Seeing that her companions have this one well in hand Elanna remains in her hiding place and waits for the foes beyond the door...
Despite dodging Triel's scythe and Hope's follow up blast, Ruby lands another brutal strike on the man. Fio slices him with her scimitar, and with a groan, he crumples to the floor. He is bleeding out but not dead yet...
"Oh my Gods Ruby, are you trying to butcher the poor man? Such ferocity!"
Ruby Meadow grins again, displaying her mutation elongated teeth. "Once battle is joined, there are no half measures. Holding back leads to disaster, and I only do so if there is a very good reason to."
Leaning down, she cleans her sword on the peacock's cloak, then stands ready at the door in case reinforcements come through.
Screaming Moon shakes his head at Ruby Meadow's declaration, but does not dispute the truth. There are no grey zones with Ruby Meadow. I appreciate that simplicity most of the time.
"Does anyone feel the need to question this cultist?" Screaming Moon asks. "I can still save his life, if so."
Frowning at Ruby's statement, Fi says "While I don't disagree with you, there is a distinct difference between butchering an animal that can only understand one thing and a human being who has the intelligence to speak."
Fioralba wipes her blade off on the dying man's body and says to Moon "It seems a waste to simply let him die when we could at least ask him information about what he knows first? Why don't you save him and ask him about his companions and what they know. Then if you want to kill him again Ruby, he's all yours."
Triel leaves the question of whether the cultist should live or die to the others. Right now, reinforcements could very well be on their way.
She moves to the door the cultist called through and prepares for an incoming fight.
Frowning at Ruby's statement, Fi says "While I don't disagree with you, there is a distinct difference between butchering an animal that can only understand one thing and a human being who has the intelligence to speak."
"Of course there is. The animal would only be doing what was natural. The human made a conscious decision to become an enemy. The animal is due mercy and I would treat it with care."
Screaming Moon kicks away the cultist's weapons, then uses his healing hex to revive him.
Hope sighed when Screaming Moon went to heal the man so they could question him. She understood the reasoning for it so she decided to do her part. She focused for a second and called a penumbra of darkness around herself and fully unleashed the manifestation of her abilities caused by the burn she had taken. For good measure she moved to where some loose debris was which was promptly picked up by the gravity well that emanated from her.
With the debris swirling around her Hope moved over to glare at the man. She didn't say anything, just stared at him, with the implied threat of her power on open display for him to imagine just what she might do to him if he didn't cooperate.
Screaming Moon brings the man back to consciousness. He glares at you sullenly, but tries to scoot away as Hope looms over him. "St-stay back! You'll never get me to talk!" he protests, but his quavering voice may indicate otherwise.
Triel makes a show of sighing. "A pity. You could've lived through this, then."
The fighter swallows audibly. "Alright, alright, what do you want to know?" he capitulates.
Good boy.
Triel nods to the others before turning back to the door.
Fioralba grins at Triel's quick work and moves to the fighter and says "Look. They all wanted to let you die, but I convinced them that you had useful information that you wanted to share with us. So we stopped you from bleeding out and brought you back. Unless you start telling us everything your group knows as quickly as you can, we're going to put those holes back in your body and let you resume dying. The more detail the better. Time is of the essence."
"Alright, alright. Truth is, I joined up with these Peacock cultists purely out of appreciation for its sense of style. I mean, feathers are so in vogue right now! I came here with two other members of the cult, Hira Doss and Viralane Barvisai. They're trying to find a ritual to summon something called a 'retriever' from the Abyss to try to get something called the 'Sword of Pride' back from the folks who stole it from the cult. They're in the next room over, but they're going to be ready for you. They got fancy magics. Hira's a cleric and Viralane's some sort of bard, I think."
"Does anyone know what a 'Retriever' might be? I imagine that the sword is safe where it is, regardless of what the thing's abilities might be. However, if it comes looking for the sword from us, we should know what is coming."
Screaming Moon looks down at the man on the floor, considering where this might be heading, and uncomfortable with the prospect, but trying not to think too far ahead.
"I am glad that you have a healthy respect for your own well-being. This cult you joined is far beyond the simple fancy-dress society you have described. They are looking for items to wake a Thassilonian Runelord. If you respect your own life at all, you should help us to avoid that outcome by exposing any additional plans they might have.
Now. This Hira, what type of spells do they like to cast in battle? Is it still just the two of them or have they managed to acquire additional help within this structure? What is the layout of the room beyond this door? Is the door itself warded or trapped?"
Screaming Moon uses a wand to treat everyone's injuries.
Triel ponders what a 'retriever' is.
Fioralaba knows all about Retrievers!
Nodding to the man, she says "Thank you. Now. What to do with you. I'm afraid there are no good options for you here. The best I can offer you is to leave you tied up here and hope that we live long enough. Turn around so I can tie your hands."
As he turns around, Fi smacks him hard on the back of his head with the flat of her blade and knocks him back out.
Retrievers are powerful Abyssal constructs. Demon lords use retrievers to seek out those who dare abandon their loyalties or flee from servitude. The constructs also excel in tracking down specific objects and returning them to their masters—their intelligence is just enough to allow them to focus on their ordered tasks but not quite enough for them to form ideas of rebellion and longings for freedom.
The warrior tells you that Hira usually favors enchantments in battle, but she's no slouch with her lucerne hammer. As far as he knows, only she and Viralane are in the next room. The door is neither warded nor trapped. After answering all your questions, Fio swiftly knocks him out again.
When you are ready, you proceed through the east door. An elegant, geometric, mauve fresco decorates the floor of the room to the east. Dust and rubble have been swept aside to make room for a pair of bedrolls and a field camp, while a small stack of a few dozen books stand close at hand.
Viralane stands on the far side of the room, smiling broadly. "Well, hello, darlings! How strange that you find me here! We parted on such sour terms, and I have felt dreadful about how I treated you and took advantage of your trust. Can you forgive me, a woman with little recourse but to ply her trade as best she is able? Will you give me a second chance?"
Triel sneers at Viralane. "Save it. We both know that's not going to happen."
From the doorway, peering around shoulders, Screaming Moon does not respond to the bard, instead offering to the others, "I can make it extremely unpleasant in there and flush them out toward us. It doesn't appear that they have anywhere else to run."
Scimitar still in hand, Fioralba relaxes into a pose and readies to strike their enemies when they come running towards them. Looking to Screaming Moon, she nods "Do it."
As he casts, she says to the others "I'm afraid your words ring hollow, Viralane. Not only did you abuse our trust, but we went out of our way to help you and you still stabbed us in the back. I'm afraid your quest ends today, here and now."
Elanna stays out of the interrogation, there's no need for her involvement. More importantly it keeps her out of sight once the spellcasters start monopolizing. Much better to let those who have more experience with it take the initial brunt.
Then Fi starts grandstanding...
Viralane sighs theatrically. ”Oh, well. Can’t blame a girl for trying, can you?”
Hope was not happy to see Viralane again but at least they had caught up to her. The fact the woman thought she could get away with everything by apologizing was absurd and it made Hope want to show her that resistance was futile.
Hope made sure she was in range and then sent a ball of gravity lancing out at Viralane. She put as much force as she could into it hoping to knock the foul woman into something hard enough to break her.
Elanna moves in to attack Viralane, but two illusory duplicates of the actress appear around her to throw off the rogue's aim. She strikes an image, which disappears. Hope's blast strikes the real Viralane, though, throwing her up against the far wall! She groans as she hits the wall with bone-cracking force, then she slumps to the floor, unconscious.
No sooner has Viralane gone down, though, than you hear another voice chanting in the air above you. With a ripple, an impeccably dressed half-elf woman appears standing in mid-air, her dress adorned with peacock feathers. She completes her spell, and a wave of confusion washes over you!
Barely noticing the spell, Screaming Moon wonders at how easily Viralene went down.
Even more he wonders what Elanna is thinking. She heard me say I was going to make it unpleasant in there, didn't she?
Figuring incapacitating an enemy spellcaster is worth Elanna's discomfort, Screaming Moon continues his plan, creating a bank of noxious fumes that fill the entire room.
Ruby waits next to the doorway, ready to strike at any enemy that appears.
Triel blinks as the befuddling spell hits her--but she doesn't appear to have been inconvenienced by it.
She glares up at the floating caster and jabs a finger towards the floor.
"DOWN."
Hope was quite satisfied with the sound of the B@#!! smashing against the wall and breaking things. Unfortunately the other woman they hadn't seen yet was above them and finished a spell that washed over Hope's mind bringing a wave of confusion washing over her.
With her plan of incapacitating Viralane quickly working perfectly Elanna falls back as quickly as she can, trying to keep the contents of her stomach inside her.
Screaming Moon conjures a stinking cloud, which nauseates Elanna. The half-elf woman--Hira Doss--resists its effects. She likewise manages to resist Triel's command. As Elanna staggers out of the stinking cloud, Fio and Ruby Meadow stand with weapons at the ready. Poor Hope begins bludgeoning herself with her own fists, confused!
Hira casts a spell, attempting to dispel the stinking cloud, but Screaming Moon's magic proves tenacious!
Retrieving a wand, Screaming Moon casts Bless
The blow from her own fist was enough to knock Hope temporarily out of her confused state and she glared up at where she thought the mage was. She had no clue really, since she couldn't see through the cloud, but Hope decided to send a blast up near where she thought the mage might fly out from to clear the cloud and attack them some more. She pulled together the blast and sent it up towards the designated spot but then somehow paused it.
When the cleric lands, Triel steps into the room and skirts the edge of the reeking cloud before imbuing herself with a shield of occult blue power.
Elanna stays out of the way and tries not to cough too loudly.
Though you can't see Hira in the stinking cloud, you can hear the woman begin to choke and gag. "This... isn't... over!" she manages to gasp out between heaves. There is a flash of blue-green light within the roiling cloud, then silence. When the cloud eventually clears away, there is no sign of the half-elf, only an unconscious Viralane across the room.
The cultists have gathered a large number of books about ancient Thassilonian magical theory and practice. However, the books do not contain any information about the retriever conjuring ritual. The books are worth 4,000 gp as a collection.
One section of particular note that should be evident to anyone who examines the books is a section that Hira has circled in red ink and left open. This short passage describes how “intrepid souls can run the Gauntlet of Fury to gain the favor of Runelords of Wrath, be they living or dead.” Hira has also annotated this with a short note of her own, written in Thassilonian, that reads, “Would this favor allow us to consult with Thybidos? If so, his lingering presence in the Forlorn Sepulchers may aid immensely in opposing Alaznist.”
Triel leaves Viralane to the others and busies herself with the books.
"...'Gauntlet of Fury'? Is that why they're here?"
"She got away then?" Fi asks, searching the area disappointed.
The last person that Fioralba wants to assist is Viralane, but she says to Ruby "Give me a hand." and drags her body to the wall where they can bind her like her unconscious companion.
Afterwards, she moves to inspect the volumes with Triel, taking note of the marked passage. "Well she is going to have a hard time running a gauntlet alone without her team."
Dismissing the Stinking Cloud, Screaming Moon frowns.
"Hmph. I didn't expect her to be able to get away. She must have some specialized teleportation powers to be able to get away while not able to speak activation words."
As he considers that problem with little available knowledge to help, he notices Fioralba and Ruby Meadow moving Viralene. Gasping in surprise, he asks, "Surely you aren't going to leave HER tied up here?!?
I can understand giving the other one the benefit of the doubt, he did nothing to us, but that woman is a devil-worshipping Chel who already used her evil powers to dominate the will of others. We must keep the world safe from her magics!"
Fioralba looks up at Moon and frowns "Alright. Here." she says, handing her scimitar out to Moon, holding it carefully by the blade so it's easier for him to pick up. "Go ahead and kill the defenseless, unconscious woman who is currently unable to injure you or anyone else. Just go ahead and kill her then if you are so worked up about it."
She looks him in the eyes and says "She has been defeated and there is no current threat. But if you believe she should not live, I will defer to your past aggressions in ending her life."
Screaming Moon arches an eyebrow at Fioralba and takes the scimitar. Without hesitation he takes it and stabs Viralene in the chest.
"Protecting the health of the tribe often requires the purging of infection. I am surprised at your squeamishness, given the stories I have heard and witnessed.
If ending evil is difficult, all you really needed to do was allow her to bleed out."
Wiping the blade on Viralene's dress, he offers the hilt back to Fioralba.
Triel glances up at the ensuing argument.
"We have neither the time or the resources to spare for arresting every miscreant we defeat. We have a mission to complete." She sighs. "And if the past is any indication, any mercy we offered her would simply be an opening for her to exploit."
She looks back down at the book. "...much like Qilué and Talice..." She mumbles, more to herself than anyone else.
Fioralba is genuinely surprised that Screaming Moon kills Viralane. She doesn't flinch when the woman is stabbed, but she stares at the dying woman and blinks a few times before turning back to the shaman.
When he comments on her behavior, something in her words is not well received. She tilts her head slightly and raising her pointer finger as she says "Careeeeeful, my friend. Do not take my actions as squeamishness. Surely you recall the dozens of times I am standing toe to toe with our enemies and never having I hesitated in my actions?"[/]b
Looking down at the dead woman, she adds [b]"I care nothing for Viralene, she was a stain on humanity and I will not weep for her death. She chose her own fate."
She reaches out to take the blade and states "The moral fiber that runs through your bodies obviously is different than my own."
Fi is about to say more when Triel speaks, causing the magus to turn and listen to the drow. Sighing, she shakes her head back and forth "I do not understand the point of view you are all taking here. You all speak as if I intended to lobby for mercy for her or that I intended to arrest her. None of this has been spoken by me and you all seem to have it in your head that I'm choosing actions over our task."
Sheathing her blade and looking sternly between Triel and Moon, she says "Understand me now. I have done and will continue to do what needs to be done to protect my own and those around me. These are matter of record and the fact that my loyalty is being questioned here is incredibly frustrating."
"Of course." Triel nods. "I have not questioned your loyalty, Fi." She says as she shoots a quick glare at Moon.
...and yet she chose to tie her up, presumably for interrogation.
Triel finds herself nodding again. "Right, now that that misunderstanding is cleared up, shall we proceed?"
Screaming Moon is about to assert that he never questioned Fioralba's loyalty, when Triel states the same then makes a gesture somehow indicating that he did.
Rolling his eyes, he walks away. Women!
Moving around the room, he begins tapping on the walls and listening for secret doors.
Screaming Moon doesn't find any secret doors in this chamber.
You return to the intersection of hallways and head to the west. The walls of this great chamber are lined with white marble shot through with streaks of gold. The ceiling above consists of two intersecting domes. Green frescos decorate the floor, the patterns mirroring each other in each half of the room. Niches in the walls may have once held dozens if not hundreds of tomes, but most of these books, loose papers, and scrolls are now recklessly scattered around the chamber.
If you take the time to look at the dispersed volumes on the floor, you find treatises on every imaginable subject: astronomy, geography, magic, planar theory, zoology, and more. It would take a historian several years to completely catalogue the ancient information here.