, somewhat weak though it is. The amusement fades as she replies to the latter part of Verene's words. "Me? I try to keep the expectations minimal here, because if I'm looking for demons in the sky, I might miss a sinkhole trying to eat us at our feet. To help narrow things down, though, I've been consulting with Aravashnial. He's about the best expert we have on things out here - though Thesius has been out before, I think."
She sighs. "From what he's said, aside from the potential demons, their slaves, unaffiliated tribes just trying to survive who would nonetheless be hostile to us, and so on... the very land itself will reject us. He called them Abyssal Geysers. Lumps of earth just barely covering the Abyssal energy beneath. I don't know if we'll encounter any, but we might. Don't drink the water, it might have worse parasites than any you can imagine. Bowel worms, which is a rather innocent name. Same with the infamous demonplague - drives us insane and kills us, but will do the same to animals - and then raise them as undead to fight for the Worldwound."She shakes her head. "He had a whole list of things, but I don't know how likely we are to encounter them this far out - as you say, we're just inside the borders now."
Verene nods and adds Abyssal geysers and bowel worms to her mental list of reasons to be paranoid while in the Worldwound. It is already a long list. Of course, not touching, eating, or drinking anything that came from within the sphere of the Worldwound's influence is common sense to one raised in Mendev. And despite its rarity and decreased virulence on the other side of the border, the demonplague is still one of the most feared diseases in the country, not just for its horrific and rapid progression of symptoms, but for the effect its occasional outbreaks can have on livestock especially. One missed plagued chicken or sheep cannot infect its fellows or human handlers while still alive, but once it dies and rises again, it can easily pass the disease to the entire flock as well as the farmer. "I am glad we have Merixia in case of infection by some parasite or disease. Although one hears much of it raining blood or acid or frogs, and so on, I was not exactly sure what I could do in advance to make ready for that. I did bring a filter mask in case of ash or dust storms. I'm sure the veteran knights also know to be highly cautious of the Wound's dangers, or they would not be veterans."
After a few more minutes, she asks tentatively, "Now that you have commanded them in battle, what do you think of the army? Is morale high?"
Aron is not out scouting at the time that Merixia finds him - instead he's riding with Sosiel and a few knights. As she expresses her interest in siege warfare, he grimaces briefly. "Siege warfare is... well, let me put it this way. When I first started learning, my commander said 'If you can help it, Aron, don't live through a siege.'" He offers her an odd smile. "Even then I thought it was an odd joke. Now though? Now I don't. Sieges are brutal, especially when your enemies don't need food... and can teleport. We're going on the offensive, so the teleportation will be less an issue than if we were on the defensive, but... It depends on what sort of demons there are there. Starving demons out isn't really an option."
Sosiel looks concernedly at his lover, but doesn't speak up.
Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bedroll this morning. It's probably the stress of knowing you'll have to attack a fortress full of demons with only a hundred people, combined with being in the Worldwound. Gods know this isn't a healthy environment for anyone. Except demons and Abyss-tainted creatures, of course.
That doesn't mean Merixia is going to just sit there and take Aron snapping at her, though. She gives him her best unimpressed look. "I am perfectly aware that war is hell, Aron. What I'm looking for here are specifics. Our group will most likely be charged with a stealth entry while the rest of the army provides a big noisy distraction at the main gates. With the magic we have, we can probably get over the walls, but what next? That's what I'm asking you. Are they likely to have aerial defenses? Invisibility sensors? If we get in without being detected, where do we go first to best help the rest of the army? Where are the weak points in a fortress such as Drezen?"