The dwarf rests in Ami's grove, gathering some leaves from it's trees to furnish a makeshift pillow.
From his prone position, he turns to his side and watches the cat pounce and play with the halflings. Amused, he drifts off until his watch is called.
****
”So, where do you want to start? Shall we head back to the top and work our way down? Or check out some of the places we skipped over down here and work our way up?"
"Things may have moved in behind us. It would be best to clear our path back up until we've determined there's nothing of concern."
Aldebert rests in his brothers grove quite comfortably - until his calm is broken by a cat-assault!
He wrestles with Yeen, careful to avoid his belly and all the sharp bits as they tussle and turn on the ground laughing.
Eventually, he agrees with Otah, "Good call. Let's start at the bottom and work our way up. Should be quick for the most part I suspect." he grins, mounts the more reserved Gretiem, draws his sword, and heads to the basement when everyone is ready.
When not their turn at watch, Ami sleeps in a curled ball next to Yeen. He sleeps happily after the tussle, the fresh water, and in the warm fur of his god given cat.
The morning, he will do his usual preparations, then add a few more knowing what might be coming.
"Yes, we should work from the bottom up, just like Sarenrae wants us to ascend to the sun...so shall we work upward here."
Pent decides that the Carpet of Flying will serve more comfortably as a Hammock of Hovering, so positions it well close to the ceiling, like a berth on a boat, stripping to his skivvies for an evening's rest in the Salamander's chambers.
As the evening grows long, he ruminates the only way a gnome should- out loud.
"Not a bad first day, I would say. We dealt with azer mamluks, a marid, and kobolds, all without killing them. Oh, and that weeping genie fella. I'll give it some thought about our luck with the imprisoned one."
The Carpet continues to chat, as the gnome is nowhere at its fringes to look over the side and make eye contact.
"I get the feeling we've done a decent delve in this section of the Bayt, from basement to balcony. The Bayt's Flickering Infestation is likely all rooted out, and now we travel different rivers to explore the other sections of Jhavhul's haunt. I, for one, wouldn't mind another cryptic visit from that mad-looking man in the walls. He's probably watching us now."
...
On the waking to the Second Day in the Bayt, Pent makes his preparations and potential ministrations, all with Sarah's hand, expecting another long drawn out day of conflict with the other inhabitants, trapped or no.
The Second Day in the Bayt begins.
From your current location, in the room of the Noble Salamander, you have two ways to descend to lower levels- back the way you came, or down the stairs past the kobolds' quarters, where you met your first three.
Consulting your skulk, which has remained as numerous as it was the night before, you clear the last section of the Bayt that was once the domain of the Flickering Candle.
Descending the stairs, you find a small wing of the Bayt which kept largely to itself. A hall extends before you.
The walls of this hall have been covered in frescoes showing fire genies in various scenes of debauchery. At the end of the hallway stands the shiny brass statue of a rotund four-armed efreeti with a sated smile upon its face.
Passing into one of the rooms off the main hall, you find a small gambling den. The walls of this chamber have been frescoed with scenes of treasure hoards and jeweled palaces, while the domed ceiling bears the image of a female efreeti with four arms keeping watch over all. Numerous tables have been set up around the room and bear all manner of cards, placards, and instruments of chance. A pair of efreet and several suprised kobolds greet your entrance.
Across the hall, you find a maqha, or coffeehouse. The walls of this chamber are highly polished and show infinite reflections of the chamber. A low, round table sits in the middle of the room, atop which stands a large, ornate brass pipe with a glass, water-filled bowl at its base, from which several hoses with mouthpieces emanate. Next to it sits a silver coffee service. Numerous cushions have been placed around this table. The air is heavy with fumes that make eyes water and burn. Several azer mamluks and a half dozen fire mephits make for an irritating scuffle, as you deal with hookah huffing and burning eyes.
For your effort, you gather four more kobolds, five more azer mamluks, while you slay two more efreet and six fire mephits.
Gambling gems and coin- 4000gp total
Hookah- 1000gp
...
Your slightly scorched selves return to the lava fall and to Shazathared's wing, as well as a check in with the azer mamluks who continue to guard the rear/basement of the Bayt, and have nothing to report, other than passing glimpses and whispers of the 'man in the wall'.
Your catch up visit with Rayhan and Shazathared is pleasant for its coolness. Both continue to welcome the other's company, and will do so for the exchange of stories, both contemporary and ancient.
Shazathared offers fresh water, a chance to cleanse and cool yourselves in her waters, as well as something else.
"You've certainly encountered your share of hostility, for your exploration of this palace. I can not offer you much in the way of protections- my magic is not tuned to that. But I expected you to return at one point or another, so I offer three of you a magical spell that may become useful, somehow. I would support your gift of speech, so that confrontation may be avoided where unnecessary. Will you accept?"
The noble marid offers you Glibness.
...
The return to the exploration of Jhavhul's palace points to two places you may consider branching off of the wing of the Flickering Candle- on the floor of the Second Level, the Level of the weeping Genie, and previous chambers of the Noble Salamander, or on the floor of the Third Level, where once roamed kobold cookers, and a door that led out of the northern room, deeper into the Bayt.
What do you do?
In the morning, as Aldebert gets ready to prepare his spells, a thought occurs. He turns to the various spell casters, especially his brother, and asks, "Should we be protected from fire today? I could switch up one of my spells for some protection, but I don't have many, and, well, I'm not as powerful a caster as some."
When Pent discusses their options, he nods, "It won't hurt to take a quick look around the place, make sure we didn't miss anything. But yes, then I think we must travel a bit." he does not like the idea of some crazed lunatic watching them through the walls, but he shakes it off.
EDIT - Ninja'd!
"Let's check out the wing of the Flickering Candle first, then the chambers of the Noble Salamander." he says as he continues to rub his eyes from their smoky embrace.
Mahdi thanks Aldebert and Pent for their healing, and then falls into a brooding musing thinking on how many of his glorious fire spells are useless against efreets...
That 'night', as cat and halflings wrestle, Mahdi can be heard to mutter darkly over his spellbook: "But where would I get a damned doorknob, here??"
He scribbles in a sort of mad frenzy through several hours that night, making his temper no sweeter as he forces himself to think about binding ice rather than spreading flames and thus incurs another migraine. Ami's reconciliatory words earn a grunt and a handwave from him. "Yes, yes. You know, have you considered that while I'm forcing evil things to serve our purposes, they're not torturing damned mortal souls or corrupting the innocent?"
***
Mahdi fusses with the thieves' tools they found, idly studying the intricate wires and twisted bits of metal. "--oh, for locks," he says, offhand. "Well, that's simple enough theory. It's simply a question of mechanics. My brother used to have tools like these."
***
Mahdi takes his own watch when the time comes, using the time to feed his kobold army via his fruitful sash and speak with the growing number of rescued azers as well. But he seems distracted, rubbing frequently at his head.
When morning comes, he performs the usual incantations over himself as well as Yeen and Gretiem.
Turning to Aldebert he comments, "Since it was so upsetting to you yesterday that I used magics to keep my servitor useful... here, I'll cast a helpful spell on you today. Do you accept?"
"As for preparations against the heat... mm, certainly. Let's just see what I can do...."
The clean-up of the lesser rooms such as the gambling den is swiftly accomplished. Mahdi shakes off a lingering flame jet from one hand as they finish toasting the light opposition.
"To the salamander chambers it is, then," Mahdi says. "And I need everyone to help me keep an eye out for something: a doorknob made of brass."
Turning to Aldebert he comments, "Since it was so upsetting to you yesterday that I used magics to keep my servitor useful... here, I'll cast a helpful spell on you today. Do you accept?"
Aldebert smiles at Mahdi, and winks, "I am in your hands good sir. Thank you for your help, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for a brass doorknob. You know it was common there for a while, to make door knobs out of brass, as brass helps reduce germs they say. But maybe that's a myth. I'm sure I heard it somewhere."
Mahdi looks blank. "--no, I really am looking for a brass doorknob," he says, slightly testily. "Multiples, if possible."
"--you know, what, never mind, I'll do this spell on Otah. Otah!!"
Returning to the Second Level, past the dripping ceiling, past the Noble Salamander's chambers(previously looked over), entering the devil's prison, you once again lay eyes upon the imprisoned djinni, Iavesk.
Mahdi studies the sobbing djinni, and instantly recognizes his condition.
The djinni known as Iavesk has been Feebleminded.
...
When the party is ready to proceed, they travel back to the T-Intersection that points north, towards an unopened door, as well as another hallway that hints at a westward progression.
"You've certainly encountered your share of hostility, for your exploration of this palace. I can not offer you much in the way of protections- my magic is not tuned to that. But I expected you to return at one point or another, so I offer three of you a magical spell that may become useful, somehow. I would support your gift of speech, so that confrontation may be avoided where unnecessary. Will you accept?"
Pent hovers his Carpet for maximum convenience, to receive the noble marid's gift. "I most humbly accept. I've always thought of myself as a wordsmith, and can only imagine what elementally-enhanced enunciation might entail."
...
Pent will largely keep to the same prayers he's used from the previous day, including another rich spread of food for him and his. For the strength in Sarah's blessings, Pent even goes so far as to suggest to Mahdi that some of the kobolds join them at the table.
Ami politely refuses to be Glib, it is not his nature. Sarenrae's shine brings light and openness to the world, and deliberately trying to darken things with lies seems wrong to him. It's not what he wants to do.
"Yes, yes. You know, have you considered that while I'm forcing evil things to serve our purposes, they're not torturing damned mortal souls or corrupting the innocent?"
Ami crosses his arms and looks at Mahdi, easily seeing the error in thought and judgement in Mahdi's words.
"Are you saying you are drawing your devils from where they dance and taught living mortals rather than the pits of Hell? Or as you suggesting that there are innocent souls in Hell and that Pharasma's judgement has been compromised? I hadn't considered either of these might be possible." Ami asks, no fool in some planar matters.
Ami will keep his eyes out for brass doorknobs too.
Ami and Yeen pad to the end of the hallway when others are ready to move forward.
Mahdi taps Pent on the shoulder. "The djinn has been afflicted by a spell known as feeblemind. A powerful healing prayer could fix it, if we were willing to spend that sort of your goddess's grace on the matter.
"As for the feast... let us let the azers eat there, they are less inherently base beings, and besides, if we begin to let some of the kobolds eat and not the others of this plentiful spread, it's a recipe for infighting among them. What do you say?"
As for Mahdi, Ami tsks at the halfling. "Do you not know there are evil magicians and priests alike who barter with the lives and even the very spiritual essence of innocents? Pharasma's judgment may not err, but when a dark priest of Asmodeus or the like sacrifices some squalling babe upon their bloody altars, it is to feed the soul itself to the pit as well. So yes, it is entirely possible there are innocents in Hell. Even if not, whatever the devil-kind do when at their leave to act as they will in the pits of Hell is infinitely crueler and worse than what they do when forced to slay other evils at my command. They are being forced to serve a good and to destroy evil. I find it difficult to understand why you and your brother have such a problem with that."
***
"Let's try the door, shall we?" Mahdi says with a gesture at it. He'll be sure to check it for magic before proceeding.
Aldebert avoids getting involved in the philosophical discussion at hand. They always seemed over his head somehow - he couldn't figure out what was right and what was wrong in such matters. Now put a devil in front of him, and he knows what to do. But discuss where they're more evil? That just makes his head spin.
When Mahdi reveals that the djinn can be helped, he's all for it. "Yeah, what do you say Pent, can you do anything for the djinn? Sure be nice to have one of those in our growing army."
When the group is ready, he'll ride out into the hallway, sword in hand. Likely, he'll proceed the rest of the way to the door, and open it when the party catches up.
"Do you not know there are evil magicians and priests alike who barter with the lives and even the very spiritual essence of innocents? Pharasma's judgment may not err, but when a dark priest of Asmodeus or the like sacrifices some squalling babe upon their bloody altars, it is to feed the soul itself to the pit as well. So yes, it is entirely possible there are innocents in Hell...I find it difficult to understand why you and your brother have such a problem with that."
Ami glares at Mahdi from between his scarf wraps.
"Yes, there are probably those that barter with devils...I happen to be looking at one right now," Ami replies. "Just because you think you're an innocent, don't think that others who also barter are innocent as well. There is guilt by association. I know this because I'm feeling it right now, too."
Ami sniffs.
"Why not summon some nice angels to help us, instead, so that the kobolds here will know hope and an example of good, rather than more suffering? Or...is that beyond your power?" Ami asks, tweaking the fire mage.
Ami harrumphs to make his point.
* * *
Ami follows his brother forward.
"As for the feast... let us let the azers eat there, they are less inherently base beings, and besides, if we begin to let some of the kobolds eat and not the others of this plentiful spread, it's a recipe for infighting among them. What do you say?"
Pent nods wholeheartedly. "More level-headed crew. I get it."
...
"The djinn has been afflicted by a spell known as feeblemind. A powerful healing prayer could fix it, if we were willing to spend that sort of your goddess's grace on the matter."
"Yeah, what do you say Pent, can you do anything for the djinn? Sure be nice to have one of those in our growing army."
Pent brightens to the knowledge bore out by Mahdi. "That I can do! Sarah's power is great, and I can ask, the least I can do!"
The gnome brings the best of the Blessings to bear upon the blue boy behind bars.
"Sarah, strengthen your followers by healing another. We are made whole when souls are restored."
The gnome pats the djinni on his heaving back, and the heaving ceases, immediately. Iavesk spins in place, placing the most proximal person, which happens to be Pent. The djinni looks over the others present, bowing deeply, before bringing his gaze back to the gnome.
"I am most fortunate. You have ended my suffering, little one. I could have endured that prison of mind for much, much longer. I am grateful. My name is Iavesk, son of Iao and Aezi. I pledge my service to you, little one, for a year and a day. I only hope to return the kindness which you have shown me."
Pent looks up at Iavesk, eyes wide, before shaking his head, and bowing back to the djinni as deeply and for the duration he determines will not disappoint.
"I only patted your back. Mahdi knew the source of your suffering, while Sarah made sure I had the power to peel it away. Your suffering, that is. For our infiltration of this Bayt, we have had our share of conflict, and camaraderie. We are glad of your assistance, to say the least, but there is danger at every turn. We'll continue to roam the grounds here, but you might want to remain until we can promise you'll come to no harm, eh?"
Pent turns to the others. "Maybe he'd like to keep Rayhan and Shazathared company?"
When the infiltrators are ready to continue forward, Aldebert passes through the northern door of the hallway on the Second Level. The hallway that leads off to the east has collapsed, barring any way forward.
The door opens easily, no magics detected prior to engaging it.
This large, dark chamber possesses multiple deep alcoves, each nondescript with the bits of only a few rough furnishings and rude bedding strewn about.
The northern part of the room has a set of stairs which heads upwards.
"Good to meet you Iavesk! Glad to have you with us, but Pent's right. You should stay back and guard the others while we proceed onward. 'tis a dangerous place."
Happy the djinn is well, his easy grin remains as he moves into the room and checks the nooks.
"I am most fortunate. You have ended my suffering, little one. I could have endured that prison of mind for much, much longer. I am grateful. My name is Iavesk, son of Iao and Aezi. I pledge my service to you, little one, for a year and a day. I only hope to return the kindness which you have shown me."
Ami seems pleased that the djinn is restored by the power of the gnome's prayers, though he wonders internally that if the gnome had the power to cure insanity, why did he not help himself first. Must be because the gnome has a generous heart. Must be.
Ami nods to show his good will towards the djinn, echoing his brother's thoughts.
"Before you go, Iavesk, what do you know of this place? And what happened to you? Can you tell us something that might help us here?" Ami asks after his brother is done speaking.
"Before you go, Iavesk, what do you know of this place? And what happened to you? Can you tell us something that might help us here?"
Iavesk turns to address the halfling, his lower half hardly changing in the process. "I confess I am ignorant of my surrounds. I remember visiting the City of Brass, with a brief respite from my emissary duties. The next I know, I'm drying my face, and speaking with you."
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While the party studies their spellbooks or prays, the dwarf silently contemplates entries in his journal. Recalling the movement through this forsaken fire plane, he notes the efreeti fighting style and their use of large weapons for their large frames. And hidden elves. He makes a note about finding some way to deal with flying creatures, as he did not bring a decent bow with him when they journied to the scroll-world.
After some reflection, he nods appreciatively at his work, believing himself to have learned something from these perilous travels.
----------------------
"no, I really am looking for a brass doorknob," he says, slightly testily. "Multiples, if possible." --you know, what, never mind, I'll do this spell on Otah. Otah!!"
The dwarf rises from the floor and puts away his journal. He moves towards the mage, at Mahdi's request. "I'll keep an eye out for them. You'd think a place called 'The City of Brass' would have them in abundance."
"Also, Thank you for the protection from the elements here, but what magic is this gift you're about to put upon me?"
----------------------
The dwarf ignores most of the conversation regarding the extraplanar beings and their intentions, to him they are tools at the mage's command. And Mahdi's ego would not let such beings overtake his pride.
----------------------
Otah will accept a Glibness if no one else takes the offer. Never really great at putting words together, if it becomes necessary he'll appreciate the help.
----------------------
He looks at Lavesk in interest, and is awe-struck at the divine might of Pent and his Sarah when the djinni stops sobbing. He gives Pent a clasp on the shoulder, "Well done."
"Job's not done yet though." He moves off, ready to clear out more of this confounded place.
"Well done."
Pent turns to hear words of praise, and raises his hand, one finger extended upwards in a re-educational gesture. He appears about to speak, when his mouth closes, and extends upwards at the corners in a grateful smile. "Thanks, Odie. I'm only too glad to be the vessel for Sarah."
Turning back to Iavesk, Pent does put to use his raised hand, in request this time. "If you're amenable, my friend Mahdi was looking for brass doorknobs. Your kind of kin wouldn't be able to locate items like that, would you?"
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Iavesk listens peacefully to the little ones speaking back and forth, before he hears a way to be useful, as the gnome requests a doorknob.
"Oh, most certainly. Brass, you say? Well, give me a moment."
A 'moment', according to a djinni's time, is roughly 10 minutes in your time. At the end of his 'moment', Iavesk twiddles his fingers over the floor, and brass doorknobs begin to flow like a raging waterfall, until the floor is littered with a couple thousand, uniform brass doorknobs, each roughly 2.25 inches in diameter.
"They'll last for around 3 hours. I'm sorry they're not permanent, but you did request that they be made of brass." Iavesk smiles grandly.
Pent turns from Otah, to Iavesk, to Mahdi, where his attention lands, and pauses for reaction. "What do you say, Mahdi?" He picks up a newly-cast brass doorknob, and tosses it to the fire mage.
The gnome looks quite pleased with himself, and for a moment, he looks quite similar to the quite pleased djinni.
Aldebert sees the multitude of brass doorknobs and laughs, "That's a lot of knobs!" He hopes it's sufficient for whatever Mahdi has in store for them.
Later, he rides up to the door, after checking the 'stalls', and prepares to open it when the party is ready. He does check to see if the doorknob is brass before opening it.
Ami seems pleased to have so many doorknobs about as they will be perfect for comparing the intellect of dwarves gnolls.
Ami joins his brother at the door, ready to face what is inside.
"Hmmmmmmmm. Well, I need one a day," Mahdi says, as if it were utterly commonplace for a thousand or so brass doorknobs to abruptly appear. "It won't work for today, though. We'll try again on the morrow, when I have my spells appropriately in order. And we will see you free of this place as quickly as we can, Iavesk.
"As for you, Otah..." Mahdi gestures and mutters and taps the doughty dwarf on a shoulder. Seconds later, the disquieting sight of dozens of....eyeballs.... starting to sprout all over his person begins... one on an elbow, two on the back of his head... replicating Otah's own dwarven eyes a hundred fold all over his person.
"Feel any diferent?" Mahdi asks innocently.
With his mage armors distributed and his own in place, Mahdi takes the usual position at the rear of the party.
"It won't work for today, though."
Iavesk nods at the little man, very tolerant of the fickle ways of non-geniekind, now that he's allied himself with one and some.
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"It won't work for today, though."
Pent swoops down and secures a second doorknob, before flying his Carpet over to Mahdi, and pressing it into the fire mage's palm.
"Now, now. No need to be rude to our new friend. He's gone and made oodles of your knobs, you knob, so go on and hold onto two of them. At the very least, you'll finally understand what it's like to have some brass between your legs."
Pent smiles back at Iavesk. "You'll learn that he loses himself to his thoughts often enough. Don't take it personally, he's like that with us all."
The gnome fly-follows the others into the next room, before taking a gander up the next set of stairs. He doesn't himself take the lead up to the next floor, just waits until the halflings have explored enough to content themselves that the room is clear.
When Mahdi afflicts Otah with an abundance of eyes, the gnome sits stoically, and imagines just exactly how many and how evenly distributed the eyes are, and if the dwarf is now simultaneously looking in private places he has no business being able to see.
Aldebert and Amiamble make quick work of the grand but sparse room. For the haphazard living quarters, it becomes plain to all that this is somewhat of a servants' den, though there is little trace of what kind of servants or how many.
The stairs at the north of the room await your ascent...
Otah steps back as a mound of doorknobs appear, slightly fearing to be crushed under them.
He picks one up and casually bounces it in his cupped hand, letting it's smooth metallic surface hit his palm and fingers all at once in a pleasing thumping rhythm.
He is shocked when he can see all the members of the party at the same time... on all his sides, as well as the ceiling and floor.
"Woah! What is this?"
He takes a couple paces, his normal gait replaced by wavering as he watches his feet and forward at the same time.
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"Does your dwarf's vision function in that cavern you call your corduroys? Do you have to pay attention outta certain eyes to see in that direction?"
Pent circles Otah to his rear.
"How many fingers am I holding up? Can you blink them all individually?"
Pent circles closer, examining each eye for its color, and its similarity or lack thereof to the dwarf's own socketed eyeballs.
"You got them on the palms of your hands, or the soles of your feet? Can you sneak a hand around a corner, and see what's coming? Did the light just get brighter in here, to you?"
Pent waves his hand at a small outcropping of oculars on the dwarf's arm, to see if they follow his movement.
"Oooooo, if we brush away the beard, will we find buried eyeballs?" Pent waggles a finger, to encourage Otah to get about learning things.
Aldebert watches as the eyes sprout all over Otah. For once, he's pleased Otah is getting Mahdi's support as he looks strangely at the result. "Isn't that confusing?" he asks Otah, "I mean, you can see your swing from every angle, seems like that'd be confusing."
He waits to give Otah some time to adjust before heading up the stairs, blade out, riding Gretiem pleasantly.
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Ami backs up from Otah, worried and a bit confused.
"What the piddlespot? Madhi, did you just turn Oooo-TAH into a potato!?" Ami looks on, somewhat confused.
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The dwarf grins and then raises his arms as if to mimic a zombie. "I am the great foulspawn pOTAHto...!" and then tries hissing at the halflings, but coughs in the attempt.
"I uh, think the eyes sprouted outside my clothing. Thank goodness." He does stop to check his beard for hidden orbs.
"It is confusing... but I think I'm getting the hang of this..."
Ami waits for Otah to adjust to his new vision, then will follow his brother up the stairs.
”Maybe OOO-tah should go first. He’ll see everything coming. Everything.”
"You'll adjust," Mahdi says crisply to Otah, giving him a brusque if careful pat on a section of shoulder that isn't eyeball studded. "In the event of people trying to ambush you from your blind side, well... you no longer have a blind side. Enjoy."
At Pent Mahdi rolls his eyes but takes the essentially useless doorknob. "It doesn't do any good right now, don't you grasp that. It's for a spell I don't have prepared right now, and I doubt we'll be resting again within the next three hours. As for brass between my legs, that's interesting, I'm certain I don't ever recall being called a coward. As for being polite to our new friend, you're the one who asked him for something I can't actually use right now, so perhaps you should apologize for wasting his time."
Mahdi gives a slight bow to Iavesk. "Your pardon, Master Iavesk, that Pent didn't think to grasp the potential reasons I might be asking. On the morrow, this will be part an extremely useful failsafe, if you are able to create such things again. But I shall hold onto this one all the same, in case of the unforeseen."
With Otah and Aldebert taking to the stairs in the lead, all eyes forward, the exploration of a new branch in the Bayt begins.
Reaching the top of this set of stairs brings you to look upon a huge expanse. This dark chamber is of cavernous proportions, its vaulted ceiling held aloft by huge supporting columns. The stench of beasts remains strong, though whatever was once stabled here is long gone. The gutted remains of a few battered war chariots are pushed against the walls. Campfires of burning coals can be seen toward the rear of the chamber.
Across the huge room sits several figures at the campfires. Three giant humanoids, short stumpy legs and powerful, muscular arms. Their hair and beard seem to be made of fire. They are accompanied by both a half-dozen short humanoids, made of fire and magma, who seem to radiate intense heat that causes the air around them to shimmer, as well as five creatures which resemble a thin, lanky wolf with reddish-brown fur, white claws, and burning, fiery red eyes.
None of them seem to notice your new presence at the top of your stairs.
To the south, and to the southeast, more of the Bayt awaits.
Aldebert, as quietly as he can, tries to pad back down the stairs on Gretiem.
He'll want to get far enough away that they can't hear, before he suggests to the party, "Man, there's a lot of them. A whole city in fact. We can't kill everyone and I don't want to get bogged down trying."
"If we are going to take 'em, let's prepare well for it." If the party wants to engage, Aldebert doesn't hesitate. He grins and casts Mirror Image () on himself - preparing for battle.
Ami is a bit scared when his brother says that there might be too many to fight, as if anyone or anything has ever beaten his brother...so Ami is unnerved a bit. He will fight as long as his brother fights and will prepare after Mahdi assesses the situation.
"Can we sneak by? Or is there a choke point that we can use to our advantage?"
"Perhaps they too are awaiting their freedom?" the dwarf offers, unsure of how much hope he has in that being true.
Pent eyeballs the gaggle at a distance, and decides that mum's the unword, and zips his lips, until his crew decides what to do- pass through, let the battle ensue, or review their other means of infiltration in the Bayt. He remembers one other way, through the already-cleared wing of the Flickering Candle, but he's unsure that it wouldn't simply lead to another gaggle of a different color.
The little fire and magma men are, unsurprisingly, called Magmin, CN outsiders from the Plane of Fire.
The hellish-looking hounds are, unsurprisingly, called Hellhounds, LE outsiders from the Plane of Fire.
The big boys are Fire Giants, LE Humanoids.
"So Mahdi, what do you think? Can we take 'em, or do we try another door. We need to find our way out of here and kill that bastard."
Mahdi taps his chin briefly. "Oh, we can certainly take them-- after the efreets I am not so worried about them, even if the fire giants will hit hard-- but it depends what it will cost us in resources and time. They will be all less a threat with some protections against fire in place. The giants are the likeliest to hit hardest, but all of them are vulnerable to cold."
Mahdi smiles thinly. "I have stretched myself to memorize some spells of cold, as it happens."
"Aside from that; we have a growingly large group of our own. Sneaking is not going to be possible forever. I would rather fight these fire-born now then when they are called as reinforcements by whoever rules this place. I say we cast some protections, strike first, strike fast, and decisively."
The infiltrators continue their strategy against the denizens of the Grand Stable.
Pent looks over the end tassles of the Carpet, and lends his thoughts. "I'm only glad the ceilings allow for spectating from on high. I can bring Sarah's Surge to us all, before we strike first. I'm all for keeping enemies to our fronts, not our backsides."
"You still have a backside, Odie?"
Pent almost stands up on the Carpet, as he jolts from excitement. "Mahdi! Uh, Mahdi. Can you do the same thing you did to Otah, expect make them noses instead of eyes? That would be an experience, however impractical."