Andrea waves the Anti-Boomstick over Auric.
"Is this blasted hunt over yet? Do we at least have a carcass to drag back?!"
Says Auric, right into the camera.
"Hey look, dis kee. Eet's probahply for de chest ofer dere. I'll try eet out."
Imendri snatches the key off of Tulok's corpse and strides over to the other wall, keeping his eyes open for any obvious traps.
The key does not fit the lock, but the iron box is already unlocked and opens easily.
Imendri notices nothing...but is there nothing to notice? :D
The iron box contains:
A suit of masterwork studded leather armor
A masterwork buckler
A masterwork rapier
A shortbow with 15 arrows
Two scrolls
And...a Wayfinder. You recall these to be used by the Pathfinders. It looks like a sort of magical compass.
This equipment looks freshly used; you reckon it is the stuff of that disappeared Pathfinder. The one that Vendra has asked you to quietly retrieve.
Imendri, once done with his rummaging, notes that he stands before a door. There is also another door that leads out of the barracks area.
"So, I know better than to look at those scrolls. Maybe the bardy here can do that mess. I'll take the arrows. That shortbow is kind of shoddily made. No thanks. The rest, you can fight among yerselves. That needle's not really my style and the armor kind of stinks."
Andrea grabs up the arrows and hands the scrolls to Vesilyx.
"Get to work."
"Look, ranger, I can't read magic. We'll have to figure out the scrolls when we get out of here." Vesilyx shrugs. "Are you sure you want to take that Pathfinder's stuff? We haven't even found his body yet..."
"Det's wat I wass going to say. If he's a life, den we wull haff to help de Pat Finder out off de tower. Mayk shore he hass his fings."
Imendri regards the party with a look of hopeful faith in their ethics.
"Eider way, let's keep ex-ploring dis flore. May be det de offer rooms haff some stuffs for us to use."
Imendri searches the room for anything hidden that isn't a trap.
Regardless of what Imendri finds, he grabs his pack from the stairwell, brings it into the room where Tulok once fought us and drops it a few feet from his corpse. He moves towards the door leading north, and waits to make sure that the rest of the party are behind him and ready before opening the door.
Imendri finds nothing new in the barracks room nor the room with the brazier and the iron box. As before, he hears water dripping behind the door past the barracks. Going back to the door from Tulok's room, he hears nothing.
Imendri opens the door--it has a simple latch to keep it closed and locked. The door swings open to reveal a tiny room, still intact though on the broken side of the Fortress. Laying crumpled in a corner is a man wearing soiled clothing, shackled and manacled to the northeast wall.
"Gods no! Don't hit me again!" he begins to sob as Imendri opens the door.
Auric cautiously steps to Imendri's side, looking through the doorway at the man.
"Devils! Is this the poor wretch we were sent to find?!"
The man continues to wail.
"Hoy now, are yuu de Pat Finder det we wass heer to find? A wuman, Vendra, she was de one wat sent us to safe yuu. Heer, out side de door, eet's yuur stuffs. Now stay still, I wull see if de kee I find is what can onlokk yuu."
Imendri pulls the key out and shows the poor man that he means no harm, laying his sword and shield on the floor before moving over to his manacles.
"I mean, HE'S not going to be using these arrows anytime soon. Just sayin'."
The man uncrumples himself a bit and peers at Imendri. "You're not...where are the trogs? They've been beating me regularly. Pat...yes, yes, I am a Pathfinder. Balenar--Balenar Forsend."
He starts to come to his senses. "I was captured. They have a leader--I haven't seen him, but I think he's a shaman or some type. Those horrors have been arguing amongst themselves. I think their leader didn't let them burn or cut me, Gods know why. The big one certainly wanted to." His grimy faces brightens. "Are they gone? Are they dead? I have no idea who Vendra is, but by Desna, help me out if you can and I'll make sure you're well rewarded!" He pulls at his manacles in vain.
As he does so, Imendri sees that, yes! Tulok's key opens Balenar's manacles. He stands slowly, beginning to regain some heroic mien. You can tell he hasn't had much to eat. With his hands free, he utters a short spell.
His bruises almost disappear entirely. "Yes, well, then," he says with renewed vigor, and looks at Andrea a little pointedly. "About those arrows."
He then politely collects his gear and walks about looking at the bodies, approving each one with a nod.
"You all look like you're healed up. Friends, I, Balenar Forsend, Bard of the Society, would like to submit my services in helping you take down the... He turns to the camera.
"...Master of the Fallen Fortress."
(Oh, and Imendri, there's nothing else in the room except Balenar's recovered and rapidly reinflating self-confidence.)
Andrea hands over Balenar's arrows.
"I think this might work out pretty well. Let's go kill this 'Master.' He sounds a bit like an ass."
"Well, then. Onwards and upwards, yes?"
And Auric looks around the room and spits, 'cause he's a JERK.
The walk up the stairs is tense, and quiet. Your hearts hammer in your chest, knowing that you finally face the claimant to the tower.
The four wings of the tower are completely open on this level, forming one great,
cross-shaped chamber with arched ceilings.
The decayed remnants of a carpet run from the doorways at the end of each wing, meeting in the center, where a spiral staircase drops out of sight below. A large, throne-like chair stands in the middle of the eastern wing next to a big chest.
You can see the troglodyte shaman gazing wistfully out at the pre-dawn light, beginning to illuminate the Cairnlands. Perhaps he is dreaming of Absalom beyond. A young, albino crocodile sprawls near the throne chair, motionless.
The shaman turns at your approach and nods, and says something almost resignedly in the tongue of troglodytes, shaking his head. From his mouth, you realize that dragons speak the same speech; it sounds far more elegant than from his minions.
He then begins to chant what is clearly a spell, a determined, fanatical look in his eye.
Round One of the Final Fight!
Balenar begins an inspiring speech.
Tasskar summons a swarm of spiders.
Auric
Imendri
Andrea
Vesilyx
all need to make a DC 13 Fort save or be sickened.
Almost embracing the stench of the foulness around him, our headstrong Cheliaxian rushes towards Tasskar.
"Your words bore me. No more of them!"
Imendri shouts curses in Hallit as he tosses his pack to the floor and rushes the pale crocodile, reminding him of the terrifying giant lizards of his homeland.
Andrea is up!
Andrea, staying as far away from the spiders as possible, drops a couple arrows into Tasskar's back.
A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once, with all your usual bonuses, and add the rolls together. Unless otherwise specified, the threat range for a critical hit on an attack roll is 20, and the multiplier is ×2.
Imendri deals a nasty blow to Snapjaw, the albino crocodile. It recoils, thrashing and spewing blood, but it is clearly tenacious.
Snapjaw snaps at Andrea when she passes, its jagged teeth coming together with a monstrous sound. It completely misses the wily ranger, though.
Andrea's arrows thud into Tasskar, causing him to growl with pain and exclaim something in Draconic. He eyes with ranger with particular bile.
Vesilyx emerges from the stairwell. "Great hopping Calistria, this is a mess," he says, and begins his naturalist bit about troglodytes again, his eyes rather wide at the sight of so many spiders.
Round 2! Thee Finale!
Tasskar -8 hp
Snapjaw -10 hp
Balenar
Auric
Imendri
Andrea
Vesilyx
Snarling with pain, Tasskar retreats to the balcony and utters a gutteral spell. Mist blooms around him, obscuring him from sight.
Snapjaw, maddened with bloodlust, attacks the barbarian.
The crocodile's bite fails to connect with Imendri.
Balenar takes one look at the spiders, does a quick calculation, and shoves Vesilyx out of the way, pushing them both to the west. "If we get out of the way, they'll attack the lizard!" he shouts.
Vesilyx is too surprised to point out that crocodiles are not lizards.
The swarm indeed attacks Snapjaw.
The spiders crawl over the crocodile, but fail to do any harm...this time.
"ENOUGH!"
Auric misses Tasskar.
"BLAST YOU! STAND STILL AND MEET YOUR FATE!"
Imendri grunts as he takes another swing at the albino crocodile.
Imendri so does not hit, oh my Gods.
"I can't believe I'm rooting for spiders."
Andrea takes two shots at that crocobeast.