"Yes, we return victorious!" The Shirke declares, and gives an extravagant bow.
"Angel Knight and her lackeys were holed up in Fort Estanzo. They were well defended, but in the end they were no much for us." he says, and continues with a more detailed and slightly exaggerated description of the battle of the fort.
"And here is lady's head. Can't say she had very angelic looks to begin with, and the travel did little good to improve them, either."
"Siova, I know you must be overwhelmed by all that has happened and by the false angel's betrayal and abandonment. Trust that we spared your life out of an abundance of mercy and sympathy. We want you with us in the difficult times to come. So much so, that we intend to spare you from the hag's hold upon you. Would you join us in saving Longacre?"
Siova's mismatched eyes first narrow in suspiscion and then widen in surprise. "Why? I would have killed you. I nearly did kill him." She says, gesturing with her manacled hand to the broad shouldered tiefling bloodrager. Cimri's eyes cut to side to glare at the changeling surreptitiously.
-♆-♆-♆-
Fex listens with interest to your tale of victory over the Glorious Reclamation.
"Tell him about that info we found in the map room." Cimri prompts.
When the debriefing is concluded, the Archbaron rewards you all with a hefty sum of back-owed salary plus hazard pay. "You have my personal gratitude and though the townspeople may not show it, they owe you their lives and livelihoods as well. I will be sending my recommendations to her Infernal Majestrix and I do not doubt that we will soon see an increase in your status. I was very lucky to have found such talented enforcers, rumors abound that many of the peerage have not been so fortunate. I expect we may hear more about that soon. In the meantime, please enjoy some well earned time off."
With the stability of Archbaron Fex's rule secured, your duties have become light indeed. Fex has had an influx of new guards, taking up positions you yourselves used to man, such as the armory, the gates and the jailhouse. Still, you take it upon yourselves to patrol on occasion and check in with your replacements.
One disappointment comes in the form of missing prisoners as the Allamar twins are nowhere to be found, nor is their mother. The new guards seem surprised that you expected them to be in custody as the jail was empty before they took charge of it.
You are in the process of investigating this oddity when a halfling runner, clearly a slave wearing the livery of Fex's house arrives at the jailhouse, out of breath. "Sirs, I was bid to bring you quickly. There is trouble at the Ash House. It's on fire!"
Your thoughts go immediately to Cimri, who stayed at the Ash House rather than coming out with you on patrol.
"Fire!? Do we have an arsonist in the town?" The Shrike asks, annoyed more than alarmed.
"Quick, rouse some people to put out the fires and prevent it from spreading!" he shouts at the guards, before running off towards the Ash House. Once closer, he slows down and takes a stealthier approach - is the perpetrator anywhere in sight?
Indeed, let us hurry! Both myself and Sir Guillaume are resistant to fire I believe!
Aurelius rushes in to save what can be saved
Fellzir sneaks forward with Shrike and then slowly shakes his head as the bastard charges headlong into the fire.
"I can't do that."
As you draw closer to the Ash House, you see and smell the smoke and hear the sound of female voices raised in agitation coming from inside. The fire seems to be burning the interior of one of the more intact rooms, one you had been using as a sitting room.
The Shrike peers into the window, carefully keeping a low profile and spies Cimri in a struggle against her aunt, Rhona Staelish, Longacre's former Sheriff and the two former deputies that escaped you at the Court of Spears, Jask and Parenna.
The walls of the room are ablaze. As Aurelius barrels through the door, Jask and Parenna turn their eyes in that direction, but Rhona only has eyes for her niece. "Please, Cimri, come with me. You've always wanted to leave Longacre. We'll go wherever you want, we'll be a family again. There's nothing for you here anymore!"
Outrage paints Cimri's features, "There never was!" She screams in reply, waving her Kukri to keep the older woman at bay. "Not since you drove my Ma and Pa off and forced them to leave me with you!"
Rhona raises her dual handaxes and strikes, not at Cimri directly but at the blade in her hand. Cimri lashes out in response, but the blade is successfully knocked from her grasp. She shakes out her hand, trying to relieve the stinging reverberation of the blow.
Round 1
-------------------
Rhona(Red) - disarms Cimri
The Shrike
Cimri
Guillaume
Parenna(Yellow)
Jask(Blue)
Fellzir
Aurelius
Boo-hoo, family drama. How touching...
It seems their ally has some history with law enforcement. Not that The Shrike really cares. But what he does care about is the living proof of his earlier misjudgment. He should have slit the throats of the former deputies immediately when they had them, instead savoring it for later.
But they managed to escape, and there they are - causing harm once again.
Determined to wipe out this proof of misjudgement, he draws his bow and aims through the window. He hasn't been noticed yet, so Jask's back is wide open...
The Shrike penetrates something vital to Jask with his arrow and the former deputy staggers forward. It's clear he won't endure another hit like that.
Cimri sneers at her aunt and simply draws her second favorite kukri and lunges for her with murder in her eyes. She stabs into the former sheriff's forearm.
Round 1
-------------------
Rhona(Red) (-4 hp) - disarms Cimri
The Shrike - fires on Jask for 15 damage
Cimri - draws Kukri, strikes Rhona for 4 damage
Guillaume
Parenna(Yellow)
Jask(Blue) (-15 hp)
Fellzir
Aurelius
"We're here for you, Cimri! They're outnumbered now!" Guillaume says as he surges forward into the gap between Cimri and Parenna, furious at this lawless action by alleged officers of the law. As he raises it to strike at the deputy, Guillaume's sword bursts into flame of its own.
+
Guillaume deals a massive blow to Parenna and she and Jask looking nearly defeated already. Parenna clutches at her midriff as if afraid something vital will spill forth from her body. Jask turns to Rhona, grimacing in pain and anger. "She won't listen Rhona, she's one of them now. We barely escaped with our lives last time when they slew the Angel Knight."
"Then go!" Rhona shouts, "I won't abandon my family to Hell's mercy."
Cimri makes a sound of disgust as the pair withdraw to run for their lives. "Lawless cowards, your deputies. You must be so bloody proud." She scoffs.
Round 1
-------------------
Rhona(Red) (-4 hp) - disarms Cimri
The Shrike - fires on Jask for 15 damage
Cimri - draws Kukri, strikes Rhona for 4 damage
Guillaume - moves, strikes Parenna for 18 damage
Parenna(Yellow) (-18 hp) - withdraws
Jask(Blue) (-15 hp) - withdraws
Fellzir
Aurelius
Fellzir double moves around the corner and starts conspiring again.
"Oy! Deputies! You're leaving a trail of blood in the street. You can't possibly escape justice. I'll make you a deal though. Whichever one of you puts the other down gets to live."
Approach and be judged villain
Aurelius orders Parenna to approach him, through AoOs as he stays a bit behind Guillaume
Fellzir's suggestion fails to move either former deputy to harm the other, but it does stir some of the onlookers to converge on the pair, hoping to hinder their escape.
The former Sheriff's will holds out against the Omdura's compulsion. Her eye turns from her niece onto Guillaume and a glare of pure hatred inflames her face. "Filthy Hellspawn! You corrupt others by your very presence!" And she lashes out with both handaxes viciously in an onslaught of attacks. Fortunately, his new armor deflects most of the blows easily.
The Shrike drops his bow. He raises his shield to protect his face and leaps through the window. The waxes paper gives easily away, and the masked attacker lands right next to Rhona.
Dramatic entrance. Oh, yes!
Drawing his blade, he maneuvers little left, to flank the former sheriff with Guillaume and strikes there with his sword.
"There's a new sheriff in town, you know," he whispers, in his vigilante voice. "The former ones will be thrown away with the trash."
I for one am actually Abyss spawn, as certain individuals take great plesaure in informing me constantly. Aurelius merrily interjects to rile her up
"Stop it!" Cimri screams, "Leave now or I'll kill you like I did the Angel Knight!" This statement seems to bring the older woman up short and Cimri's kukri slashes another shallow wound.
"You? But you're just a kid..." Rhona says weakly, looking at Cimri's face as if she has never seen it before.
Round 2
-------------------
Rhona(Red) (-9 hp) - TWF attacks Guillaume for 8 damage
The Shrike (36/37 hp) - moves in, demoralizes Rhona for 1/3 rounds, takes 1 fire damage
Cimri - strikes Rhona for 5 damage
Guillaume (36/44 hp)
Parenna(Yellow) (-18 hp)
Jask(Blue) (-15 hp)
Fellzir
Aurelius
A kid no longer but a hero of the Imperium!
Aurelius initiative may be really bad, but his Succubus derived power to rile up people out of turn is alive and well!
Guillaume feels an unseen and impatient hand moving him five feet to help promote flanking and then pushing his new sword forward.
Impatience is seldom rewarded.
Hope you're ok, G.
A few motivated bystanders grab on to the fleeing Parenna and Jask. Parenna manages to break free and keeps moving while Jask is held tight.
The way the map is laid out suggests Fellzir can only get to Yellow with a charge, so he does that with all due rapidity.
Aurelius moves to the square one south of Cimri, and applies his bastard sword
His blow, while heavy, is not the most accurate attack ever.
Have at thee, villain!
He intones in his best impersonation of a heroic crusading hero.
Rhona takes a hit from the bastard sword of the bastard and makes a cautious step to try and avoid being flanked. She strikes out wildly, not landing even a single blow.
Round 3
-------------------
Rhona(Red) (-20 hp, Shaken 1/3) - TWF attacks Guillaume, misses
The Shrike (36/37 hp)
Cimri
Guillaume (36/44 hp)
Parenna(Yellow) (-18 hp)
Jask(Blue) (-15 hp)
Fellzir
Aurelius
The Shrike joins the melee, striding past Guillaume.
Striking as he leaps from behind the tiefling manages to catch Rhona unawares, and the blade cuts a nasty-looking wound.
"Cimri gave you the chance to run - you should've taken it. We won't be so merciful..."
Fellzir's charge with his shortsword stabs mercilessly into Jask and the former deputy swiftly loses consciousness due to blood loss. Parenna continues to run, sight of her disappearing behind the gathering crowd.
The Shrike strikes a soul shivering albeit non-lethal blow and Rhona crumples to floor.
The fire continues to rage around you, having already spread to most of the first floor.
The news outside is not promising for the fate of the prophetically named Ash House. The town well is distant and though some townsfolk have begun to scoop up soil to prevent the flames from spreading to other buildings it seems a sure fate that the originally stately manor will be reduced to it's namesake in short order with little that can be done.
Fellzir yells into the crowd, in the direction of Parenna.
"Three gold pieces to anyone who stops her! We are sworn deputies of the Lord and we are making this arrest in the name of justice."
"Ha! I think we'll be having a public execution to entertain the townsfolk." There is some gleefulness in The Shrike's voice as he proceeds to bind the captives.
Once the captives are bound, Guillaume grabs one ankle of each and drags them out for all to see, heedless of how bumpy the ride may be for them.
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Some heads turn and you hear some shouts in the distance, but it seems that Parenna's flight moves beyond the scope of your influence as the chaos of the crowd presses in to ogle the spectacle of the burning Ash House and former Sheriff being strung up by the Enforcers of Longacre.
"As being responsible for bringing the criminals to justice, I should also be their executioner. Death by impalement for their treason!"
As his namesake, The Shrike plans to impale his victims caught criminals on pikes, leaving them to slow an painful death. And what a better way to do this, than in front of audience. Soon, all will know what fate awaits them if caught by The Shrike!
I'm fine with the Shrike's plan, unless Cimri balks at it.
The crowd looks on, some in fascination and some in horror as you prepare the pikes for the impalement of Longacre's former Sheriff and Deputy. Cimri seems firmly planted in her anger toward her Aunt but that might be because it's a an easier and more familiar emotional state for her.
At the execution, Fellzir scans the crowd for Parenna or anyone trying to hide. He's pretty confident that she will want to see the sheriff and deputy one last time.
Ready to move on to the hag after I heal Guillaume.
Parenna does not show her face again and seems to have gotten away. Sentiment, it seems, does not outrank survival in her priorities.
The former Sherriff loses consciousness quickly, much to the disappointment of some of the local troublemakers who despised her. But the brutal spectacle is enough that any rebellious element in Longacre is demoralized to the point of dissolution. There are even a few suicides among the townsfolk before things begin to return to a sense of normalcy.
A few days later, Rhysak comes to you with new information. "Siova has begun sleepwalking. I fear that the Hag is beckoning her from within the dream. I had to keep her confined last night to prevent her stealing off into the wood alone. I suspect that if we allow her to proceed as she will, she will lead us right to her foul dam."
Guillaume looks up from polishing his new longsword, nods, then sheathes it as he stands. "That sounds like a plan to me."
A good idea indeed! Lets makes Cheliax great again, one dead hag at a time!
Aurelius says as he begins his preperations.
Anybody know if we need aligned weapons or if we need to avoid using fire?
"Well, you're the ones wanting to go after a hag. I sure hope you know how to beat one." The Shrike says, sourly.
Rhysak shares his theory again that this is an Annis or Black Hag. "They are quite strong and have tough hides that are resistant to blades. So blunt damage is the way to go, if possible." He advises.
Do any of you carry a blunt weapon, besides Rhysak and his quarterstaff?
(Or was that Siova? Hmmmm)
I can prepare Magic Weapon and Bless so we can hit more often.
Cimri opts to stay behind and take care of such mundane tasks as seeing to her late Aunt's burial and what remains of her family's estate.
Siova's demeanor seems haunted by her nightmares, even during the daylight hours. She says the pull is stronger now and she fears that it means the hag is coming closer to concentrate her influence and force Siova to answer the call. That night, it seems less like she falls asleep to dream and more like she sinks into a sort of trance. Eyes wide and rolling in their sockets like a panicked animal, she stumbles to her feet and begins an unsteady journey through the Whisperwood. Rhysak follows close behind her, lighting the path for himself and Fellzir with the spell on his quarterstaff.
After several hours, he reaches out to stall Siova with a hand grasping her arm. "Up ahead, is that an entrance to a cave? I expect you can see through this darkness better than I, even with the spell." He says to the pair of tieflings.
Hopefully she wants to be free of the curse and is not controlled by the hag.
Siova has been unresponsive on the journey. Her eyes are open but glazed, seeming to view something distant rather than focusing on what is nearby. She stops when Rhysak takes hold of her, not struggling to escape him but merely standing placidly until she is unimpeded once more.
Guillaume draws his cold iron morningstar and readies himself for battle.
Rhysak releases his hold on Siova's arm and she lurches closer to the mouth of the cave. He takes hold of her again before she disappears inside and looks to you. "I don't see any illumination inside. I won't be able to see at all without my Light spell."
Peering into the gloom of the cave, you can see the passage travels both right and left before proceeding north. No sign of the Hag yet.