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[Turin Turambar]

Not quite barbecue time yet here although my dog thinks I should be outside since not raining. 

I think AoE attack first then see where we stand.

[Ithillian Turambar]

Hmm go big or go fire? What to do?

[Donchadh]

FIRE!!

[Ithillian Turambar]

We go fire

 

---

Battle Update:
As the cloaked assassins close in, you strike first, your reflexes sharpened by glyph synergy and training.

Your palm blazes as you unleash Emberlash, snapping a fiery whip through the air toward the lead attacker. The strike lands hard across their chest, igniting the edge of their cloak and staggering them backward.

• Target 1: Hit and burning
• Targets 2 & 3: Stunned momentarily by the sudden flash
• Target 4: Attempts a flank but is forced to slow down

The burning cultist lets out a guttural hiss as the fire spreads, searing their armor. You’ve seized the momentum.

---

Enemy Status:

• Cultist 1: Injured + Burning
• Cultist 2: Preparing to leap; stunned
• Cultist 3: Circling; stunned
• Cultist 4: Flanking wide; not yet engaged

---

Your Action Result:

• Emberlash (Fire Level 12) lands cleanly
• Burn effect deals extra damage over time
• You have gained the initiative – you will act again before the cultists recover

---

Updated Stats:

• HP: 25 / 27
• EP: 14 / 17 (Emberlash cast)
• Elemental Strengths:
  • Water: 19
  • Fire: 12
  • Spirit: 14
  • Air: 2
  • Earth: 2
• Spell Book:
  • Veilbrand Ascendant: Ready
  • Emberlash: Cast (no cooldown)
• Inventory: (unchanged)
• Codex Update: “First hostile cultist contact confirmed – Eye of the Hollow.”

---

Outcome of the Choice:
You disrupted the ambush with a decisive Emberlash strike, wounding the lead cultist and stunning two others. You now have the upper hand in this battle.

---

Next Combat Choices:

1. Cast Veilbrand Ascendant to cleanse the remaining cultists in one large wave.
2. Follow up with Boiling Lance to finish the burning cultist and pin the flank.
3. Use a Firegem to boost your next spell and press your advantage.
4. Strike with your small blade from the adventurer’s kit while they’re stunned.
5. Attempt to speak, calling out the cultists to see if one hesitates.

[Turin Turambar]

I think we need to try to get their numbers down. 

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

I'd say boiling lance, but we might not have enough EP if it takes two spells per opponent. Plus with burn over time, wouldn't it be better to concentrate on someone else? So 1? But that seems a little use in every situation regardless of what is happening. 

[Ithillian Turambar]

We're gonna use the Big One again

 

---

Battle Update:
You raise your hand again, and the glyphs beneath your skin flare—Water, Fire, and Spirit weaving together into a radiant spiral. The stunned assassins freeze for a heartbeat as you cast Veilbrand Ascendant.

A surge of burning light and cleansing mist erupts outward, slamming into the attackers like a tidal flare.

• Cultist 1 is consumed in a flash of white-blue fire—incinerated on impact.
• Cultist 2 is thrown backward, writhing as the cleansing light sears into their corrupted sigil—collapsed, unconscious.
• Cultist 3 stumbles to one knee, dazed and scorched—barely clinging to life.
• Cultist 4, still flanking, is caught on the edge of the spell and lit with minor burning—injured but still standing.

A ripple of spirit magic reveals a flicker of doubt in the last cultist’s mind.

---

Enemy Status:

• Cultist 1: Eliminated
• Cultist 2: Knocked out
• Cultist 3: Dying
• Cultist 4: Burning, injured, and now hesitating

---

Updated Stats:

• HP: 25 / 27
• EP: 7 / 17 (Veilbrand Ascendant cast: -7 EP)
• Veilbrand Ascendant: Now on cooldown
• Elemental Strengths:
  • Water: 19
  • Fire: 12
  • Spirit: 14
  • Air: 2
  • Earth: 2
• Inventory: (unchanged)
• Codex Alert: Spirit resonance surge detected – enemy morale wavering

---

Outcome of the Choice:
You devastated the ambushers with Veilbrand Ascendant, eliminating most and stunning the last. The surviving cultist hesitates—clearly shaken, no longer certain of victory.

---

Next Combat Choices:

1. Intimidate the final cultist into fleeing or surrendering.
2. Strike with a small blade and finish the last one before they recover.
3. Use Soul Veil to probe the cultist’s fear and see what you can learn.
4. Throw the Prayer Stone, symbolically ending the fight with balance.
5. Spare the cultist and demand answers about the Eye of the Hollow.

[Turin Turambar]

I dunno. If we throw the stone do we lose it forever?

 

3???? 5?? 1???

[Ithillian Turambar]

Maybe it be like that terrible knife throw Kamala did in Ms Marvel lol

[Ithillian Turambar]

Our party dwindles.

 

Where did everyone go?

[Turin Turambar]

They didn't take the left turn at Albuquerque.  

[Ithillian Turambar]

We could use number 3 and find out who he works for.

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

The difficulty of choosing between stabbing them in the eye and sparing their life... I'll back up the vote yo magically interrogate them. 

 

Cos as Mum always used to say, you can always stab them in the eye more later but you you cannot take the knife out once it's in. I might be paraphrasing. Maybe that was salt and not a knife in the eye, but the principle is the same. Probably. 

[Ithillian Turambar]

Let's magically interrogate him

 

---

Battle Update:
You lower your hands and take a measured breath. The air still glows faintly from your spell, and your Spirit Glyph responds immediately as you activate Soul Veil.

A silvery shimmer spreads across your vision, revealing the emotional and mental threads surrounding the final cultist. You see it clearly:

• Fear, rooted in guilt
• Conflict, a thread of hesitation
• Pain, not just physical, but emotional—this one was not fully committed to the cult’s path

You speak, calm and clear:

“You don’t want this. You never did.
The Hollow only takes. I see it in you. Let it go—before it consumes what’s left.”

The cultist lowers their blade. The flame still licking at their cloak extinguishes. Their mask falls away, revealing a young face etched with exhaustion.

They drop to their knees and raise their hands.

“I didn’t know… not until I saw you fight. I thought we were saving the world... not feeding it to the dark.”

---

Combat Ends – You Win

• Final cultist surrenders
• Codex records emotional breach through Spirit Veil
• Spirit Glyph strengthened by peaceful resolution
• You gain a temporary spiritual advantage in your next battle

---

Updated Stats:

• HP: 25 / 27
• EP: 3 / 17 (Soul Veil used: -4 EP)
• Veilbrand Ascendant: Cooldown active
• Spirit Glyph: Glows brighter—now resonates more deeply with clarity of self
• Elemental Strengths:
  • Water: 19
  • Fire: 12
  • Spirit: 15 (+1 from successful emotional resolution)
  • Air: 2
  • Earth: 2
• Inventory: (unchanged)
• Codex Update:
  • Eye of the Hollow Agent Captured
  • Interrogation opportunity available
  • “Spirit Triumph” condition active – advantage in next spiritual challenge

---

Outcome of the Choice:
You used Soul Veil to confront and reach the final cultist’s true heart. They surrendered without further violence, granting you insight into their doubts and strengthening your Spirit affinity.

---

Next Choices:

1. Question the cultist about the Eye of the Hollow and their connection to the dark force.
2. Bind the cultist and take them with you to the next sanctuary.
3. Offer the cultist mercy and release, trusting their confession.
4. Rest and recover by the stone pillars, using the peace you’ve earned.
5. Search the defeated cultists for clues, items, or coin.

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

Loot? 

[Ithillian Turambar]

Loot's always good.

[Turin Turambar]

Clues might be more important but loot would be good too. 

Still need ti decide what to do with our captive though. 

[Ithillian Turambar]

Loot today, worry tomorrow lol

 

---

Story:
While the surrendered cultist watches in silence—still kneeling—you cautiously approach the fallen members of the Eye of the Hollow, keeping your senses sharp for lingering traps or dark residue.

You search the scorched robes, shattered masks, and fallen blades with care. The Codex flickers now and then, highlighting traces of ritual enchantment and hidden compartments.

---

Items Recovered:

1. Shadowglass Dagger (from Cultist 1)

   • A dark, curved blade made from obsidian-like material
   • +1 damage vs cursed or spirit-weakened foes
   • Light enough to conceal; does not interfere with spellcasting
   • Can be equipped as a secondary weapon

2. Scroll Fragment – Ritual of Hollow Sight (Cultist 2)

   • Torn page with ritual instructions
   • Mentions: “The Eye opens only to those who blind their own”
   • Codex notes this as a fragment of a larger cult rite
   • Possibly tied to their method of detecting elemental glyphs

3. 11 Copper + 2 Silver Crowns (gathered from pouches)

   • Some coins are scorched but still usable

4. Cursed Thread Ring (Cultist 3 – cracked open)

   • Severed from a burnt finger
   • No longer functional, but the Codex absorbs it for study
   • May unlock anti-cult resistance enchantments if purified later

---

Updated Stats:

• HP: 25 / 27
• EP: 3 / 17
• Veilbrand Ascendant: On cooldown
• Elemental Strengths:
  • Water: 19 | Fire: 12 | Spirit: 15 | Air: 2 | Earth: 2
• Inventory Additions:
  • Shadowglass Dagger (+1 vs cursed/Spirit-weakened)
  • Scroll Fragment – Hollow Sight
  • 11 Copper, 2 Silver Crowns (Total now: 47 Copper, 6 Silver Crowns)
  • Cursed Thread Ring (Stored in Codex vault for later purification)
• Codex Update:
  • Cult artifact analysis unlocked
  • Ritual Scroll tracked for pattern recognition

---

Outcome of the Choice:
You recovered several valuable items, coin, and cult lore from the fallen. The Shadowglass Dagger now gives you a physical weapon advantage, and the ritual fragment may reveal how the cult detects or hunts elemental champions like you.

---

Next Choices:

1. Question the surviving cultist while their defenses are low.
2. Bind the cultist and prepare to take them to a nearby sanctuary or town.
3. Use the Prayer Stone now to purify the Cursed Thread Ring immediately.
4. Rest beside the stone pillars, recovering HP and EP while you're still safe.
5. Consult the Codex for the nearest village, to trade, rest, or warn others.

[Turin Turambar]

We need to restrain them if we are going to be able to rest.which we probably need to do.

[Ithillian Turambar]

Don't wanna get sneak attacked lol

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

I thought it meant the cultist was cracked open, seemed unnecessarily graphic. But it didn't, lol. 

[Ithillian Turambar]

Ok, back to being cautious

 

---

Story:
You step toward the surviving cultist—still kneeling, breathing heavy but no longer trembling.

“I’m not letting you go,” you say quietly, “but I won’t leave you for dead either.”

You retrieve a length of cord from your adventurer’s kit and bind their wrists, leaving enough slack for movement but not escape. They don’t resist.

“I… I’ll come quietly,” the cultist mutters. “If you truly walk the path of balance… maybe you’ll show me where mine broke.”

With a few whispered words to your Codex, you register the prisoner under a passive tracking ward. A faint glyph pulses on their bindings—enough to slow or mark them if they try to flee.

---

Captured NPC: Former Cultist – "Kerin"

• Former initiate of the Eye of the Hollow
• Knows minor rituals and cult structure
• May be turned into an informant or redeemed under proper guidance
• Spirit Glyph can detect falsehood if questioned directly
• Can be delivered to a temple, shrine, or village guard for judgment or assistance

---

Codex Alert – Prisoner Status Active

• A nearby village or spiritual sanctuary will be needed to safely house the prisoner
• Until then, travel speed slightly reduced
• Chance of random ambush increased until he is delivered

---

Updated Stats:

• HP: 25 / 27
• EP: 3 / 17
• Veilbrand Ascendant: Cooldown active
• Inventory Update: (unchanged)
• Coin Total: 47 Copper, 6 Silver Crowns
• Companion Added:
  • Kerin (Bound Cultist) – currently passive
• Codex Update:
  • “Cult Captive – In Transit” status enabled
  • Town or sanctuary recommended for delivery

---

Outcome of the Choice:
You spared and bound the final cultist, now named Kerin, placing a spiritual mark of truth and registering him in your Codex. He may become a valuable source of information—or a symbol of redemption.

---

Next Choices:

1. Ask the Codex for the nearest town or sanctuary to deliver Kerin.
2. Interrogate Kerin now, using Spirit Glyph to detect lies.
3. Rest and restore EP before moving forward toward Skyreach Monastery.
4. Use the Prayer Stone to attempt purifying the Cursed Thread Ring.
5. Press on to Skyreach with Kerin, risking more ambushes but staying on path.

[Ithillian Turambar]

We don't have a lot of magic left.

[Ithillian Turambar]

I think we need to get this dude stashed away. So maybe got visit a village.

 

Because he is going to increase the chances of an attack.

 

But I also want more info from him

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

Yeah I think getting Kerin to somewhere safe is important. Though we don't want to be attacked en route...