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Kka joins the amulet pieces and with a faint "<click>" they snap together. "Uh, thanks, I guess." She's faintly disappointed that the situation didn't turn ugly.
When Lough inquires about how many pieces were still missing, Kka replies. "We're still short three of them, but with just two more I caan probably get us through thaat door." When Lough turns back to the zebub and demands to know where the remaining pieces can be found, Kka secretly hopes that things turn violent, and as it seemed they'd gotten all the information they were likely to get from the zebub, she decides to try and force the issue.
"Yeah, zebub, you better tell us where we caan find the rest. We're busy people; we haaven't got all day to go traacking them down." She then points to the double doors at the end of the room. "Aand whaat's behind those doors over there?"
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"Yeah, zebub - tell us everything we want to know. Tell ya what. You ever been upstairs? Do you even know what is upstairs? I'll tell ya: Whole buncha dead punks. We're going level by level here, and guess what?" no time to guess given "You're number's up!"
"You listen to my little bird friend here or things're gunna get ugly. I mean Real Ugly"
He gives him a moment to think, flexing his body muscles (and hairs!) at the likely size-upping glance "So: What'll it be?"
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The zebub whimpers as you start intimidating her. "Please, urm, I'm just-" she looks around panicked, then pop, she teleports out of the room.
"Wow, looksss like you put it on a little too thick," one of the heretofore silent morlocks cackles.
"Anyway, we know the way around here ass well. One key isss with our armourer Barcumbuk up ahead," he jerks his head to the door at the other end of the hallway. "There's one more with Ysondkhelir, our strategisst, to the sssouth of the main hallway. We're not sssure where the final one isss. It's either with the guard of this level, or with the onesss trying to open a portal to Hell, both to the easst of here. They're the big playersss of this level. There are a few more creaturess to the south, but we don't really messs with them."
The morlocks seem oddly relaxed, given that their boss just teleported away. They're either very confident, or they just don't care.
Kvit glares at Lough and Kka, going looking for a fight is just asking for trouble. The goal wasn't to "clear every baddie from the Gauntlight", it was to Destroy the Gauntlight itself, and maybe that'll take everyone else out with it...
"Let's go. Barcumbuk next then."
"What kind of being is Barcumbuk?" Cherry asks.
The speaking morlock shrugs. "We don't know. A devil of ssome kind, with pitch black wings and a flaming hammer. Likess making weapons. Not too friendly to non-devils, ssso we never spoke much"
Kka sighs in resignation. Clearly nothing short of sticking a sword into the zebub or one of the morlocks was going to rile them up enough to fight back. "Fine. Let's go see this Baarcumbuk guy. If he's the one making all these weapons, then we definitely waant to haave a word with him about it."
You walk past the morlocks and open the next door.
This chamber's walls are charred black. Chains hang from the 20-foot-tall ceiling, suspending shelves holding toold and metal ingots. A forge fills an alcove in the north wall; its mouth yawns open, filled with jagged teeth like those of a great beast, and a blazing fire roars inside. Between the beast-forge's horns, a hole in the ceiling captures the smoke belching from its nostrils. An anvil rests near the forge. The west wall has a trough of sooty water pushed up against it, and weapon racks flank the double door on the south wall.
As expected, a devil with black feathery wings is hammering on a glaive that's being held by a barbazu devil by his bare hands.
"Hmpf," the devil says in between hammer beats. "So you got past Azvalvigander. That's somewhat impressive, I guess. I'll give you three seconds to explain what you're doing here before I throw you out. I have a lot more weapons to make, though I wouldn't mind a break to have a chance to test them out on you."
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Kka looks over Barcumbuk. This guy wouldn't be the pushover that the zebub was, but Kka was up for the challenge. "I take it Azvaalvigaander waas the name of the zebub we just chased off? She didn't give us a name before checking out. Anyhooo, we're looking for another one of these..." She points to the partial amulet. "...and we were told you haad one. The sooner you haand it over, the faster we'll get out of your hair, but we haaven't got all day, so chop-chop."
Seeing that Barcumbuk was not taking her request well, she decides to double down. "Oh, one more thing. Urevian called off the invasion of Otaari. You need to stop making more weapons and destroy all the one's you've already made."
She grips her swords tightly expecting trouble to break out at any moment. Maybe they should have come into the room and closed the door behind them before confronting this new and improved devil. "Oh well. Too late to worry about that now."
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Kvit stays back, sure that the fireworks that Kka and Lough were trying for would start this time... Kvit shrugs and adds, "Urevian said it counts as finishing your contract too, so don't worry."
Barcumbuk grips his hammer a little more tightly as Kka tries to intimidate him, but doesn't lash out at her. But Kvit's sweet words of end of employment relaxes him again.
"Why would he send you then, and not one of his other underlings? Seems weird to me that he'd send a buncha randos I've never seen before."
"And nice try, 'Bub,' but Urevian's thought of adventurers potentially killing his employees. There's a resurrection clause in our contracts."
Barcumbuk's disposition seems less hostile than before, but he doesn't seem entirely convinced yet, either.
Cherry cannot lie, but they will try to expose the virtues of switching to a least a more neutral side.
Cherry will talk to Barcumbuk and try to find out details about his work and how much (or little) he is apricated among his fellow creatures.
"Why don't you go ask Urevian yourself? You know how they are, I certainly wasn't going to question them."
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"Of course there is. And I'm sure you can imagine your rank falling amongst your kin when you explain to them that you had to use it because you went and got yourself killed. How shameful" Lough smiles at him.
"Tell you what. Let's avoid all his mess. If you leave that little spear where it is" he points to the glaive with a clawed finger "and just walk away, we promise not to kill you"
Lough will break his promise, hoping to take his foe by surprise and beginning a fight unarmed!
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Cherry cannot lie, but they will try to expose the virtues of switching to a least a more neutral side.
"I mean, the dwarves are pretty cool, I guess. They keep their forges hot and love their iron, I can appreciate that. Good craftspeople, too. Always wanted to visit them someday, but never had the opportunity."
Cherry will talk to Barcumbuk and try to find out details about his work and how much (or little) he is apricated among his fellow creatures.
The barbazu answers. "Barcumbuk's work is pretty great-"
"Hmpf, only 'pretty great'? I'll stop fixing that weapon of yours, then."
Unperturbed, the barbazu continues. "And he can upgrade your weapons as well." He waves his red-hot glaive in front of you, and you can feel malice emanating from the weapon. "Much more deadly than your average weapon. Wanna feel?" He performs a few (not so) playful jabs at you.
"Why don't you go ask Urevian yourself? You know how they are, I certainly wasn't going to question them."
"Hmm, fair. Never question the boss. It'll only lead to trouble."
"Of course there is. And I'm sure you can imagine your rank falling amongst your kin when you explain to them that you had to use it because you went and got yourself killed. How shameful" Lough smiles at him.
"Tell you what. Let's avoid all his mess. If you leave that little spear where it is" he points to the glaive with a clawed finger "and just walk away, we promise not to kill you"
"Hmpf, falling in battle isn't shameful. I don't know about all that 'Valhalla' nonsense, but the way I see it, it's a good way to go. But, seeing as apparently I'm not being paid anymore, it's not my business anymore."
And with that, he pops out of existence.
The lone barbazu looks at you, then at his spear, and back at you. "So, I can leave my glaive behind and you'll let me go? Or what? You'll come looking for me in Hell? I'd love to see you try."
With a wicked grin, he (and his glaive) also teleports out of existence.
On the ground, right where Barcumbuk stood, lies a pentagram piece.
You loot the rest of the room. There isn't much of value here anymore. Looks like Barcumbuk handed all the finished weapons over to Azvalvigander. You do find some unforged pieces of metal, though: five cold iron chunks (10 gp apiece), two silver chunks (also 10 gp each), and a chunk of adamantine (500 gp).
Sneakers is astonished. "I can't believe that worked! You guys are an odd team, but effective."
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Kvit reassures Kka and Lough somewhat sarcastically, "There will be plenty of fighting later. Some of this might be useful if we make it into something. In the meantime, I can use some."
Kvit takes one of the chunks of silver, cold iron, and adamantine. He also picks up the piece of pendant. "Alright, let's keep moving."
Kka is a little flabbergasted at how everything went with Barcumbuk. "Did we just talk a bunch of devils into leaving the vaults without a fight? Incredible!"
She picks up the remaining chunks of precious metal the devil left behind and goes up to Kvit. "Let's see if this new piece fits with the rest." Taking the amulet piece from Kvit, she brings it up against the other two she has. "<click>"
"Okay then. Two more to go. If the rest of this level goes this smoothly, we'll be done by lunchtime."
Kka then calls out to the remaining morlocks in the next room. "Looks like you guys are out of a job. I know of a taavern one level up you could drown your sorrows in. Tell them we sent you. They know us pretty well up there."
As they head out, she stops at the first door; the one that looks like it leads to an isolation cell. "I wonder whaat's in here?" She checks it for traps and locks.
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The morlocks shrug at Kka's suggestion and leave.
Kka inspects the locked isolation cell. She doesn't find any traps. After a bit of fiddling with the lock, she manages to open it. Inside some crates are the more dangerous equipment: a standard explosive arrow, three third-rank spellstrike arrows, three young red dragon's breath potions, and 10 moderate alchemist's fires.
Now that the morlocks are gone, you also have time to inspect the other crates and barrels in the prison cells. They only contain normal weaponry. It's all very bulky, and it'd be a pain to haul this all upstairs for a few gold pieces.
Kvit hands over the other piece, letting Kka take care of the "door opening" responsibilities. "You're sure you can convince the door to open with one missing? If so, we only need one more..."
Kvit whistles. This was quite the haul, even better than whatever damned glaive they lost out on. "So Kka, fancy trying out being a wizard?"
The rest of the mundane equipment, Kvit barely glances at. "It's hard to imagine being so picky about what is worth the trouble a few weeks ago."
When Kvit asks about opening the door with a piece missing, Kka says, "Yeah, I might be able to jury-rig something to fill in for the laast piece, but it would be better if I didn't haave to."
Kka considers all the crates of weapons. "These probaably aren't worth the trouble to caarry out of here, but I'm not sure we waant to leave them here to be used by the baad guys against Otaari." She looks around and spots the still-blazing forge in the other room. "How about we throw them all onto the fire and call it a day? Come on. Many haands make light work." With help, she then proceeds to drag the crates into the forge room and feed their contents to the fire.
Kvit does not help dispose of the weapons, instead taking seemingly great interest in the workings of the forge, the ceiling, and literally anything else.
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It takes about an hour to haul everything into the forge room and throw it all into the forge, wait for it to melt, and throw in more. The beast-forge's eyes light up when something is fed into its maw and smoke escapes from its nostrils like it's hungry for more. After an hour of hard (and hot) work, you've disposed of all the weaponry that was in storage.
You counted 413 arrows, for what it's worth.
When the last of the weaponry goes into the maw and turns to slag and ash, Kka claps her hands free of the dirt and dust. "There we go. Thaat waasn't so baad. Should keep Otaari safe until we take care of that Ureviaan guy and nip this whole invasion thing in the bud."
Poking her head out the doors, she spots a similar pair of doors across the hallway. "I wonder whaat's behind these?" She checks for traps and locks.
Cherry nods hard at Kka's statement. "I wish they weren't attacking at all."
Kka scouts further ahead (a-back?). The door opposite where you came from seems safe. You open it, and it reveals a small hallway and another door. That door's also safe.
This chamber forms a large octagonal pyramid and has four exits on opposite walls. Bright, blood-red light shines down from the top of the pyramid in a perfect circle on the floor.
Sneakers notices something off about the red light. Seems like some kind of trap. You're not sure what happens when you enter the red light, but it sure doesn't look good.
Sneakers whistles, "Yo! Stop boss, that red light is more than just ominous-looking."
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Kvit inspects the area and tries to identify the key area or at least the mechanisms of this apparent trap.
When Sneakers mentions the possibility that the red light is a trap of some sort, Kka is not surprised. "Looked a little sus to me too." She walks up to the edge of the light and examines the situation.
When the device goes "<click!> and the red light turns off, Kka nods in satisfaction and puts her tools away. "I guess we don't haave to worry about it anymore. Now let's see whaat's behind some of these doors." She heads over to the west door and give it a look over.
Kka fiddles with the mechanism and the light goes off. She continues exploring.
A long hallway, stretching north to south, ends in a staircase at the southern end that branches left and right. The north and east walls each have a door with small, sliding windows. A raised portcullis at the northeastern end here has metal points crusted with dried blood.
At the end of the hallway, two stairs both go up. When you look into the small sliding windows set into the doors, you see that one of them is a small empty cell. The other door also leads to a cell, but this one's occupied.
Most of this cell has received very little care in the past several decades, but the manacles on the wall appear carefully polished.
A tiefling woman hangs upside down in the cell, her ankles bound by the manacles. When she sees that you're not devils checking up on her, she tries to speak, but only a raspy sound comes from her mouth. She looks very dehydrated, and will need medical attention soon, or she will die.
Kvit stares at her a minute before craning his neck a little to see her upside-right. "Ah, I thought she looked familiar. Bounty hunter. Maybe leaned a little too far on the vigilante side for the Absalom Guards' taste."
"Cynemi is it? I don't have any particular love of the guard, but I understand you're wanted. Though considering your current situation, that might be irrelevant. We're looking to clear this whole place out, so we might be in a enemy of my enemy situation. Cherry and Kka, here can get you patched up a little, then we can talk."
Kka looks Cynemi over and after deciding that the bounty hunter was in no state to pose much of a threat to them, picks her free of the manacles. She then gives her some water to drink as she patches up the damage done to the woman. "There you go; good as new." "We tieflings need to stick together."
Cherry helps Kka, running expert eyes over the injuries and patching the worst of them. "I'm not sure we will be able to get you all the way back to full health here, some recoveries just take time, but I will certainly do my best to get you mobile now."
Cynemi nods her thanks as she greedily drinks the water Cherry Berry provides her. "Thanks, strangers. Don't know why I deserve your kindness, but I glad for it nevertheless. Though Urevian will be furious once he learns you've released me, so I say we skedaddle as soon as possible."
"Anyone that works down here is evil or at least a terrible creature. Anyone that's a prisoner on of those sorts is probably less so. At the very least it will annoy those in charge."
"In return. You can tell us everything you know about this area and especially Urevian."
"Heh, fair enough. On both counts. Don't really feel like talking here, though. Would you mind waiting 'till we're upside before I start blabbering? Still kinda a wanted prisoner here."
You get the feeling she's trying to evade the question. Make me a Diplomacy, Deception, or Intimidate check (or something else appropriate) to get her talking.
"Please let us know ma'm. It could really help other people like you."
Cherry Berry uses their charm to get Cynemi talking.
"Okay, short version: I heard through some of my... contacts that Urevian was very interested in getting his hands on some guy named Carman Rajani. Never got to know why, but the price he was offering was ridiculous. Anyway, I negotiated a deal with him, and I nearly had that Rajani bastard, but he outsmarted me and next thing I know I was practically naked on a leaky boat somewhere on the Inner Sea. I made it back to Urevian to renegotiate, but my time had run out and he threw me in jail for breach of contract. And as soon as he hears I'm out of jail, he'll throw me back in and do worse than just hang me upside down, so can we move now, please?"
Her concern for her own freedom seems genuine.
Kka is miffed by Cynemi's attitude. "Look here lady, we just did you a big favor, so don't make us regret it. Spill the beans about what's going on around here and maybe we won't leave you haanging from your ankles the way we found you, eh? I don't care what sketchy stuff you did on the surface. As long as you don't mess with Otari, you caan do whaatever you want once we take you baack to the surface. How's thaat for a deal?"
While nailing Cynemi with one of her trademark beay blood-eyed stares, Kka starts picking up the manacles she so carefully picked open
When Cynemi spills the beans, Kka is a little surprised. "Urevian waant's Caarman?! Whaat the heck for?" She pauses a second as the information sinks in fuly. Then, in a slightly more conciliatory tone, she adds, "Just exaactly how ridiculous was this bounty for Caarman?" When she notices the frowns on her friends' faces, she says, "Whaat? I'm just askin'. Caan't a girl be a little curious? Sheesh!"
Kvit suddenly has a small swell of pride as he sees Cynemi so eager to leave. Him and his crew have become veterans of this bizarre underground realm. Or they've just become numb to its horrors.
"Easy there. If Urevian has the funds for the bounty, we'll get it any way Kka."
He turns to Cynemi. "Are you saying you need an escort out? It's a long way up, but there's not much left between here and there. I really don't want to walk up and then down ten flights of stairs again so soon."
"Oh yeah, Urevian is kinda a big deal. And he seemed almost desperate to get his hands on that Rajani guy. Offered me a thousand gold pieces, and I know he was lowballing me. His pockets run deep, believe me."
She looks at Kvit, confused.
"Er... you're just letting me go? I was kinda hoping for a little bit of an escort, so I don't get mobbed on the stairs, but if you're sure it's safe, I'll limp out of here, no worries."
Cherry actually seems to agree with what Kka's questions. "Knowing how desperate Urevian is for Caarman could tell us how likely he do something impulsive or dangerous."
Then Cherry sighs. "We should escort her to the surface, at the very least if we do it sneakily, maybe they will think she is still imprisoned her for a little bit longer."
Kka nods when she hears the amount of the bounty. "Not baad. Not baad at all. I guess Ureviaan really wants to get his haands on Caarman. I wonder why." She considers options, but quickly gives up and shrugs. "Maybe we'll ask Ureviaan when we run into him." "Just before I run his through with my swords."
Seeing Cynemi's still weakened state, Kka says, "I guess we'll escort you to the surface to make sure nothing haappens to you along the way. Just make sure to steer well clear of Otaari in the future. If I hear thaat you've been doing work in town, you'll haave me on your tail, and you really don't want thaat. Understaand? Great! Now let's get you up to the surface."
Cynemi nods, though Kka's earlier attempt at intimidating her didn't seem to faze her much. "Stay out of Otari, or the devil-chicken will be after me. Got it."
You lead Cynemi up the first two sets of stairs, and she's amazed that all the levels are indeed (mostly) wiped out. "Huh. Well, I'll be. Guess you were right. I think I'll manage from here, now that I'm far away from those devils. I think your mage needs to sit down anyway, looks like his short legs are about to give out." She nods at Kvit.
She walks up the next set of stairs, then turns around hesitantly. "So... you're sure I can just... leave? You're not gonna go after me, or anything like that?"
When it's clear you mean her no harm, she whispers a "thanks," and runs up the stairs much faster than you'd think her capable of. Seems like she was faking some weakness in order to appear more harmless than she actually was.
Where to next?
Kka looks on as Cynemi vanishes up the stairs and presumably out of the vaults. "Okaaay then. Thaat's another piece removed from the board. I doubt thaat clearing the rest of the level will be anywhere near as easy as it's been so faar, but you never know. Now let's get baack to work." She turns on her hooves and clomps back down to where they found Cynemi.
Kka mentally overlays what they know of the current level's floorplan with the one above. "Looks like the double stairs at the end of the hall go up to thaat room with all the shaackles where we fought that weird meat pile thing with the tentaacles; nothing new to explore in that direction. Let's go back to the octagon room and see whaat's behind the southern doors." She trudges back to the pyramid chamber and checks the southern doors for traps and locks.
This old prison block has been converted into a makeshift barracks with several shoddy cots pushed into the cells and against the walls. The
three cell doors have been chained open. Foot lockers sit near each cot.
There are seven foot lockers in total. Each foot locker holds some trinkets of sentimental value, and you find a total of silver pieces among them. You also find two +1 tamchal chakrams within easy reach. You continue on to the room to the south.
This old prison office is full of filth and cobwebs. A single door exits to the north.
Cherry Berry notices a trap right in front of the door that will go off as soon as you step into the office. Kka easily dismantles it and you continue. You find nothing of value in this office.
Cherry Berry and Kvit notice a secret door in the back wall of the office. In the wall are tiny etchings of a manacle and chain, and when you press the spaces between the chain links, the door slides open. A hallway lies beyond, and in the western wall, you see peepholes so you can spy on cells in the barracks.
There are two doors in the eastern wall. The northern door is obviously a secret door from this side and can easily be opened, and a regular door to the south.
"Nobody really trusted anyone else in this catacomb did they?"
Kvit looks through a peephole briefly on the empty room. "This place has changed but it's certainly become worse in many aspects. I can't imagine what would have happened if Belcorra could've got some of the groups working together."
"Secret door first then?"