As the cat woman rage Thyrls floats over to her. "Your master is safe, I have stabilized him." It says courteously as Nalar runs through the building frantically. "We ask you a third time to yield, we require your master alive to return him to his family for judgement. We do not require you, this is your last chance." It says almost apologetically.
Nalar slides into the dinning room, skidding slightly as he sees the harpy in the door way. "Bugger." He says, skidding to a stop in-front of a wrecked terracotta solider.
Nalar moves into the dining room encountering the enraged harpy whose attention is directed purely west bound.
Relan stabs the catwoman in the knee sending her crashing to the ground and then pins her again in the shoulder shouting at her to see reason.
One of the archons hits the harpy and the singed and bloody begins to flag.
Andel smacks the fallen catwoman in the other arm.
If the harpy does not surrender, Braelex will fire at her again.
; plus
The harpy shrieks and abandons her attack, looking about in frustration at the closing party she takes one last anguished glance at the catwoman and then flies straight out into the city.
The catwoman lying on the ground sees Berkanin breathing and sobs in relief dropping her blade.
The clockwork dragon alights on the ground near Berkanin and curls up into a non threatening pose.
Nalar releases a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the harpy flees. Stepping out he sees the catwoman sobbing over Berkanin. "Everything okay Relan?" He says walking past, eyeing the eviscerated abomination behind the warrior. He kneels next to Berkanin, examining him as Thyrl sits on his shoulder, licking a paw. "I'll take our wayward wizard to his family, the rest of you should be able to recover Augustill, can't imagine there's much left here but a handful of constructs and I'll be no help against that." Nalar makes a few quick gestures, placing a hand on the man's chest. "I'll meet you back at the place we stayed last night." He says, dissapering in a flash of green light, taking Berkanin with him.
As Relan retrieves his weapons he responds I am badly hurt. Nalar at least wait until we know if you are needed to free the troll. This wizard has loot on his body that is also forfeit to us. And I believe it likely there are still threats here.
Nalar pauses, canceling his spell. "Very well, but we can't leave Berkanin here alone." He says, stepping away from the wizard and pulling out a wand. "Let me patch you up some, save Vuloo from spending spells we might need."
Braelex lets the harpy fly away unharried, but she keeps her crossbow loaded and stays on the lookout for additional threats.
Breathing a little easier as the healing closes about a third of his wounds, Relan looks slightly above bloodied. He moves to disarm the cat woman explaining Your friend here is holding a troll somewhere. All we really wanted to do was to free that troll. Do you know where he is being kept and how he is held?
The catwoman purrs with irritation, "I told him not to take that Augur. Bad omen."
She sighs and gives up her weapons and then worms her way over to check Berkanin.
She looks back at Relan and says, "Yes, the troll is upstairs. I will take you to the room and get you past the guardians. Will you let us go after that?"
"I'm sorry, his family wants to talk to him. His actions could have started a war in this city, whatever you owe him isn't worth getting in the way of the Ardocs." Nalar says, kneeling next to the catwoman. "You and the harpy fought hard to protect him, that's admirable. What are your names?"
Ven will heal the group.
He then joins Nalar in his conversation with the cat woman. "You have nothing to fear from us. I tried to avoid the fight, but the harpy wouldn't stand down."
"Yes, please take us to the troll. If you help us free the troll, we will release you. Specifically, what other traps and guardians remain? You're being straight with us, right?"
We will certainly not harm you or Berkanin further. It seems you care for the man. Do I have that right? Perhaps we can offer some healing for your cooperation. Unsure if Berkanin might recover he carefully bends to check him and to remove any weapons and devises the man might have on his body, starting with the wings. We cannot have him waking up and trying to fly off.
Braelex hangs back and keeps an eye out for the harpy.
Kanya is ready to lead you upstairs, who is coming and what are you doing with the sleeping Berkanin?
Vuloo and Andel will tie up Berkanin and will then follow Kanya upstairs.
Braelex follows, bringing up the rear.
Relan leads the way. How is the troll held? he asks.
"Stay with Berkanin, let me know if he wakes up." Nalar says to Thyrl, the cat like outsider nodding in understanding as it leaps off his shoulders.
"Will do master." It replies as Nalar follows the others alongside Braelex.
On the way up, Kanya winces as Relan asks the question, "Berkanin was studying his abilities and keeping him in a constant state of ... uh ... suspended animation through a device of his own making."
You head across the bridge which Kanya shows you where a secret lever makes it stable again.
Heading through the corridor where you first encountered her she enters the door. With a word, she stops the two clockwork soldiers and the tupilaq on the other side. She then indicates the stairs.
"The troll is upstairs ... I can't look at him in that condition."
This bathroom is large and elaborately tiled in white and forest green. In addition to two immaculate porcelain privy seats, the room contains a standing washbasin and a claw-foot tub big enough for several people at once, both with copper spigots and drains for running water. A large silver mirror takes up most of the eastern wall.
This bedroom is large and airy, with thick, expensive rugs and windows overlooking the district. A massive bed sits against the northeastern wall, next to a wardrobe and a metal staircase that twists up through a hole in the ceiling. In an entryway to the southeast, one door stands ajar, while in the southeastern wall, a lever protrudes from a mechanical box by another door.
This large room has walls fifteen feet high, with tall, narrow arches for windows. The chamber has no roof of its own, and instead the walls are freestanding, with a five-foot gap between their tops and the stone of the district’s ceiling. Papers and diagrams cover the walls and several work benches, and half-finished meals and pieces of machinery lie in haphazard piles on the floor. Against the northwestern wall stands a huge metal apparatus, upon which hangs the limp and bloodied body of a troll.
The strange mechanism (and its numerous reinforcing struts) that restrains the captive troll Augur takes up almost an entire wall of the workshop. In the center, the troll hangs spread-eagled from deep spikes driven through his wrists and ankles. His stomach is flayed open, the skin held that way with hooks, and ropes of his innards and organs are held in front of him by a metal basin that protrudes from the apparatus on extendable arms. Long tubes run from painful-looking ports in the troll’s skin to clear glass alembics and sealed vessels of steel and copper. Sparks leap sporadically between contact points on the rack, and a fan of tubes like pipes on an organ rises up to almost the top of the wall. Several styluses on mechanical arms scribble on sheaves of paper, while the apparatus as a whole constantly cuts and tugs and adjusts to offset the troll’s regeneration, maintaining the tormented creature in an equilibrium of torture.
Before heading upstairs, Braelex quaffs one of her extracts and her wounds disappear.
She makes a quick visual search of each room.
In the bedroom, she tries to determine the function of the lever by the door.
Braelex visibly blanches as the sight of the tortured troll. She grits her teeth, "Lucky for Berkanin we need to keep him safe. I'd have a hard time holding back if I'd seen this."
She examines the vile apparatus, looking for a way to shut it off and safely extract the troll.
Vuloo will study the apparatus and the surrounding area in an attempt to determine a method to turn it off or control it. "We must figure out a way to free him."
Nalar scowls as he looks at the troll. "My god, that's inhumane, we have to stop this." He says, helping Vulloo and Bralexe as he looks for any way to manipulate the magical apparatus.
The contraption is an incredible work of engineering and Braelex realizes a pair of levers will release the troll fairly quickly.
Vuloo notes a stack of papers at the foot of the machine are covered in various chants and prophecies in several different languages.
Nalar spies an unburnt piece of incense caked into the machine in a cup just under the Augur's chin.
As you're looking about the machine lurches as the troll lunges at his restraints and shouts out in pained agony.
"Barbaric," Braelex mutters. She activates the levers to release the troll.
Andel will study the papers.
He will translate for the troll. "The troll doesn't know who he is."
Vuloo tries to help the troll to his feet. "Sir, we are here to rescue you. We've been sent by the other augurs. Do you remember anything at all?"
As Braelex releases the troll, the oracle's eyes roll forward in his head and with a crazed look he looks at Vuloo shouting,
He takes a swing with his heavy clawed hand at the halfling
Seeing the troll take a swing at Vuloo, Nalar quickly calls up one of his few remaining spells to disable the crazed augur. "Woh let's cool down here."
4
Dimension Door
3
Fireball
Magic Circle against Evil
2
Hideous Laughter*
Create Pit
Mirror Image
1
Mage Armor (Cast at start of day)
Mage Armor (Cast at when the first one time outs)
Floating disk
Magic Missile
0
Read Magic
Detect Magic
Light
Prestidigitation
Braelex withdraws rapidly. "We're here to help free you!" she calls out.
With a snort and a huff, the troll begins to rumble and then roar with whooping laughter, a deep melodious sound that rings through the room.
Vuloo backs away from the troll to safety.
Andel translates for the others as he approaches the troll. "You are the auger Augustille. Your sister Vargun sent us to rescue you."
Nalar will ready to cast create pit under the troll if negotiations go south.
Someone make a diplomacy roll
"It's okay, you're safe now. No one's going to hurt you."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Hey big fella... sun's getting real low," Braelex adds, holding up her hands non-threateningly.
Vuloo smiles and winks at the troll. "So, we did release you, right?"
The party tries to gently persuade the frothing, angered and now hysterical troll. It appears there is no effect and as the laughter wears off the massive troll rears up and pulls back his razor sharp clawed hands again when something about the absurdity of the tiny halfling's wink strikes a chord.
The troll shakes his head and his bleary blood shot eyes focus on Vuloo for a moment as he lowers his arms, "Too many drugs. Restrain me before I hurt you." With effort the troll kneels down and holds out trembling arms. After a few seconds, his eyes begin to roll back in his head and bloody flecks appear at his lips.
Relan pulls his silk rope and does as the troll advises. He secures the arms first and then the legs, tying tight but not so tight as to do any lasting damage.
Relan gets the bonds on him right before Augustille loses focus in his eyes and begins rambling inanely and struggling at his bonds.
The rope holds.
We still need some construct parts to fully complete our mission. Do we have time to search some?
"That's less crucial. I think we need to deliver our big, angry ward before he manages to bust out of those ropes!" She looks at the Ardoc with a frown, "And Berk, too."
Vuloo nods at Braelex. "Yes, let's get our new friend to safety. We're going to have to drag him."
"Don't think I'll be much help with this endeavor." Nalar says, eyeing up the struggling troll. "I can deliver Berkanin to his family. I'll teleport the two of us there and settle things with the Ardocs." He says, looking for confirmation from the group.