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Irabeth nods slightly at the reports. "We don't need you with the wounded yet, Merixia - at least, not until we determine whether or not we attack as Thesius suggests." She looks to Verene, nodding. "It's a good idea."
Aron pulls out his copy of the Citadel Drezen plans. "As you can see, we've got a fairly good sense of what the Citadel looked like back before the demons came. Now, they might've knocked down walls or done some repurposing, but that's impossible to know without Verene's divinations." He nods to the wizard respectfully.
"We're at a bit of an impasse." He continues. "Unlike us, demons don't need to eat, so only the mortals inside will be reducing the supplies that they've got. That means usual siege tactics aren't going to work well."
"Furthermore, while they would be fairly easily outmatched if they tried to come outside via the doors, they can teleport out to request reinforcements." Sosiel says. "I don't think they will, but the longer this drags on, the more likely it'll be."
"Depending on how mighty the defenders are, our paladins will struggle to fight them, and in narrow corridors is not our best place to do battle." Irabeth muses. "The foot are even less individually capable than the paladins, for all that they are valorous and skilled. I won't see them sacrificed en masse to get into the Citadel."
"Getting in's not the hardest part." Aron says. "I'm pretty sure we could knock down the doors or just unlock them - especially with our champions here. No, the issue is going to be the narrow halls and small rooms. Fighting door-to-door against demons isn't going to end well for them, where we can't use our numbers to our advantage."
Irabeth looks wryly at the champions. "I think you can already guess what that means. The leadership of the fortress is firmly ensconced inside. They're not going to come out to meet us any time soon."
"First things first, though. Verene should definitely try to scout the Citadel before we make any firm decisions... unless you think your spells will fade before you can get in if you do so?"
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"Well, if we're not in an immediate rush and Sis has some spells left, scouting it out is probably wise. Though that also probably means we're resting the rest of the day before we attempt to enter the citadel proper," Elliot muses, glancing around his companions. "Unless we want to strike now with Verene out of most of her spells?"
"Of course, that is assuming I understand correctly in that you wish for us to strike at their leadership, infultrating the citadel as a small team," He adds to Irabeth.
When Aaron places the map before them, he does a low whistle. "Lots of rooms to search. Hm, Aaron, do you know if there is a dungeon, weapon storage room or any 'secret' room in the building plans? That might help us free any prisoners while we're there, and either weaken them or provide us with more supplies to use during the fighting."
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“I always favor pressing the advantage, when it’s reasonable,” the Sword-knight adds, “and I still have most of my magical resources available, but if too many spells have been expended and exhausted to continue, then I could use what healing I have left to aid in our forces’ recovery…”
She thinks for a moment and then continues, “Perhaps we should allow to Verene to scout the citadel with her magic and then decide whether to attack now or wait until tomorrow?”
"First things first, though. Verene should definitely try to scout the Citadel before we make any firm decisions... unless you think your spells will fade before you can get in if you do so?"
"Well, if we're not in an immediate rush and Sis has some spells left, scouting it out is probably wise."
"The spells like heroism will still be active when the arcane eye ends, if I begin right away. I will do so without delay, so we have as many options as possible remaining to us today. But we need to find a small way in first, or else I will waste the eye's duration floating around outside looking for one." Verene begins looking for any likely-looking place in the fortress's walls, like arrow slits, or chimneys poking out of the roof from the fireplaces such a northerly construction must have. Thamyris, who re-emerged as soon as possible after the battle to sit on her horns, then her shoulder as usual, makes a circuit of the fortress from the air as well.
Once she finds one, she marks approximately where she thinks she will be entering on Aron's map of the fortress as it once was, and starts casting the spell immediately — a process that takes ten minutes by itself.
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"How about that crack in the upper wall about five hundred yards that way?" Elliot suggests to Verene, pointing at a tiny, nearly indescernable irregularity in stonework of the citadel far off in the distance.
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Aron gestures at the plans. "There is one place that you'll definitely want to look for the Sword of Valor. It is - or was, at least - hidden in a secret chamber behind another secret chamber in this chapel. The first hidden chamber was a false treasury - it was meant to mislead anyone into thinking that they'd found the actual treasury of the castle. If we're lucky, the demons fell for it..."
"But that's unlikely." Irabeth says. "Given that Vhane betrayed Drezen to the demons, he almost certainly knew where the Sword of Valor was hidden, and probably had it moved. Still, he might not've."
Aron nods slightly. "There's no dungeon as far as we know, but, well. Demons have occupied Drezen for something like seventy five years now. They might've made some modifications, including a full underground area."
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Azira watches and listens while the others discuss standard siege tactics, and the demons’ advantage in being able to teleport. She considers this for a moment and then asks, “could we, perhaps, make the demons’ strength our own?”
When this query is met with some confused gazes, she clarifies, “as much as Radiance and I would enjoy dancing our way through hallway after hallway full of demons forced to fight us one on one, if we wait until tomorrow couldn’t Verene use her considerable magics to locate Vhane, or whoever’s in charge, and then teleport us straight to them? We could cut the head from their proverbial serpent—with the element of surprise, if Desna favors us—and then fight our way out, likely forcing some to teleport away and others to flee out the front door to the waiting swords of our army.”
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Aron gestures at the plans. "There is one place that you'll definitely want to look for the Sword of Valor. It is - or was, at least - hidden in a secret chamber behind another secret chamber in this chapel. The first hidden chamber was a false treasury - it was meant to mislead anyone into thinking that they'd found the actual treasury of the castle. If we're lucky, the demons fell for it..."
"But that's unlikely." Irabeth says. "Given that Vhane betrayed Drezen to the demons, he almost certainly knew where the Sword of Valor was hidden, and probably had it moved. Still, he might not've."
Aron nods slightly. "There's no dungeon as far as we know, but, well. Demons have occupied Drezen for something like seventy five years now. They might've made some modifications, including a full underground area."
"They're demons and demon cultists, if they don't have a dungeon and torture chamber I will be very surprised." Merixia turns to Irabeth. "The Sword of Valor is blessed by Iomedae herself, right? Would an evil being even be able to touch it in order to move it?" To the best of her knowledge, holy relics burn the unholy, and vice versa.
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Azira watches and listens while the others discuss standard siege tactics, and the demons’ advantage in being able to teleport. She considers this for a moment and then asks, “Could we, perhaps, make the demons’ strength our own?”
When this query is met with some confused gazes, she clarifies, “As much as Radiance and I would enjoy dancing our way through hallway after hallway full of demons forced to fight us one on one, if we wait until tomorrow couldn’t Verene use her considerable magics to locate Vhane, or whoever’s in charge, and then teleport us straight to them? We could cut the head from their proverbial serpent—with the element of surprise, if Desna favors us—and then fight our way out, likely forcing some to teleport away and others to flee out the front door to the waiting swords of our army.”
Verene nods. "That would be most efficient. I am not averse to trying it — I think I can even use the Wardstone's power to stabilize the portal for a few seconds, allowing all six of us to be transported with one spell, which would not normally be possible. However, Staunton Vhane threw off my attempt to scry him once before. I may not be able to pinpoint his location tomorrow either. And we do not yet know what other commanders may be inside. The arcane eye may be able to give us some answers; we also should ask Nurah.
"One other thing we could try is to locate the Sword of Valor itself, and retrieve it through teleportation. From what we know, it is an artifact of great magical power, just like the Wardstone, and that is the general category I would look for, since I do not know exactly what it looks like. It may even still be in its original hidden room, as Aron suggests. The locate object spell would tell me only its direction, but that might be enough to know if it is there or has been moved elsewhere. To a dungeon, for instance. Again, however, there are circumstances that could foil the spell. It must be on this plane of existence, within about seven hundred feet of me, and not in a lead-lined box."
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"It does seem unlikely that there would be any other items of such power hear, unless it finds Radiance to be such. Just in case, it seems like having Azira on the far side of you from the keep would be beneficial."
Looking over the layout of the keep, Thesius asks, "Do you have any idea of where a commander's room would have been prior to it's fall? It's quite likely someone of import would have taken up in that room once more."
"We might also infiltrate from above. We could move down from the top of the tower or fight our way in from one of the other corners should we find that teleporting is not an option."
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"Teleporting in is a good idea." Aravashnial agrees mildly. "Assuming that the demons haven't somehow managed to make the Sword of Valor work for them - which would very firmly keep us out of the Citadel as a whole."
"Impossible." Irabeth says firmly. "The banner was carried by the Inheritor herself during the Shining Crusade. Short of a god's intervention, the demons could not corrupt it. Even if that another god did intervene like that, I'm positive that she would have warned her priests in some way or another."
Aravashnial nods. "Quite right. I was merely... speculating. I don't think it likely at all. However, there are other ways to bar teleportation."
"Still, it's definitely a good way in - it'd keep you from needing to break in a way that would cause an alarm to go up." Anevia says. "And if it fails, well, you can always go in the old-fashioned way."
To answer Merixia's question, Sosiel shakes his head. "They could, I believe. At least, they can move it or interact with it enough that Vhane was able to somehow betray the Citadel and remove its protections."
"Speaking with Nurah would be a good idea." Irabeth agrees, then looks at Thesius. "You've established a bit of a rapport with her, haven't you? You should probably ask about any leaders that she knows might be inside."
"Hm... there may be more than one object of power in the Citadel, Verene, though, as Thesius points out, it is unlikely." Aravashnial nods. "It wouldn't hurt seeking it out like that, of course."
Aron nods quickly at Thesius' question. "It was back here - near the northwestern tower." "The thing is, that's where the Celestial Beacon was. It used to be where the crusaders would summon celestials against attacking demons. If they've somehow reverted it..." He shrugs. "Well, you'd have to handle it then."
"That would mean easy access from the tower, if you fly in." Irabeth says thoughtfully.
"Teleporting in is a good idea." Aravashnial agrees mildly. "Assuming that the demons haven't somehow managed to make the Sword of Valor work for them - which would very firmly keep us out of the Citadel as a whole."
"Impossible." Irabeth says firmly. "The banner was carried by the Inheritor herself during the Shining Crusade. Short of a god's intervention, the demons could not corrupt it. Even if that another god did intervene like that, I'm positive that she would have warned her priests in some way or another."
Aravashnial nods. "Quite right. I was merely... speculating. I don't think it likely at all. However, there are other ways to bar teleportation."
"True, and some of them can be quite nasty." Verene shudders. "In the time of the Whispering Tyrant, until he was overthrown by the Shining Crusade, the lich-king was known to keep wards around his strongholds that redirected all who attempted to teleport themselves inside into coffin-sized stone cysts, there to die a slow death from thirst and starvation."
In the face of several appalled looks, she continues bracingly, "Which does not mean we should not try it here! We saw that tiefling mage use a short-range teleportation effect just the other day, so odds are that it is safe. Probably."
To answer Merixia's question, Sosiel shakes his head. "They could, I believe. At least, they can move it or interact with it enough that Vhane was able to somehow betray the Citadel and remove its protections."
"Even supposing the Sword of Valor would harm any demon or servant of evil like Vhane that dared touch it, they need not interact with the banner directly at all. They doubtless have plenty of Crusade soldiers and civilians as prisoners, as we saw on Paradise Hill. They could simply order one such poor soul to move it for them. I very much doubt that Iomedae's battle standard would ever smite a good person acting under duress or domination. So there is no reason to have kept it here in Drezen at all — except arrogance. We know demons do not lack for that."
As soon as the meeting concludes, Verene begins casting the arcane eye with her gaze focused on the place Elliot helpfully pointed out.
"Well, it's certainly safe for the demons to teleport in and out." Aravashnial observes dryly, apparently unconcerned with Verene's revelation - though he seems to be the only one, as the rest of the command staff look at her in varying degrees of disbelief and horror.
"Well... if it's safe for the demons, hopefully it will be safe enough for us. I'll defer to Verene and Aravashnial's judgment on teleporting. It does sound like the best way to avoid being swarmed on our way in." Merixia hadn't even thought about the demons using captive crusaders to move the Sword of Valor. Hopefully they didn't want to go to the trouble of moving the artifact elsewhere.
"I will seek out Nurah's insight. I could use to check up on here with everything that has been going on as it is."
While Verene scouts the keep, he will take the time to get some water and head to Nurah to inquire into what she knows about the keep and those inside.
There's no sign of any lighting in the hallway, nor of anywhere to slip through the doors. This might not have been the best way to enter for her arcane eye.
A few seconds after completing the spell with her sight focused on exactly where she wanted the eye to begin its journey, Verene frowns slightly, her gaze frozen on something far away. She whispers through the message, "Just a circular room with seven doors so far, all shut. It appears deserted. It's quite dim in here. Merixia, I would like to use the transformation scale again."
After swapping scales with Merixia and using its final charge for the day to take the kobold form again so that the shadowed interior will not interfere with what she sees, Verene spends a minute of the spell's duration simply examining different parts of this room for any way to progress: a gap at the top or bottom of a door, a big enough keyhole, places in the walls where the mortar holding the stones together might have worn through, even mouse holes or vents for fresh air in the floors, ceilings, and walls.
As Thesius enters, his face becomes one of worry. "I am and there are many things I want, both from and for you. Have the crusaders been continuing to harass you?" As he speaks, he offers her one of the cups of water he was able to procure prior to arriving.
"Or is there something else on your mind? Something clearly seems amiss my friend." He was not sure if she thought of him as so. Having learned more about her though, he felt she had been a victim of circumstance and hoped that one day he might she her free.
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Once she's emerged from another small hole into the hallway, it becomes clearer that Citadel Drezen is in quite an unusual state - it's an odd mixture of clean and ruined. There's no sign of any waste or other unpleasantness, but the rubble from the long-ago capture of Drezen has only been sort of shoved aside. As she expected, the halls are completely dark. Still, she does get some information - the ceiling is only about 10' high, rather than anything bigger.
She explores the corridor she finds herself in - it has three doors along the western wall, as well as a turn to the east that leads to another pair of doors. From what she recalls of Aron's building plans, the doors to the east should lead to the (likely former) chapel of Iomedae. The others... she's not so sure about.
Of course, all of the doors are quite firmly shut. Still, she can probably find a way through the tiny tunnels in the area to get past the doors, though they're really quite well-hidden.
Nurah shakes her head at his question. "Nothing much. Just wondering whether your victory or the demons would be better for me. At this point, I honestly don't know." She snorts. "Probably you. Maybe the Queen's interrogators won't torture me before I'm executed."
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Thesius continues to frown. While he's happy to hear that she is not being harassed as much, it was disconcerting that is was continuing to happen at all. Not to mention the fact they were treating other prisoners in such a fashion as well.
"I appreciate your warning. It truly pains me to hear that this is continuing to happen. I imagine their own circumstances have led some of them to this, but I'm sure others likely were like this far before recent happenings," he says as much to her as himself.
He refocuses her attentions on her as she raises her own ponderings to him. "While I cannot promise anything, I will be making a plea to stay any such thing when it comes to you. You have proven you are willing to help and I hope you will continue to do so. While I know our start was not what one may call smooth, but you have proven yourself willing to help and I think that should surely be considered in your future. One I hope we can give better cause then vengeance too. Not to say you need to join a crusade, but maybe a less violent profession." As he speaks of such he gives her a warm smile.
Finding that moment as good as easy to transition into the current situation at hands, he asks, "In fact, I come to you now seeking your aid. I was curious if you know anything of Drezen and it's inhabitants. We have taken the courtyard, but hope to better understand what awaits us inside."
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Wulfric listens attentively to Verene's reporting on the citadel's interior and occasionally jots down notes on the quick copy of Aron's building plans that he'd scribbled in his journal.
"Aha, a gap in the ceiling-work. No, not just a gap, a tiny tunnel! Awfully cramped, but passable." Verene describes the tiny hole she found that allows her eye to go north from the seven-door circular hallway, and then the new ten-foot-wide by ten-foot-high corridor where her small invisible sensor now finds itself. If she keeps trying to go north, she should reach the former commanders' chambers; if she tries to go east instead, Aron's map indicates that she should find the chapel of Iomedae, the false treasury, and perhaps a way in to the second secret chamber, where the Sword of Valor hung before the fall of Drezen. The three doors to the west are unknowns. She decides to send the eye into the chapel of Iomedae or even the secret rooms first, if she can find a way past the shut double doors. She starts looking for any more tiny tunnel entrances in the ceiling of the corridor on its eastern side, hoping that they might be easier to spot now that she knows what to look for.
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At his promise, Nurah shrugs dismissively. "The Queen's advisors won't suffer me to live - not after I've manipulated them and the Queen for so long." Still, Thesius thinks he hears a note of cautious hope in her voice.
His question makes her sigh, but she thinks carefully. "Well, don't go looking for the Sword in the room that it used to be in. They've got some sort of trap there - I think it's mimics, but I don't know."
After a few moments, she continues cautiously. "One of my primary contacts was here. I haven't heard from her since before we set out for Drezen, so I don't know if she's gone with the majority of the demons but... her name is Kiranda. A succubus who's as manipulative as you'd expect, but with more martial skills than most. She's Aponavicius' herald, messenger, assassin, that sort of thing, so she might've gone with him to the front.
"Aponavicius was the head of Drezen's garrison, but he left for the battlefield along with most of his forces - I don't think you'll be seeing him at all. So the next in line of command is probably..." She thinks. "Staunton Vhane for the dwarves, tieflings, and humans. The demons would probably follow Eustoyriax. A shadow demon. He's the one who killed my owner." Nurah practically spits the word. "And I think he'd have tried to take control of Aron if you hadn't found the shadowblood."
Two rows of stone benches occupy face a raised dais to the north, on which stands a twelve-foot-tall statue of an armored woman with a sword and shield. Faded tapestries hang in tatters to either side, and a larger one on the south wall depicts the armored woman on bended knee before a man wearing green robes. Three smaller, human-sized statues of armored knights stand within small alcoves to the west, each holding a longsword pointing downward. This must, indeed, be the chapel of Iomedae.
Of course, more alarming are the denizens of the chapel, and their current activities. A group of humans, all nude with armor and clothing discarded near the foot of the statue, are engaging in an orgy centered on Iomedae herself in the flesh. Or at least, a woman who is the spitting image of the Inheritor. It is, Verene realizes, probably for the best that she can neither hear nor smell the goings on, because what she can see is distinctly horrific - blood and other bodily fluids are smeared across Iomedae's body and those of her (likely forcibly) debased worshippers, and there's clearly no concern for the latter's safety in this.
Maybe she shouldn't have looked.
"It's the chapel of Iomedae, all ri—"
Up until now, Verene has been quite still, standing well outside the fortress with her calm gaze focused on something far away. Now, with a small shocked noise, her whole body flinches violently backward from nothing, her wide eyes still clearly seeing something else. "Oh dear. It's, ah..." The normally articulate wizard seems somewhat lost for words. "Some kind of... orgy, between a group of crusaders and one person transformed to look like Iomedae. Let's just say I don't think any of this is in the Acts. These poor people... They must be enthralled and forced to put on this depraved show for some demon's sick amusement. We cannot help them now. I need to move on."
The eye retreats back into the tunnel from whence it came and goes south rather than east at the crossing where that was possible.
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Thesius watches with a sad expression as she explains, before responding, "That may be, but it doesn't mean the rest of us can't aim to help guide them to at least basic decency."
Unsure of how to react to her response about the queen's advisors, he strikes a pose and gives a smile. "Ah, but I am one of her mighty heroes now, perhaps that will hold some weight." He winks playfully as he does so. If nothing else, perhaps he could give her something to smile about for a moment.
Thesius' face takes on a serious note as he listens to Nurah detail out what she knows of the situation within the citadel. "As always, I appreciate your insight. You may have helped save a life with the mere mention of the mimics. If there is anything else you can think of, we would be greatly appreciative of your efforts."
"Otherwise, have you been getting enough to eat and drink?" he asks with true concern. There had been a lot of shuffling around as of late and he did not want her being forgotten in the mix, whether unintentionally or intentionally.
Once they are done talking, he will report his findings to the rest of the group.
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Two statues stand midway into this room. They each depict an armored woman with her sword raised. Numerous smashed and empty chests sit on the floor. There are no obvious doors in or out of this room, so it's probably one of the two vaults that Aron mentioned.
"Look out for Vhane, though. He's vicious and a potent killer. Of course, the Knight-Commander probably knows him in that way better than me." The halfling bard considers for a few moments. "I could point you to his quarters, if you had a map, I guess."
With regards to food, Nurah shoots him a skeptical look, then shakes her head. "I've got enough to survive. No idea whether the supply situation has anything to do with the food I've been given, though."
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Azira's face hardens at Verene's, rather tame, description of the blasphemous human-puppet show playing out in the chapel. Her hand instinctively moves to Radiance's hilt, which she grasps so tightly her knuckles whiten. "Get me in there," she says sternly, to nobody in particular. "There must be some way that someone can get me in there- teleport me, or turn me into a little bird or a cloud. I'll fly into the chapel and wait quietly to return to myself. Once I've killed those responsible, I have a potion of invisibility I can use to sneak out."
Her eyes dart around the group, hoping that someone will volunteer a solution, but her resolve visibly falters as it occurs to her that she would have no way to lead the enthralled prisoners to safety. "...they could barricade themselves into the chapel, until we got back to them..." she remarks half-heartedly, as much to herself as to anyone else.
She stares at the citadel for a moment, silently seething with righteous anger, the she flatly concludes, "if there are demons inside that can compel crusaders to do that, it would be wise to prepare some spells tomorrow to protect our minds."
"It would perhaps not be impossible to rescue at least these unfortunates today. Though it would certainly be wise to prepare with some kind of protection from mental interference first. The chapel was not far from the broken place in the citadel's wall, in absolute terms. But there are two sets of very firmly shut and locked doors between it and the outside. At the very least, you would need help from Thesius to pick the locks in order to get yourself and any others out. And I will not give up the advantage of the information the arcane eye can give us before it has run its course.
"I also do not know which of the... participants, if any of them, is to blame. I did not actually see any demons in the chapel. Any one of those apparent humans, or none, could in truth be a demon who forced or magically compelled the others. I suppose the instigating demon also could have been watching invisibly, or not even there. Maybe your sense for evil would help you figure it out, if you were there.
"By the armored statues, wooden chests, and lack of doors, this next room seems to be the first secret vault Aron described — not the one which held the Sword of Valor. But every chest in here is smashed and the place looks thoroughly looted." Verene looks for any way to send the eye through the tiny tunnels to the second secret treasure vault, to the west of here.
Azira grits her teeth and stares hard at the citadel as she considers Verene’s words. A slow exhale escapes her flared nostrils before she responds, “my ability to sense evil should allow me to identify any demons in the chapel… but we’d still have to figure out how to get the prisoners out safely. If they’re being magically compelled, would killing the demon free them or would we still need to undo the magic?”
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Elliot winces at the description of the desecration orgy taking place and gives Azira a look of sympathy. "I... don't think getting there is the problem. But as we are currently very low on spells and wardstone energy, that is very, very dangerous to do. You're talking about a deep strike into the enemy's fortified citadel with no easy way out if we commit to taking them with us. What happens if we die and to the wardstone power we contain? Can it fall into demon hands? We'd be risking both our own lives as well as the fate of the crusade and the five hundred or so outside out here with us on an impulse decision to try and save six in a moment of weakness. We're strong, but there is such a thing as hubris and our loyalty should extend equally to our comrades. At least, that is what I believe."
He regards the fortified citadel with grim determination. "Besides, if they know we've already been inside the citadel so quickly after starting the attack, that might push them to start executing other prisoners NOW, whether from nerves or spite, before we're in a position to try and stop it. I think we might save more if we act in one swooping attack when we're fresh."
He exchances a look with Merixia when it becomes apparent how important this was to Azira. What did his girlfriend think about this?
Verene thinks about Azira's question even as she continues looking around the secret vault with her invisible eye.
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Merixia listens to Verene's description of the torture underway in the chapel, stock still and stone-faced as a statue. Those poor souls. I hope the Crusade has someone who knows how to counsel survivors of such abuse. "We cannot help them by acting rashly and being captured ourselves." Her voice is uncharacteristically flat. "This is the nature of war. Of evil. We can't save everyone, no matter how hard we try. All we can do is make our best plan and strike at full strength, so that we save as many as possible with as few casualties as possible."
Memories threaten to bubble to the surface of her mind, like swamp gas rising from the muck. Merixia stomps them down with the same ruthlessness she uses in fighting demons. This is not the time or the place.
Thesius nods his head as he listens and an idea springs into his mind as he hears her mention pointing out where Vhane's quarters are. However, his attention turns when he notes her mention of the food she was being given.
"What do you mean? Has the food you've been given gone bad?" he asks with concern.
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It takes her a few long moments, but the wizard is able to discover one such small hole that leads her arcane eye westwards. Slipping through the tunnels, she finds her vision inside another room - this must be what Aron referred to. Though the room is totally unlit, her kobold-shape's senses allow her to pierce the gloom. There are a vast array of signs that this is her destination - for one, a metal rod on which hangs a magnificent banner depicting a sword before a sunburst is raised up in the hands of a statue of an armored woman to the north. This must be the Sword of Valor. Just south of the statue sits a gleaming alabaster altar. Another four statues flank the room, each wearing a real suit of metal armor, while to the south hangs a tattered red and gold tapestry.
She's found their ultimate goal, although she still has no sense of how to get into the secret rooms if one isn't able to float through the air vents.
"I am afraid that magical mental influence would indeed persist past the death of the caster. It might need to be dispelled in order to restore these prisoners to their right minds, which Merixia and Elliot can both attempt; or in the worst case, we might need to nonlethally subdue them and carry them out. Again, I do not think a surgical strike impossible with our present capabilities and remaining resources for the day. But we would need Thesius's input, at the very least. I am quite certain I cannot teleport us in and all of those people to safety today." Verene shakes her head and puts the terrible scene in the other room firmly from her mind, focusing on the task at hand.
"Now this is promising. This room is exactly where Aron's map said the Sword of Valor's secret chamber should be, and indeed, there is a large banner here with Iomedae's sword-and-sunburst, raised up in the hands of an armored woman. There are also four other fully armored statues and a completely clean alabaster altar. Everything looks untouched, in fact. There is a tattered red and gold tapestry on one wall, but I am sure time and insect damage could account for that. Could it really be that the invaders never found the banner?" Verene wonders. "But if so, how did Staunton Vhane ever interfere with its function enough that the citadel fell? He, at least, must have known where the Sword of Valor was. So why keep it here? I wish I were there in person to examine its magical aura."
She leans forward unconsciously as she zooms the eye closer to the magnificent banner and studies it further for a few seconds, taking in the smallest details that might tell her of its historical authenticity or reveal any telltale signs of its inherent magic. A coolness touches the back of her white-scaled neck, but she does not notice that the spiral birthmark there, fully revealed by this form's lack of hair, has started to glow softly.
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"As much as I'd love to kill whatever demon is responsible for that blasphemy right now," Azira answers thoughtfully, "it's not worth the risk if we can't end the enchantment and safely liberate the prisoners."
She forces her hand off Radiance's hilt and up to the silver holy symbol hanging around her neck.
Inheritor... grant your servants the strength to resist the magic that enslaves them, and the wisdom to forgive themselves for what they've been forced to do.
"Tomorrow, then," she concludes resolutely.
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Thesius nods in understanding of Nurah's insight. "Thank you. I will keep that in mind. I need to report back to the others, but I will plan on coming back later today so we can talk more. Your help is greatly appreciated, I hope you know that."
He will return to the meeting and report his findings.
"I hope your search went well. Nurah was able to provide me with some insight into some of the residents that may yet reside within the walls of the citadel."
"She noted that Aponavicius headed to the battlefield. However his herald, a succubus named Kiranda, may yet still be here. While manipulative like her kind normally is, she does have more martial skill then others. She was Nurah's contact before."
"She also made mention that a shadow demon named Eustoyriax is likely in charge of the demons now. He is the one that killed her prior owner..."
"Finally Staunton Vhane is now heading the dwarves, tieflings, and humans. If we are willing to show her the map, she could point out his room to us."
"In regard to the Sword of Valor, she noted that the room is trapped. She believes mimics lie in wait with it."
"With all of that said, I think she could be an asset to us within the walls of Drezen. I realize that puts us at risk, which is why I made no mention of it to her as I wanted to discuss it with all of you prior," as he says this, he turns to each of his companions in turn. "I also think it could give her hope for a brighter future."
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Aravashnial strokes his chin, an ear flicking thoughtfully. "That does seem strange. Perhaps they gambled on our records being incomplete? That seems more foolish than I would expect of them..." His silver eyes fall half-shut. "It's still worth investigating, once you go in to rescue the crusaders - assuming you do so without raising an alarm. I would not recommend you do a fighting investigation or the like."
Aravashnial's eyebrows arch at Thesius' suggestion. "You will have to talk with Irabeth to get that accepted, I think." Still, he looks thoughtful. "Depending on how you frame it, I believe she might be amenable to it."
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Merixia listens to Verene's description of the torture underway in the chapel, stock still and stone-faced as a statue. Her voice is uncharacteristically flat.
The magus looks up, hazarding a guess that her family's background of slavery played into her sudden shift of demeanor. He'd never really asked or pressed, just assumed things had been bad but that it was all in the distant past, best left forgotten. Yet, watching her, perhaps the past was not so distant.
His instinct was to try and comfort her somehow, yet in previous similarities, her wish had been not to - not publicly.
So he turns away, the grip on his sword growing tigher and tighter until even his planetouched knuckles were white.
"But if so, how did Staunton Vhane ever interfere with its function enough that the citadel fell? He, at least, must have known where the Sword of Valor was. So why keep it here? I wish I were there in person to examine its magical aura."
Fortunately, Verene provided a distraction and he mentally went over the recent conversation. "You say the Sword of Valor is still there? I... don't like this, sis. Like Irabeth said, Vhane probably would have known where the sword was hidden. And if not, it just seems too likely any of the however many prisoners the demons made when the citadel fell would have known instead. Logically, they never would have left it there. This all just reeks of a trap of sorts." Elliot chimes in. "I wouldn't risk all of us going in with the sort of magic required to start there unless there was some way to be absolutely certain it was the real thing. Though I would't know what that would be. Best I could think of is asking our patrons directly, preferably by a number of clerics, whether starting with that banner yields good results . But as far as I understand, even that isn't foolproof."
"Interesting. The banner is magical, of that much I am sure. The embroidered symbols on the bordure have a certain flow to them that draws the eye. They were not randomly done. Only I cannot tell in what way it is magical — if its aura is correct for the types of effects we know it has. But it is not an inert piece of cloth. It could be the real Sword of Valor. Yes, I certainly would like to investigate it further." Despite herself, hope rises in her heart. It would be easy indeed to pop into this room, pluck the banner away, and teleport out again. She could do it with just the Wardstone power left to her today. Verene reminds herself that what seems to be too good to be true often is.
Once she has gleaned what she can from the visual information the eye perceives about the banner, Verene moves it onward. She returns to the corridor, spending as little time in the chapel as possible, and looks for a way northward, toward the commanders' chamber pointed out to them by Aron.
When Thesius returns to them with all his news from Nurah, Verene sighs. "I knew it was suspicious that the room was so well-kept. Well, if they were aware of its existence and went to the trouble of laying a trap, it seems very unlikely that that is the real Sword of Valor after all. I think we should assume that it is a fake. But the names of the two other important demon commanders within the fortress should be very useful.
"I would not object to taking Nurah into the fortress with us, if she should wish to go. Not if she were at all reluctant or seemed likely to betray us, naturally. But I did have the strong impression that she wanted her life to be important, whatever that means to her, and I think we could channel that desire toward good and useful ends for us, rather than destructive ones, if we only gave it such an outlet. I also cannot think that being a simple prisoner, with nothing to do but follow orders, be interrogated, and wait for someone else to decide her fate, is helping to change her opinion of the Crusade."
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Deciding it might be better to continue past this empty room, she directs her spying spell back into the vents, slipping through the narrow passageways and out into another room, still further north. This one could not be more different than the last. Rich appointments of fine furniture and plush carpet decorate this oddly shaped chamber. A mahogany desk with several bookshelves occupies the southeast corner, while expansive liquor cabinets follow the curving northern wall. Three doors lead south and west.
More to the point, this room is occupied. Two bat-winged minotaurs lurk in the corners near the doors, while an armored dwarf with a glaive leaning nearby glowers down at a familiar tiefling. This is almost certainly Staunton Vhane - after all, there can't be many dwarves here, and he is in the officer's quarters...
Aravashnial considers Thesius' report and Elliot's comments. "I agree it seems unlikely that this is the real Sword of Valor, but I think you ought to check to be certain. With the knowledge that there are mimics there, you'll be better prepared. And I doubt a cursed item would be able to slip your attention in person, Verene." He sighs. "Irabeth will no doubt have further suggestions - or rather, orders."
"We would not want to leave them in a cleared-out Drezen in any case, to present a danger to people. How would we best prepare to fight mimics, do you think, Master Aravashnial? I suppose being aware of their presence and not getting too close is half the battle. Hm. Here are some empty officers' quarters north of the corridor; nothing left but bedframes, dust, and rubble." Now that Thesius is physically here, Verene speaks in her normal tone rather than through the message, but continues describing her findings as she goes. After another few moments, she straightens. "Ah. Staunton Vhane has made the commander's chamber his own after all. His armor is different, bearing the symbol of Deskari, and his weapon is now a glaive instead of a hammer, but I am fairly sure it is him. He is here with two fiendish minotaurs and that hunchbacked tiefling mage who abandoned his own subordinates at the bridge yesterday rather than stay and fight. He does not look best pleased with the mage. Well, I wouldn't be either. Unfortunately, I cannot hear what they are saying. If I am going to be casting this spell often, perhaps I ought to learn to read lips. I will look around for any more information. The room is clean and richly appointed. It seems Vhane likes expensive liquor, fine furnishings and plush carpets. There are bookshelves, a desk, and three doors to the south and west."
Verene sends the eye around the room for at least a minute, looking for anything unusual or important while also paying attention to the general contours of the interaction between Vhane and his subordinate. She spends extra time on the mahogany desk, and any orders or letters Vhane might have left lying upon it.
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Merixia turns to Thesius. "If Nurah turns on us, I will do my best to kill her. But if she doesn't turn on us, she'll have proven that she can be trusted. Either way she won't be a problem anymore."
Fortunately, Verene provided a distraction and he mentally went over the recent conversation. "You say the Sword of Valor is still there? I... don't like this, sis. Like Irabeth said, Vhane probably would have known where the sword was hidden. And if not, it just seems too likely any of the however many prisoners the demons made when the citadel fell would have known instead. Logically, they never would have left it there. This all just reeks of a trap of sorts." Elliot chimes in. "I wouldn't risk all of us going in with the sort of magic required to start there unless there was some way to be absolutely certain it was the real thing. Though I would't know what that would be. Best I could think of is asking our patrons directly, preferably by a number of clerics, whether starting with that banner yields good results . But as far as I understand, even that isn't foolproof."
"I can ask Ragathiel, certainly." Auguries are notoriously vague and the accuracy can be dubious, but if both she and Sosial ask their respective deities, that might help.
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Aravashnial flicks an ear thoughtfully. "Mimics are a bit outside of my usual expertise, but I'll share what I know. Obviously, they take the shape of objects that seem innocuous in order to seize their prey, but they are also able to cling to you with their adhesive flesh. You will want to avoid their touch or enspell yourselves to manage that difficulty. Take care with your weapons," he looks at the melee fighters, "else you might lose them." He frowns, then shakes his head. "But who knows how they've been altered by the demonic forces here? They could be highly mutated by the Abyssal energies that have flooded the Worldwound."
Verene's assessment of the two speakers is somewhat more useful. Vhane clearly is displeased with the tiefling's failures, but the specifics are somewhat beyond her. He doesn't seem to be inclined to execute the sorcerer, at least... Still, after a few sharp gestures, one of the winged minotaurs grabs the tiefling and lifts him by the shoulder, before tossing him bodily out of the room.
She also takes note of the liquor cabinets - they look well-stocked and rather valuable, if she had to guess.
There's not much else of note here, save for two of the holes near the ceiling - one of which she entered from, and another more aligned to the north.
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Wulfric smirks slightly as he continues to jot down notes about Verene’s discoveries. “This army is considerably more virtuous than most,” he remarks, “but I suspect they would still appreciate sharing a large collection of exotic libations to celebrate when the citadel falls…”
”…gods know, I will…”
Verene summarizes the contents of the Abyssal notes and her observation of the tiefling mage being bodily tossed out of the room before moving the eye onward through the northerly ceiling hole. There is a room that Aron's map had no information about, and she wants to know what it contains.
Aravashnial chuckles at Wulfric's comment. "There is nothing wrong with a little celebration after a victory, so long as it is safe to do so." He says. "I do not think even the most staid Iomedaean would dispute that!"
Gliding into that northern hole brings her to another confusing network of tunnels, and this time she heads slightly west, emerging into a circular set of stairs - unfortunately, this seems to be the only hole there, and both ends of the stairs are blocked by doors, so she turns back and heads to the east instead.
The room she finds is not particularly lavish compared to Vhane's office, but it is still of some interest to her. Aside from a wide table with several seats around it (some of them distinctly dwarf-sized), an array of maps depicting the Worldwound and its border nations adorn the walls. It is a surprisingly large chamber, as well - likely a meeting room to discuss strategy.
A few books lie scattered on the table, all of them in Dwarven. One in particular is quite strange - a pile of about a dozen steel plates bound by metal rings. On the top of the first "page" such as it is, stand the words Book of Chains. Other titles include Endless Industry, Path of Ashes, and Call to the Dark Furnace.
Droskar inflicts his curse on his worshippers, encouraging them to labor endlessly and pointlessly on rote crafts. Further, he exalts wealth as a measure of virtue, but has no interest in how such wealth is acquired. He insists on ascetic self-perfection, but endorses enslaving others - especially dwarves that do not worship him.
All in all, he is a twisted reflection of the dwarven people, and most dwarves attack anyone discovered worshipping him.
Unfortunately, there's no one here for her to spy on, so she moves onwards, back into the tunnels and towards the east. Soon enough, she emerges into a large courtroom. A ruinous field of debris covers the southeast corner of the area, and tall columns support the thirty-foot ceiling overhead.
A quick scan reveals another pair of winged minotaurs standing guard (for a certain value of the term). One of them is chewing something that is happily unidentifiable, while the other is honing her axe.
Before she can do more than a cursory scan of the room, the magic sustaining the arcane eye fades, and Verene finds herself back in the command room of the crusaders' siege camp.
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"The tunnel system here is particularly confusing, but to the west of Vhane's office is a set of stairs. There is an underground level after all! But I see no way past the doors at the bottom of the stairs." Verene is silent for long moments. "East of the office is what looks like a strategy or war room. Lots of maps, seats around a large table, some books with awfully grim titles. Endless Industry... Path of Ashes... Call to the Dark Furnace... this collection of metal plates bound with steel rings is called the Book of Chains. I know that one. It's the holy text of Droskar, the dwarven Dark Smith. Most dwarves consider him the twisted mirror of their other gods and his teachings a blasphemy: he approves of taking slaves, of pointless rote labor to achieve a kind of ascetic self-perfection, and of accumulating wealth no matter its origins. Supposedly, Torag once cursed him for stealing the work of an enslaved creature, so that he would only ever be able to reproduce the ideas of others, and could never create anything new. Odd that any of his followers would cooperate with the demonic cults. Demons are not exactly known for their love of hard work. Of course, according to the priestess of Torag to whom we returned the Vhane signet ring, Staunton Vhane took a number of his clansmen with him when he defected. Perhaps some of them worship Droskar all these years later, and never turned to the demon lords instead. How disappointing for him."
Verene moves the eye onward, but barely has a chance to say, "This next room looks like it was once a courtroom, but only two more of the fiendish minotaur guards are here now," before the spell ends, catapulting her back into her kobold body in a rush of vertigo. She places a hand on the planning table for balance.
"Well, that was useful. We could even ambush Staunton Vhane today, if we wished. But let's decide what to do about Nurah, first."
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The meeting is adjourned once the wizard reveals a final few thoughts, and later that day the command staff meets together once more to discuss the arcane eye's findings. Aron in particular is happy to draw up a copy of the map he has and scribble all of the details that she's discovered.
Irabeth is hesitant to allow Nurah to follow the heroes into the Citadel, but finally accepts it once Aron and Sosiel agree. Anevia, meanwhile, wryly comments on Verene's divinatory skill and its relative use compared to that of the scouts - mostly in jest.
The Knight-Commander confirms the plan that the champions have put into place - a lightning strike on Staunton Vhane as soon as possible. She does warn them that he has a fiendish dire wasp as a mount that he can call up from the Abyss, beyond the half-fiend minotaur bodyguards and other potential reinforcements that he might face.
After some discussion, the command staff mentions that attempting to slay Vhane and seize the Sword of Valor in a single strike is ideal, but Sosiel reminds the party that there will be a great number of guards, and that they shouldn't be afraid to retreat and come back again. Furthermore, Irabeth points out that just accomplishing those two objectives isn't enough - they will need to get rid of the demons, too.
"And again, don't be afraid to retreat. This is a siege, not a pitched battle - you all are far too valuable to lose because of reckless bravery." Irabeth says firmly.
Finally, the time to strike is decided on early morning the next day - the longer they wait, the more morale will suffer among the crusaders and the more likely it is that Vhane will call for reinforcements.
With that out of the way, they adjourn for the evening.
The next morning, the champions go to the makeshift prison where the halfing bard is being held alongside some of the other more cooperative prisoners. She looks somewhat bemused when the party arrives, folding her arms. "I already told Thesius everything I know about the Citadel." She says simply. "So something else has clearly brought you all here."
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Thesius nods his agreement to the others. "I truly hope that Irabeth will give Nurah the opportunity to prove herself. I will plan to address that with her when we meet with her next."
He then shifts his attention to the details that Verene is giving.
Upon hearing her question about mimics, he will try to recall anything of use.
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Thesius nods at her words as he moves up and kneels in front of her. "My apologies for not coming back sooner." He gestures to the gathered group as he continues, "We believed it best that we address you as a party for what is about to be said concerns all of us, including yourself. We've seen how valuable you and your insights can be, and we would like to extend an invitation for you to join us in our siege of the fortress."
After he gives her a moment to digest the words he has already spoken, he continues. "While I can only truly speak for myself, I believe we all share the sentiment, that you were dealt a poor hand and did your best to make of it what you could. But I don't believe you should be unfairly judged by the past and that you have a bright future ahead of you should you choose to take hold of it. This will be a chance to show the world that you are far more than what they have seen so far. And I would like the chance to stand beside you as your friend as you take hold of a brighter future. While I wish I could do so in a less dangerous manner, sometimes we must take chances to truly change the mindset of those around us."
Finally he falls silent and gives her the time to find her words.