Crom feels the icy grip of undeath creep across his skin, he sees nothing but darkness, and hears only the whispers of the dead. He is weak, and becoming weaker with each passing moment. He knows not where he is, nothing to anchor his senses but the pain, nothing to give him reprieve from this prison. He lets out a bellowing roar as he flexes his muscles, attempting to escape from the grip of the swarming Unknowns.
Edward walks toward the last location he heard his struggling ally, and finds only Morthil Ulawen with a bewildered expression, his shining armour reflecting the flames of Edward's fire shield. Those in the immediate area regroup as the villagers from the tavern begin to arrive in their midst, seeking much needed protection from the dark. Mornington ascends the stairs to the third story of the tavern, the charred remnants of the roof do little to block a view of the surrounding area, were it not for the darkness. Despite the gloom, he can make out vague shapes of the landscape, other buildings in the village and a copse of trees here and there. Then he hears it, a roar of defiance carrying on the wind, due south of the tavern, it's Crom! Knowing where to go, Mornington wastes no time and decides on a risky manoeuvre that puts his acrobatic skills to the test once more. He plants one hand on the ledge of the floor and hangs out of the building where the wall has already collapsed away. He then lets go, falling two stories down he catches his foot on a timber beam, leveraging the brunt of the fall he swings it into a cartwheel summersault landing elegantly on the ground floor, right by Amarion's side. The Paladin looks at him in momentary shock, before furrowing his brow and nodding to the south, they both take off with haste. Edward sees the light carried by his allies, a lantern, and a sword, piercing through the dark. He quickly tells the villagers and the elven cohort to take to the east, to get out of the expanding darkness as quickly as possible. They do so, showing no disagreement to their flame wreathed ally. Edward catches up to the other two as they scour the darkness for the lost Barbarian.
Crom spots a faint pinprick of light in the distance and hopes that his allies are close. He continues to struggle and eventually manages to free an arm, enough to blindly swing his great axe onehanded, a weak blow, but enough to thwart one of the weakened shadows. A few moments later, light begins to fall on him, the concentrated spotlight of a hooded lantern, the Lantern of Judgment. The shadows react to the light shone upon them, their focus pulled to the three living beings moving toward them. Mornington is in the lead, Amarion and Crom following close behind. He raises his arm high, the cone of light from his lantern fully illuminating the totem warrior doused in foul undeath. He utters an elven word of light and the lantern's light intensifies, bright as sunlight, smoke-like trails start to billow from the Void Shadows as their disembodied screeches echo through their surroundings. Two glowing spheres dart quickly toward the creatures, purple flames of agony. One collides, evaporating the skeletal core of one of the shadows. Edward steps further to the side for a better angle, ready to unleash more eldritch blasts and get Crom ever closer to freedom. Finally, Amarion makes it to the trapped barbarian, Dawn Shard glowing brightly, he brings down his weapon upon the undead with righteous fury, destroying all it touches. Crom shrugs off the remaining shadows and grips his axe two handed, swinging wide he adds to the count of fallen enemies. A few frantic moments later and none remain, almost as if they had never been there in the first place, leaving no trace behind.
Wailing, blood turns cold, gazes drawn to the western road. A glowing figure in torn rags floats effortlessly toward them, her frightful image immediately reminding them of their last encounter with such a being. The Unknown is still distant enough for them to make an escape, and they do just that, fleeing as fast as they can. Evading the deathly screams of the tortured spirit, they soon make it to the edge of the supernatural darkness, and to their allies on the eastern road.
They all take shelter in a crag by the sea, keeping out of sight as best they can. Here they rest, tend to their wounds, regain their strength, and try to calm the panicked people of the village. A woman approaches the party, wide eyed, but steady of voice, unlike the other villagers. She explains how they will not recognise her, especially not without her temple garb, but they have met before. Saluna, a priestess of Torog, tells them of her recent trials, of her escape from Greenvale before it's untimely destruction. She believes that what's happening here is what happened in Greenvale less than a week ago. First, the darkness gathered, many thought it was a storm front, each day moving closer to the village from Horn Peak Mountain. Second, the robed figures appeared in the night, beating and maiming villagers into submission. However, they did not kill anyone, instead gathering them into the larger buildings of the village to contain them more easily. They were planning something, something truly terrible no doubt. Then of course, the village was burned to the ground, or so the rumours say, few are willing to enter the darkness to be certain. Saluna was lucky to escape the clutches of the cultists, and made it here to the Village of Kites, encouraging others to journey east. Saluna theorises that this cannot be the will of Torog, he is the shepherd of the dead, guiding souls to the great beyond. She hints at the lesser read texts from the Faith of the Attuned, and suggests this could be the dark influence of Gaolos, the twin brother of Torog. A force of undeath deemed unnatural to the benevolent gods of the Attuned, and spoken of as a great threat to the natural order. Another woman among the survivors approaches the party, informing them that an even larger group of people had been herded towards the Church of Erathis on the far side of the village. They know for certain now, that their work is not done. The party give Glanduil Trisbalar their magical folding boat, with instructions to sail those present to Spearpoint. Morthil Ulawen, and the two archers will accompany them, while Alloria Mialeth and Saeval Petecran will still accompany the Stormbreakers, and attempt to save the remaining villagers.
The heroes return to the darkness once more, following directions given to them by the villagers. Saeval empowers his transmuter's stone with the ability to see in darkness and gives it to Edward, he also expends more of his arcane abilities to cast dark vision upon Mornington. With all but Crom able to see somewhat in the dark, the only light source they use is the dim glow of Dawn Shard. They follow the main road through the village, moving from building to building to keep from sight. Miraculously, they make it to the far side of the village without encountering a single Shadow or Banshee. They spot the faint outline of the Church situated upon a gentle hill, stairs carved into the earth leading up to it. Torchlight can bee seen around the church, held by the cultists that patrol it, the villagers are likely being kept within. The cries of people can be heard on the wind, mixed with a deep foreboding chant. The party are acutely focused on their stealth, and successfully get into vantage points without being detected, split between two different clusters of trees. Edward is with Alloria, Vanta, and Saeval across the road that runs parallel to the church. Amarion, Crom, and Mornington are close to a steep section of the hill but not so far down the western road. They have eyes on a cultist occupying the stairs that acts as the clearest path up the hill, and into the churches graveyard.
With the element of surprise on their side, they enact their plan. They begin moving on the enemies position, Mornington sneaks through the copse of trees toward the steep hill, where he begins to climb up towards the walled graveyard. Edward cannot see far enough with his newly attained dark vision to see any cultists clearly. Across the road is a large statue near the staircase and he moves quickly towards it. Clutching Saeval's transmutation stone he makes it across the road before catching his foot on a large rock at the roadside. He falls hard letting out a winded grunt, and the cultist on the stairs turns his way, stepping slowly down the stairs. Crom hears Edwards fall and can see the vague figure on the stairs moving, he charges forth. Axe firmly in his grip, he meets blade with flesh as the cultist shrieks in shock, raising a rusted halberd to defend himself. Amarion holds back, waiting for the right moment, the plan will soon fall into place. As combat breaks out on the stairway, Edward makes it behind the cover of the statue, and Mornington ascends to the top of the hill. A poorly maintained wall of about shoulder height conceals Mornington from those on the other side, but when he peers over it into the dim torchlight of the graveyard, his stomach turns.
Several wooden stakes have been erected around the graveyard, and bound to each with rope and nail, is a villager. The aged, and the less able, lie on the floor with tied hands and feet, struggling in the mud at their restraints, or lying motionless, defeated. At the centre of this scene are three cultists occupied with some grim ritual, the deep chanting emitting from their devout expressions. Two of them kneel, their arms lifted far above their heads, clasping offerings. One holds a freshly dismembered leg, while the other holds a giant basin of gore. Upon closer inspection, Mornington can see it is full to the brim with severed heads. The remaining cultist stands at the centre of them, a glistening sickle in one hand, and a freshly claimed head held high in the other, blood dousing his arm a dark crimson. Mornington ducks behind the wall clasping his mouth, holding back the rising bile in his throat. While these three cultists seem unphased by the sounds of a fight now echoing from the walls of the church, others take up position and rush towards the stairs to face the horned Barbarian, just as planned.
Amarion spots the robed figures descending the stairs towards Crom, and begins to murmur in the language of his people. His holy tome at his belt, the words of his religion parse his lips, and a feint pale light starts to form on the staircase. As the irredeemable zealots enter the area, it's glow intensifies. A towering beam of moonlight pierces through the darkened sky above, and falls upon those occupying the stairs, burning them with divine light. This pillar of nature searing away the impurity of these unnatural hollows. Edward is joined by Saeval, Alloria, and Vanta as they use the tall knight statue for cover. They unleash a volley of projectiles, both magical and mundane towards the cultists now brightly illuminated on the stairs. One collapses in a flash of eldritch energy and rolls down the stairs past Crom, who's axe cracks across the face of another. Two bodies ragdoll their way down the stairs as Crom gains footing and keeps his adversaries bottle necked within the moon beam. The plan working perfectly.
Mornington can see there are more cultists taking up position, some drawing bows and fixing their arrows upon Crom. This time they are the ones outnumbered, and Mornington needs to distract them. He draws his shawm and begins playing a mesmerizing arpeggio, hundreds of bright lines blink into existence above the graveyard. Arcane patterns of immense complexity fill a huge area, catching the attention of several cultists. As quickly as it twists and morphs into form, it disappears, but it's enough to have done its work. The cultists stop in their tracks, hypnotised by what they saw, oblivious to all else, gormless. Peering over the wall once more, Mornington sees a glint of light on top of the church roof, yellow in hue, and moving, but cannot make out what it is. Amarion concentrates on his spell, and moves the beam up the stairs in synchronicity with his advancing ally. With the beam at the top of the hill, he too rushes the stairs. With the skirmish between himself, Crom, and the cultists now bursting into the walled graveyard, the cultists numbers are thinning quickly.
An arc of lightning flashes down from clouds beyond sight, and collides with the roof of the church. Wait, not the roof, but something else. In the brief flash of light a fortified figure is seen on the roof, a great crescent axe held up to the sky, with a gem embedded where head meets haft. It now glows fiercely where the lightning struck it, and the metal humanoid wielding it moves forth. As The Tarnished approaches the edge of the roof, it jumps to the ground, cracking flagstones in a small crater and revealing itself in the torchlight. It's body comprises of patinaed bronze, heavily corrupted since the long gone days of being a pure Dargean. It's tattered robes blow in the wind as it's emotionless face descends its jaw, crackling energy building within it's mouth. A bolt of lightning jolts across the graveyard, and rips through Crom. Charring flesh, burning hair, the barbarian barely still standing as smoke escapes from within his helmet.
The two flashes of lightning illuminate a much larger area around the road and the church. Unseen by anyone in the party, a force gathers in the gloom. In a large perimeter around the waging battle, shadows have gathered in great number, and the noose is tightening.
The battle wages on, and Mornington joins the fray in the graveyard beside Amarion and Crom, the moon beam still burning those close to them. The chanting cultists are snapped from their trance when attacked and they join the ranks to be felled. Edward thrusts his hand forward once more as an eldritch blast leaves his finger tips, it heads straight for the Tarnished, who sees the purple energy approach. A crackle of energy surrounds the being and the magic is absorbed by the effect as the Tarnished magically ports out of harms way, and closer to the heroes fighting upon the hill. Saeval steps forth and completes a spell with a precise movement of his hands and an arcane trigger word, catching the Tarnished and many cultists in a time bending effect. The Tarnished walks forward, its movements now slowed by Saeval's magic, and steps through an archway that separates two halves of the low walled graveyard. Edward sees the opportunity and grits his teeth. His patrons power flows forth and a piercing noise rises quickly, falls to silence, then explodes in sonic energy centred on the Tarnished. Unable to react in time, the Tarnished is devastated by the initial impact, but that's not all. The archway above it crumbles from the force, and the heavy key stone falls, the clang of stone on thick metal rings out as the stone cracks to rubble upon its head.
More cultists fall as Amarion, Crom, and Mornington prepare for the tarnished to join the melee. Then, a colossal screech fills the air, and a sudden gust of wind billows across the battlefield. The torches gutter out, and a dark shape fills the sky above. Wings beating with the winds of the void, Karna-Kar lands with thunderous impact upon the church. The villagers in the graveyard scream in fear as full blown panic sets in, all struggling against their restraints. A deafening roar rolls across the battlefield, and the dragon immediately takes flight towards the heroes. Razor jaws extend as a luminous green builds from within, a torrent of acid spills forth and completely dissolves the remaining cultists in front of them. Mornington and Crom successfully dive out of the way of the worst of it, but Amarion is not so agile. The sting is unbearable, acrid fumes fill the nostrils of all in the area and everything burns under the acidic corrosion of Karna-Kar's breath. Edward looks on in horror as he sees his allies drenched in vile acid, and the moon beam fades as Amarion falls. Edward quickly lights up the dragon with agonising blasts, colliding with wing membrane. Crom leaps back to his feet as the dragon turns, despite his burning wounds, and draws his newly acquired weapon. The Dragon's Bane Greatsword glints in the darkness, and with a swift motion, cuts into the belly of the beast. Another screech fills the air and Karna-Kar's wings bat at the air as he takes off into the darkness beyond.
Mornington heals the fallen Paladin, who winces at the pain as his vitality returns. Crom and Mornington help him up, and the three of them move towards the church. They must take cover before Void Wing returns, they won't survive another hit like that. Edward, Saeval, Alloria and Vanta make for the stairs, but are cut off by two cultists that descended amongst the chaos. Vanta pounces on one of them and Edward quickly roots through his pack to find one of the black wax candles gifted to him by his patron Xarturas. Ignoring the spear thrust into him as he ducks down, he lights the candle with flint and steel, calling on the underworld to send aid. If they can't make it to the church, they are going to need all of the help they can get. As the others approach the double doors at the front of the church, only one still hangs by it's hinges. Stood on the threshold where the other has fallen stands a cultist brandishing knives, ready to keep them from all the villagers trapped within.
Still fighting at the base of the stairs, the warlock and his elven allies start to notice figures in the distance. Glowing incorporeal forms approaching from all sides, as Banshees and Void Shadows block all routes of escape. A distant screech echoes from the skies above. Time is running out.
Next Session. 106
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