Samuel cherishes himself silently as the ice disappears and the group finds an open passage to the fortress inside Perhaps we will be able to shut down that portal after all.
Before the soldiers can change their mind and close the gate with the group outside, Samuel grunts rudely and pushes Ashling "Black Rider" forward and into the fortress.
The Taldan eyes the ice troll with growing concern, and looks up trying to count the guards and locate where each of them are standing, but otherwise lets Callix and Letitia continue the ruse and hopefully lead the group to the leader or the portal.
Ashling continues to follow in total silence, not wanting to disturb the ruse. She plays along glaring at Samuel and the others something fierce.
Ashling does something Similar, looking around casing the area for guards, entrances and exits, pathways.
Letitia eyes the troll cooly as she walks wkth the bearing of someone who has every right to be there. Looking past the statue to the entrance to the tower, she considers that the icicles could be evidence of some sort of trap.
With an imperious tone, she addresses the troll. "איר דאָרט! אַראָפּנעמען קיין פאַרטיידיקונג אין די פּאָזיציע. איך טאָן ניט ווינטשן מיין פרייז צו זיין דאַמידזשד."
"You there! Remove any defenses in the entryway. I do not wish my prize to be damaged."
Under her breath, she whispers to the others, "I've told the troll to disable any traps in the entrance."
Samuel stands firm in front of the troll trying to show no emotions at all. He does though attempt to remember everything he has heard about this specific kind of trolls.
Callix whispers, "So, now that we're inside and everyone's aware of us... I'm a lot less confident in our plan's ability to get us out... "
Doing his best to remain quiet and to seem like he belonged took Alec's full concentration. In the middle of a enemy stronghold, surrounded by men from an opposing army, knowing that at any moment they could be caught and would have to fight for their very lives suddenly seemed like such a very bad idea. He tried to steel himself as best he could but every second felt like an eternity. He silently prayed that they wouldn't notice the spear he carried from the troll they had dispatched. The fact that another troll stood not feet away was enough to make him sweat despite the frigid chill in the air.
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the group walks into the courtyard, eyeing the guards nervously. luckily once youa re through the gate they seem to not be watching you as closely, with the exception of the ice troll.
Samuel and Ashling count 5 human guards on the wall. the wall is set to defend from threats outside, and there are no crenelations facing the courtyard. there would not be cover if a fight were to break out.
As far as the troll goes, you don't know much useful information about them. they are similar to other trolls in that they have quite an appetite, and are able to recover from most injuries not caused by fire. Ice trolls are known to be more cunning than some other varieties, and are well-known to be allies of the witches.
The troll bows to Letitia and replies in a very deep voice
"די טיר איז אָפן צו איר, דיין עקסאַלאַנס. זיין באַגריסן טאַקע גרויס איינער
the door is open to you, your excellency. be welcome oh great one
The troll is speaking with barely concealed mock respect to Letitia. she is clearly not very happy about having another witch to answer to in the tower and seems rather grumpy. even for a troll.
as you pass by, you notice the troll eyeing Callix and licking her lips hungrily
the troll moves to open the doorway letting the group pass by into the tower. One of the guards from the wall moves down to the courtyard to follow the group into the tower.
the doorway leads in to a steam-filled gallery, wisps emanating from a bubbling pool recessed into the floor of a raised dais surrounded by six pillars of ice. four mirrors hang from the walls near ice sculptures of helmeted pike-wielding warriors. the bubbling pool makes the air in this room feel pleasantly warm, but does not seem to melt the ice around it.
the soldier bows formally to Letitia.
"Vinsamlegast bíddu hér konan mín. Ég mun fara að tilkynna herra Radosek um komu þína og mun koma aftur til að sjá gistingu."
Please wait here my lady. I will go inform lord Radosek of your arrival and will return to see to your accommodations.
Assuming no one objects or does anything unexpected, the man walks to the north end of the chamber. he stands on a glassy pattern of ice covering the tiled florr in a small alcove and speaks a phrase
Samkoma í salnum, taktu einn, taktu okkur öll
A gathering within the hall, take one, take us all
with that, ice quickly climbs up his legs, encasing the body of the man within seconds. a moment later he vanishes.
it appears that the man was affected by the spell Ice Crystal Teleport keyed to a specific location and activated by a command phrase.
Letitia pauses as she passes by the frost troll. She regards the giant as the corners of her mouth turn down. She notices the hungry glance. Tilting her head slightly, she strikes a fine balance between condescension and sympathy.
"צי נאַסהענאַ ניט אָפּשאַצן איר? צי איר לאָזן איר הונגעריק, טראכטן דאָס וועט קאָנטראָל איר? איר פאַרדינען מער, עמעצער וואס וועט דערקענען דיין טאלאנטן, ריכטיק?" "טראַכטן וועגן וואָס."
"Does Nazhena not appreciate you? Does she leave you hungry, thinking this will control you? You deserve more, someone who will recognize your talents, correct? Think on that. I will return shortly."
She steps into the entrance chamber, nodding her head regally as the soldier bows.
Her mouth twists as the magic sends him away. She whispers to the others, "Best prepare yourselves. He's gone to summon Radosek. The time for our ruse to come to an end is nigh."
Callix nods, and whispers, "Here's hoping we can be quick and quiet and not need to hack our way out. Do we jump him as soon as he arrives, if so, we might want to prep some magic."
Letitia agrees. "Yes. Drink your potions if you haven't done so already. Radosek has been trained by the Jadwiga."
She surreptitiously consumes her potion.
Samuel only notices the troll's bad smell as the group moves further into the fortress.
The Sentinel growls as the man disappears. Alarmed he readies his musket and only calms down as Letitia quickly explains what is happening. Obediently Samuel picks up the potion and quickly downs it all.
"You did make a good job out there" he then looks at Ashling whom he is pushing "I am sorry Ashling for the rudeness"
"I do hope you can get some extra information about the Dancing Hut and the portal to Taldor before he does discover the ruse... In any case I will be prepared" he then checks the musket, making sure a bullet is properly loaded in.
After a few minutes, the guard returns. an ice block forms on the patterned tiles, then swiftly melts away to reveal the guard. he approaches the group and bows low to Letitia.
"My lady. accommodations have been made for you and your retinue to use one of the guest suites above. we will provide you with a dinner, as well as entertainment. Radosek will meet with you in the morning, he is in the middle of a ritual and has requested not to be interrupted."
"We will take the Rider into custody. he will be held in a cell on this floor and guarded by some of our most trusted soldiers."
The guard goes to one of the doors to the west and knocks loudly. 5 more soldiers come out of the room, weapons ready all pointed towards Ashling in her disguise.
The deception had been going well, but they hit a major snag. Radosek wasn't coming down, which meant they had to go up. Worse, they were suddenly outnumbered by the new guards, and they had backup in the guards and troll they had previously bypassed.
Letitia's mind worked as she glanced at the "Rider." She wondered if they could continue without her, but discarded that notion. The mantle, and Ashling, were too valuable in a fight to let her be separated from them.
Delay wasn't a very good option either, since their potions would wear off before they did any good if it took too long to confront Radosek. Her mouth twists in distaste.
She had to come up with something, though. She shakes her head. "I'm not interested in dinner and entertainment. This is My Black Midnight. The harbinger of Baba Yaga's return. I need to inspect the cell you plan to use, at the very least."
She watches the guard expectantly, waiting for him to lead them all to the cells.
Samuel observes both Letitia and the soldiers trying to avoid showing his raising nerves. He does nod slightly to the witch showing support.
Then observes the soldiers and readies to the possible combat to erupt.
Callix nods and throws back her own potion, Must be nice to have magic that lasts hours. What do you think, Hero? Maybe you help a girl out with something that doesn't fade in a minute or two... She chuckles at her own joke, Aye, teasing one's god is always a good way to defuse tension.
She winces at the guard's declaration, then smiles at Letitia's quick recovery, Aye, that might just work. Ambush them in the cells, lock them up, and then go find Radosek on our own.
Callix steps forward, stretching to her full height, taking a position to Letitia's right, adding, "И, без обид, но мы не готовы отдать должное за наши достижения ... Тот, за который заплатили кровью моих людей. Поэтому мы бы предпочли следить за призом."
She then turns her head to the left, and demures, "Если леди будет удовлетворена после ее осмотра, тогда мы воспользуемся вашей камерой, но по крайней мере один из нас всегда будет настороже."
- And, no offense, but we're not prepared to give up the credit for our accomplishment... One that was paid for with the blood of my men. So we'd prefer keeping an eye on our prize.
- If the Lady is satisfied after her inspection, then we will use your cell, but at least one of us will always be on guard.
Ashling looks around, somewhat confused and uncertain as to what her job is exactly. i haven't even activated the cloak, perhaps i should... to prove i am the rider she takes no actions other than simple arguing with herself
Alec stood motionless. With the situation around him unfolding as it was, he may have been a blind man as oblivious as he was to it all. His grip on the spear tightened as his shield hand moved to free the potion vial on his belt. It was almost a wonder that they made it this far, and if he didn't think she was of one them before, she certainly was convincing now. Maybe a little too convincing...
the original guard bows once again to Letitia
"Mjög vel, konan mín. við meina engin svik. þú ert gestur okkar í þessum turn. Við höfum enga löngun til að fara yfir Jadwiga. ef þú vilt sjá klefann skaltu fylgja mér. hver sem vill ferðast uppi verður að snerta aðra í óbrúnum keðju eða þú munt fá eftir aftan."
Very well, my lady. we mean no treachery. you are our guest in this tower. we have no desire to cross the Jadwiga. if you wish to see the cell, follow me. each of you who wishes to travel upstairs must be touching another in an unbroken chain or you will get left behind.
the guard moves to the ice teleporter tiles once again, and is joined by 2 of the guards. the others seem to see that things are under control and stay back for now.
the guard holds out a hand, looking to Callix, obviously not wanting to be the one to lay a hand on a Jadwiga.
Callix steps forward and takes the man's offered hand, then turns to Letitia, and says in an apologetic tone, "Моя леди, я боюсь, что у меня нет другой пары перчаток, так как они были запачканы, но, кажется, вы должны взять мою руку, чтобы магия сработала."
My Lady, I fear that I have not another pair of gloves, as these have been soiled, but it seems you must take my hand for the magic to work.
She then slowly and deliberately offers her other hand to the witch, her eyes fixed on Samuel, then jerking her head at the prisoner. "Кто-нибудь из вас приведет пленника? Я бы предпочел не позволять заключенному возлагать руки на мою леди."
For a moment, Letitia worried that her allies who did not speak Skald would not know what was going on. Thinking it best to take the initiative, she reaches out and grabs both Callix's hand and then puts her other on the "Rider's" shoulder.
"Bættu mér við sótthreinsun þína," she mutters with a roll of her eyes, trusting that Callix would understand the reasons behind her imperious tone. She then glares at Samuel and Alec, giving them a pointed glance at their hands and her own which is forming a chain with the guard, hoping that they would get the hint that everyone needed to be touching each other.
"Spare me your sycophantic groveling."
Samuel looks to one and another a bit hesitant of what is being talked. But seeing everyone is joining hands, Samuel saves his musket on his back and takes Ashling by the shoulder following Letitia's example, and Alec by the hand.
The Taldan looks then at Letitia hoping he is doing good.
Ashling fidgets immediately, clearly not used to physical contact with anyone, she slowly reaches her own pale hands out. She mutters under breathe in Aklo
I do not like being touched so frivolously...
the group materializes in a new room.
they appear spread out between two more teleporters set in alcoves in what is obviously a dining hall. a large crescent-shaped table occupies most of the room, while large mirrors on the north and south walls make the room seem larger than it is.
twenty feet overhead a large ornate ice chandelier hangs from the ceiling. to the east, rounded steps lead to a hallway flanked by twin statues of ice dryads holding ice-covered tree limbs forming a beautiful archway.
translucent, glasslike doors are set in the hallway's north and south walls.
behind you, large windows look over the land around, and you can see the courtyard and wall of the pale tower below you.
as your eyes take in the unique dining room, you are also greeted by music. on the top of the steps, a pair of Atomies are performing a practiced series of twirling flying dance moves.
a female forlarren is playing a harp and singing to provide music for the dance. her head turns towards the teleporters as you arrive. the music stops suddenly and she rises to her feet.
You! Mierul exclaims. You certainly look different than the pretty little family I found heading to Waldsby! and what are you pretending to be today?
the guards look nervously between you and the bard, trying to figure out what is going on and why she recognizes you.
Alec's hand tightened on his spear as his face blanched and he swallowed hard. He silently prayed that Letitia or Callix had a response that would prevent bloodshed, but he knew that their cover wouldn't last too much longer. His eyes took in the scene before him, counting the number of soldiers in the vicinity and adding the tally to what he had seen down below in the courtyard. It would seem they had walked right into the wolves's den, and now the wolves were coming home.
Samuel attempts to hide his surprise and smile at the forlarren hopping he has not been informed they are carrying the Black Rider "Mierul? Are you also working with Nazhena?"
The Taldan attempts to be succinct to explore how things develop and what else other can add.
Letitia's eyes widened as the forlarren speaks. She hadn't expected the fiendish fey to be here in this tower, so it appeared their ruse was up.
She folds her arms in front of her, however, disliking the bemused tone of the fey. She was still Jadwiga, and that part was no falsehood. "Is it so odd to travel incognito? Especially when Nazhena and Radosek couldn't catch the Rider and I saw an opportunity? I dislike your tone, Mierul."
Callix resists the urge to reach for her axe when the Forlarren speaks, though she can't hide the scowl. Aye, Hero, you couldn't have warned a girl about this?, she chastises as Letitia's quick mind engages and she speaks, Oh, well now, that's an angle that could work...
She debates trying to add to the story, but then stops herself, We can't all be piling on, it would just add to the lie. Instead, she stretches to her full height, then nods deferentially to Letitia before turning to the fey adding, "We did as my Lady commanded. We did not want to reveal ourselves, especially if there may have been those abetting the Rider about."
Mierul laughs at Letitia. "That's good. I mean really good. You've probably convinced a lot of people with that fake Jadwiga air. Unfortunately for you, I'm not so easily fooled as these soldiers. I saw through your lies in that fool woman's camp, and we have been... keeping tabs on you since then. Actually, you saved us some amount of trouble by coming here. we sent a group of soldiers to Waldsby to pick you and Nadya up."
she casually starts strumming her harp again and calls out in Skald:
"svikari! drepa þessa þykja eða horfa á reiði húsmóður síns.
bold may act: Ashling, Samuel,Mierul, Atomies, Callix, Alec, guards, Letitia.
Global Condition: none |Global Condition:
Callix HP: 24/24 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Letitia: HP: 14/14 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Alec HP: 26/26 - AC: 18/12/16 Status:
Samuel HP: 27/27 - AC: 18/15/13 Status:
Ashling HP: 23/24 - AC: 18/14/14 Status:NPCs:
Mierul HP: ?? | AC: ??
Green Atomie HP: ?? | AC: ??
Red Atomie HP: ?? | AC: ??
Green Guard HP: ?? | AC: ??
Red Guard HP: ?? | AC: ??
"Go to Hell meddling goat!" Samuel does not wait any more, he climbs on the table and shots at the forlorn before he can say more words.
Ashling with the Riders Mantle active casts divine favor on herself, She draws her blade tracing a finger along the edge
Mierul yells out as the bullet hits her, but the wound appears to close up slightly as soon as she is hit. the sound of the musket being fired in this closed room is deafening. the ice chandelier shakes above, and you know without a doubt the residents of the tower know you're here if they didn't already.
Mierul stands, strumming her small harp in a lively tune and begins singing in a clear and beautiful voice.
when Mierul calls out, both Atomies vanish into thin air at almost exactly the same moment.
bold may act
Callix, Alec, Letitia, Samuel, Ashling, guards, Atomies, Mierul.
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 24/24 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Letitia: HP: 14/14 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Alec HP: 26/26 - AC: 18/12/16 Status:
Samuel HP: 27/27 - AC: 18/15/13 Status:
Ashling HP: 23/24 - AC: 18/14/14 Status: Black Rider modeNPCs:
Mierul HP: -12? | AC: ??/<24
Green Atomie HP: ?? | AC: ??
Red Atomie HP: ?? | AC: ??
Green Guard HP: ?? | AC: ??
Red Guard HP: ?? | AC: ??
bumping dexterity is not an option because you're not assuming the shape of a small creature. the cloak only allows you to take the form of the Black Rider who is a medium creature.
Letitia's eyes blaze at the accusation of being false. "I AM Jadwiga!"
She turns to give the soldier next to her a glare, hitting him with her Slumber hex.
Samuel attempts to cause more confusion on the soldiers shouting "Traitor!" while he astonishingly quickly reloads his musket.
Hoping Letitia is successful with her hex, the Taldan focuses his fire on one of the flying attomies.
Callix spins the axe in her hand and chuckles, "There's nothing fake about her Jadwiga air. She's a Winter Witch, born, bred and trained. And we knew about your little patrol. Where did you think we got the uniforms?". She smiles as she winds up and hurls the cold iron axe at Mierul, adding, "Catch."
Alec dropped his spear and moved to interpose himself between the guard and Letitia, drawing his falcata as he moved. He dropped his shield low and brought the blade up high, slicing at the man's chest.
Letitia hexes one of the guards who's eyes get droopy, but he is quickly cut down by Alec.
Samuel and Callix lay into Mierul who drops dead.
Ashling swings her scimitar at the last guard that arrived with them, but is unable to cut through armor
the guard, seeing his companions fall, finally gets into action. he swings a longsword at Ashling but is unable to hit her either
the atomies reappear, stabbing with tiny swords
bold may act
Letitia, Samuel, Alec, Callix, Ashling, Atomies, Guard
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 24/24 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Letitia: HP: 14/14 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Alec HP: 26/26 - AC: 18/12/16 Status:
Samuel HP: 22/27 - AC: 18/15/13 Status:
Ashling HP: 23/24 - AC: 18/14/14 Status: Black Rider modeNPCs:
Mierul HP: -46? | AC: ??/<24| dead
Green Atomie HP: ?? | AC: ??
Red Atomie HP: ?? | AC: ??
Green Guard HP: -11 | AC: 19
Red Guard HP: ?? | AC: ??
"Ouch!" Samuel curses as he is stabbed by the invisible atomie.
Observing he can see now the small flying creatures, Samuel steps back over the table and quickly reloads, only to fire at the one that just stabbed him "You want to play? Take this one!"
Letitia glares at the atomie that tried to stab her. Seeing Callix and Alec nearby, she strips away the fey's defenses to make it more vulnerable to their attacks.
Callix rushes forward to strike at the Atomie attacking Letitia before it can turn invisible again.
for
Alec stepped forward, his falcata raised about his head. He brought the blade down in an arc aiming to cut the tiny fey in half.
Letitia casts a hex on the closest Atomie and can feel her magic take hold. Callix and Alec attack the weakened Atomie, but only Callix is able to hit.
Meanwhile, Samuel fires another deafening musket shot that completely destroys the second Atomie.
Ashling cuts down the second guard after chilling him with ice magic.
the final Atomie sees it is alone and tries to go invisible again
it avoids attacks from Alec or Letitia and vanishes
Party may act
Global Condition: none |Party Condition: Hex Ward on all
Callix HP: 24/24 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Letitia: HP: 14/14 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Alec HP: 26/26 - AC: 18/12/16 Status:
Samuel HP: 22/27 - AC: 18/15/13 Status:
Ashling HP: 23/24 - AC: 18/14/14 Status: Black Rider modeNPCs:
Mierul HP: -46? | AC: ??/<24| dead
Green Atomie HP: -6? | AC: <24
Red Atomie HP: -27 | AC: ??| dead
Green Guard HP: -11 | AC: 19 | dead
Red Guard HP: -12 | AC: 16|dead