Trinia's pretty good. I'll have her CLW herself once.
"Shall we move on then?"
"Sure...did we ever check where miss deadly assassin came from?"
Three large stone vats sit in alcoves in this room. Each is big enough to hold a human, but apart from a strange blue residue caking the insides of each, they are empty. A cot and a writing desk sit amid the vats—awkward additions of comfort in what once seems to have been a strange laboratory.
An investigation of the materials on the writing desk reveals the majority of the notes to be concerned with training exercises, prayers to Achaekek, and detailed illustrations of anatomy and the best methods of delivering fatal coups de grace or sneak attacks.
Tronar doesn't notice anything off.
Searok notices something a little odd about the writing desk. There are a few inkwells, all of which look well-used. One, however, is heavily stoppered with wax. A sniff reveals that it doesn't contain ink at all, but some vile substance that smells dangerous.
Tronar deduces that think inkwell contains about 3 doses of Black Lotus Extract, valued at 13,500 gp.
"I propose we go to the door nearest the secret we found. There must be something worth knowing behind that door."
"I don't hear anything on the other side...do you think it is safe to go in?"
Ziranu proclaims the coast clear.
The room beyond was an execution chamber, where those criminals deemed irredeemable would have their lives ended by the vicious axe that still hangs on a wall. Benches are arranged throughout the room, for observers to witness the punishment.
The room doesn't seem to be used for that purpose anymore, however, and looks to have been converted for some ceremonial function. Prayers have been scrawled on the wall, but they are not in the name of any deity, but Queen Ileosa.
Interpreting the text and the rituals they describe paints a grim picture of the nature of the Gray Maidens. Each is/was a beautiful woman from the city who also happened to be a prime physical specimen with some knowledge of combat or athletic prowess. The women you found in the cells down here would all meet that description.
They are abducted, tortured, brainwashed, trained for combat, and taught to treat Ileosa with near religious reverence. Those whose will does not break eventually expire. Those who give in come here for their final indoctrination. To signify their devotion to Ileosa and the abandonment of their old identities, they permanently mar their beauty by allowing their faces to be ritualistically scarred, each in a unique pattern, which is hidden by the face-covering helmets all Gray Maidens wear.
If the names scrawled on the far wall in blood, on a contract vowing to serve Ileosa forever, are accurate, then the Maidens have grown terribly efficient at their horrid recruitment practices. At least a couple hundred of Korvosa's women are now an army of elite killers completely devoted to the mad queen.
"I can not tell you just how much this angers me." She shakes her head in disgust. "Think of how many of those women should have been wives, mothers, courtesans!" Shaeda pulls out a piece of charcoal and begins to make highlights on her face. Her cheeks, her brow, her chin, encircling her eyes. Then she pulls out a small pot of yellow paste, and begins to color in the rest of her face, leaving her with the colors and appearance of an angry wasp. She puts away her coloring instruments, draws her whip and cracks it in the open air a few times.
"We can proceed. No mercy for our enemies, Calistria demands vengeance."
Trinia: "I'm with you, sister. They have to pay."
No mercy? I can work with that! Searok says with a chuckle.
"onward then...to vengeance"
at the next door:
Some sort of filing office. Two writing desks are pushed up against the west wall of this room, opposite a freestanding wooden cabinet and an iron door with a window set in it.
Ziranu notices something odd, and examines the north wall. He finds that it can be slid aside with a push in the right spot.
"Be careful Ziranu, but check it for traps."
Ziranu will take 20 checking the door for traps, and get a 45.
Ziranu does find a trap, a small amount of sticky substance smeared on the edge of the sliding panel, probably contact poison. Once you know it's there, it's easy enough to open the door without touching it.
The door opens into a narrow hallway that branches like a T. There are a total of four doors to choose from.
"Suggest we maintain the right hand rule so to speak"
This is a fairly large but austere bedroom. It looks like it hasn't been used in some time.
Not much sign of anything interesting here.
The next room is some sort of archive. Dozens of scrolls line the walls.
Examining them, the contents contain the information of every young woman seized for indoctrination, and how well the conditioning took. These tell a tragic tale, but will be invaluable as a tool to help raise awareness of just what's going on down here, as well as help provide closure to the many families in Korvosa who are missing daughters, sisters, and wives.
In addition, a three magical scrolls can be found among the records. Using Read Magic reveals that they are scrolls of Antimagic Field, True Seeing, and Geas/Quest.
"We shall use this information to give some families closure on the status of their daughters. And it also gives us a list of girls to try and track down."
Everyone please make a perception check before opening the next door.
Trinia's
Ziranu's
Huh, okay, never mind, Ziranu's got this.
Approaching the north door, Ziranu stops short. He says he hears a muttering voice and the scratching of a pen beyond. Peering through the keyhole, he reports a woman at a writing desk, and describes what he can see of her with her back turned.
The description matches that of Kordaitra Destaid, one of your targets on this mission. She is second in command of the Gray Maidens, deliberately given fake coded documents by the thiefmaster Boule in order to ensure her presence down here as she attempts to crack them. Capturing or killing her would be a huge blow against the Maidens.
Shaeda mouths, "no mercy!"
Tronar whispers through the message "Sounds good to me, wait for a haste and Ziranu, I can make you an invisible nemesis for this target."
Then he casts Silent Haste on everyone in the party, and Silent Greater Invisibility on Ziranu.
Searok grins at Shaeda's whisper of 'No mercy!' He grits his teeth and is ready to rush through the door when it opens.
I’m happy to open it.
Tronar thinks we have this handled but doesn't want to get too cocky, he readies to cast Greater Dispel Magic as a counterspell action in case this fiend is more powerful than we expected.
Ziranu leverages the small amount of visibility he has of this critical target among the enemy's leadership, and takes a NL Pinpoint Targeting shot to deny her any armor, natural armor, or shield bonuses to AC in the single standard action he possesses...
Please note that I've left out Favored Enemy bonuses. If this Kordaitra Destaid is human or an evil outsider, both attack and damage results are 4 higher.
Ziranu will also proceed with Initiative...
Ziranu strikes Kordaitra with an arrow. That's enough to disturb even her intense studies. With a shriek of shock, she leaps to her feet and draws her sword.
Everyone roll initiative if you haven't already.
Turn order will be:
Shaeda
Kordaitra
Tronar
Searok
Ziranu
Trinia
I'll have Shaeda enter to potentially bodyguard Searok, and attack with her whip.
Hits for 10 non-lethal and 4 electricity
Kordaitra will spin, issue a Cavaliers challenge to the nearest combatant she sees, Searok, and attacks him.
That threatens. Confirmation roll:
No confirm. Activates Shaeda's Bodyguard.
Tronar's up.