Toramin Gearsmith |
Toramin shakes his head fondly. The boy has the attention span of a gnat. He should learn to finish what he starts.
With his internal but ultimately warm critique, Toramin pulls out some rope creates a noose and slips it around the necromancer's beautiful neck.
Toramin Gearsmith |
The experience of continuous strangulation cannot be pleasant . . .
The dwarf's clever fingers freeze at the undead or Dalton's words.
Pausing for several moments Toramin considers this new and profoundly disturbing information.
"I believe him, if only because he is A) not shooting at us, and B) there is an evil presence within Dalton. Dalton, we seem to have two problems of relatively equal weight. How do we get you back into your body? How do we prevent the evil presence in your body from killing us when it returns to the gunslinger?"
Dalton Barrowwheel |
"If it returns?" Dalton glanced down at the gun in his left hand, remembering for the first time he had it at Toramin's words. "Simple. There are more handcuffs." He turned around and tossed the weapon down into the pit. "And no guns."
"It, me, and Acera should all be cuffed and brought before Alia. She will know what to do. Or she may want to come here if moving us is too difficult."
Dalton declined to answer the first question as he didn't know the answer. I hope my hypothesis is right. I would not like to spend the rest of my days in this form.
Toramin Gearsmith |
If? A possibility too unpleasant to contemplate.
"That seems like a workable solution. Dalton, thank you for disarming. Raul, could you manacle Dalton in the undead body. Please do not kill him. I think the sooner we leave, the better. At present, I feel ill-equipped to handle more surprises, and I doubt the mysteries and surprises of the necromancer's lair have been exhausted. We should return here, but not today."
Rilka Featherfeet |
It feels like another two rounds have occurred so...first stabilize role DC 10: 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (18) - 5 = 13
Yay! Rilka won't bleed to death.
DM Omen |
Toramin tightens a rope around Acera's neck, and after a moment the sound of choking and strangulation comes from her. It's...unsettling to hear the constant noises of somebody being strangled who cannot die. Pouring lava through their body seems humane compared to this.
However, Raul finally seems somewhat satisfied at the treatment of Acera, the fire diminishing in his eyes. He stays in werewolf form, on high alert, but gives a nod to Toramin and grabs a pair of manacles, going to the undead gunslinger. "This is gonna hurt." Without giving an explanation or any time, Raul twists up the skeletal arms behind his back so far that they hairline crack, and he quickly binds them in place. It leaves Dalton in his new body reeling in pain as the painful position forces him to crouch over to avoid fracturing his arms further. "That's how we deal with extremely dangerous prisoners. He'll be fine, just can't use his arms for a few weeks."
Gabriel cuffs Dalton's body, standing him up. Dalton gives a sour look, spitting in the paladin's face.
Suddenly Rilka starts sliding across the ground, going over to Bjorkus. Bjorkus feels a rock poke him in the side, and looks down to see Ymir holding Rilka up to him.
Gabriel Leoni |
Gabriel is watching the whole thing with a silent look of wonder on his expression. They had survived. All of them. It was wonderful, considering how many brave souls had given their lives to get to this point, but also a little unbelievable. He hardly noticed the glare, though the spitting in his face did catch him off guard and the paladin had to remind himself that this was his comrades body.
Resisting the urge to jerk the chain upward, and glancing around only briefly to find that Rilka was next to Bjorkus, his healing wand already out, Gabriel instead pulls the manacled half-elf along until they were close to the burning pit. Acera had been furious when he had thrown the brazier into it. Gabriel had been going by his gut with that one but now death didn't threaten, he wanted to see what was inside.
Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 17
DM Omen |
As Gabriel looks down into the pit, he sees a sight that both sickens and comforts him.
Burnt corpses of spiders cover the ground. Many are normal sized, but they ranged all the way up to creatures the size of horses. The fact that the stench hasn't risen up in puzzling.
Looking around he sees the pit is much wider than the opening to it, stretching far off to the east and out of sight.
Gabriel Leoni |
Gabriel shivers with disgust and the stench. Though nothing actually reaches his nose, there was still an expectation there for the smell of burnt spiders. The site was not as comforting as he hoped it would be, but he realized just how dangerous this pit could have been. "Another ace in the hole? Another army to call upon?"
He looked away, surprised that he hadn't actually seen the egg they were after, surprised by what he saw, and uncertain if he should feel relieved or nervous because of it. Had Heff done his job without them realizing it or was it simply in another area of this base? It made sense to think that trickster might have snuck off with the egg, as he himself had the same concerns Dalton did. Who to trust when someone could potentially steal bodies. It would explain why he had been so happy to go off on his own. But if that wasn't the case...
It would mean guarding the base until someone could look, possibly more fighting, but Gabe thought he himself was done with that for today. Or this week. Let Heff do it. Guy hadn't even been there for Targ or Acera. He looked up to the others and... smiled. It had been such a long day but they were all here and alive. Well, save for the man he was pretending to be annoyed with.
Dalton Barrowwheel |
The pain was excruciating, but thankfully brief. Dalton found himself back in his own body. "Well, it's not everyday I get to say I'm just skin and bones." The wizard gave a hearty laugh. "I am quite myself again now. But you should keep us under key still in case there is an echo of sorts in that magic. Your guess is as good as mine at this point."
"A spider pit? I suppose that is a convenient disposal method for failed gladiators."
Let us be done with this place.
Gabriel Leoni |
Gabriel jumps when Dalton speaks rather then growls at him or spits at him. He focuses his senses quickly on the Wizard, his eyes flashing with an inner light, and he's grateful to find that the half-elf is not radiating evil as a possesed being would. "Your guess saved our lives and ended up securing this base, Dalton. I think it'd be far more accurate then any guess of mine."
The tiefling speaks cheerfully, though his voice is ragged and hoarse from all the screaming he had done earlier to relieve that magical pain. His expression, despite the numerous wounds, scars and the somehow pale yet tanned skin was plesantly happy and surprised. Hopeful, really. Gabriel blinks as he realizes Dalton, the guy who had again pulled their butts out of the fire, had just told him to keep the chains on. Gabriel's tail, which had been moving slowly and rythmically, suddenly starts flicking about with nervous energy. "Uh... I... Don't really feel comfortable keeping you in chains. We might need you if something happens."
Toramin Gearsmith |
"Gabriel, this is where we trust but verify. You weigh Dalton's soul and I will examine the undead."
Toramin will cinch the rope strangling the necromancer by winding it down her body. He will also detect evil on the undead.
Gabriel Leoni |
"Already checked, before I said anything. I don't feel any evil in him, though there's something lingering around him... Then again it's sort of lingering around this whole place." Gabriel shivered but forced himself not to consider that too much. The detached way Toramin went about securing Acera made him a little sick. The fact that he -knew- what that woman was capable of didn't help either. Right now, she was someone being tortured, and it took everything in him not to rush over in stop it. She had made it necessary. It didn't make it right, but... The tiefling would have thoughts on this later.
Lingering evil is flavor, nothing secret Omen is sending me.
DM Omen |
Evil auras actually do linger for a time depending on their strength. Overwhelming auras can last for days.
Toramin Gearsmith |
"Dalton, would it be dangerous to you to let Raul do his duty and destroy the undead?" Toramin calmly inquires.
With equal calm he fits manacles to the necromancer's ankles and then throws her over his shoulder.
Heff |
"Whose bright f*!$ing idea was it to set the pit on fire?" Everybody turns to see Heff standing just north of the pit. He looks singed and the room begins filling with the smell of burnt hair as part of his goatee is burned off. He looks pissed, all of the normal smugness and charm gone.
Gabriel Leoni |
Gabriel raises his hand slowly, one still holding the chains around Dalton's wrists, uncertain what to do about his magical friend. "What happened?"
Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 17
Toramin Gearsmith |
"I think I like your face better like this, Heff. That other thing wasn't even a proper beard."
It may be unkind to find satisfaction in Heff's discombobulation, but that man is an ass. What did my father once tell me when he was instructing me in Torag's invocations? Oh yes, suffering will be your teacher.
Gabriel Leoni |
"Lots of web and something that would piss of Acera. I had a gut feeling that she had another ace down there and we were already dealing with too much." Gabriel frowns as he looks at Heff, then says again in a much less uncertain tone. "What happened?"
Heff |
Heff looks at the face of the young paladin, softening his harsh tone. He steps over, putting a hand on Gabriel's shoulder and lowering his voice. "Gabriel...she had a cell down there." He pauses. "Prisoners. Forty people who were still alive. They were being kept there to be food for the spiders. I'm...I'm sorry Gabriel. They're all dead."
Toramin Gearsmith |
Toramin's slight smirk turns into a frown. "Their loss is a sorrow. This is a hard thing, Gabriel. You did the best you could with the information you had. That does negate their loss but does mean you will have an opportunity to do better in the future."
Gabriel Leoni |
Gabriel felt his stomach drop. He had forgotten. Prisoners. They hadn't been certain if she had any but it had been a possibility, and a strong one. The stairs... if there were cells the stairs from earlier and probably lead down there. His mind raced through the ways they could have saved those people. It took him several seconds, but he finally nodded slowly, feeling just a little numb, to tell Heff that he understood what he was saying.
Gabriel looks over to Toramin, his expression lacking the smile that it should have carried after such a victory, and he nods again. He already knew the answer to the question Heff's words had asked. What does one do, after making the worst mistake possible? Do better. Always do better. It made a decision he hadn't been looking forward to making, considering all he had left behind, far easier.
Gabriel Leoni |
Gabriel releases Dalton, though the man was still bound, and moves toward the edge of the pit. His eyes are searching, looking through the burnt remnants of the spiders. His tail is eerily still where it would normally be telling of his emotional state. "Go. I'll meet you on the surface."
And with that, Gabe jumps down into the hole, bracing himself for the smell, the pain, all of it. He didn't think Heff was lying. That wasn't the point of jumping down. No, he had to see for himself. The price for failure. The price for being too weak.
Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 14
Heff |
Heff switches away from comforting, offering no more condolences. "Their loss was unnecessary. They were protected inside the cells and I was going to come back for them. You were aware of the high possibility of prisoners inside, and yet you still acted recklessly." He meets Gabriel's eyes, a look of dark intent on his face. It's a terrifying gaze to meet, not because Heff is physically intimidating, but because of the power he has at his disposal. "If you were an Aestheric I would strip you of your rank. I should still erase the last month of your memory and dump you in the desert. I know the other council members would approve." He lets the threat hang for a moment. "But I won't, because I know you made a difference today and meant no harm."
"Oh, and congratulations for taking down Acera. We should get her back to the surface."
Toramin Gearsmith |
Crocodile tears. If he were that concerned about innocents, may Torag guard their souls, then they not the Egg would have been his goal.
"Did you find the Egg? Did you find what was most important to you on this mission?"
Toramin will begin carrying Acera back to the surface with Ymmir carrying a stable Rilka.
Toramin Gearsmith |
Toramin considers the possibility that the box is an illusion and tries to disbelieve.
Will: 1d20 + 4 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 4 + 5 = 22
Toramin Gearsmith |
Later, after he has had a chance to grieve, I should talk to the boy. This is a terrible accident, but I worry that Heff will use his guilt to wield an influence more terrible still over the boy.
"Hmm. Did you find her ritual space? We did promise that ghost we would find his remains. It would be nice to know there is a place to begin tomorrow."
DM Omen |
"Heff is probably going to be a dick about this". I think I made you guys hate Heff even more than my local party haha.
"Yes, there was a small shrine downstairs. I found two unmarked graves as well."
Falling Damage (1d6 less for acrobatics check): 2d6 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
Gabriel lands and rolls, but still shocks his ankles and knees badly. The first thing he notices is the overpowering stench of burning corpses. The stench is eye-watering and sickening, but Gabriel holds his lunch down.
Gabriel Fort: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
The area looks like a natural cavern. Burnt remains of spiders and wisps of spiderwebs lay everywhere. Every step is met with a crunch as the burnt spider's corpses are crushed under foot. It's the kind of thing that keeps a man awake at night.
I'm going to speed you along a bit, because there's only one path and no real threat down here anymore.
Gabriel follows the cave east, seeing much of the same for minutes. Then the cave ends at a large cavern. To the north is a shrine to the spider-queen Lolth. It's a simple thing, but delicately kept. At the center is a pedestal with a round, egg-shaped holding cup at the top. It's currently empty.
On the eastern wall of the cavern are two simple graves that look to have been there for less than a year. They are unmarked.
The smell of death increases more, and as Gabriel looks south he sees what he feared most. A massive cage that stretches out fifty feet, filled with smoking corpses. Forty now unidentifiable bodies, nothing but more bodies to add the the days count. Some of them appeared to have been clawing to get out, breaking off their nails and struggling until their fingers were bloody. Some tried to shelter others, loved ones and children, beneath their bodies. It didn't matter, they all met the same fate by fire.
Gabriel Leoni |
He did neither. The paladin let the scent fill his nose, that horrid scent, and let the sight of what he was seeing be engraved in his mind. He could not run, could not hide, could not pretend. His was not the greatest evil to befall this land, not with the likes of Acera and Targ inhabiting it, but his actions had caused so much pain all the same. The paladin wanted to be sick. The stench was enough on it's own, but the images he was seeing before him were horrifying. He could see a small hand in there, reaching out from beneath an older persons body.
Gabriel wanted desperately to cry. But...
Toramin Gearsmith |
Bjorkus |
Bjorkus, wounded in both body and pride, sags but snorts impatiently.
”Let’s get the witch and Heff’s prize back to the surface. We’ve seen enough of this place. The boy’ll catch up when he’s done down there.”
"I think Rilka will live but the healers upstairs can do more for her than I can do with what's left in this wand", the bull explains with a shake of the nearly burned out stick.
Toramin Gearsmith |
On the way up, Toramin makes sure to snap the void sticks penetrating Targ's defiled body with his iron boots.
Gabriel Leoni |
Toramin Gearsmith |
"Bjorkus is right. She is the best suited to keep it out of the wrong sort of hands."
Like yours.
Toramin does try to be comprehensive in his strategies.
Rilka Featherfeet |
Her eyelids flutter and she groans. ”Bjorkus?” Rilka says in a weak voice. She slowly turns her head, while her hands carefully explore her injuries. ”We made it, yeah?” Turning her head, she sees Heff, Dalton, and the paladins. Raul too. ”How?! Standing brings a new dose of pain. She realizes that she’s close to opening the wounds that were sealed by magic. She checks the ground for bullets. Did they get forced out of her body with the magic? Or did they pass through? Too much effort and she’ll slip into unconsciousness. She knows this.
”I can barely think. Thanks for saving me with the healing wand.” She slides her slingstaff from her body and uses it as a walking stick. ”Let’s get out of here.”
0 hp
Toramin Gearsmith |
Toramin attempts to disbelieve again.
Will: 1d20 + 4 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 5 = 11
Suspicious, but satisfed, Toramin tucks it into a bag that he positions in front of him far from the necromancer's bound arms behind him.
Dwarven fanny-pack (TM)
"I'm glad we all agree. See you on the surface."
Dalton Barrowwheel |
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"I cannot be certain it would be safe to dispose of the undead yet. Alia would know for certain." Dalton shakes his head as to his usefulness though. "Presently, unless you need a bit of light or to see if magical powers are about something, I'm about as effective as a talking pillow."
Heff switches away from comforting, offering no more condolences. "Their loss was unnecessary. They were protected inside the cells and I was going to come back for them. You were aware of the high possibility of prisoners inside, and yet you still acted recklessly." He meets Gabriel's eyes, a look of dark intent on his face. It's a terrifying gaze to meet, not because Heff is physically intimidating, but because of the power he has at his disposal. "If you were an Aestheric I would strip you of your rank. I should still erase the last month of your memory and dump you in the desert. I know the other council members would approve." He lets the threat hang for a moment. "But I won't, because I know you made a difference today and meant no harm."
Dalton carefully listened as Heff berated Gabriel. This is a token he means to use. He is not all-powerful, but a good politician.
"Heff, Gabriel did not act recklessly. We nearly died, and the hostages would have died anyway if we did. His route which invoked her ire was not a crazy one, but a plausible route to success. He is no more at fault than a cook discovering a new root is poisonous."
But this will hang over him. Dalton watched Gabriel plunge into the pit of his despair. After he disappeared, the banker's bark returned.
Dalton tossed Heff a sharp look after he tossed the cube to Toramin. "Out of curiosity, would you have rather the prisoners not been burned and Acera be free? I will out my opinion: If her demise could only be bought through their lives, it was still a worthy purchase, for it bought the safety of manyfold more." He frowned. "In truth though, it wasn't a one-or-the-other option. Had our intelligence of the area been better, that calamity would have been avoided."
Gabriel wouldn't have listened to the shift of blame anyway; he would be far too irrational now. Yet the others had to see the truth in this: For a man with peerless stealth and maneuverability, Heff was quite limited in his description of the area here. Especially considering he was in the place with them, no doubt aware of their plight...
Toramin Gearsmith |
I am not alone in my mistrust of Heff. Master Dalton can be quite sensible.
Heff |
"Forty lives lost for the sure capture of Acera? Considering the amount of lives already lost I would probably take that deal. I would have probably done the exact same thing." Heff looks over at where Gabriel just jumped down. "In truth, the kid did pretty good. I wasn't seriously threatening him. It was just a reminder on how our actions can have serious effects, and can even cause the deaths of others. Aestherics have no clear decisions, you have to weight the pros and cons of every choice you make. Also, I'm considering recruiting him and wanted to learn a little more about him."
He walks over to the pit where Gabriel is now looking up from. Heff steps into the hole and floats gently down. At the bottom his eye catches the pistol that Dalton threw in, and he sweeps it up before grabbing Gabriel. "Come on you big lug, up we go." With some effort Heff flies Gabriel back out of the hole.
Heff goes over to Rilka, kneeling down. "Your team did amazing. This will earn you some serious points for advancement. Consider this a bonus." He gives her the pistol. "It's a little big now, but I'm sure we can get somebody to reshape it for you."
Heff stands back up. "By my count you have two areas left to explore. Neither is dangerous, but both are points of interest. We should get Acera to the surface with all haste, but the rest of us should explore those two paths."