"Sulee, do you want to carry a light for us again?"
Sulee hops down to the ground. "Of course. That is why I wanted the sword. Light it up. She pulls out her sword again and holds it up.
Caiten casts Light on Sulee's sword.
"Sweet. Now I have a magical glowing sword." She makes a couple more theatrical swings of the sword. "So much better than that random stick I had the other day."
Anyone watching closely sees Caiten smile a bit at that. "I'm glad you like it."
"Let's have you follow along behind the group a bit. That way anyone wanting to scout ahead can choose how much light to have. Too much light will alert any enemies before the scouts see them, but insufficient light might cause the scouts to stumble on something and make noise or miss seeing something dangerous that is there."
Yasamina looks around the path as they walk, as if looking for something. She has her hand on her hilt, and seems a little tense.
"She breaks the silence after a while. You know, after we find the gate, and preferably close it... We should really hunt down whatever climbed out. If the things that appeared here can take down wolfmother back there, I hate to think what they could do to regular citizens."
Once they reach the citadel, she looks at the corpses of the goblin dogs, and seems to relax. "Well, this is a good sign. Nothing took a bite out of these for two nights. At least that's my take."
She lets that linger for a moment, and refocuses. "Yes, I will take point.", she draws her blade. She looks around the group, as if expecting someone to join the vanguard.
Oren pulls out his maul and steps up to join Yasami. "I'll take point with you this time."
Yasamina smiles. "Alright! Switching it up, see what works best. I like it.", she high fives Oren - or tries to, rather - and peeks into the courtyard.
Caiten draws and readies his bow. "Sounds good. Lead the way, I will provide backup."
Oren takes one of his hands off his maul so that he can high-five Yasami.
Cevendyl stays within 25-30' of the team on point. He has 2 of his new daggers readied as well.
Yasamina looks around the path as they walk, as if looking for something. She has her hand on her hilt, and seems a little tense.
She breaks the silence after a while. "You know, after we find the gate, and preferably close it... We should really hunt down whatever climbed out. If the things that appeared here can take down wolfmother back there, I hate to think what they could do to regular citizens."
Placing himself right behind Yasamina and Oren as they make their way toward the holding cells, "Don't you worry about that, Yasamina, we'll find whatever managed to find it's way through the gate once we're able to shut it down. I gotta say, though, anyone who takes down a warg can't be all bad. They aren't the kindest of creatures, you know. They will not hesitate to eat you," he states plainly, shrugging.
"And I think Caiten's got the right of it. Once we've cleared out these holding cells, let's head toward the barracks. We'll go from the front side of the citadel and work our way to the back side per the map, leaving nothing behind us."
Lisitsei surveys the minor swath of destruction the goblins have wrought and ponders the warg pups for a long moment, noticing that they are bristling and growling at the goblins...who occasionally growl and hiss back at them.
He nods at Rocco and Shadow. "Why don't you come back with us to the Citadel. We'll be sure to keep you safe, and you can help us sniff things out."
Lisi gently sets Guba on the tiles. Unlike the other day, the little leshy has many tiny vibrissae-like tendrils emerging from its leg-stumps that react to any vibration that passes through the ground.
"The warglets can see in the dark. Rocco, Shadow, let us know if you see something and we'll set something alight. Guba will check for any tremors they sense. We should be well situated back here," he says, then adds a little apologetically, "I didn't prepare a light spell today. We have torches, yes?"
Lisi gently sets Guba on the tiles. Unlike the other day, the little leshy has many tiny vibrissae-like tendrils emerging from its leg-stumps that react to any vibration that passes through the ground.
"The warglets can see in the dark. Rocco, Shadow, let us know if you see something and we'll set something alight. Guba will check for any tremors they sense. We should be well situated back here," he says, then adds a little apologetically, "I didn't prepare a light spell today. We have torches, yes?"
Keeping his attention on his surroundings as they move, "Nothing to worry about, Lis, the poppet's got a light," he responds in a nonchalant manner as his mind is more focused on the task at hand.
"Hey, pups. Your buddy here Lisi is just here to make sure you're both doing okay. He's concerned about you and he just wants you to make sure you stay safe and be good. And if you are, I'm certain he'll bring you back something good to eat, how's that sound? Huh? Can't wrong with good food.
Shadow and Rocco are thrilled to go on another hunt, especially when Joran mentions finding good food -- the pups have been cared for thus far, of course, but growing wargs are always hungry.
As you all make your way through the citadel, Lisi and Cev are the first to note that while the goblin dogs were untouched, someone has been through this part of the keep since you left it yesterday. It's subtle at first, but books and such that were perused yesterday and replaced have been moved, some left laying out. Suspicions are confirmed when you approach the door to the holding cells, and find it open...
Lisi, Guba, and the wargs follow in an unlikely quartet after Caiten and Sulee, Lisi keeping in the half-lit area, the wargs outside of the light, and Guba near Lisi's side. When they reach the reading room, Lisi takes another moment to look at some of the books on the Order of the Nail to see if he can glean anything, especially records of the construction of the Citadel.
"They probably won't mention the Elf Gate explicitly, but records have a way of pointing out omissions as well..." he says, tracing a line in the air past multiple tomes.
Guba stands quietly, tiny roots radiating from each leg, and what look like furled flowers on their shoulders and head slowly tracking back and forth.
"Someone besides us has been here. Look at these books, someone's moved them around and forgotten to put them back. And these holding cells, the doors weren't open when we got here. Look alive."
"Sulee, back up a bit with the light. Let's not completely give away our presence. Maybe tremorsense again would have been a better choice. I can't see through walls."
"My money is on deathknights re-emerging in their old fort."
She moves on into the interior with confident, but wary steps.
Oren an Yasami, taking the lead, peer carefully into the opened doorway, and see further signs that you are not alone in this citadel.
The western portion of the room seems to be a prisoner intake area, with long benches and iron rings on the walls for shackles. There's an administrative section, with an old desk and chair for whoever was overseeing things. The eastern end of the room houses several holding cells, each with their doors hanging open.
Four bodies, long decaying and little more than bones, sit in the center of the room, but their faces are frozen in mindless rage that, combined with how they lay, leaves little doubt these had been undead until someone recently made them dead-dead. Indeed, Caiten can feel the barest traces of necromantic magics about them, implying they had only recently been returned to such a state.
Against the southern wall of the room there are four storage lockers. Each is locked, though there are signs that someone tried to pry one open, as the door is bent and dented. Whoever it was seemed to have given up the cause as futile and moved on empty-handed.
"I don't think these four are the Hellknights you are referring to, Yasami. Though they may be who destroyed them recently. But be careful, there may still be more undead around."
Caiten takes a quick look into the Holding Cells room, but doesn't go past the desk. "Sulee, bring the light. I don't see anyone else here."
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Making their way to the holding cells and finding no immediate threat, Joran resheathes his weapon. Looking to the unopen chests, Joran digs through his pack and pulls out a tool. "I got this crowbar. I can always try and force open the locks," he suggests, an obvious gleam in his eye at the thought. "Let's give it shot, eh? I mean, c'mon, what's the worst that could happen?" he asks, grinning wryly and shooting the others a wink.
As one lock pops, the barbarian looks to the others with an air of absolute confidence about him. He then quickly attacks the rest and *pop*, *pop*, *pop*, goes each one before twirling the crowbar like a baton before halting its movement and blowing on the end of it. "And THAT, my friends, is how we get things done!" he exclaims, nodding, cleanly placing the crowbar back within his pack without even looking and then giving a waggle of his eyebrows.
Caiten notices Joran prying open the storage lockers. He gives the area around the desk a quick check with Detect Magic, but does not go down towards the cells.
"We should continue on. I am curious who else was here and if they still are. I share Yasami's suspicion that it is some of the Hellknights who previously occupied this Citadel. Mostly because of the rumors of their sighting in the countryside in recent days."
"I recommend retracing our steps back past the Foyer and down to the Barracks next."
Caiten leaves the room .
"Hold on a sec there, Caiten. I wanna see what's in these lockers first. I mean, you can go on ahead if you want but I wouldn't recommend it. At least, not by yourself." Joran then begins to scrounge through the first locker.
"Yes, staying together as a group is preferable. We can move when we are all ready. Do you have any preferences on our next destination though?"
Caiten browses through any remaining books on the bookshelves while he waits.
Pausing his search and cutting his attention to the android, "No, no, the barracks is fine by me, buddy. Like I mentioned before, I figure we can work from east to west in clearing out this place." He then resumes his search.
Dario, for the trip, had been working on stay quiet as they retrace old ground. For how loud the gunslinger's weapons tend to be, he is almost uncomfortably quiet. Once it becomes clear that there had been others that had passed through, he moves himself a little behind the forefront and keeps his eyes out for anything unusual or dangerous.
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Yasamina looks at the bodies in the room with some concern, but remains quiet. Then she watches Joran tear through the lockers. "Holy crap, Joran. What did you have for breakfast? Do you still have some?"
As Joran tears into the lockers, the door ripping completely off the hinges on one of them, he begins removing the items left sitting there for who knows how long. Caiten detects the presence of magic.
Caiten, without looking up from the books that he is rummaging through, calls out to Joran, "I may be stating the obvious again, but some of those things you are finding in there are likely magical. At least, I suspect that is what is triggering as magical in that area. I should probably check again once you have pulled everything noteworthy out of there."
"Certainly the scroll is magical, may I take a look?"
Caiten takes note at the mention of a scroll and looks over to the holding cells again, but doesn't move back into the room.
As Lisi pours over the books left behind, he absently notes that the sounds of combat have not rung out, so he has a few more moments to look things over.
His quick perusal notes a particular tidbit of information. Novices eager to join the ranks of Hellknights were made to undergo a final test before attaining their rank. A signifier, the high ranking spellcasters of the order, would summon forth a devil. The strength of said fiend would be chosen based on the perceived ability of the novice in question, though it seemed bearded devils were the most common, with lesser foes for Hellknights who were perhaps pursuing more clerical roles, and more powerful foes for those showing great promise. Lisi suspects the room marked as the 'test arena' is likely where such a ritual took place.
Most of the rest of the books codify the laws of various lands, with other serving as records of justice meted out -- "13 Abadius 4659. Chadwick Deavours, Age 11. stole a chicken from Henrietta Burglecutt. Confessed. Sentenced to loss of one hand." "3 Gozran 4659. Merida Gaspati, age 16. Abandoned unwanted infant in the woods. Evidence could not determine whether child died from exposure or was miscarried. Sentenced to two days with her ear nailed to the pillowry."
The Hellknights dealt out harsh punishments, it seemed. Lisi idly wondered how they'd have handled Calmont.
"And what of the father of this unwanted child...I'm sure the Hellknight's didn't give a redcap's behind who he was, who no doubt abandoned both girl and child..."
"And what of the father of this unwanted child...I'm sure the Hellknight's didn't give a redcap's behind who he was, who no doubt abandoned both girl and child..."
That gets Caiten's attention even more than the mention of a new scroll. Caiten drops the random book he is looking through and walks over to Lisi. "May I see that?" Caiten reads over Lisi's shoulder. "Hmm... About 60 years ago. Probably nothing available to do about it now. But I begin to see why Hellknights have such a bad reputation."
Yasamina looks at the bodies in the room with some concern, but remains quiet. Then she watches Joran tear through the lockers. "Holy crap, Joran. What did you have for breakfast? Do you still have some?"
Grinning mightily, "C'mon, Yasamina, you know they don't make many of 'em like me," he slaps the side of his huge bicep before giving her a wink. "Besides, I can't really say it's the food that's got my adrenaline going today," he tells her, still grinning and leaving it at that.
Caiten, without looking up from the books that he is rummaging through, calls out to Joran, "I may be stating the obvious again, but some of those things you are finding in there are likely magical. At least, I suspect that is what is triggering as magical in that area. I should probably check again once you have pulled everything noteworthy out of there."
As he pulls everything out and lays it upon the floor, "Sure, Caiten, go ahead. Be my guest."
"Certainly the scroll is magical, may I take a look?"
Grabbing the scroll among the pile, he hands it over to the healer. "Here you go, Cev. Look 'til your heart's content, buddy," he tells him, nodding.
Caiten shakes his head and leaves Lisi with the book. He walks back to the holding cells still mostly lost in his own thoughts.
Caiten takes note of the selection of items laid out on the ground, then casts Detect Magic again on the area around the desk.
Looking back over the collection of items, he mentions "It will take quite a bit of time to identify all of this. Over an hour for one person alone. About half an hour for three people dividing the work. It may be better to simply take it with us and analyze it all when we have more time. Perhaps if we return to the town this evening or camp here for the night again. Or even identify one or two items if we are forced to stop to rest for a few minutes after a battle."
"Certainly the scroll is magical, may I take a look?"Grabbing the scroll among the pile, he hands it over to the healer. "Here you go, Cev. Look 'til your heart's content, buddy," he tells him, nodding.
Cevendyl takes a look at the scroll, and then casts Read Aura to determine its nature.
Looking back over the collection of items, he mentions "It will take quite a bit of time to identify all of this. Over an hour for one person alone. About half an hour for three people dividing the work. It may be better to simply take it with us and analyze it all when we have more time. Perhaps if we return to the town this evening or camp here for the night again. Or even identify one or two items if we are forced to stop to rest for a few minutes after a battle."
Crossing his arms as he listens to the android, "Wow, that long, huh? Yeah, I gotta say, that's just way too long. And I think taking them with us and figuring it out as we go is a good idea." Catching sight of Cev studying the scroll, "Once Cev figures out what that scroll's about, let's head to the barracks."
Joran then looks to the items a moment. "Hey, do any of you need another weapon?" he offers, looking to the others. "Anybody? There's several here." If no one speaks up, Joran will just gather everything up and ready to make their way to the barracks.
Caiten notices Cevendyll using Read Aura. "Well that will speed things up for the magical items at least."
"We should stay here until we've figured out the mystery of the gate, elven or no," says Lisi, closing the book, which puffs out a small jet of book-dust.
He eyes the silvering. "That's unusual. I'm trying to think if there were once many lycanthropes in this area. Who's the historian among us?"
He draws with a finger on the table. "So, we have someone storing items against lycanthropes--presumably Hellknights storing their items. Some people becoming undead, or being turned into undead. Some other recent party coming here, strong enough to kill these undead, but without Joran's brawn to rip open the lockers. Bit of a mystery. I assume the people who killed the undead were in a hurry. Are we?"
"Aren't silver weapons also good to use when fighting Devils?"
"I don't think we are in so much of a hurry that we shouldn't check out this upper level before heading to the lower level, but I would like to catch up to this unknown entity that is going through the Citadel. If they are friendly, that is great. If they are not, we should at least investigate and report this to the town council also - even if they are too powerful for us to fight directly."
"We should stay here until we've figured out the mystery of the gate, elven or no," says Lisi, closing the book, which puffs out a small jet of book-dust.
He eyes the silvering. "That's unusual. I'm trying to think if there were once many lycanthropes in this area. Who's the historian among us?"
He draws with a finger on the table. "So, we have someone storing items against lycanthropes--presumably Hellknights storing their items. Some people becoming undead, or being turned into undead. Some other recent party coming here, strong enough to kill these undead, but without Joran's brawn to rip open the lockers. Bit of a mystery. I assume the people who killed the undead were in a hurry. Are we?"
"Lycanthropes? I know I've heard that term before." He taps his chin in thought before looking back to the druid. "Werewolves you mean? I'm not so sure Breachill's ever had any dealings with those type of creatures, Lis." "At least, not off the top of my head." He shrugs.
"I'm in a hurry to get this gate shut down if that answers your question, Lis. I NEED Breachill to be safe and I am going to do whatever it takes to get that done. But I'm also not going to be in too much of a hurry to where we get sloppy and get ourselves killed. We find a steady pace, stick to it and it'll take us where we want to go in proper time. I've always found that if you get in too much of a hurry that's when you tend to make mistakes. It's all about patience, buddy."
He then looks to Caiten, "And as far as this unknown whatever is concerned, we'll find it if it's in here with us. And if it turns out it's not friendly, well, if we can't take it down then the town council sure isn't going to be able to do anything about it. It's going to be up to us to stop it, one way or another. Hey, I'm rooting for 'being friendly' and not being an issue at all!" he tells the android energetically, giving him an extremely light slap - for fear of breaking him - on the shoulder to try and lighten the mood.
Caiten holds up against Jorans energetic and friendly slap on the shoulder without too much difficulty. Well enough to keep his footing at least. "Yes, friendly would be best. I would settle for nonantagonistic."
"Do you think that the rallied efforts of the town guard would not be able to withstand an attack from this potential enemy?"
Caiten picks up the smallest of the silver weapons - the light hammer. He swings it experimentally a few times and hands it to Joran mildly disappointed. "Still too heavy for me to use effectively."
"Aren't silver weapons also good to use when fighting Devils?"
[dice=Recall Knowledge Religion on Devils]1d20 + 5
"I don't think we are in so much of a hurry that we shouldn't check out this upper level before heading to the lower level, but I would like to catch up to this unknown entity that is going through the Citadel. If they are friendly, that is great. If they are not, we should at least investigate and report this to the town council also - even if they are too powerful for us to fight directly."
"Remember, Hellknights practically consider devils to be brothers in arms. The Law is The Law ... and all that. But the laws of summoning can go awry, so they may have had silvered weapons as insurance."
Caiten holds up against Joran's energetic and friendly slap on the shoulder without too much difficulty. Well enough to keep his footing at least. "Yes, friendly would be best. I would settle for nonantagonistic."
"Do you think that the rallied efforts of the town guard would not be able to withstand an attack from this potential enemy?"
The barbarian ponders that a moment before, "You know, to be honest, we have a pretty solid town guard. It's really going to depend on what type of 'enemy' we're dealing with and how many. Obviously Breachill is not prepared to face an army of any kind but I believe they can hold their own against a smaller force; even one that's fairly well trained. But it's really hard to say without knowing exactly what we're dealing with."
"Maybe we could put a pin in the identification business for now? I suggest we scout the place first and see if anything is lurking around.", Yasmaina eagerly stands by the door and peeks outside every now and then for any unwelcome visitors.
"Agreed. I would like to make sure that nothing is going to sneak up and attack us before we start identifying items to see if they're magic or not." He joins Yasamina at the door, ready to proceed when everyone else is.
The group regathers, and heads across familiar territory to the hall that encircles the courtyard of the citadel. Following it around to the south, and using the blueprints as a guide, you come to the door leading into the barracks. There's a second entrance as well, in the drill auditorium you all discovered on your last visit.
Peering cautiously through whichever door you choose, this dingy room is littered with toppled bunk beds and broken furniture, and doors to small but more private bedchambers hang open along the western and southern walls. In the room’s center, bed frames are stacked upon each other to form a sort of fort, with filthy and ripped bedding draped over the top to form its ceiling and walls.