The Knot calls out to the ruined temple asking an alliance. A figured cloaked in darkness answers with anger. The half-fiendish Medusa rushes out into the light & takes flight. Combat is joined.
The unexpected arial ability of the Medusa takes the group for surprise. Still, a quick casting of fly on Emmerick by an otherwise fleeing Wasyli gives the anti-paladin "wings" of his own. Most of the Knot scatter, Brother Summit tries to climb to the roof of the temple to jump from above. Mardus sprouts fiery wings & opts to avoid the terrifying gaze & fly away to seek range. His spells failing to puncture the fiend's spell resistance. A blindfolded Quell fires off shots in vain. While bursts of negative energy in the shape of blood clouds burst around Yvainne. But in the end it was Emmerick to won the day. The flying champion of Hell showed complete disregard for the petrifying gaze of the Medusa and relentlessly struck her with his mace until she yielded to him.
Forced to parley, Izevel the Accursed listened intently to the unexpected offer from the Ninth Knot. So long had she been cursed by her goddess Shelyn for her pride. Stripped of her beauty & turned into a monster. Here was a way out for her. Possible acceptance. And brought on by a group including a powerful priestess of Zon-Kuthon. Fate was not done with her yet it would seem. Eager to learn of the death gods teachings & for a place to live outside of her hovel, she left with the Knot. The trip back to Ghastenhall she learned a great deal of the comings and goings of modern times. Speaking at great lengths to Yvianne. The whole time using Emmerick's Iron Crown to transform her shape into that of a Aasimar to spare those around her of her natural deathly visage.
With another ally added to their ranks, the Knot turned its gaze on the mountains & the elusive Drugar rumored to hide in their rocky roots. Without a trained outdoors-man, the Knot struggled, but with some vague knowledge from Isevel, combined with the skills of Brother Summit & Emmerick's Nightmare, the Knot scoured the lands until they managed to find a set of caves leading deep underground. The suspicious marks of booted feet confirmed their suspicions. Drugar were near about. Still, the Ninth would not arrive as uninvited guests without a gift of some kind. The Shroud took little time at all to round up some dwarven prisoners.
The Drugar guards at a perimeter outpost were quite surprised at the sight of a party of adventurers with a complement of dwarven prisoners. After summoning higher ups though, the silver tongues of the Ninth worked wonders & the host were allowed beyond, to the secret Drugar city of Zhaanzen Kryr and it's Thane, Zasher Arzen. The above worlders are eyed nervously as they walk the streets of the Drugar, but their strength of arms, their Drugar escort, and their obvious dwarf captives bound for the Thane give pause to any Drugar citizen bent on assaulting the group.
Eventually traversing the nearly pitch black Drugar city, the Ninth Knot arrive at the keep carved out of the stone in the back of the massive cavern that houses the Drugar. There, before the burning fire pits of the dark gods of the Drugar stands Thane Zasher Arzen. Again the guile and wit of the Ninth is on full display. And what should have been a daunting task plays out to the common observer as merely a simple few choice words. The only moment of reluctance from the Ninth is when they hand over their dwarf slaves only to find out they will be slaughtered in a dark ritual. Many in the Ninth give pause at the ruthless savagery of their future allies. All that is expect the Death Priest in the group. Yvianne is eager to see a feast and slaughter.
With the dwarven prisoners writhing in agony as the dinner music, a massive feast is held in honor of a new alliance. The thane's own son, Zargun Arzen, will lead one hundred Drugar soldiers in the aid of the topsiders.
Another ally plied to the will of Hell.
With their army nearly assembled the Ninth return to Ghastenhall and ready themselves for battle. Still, little intel was retrieved by the scouting of the Shroud minions. The Ninth wrap themselves in undetectable alignment spells and risk a personal foray into the religious heart of their enemy.
Arriving in the vale mixed in with a group of regular pilgrims, cloaked in magic & armed with guile, the Ninth Knot of Thorns first steps foot in the Vale of Valtaerna.
Two days pass. During which time the Ninth discovers much. They verify the location of an ever-burning flame atop a mountain in the middle of a lake. They do an invisible fly-over of the Garden's of Serenity trying to get to the Cathedral of Mitra-Made-Manifest, and discover the entrance is protected by a maze-like spell, requiring them to pass through the gardens on foot. And that the garden entrance is guarded by two shield archons.
They find out more about general defenses as well. The quite village of Sanctum and the near by Watchtower are on a peace-time footing. A large garrison of guards stays quartered in the village proper. They include archers, foot soldiers and mounted knights of the Alerion order. Also, griffon knights are rumored to be stationed near the Cathedral of Mitra-Made-Manifest, though the recon group failed to see anything.
Further the watchtower itself is guarded, all be it lightly. At least of humans. A small compliment of soldiers main the tower & low wall, lead by a watch captain. But they are not the true guardians of the Tower. That honor goes to two pairs of creatures. One guarding the base, the other the top of the tower.
The base guards take the form of a pair are simple statues. But are in fact clay golums that guard the gate-way tunnel through the watch tower. Though, they are not the worst. That honor falls to the guardians on top. Two Half-Celestial Lammasu and their alert gong. One sounding of that gong and the whole Vale would be alerted to an attack.
The peacetime status of the Tower is critical to the Knots efforts. Should the tower be fully armed with the garrison in town, then a truly herculean effort would lay before the Ninth's army. No. This can not be like Balentyne. Where the Knot picks away one at a time guards. For this watch captain, unlike poor Thomas Havelyn of Balentyne, has a host of mundane and divine agents able to be called to main the walls at a moments notice. Should even the slightest attack occur. After all, this is not the watch wall, this is the heart of the kingdom and war is abroad.
The Ninth Knot will only have one chance to strike. When the hammer falls, it must fall hard and swift. The gates must be breached and the Saintsbridge that lays beyond must be seized if the Vale is to be taken.
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