The combined assault of Nicolette's throwing needle, Joska's shield bash, and Kevin's divinely guided blow end the final traitor's life in a flurry of punishment.
Combat Ended
The two chained underfolk slaves cower back against the wall, having dropped the giant pot of stew as they fled back from the melee. Their mutations are many, making age hard to determine, but you would guess early adolescence. From their scrawny, scarred state and tattered clothes, it is clear they were here unwillingly.
Looking about the room, you are slightly surprised to realize it is a rather well stocked kitchen and larder. Several casks are stacked to the right, no doubt filled with some fermented beverage. Two stone hearths with grill racks atop them are on the two far walls, and food stuffs and supplies are stacked in crates and shelves.
Meraati approaches the captives first, guessing the others would be sorting the traitors' useful items.
"Greetings. I am Meraati, who are you?
And would you 'appen to know who 'as the keys to your chains?"
Adding to Meraati's words, she asks the youths, "And where be ye from?"
Callen takes a heavy, deep breath after the quick combat. Stowing his sword, he reaches up and pulls back his hood, checking his neck and rotating his shoulder where the traitor's flail hit him. His eyes find the two chained youths as he tries to shake off the wound.
'Damn it all, they hold even their own kin as chattel. How far have they fallen...' He shakes his head at the poor state of the slaves, then looks down at the third fallen Mongrel, the one who had previously been leading them. Kneeling down, he checks his belt, pouches and pockets for some manner of key.
Joska helps search, including for the manacles key.
Kevin sheathes his sword and approaches the slaves empty hands out, "We were sent this way from Neatholm. Chief Sull told us of the evil ones living here and of their working with the demon cultists. I gather from these chains you are not of the evil tribe. Do you know where the keys are for those chains so we can set you free?" He uses his detect evil ability to make sure neither is evil.
Neither boy bears the mark of evil, yet both has a faint lingering presence of evil upon them. Perhaps some spell or effect of a dark nature was used on them before?
The two prisoners, for from their shackles it is clear their position is not by choice, seem to calm a bit as they look across your many varied faces. Indeed, their eyes seem to dart back and forth between the likes of Nicolette, Joska, and Missy to Kevin, Meraati, and Callen. Finally, after Kevin approaches and speaks calmly, his twisted visage lending a sense of kindness and genuine concern, one of them opens it's mouth, still somewhat uncertain.
"Us den not you kill? Say Kudrani sundwellers our blood seek. But us like are you?"
The other stammers further, "Neathholm! Sent you Chief Sull did? Gram named am I. And Hurn he is. The keys..." He looks down and starts to point at the keys Callen is just pulling from a pouch on the third fallen traitor underfolk.
As you have a few more moments to observe them, the boy Gram and Hurn are at the young end of adolescence, and both have been starved, and both have clearly suffered multiple wounds (old and new).
The darkness enshrouding her quickly fades as she sees the imprisoned children.
"I don't know much about you...but I know you hate imprisonment and value freedom. What these villains did here is unforgivable and they have paid the price."
She is, in a way, sad the mongrels had to die, but they clearly were enjoying their sin far too much to consider changing.
"Sundwellers don't seek your blood. What lies...My name is Nicolette. Friend of Chief Sull and daughter. You know fair Giri? You ask about me, and she will know. Teaching her elven just last night I was." "Speaking like this is giving me a headache. I keep slipping in an out of their strange way of speaking...and probably not doing it justice by any means." "I have food, and can look at your cuts and bruises. Will you let us?" she asks, knowing many of them are capable healers.
She will produce some bread and rations.
"Perhaps if Amelia and the boys hurry, they can catch up with Lann on their way back? Do you think they are very far by now?"
Nicolette tries to piece together how long it has been since they started fighting and left their company. Hopefully not too long.
Kevin smiles at the boys "My name is Kevin, while I have my own burdens to bare I am not quite like you but know the fears others have in those different all too well. We are not here to kill you. I didn't even want to kill them but they refused to repent their evil ways and had to be redeemed by the sword. I would much have preferred they surrender to us and give up their evil ways and step into the light. Let's get you out of those chains and get you looked at and fed. If there is anything left in that pot you are welcome to it. If you don't want it we have food we can give you."
Callen stands up, the key in his hand. He steps forward to the pair, reaching out for the shackles. "I am Callen Shieldborn, I am glad to meet you both Gram and Burn, though wish it were a better occasion. You are safe now, we will see no more harm comes to you."
"Th-They might, but I wouldn't trust it... N-No telling if someone might have come out from those doors we left behind us." Missy pointed out to Nicolette, not wanting to let the kids potentially get into danger. Still, she moved over to help the woman look over the children and patch them up as best they could.
"I think if we go to the entrance, and some of us escort them to the outer wall, they would have a safe shot back home, don't you? We did clear the way up to here." She looks to the others, and especially Amelia for her opinion, given that she's probably been wanting to leave ever since arriving.
At Kevin's suggestion that they can eat, the two lads Gram and Hurn quickly grab two bowls with their now unshackled hands and scoop up some of the stew from within the pot. They begin consuming it with ravenous abandon.
Nicolette looks around the kitchen to find Amelia's current condition, and realizes she is not there. She had been outside the previous room when you had lunch to your attack, though you had not seen her movement during the combat. Suddenly, you hear a screen, the telltale voice of a young, terrified and injured human woman, from the room behind you. A moment after later, a brusk female voices calls out, "Get it, we need to move!"
Returning to the larger chamber, you find a tall man in darkened chain and plate with a spike shield and a gnarled gauntlet hoisting the desiccated heart from the table. Beyond him a slimly built woman with raven hair stands before the doorway, her glaive clearly having just struck a nasty wound to a terrified looking Amelia.
Hearing the scream Kevin runs into the next room, drawing his scimitar as he moves and comes up behind the one who attacked Amelia. He yells "Take on someone who can challenge you fiend!"
"Umm...where is she?" she asks, knowing that the girl was chillingly afraid and sticking closely by, not to mention, being watched over by Meraati. With the scream, she realizes that she must have backed away from the group in fear of whatever may have been in the next room; the room with the children. Causing this division, Nicolette now surges with Kevin into that next room and draws her other dagger in an effort to present a violent target to the one hurting the child.
"That's right! And there's more of us to contend with than you know!" she harmonizes Kevin's threats. "It doesn't have to be like this. Lay down your arms!"
Callen curses silently under his breath as he realizes he let his guard down and allowed them to be flanked. Turning, he runs back through the hallway, stopping to pick up his bow where he discarded it before the assault on the door to the kitchen.
Hearing Amelia scream, Meraati turns her head in surprise and with concern. She hurries back into the room, to see a nasty looking armored woman in the room, and her allies clustering up near someone else.
Thinking her allies got that covered, she looks at the armored one.
"That is one weighted 'eart to carry with merely one 'and. Wouldn't it be better to not sprain muscles, and take a rest for a while, and carry it with two 'ands later?"
Missy's head shot up as she heard the scream, eyes widening. Turning around she hurried out of the room, looking around to take everything in. The person threatening Amelia was handled, the other person wasn't. Feeling surprisingly angry, they'd hurt Amelia after all, she rushes towards the currently unengaged foe.
The woman who just struck Amelia turns toward her approaching adversaries, a glimmer of malice in her eyes. As Kevin closes , she slashes out quickly with her polearm, striking the paladin cruelly.
The helmed warrior looks at Meraati, a blank stare of emptiness now glazing over his eyes. Joska quickly moves up with Missy to confront him as he absently stands there, possessing the heart.
With Nicolette following closely behind Kevin, the woman considers her changing situation. Shortening her grip, she turns back to Amelia and swings at the injured wizard. Already wounded, the second blow causes Amelia to cry out before collapsing under the weight of the blow, unconscious.
-2/20
The woman does not hesitate a moment, and flees into the chamber beyond.
Meraati hurries to Amelia's side.
"Come on, do not think of dying on us."
At Amelia's side, Meraati takes from her pack a scroll of CLW.
"Despicable!" "The quicker I get through you..." she doesn't finish her words and just rushes in swings.
Kevin shakes his head as the weapon misses him as he moves in. He is appalled when the woman attacks Amelia and moves off taking a swing at her as she goes. He then moves over Amelia and attacks the woman again this time putting everything into he has, "For that attack you will not get the chance of surrender!"
Joska stays put and concentrates on putting down the man by Missy.
Meraati had Amelia covered for now, leaving her and Joska to try and deal with this monster. Gripping her mace tight, she swung at his kneecaps from below while Joska came at him from above.
Callen hurries forward into the room, putting himself between the two foes. Figuring it best to help Joska and Missy to take down the warrior before them, Callen draws an arrow and snaps off a shot.
As the woman sprints past the falling Amelia, Kevin lands a blow across her shoulders. Her movement stole some of its potential, but he felt his blade connect true, yielding a stumble and a grimace of pain.
Nicolette trusts in her agility and nimbly darts past the woman, cutting off her escape and putting her offguard, forcing her to fight on two fronts. Despite this, the woman narrowly evades Kevin's follow up blow as he closes on her.
Back in the chamber, a battle wages beneath the statue of Baphomet. Joska lands two solid strikes with both her shield and sword, and Missy catches the warrior in the knee with her mace. Callen's shot deflects off the warrior's arrow, having been aimed too wide to avoid his allies.
Meraati hurries up to Amelia, and drawing forth a scroll, summons and arcane spell to mend their fallen ally's wounds. Amelia's body lies still for a second, before she gasps for air and her eyes flutter open, looking up at Meraati.
The woman snears at the pair now flanking her. For an instant she seems to prepare to swing her glaive at Nicolette, before quickly stepping back and unleashing a fierce growl, "Servants of the imposter gods, burn in the flames of your iniquity!"
The warrior holding the heart shakes off the fog clouding his mind then laughs maliciously, "Finally, some fun! He drops the heart on the table, then unleashes a series of attacks at Joska, countering her sword and shield with his own spiked gauntlet and shield. Despite his fury, he is unable to beat her defenses, even slamming his shield into the table itself.
Hosilla: -10
Guardian: -16
Since the warrior seems chatty Joska asks "So, who's heart is that anyway?" Who knows? I might get an answer.
She continues to press her attack, but fighting across a table isn't ideal.
Meraati smiles as Amelia wakes up.
" 'ey, welcome back."
Only for the vile woman to cast a spell on them through fear.
Meraati looks back at Amelia, "Quickly, move away towards the chamber over there.", as she points to the one in the southeast.
Amelia moves, staying near the wall as best as able, after getting up.
Meraati herself starts a short verse, recalling futile bravado, made by villains, then moves to near Amelia, hoping to keep an eye on her charge this time. The verse is short, but spirited.
Nicolette can feel the burning hatred in the words of the woman who now casts a spell in her presence.
"Let me show you how real our gods are!"
With deftness befitting a ninja, this medic leaps and spins out the flames trying to lick at her burns all while keenly placing herself within striking distance.
Then with two quick slashes of her daggers, she quickly pulls back, as if to say the woman is finished, for now Kevin will come in while she is fully distracted and unable to cast any further without truly guarding herself.
If her dagger finds purchase, she will twist it in, ensuring she feels it to further catch her off-guard for her companion's strike.
Kevin looks annoyed at the fire on him. He places a hand on his chest briefly and heals some of his wounds. He then steps forward and attacks the woman as he says "You are the one serving the imposters and will suffer the consequences when you die."
She brings her mace back and swings it again, this time towards the other knee cap as she works in tandem with Joska. While she might not be as good a warrior, but she can support well enough. "Really, you find this fun? W-Why are cultists so crazy..."
Callen draws another arrow and knocks it. He had intended to shoot at the warrior again, but after the woman's demonic cry and the insuing flames engulfing his friends, he turns toward the outer room and hustles forward, snapping off a shot after he crosses in.
Joska continues to attack the helmed warrior, landing another strike with her sword, but unable to follow up with the shield bash. Missy's swing of her mace glances off a plate of his armor.
Meraati manages to call Amelia back from the brink of death, only for the cultist woman's spell to lash out at both with its unholy flames. Meraati throws the pair down behind the hall, helping them to evade the worst of it.
Nicolette and Kevin find themselves assailed by the flaming words, but manage to fend off the worst of it. They each close in on the cultist woman, yet are unable to land a blow. Callen closes in and snaps off a shot, but it goes far overhead.
The cultist woman steps back again for her assailants, working an abyssal spell that starts to unleash a wave of tremors through the ground, but Nicolette's pressure on her causes her to foul up the spell and its effect is lost.
The helmed warrior utters a brief abyssal word then touches himself before launching into another flurry of blows against Joska.
Hosilla: -10
Guardian: -21
Joska takes a hard blow but powers through it to keep pressing the warrior. Guess he doesn't feel like talking. Sulky bastard...
Amelia points her finger at the armored foe.
" Arcanis Nar",
She then heads into the corridor.
Meraati looks towards said foe, and twirls her finger, as she focuses on an area beneath and around them.
"Watch your footing..."
Kevin steps forward pressing the attack on the woman.
Now in proper position, Nicolette takes aim at vital spots located on the newly distracted cultist. With Kevin swinging his doom blade, surely she'll be able to strike the foe caster, right?
Callen moves up closer to the conflict with the evil woman. Drawing another arrow, he comes around the outside of Nicolette and Kevin's flanking of her and snaps off another shot.