Soren directs her shot at the NE corner closest to the group. The shot rips through the coffin weakened by Lothryin's magic causing another massive wound.
Grumbles strike at the undead in the SE corner while powerful is wild and smashes the coffin to pieces but leaves the Draugr within unfazed.
Shalewigg stalks into the room intent on retrieving her dagger from the far corner of the room, "Those shots could wake the dead you know..." She hollers at Soren as she crosses the room.
You take a bath with the assistance of what appears to be a slave, the girl responds to your commands but does not engage in conversation.
Perhaps a half hour later, the woman who greeted you at the door enters the room. She places afresh dress upon the bed, "Dress yourself and come downstairs, the Master will see you now".
Thoroughly enjoying her bath despite the presence of the apparently mute slave. Relaxing until she is told to dress and come down stairs. Yes, thank you give me just a moment.
Quickly throwing on the dress that was given to her and taking a moment to make sure she looks presentable then quickly heading down the stairs. Once shown to the 'Master' she offers a polite bow and waits to be addressed.
You are brought into a comfortable well adorned study. The Master is a Human male in his late 30's or early 40's, handsome but starting to show his age. He sits behind the desk in a high leather backed chair smiling at you. The woman moves to stand behind him to his left.
On his desk sits a crystal ball, in it you see flashes of images, what appears to be combat somewhere in a dungeon location. The combatants face undead which are rising out of coffins. The group appears an assorted collection of races, the likes of which you have never seen before. The Master speaks drawing your attention away from the scene of battle.
“You must be curious why I’ve helped you. Rest assured this is no random act of altruism. I have brought you here for a reason. My name is Cardinal Adrastus Thorn. I am the last high priest of Asmodeus left on the island of Talingarde.
Once the Prince of Nessus was rightly revered alongside the other great powers. Now, the king of Talingarde has become a puppet to Mitran fanatics who wish to destroy any religion that does not bow to their insipid sun god.
I am going to burn Talingarde to the ground and from the ashes I will build a new nation that knows its rightful master. Join me! Serve me well in this holy endeavor and I will raise you up in the eyes of gods and men. A simple yes is not sufficient, you must swear fealty to me and to Asmodeus. Of course, to ensure your worth, there is one more task you will need to face. What say you?"
Nate looks around in confusion. "Which one has corpses in it?" He readies his bow.
Taking a moment to consider the option while staring at the crystal ball. The voice mumble quietly in her mind, Morana be careful. Asmodeus is a harsh master to take.[b] But they must pay! And I am going to need allies. Though i do not think that if I say no I get to leave. [b]Just be careful. Don't promise anything you cannot deliver. You are not a fighter! Then I will learn. Not fighting cost me everything! I will get my vengeance.
Taking a steadying breath. I am very grateful for the help. I am not ready to die yet... Shifting her gaze to look Adrastus Thorn in the eyes. I will gladly swear myself to your cause and you. Though i confess I do not know much about Asmodeus.
Lothryin grows claws and slashes at the one that Grumble has revealed
and his claws miss wildly as he stumbles upon the scattered wood in front of the coffin.
The creature in the northwest corner of the room starts to smash its coffin though its seems it cannot break through quite yet!
The one Draughr in the northeast corner staggers out of its coffin and moves to intercept Shalewigg crossing the middle of the room quickly even with shackles still attached to its ankles. Its blow smacks her forward she appears to be having a hard time holding her breath and is dry heaving.
The Draughr in the southeast corner reaches back into its coffin producing a greataxe which it swings in an upwards arc at the neck of the Half-Ogre. Luckily it misses but the axe's blade scores a solid hit on Grumbles shoulder, the stench of the creature at such a close range is almost overbearing.
Both creatures connect!
The Cardinal opens the desk drawer removing a quill, a silver ritual knife and two copies of a contract written on some unidentified leather and written in dark red ink.
"You must sign if you wish to remain under my protection".
The contract is written in common in superb penmanship, at the bottom are a handful of signatures. From the bottom of the parchment, the Cardinal casts a spell and removes a piece of the parchment. His hand seems to burn and he smiles in satisfaction as the pages go up in a wisp of ash. "As I suspected", he mutters to himself.
Behold on this day the 10th of Desnus 4710 in the eighth age of this world a perpetual Compact is made between Cardinal Adrastus Thorn (hereafter the Master) and those who would be bound to him as his acolytes (hereafter the Bound). Both the Master and the Bound shall hold fast and true to this Compact through all trial and tribulation. By blood and soul the Bound commit to the Compact and swear that it shall never be undone.
The Bound shall know and understand the Four Loyalties.
The First Loyalty is to their patron and god – mighty Asmodeus, first among the fallen, prince of the nine hells, our father below. They shall do all that can be done to further his worship and his glory.
The Second Loyalty is to their master – He who is called the Cardinal Adrastus Thorn, High Priest of Asmodeus in Talingarde. They shall do the Master no harm and obey his every commandment as long as those commandments do not clash with their First Loyalty.
The Third Loyalty is to their companions – the other Bound who serve alongside them. The Bound shall deal with each other fairly and honorably as long as doing so does not clash with their first or second loyalties. All treasure, wealth and reward garnered in their exploits will be equally shared with all of the Bound who aided in its acquisition.
The Fourth Loyalty is to themselves – for Asmodeus is the Lord of Ambition and all who serve him should strive to become great and powerful in his service as long as doing so does not clash with their first, second or third loyalties. By their weakness, ye shall know the unworthy.
The Bound swear that they cleave to and uphold the Four Loyalties even in the face of death and damnation.
The Master swears that as long as the Four Loyalties are upheld, he shall reward the Bound as they deserve for their deeds.
Thus it is written, and thus it shall be.
We being of sound mind and free will do so swear and let they who violates this Compact know all the wrath of Hell unending.
Signed,
”To make this Pact official, it is traditional to sign in one’s own blood”.
He holds out the quill and the dagger expectantly.
Reading though the contract quietly and trying to ignore the nagging for caution in her head. But she needs help if she is going to get back at those who failed her. That flawed government, the ignorant guards, and the monsters who took her family.
Silently reaching out and taking the dagger. Staring at it against her palm. Wincing when the blade bites her flesh. Setting the dagger back down and picking up the quill to dip it into the blood pooling in her hand. Signing her name and then setting the quill down to look at the Cardinal.
Grumble snarled at the blow and returned one of his own, swaying on unsteady legs but refusing to stop fighting.
Soren watches from behind the front lines, firing on another of the undead after she reloads her musket.
Nate grumbles as the undead come out with devastating force. "Can anybody heal Grumblejack?"
Grumble's strike is true and the deadly force with which he can strike a foe is on display as the Draughr that struck him is annihilated.
As the Half-Ogre places a hand on the wall to steady himself, he feels the power of Nathaniel's magic infuse him with life.
Soren's shot this time takes the head from the undead she already maimed, it falls upon Shalewigg, dead again.
"Splendid, soon your companions shall return from the Trials I have set before them and then your own trial will begin..."
He turns the crystal ball towards you so that you can see what is taking place.
Grumble huffed, steadying himself on the wall for a moment before righting himself and nodding to Nate. It wasn't much thanks, but it was something.
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As the other zombies fell under his companions's onslaught, Vaundour weighed his options.
Unfortunately, it landed just to the right of the coffin, only dealing a small bit of damage to the contained undead.
Vaundour's bomb lands on the coffin next to the one where the undead struggles splintering it into toothpicks. Shards embed themselves within the coffin of the final undead entity but likely did little damage.
Shalewigg stands up clearly a bit frazzled by the attack but moves to the undead creature to secure her dagger.
Quickly running to Grumble's side, Lothyrin offers the best healing he can.
The last of the Draughr punches its way out of its coffin and draws an axe up before it, it seems to hesitate considering which warm blooded foe to strike.
Soren grins as the last of the creatures rears its head, taking a moment to aim for its chest before pulling the trigger, sending another cloud of dust flying from the force of the gunshot. "They may wake the dead, but they send them sleeping just as well."
Silently watching the images in the crystal ball for about a minuet before lifting her eyes to look at the Cardinal. Can I ask what caused you to pick those individuals and myself?
Jack loved Soren's weapon. Every shot made him grin. He followed up her shot by walking up to the Draugr and giving it a sidelong swing.
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Soren's shot once again echose loudly in the small chamber. The weapon bites as wickedly as it barks as a large chunk of the creatures' shoulder is blown away into the far corner.
Grumble charges forward swinging down at the Draughr determined to make this strike the last, few things stand before a determine half-Ogre and this undead pawn turns out not to be one of them. Grumble strike crumples the head right through the body and the thing collapses before it ever had a chance to use its axe.
A quick search of the room turns up little value. Looming before you all is yet another door, this time heading due west.
Shalewigg winces as she stands, blood drips from the nasty wound delivered to her back by the Draughr, "It seems we have reached the ninth room of the nine lessons our "Master" has seen fit to press upon us..."
The Cardinal smiles, "This group I did not pick, the Mitrans picked them for me. The worst of the worst that this Kingdom had to offer. Their once impenetrable prison has failed to hold them. Worse yet the Mitrans will soon realize that they have no idea where these villains are, they could be anywhere..."
"As for why I chose you, Asmodeus guided me to you. In communion with him I divined that one is not as loyal to me as I had hoped. Your loyalty was freely given. You shall replace one with no loyalty, it is the will of Asmodeus".
He then turns back to the ball to see what the group does next.
"Then... perhaps it is time that we finish this test." Soren slings her musket back over her shoulder, before examining the bodies of the dead, as well as looking over the half-ogre's wounds. "It seems I made the right choice in freeing you, Grumblejack; when we return to the Cardinal, I will make sure you receive more treatment for these wounds." A moment later, she moves to the door, dropping to one knee in order to again search the door for traps.
Nate puts a hang on Grumblejack's elbow. "Why don't I take point for a bit? I don't hit quite as hard as you but my greataxe work is nothing to sneeze at."
Soren finds no trap on the door.
Shalewigg cracks her neck, "Is it safe to move forward Soren?"
I haven't found anything... but I am not certain nothing is there." Soren stands, shaking her head. "My hands are not so steady after a battle, I could have missed something. But... we must move forward, we only have so much time left." Soren motions for everyone to stand back, in case she missed some sort of trap. Assuming they do, she opens the door and moves behind it as it opens, so as to be clear of any sort of trap sprung as the door opens.
Fortune smiles upon Soren as no trap is activated by the opening of the door. Before the group is a hallway that runs 20' to the west, the hallway is well lit with torches in sconces on all four walls.
The door bears, one last time, an inscription:
"Serve thy Master well and be rewarded".
Hanging beside the door on a peg appears to be a key that will unlock this iron banded heavily reinforced wooden door.
Shalewigg cocks her head, "What sort of reward do you suppose the Cardinal believes is appropriate? If we do not find the pendant in this room we may well need to defeat that creature that escaped through the floor on us..."
Jack wasn't used to being offered assistance. He bristled at first, thinking that the others were thinking he was weak. He knew he was wounded. Another good hit would put him down, but he'd rather be dead than weak.
He'd made it to the end of the test though. That was what was important. He gave Soren a small grunt of acknowledgment, accepting her appreciation. She could treat him however she liked. Nathaniel got a glare of warning. The dragonrider was dangerously close to being patronizing, but Jack nodded and stepped aside.
Soren finds no traps, all that lies between the group and their successful completion of the Cardinal's mission now is a door and whatever is on the other side of it...
Nate takes one last look at the others, then swings the door open.
The door swings open and arrayed before you is a table and bed turned on their side with no other furniture in the room, a single light over this furniture configuration gives off the only light in the room.
More pressing for Nate is the crossbow aimed at his head, a man's voice from behind the makeshift barricade calls out, "Halt there and state your intentions and your name else I shall place this bolt between your eyes!"
"Woooaahh!" Nate puts his hands up, leaning his greataxe against the wall. "No need for all that. We were placed here against our will. If you're a sentient being and not one of the monsters down here, then we mean you no harm."
"Might you be... is your name Sir Balin? We met your young squire, Timeon. He was, unfortunately, laid low by a trap we barely escaped ourselves. It was unfortunate to lose another of the Faith down here, I would hate to lose yet another due to a misunderstanding." Soren moves forward slowly, trying to take some attention away from Nathaniel. "My name is Soren, and these are my companions; we may not all look so righteous, but I assure we are trapped here just as you are. Perhaps we could find a way out together?"
The man stands and directs his crossbow towards the floor but does not entirely lower it. As he stands, you see it, the pendant you are to retrieve, it is around the neck of this man!
He sighs, "I was afraid of that. Young Timeon was overeager and a bit cowardly. I am indeed Sir Balin. Who are you all and how did you get trapped down here?"
He still seems on edge but is not threatening an attack at the moment. Certainly he does not come out from around his defensive position.
"As I said, my name is Soren. We were tapped down here by some man claiming to be a High Priest of Asmodeus, trying to restore a lost faith. I believe he hoped this dungeon would corrupt us, pit us against each other for our amusement." Soren sighs and hangs her head, looking forlorn. "Timeon fought well while he was with us, but our own attempt at an escape did us in. I thought to perhaps check the passage for traps, but he was overeager and ran past me; I don't believe he suffered." Soren walks a little closer, doing her best to use her natural charm and training to lure the man into a false sense of security. "I'm sure you would like to lay Timeon to rest; we could lead you to his remains. We had little choice but to leave him, hoping to find a way out and come back for his remains."
"Also, I must warn you; not all of my companions are so... ordinary as I am. But I assure, despite their appearances, they are all just as virtuous as you or I. You have my word."
Grumble's eyes narrowed as he heard the conversation happening in the other room and moved to the side of the doorway.
Balin. He'd been hoping to run into him. When the Mitran came through to get his pathetic squire's corpse, he was in for a surprise.
He appears wary still, "How many of you are there and how came you to be here, reveal yourselves to me, do not stand in the shadows for only the light of Mitra can set us free. If Timeon has perished then his soul is with Mitra and his fate may be better than that of the rest of us still trapped in this place".
Nate holds up a hand calmingly. "Alright, but I'll have to warn you that some of the people with us may seem a little threatening. Rest assured that we are all just innocent victims of whatever sick game is being played on us right now." Nate motions the others in.
Grumblejack stayed right where he was. There was no way Balin would have forgotten him. Walking into that room would start a fight.
Which, of course, was exactly what 'Jack wanted. He just wasn't interested in making it fair.