She will move onto the others and determine their auras, when it is her chance.
The other three did not have evil auras.
"So...what are...you all doing here?" Atash opens up somewhat weakly. "That is...we were told to expect...mostly just undead..."
"We are here to make advances against those same undead. Those lands to the South and East of the Ormonas river are rich, and have lain neglected for far too long." It was the Elf who spoke, his voice high and thin.
This response was given too quickly. It sounded like it was a rehearsed answer prepared just in case anyone asked why these people were here.
In other words, it was a lie.
"Now that we've answered your question, you tell us why you're here," said Elle.
Karti's brow contorts when the elf speaks. "Frankly, that's none of your business, but sure, I'll indulge you. We're here to fix what's wrong, and right now, this elf isn't telling us the truth. Be careful what you say next, for you might up on the list of things that need fixing."
As usual, it's the elf that's the problem.
Razaniel felt the weight of the scimitar in his hand, and looked at Torvi.
"You're here to fix what's wrong? Well that's not too different from what we want." It was the human with two swords who spoke. He was still eying Karti testily. "My name is Rhett. Perhaps it would be best if we take our distance for tonight, and meet again in the morning when our blood is cool? There is an unoccupied gatehouse down the wall a ways," he gestured to the West, a direction you had not yet scouted.
Torvi shakes her head, "I'm afraid there shall be no further parlay with a group such as yours that is lead by an elf with an aura of evil who declines to ."
She will swing her dorn-dergar at the TWF guy in the doorway...
Bludgeon
If that hits, she will swift action change her hold on the weapon, and cleave to the orc behind him...
Bludgeon
Karti struck a pair of mighty blows, sending the two by the door reeling. And then hostilities resumed immediately.
Your foes, tricked by the sudden switch from parley to violence, were not ready to react yet.
After a prayer to Sarenrae, Razaniel moved to the other side of the door, attacking their dual wielding opponent with the flat of his blade - "Lay down your weapons, and there needs to be no more bloodshed" - Razaniel is still hopeful for a peaceful resolution (or almost).
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Karti struck a pair of mighty blows
Torvi will go to move...
Success
Torvi moves over to in between all three enemy combatants, provoking from the half orc.
Once there, she will swift action her weapon to close range, and then try and take her Great Cleave Feat for a ride, starting with the half orc...
Bludgeon
If hit, then cleave to the human woman...
Bludgeon
If hit, then cleave to the evil elf spellcaster...
Bludgeon
My AC is -2 right now.
Instead of going for the foe directly in front of him, Karti dips low and attempts to skewer the burly half-orc that's tangled up with Torvi.
Razaniel floored the human warrior who had been standing in your way, giving room for Torvi to move up. Karti skewered the halforc who had stabbed him previously. His ferocious blood kept him standing for a moment, until Karti smashed open his skull. The woman who had spoken earlier easily parried his followthrough, however.
Atash moved forward, avoiding the webs.
He had to move slowly, however, and was unable to take up a flanking position. He then fired a cantrip over Torvi's shoulder.
It splashed onto the elf, singing the flesh of his hands.
The elf cried out in frustration, lunging at Torvi. A moment later and he backed up to a safe distance, arcane words of power dripping from his mouth. Elle backed up too, dropping the spears she had been carrying. "Yield!" She cried out, "we yi-" and then your world went red. Flames exploded from the doorway you had fought over before, blossoming out in every direction. The human Razaniel had taken care to keep alive was killed. The elf himself was burned, as was Elle. Where the flames touched the webs, they kindled and burned even hotter. When the searing light faded, no one was left unscathed.
Casting Fireball
Reflex save for half damage?
Having previously determined that the elf was evil, Torvi calls down the power of her god on him.
Smite activated!
And she attacks twice...
Bludgeon
Bludgeon
And she takes a 5' step to keep the Elf "pinned" against the back of the room.
Karti instinctively curls up and brings his shoulders and arms up to cover his face and ears just as the worst of the magical fire washes over them, setting their world ablaze. "You bring dishonor to your ancestors!", he yells before opening his eyes to see the damage: the woman dead, the half-orc roasted, and total carnage the only possible outcome for this encounter. Fine, I'll indulge you!
Razaniel ignored his wounds, and crouched next to Elle, trying to ascertain if she was still alive.
Karti skewered the elf, his spear sticking into the wall behind him so that he was held in place. As his life guttered out, he stared into Torvi's eyes, a tortured grin fixed on his face.
Elle backed away from Razaniel. She was still conscious, but badly burned. The effects of magical fire were interesting. While any patch of her skin that was exposed to the air had been burned, her hair and clothing were barely singed. It was as though the spell knew exactly how to cause damage, and avoided wasting heat on things that wouldn't hurt. Curiously, it had set fire to the webs - although those had then burned Razaniel and Karti even more, so perhaps the spell understood that as well. Magic was strange.
"Thanks for saving me from those cultists," Elle said quietly. "But why didn't you just take the other gatehouse and avoid bloodshed?"
Something about what Elle was saying didn't seem to add up. Had she really needed saving? It was hard to tell, but you had a hunch she was untrustworthy.
"Cultists of what? And as for avoiding bloodshed, the vile taint of evil was upon that elf, moreso than upon most elves even. When he refused to drop the web, I knew he had no intention of a peaceful resolution."
Torvi will ensure the group is close enough, so that everyone can benefit when she channels to heal...
After that, or situation should be:
Torvi: 6, Karti: 1, Razaniel: 3, Atash: 11
"Razaniel, can you please finish healing the group?"
Moving away from the woman when she recoils, Razaniel approached Atash - "This should help, my friend" - he nodded, and intoned a silent prayer to Sarenrae.
The beating of his dwarven heart, fired up by the drums of battle, fills Karti's ears and he barely registers the woman's words. He pants as the rush of adrenaline dies down and fatigue and reason start kicking in. "You're lucky to still be alive, lass."
Where the flames of the elf had been bright and searing, the light that Torvi called down was soft and soothing. There was a collective sigh of relief as your hurts were washed away.
"Cultists of the Demon-Mother," Elle said in answer to Torvi's question. "I am not familiar with all of her common names. High Priest Morgan was not very particular in choosing her faithful." She blinked at Karti. The deaths of the other three didn't seem to have registered yet.
Karti pulls a funny face before leaning forward and donating a mouthful of sour phlegm to the floor in response to the 'revelation' they're followers of the Demon-Mother. "T'is a nasty teet to seek nourishment from, and one that will surely claim you rather sooner than later."
He shakes his head and thinks of the hills and the rivers of these lands, and how they can provide for all - given time, hard work, and love. "It will take a lot of honest work and patience to rebuild what we've lost, and no matter what these foul entities promise you, there are no shortcuts to happiness, health, and wealth that won't see you drowning in misery and trouble."
With all of that out of the way, Karti takes a moment to clean both his weapon and himself. It won't do to look like a savage, especially not when they're actively fighting the threat of demonic savagery.
Torvi nods as she listens to Karti. "You are wise beyond your years my friend."
She turns to the others, "shall we then see about providing proper funerary rites for these poor souls who found themselves lead astray? Not according to their horrible cult god's methods, of course, but something more palatable to the deities of goodness, so that in death their souls my find the peace they failed to find in life."
The woman hung her head low at Kari's words, clearly embarrassed. "I have looked and I have seen, all that you say is true. I want no part in this cult, for myself or for my family." She looked up, eyes locking with Razaniel's for a moment. "You must help me. Many of the Cult's warriors are at Pyrsa now, perhaps slain already. There are few enough remaining, if you go now, you could kill High Priest Morgan and stamp out this evil before it grows further." Having made her plea, Elle sank to the ground at the corner of the room.
While preparing the bodies, you happened to identify a few valuables. The Elf had been carrying a few magical items: a feather token, a few potions and one larger bottle of a strong smelling substance, and four scrolls in an ornate wooden box. Also in his pack was a pouch containing forty platinum pieces.
The others carried an array of mundane supplies. The half-orc had a holy symbol of Lamashtu in her pack. Between them, there was another hundred gold. The man who had fought with two swords had an ornate broach on his cloak, engraved with the letters S.B., which might be worth two hundred gold.
The three potions are all potions of CLW CL 1
Scroll of Darkness CL 3
Scroll of Wind Wall CL 5
Scroll of Lightning Bolt CL 5
Scroll of Water Breathing CL 5
The larger bottle is an Elixir of Vision
Torvi points offhandedly at the pile of sundry magical loot, saying, "I will leave it to you, who are wiser than me in the ways of magic, to determine the functions of those items."
The woman hung her head low at Kari's words, clearly embarrassed. "I have looked and I have seen, all that you say is true. I want no part in this cult, for myself or for my family." She looked up, eyes locking with Razaniel's for a moment. "You must help me. Many of the Cult's warriors are at Pyrsa now, perhaps slain already. There are few enough remaining, if you go now, you could kill High Priest Morgan and stamp out this evil before it grows further." Having made her plea, Elle sank to the ground at the corner of the room.
Razaniel approaches the woman - "Do not sink too deep into desperation" - he crouched down next to her - "You have heard my companions, so surely you understand we will not simply let this be" - he added with a chuckle - "What of you? What will you do now?"
"I think I should stay here for a few days, then return to Poulion castle, where the cult is based. I went there with my husband and my child and..." she fell silent for a moment. "...I can't let High Priest Morgan think I'm a traitor while they're still there. I'll have to tell her that the other three were killed by undead."
Karti goes through the various potions, scrolls, the bottle and the token, but only manages to identify some of the items. "Say, how did they plan to get inside Pyrsa? Going there isn't the problem, it's the getting inside alive part that is."
"I don't know," Elle responded. "In truth, it would not surprise me if they were scattered and bleeding even now, having been smashed before the gatehouse like so many before." She shrugged. "I can only hope that is what happened."
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Atash narrows his eyes, but lets the other tend to his burned fur in silence.
Karti's brow betrays his reluctance to spill what's truly on his mind. "Heh, I see. Well, for now, there's the issue that if you run back to the other cultists, you might very well tell them of what transpired here, whether you want to or not. The solution to that, us joining you, well, I don't know if my companions are up for that ..."
The dwarf, however, is up for it. He can't help but feel that like their ancestors in Pyrsa, they're still a people under siege. Removing the cultist threat would be a significant victory and make the lands safer. That, and they'd not have to worry about cultists piggyback-riding them into the keep if they manage to get in.
Gods, you're going to turn grey if you keep worrying like this!
"We also found this" - Razaniel provided the woman with the notes they found earlier - "Not sure if any of it is familiar to you, but the reference to the warriors gone to Pyrsa is also in these pages" - he added.
"If you...were victims of these...cultists...than we should...liberate you...of these grounds...no?" Atash chitters at the woman.
Elle frowns at Karti's words. "I will tell them that we were attacked by undead, who killed my three companions while I cowered in a nearby room." She crossed her arms. "This will be all the more believable when the other fifteen don't return. But for that, I should wait a few days." She didn't seem to be acknowledging the possibility that she might turn traitor.
When Razaniel showed Elle the journal, she took it quickly. "This is mine," she admitted, "I must have left it in the high chamber, where there's better light." She made to put it away in her pack.
"No," she responded to Atash. "Then they would still hold my family. I do not wish to be sundered from them."
Karti feels like rolling his eyes when the woman speaks. Does she really think she's in any position to be making demands? To preach to them about what's morally right? Cults like these deserve but one thing, and that's to be yanked out of the ground like an unwanted garden weed and thrown into the fire. And thoroughly so.
His words do not reflect his thoughts, but his beard fails to hide his foul mood. "I see. And your family is hellbound to this cult?"
"I would not use those words, though my child has a certain, ah, interest in High Priest Morgan." Elle folded her arms. "What w would say is that we are trapped there, until someone comes along to rescue us or we make a daring escape."
"I understand your plight, and wish I could travel back with you to Poulion castle. Put an end to all of it" - Razaniel nodded at the woamn - "Perhaps one day... But for now we are heading to Pyrsa, so if our paths cross with this High Priest Morgan, then we will know what we are dealing with" - he added with a chuckle - "And I doubt that will end well"
"Do you have provisions? So that you can stay here for the next few days?"
The dwarf blinks when Razaniel reveals to the woman that they're heading for Pyrsa. He isn't a talented liar, but he tries to give the half-orc's words a spin. "Had Morgan been in Poulion, we'd have gone there, but alas, the main threat seems to be in or around Pyrsa."
"We brought provisions for four, but seeing as the other three are dead... Elle looked around the room. "I won't be going hungry."
Razaniel gave a confused sidelong glance at Karti, but turned to the woman again - "Very well then" - he looked around for some sort of large, clean container.
"This way you will not want for clean water either" - he explained to her - "By the blessing of the Dawnflower" - then began gathering his equipment, intent on leaving.
After reconvening for a bit and gathering yourselves after the bloodshed, you set out once again for the source of the Ormonas river. Having mastered the gatehouse from the cultists, you had free passage into the area North of the Skirling Pass. As you exited from the gatehouse, you heard Elle lock the door behind you - though she promised to let you in if you hooted twice like a barn owl and once like a mountain owl. It wouldn't do for her to be murdered in her sleep by undead after you so generously spared her life.
Once again, you felt the darkness closing in around you. Sixty feet seemed a lot closer without walls around you. Yet it was less than a quarter of a mile, walking along a narrow road on the edge of a sheer cliff, before you reached the river mouth. It came tumbling down the side of the cliff, emerging from a huge hole it had carved about twenty feet below the edge of the cliff. Beyond that, the water flowed underground.
There was a well weathered iron grate set into the mouth of the river long ago. It looked easy enough to cut through.
Above the mouth of the river a temple had been erected. You could see a graveyard behind it, which continued up to the edge of the cliff. A small set of steps led down from the temple to the river's edge. In front of the temple was a wide, short tree. Writhen by the wind, its branches were short and bushy.
This is a temple to Magrim, the dwarven god of the afterlife.
The huge tree in front of the church appears closely related to a Gallows Tree, a highly dangerous plant that would strangle anyone who came close and then turn them into a zombie which would fight for it later. It did not appear to have any zombies at the moment, however. Even so, it would probably smash you if you tried to engage it.
You could expect its root system to have grown down into the river below. Such plants usually depended on the nutrients they harvested from passing creatures, but there obviously was not very much traffic here. Perhaps it had adapted in order to snare fish?