Jixel swiftly drew a dagger, and kept an eye on the doorway they'd entered through... just in case any surprises might try and come in from behind.
The moment the door was open, Zander was moving. He was opposite the dwarf at the far door, his halberd readied, even while J'r-V'zz was still analyzing the room.
"Shhh, now. What's not going to work, chaps?" he inquired, leveling his blade at the orc's throat.
Surprised and surrounded by three times their number, the two Daask thugs held up their hands. The orc gestured at the door. "Somethin' slithered up outta tha sh!tter! We're jus' tryna keep it from gettin' in here under tha door."
Zander did not turn away from the dwarf, and his halberd did not move from its readied position.
J'r-V'zz continued to scan the room, turning its focus towards the door the dwarf was attempting to plug up.
Zander spoke, though his stance did not change. "Please describe the 'slithering' creature, if you can. How long ago did it make its appearance?"
Krentz, the orc from the Yawning Portal, gestured at Zemk, the duergar. "All I could see was like a wet patch on tha floor. We sent Mac, Brak, and Zak in there and it... I dunno, it grabbed 'em an' started eatin' 'em, just meltin' off their feet. Zemk got a better look."
The duergar looked like he was considering trying his luck in spite of the long odds, but he sneered at Krentz and said "It's an ooze or a pudding, I'm pretty sure. Could be a young sewer ooze, or a gray. Or it could be a stone or a dun pudding. It's hard to tell against a stone floor." Zemk certainly sounded like the smarter of the two Daask. From his expression he also seemed to be the more likely to try something stupid, in spite of that.
"The bedding and broken furniture stuffed under the door supports your story," Zander said. Unbeknownst to the others, he was merely passing along the conclusion J'r-V'zz had shared with him. "It does not fully validate it, however. There are a number of reasons one might be engaging in similar activities. More interestingly, however, is the fact that all of your reported associates have such similar-sounding names. Could you explain how that came to be? I find that what many humanoids refer to as 'coincidence' tends to, in fact, denote patterns that are simply too large to be entirely seen without a broader perspective. Would you agree?"
Zander's head tilted slightly to one side, though his halberd did not waver from its readied position.
"Oh, and you should likely reconsider any course of action that would include violence at this juncture."
J'r-V'zz, for its part, had painted both the half-orc and the duergar as orange glowing dots on the mini-map projected in Zander's vision - probable threats, unconfirmed - and was assessing both continually for signs of imminent violence.
At the rear, Jixel stayed on alert whilst Zander got into asking questions and analyzing responses. The ratfolk was quite surprised by it all, actually. Were strangers just charging their way in here a regular occurrence? Or were these Daask just seriously dumb? Either way, the lack of violence thus far was a positive. The real question was for how long the peace would continue...
Illendur sees a potential opportunity here, Well, what if we help you with your sewer slitherer problem, and you help us in return? the warrior looks at the two Daask thugs seeing how they react.
Due to their underground heritage, they have long-distance darkvision. That is typically offset with a sensitivity to bright light. Their natural affinity for psionics means that most have the ability to turn invisible or double their size for combat. Dok can see that this dwarf has a warhammer nearby.
Due to their stubborn and hardy nature, duergar are also easily able to paralysis, phantasms, and poison.
"The bedding and broken furniture stuffed under the door supports your story," Zander said. Unbeknownst to the others, he was merely passing along the conclusion J'r-V'zz had shared with him. "It does not fully validate it, however. There are a number of reasons one might be engaging in similar activities. More interestingly, however, is the fact that all of your reported associates have such similar-sounding names. Could you explain how that came to be? I find that what many humanoids refer to as 'coincidence' tends to, in fact, denote patterns that are simply too large to be entirely seen without a broader perspective. Would you agree?"
Zander's head tilted slightly to one side, though his halberd did not waver from its readied position.
"Oh, and you should likely reconsider any course of action that would include violence at this juncture."
Zemk growled at the warforged's suggestion but Krentz frowned at Zander, looking confused. "What? They're goblins. I don't know how they picked their names."
Illendur sees a potential opportunity here, Well, what if we help you with your sewer slitherer problem, and you help us in return? the warrior looks at the two Daask thugs seeing how they react.
Zemk glanced down at the crack under the door and the extremely makeshift barrier then back at Ilendur. "What if you bite me, pixie boy? If there's nothing to eat it'll probably just go away."
The half-elf smiles broadly, while keeping his swords on point to each of the men, Hey, just trying to offer an equitable solution there short stuff. Cooperation means nothing gets messy, and isnt that what we all want really? Resolve this little situation and then go our separate ways, have a nice stiff drink, enjoy the whatevers of the night?
Zemk snorted. "Fine. You go your way, we'll go our way, and nobody gets eaten by a monster. Be my guest." He gestured at the door to the south.
"Ah," Zander said, "goblins. Yes, their naming conventions are quite confusing, I agree."
When the dwarf made his suggestion, Zander cocked his head to the other side.
"Those two statements do not correlate. It is entirely possible that, even should both parties exit this room immediately, that someone may well be eaten by a monster. Even if you meant to limit your statement to the single monster beyond the door, if it is trapped within and someone unknowingly opens the door after we have departed, there is a high probability that the 'monster,' as you call it, will attack and 'eat' whoever it is that unwittingly frees it. And that, of course, presumes that the creature cannot simply flow under the door, or up and over the door, or eat its way through the organic materials directly. In which case, it will be free to make its way throughout the complex, and cause even more harm to other unsuspecting individuals. Perhaps we should jointly go to warn the appropriate parties?"
Zemk grunted. "I don't think we'll be using this particular hideout again, monster or no." The dwarf gestured at the swords at his and Krentz's throats. "Too much foot traffic."
"You want to go warn people, feel free. I'm getting out of here."
"You may precede us from the room, if you wish," Zander said, not moving from his position.
"Ya, get yas gone if yas goin'" Dok drawls.
Illendur raises his sword points off center, ever so slightly, and indicates the door they came in with his head, Alright lads, time to go then. Be safe, have a great eve...
Zemk grunted and nodded at the group, glancing briefly at his weapon before deciding it would be a bad idea to collect it. "Come on, Krentz." The orc looked a little confused but followed out the door to the west as the group let the two Daask members go.
Forwarned about the monster in the privy, the only remaining door was the southern door, which took an immediate turn to the south.
Ash slipped down the hallway to the south, coming back less than a minute later. "Come on, they're torturing someone." He gestures at Renaer. "Looks kind of like you."
The shifter looked at Dok, Ilendur, Jixel, and Zander. "We should hurry, it looks like things are about to escalate."
Zander nodded and prepared to head out, his halberd at the ready.
"Lead the way," he said to Ash.
Dok draws his sword and follows along.
Jixel had been happy to stay on guard duty for a little while, fully... well almost fully comfortable with Ash's ability to be sneaky, and also identify traps along the way.
With torture then mentioned in the returning shifter's report, the ratfolk lass blinked twice and took on a horrified expression.
"Yes yes, let's go!"
She followed the others, hoping they weren't too late..
Illendur draws his secondary blade following his companions forward, Could be who we are looking for...
The party moved quickly down the hallway to an open doorway, where Ash gestured for everyone to stop and to be quiet. Beyond the doorway was a large open hall, in the middle of which a muscular half-orc in dingy robes stood with his foot on the chest of a male human with wavy red-blond hair. Fire burned around the orc's clenched fist, and his victim cried and squirmed helplessly beneath him.
Renaer yelped "Floon!" and surged forward but Ash held him back. None of the people in the room seemed to notice the outburst or the brief struggle in the hallway.
Seated backwards with its arms crossed over the back of the chair was what looked like a goblin, with the large floppy ears and big head typical for that race, but with (for a goblin) freakishly long arms and legs. It was dressed in a hodgepodge of what looked like cast-off magical junk.
Lastly, on a raised platform to the south was a nightmarish figure wearing black robes. It had large white eyes and rubbery purple skin, with four tentacles encircling its inhuman mouth. It cradled and gently caressed what looked like a disembodied brain with feet.
The brain with legs is an Intellect Devourer, but this one is much smaller than you've been told they're supposed to be (house cat sized instead of big cat sized). It's probably a juvenile. Servitors of the mind flayer race, they are supposedly capable of taking over a human body and wearing it like a suit of clothes.
An Intellect Devourer attacks primarily with its claws, but if it has access to a helpless target or a recently dead body it can burrow into the target's skull and replace the creature's brain and take over its body. This one looks like it may not have all the capabilities you've heard of, though.
"I'm not knowin' what those things on the platform are, but the tall one seems bored."
"The humanoid on the dias is a Mind Flayer," the voice in Zander's head said, unheard by the others. "quite dangerous. Masters of dark manipulation and telepathic abilities, quite often leaders of large, effective groups. They devour the brains of other humanoids, and telepathically overpower them. The creature it is caressing appears to be an intellect devourer, though based upon size, a juvenile. Servitors of the mind flayer race, they are reputedly capable of taking over a humanoid body and wearing it like a suit of clothes. Either would prove quite dangerous alone. Together, along with the other two humanoids, highly likely to be tactically superior to our own numbers. I would suggest a tactical retreat."
"The purple humanoid appears to be a mind flayer," Zander relayed the information, quietly, to the others. "Very dangerous. The creature it holds may be an intellect devourer. Also dangerous. Unless we can immediately neutralize the mind flayer, it is highly likely that any confrontation would be unsuccessful, based upon the disparity of forces."
Should we go rescue Floon though? I can probably tie up the mind flayer thing, since I've got two swords to his none? Illendur asks Zander, and then looking back at the group....
D'oh. Maybe they're actually friends. :P
"If that's who we're here for, and that squid-faced thing is too dangerous for us, then perhaps what we need is a diversion," Ash whispered. "Something to draw it out to where we can at the very least focus our attacks on it, and hopefully something that will distract it completely while we abscond with Floon. Jixel, quick, what's back down that way?"
The look on the ratfolk's face was one of deep curiosity. Sometimes being afraid was the rightful thing to be, and rodents knew pretty well when better to scurry than be turned into slurry. She wondered though, if Mister Octopus-face and the other thingy were as bad as her friends made them out to be. Anyway, as the others discussed options, she turned to the northeastern corner of the room, and a doorway they'd not yet gone through.
"That one, Ash? Shall I looky-looky? These ugly things down south... I'm out of the very best of magics for today. Perhaps... we could trade? Negotiate a release?"
Pure distaste crossed Ash's face before he could calm it again. Taking a breath, he thought about Jixel's proposal. "What do we have that it would want - or even that it couldn't just take, if it's as dangerous as they say?"
Renaer shook his head. "I don't know. I have money. They wanted me, not him. This is all my fault! Do you think they would trade Floon for me? You could take him out of here and I would... answer their questions." The nobleman didn't look excited by the prospect of an interrogation at the hands of a mind flayer, but he certainly seemed willing to trade himself for the other man.
Illendur nods, That may be the distraction we needed, great idea Renaer, He looks the nobleman up and down, satisfied with the decision.
Turning to the others, he speculates, Okay, so Renaer here offers himself up, and we agree to take Floon out of here. We outnumber them, so at the moment of the exchange, when everything is confused, we get both of them out of there and escape ourselves... Can anyone do anything really distracting or to help create chaos in that minute? Obviously if things do go poorly we could be in for a fight, but we'll handle that if need be.
Zander tilted his head - the others were coming to realize that the gesture was the equivalent of a quizzical look, or a raised eyebrow on faces that could move.
"So you would give up the element of surprise, and risk the life of the Renaer human, to attempt a low-probability rescue of the Floon human? Interesting."
There was a pause, and then Zander nodded. "This seems an interesting experiment, albiet with high potential costs for failure. We will be happy to participate. Perhaps we should keep one or two of us further back, so as to avoid creating a tempting target for any area-of-effect responses from the enemy?"
Renaer nodded. "It's my fault Floon's in there in the first place. I'll do whatever I can to get him out of this." The young nobleman looked back at Ilendur, then at each of the others. He still looked rather beat up from his rough treatment at the hands of the Tarkanans, but he also looked determined. "Let me know when you're ready and I'll make my entrance."
"Perhaps the non-human humanoids of the group should take you in posing as a prisoner," Zander suggested. "Then you will not have to go alone, and if the enemy thinks the group is trying to curry favor with them, they may be less suspicious of betrayal."
"I can snarl a little and show my teeth. That'll bring out more of the orc in me." Dok offers.
Illendur nods his head, basically everyone but me, and then I can rush the room when it seems best?
Jixel looked a bit confused, unsure as to if she was supposed to be checking that other exit, or getting ready for a negotiation... or a trade. The idea of swapping one captive for another didn't really appeal to her very much though.
"Huh? They want you, Renaer? I thinksee you need to tell us why. The short version though, before they get tired of the plaything they already have."
Renaer shook his head. "I don't know! They think I know where some magic thing is because of my father, but I don't even know what it is!"
{ooc]Sure looks that way![/ooc]