"Sounds like one of the guys we're looking for. Though I don't know about the others."
"You guys won't try to kill me if I let you out, right? Stabbing unarmed people is bad for your street cred."
Carina shoots a glare over at the men. "I wasn't asking you."
She turns back to the woman. "Listen--I honestly have no idea what's happened to you, and right now, I don't really care. All I know is that you're in need of help." She continues, her worry visible on her face.
She reaches out a hand to her, then pauses and rests it on the floor. Lady Starmane doesn't appear to want to be touched. "We're here to save you, I promise. What can we do to prove that to you?" She asks, kneeling before the lady.
"Farrukh, can you get the locks open?"
"Sure."
Carina scoots to the side to let Farrukh work on Lady Starmane's cell lock.
The lock clicks open. Ilya hesitates, looking at Carina with a mixture of hope and exhaustion. Her eyes well with tears. "I...I don't know. Just get me home."
"Sounds like one of the guys we're looking for. Though I don't know about the others."
"You guys won't try to kill me if I let you out, right? Stabbing unarmed people is bad for your street cred."
Martal's eyes widen. "Oh, thank Cuthbert. I mean, no, of course not!" He fumbles for a moment before turning and rushing to his bed. "W-we can help you! I heard them talking about their 'special prisoners' being kept down below in the Hall of Deception. If you're looking for someones..."
He and Regim pull out some meager supplies from under the blankets—a battered-looking longsword and a very dented steel shield. Regim approaches the bucket, grimacing, and draws out a bunched-up suit of studded leather armor.
"We don't sleep too well," Regim remarks, "an' Gattel doesn't much care for us having to use his bucket, but we managed to nab these during a couple of the..." He shudders. "...sessions."
"So, what's that guy's deal?" he asks Martal as he unlocks his cell.
"Not sure," Martal says as he starts putting on the armor. "The shifters call him Gattel Wattel or somethin'. Reckon he's been here longer then any of us. He's a right nutter."
"Nutty how?"
"As in they done something to his brain." The pair exit their cell. "He ain't violent, I don't think, but...well, you'll see if you wake 'im."
Carina helps Lady Starmane to her feet, if she allows her to. "We'll get you home. Don't worry."
She turns to the others upon hearing that Regim & Martel offer their help. "I don't know. you guys don't look so good--you look like you've been suffering from malnourishment on top of all the other injuries you've taken."
"I think it'd be a better idea to get you all to safety first before we check the place out any further." She looks at the other party members. "What do you think?"
"Look," Martal snaps, "we may be a bit tired, but we're still guards, damn it! We can't just leave this place, not without making those bastards pay!"
"I dunno, Martal," Regim says. He reaches over and squeezes Martal's hand. "We ain't exactly been very good at our jobs so far. Maybe...maybe we should just go. Nothin' we can do here."
They seem willing to take the party's lead either way.
Tanith offers a shoulder to lean on if any of the prisoners show signs of trouble standing under their own power.
"I don't know - it seems like you might be better off with us for a bit. There's no telling what kind of trouble those things might have stirred up while wearing your skins."
"If you guys were in better health, I'd be glad to have you along, but as-is...honesty you look like you'd be dead weight, emphasis on the dead if we run into anything REALLY nasty." he says bluntly.
That said, he goes to unlock the final cage with "Gattel Wattel" in it.
Eben shakes his head in disgust looking at the unfortunate guardsmen. "I promise you guys we're on the up and up. That's horrible. Being taken prisoner is one thing, but then playing games with prisoners just for kicks... there's a reason people want to just kill doppelgangers on sight. Well, sight once the jig is up, not sight when they're shapeshifted and nobody knows, but... anyhow, yeah." He turns to the group. "I kinda agree with Tanith. Besides, we can always use a couple extra swords. And if we heal them up first, we can keep them safe from anything too dangerous..."
"I say let 'em fight, if Carina thinks they're fit enough. They look pretty exhausted, though, and I can't heal that," Astraden says, turning to Carina as she speaks. "Are they good to go?"
The cleric puts a hand to her throat and pulses out a wave of healing, eliminating the party's injuries and starting to repair those of the prisoners as well. "Maybe if they're bad off we can take them back to the Crooked House to let 'em recuperate. And . . . I've got a friend here in town - my godfather really - who could help us out if we go ask him. Wouldn't be naught but an hour's walk, I bet."
"Please," Martal says, "if you gotta send us off, fine, but don't let us slow you lot down, too. We'll get the girl home. We can at least manage that."
"That sounds like a good idea. What we end up facing is usually too dangerous for people who don't do this sort of thing professionally."
"Okay then," Astraden says, gesturing out of the cell. "If you do have time, go to the Blueberry Theater in the Foreign Quarter and leave a message for the priest of Olidammara who is staying upstairs. Say Astraden Limhaare has entered the Hold."
"Maybe he can take our bodies to a druid if we fail," she thinks.
Martal nods sullenly. Though clearly not happy either, Regim gives a little salute. "You got it, miss. Hey, c'mon, Ears. Let's get the hell outta here."
Ilya looks at Carina. The elf's eyes are wide. "I...I'm not sure about this. Maybe I should stay with you?"
Carina gives the men a quick look over to see how healthy they are.
The men actually seem in fine health, if a bit stressed and tired. The elf woman is very tired and underfed.
Farrukh unlocks the sleeping man's cell, but he doesn't react. Carina is fairly certain he's been knocked unconscious.
Farrukh sheathes his sword, and pours a Cure Light Wounds potion down Gattel's throat.
"Hmm..." Carina frowns. "Both of you seem to be well enough." She looks over the men. "Lady Starmane, however, needs food and rest. Gattam, on the other hand, is entirely unconscious, likely from blunt-force trauma." She nods at Farrukh as he administers a potion to the man.
She digs around in her haversack, producing some strips of beef jerky that she hands to Lady Starmane. "I know it's not your usual fare, Milady, but hopefully it'll help until you make it home. And, honestly, a quick detour to your family estate shouldn't take too long."
Ilya takes the beef jerky in both hands, biting her lip. "Th-thank you. Thank you so much. I won't forget this debt when I'm back home, I promise you."
"C'mon, girl." Martal starts to take her by the arm, then stops short and just gestures. He and Regim flank Ilya protectively as they make their way out.
Then Gattel Watam wakes up.
Still badly bruised, the haggard-looking man looks up at Farrukh with wide eyes. He stares at Farrukh a moment.
He grabs Farrukh and plants a kiss on each cheek. "Abdul, mon merveilleux éplucheur! I had thought you would never come to rescue me. You truly are the, how you say, credit to your race." He scrambles to his feet. "Now, quickly. I must be having my spare petticoat! These callous barbarians know not the meaning of proper façon!"
"A credit to my race?"
"I don't know why but I'm very offended right now."
Carina cringes as Gattam awakens. Maybe we should've let him stay unconscious for a little bit longer...
*ahem* "Excuse me, sir, but... are you alright?" She tentatively asks, approaching the man. "Do you know how long you've been here?"
If he's really crazy, it might be beyond my ability to heal...
Wattel blinks, looking at Farrukh oddly. "Wait, you're not Abdul! Tricky Kettite devil! Why are you impersonating my gardener?"
He glances at Carina. "Hm? Two years, I should think. Goodness, time flies when you're having probes."
Eben blinks. "Maybe we should have waited before letting the guards leave. They could have dropped this guy off at a local asylum too..."
Carina cringes. Oh... oh dear. I was afraid of that.
While she's tempted to give Eben a dirty look for his remark, the man did raise a good point. It wouldn't be a good idea for Gattam to wander the streets in his condition. "Mr. Wattel, you've clearly been here for a long time. Between the nasty lump you took to the head and Fharlanghn knows what else, I think you might need more help than I can provide."
"Two years? Damn, man. Well . . . a few more hours in the cage ain't gonna hurt you, right?" Astraden moves to the door. "Unless you wanna come along and help us? We've gotta root out this nest."
"Hmph." Gattel sits down, scowling. "As if I would consent to be rescued by the likes of you. I'd never hear the end of it from my peers."
He starts giggling to himself.
"Alright, if Carina says it's alright. You want your cage locked?" Astraden asks the man.
Carina is silent while Astraden speaks with Gattam. "Alright. If you're insistent on staying here for now, we'll let you. We'll clear the rest of this place out and come back to get you the help you need, sir." She nods.
Better for him to be in one place and secure instead of wandering about unsupervised.
"Locked?"
Gattel considers it, then scowls. "No. I will not settle for such nonsense."
"Suit yourself. Let's get a move on." Astraden heads to the door, re-drawing her magic dagger.
Astraden opens the door.
Much of the floor of this ruined chamber has given way, revealing a large stagnant pool of water below. Rusted spears and broken swords break the surface of this pool throughout the room. A framework of soggy timbers that might have once supported the floor still stands, stretching out across the void.
". . . Huh. That's a rather unusual geometry," the tall priestess says. Looking back at the group, she picks out Farrukh. "Hey, you got a rope? We might be able to just walk leisurely along the bottom. I don't wanna fall off a timber and land on a sword or something."
Eben takes his time leaving the room, taking a long, appraising glance at the crazy man in the now-unlocked cage. "Think he'll stay put without a lock in the way? Could be a bad thing if he wandered off while we're exploring..." he asks the group in a low voice.
When the door is inspected and opened, he pokes his head through the frame to the room beyond. "Yeah, I just knew the 'sodden' part of this place's name was catching up to us sooner or later. At least we don't have to go swimming quite yet..."
"Yeah, I've got plenty of rope. 50 feet enough?"
Eben looks disdainfully down at the pool of water below. "Would this be a good time to mention that I really am not a good swimmer?"
Carina shrugs. "I can swim just fine if it comes down to it. One of the perks of being an undine."
"And... I hope Gattam doesn't wander off either. Letting him out into the streets in his condition would be tantamount to murder." She sighs.
Cuetzpalli moves up and looks past his friends into the room. "That looks pretty treacherous. Spiny is an excellent swimmer, should it come to that. I don't think we're in much danger of drowning. But then again, who knows what else is in that water."
Tanith eyes the water suspiciously.
"I love a good swim but last time we dove into water like this Robin was almost eaten by undead."
"Let's go in ready for trouble."
Carina gives the water a cautious look, her eyes moving to her pistol.
"...and I forgot that this won't be of much help in the water. Neither will my bombs, come to think of it." She sticks next to Tanith. "Nobody fall in, okay?"
Astraden takes Farrukh's rope and ties it to one of the jail cell bars. She points across the water to the alcove hidden from view. "I think we can walk out over there one at a time and won't hurt the structure. Keep ahold of the rope and we'll be able to pull you up if you fall. Farrukh, you wanna take the lead?" she asks, giving him the free end of the rope.
Before anyone steps out, Astraden also recites a quick Oeridian charm and claps them on the back for good luck.