Pathfinder 1E IC - Tideruler: The Fall of Laholt

"Don't take it personally, Alice. After all, we have Bat here too. Every rule has its exceptions." Arduniel backpedals slightly.
But still bristles at the discussion.
"Sure, you're here to win the war. Which no one declared. Of course. Because everyone knows your realm is constantly under attack of surface armies bringing daylight with them. That was some impressive magics right there. But true to form, your lady left you the moment it became clear you cannot win this. Now your only chance is treachery. Your trial should be short indeed. I am first to admit that First People are not what we used to be. But we're still far from gone. And you will not change that. And neither will the priestess if she is really contacting nefarious entities from beyond."

He looks at both prisoners and tense warriors between them.
"Where are your transport gems? No, don't touch them, just tell me where they are." he removes the gems and anything else these two might have on them that could enable spying, teleporting or other contact or movement.
"We cannot prevent scrying completely, I trust their lady has their true names and probably good portion of personal effects. But we can make it harder for them. We're not returning with them into the City. And we need to confront our priestess before the word reaches her." Turning to their only natural flier.
"Finthir Kothar, could you please help the griphon riders and bring them here to guard these two?"

Moss looks at the elven sage. Then up.
"Disrobe them, don't allow anything with even the least magic and capability of killing near them. And keep your males from the woman and women from the man."

With that, he flies away, wings beating powerfully to lift him up.
"If you need me, create darkness above your position."

The Bat is somewhat taken aback. Others had followed him? Had he been so young then. Perhaps had he been older and wiser he would have thought to seek out like-minded souls. But then, had he stayed to a 'wiser' age he likely never would have broken free of the conditioning.

"I have never had much need to dispense judgment except that which occurs on the battlefield," he says cautiously as he slips him helm back onto his head. "But I can do naught but accept your request."

Before Moss has a chance to leave he adds, "I expect that in time word of my identity will spread. But I would ask that until we have a chance to meet with the Priestess and discuss her surrendering custody of the Tome to me that you all keep faith with me and leave my name and heritage unspoken."

Batknight then moves to relieve the two warriors of their armaments and items. While it has been many years since he acted as his parents attendant, he attempts to afford the customary courtesies of the task. Despite any disdain he might feel for offering such niceties it was the most reasonable approach to managing the two warriors, and of maintaining the openness of the female knight.

Laholt/Alessia
Afternoon
Round 13

Daxio frowned at the drow woman’s words. “We can resolve this peacefully,” he said. “We can go and talk to the priestess.”

Daxio sighed as the healing washed over him. It wasn’t enough for all his wounds, but got the worst of them. At least the darkness was clearing now. And he still felt sick to his stomach.


[sblock=Ministats]
Conditions: Detect Magic (98 r), Message (1181 r), Fly (105 r)(60’); Sickened (-2 everything)(56r)

HP: 84/122 NL: 0
AC: 19 FF: 14 T: 15
CMD: 20
Fort: 10 Ref: 10 Will: 13
Armed: Dagger
Arcane Reservoir: 3/15/day
Consume Spells: 5/5/day

Spells Prepared
0 (9): Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic
1 (6/7, prep 5): Burning Hands, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Magic Missile, Vanish
2 (6/6, prep 5): Darkvision, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3 (5/6, prep 4): Dispel Magic, Hold Person, Suggestion, Fly
4 (3/6, prep 3): Charm Monster, Confusion, Greater Invisibility
5 (6/6, prep 2): Dominate Person, Hold Monster
6 (0/3, prep 1): Mass Suggestion

Spell Book:
0: All
1: Burning Hands, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Enlarge Person, Featherfall, Grease, Liberating Command, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield, Silent Image, Vanish
2: Darkvision, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3: Dispel Magic, Hold Person, Suggestion, Fly
4: Black Tentacles, Charm Monster, Confusion, Greater Invisibility
5: Dominate Person, Feeblemind, Hold Monster
6: Greater Dispel, Mass Suggestion
[/sblock]

EVERYONE

"You will be taken alive. Imprisoned, but treated civilly. The truth of this matter will be investigated and discovered, the crimes enumerated, and judgment fairly passed and executed."

Click to expand...

"Is there place for civility among us, cousin?" - her eyes narrow suddenly, as if she took an interest on Aranel's sudden intervention. "Is there a place for civility amidst your own kind? Isn't your blood the first one to disdain what it considers impure?"

"I will see to your injuries when you are disarmed in custody."

Click to expand...

"I see our sun-bathed cousins take too fast the title of guardians of virtue. After all, we should consider ourselves criminals, not equals in battle." - she provokes with a sharp tone.

"Stop."

Click to expand...

It's funny to see how the well-armed knights obey Moss' command to the letter. Immediately, they jump in place and stop. in fear of any harsher retaliations.

"If you think you might get mercy because we share the background, you're mistaken. And we're of the surface now. There are clutches of younglings that freely walk under the Blinding Fire. We are mixing new with the old, only change is constant. You...you will perish with your rigid society."

Click to expand...

"We seek to be judged by those who know us. We are wise enough to understand we have no allies here. But at least your kind knows us. Your kind knows our ways and our quarrels." - she glances at the dragon. "In fact, you should judge us! You, and your half-dragon companion. You have a sense of justice. You have your minds set. No tricks, then. And your justice would be served, wouldn't it?"

"Where are your transport gems? No, don't touch them, just tell me where they are."

Click to expand...

They present their gauntlets as Arduniel approaches. Inside, he finds for each of them one teleportation gem and yet another, filled with a hypnotic green mist.

[You acquire four gems: two teleportation gems and two green gems.]

Batknight then moves to relieve the two warriors of their armaments and items. While it has been many years since he acted as his parents attendant, he attempts to afford the customary courtesies of the task. Despite any disdain he might feel for offering such niceties it was the most reasonable approach to managing the two warriors, and of maintaining the openness of the female knight.

Click to expand...

Stripping them from their armors leaves both knights on sets of plain Underworld garments. Black leather, chitinous plaques and a lot more skin showing than any surface elf would care to see. Sewn together, purple fabric covers part of the hips and shoulders, displaying a single rune. Bruekk immediately recognizes it to be the mark of the Crown, modified to accommodate the personal signature of Queen Katha the Beastmistress.


MOSS

Finding the riders is no hard task. Moss' able to pick up two of them mid-flight and send them to his companions without wasting any time. As the dragon takes flight, he sees the entirety of the city, swallowed by the circumventing woods as a forgotten ruin amidst wild lands. His trained eyes and natural instincts identify the course of the battle, nonetheless. The Dark Elves retreat in all fronts. At the spiral tower, some of them teleport away, as others simply fly into the distance, closely pursued by griffon riders. The tower suffered and probably got invaded at some point. Parts of it have given up beneath some unknown battle effort, allowing huge gashes to be opened at the upper walls.

The settlement and the rivers were not attacked. The rivers in particular escaped the worse of it thanks to Zyara's efforts. Here and there, Sluagh bodies lie, cursing the land with their blood's taint.


The castle did not go unscathed, though. At the entrance, many Owl Guards were taken down. The pace burns under the effects of magic fires, and clearly was invaded through the crevices and fissures left by its ruinous state. One or two Dark Elf stragglers still make their way through the surrounding woods, moving north, armed with bows. Clearly they understand this battle to be over. Others find their way under the green canopies as well.

Whatever hit both tower and castle mustered an impressive amount of strength, something not displayed at all during the fight in front of the caves.

[Ok, you have the knights under custody, two riders to help and Moss doing the area's recon. Both castle and tower suffered greatly. The planes before the caves are bloody and fiery, but the battle is over. The living quarters are basically safe. You can still pursue the last remnant of the armies, go to the caves and help the Green Knights and their allies or visit the other parts of the city. The Priestess was lodged at the ruinous castle, if you want to check on her. The tower hosed spells and mages, as you heard.]

@Neurotic @KahlessNestor @Shayuri @Kaodi @MetaVoid @Charlotte of Oz

"Lets get them to Goliath and the others. I believe we will discover that wasting disease is actually siphoning of the life force perpertrated by The Book. Or the owner and user of it." Arduniel pockets the gems after deep focus on one of them. He guards his mind against intrusion by having his familiar close to check on him.

[roll0] for misty gems

"Katha still reigns, I see," comments Batknight, glancing at the royal runes. "She must have greatly expanded her menagerie since I left, I imagine." He produces a number of sacks from his pack that he deposits the majority of the knights' gear into, mindful to keep it separated.

Laholt/Alessia
Afternoon
Round 14

Daxio gave the two captured drow another look over to make sure they got any magic off of them, items or spells, and then used a little prestidigitation to clean them up and make them presentable.

“Secure them and let’s go,” the human mage said.

[sblock=Ministats]
Conditions: Detect Magic (97 r), Message (1180 r), Fly (104 r)(60’); Sickened (-2 everything)(55r)

HP: 84/122 NL: 0
AC: 19 FF: 14 T: 15
CMD: 20
Fort: 10 Ref: 10 Will: 13
Armed: Dagger
Arcane Reservoir: 3/15/day
Consume Spells: 5/5/day

Spells Prepared
0 (9): Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic
1 (6/7, prep 5): Burning Hands, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Magic Missile, Vanish
2 (6/6, prep 5): Darkvision, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3 (5/6, prep 4): Dispel Magic, Hold Person, Suggestion, Fly
4 (3/6, prep 3): Charm Monster, Confusion, Greater Invisibility
5 (6/6, prep 2): Dominate Person, Hold Monster
6 (0/3, prep 1): Mass Suggestion

Spell Book:
0: All
1: Burning Hands, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Enlarge Person, Featherfall, Grease, Liberating Command, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield, Silent Image, Vanish
2: Darkvision, Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3: Dispel Magic, Hold Person, Suggestion, Fly
4: Black Tentacles, Charm Monster, Confusion, Greater Invisibility
5: Dominate Person, Feeblemind, Hold Monster
6: Greater Dispel, Mass Suggestion
[/sblock]

ARDUNIEL

Steeling his will, Arduniel conjures his familiar to the task at hand. Easily enough, the entity uncovers two plane phase jewels, attuned to higher strata of the Abyss. Another flight device, or perhaps a way to throw enemies off and into dangerous places...

BATKNIGHT

Bruekk gathers most of the weapons left behind, separating them accordingly. While running through the inventory, he reallizes that a jousting lance and a sword have gone missing... Aside from the heroes, the prisoners and the gryphon riders, no one else's around, and surely none of his allies - or prisoners - got their hands on the weapons.


DAXIO

The wanderer's glance reveals nothing unusual on any of the prisoners - except, of course, for their own strange nature. No enchantments, concealed weapons or magical items remain behind, he's sure of it.


EVERYONE

Finding Goliath is as easy a task as can be. Both Moss and the riders can easily point towards his location: West, just across the Causeway, within the Isles of Reverie, where artists gather to work. The heroes find the laughing satyr amidst his equals, plucking arrows out of Drow bodies and bragging about recent conquests.

The area itself's an odd target. Amidst skin tents and highly sculpted totems, massive statues wait to be finished. Here and there, among twisting branches of strange beauty, artisan's studios lay, half-depredated. Clearly, a detachement of soldiers ravaged through the area, destroying all they could as they moved on.

Goliath salutes the heroes with a wide smile, proud of his handywork.

"Brothers! I take it you've done no less in your own front!" - he waves around, showing fallen enemies and prisoners. "We ourselves had quite the hunt!"

"Right, right..." - a Green Knight moves behind, gathering equipment from one of the corpses, as if to investigate something. "I still count this as a defeat, if you ask me..."

"No one's asking you, Thanes..." - Goliath continues forward, stretching his arms towards Alice. Arduniel immediately recognizes the name: Thanes, head captain for the Green Knights, responsible for the safety of the Alessian gathering.

Thanes removes his tall helmet, revealing a blonde mess of sweaty hair underneath. High Elves... Even after a war they keep their poise somehow. He moves towards the heroes, studying them as he walks forward.

"Oh, this is precious... Just... Precious! How are we going to clean this one up is beyond me... But still, you deliver some hope, I see! Autumn Guard, are they? I'd recognize those eyes anywhere... All four of them!" - Thanes points towards the prisoners. "If you would hand these over, I'd gladly bring them among the other prisoners. Some of my men have their job cut for themselves, as you can see..." - he motions towards the prisoners once more. "We have our trackers chasing stragglers as we speak... And, if there's anyway we can serve you... Well, let us know..." - the elf's general tone is sturdy and dissatisfied, but such sentiments don't betray his own natural ellegance as he speaks.

"And to think the Priestess was right after all, eh, satyr?" - he pokes Goliath with a finely-clad elbow. "She did well conjuring the heroes of prophecy here... She was bound to do something right, after all..." - he smiles.

"I wouldn't know... You kept me out of the loop on that one... Captain..." - Goliath's tone is enough to show his own resentment towards the topic. "But I must admit. I wouldn't trust my people's safety to your hands alone." - the satyr smiles with cruelty, turning a cold shoulder towards Thanes.

"I'm sorry for that. We have plenty to discuss. But first I strongly advise you keep your prisoners..." - he glances towards the Captain, unconcerned with secrecy. "Thanes here has a tendency to boast other warrior's glories as his own. Some say that's how he 'earned' his position as Captain..." - he places one arm on Alice's shoulder, while the other looks for Zyara's back.

"Now, tell me... How did it go? The main contingent was upon you, wasn't it?" - he glances with curiosity.

@Neurotic @KahlessNestor @Shayuri @MetaVoid @Charlotte of Oz @Kaodi

ALESSIA MAP


[You have fought East of the Sunken City. Now you moved to the western part of the Sunken City, where the Isles are located.]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F_AoQ7vBXmDZvXEERwfE9qljK5tle6DzmrbytTJV_v4/edit

AREA MAP



[It's quite dark. Please, let me know if you can't make it out. I'll add a better version as soon as I edit it. Notice, though, that I have included the background areas - the ancient forest where Moss was found, the Thunderscales' territory, Aranel's village, Zyara's monastery at Hunter's End, and so on. I'll leave the rest open for you to explore in time. ]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XilDWiP67QjwxZ5JFWZa2F7XhM_iAwBqFUI4iFKlwNU/edit