"After a night of revelry, exalted of their survival of the day's events, Krystoff found his tent with a belly full of food and a bladder full of mead.
He awoke with a dire need to relieve himself, and so stepped out into the moonlight.
The moon was unusually close and bright, like a memory of the sun's reflected light. The effect was of a calming glow washing over the night. and in its glow, the shine of an outline nearby moved quickly out of sight. As Krystoff turned to look, he saw the edge of a man vanish. He felt comforted somehow, as though finding a beloved relative in a crowd. The trees hid the man's movements, though only slightly, inviting Kristoff to follow, curiously. It was as if a dream state had taken him, though he walked on of his own accord.
Eventually he came to a clearing in the woods. Centered in that clearing was a still pond; the full moon's roundness resting upon it. As he approached, he saw the figure he'd been following. A reflection from under the water's surface, crowned by a pale halo... beckoning him. His approach revealed a face so similar to his its differences were indescribable. Something about the man looking back at him was so familiar, that when Krystoff knelt at the bank of the pond, he was surprised to see the man's lips moving, though his own were not. He could see the man was saying something, but the words were lost, as whispers in a wind. He drew near, hoping to put his head close enough to hear, but as his eyes peered into this reflection's - he fell forward into them.
After tumbling through a void for what seemed like forever, he opened his eyes and saw a blackened sky. The ashen clouds above were sheared by crimson bolts again and again until at last he began to hear them. In between the crashing of thunder he could hear a cacophony still: the sound of steel against steel, flesh and bone... Of screams upon which last breaths were borne.
He remembered then, the battle. The War. All around him were allies and enemies fighting on soil slick with blood. Then, in the flash of another crimson bolt, he saw the spire. A dark and jagged thing trying to pierce the sky like naked skin. In its shadow were its fingers: thousands of undead things. Huge and merciless, these creatures fought with no regard for life, and an absence of light.
Though a light did still shine.
As the moon reflects the Light, so too did she reflect Life.
It was her: Iomedae
She was still with him. She always had been.
As the battle raged on, allies in tow, their swords rose and fell, striking at the darkness. Yet even possessed of such Valor, he felt an edge cut through his armor. Though this fight would not go on, he knew it wasn't over. As his last breath escaped, in this final moment, this warrior's last sight was of Iomedae. She was looking back, reaching out to him, sorrow cascading down her face.
As his body hit the ground, Krystoff opened his eyes with a start. He breathed deep and quickly, feeling like he'd been submerged. He found that his body was wet, as though he'd been pulled from its stillness he saw the warrior from his memory standing beside him. The man stood at his side, holding Krystoff's familiar sword. He wondered how it had gotten here from his tent, the warrior held it out to him... as though offering him its blade. Kristoff's eyes came up to meet the warrior's gaze. The fervor of the fight was still captured in the warrior's eyes, and as the man looked down to the blade he held, he vanished, letting it fall to the ground. It planted itself hilt up at Krystoff's feet. He rose and pulled it from the ground, looking over its length to find his reflection there. At that moment, for a mere instant, the full moon's glare was caught in the blade. In that instant, the reflection was not his own.
It was the warrior's eyes he saw, and in them a promise:
That in this war or the next, he would never fight alone."
The Group went into the depths of the Citadel and encounter two large colorful
birds who attack us immediately.
We get close to death, Jae managed to kill one by using a talisman he had
affixed onto his silver knife.
In the hallway up ahead we heard some creepy whisper up ahead. We decide to avoid it for now. We then entered a room to the left of the entrance and got attacked by two Boggards, which we defeated, not easily however as they were strong and carried big Clubs. They also clearly knew we were coming and prepared an ambush instead of coming out to meet us. We grabbed a Onyx Dog figurine from one of them which Jae took.
In the next room, we got
attacked by a Boggart and two Baboon like creatures who threw debrees at us. We
managed to capture one of them alive to interrogate.
Jae and Krystoff had a falling out about whether to let him live. The Ape
didn’t provide much useful information as we wouldn’t allow him to leave if he
did.
We left him tied up in the previous room until we decided what to do with him
later.
We then reached the door where Big Bumble was kept, based on the drawings the
Goblins drew of us.
We decided the poor creature was probably emaciated and the noble thing to do
was to guide it out.
We put down a trail of rations towards the exit, and quickly opened the door
and hid for it to make its way out.
When we proceed into the next room, we find it empty. But it is dark and
we can’t see much. Jae stealthes into the opposite side of the room to
investigate, but we get ambushed by 3 Charau-kas that jump down from the
rafters. Krystoff stays by the door protecting Eevie and Jae manages to make
his way back behind him. The Charau Ka’s also open a door in the back and shout
something in.
The fight was not going well, we didn’t know how many enemies there were or if
more were coming from the side door to flank them. If Krystoff ran in he would
be surrounded by all sides, and these creatures were adept at using debris as
thrown weapons.
We start retreating to the entrance.
As we pass the Charau-ka that was captured, Jae swiftly slices it’s throat
during the retreat so he wouldn’t join the forces approaching.
As we’re about to reach the entrance, we see we were indeed being ambushed by
some boggards. A deadly battle ensues at the entrance of the complex and we
eventually succeed, specially thanks to Jae’s Electric Arc being able to reach
many of them at once.
After we rest, we head back in and go into one of the rooms to the South after
Jae finds a hidden door leading to what seems to be a crypt. On the opposite
side there’s some sort of symbol painted on the door.
As we walk in, two undead raise from the Tombs. They are wearing hellknight
armor and are identified as Wraiths.
It was an extremely dangerous fight. Eevie got close to death, and so did
Krystoff and Jae (I think), but we eventually managed to win without any
casualties, hurt and tired, we decide to leave the area and rest for the night.
As we exit, Alak shows up. He had been in the other rooms to the south. He said
he didn’t find what he was looking for. Particularly his family’s ring.
He warned us that there would be undead there, and told us we should wear
Hellknight Insignias avoid them attacking us. As they are guardians and will
not attack members of their order.
He decided to go back to town and would leave soon, considering his mission
here a failure.
We make camp and block the entrance to the Citadel with a large rock, and make
camp nearby. Leaving Eevie and the Bumblebrashers to keep watch as Krystoff and
Jae really needed the rest.
Before going to sleep. During his nightly prayers, Krystoff prayed to Iomedae to get guidance on whether it would offend her if he were to wear a Hellknight Insignia to avoid the undead attacking him.
As he prays, he has a vision of rising above the
limits of the world and hitting an invisible barrier. He feels a connection
with Iomedae. As he returns to his body, he opens his eyes to find them
changed.
His normal brown eyes now have a golden glow to them, having awakened a dormant
Angelic bloodline. Krystoff, is an Aasimar.