Laurel picks up the gems with a sad expression, then places them near Mith, trying to find places in the ground where they are unlikely to roll away.
Mithralline smashes the next two gems.
"There. Now we go find this Uspid, I guess," she says, "though let's take a look around here in case there's anything that could be helpful."
After destroying all three gems, the party follows Aralah as she moves to the south and follows the hallway east until she comes to a single closed door that leads north. Listening in, she hears muffled voices on the other side. They are high pitched and tinny, telling her that there are more fay on the other side of the door.
Not finding any specific threats on the door she motions for Mith or Laurel to open the door as she steps the side. She makes a talking motion with her hands and points toward the door.
Beyond the doors is a room that might once have been an elegant study. This room has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves along the walls, a pair of heavy desks, and several overstuffed chairs. Most of the books have been shredded, their pages and covers forming small nests. The chairs have all been sliced open, their stuffing removed and likewise fashioned into small nests. An unsteady chair made of stacked books stands atop the larger of the room's two desks. Loose teeth are piled on the shelves, affixed to the ceiling, and heaped on the floors in strange, spiky patterns.
Four tooth fairies flit about, attending to a much larger fey that sits on the book throne. Resembling a gangly humanoid from the waist up and a fleshy insect from the waist down, this child-sized creature has enormous black eyes and a large jaw with a lolling tongue. He has a weak chin and overlarge ears, and he wears a crown made of humanoid teeth and clutches a tooth-studded scepter. Picture
"Step forward, supplicants!" the fairy declares in Common. "Why have you come before the great and mighty Prince Uspid?"
"We're looking for a way out of here, O great and powerful Prince," Mithralline offers. "We hoped you could help us find it quickly."
The Prince nods as if he had been expecting this. To your surprise he responds positively "I can absolutely help you with this. The cost of my assistance is one fresh tooth from each of your mouths. And I get to pull them."
He looks to the four fey that are flying between you and him and scolds them "And I will not be bamboozled by high talk of possibilities of endless teeth from a village that may or may not arrive. I want your teeth in exchange for my approval."
Sarela studies Prince Uspid, trying to figure out what he is.
Aralah looks to the others with a bit of concern and then shrugs as she thinks If this is what we have to do then it is what we have to do... She waits though letting someone else to offer to go first so she can see if this fey is as brutal in pulling teeth as his minions, or better yet if someone can convince him otherwise.
The rare and reclusive leaders of clans of tooth fairies, tooth fairy monarchs rule their smaller, lesser kin with imperious commands and domineering bluster. These monarchs collect the teeth pulled by the lesser tooth fairies as tribute, affixing the teeth to their magical scepters or forming them into simple jewelry such as crowns, bracelets, or necklaces. A monarch can consume these teeth to gain a burst of supernatural nourishment. They find teeth of large, powerful creatures to be tastier than those of children or smaller creatures (such as other tooth fairies), but they will command their tooth fairy minions to offer up their own teeth for consumption as punishment for failure, or simply to remind onlookers of their authority.
Laurel narrows his eyes at the sadist.
"Why do you need so many teeth? We've given plenty!" Mithralline demands. "And I'm not sure why you need to be the one to pull them if we do choose to let you."
The Prince grins, "You came here into my palace seeking my help. I don't see why you feel fit to speak to me in such a fashion. I do not perceive your attitude as one would expect for someone asking for assistance."
"We actually came into your palace because it was in our path, o dentudinous one," Mithralline says. "We'd like to get out of your hair -- or your mouth, as the case may be -- as quickly as we can, which I would think would match what you might want."
The Prince nods. "Certainly. We'll get you on the way as soon as you are ready to pay the price."
”Tell me, Prince, is there some other way we can assist you besides giving you teeth? Perhaps some task that needs doing?”
Sam nods vigorously at Sarelah's idea. "Yes! Surely we don't have to keep ripping our teeth out! It hurts a lot but we are very useful and can help you out!"
"There is more going on than you say." Laurel says flatly, aloud to everyone in the room.
"We have been polite guests, following your rules and paying the tolls. But now you seek to gouge us further, and on top of that hide motives from us. This is not an equal exchange, this is an abuse of your power. And we will not remain polite guests if we continue to be treated in this manner." Laurel levels a warning frown at the prince.
The Prince seems to consider this and kicks his feet up on his large desk. "Alright, fair enough. I hear you pleas for negotiation and I am a most benevolent rules, unlike my mother. So I will offer you an alternative."
"My mother grows old, fat and lazy and cannot take care of her own subjects properly. She tried to have me killed, so I locked her upstairs until I can figure out what to do with her. If you kill her for me, I will grant you passage without giving up additional teeth."
"Deal?"
Laurel gives a wary expression. "If you could lock her away and control her so easily, why would you need our help to slay her? You have power yourself."
The Prince nods to Laurel, agreeing with his words "She has a few loyal supports still who are holed up with her upstairs. If I can keep my loyal subjects safe and avoid their bloodshed by leverage a team of trained adventurers like yourselves, this would be ideal."
Laurel stares at the Prince for a moment, then inclines his head. "Please allow us a moment to discuss."
He turns to the others, lowering his voice. "What do we think? Do we know anything of this queen? I would hate to put somebody more evil on the throne."
Sarela replies in a quiet voice, and says, "We don't know anything, but the alternative is that we sacrifice more teeth. You're already down two, and the rest of us one. I also wouldn't call it 'evil'. Fey oftentimes have strange motivations and ways of looking at things, and since I've read that fey don't truly die, but instead are reborn in the First World, they can be incredibly cavalier with other beings' lives simply due to not understanding how mortal lives work."
Aralah shrugs "It is hard to tell what is right or wrong here, where everything is just... all over the place. The important thing is that we get out of here and return to our realm to deal with whatever has happened there."
Sam looks stricken at this plan. "We need to kill someone? That sounds terrible... And we might even have to kill more than one someone..." She turns back to Uspid. "What kind of loyal supporters does she have up there?"
Mithralline also looks dubious.
"I'm sure I could kill his mother if I had to, but it doesn't really seem like our affair. If he thinks we could kill her when he's not sure he can, it stands to reason he might think we could do the same to him. Let's use that and tell him we're willing to just leave without doing them any harm. All he needs to do is point us in the right direction. If not, I'm sure his mother would be happy to help us if we free her," she suggests quietly.
The Prince responds to Sam "She has a few tooth fairies like my own loyal subjects. Who knows what else, but there aren't many. Just enough for a group of adventurers such as yourselves to handle I would think."
Laurel can't help but grin at Mith's reasoning. "We could risk that route, avoid any bloodshed on our part, from our teeth or otherwise. But I fear he may be less than cooperative in that case."
Mithralline looks at the others to see what they think.
"We agree to the terms." Laurel says, turning around. "Where exactly is she located, and what can you tell us about what we may face? Any information you can give makes it more likely your plan succeeds."
The Prince shakes his head with a disappointed look on his face. "I'm afraid that I don't believe in your words, human. You come into my home and I've shown you nothing but the best manners and this is how you treat me? Lie to my face? Tsk, tsk!"
To his fey he commands "Kill them! Bring me their teeth!"
Laurel and Sam expected this outcome and are both able to act quickly before the others.
Mhmm, not wise to have lied like that. I should have been more vague. Laurel places a hand on Mith. "May Sarenrae protect you."
Sam throws up her hands in frustration. "We have to fight these things, again?" But she tries to keep her allies safe, moving to the front while raising her shield and casting a spell.
With a vengeance, three tooth fairys stick their shiny pliers into Laurel's face. Much to his dismay, two of the three come away with a tooth. Only the third isn't able to get the pliers into the cleric's mouth.
The fourth fairy sticks its pliers into Mithralline's mouth, ripping a tooth out of her mouth as well.
The Prince laughs hysertically as the fey yank Laurel's teeth out, his face a bloody mess as blood gushes from his open wounds. "Yes! Yes! Now give them to me, quickly!" The prince mutters a few words and then disappears from sight.
Sarela calls upon the spirit in her ring to create a shield before her to help protect her. She then reloads her crossbow.
Sam yelps in fear as Laurel gets pummeled so badly and sends out healing energy to help him and Mithralline.
Rose takes a bead out and it starts to glow faintly, "Sam, if you want to step back, I can take your place."
Sam isn't sure where she should go so she just steps to the side.
HP 22/22
AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 18, CMD 19 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 1/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: 1 Cha damage, bless, shield of faith,
Mithralline spits blood at the nearest fairy and gives a horrific grin, even as her friends' power stops the bleeding.
She pulls out her trident and calls out, "Long live the queen!" in challenge as she jabs back at the creature that attacked her.
Laurel howls in pain, amazed at the creatures ability to get inside his mouth so easily. He swings his scimitar, trying to take down the one that hurt Mith.