Ceceka frowns when it dawns upon him that these vampires might very well serve Blood Lord Hyrune. If so, what are they doing here, guarding a passage in a closed-up temple complex? The urge to grab them by their pale necks and bash their skulls against the closed doors until the answers come spilling out grows within Ceceka, but for now, he controls himself.
"By whose command?"
"Step out of our way, or be destroyed," Telvir tells them, imperiously. "We are here at the church's command."
The vampires hiss, then their bodies dissolve into mist and they flow under the crack of the doors to the south.
Inspecting the doors, Aily notices they are trapped with a glyph of warding.
"Wow, blood boss, did you just destroy them with your mind?" Humerus exclaims as the vampires dissolve into mist moments after Telvir's words.
"If only it were that simple..." Caraid says wryly. "Vampires are prone to... surviving. That said I can probably deal with that, if we are happy to keep it between ourselves."
"We'll do what we must, as usual," Telvir nods approvingly at Caraid. "And Humerus, not to worry. I'll destroy them with my mind for you when next we meet them."
Aily leans into the door to disarm the trap but notices vomit under her finger nail and tenses at exactly the wrong moment.
The glyph detonates, blasting Aily's spirit with ethereal energy!
"Whoa, blood boss, that looked really painful! Good thing you disarmed most of the trap or it could have been really bad!" Humerus exclaims.
Aily's spirit ripped apart making her want to scream, but she doesn't. Instead she moves slowly to Caraid to request more healing.
Caraid provides the healing in an eminently professional manner and if he holds onto her hands a little longer than expected then it's simply because he's helping with the fingernail problem...
Once Aily is healed, you proceed through the doors. This sprawling cathedral space is fifty feet across, eighty feet high, and nearly a hundred feet long. A dozen five-foot-wide stone columns of what appear to be flowing blood cascade down from the ceiling to what appear to be holes in the floor, yet these cascades are strangely silent. To the northwest, a set of steps leads up to an alcove in which a space that seems to be part kitchen, part alchemical workshop has been set up, while to the south a five-foot-high stage overlooks the space to the north. An altar made of bones fused together into a sort of massive platter stands on this stage, while beyond the walls bear carvings of all manner of gluttons feeding on all manner of foods. A statue of Urgathoa is carved into the wall in the middle, her arms outstretched as if manipulating the feasting figures below as stringless marionettes.
The two vampires who fled in mist form are here, along with two others. Behind tower a pair of tall, emaciated jackal-headed fiends! All six guardians prepare to defend the temple!
Telvir boldly strides into the temple and challenges the creatures, "In the name of the Blood Lords and Geb, give yourselves up."
He weaves magic around them, hindering their movements.
Smoke strides up next to his master.
Caraid clasps his hands and then pulls them apart slowly as a column of bright fire materialises above the conveniently bunched undead and bathes them in holy power!
Ceceka moves forward and engages the bloodsuckers in hand-to-hand combat. He uses the reach of his fauchard to keep their fangs at bay.
With the numbers of their enemies, Aily was considering waiting until they charged them, but Ceceka is Ceceka. So she follows, quick and silent, weaving behind his charge before striking the same vampire with two quick stabs. Sink in, with a wet plunge, then tear out forcing an arch of blood to suspend in the air.
Telvir temporarily slows all of the enemies, with three of the four vampires becoming slow for longer. Caraid's fiery strike burns most of the foes save one vampire, and leaves many of them still ablaze. Ceceka charges in and lands a hit on one of the vampire, then Aily is upon the same foe, stabbing him repeatedly until the guardian dissolves into a cloud of mist!
As the mist drifts away, the other foes attack. The vampires try to surround Aily, but she denies them their advantage, easily avoiding their blades.
The two jackal-headed fiends attempt to afflict Aily and Ceceka with phantom hunger pains!
Ceceka accepts the pain and lets in. He's used to it, in a sense is molded by it, and he lets the pain guide his weapon.
With the battle going well, Caraid (metaphorically) sits back and conserves his resources.
HP 190/190
AC 34 / 35 in Mountain Stance or 37 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 3 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +21, Ref +21, Will +19 (+1 vs. disease and poison; +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude DC vs. Grapple and Swallow Whole; +2 circumstance bonus vs. being Shoved or Tripped while in Mountain Stance, +1 vs. fear)
Hero points: 3
Effects:
Humerus rushes in to grab one of the vampires. "Remember, boss, it doesn't do any good to bite me! Nothing to drink!" he reminds them.
Aily dances away from blades only to dart in a second later to open in the guts of the closest. All done with an easy sensual grace.
As the mist bellows from the fleeing vampire, the dark maid glares at the remaining, shaking her head slowly in disdain for themselves and the sires that made them.
Leaving Aily and the others to toy with the vampires, Telvin turns his attention to the jackle-headed demon.
"Crawl back into whatever fold of the Abyss spawned you, filth."
and 2 persistent bleed
Smoke attacks the creature as well.
for
Humerus moves in and restrains the uninjured vampire. Telvir's cutting insult leaves one of the daemons scared and bleeding while Smoke takes a bite out of it. Caraid blasts a vampire and Aily stabs it, causing it to explode into mist. She and Ceceka then team up against a third vampire, and it, too, is quickly reduced to a cloud of smoke.
The restrained vampire struggles in vain to escape Humerus' clutches.
The frightened daemon attacks Smoke, while the other one blasts Telvir with a barrage of magic missiles.
Ceceka goes after the frightened daemon now that the vampire scum has been dealt with. The bastard will regret messing with Smoke. "Hey, you!", the warrior screams. Briefly, his weapon kisses the sky and then, promising death, comes crashing down on the daemon.
"Smoke, feed!" Telvir directs the hound and it feasts on the blood of the demon.
for
and
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HP 190/190
AC 34 / 35 in Mountain Stance or 37 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 3 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +21, Ref +21, Will +19 (+1 vs. disease and poison; +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude DC vs. Grapple and Swallow Whole; +2 circumstance bonus vs. being Shoved or Tripped while in Mountain Stance, +1 vs. fear)
Hero points: 3
Effects:
Humerus flinches at Telvir's command, inadvertently crushing the vampire's neck. "Sorry, boss!" he blurts, before proceeding to hit the vampire a couple of times and then throw it across the room.
Seeing that HUmerus has the last of her 'kin' in hand, Aily joins the others in the eradication of the demon that dared hit the group's four legged mascot.
Caraid meanwhile tries to fix up Ceceka a bit - the fighter isn't looking as flushed with bloodlust as usual.
Humerus weakens the vampire in his crushing grasp before punching him and throwing him across the room. Meanwhile, the rest of the group focuses on the daemons. Telvir's spell badly wounds the vampire but only lightly injures the two fiends. Aily flanks the frightened daemon with Smoke, brutally stabbing it with two critical hits. Smoke bites the fiend and Aily scores yet another critical hit, slaying the daemon! Ceceka slices the other one with a powerful attack.
The enfeebled vampire gets to his feet. Rather than engage in melee, he draws his shortbow and shoots at Humerus. The daemon attacks Ceceka.
Telvir launches a thin, but sharp, shard of wood at the vampire and Smoke continues to gnaw on the daemon.
for
for
for
For shooting a skeleton with an arrow, Aily shoots a withering look of disdain back at her 'kin', but then ignores him to help dispatch the last daemon.
Caraid turns his attention to the remaining vampire, although the undead apparently doesn't warrant any real magic.
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HP 190/190
AC 34 / 35 in Mountain Stance or 37 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 3 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +21, Ref +21, Will +19 (+1 vs. disease and poison; +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude DC vs. Grapple and Swallow Whole; +2 circumstance bonus vs. being Shoved or Tripped while in Mountain Stance, +1 vs. fear)
Hero points: 2
Effects:
"Hey! You almost hit me, boss! If I had flesh...!" Humerus says as the arrow goes cleanly between his ribs.
He rushes toward the vampire -- if it wants to try to shoot him, he's not going to just stand back and let it -- and nearly slips, but catches himself at the last moment by grabbing the vampire around the neck.
The blossoming pain puts Ceceka on edge and for once, he feels truly alive. His reactions are faster than ever, and he starts taking the daemon apart with pinpoint precision.
Smoke and Aily tear and stab the daemon's withered flesh, then Ceckea delivers a critical hit to finish it off! Meanwhile, Humerus grabs the last vampire again, making it an easy target for Caraid to blast with divine energy. The vampire bursts into mist that begins to drift in the same direction the other destroyed vampires went. In the meantime, though, you have emerged victorious.
A search of the workshop in the corner of the vast cathedral reveals that the workshop is outfitted well for the creation of magical toxins, alchemical items, and, of course, all sorts of food. Some residue indicates that shadow ash was prepared here at some point in the last several months.
Among the books found here, you discover raw materials for crafting alchemy in the amount of 300 gp, three scrolls of harm (7th level), and a slim folio containing what’s needed to learn the heroes’ feast ritual.
"Wasteful, again. These misguided followers of the Pallid Princess don't truly appreciate her excesses." Telvir mutters over the ritual book.
"We should recover as quickly as we can and follow the trail of those vampires. They should be permanently destroyed before they can recover."
"They are weak" Aily says with dripping disdain as Telvir mentions the full blooded vampires. "They should have been weeded out by their sire shortly after creation."
Ceceka ransacks the place while in the thrall of a state of clarity. He doesn't find much, other than some uncontaminated food, and surely the Goddess would want him to enjoy it, so he does.
"These fools deserve the stake. Quick, let us tend to our wounds and then press on. I hunger for violence."
With a cue that obvious, Caraid sets to work patching Ceceka up. As usual the semi-berserker is the only one who has taken significant damage. He's glad that Aily isn't hurt - he can admit that much (to himself) but once Ceceka is done he does spend a few minutes with Telvir since the wizard has come to some mischief.
"All ready to slay some vampires." He offers with a nod.
"You got it, blood boss. Did anyone see which way they went?"
An adjoining hall contains several small bedchambers, each containing a single coffin. The defeated vampires slumber within--it is a simple matter to drive stakes through their hearts and eradicate them for good. The style of the coffins confirm their source--Blood Lord Hyrune.
As you return to the cathedral to prepare to leave this place, you find a towering undead woman waiting for you. She resembles a gaunt humanoid woman from the waist up but has a lower torso that melts away into a seething “gown” of flesh and ectoplasm. Her right arm ends in a large, bony, scythe-like blade instead of a hand.
"I am Rinella Brenon, ruler of the Cathedral of Epiphenomena," she says. "I have been watching you. You have handled yourselves well, in battle and in politics. The fates of new Blood Lords often end in defeat as those who have already had the time to establish themselves in the government make them unwelcome."
"Greetings, your Holiness," Telvir gives a shallow bow to the figure. "We are well aware of the fate of most novice Blood Lords. We have tried to make ourselves helpful to the powerful and well-connected. If you find yourself in need of agents, I trust that we have proved our competence."
Rinnella smiles and nods. "Straight to the point, then. No doubt you've learned precisely who among your fellow Blood Lords has been meddling in the legacy of the Empty Chorus. I personally disbanded this heretical sect, and I am rather annoyed by his actions here. It was for this reason that I allowed you to explore the Yearning Sanctum, hoping you would find what you need to take the next step in your political growth—to publicly challenge your rival to battle in the Deathless Arena.
"It’s likely he won’t deign to face you himself, though. While there are no official ranks among the Blood Lords, tradition holds that those challenged to a clash in the Deathless Arena can always opt to choose a champion to fight in their stead. Should he do so, he’s likely to call upon me for a champion—as is his right as a ranking member of the church of Urgathoa. If he does, I'll assign my personal bodyguard as that champion. He will likely use some of his own minions as well in the fight, but if he allows my bodyguard to be his champion, you'll need only put on a convincing show of force before he cedes the victory to you."
"Sure, your pallid bossiness. That makes a lot of sense. So only hit him a little?" Humerus asks.
Aily lets the others kill the vampires, standing primly behind her master as the act is taken care of. She imagines what she would like to do to her own sire, but only after she proved how wrong he was about little mud blood girls and their worth.
Which might have made her sniff with disapproval when her fellow dhamphir attributed their success to pandering to others more powerful. The maid quickly smothers her disdain and dips slightly in apology for the break in decorum.
Both Aily and Telvir get the sense that Rinnella has additional motivations for helping you besides just punishing Hyrune.
This would also be a perfect opportunity to accomplish Kortash Khain's request and ask the head of the church directly about the ghoul king or his kingdom.
"You seem to have insisive understanding of the political situation here in Mechenar, priestess. What do you make of the recent visit by Kortash Khain, the ghoul king?" Telvir inquires. "He temps the faithful away from the worship of the Pallid One, but he is also a powerful figure in his own right."
"He is powerful, indeed. Which is why I used my position in the church to influence Geb’s decision to abandon the tithes to Nemret Noktoria. Of course, I could hardly force Geb to make the call—he did so of his own free will for the good of the nation," Rinnella says with a wave of her hand.
Ceceka snarls at the priestess. She's playing with her food, and the warrior is very much aware that they are that food. The urge to smash her head in is ever-present, but the Pallid Lady clearly favors the priestess, and who is he to challenge the Lady? "Fine. We'll beat your minion to an inch of its unlife if that is what you desire."
Rinnella smiles. "Good. Then our business here is concluded. I am sure we will be seeing more of each other soon, though. Until then, I shall spread word that you have the favor of the church" She waves her hand in dismissal.