Pyotr regards the necklace in the sarcophagus. His eyes flash momentarily as he looks in the sarcophagus, around the room, then down the hall toward the glowing symbol. He moves slowly, carefully.
His ear twitches as it picks up a sound. A grin reflexively curls his lip, but then he scowls and shuts his mouth tight.
Stephan says "Beware! There is a pit located in the hall. Mathus, If you could assist me, maybe we can discover a way to disable it so we do not fall within."
Mathus looks it over with an excited smile.
This is just like the one built into the D'Laccoute vaults in Caliphas... at least I think it is!. He almost babbles with enthusiasm, perhaps he feels more comfortable falling back on something he can control. I remember reading about them in my studies on such. See how the corridor creates a natural 'entry' for the mechanism? I am surprised I didn't recognise it earlier but then again I've neglected any formal studies in Engineering... but bypassing them is tricky. Let me see... , he muses.
He points Stephan to stand so as to gauge the slant of the floor and the surrounding walls in relation to the location. He keeps asking for data from the 'anthropomorphically enabled' feline getting assistance as he cross checks his memory of similar traps.
Disable device
The rogue and crypt breaker successfully spot the trap and jam the trigger mechanism, locking it in place for the time being and allowing safe passage.
, you do hear wailing but you don't recognize it as anything undead, of that you are certain.
, the piles of bones and bone dust glow faintly as the necromantic magic lingers slightly in the remains. The rune in the next room glows faintly, enhancing the effect.
It is of the enchantment school.
The alchemist is skitterish. Maybe its something at a subconcious level?
Feeling the healing power of Pharasma flow through him, Iliya feels relief and strength and agility returning to his tired limbs. He gives a reassuring smile to Nidal, along with a hearty pat on the back, and then mumbles that he has to relieve himself. While faking the nature's call, he quickly scoops the old necklace from the floor and winks to constantly vigilant Henry. Approaching burly ranger, he adds in low tone:
Next he goes to retrieve his trusty great axe, and while passing the door to the north, he squints into the room.
"I have no qualms to follow you anywhere, I do not know about tombs. However, even in this darkness I can spy the humanoid shapes lying around that body in the northern chamber. Can't tell if these are kids or more undead monstrosities. Your choice where we go..." - Iliya leaves the sentance unfinished, leaving to Stephan and others to decide.
"Yes, let us investigate the wailing...it could be someone in trouble, but be on guard."
Stephan then moves toward the wailing. I am assuming that we are reinstating marching order, so I will continue to Check for traps and disable them if need be.
Indeed. says Nilan, indicating he will follow Stephan with an upraised light source.
"I see that your education in the matter of traps and such is much more formal than mine. I have learned these things through necessity to survive. After this is over, we should learn from each other, so we both may improve our skills."
Pyotr pulls out his sling and loads a bullet into it. Keeping his other hand free and flexing it, he remarks, "Let us examine the source of the screaming."
Agreeing to investigate the source of anguish, you approach the wood door in the north eastern corridor. Stephan keeps his eyes peeled for traps but turns up with nothing. The harrowing shouts of misery have been reduced to a languid sob. Loud crackling as if from a large fire and the chime of rattling chains is easily heard. You do not hear any other sounds coming from the room. There is no key hole or method through which you could peer into the room. Silently trying the knob reveals that it is unlocked. How would you like to proceed?
Whispering I'll open the door quietly and start to sneak in. If you see anything in the room that knows we are here, Go ahead and charge in and kill to your hearts content."
Stephan then draws his sword, quietly opens the door and sneaks into the room.
Slowly opening the door, the gentle creak of the rusted door hinges is drowned out by the blaze of a massive fire ahead of you. Built into the wall sits a large furnace filling the room with a welcome heat compared to cold, dead air of the rest of the crypt. In front if the roiling flames is a strange wooden table, fit with metal restraints and stained a dark red. As your eyes pan across the room, spatters of blood covering the floor and walls are unavoidable. At the south end of the room you find a small door in the corner and two unsettling images. The first being an upright metal coffin, cracked and slightly ajar and from within you can see that is it filled with spikes and a body rests a body hangs suspended on the deadly barbs. Blood has pooled at the base of the thing. And behind it, a large cage, ideal for holding many prisoners, lurks in the corner. The sobs get louder as you approach, and pick up on gurgled mutterings. And then you see it, a terribly disfigured person sits curled up in the corner of the cage. It is surrounded by bodies. Its skin is patterned with lashes like a tangle of burst veins, purple welts swell in numerous areas of body making it look as though the poor thing was ready to burst. It clasps it head, shaking violently, and you can tell that one of its arms are broken. It hasn't seen you,
What do you do?
I should note that the cage is padlocked and there you do not see any keys about the room.
for a few moments, Iliya stands confused, not really knowing what to do. He casts a quick glance towards Stephan, but seeing that the catfolk hesitates as well, he lowers his great axe only slightly and enters inside. Approaching the body suspended on the deadly barbs, Iliya tries against all hope to determine if there is still life in it.
The weight of the body is enough to force open the door of the iron maiden as you approach. Hanging lifelessly on the door puncture wounds mark his corpse from head to toe. The sickening sound of stuck flesh peeling off metal disturbs you as the body snaps off the door and falls stiffly to the floor. The loud thud rouses the panicked prisoner in the corner who lets out a terrified yelp. You can see on both the corpse and prisoner that they bear the uniform of Vauntilian guardsmen.
The man in the corner turns and crawls towards the cage door on hands and knees. When you set eyes on him, you struggle to accept that he is human. His face has suffered terrible burns like a splash of acid or quick bath in flames causing his eyelids to melt shut and lips half fallen off. The only sign of his having had hair is the dark charred skin that stops at his hairline. His movement spill out with the sickening odor of burnt flesh and hair.
Facing the unopened door he gargles, "Please kill me...I'd rather be one of your evil machinations than live like this." He bursts into a dry sob.
Stephan recoils in shock at the figure within the cage. Forcing down the bile that threatens to rise within him, he gestures to the others to come into the room. Stephan then moves to the door, inspecting the area for surprises.
Looks like we found some of the patrol that was sent out here. Whoever did this is going to a special hell, one that is reserved for abusers and people who talk during plays.
By all the goodly gods of Light. Nilan says as he stifles a retch. The Lady does not wish your soul yet. Nilan lays his hands on the man and transmits healing energy into him
The alchemist sneaks in.
Fort
Oh dear..., he gasps.
He looks very strained by the sight but its also evident he's familiar with horrific injuries. Even so it more than he's ever man he's ever seen endure.
Heal
He tip toes towards the wreck of a man and attempts to get more information from his wounds.
Pyotr regards the scene with a certain level of detachment, essentially trying to force a certain calm about himself.
He holds himself back, only to say in his rattly voice, "We need to give this man some dignity."
The man in the cage continues to beg for mercy as you enter the room, and you give him just that. Nilan places his hands on the man and at first he tries to recoil, but after waves of healing energy flow through him he allows you to continue. His flesh mends at the lacerations the welts reduce and the bruising subsides, his face returns to a recognizable state and a thin layer of hair even begins to grow. There is hardly any sign of abuse after the energies of Pharasma pass through him.
"By the Gods...who are you? Are you here to take me to the Boneyard?"
A heal check would be more appropriate to determine the cause of his wounds, in which case you determine that are all inflicted by someone else. There were signs of whipping, burns from hot rods and submersion in flames, a broken arm, beatings with some sort of cudgel. One thing stands out though and that is small needle marks along the veins in his arms. Of course, you notice all of this until Nilan restores his flesh.
Not today dear man. Death will come, but not today. My name is Nilan, servant of the Lady. My companions are Mathus, destroyer of undead, Stephan is the catfolk, Pyotr is the demon blooded soul just there, Iliyia is the large man standing in the doorway and Henry is a champion of the Lady himself. We are here to rescue the kidnapped babes and put an end to Vauntil's problem with Orcus and the legacy of De Mon. Nilan states by way of introduction.
Who are you, and how did you find yourself here?
Malthus continues to do what he can for the man as well as gathering whatever evidence is left after the healing.
Nilan's words are soothing and comforting to the mistreated man who accepts your words as the truth and is more than willing to help.
"I am Captain Nials Keenly of the Guard. We were sent out three days ago to scout this forsaken ruin and gather more information." He gestures over to the corpse without looking at it, "Victor O'breen, my companion swore he spotted that Slugworth fellow who is always whispering in the governor's ear enter the crypt, so we quickly followed. It must have been a trap though because the entrance to the crypt began filling with a noxious gas that knocked us out cold as we entered. When I came to, Victor was strapped to that table," he struggles to finish the sentence, looking down and shaking his head, holding back tears. "The bastard Slugworth was boring holes into his body and filling the hollows with a pungent liquid. I don't know what it was, but in seconds Victor was convulsing and bursting in his own skin, like his muscle was rapidly expanding. I thought he would break out of his bonds, but they held fast. The effect lasted almost ten minutes, with him raging in his containment. The sadistic freak kept muttering how it was a failure and Victor wasn't right for the job. Weakened from the ordeal, Slugworth freed him from the table and threw him into the metal prison and began slamming it shut over and over." His eyes shoot up at the door in the corner, he raises his hand to point at it, shaking violently, "He hides in there, please get me out before he comes back. He has the keys but you have to find a way to open it! Please! " He starts to panic and rattle the cage door.
Stephan, Mathus could you free the captain? Iliya,Henry best we watch this door yes? Nilan says as he rises from sitting in front of the wounded Captain.
Pale faced, Iliya does his best not to spew the contents of his stomach. The sight of the room, the disfigured body and the wretched remains of what was once a proud captain of the guard are simply too much for him. He nodds to Nilan and tries to stand guard next to Henry, but it is rather obvious that Iliya wants to leave this room as soon as possible.
Slugworth? Yessss. Now that it plain before me, I see where I missed my critical clues.
He's an alchemist, as well as a slug it seems...the process described is that of a mutagens effect.
Describe the room you were in sir, when the gas hit you.
There is only a single lock barring the cage door shut. The captain was free of shackles, and thinking back to the condition in which you found him they would be somewhat pointless. The cage door rasps as the rusty hinges are put to an infrequent use and Nials leaps out of the cage at the earliest opportunity, clinging to Nilan like a frightened child to his mother.
"It was a dark stairwell, just at the crypt entrance. I don't remember much, everything gets foggy the more I try and remember." His eyes dart around the room, then he pats his body as if expecting some unclaimed equipment to remain on his person, "You didn't happen to come across our belongings did you? We both had exceptional quality crossbows, some daggers and standard leather armor. I would feel a lot safer exiting this Gods-forsaken forest with some means of defense. The governor must know what has happened."
As the captain finishes his sentence, the door in the southern corner of the room begins to open. With the sound of a metal latch being slung aside, the door opens just enough to reveal the repulsive face of the weasely man, Chauncey Slugworth. His sinister grin and jovial appearance quickly fades to horror as his wide eyes dart between Henry and Iliya before he slams the door shut. "No! No! No! " you hear him cry behind the door. You have few seconds to react while he fumbles with the latch and lock. The captain's grip on Nilan's arm tightens as the scene unfolds. Terrified, he begins trembling uncontrollably.
"Slugworth! You #%^!@$@%"
Stephan runs at the door to shove it open before he has a chance to latch it.
Nilan's eyes narrow as he looks to Iliya and Henry to deal with the vile man.
Becalm yourself Captain. Remember you are a Captain of the Guard and you are safe. We will find your belongings.
Seize that man! And don't let him drink anything - he will turn otherwise, he says standing.
Stephan runs at the door, managing to get his hand in the way before it has a chance to fully shut. He then attempts to push the door open with the force of his rush.
"Help!" Stephan yells through the pain of his hand stuck in the door.
Just a quick too slow to react with Stephan, Pyotr does not reach the door in time to stop the catfolk's hand from being crushed. He then starts forcing the door open again.
Pyotr also struggles with the door.
Following Stephan's lead without even thinking too much, Iliya races to the door and pushes his hand next to the rogue's, while trying to shove with his shoulder.
Thanks to Stephan's quick intervention, the party springs into action in an attempt to get at the apparent traitor. Stephan and Pyotr struggle to open the door until Iliya gives it a hard slam with his shoulder, bursting into the room and knocking the torturous bastard to the ground, crashing into a small wooden table in the back corner. You hear glass shatter as he hits the ground and a purple liquid leak out across the stone floor. The room is small lit by a few candles and set up as a bedroom with a bed, chest, table and chair. There is a nook in the eastern wall that leads to another candlelit room. The hideous man rolls on his stomach and tries to slurp up the liquid off the floor.
"Nooo! You ruined everything! You weren't supposed to be here yet!" he cries frantically as he struggles to gain the benefits of the liquid.
He isn't making signs of aggression.
"Not supposed to be here..."
Pyotr stalks into the room, an odd gurgle not unlike a purr emanating from him. "Oh, my poor little fellow," he growls. With a quick clean jerk he lifts the man off the floor, bringing his face perilously close to his own. Pyotr's breath smells of decay and pumice. "Now then, kind sir, why don't you tell me where someone like myself is supposed to be?"
Stephen moves toward the opening to the next room. Sword drawn, He stays around the corner, hugging the shadows and keeping alert for any backup that might show up to help Slugworth.
Nilan hands the Captain his lighted cane and walks toward the door. He draws his Skane . Tell us now why you are here or we will cut your fate strings and let you bleed out to meet the Lady's judgement.
Frightened, the pinned enemy complies with your demands. "You were expected to be dealing with an ambush on the road at this time. I knew you would accept the call when that overreacting whore came bawling into the estate. It was a mistake for her to leave her doors unlocked like that." At the books comments, you give him a frightening glare of disapproval and he begins to speak between desperate breaths. [b] "As for me, I was accepted into the Cult as an inside source to get close to the governor. For those of us that are less divinely inspired, there is always the alchemical means to spreading undeath in Orcus's name."
[ooc] Stephan I will post what you see and update the maps as soon as I get to a computer
"Next time you call a woman loosing it's child a whore, I rip your tongue out. That is a promise." - Iliya speaks in a disturbingly even voice, emphasizing just one word. Without much additional explanations, he asks: "The child...or the children. What are your plans and where are them?"
Mathus listens as well...
Kill him, the Doktor says heartlessly.
Listening to the conversation as he peers from the shadows, Stephen whispers "We may need him. Let us not kill him now, just strip him and lock him in the cage. I bet the wives of these children would like to exact their personal vengeance upon him."
Stephen then concentrates on the room beyond
Responding compliantly to your questions, the rat faced man continues giving answers. "Nathanos plans to drain them of their blood for some ritual to summon a servant of Orcus from his realm of Uligor. After that, he plans to restore his father's legacy by scouring the world in honor of Orcus's name."
Mathus slips into the room, looking for objects like Alchemical fire or acid that he can use.
I still say kill him. He's in league with Orcus and those who support the undead, he says harshly as he clinks among the bottles.