Kela whispers, "teleportation, probably. We know they can do it." She turns to Barcos, "you are decent with a bow, if we see another Div, can you load up a cold iron bolt and try to disrupt their escape?"
She looks around, but seeing nothing, shrugs, "I think we should check out the other towers, unless there's something useful here."
He nods, "I can do my best, certainly."
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Neither Marius nor Rose find traps, secret trapdoors or other hidden features of the room. The teleportation theory seems indeed the most probable.
Inspecting the dust-free flag, Rose notices that the weaving is of very high quality, with a meticulously embroidered horse and elephant, both about to charge. The tapestry's green and blue colors underscore the beasts' connection to Taldor's distinguished cavalry, the Taldan Horse, in which they have long been the most commonly used mounts. Though this particular piece of heraldry is rather rare in all reaches of the empire, those who know their Taldan military history know that this banner's design has not been used for hundreds of years.
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Kela looks it over, curiously. "Interesting. Perhaps the other towers will have something similar. However, we should be on guard - we were careless here - there may be more undead or Divs." She retrieves a few more oils of bless weapon and hands one to Marius.
"This tapistry is magnificent . Even after all these centuries, it is spotless." Rose whispers in awe, completely engrossed in studying the patterns, lining and fabric until Faenia pulls her out of it. "Ah... yes. Indeed. We should do exactly that." She says, blushing slightly. "And I will just keep hold on this for now..."
She follows the others back , then puts her back to the wall, trying to stay clear of the narrow railing surrounding the three towers. "If I were a Div who could teleport and fly, I would probably try and rig one of these sections so that someone crossing them would fall to their death." The tailor muses, and carefully examines the railing as they go.
The pairakas are seemingly confident in their other defenses, for the walkway is not trapped. The door to the central tower is not locked either, so the group is able to enter without issues.
Much of this room beyond is crowded with human-size dressmaker's dummies, each wearing an elaborate gown, shawl, or cloak. The floor near the dummies is cluttered with pairs of nice shoes. The northwest corner contains a set of stone stairs leading up.
Kela’s eyes scan the room, looking for magic. Finding none, she wordlessly points at the stairs, and gestures to keep going up.
Kela cannot sense anything magical in the room, but she does spot the shards of a ceramic vessel lying on the stairs leading up. There is also faint rustling coming from the floor above, which might indicate the presence of someone... or something.
Nodding at the Skald's silent warning, Rose quietly sneaks into the room, trying to get clear shot up the stairs.
Rose has to move slowly to avoid the shards of broken pottery , but even so it is difficult to step on the stairs without making any noise at all. As she reaches the top, she can get a good view of the upper floor. Three large beds are jammed into this room, each covered with silks and furs, as though each bed's owner were trying to outdo the others in opulence. Other than a few narrow windows near the ceiling and the stone stairs, there are no other exits from this room.
Three figures are inside: a slim half-elven man with blonde, wavy hair and piercing green eyes, dressed in black robes trimmed with silver, who is currently manacled to one of the bed posts while a silk scarf roughly tied around his mouth serves as a makeshift gag. The other two are human women, waifish and emaciated, wearing rags that do little to hide the fresh bruises and scabbing wounds all over their bodies. Their eyes widen as they spot Rose, and they shrink back in fear.
"Marius. More prisoners here," Rose whispers backward. Having learnt from her previous mistake, she waits until at least he or Faenia has entered the room before following them in, bow still at the ready.
"Oh goddess, are you all right? Don't be alarmed. I am Rose, this is Lord Erallan and our associates. We were sent here on behalf of the princess to help you," She explains to the prisoners as she takes a moment to observe both their surroundings and the presumed victims.
Moving to the man first, she ungags him so as to let him speak. "Who are you all and why were they after you?" She asks the three.
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Marius nods at Rose's warning, but his eyes still widen in horrified understanding as he takes in the scene. Sheathing his blade, he shows his empty hands to the two frightened women to demonstrate his good intentions.
"It's alright, we're friends. we killed the wolf-thing and the the devil woman. We haven't found any other monsters around? We can get you to safety otherwise."
As Rose whispers, one of the women begins to wail loudly, throwing herself at the feet of her rescuer. "Oh, thank all the gods, please-p-please take us away from here!" Whatever unimaginable torment she must have suffered has clearly affected her mind. The other is rocking back and forth, repeating the same words over and over, in a language that Rose cannot recognize.
For a moment, Rose is overwhelmed with compassion for the poor women and the terrible, terrible things they must have endured. Then the movements of the second one draw her eye; she may not be able to cast magic herself, but she can certainly recognize when someone else is. Armoured with this knowledge, her perception shifts. The two women suddenly seem rather suspicious.
"Spells! The women are Div! To arms!" She calls out as the mental assault seems to pass, preparing to quickly fall back!
Barcos speaks in the sibilant tongue of the druids, tracing sigils in the air with his hands as a teeming throng of monkeys pour in from thin air, chattering and screeching and adding an odd levity to the grim scene.
The 'girls' cover their ears against the deafening cacophony of simian screeches, but one of them is a little too late and her face contorts in pain. Their bodies shimmer and shift, and soon enough two pairaka divs stand in the room.
A soft presence enters each of your minds, like the tinkling of windchimes. A flowing feminine voice rings out in your head, words laced with alarm and concern.
"The half elf is a captive, use cold iron or holy weapons to slay the pairakas! They carry diseases, are resistant to magic, and immune to fire! Please help him!"
"What? Who-" Rose begins with a start, but any inquiry on who or what was out there to help them stops when the two figures indeed shapeshift right back to Divs.
Besides, it was hard enough to focus as it was - with a literal monkey swarm wreaking havoc on the room!
Taking advantage of the Ape's distraction, she quickly shoots the retching front Peraika before falling back to make space for the frontliners!
Faenia has the mirror images up, so she moves to stand in front, and tried to slash with her blessed greatsword.
Grimacing as the two women turn out to be more divs, Marius keeps a close eye on Faenia's engagement, waiting for his chance to dive into the fight.
Rose's bolt misses the pairaka by a hair, and the div retaliates swiftly.
Kela steps up as Rose retreats, cutting a deep wound into the pairaka's arm. She seems surprised at the ease with which the blade cuts her flesh, and she snarls at Kela.
Baron Barksley rushes up the stairs, trying to lay low the foe blocking the way for the others. The div swipes at him as he barrels past, but he's too fast. Unfortunately, she is as well - and the loyal hound's jaws find only air as he attempts to clamp them on her leg and wrestle her to the ground.
The monkeys cavort through the room, climbing all over the pairaka, but she flings them off with an impatient snap of her arm. The second one slides off the bed and comes to her companion's aid.
Kela shrugs off whatever nonsense the paraika has embedded in her attack, and though she is injured slightly, it isn't too bad. She starts speaking in a low voice, "quite a shame - you and your people are interesting. And while you hurt people, you aren't all evil - I suppose. Not like demons and devils. Lesser, if you will - is a Div." She looks disappointed.
She swings her sword around at the foe.
Having withdrawn to the shadows down the stairs, Rose does her best to try and land a shot past both her lover and friend. But with such a writing mass of bodies in a confined space, that was just too much to hope for - even with dignity's barb.
Instead, she tried to think creatively, wondering how she could be useful in this situation. The problem was that the front Div was blocking everyone entry into the room. So how to get it to move from there...?
An idea forming, she tried to recall the Div's voices, then mimicked them, sounding a warning from behind the front Div as if spoken by the other one!
"Look out! Jump back!" It cries out.
The div is fooled by Rose's mimicry, and she jumps back before realizing she's been tricked.
As the melee at the top of the stairs continues, Marius lets out a frustrated hiss through his teeth and invokes a quick prayer of insight; immediately all his allies feel an uncanny rhythm as they become hyper aware of each other's positions and movements and how one might complement the other.
Baron Barksley continues to worry at the pairaka, sinking his fangs into her leg and dragging her to the floor. The div screams in pain as rivulets of blood pour from her wound and leave dark smears on the carpeted floor. The monkeys caper and cavort across the room, seeking a more amenable target.
Without thinking, she crawls backwards as she kicks herself free of the hound's jaws.
She begins to recite an incantation, an a low, ominous buzzing fills the room as a swarm of wasps manifests over her, followed by another on the stairs.
The other pairaka moves behind Baron Barksley and slashes with her claws.
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Seizing his chance as the pairaka gives ground, Marius surges of the stairs and past Kela with a grunt of effort, before juking past the div to try and release the elf.
"If you are also a trick I will be very cross," he warns the tied-down figure as he works at the knots.
Coming up the stairs, Rose raises an eyebrow at the absolute chaos in the cramped room. "This is like a knifefight in a privy with sixteen participants."
She turns to the Peraika busy with casting a spell and attempts to shoot them...
The elf..or on closer inspection, more likely a half-elf, gives an appreciative nod as his ties are released. He removes his gag and speaks hoarsely, using short clippy language to quickly convey information. "Spellcaster, no components, options limited and ineffective against them." He says with an apologetic grimace.
Kela gestures quickly, hoping she can help Rose’s shot land, but it fails to hit, as the Div rolls out of the way on the floor. She listens to the elf’s request, and gets closer to the Div, I clipping her pouch and dropping it nearby
- ”use mine - but you’ll have to grab it - I’m…” and she swings her greatsword down at the writhing Div, trying to interrupt the summoning, ” a little busy!” she exclaims as she tries to interrupt the summoning.
The pairaka on the floor winces as Kela's sword slices through her leg, but manages to keep her focus on the spell she is casting.
Baron Barksley bites at the div on the ground, trying to finish her off.
Barcos calls out to his monkeys, ”Only attack the women with claws, and go
wild on the wasps!”
He directs them one square to the south.
Despite the best canine gnawing on her ankle, the pairaka manages to keep concentrating on the spell she is casting. She looks severely injured now, and her blood stains the rugs a deep red that is almost black.
Rose and Barcos come up the stairs. The monkey swarm moves north to harass the prone pairaka, but despite the scratches and bites she manages to maintain her focus.
Two large wasp swarms erupt in the room and on the stairs, buzzing furiously.
The pairaka on the floor laughs weakly, but her mirth fades as she stumbles through the incantation of her next spell.
The other one takes stock of the rather dire situation and begins to cast her own spell. "I need to warn Soraya. Good luck, Batu!" There is a slight smirk on her face as a shimmering rift materializes next to her and she steps through it, disappearing from view.
Kela doesn’t seem to care about the swarm surrounding her, as she stabs down again in a rage, trying to kill the meddlesome Div. [ooc]I don’t see a way to get a boost from tactical acumen this round, but if I can I’ll move to flank before swinging. If this kills the Div, she moves out of the swarm.[ooc]
Not seeing any way to contribute to this cluttered mess and feeling the poison get to her, Rose stumbles back down the stairs, grabs an Antitoxin and drinks it!
Kela's forceful sword stab pins the pairaka to the floor like a helpless butterfly - a blue-skinned, horned, clawed butterfly. A look of rage passes over her features before they go slack and lifeless.
Bolstered by the rather ashy taste of the antidote, Rose fights off the numbing poison and winces at the (new) tears in her mantle. "Don't they have *any* regard for how hard thay is to fix?" She sighs. "Devils...
The regal-looking blonde woman turns to regard the former prisoner and wastes little time. "Greetings - are you all right? As I tried to say before we were rudely interrupted, I am Raesilia Talbot. My companions and I are here to represent the princess and solve the problems gripping the City. I wish we could take introductions slowly, but we have two devils on the loose and need to make sure they can't get away. Still, I *would* like to know who you are and how you got here?" Her blue eyes give Elmar an inquisitive look.
Kela nods , she steps over to eel Elmar and pulls him out of bed, ”assuming you’d like to make it up to us for saving your… life?” She raises her eyebrows, smirking slightly, ”we could use some help killing the one who escaped - if this is possible. So: if you have your own things stored somewhere, please retrieve them so I can get my pouch back, and we can - kill the other divs, yes?”
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The rescued prisoner flinches from the spatter of blood near him, but looks more upset at the state of his clothes rather than the gore. With a minor annoyance he flicks his wrist, and the blood vanishes. He slowly makes his way to his feet, happily taking the helping hand from Faenia, and once on his feet begins nursing a leg that has obviously fallen asleep in his tied up position. He clears his throat, working out his hoarse voice. "Elmar...Tarathiel. Pleased to meet...some friendly faces."
Elmar cuts a slim figure dressed in a sharp but practical set of well-tailored black and silver robes, the cut decidedly at the modern edge of Taldan fashion but the pattern and trim from old elven culture. His wavy blond hair is cut short and combed forward with just a bit of messiness. His facial features are sharp, pointed ears showing prominently past his short hair and adorned with a mixture of modern and classical earrings. His eyes are a piercing sea green, and there is a certain loose intensity to his posture. The collection of features and accoutrements marks him as sharply half-elf, a foot firmly planted in each world.
Elmar regards Raesilia with a polite inclination of his head. He takes the spell component pouch and turns to Faenia...but holds it for a moment. His eyes flick back to Raesilia. Quite a trusting sort to give all that information so freely...but I sense no dishonesty. He hands the spell component pouch back to Raesilia. "Well...I believe to put it simply, we are each in luck. My own objective here was strikingly similar to your own. However the opposition being pairaka's was...unanticipated." He shakes his head. "My own shortsightedness really. Their resistance to magic and outright immunity to fire left me mostly defenseless against them. I attempted to cut my losses and flee...but between their magic sight and flight, that option was fruitless as well. And so I was captured. The only reason I suspect I'm alive is so they could question me, but-"
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Whatever Elmar was going to say next would forever remain a mystery, as a squeaking roar pierces from the doorway. A sparkling flash of colors darts inside, swirls around Elmar's head, then flashes out a vibrant set of colorful wings perhaps a full three feet wide at best, and gives an impressively loud roar for how high-pitched the sound is coming from such a tiny creature. As it hovers in place, what appears to be some kind of miniature dragon/butterfly hybrid musters the fiercest stance it can, accomplishing more of an endearing cuteness rather than striking any fear. All the same it sprays out a flash of a breath weapon that could only be described as a large puff of rainbow smoke, and a voice rings out from both the creature as well as painfully loud inside everyone's heads, sounding similar to the voice they heard upon entering the room. "Not again, no one shall ever separate me from my Elm ever aga-!"
The voice cuts off suddenly, and Elmar is waving away the colorful smoke with a conflicting series of emotions on his face; amusement, embarrassment, and pain. The creature half-turns to Elmar as he stares directly at it - her, decidedly a her - and there is a full eight seconds of silence, accompanied by tiny movements of their heads and eyes. Then, the little creature tucks her wings and with an abashed dip of her head, comes to rest on Elmar's shoulder. The song-like voice enters your minds again. I deeply apologize...I feared I would never see my Elm alive again. But he says you are his saviors. I hope you can forgive me and that I did not strike fear too deeply into your hearts.
Elmar smiles; a deep, true smile, putting a comforting hand to the creature's neck. "This is Shendra, my dearest companion. Forgive her outburst, I sent a mental distress signal when you burst into the room but didn't have adequate time to provide all the details." Shendra seems pleased at the closeness, and half curls around his neck. Elmar's face turns back to a more serious expression. "Now, as you say, time is of the essence. The longer we leave them the longer they will have time to rally a defense. We can exchange more history later, for the time being we share the same goal in eradicating the divs and liberating this compound. I will need my gear if I am going to be helping though..." He begins searching the room, hoping his equipment was not taken too far.
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Kela’s brow furrows, ”oh. Good.” Her mouth is a thin line at the mental assault, but she nods, ”yeah. You have to hit them.” She starts looking around for the guy’s stuff, but not before she retrieves her spell component pouch and fastening it to her belt. ”If you can’t find another pouch, fast - let’s move on. I have a solid guess about where these شياطين بائسة are.”
Fortunately, Elmar's things are not far - the two divs had been arguing about who gets what and never came to a resolutions, so his cloak, pouch and other items are still in a pile with the rest of the pairakas' plunder.
Elmar quickly acquires his gear, then falls in with the others, taking a spot in the rear. He glances curiously at the two that haven't spoken yet, but the urgency of the situation has him hold his tongue as he nods to show he's ready to continue.