Bartan takes a few moments to use Identify on the items.
"My friends, some of these may be useful. Though I'd as soon destroy this ring..." he points to the jailer's ring, "this one will keep one of us from needing food or water and rude the amount of sleep needed, this one will improve one of our abilities to craft and disable traps, and this one will be more useful once we get back to our own plane. I would like to suggest that I wear both the sustenance and trap-disabling rings... the sustenance ring will allow me to rest and recover my spell power much more quickly."
He looks at the potions. "These vials contain a potion that will negate the effects of the draining powers of some undead, though they do not heal the damage itself. Would have been useful to me weeks ago, but for now, we should try to split them and keep them for later."
Careful Yazi. Hajar calls out. He moves with Yazi towards the bull.
Coldtooth, from the original "rob the treasury" azer group, perked up at the mention of the "craft and disable traps" ring, then went back to normal when Bartan decided to keep the item.
"Bastards." Broadbeard spat when informed of the rings of sustenance. "Here we've been eating kolbold and lizardman rations for years, and they had magical means of staving off hunger! I never saw any of those red-skinned @$$*$ give us turns, when the food got scarce." The other fire-dwarves grumbled with their squad leader.
You discover the "bull" has a large hatch on one side, but clamps prevent it from being opened from the inside. Easy enough from the outside, of course. Large tubes also appear to allow air from outside in, and from inside the tubes go to the "bull's" open mouth, so that the bull can "bellow" when the person inside yells or screams.
The "bull" appears cherry-hot, but your boots should protect you from the heat.
"It does seem that they cared little to not-at-all for your well-being. You'll find us much better employers, for sure."
"Lady Yazi, what have you found?"
As Yazi opens the hatch, she is first met by a blast of heat - - just enough to get her attention. Inside, a red-skinned efreeti, nearly bent double, warily lift his head. Yazi saw madness in his eyes. Immediately, a bare arm came out to try and knock her aside.
ROUND ONE
Init:
"That's about the response I would have expected. Ungrateful lot, genies. You can save their lives and they still expect you to bow and scrape before them." Broadbeard quipped, looking up at the top of the ziggurat.
Hajar calls out to the Genie
Careful there! We freed you! Perhaps there need not be bloodshed.
Looking up Khayal sighs and grips his kukris once more. He takes a small step forward before hearing Hajar’s attempt at convincing words. Pausing for a moment he decides to let his brother give it a shot.
Khayal and Nasir almost start up the ziggurat stairs.
"Two gold says the efreeti hits her again." Broadbeard bet to his other fire-dwarves, looking at the top of the stone pyramid. A swarm of negative responses nullified the wager. "Tell him the other efreeti are dead, with no one to punish him anymore." Coldtooth offered loudly.
The red-skinned genie struggled wildly to get out of the metal bull, and keep the smaller human away from him at the same time.
Hajar's call for peace fell on deaf ears.
The red-skinned efreeti struggled to get out of the red-hot metal bull, ignoring Yazi's offer of help.
ROUND TWO
Init:
"Sir, stop struggling! We are trying to help!"
Khayal keeps his eyes out for other dangers, content that Yazi has the situation under control.
The efretti, now outside the metal bull, looks around him, seemingly for the first time. He ignores the talking by the smaller creatures around him. The red-skinned man shakes his head, shouting something in Ignan, which Broadbeard translates as "He says no one can know his shame of being in the bull! He has to kill us all! Forward, men!"
The azer take off at a run towards the zigguart.
"What a strange thing to be ashamed of..." Bartan mutters.
Hajar moves forward to interpose himself between the efreeti and the Azer.
ROUND THREE
Init:
"This is ridiculous. Why would you fight us in your current state, seeing what we were forced to do to those other genies? Madness."
As he says this, Bartan will double move closer to the action.
"Oh, you know, their insufferable pride. And I don't recognize that efreeti - is he one of yours?" Broadbeard answered Bartan, and asked openly to Coldtooth.
"Not mine - mayhap a recent trapped master to this palace?" Coldtooth retorted.
"Looks - different. Never saw one with a sunburn before." added one of the other fire-dwarves.
Khayal moves in next to the Efreeti (double move) shaking his head as he goes. I don’t want to knock you out, but I will if I have to. Look around, who would know of your shame, we have killed them. What care do you have of us knowing?
The efreeti only appeared to half-listen to Khayal, paying more attention to Yazi's announcement. "Lesser vermin. Lord Jhavhul must be told!" the red-skinned man spat. He waved his arms in a particular manner, ignoring those around him.
Nothing happened.
The fire genie looked wide-eyed and surprised at his hands, muttering "But the anchor cannot have lasted this long!"
If he works for Jhavhul...why were the others torturing him? Hajar holds for a moment.
ROUND FOUR
Init:
The efreeti looked to the tops of the palace buildings around him, and leaped into the air, flying!
"Ah, that's not going to work, you know!" Broadbeard called out from below. "The Vizer's Curse applies to flying out of here too. You get to a certain height, then get teleported back to where you started!"
Knowing that the creature will be teleported back to where he started, Bartan continues up the stairs, then readies a frosty card to throw at the genie as soon as he is teleported back down.
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Khayal waits a moment, but he has no intention of fighting this guy.
He takes his khukris and holds them defensively, shaking his head at Yazi, Can you believe this guy?
The fire-dwarves run up the ziggurat stairs as best they can, Broadbeard calling out "That's not going to uh, work, er, 'Master'. There's a curse here by the Grandvizer himself! You'll only get sent back inside here!" As an aside to the others, Broadbeard added "He don't look too good."
Indeed, now that you can see the entire body of the red-skinned man, you see that he has several burns from the bull that have yet to heal, and his flight upwards is not the smoothest of arcs.
Hajar looks utterly perplexed. Why would he still follow Jhavhul...unless these other Efreeti don't follow him....
ROUND FIVE
Init:
Sure enough, as soon as the efreeti gets a few yards above the main spiral, he disappears, only to reappear near Yazi and the bronze bull. The effort appears to make the red-skinned man collapse, and he angrily stands up again. But he staggered as he regained his feet.
"What are you..slaves! Looking at! I serve the Lord Jhavhul! Unlike the traitors from, here?" the efreeti snarled, looking around the top of the ziggurat. Seeing the bodies of the other efreeti for the first time, the lone man snapped back "Prime worlders! You dare strike your betters?"
You serve the Efreet Jhavhul. Hajar says flatly, raising Tempest just a hair.
You speak very strong words for a being so close to a true death. Hajar finishes with a growl
Why should we not end your miserable existence?
The fire-dwarves hurry up the stairs of the ziggurat, following Bartan.
The red-skinned giant man looked at Yazi and then Hajar, as if seeing them for the first time. "Wait." he declared. "I...remember you. Of course! The fools who freed us from the Scroll of Kakishon!" The efretti began laughing. [b]"To think, weeks later, you finally managed to get out of that trap! I was hand-picked to lead others to take Lord Jhavhul's new treasure to Bayt al-Bazan, and you got a free ride! Prime worlders have all the luck!"
Seeing the smaller fire-dwarves coming up the steps, the efreeti demanded "I know your kind. Slaves! Why is Lord Jhavhul al-Marisah al-Agriva al-Barizob al-Bazan's ancestral Palace besieged from within? Who are these traitors who assaulted me? Where is Lord Al-hassan? Answer me!"
"Once a slave in the City of Brass, they never let you forget it..." Coldtooth mumbled back, struggling with the next step.
"Well, uh, 'master', uh..." Broadtooth began, looking back at the human adventurers.
"Clearly, we are here to free these slaves and set right the injustices against them. But as far as why we came here in the first place, we are simply trying to return to our own plane. If you have suggestions on how to do so, we will happily leave you in peace."