Without a further word, Cinnabar departs.
Koriantu possesses her own magical sword, a magic amulet, magic belt, magic cloak, magic headband, and 395 gp.
Tronar additionally finds that in addition to the obvious double doors to the north, behind the illusion that decorates the walls is a secret door to the south (marked on map).
Shaeda will attempt to identify the items Koriantu had...
Sword
Amulet
Belt
Cloak
Headband
+1 defending spell-storing sawtooth sabre (currently contains hold person)
amulet of natural armor +1
belt of mighty constitution +4
cloak of resistance +3
headband of inspired wisdom +4
"Now that you have joined us...Ziranu can you please check this secret door over here?" Tronar will point to the location marked on the map and then turn his invisibility ring back on.
"On my way to your discovery, Tronar. Searok, you should take bozh zhe amulet and zhe cloak - zhe protection will serve you zhe best. I myself am interested in zhe headband."
Ziranu moves carefully over to the area the Arcanist designates before going invisible once more, and studies the wall...
, +6 vs. traps, +4 vs. humans or evil outsiders, +2 vs. undead
Ziranu finds no sign of traps, and the secret door is not locked.
Opening it leads to a short tunnel, which ends in another secret door (easy to spot from this side). Through that you find a long hallway extending to the north and east (revealed on map). Doors in the south wall (and continuing around the corner, but you can't see that without walking that direction) appear to be cells, while a larger chamber is to the north.
It looks like you are out of the formerly-secret part of the Deathhead Vault, and into the prison proper.
"Let me do a quick reconnoiter." Tronar will fly invisible down each hallway to get a visible look see at what is in the cells.
Tronar drifts down the halls, peeking in cells. About a dozen of them are occupied. Oddly, all the prisoners he sees are women.
Tronar remembers Cinnabar's words to keep on looking past the last cell, and realizes that at the far end of the hallway is a false wall. A section swings aside when he touches it, and he can peek in.
Sitting in the corner of the cell, looking beaten to hell and back, sits Marcus Endrin, former leader of the Sable Company and Queen Ileosa's would-be assassin.
”He’s even cuter in person!”
Shaeda moves forward to determine just how beat up Marcus is, and she explains that she has lead her band of followers here to rescue him.
She cradles his head between her breasts as she offers to heal him, once she determines how bad he is, and she offers him the following armor and weapons, so he can aid the group in fighting their way out:
+1 defending spell-storing sawtooth sabre (currently contains hold person)
belt of mighty constitution +2
cloak of resistance +2
+2 mithral chainmail
Boots of striding and springing
Dagger
"If you have a different preference of weapons, I can see what I have."
Oh, and he's a Ranger, right? So, also:
headband of inspired wisdom +2 (+4 Sense Motive)
"Stick near me, and I will keep you safe." She winks at him.
Shaeda is capable of healing Endrin's physical injuries, but it quickly becomes clear that something else afflicts him. He seems incapable of speech, and very dazed, looking around at those trying to help him in incomprehension.
It doesn't take too long to spot an aura of Necromancy upon him, and it's pretty clear that he's suffering a Curse that had addled his mind, and will do so until removed.
Searok doesn't know why, but he's a little angry at the attention that Shaeda spends on Endrin-Especially when she tells him to stay close to her to keep safe. That is what she does for me! he thinks to himself.
”Yes, well, cursed, it would be that way, wouldn’t it. I don’t suppose you can break that Tronar?”
"Unfortunately I do not have the ability in my repertoire of spells. So may I suggest we get him out of here so that he does not become a burden?"
"I'm not opposed, but he's not the only one we're after, and by now our presence may be known. Do we think we can leave him here, and press on to find the other targets?"
"I fear that we cannot remove all of these poor folk via magic," Shaeda glances at Tronar for confirmation. "I also fear that we will lose our element of surprise if we take the time to get them out and try and return. We have several more tasks here, if we can accomplish them. I believe we will need to grab them on our way back out. What do the rest of you think?"
"I may have a solution if someone can convince her prince this is the right thing to do. I can distribute a Life Bubble amongst us all for 2 hrs each. That is our adventuring party and Endrin...not a bunch of prisoners. And then if you can coax him into a bag of holding. I have a type 2 size which I think may fit 1 person inside the space limits or if someone has a bigger bag. That will give us control over where he is and ensure his safety....well as long as we are alive to let him out in 2 hrs when he runs out of air. sound like a plan?"
When asked about the remaining prisoners, "I suggest you open their cells and point them to the way we have cleared. Endrin though is too risky to let him wander out on his own."
"What?" Shaeda seems disgusted at the suggestion. "You would carry him around like so much handsome cargo?"
"Why is it ok for us to carry him around, but to send the ladies off to their fate? What if they run across some wandering monster back that way? Such randomness can happen you know!" She considers, "in fact, Marcus, being the gallant fellow that he is, err, was, and will be again, would be mortified if he was kept out of peril, while the ladies were sent into it on their own!"
"Well if you can convince them to all get in the bag and squeeze themselves in, then I am happy to give them air to breathe as well. But I am not good at making the argument for them to violate their personal space."
Ziranu finally speaks up, after reflecting upon the conundrum while appreciating the drama...
"I suggest zhat we take and bag Endrin now, in zhe event zhat we are overcome and forced to regroup, and ozherwise deal wizh zhe potential zhreats of zhis place zhat are now bozh behind and surrounding us, before taking responsibility for zhe ozher prisoners..."
"so be it."" Tronar casts life bubble as I stated above on the party plus Endrin. Assuming Shaeda can coax his toddler mind into the bag, Tronar will continue to fly, invisible looking around the next corners.
Ziranu considers the map of this secret dungeon complex and the company's path to this point, and realizes...
"Friends, we look to have passed at least two ozher places where zhreats may await us, and sabotage our escape if an alarm is sounded and actual danger exists. What of exploring zhese first to confirm zhere is not a hidden zhreat at our backs?"
Shaeda is able to get the addled Endrin into the Bag.
Tronar notes a number of other doors on the inner side of the hallway, opposite the cells, suggesting that the overall layout is an inner complex ringed by the dungeon proper.
"I tend to agree Ziranu. Let us back track to the primary foe's chamber and see where the planned exit goes?"
Tronar will fly past his companions and ensure they know which way the invisible flying arcanist has gone.
"Care to check this door for traps before I go through and scout it out?"
Ziranu cautiously retraces with stealth into the temple chamber and approaches the portal that Tronar indicated.
"Of course; let us see if zhe door holds any surprises..."
, +6 vs. traps, +4 vs. humans or evil outsiders, +2 vs. undead
The door is not locked or trapped.
It opens to a long crypt with sarcophagi lining the walls. They look like ancient Shoanti burial chambers and have long since been looted of anything valuable.
At the end the chamber opens up into a much grander crypt, probably once the resting place of a great chieftain or shaman. But before you can get close enough to inspect any details, you become aware that it is inhabited. A gruff, voice can be heard muttering to itself, and the shadow of a large creature extends down the hall.
Tronar will fly up to the ceiling of the hallway and peak inside to see what may greet us there.
Tronar sees into the room and gets a better idea of both it's occupant and what its doing.
The creature is a Melodaemon, a fiend that personifies death by starvation. Even standing in such a being's presence is enough to cause a person to waste away.
The monster looks bored and cranky however, which might be because its been called to this plane to stand in a room and guard some dead bodies, and they aren't even complete dead bodies. In two coffins at the north and east sides of the room lie the tower halves of two women. Not long ago you faced the upper halves of two women, converted into undead beasts called Manananggals, which would be a rather unlikely coincidence.
But if that's the case, then what to make of the third female body to the west, which is in a fancier coffin and appears to only be missing its head. In one hand it clutches something shiny and metallic, and in the other it grasps a book.
The monster mutters to itself in Abyssal, which Tronar speaks, so here is a rough translation, with some best-fits as is necessary for a language of pure madness and chaos.
"...how in the {buzzing of ten thousand death flies} get roped into guarding a bunch of {sound an inside out dog makes} corpses. Gonna have words with {boss/leader/infected sore in a sensitive area/supervisor} about this {pain and sorrow or possibly creamed corn} gig, see if I don't..."
The Daemon snarls at Tronar.
"You there, why are you skulking about?"
"Well i can tell that you aren't very happy guarding corpses considering my team and I ended the upper half of their slimy existence. What say we negotiate our way to a mutual agreement given you don't want to be here and I really don't want you here?"
"Planar Ally spells don't work like that, friendo, I gotta guard these particular stiffs, no matter what trouble their better halves got themselves into. No one said anything about leaving this room though, so keep your distance and I can't be {screeching of ravens at midnight} to do anything about it."
He brightens up slightly.
"Hey, how are things going up there? Lots of death and destruction? Anything interesting burn down? Are there mass graves?"
"I haven't seen the city in a while, so I can't give you a very good update but let me check with my companions and see if they have better information to pass along."
Tronar will fly back to his group and take advantage of the momentary distraction that his diplomatic efforts did not blow up in his face. Interesting...maybe I do have a knack for this kind of thing?!
Upon returning to the group: a disembodied voice speaks to the team "There is a Melodaemon up ahead. He seems to be conversant as long as we do not go into the room itself. The other half of the flying fiends seem to be in his care as well as another headless carcass. I think we can either leave it alone and continue our scouting; or try to dismiss it--Shaeda if you have the power because I do not; or try our hand at slinging sticks at it, although my knowledge of defeating these types of beasts show that it has several resistances including a need for good aligned weapons. Thoughts?"
"Let me give it a chat real quick and see what I can do."
Shaeda casts enhance diplomacy on herself and moves forward to where she can see the creature. She will give herself a blessing of luck to aid her in her negotiations with the creature.
"Hello, I don't suppose you have a name?" If the creature gives her a name, she will start using it.
"I understand that we are to not come into your room, and I respect that. Can I ask, are you being held here against your will? If you are, then I could, quite possibly, release you from your imprisonment, and let you go back to your home plane of existence."
With all of that, Shaeda will hit herself with another Blessing of Luck for the attempt to overcome the creature's SR, and then she removes a glove, revealing the Thrallkeeper's Mark. She will press the blue part of the mark to try and disperse the summoning energy holding the creature in place.
Now the creature needs to make a Will save DC 18, which is a relatively easy DC for the thing to make probably, but I've seen Storm Giants roll a 1 on a Fort save before, so you never know.