Carina smirks in satisfaction as the doppelganger is brutally slaughtered. "And the only memory we'll have of you is how easily you were butchered. Good. F*%&ing. Riddance."
The corpse isn't responding, so it can safely be said that Carina definitely got the last word this time.
"What the hell's going on?!" Tanith shouts in confusion as Spiny attacks the bard.
"Everyone get back! Red, calm him down!"
Tanith scoops up the late doppleleader's two-handed sword and leaps over the pit easily with the speed from Eben's spell.
"Get away from him!"
Carina's eyes narrow. "Spiny's confused. Probably from that spell the doppelganger threw earlier."
She produces her last clear bomb and shakes it. "Sorry about this, Spiny, but I'm not letting you eat Eben."
She throws it...
Carina's bomb tears into the strongest spell effect active on Spiny, and Spiny's clarity is instantly restored.
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Farrukh follows Tanith's lead and leaps away, backflipping to the ground.
Farrukh leaps a whopping 20 feet from standing still...just in time to notice it was unnecessary.
"You all saw that, right?"
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Eben is slightly disappointed at Telakin's death, although given the greivous wound he managed to inflict upon Farrukh toward the end, clearly it came just in time. But still... "I was gonna critique him before he died. I mean, if I were a doppelganger, I'd rule this city. Six idiots with swords and bombs? Easy. I'd frame us for murder and get us arrested or run out of town, or keep up the kidnapping and replacing us one by one, or lead us around with false leads and keep us too busy. Anything but lure a group that I knew was good at inflicting mass destructing right into our lair. I mean, dumb. But at least now it's over and we're all still okaAAAOOOOW MY SHOULDER!" In his little speech about how he'd be a better doppelganger than the actual doppelgangers, Eben neglected to notice Spiny going off the deep end until the dinosaurs fangs were tearing at him. "I was talking HYPOTHETICALLY, Spiny, I'm not really a doppelganger. Well, not this time!" Unsure of what to do- we can't kill him, if we bring Cuetz back and Spiny's gone he'll be crazy pissed!- Eben begins waving his hands through the air.
And splits into six separate Ebens. "Farrukh, get away from here, if he turns on you, in your condition, it would be bad. I should be able to keep him occupied til we figure out what to do with him..."
...but then Carina saves the day and Eben's kind of left looking silly. Not that he isn't grateful.
Tanith is initially puzzled at Carina's choice of explosives to calm the dinosaur down and then he just grins.
"Good job Red!"
Carina sighs and just smiles a little. "It's my job. Mind you, my job here involves throwing bombs at someone to calm them down. That does strike me as being a rather severe violation of common sense."
"Sometimes I feel like blowing things up is the solution to everyone's problems."
"I'm feeling a bit better now that Telakin's dead."
"Although..." he says, expression darkening again.
"We need to see what we can do about Astraden and Cuetz. And Gattel if we can manage it. Guy was cracked but he didn't deserve to die."
Carina nods. "And let's see if it has enough loot around here to pay for it."
"Seriously, it put us through all this. It deserves to be stuck with the tab."
Eben picks up the glass rod Telakin was waving around. "I was about to try swiping this mid-fight, if it does what I think it does..." He inspects it to see if any of the buttons are still up.
"Uh, what do you think it does, exactly?" Farrukh says, weaving a bit so the rod Eben is playing with never quite points directly at him.
Though Tanith isn't as casual as his friends when it comes to the notion of bringing back the dead, he fully agrees with finding everything the cell of dopplegangers had of value and taking it from them as some final level of vengeance. "At the very least they can rest knowing these monsters are dead", he adds while handing out potions.
"Tanith you're a life saver."
Farrukh chugs potions like a thirsty miner would ale.
"Much better. Still hurts a bit but now I don't feel like I'm going to come apart at the seams."
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One of the buttons on the glass rod is still up.
Behind the throne is a small chamber filled with ostentatious accoutrements. There is a bed, wardrobe, desk, and a small table in this room. The walls are covered in rich red velvet curtains and a strange rug of shifting, writhing geometric patterns on the floor. A large, full-body mirror stands in one corner of the room. The brass frame is covered in elaborate inscriptions.
The group searches the back room, as well as the bodies of Telakin and the two well-dressed doppelgangers.
On Telakin:
In the last two rooms:
Aside from the contents of the chest, the wardrobe in here contains dozens of outfits as well as 500 gp in jewelry.
A few excerpts:
'Eben is used to operating alone. May be easy to capture; Ixiaxian would be natural pick if so. That said, appears to be a coward and has little stomach for heroics. Will be the first to flee, so don't give him opportunity—or do, if scenario hits red levels.' There is a small checkmark here.
'Tanith calls Carina Red because she used to carry yugoloth blood before incident with Theldrick (?). Two are romantically and sexually involved. Carina relies heavily on Tanith, but Tanith seems to need someone to protect more than he needs Carina herself. Hurting Carina hurts Tanith due to Shield Other spell. Difficult to separate; expect to fight as unit.'
'Farrukh is brutal fighter, mercenary. If scenario hits red levels, may be possible to turn him against own side. Simple form, but complicated fighting style makes impractical for switchup.' A newer note here reads, 'Do not get between Al'Khatel and wall.'
'Astraden is the most efficient healer. Tell mimics and stalkers to focus on healers; try and take her out early on. Astraden is naturally secretive and may mistrust members of her group—tell Elaxan to encourage this behavior.' There is a large red X here.
'Cuetzpalli has no purpose in life not granted by others. Strong sense of duty to those others, but nonexistent sense of self. Focus mind magics on him. They will be his undoing.' There is a large red X here, next to a small note: 'Nailed it!'
'Smenk is hated by entire group, esp. Tanith. Make sure he's not here when they show up—searching for him may distract or rush them.'
"Oh hey they put the wall thing in there! Telakin must have forgotten that part. I'm kind of miffed they think I'd turn on you guys though. Cash is nice but doesn't really buy people you can trust.
"Well, did you notice how Tealkin just popped out one spell right on top of another when he was holding this? I think this is kind of like the rod Tanith has, except instead of making spells last longer, it makes them cast quicker." He ponders, then shrugs. "Hell, one last use left. May as well check it out..." he kind of waves him like a man chasing away mosquitos and one by one, his duplicate images vanish. Putting thirty or so feet between him and the next person, he holds the rod and repeats the same gestures he used to cast mirror image before, pressing the last button as he does so.
After testing out his rod theory, Eben downs two potions and patches up the chink Spiny tore out of his arm. He glances concernedly at the dinosaur while doing so. "So at this point Spiny has eaten someone with my face, and now he's tasted me. Should I be afraid he's going to start thinking of me as food?" This last is said right before Farrukh begins reading off the papers. "What? Coward... ok, ignoring that I just worried about being eaten by Spiny... I would not be the ''first to run'. He mumbles to himself a bit.
"Well, did you notice how Tealkin just popped out one spell right on top of another when he was holding this? I think this is kind of like the rod Tanith has, except instead of making spells last longer, it makes them cast quicker." He ponders, then shrugs. "Hell, one last use left. May as well check it out..." he kind of waves him like a man chasing away mosquitos and one by one, his duplicate images vanish. Putting thirty or so feet between him and the next person, he holds the rod and repeats the same gestures he used to cast mirror image before, pressing the last button as he does so.
Sure enough, Eben finds himself completing the spell in a mere fraction of the time it would normally take.
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Spiny looks at Eben. Then he walks up to the bard and begins sniffing his face. After a good ten seconds of snuffling, he butts his giant scaly head into Eben's leg, and proceeds to rub his entire length on the bard's thigh. Like a cat, except seven and half feet tall and covered in rough scales. Then he lays down at the bard's feet, and lays his chin across Eben's boots.
"Well, did you notice how Tealkin just popped out one spell right on top of another when he was holding this? I think this is kind of like the rod Tanith has, except instead of making spells last longer, it makes them cast quicker." He ponders, then shrugs. "Hell, one last use left. May as well check it out..." he kind of waves him like a man chasing away mosquitos and one by one, his duplicate images vanish. Putting thirty or so feet between him and the next person, he holds the rod and repeats the same gestures he used to cast mirror image before, pressing the last button as he does so.
Sure enough, Eben finds himself completing the spell in a mere fraction of the time it would normally take.
Eben freezes as Spiny comes up and starts sniffing. Only the fact that he has a bunch of illusory hims around right now (and still smarting over being called a coward by the dead doppelganger) keeps him from bolting. He lets out a huge sigh of relief when the spinosaurus instead starts nuzzling his leg and rests on his feet. "I... think he likes me after all?" he says weakly.
Content that Spiny appears to want to make amends with Eben, Carina smiles and examines the great mirror.
"Ooh..." She takes a closer look at the elaborate inscriptions. "Guys, do you think we can carry this out as well? I imagine this might go for a lot of cash."
After gently extracting himself from Spiny's expression of trust, Eben goes poking through the rest of the turned up items. "Carina, given a day you can make an extract that'll help sort any magic stuff out, right?" he asks, furrowing his brow over the glowing gemstones and the cheap-but-sparking pearl necklace. As far as the note and the longsword, both with undercommon script, he sighs a bit. "Astraden could probably have read these too..." he mutters in a downcast voice. But gives his own best efforts to translate them.
After initially being completely lost, he scrunches his brow and tries to remember every last obscure detail about Undercommon that's crossed his path in 20 years of street patois.
Before Carina's eyes, the text begins to twist and writhe, forming a new inscription.
Seek to see what ought be seen
Seek to know what ought be gleaned
Say the word and count to ten.
I will be with you again.
With a start, Carina realizes the last line is in Abyssal.
The last line is in Draconic like the rest, and it reads, And I will show the true form then.
Eben has more trouble with the missive, but manages to get the basic information down.
I have a job for you, a servant. Meet us at the junction of the drain under the cold furnace and I will give you more information. There are some minor minds problems that it must be eliminated.
Being written on paper, containing entirely too many words, and lacking any diagrams with instructions for proper weightlifting technique, Tanith has little interest in the doppleganger reconnaissance and focuses on helping Carina and Eben with their translations (which he does poorly).
Eben hefts the greatsword in the air. "So got this one, it's probably just the name of the sword. 'Frozen Heart'." The missive he holds up, less eagerly. "This... not as sure of. I think it's from whoever was giving Telakin orders. Says he has a job for him, calls him a servant, and tells him to 'meet us at the juction of the drain under the cold furnace'. That there are 'some minor minds problems that must be eliminated.'" He shrugs. "Best I can do."
"Seems...trap-y."
"Maybe." Eben seems lost in thought for a moment. "There's an armorer shop, called the 'Cold Forge'. That's how Astraden's godfather got dragged into this originally. I mean, I think he would have been the real one back then. Hard to say... Anyhow. There was a break-in at the Cold Forge and he got hired to look into it, then got tangled up in all of this. If I'm reading my Undercommon wrong- and I probably am- than 'cold furnace' might be 'cold forge'. And if the doppelgangers already have an interest in whatever is underneath that place... this letter might just be legit." He stands up. "But we can sort out whatever we're going to do next later. Right now. Cash. And..." he glances down at Telaxin. "One other thing. Farrukh, or anybody, you got a knife good for skinning on you?"
Tanith offers up his all-purpose dagger. "What'd you have in mind?"
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Eben takes the dagger, then kneels down by Telakin and begins... well, cutting off the doppelgangers face. It's messy and extremely inexpert work, and he nicks a few fingers and the result isn't exactly frame-worthy, but he seems satisfied. "Last people I talked to before the doppelgangers took me was a lady from the thieves guild. She indicated they were very interested in getting some more information on these guys. I'd guess our taking them out- and my bringing boss man's face back with me as proof- would make the guild's day." He finishes his work and holds the rubbery, dripping skin up, staring it directly in the eyes. Or where the eyes would be. His own eyes are like ice chips, showing no discomfort over the disgusting act he just performed. The only emotion that shows is a hint of furious satisfaction. It is possible his capture and imprisonment left Eben slightly less easygoing than he lets on.
"Now, I'm not imagining they're gonna open up their wallets out of gratitude, but this is a start. Maybe they can hook us up with a priest of Olidmarra who can do something for Astraden. And...maybe they'll have an interest in buying those papers you guys said you found. The ones that give the identity and location of every disguised doppelganger these bastards have placed throughout the city." He hands the dagger back to Tanith, after wiping if off on Telakin's own clothing. The drooping face he folds up like a grisly napkin.
Tanith watches Eben work in silent disbelief. The foppish bard had a harder edge to him after all.
Wiping his dagger down a second time for good measure, Tanith tucks the dagger back into his belt. "Good enough plan for now. Let's pay them a visit."
"You don't think they'll mind the late hours?"
"Heh. These aren't odd hours for them. I'll have to send them a note, but getting a response shouldn't take long." He wraps the horrid thing in his hands up in a piece of cloth, shoves that in a bag, and puts the whole thing into his backpack. "And I just wanted to check this out before we left..." he comments, heading over to inspect the machinery along the west wall.
Along the west wall, a macabre assembly of vats and tubes connects to a table with numerous straps and a strange silver helmet.
Other than that, it'd require some magical know-how (and probably a detect magic spell) to find its function.
Carina briefly recoils from the shifting inscriptions on the mirror. "Whoa!"
"Guys, the writing on the mirror changed! I'm starting to wonder if it's a good idea to take this with us now..."
If anybody else looks at the mirror, they see an inscription in Draconic.
Seek to know what aught be gleaned
Say the word and count to ten.
And I will show the true form then.
After a minute, the inscription goes back to its original one word, Skkori. The word trails all along the mirror's frame.
Tanith stares in confusion at the incomprehensible scribbles.
"Can anyone read this? Also, I'm guessing this thing is enchanted too."
"Yeah--it reads:
'Seek to see what aught be seen
Seek to know what aught be gleaned
Say the word and count to ten.
And I will show the true form then.'" Carina speaks up.
It said that. It said that. Not anything else.
...am I losing my mind?
She shivers.
Carina clears her throat and tentatively says "...Skkori?"
"It means 'Show me' in Draconic."
As Tanith and Carina stand in front of the mirror, the surface shimmers and blurs. After a moment, both of them see their reflections again—but now something has changed. Instead of the undine form everyone has grown accustomed to, Carina's reflection shows her old form: That of a red-skinned tiefling.
Carina nearly takes a step back in surprise.
There she is, reflected in the mirror--red skin, red eyes, black hair, and even her old tail.
It causes her a pang of... something. She doesn't know why.
"Huh. So that's what it does."
I almost forgot what I looked like as a tiefling.
Seeing the strange reflection, Tanith is quick to interpose his own body in front of Carina's.
"I think that's enough of that", he adds. "Let's cover it up and find a way to get it up onto Spiny's back. Maybe Eben's friends will want it."
Carina waits for a second before nodding.
"Yeah." She starts looking around for a large enough covering for the mirror and a good length of rope.
While he works with her to tie the enchanted mirror down, Tanith catches Carina's eye. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Carina looks up at Tanith. "Oh... yeah, I am. Just kinda sorta forgot what I used to look like."
And I'm trying to ignore the fact that I noticed words in a language born from raw evil on the mirror frame that changed back as soon as I blinked. So there's that, I guess.
"Oh, and Eben--I can indeed brew up a little something for magic item identification. You'll have to remind me tomorrow, though--I need to replace my extracts for that."
The group gathers up the many torches and papers and tucks them in Gattel's bag of holding, leaving the halls of deception dark and dead, painted in the drying blood of friends and foes alike. Filge is nowhere to be seen—more than likely he's waiting in the water chamber.
As they enter the water control chamber, though, the adventurers see something much stranger. The water in the chamber has been completely drained, leaving the dry floor forty feet below the platform. The dead one-eyed octopus lies nearby. Behind it kneels a robed figure, apparently examining the creature.
Next to the robed figure is the body of Filge. The necromancer is even paler than usual, though it's difficult to tell if he's dead or not from this distance.
Spiny begins growling. He's not looking at the figure, though, but around the east and west sides of the room.
The cloaked thing looks up slightly, but doesn't show its face from beneath the long hood it wears. "Good morning."
It does not do anything else.
Down below, two dark-skinned elves appear. They wield hand crossbows and shields, and are already beginning to reload.