Today’s snippet, titled “The Siege of Drezen (pt 2)”, is a piece I wrote about my PC in Mark’s new (Good) Pathfinder Campaign.
      Be forewarned, there may be mature themes and naughty language below.
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      It felt like hours as she and the others raced to catch up to Kumiko and Graves and Mira, but in reality it was maybe a minute. Still, in those rapid-fire seconds, the battle was furious. More fireballs were thrown by hidden enemies in the guardtowers and some were countered by Jenson’s wand. He became a target, as he must have expected when he singled himself out by wounding and killing so many of their compatriots, and a fireball blasted down upon him too.
      Athynacious held back to heal his wounds, but Rhiallis, Mytra, and Celeste powered forward.
      A slew of goat-like, halfing-sized demons appeared on the battlefield and for a moment, Rhiallis began to fear that her worries from earlier in the day were going to come true after all. Graves was bleeding freely from half a dozen and wounds and Kumiko’s armor was smoking. Mira danced about them, but even her quick reflexes could not stop the entire onslaught.
      “Heal them!” Celeste howled, whirling to drive her blade into a hin-goat-demon’s face.
      Mytra and Rhiallis both channeled holy energies into their friends, reparing damage done by enemy weapons. Dropping back a few steps, Mytra pulled an arrow and began peppering their foes.
      They’ve got it covered. Rhiallis told herself, glancing around for an open slot to join the melee. Her eyes fell upon the huge, snorting animals below the bridge and she frowned. These were no more beasts of burden; their mouths were frothing with pink, bloody foam and their teeth were wrong. No broad, flat, cud-chewing molars – rather, they bore incisors wicked enough to tear flesh from bone. She cringed, but knew immediately what she must do.
      These things cannot be saved, she thought, and grasped the silver scale token with her thumb and forefinger. Terendelev, let your wisdom guide me.
      And with that prayer, she stepped over the edge.
      Forty-feet down to the dry riverbed, she floated as if on a cloud. Rhiallis landed with hardly a poof of dust beneath her boots. Though it was not as powerful as Radiance, Rhiallis drew her blade with confidence and stepped up to drive it into the skull of one of the aurochs.
      She connected and blood spurted, but she was unable to mortally wound it with a single blow and in a heartbeat, she found herself surrounded by four mad-eyed demon cows, all lowing for her blood. They attacked at once, crushing her against a pillar and lashing at her with those wicked fangs.
      “Oh God,” she raised her shield and pulled her blade back to strike again. “Oh God, I am going to be killed by cattle!”
      Her savior arrived in a hurricane of enameled steel, raven hair, and thin, silver blade. Kumiko landed with a ferocious grunt and spun. Her katana bit through hair and hide and flesh and bone as easily as butter and a typhoon of hot, sticky blood erupted from the dead auroch’s throat.
      Drowning in gore, Rhiallis swung blindly and missed. At her side, graceful as a toe-dancer from the far reaches of Brevoy, Kumiko laid her sword into one of the beasts and then another. Mytra cast a concussive spell upon them as they fought, and two of them were stunned where they stood. In turn, they crumpled beneath the whirling blade and Rhiallis found herself staring, awe-struck, at her friend once more.
      By all the Gods in this world and hers, please never, ever, ever, ever, ever let me make Kumiko angry!
      Above, Celeste lopped the head from one of the small, goat-like demons and let loose a beastial howl. A moment later, Athynacious’ victorious cry indicated that he too, had scored a mortal blow.
      Rhiallis wiped the cooling blood from her face and held her arm out to Kumiko, motioning up with her chin. “Shall we?”
      Kumiko sheathed her blade and gripped Rhiallis’ arm tightly, bracing herself for the ride up. With a thought, the power of Terendelev’s scale lifted them up once more and they stepped lightly onto the bridge.
      Their foes were dead, the bridge was saved, and though they had taken many wounds – they had not lost a single ally.
      “I’ll signal James, he’ll call up the armies,” Graves said, sheathing Radiance. “We’ll camp here on the bridge to keep it safe and in the morning, we’ll march on that cemetery. Whatever is brewing down there… needs cleansed.”
      Rhiallis pulled off her helm and shook out her blond, pale hair. It, like every inch of her armor, tunic, and gear, was spattered with blood and gore. She sighed.
      “I don’t suppose there’s a large copper tub just laying about? I need a bath.”
      Jensen wriggled his eyebrows and his fingertips. “I can help you with that. But my ‘prestidigitation’ requires a touch, you know.”
      Closing her eyes, Rhiallis just chuckled. “Somehow I think that would only serve to make me dirtier.”
      They laughed, the adrenaline from the battle still singing in their veins, and Rhiallis realized that for the first time since they left Kenabres, she was not encumbered by her fears. She felt stronger and more alive than she had in ages; her heart was still pounding in her chest and her cheeks were flushed.
      We really have a chance, she thought, sloshing her canteen over her head to rinse off as much blood as possible. We can do this – not just cleanse the city, but really – we can fight off the denizens of the ‘Wound and bring life back to this nation. We really can. It will take gallons of blood and sweat and tears, but I see it clearly now. With Graves at the army’s head, and Kumiko’s fierceness and Celeste’s dedication, with Mira’s unerring optimism and Jenson’s arcane might, with Athynacious’ sword and Mytra’s bow, and my faith. We can push the darkness back. There will be a new day for Mendev and Sarkoris – for all Golarion.
      She wrung her hair out over the edge, watching the pinkish water dribble down onto the big, hairy corpses below. “But for tonight, I think I would settle have a hot bath and a long soak.”

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Note: Image is “King Jagiello Statue Central” by (Mulligand) from SXC.hu; edited by me