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"Linah, I find myself agreeing with Nuveril and Grall, simply because of how the little vermin have desecrated this once proud temple of the Dawnflower."
Turning his attention to the pugwampis...
"They would have to have truly important information for me to change my stance on the matter."
Khalid just now notices the new-comers...
"Who might you be? You are obviously no friends of these wretched little creatures..." he says, gesturing toward the pugwampis with his blade.
Sajan lends his voice to support Linah.
Slaying those who have laid down their arms is the beginning of a dark path Khalid... Even if they deserve it, your own soul does not.
The sentence is quite smooth for Sajan, and you expect hes reciting scripture rather than structuring the sentence itself.
Stepping into the hallway is a young man of Vudrani descent, medium height with the light build and soft hands of a scholar. He is dressed in the layered, white clothing of desert nomads to protect against the glaring sun. He carries a curious staff in his hands, painted white from top to bottom with alternating stripes of red and blue. He carries an assortment of pouches and vials around his belt. His expression is curious and observant, his dark brown eyes darting back and forth. He smiles upon seeing the pugwampis subdued by the party and reaches up to touch the top of his shaved head while bowing forward. "Greetings! I am Arjun Srivastava, apprentice to the benevolent Zantus. I only just arrived to the monastery. I was leading a rear detachment of supplies for the honorable Almah. We were waylaid by bandits and my escorts were killed, sadly. I was forced to travel on without the caravan to preserve my life. The honorable Almah was most understanding of my efforts at self-preservation, Sarenrae smile upon her. I have been sent up to investigate the fire and smoke we could see from the encampment. Is everything alright? How much resistance have you met?"
Nuveril looks at Linah curiously. "You would rather tie them all together with the baboons and unleash them for sport? Even when they do not raise weapons against us, their very existence warps the air around us." She shudders. "Do you not feel it?"
"Yes, i feel the discomfort but that does not change that they have thrown themselves at our mercy. I can not deny them a chance at redemtion. These are not devils that belong in hell or demons to be banished to the abyss.", Linah replies with a strained and saddened voice.
Linahrrr, these little verrrmin are beyond rrredemption. I will kill no otherrrs as you have asked, but I was wanting to make surrre they told us trrruthfully about what else lies within these sacrrred grrrounds...
"The dawnflower does not grant you strenght to use against the weak and defenseless. She bolsters your might because she senses good in you. I sense good in you." She manages a tired smile. Then she notices Grall's wound. "You are wounded. We need to get that treated. Preferably away from these creatures", she says and leads Grall out in the corridor where she bandages the arrow wound.
"Linah, I find myself agreeing with Nuveril and Grall, simply because of how the little vermin have desecrated this once proud temple of the Dawnflower."
Sajan lends his voice to support Linah.
Slaying those who have laid down their arms is the beginning of a dark path Khalid... Even if they deserve it, your own soul does not.
The sentence is quite smooth for Sajan, and you expect hes reciting scripture rather than structuring the sentence itself.
"Those are wise words, Sajan. I do belive that he is right, Khalid.", the cleric says as she leads Grall out into the corridor.
"Well met, Arjun Srivastava. I am Linah Jamil'Kaid, a follower of the dawnflower", Linah says as she meets Arjun in the hallway. She gives a quick curtsey before she becomes preoccupied with treating Grall's wound.
And to you as well, Sunchild. Do there remain more rooms unexplored? I am more than willing to assist in securing the facilities. Where shall we head next?"
You secure the sleeping pug. The two awake prisoners go very still afterwards and begin to babble in gnoll to Grall seemingly more than happy to comply. They fall silent though at the humans discussions and when Grall leaves the room huddle in the corner occasionally throwing longing glances at the door.
Elia listens to your conversation carefully but makes no move to join in although she nods enthusiastically at Khalids words and watches his face intently. Shall I carry word back to Mistress Almah? She seemed a bit ... put out about the smoke.
"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. Elia, would you kindly inform the honorable Mistress Almah that the smoke was quite intentional? I am sure that she will understand that a slight amount of structural damage may occur in securing the monastery." Arjun holds up his forefinger and thumb to his eye. "Slight damage. Otherwise, the mercenaries appear to be faring well."
Nuveril looks at Linah curiously. "You would rather tie them all together with the baboons and unleash them for sport? Even when they do not raise weapons against us, their very existence warps the air around us." She shudders. "Do you not feel it?""Yes, i feel the discomfort but that does not change that they have thrown themselves at our mercy. I can not deny them a chance at redemtion. These are not devils that belong in hell or demons to be banished to the abyss.", Linah replies with a strained and saddened voice.
Linahrrr, these little verrrmin are beyond rrredemption. I will kill no otherrrs as you have asked, but I was wanting to make surrre they told us trrruthfully about what else lies within these sacrrred grrrounds..."The dawnflower does not grant you strenght to use against the weak and defenseless. She bolsters your might because she senses good in you. I sense good in you." She manages a tired smile. Then she notices Grall's wound. "You are wounded. We need to get that treated. Preferably away from these creatures", she says and leads Grall out in the corridor where she bandages the arrow wound.
"Linah, I find myself agreeing with Nuveril and Grall, simply because of how the little vermin have desecrated this once proud temple of the Dawnflower."
"Those are wise words, Sajan. I do belive that he is right, Khalid.", the cleric says as she leads Grall out into the corridor.Sajan lends his voice to support Linah.
Slaying those who have laid down their arms is the beginning of a dark path Khalid... Even if they deserve it, your own soul does not.
The sentence is quite smooth for Sajan, and you expect hes reciting scripture rather than structuring the sentence itself.
"What would you have us do with them, my lady?" Nuveril asks sarcastically. "Bring them back to camp so we can all die ablaze in our tents like the accursed soothsayer? Or carry them with us so we can perish falling on our own swords?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. Elia, would you kindly inform the honorable Mistress Almah that the smoke was quite intentional? I am sure that she will understand that a slight amount of structural damage may occur in securing the monastery." Arjun holds up his forefinger and thumb to his eye. "Slight damage. Otherwise, the mercenaries appear to be faring well."
A thousand pardons Honourable Alchemist but aside from confirming that the group is faring well are you sure you want me to tell her that? She seemed more concerned about the possible reaction from the gnolls than the property damage and she uttered a few phrases that I am surprised she was aware of. Perhaps I should tell her it was an unavoidable result of fighting the creatures here but you are making good progress? She raises an eyebrow just slightly.
You can't help but notice that the group has inadvertently allowed the pugs a chance to confer prior to interrogation. That is something that your very specialist teachers in the church advised against in these kind of circumstances.
It is nearly 10am and even inside and protected from the sun you can feel the temperature rising.
"What would you have us do with them, my lady?" Nuveril asks sarcastically. "Bring them back to camp so we can all die ablaze in our tents like the accursed soothsayer? Or carry them with us so we can perish falling on our own swords?"
"I do not know", Linah sighs as she conjures water to clean Grall's wound. She then continues to bandage it. "Firstly, we will ask them wha they know of what lies beneath this monastery. When we have secured these hallowed grounds we can let them go if Lady Almah does not find use for them. But we need to be careful and keep them as isolated as possible."
Linah then turns to Sajan. "Let me have a look at your wounds." She commences to clean and bandage the giants two arrow wounds. As she finishes she adresses Grall and Sajan, with a hint of guilt in her voice.
"I have done all i can without calling on divine aid. I am afraid that my powers are limited and we do not know what awaits us in the catacombs below. This goes against my better judgement but i must ask if you feel well enough to continue."
Puny pugwampi arrows shall not fell me. Sajan is ready.
You secure the sleeping pug. The two awake prisoners go very still afterwards and begin to babble in gnoll to Grall seemingly more than happy to comply. They fall silent though at the humans discussions and when Grall leaves the room huddle in the corner occasionally throwing longing glances at the door.
Elia listens to your conversation carefully but makes no move to join in although she nods enthusiastically at Khalids words and watches his face intently. Shall I carry word back to Mistress Almah? She seemed a bit ... put out about the smoke.
Once out in the hallway while Linah is cleaning his wounds. Linahrrr, the Dawnflower is angrrry. Herrr temple has been defiled. Did you see how she caused my blade to strrrike trrrue in spite of the magic of the Pugwampi? I believe she wants it cleansed. Sometimes rrredemtion at the prrrice of other lives, he looks into Linah's eyes at that moment is not worth the risk. I have heard of these little monsterrrs. The Gnolls I grrrew up with fearrred and hated them. Theirrr essence is chaos and evil. They can not stop what they arrrre Linahrrr...
Once out in the hallway while Linah is cleaning his wounds. Linahrrr, the Dawnflower is angrrry. Herrr temple has been defiled. Did you see how she caused my blade to strrrike trrrue in spite of the magic of the Pugwampi? I believe she wants it cleansed. Sometimes rrredemtion at the prrrice of other lives, he looks into Linah's eyes at that moment is not worth the risk. I have heard of these little monsterrrs. The Gnolls I grrrew up with fearrred and hated them. Theirrr essence is chaos and evil. They can not stop what they arrrre Linahrrr...
"Yes, the Dawnflower is angry and she grants us strenght to defeat our foes. But she does not grant us that strenght to kill an already defeated foe."
She adresses the rest of the group. "If you feel so strongly that these lives must be ended i can not stop you, but i pray that you will reconsider."
Puny pugwampi arrows shall not fell me. Sajan is ready.
"Thank you. That is a relief to hear.", Linah replies with a faint smile.
Even though she offers up a smile her eyes and tone of voice hints of shame and worry.
Linah looks at Grall with a troubled expression and shakes her head. "I can not leave these wounds in their current state.", she says and closes her eyes and extends her palm. Soft light emerges Grall and Sajan and a warmth washes over the two as their wounds starts close up.
After being healed, Grall strides back into the room and stares down the little beasts. He will translate everything he says in Gnoll for ease as well as any questions the group wants to ask them.
Grall draws out the temple roughly as he has seen it so far in the mud and dirt in front of the pugs with the tip of his Falcion, You have one chance to live, if you answer us truthfully. What other creatures are in this temple that you know of and where? Do you know of the hidden entrance to the lower part of the temple? If so what creatures lie in the lower part? Are there any dangerous creatures in the surrounding area that you know of and what direction are they in?
Any other questions ask away and I will translate if needed.
The three remaining pugs do not particularly care about the complexities of human dynamics.
The pug Sabeen slept refuses to speak and simply glares at both Grall and Linah with tiny hate filled eyes. He has a more noble bearing than the other two and seems content to meet his fate with dignity.
With both their king-slayer and the giant gnoll in sight the other two pugs show no such restraint. However getting useful information out of them is somewhat difficult. They apparently find it difficult to focus on your questions, continually go off on tangents (including repeated requests for Grall to make them his slaves) and don't seem to have any sense of numbers (when asked how many pugawampis there are in their pack all you get is "Lots").
As best as you can sort out they answer your questions as follows:
- What other creatures are in this temple that you know of and where?
The pugs consider the upper level of the monastery theirs. Aside from the pugs themselves they mention the stirges you've killed, the baboons you've tied up, the hyena you killed (apparently this was the pet of the silent pug) and something they refer to very fearfully as the "Night Lurker". Apparently this horrific creature occassionally picks of pugawampis at night. Their bodies are never found and no pugawampi that has ever seen the Night Lurker has lived to tell the tale. To the pugawampis the Night Lurker is some kind of vengeful god. They repeatedly try and appease it with sacrifices with no apparent effect.
- Do you know of the hidden entrance to the lower part of the temple?
They don't know anything about a lower part of the monastery. They do say, pointing at the south east room from which the hyena and pugs emerged, that there is a way which is blocked.
They either don't know about, or haven't been able to operate, the entrance that you found.
- If so what creatures lie in the lower part?
Don't know. Likely dark things beyond a pugawampis ability to comprehend. Perhaps the Night Lurker although they also think the Night Lurker emerges from hell and returns there after it has tasted pugawampi flesh.
- Are there any dangerous creatures in the surrounding area that you know of and what direction are they in?
Here their answers are very confused. To them the surrounding area is the whole world outside the monastery and they speak of a multitude of strange large creatures some clearly real and some clearly mythical. They speak of goblins, gnolls, scorpions, flying things and a whole bunch of other things. They mention that they offered themselves as slaves to the gnolls in the town but the gnolls threw them out killing many pugawampis in the process. Its unclear how long ago that was, their sense of time also seems flakey.
Sabeen seemingly finds it quite painful to stand in the pugawampi aura but stands within listening distance and seemingly can follow the pugawampis words.
Sense motive
"Yes, good thinking Elia. The mercenaries are making good progress with some minimal, unavoidable damage occurred. This should reassure the honorable Almah." Arjun turns to the rest of the group. "I don't think we need to worry about deception from the pugwampis, so much as the fact that they are profoundly stupid. It appears they cannot give us more than vague descriptions and speculation. I would suggest tying up one of our captives and bringing them with us from room to room. Watching their hesitation or fear should give us a better indication than relying on their word."
"Your suggestion carries some merit, master Srivastava, but i must second my friend's protest. We do not want to bring their unluck with us. We must keep them as isolated as we can."
"I do not like what they said about this 'Night lurker'", Linah continues. "Until we have searched underneath this monastery this is not a safe place for anyone."
"Ha," Nuveril smiles with satisfaction. "'Night Lurker.' Another foe to be vanquished." She pats her hammer approvingly.
Sense Motive
"Yes, but our foes would also suffer from their aura of unluck, placing us on equal footing. Besides, in addition to gauging any danger by watching their reactions, they would provide a physical shield being in the front of the group. Think of them as expendable dowsing rods."
Sajan is clearly not happy with the plan.
Sajan does not enjoy tripping over his own feet... he mutters sullenly.
"I mean no disrespect, master Srivastava, but i have to agree with Sajan. I am not comfortable striding into battle with these creatures by my side nor using our captives as bait." Linah says. "I prefer to rely on my own abilities, should i be forced to draw my scimitar."
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"I mean no disrespect, master Srivastava, but i have to agree with Sajan. I am not comfortable striding into battle with these creatures by my side nor using our captives as bait." Linah says. "I prefer to rely on my own abilities, should i be forced to draw my scimitar."
"Then we should be done with these vile creatures. True they surrendered to us, but Sarenrae's mercy is only extended to those who seek her forgiveness. The moment they able, or the moment we release them, they shall go back to their wicked ways."
Arjun merely shrugs, "Waste not, want not, I say. At least their deaths could serve some purpose. I am with the honorable inquisitor. Let us dispatch them quickly and be on our way."
Sense motive ;
As the pugawampis ramblings begin to wind down Arjun thinks the pugs are lying at least in part, an assessment shared by Sabeen who says in a quiet voice, They're lying. When you asked them to confirm that there were no other creatures in the monastery, that one said something to the other in the other langugage and that one changed what it was going to say.
The pugs sensing some kind of shift in your body language go silent.
Elia has already left to update Almah and the others. She seemed a little disappointed for some reason.
Linah lowers her head unable to hide the wave of conflicting emotions that washes over her face. She sighs heavily as she begins to speak. "I guess you are right. I do not wish to put anyone at risk. If you decide to take these lives, i will not stop you."
Linah kneels infront of the pugwampis. "I am sorry", she says as she touches their forhead and recites a prayer.
Grall nods his head to Khalid and he walks around behind the Pug. He waits for him to also get around behind it and then Grall quickly removes it head.
It is the quickest death I know Linahrrr. Therrre will be otherrrs worrrthy of yourrr rrredemption. Grall says in a sad voice.
Arjun waits quietly, mumbling something about a sow's ear and a silk purse. Once Grall has finished, he clears his throat and speaks up. "Now that the unpleasantness of dispatching vermin is past, did the industrious mercenary group have plans for where to explore next?"
You dispatch the three pugs as mercifully as you can and feel their aura fade.
A quick search reveals the adjacent rooms.
The room opposite from the kitchen was obviously once a mess hall. Three long wooden tables and dozens of chairs are in shambles, mostly rotted away with the passage of years although one of the tables and a few of the chairs seem useable. Light shines through several large holes in the ceiling, illuminating a closed door on the east wall which leads to the room the pugs and hyena emerged from. The south wall is stained from infrequent
That room looks like a dormitory, ten bunk beds in various stages of disrepair fill this chamber, although several have been pushed together to create some sort of giant bed for the hyena given the covering of hair. Despite this the room is relatively speaking quite clean. At least one of the pugs must have taken the time to maintain it. The roof is mostly intact with only a few small holes.
The east wall bears a sturdy wooden door which seems to have fared the years fairly well although small tendrils of green mold protrude through the hinges and gaps between the door, floor and ceiling.
Edit: Missed Arjun's post. Your standing right there so assumed you've peeked in the rooms during the pugs interrogation and dispatch.
"Now what in the world is mold doing in a high desert? Perhaps this door leads to a well or natural cistern."
Knowledge (nature) to identify the small tendrils of green mold.
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"Now what in the world is mold doing in a high desert? Perhaps this door leads to a well or natural cistern."
Knowledge (nature) 1d20+8 to identify the small tendrils of green mold.
You are sure the mold is normal mold and safe although as you say it needs to have a source of water somewhere. Even though you are sure you know what it is there is something about it you can't put your finger on. That may be because you can only see a little bit of it protruding through the door.
Are you trying it?
Its dry and comes away reasonably easily. You and Arjun study it for a few moments but have no further insight.
"Please, by all means." Arjun follows closely behind Khalid, holding a small crystal vial in his hand.
"I am right behind you", Linah says mimicing Khalid by covering her mouth and nose with a part of her robe. Then she draws her scimitar with her free hand.