The denizens of Leng also heal rapidly when away from their home plane, and their tongue can drain their victim's agility with a successful bite. All in all, an opponent not to be taken lightly.
With stiff, calculated movements, the strange "person" stops its stitching and turns to look at Kela. Slowly, it reaches into the sewing basket to produce an immense ruby bigger than a hen's egg, probably worth many thousands of gold pieces. Rising, it seemingly glides over the wooden planks of the floor, the hem of its tattered robes whispering against the wood as it approaches Kela to offer her the ruby.
"I have a different proposal. You take this. You leave this place. You do not return." Their strange orange eyes stare intently at Kela.
Kela makes it look like she’s about to take the egg, but instead, swiftly balls her gauntleted fist and moves to punch the creature in the nose. ”let’s see how your weird anatomy works.”
"Tsk. So bothersome."
The creature catches Kela's fist in their teeth instead, biting down hard. She feels the tongue wrap around her hand and a sharp puncture followed by numbness.
Kela mutters a grumbling curse to herself, in Kelish, and her fist moves back towards the weird humanoid’s face. After that she swings with her falchion and steps into the room.
Kela then steps into the room, to give room to Marius.
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Marius' eyes go wide as the uncanny thing stands to face Kela. "What the devil--it's a Lengian! From dread Sarkomand, literally a monster of nightmares. Don't try to spare it."
Stepping in to the gap left by Kela, the inquisitor let's the skald's fury-magic wash over him; Kelinahat's divine presence shapes the anger into a cold precision that guides Koriana perfectly in a raking slash at the monster's neck.
Kela punches the creature between the eyes, which glaze over for the time being . Marius aims a perfect strike at the Lengian, but the effect is less than he expected. Perhaps denizens of Leng do not have critical veins and arteries in their necks? Who knows.
"A nightmare monster!? What on-... actually, why not. This city offers exotic enemies as readily as it does its vintage wares."
Rose draws her bow then, unfortunately finding herself yet again in the unenviable position of having to shoot through her paramour's personal space to get to the target. "Marius dear, could you lean left just a tiny bit?"
Baron Barksley rushes in, jaws snapping.
With some magic from Elmar, Rose's arrows and the hound's bite take down the creature. The ruby rolls across the floorboards as it falls from one clawed hand - now limp. The shine of the huge gems gradually dulls and winks out.
Baron Barksley paws at his muzzle afterwards. "Ugh, that tasted vile."
The sparsely furnished room does not have much of interest, but velvet-lined box on the dressing table holds a thin, jeweled dagger. The elegant blade looks ornamental, but it is just as vicious as any weapon. A large black sapphire glitters in the dagger's pommel, and the delicate work along the blade's handle shows amazing artistry. Elmar proceeds to inspect it with his magical sight, then reels back in shock.
Kela notes a little of the backstory of the dagger, explaining it quietly in a short ‘narrative’ manner.
She flexes her hand as if testing it, ”son of… a motherless goat. That stung.” Frowning, she prepares to move on.
Marius' jaw is tight as Kela relays the dagger's tale. "Why do the scions of Sarkomand care about Taldor's royal line? Are they back for another grab at a prize that evaded them before? We don't know enough about what's going on here." He kneels down beside the gem, examining it without touching it, but after a minute he just sighs and stands up. "Don't touch the gem, I suspect it is some manner of trap or trick."
"May I see that?" Elmar examines the dagger for a few moments, and his eyebrows raise. Then his eyes go wide. "This is...quite the relic." He explains the functionality of it to the others.
Rose whistles low-key at the presumed magical fortune the dagger was worth. "Interesting... you say it can store souls? Is there a chance it is holding the soul of the late Prince and that they are somehow using that to control what we saw of him?" She wonders.
Kela glances at Marius as she flexes her jaw, opening it and closing it. She seems annoyed, but not at the man, ”stories show that these beings are endlessly enigmatic.” She pauses, ”perhaps the fog will clear in time, but until then - to the lower levels, yes?”
She heads towards the door and as she does so, conjures some mirror images of herself.
The Scion's Dagger does not seem to be hosting any soul at the moment.
Kela leads the way to the lower level, images of herself crowding around her like bodyguards. At the bottom of the stairs lies a hallway of mortared stone and durable tile in various faded shades of green that veers south after about 25 feet. A double door stands next to the staircase to the north.
Marius leads the others slowly down the stairs and quietly pads to the double doors to listen, positioning himself to also see down the hallways.
"Let's see what else these demons are hiding..." Rose mutters as the group vanishes into the shadows.
Kela has not been subtle since her time at the Kith, and is happy that way. Despite Marius' best efforts, her heavy footfalls likely alert every enemy of their approach.
The northern doors yield nothing but quiet beyond them, but there are some noises coming from an area south - a lively dice game by the sound of things.
"Wonder how many of them actually know they're being led by nightmare monsters." Rose ponders as she hears the merry making coming from further down the hallway. She joins Marius as he creeps to the nearest, northern door and readies her bow, gesturing to the others she was ready to check what lay beyond.
No nightmare monsters behind these dorrs, only a cramped, unlit room lined with shelves and filled with lumber, jars of paint, rolled tapestries, and other materials for constructing sets and props. Everything is dusty and it looks like this place hasn't seed use in a long time.
"I doubt many of them--maybe the guards, though I wouldn't put money on it. Certainly none of the audience. But the higher ups could hardly be ignorant." After a quick sweep of the supply room Marius shrugs and pads further down the hallway.
The noises come from behind the door closest to Marius. Farther down the hallway, three more doors become apparent - two to the south and one to the north.
Electing not to kick down any doors for now without further information, the infiltrated agents listen at some of the other doors.
To the south, a female voice can be heard muttering and mumbling, sometimes pausing to give instructions and ask for this or that reagent, or to "turn down the heat a notch on that alembic, there's a dear". The assistant, apprentice or servant makes no audible response.
The northern double doors seems to have some sort of council taking place behind them. The voice of Vaddrigan, the cult leader, is easily recognizable by its rich, sonorous timbre. Two other voices can be heard at times, mostly agreeing with him as he lays out the key points for the next sermon.
The last door to the south is silent. Mostly. There's a vague... squelching noise?
Electing to open the door to the alchemist lab following a whispered discussion among the group, Rose signals the group to be ready and silently attempts to open the door. Should it be locked, she begins the process of lockpicking the door.
Rose doesn't need her lockpicks to open the door, which is unlocked. Beyond, a wide stone chamber contains - as expected - what seems to be an alchemist's laboratory: crates of equipment, barrels of odd-smelling liquids and several low tables filled with beakers of bubbling liquids and translucent balloons of multicolored gases. Wooden doors stand in the east and west walls; next to the east door is a large metal plate and a lever in the down position.
The alchemist herself seems to be a dwarven woman, currently in the middle of some experiment or other. Next to her, the air shimmers and wavers, although the room is not particularly warm.
"Ah- excuse me? You're not supposed to be down here!"
"On the contrary, we're exactly where we need to be. My name is Lord Marius Erallan and my companions and I are here on behalf of both Baron Kustios and Crown Princess Eutropia. We were attacked by a monster wearing the robes and accoutrements of your...faith, and are investigating the matter. Please don't do anything rash."
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"The Princess...? Wait, a monster? You're not talking about The Placid One, are you? He's... not one of us."
Indeed, while Marius recalls that the Lengian was wearing a robe, it was quite different from the deep blue robes embroidered with golden circles that the cultists have been wearing so far. The alchemist herself wears a modified version of these, made far more practical for the kind of work she is doing.
"I'm relieved to hear it! Should make the investigation much easier to resolve. Would you be able to direct us to the quarters of your group's leader or leaders, Miss...?"
Rose stands by in the shadows as the conversation takes place, bow in hand and carefully watching the hallway for any newcomers.
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The woman carefully sets down the vials she is holding. "Hold on..." She looks like things are happening a little too fast and she's still trying to catch up.
"I'm Huddrigga. Are you really working for the Princess? Does she know..." She tilts her head in a vague northerly direction, raising her eyebrows. Then a thought seems to cross her mind and her eyes narrow. "Are you here to assassinate the Prince? Is she trying to get rid of rivals to the throne? Well, I won't let you!"
"Eutropia would never do such a thing, Huddrigga. If she were, men like Lord Erallan would not follow her," Rose comments, deciding to join the conversation rather than keep watch. "If anything, it is *us* who are concerned of the prince's safety - assuming what we saw is truly him. There is a nightmare monster among your number. If you truly and honestly follow the Prince, how can you be sure that he isn't being manupulated? That he is safe here, with horrors like denizens of Leng taking recidence here?"
She shakes her head. "Perhaps you aren't sure yourself, and we wouldn't blame you. Regardless, we do not wish to fight you. We only ask that you tell us where they are keeping the prince so we can verify the truth of these matters ourselves. You have my word that if he really is the Prince, true and natural and not a fake seeking to take advantage of his family name, we won't seek to harm him."
Elmar raises his hands in a good natured way, seeing a fellow scholar. "Peace. We only come to investigate if you have a wolf pretending to be one of the flock. Nothing would please us more than leaving this place with no bloodshed at all."
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Rose's words seem to catch on doubts and questions that Huddrigga has been posing to herself for a while. The dwarf glances at the nearby table, filled with vials and alchemical equipment.
"It is him...." She ponders for a few more moments, then raises her eyes to look at Rose, Marius, Elmar. "But he is being used! Vaddrigan calls him the holy child, but keeps him locked up and drugged! He says all those nice things on stage, but I know all the tricks he uses, and..." She lowers her voice. "I don't think he's a good person."
Huddrigga nods slowly, apparently making up her mind. "If you are truly working for his sister and promise not to hurt him... he's in a cell next to Vaddrigan's planning room." She points north across the hallway.
Marius inclines his head in thanks. "We are grateful for your help, Hudrigga. This Vaddrigan--how much do you know about him? Is he dangerous? Do you think there's risk of him harming the prince rather than lose control of him?"
"For that matter, what can you tell me of this 'Placid One'? To say that it is exceedingly odd for such a creature to be welcome in your group's ranks is a wild understatement."
Kela peeks around the corner, and growls ”sounds like we should arrest this Vaddrigan igan, at least. He is a loose end, boss. Let us get it over with.” She juts her chin out at the dwarf, ”nice gear - you want to help or… just stay out of our way? We do not kill anyone if we do not have to.”
Rose nods, but when Huddriga's eyes move over her alchemical equipment as the systematic drugging of the prince is discussed, she begins more carefully studying the woman's body language and vocal tonality, pulling on her training to try and discern any concealed truths of the other woman's involvement.
"Dangerous? As in, 'in a fight' dangerous? I- don't think so. But he knows all sorts of people and has a way of knowing what you think and then you want to do what he wants because you want him to like you..." She shakes her head sharply. "All of them are like that, they get into your head." She tilts her chin at the ceiling, presumably indicating the floor above. "And the Placid One... they weren't welcome, not exactly. Vaddrigan had some sort of understanding with them, told everyone to stay out of their way and not to bother them."
At Kela's question she just shakes her head. "I- I'll stay here. Dreamrender will protect me if there's fighting."
Marius gives the dwarf a long assessing look before speaking again. "Hudrigga, I think you recognize that the prince isn't safe here, being used by Vaddrigan and the others. If we can do so safely, we're going to try to take him away. He's been gone for decades and is still hardly more than a child--he should be with his sister. That mist, it's your work isn't it? If you're amenable, I think your talents might be better suited to helping people elsewhere. There are churches that could use your work to help treat sick or traumatized people, instead of manipulating them. Just a thought."
Stepping back into the hallway, he loosens his falcata in its sheathe. "Shall we?"
The northern doors are not locked either, and open easily. Lavish tapestries cover the walls of the large, stone-walled room beyond. A simple altar stands in the center of the north wall, which bears a few burning candles in gold candlesticks embossed with a key symbol, as well as a holy symbol of Abadar. A table with a few chairs occupies an alcove to the east. In the west end of the room is a large wooden platform beneath a trap door in the ceiling. Hanging on a metal pivot arm near the trap door is an enormous, brightly polished mirror. Aside from the ones just opened, doors lead out of this room to the west and east; the door to the east is barred.
Vaddrigan Pol and the two cultists in this room turn in surprise as the door opens, but while the cult leader is quick in recognizing intruders, his followers hesitate for a few moments.
Vaddrigan fixes his gaze on Marius, smiling. "Good sir, I believe you are lost. The service ended some time ago. You will want to leave these premises with alacrity, and take your friends with you."
Marius' eyes glaze for a fraction of second, but then the nobleman is smiling back in a decidedly unfriendly way. "You wouldn't want that, Vaddrigan. We'd come back with the Baron's household guard and arrest you all. It will be easier all around if you just surrender."
Elmar slips into the room, and before the two sides can get overly entangled with each other, he begins his spell. Elmar bends his knees, retrieving from his spell component pouch a dried and withered squid tentacle. He puts it between his teeth, widening his hands out and pointing his fingers upwards. The air above his fingers starts shimmering in a flat horizontal plane, and he pushes against it with force. As his fingers start shaking with the effort he bites down hard, shattering the tentacle and causing black ichor to run down his lips as he shouts "Pral kyfei!"
Elmar's fingers burst through the invisible barrier, and at the same time, the ground underneath the cultists shatters as a field of rubbery black tentacles erupts forth!
The tentacles hold fast onto Vaddrigan and his acolytes, trapping them in place.
"I would accept Lord Erallan's offer while it lasts, Vaddrigan. Surrender and pay for your crimes concerning the prince, and you will walk out of this alive. But just in case you are considering taking your chances..."
The arrow is loosened a second later, burying itself in the wall behind vaddrigan as the faintest cut appears along the man's collar. "Know that I am a pretty good shot."
"Well done, Elmar, but please dismiss it before it kills them. I'd rather not do anything we can't take back before we have firm proof of wrongdoing."
"She is a fine shot, and I hope it's clear now that we aren't playing. We're here to determine the truth of your Twilight Child and you cannot stop us. We have no desire to kill you either, however, and will gladly accept your surrender."
Kela rushes in, and says... nothing. She just looms near the rubbery tentacles and glares at Vaddrigan.
Elmar nods in acknowledgement to Marius's words, but stands and waits expectantly for their verbal surrender. The tentacles were vicious at restraining, but it takes them a long time to actually kill anybody.
Barcos sends the Baron in to be similarly menacing, as he says to the cultists, "What my frightening companion says is true. Got no desire to kill you, it can go a much better way for you folks."