"They might know where a portal is," Karrin says, "let's see if we can get one to surrender and spill the beans."
"Probably best we jump them then . better chance of being able to grab one" Merle then trys to find a suitable spot to hide
Stealth
Mr. Swire and Merle fade into the background.
Justin hurries back to the temple
Drazek dashes up the wall to crouch along the ceiling above Merle.
Quick suggestion: Ekuur will stand in front of the globe, his trikal raised as if to smash it. Everyone else hide (Ekuur's not the stealthy type anyway), and he'll tell them to drop their weapons or he'll smash the thing. That will 1) tell us just how cataclysmic destroying it might be, and 2) if it is a Bad Thing, they may surrender without a fight. If they attack, then hopefully everyone else can back stab them. Thoughts?
Isaac slips into one of the alcoves in the temple and hides in the shadows, his recently acquired greatsword at the ready.
Quick suggestion: Ekuur will stand in front of the globe, his trikal raised as if to smash it. Everyone else hide (Ekuur's not the stealthy type anyway), and he'll tell them to drop their weapons or he'll smash the thing. That will 1) tell us just how cataclysmic destroying it might be, and 2) if it is a Bad Thing, they may surrender without a fight. If they attack, then hopefully everyone else can back stab them. Thoughts?
The party retreats inside and crouches behind the big iron doors. Drazek scampers up the wall and clambers the 30 feet to the roof buttresses above Merle. Issac fades into a statue alcove, hiding behind a carven angel wing. Ekuur takes position by the blue globe, trikal ready. It takes a distinct force of will not to actually smash it.
The group of humans comes nearer, then there's an exclamation. Ekuur looks out and sees the group frozen for a second, then they see him and burst into acton, running towards him. One is dressed in half plate and bellows at Ekuur as they run into the temple:
"You barmy berk don't hit that globe! You'll pen us all in the dead book!"
The squad enters the temple at a full run, unaware of the surprise behind the doors.
Merle Draws the scroll of hideous laughter and casts it on one of the stragglers
Use magic device
Swire raises his crossbow, takes aim, and fires a bolt at the nearest guard.
He swears loudly as the bolt glances off his armor.
Merle Draws the scroll of hideous laughter and casts it on one of the stragglers
Use magic device
1d20 + 9
The scroll's spell seems to have no effect on the chainmailed guard.
He swears loudly as the bolt glances off his armor.
As Mr. Swire's bolt glaces off a guard the leader yells out:
"It's a trap boys! Outside!"
Isaac leaps screaming out from behind the angel's wings, leading with the greatsword taken from the felled lieutenant from the first landing.
"I'M A BARREL FULL O' HATE, BOYS!! COME OPEN ME UP!!"
group initiative
Ekuur yells loudly, "Stop! And drop your weapons! Or I will smash this thing!
Intimidate
"Best do as he says," Karrin says stepping out behind them, "he's crazy. Also we just cut a swath from the deadhouse through the keeps outside to here, I think I've personally killed eight hobgoblins, but no, I'm sure you five will be the ones to stop me this time. Just once I'd like someone surrender so we can find this Brindal character and get back with our bounty."
deception:
group initiative 1d20
Ekuur yells loudly, "Stop! And drop your weapons! Or I will smash this thing!
Intimidate 1d20+1
The guards freeze suddenly. Issac's lunge goes awry as his aim is a little off after the group comes to a screeching halt. The half-plated leader gestures
"Don't be barmy. You break that globe we all get dead real quick. ."
They look around and see the others. They watch as the supersized Karrin steps out, massive blue axe at the ready.
"Best do as he says," Karrin says stepping out behind them, "he's crazy. Also we just cut a swath from the deadhouse through the keeps outside to here, I think I've personally killed eight hobgoblins, but no, I'm sure you five will be the ones to stop me this time. Just once I'd like someone surrender so we can find this Brindal character and get back with our bounty."
The leader raises his arms and drops the sword he was carrying. He begins to sweat despite the coolth of the temple's interior.
"Look, I'm sure we can come to an accomidation. Just keep that globe in one piece."
The leader raises his arms and drops the sword he was carrying. He begins to sweat despite the coolth of the temple's interior.
"Look, I'm sure we can come to an accommodation. Just keep that globe in one piece."
"Sure Just drop your weapons and back away from them. I would be quick though. You see Ekuur is one of those flame priest types so that ice thing being here is pretty much a religious abomination to him so he is already pretty ready to smash it and I am sure you guys don't want to push him any further."
Intimidate
"The accomodation is quite simple: leave your weapons on the ground, and answer my friends' questions. Do that, and I will allow you time to escape before I destry this thing. Fail to do that, and I destroy it now."
Isaac calms down, now that weapons have been surrendered. He keeps the blade at the ready, though.
"Right sensible decision, cutter. First question: there's a portal out to the Mortuary, where's the other portal into the Lower Ward and what's the key? Chant says this berg's got two ways in 'n out and we need the dark of it."
Swire puts away his crossbow and reaches towards the hilt of his rapier. "Second question: what do you know about this Shadowknave berk eveyone keeps talking about. We could ask Brandal, but he's not going to be waking up any time soon, now is he?"
The rest of the guards drop their swords to the floor with a clang and raise their hands slowly. The leader speaks up.
"Yeh wants Brandal he's on the altar there."
He points to the caster that Karrin had laid out with her axe, now well and truly dead.
The half-plated leader looks at Issac
"There's a portal to the Lower Ward down a bit on the backside of the citadel. I'd be perfectly happy to show yeh if yeh wish. Should only by one guard there at this time of day, an' he carries plenty of keys."
He looks over at Mr. Swire
"Shadowknave don't come here much, he's the number two in the faction. He's a hard cutter. Spends most of his time running the Sigil side of things."
The leader looks around.
"Right. You lot are obviously a hende load of bashers. If yeh lets us port back to the Cage with you, we goes our separate ways, an' me and my men won't make any trouble for yeh. I can't say what'll happen if yeh breaks that globe there, it's all that's keepin' us from catching on fire."
Merle takes a moment to gather up the enemies weapons
"That sounds reasonable" she says turning to the other "What do the rest of you think."
"Aye, sounds like a plan to me. So long as you cutters ain't gonna give us trouble, no reason we can't all walk away from this. Just lann me a little more to the Chant, mate: what's behind that door with the stage fiend carvings? And who's this Imogen, what's her angle? You know the dark o' why the Illuminated are bringin' in barmies and messin' with their brainboxes?"
Merle scoops up the five swords awkwardly.
The leader looks at Merle.
"If we tied our weapons into our scabbards, would that satisfy yeh? I'd really like to keep my blade."
He looks over at Issac's questions
"Imogen runs this rock. Far as I know that gish-b!tch is below in her quarters. There's a buncha rooms tunneled in this rock, yeh can access them from the landing below we just came from. As for fiend carvings, there's a room where they scare barmies into thinking they've stumbled into Baator, just like they use this temple to simulate Celestia or Mt. Olympus. It all ties into the barmies."
He pauses, looking uncomfortable
"Look, I wanna lann yeh the straight chant, but yeh gotta understand I only gots the darks I caught in passing, yeh ken? As far as I know, the plan is to take barmies from the Hive, try an' cure them of their barminess, make them think their gods are givin' them a second chance to redeem themselves and send them back into Sigil to join other factions as spies. Green Marvent is a trig basher, he is looking to lann the chant on other factions' deepest darks before he declares his faction to the Cage. He set this whole rock up, dealt with some pasha from the City of Brass, I hear."
He pauses again
"You understand now that I snitched, I am bound to get off this rock. The Illuminated will pen me in the dead book soon as they lay meat hooks on me."
"The woman who is responsible for this atrocity is below, you say?" Ekuur turns to the others. "Perhaps we have these men show us the way into these tunnels, then show us the exit portal. We can give them their weapons back as they exit. I wish to have a ... talk ... with this Imogen."
Justin taps his chin thoughtfully with a scroll.
"I understand Ekuur. I would also like to have a 'chat' with this Imogen. But she is unlikely to be nearly as cooperative as our new friends here." he says with a small hard smile to the chatty leader in half-plate.
"Unless we really think she can give us even more information than we now have, we could just leave and let Ekuur have his way with the snowglobe. THAT should pretty much take care of anyone still on this rock. Unless. Hmm. Maybe, Nah. Well, unless she HAS made a deal with an Efriit. Then she might be quite capable of surviving this planes natural environment."
Justin covers his eyes with his hand.
"I hate loose ends. And having an over-developed sense of curiosity." He mutters, barely loud enough to be heard over the hissing of his burning blade.
"The woman who is responsible for this atrocity is below, you say?" Ekuur turns to the others. "Perhaps we have these men show us the way into these tunnels, then show us the exit portal. We can give them their weapons back as they exit. I wish to have a ... talk ... with this Imogen."
The leader looks at the flame priest hovering over the blue globe. A trickle of sweat descends from his helmet down the side of his face
"Nah cutter, she don't have anything to DO with this rock, she just runs it. Green Marvent, the factol set this whole kip up. Like I said, he's a trig basher. Imogen is just a mean 'yanki with a sodding big spiked chain and a bad attitude."
"Unless we really think she can give us even more information than we now have, we could just leave and let Ekuur have his way with the snowglobe. THAT should pretty much take care of anyone still on this rock.
The leader pales
"Cutter, that's mass murder, that is. Now alls fair in love an' war, but yeh should at least give one of my boys a chance to go warn the others before you go smashing that there orb."
"Yeh wants Brandal he's on the altar there."He points to the caster that Karrin had laid out with her axe, now well and truly dead.
"Tell you what. You show us the gate out of here, then you got ten minutes to get all of your boys out of here before he smashes the orb. Deal?"
"Yeh wants Brandal he's on the altar there."He points to the caster that Karrin had laid out with her axe, now well and truly dead.
Tell you what. You show us the gate out of here, then you got ten minutes to get all of your boys out of here before he smashes the orb. Deal?"
The half-plate guard smiles ferally.
"Done and done. As a bonus I wont tell Imogen or her two roomates about it neither."
Justin grins congenially. "See? Why can't everyone we meet be so reasonable?" he asks Isaac.
"And any time I can avoid discussing anything with the business end of a chain, that's a bonus as far as I'm concerned!" He adds Sotto Voice.
"Alright then. Unless someone still has a question,...?" he looks around, to make sure that no one else remembers something that he's forgotten in all the excitement.
"Well then, Why don't we all just take nice, casual walk, and you can show us our ride home? If you all are lucky, you may actually get all ten minutes. That snowball is reeely giving our friendly flame priest an itch he's looking to scratch." He explains in a friendly voice, pointing to the poised Trikal.
"So, as long as nobody decides to alter our agreement, we can all get off this rock, safe and sound." He looks around at everybody. "Shall we go?" He asks with a grin.
As the group gets ready to be led to their (hopefully) safe exit, Justin's fingers twitch, and points briefly at Ekuur, Isaac, and Karrin. He moves his lips just a little, as if thinking of something,...
"Hey guys, I've got us all in a message charm again. Just in case. It may not reach all the way to the exit, but one step at a time. Whose staying with Ekuur? I have no intention of leaving him in here alone!"
Karrin looks at the body of Brindal. She'd hit him with the flat of her axe, did her best to take him alive, but yet another lead had slipped between their fingers. This mission was going very very badly. At this rate they'd walk away from this mission with nothing.
"Well then, Why don't we all just take nice, casual walk, and you can show us our ride home? If you all are lucky, you may actually get all ten minutes. That snowball is reeely giving our friendly flame priest an itch he's looking to scratch." He explains in a friendly voice, pointing to the poised Trikal.
The leader bobs his head
"No worries. Yeh'll have to blow the globe an' we'll have to run from the landing below us, there's hobgobbo mercs manning the west ballista platforms. Only way we get off without a fight is make a dead run to the portal. I'll send a lad to round up the others and we'll scram as soon as they show. That good?"
Justin looks around at the others, making sure that there is at least no apparent dissent, and that everyone is ready, then smiles once more at the leader.
"Gentlemen, we seem to have an accord. Lead on." he gestures grandly towards the temple doors,...
"Someone grab the deader. Shouldn't be that hard to buy some magic to get his bonebox moving again."
Bethany follows the conversation between the others and the Mercs with a growing sense of unease. Ekuur seemed hells bent on smashing that globe and she wasn't 100% sure that he could be trusted to hold off until they were all safely off this rock.
"If he," she inclines her head in Ekuur's direction, "can be trusted not to smash that thing before we're all gone, then I say we try and find this Imogen woman and have a quiet word with her. As for these fellows. Well I'll leave that up to some of you who are more in the know about planar workings, but my first thought is not to trust them any further than I can throw them."
"Aye, now that we're all tighter than a Guvner's purse-strings you bashers can give us the laugh and round up all yer mates, however many there may be, and we'll trust yeh not to run off to Imogen and give her the dark of all this, right? Here's the straight chant: you bashers take us to the other gate, show us the portal key and use it in front o' us to give this place the laugh and we'll offer any berk that surrenders after you lot the same chance. Think we'd be a pack o' sodding leatherheads if we just let you have the run o' this berg, whether we're keepin' yer ice sphere hostage or not."
"... Here's the straight chant: you bashers take us to the other gate, show us the portal key and use it in front o' us to give this place the laugh and we'll offer any berk that surrenders after you lot the same chance. Think we'd be a pack o' sodding leatherheads if we just let you have the run o' this berg, whether we're keepin' yer ice sphere hostage or not."
The leader frowns at Issac.
"If I take yeh there, we'll have every soddin' hobgobbo on our backs 'afore yeh can say Lady's Grace. If yeh breaks the globe, everyone'll be itching to give this rock the laugh, and to soddin' Thanatos with who's 'sposed to be here and who's not. Like as not, yeh're not 'sposed to be here at all. Only way yeh got here was either through the Mortuary or Plaguemort. And the Plaugemort portal runs through the gate I'm takin' yeh to. Hobgobs are dense, but they ain't THAT dense."
He breathes slowly and unclenches his fists. He gestures to one of his men
"My boy Narvin here don't need ten minutes. Give him two, and then smash the globe. I'll take yeh straightaway there once the bubble pops."
..."can be trusted not to smash that thing before we're all gone, then I say we try and find this Imogen woman and have a quiet word with her. As for these fellows. Well I'll leave that up to some of you who are more in the know about planar workings, but my first thought is not to trust them any further than I can throw them."
The leader looks at the harpy warily
"Listen up. Yeh ain't having no quiet word with Imogen. She's a Githyanki, that mean summat to yeh? She'll never agree to destroy this rock, an' if yeh give her warning she'll do her soddin' best to make sure yeh don't succeed. "
He breathes in and out deeply
"Yeh gots no right to trust me, save that I am interested in one thing: Getting me and my crew off this rock in one piece. Yeh can obviously mow us down, but I'm offering to help yeh out in return for getting to walk away."
Justin nods in agreement with Swire. "Right, once we get his brains back in his head, I'm sure that he'll have all sorts of useful things to tell us." He says with a smirk.
Justin looks back and forth, noting the growing tension, and decides to play 'good wizard' to Isaac's 'bad warrior'. Before the apparent truce breaks down.
"Your right lad, we don't trust you. And the only reason you have to trust us is that so far we're still talking to you. But I DO trust in a good, strong, survival instinct." He nods to the one the leader indicated.
"One runner, the rest stay with us. We go straight to the portal. Anyone that we come across gets one chance to run as well. But only one. I don't enjoy killing, but if it's a choice between that or getting close and personal with the Flame priest's Power,..." He shrugs and gives a small smile.
"I think that we all understand each other perfectly. So, why don't we all just take that walk, before one of us gets the idea to do something that we'll all regret? Personally, the grey rain of Sigil is staring to sound pretty good to me right now. Shall we go?" He asks, directing the question to everyone.
..."One runner, the rest stay with us. We go straight to the portal. Anyone that we come across gets one chance to run as well. But only one. I don't enjoy killing, but if it's a choice between that or getting close and personal with the Flame priest's Power,..." He shrugs and gives a small smile.
The leader nods
"Narvin needs two minutes. If he ain't back by then, your priest can break the globe. Soon as he does, we run full tilt to the gate, yelling that the bubble's popped. We should have enough time to get there, it aint too far. Narvin and whoever can take their chances."
He looks over at Narvin.
"Yeh up for it right Narv?"
Narvin nods jerkily.
"Me cousin is down in the holding cells. I gotta make the try."
The leader nods
"Thought you'd see it that way. Good luck cutter."
The leader gestures
"Follow me."
He leads the party and his guards back to the pathway flanked by the crater walls, save for Ekuur who remains at the globe. He looks back and whispers.
"Don't yell or nothing. I don't want the hobgobbos looking up. Stay clear of the statue, it's bad juju. It can attack, but it only attacks fire elementals or whoever Imogen wants it to. "
Quietly the mixed group descends to the next landing. The massive statue stands immobile at the landing's edge. It is roughly humanoid, but it sports an oddly-shaped head that sprouts all sorts of odd tentacle-looking protuberances. Its two arms are tipped with seven-fingered hands, the fingers sporting three joints. Every finger is tipped with a long stone spur. Its feet resemble flat waffles. A short bifrucated tail tipped with two spiked balls bring up the rear.
The thing's construction is some dark purple-black stone carven all over with glyphs and runes of a worn, ancient look. The statue gives off an aura of extreme age. There is something undefinably ... off ... with the thing's geometry, and looking at it too closely makes ones' eyes water.
At the other side of the landing is another pair of iron double doors. The leader gestures to it and whispers:
"That's where Narvin has to go. With your leave?"
Justin whispers the groups progress to Ekuur through the Message spell as they walk. He looks with curiosity at the strange statue, but blinks and has to look away, rubbing his eyes. He avoids making any of his usual remarks, but he is obviously biting his tongue.
At the other side of the landing is another pair of iron double doors. The leader gestures to it and whispers:
"That's where Narvin has to go. With your leave?"
Justin glances at Isaac and Karrin, and nods once to the warrior.
Narvin bolts off, opening the door and running down some dakened steps. The guard leader points out the ballista platforms below them on the side of the huge black stone. Another red-veined black-marble path twists its way from their landing down to the lower landings. He whispers:
"That's the path. Aim for the lowest landing, that's where the portal to the Lower Ward is. Remember to hoot and run about the globe, else the hobgobbos might take potshots at yeh."
A minute after he shows them the route, Narvin reappears, with about a dozen guards in tow.
"Better run and tell yer priest folks, this is it. Imogen will smell summat awry soon."
The guards run up to the others. They are all humans.
Ekuur watches the group walk away, and keeps his trikal at the ready. He begins to whisper prayers in his native Athasian, as he was taught.
Athasian