Tales from Talaveroth

With Poinki gone, and Si'Juul heading down below, Twitch looks at Elhanna, before whispering: "Please, forgive me for what I'm about to do."
 
Before she can be stopped, Twitch climbs back up onto the tower and blocks the hatch. Once up there with Father Ephesian, she starts to speak in a cold tone: "You and your church might be beyond saving, but if you don't think you're strong enough to help us fix it, you should leap off the edge of this tower. It's the only salvation you have left, it's the only way you'll know peace. In so doing, you won't save the church, you won't save yourself, but at the very least, you won't doom others to a death at sea for having taken away their necessary beacon in the dark and stormy night."

Twitch hopes that her words can somehow reach the old man.

As soon as Si'Juul makes his way outside, ignoring the acolytes on the way, he immediately takes flight. Not going anywhere in particular, just soaring around the area. If there are any windows in the room the others are in, they would likely see him as he made a few passes around the tower, far enough from the intense wind.

He lands near the tent after about a minute and let's out a long exhale, looking visibly more relaxed than he was. He then walks into the tent to look for Oleg, if he isn't outside anywhere.

"Well, your friend the Father is gone, mentally speaking. There's no reasoning with him now. Every one of us has tried. He is too far gone, believing something about Ilmater being tricked by a demon or something. I don't really know. This religious stuff doesn't interest me. But you're friend is gone. A woman we met on the way up, a former follower of his, even said so. Still don't know how the wind wall works, so I guess you're not getting in. And I am not going back in there."

Leaving Oleg to take all that in, Si'Juul then looks to the woman with the empty holster.

"So, who are you again? If you gave your name already, I had forgotten it in the time I had spent in the tower."

Poinki, make a religion check.

Si'Juul, while you are able to make your way back down to the front door you find that the winds do not part to let you past. Try as you might whenever you step out they simply push you back inside. It seems that you are trapped in the tower for now.

Twitch, the Father looks you over for a second, seemingly thinking before speaking. "No. I will not go quietly. If you want to kill me, follower of Abraxas, then you will have to do it yourself." Roll Initiative.

Father Ephesian Initiative: 8

Si'Juul will just stand there at the door, glaring at the space where the wind wall is. His hands clenched into tight fists and slightly shaking. His talon lightly scraping across, making a scratch mark in the wood only a couple inches long and just deep enough to be noticeable.

If the acolytes bother to listen, they will hear him muttering,

"Come on........come on....."

Poinki religion check: 14

Poinki feels a pull, almost magnetic, to the book that the group found. He also hears a word in his mind as a sense of calm and purpose comes over him. "Paladin." 

Elhanna rush to the ladder, only to look up at the hatch closing. "Twitch! NO!" She'll climb up and try to open it.

Strength check: 16

Si'Juul eventually makes his way back up, meeting Poinki near the flame wall again. Hands still clenched and looking visibly unnerved, not saying anything.

Initiative: 11

Twitch will take the dodge action, she has not brought out her daggers. All the while, she's shouting at the man, over the noise of the winds.

Twitch looks at the man, her hard face not changing: "I refuse to kill you. I don't want to do this. I see hope, where you see only darkness. If you strike at me, then do so, but know that you will have hurt someone trying to save you, from yourself, and from the dilemma you've created for yourself."

Elhanna's shove pops the dagger in the door loose and she opens it, feeling the tug of the wind.

Father Ephesian looks sad for a second but then his face seems to harden. "No. No. It's always the good ones, they always mascarade as the best of the best. Do not be fooled." At that he pulls a horn from his belt and blows it. From below Si'Juul and Poinki can hear the pounding of footsteps and are soon confronted by the three acolytes from the first floor, clubs drawn and looking for a fight. 

Everyone else, roll Initiative 

Si'Juul just turns towards them, unblinking. He slowly pulls out his pepperbox.

"Now....is not....the time..."

Initiative: 16

Elhanna get the door open just as Twitch Finnish her last words. Good, their both okey.. 

She loosens her mace and shield and move in to the room. 

initiative: 5

Poinki has rarely held a book in his hands, but takes the ancient tome, puzzling over the marked page, wondering if there's some clue he needs to understand to set things right.

But when the acolytes rush up, he puts the book in his backpack and hurries to help his friends. Poinki shouts, "Try not to kill, we find out later who is demon followers! Bash heads in then."

Initiative: 14

Acolyte Initiative: 2

(Si'Juul is up first)

Si'Juul takes aim at the nearest acolyte and fires towards his hand.

Using a grit point for a disarming shot.

Attack:24, Damage: 9

The acolyte must make a Strength save, DC 15, or his club flies out of his hand 10ft in the opposite direction of Si'Juul 

The acolyte screams in pain as the shot hits his hand, causing the club to fly from it. His scream is short lived though as he seems to pass out from the pain.

(Poinki is up next)

Poinki whacks an acolyte with his mace, avoiding doing mortal damage.

Attack: 15 Damage: 10

Another acolyte falls to the ground under a good hit to the side from the solid head of Poinki's mace. 

Up top Father Ephesian yells out a prayer to Ilmater. As he does the light from the Lighthouse glows brighter before releasing itself in a brilliant flash. 

(Twitch and Elhanna, please make Wisdom saves, DC15. If you fail you are blinded until the end of your next turn.)

(Twitch, you're up as well)

Twitch's save: 14 and she rolls with advantage if this is a magical effect, due to her being a gnome, so 13

Quickly shielding her eyes, Twitch has to blink a little after the bright light, but looks sternly at Father Ephesian, still not drawing her weapons.

"I'm not here to attack you, I'm here to help you. Come down with us, or end this madness. Surely you must see that we're not here to hurt you."

She's taking the dodge action, unwilling to hurt the priest, but trying to position herself between the priest and Elhanna.

the light hits her just as she gets through the hatch (save: 18) but with Twitch infront of her she doesn’t get blinded. 

she raise her hand and mutter a prayer and cast guiding bolt at second level: 

Attack: 7 Damage: 19 non leathal damage. 

“Father, you need to calm down! We are not your enemies!”