Quinn switches into the armor that you found, and feels it beginning to attune to him. With Aladir leading the way, you get to the stairs leading down to the lower level. Checking the door, he pronounces it unlocked and not trapped.
Deciding to save his arrows for the larger threats they are going to encounter, Aladir returns his bow to its harness and draws his rapier for what he assumes will be some close-quarters fighting in the lower level.
When the group walks through the door, a sudden chill washes over Aladir and he pauses a moment, looking back the way they came. "Did anyone else feel that...?"
Hyram feels the icky aura as he passes the door, but shakes it off. I did! Evil is strong here.
Ezro nods that he is ready to continue after everyone gets what they need from the Armory.
As the door opens, and the aura washes over them, Ezro clenches his teeth and gives a small shiver as the aura dissipates.
"That was not a welcoming feeling, to be sure. Iomedea, guide us and gird our souls."
Quinn feels the same wave of evil oppression as he moves into the basement, but fights it off as well. He draws Radiance allowing its light to fill the room. "Shadows and darkness ahead," he says quietly.
Aladir nods, but then smiles. "I suppose we should just make sure to introduce ourselves, shouldn't we?"
Casting a quick protective spell over herself, Alikia follows behind her friends. Seeing Quinn illuminate the way, she quietly evokes a faint glow to evoke from her pack. "I concur. I would hate to be rude to our hosts." Offering a grin to the others, she loads a bolt into her crossbow.
Moving thru the door to the lower level you come to what is obviously a jail area.
The walls of this chamber hold numerous dark, narrow prison cells. Around the main entrance stands an iron cage, with a cell door blocking entrance into the main vault.
Ahead of you is a door exiting the iron cage, and further down the hall is a closed double door.
Aladir moves to the first door of the iron cage slowly and suspiciously, giving his elven eyes a chance to adjust to the light of the basement level.
His paranoia perhaps in overdrive, he is careful to watch for traps in the floor in front of him before advancing to the door itself to check it as well; once that is done, he tries the door itself.
"Shadows and demons will not find locked doors as difficult an obstacle as we will," Quinn whispers as he follows in Aladir's wake. "If Joran was truthful, the door his Forge is that way," Quinn points.
Yes we should move cautiously but we should get to the forge before the weapon we seek is corrupted! Hyram says nodding in agreement.
Aladir picks open the lock on the cage door, and Quinn and Hyram quickly move to where Joran said the Corruption Forge was located. The secret door is easily located and opened, and you move into the room.
A ten-foot-wide cage encloses an elevated lift at the top of this high terrace. A line of chains and an array of pulleys allow the cage to be lowered down into the room or moved across the room to a set of double doors at the far side of the chamber. The terrace and cage both overlook a large chamber with walls that seem to glow red hot. Heat wavers in the air, and wisps of vapor periodically waft up from the floor and walls, but the temperature atop the terrace is rather cool. Below, in the center of the room, squats a large forge made of black and red metal.
There are four fiery creatures wandering around on the main floor. The do not seem to have noticed you yet.
Hyram stares at the fiery creatures to see if he knows what they are.
Quinn pulls the silver scale from his pouch. "This scale has the power to let you fall to the ground harmlessly," Quinn whispers to Hyram. "I have the power to do this without the scale. We could leap down together. Aladir and Alikia can attack from the ledge. Ezro can levitate down with the other scale."
That sounds like a plan! Hyram whispers back.
Ezro nods and pulls out his sword, and takes the Levitate scale, ready to use it.
"It sounds like a good plan to me. May the Inheritor guide us."
Aladir nods in agreement with the plan, for the moment going back to his trusty bow and arrow so he can attack at range.
Hyram tells you that the creatures are evil, beware of their tails, and that they are immune to fire but vulnerable to cold.
As one of the salamanders comes close to the edge, Hyram casts a spell and he, Quinn and Ezro are affected.
Quinn, Ezro and Hyram leap over the edge and sink slowly to the floor, and as they get there, the battle starts.
With a prayer to the Inheritor, Hyram floats down and plunges his cold iron sword into the nearest salamander.
Ezro takes out the scale, and steps off the ledge, casting Levitate through it, and levitating to the bottom.
Quinn measures his jump, leaping from the edge at the same moment as Hyram, and barking out the rapid incantation of a spell as he clears the lip of the ledge. By the time he reaches the floor, the spell takes hold letting him touch down gently right next to one of the dangerous fire lizards.
As soon as he touches down, Quinn launches into an attack.
Squinting her eyes at the creatures below, Alikia shouts out to warn her allies about the creature's abilities. "Look out! They're Salamanders! While not technically evil outsiders themselves, they can be just as cruel as the demons we are used to fighting!" Pulling out her wand of magic missiles, Alikia twirls the wand like a baton before releasing two small darts of light. The two small beams bounce off the head of the Salamander nearest to Quinn before fizzling out.
Aladir, likewise, turns his arrows to the outsider Quinn is attacking, using the full brunt of his attacks against them. He mentally notes that it's easier for him to reach for his arrows now, his aim faster, probably due to all the fighting they've been having to do!
vs Quinn AC 24 - only first d20
vs Hyram AC 24 - only first d20
vs Hyram AC 24
Watching the sword swingers drop down to the floor to directly engage the salamanders, Alikia provides some insight into what they are, then uses a wand to send force missiles to hit the salamander nearest Quinn. Hyram, floats to the floor and hits the salamander in front of him twice, damaging it. Aladir, catching the salamander flat footed, manages to severely damage the one near Quinn, who also strikes the one in front of him, killing it. Ezro levitates down to the salamander next to Hyram and assess the situation.
One salamander moves up and attacks Quinn, wounding him. One salamander moves up and attacks Hyram, missing him. The other salamander, noting it has two chooses to attack the one that wounded him. Hyram is wounded and grappled by the creature.
Hyram struggles to escape the Salamander's grasp, but is unable to. Curse you lizard! he shouts.
Quinn barks out a rapid incantation after the salamander grabs hold of Hyram.
Turning back to the remaining creature in front of him, he launches into another attack.
Flicker her wand at the one grappling Hyram, Alikia furrows her brow and assesses the situation. Choosing to save her arcane abilities for the undead and demons she knows are coming, the conjurer attempts to save her resources.
Moving into the forge with the others, Ezro holds his Holy Symbol up, and extols a quick blessing to the group, "May the Inheritor aid in striking these vile creatures!"
Deciding it better to keep the salamander off of Quinn so he can more swiftly get to Hyram's aid, Aladir pours four more arrows into the creature.
vs Quinn AC 24
vs Hyram AC 24
vs Ezro AC 18
Alikia, deciding to save her more powerful spells for the upcoming battles with demons and undead, uses her wand of magic missiles and damages the wounded salamander that is grappling Hyram, while the Inquisitor tries to break free from the grasp, but is not able to do so. Aladir continues to fire arrows into the melee, aiming for the one on Quinn and wounding it. Quinn, seeing Hyram grappled, immediately casts a spell that allows Hyram a chance to escape the grapple, then attacks the salamander that moved up next to him, wounding it. Ezro casts Bless on the group. Hyram, just manages to break free from the salamander thank to Quinn spell.
The three salamanders, each attacking the nearest foe, manage to damage Quinn and Hyram, but are able to grapple all three.
Aladir fires a barrage of arrows once more into the salamander that looks most damaaged, clearly not even noticing the tight melee it is in with its opponent.
With the power of Iomedae flowing through him, Hyram breaks free of the Salamander's grasp.
"Inheritor! Heal your soldiers!" Ezro cries, channeling positive energy to heal his allies, and excluding the three salamanders. Drawing his sword while he moves to make sure he can heal everyone, he tries to look threatening.
Quinn shrugs off the corpse of the salamander after Aladir's arrows rip the last of its life away. Then he immediately moves to free Hyram from the grasp of his wounded salamander.
Watching in fear from her high position, Alikia glances between the three grappled Iomedaens. "Hey now! You let Hyram go!" she shouts out to the fire creature as she brandishes a stick of butter. With nimble movements of her fingers, Alikia conjures up a slippery liquid to coat Hyram's armor.
vs Hyram AC 24 / CMD 28 (with grease)
Seeing Hyram grappled, again, Alikia casts a spell on his new armor that turns it slippery and helps him break free from the salamanders grip. Aladir concentrates his arrows on the severely wounded salamander that is attacking Quinn and puts it down. Free from enemies, Quinn moves over to Hyram and attacks the salamander that Hyram just broke free from, and using his sudden attack ability, swings twice and kills it. Ezro steps back, and calls upon Iomedae to heal his wounded companions and many of Quinn and Hyram wounds close up.
The remaining salamander seeing the rest of his companions go down, while continuing to attack is so badly shaken that it misses everything, including trying to grab Hyram.
Hyram, free thanks to Alikia, plunges his sword into the salamander.
It is time for you to join your friends! he intones.
Ezro, seeing the salamanders collapse and the last one panicking, holds off, examining the room. He looks around the room intently for any other possible enemies that may come, the heat of the forge already making it uncomfortable in his armor.
Quinn sidesteps to place the salamander between himself and Hyram. With the creature flanked he proceeds to cut the thing down in concert with the inquisitor.
Despite the furball of allies surrounding the remaining salamander, Aladir fires fearlessly into the melee, confident that his arrows will find their mark, though realizing how quickly he is churning through arrows, he only fires three instead of four.
With only one salamander remaining, the concentrated effort of the group puts it in the dead book.
Looking around the room, you see a forge, the Forge of Corruption that Joran spoke to you about.
The final salamander dead, Aladir stows his bow in favor of the rapier once more, joining the others down near the Forge.
With the last salamander dead, Hyram searches the forge for the Sword of Valor hoping that the salamanders have not corrupted it since Joran told them about the forge.
I pray to The Inheritor that we are not too late!
Aladir takes up the search himself, combing the room for anything that might give them the next step forward in their mission.
Following Aladir down into the forge proper, Alikia saunters over to the forge. "Huh. Hey Ezro, 'mere." Beckoning the other half-elf over, Alikia points out a few strange runes and incantations etched into the forge. "What do you reckon our chances of reversing this thing into something not completely terrible are? I'm hoping 50/50 or at least 40/60. When we reclaim the Citadel, I'd like to at least have a chance of using this forge for some of my own personal projects."