“Truth they speak,” Ellaeaanda responds confidently to Netkin’s doubt. “Perhaps Alak could escort them to the surface, then return, if skeptic you remain.”
Turning to Resa, she gives the rogue an unnerving stare. “Door opener and thief?” This insight into the tiefling’s past seems to be news to the elf. “What have you stolen?”
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Resa freezes and looks about, trying to cover for her slip of the tongue. " I mean, not steal, but... I.. I just open doors and sometimes things came out. It happens. Not all those people made it back." And sometimes they did, but sharing what happened when she had been caught seemed detrimental, though she does tug on her headscarf a bit near her horns as the memory rises. Not everything bore a physical scar.
Resa leaves the door alone, however she seems nervous as more of her personal past comes out. She had not always done the right thing, and sometimes she had done really terrible things, but she wanted to be a better person now she could make her own choices. Her skills remained, and the thrill of the wrong choices always came back to her at times. She does not met the eyes of Ellaeaanda, making her seem perhaps a bit more guilty than she was in truth.
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"Oh! The birds! Yeah, we've already dealt... with... them..." Netkin's voices fades out as he remembers the carnage that took place in the other room. "... I think," he adds lamely.
"I mean, whether they're lying or not, there's just no way we'll know, yes? So I guess it'd make sense to bring them to the surface no matter what, and... Hope for the best. Without their weapons would probably be safer, though."
“Door opener and thief? What have you stolen?”
Netkin clears his throat. "Not that I'm defending stealing from the downtrodden, mind you - but surely the fact that our friend used to be trafficked in the slave trade must account for something?" He hesitates. "I've - I've read history books. On halflings. And my Grandma... She has told me... Stories."
"Those who are exploited rarely are allowed to keep possessions of their own, I mean. But surely that's quite, quite behind her now." His firmer tone seems to imply that he won't approve of the alternative.
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Without looking at Netkin, Ellaeaanda nonetheless seems to acknowledge him with a slight tilt of her head, though she continues fixing the rogue with that curious gaze of hers, a gaze that looks through or past someone into an unseen future … or perhaps into their very soul. As if in a trance, she begins reciting in a soft, distant voice. “Lessons by letters, opening doors, thief but not thief, slave but not slave. Distant tutelage by father and trap finder; unpresent and unknown mother; sorrowful hunger for knowledge; eyes yearning for history.”
It appears that Resa’s earlier words have not been forgotten, and her attempts to figure out the elf’s mannerisms have not gone unnoticed. “Learn not from letters and cults. If elf you seek, seek Ardoinel and myself. Your lessons begin now. Tynged.” she pronounces in a perfectly melodic Elven. “This is the Elvish word for ‘fate’.”
Ellaeaanda casually walks away, as if they had just finished a meaningless conversation about the weather, and starts tending to Cerrus’s wounds. “What fate is theirs?” she asks about the mandrils without looking up.
" Um... Um if I may? Maybe we try to get them home? If they have one? If that does not work, I guess we can let them go. But I don't think killing them is right. We disarmed them." Resa seems unsure exactly of the wording, but she would much rather them be free than chained here, or dead. She had seen enough of people let go only to be hunted down by their previous captors, she was not feeling the death part.
" I mean, you trust me, and I know how to steal things. Surely they get some measure of trust?" She reasons.
"They suggested that the only thing waiting for them if they returned through the portal is execution at the hands of the Cinderclaws back home. They're asking if we'll let them start a new life here in Avistan."
Ardoinel strokes his beard.
"I am inclined to extend them that mercy, as they have promised not to resort to banditry...but there's one potential wrinkle with that. It's hard to hunt without a spear or a sling. Even if we let them go out into the wilderness, if they have no means to defend themselves we're just condemning them to a slower death by starvation."
He turns back to Skorp and Venak.
"আমার বন্ধুরা অস্ত্রের ব্যাপারে আপনাকে বিশ্বাস করতে নারাজ। আপনি তাদের ছাড়া কতটা ভালো শিকার করতে পারবেন?"
Cerrus seems overwhelmed by all of the conversation in an unfamiliar language, along with trying to take notes on the whole situation.
"Thank you, Ellaeaanda. My wounds are no longer than issue with your help."
To the whole group, Cerrus speaks in agreement with Ellaeaanda. "Yes, we should let these captives free. They have been helpful and seem to have gotten mixed in this whole thing. An oath to not becomes bandits is a great idea.
" I can go out with the hellknight to ensure that nothing happens, and then we could even let them have their weapons back. I am sure two of us will not be harmed by these creatures." Resa jumps on the chance to get away from Ellaeaanda, but the older elf is wise enough to know it is because Resa feels awkward asking her for help, especially for a cultural most would know of if they were a member. Her missteps was clear enough that whatever her raising, she knew little of her elven heritage, and while she looked like an elf, to have others assume she knew things she didn't clearly embarrassed her.
If no one else objected, she would go with the hellknight, but she did look warily at him as they moved out. She clearly did not trust him, but that seemed more a history she had with hellknights than any actual distrust of Alek.
"Yes, Resa and Alak are a good pair to escort our captives out of the citadel. Ardoinel, Ellaeaanda, Netkin, and myself can heal up here."
Cerrus settles down in a corner of the room that has a good vantage point of anything enters the room, as well as a view of the next room.
After Resa leaves with Alak to escort the mandrils to the surface, Ellaeaanda continues to tend any wounds as needed, then thoroughly searches the room and barricades the doors, just in case of any unexpected visitors. Meanwhile she muses on the puzzles before them.
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"Okay," Netkin sits down between the elves, a bit dejected. He feels like a lot of his time in the fortress is just following people around and watch them do the heavy lifting. "I guess I'll just... Wait here and... Try to think of something."
He doesn't actually stay seated for very long. When he's done fidgeting with his bombs, he gets up and starts poking around the room, muttering to himself. "Mmm. A bear trap. That would be an idea. If we had a bait... And I threw the glue bomb... Unless something else could trigger it from a distance... Mmm."
"Then it's decided," Ardoinel says.
"ইউয়েলরালের ডাল আপনাকে আশ্রয় দেবে এবং তোরাগের পাথর আপনাকে ধরে রাখুক, স্কোর্প এবং ভেনাক," he intones to the charau-kas, making the sign of the Hammer with one hand and holding up three fingers with the other. "শুভকামনা।"
He turns to the others.
"So we have more cultists, a pair of kobolds and an angry bear to deal with."
Cerrus stretches his arms and legs are diligently holding still while Ellaeaanda attends to his wounds.
"Ah, thank you. I'm feeling much better and able to continue our exploration of this area once Resa and Alak are back."
Cerrus approaches Netkin to see what he has been up to. "Netkin, what you making? Looks like some interesting devices. I may take inspiration from you on some ideas I've idea for making our weapons even more powerful."
“No threat the bear bears now, but later we should release it to the surface. Innocent it is, unlike Dahak or the Cinderclaws. Mayhap lure with food and repel with scent.” Ellaeaanda moves to the eastern door , listening carefully with her long, sharp ears. “Cultists and kobolds before bear,” she suggests, but waits for Resa and Alak to return before taking any action. After all, the rogue is their official door opener.
She starts to head back after the Charau-kas go off, but she then stops, and looks at Alek for a long time. After a moment of her staring it's clear she is looking at some distance memories of hers, and she shakes her head before saying " I understand you say that, but I have seen.... I have held them... They died because of people like you. So rigid in your belief that you can not see the harm that comes from adherence to the idea that someone is born lesser than. Is worth less. Or even nothing. I may be a thief, and I may have stole what I was told to, and even what I wasn't. But I never cut down innocent's in the name of the law like hell knights. I again state, my group decided to trust you. That does not mean I TRUST you."
Resa would then turn and walk away, her fingers tightened into her palms as she wipes at tears that comes out on her way back. She does try to take her time to make sure she isn't a mess when she rejoins the group, but her timing may be different from Aleks
“Three voices on high,” Ellaeaanda backs away from the door and shares her findings in a low voice. “The charau-ka cultists are making good use of their exercise room.” Drawing her bow, she takes up a position in the short passage to the room in which they discovered the three boggards. “Faithful to Malarunk these are,” she proclaims, sanctioning the use of Alak’s sword while readying an attack for when the doors to the next room are opened.
Upon rejoining the group, Resa doesn't mention anything her and Alek said, but does go and look at the door, trying to figure the best way in without too much of a notice to the other three enemies in the room
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"Netkin, what you making? Looks like some interesting devices. I may take inspiration from you on some ideas I've idea for making our weapons even more powerful."
"Oh! Um, they're just a few ideas, really! I thought I could use a kind of - of device to trigger this glue bomb I have here from afar, and trap the bear, or - or maybe distill some unpleasant smell so it ignores us and goes straight out of the room... I think Ellaeaanda prefers this second option, but, since it cannot get out right now, and we have more, uh, pressing matters, I think it will have to wait..."[b]
Much like his elf companion, Netkin stays some distance away from the door, and readies one of his small flasks. [b]"I'm almost out of bombs..."
"Intriguing," Ardoinel comments on Netkin's tinkering. "I generally rely on tried and true traditional methods when making things. It's...meditative for me. But it's experiments like yours that can lead us into the future and see things from other perspectives."
He draws his sword again and takes position by Netkin.
"Ready when you are," he says to the group.
"Let's use these cramped corridors to our advantage. Ardoinel, myself, or Alak can attack in melee. And, the others can attack from range. Sound like a plan?"
Cerrus readies himself near the door that Resa and Ellaeaanda scouted. He is deferring to Alak in case he wants to be the front-liner, but ready to do that task as well.
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""Intriguing. I generally rely on tried and true traditional methods when making things. It's...meditative for me. But it's experiments like yours that can lead us into the future and see things from other perspectives."
Netkin is a pale-skinned chap, and in this darkness, he doesn't exactly turn bright red. More like rosy-cheeked. "Oh! Thank you. I guess I've tried to... Think outside the box. With my, er, health issues, there were some days you were really glad to do things with the help of certain tools!"
A blank. "S-so, who's going to open the door, exactly? I can't really be the one!"
Resa takes a moment to breathe in and out, before trying to figure out how to open the door. If it swings in, she would attempt to swing it forward so all could attack. If not, she would carefully look at the party, and perhaps making a bad decision, swing the door so she is the first one to be seen on the right. It was the least she could do. She does ensure there are no traps before she opens the door.
Cerrus glances at the door leading to the cultists. "So, this door first, yes?" Cerrus pulls out his sword and tome, steeling himself for the imminent battle.
Netkin is a pale-skinned chap, and in this darkness, he doesn't exactly turn bright red. More like rosy-cheeked. "Oh! Thank you. I guess I've tried to... Think outside the box. With my, er, health issues, there were some days you were really glad to do things with the help of certain tools!"
"Health issues, hmm? Seems we've more in common than I initially thought," Ardoinel replies.
He then nods to Resa, noting her hesitation.
"You can do this," he says warmly.
“Elven tea may aid your health,” Ellaeaanda mentions to Netkin, “and the leaves may guide your fate.” The elf calmly fits an arrow to her bowstring, ready to fire as soon as an enemy appears through the door.
As pieces of wood and metal fly at Netkin and Resa, Cerrus dodges the splinters deftly and squeezes past his allies to join Alak on the front lines. Knowing that Alak's attack brought fear upon one of the enemies, Cerrus moved into position and stabbed at that foe.
◆ Stride
◆ Exploit Vulnerability on Yellow
◆ Strike at Yellow
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"Ouch!" A bit stunned, Netkin rubs the side of his head with a grimace. As he waits for his ears to stop ringing, part of him distantly notices that this flying chair technically provided him with his first battle wound.
He's not sure it would make it into many epic ballads.
Of course the big guys with the swords have already rushed in, so the halfling can do little more than sigh, and patiently wait for his turn.
Ardoinel marches into the room with shield raised.
Then he swings at the charau-ka Cerrus and Alak are attacking, hoping to cut them down from their high perch!
He keeps his shield held high, expecting the rain of garbage to continue.
With so many people in the way, Ellaeaanda strides forward, gracefully slipping past Netkin, Resa, and Alak to a position by the southern door. There she fires an arrow at a chaura-ka. As a defensive precaution, she backs up against the door.
While injured greatly, Resa moves to where she can be able to strike at the yellow one to try and end the fight. Maybe losing one will shake the others to surrender, but with the amount of blood she is losing, she might be the one to fall inside.
“Their frenzy is fleeting,” Ellaeaanda calmly reassures the others that the charau-ka’s sudden speed will end almost as soon as it begins. She nocks another arrow, watching for the flickers of fate, and then she sees it: the swaying chandelier that will undo the creature’s attempt to evade her attack. With a soft twang her arrow flies straight and true into its target.
Releasing one hand from her bow, she proclaims “Fate has called you,” in the quiet voice of one reading a complete stranger’s obituary. Her palm flicks open, unleashing an unerring beam of divine energy right into the charau-ka’s heart.
Cerrus moves to the other side of the room to put the Charau-ka between him and Ardoinel. Then, he fumbles around in his bag for another item to impose upon these strange monkey-like humanoids before attacking with his sword.
◆ Stride
◆ Exploit Vulnerability on Purple
◆ Strike at Purple
Resa takes the help from Netkin, but goes right back into combat, sliding around to get into position to help out anyone who steps up, but also taking two slices at the creature to put it down.
Resa sighs softly as she starts to look around the room, making sure there is no traps within the room, or the doors are not fixing to swing open on them with something much worse than monkey people.
Cerrus sheathes his sword and attaching his tome to the holster of sorts on his belt. "I avoided the enemies this time, thankfully. From what I could during the fight, Resa took the most hits. Did I see you get hit with something, too, Netkin?"
Cerrus will leave the work of patching up the group to those better able than him. He searches the bodies for valuables and the scans the room for anything interesting.
Ardoinel coughs and gets back to his feet.
"Little slag got me good that time."