Chapter 13: Reality is Melting!

From the Chronicles of Brother Jacques.

30/5 - 1/6 Night.
Some speculation:
Kiellevain knew that something was up, but not that Keruna was awaiting him, but he still needed the Dagger, so he sent what he thought would be adequate strength to sieze it.
It was not sufficient, and he expended much of his local / readily available resources.
On the other hand, at least some of his Demons escaped in such a form that they could tell him how they had been defeated; so Kiellevain knows about Keruna. He does not know of Erenion, nor (I assume) does Keruna.
If he still needs the Dagger, he has to attack again.
He will gather intelligence, and gather strength, and not attack until he is confident that he can defeat Keruna (as he sees her), or at least at the best odds that he expects to get.
We can fight on our terms, by retreating to a stronghold (Igor), misleading him (by appearing weaker, maybe by appearing to fall out), or hurrying him into an attack before he is ready.
We could attack him before he has gathered sufficient strength.
We should not sail to destroy the Dagger, as we cannot protect ourselves and the Dagger at sea.
First of all, we should limit his intelligence gathering, and at the same time find out what we can about him.

Healing:
Keruna / Carmine had taken care of her own men.
I washed the Demon venom from Soro's slashes with Holy Wine (I'm running a little low), then HEALED him.
I persuaded Sir Jean-Marc / Erenion to warm his frostbite, slowly, in cold water. Soro HEALED him later.

Keruna / Carmine didn't seem to have any better ideas, so we relaxed and recuperated.

Soro SHAPESHIFTED and investigated the mining village of Han, about 10 miles away.
Reality there was distorted.
Kiellevain is probably gathering strength; probably Demons, likely a powerful ritual, and certainly using the lives of at least some of the villagers.

Keruna / Carmine assured me that there were no more living spies with Sir Artim's house.
Looking through the estate papers, it seems that the servant who had tried to poison me had been recruited 6 months before, but there was little else of use. The records had been censored.

Assuming Kiellevain had to expend real resources preventing the real Dagger leaving the estate, we sent out a series of decoys. Keruna had (at least) 4 containment boxes.

I) I sent the dead cook's Soul on it's way (to Hell, no doubt), whilst Keruna animated the corpse.
The Zombie rode out, but was intercepted by some sort of Fire Imp, that TELEPORTED it to be examined.
We cannot TELEPORT the Dagger, but apparently Kiellevain can (either because he has to take more chances, or because if the spell goes wrong the consequences are less dire from his perspective).
A moderately weak Imp, and a prepared TELEPORT of intermediate range is not a great loss of resources, so we tried again.

II) Darianne, knowing various (counter)TELEPORT magic, and armed with a fragile copy of BIND DEMON (that I had give her), rode out with the second fake.
She was intercepted by another Imp (we saw another fiery flash, but she resisted capture, and escaped, setting fire to the farmhouse and the fake box in the process, and (luckily) BINDING the Demon that tried to capture her. She then hid in the woods nearby trying to get her bearings and HEAL herself while she found out where she was and if there were more Demons about).
We also saw another fire on the horizon; a farmhouse. SEEING SPIRITS / DEMONS, I noticed 2 smallish figures nearby; 1 Fire Imp, and something more Humanoid, but twisted in the way of Demons. I could not see Darianne, as she was not a supernatural Spirit (this VISION, granted by the GOD, is fairly selective).
Soro and J-M / E rode out to assist. They prevailed, rescued Darianne (or possibly she helped rescue them by timely shooting a Demon which was sneaking up from behind) but lost a horse. They also left the fake box in the burning farmhouse.
4 more Demons (of similar size to the Ice Demons) went out to investigate. We did not engage, and after they had investigated the second decoy, they withdrew.
This was a slightly better exchange.

Possibly Kiellevain can detect the real Dagger, but with limited range and accuracy.

I rested (as did the Lady Carmine), however Soro felt something was amiss.
We prepared for combat.
I took a healthy infusion of Guarana (and considered Black Lotus, but never got around to it).
Something; some huge Earth Demon, was approaching from below (and, unbeknownst to us at the time, Air Demons were encircling us from above).
I prepared a WARDING around the hall, and we secured the heavy table from ropes up to the minstrels' gallery. Sir Zacharias, with the true Dagger (I think) stood on the table.
Keruna prepared another WARDING to contain samples that she intended to wrench from the Demon.

III) Another SPEEDED Zombie took the final fake outside.

Reality began to distort; the statues took on horrible aspects, and it began to stink.
I was not ready, and although Sir Zacharias and Soro were BLESSED, J-M / E was not (although Soro placed some vile ENCHANTMENT on his sword).
Glass began to melt, as tentacles wormed through the windows.
Meanwhile the flagstones of the floor twisted, buckled, and began to move apart and fade, revealing... a tentacled monstrosity of a mouth. The Earth Demon was not entirely within my partially constructed WARDING, so I rushed outside to enlarge it. My arm was shattered by a tentacle, but TEMPORARY HEALING kept me going.
Green Things came from above (Air Demons ?), but Keruna (using some sort of FIRE) and her men intercepted them.
Everyone hacked at tentacles.
Soro saved the day by throwing most of a flask of (Elven) Holy Spring Water into the maw.
The Demon screamed, driving men mad or deaf, but vanished.

Then, something, an even mightier Demon (but smaller; something like an Goblin Frog), grappled with Sir Zacharias from behind. It seemed impossibly heavy.
His spine creaking under the strain, the noble knight resisted with all his strength, and somehow (as the GOD was with him) threw the Demon down, through the heavy oak table and onto and into the floor, which it then seemed to merge with and become a part of. It could hide within objects (as the Earth Demon, and others could).
I completed my WARDING, trapping the Demon, although it had completely submerged into the floor (which appeared normal again).
The Demon appeared not wholly Demonic, but some unholy admixture of the real and infernal; implying that he was Kiellevain (i'm absolutely sure that it was not a pure Demon).
As Sir Zacharias backed out, still bearing the box that contained the cursed Dagger, I called upon the GOD by his secret and holy name.
HE came, and smote the Demon with a bolt of divine LIGHTENING.

We are deaf (possibly Keruna did not hear the secret name of the GOD). There is a large burned hole in the roof, and the table, and the centre of the stone floor is blasted to fragments which have settled in a spiral pattern.
My arm is shattered (Soro has offered to HEAL me, but perhaps I should purify myself instead).
If that was Kiellevain, Keruna does not need us any more.