Darla winces as poor Gellius gets mauled again. "I'm sorry, but I can't heal you again until we've rested. Revka--can you do something for him?"
What the young Uskwold scion can do, however, is search and loot the fallen bugbear. Casting detect magic, the bard blocks out the magical goodies the party's accumulated thus far, concentrating only on the bugbear brute's corpse. Then she searches the body the old-fashioned way: by hand.
Darla doesn't detect any new magic in the room. The bugbear is wearing leather armor but carries nothing more. It seems clear that her home was inside the makeshift fort of bedframes; her possessions, if any, are likely to be within.
"Sure I can," Revka says with a grin. "Oeh, that doesn't look good." Calling upon the blessing of Desna, the goblin casts magic to cure Gellius's wounds.
She's curious what's inside the blanket fortress, but doesn't want to risk another fight with a bugbear. "Hello?" she calls out. "Anyone there?" Probably not, or they would have helped out in the fight. She then sticks her head into the structure.
It's dim and shadowy inside the fort, but that doesn't hinder Revka's darkvision. A filthy pile of sheets and rugs forms a makeshift bed on one side. The stones of the floor in here first appear to be painted a dark rusty brown; then Revka realizes that the dried blood that was spattered on the floor outside virtually covers the floor inside.
Scattered around the interior are the remains of the bugbear's victims, mostly small animals from the looks of the bones and scraps of fur. There are drifts of dessicated flies with their wings pulled off and of beetles and spiders with their legs removed. The upper reaches of the bunks are festooned with a fetid garland of dead snakes. A bedraggled squirrel, still alive but barely conscious, sprawls dispiritedly on the floor, a nail driven through its tail into the nearest bedframe to keep it captive.
The bugbear's meager belongings are in here as well: a variety of knives, three javelins, a small hammer, and a collection of nails and tacks.
Darla sticks her head inside the makeshift tent, rapier drawn to support Revka if needed. When she sees its squalor, however, she decides that the plucky goblin can handle this job herself--no need for a weak-stomached longshank to make an even bigger mess.
Gethric's expression is darkened by knowledge of the bugbear's pursuits in the sport of fun. If no one else moves to do so, he seeks to free the squirrel by removing the nail from its tail.
Gethric carefully frees the squirrel, trying to cause as little additional pain to the animal as possible. It doesn't move, lying passively, either because of the extent of its injuries or because the bugbear has released it before solely for the pleasure of catching and imprisoning it again.
Aronida studies the squirrel for a moment. "Unless we want to stick around for a while and try to treat its injuries, it'd be more merciful to put the poor thing out of its misery." If she were alone she wouldn't hesitate, but she knows non-hunters can sometimes be squeamish about such things. Maybe for them it would be worth the time and resources to try and save the creature's life.
"Erm, Gellius. There's nails here. Does that have anything to do with those Hellknights you mentioned?" She lets out a soft "Aaaw." at seeing the squirrel in its dire predicament, at which point Gethric joins her to free it. "Good job." She looks at him with wide eyes. "Should we try and save it?" She considers Aronida's suggestion. "It's probably good food, but look at its fluffy tail. And it must have been so scared. Shouldn't we at least try to patch him up? We're not in a rush, are we?"
Gellius pauses to recover as the others examine the makeshift tent. “Thank you again, Revka,” he smiles as he once more receives Desna’s healing. When he has recovered, he stands up once more peering in at the nails she points out. “Ah….no. I was more thinking a drawing or sculpture maybe. Like your holy symbol.”
“I mean, I hope it’s not a Hellknight,” continues Gellius moving once more to a guard position as the squirrel’s fate is decided, keeping an eye on the room’s exits. “But there was something about the description. And they did used to live here so….”
Revka's attempts at first aid fail to accomplish much good. It seems likely that the animal will recover on its own, presuming it can avoid predators while recouperating.
"I think he should be fine if we let it go," Revka says. Then to Aronida "but if you want to kill and eat it, that's also fine." She frowns for a while. "We shouldn't leave it with the Bumblebashers. They'll just play games with it like this big one..." She doesn't seem too happy with that prospect.
Darla's not particularly interested in the squirrel's fate one way or the other. Looking nervously at Gellius, she speaks her mind.
"This little ambush was more than we were expecting in trying to find out whoever's here with us. Do we dare press on further?"
"I think a bit further should be fine. I was caught unawares a little," he admits. "It seems to me that the fact there are still hostile creatures lairing in the citadel means we haven't really finished our task. Granted we don't have a strict time limit now the Bumblebrashers are back home, but I'd still like to be thorough."
Aronida shrugs and puts her knife away. "You're the healer. You say it'll recover, then I won't kill it. Don't think any predators will make their way inside, not with the stench of bugbear everywhere, so it should be fine." Considering the matter of the squirrel settled, she pays attention to the other conversation happening in the room.
"I don't really want to leave yet, not without finding out who our mysterious figure is." She looks hard at Gellius. "But when you're done, we're done. Don't push yourself harder than you need to."
Revka picks up the weakened squirrel, and nods at the others. "I'm curious who this nail-guy is, so let's go." She beams a wide smile before taking another good look at Gellius. "You still seem wounded. Here."
As the group makes their way outside and to the other entrance, Revka puts the squirrel to the ground close to the bushes. "There you go. Don't get caught by some nasty goblin-creature again, will you?"
The party goes out the way they came and continues around the corner of the citadel. A bit more than halfway down the southern wall, the pile of rubble that once separated the interior of the citadel from the outside is visible.
On their first approach to the building yesterday, Aronida and Gethric remember seeing humanoid figures within. They are still standing there now, stiff and unmoving. Upon closer inspection, they appear to be training dummies. This was once, apparently, a training hall for the resident Hellknights.
Darla stays near the rear of the party, trying not to trample any tracks or other clues the visitor may have left. Occasionally, she casts detect magic and scans the area. She does so now as she peers into the practice hall....
Leading the way inside once more, Gellius clambers through the break in the wall and moves up to the first row of target dummies.
Aronida hangs out with Darla near the back of the group, peering around to see if she notices anything out of the ordinary.
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Revka follows the others, taking her cue from them that this could be dangerous and being as sneaky as she can be. "If there's someone there, he'll never knew what hit hem. Gheghe." There's no malice in her voice, but she seems to be amused by the prospect.
The party cautiously enters the large training chamber. Rows of moldering straw-filled dummies stand at varying degrees of attention, many of them still "wielding" wooden replicas of various martial weapons. There are two doors in the eastern wall, one in the north, and one to the west.
Darla senses no unfamiliar magic auras in this room; however, as the entire party has entered and is looking cautiously around, they hear a sound from the other side of the western door : a faint metallic clink.
Gethric shakes himself out of the fugue state, clearly still taken aback at the state they found the squirrel in. The clink sets his eyes to squinting suspiciously and his knuckles whiten as he clenches the fork in his hand. "Did you hear that... should we go closer?"
Gellius nods in answer, quietly moving up to the door and checking everyone is prepared before opening it.
Darla tries to move with Gellius, motioning that she will open the door, giving the better warrior the opportunity to focus all his efforts on whatever foes might be behind it.
Nodding his understanding, Gellius readies his weapons and makes way for Darla.
Aronida stands in a position where she can see the doorway, bow at the ready.
For the immediate span of time, Gethric holds back just in front and offset from Aronida... just for the risk any threat will come from within the room rather than without.
Darla opens the door. Inside, the natural stone which makes up the walls and floors of the citadel has been painted entirely black. There are no windows other than narrow slits in the opposite wall, though there is no natural light coming through them as from outside.
Instead, the only light inside the room comes from somewhere right of the door, an artificial and unsteady source. In that direction some sort of red design is painted on the floor, but what draws the attention is a man in black armor wielding a greatsword against a tiny, seemingly-mismatched opponent with horns, bat-like wings and a barbed tail. A glowing stone orbiting the man's head gives off an arcane light like the one on Gellius's main-gauche.
The door opening distracts the smaller combatant for a crucial moment, and the man seizes the opportunity to swing the huge blade and cleave the horned head from its body before looking over his shoulder at the newcomers.
Gethric notes the impressive nature of the man, gulps and pales somewhat under his gaze. But as readily as reason flees his head, cold logic rises like yeasted dough to fill the void... the man just killed the devil-thing... maybe he's nice?
Keeping his voice as even keeled as he can Gethric calls out "Hail there... do you... do you speak Common?"
The man's face twists in incredulity. "'Do I -?'" he begins to repeat, just as two more of the tiny creatures fly down from the rafters with a hiss. "Great. More bloody hell-monkeys," he remarks as he turns back to the fray. "You know, if you wanted to make yourselves useful, you could give me a hand here."
Round 1:
Acting more on impulse than sense Gethric ponders the man's words for a half-flitter before shrugging and moving into the fray. Drawing near to one of the nimble horned beasts he feints and thrusts with his fork, seeking to lodge the tines amidships...
Gellius warily circles around behind the two devils, raising his main gauche defensively as he tries to create an opening for Gethric and the stranger.
Gellius circles around behind the devils, guarding himself against attack with his readied main-gauche.
One of the creatures darts between the stranger's legs and jabs at an unprotected ankle with its barbed tail before dashing out behind him.
When Revka hears that there's hell-monkeys (whatever those may be, but it sounds interesting at least) and that Gethric is off the attack them, she doesn't hesitate. She breaks stealth and hustles up. "Oeh, what are those?" She shares what information she recalls with the others, then prays to Desna for some divine guidance for Gellius. "Go on, show that carpenter fellow that you can fight hell-monkeys just as well as he can!"
Revka hurries into the room to see what's going on and delivers divine encouragement to Gellius.
The second creature dashes at Gellius, seeking to replicate its fellow's attack against the stranger. Gellius suffers a sharp sting from its barbed tail before the little fiend runs out behind him.
Darla initiates a battle chant, moves into flanking position opposite 'The Carpenter,' and stabs at the tiny monster.
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Aronida eyes the man in black armor with distrust, but has to admit the tiny devils are a more immediate threat. She rushes in, takes quick stock of the situation, and rapidly fires at the closest imp.
Gellius suffers no lasting effects from the diabolic sting.
Darla begins a battle chant and strides into the room to pen in the devil that just stung the stranger. The agile creature just manages to dodge her rapier's stab, however.
Aronida enters the room and focuses on the nearest danger. She puts two quick arrows into the devil, leaving it badly wounded.
The man in black armor turns stiffly, favoring his injured leg, but it doesn't prevent his heavy blade from cleaving the tiny creature in two.
Round 2:
Veering back to avoid the secondary spray from the Carpenter's heavy blade, Gethric twists his body to turn his momentum sideaways and towards Gellius. Drawing closer he's able to attempt to add to the bloodletting with further forking...
Revka cheers her companions as they make quick work of the imps. As she strides closer, she's already giggling at the prospect of what her magic could do to one of them.
"Hey imp" she calls out, with some stress to the second word and a pointed look to the longshanks stranger, "how about some of this nice friendly starlight? With the compliments of Desna. Hihi." She finishes her prayer and sends a lance of starlight at the devil.
Gellius strives to finish off the final imp, launching a series of well coordinated strikes with both weapons, before settling back into his defensive stance.
;
;
Gellius puts both blades into deadly action; the agile imp just manages to turn a deadly slash from his rapier into a glancing blow but cannot evade a fatal stab from the smaller blade. It crumples to the floor.
The armored man, seeing the last enemy fall, drops his greatsword with a clatter on the black flagstones and lowers himself gingerly to the ground, straightening his stung leg with an effort and trying to rub some of the numbness out of it. "If you wouldn't mind," he tells Gellius, "take the little vermin's head off just to make sure. It appears the citadel's former occupants weren't as careful about that as they should have been."
"I appear to be in your debt," he goes on, broadening his remarks to address the whole group. "Alek Stagram, at your service."
Now that the battle is over, it can be seen that the red marking on the floor is a pentagram in a circle -- the symbol of Asmodeus.
Aronida lowers her bow, but doesn't put it away. "Happy to help," she says in a tone that sounds anything but happy. "Now, mind explaining what you're doing here? This isn't exactly a safe place for a tourist, and I know you're not a local."
"Not a local, no," he replies. "I'm ... looking for something." He glances around at the armed group appraisingly. "You came here from Breachill, I take it?"