I believe that is what we were sent down here for.... though it feels a tad too easy. All things considered. Vinnick walks up to examine the pendant. Vinnick was apprehensive due to the past rooms, so takes care and keep Reginald close. He checks for any potential magic auras, before attempting to verify the items worth.
You don't recognize the pendant from being from any religion or organisation and upon close verification Vinnick realize that this is a fake pendant or no real value basically costume jewellery. The sapphires are ordinary cut glass and the chain looks like painted steel.
Figures, nothing seems to be as easy as one would want.. he lets out a sigh.
That said, to most I'm sure it would still look quite nice in, what are they called... an ensemble?. If anyone has a fancy for dragons.
Suffer not the fool. Stanislav quotes. You've a discerning eye Vin. Were I designing this room I would certainly place traps on this worthless bobble. I fear we must away and face the room with the dead.
"Do you want to backtrack, or just head through that door?" Cori asks. "It looks like it might lead us back to the Dead Room soon enough."
hmmm. Perhaps, we can return to the first room, and I can use a spell that would let me find any hidden doorways first if we wanted. Just to be sure no hidden avenues or back roads were missed, so to speak.
Seeing the silver medallion on the pedestal she shouts excitedly, Look medallion. it's a dragon medallion too.
Ajikisshochraos seeing the glitter medallion, shouts in draconic, Treasure!.
Seeing the drake rushing past her, she grabs the tail holds tightly causing the drake to halt, speaking in draconic, It is most likely a trap. Need to be careful. Remember mist in other room.
She walks slowly up, carefully not to touch anything, remembering the attacking mist, So out to be seen, the must be traps here.
Hearing Vinnick saying it is a fake, she lets out a sigh, Still it is nice looking, it is dragon after all. Would be nice to keep the the real one.
Perhaps we should check if that normal door of the first room is in fact a false door as we presumed yesterday. Also in mist room, there was another door to the north.
She walks behind Slid, with Vinnick behind her.
Let us backtrack at least back to the dark room. There We can go north or south I think. Perhaps at least look north if we have not before.
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Slid reassures the kobold "After we get out of this, I'll get you a beautiful dragon shaped jewel. I might even pay for it, HAHAHAHAHA!" After laughing at his own joke, Slid says We shouldn't backtrack. There are only deadly traps in here." He still remembers the pain from both the mist and the spider's venom.
He begins moving south and tries the door.
You decide to go north of the dark room. You find the chamber of cruelty.
“Cruelty is a tool not a pastime and should used properly at the right time and place. Be ruthless to thy enemy but reward those who serve thee well.”
Inside you find a torture room, with racks of torture implements and a chain with restraints in the middle.
Hiding behind one of the racks and trembling is a young lad in his teens. You notice his hands are bound and he is unarmed but he is wearing armour that marks him as a knight's squire.
When he realizes you see him, he gets up holding up his hands as best he can.
"please let me go! I don't know anything! My family is very rich! They will reward you if you get me home safely!"
Cori listens to the young man’s voice and body language, looking for signs of deception.
Relax lad, we are not your captors. Tell us how you came to be here. If we think you are truthful we will consider taking you with us when we leave. Be honest and be complete.
"I...I was following my mentor trough the swamps when we encountered a beautiful woman. She seemed so out of place in the swamp and she was so beautiful I couldn't take my eyes of her. Then I met her gaze and everything went dark. Next thing I knew I woke up here."
Then count yourself lucky that you have not been tortured in this room lad. I am Captain Stanislav Greymist. What is your name? And what was the name of your mentor? Perhaps I have heard of you or your family or that or your mentor.
After he answers this Stalislav will ask if he knows what happened to his mentor.
"I am Timeon of House Balentyne, my mentor is Sir Balin a skilled paladin of the knights of Ozem."
She pauses before entering the room, to think about the room's description regarding cruelty. Their task is to find the medallion, not to play with toys, the young human lad being seen as a toy in her eye.
She remains to one side of the group, deciding to study the lad as the others converse with the lad. She gently strokes Ajikisshochraos' head.
She also tries to recall anything the lad speaks of from her books she has been reading in their spare time.
Pretty much the only thing you can tell about the lad is that he is terrified and you don't think he is lying.
The name Balentyne rings a bell to R'yzzntyg but she cant remember the details, the name of a castle somewhere nearby? A noble family as well.
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Slid paces far from the conversation, but listening to it. He wonders what they can extract from this boy. What do we gain from not killing him right here and right now?, he keeps asking himself, hoping Stanislav's interrogation will shed some light on this. He cannot help but wonder if this boy was responsible for getting him into prison, which started all this.
Still, Slid thinks he has something to learn from Stanislav. The large man seems like a knowledgeable interrogator and someone who can keep his wits. Unlike me, I tend to get too emotional, he reprimanded himself.
Cori locks eyes with the young man for a moment, then lets her eyes wander slowly up and down his frame in an appraising fashion. A small smile of appreciation crosses her lips.
"I, for one, have no objection to seeing this young stalwart safely home," she says, adding a fair bit of honey to her tone.
Vinnick stays behind the others lost in thought. Is the boy of a noble house? If so, could be useful. Either way, he keeps Reginald back.
Finally, Vinnick asks a question.
Do you have any idea what happened to your mentor?
Vinnick recognises the name Balentyne it belongs to a noble family that came from the south of country and established themselves as a prominent family in Lastwall by supplying the country with much needed gold and troop to help defend the border. They oversaw the construction of a castle called "The Balentyne" which is currently one of the primary fortification that currently keep the orcs of the holds of belkzen at bay.
The lad is intrigued by cori but is to overwhelmed by fear and distrust to pay much attention to lust at this time still he seems to relax if only a little.
"I think he was captured like me. I heard someone talking after I was brought here. They said they were taking him past the coffins and that they needed to use a hidden passage to avoid the corpses."
Vinnick smiles, Ah, as I thought, hidden paths abound.
I suppose, by your name, you are affiliated with the noble house of Balentyne of Lastwall then? Quite the name to uphold is it not? Are you directly related to the noble family, or more distant? We shall look for this Sir Balin as well. Vinnick pryes for a little more information.
"Yes! Exactly my family is very rich! They will shower you with gold if you can return me home safely! Please do look for sir Balin, my family went trough a lot of effort to get Sir Balin as my mentor it would be terrible if he died!"
Stanislav's expression suddenly shows suspicion. Wait. How do we know you are who you say? Is there some information you know that a normal man at arms would not? What can you tell us to prove you are who you are?
Cori walks over to the young man and places a hand on his shoulder. "Come with us, help us find your liege lord, and we'll get out of here and home safely. Just so you know, I think you're a handsome young man with a bright future, that is, as long as you've been telling us the entire truth. Liars don't tend to end up in the happiest of circumstances, if you take my meaning."
She smiles warmly, but her tone carries the unmistakable implication of dire consequences for deception on his part.
No! We leave him here unless he proves himself. We do not need the extra baggage and I'll not bother with someone who is of no value. Stanislav stays sternly.
Cori eyes fly open in astonishment at Stan’s aggressive tone. She looks at the young squire with beseeching eyes.
”I’m sorry,” she whispers to the boy. ”When he gets like this, he can’t be talked down. Help me help you. Tell him everything you can to prove yourself, and I’ll make sure he agrees to get you home safe.”
"I don't know what else I can tell you, Sir Balin can confirm my identity if we find him and he has sworn a knights oath that prevents him from ever telling a lie. I'm acquainted with the commanders of the Balentyne, Captain Thomas and Captain Eddarly but anyone from around here could know who they are."
Vinnick strokes his goatee before responding. Very well, if you cannot tell us something to prove yourself, how about showing us something. A signet ring perhaps? Or something of the like that would easily mark you as at least having a real connection to the family?
"I'm afraid not everything I had on me was taken except for the clothes on my back when I was captured"
Still, there must be something you know if you are who you say you are. I am familiar with the Balentyne castle. But are you? If you can sketch it in detail, more detail than is obvious from simple observation then I will believe you.
"This is starting to feel a lot more like an interrogation than a rescue. Do what you will, take me or leave me. I will say nothing more."
Listen little squire, You will cooperate or... Stanislav looks about the room, we will test out some of the equipment here. He reaches over and picks up a "tool". Now Tell me something useful and earn your life, and maybe that of your knight as well.
Cori looks at the young squire with a pleading expression that clearly says, Talk to him, he’s crazy! He’ll do it!
vinnick stands quietly by, before adding in.
You have to understand the situation. You are in this... dungeon... of sorts. In which we have been attacked by several things already. You could easily be lying to us in order to betray us later. What proof do you have that we should believe you? That is all we are asking. After all it is quite convenient that you "heard" about this secret path.
I doubt the boy knows more... but, at least this way we don't seem entirely bloodthirsty.
"But I've told you all I can, my master is past the room with the corpses, there is a secret passage that avoids them. My name is Timeon Balentyne of the Balentyne family. I don't see how drawing you a map of the Balentyne is relevant to anything here...I've only been there a few times myself. I grew up in the city of Vigil at best I could draw a crude map of the layout."
Then do it. If you have been there you will know enough.
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Now now, if he is being honest, the lad has been through a lot. We can't assume he is lying, just as we can't assume he is being truthful. Now, good lad If you could draw this layout, please do. That would do a lot to alleviate concerns. As that is done, I will take a look around for this secret path, and other possible ones we may have missed. I would appreciate someone to accompany me.
After that vinnick will take a moment to cast detect secret doors via scroll.
he speaks the draconic incantation, ociur irthos ifni and the scroll slowly burns to ashes as the purple energy leaves it before before swirling around Vinnicks head and fading away.
He will make sure he has checked the room they are in, before walking back to the other rooms each in turn.
The lad agrees to draw a crude map of the balentyne for you. You find two hidden doors on each side of the passage south of the dark room, and one more to the west of the podium with the fake pendant. The doors are open simply by pressing hidden switched next to the doors.
Vinnick makes sure to mark each door with chalk, so it doesn't get lost again before returning to the others.
I've found several secret doors actually, not just the one. There are two hidden doors on each side of the passage south of the dark room, and one more to the west of the podium where the fake pendant was.
Cori leans her head on the young man’s shoulder, letting her hair brush across his cheek and neck. ”Thank you..” she sighs in a tone of relief. ”I was so worried he was going to lose his temper with you.”
Stanislav gives the boy a smile. There. Was that so hard. I think you are who you say you are. He prepares to follow Vinnick.