Having recovered from the debacle that was the final fight with Krune, Sheila Heidmarch asked me to lead an expedition into the Darklands to face down a Drow noble. My team consisted of Friar Barney, an alchemist named Shulky, a druid named Resolution, and Saga.
We went through a portal into the Darklands, and navigated our way through a series of traps and summoned creatures, as well as a number of driders, which, frankly, give me the creeps. With myself dealing with traps and Astrid able to look through walls, we were able to avoid two fights, go in, deal with the Drow noble, and return relatively easily.
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We were woken by Aram Zay's pages at stupid-o'clock in the morning, and taken to deliver a letter to the Elven kingdom of Kyonin, via the Hao Jin Tapestry. The team was Hoss, Lark, myself, Do, and Adelaide, who I'd last seen dealing with the cult of Lissala, along with two newcomers, a Paladin of Iomedae named Lucius, and a cleric, or spellcaster? named Aurelie. Hoss shoved his foot into his mouth, which I suppose, is better than him trying to shove his pecker into Aurelie.
Lark, of course, was catty and vengeful. How she still remains in the service of Shelyn, I have no idea. I'm surprised she hasn't been handed to Callistria, she embodies their ideals of pettiness and jealousy so well. Lark has also been trying to talk Hoss into retiring from active missions in the Society; I could care less if she retired - her vapidity is exceeded only by her vanity. I'd miss the adrenaline rush with Hoss, even if he has a terminal case of foot-in-mouth disease.
And to be honest, I'd miss the attention. It's nice having someone who'll flirt with me, rather than be put off by my appearance. The dating pool for holy warriors of Pharasma is...slim. When you're a single mother with a child who regards solid walls as an abstract concept, it's even worse...
Aram Zey got us through the portal...a solid ten feet over the ground. Lark splashed into the muck up to her ass...while Hoss, free of her ever watchful green eye, ran towards the elven welcoming party.
A comedy of protocols erupted as Hoss attempted to be diplomatic without stepping in his own feces. Lark helped. Eventually we showed the sealed envelope, and were directed to General Tenasi.
A few hours of travel, we presented the message. It is here.
Most Honorable General Tenasi, As you may have been informed, soon after making your acquaintance at the Midsummer Masquerade, I enjoyed the privilege of performing a service to the Viridian Crown. Her Majesty’s generous tokens of appreciation included her counselors’ intimation that you might aid me in an urgent endeavor. When the demon horde breached the wardstones surrounding the Worldwound, the nations of the Inner Sea region responded with unprecedented unity. Both the Kyonin rangers and the Pathfinder Society have provided support to the latest Mendevian Crusade in an effort to halt the invasion and to repair the breach. The Worldwound horde is not, however, the only emerging concern. A long-lost dwarven Sky Citadel has recently reappeared. Within its ancient chambers lie millennia of previously unobtainable history. While the Pathfinder Society has already devised plans for a campaign to explore the Sky Citadel, the citadel remains within the region of the Worldwound. No warriors in Avistan can boast the experience of your rangers, who have fought with such valor against the demonic forces of the Witchbole. If you can spare but a score of these peerless fiend-slayers, your assistance would be long remembered not only by the Society but by one to whom Queen Telandia has favored with her gratitude. Hopeful of your assistance, I present the bearers of this message as capable Pathfinders and beseech you to aid their
General Tenasi says that there was an incursion, simultaneous with the breakdown of the Wardstones at the Worldwound, in Kyonin. He was willing to send give score Uprooters, a band of rangers...who were missing in action. Rangers. Lost. Possibly dead. He said that if we recovered them, he'd send them to the Worldwound.
We might well be facing demons, leeches, demons - anything that the Abyssal taint might have corrupted in Kyonin in the tanglebriar.
We agreed to rescue the rangers for the Society. Lucius got introduced to Astrid, and lots of personal details were glossed over, including my time spent in the Plane of Shadows, and Astrid's paternity. I do not think Lucius approved. Lark went to being catty again.
We prepared ourselves for a possible risk - I used a charge of Blur on Astrid.
Stepping through the portal, we were in a twisted wood and encountered a giant centipede. Do looked at it and said it carried the armor of the Abyss. He attempted to harm it with acid arrow, and it charged us. We got trampled, which dropped Aurelie. I stepped out and channeled energy, while Astrid tickled it. Lucius healed himself and channeled to assist the rest of us, Lark stepped out of the thing's reach and channeled energy. Hoss stepped away and shot it a few times.
Adelaide's lyrakeen flew up into the air while Adelaide activated her magics, and used a spell to zoom by the centipede, attacking it. The barrage of healing got Aurelie back up - she quickly moved away from the thing.
Adelaide attempted to talk to the elves standing watch. I don't know what they said, but they shot at me. Three of them hit me.
Astrid kept tickling it, and we kept doing damage to it - Hoss burned a charge of Mirror Image from a wand. With Astrid distracting it, I felled it by striking its hearts out of its body. Hoss was bloody from lots of damage - I kissed him to give him Pharasma's blessing. Making eye contact with Lark the entire time. Lark's armor practically turned to emeralds in her jealousy.
I asked him if he really wanted to give this up. There is nothing quite like dispensing justice to the spawn of the abyss.
After the fight, we talked to the Elves. Hoss attempted to persuade them that the right thing to do was to join us in rescuing their kin. I joined in, though it was clear that this place was harming them - they had the beginnings of horns. Hoss got to being insulting, and I intervened before he made a bad situation worse. The elves were survivors of the Uprooters unit. Their leader gave us a map of their patrol routes, and escorted us as far as she could before her tongue split like a snakes and her skin grew scales. She signed that she needed to take her troops back for treatment.
We continued on through a dangerous place, and encountered a Vrock sitting on a rock...obviously a sentry.
Do dimension doored with the non-stealthy members of the party, while Hoss, Adelaide and I snuck by it more conventionally.
Adelaide interacted with a fox in ways I wasn't certain of - I was too busy keeping us quiet as we moved through the brush. Cecelia guided us as far as she could...and then the taint of the place got to her, she had to return to her troops.
Do raised the point that the people we're saving might have already been turned to demons by the outbreak in the Tanglebriar. Moving for three hours past the Vrock guard, we saw two babau tormenting a gnome. Hoss and I looked on for a moment, and noticed that insects had crawled up the gnome's nose...and it wasn't always remembering to breathe. It struck both of us as odd.
When they noticed us, I charged Hoss's ammo with Bless weapon, and then used the second charge on my pick.
Hoss moved behind cover, Do used a spell to knock the babau like ninepins, and the thing impersonating a gnome dropped its disguise as Lucius charged in.
Lucius was grappled and...bluntly...raped by 8 tentacles. He was bleeding from every oriface. I sent Astrid ahead to smash a healing potion into his wounds while I advanced and cast Shield from a wand. Do knocked him away with a spell, but he dragged Lucius with him and tried to...impregnate him...with a tentacle down his throat.
Hoss snuck into range, after Lucius fought with it. Astrid weakened it, and I closed - Hoss did some fascinating trick shooting and obliterated the thing holding Lucius, while Aurelie blew the hell out of the two babau with a spell; when I turned to face them they fled - we ran them down with Astrid's assistance and felled them.
Later on, we encountered one of the remaining guardians, a satyr, who had been seeing through the eyes of the fox that had spotted us clearing past the Vrock. We traded pleasantries, and the satyr told us of Firuze and gave us valuable time to recuperate - and directions to Firuze's turf.
As we approached, I cast two charges of Blur, one on Astrid and one on myself. I used two charges of Bless Weapon, one on me, one on Hoss, and since I saw the swamp demon in the muck - charged in after Do cast Haste.
Lark charged in ahead to cover Hoss as he moved into his short ranges with the pistols...and I moved in to cover her, since she turned her back on the swamp demon Firuze. Aurelie cast Summon Monster and Lucius charged towards six men suspended in cocoons, splashing into the water and getting covered in leeches.
I sent Astrid into the water to help recover Lucius, and moved in to cover Lark. Hoss shot Firuze and his bullet plowed through his flesh. Do let fly with a battering blase of force, and Firuze attacked Lark from stealth and pulled her, puking, face first into the muck.
I knew that losing Lark would turn Hoss into a butter husk of a man, and given how Lark's behavior had turned...being slain in this outcropping of the Abyss would've made bartering for her soul in the Boneyard challenging. I sent Astrid behind Feruze to distract him and called upon Pharasma's blessings. I stepped over Lark's fallen glaive as she screamed under the water, her mouth filling with ooze and worse...and shouted "Lark!" I brought my pick down into the vile creature's skull, pulled the head of my pick from where kidneys would be on a man, and then swung a second time to be sure, shoving his corpse back towards Astrid. I then took my hand off of my pick and grabbed Lark from the muck and pulled her free before she choked on her own vomit or worse, got leeches in her lungs.
Even when her life was spared, she throw my hand off of her and glowered at me in jealousy. Aurelie had her second summon out, a dire bad, and had the Agathion direct it to fetch the men in cocoons.
One of the elves had become a slavering beast; fortunately the Abyssal lords are nowhere near as subtle as those of Hell and he tried to attack one of his comrades - we dispatched him quickly, and without much incident, escorted the rest out of the Tanglebriar. The lead elf we rescued was...upset...that a bunch of (her words) tomb raiders were used to recover her...and rather than have her kill General Tenasi out of spite, I handed her one of my prepared instances of Sepia Snake Sigil. I made her swear that no permanent harm would come from her...displeasure, and she invited us to stay and enjoy their hospitality for the night before sending us on, to verify.
We saw, next morning, General Tenasi standing watch in stasis dressed in only her smallclothes.
And Lark was positively flaunting an engagement ring...which Hoss had gimcracked together with one of his bullets.
Dear Lady of Bones, I know that You test me to make me stronger, that whenever I find a burden that is too much to bear, You always have a bigger purpose in mind. Sometimes, though...sometimes it hurts. A lot.
I will be at that wedding, though I'm not sure if it's to wish the happy couple some semblance of monogamy (With Hoss? Hardly!) or because I'm still enjoying that taste of pain and mortification I suffered in Nidal, or because I simply can't let go.