"Pherria specialises in exorcism and possession? I don't remember that, she must have said it when I was getting holy water", Corlith replies to Reya. "But sounds like the best option to go back to them then".
He doesn't disagree with Virro taking the scrolls, and simply follows after Iornmaiden and Reya, keeping an eye out behind them for anything that might come through the portal.
Virro stands there looking at the scrolls, trying to sort through them. “Hey, wait a minute guys. One of these will remove a curse and the other will know what the Duke is saying. I think they may help. What do you think? Or should we just try to get him to safety….”
"Sounds like a good option, but perhaps Pherria will have answers without using the scrolls up. They might come in useful later on if we can save them. Up to you though, Virro", Corlith answers.
The group heads on out of the chapel, the Duke in tow, back to the streets of Elturel. As they emerge, they are greeted with the lightning strikes of the new state of the Companion, the smells of sulfur and brimstone they are surrounded by. Your walk back to High Hall is blessedly quiet and you make it there without incident.
Nothing seems to have changed as you enter the High Hall, stepping over crab legs as you go and to the secret door on the altar. Heading down the stairs you start hearing murmuring and realize it is the survivors and they must be getting comfortable as it is a bit louder than last time you were here.
Once you get to the main crypt, you see Pherria and the rest and she's first obviously happy to see you, but when she sees you have the Duke, her hands quickly cover her mouth and shock and she runs over to you. "Is he... Is he alright? What happened? Oh, I'm so glad to see you all back here. Because of you, this place has been quiet since you've left."
Shorah bursts out of the group of survivors, heads straight towards Virro and grapples his legs in a hug that is surprising how strong it is. The little face looks up to the wood elf, then buries into his robes, obviously not letting go.
Reed looks at the larger group of survivors, for a moment expecting zombies to burst out of the middle of them, but then he laughs when the only thing that attacks them is Shorah.
"Okay, so we've been very heroic today," Reed says to the others, ignoring the question about the Duke since he doesn't have a clue if the Duke is alright or how he got the way he is. "But are we any closer to stopping whatever is going on from still going on?"
Corlith ignores the onrush of Shorah towards Virro and looks across to Reed, "I think the answer to your question depends on the Duke there. We were hoping to get answers from him, although he seems to be in no state to give them to us".
He looks back to Pherria, "We found him like this. Is that the helm he was looking for? It doesn't seem to have done him much good. Do you understand what he is saying?".
Virro has a very awkward look on his face as he looks down at his pouch, the little girl Shorah clinging to his leg. He tries to push an errant Minotaur finger back into his pouch so that Shorah doesn’t see. He starts to pat the top of her head awkwardly. “Awwww. So, uh, good yes, to see you Shorah…. Did these nice people keep you safe? We found the Duke, but he is out of sorts….” He pats the top of her head and back, hoping that she will walk away, frustrated that she clings even tighter.
”Pherria, I found a scroll that will allow me to understand if you cannot… and perhaps a way to remove the curse, not sure if it will work on him though…”
IronMaiden's visor turns to corlith but says nothing, they find somewhere to sit and prepare themselves, within earshot of the interactions with Pherria of course, but still glancing nervously at corlith every so often.
Pherria tsks tsks a bit and asks you to set the Duke down upon a flat surface so she can look at him closer. "Yes, this is the helm I believe he was out to retrieve, but this state he is in, I don't understand it." She listens for a bit hearing the mutterings of two different languages coming from the Ravenguard. She finally seems to nod and getting a stern look upon her face, she turns back to the party.
"Ok, the way I see it, the helm definitely works. It is giving him a pathway to Torm, to somehow communicate in that direction. But at the same time, it appears the helm has been corrupted, and that demons have also found a way to communicate with the poor man. We must free him of this plight. I appreciate the offer of a scroll, but I understand the situation, that is enough. For now." She brushes her hands together and furrows her brow. "Alright, couple of things are needed for this ritual. The altar upstairs to Torm must be cleansed, you can splash holy water upon it from the font here. I'm sure it needs to be cleaned up as well..." she trails off as she looks at ceiling, a shudder runs through her as she has obviously seen the carnage that lies above them.
Looking back to you all, "Secondly, I must stand within 5 feet of the restored altar must recite a special prayer to Torm. Only this prayer can break evil’s hold on Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard’s mind. And finally, a powerful symbol of courage and self-sacrifice is needed to empower the ritual. I suggest the greatsword of the Unknown Hero that lies at the base of the stairs here with the woman that gave her life to defeat the red dragon."
"Now I have never attempted this particular ritual before, and you need to be ready to step in and help, or to possibly fight off any evil forces that might try to disrupt the process. Are we all in agreement then?" She clutches her book tighter to her body and looks at you all with anticipation.
Virro nods and says “Right Pherria, we can do that. A supply of that water is a good idea.” He fills up his waterskin similar to Reed, storing the spell scrolls in his pack and tightening the strap on his shield. He waits to her from Pherria as to what might be expected when the ritual starts..
Corlith nods, nod overjoyed that they were becoming cleaners but willing to do his part.
"Ok, sounds like we are agreed that we will go and clean up the shrine. Will you collect the sword?", he replies to Pherria.
He gets ready to head up to the shrine, intending to prestidigitate the shrine to remove blood and gore before it is sanctified with the holy water Reed and Virro have collected.
Noticing Ironmaiden looking at him oddly, "Everything ok?".
"Well, I think we all need to be prepared that the ritual will gain attention of the wrong kind. I'm sure they do not want to let go of their current prize, even though it doesn't at least appear to be doing them any good. Though, it is difficult to tell from the outside." Seeing the two gather the holy water, Pherria nods and starts following them. As they pass by the shrine of the unknown soldier, the woman dutifully picks up the sword and continues upward, determination etched upon her face.
"Can I come with you?" Shorah asks Virro as the people start leaving, but Reya takes hold of her hand and leads her back to the other survivors. Squatting down to her height she tells her that it is safer if she stays here with the others and that they will be back.
"I was anxious is all." IronMaiden answers Corlith as the group prepares themselves for the apparent oncoming attack at the holy site. "You had said that when we returned to the survivors you would attempt to separate Archaea and I, that is where my anxieties are rooted. But it seems I was worried for no reason, it is not the time yet, there are more pressing matters. But the time is coming, and I fear for our lives"
Reed tastes a bit of the holy water, suspecting that these religious types might be spiking the water with alcohol but merely shrugs once he discovers it seems like really clean water.
After Virro magics up some cleaning, Reed liberally splashes some holy water around. He then helps remove any large pieces of debris or body parts.
Then he heads over to the entrance to keep an eye open for demons or devils who might want to pop by to see what's going on.
Virro finishes pouring holy water as well, then goes to stand guard on the opposite side of Reed, readying his shield, preparing himself for what may come next. He looks for anything he can hide behind to surprise a would be attacker and he starts to watch for any movement as the ritual at the altar starts.
Corlith looks at Ironmaiden on hearing the concern etched into their voice.
"I would not do anything with the consent of yourself and Archie", he says with a frown. "Are you aware of her current thoughts on the matter?", he asks as they ascend to the shrine.
When he and Ironmaiden have finished talking, he will clean the shrine at double time using the illusionist's bracers to double the effect of the spell.
He will then stand ready, along with Reed and Virro, but not before offering to help Pherria focus.
"she sees and hears, though she is weakened right now, I fear that she is giving up... I... I do not want to talk for her though, I'll let her talk to you directly once this ritual has been completed and we are out of danger" Iron maiden says quietly, solemnly, in answer as corlith cleans the shrine
Seeing that the party is very efficient in cleaning off the altar, Pherria turns to IronMaiden (As I'm assuming they still have the Duke, with Reya), "Please, set the Duke upon the altar now that it is prepared."
Holding out the sword, she addresses the entire party, even the two that are guarding the opening to the room. "I need someone to hold this symbol for me. You will need to hold it against the helm as I perform my ritual. Who will take on this role?"
She waits until someone takes the sword from her hands.
"Sounds like a plan", Corlith replies to Ironmaiden with a smile.
When Pherria asks for someone to hold the greatsword, he summons his spectral hand and takes attempts to take it from her.
"Will this work?", he asks as he does so.
If she agrees he will position the spectral hand and the greatsword as she directs, and ensure it remains summoned for the duration by recasting it as necessary.
"Pherria specialises in exorcism and possession? I don't remember that, she must have said it when I was getting holy water", Corlith replies to Reya. "But sounds like the best option to go back to them then".
He doesn't disagree with Virro taking the scrolls, and simply follows after Iornmaiden and Reya, keeping an eye out behind them for anything that might come through the portal.
Virro stands there looking at the scrolls, trying to sort through them. “Hey, wait a minute guys. One of these will remove a curse and the other will know what the Duke is saying. I think they may help. What do you think? Or should we just try to get him to safety….”
"Sounds like a good option, but perhaps Pherria will have answers without using the scrolls up. They might come in useful later on if we can save them. Up to you though, Virro", Corlith answers.
The group heads on out of the chapel, the Duke in tow, back to the streets of Elturel. As they emerge, they are greeted with the lightning strikes of the new state of the Companion, the smells of sulfur and brimstone they are surrounded by. Your walk back to High Hall is blessedly quiet and you make it there without incident.
Nothing seems to have changed as you enter the High Hall, stepping over crab legs as you go and to the secret door on the altar. Heading down the stairs you start hearing murmuring and realize it is the survivors and they must be getting comfortable as it is a bit louder than last time you were here.
Once you get to the main crypt, you see Pherria and the rest and she's first obviously happy to see you, but when she sees you have the Duke, her hands quickly cover her mouth and shock and she runs over to you. "Is he... Is he alright? What happened? Oh, I'm so glad to see you all back here. Because of you, this place has been quiet since you've left."
Shorah bursts out of the group of survivors, heads straight towards Virro and grapples his legs in a hug that is surprising how strong it is. The little face looks up to the wood elf, then buries into his robes, obviously not letting go.
Reed looks at the larger group of survivors, for a moment expecting zombies to burst out of the middle of them, but then he laughs when the only thing that attacks them is Shorah.
"Okay, so we've been very heroic today," Reed says to the others, ignoring the question about the Duke since he doesn't have a clue if the Duke is alright or how he got the way he is. "But are we any closer to stopping whatever is going on from still going on?"
Corlith ignores the onrush of Shorah towards Virro and looks across to Reed, "I think the answer to your question depends on the Duke there. We were hoping to get answers from him, although he seems to be in no state to give them to us".
He looks back to Pherria, "We found him like this. Is that the helm he was looking for? It doesn't seem to have done him much good. Do you understand what he is saying?".
Virro has a very awkward look on his face as he looks down at his pouch, the little girl Shorah clinging to his leg. He tries to push an errant Minotaur finger back into his pouch so that Shorah doesn’t see. He starts to pat the top of her head awkwardly. “Awwww. So, uh, good yes, to see you Shorah…. Did these nice people keep you safe? We found the Duke, but he is out of sorts….” He pats the top of her head and back, hoping that she will walk away, frustrated that she clings even tighter.
”Pherria, I found a scroll that will allow me to understand if you cannot… and perhaps a way to remove the curse, not sure if it will work on him though…”
IronMaiden's visor turns to corlith but says nothing, they find somewhere to sit and prepare themselves, within earshot of the interactions with Pherria of course, but still glancing nervously at corlith every so often.
Pherria tsks tsks a bit and asks you to set the Duke down upon a flat surface so she can look at him closer. "Yes, this is the helm I believe he was out to retrieve, but this state he is in, I don't understand it." She listens for a bit hearing the mutterings of two different languages coming from the Ravenguard. She finally seems to nod and getting a stern look upon her face, she turns back to the party.
"Ok, the way I see it, the helm definitely works. It is giving him a pathway to Torm, to somehow communicate in that direction. But at the same time, it appears the helm has been corrupted, and that demons have also found a way to communicate with the poor man. We must free him of this plight. I appreciate the offer of a scroll, but I understand the situation, that is enough. For now." She brushes her hands together and furrows her brow. "Alright, couple of things are needed for this ritual. The altar upstairs to Torm must be cleansed, you can splash holy water upon it from the font here. I'm sure it needs to be cleaned up as well..." she trails off as she looks at ceiling, a shudder runs through her as she has obviously seen the carnage that lies above them.
Looking back to you all, "Secondly, I must stand within 5 feet of the restored altar must recite a special prayer to Torm. Only this prayer can break evil’s hold on Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard’s mind. And finally, a powerful symbol of courage and self-sacrifice is needed to empower the ritual. I suggest the greatsword of the Unknown Hero that lies at the base of the stairs here with the woman that gave her life to defeat the red dragon."
"Now I have never attempted this particular ritual before, and you need to be ready to step in and help, or to possibly fight off any evil forces that might try to disrupt the process. Are we all in agreement then?" She clutches her book tighter to her body and looks at you all with anticipation.
Reed nods along happily as Pherria describes what comes next.
"Yeah, it's a mess up there," Reed says.
His smile flickers for a bit when she mentions evil forces that might try and disrupt the process.
"Will your ritual attract their attention? Or are you just saying that if they happened to be passing by they might be a problem?"
While he waits for an answer he takes his waterskin and fills it with holy water.
Virro nods and says “Right Pherria, we can do that. A supply of that water is a good idea.” He fills up his waterskin similar to Reed, storing the spell scrolls in his pack and tightening the strap on his shield. He waits to her from Pherria as to what might be expected when the ritual starts..
Corlith nods, nod overjoyed that they were becoming cleaners but willing to do his part.
"Ok, sounds like we are agreed that we will go and clean up the shrine. Will you collect the sword?", he replies to Pherria.
He gets ready to head up to the shrine, intending to prestidigitate the shrine to remove blood and gore before it is sanctified with the holy water Reed and Virro have collected.
Noticing Ironmaiden looking at him oddly, "Everything ok?".
"Well, I think we all need to be prepared that the ritual will gain attention of the wrong kind. I'm sure they do not want to let go of their current prize, even though it doesn't at least appear to be doing them any good. Though, it is difficult to tell from the outside." Seeing the two gather the holy water, Pherria nods and starts following them. As they pass by the shrine of the unknown soldier, the woman dutifully picks up the sword and continues upward, determination etched upon her face.
"Can I come with you?" Shorah asks Virro as the people start leaving, but Reya takes hold of her hand and leads her back to the other survivors. Squatting down to her height she tells her that it is safer if she stays here with the others and that they will be back.
"I was anxious is all." IronMaiden answers Corlith as the group prepares themselves for the apparent oncoming attack at the holy site. "You had said that when we returned to the survivors you would attempt to separate Archaea and I, that is where my anxieties are rooted. But it seems I was worried for no reason, it is not the time yet, there are more pressing matters. But the time is coming, and I fear for our lives"
Reed tastes a bit of the holy water, suspecting that these religious types might be spiking the water with alcohol but merely shrugs once he discovers it seems like really clean water.
After Virro magics up some cleaning, Reed liberally splashes some holy water around. He then helps remove any large pieces of debris or body parts.
Then he heads over to the entrance to keep an eye open for demons or devils who might want to pop by to see what's going on.
Virro finishes pouring holy water as well, then goes to stand guard on the opposite side of Reed, readying his shield, preparing himself for what may come next. He looks for anything he can hide behind to surprise a would be attacker and he starts to watch for any movement as the ritual at the altar starts.
Corlith looks at Ironmaiden on hearing the concern etched into their voice.
"I would not do anything with the consent of yourself and Archie", he says with a frown. "Are you aware of her current thoughts on the matter?", he asks as they ascend to the shrine.
When he and Ironmaiden have finished talking, he will clean the shrine at double time using the illusionist's bracers to double the effect of the spell.
He will then stand ready, along with Reed and Virro, but not before offering to help Pherria focus.
"she sees and hears, though she is weakened right now, I fear that she is giving up... I... I do not want to talk for her though, I'll let her talk to you directly once this ritual has been completed and we are out of danger" Iron maiden says quietly, solemnly, in answer as corlith cleans the shrine
Seeing that the party is very efficient in cleaning off the altar, Pherria turns to IronMaiden (As I'm assuming they still have the Duke, with Reya), "Please, set the Duke upon the altar now that it is prepared."
Holding out the sword, she addresses the entire party, even the two that are guarding the opening to the room. "I need someone to hold this symbol for me. You will need to hold it against the helm as I perform my ritual. Who will take on this role?"
She waits until someone takes the sword from her hands.
"Sounds like a plan", Corlith replies to Ironmaiden with a smile.
When Pherria asks for someone to hold the greatsword, he summons his spectral hand and takes attempts to take it from her.
"Will this work?", he asks as he does so.
If she agrees he will position the spectral hand and the greatsword as she directs, and ensure it remains summoned for the duration by recasting it as necessary.