"The way is clear to the mages!" , the Untherite calls to his companions.
Gram moves up to join the group."I heard them say they were going to activate a signal stone! Whatever theyre planning, we need to stop them before they get to it!"
Gram then drops his torch and draws his City Watch horn. He plays a rigid battle tune that Halgrin would recognize as the Call to Arms for the city watchmen. At the end of the tune the horn itself begins to glow with a bright light.
"Lets end this"
Halgrin snarls when he sees the magical attack hit Horat. Heedless of danger, he barrels around the bend and attacks the nearest robed figure.
Halgrin tears around the corner and cuts down one of the spellcasters. The other, a fanatical look in his eye, seems intent on fleeing.
Calling upon the Forgelord's skill with mending, Katra reaches out a glowing hand and touches Horat, transferring the smoldering emberlight from her hand into his body. There is a moment of the distinctly odd feeling that his wounds are being shoved together from both sides of them by unseen hands, but when it is done they are greatly lessened.
She then shouts "Halgrin, don't run too far ahead. You'll get surrounded and killed!"
As Katra reinvigorates Halgrin, the last attacker rushes around the corner while throwing a hateful look over his shoulder.
He ran east and turned left around the corner to head north up the eastmost tunnel.
Horat rushes into the south corridor - and sees no one for a moment.
Gram hangs his now glowing horn back on his belt as he dashes forward in pursuit. "Halt! By order of the City Watch! No one else has to die today!"
"Halgrin! Katra! He's headed back toward the entrance! Head back the way we came and cut him off if you can!"
[Ooc]The enemy turnes the corner and headed north up the eastmost tunnel[/b]
“Yes, Captain!”
Halgrin runs off in the opposite direction, hoping to block off the escaping spell caster.
Halgrin finds him running north! The shocked man sees you in his way and tries to run past while casting some spell.
Halgrin swings his longsword at the man as he runs past but he feels a tug on his mind attempt to pull him away from striking the man. But the half-orc's grim determination wins through and he strikes the man with his sword. With a cry, the robed figure falls facefirst into one of the tepid puddles.
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The fog of rage having cleared from his mind, Halgrin remembers himself. Rather than go for a kill, the watchman spins around and clotheslines the fleeing man with the flat of his blade. The rest hear a loud dull clang, followed by a thud. And when they catch up they find Halgrin, securing his target with a pair of manacles.
Horat strides up to Halgrin's position.
"That was good work, Officer Halgrin. Now we can get some answers."
Horat keeps a watch out for further approaching threats.
Once everyone arrives, Halgrin taps the captured man's face.
"Wakey, wakey. We got questions for you."
Gram draws his rapier and dashes around the corner trying to catch up to the robed man. As he turns the corner though, he sees Halgrin securing the target and slows down to a halt next to him catching his breath. "Excellent work, <Bratr>. Now we'll be able to get some information into what exactly is going on down here. Before we wake him, up lets search him and the bodies of his friends to see what we can piece together."
The man awakes with a start. You see dark marks that seem tattooed around his eyes in chaotic swirls. He seems frightened
"Oh my! I'm so sorry officers... My friends and I were simply down here to inspect the sewers and we mistook you for thieves... Very irresponible but we've paid for our hasty judgment! My name is James Inspecta and I'm very sorry and um... contrite!"
He has received some blessing of his cult, conferring darkvision.
He's definitely lying.
Gram inspects all six attackers and finds two silver holy symbols inscribed with a strange geometric pattern . He also finds a total of 12 gp, two clubs, 4 scimitars, 4 light crossbows, and 4 sets of hide armor too beat up by your blows to sell.
Gram makes a show out of refuting his story.
"I think not. What kind of inspectors wear armor and carry so much weaponry? And those markings on your face. They're of a cultish design, I believe. A blessing a darkvision if Im not mistaken. And I found THESE on your compatriots" showing the holy symbols. "Your talking to a Waterdeep Investigator, son. You're gonna have to do better than that to fool me."
Gram looks VERY pleased with himself.
You are very uniquely qualified to identify this unholy symbol. It is of Baphomet, a demon Lord of strength, fury, minotaurs, and destruction. Most people wouldn't recognize it as Baphomet's worshipers are generally wild minotaurs.
"James" looks somewhat taken aback. Then he spits "There's nothing you can do! You'll all die horribly anyway!!"
Gram looks "James" in the eyes as he spits out his threats, being sure not to show any emotional response. He takes a deep, deliberate breath and looks over to Halgrin. Then back to "James".
"You like plays, James? I love em. I was to be a playwright before I got into the crimesolving business. One of my favorite plays is 'Ban's Labyrinth'. It's about a young man who attempts to run away from home only to lose his way and find himself in the sinister labyrinth of Ban the Minotaur. You see, Ban wears the symbol of the Demon Lord Baphomet on his belt." He points to the holy symbols."Thats where I recognize the symbol from..."
He continues to talk as he slowly paces around the man..
Throughout the play, Ban attempts to corrupt the boy's soul so that he can sacrifice it to his Master. And he nearly succeeds. Near the end, the boy is given a choice: Kill another prisoner of the Labyrinth--a homely old beggar--and gain his freedom, or die at the hands of Ban himself. After much internal struggle he ultimately refuses to take a life to save his own. And as an enraged Ban charges to stike him down he is rebuffed by the old man, revealed to be Bahamut in disguise. The Platinum Dragon rewards the boy for his bravery and kindness by opening a path out of the Labyrinth, and allowing him to return home."
Gram is back in front of the man at this point.
"Do you know what the moral of that story is?" He bends down so that he's face to face with "James" and speaks as a father would to a son. "No matter how lost in the darkness we are, there is always a way out. As long as you're willing to do the right thing"
"Now, my friends and I believe that something terrible is coming and a lot of people are going to suffer and die when it does. Do the right thing and tell us what you know, and we may be able to offer you a way out of this mess"
How about telling us about that signal stone you guys were going to activate?
As the others chase the last fleeing man, Katra begins offering the dead last rites, praying that their souls be reforged into something more than they were in this life.
Rising from her somber work, she makes her way to the group just in time to hear the end of Gram's story....and the implications.
Dwarves invented Good Constable, Corrupt Constable after all.
"Don't listen to his story. It's so much nonsense. Instead, you all go away and let me have a nice quiet chat with him. Me; him; and this nice piece of metal. I'm sure that after the screaming stops, he'll tell us all about his naughty cult and their ill-concieved plans. Won't you?"
Incanting a word to her god, the end of the jagged piece of metal begins to glow a bit.
Horat sees no reason to disagree with the assessment of his...new companions.
He does watch 'James' carefully, to weigh his words, should he utter any more.
He seems to be considering Gram's point about turning his life around. Then his eyes widen a bit at Katra's threat. "There's a stone in the wall over there. If we press it, the guards down below know something's wrong. We press once for reinforcements. Twice for them to get ready. And three times for them to clear out if the whole watch is coming." He tries to scoot backwards with his bound hands to get a few more inches between him and the blade. "D... d... don't cut me... Where's my way out?"
Overhearing the conversation, Horat believes the man is finally telling the truth.
Horat's gaze moves from the man to the others.
"He now tells the truth.", Horat says simply.
"Hmm. Calling for reinforcements might not be a terrible idea. We could lay out a trap, and potentially divide their forces."
Halgrin then turns back to James.
"How many of you are there? And, remember, your cooperation will be noted in your favor."
Horat resumes his quiet gaze.
"There's enough of us to deal with the four of you, that's for sure." He spits rudely.
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"Oh, I apologize. I thought we were having a polite conversation. But if not,” he trails off as he takes a rope from his pack. Halgrin quickly ties up James’ legs together, and then takes the other end of the rope and feeds it into a loop in the ceiling. Perhaps in another time it was used to hold oil lamps.
Halgrin begins to heave the rope through until it grows taut. And then with a surge of strength he pulls and pulls until the mad man is hanging upside down from the rope, swinging like an awkward pendulum his face a foot away from the ground. With a professional’s surety, Halgrin ties off the rope and then slices off the extra line with a swift cut from his dagger.
Halgrin then grabs the man by his shirt and lifts him up parallel to the ground.
“We’re going to leave you here hanging from this rope. After a few minutes, the blood rushing to your head, will cause you to pass out. A few minutes after that, and your body will begin to suffocate. You may or may not regain consciousness at that point—I don’t really remember that part of the lecture. If it’s any comfort, you won’t feel a thing. You’ll just drift off to sleep. And then slowly die. You might even dream.
“Now, if my compatriots and I survive, one of us will be able to come back here and cut you down—which means you get to live. But if something happens to us—well, how long do you think it’ll be before your buddies send someone down here? My guess, they’ll probably just leave through whatever secret exit they have, that you haven’t told us about. And I’m guessing they wouldn’t even bother to get you, even if they did know.
“So you’ll be hanging here dead, until some poor Dung Sweeper passes through, which probably isn’t often based on how dirty this place is.
“We’re going to be leaving now. But before we do, is there anything you want to tell us, that might increase our odds of survival?”
“James” begins babbling "Ok ok ok! The brick to open the secret door is right next to the signal stone there. The first thing you'll find down there is a maze we built! I don't really understand how to make it through because the leader would always bring us through it!" He jerks his head toward the other robed body. "But there are three keys you have to get. Once you get them, you can unlock the door down to the next layer. It's somewhere in the middle. But be careful! There are some big tough guys with horns that sneak around in the maze! They'll attack you if you don't convince them you're part of the cult. We call oursleves Dnazdxw Nuqqz."
He tries to catch his breath so he can keep talking. ”Then you can unlock the trap door and go down out of the maze. There’s a ladder that leads down into where we hang out, make sacrifices, and stuff like that. Mostly guys like us in there. That’s as far as I go! After that, there’s a big, iron door to Malgus’ room. He’s in charge. Only Rafir and Alain are allowed in there. I don’t know what’s in there but it’s a big deal. A new guy once tried to go in there but the door sucked the life out of him when he touched it! He shriveled up and died right there, all black and crispy.” He shudders at the thought.
”That’s all I know. You’ll come back and get me, right? Please!”
The cult's name is abyssal for the twisted wall.
He’s telling the truth.
Horat, still gazing, says:
"The Twisted Wall. That is their name for themselves."
He then addresses "James".
"Who are Rafir and Alain?"
"They're Malgus' lieutenants! You'll get me, right?"
"What about hostages? Does your little club have anyone kept in cages or something?"
The cultist thinks for a second. "Oh yeah. I guess we've got a lady in a cage down there. Didn't really seem relevant for making sure you got back to save me. But definitely save her! Oh yeah! Good and light and all."
[dice=Insight to see if there is even a hint of sincerity in "James" attitude]1d20+2[/dice]
"We'll come back for you. You've got much to answer for to the magistrates. I'll suggest leniency since you didnt manage to actually hurt anyone, yet. But, that's only if you continue to cooperate."
"Now this Rafir and Alain. Are the the horned brutes who guard the maze? And by "tough guys witg horns" do you mean minotaurs? Or altered humanods? Or demons?"
"What can you tell us about this hostage woman? What's her purpose to the Twisted Wall?"
"And this Malgus? Is he your leader? What can you tell us about him?"
Katra does her best to seem really disappointed when he spills his guts. "Don't they teach you cultists to resist interrogation? I was gonna get me an ear, too!" as she "rants", she flings the piece of jagged metal down the way in disgust.
The cultist shakes his head. "No Rafir and Alain work right with Malgus. Rafir is a big tough guy while Alain is pretty sneaky. The guys in the maze..." he shrugs "I don't really know what they are but minotaurs sounds right I guess. The lady is supposed to be a sacrifice." He squirms a little when you demand that he speaks of Malgus but, seeing that it's in his best interests, he continues "Malgus is a real believer. He thinks Baphomet will grant him a lot of power over the city. And it seems to be working for him so far. He's got quite a bit more magic than us."
He cocks a quizzical eyebrow at Katra and shudders slightly then decides to look elsewhere.
Thank you. You've given us plenty to consider before we proceed. Your cooperation will not be forgotten."
"I'm done with my line of questioning. If noones else has anything further to ask, I suggest we prepare to make our next move."
Gram takes a scimitar and swings it around to check its balance, then takes the sheath from one of the bandits and adds it to his belt. He then picks up a crossbow and straps it to his side and checks for bolts to go with it.
You know minotaurs have darkvision, are incredible at finding their way around mazes, speak abyssal, and love to fight recklessly. You also suspect these aren't full-grown minotaurs as "James" made it sound like the maze is relatively small and these minotaurs are big for humanoids but aren't large creatures.
"By the way, if we're dealing Minotaurs, not that they can see in the dark and navigate any maze expertly so we probably wont be able to avoid them. Based on the likely size of the maze below us they're probably not full grown yet, and theyre usually pretty wreckless in a fight so as long as we stick together and fight tactically, we should prevail.
Halgrin frowns then leaves “James” swinging from the rope.
“If it wasn’t for the hostage, I would suggest leaving to get reinforcements. But that’s not really an option now. Still I hate the idea of blindly walking into some villain’s lair like some bumbling rat-catcher.”
Halgrin turns to Katra and Horat. “No offense.”
“So same marching order as last time?”
Horat gives Katra, then Halgrin quizzical looks in return.
"Even if forced from the armies of Unther, I do not hunt rats for a living. Wait, is this a western colloquialism? Regardless, unless there is a reasonable law preventing me from descending, I shall not be swayed from doing so."
Shaking his head, he turns to Gram.
"I have no further questions of 'James' here. Let us make way below. "
“A ‘rat-catcher’ is what the Watch calls adventurers,” Halgrin explains patiently. “It’s a little unfair, to be honest. Actual rat-catchers serve a useful function. Adventurers mostly just walk around like they own the place, and seem genuinely surprised when we tell them to stop randomly throwing explosive balls of fire around the flammable civilians.”
“As for the law, technically the Captain here can temporarily deputize whoever he needs to serve justice in the city. So as long as you follow his lead, you’re alright.”
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Gram starts starts loading a crossbow bolt into his scavenged crossbow as he heads towards the wall with the alleged passage in it. "In light of your call to action in service of the protection of the people of Waterdeep, and the valor displayed to that end, I hereby deputize you --"Katra Ironfist"-- and you--"Horat the Bulwark"-- as Blades in service of the Waterdeep City Watch for the duration of our assault against the the Twisted Wall." He finishes loading his cross bow at this point, and runs his hand along the wall until he finds the entry brick and presses it.
As the wall opens up he continues. "I hate giving orders, so I'll just tell you my intentions. My primary objective is rescuing the hostage. Capturing Malgus and shutting down his operation is secondary until she's safe, in my opinion. Other than that, watch eachothers backs and stay close and we should come out of this in one piece."
He looks down the passage and then back at the group.
"Shall we?"
Horat mulls over Halgrin's explanation.
"I see. While I have taken mercenary work to provide for myself, I have been most selective about the actions I have participated in. I loathe public disorder. And more so, demons. I would certainly not object to deputisation if that is on offer."
Then Gram speaks up, and Horat listens carefully.
"I accept your lead, and judge your intentions as most acceptable. I will do my utmost to prevent harm to the hostage or to yourselves. I am ready to descend."
Horat will move into formation with Gram.
Katra begins ramping up to lay into Hagrin when he calls her a Ratcatcher, but when he explains that it's an adventurer, she instead just smiles fiercely at the title.
When deputized, Katra nods and says "I am recently resigned from the King's guard, so I give you my oath that I shall not abuse what power you have granted me. Let's go deal with the cult and see where we stand at that point." Katra then took up position in the rear of the group, as requested.
You open the brick entry, revealing a dark tunnel about 5 feet across and 6 feet high. It slopes downward at an increasingly steep angle. You descend until you find that the tunnel puts you down into the maze, with brick passages all around. You can go left, straight, or right.
