Captain Orlov's corpse eventually shrinks down to a regular humanoid size. Her hands, you can see, terminate in claws, and there are hints of white scales on the backs of her hands and the back of her neck.
She has three potions that radiate magic, a scroll in a case, a dagger, a greatsword that is masterwork but does not radiate magic, a masterwork throwing axe, a cloak that radiates magic, and two very interesting keys. One looks like a key to a piece of furniture; the other is glittering and icy to the touch.
Ogon leaves the looting to others, standing sentry at the door instead, in case more witchcraft should appear.
"We should move on quickly. Before the witches find where we are." He growls, small tongues of flame leaping off his head.
Orik hands the spear back to Chiquq and grabs the greatsword. ”Well, Captain, it is a bitter end for one that traffics in villainy... This will do until I can find my gear. I can’t tell what they are, but this stuff is magic. Take a look at it when you can.” He points at the various magical items and then searches around for things that match the keys in the room. He will check anything he finds for traps - and will ask Dezso for help with checking as well.
When he’s done, he says ”I’m ready to move on when you folks are.”
Dezső will help in the search, noting "This woman was Hestrig, and Mierul said she had the key to get to the upper levels of the tower, which must be icy key. If we don't find the item locked with the other key, it may be in another area of this level, which I suggest we quickly check out before heading upstairs. As for the items Hestrig had, Yrja is very good with magic and may be able to quickly identify the scroll, cloak, and potions in the event we want to put them to immediate use."
There is no matching chest or otherwise locking furniture in this room. The late Captain Hestrig Orlov does not reply to Orik as he removes her sword.
Once all the takeable items are checked and gathered up, Dez listens at the door to the South out of this room and if he hears nothing he checks it for traps and opens it once the others are in position.
Yrja glances at the books and sniffs. Let the others gather them up, if they wish, she had no interest in the things. Better for her the knowledge that she holds in her mind, in her bones, the magic that flows into her and that she had worked so hard for. Words on paper, hah! What good were they but to cloud the mind and trick it and turn sane people into gibberlings.
The magic things, though, are another story. Gathering them together, she focuses her awareness on them, seeking to unravel heir secrets.
Dez does not hear anything, nor does he find any traps.
Yrja cannot identify the first potion. The second potion is equally inscrutable. The third one is a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds. The scroll is of Magic Weapon, and the cloak is a +1 Cloak of Resistance.
Orik joins Dezso at the door to the south and readies his weapon.
Seeing the rest of the group ready to move on Ogon leaves his post and takes position behind Dex, ready to push on quickly into the next room, shield raised high in front of him.
Yrja looks a little frustrated as she attempts to figure out what those potions do. "I have no idea about these two, so don't drink them! But this one has strong healing magic. And we have this scroll that makes a weapon magical for a little while, and this cloak that strengthens your body and mind to resist averse effects."
She gives the group a once-over to spot if anyone is badly injured, offering the healing potion to Ogon. The other items are available to the party, should anyone want them.
Chiquq takes her spear back, strapping it again to her shoulders, and readying her bow as she stands in the back rank behind their newfound allies.
Ogon accepts the potion with a nod of thanks, even if he does remove his hand from Yrja's a little faster than strictly necessary...
"To be direct, as is my habit, such a cloak would be greatly useful to me if I am to be standing alongside this fiery hobgoblin in facing the likes of that giant woman. While I am quite light on my feet, I confess I am not as strong of body, and, as my mind works in an idiosyncratic fashion, I have found myself in the past compromised by those seeking to play mind tricks on me, where they could not defeat me in use of logic."
"Fine." Ogon shrugs. "Anything to keep witches out of your mind is good."
”Dezsö, you should get weird tattoos like I have. They’re very good at shrugging off magic.” Orik says in a sagacious manner while nodding. ”Or at least that’s what momma said! Dunno if they actually work.” He scratches an itch on one of his intricate plant tattoos and shrugs.
The door swings open to reveal...
...
...
a hallway.
There's a door that leads back to the library, and one that heads off to the place where there are ice teleporters and where Ogon and the nymphs were in stasis for many a moon. There are also two doors leading further to the south
"Those doors." Ogon gestures with his shield towards the southern ones. "That one will be no help." He shivers slightly as he looks towards the door with the statues. That room hold most unpleasant sensations for him.
Yrja offers Dez the cloak as she follows the rest of the group in their exploration of the rest of the tower.
"If we don't find anything beyond these doors, I seem to remember that the room in which Orik was kept had a pair of doors to the north."
Dezső accepts the cloak with thanks. "I wonder if it would cancel the magic if I were to ask you to sew the cloak into my long coat (after removing the armor inside, of course), which I think suits me much better."
"I don't remember reading anything about that, but what does your intuition about such things tell you, Yrja?"
"Let's check out the doors to the South and then to the North."
Dezső listens at the more Western of the Southern doors, and also checks for traps. If he hears nothing, he opens it once the others are in place (especially Ogon ready to charge in and hit anything evil he sees).
Yrja ponders for a moment. "I think if the cloak is not cut up or otherwise damaged, it should work. Not a quick job, though, by any stretch."
Dez hears nothing at the more westerly door. After a moment, he realizes this is the room that Mierul ducked in to grab her things before she departed the Tower. Worth a look-see, perhaps.
Dezső opens the door and if no threats are immediately apparent he'll search the room.
As expected, this room is empty and relatively bare--a bed, a desk, and a storage locker. It's open and unlocked, with nothing left in it. There's just the faintest scent of Mierul's perfume. There's a mirror on the wall.
Yep. Dez listens at, checks, and opens the other door on this hallway and then searches the room beyond if there are no foes.
Chiquq remains in the back with her bow held lightly in her hands, keeping an ear out for what she assumes will be the inevitable charge up the stairs of the guards. Their luck can't hold forever...
Ogon keeps up his position behind Dez, shield ready and empty hand convulsively opening and closing. He, much like Chiquq, seems to be waiting for the other icicle to drop...
Dez can hear someone speaking quietly in Taldan, and can scent another perfume, beyond the door.
Assuming he found no traps, Dez quietly signals to ask Yrja to open the door so he and Ogon can charge in, weapons aloft.
Dez and Ogon rush into the room.
The scent of perfume fills the air of this small bedroom where several dresses styled for a Taldan noblewoman lie neatly arranged on the bed. A mirrored vanity and chair sit by the door next to a wooden chest, and a larger mirror hangs on the wall
between two windows. A woman gasps at you in shock. It's Lady Argentea!
"Are you from Taldor? Oh my Gods, a hobgoblin?" She retreats, fear on her lovely face.
"...Argentea?" Chiquq says with a highly confused blink, hearing the voice.
"Don't strike! We know this woman!" she calls.
Dez keeps his sword aloft and steps closer, ready to strike if she makes a false move. "But we left Lady Argentea behind in Heldren! I do apologize if you are the real Lady, but you need to explain and quickly!"
Yrja gasps as well at this surprising discovery. "My lady!"
She has so many questions, but the others seem to have things well in hand here and she knows that she will just get tongue-tied or worse if she would attempt to address Lady Argentea. So she busies herself by looking around the room.
As he awaits the Lady's response, Dez quickly explains to Orik, Ogon, and Nadya, "We rescued this Lady in Taldor and left her behind when we came North, so seeing her here now means something is very wrong -- either the Lady we rescued was not the real one, or this one is not." He adds to the Lady: "No offense intended..."
Orik says nothing to this development, but watches the lady’s body language and verbal cues for any deception.
Ogon moves up towards the lady, sniffing the air as he goes.
"Lady Argentea," Chiquq calls from in the doorway, "you gave me a token at our last meeting. What was it?"
"...I...it's been a terrible flurry of events, being whisked away from Heldren...but...I gave you one of my brooches. A sapphire," says Lady Argentea. "And forgive my surprise...It is good to see you again, friends," says the lady, breaking into a smile. She does have good Taldan etiquette and the mannerisms of the Lady, although perhaps not the bluster you recall when she left you in Heldren. Perhaps due to her subsequent re-abduction?
Orik is unable to detect a ruse from the Lady, but Ogon is suspicious. Something about Argentea seems off. False. Although Ogon does not have the ability to detect it, he suspects the stink of some magic.
Yrja also detects an alteration aura around the Lady.
Dez thinks to himself, "She's acting friendlier and less haughty than when we last saw her. Odd."
Dez waits for Chiquq to react to the Lady's response, and he does not lower his sword.
"You are a witch." Ogon growls, one hand pulling a hex nail from his belt. "You stink of witch magic!" His other hand flexes open and closed, clearly the hobgoblin is on the verge of igniting again.
"Speak the truth, witch, or I will find it for myself!"
As he speaks he circles the woman, forcing her to turn her back to the others if she wants to face him.
"I--I'm not a witch! I'm Lady Argentea Malassene, traveling from Zimar to Oppara, when I was waylaid in the woods and taken to this hellish place! Now--don't you threaten me, you--you hobgoblin!" says Argentea, growing more agitated, turning to track and face Ogon.
"....you gave me no jewel," Chiquq says slowly. "I do not know if you are a witch, but.... you are not telling the truth of what you gave."
Dezső tries to bring all his powers of logic and perception to bear in assessing the Lady's veracity. He's not taking an emotional read on her as much as looking for tell tale signs of lying in facial tics or body language.
As Ogon maneuvers around the Lady, Dez moves into a flanking position.
"Ogon speaks truth. There is magic about her, changing magic."
Yrja tenses, ready to retaliate with magic of her own should this supposed "Lady Argentea" do anything untoward.
Dez takes a step closer towards the Lady, now in striking distance with his drawn sword, flanking with Ogon. "I'm very sorry to have to do this, but we need to tie you up until we sort this out. If you reflect on it, you'll realize the impossibility of our position. We have suffered a lot of deceptions lately."
His tail reaches into his backpack and starts to pull out a rope.
Ogon waits for the 'Lady' to react, the fires within him burning high and ready to spill out into form.