It isn't as easy as Zea imagined, as many of the weapons are too large for her back pack, and won't become invisible when she picks them up. In the end, some daggers and a mace it is. Also Sauls tools to open doors.
Once she has everything she needs, she wants to go back. But the door is closed again. She boldly knocks on the door from the inside, getting one of the guards to first shout "Come in." and then to get up and open the door himself.
Angrily he looks around and then stomps to the next guard room to tell those idiots what he thinks of the joke. Zea uses the opportunity to slip out of the room and hand Saul his tools. Only the gods know why the locks are also operable from the inside, but with some time Saul manages to unlock his door. It is not easy, as the locks are really good .
You still hear the guards arguing angrily.
Fhingle walks up to the door, knocking loudly.
"Excuse me, I was sent here by my master to find out if you have any stock to be used in experiments?" Fhingle doesn't make eye contact very long
With the keys she picked up from the table earlier, Zea unlocks Saul. Then she quietly disburses weapons to the prisoners, handing the best (probably the maces) to those who look like their targets. The guy who called out earlier doesn't get a weapon. Then she unlocks the doors. Once they are all unlocked, she speaks in a bold voice. "Your bars are unlocked. Fight with me to earn your freedom!"
Zea's talk is drowned out by screaming from a neighboring room.
"We can't leave now. We have to save Lierre from the torturer." one of the hellknights in underwear replies. In that attire, they look much less impressive.
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"I know there is some devil in here doing the Thrunes' dirty work. But listen, I am not fighting any devil without my mithral spear, and we have friends waiting outside to help us. Let's get our stuff, put on your armor, open the front door for our reinforcements, and then we come back for your friend."
"Outside and stuff is this way." one hellknight tells pointing to the door . You all storm into that room and quickly overwhelm that single guard. He gets bound and gagged and thrown in Saul's cell.
The armingers help each other into their armor and grab their weapons. One Arminger opens the door to the neighboring room - through which they were brought into the holding house - , which is void of guards at the time. "There is the entrance - unguarded."
The armingers help each other into their armor and grab their weapons. One Arminger opens the door to the neighboring room - through which they were brought into the holding house - which is void of guards at the time. "There is the entrance - unguarded."
Zea leads Saul and the Hellknights to the room leading to where the weapons are. "There are two guards in there. They're sick."
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Anyone who isn't a Hellknight, Saul gestures to run away into the city streets. "Now is your chance to escape. Best of luck to you all. Look for me in Clenchjaws sometime if you want to talk."
Down at the other entrance, to the south a bit, await Fhingle, Cassius, and Jarithe.
"Psst. You three, c'mon over here. We got the Hellknights, now we need to decide what to do!"
Saul waves them over, and holds a hushed impromptu council of war in B7.
"Listen, we can all get out now without any problem, and we will be safe. It's our chance. If we engage with the enemy, any one of us could die. Do we save your friend? We might have to fight a devil, and that commander was nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, vote now. I vote no. We saved most of you. No use having all of us die to save one more person."
He attempts to win the Hellknights over to his side:
The three vagabounds run for their life. The three hellknights ponder the options. "Then we'll go in without you. We won't leave Lierre."
"We rescue him, that is why we are here." Fhingle produces the wand of align weapon.
"Can you tell me more about this devil? What will allow us to harm it more?" Fhingle asks
"No just makes it aligned to a certain aspect." Fhingle says
"This abominination is a slender humanoid clad in a severe black leather harness and long skirt decorated with curling twists of wire. Her eyes are colorless orbs, and tears of blood course down her cheeks. Slender surgical lancets pierce her body in numerous locations, yet these wounds do not bleed. And it delights in the pain of others." Hellknight Aberveen tells.
Zea nods. "I vote no as well but we won't let you go back in alone."
"Maybe we should take out the sick guards and get all your equipment first."
Jarithe draws the attention away from what happens at the holding house. Doing one of his spectacular performances with fire and smoke he draws quite the crowd. The people are glad to get some light entertainment in these harsh times and throw coins in his direction.
"Why are the guards sick?" Aberveen asks curious. "But that's a good idea. We'll overwhelm them all and lock them away, before facing that torturer."
He moves to the door where the other guards are probably behind to open it, but waits for everyone to be ready.
As the door is finally opened, you find three dottari there, two of which are not really well. As they look in your faces with Cassius standing there, they put two and two together. "You poisoned us!"
"Technically, he did." Cassius casts Color Spray on the lot.
Two of the guards freeze in place.
Zea prepares to run forward and attack but waits to find an opening after Saul goes.
Saul stabs the dottari. The dottari steps up to Saul and swings a sword at him. Thge hellknights leave the attacks to those that are eager to do so.
Fhingle raises his new mace into the air, a burst of wavy holy energy infuses each of his allies.
Zea rushes forward and slashes at the dottari.
But her aim is dreadfully off even though she had the surprise of invisibility!
The Hellknights squeeze through and try to bring the dottari down. The first he tried to fend off with his sword, but to no avail.
"We got that under control. Quick get Lierre." Aberveen tells.
FHingle will shift out of the way after his spell so to allow those with longer legs past.
Zea nods. "We're not going after that torturer alone."
After killing the first dottari, the Hell Knights step up to Saul. "Hey, we are no murderers. No needless killings of subdued enemies!"
"They have been guards here already before the Thrune came here." Aberveen objects. He doesn't step away.
"Well, we should gag them at least."
"We wanted to gag them and put them in cells." Aberveen tells.
The Hellknights look with scorn at Saul, but don't tell anything. They gag the dottari. As the other two guards come in from the neighboring room, there is a small brawl until they are overwhelmed too. There are enough cells to put everyone in a separate one and so it is done.
Then all together enter the torture room quickly. Within, a grisly sight awaits them. A pale, pretty young woman with long brown hair has been affixed to one of two racks in the chamber. She’s clad in rags and covered with horrific wounds—her right arm is partially flensed, and her pinky finger is missing from her left hand.
And then there is her torturer - a pale woman clad in wire and leather, weeping tears of blood and impaled by dozens of long, thin lancets. As she
sees the intruders, she smiles and addresses them: "And who is this come to my court? Carriers of lies, each of you. I smell your falsehoods. Do you seek my aid in stripping them from you? I am but just started on this subject, so you will need to wait your turns, my hopefuls..."
"In that case I of course will interrupt this session to take care of you first." the woman replies. As she looks directly at you all your lies you've ever told come back to your mind. This experience is overwhelming.
Suddenly a painful force manifests. It seems like it doesn't affect the Hellknights. But the more rebellious characters are shaken with pain.
Order's Wrath DC16
Cassius grunts in pain and then casts Protection from Evil communally on Saul, Zea, Fhingle, and himself.
Second, the subject immediately receives another saving throw (if one was allowed to begin with) against any spells or effects that possess or exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment [charm] effects and enchantment [compulsion] effects, such as charm person, command, and dominate person). This saving throw is made with a +2 morale bonus, using the same DC as the original effect. If successful, such effects are suppressed for the duration of this spell. The effects resume when the duration of this spell expires. While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target. This spell does not expel a controlling life force (such as a ghost or spellcaster using magic jar), but it does prevent them from controlling the target. This second effect only functions against spells and effects created by evil creatures or objects, subject to GM discretion.
Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by evil summoned creatures. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching the warded creature. Summoned creatures that are not evil are immune to this effect. The protection against contact by summoned creatures ends if the warded creature makes an attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. Spell Resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature.
Zea looks at the others in some confusion, not understanding why they are so hurt by the spell.
"Cassius! Get out of the way!" Zea will move to Cassius' position if he gets out of the way. In addition, she casts elemental touch and enhances her blade.
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Fhingle rocks in pain from the spell and from the Incoming damage all his friends tooks.