25 Arodus, 4718 (Starday) cont.
As Verity opened the door leading further into the safe house, a huge javelin came flying striking her in the shoulder. Felyx ran to her side, using her healing magic to close the wound. Between the sound of the trap and Verity’s yell of pain, it was likely any members of the Silent Brotherhood nearby were well aware of our presence.
With Verity’s bleeding staunched, we made our way into the store room. The resources here could easily feed a small group of people for quite a long time. There were two exits from the room. One was the back of what was most likely a secret door from the other side. The other exit was an open hallway that led into a large room, and that was the way we decided to take.
With Oliver in the lead, we approached the large room. It seemed to be a common room of some sort. I took note of a table with three plates of half eaten food on it before Oliver said he could hear people inside the room, quickly followed by Felyx saying she could hear someone in the natural stone hallway that branched off of the doorway. A few seconds after this, we heard the sounds of divine spellcasting.
The ensuing fight employed more magic than our previous foes, but we were able to close in for melee despite their best efforts to keep us at bay. I must say I preferred the initiatives upstairs. As odd as it sounded I would rather be confronted with foes who aim for my kidneys instead of those who try and manipulate my mind.
One of the cultists fled as we struck down their comrades, and the narrow hallway made combat quite difficult.
We gave chase to the fleeing cultists, and the narrow hallway made combat quite difficult. I used the last of my magic for the day to cast ear piercing scream in hopes to stop her, but she resisted the effect and kept running down the long hallway, lined with four doors on either side. The priestess passed all these doors, making for one at the end of the hallway. We all continued the chase, and it was a well timed acid splash from Cornelius that finally brought her low.
Once the battle was over, Fleyx told us that the strange flickering effect that happened anytime we missed our foes in the fight was an ability granted to them by the Deception Domain, which is of course one the areas of concern for Norgorber. I will never understand why people choose to worship deities who champion lies and secrecy. How sad a life it must be, never being able to trust anyone, never being able to confide in anyone, because such acts of companionship are literally the anathema of your god. I suppose they must think the rest of us naive fools for believing that we can rely on anyone, but I would rather risk the sting of betrayal than to live a life alone and paranoid.
We took a moment to search the bodies of the three fallen members of the Brotherhood of Silence. Oliver decided to don one of the chain shirts they had been wearing for some extra protection. After a few moments of debate, we decided to go down the hallway where the cultist had fled. If there was anyone in those rooms, they would have heard the fighting, and we decided it was best not to leave a possible threat at our backs.