Once Zamanda’s shenanigans finally cease, it takes the Emperor a couple minutes to recompose himself, or to reach the closest thing Pilts has to composure. He gives Zamanda a hard stare then looks over at Jabbyr and says, “Watch that one closely while I get my artist. Give a shout if she misbehaves.”
Jabbyr nods silently, turning to stare at Zamanda with his single eye.
Pilts vanishes further into his room. You hear another door open a few seconds later. A couple minutes after that, Pilts returns with a skinny, malnourished man. This other man is rather plain-looking and is dressed in paint-stained rags. Flea bites cover his skin and his eyes are sunken as though he’s barely slept at all for quite a while. It doesn’t look like he’s changed his clothes in weeks and he’s currently barefoot.
Though none of you immediately recognize the man, Laori suddenly becomes very excited. She, at least, believes this to be Salvator Scream.
The man looks at each of you for a moment, then looks over at the Emperor. He bows his head, not saying a word.
Bashiel’s efforts to unbind his rapier are clearly heard by Pilts, Jabbyr, and the two thugs. Pilts shouts, “I knew it! You’re up to no good. Jabbyr! Men! ATTACK!”
The barefoot man falls to his knees and covers his head with his hands. He begins to whimper.
Bashiel tears the peace binding loose and brings his rapier out to fend off Jabbyr and the other thugs. He stares down at the halfling and calls out "Your time of madness and blood is over! By the grace of Osiris, I will send your to your next reincarnation. Թող որ նա արժանի լինի երկրորդ հնարավորությունից!"
Kalem was not happy with this development. This was supposed to be a subtle operation. Then again, Bash was a paladin. He probably wanted to end the evil or something like that. So that meant it was time to kill. He thought about the Scythe on his back..but it hurt to use it. As in, physically hurt. So he let his claws come out, which erupted into flames. Deciding that the gnome looked to be the only real threat...
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Zamanda shoots with her new Orc Hornbow at the Red Henchman.
(point-blank)
Ilsa fixes her gaze on the scuzzy self-titled 'Emperor.'
"This is MY home town, and your days of defiling it are over!"
A wave of fear emanates from the mesmerist, crashing into the enemy ranks and even a couple of her comrades in arms. Ilsa’s spell proves quite effective, causing Pilts, Jabbyr, Laori, and Scream’s eyes to go wide in fright. Scream, true to his name, begins to scream. The two thugs manage to hold onto their wits, but look temporarily shaken.
Zamanda shoots with her new Orc Hornbow at the Red Henchman. She lands her first shot, piercing the thug in the side and dealing a mighty blow. Her second shot goes wide.
Bashiel tears the peace binding loose and brings his rapier out to fend off Jabbyr and the other thugs. He stares down at the halfling and calls out "Your time of madness and blood is over! By the grace of Osiris, I will send your to your next reincarnation. Թող որ նա արժանի լինի երկրորդ հնարավորությունից!"
Kalem was not happy with this development. This was supposed to be a subtle operation. Then again, Bash was a paladin. He probably wanted to end the evil or something like that. So that meant it was time to kill. He thought about the Scythe on his back..but it hurt to use it. As in, physically hurt. So he let his claws come out, which erupted into flames. Deciding that the gnome looked to be the only real threat…
The bloodrager slashes into Jabbyr with both his attacks, the second one is especially savage. Still, the gnome doesn’t look close to falling.
Pilts points at Ilsa and says to Jabbyr and Scream, “We have to get away from that woman and we have to do it now.” Both Jabbyr and Scream nod in fright, convinced of the need to flee as fast and as soon as possible.
The Emperor grabs both Jabbyr and Scream by the arms and the trio suddenly vanish. Laori screams, “Nooooooo!”
Red Thug, not knowing where his boss, Jabbyr, and Scream went, closes ranks with the blue thug to block the door, taking a step to the side. Then he draws his battleaxe and swings at Kalem. He lands a cut across the tiefling’s left arm.
Blue Thug draws his battleaxe and swings at Bashiel. He misses.
As Zamanda sees their enemies vanish, she realizes that the whole plan is in danger. She has no idea how they got the ability to either vanish as a group or teleport, because they didn't seem like talented magic users to her, but whichever it is, they have to get this over with and *find* them.
She shoots at Red again, this time sacrificing her aim for a little more speed.
(point-blank, rapid shot)
... which didn't really work out that well.
Kalem felt the impact of the attack, but his skin had hardened to be tougher than what was natural. When the rage took him he took on more and more features from his heritage. He slashed out at any foe in reach, or failing that, the empty space where the gnome once was.
Bashiel's looks around quickly, just in case Pilts and his crew are somewhere nearby. "You scared them too well Ilsa! They'll be back, and angry, once it lets them go." His mind races as he tries to think of how best to prepare.
In the mean time, he stabs twice at the two thugs with his rapier, aiming for the more injured of the two first.
Unsure of where the Emperor, the gnome, and the artist had went, Malen went through the tedious process of pulling his dagger from the peace knot while he took a step to in front of the door nearest him, just in case reinforcements were coming or something tried to get out. The others seemed to have the two thugs under control.
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Ilsa curses as the 'Emperor', as well as Scream, disappear from view.
The fear is too strong! I can't control it!
She has no idea what magic took them away, but she could feel fury taking control of her.
"Come back here, you pathetic coward!" she yells, nearly out of control. Hoping to find him as soon as possible, she smashes her sap down on the red-clad thug.
"Out of my way!"
Bashiel recognizes the spell Pilts cast to be Dimension Door.
Malen, unsure of where the Emperor, the gnome, and the artist had went, went through the tedious process of pulling his dagger from the peace knot while he took a step to in front of the door nearest him, just in case reinforcements were coming or something tried to get out. The others seemed to have the two thugs under control.
Laori screams, “What have you done! What have you done! What have you done!" as she pushes past you, heading for the door. Both thugs swipes at her with their axes as she passes, but miss.
She keeps running down the hall, saying as she goes, “Got to get away. Got to get far away. Can’t stay here. Must get away.”
Ilsa curses as the 'Emperor', as well as Scream, disappear from view.
The fear is too strong! I can't control it!
She has no idea what magic took them away, but she could feel fury taking control of her.
"Come back here, you pathetic coward!" she yells, nearly out of control. Hoping to find him as soon as possible, she smashes her sap down on the red-clad thug.
"Out of my way!"
Her sap smashes into the side of the red thug’s head, throwing him off balance and immediately forming a bruise. He glares back at her, but also seems shaken.
As Zamanda sees their enemies vanish, she realizes that the whole plan is in danger. She has no idea how they got the ability to either vanish as a group or teleport, because they didn't seem like talented magic users to her, but whichever it is, they have to get this over with and *find* them.
She shoots at Red again, this time sacrificing her aim for a little more speed.
... which didn't really work out that well, though her first arrow does land.
Bashiel's looks around quickly, just in case Pilts and his crew are somewhere nearby. "You scared them too well Ilsa! They'll be back, and angry, once it lets them go." His mind races as he tries to think of how best to prepare.
In the mean time, he stabs twice at the two thugs with his rapier, aiming for the more injured of the two first. The red thug falls to the ground unconscious from Bashiel’s first blow and the blue thug takes a nasty wound to his side from Bashiel’s second.
Kalem felt the impact of the attack, but his skin had hardened to be tougher than what was natural. When the rage took him he took on more and more features from his heritage. He slashed out at any foe in reach, or failing that, the empty space where the gnome once was. Kalem strikes the blue thug twice, badly injuring him.
Red Thug is dead.
Blue Thug slashes desperately at Kalem, this time twice. He misses both times.
With the two thugs dead, Kalem’s claws retreated back into his hands and the thickness of his skin went back to normal. He began the laborious process of taking his Scythe out of the peacebond.
”We really need to find a way to stop our enemies from teleporting.” He said.
As his companions piled on the remaining thug, Malen pushed through the doorway and followed after Laori, yelling, "Stop, dammit! It's all in your head! Just stop and let it wear off!" The priest looked around as he zipped through the corridor, hoping the two wouldn't run into any more of Pilts' minions along the way.
”Agreed. We need to stick together and do this thoroughly. Could someone cure this poison in me? I can feel my strength lessened from it. It’s like my muscles have lead in them.”
Zamanda tells Kalem,
Sorry, I don't have any spells that will help you feel stronger, but I could give you a regular healing spell if you want.
Zamanda looks around
and then she follows Laori and Malen, singing loud enough for her to hear, but gently, coaxingly.
Bashiel follows the others out into the hallway. He calls out "Let her run. She'll make it back, if only because she needs us to find Scream." as the others start following Laori. "We need to stick together. The Emperor and his goons might be on us at any moment. And with many more numbers than before."
He stops (to silence the clatter of his armor) and then tries to hear if anyone is yet heading for the group's location.
Laori ignores Malen’s words, Ilsa’s magical compulsion overriding any response she might normally have. She opens the door and continues out under the canopy.
Zamanda’s inspiration also proves insufficient.
Bashiel doesn’t hear anyone inside the series of rooms, but he hears several people shouting and talking outside. It seems Laori’s departure has caused quite the commotion among the Emperor's thugs. They don't seem to be headed inside yet, but it's probably a matter of when, not if.
Ilsa enters the next room over to find it appears to be Pilts’s personal chamber. This extravagantly decorated bedroom would seem to belong in the richest of noble villas or monarchs’ castles - at least, until one looks a little more closely at the sheets on the four-poster bed and notes how stained and frayed they are, or examines the tapestries and bed curtains and sees the patches of mold and threadbare edges.
A tall, well-stocked bookcase to the south turns out to be leaning against the wall for support; the contents of its sagging shelves are poorly produced books with violent or erotic names on their mildewed spines. Everything is slightly musty, stained with age, and well beyond its prime. Only the three paintings hanging on the wall hold up to closer examination, but their grisly subject matter might make them difficult to show in most public venues. To the north, is a simple wooden door that appears to normally be secured with a lock and a heavy wooden bar. It’s currently ajar, revealing the room beyond.
The three portraits in the bedroom are particularly vivid. The first depicts a full portrait of a thin humanoid wearing shadows as he stands framed by a dolmen of great size. The figure’s brilliant blue eyes are the only true points of color in the piece, and they seem to almost glow with anger. This painting is worth 450 gp.
You identify it as a depiction of Zon-Kuthon stepping through a portal into ancient Nidal.
The second picture depicts a rugged mountain range above a desert under a harsh blue sky. In the foreground, a quartet of Vudrani tusked camels ridden by N’darr tribespeople race across dunes that, upon closer examination, consist of tiny skulls. This picture is worth 1,100 gp.
You’re able to interpret this as a minor but haunting scene from Umbral Leaves, the unholy text of Zon-Kuthon.
The final portrait is the most disturbing, for it depicts a handsome man in the process of peeling away the flesh of his arms as if he were taking off a pair of gloves. Underneath, his arms are muscular and covered with glittering blue scales. The man’s expression is one of delight, yet his eyes are empty pits of blackness. Half seen in the shadows beyond him are thousands of humans impaled on towering wooden poles erected in the shadow of an indistinct shape looming on the horizon—perhaps a castle, maybe a mountain, but likely something more. This last painting is worth 2,000 gp.
The smaller room beyond the bedroom appears to function as a combination cell, art studio, and living space. The air in this room is an unpleasant mix of body odor and paint. A lumpy straw mattress lies on the floor in one corner of the room, partially covered by a few blankets, while in the other stands a large easel on which rests a nearly completed painting of an immense skeletal monstrosity attacking a village.
The partially-completed painting depicts a gargantuan skeletal figure that looks remarkably similar to one you saw in an especially vivid dream not too long ago.
There’s no sign of Pilts, Jabbyr, or Scream and Kalem’s magically-enhanced vision reveals nothing else.
Malen turned angry eyes on Bashiel, slowing and stopping as Laori continued to flee from whatever was in her head. "She might be a follower of the Lord of Darkness, but she is still an ally, warrior of Light. I thought you of all this group would respect that commitment." Seeing that no one else seemed to be considering the Zon-Kuthonite beyond Zamanda's attempts to calm her with song, the cleric stomped angrily back to the room.
Malen walked into the bedroom after Ilsa (and the others) and studied the paintings, the subject matter disturbing but also brilliantly done. Scream's mind might be twisted, but he conjured it on the canvas quite well.
The priest recognized the subject of the first painting, understanding dawning on him. No wonder the crazy priestess of Zon-Kuthon was interested in speaking to Scream. She likely wanted to know where he drew his inspiration from. Thinking back a couple of minutes, Malen tried to recall if the man had any scars or markings that would indicate self-harm. In case the others were interested or it somehow became relevant, he pointed to the first painting and said, "Zon Kuthon, appearing before the ancient Nidalese."
As he continued into the smaller, adjoining room, Malen's breath caught as he glanced at the nearly finished painting on the easel, his dream put on canvas by an artist who surely he had never met before. Eyes wide, he strode forward, peering at the exquisite detail, looking for any differences and finding none. He turned to the others, "We need to find Scream, and now." The priest walked back to the main room, indicating the door across the hallway.
As the cleric examined the paintings, Kalem walked next to Bashiel and gave a few practice swings with the Scythe to loosen his muscles. ”She’s no friend of mine. You decide that you want her dead give me the word.” Before he could say anything else, Marten had come back into the room.
”Right. That door? I’m on it.”
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Ilsa wasn't sure what to make of Malen's insights about Zon Kuthon befor the Nidalese, or his increased urgency to find Scream after some epiphany. But she agreed, they had to hurry. Perhaps they could come back and collect any valuables here later.
"Open the door!" she motions to Kalem with urgency.
Let her run? She'll bring the whole place down on us without meaning to, even if the Emporer already hasn't.
Seeing that it is essentially too late, Zamanda prepares for the worst.
She detaches all of the paintings from the frames and rolls them up to take them with.
Then, hoping the the emperor didn't go far, she moves to the western end of the hall and opens the door to see what is beyond, her bow back in her hand.
Bashiel shrugs helplessly, torn between Malen's well-intended pragmatism and his own well ingrained convictions. It was no surprise that a cleric of Pharasma would be more willing to deal with evil parties to achieve his goals. But Bashiel was convinced that the group would come to regret it - one way or another. Nothing good could come from aiding a follower of Zon Kuthon further her goals, no matter how innocent she portrayed them.
He snaps out of his wandering thoughts - it wasn't the time to ponder motivations! He follows the rest back into the bedroom for a moment, just in case there's something dangerous lying in wait.
Recognizing nothing other than how disturbing the paintings are, he follows Ilsa and Kalem back to the hallway. "If they're getting ready to attack, its probably best we're somewhere where they don't expect us, but also somewhere where we can see them coming. If this room doesn't offer a very good position, should we head out to one of those roofs? We might even spot Scream out there."
Kalem opens the door across the hall to reveal a heavily cluttered room. Crates, boxes, and barrels fill this long storeroom, making it difficult to judge the room’s actual dimensions.
At the end of the hall, Zamanda opens another door. The large room beyond might once have been an attic storage area, but the rafters above now brood over an empty chamber. To the northwest, a large portion of the roof and floor below have collapsed entirely, leaving a void looking out over the sodden skyline of Old Korvosa.
Six indistinct figures gaze down on Zamanda from the room’s shadowed rafters. At least three of them appear to have trails of saliva dripping from their mouths. They shriek as they notice the distinctive-looking aasimar.
Another hallway branches off to Zamanda’s right, leading to another closed door and a hidden area to one side.
From beyond the closed door leading outside, one of the thugs shouts into the building, “Everything okay in there, uh, Your Majesty?”
Zamanda waits to see if Kalem will respond to the guard, knowing that his voice will sound closer to the Emperor's. With a good bluff, they might have time to check the rooms in the immediate vicinity before they have to face any guards.
Not sure whether the Emperor would be up in the rafters, she decides to check the other door first, walking north and opening that door to see what is inside.
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Feeling the eyes of the party on him, Kalem did his best impersonation. ”Did I fall for you?! Or did I call for the tall knife?!”
Bashiel peeks into the storage room, then pulls back into the hall when there doesn't appear to be anything there. He heads over to the western door and looks up when he sees some saliva dripping onto the ground. "Agh." He utters a quiet gasp of dismay and briefly tries to sense their evilness before securely closing the door. "Maybe even jam it..." He mutters to himself.
He stays next to the door in case the droolers come down to attack, but keeps an eye on Zamanda as she investigates to the north, just in case she needs support.
Malen stayed put as some of the others drifted off to explore and see if they could find the emperor, thinking that keeping to a central location would better enable him to come to the aid of anyone who encountered trouble. Hearing the goon's voice on the other side of the door, the priest backed up a step as Kalem responded, knife in hand as he awaited the all-clear from Zamanda and Bashiel.
The drooling figures in the rafters screech at you, but you don't get any indication they're planning on coming down after you shut the door again.
Zamanda opens the door at the end of the hall to reveal a room with several barrels and crates sitting against the walls. Stacked on some are many blank canvases and what appear to be ceramic containers. A stack of paintings leans against the eastern wall, stretched on wooden frames and covered with sheets.
You recognize the completed paintings as being brand-new Screams.
Next to the door Zamanda just opened lies a stairway leading down. It’s currently filled with debris and would likely take a few hours to clear.
There’s a pause after Kalem’s bluff, then one of the thugs shouts, “You ain’t the Emperor! You ain’t fooling nobody!”
Another shouts, “We’re coming in!”
There’s a pause for a moment, before you hear a familiar voice through the door. “No, my dear fellows. We are waiting for them to come out.”
There’s an edge to the Emperor’s voice, one that wasn’t even there when you first began to fight him.
“Our uninvited guests are currently frollocking inside, but I think they want to come out soon. At least, they will if Scream means as much to them as they made it seem. Or was that just a ruse, too?”
Not offering, but demanding, the Emperor shouts, “Come out now, children. You’ve been disobedient and so you must be punished. Come out now or we’ll burn you out.”
Now that they know the situation, Zamanda speaks quietly. Bash, is there a way out through there? I've got a stairwell over here, but it looks like it would take too long to clear.
She starts popping the paintings off the frames while she waited to hear what the plan was. They needed to grab anything valuable and get out... whether that was a back way or through the likely insanely guarded entrance. No way was she surrendering. Burning the place down sounded good. Just not with her inside.
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Kalem sighed and then shrugged. He muttered ‘might as well have some fun with them.’
He yelled in response:
”Death to the false emperor! Your souls to she who thirsts!”
He then turned to the party and smirked ”No idea what I was talking about. But it’ll give them pause while we figure out what to do.”
Zamanda, in the middle of rolling up the paintings, chuckles.
She yells
This table is sooo comfortable!
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Ilsa rolls her eyes at the 'Emperor's' demands. Though she had definitely made a bad situation worse by losing control of her powers, she felt absolutely defiant.
"I am so tired of this imbecile. Let's just cut him down and everyone else with him. We'll do the whole city a favor."
Malen pursed his lips at their situation, but it seemed the Emperor had sealed his fate. Turning to his companions, he said, "I can cast a few spells to prepare us for the conflict ahead, if you will gather closely."
Assuming they do, he casts the following spells in sequence:
Bless
Bull's Strength (Ilsa)
Resist Energy (Fire - Bashiel)
Prayer
He waits to cast Prayer right before they go out, if they decide to go out now to confront the Emperor.
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Kalem, for his part, will cast shield right before they go in.
If there isn't another way out, then Zamanda will start a bardic performance the turn before anyone attacks, so that everyone gets the benefits of enhanced courage.
Bashiel starts to reopen the door to the drooling figures, figuring that the open corner of the building might be the easiest escape route. He stops when he hears Ilsa and Malen suddenly planning otherwise. "We're striking right at him? Well, I won't argue with that." He whispers to Ilsa and the rest of the team.
As Malen begins laying out magical protections and blessings, Bashiel prays to Osiris for protection for all of them.
Bashiel draws and dons his shield, and has his rapier out in his other hand. Once everyone is ready (and assuming all this prep isn't interrupted), he steps towards the Emperor's voice.
Once everyone’s ready, Bashiel opens the door to reveal the situation outside. Jabbyr and three thugs currently stand near the door with greataxe and swords and shields drawn. The gnome looks less injured than when you saw him before. Scream currently lies prone, his hands tied behind his back and his head thrust beneath the blade of the Tall Knife. Another thug stands next to him, hand on the lever to trigger the guillotine’s slice. The Emperor currently stands on his throne, directing his troops from a distance. There appear to actually be five copies of the Emperor standing next to each other. The remaining thugs you would have expected to be here are nowhere to be seen. The citizens of Old Dock have all cleared out. Laori is also absent.
The Emperor waves his makeshift staff in the air as you appear. "Ah, my children have finally deigned to obey me. Surrender yourselves for your punishment, or I'll have to let Scream take the punishment for you. Is that what you want?"
Zamanda is singing to inspire everyone's courage
She casts Haste on the party.
Kalem burst into the room, his Scythe trailing flames as he went. ”TEAR DOWN THE GILDED THRONE! DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR!” Be roared, even as his Scythe cut into the gnome. He was playing on his obviously infernal appearance to give the impression that their entire reason for being here was to kill the emperor. That Scream never mattered to them.
Malen cursed as the situation unfolded outside the door, the artist's safety paramount to the priest. Darting forward as Zamanda continued to sing to bolster the group, the priest reached forward and whispered a quick prayer to Pharasma, grasping the paladin by the arm and barking out, "Go save Scream!"
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