You awake fairly large chamber with a narrow walkway flanked by two rows of holding cells, twelve in total. The cells are made of a series of iron bars, each an inch thick. Three lanterns hang from the ceiling gently swaying back and forth, causing the shadows of the bars to drift side to side. The musty air filling you with a slight dread as the grogginess subsides. Looking around, each cell except one is filled with a different occupant.
Hsoa breathes hard, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his aching and febrile mind. The swaying lanterns do little to ease his confusion, or fear. A slight pit in his stomach yowls, wanting to expand and swallow him whole. He breathes again, trying to remember how he came to be...wherever this was. Nothing.
"Hello?" he calls out hoarsely in the Common tongue, fairly sure this..place... is not lizardfolk built.
Where am I? Where are ma and da? he wonders, more worried for them, oddly, than himself.
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Ghida stirs, wondering if she just had a nightmare or if that was the night before. She sits up, lifts her head slightly and scans the area with her eyes, all the while rubbing her temples. Where the hell am I?
The others see a teen-aged half-orc (or at least a human with some orc blood), hunched over, with eyes looking suspiciously around the room. If she's upset about her surroundings, she's hiding it well.
She stands up slowly and grasps the bars of her cell. Her eyes stop at a lizard-folk across from her. "What is this place?"
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Kamira startles awake in a cell much, much darker than her bedroom, and cold enough that it chills her to the bone. One glimpse at the metal bars sufficed to understand that she would not be able to get out on her own. She was powerless. For a moment, she almost cried, but held back her tears. Her Dark Lord didn't like weakness. She had to find a way out, or at least try to, if she wanted some assistance.
Rubbing her arms, Kamira gets up and gets closer to the bars, as she overhears a conversation between two older children.
"Some kind of prison," she replies to another girl. She peeks into the other cells, wondering if all the prisoners are children.
"And definitely one that I've not been in before," Spoke a melodic voice from one of the other cells.
Looking over, the others see an elf with raven black hair and violet eyes that were scanning both the room and her cell.
Not seeing anything of use, she calls out to the other conscious prisoners, "Can any of you find something long and slender in their cells? If so, get it to me, I can get us out of here."
Unfortunately you do not see anything that could be of use.
You managed to find what looks like a some sort of thick wire about three inches in length.
Looking from a cell directly across from the Half-Orc, the Elf inspected the wire.
"That should work," Putting her hand through the bars, "Toss it here."
Once she had the wire the Elf began working on the lock.
With a little work she there came a familiar *ting*. A smile on the girls face, she pushed the door open.
Moving across to the Half-Orcs cell, she began working on that lock.
Soon after Ghida was free.
Hsoas lock turned out be particularly but she managed to get it open.
Kamira was freed almost instantly.
Sliding the wire into her hair she said, "The name's Shadei, and you are?"
”Nicely done, and thank you Shadei!” murmurs the lizardfolk. ”I’m Hsoa.” Hsoa looks to each of the former captives. ”Do any of you remember anything of how you came to be wherever we are?”
"I was in my alley, sleeping behind some barrels when I heard some odd music. That's it, that's all I remember."
Hsoa peers into the other cells. ”Who are they?” he asks simply.
As you look in each of the cells, you recognize four of the other children locked up as Kap, Tod, Vimi, and Bek. The other three include a Catfolk and a pair of Tengu. They all appear to be unconscious.
The Elf looked at Kamira and smiled, "I like the way you think. We're going to get along just fine."
Moving over to one of the other cells, she began picking one of the locks.
Almost as soon as the Elf started her work, there came the sound of the only wooden door being unlocked.
Replacing the wire in her hair, the Elf deftly moved back into her cell and 'went to sleep'.
Hsoa’s eyes squint, then bulge as he at first doesn’t get, then completely realises the import of Kamira’s thinking. The lizardfolk has no time to protest as the door begins to open, he dashes back inside his cell, and shuts the door, but stands at the door with hands on the bars to better see the creature entering.
The heavy wooden door begins to open and a white Ratfolk drags in the unconscious form of Red. Taking him to the unoccupied cell, the Ratfolk removed the keys from its, opened the door, and threw the child within it.
Hsoa’s eyes bulge again - and before he can stop himself, he acts - his right hand making a gripping shspe and a nimbus of static appears between his thumb and fingers/claws. He throws the electric energy toward the ratfolk...
Shadei quickly ran out to join the others. Getting into an advantageous position with the Acolyte, the Elf tried to kick between the Ratfolks legs, hoping it was a male.
Between the sudden assault of all of you, the Ratfolk just crumples to the floor. The only movement being the occasional twitch from Hsoa's electrical spell.
"Well that was quick. Let's see what he's got."
With practised ease, the Elf began rummaging through the body. She soon comes up with a leather-bound club, six vials of some sort of strange liquid, eleven quartz crystals that feel......odd, and a keyring with four keys on it.
You have absolutely no idea what this liquid is.
You are not sure as to the nature of these vials.
Shadei looked at the dead Ratfolk studying it up and down, deep in thought.
Looking at the Orc blood, "Thinking a bit more back on similar jobs I've had. If there are guards like this one we might want to scout this place out first, find the way out, then let these others out. We seem to be good at handling them quickly if we're quiet, and in my experience the more on a job the louder it gets."
Picking up the keys, the Elf headed to the door. "Give me a minute to scout. I'll be right back."
Slipping through the door, the urchin disappeared.
Hsoa looks at the club, and reaches out for it.
”I’m sure that will come in handy...” he murmurs, half watching Shadei disappear.
He examines the liquid in the vials... before checking on Red.
”Red! It’s me Hsoa! You ‘wake?
Not recognizing what was in the vials, Hsoa went to check on Red.
There came a low moan as the young man came to. Groggily looking up at the Iruxi, "Hsoa? Is that you?"
The scalykind crouches over Red, seeing if he can discern what might have been...done to the other child.
”Yes, Hsoa. Vimi, Kap, Tod and Bek here too. Where have you been brought from just now? Are there more of these ratfolk?”