"My name is Draegoth. This is Torgmund and Emilianna. That's Yggni. We were sent by Sheriff Feldane to check out the buildings above and found our way down here. There's been a string of murders and frame-jobs and we're trying to get to the bottom of it. And who might you two be?"
Yggni grumbles irritably at the lock in Terran before swapping out picks and trying again.
Fed up with trying to do it quickly, Yggni takes his time to do it right.
The dwarf nods. "I suppose you're probably in the right place, then. These are nasty people. My name is Barengar Gearwright, and my brother there is Pietros. Pirates attacked a ship we were taking to Janderhoff. We talked the pirates into taking us for ransom instead of killing us because we are skilled clockwork engineers; that is quite a valuable skill and our patrons are well-to-do. The pirates knocked us unconscious and we awoke here. If you help us get out of here and find our things, we can give you a valuable magical item as reward."
Just as Barengar finishes saying this, there is an audible click as Yggni picks the lock and swings the cell door open. "Ah, well then. Thank you..." -- he looks up at Yggni -- "sir?" He steps out as Yggni begins working on the other lock. It cracks a bit more quickly due to Yggni's familiarity with the first.
The brothers embrace and then Pietros looks up at the party. "Beware. They have a freak down here that blends right into the wall! It could be in this very room and you'd never know it!"
Yggni shrugs at the dwarf's inquiry. [color=purple]"Whatever makes you comfortable, man."[/color]
Torgmund and Yggni both frown at the dwarf's words, scanning the room.
Draegoth offers his hand to Barengar. "Glad we could help. Any idea where they may have taken your things? It may be best if you stay put and out of sight while we look. Once we find your stuff, we can escort you into town and you can speak to the sheriff about what happened. She might know who can help get you back on the road to home."
At Pietros's warning, Draegoth scans the area warily. "Great," he mutters. "More skulks."
Pietros chuckles at your reaction. "Ah! I see you have some experience with those things. Don't worry, lads. I don't think it's here now."
Barengar punches his brother on the shoulder. "Best not to laugh at our rescuers, brother." He shakes Draegoth's hand. "Thank you, sir. We aren't fighters by nature, and we're not in great shape after a few weeks in those cells besides. We will wait for you here."
Draegoth smiles at Peitros. Though it's likely only been a day or so, it feels like he hasn't smiled in ages. It's been a long few days.
He turns to the others. "Let's start taking a look around and see if we can't clear some more of these thugs out."
"We'll be back soon," he says to the brothers, and heads back out into the corridor to check the doors up there.
Torgmund follows Draegoth, and motions for the shaitan to check the other door.
You find no traps or locks on either door.
Dray swings open the door in front of him first.
A heavy metal chair with straps mounted on high, flat armrests sits against the center of the north wall. To one side is an unlit brazier, and to the other is a small table covered with metal instruments. Two more comfortable-looking chairs sit directly across from it.
Dray steps in and takes a look around, frowning at the weird chair.
Draegoth sees dried blood around the chair and scratch marks on the arm rests, suggesting that this chair is probably used for interrogation and torture. Otherwise, this room is unremarkable.
Torgmund follows him in and makes a disgusted face at the chair and instruments. "Tell me that isn't what I think it is..." He inspects the instruments and drops them almost immediately. "Yes. Yes it is. They have a torture chamber. Lovely."
Assuming Draegoth finds nothing in the room, he nods for Yggni to open the other door.
A long wooden table sits in the center of the room, surrounded by chairs. Covering the surface are several maps and diagrams. A hand-drawn, poster-sized map of Ilsurian is nailed to the north wall. Prominent residences and businesses are marked on the map.
Torgmund frowns and studies the map on the wall, trying to see if there's anything noteworthy about the homes or businesses marked.
Draegoth frowns. "We should take that map with us, to show Feldane."
After Torg has taken a good look, Dray rolls up the map and puts it in his pack.
He gives the room a quick once-over before they move on.
Draegoth finds a treasure trove of evidence on the conference table: sketches of Archivin Walder's path home from the circus, notes on who should work the pickpocketing distraction at the carnival, and ideas on where to string up the body of Filton Legg. Lastly, there is a list with Draegoth, Torgmund, and Emilianna's names, described in brief statements based on their appearance. Draegoth's name is circled prominently.
Torgmund gives a fierce grin. "That damnable sheriff has to free Delisen when she sees all this." He gathers it all up and sticks it into his pack.
"Now, let's see what we can find in the rest of this place."
He and Yggni move to the bottom right door, and the shaitan checks it before swinging it open.
Draegoth looses a relieved sigh and nods, then follows Torg out to the next room, informing Emilianna of what they found excitedly.
The door is not trapped, so Torgmund swings it open. A padded cot sits to the south, with a platter of chicken bones picked clear sitting on the floor next to it. To the north is a large, empty crate. The stale scent of body odor permeates the air.
Draegoth wrinkles his nose as he and Yggni stick their heads in to peek around.
After seeing the skulk at the Locked Box, and having been warned that there was at least one here, you know what telltale signs to look out for. And, sure enough, when you opened this door, you see a skulk trying to hide right inside the doorway.
Emilianna (hp 13/13)
Torgmund (hp 18/18)
Yggni (hp 19/22)
Draegoth (hp 21/21)
Skulk (0 damage)
Bold may act.
Emilianna steps into the room and strikes with her spear.
... poorly.
Torgmund darts past the skulk while he still has the element of surprise and takes a stab at the creature.
Yggni quickly follows suit, rushing past the skulk to start a flanking position.
Draegoth steps in to block the skulk's line at Emilianna, and is pleased to see the shaitan and Torg have already set up the perfect kill-box. As Yig's scythe draws her attention, and Torg harries her with his spear, Dray takes advantage of her split attention. He lets the arcane fury course into his veins while he slips into his Dragon Style and unleashes a flurry of blows.
NL
NL
In a coordinated attack borne of Torgmund puts his spear through the skulk's chest just as Draegoth lands two vicious punches to the head. The skulk goes down hard but is still breathing.
She has a key on her body that Yggni recognizes as fit for the cell doors where the dwarfs were locked up.
Emilianna concentrates briefly and stabilizes the skulk. "She will not awaken for some time but she will not die."
Draegoth comes out of his Bloodrage, breathing too heavily to speak, and instead nods his thanks to Emilianna.
Torgmund frowns at the skulk. "Probably good, that. Still, I don't want to risk someone coming along and reviving her. Let's put her in a cell. We have the key, now. Yig, legs."
The shaitan nods and grabs the other end of the skulk, and the two carefully take her to the cells. Torg thoroughly searches her for any hidden tools or weapons and disarms/disarmors her, before locking her in one of the cells the dwarves previously occupied. He hands the key to Emilianna. "We'll come back and take her to the sheriff when we're done."
He looks at the others. "Where to next?"
Finally catching his breath, Draegoth points back the way they came. "Still a couple doors back that way. Let's open one." He heads to the "secret" door back to the west.
The skulk is not wearing much of anything; in order to blend in to her surroundings, her skin needs to be exposed. You only find the jail key on her.
--------------
Draegoth pushes open the hidden door to reveal a featureless room with a hinged ceiling. It looks as if this is the landing area for a pit trap in the room above.
Torg frowns. "Two doors left. Let's check the one in the skulk's room first. I have a feeling."
Draegoth shrugs and nods. They return to the skulk's room, and he and Yggni check the door thoroughly for traps and locks.
If they find neither, Draegoth will throw open the door.
This room is bare except for several tall stacks of crates and boxes. Many of them are labeled to addresses and ports of call other than Ilsurian. There is a heavy vault door in the eastern wall.
Torgmund steps into the room, peering curiously at the boxes. "This supports the dwarves' story. Cargo going to all over the world, likely means they were hijacked from merchant vessels. Pirates this far from the Shackles." He shakes his head in wonder, looking the vault door up and down. "Uh. That looks... sturdy. Yig?"
The shaitan steps up and looks it over, with Torgmund's help.
Draegoth looks over the vault doors as well, trying to assess the severity of the lock, though he doubts it's anything less than "unpickable," and also checks for traps.
In addition to the stolen trade goods, you also find an ornate locked box with the bow and arrow symbol of Erastil on it.
Draegoth is somewhat surprised to find that the vault is not locked. He also hears the distinct sound of muffled voices on the other side.
Torgmund glares suspiciously at the door. A vault door unlocked? "I don't like it," he mutters. "Everyone clear out. Yig, open the door."
The shaitan glares. [color=purple]"What am I, cannon fodder?"[/color]
Torg rolls his eyes. "You're resilient, is what you are. Relax, if it blows you up, I can heal you."
Yggni scowls, but waits until Dray and Torg have left the room, then opens the door.
Draegoth frowns at Torgmund, but gently tugs Emilianna's arm. "You may want to step out of the way, dear. Just in case."
Yggni opens the door and the first thing he sees is three projectiles coming directly at him. In an absolute miracle, the bomb thrown by the woman in the middle glances off the opening vault door and lands directly in front of Yggni . The daggers thrown by the rogues flanking the woman also clatter to the ground harmlessly.
The woman sneers when she sees Yggni and begins preparing another bomb. "If you did anything to my husband, you'll find knives in your backs!" Her hands are misshapen into vicious looking claws.
The rogue on the northern wall throws another dagger, which misses Yggni and lodges itself in the wall next to the vault door. Emilianna shouts something in Varisian and you all suddenly feel a tingling sensation, followed by an invigorating pleasant aura .
Yggni's luck runs out as, nearly simultaneously, he is hit by both a bomb and a dagger . Torgmund hears an echo of [color=purple]"cannon fodder"[/color] in his head as Yggni slumps to the ground.
Rogue 1 (0 damage)
Emilianna (13/13 hp)
Rogue 2 (0 damage)
Robella (0 damage)
Draegoth (21/21 hp)
Torgmund (18/18 hp)
Yggni (-3/22 hp, unconscious and dying)
Bold may act.
Yggni opens the door to find three people - 2 roguish looking men and a woman whose hands are misshapen into vicious looking claws. The woman sneers. "You! If you did anything to my husband, you'll find knives in your backs!" Then she coolly says to her men, "Kill them."
Both rogues toss a dagger at Yggni but they both miss, one clattering to the ground and the other lodging itself in the wall next to the vault door. Emilianna shouts something in Varisian and you all suddenly feel a tingling sensation, followed by an invigorating pleasant aura .
The woman smiles and throws a small bomb at Yggni. It hits him directly in the chest and explodes, pelting him with fire and shrapnel . She laughs and begins preparing another bomb.
Rogue 1 (0 damage)
Emilianna (13/13 hp, bless)
Rogue 2 (0 damage)
Robella (0 damage)
Draegoth (21/21 hp, bless)
Torgmund (18/18 hp, bless)
Yggni (9/22 hp, bless)
Bold may act.
Draegoth strides toward the sneering woman as he pumps arcane power directly into his blood, causing his eyes to glow with a faint, unsettling fey light. "If your husband is Borvius Monchello," he says in an almost inhuman voice, "best get your knives ready."
Non-Lethal
Torgmund strides up and pats Yggni on the shoulder, sending arcane energy flowing into the shaitan's wounds to heal them. "See? Told you. You're fine."
He moves himself into a position to harry all three of them at once.
Yggni calls Torg several unkind words under his breath as he draws his scythe and moves to unburden himself of some of his anger at thug #2.
Draegoth is surprised at the woman's quick reflexes, as she deftly dodges his strike.
Rogue 2 barely has time to raise his hands in a defensive maneuver before Yggni towers over him and strikes him down. He seems almost relieved to not have to face the shaitan anymore as he hits the ground.
Rogue 1 draws his short sword and swings it in a practiced arc at Draegoth, slicing a nasty gash across his midsection .
Emilianna limps forward to just outside the doorway, touches Torgmund, and says, "Protection." A shimmering aura surrounds him .
Robella's eyes flash and her face morphs into a bestial visage to match her claws. She half screams, half roars at Draegoth, takes a step back against the wall, and throws another bomb. It hits Draegoth, splashing him and everyone around him (including her own mook) with a fiery explosion .
Rogue 1 (5 damage)
Emilianna (13/13 hp, bless)
Rogue 2 (12 damage, unconscious and dying)
Robella (0 damage)
Draegoth (6/21 hp, bless)
Torgmund (13/18 hp, bless, +2 AC)
Yggni (8/22 hp, bless)
Bold may act.
Flames licking off his scorched flesh, his odd fey eyes dancing with fury, Draegoth steps up to the woman. "You're not getting away that easy." He goes for a massive uppercut on the first hit, followed by a Dragon Claw at her throat on the second.
Torg doesn't move, instead spearing the second mook.
Yggni steps forward and scythes the mook.
Draegoth lands his uppercut in a perfect spot. Robella's teeth slam together, severing the tip of her tongue and rattling her entire skull. She doesn't even react as Draegoth's other fist barely misses her jaw.
Torgmund puts his spear into Rogue 1's shoulder, yet somehow the mook is able to land a lucky shot on Yggni as the shaitan slides by . Yggni ignores the nearly mortal blow and strikes the rogue down.
Emilianna channels.
Robella stares blankly at Draegoth.
Rogue 1 (16 damage, unconscious and dying)
Emilianna (13/13 hp, bless)
Rogue 2 (12 damage, unconscious and stable)
Robella (10 damage, stunned)
Draegoth (13/25 hp, bless, raging)
Torgmund (16/18 hp, bless, +2 AC)
Yggni (5/22 hp, bless)
Bold may act.
Torgmund touches Yggni once again to heal some of his wounds. Yggni leans on his scythe and gives a grudging nod of appreciation at Torgmund. The summoner orders the shaitan to step up to the woman, but not to attack yet. Instead, Yggni readies a non-lethal attack to smack her over the head if she tries to throw another bomb.
He then steps to the side, closer to Robella, to let his longspear harry the stunned woman and hopefully create even more of an opening for Draegoth's fists.
Blood still pumping with fey power, Draegoth goes to lay her out.