"And a prroperr shield as vell." Olaff adds to Shalelu's comments about Ahreni's protections or lack of.
Ahreni leads the way southwest to the door on the far right hand corner of the long throne room. Brief memories of fleeing this room in a panic fill your minds before focusing your effort on the task at hand.
Opening the door reveals a briefing room of sorts. A large table lies in shambles in the middle of this room, while crumbled suits of armor bearing decorations of dragons twisting around castle towers lie in heaps along the walls. A flight of stairs winds up along a curved wall to the north. The air in this room feels stuffy and carries an eye-watering reptilian stink.
Finding the room empty, Ahreni checks the door to the north and finds it particuarlly smelly. Olaff steps up and kicks the door in and finds it equally as smell as this room. This must have been where the lizard creatures lived that chased you to the gate you conclude. In the next room several ruined beds lie in various states of disrepair in this room, their moldy mattresses piled into a filthy heap against the northern wall.
Searching around the room you find a bejeweled silk gown set with pearls that is in remarkably clean condition hidden underneath a mattress.
Additionally, although the room is in disarray, a you recognize a number of documents, maps, and troop lists that date back to the night Brinewall was attacked. This room has sheltered the documents somewhat, but they’re still damaged. All that can be pieced together from the documents here is the fact that the guards believed that the citizens of the village below were rioting, and that several of the buildings had caught on fire. They were preparing to mount an expedition to investigate and bring order, but there is no indication of their success or failure.
”It’s beautiful...” Thanara says as she studies the marvelous gown. She glances down at her own attire and then turns to the others and asks ”Mind if I put this on? My own clothes got torn up kind of badly by the red faced bird man...”
Relisha frowns for just an instant before nodding. "Of course," she says. "It would like nice on you." One hand reaches out and touches the material before drawing back.
As the others search the room there, Shae peaks her head out into the main hall to check for any signs of the lizards or anything else.
Olaff climbs the stairs, just to make sure it ends in the tower-like room they have investigated on the upper floor before returning to the others.
Olaff takes the stairs to the upper floor and arrives in the study just inside of where the catapult was destroyed.
Shalelu finds no signs of lizards in the main hall or within the rooms the party currently occupies.
Confirming his guess, Olaff returns to the ground floor and goes to inspect the last two doors in the room. "Those stairrs lead to that study rroom."
To the south, Olaff finds another set of stairs that lead down to a floor below. To the west, a partially open door reveals a large number of ruined bunks have been heaped into a nestshaped mound in the center of this room. This room stinks nearly as bad as the other rooms, but no reptiles or lizard creatures are visible here.
When they don't find any threats in these rooms Shae notes "Come on the hall is clear, let's finish clearing this level before we head downstairs." She points across the hall where she sees a closed door near the room they fought the red-birdman, for Olaff to go take a look.
Ahreni follows along, largely uninterested in these stone mazes.
Four stone pillars support the roof of this large hall. What appear to have once been wooden cages lie in shambles throughout the room. A heap of rags and furs in the middle of the room seems to be some sort of makeshift bed, while a large heap of partially eaten birds, squirrels, and wild turnips mounded nearby reeks with the stink of compost.
Moving south and then south east, Olaff opens a small door leading south that opens into a ten foot hallway with doors both sides. Trying the right door and finding it empty, he opens the left door and finds three creatures inside. Their bodies are twisted and deformed, lumbering giants with tiny eyes and a mouth of jagged teeth presented in a furious roar. Two males and a female both look at you in confusion and one of them bellows "It's them!" before moving to engage.
As Olaff notices the creatures, Olaff readies his shield and looks back to Ahreni and the others. "Ye vill not rrush in Ahrreni! Not this time! Rretrreat to the thrrone rroom... let them come to us. Ve vill fight 'em in this corridorr, one each time."
"Vhat ye mean vith 'it's them'? I believe it is: 'It's them who vill mount ourr heads on pikes!'" Olaff says to the creatures, trying to shake their resolve and taunt them at the same time.
_____________________________________
Demoralize Blue
5 ft. step north
Readied action: Attack with fight defensively
Ahreni growls, but obeys, falling back down the corridor and shepherding the rest of the group with them.
The female ogre-like creature takes one look at Olaff and runs away, bursting out the door to the south. The other two males move in and collapse on Olaff, attacking him. One misses while the other buries his shortspear into Olaff's side
Relisha falls back with the others, pushing Thanara behind her. She then invokes a spell of healing on herself.
Ahreni 27/27
Olaff 26/31
Relisha 28/33
Shalelu 38/38
Thanara 17/17
Shalelu can't see a damn thing with the bends in the corridor, but hears Olaff call for them to back out to draw them out. So she waits with her bow at the ready as she calls out to Olaff "What's in there?"
"Ogre things." Ahreni growls. "Noisemaker wants to fight alone."
Olaff backs up 5' and draws the ogre-like creature further into the hallway. The second creature takes off through the open doorway that the other ran out from moments earlier. As the creature follows Olaff into the hallway, Thanara sends a jolt of electricity past Olaff into the ogre creature. Just as that happens, the creature is critically struck by the Ulfen and drops to the floor in a bloody heap. The other creature behind him steps up and thrusts his spear towards Olaff, but he misses.
From the far end of the throne room, the other ogre creature comes charging through and up to Relisha, waving her shortspear menacingly in her face.
Seeing the ogre creature rush towards Rel, Shalelu steps up to get a better view of the monster and looses two arrows.
She calls out to the beast "Come on you ugly lump of flesh. You want a fight, come and get one!"
Relisha fumbles at her back for the weapon she carries, but hasn't yet used. Pulling it from the straps, she swings it wildly and futilely at the hulking beast menacing her.
Ahreni 27/27
Olaff 31/31
Relisha 23/33
Shalelu 38/38
Thanara 17/17
Ahreni leaps up to join Relisha and lashes out at the ogre with a claw.
Seeing an ogre beast thing had gotten past Olaff, Thanara sends a larger bolt at it!
Shalelu's arrows find their target, both embedding into the chest of the female ogre-like creature next to Relisha. The tiefling fumbles with her weapon but isn't able to land a blow on her nearby enemy. Ahreni leaps to her defense and slashes the creature badly while Thanara lands another blast of electricity on the creature in the hallway. Olaff successfully intimidates and draws out the creature in the hallway, slashing it wickedly with his longsword.
The mini-ogre slashes at Olaff, but misses. The one next to Relisha doesn't miss, burying its spear into her flesh with a sickened piercing sound as it tears into her body.
Thanara begins to feel panic again as Relisha is attacked. She sends another of her bolts of lightning at the thing.
Relisa gives up on attempting to be a warrior as the others come to her aid. She drops her mace and utilizes her wand again. She seems quite shaken though as she steps back from the creature.
Ahreni 27/27 link
Olaff 31/31 link
Relisha 19/33
Shalelu 38/38 link
Thanara 17/17
Shalelu looses more arrows at the ogre-like creature. She is about to tell Rel to get back when she already steps back, instead she calls out to Ahreni "Fill the gap so it can't easily get to Relisha!"
Olaff attacks once more, happy to have locked the creature in the corridor yet anoyed that one of them had circled around the building.
________________________________________
Attack
Ahreni is already doing as Shalelu suggests, stepping sideways to block the creature before lashing and biting at the creature.
With combined effort, Shalelu, Ahreni, Thanara and Olaff all put down the remaining ogre-like creatures before they can tear into your healer again. [ooc]Out of combat!/ooc]
On the bodes of the creatures you find leather armor, +1 flail, shortspear x2, spiked gauntlet and 77 gp.
Relisha walks forward and picks up her dropped weapon. She casts another healing spell upon herself and then looks at the others for which direction they should take next.
Ahreni 27/27
Olaff 31/31
Relisha 24/33
Shalelu 38/38
Thanara 17/17
"We move quickly!" Ahreni suggests, although she doesn't propose an actual direction. "I can carry things."
With the ogre-like creatures defeated, you return back into the deserted kennel where you found the creatures and find two doors that exit this room. Pushing both open, you find an empty cloister outside that leads back into the courtyard. Returning to the castle interior, you approach the circular room you slew the red-faced man and find him still laying on the floor in shattered, bloodied pieces. Pushing east through the room, you open a double door into a small passageway that has three connected doors.
Two of these rooms were used as storerooms during Brinewall’s heyday. The northern storeroom is unremarkable, but searching the southern storeroom reveals a case of 20 masterwork cold iron arrows and a single +1 f laming burst arrow wrapped in red silk.
Opening the door to the east you find a room that is impossible to tell what it may have originally been used for, as the walls and floor are decorated with countless preserved animals and creatures, ranging from small birds and forest creatures to fearsome predators. Several of the displays look uncomfortably fresh or humanoid in shape.
There are five vials of poison, and a decorated taxidermic elf on display with jewelry—rings, necklaces, anklets, and bracelets worth 220 gp in all.
Ahreni walks carefully past the various animals, sniffing at them and making faces at the harsh scents of chemicals. "Down." She says, trying not to open her mouth too much, "Away from smells!"
Seeing all the taxidermy Shalelu shivers a bit, especially when she sees the elf. She clenches her hands, like shes oft to do when excessively irritated but holding back a verbal outburst. Instead she calmly says "When we are done we need to clear this room..."
She nods to Ahrenia's suggestion heading to the nearest stairs leading down now that this level is clear.
Olaff returns from the room after collecting all the valuables in silence. Once he makes sure everyone is ready to move forward, he once more readies his shield and goes for the nearest stair down.
Olaff leads the group back to the main hall and takes the stairwells on the east side. Descending down below, you can tell you are underground now as the temperature decreases slightly as you descend. At the bottom of the stairs the hallway turns north and then more stairs descend further. At the far end of the stairs is a door and Olaff opens it, finding a large empty room of doors.
Stone pillars support the ceiling over this large kitchen—although the fire pits, tables, and pantries here look like they haven’t been used in decades. Thick layers of dust cover everything in the room. There are six exits from this room leading in nearly all directions: N, W, S (you came this way), SW, SE, E.
Shalelu points out the tracks leading between the SW, N and SE doors to the others before asking them quietly [smaller]"Two options go directly after what is moving around down here or check these undisturbed areas to see if we can't find anything useful or come out behind whatever lurks down here."
She takes a moment to examine the tracks to see if she can't discern anything more useful from them.
Shalelu identifies the tracks as belonging to two different types of creatures, both of which you encountered yesterday. One set is the bird people (corbies) and the other set are the lizard-folk that attacked you at the gate during your escape.
"Find lizards. Fight them first!" Ahreni proposes, going for the simple option.
"We're not going to try to find the vault?" Relisha questions. "That's why we're here, right?"
Thanara remained quiet. She knew her opinion would get shot down by the more experienced folks anyway.
"Vault is locked. Being caught between enemy and locked door. Bad." Ahreni states bluntly, backing the statement with a shrug.
"I say ve go forr the thrreats ve know firrst... these rrooms that arre not used, probably have nothin' in them orr have somethin' even ourr enemies don't vant to face." Olaff says, agreeing with Ahreni. "Lets find the crrows and the lizarrds firrst."
Turning to Relisha, he adds. "Ye need to look around firrst forr most o' the time, therre arre dangerrs betveen ve and vhat ve vant... ye don't vant to be a rrat caught in a rrat trrap forr only thinkin' about the cheese, do ye?"
"It's not about cheese," Relisha says in a frustrated voice. "I mean ... we're here for a goal. We're here to find help for Ameiko. But part of me feels like some of you are just reveling in the bloodshed."
The tiefling frowns and looks away.
"I'm sorry. That makes it sound like ... I mean I don't think that about you, it's just ..." She shakes her head and then turns back to the large man. "I will follow your lead," she says quietly.
"Want less bloodshed. Less yours, less mine." Ahreni replies, gently for her. "So fight first - then get surprised."
Shae puts a hand on Rel's shoulder as she notes "I know why we are here, it is a priority to me that we find what Ameiko needs so we can fix her, however, we won't be able to help her if something happens and we all get killed. We need to deal with the threats facing us to ensure we can safely find what Ameiko needs."
With her shockingly tender moment done, perhaps because it was related to Ameiko, she moves toward Olaff and Ahreni and points toward the tracks that look the freshest for them to lead the way in that direction.
"No need to be sorry, Rrelisha, forr ye arre not entirely vrrong..." Olaff says without turning back, as he moves towards the door. "I do not seek bloodshed and needless conflict, but I also do not rrun frrom it... and if I say I do not enjoy a good fight, I'd be lying to ye."
"Ourr vays arre differrent, but now is not the time forr such kind o' talk."
Smelling at the southwest door, Ahreni can tell the stench is the strongest there. Listening at the door reveals numerous voices talking in a strange language that you don't understand. Once everyone is ready, Olaff opens the door.
Long benches in various states of disrepair and several battered and filthy wooden tables stand between stone pillars in this room. The air here stinks of reptiles. Four such reptiles strand around the middle of the room leaning on their javelins take note of your entrance and scream out while pointing at you.
Shalelu steps up and looses two arrows at the blue-skinned lizard, the first striking him and the second narrowly missing. The lizards react, the first throwing a javelin towards Olaff that misses badly and hits the wall outside the room. The three other lizards all move up and swing their clubs at him, one of them critically striking him in the chest