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Seeing Tekmin on the verge of being possessed by the demon, Herok quickly prayed to Erastil to try and help Tekmin stave off the effects. "Erastil, ward this warrior against the demon's touch!" He then racked his brain, trying to think of what shadow demons could do.
"Hmmm...." Herok considered the talking stone. "Hey, I think this is the stone we were told to break. We weren't supposed to touch it, though, so I'm not sure how we'll break it..."
Tucking away the scrolls, Herok said, [b]"Here, let me help. Does anyone want to carry the statue of the Devil?"[b]
"Right, then. Does anyone know where we can stash this guy until we can drag him back to town to stand trial for his crimes?"
"How does Master Munt select the innocent? Is there a common theme to them?" Herok was trying to figure out who the cultists had been kidnapping and murdering. He felt they would have to drag the man back to Sandpoint for trial, since they'd captured him, if there was a safe place to leave him where he couldn't escape.
Herok thought about how long the Sandpoint Devil had been around for.
Herok pulled out an arrow covered in a vine motif. Activating it, he uttered a prayer to Erastil to guide his aim, then fired it at the cultist.
Only a single Cultist on Ximble and the goat now, so Herok tried to bring that one Cultist low with a three-arrow barrage.
Well, they'd at least lowered the enemy numbers. Hopefully they could thin them further. Seeing the success Ximble and his goat were having, Herok decided to try and help finish them off so that they could assist Tekmin.
Herok grumbled as his arrows went wide, then tried focusing further on taking down the four around Tekmin, with one of his arrows hopefully helping the halfling before he cast a spell to shield himself.
"Oh, come on, Wherby. Just because they worship the Sandpoint Devil doesn't mean they're cannibals." Herok shifted his stance to account for better shooting in close confines, he then fired a pair of arrows at the cultist Tekmin attacked, the second one designed to put the cultist off-balance.
Herok turns in startlement as the statue attacks Wherby. Shifting his feet into a stance, he fires an arrow at the statue, then guages that shot to fire another to try and help set up Ximble's attack.
Herok looks at the distant door as he tries to recall what he knows about Shadow Demons.
He then says, "If we're going to do this, we'll need to backtrack to get over there - unless someone can fly us."
Herok shrugged at Wherby. He'd found something out, even if he had no idea what it was. Maybe Wherby knew something about the names. Turning back to Nithiss, he asked, "What's the Stain?" He also continued trying to puzzle out the rune on the door.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid we're unfamiliar with the Remnant. Would you like to tell us about him?" Herok figured if this was some sort of cult, they'd leap at the opportunity to tell of their cult leader. Cultists loved to talk about their cults if they thought it would get them converts. He also considered the complex, twisting rune on the door.
Herok frowns. "Your pardon, but why are attempting to move us towards that door? Can we stop a moment to talk?" The low ceiling makes this trek very difficult for him, and he suspected Wherby wasn't too thrilled about it, either. He hoped he was tall enough to not be herded along as he stopped walking. He tried to think who these people were...
"That's a good idea. Ximble needs some of his wounds stitched and poulticed." Once they sit down, Herok begins treating Ximble's wounds.
Herok tucks the sleep arrow into his quiver. "Well, I guess we should go back to those stairs that lead down to a lower level of the Pit, if we're going to find any evidence of the Sandpoint Devil down here or what may or may not be stirring it up."
Shifting his stance, Herok calls out, "These are jinkin gremlins! They can curse objects and tend to hold grudges. The are cunning and sadistic, and at their most vulnerable to cold iron weapons!" He then loosed two more arrows at the mass of jinkins surrounding Ximble.
Herok, having been rather quiet lately, shakes himself out of his stupor to ask, "Sharpened spoons? Really?" He takes a moment to think about what kind of gremlin these are, and then fires off a couple arrows at the nearest of the gremlins who isn't the she-gremlin.
"Regardless, I think we should head to the shop. Maybe Vorvashali can help us get a little better recognized in town if we help."
"I don't know that we're particularly well in the townsfolk's graces, at the moment, but we'll see what we can do."
Herok frowned. "I agree we should give them to the Runewatchers, but are the Runewatchers adventurers? I was under the impression they were mostly scholars who studied but didn't actively venture forth." Considering a moment, he followed up with, "Also, Wherby, we may have accidentally made ourselves professional adventurers, given everything we've done so far."
Herok runs over to Tekmin, stowing his bow, and then channels healing energy over the group to provide the benefit to Ximble and his goat, as well.
Tekmin was down, but it was obvious they had to take down Ripnugget before he could do anything about that. Herok casts another spell, asking Erastil to bless him with Heroism, as he fires an arrow designed to deliver a chilling blow to Ripnugget. He didn't know if it would help, but given his fiery nature, it just might.
Tekmin was getting hammered, so Herok continued praying to Erastil to keep him up before firing an arrow at Ripnugget, since he was clearly the most dangerous threat.
Herok continued trying to keep Tekmin on his feet as he fired another arrow at the closest Sinspawn.
"Tekmin!" Herok yells. Once again calling on Erastil, he casts a spell of healing upon Tekmin before loosing an arrow Point-Blank into the Sinspawn attacking Ximble.
Well, it looked like the were going to be outnumbered, and Ximble had already sent the goat in. Herok cast a spell, then reached out and touched Tekmin's back. "This will help you avoid the harm of Ripnugget's flaming sword." He then shifted his stance to better use his bow in close quarters.
Herok grunts at the Whistlefang's grisly trophies, but sets himself up next to the secret door. He carefully considers his options as they prepare to open it and face a reanimated Ripnugget.
"I'd say it's probably a 50/50 chance. We might at least be able to try and convince them not to attack us while we take care of Ripnugget. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a few minutes. Ximble, can I treat your and your goat's burns?"
Herok takes care to lift up Minargul's hat, looking to see if she has a list of the Shrilltooth's names under it.
Herok adjust his aim slightly, loosing two more arrows at the Goblin who did not seem interested in surrendering.
"Infidels? That's a rather rude thing to call someone. Just because we don't worship the same god you do, doesn't mean we're infidels. You need to be more tolerant of others, you know." Herok shifted his stance to better account for the close quarters, and then fired another arrow at Minargul prior to holding forth the symbol emblazoned on his bow to protect him from other spells she cast.
Old Deadeye, let my aim be sure, and this arrow fly true. After a quick prayer, he activated the magic of the Vine Arrow, then nocked and fired the arrow at Minargul.
Herok pulled out one of his vine arrows to make sure Minargul couldn't get away and get help as he prepared to use it.
Well, at least Ripnugget wasn't creating more undead. If Ripnugget had been in the hidden room for a while, maybe he wouldn't pay attention if he heard any fighting. They could deal with Minargul then deal with Ripnugget, that way. "Thank you, Tunch, for your information." With no further questions, Herok was ready to head out.
So, Ripnugget was dead - and now he was undead. He wondered what kind. Obviously more than a typical skeleton or zombie. Perhaps a ghoul or ghast of some kind? No, that didn't seem right based on the description either. "Did your old chief, Shrilltooth, turn into any kind of undead creature after Ripnugget burninated him?"
Ripnugget. Herok remembered those days after the attack all those years ago, when Ripnugget's name was cursed as the leader of the Thistletop goblins. He was dead, though, or so Herok had thought. "When you say 'bony', what do you mean by that?"
Herok narrows his eyes at Tunch. "Tunch, is there something you maybe forgot to tell us? Such as something that may be between us and Minargul, or something else we should know about?"
"If we took the list of names from under her hat and then we had it, would she lose control of the other goblins? What is the fastest way to get to her?" Herok considered how far they could trust Tunch, as well.
"You know, Wherby, one of these days we'll actually listen when you say that. Today is not that day, however." He considers Tekmin's suggestion, then says, "It's a good idea, unless there's something even more dangerous behind the secret door. Well, no sense standing around here. Come on, Wherby. Let's go hope the secret door is less dangerous than whoever's coming to check on us." Herok picks the old man up and helps him move towards the secret door Tekmin found.
"That would likely depend on what the trap does. For instance, if the trap makes a fireball explode in the room, then yes, it would work. If all it does is alert someone that we're here, then maybe not. Wherby, can you see the magic and tell what the trap does?"
Herok said, "Hold up a minute, Ximble. Let's make sure there's nothing dangerous in the room that can fall on us from behind." Herok began searching the room, just in case.
"Well, the ladder looks secure enough. If it can hold me, it should hold the rest of you, so I'll go down first. Before I do," Herok pulls out a rope and ties it around his waist, then turns to the others and holds out the other end. "Can you guys hold the rope so that if the ladder does break on me I don't fall and break my neck?" That done, he took a deep breath, and began climbing down the ladder, carefully taking his time.
"Well, this is certainly a less than pleasant looking place. I wonder what the origins of the Pit are. Do you think these ladders are safe to descend?" Herok knelt down to examine the ladder and see if it looked like it would hold them or break as soon as they tried to use it.
Herok stands and says, "Nualia's spirit was brought back for the purposes of seeking amends. As a reminder, her life prior to becoming a threat to Sandpoint was very unkind, with people making her feel an outcast and a pariah with few friends. That she saw violence as her only recourse is as much a fault of the townspeople here as it is her own anger. It may be that, in warning us of a possible danger here in town, her spirit seeks some measure of redemption and forgiveness for her actions. Perhaps we can give her some measure of that ourselves. Kindness and neighborliness have long been values of Sandpoint. Let us not forget those values now."
Herok was fairly certain they'd gotten as far as they could so far without consulting Brodert Quink, so he headed towards the sage's house and politely knocked on the door. Once the sage answered, he said, "Good day, Brodert. We've recently received word of some danger in an area known as 'The Pit' on the Sandpoint Plateau, and we were wondering if you had any information about it? May I take a look and see what can be learned?" If Brodert allows, Herok will take a look.
Herok tries to remember if anyone in Sandpoint might have more first-hand knowledge of the Pit.
Herok tries to recall what stories he's heard about the Pit around town - after all, he's spent enough time hero-worshipping others that he must know something about it.
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