Cathedral of Wrath - Round 8
17 Zorlen (8/16hp remain)
16 Quasit (25hp dmg; grappled; prone)
12 Izzy
21 Garen (14/22hp remain)
16 Tot (12/21hp remain)
27 Ari (7/15hp remain, grappled, prone)
9 Grod (12/18hp dmg; divine fervor 6 rounds)
With his only remaining spell attack inactivated by the demons' resistances to acid, Zorlen settles into a support role. He moves up to touch the prone Ari, casting a transmutation spell that makes the grappling hero more agile, giving him even more leverage on the held quasit.
After being summoned here from some other plane, the droopy dretch zaps back out of existence, returned to whatever abyssal pit it came from.
Down her only ally, the quasit growls again, and casts on Ari, who is holding her down. The command to "Let Go" resounds in Ari's brain, though he tries to fight it. She does recover mildly from her prior damage as well.
With the demon gone and hearing what sounds like a spell coming out of the quasit's mouth, Tot sheathes her sword and moves to where she can get at the little demon.
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Ari hears the command and almost laughs. Then he feels the magic of the command….
He only struggles with it for a moment though, then screams,
"Drown it! Get it in the water," Tot says as she helps Ari keep hold of the thing.
Worried about hitting Ari, Grod instead channels some of Gorum's blessing and gives it to Ari.
Izzy tries to use her rapier to help Garen's blow...
Ari struggles with the quasit, but eventually gets up off the ground, and forces the demon into the shallow pool. Just as the sputtering splashing fight is going on, Izzy jumps into the pool also, and holds up the head of the demon, exposing the tiny neck, and Garen drives his falcata right into that sensitive spot, bursting the neck vessels, and killing the creature in one more holy smite.
End of Combat
"We killed a demon! We killed a demon! It was all 'hiss' and 'you pathetic mortals' and Ari was like 'rarr let's wrasssle with darker powers' and so HEROIC...and Tot was like 'Baptize it' and the rest of us were pew pew and whomp and then Garen was all 'Godly SMITE' and I was like 'go for the head go for the head' and the demon was like 'noooo my evilness what a world what a world' and DEAD back to the bad place!" The gnome is ecstatic, her body trembling with fear turned to victory.
Ari drags the body of the creature out of the water and examines it. He makes certain that it isn't healing anymore, then casts detect magic and searches it.
"Ouch! And I hope I never have to do anything that stupid again! If I had lost my grip I'm sure that thing would've gladly killed me as it escaped my grasp."
He shakes his head. "If you write a song or story about it, you can leave that comment off. But don't make me sound like a hero. I was just worried about my home and family."
At this, Izzy rolls her eyes, "Humility about it just makes you MORE heroic, Erridon! OOh it's like none of you have proper training the adventure epic narrative. What did you all do with your lives? Learn PRACTICAL stuff? Blah. And you did it to keep your home and family safe? DOUBLE Heroic! You are 'Erridon Demonbinder' now, at least in some stories that are coming." Her eyes light up "Ooo, Demonbinder...I DO like that. Provocative, technically true... will look good on a theatrical broadsheet."
Ari shakes his head and quietly sings the words to a song of healing.
Casting Cure Light Wounds on himself.
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"I apologize to all of you. Something in that spell of hers caused me to lose my mind. Hopefully, that will never happen again." Garen says bowing his head to everyone. Then he turns to look over the room and what remains. "Someone with detect magic check that little demon. I'm sure she has items we can use to aid our cause."
"It's okay, Garen... the big part of the story is that finishing blow you pulled off!" Izzy hums and casts detect magic on the quasit and around the area.
Tot's trying her best to hide it, but it's clear she's hurt and badly shaken after that fight.
After it's clear the fight is over and Ari isn't in danger of falling over dead, Tot goes around picking up her dropped weapons and shield. She doesn't meet anyone's gaze, especially after Garen apologizes for what happened. She recalls what she said, and feels her cheeks heat as she wonders how she's going to gather the courage to apologize to him, or anyone for that matter, after how she fared in that fight.
As she wrestles with her inner thoughts, she tries to make herself useful by looking around for any secret caches or hidden doorways.
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Grod chants one of Gorum's victory hymns. It's more marching cadence than high art. Certainly not going to chart on the billboard in any town with a resident bard.
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Grod's humming gets a hearty thumb's up from the resident bard! She wants to be supportive.
She looks over at Tot, "You could use some healing, and you're a bit shaken there, Tot. Don't worry, we were all scared. Gnomes are just wired funny. We get scared, of course, badly, but afterwards some of us treasure the experience. Makes us seem braver than we are."
Ari hears Izzy and looks at Tot. His face turns beet red and he moves to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. (If she lets him) "I'm so sorry Tot. Here I was healing my wound, that Izzy had already started, and I didn't even notice how badly you are hurt. I've got a little bit of magic left. Let me help." He sings a few arcane words and positive energy flows to Tot.
He glances around at the group. "I've only got one spell left. Is anyone else hurt? If not I'll use that on Tot as well?"
Grod's humming gets a hearty thumb's up from the resident bard! She wants to be supportive.
1d20+10
She looks over at Tot, "You could use some healing, and you're a bit shaken there, Tot. Don't worry, we were all scared. Gnomes are just wired funny. We get scared, of course, badly, but afterwards some of us treasure the experience. Makes us seem braver than we are."
"To be frightened is natural. What makes the warrior is the ability to overcome fear and still act." Grod says, stepping up next to Izzy. "I also have some healing magic remaining. But given our state, it might be best to shut and bar those doors and rest here for a time."
Ari hears Grod and looks around. "This place just feels evil. I agree about locking the doors. But if we're going to take time to recover spells and such I'd rather do it above ground. It's not like we're days away or anything like that. And I'd like to talk with my parents. This place has tested me, and I'm a bit confused."
Ari considers Garen’s statement. It was a good point. ”You’re right. We shouldn’t completely leave. Someone or some thing could come or go. Maybe we should rest in the glassworks, close to the tunnel down here. Guard it so nothing can enter or leave without us knowing about it?” He thinks a moment. They hadn’t been down here long. Was it still morning? ”I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s still morning. Let’s go and check. If it is, I would still like to check in with my family. And maybe the body of the demon could be taken to the church? There may be some ritual that should be done to be sure that it’s gone for good. ??”
Tot tenses for a moment as Ari puts an arm around her shoulders, but it passes and she lets him pull her in close. Tears born of frustration well up in her eyes as he heals her. Feeling utterly foolish and useless after it seems that everyone has seen through the facade she had tried to put up, she meekly follows Ari's and Garen's lead as they make plans for staying in the Glassworks. As they walk out of the catacombs, she replays what Grod said when Izzy had piped up about how she looked shaken.
What would he say if he knew I was a deserter, she wonders. Maybe he already suspects. Garen was overcome by magic, and he still charged back into the fray. Grod's such a hearty soul that I doubt anything could shake him. Izzy's, well, Izzy. She can't help smiling a little as she remembers some of the gnome's antics in the brief time they have known each other. The smile vanishes like water on hot stones as her thoughts move to Ari, though.
And what about him? He was hurt badly because I failed. Ari is naive, but that doesn't make him stupid. He's bound to realize-- The thought trails off as she remembers all of the things her parents and her siblings, especially her older brother, had called her or said of her over the years. She huddles close to Ari as their voices echo in her head with one word ringing out above all of the others.
"I'm sorry," she says in a voice that's much quieter than even her normal softness. I'm a failure."
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Hearing Tot’s whisper Ari squeezes her with the arm he has around her shoulders, pretty much a one-armed hug…. ”Sorry? For what? We won! I didn’t trip because you led me. I saw the lip that tripped you and leaped over it. I grabbed the wings of the demon and just hung on.” He stops for a moment, letting his arm relax but not actually releasing her. ”Can you keep a secret? I was scared…. No. I was terrified! But not of the demon, or dying. I was sure that I was going to fail. I remembered what I knew about that thing. I kept thinking of it like it was just a little monster, like a goblin, but even smaller. But it was pure evil. It’s probably been alive for thousands of years, and probably trapped here for…. I can’t even guess how long. And it survived, trapped here all that time! And with all that, I was terrified that I was going to release that monster on Sandpoint. It tried to just struggle and break free, and almost did. I almost failed to hold it. But in the end I just held my grip, my grip of terror. Then it tried magic. She used a magic command, ordering me to release her. I froze for a moment and almost did it!”
His arm tenses up again, but then relaxes again. ”Even with my ‘success’, all I did was hold her. If Garen hadn’t been there to smite her…. it would have been for nothing. And I would be dead, and it would be loose. On Sandpoint, and the world! You did your part. You’re strong. All I did was get lucky, and hold on!”
The tiny, now dead, quasit does have a bit of loot on her form. First, there is a tiny curved dagger, which radiates as magical. As you grab it, it magical resizes to your hand, is at normal size again.
Additionally, there is a sparkling silver and diadem tiara, a tiny-sized black silk gown that seems very expensive, and a obsidian unholy symbol showing a monstrous silhouette, that is clearly that of the Mother of Monsters, Lamashtu.
The pool at the top tier of this room also detects as magical, but seems to be dormant, at least for now.
"Ooo, magic dagger. Who wants?" She asks as she looks over the non magical but intriguing stuff.
Zorlen looks at the item for several moments, even granting himself a temporary bonus to his spell knowledge, but after examining, he sighs and hands it back to Isidiana.
"I am just not as familiar with weapons and their properties, I suppose. If it were a potion or a scroll, I am confident I could tell you its features, but this weapon eludes me."
Ari takes the dagger, curious about how it adjusted to his size. He is surprised that his friend couldn’t identify it, but maybe? He casts detect magic and studies the aura….
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”I can’t tell either. But I plan to focus on my rapier. Eventually I might even get good with it….”
Even at the tiny size, the small tiara is worth 50gp. Black silken gown is worth 25gp. The obsidian holy symbol is worth 10gp, but would be hard to find a buyer, you surmise. Maybe Father Zantus would give you something to have it off the street?
Izzy takes her turn to look at the dagger again but this time to try to determine it's magic. (She had already cast Detect Magic)
Ari watches Garen destroy the holy symbol he nods. ”Good riddance. The only thing that might have been good for would be to teach about evil gods. But there’s plenty of books so the symbol isn’t needed.”
Tot listens to Ari as he tells her how scared he was and how she is strong, but even as he reassures her, the voices of her brother and the rest of her family echo in her head denying what her friend is telling her. She should have been better. She should have been faster. She should have been the one that caught the damned little demon, plucking it from the air, so Ari never had to rely on luck and his own grit.
"It wasn't just luck," she murmurs at their toes. "You have grit and will. Those matter more. Less fickle."
And more reliable than some cast-off runt that ran away from her problems, she adds silently.
As the others examine their gains, and shatter the symbol of Lamashtu, Tot spends some time going through the wrecked Glassworks to find some place where they could rest without reminders of the massacre that happened here only a couple of days ago and still keep an eye on the doors leading down into the tunnels and catacombs hidden beneath the seemingly idyllic town of Sandpoint.
After everyone gets settled, Tot approaches the holy knight. Her tail writhes like a worm on hot coals as she twiddles her thumbs nervously.
"I-I-I w-w-wanted t-to ap-p-poligize for w-what I said during the fight," she stammers out in her soft voice.
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Ari chuckles at Tot’s words. ”I really have to take you home to meet my mother. She’ll like you. You’re almost as much of a fan of me as she is! But, I probably shouldn’t. I’m sure she’d tell you every embarrassing story she has about every mistake I’ve ever made!”
He shakes his head. ”Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that it was just luck. The luckiest man alive fails every time he doesn’t try. That’s something my father taught me.”
Tot winces as she imagines what her mother would be like if she were to ever introduce Ari to the woman. In comparison, embarrassing stories didn't sound so bad. In fact, between what Rynshinn and Ari have said about them, they sounded like very kind and dependable people.
"I think I'd like to meet them," Tot says before she realizes she's even speaking.
Tot starts to say something, but then things better of it. She nods, not trusting her voice, before slipping back to where they'd settled in to lick their wounds.
Once the group picks a room Ari drops his pack. "OK. I really need to go in to town though, just to talk with my parents for a bit, to clear my head. And I think the demon's body should go to Father Zantus. There might be some ritual that should be performed to destroy it."
"And I could stop by the Rusty Dragon and bring some food back for everyone? Much better than stale rations! Maybe someone should come with me to help carry the food back?" He glances at Tot with the last statement, thinking that she'd probably like to see Ameiko.
"ooo those little zesty noodles?"
Ari looks at Izzy, a bit confused, but then smiles. ”The little, zesty noodles? So maybe Tot can come along? Take the demon to Father Zantus, and then help Ameiko cook up some dinner. Especially the little, zesty noodles!”
"That plan sounds fine to me." Grod says. He'd often lived on rations in the field, but saw no reason to complain about hot food. Whatever it ended up being, it was a luxury.
Tot hesitates for a moment, then nods. Maybe being outside and in the sun would help lift her spirits some, she thinks, not really catching the potential double entendre in Izzy's request nor the implications of following Ari home, so focused is she on trying to wrestle with her own insecurities.
Not wanting to be seen carrying a demon body around town they head straight to the church. Ari leads and asks to see Father Zantus. Once the father arrives he explains about the evil temple and the structure underground, and the demon that they'd defeated. "I'm not an expert on such creatures and just wanted to be sure it can't somehow come back to life here. It was a hard fight as the thing seemed resistant to just about everything. Maybe a consecrated burial or something?"
Once that is complete he walks with Tot to the Dragon and Ameiko. "Tot? If you don't mind.... I'll let you explain to Ameiko, about the tunnel from the Glassworks to the place underground. Be sure she knows that it is still dangerous. I'm going to go to my parents. That blast of wind that blew the demon down, confused me. I just wanted to push it away and it happened. I didn't cast a spell. Heck, I can't cast that spell, whatever it was. I'm hoping my mother will know something. I'll be back here once I talk to my Mom."
He goes to his parent's home/shop and greets both. After the explanation about the blood on himself he explains about what they'd fought. "But what I'm most concerned about was something that happened during the fight. It was flying, out of reach, and I just wanted to knock it out of the air. I.... pushed it down, and a blast of air came from me and sent the thing down where it could be reached. It immediately flew back up, and I couldn't do it again. And I've noticed that the air around me seems different. Usually the air around me is moving, like there's always a light breeze. Now it is still. Does that make any sense to you? Maybe Sarenrae heard my desire and caused the air to blow the demon down?" He will talk with them for a little while, no more than a half hour, before wanting to get back to the Dragon and Tot, to help take the meal back to the team.
Izzy takes her turn to look at the dagger again but this time to try to determine it's magic. (She had already cast Detect Magic)
1d20+7
Izzy spends some of the downtime with the magical dagger and determines not only is it extra sharp and does more damage and hits easier, but it also has a special magical property. If thrown, the dagger magically returns to the place (not necessarily the person) from where it was thrown.
"I shall dub you: Fed Cat , for once you have tasted a meal, you come back expecting more." She tells the dagger, then blinks "To be fair, you're probably going to someone else, but I'll see if they keep the name."
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Garen settles into the room at the head of the stairs. With a chair up under the handle and pushed tight he strips down to his gambeson and cleans and sharpens his weapons. When they are taken care of he breaks out some food. He meditates for half an hour after eating. Then he gets up and works through a series of forms with his sword, sparring with Grod if the warpriest is around.