Tolbert IronBeard of Montagne-peaks was having a good day. One of his rades khe location of the sourost if not all evil in this region, a duchy-back triumvirate of mad wizards and evil cultists. The d had told them of this pce, and most wouldn't have believed it if we all didn't trust him on a more personal level before this. Now he had gathered what is probably the stro force of elites in all the kingdoms, and it's mueeded as well. At first, they faced a group of assassins in the sewers, led by a slippery man their expedition lead identified as Kharn, right-hand man of Eliana Malencia. It was a lot of annoying work, but they eventually cleared out the team a Kharn pag. While the team was hoping on finishing him off, the bastard got away before they could strike any finishing blows. Asahi seemed to have known this, as he tends to do, so he wasn't too disappointed, saying that we would get him aime like it's aability.
hey faced the most lucrative bck market anyone had ever id their eyes on, it would've been a mighty fine affair if Tolbert was actually able to do some shopping, even if some of the goods weren't up his moral alley, most goods were merely there to dodge the kingdom's tax. Tolbert appreciate not wanting to pay tax to aher than the dwarven high-king, and even then doing so begrudgingly, but this bck market too was simply a facade to cover up the crimes perpetrated here. They faced a garrison of 'untraihugs' led by someohat looked rather unwashed but moved like an experienced knight. Asahi called him Rowan, the public face of the guard of the duchy. His thugs moved like a trained unit, and he was able to dey their team long enough for the majority of the bck market traders to flee, even mao get a messenger sent to their goal once he realized they weren't here to raid a bunch of penny-ping merts. Rowan and a few of his troops disappeared ter as well, seemingly into thin air, which is odd sidering he didn't strike anyone as the slippery type like Kharn.
After that was the empty hallway with a small ste room leading to their goal, the den of evil. Larielle had dispatched the messenger before he reached the enemy hideout to warn them, but then things kind of started going sideways. A massive mermaid showed up and just... revived the messenger. Did some no doubt heretical magiake a man stand up like that. Asahi couldn't pin down her identity, which was the weirdest out of all this, she certainly didn't seem like a figure one could just fet. That all leads to the crux of the issue, Tolbert was having a good day, it all started going downhill after the fight with the mermaid, and Tolbert being thrown down a flight of stairs by said mermaid. The messenger mao make it to the cults, and now their team was bogged waist height is of demons, zombies, and... things.
Tolbert hacks away at another bck mass, Asahi said that if the messenger was killed they would face scattered resistance, and if he made it through they would have to be fag all the cults one by one, yet now the cults are attag with some level of coordination. Ahing today that their rather so far infallible oracle failed to prediot to mention the fact that the main hub they had been cutting towards is on fire! They were meant to get evidence of the crimes of the Duchess here, but all they see is a strike team of demons supported by liches and covered by eldritch horrors carve a path through their objectives, and Tolbert knows they won't find anything incriminating as the st cult base is razed to the ground, they barely even fought any of the cultists themselves. Tolbert watches as their fearless leader sits on a finely carved stone bench, somehow seeming more exhausted as the time when he fought off a dragon.
"I-I didn't expect such a rge difference... the duchess brought someone in that could reign in the cultists... somehow. That mermaid gave the messenger an order, and I'm fident that without that order the cults wouldn't have reacted this prepared... they would have been arrogant towards our entry. Did my as really...?" Asahi states it like he's saying the sun will rise tomorrow, fide being lost in his tone, while he still looks defeated. The messenger iion didn't get off easy, his revival was short-lived as it seems the magic that kept him running for a while ran out, his corpse lying in a puddle of blood fifty meters away from where he should have died.
"Cheer up d, we still just about destroyed the effort the duchess has been putting in this pce for a while, there is also enough evideo force a crackdown, these bastards won't be active for a wee bit again." Tolbert puts his hand on the boy's shoulder, it must be hard to know things others don't and carry the weight of the future.
"The dwarf for all his faults is right, you said that the heir is tainted by a host of vile magics, we go scout him out." Tolbert scowls at Larielle, and she sees him scowling even with his helmet on.
"Aye, and the elf is right that the pansy noble isn't just affected by vile magic, but if yer predis keep goin' like this we will most likely face a stronger Jake. we call for reinforts from Ri? They have always been ready to throw a rock toward Faerune." Despite Tolbert addressing Asahi, he still looks with fury towards Larielle.
"Ri... Ri won't be able to help, PMC will also act too slowly. Belluzoar will probably help, he's set to arrive soon." Asahi rubs his forehead, and Nalia quickly rushes over.
"The God of war is ing? And you are pnning to ask for his help? Do you know how dangerous the gods be? Belluzoar isly known to be very... empathetialia sounds worried about them, her caution with her words isn't unwarranted either.
"Rex, he will help with his. The Faerune Kingdom won't take kindly to his presence, but we need him heless." Asahi grips his sword tightly, and the look in his eyes is grave.
"Whatever ya say d, it's gotta be real scary if the avatar of the war god is 'needed'."
Prickly
