Kavonde

DYNAHEIR | HP 32/32 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12 | Rages Remaining 3 Dynaheir frowns thoughtfully at the discussion of "spider climbing." "Then someone should stay here at the top of the stairs in case he tries to evade us. Or perhaps Ireena and Ismark should lock the hatch behind us as we descend. We will look very silly if we stomp down these stairs only for him to slip out behind us and eat his father." Nevertheless, torch in one hand and greatsword in the other, she leads the way down the steps and into the lair of the vampire spawn, ready to be about their grim duty.

| HP 17/17 | AC 16 | Initiative +3 | Passive Perception 11 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/2 Active Effects: N/A Gaerzil gives Mishka a nod. "One other interesting thing we've learned: the cult is targeting anyone from Elturel. Perhaps the city itself has some sort of ties to the cult? I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the oh-so-righteous Hellriders were actually named that because they started as an infernal cult, and somehow all of this is the result of a bargain they reneged on. Perhaps they cult is seeking revenge on anyone native to the city." He frowns thoughtfully a moment later, tapping his chin with his index finger. "Although... that brings us back to the 'kill the traitor-blood' thing and the 'traitor-blood' in question not being me. I was born in Elturel, too, after all." He shrugs. "Regardless, yes, Bolnata should be our next stop. She and this Dovis are the closest things we have to leads."

| Human Bard/Cathartic Mage 2 HP 26/26 | AC 17 | Fort +5 | Ref +6 | Will +8 | Perception +8 | Hero Points 1 Focus Points 3/3 | Spell Slots (1st - 2/3) | Class DC 18 Martella's updates are a welcome distraction from the tedium of searching the bunker. It's also amusing to Armen that his sister clearly remembered her brooches are one-way communication devices; she must have been rather frazzled during the initial conflict. Of course, if the military is split between loyalties, that's likely a recipe for a civil war. It had been awhile since Taldan had suffered one of those. (At times in the nation's past, they'd been quite common, happening almost every time a ruler died.) The thought of such senseless slaughter at the behest of a couple of paranoid reactionaries makes Armen feel glum and melancholy. It's human nature, of course, to bicker and brawl over stupid and senseless things that will never matter in the long run. Perhaps he's a fool for letting himself care about Eutropia and her cause. Perhaps he should just go back to work on his magnum opus once they find their way out of here. What's the point of participating in this war? Even if Eutropia prevails, will the positive changes and reforms she makes balance out the pain and grief necessary to put her on the throne in the first place? His brain is distracted pondering these thoughts while his body continues working, running fingers over the walls and the corners of every piece of furniture he comes across. He doesn't realize he's sharing space with Myrthe again until he nearly walks into her. "Oh, uh, hello," he says, shaken abruptly out of his thoughts. "Have you heard from your patroness? It sounds as though she and Martella made it out."

- LG Tiny Poppet (Toy) Cleric of Mazludeh 1 HP 16/16 | FP 1/1 | Fort +4 | Ref +5 | Will +9 | Perception +7 (Darkvision) | Speed 25' Status Effects: None | Spell Effects: None | Spells Prepared: 1st Rank: Heal, Bless, Sanctuary Nyoka, holding her bell overhead and ringing it for all she's worth, charges into the fray beside Ras. With surprising acumen, she scrambles up the shelves to close the distance with the pugwampis above. "Shoo!" she cries with all the viciousness and ferocity a foot-and-a-half tall wooden doll can muster. "Skedaddle!" OOC Dashing twice to move 35' northwest. (Done on Roll20.) Ringing her bell in the pugwampi's face.

DYNAHEIR | HP 32/32 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12 | Rages Remaining 3 "As quickly and as painlessly as possible," Dyna agrees. Her heart is heavy at what they must do, but it's clear that brave Doru, or whatever is left of him, is well and truly the servant of dark forces now. She offers Father Donavich a sympathetic frown, then draws her greatsword from over her shoulder and gives it a few one-handed test swings as they walk towards Doru's prison. "It is not fair, what we must do. But the blame lies not with us, but with the villain who would inflict such a fate on others. And perhaps this act will give both Doru and, someday, his father peace."

| HP 17/17 | AC 16 | Initiative +3 | Passive Perception 11 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/2 Active Effects: N/A Gaerzil nods in agreement with Keryn. "Yes. He was stabbed from behind; at best, he saw his attacker's boots, and I doubt he was a skilled enough cobbler for that to be a vital clue." He taps his chin thoughtfully with his index finger. "The other questions aren't bad. Where was he off to, who would want to kill him, and whether or not he's associated with the Cult of Zariel. If he says no to that one, perhaps we could ask him if he's associated with the Cult of Dis instead. Otherwise... hmm." After a second, his face lights up and he raises his finger excitedly. "Aha! His brother! We should ask what reasons he had beyond those stated in his letter to reach out to his sadly comatose brother."

| Human Bard/Cathartic Mage 2 HP 26/26 | AC 17 | Fort +5 | Ref +6 | Will +8 | Perception +8 | Hero Points 1 Focus Points 3/3 | Spell Slots (1st - 2/3) | Class DC 18 Visualizing the space they're in and acting on a hunch, Armen moves to the little chamber between the dormitory and the storage room and begins investigating the walls there for any secret buttons or switches or pressure plates or what have you. After all, if one were building a presumably underground bunker, why would you dig out more stone than you absolutely needed to? Why have all this empty space in the middle of the complex? As he searches, he hums to himself, that could potentially aid the efforts of his companions in their own searches. OOC I moved Armen on Roll20, and he'll be doing a Search action (Perception +7) in this li'l corridor down south. He'll also be using Uplifting Overture to potentially Aid anyone else rolling Perception within 60' of him.

- LG Tiny Poppet (Toy) Cleric of Mazludeh 1 HP 16/16 | FP 1/1 | Fort +4 | Ref +5 | Will +9 | Perception +7 (Darkvision) | Speed 25' Status Effects: None | Spell Effects: None | Spells Prepared: 1st Rank: Heal, Bless, Sanctuary Nyoka clings to Szasz's shawl for dear life as she dips into a deep bow towards Xhokan. She tries very hard not to give the snake-girl an offended look, reminding herself that Szasz is being very nice by letting Nyoka ride around on her shoulder and it's understandable if she forgets about the poppet's presence every now and then. As they position themselves at the door, ready to breach and clear, Nyoka prepares to scramble down off of Szasz so that she can position herself more effectively to herd the pugwampis. She hangs off Szasz's sleeve like a Red Mantis assassin about to strike from above, a bell the size of her head hanging from her hand. "Ready," she announces in a tiny, determined voice.

DYNAHEIR | HP 32/32 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12 | Rages Remaining 3 "He was a good man in a place where it seems very difficult to be one," Dyna says solemnly. She looks to where the silent riders sat, frowning. Then she turns back to Ireena and Ismark and nods respectfully to them. "And he raised two children who also strive to be good in this dark place. A noble legacy to leave behind."

| HP 17/17 | AC 16 | Initiative +3 | Passive Perception 11 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/2 Active Effects: N/A Gaerzil, walking out of the guard tower providing access to the wall, crosses his arm across his chest and taps his chin thoughtfully. "The victim was caught unawares, some time before Deepnight. The culprit then drew these symbols, which are Infernal runes reading 'for the fallen' and what appears to be an attempt at the unholy symbol of the archdevil Zariel, in the victim's fresh blood. He or she then ascended the wall, likely with the aid of magic, judging by the lack of footprints. Once there, they cleaned their boots in a nearby puddle, concealing any further trail they may have left." He turns to examine the body again. "I think it's safe to assume this has something to do with the devil cults we've been dealing with." He looks at the Artful Dodger and raises an eyebrow in a silent "I told you so." The black-and-white cat rolls its eyes and goes back to licking its paws. "So, we can likely rule out most practitioners of divine magic, since jump, levitate, dimension door and so on are generally the domain of arcane spellcasters like myself, or perhaps the occasional druid or ranger, though... not many of them are likely to worship devils. Of course, anyone familiar with casting spells from scrolls or armed with the right potions could also manage such an escape, so..." He shrugs, spreading his hands. "The only conclusion we can draw from the evidence at hand is that the killer has access to magic through some means or another, which narrows it down to just, say, two-thirds of the city's population or so."

- LG Tiny Poppet (Toy) Cleric of Mazludeh 1 HP 16/16 | FP 1/1 | Fort +4 | Ref +5 | Will +9 | Perception +7 (Darkvision) | Speed 25' Status Effects: None | Spell Effects: None | Spells Prepared: 1st Rank: Heal, Bless, Sanctuary Nyoka enjoys being carried around on Szasz's shoulder quite a bit. Though she doesn't really get tired of walking, she always does feel a bit ridiculous having to take six steps for each of her classmates' one. Not to mention having to look up everyone's noses all the time. Following up on Szasz' words and Adalet's suggestion about nets, Nyoka adds: "Most importantly, silver bells. Pugwampis hate the sound. We may be able to drive them away from the school without hurting them. One for each of us should do nicely, o?"

| HP 17/17 | AC 16 | Initiative +3 | Passive Perception 11 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/2 Active Effects: N/A Gaerzil sighs. Another murder investigation? It was either a simple mugging and they were wasting their time, or it has something to do with the damned devil cults. What was the likelihood of there being a third, entirely unrelated conspiracy for them to become embroiled in? Significantly higher than this being related to your ongoing problems, the Artful Dodger tells him, perched on a shelf nearby and idly cleaning his paws. Well, objectively, yes, Gaerzil admits, but come on. There's some mysterious fiendish spirit flitting about that can possess people and bears our caravan a particular grudge. That's to say nothing of all the other cults that apparently exist. How many dark cults can one city possibly play host to? Yes, I doubt the Sharrans appreciate the competition. What? What? Gaerzil glares at the fey feline, then takes his turn examining the letter for any clues. Once he's had a look, he joins the others in visiting the crime scene and combing it for clues.

| Human Bard/Cathartic Mage 2 HP 26/26 | AC 17 | Fort +5 | Ref +6 | Will +8 | Perception +8 | Hero Points 1 Focus Points 3/3 | Spell Slots (1st - 2/3) | Class DC 18 Myrthe's departure leaves Armen alone to stew in his thoughts. He stands there, idly pretending to examine the wall for awhile as he regains control of his emotional state. Now isn't the time for mooning over lost love. They're trapped in a dungeon. The Princess may still be in danger. They need to get out of here. When Ka begins testing the switches to see which rooms they illuminate, Armen quietly heads off into the barracks room to the southwest. "On!" he calls when the light turns on. "Off!" when it goes dark. He wanders over to the unopened door in the southeast corner of the room and presses his ear against it. Assuming he doesn't hear anythingPerception roll at +7 on the other side, he opens it to see what lies beyond.

DYNAHEIR | HP 32/32 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12 | Rages Remaining 3 Dynaheir volunteers to be a pallbearer immediately, taking the front corner of the casket and holding more than her fair share. The emergence of the wolves makes her wish she had a weapon she could bear with a single hand; she might be able to manage her greatsword, but it would be awkward and cumbersome with the burgomeister's coffin on her shoulder. She eyes the wolves warily, focusing her attention on them despite the intimidating pair of figures on the hill above. Proximity generally dictates threat, after all. The ominousness of their situation makes her uncharacteristically cautious, and when Joliet launches her taunts at the distant figures, Dyna has to fight a reflex to cover her mouth with her hand. "Perhaps we should wait to taunt the villains and their massive pack of wolves until we have both hands free?" She glances back up at the distant pair of riders. "Though it is a very impressive horse."

| HP 17/17 | AC 16 | Initiative +3 | Passive Perception 11 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 2/2 Active Effects: N/A Gaerzil raises an eyebrow at Rivalen's advice. "Get the crowd on my side? I'm a wizard, not a street performer. If I need the crowd on my side, I'll get them there by displaying power and competence." He's happy to let Hravin handle the Flaming Fists' questions, and he mostly remains silent as the others return and events resolve themselves. Their victory is complete and there doesn't seem to be any further need for his talents, so he simply observes the proceedings... and helps search the bodies of the slain cultists, just in case they have any coin secreted away. The next day, they're summoned to the Flaming Fist's barracks at the Basilisk Gate. Gaerzil doesn't do much to hide his annoyance. He doesn't particularly appreciate being lumped in as with the Lords' Alliance, nor does he appreciate being summoned when he could certainly find something more productive to do with his morning. The Artful Dodger pads along behind him, seeming quite amused at his grumpiness. At the question of who Segren Hall is, Gaerzil shrugs. "The unconscious man? I pulled him out of a burning barn myself. He'd been kicked in the head by a horse and still hasn't roused. I'm no doctor, but I suspect it's unlikely he ever will."