Unshaken and stirred now, Hrim prepares to accompany Argor downstairs. He asks for divine favor and vigorously channels. He stealthily follows the mage downstairs.
Argor casts his spell again, which fails this time. The warrior shouts at him, "Come down and I will kill you!" going to retrieve his throwing axe.
The robed figure watches her two "friends" fighting, looking distressed.
Hrim and Nyugusk hear the fighting and head down to help.
Argor tries a third time with his spell, and this time it works. Both the undead stop fighting and stand quietly waiting for Argor to say something. Hrim and Nyugusk arrive to see Argor floating above to charmed looking humanoid undead.
Hearing the clatter of Nyugusk's legs, Argor curses to himself.
Damn them and their impatience!
He relaxes, however, when his spell overwhelms the will of the second undead at last. As the crab-or centers the chamber, the mage holds up a hand to halt any aggressions he may have, never turning his gaze from the bound undead. "What are your names, and are you aware of the means to which you achieved unlife?"
"We are back because this mausoleum was violated but moments ago. Our names are not important. You are our friend, why are you disturbing our rest? You should leave us in peace." the robed woman says. The man, who looks like he may have once been a Hellknight goes to stand behind her, like a bodyguard. He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the living.
"We were not the ones to disturb your slumber, but pursue the one ultimately responsible. If you would help us to detain her, alive, and we leave your tomb as we found it, what would you do then?"
"Return to our guardianship. You may not take anything from this chamber."
Sensing Argor relax, Rutai smirks. "Boss musta handled it, just like he said he would. Come on, let's catch up to 'em!" he says before flying off down the stairs himself.
As Argor converses with the undead, coming to understand their respective abilities, he commands Rutai to check the next room. The imp does so, then flies back in a hurry and closes the cracked door behind him. "So there is a Hell Hound. And I heard some papers shuffling around to the back. Other than that, a bunch of book cases and fog at the floor like here."
Everyone makes their way downstairs. With spell durations ticking, Argor sends Rutai through the only doorway further into the vault to scout.
He returns a moment later to report the following: Great, upright stones dominate the room, evenly spaced out to allow for easy passage between them. The stones have been perfectly carved to form bookshelves, each with six different shelves containing various books, notes, maps, and other crammed-in documents. A perpetual thick gray fog covers the floor of this room to a height of six inches, and most of the documents on the lowest shelves of the bookcases appear to have rotted away because of condensation from this fog, giving the room a pungent, musty aroma. There was a hell hound standing guard within the doorway, who nearly sniffed Rutai out. He also heard some rustling of paper coming from a back corner of the room.
Cladissa keeps her cackling up, even through a chilling current of fear that has her tail twisting and writhing. She stays in the back, just close enough to keep the warriors within range of the effect to keep the Fortune going.
"Making friends, Argor?" she manages to croak out in between her bouts of mad laughter.
Argor smirks inwardly at Cladissa's self-imposed distress. "Always. Let us proceed. Warriors to the front."
He then looks expectantly to the undead warrior to lead the way.
"This will alert them," she says in between cackles, "but the hex will help you in many ways."
When the warriors begin to move, she moves with them, pausing every thirty feet to briefly cackle again.
Argor smirks inwardly at Cladissa's self-imposed distress. "Always. Let us proceed. Warriors to the front."
He then looks expectantly to the undead warrior to lead the way.
If the subject is intelligent, it perceives your words and actions favorably (treat its attitude as friendly). It will not attack you while the spell lasts. You can give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do. Retries are not allowed. An intelligent commanded undead never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing.
"We are your friends, not your servants. Go fight the hellhound by yourselves," the lich says cooly, her brutish bodyguard glaring over her shoulder.
Cladissa cackles.
Argor scowls at the undead. "You claim to seek to protect this tomb? The one responsible for its defilement is likely beyond those doors as well," he says while pointing at the far door. "They are likely also responsible for the presence of that beast. Who knows what further depravities they have in store for your kin and their place of rest should they be left unchecked. It is in your interest to dispatch it."
Argor scowls at the undead. "You claim to seek to protect this tomb? The one responsible for its defilement is likely beyond those doors as well," he says while pointing at the far door. "They are likely also responsible for the presence of that beast. Who knows what further depravities they have in store for your kin and their place of rest should they be left unchecked. It is in your interest to dispatch it."
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 13
"The one beyond that door is in fact a Deckland and the only rightful owner of this vault and all its contents." Despite asserting this, the lich is unable to break the spell and remains artificially friendly.
Hrim watches the conversation between Argor and his scary new friends. He feels his blessings run their course.
After a few seconds to realize that they were not going to battle the undead, he casts Detect Magic and goes to double-check the devil's scouting. While concentrating on detecting magical auras, he stealthily flies through the only doorway further into the vault to scout.
"But Celeena is beyond that door?" the transmogrified halforc asks, scratching at a place where a few odd feathers shoot out between bluish scales.
Hrim watches the conversation between Argor and his scary new friends. He feels his blessings run their course.
After a few seconds to realize that they were not going to battle the undead, he casts Detect Magic and goes to double-check the devil's scouting. While concentrating on detecting magical auras, he stealthily flies through the only doorway further into the vault to scout.
Nyugusk is ignored by the undead. He and Mattera take up positions next to the door, and then Hrim opens it. There is a hellhound standing immediately in the doorway, growling.
Initiative:
Celeena 20
Hound 14
Party 13.4
"F~+@ off!" a woman's voice yells from inside the room. She chants something, and blck tentacles erupt from the floor around the three boys.
The hound sniffs and detects something sneaky and earthy in front of him. It takes a deep breath and exhales fire through the doorway.
Mattera reaches past Hrim and the tentacles, and whacks the hound with his iron-bound staff.
His two heavy blow crush the fiendish hound's head, and it dies. Its body disappears.
"If one of you can deal with the tentacles, that would be helpful. I'm going to focus my magics on keeping her neutralized," Argor says to the lich and Cladissa as he retrieves a scroll and reads its magic, then vanishes from sight.
__________
Cladissa lets out a disgusted sound and rolls her eyes. Then she gestures at the rubbery mass.
If her spell does the trick, she strides forward to just behind Mettera.
When Cladissa sees that the tentacles fade, she calls out, "Celeena! Please give up! You're running out of allies and we don't want to hurt you!"
"Who's out there? Who is we?!"
"My companions and I. We're with the Society. Maybe you've heard of us? We're often called the, well, the Freaks."
Hrim gets to his feet and wipes the soot and disappearing black tentacles from his outfit. He refocuses on detecting magical auras and stealthily enters the now open door. He flies toward the ceiling surveying the room.
"What do you want? Why are you here?" Celeena's voice says.
"We'd like to help you, if we can," Cladissa calls out. "We heard that your father was blackmailed in the past. That you were used as a pawn in Cheliax's schemes. Is there something that's happened? What's got you doing the same work that they forced your father to do?"
"We were rich once! My family built this vault. Now in Cheliax, we're nobodies. I couldn't stand it any more, I had to come back and claim my family's legacy. What do I care if Absalom gets invaded, they forsook the Decklands long before I was born." The bitterness in the girl's voice is clear. "Are you going to kill me? I know I can't beat the Freaks..." she admits.
"No!" she says vehemently. "Of course not!"
She takes a couple steps further into the vault as a show of trust. "So you would try to serve Cheliax even more, when they're the reasons for your family's shame? There has to be a better way to restore your family's legacy and standing."
Argor and Rutai fly into the room invisible, searching for Celeena. Once he locates her, he maintains a safe distance and prepares to dispel any further magics she may attempt to muster.
"No!" she says vehemently. "Of course not!"
She takes a couple steps further into the vault as a show of trust. "So you would try to serve Cheliax even more, when they're the reasons for your family's shame? There has to be a better way to restore your family's legacy and standing."
"I repeat, what do you want?"
"To stop you from giving this information to Cheliax. You won't win. It doesn't need to end in bloodshed."
"What happens to me?"
Cladissa looks sympathetic. "Well, what would you like? You could probably sell the maps back to Absalom for a tidy profit. We happen to have an influential Varlokkur here with us who could broker the deal. There may be a matter about reparations for a Pathfinder member who was killed investigating this, but I think we can help each other out."
"If you let me go, you can have the notes. The only deal Absalom will give me is life in prison for treason. Not that I could stop you doing whatever you want if I tried...I have no choice but to trust you."
Hrim sees the target too and studies her magical auras while Cladissa negotiates with her.
At the word "trust," Cladissa looks down at her demonic form and sighs. She pauses, concentrates, and wills into place an illusion that erases her demonic features.
"Your position is very tenuous," she agrees. "Go ahead and provide us with the documents. All copies, please."
She takes a few more steps forward, glancing down the rows of stacks.
"And while we're becoming friends, perhaps you could explain something. Rumor has it that Cheliax threatened you to get your father to betray Absalom. But you just said you hadn't been born yet when he was banished. What really happened?"
At the word "trust," Cladissa looks down at her demonic form and sighs. She pauses, concentrates, and wills into place an illusion that erases her demonic features.
"Your position is very tenuous," she agrees. "Go ahead and provide us with the documents. All copies, please."
She takes a few more steps forward, glancing down the rows of stacks.
"And while we're becoming friends, perhaps you could explain something. Rumor has it that Cheliax threatened you to get your father to betray Absalom. But you just said you hadn't been born yet when he was banished. What really happened?"
"The rumors are true. I will hand over the papers when I know I'm going to be safely released. Until then they are the only minor leverage I have."
Cladissa feels a bit heated at Celeena's situation. "If they're true, then your father was a victim of extortion. What Absalom did to him wasn't right. I can't imagine having to make such a choice."
She keeps looking through the stacks until she finds her and steps out into full view, completely exposed to attack. "If you want to get away, I understand. But I wish you'd reconsider, and let us help you restore your family's standing." she reaches her hand out to Celeena's.
Rutai flies quietly, invisibly, over to Celeena's location, attempting to slip the papers in question from her person.
__________
::Rutai, desist in your actions this instant! Or I will stop you::
Nyugusk does his best to keep focused during the negotiation but suddenly feels his heart start to beat faster. His vision starts to double again and he stumbles...but having four pincered legs comes in handy and he catches himself before he hits the floor.
Heart still pounding, he pops the lid off of a vial and (arm shaking) chugs it down. As he does so, he glances defensively at his companions.
::Sorry. I'm fine::