Anadyr nods in agreement at Marius' suggestion, but keeps up his stream of taunts. "Our boots are getting away!" He chases the lizard into the room (making a full 30' move in order to remain clear), and brings up his bow, willing the magic into his weapon.
Damn, the shock is still affecting me!
Jali moves forward and laughs at seeing the lizard flee in terror, although the bite in her side dulls the satisfaction a bit. This lizard was getting entirely too annoying. Perhaps it'll like a bit of what drunkards at the Tankard got. She glares at the lizard, imbuing her gaze with a bit of magical power.
Concerned for his companion, Gregolyn calls to Jali; "Are you alright?"
Gregolyn steps into the doorway. "I've had about enough of this walking pair of boots!" Gregolyn says before sending another shaft speeding towards the electrified lizard...
Marius moves before taking a steady shot. The arrow sticks the lizard through the ribs before taking it to the ground. It lets out a desperate and ineffective series of electrical jolts and zaps with it's final efforts before succumbing to the arrow wounds.
You have a better chance to survey the room. Judging from the shelves lining the walls, this darkened room might once have been a storeroom, though its contents have long since succumbed to the passage of time. A crack in the northern wall has apparently let in some rainwater, accounting for the puddles on the floor. Another wooden door on the south west wall is closed.
Marius takes a moment to walk about the room, surveying all that is around him. He breathed a sigh of relief after killing the lizard, slowly coming down from his combat high. He turns to the rest of the group, with a grin on his face. "What an annoying pair of boots."
You mostly see shelf after shelf of rotting and molded provisions. You do notice two corked potions, with unbroken seals.
Marius also hears loud scuffling from behind the closed south-west door.
Anadyr nods and says with a smile, "One would hope we also get a handbag after all that trouble..". He drops to one knee to rest, trying to shake off the effect of the shock. Should I cast my last spell on myself? It seems terribly early to use up all of my magic.
"One hopes those are useful... I must admit that I'm not feeling terribly well."
Marius raises a hand, motioning that he wanted silence. "Shh!" He began making hand signals that he learned in the guard, then realized it was unlikely they would understand him. He simply raised a finger in the direction of the door, then put the finger to his mouth, gesturing silence again. Pulling an arrow from his quiver, he nocked the arrow slowly.
Gregolyn, who was just about to join Marius in his search of the room, quickly changes modes and silently moves to the door. "Here we go again! he mutters to himself as he does so...
Once there, he inspects the door, then puts his ear up to it and listens intently...
Jali heads over to Anadyr, intending to attempt identifying the potions, but freezes at Marius's warning. Moving as quietly as she can, she moves away from the door, to the northeast corner.
Before there is time to carry out your intentions the sound becomes immediately clear as you all hear a clumsy thump at the door and it begins to open. You have just enough time to try to step into the shadows cast through the open door behind you.
Two reptilian humanoids burst through the door, clubs in hand.
They spot Gregolyn and Jali and scowl, but have not looked in Anadyr's or Marius's direction.
Knowing that the element of surprise is going to be gone quickly, Marius screams a deep battle cry, drops his bow and draws his longsword, moving into position directly behind the lower troglodyte, and brings his sword down towards the creatures head.
Gregolyn, seeing that his attempt at stealth failed, grumbles; "Desna has certainly been having a good laugh at my expense this day!"
Gregolyn, not letting his bitterness get the best of him, spots an opportunity to attack. He quickly nocks an arrow and shoots at the reptilian figure in front of him. Gregolyn then takes a single step backwards...
Anadyr grimaces as the reptilian beasts walk into the room.... Well, that certainly settles it.. Or, wait, does it?
Anadyr says to Marius, "Hold, let me give our new friends the slip..."
Ignoring his damage, he casts grease on the 10x10 square the beasts are currently standing on, and then tries to step to the back of the room.
That should help Gregolyn and Marius... This retreat is anything but heroic... I really hope one of these is a healing potion.. I mean it, boots and a handbag...
Jali recoils in disgust at the sight of the creatures. Ugly little critters, but a bit closer to what she'd expected to find in here. At least they weren't animals. Flush with previous victories, she says, "Did we kill your pet? So sorry, but you'll join him soon!"
Gregolyn surprises his target with a well placed arrow, and then adjusts north.
Marius moves in on the other Trog. It swings a club as Marius crosses it's path.
Marius returns with a two handed slash that slays the reptilian outright.
Worried about his injuries, Anadyr casts a grease pool on the floor before stepping away from the fight.
The trog falls to the ground.
The Trog stays on the ground, making no attempt to get up. His wounds look serious. He pleads in crude Draconic, which only Jali is able to understand. "Please don't kill. I just heard noise and came too see. No kill no kill."
Jali sees the helpless Troglodyte and withholds her hex. Jali recalls that Troglodytes are normally feral, underground creatures. They are apt to worshiping demons and generally weak unless they have a strong numerical advantage. This one looks to be young, perhaps still a juvenile.
Once you get a chance to inspect the two potions closer, you notice they are labeled 'cure moderate wounds'.
Jali translates the troglodyte's words for the group, and adds, "While I have no love lost for creatures such as this, I can't much abide the idea of killing a helpless sentient being."
Gregolyn shakes his head in disagreement with Jali...
"I however, would have no problem with ending this pathetic creature's miserable existence!" he says more out of bravado than any real sense of malice...
"But... Perhaps you could persuade our guest to tell us something of this tower and its current residents?" he continues as he looks to Jali with a twinkling in his eyes...
Anadyr looks up from the potion bottle and nods at Jali, "They attacked us, but it could be that they are defending their home. I do not wish to kill anything unnecessarily, but I also do not want an enemy at our backs, or one who prepares the defenders against us."
He sighs, and continues more quietly, "As such, I am thinking that we should ask...it... for information about what is to come and leave it restrained here, offering to unbind it as we leave."
He holds up one of the potions and smiles, asking, "Does anyone mind? I'm still feeling shaky from the lizard earlier, and out of healing magic."
Marius waves a hand at Anadyr, saying "Go ahead" while he stares down the troglodyte. He approached Jali, and whispers only loud enough so that she can hear. "Ask him what he knows of the fortress. Depending on his words, he may yet live to fight another day. Marius still holds his longsword tightly within his hand.
With Marius' approval, Anadyr unstops a potion and drinks, relieved to feel the healing magics wash over him and remove the cloud from his thoughts.
He stretches to test his movement, drawing both shortswords as he does, muttering, "Definitely should get a handbag...".
He then looks toward the surrendered Troglodyte, waiting to be told either to stand down or strike.
The wounded Trog licks what wounds it can reach as it cowers on the floor. While blood is still running, it appears the thing will survive as is.
The Trog pleads in it's Draconic tongue for mercy. The body language is apparent to all.
Unless someone stops it, it begins to crawl slowly to a corner where it waits submissively.
Face grim, Jali moves toward the troglodyte. Speaking in Draconic, she says, "What do you know of this fortress? Who else is here that will prove hostile?"
"This tower of Tasskar. Here he say we begin take over surface. Tasskar is strong. Maybe you go back and leave, or you might end up with the other."
The troglodyte winces on the last word, as if he regrets speaking it.
The troglodyte begins to pull his wounded body across the floor, towards the south west room.
Looking through the open door you see that racks for weapons line the walls of this chamber; above the racks hang various shields, pieces of armor, weapons, and standards on display. Most of the racks are empty, but a few weapons remain in place.
A horrible stench leaks out of the room as well, akin to the smell of rotten eggs mixed with the reek of an open sewer.
Other? Had some other adventurer beaten them to the tower, only to be captured by these vile creatures? Jali again translates for the others, then, as the troglodyte moves away, says, "Stop! What do you mean, the other?"
Gregolyn listens to Jali's translation and ponders its meaning...
Then snaps to attention at the sound of her raised voice; pulling his bow, nocking an arrow, and pointing it at the pathetic reptilian creature ready at the slightest hint from Jali to put it out of its (and the party's) misery!
Marius steps in front of the creature (making sure to check the room ahead of him and not to run into anything dangerous first), and points his blade down at the creature's face, hoping that the meaning is clear enough.
Crawaling on his knees, the Troglodyte runs into Marius's boot before turning around.
Jali again hears his struggled draconic tongue.
"Eh there was other one who looked like yous. Tasskar soon be ready to make offering.
Anadyr's eyes widen as Jali translates.
A stream of questions begins in his head, which he speaks aloud, his voice completely lacking his usual jovial tone, "They mean to sacrifice a humanoid? Maybe that's the missing scout? Who is this Tasskar? Where are they? How many 'priests' are there? And to whom are they making the offering? A god, or something else that lives in the tower?"
Thinking about the mission you received from the short handed pathfinder, you wonder if this other human-type could be the lost scout you were hired to find.
"Who is Tasskar?"
"Tasskar boss. He find tunnel to dis place from home after ground shake."
Turning to her friends, Jali says, "Tasskar is their leader. He found tunnels to this to the tower after the earthquake." Switching back to Draconic, she says, "How many more troglodytes are there in the tower?"
"There only seven of us. Please let me live "
Gregolyn looks to Jali and says; "Ask him were this tunnel of theirs is, and where any other of his kind are hiding."
Gregolyn then looks back to the reptilian humanoid, still keeping his bow trained upon it...
His grip tightens about the longsword, feelings of anxiousness washing over him. So many questions, so little time. He glances up at Jali. "We must hurry. These creatures could be lingering and we don't want them to get the drop on us."
"I agree with Marius. I don't think we should tarry too long. What should we do with him?"
"We may not have the luxury of time upon our side, but we need to know the location of this tunnel the beast spoke of! As for what to do with it, I say, once we have the information we need: Tie it up and leave it here... May not be the most 'humane' thing to do, but we can't drag it around with us!"
Anadyr keeps his hands on his blades, This isn't as romantic and fun as the stories made it out to be, now is it? He smiles and says in a light tone, "I agree with Gregolyn, both in terms of getting what information we can -- and about leaving him here. We'll untie him when we leave -- because the option of having him with us to warn his friends we're coming is less than appealing." He then smiles and says, "Besides which, it smells bad enough in there without us bringing our own stinkpot prisoner with us."
"No need to come back here...I've got a better idea." He walks around the creature in a circle. "Ask the question, Jali."
The trog shakes and squirms in a pitiful fashion as he filled with fear.
Jali's stomach turns a bit at seeing the troglodyte squirm with fear, as the whole situation leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Still, what else was there to do? They needed the information. "Where is this tunnel?"
"Earth shake open tunnel and earth shake close it again. Now Troglodyte stuck. Tasskar lead us to conquer to sky world."
Any more questions go in circles of repeated information. You feel as though you have gathered everything you can from this pathetic creature,
and that there is no threat or trickery left inside of him.
You turn your attention to the barren armory in the room beyond.
Racks for weapons line the walls of this chamber; above the racks hang various shields, pieces of armor, weapons, and standards on display. Most of the racks are empty, but a few weapons remain in place.
Anadyr chuckles as he realizes what this must look like, three trained warriors with their weapons ready to strike down one young Lizard-whassit. He sheathes his blades and winks at his companions, chuckling, "If he can get past the three of you in his state, there is nothing I could do that would stop him."
He looks into the next room, and noting that the shelves have not been completely stripped, thinks to himself, One never knows...
He casts Detect Magic and looks forward, scanning for magical auras while Jali continues her interrogation.
Marius kneels next to the creature, the stench of his foul breath causes him to wrinkle his nose. He pats the troglodyte on the head, and nods, as if saying thank you. He then slams the handle of his longsword into the creature's skull, knocking him unconscious.
"Let's hurry and find this Tasskar.