The group heads back to the area where the door has been sealed over by stone. The halfling explains that this room used to be a workroom used for carpentry and repair. "It most certainly was not sealed over by stone. There is a staircase above on the third floor we could try to take down into it." he recommends, but a trip to the third floor finds the staircase sealed in stone as well. "Oh. Well, never mind then."
Thael does not detect any magic beyond the stone, it must be too thick.
|
Thael frowns, confident that someone used a spell to cover this stairwell up.
"Does anyone have any further insight as to how we might bypass this wall? Perhaps there is a window outside, or someone could climb up the fort and descend through a ceiling? If we have no further options, I could summon an earth elemental to investigate. I am capable of speaking in its language, and it could then report back on its findings, limited though they might be. However, that would still leave us unable to bypass this wall."
"I could probably knock it down," Caspan offers.
Emil mutters, "We have a dwarven blacksmith back with the group and I'm a blacksmith. Between the two of us, I bet we could bypass this stuff."
"If we can rest up, I can pray for a stone shaping spell."
Before sleeping, Emil will convert any uncast spells from the day to cure Cirieo if he is still injured from his ordeal.
After sleeping and then meditating and praying to prepare his spells for the day, Emil says, "I've prepared some spells special for whate'er is in that sealed off room. Pro'ly a fey I'm thinkin'. In case it's got more charms 'r compulsion magic, I've got 2 castings of a spell that can fortify four of us 'gainst such magic. I also have some stone shape spells ready. An I got one casting of a spell that can hold a fey paralyzed fer 'bout a minute. Doesn't always work, but if whatever is in there wants to fight, an based on past experience, I'd bet on it, I kin try to stop the fight sooner than later."
Emil is in favor of starting with the sealed off room, since the stone boxes aren't going anywhere but the room might contain threats or enemies to fight. Best take them on when everyone is fresh and full of magic.
He also recommends checking on the reveler's in the fort courtyard, to see if they pose a threat or not.
At breakfast, Emil will ask Cirieo about the dragon. "Kin ya describe it? What color were its scales? What did it breath? How big was it?"
As they are considering their options regarding the stone Jillian suggests "Let's try the room first. Whatever is making this stone must be in there since the stairs were open yesterday and now closed. I say we go in the door though, so we aren't having to mess with stairways and choke points."
The one-legged halfling recalls the dragon easily. "It was large, very large I'd say. Black. Spewed acid everywhere. I threw a huge rock on it's head, but it just turned around bit my damn leg off."
After shaping the stone, you find a room beyond which is made entire of stone that has been smoothed and reshaped like soft clay. Stone rods crisscross arrow slits in the southern and eastern walls. Two staircases are in this room, but both have been completely sealed at the ceiling and the floor. Beakers and woodworking tools cover the low stone tables lining the walls, while the center of the room is filled with a six-armed wicker mannequin stretching from floor to ceiling. A wooden box the size of a footstool rests in an opening in the mannequin’s chest.
A squat korred with thick, wiry hair that sticks out from his head and ears pokes at the box. His animated hair shifts the pieces of the puzzle around.
The perceptive fey turns around and growls at your prescence "I said absolute privacy!" he shouts, hurling a handful of rivets in frustration. "Go AWAY!"
The city slicker knows nothing of what this creature is, but he looks strikingly like the several other korreds that you have fought so far here.
Jillian lets out a long sigh and frowns feeling this will go the way of their previous encounters. "Sorry, but we can't. However, you can tell us what is going on here and we can talk a moment and then perhaps we can leave you to your work. Maybe there is even some way we can help if you can help us. We aren't looking for a fight."
Caspan crosses his arms and looks cross.
"It's got too many arms," he notes, helpfully.
Aid another Diplomacy
”Everyone else in this place has wanted to fight us. We just want more information from you. We are tired of fighting.”
"We are?"
Selde kept her bow hand ready as the others tried, yet again, to speak with the fey.
The fey glares at Jillian "Why won't everyone just leave me alone to work! I hate this stupid Red Rock Revel along with everyone else here." He throws his hands up in the air with exasperation. "Fine. But then you get out and leave me alone!"
He explains "When the hobgoblins took the fort from the rangers, my brother Halk declared we would come take the fort from the hobgoblins. We easily infiltrated it got rid of those nasty things, and I was promised a new workroom inside. When they found all of that food and wine here?"
He rolls his eyes and groans "It was non-stop revel for days upon days. I think they been on two weeks of drinking and dancing and SINGING! So annoying! Now all they talk about is scheming to become the "First Drinker of the Red Rock Revel" and get rid of Halk."
He waves his hands in front of his face "I don't care for any of that. I put up a nice stone wall which you so rudely broke through. I've told you what's what, now GIT!"
He folds his arms, waiting for you to leave.
Jillian frowns further as the korred explains what he knows after a moment she finally replies "Well... perhaps we can get the others to leave you alone in peace so you can work, we can even fix your stone wall, but first you need to tell us what exactly you are working on. We are no friends of the hobgoblins but we also need to ensure we keep our people safe..."
"What?!" he says, growing irritated. "I don't need you to fix my wall, I need you to get out of here, I'll fix it myself. You said to tell you what's going on here and I did that. What I am working on isn't any of your business. Leave and stop wasting my time!" he turns away from Jillian and returns to work once more, ignoring her.
Magic abounds!
Thael detects magic in this room, but the korred also picks up on what Thael is doing. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" He shouts, spinning around. "Casting spells now? Going back on your word?!"
He casts his own spell in return and his body begins to blink in and out of your vision, as if it were disappearing and reappearing. He raises his hands towards you and says "Last chance. Get out, now, or we will have no more words between us."
Thael picks up more than a dozen magical auras throughout the room. There are numerous alchemical treasures scattered around the room and a very interesting puzzle box sitting inside a mannequin.
Jillian insists "I said we could talk and then *perhaps* you could get back to your work. No need to get hostile, we just want to make sure you aren't doing something that could harm innocent people. Assuage our concerns, tell us what you are doing and we will turn and leave now."
"If he's not doing anything interesting, we might as well leave him here," Caspan says. "I mean, all the fun fey are upstairs, even if they don't seem to be good about sharing their liquor."
He prepares to leave, not really caring what this teetotaler is doing down here alone.
Seeing Thael still holds the spell, the fey cast another defensive spell on himself.
The korred is repeats "I told you what I know. You come snooping into my workshop and casting spells. Turn and go, like your friend say and drop your spell casting!" he says, aimed towards Thael.
Thael finds most of the auras all come from the korred himself, specifically the gear that he is wearing and items that must be located in his pack or on his body as well as an aura from a vial on the table. Thael surmises thee are likely various oils, potions and scrolls.
”It doesn’t look like he’s hurt anyone, as far as I can tell. If he just wants to be left alone, I’m up for doing just that. Let’s get out of here,” Wren suggests.
"Nothing good comes of stealing," Caspan notes. "That's how you end up incinerated in those cells that held Cireo and his friends."
Jillian sighs but nods to Wrens words leaving the creature to his work. ”Let’s check those other spots in the other room then get out of here.”
Heading north to the room where the stone boxes are on the floor, one of the casters uses the stone shaping spell again to reveal the contents under the floor.
The first contains a treasure of 5,305 sp, another contains 1,403 gp, and a third contains two emeralds (worth 500 gp each) and a pearl of power (2nd level). The fourth box contains only a terrible, horrible odor, almost as if as Halk had tried to save a belch or other form of passed gas within it.
Wren wrinkles her nose. ”Who in their right mind would trap a fart like that? What was wrong with that Halk?!”
Jillian is glad they found the chests of valuables. She turns to the others "Ok, I have a plan to get us out of here, not sure if it will work but it might and it will save us a fight. Just be ready for a fight in case it doesn't work."
"So, here is what I am thinking. I use my ability to change shape, make myself look like Halk's brother. I go tell the others that Halk has been killed and the people who did it are trying to flee with his club, which is all true in fact. Then hopefully they clear the courtyard going to look for the 'bad guys' while we slip out the back. Obviously, we still need to be ready for a fight in case it doesn't work, but it may work and lets us slip away without another fight."
"Yeah, that sounds like it could work," Caspan agrees. "Just have to make sure we can grab that wagon and take it with us too. It's got all the liquor!"
Jillian nods and then goes to put her plan in action. She instructs the others to wait by the door leading out close to the stables and she will come and knock 4 times to let them know it is safe to unbar the door and leave. She then moves to the large double doors they originally came in. She takes on the shape of the korred in the strange lab before unbarring the door and opening it up and calling out to the korreds in the court yard. "Halk is dead! Some people came and killed him and stole the club. Hurry, they are trying to get away! Search the upper levels of the castle and see if you can find them!"
"Is there anything else here we should look for?" Caspan asks Cireo.
Emil sleeps fitfully, dreams filled with violent encounters. He lived for decades without killing anything but the occasional deer or goose to stock his larder and some of the wild animals that threatened the community over the years. But killing humanooids like himself is eating away at his sense of decency and good will.
Emil is glad to leave the korred to his research, since he doesn't seem intent on harming anyone and he seems to have a right to the contents of the room, being part of the group that rid the fort of the hobgoblins.
He also is glad to support Jillian's plan for clearing out of the area without further fighting, although it appears the korreds are mostly intent on their own revel and probably wouldn't hinder us from leaving, especially is we shared some of our collected alcohol with them.
He's not sure it's a good idea to have too much liquor available to the rest of the community, knowing some weak-willed individuals might drink to dull the pain and fear that seems omnipresent. But he vows to keep an eye on the supply and watch out for individuals over-indulging. Alcohol is better than gold in some places if one needs to trade for necessities.
When you describe the situation to him, the ranger responds "Sounds like the courtyard, the stables, mess hall and the barracks are the areas you haven't been in. Two barracks, one in the north tower and one in the south tower. I'm the only ranger alive that I'm aware of and I couldn't say what type of fey or dangers are holed up in those towers."
Emil is willing to check the areas that have not been entered in case they have valuable items that can be scavenged. But he is weary of fighting and will not object to a quick exit.
"Doesn't sound like there's anything worth sticking around for," Caspan grates. "Let's try to get out of here while we can. This place has been nothing but sitting around waiting for food and drink that don't show up. Stupid fey."