DM delmoth's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Delmoth

Ahmose's blue reptilian eyes stare at Thawm as if she were a Phoenix....

"Yes, that's pretty much what they say about the Worldwound - and we saw that rip into the Abyss... are you feeling ok?"

Dorek shrugs off the strange occurrences, cleaning and sheathing his blades. As Tandyn looks him over, he blinks, trying to focus on the paladin. "That d-depends. Did you cast another s-spell to make you blurry? If not, that g-goat demon might have h-hit me a bit too hard in the h-head."

As Tandyn goes about the grisly work of removing the beast's heads, he entertains himself with shadow puppets, of a sort - at a jerk of his head towards the late Beast of Drezen, his shadow reshapes on the blasted ground of the Worldwound, taking the form of a miniature chimera circling the tower, borne aloft by strings of darkness reaching up into the spidery main body of Resonance-Sharpened-Shadows. After a moment, it creates a small figure in armor to fight the chimera - Radiance gives it trouble for a moment as its form seems to resist mimicking the light-bearing weapon, which causes Dorek to tilt his head to one side, but after a moment, it settles on outlining the blade. The warrior with the sword of absence slays the ferocious beast in short order, and Dorek grins, shaking his head at his shadow's antics as he sets off with the others towards the main group.

"Anyone see a very tiny phoenix fly by?"

Dorek shakes his head, hooking his clawed thumbs into the front pockets of his foundry apron as he walks. "No birds that I c-could see. F-frankly, Thawm, I sort of f-figured you had laid it." He shrugs. "I mean, d-demonbloods like me and C-cecily have the horns and the t-tail and all that, but angelkith like you and T-tandyn are just like all the o-other humans? D-doesn't make much sense, does it?" He nods towards where Tandyn walks, his armor unblemished by the chimera's blood. "M-most of the great g-gods have the body of a s-serpent - my g-gods, not yours, that is - and T-tandyn's always clean, so m-mostly, I figure he sheds his s-skin with the day. I k-know he's not K-kellid, but other places have other g-gods." Clearing his throat, he glances nervously over at Tandyn. "...N-not that there's anything w-wrong with shedding your s-skin, you understand!" Shrugging, he turns back to Thawm. "A-anyway, Sarn- Sarenrae is a b-bird goddess, yes? If she has b-blessed you, perhaps you t-take on part of her form?"

Thawm bristles momentarily at 'Sarn', but quickly calms down as he gets it right. Thawm clears her throat.
"It is indeed a blessing from Sarenrae, as I believe I had a brief vision of something. I shall have to think about what it was. It certainly wasn't a flaming blade not slaying something evil." Thawm explains.
(it certainly was)

"Anyway, we should get back to the army." she adds.

She nods toward each of them, but her eyes don't quite seem to meet theirs.

Tandyn takes a moment to talk to Cecily away from the group. "Hey. I wanted to apologize. A better leader would have seen a way to engage all of their best fighters." He gives her an understanding smile and a soft hug. "Once the chimera saw Ahmose, there wasn't a good way up. Then when it landed, everything went so quickly. Yes, we had some very lucky hits; but we don't rely on luck. We rely on each other. Had the fight lasted even a few seconds longer, we all know you would have hit it with everything you've got. So yeah, chin up and all that. Oh, and I really like whatever it is that's different about your hair.. or is it your horns? In any case, it suits you." He gives her another quick squeeze and walks with her back to the group.

"So what's all this 'egg' talk? Has our eagle friend left us a gift?"

We're planning to rejoin the army next.

Aroden looks at the egg.
Hmm.

"I saw no dwarf phoenix, nor did I see Thawm laying an egg. I think I would have noticed."

"Let us see how the army managed in our absence. I have depleted most of my magic for the day but can still fight. Though assaulting the citadel itself should wait until tomorrow, I think."

Back to rejoin the army sounds good.

Thawm holds up the brilliant red and gold speckled egg she has mysteriously acquired and shrugs.
After a moment the second question sinks in.
She looks at Tandyn with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"Eagle friend?"

"So what's all this 'egg' talk? Has our eagle friend left us a gift?"

Dorek glances over at the paladin. "The egg? T-thawm laid it. Incidentally, do you shed your s-skin? I've always w-wondered about that."

At Thawm's words, he nods, glancing back at where the other crusaders are fighting. "L-looks like they're doing well over t-there - I'm s-sure we could help, though."

Back to the battlefield it is, then. Allons-y!

"Eagle friend?"

"Well yes, I'm sure you've seen it. It appears out of nowhere, heroically swoops at our enemies, and then disappears again - sometimes in a burst of fiery glory. I suspect it's part phoenix. It must just be hanging around us all invisible-like. Well... maybe it laid an egg?"

"Incidentally, do you shed your s-skin? I've always w-wondered about that."

"No, I don't shed my.... wait what? Where did this come from?! And you say you've always wondered this?"

Tandyn takes a moment to talk to Cecily away from the group. "Hey. I wanted to apologize. A better leader would have seen a way to engage all of their best fighters." He gives her an understanding smile and a soft hug. "Once the chimera saw Ahmose, there wasn't a good way up. Then when it landed, everything went so quickly. Yes, we had some very lucky hits; but we don't rely on luck. We rely on each other. Had the fight lasted even a few seconds longer, we all know you would have hit it with everything you've got. So yeah, chin up and all that. Oh, and I really like whatever it is that's different about your hair.. or is it your horns? In any case, it suits you." He gives her another quick squeeze and walks with her back to the group.

Cecily beams at Sir Tandyn as he speaks, and when he finishes a faint tink heralds a single frozen drop hitting the ground, snuck out from Cecily's eye. "Your words are kind as ever, Sir Tandyn, and they do lift my heart. Your valiance won the day, is all, but I do not want to feel helpless against an enemy again. I will prepare better. In the meantime, I think I will go tear the army off of our troops." She reaches up to lightly touch her horns and pull her hair into perfect coiffure as she speaks, not quite sure what Tandyn's referring to without having a mirror yet but loving the compliments all the same.

Her head pingpongs about trying to follow the egg conversation, and eventually a sickeningly sweet smile spreads across Cecily's face. "Yes, Thawm, this eagle friend of yours, he does seem to quite favor you. Perhaps you have had indiscretions in the night, and he has just come to deliver your egg together in the manner of a stork!"

"No, I don't shed my.... wait what? Where did this come from?! And you say you've always wondered this?"

Dorek shrugs, ducking his head. "W-well, it only seemed s-sensible, didn't it? I m-mean, all the s-snake gods I know are thoughtful, i-introspective, sort of like you - and you a-are always c-clean. I s-suppose I just f-figured you were some sort of s-snake-person angelkith. You k-know - peel off your f-face each morning so the d-dirt goes with it, sort of t-thing." He shrugs, glancing down at his tail and poking at one of its segments reflectively. "I know I used to have to molt these... c-carapace things when I was y-younger - you're saying you d-don't have to do the same?"

"Eagle friend? What eagle?" Thawm replies, exasperated.

"Also, stork? Don't those deliver babies? I guess baby birds come from eggs..." a confused Thawm thinks aloud, failing to figure out what Cecily is going on about.

"Wait, do eagles get their eggs delivered by stork?"

Ahmose's blue reptilian eyes follow the myriad of conversations being bandied about like a choice morsel in a dog kennel.

The small kobold smiles.

"W-well, it only seemed s-sensible, didn't it? I m-mean, all the s-snake gods I know are thoughtful, i-introspective, sort of like you - and you a-are always c-clean. I s-suppose I just f-figured you were some sort of s-snake-person angelkith. You k-know - peel off your f-face each morning so the d-dirt goes with it, sort of t-thing." He shrugs, glancing down at his tail and poking at one of its segments reflectively. "I know I used to have to molt these... c-carapace things when I was y-younger - you're saying you d-don't have to do the same?"

"Oh. Huh." Tandyn begins to give it some serious thought. "Well, I don't shed or peel my face off, but some angelkin have metallic dragon scales or even feathers... so perhaps they shed and molt? Your snake gods have feathery wings, don't they? I suppose they're not so different from angels and dragons. Perhaps you're onto something? Granted I haven't heard of an angelkin having an egg or hatching from one, but I'm not sure anyone would bring that up even if they did. Hey Thawm, how did you parents figure out you were an angelkin?"

The party returns to their army having victoriously defeated a dread foe. The crusaders are filled with hope and joy at your triumphant return and their own defeat of not one but two of the armies holding Drezen with few casualties on your side. The general mood is that your victory is all but assured here and that you will be victorious within the week.

Irabeth greets you first with an apology and apparent relief at your return, ”I’m sorry we took the initiative Knight Commanders, we had little information on your progress and myself and the rest of your advisors thought it prudent to attempt a rescue should you require it.”

Anevia gives you a wink, ”Beth was beside herself with worry.”

Aron then adds, ”At least we are able to contest the bridge should their armies try to retake it. We can camp on this side of the riverbed with a few sentries set to watch the bridge for an attack. All of their armies must come from the bridge, face a steep charge up the riverbed, or march around. Did you want to order that Knight Commanders?”

"As we were able to secure the catapults before they fired on your position, the timing was fortuitous." Knight Commander Uhturj explains.

"Before that, I'd like to rescue the prisoners if we can. Perhaps all the Knight Commanders should weigh in?" She adds.

Ahmose listens intentionally to Aron's thoughts on strategy. The Knight Commander begins murmuring and pacing and stopping for dramatic effect, the Blue-scaled Kobold returns to stand next to Knight Commander Uhturj.
Is that another us do something and then they do something at the same time again thing?

"I would favor taking Paradise Hill to free the prisoners. Then we'll want to clear the cemetery so that we can focus on the Citadel. As for how we take Paradise Hill, I believe we were talking about going after their commander."

"Well done, Irabeth. You have saved us a tough fight. Aron, are we defendable here camping if the goat demons telly-port in the midst of our camp? Is that a real worry? Less so if we destroy them and free the prisoners before camping, I suspect."

"I too favor rescuing the prisoners as soon as possible."