The Death of Golarion - Chapter 1: Pestilence

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Laura

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Laura Eide rushes to her post. The late nights have left her oversleeping, again, and when she finally reaches her station, the leader of the armed forces turns his gaze to her.

"Three more, found dead last night," he says with a sigh. Laura looks over his shoulder to spy another group of artic foxes, each one of them sporting the same strange green mounds on their throats. "Things are becoming serious. I have no idea what is happening, or why, but I do know that whatever it is, it is spreading fast. This is not a Mendev problem any longer. They call upon me from as far as Druma, asking for my advice."

He stands up and walks past her. "Laura, you have learned much under my tutelage. I ask you now, to see what you retain. What is the most important part of being a warrior?"

Spoiler: Malrut

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Dawn rises over Druma. In the morning, Malrut gets up and heads over to the home of Olivia Stepps. The dwarf has asked to meet with her in person. When the tiefling knocks on the door, it opens.

Olivia is standing in the doorway, holding a little human boy in one hand while a human girl tugs at her skirt. "Mama, mama, I'm hungry!"

The boy cries loudly. Olivia leans down and gives him a kiss. "Hush now, it's okay little one!" She pats her daughter's head. "Alright. Let's make breakfast. Malrut, please come in."

A human man brushes past. "Going to be late for work!"

He stops and kisses Olivia's cheek. She blushes and nods. "Okay, honey! I'll see you soon."

The man leaves and Olivia walks into the kitchen. She peels an orange and hands it to her daughter before turning her attention to the tiefling. "I'm glad you could come. Your time is valuable, so I won't waste it on pleasantries. The city needs to evacuate. Immediately."

Spoiler: Ahkox

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The war horn blows. Ahkox looks to the sky. A drum starts to beat. The city scatters. Men and women rush to get their children inside while the city guard marches through the streets.

Ahkox runs to the palace to learn the meaning behind all of this. From the throne beyond, a solemn orc king greets him.

"Brother. The humans have struck a grievous blow against this nation."

He stands up and walks forward. "In a single night, all of our crop fields have burned. Witnesses point to those damned knights of Hell, or whatever the humans call themselves. We will not sit by and let this affront to our sovereignty stand. The armies of Korvosa will march on Citadel Vraid!"

Spoiler: Korbach and Brianna

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A single stripe was all it took to get Brianna's attention. Korbach soon noticed what she was pointing at.

Three slash marks, painted over a door. And another. And a third. The mark of the Crimson Tigers, the rebel group that had taken control of Westcrown in the aftermath of the battle with the Council of Thieves. Tasho's mark.

The pair head to the Nursery, where they find the tiefling sitting with an annoyed expression on her face. "You two...just the chumps I wanted to see. Look, I'm not going to mince words here. I think Korbach is going to die before the end of the day."

[Kvard51]

"Die? Today? Only if I accidentally step on her silly little scorpion." Kor laughs a little as he look is from one tie fling to the other. "Did you have something particularly awful in mind? Or am I expected to step out in front of a carriage sometime before dark?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

While Malrut had known Olivia for a few years at this point, he never could quite adjust to her burlesque way of talking. She always seemed to boil it down to just the most essentially information and it tended to be jarring. He had come to enjoy visiting her home; her family were very kind to him. A favor he didn't think he'd ever deserved or be able to repay. Receiving a summons to her home was a pleasure, to be sure. Malrut stood, too stunned to respond as he tried to process her words. His tail, unconsciously, wrapped around his waist tightly. What? Why? Did you not tell your husband!? he managed to sputter out. As the information started to sink in, he started breathing quick shallow breaths as his eye widen in shock and concern.

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Malrut

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Olivia blinks in surprise as Malrut responds. "What? It is not a woman's place to tell her man to do anything. He'll hear about it from the guards or something. Besides, he works so hard for the kids, I don't want to take that away from him."

She stands up and lays her son down in his crib, sticking one finger down into it. The baby happily grabs her finger and coos. She giggles and whispers to him in Dwarven before gently pulling her finger free and turning back to Malrut. "As to why, I'm afraid that something dangerous is lurking in the woods near here. Something we have never seen before, something that will destroy this entire city if we allow it to fester."

The dwarf narrows her eyes and then looks at the tiefling with serious concern. "Lycanthropes."

[userpay]

War. Ahkox's blood stirs at the thought even as he tries to reign in his bloodlust. "Bold and shabby move for them to leave witnesses, least assumin they can be trusted in what they saw. They ain't taking well to your coronation then I'm guessin?" The half-orc's fingers clench and unclench. "Still to deny the city it's food stores is something that can't not go unanswered. How soon shall it be afore we're breakin down their gates?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Ahkox

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"Oh no you don't!" a bossy female voice exclaims.

Makorock rolls his eyes as a human woman in a fine silk gown steps into the room. She glares at the king. "Honestly, Your Majesty, you should know better. And you," she snaps, turning her ire to Ahkox, "shouldn't be encouraging him!"

Makorock rubs his temples. "Alicia, this is a direct attack on our nation, we cannot stand by and allow it."

Alicia gestures to the half-orc. "I agree with your protege's assessment, sire. Leaving witnesses alive is a strange move. I do not think this is truly aggressive behavior. Maybe you are right, maybe the Order of the Nail is moving against you. But we can't know for sure if we don't talk to them first."

[userpay]

Ahkox blinks and crosses his arms. "I mean. If yer quick to run then yer quick to run, even orc raids don't always get everyone, but if they meant to hide their presence they must have done a shoddy job regardless no? Asides if it weren't the Hell-wachacallits who else in the region would have enough arms to torch as much as they did?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Oh! Malrut breathed a sigh of relief. One of the very few benefits of his 'condition' was an odd immunity to a selection of eclectic conditions; lycanthropy being one. His blood was too foreign for the curse it seemed. OH! Oh no! His eyes darted rapidly between Olivia and her two children, utterly stumped by her rather blase attitude to what should be an absolutely horrifying situation not only for her personally but for the city at large that she had sworn to protect. Unwittingly, Malrut had taken a cautious tense stance, as if a wolf-man would pop out of a nearby potted plant. He waited for a moment for Olivia to do, or say something. When nothing came of it, he hesitantly asked. Ok... the city needs evacuation. How... how can I help? His tone was more curious than concerned, Olivia's attitude throwing him for a loop.

[Kallimakus]

"Will." Laura answers. "Without guidance, strength is meaningless. Without compassion, power invariably leads to cruelty. Without conviction, courage rings hollow. With determination, there is no obstacle that cannot ultimately be conquered." She feels that this is the best answer she can give.

[ArendK]

Brianna looked at Tasho apprehensively, then at Korbach. The half-orc, despite his bravado, wasn't some fool.

"Korbach, not the time for jokes." Brianna nervously scratched her arm with one of her claws. "How do you know something is going to happen to Korbach?" Brianna looked at her fellow tiefling strangely, not sure if it was a threat against Korbach from Tasho or another source.

Spoiler

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[roll]1d20[/roll] Sense Motive roll to see if the general vibe was that it was a threat or a statement from Tasho.

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Ahkox

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Alicia shakes her head. "Your Majesty, please. Allow us to investigate this situation before you escalate. This is not a chiefdom with a scant thousand people under your command. If you drag all of Korvosa into war, you should at least know why you were attacked in the first place."

Makorock frowns and stands up. "Hmm...and what say you, Ahkox? Shall we breach the walls within the night? Or should we speak to the humans and see if they offer some explanation?"

Spoiler: Malrut

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Olivia checks on her daughter for a moment before turning back to the tiefling. "I will oversee the evacuation. What I want you to do is go speak with the high priest at the temple. I asked him to look into the situation for me. Please find out what it is he knows and report back here when you are done. We need to get these people far away, but right now we're still trying to figure out where to go."

Spoiler: Laura

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Kaiser stares at her and then slams his spear into the ground. "No!" He shakes his head. "Weakness! I have no patience for your attachment to things you cannot touch, Laura. What matters is power. Strength. Skill. What matters is that you, and everyone around you, lives. And the only way you can do that is by winning. You must be stronger. Faster. Hardier. Smarter. Attentive. And imposing. A weakness in any of these aspects will get you killed. And you are useless if you are dead."

He turns away from her and grabs the branch of an old oak tree, at least twenty feet tall. Before Laura can say anything, the man shouts angrily and then grunts. He steps forward, giving a bit of force, and then shoves. The entire tree uproots and crashes down to the ground. Kaiser turns around and glares at her. "You are weak. You do not pay attention. You cannot tell when someone is lying. You cannot discern how much harm someone has taken. You are constantly taken by surprise, your mind is open to enchantments. Honestly, it is a miracle that you have survived this long in the wilds and I have had to intervene on more than one occasion to protect you from demons."

Kaiser picks up the branch he grabbed, ripping it off the tree without effort, and lifting it above his head. It must stretch out at least seven feet. "The only thing that matters to a warrior is that he is better fit than everyone he is fighting. And you are not. I will not stand by and watch you succumb to the same sickness that is plaguing the wildlife here. It is time for you to advance to the next stage of your training."

Spoiler: Korbach and Brianna

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Tasho doesn't look amused in the slightest. She shifts her weight and disappears. The tiefling reappears behind the two of them, stepping out of a shadow on the far wall. Her teleporting is common, she does it without even thinking these days. Even so, to see the tiefling move in the darkness as if it is her home can be unnerving.

"You don't know this, but you're sick. Very sick," Tasho explains. She walks over to Korbach and grabs his wrist. Before the half-orc can react, the tiefling draws a knife and cuts his palm open.

She raises his wrist up and the two of them can see that Korbach's blood is a strange, shimmering red rather than a dull copper red. It almost looks like it's glowing. "The infection has been spreading from person to person for a few days now. Three deaths already. More on the way. Starting with you."

She lets his wrist drop and jumps. With a backflip, she lands gracefully on the post she was sitting on before. "Brianna, I'm sorry for your loss. I know you care about him," she says in her normal apathetic tone, as if Korbach is already dead rather than sitting in the room listening to her.

[Kvard51]

If Korbach is shaken by this revelation, you wouldn't know it. The look of intense curiosity he is applying to his hand, to the blood welling up from the shallow knife cut, is the same look you have seen him turn on anything that interests him.

"I'm not sure this looks like death, mistress. In fact, it looks like Brianna spilled her sparkly's in red paint. Which might be interesting to write indelicate things on ghetto walls with, but that is neither here nor there. He turns that same, too-intense, gaze upon the tiefling women for a moment. "If this is death, what then do we know about arresting it? I'm not sure I have learned enough, yet, to enjoy a significant time dead. I will study this for a moment..."

With that, Kor's attention returns to the blood on his hand. He speaks words of power under his breath while making arcane gestures in the air. An emanation of magic engulfs his hand and he returns to it's contemplation.

Spoiler: OOC

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Kor casts Detect Magic and will concentrate it on his hand for the next 3 minutes.

[ArendK]

Briannas nervous scratching of her arm intensified, drawing blood from her skin at Tasho's news. "There's got to be a way to fix this! All kinds of magic that can heal. We just have to find it, right?"

Tasho's movements were unsettling, Brianna thought, and probably part of the reason their kind gave people the heebie-jeebies. Brianna nonetheless began her spell casting directed at Korbach.

Spoiler: Mechanical stuff

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Detect Magic, stare at Korbach intensely for three rounds and Spellcraft check

(1d20+8)[17] Spellcraft check for anything potentially noticeable.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Malrut swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Yes Ma'am. He didn't like religious types. They tended to get preachy and he didn't enjoy it. I'll go right away. Er, uh... where will I find you after? He kneaded the hem of his black tunic, nervous energy beginning to build within him.

[Kallimakus]

Laura balks back at the demonstration of strength. Despite having served under Kaiser, the raw power left an impression. She couldn't let it show. She could never show fear or apprehension. The rebuke hurt as well, but Laura bottled that up as well. It was not the first time this argument had come up. Her teacher valued strength above all other things. She chose to believe that her superior was not being willfully cruel, but rather trying to teach her a valuable lesson. One that she knew by heart already. "Yes sir. she says, bowing respectfully. She looked back on her thinking. Laura didn't believe it was that she was wrong as such, but her angle was wrong. "I swear I will not fail you." She did not seek conflict by dragging things into an argument that she would only lose, and did not argue against her master's claim that battle power was the most important thing for a warrior. It was important thing for a soldier and a warrior, but a warrior couldn't be just power.

Spoiler: Philosophy

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What was the basis? A warrior's strength was their weapon. From iron comes strength. Strength breeds confidence and courage to overcome any adversary. From strength comes will. Through will and belief, she can multiply her power. From will comes faith. From faith comes honour. The honour of a Paladin is unyielding. And the only way to move forward on the path
From Iron comes Strength. From Strength comes Will. From Will comes Faith. From Faith comes Honor. From Honor comes Iron. An endless path of growth. A fount of strength.

[userpay]

"Hrm..." Ahkox rocks his head from side to side as he considers. "I wouldn't mind crackin a few heads over this but Alicia brings up a point with how many lives are at stake. At the very least I thinks we aught to bring about a show of force, if they don't seem trustworthy then lay siege and bring in the rest of our forces, if they gots good reason then at least we've made a point. No? Exactly how much was burnt anyway cuz I'm still wondering about just how many people it would take to do that..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Brianna and Korbach

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Spoiler: OOC

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Neither of you detect any magic, save from Tasho herself, and if your gaze lingers on her, she glowers at you.

The tiefling crosses her arms. "If you two are quite done playing detective, I could have saved you the trouble. Most diseases aren't inherently magical. You're sick. It's not a curse or a poison. It happened because someone else who was sick came into contact with you. As to why, I'm not sure..."

Tasho turns her attention to Brianna. "You wish for healing? Be my guest. Go and speak to the grand cleric at the temple. Perhaps you will be able to barter your services for some kind of remedy? You have scarcely a coin to your name, after all. I can only imagine what the high priest of Asmodeus would ask for in return for his services, however..."

Spoiler: Malrut

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Olivia stands up, handing her son to Malrut. "You can find me at the Western gate. I can't let myself be slowed down, so...I'm trusting you with Emeric and Jaclyn. I pray you do not prove yourself unworthy of that trust...for your sake." Her eyes flash dangerously.

She turns around and smiles. "Jaclyn, honey? Why don't you take a walk with Malrut for right now? He's going to the temple!"

The little girl looks up at the tiefling and squeaks, then hides behind Olivia. "M-Mama, he's scary...and ugly!"

"Young lady, we talked about this! Don't say that ugly people are ugly in front of them!" She sighs and looks at Malrut apologetically. "I'm sorry, friend, but you know how kids are."

Jaclyn stays behind her, looking at Malrut nervously to see what he does next.

Spoiler: Laura

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Kaiser turns away and clenches his fist. "...Remember Aroden," he says with a pained voice. "If even a god can fall to His own weakness, then you are certainly no exception. You are no more special than I or anyone here. Now go." He turns to face her and points past her, to a high frosty peak on the mountain behind her. "You are to ascend that summit and examine the wardstone there, alone. There will surely be many enemies that cross your path. However, you must press on. If you fear for your life, return here and you will be barred from your position, and may leave my army at your convenience. If you are successful, descend the mountain with care and find me again. You may only take rations for three days with you. The trek takes at least one week, as you know. The rest of your sustenance will come from your wits."

Spoiler: OOC

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As a reminder, in order to find nourishment in the wild, you have to make a Survival check.

Spoiler: Ahkox

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Makorock frowns. "It is estimated that the humans put close to 1,200 acres of crops to the torch last night," Makorock answers. He stands up. "A show of force. Very well. Alicia, Ahkox. Take ten of my best men with you and go to Citadel Vraid. Demand the humans answer for their heinous actions."

Alicia bows. "As you command, Your Majesty."

She walks with Ahkox out to the serving hall. Her eyes glance towards him shyly. "So...uh, how was your weekend? N-not that I care or anything, but...I guess you probably spent it at home alone again, right?"

[userpay]

Ahkox rubs his chin. Ten men does not a siege make but at least they could hide and keep tabs on the Citadel while they waited for reinforcements should things go belly up. "Alrighty then, one squad of the best comin right up."

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

As they walk out Ahkox blinks and looks sidelong at Alicia, a smirk crossing his face. "Now why would I be lying about at home when I could be at the tavern with the rest of my comrades eh? Or did ya have somethin you needed me for?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Ahkox

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Alicia's cheeks turn red. "Need you for - I don't need anything from you!" She walks forward and crosses her arms. "Ugh! You're so thick sometimes, honestly!"

[Kallimakus]

"Of course. I am honoured by your trust sir." Laura says, taking off her pack and removing her ration, packing back three and leaving one behind. A week alone. Too far to get help were she to need it. "I will not return a failure" she declares. There was real apprehension there. Not quite fear, but the appreciation that while this was finally a chance to prove her ability, there was no going back to the way things were.

Three days' worth of rations would not stretch for a week. Granted, she would not starve to death during that span of time, but a day or two without food and drink would leave her too weak to survive the dangers of the path. She tried to recall the sorts of threats and wildlife one had there, but drew a blank. Memorizing things was not something that came easily to her. After a while of travelling, she rearranged her gear. Bow and quiver on her hip, sword on the other side, shield and backpack arranged on her back, and her polearm carried in hand.

[SPOILER=Travel and rationing]Laura will attempt to perform a forced march until exhaustion sets in each day. Essentially going on until she fails a constitution check. She hopes that by pushing her pace she could shave a day from the journey. Equally, she hopes to come across something edible that she could defeat and supplement her rations. I'm assuming that Laura has a general idea on the path to take, and equally about the general availability of things like water and firewood along the way. She will break branches or harvest them, especially if the season is colder.

I'm making some assumptions and leaping ahead, basically outlining Laura's essential plan here. I'll assume that any mishaps, whenever those might come, interrupt this routine.
Day 1: Rations 2/3 left
Day 2: Survival check 1/2 left, rations 2/3
Day 3: Survival check 1/3 left, rations 2/3

Spoiler: Forced Marching

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I'll roll thrice for each day, and take the increased DC as a penalty instead (-2 per extra hour). Stopping at the first failed check, or number three if she lucks out one day. I'll roll thrice just in case.
Day 1 (1d20+2)[6] hour 1 (1d20+0)[14] hour 2 (1d20-2)[8] hour 3 (1d6)[5] nonlethal damage (healed by a night's rest)
Day 2 (1d20+2)[7] hour 1 (1d20+0)[1] hour 2 (1d20-2)[8] hour 3 (1d6)[5] nonlethal damage (healed by a night's rest)
Day 3 (1d20+2)[19] hour 1 (1d20+0)[13] hour 2 (1d20-2)[1] hour 3 (1d6)[6] nonlethal damage (healed by a night's rest)

[MesiDoomstalker]

Olivia stands up, handing her son to Malrut. "You can find me at the Western gate. I can't let myself be slowed down, so...I'm trusting you with Emeric and Jaclyn. I pray you do not prove yourself unworthy of that trust...for your sake." Her eyes flash dangerously.

She turns around and smiles. "Jaclyn, honey? Why don't you take a walk with Malrut for right now? He's going to the temple!"

The little girl looks up at the tiefling and squeaks, then hides behind Olivia. "M-Mama, he's scary...and ugly!"

"Young lady, we talked about this! Don't say that ugly people are ugly in front of them!" She sighs and looks at Malrut apologetically. "I'm sorry, friend, but you know how kids are."

Jaclyn stays behind her, looking at Malrut nervously to see what he does next.

Malrut gingerly grabbed little Emeric, holding him first at arms length. His eyes darted between the boy and the girl as he slowly brought him closer and started cradling the babe. He flashed a weak, forced smile secretly glad his cheeks were already crimson. He chuckled, trying to relieve some of the tension but only adding too it by the obvious forcefulness of the action. Of... course Olivia. It'll be... no problem. He grinned and met eyes with the cowering Jaclyn. One would think her words stung, but they didn't. Not much. He was used to it. That's what he told himself. It didn't hurt, he was used to it.

Tentatively, he held out a hand to young Jaclyn. Mildly clawed, just-a-tad-too-long-fingered hand. Don't worry Jaclyn. The ugly isn't contagious. I swear. He forced his lips closed over his teeth. He's never seen them for himself, but most seemed unsettled by them.

[ArendK]

Brianna scoffed at the mention of the church of Asmodeus. "Not dealing with the thrice-damned House of Thrune or their allies more than necessary."

Briannas body thudded against a nearby wall in as she leaned against it to think. Tasho wasn't wrong; most diseases weren't magical. She knew enough about medicine to know that much. And given her usual proximity to Korbach, she was likely either already infected or going to be infected unless her fiendish heritage offered her some resistance to it. If it wasn't magical, finding the source wasn't going to do any good in curing it; just stopping it from spreading more. Which if they wanted to find it and contain it, might be more practical to get the cure after. Depending on how debilitating the disease is (Tasho said before the end of the day, but Korbach can be stubborn as a mule), they might be able to scramble for a cure after finding the source. Finding the source might also help find a cure. Brianna sat back, and lost herself in thought analyzing options.

Spoiler: Relevant Skill Checks

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(1d20+4)[15] Mundane Heal check to diagnose/identify the disease.
(1d20+5)[18] Knowledge (Religion) to potentially figure out another priest outside of Asmodeus within Westcrown (best I can come up with OOC is Besmara with Westcrown being a shipping city. It might also be a way OUT of Cheliax which is not entirely a bad thing).

[Kvard51]

"Asking questions, collecting data from what is known, these can't be bad things. And knowledge gained is better than knowledge given. Perhaps I could have ascertained something knew by taking a minute to inspect this death I have been given." Korbach's gaze softens, as does his tone, as he looks at Tasho and Brianna. "I would prefer to live, so what would you have me do, Tasho?"

Spoiler: Checks...

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Knowledge (Local) (1d20+10)[24] to recall sources of healing not connected to the Asmodean church in Westcrown.

Knowledge (Local) (1d20+10)[11] to remember recent rumors of illness, where and when they originated.

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Laura

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Laura sets out on her journey, heading towards the mountain. She arrives there by nightfall, and is unable to find any supper in the area, so she has to rely on her rations.

The second day is spent slowly getting her bearings as she begins her ascent. However, as she makes her way up the forested mountain path, she hears a growl coming. Kaiser said she would face many enemies...

A canine with rough black fur steps into view, sniffing the air. It growls at her aggressively.

Spoiler: OOC

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Initiative: (1d20+2)[7]

Spoiler: Malrut

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Jaclyn trembles and ducks under her mother's skirt. "He's gonna eat me!"

Olivia pats her head. "Shh...no, sweetie, he already had a biiiig breakfast! Like, a whole moose! He's not hungry anymore!"

Jaclyn sniffs and looks up at Malrut. "Really? ...Okay then."

She timidly walks forward and takes Malrut's hand.

Olivia turns and nods. "Then, let's get to work. If there is a single scratch on either of my kids when I get done, they will never find your body." She runs out into the streets.

Emeric starts to cry after she leaves. He bawls loudly and squirms in Malrut's arm.

Spoiler: Brianna and Korbach

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Spoiler: Know (Local)

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There are clerics of Baalzebul, Mephistopheles, Geryon and Belial in the city. All of these are archdevils as well, so they likely would be just as foul to bargain with as Asmodeans. Perhaps searching outside the city would prove more fruitful, although if Korbach is as sick as Tasho claims, travel might not be easy.

Spoiler: Heal

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The condition is unlike any that Brianna has ever seen or researched before. However, with her examination she determines that what this strange disease appears to be doing is preventing oxygen from entering Korbach's bloodstream properly, hence why his blood is not a dark red (the iron in his blood is not being oxidized properly).

This is a very serious condition, and one that will likely cause Korbach's organs to shut down, and soon.

Tasho's expression softens. "You wish to live? ...I can understand that. ...Damn. Look, I'm no doctor, but I think if you make your way to Kintargo you might be able to find someone who can help you. The trek to Kintargo will take three days by the southern road. It's going to be a rough ride, but it's your best shot."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Mal's face breaks into immediate concern as the babe started bawling. He tightened his grip on the child, fearful of dropping him. Thinking fast, his tail unfurled from his waist, retrieving a small empty metallic vial. The deft tail-tips twirled the vial around slowly right over Emeric's face, hoping to draw the baby's attention. Shush now little one. Don't you cry. Everything will be alright. Malrut started to follow Olivia out the door, not wanting to waste anymore time. He pulled Jaclyn along with him gently.

[Kvard51]

The look of intensity returns as Korback takes in Tasho's words. "Then I will take the road to Kintargo. A few minutes to gather my things and I will be at the western gate renting a carriage."

He turns to Brianna, ducks his head, and speaks softly, "You have no reason to come with me. But your company would be appreciated. I may become to weak to find my way to a healer before arrival, and I trust you far more than a hireling." It is clear he doesn't expect her to make the trip, but he looks at her through heavy lashes with hope apparent in his gaze.

[ArendK]

"I'll meet you there. Of course I'm coming. Then we're going to come back and help anyone else we can."

Brianna shot a nasty look at her fellow tiefling as she turned quickly on her heels and jogged towards her little doss to retrieve her things, angry with Tasho for writing off Korbach so easily. The thought of just assuming he was already dead told Brianna all she needed about Tasho's actual feelings and apathy. If the shadowdancer actually cared, she'd have at least given them a name of someone who could help. "No matter..." she thought; "we'll be able to do this."

[Kallimakus]

Laura spots the wolf, warily leveling her polearm on a defensive posture. She calls upon her gift, seeking any trace of evil or demonic corruption. It looked normal enough, but this close to the Worldwound she didn't want to leave it to chance, especially alone as she was. She briefly considers reaching for her shield, but feels it safer to use the greater reach of her polearm here.

Umm... Shoo? she says to the wolf, shaking her weapon at it in a vaguely threatening manner. She was conflicted. Killing the wolf was probably not too problematic, but it carried a risk of injury. On the other hand, left alone, it could harass a less wary traveller, or simply creep up on her in the dark of the night. Weapon level, she waited on the wolf.

Spoiler: OOC

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Ready an attack against a foe entering reach. Move action to detect Evil.
(1d20+1)[11] Readied attack.
(1d8+3)[11] damage
(1d8+3)[5] Brace damage bonus If enemy charges.
(1d20+1)[5] Attack of opportunity
[Roll]1d8+4/roll] nonlethal damage, AoO
(1d20+8)[18] Intimidate, If nonlethal damage is inflicted (enforcer feat)

[userpay]

"What?" Ahkox is caught off-guard by Alicia's outburst. The half-orc was indeed thick... Thick with muscle. Wasn't like that changed all that much did it? Still he stares at her in confusion for several moments before following after.

[NeoSeraphi]

Spoiler: Malrut

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Jaclyn nods and walks with Malrut while the child continues to cry. He looks up at Malrut with a quivering lip.

Out in the streets, Olivia begins directing attention and spreading the word. The temple is on the other side of the city. Malrut will need to keep a close eye on the kids as he tries to pass all the people fleeing for their lives.

Spoiler: Korbach and Brianna

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As the pair begin to make their way to the horse stables, Korbach spies a soldier approaching him.

"Excuse me. There's an emergency in the town square. I'm running around, gathering up all able-bodied men who are willing to help deal with the situation. Please, if you have just five minutes to spare, we would appreciate your cooperation with this matter."

He turns to Brianna. "Ma'am." He bows politely and walks on past the two of them.

Spoiler: Laura

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Spoiler: Perception DC 15

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The wolf is wearing a collar with a nametag.

The wolf steps forward and snarls a bit aggressively. Her threatening motion has the beast hesitate, but it still eyes her closely. If she makes any sudden motions, she knows she will be attacked.

Spoiler: Ahkox

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Alicia sighs as if she's given up. She checks her notepad. "We have three squadrons we can request for this mission. Gerrick's team is full of archers who can easily put a hole in one of those Hellknights from 100 feet away. It's the team that is most likely to safely retreat if we get outnumbered. Mintos's team is mostly heavyweights, there will be plenty of armor to intercept blows and a few of them love to wrestle. This team will be the most adept at potentially subduing a Hellknight without killing him, should the need arise. And then, Torkal's group is light and fast. They don't have a lot of armor, but they can shred a man to pieces instantly. This team is the most likely to win a straight up confrontation if we have no other options, but also the team most prone to casualties."

She turns to Ahkox. "I defer to your combat experience in this regard, Ahkox. Who should we ask to come with us?