Highland Archipelago: Terror in the Mist (IC)

[Crazyfailure13]

The skeleton turns to face you all "well? Come come, i have forever, you dont let us make haste."

[Grail]

{table=head]

Pedivere

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Level

|

HP

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AC

|

TAC

|

FAC

|

PER

|Effects

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3rd

|

28/28

|

16

|

11

|

15

|

+5

|

Darkvision 60', Immune Fear & Disease

[/table]

Run along abomination. Tell your master that we will be there soon enough, and he should wish we not. For now, your trap can remain un-sprung. But when we choose to spring it, oblivion shall be his reward. Pedivere's tone is condescending, belittling, and with a good deal of spite.

What is your name? He says to the woman, now with an even and peaceful tone, forgetting that the skeleton is even there, I take it that your's, he nods to the Half-Orc, is Thar, given your comments. I am Brother Pedivere, this is Vash and Bishop.

[Comissar]

Cael frowned a little at the Skeletons response to her question. Down? I thought only evil things went down.

It didn't matter anyway, she was safe now. The Paladin had asked her something, her name?

"They call me Cael."

No, that's not always true, that's not what Dyfyn calls me.

"But not always, he calls me Cydymaith"

Content that she'd answered the question truthfully, she turned her gaze to follow the skeleton.

"Should we follow it? It won't be dangerous."

[Grail]

{table=head]

Pedivere

|

Level

|

HP

|

AC

|

TAC

|

FAC

|

PER

|Effects

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3rd

|

28/28

|

16

|

11

|

15

|

+5

|

Darkvision 60', Immune Fear & Disease

[/table]

No, said the Paladin. We will not follow just yet. You have been found, there may be more up here. There are still places as yet unexplored, and I would ensure that there are no others in the predicament we found you. He smiled, a beaming smile that lightened the mood in such a dire place. And I would not do as I'm told by such a creature, I will not dance to their tune, but make them dance to mine.

[Crazyfailure13]

The skeleton has actually sat down while he waits "Don't worry, everyone else is dead, in fact, had you come any later we would have finished killing those two." he makes the rasping noise again, which you now realize is laughter " Also, you may want to come this way, if you take to long, the Children will eat you while we wait. The wolves are strong normally, but we have weakened them, they could not hold back them all, so if you want, we'll just wait until you're corpses and bring you down to the master then. Not that you did more to help me, but i'll give you fair warning."

[ninthbit]

Vash quietly whispers to his companions, If this fool thinks we're going to just follow him down he's as sane as he is alive. But we should step up the pace; the wolves did say time was of the essence. With that, Vash'iar moves on the unexplored door. Trying to save time, he isn't being as thorough as before.

Spoiler

Show

Now he's only checking each square once instead of twice.
Stealth for the whisper? (1d20+9)[27]

[Morbis Meh]

Bishop merely grunts "I find you people talk way to much without saying anything of use, take skelly over there for example. I have never seen anything so full of hot air that doesn't even have lungs. They call do call me Bishop little lady but not because I am a holy man that's this one over here, right Pedi?" He nods in the direction of Pedivere.

[shugyosha]

Thar

Seeing how everyone is fawning over Ceal, Thar shakes his head. "Femi Girl is alright, Femi Girl will grow tough. We go with Skeleton, Thar has words for Hooded man," he says massaging his shoulders.

[ninthbit]

Go alone if you must, but we are aren't done up here yet, so we won't be going.

[shugyosha]

Thar

That was the first words actually spoken to Thar and they told him as much as he needed. These people didn't care for Thar; they liked the pretty waif instead, for no other reason than she was weak. If he was to face the Hooded Man alone so be it. These people had their own business and didn't want Thar's help.

[Crazyfailure13]

The skeleton laughs,"corpses it is."

[Crazyfailure13]

As you move through the door, you all find yourselves in another smaller room with an alter in the back of it. a statue of a black wolf tops the alter.

You hear a voice from the other room "We aren't the ones controling the children, we can't stop them from killing you."

Spoiler

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Oops, totally forgot the grid map

[Comissar]

Cael followed closely behind Pedievere, she didn't like the sound of what the Skeleton had said and felt it would be wisest to stick close to somebody who looked like they could handle some fighting.

"Who's children are they?" The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

Something else that the skeleton had said was bothering her. Why would he say they would be killed if she had already died?

Cael took a proper look around her, everything was as she remembered it from the times between the torture. If she had died, should she not be beyond the dank room?

It felt like everything was clicking into place. The people that had come for her looked like any other person she could remember, perhaps more heavily armed and armoured though. Her body seemed to be whole, no sign of a mortal gunshot wound. She still ached from having hung there for so long, her throat still raw from screaming.

"I understand," she was not yet done with this world, there were still many things she could achieve, there was still one question that needed answering though, "Are you here to help me escape?"

[shugyosha]

Thar

He turns to the other and starts to speak. To the untrained it sounds like guttural snorts and grumbles. To those who understand the primal half-orc language it is something more.

Spoiler

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"Brother, I am Thar, shaman of the the Red Claw Tribe. My Rites Journey has taken me from my green homeland to here. Where I was waylaid and set upon. They have tried to break me with laughable pain and torture. Others not a strong as I have died here. Help me vanquish this evil that lurks here. The crown of this evil lays with this abomination. Tally not like children and explore, crush the evil before you."

[ninthbit]

So he's not incompetent... he's just unintelligible in the human tongue, thats a relief.
Orcish:

Spoiler

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One thing at a time… first we secure our rear, then we press forward and destroy what lies below. For all we know, the tools for its destruction were stored up here.

To both Cael and Thar:
For the time being you will likely want to stay with us. There is an unnatural plague of undeath that is taking the city under. Apparently, It started with the children. To our understanding it’s begining to converge on this "temple". Do either of you possess any particular talents that will assist us.

As he waits for a response he checks the room for anything of interest

Spoiler

Show

Perc to search the room: (1d20+7)[20]
If anything of interest, Perc to check for traps: (1d20+7)[15]
If trap found, Disable Deceive (1d20+9)[22]

[Morbis Meh]

Bishop mutter "Great, Orc babble, hopefully this one is not as thick as that kid..." He looks over to the only woman in the group "No we are here to eradicate whatever is defiling this temple, if you live long enough to see the end of it then sure you can consider us your rescuers."

[Comissar]

Cael turned her head towards Thar and Vash, frowning a little as she did so. Why speak in Orc? Do they not want the others to understand?

Shrugging to herself a little, she answered the more open follow up question. "I cannot do much without my writings, it is tricky for me to focus properly without them. I do get glimpses of what is to come though, and I can let others see a little of what will be."

This place is a temple?

"Who do they worship here?"

[ninthbit]

I was just telling him that we're finishing up this level before we decend.

[Crazyfailure13]

you search around the room, and while most of it is bare, on the alter sits a golden Dagger, possibly for some so of ceremony.

[Grail]

{table=head]

Pedivere

|

Level

|

HP

|

AC

|

TAC

|

FAC

|

PER

|Effects

|

3rd

|

28/28

|

16

|

11

|

15

|

+5

|

Darkvision 60', Immune Fear & Disease

[/table]

Cael, I promise that as soon as we check for other prisoners down here, on this level, we will get you to safety. The wolves up above will be able to protect you, it is only a couple minutes to their settlement.

Now, he paused, what was it that they were doing to you, or I should ask, why? Were they after something, or was it merely for their pleasure? Thar, are you able to give us more information on this crown? We aren't exploring, we are searching for others, such as you.

Then, we will destroy the evil, you can rest assured of that.

[shugyosha]

Thar

The half-orc snorts and then continues in his native tongue.

Spoiler

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"Crown was a metaphor for the leader.

I saw no others while we were here."

[Grail]

{table=head]

Pedivere

|

Level

|

HP

|

AC

|

TAC

|

FAC

|

PER

|Effects

|

3rd

|

28/28

|

16

|

11

|

15

|

+5

|

Darkvision 60', Immune Fear & Disease

[/table]

Pedivere laughed soft and short. I did understand what you were refering too, but wanted to know if there was any futher information you could impart. Anyway. The Paladin turned his attention to the altar.

Spoiler

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Detect Evil

[Crazyfailure13]

The alter, and the room around, radiate an aura of not evil.

[Grail]

{table=head]

Pedivere

|

Level

|

HP

|

AC

|

TAC

|

FAC

|

PER

|Effects

|

3rd

|

28/28

|

16

|

11

|

15

|

+5

|

Darkvision 60', Immune Fear & Disease

[/table]

Nothing in here is evil Vash. We should move on. Said Pedivere.

[Comissar]

Cael wrapped her arms around her waist, holding onto herself as a reminder that she was no longer captive as Pedivere's question took her back to the torture room.

The room was dark, dark apart from a few bright stars that danced across her vision. Cael's arms were strapped above her, apart from one another. Her hands felt colder than normal as the blood was draining away from her fingers, the cold touch of manacles didn't help the feeling. She felt the chilling touch of metal around her ankles too.

"They never told me why I was bought here."

The darkness was slowly giving way to soft torchlight. Blinking, Cael tried to look around the room she found herself in but found herself unable to turn her head. She became aware of a band of pressure running along her forehead. She began to sweat, afraid of what her restraint could mean. In front of her a hooded figure was hunched over some glowing coals.

"They didn't ask me any questions."

The man turned around, a red hot strip of iron in his hand. The hood cast a shadow across his face, preventing her from seeing it properly. He moved towards her slowly, menace obvious in his movement. Cael began panicing, her worst fears were confirmed. "Please, don't!" she screamed, "Tell me what you want to know! You don't need to do this!"

The red hot iron came closer and closer. The darkness was now well and truly gone. Instead she was left with the blazing metal, its heat already reaching her skin and promising more, coming up towards her chest.

"And they wouldn't answer mine."

A pained expression finds its way onto Cael's face. In an effort to distract herself from the grim thoughts, she looks over at the Altar, carefully examining the shape of it, the height and the colour of the stone.

[Crazyfailure13]

As each of you stand in the room doing what you feel like.

You hear laughter from behind you.
as you turn to see where it is coming from, you see one of the doors has opened, and in the darkness of the new hallway dozens of yellow, sharp eyes stay at your company, and the shrill laughter rises in volume as the eyes start to move.

[Grail]

{table=head]

Pedivere

|

Level

|

HP

|

AC

|

TAC

|

FAC

|

PER

|Effects

|

3rd

|

28/28

|

16

|

11

|

15

|

+5

|

Darkvision 60', Immune Fear & Disease

[/table]

Pedivere placed himself between the rest of the group and the eyes, his greataxe in hand. The children no doubt. He said. Cael, Thar, are either of you capable in a fight? This may get messy. If these children are anything like the last poor, debased creatures we found, then they will be ghouls.

[Morbis Meh]

Bishop makes a grunting noise than spits out a massive loogy while he loads a cartridge into his pistol"Enough chat Pedi, these folks don't have much of a choice, them creatures over yonder aint here for hopscotch. Either they fight or they die so it's no skin off our nose as long as they don't get in the way."

[ninthbit]

C**p d**nit. Vash quickly pockets the knife and then readies his sword. As he heads to open the remaining closed door.

Spoiler

Show

Vash will head to whichever unexplored door is still closed. Assuming North is up on the maps, then either the northern or western door.

[shugyosha]

Thar

The half-orc beats his chest, "Thar doesn't have weapons, but Thar has magic."