"You don't know where you are?" Campre rubbed his wrists and ankles as he slowly sat up, wincing as his open wounds ooze sickeningly. "I don't recognize you, you must have been admitted just before everything went to s#*%. You're in what remains of Briarstone Asylum. Scaen over there was a patient. If we had known she was a shapechanger we would have ... well, no one was prepared for what happened."
Ah, so she’s not a doctor in truth, then. Alvar notes this - then pauses. They had a doppelgänger here? Wait, as a patient? Not a prisoner?
This is surprising - the latter nearly so much as the former. Still, they hold their counsel for a few moments, allowing the others to speak up. If she was a patient, what sort of hospital is this? And why are we here? They pause, realizing that they’ve already started thinking of themselves as part of the group with these other prisoners. That feels natural, somehow.
The explosive end of the doppelgänger doesn’t particularly phase them, though it does jolt them from their contemplation. They sigh aloud. ”Well, perhaps she wouldn’t have been useful as a source of information after all.”
The bound man’s reference to them brings Alvar’s back to him. Should I take offense at that? They wonder, before realizing that they don’t, not really. It’s true, after all. Still, introductions might be in order.
”My name is Alvar. I’m… a wanderer, I think.” Their left hand unconsciously touches their upper sternum, where their amulet - and it is an amulet, they’re sure of that now - should be. ”Now, if you could free me…”
Stepping out of their cell for the first time that they can remember - which isn’t saying much, they’re forced to admit - Alvar answers Elyssa’s question before Campre can. ”A hospital of some sort, I would guess. Likely a mental hospital… or we are particularly violent patients.”
They pause, looking around at the others and wondering whether they’ve lost them, then continue. ”The good ‘doctor’ said she was a patient ‘for so long.’ From this, we can assume that this place is a place for long-term care. The fact that there are cells here, capable of containing people? It could be a prison, but given the previous fact, we can assume that untrue. Thus, we are left with a question: What kind of institution caters to long term patients and also requires cells?” They spread their hands. ”Your other question, however, is very pressing.”
And interesting that she asks about ‘us,’ rather than ‘me.’ She’s as confused as me, and she considers us a unit. That thought is worth keeping in mind as they move ahead.
When Iosif brings out his prizes, they smile genuinely, and hasten to the gear, sorting out which is theirs based purely on intuition. One hand grabs a backpack, while their tail snags a belt with a book chained to it and pulls it up to their other hand. They don the belt absently, then pull out a small amulet inscribed with protective runes. Thank the gods. An audible sigh of relief hisses from between their teeth, and they pull the leather thong over their horns and hair, dropping it around their neck. Now I am ready.
When Campre mentions Briarstone Asylum, they smile faintly, picking up a staff they know is theirs. But he doesn’t know us. Troubling.
"Ah," Iosif says as he drapes his unholy symbol around his neck, after donning his leather armor over his pajamas (AC is back to 17). Iosif... vaguely remembers his name, though he doubts the binomial classification of ants is his true last name. "Iosif Formicidescu," he says as he introduces himself. "I remember my name and that I am an inventor of weapons, but not much else, I'm afraid."
"A mental asylum makes sense. But.. what... exactly happened?"
Ethyl's eyes twitch frantically as her nightmares drown her in unimaginable terror.
Seeing what may be the patients' belongings, the sylph rushes to the pile with a sense of urgency. Her hands tremble while she quickly searches the contents to find her shawl. Finding it brings a smile to her face, and her eyes water with joy. "Together at last." she mutters under her breath as she wraps the cloth around her neck with a satisfied look, enjoying the texture on her skin. She stands up and sighs with relief.
Then she notices something, reaches down into the bags, and pulls out one of the four vials filled with liquid. She looks at it curiously and taps the glass as her nail glows. This startles her, and she stops whatever she is doing. She takes a breath, and looks at it again, finishing the process this time. Again, her nail glows a bright purple light, and her eyes briefly change colouration as well.
The sylph nods to herself, and brings the vial to the unconscious half-elf. She bites the cork off, and pours the liquid into the half-elf's mouth. "There there..." she whispers as she slowly pours, making sure to not drown the woman. "Drink up. No spitting." the sylph chuckles softly with a hint of anxiety, and waits for the outcome.
Throughout this time, she's seemingly ignoring the conversation. Or perhaps she is simply listening and not participating. Who knows?
As she rummages through the items discovered by Iosif, a revelation comes over Elyssa. "I... I think my name is Elyssa," she realizes suddenly. "Yes! I'm Elyssa Volgori." Though momentarily thrilled by the discovery, Elyssa quickly settles down once her mind swiftly reminds her that a name alone means little and that does little to explain her current less than stellar circumstances.
She looks to Campre and asks a vital question. "What of the rest of the asylum? Is there truly no one running it now?"
Ethyl sits up with a start, gasping for breath, and then immediately regrets being conscious as her injuries are barely healed. She looks around warily but breathes a sigh of relief when she spies the corpse of Scaen. She examines her injuries, ”That was too close to my axillary artery, half an inch to the left and I would have bled out in a matter of seconds. Whomever bound my injuries you did a satisfactory job. My name, by the way, is Dr. Ethyl Ermengarde, I am a doctor I am sure of it, but for the sake of brevity you may call me Ethyl.”
She hobbles over to the crate of supplies and just naturally begins sorting through them, examining the glassware for any fractures, chips on the stonewear, and for any leaks from the liquids. She hums in an off tune way as she sorts everything. When she comes across a stained book she pages through its contents and the writing looks strangely familiar. On a hunch she finds a blank page and takes an ink pen in hand and writes out dolorem ipsum. She grins while saying to herself, ”the handwriting matches clearly.”
She begins to read in earnest, ”Oh that’s fascinating, yes, the quiddity of brimstone of course. And the vicissitudes of quicksilver, I’m glad I noted that. Yes this should work!” She takes a number of reagents, combines them in a slender vial and applies it without hesitation to her wounds. They begin to close, scab over, and finally heal completely. ”Seems accelerating the closure of wounds is relatively easy to accomplish.”
She tries to stand up, "Ugh, blood loss. She takes another of the potions and drinks the liquid without hesitation. Her pallor begins to come back to a normal hue.
"Ah, so you're an alchemist. I'm the one who healed you, can never stand people dying to what amounts to just barely evolved pointy sticks and hard stones," he says. "Now that we have all of our things," Iosif says as he clutches his unholy symbol, "we might want to find a way out of here."
Ethyl… That was her name. But a doctor? With physical medical training. Probably didn’t work here before our imprisonment. Alvar nods silently, content to keep their peace until they have more answers - however minimal those are. As they listen to the others, they scan the area, taking in the prison that they and the others have found themselves in.
”Good to see you up again so swiftly, Doctor - apologies, Ethyl.” They say as they walk slowly around the tables, examining whatever might prove most interesting, though one hand hovers near their throat semi-frequently, checking to ensure that their bound amulet is still there.
When they pass by the now-deceased ‘doctor’, an idea occurs to them, and they take a moment to examine her corpse for anything interesting or useful. Whatever they discover, they rise and look to Iosif and the others. ”I think that an escape would be advisable, yes… but have patience. Unless the asylum is burning down around us, I imagine we can afford a few moments to learn what in his Hell is happening here.” They pause, looking around the area. Well, not in his Hell. I think I’d probably know if that was the case. Maybe.
Campre rummaged and found a blanket which he covered himself with, the blood seeping into the cloth.
"I'm not sure what happened. Hell, I don't even know what day it is. All I remember is waking up one night as the whole island shook, damaging whole sections of the asylum and freeing all the inmates. I was quickly snatched up by Ilesi Scaen, a former patient here, and she dragged me down here. You lot were already in the cells, comatose it looked like. I was thrown into the cell with the tiefling, and I guess since Scaen knew I was awake grabbed me first.
"There was another earthquake a while ago, and it sounded like it ruined the stairs back up to the main floor." He shrugged, pointing to the eastern door, still ajar. "I don't know if there is a way out now."
"Thank you for telling us what you know," Elyssa tells Campre. With the chaos of the fighting over, Elyssa takes the time to more closely look Campre over and does not like what she sees. "You must have lost great deal of blood. I would heal you if I could but my powers..." She stopped and tried to figure out if she could actually explain her abilities. Whether they came from the presence in her mind or were her own she did not know but she certainly hoped it was the latter.
"I don't think they work that way," she finally manages to get out, apologizing as she does. Rummaging through the retrieved items she and others just ran, Elyssa does not hesitate to offer her healing potion to Campre. "Here. Take it. I managed to not get hurt and you need it more than I do."
"I would do so as well... but I do not seem to able to achieve anything but mundane healing at the moment," he says. A healer normally would be better if they had magical healing as well, right? Having a holy/unholy symbol adds credence to this belief. "I'm going to check the door, then failing that... I'll see if the furnace leads anywhere," he says as he goes to investigate where the door may lead.
"Wait." Alvar interjects quickly. "Let's stay together for now." They glance at the door behind them, then back to Iosif. "You appear to be the best-armed among us, and, while I am reasonably confident in my ability to defend myself against physical blows, I don't know what we might face here. None of us do... except Campre, who seems to be almost as confused as we are." I wonder... how difficult is it to detect a shapeshifter? Especially one such as a doppelgänger... Likely very, so it's no wonder that he didn't know.
They fold their too-wide hands in front of their abdomen and turn hellish pupils to Campre and the women. "I have no medical training, I'm afraid, but I can ensure that we are somewhat better defended, so long as you stay close to me. About..." They consider. "Within about... ten-? Is it ten? Yes, within ten feet of me." They sound more confident in the last sentence, holding up all six fingers on their right hand and four on their left.
Satisfied that everyone’s health was well in order Ethyl pocketed one of the remaining healing potions and offered the other to Iosif, ”Practically speaking no one of us should carry both of these potions. Anyone that does not have some sort of weapon, would you kindly take one the torture implements on the table?” She regarded the garden trowel hatefully and wondered why. She still kept the hateful thing, Better keep you where I can keep my eye on you.
While the others explored their environs Ethyl approached the dead Scaen while mentioning to Alvar, ”I shall endeavor to remain close to you, but that may not always be possible. At least at the moment we appear to be in no imminent danger.” Ethyl uses a scraping tool to take skin samples, and a syringe to pull blood from the dead doppelganger. She mutters, ”How do you metamorphose? You won’t be able to hide your secrets from me. If I only had time for a full autopsy.”
She followed Alvar and Iosif into the next room.
"Furnace?" the syplh sheepishly steps into the discussion with a question spoken out of confusion. "As in climb up the pipes?" She grips her shawl tighter, and quickly looks to the ground again. "You are free to, but we will not be doing that."
A sigh of relief is heard when the rest of the 'patients' decide not to go into the furnace and head for a door instead. "Come now. Staying here is just waiting for death." she gestures for everyone to follow before leaving the room, as if making sure nobody is behind her.
"That is the reason I said I'll check the door first. I'm not one to climb up pipes unless I have to," Iosif says while walking to the door.
Opening the door, Iosif and those that follow him are struck with the ripe rank of decomposing bodies. The light through the hallway reveals a pile of corpses below the opening of a shaft, streaked with filth and blood, that leads up at a sharp slant. A few empty crates and small cages lay scattered about.
To the south a stairway would have led up to the second floor, however the rubble collapsed the upper half of these stairs and cut off the doorway. To the north a hallway was also filled with rubble.
Campre takes Elyssa's offered potion, nodding to her gratefully. "My thanks, my lady."
His wounds scab over, no longer oozing but still looking painful. He adjusts the blanket to wrap around his waist, and he peers into the next room.
"Well, that leaves either the furnace pipes or that shaft." He shudders at the smell and sight. "That shaft should lead to an inner courtyard of the asylum, while the pipes go up to the boilers."
"Furnace pipes look downright appetizing now, if I say so myself," Iosif says while surveying the damage, seeing what might be the cause of all this.
Ethyl stares at the bodies with fascination. She considered that they were a treasure trove of useful materials, lard could be rendered and from there soap could be manufactured. Glue could be made by grinding the bone and boiling it, the skin could be washed with water and lime and be made into vellum. The list went on. She shook herself from her reverie and examined the pile for anything more immediately useful. She was careful not to touch any of the corpses directly, using a dagger or garden trowel to move aside flaps of clothing or limbs.
Elyssa accepts Campre's thanks with a formal bow. "Your welcome, sir." Being called "lady" seems to stir something in her that feels right and proper but the feeling is ultimately fleeting and she shakes her head to force herself back into the present.
"So our options are the shaft and pipes? Neither seem especially pleasant a journey but getting outside as well as possible seems prudent, right? All the better so we can find help."
"Hm. Seems like an earthquake is the only thing that could cause this damage. Can't say if it was magical in nature or not... but it was certainly an earthquake. Even trying to get out via the rubble is a horrible idea," Iosif says as he runs through the physics in his head. Yeah, definitely a bad idea.
"Does anyone have any opposition to trying the pipes first? They presumably lead to the same building, but whichever method we try... we should stay together."
Alvar watches Ethyl take samples from the doppelgänger, eyebrows arching. Intriguing. I hadn't thought of doing that... but perhaps I should speak with her about options later. Something to consider, certainly.
They watch silently as their companions discuss their options, and follow them into the room full of corpses. "I see that you weren't the first of Scaen's victims, Campre." They say, a faint twist of their lips giving their expression a malevolent cast.
They glance up at the shaft. "I believe the furnace pipes would be somewhat safer - depending on how long it's been since they were used. Soot is very hard on the lungs." The tiefling thinks. "There also won't be anyone to light a fire beneath us as we climb, fortunately."
They look at the pile of corpses, then back at Campre. "When you say the pipes lead to the boilers, do you mean the boiler room, or into the boilers themselves?"
Campre blinked, glancing at Alvar. "Yes, to both. There were maybe three others with you when I was dragged down here. Others were dropped through the shaft from above.
"The furnace leads up into the main boiler which spreads the heat into two smaller tanks holding hot water, and pipes go into the laundry room and the baths. The main boiler is large enough for people to walk into, and the shaft from the furnace to the boiler is large enough for us to crawl up. I doubt water is still in the boiler or the tanks, after the destruction that earthquake dealt the place.
"I think the climb would be easier up the shaft the corpses were dropped through, but I doubt it will be sanitary. The furnace would be a bit trickier, but soot would be the only filth."
"They both lead to different locations. so we're going to have to decide which one to go up as a group... lest we get separated and jumped."
When confronted with more information about their options, Elyssa comes to a less than enthusiastic conclusion. "You are right, Sir Iosif. Staying together would best. But as for where we should go... I think the shaft would be best. I'd rather not see anymore corpses but if Campre is right it is the easier path to take."
”Climbing over a mound of the dead is hardly ideal. On the other hand, why change what’s worked for civilizations since Azlant?” Alvar’s voice oozes bitter sardonicism. ”The boilers aren’t as likely to cause us to catch… anything unpleasant, however.”
Emerging into a courtyard is also going to end up being troubling… much though I’d like to see the sky… They pause, gazing at the light coming down from the shaft. … is that sunlight? It seems… strange.
”I agree we ought to stick together, and would certainly prefer less of a risk of disease. I’m not exactly frail of health, but neither am I particularly robust.” They pause. Of course, I haven’t had a serious sickness since I was fifteen- How do I know that? How long ago was that? They don’t have any answers for themself.
The sylphs walks into the eastern room and prepares to heave, but it's not coming. She sniffs at the air carefully, slowly taking in the scents. While the odour is strong, it doesn't seem to force a physical response for reasons unknown to her. She seems confused by this, and glares at the mass of cadavers. Without turning around, she mumbles "Between this and moving through narrow, winding pipes, we'd prefer taking this way."
She sighs. "But there is strength in numbers and being separated is probably not a good idea. You have our vote."
Ethyl puts the money in one of her backpack’s pockets and regards the yellow light streaming in from down the shaft. Something about it bothered her, What was it? She said out loud, ”No matter.”
She considers the corpse pile, ”A grisly climb if an easier one, truly Scaen’s turpitude knows no bounds, but we could use it to our benefit. However, I do not like the look of the light streaming down from the shaft.”
Ethyl walked over to the furnace and examined it carefully.
She commented, ”Bracing ourselves against the walls of the pipes will allow us to make slow and steady progress upwards. Only an invalid or a young child would be in any real danger.”
It is slow going for Ethyl, but she is surefooted and makes it up the furnace. It is a tight fit, but the main duct is wide enough for her to shimmy up, smaller ducts providing ample hand and footholds for her. She catches herself as she tumbles into the boiler, a fifteen foot cube of copper. The access panel is slightly ajar, allowing dim light to filter into the bowels of the main boiler for Ethyl to see.
Iosif also climbs up the furnace as soon as Ethyl decides to enter, just wanting to get out of this dingy basement area he has found himself in.
The sylph looks into the furnace after the two of them disappear in the piping. She shivers slightly as she looks into the narrow passage. "Is it safe?" she asks with a heightened voice. Not shouting, but in a way that is audible from a medium distance.
While Elyssa is not exactly confident about her physical abilities she nonetheless follows Iosif and Ethyl in climbing up the furnace, whispering a prayer to Iomedae that suddenly comes to her mind as she does.
Iosif calls up from the top, trying to make his voice heard. He's noticeably calmer with his musket by his side, especially compared to oscillating between Infernal and Abyssal like he previously was.
"It's safe to come up."
"Campre, was it?" the syplh looks at the recently freed test subject. "After you."
She waits patiently to go last.
Alvar glances up the pipes, then at Nyarai, then at Campre. "If you're at risk of falling, I'll head up in front of you. I'm not strong enough to catch you if you fall on me." With that, they force themself up through the pipes, carefully and as quickly as they're able. It isn't terribly fast.
Ethyl does not share the details of the contents of the furnace with the group.
Ethyl speaks loud enough for everyone to hear, "No horrible monsters to speak of; the access panel for the furnace is open and we can squeeze through." She does so and looks around her. Especially interested in the light source.
Campre takes his time as well, following Alvar up the shaft. Ethyl peers out of the boiler, seeing the source of light is beneath one of the smaller boilers. It shifts and blinks sporatically, almost like the flame of a candle.
The boiler begins to fill as the group crawls up into its bowels. Since no one is attempting to be stealthy about it, the metallic echoes and sounds of exertion make the strange light flicker more often.
Campre is exhausted, his breathing heavy. "That was not pleasant, friends. I hope that ..." He falls silent at the strange light, moving to the back of the group.
Alvar looks around the room that they find themselves in, frowning. "I believe we should exercise caution... Something about this place feels... wrong." They attempt to discern what exactly the light is, searching through fragmented memories in the hope of understanding it.
They exhale slowly. "Is anyone capable of moving quietly? And more importantly, seeing in the dark?"
Before climbing, the sylph stuffs her shawl into her shirt to not soil it with soot. After climbing up, she wipes her hands into the same shirt and carefully pulls out the shawl. She hears the end of the conversation and steps up. "Yes? We see."
Iosif just points to himself and Elyssa (and Campre? Is campre human?) knowing that both of them are the only humans in the room, and hoping that Alvar gets the point that no, they can't see in the dark.
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The strange light doesn't exactly set Elyssa's nerves at ease as it gives her the very distinct feeling of being watched by... something. "Perhaps I can use my magic to learn what it is?" she says aloud to the others. Focusing her will, Elyssa expands her mind and tries to find a magical aura in the boiler room.
While Elyssa concentrated on her spell Ethyl looked under the boiler to see if she could discern the source. She commented quietly, "I can attempt to be quiet."
… strange. This feels familiar. The wizard knows they could call upon their skills to detect exactly what the light might be sourced from, but casting the spell while they were trying to be subtle struck them as ill-advised.
Alvar notices Iosif’s gesture and nods minutely, accepting his point, but gestures for patience. ”I am able to enchant an object to cause it to absorb light, but if it’s covered, it will not impact the light outside.” They explain quietly. Not for very long, though… They’d best keep it as a last option, if necessary.
They glance at the other planestouched, a faint thread of jealousy pulsing in their heart. Just as many blessings, but none of the curses. The tiefling shoves the thought aside as unworthy, nodding to Nyarai in turn.
When Elyssa takes the chance to cast a spell, Alvar opens their mouth, then closes it again as she doesn't incant or gesture at all. Curiouser and curiouser.
They follow Ethyl's actions carefully, hiding themselves as best as they are able.
Elyssa finds the magical aura beneath the furthest secondary boiler, and her psychic spell identifies a creature using divination magic.
As Ethyl and Alvar step out of the boiler and leans down to peer beneath, the light locks onto their movement and shines in their eyes. Their inhuman heritage keeps them from being dazzled by the sudden light, and they see three scurrying forms huddled beneath the furthest boiler. They are large rodents, two larger than the third whose eyes are the source of the light.
The third one is bizarre, with large bat-like ears and the snout of a mole with a dozen short tendrils wiggling in agitation.
Seeing this, Alvar's mind unfolds like a kaleidoscopic library, rushing to some forgotten piece of knowledge they would not have recovered otherwise. A word and relevant information rush to their tongue.
"Zoog".
As Ethyl leans down she stumbles a little, the sudden movement startling the creatures, and they launch to attack.
The zoog rushes forward to bite at Ethyl.
Alvar curses in Infernal. ”A zoog! They can see in the dark as well as I, and can sense any magic we may use always. This one might be commanding the rats!”
They hesitate, then take a swift step away, back into the furnace, and draw the five-pointed star and flaming eye in the air. A warm energy embraces them and extends its protection to their nearby allies - which is at this point, all of them.
”Their teeth’ll bleed you!” They add, then speak in the language of the strange creatures.
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"Ah!", the sylph lets out a panicked scream and steps back when she sees the creatures beyond the egress. Again, she wishes for the safety of the person in the line of fire and lets out an echoing sob.