We rejoin the heroes having just discovered an unbelievable scene – an angel chained and magically imprisoned in the basement of the church in Hildebrande- Automaton guardians move to intercept the heroes, and both Priestess Itotia and Mayor Wesley
- Merian clearly reluctant to kill ‘them’ – would rather report it to the contacts in the empire
ENGAGE!
- Itotia, crying… down on one knee… Mayor Wesley trying to comfort her
- Legion examines the magical circle that seems to have imprisoned the angel… if there’s a way to defeat it
- Puki sits on the stairs… clearly disappointed
- Idris asks, “What were you thinking?!”
- Wesley: “I…. I…. “
- Itotia stops him: “People were dying… and there was nothing I could do to stop the spread of the plague… so I prayed. I prayed so hard every day to be given the power to stop everyone from dying and nothing was working! Other cities were recovering, but Hildebrande wasn’t…
- Wesley: It almost seemed like it was worse here
- ITotia: It was… but then my prayers were answered… this angelic being came down from the sky
- Even Legion seems surprised by this statement
- Itotia: it allowed it’s power to flow through me, when I had none. People started to recover and get better. So many still through that needed healing. Then… it said it was going to leave, that it had other duties, but… but… people were still infected, still spreading… we pleaded but it refused… it said it would leave in 3 days… can you imagine… “it”.
- On the 2nd night, a visitor came here… said it was aware of the issue in Hildebrande and the angel was selfish, and that all th rework would be undone, and presented Itotia with the chains that you see
- Wesley: We didn’t know…
- Itotia: We knew… we knew… The chains stank of sulfur and brimstone, we knew what they were. So, following the stranger’s plan, we captured ‘it’.
- Wesley: We couldn’t know for sure…
- Idris: you knew and you willingly entered into a bargain with the Diabolist… you fool!
- Legion makes the shade to intimidate Wesley remembering his fear of his shade. Legion looks deep into Itotia‘s eyes, “Corruption of the best is the worst. You refer to one from the Overworld as an “it”, and you let the chattel in the streets above go about their daily lives?! Who are you…
- Itotia: What were we supposed to do? All the people that cheer your names… they’d be dead. It would be a ghost town.
- Idris: You don’t know that for sure.
- Legion the lives of some are not worth the lives of others – I’ve seen things you cannot imagine – now free this being, dispel this rune, and right in small part this horrible wrong.
- Merian: Let me get this straight -the angel came to help of its own free will and then you imprisoned it and made it suffer because you thought things might go badly again? How many of the townspeople suspected this foul play?
- Itotia: No one has ever been down there – well, except your friend you left in our care – she came down here when she shouldn’t have – the automatons would not divulge this secret
- Wesley: you know nothing of the sacrifice we have made here! You are all alive because of this woman and what she has been doing! he protectively puts his arm around her
- Idris: YOu think that makes it better?
- Legion: … that we wouldn’t have found the means elsewhere?
- Itotia – this has been going on long before you arrived here – the fact that there WAS a Hildebrande is because we did this
- Merian – if the people of Hildebrande are not fully aware of what you have done here, what DO they know? Do they know about the angel
- Itotia – Everyone is aware the angel came, yes – but we told them it left after restoring my powers
- Nidalru – why are the townspeople so afraid? What are they afraid of?
- Itotial – we placed Repulsive magic on this basement – the idea of anyone coming down here – they can’t fathom it – it plays on their worst fears – another ‘gift’ from this stranger
- Idris – so who WAS this strange that came to seek you out
- Itotia – we never got his name, it’s almost as though he knew what we were facing. Sometimes I wonder if didn’t conjure him ourselves…
- Merian – is there anything else you can tell us that left an impression?
- Itotia – rueful smile – besides the fact that he had the chains to bind this beautiful creature? Skin the colour of maroon? Eyes the deepest yellow?
- Legion: Enough of this sad tale! Free this creature. But Itotia and Wesley look at each other helplessly… “We don’t know how…”
- Examining the angel’s prison, it is clear to Idris that this is a powerful circle of binding, but Legion is unsure if he can empower
- Puki turns his gaze to the sigils to find if they are divinely inspired and immediately thinks so
- As the heroes continue their investigations, the silent footsteps of David, town marshall go unnoticed in the echoing chamber.
- “So… all the sinners have gathered in one place…” His eyes go deep black “I will not allow you to torture my brother any longer!”
ENGAGE!
- He raises his hand, and even without a sky to draw it from, a blinding light strikes out toward the heroes – and Legion, as amazed as the rest, takes the full brunt of the blast!
- Merian – “Why are you attacking us?! We’re trying to free him!”
- David, unswayed: “I have seen you allying with these people since the beginning, I have had my eye on you this whole time…”
- Idris – If you have been keeping an eye on us, you know we’ve never seen this angel before, and we did not know the stories. We just came upon this temple on our return and when we learned of his plight, we immediately tried to stop it. THey’ve come under the sway of The Diabolist – that can’t be good for anyone in this town including your friend and you – we need to put a stop to this, but together… we need your help to break your brother free – i don’t think we can do it on our own
- David: “Your lies won’t help you now – I will see all of you burned for what you’ve done.”
- Puki: “Your anger is blinding you from the truth – we’re not here to harm you or your brother”
- Nidalru: “We don’t want to fight you – look around – we destroyed these robots trying to free your brother”
- Legion commands his minion to take Wesley by the throat and then looks at David, “Look around you – we have defeated their defenses, we’re trying to free him. Those that kept him prisoner mean nothing to me – give me the word and I will slaughter them – look into my soul, angel – I have nothing to hide
- David seems unmoved by all the heroes’ pleas
- David grabs Merian by the shoulder and says “Look at me, mortal” – his gaze burning into Merian‘s very soul – with a cry, Merian collapses at David‘s feet – unconscious
- Idris: If your kind is all-knowing, surely you must be able to look into one’s soul – look into mine and know the truth
- David seems more swayed after looking into Idris‘ soul, “If you have seen what I have seen….”
David walks over to Wesley and Itotia
Puki: “There spirits are broken”
Idris: There is no reason to kill them – they will be judged by their gods
David change shape into a terrifying angel: “YOu may think their gods will judge them, but it is not for their gods to do this, it is for ME.”
David grabs Wesley by the collar and stares into his eyes – Wesley screams horribly and drops, lifeless, now white-haired and 80 years older, to the ground.
Itotia stares at the emaciated body of Mayor Wesley and screams – David grabs her as well and says, “Your fall was worse – so your pain will be much greater.”
Idris: Is this really necessary?”
David: Oh, you have no idea
Idris: Why not seek out the one who corrupted them and make him pay this price?”
David: Have no fear, mortal – all in time
David reduces Itotia to a similar soulless husk
It flies up and grabs the chain in its metallic hands – wings retract and it’s in such incredible pain – feathers start dropping and getting replaced with more metal blades – rips the chain from the ceiling and both angels come tumbling to the floor – trapped inside the magical circle – David clearly weakened and hurt by the circle as well – The angel imprisoned earlier now can be seen to heal ever so slowly – the chains no longer stymying his healing factor
Merian comes to and sees the horror of Itotia and Wesley‘s horrible fate, “No… no….” she shakes her head
Idris, Legion & Puki are all sure that the barrier is part arcane, part divine – consistent with The Diabolist’s powers – and powerful enough to fell both powerful angels, so likely lethal to a mortal
Legion postulates that it might be possible to force an opening in the protections using both arcane and divine magics temporarily – maybe enough to pull the agents out
Merian – What about the skull? The massive dragon artifact is here, no? Did the GGW not suggest Idris bring it to Hildebrande? Was this not a sign? Idris and Merian quickly go to retrieve the artifact that they might see if it can help free the trapped and weakened angels
stopped at 2h 0m
