Demons What pt 5

When last we left our heroes, they had just finished slaying the last of a small group of demons thatr had tracked Celeste. There are more in the mountains.

A /lot/ more, as you know.

Now what?

Celeste is tired. Very tired. The half-orc has just spent the night running around a mountain, and then spent her morning killing demons. Lots of demons. Well, at least she was amongst friends for that last part; now she stands with her hands on her knees, panting heavily, covered in blood, goo, wounded as she is, and branded courtesy of one of the ichor-fiends with its brand. "We need to get moving," she suggests, "And get off this mountaintop. Now."

Lucy rubs at the back of one arm, where she was similarly branded. "Why would they do something like this...?" she says, voice dripping with concern. "Could it - could thy use it to control us?!"

Malorn rolls out his shoulders and he looks around at the goo. He brushes off his clothes and he looks around, "Agreed, let's get going before more goo demons attack us."

Serraphine is not in the greatest of shapes either, feeling quite taxed from the fight. She drops down to one knee for a moment, a silent prayer of thanks as she looks about. Standing up, pressing down on her sword for that added oomph, she picks the blade the rest of the way up - a quick wipe - and then sheaths it with the rasp of metal on leather. "This... is a difficult situation." She looks back toward the one holding the rod.

"We could destroy it. That would solve some of our problems." A nod of her head.

There's the sound of chewing, and if checked, Baz has some part of a demon in his mouth and is currently testing it al dente. After a few moments he spits it out and frowns. "Dey always taste weird, you fig eventually dey'd grow one that I could 'ave a meal of." Flicking his blade a few times he cleans it of the larger thicker parts of demon body. Finally he reaches for the holy symbol scared into his flesh. "Kor, we need yer power so that we can continue mak'n war on these pissant cowards. Let not this battle end too soon!" The suffusing glow that surrounds him spreads outwards into the group.

"First things first though." Serraphine says, moving over toward Celeste. She reaches up toward the sky for the moment, a close of her eyes, a few murmured words and then... Boop! She pokes Celeste in the nose to a rush of healing and a lifting of fatigue.

GAME: Serraphine rolls 1d6: (4): 4

Lucy produces the rod quickly. Perhaps a bit too quickly, as if she's been waiting for someone to suggest destroying it again - or for that matter to remember that it even exists. "At least someone else take it," she urges. "Someone who's not branded."

"What?" Baz asks of Serraphine. "Destroy it? We gots orders! More important we get paid for it." The big ork frowns and blows air through one nostril. "We take it back we get our money, we get to go and kill more later on. Victory gives more victory. 'sides." He makes a sweep with his blade. "Dey haven't stopped us yet, we'll keep kill'n till we out of here." Once the rod comes into view his large green right hand goes to take it from Lucy.

"Part of our orders." Serraphine says to Baz with a frown, well... she's always frowning, but that's besides the point, "Is to bring it back /or/ destroy it." She holds her hand out toward Lucy a nod of her head. "But I'll carry it for now if you wish. I mind not."

Celeste squints, looking for a moment -- just a moment -- that Serraphine's finger might just be on the menu. The moment passes however, and the half-orc straightens, with a low rumble from her lips. "Thank you," she intones, stretching her arms until the bones pop. "And no, we are not destroying it. We haven't come this far to give up so easily." At Lucy's queery, the berzerker laughs. "Control us? Maybe." She shrugs her shoulders, "But I don't intend to keep mine." It's fortunate, then, that Celeste has just received healing; as she digs her fingernails into her own flesh around the brand, intent on simply tearing that bit of skin right off.

Malorn nods, "We did agree to bring this back, we can't just destroy it now because it's inconvenient for us. Let's keep moving we can talk about this as we go."

GAME: Baz da Ork casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 1d8+3: (8)+3: 11

After the rod isn't turned over to him, Baz shrugs and looks about. There's a pause from the big Ork and he takes a few moments to stomp on the three brands on the ground. Breaking the weapons under his armored feet just to make sure any pursuers aren't able to use any potential magical abilities through them. Then sniffing, smelling the scent of fresh blood his large form makes it's way over towards Celeste, without any preamble he simply sticks his right index finger into the bleeding wound and intones deep in his chest.

"Are'ch Mork Na'Gork kar'sum Kor!" Willing a pulse of healing energy to stop the bleeding and close the wound. He grins then showing off his large metal capped tusks. "Leave the blood lett'n to the enemy, we gots too much ground ta cover a'fore we can start playing wit ourselves." With a chortle the big Ork turns and raises his head taking sniffs of the air. "Gotta find out which way ta go." He glances over towards Serraphine. "We break'n the stick only when it's in the ass of the last demon we can kill. Otherwise we're march'n it back ta town, orders is orders."

Lucy looks dubious as Baz reaches for the rod, and slightly relieved when he turns his attention elsewhere. Something the Oruch says requires a parry though. "We weren't supposed to -march- back to town," she points out. "We were supposed to -fly- there. Only the ship is scattered in pieces out there," she gestures at the mountainside.

Not ot mention the survivors of the crash are still not looking so hot themselves.

Captain Erdessa rubs her chin and mutters, "Whatever we do, it's up to you. I don't know the first thing about navigating mountains on foot." She kneels down by one of the crewmen and pats him on the shoulder. "You'll make it," she tells him.

"And, more importantly, it would be best to destroy it before that point." Serraphine says back to Baz with an arch to her brow, "It may take more than one hit - or one moment in time - but I'm only making sure we remember our charge. Our charge was not, at all costs, bring it back in one piece." A nod of her head and she'll still offer to take it from Lucy but she lets the other decide.

"We may be able to like... sled or something down the other side." A sigh, "But either way, we have to worry about all the people with us, and they are worth more than this scepter too."

Felicia has disconnected.

"We need to worry not just about the people here, now, but everyone else," Celeste points out. "These lands are ruled by a foe who is vast and powerful, yes? Any advantage we can bring to bear against him is worth our time and our risk. That rod represents such an advantage, as it was explained to us. It is worth the risk to keep it intact."

"We need to worry not just about the people here, now, but everyone else," Celeste points out. "These lands are ruled by a foe who is vast and powerful, yes? Any advantage we can bring to bear against him is worth our time and our risk. That rod represents such an advantage, as it was explained to us. It is worth the risk to keep it intact." She flings the branded piece of her own skin into the snow, and stands still while Baz sticks his finger in her wound. "Thank you," she comments afterwards, before sucking her blood off her fingertips, one at a time.

Lucy hands the scepter over to Serraphine, then quickly - or as quickly as her little legs can manage - moves over to the edge of the crowd of survivors, in a position to keep an eye on that flank. As if she's afraid someone will try to give it back.

Serraphine looks over the thing that's caused such consternation, a look back toward Celeste as she nods her head. "I know, and I agree. I am simply saying - we need to remember it is more important to live and destroy it than to die and have it return to their hands." She glares at the rod she holds, annoyed even more so at it than usual. "Anyone have any other plans for how to get off of this mountain in one piece?"

Felicia has connected.

GAME: Felicia refreshes spells.

Malorn looks to the Captain, "I'm sorry if this was all ready brought up, but do you have any sort of emergency signalling device that you can use to let Alexandria know that we are in trouble or perhaps to alert another airship so that we can set up some type of rescue?"

Felicia says, "As much as I'd like to signal alexandria...if we send up any sort of signal, we'll be broadcasting where we are, Malarn." She then looks to the captain. "We'll have to navigate the mountains, because I do not relish fighting all of those demons at once.......""

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 2d6: (6): 6

"We need to worry about getting a move on. There's no telling if the demons have any kind of signaling system themselves, or if they've already been alerted to where we are by the fight," says Captain Erdessa, quietly, glancing towards her men and women again.

The air crew is looking a bit better by the healing they've received. It's going to help, even if some of them have some more.. permanent injuries that are going to be a drag on your movement. Airship crashes aren't easy on the humanoid body.

The big Ork shoulders his blade and raises both of his hands. Calling internally on Kor to cast the area in a warm healing glow. Trying to infuse those around him with at least a small amount of energy. Then he squeezes his fists, the metal and leather cracking before he lifts up one of the palletes made earlier to move the heavily injured.

"Lets get go'in, sooner or later sum one is gonna realize these bastards is miss'n from der group. Now, which way is we head'n?"

Felicia says, "Whichever way there is another cave. Fi?""

Malorn nods to Felicia, "Certainly any visual signal could be seen, but perhaps some spell or magical item that the captain might have that he might have forgotten about in the crash."

"That is the idea, though it would be best to decide before simply walking." Serraphine says, a gesture with her head up the hill. "/Now/ that we decided we are going to keep trying to get this-" she gestures with the rod, "-man in one piece, we should go." She glances toward Felicia a shake of ehr head and she looks toward... Who was it? Lucy? She thinks it was Lucy.

"Do you know?" A nod as well to Malorn, "You are right. Let's figure that out on the go though? We have gone too far to double back for it after all."

Lucy looks in various decisions, trying to guess what direction might be next. "I would think any direction's as good as another, as long as it's not towards the main body." She glances up at the sky. "The best we can hope for is to keep running into smaller groups," she gestures with her spear, without looking, in the direction where they destroyed the goo demons. "While avoiding the flyers. If there's trees or cliffs or something that shield us from view. At least a little bit..."

Felicia says, "yeah...so the direction we want to go in is down." She says pointing down. "the lower we go, the more cover we've got. Let's get moving.""

"If we go down." Serraphine says with a sigh, "Then we'll be headed back the way we've come. We're headed upward and over as that was the way to civilization last I checked. Not the easy way, but at least the best."

Malorn hmms, "Well let's head in the right direction then and towards civilation. It might not be the easier, but it's a lot safer then heading back."

Having been given a direction through the banter, Baz starts off going higher. His blade across his back and both hands holding the makeshift poles that brace the travois holding one or two of the too heavily wounded. As he passes he snorts down at Lucy with a grin. "'Ey tiny, want to ride on me shoulders. You can keep look out and play wit me flag." There's a chortle from the big ork as the blue penant hangs down from the metal helmet on his head.

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls Survival: (17)+5: 22

GAME: Malorn rolls survival: (18)+3: 21

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (6)+13: 19

GAME: Celeste rolls survival: (20)+8: 28

GAME: Serraphine rolls survival: (7)+1: 8

GAME: Felicia rolls survival: (18)+3: 21

Celeste has been quiet for the last few minutes, keeping an eye on the surroundings until the group has resumed moving. As such, she's taken up a spot near the back, to keep the large number of tracks as covered as possible. Does she yell at them and intimidate them into submission and good behaviour? No, not quiet; but with some help, there are no foot prints left behind. None. They're all dead.

Track covering is the best thing.

It's certainly going to make it harder for them to follow you, anyway, but it's a lot of work and does lsow you down not inconsiderably. Still, you're ascending into the mountains where it's only getting colder -- and people aren't really equipped for mountaineering at this tme -- on your way towards the best pass Wilma's able to identify from the local geography.

It isn't long before the thinning oxygen and the colder weather is stating to play havoc on your muscles, and the short, scant amount of daylight you have available in the mountains at the rising atltitude this time of year means you're going to need to be looking for shelter again before long.

A pant for air and Serraphine looks about. "Call up front." She tells a runner, "Tell them they need to find a place for us to camp for the night. It is better to set up while we can, than leave it for last minute and scamper for the scraps of it." She nods her head and looks to the other two with her. "We'll be done before we know it - and then I'm buying you both ale." A nod of her head, reaffirming her thoughts as she looks to the scepter in her hand with a scowl.

Celeste is panting as well; a big half-orc with big muscles needs quite a bit of oxygen, but still, she's doing alright so far. "You all go on ahead," she suggests. "Clearing these tracks is slowing us down a lot; everyone just move, I'll cover it on my own and catch up. I've still got my boots, I'll be fine out here longer than everyone else."

Felicia has kept her mouth shut from then on. Mostly covering the tracks of the group and not able to find shelter on her own......

The good news is that this minimizes the chances of the vultures finding you.

You do hear the occasional shriek. They may still think you slipped past them soemhow.

The bad news, of course, is that at some point they're going to double back and, so far, Wilma isn't having much luck finding shelter. There's not always going to be a convenient cave around and the snows are starting to pick up.

Lucy looks like she'd like to run, but can't get up to more than a 'trudge'. Huddled in her cape, she sniffles constantly and sometimes you hear teeth chattering audibly. "Shelter sounds very important," she agrees. She never thought she'd be pining for the cave from last night. "It's the only way we'll last through the night..."

Lucy looks like she'd like to run, but can't get up to more than a 'trudge'. Huddled in her cape, she sniffles constantly and sometimes you hear teeth chattering audibly. "Shelter sounds very important," she agrees. She never thought she'd be pining for the cave from last night. "It's the only way we'll last through the night..."

"We're not going to find shelter," Celeste pronounces. "There's no cave in sight and we're running out of time. Tell everyone to halt; I think our best option is going to be making ice shelters." The Berzerker draws her sword, and gazes about herself for some likely ice to hack into. "We'll need several of them. I can show everyone who needs it what to do; but if we keep going, we're all going to freeze to death up here." The half-orc pauses here, and flashes a tusky grin. "Well. Everyone except me."

Malorn looks over to Celeste and he nods, "All right." He says as he brushes off his hands ready to help make some ice shelters.

Serraphine looks to Celeste and she glares for a moment, that look that says... I wish you said we'd all have to die. "I hate snow caves. They make me nervous as all hell. Another frown and then she unslings her shield to use as a shovel.

It's not like you have shovels, really, so a shield is going to be the best you've got, along with whatever else some of you might have. This is going to slow things down a bit.

But it's probably better than trying to dig with your bare hands.

Lucy tries poking her spear into the snow to break up some of the hardest packed ice, before using the blunt end to push it out of the way. She doesn't make much progress, as her attempts do little more than stir it around. Then she suddenly makes a small noise of triump. She digs into her traveller's pack that she's been lugging faithfully along all this time, and produces her rugged outdoor frying pan! Now wielding the pick-like end of her speartip with one hand, and the dustpan-like frying pan with the other, she's able to clear snow and ice away just as well as the others

"No need to make it pretty," Celeste half-growls as she's busy digging furiously. "We'll make several. Focus on one first, and we'll get the most severely wounded into it so they can get warmed up first. I'll be in the last one made." She stretches, popping the bones in her neck, before she resumes working. "No resting until everyone's inside."

"Maybe we should send some of the people out to try and get food. We have water taken care of after all." She looks around, shoving her shield in for another scoop of snow... Ugh.

The good news is that everyone is able to mostly make good progress on their snow caves. The better news is that they're not so obvious from the sky and you'll have plenty of ventilation. You've made it n time, to boot, what with the sun setting and it getting pitch dark. You divide into groups and settle amongst hte various shelteres you've craftedf.

Pressing on from here would be ill advised.

Felicia is moving pretty slowly, but seems to have her shelter mostly done. She can't use her campfire bead though...it'd melt her shelter.

In whichever snow shelter she happens to be in, Celeste takes off her shield and rams it spiky-sided down into the ground; then peels off the top portion of her chainmail and tosses it beside herself. "Someone keep watch," she grumbles, laying down on her back and using the thusly placed shield as a pillow. "I've not slept in two days and I'm getting some sleep, here and now. Wake me when it's my turn."

Lucy huddles in her shelter - her first instinct was to group with one of the other adventurers, but later she realized it was best to spread out their numbers and thus ends up in a shelter filled otherwise with airship crewmembers. She assures a few of them she'll wake them for a watch and then turns to peer out of one of the small airspaces left in the shelter, hoping the demon's don't find them tonight.

This time, the night also passes uneventfully, though you're woken several times, whjen you're not on watch, by the shriek of distant demons. They're still hunting.

Sooner or later, your luck is probably going to run out.

Eventually, the sun rises and you're able to slip from your caves, muscles already aching with yesterday's exertion and th fatigue of altitude sicknes to boot.

Celeste dons her armor once more, before retrieving her shield and exiting the cave -- sword in hand, just in case there are demons lurking outside. There aren't; at least, not within fifty paces. "Anyone not wounded, help someone who is," she rumbles, "We get moving immediately. We have to get off this mountain as quickly as possible -- then we can start hunting for something to eat."

Felicia comes out of her place and groans as she puts her armor back on. "Uuuuuugh..." She groans as she tries to stretch her legs....

Lucy does a quick set of calisthenics inside of her shelter, before emerging - one of the benefits of having spent a lifetime taking fencing lessons is that she was taught a stretching excersize seemingly for every occasion. Once she does come out of the shelter where she spent the night, she seems limber and warmed up. Which lasts only a few minutes this high in the mountains. "So what's the plan for today. Climbing, or climbing?"

Serraphine pulls her shield away, having used it as an inside cover to her cave to keep the craft out at night. She sallies forth, sniffs and picks up some snow to use as a makeshift bath. A roll of her shoulders and she nods to Celeste. "Yes. We need to move and we need to get people out hunting while we go or gathering. I care not which."

"A little light climbing with a side of heavy to equal out in a full day of climbing." Serraphine says to Lucy without much of a smile.

Before too long, Wilma's leading the way to a point where you're just going to have to climb. It's not a /difficult/ climb, since it's sloping upwards and has plenty of rocky spots to grab onto, but there's no real worry. It's jsut /slow/. With Serraphine in full plate, the injured, FElicia not really know how to climb, well.. it's /rough/. There's some pratfalls along the way that don't really help matters any, either.

And that's when you hear it: A shriek. r

A loud one.

One of those vulture demons is /near/.

A sigh, more annoyance, more slowing, it's all just adding up in so many ways. She takes a deep breath, slow, cathartic and Serraphine lets it back out when the shriek happens. Her eye twitches. Just breathe Fi, just breath. Another deep breath, an exhale. Okay.

"Archers, shoot that damn thing down. Do we have scouts out yet? Where are they? How far?" Serraphine looks around at the others and then finally into the sky to take a look where that vulture demon might be.

Lucy is having an easier time of the climb than some of the others, one of those rare times a small lightweight build proving to be an advantage in athletic pursuits. But she's doing her best to stay close enough to help the others. "Scouts?" she repeats, mystified.

Felicia had never been rock climbing when she was training....much less in breastplate. She took it slow, but kept moving as best she could....then the shriek.....and she looked over her shoulder. 'Damn..." She groaned.....and tried to get to level ground....

Serraphine looks toward Lucy with a raise of her eyebrows, "Well, I did ask for people to scout some and hunt. But, I guess I was hoping for too much." She reaches down, offering a hand to Felicia to help her up onto the next level.

"Archers? What archers? We don't have any archers." Celeste points out this fact, as she straightens from her position and pulls her shield onto her arm. "This is the least ideal place to be fighting them. ...*perfect*." The gladiatrix draws her sword and bangs it smartly against her shield. "Let's get moving and try to get the wounded off the mountain top." She perks an eyebrow upwards at Serraphine, "There's nothing to scout or hunt up here -- unless you like to eat pika, or if you think a marmot might feed the lot of us. You'll have much better luck finding something to eat lower down."

"There's no goats?" Serraphine says with a bit of a mystified look, then a shrug, "Well, I guess it's an odd place to be then if there's so little. And how is it that no one has a bow?" Asks the person without a bow. A sigh, oh the choices she should've made. Such is life.

Lucy shrugs, and then grabs for a handhold as the gesture nearly sends her falling. "Some of us can try to split off from the others - I can make it sound like...I dunno, a helpless human airshipman or something." She glances at the nearest crewmember. "Um...no offense." Then she hurries on, "That might bring the flying demons to us and we can kill it before it brings back others."

Felicia looks to Serraphine. "We are going DOWN the mountain after this, Fi. No arguments......"

There's a stare at Felicia, "Felicia... If we don't /crest/ the mountain. We're not going down the mountain." Serraphine just shakes her head at Fe, just shakes her head.

"Goats?" Celeste snorts, "Not this high up. They like the heights, but we're above where they'd bother to come most of the time. Not enough for them to eat up here." The half-orc glances down at Lucy, then back up. "Alright, let's have Lucy and I try to get that creature's attention and we'll fight it away from the group. You lot keep going."