Realising the pit might now be activated, JJ backs up to the lever and tries to move it back to the initial position without being obvious about it.
If he can manage it he then heads back the way he came, if the hobgoblin causes problems he will snarl at it in Abyssal and advance on it in a threatening manner with swords out.
Ruben takes the potion of Invisibilty and heads back toward the way JJ went. It isn't like him to put himself in harm's way but he feels like the kid is getting conned here, sent out like a patsy to see what's going on and just hope no one questions him. Sure he might look like a hobgoblin but if they get into conversation with him that's only going to end badly.
He listens intently for any sign of trouble, waiting to run to JJ's aid.
Kikinnin drops the remaining goblin in the kitchen with ease, the creature shrieking like a pig as it falls to the floor. The human looks a bit scared at the dwarf "In normal conditions it should be in five hours" he then looks at the fallen bodies just in front and your faces and armors full of goblin blood everywhere.
JJ pulls again the lever making sure the pit is closed. He then heads back to the northern corridor and to the forge. As he does so the hobgoblin starts shouting things at him but when JJ speaks Abyssal the creature gets impressed and stays behind as he disappears through the corner.
Ruben accepts the potion and downs it suddenly disappearing.
Ruben tries to follow after JJ. He slips through the door and looks around.
If he is honest with himself, he thinks all hobgoblins look alike, but at least he is familiar enough with JJ's disguise to know which was the kid and which are the enemy.
After discovering the pit, JJ crosses it...carefully.. and turns west, checking out the first of the doors.
Marigold flinches as Kikinnin dispatches the two cowering goblins, but her gaze remains fixed on Gryffon. "I...I d-don't know, I've n-not seen her lately and there were r-rumors that she'd gone m-missing...like you. W-what happened? You t-told us what they've b-been having you d-do but not how you g-got here. Did they t-take you t-too?"
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"Kikinnin, it's terribly hard to get info from them once they're bled out" Ryan says as the 2nd goblin chef is dispatched, not overly upset at it's loss personally; just any information it might have taken with it.
Ryan leaves Maxim, Kikinnin, and Marigold to get information from Gryffon. Moving back toward the intersection that JJ and later Ruben disappeared down, crossbows at the ready for anything that should come their way.
"That's why we're talking with the human here. He has every reason to see us prevail here, while the gobs would just as soon raise an alarm, now that they know we're here. That problem is solved. Now, we debate whether to wait for the dozen or so to come here to eat, or we head out, and call down the thunder." Kikinnin stands by, and listens to Marigold and Gryffon speak more, hoping to hear something useful in regards to ambushing or sieging the other rooms.
"You talk about thirty. We took out one big one," he waves Kazhun's head on a stick, "but do they have any other big ones? Or is Kazmojen the last 'big one'?"
"Yes, they got me while I was closing the tavern Marigold " he looks in dispair at the group "You plan to attack them as they gather? If you have killed that much they will come for you prepared "
And to Kikinnin "There is that large odd dwarf. But he rarely comes around "
As JJ opens the door from where Kazhun came he finds a luxury bedroom with a shackled dwarf over it that cowers at your sight.
JJ advances on the dwarf, speaking in Common.
"I'm here to help, this is a disguise. I've got Maxim and Kikinnin with me too. We're here to rescue the children, and it looks like a lot of the rest of Cauldron too." he carefully approaches the dwarf and looks around for a key. "Do you know where the prisoners are kept?"
If no key is obvious he takes out his lockpicks
"Want me to try and spring your lock?"
"W-we don't have m-many other options Gryffon," Marigold responds distractedly, trying to put aside her fear at the thought of another battle that would be even worse than the last one was. "Anything you c-can tell us about this place m-might m-make the difference b-between all of us g-getting out of here - us, you, the orphans, the other slaves - and n-none of us."
JJ approaches the dwarf. The female is dressed with spare clothing that let's most of her naked body to be seen. Her skin is red by recent hits, and she is shackled to the bed. Although she cowers as JJ tries to talk with her, she does nothing to avoid the disguised hobgoblin forcing the lock.
As she sees herself free, she breaks into a deep cry embracing JJ "H-he told me I will p-pay for m-my daughter escape taking her place..." the woman answers nothing by crying as JJ interrogates her, but stops for a moment when he says about Maxim and Kikinnin "W-What Kikinnin you say?"
Ruben observes the scene as it develops getting impatient as he knows the invisibility will soon run out.
"Let's see..." answers Gryffon to Marigold "There is not much more I can tell. Well the prisoners are in the West, at the old clan chambers. They have modified the doors there, closing every slave."
He looks at the fallen goblins "I am given very basic stuff to cook for them and those goblins take it to the slaves there everyday. A group of hobgoblins guard the cells and Kazmojen barely never goes there. The slaves are taken to him at the Throne room when he is selling them to a potential client"
Ruben approaches the disguised JJ quietly and lays a soft hand on his shoulder, sure to follow it up quickly with;
Shhhh.... it's ok kid, it's me. Listen, we gotta get a move on here. I ain't gonna be invisible much longer, I'll have to turn back to the others before they see me. We need to know numbers and where Kaz and the kids are.
I can't back you up much longer. They've got a bunch of crossbows loaded and primed back there. If you can lead any of them back, they'll get a nasty surprise. Just keep that in mind if you need to make a quick getaway.
"Do you know where the children are kept?" asks JJ, urgency in his voice.
"You are free now, but I'm going to ask you to wait at least thirty seconds before heading straight through the intersection towards the forge. There are friends there including Kikinnin.. If you can wait longer it would be better, as the goblins will probably see you and sound an alarm."
Watching the intersection, Ryan saw JJ enter the room on the far side of the crossing, watching for anything that might come in behind him.
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How the &^$%$#! does Ruben go invisible? I wanted to be the wizard, not him.
"Take care, there is a pit in the intersection that the goblin can activate. I think I'll have to take him out, or the alarm will likely go off. Kids may be behind that guarded door anyway."
JJ draws swords and proceeds down the corridor, banging their handles on the walls every few feet as if searching for hidden doors. In between in speaks loudly in infernal.
"મૂર્ખ સ્થળ. મૂર્ખ વામન. મૂર્ખ હોલ"
When he gets next to the hobgoblin he glares at him and strikes out with the blade.
The dwarven woman nods in agreement to JJ "I guess they are with the other prisoners in the clans rooms to the west. Unless they are being sold out right now. Kazmojen does his business in the throne room. I will hide there" she points to the room's wardrobe too scared to run through the corridor.
Ryan moves stealthy to the entrance of the corridor where he can see what is going on. Soon JJ appears through the doors and moves to the center of the intersection disappearing to the south.
Despite the hobgoblin being terribly suspicious, JJ approaches him in a way he does not know what to think. JJ gets the surprise on him cutting at his right arm and forcing him to leave the lever unattended.
The hobgoblin responds drawing his sword and attacking back at JJ "Yal razit?!"
JJ tries to keep the sound down a little, not knowing when reinforcements may come if he is too boisterous.
"મને ખાતરી છે કે અહીં એક ઓપનિંગ ક્યાંક છે કર્યું"
I'm sure there is an opening here somewhere
Pleased to have drawn a little more blood he tries to finish off the goblin.
"તમારી જાતને તમારા હાથ રાખો
JJ moves fast and furious, the hobgoblin surprised by the speed of the traitor. One sword slashes at the left arm, another finds a clean spot in the right leg, and a final blow pierces the astonished creature through the belly. With the blood flowing through his mouth, the desperate cry for help is a mere babble hardly audible through the southern iron doors.
Longsword
leather armor
iron key
As JJ inspects the southern doors, he finds they have been barred from the inside, making it impossible to go in through this route unless the door is broken.
He finds out though the doors have eyeholes and with a bit of skill he is able to unlock and open the shutters so he can see what is going on at the other side.
Four malachite pillars support the twenty-foot-high ceiling of this grand chamber. Hanging from an iron brace mounted near the top of each pillar is a cylindrical iron cage containing a giant beetle that sheds an infernal orange light. The southern half of the chamber rises five feet, and a wide black staircase leads up to the raised floor. Just past the top of the stairs, an eight-foot-tall iron post erupts from the floor. Iron shackles hang from the top of the post. Five narrow windows carved into the south wall stand open to the darkness beyond.
Inside, a 5-foot-tall muscular figure clad in a magnificently black dwarven breastplate stands on the staircase, his face hidden behind a visor. In one gauntlet, he clutches a wicked dwarven urgrosh. In the other, he grasps a chain ending in an iron ring clamped around a human boy's neck.
Behind him, crouched at the top of the stairs, looms a large vile predator with a hide as thick and tough as leather. Wicked ebony quills run from its head, tail, and back. It is the size of a tiger—12 feet from snout to tail and weighing at least 6,000 pounds. His color is pale, with darker quills and milky eyes. It looks uninterested at the action going on in the room.
This is a chaotic evil creature of the Abyss, a howler. It is known by his terrible howls that cause madness on those that hear them. It is fast to react and his good perception makes a good guardian of him. Despite their size, they cannot attack on reach, and his weak defense is their will. They understand Abyssal.
Kazmojen is currently haggling with a creature that looks like a humanoid water dragon-like with ears that end on scaly crests and black eyes. He wears robes encrusted with mold, and he holds a bone box filled with coins.
This humanoid seems a skum but there is something wicked about him. Skums are aquatic creatures created by the aboleth in ancient times. They prowl deep areas of the Darklands covered by waters and barely never venture to the surface unless to go to war. He is perhaps a bit larger than the usual one, and there is something in his scales and look that points to a dragon or fiendish origin.
Shackled to the slave posts in this room are three other children, all of them known by JJ: Deakon Stormshield, Evelyn Radavec, and Lucinda Aldreen. Kazmojen holds the shackles of a fourth prisoner, the proud Terrem Kharatys, while the scaly creature inspects the boy more closely.
Kazmojen and the scaly humanoid are discussing something in a strange language unknown to JJ. Kazmojen gives a nervous look from time to time to the eastern doors while the other one does not seem like a lackey of the half-dwarf but more like a demanding client.
There they are! But what the Hell is that thing? Ruben hisses in JJ's ear. The others need to know, we throw ourselves at that thing and we're going to be in trouble - but if we do nothing then we'll never see those kids again.
I'm going to head back and let them know what's going on.
While still talking with Gryffon you overhear Ruben's voice telling you JJ has found Kazmojen and the kids, but they are in a dare situation!
The invisibility is quickly running out, there is barely a minute left for Ruben!
Maxim shoots the liberated cook a hard stare, bids him follow, then walks back out to the dining area where captured weaponry, both practical and alchemical, and suits of studded leather and shields have been laid out.
Nodding toward the tables the gun-mage issues a stark reminder;
"If... When... our scouts come back we need to be ready. Load up what you need, if you ain't wielded a weapon afore take a crossbow and bolts or that morning star. Leave the alchemicals lessen you know their workings... When the fight comes, we all need to fight. Hell's Teeth just stay at range iffen you have to..."
Maxim grabs another flask of acid, then taps his pistol butt;
"... an' all o' ye stay outta my line o' fire fer once!"
Kikinnin hears the report, and looks about for JJ. "Well, time's wasting then. Sounds like we risk the captives once we storm in. That's not good. The beast and the not-dwarf. We've got to end them quickly."
The black-beard starts to walk towards the door leading to the throne room. "Don't suppose JJ could lure Kaz from his negotiations, with the report of some kind of problem with the slave stock? Seems like we need to separate the two bigguns."
JJ hurries back to relay the situation. He pauses for a moment to let the dwarf woman know the coast is clear for her escape to the forges. Then heads back to join the others.
"There is a Howler there. They are from the world of demons. Weak willed and easily dominated they have a horrible voice, so if we are going to go and rescue the children we should bind our ears. Does anyone have wax? Surely the forge will have some for moulds?"
He pauses.
"My little brothers and sisters are there alright, so we need to act now. It looks like he is about to sell the kids. So unless we ambush the seller on the way out, we had best go now. " Eyes wide he adds "But what if he spirits them off to the demon world, there must be a portal around somewhere. We can't wait..."
Marigold tries to keep her mind calm and think logically. Hadn't she read bits and pieces on battlefield tactics in the past?
"S-so there's at least t-two doors into this room that we c-can get to but the b-big doors are barred from the inside, right?" she asks, conjuring a rough mental image of what she knows about the immediate area's layout. "M-Maybe JJ can cause a ruckus outside the b-big doors and distract them while the rest g-go in from the door in the d-dining hall?" She frowns. "B-but then if we c-can't get those b-big doors open we won't h-have JJ's help unless he r-runs b-back around this way..."
"And y-you said he's g-got a demon with him?" she shudders. "I c-can try that p-protective magic that Maxim asked about, but o-only for just a c-couple of us..."
Speaking quickly....
"JJ do you remember anything else about the demon tiger, like what hurts it....sorry musing outloud folks. Kazmogen and the devil cat aren't going anywhere, this is their home right now, until we take the urgrosh and return it to the proper leaders of Malachite." A quick glance towards Kikinnin and Maxim to stave off any arguments coming about this being Kazmogen's home.
"Why don't we take out the outsider first then concentrate on Kazmogen saving the cat for last. Maxim, I haven't honed my outsider rules lately, if Kazmogen is defeated would that sever the howlers link to this plane and send him home once more, away from this plane is as good as dead in my eyes at this moment in time. None of us are tip top for this fight right now. The only way I can think to keep them from killing the children or calling for reinforcements.
The other option, JJ is the trap big enough for the big ugly critter? we could open the double doors and let it out of the throne room, and spring the trap on it as it passes over it."
Otherwise Ryan still has crossbow at the ready....
"Just that that are weak willed. They are large, but can't reach very far, so closing on it in combat shouldn't be a problem. I suspect the dwarf with the big dwarven axe - that is urgosh thingy..might be more of a problem. If we have alchemists fire or tanglefoot bags, going in with them first would be a good option I think."
Ryan nods, mashes a bit of wax in each ear, then moves towards the doorway from the dining room to the throne room, heavy crossbow in hand. "May our aim be true and hand steady"
He plans to step into the room, once the doorway is opened, shooting for the buyer, before moving onto other things, he will also cast guidance before they open the door.
If we're going to do this, let's do it. Figure this spell isn't going to last much longer. Ruben says, hefting his sword and shield.
"Okya" says JJ as he heads towards the side door into the room.
"I go in with Ruben who is invisible. I start the affair with a thrown tanglebag. Then the rest of you flood in, or use missile fire. We should concentrate on one target at a time. If I manage to stick the dwarf, then we should do either the howler or the fish-man. The howler may be a bigger threat if it can affect many of us at the same time..."
He continues to look around for wax for his ears as he moves.
The goblins, and the dwarfs before, do not seem to generally use candles, and thus finding wax in the fortress might take a long time.
With more or less the best plan that they can come up with on such short notice decided on, Marigold swallows and nods weakly. "L-let me try what p-protections I can..."
With those precautions taken care of, she asks for a small bit of guidance for herself and pulls out the thunderstone she'd been carrying around...
Yondalla protect us all. I hope we're not making a big mistake...
When the door opens, Kazmojen and the buyer look distracted in that direction, excitedly continuing their discussion about Terrem as they see only JJ hobgoblin standing in the door.
The howler keeps though looking at him as he moves into the room.
Maxim checks his pistol then readies a flask of acid to be thrown.
With one final look at his fellow dwarf, then at the former prisoners the group will leave in the dining hall, the gun-mage makes for the door with the others.
Maxim moves past Rueben and the disguised JJ, as he enters the dwur curses under his breath , seeing a child stand between the figure he presumes as Kazmojen, and his under-dark patron, and numerous other potential innocents littering the room;
"Hell's Teeth! Can't risk the acid!"
JJ strolls in, snarling in abyssal at the Howler.
"નીચે બેસી અને હજુ પણ રહેવા"
"Sit down and stay still."
He stalks into the room, and tosses a bag at the dwarf.
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Surprise
Cursing lightly under his breath as Ryan realizes JJ only just made it in the door before throwing the tanglefoot bag he nonetheless pushes past the ranger aiming for the buyer, taking up position beside one of the children.
Round 1
However the shot is rushed as he tries to adjust when he sees one of the other children standing in very close proximity. He knew it but still failed to account for it at the last moment.
Maxim enters the room shouting, an acid flask readied.
JJ seems to forget how heavy the tanglefoot bag is and throws it from afar, the thing falling just close to the first column were Anfa is standing.
Everybody, including the children turns their attention towards you, still confused on what is happening.
Ryan then shots a bolt that strikes tangentially the amphibious humanoid, the projectile deflected by the skin of the creature that acts as a natural armor.
With the surprise all but ruined JJ realises that it is going to be important to even the odds, quickly.
Hoping the howler is stupid enough to follow his command, he moves to the slaver, drawing his second sword as he does so. The sword of Surbar lashes out at the fish-man-thing.
In the excitement he forgets his disguise as he shouts in Command.
"Nobody is going to buy my little bothers and sisters!"
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As all hell breaks loose and her companions begin streaming through the doors Marigold hustles through and heads south, keeping her back to the nearby wall. Once she's as close as she dares, she heaves the thunderstone in her hand towards the surprised Kazmojen and his buyer.
Marigold steps into the throne chamber just on time to throw her thunderstone before JJ starts moving to the center of the room.
The small stone flies over the heads of her companions landing in the middle of the stairs just between Terrem and Kazmojen. It breaks with a terrible bang!
The howler opens wide its jaws trying to shake the horrible sounds in his ears.
When Anfa sees Marigold and JJ entering the room she starts to shout excitedly "Sister! Sister! They want to sell us!"
JJ bravely moves to the center of the room, and finding first the buyer, he stabs his main sword on the amphibious creature, a dark violet blood starting to pour through the whole while the creature looks at him confused.
Maxim stashes the acid flask , then moves across the room to grant himself a clearer firing line, drawing his pistol as he does
The gun-mage bellows at the dwarf who stands nearby;
"Få konflikter eller få gået! Enten gøre eller spisestuen, når andre dværg konge vente og stå fast der, eller hjælpe mig ud, når en hvordan jeg siger!"
"Get fighting or get gone! Either make to the dining room when other dwarf kin wait and stand firm there, or help me out when, an how I say!"
Get the kids out of here and hit that big bastard with everything we have, don't give him a chance he ain't gonna give us one! Ruben roars.
His invisibility holds firm but he does what he can to inspire the others to action, hopefully the violent kind.
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Kikinnin profits the surprise round to get into the room and close to the dais stairs.
The young dwarf looks frustrated at Maxim as he approaches.
"I cannot! They hold me shackled to the column!"
Ruben starts singing an heroic tone, inspiring all the group as you push forward.
Kazmojen roars in anger "Whom gave you permission to come to my holdings, attack my guards and now my clients?! You trash, you will pay the insolence with your life!"
He points towards you and says something in Abyssal "Prickles તે અનધિકૃત સમાપ્ત!"
Although the howler does not hear Kazmojen, he seems to perhaps understand the intention, because he stands up and stepping closer to you raises his head and starts to howl horribly!
The buyer steps to the side and tells JJ while casting a spell "Why are you attacking us? We can achieve an agreement over the slaves. I am sure there is a price you can pay to pick them up, no need for aggressions"
As he finishes the spell JJ feels it has had no effect on him. The creature looks despised. He then draws a dagger for self-defense.
Observing the situation, Kazmojen let's Terrem's shackles go, draws his urgrosh and stepping just next to JJ, attempts to crush the little hobgoblin.
JJ jumps to the side in the last moment as the urgrosh crushes the stone door. Kazmojen mumbles something pissed off.
Terrem starts to shout at the half-dwarf "Ha! What do you say now dwarf? They came for me, I told you! Prepare to die! Kill him! Kill the half-dwarf!" he shouts and laughs at the same time.
JJ ignores the horrible howling, following up with the fish man in order to force him to retreat further if he is going to try his tricks.
"Surabar!" he shouts at the top of his voice. His blade thrusts and parries as he tries to finish off the fish man before he can cause any more trouble.
The swords swing, singing their own tune of metal and blood as first one and then the second slash at the odd fish man.
:
As the fell creatures howl washes over him Maxim, resolutely shakes off its effect.
Nodding toward the young dwarf to acknowledge his enchainment, the gun-mage takes a step toward him, then aims and fires his blackpowder weapon at Kazmojen's huge beast;
"Back tae the Pit with ye!"
:
:
:
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Amidst the chaos two things stand out to Marigold: Anafa calling her name and Kazmojen directing the huge howler to go on the offensive. She flinches as the howler offers a counterpoint to the thunderstone she just threw, but manages to shake off the effect.
Telling it to attack? He's not afraid of losing to us. Not afraid, not as likely to threaten or hurt the children! But for how long?
Darting around in an attempt to have a clear line of sight, the halfling pulls out her one remaining flask of alchemist's fire...
And heaves it at Prickles the howler, hoping to slow it down a little!
Unwilling to risk doing any more harm to Terrem, Marigold clutches the vial in her hand and adopts a defensive posture should Prickles or his master approach.