The Crucible (F)

[Kodos]

***

That night the group were each taken from their beds. The Inquisition had come for them. It was, of course, not unexpected. Besides, if you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear. The Inquisition was infallible. The Church said so. Where there is sin there is always punishment. If the punishment precedes the sin, then it serves only to prove the foresight of the Saint.

***

Due to the severity of the issues at hand; the Tyrant himself after all, there was a Grand Inquisitor on hand, one Rambert Ayres. Grand Inquisitor Ayres personally interrogated Maryse, Olivia, Oriel, Rosaline, and Theresa. He was very, very, very thorough in his search for brands and other physical signs of diabolic conspiracies.
Ramirez and Laure's acolytes were 'tended' to by High Inquisitor Isabella Cruz. Ramirez seemed to find a great deal of solace in the confessing of his sins, no doubt, as he left his cell with a rather big smile.

Saint be praised!

***

As none of them vanished never to be seen again, presumably the Inquisition had not found them wanting.

***

The group, with some changes, was summoned again. This time to meet with Inquisitor Guidonis, in the Witch Hunter's current office within the Cathédrale des Cloches. It was a spartan one, unsurprising, although it did have a lovely stained glass window depicting St. Marianne of Lareaux triumphing over the heathens.

Ramirez wasn't there. And neither was Rosaline. Instead the assembled group consisted of Olivia, Oriel, Theresa, and some new girl, from Seville by the looks of her.
"Grand Crusader Amalric's business continues to detain her here within the city," Laure began, "but as idle hands are the Enemy's play-things, she has, in her wisdom, decided to lend your services to me in my continuing work." She'd worn another low-cut outfit, and Oriel couldn't help but notice that Laure's eyes were keeping an eye on her eyes.
"I believe there is a connection between the Carnival of Hope's acitivites and the actions of one or more apostates lurking within Castle Cresson. We shall be going to Loubard to investigate. I do not trust Ramirez's heathen magics, so he shall not be joining us. Sister Leveque is indisposed, and so Sister Alcon shall provide additional healing. I may solicit further aid prior to or after our arrival. We leave tonight."

[Regantor]

The flaggellent's eyes were darkened and spoke of days of missed sleep. She was not her normal accomidating self, there was no sense of a soft and unjudgemental aura at all. If anything, she was innovert, staring forwards for the sake of respect, but without a spirit behind the eyes.

"It is better to be blind than a sinner." Laure's words still repeated constantly in her mind. The memory of Inquisitor Ayres' touch made her want to loose several more senses than that.

Her heraldic besagew on her shoulder had the name changed from Oriel to Augustine, her middle name, alrough the rest of the plates remained intact. More immediately noticable, there was a simple modest red dress covering her body underneath. The whole change in manner made it like looking at a completely differant woman.

-And that did, perhaps, come across as exactly what she wanted.

"Orders received and understood, Lady Inquisitor Guidonis.”

[Kodos]

The party left on schedule. Like Helena, Laure was not one to abide impunctuality.

***

When the group met up with Laure the carriages were already waiting. One for her, and two for everyone else. There was a woman, a Sevillan knight from the looks of her, waiting by the carriages.

Laure was arguing with someone. A handsome man apparently early into his middle age, with shoulder-length graying blonde hair tied back in a somewhat loose ponytail and a neat chin curtain beard. He was talking loudly to her, clearly angry, nearly shouting. Laure, for her part, was apparently speaking with her usual grim monotone and could not be heard.

"For Arcadia's sake, witch hunter, they were babies!"
Whatever she said in response was apparently the last word on it she was willing to have, as she was already walking towards the carriages and the waiting group.
"I fear nothing, witch hunter, save the Law! Truth, moral or otherwise, will not be silenced by any torture!"

I wonder what that was all about?

***

The group arrived in Cresson at mid-day and were given lodgings in the castle - one guest room for Laure, of course, another for Lady Theresa, and accomodations in the barracks for everyone else.

***

The group was granted an audience within the throne room of Castle Cresson. It was a long and opulant marble hall, with stained glass windows along one side, each depicting various saints triumphing over heretics and heathens. At the far end of the room was seated Jeanne, Duchess of Loubard. She was an attractive black haired and green eyes woman in the beginnings of middle age, and conservatively dressed. Standing to her right was her daughter, Ambre, a young adult scarcely 18 years old, although already quite beautiful, filling out quite well her conservative (she gave Theresa a dirty look, which the almost scandalously clad blonde returned) dress.

"Witch Hunter Guidonis," the duchess began, "I welcome you and your companions to my home. If there is anything Ambre or I can do to aid you in whatever business it is that brings you hear please do not hesitate to ask."
"In a recent raid on a den of heretics lurking in sin beneath Lareaux, a certain text was found, detailing various arcane methods by which Celestials and other Outsiders may be called forth into Asul. The apostates had used it, and others, to call forth Demons."
Jeanne had opened her mouth to respond but Laure didn't give her the chance.
"The text in question was an obscure one. There are four copies known to us. Two are accounted for, the third is in Sigmar, and the fourth, Duchess, was known to be in your castle's library. Do you wish to offer an explanation?"
Jeanne's face went white, as did the faces of every other servant and guard in the room.
"I, uh, um, no?" The duchess seemed genuienly confused, Ambre sharing in her mother's expression. "I do not believe anyone has been in the library since my husband's death, Witch Hunter, and that was years ago. But you certainly have my permission to ch-"

"I do not need your permission to carry out my duties, duchess." Laure answered coldly. "I have already checked. It is not there, and several other texts were missing." Laure produced a parchment from her dress and handed it to a servant who handed it to Jeanne.
"What is this?"
"A list. I shall interrogate each and every person named therein until the truth outs and His punishment may be justly dispensed."
"But my name is on this, towards the bottom, there?"
"Yes, as is your daughters, and several recent visitors." Jeanne's face went whiter. "Do you have something to hide, Jeanne? Have you done something wrong?"
"N-no."
"Then you have nothing to fear."

***

That night, the group slept in the barracks. Well, most of them. Olivia was out walking, and Oriel had disappeared to Saint-knows-where to go erect a small make-shift shrine and spend the night flagellating herself and/or praying.

***

Oriel had secreted herself away in one of the quieter, less used, parts of the castle. Her deep prayer was interrupted by what sounded like two sets of heavy quadrupeds walking and dragging their claws along the ground. And sniffing, lots of sniffing and snorting.

Peeking out from behind the stairwell where she had set up her little shrines, Oriel could see two horrific monsters. Each was a six-foot long and heavily armored quadruped, roughly canine creature. Where a face should have been instead were two fang-lined mouths and a long, barbed, tongue that licked at the air and ground as the creatures, evidently blind, moved along.
It didn't take a genius to realise the blind things relied on scent and, probably, hearing to find their way. Fortunately for Oriel, they had not seemed to notice her.

[Regantor]

Oriel had been praying to herself, whispering a low, constant solem hue into the catacombs beyond. It was cold and dark when she got here, but that was now temporarily fought back by a mass of small candles that she had implimented about the place.

There were dozens, if not hundreds, of these small make shift shrines, hidden away by Oriel over the years, in cold and forgotten places few would think to look. She fondly daydreamed that one of them would be there, right when a forgotten soul was on the verge of breaking. A small holy sanctuary for the truly lost...

But...

Tonight, it was not a lost soul that she found.



The scrapping, inhuman footsteps alone tore her from her deep reflection. It put pins and needles down her spine. For all of her effort, the halls instantly felt cold, desolate, and lonesome again.

Still, as always, her one material possesion was not far. That was all she needed.

Letting out a blood curdling scream, Oriel leap upright, span her titanic blade around one handed, and gusted towards the unknown beast with all her might in one motion fluent motion...

By the time it looked towards the source of the commotion, her divine blade was already being brought down upon it's head...

SPOILER! :

Moving into contact and full attacking with a holy blade;
1d20+20=30, 1d20+12=15, 1d20+7=14

Damage dealt;
2d6=10

That's 60 out of 70 HP remaining.

The attack clattered against it's armoured side, but was not quite the mortal blow that Oriel was looking for.

Another shadow. A claw. Some teeth.

There was a second one.

"...Saint, are you testing me?..."

"...I... I accept it gladly..."

"Come, demons. I will prove the worth of my shrine by sundering your foul forms before it."

[Kodos]

The two Fiends seemed surprised by the sudden attack, but quickly responded, lashing out with their barbed tongues, both times lashing into the Flagellant's mostly bare skin. The tentacle-like tongues wrapped around her where they struck, the barbs digging in as the two Fiends pulled her towards their fang-lined maws. She managed to kick free from one, but not the other, only getting loose after it had already bitten her.
As the tongues connected with her, she could feel her muscles stiffening up, some manner of paralysis. Fortunately, she was able to resist it.

Attack Rolls; 2 Tongue Hits, 1 Bite!
3 hits resulting in 20 total damages!

[Regantor]

Oriel shrieked loudly and recoiled backwards just a step. Her heart raced, and her arms stung wildly where long groves had been newly sliced out. The feeling of pain sparked to life just the sensation that she was looking for, an utter hatred and disgust for everything that the enemy was. A cutting reminder of why she did what she did, that turned her gut into an iron furnace.

"So what, you think the dress meant anything? You think the blood means anything?" It was below her dainty robes that all of her armour was kept. Always ready. Locked to her soul. "I will rend you, abominations..."

Letting out a ferocious scream, Oriel lashed out with her holy arcane blade again, this time filled with twice the malice and condemnation.

SPOILER! :

Oriel entered a Greater Frenzy!

Another full attack (This time using Oriel's actual stats since I had to redo her sheet -_-);
1d20+20=37, 1d20+15=31, 1d20+10=20

Damage dealt;
2d6+7=15, 2d6+7=14, 2d6+7=12

That's 19 out of 70 HP remaining.

The newly empowered impacts knocked entire fleshy chunks out of the monster, baptising half the corridor with profane blood.

It didn't quite fall, but that was all the same to Oriel. It deserved more punishment for being what it was.

[Kodos]

Twice more the things lashed into Oriel with their barbed tongues, while one of the Fiends managed to bite her, this time sinking it's rows of teeth deeply into her.

***

While off walking about, Olivia thought she heard something kinda odd...

Three hits! One potential critical!
Crit Confirm!
Oriel takes 38 damages! (because the bite was the crit)
Olivia can post now! Player 2 has joined the Game! She can arrive this turn, attack the next.

[Regantor]

The weight of the unholy thing smashed Oriel's back against the wall as it's jaws sunk deeply into her left upper arm. She howled in pain, and then hollered uncontrollably in blind hatred and fervour.

Her sword was pressed between them; in an awkward position between it's neck and her right shoulder. There was just no room to lift the cumbersome thing up, let alone bring it down at a useful angle. Trapped in a painful mess, the struggle continued for a second, it's teeth digging deeper, and her frustration getting stronger. Out of options, she simply steadied the blade as best she could with one hand, and then forced the both of them over sideways.

The vibration travelling down the needles in her arm made her scream. There was blood everywhere, but for a moment, she couldn't tell who it belonged to.

Yes- The massive sword had been wedged half way through the thing's throat, she confirmed. She had nearly cut her own left hand off in the process, but it was worth it.

Now, to deal with the other one...

SPOILER! :

Oriel continued the Greater Frenzy!

Full attack;
1d20+20=37, 1d20+15=32, 1d20+10=17

Damage dealt;
2d6+7=12, 2d6+7=17

The first demon is now at -10 HP.

[Superdooperphailmachine]

Upon seeing the abomination, Olivia let loose evangelical battle cries and charged at it, socking it square in it's mouth thing.

SPOILER! :

Charge Attack: 1d20+25=31
Damage:1d10+10=17-5 12

[Kodos]

Putting her hand near the Fiend's mouth was, in retrospect, probably a really stupid idea. No sooner had the thing recovered from the impact than had it wrapped its barbed tongue around Olivia, pulling her in and biting deeply into the poor girl. Fortunately Olivia, like Oriel, was strong enough to resist the paralysis, leaving her with a unpleasant but harmless tingling and heaviness in her joints.

Olivia is hit twice!
Olivia takes 13 damages!