Yasmeena takes down one of the salamanders.
With the salamanders attacking him Bylo has to accept that they are too stupid to live....
Haleen joins the fire creature extinction in the making.
Bylo and Haleen would one of the salamanders but they are not half as effective as Yasmeena.
Bylo hates to kill the creatures, but has no other option.
Watching for an opening, and inwardly lamenting that Bylo’s overtures are falling on deaf ears – Must be the hardened hearts of assassins, I suppose… – Aith skirts around the melee to where she can pelt the salamanders with magic, rather than lead, without risking her friends.
Bylo almost ends the wounded salamander, but the icy attack from Aithaloessa ends his misery. The other one dodges most of the snowballs.
Yasmeena continues firing at the salamanders.
Neelah maintains her Flame Break performance.
With Yasmeena shooting again this floor of the building quickly runs out of inhabitants.
Checking on the belongings you only find something on the noble salamander. A magical scythe and four doses of questionable unlabled liquid.
That scythe should probably be put somewhere safe for eventual redistribution to at least notionally more responsible hands, as should the …
“Oooh, death blade!” Aith announces rather more cheerfully than one might expect hope, after a cursory glance and swirl of one of the unlabelled vials. “Very interesting, very naughty, if the wrong person gets it. With a bit of work I should be able to concoct a homeopathic cure, just in case. It looks like these assassins aren’t of the “convenient accident” school of their trade, although I suppose the right poison might make one more likely.”
She brushes a hand over the weird cane they picked up before dealing with the foul imam, then frowns. Of all the things it doesn’t detect! “Unfortunately, I don’t know a particularly easy way to track poisons. They have a much fainter aura than magic, and without being sure that any of these fellows is carrying any given…”
Yasmeena stows the equipment in the group's bag of holding, and pulls out her gravity bow wand to refresh the spell's duration. "Onward!" she suggests, and proceeds to check the next rooms.
Besides another guard room where the salamanders came from there is nothing on this floor. Down the stairs you find a door and behind it a dining hall. A battered, fifteen-foot-diameter circular stone table stands in this room, surrounded by several chairs, many of which lie on their sides. The edges of the table are heaped with half-eaten, well-burnt foods, goblets, and hookahs. The central ten feet of the table is
clear, surrounded by a three-foot-high railing of brass latticework.
There are three more doors from here on and stairs further down.
First - The wall above the west door in this chamber bears a colorful
fresco with writing incorporated into the design. This served as the entry to the guest house. The fresco is in Ignan and states, “Welcome to the House of al-Bazan. May the grace of flame bring you good fortune.” It has an exit to the open yard.
Second - This simple kitchen is a clatter of pots and pans, with a large, crackling wall of fire along the southern wall. Eight kobold slaves work frenetically in this kitchen, overseen by four salamanders.
Bylo glances at the activity and the creatures in the room, then backs away for a second. "The kobolds are probably slaves. I could talk to them, offer them freedom and maybe get them to hide during the fight so we can talk with them after."
Bylo steps into the room, glowing with divine radiance. He speaks loud to all in the room, "We come in peace. We seek a group known as the Flickering Candle. While we mean no harm we are fully capable of defending ourselves. Speak peacefully with us and we will depart without harming anyone. Attack us and you will not survive."
"<Please leave us in peace, we know nothing, we are only cooking.>" one of the kobolds replies in draconic.
The salamander i snot amused and first shouts at the kobolds to shut up and keep working. Then he turns to Bylo. "What are you doing here? Get lost!" a salamander threatens in common.
Yasmeena backs Bylo's play, her bow stowed so she is not actively menacing anyone. She hums a quiet tune while the cleric speaks, a hymn to Sarenrae that she hopes will ease the tension. When the salamander begins threatening, she regards him sadly. "Be at peace, friend. There is no reason to fight. Our purpose does not oppose yours, and isn't it nice to do something different for a change? To talk with strangers?"
Bylo keeps his smile and switches to Ignan. "No problem. We don't want to interrupt your important work. As I said though, we are looking for the Flickering Candle. Could you please direct us to them?"
"<The flickering candle isn't having visitors. Anyway, how did you get into this building?>" the salamander inquires.
"Well, the whole story is a bit lengthy. But the simple part of it is a plane shift trapped us here. Why does that matter?"
“From what I understand, it’s been a very long time since the palace has had any visitors at all,” Aith chimes in, eyebrows lifting in a disingenuous display of improbable surprise. “Or departures, for that matter. I would think that a bit of news and even a glimmer of hope for stretching one’s legs would be welcome.”
“Or, er, scales, as the case may be,” she adds quickly, realizing that salamanders probably don’t spare legs much thought. “If you can point us to the leaders of the Candle, anyway, we’ll be out of your way, and we won’t say anything about your directions, if you’re worried about getting in trouble for our disturbing them.”
Her time in the Alkenstar guard seems to serve the mage well, as she cuts to the chase, leaning heavily on the habits of people who have too much work of their own to deal with to worry about irascible higher-ups, and the dependable watchword of 'Not My Problem.'
"The leader is currently one story down. In the room next to the prison." the fire salamander replies.
“Brilliant! We’ll go offer our respects and not get in your way any longer,” Aith offers, though it does occur to her to wonder just how food is prepared on the Plane of Fire. In a relatively cool patch like the City of Brass is one thing, but even then, she imagines some residents might have some positively blistering tastes. Conversely, icy treats might be even more extravagantly indulgent. Or would they be anathema?
It’s a question that will have to wait until she’s not in a cursed castle, probably.
"Very good. We'll discuss things with your leader. Could you give us directions? or possibly escort us and maybe introduce us?"
Down the stairs: Short couches and divans line the walls of this chamber, while multiple rough pallets cover the floors. Currently occupying this chamber are three kobolds that are injured. They lie listlessly on the rough pallets, with only meager bowls of meal and half-evaporated cups of water.
Noticing the three injured kobolds Bylo stops to check on their wounds.
"How were you hurt? Is there anything we can do to help?"
The kobolds look like victims of an unsafe work environment. Bruised and burnt.
Bylo turns to the others in the party, anger clouding his face. "I know they're just kobolds. But these slaves need to be freed. Are you with me?"
Yasmeena nods immediately. "No one, no matter how lowly, deserves mistreatment. If we must do this unpleasant task of hunting down assassins to get anywhere in this cursed plane, helping those who they hurt is the least we can do. What are you thinking?"
"How about we kill them, to release them from their misery? Just because these evil litte dragon worshipping suckers found someone more evil than themself doesn't compel me to save them." Haleen objects.
"I've met my share of kobolds and the meetings didn't endear them to me."
Bylo shakes his head at Haleen's words. "Normally I'd agree, but these are just slaves. Sarenrae asks that mercy be offered. I say we kill the slave masters and give the slaves a chance. Once free they may have information that we need. Those efreet won't answer! Let me cast a Prayer and we can charge back in there to kill them quickly."
"Whatever floats you boat." Haleen shrugs.
Yasmeena debates internally whether not attacking salamanders that did not begin hostilities outweighs freeing kobold slaves, but decides that she will support her friend's desires over her own reservations. "Very well," she says brightly. "So we go in with weapons blazing? We know how they are deployed. It should not be difficult to overpower them."
"Agreed then."
He casts a quick Prayer, and moves back to the room, charging the closest of the Efreet. "You are unhelpful and treat your slaves terribly. May the Dawnflower have mercy on your soul!" "We are freeing you. Stay out of our way or we will have to fight you as well!"
Yasmeena uses her wand on herself and enters nimbly behind Bylo, her bow already in her hands. She dances as she fires at their leader.
Neelah follows semi-obediently and renews her Fire Break performance.
With the door kicked open bylo charges in and wounds one salamander badly.
Bylo continues his attack on the enemy.
Trusting, that Yasmeena will manage to shoot past her no problem, Haleen walks in and stabs the same salamander.
Halenn ends the salamander Bylo wounded.