You bring the ingredients to Vral and she spent the evening cooking the potions.
The potions basically acts like a somewhat stronger alter self and transform you into goblins. You would become small and gain darkvision.
Desmond picks up one of the potions, studying it with (somewhat exaggerated) awe.
"Vraljyiya, your skill is matched only by your charm and patience. We're closer than ever to being done with this business, I can sense it. Just a little longer until you have Kayiqard all to yourself."
He turns the vial over in his hands."How long do you think these will last?"
Oh you charming snake, If I were younger and you were greenish...I guess, the effect will last about three hours or so. - But she can make as many potions as ingredients you bring to her.
Desmond first heads back to Zypp and asks if he can provide some guard outfits.
"While you're at it, would you mind drawing a simple map of the castle? Doesn't have to be to scale or anything, just show where all the rooms and such are."
Zypp can give you an outfit, tomorrow, or today if you can manage to retrieve it at the castle.
And he also can draw a map of the parts of the castle he knows.
Vendrick drinks tea and studies his spellbook whilst he awaits Desmond's return.
"Ah so Arkememnon's formula should be applied here for added effect due to it's polarization of ley line energies..."
"We can't risk waiting until tomorrow. Pepperclamp's head might be a fair distance from his shoulders by then."
"I could cast a sphere of invisibility and magic away all of our problems...but what fun would that be?" Vendrick says half-jokingly.
"The kind of fun that leaves us looking like goblins for as little time as possible." Sven chimes in, grumpily.
"Ruining the fun aside, that would only last for a few minutes...perhaps long enough to get to those outfits."
"Desmond, you are more cunning than you look! Let us be away at once!" Vendrick says as he stands and strides across the room, his robes sweeping.
"Once we find a good spot, I'll need a few moments to focus. Such magic is not one I know by study, but rather something I must improvise."
"Improvise magic? How does that work? I have a hard enough time figuring out a select few useful ones I use all the time." Sven seems kind of jealous.
"It would take me a few hours to explain in detail the very surface theory of my magic by improvisation, but the short and simple version is that by expending a larger quantity of arcane power, I can by brute force emulate the magic of divine, natural or bardic magic. I can only really do this once before I need to rest however. The strain on both my body and mind is immense. It will also drain most of the energy I have for my most powerful of magics." Vendrick deliberates.
"Almost sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth."
"Oh most certainly, but the POTENTIAL is incredible. It takes a bit of time but calling a particular spell on demand is valuable. You won't believe the things I know now from when I was a student studying only the arcane. How to call basic beasts for protection on the fly, a trivial task for any druidic hermit, yet possible for myself now through long research and development. I've theorized some future prospects as well, raising the dead isn't an impossible task in my future. But alas we have a task at hand and I'm beginning to feel a bit embarrassed talking about my craft." Vendrick says feverishly before coughing and reasserting his composure.
"It's fine. I was beginning to think nothing could excite you. Good to know you bleed red like the rest of us." Sven gives him a lopsided tusk-y smile.
"I also have a hobby of gardening, but alas I haven't had the time. It's very therapeutic and gives a peaceful time to reflect." Vendrick says completely seriously.
"I've always liked herbs myself. Stuff you can USE, to cook with or make medicine. Never had much use for flowers."
You didn't try hard enough then, I have a recipe for a strong itchy powder made with moonflowers, last time I used it the guy prefered to torn his own flesh apart haha - Vral start as laughin
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Quite surprisingly the security have not improved that much since the last attack, at least in the outside. You can reach Zypp as planned, he gives to you the outfits.
"Well, that was easy. Now the fun begins!"
Desmond drinks his potion. Once the transformation is complete, he puts on one of the outfits.
He looks up at his allies with a huge, toothy grin. "So, longshanks, how do I look?"
The potion work as promised, it taste horrible though. Zypp explains that now that you are small you can walk inside the castle halls without the magic of the place making your steps noisy.
You already know where is the entrance to the Castle's dungeon, Zypp ask you to not kill any guards, they are his friends.
"I'll see what I can do." Sven says, noncommittal.
Vendrick takes a moment to take in his new goblinoid form. It seems almost like he's committing the feeling to memory.
"Yes...interesting...now where were we?"
As before, the entrance to the dungeon is watched by two goblin guards. The first is looking for some bugs in the ground and the other is half-sleeping. They still have an alarm near them in case something bad happen.
"Hey, Captain wants to see you two. We're supposed to take over the rest of the shift." Goblin Vendrick says while sneezing and wiping it away with his sleeve.
And who exactly are you? -
"We're the new guys. Got hired a few days ago. We've mostly been out keeping an eye on those longshank ambassadors."
"Yes. We are supposed to be here."
- The goblin stand there confused. The one that was half-sleeping now say Perhaps we should ask the captain
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sven says, his frown deepening as he hears his new, squeakier voice.
"The Captain doesn't like to be bothered with trivial stuff like this. All that will do is make him mad at you AND us. And you know what happens when he gets mad."
"Look it's just a really good idea if you were to go see him yourselves."
"You all saw what he did to the last guy who pissed him off, right? Gave me nightmares for a week."
Vendrick almost ruins it but Desmond came to the rescue. Still, you have to hurry since your facade was not that convincing.
You enter the dungeons, and thanks to your newly acquired darkvision you don't need any source of light. Most of cells are empty as the last time you were there, but start hearing some slashes accompanied with some scream of pain. Somebody is been tortured ahead.
Sven gestures for everyone to move quietly.
Vendrick makes a quick hand sign and becomes invisible.
You advance and discover a 40 x 50 ft torture chamber filled with sinister devices. A goblin you don't know is hanged by a rope tied to his wrist, with his shoulders obviously dislocated. Peppeclamp is tied and he is being lashed.
The torturers are 4 of the, by far, most muscled and sturdy goblins you have seen. You could have mistaken them by dwarf if it were not by their big mouth and their big oval heads.
One of them seems to have heard something and go to take a look but he can't see any of you, he seems cautious.
The others three are enjoying their physical activity.
A 5th goblin, this one of the more typical skinny variety, is sit there waiting.
Just tell us to whom you contacted and avoid all the pain, would you not prefer to live your last hours in peace?