Oneshot - Gab and the Gods

Oneshot summary: Gab and the Gods

Many years prior to the events of the Maligned Mountains, Harmonious Gab spent his holier days as a high paladin of the Alietan Order. Within the walls of Alietus, Gab one autumn day found himself being summoned by High Priestess Thylessa for a mission. He was told to find a companion and infiltrate a suspected base of operations of a rebellion group known as Molysmir to find maps of un-raided ruins from the Pre-Maius Age outside the city to be searched through in hopes of finding grain and seeds for the ever-dry farms of Alietus' recent failed harvest.

Accepting the task, Harmonious Gab met up with his friend Edward Don Bartholemew, a cleric under the same faith. The two caught up with each other and strolled over to the abandoned farm & mine where Molysmir were to be located. Two guards were posted at the front, saying they were covering for a friend getting a little frisky with his lady. With a deal of talk and eventual magical charm, the pair managed to convince the guards to leave while they snuck deeper into the facility. Noting tracks, they headed down various tunnels and rooms before hearing some chatter of seeming members within Molysmir. They carefully went down a different tunnel where they found shelves of various notes, including a map of the abandoned mine as well as a list of names paired with occupation, a few names circled on the list. 

Continuing into the next room, they found a member of the organization reading in the corner, who asked the two about their sigils, showing them his own. Edward pronounces himself under the guise of Dominick Irongreaves, a name he saw on the list. The guard member mentions needing to report to a figure named "Jhasonylir" about forgetting the sigils. Upon this, Gab casts sleep on the member and ties him up. The two scan their map of the mines to see an office space past the relief/common area where they heard the chatter earlier. They pass through the room as inconspicuously as they can, but a hooded figure catches Gab's arm on their way to the office. Interrogating him, Gab throws the name Dominick Irongreaves out again, but the figure says that he personally sent Irongreaves home earlier that day. Begin combat.

The hooded one strikes Gab who retaliates, to which Edward enters the fray and goes for another strike against the hooded one. Seeing the conflict, a Foxlin they had passed jumps up and the girl he was talking to grabs a spear and readies by the door to guard it. Everyone trades a few blows, injuring Gab. The hooded figure, after taking some hits, backs into the corner of the room and summons vines from the earth to try and restrain Edward and Gab but they nimbly dodge. Gab moves after the hooded figure while Edward dispatches the Foxlin. The girl in the doorway hurls her spear at Gab but misses. With a yelp, she runs out to get help. Sensing the urgency, the two rush into the office and shut the door.

Inside, they come face to face with the seeming leader of Molysmir, Jhasonylir, who immediately jumps up and unlatches various potions at his belt. Gab rushes for an attack and hits. Jhasonylir tries to create room by flipping his desk but fails. More blows are exchanged, and Jhasonylir downs a healing potion. Moments later, he unlatches a potion from his belt and throws it at the floor, causing an explosion that injures Edward and downs Gab. Gab rolls a natural one on his death save for two fails. Edward, out of spells, scoops up Gab's unconscious body and runs out of the office. Hearing footsteps by the entrance, he runs into the tunnels, barring the door as Jhasonylir is on the chase. Frantically searching the room, Edward finds a small batch of goodberries in a corner and heals Gab with them.

The friends recover and search down the hall for somewhere to hide. They dart into a mined-out iron vein while Jhasonylir breaks into the room they were in, saying that he'd like to chat. When the chance opens, they dart into a room that was unmarked on their map. Here they find an ancient stone door from the old world, which they barely push open and shut behind. Casting light, they begin to explore for a way out. They find an ancient grandfather clock marked "JS" still to this day ticking. Feeling safe, they take a short rest to recover. Afterwards, they continue to explore. They come to the front of the ruins to find what might have been a shop one day, with a rotted ladder going up into some small spark of light. Edward searches the room and finds a bit of pottery, the inside of one vessel containing pristine silver-ish coins from the old world, marked in an unrecognizable text and depicting somebody's face. Gab searches and finds a few small sacks of grain.

With a bit of effort, the two climb up the ladder to find themselves in the roots of a tree. They cut their way through to see the outer city walls of Alietus and the vast plains of the Fashelands. They begin walking toward the gates, discussing what they found. Partway through their walk, Gab notices a purple glimmer far off in the distance and feels drawn toward it. Edward keeps him on track and they make it back to the gate. With a bit of arguing with the gate guard, Priestess Thylessa comes to bring them in. Gab once again notices that purple glow, and hears a voice in his head, asking for help, saying it is made of the ground. His mind encapsulated, he staggers off toward it, saying he'll meet with Edward and Thylessa later.

Edward continues with Thylessa back to the High Church and he gives a report of what they found. Thylessa scolds him for taking artifacts into the city, but praises his efforts to find even the slightest bit of food as well as this lapse in security and the information that came with the infiltration.

Edward dismissed, he made his way way back to his home to be surprised by a letter slipped under his door. He opens it and reads it, and his face is overcome with fear.