The sounds of soldiers drawing swords and clerics casting spells alerts the Knot. A quick application of a Blade Barrier spell by Yvainne blocks the soldiers from pushing on their flank, as the Knot finished off the lingering Ghost Paladins.
Multiple dispel magics by Mitrian priests is not enough to take down Yvainne's magic. With the Knot ready, they start to rush forward, some members still shaking off a lingering blindness from Holy Word.
Yvainne lowers the blade barrier and Wasyli, hiding with shadow magic, slips through the horde of warriors and priests to be in position behind the stalwart defenders.
The rest of the Ninth's might smashes into the front lines of Mitrians. The holy warriors and priests try to hold the line from hell's might, then Wasyli attacks from behind. The defenses crumble and in a matter of seconds the halls are full of burned bodies, snapped necks, crushed skulls and slit throats.
With no more noticeable resistance the Knot explores around. Quell quickly spots a trapped secret door leading further into the catacombs. And the Knot find some interesting puzzles, but the Ninth double back to finish defiling the graves of the dead before advancing further. They even manage to find the crypt of the past Abbots, though they failed to find the bones of Saint Macarius
Finishing up their grave robbing, they Ninth stumbles upon an odd scene. There, in a cloud of swirling fog is a little girl. The Ninth approach, Mardus thinking it an illusion. For it makes no sense. Still with hesitation and caution Quell approaches, calling out to the girl. She simply looks at him & shakes her head in sorrow.
Quell politely asks her questions and she doesn't respond. Mardus and Emmerick boost and try to intimidate her, speaking in infernal. That prompts an unpleasant response. The Chalkydri Angel shed her mortal form revealing herself as the six winged serpent angel she was and let out a blinding Holy Word.
Battle was joined.
Repeated Holy Word spells rang in the ears of the Ninth and they all staggered around half-blind, half-deafened. They still got a few good blows on the Angel, forcing her to fall back, healing herself. Yet the Ninth continued to push forward, Yvainne healing Emmerick to keep him up as he ruthlessly beat the Angel down with his mace. Eventually, the Ninth triumphed, leaving the boon companion to Ara Mathra dead, while her friend remained locked in his ring of fire in the cathedral above.
Having defeated the angel, the Knot approaches the vault. Could this be where the Vampire of Ghastenhall's treasure could be? Quell quickly spots and disarms a trap. Following it up by quickly disabling the locked vault door. Beyond there was no magical treasure. Simply mundane gold, silver and platinum. Over 750 lbs of it in fact. The Knot stood stunned. Amassed before them was more wealth then they'd imagined. Considering their options, they decide to rest in the vault. Hurt and short on spells, the Knot uses the fortified vault as a camp site before resuming their exploration beyond the secret door into the deeper section of the Cathedral.
The Ninth moves forward through the winding catacombs. They stop and have Quell start scouting ahead. He eventually overheard the sound of faint chanting from ahead and spots an odd entry room, with what looked to be a library beyond. The threshold of the room stating "".
Rushing back to the group, the Knot gathered up & began prepping buff spells. Brother Summit & Wasyli creeping forward a bit with Quell. Then Quell heard the chanting stop and spells start to be cast. Their stealth was blown. Combat was at hand!
The Ninth moved forward when a group of hound archons fell around them slowing them down. As the Ninth engaged, more hound archons were conjured around them. And them the magically enlarged form of Abbot Earnan MacCathlain stepped out of the library. He attacked over his Hound Archon allies and cast spells upon the Ninth. And still, more Hound Archons were summoned from somewhere.
Stuck by the Hounds, Wasyli teleports half the Ninth behind the cleric and his archons. They they see it. The skeletal remains of Saint Macarius wrapped and encased in a glass shell engraved with magically glowing runes.
Mardus called out Asmodeus' name in infernal and rushed forward to the glowing glass expecting to have passed the test and stopped the spirit.
He was surprised to see the runes glow as the spirit summoned hound archons around him, flanking him as he as he was then hit by a Holy Smite. It seems calling out his lords name hadn't stopped the angry spirit of Saint Macarius from attacking.
The battle raged in the crypt of the Cathedral. Meanwhile, back in Matharyn, a beautiful blonde woman sought out someone who would hear her plea. And there the Emissary in White found a Knight of the Alerion Order and his ragtag band of adventurers, the Sons of Balentyne. The Knight listened to Taranea of Ghaele as she spoke of the violation of the Cathedral of Mitra-Made-Manifest...
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