Nope nothing more in the room.
The door to the north opens onto a 10' long hallway. At the end of the hallway is yet another wooden door. This one inscribed with "Cruelty is a tool not a pastime. Be ruthless to thy enemy but reward those who serve thee well."
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"Maaaallllleeeeeccckkkk..... Shaaaaa-aaaayyyy-aaaaadde" Solomon calls out in a sing-song voice. "I think this room is for you two..."
Gertrart laughs at the ratfolk's call.
He also makes a note of the rooms they have been in, the tests and which areas have been explored and which have not.
The dhampir grins and gives the same grin to the outsider. He steps up and opens the door
"Much obliged my vermin friend"
-Posted with Wayfinder
This room is a standard 15'x15' room, just like all of the rest. In the middle of the room rests a torturer's rack. It appears perfectly functional and has all the bells and whistles one might want.
The room is lit by an oil lantern hanging in the middle of the room. The room is otherwise empty.
"Exquisite, it's been a while since i'd last had to utilize such equipment."
Xeram thinks back to a wonderful interrogation of a "hero".
In the Southwest corner of the room, Xeram identifies a secret door.
"Ah, what have we here? There's a door here. Gertrart, this is your expertise, just let me make sure there is no magic safeguarding the door."
Xeram casts Detect magic on the door.
Solomon will search the rest of the room, while Xeram is examining the door. He has a suspicion that since the inscription mentioned two categories, that perhaps there could be two passages in the room--much like the first room encountered.
Taeral stays out of the room, not wanting to get near the torturer's rack. Memories of his families rumpus room flooding back into his mind when he sees it.
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On Going Effects: Message (Gertrart, Xeram, Taeral), 20 min; Con Damage -2; Detect Magic, concentration;
There are no other secret doors found, and there is no magic behind the one found.
"Gertrart, mechanisms and traps are your expertise, the stage is yours."
Now to step back, if surprises like the fungus are present i'm not staying near the door.
Gertrart examines the door looking for signs of hidden catches, wires, blades, hooks or.... "Or anything else out of place."
Nothing, it seems pretty straightforward.
Shade looks dismissively around. "Really, any species that needs toys in order to play with its food simply isn't trying hard enough, in my opinion."
She waits by the door that they have found, while Gertrart examines it and prepares to open it.
"All clear," Gertrart steps back so Shade can open the door.
Solomon has thoroughly searched the room. Thoroughly. He even knows how the bricks in the northwest corner taste. Basically like stone, if you're curious. As he reaches the southwestern corner again, he absentmindedly opens the door while the others watch.
It wasn't out of boldness, simply distraction.
-Posted with Wayfinder
What if he decides then that he wants a running wheel that GOES somewhere?
And with the opening of the door, things can become a little interesting.
Inside the door you find a young lad cowering and trying to hide in the darkness.
"Hmm, servant or our prey young one?" Solomon squeeks as the bit of light from the room falls on the young lad through the opening door... as if the boy knew what he meant. "You're clearly one or the other, and I can't help but wonder how long you've been here. But I would recommend that you stay cowering where you are while my friends ask you some questions, yes-yes? After all, prey moves quite a bit, and you don't want to claim something undeserved because you were hasty."
At that, he steps back from the door a bit. "Xeram, or Taeral, you are better with people yes-yes?"
I was never good with children, but the situation asks for an attempt.
"At ease young one, who might you be and how did you come to be here by yourself? Do excuse my furry companion here,"
I still need to get used to the fact there are rats that are sentient in these lands.
"but he is right, being calm is a virtue which can save you."
In case the link isn't working. He's young, brown hair, wearing a chain shirt and a dirty tabard with the symbol of Mitra on it. He is unarmed and injured.
The boy answers, "T-t-t-timeon sir. Are you here to rescue me?"
"Sort of, we have stumbled in this place and are searching for a way out. As such, we will take you along, so it would seem we are kind of rescuing you."
Please refrain from eating this one for now, if something dangerous is ahead or needs distraction, better him than you wouldn't you agree?
Seeing that people skills are needed, Vosil quietly ushers Shade to one side and smiles at the lad.
"Well, Timeon, we're certainly here - what do you need rescuing from? And how did you get that injury? I can certainly do something about that - but can we trust you? What can you tell us about this place?"
Keep him asking questions, offer him help, make him eager to please - it's really a very simple game.
"R-r-really? Be c-c-careful there are some scary things down here, I heard about them listening while I hid from the scary man and the pretty lady. I need to get out of here, and maybe rescue my master. C-c-could you help?"
"Mordecai can you back me up?" Gertrart whispers. Still dressed as a Mitran the rogue pulls out the appropriate holy symbol and takes a look at the boy's injuries. "Let me look at that while you're answering these men's questions? Gertrart wonders who and where his master is.
Malleck was clearly getting impatient with this form of "interrogation" but they started. If things were going slow he will step in
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"Who is this master you speak of, boy? Is he in another of these rooms, maybe injured like yourself? I am sure if follow with us, we can find your master as well and escape from these cells together. What say you, Timeon?
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On Going Effects: Message (Gertrart, Xeram, Taeral), 20 min; Con Damage -2;
In the shadows, Mordecai uses the circlet to assume the form of a Mitran priest, before stepping into to boy's view.
"Yes, please, tell us about your master. And who was this scary man you talk about. Wounded, are you? Let me look..." Mordecai walks closer, speaking softly. The disguised tiefling studies the boys wound, making no attempt to heal them.
Once Timeon gets a good look at Gertrart and Mordecai he relaxes a bit. "Oh fathers, my master is Sir Balin of Karfield, and I am his squire. We were captured some weeks ago by the horrible bald man and that wicked woman. I managed to escape a few days ago while they were bringing me down here, and I hid in this closet. While they were searching for me, I heard them talking about the perils of this place, and I have been just so afraid to try and escape further. I dearly hope Sir Balin has managed to escape this madhouse!"
Knowledge(local) or (nobility), unless the name rings a bell from your history, in which case just read the spoiler.
Solomon hides in a corner of the room with the interrogation device. As this charade continues, he wants to stay out of sight as he's hardly the type that would likely travel with Mitran priests.
Then, the thought occurs to him that he could assume a different shape, just like the others.
Rats have a strange perception of humans it seems, as the being he becomes is one of the homeliest men you've likely laid eyes upon. His limbs are gangly, and his nose is long and overly rounded with tufts of red hair sprouting in patches on his chin and cheeks like some sort of diseased vagrant. Solomon surveys his workmanship by twisting and bending to see every possible angle of himself, then looks to the others with a large grin of satisfaction awaiting their approval as well!
Malleck leans against the door. Not changing his appearance. Just watching. It looked like they had it covered. If his superior was a knight of Alerion. Then yes. He would be happy to look into it. But since it did not seem like it. He was going to keep himself scarce
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"Then perhaps we should try to find this 'Sir Balin of Karfield'." Solomon proposes from the other room, in a horribly fake accent of his own design. "There is another door that we have yet to try, and we might be able to 'save' him." He pantomimes quotation marks in the air as the words "save" leave his lips, though luckily he's in a separate room.
"Should we leave Timeon, or take him along?"
"You poor boy! Of course you're welcome to join us!" Vosil's voice positively drips with (faked) concern.
"But it does sound like you're more concerned about this... Sir Balin, is it? than he is about you. What kind of a man runs away and leaves his young squire at the mercy of such villains as that man? Just out of interest, what did you hear them saying? "
Once trust established, keep asking questions. Undermine their assumptions, get them to see things in another way. Soon, they will see things your way...
"My friend here is right. If he truly cared, he'd not have left you alone. True comrades keep the others safe, sadly he has not done that in this case."
Haha, gullible boy.
"Sir Balin? I do not think I have seen him in sometime. How did they manage to capture a Knight of Karlin?" Gertrart hopes he repeated the names correctly.
,
Timeon seems a bit more relaxed. "Of Karfield, that's where he's from. He's an Alerion Knight. Quite brave and skilled. He has captured or killed maybe more worshippers of Asmodeus than anyone. He fought like a wildcat before they captured him. He has probably escaped and is off bringing help now."
Ok, Timeon reveals the following:
- four drowned men rise when the shrieker cries
- there are vicious metal cobras in a nearby room
- a shrieker screams when there is light or movement nearby
- a secret door across from the stairs hides the way out
All of which he overheard "the evil bald many" and "the wicked lady" discussing.
"A knight of Alerion?" his interest in this so called knight has been peaked. He would not mind running his blade through him. Allready a plan was forming in his mind.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Hearing Malleck's voice, Timeon pokes his head out. He spots the other members of the group, some not hidden in an alternate guise and displaying their Asmodean regalia, "What is this? We are deceived good fathers, your companions serve the devil and have you ensorcelled!"
"Goodness me, Timeon, you must have more faith in us than that! Surely you must understand that we could not get in here without some of us being disguised! I assure you that none of us is under any sort of enchantment."
Vosil is rather proud of himself. Not a single actual lie in that statement, but nevertheless entirely calculated to deceive.
"Listen to them, you think we got into this place without looking like the...locals? You are a bit ignorant, must be why you are being trained. I know all about the Knights, I am one myself"
I WAS one he silently adds
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Vosil looks mildly at Malleck "Now, now, it's not the poor boy's fault that he doesn't know any better! You know what those knights are like: 'Do this, do that, don't ask questions' - I bet you get ordered around a lot, don't you, Timeon?"
The Fetchling drapes a friendly arm around the young squire's shoulder. "Tell me, just out of interest - when was the last time anyone asked you what you wanted? Or took the time to listen to you?"
Vosil gives the boy some time to think about this, before adding "We aren't ordering you around. If you come with us, it must be of your own free will. So tell me, Timeon, what do you want?"
There's so much honey in Vosil's words, you could swim in it.