Pathfinder 1E IC - Tideruler: The Fall of Laholt

EVERYONE

Both Batknight and Zyara are able to locate traces of the Specter's passage. Nonetheless, nothing else denounces its presence. At least, not for now.

The search isn't in vain, though: both warriors uncover the passage of at least four distinct individuals, all running around the field as the battle took place. The traces disappear suddenly, as if each of these individuals disappeared within an air implosion all of a sudden. Odds are they just teleported away when tney saw the opportunity.

***

Soon, the gryphon riders engage in relieving the heroes from the prisoners, conducting them to the cellars, according to Daxio's suggestion. The woods around are still aflame here and there, and the Green Knigths seem devoted to control the fires before they spread even further. Troops advance to ensure that no stragglers remain, and Thanes' prisoners are conducted north, towards the tower. The Captain himself leaves the scene with a disdainful look upon his face.

Goliath, the heroes - except for Moss - and a few Green Knights remain at the sight. Occasional passers-by surrender information of the many parts of the woods and ruins.

[This is the current state of things, according to stragglers, passers-by and the observations of the heroes themselves - including Moss:

1) The troops that fought at the caves have surrounded the Cathedral of Stone - the temple within the gnome caves. Within the temple, the Drow that fled the battlefield have barricaded themselves - alongside some gnomes, that might be allied with the Drow or might be their hostages. The alessian troops still struggle to bring the doors down.

2) The castle has been attacked. The attacking Drow have been pushed back, but not before a major incursion within the ruins. The Priestess might be within, hidden, but no one knows for sure.

3) The Spiral Tower has been breached. Before fleeing, the Drow managed to destroy a great deal of volumes, including those that recorded the Lyllend's prophecies.

4) The Isles - now occupied by the heroes - also were attacked. Works of art pertaining the prophecy were almost entirely destroyed, along with the works of talented sculptors - many of them sporting magical qualities.

5) The Orchard remains untouched.

6) The encampment faces commotion as some enemies have been discovered. The passers-by report that some fey have been called traitors and captured as well. Given the mood amidst the alessian fey, they might even kill those branded traitors or invaders before any trial happens.

7) The Hills of Wisdom became a healing camp for those hurt during the incursion.

8) The Hills of War stand empty for now.

9) Fires still menace the woods, springing from the Castle, the field before the Caves and the Spiral Tower. The Isles' fires have been kept under control.

10) The Specters' and fugitive Knights' lead is still recent. They can still be investigated, even though teleportation might have limited the reach for results.

Ok, whenever we have larger happenstances and you are released from direct engagements, I'll coordinate things like this: you can individually give me one or more complex actions to peform - e.g. helping put a fire down, investigate a scene, capture enemies, and so on. I'll ask for the appropriate skill tests - if any are necessary - and present the results according to rolls or choices. Each 'mini-downtime' will allow for a certain number of actions, which I'll place before we begin.

Ok, you have time for one complex action each. What will you guys do next?]

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

"I will move to relieve those that besiege the Cathedral of Stone," grunts Batknight. "Perhaps I will be able to provide the necessary muscle to force the door. And if that does not work..." he taps the pommel of his black sword. "Either way those within are my responsibility."

Zyara would like to chase the Drow who breeched The Spiral Tower. She's fast and might be able to catch up with them, assuming it happened recently. (I'm not looking at the map. So I have no idea how far away the tower is.)

Moss drops down eastward from the sky toward the galloping Green Knights in case there is an emergency and asks for their report. If it is nothing that requires immediate attention he flies back into the camp, hopefully, to prevent mob killing whoever is caught. That is no kind of justice even against these opponents. "Well, maybe for the demons..." he thinks as he flies next to the lead knight.
"Report, Sir Knight! I'm faster if anything requires immediate handling."

OOC: [MENTION=87106]MetaVoid[/MENTION], your familiar is flying. Why not send him with me next time so we can communicate?

Alice will decide to help out, with alchemical aid and care, at the healer's camp - ensuring that the sick are cared for and helped. She'll also use this time to gather details from eyewitnesses to the attacks, and hopefully assemble a more clear picture of what transpired.

"We should go directly to the priestess. If she caused some of this, we don't need to give her time to hide her involvement or destroy the evidence." Arduniel tries to keep the group together before everyone goes their own merry way.
"We need to keep together and keep our focus. And prisoners should maybe be high in the air, not underground, they may have Underground allies. And they will feel more comfortable underground...why should we grant them that? In addition, no one sees them underground unless there is a guard constantly with them. I would keep them in the open."


He sends his familiar to find the little dragon
"Furia, go and find Moss. We should keep together."

Laholt/Alessia
Afternoon
Round 0

“I will stay here and examine these broken prophecy statues,” Daxio said. “Maybe we can learn something from them. But we should check on those gnomes, too, if they need rescuing.”

[sblock=Ministats]
Conditions: Detect Magic (94 r), Message (1177 r), Fly (101 r)(60’); Sickened (-2 everything)(52r); See Invisibility (1198 r)

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 (5/6, 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]

BATKNIGHT

Beyond the tall entrances to the mines and across the thin alleys of the Market place, the Cathedral of Stone rises. Sculpted from a huge stone pillar within the cave, a heavily-detailed gothic portal houses ample heavy doors, depicting the story of Fey ancestry in rich details. Now, the door sheets bounce under the heavy duty of a battering ram.
Batkight’s arrival is a godsend. His added strength springs the gates open, allowing the army to enter the halls and face the last resisting forces as they block the passage. Batknight soon realizes that the enemy forces will fall under the alessian army with ease, but he also realizes that the captains in the army have already left the main hall of the cathedral. It might be that they are in the back, perhaps. Batknight can either help the armies take the main hall or can advance, cutting through the enemy lines in order to explore the depths of the Cathedral and capture the remaining leaders. What’ll it be?

ZYARA

Zyara’s speed allows her to reach the Spiral Tower in no time. A few knights hold their enemies captive. Blood and fire surrounds the area, suggesting a battlefield similar to the one she just faced. Wasting no time, she begins to track the last fugitives. They’ve left towards north, as the trail shows. She moves past the tower, following the fugitive group’s general flow. Before a moment’s notice, she enters a large swamp area, where she manages to bring down another dozen fugitives as they escape. Her steps bring her as far as the Hills of War. She scouts around the edges, finding a curious gathering at an enclosure. There, a hunched witch parleys with three drow warriors, protected by a pair of well-armed ogres and a strange, dark treant. They Exchange quick instructions, looking frantically around. The drow hand her a pair of leather purses that she receives with a satisfied grimace.

[Ok, the Spiral Tower’s a walk away from the Isles – running, she’d be there in less than two minutes. The same goes for the stretch she traverses while hunting stragglers, given her speed. For now, I need Zyara to roll stealth, please. She can approach the situation any way she wants. Also, the dozen warriors brought down by her can be killed or simply incapacitaded.]

MOSS

The knight’s report is short and direct. The areas are mostly controlled, now. Urgency’s all about controlling the fires and keeping the locals under control, but most tasks are already addressed by the knights and the satyrs. It seems that the gravest affair is, in fact, the movement around the camp. With a short leap Moss flaps his wings and finds himself amidst the raging crowd.
At the fires that burn amidst the tents, a number of fyrbolg, satyrs and elves have tied seven dark gnomes. The prisoners took some punishment, lying mangled before the community. An imposing fyrbolg cries for justice, accusing the gnomes of treachery. Apparently, they served the drow by covering their tracks. The last, most recent action was the assassination of the sick – a feat in itself, considering that they’ve had literally minutes to accomplish the crime.
As the fyrbolg works up his own rage, he points out towards a large tent, where suposedly the bodies of the victims have been gathered. Behind the tent lines, a number of frightened gnomes, nymphs and pixies watch the events with a shy attitude. The locals are already throwing stones towards the captives. A few more seconds and they’ll certainly turn into a lynch mob.

[Ok, you have at least forty alessians ready to slay the prisoners. Behind, an equal number of more delicate Fey watch as the group threatens to kill them. How are you gonna solve this?]


ALICE

Joining the others at the healing camp, Alice finds refreshment under the canopies while she relieves the locals of their pain. The attack lasted only a few minutes, but it left quite a few scars: children, elderly and sick people were taken as the band rushed through the city. Alice’s supported by a bunch of pixies and nymphs. Grateful faces show great appreciation for her attitude, and the alessians try to make her as welcome as possible – a comforting feeling, in fact.
Gathering info is no hard task, and Alice’s analytic mind does a great job trying to understand the big Picture. Clearly, the drow have been working this linghtning attack for a long while. They’ve used gnomes to prepare surgical strikes within the city. The targets were the Priestess – and probably the Book of the Dead – by the labs within the castle; the sick – within camp and at Allanor’s hollow tree; any prophecy records and witnesses, within the Isles and the Spiral Tower; and magical and informational tomes.
The bulk of the attack used a mass of less-experienced soldiers in order to distract the bulk of the alessian army. Probably the Drow were already within the city, one way or another, just waiting for the conflict to begin. They might have devices to flee, as well.
Alice easily reaches the conclusion that the sick are probably dead, now. Also, she doubts that the priestess will be found, now. The book’s probably gone as well.

ARDUNIEL

Arduniel’s concerns are mostly overlooked by he pressing concerns of the group. He doesn’t have much time to protest, as well. A few guards beg him to go to the castle, seeking the Priestess. As his familiar accompanies Moss, he’ll surely be able to maintain contact, and four guards follow him, ready to take flight and deliver his messages if he needs to communicate with his allies.
Apparently, the soldiers are hugely concerned with her safety. And Arduniel understands why: if the Priestess was in Fighting conditions, they’d have heard magical conflagrations coming from the castle.

DAXIO

Daxio remains behind, exploring the ruined isles in search of answers. He discorvers a frightening amount of magical statues and idols around the studios and tents. As he expected, most of them portray the ancestor’s cult, typical of the Fey. Still, a few statues translate the new elfic patheon, something represented by the Priestess’ practices around Alessia.
Some of the statues have been enchanted to create emotional reactions on the worshippers – from fear to comfort. Others have been prepared as fertility charms, or simply as pieces to harness magical forces. Some have also been prepared to house natural spirits, while others have been made to become funeral icons.
The ones that interest Daxio the most, though, are those that have been destroyed. They held language and illusion enchantments, preserving messages and tales delivered by the Lyllend as prophecies. He seeks out for any other pieces of information, but it seems that most of the studios were destroyed, along with their owners...

[Ok, I need Daxio to give me a perception roll!]
[MENTION=24380]Neurotic[/MENTION] [MENTION=6801311]KahlessNestor[/MENTION] [MENTION=1231]Kaodi[/MENTION] [MENTION=6847138]Charlotte of Oz[/MENTION] [MENTION=87106]MetaVoid[/MENTION] [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]

Aranel hesitates for a moment, besieged by options that at the surface all seem equally important. But in the end, she is a Lorekeeper after all...

She unfurls her wings and leaps skyward, winging towards the distant spire of the Spiral Tower. Though she marks Zyara's progress on the ground, Aranel herself soars higher, aiming to visit the ransacked library itself and see if anything can be saved...or if not, salvaged.

Zyara

Fugitives: dead

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1] Can I tell anything about the origins of the purses? IOW, did the drow bring the purses from the underdark or did they steal them recently? Also do the drow look comfortable with this exchange or does this look like a new "friendship"?
Languages known: Common, Undercommon, Infernal, Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic


Zyara does not plan to take on the group here but she will follow the drow when they leave. (Unless something interesting happens during their parlay.)