Broccli_Head
Explorer
Twillight Hollow, Sunset Vale, 30 Eleint to Highharvestide,1378 DR,Year of the Cauldron
Standing his ground, Benito Moltos prayed to Ilmater and as the hellcats pounced a column of holy fire and sonic energy exploded about them. Two were instantly blown to bits. Aris interposed himself between two others and sliced one in half as it tumbled through the air uncontrollably from the blast. The second hellcat, more in control of its pounce, landed squarely on the genasi, tearing and ripping with its infernal claws.
Aris attempted to levitate the beast from on top of him, but the creature did not budge, instead, slicing into him more times with tooth and nail. Benito targeted another with a second empowered orison and a beam of searing light left his outstretched palm, hitting the hellcat between the eyes. The creature sunk to the ground and began smoldering away.
But there were still more. The cleric looked to his right. A glowing cat sailed towards him and struck him solidly. Suddenly, Benito too found himself beneath the paws of a hellcat. Aris tumbled from under the claws, kicked himself to his feet in an instant and sliced down on the foe that heartbeats before had had him pinned. Blue Destiny decapitated another foe and Aris let out a shout of triumph. One hellcat took off.
Aris growled, "I am going after it! Do you have things under control?"
"Yes! Go!"
Aris did not look back to see that the priest of Ilmater had his hands full. However, despite his arms and shoulders being torn into, Benito wrestled through the pin and the pain, and he sent the hellcat back to its infernal home with a prayer of banishment.
Two hellcats remained. Healed Red Cloaks began to filter out and add their swords to the fray.
"No! Stay back," cried Benito.
The soldiers were brave and their morale had been bolstered by their sudden miraculous healing, but their swords were ineffective against the hellcats. As Benito rose to his feet, he saw one warrior torn to shreds while another had her head ripped from her shoulders. He was out of battle prayers. Benito drew Mano de la Justicia.
"Salazar, its been a long time since we've spilled blood together!"
And Benito Moltos charged the nearest devil.
**
Aris sprinted along the ground in pursuit of the hellcat as it bounded away towards the west. His training with the Verdant Fist allowed him to quickly overtake the beast. Seeing that it could not outrun its foe, the hellcat attempted to rake Aris with its claws, and missing. Then it wheeled around to face him. Drawing his hand axe, Aris closed with a feral war cry, and dodging the viscious claws and bite, struck with both of his weapons multiple times finally sinking his last downward cut in the creature's skull.
There was a pause, and then Aris smelled brimstone on the breeze. An audible pop followed, and on either side of him two bearded devils had materialized, frothing at the mouth and charging him with their wicked glaives.
**
Benito had forgotten how effective Mano was against evil beings. As the sword struck the hellcats, their foul ichor burned. Benito dispatched them in short order, his robes now covered in their smoky blood. He did not stop to receive congratulations and headed away to catch Aris.
"You got 'im?" he asked as he came upon the scene.
Aris had already destroyed one devil and now was about to finish the other. He grunted a response to Benito and cut the infernal down. Instinctively, he looked towards the sky, but his keen vision did not spot anything. However, a commanding feminine voice echoed in his head.
Attack the priest of the Crying God in the most advantageous manner
He looked at Benito and shook his head. He and the Turmite had been friends and companions for years, but the voice was too compelling, as if the Red Knight herself had given the order...
Benito looked at Aris as he approached.
"Is everything alright?"
Aris smiled and as soon as he approached within five steps he lashed out at Benito with a flurry of scimitar and hand axe cuts. He caught Benito unawares, and the damage done activated one of the priest's healing contingencies, but the attack did not bring Benito down.
Seeing that Aris was injured, the cleric cast a power word, stun, dropping the genasi, but in less than six heartbeats, Aris was back up ready to attack. This time, Benito prayed to dispelthe foul enchantment that had been laid upon his friend. Aris stopped his onslaught.
The realization of the charm hit Aris, and he lowered his head in shame.
"I am sorry, my friend."
Benito shrugged his shoulders, "It happens to the weak-willed."
They looked west, searching all over for the source of such evil sorcery, but whatever had cast that spell was long gone, and undoubtedly had learned what it needed to about him and Aris.
"We need to get back to Silverymoon and consult Taern and Lady Alustriel on this matter," Benito counselled.
Aris nodded, still numb and pricked that he had succumbed to such a simple enchantment. Within a short time, Benito had gathered the Vorshev's. Giving their best to Tarian and the rest, and a promise to return soon, now that the die had been cast, Aris and Benito re-entered the teleport zone in front of the statue, activated the token and in a quick breath, they were whisked back to room in the High Mage's Tower in Silverymoon from where they had left. Taern Hornblade, and palace guards collected their tokens and then escorted the tired travelers across the city to their villa. The High Mage and Lady Alustriel would meet with them in the morning.
**
Meanwhile...
Ariod, in the form of a gargantuan wyvern flew as fast as he could towards Silverymoon in the dead of night. On his back hung Grim, Kyros, Ellysidell, Ivan, and the prisoners (four gnomes and three humans). The great creature soared over the mountains leaving the Colossus and more importantly, the Shades, far behind.
The shade wizard had visited them again and half-asked, half-demanded that they hunt down the wizard Xentarich. Ariod, a surprisingly astute politician, said neither "no", nor "yes", instead promising to contact this shade with information. It did not settle well with Ariod, that the shadow-wizard had a front man in his home town of Deadsnows, but he had also obtained the shade's name--Giltharius. As soon as he had left, Ariod changed into a dire bear and with the party on board began bounding away from that vale. As soon as he had gained some distance, he changed into the great wyvern. They reached Silverymoon at dawn.
Standing his ground, Benito Moltos prayed to Ilmater and as the hellcats pounced a column of holy fire and sonic energy exploded about them. Two were instantly blown to bits. Aris interposed himself between two others and sliced one in half as it tumbled through the air uncontrollably from the blast. The second hellcat, more in control of its pounce, landed squarely on the genasi, tearing and ripping with its infernal claws.
Aris attempted to levitate the beast from on top of him, but the creature did not budge, instead, slicing into him more times with tooth and nail. Benito targeted another with a second empowered orison and a beam of searing light left his outstretched palm, hitting the hellcat between the eyes. The creature sunk to the ground and began smoldering away.
But there were still more. The cleric looked to his right. A glowing cat sailed towards him and struck him solidly. Suddenly, Benito too found himself beneath the paws of a hellcat. Aris tumbled from under the claws, kicked himself to his feet in an instant and sliced down on the foe that heartbeats before had had him pinned. Blue Destiny decapitated another foe and Aris let out a shout of triumph. One hellcat took off.
Aris growled, "I am going after it! Do you have things under control?"
"Yes! Go!"
Aris did not look back to see that the priest of Ilmater had his hands full. However, despite his arms and shoulders being torn into, Benito wrestled through the pin and the pain, and he sent the hellcat back to its infernal home with a prayer of banishment.
Two hellcats remained. Healed Red Cloaks began to filter out and add their swords to the fray.
"No! Stay back," cried Benito.
The soldiers were brave and their morale had been bolstered by their sudden miraculous healing, but their swords were ineffective against the hellcats. As Benito rose to his feet, he saw one warrior torn to shreds while another had her head ripped from her shoulders. He was out of battle prayers. Benito drew Mano de la Justicia.
"Salazar, its been a long time since we've spilled blood together!"
And Benito Moltos charged the nearest devil.
**
Aris sprinted along the ground in pursuit of the hellcat as it bounded away towards the west. His training with the Verdant Fist allowed him to quickly overtake the beast. Seeing that it could not outrun its foe, the hellcat attempted to rake Aris with its claws, and missing. Then it wheeled around to face him. Drawing his hand axe, Aris closed with a feral war cry, and dodging the viscious claws and bite, struck with both of his weapons multiple times finally sinking his last downward cut in the creature's skull.
There was a pause, and then Aris smelled brimstone on the breeze. An audible pop followed, and on either side of him two bearded devils had materialized, frothing at the mouth and charging him with their wicked glaives.
**
Benito had forgotten how effective Mano was against evil beings. As the sword struck the hellcats, their foul ichor burned. Benito dispatched them in short order, his robes now covered in their smoky blood. He did not stop to receive congratulations and headed away to catch Aris.
"You got 'im?" he asked as he came upon the scene.
Aris had already destroyed one devil and now was about to finish the other. He grunted a response to Benito and cut the infernal down. Instinctively, he looked towards the sky, but his keen vision did not spot anything. However, a commanding feminine voice echoed in his head.
Attack the priest of the Crying God in the most advantageous manner
He looked at Benito and shook his head. He and the Turmite had been friends and companions for years, but the voice was too compelling, as if the Red Knight herself had given the order...
Benito looked at Aris as he approached.
"Is everything alright?"
Aris smiled and as soon as he approached within five steps he lashed out at Benito with a flurry of scimitar and hand axe cuts. He caught Benito unawares, and the damage done activated one of the priest's healing contingencies, but the attack did not bring Benito down.
Seeing that Aris was injured, the cleric cast a power word, stun, dropping the genasi, but in less than six heartbeats, Aris was back up ready to attack. This time, Benito prayed to dispelthe foul enchantment that had been laid upon his friend. Aris stopped his onslaught.
The realization of the charm hit Aris, and he lowered his head in shame.
"I am sorry, my friend."
Benito shrugged his shoulders, "It happens to the weak-willed."
They looked west, searching all over for the source of such evil sorcery, but whatever had cast that spell was long gone, and undoubtedly had learned what it needed to about him and Aris.
"We need to get back to Silverymoon and consult Taern and Lady Alustriel on this matter," Benito counselled.
Aris nodded, still numb and pricked that he had succumbed to such a simple enchantment. Within a short time, Benito had gathered the Vorshev's. Giving their best to Tarian and the rest, and a promise to return soon, now that the die had been cast, Aris and Benito re-entered the teleport zone in front of the statue, activated the token and in a quick breath, they were whisked back to room in the High Mage's Tower in Silverymoon from where they had left. Taern Hornblade, and palace guards collected their tokens and then escorted the tired travelers across the city to their villa. The High Mage and Lady Alustriel would meet with them in the morning.
**
Meanwhile...
Ariod, in the form of a gargantuan wyvern flew as fast as he could towards Silverymoon in the dead of night. On his back hung Grim, Kyros, Ellysidell, Ivan, and the prisoners (four gnomes and three humans). The great creature soared over the mountains leaving the Colossus and more importantly, the Shades, far behind.
The shade wizard had visited them again and half-asked, half-demanded that they hunt down the wizard Xentarich. Ariod, a surprisingly astute politician, said neither "no", nor "yes", instead promising to contact this shade with information. It did not settle well with Ariod, that the shadow-wizard had a front man in his home town of Deadsnows, but he had also obtained the shade's name--Giltharius. As soon as he had left, Ariod changed into a dire bear and with the party on board began bounding away from that vale. As soon as he had gained some distance, he changed into the great wyvern. They reached Silverymoon at dawn.