"I, um. I guess I don't know that that's wrong. But it seems - very unlikely? Because it - never felt like a possibility before? You can sort of feel what powers you have, right. Like I feel that I can smite evil the normal way." Wait, no, she's getting sidetracked. "I mean, it doesn't match anything else that I've seen happen before, so it seems unlikely because of that?" Seelah has help me written all over her face by now.

"There are more experienced and powerful paladins and clerics of Iomedae in the city. I'm sure they'll be able to help you figure it out, so let's focus on getting there."

Seelah nods gratefully. This is a very reasonable justification for having the terrible decision taken out of her hands.

Gord has by now, if not quite snapped out of his shock, at least put himself enough together that he feels he can keep going. (It's sort of like the way you fight on through a long and bloody battle without really letting yourself process what's happening.)

"If we're going after them, I'm buffing us all first. Hit them fast, hit them hard. This was probably Hosilla, because she was working directly for the demon, so let's hope there are no even more powerful enemies past her. If the vrolikai comes back my spells wouldn't help anyway."

Bless, Magic Weapon for Anevia and Lann's bows, Bull's Strength for himself, and he'll save his other Prayer for when the fighting starts. And a channel to top everyone up.

Light of Heaven. If Gord is enchanted, please, please help him snap out of it. I am sure he is a really Good person underneath it. I - I don't know how to convince you to do anything you don't decide to do yourself, but - if it means anything, I really believe he's Good, and if he isn't I really believe he would be, given the chance. I don't know how much you can see down here, so I'm praying to tell you this. And she tries to focus as much as she can on who she thinks Gord is -

Gord, sternly insisting that we offer and honor surrender -

Gord, taking the time to try to get a cultist who surrendered somewhere safe, when most people in the city would slit his throat without a second thought -

Gord, telling that same ex-cultist not to follow him, because it'd be dangerous -

Gord, running forward while yelling for them to run away -

Shiiiiine.

Every buff helps!

With the buffs cast they're on a clock, and Seelah's armor continues to be non-sneaky, so they run up the staircase without scouting ahead.

There is in fact no other way down into the Maze from here, so she's still in the next room!

But she drank some healing potions and got her backup scrolls and now she is going to make them regret everything.

Even when two archers pepper her with magic arrows while Gord and Seelah block the stairways up to the balcony?

Yeah, alright, she's not a ranged fighter and most of her spells were buffs anyway. She leaves the probably-scary paladin alone, and attacks Gord.

Finally something is going his way.

One on one with melee weapons and a couple of occasional cure wounds spells, he can take her. Seelah attacking her from behind and Lann and Anevia from above just make it that much quicker.

"Wenduag!"

Wenduag steps in through the other door. And shoots Hosilla in the head.

"Where were you?!"

"I found the missing kids," she says, avoiding that question. "They're through this door. I think this leads to the Kenabres sewers - tunnels they built to drain rain." She doesn't really know what rain is, any more than what sewers are, but it's what the man with the golden skin said.

Gord is maybe still not processing quite well enough to ask how she got past the vrolikai and Hosilla in the first place, or why Hosilla seemed to know her name.

Anevia totally noticed that (and noticed Gord not questioning it) but it might not be a good idea to bring it up while she's not sure about Gord either!

The missing kids are finally rescued! Lann is very relieved.

And very, very, very upset with them for having gone into Maze!!!

Also rescued is an Aasimar who was kidnapped from Kenabres to be used in some sort of... demonic blood sacrifice ritual? He's not really sure, since it never took place. But it seemed to involve the mongrelfolk children, too.

"So the cultists were kidnapping mongrels to sacrifice? How long has this been going on?!"

"I knew cultists came to the Maze sometimes, the statues were always there. They were not the biggest threats before. I told you, I didn't go in for months. But I have never seen human cultists outside the Maze. None of our hunters have."

"We came straight here, but if the rest of it is a maze, there might be other monsters we missed. And other cultists, like Hosilla's two lieutenants."

"I know where we are. These are the storm sewers below the Gray Garrison." The aasimar's story helped Anevia figure out that much. "Let's go on up and make contact with our people."

"There were cultists right under the garrison?!"

"You really are new to Kenabres, aren't you?"