Hunting the Fallen

[Samshiir]

Hunting the Fallen
Chapter One:
Thunderhaven

Thunderhaven, a city of lowlifes, misfits, criminals, pirates, and people simply looking to get by in life, is nestled on the east coast of the main continent of Solvaria, the Realm of the Mortals. The city was originally named by explorers that were seeking a safe place to stay during a particularly dangerous thunderstorm. The storm lasted for several months, and the city become more and more permanent the longer the explorers were stranded there. The city has now stood for hundreds of years, and serves as a beacon of safety against the dangers of the ocean to the east.

Like most populations of Solvaria, Thunderhaven is smiled down upon by the divine being called Calehta from Aesaria, the Realm of the Divine.. The citizens of Thunderhaven are given strength and endurance enough to farm and fish enough provisions to live. They are also given speed and cunning enough to kill and steal from each other. Calehta teaches the concept of survival of the fittest, and Thunderhaven truly understands that concept.

Little do the citizens of Thunderhaven- nay, Solvaria- know...the forces of Rauluria, the Realm of the Demon, are gathering their power to form an all-out war with Solvaria. It is here, in Thunderhaven, that our story begins. Two of Solvaria's inhabitants, Kirdra and Katarina, will soon learn of this dark plot, and it will be up to them to defend Solvaria- if they can.

Begin with an introduction and what your character is doing. It is a normal day (thus far) in Thunderhaven. Good luck and welcome to Hunting the Fallen!

[MikelaC1]

A dark haired beauty pushed herself to a standing position in front of the shrine to Celeste, and said her final devotions. She ignored the looks of the upper echelon of the priest hierarchy, lust mixed with contempt. She knew they despised how she wielded her power, favoured soul they called her, and the term was sarcastic. Katarina didnt care, she knew that Celeste approved of her forms, she proved it every time she answered her calls for spells.
Heading out, Katarina could see the wizards guild, but she had no desire to go there either. The same looks would be given to her there as they were here, those "hallowed halls" called her sorceress. As if a sorceress were some lesser form of wizard. Again, the daily answering of her calls for spells was rewarded by Celeste, making Katarina know she was on the right track.
She pulled her white robe (decorated with magical sigils and the wand symbol of Celeste) tighter around her svelte form. Just looking at her, you would never figure that she could wield some of the most destructive magic known to humans, and even reinforce it in ways that were supposed to be off limits to a sorceress. But then, doing things the way everyone else did had never been her style. And just as she could be destructive, Celeste blessed her with her most powerful of healing spells.
Wandering the city, Katarina decided to check out what her friend Kirdra was up to. Katarina didnt have many friends, seeing as the priests and wizards were interested only in bedding her, and she counted Kirdra as highest on her list.

[Ridai]

"I've always wanted to see a play! The drama, the costumes, everything!" the serving girl says excitedly. The cloaked figure smiles and nods. A thickset man harshly calls out to her, telling her to get back to work. "Sorry, gotta go. Nice talking to you." She hurries away, the cloaked figure following her with her eyes for a moment, then looking to the table of gamblers, inclining the head.

---------------

"Now I gotcha! Haha, easy as takin' candy from a baby!" The scarface laughs as he puts down his cards, making the others throw up their hands. The cloaked figure just sits motionlessly. The stranger had been doing well and went all-in on this one. "What's wrong, eh? Not so high 'n' mighty now, aren'tcha?"

With a simple gesture, the stranger lays down what's on hand, easily beating his opponent, much to the surprise of everyone. There are baffled looks, questions how that is possible and laughs as the stranger quietly collects the good bunch of coin and turns to leave. Furiously, the loser cries out "Godsdamned cheat if I've ever seen one! Gimme back my money!" Looking over the shoulder, the stranger just looks at him, apparently having no intention to do so. "So you wanna do this the hard way, eh? Boys!" A few other people stand up, everyone drawing daggers and cutlasses. "Outside." The single word stopped them in their tracks, the stranger calmly walking outside. The men followed.

Out on the street, people start to stay away from the scene as it unfolds, but still looking, curious for what will happen. The cloaked figure stands surrounded by ten rough-hewn men or sneaky types, all armed. "So whatcha gonna do, eh? Now, one last time, gimme my money and we'll letcha limp away."

The stranger just shakes the head. "Gentlemen, would you kindly?" Five of the men suddenly put away their weapons, removing themselves from the circle with a respectful salute. The leader watches in confusion, his head beet-red. "Wha-what do you think you're doing, you idiots!"

"Now, listen up before that Ace of Hearts falls out of your sleeve." The man looks shocked, a card falling out of his clothes. "Naturally, you want to attack me. So while that one is considering whether to throw the knife hidden on his back at my heart or my head, that one wants to go back and oogle the barmaid, that one is cursing the ingrown nail of his right big toe he discovered last week but was too lazy to get rid off and that one is more busy with trying to see what is under my cloak than hearing you, you yourself are naturally wondering what is going on, as it isn't helping your confidence after the working girl yesterday night was laughing pretty heartily at your 'performance'." All five remaining men look stunned as if caught in the act, the five others that are watching by the side actually laughing at this point.

"You can try attacking me. Of course, you will die. Eventually. I have put an invisible seal on all of you back inside and if you attack me or any innocent, your soul will be marked as a delicacy for the demons of Hell, letting you stew in your fear as you slowly go insane and claw out your own eyes and throat before your entire being is dragged into the Pits and devoured. Of course, that is after I cut down your attempts to harm me." Her voice is deadly serious, making the men nervous, exchanging looks. "So, do you feel lucky, punks?" The stranger stares them down and with that, the five men drop their weapons and run away screaming like little girls, begging for their souls to be spared, for the sake of their 2-7 children, wives and sick grandparents.

Once gone, Kirdra laughs heartily, almost doubling over. "Oh gods, the way they went off. Ahh, never gets old." The men who already knew her, once serving as sailors on the same ship Kirdra temporarily captained due to a rather tumultous series of events, join in, as do the people who watched. "Begging your pardon for this little scene, good sirs and misses, but I thought a little lesson was in order." She bows with a flourish to the crowd, then heads to the men. "Really now, you are better than working for that lot." She lightly and friendly slaps one of them on the cheek with a smile. "Please wait here for a moment."

She heads inside and soon comes out with the barmaid she talked to earlier, holding a bag. "Gentlemen, this is Marian. Please escort her to a carriage and get a few horses so you can bring her to Kirstheim, safely and untouched." Marian's bag clothes and such, but also much of the winnings Kirdra has raked in that day. She passes a small bag each to the men, containing the rest of her winnings. "Bring her to the theater, then go to Felldrake Inn and ask for Lanky Ian. He'll get you some work befitting fine lads like you." She has a reputation with them, along with saving their lives multiple times, so they salute her with surprised looks, giving their words. Marian hugs Kirdra ecstatically, then waves as she leaves with the seasoned sea dogs.

Dusting off her hands, Kirdra watches them a little with a satisfied smile. This place might be a hellhole, yeah, but doesn't mean she'll just let that drag her down. Turning around, Kirdra walks off towards where the magicky types are located, meeting Katarina in front of one of the somewhat better inns. "Hey Kat." She just gives her a quick hug and peck on the lips. She just does things like that, Katarina is her best friend bar none, having saved each other's asses multiple times, after all. "How's Lady Divine doing?" Lady Divine naturally being Celeste.

High Bluff modifier, some Intimidate using Bluff modifier, penalty for lies being hard to believe lessened by 15 and Tall Tale Sense Motive abilities in action.

[MikelaC1]

Lady Divine favours me as best she does, like always. If only some her other servants would accord the same respect.
You seem in high spirits. That normally means some down of luck person just got a windfall, and some thugs got a comeuppance.

[Ridai]

Blessing of Kindness available

"Yup. That or just happy to see you." And from Kirdra, it actually sounds sincere for the right reasons. With a cheeky smile on her lips, she puts a hand on her hip, revealing a bit of what is beneath her cloak, most of all an athletic, comely body wrapped in exotic red clothes and leather that definitely requires a body like her's to be worn while providing some protection, her right hand encased in a gauntlet with thick nubs on the knuckles, definitely there to pack a mean punch and break bones if necessary.

There is no denying Kirdra is a beautiful woman, but Katarina is easily her superior and Kirdra lets her know that freely from time to time, especially since what's inside effortlessly matched what's outside. And that is very precious to Kirdra. "Lunch? My treat."

[MikelaC1]

That sounds like a good idea

In contrast to her friend, Katarina appears completely unarmed. She doesnt even carry the ubiqitous dagger that mages favour, nor does she have a staff. Unlike many mages, she isnt covered in a multitude of magic trinkets either, but that cloak of hers has many defenses built into it.

[Samshiir]

Kirdra takes Kat to Harmund's Tavern, one of her favorite restaurants by the dock.

"Welcome back, Kirdra!" Yells Harmund, the restaurant owner, a jolly large man with a thick, black beard. "Have a seat, I'll be right there with ya!"

There are several men and women throughout Harmund's Tavern.

At one table, sitting alone, is a man with a symbol of a large, silvered sword basked in fire and daylight on his plated armor. This is the symbol of Kamdras, indicating that the bearer is a warrior of light, good, and honor, and is a defender of the innocent. Followers of Kamdras are uncommon, but not so uncommon to look twice at.

Another table has a group of young students from the Mage's Academy. They can be overheard talking about the power of magic and knowledge granted to them by the awe-inspiring Calehta. They are debating about who among their group will complete the following day's trials the most efficiently, how Calehta will give them the magical strength and agility they need to succeed, and how they will crush all competition in their way.

They mention nothing about Calehta's little sister, Celeste.

The rest and majority of the tavern is filled with the main local populace of the city. Loud, boisterous, bearded men fill their bellies with meat and mead while their wives are busy caring for their homes and children.

Harmund finishes assisting a few other patrons before coming to serve Kirdra and Kat a few minutes later.

"Now, what can I get for you girls?" He asks and prepares to write your orders down.

Kat is busy ordering her meal when Kirdra suddenly springs into action to defend herself from an attack.

Moments earlier, a young man hiding under a black cloak that had gone unnoticed to both Kirdra and Katarina was waiting to strike. The young adult had a clean-shaven angular face, black hair, and abyss-black eyes. While he appeared human, something was definitely very inhuman about him.

When the opportunity presented itself, the man stood from his chair, extended four-inch razor-sharp claws from the tips of his inhuman fingers, and moved into position to strike at Kirdra from behind with full intent to quickly kill her. What he wasn't expecting, however, was Kirdra's superb reflexes at avoiding danger.

Spot checks vs. attacker's stealth check is in the OOC. Kirdra's Uncanny Dodge allows her to react to an incoming sneak attack, which is reduced to a normal attack because of Kirdra's Improved Uncanny Dodge.

Go ahead and take a chance to play through the scene starting from departing to Harmund's Tavern, and then combat will begin.

Initiative:
Kirdra: [roll0]
Katarina: [roll1]
Enemy: [roll2]

Your opponent and Kirdra are both in the Surprise Round right now, Kat will join the fight in the following round.

[Ridai]

(We know what inevitably happens, so let's just do both at the same time)

Kirdra smiles, raises two fingers to her temple and moves them away again in greeting. With one smooth motion, the redhead takes off her cloak and hangs it over the back of the chair she lets herself fall into. With a sigh, she stretches her arms up before letting them rest in her lap, casually leaned back. "Can't wait to be back home. Theater renovations should be done by now."

------------------

Noticing something going on behind her, Kirdra suddenly kicks herself upwards, the chair beginning to fall backwards as she spins in the air, Karma smoothly sliding out of its sheath, ready to deflect the attack as she comes out of her spin, one boot on the edge of the table, the other on the edge of the chair's seat, standing rock solid despite two precarious footings. Her free hand pushes Harmund to the side as she begins to retaliate, suddenly kicking off the table and sending the chair tumbling backwards, towards the assailant, her feet on the legs and edges as her momentum is channelled into swift stab forward, right at the black-eyed man.

If I can activate my Blessing of Kindness during the restaurant scene, I'll do so to add Kirdra's Tall Tale level to her initiative so she wins it.

Five ranks in Balance, so not flat-footed.
Balance [roll0]

Attack with Combat Expertise -2, granting an AC bonus of +4 due to Tall Tale Concentration. Weapon damage replaced with Sleight of Hand check due to Tall Tale Sleight of Hand. Spending Inspiration point to activate Precise Strike for the round.
Attack: [roll1]
[roll2] damage + [roll3] precision damage (+ [roll4] damage if enemy is evil)

HP 161/161, AC 39, Inspiration 10/11

[Samshiir]

Harmund panics and yells as he is pushed aside, and falls in a very ungraceful manner on the ground. The entire tavern erupts into panic at this event and the fact that a girl is leaping out of her seat suddenly.

The man lets loose a demonic scream as Karma lets a brilliant flash of holy light loose against the creature, and you notice sharp, pointed teeth fill his mouth as he rears his face back in pain.

The taverns patrons panic at both the demon's scream and the flash of light. Even the follower of Kamdras doesn't seem to know where to direct his sword.

Dark green blood splashes from the creature's torso where Karma pierces it and tries to melt your magical sword, but Karma's properties protect her from harm. You can feel a radiant heat coming from the foul-smelling blood, and you know that it would be very dangerous if you let it touch you.

The creature wastes no time with a counter attack. It detracts another set of claws in its other hand, and deafeningly shrieks as it attacks in full force in such a way that reminds you of a starved, rabid wolf finding and lunging at the first source of living food it has seen in months.


Demon attacks vs. Kirdra:

Claw: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Claw: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

Bite: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

[Ridai]

Each claw swipe is met with a swift parry and the bite is stopped by the point of Karma being directly on his path, letting his sense of self-preservation kick in. "Stay clear and get outside, people!" She shouts to the crowd in the growing panic, also gesturing to the Kamdrasian to get his ass in gear and help out. Turning to the demonic man, she fakes him out, only to suddenly shift her weight and make the back of the chair come back up to throw him off-balance, quickly following with a rapid series of stabs right where it hurts, shifting off the chair and onto the ground. Every little attempt to flee will be punished, Kirdra's concentration razorsharp, watching, waiting.

Balance check [roll0]
Swift action feint (due to Tall Tale Sleight of Hand) [roll1]
No penalty against nonhumanoids due to Tall Tale Sleight of Hand

Spend Inspiration point to get Precise Strike for the round. Spend Inspiration point to add Charisma bonus to last attack roll. Exchanging damage roll of first hit with Sleight of Hand check (TT SoL). First attack vs flat-footed if feint succeeds. Combat Expertise (CE) -2 for the round, granting total of AC +4.
Attacks [roll2], [roll3], [roll4]
Damage rolls (use from top to bottom for successful attacks)
Take 12 (Exaggerated Ease from Tall Tale) on SoL check = 39 damage + [roll5] precision + [roll6] from Holy
[roll7] damage + [roll8] precision + [roll9] from Holy
[roll10] damage + [roll11] precision + [roll12] from Holy

Enemy provokes attacks of opportunities even with 5 foot steps, swift/immediate action spells, spell-like abilities etc. (Tall Tale Concentration).

HP 161/161, AC 39, Inspiration 8/11

[Samshiir]

The creature is struck with brilliant energy from Kirdra's Karma as the panicked people flee the scene. With a few precise strikes, Kirdra strikes the creature down. The creature's unholy scream fills every ear in the tavern that sends shivers down everyone's spine. What is worse is that the demonic sounds do not last, instead they convert to a human's screams, and is then cut off due to the instance of death.

The demon is dead before it hits the ground, but it is also human again before it hits the ground. Before your very eyes, the creature reverts from demon to mortal, and a man's corpse lays on the ground looking up at you with bright blue eyes. What was a very demonically-influenced human face a moment before is now a very pure-blooded human face.

Before you can react, another demon leaps out from the crowd, but this time not at you. This one is even younger than the first and is a woman. She shrieks like the first one and makes a break for the exit while violently pushing commoners out of the way to do it.

The follower of Kamdras draws his sword and is wading his way through the crowd in an attempt to get to the action.

When the second demon gets to the tavern's exit, she stops to block it. Her grotesque demonic features prevent the commoners from attempting to escape. She begins casting a spell, speaking ritualistic words of fire and time in Raulurian, the language of demons. A very small ball of red flame with a blue core is conjured in the palm of her hand, and she simply drops it to the ground with a wicked grin on her face.

The first 'demon' is dead, and the second took a double move action to get to the door. Because of the panicked crowd, the tavern is temporarily treated as difficult terrain, so the follower of Kamdras is having difficulty engaging because of it. The second demon was also slowed somewhat by the crowd, but between natural intimidation and being quicker than the Kamdrasian, she is able to reach the exit.

It is now Katarina's turn. The second demon is 45 feet away from Kat and 40 feet away from Kirdra. The commoners are spread throughout the tavern converging toward the door, but give the demon a 10-foot space.

[MikelaC1]

With commoners in between her and her quarry, as well as not wanting to wreck the whole tavern, Katarina choses a very specific set of spells. She first uses her quicken powers to cast a true strike on herself, and then takes aim with a disintigrate spell, topped off with an assay spell resistance. A thin green ray streaks forth from her hand, striking the demon squarely in the chest

[roll0] Ranged touch attack
[roll1] penetrate SR
[roll2] damage or FORT save (DC23) or [roll3] damage

[Samshiir]

The demon takes the disintegration blast to the chest, and her molecular structure is weakened, but remains intact. The demon is obviously in agonizing pain given the look on her face, but she...laughs.

She laughs with a high pitched demonic voice that is fighting through the urge of screaming in pain.

She looks Kirdra in the eyes tauntingly, and awaits the onslaught that is to come.

Disintegrate did its full damage.

Top of the round, Kirdra's turn.

[Ridai]

Kirdra looks surprised for a moment to see the demon revert into a human as the possession ends, then angrily grits her teeth. With the other demon moving to the exit, the woman in red immediately charges after her. The demon might expect her to be slowed down, but she is wrong. Zeroing in on her prey, Kirdra weaves through the crowd, moves onto a table and leaps over the last line of scared humans, directly at the demon blocking the door to stab her sword right into the damned thing. Then, suddenly, she reaches down to the flame, intent on picking it up (which should not work, but Kirdra operates kind of differently) and seeks to throw it out of the door onto the street where it will just fizzle out. "I hope you're ready for pain." she snarls, letting the demon know exactly in how deep trouble she is.

Acrobatic Movement allows Kirdra to move and charge through difficult terrain, as well as do all kinds of stunts while doing so.
Jump check for the last bit [roll0]

Charge at the demon with CE -2, which in total with the charge bonus and penalty averages out to no attack penalty and +2 AC. Inspiration point for Precise Strike. Take 12 on Sleight of Hand check for damage.
[roll1]
39 damage + [roll2] precision + [roll3] from Holy

Sleight of Hand check as a free action (penalty lessened to -10 due to TT SoL) to steal an active spell effect (in this case, the flame). Taking 12 on check and spending 1 Inspiration to add half her level to the check for a total result of 36 against a DC of 20 + caster level.

Then spending 3 Inspiration to activate Charismatic Surge to gain another standard action, using it to throw the flame onto the street. Taking fire damage in the process is expected.

Once again, even the smallest movement or any kind of casting or spell-like abilities provokes an attack of opportunity from Kirdra. Also, the DC to cast defensively is increased by her Tall Tale level (15), as is the DC to use abilities to prevent provoking AoOs due to movement (like Tumble). All of that is the same ability from Tall Tale Concentration.

HP 161/161, AC 37, Inspiration 3/11

[Samshiir]

The demon's laughter haunts the tavern as Kirdra leaps over the crowd to save them. The laughter turns to a surprised, "No!" when Kirdra suddenly palms the bead of fire and hurls it past the demon and into the street.

Kirdra lands delicately on her feet and drives her sword into the demon-

-only to be surprised when the demon completely dodges the attack. Kirdra was not expecting the demon to be as quick as it is, and the creature was capable of ducking completely out of the way. This demon is slightly more agile than the one before her.

The demon follows through with a full counter assault, quickly ejecting claws like the first demon's. As the attacks commence, a massive explosion occurs outside where the flaming bead landed. The explosion further panics the crowd inside by causing the ground to shake and bursting the tavern's glass windows apart. An intense sulfuric odor follows the intense explosion.

The follower of Kamdras swiftly raises a strong metal shield to protect the folk around him against debris from the blast.


Claw: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Claw: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Bite: 42 (OOC)
Damage: [roll4]

[Ridai]

She won't lie, the demon gets Kirdra good, the emergency ejection of the flame leaving her wide open. Gritting her teeth harder as pain surges through her body and blood leaves it, it doesn't shake her confidence. It only makes her fight harder in retaliation for everything done thus far. Catching a few of the shards blown into the building with her thin blade, Kirdra flings them at the demon, using the distraction to get her first attack in and mercilessly following up, slashing away.
Being below half HP triggers Extended Skin of Your Teeth (see bottom of post).

Swift action feint [roll0]

Full attack, spending 1 Inspiration to get Precise Strike (if not triggered by feint, then by SoL damage check). CE -2. Spends 1 Inspiration on first successful hit to trigger Crippling Strike, damaging the demon's Dexterity by 8.
Attacks [roll1], [roll2], [roll3]
Damage rolls (use top to bottom for successful attacks)
Take 12 SoL = 39 + [roll4] precision + [roll5] from Holy
[roll6] damage + [roll7] precision + [roll8] from Holy
[roll9] damage + [roll10] precision + [roll11] from Holy

HP 72/161, AC 41, Inspiration 2/11
Conditions Extended Skin of Your Teeth (while below half max HP, gain +2 competence to attack rolls, saving throws, AC, and weapon damage)

edit: And hitting nothing. So less Inspiration spent.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina is determined to show she is not a one trick pony, so this time she summons up priestess powers, and takes aim on the demon once again, firing off a Bolt of Glory, at the same time Maximizing it via her divine metamagic.

[roll0] ranged touch attack
[roll1] SR penetration
maximized damage: 180 damage, no save

[Samshiir]

Katarina calls on the support of Celeste and channels divine fire to launch at the demon.

The demon sees the attack coming, and moves to dodge the small heavenly missile. She successfully dodges the attack, and the Aesarian bolt screams past the demon at tremendous speed.

"Nothing will stop the Fallen." She says in an eerie, transparent, demonic voice. The demon smiles and prepares to deflect a fresh assault from Kirdra.

The demon fails to realize that Kat's spell came to a complete and sudden halt outside, banked over a hundred eighty degrees in place, and rocketed back in the direction it originally came from. The divine light expanded so that it covered the entire size of the demon's body and completely engulfed her body in the holy light. Since the second attack came from behind, the demon never had a chance to react.

A very human scream is emitted from the brilliant white light where the demon used to stand. The light is so intense that the entire population of the tavern has to avert their eyes. When the light fades, a dead human girl stands where her demon-form was. Everything in her that was demon is now gone. The girl's lifeless body falls to her knees, then crumples to the ground in a heap.

[Ridai]

Kirdra groans, her body hurting all over and her ears ringing a bit, though nodding a "thanks"/"well done" to Kat. She grumbles a bit to herself because of the demons, looking down on the poor girl now dead. She pulls her away from the exit, laying her onto her back and closes eyes and mouth before covering her body with the tablecloth from a nearby table (pulling it off without throwing down anything else on it).

"Demons are gone, people, calm down, check yourself and whoever is close to you for injuries, provide help where needed." Kirdra calls out to the crowd and also onto the street, checking for any injuries (or deaths) there, trying to get their heads on straight again. Throwing the fireball onto the street was hardly ideal. The best thing she could have hoped for what would happen was that less people would die if it went off on the street instead of inside the inn.

She walks over to the other formerly possessed human, pulling him aside as well before covering his body, too. Heading to Harmund, she helps him up if he isn't on his feet already. "Sorry for the push, had to get you out of reach of the demon." She looks uneasy (her wounds probably contributing to that) as she says this, remembering the fall.

Right now, caring for the wounded and identifying who the formerly possessed were are the highest priorities right now, so the redhead gets to that.

Diplomacy check to calm down/direct the crowd inside and outside the inn.
Take 12 for a result of 39.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina will also help with calming the people and caring for the wounded, with her raft of curative spells, it shouldnt be much of an issue. Her first healing target however is Kirdra, who gets a full heal for 150 points. After dealing with the rest of the populace, whatever is left over is for her.

[Samshiir]

Kirdra, Katarina, Harmund, and the follower of Kamdras are able to calm the people in the tavern and tend to their wounds. Everyone is either unscathed or lightly injured, but only due to the flying glass. The few wounds are easy enough to heal due to Kat's healing magicks.

There is more carnage outside, though. There are several unfortunate people that were caught in the blast, but there are no deaths. The fight in the tavern caused people to back away from the area moments before the fireball detonated. There is a massive scorchmark on the ground indicating exactly where the bead landed. Kat is able to heal the injured folk outside.



Harmund accepts Kirdra's assistance and stands up, holding his aching back. "Thanks for your help girls. I've had barfights in here before, but I've never seen a pair of young ladies thrash around a pair of demons before. We owe you our lives."



Kat overhears a few of the students whispering about her. "Calehta is really shining his will upon her. Did you see the way she channeled his might and destroyed that demon? That is what I hope to be able to do someday." says a young female student.

"Someday? I bet I can do everything she did!" says another student, this one a young, large, oval-bodied boy.

"Are you kidding? All you managed to accomplish was somehow ramming yourself under a table and hiding the entire time! Some follower of Calehta you are! The Divine One has no time for cowards like you!"

[Ridai]

"Don't mention it, I'm just glad no one died and that Kat saved my ass back there." Kirdra shrugs, then looks over her shoulder to the covered bodies. "Hey, Harmund, you see a lot of people in a day, can you come with me for a moment?" She leads him to the corpses, drawing the blanket back enough to reveal their faces. "Do you know who these two are or have you seen them before?" If he doesn't know them, she asks him if he has ink, quill and either some parchment of paper for her so she can make draw their faces. "The sooner my friend and I can inform their families and find out how and why they got possessed, the better."

[Samshiir]

"I do know them." He says with a flushed face.

"They are Alin and Alara Harter, siblings. Good kids, them two. They used to help me keep the tavern clean when they were younger. You know, dishes and whatnot. Been good friends with their family ever since. I didn't recognize them when they were pos-" Harmund catches himself, not wanting to say what he almost said.

"I mean, I didn't recognize them before. It's odd, I hadn't seen them in months, and suddenly they come back as demons."

Harmund pauses a minute, taking a moment to grieve for the deaths of his friends. "I know where their folks live. I can give you directions, if you want."

[MikelaC1]

Hearing the comments of the students around her, Katarina does not bother to correct them, however, as she does her healings, she makes sure to say, loud enough to hear

The blessings of Celeste go with you

When she hears of the two youths, she makes ready to go with Kirdra, this will not be easy

[Ridai]

Kirdra puts a hand on Harmund's upper arm, then gives him some space until he catches himself. "I would appreciate that. I don't want this to happen again."

When Katarina goes over to them, Kirdra turns to her with a little "Hey." Seeing her always brings a little smile to her face and right now even more so, always glad to have her around, never taking anything about her for granted. Katarina does things Kirdra cannot even hope to come close to and life in general has been much better with the beautiful favored soul at her side (not to mention her saving Kirdra's life several times and keeping her going). "Harmund knows the victims and where their people are. Harmund hadn't see the two for a few months now. Maybe their familiy knows what happened to them."

Kirdra glances at the mages. "They didn't you lip, did they?"

[MikelaC1]

No more than usual. Should we go to give the bad news?

[Ridai]

Kirdra shoots the mages a look that clearly says "you ungrateful bastards", then nods to Katarina, turning to Harmund to get the family's whereabouts.

[Samshiir]

Later that afternoon, Kirdra and Katarina knock on the Harter family's door. A middle-aged woman, with a similar features as the two demons that were slain, except that this woman is very much human and mortal, which can be seen by her graying black hair.

"Come on in! What can Aymee Harter do for you children?" She says in a with a smile. She seems to be in a fairly good mood right now.

The Harter residence is small and compact on the third floor of an apartment complex. She is obviously a crafter and a cook, given the amount of yarn and cookies and the mixed smell the two things give throughout her home. It is apparent that she lives alone, except for three calico cats that are busy playing with her piles of yarn.

[Ridai]

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Harter. This is Katarina, my name is Kirdra. We are here because of Alin and Alara." Kirdra's voice is respectful as she enters the apartment, her body language asking Aymee to sit down with them in the living room. "Could you tell us when you last saw your children?"

[Samshiir]

Aymee seems to be stunned by the sudden questioning about Alin and Alara."I...I last visited my children three weeks ago. I make it a point to visit their graves every month. I miss them very much."

You can tell that Aymee is very sad right now, but she is doing her best to hide it. "Cookie?" She offers a platter full of cookies.

[Ridai]

Kirdra lowers her gaze. "I am deeply sorry, I wasn't aware. I am sorry for your loss." She is silently arguing with herself, looking over to Katarina for a moment. "Mrs. Harter, what I am about to say will be something you will not like to hear, but I think you should know, without word of mouth distorting the facts." Kirdra looks at the woman, wanting to silently let her know that she feels for her.

"Today, we were attacked at Harmund's by demons, who used Alin and Alara's bodies as disguises. We stopped them before they could kill anyone and thus banished them from their bodies. We do not know why they did what they did, but be assured, we will get to the bottom of this and stop whatever these demons did and punish them for everything they did today and to your children." There is no good way to go about delivering such news to a mother, but Kirdra hopes that not drawing it out will make it at least a little bit more bearable. Still, Kirdra visibly does not feel great about having to deliver this kind of news.

[Samshiir]

Aymee sets the plate of cookies down, then slowly goes to a large chair to sit down in after hearing the news of her children.

"I...see...

Thank you...for telling me...

What of my third child, Alyx? Was she there as well?"

[Ridai]

Kirdra shakes her head. "No." After waiting for a moment, she asks "I am sorry for asking, but is she...?" Of course, she implies the word dead.

[Samshiir]

"Yes...Along with her siblings, two years ago."

[MikelaC1]

Then we can likely expect a third attack, shortly.
Can you tell us how your children died? Knowing the how, we might have more idea of the why the demons are using those bodies.

[Samshiir]

"They were killed in a fight. You know how bad this town can get. I don't know the details, but...my guess is that one of them was getting robbed and the other two came in to save their sibling. Place like this, that's a straight-up execution sentence.

Like I said, I don't know the specifics. All I know is that their bodies came to my door one day, and I had to bury each of them."

[MikelaC1]

Why did the tavern owner not know they were dead? He just said he hadn't seen them in months, nothing about being deceased.

[Samshiir]

"What? No, that's impossible. My children have been dead for years.

Unless...what you say has been true for some time now."

[Ridai]

"How did your daughter look? It might help us find this impostor, if there is one. Knowing where they were buried might lead to a clue as well."

[Samshiir]

Aymee hands you a portrait of her daughter. Alyx looks younger than her siblings, and she has the same black hair as her family. She keeps her hair a lot longer, has blue eyes, and a beautiful face.

Aymee also gives you directions to her children's grave site, which is just outside of the city in the local graveyard.

"I would go with you, but...I would rather stay here, just in case...just in case you are able to prove what you are saying. If it is true, then I don't... I don't want to know."

[Ridai]

"What a beautiful girl." Kirdra comments as she hands the portrait back to Aymee. "I won't pretend to know what you feel like right now, but I want you to always remember that the two we met today weren't your children, they were impostors. Your children are in a better place now, safe, no one can harm them or lessen your memories of them." Kirdra means it, wanting nothing more right now than for her message to get through to Aymee, searching her eyes. "Can we do anything for you, get you anything?"

[MikelaC1]

I would also like to talk to the innkeeper again. Like I said, he didn't speak of them as being long dead, and I want to know why.

[Samshiir]

"No, I'll be alright. Thank you and good luck."

[Ridai]

Kirdra nods, showing a little, warm smile. "Thank you for your help and time, Mrs. Harter. I hope we'll meet again under better circumstances." She hesitates a moment. "Sorry, I just..." The redhead takes a cookie, trying it and sighing contently. "So good." Quickly finishing the cookie and clearing her throat sheepishly, Kirdra does rise to take her leave, once again thanking Aymee.

Next stop would be the inn again.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina takes a cookie as well, complimenting her after she tries it.

[Samshiir]

Once back at the inn, Kirdra and Katarina find Harmund sweeping the debris out of an empty building that was the location of a battle a few hours ago.

"Ah, welcome back girls. Did you find out anything useful at the Harter residence?"

[MikelaC1]

We heard something that puzzles us. You said you hadn't seen the children around for several months, but Mrs. Harter said they died several years ago...and everyone knew about it. Why would you say you hadn't seen them, why wouldn't you just say they were dead?

[Samshiir]

"Well, um. That's certainly odd indeed. I know I seen them a few months back. I never knew about their deaths, otherwise I would have thought that seeing them was weird, you know?

Though, now that I think about it, they weren't exactly very cheery like the way they were years ago...."

[Ridai]

"Did you see her third child, Alyx, as well? Also, where did you see them?"

[Samshiir]

"No, Alyx wasn't with them. The I last saw the other two was here in the tavern. They would come visit me, have some drinks, talk with a few regulars, play some cards once a week or so for a few months. They seemed different, o'course, but I figured that was because they'd grown up since the time I saw them.

Last I saw Alyx she was still an infant child. You don't think the same thing happened to her now, do you? Calehta help her, the poor soul."

[MikelaC1]

Under her breath, Katarina mutters...
Celeste help her
Addressing Kirdra, she speaks normally
We should probably visit the graves now, see if anything turns up there. I certainly dont relish the thought of unearthing a grave

[Ridai]

"Right. Perhaps you can commune with Celeste there, instead of us having to physically take a look." Kirdra turns back to Harmund. "Where are the bodies right now?"

[Samshiir]

"The bodies are...um..." He glances over his shoulder to indicate at two large bundles of cloth further in the tavern.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina goes to the bundles of cloth and carefully unwraps them. She checks the bodies, although not exactly sure what she is looking for. Having some experience with those who have been possessed though, she might see something that sparks a memory. She also wants to make sure that they are real human bodies, and not some sort of look alikes...as well as any magic auras that might be present. The main question is, are they the former bodies of the children or just bodies that look like them.

[Ridai]

"We'll need to see to them getting a proper burial. Moving them more out of sight might be a good idea as well. We'll go check on their graves soon."

[Samshiir]

Katarina identifies the bodies as very human bodies. She detects some kind of dark magic preserving their bodies from deteriorating.

A very faint aura of the original souls of the bodies are present, but in a way that indicate the bodies have been long dead. The bodies once belonged to Alin and Alara Harter themselves, but they were not the beings Kat and Kirdra fought in the tavern.

[MikelaC1]

Hoping to free whatever dark hold the demons hold on the children, Katarina casts a greater dispel magic on the bodies

[roll0] GDM check

[Samshiir]

Katarina dismisses the dark magic on the bodies, rapidly reverting them into the state they should be as two year old corpses. The bodies lose their entire mass and undergo the entire decomposition process before your very eyes, leaving only skeletons on the table before you. The process leaves behind an instant wall of a putrid, pungent, horrible odor of decayed flesh.

[Ridai]

Hearing casting, Kirdra turns in time to see the corpses turn into old skeletons along with the smell, which makes her gag. "Gods, what did you do?!"

[MikelaC1]

The bodies and souls were bound by dark magic, which I dispelled. I had hoped just to free the souls and start the decomposition process...not to have it run the 2 years right away. Don't worry, I will clean up the mess. At least we can bury the skeletons.

[Ridai]

"Okay. Okay, just..." Kirdra raises her hands and makes a motion as if pushing the air away. "make 'em hold together, somehow, we don't want a jumbled pile of bones. I'll go get a cart." As Kirdra heads out, she throws Harmund an apologetic look. "Sorry, friend. Air the place out. Uh, one part vinegar, two parts water, put that in a bowl near where the smell's strongest. Can use the stuff to rub furniture down, too."

Time to organize a cart, preferably with a horse. And shovels.