Tales from Talaveroth

Si'Juul takes advantage of the man stumbling towards Elhanna, taking aim while still in the air above where the bookcase once stood.

"Hey! How about targeting your biggest threat!"

He fires down right between the man's shoulder blades.

Attack: 26

Damage: 9

Poinki takes a whack with his flail at the creature threatening Elehanna!

Attack: 8 Damage: 13 (Plus 2 Bless on attack roll)

(Not that it was necessary last round, but just a reminder that Poinki has cast Sanctuary on Elhanna.)

Elhanna take a step back as the demon man flails at her. When he falls over she wack him on his head with the staff (as a bonus action) and then cast guiding bolt at him! In a non lethal attack :) 

guiding bolt: Attack: Attack: 24 Damage: 15

spiritual weapon: Attack: 8 Damage: 7

Elhanna's strikes come just after Si'Juul lands his blow and seem to take the purple man by surprise. The staff knocks him in the back of the head, shovinf him forward before the guiding bolt hits him full in the face, taking him off his feet.

He falls to the floor, still shimmering slightly but only bleeding a little bit from the bullet hole in his shoulder. Elhanna's practiced eyes can tell the wound isn't lethal. 

(Combat over)

Si'Juul lands and holsters his pepperbox.

"Alright, let's bind this man. And the sooner we get to the top the better."

He looks over at the man under the bookcase.

"Maybe him too. If any more of these people are actually whatever he was... (He points to the purple glow man)...then we are undoubtedly going to be fighting them all on our way up."

Looking again you can tell there's no point in binding the man under the book case. The wooden portion fell on his neck and it's twisted at a very unnatural angle.

"Or...maybe not him." 

Si'Juul takes a book and opens it midway before placing it over the man's head and neck.

Twitch notices Si'Juul hiding the deceased man's face. She is pained by the unnecessary death, but can't help but feel warmly about Si'Juul covering him, out of consideration for the body, or for her.

Poinki helps to tie up the surviving combatants. He will let someone else lead the way up the stairs, since his rusty chainmail insists on jingling and squeaking.

With the man tied up, Si'Juul begins heading up the tower once more.

"Really hope that's the last obstacle in our way."

He checks for any more traps or enemies who may be hiding in wait.

Perception: 8

As you ascend to the next level you see a sparsly furnished circular room in front of you. A large burning brazier takes up the centre of the room, with a large table stretching out with numerous chairs. Several wooden repositories sit on the left side of the room and a typical altar to Ilmater occupies the opposite side, near you. An elderly acolyte is kneeled in front of the altar, seemingly praying. You notice no traps or hiding spots.

Si'Juul just taps Poinki on the shoulder and points to the altar and the elderly man.

"You're up. Maybe you can get us up quicker than I can."

Poinki kneels down quietly beside the acolyte, joining him in prayer. He will also try to get a good look at him out of the corner of his eye, looking for anything unusual about him, and listening if the man's prayers are being spoken.  He wants to try to tell if this acolyte is also crazy or possessed.

Insight: 14 perception: 10

If he doesn't notice anything strange, after a short while, he will risk interrupting the acolyte's prayer. "Glory to Ilmater, brother. May Poinki ask if Father Ephisian is here?"

When Poinki kneels beside the acolyte he sees that she is not actually a man, but a woman, bald and hunched with age. Her prayers are silent but she seems to know that he's there, even though her eyes have the clouded grey of blindness. "The holy father is one floor further up. I must tell you though, he is quiet beside reason and logic at this point. If you go up there you will have to kill him. It is the only way left. Oh, and tell your friend with the gun over there that he can come out and stop pretending to hide." 

(I wasn't actually hiding, just waltz'd into the room :P )

"Thank you, Sister," says Poinki. "We hope not kill, but if we must, we do. You have advice? Things we should know?"

(You didn't mention stairs...is there a way up visible? If not, Poinki will ask about that. Persuasion 23 if necessary.)

(There is a ladder leading up to a trapdoor on the far side of the room.)

"I suppose at this point you should know everything, so that you will understand the gravity of what you are about to do." She says with a heavy sigh. "What the Father has found will destroy the very church that both you and he serve, and will leave Ilmater as a cast out and mistrusted god."

"Through his study of the sacred texts and church letters Father Ephesian has uncovered the real purpose of most of the high ranking members of the church. In exchange for gifts they have begun to worship the demon lord Abraxas. It's all there in that book beside you feathered one."

"I myself am one of Abraxas's followers, though I can bear it no longer. I have taken many a life in order to prolong mine, as I would have done to your gunslinger friend. Father Ephesian confronted me and has made me see the error of my ways."

"Unfortunately what gives me peace has also driven him mad. If he were to expose the wrongs done by the heads of the church all the good things that the church does, feeding the poor, healing the sick, tending the dead, these would all be cast aside. As well, no paladin or cleric of Ilmater would ever be trusted again. But if he does not expose this corruption then Abraxas continues to grow in power and influence, corrupting more and more of our world." 

"Now you can see his problem, and possibly understand the pain that has driven him mad."

She turns so that she is facing away from the altar. "Before you go up you are welcome to rest, read, and learn. Even pray if you need. Father Ephesian will not come down and no one will come up unless he calls."

She looks to Poinki. "Before you go though, Paladin, I ask one last mercy. End my life on your holy blade, so that Abraxas might not gain one more soul."

Poink nods with reluctance. "Abraxas not get you," he promises...though he doesn't have a blade. Poinki casts Divine Favor and glows with the god's power. "Ilmater, forgive and accept old lady soul. She sorry. We fix things in name of Ilmater."

He finishes off the penitent acolyte with a blow of his flail, its divine radiance bringing an end to her suffering.

Poinki sighs. "Ready to rest, now.  All prayered out."

Si'Juul grabs the book the woman was referring to and hands it to Poinki, staring down at the woman.

"Do with her as you will. This gods and demons stuff means nothing to me. The job was to get Oleg the chance to talk to the Father and I am going to do what I can to fulfill that job."

Si'Juul makes his way up the ladder just high enough to where his voice can be heard.

"Father Ephesian! I am here on a job! That job is not to kill you! Do not do anything to change that! You have someone waiting for you outside the tower! A man named Oleg!"

Poinki watches Si'Juul. He doesn't know whether the Aarakocra's shouting will get any response, but the old woman said he would not come down and nobody could go up unless he called.  He just feels sad about the old woman, and wonders how anyone could throw away the blessings of a noble god for the foul pay-offs of a demon. Poinki curls up beside the brazier for a nap.