Clarac returns the greetings of her fellow party members. When traveling to Cammoria, she rides comfortably on her pegasus. She has no shortage of tales to tell on the road, though most are formulaic stories of romance and chivalry.
When she arrives in the palace and enters the throne room, she bows to the queen and the other members of the royal court, listening attentively. She is particularly reverent to the high-ranking members of the church who are present.
When she feels she is allowed to speak, she says, "Demons roaming the streets? Evil cults and undead? How terrible!" The cadence of her voice increases as she continues, almost too eagerly, "Her holiness the Saintess and Lady Khessa speak the truth; to delay is to let evil flourish and innocents fall. We must travel to Veldos posthaste, by whatever means is most expedient."
Danae looks at the group with an impish grin. "Well, if they're cheating, I can bend the rules a little and while at the moment not directly intervene, I can at least get you there quicker than normal. Meet me in the courtyard in the morning." She jumps down from the chair and heads to the door, before turning back to Sparhawk. "You better listen to mother, head to the baths. You smell like metal and road dust."
Sparhawk nods then looks to the group sheepishly. "The queen commands, so I must obey. See to your needs and we'll meet in the courtyard at first light." He walks over and clasps arms with Vannion, and then kneels before Sephrenia. "Will you bless me little mother?" He kisses both of her palms, and bows his head to her. She smiles and places her hands on top of his head. She looks at Vannion, "We did well with this one" She comments, and Vannion nods approvingly. "He is our best."
Sparhawk rises and heads to the door. "The baths are rather nice if you so choose, and the kitchen may give you friend Tyekanik a run for your money. Ortzel can show you the chapel for those who seek a higher sustainment." He then departs.
Danae entered the room and came over, Sparhawk given her a hard look.
"Oh, do relax, mama has no idea I have walked away and I need to be here for this meeting." She looks at the group, especially to the new commers. "I guess you probably need to explain our unique family situation for our friends here so we can focus on the crisis," she states with a sigh. Sparhawk turns to the group.
"What I am about to tell you all is a state secret, so let's keep it that way. You may have noticed that my sweet little daughter here has an uncanny resemblance and mannerisms of our dear friend flute. For our new members, Aphrael is one of the Younger Gods of Styricum, and is known as the Child-Goddess, as her preferred form is that of a six-year old girl with grass-stained feet who goes by the name of Flute. She plays a flute from time to time, so you may hear her....
So out of her love for the queen, Aphrael using her abilities became Danae as well
Vrox is stunned at this news. "Can it be?", he gasps. He has been in the presence of powerful beings, archfey and demons from the Abyss, but he never expected to come face-to-face with a god. He drops quickly to his knees and says, "Forgive us, Your Divine Radiance! We had no idea." He does not rise or look up until Danae gives him leave to do so. When he finally does so, he says, "With praise to you!" He lifts his pan flute to his lips and plays a short, jaunty tune inspired by the goddesses youthful form. Performance25
"As they moved closer to the city, they found one survivor, badly tortured and nearly on death's door. Spoke of a Blood God, a God of Rage called Kharneth who had demons with him. Large, red beasts with horns and black swords, relishing in slaughter. But the survivor described another group of demons, bluish/puplish in colors also relishing in torture. The two demons were working togther, and the cult were herding all they could capture towards the city. There is nothing from Prince Makova, no messages or requests for aid, nothing at all. Then the scouts stopped reporting and we haven't heard.
Vrox's usual mirth is somewhat muted in the presence of Danae and in the description of the grisly and depraved violence. He he listens intently to the reports of the attacks. Based on their descriptions, does Vrox recognize what types of demons they're talking about? Does he know anything about the special abilities or resistances of these particular types of demons?
The "Large, red beasts with horns and black swords, relishing in slaughter"? Nature30
Or the bluish/puplish ones who "also relishing in torture"? Nature29
((OOC: Both rolls with advantage because Fiends are one of Vrox's Favored Foes. I'm not sure whether Nature is the right check here. Subtract 6 if it should have been Arcana or 12 if it should have been Religion.)
((OOC: Both rolls with advantage because Fiends are one of Vrox's Favored Foes.
((OOC: Of course, I meant to reference the Favored Enemy feature, not Favored Foe. Also, no idea why it thought -- banner seems to be gone now -- that that post has manipulated dice rolls: I didn't even edit the post.))
Lord Akkron remains silent through most of the proceedings... though he sighs deeply at the story of how Sir Sparhawk and the Queen came to parents to a god.
He can't help but chuckle at Vrox's groveling, though.
"Vrox, she has been with us throughout much of our adventure already,"he tells the satyr. "She has never come off as the type who was particularly obsessed with formality. And she hasn't smited any of us for insufficient piety yet, either."
He quickly turns his attention back to the problem at hand, though.
"If such chaos is already upon the people of this land, we will need to finish our dealings with the trolls with haste... it does not sound like the victims of the demons have time on their side. With any luck I will be able to convince the leaders of the undead hordes to stand down after we have dealt with the trolls... simple wights and ghasts care little for anything besides destruction, but if they are controlled by more powerful beings such as vampires and, yes, liches, then it may still be possible to reach an amicable resolution on that front."
"Vrox, she has been with us throughout much of our adventure already,"he tells the satyr. "She has never come off as the type who was particularly obsessed with formality. And she hasn't smited any of us for insufficient piety yet, either."
Vrox is surprised and impressed, only saying, "This is a band of heroes for the ages, if traveling with gods is such a trifling matter!"
"If such chaos is already upon the people of this land, we will need to finish our dealings with the trolls with haste... it does not sound like the victims of the demons have time on their side.
Vrox is confused. He thought that it had been decided that Danae would help them travel quickly to the villages under attack by the demons first thing in the morning. That is, he thought that this latest took priority over their plans to deal with the trolls.
Vrox is confused. He thought that it had been decided that Danae would help them travel quickly to the villages under attack by the demons first thing in the morning. That is, he thought that this latest took priority over their plans to deal with the trolls.
(That might have been my mistake, actually... I assumed our plan was to try to convince the trolls to join us rather than fight a war by ourselves. Maybe Lord Akkron is starting to slow down a bit with age...)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
(That might have been my mistake, actually... I assumed our plan was to try to convince the trolls to join us rather than fight a war by ourselves. Maybe Lord Akkron is starting to slow down a bit with age...)
("There, there." >pats skeletal hand comfortingly< "That's bound to happen after the first thousand years or so.")
Danae entered the room and came over, Sparhawk given her a hard look.
"Oh, do relax, mama has no idea I have walked away and I need to be here for this meeting." She looks at the group, especially to the new commers. "I guess you probably need to explain our unique family situation for our friends here so we can focus on the crisis," she states with a sigh. Sparhawk turns to the group.
"What I am about to tell you all is a state secret, so let's keep it that way. You may have noticed that my sweet little daughter here has an uncanny resemblance and mannerisms of our dear friend flute. For our new members, Aphrael is one of the Younger Gods of Styricum, and is known as the Child-Goddess, as her preferred form is that of a six-year old girl with grass-stained feet who goes by the name of Flute. She plays a flute from time to time, so you may hear her....
So out of her love for the queen, Aphrael using her abilities became Danae as well
Vrox is stunned at this news. "Can it be?", he gasps. He has been in the presence of powerful beings, archfey and demons from the Abyss, but he never expected to come face-to-face with a god. He drops quickly to his knees and says, "Forgive us, Your Divine Radiance! We had no idea." He does not rise or look up until Danae gives him leave to do so. When he finally does so, he says, "With praise to you!" He lifts his pan flute to his lips and plays a short, jaunty tune inspired by the goddesses youthful form. Performance20
"As they moved closer to the city, they found one survivor, badly tortured and nearly on death's door. Spoke of a Blood God, a God of Rage called Kharneth who had demons with him. Large, red beasts with horns and black swords, relishing in slaughter. But the survivor described another group of demons, bluish/puplish in colors also relishing in torture. The two demons were working togther, and the cult were herding all they could capture towards the city. There is nothing from Prince Makova, no messages or requests for aid, nothing at all. Then the scouts stopped reporting and we haven't heard.
Vrox's usual mirth is somewhat muted in the presence of Danae and in the description of the grisly and depraved violence. He he listens intently to the reports of the attacks. Based on their descriptions, does Vrox recognize what types of demons they're talking about? Does he know anything about the special abilities or resistances of these particular types of demons?
The "Large, red beasts with horns and black swords, relishing in slaughter"? Nature30
Or the bluish/puplish ones who "also relishing in torture"? Nature31
((OOC: Both rolls with advantage because Fiends are one of Vrox's Favored Foes. I'm not sure whether Nature is the right check here. Subtract 6 if it should have been Arcana or 12 if it should have been Religion.)
The large red beasts as described, are not natural, same with those who are bluish/purplish in colors. They are demonic, specifically to those in league with Azash and Slaanesh.
The large red beasts as described, are not natural, same with those who are bluish/purplish in colors. They are demonic, specifically to those in league with Azash and Slaanesh.
((OOC: Yes, clear. What I was trying to say is that I'd like to make an INT check to see whether Vrox knows anything about these types of demons. I just didn't know which skill to roll, so I listed it as Nature. But depending upon which INT skill is appropriate here, we can translate the roll to the corresponding skill check result:
The large red beasts as described, are not natural, same with those who are bluish/purplish in colors. They are demonic, specifically to those in league with Azash and Slaanesh.
((OOC: Yes, clear. What I was trying to say is that I'd like to make an INT check to see whether Vrox knows anything about these types of demons. I just didn't know which skill to roll, so I listed it as Nature. But depending upon which INT skill is appropriate here, we can translate the roll to the corresponding skill check result:
(Sorry about that) From your knowledge of the ancient past, and demonic lore, these two type of demons were mentioned as part of the great war that took place a thousand years ago. When you heard the demonic name "Kharneth" for the dark god Azash, which means "Lord of Rage" or "Lord of Blood." Azash was the mightiest and the oldest of the four major Chaos Gods. Demons who served him are Bloodthirsters who are the embodiments of fear and terror long-expressed in the ancient legends of Daemons that hungered for the souls of Mankind. Their skin is the deep red of encrusted blood. Their gore-flecked hides are covered in crimson fur the color of spilt blood and their eyes are milky white without visible iris or pupil.Their feet are cloven and the ground burns at their passing. Their bodies are impossibly muscled and covered in iron-tipped barbs. From their backs sprout a pair of gigantic, membranous, bat-like wings. Most hideous of all are their faces, which are bestial, almost canine.
The others could be Bloodletters. The Daemonic hordes of Azsash are largely made up of ferocious Bloodletters. These Lesser Daemons are deadly warriors, many of whom are believed by the worshippers of Chaos to have been foremost amongst the Blood God's followers in mortal life and whose will is as implacable and blood-hungry as that of Azash himself. Sharp, needle-like teeth stud a Bloodletter's slavering jaws. Its serpentine tongue constantly flickers to taste the spilled blood of those it slays. Rippling muscles lie barely concealed beneath the Bloodletter's scaly red hide, knotted sinews that give the strength sufficient for its jet-black claws to pierce the most unyielding armor. This might is guided by a killing instinct that surpasses that of mortal men. A Bloodletter is unburdened by any other thought or compulsion than to reap the lives of Azash's foes and claim skulls in the name of its divine lord. They carry massive chaos-metal swords known as Hellblades, great two-handed weapons that cut effortlessly though any armor crafted by mortals.
As for the purplish/bluish, it is also an ancient tale of what could be called a Daemonette, also known as a "Maiden of Ecstasy," is a Lesser Daemon of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of amoral pleasure. Also known as "Bringers of Joyous Degradation," "Harbingers of Endless Delights," the "Children of Slaanesh," and "Seekers of Decadence," Daemonettes are all these things and more. Their physical appearance is confounding. At once impossibly twisted and shamefully intriguing, the hermaphroditic form of a Daemonette is both repulsive and nearly impossible for a mortal to turn away from. In battle, Daemonettes are lithe, dexterous killers, whose claws can tear their opponents to shreds, or allure their mortal victims into their clutches.
After hearing the reports of the demon attacks, Vrox is still subdued and unusually serious. He says, "In the wars between the Fey Courts, the Unseelie fey would sometimes make infernal pacts or summon demonic forces to fight for them. It is hard to be certain from the brief descriptions, but these demons sound like ones I've heard of in old tales." He shares the information with the others:
From your knowledge of the ancient past, and demonic lore, these two type of demons were mentioned as part of the great war that took place a thousand years ago. When you heard the demonic name "Kharneth" for the dark god Azash, which means "Lord of Rage" or "Lord of Blood." Azash was the mightiest and the oldest of the four major Chaos Gods. Demons who served him are Bloodthirsters who are the embodiments of fear and terror long-expressed in the ancient legends of Daemons that hungered for the souls of Mankind. Their skin is the deep red of encrusted blood. Their gore-flecked hides are covered in crimson fur the color of spilt blood and their eyes are milky white without visible iris or pupil.Their feet are cloven and the ground burns at their passing. Their bodies are impossibly muscled and covered in iron-tipped barbs. From their backs sprout a pair of gigantic, membranous, bat-like wings. Most hideous of all are their faces, which are bestial, almost canine.
The others cold be Bloodletters. The Daemonic hordes of Azsash are largely made up of ferocious Bloodletters. These Lesser Daemons are deadly warriors, many of whom are believed by the worshippers of Chaos to have been foremost amongst the Blood God's followers in mortal life and whose will is as implacable and blood-hungry as that of Azash himself. Sharp, needle-like teeth stud a Bloodletter's slavering jaws. Its serpentine tongue constantly flickers to taste the spilled blood of those it slays. Rippling muscles lie barely concealed beneath the Bloodletter's scaly red hide, knotted sinews that give the strength sufficient for its jet-black claws to pierce the most unyielding armor. This might is guided by a killing instinct that surpasses that of mortal men. A Bloodletter is unburdened by any other thought or compulsion than to reap the lives of Azash's foes and claim skulls in the name of its divine lord. They carry massive chaos-metal swords known as Hellblades, great two-handed weapons that cut effortlessly though any armor crafted by mortals.
As for the purplish/bluish, it is also an ancient tale of what could be called a Daemonette, also known as a "Maiden of Ecstasy," is a Lesser Daemon of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of amoral pleasure. Also known as "Bringers of Joyous Degradation," "Harbingers of Endless Delights," the "Children of Slaanesh," and "Seekers of Decadence," Daemonettes are all these things and more. Their physical appearance is confounding. At once impossibly twisted and shamefully intriguing, the hermaphroditic form of a Daemonette is both repulsive and nearly impossible for a mortal to turn away from. In battle, Daemonettes are lithe, dexterous killers, whose claws can tear their opponents to shreds, or allure their mortal victims into their clutches.
"Rage... Chaos..." Khessa reflects on the information provided by Vrox "Perhaps cunning, faith and magic will allow us to have the advantage over their ferocity and brute strength".
"Plus, if the Devils of Avernus do their job on the other planes," the blonde arcane warrior goes on "the Nefarious Duo won't be able to send many more Demons as reinforcements - we should just have to defeat the ones we find. Only those".
"After that, having inflicted yet another humiliation on the Nefarious Duo," the tall adventuress smiles "we will be able to resume our diplomatic mission towards the Troll Gods with even greater credit".
You spend your evening as you see fit, and awake the following morning refreshed. You all gather in the courtyard in the early morning, where Sparhawk meets you, along with Brother Maynard. The Queen, Danae, Vannion and Sephrenia are also there to wish you well and see you off. There is a quiet conversation between the queen and Sparhawk, before she returns to a more regal look. She addresses the group.
"I wish you well in this most challenging of quests. As one of the rulers here in the Western Kingdoms, I charge you our champions to see justice done and this threat to our lives stopped."
You all see Danae wink at you and give a smile. Sparhawk draws his sword and salutes, then after returning it to its scabbard, leads you out of the city. You haven't traveled far out into the countryside where you hear the sound of a flute, and soon you see the familiar visage of a little girl with grass-stained feet sitting on a tree limb playing her flute. Sparhawk rides up and she nimbly drops down to sit on Faran's neck before Sparhawk. Using her foot, she taps Faran and the horse moves onto the road.
She plays a different melody, and it seems you all relax, and go into a dream-like state. Around you it almost appears as a morning fog rises up as you travel down the road, the sun diffused through the grey mist. You all seem to have dozed off, and when you awake, the area around you is much different. No longer can you really see the sun, and you are before a mountain pass. The clouds are a dark, angry mix of colors, mostly grey but mixed with blue, purple, and an angry red streaked through the clouds. There is thunder in the distance. At the entrance of the pass on either side of the road are two crucified remains of what you believe were people, their heads missing, with the same circle and outward arrows symbol you saw before.
Khessa directs a mote of fire at each of the two symbols of the Nefarious Duo, reducing them to ash: "When we are finished with you," she imagines addressing the pair of evil deities "your memory will end up the same - it will be dispersed by the wind once and for all".
The blonde arcane warrior considers: "I don't know how cunning these Demons are - perhaps they rely only on strength and ferocity, but it would not be wise to exclude that they have placed some of their people high up, in an advantageous position. I will have Anator check that the upper areas at the sides of the pass are free. If they are not, better go up and free them, instead of entering and getting surrounded". And the bat hovers in the sky, going to check...
As we approach the area where evil lives, the Saintess will stand and say a prayer over the group. "The hand of God will watch over us." A Large spectral guardian appears and hovers over and accompanies the the party for the day.
Hearing Khessa point out that demons could be lurking in the mountains, Clarac closes her eyes momentarily and attempts to sense whether any are present in the group's immediate vicinity.
Divine Sense:
The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
While they wait for the bat to scout the mountain pass, Clarac moves to bury the mangled remains of the two crucified people.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Vrox looks grim and scans the area. He reaches back to his quiver and from somewhere, he manages to bring out a longbow as tall as he is. It seems to radiate power and has inscriptions carved all along it. The grip looks like some sort of gemstone. Vrox says, "I will scout ahead a little ways." He doesn't want anything to surprise them while the clerics bury the bodies.
Vrox walks ahead in whatever cover he can find near the road. He springs lightly from shadow to shadow, or perhaps the shadow reach out and embrace him. It's odd, but before he's even 100 ft. away, he's already practically invisible.
Vrox will scout ahead, moving with stealth, maybe 200' beyond the entrance to the pass.
Clarac returns the greetings of her fellow party members. When traveling to Cammoria, she rides comfortably on her pegasus. She has no shortage of tales to tell on the road, though most are formulaic stories of romance and chivalry.
When she arrives in the palace and enters the throne room, she bows to the queen and the other members of the royal court, listening attentively. She is particularly reverent to the high-ranking members of the church who are present.
When she feels she is allowed to speak, she says, "Demons roaming the streets? Evil cults and undead? How terrible!" The cadence of her voice increases as she continues, almost too eagerly, "Her holiness the Saintess and Lady Khessa speak the truth; to delay is to let evil flourish and innocents fall. We must travel to Veldos posthaste, by whatever means is most expedient."
Danae looks at the group with an impish grin. "Well, if they're cheating, I can bend the rules a little and while at the moment not directly intervene, I can at least get you there quicker than normal. Meet me in the courtyard in the morning." She jumps down from the chair and heads to the door, before turning back to Sparhawk. "You better listen to mother, head to the baths. You smell like metal and road dust."
Sparhawk nods then looks to the group sheepishly. "The queen commands, so I must obey. See to your needs and we'll meet in the courtyard at first light." He walks over and clasps arms with Vannion, and then kneels before Sephrenia. "Will you bless me little mother?" He kisses both of her palms, and bows his head to her. She smiles and places her hands on top of his head. She looks at Vannion, "We did well with this one" She comments, and Vannion nods approvingly. "He is our best."
Sparhawk rises and heads to the door. "The baths are rather nice if you so choose, and the kitchen may give you friend Tyekanik a run for your money. Ortzel can show you the chapel for those who seek a higher sustainment." He then departs.
Vrox is stunned at this news. "Can it be?", he gasps. He has been in the presence of powerful beings, archfey and demons from the Abyss, but he never expected to come face-to-face with a god. He drops quickly to his knees and says, "Forgive us, Your Divine Radiance! We had no idea." He does not rise or look up until Danae gives him leave to do so. When he finally does so, he says, "With praise to you!" He lifts his pan flute to his lips and plays a short, jaunty tune inspired by the goddesses youthful form. Performance 25
Vrox's usual mirth is somewhat muted in the presence of Danae and in the description of the grisly and depraved violence. He he listens intently to the reports of the attacks. Based on their descriptions, does Vrox recognize what types of demons they're talking about? Does he know anything about the special abilities or resistances of these particular types of demons?
The "Large, red beasts with horns and black swords, relishing in slaughter"? Nature 30
Or the bluish/puplish ones who "also relishing in torture"? Nature 29
((OOC: Both rolls with advantage because Fiends are one of Vrox's Favored Foes. I'm not sure whether Nature is the right check here. Subtract 6 if it should have been Arcana or 12 if it should have been Religion.)
((OOC: Of course, I meant to reference the Favored Enemy feature, not Favored Foe. Also, no idea why it thought -- banner seems to be gone now -- that that post has manipulated dice rolls: I didn't even edit the post.))
Lord Akkron remains silent through most of the proceedings... though he sighs deeply at the story of how Sir Sparhawk and the Queen came to parents to a god.
He can't help but chuckle at Vrox's groveling, though.
"Vrox, she has been with us throughout much of our adventure already," he tells the satyr. "She has never come off as the type who was particularly obsessed with formality. And she hasn't smited any of us for insufficient piety yet, either."
He quickly turns his attention back to the problem at hand, though.
"If such chaos is already upon the people of this land, we will need to finish our dealings with the trolls with haste... it does not sound like the victims of the demons have time on their side. With any luck I will be able to convince the leaders of the undead hordes to stand down after we have dealt with the trolls... simple wights and ghasts care little for anything besides destruction, but if they are controlled by more powerful beings such as vampires and, yes, liches, then it may still be possible to reach an amicable resolution on that front."
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Vrox is surprised and impressed, only saying, "This is a band of heroes for the ages, if traveling with gods is such a trifling matter!"
Vrox is confused. He thought that it had been decided that Danae would help them travel quickly to the villages under attack by the demons first thing in the morning. That is, he thought that this latest took priority over their plans to deal with the trolls.
(That might have been my mistake, actually... I assumed our plan was to try to convince the trolls to join us rather than fight a war by ourselves. Maybe Lord Akkron is starting to slow down a bit with age...)
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("There, there." >pats skeletal hand comfortingly< "That's bound to happen after the first thousand years or so.")
The large red beasts as described, are not natural, same with those who are bluish/purplish in colors. They are demonic, specifically to those in league with Azash and Slaanesh.
((OOC: Yes, clear. What I was trying to say is that I'd like to make an INT check to see whether Vrox knows anything about these types of demons. I just didn't know which skill to roll, so I listed it as Nature. But depending upon which INT skill is appropriate here, we can translate the roll to the corresponding skill check result:
))
(Sorry about that) From your knowledge of the ancient past, and demonic lore, these two type of demons were mentioned as part of the great war that took place a thousand years ago. When you heard the demonic name "Kharneth" for the dark god Azash, which means "Lord of Rage" or "Lord of Blood." Azash was the mightiest and the oldest of the four major Chaos Gods. Demons who served him are Bloodthirsters who are the embodiments of fear and terror long-expressed in the ancient legends of Daemons that hungered for the souls of Mankind. Their skin is the deep red of encrusted blood. Their gore-flecked hides are covered in crimson fur the color of spilt blood and their eyes are milky white without visible iris or pupil.Their feet are cloven and the ground burns at their passing. Their bodies are impossibly muscled and covered in iron-tipped barbs. From their backs sprout a pair of gigantic, membranous, bat-like wings. Most hideous of all are their faces, which are bestial, almost canine.
The others could be Bloodletters. The Daemonic hordes of Azsash are largely made up of ferocious Bloodletters. These Lesser Daemons are deadly warriors, many of whom are believed by the worshippers of Chaos to have been foremost amongst the Blood God's followers in mortal life and whose will is as implacable and blood-hungry as that of Azash himself. Sharp, needle-like teeth stud a Bloodletter's slavering jaws. Its serpentine tongue constantly flickers to taste the spilled blood of those it slays. Rippling muscles lie barely concealed beneath the Bloodletter's scaly red hide, knotted sinews that give the strength sufficient for its jet-black claws to pierce the most unyielding armor. This might is guided by a killing instinct that surpasses that of mortal men. A Bloodletter is unburdened by any other thought or compulsion than to reap the lives of Azash's foes and claim skulls in the name of its divine lord. They carry massive chaos-metal swords known as Hellblades, great two-handed weapons that cut effortlessly though any armor crafted by mortals.
As for the purplish/bluish, it is also an ancient tale of what could be called a Daemonette, also known as a "Maiden of Ecstasy," is a Lesser Daemon of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of amoral pleasure. Also known as "Bringers of Joyous Degradation," "Harbingers of Endless Delights," the "Children of Slaanesh," and "Seekers of Decadence," Daemonettes are all these things and more. Their physical appearance is confounding. At once impossibly twisted and shamefully intriguing, the hermaphroditic form of a Daemonette is both repulsive and nearly impossible for a mortal to turn away from. In battle, Daemonettes are lithe, dexterous killers, whose claws can tear their opponents to shreds, or allure their mortal victims into their clutches.
(No worries!)
After hearing the reports of the demon attacks, Vrox is still subdued and unusually serious. He says, "In the wars between the Fey Courts, the Unseelie fey would sometimes make infernal pacts or summon demonic forces to fight for them. It is hard to be certain from the brief descriptions, but these demons sound like ones I've heard of in old tales." He shares the information with the others:
"Rage... Chaos..." Khessa reflects on the information provided by Vrox "Perhaps cunning, faith and magic will allow us to have the advantage over their ferocity and brute strength".
"Plus, if the Devils of Avernus do their job on the other planes," the blonde arcane warrior goes on "the Nefarious Duo won't be able to send many more Demons as reinforcements - we should just have to defeat the ones we find. Only those".
"After that, having inflicted yet another humiliation on the Nefarious Duo," the tall adventuress smiles "we will be able to resume our diplomatic mission towards the Troll Gods with even greater credit".
Akkron agrees with Khessa's proposed course of action.
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You spend your evening as you see fit, and awake the following morning refreshed. You all gather in the courtyard in the early morning, where Sparhawk meets you, along with Brother Maynard. The Queen, Danae, Vannion and Sephrenia are also there to wish you well and see you off. There is a quiet conversation between the queen and Sparhawk, before she returns to a more regal look. She addresses the group.
"I wish you well in this most challenging of quests. As one of the rulers here in the Western Kingdoms, I charge you our champions to see justice done and this threat to our lives stopped."
You all see Danae wink at you and give a smile. Sparhawk draws his sword and salutes, then after returning it to its scabbard, leads you out of the city. You haven't traveled far out into the countryside where you hear the sound of a flute, and soon you see the familiar visage of a little girl with grass-stained feet sitting on a tree limb playing her flute. Sparhawk rides up and she nimbly drops down to sit on Faran's neck before Sparhawk. Using her foot, she taps Faran and the horse moves onto the road.
She plays a different melody, and it seems you all relax, and go into a dream-like state. Around you it almost appears as a morning fog rises up as you travel down the road, the sun diffused through the grey mist. You all seem to have dozed off, and when you awake, the area around you is much different. No longer can you really see the sun, and you are before a mountain pass. The clouds are a dark, angry mix of colors, mostly grey but mixed with blue, purple, and an angry red streaked through the clouds. There is thunder in the distance. At the entrance of the pass on either side of the road are two crucified remains of what you believe were people, their heads missing, with the same circle and outward arrows symbol you saw before.
Khessa directs a mote of fire at each of the two symbols of the Nefarious Duo, reducing them to ash: "When we are finished with you," she imagines addressing the pair of evil deities "your memory will end up the same - it will be dispersed by the wind once and for all".
The blonde arcane warrior considers: "I don't know how cunning these Demons are - perhaps they rely only on strength and ferocity, but it would not be wise to exclude that they have placed some of their people high up, in an advantageous position. I will have Anator check that the upper areas at the sides of the pass are free. If they are not, better go up and free them, instead of entering and getting surrounded". And the bat hovers in the sky, going to check...
As we approach the area where evil lives, the Saintess will stand and say a prayer over the group. "The hand of God will watch over us." A Large spectral guardian appears and hovers over and accompanies the the party for the day.
Guardian of Faith
D&D since 1984
Hearing Khessa point out that demons could be lurking in the mountains, Clarac closes her eyes momentarily and attempts to sense whether any are present in the group's immediate vicinity.
Divine Sense:
The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
While they wait for the bat to scout the mountain pass, Clarac moves to bury the mangled remains of the two crucified people.
Aya will help with the burial of the two people.
D&D since 1984
Vrox looks grim and scans the area. He reaches back to his quiver and from somewhere, he manages to bring out a longbow as tall as he is. It seems to radiate power and has inscriptions carved all along it. The grip looks like some sort of gemstone. Vrox says, "I will scout ahead a little ways." He doesn't want anything to surprise them while the clerics bury the bodies.
Vrox walks ahead in whatever cover he can find near the road. He springs lightly from shadow to shadow, or perhaps the shadow reach out and embrace him. It's odd, but before he's even 100 ft. away, he's already practically invisible.
Vrox will scout ahead, moving with stealth, maybe 200' beyond the entrance to the pass.
Stealth 32 (advantage from [Tooltip Not Found])
Perception 30