Session XIV - Everything changed when the fire cult attacked

Ducking downwards at the last second, Trash manages to narrowly avoid the boulder having been hurled at him by a hill giant. With his knowledge of the giant's language, he understands the creature is trying to scare them off as best it can and does not seem to want to fight despite his aggressive disposition. However, before he can say a word, Tico lobes a fireball in the monster's direction while Klaes, hard pressed by Orcsplitter to engage and slaughter the giants, moves forward with the sentient axe in hand. 

As the party is disengaging and promising to stop (literally) firing, Elthas sends Owl the owl as high up in the air and scouts an entire family of giants poorly hidden a little further in the woods. Klaes, still moving forward is the subject of one adolescent giant's curiosity which draws a female giant's attention. With a mother's instinct protecting her cub, she rushes towards him, swinging a giant axe which digs deep into the paladin's body. Finding himself almost surrounded and understanding he would not benefit from the support of his friends, Klaes takes defensive actions while jumping in the lake, swimming away as fast he could, ignoring Orcsplitter's pleas for vengeance. 

With his weapon pouting, Klaes mounts Zeebruh and leads his companions out of these woods, rapidly reaching The Stone Trail. Still moving as fast as they can, the party eventually reaches a vantage point in the road from which, with Owl the owl flying a hundred feet above the group, Elthas manages to get a glimpse of the village. Through his animal familiar's keen sight, he witnesses a dreadful sight as a force of fire elementals and cultists, almost fifty strong, is heading straight for Westbridge following The Long Road from the south. He estimates the army will lay siege to the village long before the party reaches it. Luckily, he also manages to get glimpses of what appears to be defenders inside the city.

The heroes keep going hoping the defenders can hold the village safe until they get there. Along the way, Elthas keeps periodically peering through the eyes of Owl the owl. At some point, he notices a much smaller party of foes separated from the main army that is sneakily making its way around to enter the town through the eastern entrance as the village's defense is solely focused on the south gate. This party, led by a red tiefling carrying a wooden box, seems to be shadowed by a small hooded figure who's stealthing behind it.  

Fearing the worst, the party picks up the pace, now sprinting forward, attempting to intercept this group before it reaches the village. Putting all chances on their sides, Elthas channels magical energy shrouding the group in an aura of covertness allowing them to avoid perception for the better part of their journey. Closing in on the opposing party, however, Klaes, sitting on top Zeebruh, makes direct eye contact with the tiefling who instantly orders her minions to pick up the pace. Our heroes see their foes entering the village as they desperately try to catch up. 

Closing in on the eastern gate, they notice black towers of smoke emanating from some of the building which they assume have been the target of the various fire creatures making their way through the defenders' blockade. They soon come face to face with the hooded figure Elthas had previously spotted. With a startled demeanor, Arilyn Moonblade turns around, unsheathing a magnificent blade carved with luminescent runes. Wasting no time and ignoring this person, Klaes helps Tico jump on Zeebruh's back and the two of them dart off galloping through Westbridge's narrow streets while the rest of the party exchange a few words with Arilyn. Quickly realizing they're on the same team, the half-elf joins our heroes hasting forward on the mighty steed's heels.

Turning a corner, Klaes pulls the reign as he's faced with two gigantic fire elementals blocking the way. Further ahead, a handful of Eternal Flame Guardians are teasing a few villagers kneeled with their hands tied behind their back, while Vanifer, the red tiefling, seems busy opening the box that she set on the ground by a large tree.

Klaes and Tico give each other an understanding look as the sorcerer nimbly dismounts allowing the paladin to valiantly rush into the fray, weapon in hand. Conjuring powerful astral arcane energy, Tico manages to banish one of the fire elemental back to its plane of origin before running sideways placating his back against a tree trunk, knowing full well he has to keep focus on this spell for what seems to be an eternity in order to make its effect permanent. 

Klaes does everything he can to provide cover for Tico attracting attention from almost all creatures in the vicinity. While he swings Orcsplitter wildly who still obstinately refuses to lend him his forces, the paladin nonetheless draws as much power as he can from his own virtuous oath, desperately smiting the remaining elemental. The latter completely engulfs Klaes whose clothes and bags instantly catch fire. Withstanding the pain and braving the fear, the half-orc stands his ground, intent on protecting Tico with his life.

The Flame Guardians drawn like moths to fire, stop their torture of the prisoners and turn their weapons on Klaes, taking pot shots from a distance. 

As he hears his other companions approaching, Tico peers back in horror at the battlefield as Magma Mephits jump out of the flaming buildings and head towards him and Klaes. In the distance, he also witnesses Vanifer chanting praises to an entity called Imix, promising souls for his surge to this plane, while a glowing crystal ball levitates in front of her face. 

Trash, Elthas and Arilyn finally make their way to the scene. Wasting no time, Trash positions himself to give Klaes some breathing room and draws some of the attention, Arilyn doing the same on the other flank. Meanwhile Elthas teleports to the rooftop and launches an Emerald Elemental Gem from which sprouts a massive water creature. Focusing on controlling this entity who's attempting to undermine Vanifer's ritual, the floating globe now humming and pulsating violently does not seem phased by the elemental and its form seems to be progressively disrupted. From this vantage point, Elthas can clearly see the dreadful insides of the globe, swirling and expanding in a red and orange glow. 

Defending herself as best she can, Vanifer summons a giant wall of fire around herself with the flames licking her skin, burning her clothes but having seemingly no impact on her health. Attempting to avoid unnecessary damage, the water elemental submerges Vanifer inside his own body and drags her away. Panicking and quickly out of breath, the tiefling uses teleportation magic to blink on the rooftop of the building adjacent to her and sees Elthas laying on the ground attempting to stay out of sight. She draws a weapon and clumsily attempts to attack the half-elf with it. 

The battle rages, Thrash wreaks havoc with his kinetic punches, Arilyn swashbuckles her way through the masses and Tico, despite sustaining many attacks, manages to maintain concentration on his banishment spell while firing magic missiles from a distance. Meanwhile, Klaes' skin begins to char. His face and arms are getting badly burned and through mere despair, he manages to land a finishing blow on the fire elemental before realizing he is already completely surrounded by exploding mephits. 

Elthas keeps looking at the levitating orb now cracked with infernal looking magma seeping out of it. It glows in bright red, orange and whites colors and looks on the verge of detonating. After failed attempts from the water creature to dowse the magical implement's fury, Etlhas finally realizes that the box in which it was brought to this place must have been the thing that prevented it from exploding in the first place. He has just enough time to bark orders towards Trash to that effect before Vanifer, seeing her forces engaged and no one left to defend her evil mcguffin, grabs Elthas by the face and looks him in the eye intently, attempting to place him in a magical trance. The latter becomes completely enamored by the beautiful, wild and exotic tiefling and swears to do her bidding, losing control over the water elemental. 

Understanding the urgency in Elthas' cry for help, Trash ignores all dangers and darts forward sidestepping attacks, ducking and jumping around claws and swords coming his way before, at last, he lunges forward, both arms extended, grabs the alleged weapon of mass destruction and dunks it back into the box where the orb instantly turns black and cold. With his hands badly burned, his body covered in cauterized scratches and cuts, he lifts his head to see Vanifer looming over him with a hateful grin. The half-orc instinctively rolls sideways as an angry and out-of-control water elemental crashes into both of them. Caught in the water once more, Vanifer angrily rebukes with hellish powers, completely eradicating the elemental. 

For the first time, Trash gets a good look at her and notices her face and body do not bleed but rather seem to be pouring ashes. She looks badly injured, barely holding together. She points at Trash, still smiling as though she felt no pain, and simply states she would see him again. An arrow shot by Arilyn from the other side of the battlefield finally finds its mark striking her head and turning her to dust. 

Limping, out of breath, with one eye completely burned away and barely in control of his own limbs, Klaes, on pure adrenaline, surrounded by mephits, refuses to surrender. Out of the powers vested in him through his holy oath of devotion, he fends off attacks after attacks. Every now and then a mephit spewing waves of magma burning through his skin, muscles and nerves.

A mephit coming from behind, strikes true, opening a giant gouge in the hero's neck. An attack who would have instantly dispatched a lesser man. Drawing sheer will from his faith, Klaes turns around and, with a grip of steel on Orcsplitter, cuts the monster in half. The magma creature explodes through the force of the impact, violently shoving Klaes' unconscious body to the ground as more mephits pile on him, clawing and gnawing at him. 

While Arilyn, and Elthas release volleys of arrows at the last foes, everyone falls silent. In the midst of this burning inferno, our heroes gasp in horror at the sight of their faithful companion, his inert body laying in the dry earth while a gentle rain of ashes from the surrounding scorched buildings coats his devastated body.  

Klaes who died defending the helpless, who sacrificed his own safety in favor of teaching a sentient weapon the virtues of acceptance. Klaes who protected his friends and guaranteed their victory. A true devote of Ilmater, putting many other pretenders of the same title to shame. Klaes whose name will go down in history as the savior of Westbridge, a champion of his faith and a dear friend to all.

Klaes 1473 - 1491 DR