Yuki's fiery beams critically strike her targets!
Talaro explodes in a cloud of red mist, leaving only his equipment behind.
The draconic Vatum lashes out at the pink assassin with claws and tail, then directs a beam of mental energy at the orange assassin.
for and
for
for
~+~Combat Round 2~+~
Dianora
Crystal (-24, d6 bleed)
Talaro
Yuki (-60)
Vatum (-32, d6 bleed)
Kimmich (-34, 2d6 bleed)
Red Assassin
Blue Assassin
Orange Assassin
Pink Assassin (-112)
Kimmich looks at the one standing assassin in silence, as blood wafts through the air. "Fall, traitor," he utters, and falls upon the foe with his swords.
Kimmich frightens, then stabs the last assassin standing, and Crystal finishes him off.
"Vatum" peers through the doorway into the blood-spattered main chamber. "I see I was mistaken in my evaluation of your capabilities. A most efficient counter-strike."
The dragon settles down on his haunches to speak with you more easily, “I am Vatumledor, a devout of Achaekek, He Who Executes. You know him as He Who Walks In Blood. Few know of my true nature, and assume I’m just ‘Vatum,’ one of Jakalyn’s many couriers, but I am, in truth, one of her closest allies. You are among an elite few who I’ve trusted with the truth of who I am, and I trust you shall keep my secret as if it were your own.
“For some time I have suspected the existence of a conspiracy among some of the Vernai to remove Jakalyn as blood mistress of the Red Mantis, and now we have proof, thanks to your aid. I knew that the conspirators would act once Blood Mistress Jakalyn stepped away, and suspected a half-dozen contracts as being traps meant to allow the conspirators the chance to weed out her strongest allies.
When I was approached by the Vernai and asked to deliver the contract for Ordulf’s assassination specifically to you not long after Jakalyn’s absence began, I strongly suspected the conspirators were making their move. And now, with Talaro’s attempt on your lives, we have proof. Someone among the Vernai wants us dead so that when they move against Blood Mistress Jakalyn, she will have none among the Red Mantis to rely upon as allies. This cannot stand, and you must return to Ilizmagorti to uncover the truth of who our enemies are.”
"So you're a dragon?" Dianora says. "I guess that is a surprise, along with the rest of it. Do you know why they want to move against Jakalyn?"
"We can begin with this riff-raff," the orc says, kicking one of the slain assassins. "Who were they close with, who delivers their assignments." He looks through the bodies. "Maybe we return as them to find out who approaches us. Do you see any orcs here?"
Crystal sighs. "I've always hated politics, but I suppose going after a batch of heretical fellow assassins does seem like a worthy time investment. And Jakalyn always was quite good to me. And the last thing I want is more of our own stock coming after us time and time again, it would disrupt the simple things in life like getting a pile of gold to kill someone." Crystal shuffles over and helps Kimmich dig through the gear of the other assassins very unceremoniously. "So I take it no one's paying for the Ordulf assassination, huh? That's a pity. But at least we got to kill a celestial entity today, I suppose that counts for something in the cosmic scheme of things. Probably. Dianora would know about that more than I do."
”I guess we probably want that rapier then too, if nothing else we can sell it or trade it.” Yuki muses. ”Then we should return home with all due haste. Jakalyn took me in as a kit. And, has been like a mother to me. I wish to find whoever is conspiring against her. But, I believe that they have underestimated us. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage?”
Yuki moves to help loot the bodies and checks pockets in case any were dumb enough to have written down who sent them….
”For what it’s worth I believe that Gorum is both impressed by our hard fought win and saddened by the loss of two of his followers. I think, at least for now it isn’t personal…”
As they finish looting the bodies Yuki looks to the stairs down to the basement.
The dragon responds to your comments, "No, you are unlikely to face any punishment from the clergy of Gorum. Ordulf deserved death, so waste no time mourning his fate.
"Still, the contract for his assassination was falsified. A trap placed by our enemies in the Vernai. Doubtless, they have spread word of your ‘illegal’ assassination already through the city of Ilizmagorti, and you are likely all counted as traitors on Mediogalti Isle. Yet Achaekek himself does not begrudge your actions. He is more than a narrow-sighted cult of assassins believes him to be.
“As with all assignments the Vernai give me to deliver to Red Mantis agents, the issuer for your order was anonymous—I need not remind you that the client matters not, only that the request is completed. A tradition that the conspirators no doubt were thankful for, but one that still has value, I believe.”
The dragon nods at your thoughts, "The conspirators likely need no other motivation than an increase in their power. Jakalyn has been Blood Mistress for a long time, and has made many enemies, no doubt."
"Traitors... great. Explains why these losers were so adamant that we had done something wrong. Well... I guess we have some work ahead of us."
She turns away from the bodies and back up to the still strikingly massive dragon leaning over before them. "And what of you? Have they caught onto your movements yet or is "Vatum" still clean as a whistle as a courier for doing his job sending us all out and about to our deaths? How much are you still able to be on the inside during this whole mess?"
"Blood will clean our reputations, as it can clean so many things," Kimmich says sagely over the profoundly blood-soiled room. He looks with interest at the shurikens, sniffing at them carefully.
"Unfortunately, I will be unable to help you from the inside. While few beyond yourselves, and the Blood Mistress, know the secret of my true form, I'm well-known as a confidant and supporter of Jakalyn. In fact, an assassin attacked me on the way here, though he was not prepared to face my full power," Vatumledor informs you. "The attack was all that I needed to confirm my suspicions about the conspiracy.
"Before she left the Citadel on business of her own, Jakalyn revealed to me her suspicions that enemies within the Vernai might make moves against her, and asked me to watch for opportunities to unmask the traitors. You are my opportunity, now that these traitors have revealed they do indeed exist. Personally, I believe the blood mistress is using recent events as a smoke screen to go into hiding, to lie low and give those she suspects of being traitors the chance to make a mistake. If you can expose the traitors and deal with them, Jakalyn’s gratitude and approval will be worth more than any treasure.”
"Well at the very least you have an easy time disappearing for a while since no one knows what you actually look like. Good luck laying low for a while and if you can keep an eye on Jakalyn in any way please do so. I suppose we on the other hand lack such a luxury so we'll have to be on our way sooner rather than later."
Crystal nods to the dragon and follows Yuki to the stairs, shuffling down into the basement and through the last few rooms for any last minute utilities for the long agonizing journey of clearing their own names.
"Stay out of sight? Ha! In fact, my assistance will be more valuable to you if we now go our separate ways, for that will allow me to create distractions to turn attentions away from you. I have a target on my back now as well, and if our enemies have to split their resources to look in multiple areas, so much the better.” The dragon takes his leave from you, teleporting out of the fortress after saying farewell.
You head into the basement, at the base of the stairs is a storage room filled with supplies for the fortress. A quite examination finds several portable items of value: 4 sets of sterling artisan’s tools for repairing armor and stonework, 4 servings of firefoot popcorn, 5 ready-to-brew moderate toffee insight coffees and 5 moderate double insight coffees, and 4 moderate wyrmhide fury cocktails.
Beyond the storage room, a massive furnace stands along the northern wall of this rectangular chamber. Copper pipes along the walls connect to the furnace and lead up into the ceiling. The furnace itself features huge access doors on its east, south, and west sides. On either side of the furnace’s southern door, two gemstones embedded into metal frames glow with a reddish orange light. Double stone doors lead out from this chamber to the east, south, and west. The room is blisteringly hot. (Severe heat.)
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"Well, for Gorumites, they sure ate well," Dianora says. "Popcorn's one of my favorites! Oh, and look, they even left us a stove to cook it on and heat up the coffee!"
She pauses.
"Not the safest setup, though. No wonder they kept dying so easily. Not very bright. We can probably help."
Yuki follows Dianora across the room reflexively holding her tail in close. Keeping her eyes out for any traps or surpprises.
I don't think I've ever seen this much strong coffee in one place before, not even on long stakeouts of my own. It'll certainly be of use if we can't find a place to sleep again for a while."
Crystal throws the alchemicals in her pack and follows closely behind.
The storage room on the other side of the furnace chamber holds merely mundane goods for the fortress.
The southern doors to the chamber are locked, but the key you retrieved from the warpriest earlier opens them.
The eastern wall of this room is decorated with a large mural of a mountain, into which a very real greatsword has been embedded. A weapon rack stands against the southern wall, and four large stone chests sit near the western wall.
Dianora's fingers itch to open the chests, but she lets Crystal examine them first. "Better safe than sorry, otherwise you end up with an assassin's blade right in the gizzard. Whatever a gizzard is."
Crystal takes a look at the chests and then moves to pop them open.
Her eyes sparkle at the giant collection of coins piled in the chests. "Well forget about our contract annulment, these Gorumites were loaded. Not sure how we're going to transport all these coins but it definitely makes up for losing our payout."
Kimmich looks pensively at the greatsword in the wall, touching his own greatsword as he ponders the majesty of Gorum. "We should see whether the gems could be taken from that furnace," the orc says. "Could be worth some small king's bounty."
”I guess we get paid after all…
"Oh good, I do love money. Let's spread it out and sleep on it, and in the morning I'll send us all to Azir, and we can go spend it!"
You gather the treasure of the room without triggering any hideous traps.