With Tyekanik's last mighty swing, the last man-at-arms falls. There are no threats, and a strange and unsettled silence falls across the gate house
[[ OOC: I'll take that to mean that Vrox successfully knocked out the archer who was on the tower. ]]
Vrox: after the fight
Vrox sheathes his rapier and springs over to the parapet wall to ensure that the fight below is over. Seeing no active combatants, he almost calls down to the others from the top of the tower, but he decides that they probably don't want to announce their presence if no one in the castle heard the fighting. He casts Message, targeting Khessa on the ground below. He sends this message: "My archer is unconscious. I'm going to see whether there's anyone inside this tower." While he waits for her reply, he looks toward the castle to see whether he sees anything moving or any enemies waiting for them. Perception29
Finally, Vrox heads back to the unconscious archer and takes the remaining arrows from their quiver both to deprive them of ammunition and to replenish his own. He looks around the top of the tower to see whether there's a way down into the tower, such as a stairway or a trap door.
Concentration: Hunter's Mark round 10 of 600 (assuming that all that took him about 5 rounds)
Khessa, still with the adrenaline of victory in her body (and the magic of the active spells not exhausted) was about to throw herself across the bridge and towards the castle, already ready to continue the offensive...
But the touching scene of Aya and the resurrected man-at-arms forces the blonde arcane warrior to turn and watch, as if enchanted... 'So, after all, at least death can free the creatures dominated by the Nefarious Duo...' She gives up the idea of continuing the assault immediately and comes at The Saintess' side, helping her to console the resurrected: "If you had no soul, you could not have returned among us, man" she places her hand on his shoulder and speaks to him softly. "And the fact that you cry for what you have done is the best proof that your soul has returned. You are yourself again, man! You are free again! And we will make sure that you remain that way. Once we have finished liberating the castle, your experience, even if it was terrible, will be invaluable to share with the new garrison that will come. Then everyone will know what we are facing - and maybe we can prevent what happened from happening again. You are alive and free again, man. And you have the freedom to represent hope, if you so wish. You will see, the evil you are crying for will be surpassed by the good that you will help to flourish".
And it is at that point that the tall adventuress is reached by the message of Vrox. She replies: "Considering that they fought until the last man even when it was clear that their decision was pure suicide, I think that there is no soldier inside. They would have come out to fight. But check if you want, it will do no harm".
With Tyekanik's last mighty swing, the last man-at-arms falls. There are no threats, and a strange and unsettled silence falls across the gate house
[[ OOC: I'll take that to mean that Vrox successfully knocked out the archer who was on the tower. ]]
Vrox: after the fight
Vrox sheathes his rapier and springs over to the parapet wall to ensure that the fight below is over. Seeing no active combatants, he almost calls down to the others from the top of the tower, but he decides that they probably don't want to announce their presence if no one in the castle heard the fighting. He casts Message, targeting Khessa on the ground below. He sends this message: "My archer is unconscious. I'm going to see whether there's anyone inside this tower." While he waits for her reply, he looks toward the castle to see whether he sees anything moving or any enemies waiting for them. Perception29
Finally, Vrox heads back to the unconscious archer and takes the remaining arrows from their quiver both to deprive them of ammunition and to replenish his own. He looks around the top of the tower to see whether there's a way down into the tower, such as a stairway or a trap door.
Concentration: Hunter's Mark round 10 of 600 (assuming that all that took him about 5 rounds)
Question - Is there anything to his remarks about no soul?
Robert approaches, and looks down on the man-at-arms, pity in his eyes. "He is a souless, a victim just like those villagers murdered. It was what my father tried to do to me but botched it. I may be a day walker now, in a sense doomed from that, but at least I retained my soul. This one, there is no hope. It would be merciful, to end his life, not knowing what the dark magics they used could come back to snare him. I can do it, if it needs to be done."
No problem. Since Vrox can't fly, it makes sense for him to use the stairs. He descends to the ground floor and exits the tower to join the others.
When Vrox learns that Aya brought one of the men-at-arms back to life, he informs the others that he actually knocked out the archer at the top of his tower and left him bound in iron bands. Perhaps Clarac could fly the archer down, and they could see whether being knocked unconscious was sufficient to free him from the Nefarious Duo's influence or whether it really requires death and resurrection for someone to escape from their magic. (He suspects that it would be the latter.)
[[ OOC: Oops. I just saw @Aaggie's post and Robert's explanation, so I guess even Aya's man-at-arms isn't really "free." It sounds like we should just consider anyone dominated by the Nefarious Duo as entirely lost, like an undead thrall. ]]
Khessa, disappointed just as she had found hope, still does not understand how a body could return to life - and, apparently, to self-determination - if it is soulless, but she does not presume to know more than Robert or Aya... Her husband Jasper, a fervent cleric of the church of Selune, has already corrected her many times on matters of religion, souls and afterlife... Apparently, she, although she was able, as a self-taught, to learn the secrets of combat and magic, still struggles to master those of faith and divine secrets.
The blonde arcane warrior furtively wipes a tear from her blue eyes and turns to the man-at-arms: "It seems that you were partly right and that your mortal life has come to and end. But, for what it's worth, I hope that the gods, in the afterlife, will always be able to take care of the soul of an innocent, of a person who did not choose to do evil, but was forced to. If they could not even do that, then... then they would not be entities that I feel the need for".
The tall adventuress pats the desperate resurrected on the shoulder in encouragement and nods to Rober. If it has to be done, she's fine with him doing it.
Clarac listens to the story of the man-at-arms with building outrage. "To have Azash act through you. . . You have suffered a terrible fate, sir," she says to him. "Know this: What you have shared just now will help us put a stop to this madness. Do not despair."
She turns to Robert. "If what you are saying is true, I will go to the archer up above. It would be best if he never wakes up." Clarac would put the archer out of his misery and return to the group.
Before crossing the bridge, she will conjure a Guardian of Faith to guard the way.
She turns to Robert. "If what you are saying is true, I will go to the archer up above. It would be best if he never wakes up." Clarac would put the archer out of his misery and return to the group.
Vrox sadly agrees. He was thinking that it was a simple enchantment, such as ones that the Archfey use to confuse or charm mortals. He had hoped that they would be able to free some of these men-at-arms from the Nefarious Duo's influence, but it now sounds like they are mere shells for the will of their demonic masters.
If Clarac is going to go to the top of the tower for them, he gives her the command word for his Iron Bands of Binding so that she can unbind the archer and return the ball to Vrox.
Before Robert kills the man-at-arms whom Aya revived, Vrox tries to convince him (or whatever is left of him) to help them. (Persuasion28) Perhaps the gods who stand against Azash will look favorably on him and redeem his soul in the hereafter if he can give them any useful information. For example, if the Duke and his family are in the castle, can he guess where they would be now? Is there a secret way into or out of the castle? Did he see any other demonic creatures in the castle or hear any other fiendish names?
"Yes, Robert, I think that is for the best. Put the wretch out of his misery," the lich says, scanning the remains of the battlefield unhappily.
As an undead creature himself, Lord Akkron is somewhat familiar with that sense of profound emptiness the man described. Granted, the lich also knows that his experience is quite different, partially because it was a self-inflicted curse, and partially because his soul isn't entirely 'gone' in the manner that the man-at-arms described... and certainly not snatched away by some infernal beast claiming to be a god! He sighed.
"Previously we were lead to believe that the Soulless Ones had to be willing participants in this madness," he points out, thinking back to their previous encounter with the professor. "But if these bastards can inflict this condition upon the innocent... we need to think carefully of counter-measures in case one of us were to be captured by their forces. I do not even know for sure whether I am immune to whatever they are doing or not. In two thousand years I have never seen anything quite like this."
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"It must not be something those two deranged deities can do easily, Master Akkron..." Khessa points out "We have already met Slaanesh face to face, remember? And while she was initially able to influence the minds of many of us, she was unable to do this to us. In fact, thanks to Flute, we have also dispelled her influence and forced her into a swift retreat. Let us be cautious, but not despair. So far, we are the ones who have won every single confrontation. So..." she winks "we will just have to keep doing this, will we not?"
She turns to Robert. "If what you are saying is true, I will go to the archer up above. It would be best if he never wakes up." Clarac would put the archer out of his misery and return to the group.
Vrox sadly agrees. He was thinking that it was a simple enchantment, such as ones that the Archfey use to confuse or charm mortals. He had hoped that they would be able to free some of these men-at-arms from the Nefarious Duo's influence, but it now sounds like they are mere shells for the will of their demonic masters.
If Clarac is going to go to the top of the tower for them, he gives her the command word for his Iron Bands of Binding so that she can unbind the archer and return the ball to Vrox.
Before Robert kills the man-at-arms whom Aya revived, Vrox tries to convince him (or whatever is left of him) to help them. (Persuasion18) Perhaps the gods who stand against Azash will look favorably on him and redeem his soul in the hereafter if he can give them any useful information. For example, if the Duke and his family are in the castle, can he guess where they would be now? Is there a secret way into or out of the castle? Did he see any other demonic creatures in the castle or hear any other fiendish names?
The distraught man at arms shakes his head, "There is only the gate that I know of. As for the Duke, he could be anywhere though he has been spending a lot of time below the castle in the catacombs. There are a few more of these creatures that belong to both dark gods, some are even human followers that the Duke allowed in. That was our downfall."
"Well, the castle forces didn't rush out to help the towers..." Khessa considers "but they didn't close the gates either. I say we take advantage of that. Let's go in and take the castle. Then it's the catacombs' turn".
The blonde arcane warrior, in the meantime, stores a new Haste spell in the faithful Alfred.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Once the man-at-arms has been killed and Clarac returns with his ball, Vrox is ready to cross over to the castle. He asks, "Should we try the bridge? Do you think that the demons are just too undisciplined to raise the drawbridge, or should we assume that it's a trap?" It looks like the bridge is 20' wide and 60' long.
Vrox stows his longbow in his magical quiver and equips his [magicitem]Sentinel Shield;shield[/magic]. Then he moves to hide in the shadows at the base of one of the guard towers Stealth28 and watches the castle for any signs of activity or defenders along the walls or in the gatehouse. Perception30
"I'm inclined to think they are too bold or too disorganized to coordinate well and too selfish to effectively help each other" Khessa replies. "So they did not care of the fight at the towers and they do not care to rise the bridge now. This does not hsmper thrm too much usually, given how powerful they are. I don't think a trap awaits... but just another horde of bloodthirsty overconfident fanatic enemies. So I'd advise not to waste resources to avoid the bridge but just take it".
"But, hey," the blonde arcane warrior smiles to the feline "you are such a good and stealthy scout that I don't mind if you like to ho ahead and take a look".
Sparhawk attacks: 28, damage 19, 19, damage 14
Maynard attacks: 22, damage 10 , 16 (Miss)
Robert attacks: 20, damage 11, 14 (miss)
Tyek attacks: 32, damage 20+19, 34, damage 21+16
With Tyekanik's last mighty swing, the last man-at-arms falls. There are no threats, and a strange and unsettled silence falls across the gate house
Aya consoles him.
Question - Is there anything to his remarks about no soul?
D&D since 1984
[[ OOC: I'll take that to mean that Vrox successfully knocked out the archer who was on the tower. ]]
Vrox: after the fight
Vrox sheathes his rapier and springs over to the parapet wall to ensure that the fight below is over. Seeing no active combatants, he almost calls down to the others from the top of the tower, but he decides that they probably don't want to announce their presence if no one in the castle heard the fighting. He casts Message, targeting Khessa on the ground below. He sends this message: "My archer is unconscious. I'm going to see whether there's anyone inside this tower." While he waits for her reply, he looks toward the castle to see whether he sees anything moving or any enemies waiting for them. Perception 29
Finally, Vrox heads back to the unconscious archer and takes the remaining arrows from their quiver both to deprive them of ammunition and to replenish his own. He looks around the top of the tower to see whether there's a way down into the tower, such as a stairway or a trap door.
Concentration: Hunter's Mark round 10 of 600 (assuming that all that took him about 5 rounds)
Marked Target: archer (eligible for reassignment)
Khessa, still with the adrenaline of victory in her body (and the magic of the active spells not exhausted) was about to throw herself across the bridge and towards the castle, already ready to continue the offensive...
But the touching scene of Aya and the resurrected man-at-arms forces the blonde arcane warrior to turn and watch, as if enchanted... 'So, after all, at least death can free the creatures dominated by the Nefarious Duo...' She gives up the idea of continuing the assault immediately and comes at The Saintess' side, helping her to console the resurrected: "If you had no soul, you could not have returned among us, man" she places her hand on his shoulder and speaks to him softly. "And the fact that you cry for what you have done is the best proof that your soul has returned. You are yourself again, man! You are free again! And we will make sure that you remain that way. Once we have finished liberating the castle, your experience, even if it was terrible, will be invaluable to share with the new garrison that will come. Then everyone will know what we are facing - and maybe we can prevent what happened from happening again. You are alive and free again, man. And you have the freedom to represent hope, if you so wish. You will see, the evil you are crying for will be surpassed by the good that you will help to flourish".
And it is at that point that the tall adventuress is reached by the message of Vrox. She replies: "Considering that they fought until the last man even when it was clear that their decision was pure suicide, I think that there is no soldier inside. They would have come out to fight. But check if you want, it will do no harm".
Tower is empty, no one is inside
Robert approaches, and looks down on the man-at-arms, pity in his eyes. "He is a souless, a victim just like those villagers murdered. It was what my father tried to do to me but botched it. I may be a day walker now, in a sense doomed from that, but at least I retained my soul. This one, there is no hope. It would be merciful, to end his life, not knowing what the dark magics they used could come back to snare him. I can do it, if it needs to be done."
No problem. Since Vrox can't fly, it makes sense for him to use the stairs. He descends to the ground floor and exits the tower to join the others.
When Vrox learns that Aya brought one of the men-at-arms back to life, he informs the others that he actually knocked out the archer at the top of his tower and left him bound in iron bands. Perhaps Clarac could fly the archer down, and they could see whether being knocked unconscious was sufficient to free him from the Nefarious Duo's influence or whether it really requires death and resurrection for someone to escape from their magic. (He suspects that it would be the latter.)
[[ OOC: Oops. I just saw @Aaggie's post and Robert's explanation, so I guess even Aya's man-at-arms isn't really "free." It sounds like we should just consider anyone dominated by the Nefarious Duo as entirely lost, like an undead thrall. ]]
Khessa, disappointed just as she had found hope, still does not understand how a body could return to life - and, apparently, to self-determination - if it is soulless, but she does not presume to know more than Robert or Aya... Her husband Jasper, a fervent cleric of the church of Selune, has already corrected her many times on matters of religion, souls and afterlife... Apparently, she, although she was able, as a self-taught, to learn the secrets of combat and magic, still struggles to master those of faith and divine secrets.
The blonde arcane warrior furtively wipes a tear from her blue eyes and turns to the man-at-arms: "It seems that you were partly right and that your mortal life has come to and end. But, for what it's worth, I hope that the gods, in the afterlife, will always be able to take care of the soul of an innocent, of a person who did not choose to do evil, but was forced to. If they could not even do that, then... then they would not be entities that I feel the need for".
The tall adventuress pats the desperate resurrected on the shoulder in encouragement and nods to Rober. If it has to be done, she's fine with him doing it.
Clarac listens to the story of the man-at-arms with building outrage. "To have Azash act through you. . . You have suffered a terrible fate, sir," she says to him. "Know this: What you have shared just now will help us put a stop to this madness. Do not despair."
She turns to Robert. "If what you are saying is true, I will go to the archer up above. It would be best if he never wakes up." Clarac would put the archer out of his misery and return to the group.
Before crossing the bridge, she will conjure a Guardian of Faith to guard the way.
Vrox sadly agrees. He was thinking that it was a simple enchantment, such as ones that the Archfey use to confuse or charm mortals. He had hoped that they would be able to free some of these men-at-arms from the Nefarious Duo's influence, but it now sounds like they are mere shells for the will of their demonic masters.
If Clarac is going to go to the top of the tower for them, he gives her the command word for his Iron Bands of Binding so that she can unbind the archer and return the ball to Vrox.
Before Robert kills the man-at-arms whom Aya revived, Vrox tries to convince him (or whatever is left of him) to help them. (Persuasion 28) Perhaps the gods who stand against Azash will look favorably on him and redeem his soul in the hereafter if he can give them any useful information. For example, if the Duke and his family are in the castle, can he guess where they would be now? Is there a secret way into or out of the castle? Did he see any other demonic creatures in the castle or hear any other fiendish names?
Lord Akkron nods gravely...
"Yes, Robert, I think that is for the best. Put the wretch out of his misery," the lich says, scanning the remains of the battlefield unhappily.
As an undead creature himself, Lord Akkron is somewhat familiar with that sense of profound emptiness the man described. Granted, the lich also knows that his experience is quite different, partially because it was a self-inflicted curse, and partially because his soul isn't entirely 'gone' in the manner that the man-at-arms described... and certainly not snatched away by some infernal beast claiming to be a god! He sighed.
"Previously we were lead to believe that the Soulless Ones had to be willing participants in this madness," he points out, thinking back to their previous encounter with the professor. "But if these bastards can inflict this condition upon the innocent... we need to think carefully of counter-measures in case one of us were to be captured by their forces. I do not even know for sure whether I am immune to whatever they are doing or not. In two thousand years I have never seen anything quite like this."
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"It must not be something those two deranged deities can do easily, Master Akkron..." Khessa points out "We have already met Slaanesh face to face, remember? And while she was initially able to influence the minds of many of us, she was unable to do this to us. In fact, thanks to Flute, we have also dispelled her influence and forced her into a swift retreat. Let us be cautious, but not despair. So far, we are the ones who have won every single confrontation. So..." she winks "we will just have to keep doing this, will we not?"
Robert, as a day-walker, painlessly finishes off the man at arm, and in the process, heals himself.
The distraught man at arms shakes his head, "There is only the gate that I know of. As for the Duke, he could be anywhere though he has been spending a lot of time below the castle in the catacombs. There are a few more of these creatures that belong to both dark gods, some are even human followers that the Duke allowed in. That was our downfall."
"Well, the castle forces didn't rush out to help the towers..." Khessa considers "but they didn't close the gates either. I say we take advantage of that. Let's go in and take the castle. Then it's the catacombs' turn".
The blonde arcane warrior, in the meantime, stores a new Haste spell in the faithful Alfred.
Aya says "No, I will send him on."
He walks over the man and holds him in comfort, and since he had but 1 hp she uses her dagger to end his suffering. She says a prayer over his body.
She gets up, cleans the blade and joins the rest of the party.
D&D since 1984
Once the man-at-arms has been killed and Clarac returns with his ball, Vrox is ready to cross over to the castle. He asks, "Should we try the bridge? Do you think that the demons are just too undisciplined to raise the drawbridge, or should we assume that it's a trap?" It looks like the bridge is 20' wide and 60' long.
Vrox stows his longbow in his magical quiver and equips his [magicitem]Sentinel Shield;shield[/magic]. Then he moves to hide in the shadows at the base of one of the guard towers Stealth 28 and watches the castle for any signs of activity or defenders along the walls or in the gatehouse. Perception 30
From post #1772:
"I'm inclined to think they are too bold or too disorganized to coordinate well and too selfish to effectively help each other" Khessa replies. "So they did not care of the fight at the towers and they do not care to rise the bridge now. This does not hsmper thrm too much usually, given how powerful they are. I don't think a trap awaits... but just another horde of bloodthirsty overconfident fanatic enemies. So I'd advise not to waste resources to avoid the bridge but just take it".
"But, hey," the blonde arcane warrior smiles to the feline "you are such a good and stealthy scout that I don't mind if you like to ho ahead and take a look".
Aya equips her bow
D&D since 1984