The Necromancer's Pact IX: City of Weeping Ghosts

[Dr._Bob]

After only a few hours of sleep, the hathrans rise to their feet, shaking off the ice that had formed over their cloaks. The witchboats glide westward through the night as the stars wheel overhead.

First contact is made hours before daybreak with Ashanath merely a dark smudge across the western horizon. Tiny pinpoints of light appear along the edge of the Lake.

"The first wave is landing," whispers one of the hathrans. As your three boats move forward, the pinpoints slowly grow larger. Brief flashes of light streak upward and small explosions can be seen. Muffled booms eventually reach your ears, delayed by distance.

As the sky begins to lighten behind you, you are able to see what seems like hundreds of witchboats and warboats converging on the ruins of Shandaular from the north and south.

"They are meeting with significant resistance," mutters another of the hathrans. Her voice is carefully modulated to carry little emotion, but Tryntha detects disappointment and a small amount of fear. The assault was counting on the element of surprise, but the immediate response from the shore is definitely disheartening.

Your three boats begin to drift toward the south while the rest of the fleet races to the shore.

[namo]

Adalmar

In a worried whisper, Adalmar voices his thoughts : "I believed going through the tunnels was too hazardous, but I'm starting to reconsider... If the Rashemen are stuck close to the shore, it will mean an uphill battle all the way to the center of the city - and I'm not sure we can afford that.

If we try to go around..."

Spoiler

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DR, does it seem like it would be easy to go around the current battle ? (from Adalmar's memories and what little he can guess of the current situation)

[Naleh]

Retay Wyrmslayer

From his post, staring at the horizon, Retay had been growing agitated from first sight of land. He drew his greataxe and sat with it across his knees, watching the lights.

Eventually he begins pacing like an imprisoned tiger, still watching the battle. It's debatable whether he has blinked since Tanner left.

"Whatever, as long as I get to kill undead," he snaps at Adalmar.

[Koji]

Khazrael

His frost-blue eyes glimmering, Khazrael watches the battle intently. He idly shifts his balance a bit before asking the Hathran, "How long now?"

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika sighs. "I know I should already know this, but where do the tunnels lead? Do they come out in the middle of the city, or in the tower itself, or at a back gate in the walls...? Do we even know where they lead?"

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel returns to the 3 witch boats in a morose mood. Talking to Tanner had been unpleasant and a waste of time. She informs whoever's interested that Tanner won't be rejoining them and that she doubts that he had taken the ring. And since the subject's been breached, Tiriel asks if anyone's managed to find the ixen ring while she was gone.
... ... ... ... ... ...

Hearing the muffled explosions and seeing bursts of light on the shore the next morning puts Tiriel in a better mood. Battles are far more straightforward affairs than sorting out what's going on in someone's head after all.
"Not all of us can use the tunnels since Retay's too big for them. Maybe we would be better off splitting into two groups after all..."

[Dr._Bob]

The hathrans indicate that you will land at just about daybreak. They are flanking the main fleet in the hopes of landing away from the main assault.

Adalmar recalls that the tunnels were quite extensive, but he never fully explored them. Their depth, however, suggests to him that they likely lead below the inner circles of Shandaular. There would be no guarantee that they would lead directly to the ruined keep in the center however.

It is still dark, but as you near the shore, you can make out the low cliffs rising from the water's edge. The climb up the rocks would be manageable if you decide to forgo the underground route.

The shouts of the Rashemi berserkers can be heard above the unearthly screams of their opponents. The loud, piercing cries of the enemy are strangely disconcerting.

"Those aren't zombies or skeletons, I'll warrant ..." says Aeroz.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn doesn't talk to anyone after Tanner leaves. He keeps to himself and appears to be thinking about things. He groans when they get closer and the battle starts going wrong. Lovely plans. Too bad they didn't work out so far. Probably some spy. It's impossible to move armies without a spy. Or a divining spell. I'm sure Sethra or Valentine could manage that. Well, let's hope our part works...

[barawn]

Damian

Damian looks to Tiriel as the boats approach the city. "Well, underground and by air would look like the best options, since the armies seem to be concentrated on the ground. Unfortunately that would guarantee we couldn't communicate, which is a definite problem."

He frowns, looking around again. "I don't like this at all, but I'd have to say that if at all possible, I think underground may be our best route. It's likely to be the least defended with the armies concentrated above ground."

[Koji]

Khazrael

Khazrael glances to Aeroz, and listens intently to the battle cries.

Spoiler

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((Knowledge: The planes (if applicable)
1d20+3=20))

"No. No they aren't."

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Her heart strained against the inside of her chest, wishing it could be rushing to the aide of her countrymen. But, she knew that the greater good needed her attention to help these people get to this vampire. With the loss of the Gondsman, her abilities would be spread terribly thin.

She guided her boat along with the others, once again glad for the mask that hid her sadness from those around her.

"Please, let us not let their sacrifice be in vain. If we can move around the main fighting, we should do so without getting stuck into tunnels we dont even know where they lead to."

[Dr._Bob]

Khazrael recognizes the screeching sounds as demonic battle cries. Listening closely he can almost make out the abyssal words - calls for reinforcements, threats, cajoling, shouts of triumph, curses ...

As you near the shore, away from the main assault, you can begin to make out shadowy figures silhouetted against the flames in the distance.

Small lumpy creatures mill about ineffectively - dretches, Khazrael assumes. Larger hulks press forward bellowing at the dretches - likely, hezrou. At first, the Rashemi cut through the demons with pitiless efficiency, but the alarm has been raised ...

The first rays of light peek out over the horizon to the east, lightening the sky. Small dark specks appear out of the western darkness. Khazrael points them out - vrocks. So far, the demons' attention is focused on the main attack group. The Rashemi struggle to gain a foothold at the Lake's edge ...

...

Without fanfare, your witchboats crunch into the gravely beach that sits at the base of the low cliffs. You quickly disembark, leaving the two hathrans behind to guard the three boats.

"We can remain until dusk. If you are not back by then, we will have to pull back into the Lake."

Standing at the foot of the cliffs, you can no longer see or hear the battle raging just a mile or so north of you. It is almost peaceful here as soft waves lap against the shore.

The rising sun illuminates the tops of the cliffs, casting its nooks and crannies in sharp relief. A climb to the top of the cliffs would be easily managable.

Dark shadows at the base of the cliffs mark the caves and tunnels Adalmar mentioned - a possible alternate path.

[namo]

Adalmar

He nods stiffly to the Hathran. "Again, we thank you for your help, Honored Ones."

If we do get the kris, but too late, we'll drop it in the lake or bury it in some cavern... Hardly the worst outcome.

Turning to the group : "So which is it ?

Perhaps an experienced climber could go up there quickly to assess the situation. It would be better if he or she" - he glances at Anika - "stayed unnoticed."

[Koji]

Khazrael

Khazrael feels a charge of nervous energy pass through his body as he recognizes his bretheren in the distance.

"Demons. Full-blooded demons...I doubt we're gonna to be able to completely avoid them, but we really should take the tunnels. We can at least avoid the vrocks. They'd have no problem spotting us out in the open."

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika glances at the cliff face. "I could climb up there pretty easily... but I doubt there's much cover up there. Even if I could stay out of sight, most of us couldn't. Let me go check it out, though, I could always be wrong..."

She turns to the cliff and makes her way up.

((OOC: Climb Check (1d20+10=30) Sweeet.
Hide Check (if needed) (1d20+26=39)))

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

"Demons are hardly ever good. I'm sorry Thokk, but it's a good thing you're not with us. He'd go charging off after them you know... Tunnels are a good idea. They are leaving a lot to luck though. We aren't sure if they lead where we need to be. How's our luck been recently?" Fizahn produces a coin and looks at the party. "There is always the flip... Heads we climb, tails we take the tunnels?" Fizahn draws his dagger and tosses it a short distance into the air before catching it. He flips the coin. Concealing the coin with his hand, he looks expectantly at the rest of the group.

[Koji]

Khazrael

With a shake of his head, Khazrael says to Fizahn, "No. We get down and out of sight. You guys can't fly, and an airborne enemy would easily knock you off the cliff."

[barawn]

Damian

Damian's eyes follow Anika as she easily slips up the cliff and vanishes completely. His eyes widen and he shakes his head slightly in disbelief. "Where did that girl learn to do that? That's just high art, right there. Perfect form."

He nods his head as Khazrael speaks, looking over to Fizahn at the end. "I'm with Khazrael. I thought it was a bad idea to simply charge into the fray before. Now that the force is even larger than we thought - and more varied - it's even more of a bad idea. We've got to use that battle as a distraction. Head in through the tunnels, hope the battle above pulls enough of their forces back."

He looks over toward the caves, hidden in dark shadow, a grim look crossing his face. "The caves may also dilute their advantage of numbers somewhat. They won't be able to muster as much of a force against us directly. But do we have any way of navigating in the caves at all?"

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

She'd really only been expecting undead on the other side of the lake and the mention of demons filled her with a sense of dread. Tiriel's last encounter with a demon had left her armor and sword coated in acidic muck that left both tarnished. They'd managed to take both the demons and their nasty mounts down but it hadn't been easy.
She didn't like being underground but the caves where sounding better and better, and it wasn't like they didn't have experience with underground travel. If they'd survived and navigated the Underdark, how bad could some cliff-side caves be? Tiriel told herself.

"Forget the coin Fizahn, I think we're stuck taking the caves. But we should wait until Anika comes back. She might have seen something that'll change our minds."

[ooc: I forgot, Tiriel's armor is still tarnished. it's a bit silly having a character w/ acid resistance but not armor]

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Fishing about in her bag, the Rashemi healer produces three small stones and rolls them around in her palm,

"Well, if we are forced to take the tunnels, we have these to perhaps make our way a bit easier. They will allow us to make passages where they do not exist...maybe even allowing us to somewhat choose the area where we surface."

She meets any looks she receives at not mentioning these resources ahead of time with her ivory mask and merely offers,

"A gift from my sisters and the Iron Lord."

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan

Elthan looks back at the battle as the party disembarks, barely able to make anything out, elven sight or not. He stays quiet, contemplating how to best use of his powers for the upcoming challenges. He widens his stance on the shore and casts a spell with simple mastery, making himself glow for a few moments before the effect fades away. He stays close to Damian and Callos, watching Anika climb the cliff face. It might have been easier for himself to fly up there and stay out of sight using his ring, but he lacked the observational abilities to see anything useful, or the silence to make the invisibility worthwhile.

Perhaps I should give her the ring?, he ponders, instead shrugging and looking at Damian. "I'm going to activate my ring and stay invisible for the rest of this day. I'll try to stick nearby in case you need any of my spells."

Spoiler

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Casting Mage Armor now, should last seven hours. Also activating the Brass Ring (don't recall the command word this late at night) and turning Invisible along with the personal Unholy Aura effect.

[Dr._Bob]

While Anika scouts up above, Elthan cloaks himself in dark shadows. Though not completely invisible, the half-elf is difficult to make out clearly through the unholy aura. Those of you more closely aligned to good feel an irritating shiver run down your backs as the aura is activated, and you involuntarily step away from Elthan, keeping a safe distance.

After a short while, Anika slips climbs back down the dark cliff rocks. The terrain up above is flat and easily traversed with scattered boulders here and there that could provide intermittent cover.

She had a good view from up above over the beachfront where the main assault is taking place. The Rashemi have gained the beach, taking heavy casualties. Several witchboats are burning, but the demons seem to be falling back away from the beach ...

Anika was not spotted by any vrocks, but it might be challenging for the entire party to make its way toward the shattered tower than rises up in the center of the ruins of Shandaular.

Aeroz peeks into several of the caves. The passages appear to have been carved by small streams running to the Lake. The weak rays of early morning light disappear as they are swallowed up by the caves' darkness.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn shrugs and puts away his coin. "It was tails anyway." He draws his 'short sword' and proceeds into the cave. He quickly pops back out and looks at Adalmar. "I need a guide. Don't particularly like being lost underground. It's not pleasant. I've got light though. Just don't want to take it out when it might be spotted."

[namo]

Adalmar

"I will need a light anyway. Let's go."

Determination on his face, the ranger drows a sword in one hand and a torch in the other and follows Erikkin.

When Anika reports her findings, he thinks to himself : The caves it is. Mielikki, may you guide our steps.

[blackfox]

Anika

I guess it's the caves then... With Selune's grace the Rashemi forces will succeed.

Anika turns to face the tunnel entrance. "I can see well in the dark... I can scout ahead if need be."

[Naleh]

Retay Wyrmslayer

"...Very well. We shall crawl in the caves like sewer rats. If that's what it takes," says the barbarian. With a gravity quite at odds with his earlier tension and excitement, he draws his greataxe and proceeds into the cave.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel doesn't quite manage to suppress the shiver that goes down her back when Elthan activates his ring. Elthans' compatibility with the ring worries Tiriel. While he had never seemed "evil" before, even directly after Evendur's death, she can't help but wonder how the far the worship of Shar has corrupted him. With a shake of her head Tiriel turns and looks into the depths of the caves. Elthan was...helpful and useful; hopefully that much of him hadn't changed.

A mental groan echoes in her mind as she contemplates the caves. This is at least the third time we've had to go underground. Hopefully we won't lose anyone this time. While they've saved us, they've also damned us before.
Tiriel turns to those still waiting on the shore, "So, it looks like it's caves unless anyone wants to risk the cliff." she says before following Anika into the dark.

edit: I forgot to include her reaction to Elthan.

[Matticus]

Grynde

He licks his lips in anticipation. Never fought a demon before...
Mimicking Adalmer, he pulls forth his everburning torch from his pack, draws one of his trusted swords, and proceeds to the dark cave, swaggering confidently.

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

As Elthan mentions hiding from sight, Tryntha becomes slightly worried....that is until she realises she can still see him through the magic of her mask. Smiling behind its ivory facade she moves into the caves with the rest and is once again surprised to realise that her mask also allows her to see perfectly in the dark.

She stays vigilant with her extraordinary sight and watches Elthan to make sure he is not up to anything strange and looks around for any hidden threats. She also her ears to the sounds within the caves that might give away something hidden.

Spoiler

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Spot - (1d20+4)[18]
Listen - (1d20+4)[22]

[Dr._Bob]

Anika slips ahead into the darkness with surprising confidence. Tiriel remembers a time when her friend was much more tentative (and less comfortable in total darkness). Certainly all of the group has grown and changed in their time together.

Adalmar and Grynde draw torches from their packs and move forward as well, with Adalmar in the lead, watching for signs left by Anika. Tryntha presses forward as well eagerly, occasionally moving forward ahead of the torchlight, taking advantage of her ihathran mask.

Gala, Tiriel and Retay, the "muscle" of the group stay between Adalmar and Grynde.

Khazrael, Callos, Fizahn and Damian find themselves forming the rear of the party. Elthan hovers nearby, drifting from shadow to shadow.

Aeroz brings up the rear, trusting his keen vision to spot any threats approaching from behind. The elf is careful not to fall too far behind the receding torchlight however.

...

The caves fork and rejoin each other, carved by water flowing from the land to the Lake. Periodically, Anika reappears to confer with Adalmar, and together they make occasional course corrections, aiming for the heart of Shandaular.

In the nearly silent darkness, it is easy to forget about the battle presumably raging aboveground. The air is damp and becomes increasingly warm as you move farther toward the city's center. Tendrils of fog form, further obscuring your vision (including Tryntha's).

There are occasional dead ends or impassable crevasses, forcing the party to backtrack several times. At the end of two hours, you break briefly to reorganize and reorient yourselves.

As you gnaw on some venison jerky and flat bread, kneeling together in a rough circle formed by the torchlight, Adalmar scrapes a diagram into the ground. First, he draws seven concentric circles. He then draws a wiggly line, representing your journey so far. The line goes this way and that, but basically heads towards the "bull's eye". The line penetrates the outer three circles. There are four more circles to go ...

"Douse those lights!" Aeroz hisses. The everburning torches are suppressed, plunging the party into total darkness.

The clattering of stones trails off. Someone or something is moving up ahead ...