The serving woman only nods to Xanos, obviously cowed by the man before her.
The tall man smiles gently as the ogre behind her looms over her friend's corpse.
"What is your name?"
"I-Ire..na. It's Irena, sir." She stammers, moments away from weeping, eyes darting to find her companion as the spell begins to wear off. As her eyes meet his twisted head, staring up from his body, her face pales in terror. "By Iomadae, please save me." She mutters under her breath.
Following her eyes to the body, he gestures to the Ogre. "Take him. You are frightening the lady."
Looking back to the terrified woman, he shakes his head as she begins to inhale. "Now, now. There is nothing you can do for him."
Looking around the kitchen, he spies a bag of flour and whispers something. Gesturing with his fingers, the seams begin to unravel and flour begins to pour to the floor and snake across the ground to come to a rest nearby, sifting itself out into a sheet of white on the floor.
"But there is something you can do for me, Irena. If you help me, I may be able to keep the monster outside."
Gesturing again, a long-handled spoon drifted to his hand. He offered it to her.
"I need you to draw me a map."
"A...a map." It takes a moment for the words to register. "A map of what, sir?" Though her face remains pale, her eyes seem to begin to stare off, shock beginning to set in.
"No, no." he says as her eyes begin to unfocus. "Stay with me. If you can't stay with me I can't protect you. A map of the prison. All you know. Start with this room."
He steps back giving her space and gestures to the flour.
"Hurry now. Monsters are impatient creatures."
Gwyn manages to swallow her fear of the brute and squeezes pass Grumblejack to move up next to Xanos. She doesn't say anything, she just observes.
She begins to draw in the dirt, pointing out various rooms as she deems important. "This is the armory . We don't clean much there. And here is the storeroom. The reserve food has long since rotted away there. It's what.." she hesitates for a moment, then whispers "It's what we fed the ogre." She continues on normally. "Here is Blackerly's office, and beyond that are his quarters. I make sure to clean them while he's away. His hands tend to wander. The warden lives in the tower ."
"Very good." the tall man says, his voice purring with praise. He stares intently at the map, committing it to memory, then obscures it with a wave of his hand, cleaning the flour into a neat little pile under the table.
"Irena, there is only one more thing I need from you." he says gently.
"Please remove your clothes."
Gwyn glances at the ogre as if to remind the girl what's at stake here, then motions, rather impatiently, for her to begin disrobing.
She hesitates only a moment before complying with Xanos's request. "As you command."
Xanos watches her without any hints of desire or need to give her privacy. He simply observes.
Gesturing Gwyn forward to take the dress, he followed stepping near the girl.
He reached out a massive hand, giving her a good look a the runic pattern tattooed there, a strange broken spiral, before his fingertips touched her bare breast.
A shadowy light pulsed and twisted, rolling forth to solidify on her skin, the same runic spiral, only to fade from vision a moment later.
"Now you are now marked as mine, Irene. With this I own you. I can see you from great distances, feel you, find you anywhere in the world. Tomorrow your life is your own again, but tonight I need you to shut the door behind us, and ignore everything you hear until morning. If you disobey me, I will know, and there will be no more tomorrows."
Without another word, he turned and escorted Gwyndolin out of the kitchen, picking up a basket of fruit as he left, leaving the door ajar.
As Xanos leaves the room, the door is silently shut. A moment later, the sound of a knife on a cutting board can be heard, in between cuts muted sobbing.
Gwyn quickly gathers up the clothes and makes her way to the room where the guards were sleeping.
"Give me two minutes."
She closes the door after making sure that everyone's out, then quickly changes clothes. She pulls her hair up and rips a non-bloody patch of cloth off one of the guards' shirts to wrap around her head. Her final touch is some ash from the fireplace back in the kitchen to make it look like she's been working in the kitchen.
Cain looks up impatiently as the two exit the door, "All clear in there? Was there anything else of use?" He catches Gwyns' attention as she enters the northern door with the dress in-tow. "When you're done changing, there are a few locks you can pick for us."
Okay.
After Gwyn finishes her disguise, she hurriedly picks the locks.
Gwyn gathers the items she thinks are worth taking and brings them out into the mess hall.
Gwyn has a package tucked under her apron.
Price keeps watch on the door. She grabs Cain in passing, "When you have a moment, please get me a guard's uniform and whatever else I can wear - pants or something. Rags and chainmail aren't what the well-dressed lady is wearing this season." She grins at the eye-rolls from Cain when she does her Full Mary Sue.
Unlike Gwyn, Price isn't body conscious. She puts aside her mail and shucks her rags while listening at the door - completely unfazed by the men, women, and even the ogre moving through the room. She dresses quickly, more to stay warm and keep the team on the move, than out of any concerns for modesty. You have the impression Price would walk naked through the prison if that seemed the best strategy.
Cain gives Gwyn a knowing smile as he heads back into the bunk room for some clothes for Price. After a few minutes, he pokes his head out, holding up what appears to be a common man's every-day clothes. "These look like they're for a man, but it might be better than a guard's outfit. Which you want?"
Whatever Price chooses, Cain quickly puts together and tosses to Price. "There's a handful more swords, clubs, bows, armor, and whatnot in here, if anyone wants them." He then goes about poking around the room again, making sure they're not leaving anything useful behind.
He keeps shooting expectant looks over at Xanos, waiting on an answer to his earlier question regarding the southern room.
After getting dressed, Price smiles at Gwyn's disguise, "That's a charming outfit, Gwyn. Excellent idea."
Her eyes fall briefly on Gwyn's apron and she says quietly...
She gives the young woman another smile and resumes her watch on the door.
Gwyn puts on her best doe-eyed face and her voice takes a saccharine sweetness that would give a less evil group diabetes.
"I'm sowwy Miss Price. Since e'wybody else got awmow and swords, I just wanted a wittle something fow myself."
She does pull out the package of cookies from their not-so-hiding place.
Price's eyebrow shoots up, surprised at the girl's playful tone. She chuckles and waves Gwyn off. "Keep them. Can't have you fainting from hunger when we need a guard stabbed quietly in the neck."
While the ladies change clothes and decide on equipment the tall man walks to a wall near Cain, offering him a fresh apple from his basket. With a wave of his hand an image begins to form as the stone wall begins to clean itself in branching precise patterns.
Shortly, a map forms, labeled with basic descriptions.
Pointing to one room near the picture of stairs the tall man says "We are here."
Price's eyebrow shoots up, surprised at the girl's playful tone. She chuckles and waves Gwyn off. "Keep them. Can't have you fainting from hunger when we need a guard stabbed quietly in the neck."
"Sorry, I wasn't allowed many treats when I was growing up. Cookies are something of a favorite, and these smell really good."
Gwyn hides the the package back behind her apron.
"We should probably let everyone in the back carry the stuff. Cain and I will need to look the part of fleeing staff."
"We should probably let everyone in the back carry the stuff. Cain and I will need to look the part of fleeing staff."
"Hm... I'm not sure Cain will want to give up his armor to pass as a servant, but the choice is his."
"He doesn't have to unless he wants to. I figured they pay the guards so they count as staff in my mind."
Cain watches with interest as the map manifests on the wall, indicating with a shake of his head towards Gwyn and Price that he's good with the guard-clothes he's currently in. He gives the tall man next to him an appraising look from the corner of his eye, "That's a handy trick." His yellow eyes flick around the map, trying to reconcile what he's seeing with what he could take in while he was hooded on his way in. As he does so, a low growl rumbles from his throat as he touches the place on his upper arm where the brand burned.
He points to one room across the hall , "Unless I was totally turned-around when we were brought in, this is where we got burned. My money's on that room being where they keep the brand." He grins over at Xanos, "Since we're planning on killing Blackerly, we might as well have a little fun with it." He calls out as his eyes drift back to the map. "Price, get over here. Xanos got us a map. Might as well put together a good plan for this shindig."
He pitches his voice low, just for Xanos, "And it'd make me a bit happier if you'd answer my question about that room over there. Did you take care of everything? I'm not a fan of loose ends."
When the group comes to plan for a bit, Cain tosses his initial thoughts in. "As much as I'd love to slaughter every sheep in this pen, I'd rather take the opportunity we've found to make our way out. That bein' the case, I say we take out Blackerly quickly and quietly. Then set a fire, let our big friend have some fun on the remaining guards, and find a way to make an exit. In costume and out the front door in the confusion would be my preference, but that might be easier said than done."
Price looks to Grumblejack admiring the bloody smear he made of the... Was that a man? Kind of hard to tell now... "Nice work, Big Fella. Please watch this door for a moment, if you would."
With 'Jack as the door guard, Price comes over to look at the map. It's an impressive map as is the data Xanos collected. She nods to the tall mystery man, "You don't disappoint. We should discuss your skills at some point, it seems we might be under-utilizing you."
Price stares at the map and jumps into the tactical situation, trying to satisfy Cain's natural impatience. "Interesting. If their card-game is still going on, I imagine it's happening here or possibly in the Armory but I wouldn't bet on it. Or they might be in Blackerly's room . Hells, they could be playing in the blockhouse . Hmm..." She glances at Xanos, "Would you care to ask the girl if (a) she knows where the card game is and (b) if the game has broken up?"
"Assuming the armory is unoccupied, I'd like to stop in there briefly to pick up a weapon with a little more bite than my delicate hands... a mace or dagger preferably. Then we could hit Blackerly's office, get the brand, and hopefully catch Blackerly unawares in his bedroom. That, of course, depends on where the game is happening. I'm in favor of setting a fire or unleashing 'Jack as a distraction - but we've got to time it right. Ideally, I'd love to finish everyone in this building, pay the warden an unpleasant and hopefully profitable visit, and then look to busting out of here using a distraction as needed. I'd love to know how many guards are in the blockhouse or walking the walls."
"I told her the door would remain shut until morning. I do not break my word." the tall man said in response to Price's question.
Price respects a man that will keep his word. "I don't think you need to open the door." Putting action to her words, she leans against the door, knocks lightly, and uses her sweetest voice, "Irena, this is Miss Price. Be a dear and answer a small question... Do you know where the guards are playing cards and has their game broken up?"
While she waits for Irena's answer, Price considers the tall stranger. Piecing together what she knows from his actions and behaviors, Price compares it to the few interesting rumours bandied about among Asmodeus' sometimes gossipy following. The facts seem to fit. She smiles at the tall man and offers a guess at his identity, "Xanos?"
"Yes?" the tall man answers, turning from his map, assuming a question will follow.
Price grins at his natural mistake but decides it would be easier to elicit more opinions rather than explain her guess, "You're a quiet sort. Feel free to speak up if you've got a better idea than what's on the table. I'm improvising here."
"You seem to be doing adequately. Even admirably given the circumstances. This situation is not one I had ever anticipated which is quite out of character. I had forgotten much of what it is like to be shackled. I am finding all this most... educational. Xanos said looking down at the runic bracers still locked around his wrists.
Looking back to Price he smiled matter of factly. "I would not trust myself to make choices concerning survival at the moment. A month ago I would never would have thought this possible. I am quite uncertain of my own limits."
Cain takes a look at the strange shackles, looking for a way to get them off the tall human.
Xanos turns his wrists over to allow Cain a look at the shackles. There is no lock. They are all one peice, fused seamlessly by magic. Short of cutting Xanos' hands off, there is no hope of removing them.
Price watches Cain examine the shackles while addressing Xanos' last comment, "Yes, well, I think we are all a bit out of our element, at the moment. This is the first and, hopefully, only jail-break I ever have to engineer."
She taps lightly on the door at her back, "Irena? A prompt response would be considerate."
Cain stands up, "They're fused on. No lock. All one piece, fused seamlessly by magic. Short of cutting your hands off, they're not comin' off."
Mock confidentially to Cain (with a wink no less) she says, "I think we'll leave 'hand removal' off the list of options for the time being."
Cain gives the tall man a dead-pan shrug, "Just want him to make an informed decision."
"I will consider it as a last resort" he said with no sense of humor or squeamishness.
At Price's knock, Xanos considered something. "It is possible she chose to end her own life after speaking with me. I did hear sounds of a knife."
"Well, barring her answering in the next few seconds, we need to get going."
Gwyn's eyes flick to the door then back to the group.
"I'd really rather not get caught and killed."
"It is possible she chose to end her own life after speaking with me. I did hear sounds of a knife."
Price considers it as seriously as Xanos did. "I doubt it. Most people lack the inner fortitude for self-slaughter. You've offered her a way out that keeps her skin intact. I expect she'll take it. I'm more concerned about her escaping up the chimney and trying to alert the guards."
"Well, barring her answering in the next few seconds, we need to get going... I'd really rather not get caught and killed."
Despite a feral (and surprisingly good-natured) smile, Price tsks like a chiding schoolmarm. "First, you wanted cookies... now you want to live. Honestly, children these days are so selfish."