"Oh, there's no need to be so loud." A smooth, baritone voice with a subtle tiger-like growl behind it comes from behind the party as they knock on the door.
Dressed in red finery with blue trim, and wearing a luxurious blue cape that falls to his calves, A swarthy-skinned human man stands behind them, leaning against a railing that overlooks the interior garden.
"If you seek Glorio Arkona... well, here I am." He spreads his hands wide. "Now, why is it you've so brazenly trespassed into my home and helped yourself to my baubles?"
Karri tenses expecting, if not hoping, this will turn from banter to the violence rising under the surface.
Turned with her back to the door, Lyla finds herself facing the master of house Arkona, the rest of the party interposed between her and him. She straightens up and speaks defiantly. "I thought you of all people would find that helping yourself to stuff is just a part of life. Like helping yourself to Seneschal Neolandus and Vencarlo Orsini. Not to mention all your shady business with the Cerulean Society."
She squints her eyes and stares intenly at Glorio Arkona. "Now, quit playing the victim and give us what we want before we have to take it. Where are they?"
Nalun's hand rests easy on Willbreaker. The air was tense, he could taste the potential violence in the air.
Best to do this the easy way. We have no quarrel with you Arkona. We'll even put the "baubles" back where we found them.
"I would listen to them. We have no problem doing this peacefully."
"Please, Your Grace, surely you can see we're working towards roughly the same goals," Ortik says, his hands outstretched in an attempt to salvage the negotiation before it comes to blows. "If you wanted the seneschal and the duelist dead, then they'd be dead. That means they have value to you, and either the queen isn't willing to pay the price you ask or - and this is what I wager - you're looking for a different seller."
He straightens himself, brushing off his dingy fur coat in a vain attempt to make himself look presentable to nobility. "We would formally request to enter negotiations for them."
Glorio holds up his hands with a slight smirk. "And I would be more than happy to let you have them."
"Alas, I'm afraid it's not that simple." He starts walking around the edge of the circular balcony. "For it is my sister who's taken them prisoner--into a place she had built beneath our home."
"Why would she do that?"
Lyla closes her right hand into a fist and swiftly smacks it against the open palm of her left hand. "Hah! I knew it! These guys just loooove this whole underground, dungeon-style thing!" She turns to Glorio. "Really, what's the deal with that? And how do we get there?"
Nalun narrows his eyes And you knew nothing about that huh Arkona.
"Well, by the time I learned of what she had done, it was a tad too late to change her mind." Glorio shrugs.
"Really, what's the deal with that? And how do we get there?"
"I suppose you've already learned by now. We happen to be the benefactors of the--now defunct, no hard feelings about that--Cerulean Society. Beneath our manor is what is known as the Vivified Labyrinth--an obstacle course-cum-prison, if you will. She's taken our seneschal and your dear Vencarlo there."
"As to how you reach it..." Glorio starts walking down the stairs. "...come. Follow me."
Demitri reluctantly follows Glorio. "You didn't answer my question of why she would do such a thing."
No hard feelings, my left b+&#@~#, Ortik thought. Why bring it up otherwise? As to why she took them prisoner - are the Arkonas having a power struggle? She can't be trying to curry favor with the Queen, or she would have given them to her already. Bargaining chip, maybe?
Ortik follows along, the wheels turning in his head all the way.
"You didn't answer my question of why she would do such a thing."
"Because I'm just as much at a loss as you are, I'm afraid." Glorio responds as he leads the party down the lavishly decorated halls of the manor and out into the more resplendent garden. "Perhaps she seeks a measure of leverage over the Queen? Perhaps they offended her in some way and this is her way of taking recompense?"
"Or perhaps it's some other reason altogether." His reply is accompanied by the trilling of an exotic, red-plumed bird flying overhead and perching on a tree at the garden's far end. He walks over to the massive jade elephant statue's platform and stops before it.
"What's wrong?" Demitri asks raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, just looking for the switch, is all."
Glorio climbs up to the jade elephant and looks between its legs. "Let's see... ah! There."
He places a hand on a small stone button, which recesses into the base with a click. The statue's platform turns in place, and the *grinding* of stone on stone fills the air. As it does, a curved opening appears, revealing a set of spiral stairs descending into the darkness.
Demitiri walks in, sword drawn.
"Hey chief, can you light a torch or something?", Lyla asks Demitri while drawing her rapier. She walks with the tip pointed down, still trying to get used to the grip and weight. She keeps the other hand free and with easy access to her extracts and explosive mixtures, a proven combat technique with which she is far more comfortable. The halfling girl follows Demitri and turns to Glorio Arkona as she passes him. "You said it's a labyrinth. How about a map?"
Karri pulls out a copper coin and casts Light "Will this do?"
Nalun draws Willbreaker, and it begins shining soft light.
This feels all bad. he says as he follows Demitri
"Yup, that works, Karri," Lyla says before adressing Nalun. "I hear you, slim. But by now I'm kinda used to walking into a trap and then mopping the floor with whatever comes at us. So, well, who sould really be afraid here?"
"Should Legion go first, clear the way a bit?"
"Don't be overconfident. We don't know what we're walking into."
Lyla rolls her eyes. "Fine, we'll go with your modesty instead of mine." She turns to Karri. "We'll be right behind your, huh, Legion thing. And one of these days I'd like to know what is all about."
"So, here's my dilemma, Your Grace," Ortik says, staring warily into the darkened stairway momentarily before returning his gaze to the head of house Arkona. "If we walk into your labyrinth and meet your sister, she's going to be understandably distrusting that we're in the labyrinth with the good graces of House Arkona. Would you be able to provide us with something that shows we have your blessing to be in your home and negotiate for the release of the two men? That might go a long way to avoid any misunderstandings that might arise between us."
"Your question, Ortik, implies that my dear sister will be in the mood for negotiations. I suspect she's broken under the strain of the Queen's rule... and she won't take kindly to anyone she thinks is interfering in her plans for the seneschal." Glorio says with a resigned sigh.
"Oh, do be careful going down there--I'm afraid Vimanda's planted a murderous garden of sorts where that passage goes. The guardians there will be quite vicious--best be prepared."
"Duly noted. I plan on being prepared."
With Lyla leading the way, the party descends into the darkness…
The air in this vast grotto is cool. An iron-framed flight of spiral stairs winds up through a hole in the ceiling in the northwest section of the room from the top of a semicircular ledge. The ledge winds down along the cavern’s inner wall to a series of rope bridges that descend even lower from ledge to ledge. The upper ledge is breathtaking and strangely beautiful—a tableau of all manner of odd-colored fungi, lichens, and molds. The fungi have been cultivated, shaped into symmetrical patterns normally not seen in nature, transforming the ledge into a sort of underground fungal garden. Here and there, flickering torches burn in sconces above the fungi, while from somewhere in the darkness below comes the soft splash of water against an unseen shore.
Demitri casts on his sword and carefully moves forward.
Demitri takes note of the corpses and keeps moving, after letting the party catch up.
Nalun follows behind Demitri, Willbreaker drawn.
Lyla looks over her shoulder as Demitri, behind her, ignites the blade to light the way. She notices the skeletons and takes a few steps back in order to take a better look, letting Demitri and Nalun through.
...incidentally, you can see the slime on their bodies start to twitch and flow over their bones.
Ortik is quiet as the group descends beneath Arkona Manor. His hand grips his spear tightly, to the point of causing the tip to quiver. His eyes dart about, scanning for any sort of ambush or deathtrap. Despite the relative chill in the air, beads of sweat trickle down his neck. It's plain for anyone to see - Ortik is rattled by everything that's happened since entering the manor, and the most recent turn of fortune has not helped matters.
As the group approaches the fungal garden to pass through it, the slime-covered skeletons twitch, and the sound of rattling chainmail fills the air as they start to rise. They force themselves to their feet, shields and swords dripping with filth, and their armour covered in dozens of mushroom caps. Their jaws open in a gesture of silent contempt, and they lumber forward.
All three of them look at the approaching party... and then suddenly vanish from sight.
Demitri activates a judgement before casting a spell, his blade now covered in flame.
"Wonderful," Ortik says, readying his spear. "Whatever those things are, they can go invisible. Maybe I can solve that problem." He prays to the city for assistance, and a warm purple glow begins to illuminate the area where the lead skeleton creature stood.
Well, things keep getting better and better. Nalun smirks as he goes after whatever gets lit up by Ortik.
Lyla grabs a vial from her pouch and uncorks it. "You know, two can play that game! Or four, in this case... anyway, I digress." She drinks the extract and throws her head back, sending it all down in one gulp and turning invisible herself.
Ortik lights up the lead skeleton with some druidic magic, and Nalun seizes the opportunity to stab it. His rapier gets caught in the beast's armour without hurting it.
Elated and anxious, Karri unleashes Legion. The infernal hounds bay as they slam into the skelton.
for and
for and
for and
for and
Nalun's strike doesn't find its mark, but two of the summoned, baying hounds do--their jaws clamp down on the skeleton's legs and try to yank them out from under it, but to no avail!
The illuminated skeletal guardian and another of its fellows break their invisibility, and start laying into the hounds with their blades! They swing their scimitars with brutal, exceptional precision...
The third skeletal guardian abandons its invisibility, but doesn't move to attack. It's likely waiting for an opening to get in.
Demitri moves up to engage one of the skeletal guardians.
Seeing half of her dogs cut down so quickly makes Karri a bit nervous, but Legion is ever willing. Send more to the slaughter!. Her screams add to the cacophany or barking and baying as she pulls more of her tainted blood Karri sends in another fiendish hound.
for
for
for
Nalun studies the opponent in front of him, then he lashes out with Willbreaker
"I'm doing us no good back here," Ortik says, dropping his spear. "These horrors are a cancer upon the city - and we shall cut them away!" He charges at the skeletal warrior facing Nalun, pulling his warhammer as he goes.