Arc 3 - Glimmers in the Dark (Main Roleplay)

[Mongooseh]

Valac waved at Roland lazily before taking off his swords and sat down up against the wagon to take a nap.  

[Kowsauni]

Irene travels with Kuori to the gate and has one of her guards help move Gotham's body to to the cemetery outside the fort. The cemetery looks fairly new, with row upon row of freshly filled graves, no doubt filled with the soldiers that had perished and were gathered from field of battle. Near the end of one row, Kuori finds some freshly dug graves that have yet to be occupied. There are some digging tools and some blank unmarked wooden headstones nearby that she seems free to partake of.

Irene attempts to help Kuori with performing the burial rights and comments, "I... I have a strange relationship with death, but I understand what it is like to lose someone very close to your heart. I don't know how much it means coming from someone you just met, but I am truly sorry for your loss..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the fort....

As they look around, Revenge and Ruin quickly realize they have no idea where the church is. Inside the walls there are only a few stone buildings and none of them seem to look the part. After asking around they are told that the church consists of a sanctified room inside the main garrison and are pointed to the largest building within the walls. However, it is not long before they start getting suspicious glances from the numerous soldiers moving about their business and begin to hear mumbled whispering upon their passing.

After about 10 minutes, they are confronted by six armed soldiers that surround them. One of them speaks up in a polite but firm voice. "Good afternoon. It was brought to our attention that you are looking to enter the church. Unfortunately, that is currently not possible for reasons I'm sure you are probably well aware of, given your activities at our hospital. In fact, we were informed that you were asked to leave the fort and have yet to to do so, so we are here to assist in in that matter. The gate is that way; please start walking."

The soldiers surrounding Ruin and Revenge look quite ready to "assist" them in leaving the fort if they don't start doing it on their own.

Valac is left to nap undisturbed in the shade of the carriage.  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"I rest my case," Ruin stated.

His only hope to study the devil, now, lay in the mage's team failing, this fort crumbling, and they only chancing an encounter of a possessed Faeleen. As in a list of nevah-gona-happen.

Turning to the soldier, "Look, I get it you want us gone. But, my friend here was hammered out of the ward, before praying over Faeleen. They both follow the same god and he feels a connected comrade thing because of it and wants to wish her well. A minute is all that is needed." ( bluff 21: Two parts truth, one part a lie...)

Adjusting his gaze to the paladin, the Hexblade would say without words the rest is on you.  

[PupSage]

Kuori nods to Irene, "Death is awkward for most. Some call it a friend. Others consider it an enigma. Others call it a lifestyle." She stands. "I've been surrounded by death my entire life, but I have a deep respect for family. I do not regret that Gotham is dead, I simply regret that I did not stand beside him when he was taken, that he died alone. I imagine though, that it was a release from what his life had become."  

[Rain Yupa]

"So our individual motives are not aligned at all in this regard," Revenge would respond to Ruin, a stressful wince of his face as he saw his chances of succeeding diminishing rapidly.

Around this time, soldiers came up to throw their weight around. Chances going... going... gone.

"I was never asked that, for the record. I'm not against doing so, either. If my companions have not received such directive themselves, I'll make sure they know. You know how military communiqués can be."

Revenge would turn to leave. But would pause before making his first step, and look over his shoulder at the soldiers. "A single messenger would have been better received than six, for the record. And for the record, I've stood down more armed with less. If you insist on intimidation tactics, tell whoever sent you here to send their A-game, or don't waste my time."

And he'd quietly vacate the premises, heading towards the front gate.

(Let me know if you want me to roll for that, though Revenge is speaking more matter-of-factly than actively trying to intimidate them.)  

[Psychofish]

Despite the earlier frictions, Illikan would make an offer to lend a strong arm to digging the grave for Gotham. If she accepted, he'd dig silently, letting the girls speak and Kuori process however she needed. If not, he'd rest by the cart, cleaning out his boots and brushing his armor clean while he waited for the others to reconvene, hoping that the missing parties were just tying up loose personal ends as well.  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

Why do I even try...Ruin thought as he listened to the matter-of-fact threat Revenge spoke. I should've kept my mouth shut, or joined the soldiers.

"Feel free to follow us, I guess." He spoke before following the paladin he wanted to strangle.  

[Kowsauni]

Ruin and Revenge are escorted to the front gate by the solider without any further incident. Once outside they see Kuori, Ilikan, Irene, and one of her guards finishing up burying Gotham. The mood is somber to say the least.

Valac is left alone to take his nap for a while until Irene's wagon is moved to a different corner of the fort to be out of the way, at which he is polity asked to leave with the rest of the adventurers. Once Valac heads outside the gate the party is finally completely reunited. By now it is getting to be later afternoon. Without further delay the party heads out on their journey the Underdark!

It takes several hours to cross the battlefield. There are no other encounters with dangerous scavengers but the area is still quite dangerous with poisons gas from the bodies and residues of foul magic and other hazards. Though the land is somewhat unfamiliar now in its current state, Kuori is able to use her previous knowledge of the area and the updated information she got from her brother to successfully navigate the group to the mountains without incident. Irene stops every now and then to draw something and take samples.

The party now stands before a massive cavern system, one large enough to fit an army though, that descends into an infinity of darkens. By now everyone is exhausted from traveling with the exception of Irene, who is her usual chipper self, but then she did not fight three battles that day. The sky begins to darken, threatening to plunge the party into darkness. Irene, who has pulled ahead by this point, turn around and notices how tired everyone looks. "Oh, I guess I'm getting ahead of everyone. You will have to forgive me for my eagerness, I'm just really excited! Should I set up camp now or should we press on?"  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

Ruin would cast his vote by retrieving a sunrod from his pack and pressing on.

They gave the drow enough of a head start.  

[PupSage]

Kuori looks to the group, Ruin, Irene, a long look at Revenge, Valac, and an overpassing glance at their soldier tag along. "As much as I want to say that I can sleep when I'm dead and rush in headlong until we reach the city, this is the Underdark we are talking about." She looks to the others once more, not lingering, "Take stock in yourself, do you think that you could survive another long fight like that Purple Worm, if so, we can press on a bit longer."

[I am assuming that given her heals got blown out at the hospital, that after a few hours she will heal the others in the group and herself to full, but still be down dailies and item powers.]  

[Rain Yupa]

While waiting for Valac, and while Kuori was occupied, Revenge would finally take that opportunity to take a short rest, tending to his ribs from that blow he received earlier. He spends 1 healing surge and regains 16 hit points, putting him to 58 hp.

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

"I am good to press on a little longer if the rest of you are," Revenge would respond to Kuori's prompted discussion. "However, Irene does make a point worth considering. Kuori, you can answer this best: How much farther do you think we can progress and still be able to safely set up camp?"  

[Kowsauni]

((Kuori knows the going is going to get a lot more difficult and a lot more dangerous once they press into the caverns. After here the caves are going to start to descend downwards making them lot more tiring to traverse then level ground. Also, some dangerous creatures from the upper levels of the Underdark can begin to be encountered here in the caverns.

I should also mention pushing forward at this point will start to require endurance checks to preserve your healing surges. I meant it when I said the party was beginning to get exhausted.))  

[PupSage]

"Past here safety is an illusion and a luxury that we can't afford. Assuming we find level ground to camp on we run good odds that something else calls it home. Maybe we get lucky with a Flumph or a Deep Gnome, but the likelihood of them being this far up means they were driven up here and it bodes badly for what awaits us below." She shrugs, "If we were smart, and I'm not saying that we are because we've done a lot of stupid things before, we'd take this last good night's sleep before delving into a realm of exhaustion and terrors. The initial decent isn't the worst of it, but it does tend to deter would be criminals who aren't well enough equipped. Its tiring for those not used to things. Hell, with being in this much armor I will probably tire out quickly myself."  

[Psychofish]

"I agree," Illikan said, looking over the walls, and finding a safe looking stalagmite to lean lightly against. "It's been a long day already, and we're at a disadvantage of time. We're too late to catch up quickly. While I should not like to dally, this is to be a marathon. We'll not finish if we run it like a sprint."  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Safety has, and will, always be an illusion." Ruin objected, "If you can rest knowing there is a real possibility the exile and an army of psychopaths with portal creating magic have gone before us. By all means, set the camp fire."

"I think we should proceed, and face whatever this place can throw at us."