Trying to contribute, Beatrix adds, "I can summon an azata, but it won't last very long, and honestly in this environment it won't be very strong. I can also attempt to dispel, but against Vang I'm not sure of my chances."
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Following her captain, Beatrix moves so as not to be the last one left behind. She appears beside Myrna in the bog that Sana traveled to. She listens silently to the discussion about whether or not to scout, not wishing to influence the decision one way or the other.
Beatrix sleeps late and then spends her hour praying to Iomedae for guidance and power. She knows how deep they are in enemy territory, and how non-guaranteed their survival is. How difficult their position. How far from help any of them are. To be honest, Beatrix is scared. Still, she is among friends, friend much mightier than she, and she will do what she can to ease their burdens.
Beatrix takes the scrolls from the Archdruid with both hands extended and a respectful bow. "Thank you, Archdruid," she says, reviewing them. "These will be useful and powerful against Vang." She hesitates a moment, as if wanting to say something, and then shakes her head with a little sigh. She turns towards the exit, watching as Sana makes her dash across the next area to search for shelter for them. She would be dead if it wasn't for the people around her. She was grateful for that. This was an important fight, and she was glad to be on the forefront of it for now, despite her limitations. "I hope we live," she sighs.
Beatrix agrees to take the scroll and the wand. They could be of use in healing or restoring her compatriots. She also agrees with Alase -- if they make it over into the shelter she suggests, they would be safe.
Beatrix stands from their treasure. Baubles, not useful to them and worth little. She leaves them for others to take. "So, shall we go?" she asks the group. "I'm going to find Myrna, at least." She leaves them in the catacombs and returns to the surface, going to find her Captain. She didn't have much she could do to guarantee their safe resting, but she wanted at least to be where she had to be to plan their next move.
Beatrix listens to the planning, but being familiar already with Unafe's capabilities and not being a loud or intrusive person, she keeps her thoughts to herself. She instead joins Sana as the ghostly woman starts to work on identifying their magical loot. She adds her efforts to where she sees the other woman seeming to struggle.
Not being prepared for this situation, Beatrix steps up closer to some more of her allies and casts her gaze around. Without knowing where Vang was or what would happen next, Beatrix justs reaches out to touch Unafe. The Sarkorian barbarian was their greatest warrior, and if anyone could wrench Vang from invisibility and this mortal coil at the same time, it would be her. She imbues Unafe with a bit of good energy.
Seeing that they were about to be in a battle for their lives, Beatrix decides now is the time for her most powerful spells. She calls out, "Iomedae, make me the instrument of your justice!" She grasps her holy symbol, raises her hand up high, and emits a flash of holy light. A moment later, her eyes burn with a righteous fury, feathery wings sprout from her back, and her skin takes on the pallon of polished bronze. She looks towards the area where the Archdruid's pillar of fire had appeared, ready for more. She couldn't see their assailants, but she could still help.
Before Beatrix has a chance to weigh in on the plans, Unafe notices a scrying sensor watching them. The Lieutenant definites wants to stay in Storasta, at least for now, and try to solve some of its problems. They did need to hunt down Vang, which seemed meant going to confront Carrock as well. But first, they had to stop him from watching them. She unleashes a prayer of dispel, hoping to disrupt his sensor.
Beatrix sidles away from the group of creatures attacking her and the others before she unleashes a wave of positive energy aimed at wiping the undead from existence. Her prepared spells today were focused on debilitating demons, and she found herself relatively unprepared for the situation at hand.
With the way behind her opened up by Myrna, Beatrix steps back and away from the three creatures that were attacking her. She unleashes a burst of light magic towards them, hoping to destroy the weakest among them and blind the others so that they had to stop goddamn stabbing her.
Clutching her breast in pain, Beatrix channels the power of her goddess to seal shut the gushing wound. Although she isn't fully-healed, the blooding stops, and some color returns to her cheeks.
Beatrix gasps from the pain of the new wound in her belly, but she maintains her composure... she wouldn't fall to a creature like this.
Surrounded by undead choirboys, Beatrix clutches her holy symbol of Iomedae, raises it up high into the air, and cries out, "Inheritor, send me the power to wipe these abominations from existence!" Then, with her holy symbol shining, she releases a wave of positive energy that fills the room, burning the flesh from the undead servants of the hags.
Beatrix's face falls and her lips and nose curl into a disgusted sneer when the illusion falls from her eyes. She doesn't hie her rage as the group prepares themselves to attack, praying to the Heavens for a fiery intervention. In answer to her prayer, a pillar of holy flame roars from the once-grand cathedral ceiling onto the hags who desecrated this holy place with their presence.
Beatrix is confused by the appearance of a saint here, but her heart quickens all the same. A cynic at heart, Beatrix truly does believe in the power of valor and courage, and in the story of the mortal who became a goddess through great acts. Without much direct experience to the more formal or real aspects to the faith, however, Beatrix looked forward to meeting one of Iomedae's greatest servants. "I don't think we should leave anyone alone here in this city," she says. "It would probably be best if we stayed together, even if this Lymirin might pose a threat to Rue. Who knows if we'll ever come back to this cave, or have the time at the appropriate interval to use sending to contact Rue."
Beatrix takes the dagger, hoping to successfully identify it later, after they had rested. She wraps it carefully in a cloth before sticking it in her backpack. She pulls out the items and reveals them to the rest of the group. "Some very nice things here. I guess the Riftwardens had a few treasures, and the ghouls laid claim and stuck 'em in this chest?" She stands and brushes off her robes, resisting the urge to touch her hair. "We should divide these things quickly and then get moving. It isn't very safe here." "If we have to cross the whole city, we should probably rest before going to this tower Pharasma is telling us about..." she adds, somewhat hesitant about the social implications of speaking positively about other gods. "But if divine guidance is here, we should take it somewhat seriously."
While the group discusses whether to push on or stay here, Beatrix looks over the items that Yui and Sana pull out of the chest. Her eyes glow with detect magic and she assesses each of them. She may not be an expert in magic, but she knew enough to identify some of the items, she hoped.
Then she casts read magic to read the two scrolls.
Ready with her selection of battle-magics, Beatrix waits at the back of the group. Knowing that she is the group's weakest member, but not wanting to be left behind (especially in this foul place) she pushes through the water in the rear.
Following the Archdruid's lead, Beatrix turns away from the swiftly-resolving battle and jogs back towards the vrocks that were descending in the back. She didn't prepare excellently for combat on this day, but she could help out, if she could get closer.
Her strength-increasing spell in place, Beatrix lets the holy energy flow through her once more as she charges into battle against the next babau. Myrna's instincts were right -- vrocks descending from above or not, the battle would be cleaner, and more people would be safer, if the threats on the ground were taken care of first. Beatrix's sword sings with a blaze of holy fire as she swings it through the next babau, the light returning from her sword to heal her own wounds from earlier.
Beatrix relaxes her holy fury for a moment, the light fading from her sword and disappearing from her form. Looking around the battlefield, and thinking about the spells she had prepared, Beatrix realizes she would need a little bit more holy fervor in order to perform and complete things on this battlefield. She mumbles a quick prayer to Iomedae, a simple request for favor, a small beseechment for a little extra luck. In a moment, the prayer is granted, and Beatrix is surrounded by the favor of her goddess.
Without many offensive spells to rely on today, Beatrix draws her sword and steps up to the plate against the schir that stands against them. Allowing Myrna's righteous fury to overtake her, she cloaks herself in an angelic shroud, raises her sword, and acts like the cleric of Iomedae she is, driving her blade through the unholy flesh of the schir in front of her.
Seeing the same signs, and with the same ability to affect the battle as her Captain, Beatrix follows along with her captain into the warming, transporting light of Amber. She reappears behind Sana, her holy symbol clutched in her hand and her eyes darting to and fro, looking for the next target of her holy spells.
Staying behind her Captain for now, Beatrix raises her silver sword of Iomedae and intones a familiar prayer. While it was unfortunate one of the Sarkorians lay within the area of the spell, it was more important to strike at the demons. If he were blinded, he could simply withdraw. Myrna and Beatrix were here now, the situation would be well in hand within a minute, she was sure of that. A burst of radiance appears amidst the battlefield, searing the demonic flesh of the nearby foes and threatening to rob them of their sight. Beatrix nods with satisfaction at the results of her spell.
Beatrix wheels about, surrounded by the chaotic melee. She repositions a bit, changing position so that allies are between her and the main crowd of demons. She sees the vrocks up on the parapets start to dance, and she knows that the defenders on the watchtower are the most in need of assistance -- especially with the arrival of the group down on the main battlefield. With a prayer to Iomedae, a gesture using her holy symbol, and a flash of golden light, Beatrix summons a holy smite that cloaks the watchtower, searing the profane flesh of the demons.
Beatrix comes into being with a short stagger, her hand reaching for her silver holy symbol in surprise as she beholds the chaotic battle before her. When last she was awake, they were standing in the Sanctum of Ivory. Now apparently they had made it to Sesker's Gully. It was just as bad as she had feared, but by Iomedae's blessings they would make it through.
After considering for a moment, Beatrix agrees to make the sacrifice on behalf of the team. "I would agree to be placed into stasis temporarily. We don't want to be caught out by the basilisks on our journey. I should like to be let out as soon as possible."
Listening to the conversation between Sana and Yui, Beatrix speaks up in reply. "I have one sending available to me, but it takes some time to cast. Are we going to Drezen or Nerosyan?" She regards Rue, a demon who had accompanied them, risked her life for them, fought alongside them. "We cannot teleport directly to Drezen and still bring Rue, and if we want her help or to thank her for what she's done it would be irresponsible to leave her here." "In either case I don't think it's responsible to teleport directly to anywhere that would cause concern. We should arrive at the outskirts, so Rue can come with and so no one regards us with alarm."
Beatrix tries to approach closer, to think about using some of her offensive spells, but she sees that Sana has jumped into the small closet itself to fight them, and that the rest of the group is still behind her in the room. In order to attack the thanadaemons, Beatrix would have to run past Sana and directly enter melee combat with the daemons, so instead she stays behind. It seemed that they couldn't really do anything to their group -- no one was as much as scratched -- but the battle stretched on anyway. Beatrix would worry as soon as something bad happened.
Now close enough to touch her allies, Beatrix steps in carefully -- with the thanadaemons still around the corner -- and lays a touch of good on Unafe, giving the Sarkorian berserker a brief holy blessing to enhance her strength and precision.
With no room to engage, and no spells crucial to cast right away, Beatrix runs into the room and stands beside the Archdruid. She faces towards the battle, and sees her three companions fighting some unseen foe, all of them furious in their action, focus, and determination.
When the battle begins and Sana and Unafe rush in, Beatrix jogs up behind them. Not wishing to get too close too quickly, she stays in the hallway at a good distance and weaves a spell. With one fell swoop, she hoped to dispel the elemental entirely and send it back to the Elemental Plane of Water. Praying to Iomedae for a swift end to conflict, she assails the creature with a powerful wave of abjuration magic.
Beatrix rises, praying to Iomedae for an hour while Yui scouts the rest of the Sanctum and Sana and Unafe pile thousands of pounds of loot. She is still wounded from the previous day's tribulations, but maybe a better time than immediately would come to use her healing powers -- maybe after some of her allies had been wounded as well. She gets caught up on the night's events from Myrna, and then gets dressed and ready. The cleanliness of her outfit left much to be desired, her coat still stinking of poison cloud and her boots still smeared with demonic ichor, but she does what can be done with an oilrag in a few minutes, and then she signals readiness.
Beatrix manages care for Ehren and Yui while her wounded teammates rest. She watches curiously as Unafe and Sana head out into the hallway to potentially harvest parts from their dead foes. When the subject of executing unconscious foes comes up, Beatrix shrugs noncommittally. "Any who wake and use their chance at life to attack us forfeit their life," she voices, "But I'm not an executioner, and I don't feel comfortable walking the hallways and stabbing every body to make sure that it's dead. However, I won't stop anyone who does, not now."
Beatrix laboriously pulls Myrna from her bag before setting up in the barracks. She takes over medical duties for their sick and injured, but advises that it would most likely be better to return to true safety before spending so much time on long-term care -- especially with daemons nearby. It seemed that the others were more concerned with securint treasure, so she bows to the will of the group wnd submits herself to caring for the sick and the injured.
While the others decide to search the Sanctum for enemies and opportunities, Beatrix decides to stay behind and look after the former prisoners. Though her magic was totally exhausted, she was still a skilled doctor. She needed rest, but first she looks over the civilians to make sure they're not wounded, and if they were, their wounds would stay uninfected.
While she works she listens to them, trying to get a good sense of their attitude, emotional state, and loyalties. She asks them about themselves, wondering where they were from and how they ended up here.
Level Up 10: +14 HP (8 class, 4 Con, 1 feat, 1 favored)
a 4th-level slot
Good domain -- Touch of Good now gives +5 bonus, Holy Lance now lasts 5 rounds. 10 skill ranks: +1 Appraise, Heal, K. (arcana, geography, nobility, planes, religion), Profession (soldier), Spellcraft, Sense Motive ABP: deflection (to AC) and resistance (to saves) increase by +1
While Rue drags Hinagiku and Yui from the gas cloud, Beatrix puts her arms under the Archdruid's armpits and hauls him into the next room over. Once there, she checks them over for injuries, rinsing erstwhile fatal wounds with a bit of clean water before binding them with bandages.
While Unafe and Sana search the complex for Vang and his other accomplices, Beatrix tries to get the Archdruid on his feet. She only had enough healing magic for one of them, and from the looks of it, the Archdruid was already the better-off of the pair. Plus, he was more valuable alive.
Seeing that the battle teetered on a knife's edge, with Rue and Sana standing together against a babau and a kalavakus while Unafe continued to duel with Vang, Veatrix casts her last major prayer -- suddenly, she is enveloped with searing holy energy, the white and yellow light radiating off of her like the corona of a sun. Her hands especially glow brightly, and she steps forward against the kalavakus, intending to send it, too, back to the Abyss from whence it came.
Beatrix takes a step away from the minotaur now threatening her and casts basically the only spell she has left -- a pure, plaintive cry to Iomedae to right the odds further in their favor, even just a bit. Perhaps, with a slight adjustment in their luck, they could pull through. Perhaps not. But Beatrix had little more stake in the game than to pray.
Narrowly dodging horned demons' attacks when she rushes into battle, Beatrix curses and steps back away from the closest one. With all her magic basically exhausted and Rue facing off alone against two of the horned demons, Beatrix reaches forward to imbue the demon with her Lady's holy blessing. "Don't waste this, demon!" she hisses, still distrustful. The woman was fighting alongside them, seemingly to the death, but there was really no telling with a succubus. At least this blessing couldn't hurt her allies even if she were to turn on them. In response to Beatrix's power, Rue's starknife glows with holy light, enhanced to cut even more sharply through demons' hides.
Seeing that the battle is dire and the heroes face many foes still, Beatrix unleashes one of her last powerful spells. She prays to Iomedae to send one of the horned demons directly to the Abyss. "Let these foul creatures go back to the pit from whence they came!" she cries.
Having not found anything down the hallway, and seeing that nothing disturbs the peace out there or threatens the prisoners they'd saved, Beatrix returns to the giant-corpse-strewn hallway. Cursing herself for her earlier cowardice, she climbs over the corpses and plunges into the cloud of smoke. She finds herself inured against it by Unafe's acclimatization, and soon sees that she's within eyeshot of her compatriots. Preparing herself, she readies her remaining prayers.
Stuck behind clouds of poison and with the battle nowhere in sight, Beatrix waits helplessly, unwilling to kill herself over the ability to enter the fight and contribute nothing. Instead, she moves back into the previous hallway. She avoids the cloud of gas to the south, and moves north, looking for the evidence they had come here to collect.
Beatrix chases after her compatriots, hearing fighting in the next room, but finds her path blocked by noxious clouds of poisonous gases. Since she's already suffering from the effects of poison, and she's not an infinite well of toughness nor possessing of useful spells for battle, Beatrix remains behind for the time being.
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