Wrath of the Righteous 2 [3.5]

[Kish]

Semult finds no key, but two minutes after Jemus starts working on the lock, it clicks open. The door opens with a puff of air.

On the other side is a dark chamber, heavy red curtains blocking the window, holding a comfortable-looking bed, which in turn holds a tall, stunningly beautiful young woman with large batlike wings.

A few seconds after you've opened the door, she slowly sits up, blinking eyes that are inky pits of blackness. "Wh--who's there?" Her voice sounds like a girl of fifteen or so.

[CWater]

Alamryn claps hands over her mouth to hold down a scream. "She's already done it!", she gasps, her words muffled.

[RolandDeschain]

Trawyn

Appalled but not surprised the bard steps back, "We should simply leave her here."

With another hesitant backward step, he looks each of the party in the eye slowly, "Seriously....unless you know of some way to undo what's been done to her, we should leave her."

[Cavir]

Semult hears the commotion and heads to the newly opened door. He sees the girl, transformed. Memories of the torture he went through at the girl's age ran through his mind and he shuddered. The image of the Couatl feather in his pack flashed in his head.

"Leave her? Leave her to be experimented on more? Hells no. Having wings grafted doesn't make her evil. Treating her as evil will turn her that way. Irabeth, what do you sense?"

[RolandDeschain]

Trawyn

Putting up both hands, "Whoa! I thought we were here to kill those holding her. Take a breath, my friend...you're jumping to irrational conclusions. "

[CWater]

Alamryn takes a deep breath. Then another deep breath. Before taking a few careful steps into the room. "Um... hello? We mean no harm. Uh... What is your name?" She had to fight to keep her voice steady and expression normal, and feared she didn't quite succeed. After the last days of fighting demons and cultists, seeing a creature with wings and eyes like the horror stories told in the town before the attack was chilling.

[Kish]

"Sera," the woman says. "Who's already done what?" She looks at Alamryn. "What's wrong? Something's...odd..." She passes her hand over her face. "You all look...short. Where am I? What happened?"

[RolandDeschain]

Trawyn

Engaged with Semult, the bard had missed Alamryn moving into the room, but as she speaks he lowers his hands and turns away from his friend to watch the exchange.

Recalling his earlier discussion with the young druid and how she had questioned her own courage he couldn't help but smile, then turned back to Semult ruefully shaking his head, "Good for her...there's some steel in her despite her self-doubts. Semult, I wasn't saying we should abandoned Sera to her fate, merely that I fear we don't have time for this right now. We need to continue clearing this place of her captors....and we need to do so right now."

Motioning to Alamryn and Sera, he presses Semult, "How do you propose we proceed my friend?"

[razorback]

Jemus hesitantly enters the room but stays to the back, swords ready. All of this talk of turning people into demons and devils was beyond him. Leaning in to Tellos, he whispers "What do you make of this? Innocent girl... but now?"

[Novabomb]

Tellos matching his volume.
We will not leave an innocent behind. We will take her with us if she will come. We need to hurry with what we originally came here for if we are to save others though.

[Kish]

"Someone tell me what's going on. I can hear everything you're saying..." she slows down, as if puzzled by her own declaration that she can hear people whispering outside the room she's in. "The last thing I remember was...that big demon tore my arm off." She looks at her right arm, dazed. "I...what..." she inspects her long, clawlike nails. She holds up her left hand, inspects it as well, then says in a voice of forced calm, "Where's a mirror?"

[razorback]

Gritting his teeth hard enough for anyone watching to see his jawline taut, Jemus searches around form something reflective to show her. "Best now than later. Remember, this isn't you just something they want to turn you into. The choice is always yours."

[Cavir]

Semult's shoulders relax with Trawyn's clarification. "Leave her here just for now? Ok. Should leave someone with her while we clear the rest of this place. Any volunteers? Barricade the door while waiting. We'll have a code for our return. The outside person knocks three times, inside person replies with 3 similar knocks then the outside gives 2 knocks as the final signal. Then it's safe to open the door from the inside."

[RolandDeschain]

Trawyn

The bard looks at Tellos then Semult, then nods his head, "Hmmmm.....I think Semult's idea has merit, we could secure the room and try to convince her to remain here....though I suspect convincing her may prove difficult."

The bard fishes a handheld mirror from his pack, strides forward and hands it to Jemus. Then he hustles over to Wyne, whispers something in her ear, moves down the hallway down which they came stopping at the door and placing his ear against it as Wyne does the same to the door she's been guarding.

Spoiler: OC

Show

Perception checks for Wyne - Take 20 on both
Trawyn Perception 26 at AA9
Wyne Perception 28 at W9

[Kish]

Wyne detects a distinct odor of burning from the other side of the door where she's listening; Trawyn, a distinct odor of rot from the other side of the door where he is. Neither hears anything except the ongoing exchange with the girl at the south end of the hall. Meanwhile, Dona drags a long rectangular box out from under the table the cultists were standing around, looks at it, and brings it over to Irabeth. It has another piece of parchment on top of it. "This mentions your name, Commander," she says.

Spoiler: the letter

Show

Meanwhile, Jemus hands the girl Trawyn's mirror. She takes it and holds it up to her face with a trembling hand.

"No," she whispers. "This isn't real!" She throws the mirror at the wall, shattering it. "NO!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Jemus, make a Diplomacy check when you speak to the girl next...or whoever does, if someone else does instead.

[Novabomb]

Tellos
Miss, you are no more a demon than our comrades from down below. We will not forsake you. We must move into danger, so stay here safe until we return.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Diplomacy (1d20+4)[13]

[Cavir]

Semult nods as Trawyn moves on. He turns to the woman.

"Hello, my name is Semult Suntoz. I too was once held by cultists. I was saved, just as we are saving you. We have to make sure the way out is safe. Would you wait here please while we do so? Cema, would you wait here with her please?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Aid Other Diplomacy (1d20+5)[20]

[CWater]

Alamryn wasn't sure if showing the girl her reflection right away had been a good idea. It would no doubt upset her, and so it had. She winced instinctively when the mirror shatters. "My name is Alamryn Kven, please Sera, try remain calm. Perhaps there's some way to undo whatever this is?" In truth she had no idea if this was possible, but she had to think it was. It was too cruel otherwise.

[razorback]

Jemus grinds his teeth at the girl's anguish as the others speak. He holds his tongue with a stoic face but inside he felt for the girl but the ability to change it was beyond him.

[Kish]

Sera shivers, looking back and forth between you. Her clawed fingers clench and unclench, but she doesn't move otherwise.

After a minute, she asks, "Why are you here? The city is still held by demons?"

[razorback]

Jemus gives a solemn nod as he unclenches his teeth. "Yes. We sought you out, along with some others, to save before vacating the city. We have run amok of the demons and their mortal minions but all is not without hope."

[CWater]

Alamryn nods. "Unfortunately. You should wait here. We still have things to do, but we'll come back for you before we leave!"

[RolandDeschain]

Trawyn

After another chat with Wyne, Trawyn cuts in with the group, "The scent of sulfur behind one door and rot behind the other, undoubtedly more demons or cultists waiting to jump us if we open 'em." Motioning to the box then the letter held by the commander, "What's in the box Irabeth?"

[Kish]

Irabeth opens the box and pulls out a magnificent dire axe. "This...was mine. I did sell it to Nyserian, who was apparently a cultist. I never expected to see it again. Much less...Why would Staunton Vhane's brother...oh, I'm sorry. Staunton Vhane was my superior in the Eagle Watch when I first joined it. I was promoted to commander for discovering that he had been providing information to the demons for some time. I'm still not sure why, since he got away--riding on the back of some kind of demonic fly."

[Cavir]

Semult pieced together a bit of a plan. "So we kill all the cultists in here. Escape the area the same way we came in and leave the two at the gate none the wiser. Their boss will slaughter them for us. In the mean time, we still have the object to find and probably more traitors to kill. Sera, would you wait in here with Cema while we clear the rest of the building please? Finishing the building now can help save the city tomorrow."

[Novabomb]

Tellos
Remember we are here to save lives. Its not the building we need the take, its the item we need to disable. We only clear what we need to; to get there. Then we get out.
He attempts to cast a spell but gets his armor caught on a wall on his way down the hall. (Move z9)

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Attempt to Cast Fist of Stone (1d100)[4] Below 25 is bad.

While at it find out what manuvers will be available in the next fight.
(1d5)[1]
(1d4)[3]

[RolandDeschain]

Trawyn

Looking at Irabeth, "Wait, who is Lord Staunton's brother?"

[Kish]

"I don't know. He never talked about his family to me. But he's a dwarf, so it seems odd that his brother would have a use for my axe, even if anyone loyal to the demons was likely to want to use it."

[Cavir]

"Yes, I mean searching the building. We're wasting time. Lead the way."

[razorback]

Jemus looks at Sera for a moment, wondering what they can do. Probably nothing, but that didn't mean leaving her to whatever fate was left for her in the city. "Yes, let us be on our way and disable this device."