03 - 6/19/25 : Arduus ad Solem

 

"Unlike you, I had no intention of just lying down and politely accepting death! I will rise above all this, while you'll still be stuck with your pride, chewing on rats!"  

Wenduag of Neathholm

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  The survivors met with Chief Sull at the request of Lann and Wenduag. Sull greeted them and thanked them for saving one of the mongrels, and remarked on the rarity of visitors from the surface world. As they talked and discussed moving to the Shield Maze, both Lann and Wenduag's proposals for the mongrels joining the crusades were brought up.   Ultimately the party favored Wenduag's ideal of the mongrels remaining an independent guerilla force; while they respected Lann's willingness to do things the 'right' way and properly enlist, the party was in agreement that the crusaders of Kenabres would likely persecute the mongrels rather than welcome them with open arms. Lann did not take this well, but withdrew from the argument once it was clear that the party's mind was made up. Wenduag volunteered to accompany the party through the Shield Maze in Lann's absence.   Chief Sull agreed to give the party passage via Neathholm's boats to the Shield Maze, and the party decided to stop and rest for the night before the next leg of their expedition. As they wound down for the night, the party spoke to their fellow survivors.   The party inquired as to what Horgus wanted from them once they made it back to the surface. Horgus explained that he would be happy to pay them 1,000 gold each for helping to rescue him from their predicament, but he would need to be escorted back to his estate first. He remained confident that even with Kenabres in flames, his fortified personal vault would be a good place for him to weather the storm, and it was also where a large amount of his fortune was stored. If the party wanted their money, they would need to bring him there.   Haliel made a call to order, saying that the party would need a plan of attack once reaching the surface. She expected the party would perhaps want to pursue many avenues or save as many people as possible, but she spoke in favor of seeking out an organized defense effort with the city's standing defenders in order to better coordinate their survival efforts. Anevia agreed, since she knew that Irabeth would be mustering an active defense should she still live.   As the others turned in for the night, Satomi showed Hilda a curious possession of hers; a strange puzzle cube that was a family heirloom of hers. Hilda used identify on the cube, finding it to be a summoning cube capable of summoning creatures known as yokai; magic monsters common to the land of Xha'en to the far west. Satomi had long tried to solve the cube, but to no avail. Hilda gave it a go as well, but only managed to smash one of her fingers in the cube's gears.   After resting up, the party departed with Wenduag to the Shield Maze. Horgus and Anevia waited back in Neathholm - Horgus did not wish to venture into such a deadly place, and Anevia figured she would keep an eye on him in the meantime while her leg continued to heal with Seer Opoli's aid.   As the party disembarked and headed down a tunnel leading to the Shield Maze's entrance, they spotted a concerning sight; a trio of mongrels guarding the entrance. When asked about this, Wenduag seemed uncertain; she mentioned that none of her kin had ever returned from the Shield Maze, but that didn't necessarily mean that they had perished within. Satomi remained somewhat doubtful of this answer, but chose to leave it be for the moment.   Deciding to wait and scout out the opposition, the party laid in wait and listened to the guards in the distance. They spoke about someone named 'Hosilla' and some sort of ritual that she was conducting. They seemed eager for their turn to undergo whatever strange rite was being performed.   Satomi decided to lead the infiltration of the Shield Maze, casting invisibility on herself before carefully approaching and entering the Maze through an unlocked door behind the mongrel guards. Remaining undetected, she scouted out the entrance, finding several more mongrels asleep by a campfire, as well as a larder guarded by a large monitor lizard. In another room, she discovered a more disturbing site; a massive, hideously malformed mongrelman, made larger and even more mutated than its kin likely through the work of Hosilla's ritual. Although Satomi remained hidden, the mutated mongrel berserker was alerted by the introduction of a new scent in the area, and started investigating.   As the large berserker entered the main room, the other mongrels reacted with surprise, demanding that their large companion return to the room he was in previously. However, the beast resisted these attempts, and Satomi decided to take advantage of this by casting charm person on the large mongrel. Luckily, the monster was still a humanoid, and the spell took effect. Satomi persuaded the beast to defend her against the other mongrels that were trying to tell the berserker what to do, and thanks to her silver tongue and charming magic, the mutated mongrel struck out against its kin.   Hearing the sounds of battle, the rest of the party rushed down the tunnel and joined the fight. The remaining mongrel guards poured in, leading to a long and difficult battle. Wenduag, using her spider limbs to hang from the ceiling, fired deadly arrows at her kin and their pet lizard. Elseth supported the party with her clerical magic, still holding fast to her oath of pacifism, while Haliel rushed to the front line to support Satomi. Hilda and Alanis brought their magic to bear, wearing down their enemies until at last victory was had as the blood-crazed berserker was struck down.   Satomi again asked Wenduag about the mongrels in the Shield Maze, wondering if she was familiar with any of the faces they had encountered. Wenduag's answer was nonchalant and non-committal, as she stated she wasn't going to remember every one of her kin, especially those she considered lost and dead. Satomi's suspicion grew, but she chose to belay the argument to keep pushing forward.   The group continued to scout ahead, finding a hole with a rope ladder leading downwards. After stealthily peeking within, they discovered another mutated mongrel berserker, so they decided to raise the rope ladder to foil pursuers as they explored the rest of the maze.   Hilda took the initiative in exploring the northern portion of the dungeon ahead of the others, crawling through a hole in the wall into a dark hallway where she encountered two human cultists. The bull imagery and the unholy symbol adorning their equipment made it clear that they were cultists serving the Demon Lord Baphomet. When questioned as to why she was there, Hilda simply replied by blasting the cultists with magic. Once her companions joined the battle, the cultists were cut down in short order.   As they pushed further, the party at last encountered Hosilla, the Inquisitor of Baphomet, who stood near the Shield Maze's exit with her tiefling bodyguard Uziel and several dretch minions. Hosilla called out to Wenduag by name and commanded her to attack the party, signifying that Wenduag had server her all along. However, Wenduag refused, stating that she preferred to throw her lot in with the strongest side; in this case, the survivors of Clydwell Square. This revelation surprised some of the party, but there was little time to confront Wenduag about it, as battle soon ensued.   Though Hosilla fought ferociously with her glaive and unholy magic granted by Baphomet, she was fatally wounded by Hilda's magic. As her body slowly disintegrated, Hosilla quickly drew a knife and slit her own throat, spilling her lifeblood onto a sacrificial summoning circle. Mere moments later, her body dissipated, and a deadly abyssal minotaur emerged from the circle.   The abyssal minotaur, a loyal servant of Baphomet, fought ferociously with a massive greataxe, badly wounding Haliel with its menacing strikes. However, through perseverance and clever teamwork, the party was able to strike down the beast, finally removing the last obstacle between themselves and the burning ruins of Kenabres on the surface.   The survivors gathered themselves to bring the good news back to Horgus and Anevia back at Neathholm, but they would first have to confront Wenduag about her service to Hosilla…