draven-imani

[draven-imani]

Draven Imani, the Adamant Shield, herald of Iomedae.

[draven-imani]

Journal 12

We had our first real battle today. Real military battle I suppose I should say, we’ve had plenty of fights of course. We won, we took the fortress at Keeper’s Canyon. Morale is decently high, although there were casualties. I suppose that’s unavoidable in war. No matter how good the outcome, there’s also the possibility that you’ll lose some good men and woman. I do wonder—well, no point now.

Let’s start from the start shall we?

We checked in on Nurah the morning after Melody’s chat with her. She told Melody she was “ready to give being helpful a try”. She gave us a vital piece of information on the Keeper’s Canyon fortress: the Brimorak who had been lording over this fortress made regular reports to Keeper’s Canyon. If the incubus Exorus who was in charge of Keeper’s Canyon didn’t hear back on time, he would have an ambush set up for us.

But if we let Nurah out she could continue using her Marching Chant spell so we could continue making double time on our march—which would possibly allow us to turn the tables and ambush them instead.

I asked Melody how certain she was of Nurah’s intentions. Melody trusted her. I trusted Melody. So I gave the go ahead to allow Nurah to rejoin, under Luna’s supervision.

And then it turned out after spending a little time together alone, those two hit it off terrifyingly well. Perhaps for the best—maybe Luna can direct Nurah’s vengeful tendencies into pranks like her own instead of violence. Like Luna said, she had never murdered anyone before despite her reputation saying otherwise. Maybe between her and Melody there can be some hope for Nurah.

I am going to continue to be wary, however, until I can be certain of her loyalties. She admitted that she was working for Stauton. Maybe not out of any love of demons or Deskari, but it still puts me at odds with her. Until I can be certain she’s really changing her ways and this isn’t just a convenient lie for us to let our guards down, I’m going to be wary of her. But the others can have their fun. I’ll just be here to keep them safe—and to deal with Nurah—if anything goes wrong.

I’m no paladin, but I know Iomedae’s tenants. “When in doubt, I may force my enemies to surrender, but I am responsible for their lives.”

Until I know for certain that she isn’t going to hurt anyone else, she is our responsibility.

However to her credit, her first bit of information was truthful. With her magic chant, we did arrive to Keeper’s Canyon and our scouts found that while there were a number of demonic troops stationed outside of the fort, they were not mobilized.

We discussed the possibilities. We tried to float the idea of some variation of the sneak inside plan from before, but the more we discussed it the more complicated variables kept cropping up. Despite our good track record with that plan, it seemed too likely to blow up in our faces if we tried it this time.

As dangerous as it was, it sounded like a frontal assault was our best option. We would be catching them off guard. With any luck, we could take out a large swath of their troops before they could properly attempt to launch a counterstrike.

We mobilized, and attacked. Melody had a contingent of clerics who were trained as dual field medic and magical casters, Hiskaria had of course been put in charge of a contingent of archers, and Luna had insisted on working with the mercenaries we had hired rather than leading any group in the army—very her. I helmed the remainder of the army, primarily the paladins and knights of the crusades. Luna and I flanked the alarmed demons, who fell before our cold iron and blessed blades before they had a chance to really process what had befallen them.

Cultist archers began raining down arrows on us, but I did not choose the name Adamant Shield for nothing. We deflected the blows and had up to this point suffered no casualties. I can’t say for certain that the others were as lucky. Things were getting hectic. I think the mercenaries lost some men during the early part of the battle.

Then that bastard incubus Exorus appeared. He realized we had caught him by surprise, and after taking out his rage on one of his own men, he blasted my troops and Luna alongside the mercenaries with a fireball our shields couldn’t hope to protect against.

Death and fire surrounded us as the field around us charred and bodies fell, burned and blackened, alive and screaming one moment and then dead an instant later.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry I know I try not to get graphic about things. I know. I just. I know.

After making the attack the coward fled back into the fortress and shut the siege door behind himself. We were going to have to break it down to get to him.

The archers were taking care of the last of the demons still outside the fortress. Melody and her clerics had just about reached the top of the hill. Luna and the mercenaries were needing to recover for a moment. It was up to my unit to begin the siege. The door began to splinter, but held strong after a moment. And then another fireball hit. My ears were ringing, which was perhaps good because I know that there was also screaming. I had us attack again. We had to get into the fortress, or he would continue to just blast us from the safety of its interior.

The door finally shattered under the pressure, and at that point the mercenaries charged in to avenge their fallen. The demons inside didn’t stand a chance—although Exorus himself escaped. I got inside just in time to see him teleport away, while promising that he’d come see the end of our lives another day.

We won our first battle. It was a hard-fought victory. The Keeper’s Canyon Fortress was once again in Crusader hands.

I feel…I don’t know. I don’t have a word for it. Somewhere in between good and bad. We won. I should feel good. But many people died to make it happen. I do not know if the choices I made today were the right ones, if there were better choices that would have led to the same end result but fewer casualties…

No point thinking like that I suppose.

Inheritor, I wish Leto were here. I need someone to talk to who gets it. I enjoy the others’ company, of course. But I still only just met them a few weeks ago. Melody would have a whole speech about not blaming myself and be infuriatingly bubbly. She’s sweet but unfortunately I don’t have a sweet tooth tonight. Luna might say something insightful then offset it with something rude since I’m not allowed to know she actually does give a damn about all of us. Which, no judgement really, I’d do the same if I thought I could pull it off to keep everyone at arm’s length. But I think a smile suits me more. Still, that’s just really not what I want right now. I’d like to talk to someone more genuine. And Hiskaria…honestly I do like talking to her, she’s a very smart woman, and can be just as insightful as Luna without the rough edges. But she’s also twice my age, insists on calling me ‘commander’ even in private because it’s funny to see me squirm, and has a lot of the same issues I do so I think we really just enable each other sometimes.

Ah. So she’s just an older female Leto.

I am not telling either of them I had that thought ever.

[draven-imani]

Journal 11

There was a traitor in our midst.

Not a demon in disguise or even a cultist. Just an angry woman who decided to help Stauton Vhagn because she wanted some petty revenge. And she killed and ruined many lives to do so.

And we’ve decided to let her live and give her a second chance when her victims didn’t get that choice.

I…don’t know that this sits well with me. But Melody wants so badly to believe in her. And I am trying very hard to have faith in Melody as her friend. So I am giving this woman one more chance, for Melody’s sake.

From the top. As we do.

Not long after I finished my last entry, Luna came to get me to let me know that she’d seen something happen in camp. She took me, Melody, and Hiskaria to Aron’s tent, and showed us a thick viscous liquid. I recognized the drug immediately as Shadowblood—vile stuff made of shadow demon blood that makes those addicted to it weaker to demonic possession. Possessing the stuff is grounds for immediate expulsion from the crusades’ ranks.

Luna explained that she had spotted Nurah sneaking out of camp, and had followed her. At one point she’d used some sort of bardic ability to sing and turned invisible, but Luna had followed her tracks to Aron’s tent. There she saw the Shadowblood get planted, and she followed Nurah’s tracks back to camp in time to see her rejoin the camp and start acting like everything was totally normal, laughing and joking about like she’d been there all along. That’s when Luna had come to get us.

We decided it was one of two possibilities. Either Nurah was planting the drugs on Aron to get him kicked out for some reason—be it a grudge or something more sinister. Or Aron was an addict and she was enabling him. We decided to split up, have Melody question Aron and Sosil first while Luna and I kept an eye on Nurah to make sure she didn’t catch wind of things being fishy and try to run. Then Melody and Luna could question Nurah afterwards. Hiskaria would remain in the tent and keep an eye on the Shadowblood, to make sure no one stumbled on it and possibly ended up accusing Aron of being an addict before we’d sorted this out, or that no one would come in and try to destroy the evidence.

Luna and I kept an eye on Nurah, and she kept acting completely normal for the duration, telling her stories and keeping everyone entertained as she does, offering her sangrias to anyone who wanted a drink. On a whim I tried using Detect Demon on her while we waited to see if she had any association with the Abyss, but the spell didn’t pick up anything at all. If I didn’t know and trust Luna implicitly, I’d question that she could be the one who did what Luna claimed. But I trusted Luna, I knew what she was capable of, and if she had spotted and tracked someone I didn’t doubt for a moment what she had seen.

Eventually Melody came to us, with Aron not far off. She explained that Aron and Sosil were clean, she’d checked with her abilities and neither were lying. They genuinely didn’t know about the Shadowblood. Then she’d been forced to explain herself and admit about it being planted in Aron’s tent by Nurah, and let Aron know that we were going to question her next. So he had decided to come along. We didn’t want personal feelings getting in the way, and if Nurah saw Aron coming she’d definitely be on the defensive from the get-go, so we convinced Aron to stay with Sosil until we finished. We did warn them not to go back to their tent for the time being, as Hiskaria was still guarding the Shadowblood, and we didn’t want any further misunderstandings.

Before anything else, after I told Melody about attempting Detect Demon on her, she tried both Detect Evil and Detect Chaos. Nothing, on either. We surmised that she was using magic to mask where her loyalties lay, as she had done similar to hide the evil aura of the Shadowblood, which has an evil aura about it due to its origins being made from Shadow Demon blood.

With that knowledge, Melody went to draw Nurah away from the crowd to a more private location near her tent, using her charm and seeming naivety to her advantage. Once there, she and Luna confronted Nurah while I kept watch. As I’ve said before, I’m not much of the talker. Luna and Melody would be the ones for this job. I just wanted to make sure no one stumbled on the interrogation before we had concrete proof of what Nurah had done.

From what I overheard, here’s more of less how it went down. Nurah tried to claim we were trying to pin it on her to look tough, because she was the little guy, an easy mark. Someone for a new commander to bully, essentially. Luna told her that she wasn’t as sneaky as she thought she was, and step by step told Nurah how she’d followed her. Nurah mocked her at the point when she said Nurah turned invisible, saying she hadn’t seen her do anything then. She’d followed some ghost and was claiming it was her now. Luna argued that she’d followed her footprints, but Nurah stuck to her arguments that Luna had no proof.

Melody tried to discern lies on her, but her will was too strong and even things Melody knew Nurah was lying about didn’t cause the spell to activate. So, Melody offered a solution. If Nurah was telling the truth, the spell Confess would do her no harm if she spoke the truth. If she was lying, it would. Nurah mocked her for using ‘the old if you have nothing to hide line’, and said she wouldn’t answer even if it hurt her because this whole thing was beneath her.

Luna and Nurah went in circles for a bit longer, until in a moment of desperation Melody did indeed cast Confess on Nurah, and asked “Did you plant the Shadowblood in Aron’s tent?”

Nurah did not answer, and injuries like glaive slashes appeared across her.

Luna said she admired her tenacity, but she’d still all but admitted to her crime by refusing to answer. Nurah said she’d only done what she’d said she was going to do. Luna and Melody decided to try to apprehend Nurah.

Nurah tried to make an escape, but the duo were quicker, and Melody managed to manacle her.

During my time outside I had managed to think of an idea of my own for figuring out if she was hiding anything. When they brought her to me, I took out one of our scrolls of Dispel Magic. Nurah tried to struggle free, but it was no use, as the magic masking her aura of chaos and evil was dispelled for anyone with the ability to sense such things to see.

I asked Luna to take her to the prison of the fortress—and to please not execute her, despite her frustration with the halfling woman—while I went to inform Irabeth of what had happened in the last hour. We decided that for now we should only inform the officers of Nurah’s betrayal. I didn’t want rumors of traitors in the ranks to cause suspicion amongst the other soldiers and a possible witch hunt to begin throwing suspicion at others who may be innocent.

Once the officers were informed, I made my way to the jail cells along with Hiskaria, Irabeth, and Aravashnial. Aron and Sosil sat this one out. Aron seemed particularly shaken by the entire affair, a bit more so than I would have expected. Sosil was comforting him, and I decided to leave them be. Whatever it was…I honestly don’t feel like it’s any of my business, and Melody already confirmed the truth from Aron so that’s enough for me. Anything that’s happened before that this might have dredged up, he deserves his privacy on as far as I’m concerned, unless he decides he wants to talk to anyone about it. Which, considering he seems like the sort to keep things close to the chest, I doubt it’ll happen. He has Sosil at least.

Melody and Luna had put Nurah in the cell as requested, and Luna was even nice enough to not hang her upside down—if only because Melody had pointed out that doing so was torture and not something I’d have given the okay for. To which she is correct, and I appreciate Luna listening to Melody’s discretion on the matter despite how much she was seething over Nurah pulling the wool over our eyes.

We discussed what to do with Nurah. Since Camillo’s remaining forces had already departed for Kenabres, we couldn’t send her back with them. We couldn’t leave her here, she would starve before anyone got back to man the fortress, and that would be cruel. Which meant we had two options. Drag a prisoner along with us into the Worldwound and have a liability who would dredge up sore feelings with two of our trusted officers. Or execute her.

Neither option was ideal by any means. But we couldn’t just let her go, either. She had made herself a dangerous liability.

Melody asked to be allowed to speak with her, despite the dangers of ungagging the bard who had already tried using Suggestion on Luna once after we’d captured her. Given our options, however, I weighed that the risk would have to be worth it. I would put some faith in Melody, and see what she could find out, and if it would bring anything new to light.

Melody went into the jail cell by herself, and removed Nurah’s gag. She spoke to Nurah, talking about the fact that she’d only been given two options forward, and that Melody wanted to believe that there was good in Nurah, because she didn’t want there to be an execution. She asked Nurah to please give her something to work with. Nurah spat back about how despite all of Melody’s pretty words, she had still been willing to resort to torture when things hadn’t gone her way. Melody told Nurah that she wouldn’t deny that she had done it, even though she hadn’t wanted to, even though she hated doing it, she had done so. Because she believed she was on an important path, and she had to believe Shelyn had set her on this path for a reason, so she had to be willing to use the tools Shelyn had put at her disposal to help make things better in the long run. And on that path she had to believe there was a little bit of beauty and good in everyone—so that meant she needed to reach out to Nurah, and hope that she would open and, and show that little bit of light inside of her. Nurah laughed, almost manically. She said that maybe Melody was the real deal, someone who actually believed their own bullshit unlike all the others.

Nurah told Melody her story.

Like many halflings, she had been a slave to a cruel noble from Isger. At some point, the noble had gotten it into his head that he could make it across the Worldwound—that his money could buy him protection. He hired crusaders like bodyguards, who answered to his whims, and despite any beliefs they might claim to have held they did nothing to help Nurah.

Then in Drezen, a Shadow Demon killed them all, and she survived. And from then on, she started taking revenge on crusaders, getting close to them and sabotaging them. Their swords going missing at a vital moment or their movements mysteriously known by the demons…

She was bitter and angry and many people died or had their lives ruined as a result…

Her story is—bad. There were no good people in it, not the crusaders who failed to help her, or her when she went on a revenge quest that hurt people who did nothing to her as a proxy for those who were already dead. I cannot put a word to how I feel about it. Bad.

Melody wants to give her a chance. She sees something in Nurah, the same thing she sees in Hiskaria. Darkness that light could break through. Or something like that. I’m no paladin, I do not have the same gift for detecting good and evil. For now I’m going to continue to put my faith in Melody, as her friend, on the condition that one of us keeps an eye on Nurah at all times.

Hiakaria took some items off her person to make sure she couldn’t make a break for it in the meantime. A wand of modify memory, a scroll of dimension door, and a scroll of sending. Hiskaria is keeping ahold of the first two, and I the last. That first item in particular seems like it could have been a nasty one in Nurah’s hands…we’re fortunate Luna caught her as quickly as she did.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss who will be keeping tabs on her. For now, it’s been a long night. I am actually going to bed now.

[draven-imani]

Journal 10

We’ve made our first day’s march towards Citadel Drezen.

There’s bad news and good news.

The bad news is that the fortress we were planning to stop at for the night had fallen to demons.

The good news is, we took it back by killing the demon’s commander in a single swoop with some clever planning—we cleared them out with no casualties on our side, and freed all of the prisoners who were still here.

When Aron and Anevia first returned with the news that the fortress had fallen, we worried that it would be our first taste of warfare in earnest, of leading troops into battle. We discussed the possibility of an assault, but making such a move seemed too risky.

Then Luna came up with a brilliant idea. What if we repeated the plan from the Tower of Estrod? She and Melody disguise themselves as cultists, and bring the new commander taken captive as a tribute to the demon in command of this fortress, as well as said commander’s right hand, the archer who had destroyed the wardstone shard that Arelu had been so keen on using as a weapon.

It was an astoundingly good plan for our skill set, seeing as Luna and Melody are good with their words, while they could bind and gag us so we didn’t have to say much—as myself and Hiskaria are much less of the sort to talk our way through a situation. Melody made sure the ropes and manacles she used were set in such a way that they could be released with ease. Then she used her scale to disguise herself as a cultist, and used mundane means to make Luna look different as well.

Then Hiskaria and I were marched up to the fortress, where two tieflings stood guard. They stopped Melody and Luna, asking just what they were doing. Our dynamic duo explained that they’d captured the crusaders’ newest commanding officer and right-hand woman while we’d gotten separated from the rest of our men. One of them agreed that they had heard something about a One-Eyed Knight, which…wow, word travels fast. Which is disconcerting. Melody explained that Hiskaria was the one who destroyed the wardstone, and after some back and forth the tieflings agreed that we would make good tribute to their commander. They wanted Luna and Melody to hand us over to them to be presented, while the two of them went to rest. The duo disagreed, saying they weren’t going to let the two guards take credit for capturing the One-Eyed Knight and the one who ruined Arelu’s plans. Luna stepped forward and threatened that she could start making this physical: if she apprehended the two of us, she could deal with two guards who didn’t know their place. With that, the two guards decided it was best to just let them in.

Luna and Melody made their way in to the fortress, until we came to a chamber where a Brimorak demon waited, flanked by six tieflings. Melody and Luna spoke to the Brimorak, giving him the same story they’d given the guards outside. We found out that there were other prisoners being held here, the previous crusaders who had held the fortress. Unfortunately, the fact Melody hadn’t known that caused some suspicion.

Luna thought quickly and let the Brimorak know that the two of them were new, just recently ended up at this location. The Brimorak bought the excuse, and told two of his tieflings to come secure me and Hiskaria. It was time to move. Luna bought us a few more seconds, trying to convince the Brimorak that he should tenderize us some personally first, but the demon didn’t seem interested in any such thing before jailing us. Which meant it was go time. Luna dragged Hiskaria back, claiming she was dragging her towards the jails herself. At the same time I loosened my bindings and prepared to go for Radiance.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. Luna and I caught each other’s eyes, and charged forward, cross cutting through the Brimorak before he had a chance to react. Hiskaria made for the door, closing the heavily reinforced siege door before any reinforcements could even consider it. Then we gave the six tieflings an ultimatum. They were stuck in here with us. It was either the window, flee, and never cause trouble again. Or go the way of their demon master. After making such quick work of their great and powerful demon beast, the choice was an easy one. They scrambled down the wall of the fortress and fled. Hiskaria signaled to the army with Deadeye’s Arrow out the window and Luna chopped off the demon’s head and swung it around out the window for all of the rest of the enemy forces to see. The rest were swiftly routed. It was an utter victory all around.

Afterwards we went down to the prisons, and freed the people held down there. Their commander Camillo Dahn was still alive, although many of her men had unfortunately been fed on in the days since the fortress had fallen. She asked what I would have her do. She didn’t have the forces left to hold the fortress, but she saw two reasonable courses of action: she could send those she had left to bolster our forces in our march on the Worldwound, or she could return to Mendev and report back so that they could send troops back to secure this location. We decided unanimously that she and her men should return to Mendev. They had been through enough, they deserved some time away from the Worldwound not charging straight into it. And we needed someone to report back that the demons had taken this location so that we could properly secure it, since we couldn’t afford to leave enough soldiers here to do so ourselves.

Camillo thanked us again for rescuing her soldiers, then took her leave. My heart goes out to her. It couldn’t have been easy, having been locked up and seeing day by day more of the people who were her responsibility being killed while she still lived, and being helpless to do anything to stop it.

I am reminded, time and again, why I hate demons. Even on the days when my heart is numb, I can remember that much. It’s carved into my being too deeply for me to forget that particular feeling even when I can’t seem to find a word for any other emotion. It burns when I think about it. About how they hurt people. About how they torture people, about how innocents suffer just because it amuses them.

I’m sorry. I’m done for tonight. Good night.

[draven-imani]

Journal 9.5

A while back I mentioned that Irabeth wanted me to tell her all about Auriel so someone could give him a proper send off. Turns out it was Queen Galfrey who was doing a eulogy for all those who died in the attack on Kenabres. She drew special attention to Auriel, to his sacrifice that made the eventual purging of the demons from the city possible, to everything he might have meant to each of us who knew him, for however long—

It meant a lot. To a lot of people, I think, not just to our little group. It meant a lot.

Radiance is still silent. I don’t know where any more pieces of Auriel’s soul might be, or if we’ll ever see any more echoes of him again. But…I’m going to make sure I remember.

Rest in peace, buddy.

[draven-imani]

Journal 9

These last few days have been hectic, preparing to march to Drezen. Mapping out the route, checking and double-checking supplies, meeting with various key members of the legion, getting with Sosiel and Commander Tirabade Irabeth about tactics, and discussing with Nurah what she knows about any dangers around Drezen we should be on guard for. We also each got a boon from the Queen. Paints that can enhance Melody’s family weapon, a more powerful magic weapon for Luna and Hiskaria, and for me a mark of station—a helm with only a single eye hole, that on command can cast a charge of searing ray once daily before it needs to recharge. The One-Eyed Helm for the One-Eyed Knight.

Actually, I like it. It means I don’t have to wear that blasted uncomfortable eyepatch I thought I was going to have to suck it up and deal with. I can’t stand the feeling of fabric rubbing on my face all day long, it’s maddening. And with this I almost look the part of a commander, between the breastplate and the helm. Did I mention I decided to wear that gorgeous breastplate we’d found in the hidden Grey Garrison armory? At the time I know I wrote that I was hesitant to wear it because of some…personal hang ups. But it does look the part more than the ratty old chainmail. And if I’m going to ‘act confident’ I suppose looking confident is part and parcel, right? I might manage to look half as impressive as Leto with all of this. Minus the horse. It’s hard to look as impressive as someone on a mighty steed. Although he loses points for naming him Charlie Horse.

I’m off subject. What was I writing about today? Right.

Despite everything else, I’ve managed to find some time to gather up a little something to start paying back at least Melody and Luna a little for their actions in the Grey Garrison before we head out. Hiskaria’s going to be a bit more difficult.

I’m pleased with how Luna’s turned out. Once the forge was reopened, I had it commissioned right away. I actually got it started before the big attack when Queen Galfrey and her men arrived. See, in the Grey Garrison we found a composite longbow. I had kind of coveted it, I currently use a longbow on occasion but a composite bow would make much better use of my skills than a regular one. However we ended up deciding it would be best served going to Luna as she is the strongest. Which I’m not complaining about, it was a well thought out choice, and seeing as I have magic and Luna doesn’t it makes the most tactical sense. But—I still kind of want that bow.

So, I’m going to propose a trade for the one I originally wanted. For this one that I’ve had commissioned for her. I have it here, and I’m going to walk it over to her living place in a bit. They really did do a beautiful job on the wood working, I almost regret that I didn’t just buy one for myself as well. But that would have gotten expensive. Better to just trade her for what we have and save on the coin. Fatepiercer belongs with Luna.

***

Luna accepted my trade, although she did not accept it without an explanation. Something something ‘You’re not actually stupid why are you offering such a bad trade for yourself’. I did eventually have to come out and admit it was thanks for her ‘not giving a shit’ back in the scrying room, because that choice likely saved Leto’s life. After that she accepted the gift, although she threw in a couple of “masterwork oranges” along with the composite bow to make the trade a little more fair. Hey, whatever makes her feel better.

Why does she still have those oranges? Oh well, they were still good. They’ll probably keep for another day or two.

Her lizardfolk buddy was hanging around too, until she kicked him out. Don’t think I mentioned him. Skix. A kind of shifty chameleon man. Last time I met him, he tried to scam me into buying a bunch of old figures of heroes from some Numerian comic series. I was going to just pass, but then it turned out he was a friend of Luna, so I gave him the money with the intention of just leaving it at that, but he pressed the toys into my hands and then I had them whether I wanted them or not. Turns out Leto’s a fan, so now they’re on his desk instead.

Anyways, Luna kicked me out too, and I went to visit Melody next. I found her at Defender’s Heart, entertaining the troops with her dancing skills to keep up morale as she tends to do when the time presents itself. I admit, I’m a bit envious. I used to play the fiddle every few days at Defender’s Heart to keep spirits up, too, but I’ve been so busy with this blasted paperwork, on top of all the preparations for learning to lead a legion in three days.

Regardless, I found Melody as she finished a performance, and joined her an Sosiel’s table. The two Shelynites greeted me as cheerfully as ever. I complimented Melody’s performance, then slid her gift across the table. Two masterwork sets of artisan’s tools, a set of brushes for painting her spear with the special paints that enchant her familial weapon, and one for her calligraphy. She asked the occasion, to which I just said it was to show my gratitude. She didn’t press for once, to which I was grateful. So, to show a little more gratitude, I suggested if she felt up for it, we put on a little joint performance. Ballet is not my usual go to music, but I can play some slower styles when I really feel like it. And for a dance from Melody? Of course I could play a song.

After we finished that it was off to Hiskaria. The one I was most dreading.

The thing about Hiskaria? She only has one hobby I know of, and that’s graverobbing. What am I supposed to do with that? She already has a magic bow and quiver so I couldn’t exactly buy her a bow like I had for Luna. So I did the only thing I could.

I went to visit her while she was working with Aravashnial at the Blackwing. Aravashnial was in a great mood, by the way. Having his eyesight back really put a bounce in his step.

Anyways, I swallowed my pride and thanked her directly. And asked if she wanted anything of me.

What was it Anevia said? It hurt worse than a broken leg?

Hiskaria said she didn’t need anything from me, that in a way she was getting a second lot on life just being here with us. But that if I could heal her up in battle that would be nice. And maybe cut her some slack in the morning as her commander.

Yeah. I guess I am her commanding officer now, aren’t I? Weird to think, seeing as I’m probably about half her age. Which she was quick to point out too. Fair, I suppose, especially given the differences in how tieflings age from half-elves. I’ve seen that first hand growing up with Leto, and he’s much closer to my age than Hiskaria’s.

Anyways, I laughed it off. Because if she thinks there’s going to be any time to relax during a march she is going to be in for a nasty surprise in a couple of days. I’ll let her figure it out first hand though.

Now I’m back to paperwork, and a certain golden boy chattering my ear off, while I have made it my mission to not listen to a single word. I suppose I should actually be doing my paperwork instead of writing this. But I am dreadfully bored and—

here there are a number of scribbles, as if the pen was scratched across the paper quite a few times. The writing continues on the next page

Leto caught me writing and tried to take my quill for slacking. He looks as pleased as the cat that swallowed the canary now. He has ink on his nose from almost knocking over my well, and I’m not going to let him know. Let him walk around with green smudged on his face for a bit. Serves him right.

[draven-imani]

Journal 8.5

I’ve decided on a name for my legion.

My legion…that’s going to be strange to say for a while.

Anyways, the name. I'm going to call it The Adamant Shield Legion. A legion to stand before the forces of the Worldwound, defending the rest of Golarian with the unyielding strength of an Adamantine Shield.

Maybe it’s a lofty goal. But I told the Spirit of the Hall of Heroes that what I wanted was to protect others. So that’s what I want my legion to stand for. A shield to protect the innocent.

[draven-imani]

Journal 8

I met the Queen of Mendev. Which somehow managed to still be impressive even after meeting the Inheritor a few days ago, which speaks pretty highly to her. Aaaaaand the Queen kind of sort of knighted me and gave me a promotion to commander of own legion and I don’t know what to do and I’m freaking out a little.

Right. Right—let’s just take it from the top.

Our little group had met up at Defender’s Heart when we got word from Commander Spriggans that there was an attack on the horizon. We made our way outside and saw an enormous force approaching. There were a number of those colossal Ulkreth demons that Hiskaria had seen demolishing buildings during the first attack, as well as a full army of lesser demons. They were marching on us rather than teleporting straight in—we figured specifically to show off their might to lower our morale.

Then, before the army could reach us, a second army from the East came charging into battle. Above them great metal machines flew overhead, and they dropped into the middle of the demon army these huge metal scorpions, which landed and began shooting the demons with beams from their tails. A person with green hair and glowing lines down their body gave a battle cry as they grabbed onto one of those giant metal scorpions and caused it to shoot that appeared to be an empowered disintegrate out of its tail into one of the Ulkreths.

The United Mendev-Numeria Alliance had joined the battle, just in the nick of time. With the use of their ‘Annihilator robots’, those big scorpions, and ‘laser guns’, and all sorts of other weapons I’d never even dream up they cleared out the demons. Even Hiskaria was about speechless. I think her words were something like “I thought Kevoth-Kul didn’t have that many of those”.

We were all incredibly pleased with how that went, and everyone was heading to Defender’s Heart for a victory ‘we didn’t get crushed by demons for another day’ drink, when a messenger came to get the four of us. Apparently Queen Galfrey had come to Kenabres herself. And apparently she’d been told about what we’d done the day before. And apparently she wanted to meet with us personally. She gave us the option of meeting at her personal war tent or at a place of our choosing. We decided it seemed most polite to meet at her tent. Melody and I decided to go dressed in the fine clothes we’d gotten from the kind shop keeper who had given us the free incredibly nice clothing for saving his wares the other day. Hiskaria and Luna…did not. It turned out it didn’t really matter. I will compared Queen Galfrey to the Inheritor in one way—she is a warrior as much as anything else.

When we arrived to the Mendev-Numeria encampment, we were met by the green haired person, Coremagon—an android, the first I’ve ever met. They had a particular quirk, in that they were not particularly good with emotions, and kept blowing up in anger. It also turns out they are Cassandalee’s herald. I would say I bet that was pretty cool for Hiskaria, but honestly considering her goddess talks in her head, maybe it was kind of mundane compared to how utterly in awe I would have been in her place.

I admit, I may have gotten Coremagone riled up a little. I wasn’t necessarily trying to. I was actually trying to help. Legitimately. I’m not exactly the best with emotions myself. I figured, it’s more pleasant to focus on trying to feel the good ones than the bad ones, right? That’s what I do, at least. Smile.

Well, apparently telling the herald of the god that they should smile is a bad idea.

I got thrown into the air by a whirlwind and landed on my ass.

They got told off by the queen though, so I got a little vindication.

We went into Queen Galfrey’s war tent and met the Queen herself. She was an incredibly striking figure. Definitely more warrior than bureaucrat. She waved a hand over her war table, and an enchantment in the table went off that caused a feast to appear, and she invited us to sit and eat while we spoke of recent events. We confirmed the reports she’d received of what had happened at the Grey Garrison, and she told us some of what has been happening at the borders. The Stormlord’s forces have been attacking at the borders of Mendev since the fall of Kenabres, and without the Wardstone’s barrier it is now only the armies of the crusaders standing between them and the rest of the world.

She said that while some people understand the gravity of the choice we made, and the lives we saved in doing so, others are calling us traitors for destroying the final shred of the barrier and the last hope of renewing it.

Queen Galfrey had a new task for us. As a member of the Crusades I am, of course, obligated to see this through to the end, but she offered to the others that if they wanted to help to clear their names and to do something to strike a blow against the demon hordes, she had a mission for us.

Her Majesty asked that we travel with a legion of her men to Drezen, to take back the captured fortress, and to retrieve the Sword of Valor, the very banner once held aloft by Iomedae herself, which if hung in the town again would expel the demonic forces. Currently the bulk of the forces from Drezen were with the Stormlord on the border, and the Queen intended to take her army to keep their attention there while a smaller strike force went in and took Citadel Drezen. I mentioned that we’d discovered that Stauton Vhagn was involved in the attack on Kenabres, and that he was holed up in Drezen as well. The Queen felt this was all the more reason to strike while the iron was hot and take Drezen back from him.

Luna said she would be willing to help, but she had no desire to lead an army. Queen Galfrey agreed that Luna and Melody were not members of the crusades, and therefore the choice was theirs to not take such a role. She also asked Hiskaria for her paperwork, and signed off on her release papers, before sending them off to be returned to Kevoth-Kul via some sort of magic portal. She said that technically Hiskaria was free to go now, as she had done more than enough to warrant her release in good faith. However the Queen had a feeling that Hiskaria would see this through to the end, and Hiskaria agreed that she wanted to do so as well.

With that said, Queen Galfrey declared that she was going to have each of us knighted and titled for our services. Should we survive this, apparently we’d each have land back in Mendev should we want it. That’s. A lot. That’s more than I ever expected to get out of all this. I didn’t come here to get anything, except maybe a little justice for those who died, and the ability to stop as many people from being made victims as possible. Actual physical rewards never really crossed my mind.

Actually surviving to the end of all this never really crossed my mind if we’re going to be brutally honest.

Melody was titled Lady-Lady Melody Legro, Lady of Grace

Luna was titled Luna, Lady of the Crescent Moon

Hiskaria was simply titled Lady Hope—Hope being her last name and something meaningful given her story.

And I guess now I am Sir Draven, the One-Eyed Knight.

I guess it’s a good thing I decided to quit being so self-deprecating about my scars after last night, or I might have felt a bit of a sting about the big thing that held me back all these years and kept me wallowing in the Raven Corps being what she decided to highlight in my title.

Okay. There might still be a little bitterness there. But—I’m working on it.

With this done, we were given a timeframe to expect to go—we will be leaving in three days time. Then we were dismissed, except for Luna who asked to remain to ask the Queen something in private. The rest of us gave her privacy and remained outside while she talked to the Queen about…whatever that was about.

Then we headed back to Defender’s Heart for a little revelry and to meet three new allies who the Queen had brought to our attention would be joining us with the legion. Aron Kir, a master spy with a strong knowledge base in siege warfare. His boyfriend and an old friend of Melody’s, Sosiel Vaenic, a Shelynite cleric and tactician with a vast knowledge of demons who didn’t really understand Melody’s desire to keep her heritage on the down low. And last, smallest, but certainly not least, Nurah Dendiwhar, a halfling bard who kept the sangrias coming throughout the night from a seemingly never ending box on her back. The three were extremely colorful and enjoyable characters who I was feeling very optimistic about working with.

Then while we were chatting, Commander Spriggans flagged me down. We shared a drink, and he handed me new orders from Queen Galfrey. Hiskaria was officially no longer part of the Raven Corps. And neither was I, since I would be leaving the city and therefore the Corps behind.

Instead, as I alluded to earlier, I had gotten a promotion. Commander of my own legion. I have a couple of days to think of a name and to get everything in order. Commander Tirabade—I guess I should be on first name basis with her now like everyone else? Irabeth is coming as well, as neither of us have field experience outside of Kenabres, but she has longer experience as a commander and is meant to be an advisor of sorts.

Inheritor help me that might be the strangest sentence I’ve written in this journal so far, Irabeth Tirabade is supposed to be my advisor on being commander of my own legion. It has been a few hours and this is still surreal to me. Aravashnial is coming along to lend his magic expertise as well, and Anevia wouldn’t be caught dead being left behind with Irabeth going.

Oh! I had forgotten in the middle of everything else, Queen Galfrey had some of her personal clerics see to Aravashnial and Anevia, so their injuries from the attack are no more. It is a relief, especially in regards to Aravashnial’s eyes. Queen Galfrey offered to do the same for my own eye, but I declined. I explained that I’d already learned how to fight with one eye, and I’d have to readjust if she healed me now. Which is very true, although perhaps not my only reason after the other day. It’s a good reminder, too.

More surprisingly, Horgus is coming as well. He’s going to be managing the army’s funds, field supplies, basically all around making sure the numbers are in order and we don’t run out of what we need when we need it, or get overzealous and overstock on something we don’t need. Which is all well and good with me, I don’t have a head for numbers myself. Hiskaria’s volunteered to help him and I’m more than happy to let her. She’s proven with her magic and assisting Aravashnial that she’s good enough at bookkeeping.

As for me…I’m a bit at a loss. I talked to Leto, of course. Asked him how he does it. Plays off being the cool confident leader like he does. Well—obviously it’s because he is. His answer basically boiled down to fake it until you make it, which is so not the answer I wanted to hear. There’s no way he’s been faking that confidence all this time. I’ve seen him, that easy charisma that just draws people to him. He’s in a league of his own.

I guess I’ll just keep pushing on forward like I always do. It seems to somehow work out, although I’ll probably have to hit a few stumbling blocks along the way. ‘Just act like you have confidence’, hm? I hate him sometimes. He’s infuriating. I don’t think he even knows how he looks to everyone else.

[draven-imani]

Journal 7

So. Big thing happened after my last entry. Like right after. I met Iomedae. Literally. Met Iomedae the Inheritor. She’s pleased with what we’ve done.

So. Yeah. That was—a lot.

I went to sleep pretty much right after writing the last entry. And when I dreamed, I met Iomedae. No, it wasn’t just ‘I dreamed I met Iomedae’, I mean it was a literal meeting a god in a dream. She was grateful for what we were doing to fight back against the demons, and for what we had done to help reclaim and sanctify her temple (thank you Radiance). While because of the laws of the gods there was little she could do directly, she did grant us some divine boons in the form of some of her power.

I met Iomedae.

I met Iomedae and actually did something that had pleased her.

I’m still wrapping my head around this. It’s so hard to comprehend that it really happened. The people who do the art don’t begin to do justice of the kind of awe her presence brought.

Speaking of…I am going to have to rethink how I talk about my scars, I think. People never really draw attention to them in her pictures, but—Iomedae is very much a warrior. I would do well not to insult her beauty in my haste to self-deprecate. We’ll call it a change of perspective, I suppose.

So, I woke up in a very good place for once I would say. Leto was okay. I literally met Iomedae. We’d saved an untold number of lives by breaking fate and remaking time into something better. And we’d killed a lot of demons along the way. And none of us had died this time. I was in a very good place.

Melody was not. Which for her was unusual, she was much more chipper than the rest of us first thing usually.

Luna was the first one to breach the subject. Melody told us that she’d had a weird dream. Hiskaria and Luna chimed in about being visited by Iomedae as well. Melody told us that after Iomedae visited her, she was also visited by Shelyn’s songbird, who gave her a scroll. It was a Writ of Prosperity. The Writ said that her family was meant to have prosperity and good fortune for all times, and was dated only 100 years ago. But the bottom of the writ was torn.

Her family were nobility, she admitted. She’d hidden it, because she didn’t want to be treated differently. And she didn’t really have anything left but her name anyways at this point. Fair, I suppose we’ve made at least a few ‘all nobles are terrible’ jokes around her. But she’s obviously a good person, and from the sound of it her family was lesser nobility who were raised up from the rank and file within the last hundred years.

And the destruction of the Writ meant that her family’s deaths, the disease that she’d thought all this time was just a gross act of nature, was actually planned. Someone had killed her family. Someone had done this on purpose. Melody was furious and disgusted. I reasoned out that if her little songbird had led her here, then Shelyn must be telling her that the killer was connected to all of this. Considering we’d found Deskari worshippers trying to poison and spread disease on holy symbols of Shelyn and other gods, it seemed a reasonable guess that it could have been someone within the Deskari cult. She questioned why anyone within the cult would target her small unimportant noble family. I pointed out that her family were longstanding members of the Church of Shelyn. Maybe there was something to that.

But it was little more than speculation. Until we had something more concrete, following her bird was probably the best she could continue to do.

Since we were already talking privately and sharing secrets, the others asked if we could get talking about what was up with my arm over with. I agreed. Might as well. I owed them an explanation after everything we’d been through together.

So I unwrapped the bandages on my left arm, and revealed the mark underneath that never heals. The flayed skin that has long since turned to scars, and the mark of Deskari atop it that is still open and festering, that bleeds and aches whenever his servants draw near. Luna rightfully noted that if anyone in town saw that mark, I’d be a dead man. The witch hunts were a while ago but they weren’t that long ago. And someone with a mark of Deskari? Well—given how I acted when I first saw Luna with a mark just near her, I can vouch for how easily that mark can set some people off when it’s personal. Especially right now, after Baphomet had his cultists infiltrate our ranks.

I didn’t go into the gory details of how it got put there. I’m pretty sure the scarring and the fact I’d mentioned before I got it when my family were killed by demons were enough to give them the picture. They didn’t need to know the step by step details that I can still remember so fucking vividly.

It’s fine.

I’m fine.

Anyways.

After that, Melody needled Hiskaria for information on why she’d committed murder, and Hiskaria relented and told us a bit about herself as well. Apparently in Numeria while tomb robbing with her two associates, she’d set off a trap. And they’d both gotten killed. It was some horrible poison that disintegrated them entirely. Melody argued that it was an accident, and therefore not murder. Hiskaria argued that the place she’d gone to was off limits, she shouldn’t have been there, she pressed the button, she caused their deaths, and so it was murder. She would take responsibility for their deaths, whatever that would look like.

I understand. If I hadn’t been with everyone else the day we arrived in Kenabres, maybe my friends would be alive, too. Melody would call it an accident, or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But I know, it was either cursed luck, or that mark drawing the demon to us. Either way, it was because I was there that Gabrielle, Sophia, Issac, and Lorette aren’t with us.

Anyways.

Anyways…

I’ve been busy pretty much the rest of today. It turns out, being acting captain means a lot of paperwork when you’re not fighting for your life. And Leto is doing the opposite of helping. What’s the opposite of helping?

Oh right. Getting in the way in the most extraordinary way possible.

Golden boy got some of his men to move his desk down to my office.

I have an office now.

He moved his desk down two flights of stairs from the Order of the Flaming Lance’s old office to the little captain’s office I have, as if there’s actually room for us to share! Inheritor help me, this isn’t our training days. I haven’t gotten half my work done because he chatters away like always…

I’m glad at least he’s okay.

[draven-imani]

Journal 6

Today was another long day. Another very long day. I don’t even know how to begin to express how much happened today.

We broke fate.

We did what we came to the Grey Garrison to do and according to a higher being we weren’t actually meant to have done that but we did anyways and it changed everything. It changed an entire timeline. We did that. I’m still processing that.

Let me start from the top.

We made for Old Kenabres first thing in the morning. We were given a number of supplies from Arashniaval for our strike force, while Horgus was using his own funds to supply the main troops. The Silver Legion and the units Commander Tirabade had been able to muster rode ahead and drew away the brunt of the demonic forces, leaving the Grey Garrison mostly unguarded. The Commander did not join the forces drawing distraction, however. She would be fighting alongside us to reclaim the shard of the Wardstone from Deskari’s hands. And she was not the only one. This morning the envoy the Commander sent down to speak with the First Descendants returned as well. And they came alongside forces from below ground lead by Lann, ready to join the fight against the demon scourge. Lann and a number of his rangers joined our strike team. Each of us paired up with a ranger, with the group deciding I should team up with Lann since I was the captain of this mission. I had no arguments there. Lann proved to be a very capable marksman. Even without cold iron arrows he managed to do some damage to some of the demons we faced, which is more than I could say for most people.

If we ever have a moment when we aren’t fighting for our lives for once, I wouldn’t mind having a chance to chat with him outside of life-threatening situations. Lann seems like a good guy. But apparently my life is going to be getting really busy really soon, so that’s probably not in the cards.

As we approached the grey garrison, we saw two sentries. We identified the twisted reanimated mockeries as vermleks, parasitic demons who puppeteer corpses of the dead. The victims in question were High Commander Hulrun, and the head of Nyserian Manor ironically enough. It would seem Lord Nyserian met with a terrible fate when he presented Commander Tirabade’s sword to the demons, in a bid to try to get safe passage and a position of power. We found proof later that this was their punishment for him not giving it to them sooner. Serves a coward and a traitor right, for the innocent blood on his hands.

My feelings about Hulrun are more complicated. He was a powerful crusader. He should have been able to stand up against the demons as a symbol of strength against the tide of evil. Instead he was felled and turned into a mockery. So I found what they did despicable and I wanted to put him to rest. But I also never found him to be the height of what we could stand for. He was no Irabeth Tirabade. At one time he was a paranoid man who brought out the worst in our people for many years. He led the witch hunts, which may have been a little before my time, but the effects of which still echo down. I…deeply fear what would happen if anyone found out about the mark I keep under wraps.

Whether he truly become better or simply had others who advised him to tone it down, I will likely never know now. And quite frankly it doesn’t matter, as he is dead and we have more pressing matters than the past to contend with.

Speaking of that accursed mark, it was bleeding a stream of blood worse than ever before, and burning like someone had taken a hot iron to it. I couldn’t help but flinch, and the others couldn’t help but notice the bandages that were already stained red before we had even entered battle. I…promised to explain later. And I suppose I will have to, if it’s going to cause so much blood that I cannot hide it around so many demons. I will have to find a new method. Perhaps a bracer of some kind…

Hiskaria asked ‘you too’ when I started rubbing at my arm initially, and showed me a mark on her back. It was not anything near the same as the festering mark on my wrist. She had some sort of large glowing spiral birthmark on her back. Although there was one thing in common I found: both appeared the day our families died. Hers was reacting here as well, which was apparently abnormal. Hers had something to do with the Riftwardens—which now that I think about it she’d kept buddying up to Arashniaval frequently, going to him to comfort him when he thought the Riftwardens died despite just meeting him, and he’d reacted to her in surprise when we’d first met her.

For now, however, we needed to focus on the mission as hand. There were two demon sentries. If we took them out fast, we might not alert the entire temple of our presence right away. Luna did her usual thing, going invisible and sneaking up on one, getting a good swing in on it, although not enough to destroy its host. Commander Tirabade charged in behind her, stabbing it, and Melody joined her.

Hiskaria and I focused on the other. Radiance was more insistent than ever that these demons be cleansed—the bodies of the faithful needed to be freed and put to rest properly.

These creatures took a beating and still remained standing, sending wave after wave of negative energy through us with mass inflict wounds. The Commander cut down the one who was possessing Hulrun—trying to be respectful of the dead, although once Luna got started insulting him for the witch hunts it was hard for any of us to not agree with her points that the man was kind of an ass. Still, the demon was dead and I’d at least follow Radiance’s request to lay his body to rest later, even he deserved that much.

The other demon devoured its host, but was then skewered through on Melody’s glaive, leaving the courtyard outside the temple silent.

Then Melody looked up. She told us in a hushed voice that she saw her goddess’ songbird. But also a twisted being who looked like a humanoid woman with a clawed locust’s arm. An oracle of Deskari. And probably a powerful one at that if her body was twisted in such a manner.

This would be no easy task. But we needed to get to the wardstone and destroy it, to keep it from being used as a weapon and turning our own symbol of protection against our unsuspecting men and women on the front lines. Whether it would be easy or not didn’t matter.

Luna slipped ahead of us, practically vanishing as she pulled her hood over her head and she seemed to become one with the shadows with her mastery of stealth. I focused on Iomedae’s blessings, using her mastery of the warrior’s ways to try to keep up with my swift footed companion.

A fight had already broken out by the time I arrived. Luna had snuck up behind a tiefling cultist and liberated his head from his shoulders. The rest had tried to swarm her, but she was not an easy woman to harm in such a way. Lann shot an arrow into the fray, catching the attention of one of the tieflings and drawing him out of the room to me, which I swiftly cut down. The rest were taken care of by Hiskaria’s arrows and Luna and Melody’s blades.

Now that we were inside of the temple, Radiance’s energy was feeling more insistent than usual. They told me that this was once a temple to Iomedae, and it should be cleansed and returned to its former glory. I got the sense that they meant immediately, not after we got rid of the demons. At first as I cleared the demons I argued with Radiance, telling the sword that I needed them to be patient—if we tried to cleanse the temple before we got rid of all the demons, the demons would just desecrate it again.

What made me change my mind was the room with the arms.

I am not going to describe the room with the arms. Just know that…the demons and their cultists made some very visceral and disgusting idols in mockery of our holy places.

I was ambushed by several cultists of Deskari in that room. Which was a veeeeeery good way to get some very recently acquired bad feelings out of my system. With some help from the others, we cleared out the three cultists who thought they would be adding me to their sick idol. Sick bastards.

Then Melody opened a door. And got a bomb right in the face.

Because alchemists suck like that.

Luna went in with her axe, but the man had a spell on that made hitting him difficult, he shifted around the attacks, our visuals on him were blurred and difficult to see correctly. Hiskaria got a bright idea, and cast magic missile on him.

I liked that idea, and produced a wand of magic missile we’d been given by Arashniaval, and did the same. Between the two of us and Luna, we beat away at the alchemist. He used a smoke bomb to try to hide from the missiles. Hiskaria got in closer, drew fire from him, and was able to give me enough of an idea of where he was that I could get up in his face and cast it once more. Which was all we needed.

From there we only had one way to go. Which was behind a locked door Luna was having difficulty opening. We decided to work together to smash through it. With Luna taking point, we threw everything we had into it, and finally managed to burst the door.

Straight into a room with a tiefling and three dretches.

It wasn’t actually that difficult. Luna ran past the dretches and took on the tiefling. Commander Tirabade and Melody took on the dretch nearest the door, which I used the Commander’s shield for cover to slip in and attack the one next to her, Radiance giving me a particularly spectacular moment killing the dretch in a single swing. The final dretch tried to flee, but Luna took a swing at it as it did, then ran after it and ended it before it could try to warn anyone on the second floor.

We were a little bruised, but not so much that we felt like we needed to sound the retreat yet.

Radiance was even more insistent, and I was feeling a bit twitchy after the aforementioned room as well. I requested some time to clear out the bottom floor before we continued on. The others agreed, as it would give them some time to check for anything of value on the bodies they may have missed.

So, I got to work. First clearing out the…aforementioned room. Doing burial rites for the desecrated bodies and for Hulrun while I was at it. Then I cleaned the prayer room. Which had an interesting engraving in celestial, although I cannot read the language. I recalled that Gabrielle could as an aasimar, although I didn’t want to make assumptions given how different Luna is—so I asked if anyone in our group could speak the language. As fortune would have it, Luna did speak celestial, and was willing to help, despite needing to kneel before the alter to see the engraving properly. She would not tell me what it said, instead, she went over to a glowing outline of a doorway we’d noticed in the other room, and spoke the words, “Let us inherit thine arms, Iomedae.” The doorway swung open. Inside was an amazing armory. Cold iron weapons of all kinds, an enchanted longsword, sturdy shields, and a gorgeous breastplate with Iomedae’s holy symbol emblazoned across it. I feel speed is what we needed more than heavy armor at the moment, or I would have gladly donned it.

I also may have hesitated because I think it looked like that sort of think Auriel would have liked. I feel like I remember him mentioning he intended to get something similar to this at some point. Or maybe that’s just me projecting. I don’t know.

Anyways.

After that was done we cleaned up the museum, in which we found an adamantine morningstar of all things. Would have been useful for that door earlier. We gave it to Luna. Adamantine with her strength will be useful I’m certain.

With everything cleaned up and Radiance a bit quieter, we decided to head up to the second floor.

The second floor was almost blood bath. I…kind of don’t remember a lot of the fight that happened here. It was a blur, and I went down a few times. A lot of times. They really had it out for me. For obvious reasons, I was the only Iomedaen in the room. And possibly because of the accursed mark on my arm, who knows? What I do know is, we got upstairs. Melody got besieged on all sides, and the moment one of the tiefling cultists died, we heard the voice of the oracle. And she summoned a swarm of locusts from the tiefling’s body, which attacked Melody on his death, badly injurying her with negative energy. I ended up running in and putting myself in between her and some of the other enemies with the intention of drawing some attention away from her. Which worked. Unfortunately it worked a little too well. I got swarmed by tieflings and Deskari cultists, and when Melody or Heskaria killed one the oracle would cause the locust swarms to pull the life from me. I went in and out of consciousness more than a few times here. I was lucky the Commander was here. She and Hiskaria kept me alive. Between Commander Tirabade’s lay on hand’s and Hiskaria’s wand of cure moderate wounds she’d picked up somewhere along the way. I definitely owed her one. I guess as her ‘acting captain’ I’m putting in a few good words for her for sure at this point.

When the swarm of enemies died down, we began looking around a bit more. We found a room with a bowl of water and—viscera—with zombies milling about. We took care of them with literally no issue. Radiance once again began insisting on immediately consecrating the room, and I once again told them that we needed to wait until we knew there was nothing nastier on this floor after what we’d just dealt with, if the oracle could reach out through her followers up here. Radiance didn’t like that answer, but conceded that it was my choice either way. Good. Maybe Luna was onto something with putting my foot down with them.

Melody was standing near a door looking a bit spooked, and as I approached she quietly told me something was on the other side talking in her mind. She described it, and I reasoned out that it was a Schir demon due to the sound of gnawing on metal she heard. We decided to let Luna go in first, as it was probably prepared but to my knowledge they couldn’t see those who were invisible. So she downed another potion and slipped inside, getting a good stab at him before he could react. Unfortunately, he proved a bit more damaging than expected, and we heard Luna calling for someone to help her out. I was planning to join her, since demon slaying is kind of my specialty. But then something else burst from the door behind me. A strange chimera creature. Not a demon, but an evil intelligent beast working with them. A peryton. The creature bared its fanged in something between a smile and a snarl as it greeted me, before lashing out, knocking me against the wall and dashing any hope of me going to Luna’s aid.

Fortunately, both Melody and Commander Tirabade were able to help Luna, while Hiskaria put some arrows into the creature attacking me. The Commander apparently killed the demon, then Luna charged out of the room and with a single swing of her axe beheaded the peryton.

The rest of the floor was so easily cleared out I legitimately don’t even remember what the creatures in the last room were. Some kind of insect or spider that caused darkness, but Luna was able to cast light due to her aasimar bloodline and dispel it. I blocked the doorway to protect Melody and let Hiskaria and Melody take shots at them until I was hurting too badly to continue that tactic, then stepped aside for Luna the clean up the rest.

After that was done, Luna began going through some papers that she had seen the cultists looking over before. I began clearing out the room the zombies had been in that Radiance had reacted to. And the others began checking the other rooms for anything that might be useful or important.

After I cleared and purified the water in the bowl it became immediately obvious that it was a scrying dish, as it activated on its own. It had two things to show me. First, was Leto and Commander Spriggans. They were in the middle of the demon hordes, separated from their unit. They were fighting valiantly, and they didn’t look worse for the wear at the moment. But with their positioning, I knew if I called the retreat now, they might get left behind. They might end up stuck behind enemy lines. Or worse, overwhelmed and killed.

Before I had time to process that, a second vision was granted. This one a bit closer to where we were. It was of the oracle, upstairs. She was panicking. Pacing, muttering to herself “fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck”, terrified of how quickly we were tearing through her forces, of how quickly we were making our way to her and undoing all her work. The angle of the scry then panned out, showing me the room outside, allowing me to see the fiendish minotaur guarding the door to her chambers. It gave me a good idea of what we were going to be facing when we went up there. It was a tiny room to be dealing with such a large creature, not much room to maneuver. Not much room to get Luna into a flanking position.

But more importantly, we’d been planning to call the retreat after this floor. Because we were all exhausted. We were low on magic. We were low on healing. We were hurting. But if we did that, we were going to put Leto and Commander Spriggans in danger.

I had to make a call. Retreat. Put the mission and the people in front of me first and risk Leto. Or push forward, risk everything so I could try to bring everyone back safe. Assuming I didn’t get everyone killed doing so.

I was paralyzed with indecision.

The others were talking about various things they’d found. A list of traitors here and elsewhere, which was useful. Some other things I honestly was too distracted at the time to really process. Then Luna started talking about how we ought to head out if we were going to call the retreat and get back to Defender’s heart, since we were getting tired. Melody and Hiskaria agreed.

I stopped them. I told them to wait. I explained I’d seen something in the scrying room, and I explained what I’d seen and why it was a problem for retreating. But also why not retreating was a problem.

Luna said she didn’t give a damn, and said on the count of three everyone raise their hand who voted to keep going. All three of them did.

I—was speechless. I am not so proud as to think they did not understand how much of a risk they were taking pushing forward. They knew how much they were risking, and what they were doing, to keep Leto safe. A man they’ve barely even met once, but who they knew was important to me.

I owe them. More than I can begin to repay. But I am going to start, as best I can.

After I finished cleansing the second floor, we made our plan for how to deal with the third. We knew that the oracle was not at her best. We also knew how the minotaur’s room was laid out. We decided to use this to our advantage. There wasn’t much room to maneuver—not even enough for us to bring our ranger companions along, we had them watch our backs and stay on the second floor—but there was just enough to possibly get Luna in behind him if we played our cards right.

Luna drank another invisibility potion, and crept ahead of us. We waited for half a minute, then followed, with Melody in the lead. The plan was for her to lure the beast forward, as she was the only one with a weapon that could reach as far as the minotaur’s. She would stand in the stairwell and taunt the beast until it charged her, then Luna would step behind it and attack the moment its back was no longer to the door.

The plan worked. It worked exactly like we’d planned. Except for one problem. I didn’t see it for myself, I was still in the stairwell. But I heard about it afterwards. When the beast began to lumber forward, Luna stepped in to attack. She landed a devastating blow, drawing her axe up from the bottom of its spine to its neck. The creature stopped, and swung around, and its own axe swung into Luna. The fiendish creature put a smite into the blow, and its full strength behind it. With a single swing, Luna crumpled. I didn’t see the attack, but I saw the end result. There was blood everywhere.

Commander Tirabade charged in, and ended the beast’s life in a single final stroke, Luna having nearly ended it with her single blow. This left the room clear for Hiskaria to run in and use her wand to heal Luna back to her feet, and Melody to finish getting her back up. By the time I reached her, she looked good as new, if not a little shaken or perhaps just displeased that her blow hadn’t killed the beast outright. There was blood splattered across everything.

I really owe Luna after all this is over, with how close that was.

Then Luna suggested we do that again for the next room. We went to argue. I wondered if maybe she’d taken some head trauma on top of the axe wound. But she pointed out that technically the plan worked fine—she’d just gotten unlucky with the minotaur’s axe. She was pretty sure the same wouldn’t happen a second time with this panicky oracle. And this time we’d all be right outside the door.

I hated to admit it, but the plan had worked pretty well. And getting Luna in the room and flanking the oracle would be the best way to ensure she went down quickly. So we all agreed. Luna drank another potion and vanished, then we opened the door.

The oracle laughed manically when she saw us, her eyes wild and desperate. She was a twisted disgusting thing, her form warped into some sort of half-elf/locust combination by Deskari’s magic. I wouldn’t have even recognized her as a fellow half-elf myself if Luna hadn’t said something earlier when one of us was describing her. I am glad that the taint that this mark on my arm has left on me has done no such thing, I much prefer my face and arm as they are thank you.

The oracle—whose name I felt no particular urge to memorize, my apologies, I think it would have galled her to know she wasn’t that important—warned us to stay back. She asked where Luna was, to which Melody claimed that she’d been killed by the minotaur. One look at the bloodied room seemed to be enough to convince her of the truth of that, as she laughed in our faces at our folly. She motioned, and two portals appeared. What appeared to be two babau demons appeared, with Leto and Commander Spriggans held hostage. She warned that she would have them killed if we didn’t retreat and let her finish her work.

I…admit to not thinking straight here. I froze. Obviously, I knew we couldn’t just throw down our arms, not when so many lives were at stake with the wardstone right there. But I also wasn’t about to throw my brother and commander to the wolves.

Thankfully, Melody was much more clear-sighted than I. She ran forward, and attacked one of the supposed demons. The illusion around them flickered and vanished, revealing the truth underneath. Two constructs, which had created the illusory demons—and the illusions of Leto and Commander Spriggans, who were not there at all.

I was incensed at the trickery. I realized then that the desecrated scrying chamber had very likely been to look for someone one of us cared about to use against us, and she had chosen Leto. This kind of construct could only be used with an illusion preprogrammed into it—which meant they knew what to put in ahead of time, and someone elsewhere had put it in and sent it over. The constructs had the holy symbol of Sivanah emblazoned on them, so it seemed someone within their church was responsible. According to Luna, it was Lady Salzala. I’m inclined to believe her. Apparently, the mummified locust with the book she stole the day we met was addressed to her as well, so a lot of things keep pointing back in her direction. Commander Tirabade said she left with a contingent of her men on ‘business’ after the attack, so it would appear she fled the scene.

Unfortunately, her name was not amongst the ones in the documents Luna found naming traitors, so we lack any further evidence, although the Commander is going to look into it further.

With the bluff called, we attacked. Luna appeared as she swung her axe at the twisted locust oracle. Both Luna and the oracle looked surprised for a moment, I didn’t catch what either said, but then the oracle used a spell to teleport across the room.

While Melody and I focused on her and Luna dealt with the constructs that had flanked her, Hiskaria had a different idea in mind. She swung around, avoiding the fight entirely, and pulled out the rod of cancellation we’d been given to destroy the Wardstone. We were here to do a job, and she was going to make sure it got done, one way or another.

The oracle cried out, but it was too late. Hiskaria pushed past whatever last defenses the final piece of the wardstone may have had, and it shattered in a blinding flash. Shards rained down around us like meteors in miniature. They ripped the oracle and her constructs to shreds, but miraculously the rest of us were untouched—whenever they came near us, they redirected, whooshing around as if we had our own little gravity field and then being thrown in another direction.

Then everything went white. Me, Luna, Melody, and Hiskaria found ourselves in this place alone, Commander Tirabade was nowhere to be seen. Radiance floated before us, pulsing with energy, their blade face down. They spoke, and as they did we began to see visions of what they spoke of. Visions of things past. Of how the Wardstone came to be. Of Commander Tirabade and Stauton Vhagn…apparently former friends, before his betrayal. Of the Stormlord’s first attack on the Wardstone, and then Stauton’s betrayal and escape from the city. And then the most recent attack on the stone, the one that shattered it and brought us together. The attack that killed Trendalor—we know for certain now that the city’s defender is dead, his body stolen away by demons. And then we saw various demons guarding the stone, each powerful entity growing bored with their post and handing it off to one below them, until finally it fell to the oracle, who paced the room fearfully, knowing what would happen to her should she fail at our hands.

Then we saw what was supposed to happen next. The fate that we avoided. The time that was meant to come to pass, but didn’t. Arelu Vorlesh stepped from a portal with a purple crystal in hand, and began corrupting the Wardstone. And she succeeded. Dark tendrils spread through the land, they infected the crusaders through their connection to the divine within the Wardstone, and it twisted and warped them all into half-fiend monstrosities under Deskari’s power. Deskari’s army grew into a force all that more unstoppable, bolstered by our own men whose lives and souls were ripped away all at once.

Then the vision shattered, and we saw what had happened when we shattered the Wardstone instead. A great wave of golden energy swept across the land, destroying countless demons in its wake. Not obliterating their forces, unfortunately—more will come crawling from the Worldwound in the days to come, but it’s still a mighty blow that should buy us some time to regroup after what they did to Kenabres. A nice bit of divine retribution for those who have died.

Radiance spoke to us again. Or, the Spirit of the Hall of Heroes. I couldn’t quite tell if this was the exact same being as the one who spoke to me through the blade. I do recall Radiance referring to themself as the Spirit of the Hall of Heroes before, so likely the same? Radiance is less of a mouthful and easier to write, though. Maybe just ‘The Spirit’ for now, to avoid confusion, because I still had a version of Radiance to use in what was to come as well.

The Spirit drew a glowing blade of light from what had appeared to be Radiance’s blade, and pointed it at us. They told us to show them that we were worthy of the power to defy fate itself. Then they took the form of a man wielding a polearm and the form of a crystalline phoenix formed before them. And flames erupted around us.

Hiskaria did what she does best and peppered him with arrows. I patched myself up with some quick healing and tried to come in for an attack, but their form shifted again, this time into a tiefling man with a large hexagonal shield and he blocked my blow. However since I was harrying them, Luna was about to come around behind him and get a blow of her own off with her axe. Their form shifted to a human woman with a similar axe in an attempt to block, but Luna’s attack managed to get through. Then the spirit’s form shattered. They reformed their crystalline body farther in the white void—now an elven woman with a bow, and began shooting off rapid deadly arrow shots at us that made Hiskaria’s already deadly aim look like a child’s shooting.

We went with the same tactic as before, with Hiskaria shooting from afar, Melody charging in with her glaive, myself healing and sweeping in to flank with Luna, and finally Luna dealing a crippling blow to the crystalline Spirit. The being’s form shattered, underneath was a second form, somewhat like an elven man in appearance, although still made of crystal, holding a staff with twisting gears, the only part of them not crystalline. They tapped the staff, and everything was tugged backwards, returned to how it had been when the fight had first begun. The Spirit sheathed their blade. They asked each of us in turn what we were fighting for, and in turn each of us gave our personal answer.

For me…the answer’s always been the same. I want to protect people. To defend those who are less powerful from the demons, be it with a shield or at the end of a blade.

The Spirit acknowledged us as worthy of the power that had fallen into our laps—and as such they were going to return us to that moment in time, and, as he put it, ‘allow you the power you were nearly denied’.

I found myself back in the moment when the Wardstone was exploding. Shards were flying everywhere. This time, however, a piece hit me, square in the chest. Unlike the oracle and her constructs, it didn’t tear me apart. Instead, an energy flowed through every part of my being, all at once. Through my body, my blood, and my very soul. The other three experienced the same.

We didn’t have time to talk about it, or to wonder at it. As the explosion died down, a portal opened before us. One we’d already seen once before, in a vision, mere moments ago. What felt like mere moments ago, in that white void. Out stepped Arelu Vorlesh, one of Deskari’s generals, in the flesh. She was holding that same purple crystal that she’d had in the vision. She commented on the fact that we’d destroyed the Wardstone that she’d intended to use—but that its power lived on within us, and she would just have to corrupt us instead. Then she activated the crystal. There was a terrible sensation, like something cold and oily trying to take hold of my soul. Commander Tirabade charged Vorlesh, but she cast a spell that began to suffocate her, and she went unconscious in moments. Apparently it was meant to hit all of us, but the Wardstone’s power had protected us. Unfortunately its power was not protecting us from the purple crystal’s power, and we were frozen to the spot. I…was certain we were done for.

Then a blue hand reached out through Vorlesh’s portal. A light from Radiance’s crystal streaked out through her and into that being’s hand. Something was cast, and Arelu Vorlesh was left badly injured, and we were freed. Vorlesh fled. We didn’t ever get a good look at the other being.

Radiance has been silent since.

I can’t say for certain. But I think Auriel saved us. Some piece of his soul. Some version of him. I don’t know. It’s the only explanation I have. That light was in Radiance because of Auriel’s soul, so if it went to that being, it had to have been. Somehow. I know that’s weirdly optimistic of me. I’m not the sort to cling to thinking people spontaneously come back from the dead, especially people whose souls shatter on death. But—I mean Auriel was literally the Chosen One. If anyone was going to come back, right?

Anyways, Radiance doesn’t talk to me anymore. Or can’t, more likely, just like the whole ‘can’t choose Irabeth over you’ thing. But they haven’t flayed my hands, either. I think the whole ‘breaking fate’ thing means I’m able to bend the rules on the whole chosen one thing. Or maybe having a little divine power from the wardstone’s what did it. Who knows. I’m glad. If I’m honest, I’ve gotten a little attached. As much as they’ve gotten on my nerves and the whole ‘flay you alive’ thing pissed me off, I’m actually kind of sad that I can’t hear them now. For one thing, it was the last little connection to Auriel we had. I have no idea if they can hear me or if they’re in some kind of hibernation now. I’ve still been talking to them a bit. Like a crazy person, yeah, yeah.

Anyways, it wasn’t over with Vorlesh leaving. She decided to leave a parting gift. A whole swarm of babau demons. Real ones, not a bunch of illusions over constructs. Babaus are quite a bit stronger than the dretches and vermleks we’d been fighting. Under any other circumstances, we’d have definitely been overwhelmed and killed by a swarm of eight of them.

Instead, they couldn’t even touch us. I mean it, there wasn’t a scratch on us when we left. We completely overpowered these demons that should have easily outclassed us. The wardstone’s powers completely suffused our every action, everything we did seemed to be at the most perfect it could be. I cannot begin to describe to you how it feels to completely annihilate demons that should be such fearsome foes without risking going into territory that may start sounding like It’s bordering blasphemy, so I think I’ll reel it back a bit.

Afterwards, we healed the Commander, and began making our way back to Defender’s Heart. On the way, Hiskaria told us that apparently the very supportive voice in her head was apparently her goddess, Cassandalee. I’d never heard of her before, but Melody had. She was apparently more of a Numerian goddess, one of love, redemption, artifice, and good. Strange that she hadn’t gotten bigger in the 300 years she’s been around if redemption’s in her portfolio since there’s been a big need for that all things considered, since Valoria didn’t pick that up from Sarenrae. But I suppose since her main followers are apparently androids maybe she wasn’t really able to spread much outside her home base, so to speak.

Then the others decided to start hounding me as we walked back. I thought it would be about my arm, considering that seemed like the most pressing thing to ask about. But no. Apparently Luna and Melody had gotten it into their heads that Leto and I are an item. Really! I tried vehemently to correct them, that they really had the wrong idea, that we grew up together and I think of him more like a brother, but for whatever reason they still seem really unconvinced. Maybe if I send them Leto’s way he can talk some sense into them. No. He’ll probably just get them more wound up and release them back on me for the laughs. I tried to get Hiskaria to try to talk some sense into them, but she said since Cassandalee is a goddess of love she felt like it was now her sworn duty to not get in the way of this kind of talk. So now I have a Shelynite and Hiskaria to deal with about this kind of thing. Great!

Anyways. With the demons destroyed by the shockwave, there was no reason to worry about Leto and Commander Spriggans’ safety anymore. I’ll tell Leto about these shenanigans some other day. Tonight, I’m too exhausted to even think about going down there and drinking. Sleep. Sleep sounds good.

[draven-imani]

Journal 5 (Part 2)

So. Yeah. Commander Irabeth Tirabade gave me a temporary field promotion. Although she said there wasn’t much of the Raven Corps left to speak of at the moment. Apparently, a certain Golden Boy had commandeered as many people as he could convince to come with him on a mad quest into the Worldwound after the attack and our group fell underground. He has an entire legion following him, which he dubbed the Silver Legion. She said it was likely he’d be back soon for a supply run.

Damn. I always knew Leto would go far. But to rally the troops on his own without any preestablished backing and just…go for it? I don’t know how he does it. We walked the same path and yet somehow he’s always been in a completely different league than me. I don’t envy him, not in the slightest. I’m in awe, more like. It’s like looking at the sun. It’s incomprehensible.

Ah. I wish he were here instead of there, though. He’d know how to handle this whole ‘Acting Captain’ thing. I feel in over my head already. I don’t want a position of power. I don’t want people’s lives in my hands. I only thought I wanted to go up the ranks when I was an idealistic kid with no idea what that meant. Now…the idea of giving the order that gets someone killed sickens me…

But if Commander Tirabade is the one who gives me that responsibility, I don’t think I’ll be able to say no.

I was starting to doubt…a lot, the last couple of days, honestly. Everything about Luna threw things into question. And then we found out Baphomet cultists infiltrated the church. And then Auriel died. And then I first talked to Radiance…and heard their threats. The threats from a holy weapon that sounded like they should have come from a demon. That stung. That shook me.

But then we met Irabeth Tirabade. And even in person she represents everything I have ever strived to be. Both in the sense of a former Raven Corps member who pulled herself out and into a position to actually be of use to the world, but also in the sense of how an Iomedae worshipper should carry themselves. She’s noble and strong and honorable, but she’s not quite so stuck in her ways as Auriel was, she seems to see things the way they are, and have been in the past, and she seems to be willing to admit when things are rotten and need to be fixed. I respect her. A lot. I…don’t want to disappoint her.

Aaaaand that means, if she gives me a responsibility, I have to rise to the task…even if I really really reeeeeeeeally don’t want to.

Commander Tirabade told me to give her a full report of everything that had happened. Which is exactly what I’d been keeping this journal for. So I gave her my report, and had the others chime in where my memory or note taking didn’t serve adequately. Then I showed her Radiance. I didn’t really think about it, because I thought since she was a paladin that Radiance wouldn’t be quite so ‘I’m going to flay you alive’. Or maybe I just wasn’t thinking, because she was Irabeth Tirabade and I’m dumb. That’s more likely. Anyways Radiance started burning her hands, so I quickly took them back.

And I may have admonished them out loud for doing that. To which Radiance basically asked ‘what part of chosen wielder don’t you understand?’ which…fair, but I guess I kind of thought Radiance was the one deciding whether or not to start hurting someone for touching it with how they’d worded it last time. I didn’t think it just happened.

The others were looking at me like I was crazy and asked if I was talking to my sword. So then I had to explain that Radiance is a magic intelligent weapon and also really picky about who wields them.

(And I got a little off track figuring out Radiance’s pronouns here. The answer boiled down to ‘I don’t conform to your mortal view of gender, call me whatever you want’, so I’m sticking with they since it’s neutral. Must be nice being a formless weapon spirit who can just give a copout answer like ‘I don’t conform to your mortal view of gender’. I’d not conform to my mortal view of gender if I could, but I have a flesh prison with all that gender-y stuff that comes with it.)

So then one of them, I forget who, commented about me being the chosen wielder of Radiance. And I think I laughed. I corrected them. No, I wasn’t the chosen wielder. The others pointed out I was wielding them, it sure looked like I was. So I explained what Radiance had already explained to me. That Auriel had been meant to wield them. That I was only holding them now because Auriel didn’t make it this far, and because Auriel’s soul vouched for me.

Commander Tirabade gave her condolences to us about Auriel, and asked that I tell her as much as I could about him later, as someone was going to give a eulogy for all who had been lost in the battle against the demons soon and she would make sure given his heroic sacrifice that he was given the send off he deserved.

Then Anevia rejoined the conversation, having been listening in on the sword talk. She called Irabeth over and asked her about the sword she had lied about selling. Anevia proved even with a sweet voice and a smile to be scarier than the much larger and more fearsome looking commander. Commander Tirabade admitted that she had sold her sword in exchange for an anniversary gift for Anevia. A potion that permanently changes one’s gender.

Aaaaand looking back I really hope the talk about pronouns was not uncomfortable, I was legitimately trying to be polite to the sword, despite Radiance never once extending the same courtesy to me.

Anyways.

By the end the Commander determined that it would be a good idea for us to continue taking out the safehouses, but she had another mission for us as well once that was done. Something big. She told us that another of Deskari’s generals was on her way here—the witch Arelu Vorlesh. We had heard rumors of this from drifters on the streets as well. The crusaders had managed to get information that Deskari’s cult had holed up in Old Kenabres, making a stronghold of a temple to the Inheritor known as the Grey Garrison. There was a piece of the wardstone left still intact, and Arelu was coming to corrupt it. If she was successful, the Commander believed Arelu was going to turn the wardstone into a weapon that would decimate the crusaders on the battlefield.

With that in mind, she had a librarian from the Blackwing come forward with a magical rod. I’m not one for the arcane, but Hiskaria sounded extremely in awe and almost equally disturbed by the implications of the rod, a ‘rod of cancellation’. The important part I gathered was that if Hiskaria used the rod on the wardstone, then it would destroy it.

Melody was hesitant, wondering if there was any way to eventually fix the wardstone and restore the barrier to save the city. Commander Tirabade said no. It had been created hundreds of years ago, when times were less turbulent, and with divine intervention. We had neither the means nor the time, and every moment we left the wardstone intact was a moment Arelu could return to attempt to corrupt it to her own purposes. Better that it was destroyed than in enemy hands.

We agreed. The Commander said that she would not order this strike until we had cleared out all of the safehouses, so that they had nowhere to fall back to, and no reinforcements to call upon, or else the strike would be a suicide mission. But once we had finished ridding the city of their other bases of operations, she would have an army march on the main forces of Deskari, drawing their attention, while our small strike force took the Grey Garrison.

With a plan in place, we decided that today we would at least take down one more safehouse before we rested. I was the only one really in need of any rest, and Commander Tirabade offered that the clerics of the crusades were at our disposal before we left so that we would not have to use our own limited supplies. Once my remaining injuries from those blasted vultures were healed, we set out.

We came upon some looters, who had overturned the caravan of a handful of survivors and were picking through it. We discussed, and decided we didn’t particularly want to kill these guys, just spook them. So Luna pulled up her hood and donned her Butcher persona, then went after the looters, threatening that she would add them to her pile of the dead if they didn’t abandon this cart to her. It worked, and they fled for their lives.

Luna removed her hood and we approached the survivors. They were frightened after that display, but glad to have their supplies back. We pointed them in the direction of Defender’s Heart and gave them the passcode, and told them to let them know we’d sent them, as we’d seen a number of refugees being housed safely there.

After that we continued on our way, until we came upon the Tower of Estrod. From the note we’d gotten off Hosilla, there was a passcode, “I’ve new material for the archives”. Since we knew this, and we knew Hosilla’s face, we formed a plan. Melody was able to use the magic of her scale of Trendalor to disguise herself as Hosilla. I was to pretend to be one of the Baphomet worshippers who was a false Iomedaen. And Luna was merely being a more exaggerated version of herself, using her infamy as the Butcher of Balestreet to her advantage. Hiskaria didn’t want to go inside and be stuck in close quarters, so she remained outdoors on lookout, listening for any sign of things going badly. After some discussion, Melody had handed off Auriel’s scale to Hiskaria, and explained how it worked to her. The scales couldn’t be used together, so Melody needed to hand it off regardless, and it seemed right that since Hiskaria was going to be helping us for the foreseeable future, she should be the one to hold it. And as an archer the levitation ability it granted would be of more use to her than to any of us.

With a plan in mind, the three of us walked into the proverbial lion’s den. Two cultists of Baphomet were lounging about on the bottom floor. Believing they recognized Melody as Hosilla, they let us in, and told us to meet with a man on the upper floor by the name of Faxon. We followed Melody’s lead, and went up the stairs. At the top of the tower, we found a tiefling with a scorpion upon his shoulder. He spoke smugly to ‘Hosilla’, and had a very…slimy feel about him. I got the impression that he and Hosilla were not on good terms, perhaps even that Stauton Vhagn pit them against each other and that’s why he was having Hosilla check up on him, just to rub salt in the wound. Unfortunately, Melody didn’t quite know how far to press, and backed down too soon, after making her ‘report’, agreeing to return downstairs with little bite back. When questioned about what I knew, I did the safe thing and pled ignorance, claiming to merely be Hosilla’s guard and not someone in a position to have information. When asked, Luna said she was just there for the kills, nothing more nothing less.

As Melody went to have us return downstairs, Faxon called Luna back to him. I had a bad feeling, but Luna shrugged it off and said to go on without her. Melody decided that maybe we could take out the cultists downstairs quietly while he had whatever discussion he wanted with her. I agreed, although we never got the chance. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, the sound of violence broke out upstairs, and the two downstairs were alerted that something was amiss. Melody and I decided it would be best for us to guard the stairs and make sure these two couldn’t sneak up on Luna from behind first before going upstairs to try to help her finish with Fenox.

I took care of one of the cultists swiftly, with Radiance spurring me on, the both of us eager to put an end to the evils of these worshippers of the Minotaur. The sounds upstairs began to die down, as Melody took a stab at the other from the stairs with Hosilla’s glaive. He tried to flee. Melody wasn’t going to allow that. She leapt from the stairs, and with far less regard for a glaive that isn’t her family’s sentimental one, she used it to pole-vault at the cultist, landing behind him and swinging around to stab at him once again. Still he was up. He almost made it to the door.

Just in time for Hiskaria to open the door and shoot an arrow in his face.

Somehow by some twisted luck he was still going, but Melody caught up with him once again, and maaaay have decided to show off a little to our new companion as she leapt in the air and skewered the man, finally dead.

All was quiet. I was about to be concerned about what might have happened to Luna, but then Hiskaria told me about the absolutely ridiculously amazing one sided one on one ‘fight’ she’d had with Fenox. As if I should have been worried about Luna. Hiskaria had heard the commotion and used the scale to levitate up so she’d she the last half of the fight. The upper floor didn’t have a roof, so she had been intending to shoot an arrow right into the other tiefling’s skull, but it ended up not being necessary.

See, there was a wall bisecting that room, with a door. He’d shut and locked the door to put it between him and Luna when things started looking bad. Luna had shown yet again just how little walls meant to the Butcher of Balestreet when she used the glaive she’d been holding holding for show as a means to pull herself up and over, then came down on Fenox with her axe. The Butcher one, Baphomet zero.

We met with her upstairs, where we found a shrine to Baphomet and a minotaur shaped object on the wall that was causing the room to be desecrated by its mere presence. There was also a treasure chest, so we decided that while the others went through the loot, I was going to take Radiance and have a bit of fun.

It took some time, that minotaur head was damned sturdy. But when it did break, Radiance’s voice echoed through the room. It wasn’t just me that heard it that time, but everyone. Their voice faded after only a moment. The others seemed a little shaken by that. I don’t really blame them. Radiance is…a lot. They’ve gone back to just being in my head now, which is probably for the best. Them quieting down entirely would probably be better, but I’m not lucky enough to have a normal holy sword that doesn’t demand the blood of demons and cultists as we fight. Ah, well. At least we agree on who our enemies are.

The chest had holy symbols and the favored weapons of multiple faiths, pointing towards the cult’s penchant for infiltration. We decided we would return them to the clerics at Defender’s Heart. Looking back I kind of wish I’d asked if they’d be okay with me keeping one. My wooden holy symbol’s seen a lot of use, and isn’t exactly the sturdiest material. Silver to match Leto’s wouldn’t have hurt. Ah, well. Hindsight and all that.

We were feeling really good after how well that went. We’d been planning on calling it a day after the tower, but since we’d used virtually none of our resources we agreed that unless we ran into particularly nasty trouble on the road we should try to clear out Topaz Solutions, report back to the Commander, and prepare to storm the Grey Garrison tomorrow.

Topaz Solutions was quite a bit farther than the tower had been from Defender’s Heart. Which meant more time for attacks from demons or other things lurking about.

First we were attack by two barbed creatures which made a terrible howling noise. Their barbs were painful when we got too close, but we cleared them out quickly enough with little trouble to speak of. No one ended up with any of the barbs stuck in them, which was a blessing. That could have proven difficult.

Then…we came to Balestreet. The demons had left the street as much a gory horror scene as one might have expected of Luna’s namesake. Here, two cultists of Baphomet tried to ambush us. Big mistake. Luna decided she was eager to make true to her nickname, and took her axe to them. They didn’t go down.

Then two arrows went straight through them, ice burst from one’s injuries, and both fell dead on the road. Hiskaria looked a bit sheepish, asking Luna if she shouldn’t have done that, since Balestreet was supposed to be Luna’s thing. Luna shrugged it off, saying it worked either way.

Remind me not to get on the bad side of the ladies in our group, they can cut quite the fearsome characters.

With that we were on our way, the rest of the walk to Topaz Solutions uneventful. The apothecary was being looted by a couple of thugs when we arrived. Luna decided to do her thing and scared them off with a few threats from the Butcher. Then we started looking around. The looters had taken anything of value, but Luna after some poking around found some ‘really nice door technology’, and opened a secret passage that led into a hidden basement. Luna and Melody snuck down first.

After a minute of waiting, Hiskaria and I heard Luna and Melody call us down, saying there was a strange mechanical doll and an image on the wall they couldn’t identify. I went down first. As Melody stepped forward to let me in, the minotaur head on the wall began to speak. It taunted us, saying it hoped we were Iomedaens so that this surprise from Baphomet wouldn’t go to waste. Then the doll began moving, and smashed a bottle, releasing a small plant creature.

There was also some kind of…gas I think? Something was in the chamber after that which was causing us various issues. Melody and I both started finding it hard to breath for instance—not so much that we were suffocating, but enough that we were wheezing and likely would have been unable to easily move stealthily.

Worse was that plant. It was in a thick patch of vines that it could move through with ease but which we struggles in. It screamed in such a way that it caused both Melody and Hiskaria to become nauseous, forcing them to flee upstairs to safety and leaving me and Luna to deal with it by ourselves. And it was small and tricky, dodging around many of our attacks in the most frustrating manner. Luna did finally squash the blasted thing, and I went over to the minotaur head and broke whatever the device was that was releasing gas into the room.

Then we searched the room and found a chest with a mocking note claiming we deserved a reward for besting the trap. Within were a number of stolen holy symbols. Luna stopped us from taking them, noting that they were covered in a contact poison.

I have decided I rather dislike this Igon Topaz, and do hope he survived the attack on the city. If only so that I may someday bring judgement upon him myself.

With all three safehouses cleared out, we’ve returned to Defender’s Heart for the night. We reported back to the Commander, and we spent some time unwinding and preparing for tomorrow. There are some merchants set up so we were able to get some supplies. And, more importantly, we got some drinks.

And even more importantly, Leto’s back.

He showed up while we were making preparations, all smiles and charm as always. He thought I’d died in a pit, I thought he’d been killed by demons, same old same old.

He looked amazing. He’s been doing well for himself. He really was the picture of a paladin in that silver armor riding up on a holy steed. Although I guess to him I must have looked maybe a little impressive with the holy sword Radiance at my side. Ah, if only he could have a conversation with them, he’d quit being impressed real quick.

Leto played up his knight in shining armor role well, flirted with Hiskaria even though she’s twice his age and a convicted murderer, and got on well with Melody. He…did not get on well with Luna. He tried, certainly, at first, but then she threw some misplaced insults about him being Raven Corps which I corrected, and then she brought up how all the reports of her being a murderer are vastly exaggerated by the Raven Corps and…it was just all around awkward, I think.

So then he introduced us to his horse, Charles, instead. He got a kick out of the fact he’d given his holy mount such a mundane name instead of something more heroic like—

Hold up. Charles.

Charlie.

Chalie Horse.

…that blasted tiefling, I’m going to wring his neck next time I see him.

I can’t decide if I’m mad about the pun, mad I didn’t catch it when we were talking about it, or mad that I didn’t think of it first.

Named his holy steed a pun, the nerve of that man...I wonder if anyone else has caught on. Commander of the Silver Legion, Leto Jules, the tiefling so charismatic he managed to sway 50,000 people to his banner…named his holy steed Charlie Horse. Inheritor help me I don’t know what to do with him.

Or how to outdo that.

Which is frustrating.

Oh well. What’re you going to do? Some days you find out your brother is not just still alive but now leading a legion on the back of a horse named Charlie and you just roll with it.

I’m glad he’s okay.

His Silver Legion is going to be joining the fight against the main forces tomorrow while our strike force goes into the Grey Garrison. So that’s more for me to worry about. But Leto’s always been a lucky bastard unlike me. He’ll be fine.

After the fact Melody, Hiskaria, and Luna decided it was really important to whisper amongst themselves and to send me away. So apparently it’s rumor time again. Yay. I’m fairly certain with them it would be nothing bad…but I can’t fathom what they could have possibly been whispering about. I suppose if they think Leto and I are related by blood it could have been about that, if they think I share his demonic bloodline…but Hiskaria is a tiefling as well, I see little reason why they would need to be secretive about it if that were the case. And quite frankly Leto and I don’t look alike. At all. Even if he weren’t golden, we don’t share even close to the same features. So I don’t think we could be mistaken for blood relatives.

I don’t know, and there’s really no use in speculating. It’s growing late, and we have a temple to siege in the morning.

[draven-imani]

Journal 5 (part 1)

We’ve had an…extremely productive day. We found a note on Hosilla’s person that detailed three safehouses of the cult of Baphomet: Nyserian Manor, Topaz Solutions, and the Tower of Estrod. The note was signed SV—which I’m assuming is Stauton Vhagn. Looks like he came back and finished the job of destroying the Wardstone after Commander Tirabade stopped him the first time.

After talking to Aravashnial, Anevia, and Horgus, we pooled our information together. Nyserian Manor was owned by a noble who sometimes worked with Horgus, and had taken out a loan from him once to buy Commander Tirabade’s sword from her. Anevia hadn’t been aware Irabeth had sold her sword—apparently she’d told her wife she’d lost it. Anevia was going to be having words with the commander of the Eagle Watch upon seeing her again.

The Tower of Estrod was of interest to Aravashnial, as it was a place of arcane studies. He also requested that we look into the Blackwing Library, where the Riftwardens would be located.

Anevia wanted to look for Irabeth, and therefore would like to look into going home as that was the only lead she had on where her wife may be.

As we discussed, we exited the subterranean tunnels and entered the sewers. And came upon three orphan kids and a middle aged pinkish tiefling woman with many piercings and a bow. The orphans immediately ran to Luna, clearly familiar with her. Another point in her favor for ‘good person, not a murderer/serial killer/whatever else the rumor mill decides to say’.

“So you must be ‘Una’,” the tiefling said, imitating the orphans mispronunciation of her name. Or maybe legitimately mistaking her name for that. “Nice to meet you, incase you haven’t noticed, everything’s gone to hell.”

The tiefling introduced herself as Hiskaria. She had arrived in town from Numeria recently to join the Raven Corps, actually, although she was apparently a Kenabres native initially. She was on lone by one ‘Kevoth-Kul’, because she was a criminal on parole, and joining the Raven Corps was her penance.

Ouch.

Aaaaaand as the only member of the Raven Corps around that means it fell on me to keep her around until we could either find her handler or someone with more authority. That and strength in numbers. We couldn’t exactly leave her behind, even if she is a confessed murderer.

Oh, yeah, I didn’t mention that her crime was murder did I? Yeah, our new buddy’s a convicted murderer. One fake murderer and one real one, and if I had to put money on it, everyone’s going to get who’s who wrong.

After some discussion, we decided to head for Horgus’ manor first. It would provide a safe place to leave the orphans, so that we wouldn’t be dragging them around in the open where every demon still lurking around might decide to swoop down on them.

We made it there with only minor incident, some rat demon ripping up a clothing store who dubbed himself ‘the rat king’. He was of personal offense to Melody given that he was in the process of destroying things of beauty. That and the owners of the shop were still there and might be able to salvage some things.

Given my studies I was able to identify the demon as an Abrikandilu, a wrecker demon. A destroyer of beauty, not just of artwork like the dresses, but of physical beauty, using their fangs to cause horrible scarring on those they attack. I also knew that Radiance was the only weapon we had that would pierce its defenses, although it also had a unique weakness to mirrors, due to all demons of this kind having an abhorrence of their own visage. That being the case, I suggested that Luna and Melody slip into the store to get one of the mirrors from the changing rooms within while I distracted and fought it with Radiance and Hiskaria took pot shots at it from a safe distance.

Radiance and I were both more than happy to finally be putting a demon to the blade.

Spilling demons’ blood, at least, we both agree on.

Things went off about how we’d hoped. The Abrikandilu was a bit faster than I’d anticipated and it rushed me rather than me pinning it by the building as I’d planned, but I stopped its fangs with my shield and avoided any new scars. Melody and Luna came out with a mirror, which drew the demon’s attention. Luna’s axe stuck into it. Then Radiance slew it.

Radiance roared in my head each time it drew blood against a demonic foe, in what I can only describe as ecstasy. They, at least, get joy from battle. I wish I could say the same, but the demons die all the same. I feel good about it, that we slayed the demon and helped those people. It’s something good. Not joy, that’s too strong of a word. I feel—satisfied, maybe?

Regardless, the shop owners thanked us. They had little to offer and we tried to assure them that we didn’t need anything, but they insisted on at least providing us with a nice outfit each in thanks. I don’t think I’ve ever owned anything so fine. An orphan and a soldier don’t exactly make for elegant living.

Afterwards we made it to Horgus’ manor with no further incidents. His holdings were untouched. Melody mused at first that perhaps someone was trying to frame him. However after some thought, Hiskaria and I disagreed with that assessment. Demons by nature would seek out where the most people are, the places where they could wreak the most havoc. And as we approached it was clear that his manor was devoid of life. It would seem that his men and his servants had fled their posts when the attack happened, and as a lucky result the manor had been untouched. I’ll give Horgus some credit here. While he was clearly visibly upset that the men he’d hired to protect his holdings had left their posts, he tried very hard to be reasonable that it was for the best that they’d left and protected the servants, and that it had indirectly kept the demons from destroying his things. He was however very upset that they’d taken all of the mints from the little bowl at the front entrance—as was Miss Melody, who bemoaned that it was quite rude of them. Ah what I would give to have her priorities.

Luna was shepherding the orphans—one of whom, Hamm, had taken a shine to Hiskaria’s magic and gotten it into his head that he was going to…what was it? Summon demons in his snot bubbles? Charming kid. Glad his entire world falling apart around him didn’t completely destroy his sense of innocence and wonder. Suppose he was lucky he ran into Hiskaria so the three of them didn’t get killed or worse. That’s a point in her favor.

After gathering up food from the kitchen and some entertainment for the kids from a room formerly used for the staff’s children while they were on the job, Horgus went down to the safest part of the manor: the vault. He opened the safe, which proved to have been completed untouched. Inside was more wealth than I’d probably ever seen in one place before, or ever will again. He paid Luna that looked like a rather hefty sum. Then he also paid myself, Melody, and Hiskaria 1000 gold for returning him here safely, although payment had never been promised. Hiskaria tried to argue that she’d only just joined with us, but he said that it was payment due to someone who couldn’t be here to take their cut.

Horgus…is a complicated man, I am beginning to realize. I cannot pin him down yet. Even more than most people, his words and actions do not align. And even some of his actions I think are more masks on top of that. Luna insists he’s a good man but won’t give details beyond that. She’s had a few private conversations with him, so I’m inclined to believe she knows something that’s given her that impression. And I trust Luna’s judgement in people.

As Horgus locked himself away, we heard the beginnings of him teaching the kids something or another about some…math thing. I don’t know, look, I’m not the one to look to about Abadar tax bracket stuff. Luna was just glad he was hopefully keeping Hamm from thinking about snot demons.

From there we went next door, to Nyserian Manor. Or what was left of it. Which was not much. At all. Or anything, really. See, the demons hadn’t been very discerning in their building demolition. They’d destroyed their own safehouse. Idiots. Served anyone who was inside right for betraying humanity to the demons.

Next up was Blackwing Library.

Oh Blackwing Library. This one made me angry.

If you know me you know that’s bad. Of course, you don’t know me, because you’re just a bundle of inanimate papers sandwiched in leather that I’m writing in to keep my tenuous grip on sanity together. Suffice to say: that’s bad. I don’t get angry easily. Unless you’re a Deskari worshipper or waving his symbol in my face like I’m a bull, but I mean, that’s just asking for trouble from any Iomedaen, really.

As we approached the library, it was immediately apparent that the entire thing had been decimated. Aravashnial was despondent. All of his friends and colleagues with the Riftwardens would have been there, and he feared the worst. While Melody and surprisingly Hiskaria tried to comfort him, Luna tried to sneak closer to look into the library. I stuck close to her, although not so close as to blow her cover.

What she saw was a turncoat Iomedaen with five librarians bound and gagged, and a sixth librarian being forced to pile books around them, to serve as both a book burning and a funeral pyre.

We didn’t have long to think as he pulled out the flint and tinder. Luna downed a potion of invisibility and vanished. We had to put our faith in her. And as usual, she didn’t let us down, as a moment later blood splattered across the floor and she reappeared behind the armored man with her hood up and a declaration that she was “the Butcher of Balestreet, Bitch”.

The cavalier’s two tiefling thugs tried to flank Luna, but I helped fight off one and Hiskaria finished them with a potshot from outside the door that got him right between the eyes, while Melody swooped in to take a stab at the other.

Luna clearly outmatched the man she was facing, and he was smart enough to realize it. He dropped his weapons, and offered to surrender. He swore if we let him go, he’d never do such a thing again.

The others seemed ready to let their guards down.

I didn’t buy it.

I could feel it. This was an evil man. The kind who would just turn around and do something like this again the second he had an opportunity, if we let him live.

Luna lowered her weapon to go deal with the tiefling thug. I told her what I just wrote, that if we let him go he would just harm others. She said it wasn’t going to be her choice to make.

If anyone was making this choice, it was going to be me, and me alone.

Melody tried to reason that maybe we could get some information out of him. That we could take him alive, and question him. After all, that’s what she was best at.

And then what, I asked her. What do we do with him after that? There weren’t any jails. The city was in chaos. Where do we put him when we’re done questioning him so that he doesn’t hurt anyone else?

He swore again that he’d just go away and be good. I called bullshit.

Melody said maybe he’d know more about the safehouses, or the other plans. What we’d potentially be walking into.

Fine. For the safety of the rest of the group, I’d take him alive.

So I punched the cocky bastard in the face and left him to Melody.

Hiskaria and Luna went about helping the librarians while Melody did her thing. She manacled the man and tied him up for a nice friendly chat. I stuck around. I didn’t trust this man. Kaleb, I learned his name was. Much good it did.

Melody woke him up. First thing he did was tried to play ignorant. Tried to pretend like he’d been possessed, like he hadn’t been in control of his own faculties before.

Bullshit. More lies.

Melody saw through his lies this time just as much as I had. She told him to start over and try again.

Next he tried to weave a sob story about how he’d been coerced into doing what he’d done. How he was a crusader who’s unit had been taken captive, and he’d been forced into committing evil acts out of desperation.

Again, nothing but lies. All he knew how to do was lie, habitually, spew whatever falsehood he thought would get him in our good graces.

When Melody and I called him out on it again, he snapped. In a final act of rebellious desperation, he finally told the truth. He’s nothing but scum of the earth. He was a crusader, and his unit had been wiped out, that was the one honest thing that had left this mouth. Afterwards he’d decided to hedge his bets and side with the demons, so he started committing every atrocity he could to try to win their favor. And he swore that when he died and went to the pits of the Abyss to be reborn he’d come back.

And flay us alive.

Bad choice of words.

I think the bull metaphor before was apt, because I certainly saw red for a moment. I don’t think anyone was in disagreement when I stabbed Radiance through his blackened heart at this point though.

We didn’t learn anything though. Except that he wasn’t a cultist. Just a psychopath who found an excuse to start killing people.

As we discussed our next course of action, the librarian we’d rescued approached us. He knew that Aravashnial was with the Riftwardens, and he knew what had happened to them. The Riftwardens after locking what they could in their vault had teleported to a different location, meaning Aravashnial’s friends were safely somewhere else. Unfortunately, a day later someone else arrived. Xanthir Vang. Another of Deskari’s generals. A worm that walks, a terrible creature that is both a swarm and one being bound to Deskari’s will. Xanthir cut through the floor, right above where the vault would be in the secret Riftwarden floors below, and lifted the entire vault from the floor. Then he ripped it apart like it was nothing. He seemed disappointed that the Riftwardens weren’t there—predictably, I suppose, since he had a personal grudge against them.

We found a single dead and dried up worm husk in a corner of the room. I don’t like this. It’s probably my imagination that my arm itches. Probably. Another of Deskari’s generals so close. That’s…terrifying.

With this information tucked away, we decided to head for Anevia’s home to look for clues of where Commander Tirabade may be. Mostly to make sure her wife was safe, and to inform her of everything we’d found out thus far, and a little tiny bit to ask her about that sword she’d apparently sold behind her back.

On the way, we were accosted by a skeletal demon from atop a building, who also called himself the rat king. He claimed the one we’d defeated before was a usurper, and then summoned a swarm of dire rats to attack us. We dealt with the dire rats handily enough. They took a few chomps at me, annoying little things. Between rats and lizards, do I just taste good or something?

Nope, just licked my hand to test it, I’m quite certain I do not taste good.

We arrived to a small unassuming house. Irabeth’s funds clearly went to things other than worldly possessions. Not that it was a bad house. I’m not trying to be judgmental of Irabeth Tirabade I’m just saying with her position most people would have much larger quarters, so she clearly puts hers to good use elsewhere. I’m not one to judge small living quarters, I live in the barracks. Which probably are in ruins now. Ah, well. Not like I had anything of sentimental value in there anyways. My fiddle, my sword, and my shield were on my person, those were the only things I might have cried over losing. And then my sword got forcefully replaced by a talkative holy blade anyways.

I wish I could say Radiance is growing on me like Horgus. Unfortunately, we got off an extremely wrong foot and they haven’t exactly tried to mend any bridges. Luna says I should be more assertive with them, since I’m the only one who can wield them, they need me to do their holy mission they want. And Radiance even agreed with her, because of course they did.

Figures. A guy tries to be nice to the holy sword who he’ll have to be working with for the foreseeable future and apparently even trying to just not make waves with the being you’ll have to work with talking in your head is the wrong move.

Fine…assertive. What do they want me to do, put Radiance in time out in their little box when they get uppity? That is a funny image though.

I’ve completely lost my train of thought.

Right, reread a few paragraphs, Anevia’s house. So, Luna and Melody took a peek inside to make sure nothing was lurking around inside.

Predictably, something was lurking around inside.

He was invisible, but when Melody began using detect evil he ‘pinged’, so she had an idea of where the invisible presence was. The invisible presence summoned a fire beetle outside to attack Anevia, but Hiskaria turned and shot it dead before it got a chance.

Melody and Luna had a good idea where the invisible foe was, and began to force him back into a corner, although their swings of axe and glaive kept hitting nothing but air.

I came in, and I swear to you Iomedae guided Radiance’s blade. Not only did I strike true, from the amount of red that splattered across the ground, I’m certain I hit something vital. That, and I made him very angry. The next thing I saw was an enraged orc, whose invisibility faded away as a blast of fire was released from his hand point blank in my face. Too familiar. Far too familiar. And then darkness.

And then I was awake again, Melody tipping one of my potions into my mouth. Luna had bloodied the orc, but he’d refused to go down in his blind frenzy. Then Hiskaria had stepped in and finished the job.

I proceeded to heal myself a little more thoroughly while the ladies talked to Anevia about what just happened.

Huh, now that Aravashnial and Horgus are gone I am the only guy in the little group of ours, aren’t I?

The prettiest guy in our group by default as well, not that that’s saying much.

Anevia recognized the orc, he was someone who Irabeth had stopped from some previous scheme years back, who she’d left out in the world alive. Apparently, he came back for revenge. He won’t be getting a third chance.

With that settled and no more assassins lurking about, Anevia went to her and Irabeth’s bedroom and opened a secret compartment. Inside she read a note and took out some supplies. She told us that Commander Tirabade and the other remaining Crusaders were hiding out at the Defender’s Heart tavern, and the passcode to get in was “Silverstrong”.

We decided to go straight there, as it was closer than any of the safehouses, and allies were still more useful than victories at the moment.

I was especially feeling that way when that damn skeleton ‘rat king’ showed up again, and threw a flock of vultures at us. Most of which decided to descend upon me. I know vultures are a bad omen but come on, that’s too on the nose even for me. What’s worse? Do you know what’s worse? What’s even worse than vultures? Fiend vultures. These things could smite. I had, no joke, five buzzards smiting me like a bunch of feathery antipaladins.

Just my cursed luck again. Why does Desna hate me?

So, yeah. I was hurting. And really wanting some rest. While everyone else was ready and raring to go for two more safehouses after we finished meeting with the Commander. I finished healing myself again and I was almost tapped out of spells, and completely out of potions. My fervor was wearing thin as well. Luna was all well and good, she didn’t use spells. Hiskaria was fine, she mostly only used her cantrips to empower her bow to fire twice—a neat trick that didn’t really cost her anything. Melody had used one judgement and some spells but she was just fine and equally ready to go.

Ever the weak link.

Eh, no point thinking like that, right? Plenty more happened after that. We arrived to Defender’s Heart and gave them the passcode. They came out to meet us, initially excited to see Anevia.

Then they saw Luna, still with her hood up in her Butcher guise from our fight earlier.

Oops.

We tried to explain that this wasn’t what it looked like. That she wasn’t actually a murderer. That the rumors and stories and reports were wrong. Anevia tried to back us up. Luna took off her hood, and pointed out that she drank one of the two of them under the table at this very tavern just a few days prior, and no one got hurt. Despite our best efforts, tensions were raising. The guards were going for their weapons, and we were surrounded. The paladins were throwing accusations, and no one was listening to our words, they were only hearing what they believed to be true.

Then a strong hand came down on both of the guards’ shoulders. A voice spoke, and told them that maybe sometime they should try actually using the gift Iomedae grants them to detect evil.

Irabeth Tirabade stood behind the two guards, in the flesh, as…everything as I ever would have imagined. Tall, proud, honorable, noble.

The guards scrambled to cast the detect spells, and predictably found that Luna was not evil. They were puzzled but relaxed somewhat. Then jumped and went for their weapons again when they looked in Hiskaria’s direction.

The Commander told them that it was alright, and held up some papers, saying all the paperwork was in order for Hiskaria.

It looked like she was officially Raven Corps now.

Commander Tirabade picked up Anevia and carried her inside, and asked the four of us to follow. She got to quarters where she could lay Anevia down, then turned to me.

And the conversation went something like this.

“Acting Captain of the Raven Corps,” she said.

I was flabbergasted for a moment then realized she had to be talking to me because there was literally no one else she could be talking to. “Me?”

[draven-imani]

Journal 4

This is a bunch of bullshit.

This is all a bunch of bullshit.

It happened again. And just like every other time, there was nothing I could do.

I…should start from the start, huh? Actually make sense for once. Some travel journal this is. Just a jumble of my useless rambling spiraling thoughts.

Right, right, I should stop with the self-pity, that’s what Melody would say. She’d have some great uplifting speech about how someone else has it harder. Or maybe I should take it the Luna route and start blaming the gods and railing against fate, even though Iomedae is the only reason I made it even as far as I have with my cursed luck? Even though what she suggests spits in the face of everything Auriel would want to be remembered for…

I need to focus. But that is so much easier said than done. I feel godawful. Like my chest was ripped open. I haven’t felt like this since the others died. Gabrielle. Sophia. Issac. Lorette. Inheritor help me I don’t even know if Leto is alive or dead. I’d rather retreat back to the oppressive numbness, although I know it will return soon enough. And as unpleasant as that is, it can’t possibly be more unpleasant than what I’m feeling in this moment.

For now—I need to focus. I need—to write what happened while it’s fresh in my mind.

We left Neatholm soon after we woke. Lann led us part of the way to the rebels’ fortress, but we parted ways as it came into sight. We could see that there were two rebel First Descendants on guard at the front. Luna thought she may be able to try to sneak closer, as she was the most light footed of the group. We offered no disagreements, and she tried to move in to get a better angle. Unfortunately, she was spotted in her approach, and the alarm was raised.

She went immediately on the offensive, attacking the nearest Descendant. Melody and Auriel joined her and cut off the second one from attacking Luna from behind, while I helped her to dispatch the first she had already injured.

Unfortunately, now the alarm was raised and there would be no taking any of the fortress by surprise. Luna burst into the next room, catching the Descendants within halfway through getting their weapons and armor for a fight, leaving them with only their claws for offense. I joined her in fighting the Descendants in this room, but when I did a large monitor lizard burst through the door across the room from me. It zeroed in on me and apparently decided half-elf looked like a tasty treat. And immediately after that an arrow shot across the room from a cracked door, just barely missing my heart in a single shot. All at once I was not doing well—lizard’s chew toy and pin cushion in one.

Auriel charged across the room, and stabbed through the crack in the door. There was a shout of pain before the door was slammed shut. Clearly, my friend had managed to hit the man who’d shot me in retribution. At the same time Melody and Luna were keeping the Descendants busy, which left only the monitor lizard on me. I knocked it away and used some of my limited healing reserves to patch myself up, the arrow wound and bite marks stitching themselves closed—more or less. At this point what’re a few more scars? Don’t know if I’d even be able to tell one apart from another.

With a bit more work we cut down the last few rebel Descendants and the vicious lizard—who was still trying to eat me the entire time.

Auriel threw open the door to run after the mysterious archer who had shot me. There was no one behind the door, just an empty hallway, a closed door, and what appeared to be a well. So Auriel checked behind the closed door.

And got immediately grabbed by a giant amoeba.

The rest of us were still in the other room when we heard the sound of the struggle and came running. Thankfully in the time it took for us to reach him, Auriel managed to pull himself free from the creature’s grasp. Luna made short work of the acidic slime. I looked down the well, and found it was actually an entrance down to a basement.

I made a foolish call, and went down first.

And was immediately shot by the archer again, an arrow just barely missing my lungs.

By Iomedae’s blessing I found a final bit of strength to pull myself back up the ladder to safety before the two Decendants that were flanking him could bear down upon me. I warned the others of the trap waiting for us, so whoever went down next would be prepared. Whoever went down would not be me this time, as it had quickly become clear this archer was particularly good at putting holes in me.

Predictably, Luna took the lead. I heard the twang of another arrow shoot as she went down, but found out later she managed to avoid the shot since she’d been ready for it. Then she’d gone after one of the archer’s minions. Melody and Auriel had followed after her to work on taking them out. I took a bit more time, using some of the potions we’d been given to deal with the aforementioned arrow hole before joining them. By the time I was down, the archer was beginning to retreat, although Luna was hurting a bit, as was Auriel. Unfortunately, once my feet touched the ground the archer turned his attention on me once more for one final parting shot before turning the corner. Spiteful man that he was. Fortunately, this time I was prepared, and it clattered against my shield.

I dispatched one of the archer’s minions, and Melody did the other, while Auriel and Luna tried to go after the archer. Unfortunately, around the corner more Descendants flooded in from further up ahead, blocking the way and allowing the archer to escape. We cut our way through them, and then Auriel threw open the door to the next chamber.

It was a sacrificial alter. There was blood on the floor. But there was no sign of the archer. Auriel moved forward cautiously towards one of the doors. Then the door flew open and a woman with a glaive entered the room. She taunted us, saying we should throw down our weapons and surrender ourselves to be sacrificed, and we could at least die at a less humiliating location. Obviously, we all had something to say to that.

It all boiled down to ‘go fuck yourself’.

Auriel’s way was most elegant, however, as he declared Iomedae’s holy judgement upon her and rushed the cultist of Baphomet. With the Inheritor’s guidance his sword struck true, and the woman was nearly felled in a single swing.

She and her tiefling servant were enraged at this. They…returned the favor. Before the rest of us could reach him, far across the room from any of us, they both stuck him down. First the woman’s glaive, then her servant’s blade, found their mark in Auriel, and he fell.

Luna went after the woman. I put myself between him and the tiefling, trying in vain to keep him from getting the killing blow while Auriel was already bleeding out on the ground. I thought I still had a chance. If I could just keep the tiefling off him for long enough to heal him, I thought that maybe I could still save him. I thought…

But then the door on the opposite side of the room opened, and the familiar fwip of an arrow being loosed met my ear. There was a sharp pain as it pierced through my back. And then…darkness.

The others had to fill me in on the rest. Luna cornered the woman, Hosilla, whose armor proved infuriatingly difficult to puncture through despite the near fatal injuries she’d sustained from Auriel. Melody killed the tiefling servant, but two more cultists came from upstairs who we’d missed from some other room that we’d failed to clear out.

Fortunately, however, Aravashnial and Anevia came up behind the reinforcements, and helped to take them out—having followed us here despite saying they were going to stay behind.

When Luna had worn Hosilla down, she tried in one final act of desperation to flee with a case she’d grabbed from the room she was cornered in. When she did, Luna cut her down. The case flew open and a sword flew out of it…and stuck into Auriel’s chest.

I think Auriel was already dead by that time.

See, that sword is Radiance, the holy sword of Yaniel, one of the great crusaders past. When Yaniel was slain, Radiance’s power was thought lost. And apparently recently Baphomet’s minions stole Radiance with the intention of corrupting it for their own purposes. But when Auriel entered the fortress, Radiance awoke from its long slumber, and its power returned.

And then Auriel died before he got a chance to ever wield it.

And…according to Radiance, Auriel’s soul vouched for me. So…now I have the holy sword Radiance, sitting in its case again, right across from me as I write this.

And let me say Radiance is not terrible pleased with this turn of events.

Also, so you know I haven’t lost my mind over the whole Auriel dying and now I’m talking to a sword: Radiance is an intelligent weapon. Like, magic intelligent. And he has made his opinion on events crystal clear.

“If Auriel hadn’t vouched for you I would have flayed your flesh from your hands for trying to wield me.” Exact words. Pleasant guy. Guy? Sword. I don’t know. I’ll ask later.

Anyways.

I think around the time Radiance stuck into Auriel I started hearing his voice while I was unconscious. I vaguely remember that? I don’t know if I dreamed that up but I feel like I remember…something. Like Radiance’s voice was calling me back from the brink.

And then Aravashnial was over me with a potion bottle and I was awake, and I fully heard Radiance calling upon me to rejoin the battle. And…I saw where Radiance had landed.

And I didn’t have time to process that.

I grabbed Radiance. I was numb. Even more than usual. There was nothing. No thought about this blade that was obviously magic from nowhere and talking to me. No thought about Auriel, or that I had brought death to someone I had just started to consider a friend yet again. Just. A deadly calm. And that archer. I pushed right past Melody. No words, no flourish, no satisfaction, I stabbed the archer who had been giving us so much trouble this entire time and with a single slash with Radiance he died.

Then…I had a bit of a breakdown, to be perfectly honest. Obviously none of us were doing well. Melody and Luna both said something to the effect of it being their fault, and I denied that, obviously. Obviously. Melody tried to say it was not mine either at which I laughed, because she had no idea. How could she? She had no idea how wrong she was. How much it was my fault, how much my ill fortune poisons everything, how everyone always ends up dead, every single blasted time. Everyone but Leto.

Maybe even Leto this time.

Dammit.

Luna said something about how fucked up fate is, about how pointless this all was, how fate and gods throw us all to the meat grinder. I want to argue. I want to say that’s not fair, that’s not how Auriel would want his faith to be remembered. I didn’t have the mental capacity to then and I don’t have the energy to now. I barely have the energy to keep myself together. I usually feel so little and then I was overwhelmed feeling so much and it…felt bad.

We left back to Neatholm afterwards. Met back up with Horgus. He…actually took the news more roughly than I expected. Between that and knowing about the secret donations it seems he has more of a heart than he lets on. I’ll admit he’s growing on me a bit.

Once we were back in town, I was going to slip off on my own. Melody was having none of that. Something something people need people. In a moment of weakness and frustration I told her a little about what happened to my family, and to my friends. Two run ins with demons, not counting Kenabres’ fall. Two times I lost virtually everything.

She turned around and asked if it was worse to lose people all at once, or see them slowly die and be unable to do anything about it while they all die one by one while you’re helpless to do anything. I don’t have an answer for that and she wasn’t looking for one.

Between her and Radiance I’m having a bundle of fun conversations tonight.

You know, I’m not even looking for pity. I don’t want pity. I wasn’t asking her to feel bad for me, or to comfort me, or even necessarily to believe me. I just want someone to maybe acknowledge that, yeah, a fucking lot of bad things happen around me. Consistently. That it’s a pattern and the only consistent piece of the puzzle is me being in the middle of it every time. Maybe just say ‘yeah that’s kind of fucked up that keeps happening’, even if none of them believe me that my luck is cursed and that I’m going to get them all killed being around me…

I don’t know. I’m tired. This is the most emotional I’ve been in a year…and of course it was the bad emotions again. But I already feel the walls coming back up. I’m sure in the morning I’ll have slipped right back into the usual façade.

[draven-imani]

Journal 3

We met the First Descendants. They’re pretty cool, honestly. You have to get past some of them looking a bit…eh…but they’re exactly what their name says. They remember where they came from. Their leader upon hearing that the Wardstone broke asked that we put in a good word for them, to see if they could return to the surface and return to the fight against the demons to continue what the first crusaders, their ancestors, started. I like these guys.

I should start from the top, sorry, I got ahead of myself again. Listen it’s not every day you find an underground civilization descended from the original crusaders.

So we woke up at the Torag temple feeling refreshed and ready to go. Auriel had finished consecrating the temple, and…it looked nice. Really. I’m glad he did it. I don’t think I actually said anything, but I’m sure Torag and Iomedae were pleased. And I mean Auriel seemed happy with a job well done, so that’s plenty. That’s what the guy who died here didn’t get, so probably a lesson we’re supposed to take to heart. Or something like that.

Then we walked. And walked. And walked. For a long time. Until we came to a room where a bunch of darkmantles dropped on my head, because that’s just my luck, and a crazy dwarf who’d been farming them attacked us. We fought him off and continued on our way.

Not long after that we came upon a collapsed tower, with two people scrambling around it. We quickly realized they were the First Descendants. We decided to approach peacefully and try to parlay. They were nervous at first, worried that we were here to harm them and were with the crazed dwarf, but we assured them we weren’t enemies and that we’d dealt with him. They were relieved, and told us that we could pass through. We asked them if we could help with what they were doing. It turned out that yes, we could. One of their members was trapped under the rubble of the collapsed tower, which had fallen when the earth had shaken when the Wardstone broke. Three days ago. We’d…apparently been unconscious for quite a while.

We decided we’d deal with that later, and for now focused on helping with the rubble. Together we lifted, with Luna taking the lead and the rest of us assisting in removing the large stones, until we’d gotten the hole large enough for their companion to climb out. He was frankly quite the striking figure, a somewhat reptilian looking man with a single twisted horn and large clawed hands, by the name of Lann. He thanked us for helping to save him, and asked that we come with him back to their village to meet with their chief.

As we made our way forward we eventually came upon a cave. The First Descendants hesitated, saying there was a dangerous fungal creature within. However, they believed with our help we should be able to clear it out. We agreed, and the four of us plus Lann and his two ranger companions entered the cave. We found no creature to worry about, it had already been slain. There were two bodies alongside its corpse.

At first look, they appeared to be followers of Iomedae like myself and Auriel, although I was not familiar with the combination of lance and locked gauntlet they wielded. The reason why became quickly apparent when we found an unholy symbol of the demon lord Baphomet on their person.

It would appear we had spies in our ranks, Baphomet worshippers masquerading as the faithful, and they were responsible for setting up the destruction of Kenabres. Lann informed us that there were more false Iomedae worshippers working with a rebel clan of First Descendants, which is what he’d been bringing us to talk to their chieftain about. The rebels were blocking the only path to the surface, which meant one way or another we were going to have to go through them. Auriel and I swore that we would root out these worshippers of the minotaur and destroy them. Auriel even sounded a bit gleeful about it, wanting to see who could kill the most cultists between the two of us. I saw no reason to discourage his little blood sport—these cultists had visited so much death and suffering upon innocent people, I was actually looking forward to Auriel’s little contest.

Before that, however, we arrived at Neatholm, the city hidden below Kenabres. It was floating atop a subterranean lake, and inhabited entirely by First Descendants of countless forms. Like the first two we’d met, most of the members of the city were timid at first, but as Lann assured them that we were friends they began to show more curiosity at visiting outsiders, some even waving and welcoming. Lann led us to their chief, a much larger member of their people with somewhat rat-esc features. This is not me trying to be rude, the First Descendants have literal animal features so I’m describing him objectively. He introduced himself as Chief Sull.

He explained in a bit more detail what Lann had already told us. A rebel offshoot clan had joined with the worshippers of Baphomet in a grab for power, and were holed up in a nearby fortress that stands between Neatholm and the path to the surface. The chief said he was initially going to ask us to clear them out, but as we spoke, before he ever made the request, we already made it clear our intentions to get rid of the Baphomet cultists and get the rebels off his hands. It was our ticket back to the surface, and it was personal to myself and Auriel to deal with the cultists who were besmirching our order.

So he made one other request—the one I already mentioned, that we put in a good word for them up top, if anyone is left for us to report to. Anevia assured him that she would speak to her wife, and that times have changed since the days when they were banished down here. Commander Tirabade is a half-orc and in a position of great honor and renown, when once that was unheard of. I thought of Leto, too, doing so well for himself.

Fuck I hope Leto’s alright. I feel—bad when I think about it.

The chief gave us permission to use any of the town’s amenities we needed, provided us with what few supplies they had available here below ground, and provided a place to rest before heading out. I’m taking a nice rest by the lake writing this before bedding down.

I’ll probably wash my arm before I go to bed. It bled quite a bit the other day, my bandages are stained through. No one noticed of course, enough happened it just looked like all the rest of the blood and injuries. I’m going to change my bandages tonight before we go. I don’t know if it can get infected but that’s the last thing I need right now.

Baphomet first. Tomorrow we’re taking care of his cultists for what they did. Then Deskari’s servants are next.

[draven-imani]

Journal 2

Everything’s gone to hell. Or the abyss. Whatever. Semantics. It doesn’t fucking matter. The wardstone’s been destroyed. I’m stuck underground with Auriel, the Butcher of Balestreet—who is actually a middle-aged woman who claims to have never actually murdered anyone—a Shelynite inquisitor who came here following a bird, a blind elf wizard, a very angry merchant noble, and Anevia Tirabade—the wife of Irabeth Tirabade, leader of the Eagle Watch, former member of the Raven Corps who rose from the muck when she stopped a conspiracy to break the wardstone—

Which doesn’t matter much now because the wardstone is fucking broken and demons swarmed the city and everyone is dead. It happened again. It happened again. It always—

Let me start from the top. A lot happened. I need to get my thoughts straight. If anyone survived, if we get up top and there’s people to report back to, I need to have a record of what happened.

This morning, Auriel and I went to patrol the Kite as we’d originally been assigned. Inheritor be praised for what happened next…if we’d been there when the attack happened, we would both be dead now. Commander Spriggans stopped us during our rounds, just in front of the wardstone, and informed us that two of the members of the color guard had drank themselves into a stupor the night before and were not in fit state to take part in their duties guiding the parade. He gave us an easy choice. We could remain here in our usual duties walking the walls, or we could fill in for the missing color guard. Auriel left the choice to me, much to both my and the Commander’s displeasure. I don’t particularly like taking responsibility for others, having Auriel look to me as the one to make decisions was…uncomfortable, to say the least. Bad things already happen around me, adding me being the one making our choices to the mix surely won’t help.

Regardless, the choice was obvious in this case. We were to be joining with the color guard, and assisting with the parade.

So, we made our way to where preparations were being set up. However, we couldn’t find the captain who Commander Spriggans had told us to meet with for further commands. After waiting a few minutes, Auriel decided he wanted to check out a platform that was being built for the ceremony. I followed along, incase things went tits up due to his…lack of social knowledge.

Auriel ended up ‘getting a quest’ from the gnome builder, who needed more nails from the storehouse in the temple. Seeing as we couldn’t find who we were supposed to meet, and this seemed like a quick errand that would help with the parade, we went ahead and did so.

It was not a quick errand. The priest who had the key to the storehouse was in the middle of talking to someone else, and that took several very long minutes. Several. Like fifteen. Maybe twenty. Maybe even thirty. I don’t know. It was a long ass time. Long enough that by the time we had it and opened the door, we saw that the parade had just begun. There was no way to get into place without being spotted. We would just have to sit it out and face the music later. Or so we thought. Obviously, much worse happened later and that all ended up being a rather minor blip in regards to the ‘shitty things to happen on this day’ chart by the end of it.

As we were watching the parade, I heard a noise. Coming from the storehouse. A scraping scratching noise and footfalls. I told Auriel, and we ran into the storehouse. The first thing I noticed, the first thing my brain registered, was that Deskari’s damnable symbol was carved into the floor.

The second was that above us, at the top of the stairs, we saw an imposing figure, a single red eye staring down at us and impossible muscles bulging out of ‘his’ clothes. It was the Butcher of Balestreet, an infamous serial killer who’d been avoiding capture for fifteen years. As I already said above, it turns out that ‘he’ was actually a middle-aged woman, who has never actually murdered anyone, and the ‘bulging muscles’ were oranges stuffed into her clothes. The red eye is real though. I haven’t asked. I know about why someone wouldn’t want to answer questions about something like that.

But at the time she cut a rather imposing figure.

The Butcher—whose name I’ve since learned is Luna but for the sake for drama I’ll continue to call her the Butcher for this part—spoke in a deep false male voice. “That was here when I got here. You should be more interested in what’s in the metal box.”

Then ‘he’ made a running leap across the rooftops.

I didn’t have enough information and I was incensed by the symbol of Deskari being right there so unexpectedly. I wanted answers. I told Auriel to investigate the box. At the same time, I charged up the stairs and after the Butcher, leaping across the rooftop after ‘him’.

The Butcher climbed up a wall with a grace completely unexpected of ‘his’ bulk, and I couldn’t keep up, my armor weighing me down. I was forced to find another way around. However, at the same time, the Butcher was slowed when ‘he’ came upon a bridge that he would have to lower to get farther.

Then Auriel showed up with a Shelynite Inquititor I’d never seen before in my life, who used magic to command the Butcher to stop on ‘his’ tracks. This gave me the opportunity to call on a blessing of Iomedae to enhance my swiftness in battle, and I was able to catch up. Unfortunately, the Butcher had only been commanded not to move—not to not throw me off the blasted roof. The Butcher caught me with the blunt of ‘his’ axe and threw me backwards. I managed to use my shield against a nearby wall to slow my descent somewhat. One of the color guard broke away from the parade and healed me a bit and asked what happened, so I explained what we’d found in the storehouse, and that the Butcher of Balestreet was on the rooftops fleeing.

A moment later the Shelynite fell beside me in a similar position to where I’d been. She introduced herself as Melody, and told me that she didn’t believe this person was the Butcher, or at least that ‘he’ wasn’t a murderer. I didn’t know this woman well enough to know her intentions or to judge her actions, for now all I knew was what I’d seen with my own eyes: the Butcher in the room with a symbol of Deskari, leaving with some sort of box after warning us that something in another box might be of interest. Which meant right then I wanted answers from the Butcher, murderer or not.

I ran for the other storehouse, intent to cut the Butcher off. Unfortunately, the Eagle Watch had gotten the same idea, and the Butcher saw their attempt at a blockade and turned around. ‘He’ jumped from the bridge instead, and tried to make a run for it down the alley.

Then the Butcher was stopped in ‘his’ tracks by a hold person spell, cast by a high-ranking member of the crusades: Lady Salzara. Some of her men came to collect the Butcher, and she said that myself, Auriel, and Melody needed to come with her as well. I had a foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Lady Salzara led us to where High Commander Hol Rune had been making his speech. She began speaking to the crowd about how this was an auspicious day, in which a ‘lost lamb’ had returned to its flock. As she spoke, there was a horrific cracking noise. And then the Kite, and the Wardstone within it, exploded in fire. And the sky above began to crack like glass. Rifts began to open around us as demons began to pour into the city. High Commander Hol Rune was ripped apart in an instant when a portal opened behind him and a powerful demon tore through him with ease. All around us there was nothing but fire and bloodshed and death. My arm was bleeding like never before, and it hurt, it hurt so much, and this time I was so sure both me and an entire city were going to die together.

Instead, in a flash of silver Terendalev, the city’s defender, appeared before the four of us—Auriel, myself, Melody, and Luna. He asked us to trust him, and that fate had plans for us. Then with a sweep of his tail he knocked us into a great chasm that opened in the earth, and cast a spell so that we float gently into the earth, along with three others. The last we saw of the city’s protector, Terendelev, the silver dragon paladin of Iomedae, he was facing down The Storm King Khorramzadeh, one of Deskari’s generals. And then everything went black.

We woke…who knows how much later. We were under ground, with no way to know how much time had passed. At first our memories of events were jumbled, but they came back quickly enough. We made proper introductions, including Luna removing her hood to reveal the fact that the Butcher was a middle-aged woman yada yada I’ve already covered this. Point is, we decided to trust her for now. For one thing, Terendelev trusted her enough to send her down here with us. For another, I prefer to see someone’s actions for myself than to judge based on the words of others, and already things weren’t adding up with the stories I’d heard, so it was time to wipe the rumors from my mind and judge her based on her actions alone.

We also formally met Melody, the tiny lil inquisitor of Shelyn with a glaive longer than she is tall, that she carefully balanced so it never touched the ground, who travelled to the edge of the Worldwound following a bird sent by her goddess. So clearly this is where she was meant to be, for better or worse.

There were also three new faces. Two were unfortunately injured. One woman appeared to be a crusader scout whose leg was caught under a rock. Luna and I managed to get her leg free, and I healed as much of the damage as I could, although my magic was not enough to mend broken bones. After that I got a good look at her and realized she was Anevia Tirabade, the wife of Irabeth Tirabade, the commander of the Eagle Watch.

Once I knew she was as okay as she could be given the circumstances, I went to join Melody checking on the other injured individual, an elven spellcaster by the name of Aravashnial. Unfortunately, I knew from experience there was nothing I could do for him—his eyes had been slashed through by a demon, much like my own useless left eye. We spoke to him, and managed to calm him and convince him not to do anything rash, as initially he was going to try charging ahead eyes or no, stubbornly determined that he had to be of use. I could understand, but I tried to reason with him that while I did believe he could do everything he’d once been able to with time, it would *take time*, as relearning to sword fight with one eye had for me. For now, he needed to remain in the back with Anevia and the nobleman where it was safe. And Melody pointed out that he was far from useless, as none of the rest of us knew anything about the arcane, which was very true.

The third and least pleasant of the trio was Horgus Gwerm, a merchant. He caused a bit of a fuss, before Luna took matters into her own hands. Literally into her own hands, with a hand on his throat. He pulled her aside to talk to her in private. Melody, Auriel, and I spoke while he waited, Auriel and I more formally introducing ourselves and explaining the Raven Corps to Melody, and Melody explaining her recent arrival into town following a little birdie. We explained in a bit more detail how we’d ended up chasing Luna over the rooftops, and Auriel told me what he’d found in the metal box. It had been an armless mummified locust demon, in a box emblazoned with more Deskari symbology.

As we spoke about this disturbing discovery, there was a bit of a commotion. Luna had opened the box she’d stolen from the store room, and from within removed a book. Auriel informed me and Melody that the box had picked up as evil when he’d tried to smite Luna before and failed while on the roofs after I’d…tumbled. Gwerm took the book and tried to light it ablaze with a flint and tinder, but when the flames died down it did nothing. When they returned to the group, Melody asked to look over the book, which Horgus grumpily pressed into her hands before storming off. Aravashnial laughed at his attempt at burning an evil magical tome, commenting that of course it hadn’t worked. There was a clear tension in the cavern between our three companions. Melody told the rest of us that she believed she could identify more about this book if she had access to a library. Assuming the libraries up on the surface haven’t all been destroyed…

With nothing else to do but try to find a way out, we made our way deeper into the caverns. Melody uncovered four of Terendelev’s scales as we explored. When we held them we knew in our hearts the magic they held. Each granted a boon to the holder, and Melody believed Terendalev wanted us to have them.

We…also fear the worst for the guardian of the city. One of the scales, the one Auriel took, was coated in blood. I would love to be optimistic. Really. I would. But he was facing down one of Deskari’s generals. That’s…a big task, even for a dragon.

We haven’t really had time to think about it, though. We need to find a way out of this cave. We continued forward, through caverns where we fought disgusting vermin, and found an unexpected campsite. Aravashnial commented that there were a group of peoples who were rumored to live hidden below the city, The First Descendants. People descended from the first crusaders, who had been tainted by the demons’ influence and twisted into monstrous forms, and had been forced into hiding underground. Auriel may have made some comment at this point about how anyone tainted by the demons’ touch must be eliminated, to which I *may* have snipped at him a bit about tieflings being fine and that we ought to judge them by their actions. Besides, their existence was mere rumor.

Whether it’s true or not, I can’t possibly say. We didn’t find any proof in the campsite of whether the owner had been human, elven, or perhaps a member of these first descendants. All we found was a pendant whose design none of us recognized, which Luna took because it looked expensive and she did the most work clearing out the creatures in the room to actually get to it. Which I could not argue, much as I could use the gold. So far observing Luna, I can say without a doubt she is a fierce combatant. Without a doubt the most competent of us all.

Which became a problem when we arrived to the temple of Torag where we’ve stopped to bed down.

See, Gwerm decided he didn’t want to stop. Gwerm decided that Anevia and Aravashnial were slowing us down, and that we should go on without them. Gwerm tried to pay the rest of us off to leave them behind, and when we refused, he decided that fine, he’d go with just Luna—who he’d apparently already hired to be his bodyguard. Gwerm was being a shortsighted selfish idiot.

Luna managed to sweet talk him, explaining that while the injured might slow us down, we had strength in numbers. She was extremely capable, but he would still be much safer with all of us protecting him rather than just her, and we’d made our stance clear that we wouldn’t be leaving the injured behind.

In all honesty, I think she was trying to protect Anevia and Aravashnial more than Gwerm in doing this. I sincerely believe she could have protected Gwerm by herself, from what I’ve seen, and I think she knows that. She’s pretty confident in her abilities. But me, Melody, and Auriel protecting the injured without Luna? That could have ended in a massacre.

With that settled, Auriel wanted to look into Torag’s temple, as he was an ally to Iomedae, to see if there was anything he could do to help repair it and make sure nothing had been desecrated. I was in agreement, even if I didn’t feel as strongly about it as he seemed to. We opened the sealed temple and went inside.

Within, we found an undead monster, a huecuva. Once upon a time a priest of Torag built a grand temple of his god deep under Kenabres, using all his wealth to make it the most impressive structure he possibly could. When he finished, he received no sign of his god’s pleasure. And so, he sealed the temple, desecrated it, left behind one final letter, and died speaking heresies against torag, only to rise again as an undead monster.

We feared a difficult fight, as such creatures are hardy, difficult to hurt, carry diseases, and hit hard. With this in mind Auriel smote the former priest and went on the offensive, but the undead dodged out of the way. Luna attacked and struck true, her axe slicing through the undead with no care for its resistances against physical damage. Melody used her judgement, her weapon glowing the colors of the rainbow, and attacked as well, but the creature dodged again. I called upon Iomedae’s blessings and approached, intent to assist with the kill. The creature continued to dodge around Auriel, but only for a moment longer before Luna’s axe cleaved clean through its neck.

I…am uncertain how to feel about the situation. Certainly it proves the point I was making earlier about us needing Luna more than she needs us. It feels bad that to clear out a creature desecrating a holy place it took the only person who…has had some very vocal things to say about the gods in general, and Iomedae in particular. The three of us should have had so much going for us against that creature and yet Luna was the only effective member of our group.

Well. There’s no point moping about it. What’s done is done. She’s a powerful combatant. And she surprisingly did not rub it in our faces. Which I did take note of. Despite her grudge against crusaders, she’s not petty about it. Not all the time, at least. She certainly takes every chance she can to take pot shots at the Raven Corps. and how we’re the lowest of the low, so there’s that. Apparently, many of the reports of her ‘murders’ were cover ups for embarrassed Raven Corps members who fell into her traps, things like stringing them up from lamp posts or…well, tossing them off rooftops, as I learned firsthand. Some people don’t have a sense of humor. And too much pride. But starting rumors that someone’s a murderer to save face over a prank? That’s excessive. There’s definitely more to it than that.

One thing’s for sure, from her actions today, I believe “the Butcher” that she’s no murderer. She could have taken Horgus’ money and left us for dead with the injured. Yet she did not, despite her distaste for travelling with people of the cloth. Perhaps not for our sake, but certainly I suspect for the sake of our injured duo.

If the city is in any state for rumors to still matter when we get back up top, I’ll do what I can to clear her name. Which…unfortunately isn’t much, truth be told. A Raven Corps member isn’t exactly someone with any sway. But at least if some people are countering the rumors, maybe something can change. I hate to see a good person’s name being dragged through the mud.

Anyways. It’s getting late. Auriel’s off cleaning up the temple. He said it was something he had to do on his own. I’d think he was just being his usual overly diligent self, if I didn’t know enough about Torag’s teachings to know that a certain sense of personal responsibility in one’s work is probably appreciated by this particular god. In the mean time we had a ‘chat’ with Aravashnial and Anevia. By which I mean Melody had a chat with them and did her inquisitor thing. Found out that Aravashnial is a member of a secret group called the Riftwardens, and that Irabeth trying to get the Riftwardens to join the crusaders’ cause directly led to he and his partner’s messy breakup. So, ouch.

Then she learned from Anevia that Aravashnial had once accused Gwerm of being a Baphomet cultist to Irabeth. Irabeth asked Anevia to subtly look into it. Anevia did, and found that Gwerm was clean, and also that he’d been secretly donating large sums to the crusades—despite it being against his religion as a worshipper of Abadar. Unfortunately, her break in had not been as subtle as she’d thought, someone had seen her, and that someone broke in and cleared Gwerm out of a large sum of his funds as a result, not to mention the public embarrassment of the entire affair.

Luna, Melody, and I told Anevia in no uncertain terms that the three of them needed to be adults and talk to each other and apologize and work things out first thing in the morning. We were in a shitty situation and we needed them to be able to work together if we were going to get out of this, and quite frankly it sounded like Horgus had some pretty good reasons to be upset with Aravashnial and Anevia, even if leaving them for dead was still a selfish overreaction. Anevia said that sounded more painful than having a broken leg, but agreed to do so despite some pouting. This is Irabeth’s wife, huh? Not quite what I expected to be honest. It’s bad when I’m the mature adult in the conversation. Ew. Terrible.

[draven-imani]

Journal Entry 1

You pick up a journal, bound in soft red leather, the symbol of Iomedae embossed on the front cover, somewhat faded. Flipping it open, the weathered parchment inside is filled with writing in emerald green ink, in messy loopy handwriting.

So. I got a new ‘mentee’ today. He’s…interesting. Golden. Like Leto. Except not a tiefling. Or any other sort of person I’ve ever seen before. He looks like a living statue, basically? His name is Auriel, and he called himself a shabti. Something something, pulled from the boneyard by Pharasma herself for a divine purpose, and then the paladins of the Inheritor took him under their wing for the last few years and set him on the path of Iomedae. And now they’ve decided a good first step for him is to join the Raven Corps. Because humiliation and guard duty are great ways to teach a being who’s been on this plane of existence for only five years. And Commander Spriggans decided, for some reason, that I’d be the best person for the job of showing him the ropes. I can’t begin to imagine why.

I know, I know, I’m supposed to not sound bitter. Guard duty is a sacred rite of passage, or something. A stepping stone to greatness. Everyone might be the next Irabeth Tirabade, the next member of the Raven Corps to do something great and rise out of the muck and obscurity and scorn. Right. I wish. I…really do, actually. Much as I quip about it, I’d follow in her footsteps in a heartbeat. Save the town, pull myself tooth and nail out of the Raven Corps. Finally, finally have the position to be able to take the fight to the demon scourge. Because that’s all I want. That’s what I came here for. To slay demons. To kill those scum, so every one that’s slain will be hundreds of innocent lives they can’t turn around and torture and kill themselves.

But, instead, I’m here. Playing babysitter. Literally. He’s five years old, even if he has the body and…mostly the maturity of an adult. He has the understanding of a child. He sees everything in black and white, and sure he’s great at following Iomedae’s tenets, but he has absolutely no nuance. Like, none at all. He’s by the book to a fault. The commander told me to show him around town, so I showed him to the place where everyone goes when they want to get to know people and get a feel for the city as a whole—the Defender’s Heart tavern. I ordered a mead and Auriel, predictably, ordered just water. Purity of mind and body. I pointed out that wasn’t technically one of Iomedae’s teachings, just not to partake in excess so as to reflect poorly on her.

Speaking of partaking in excess, two paladins were having a drinking contest with an older woman with a striking blue eye and messy black hair covering the rest of her face. She was laughing and in good cheer as the paladins fell face first on the table, bested. Auriel tutted in disapproval while I laughed my ass off at the display. Come on, it was funny. It was their own fault for underestimating their opponent—probably because she was a woman and middle aged. The woman took some money off their persons, explaining that they’d made a deal beforehand that the losers would pay for the drinks. Sounded reasonable, and if they made the deal they were honor bound as paladins to keep it. And again, their own fault for challenging the woman in the first place.

After seeing that display I found that someone had cut my purse, probably while I was on patrol earlier. I thought I’d have a bit of fun, keep the lighthearted mood going, maybe show Auriel that things don’t have to be all work and no fun while not doing something so stupid as getting yourself drunk under a table. Aaaand hopefully get a few tips to pay for my tab since I was suddenly down to a grand total of zilch. I took out my fiddle, confidently put my boot up on a table, and…one of my strings snapped. Just my luck, right? I sheepishly retreated back to my table.

The gnome sitting at the table which I’d…tried to borrow, laughed uproariously at the misstep. He paid for my drink and another round, ‘in the hopes if I got drunk I’d do more stupid things’. Which, hey, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m not saying no to a free drink.

Especially when the free drink is from Terendalev, the protector dragon of the city, disguised as a gnome to walk amongst those he protects in times of revelry. I…kinda sorta recognized his clothes *after* the whole fiddle snapping thing. I would have chosen a different table if I’d recognized him beforehand. Although he apparently took the entire thing in good humor. I, on the other hand, am utterly humiliated at being laughed at by likely the most powerful being in the entire city. Truly, I do represent the Raven Corps…

I definitely didn't tell Auriel who the gnome was.

Afterwards Auriel and I headed back to the barracks for some rest, and I to write this. Tomorrow is Armice. Which for the civilians means a day of celebration and revelry. For us? A day of walking the Kite and making sure nothing goes wrong around the Wardstone. A fun holiday outing.

I hope Leto’s unit’s doing well. I bet they'll be over in the parade. I haven't had the chance to ask, things have been busy with the holiday and all that. I look forward to him meeting Auriel. Golden boy is going to get a kick out of him I’m sure. Maybe he can even get Auriel to loosen up a bit. Have a bit of a paladin-to-paladin chat. One can hope.

Ah, knowing my luck it would somehow just make Auriel double down on his whole schtick stubbornly.

[draven-imani]

Introducing the ill-fated Draven Imani.

Warpriest of Iomedae, accidental wielder of the holy blade Radiance, acting captain of the Raven Corps crusaders, and an albatross around the neck of every person he’s ever met.

He’s incredibly pleased with how his life is going :) Can’t you tell? :)