A shiver runs down the mage's spine at the sound of the creature's frightful croak, but still he perseveres. Trying to position himself so he can attack their does with magic, he flings lightning at one of them as soon as he is able to.
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With Ragna at the door and Shaserai right next to her, Irenaeus moves to take position close to them so that he can support them with his magic when the opportunity arises. He does take care to keep his distance from their captive though, in case the creature gets any ideas. "Jonagher, perhaps you would like to have a chat with the one in the other room as well? I may be able to speak their language, but I doubt that I can be as... eloquent."
"To the surprise of absolutely no one, I am sure," Irenaeus says drily as he too enters the room, "these creatures are also from the Mwangi Expanse. They are called charau-ka." Capable of both understanding and speaking the draconic language, the mage translates for the others, preferring to leave the talking to Jonagher for now. "There are more of them around, from what I can tell. Though many of them were killed by a "furry monster". I can only assume that would be the goblins' pet bear." He sighs. "They are working with boggards. These ones here stand guard while the boggards are trying to dig a way to... Malarunk?" Turning to the warrior woman, he asks, "Ragna, can you hear anything coming from the other side of the door?"
With only one creature currently still fighting and with Ragna and Highness more or less surrounding it, Irenaeus casts a second electric cantrip at it, trusting that even if he fails, the others will take care of it. Probably.
Taking a few steps forward so as to be able to see their new foes, Irenaeus once again uses his lighting cantrip, electricity shocking both creatures as soon as he finishes his incantation.
As Irenaeus reaches the conclusion that the room is indeed devoid of magic, he turns around to inform the others. And he comes face to face with what appears to be the toy soldier's much bigger "brother" standing right behind him. The mage, focused as he was on examining the room, is taken aback -to say the least- by the wooden head staring him right in the eyes, so much so that he takes a few steps back only to find himself tripping on something and falling, his posterior meeting the floor rather soundly. "You...," he starts as he starts to pick himself up, noting that Highness had just played a prank on him. Despite attempts to find more words, preferably colorful and perhaps just a tad threatening, he seems to come up with none as he dusts himself off. In the end, he settles for "I have heard goblins are quite flammable. I do so hope I do not find out for myself one day. Magic, after all, can be iffy..."
Putting the toy soldier's soul gem in one of his pouches for later study, Irenaeus joins the others. "I can think of certain parties that would be interested in the gem that animated that little construct, but I must admit I would much prefer to study it myself first, especially if we are to relinquish it eventually." As he enters the room, he looks around. "Now, what do we have here? No lost rings I take it?" The mage uses a magic detection cantrip as he moves about the room for a better look.
"Curious indeed. Quite adept at dealing and avoiding damage, but not quite as resilient," Irenaeus muses as he kneels down in frond of the toy soldier's remains and starts sorting through them. Using both magic and memory, he attempts to glean some useful information from the destroyed construct, even going so far as to pocket any piece or pieces that seem of particular interest.
"My Infernal may be a bit rusty, Alak, but it seems like it wants us to take it with us, not for you to go with it," Irenaeus says to the other man, feeling somewhat confused by the exchange. "If there something we should know before getting pummeled to death by a tiny wooden doll?" Having said his piece, the mage then proceeds to let loose another spark of lightning against the construct.
"So much for that then," Irenaeus mutters before letting loose a magical spark of lightning against the toy soldier. "Perhaps I may be able to glean something from the remains," he adds with a shrug once the simple incantation is complete and right before renewing his shielding spell.
"It does want us to take it with us," Irenaeus replies to Shaserai. "At least that is what it says again and again." The mage then turns to the doll and speaks, using the same language as the construct. Infernal:
"Stop this now. Stop and talk. Explain yourself and we may consider granting you your wish. It is either that or face your demise." Pausing for a moment to allow the toy soldier to consider his words, he adds a few more words. A question or two really. Infernal: "Who are you? What are you? How did you come to be here?"
"That does not sound like a bad idea," Irenaeus shrugs. "It is a construct. A soulbound doll, as Shaserai said. And as its name suggests, it is animated by a fragment of a dead person's soul contained in a gam somewhere inside its body." Another shrug. "If it wants to leave, I see no reason why not let it." The mage pauses before adding, "Although, if we do end up stopping it in some way, I would very much like to study it." As an offhand remark he also says, "And I assume there is always the chance it goes on a murderous spree. Soul fragments, I am sure, can be iffy things..." "We could try talking with it. It seems sentient and it does want us to -and I quote- 'take it with us'."
Seeing as how Highness and the others find themselves fighting what appears to be a toy soldier of some sort, Irenaeus tries to take his mind off of the roar to the north and focus on the present confrontation. Taking a few steps away from the northern corridors, the mage puts up a shielding spell and tries to recall any knowledge he may have concerning such constructs as the one Ragna is apparently fawning over.
"I find the half-elf has a point," Irenaeus says in agreement with Jonagher. "We do not need to open the doors yet. If there are more beasts or worse behind them, I would very much not enjoy being caught between them and whatever made that growl." As he speaks, the mage takes a step back, putting some more distance between himself and the northern corridors. "We do have the meat, perhaps we could use it as bait? See if the... owner of the growl takes enough of a liking to it to show itself?"
"There are spells that can do such things, yes," Irenaeus nods to more or less confirm Jonagher's words. "Teleportation spells, summoning spells, magical gates that connect two places or even planes. But they do require a certain amount of skill and power from the mage casting them." The wizard pauses for a moment also considering Alak's story. "And as for magical items, that is also a possibility. An enchanted or even cursed item, even a board game or a game of chance like a deck of cards, would hardly be considered impossible or even improbable." Ren cannot help but smile at the half-elf's interest in magic. "I am sure we can have a nice and interesting chat about your desire to learn more. Although I would prefer to do so under more relaxed circumstances, that much is true."
"I have to admit that I am curious," Irenaeus offers as Shaserai treats their injured companions. The mage himself is unscathed, but he did take care to stay away from not only the birds but the goblin as well. "Why only from the Mwangi Expanse? Why not from other places and habitats? Eccentricity? Nostalgia? Or simply because that is the place the people who brought had contacts that could procure them?" He sighs. "And what is their purpose anyway? Guardians of this place? I find animals somewhat... unruly for such a task."
"He does seem more... gobliny than usual, I suppose," Irenaeus remarks with a slight smirk before entering the room as well and renewing his shielding spell in case their confused companion swings a fist his way.
With one of the large birds down,Irenaeus switches to a different spell and element of attack as he flings a magically created glob of acid at the remaining foe before renewing his shielding magic just in case.
"Birds," Irenaeus simply says in a somewhat exasperated tone. "Is there no end to this... menagerie?" His words are followed by a moment's pause and the utterance of a few simple arcane syllables. There is a quick gesture towards the avian creatures and then an arc of lightning materializes and jumps from one feathered foe to the other.
Irenaeus takes a few steps back to put some distance -and Ragna- between himself and the door, mentally going through his repertoire of spells and casting a shielding cantrip on himself. "Perhaps it may be interested in some lizard meat as well?"
Much like Jonagher, Irenaeus holds onto his staff with one hand while keepin a slice of dragon-lizard meat in the other. "A dragon-lizard's teeth, a flying devil's sting, a bear's claws... I would rather like to keep myself more or less in one piece. I hope I do not have to choose the beast and the body part that injures me..."
"It is a potentially hungry bear," Irenaeus corrects Ragna as he mentally goes through his spells, preferring to stay a little farther away from the door. "They are hardly known for their good humor and affinity for cuddles."
Irenaeus, not giving voice to his next thought regarding how attached they are to Rimraz, simply smiles a thin little smile and nods.
"I should be fine as well," Irenaeus says with a nod in regards to whether rest is needed or not. "And, if I may ask, how... attached are you to this Big Bumble? Because I am assuming we will be trying to defend ourselves if a bear tries to make a meal out of us? Right?"
"On the other hand, if we do go down there ill-prepared, the... gobbos may very well remain in the same predicament they are currently in," Irenaeus offers an argument. "Although they may appreciate the fact that they will have some new company, namely us."
"So far, so good," Irenaeus remarks. "Could it be this ruined place has run out of things to throw at us?" The mage keeps his eyes and ears open nevertheless, not wanting to let himself grow too complacent. Although certainly a welcome change of pace, as Jonagher mentioned as well, there are still creatures to be met and quite possibly fought, if not above ground then surely below it.
Irenaeus' eyes narrow at the goblin's story of high adventure, but there is the hint of a smile on his lips nevertheless. "So, I am to play the role of the... wizard-in-distress, as it were, in your little saga, while the rest of you heroically come to my rescue?" The mage sighs in exasperation, albeit a bit too theatrically perhaps. "I do so hope I do not trip on my robes as you lead me away from the dastardly construct that kidnapped me. I would hate to ruin such an impressive tale by getting squashed by the tripped and falling "clanking statue" at the last moment..."
"Perhaps the wooden soldier is a construct? A golem of sorts? Not what I would choose to make a golem out of, but still...," Irenaeus thinks out loud as he moves to get to the rope and then back to ground level. Once down, he looks around. "I think clearing out the rest of this level, or at the very least exploring a little more before moving down below is not a bad idea. I would hate for us to be unpleasantly surprised by things with fangs and claws."
Irenaeus nods in agreement with Shaserai before turning to address the whole group. "The "monkeys" in question could be charau-ka. They are intelligent ape-men and the description fits them more or less. However, I am not sure what they could be doing here as they are native to Garund. They could been brought here of course, but is it not too much of a bother?"
"My advice would be to be a little careful with your... heh... magic fingers," Irenaeus whispers to Shaserai. "They have the potential to undermine this Rimraz's authority and she does not seem to like us very much already. Perhaps we should save making new enemies for a little later."
"It would seem the goblins are more of a... quantity over quality type of people," Irenaeus remarks as he translates what the robed female says for his companions.
"I believe I will take an anticlimactic victory over one that is won by the skin of our teeth any day of the week," Irenaeus quips, taking care to keep himself and his clothes a safe distance from Jonagher and his rather... messy condition.
The words of a spell already in his mind, Irenaeus steps forward a little towards the edge of the battlements, just enough to be able to look -and aim- down at the creature. He utters a few syllables and moves his hand, palm open towards the beast, as if throwing dust or something like that. But dust it is not. A cone of colors, a swirling multitude of them, materializes in front of his outstretched arm and collides with the monster's face and eyes.
Irenaeus wastes no time. A quick word of power to shield himself and a mere gesture to send his staff flying towards the dragon-like beast, the mage occupies his mind not with the casting of more complex spells but with trying to recall anything he may know about such a creature that will help him and his companions to defeat it.
Irenaeus stays mostly silent as he mentally goes through his repertoire of spells. He does have a shielding spell just in case, but he is more than a little certain that lightning and acid will see more than their fair share of use.
"He is not though," Irenaeus replies in the same hushed tone. "He more or less told them about his lineage -an... interesting tale- and how he is their rightful King. And yes, the K is capitalized. Of all goblins, as he put it." The mage sighs. " From what I can tell, they tell him of "frogs and monkeys and dragons" that attacked them and drove them away and they are asking for his help. To save them." He pauses for a moment. "But I am not entirely certain whether it is said in earnest or not. The female goblin may be actually asking for his help or she may be mocking him."
Irenaeus nods in agreement with Ragna. "That is what I was thinking as well," he remarks. "Perhaps as a... pet of sorts. Or a form of punishment or execution."
"Not only do we seem to have found the goblins, or at least some of them," Irenaeus says as he manages to join the others after more than a bit of effort, "but they are in the middle of a... funeral?" "Perhaps it would be best if we do not interrupt them? Approach them once they are finished? I am not quite sure what the etiquette is here."
"It has been quite a few years since the last time I had to climb a wall," Irenaeus remarks with a sigh as he looks at Highness go. "I certainly hope it is like riding a bicycle, as the saying goes. Although falling from a bicycle and doing so from great height are not quite the same..."
"I suppose it would have been too much to ask that the ring would be here," Irenaeus quips, though he truly did not expect to find it here. "I am not all that optimistic about our chances if we face that... overgrown lizard," he says with a shrug. "And lest we forget, there is also supposed to be some sort of construct somewhere that is bound to be perhaps even greater a challenge."
"Poor thing indeed," Irenaeus says, genuine interest in the squirrel's wellbeing evident in his tone. "Perhaps some water as well," he adds as he fetches his waterskin to complement the nuts Shaserai has already offered the tiny animal.
"Charming," Irenaeus remarks in a tone so dry that it might as well be a desert geologically speaking. Though whether he refers to the information about the bugbears' habits or his greenish companion's performance with the corpse he does not make entirely clear. "I am going to assume that this is probably not the only bugbear we find in this place," the mage thinks out loud. "Or is it? Do they prefer groups or are they more... nomadic?" Finding himself not all that certain actually, he -quite begrudgingly, to be sure- turns to their resident goblin. Unable to keep a rather heavy sigh from escaping his lips, he more or less asks. "Highness? Anything more you can tells us about these... distant cousins of yours? Are we likely to meet more of them?"
Casting a quick spell to protect himself in the event of an attack, Irenaeus holds his staff in front of himself, ready to magically fling it at any enemy that might appear with but a gesture.
Not particularly eager to enter the room, his taking his time to do so a combination of caution and revulsion, Irenaeus more or less follows 1jonagher's example as he makes a sweeping motion with his free hand as if to usher Ragna and Highness into the room. "By all means, be my guest. I, or we, will be right behind you, I assure you," he quips with a little smile. Even if the room smelled of roses, he would still not find it particularly wise to enter it in front of his more melee-oriented friends rather than behind.
Moving alongside his companions, Irenaeus takes a moment or two to cast a minor spell of magic detection, just in case. "There does not seem to be much silver here, at least at first glance," he casually remarks, commenting on Ragna's story of viking raids. "Even so, there does appear to be someone or something on the other side of those doors. Trying to get in perhaps?"
"That is a very good idea," the mage nods. "Unfortunately, the creature's invisibility and flight will make such a thing more than a little difficult." Irenaeus sighs. "It is said that one may catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, or something to that effect. Perhaps there is something the little devil may want? An item or a favor? In exchange for its cooperation or its agreement to go our separate ways?" He does make any effort to lower his voice; if the imp is indeed following them and within hearing distance it might very well find such a notion enticing. "From what I know of them, devils can be bargained with. On occasion."
"Reckless, but, as it turned out, effective," Irenaeus cannot help but point out. "Thanks to him we at least have only one little devil to worry about instead of two." He pauses for a moment and adds, "As far as we know..."
"Much appreciated," Irenaeus replies as he starts going through the tome. "I find poison decidedly unpleasant." As he looks for the correct page and entry, the mage cannot help but notice how meticulous the author appears to have been in categorizing and describing the various devils.
Much like Shaserai before him, Irenaeus tries to spot the flying creature or at the very least any signs of its whereabouts. "Show yourself," he calls out in the tongue of devils as he looks for the small fiend. "Surrender lest you meet the same fate as your companion."
"That is no bat," Irenaeus warns as he seizes the chance to take a better look at the creature as it attacks Ragna. Casting a protective spell much like Shaserai's, for a brief moment a rune-decorated round shield of translucent blue light appears in front of him before almost vanishing. Then, at the very least somewhat better protected than a moment ago, he tries to recall what he knows of the flying foe, drawing from both his background as a Chelish mage and anything he may have managed to see in the devil bestiary they found earlier and now carry with them. And last but not least, he opts to actually trying speaking to the winged creature, simply saying "wait" and "stop" in Common, Draconic and Infernal with as much authority as he can muster.
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