Hinagiku dashes ahead, easily outpacing both Ehren and Xanderghul, clearing over two hundred feet of distance and ending up within the fray in under ten seconds. Once there she doesn't stop to rest, gracefully dodging wayward blows from around her - here, within a mass of enemies, she was truly in her element.
Within the fray things were not looking good for the cultist and demon army - and they knew it. Now down to a quarter of their fighting force, morale was dropping rapidly. When the group of "reinforcements" arrives to cover their only method of escape, this escalates into a panic. Several tieflings simply run into the West Sellen to attempt to swim away, viewing that as their most viable means of escape.
From high above Umestil scowls as she surveys the situation down below. Several cultists begin to run recklessly through Xanderghul's illusionary soldiers - seems like they were not to be fooled yet again. From above, the brimorak commander snorts, exhaling thick black smoke as she does. She lets go of Valaria, takes a step back from her in midair, and vanishes into thin air.
The loss of their commander is the last straw, driving the panic into a full-scale rout. The crusaders begin to cheer, knowing that victory is here at last.
yells Ser Ilivan - the soldiers begin volleying shots against the retreating cultists and demons. After a few waves of arrows, only a few remain - the cavalry ride out to make short work of the stragglers.
Combat ends!
The crusader army cheers - "For Iomedae! For Queen Galfrey!" and the soldiers take a moment to unwind, embracing their men and women in arms for a battle well won. But there is no time to relax - there is much left to do after the battle is over, and the sun is already setting.
Ayavah reappears beside of Isilme, her skin pale, and noticeably sweaty.
Valaria curses as the brimorak flees. "That one is going to come back to haunt us. I just know it." She swoops down toward the ground, settling down next to the rest of her friends. "Everyone alright? It's kind of hard to keep track of the rest of the fight when you're up in the air."
As Ehren closes with the army, he looks up and sees Umestil and Valaria, tangled in a fighter's embrace. Just as he is about to cast a spell on the brimorak however, she steps back and vanishes. The druid's mouth thins, the implications of the enemy commander's escape not lost on him. Using what remains of his magically enhanced speed, he hurries into the battle, finding that only cleanup really remained.
Ehren sheaths his sword and turns his attention to the fallen and the wounded, anyone who the healers might not reach in time. He stabilizes those soldiers on the brink of death with some rudimentary first aid, taking out herbs and bandages as necessary. The loss of most of his healing magic hurt, but he was otherwise more than capable.
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"The battle is not yet over!" Ary calls into the din. "Our foes wield weapons of venom and disease. Any who were harmed by ghouls or schir, move to the east! The rest of you, help those less able to do the same, so that our healers can tend to the wounded!"
With that, Ary begins to follow her own advice, helping to move the worst of the wounded to more comfortable resting positions. "Regardless, a battle well fought!"
With the enemy routed, Anevia appears positively brimming with weapons - those left behind in the fight with the Vrick.
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Isilme breathes a sigh of relief as the fight ends. Her wounds were fairly bad, and she wasn't sure if she would have lasted long if those axemen had focused on her. "Lann, Wendaug, after you see to your wounded, could you round up some of those who are not aiding in triage or treating the wounded and begin laying out the enemy and stripping them of any useful gear?" she asks.
When Ayavah appears, Isilme turns to her, speaking quietly. "Tell me, Ayavah, had you ever seen a demon before today?" she asks honestly. "Many of them have no goal other than inflicting misery upon the world. You would do well to remember what you have seen today. Regardless of whether what we discussed earlier is true or not, this is what the crusaders have been dealing with for almost one hundred years."
She gives Ayavah a moment to think and respond before turning her attention to those in need. She begins heading over towards where Markus is tending the wounded along with the other clerics. "We should do what we can to help out, do you have any experience binding wounds?" As she walks up to Markus she gives him a hug. "We are here to help out, Markus. Give me a moment and I can cast a few heals with what magic I have left. Before we get started though, I had a couple things to ask: First, would you be willing to recharge my wand of haste? It is close to empty, and I remember you doing so on the way to Fort Ptolmaeus." She pulls out the wand from her belt, where she'd tucked it after the battle ended, and hands it over. "Second, I was wondering if you might be able to put some of the fallen to work as additional defense for the camps and the supply lines. As it stands, when we go into battle, we have little in the way of defense left. The wasps especially would make good scouts and could patrol the area around our camps."
Val retrieves her starknives from Anevia and slides her various weapons away. Now comes the part of the battle that she can't help with, at least not properly. The healing and recovery. She sighs softly, feeling rather useless with everyone running around and trying to patch up the wounded. "I'll just... help carry supplies I guess," she says. "Give me a hand Ayavah. We wouldn't want to disobey Commander Bishop's orders while we're trying to help."
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Xanderghul's soldiers dissipate into glitter as he runs out of the snowstorm into the middle of the battle, finding it over and his side victorious. He thrusts his arms up into the air. "Whoo!"
Soon after, though, he finds his elation melting away. What was he supposed to do next? Xanderghul had no skill at healing, no transmutation magic to help move heavy things and no real desire to drag bodies and strip schir of their gear. Such filthy work. To compound it all, he had almost run out of magic during their battles that day. So, he just kind of... stands there, beaming hollowly at soldiers as they pass him by, but offering up no sort of help unless asked directly to do so.
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Seconds. Hinagiku had spent seconds into the melee, not more. She was glad the battle was over, but she had wished she could have gotten there earlier. But there was no sense for regrets or remorse, next time, she would need to be faster.
Starting to breath normally again, Hinagiku makes her way across the battlefield, in search of wounded soldiers who seem as though they won't recover without the help of magical healing. On those, she prays, and uses her want to close the worst of their wounds until they can be treated by members of Markus's squad.
"Little fox! I'm glad you're alright," Irabeth calls, trudging slowly across the battlefield.
"Pffft, me? Obviiiiiiously. Takes more than bat demons and giant bugs to kill me, love." Anevia trots over to Irabeth to give her a quick embrace and a kiss before turning to Ary. "Alright. I'm gonna head out and help scout, look for stragglers and all that."
Aron nods. "Right. Let me help. I'm pretty light on my feet when I'm not lugging around twenty pounds of gear." Anevia slaps him on the back playfully and they head out into the snow.
At the same time, Irabeth, Sosiel, and Nurah head out separately to seek survivors to heal and rescue from the aftermath.
Lann nods. "I was about to suggest that we do what we can to scavenge gear and supplies from the field of battle."
Afterwards, Isilme approaches Ayavah. "No..." she almost mumbles, in response to her question. She paces around, stopping to push a dead body over to inspect it - it is of one of the cultists. A young man with long horns jutting out of his forehead.
"Nearly all of these cultists are tieflings, you know. I get what the you're saying about the Crusaders, dealing with this stuff, but maybe they're creating their own enemies."
Once given leave, Ayavah gratefully detaches from the awkward conversation with Isilme to return to Valaria's side, while Isilme approaches Markus. He nods, wordlessly reaching out to help recharge her wand. ( ) As she continues, he raises an eyebrow.
"If you're sure the soldiers here wouldn't mind having undead bees around, certainly. Though, once reanimated, they won't fly nearly as well as they did in life."
Valaria and Ayavah help with scavenging the corpses that litter the battlefield, while Ary and Hinagiku aid Markus with setting up the medic tents and gathering the wounded.
After the battle, Aron approaches Commander Ary and the group.
"Fort Ahari had a lot of food in their stores that we've added to our wagons. Almost 2 days worth of food! In addition, the weapons, gear, and tools we gathered are worthwhile. While this form of capital is not worthwhile immediately, we will need good, influence, magic, and of course gold, to help get Drezen up and running again once we take it."
"We've also found the following things of note..."
- A small-sized mithril chain shirt
- A golden circlet recovered from the body of Commander Darvan Bataari DC 20 spellcraft + detect magic:
- A broken masterwork longsword recovered from the body of Commander Darvan Bataari
- A masterwork set of full plate emblazoned with the holy symbol of Iomedae.
Afterwards, Ser Markus approaches Ary and the heroes.
"I regret to report we've had five deaths. Rewyn Lipsew, a cleric of Shelyn. Merey Young and Ames Byrne, of the Eagle's Watch. Wyny Murray, of the Order of the Flaming Lance. And... Marget Young of the Everbright Crusaders," he recites. "We'll hold services in the morning, if we have the time."
"In addition the severely wounded number around forty... those that are not ready to march in the morning. If we expend all of our healing resources today and tomorrow, we should be ready to leave a few hours after dawn, but that will leave us vulnerable for travel. What do you think?"
Isilme puts the wand away for use in situations like this in the future. "Thanks Markus! I hope you are finding your stint in charge of the medics agreeable. We are in good shape with you there, although it *is* odd not having you around while we are adventuring."
When she finishes up with Markus, she heads over to investigate the gear that has been found so far, taking note of the circlet that had belonged to Commander Bataari. She weaves a detect magic spell quickly, reaching up and touching her closed eyes as she finishes. When she opens them, she turns her glowing eyes upon the now obviously magical circlet.
"Interesting, this would appear to be a circlet of persuasion. I could put this to good use if no one else minds," she says, trying the circlet on for good measure.
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"I've been saying that for days now, but people are only half listening," Val sighs as they pick through the cultists' bodies. "They've hardened themselves so much over the decades that I wonder if a lot of them just don't care anymore. Still, we can't change the past. If they've chosen to work with the demons that are invading the Material Plane, they still need to be stopped. And they can't all have tragic backstories though. Maybe some of them joined the demons because they thought they'd win and have no hope in anything other than Deskari's victory. Or maybe some of them are simply interested in personal power. The world is a... difficult place. Sometimes bad people are simply bad people."
Once they're done working over the battlefield, they return to the rest of the group. "All yours," Val says as Isilme identifies the circlet. "I might ask to borrow it on occasion though."
Markus pauses, thinking over Isilme's words for a moment. "It is good to feel... needed. A novel feeling. And I am still around. I just think my talents are more useful here. Healing people is something I've been trained to do, and people seem to be much more grateful for it than some of my...other skills."
Ayavah shakes her head. "No, I disagree. I think anyone can change, if you give them a chance. These people just never got a chance."
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Val shrugs. "And that's fine. I believe that everyone can change too. But it doesn't mean anything if they don't want to change. Some people feel perfectly happy and satisfied bringing pain to other people. Most people don't, but there will always be broken people who enjoy other people's misery and pain. And I'm not going to stop in the middle of a battle to try to convince them to change their life choices. If they want to give us a chance to talk things out instead of fighting, great. I'll be happy to try to convince them to stop trying to take over the world. And the less death on both sides, the better. But if they're actively trying to kill me, I'm going to fight back."
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Xanderghul has an idea! He is immediately ashamed that he didn't think of it earlier, but the second he thinks of it he drops whatever he was doing (which, let's be honest, was probably nothing important) and heads around the army-camp to find a few different important people. While he walks, he digs around in his haversack for some tightly-rolled lengths of vellum paper.
When he finds each person he's looking for, he presents them with a scroll. "I made these awhile ago, just to have them on hand... and I just realized that it might be helpful to distribute them around. If given more scribing supplies, I can scribe more scrolls easily, but these are the ones I already have on hand," is his explanation for each person he finds.
Chevalier Irabeth smiles at Xanderghul, putting her scroll away in her pack. "Great, thank you."
"We'll have the time." Ary says in response to the question. "They gave their lives for us, we can give them a few moments. Bring me their crosses, please, I'd like to talk with their friends within the ranks as I deliver them to the best of my ability." she says, chewing her lip, eyes breaking from meeting Markus's eyes, before huffing. "I would like to do the same for the enemy, but I can't really force our men to do so. I'll do what I can."
"I'll speak with the troops tomorrow regarding the wasps. They'll be significant boons... but it's a topic that will be difficult to broach. I'll... try to come up with a speech. Did we find any survivors from the attack?" she goes quiet for a moment again, listening to the others talk about making their own enemies.
"I believe that the world is full of good people having bad days. Some have just had a lot more bad days than others. True evil is a rarity, lack of choice - or at the very least, a perceived lack of choice - far outnumbering those who actively choose to hurt others. Even those we know in our hearts to be good people, today, were hurting others." she says, with a note of calm that had been absent moments before.
Ary nods to Xanderghul, as she takes the scroll. "I'm certain it will come in handy in the coming days. Thank you." she then turns to Valaria, "I'm not going to have us press forward into the Wound tonight, though we may move into the fortifications... so now's as good a time to talk as any."
"After a fight like that, I would assume not," Val agrees. "Frankly, even marching late tomorrow morning may be a challenge. I hate to say it, but slowing down for a day to avoid another fight before we recover might be wisest. And it's not like we have the element of surprise anymore. That brimorak probably ran straight to her master when she teleported away." She sighs. "Would you like to talk here, or in private? Because I fear that I'm not going to control my temper very well."
Ayavah's brow furrows at Ary, but she doesn't respond, still thoroughly intimidated by the young knight of Iomedae. Fortunately she is spared of the need to talk further as Irabeth steers the conversation back to business.
"Yes, in fact. We've recovered a force of 25 paladins, from Captain Dann's group, that were taken prisoner by the enemy, apparently to serve as slaves and sacrifices." She smiles for a moment, then turns serious. "We also have taken a group of ten cultists prisoner who begged for mercy. We need guidance as to what you'd like to do with them."
Xanderghul sniggers. "We should have the first group execute the second group. Enemy combatants shouldn't get mercy, and it would be cathartic and satisfying for the captured Mendevians." he says, smiling bemusedly but apparently serious. "But seriously, what are we supposed to do? Feed and arm them again? Or maybe we're supposed to provide an escort to bring them back to a Mendevian prison...where they'll be summarily executed. Or...maybe just set them free?"
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Before Irabeth's arrival, Isilme makes one final point to Ayavah. "My companion and lover died at the hands of his own daughter, who was dominated by a cultist. I inhabit her body now, her own life taken while she attempted to save a child from a ritual sacrifice by cultists. Those cultists placed an Invidiak within the child, which I understand went on to use her to murder her own father before escaping." Isilme says to Ayavah with a dead serious look upon her face. "There comes a point where you no longer have the luxury of giving them a chance. Kenabres lies in ruin, and the entirety of Mendev would have fallen if we had not managed to uncover the demons' plans. I will not argue the point that many tieflings have been unfairly persecuted. As an azata, I believe strongly in free will, and would never claim someone to be irredeemable, but as Valaria says, that neither means that everyone can be or even wishes to be redeemed. Today, however, the choices we are making are existential, not merely philosophical. Keep that in mind."
Later on she thanks Xanderghul for the scrolls, making a note to clean out all the comprehend language scrolls she'd come to acquire to make room for more important scrolls.
When the group begins to discuss plans for marching on, Isilme interjects. "I have a few ideas I would like to discuss regarding our approach to Drezen. Also I believe we should consider what to do about Icerift in light of Umestil's escape with news of our army."
"I believe it might be possible for us to avoid approaching Drezen from the canyon. Doing so might also give us the luxury of hitting Icerift castle should we so choose, without losing time backtracking down to the canyon entrance."
"As far as the cultists go, we should interrogate them for certain, get what information we can out of them. We can decide what to do with them after that."
You need to succeed at a DC 18 spellcraft check to be aware of the burrow spell since it is not on the bard spell list.
Also, there are 2 BoHs in the group - a BoH I on Ary and a BoH II on Valaria. Which one are you placing the scrolls into?
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Don't you ":p" me, mister!
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"Even if we do not face them at Icerift, they might well pursue us," Ehren quietly muses as he listens in on the group's discussion. Clearly, their success in the battle had retempered his desire to strike out at the castle. Far from trivializing the deaths of their own, they had still gotten through with remarkably few deaths. "There are only so many places this force could have been marching to to begin with. In all likelihood, they know we are on our way to Drezen. By now, Vhane could know as well..."
He then frowns, looking to Isilme. "How do you plan on negotiating the terrain? My understanding is that we would have quite the climb ahead of us if we do not take the canyon."
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Not for lack of trying, Hinagiku completely failed to locate anybody who was on the brink of death. All she found was wounded people who would clearly recover. Afterward, while making her way toward Ary and the others, Hinagiku meets up with Xanderhul who hands her a scroll.
"Thanks you mr. Xanderghul. I will make good use of it... thought it is strangely written. I am used to prayers for the Master of masters more than arcane sigils... still, its really interesting." she says, unfurling the scroll and reading it over. "oh, I almost forgot: well done with the wasps." she adds with her usually even voice.
After listening for a while at the discussion, and ignoring Xanderghul's dark humor, Hinagiku joins in.
"Let us not make this one more bad day for them. We have a chance to help these people, we shouldn't let it go to waste." she adds before making a short pause. "Maybe... maybe we could have them follow us, have a few soldiers guard each of them. That would spare them punishment for now, and might allow them some time to redeem themselves."
"At the very least, they deserve a trial with a fair chance to speak. Or are summary executions considered acceptable in the crusades. It's hard to keep track. And since we've somehow managed to come out of this battle with more troops than when we started, I think we can afford to have a few watching the prisoners until we can insure fair treatment."
"They are likely to try to engage us, and they are certainly likely to send word to Drezen as well," she says in agreement with Ehren. "It would not be me, but you that would help us get the army to the top of the cliffs, Ehren." She grins at the druid, pausing to let suspense build for a moment. "I believe you have access to magic allowing you to burrow do you not? I was thinking we might be able to put it to use to construct a tunnel to ferry the army from the bottom of the cliffs to the plateau above. Doing so would give us the freedom to approach Drezen from whatever direction we desired as an additional benefit. We could even seal the tunnel entrances back up to hide it after we finish, leaving markers for our reinforcements so they can use it as well."
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Ehren strokes his chin as he considers the logistics of Isilme's plan. Fortunately, the spell the would do most of the work for him. It would be an arduous task all the same, both for him and the rest of the army.
"I would have to tunnel through a good deal of solid rock... The debris would also have to be ferried out somehow... I'd say it would take a whole day of work to get through. So not at all impossible. I don't imagine anyone would be up for marching after that, though. The very worst case scenario would be to have entire plateau fall onto us." He says the last with a very small, nervous smile.
Ary appears ready to say something, when Valaria's snark regarding how the Crusades work - for perhaps the thirtieth time in a week - causes her to close her mouth, her jaw setting. She stares at the woman for a moment, before slumping, a thin line crossing her face where her lips should be. "Right. I... can't deal with this right now. Any of this. Aron, will you come with me? I'd like to try something and I'm afraid I might wind up hurting myself if I don't have help." Ary says as she turns to walk away, towards a copse of trees.
If he can help, and it's feasible, she'll start wrecking trees to be dragged back to the battlefield for pyres.
Ayavah winces. "Look. Okay. People do evil things. And then they deserve what comes to them, especially if they do awful awful things like use demons to possess children's bodies. I'm just saying you can't generalize what they do to everyone else ever."
Irabeth raises an eyebrow at Valaria. "The purpose of a trial is to determine guilt," she says evenly. "These people are already guilty of being cultists, and not only cultists, but enemies who have slaughtered our brothers and sisters in arms at this river crossing today. I'm not sure what you'd expect to come from a trial. Here in Mendev, the military is the law. It's the only way we've been able to keep back the hordes for a century... the entire nation needs to be focused solely on the conflict."
The half-orc paladin frowns, crossing her arms. "Very well. We have some people standing guard over the prisoners now, if you'd like to speak with them, Isilme. We'll await your judgment in the morning, Ary."
Aron stands at attention when Ary calls for him. "Yes, of course, Commander."
Aron follows Ary out to the nearest tree. He shakes his head vigorously when she reaches for her polearm, gripping it by the handle. "Oh, no, we have axes for chopping firewood with the supplies. Please don't use that, you'll tire yourself out."
As he walks with Ary back to the supplies - the wagons had been moved from downstream to next the fort, he continues, "We can have the soldiers work on this for you. I'm sure you have more important matters to attend to than chopping wood, Commander, and besides, it'll be done much more quickly."
The sun has set, and the battlefield is now illuminated with the light of carried torches and enchanted blades. The snow has finally slowed to just a few flurries now and then, making it far easier to see the devastation wrecked on the fort. Several of the buildings were vandalized, with rude phrases scratched into the woodwork - the small chapel to Iomedae has been completely trashed - the altar coated with the blood and assorted body parts of deceased Crusaders.
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"You know they were fighting against us, but you have no way of knowing that they do so willingly unless they're questioned," Val points out. "The demons are known to take slaves. How do you know that these people are innocents captured and forced to fight for the demons at the risk of horrific torture or death? I'm not saying don't execute them. I'm saying make sure they deserve it before you do something that can't be taken back without a small mountain of diamonds. If we don't have time to give a full trial, at least find an inquisitor, a not racist one, that can discern lies and make sure they're properly questioned. That way, you know that you're actually doing justice, not just killing everyone who might be your enemy. If you're going to be a military dictatorship, at least try to live up to the virtues of your church so you don't turn out like Chelliax or Molthune."
"You know, is being a cultist seriously an actual crime in Mendev? Because unless you've managed to change the definition of cultist, every single religious group who worships a single object or figure is a cult. The church of Iomedae is technically a cult."
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Even Xanderghul raises his eyebrows at Valaria's latest outburst. "I would say that I'm surprised that you've passed that point where you're even more offensive than me... but I'm not. I don't care enough to be like this. Alright, Valaria. Here's the deal." He chops the air with his hand and gives her his 'serious eyes'. She knows the ones. She's seen them before. "We'd have to go real far to find an inquisitor, because their purpose isn't warmaking. Their purpose is protecting the church from traitors, mostly. So we didn't bring any. Sosiel might be able to discern lies, but that'd take resources that he could be using saving our soldiers. And without that magic, I guarantee you that every single enemy we ask will tell you that he was forced to fight and that he's innocent. Because we might let him off. Because you're here, trying to protect their rights."
"They don't deserve to die because they're cultists. If being a cultist was a crime, we would have arrested Ayavah. Being a cultist of a demon lord is way more than enough to earn suspicion, which is what Ayavah earned." He continues explaining, fingering his wayfinder as he does. "They deserve to die because they f+*$ed with us. And when you f+%& with somebody in the Abyss, you're either strong enough to kill them if they f~%! back, or that thing comes and kills you. They f~$@ed with us, and we look weak if we don't just f*~+ them right back."
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"I need to talk to each of the cultists we've captured... I figure I don't really have any choice in what I do, but I'll talk with them, anyway. We need to check the former prisoners for auras and diseases, same as everyone else. I've got to determine whether Ice Rift is worth the risk. I... don't think it is. But things will only get worse if we let Jorsal have downtime. I don't think we're equipped to deal with a small army of Brimorak at all." she says, shaking her head.
"What do you think of Isilme's idea to tunnel to Drezen instead of going down a canyon full of likely traps and death? Does it sound like a real possibility?"
"So we're marching into enemy territory, to one of the most important battles the crusades have fought in decades, and we didn't bring someone who's job it is to prevent us from being stabbed in the back at an opportune moment. Please tell me how this makes sense."
She just stares at Xan. "So justice is meaningless and it's all about revenge. Now I remember why I f*cking left you. You're a selfish, heartless son of a b*tch."
Xanderghul pouts and gasps, a hand going to his heart. He feigns death, staggering and then falling over onto his back. From the ground, he says, "It's not about revenge. It's about projecting and maintaining strength. If we don't do that, we all die. The demons win."
"And yes, I'm heartless and selfish... but what am I supposed to do? I don't even have a soul."
"Technically, being a cultist of a demon lord is a crime within Mendev. Ayavah is not in custody for three reasons, a) we value Val's word; b) she seems earnest if a bit naive, and not obviously evil; and c) Letting word get out that a demon cultist is operating within the army, regardless of the cult, would be bad for morale and would cause them to openly question Ary's leadership. Ser Ilivan's first reaction was to want to kill her where she stood, and that's from someone who actually knows and trusts Ary. Were all the captains to find out, and they surely would, they would push to have her executed immediately. If that was not done, the troops would likely find out and then we would be facing far worse issues. Desertion, perilous drop in morale, insubordination from soldiers and captains. Our mission would most likely be a failure if the troops lost faith in Ary, and we are already attempting a monumentally difficult task."
"As far as the remaining cultists go, I trust my sense for people well enough that with a bit of magic to back me up we can determine the truth of the matter. I highly doubt any of the cultists here were forced into combat, however, and we are not properly equipped to take large numbers of prisoners with us."
"This isn't about Ayavah. It's about deciding to execute ten people on the grounds that they're are enemies and death is the only answer before they've even said so much as a word! Am I the only person who's disturbed that this is normal for all of you?! I'm not saying they can't be executed, but for gods' f*cking sake, don't decide their deaths before you've even seen them!"
"Isilme is correct, it is not illegal to be a cultist - we have several orders composed of cultists to various Empyreal Lords for example... but it is illegal to worship, summon, or otherwise consort with demons within Mendev." Irabeth sighs. "This is war, Valaria. Guarding prisoners means extra mouths to feed, people that we need to invest resources in that could otherwise be used keeping us alive. But... if that's what the Commander says we're going to do, we'll do it. I just don't feel like it would go over well with the Captains to be putting their men that should be out on the field on guard duty."
The only evil-aligned faith that worships openly are those of Asmodeus, and that is restricted to small group of Hellknights that operate out of Nerosyan - tensions are high between their number and those of the church of Iomedae - but so far they have been willing to maintain transparency in their machinations in Mendev with the Crusades. They have been allowed to continue to function as their own small unit external to the Crusader effort.
However, worship of demons is strictly forbidden and is punished by death.
Irabeth frowns, putting the conversation together. "Wait. What? Ayavah is a cultist?" Her eyes dart from face to face.
Ayavah shrinks behind Valaria and hides her face in her hands. "Auuuuugh, you guys need to stop telling all the gods damned paladins."
Irabeth gives her a long and piercing stare. "Hm. You don't read as evil. Not a cleric, at the very least. Or maybe you're concealing your aura." She sighs. "I'm not going to ask why you didn't tell me because that much is obvious. I do want to know why the hell she is here, actively endangering our mission."
Aron enlists the help of his engineering corps with chopping wood. "Us morons ain't much use when there isn't something to blow up, anywho. At least we can help you learn how to chop a tree down without flattening yourself."
He listens to Ary sympathetically, his face illuminated by the flickering light of some lanterns they brought with them to help them work.
"Y'know, I don't envy your position at all. It sounds like you have a load on your plate. You know what Sosiel tells me to do when things are rough? Spend an hour or so in prayer. Who knows, maybe you'll get some guidance."
"The cultists are a rough one. You're like my sister, all soft-hearted. And y'know, I'm the last person to say a person can't be redeemed. I was a Condemned once, did you know that? I've come a long way since then. And it was only possible because someone gave me a chance."
"But the thing is, I don't know if this is the time or place for that. I dealt drugs and stole from people. Worshipping demons and killing innocent villagers is kind of a step up from that."
He pauses and thinks. "I think the stone will hold up to constructing a tunnel. But I think if you're going to do that, you should keep some of my engineers there to keep an eye on its structural integrity - no one knows more about digging around underground than dwarves, yeah? I'd mostly be worried about how vulnerable we'd be while working on it... and while traveling through it. Isilme did say single file right? Eesh. But I guess going through the canyon is similar, still stuck in a bottleneck, only with this tunnelling gambit we'd have the element of surprise. Which we seriously need with that brimorak commander off blabbing to who knows who."
"It's not up to me to decide their death. It's up to Ary. All I was doing was advocating the option that most encourages our success and survival." Xanderghul stands up, dusting off his robes. He sighs. "Do you want to go and meet them, Valaria?"
"Fine. You know what? I'm just going to stop trying. You can talk to a stone for hours, but you'll never make it move that way."
She sighs. "Sorry Ayavah. I'm... not in the best head space today. I'll be more careful in the future." She turns to Irabeth. "Yes, Ayavah is a cultist. No, you can't kill her. Yes, I will fight you if you try. No, she is not endangering our mission. She does not worship Deskari, Baphomet, or any demon lord who is actively warring against the crusades or the material plane. She does not have divine magic or any form of power related to demons. She does not summon demons or murder crusaders in their sleep. In fact, she still has an infernal contract her family put together with some devils to keep her safe, which is as far from demons as you can get without being a literal angel. She's not even evil in any way that a paladin is capable of detecting, or at all for that matter. She's here on what amounts to a religious pilgrimage, looking for a succubus who would be willing to talk rather than just try to eat our souls. I hope that satisfies any questions you might have. Now I'm going to question the prisoners so that at least my conscious is clear if Ary decides to have their heads lopped off." With that, she gestures for Ayavah to follow and goes to see the prisoners.
"Please take my word that she will not pose a problem, Irabeth. I believe her to be truthful and I am certain we will be able to keep an eye on her without any issues. She stayed close to me during the entire battle, and even when she became invisible she kept one hand on me to let me know she was there"
Ayavah nods fervently, clutching Valaria's upper arm tightly. "Yes, yes, scary paladin ma'am. I'm just here on a... fact-finding mission. I have no scary ulterior motives. Cross my heart and hope to die."
Irabeth groans. "It is only because I trust you that I'm going to let this go. I hope you understand the possible repercussions if this goes badly." As Isilme, Valaria, Ayavah, and Xanderghul leave to talk to the prisoners, she lingers and watches their backs for awhile before breaking off to get back to work.
Aron smirks. "Ohoho, so I have that roguely charm, is that what you're saying?" His smirk falters. "Yeah.. 'belle. I begged her not to. She refused to let me just go alone when I was conscripted. Literally followed me to Hell. Well, the Abyss, I guess. My lil sis can be crazy. But I think you know that by now."
"Should be all solid rock til you hit near the surface, yeah? I don't expect you'd need to shore it unless you want to attach a door to it. Might be worth adding some supports near the surface where the earth becomes soft. We could work on those while the other men dig."
Isilme, Valaria, Ayavah, and Xanderghul (along with any other interested PCs) approach the little guardhouse where the prisoners are being held. There is a jail in the cellar that the crusaders at Fort Ahari used to deal with miscreants or captured cultists. All ten cultists are crammed into a small cell - all ten are tieflings, eight men and two women. Noticing heroes come to talk to them, the cultists press themselves against the bars eagerly.
"'Ey! 'Ey! Crusaders!" calls a stout woman. Her body is covered in patches of coarse, dark fur, and she has two pairs of stubby horns growing from her head. "We'll talk! We'll talk! Just promise to let us live. Let us live and we'll do whatever you want."
Ary shakes her head. "I think prayer is about the best idea I've heard in days, though. Thank you. As for 'Belle, she's saved my life more times than I can count. I'm kind of glad she didn't listen."
"Easy," Val says as she approaches the cell. "I can't actually promise that you'll live. My only authority in the army is the fact that I know the commander personally. If you can give me a good reason to let you live, then I can promise that I will do everything in my power to insure that you're not killed. But for that, I need to know what you know and why you're working with demons who want to eat the material plane."
The cultists' faces fall when Valaria informs them that she can't guarantee their survival.
"No information if ya can't promise! We wanna make a deal!" says one of the tieflings, a man with scarlet red hair and eyes.
"Awww, shaddup, Arles. We need to take what they give us." snaps the furred woman. She tilts her head. "Well, didn'tcha see that big 'ol b!*$~, Umestil? Who'd wanna cross her? They made us obviously!"
"Yeah! We were born into this s&~@, y'know," agrees another. "Never given a chance from the start."
She listens to their replies to Valeria, attempting to judge whether they are lying. As they finish Isilme moves in alongside Val after she speaks to the prisoners and backs up her promise, making use of her own title to help gain their trust. "I am a Chevalier and like my companion here am also friends with the commander. If you are honest and open about what you know and why you were serving the demons, we will do what we can. You have my word as well."
She pauses for a second and then continues. "Fair warning, as a celestial I have an innate sense for truth." she points to her golden eyes for a moment, making her nature clear to the tieflings. "I would recommend against attempting to lie your way out of this situation. It would be very hard to justify to the rest of the crusaders saving the life of someone I know is lying."
They're pretty obviously lying, and are just desperate to feed your group whatever information they can to keep themselves alive.