Sidius carefully follows, keeping watch for more crossbowmen as he does.
Kenji stops long enough to shrink to his normal size
Sidius and Arcos give chase as well.
Talvek dashes up the stairs to find it blocked by a diabolical winged creature.
Hovering with impossible control, its vicious foot talons clench and unclench, while its clawed hands wield a long, three-pointed ranseur.
The tiefling continues to be shunned by Fortune and his blade stabs into the wall.
=====round 27====
(15) Knight(-62), guardian()
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope/smite/big), Talvek(-52,true!), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
Talveks strike misses the outsider. Lubella dashes to keep up with her taller Allies
The outsider hisses at Talvek and calls to the knight at his left.
”Thrune, no wonder the war goes poorly if you and your kin flee from the likes of this mongrel.“
He slashes his Talvek with his long ranseur
for miss
Which Talvek easily parries and replies with a stab of his own but the repost is blocked by the ragged hide of the flapping beast.
The knight commander calls back
”Concentrate on him and save your worthless banter!!!“
The knight drinks and drops an empty vial then regrips the halberd he found upstairs.
=====round 28====
(15) Knight(-53), guardian()
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope), Talvek(-52,true!), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
Sidius follows Arcos, trying to catch up to Talvek and offer the limited support he can.
Kenji takes out a tea of transference and drinks it!
Talvek maneuvers himself inside the creature's reach and tries to stab it.
Sidius catches up to the advance team. Kenji restores some ki
Talvek presses the attack and stabs at the diabolical flying creature. But the rapier is not strong enough to puncture the armor of the beast. It hisses back at Talvek.
Thrune, you need protection from such as this one? Your contract terms will be doubled.
=====round 28====
(15) Knight(-53), guardian()
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope), Talvek(-52,true!), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
Arcos and Lubella advance to keep up with the pursuit of the commander.
The infernal flapping creature, hovering with impossible control, its vicious foot talons clench and unclench, while its clawed hands wield a long, three-pointed ranseur. It claws with both feet at Talvek. Mortal, you prick me, I destroy you!!!
for hit?
for Miss
The first claw almost drops the injured Tiefling. Fortunately, the second claw gets caught on the wall.
The commander readies his own halberd. Both doors on this lower level are currently open.
=====round 29====
(15) Knight(-53), infernal(-11)
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope), Talvek(5 hp,bleed), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
Kenji drops his greatsword, and while he moves forward, he draws his bardiche. And then from behind Talvek, he strikes the evil creature.
"With Irori's might I smite you vile creature!!" Kenji shouts.
Kenji calls a holy smite upon the flapping creature, but the exchange of weapons throws off his aim.
You cannot see outside due to walls and corner, but there is a breeze and an odd stench of the wyvern wafting into the stairwell from that direction
Arcos says quietly, ”I’ll be back, need to check something out.”
With that, he flies back and up towards the breeze and the source of the wyvern-stink.
Sidius climbs the stairs, and then hurls a hex at the creature when he can see it, and his tiny companion fires a blast of air.
for
Arcos flies out…
The flapping creature tries to ward off the hex.
The hex affects the beast but the air blast does not faze it.
=====round 29====
(15) Knight(-53), infernal(-11)
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope), Talvek(5 hp,bleed), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
Kenji again attacks with his bardiche from behind Talvek.
"Go down!" Kenji shouts.
"Could use some healing here," gasps Talvek, blood flowing liberally from all his wounds. He makes another stab at the creature.
Adjusting his aim for the fluttering movement , Kenji hacks into the vile creature with divine force, nearly cleaving it asunder.
Lubella slips in under Kenji and taps Talvek with a cure wand. This stops the bleeding as well.
Talvek lunges to into the opening and with one quick stab finishes the outsider as it drops in a smoking heap before being sent back to the netherworld.
The commander gasps. In a final act of desperation, he yells as he hacks and steps back to the cave behind him.
”This means nothing. You and your rebel movement will never succeed. YOU WILL ALL BE DESTROYED!!! LONG LIVE HOUSE THRUNE!!!“
for
Talvek manages to block the heavy blade and the slash slams into the wall.
His reposte stikes under the arm and heavy armor.
=====round 30====
(15) Knight(-76), infernal(destroyed )
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope), Talvek(+14), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
Kenji moves past Talvel and now attacks the Throne agent with his bardiche from range.
"Justice will prevail and you’ll see Thrune fall!" Kenji shouts.
Kenji steps up to the corner and slams his glaive into the commander as he stands before the open cave mouth.
Sidius takes the spell energy from his lone remaining spell, converting it to healing magic before reaching forward to touch Talvek.
Aeria fires a blast at the commander.
for
Sidius steps closer to administer some healing to Talvek. Aeria emits a blast that hits the armored commander in the face, he reels and steps back as he falls.
Long live House Thruuuuuuuuuuu...."
Arcos reaches the outside just in time to see the commander stagger and fall off the cliff, slamming into the wall and smashing into the rocky ground hundreds of feet below.
Chunks of plate armor dented and breaking free, scattered along the cliff.
=====round 30====
(15) Knight(-104, dead), infernal(destroyed )
(6) Kenji(-15, fly,hope), Talvek(+26), Lubella(-8, hope,images), Sidius(-39), summons(), Aeria(-25), Arcos (10 hp, fly, hope, blur)
So ends the arrogant and cruel life of Lucian Thrune.
Talvek staggers, reaching out a hand to catch himself against the wall. He nods his thanks over his shoulder at Sidius. "Thank you. I thought that was the end of the line for me." He straightens up, cleaning the blade of his rapier with a rag. "Let's see if those guards wouldn't rather surrender now that their commander is fallen."
Kenji starts to sigh.
He then moves to the Thrune commander and will then stabilize him.
"That was hard! We are definitely nearer to our goal now! Let us investigate everything here!" Kenji says.
He starts to search the commander now.
Kenji flies down to the commander at the bottom of the cliff but the broken body is beyond his ability to recover.
Arcos flies back and lands, a grin on his face, "Well, wasn't that a hell of a thing! A Thrune, dead by our hand. Moving up in the world, that much cannot be denied."
Kenji and Arcos are able to recover the body. Nearby was the corpse of the wyvern, but only has a saddle upon it.
Upon his person, besides his battered masterwork full plate, you find the following:
r mwk full plate, +1 flaming greatsword, iron and silver
bracelet set with small opals depicting devils being eaten
by bloated dolls (worth 700 gp), long dark cloak set with
black peacock feathers (worth 100 gp), soft leather scissor
case containing scissors depicting a lewdly posed gnome
(worth 75 gp), small vanity mirror painted with angels
(worth 50 gp), silver-rimmed reading spectacles in an iron
case (worth 50 gp), iron key
Lubella had picked up the flaming greatsword in the courtyard.
There are a handful of soldiers from the other side of the keep, some bandaged and injured with others helping their comrades. They seem to be making a retreat (or rout) to the east towards the Chelish homelands.
"We cannot allow any soldiers to escape and bring word of what happened here to the other Chelish garrisons and cities. Let's round them up, take them prisoner and lock them in one of the rooms we've already secured. We're not heartless, of course, those who need treatment we will help." Talvek would like to pause and savour their hard-earned victory, but there are too many loose ends left.
"Then there's the rest of this place to search and secure. Who knows, we might find important information."
Kenji nods.
“Great Talvek!! I agree that it is very important to keep this operation secret … let’s take prisoners! And I really think that this great sword that we found will help me a lot to support our mission! And of course investigation of this fortress… and finding out what happened here and what we can find is very important! Let’s do it!“ he says confidently.
The remaining guards look defiant at first as they hoped to retreat. But being injured or supporting those who were injured, they quickly throw down their weapons, having seen enough as their commander fell from the heights. "We surrender. We have had enough.
We do not get paid enough for this %#&(!#"
The flaming greatsword can be handed from Lubella to Kenji, as it is much too large for her anyway.
The room beyond where the flapping devil fell appears to be some sort of treasury. Undoubtedly, one of the concerns of the Thrune commander.
Within is a single large closed chest.
To the east was the cliff and obvious stable/nest for the dead wyvern.
Talvek takes the time to very carefully examine the chest, for it was very likely trapped. Just in case, he avails himself of some healing beforehand and advises everyone else to leave the room.
Then he attempts to unlock it, first with the iron key found on the body of the Thrune commander, then with his own tools if the key doesn't fit.
Sidius nods, "Thought we all were, honestly," reaching up a hand for Aeria to rub against, sending her a wave of appreciation and thanks over their empathic link.
Sidius pauses, "I agree we should keep the news of this from getting out, tactically -- but at the same time, the boost to our reputation for having managed it isn't a terrible side effect. That to say, this getting out later, in a way we control - would not be the worst thing that could happen."
Kenji tests the new greatsword and is clearly happy.
"Okay, I think searching everything here is our highest priority! Any plans they had or anything else that can help us!" he says.
Sidius agrees, "It's too bad we don't have the means to take all the arms and armour. Might be helpful to equip resistance cells -- and I certainly rather them be in our hands than those of Thrune loyalists."
Inside, Talvek sets to work checking the chest and finds a trap almost immediately
Fortunately he is able to disable the blades meant to maim and injure the unwary.
Outside, the remaining guards do not put up any additional fight and are almost willing to surrender. Some few of their fallen comrades are still alive and can be saved.
Opening the chest, there are a fair number of items mixed with coins.
The chest contains several pouches of
gold consisting of 980 gp in all (the keep’s payroll).
Additionally, the chest contains a stash of six potions
of cure moderate wounds and six potions of cure serious
wounds, along with a few other unusual treasures
a Small +1 human-bane bastard sword, six +3 frost arrows,
a lacy white dress worth 200 gp, an ivory fan with a
painted silk picture of The Six Trials of Larazod worth
200 gp, a leather-bound glass flask with attached silver
fox-head stirrup cup worth 200 gp (the flask contains
a potion of haste), and a solid-gold pillbox carved with a
leering harpy face worth 400 gp containing three doses
of dust of appearance.
There does not appear to be much movement in the keep once the guards surrender. There are a handful of closed doors or rooms on different floors that were not previously investigated.
Talvek snorts at the contests of the chest. "I do not want to begin to speculate on where the commander got this dress from and what he was doing with it."
He claims a couple of the curative potions, then rises to his feet. "Alright, let's see what else is in this place." He begins to methodically explore the rest of the keep, always on the lookout for traps, starting with the top floor and moving down.
Talvek has disabled the slashing trap and the chest and its contents are free to loot.
Moving back up the stairs, there a couple rooms which look like guards quarters. The guards are undoubtely absent as they were part of the defense you already faced downstairs at the sounding of the alarm.
A set of six none-too-comfortable-looking double bunks
fill this room. Numerous footlockers sit at the base of each
bunk—nearly two dozen in all
While you consider the missing guards, the next room to the north has an open door as well. Again, likely as troops rushed to greet you earlier.
A circular table with several chairs sits in this room. Sprawled
atop the table are numerous maps of Cheliax, along with
several scrolls weighed down by a bejeweled dagger.
Talvek moves to study the map, hoping for troop positioning and any other information that could help the rebellion. He points out the scrolls to those more magically0inclined than him to identify.
Sidius follows, then nods, casting a detect magic before starting to try to study the magic items.
Sidius is able to discern the various auras of the magic items. The detect magic also picks up the dagger in the map room as well., where Talvek is seeing a wealth of info.
The scrolls on the table.
Tthe scrolls and maps strewn are reports from the Chelish heartland, showing the advances and losses Thrune has made against the Glorious Reclamation. A study of the notes makes it apparent that Thrune has its hands full handling the more widespread uprising, and that while they know rebellion is growing in Kintargo, they simply don’t have the resources at this time to bolster Barzillai’s work there. Several letters impress upon Lucian Thrune that if he can’t hold Menador Keep, the government will send more soldiers to replace him and oust any troublemakers who might try to claim the keep—it seems obvious that the destruction of the keep and pass aren’t things that House Thrune has even considered as a possibility.
In addition, the number of documents here that contain recent battle tactics and techniques could be of use to the Silver Ravens... Perhaps in a future time, when the situation might call for it.
"It might be useful to make contact with this Glorious Reclamation." Talvek taps one of the reports. "They've been keeping the Thrune busy elsewhere, and they may be able to support our efforts in Kintargo. More concerningly though, while Thrune does not have resources to help Barzilai, they will do their utmost to keep control of this keep. How do we prevent that?"
Sidius asks, "Well, if we had an army at hand, we could leave a garisson here to fight off the Thrune... but, since we don't, it might be better to try to figure out how to destroy it."
"Agreed. If we could somehow destroy it, the pass could be rendered almost, well, unpassable."