The wards help to stem the tide of demons pouring into town. With the Pathfinders' help, the ritual is so successful that a pulse of powerful protective magic also centers on those nearby.
"Isn't it glorious?" the tall elf calls from the dais, surrounded by candles and arcane sigils recently carved into the stone. He gestures at the chaos enveloping the town. [b]"You medaling fools can't imagine the power within my grasp. Soon the town shall be razed and rebuilt anew, the first step in our glorious march across Kyonin! Those fools in Iadara are too stupid to see it, corrupted as they are by interlopers like you. But soon, soon they will see the truth! That we elves were meant to rule, and not just Kyonin! Once I have seized the reins and put this country back on its proper course, the world will kneel! With an evil grin, he adds, [b]"It's a shame you won't be there to see our glory!" and raises his spear to attack!
He's flanked by flunkies. Two small, muscular demons and two ...elves? Something seems off about them.
Nathatel stands on a raised dais at the center of a small amphitheater atop a low hill at the southern end of town. From here, he can observe the demonic assault on Folien as he prepares his next ritual.
Anjo and BakBat's turns!
Due to the Pathfinders' overall success so far: All PCs can roll their first save twice and take the better result. All PCs can roll one skill check, attack roll, or saving throw twice and take the better result. Nathatel and his allies had to rush their plans, and they take a -2 circumstance penalty to Initiative.
Initiative:
Anjo
BakBat
Black Nathatel
Griss
Red Demon
Purple ...elf?
Nagaikaze
Crafty
>- Flame
Blue Demon
Green ...elf?
The short demons laugh. Their swords and hooves burst into flame, but they seem unharmed .
One of the odd elves is also completely unharmed, simply from standing in exactly the right place for the edge of the dais to shield him from the flame. The other, however, crumples like a boneless sack of wet meat.
Nathatel is quick enough to avoid some of the flames, and twirls his branched spear in a way that it seems to catch some of them--which he whips back at BakBat. "I know it's rude to return a gift, but I must all the same."
Ango's turn.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62, DC 23 Ref against 13 fire damage)
Black Nathatel (-15)
Griss (120/120)
Red Demon
Purple ...elf?
Nagaikaze (106/106)
Crafty (41/41)
>- Flame
Blue Demon
Hm. Fiery demons with horns, no taller than a goblin. Anjo recognizes Brimoraks, which spread diseases and inflict cursed wounds that don't heal. And he peppers one of them with arrows.
"Afraid to close?" Nathatel taunts, "Reasonable cowardice, I suppose, as I intend to make your lives even shorter."
He hops of the dais and moves forward, but not before throwing a bolt of lightning through the Pathfinders--specifically through Flame and Anjo.
Griss's turn.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92, DC 21 basic Ref against 19 electricity damage)
BakBat (62/62, DC 23 Ref against 13 fire damage)
Black Nathatel (-15)
Griss (120/120)
Red Demon (-25)
Purple ...elf?
Nagaikaze (106/106)
Crafty (41/41)
>- Flame (DC 21 basic Ref against 19 electricity damage)
Blue Demon
Nathatel cast lightning bolt.
Anjo and BakBat disregard Nathatel's magical attacks, though Flame isn't as lucky.
Griss's turn.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62)
Black Nathatel (-15)
Griss (120/120)
Red Demon (-25)
Purple ...elf?
Nagaikaze (106/106)
Crafty (41/41)
>- Flame (23/42)
Blue Demon
Entering a rage, Griss moves up to attack.
"Fire!" shouts the demon, as it echoes BakBat's spell. It hurls a mote of fire towards the largest cluster of Pathfinders, which explodes like a firework as the demon runs up to Griss.
The elf on the platform staggers off, a lot less gracefully than Nathatel. He lumbers forward, past the demon, past Nathatel, and past Griss as he moves behind him. The clumsy maneuvering allows Griss to wallop him with a wet thump that seems like it should have had more of a "crunch". Even so, the elf isn't looking so good as he makes his retort with his own mace--which, to his credit, does connect.
Nagaikaz and Crafty's turns.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
BakBat (62/62, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Black Nathatel (-33)
Griss (120+4/120)
Red Demon (-25)
Purple ...elf? (-23, bloodied)
Nagaikaze (106/106, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon
Nagaikaze hits the elven mage hard, twice in rapid succession. He doesn't immediately crumple like his lackey, but it does seem to be taking him a moment to recollect his bearings.
Crafty's turn.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Black Nathatel (-63, bloodied, stunned 3)
Griss (120+4/120)
Red Demon (-25)
Purple ...elf? (-23, bloodied)
Nagaikaze (103/106)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon
Flame takes the full blast of the fireball but seems unaffected by the fire
As his master's command, Flame jumps at purple's neck
Immune to fire
Immune to fire
Nathatel may not be in a position to think on his feet right at the moment, but reflexes are reflexes.
Flame has more success, tearing away the elf's skin and revealing some kind of oversized worm that was inhabiting its body. It collapses with a shriek as Flame tears into it as well.
"Yes!" shouts the demon, "Fire!" Stepping up to Nagaikaze, it brings its flaming longsword down. And then tries to break his leg with a vicious kick with its hooves. And failing to hit. "Stand still!"
Anjo, BakBat, and (since Nathatel will be skipping his turn anyway) Griss's turns.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Black Nathatel (-63, bloodied, stunned 3)
Griss (120+4/120)
Red Demon (-25)
Nagaikaze (103/106)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon
A pair of arrows strikes the demon. It glares at Anjo. Slowly, its sword slips from its hand as its fires go out. Silently, it tips over and hits the ground with a thud.
Anjo's next arrow is awry, though. He doesn't know anything else about these demons.
BakBat, (since Nathatel will be skipping his turn anyway) Griss, Nagaikaze, and Crafty's turns.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Black Nathatel (-63, bloodied, stunned 3)
Griss (120+4/120)
Nagaikaze (103/106)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon
BakBat moves a little closer so that he can throw a glob of fire at Nathatel! ...but he ducks.
Nathatel shakes his head. "Whuh--no! Thuggish brute!" It seems he's recovered.
Griss, Nagaikaze, and Crafty's turns.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62)
Black Nathatel (-63, bloodied)
Griss[b] (120+4/120)
[b]Nagaikaze (103/106)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon
"You stupid, brutish human! You can never beat an el--"
Nathatel goes briefly airborne, his branched spear clattering to the ground. He lands heavily, moaning, "S-ser... help.." A pendant made of dark green crystal that hangs from his neck glows, then he falls through the ground as though a dimensional doorway opened beneath him.
The remaining demon looks... perturbed. Frightened, even.
Griss and Crafty's turns.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62)
Griss (120+4/120)
Nagaikaze (103/106)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon (Frightened 1)
The first swing smashes into the demon. Droplets of blood spatter the area, hissing like boiling water. It's a little more prepared for the second hit, but still looks ready to collapse.
Crafty's turn.
Initiative:
Anjo (92/92)
BakBat (62/62)
Griss (120+4/120)
Nagaikaze (103/106)
Crafty (41/41, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
>- Flame (23/42, DC 21 basic Ref vs 17 fire)
Blue Demon (-75, Frightened 1)
Flame moves to flank the last demon as ordered by its master then bite at it!
The last demon falls.
With Nathatel defeated, the assault on Folien is soon broken, and demonic forces begin to fall back. Without knowing where he escaped to, though, the victory is an uneasy one.
Shortly after Nathatel flees, Fola Barun approaches, accompanied by Marilindae and several other townsfolk. They tell the Pathfinders that the town’s defenses have the upper hand for now. When they learn of Nathatel’s escape, a small group led by Iarrin, the silversmith’s apprentice, organize into a scouting party.
Fola advises the team to take a few minutes to rest and recover while the scouts look for Nathatel, and several of the townsfolk, led by Marilindae, offer their assistance.
The PCs have 10 minutes to Treat Wounds or refocus.
Marilindae offers to perform a restorative prayer. Drawing a large blue gem from a necklace around his neck, he intones a prayer to Yuelral. With a flash of light, the gem is consumed, and a wave of energy washes over the Pathfinder agents.
In addition to Marilindae’s magic, several grateful merchants are among the citizens accompanying him. They offer some of their wares to the Pathfinder agents defending their town.
The only question now is... where is Nathatel hiding now?
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Nagaikaze was only slightly singed by a Fireball so will not need any healing after 3 minutes. Nor did he expend any of the other things that could be healed by Marilindae. He will gratefully accept a moderate Healing Potion, and hope that he will be able to return it without needing to use it.
Nagaikaze sees two possible routes of inquiry.
Firstly to literally track back where Nathatel Zephon was before he arrived at the southern amphitheatre, and hopefully he came from a base of operations. Even though it ought to be easy as his companions didn't seem that stealthy, it would still be better left to someone like Anjo, who seems very capable in that regard.
Secondly, to Gather Information regarding the circumstances of his escape.
"You stupid, brutish human! You can never beat an el--"
Nathatel goes briefly airborne, his branched spear clattering to the ground. He lands heavily, moaning, "S-ser... help.." A pendant made of dark green crystal that hangs from his neck glows, then he falls through the ground as though a dimensional doorway opened beneath him.
Arcane advice could tell more about the spell or magic item that was used to extract him. Presumably it has a limited range.
Religious advice could tell more about who "S-ser" might be if it's a god or demon.
Local knowledge could tell more about who "S-ser" might be if it's another Elf supremacist.
In addition to this he's curious about why it would be necessary to raze and rebuild Folien, and whether the Elves that have fought for and been used by Nathatel were local to Folien or brought from elsewhere.
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Crafty asks to get back his most potent spell after healing Flame and meditating with nature.
As they are looking for find Nathanael, Crafty decides to commune with Nature to find the disturbance of Nathanael demonic presence.
Speaking with birds and animal fleeing from the forest.[dice=Wild Empathy (Diplomacy)]1d20+9
Nobody can think of a likely person, and Persea reports that nobody has fled into the woods.
Anjo and Griss find some evidence of where he's been and gone, but the magical disappearance makes him difficult to track from there.
Still, every good effort narrows the search even if it doesn't yield immediate results. It's only a matter of time...
The parasites, according to a few people who recognized them, were a kind of demon called vermleks, or worm demons. They manifest from the souls of mortals who desecrated the dead, such as grave robbers or necromancers. They inhabit bodies that are already dead.
Venture-Captain Ciobanu is from the town of Folien, and was the leader of the lodge in Kyonin, known as the Leaves of Talhindir. The Society had been making great headwinds in gathering information about the history of Kyonin prior to Earthfall when suddenly he disappeared.
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The parasites, according to a few people who recognized them, were a kind of demon called vermleks, or worm demons. They manifest from the souls of mortals who desecrated the dead, such as grave robbers or necromancers. They inhabit bodies that are already dead.
Venture-Captain Ciobanu is from the town of Folien, and was the leader of the lodge in Kyonin, known as the Leaves of Talhindir. The Society had been making great headwinds in gathering information about the history of Kyonin prior to Earthfall when suddenly he disappeared.
Bringing up further questions.
Is there a Graveyard type place nearby?Also, as
"As for the Venture Captain, he was presummed dead. He was presummed assasinated while leading a convert mission. That he is still alive is a very recent discovery."
Can more be known about the circumstances of his disappearance and reappearance?
Finally, when Nathatel was stuttering "Ser" do we believe that to be a name, or was it more a title like "Sir"?
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“On your feet, Pathfinders!” Eando Kline shouts, gathering the assembled agents where they sit recovering from the battle. “That smith’s apprentice is a sharp young elf and spotted Nathatel through a window in the temple to Yuelral near the center of town. What’s worse, they said he wasn’t alone. They had to duck out of sight before they could get a good look at his companion, but... well let’s just say they described lots of horns and teeth and such.”
“That temple is a center of powerful magic keeping this region of Kyonin safe.” Viore Ciobanu adds. “I don’t know what that traitor and his companion are up to, but I fear the ramifications could be dire. We must hurry to reclaim the temple!” With that, he leads the assembled company quickly to the temple, the exterior of which seems largely unaffected.
Eando glances carefully at the front door then, satisfied that it’s safe, he throws it open to reveal a shocking sight within. The peace and beauty that once filled this space have been utterly destroyed, replaced by carnage, death, and destruction. Bloody animal pelts lie discarded and draped over smashed and broken pews, and elven corpses lie crumpled in the aisles. Around the room, bright, colorful crystals have been smashed, littering the ground with razor-sharp shards. What were once large sets of wind chimes in all shapes and sizes are now twisted and rent scrap metal and broken wood. The walls drip with fiendish sigils painted in blood.
“Ah, there are the meddling outsiders this fool was mewling about.” A cruel voice calls out from the front of the temple. Standing behind the temple is an imposing figure, her jaws and antlers dripping with blood. She holds a cruel dagger with a jagged, blackened blade aloft in one hand, the other pinning the elf who led the assault outside to the altar. “Thank you for delivering my sacrifice to me.” She says, grinning down at the struggling figure on the altar. “You all played your parts perfectly.”
“Serraleth, no! This wasn’t our deal!” The squirming figure cries. “You need me!”
“You’re right, Nathatel.” She says, plunging the dagger into his chest. “I couldn’t do it without you.”
As the elf’s blood drips down the sides of the altar, a sphere of sickly green energy springs up, surrounding the dais. As Serraleth begins an incantation, tendrils of black energy begin to flow in toward the altar from the desecration throughout the temple. Viore quickly hurls a spell at the fiendish figure, its effects splashing harmlessly off sphere of green energy.
“It’s no good,” Eando Kline shouts. “We have to bring down that shield if we want to stop whatever it is she’s doing! At least we seem to have interrupted before she could finish whatever it was. That should give us an advantage in trying to stop it. Pathfinders, fan out. Do whatever you can to cut off the flow of energy to that thing!”