Orc Cave

May 17, 2019 2:41 am

The malebranche and Zenithral leave the cave behind as they speed through the air, the first a bat-winged monstrosity, the second a shining beacon. From this height, Zenithral can easily spot the crystalline tower not far away. It is a huge structure, far larger than Orrick’s small mage tower, that glows dimly against the night sky.

Frustrated at the brambles that continue to cling, the fiend stops for a moment to tear them away – and then Zenithral’s last desperate shot finds its mark. The creature appears truly wounded as it is forced to put more distance between itself and this enemy full of light. The brambles dig deeper (Malebranche takes 8 damage) – and then Zenithral hits the snow, hard.

As Zenithral pulls his face from the snow he finds he has lost track of the malebranche in the darkness of night. Still, it is most likely heading toward the strange tower, and it cannot be faring well with its injuries.

OOC:

How many rounds of Radiant Soul does Zen have left? Like three?

It's still within range of his longbow, but it is far out of his darkvision range, and also out of regular earshot. Straining his senses with a good perception check is possible, however.

Also, Zen has Inspiration for rolling on the fumble chart!

Rolls

malebranche athletics check - (1d20+10)

(4) + 10 = 14

brambles dmg - (2d6)

(62) = 8

malebranche athletics check - (1d20+10)

(10) + 10 = 20

Hjollsted

May 17, 2019 3:00 am

Reothadh easily secures the fallen tribesmen but notices that one is quite dead, feathered by arrows. The dwarf finds Hjollsted being tended to by Saki. The woman kneels next to the shaman, spreading bandages over his wounds while muttering to herself.

For his own part, Hjollsted seems much better than he did earlier. The old man’s eyes are bright and alert, and he has plenty of color in his cheeks. His shrug is followed by a chuckle. "I told you. Tempus won’t let this one die." He winces then. "But apparently the God of Battle is content to let me feel the pain of broken ribs." He looks over Reothadh. "But you look to be as healthy as ever, for your plunge in the lake. Better, perhaps!"

The shaman thanks Saki and with her help moves to inspect the prisoners. "Tribe of the Wolf. Always the fools, but I never thought they would stoop to this. They aren’t in their right minds."

Arannis Melerelel

May 17, 2019 3:04 am

Arannis blinks against Zenithral's radiance as the younger archer flashes past. "That is my grandson!" When Zenithral suddenly tumbles from the sky, Arannis groans. "Yes, that is him."

Alalla sees the elf clench his fists as he whispers in Elvish. "Get up, boy!"

After a moment Arannis turns to Alalla. "My spell has ended, but the fiend must be weak. We shall see if Zenithral is able to finish it off."

May 17, 2019 3:15 am

Alalla looks the elf over slowly. "You know," she says casually in elvish, "Zenithral once told me that the next time he saw Erestor, 'he would put an arrow in him before he could call him boy.'" Her accent is still not great, and she knows more guttural orcish comes through it than the accent she uses in common, but she refuses to be embarrassed in front of Zenithral's imposing grandfather.

She summons her glaive to her hand and leans on it heavily. "I think Zenithral has things in hand. His wife and siblings are inside after all."

Last edited May 17, 2019 3:18 am

Arannis Melerelel

May 17, 2019 3:25 am

Arannis stiffens, and changes the conversation to Common. "Erestor cared nothing for Zenithral. I doubt he could have called him anything that my grandson would have liked."

He moves to enter the cave, but then pauses. "I do not agree with all of my grandson's choices, but I trust him to be his own man. He sees something in this group of yours. You're powerful enough, all of you. But against enemies such as these, power is not enough." He gestures to the night sky. "Even when Zenithral kills that monster, it will not truly be dead. It will reform somewhere in the Nine Hells and make its report. How do you fight someone smarter than you?"

May 17, 2019 3:51 am

Alalla notes his stiffness. "You're probably right," she relents in common.

"You're telling me," she replies bluntly. "I'm not very clever. Belhifet had horrible plans for me, and the best solution I could come up with to spare the north that tragedy was to kill myself. He still spun that to his advantage.

I'm also not very hopeful. I don't really see a successful outcome here. But I have become a lot of things I never thought I would be, and most of them I actively avoided at one point in time. The chieftess of an orc tribe hundreds strong. A paladin in the service of a god. An elf's wife. Perhaps I'll add devil vanquisher to the list before the end."

She shrugs. "Or perhaps not. But what's the alternative? I'll not lay down or run away while there's something I can do. Even if it's small."

She looks back out into the night and grips the holy symbol at her belt. Her skin shines briefly as she draws on Torm's power to heal some of her wounds. She also takes a moment to search for nearby fiends, wrinkling her nose at her own smell that is immediately apparent.

"For now I'll take comfort that it's not just Zenithral that sees something, but his patron, and mine. I've seen hands manipulating things. Maybe we'll just be the first line of soldiers on the battlefield- maybe we were always meant to be- but Ilmater and Torm will continue this fight if we fall."

Lay on hands for 15hp used. Divine sense also used.

Last edited May 17, 2019 4:58 pm

May 17, 2019 4:08 am

Zenithral pulls himself to his feet. "Snapple gobs..." He narrows his eyes. "Where are you..." He turns his head slowly from side to side, knowing that spotting movement is actually easier with peripheral vision.

OOC:

After this round, 2 rounds left.

He lets loose a trio of arrows. A brief flash of light in the distance indicates to him at least one of his shot hit. (34 damage) He lets a sly grin come to his face, then he cringes as he realizes how much his face hurts.

Last edited May 17, 2019 4:15 am

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+3)

(18) + 3 = 21

Longbow 1 (Dis) - (1d20+11, 1d20+11)

1d20+11 : (8) + 11 = 19

1d20+11 : (10) + 11 = 21

Longbow 2 (Dis) - (1d20+11, 1d20+11)

1d20+11 : (14) + 11 = 25

1d20+11 : (9) + 11 = 20

Longbow 3 (Dis) - (1d20+11, 1d20+11)

1d20+11 : (3) + 11 = 14

1d20+11 : (14) + 11 = 25

Damage - (2d8+23)

(65) + 23 = 34

May 17, 2019 5:08 am

Zenithral returns to the cave and gives a curt nod to indicate he was successful.

"Have you always known that arrow trick and I just never bothered to learn it?" Zenithral asks Arannis. "If so, I would love to learn that one from you now."

Zenithral surveys the group, taking a head-count noting the wounded and gets to work with the staff of healing where needed. "Is everyone alright?" He addresses everyone in general, but looks at Halla.

OOC:

Suggestions for using the staff of healing welcome in the chat

Last edited May 17, 2019 5:08 am

Arannis Melerelel

May 17, 2019 11:53 am

OOC:

Nothing pings on Al’s radar.

Arannis abandons the conversation with Alalla, apparently stung by something unintended in her words. He leaves the light of the cave, presumably to continue scouting, just as Zenithral arrives.

"You were not ready for it when I saw you last, Zenithral. You obviously are now. I will teach you tomorrow. For now I must think, and I would prefer to do so alone."

He leaves without waiting for an answer.

Halla

May 17, 2019 11:55 am

Within the cave, Halla has tended to her own wounds and fetched the twins. The cambions sniff the air curiously, and then eye the black sludge on the floor - all that remains of the gelugon. When Zenithral enters, they both cling to him.

Halla coils the canoloth’s tongue with a grimace on her face, then shoves it back into the bag of holding as best she can. "I hate this thing." Nobody is sure if she speaks of the creature itself or its absurdly tongue. "How will we keep it contained? ‘Tis difficult to monitor within the bag, but there ‘tis also hidden from divination magic. We do not want Ilmadia to spy it out after all the trouble of bringing it here."

May 17, 2019 1:54 pm

"I think I said something to offend him, but I don't know what it was," Al tells Zenithral as they enter the cave. "Or maybe I just offend him." Her face is smooth, but Zenithral can tell either scenario bothers her, but she's trying not to let it. She shrugs it off. "Korrush y'grotarr." 'I can't smack it.' "Nothing to be done."

Alalla eases herself to a sit and begins removing her armour so she can assess her wounds. Her holy healing didn't do as much as she would have liked, just about all of her aches. She sets her head against the cave wall, oblivious to a face near covered in blood, and breathes the pain away.

"The meeting is tomorrow. That's not too long to keep the thing tied up. It is tied up, right? Should we remove it's tongue while it's asleep? I have a little bit of power left to heal the stub so it won't be more than uncomfortable when it wakes up."

HP: 11/154

Last edited May 17, 2019 5:43 pm

May 17, 2019 5:46 pm

Zenithral watches Arannis leave. "You're not the only one who offends him," he tells Alalla, "But he means well. I imagine he's just haunted by the past and what it's all led up to." Before he heads over to Halla and the twins, he continues speaking with Alalla. "Cut off its tongue? That seems a little...cruel," he says, thinking back to the tongueless slave at Dorn's Deep. "If we're willing to do things like that to our enemies, what does that say about us to Mona and Lance? It may not be terribly intelligent, but we could at least try reasoning with it first."

May 17, 2019 6:10 pm

Al looks as though she plans to say something more about Arannis, but she changes her mind.

"I'd argue that anything we do to the canoloth is only very temporary. We wouldn't put it through much pain, and it will reform unharmed wherever it came from. It's not quite the same as doing it to someone of a mortal race. But..." Alalla sighs as she looks at the children. "You're right. I feel justified, and normally I'd do what I felt was necessary and let you condemn me to them if you had to. But I'm supposed to be a better example as a paladin, aren't I?"

She gestures to the canoloth. "You handle the reasoning with it. Just... remember that it helped Whitcomb keep the twins from you for ransom."

Erevain

May 17, 2019 7:55 pm

While the party prepares to spend the night in the cave, an elf arrives at the entrance - Erevain. He walks in with a weary smile. "I was tracking a group of tribesmen and a pair of devils. It seems they found you first!" He nods toward Zenithral. "I saw you glowing in the sky from miles away. It helped me find you, but we may find that others know we are here as well."

Rolls

Mystery roll - (1d20+7)

(15) + 7 = 22

Mystery roll - (1d20+7)

(4) + 7 = 11

May 17, 2019 10:32 pm

Alalla's heart speeds up at Erevain's voice, but she stills it quickly. She examines him carefully from her seat on the floor, bloodied head still resting against the cave wall. All seems well.

"It seems they were tracking Hjollsted," she gestures to the old man being tended to by Saki. "As far as I can tell, anyway. He's an old friend of Reòthadh's, and knows something about the tower.

She gestures for him to come sit. "That's a shame about Zenithral's light, though I'm glad you could make use of it. Did you see Arannis as you came through? He went out to scout." Or pout.

Erevain

May 17, 2019 11:27 pm

Erevain conjures what healing magic he has and wills it into Alalla. "There are several search parties like this one out tonight, but from their pattern I do not expect any more to pass close to here. They must want that one badly." He gestures to Hjollsted.

"I passed Arannis, yes. He knows not to go too far. Sometimes elves just like a little solitude."

He settles down next to Alalla. "The tower is well-defended. A score of frost giants. An assortment of greater tanar’ri. Not to mention the barbarian army. I think I saw their leader, a brute in full plate - uncommon for one of the tribes to be armored so." He sighs and shakes his head. "The tower stands where the Temple of Tempus once was. It’s hard to say if anything of the original structure remains, or if it was all destroyed. I tried to scout out the town for any survivors, but the place is crawling with enemies. If they’re not in the tower itself... or dead... they might be held in one of the larger buildings. Perhaps Pomab’s old shop?"

May 18, 2019 3:25 am

Al grips Erevain's hand in thanks for the healing. "Just trying to keep tabs on everyone. You still don't think they will pass this way after that beacon?"

She sighs with irritation at Erevain's report. "So many. At this point, I think we best pray that the meeting with Ilmadia goes well. Beyond that, we may need to focus on the army before the villagers. Breaking them out of somewhere and then running them into a score of frost giants will do little good. Still, I'll feel better when I know what happened to them."

Last edited May 18, 2019 3:25 am

Erevain

May 18, 2019 5:52 am

Erevain shrugs. "The tribesmen do not see well at night, and the devils do not seem to enjoy being far from their thugs. It would appear that these servants of evil are more comfortable working during the daytime. Even if they are able to find this location, I believe that they wait until tomorrow."

The elf’s shoulders sag slightly at the thought of the villagers. "They had no defense against these foes." He pursers his lips. "But Everard... He would be a valuable prisoner. If we can find him, I am sure that he will have found out something about our enemies here."

May 18, 2019 6:23 pm