"Sczarni?" Ayalina pauses, startled by this accusation. Narrowing her eyes at the man, she purses her lips for a few moments before finally shaking her head. "How insulting." The tries to temper the ire that rises in her, but finds little success. "Do as you wish. You can stay here then, if you're so inclined to be rid of us. We'll let the proper authorities know where you are once we're out of this blasted place. Hopefully the chaos has settled, but I imagine your church will be eager to see your return. Just sit tight, you cowardly priest. Help will come for you soon enough."
Turning towards Malphene, her tone gentles as she says, "While I hope you'll come with us, I understand if you want to stay with him. I hope there are no hard feelings between us and should we both make it, I would like to sit and talk for a bit. There seem to have been some misunderstandings and I'd love to clear the air under better circumstances."
Ayalina is ready to leave and be out of this dratted place.
Thalasou's looks aghast at the man. "Look. I was trying to apologize and you just add insults. Ok. Maybe I was right to start with. Let's just leave them." Thalasou turns to the next door.
"Let's keep going."
"And whatever you think, there is strength in numbers," Pavo adds after the others have said their own pieces. "If you choose to diminish the numbers, you risk us failing to break through whatever other monsters roam these passages and having to face them on your own."
"Ah well, we could have used a bank of Abadar in our lands. We will have to continue financing our trades with Scarzni money. Shame, isn't it my dear?" Delena says to her viper, but clearly enough for everyone to hear.
"Let's go find some more fun creatures, we can bring them back here for the enjoyment of everyone", she suggests and nods to the door the group stands near.
Jowuan watches Delena for a few seconds and frowns, then turns to Pavo. "Your lack of negotiating skills is exceeded only by your lack of manners."
"You have a strange way of--everything," Malphene says. She unsheathes the blade and points it at the nearest light source, then stares along each side of the blade. After a few seconds she tests it on her left pinky finger, then sheathes it again.
Pavo releases a resigned sign and steps forward to open the remaining door.
Thalasou pointedly ignores Jowuan and stares at the door waiting for someone to open it.
Probably could have gone better. Such is life, no use dwelling on it. Tiber takes a quick swig of wine before bracing his shield for whatever might be on the other side of the door.
"Be ready," he whispers to the group.
Ayalina nods at Tiber's quiet warning, her rapier in hand and a song in her mind. Her aggravation had yet to abate, and so she does her best to focus on the here and now - and the next few moments.
"Strange times, strange ways", Delena says to Malphene. "We are lost here, and others dead, because the less strange ways failed. We don't know whose way will work so to better to keep one's mind open", she says, gesturing neutrally to both Jowuan and the others.
This room looks just like the rest, though its occupant does not. The halfling is dressed as a waiter from the Exaltation Gala, but with a rapier sheathed on his hip.
His gaze quickly passes over everyone in the doorway, and he bows almost to the floor. "Please, good sirs and madams. Do not kill your servant. Then he couldn't serve you, no?"
Tiber's eyebrows press together at the decidedly-not-hostile Halfling, his shield arm lowering a few inches yet his decanter arm ever at the ready.
"Who're you? I don't think anyone here is your master," he points out. "Well, she'll probably try to convince you otherwise," he says, hiking a thumb at Delena, a small smile on his lips.
________
"Nothing to worry about from us," Pavo says as he appraises the armed halfling waiter. "The demons that strike from the walls are far more likely to do you harm."
"How thoughtful of you, I could use a new servant", Delena thanks Tiber with a nod and a smile. She walks to the halfling and gently places her hand on his shoulder. "And my friend is right, you are safe with us", she says softly.
Then, she changes the gentle touch to a pinch with her nails, and drops her voice to a hiss. "Unless you fail us, then you would hope you had taken your chance with the demons", she warns him, strengthened by the viper hissing and staring on her shoulder.
Again changing her tone, she releases the halfling, turns to the group and overly positively encourages them forward: "With our newest member, let's continue our merry adventure. There's still a notch we haven't checked, the way out must be there".
"I think we ought to be safe enough folk for you to travel with," Ayalina said from the doorway. "We've done alright so far. Just, you know, try not to call us any mean names or stab us in the back and I think we'll be fine." She smiled brightly at him. It was as though her ire had completely disappeared.
"Your humble servant's name is Imistos Gulbend, Sir. Though if it pleases you to call him something else, please tell him so, Sir."
The halfling's body winces under Delena's pinch, but the pain and surprise--if he even feels the latter--don't show in his face or voice. "Her ladyship is most gracious to accept her new servant. Her nobility is clear for all to see, and her servant is honored and grateful to serve her."
"You're welcome to wait with the other survivors we founds while we search for a way to the surface," Pavo says as he guides his floating lanterns down the hall. "If you like and can use that sword for more than slicing cheese, you can stay. But if you could tamp down the the obsequiousness, that would be lovely. In the city of the dead, all are equal, and it is a shade distracting."
He follows his light down the hall where he discovers another door. "Ah. One more chance at freedom."
Pavo steps up to the door and surveys the lock. "You may want to hold back while I work on this," he cautions.
When the halfling is looking the other way, Delena watches him suspiciously, tapping her own hand with her nails.
"Whatever pleases you, sir," Imistos responds to Pavo, "though we are not yet in the City of the Dead, and her ladyship is clearly superior to her servant in all ways."
The halfling bows to Pavo and Delena, then moves a safe distance behind the lady.
"That's done," he says as he slips away his tools. He picks up his sword and opens the door. "Keep your fingers crossed for stairs upward."
"Suppose everyone clings to what they know in trying times. Let's get a move on then," Tiber says after giving Imistos a nod.
"Handy set of skills, that," he says with approval to Pavo. "Used to have a partner that could do the same. Much more of a showman though," he continues, pausing to take another short swig of wine. "Up until some thugs caught him and broke his fingers. We gave them worse, but damn was that hard for him to handle."
Ayalina sends her lights ahead of them to light the way. "That sounds absolutely dreadful. Did he ever recover?"
Thalasou doesn't have much to say to the halfling. The others seem to be social enough for the situation. He follows Pavo to the last door. "I hope that's a way out."
"So what's the lesson you learned? Hit the thugs before they hit you? What I think is revenge doesn't repair hands. So be wary", Delena comments to Tiber's story.
When Pavo opens the door, Delena peeks ahead with interest. "Actually, I'd like some interesting beast with lots of sharp teeth, to convince our doubtful friends. After that, exit, of course."
"The lesson should be, 'Don't get caught,'" Pavo asserts.
Tiber chuckles. "Don't get caught was certainly the first lesson we were reminded of, but staying humble was the runner up. He was notorious for being a showboat, so getting back at him through his hands was the obvious way, you know?"
"Oh, Ayalina, he was never really the same afterwards... His hands never worked quite the same way as before and that took a toll on him mentally too. The first few breaks were very... intentional. He works at my parents' inn now, since you asked."
"Oof, that sounds very difficult. I hope he eventually recovers," she remarked, frowning a bit.
"Ha! Better than being on the other side. Don't see a reason to wait..." Tiber says as he steps in and shoves his fist against the button. "Not like we could form up in a closet!"
Pavo steps into the closet beside Tiber, sword at the ready. "If nothing tries to eat us or stab us, we should go get the other nobles we left behind."
Ayalina advances along side them, stumbling slightly. Straightening out and stepping into the strange closet, she frowns slightly. "I don't think it will take all of us at once."
"We could get them now to help, they seemed so brave and heroic" Delena answers to Pavo voice full of sarcasm.
"Let's pick them up after we have found fresh air."
"No, the other nobles," he says, pointing down the hall.
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Pristine glass display cases stand along the walls and in the center of this immense rectangular display room. The area is more than sixty feet wide and forty feet long, with the outer walls covered in glass displays of armor, save near the two northern doors and along the southern wall. Two rusted and decayed suits of armor stand separate, protected in glass cases. Tarnished and discolored weaponry fills the cases in the center of the room. Circles of various sizes have been scratched into the glass and drawn on the walls with chalk and paint.
"What's in there?" Thalasou squints into the room and tries to figure out what he's seeing. He stands to the side to allow someone with light to go in first.
Pavo sends his illusionary lanterns into the room, illuminating the near left corner.
"Delena, can you determine if these circles serve an arcane purpose?" he asks as he visually scans the illuminated portion of the room for hidden foes.
"Of course I can" Delena says. She casts a spell and examines the circles from far, then carefully gets closer.
Cast Detect Magic
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With the light illuminating the room, Tiber steps closer to what he hopes is the center of the room. Hope no beasties pop out of the walls again...
Reflexively, he takes a deep swig of wine. "Urrr-" Having not been paying much attention to what he has been drinking, and relatively little sips not being enough to alert him, a cloying, moldy taste fills his mouth and coats throat. To make matters worse, a veritable landslide of sediment flows across his tongue, settling in the natural valleys and folds of his mouth.
"Puh, uh, ptttthhh PUH!" Immediately he begins sputtering and spitting the old, rancid wine onto the floor. Setting the decanter down, he swishes his mouth with water before spitting that too out on the floor. F$@# me, I've got to be careful with what I drink! Alcohol or not, that must have been old for decades! "That's a lesson I won't soon forget, ugh."
Thalasou steps into the room just behind Tiber and is looking around cautiously as the ranger starts to sputter and spit. "What's wrong!" he asks with immediate alarm. He starts scanning for whatever trap it was that Tiber sprang, concern furrowing his brow.
"There certainly is something. The circles are geometry, but it doesn't seem quite right. Just hold a moment more", Delena says, continuing her concentration.
"Don't throw up on the circles yet", she comments to Tiber.
Continue Detect Magic
Tiber waves off Thalasou's approach. "S#&+ wine is all. Really s+~% wine." he confesses. "Aren't all shapes geometry?" he asks Delena with a smirk, wiping any lingering residue and grit from his mouth.
"Very well," Pavo says. He waits and continues to scan the illuminated area while Delena performs her investigations.
Pavo raises an eyebrow and looks to the enchantress. "Something we should know?" he asks, splitting his attention between the room and the startled woman.
Delena shakes her head and blinks several times to clear her head. "By all gods, that's strong", she says.
After getting herself together again, she summarizes her findings: "Not much to know. Something strong, somewhere there. Hurts like mad if you even try to pinpoint it." Already getting on better mood, she smiles wickedly at Pavo. "You should try it, it is an enlightening experience."