Foreword:
The following campaign journal is written from the perspective of my character, Laurel Dalton, during our Wrath of the Righteous adventure.
Our group has made it into book 3 at the time of starting this, having completed two of the personal trials. This means I should have a good amount of content to work with for a while. I've had a lot of fun exploring this particular character, so I decided to share his own experiences along the way.
House rules:
Players may use one of the following ability score arrays for character generation: 16/14/13/13/11/8, 17/13/13/12/10/8, or 15/15/14/12/10/9
The rules for retraining, background skills, and Fractional BAB/Saves are in use
When taking the archmage path, you may choose for all benefits to apply to psychic spells instead of arcane spells.
Familiars and Animal Companions also benefit from the additional feats and ability score bonuses from each mythic tier their master gains. They must have the mythic companion feat to be able to acquire mythic feats.
The party:
The following four characters are the PCs of the adventure. I'll let you folks discover companions and cohorts as we go:
Laurel Dalton - LN Half-Elf Spell Sage Wizard (nb: Me!)
Jacinth Adalrich - LG Aasimar Chosen One Paladin of Iomedae (nb: Two-weapon fighter)
Lily Whitemane - CG Aasimar Bard, worships Arshea (nb: Originally to be a sorcerer, but shortly retrained out of it)
Uriel Ordranti - N Dhampir Vigilante (nb: Vital Striker, dex-based, dipped bloodrager)
Prologue:
A brief prelude recording Laurel's introduction to the campaign.
Arodus 01, 4713 AR
I received a letter from Oswin, my old tutor, informing me that my siblings and parents had not returned from their most recent expedition, and that he was having difficulty reaching them. So it falls to me, the runt of the family, to try and find them and restore House Dalton. A fine joke, if you ask me, but duty is duty. I'd be a failure as a Dalton if I did not turn to find them. I've elected to purchase this journal - it shall tell the tale of whatever damned victory or ill-fated end becomes of me.
I have packed my things and arranged for transport home; I shan't complain about ending my business here in Cheliax, the laws unsettle me. Instead, I now have to worry about how in the world a feeble whelp like me is supposed to retrieve some of the greatest men in Mendev from the clutches of the abyss. I'm going to die, aren't I?
Arodus 07, 4713 AR
I've been reading a great deal about our foes and the past crusades on the journey home. How are we supposed to compete with the likes of demons? On reflection, it's no surprise that I was dismissed by father and sent to do something else. Yes, upon reflection, I can't pretend that they're not dead - or worse.
Arodus 15, 4713 AR
I should be arriving in Kenabres tomorrow, just in time for the Armasse festival. Perhaps I can make use of the festivity to find people that can help - and I could probably use the cheer, at that.
1 - The Caverns Under Kenabres:
Disaster struck. The festival was interrupted by a demonic invasion - I had read about some of the past crusades, but words fail to capture the chaos and violence I witnessed today. It was as if the very earth itself rose up and swallowed us. Though, upon reflection, I suspect that was the better of possible fates that could have befallen me.
I write this entry from a shrine to Torag, buried deep under Kenabres. During the attack, I was rescued by the city's protector, a silver dragon. The creature's rescue seemed like a mistake, however, as it allowed the Balor Lord leading the attack to slay it. Kenabres is without its wardstone, and without its protector. A city fallen, a family dead... I can see where this war is going. Is there much hope for Golarion?
I was not the only one the dragon rescued. At the bottom of the cave, there were several others that were rescued - mostly nobility, it seemed. Thankfully, everyone has been able to move and contribute to us getting out of here. Of note, there was a blinded riftwarden - an elf named Aravashnial, and a particularly... honest and wealthy trader - Horgus - who has kindly offered me twice the reward he offers the others if we see him to the end. With nothing to lose and some respite in sight, I can at least hope to make it out of these caverns.
The caverns themselves are disgusting, with large, grotesque insects aplenty. The youngest of our survivors, Jacinth, seems good with a blade, as does one of the noblemen, Uriel. Those two had no trouble cutting through the beasts, until we encountered a giant fly. It baffles me how much of a threat that thing posed, but eventually one of the crippled members of the group - a thief named Anevia - took up a bow and shot the thing down. We soon after found our way into the shrine I reside in now, though not without a little squabbling. A performer, Lillian, and I managed to talk some sense into Horgus and Anevia. No surprise that the merchant and thief are at odds, but surely they are not so idiotic to leave the safety of the group in this hell.
The shrine itself was in appalling condition. Not only the dust, but a withered husk of a dwarf sat in the middle of the shrine. We dithered quite a bit, unsure what to do about it; we needed to rest, and no-one was going to sleep with that thing in the room. My impatience got the better of me, and I decided to lift one of the Dwarf's belongings, hoping to rest it on the altar and pray for it. Naturally, the damned thing was cursed, and lunged at me - it was a huecuva! A heretical priest cursed with undeath. The creature's blows tore into my silks, and wounded me gravely. Never without a contingency, however, I withdrew my prepared needle, and began to incant a spell. Uriel's blade failed to wound the creature, but Lillian managed to wound it with a ray of fire. My spell completed afterwards, and I conjured three needle-like force missiles at the thing, felling it. I would have loved to have seen my comrades' expressions after that surprise, but unfortunately, due to the excitement and loss of blood, I passed out. After all, despite my tricks, I am still not a fighter.
I was roused by Lillian, who seemed to have administered a potion. The group had decided to restore the shrine and devote it to Iomedae. I had mixed thoughts about that, but I would welcome the Inheritor's blessing in these times. Besides, it would be easier to sleep if the shrine were properly cleaned.
This morning, I was a little more prepared. Loathe as I am to dabble in such magic, I had prepared a curative spell I picked up in Cheliax, but the components are... ill-befitting the descendant of a crusader lineage. I was lucky enough to get by without needing it.
Moods were better after rest. Anevia shared her story with us as we travelled, explaining that she was no thief, and her wife a member of the city's guard, watching for any cultists that would infiltrate the crusade. The youngest one, Jacinth, seems to be kept in order by her pet hawk. She is clueless and innocent, and I am suspecting that her parents forged a familiar bond between them. Not magic that she seems to understand, however.
A few well-placed compliments from Lillian and I, and we had the old riftwarden explaining the caverns' history to us. He explained to us the warped descendants of the first crusaders - distant cousins who fled into hiding due to their tainted bodies.
The talk was cut short when we were attacked by strange bat-like creatures - more dangerous than the insects. Lillian stunned one of them with a colour spray, and Uriel finished it. The riftwarden conjured an eagle, which joined Jacinth's hawk, Aster, in distracting the other. The beast shrugged off Lilians fire and my acid, but eventually it fell to another well-timed strike by Uriel.
Uriel is an interesting fellow. He insists that his blade is cleaned after each battle, and exhibits a longing for arts and finery much like Horgus does. Horgus himself seems to have kept more quiet today, as it seems the others do not respect his difficulty adjusting as I do. Regardless, they are all acknowledging each other and working as a unit. A small relief, but I wonder how long it will last once we return to the surface.
The cave creatures were not the only things to attack us. We ran into a lunatic dwarf. The fool shot magic missiles at Jacinth, knocking her out, and it certainly did a good job of riling up our friends. Uriel cast an enchantment, to my surprise, forcing the man to the ground. A crossfire of magic ensued, but the color sprays from each side failed to down anyone. Eventually, our combined efforts took him down, but not before he shouted abyssal threats at us.
Nothing on the dwarf indicated much of why he had a demonic allegiance, but I at least get to keep his spell book. That's a valuable pickup. The caverns that followed were man-made, and it was certainly a good show of respite for a man of my constitution. The true relief was what followed, however.
We stumbled across a watchtower belonging to the first crusaders' descendants, which had crumpled from the earth-rending demon attack. Our party, comprised of girls and dandies, was ill-suited to moving rubble. Instead, we pleaded with the riftwarden to lift the rubble with a spell.
It's embarrassing to have to rely on a blind old man to do your heavy lifting, even if he is a wizard. I also realize that because the fellow is blinded, he might not ever be able to prepare another day's spells, again. He has my deepest sympathy.
The riftwarden proceeded to exhibit all the emotional concern and sensitivity of your typical elf, asking if these descendents were twisted, misshapen mongrels right in front of them. Despite the misstep and Horgus's quiet protest, they agreed to take us in and lead us to their home.
That journey, at least, was uneventful. There was a chasm that was easily handled between Anevia's rope and the latent magic from a token dragonscale Jacinth's hawk had found where we originally fell. We also came across the corpses of the cult of Baphomet, who were disguised as crusaders - just as Anevia had implied. After making sure to take what was useful from the corpses, we eventually found ourselves at Neathholm, home of the mongrel descendants of the first crusade.
Some of the group were happy to find a place to rest and strayed no further. The rest of us sought out the chief, and thankfully managed to earn his favour. The poor youngster, Jacinth, was frightened by the people, but I approve of her decision to follow in spite of that.
2 - Mongrels and Traitors
Sleeping in a real bed has done my strength some good. So, before I continue, I'd like to reflect on our time in Neathholm, the mongrel settlement. Lann, one of the first mongrel folk we encountered yesterday, showed us around their fungus-lit settlement, and introduced us to a healer. Despite their mutant bodies, the people here seem normal enough, just carrying a healthy level degree of caution. And they're not nearly as disgusting as Jacinth makes them out to be. The chief in particular, "Sull", with his ratlike visage, looks to me like a kind old uncle who lost a fight with a razor and carries a few natural deformities. You can find worse looking folk on the street.
Discussion with others made it very clear that we would need their aid if we're going to stand a chance at doing anything about the demons in Kenabres. So, negotiations were going to be necessary - finally, something I'm good at.
Keeping this in mind made my business here simpler. While managing trade, I discovered that one of the tokens we found belonged to the chief's family. Unfortunate, though, for its owner was surely dead. ...as surely as my own missing family. No, the value of peace of mind is not lost on me here. He lent us his prized morningstar in gratitude for its recovery. A boorish weapon, but magical.
The gift came with advice, and a request. They would lead us to a way to the surface, but it passed an encampment of templars, and mongrelfolk that had joined them. Uriel and the girls suggested we try to convince them to renounce the demons. The chief and I were less certain of the idea, but I would not mind putting my silver tongue to good use.
-
The next day, we began our attack. Two mongrelmen guarded the entrance.
Jacinth leaped straight out of the darkness and at their barricade, surprising them, and Uriel capitalised on this surprise to get behind them. They reacted well, though, shrugging off a spell from Lillian, and striking back at Uriel soundly. I eventually steeled myself, and tripped one up with a slick of grease. Fighting bugs and monsters is one thing, but these were still people.
The fight continued with a mess of missed strikes, the enclosed space and barricades making it hard to land a hit on anyone. Our side eventually prevails, but they refuse to surrender, knowing what they did had damned them in their peoples' eyes.
Before we could finish them, more came from the building they were guarding. Anevia finished one of the guards, but the other dealt a heavy bow to Uriel, who was having trouble standing. I convinced him to retreat, covering his escape by filling the tight space with a cone of flame. It wasn't enough to down them, however, and these new reinforcements fought well.
Lillian rallied the group, and Jacinth opted to hold the front as Anevia and I suppressed them with our ranged weapons. Focused fire took down one foe, a colour spray from Lillian another, and the third fell shortly after. After assessing our wounds, and that we had just begun. we concluded that we were in no state to take prisoners, and finished them off. Then, Anevia called a pause to lick our wounds.
It was here that Uriel pulled me aside, and explained that he couldn't accept the potions being offered. Some sort of blood curse prevented their magic from helping. ...I know some blood that might, but I do not wish to call upon such profane magic alongside these innocents. For the time being, I cast an abjuration I'd scribed last night on him, and we returned to the group.
Lillian was playing romantic music on her violin as Uriel and I returned. Not fitting the mood of the moment if you ask me, but each to their own. They were waiting for my direction on where to head next. Somewhere along this journey, they'd decided I was in charge, and I hadn't realised.
I explained the situation with Uriel to them, and reassured I'd find a way to heal his wounds tonight. But first, we needed to push a little further into this stronghold. So, Jacinth pushed into the next room, and was promptly attacked by two lurking templars. The fool girl chased them further inside.
Lillian did not pursue, but instead started to play again - a chase piece, much better suiting the mood. The music was in vain, however, as the cultists had lured Jacinth into a corner and felled her. The other turned to us, only to be blasted to the ground by Lillian's colour spray. In a fit of fury, Uriel charged into the room, and at the cultists, my spell deflecting their scythe. A lucky bolt from my crossbow staggered Uriel's foe, and things started to look more promising.
What surprised me was that Jacinth's pet took the chance to fly in, and seemed to bring her to her feet. It truly never does cease to keep her out of trouble. The magic was in vain, however, as the remaining cultist simply brought her down again with another slash. Lillian was not pleased, and with a curse, downed Jacinth's attacker with a blast of flame. Uriel finished the other that was stunned by Lillian's spell, and it was over.
Much to our relief, Jacinth was not dead, and after several lectures, we hauled her and Uriel back to Neathholm. Uriel and Lillian had found a beautiful lake in this underground village, and so we decided it was here we could rest and actually come to properly come to know each other.
Lillian, while I had originally thought her as a dancing girl or entertainer performing for Armasse, turns out to have quite an educated, refined background. Aside from the magic that she had shown us, she's proven to have quite the expertise in poetry, and a dignified bearing in spite of her less than modest attire. She and Jacinth ought to consider the appropriateness of discussing a beautiful view in front of a blind man, however. Aravashnial was not as impressed as I was by their words.
Jacinth has proven to be bogglingly sheltered and naive. I enchanted a random pebble to make it shine, as a little prank - she was ever so proud to have found that 'lucky rock' lying about. It's sweet, nonetheless, and a nice break from the world ending around us.
Uriel, meanwhile, shared stories of his home in Ustalav, and an unfortunate vampiric parentage. Aravashnial was happy to chime in with his knowledge of dhampir, in his usual thoughtless, yet enlightening manner. Horgus did not enjoy this story, however, and it's going to make sleeping arrangements tonight very awkward between the three of us.
Arodus 19
The local Seer managed to heal Uriel's wounds. After a faux pas last night, we managed to convince him to help us with the problem. Afterwards, it was back to the templars' hideout, which did not seem reinforced.
The first room we tested had an archer, lurking in wait. She was not able to resist a colour spray from Lillian, however, so we decided to take her as a captive. We bound her, roused her, and then began to talk.
Anevia and I were the only Mendevian natives, so I took the lead in questioning her. Unsurprisingly, her clan had joined the demons out of coercion, and because their old leader was slain. I offered her a second chance, and the protection of chief Sull. Desperate as she was, she took the offered honey and renounced the cult. She even pointed us to their leader's room, and advised us that the others were too deep in. Too easy. Jacinth was impressed by my negotiations, but I think that my silver tongue is putting points against me in Anevia's eyes. ...a shame.
We took the woman's advice, and jumped down a trapdoor, ambushing two more mongrel guards. We felled one of them quickly, but the other sounded the alarm, and another arrived from the chamber behind them. A cultist and tiefling emerged, the cultist conjuring a spiritual glaive at Jacinth. A crossfire of bolts and arrows rained both ways across the hall, keeping everyone behind cover - but the cultist continued to conjure more glaives. We needed to stop her.
Lillian had been spending her time casing a sleep spell, however, which swiftly took the tiefling and a mongrel out of the fight. ...but the cultist, who turned out to be leading them, conjured a third glaive. Jacinth was overwhelmed, and fell, and now Lillian was under attack. What was I doing in this battle? Stubbing my toes on sharp rocks. Fantastic.
Uriel's blood got the better of him, as he ran through the cultist in a fit of excitement afterwards. All of them were down, but the magical glaives still persisted briefly, striking down Lillian. I roused Jacinth with a potion, taking the brunt of the attacks from one of them, and they eventually faded. We'd won.
Anevia and I limped across the halls, ensuring everyone was on their feet. Jacinth had run off, and started rooting through the cultist's belongings. We still needed to finish the unconscious templars, however - Uriel protested doing it himself, out of fear of his blood's thirst, and well, Lillian is too innocent for such actions. So it was down to me, the whelp, to bring the scythe upon them. I have had no shortage of dirty work to do since we fell in these caves.
The woman's body contained some crucial information about the cult's activity in Mendev. But before I could process its contents, I looked up to find Jacinth holding a beautiful sword, radiating a golden light. We have since confirmed that this sword is Radiance, the blessed blade of a historic crusader, Yaniel.
...you know, we'd jokingly called that rock I'd hidden for Jacinth a blessed stone and sign of good luck, but she's certainly going to believe it now. The blade only did that in her hands. I am beginning to wonder if she's the child of some prophecy or something, especially given how that bird watches over her.
In spite of the excitement, recklessness did not get the best of us, and we returned to Neathholm to bring the good news. Despite very evident tension, the Chief accepted the woman we brought into his ranks - it seems that they, too, are desperate for more fighters. Jacinth, in all her obliviousness, tried to share her book of prayers with their new recruit, but even after two days she has failed to understand that the people here do not speak common.
Having completed our bargain, and been seen to by the town seer, I now prepare for tomorrow. We shall finally see the surface - and while I cannot wait, I truly dread to see how things are in Kenabres. It won't be a fun game of diplomat with cave folk up there. Oh, it certainly will not.
The real fights began once we entered the Templar's stronghold. When no party member has any strength bonus to damage, and reinforcements can hear the combat and join in, low level combat gets a lot more exciting.
3 - Return to Kenabres
While I can confirm that we did make it to the surface, and that we did also find survivors, that is about as far as the good news goes. Quite truthfully, I would rather join the cave dwellers beneath the surface right now, but it would only prolong the inevitable.
We ventured out of Neathholm together - joking idly about how Horgus's manor would be swamped with refugees and squatters. Grim and tasteless in times of peace, but when it is a reality we all know we are facing, it is strangely appropriate.
The templars' hideout did not seem any reinforced - our first encounter was instead with a bunch of rats. Obstinate as they were, a demonstration of steel and the templars' scrolls of Cause Fear dealt with them easy enough. A couple of traitor mongrelfolk were nearby but wisely did not try to take advantage of the distraction. Instead, they were hiding from demons that the templars' woman had brought. On one hand, two less innocents to kill. On the other, we have to fight blasted demons. The elf, being a riftwarden, was delighted, I'm sure.
Out of their window was some sort of makeshift, brick-built maze, for heritor-knows-why reasons. Presumably to torment whoever passed, as it certainly did us. Jacinth decided out of idiotic naivety to call them out from it. It would certainly have been advantageous if they did, but they were smart enough not to take her challenge, and now they knew we were here to boot. Undeterred by her failure, the girl charged on ahead and as best as my ears could understand, turned a corner straight into a demon. Now she was out of sight, and none of us knew what was going on.
Before we could pursue, a cloud of filth poured from the maze - too unspeakably foul for my own constitution, nor the girl's. I called for a retreat, but Uriel braved the miasma to find that Jacinth was trapped. The girl held on, bless her, as Aravashnial and I gathered to empower Uriel. Uriel burst in, and as the cloud finally receded, we followed. In my folly, I let the two swordfighters keep the battle, but the demons were uncannily durable, with the tight space prolonging the battle further. After several wasted resources and unnecessary blows taken, I lost my patience and blasted them with my needle missiles. I should have done it earlier, however, as it easily felled them, and the terrain was otherwise against us. The battle was over, but I was worryingly expended on my spells quite early. I'd be reliant on the scrolls we found and one abjuration for the rest of the day.
The tunnels led us to a sewer. I never thought I'd find the foul stench of excrement so reassuring, but it was a sign that we were almost home. Moreover, they contained no demons, and we were able to move quickly. Aravashnial lent us his wand of false life on the way - a way to keep Uriel alive that I did not know we had! So, small blessings, after a terrible battle.
And then, we saw it. Jacinth was ready to weep. The devastation... as we emerged from the sewer, we saw no cathedral, no tower, no fortifications - only rubble, chasms, and plumes of smoke. Us emerging late enough for the battles to be over was a small mercy - at least there were no screams to accompany the ruin.
Assessment of where we were deemed Aravashnial's library, Blackwing, closest. After pointing out to Horgus that we could make it to his manor faster if we dropped off the blind man there, we took no time to get there. As one would expect, however, the demons had made sure to crush any hope that lay in the building. Or so we thought, when we first saw the ruins.
Lillian took to the building with aggressive optimism. She'd heard the sound of activity within. Of course, reason dictated that the sound would be cultists, not friends. I warned her, and we entered as a group, blades at the ready. This was a hostage situation. Two tieflings, a crusader with them, and a librarian - four other librarians were bound in the middle.
Our opening volley of attacks missed, but Lillian's sleep spell took a tiefling and their pet librarian out of the battle. The other tiefling landed a painful blow on young Jacinth, but the most dangerous blow by far was this traitorous crusader. His heavy blow narrowly missed Uriel, and I used this opening to glue him in place with a tanglefoot bag. The battle continued with a number of glancing blows from either side, and Lillian's colour sprays did not prevail either. Another fear scroll caused the tiefling to turn tail, and we chased her down while the traitor was stuck in place.
His next move was wily. Seeing the battle lost, he requested surrender. I wasn't going to allow that, given that this man had worked with the demons to defile this place, but then he dropped his weapon - the dastard.
I would have no compunctions cutting him down like this, but I was not the one with the blade. In a moment that surprised us, though, Jacinth took up the blade. For all her naivety, she still saw through what he was doing, and cut him down. Good girl, there's hope for her yet. Unfortunately, the man saw what we were doing and in his final act, destroyed his own healing potions out of spite. Lillian, meanwhile, had left, unable to watch us send him to the Boneyard.
The librarian we saw with them had roused - it looked like Jacinth's bird, Aster, had woken her up. Just as well, she'd cut the other captives free and explained the situation to us. If things weren't hopeless enough, we now knew that all the riftwardens in Kenabres were dead. Well, with the exception of our blind friend, Aravashnial. Still, despair does not win the war, so I kept up my facade of optimism. We have barricaded this place so we can sleep, and I reassured the others that we could rally the others once we met with Irabeth, but it's a hard lie to tell.
Safe, at last. At least as safe as we can be.
I found a book on the owner of Jacinth's sword. Dead, of course. At least this way she'll have a better idea than trying to return it. The blade seemed happy enough with her, at least. A little research helped me find a spell to mend Uriel's wounds, too, without relying on devil magic. The librarian also found a riftwarden book lined with powerful spells, and a scroll for locking down dimensional travel. Small victories, Laurel. Small victories...
The women were in better spirits than I, determined to push forward. I wonder how well they fared after seeing the burning houses and looters on the way to Irabeth's house - to think this was a proud Mendevian city, full of righteous and dutiful crusaders. I cannot imagine my father's reaction to such a sight, as he was a man of irrepressible righteousness and duty.
En route, we encountered an old couples' business being ransacked by an abrikandillu. The miserable demons are bent on destroying art, but that only sealed its fate when met with a group of cultured people as ours. The demon was dispatched effortlessly, and the old couple let us help ourselves to new clothes as a reward. Given what we had just trawled through, I could not be happier, and I did indeed manage to find a particularly fabulous red garment - it makes me miss my work as a fabric trader. Now, if only Lillian could have picked some less provocative clothes to praise Arshea in.
Horgus's manor was, luckily, intact. It seems his serving staff had abandoned him during the attack, and the demons don't really care to break things if no-one is around to watch. The place had been hit by looters, but it was still a functional shelter, and he had wisely had a secret hideout installed in the place. One source of disagreement less, and a couple platinum pieces richer, we moved onward, not wasting time.
One encounter did lead us slightly astray. The sound of fighting led us to some sort of abyssal porcupine, feasting on a looter. Its own quills seemed to be alive, and aggressive. Since our time in the library, I had picked up some crusader magic, and blasted it with light. The fiend resisted the worst of the spell, however, despite my attempt to blind it. Lillian eventually managed to stun it with a colour spray, but its quills were tearing into Jacinth and Uriel. The two resorted to secondary weapons, using a bow and throwing daggers at it. Eventually, it fell, but the two of them could barely stand, and once more we felt the pinch of Uriel's affliction.
As for the half-eaten looter, well he did carry a bag of holding, so that was a boon. After much frustration trying to explain to Jacinth how the bag worked, and some time spent downing healing potions, we pressed on again. ...to our relief, our destination was intact this time, too. But not uninhabited.
If I had thought yesterday's frustration with fighting the dretches in the confines of that blasted maze was enough, we learned today how trying it is to fight an invisible foe. An enemy of Irabeth's had been lurking in the house, invisibly, summoning some pathetic creatures to harry us. Lillian tried to reveal it with a glitterdust, but the spell's impressive coverage yet failed to find our foe. We only saw its face when it came out of the shadows and lunged for Anevia's heart.
It dealt a staggering blow, and we were cornered. I resorted to my own dagger, to no avail, as Jacinth flanked him - longsword and dagger infused with a Paladin's fury, bringing it down. I think we were actually lucky that it went for Anevia and not one of our better fighters. The woman set aside her pain in a frenzied search for Irabeth, and found us a cache of potions and a note directing us to Defender's Heart - the nearby inn.
At this moment, we had a difficult decision - to push to Defender's Heart and regroup sooner, while wounded, or rest in this small house and hope things are just as well tomorrow. Given that we pilfered invisibility potions from the orc, however, we agreed to push tonight. It worked in our favour, just.
Some pathetic gaggle of tieflings decided we were easy pickings in our condition. One of them quite wisely decided to pick a fight with the man not wearing armour, and struck with a well-aimed crossbow bolt. Another dealt a severe blow to Jacinth, catching her before she could react. Their morale was strong, and we were exhausted. But... we were not going to die to mongrels like these.
Uriel commanded one of them to the floor, like a groveling mutt, and Anevia's bow swiftly felled one of the scavengers. I was losing my fight badly, however, as another bolt embedded itself into my backside. Lillian came to my rescue, taking two of the tieflings out with a colour spray, and Jacinth brought another low with Radiance. Our display of dominance, even in our current state, was enough to convince the last of the scum to flee. We agreed that we were in no state to cart them back, and stuck a blade in them.
It boils my blood, knowing that the once fine streets of Kenabres have been brought to this disgusting level of opportunism. But we made it to Defender's Heart, and I've never been so happy to have a stack of crossbows pointed at me. This place was actually guarded.
Anevia helped us in, and we finally got to meet the great Irabeth. ...I was not expecting a half-orc, but it suits me well. Mendev needs to set aside racial discrimination if we want to fight back the demons - I'm more sure of that after seeing all of this.
We relayed our information, and were ordered to rest. New orders tomorrow. ...no choice in the matter, here. We're crusaders now, and must give our all to reclaiming the city. I'm just glad to sit in a nice, ordinary bed, in a room of my own. It's been the first time I've had any personal space since... well, before I even set out on the journey to Kenabres in the first place. Jacinth has opted to share Irabeth and Anevia's lodging, and Uriel has elected to join Lillian in "praising Arshea". With exception to Horgus, this may leave me as the man living the most in luxury in Kenabres, right now. What a sordid thought.
Have you ever critically hit someone for zero damage? All you need is a wizard with a knife.
4 - The Remains of the Templars' Plot
Our orders were simple: The notes we had claimed from the cult in the caverns mentioned a few safe houses. An apothecary, a wizard's tower, and worryingly, the manor of one of Kenabres's most influential men. At the very least, I was able to claim one day of rest, so there is that. Today we spent getting ourselves equipped, restocking on scrolls and gathering our bearings. Jacinth, full of youthful vitality, insisted on patrolling with Irabeth - I am not even in my thirties, yet the child makes me feel old.
I may not request another day of rest for a while, however. I thought it would be good to recover, but instead, I'm just finding myself thinking more on our inevitable fate. ...the last few days, I was so exhausted that I would sleep instantly, oblivious to the harrowing thoughts my mind sought to explore.
Damn it, damn it all. I just barely came out of that cave alive and now the paladin has me charging straightfirst into the demons' safe houses. Is this truly how crusaders live? What my siblings and parents do daily, and their parents for that? ...now I appreciate why I was sent away from here, and bore the sign of the martlet. This is just too much, and yet I am bound to carry through with it.
Today we set back out into the crossfire, and once more I needed to pretend to be confident and clever, for my companions still expect me to lead. At least I can take out my anguish on the demons and their pets.
The day started well, as the folks from the ruined library came back to us. They directed to us with a hidden wizards' cache near the tower we were heading to. This set aside any argument of where to go, and frankly if anyone is going to stock useful materials for our mission, I can count on seasoned riftwardens.
Not long into a travel, however, Jacinth started running off to a shrine, evidently having learned nothing from our previous misadventures. It seems she overheard some very stupid ideas being spouted by crusaders. They were going to try a virgin sacrifice out of desperation. What in the Inheritor's name were they thinking?
We tried to reason with them, but they just drew their swords. The demons had already addled them. With no time to lose, Lillian and I ran in to disable them. A Burst of Radiance of my own blinded two of them, and a color spray knocked three more down. They had forsaken Iomedae's ideals, and she was not going to shield them here. Uriel followed up our opening by charging the woman who shook off my spell. A quick rapier strike caused her to faint, so I suspect my spell had weakened her.
The one remaining crusader standing had enough sense to flee, so the girl was safe. We knocked the blinded fools to their feet, and Uriel bound them with rope. To both my exasperation and my relief, the rounded up ex-crusaders made it very clear what had happened. The leader of their group started hurling deranged accusations at us, and the others shied away from association. Eventually, I had to ask Jacinth to pacify her before she caused any more violence.
I might not forgive what they tried to do, but Heritor willing, those at Defender's Heart might. So I told them that with a smile, and admittedly I can empathise with their plight. Out of desperation, the idiots had clung to some disgusting folktale that one of them had convinced them of. I'm not sure that she wasn't a cultist infiltrator, because I don't think Iomedae will bless people who stab their blades into the hearts of young girls.
As the more reasonable crusaders agreed to cart their unconscious companions to Defender's Heart for judgment, I was left to reflect on the insanity of it all. One of them even carried a phylactery of faithfulness, which looked like it had been ripped apart - our minds so readily disregard the truth when we are desperate for a solution. I dearly hope I do not fall prey to the same mindset.
Shortly afterward, we found the cache and tower. The cache contained cold iron weapons, and a wand of Magic Missile, which shall certainly help me stretch out my spells over the day, among some other magical tools.
We made our way into the tower itself with as much tact and cunning as this group could afford. We used a passphrase in the cultist's notes to get a templar to let us in, and then we kindly caved in his skull. Uriel's new estoc proved very effective, and I barely had to lift a finger as my companions put the heretics to the sword, as they did not get a chance to strike back.
Full of thrill and confidence, we moved downstairs to the lower chamber of the tower, and one might say that it was fighting the tiefling lurking here where things took a turn for the worse. Full of hubris, I play conservatively with my magic, and the man proved to be an adept spellcaster. He quickly blinded Uriel with a curse, and despite our best attacks, also succeeded at cursing Jacinth's strength away. He could tell that I knew full well how permanent this magic was, and offered to remove them with our unconditional surrender. I know better than to bargain with the servants of demons, however, and finished him off. We'll have better luck finding a healer, I fear.
As I began to search the tiefling for documents, Jacinth's hawk found his familiar hiding under one of the tables, and began to attack it. After breaking my concentration for a good minute, I reluctantly zapped the damned insect with my wand. Two curses to remove, and now this. A battle that cost us in a way I suspect only Horgus would appreciate.
While Lillian guided Uriel out of the place and away from the smell of blood, I gathered the papers and magical goods, and then we headed back to Defender's Heart to do something about the curses. The notes documentented an insane and terrifying plan to corrupt our land's wardstones. Yet, Irabeth and Anevia were not yet back from their patrols, so we moved out once more to the apothecary.
Inside, we found not cultists, but looters. A mercenary company who had lost their leaders, and simply wanted out of Mendev, like the rest of us. Now, as mercenaries, they didn't have quite the same duty to stay here. Lucky dastards. After much awkward meandering to ensure no-one was going to harm each other, I was able to find a hidden room by using a scroll I had prepared yesterday.
I suggested preparing with a few spells, and to my surprise, Jacinth was able to provide abjurations of her own. I am not convinced she even understands what they are or how they work - I would have thought the inherent magic of an aasimar to be a little more... understood by its bearer, surely.
It is a good thing that we did, either way - we promptly walked into a trap. The cultists had long abandoned the place, and set up an ornate trap with a few spells and a toy for whichever crusaders found the place.
The room filled with a gas as some cultists' voice mocked us, and before we could escape, we were attacked from a mandragora out of nowhere. It lashed after Lillian first, and despite my efforts to pacify it with a spell, it simply shrieked back at us. ...I can now say from experience that a mandragora's scream is something better read from books and left at that.
Jacinth and I could barely stand after that, and something was causing Lillian to hallucinate. Perhaps Uriel's undead nature was a boon here, as the poisons and the miasma had no effect on him. He cut the thing down, and sanity eventually returned to the room.
The bastard that orchestrated this had taken everything with him. Except for the holy symbols of Iomedae that he and his cultist allies had been falsely displaying, which he left inside a chest in the room. Evidently a ploy to unsettle us, and it hit Jacinth particularly hard. Regardless, we still had a lead from the tower, and only one safe house remained. We patched up Lillian, and made our way to the Nyserian Manor. And, to my personal relief, our job had already been done but what must have been one particularly large and poor demon. All we found was a crater, and no sign of anything after a good hours' searching.
Little else of note that day, but it was a very busy day. We managed to slay some blasted quasits on the way back, but Jacinth was still very shaken when we reached the inn. I relayed our findings to Irabeth, and she seemed happy to reward us. But really, all 'reward' means in this scorched earth is 'better implements with which to kill demons'. She made sure for us to rest - I dread to imagine what is in stock for tomorrow.
One very long day, today, as we cleared out the cultists' safe houses. The Gray Garrison is up next, that's gonna be interesting. There was a nice case of instant karma in the Wizard's Tower, with the party getting too cocky and then immediately being punished.