Cecily stands for a moment in the stable, the smells stale and mildly unpleasant but reminding her of better times when all she had to worry about was...well, nothing, she didn't have to worry about anything, she could ride her horse and eat nice things and take nice long baths.
The fuss over Tandyn hearing things in his head breaks her out of her remembrances, and she walks over and pats him on the shoulder. "Are you well, Sir Tandyn? One really shouldn't be hearing anything in their head, that is quite unusual. There must be evil afoot!"
Ahmose listens to the piling on of maladies that the suddenly near-death Paladin has succumb to....
Should we just shoot him like one of Dorek 's flying horses?
The small Blue-scaled Kobold simply shrugs, steal thing ahead to scout.
The Blue Whisper suspiciously peers about as he slides across the floors.
Tapping Sir Tandyn on the shoulder (after putting on a glove), Ahmose points at the still closed door.....
Sosiel suggests, "Perhaps Tandyn is possessed by the will of his goddess."
Aron adds, "I don't think a demon would want you to clean anything. Well, maybe to lead you into trap."
The vaulted ceiling of this massive sanctuary reaches nearly thirty feet overhead. Smashed stained-glass windows stretch in narrow bands above the doors. Four angelic statues occupy each corner of the room, though their faces and wings are cracked and broken almost beyond recognition. The walls are covered with disturbing shapes and runes that have been scratched into the stone. An altar, befouled with grime and filth, sits against the southern wall.
Sitting in the pews are six undead creatures paired with two in clerical vestments preaching at the altar, one holds a bowl overflowing with maggots.
Aroden gets a sudden flash of three statues coming to life rushing him from the rooftops.
Suprise!
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Aroden casts Haste on the party.
Aroden gets ready for the assault as the gargoyles swoop down at the party’s rear flank nearly
silently.
Round 1
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Cecily finally notices their new companions. "Company!" she barks out, then to the new company menacing Aroden, "Stay off of him!"
"They're very hard"
Cecily punches one of the gargoyles threatening her, but she finds that the creature is as hard as stone and she only manages to chip and crack it. It reels from her punches clearly stunned from her assault.
Both to the ghoul clerics pull out sheets of vellum, but rather than read from the scrolls they present the bowl of maggots and it glows with sinister darkness. A pair of spectral flails manifest in front of Dorek and Tandyn. The flails both strike at the pair, Tandyn's shield deflects his, but Dorek catches a glancing blow.
Round 1
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Ahmose peers through the legs of those in front of the small Blue-scaled Kobold to frown at the spacing of the Gargoyles and Cultists.
Get them to bunch up. I'll wait.
The Alchemist looks expectantly at Dorek, Sir Tandyn, Aroden and Thawm.
"Hard?" Thawm asks rhetorically.
"Aroden, think our magic can bypass the hard skin?" Thawm asks.
She then casts Ill Omen on the center gargoyle.
Ahmose looks up from cheating at jacks to see Thawm casting a spell.
Scratching his Reptilian chinny, chin chin, the blue scaled kobold winks at the Oracle.
You just made my decision easy!
The Alchemist stretches, does a few deep knee bends and tosses a Tanglefoot Bomb at that seemingly Ill Omened Gargoyle!
Sticky situation there.
The Blue Whisper then decides to Hide!
Aroden casts Burst of Radiance, catching all three of the gargoyles.
He then moves back through the party to let Tandyn move up. This will provoke an AOO from Black if it is not Blinded; AC 19.
"Ghouls... Sosiel, gather and channel?"
Tandyn glances between fronts wondering which to prioritize. He nods when Aroden signals him.
"Dorek, I'm trusting you with the doors."
He carefully slides between his companions to face the grotesque statues.
"So... what's with these statues? Are they animated?"
"Not statues. Gargoyles." Thawm explains.
"I- uh- can help Dorek." she adds, hesitating.
At Tandyn's words, Dorek nods, diving through the spectral flails and into the middle of the ghouls. He lashes out at one with his sword, glancing back at where the others stand in the doorway. "A-ahmose, I think you're about to get that g-group you wanted!"
Thawm curses one of the gargoyles with a bad omen, which immediately manifests as it gets a face full of Ahmose’s bomb. Aroden's signature radiance is too much for the gargoyles as they all try to hold their hands before their eyes but are too late as they are burned by the brilliance. Tandyn’s signature Radiance cuts down the middle gargoyle ending its existence. Dorek rushes recklessly into the room and obliterates a ghoul with his gladius spraying black gore all over the temple.
One of the gargoyles takes to the skies, fleeing at such difficult prey.
Sosiel nods and enters the room and holds up a wooden bird painted beautifully, ”Shelyn banish this evil.” A wave of positive energy washes over the ghouls, burning their flesh but it doesn’t destroy a single one.
The ghouls rush forward, three give Dorek a wide berth, going after Sosiel who is bitten . The remaining two normal ghouls try to assault Dorek but his quick reflexes allow him to remain unharmed.
Aron rushes in after Sosiel exclaiming, ”Sosiel be careful!” He draws his short sword and slashes at one, nicking but doing no real harm.
Round 2
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Cecily watches one of the winged beasts fly away as the other is felled by the valiant Sir Tandyn. Frustrated with how hard the red one has been to punch, she decides to punch harder - much harder. She sets her eyes on the stupefied, sightless villain before her and opens her fists. "We shall not suffer foul demons to live!"
Ahmose flips the Cleric ghouls the bird while Hidden....
Cecily’s claws gouge deeply into the remaining gargoyle’s throat causing it to gasp for breath futilely.
Both of the cleric ghouls begin reading their scrolls.
Round 2
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"Set me up to toast some ghouls?" Thawm suggests to Aroden.
As the second gargoyle drops, Tandyn quickly turns to rush back into the temple. Each step comes more quickly than expected but somehow he keeps his balance rounding the corner. He presses as far as he can toward the casters at the altar but it's still too far.
He yells bringing Radiance down on the ghoul ahead of Dorek.
Ahmose salutes Sir Tandyn as the Alchemist expeditiously Strides pass the throng to wave at the 2 ghoul clerics from the front pew.
Are we passing the offerings plate!?
Cecily nods in grim satisfaction as the fiend falls to her claws, and without wasting a moment she darts into the temple and slides into place between Dorek and Sosiel. "Stick together and we'll keep them off each other's backs!"
Aroden moves to where he can see into the room.
"Set me up to toast some ghouls?" Thawm suggests to Aroden.
Aroden shakes his head.
"Let's hit the casters. Magic Missile, you first?"He readies to casts Magic Missile at one of the two casters, hoping to interrupt their spell, but only after Thawm has cast. He will target whichever one Thawm does not.
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Dorek nods as Tandyn calls out to stop the leaders. "H-hold on to your s-shield, Tandyn - I've only ever tried this t-trick once, in the c-circus, and I broke my l-leg doing it!" Using Tandyn's shield as a springboard, he somersaults over the ghouls surrounding the group and dashes up to the priests with alacrity imparted by Aroden's magic. Rounding on the two ghoul priests, he slashes at one with his blades before the spell can finish. "Would you l-look at that - I didn't even i-injure myself this time! D-don't worry, Tandyn - I can g-get this!" The anxious tiefling flinches as one of the ghoul priests snarls at him. "By which I m-mean that I would appreciate some h-help at your earliest possible c-convenience, thank you very m-much!"
Thawm nods.
Rather than splitting her 2 missiles up, she uses both on the ghoul with a scroll on her right.
Tandyn cuts down a single ghoul before Dorek uses his shield to vault from. Ahmose throws a bomb at one of the ghoul cultists burning them badly but failing to ensnare the creature. Both of the scrolls they held disintegrate in the torrent, foiling their spell. Thawm and Aroden throw their missiles unerringly at the pair leaving scorched holes in undead flesh with each strike. Dorek follows up cutting down one of the foul priests. The fleeing gargoyle makes a clean escape as the party focuses on the ghouls.
Sosiel holds up his holy symbol again calling on Shelyn’s beauty to rebuke the ghouls and manages to destroy one.
The ghouls ignore the party and instead focus on the cleric repeatedly burning them. As he’s bitten and raked with claws the cleric goes rigid as paralysis takes hold. The final ghoul goes after Tandyn who uses his shield for its intended use.
Aron cries out, ”Sosiel!” and runs through the ghoul between him and Cecily, eager to protect his partner.
Round 3
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Thawm screws up her face as she decides to heal first and burn later.
"No one is dying today! Er- on our team." Thawm explains, remembering the gargoyles.
She steps through the doorway and lays a hand on the paralyzed cleric.
"Not if we destroy them first!"
Cecily tears into the nearby ghouls.
Cecily tears off the heads of the remaining two ghouls threatening her and Sosiel with a meaty squelch. The single remaining ghoul advances forward leaving herself open to Dorek’s blade and presents her holy symbol, a wave of dark miasma washes over everyone but Aroden, Thawm and Aron. Thawm heals the helpless cleric.
Round 3
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Ahmose checks his negativity at the door!
Faithful drinker +2 Will after imbibing 1 Round
The Alchemist wonders if only if he more recently (roughly 6 seconds ago) imbibed a potion, draught, elixir or any f%#*ing beverage under Cayden Cailian's rivers of alcohol world, he might feel not so Negative!
The Blue-scaled Kobold seems to be heavily considering taking matters into his own claws, while blue eyes dig holes in that Negatively Sharing Cultist!
.....
Cecily looks behind her to see Sosiel bleeding from the eyes and wheels back to the foul priest. "Denounce your dark god and cease this assault, it will not save you!"
Dorek scowls as the remaining ghoul strides past him into the center of the room, wincing as the dark power of the cleric's chant washes over him. Striding up behind the cleric, he slashes him across the back.
At Cecily's words, he furrows his brow. "I don't t-think he's interested in s-stopping - he's..." He trails off as he realizes he knows nothing about the undead, but after a moment, he rallies. "...you k-know, dead and e-everything!" As the ghoul turns to glare at him, he flinches back again. "P-plus, I'm pretty sure he wants to e-eat us!"
"What a response!"
"P-plus, I'm pretty sure he wants to e-eat us!"
"Sure does!" Tandyn speeds around the pew. "The more you hear about these things, the more they need to die." He attempts an upward swing...
... which deflects off the askew pew. "Oh right..."
Ahmose sighs.
The Alchemist Strides around the throng to Flank the Cultist with Sir Tandyn.
Better not have rabies. Anyone got a breath mint?
The ghoul cleanly escapes Dorek but the rogue follows and slashes down the creature’s back spilling black blood onto the already defiled floor.
Aron rushes to help with the final ghoul moving forward, drops his short sword and hurls a dagger at the creature’s face.
Ahmost bites off a mouthful of dead flesh, ending the undead cleric for good.
Desecrated Chapel, redux
The vaulted ceiling of this massive sanctuary reaches nearly thirty feet overhead. Smashed stained-glass windows stretch in narrow bands above the doors. Four angelic statues occupy each corner of the room, though their faces and wings are cracked and broken almost beyond recognition. The walls are covered with disturbing shapes and runes that have been scratched into the stone. An altar, befouled with grime and filth, sits against the southern wall.
Sosiel suggests, ”If the priests hid anything it would be below the altar.” He moves to help you look.
Without stopping to explain, Thawm takes the wooden bowls filled with maggots outside, careful to burn anything wriggling that drops on the way.
She repeatedly incinerates the bowl, the maggots, and the ashes left over.
She returns inside after a couple minutes of cleansing fire, looking slightly paler. Also Dorek seems completely mended.
"Find anything to clean the graffiti of the worshipers of demon lord Kabriri?"
Thawm finishes treating the injured:
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Ahmose is seen wearing a bathing cap, using a brush and singing while he enjoys Thawm 's shower....
He can't see of course because of his taking a shower and sudds and such...
Dorek glances around the room as the last ghoul falls - he's not a trained theologian by any means, so he doesn't recognize the symbols, but they have a palpable sense of unease about them.
As Sosiel mentions the secret under the altar, Dorek steps over to it, peering beneath the massive slab of stone. Poking around for a moment, he finds and pushes the switch, and the altar slides back with a grinding of stone. "L-looks like they prepared for the w-worst when they built this place. These look like those m-medicines Ahmose makes - do you t-think our army could use them?"
When Thawm re-enters, he raises his eyebrows at the cleric's brusqueness, but scowls when she mentions cleaning. "Well, ordinarily, I'd s-suggest blood sacrifices, but I got y-yelled at last time I tried to c-clean an altar, so I don't t-think that will w-work." As he returns from the altar area, he glances at Sosiel, concerned. "Are you o-okay, Sosiel? They looked like they were b-biting you a lot - I'm sorry I wasn't able to h-help more."
'
Aroden has no recollection of this Kabriri. Even so, he works to clean the altar. Anything will do - even rags that the ghoul clerics might have been wearing.
"I can't repair the statues now, nor the runes that have been carved into the walls. That will take more time and perhaps specialized tools and craftsmen."
"A good find, Dorek. Those resources should go to our army, I think."
Cecily takes a few moments to calm down after the last ghoul falls, and she braces Sosiel when he begins to stir again to make sure he doesn't fall over. "There, Sosiel, steady. I am glad you're coming to, it was valiant of you to charge in at them. You do your goddess proud."
She surveys the room and the desecration with a sad scowl, but doesn't say anything. The stash piques her interest though. "Oh, what a stockpile! These will certainly be best off with the army, I can't imagine we could ever go through all of these ourselves!"
"Find anything to clean the graffiti of the worshipers of demon lord Kabriri?"
"Kabriri? It feels a little silly to say, doesn't it? Anything we should know about them?"
Tandyn starts by focusing his mind to look for any magical clues especially on the altar and statues.
"Well, ordinarily, I'd s-suggest blood sacrifices, but I got y-yelled at last time I tried to c-clean an altar, so I don't t-think that will w-work."
He nods. "It's a gracious gesture but think of it as 'by request only.' Speaking of blood sacrifices... Ahmose, what did you end up doing with my blood?"
"I can't repair the statues now, nor the runes that have been carved into the walls. That will take more time and perhaps specialized tools and craftsmen."
"This could be what that feeling was about... we should plan to take some time here." A few familiar cleaning motes get to work on the altar.
Once the altar is clean he approaches the doors leading east. "We should probably make sure nothing else is lurking around."
Ahmose yells out to Sir Tandyn.
Finished with his herbal bath, the Alchemist gathers up anything of actual value (he totally ignores nonmagical stuffs), and prepares to continue exploring, investigating, looting.....
I have it on good authority that it will take a full day to properly clean the temple...so.... let's do that after we clean out the trash.
I have it on good authority that it will take a full day to properly clean the temple...so.... let's do that after we clean out the trash.
"Agreed. Now that we have the rope a few paladins may want to help as well."
"Find anything to clean the graffiti of the worshipers of demon lord Kabriri?""Kabriri? It feels a little silly to say, doesn't it? Anything we should know about them?"
"Uh- god of cannibals? Ooh- and ghouls. Honestly I just remember that one because of the maggots. The thing to know is that those nasty ghouls put graffiti everywhere." Thawm explains, with her hands on her hips.
Suddenly she looks upset as she gesticulates wildly at a nearby fresco.
"I mean, look what they did to Peace Through Vigilance. That one is my favorite dragon." she explains, pouting.
"You're right, though, we should make sure there isn't anything else around." she adds with a sigh.
Cecily's eyes brighten considerably at Thawm's comment about Peace Through Vigilance. "You have a favorite dragon, Thawm?! That's wonderful! Terendelev always had good things to say about Peace Through Vigilance. Perhaps they knew each other? It would not surprise me, in such circles, it's not like dragons are particularly common, especially dragons personally known to Iomedae. There was even a rumor that She was Peace Through Vigilance's mother, although I don't know how..." Cecily colors a bit as she thinks through the implication. "Well, Iomedae is not married so that wouldn't be possible anyhow. I am surprised you know much of Iomedae's court, are you not a priestess of Sarenrae, from...South? What are dragons like where you are from? Do you know any well?"
Thawm blushes.
"Mother told me stories of other deities sometimes. Peace Through Vigilance breaths fire and sparkles like the desert..." she explains, seemingly unable to decide what to do with her hands.
Thawm pounds her fist into the palm of her other hand and brightens suddenly as she thinks of an answer to Cecily's question.
"Oh- there are some blue dragons down south."
"Allegedly."
"They're the ones that stole the water from the desert."
"Allegedly."
"Oh, and the god Apsu from the- who were those guys? The Platinum Band? Anyway- he also sounded alright."
"Allegedly." Thawm explains.
"I didn't spend much time far from the temple." She explains.