Arma moves to get out into the hallway so as to intercept the remaining Kytons attacks again with her shield, moving to where she can cover the largest number of her allies. Hopefully the next swing of her scimitar or one of the others weapons will end one of the vile things.
"Stay close together!" Her call for coordination is measured, confident and calm as her visor's gaze does not leave the closest of the two little sphere like fiends.
For my prepared attack if needed... Though I doubt it is going to hit with that roll.
The two horrible little outsiders explode into rains of gore almost simultaneously, brought down by a barrage of spells and flashing steel. You attack so swiftly, nearly simultaneously, that it is difficult to say which blow is fatal to which Kyton, but both fall into shards of metal and stinking, black liquid, which etches the floor.
Over by Mirandix, the Goblin called Grinner Grim lies still. Very slowly, the fist he used to strike the Elf relaxes, revealing an exquisitely-crafted little piece of glasswork.
Kyrax will go and retrieve they key. Shall we continue?
As Kyrax retrieves the key, Mirandix wipes his blade on a clean piece of the goblin's clothing, then sheathse it. The whole procedure has the little extra flourish and precision that marks it to be some kind of ritual or formal gesture.
When he stands there is a small bit of blood on his clothing as well. He nods to Kyrax, "I believe that to be an excellent suggestion, Kyrax."
While you take a look in the room the kytons came from, you notice the noises from the rooms on the right hand side of the corridor have gotten louder. Both doors shake in their frames from time to time.
Looking around the kytons' room, you find the torture instrument the extraplanar torturers were using on the Imp... and then there are the jars and bottles. There is a flask of acid, a flask whose label proclaims it to contain 'goblin dog skin flakes', and six bottles with some black, syrupy content. In addition to this 'bounty', there is a masterwork set of torturer's tools, gleaming and ready for work.
Kyrax will cast Detect Magic as he examine the content of the room. He will collect anything that does not radiate magic as "loot" and try to identify anything that is magic. Hey someone should heal Pontia. She is bleeding. he notes as he glances over his shoulder at the doors on the far side of the hall. And I guess someone should see to those doors...
Three of the flasks of black liquid radiate weak Conjuration magic; the other three radiate weak Necromancy magic.
Robert is not skilled in the healing arts, and so excuses himself from those duties.
He joins Kyrax in the search for treasure both in the room and then in the Goblin's corpse.
The body of Grinner Grim yields... not that much.
The Goblin is wearing hide armour, but it is sized for a Small creature.
His scimitar is masterwork quality, but likewise sized for a Small creature. You could use it, but not as well as a being of the appropriate size.
A metal pendant around the little warrior's neck looks promising; it's a circle of silver on a leather thong! When you study the image more closely, though, you note it is a holy - or perhaps unholy - symbol of some sort.
A fine leather pouch on the Goblin's belt yields twenty pieces of silver and ten pieces of copper.
The bottle lying by the stairwell the Goblin came down is still one third full of surprisingly good-smelling wine. Of course if you want to drink it, you'll need to tolerate the fact the Goblin had been drinking directly from the bottle.
Leaving a trail of blood behind her, Pontia limps over to the fallen goblin and glances at the amulet he wore. "What a surprise. He followed Lamashtu." She turns away. "He deserved better."
Raina moves over to Pontia and covers the wound with her hand.
"The light heal and restore your health."
Looking into Pontia's eyes she asks:
"Feel better?"
The wizard looks up at Raina, starts to say something, then catches herself before continuing. "Yes. Thank you."
Seeing the mage healed, Kyrax will ask her to help identify the bottles he has found that radiate magic. Their content is beyond my minor ability to identify Pontia. You are more studied than I. Can you take a look?
Pontia nods imperiously to the kitsune. "Of course." She casts a quick cantrip and concentrates on the bottles.
Zhu looks with concern at the three doors and says, "Unless we believe that one of these is the next Wizard-door, I suggest we continue. We have no reason to think the occupants will be allies."
Mirandix nods to Zhu, "And they would likely be a drain on our resources. Let us leave them in their cells and press on."
And if they are prisoners being tortured? Kyrax objects.
Pontia shakes her head minutely, dismissing Kyrax' concerns out of hand. "Then you can deal with them once we've finished what we came here to do." She pauses, struck by a thought. "Though they may have valuable information, and it would be best not to leave any enemies alive behind us in case we have to retreat quickly."
I side with Pontia. Better to know what is behind us than to not. Kyrax moves to the door and checks it for traps before opening it.
There are no traps on the first door to the right.
What is there, once you swing the door open, is an animal stench that wafts towards you. It is the stench of an animal's den, mixed with the smell of raw meat.
Small wonder; as light from the torches spills into the room, you can see that it is the lair of a large - a very large! - reptile. The big lizard looks up from its meal - a trough full of chopped-up meat with the bones still inside - to regard you all in an almost owlish fashion.
At Kyrax' statement, one corner of the Chelaxian's mouth quirks up for just a moment. I'll probably never hear him say that again. Then she stands back to observe as the door is opened.
"A riding gecko! It's probably tamed...I suggest we leave it be."
Leave it? That is crazy. I'll ride it. Kyrax begins looking around for tack.
You spot an exotic saddle and a bridle, hanging from hooks on the "stable's" wall. The riding gecko does not react aggressively if you choose to enter its room; it just goes back to eating, scarfing down its meal with some indication of haste, now.
Arma watches over the group as they set about to their tasks at searching and healing those injured. She keeps her eyes ahead toward the end of the hall looking around only as the group begins exploring the other rooms.
"Well fought everyone. Especially you Sir Mirandix."
Watching as Raina tends to the wounded and Pontia, Robert and Kyrax all search she is content to simply keep watch in defense of her allies. Still after a time as the others explore the area she speaks up.
If we are ready, let us not spend too much time here. We need to reach the lady Valeria as soon as we can."
Robert takes the money and the medallion for himself and leaves the rest. Then he turns to help the others as they try more doors.
Kyrax quickly saddles the riding lizard while the others check the other door. I believe this beast can walk on walls. he notes inspecting its feet. I simply cannot leave it to be used by our enemy.
"It can, indeed. Perhaps you can ride on the wall or ceiling, and the rest of us can march next to you."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Noya had said she thought she heard the sound of someone sobbing behind one of these doors." He indicates the door that Noya had pointed to, and - once Kyrax had secured his strange mount - moves to open it.
__________
Mirandix moves up beside Zhu, drawing his curved blade and holding it ready.
Again, a stench wafts out towards you when you open the door -- the stink of unwashed bodies and death.
Beyond the door, you find what must once have been a cell block, but has evidently fallen out of favour. Four cages with thick, iron bars are before you, and in three of them lie emaciated corpses. Emaciated -- and hideous. At just a cursory glance you see tusks, plates of chitin, scales, fur -- all on the same body!
Cowering in the last cage, the furthest one from the door, is a creature like the ones that lie dead. It is easily as hideous as the rest, but still clings to life. When you open the door, it raises a crab-like claw and a paw-like hand to cover the mismatched halves of its face.
"No, please!" it begs. "No more! Not the pain-room again! No more cookery! I'll be quiet! I'll be quiet! Please..."
As the miserable creature huddles against the wall, you see that one of its legs ends in a stump, wrapped in crude bandages, and that its back is criss-crossed with scars. All together, the lines of scar tissue seem to spell out a message...
Pontia shakes her head at the writing. "'Pain is Growth'...I fear I know who holds that particular philosophy."
"Indeed, and he's a creepy one."
"Pain is growth? Who would have a philosophy like that?"
Robert moves behind the girls, who curiously were the first to reach the creature. He peeps from between them to take a glance at the thing, then says as soothingly as possible.
"Please, please, we are not here to harm. Who did this to you? We just destroyed a few evil things in that torture room!
And who are you?"
This last question he almost screams in admiration and genuine curiosity.
"Kytons, like the two augurs we just fought."
The tormented, malformed creature gradually stops sobbing and peeks at you.
"Des... destroyed them?" it whimpers. "They're gone? Honest and true?"
Slowly, painfully, the creature levers itself to its remaining foot. Leaning on the bars of the cage, it comes as close to you as it can, its mismatched features filled with hope. One Elf-ear twitches with deep emotion.
"I am... I am Horsehaw. My friends and I..." -- Horsehaw casts a stricken look at the dead bodies -- "we used to live in caves nearby. Xorshak came. He tormented us for our tribe's treasure. My friends and I were the only ones to survive the attack.
The Wizard brought us here, gave us to the, the talking orbs to play with, always digging for answers to his questions. The Orcs... The Orcs chopped off my leg after we made Xorshak believe we had no more tresure - which we didn't! Xorshak stopped coming to see us, but the Orcs would still give us to the metal balls of pain.
Please... Please, if you have any goodness in your hearts, let Horsehaw go!"
That last word comes out as a wail of torment.
No fool, Pontia stands back where the creature can't see her contempt for its weakness, and lets the more pleasant members of the party do the talking.
Mirandix, aware that tact and empathy are not his strong suits, also stays out of the room.
Tell us more about you, Horsehaw. Where would you go if you were free? What would you do?
OOC: Is it possible to understand what these creatures originally were? From the description, I'm thinking they're some sort of grafted monsters from several parts, but is there some thing that strikes as the original frame?
"Go home," Horsehaw says, his voice full of longing. "Horsehaw wants to go home, to see if anything is left. After that... find others. Or die. But whichever it is, I want to do it away from here! Horsehaw is no threat to anyone! Please!"
Zhu says softly to his companions, "I feel pity, but we must be realistic. We cannot allow ourselves to be slowed down by him. Even NOW, something just as evil could be about to happen to the princess. Release him if you will and give him some food, them we must leave him. If we succeed, we will collect him on the way out. But we are running out of time."
Just let it go.Kyrax requests. It does not want to go with us and can try to make its way out. I will share water and my rations with it.