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No worries man! We all know how RL (aka Real Life) can jump in and put a kebosh on these games. Just take care of the important things right now. I am sure you will find us on these boards for whne you are ready to resume your games. PS: You can also mark your campaign as inactive if you click on the Campaign tab. That is a good way to hide it from the rest of us and should you decide to resume it, you can deselect it to let us know if it is active again. Just a suggestion.
Zinbah starts to say, "This looks too easy. I think we ahould che--" He stops as Morossa moves off to investigate. "Yeah...like that."
Zinbah nods to 'Lydia'. "A good plan. I shall carry the remains." He proceeds to make good on the task required of him. Once finished, he looks at the unopened doors. "I would prepare for another battle here, considering what that squire told us. I suspect the next chamber may have those drowned folk lurking there, or perhaps those shrieker flowers lie ahead."
Zinbah gets a nonplussed look on his face when he sees his magic having no effect. Hmmm...that must be what is meant by 'The chosen are revealed by their might'. Changing tactics, he steps up and waves his staff at the mithral construct hoping to distract it and make it harder to strike through Lisbeth's defenses.
Zinbah dodges swiftly out of the iron snake's reach, keeping his composure in melee combat. Words from his (former) instructor came back to him... Succumbing to panic when caught in the reach of a swordsman is far deadlier than his blade. Keep your cool and remember your training. He debates whether to cast a burning hands spell here but quickly discards it as it would catch too many members of the party. He instead points his new-found wand of missiles at the trailing cobra and shouts "Pizah!"
Zinbah draws his wand and readies it even as he studies the movements of the metal snake constructs closely, looking for any weaknesses to exploit here. Unfortunately his knowledge fails him as he must have been playing hooky that day when the instructor was explaining these constructs to the class.
Zinbah sighs inwardly as the necessity for disguises became apparent. He was rather vain of his looks and preferred to flaunt it. Still, he would do what must be done here for the success of their mission. "While I am not keen on disguises, I know what must be done here. Mitrans employ many wizards in their ranks so I will merely disguise my...noticeable features here." He decides to cloak himself with darker hair replacing the reddish blonde hair he currently sports, a long, black mustache and goatee, and removing his brand from sight. "There, that should suffice. Should you need to address me, refer to me by my name...Izbahn."
Zinbah is content to keep his mouth shut while the ladies toy with the pitiful squire. The news of the Tower Balentyne defense being keyed to the rookery does catch his attention. As the squire is locked for his 'safety' and the group walks away, his only comment is "Fascinating, that. I would be more than happy to help you learn more of this. There must be some blueprints we can get our hands on, Milady!" He adds to Lisbeth with a wink.
Zinbah follows Raymond's example and keeps his mouth shut, while hoping the disguises the Count provided are up to the task of fooling this simpleton. While the ladies certainly have their aliases down pat, they never bothered to give us false names...better mention that to them once we have finished this exercise....Sir Balin? So there is someone else here as well? Good to know.
Zinbah looks at the torture rack with a queasy look on his face. "I suspect one of us will have to be placed on it in order to proceed further." He does wait until the others report on their investigations of the room.
Zinbah peers into the darkened area as he scans for the source of the magical darkness. "Morossa is right, this magic must emanate from an object of some sort. Destroy the object, and the darkness is dispelled." He replies. "Of course, finding the object is the hard part..."
Zinbah ponders the mold for a moment, "This mold appears to be the cause of the cold in here. I am not sure how to dispose of it however..." His voice trails off as he looks at the oil lantern. "Would this lantern prove useful here?" He wonders aloud.
Zinbah gaze is drawn to the jewel, "Best to be certain this is what it appears to be." He adds as he looks the jewel over while quietly muttering a cantrip to himself.
Zinbah bows to the Cardinal. "Your will be done, Master." He hurries off to gather his equipment and returns to the others. "This is as much a test of how we work together as it is of how we overcome obstacle, I believe." He says to the group.
Zinbah bids the others a good night and returns to his chambers. As he enjoys the pleasures of his slave girl for what might be the last time in a while, he thinks on how best to help the team achieve its goals. I need to be the glue to keep us working smoothly together. While we can tolerate some discord, our chances of success will be reduced. We do not have a large margin of error here, we must be working as one body in order to have success!...I wonder how Talingarde has reacted to our escape. I am curious to know if the bought into our ruse.
Zinbah's eyes narrow as Amanda ignored his initial response yet is apparently mollified by her later words. "Truer words have never been spoken, my dear. A toast then, to the advancement of all of our just causes!" He raises his glass to toast his new Bound companions.
While his sharp eyes pick up Morossa enjoying her meal immensely, he is currently more interested in watching Amanda closely, obviously admiring her looks. Later he contemplates the enigma that is Raymond. Well, a fine puzzle he is. While his hubris can be quite grating, his talents offset that obviously. Still if Lady Tiadora disposes of him, we will have lost a potentially valuable asset. As we are Bound, I am obligated to defend him to the utmost of my ability....Hmmm...perhaps Cardinal Thorn is testing us by how we respond to such arrogance. Best to tread lightly for now and try befriending him.
Craft Wand is definitely on Zinbah's feat list.
I have no problem chipping in for a wand of Infernal healing. It might be a good idea to create that one as we could probably steal the wand of CLW. FYI, Zinbah will purchase a wand of Magic Missile (CL 1st) for 750 gp.
Zinbah waves for a refill of the fine blood red wine as he polishes off the potent beverage. He turns to look at Amanda with a bemused look on his face. "A fascinating perspective Amanda. It seems as if you remember the lessons taught by the Mitran quite well indeed!" His words are a bit slurred as the effects of the strong drink are felt. "Aye and redemption is but a lie! Still we are but pawns regardless of who moves us around on the chessboard regardless of who sits looking over the board! As for breaking the pact...I seem to recall we have already broken one to the great God Mitra so we are damned already!"
Zinbah bows in reply to the Cardinal, "Do not worry, I will be ready." As Tatiana introduces herself, he smiles at her. "The pleasure is all mine. I look forward to enjoying your company at dinner later...as I am sure the rest of us will." As he leaves the meeting room and notices the 'companion', a wimsome blonde girl who had caught his eye earlier, he motions for her to come with him. "I am sure you will enjoy my company, but it will not all be pleasure..." After returning to his chambers and enjoying his slave girl's company for a while, he somewhat reluctantly turns his attention to business, namely attuning his new-found spellbook, and the ex-Warden's ring as his new bonded item, to replace his graduation ring. When he receives his stipend, he considered purchasing a wand with the funds but decides to use the money to scribe some scrolls for the party's use. He waves his slave girl over, "GO and fetch me these inks, parchments and quills," He hands over his shopping list for her to look over. "I have much work to do, do not dally on this!"
Zinbah looked over the contract terms as well, noting the concerns of the others about the power the Cardinal had over the group. Nothing he has said has surprised me in the least. We are as tools to him, to be used to further his own agenda. I do not think he would cast us aside immediately after investing his resources in our escape. It looks like our goals coincide...and since the other option is death, and a useless death at that... He draws the knife across his palm and signs the contracts with his own blood and takes one for his own keeping. He then turns his attention to the Ifrit watching closely his reaction, knowing he would need to work closely with him should he sign the contract.
Zinbah gives Raymond a surprised look before quickly averting his gaze from the Ifrit. I am surprised he decided to make a stand here. Does he not see the writing on the wall? Best to see how this plays out here. He remains silent as the situation unfolds here, confident the Cardinal would not take such a risk here without having a contingency plan for such a situation.
If it was me I would strongly consider Enlarge Person as having an eidolon with reach is quite potent. One thing to realize is we do have Grumblejack now, so that may not be as pressing need as a personal defense spell. PS. With that atitude you are showing, it may all be irrelevant now :P
Zinbah rises to his feet slowly and glances down at his own brand with the runic "F" burned into his own skin. And for what? The pursuit of knowledge? Was that such a crime to be convicted of, as the quest for knowledge has led to the growth of civilization! After Amanda and Lisbeth have finished with her speech, he nods to the Cardinal and bows in reply, "While I am no where near as vocal in my passion as your divine servants Amanda and Lisbeth here, I can say I have heard your voice, and the voice of your Lord in my dreams showing me the way to bring back the knowledge which has been forsaken, buried by those with fear in their hearts!" His eyes flash with a burning rage as he remembers the circumstances with led him down this path. "I have been wronged by those I only wished to help and they deserve to suffer...SUFFER as I have done these many months! I will work to bring back that which they so foolishly denied due to their own arrogance! I do pledge myself to you my Lord from now unto eternity!" He catches Lisbeth's look and gives the woman a wink and a slight nod, I hope this meets with your approval.
Zinbah also bows to the lady while noting her reaction to the arrival of the party. She seems less than pleased by our arrival. Best be on my best behavior here, he thinks to himself. Though his body cries out for sleep, Zinbah forces his mind to stay focused by running through several mental exercises even while the attractive maids help him bathe. The wine also helps wash away his fatigue. I look forward to the day when such weaknesses will no longer be a concern of mine. Once he has been cleaned, bathed, and shaved, he turns his attention to the food and digs in eagerly, the taste of the bland prison food washed away. After getting his fill, he has the servants help dress him in the provided clothing. As he heads to the audience with the Master, he wonders how the man will feel about how the group handled their escape. I hope he is impressed...though I imagine it must take a lot to impress him.
OK I have Zinbah updated to Level 2. A couple of notes here: 1) He has studied the former Wardens spellbook so he can use the spells in there (at least the 1st level ones) as his own as he had his original spellbook confiscated. 2) He is going to use the Warden's Ring as his new Arcane Bond. Spooky GM, let me know if this is OK with you. EDIT: Also I am wondering to is in charge of the Loot. Could we get a Loot List posted somewhere, Spooky GM?
Zinbah stifles a yawn. "At this point, a hot bath and a soft bed would be most welcome!" Clearly the sedentary man was unused to the physical exercises he was forced to endure. He looks down on his travel stained garb, "I sincerely hope they do not want us looking presentable before our audience."
"Ahhh...so which of you fine young ladies will play the part of the jilted lover? It matters not to me. I can certainly assist you in handling this task." Zinbah covers his mouth to hide a smile, as the thought of any of these ladies playing the part of a jilted noble lady greatly amuses him. "Come to the Sergeant's office when you have finished up here." Spooky GM: Zinbah will use his Linguistics here to create a forgery. I think the GM rolls that check though. He will use the initial 'N' for Naomi (the woman who turned him in) as he wants to see her reputation sullied here, at the very least.
Zinbah nods in agreement with Morossa's plan. "Yes, it would be pleasant to be away from this place by the time the sun rises." He walks down to the ground floor of the gatehouse and heads towards the inner courtyard to check out the area. "Best to be sure we did not miss anything useful we can take with us. Amanda, would you care to join me?"
Zinbah strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, I believe you are correct. Perhaps one of these guards could be roused to provide us further answers. His gaze turns to face the bridge. "I am concerned the bridge may be trapped to trigger a collapse should events spiral out of control at the prison. You know, to isolate the danger. We must be cautious still. Checking the bridge for weak points would be wise here."
As I am sure you have gathered by now, Zinbah is more on the merciful side than on the bloodthirsty side. Now don't misunderstand him, he does indeed hate Blackerly and is quite happy to see him dead. He does have a more civilized bent to him but he can be quite cold (as when he ordered the Warden's death). As for worshipping Asmodeus, he would probably pay lip service to the deity as he is not particularly religious. He worships knowledge of all sorts, the darker the better. As for the party leader role, he is content to stay in the shadows for now. He does have the charisma to be the 'civilized' face of the group, and also he would need to play peacemaker between the other members. I can foresee a conflict between Amanda and Morossa shaping up here.
Zinbah interrupts, "Sorry to break up this philosophical discussion here but those guards..." pointing down towards the bridge where the other two guards lay slumbering, "will not stay asleep for long."
Zinbah smiles at the efficiency of the party in dealing with Blackerly. Perhaps you have not heard of the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...' A good education for you now I would say. He looks at the guard dogs moving towards Raymond. Looks like he needs my help here. Putting away the scroll, he readies to cast another spell while the dogs are distracted.
Zinbah positions himself out of range from the melee combatants, but stands ready to assist with another scroll.
Zinbah thinks for a second before replying to Morossa. "I do not thing Blackerly will buy any bluff we offer at this point. The magic I used would say the gatehouse is lost to him." As he watches Blackerly approach, he adds with a smirk "Don't worry. He is definitely going to make his way up here. His pride would refuse any other action. Plus he does not have a bow, so his other option is to get picked off by us as he runs away." His voice grows more relaxed, "Those guards will stay sleep for about a minute. I believe this will be over before then. Sorry about depriving you of some enjoyment but I am sure you can have fun playing with his pets!"
Thank you so much Zinbah! I'm ready to jump in and assist the team ASAP! I don't think hypnotism is on the cleric's spell list, though I like the spell. Let me know if I am wrong. Yeah you're right. I think Zinbah needs to craft that scroll then :) Anyway I was looking over the Cleric spell list and I think Sanctuary, Calm Emotions, Delay Poison, and Undetectable Alignment will be good scrolls to craft in the future.
Welcome to the party Tatiana! I like your spell selection for the scrolls here. Very useful to have in reserve. What do you think about adding a Hypnotism scroll to the mix as well?
Zinbah refuses to allow the signal horn to break his concentration, instead finishing off the spell and waiting for the group of soldiers, including the Sergeant to get into range and lets loose his sleep spell.
Zinbah unfurls the scroll and readies it to cast at the remaining guard should Sammy fail to immediately dispatch the lone guard.
Zinbah hangs back from the fray intently watching the combat unfold. His hand unfurls the sleep scroll, ready to cast the spell on the guards should the group fail to immediately dispatch them .
Roger that, I will look over the applicants and give you my vote this evening.
Zinbah shakes his head, "I don't think we can risk a combat here. I do like your tactic for when we assault the guard tower on the other side of the bridge."
Zinbah brings up the rear, with only the company of the group's ogre henchman to watch over him. "Bet you didn't think you would be spending your time doing THIS when you woke up this morning!" He remarks quietly to Grumblejack. When told of the guards by the women, he speaks up quietly "One of these liberated scrolls from the late Warden would be ideal here. If those guards can barely stay awake, then I can help them on their way to peaceful slumbers." He then adds, "Of course, I will bow to your superior tactical knowledge here."
"Remember too that guard provided us the password to approach the gatehouse. "Hesterfield" I believe it is. I would advise we use that to our advantage, seeing as we still have our guard uniforms. They should allow us to get close enough for them to open the door, at least." Zinbah reminds the group.
"I have no compunction about yielding the ioun torch for you, Amanda,in the interest of fairness after all." Zinbah replies."I suspect the Warden used it for a night light during his late night studies anyway." He snickers as he hands the stone to Amanda. Turning his attention to the unconscious Warden, he adds "Leaving him alive is dangerous. Should he regain consciousness, he can mentally contact his familiar and use it to free himself, or worse, summon help. If we will not question him now, then he must die."
Zinbah gathers up the spellbook, lovingly stroking the fine leather. "Yes, yes this will do quite nicely!" He does refrain from immediately studying it for the moment. "I will need time to translate his writings enough to learn the magical incantations therein." He explains. The map he also folds away, "Better than nothing, though I was hoping for more." Turning to Morossa, "We had best be on our way here."
Zinbah shakes his head and replies, "No Morossa, he must die. It is the only way to sever the link between his familiar and himself. That bird could still sound the alarm to the guards. We question him and then slit his throat. Problem solved." He turns to the others, "Watch for an owl heading this way." He adds as he points to the open window. "If you see it, kill it." He walks behind Morossa, "I will help you search, my dear. Keep in mind we are looking for a detailed map of Brandenscar Prison, nee Castle Branding as well."
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