Chiquq's blows swiftly drop the guard to the snow, the white-grey slush reddening from his wounds. He is unconscious and probably dying.
The sergeant snarls and shoots at Dez, then draws back another bolt.
A black wooden bolt buries itself in Dez' leg!
The guards rush at Yrja.
The guard misses Yrja in the infernally dim light!
I don't even know what round it is! ATTACK!
Chiquq misses-- but pulls back enough to get another clear swing at the guard.
Chiquq's spear catches another guard in the gut, and she grits her teeth. This isn't battle as she'd prefer it, but she'll be damned if she'll let herself and the others be captured. "You're running out of men, Captain. If you care about their lives, stop now and let us stop them from dying."
Yrja continues to retreat alongside Chiquq, flinging another sleep spell at one of the guards who approaches them. Perhaps it wouldn't do much, but it might slow them down. She takes care to maintain the area of darkness between herself and the guards, hoping they will spend a few moments stumbling about in the dimness.
Dez holds his position and points his bow at the sergeant. Readied action to shoot if the sergeant takes any hostile act (shoot crossbow, etc.)/fails to back down. He says:
"Listen to my companion and stop this attack. We are not your enemy. Tell your guards to attend to their fallen companions, before they die bleeding in the snow."
Chiquq
The guard uses a similar hex-breaking gesture at Yrja.
Chiquq, meanwhile, skewers another guard, who blurts out nothing vocal, but instead a gush of dark blood, from his surprised mouth. It is quick and horrible, but the other two guards do not back off.
One menaces Yrja.
The sergeant barks at the other guard to attack, but his command is broken off my a yowl of rage as Dezső's arrow pierces his thigh.
At the same time, a gentle lullaby like sound appears out of nowhere, and the other guard rubs his eyes, but remains awake. Suddenly, that tiny hairy man, Hatch, appears on the roof of the tavern, looking triumphant, and then realizes with embarrassment that his spell has not worked.
However, another arrow sprouts from the sergeant, this time in his arm, and he whirls about to see a determined, almost savage looking Nadya Petska with her bow already nocked again.
"HOLD!" he shouts, now bleeding a fair bit into the snow. The guard's leader stops.
Chiquq's swing isn't as accurate as the others, but perhaps that's just as well when the cry to 'Hold!' is heard. Grimly, Chiquq adopts a defensive posture.
"Nadya! There is some treachery afoot here!" Chiquq warns.
Dez moves 20 feet back towards the tavern, keeping his bow trained on the sergeant:
"Where are our friends?! The two men and the dwarf who were with us?"
The Kellid's swipe with her spear is indeed a miss, but the guards stop at the voice of the sergeant.
"Hah! Nowhere you can get to. They're locked in the Pale Tower, devil-man. And you will never get inside there." The sergeant looks smug even in defeat. Nadya steps over and rapidly removes his weapons, kicking him to his knees by exerting pressure on his wounded leg. "Agh, you she devil!" The man's smugness leaves him. His muttered insults do not display much creativity, generally circulating around the words "devil" and various slurs against women.
Hatch jumps off the roof onto the guard's head, kicking snow about him, then scurries over to Chiquq and the wounded Yrja. He looks simultaneously worried for Yrja's wounds, wary of the tall human(oid)s, and somewhat embarrassed.
"I can help you," he says in a small voice, like the creaking of twigs and leaves, in whispery Taldane. "With the Tower."
Yrja clamps a hand to her wounded arm, blood seeping through her fingers and steaming in the frigid air. She does not feel the pain, not yet, and focuses on Hatch's words. "You can? That's wonderful! They took our friends there, we have to get them back!"
She glances at the guards and their captain, wondering what made them yield. Chiquq had definitely been making a dent in their numbers, but they hadn't relented until Nadya had shown up. Addressing one of the survivors, she speaks in Hallit.
"A shame about your comrades who died. All we wanted was to enjoy our evening in peace. We have done nothing wrong. Will you not tell us what is happening? Why is the Tower pursuing us?"
Dezső rejoins the group and says to Nadya on the sly: "It looked like the tavern owners, and especially the mistress of the establishment, may have been communicating with someone by the use of mirrors. And we found some indication our companions may have been drugged in the cellar. And, who are these guards anyway? Are they town guards or did they come from the Tower?"
The sergeant spits in the snow as a reply to Yrja. Nadya cuffs him once with her glove. "You won't get anything from these guards. They are the dogs of the Tower."
Nadya scowls at the mention of the mirror. "We have to break it at once. And search Volan." She kicks the sergeant again. Presumably his name is Volan. "We have to hide them or kill them! And move quickly!" she shouts over her shoulder, stalking into the tavern.
Chiquq firmly takes Yrja's wrist and tugs her hand away from the sword's cut. "Here. I can help. Move your hand so I can see..."
A whisper to the spirits, and Yrja's wound vanishes as though it never was, though her garments remain bloodied around the cut. The Kellid hopes that she doesn't wind up needing that prayer to have saved her kinsman's life, or that of the other two.
She presses her mouth into a cold line at the sergeant's stubbornness. "Servants of the enemy, then. Here I thought they might just be good men trying to do their jobs... or I would not have pulled my strikes as I did for so long. Quickly, let's tug them down into the cellar, through the door we came up by, before the whole town sees!"
Chiquq has no compunctions about introducing the butt of her spear to the sergeant's skull if he's recalcitrant in following, though she prefers not to kill any of the already wounded and surrendered.
"Yrja, will you stay with me to make sure they do not try anything? Dezso-- stay with Nadya, yes? Make sure those dogs do not stab her the back as well."
She-devil, eh? Like Chiquq, Yrja had been trying to keep the Tower guards alive, thinking they were simple towns guardsmen called in on a misunderstanding. If she had known the truth, perhaps she would have been less merciful as well, although she does not think so. Their captain is clearly a lost cause, but his men are perhaps coerced or magically enslaved to do as they're told. Perhaps there is still some hope for them.
She helps Chiquq herd the surviving guards into the cellar, not shying away from using her demonic visage to scare them into obeying the huntress' commands. She gathers their weapons and anything that might be used to escape.
Dezső follows Nadya into the tavern, his bow drawn and pointed at the mistress of the tavern or anyone who threatens Nadya.
Afterwards he goes to speak to Chiquq and Yrja in the cellar, out of hearing of the captives: "I too am uncomfortable killing a defeated foe, but I think I should perhaps knock them unconscious so they cannot soon rejoin the fight if the traitors upstairs let them go. Also, I'm inclined to break the sergeant's sword arm after knocking him out. Any objections?"
Nadya smirks at Chiquq. "Around here, there are very few good men." She punctuates this by removing the mirror off of the barkeep wall and smashing it on Emil's head. She then tosses the frame aside and snarls at Katrina. "Go. Take care of your husband for once. And you. OUT," she spits at the woodsmen.
The guards are summarily rounded up and ushered into the cellar. There is plenty of rope with with to tie them up and gag them. Nadya's knots are the clean efficient ones of a hunter, anyone will note. They chuckle at Yrja's attempt to look fearsome, but a well placed boot to the groin ends Volan's laughter and the others follow suit. Yrja quickly divests them of their items--they are the usual smelly martial lot, with nothing hidden away.
The summary of their items is:
6 cold iron longswords
1 masterwork cold iron longsword
7 daggers
7 light crossbows
9 potions
7 chain shirts
a mirror that radiates magic
1 spiked shield
104 gp
Dezső tries to identify the potions:
He also says to Nadya: "Those are some good knots. Should we also knock them out and perhaps break the sergeant's sword arm? What's to stop the tavern owners from releasing them as soon as we move on? Also, does this attack mean we need to move on the Pale Tower immediately?"
Nadya covers the mirror that Volan has. "Yes. They will be looking for Volan and these troops in a few hours. He hasn't been able to report in. Can anyone impersonate him? I think we can use their sled and some of their clothing to look something like them. But if we don't move quickly, our advantage is lost."
She grins fiercely. "Naturally, Hatch and I are coming with you."
The potions:
Endure Elements
Endure Elements
Endure Elements
unknown, but probably Endure Elements as a guard had it
Endure Elements
Endure Elements
Potion of CLW (two, actually)
Endure Elements (!)
Potion of Interrogation
You're fairly certain that the mirror is another communication mirror, but you can certainly Detect Magic + Spellcraft to confirm.
Dezső reluctantly pulls off his armored coat and dons one of the chain shirts. "I love this coat, but if we are to assault the Pale Tower I need to be wearing the best armor I can. Maybe when we get back I can take the armor out of the coat and wear it over this chain shirt. I feel exposed without it."
"Those potions of endure elements will prove useful to you all moving forwards. It does not seem to be getting any warmer. Who should carry that particularly fine cold iron longsword? I would not mind carrying one of those potions of curing."
"Yes, you should have both curing potions, and we should split the others among ourselves. As for the sword, I wouldn't know what to do with it." Yrja laughs. "But let me see if there is anything I can do about these clothes they are wearing..."
"I see their sledge," says Nadya. "It's near my house. Hatch, go prepare it." Footprints appear in the snow, dashing off to a sled with resting snow dogs in the near distance.
Hearing no objection, Dezső will knock out the guards who are still alive and break the sergeant's sword arm. He will also, with Nadya's permission, stash the equipment we are not taking with us in or near Nadya's house.
Returning to see Yrja's costumes: "I see I was going to need to take my coat off in any event. Nicely done. When this is over, Yrja, maybe you can remove the armor from my coat so I can wear it over this chain shirt."
"Let's break the damn mirror. Or at the very least shroud it, drop it in a snowbank, something. We don't need them spying on us... more than they already are."
Chiquq posed no opposition to the armbreaking. Life in the north is harsh and she is sure the commander would have done worse to her had she surrendered. "What of this...interrogation potion? We could learn something of the other defenses, or passwords maybe. Remember how the ice trolls had passwords. I say we slap the captain awake and feed it to him; you can be sure they would have fed it to us."
Ila's death seems to have put Chiquq into a darker mood, readier to dish out cold vengeance.... no pun intended.
"Good work with the clothes," Chiquq acknowledges, observing Yrja's sewing skill. She nods once, firmly, at Nadya's desire to accompany them.
"The potion is a good idea, we need as much information as we can get before we go in. The mirror... I was thinking maybe to use it to somehow trick whoever is watching, but I lack the magic for such tricks." Yrja sounds relieved at the idea of using the potion rather than other, more... drastic methods of interrogation. Rationally, she knows that the stakes are extremely high and the servants of the tower would not show them mercy, but her heart still cringes at the idea of hurting people.
Dezső has no objections to using the potion to interrogate the sergeant.
The sergeant is busily whimpering and cursing at you, holding his broken arm. The snap was clear in the dry air...
He resists your efforts to feed him the potion, but it gets down. His eyes glaze a little, but his visage remains fierce.
Dez will comment to the others out of earshot: "What do we most need to know? Passwords, number of guards, any unusually tough guardians, where prisoners are held? I think Hatch said he knows a way in; maybe he knows some of the other information."
"Passwords and other recognition methods, for sure. Maybe they have a special salute. The location and patrol routes of the guards, I would say. It matters less how many guards there are if we can avoid them. Perhaps Hatch knows where the prisoners are held, we should ask him about any magical protections, such as alarms or detection spells. And the special guardians, I would not relish meeting another troll."
Hatch comes by after being summoned. He is shy at first, refusing to meet the heroes' eyes, but after some quiet prompting by Nadya, who has returned from the sledge, he speaks in his small fey voice.
"I know the passwords to to the ice crystal teleporters. There are four of them that I know of. As for guardians, beware all statues. There is an ice dragon, and some icy ladies. They are animated. There are small fey--atomies and a spriggan, I think. And a dangerous plant. There's the sylph cleric with her crows; you've met her. And Radovan, the Master of the Tower. I think there's a kidnapped lady there, or she may not be kidnapped, and your friends are probably held on the top floor. Prisoners are usually kept drugged and suggestive." He sighs.
"I don't know the recognitions and signs of the guards. When I go in, I am invisible. And I dare not go past the first floor this time." He chuckles sadly.
"No trolls. Oh, and that bard. The forlarren. She will be there. She is a coward." He looks down at the snow, as if to say as I am.
"Are there any signs or signals the guards will expect from us as we approach the tower?"
"Yes," says Volan, and a cunning look on his face grows. He keeps silent, looking like the otyugh that ate the canary.
Dezső swears quietly. He then puts a hoof on one of the sergeant's legs. "Mess around with us again and I break your leg. Now, tell us, what are all of the signs or signals the guards will expect as we approach the tower?"
After he turns to Chiquq and Yrja: "Sorry about that. I'll let you two cover the other questions."
Volan's expression changes from smugness, to anger, to mounting pain as he is compelled to answer. "You use a mirror. Reflect it three times at the tower battlements as you come within sight of the Tower. Also you must fool the ravens if they come by. And then you must tell the guards at the Wall of the Tower that you are me." He chuckles. "Good luck imitating me, devil-spawn."
Chiquq watches the prisoner with a stare as frigid as the air temperature outside. She holds the rules of hospitality more sacred than some southern notion of 'fair battle'; in her mind any safety due to this man was lost by the treachery of their ambush.
"Tell us of all that you know about this Radovan.
"As for threats should you seek to play with us, I will not break your leg. What I will do is leave you tied in the wild, for the animals, so that in your dying you will at least accomplish some good and feed some creature or another. Wolves, perhaps."
"Radosek is a winter witch." Volan looks about as disgusted as you would be by one of these Irriseni witches--perhaps a byproduct of the honesty artificially imbued by the potion. "He has a goat usually near him, that he...speaks with. It watches other rooms and warns him. He will summon creatures, and I've seen him fly right into the air. His flesh is cold as ice. You will be overwhelmed by his attacks!" Volan is almost gleeful. "Nothing but cold, cold, the cold of death. You will see," he says, chuckling again. "He serves the Mistress, but She is away. We're placing bets as to when he beds that flighty slyph b@&%%." He laughs again, crudely.
Nadya slaps Volan, almost reflexively. "You disgust me," she says to the sergeant. She turns to Dezső. "Katrina keeps some minor spell scrolls for sale in the tavern. She may have one for disguise. ...we can pay her later." She laughs at the thought of paying for anything from the two crooked tavernkeeps.
"With pleasure, Nadya." Dezső marches upstairs, sword drawn, and proceeds behind the counter. "We are borrowing some scrolls." He'll then grab whatever he sees and take them downstairs for closer examination.
Dez finds seven scrolls behind the counter--Emil and Katrina huddle away from the tiefling, too frightened to leave their establishment, but not ready to do anything in particular save crouch in a corner. Perhaps their love is rekindling?
Dezső shoots daggers at them with his eyes, scoops up the seven scrolls, and takes them downstairs for him and Yrja to examine.
Chiquq listens stonily to the guard's words, and stands guard over him while Dez fetches the scrolls.
"In the building itself, tell of all traps or locks that you know of," she says, crouched next to the squirming sergeant.
When Dezso returns with the scrolls, she gets to her feet, pacing a little in the cellar. "We should tie the innkeepers up here as well, so they don't free these men as soon as we are gone. And I am going to take back the money I paid them for my drinks.
"This task-- going into the tower-- it seems hard, yes? But my kinsman is there. The spirits of my people would spit on me if I did not do all I could to rescue my blood. So I am going, whatever else. Yrja, Dezso... the two of you have no family there. Why is it you are ready to risk so much?" she asks curiously.