Pila's attack comes close, but just barely misses as she snaps her jaws shut on open air next to the korred. Jillian's attack meanwhile just barely hits, landing a powerful blow that once again has its damaged reduced to less that it should have dealt.
Seeing that Thael starts casting a spell, the korred steps over to him and smashes him over the head with his club.
Jillian steps into a spot where she can flank with Pila before attacking as she shouts at the korred "Hey! Leave him alone!"
HP 54/54
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 21 (+2 vs. dirty trick; +3 vs. trip); 25% chance to negate criticals
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +1 (+2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect)
Unbreakable Survivor (8 hp) 0/1
Martial Flexibility 1/5; knockout (DC 16) 1/1
Effects:
Caspan closes with the korred and tries to knock it to the ground.
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Thael hadn't realized he was within the enemy's long reach. Clobbered, he nevertheless completes his spell casting, despite seeing stars.
A small earth elemental appears next to Pila. It slams a stony appendage into the back of the creature.
Not liking his position at all, Thael staggers back behind his allies.
Emil stands still, his mind working but not able to commit to an action, confused by the magic from the korred.
Pila however, is now close enough for an all out attack. She remembers well the pain the previous korred she fought inflicted and seems eager to end this fight quickly.
Pila and Thael's summon injure the korred some, but its hide resists normal attacks and most of their damage is not able to get through to it. Ignoring Jillian and the brawler that missed it, it turns its attention to Pila and smashes her over the head with its club.
Jillian steps down to flank with the elemental Thael summoned as she attacks the fey once again.
The two powerful attacks from Thael and Jillian are enough to make the creature fall to the ground, whimpering "No more! No more!"
Jillian nods and holds her hand up to the others to stop "We didn't want a fight in the first place, you people just keep attacking us..."
She looks to the creature as she asks, "You want mercy? What are you proposing?"
Laying on the ground weeping, he says "Yes! Mercy! I don't want to die! Forgive me! You are too powerful for me!"
"You've offered them nothing but mercy and gotten not but a blade in return. The moment this one feels he is more powerful he will strike." Selde said silently as she kept an arrow trained on the fey.
Jillian looks deeply at the creature trying to decide what her gut says about this fey. As she does she tries to examine its soul making sure it is not evil.
Jillian frowns "I don't believe you truly wish to surrender. You better start talking before my patience runs out. What are you all doing here? What is up with the stone pillars and stone door upstairs?"
She points her blade at the fey ready to strike if it does anything suspicious.
At Jillians words, Caspan growls and nudges the fey with his foot.
"Better do what she says now, or you'll see how powerful we are!"
Father Emil finally shakes free of the effects of the weird beard, stepping up and calling Pila to heel. He keeps his scythe ready to strike. "Your words suggest you hold someone of ours prisoner. Your only chance of mercy is to set your prisoner free."
Still whimpering, he says "Oh! Oh, yes! Let me just put my club..." as he lashes out with the club and tries to smash Jillian's ankles and bring her to ground with him. He's successful in doing so, but it's only a matter of seconds for the party to finish afterwards.
With Linder down and out, the party checks the room and finds that the chest contains cheap spirits, cooking sherry, watery ale, and six bottles of rare herbal liqueurs worth 125 gp each.
In addition, the cellar also contains 100 Provision Points’ worth of food should the party wish to take it.
Finally, there are two closed scell door to the south, each with a small six inch square opening at eye level. The openings are inset with iron bars spaced an inch apart.
"Hrngh," Caspan grunts happily at the liquers, pocketing one of them to drink later.
Then he notices the cells and his face darkens.
"No need for those," he growls. "Let's make sure ain't no one cupped up in there!"
He strides over to the doors to pull them open.
”All this food will keep the group well fed for a little while at least,” Wren smiles, trying to look on the bright side of what they had found in this awful place. ”And a sip of wine wouldn’t hurt anything either,” she adds.
Jillian nods to both her companions words and goes to check the other cell from the one Caspan is checking.
Caspan and Jillian open the first door to find a small antechamber 5'x5'. A door to the south similar to the first one they just entered is closed. A set of keys hangs on the wall outside of the door.
Looking through the peephole, they can smell what is beyond it well before they can see it. This area reeks of death and filth. Several sets of manacles are bolted to the walls and ceiling, apparently much newer than the stone of the cell. Nine of the restraints hold only corpses, but a tenth set contains a weakly breathing halfling.
Jillian tries to look through the peephole to see if anything is inside, using her darkvision to see through any darkness.
"They all smell the same," Caspan growls. "Nothing but death in these places, and I'll be damned if they ever put me in one of these things again!"
He looks like he wants to march into the cell to free the halfling, but can't quite bring himself to.
"Someone get that poor bastard out of there. No reason for him to be incinerated in here!"
When someone enters the cell, they find the dead bodies consist of humans and half-elves, all of whom died from horrific wounds incurred several days ago.
As you enter, the halfling looks up and croaks out in a whisper "Please... Let me go ... please... I'll do anything..."
Heal untrained
Wren rushes into the room upon hearing there was a prisoner still alive in there. ”It’s going to be okay,” she whispered as she used her latent psychic talent to heal some of his wounds.
CMW
"I'll have you out shortly." Selde said softly as she picked at the manacle locks binding the halfling
Selde breaks him out while Wren throws some healing his way. Aside from the malnourishment, the halfling seems to be okay. The stump of his leg has been stitched shut and doesn't appear to be infected. When you begin to ask him questions, takes a moment eyeing your waterskin before beginning to speak.
"My name's Cirieo. Cirieo Thessaddin, and I appear at the moment to be the commanding officer of Fort Ristin, on account of my being the only Chernasardo Ranger left alive here.
"Some two weeks ago, we were attacked by a horde of hobgoblins, along with a passel of trolls and forest animals. No idea where they came from; scouts never mentioned a force anywhere near that size. We held our own, though, until their dragon swooped in, spraying acid and ripping down the north wall. I got in a nice knock on his jaw, and he returned the favor by biting my leg off. The soldiers bandaged up the few of us who survived and tossed us down here."
"I recognize the Ironfang Legion. They're a mercenary legion that works for Molthune. But this doesn't feel like a Molthuni operation. Too little regard for the fort's strategic value, and no follow-up from human forces. The Legion started stepping down their forces after that first attack, like they were withdrawing, and then a few days ago we heard some commotion, and that's when the fey moved in. Sounds like they're having a hell of a party."
"Who... Who are you?"
Selde handed Cirieo her water skin. "No one, just the survivors of Phaendar." Selde said softly. Standing up, Selde moved to Jillian to whisper in to the Paladin's ear. "A dragon!?"
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Thael blanches at the thought of fighting a dragon. It was one thing to battle the goblinoids or fey, but a dragon sounded brutal.
Just look at the missing leg. Barbarous.
"We also survived the attack that wiped out Phaendar. I am Thael Silverstep. We have been causing all sorts of havoc in the wilderness in the meantime, but we had hoped to find the rangers to end this madness. It appears that will not be the case. At least, not here. Are there other outposts where we might find respite?"
Jillian just shakes her head at the thought of a dragon and having to fight it, even more reason to get their group somewhere more safe.
After some of the others have given introductions Jillian adds "I'm Jillian. Sorry to hammer you with questions, but my friend has the right of it, we are trying to find the rangers to help shelter our people, the other survivors. We would be happy to escort you out of here in the morning, once we have finished dealing with the rest of the inhabitants here, if you can help direct us."
Cirieo eagerly accepts the waterskin and guzzles a tremendous amount of it down before handing it back mostly empty.
"All of the rangers here here are dead, except for me. Most everyone died defending the fort, and everyone else has been dropping from infected wounds or because these fey bastards keep forgetting to feed us. There might be others in the forest—probably at the other two forts we keep, but maybe just in hiding. I know we keep a secret stash of weapons under Fort Nunder, and I’m happy to share if you let me out of here. And maybe share a meal or six."
Emil converts his last first level spell to cure the wounds Pila suffered near the end of the battle.
While the others help Cirieo, Emil ties a rag around his face to fight the stench and sets about doing what he can to get the other corpses out of the manacles and lay them out in preparation for eventual burial.
After this, he says, "The wounds look like they were made with hobgoblin weapons. Some burns as well, so the dragon may've done that."
"Cirieo, I'm Father Emil, cleric of Erastil. I'm glad yer alive. We've had a busy day, but we can get yer wounds healed up soon. We've got another cleric with a bad leg, so maybe she can help you deal with yer leg. Might not be able to make that right, even with magic, but we'd welcome yer company and yer help finding the other forts. The hobgobs seem ta have some way o' teleporting 'r some such. They just appeared in Phaendor an' a fort has since seemed to grow in the center o' town. Strange an' powerful magic is afoot."
"Well, I’m not here to woo the spiders, friend. Once I get outta here I’d be happy to knock a few heads."
Jillian smiles at the halflings spirit and then adds "Alright, know that we know the inside is clear, besides that stone door room, let's get some rest for the night. I figure if we setup in the kitchen that is probably our safest bet."
Once the others are up Jillian notes "Cirieo, we have a couple of things to check upstairs. There was a room where the door seemed to be sealed in stone, but I think we may have found another entrance to it. Also, one of the rooms had strange stone pillars. Do you know anything about any of that? If not, we want to check it out make sure we don't leave anything else useful behind and then we can see about getting out of here."
Cirieo says he isn't aware of any of the strange stone shapes that you describe or mention. A trip back to the second floor shows that the door to the south of the room that Halk was in is still sealed shut with stone as is the entrance above it on the third floor where the fight with the flying fey and satyr took place.
"Caspan Saal," Caspan grunts. "Yeah, that one. Been back for a bit, though, and was in Phaendar with the rest of 'em when we were attacked. Did you say dragon? Maybe we should get out of here before it comes back, yeah?"
He scowls as the others reject that suggestion, and sleeps with one eye open.
"What kind of weapons were they, at Fort Numnum?" he asks as they try to figure out their plans.
Cirieo nods "It sounds like Phaendar has fallen then. Was the dragon there as well?"
To Caspan he responds "Nunder. Fort Nunder. Yes. I recommnd you visit Fort Nunder before chasing the beast. The Rangers battled a trio of vicious green dragons for nearly a decade two generations ago, and if they still have any dragon-hunting supplies, they are sure to be stored in Nunder’s vault."
"Wait, chase the beast? Are you mad? It's a dragon. I want to keep my leg, thank you very much! If there'd been a dragon at Phaendar, you really think you'd be talking to any of us? It'd probably have digestived us by now and we'd all be piles of dragon s@~#."
Cirieo apologizes "Oh. I'm sorry. I assumed you wanted to visit the stockpile to help eliminate the dragon. I tried to stand up to it myself and look where it got me. I don't blame you for running away at all."
Jillian frowns when she sees the passage that was there yesterday is now encased in stone. She mostly ignores the discussion on the dragon for now and turns to the rest of the group "Any ideas? Do we want to bother trying to get in there? This passage was open yesterday, but now there is stone. It seems something is in there causing this."
”There might be something else in there, but I’m not sure we should worry about it. We saved Cirieo, who’s the only Ranger left. I think we need to get him and get out of here. We need to go find those weapons because if a dragon is working with the hobgoblins, it’s going to come looking for us before it is all said and done. Those weapons might be the only thing keeping it from eating all of us and our friends,” Wren adds, suggesting the group leave.
Jillian nods to Wren's words "Very well, I just didn't want to leave a potential threat or even worse and ally behind."
She looks to Cirieo as she asks "What used to be in that room? Is there any chance one of the other rangers might be trapped in there?
"I agree with Caspan, chasing a dragon is folly. But it would also be folly not to be prepared to deal with one. We should obtain the dragon hunting equipment if at all possible." Selde said softly as she finished fitting her equipment. With a wave of her hand and a few words of druidic, Selde shrank Nur down to a small stone figurine. With the ease one would handle a baby, Selde wrapped the figure in clothe and stowed it safely away.