You rise early in the morning, after a night disturbed by the barking of the city's dogs, and more than one tremor in the earth.
"Two more buildings came down in the Tangles last night" a haggard looking Mayor Heggry tells you over a simple breakfast. "My Crows are investigating. Best that you find those Keepers, quickly."
You head to Crove's Asylum. The building lies at the outskirts of Crown district, where many of the buildings are still of middenstone manufacture. But the asylum is a windowless, single-story stone building.
You find the front doors - large, iron portals - stand ajar.
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The night earlier Kenta's shoulders drop is fatigue as the mayor offers up lodgings, "I did not want to say if it was not offered, but I think we should get some rest. All this investigative work has my brain in a fog. But we need to work really hard tomorrow to track down this monster."
He makes sure Chance is well set up in her stable and goes to find a bed to collapse into. He keeps his armor on though, using a charge from his wand to make sure he is prepared for anything during the night.
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Kenta wakes early and with stress upon his mind. He quickly commits to his scripture reading and grabs a bite to eat on the way to check on Chance. Once ready to go he ushers the group to the Asylum. Upon arrival and notice of the open doors he quickly dismounts and strides inside, "Hello? Is anyone here?"
Chance rolls her eyes as her owner wanders off without even an apple to keep her company.
She moves to look inside, perhaps he left an apple in the doorway?
The hallway is relatively free of features or furnishings, but on the floor lie three people. Each is tightly bound with a straightjacket and rope. Upon seeing Kenta all three begin screeching and screaming, shouting gibberish and rolling around.
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Hiiragi is roused from her ritual prayers by the news; she is a bit disturbed, hoping those were empty buildings, but...
Well, they have a course of action. Daikitsu will guide her forward, as she ever guides plants toward the sun and their roots toward the nutrients within.
She moves swiftly to the asylum with the rest, stopping only to eat breakfast like... well, like a farmer's hungry daughter. Usually she tries to maintain some decorum, but it's likely not the first time they've seen her throw etiquette to the wind and bread rolls into her face.
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Hiiragi, curious, moves forward to un-gag the closest person.
In a way that makes it easy to re-gag if needed, and quickly.
Never know when cultists are going to chant something to summon an angry god, after all.
"Do you think that's gibberish, or technically a language?" Hiiragi ponders, blinking down at the people.
She draws her bow, in case some big monster comes around the corner and starts eating them.
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Phidöe gazes at the screeching patients with alarm. "I thought modern mental health procedures had progressed quite a bit beyond this. We should have a word with the head nurse." Turning to the straightjacketed figures without much hope he says - very slowly - "Use your eyes - yes, your eyes - oh, c'mon, yes, I'm a talking dog! Get over it - yer the ones in the loony bin - I reckon ye see worse than this on the daily! - now, again, use yer eyes an' point out which way we kin find the head nurse - we'll see if we can't get ya a bit more comfertably situated..."
The patients - if that's what they are - show no indication of understanding Phidöe's communication and go on hooting and hollering.
Surely the din must be audible across the street - but the street is deserted.
The patients on the floor look and smell human - though the awful sounds that they make seep into the dark recesses of your brains, speaking to the fears of your ancient, animalistic spirits. (Except for Kenta. He's too far gone already to be sensitive to any of that. ).
Just then, the large iron inner doors burst open and four men appear, armed with bludgeons and wearing thick leather armour and metal cages around their heads.
"What's all this howlin'?"
"They in't supposed t' be 'ere."
"Clobber 'em an' put 'em in the cells then!"
Pet
The first of the men into the room shoves Kenta.
The young paladin keeps his feet.
Heal DC15
Combat round 1
Green
Phidöe
Yellow
Onna
Kenta
Blue
Toshi
Red
Onna
Chance
Active conditions: flagbearer
The bold may act!
"Lookit Marv, a talkin' dog!" says the green-jacketed orderly right before he has the stuffing knocked out of him by Phidöe's fox-fu .
"Outta my way" drawls yellow-jacket as he pushes past his fellows to get to Phidöe, meaning to swat the little pathfinder out of the door with his club.
But Phidöe is much too agile for the clumsy attacker.
Combat round 1
Phidöe
Yellow
Onna
Kenta
Blue
Toshi
Red
Onna
Chance
Active conditions: flagbearer
The bold may act!
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Kenta pulls a blackjack out and narrows his eyes at Marv. He swings to knock out the orderly that just tried to kill his canine detective assistant.
for
... "I hate using this weapon, it is so small and light. And it is full of sand. I hate sand. It gets everywhere and is so grainy and hot."
He looks up to glare at the three, "We are not patients. We are here on orders from the Mayor. But if you do not stop, my assistant here will render all of you unconscious."
Kenta is full of confidence, despite his complaints about his sandy weapon, and whacks the orderly caught up chasing Phidöe's tail.
"Hurh, you get the talky doggy Marv, I'll get the talky girlie."
The blue-jacketed thug pushes forwards.
He pushes Onna to the ground.
Combat round 1
Phidöe
Yellow, 10nl
Onna, prone?; AoO
Kenta; AoO
Blue
Toshi
Red
Hiiragi
Chance
Active conditions: flagbearer
The bold may act!
Kenta winds blue-jacket as the orderly goes by, but it's not enough to stop the brute from pushing Onna's spear to the side and then shoving her down to the floor. He stands over her, leering cruelly.
Toshi's knife sticks in yellow-jacket's gut before she calls it back. The man doubles over clutching his wound, and out of the fight.
Red-jacket swats at Phidöe. "Shoot, Marv, yer supposed to tell 'em no pets allowed. 'NO PETS ALLOWED'!"
The thug catches Phidöe momentarily off guard, but only manages a glancing blow. It seems to please him nonetheless. "Hurr. NO PETS ALLOWED!" he repeats loudly.
Combat round 1 / 2
Phidöe, -2hp
Yellow, 10nl, -15hp, unconscious
Onna, prone
Kenta
Blue, 14nl
Toshi
Red
Hiiragi
Chance
Active conditions: flagbearer
The bold may act!
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Hiiragi hustles in, drops her bow, and grabs her flail.
"That's not a bludgeon!" she says, swinging it down hard. "THAT'S a bludgeon!"
"You all right, Songbird?" she asks. She's still got kindness in her expression-- she's saving her rage for later.
Probably because it's hard to say whether they're trying to kill these folks, anyway. All they've done so far is...
...
Well, they don't seem the most pleasant folk, and they've attacked on sight with lethal force, so she's not going to try too hard one way or another.
Besides, they pushed Onna!
Chance didn't see any apples, but she did see some a$&@+@~s! She glowers at the nearest punks as they attack her new friends. Technically they didn't attack Kenta, so she doesn't NEED to act, but better to get into position in case it becomes necessary to save his furry butt again.
The way smarter than an average horse trots up to the door and looks to Kenta for alternate guidance.
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Kenta raises a fuzzy eyebrow as Phidöe unleashes the puppy power, "Well, too late for that one to stand down. Phidöe, I want to apologize. I called you an assistant earlier and that is clearly incorrect. If anything, I am assisting you. But how about we just agree to be even partners in this crime solving business?"
He steps behind the thug threatening Onna and goes to whap him on the head and end this farce of a fight.
for
Hiiragi clatters blue-jacket, coming to the defence of her Songbird. It's not enough the drop the orderly, but he looks like he's regretting his recent life choices now.
Chance ponders.
Phidöe takes out his pain on red-jacket, knocking him clean out.
Then Kenta steps up and puts blue-jacket out of his misery.
Combat over!
The patients are still making a din, but the unconscious orderlies only groan. Aside from their clubs (and studded leather armour) they have no gear.
There are four doors exiting this room, including the large double door that the orderlies entered through. You see a wide corridor beyond that double door.
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Onna sighs with a smile. "Thank you Love." She wipes herself off. "I still can't believe he got to me so easily. I'm definitely going to have to spend some time training. Maybe with something a little beefier."
She snaps herself back to the task at hand. "Well, that is a problem for later. It's clear that something here is amiss."
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Phidöe momentarily grabs ahold of Kenta's wand and begins a ferocious tug-of-war...
... before sheepishly remembering that they are on a mission!
"Partners of course, bub, but we'd best get back to saving the world 'n stuff."
Since they seem to be in a possibly dangerous situation, Phidöe tries to remember how his wand of mage armor works.
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Kenta has a huge grin on his face, "Right right, world saving. We need to help Mom Onna do that."
He rounds up the disorderlies and ties them together, kicking away any weapons and doing a quick search for more dangerous items. With a wave of his hand he brings Chance inside and closes the doors tight behind her. He points at the four thugs, "Keep an eye on these ones* and defend yourself if necessary against anything attacking you."
He looks at the bound up babblers, "Uh, should we just leave them or...?"
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"We need to help Mom Onna do that."
The bard visibly deflates as she hands Phidöe back his wand. Her head lolls back as she closes her eyes. "Wilted petals! I'm not the Mom!" Onna opens her eyes as she turns toward Hiiragi. "This is your fault! You're supposed to be the mom. Getting up early, working all day, being responsible. Those are all 'mom' things. Not staying up late and drinking too much. I mean, not Tosh level drinking, but still." She shrugs apologetically at the swashbuckler. "No offense." The bard then buries her head into Hiiragi's shoulder. "I'm not the Mom...am I?"
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Onna looks at Hiiragi suspiciously, as if she's been asked a trick question. "Um..No?" She shakes her head. "That's like not even a real thing. And you can't even pretend that it is."
Her eyes briefly gloss over as she becomes lost in a memory.
Study harder Sionnach! You have to know every detail. IF you mess up even a little, you could die" *SNAP* just like that!"
, her mother looks over her form, "Wrong! The part of the hair is on the wrong side! And the target is left-handed. These are the things that can get you killed. Pay more attention!"
More memories threaten to charge in from the past.
She gently cups Hiiragi's face, "Mom's aren't fun 'Ragi. They don't get to be. They carry too much responsibility. If they fail their children...Well, let's just say that there's always a price to be paid."
Onna straightens the fabric of her banner and walks toward Kenta as he is about to try all the doors without checking them for traps first. "Wait til I get there!" In a moment of honest self-reflection, "Maybe I really am the mom."
She wipes away the tears starting to well up as she examines the doors for any danger.
Afer securing the orderlies you check the doors. All are heavy iron portals, but they're not locked and you find no traps.
The southernmost room is a simple cloakroom. A couple of spare straightjackets are hung there. Next to that off the south side of the hall is an empty room. To the north of the hall is a small room featuring a single chair with restraining straps on the arms and a blackboard on the wall opposite. Another door leads to a small office. A search of the desk shows nothing of note.
With Chance left guarding the unconscious orderlies and the babbling patients, the rest of you enter the gloomy main hall of the asylum. Candles in sconces to provide an almost uniform dim lighting. Walls are bare and painted a dingy pale green, and floors are of smooth stone. Corridors lead north and south, with various iron doors visible. The wider east-west corridor leads to another set of double doors opposite.