Hal grabbed a hand full of the downed goblin's hair and drew his bloody fist back.
"Weapons and holy symbols, on the ground, now!"
Please, stop, I surrender. Please don’t kill her. Please, please stop
Miagnik stopped short. His heart was racing from the adrenaline of battle and he turned to look at the now begging form of Galinea in front of him. She had been deadly and beautiful during the fight. Her command of dark power had been rousing, her anger alluring.
When he had first seen her a few days ago she had seemed intoxicating... but now.
The nails on his fingers which had extended to become sharp claws began to shrink back to regular size.
"Do as he says. NOW!" The fire in his voice had reduced to that of a crackling fire, sparking only at the end.
Though supremely tired, Maelodakh moves in on Hall's contained foe, placing her morningstar on its nether region.
"As the dwarf says. STAND DOWN!"
The Spider-Centaur woman lowers her body even more, dropping both her hands to the floor. She raises her head. Tears are coming from her eyes.
Do as they say, all of you, Her voice is broken and soft, and as she speaks she lifts the chain from around her neck, slowly, with both hands, and places the medallion she wore on the floor.
There is no reason for all of us to die, not today. We surrender. Do what you want with me, but, just don’t kill my sister. She doesn’t know what she is doing. I understand if you must make her a prisoner, a slave, just promise you wont hurt her anymore.
Hal let the giant goblin child go and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly their attackers didn't seem quite so worthy of the violence he'd been unleashing on them.
"As long as she behaves herself, an' yer people stop trying' t' kill us, I promise she won't come t' anymore harm."
"As of now, let's consider alla ye t' be our prisoners. We got no reason t' fight ye as long as ye cooperate. The only reason we're here is t' get some answers. If ye help us, we'll be happy t' help ye in return."
"Rownig, give 'em a once-over fer hidden weapons an' start binding' hands. Windle, give ol' Praggul a call an' ask 'I'm t' patch us all up."
"Mae, yer on guard duty. I'm gonna go git Moralane."
Hal stomped away around the corner and sagged against the wall, closing his eyes and willing his blood to stop pounding. He ran his hands over his ands and took a swig off his flask. He was a monster hunter. He wasn't doing so well with what this mission had turned into.
"Moralane, ye alright? They surrendered. I'm gonna see what we c'n do 'bout yer eyes."
Miagnik ignores the now fearful expressions of the Goblin spell casters and turns to face Galinea. "Okay, the fact that you want your sister kept alive and the group you have under your command are all living lends you some credence and answers a few questions for me. But I still have a lot of other questions for you and the answers you start giving determines what happens next. First, your leader a Dwarf I think, is a dark woman, with pale skin and green eyes. What is her name and what does she want with the Vampire Queen? Next, there are a number of items you've likely been searching out. How many have you found and what are they?"
Mae blinks and begins to catch her breath. She nods hurriedly at Hal to show she understands. She makes sure of her grip on the bloody morningstar in her hands, and keeps a sharp eye on the assembled goblins and the remains of Galinea's arachnid retinue...
Please, let me go to my sister. I swear to you I will not harm you or you friends, but please let me help her. When she gets angry she pushes herself too far, and she could die. Let me heal her. I’m beg you. Galina says, not moving from her position on the ground.
Hallister? Where are you? I’m blind. I can’t see anything. What happened? Moralane says.
When Miagnik asks his questions Galinea’s head shoots up, and she throws her hair back from her face, her expression is defiant, but not threatening. She looks right at Miagnik and says, That b$&~~ is not in charge of me! Her name is Omara, and yes she is a Dwarf, and she is more than a fool if she thinks sending you to kill me will solve her problems. She thinks she has The Vampire Queens right hand, and orders me around as if I should bow down to her instead of the Vampire Queen. That one, Omara, is plotting something I know it, but I do not know what it is. You may call me Galinea. I know where her chambers are on the next level, I can draw you a map, but I cannot oppose her, directly. I serve the Vampire Queen and in that, I will not disobey. Omara must want me out of the way badly, to send more of her followers to try and drive us out of this place, and you have beaten me, I admit this, and I will leave, you can kill me now or later as she commands you, but make no mistake, my followers and more to come will take up the cause of ending the curse no matter what Omara has planned for herself. If you let me heal my sister, calm her, and see to her care, I will tell you what I know of the Vampire Queen. If you came here to put an end to her curse, and not to kill me, if you serve a greater cause than Omara’s puppets in the Dark Order of followers of Mafolin then you should know that what you seek is what the Vampire Queen hopes for herself as well.
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Hal moves closer and carefully puts a hand on Moralane's arm. "I'm right here. Its alright now. We're going t' git your eyes fixed."
Then he paused, overhearing the conversation down the hall. His jaw clenched. "Princess, help her follow me, please. I gotta get some answers."
Hal came back down the hall with Staphanie and Moralane in tow looking like a thundercloud.
"Hold on. Break that last part down. What puppets in Mafolin's order? What's Omara's plan? Spill it all, right now."
Rownig will pat the enemy down. "Bes' ye just drop yer weapons." he comments keeping a suspicious eye on the goblins and spider woman.
"I know...I know, she's a spider and probably evil to boot, but she surrendered....can't kill 'er. The dwarf is troubled as he grasps his axe with one hand. He doesn't do a massive healing. brother Hal thinks me healings limitless...damn tired I am, tired. he doesn't want the spider woman and her allies to know how exhausted he is.
"Hold on a minute, Hal." Miagnik said, holding a hand out to stop the Dwarf. He didn't take his eyes off of Galinea.
"How convenient, there's a schism within your ranks. You answered some of my questions, so I'll vouch for your request to heal your sister."
His voice lowered, tinged with anger. "But get this through your thick skull. I am not a puppet to Omara, and I don't intend to kill you, your sister, or your underlings but that doesn't mean I'm afraid to. So you do as you say, don't try and you get to walk away intact.
Mae's head spins, either with fatigue or with talk of dwarves leading spider-goblins, the Vampire Queen, or thoughts of her own troupe of misfits. Here she is. A princess of the blood. Which reminds her...
"Galinea - where is my father - the Goblin King?" she interjects before realizing it may have been best to leave her own relationship to the King out of it...
"You intend t'leave a powerful enemy t'walk away at our back?" the dwarf mumbles. "Mind ya they tried t'kill us and they blinded Morlane, would they show mercy? I'm sure that'll come back t'bite us.
Hal barked at Miagnik, getting actually angry for the first time anyone in the group had ever seen.
"She's sayin' there's traitors in the Black Watch! This whole damn mess stems outta information we got from them!"
"Ye all got stuff you want t' say an' things ye want t' know, an' none of is more important than findin' out if we've been had this whole damn time."
"Everyone stand down an' let her talk."
There is no schism. I follow Omara’s orders, when those orders are in line with the Vampire Queen’s plans, when they are not, I do not, and she knows that. She gets angry, but even she knows that it is not wise to cross the Vampire Queen
When Hallister comes back from around the corner, and demands answers, Galinea looks up from her sister, and is about to speak. There is a tense exchange between Hall and Miagnik, and Rownig offers his own opinion, then the Spider-woman speaks.
Yes, the Black Watch, I’ve heard them use those words. First, I’m telling you the truth. I do not know the details of her plan. She has been visited by two men, of your kind, Dwarves. It is clear that these two men are members of the Black Watch. They report the order's movements, and dealings to her. She is in league with the order, or her men are spies, I do not care. But this is what I know. The Vampire Queen has been trying to end her curse for centuries. She believes that the secret to ending her curse is to recover the wedding gifts, lost on this island when the bride’s ship was wrecked upon these shores. The gifts are all but accounted for, all but two chests, and those are in the hands of the Black Watch. Omara has instructed her men to place themselves deep in the Watch’s council, and when her forces attack the city they are the ones who must recover the last two chests and bring them here.
Galinea, turns her eyes away from Hallister and cradles her sister in her arms
If I should believe you, she says once she has risen with her sister in her armsThat you are not also puppets of Omara, then perhaps you are puppets of the Black Watch, or maybe you are puppets of some other power, but we are all puppets, my Dwarven friends. All of us dance to the songs of the gods. I do not serve the Vampire Queen because she gave me this body, or because she made it possible for me to be a symbol of our people’s oppression, but because when she is gone, this place will return to what it once was, and that is where my eyes are fixed. This place, a tomb for our kings, was once a holy shrine that was the seat of our people’s power and when the Vampire Queen and her human god are gone from this place our power will return.
Galinea turns to Maelodakh and says, Your father is safe, for now, and he, and the Dwarven Princess are prisoners of the Vampire Queen herself. She keeps them close, for reasons she has not bothered to tell me, but I imagine it must be related to the ceremony she intends to complete once the gifts are returned. Through those doors, she tilts her head toward the doors in the wall to the northwestare my private chambers. I can offer you food and wine, but it is not safe for you to rest her. Omara’s followers pass this way often, from the level below us to the outside world. The longer we stay her, the better the chance all of us will be discovered. Once again, I will not directly stand against Omara, but if you seek to bring her down, I will not only not stand in your way, I will help you, as long as you promise not to try and stop the Vampire Queen
"I want names. Descriptions. Whatever you know." Hal said with narrowed eyes.
Names, I don’t think I can help you much there. One of the Dwarves she called Captain, and only that. She was cold to that one. He was older, his hair was grey on the sides, and he wore a braid in his beard that was not long. The other, he was a younger Dwarf. His hair was golden yellow, long and worn tied in a knot behind his head. This one she called Doulan, and I think that she and this young Dwarf were lovers. They were here three times in the past year.
"Let's just kill 'er and be done wit it."
Miagnik rounded on Rowning. "What?! Rownig, it's one thing to kill during the heat of battle, if she was still fighting I'd have burned her until there was nothing but charred bones. But after she surrendered and has given us some valuable information... no!"
His fists clenched in defiance he stared straight at the Dwarf.
"I'm wit 'im, they would've killed us, if giv'n the chance. Doubt mercy's a two-way entrance at 'er vile temple." His meaty fingers grip and twist his faithful axe.
Maelodakh nods grimly at the news that her father is "safe".
"A treasured guest? Prisoner! Or possible future sacrificial candidate in the Vampire Queen's foul plan..." Mae trails off, her fatigue leaving her hollow and her anger spent now that conversation has replaced battle.
Rownig's simple solution arouses her anger anew. She stares at the ground before holding Rownig's eyes.
"So murderers you want us to be is it? Like them? [here points to broken, mangled and spattered corpses of goblins and spiders] Well, go ahead, but I'll take no further part in it. It seems clear now that ye have been tricked most solidly, and I for one am no longer sure you are cognisant of your own actions OR direction. Yes, the Vampire Queen seeks these treasures, yes the goblins here wish you dead. But is the Black Watch not also dangling you before these foes for some dark machination? Damn you dwarves to hell."
She turns to Galinea again.
"And is this to your enjoyment? To see us fracture further. Wretch!"
"I've stay'd true t'me original purpose, I ain't 'ver hid me intentions." He spits on the ground. "Ain't part of no secret society, like some of you, no false pretenses or ulterior d'signs." He spits again, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. "just seems stuupid t'leave an enemy at yer back, who eight minutes ago blinded one of our own...and was eager t'kill each and every one of us. Me faith isn't so naive and trusting." He turns on his heels and goes to the to door the creatures emerged from. He glances back, "Any traps or risk of injury through those doors." It's clear the dwarf is not liking recent events.
"Oh...Moralane can you see yet? Why doesn't your new friend prove her good intentions and help Moralane."
Hal didn't feel much like arguing. He wrote down what Galena said and nodded grimly. Rownig's thought was the same as his own.
"Aye. Galena, ye blinded one of us. Ye want mercy, ye'll fix that."
Galinea walks right up to Hallister, carrying her sister, who appears to be in pretty bad shape over all, and says to him, I learned that thieves and plunders had entered this tomb, I sent out my best warriors, including my sister to kill these intruders or drive them out. My quarrel was not specifically aimed at you, your friends, or the Black Watch. It is my responsibility to keep this place clear of trouble makers, both for the Vampire Queen’s designs, and for my people. As far as I am concerned you attacked my people and I was defending my home. If you want to kill me, be done with it, death is my domain, and my life is dedicated to the one who delivers the dead to the next realm, Nesk’Atheen, the Goblin Goddess who serves Karuk, if I cannot serve her in this life I will serve her in the next. I blinded your friend, yes, but your priest would have done the same to my archers if he knew the spell and had it prepared I’m certain. It is a tactic that proves very effective. I can remove the curse. There is a scroll in my chamber that has the spell scribed onto it. I have no reason to not do as you demand, and I have no reason to believe you will show me or my follower’s mercy. Would we have shown it to you? I suppose that depends on what is the real reason you are here. Are you plunderers? Are you simple grave robbers or are you with the Black Watch, and if you are, do you seek to destroy the Vampire Queen? I’ve told you everything I know, and you’ve told me nothing. We are your prisoners; do with us as you will. Your priest can use the scroll it is above the desk in there, and there are no traps, no dangers waiting you in there. Let me tend to my sister’s injuries, let me and my followers live, and I will remove the blindness, hear your side of this story, if you wish to tell it to me, and then, if there is common ground between us, we can try to put this incident behind us and work toward a common goal. The Goblins of this island have suffered long under the Dwarf Kings and Queens, I would bring that to an end, through peace if it can be done, but if that is not possible I will work to bring it through any means within my power.
"Well, there you have it. Maelodakh, Rownig, you heard the things King Heelggod said. If we can't work together, then things will end poorly for all of us. Yes, there were some secrets between us at first but now they've been revealed. At least, some of them have anyway. We can discuss more of this once we're away from here. We have other things to worry about right now." He finishes looking around at everyone.
"Galinea is being reasonable. She is willing to be our prisoner, listen to our story and work with us, if there is a way and says she can help Moralane. Sometimes today's enemies can be tomorrows allies. Now lets get Moralane taken care of."
"Were we to slay the priestess her remaining warriors would scatter. I doubt we could kill them all before they escaped and even if we did they would likely make enough noise to draw yet another group of foes onto us." the female sniffs looking slightly mournful of the frost damage on her hair and clothes, letting the unspoken implications of her words sink in on the battle damaged heroes. Most of her attention remaining on the now crippled dwarf archer she guides with a gentle hand.
"I agree Miagnik, to permit peace at all enemies must be willing to put down their weapons and speak. It sounds like we might share common goals in this, and it would be remiss of us to not grasp the situation fully.
As Hallister has stated it is sounding entirely possible that we could be walking into an ambush even if we return successfully from our quest."
"Stephanie is right. Everything we've learned would certainly help explain the trouble you've been having in dealing with this place."
He looks around at the group before him.
"We don't need an unnecessary fight. Especially not right now."
Miagnik walks around their group of prisoners.
"I'll take responsibility for this group and make sure they don't do anything. We should hurry and get moving."
Windel will cast detect magic when he enter the chamber, he hears Stephanie and Miagnik, but does not respond.
"So what's th'game plan?" He nods towards Galinea, "She mentioned it's not safe to rest 'ere as there's lots of patrols." he pauses a moment. "Y'mentioned drawin' a map." It's more of command then a question.
Finally he looks towards the goblins in the party, "Y'plannin' to bring 'em along or let 'em go?" Referring to the prisoners.
"Hmmph. Well. So." says Maelodakh, mostly confused but unwilling to show any of that. She ponders a bit, chin resting on her morningstar.
"Galinea my dear, these underlings of yours - they do what you bid, no? On fear of what? Because if you cannot swear bond on them, put the fear of us right back into them. We will end them. This dire club has ended a few ere this day began. Spiders. Mostly. But still. If we release them unto you, you will command them, and if forsworn against us we declare hostility unceasing against you and all your kind unto eternity. Or at least a very long long time. Whichever comes first. Er. Last. The longest..." Mae obviously feels somewhat pressured by Rowning to make a good cause and also by her station to appear commanding. And is spectacularly hopeless.
The princess recovers masterfully.
"Speaking of which - Galinea have you a better weapon I might avail myself of? Armor? Anything? I'm equipped as a she-hedgehog at a barn dance. I. Am. A. Fierce. Wolverine."
While Mae gives her demands, Miagnik speaks to Rownig.
"Here are my thoughts about this. If we take them prisoner or kill them, I'd say the other patrols will not find anything wrong for one to three hours at most. She'll be missed after that and things here will be a lot worse on this level." He rubs his chin, thinking.
"If we leave her here, she can say that she drove us away. In fact..." Miagnik was beginning to pace around the room now. It was obvious the cogs in his mind were turning out a plan as he spoke.
"Galinea, I can't tell you everything, but here's our common ground. Whatever forces brought us here, we seek to end this curse, by whatever means necessary. I suspect your Queen is far more powerful than you, so going down there now would be stupid at best.
Now tell me if this works. We could reverse what happened earlier. You and your retinue chose to go after that Icy... undead thing, to further your queens cause, and we, "the looters," came upon you and your group and fought it out only for us to be driven off. We'll leave and try acquire those other wedding gifts. Meanwhile, you tell whoever has authority that you need others to help guard up here. Pulling patrols from down below. It shouldn't be too hard to convince them that we got the jump on some of the patrols and of wandering Undead, which there were more than a few. Once you have them situated, when we come back, someone will contact you. You then can make a distraction and let us pass down below.
We don't intend to fight your queen directly, but we need to end the curse and we can work on making things better for us in the future. Will you help us?"
Rownig will poke around looking for better handaxes, or anything to improve his armor class, if they are around.
Go into the secret room, there she gestures toward the Northeast corner of the chamber, and see if we have anything of value left to offer these heroes. But first, listen carefully. Our goals have not changed. We still work to help the Vampire Queen end her curse, and it would seem that these Dwarves and Goblins are working together to do the same.
Then she goes to her desk and begins drawing the maps. When Maelodakh asks her questions, Galinea answers as she continues to work.
The Goblins on this level of the Palace answer to me, and they do so because they see me as a representation of one of the Goblin Gods. Omara has friends in other Goblin tribes, ones who are followers of Zeenthia, the mother of all goblin kind. Now, this is complicated, so I will try to be clear. I am not a follower of this Zeenthia. Her priests preach war with the dwarves, which some of us are smart enough to understand is suicide for our people if not further enslavement. But, this form pleases those goblin priests and they go about gathering followers and sending them to me, because Omara tells them that our plans to end the curse of the Vampire Queen will accomplish both our goals. The followers of Zeenthia want to end the rule of dwarves on this island, and I cannot see how Omara is in agreement with that, and that is why I suspect she is using them for her own purpose. Also, the Vampire Queen has made it clear that if her curse is ended this tomb will be open to all who seek the secrets of its deepest levels, dwarves and goblins alike. Now, I hope that a peace can be reached with the dwarves, and I welcome them to delve into these depths with us, but something about the way Omara is plotting, the timing, the things she is collecting, seem to be aimed at some other goal. She has already been down to the deep levels. She knows something that she is not telling anyone. What she knows, what she plans feels wrong to me, wrong for all of our peoples.
Maelodakh, I want you to know that I put myself at great risk to ensure your family would not be harmed. Omara insisted the Goblin king and his queen were to be killed, and a new king selected from among those who follow her and the priest of Zeenthia, but interposed. I went to the Vampire Queen herself, and beg for their lives. I was able to make her understand that an uprising of the Goblins now would put more soldiers in the capitol, even bring more soldiers from other islands, and that would make getting the last two chests impossible, and Omara could not argue with that.
I wear these bracers, Galinea says as she removes them, They belonged to my ancestors, one of whom was a also a Goblin King. I would have you take them. They protect the wearer from harm, to a fashion, and you will need them if you are to face Omara and her followers on the next level. If there are weapons of any use to you, my followers will see to it that you have them.
She stops when Miagnik has a sudden insight and starts talking. She listens to his plan.
Well, part of your plan will work, but part of it will not, She says to Miagnik as she continues slowly sketching out the maps you will need. If you encountered and defeated a Frozen Maiden, then you are truly formidable. Those are not easy to defeat, and you should know they are never destroyed. She will return. And she will come looking for you. There are eight of these Frozen Maidens and they were the bride’s maids. The Vampire Queen was the maid of honor, and I have never seen the remains of the bride, the Vampire Queen keeps her hidden away from everything and everyone.
Omara is due to return here with those chests herself, in one month and one weeks time. If you hurry you might intercept her, even stop her. I thought she was working with the Black Watch, but if they sent you here, without the chests, then maybe I was wrong, maybe she has agents within you organization, I do not know, but she, Omara, and those she knows within the Watch, plan to attack the capitol and take the chests.
I do not want Omara’s followers up here with the goblins, they are abominations, undead of the worst kind, and they will not follow my orders. They only follow Omara, so in that I cannot help you. If you can get the chests yourself, take them to the room I’ve marked with an “x” on this map, on the third level. The other Chests are there, and it is there that the Vampire Queen will perform the ritual that will end her curse. But, and this is important, whatever you do you must find out what Omara has planned. I don’t know why but I cannot help but think she intends to double cross the Vampire Queen, maybe even try to take control of her, other necromancers in the past have tried, but none have succeeded. One of your friends mentioned raising the one the helmsmen loved, and I can only assume that this is a reference to some Dwarven legend, as isn’t the helmsmen the Dwarven god who delivers the souls of the dead to the next realm, he is a companion of Nesk’Atheen, my Goddess, and both serve Karuk, but I do not know this story, or this “on the helmsmen loved” and the Vampire Queen has never mentioned this person or spirit
This map shows you where Omara’s chambers are on the second level. You can get to the second level by going to the furthest northeast corner of this level, there is a stair beyond a burial chamber there, Galinea hands you two maps.
She moves next to the bed where her sister is sleeping and gently strokes her sister’s face as she says this last thing
The Vampire queen needs all of the wedding presents, of the wedding party, to be present when she raises the bride from the dead, and marries her to the spirit of the man she intended to wed. One of Omara’s followers will stand, and be possessed by this bride groom, and the ritual will bring the bride back to her body from beyond this world. When the Bride and Groom are wed, as they were meant to be, according to the Vampire Queen, the curse will be ended, and the souls of all of them, the bride, the groom, the bride’s maids, the wedding party, and she herself, the Maid of Honor, will leave this world and find eternal peace.
"course it was a large weddin' party...8 maids...8." he mumbles. "All fer shotgun weddin's right now."
The masterwork handaxes are they small or medium sized.