Alak Stagram's page

Alak smiles coldly. "The guardians of the honored dead were far from the most dangerous things we encountered in Citadel Altaerein, councilor. The whole complex is unsecured and open to anyone or anything that chooses to move in and make use of it -- much like your Guardian's Way, apparently. Perhaps if Breachill had put the slightest effort into maintaining what was at one time a valuable structure, trespassers wouldn't have been able to saunter in and awaken the last line of defense the Hellknights put in place to protect their fallen."

"No, they won't wander, Mr. Hinterclaw," Alak assures the dwarf. "They're charged with protecting the dead. They won't leave the vaults and pose no danger to anyone but trespassers."

Shaserai, who entered with Ren and Warbal, slips into the last seat as Alak clears his throat. "I suppose the first order of business is to report that your Heroes have accomplished the mission I tasked them with. Here," he sets the signet ring on the table in front of his plate, "is my Great-Uncle Alceister's ring. It was in the vaults of the citadel but apparently overlooked when the Hellknights decamped for Varisia. So whatever needs to be done to certify these people as having completed their task should be done -- and my thanks to them and to Breachill."

"Goblins generally don't like it," Alak puts in quickly, imagining a caffeinated Highness. "Beans and, you know ... ground. Very muddy. I wouldn't try it, if I were you."

"And coffee," Alak puts in firmly. "Everything's better with coffee at this hour."

"Does it have to be one or the other?" Alak murmurs back with a quirked eyebrow.

Alak barely gives the artifact a glance as he shrugs. "I can't imagine what it was doing there in the first place. No elves or elf-worshippers in the Order of the Nail, no offense. Perhaps someone just found it somewhere and kept it for the value of the silver? As far as I'm concerned, it's yours for the taking."

While the group debates, there is no sign that anything is about to come through the door from the next room.

"The guardians shouldn't attack anyone who doesn't trespass in the burial vaults," Alak assures the party. "For all that Voz, or whoever it was, took off out of here and braced the door behind her, it doesn't appear that she was followed at all. Their job is to stay and protect the dead, not get drawn into a chase and leave the graves unprotected. Shall we go?"

Alak prises up the bottom of the box by wedging his fingertips between it and the sides and utters a triumphant "Aha!" as he retrieves a dusty ring. "This must have been Great-Uncle Alceister's lockbox. Either the ring slipped through the cracks by accident or he hid it on purpose to keep it safe, but when they emptied the box of his belongings after his death, they missed the hidden ring. But there it is! Looks like you lot are official Heroes after all, now!"

"Do you think Hellknight zombies will put up more of a fight than everything else we've found?" Ragna asks, spinning her battle-axe.

Alak frowns. "Look, those Hellknights out there volunteered for this duty to protect the graves of their comrades from desecration. If you destroy them, you're wasting their sacrifice and leaving the dead vulnerable. We've found my ring and have a safe tunnel back to town; there's no reason to take on an unnecessary fight."

Alak has been moving around the room, peering into the corners of cabinets and picking up and shaking the empty lockboxes. At last, he discovers one with a rattle. "What's this?" he mutters to himself, probing inside with his fingers. "Could be a false bottom...?"

"Someone left this place in a hurry, though, right? So, either she got what she was seeking...or, maybe her magic triggered some kind of defensive response from the Hellknights or drew attention from those frog-men and monkey-men, and she knew she was overmatched and had to flee?"

Jonagher's musings draw Alak's attention away from the box he is examining. "Necromancy in the vaults? I've heard that some Hellknight orders used to put a ward on their burial grounds to protect the dead from opportunistic necromancers. Certain members volunteered during their lifetimes to serve past death, if called upon. It's not done anymore, of course, but it's possible there could have been potential guardians buried here in the early days of the citadel. If a necromantic spell were cast in the vicinity, they would have risen to defend the fallen."

"Whatever's on the other side of the door," Alak argues, albeit in a more hushed tone, "it didn't come in here and chase after Voz or whoever it was, right? Perhaps we can just have a quick look around for my ring and not open the door to find something that can kill us."

His eyes also catch Alak's. "Do you recognize anything here?"

"If we're under the citadel...," Alak muses as he retrieves the citadel blueprints. "We must be near the burial vaults. This would have been a storage room for valuables." He looks around at the lockboxes and cabinets. "It should have been emptied when the Hellknights moved out ... but if my uncle's ring was left behind, it might well have been left behind here. At least it doesn't look like there have been any recent looters."

"Anything look familiar?" Jonagher asks from behind. "Are we under Citadel Altaerin? Same construction maybe?"

Alak lifts a heavy bolt of fabric off a shelf and is surrounded by a cloud of long-undisturbed dust. "So it would appear," he remarks, unfolding some of the drapery and revealing the now-familiar sunburst symbol of the order embroidered on the banner, as well as several dessicated moths that tumble to the floor.

Neither Jonagher nor Darla discover anything untoward in their investigations.

"I suppose if it leads to the Citadel...," Alak hedges reluctantly. "I hope we don't all end up in some townsperson's basement and being taken for thieves." He climbs down the ladder.

I need an Exploration Activity for everyone. Previously-determined default exploration activities are listed on the Campaign Info tab, but I thought I'd double-check since the party make-up has shifted a bit -- and Darla will need to declare one, anyway.

"So are we going down through the trapdoor? Or are we going to keep picking at the trash and ashes?" he grumbled.

Alak glares at the goblin. "We have to assume that anyone down there is ready to blast us as soon as the trapdoor opens," he points out, "with all of us tramping about on the floorboards above their heads. Are you volunteering for us to toss you down first and see what happens?"

Alak takes the key from Darla, and Ren ignites his own magical light as he and Shaserai follow the Chelaxian to the door on the back wall. Alak raps cautiously on the door and listens for any response for a moment before putting one hand to the hilt of his sword and using the other to unlock the door. He pushes it open in a single quick motion, stepping back and drawing his blade, while Ren shines his light through the open door over his shoulder.

When nothing comes out at them, Alak sidles into the room and looks around. "That's odd," he calls to the group in the other room. "This is a much larger room -- a fireplace, windows, plenty of space for furniture -- but there's nothing in here but a worktable and stool and some crates and supplies, nothing that wouldn't fit in that small room. Why would she live in the storage closet and store things in the living space?"

"Should we check the other door before we delve too deeply in there?" Alak suggests. "Someone coming up behind us and barring the trap door once we've gone down would be disadvantageous. Hand me the key to the shop we used to get in, and Shaserai and I will see if it fits the staff room as well."

As Darla completes her circuit of the building, Alak clears his throat. "I've been tasked by Councilor Posandi," he explains to no one in particular, "to insure that no looting or unnecessary destruction of property go on while we're on the premises." He pointedly doesn't look at the goblin-king.

"Stirring speech and all, but we're not going straight back, are we?" Alak answers in an undertone as he follows the wake of Jonagher's righteous fury back out of the town hall. "I thought the plan was to get a hot meal or two and a night's sleep in a real bed before heading back in the morning."

"I believe the halfling's presence there was merely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Alak puts in. "He seems to have believed he had the inside track on finding my family ring, based on a misunderstanding of some information he ran across at his employer's. But we were under the impression he may have been a person of interest in the arson here, so we felt it our duty to return him to town to be questioned, if necessary."

"I'll fetch a chair for you, sir," Alak offers, acquiring one from the outer office and setting it in the doorway for Quentino Posandi, before leaning against the wall just outside for a view of the proceedings.

Alak shifts around uncomfortably, his oversized sword scraping against the wall as the room fills with twice its usual number of chairs. "I'll just step back out into the main room with the halfling," he suggests, "until he can be taken into custody."

"I have never seen a citadel so full of everything that is not a ring," Alak complains. "Goblins, monkey-men, frog-men, a gelatinous cube.... oh, and that fellow." He nods at the sullen halfling. "We decided to bring him back for the town to deal with before going back to finish the search."

"Oh, this should go well," Alak mutters. "Look, why don't we spend the night in Breachill and head back to the citadel first thing in the morning? That will give everyone time to do whatever they need to do in town."

Alak tries to offer Jonagher a hand up without doing further damage to his burned skin. "Perhaps we should go ahead and return to Breachill," he suggests. "I hate to leave before we've finished searching this level, but it's preferable to anyone getting themselves killed. We can turn that halfling fellow over to the authorities and get some medical attention for those who need it."

Dripping, Alak wrenches himself free and slashes again at the cube.

Alak Escapes to AB20 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20 & Strikes 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (16) + 10 - 5 = 21: hit damage 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Round 3 init: Ren, Alak, Highness, Jonagher, Ragna, Gelatinous Cube, Shaserai

Current effects: light (Ragna)
grabbed (Jonagher, Shaserai)
slowed 1 (Jonagher, Shaserai)
paralyzed (Jonagher)

Updated map link

Heeding the wizard's words, Alak steps up and slashes viciously at the cube, its acidic interior splashing out liberally onto the stone floor.

Alak Steps to AB21, Strikes 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18: hit damage 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 & Strikes 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20: critical hit! damage 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 x 2 = 24

Round 2 init: Ren, Alak, Highness, Jonagher, Ragna, Gelatinous Cube, Shaserai

Current effects: light (Ragna)
grabbed (Jonagher, Highness, Shaserai)
slowed 1 (Jonagher, Highness, Shaserai)

Updated map link

Alak squints ahead, then strides forward and slashes his greatsword through the air at Ragna's side. A gush of clear liquid splashes onto the stone floor.

Alak Seeks 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24, Strides to AC21 & Strikes 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19: hit damage 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Round 1 init: Ren, Alak, Highness, Jonagher, Ragna, Gelatinous Cube, Shaserai

Current effects: light (Ragna)
grabbed (Ragna)
slowed 1

Updated map link

You will have to use a Seek action vs DC 23 to target the enemy.

"How did this happen? Is this something goblins would do?" Ragna asks, perplexed by the odd assortment of tools and hardware piled within the room.

Alak approaches the doorway and looks down at the mess with distaste. "Most probably," he answers balefully.

Alak checks the door in the southeastern wall. "Back into the war room where we fought the toy soldier," he confirms for the group before he nods to Ragna his readiness for her to open the door to the east.

"Recruitment posters, most likely," Alak muses. "Good for morale."

"As I told the halfing," Alak replies, "it's just a family signet ring. I'm sure I've spent more than it's worth just in traveling here to look for it; it has purely sentimental value."

"You think we've got much more to explore down there? The schematics didn't look all that elaborate. I figure we cleared at least half or more by now, don't you think?"

Alak nods as he retrieves the blueprints. "We've been through all these northern chambers that were used as living quarters," he points out, "as well as the central war room. That leaves the chambers around the war room, which were probably storage areas and meeting rooms, and the southern vaults, which appear to be burial chambers."

"Supposedly there's a whole other continent through that ring. Hopefully the ring we're looking for isn't on the other side."

Alak's brow creases with concern. "I hadn't considered that. If one of these interlopers found the ring and carried it away with them, I doubt we'll ever be able to locate it."

"Nor is it conducive to rest," Alak puts in pointedly, if not unkindly. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation once our healer has rested and communed with Torag?"

"I agree with the priest," Alak says, sitting down heavily. "Standing on a chair shooting a bow, you may be fresh as a daisy, but those of us on the front lines have taken some hard knocks today."

"Down here!" Alak shouts, waving his arm and pointing toward the rescued Bumblebrashers. "I don't intend to climb up there again if I don't have to," he mutters. "Hadn't they better bring them down here?"

"I suppose they're still up on the battlements," Alak sighs. "Perhaps we should relocate them to one of the rooms on the main floor out of the weather; it would keep us from having to keep climbing up and down a rope."

"So ... we're not fighting, then?" Alak asks. "What about those 'dragons' the door warned about?"

"Alak do you know if perhaps the hellknights took over and built upon an Alsetan holy site?"

He frowns. "Well, that would seem ridiculously negligent. Out of the whole countryside, why build over an old ruin...? Wait!" He retrieves the architectural plans for Citadel Altaerein and flips to the handwritten notes on the lowest level. "Yes, look: 'mysterious ruins guarded by a stone construct.' I suppose they didn't find them until they'd already gotten well under construction."

"Look, it's Alceister; I told you that." Alak replies to the halfling before turning to the rest of the group. "It's just a signet ring, I swear. I suppose it has some small monetary value if you melt it down, but it's no treasure. I have no idea how it could be connected to these visitors from the Mwangi or to this man's employer, whom I've never met."

Alak cautiously opens the door again. "Where's the boggard gone?" he asks.

Alak Interacts (open door) & Readies

Round 3/4 init: Krikk, Shaserai, Jonagher, Ragna, Roak, Ren (delaying), Alak (readying), Highness

Current effects: light (Ragna)
shield (Ren)
Rage (Ragna)

Updated map link

Alak seizes his greatsword and slashes at the boggard in the doorway before slamming the door shut between them.

Alak Interacts (draw weapon), Strikes at Roak 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13: miss, & Interacts (close door)

Round 2 init: Krikk, Shaserai, Jonagher, Ragna, Roak, Ren, Alak, Highness

Current effects: light (Ragna)
shield (Ren)

Updated map link

Alak sighs impatiently as he tucks away the book into his pack. "That's the worst battlefield I've ever seen," he remarks. "A five-foot corridor? Couldn't we draw them out into this room where we have more room for maneuvering -- and flanking?"

"Yes," Alak goes on with growing excitement, "this is a record of burials in the citadel. There could be something in here about my uncle's funeral and the family ring." He closes the small volume. "The light in here is too poor to riddle it out right now; perhaps when we've time to regroup and catch a breath...." He tries not to sound too expectant.

Alak hovers over Ren's shoulder as the wizard flips through the tattered books. "More records of the Order," he remarks. "Duplicates, I expect, in case some accident befell the official copies in the repository upstairs. Oh, wait." He snatches one of the books for a closer reading. "This one looks different."

The Chelaxian quickly but quietly shuts the door, backs out of the cramped corridor, and shuts the second door firmly as well. "We need to funnel the bear out to the vaultway," he advises. "Hopefully, the fresh air and sunlight will draw it to the exit once it can perceive them."

Alak Interacts (close door), Strides to M14 & Interacts (close door)

Round 5 init: Ragna (delaying), Ren (readying), Big Bumble, Alak, Shaserai, Highness, Jonagher

Current effects: light (Ragna)
shield (Ren)

Updated map link

"Uhhh...how much more food do we have?" Jonagher calls out from the back, "If those dragon-lizard steaks run out, we'll be next...or maybe we can substitute these dead bodies and lead it out of here..."

Alak glances back into the lounge. "If someone can watch out for the wizard," he offers, "I'll grab a monkey-corpse. Not a lot of meat on it, but it's still warm. Perhaps that's an enticement?" He slings it up by a limp appendage and returns to the corridor.

Alak Strides to M15, Interacts (pick up charau-ka) & Strides to M13

"Fall back and draw it out," Alak calls, peering through the door jamb from the cramped corridor.

Alak Delays

Round 2/3 init: Ragna, Ren (readying), Big Bumble, Shaserai, Alak (delaying), Highness, Jonagher

Current effects: light (Ragna)
shield (Ren)
forbidding ward (Highness)

Map is unchanged

Please note that I10-11 is difficult terrain.

Alak moves into the cramped corridor between this room and the last, drawing his javeling. "You can cast around me, right?" he asks Ren. "If the bear comes toward us, I'll throw my javelin and shut the door."

Alak Strides to M13, Interacts (draw weapon) & Takes Cover

Round 1/2 init: Ragna, Ren (readying), Big Bumble, Shaserai, Alak, Highness, Jonagher

Current effects: light (Ragna)
cover (Alak)

Map

"Well, which door shall we open?" Alak asks tensely. "The monkeys or the bear? Or both, and then get out of the way and hope they fight each other?"