Episode 12- Secrets in the Dark

The plan was simple. Fireball was effective and since Grimjaw and his people were clustered close...it would be a solid opening attack. Then it would be followed with a sneak attack from Henry.

It was a good plan!

But the best laid plans of mice and men...

Henry and Menelwen snuck forward to get into position. Thok and Theamen were less lucky. They stepped forward together, their armor clanging against one another. Everyone heard it, turning to see the cause of the sound. Moonlight fell over the path.

Grimjaw smirked, standing up. "Finally, some action!"

The woman in robes, his lieutenant created a breast plate of ice.

Henry forgot the plan, rushing forward before anyone could stop him. He used Burning Hands against them.

"But the plan-"

"Wait, we had a plan?"

Menelwen looked back at Thok. He shrugged. "Boy's gotta learn to listen somehow. Still go through with it."

Theamen managed to use Scorching Ray for a second time that night, attacking the men in front of Henry.

Steadying herself, Menelwen used a fireball. Fortunately for Henry, she was able to spell sculpt around him. This ended the two reavers and injured Grimjaw and his lieutenant.

Rage filled Grimjaw. He locked on Menelwen. His body twisted and conformed until a Giant Boar appeared. With a leap, he crashed down in front of her. A thrust of his head, he impaled her with his tusks. Grimjaw reared back, slamming her down to the floor. Menelwen was pinned down.

"Now!" The lieutenant yelled. Then her body twisted, turning into a serpent made of water. She smirked, turning on Henry.

Even though there was a looming threat in front of him, Henry took aim and shot at the boar. The arrow very clearly pierced the hide of the boar but to no effect. Only magic would be able to do anything.

Seeing his lady pinned down, Theamen's sword lit up with green flames that damaged the boar with a swing of the sword.The smell of bacon hit the air.

Seeing Theamen attack with his sword, Thok tries with his but to no avail. 

Menelwen, still pinned tries to use Shocking Grasp but misses as it kicks out at Thok. Her hand barely misses Theamen's armor clad boot.

More reavers rushed into the room, pouring water from the balcony where Grimjaw's desk was. There was a gurgling screech. A hand reached up out of the water and grabbed Henry. The rogue was pulled into the column of water that was hand shaped. 

Another slam and Menelwen falls unconscious. Satisfied, Grimjaw turned, slamming down on Theamen who fell but not before Hellish Rebuke triggered.

The lieutenant who had turned into the water snake lunged for Thok and missed. 

Vega, who had hung back in the church to tend to the victim rushed in. He used a flame blade that manages to do damage to the boar.

Henry, still trapped in the water creature managed to  twist around, kick off the wall to burst out of the water.

Even though he was pinned underneath the wereboar, Theamen reached out to grab Menelwen's hand. Lay on hands brought her back up enough to disengage in order to get a better attack on it. 

The reavers kept pouring water into the room

Grimjaw turned on Vega, knocking the druid down. He gored him.

Vega got Grimjawed!

Seeing this turn of events, Theamen stood. His hand became covered in wispy black energy (Inflict Wounds). He slammed it into the side of the boar. It let loose a bloody inhuman scream of pain that reverberated throughout the room.

Theamen picked up the boar and threw it across the room. A look of complete hatred just consumed him.

Grimjaw changed back, barely clinging to life. He was a defeated man.

The lieutenant took advantage of the confusion to slip out and away.

Thok tried to make his way to the lieutenant but found his way blocked by the reavers who had been pouring water into the room. They decided to fight.

Menelwen, having seen what Theamen did went over. She placed her hand on his arm and expended a charge from her ring to send three magic missile blasts at a reaver fighting Thok.

The reavers themselves, were attempting to use pack tactics on Thok but failed horribly. 

The water weird (the water arm) lunged for Theamen having been devoid of prey. He wrapped his arm around Menelwen's waist, twisting his body and slashing it with the black aura still around his hand. He told Vega to "Cut the stem."

Vega nodded, killing it. The creature died with a horrible scream, drenching Henry in the process. Soaking wet, Henry took aim at a reaver and landed a hit on one.

Theamen released his hold on Menelwen, using Cloud of Daggers to surround the last remaining reaver that was still standing after the onslaught. Very calmly, he walked up the stairs.

The reaver screamed as he became just a spray of blood and viscera. 

The fight over, Vega started moving around the team to heal everyone up.

Thok, after instructing Grimjaw be bound, follows where the woman fled. He stumbles upon five human that all look terrified. "Which way did she go?"

They point him through a door. He follows, seeing a nice office with watery footsteps that end at a wall. Not immediately seeing how to open it, he returned to the others to question Grimjaw.

"Grimjaw, it's been a while."

"Who the hell are you?"

"You attacked a ship full of wardens."

"I attack a lot of ships. I would remember a mug that ugly."

"You murdered my mentor. What did you do with his sword and shield?"

"It was valuable. I gave it to Shatterkeel." A pause. "I'm surprised we didn't take you. Your kind would have made a good slave on the ship."

"What is this place?"

"It's a base of operation. We get free labor from the people fleeing from the fire cult. It's a pretty sweet deal. They think we're protecting them."

"And the woman?" The lieutenant was his handler from the cult and probably escaped on a ship.

And then the dilemma...to kill or not to kill.

Eventually it was decided that he would kill Grimjaw once and for all. Thok borrows Rezur from Henry after the rogue got one more punch on him. It was quick. But then Vega grew his claws, mutilating the body.

That was rather unsettling. 

From Grimjaw's body the party found an iron key. Tracing the steps to the room with bookshelves, there were notes on that desk about the missing delegation of Mirabar that the had been sent to find. The three males had been shipped off somewhere while the two females had been shipped elsewhere.

After some looting, the hidden staircase was located. It led down to a dock where two boats had been tied. One remained. The lieutenant escaped.

Before setting off, the take a short rest ad decide where to go next. The decision is to follow the river into the darkness that was off on the right. 

They press on. 

As they row (using Menelwen's darkvision as a guide), Henry talks a bit.

"I guess I'm a man now."

"Give it twelve hours, wait until you see Sasha again." Thok replied.

Henry's cheeks went pink. Vega, concerned checked the boy for a fever. He did indeed have one.

They find their way upstream to an underground lake with torches around.

Die to the fever, it was decided that Henry stay in the boat to nap while the others pressed on to explore. 

Instead of engaging in battle against rooms full of sleeping enemies, the party used coppers to "penny" the doors. It made them hard for the enemies to open should they wake.

Everything was going smoothly until they opened a door (it was unable to be pennied due to opening inwards). There was a stone fountain against one wall with a grinning gargoyle on it.  However, that wasn't the concerning part. At the other end of the wall there was a locked door. It had two locks and a familiar symbol.

Menelwen in particular went cold at that fact. The earth cult. But how? They hadn't gone in a full circle did they?

For lack of something better to do, they try the key they had gotten from Grimjaw. Then a voice caught their ears. No, not their ear.

It was in their heads.

"Why are they trying keys....?"

Turning to see where it came from, the door was slammed shut, plunging the four in darkness.

Thok and Menelwen saw the spiny creatures clinging to the wall, looking upside at them with one large eye and a toothy maw shaped in a grin.

"Ooo...the shiny one...he failed his goddess."

"That one fears for the shiny one. She worries he walks the path of darkness and she'll lose him forever."

It turned out these were creatures called Nothiks. And since they seemed intelligent...Thok decided to talk with them. The Nothiks offered a trade. They would answer questions in exchange for secrets from their minds.

Menelwen took a deep breath, asking them where the members of the delegation were taken.

The Nothiks informed her that the men were working in the tombs beneath the monastary. They were captured by the earth cult, taken by water cult and sold back to the earth cult.

Then came the secrets.

"Oo....she is worried....yes. What if she lives...? What if she dies? What will remain? Will it be a short happy life Or a sad long one? Even if he gives her something...she will outlive it all. All alone..." That worry....the problem of having a human lover as an elf. It was something that wasn't exactly far from her mind.

Theamen asked the next question. "Where are we currently? What is this place?"

"Tyr-Besil. Ancient destroyed Dwarven city. The eye...the eye always comes. The eye brought the cults....that were destroyed 400 years ago and are trying again. Now...now we take the secrets."

"It fears for itself, it fears for others. He has betrayed his father, betrayed his blood, so much blood on his hands....He is cursed. He has cursed those who walk beside him. They are all going to die."

His breathing changed, the weight of the secret pressing. Menelwen squeezed his hand but he winced.

Thok stepped up to ask the next one. "What's coming?"

"The eye, the eye is coming. Stars, crushing and quakes, flying and falling. Now...secret."

"It's path is not its own. It is a liar, a thief. He stands there and smiles behind the false truth."

Vega stepped up next. "What is the eye?"

"It is evil from the depths of another plane." The eye seemed to glow brightly in the darkness. "Now secret."

"This one does not know what mask it wears. Is it this flesh, or is it that flesh? Why does he care? Why should he care? What should it follow their rules?"

Feeling more than a little perturbed by the creatures despite the answers, the party thinks about leaving. The Nothiks entice them, promising answers about the Princes....

"Who are the Princes?" Menelwen asked.

"They are blessed by the elemental flames. They had the gift or of order and chaos...very powerful...Olyhydra is the Princess of water...the Tears of Anguish. They wish to release their element, take over the world. They are forces of destruction only." The Notiks moved closer. "They haaate each other. But they need each other. And are all needed by the eye. Now...now we takes."

"It was placed into your arms...swaddled and soft.You hated it. It smiled at you, happy happy happy. You wanted to spell its blood on the sand."

Her jaw clenched. 

"What, are the gifts?" Thok asked.

"Oo...the Princes give power to the prophets. Drown, Wind Vein, Ironfang and Tinderstrike. The prophets wield them as much as they are wielded by them. They are both a strength...and a weakness. Now...we takes."

"Taken away, you were going to die, saved by cruelty or was it kindness? You can never go back. Utter one word and your life hangs on it."

~To be continued....~