"We're gonna run outta time quick if we stick around here yappin'. Anything else we gotta do before we begin to move out?"
This small vial has a pinkish colored liquid inside of it, labeled in the draconic tongue Rejuvinating Elixir.
This small vial has a red color consistent with that of blood. A small slip of paper wrapped around it has only one name written on it, Cain.
Inside this bag is a collection of Spell components, as well as 5 black colored cloaks.
Cain, still itching to be moving, stalks back over to Price's side, "Want to take a look at something on that veil while we wait to get moving.." When Price hands it over, his fingers immediately find the wolf head symbol.
What he pulls away is a vial filled with thick, blood-red liquid -- a small slip of paper wrapped around its center. He pulls off the paper, and his eyes flash around the room at everyone before resting on Price. After a few heartbeats of holding her gaze, he holds out the paper, "Exactly what all were you told in that little meeting you got earlier? They have some good information on us... well, on me."
The piece of paper simply has one word hand-written on it.
Cain.
"You have any reason to believe this stuff is bad for me? This symbol can't be a coincidence, and I'm sure hoping this is their attempt to take steps to help me with... well, whatever it is these idiots have done to me to keep me contained."
Grumblejack's eyes narrow at Price, but it's obvious the ogre has grown wary of her, almost respectful. "Grumblejack be quiet."
She nods politely to the ogre as the odd corona of of black flames disappear. "Thank you."
"A-a-a-anything else, Muh-muh-miss Price." She asks after Price's ultimatum.
Price turns a bright smile on the young woman, her mood seemingly jovial. "No need to stand on formality, Gwyn. We're allies. Just call me Price, though I appreciate the honorific. You're a well mannered young lady and that is always nice to see."
"We're gonna run outta time quick if we stick around here yappin'. Anything else we gotta do before we begin to move out?"
She gives Cain a stern look, "I was hoping to grill Wendell here on the best way out, where the other guards are having their card game, et cetera... Unfortunately, someone thumped him a little too hard and now I'm thinking we'll have to forgo questioning him."
"Exactly what all were you told in that little meeting you got earlier? They have some good information on us... well, on me."
Agreeing with Cain that time is of the essence, she condenses the information for her allies, "I'll be brief. A beautiful woman who was clearly unnatural, possibly diabolic, gave me the veil and insisted that we all escape and meet our 'patron' at a house on the Old Moor road after skirting the town by way of the moors. There will be a lantern burning in a second story window. We have three days to make that meeting... and 'Tiadora' alluded to the fact that it would be 'unhealthy' for us to miss it. She declined to answer any questions about our patron. I'm assuming everything in this veil was meant to help us."
More and more interesting by the moment... he thought as he watched Cain manifest the small vial from the patch on the gossamer scrap. His mind ran through it's internal arcane index.
A clever trick. I may need to study it further.
This symbol can't be a coincidence, and I'm sure hoping this is their attempt to take steps to help me with... well, whatever it is these idiots have done to me to keep me contained."
The dark man looked down at the runic bracers that had been fused around his wrists for a moment with sympathetic understanding. "Indeed. Whatever they have done to you, it is in keeping with a trend." He rumbled "Talingarde has proven itself quite adept at such enslavements. No doubt they deem it for the greater good, or other such rationalizations."
Cain listens to Price run through her encounter, taking the opportunity to carefully pull the cork on the vial. While she continues her description, he sniffs the vial tentatively for any sign of poison or other danger.
By the time the strange man speaks again, Cain is re-stoppering the vial and sliding it into his belt... still unsure of the vial's contents.
Cain leans down to check Wendell's pulse, using his experience with wounds to see fi there is a quicker way to rouse the man. As his hands check over the man he just moments before knocked into unconsciousness, his yellow eyes regard the strange man as he speaks. Xanos can see that his words strike a chord in the young man, who nods in quick agreement with his words of Talingarde's rationalizations and enslavements. It's clear he's hit upon something the young man has thought before.
Cain grunts in frustration, "Didn't intend to put him so far under." He looks down at the unconscious man, "Well, if you're not going to give us any information, Wendell..." CRACK!
With a quick, two-handed twist, the man's spine is snapped.
"He wasn't going to be of any use breathing. So, Grumblejack, a quick, pre-rampage snack?"
Jakes wanders over to the cell, nodding approvingly at Cain's neck-breaking. "Are we ready to move out? What else is in that bag 'o tricks, Price?"
Price looks at the veil again... "We've got a lantern, some rope, and a stack of gold... I don't think we need any of those for now. Having the rope out might be handy. We've also got what looks like a holy symbol for Asmodeus." She shrugs at that and holds up her palm for the warrior woman to see. It bears a scar that looks strikingly similar to the symbol. "I don't need another one. Most intriguing, we've got what looks like a window. I wanna hold onto that one in case we get trapped. Might be a quick way through a gate or outer-wall."
Price goes to confront Grumblejack, bearing the large flail. She steps into his strike range fearlessly and eyes the giant. "You've kept your word, 'Jack. Now I'll keep mine. You can come with us. We're going to move stealthily for a bit. You'll stay with us near the back until we find some folks worth killing... and then you are more than welcome to crush them utterly. We've got this weapon for you, this shield on my back if you want it, and a warmer snack for you outside." She hands him the flail and shield (if he wants it). "Gwyn, please unchain our friend."
As Gwyn does her thing on the ogre's chains, Cain splits time between watching her work and watching their exit... especially the stairs. "Gwyn, I figure you and me'll lead off. You go first, if that's your gig, and I'll be right behind you. If we get in a pickle, maybe we can try to play the parts of a guard," he taps on his own chest, "escortin' a sick prisoner to get some healin'." He shrugs, knowing it's a weak play at best, "Hopefully it'll at least give us a bit of time to make a move on whoever finds us... or retreat. Unless you have a better idea... ya know, otehr than not being heard in the first place."
Gwyn gulps as she walks into Grimjack's cell. She is not at all pleased with being anywhere in easy reach, but she does her task and tries to get the ogre's restraints loose.
Her trembling causes the picks to slip free and fall to the floor. She gathers them again and tries a second time.
She puts the picks away and scurries over to where Cain is waiting. She also puts on one of the cloaks.
Price confronts Grumblejack a second time, to which he responds. "Grumblejack no meant trouble. Grumblejack will help good. Grumblejack stay quiet, and help." Grumblejack takes the proferred weapon, easily able to wield in one hand. He gives it a good swing, well clear of Price and Gwyndolin. "Grumblejack will use to smash little 'uns. Grumblejack not know how to use disk, though."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Cain and Gwyn move into the guard room and do a better search of the area than previously done, the most remarkable thing of note is the almost comically large fireplace in the room. A person could easily climb it up to the roof or down to the lower floor if they chose. No sounds can be heard from below.
Looking through the open door into the room being scouted, Xanos spies the fireplace with concern. What possible function could such a hearth have in a place like this?
Glancing around at the roof and the way the stonework joined inner and outer walls, Xanos squinted as he pieced together the prison's history in his mind.
Price gives Grumblejack a smile and a hard pat on the arm, "Good! We'll go have fun and you can smash little 'uns."
She watches Xanos examine the fireplace with obvious expertise. "Anything we need to know?" She pokes her head into the fireplace and looks up the chimney, seeing how far it goes, if it could be climbed, or if there is anything unusual about it.
The fireplace could be fairly easily climbed, handholds having been built for cleaning. It ascends upwards to what one would imagine would be the roof, but it appears that there are Iron bars at the top that would prvent eggress by a human sized creature. It also descends downward. You can faintly hear people down below, but cannot make out much more than that they exist, the words lost as they travel to your ears.
Price relays what she sees and hears, offering no opinion on what they should do.
"This once was a place of kinship. A great hall within a fortress built to protect those within from they tyranny of the outside world. This hearth was it's heart. Now it is dead, and the hall converted to a place where tyrants place their unwanted. Ironic that it may yet provide us with a path to liberty. The chimney will go to the battlements above and to what once were the kitchens below. Kitchens in castles are nearly always located near a servant's entrance."
"We should see where it leads, but first we should remove the threat of Sergeant Blackerly."
Uncomfortable with unknowns at his back, Cain takes the time -- while Price and Xanos inspect the hearth -- to open the only unopened door in the room. He gives the room a good, solid look while Xanos speaks.
When the man concludes, Cain nods. "Agreed. May be a good escape route to have in mind. Like to see where those stairs take us first, though."
Gwyn Tries to quietly climb the stairs while keeping her eyaes and ears straining for any sign of trouble, specifically human shaped with overly large egos.
Gwyn and Cain descend down the stairs, revealing a landing with a closed doorway. What sounds to be snoring can be heard coming from the opposite side.
Cain sneaks down the stairs behind Gwyn, senses straining. He motions for the younger girl to press her ear to the door as he mouths, How many you think are in there? As she presses her ear agains the wood, he does the same.
Gwyn does listen at the door trying to keep her footfalls quiet. She wonders how Cain is able to hear anything at all with the blood rushing through his ears like that.
Gwyn points to the door and then makes like she sleeping, using her hands as a pillow.
Cain -- unable to hear a thing -- raises a solitary finger and mouths, Just one?
Gwyn nods her head, then she points back up the stairs then at Cain and herself
Cain is not exactly sure what she is trying to communicate.
Cain looks at Gwyn, up the stairs at the rest, then back at Gwyn, clearly confused. He hikes a thumb at Price and the others as he mouths, Why do we want them up here?!
He shakes his head at the idea, grabbing her arm as he pulls her back towards the group.
His voice is just above a whisper when they get there, "I say the two of us go in. Until we know how many are in there, the fewer feet, the better."
Gwyn looks puzzled then alarmed as Cain mouths his question and then grabs her arm. She calms considerably when they stop between the rest of the group and the door.
"I don't want them up here with us. I agree with you about the fewer feet the better. I wanted to know if you just wanted to sneak in and start slitting throats. I just thought that getting away from the door before talking tactics would be a good idea."
She looks a little sheepish as she talks, it's obvious she's not used to working with other people.
A sudden sound on the other side of the doorway interrupts Gwyn and cain's conversation. "Wha, Seargent, I wasn't uh, oh, just a dream." A small bit of shuffling can be heard, rattling of what sounds to be armor. "Charlie, where'd you go off to now. Well, gotta make the rounds." With that, you hear the sound of the door start to open.
Gwyn's mind races with all sorts of unpleasant thoughts about what would happen if they caught her trying to escape. She rushes down the steps and squeezes against the wall on the side opposite of the hinges. she takes her dagger and holds it ready to strike out at whoever comes through the door.
By way of preparation, Cain gives Grumblejack a hard push back toward the top of the stairs, hissing, "Get scarce!"
He then turns on the steps and crashes down, letting his shield and sword clatter loudly. The sound might cover everyone's movements, and a drunk guard is probably something seen more often around here than escaping convicts.
He takes a swig of what's left in the bottle, swishing it around his mouth before spitting it on the front of his shirt.
This is how the incoming guard will find him, struggling to get up off the stairs and reeking of Wendell's alcohol.
Tense upon the landing above Gwyn and Cain, Kalina mutters to herself. "Show time.....
Xanos simply stays where he is in the other room, keeping the ogre still and quiet.
Price plays to the shadows near the wall, holding the bow with one hand and the knocked arrow, along with a bit of wool fluff in the other. She waits for the door to open and the situation to become clear before deciding whether to put an arrow down-range or cast a spell.