"Or... there is one more option." He doesn't like revealing secrets, but at this point there's absolutely nothing to lose anyway. "There's an entrance to the basement in the sewers. If we head to a grate, we can simply head straight in through the basement. As long as we're quiet, we can probably get the drop on them."
"Lets not get ahead of ourselves here, gents. We just came here to try and keep this one safe," Cai'nan says, nodding his head toward the Mwangi. "But if you lot are trying to be sneaky, too, then I suggest ya do something about these," he gestures to the dead bodies and blood splatter as he cleans the blade of his glaive off.
Salla just watches and doesn't join in the conversation.
"That sounds ideal," Ciervo says of Nicholas's mention of the secret entrance. Looking to Cai'nan, he adds, "If there's a sewer grate nearby, then we'd might as well take the bodies with us. Though, I doubt that it will do us much good. It won't take long for someone to realize that this one is missing." He nudges the Umbral Court agent's corpse with his foot.
When conflict had arisen Unafe had fell back on Old Aye's training, set her questions and worries aside, and focused only on matters of Life and Death.
When the warrior with the glaive says they're here to keep her safe, she lets out a loud Gasp!
"What? Me?! Why?" Her teenage face is a vibrant mix of hope and doubt.
Will this one and the gnome he came with lead me toward my Fate? No, it's too much to hope for. Who knows what his purpose is? They might just as easily want me for their own gain.
She steps a bit closer to Nicholas. "I promised Nicholas that I'd help him free--" she pauses, remembering Nicholas' admonishment to conceal "--someone. And I've heard his screams through the door. I...appreciate your offer of protection--and want to understand why--but first I must help this man who has offered me atawhai manuhiri."
"There are worse places to dump a dead body," Nicholas deadpans. "Like the shallow grave most traitors get..." He shrugs. "Well, I certainly can't carry them all myself. So anyone who's coming with me, grab a body and help out."
There is in fact a sewer grate nearby. List most cities with civilized waste-disposal systems, the grates are quite frequent in the streets.
Salla opens a grate and begins dumping bodies, after stripping them of anything valuable or useful. leaving the talkative types have their conversation.
Each of the two Silent Shroud monks carries very little - two pairs of manacles are looped around a belt festooned with a few pouches.
In the pouches you find four total potions.
The Umbral Agent carries a few items of note, however. He wears a suit of masterwork breastplate, and the breastplate has masterwork silver armor spikes.
He carries a magical spiked chain.
He also carries two potions,
and a scroll,
As Salla doesn't have Spellcraft she will place those to one side for someone else to indentify, while she calmly dumps the bodies out of sight.
If there is somewhere under water to dispose of the corpses Salla will slit their stomachs so they don't bloat and float up too soon.
Cai'nan sighs and looks to Osborne before replying, "Well, whatever you gotta do to get you to get out of here, let's be on with it. The longer we are out here after curfew, the riskier it gets."
Nicholas absently looks over the gear as he helps drop the corpses down in to the sewer water. "Hmmm, well the guards were carrying some basic healing potions, and the chain in enchanted with magic that allows someone with divine powers to channel energy through it to increase their strength. I'm afraid that I don't recognize the other two off the top of my head."
The hope that dared to sneak into Unafe's face at Cai'nan's mention of coming to keep her safe vanishes when the warrior and the gnome refuse to say more. It was too much to hope. Focus on today.
Seeing that Nicholas is giving the captured items a quick investigation, she picks up the two he couldn't make sense of.
She holds her hand on the potions and then cocks her head as if listening intently. "Oh, interesting," she says (as if to someone unseen). "And this one?" she asks, handling the scroll. "Ahhh...whakawhetai koutou, tupuna mo'a." she smiles.
Turning to Nicholas, she says, "These two potions grant Invisibility for a few minutes. And this scroll allows a Sending, a brief message and reply, anywhere on this plane and many places beyond.
"Now, I can still hear that man's suffering in my heart-ear. Whoever is coming, let's make haste."
____________________
"True enough. I want to get to Simon before he's too injured." With the bodies disposed of, he lowers himself in to the sewer tunnel. "The entrance is this way. Let's get moving." He points down the tunnel and starts walking, hopefully along with anyone who is coming.
"Agreed," Ciervo says in regards to Simon as he follows the others down into the sewer.
The group drops into the sewer system, Salla working to dispose of the corpses and dumping them into the disgusting sewer water to sink and rot. Everyone hops on in, following Nicholas down the tunnel and to the secret entrance that he had let everyone know about. It's surreptitiously hidden behind a section of the wall that's been carved out and then just placed back where it was.
Behind the section of wall, which is easy to lift and push over a few feet, lies a small round wooden door, enough for a human to duck and step up into. The door is locked, and Nicholas is sure that the door only locks from the inside.
"Oh lovely, it's locked," he mutters. "The door locks from the inside. I suppose Simon didn't have time to try to get out this way when they came for him."
Salla.
If it's not trapped?
The door isn't trapped, and Salla expertly pops it open with her lockpicking skills. With a bit of difficulty, she pulls the handle-less door aside to reveal a small passageway that goes straight up. A ladder leads up about six feet to a closet-sized wooden door with a latch instead of a handle. Nicholas knows that such a door leads to a false-backed closed in Simon's prayer room. Such a room has nothing of value and isn't very interesting, so unless the Silent Shroud found the secret entrance it's not likely there's anyone in there. However, the only exit from the prayer room is directly into the main cathedral.
"This leads us in to the prayer room. There likely won't be anyone inside, but the only way through is through the main cathedral, where I'm almost certain there will be Shroud agents. Be ready for a fight."
Growing more and more concerned with the situation, Cai'nan finally speaks up, albeit in a hushed whisper. "Wait, wait, wait. This is crazy. Sure, we just worked together to kill that guy, whoever he was. But I did it because he threatened this Mwangi, who I am here to protect. I understand we don't have time for full introductions, but I'd at least like to know who each of you are and why you are here, so I know what is going on."
As they head down into the sewer, Unafe quietly (and without announcing it) weaves her soul together with those of her companions.
At Cai'nan's question, she fights back the urge to blurt out, BUT WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING ME?.
Instead she takes a breath to steady herself and says, "Greetings, Avistani. May your ancestors never be far. I am Unafe Rua-Ngakau. Unafe Two-Hearted, in your Taldan tongue.
"I am here today to aid Nicholas, who has given me shelter in my need." And I have no idea WHY my ancestors led me to this dreary, frightening land. And I desperately want to know why you know about me and care about my safety, but I am not going to ask again. Not now.
"Nicholas Tyrel. Officially, a relatively unimportant functionary in the local government. Unofficially, an Umbral Court Enforce. In reality, a heretic who had been keeping his friends safe from the eyes of the Court with his position until today, here to rescue a friend from inevitable torture and death. We can share our life stories over tea at my place after we get my friend out of here."
Unafe nods in agreement, both wanting and not wanting to see what's behind that door. "Before we go in, step back a bit. I have some spells that can help us.
"And when we throw open the door, if there's space, I'm happy to fill the space with a massive web. It won't harm them but'll keep some of them stuck in place. Of course, it'll also gum us up, if we step into it. Maybe the question is who has better ranged weaponry."
Ciervo glances at Salla and frowns. He was not exactly keen on divulging the exact nature of their mission, but they needed the others to trust them. Trust enough to get them all out alive, at least.
"Ciervo Lorenz," he says, his name betraying nothing of his inhumanity, nor of his bastard heritage. "We were sent to find out who the temple was sheltering, and why the Silent Shroud was after them. Strictly speaking, I very much doubt that we were supposed to interfere. But then Tyrel showed up. It was not exactly a call to action that we could ignore."
"Salla Fletcher" Salla impatiently responds.
After casting her second spell, Unafe seems to split into a caleidoscope of images.
She holds up three fingers, silently counts down two...one... and then opens the door, thinking, Spirits of the great saurians, help me save this man, and stop those who are harming him.
Cai'nan sighs, "Well...so much for introductions," he says before tightening his grip on his weapon and leading the way in through the open door...
The group, introductions truncated by urgency and a need for action, opens the door between the priest's side prayer room and the main chapel area. The main chapel is fairly modest, though still a large, nice, stone room. Blue continual flame torches burn in sconces on the walls, casting the room in a fairly dim though still workable light. To the right are two statues, one depicting an incredibly thin humanoid, a chain festooned with spikes wrapped around his torso and needles piercing his head, shoulders, hips, and chest. The other, a much more regularly-proportioned man engraving the beginnings of an intricate pattern into the flesh of his own bare torso. Nine figures stand throughout the room.
In the center are three people. One, forehead down on the cool stone altar in the center of the room, is Simon Ocur. The older human man still wears his priestly robes, though they are tattered and torn from abuse. One sleeve has been completely removed, revealing that Simon is missing all of the skin from his entire right arm, and the man's whole body shudders with pain. A low sob escapes his lips every few seconds. Standing over him is the classic stout leatherbound cleric of Zon-Kuthon. An inquisitor, brought to places like this to torture, maim, and ruin people in the name of their dark god. He carries a spiked chain, though it is looped on his belt. With one hand and a dagger he hacks away the back of Simon's robe, standing behind him and holding him down, and begins to carve something onto the man's bare flesh. The second, a thin and weaselly man with disturbingly pale skin. He carries a staff, and a dagger is sheathed at his hip. There are several vials, about half of them empty, hanging from a sash and a belt. Standing around them are six Silent Shroud guards.
The man with the vials and the staff looks up when the group bursts into the room, while the inquisitor, wild-eyed through the mask of his strange helmet, continues his dark and disgusting work.
The weaselly alchemist's eyes flash up and down on the kaleidoscope of Unafe and the bold heroic figure of Cai'nan, and he smiles. "Ah, rebels," he says. "I didn't even have to go looking for them. How lovely. Why have you come, so foolishly depositing yourselves into my hands?"
Unafe opens her mouth but instead of answering begins to chant. As she does a greenish mist rises from the cracks in the stone. Even standing back from it, a noxious smell is almost overpowering.
Unafe's spell whooshes into the room, obscuring all but the closest Silent Shroud. Despite the lack of vision, the room is filled with a great chorus of hacking and gasping for breath.
"I am impressed Unafe. That is some fine spellcraft." Nicholas raises a hand and the ring on his left hand shines, firing off three greyish missiles of pure force at the nearest Shroud member, now that he can't blast the alchemist.
Salla grimaces at the loss of view, firing at the only guard she can see.
The noxious vapor ruing her shot.
Coupled by a trio of missiles from Nicholas, Salla's crossbow bolt penetrates the unsuspecting Shroud Guard, who hasn't had the opportunity to drop into a combat stance.
"Gentlemen!" Cai'nan says boldly as he enters the room.
As the man finishes his boast, Cai'nan replies "I don't know if it would be accurate to call me a rebel, exactly, but I do have to say that what you are doing does not look like a fun Toilday evening's activities..."
He steps forward and brings his glaive down at the man nearest him, positioning himself to be in range of the second visible foe as well.
__________
Cai'nan steps forward and brings one of the nauseated Silent Shroud guards down with a single swoop of his glaive, as injured and unready as the man is.
Ciervo did not know anything about spellcraft, but he could appreciate Unafe's work ethic - it was quick and to the point. Both his hardened skin and the stinking cloud were testaments to that. Daggers reappear in the assassin's hands as he weaves past his allies, making his way toward the next closest member of the Silent Shroud. As always, he goes for the kill. The crueler of his two blades is thrust right toward his target's throat.
The gnomish hero that accompanies you wards his little earthen cat with a conjuration spell, creating a shield of force around the creature's body, shielding it from harm. Aurus follows up by moving into the room. As an elemental, he has no worry of the smoke, and so makes a beeline for the creatures inside.
---
1. Unafe (5 mirror images) <---You are up!
2. Kuthite Alchemist + Silent Shroud #3 (nauseated) + Silent Shroud #5 (nauseated)
3. Cai'nan (life link)
4. Silent Shroud #2 (nauseated) + Silent Shroud #4 (nauseated)
5. The Procurer (life link) + Aurus (mage armor, life link)
6. Kuthite Inquisitor
7. Ciervo (barkskin, life link)
8. Nicholas (life link)
9. Salla (life link)
10. Silent Shroud #6 (nauseated)
Unafe (still a kaleidescope of swirling images) walks purposefully forward until she can see the alchemist. As she does so, she draws her knife, points it toward him, furrows her painted brow, and carfeully slashes the air as if she's cutting unseen threads.
Namane, guide my hand, that I might sever all good fortune from this torturer.
_________________
Additionally, if she takes any damage, half will go to Tuturutanga due to Protector's Shield Other ability.
AC 18 (+2 vs any attack where bodyguard succeeds)
HP 62/62
Channel 2/4
Wandering spirit Lore
Tuturutanga’s HP 31/31
Shaman Spells Remaining
. . 3rd—haste, stinking cloud (DC 18), stone shape; locate object[ S ] or neutralize poison[ S ]
. . 2nd—barkskin, mirror image, shield other, stone call; lesser restoration[ S ] or tongues[ S ]
. . 1st—ant haul, entangle (DC 16), liberating command[UC], obscuring mist, protection from evil; detect undead[ S ] or identify[ S ]
Active effects
Ant haul (6 hours)
Mirror image (6 minutes)
Shield other: tuturutanga will take ½ of all damage dealt to Unafe
The alchemist feels his spirit and fortune wracked by Unafe's hex. He hisses, barking out, "कि बादल बाहिर प्राप्त र आफ्नो अल्छी गधाहरूले लड्न सक्नुहुन्छ सम्म आफ्नो दूरी राख्न! यी विद्रोहीहरूले मार्ने!"
Then, he pulls a vial off of his belt, uncorks it with his thumb, and downs it. "Ahhh." he says, before snarling and retreating into the cloud of smoke.
Meanwhile, two of the Silent Shroud officers split to opposite sides of the room, getting out of the stinking cloud of smoke.
"Hang on, now...we're just getting started!" Cai'nan taunts as he darts forward onto the central platform. As he steps up, he deftly spins his glaive around behind him and to his right, the razor sharp blade headed straight for the Silent Shroud warrior's neck...
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