Seeing Lanya back gives Ashley a small amount of hope now that Vilus was lost. She really wasn't sure how they would find their friend. "I'm so glad you're alright, we need to get you out of these tunnels." she says to Lanya.
As she hears the command from Miter, she calls out to him, "Miter!! We're down here with Lanya, come quick, we need to get out of this place."
Malachi walks back to the west, peering through the darkness to see what lies ahead. “Should we continue to follow the tunnel? See if it leads to Talmouth and more cultists? Or whatever it is they are trying to uncover?” He turns and looks at the others “I am not sure what more we can do for Tensmith. I don’t think they have to worry about Andra’s plans anymore.”
Samir stands to the side, one hand fidgeting automatically with his glases. Otherwise, he seems calm, detached. In his mind he replays the scene that occurred, puzzling over what had happened and attempting to break things down logically. It was either that or lose himself to the fear that even then was roiling and trying to well up from his center. He must treat it as a puzzle, a mystery to unravel and understand. What happened to Vilus? What was the thing that had appeared? The idea that it was some kind of... avatar... of Razmus had to be considered, after all they had seen. If not that, then perhaps some kind of creature beholden to the cult's figurehead. The fact that Vilus seemed to have simply vanished lent itself to the possibility that the Goliath was still alive, and simply transported elsewhere. Of course, given what had been left behind he was surely seriously injured. His eyes flicker over to Malachi for a moment before it is followed by a shake of his head.
Ashley whirls her head around to look at Malachi, "Continue in the tunnels, are you mad? We just escaped these tunnels with our lives... barely! Not to mention what just happened to Vilus. And what if we run into more of those worms and bugs? Can't we just head to Talmouth over land? But honestly, is that where we need to go? How are we to know where Vilus went? Should we look back in Andra's office to see if anything survived? And if it did, maybe there is another clue?" She looks hopeful to everyone, and this is her grabbing onto something, if not, she's afraid she would crumble.
“Where Vilus went? He is gone, did you see that thing? What could have survived that?”Malachi looks back at Ashley in shock. “The mining rigs are still missing, they are still digging for some artifact. If we had to Talmouth, we will have to pick up the trail from thin air, especially without the aid of Vilus’ organization. No, these tunnels hold the answer.” He pauses in thought, looking over to Samir “Do you still have the map you made of the pinpricks of light in Andra’s office? Can we use that to locate the others in Talmouth?”
The two surviving cultists continue to swim away under the water, one severely wounded by Joren's echo. Miter calls from the tunnel, "Ashley?! Is the path to you clear of any more traps?" Footsteps follow, and soon Miter rounds the corner with 11 other officers behind him, armed and ready to fight. He sees Lanya on the ground and rushes over, sliding to his knees.
"Sir, you are injured! Philben, Rosh, get Lanya to a healer!"
"No need to panic, Miter. I am hurt, yes, but I think I'm going to pull- ahhh," she winces at the wound in her side. It is partially closed, but the shape of the wound left by the cultist's dagger is designed to bleed. "-I'll pull through," She continues. "Thanks to the 5 here, and Vilus who is... gone. They were right about the cult." She points off across the water at the two cultists who have nearly reached the other side.
At a swift hand signal from Miter, 9 officers line up along the water's edge and draw bows. As one, they fire a volley across the water. Arrows rain down, and soon a bloody body floats up to the surface. Before they can ready a second volley, the final cultist surfaces at the far end and crawls through the hole in the aquifer that the party had made the previous day.
"Is anyone else in need of medical attention?" Miter asks
Ashley raises her hand when Miter asks if anyone else is in need of medical attention, "And a rest. I am pretty spent." She turns to Lanya, "But we lost Vilus.. that thing that swallowed him and Andra up, I could have sworn it was summoned by Andra. So maybe Vilus is with him?" her face clouds with concern, "Though, that won't be good either, he is in terrible shape. Or was..."
"Deciding what to do - you know that I am trusting you all. Careful with that crossbow bolt in the corner - explosive charges on them that detonate when untethered. But, you can be figuring that out. Having, unfinished business, me," Joren growls. "Back soon."
He sends his echo 30' across the water, laterally out of the way of the archers' first volley. Then suddenly 30' further to the hole in the aquifer that the final cultist crawled through. With a brief nod and laconic smile at his friends, swaps position with the echo on the other side and is gone. In pursuit.
Joren's echo briefly hovers on the ledge with the party and the others, then shimmers and fades.
I'll be gods damned if I am not bringing at least one of those bastards back alive.
Samir seems startled by Malachi's question, and for a moment he only looks at the other man with a confused look on his face. It is Joren's actions that seem to snap him out of whatever headspace he had been occupying, and as the warrior vanishes, Samir shakes his head and looks at Malachi.
"I am not certain, but it is possible. I don't know that we can be certain what those points indicated, in all honesty. And I find that I agree with Ashley. The thought of giving chase to whoever might be ahead of us in these tunnels is discomfiting, to say the least." His eyes drift back to where Vilus had been standing. "We are none of us as strong as we could be, I think. Perhaps if we had some help from the city guard?"
The final cultist drags herself into the side tunnel and starts limping as fast as she can away from the aquifer, not knowing where it leads. She stumbles over a rock in the dark and gasps in pain. An arrow is lodged firmly in her shoulder, and another in her leg, but she has no time to pull them out. She must get away.
She hears the clank of metal behind her and looks over her shoulder. Joren's imposing form is silhouetted against the dim light coming from the aquifer chamber. She stumbles to her knees again, grabs a rock, and throws it desperately at the figure as she scrambles back to her feet. The rock glances uselessly off of Joren's cheek (1 point of damage).
As Philben and Rosh lift Lanya carefully, Miter looks off at the crater where Vilus had faced off against Andra. "Let's have this discussion back above ground. From what you said earlier, cultists aren't the only thing we need to look out for down here. Plus, I can't have this many officers pulled away from the city for long. Especially not right now."
Something in the tone of voice conveys that he does not feel in control of the situation at the moment.
Joren’s warning about the crossbow bolt brought Malachi back to the present and he went to search the area where the cultists attacked, looking for any discarded crossbows or bolts and trying to determine what caused the explosions. He will secure a crossbow and bolts to use later if possible.
He looks up from his search at Miter’s report “not right now? What is happening above, Miter?”
A burning rage is howling inside Joren's heart, but the rational part of his soldier's brain knows the inherent risk of the situation.
Other allies she may have. Or gloazworm larvae or adult monstrosities coming. Never negotiating from a position of disadvantage, these cultists, so she will not give in. This must be ending quick. Grappling... I could try but then how to move her over the water? Better if she is not struggling...
Leaving the thought of grappling aside for the moment, he moves his echo up to the cultist, hanging back 15' himself behind a bit of cover if he can. He attacks non-lethally with his greatsword from his echo's position, silent and implacable.
Every time the cultist turns around, she sees the silhouette stalking ever closer, though it never appears to be running. She hears the sound of a heavy sword swinging through the air and dives forward just in time to avoid the blow (AC 15). Severed wisps of her hair fall around her, but she is shortly up on her feet running again. Her feet splash through a small pond, and she can see a glow through an opening up ahead. Warm air brushes past her face. Almost there...
Miter looks for words, but finds few. "Endrini, tell them what you reported to me."
An elven officer runs up and bows his head briefly before turning to Malachi. "We are being flooded by reports of strange inexplicable incidents and accidents. Fires are breaking out, and people are acting scared, confused, or downright bizarre. I myself have been feeling... different. We have yet to see any casualties, but at this rate it's only a matter of time unless we can establish a solid presence, but-"
"But I deemed this a more pressing priority by a slim margin," Miter interjects. He looks over at Lanya, getting carried off. "And I'm glad I did. She is not replaceable." Several of the other officers nod in agreement.
Joren curses loudly as he not only misses what should be an easy strike, but follows up with another miss as the cultist escapes his echo's reach.
(Sentinel AOO to hit: 9)
He sends his echo after the fleeing cultist and swaps places with it using a bonus action. Then grapples the cultist, attempting to immobilize and drag them back to the aquifer. He is incredibly frustrated with himself at this point. Truly, I am a failure as a soldier and deserving of whatever death this brings me. Probably ending up in the maw of a gloazworm once more or something worse due to my own incompetence.
The cultist is running short on breath. But she is so close. She sees the dim glow before her, and she reaches for it.
Suddenly the glow is obscured as a massive chitinous limb pokes through the opening and scythes toward her. A heavy hand grabs her arm and pulls her back out of the way just in time to keep her head attached to her body. She panics and turns around as Joren drags her off of her feet, and she hammers her bare fist against his armour, but to no avail.
Joren was planning to take his time dragging the cultist back while he knocked her prone and pummeled her senseless with his echo, but the appearance of the adult gloazworm's giant razor sharp appendage through the opening changes everything and confirms his worst fears.
He dashes back up the tunnel, slowed as he half-shoves, half-carries the cultist ahead of him, making it 30' further away from the opening. He keeps his echo just ahead of himself and a handaxe in his free hand so that it (the echo) can take a non-lethal swing at her opportunistically if she breaks free.
Ashley doesn't take her eyes off the tunnel that Joren just disappeared through chasing the errant cultist. While looking in that direction, she answers Miter, "Yes, we won't leave without Joren, but if the rest of your crew needs to head back up because of the turmoil in the city, we understand. Is there a good meeting spot or just above the mines? We'll be out to meet you as soon as Joren returns."
The cultist apparently gives up, allowing herself to be brought forth by Joren. With no tools left to defend herself, and an escape route that means certain death, what choice does she have?
Miter circles his finger, signaling his officers to prepare to depart. "Understood. You'll likely find me by the the guardhouse where we first took you when you entered the city." With that, he and the others begin to head topside. It's about that point at which movement can be seen across the water. Joren nears the opening, with his captive in tow.
Malachi watches the departing guardsmen and then looks down the tunnel. “I still say that following the tunnel is the best way to keep on the cultist’s trail. But it sounds like there is trouble above and we may still yet be rewarded for our efforts.” Malachi turns and takes the crossbow bolt to Samir, after carefully unloading it “Here, Samir. What do you make of this? It appears the rune causes some sort of explosion after the tether is pulled. Maybe you can replicate it or find some other use for it?”Malachi keeps the crossbow, hoping to find some normal bolts for it later.
Malachi squats down along the edge of the cliff, waiting for Joren to return, and closes his eyes, one hand moving again to the mark on his temple.
DM:
Malachi reaches inside his mind, feeling a little ridiculous, like he is talking to himself. But trying to make contact with the strange presence anyway “Are you there? That is twice you have saved me now, why? In any case, it was different when I connected with the cultist. Almost like he was expecting me. Does this mark allow him to see me?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Seeing Lanya back gives Ashley a small amount of hope now that Vilus was lost. She really wasn't sure how they would find their friend. "I'm so glad you're alright, we need to get you out of these tunnels." she says to Lanya.
As she hears the command from Miter, she calls out to him, "Miter!! We're down here with Lanya, come quick, we need to get out of this place."
Malachi walks back to the west, peering through the darkness to see what lies ahead. “Should we continue to follow the tunnel? See if it leads to Talmouth and more cultists? Or whatever it is they are trying to uncover?” He turns and looks at the others “I am not sure what more we can do for Tensmith. I don’t think they have to worry about Andra’s plans anymore.”
Samir stands to the side, one hand fidgeting automatically with his glases. Otherwise, he seems calm, detached. In his mind he replays the scene that occurred, puzzling over what had happened and attempting to break things down logically. It was either that or lose himself to the fear that even then was roiling and trying to well up from his center. He must treat it as a puzzle, a mystery to unravel and understand. What happened to Vilus? What was the thing that had appeared? The idea that it was some kind of... avatar... of Razmus had to be considered, after all they had seen. If not that, then perhaps some kind of creature beholden to the cult's figurehead. The fact that Vilus seemed to have simply vanished lent itself to the possibility that the Goliath was still alive, and simply transported elsewhere. Of course, given what had been left behind he was surely seriously injured. His eyes flicker over to Malachi for a moment before it is followed by a shake of his head.
What happens next? Samir had no idea at all.
Ashley whirls her head around to look at Malachi, "Continue in the tunnels, are you mad? We just escaped these tunnels with our lives... barely! Not to mention what just happened to Vilus. And what if we run into more of those worms and bugs? Can't we just head to Talmouth over land? But honestly, is that where we need to go? How are we to know where Vilus went? Should we look back in Andra's office to see if anything survived? And if it did, maybe there is another clue?" She looks hopeful to everyone, and this is her grabbing onto something, if not, she's afraid she would crumble.
“Where Vilus went? He is gone, did you see that thing? What could have survived that?” Malachi looks back at Ashley in shock. “The mining rigs are still missing, they are still digging for some artifact. If we had to Talmouth, we will have to pick up the trail from thin air, especially without the aid of Vilus’ organization. No, these tunnels hold the answer.” He pauses in thought, looking over to Samir “Do you still have the map you made of the pinpricks of light in Andra’s office? Can we use that to locate the others in Talmouth?”
The two surviving cultists continue to swim away under the water, one severely wounded by Joren's echo. Miter calls from the tunnel, "Ashley?! Is the path to you clear of any more traps?" Footsteps follow, and soon Miter rounds the corner with 11 other officers behind him, armed and ready to fight. He sees Lanya on the ground and rushes over, sliding to his knees.
"Sir, you are injured! Philben, Rosh, get Lanya to a healer!"
"No need to panic, Miter. I am hurt, yes, but I think I'm going to pull- ahhh," she winces at the wound in her side. It is partially closed, but the shape of the wound left by the cultist's dagger is designed to bleed. "-I'll pull through," She continues. "Thanks to the 5 here, and Vilus who is... gone. They were right about the cult." She points off across the water at the two cultists who have nearly reached the other side.
At a swift hand signal from Miter, 9 officers line up along the water's edge and draw bows. As one, they fire a volley across the water. Arrows rain down, and soon a bloody body floats up to the surface. Before they can ready a second volley, the final cultist surfaces at the far end and crawls through the hole in the aquifer that the party had made the previous day.
"Is anyone else in need of medical attention?" Miter asks
Ashley raises her hand when Miter asks if anyone else is in need of medical attention, "And a rest. I am pretty spent." She turns to Lanya, "But we lost Vilus.. that thing that swallowed him and Andra up, I could have sworn it was summoned by Andra. So maybe Vilus is with him?" her face clouds with concern, "Though, that won't be good either, he is in terrible shape. Or was..."
"Deciding what to do - you know that I am trusting you all. Careful with that crossbow bolt in the corner - explosive charges on them that detonate when untethered. But, you can be figuring that out. Having, unfinished business, me," Joren growls. "Back soon."
He sends his echo 30' across the water, laterally out of the way of the archers' first volley. Then suddenly 30' further to the hole in the aquifer that the final cultist crawled through. With a brief nod and laconic smile at his friends, swaps position with the echo on the other side and is gone. In pursuit.
Joren's echo briefly hovers on the ledge with the party and the others, then shimmers and fades.
I'll be gods damned if I am not bringing at least one of those bastards back alive.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Samir seems startled by Malachi's question, and for a moment he only looks at the other man with a confused look on his face. It is Joren's actions that seem to snap him out of whatever headspace he had been occupying, and as the warrior vanishes, Samir shakes his head and looks at Malachi.
"I am not certain, but it is possible. I don't know that we can be certain what those points indicated, in all honesty. And I find that I agree with Ashley. The thought of giving chase to whoever might be ahead of us in these tunnels is discomfiting, to say the least." His eyes drift back to where Vilus had been standing. "We are none of us as strong as we could be, I think. Perhaps if we had some help from the city guard?"
The final cultist drags herself into the side tunnel and starts limping as fast as she can away from the aquifer, not knowing where it leads. She stumbles over a rock in the dark and gasps in pain. An arrow is lodged firmly in her shoulder, and another in her leg, but she has no time to pull them out. She must get away.
She hears the clank of metal behind her and looks over her shoulder. Joren's imposing form is silhouetted against the dim light coming from the aquifer chamber. She stumbles to her knees again, grabs a rock, and throws it desperately at the figure as she scrambles back to her feet. The rock glances uselessly off of Joren's cheek (1 point of damage).
As Philben and Rosh lift Lanya carefully, Miter looks off at the crater where Vilus had faced off against Andra. "Let's have this discussion back above ground. From what you said earlier, cultists aren't the only thing we need to look out for down here. Plus, I can't have this many officers pulled away from the city for long. Especially not right now."
Something in the tone of voice conveys that he does not feel in control of the situation at the moment.
"Should we wait for Joren?"
Joren’s warning about the crossbow bolt brought Malachi back to the present and he went to search the area where the cultists attacked, looking for any discarded crossbows or bolts and trying to determine what caused the explosions. He will secure a crossbow and bolts to use later if possible.
He looks up from his search at Miter’s report “not right now? What is happening above, Miter?”
A burning rage is howling inside Joren's heart, but the rational part of his soldier's brain knows the inherent risk of the situation.
Other allies she may have. Or gloazworm larvae or adult monstrosities coming. Never negotiating from a position of disadvantage, these cultists, so she will not give in. This must be ending quick. Grappling... I could try but then how to move her over the water? Better if she is not struggling...
Leaving the thought of grappling aside for the moment, he moves his echo up to the cultist, hanging back 15' himself behind a bit of cover if he can. He attacks non-lethally with his greatsword from his echo's position, silent and implacable.
To hit: 14
Damage: 12
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Every time the cultist turns around, she sees the silhouette stalking ever closer, though it never appears to be running. She hears the sound of a heavy sword swinging through the air and dives forward just in time to avoid the blow (AC 15). Severed wisps of her hair fall around her, but she is shortly up on her feet running again. Her feet splash through a small pond, and she can see a glow through an opening up ahead. Warm air brushes past her face. Almost there...
Miter looks for words, but finds few. "Endrini, tell them what you reported to me."
An elven officer runs up and bows his head briefly before turning to Malachi. "We are being flooded by reports of strange inexplicable incidents and accidents. Fires are breaking out, and people are acting scared, confused, or downright bizarre. I myself have been feeling... different. We have yet to see any casualties, but at this rate it's only a matter of time unless we can establish a solid presence, but-"
"But I deemed this a more pressing priority by a slim margin," Miter interjects. He looks over at Lanya, getting carried off. "And I'm glad I did. She is not replaceable." Several of the other officers nod in agreement.
Joren curses loudly as he not only misses what should be an easy strike, but follows up with another miss as the cultist escapes his echo's reach.
(Sentinel AOO to hit: 9)
He sends his echo after the fleeing cultist and swaps places with it using a bonus action. Then grapples the cultist, attempting to immobilize and drag them back to the aquifer. He is incredibly frustrated with himself at this point. Truly, I am a failure as a soldier and deserving of whatever death this brings me. Probably ending up in the maw of a gloazworm once more or something worse due to my own incompetence.
(Stowing greatsword as a free action.)
Athletics to grapple cultist: 17
On a success, he drags them back towards the aquifer with his remaining 15' of movement (so 7.5').
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
The cultist is running short on breath. But she is so close. She sees the dim glow before her, and she reaches for it.
Suddenly the glow is obscured as a massive chitinous limb pokes through the opening and scythes toward her. A heavy hand grabs her arm and pulls her back out of the way just in time to keep her head attached to her body. She panics and turns around as Joren drags her off of her feet, and she hammers her bare fist against his armour, but to no avail.
Já to kurva věděl! I f***ing knew it!
Joren was planning to take his time dragging the cultist back while he knocked her prone and pummeled her senseless with his echo, but the appearance of the adult gloazworm's giant razor sharp appendage through the opening changes everything and confirms his worst fears.
He dashes back up the tunnel, slowed as he half-shoves, half-carries the cultist ahead of him, making it 30' further away from the opening. He keeps his echo just ahead of himself and a handaxe in his free hand so that it (the echo) can take a non-lethal swing at her opportunistically if she breaks free.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Ashley doesn't take her eyes off the tunnel that Joren just disappeared through chasing the errant cultist. While looking in that direction, she answers Miter, "Yes, we won't leave without Joren, but if the rest of your crew needs to head back up because of the turmoil in the city, we understand. Is there a good meeting spot or just above the mines? We'll be out to meet you as soon as Joren returns."
Samir moves up next to Ashley, glancing over at Miter once before turning his eyes to the tunnel where Joren vanished.
The cultist apparently gives up, allowing herself to be brought forth by Joren. With no tools left to defend herself, and an escape route that means certain death, what choice does she have?
Miter circles his finger, signaling his officers to prepare to depart. "Understood. You'll likely find me by the the guardhouse where we first took you when you entered the city." With that, he and the others begin to head topside. It's about that point at which movement can be seen across the water. Joren nears the opening, with his captive in tow.
Malachi watches the departing guardsmen and then looks down the tunnel. “I still say that following the tunnel is the best way to keep on the cultist’s trail. But it sounds like there is trouble above and we may still yet be rewarded for our efforts.” Malachi turns and takes the crossbow bolt to Samir, after carefully unloading it “Here, Samir. What do you make of this? It appears the rune causes some sort of explosion after the tether is pulled. Maybe you can replicate it or find some other use for it?” Malachi keeps the crossbow, hoping to find some normal bolts for it later.
Malachi squats down along the edge of the cliff, waiting for Joren to return, and closes his eyes, one hand moving again to the mark on his temple.
DM:
Malachi reaches inside his mind, feeling a little ridiculous, like he is talking to himself. But trying to make contact with the strange presence anyway “Are you there? That is twice you have saved me now, why? In any case, it was different when I connected with the cultist. Almost like he was expecting me. Does this mark allow him to see me?”