Torsten’s elation on finding the way out turned to frustration as the idiotic human didn’t follow. With no way back in, all he could do was wait…
Torsten
As you wait, you suddenly sense life! Someone's approaching the labyrinth entrance behind you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yhrrilka
Once Laori's out of sight, you sneak Salvator back to the sewer entrance the wererats used to bring you and Torsten here. You don't have to go too far before you find one of Eriyes' clanmates. After a brief explanation, she promises to see the artist to safety.
This allows you to travel to Arkona Manor. Torsten likely doesn't need your help (how dangerous can a snooty nobleman be?), but since you know of the Arkona family's criminal connections, you can't help but feel concern for your friend's safety. It's probably nothing, but there's no harm in making sure, after all.
Torsten, it seems, is exploring the palace's underground maze that the poor seneschal has gotten himself lost in. Glorio figured your dwarven friend would enjoy seeing how it's constructed, as the architecture's quite unique. With his vast knowledge of stonework, navigating the maze should be child's play, so he shouldn't be too long. You're welcome to wait for him here if you'd like, but if you'd rather go in after him, that's perfectly fine. It might serve as an interesting amusement.
As Ril approaches the entrance to the labyrinth, she is preparing to use her mystic senses to track Torsten down, when much to her surprise, he's right there!
Looking slightly puzzled, she says, "I thought you'd have made more progress than this..."
”Lass! Ye be here! But…I did.” He waved his arms in the air. ”I found the lad down there. It be a hell-hole. Full of traps, and moving corridors…and…and I found the way out. An orb that teleported me back here. Told him to touch it after me, but he isn’t here yet.” He sounded both worried, relieved and exasperated all at the same time.
Yhrrilka registers surprise at Torsten's comment. "Vencarlo's here? I wonder why he didn't follow you back up. Okay, let's go get him."
Having followed his 'tracks' before, Ril does her best to open herself to the mystic signs of Orisini's passage.
As you're talking, there's a rumbling sound, and the fountain in front of you rotates away. In its place is an alcove with a lever.
Oddly, Ril doesn't detect any trace of Vencarlo's aura. Not even around Torsten.
”Well, down we go, aye? Mayhaps I can find the same way and we can find the lad again. We’ll just need to be careful. It’s a death trap down there.”
"Yeah, death trap, down we go..." Ril seems to only be half listening to Torsten, as she's got the same faraway look as when she can't find a tool at work.
"That's weird. No sign of him. You weren't hallucinating, were you?"
”…nay sign?” Torsten asked in confusion. ”I know what I saw.” He said with a shrug. ”Wasn’t an illusion. Was a living, breathing…well, whatever. If we find him again ye can probe with your magic for any illusion. Really glad ye be here. These subtleties aren’t me strong point.”
As Torsten has experienced before, pulling the lever rotates your section of the labyrinth and deposits you in a room with another lever. There's a door in this room that Torsten remembers leads to both the treasure chest room and the hallway with the eerie murals.
”So…can ye use your magic at all? I just wandered around last time. As ye can see I know the area fairly well, but who knows where the lad went? It seems that pulling the levers makes the place rotate somehow. Which is neat, and all, but it will take an age to just run into him again.”
Yhrrilka frowns, nodding at her friend's question. "Use it? Sure. S'probably more a question of, am I gonna get an answer worth a damn? I'm already doubtin' that, since you said the old man's here, and I don't see anything like what led me from his studio to his house. But still, let's see what I can see, huh?" She scrunches up her face and looks around.
There are faint tracks, but they're not Vencarlo's. Unless Vencarlo has four large paws that you've never noticed....
Yhrrilka scowls as she surveys the scene. "The aura of... something passed through here recently. Wasn't human, whatever it was." She nods at the faint paw prints on the ground. "Unless Master Orisini has some very unusual feet under those boots of his, anyway. Shall we?"
Unless Torsten strongly objects, Ril will follow the tracks.
”Poor fooker locked down here. Might as well put the beast down, lest it turn the lad into a wee snack.” He reasoned, feeling glad that someone with relevant magical and mundane skills was around. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could have blundered his way around alone. So while she followed the tracks, he kept his eyes open for traps.
As you follow the tracks through the hall of threatening murals (which now include depictions of both Torsten and Ril), Torsten begins to sense life ahead.
"Well that's rude," Ril mutters as she sees herself in the murals. "Knew there was a reason I never went to the jungle."
As they walk, without looking up, Ril asks, "Torsten, what are we thinking are the odds that we're down here to get eaten by whatever dopey thing Arkona's got? They're high, right? Very high?"
”Oh, aye! Very much so. Good chance the lad we are after is already dead and whatever killed him took his face.” He said, casually. ”But when we watch each other’s backs? Unless he has a dragon down here, chances are even better that we kick their arses and loot this place as payback.” After a moment he added ”Oh, and something living is up ahead. Let’s go say hello.”
When Torsten indicates something is up ahead, Ril puts a finger to her lips, shushing him, then tries to silently move ahead to take a look.
Fortunately, there isn't a dragon up ahead. Instead, you discover a winged creature that's half woman and half lion.
She seems to have sensed your approach, but you're still quicker to react.
”Right!” Torsten said, glad to have a target to vent his frustration on. He didn’t even bother attempting diplomacy. While he tried, as per usual, to manhandle the foe by forcing it to move and fall, his bulk just wasn’t there. Still, an enchanted fist to the sternum would hurt anything, regardless of size.
Slashing
Fire
Rushing this creature as fast as she can, Ril's blade flashes in a fiery arc at the spot where its human torso melds into the feline appearance.
The two of you charge in and unleash devastation upon the monster. While the combined assault is effective, you quickly discover the creature's defensive capabilities are immense.
rounds
A cloying miasma of greasy darkness briefly fills the room before vanishing. As it does, your opponent lashes out with a pair of blades.
Darksphinx: 86pts damage
Withstanding the creature's spell, and turning aside its blade with assured ease, Ril counterattacks furiously.
vs PMD
If successful, no Dex bonus vs any attacks until my next turn.
vs FF
Slashing
vs CMD
Slashing
Fire
vs CMD
Damage is magic, cold iron and silver
---
Torsten weathered the attacks quite well, though he had to admit that it hurt. Rather than step back, he moved forward, delivering another brutal punch to the creature. He was convinced that there was nothing which could stand up to him and Ril working together. It was just a matter of time before it succumbed..
Ril slaps the blades out of the creature's hands as Torsten continues his pummeling. Your opponent appears to be on her last legs after your coordinated attack, but she continues to fight - almost as if she's been compelled to battle to the last breath.
Darksphinx: 6hp remaining
"Aaagh! Flames take you!"
Ril roars in pain as the creature claws at her, drawing deep wounds. She does her best to respond in kind, but the angle is a little awkward for her sword. Still, she makes sure this creature knows it is fighting a daughter of the Burning Mother.
vs PMD
Piercing, adamantine
Piercing, adamantine
Fire
With the creature dead, Torsten closed his eyes and focused on his tattoos. They briefly glowed, and in under half a minute he was left looking pristine. Not only were the wounds gone, but so too was any blood, sweat or dirt. It was as if the battle had never occurred.
”Ye good, lass? Glad we came across that together. It would have given me a run for me gold if I had wandered into it alone.”
Yhrrilka roughly shoves the beast off her, stands, and takes stock of herself. "Yes, I'll be okay," she says, taking a moment to tend to her wounds with her magic. "That was no joke. I really think the Arkonas mean us to die down here. Let us disappoint them terribly, hmm? And retrieve the others before it's too late."
Torsten's (aided by Ril) rock identifies the creature as a Darksphynx. These devilish entities are keepers of hidden secrets and forbidden knowledge.
"Given out host is able to keep fiends like that down here at his command, it's even clearer he's no mere noble," Ril says as she gives the room a quick once-over. "We'll need to figure out what he's up to, and if we can stop him. And if we can get out of here with our friends intact." After a brief look around the room, she turns back to Torsten. "Ready when you are."
”If this is his playground, I wonder how his mansion is defended.” Torsten said, looking at the creature. ”I’d want to be fresh before that kind of fight. Would need at least two hours of good sleep.” He continued, thoughtfully. ”Speaking of which, what are the chances that they be watching us? This is their maze, afterall. Makes me worried to think that the fookers could well have eyes and ears on us.”
Ril nods, frowning. "I'd say the chances are pretty good, considering. Sadly, I can't really do anything about it." She looks around more, and says, "For now we'll just have to assume we're under scrutiny at any given time, and try and make an opportunity to rest when we need it."
Yhrrilka senses an enchantment aura ahead - likely from the symbol on the floor of the next room. Carefully avoiding looking at it, you proceed through the door beyond to discover a filthy chamber covered by a thick layer of rubble, bones, and other debris. A lever protrudes from the center of the wall opposite the entrance.
Ril does her best to guide Torsten around the symbol on the floor, ready to cover his eyes and walk him across the room with her eyes closed if need be ("I said don't look at the floor, you stubborn man!").
When they reach the lever, she asks her friend, "So how have these worked out so far?"
”Well if I’m allowed to open me fookin’ eyes, I can tell ye.” He said, half playfully. ”Pull them and the entire maze shifts. Opens up new places to go, blocks old ways. Can’t say whether that be good or bad. So let’s pull it, aye?”
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"You want to look, go ahead and look," Yhrrilka starts relaxing her grip on Torsten's head before sharply jerking it back. "Nyet. You look at symbol, you petrify, or turn to bug, then your sailor friend comes in looking for tattoo of his newest dragon girlfriend, and I have to take him as client." Ril shudders at the thought. "I'm not that strong."
After Torsten explains the lever, Ril thinks for a moment. "Sounds reasonable to me, for what good that's worth." Assuming Torsten doesn't object, the woman pulls down the lever.
The room begins to rotate, and Torsten begins to sense life as it does. After a few seconds, the hallway behind you has been replaced with a large chamber. A great green throne sits atop a dais in the northern end, flanked by statues of tiger-headed men holding chains. Dried blood spatters the walls, the floor, and even the throne and statues, filling the room with its stale reek. Manacled to the statue on the left is Vencarlo! He's dressed in tattered rags, covered in bruises and partially healed cuts and scrapes, and appears to be unconscious.
Ril stares blankly at first, then looks a little annoyed as she turns to Torsten. "You said he was walking around down here. He hardly looks to be in any shape for that."
Checking for any recent signs of passage, either magical or mundane, Ril starts approaching Vencarlo, with the intent of treating his injuries.
”Mayhaps it happened after I teleported away?” Torsten said, apologetically. He kept an eye out for any other signs of life as they approached.
Ril looks him over. "Was he this razbityy when you saw him? These injuries look like he's been here a while."
"Vencarlo, c'mon, wake up. Time to go."
”He was worse for wear, just not this bad.” Torsten said. He looked at the man closely, wondering if he had run into an imposter earlier.
Vencarlo is not diseased, fortunately, and the majority of his wounds appear to be superficial . The injuries are numerous and varied, and they appear to have been inflicted multiple times over the course of several days. The most recent are only a couple hours old at most - a series of powerful punches.
Once Ril's magic takes effect, it's only a few seconds before Vencarlo's eyes open. "Torsten? Yhrrilka? What are you doing here? I'm glad to see you, of course, but as you've no doubt discovered, this place is quite dangerous."
”Whomever I met earlier wasn’t Vencarlo.” Torsten said. ”How do we know that this is the real one then? The last one also was pretty beaten up.”
Ril scowls at Torsten's insinuation that they might be with an imposter. Thinking for a minute, she asks, "What were we trying to get when we first met?"
"Information about the Chelish ambassador. I gave you the funds to bribe the King of Spiders. Made Master Torsten a bit uncomfortable by complimenting his tattoos, if I recall correctly." While he speaks, Vencarlo quickly looks around the chamber - or at least as much of it as he can see from his chained position - with an analytical eye. "Does that satisfy you enough to free me? If not, I can talk about how you helped me with Miss Sabor."
There was a small part of Ril's mind that marveled at that. Mother's Embers, that feels like it was years ago!
"Okay okay. I don't know what kind of mess Blackjack got you roped into here, but let's get moving. Any idea where they might be keeping Seneschal what's-his-face? The reason we're all down here, right?"