IC [3] Warriors of Blackvale

[BramsesII]

Silith

"Jamming them? Is there some way we could test if a pressure plate is active or not?"

Silith eyes the silver haired woman, facepalms, and motions for her to be silent. She leans over and whispers: "Sure we can test that. By stepping on each and every one of them. Did you remember to bring enough bandages? Now hush. Let's not clue her in on the fact we have a plan."

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She blinked looking at Silith. She tapped her chin looking at her. She kept quieter not seeming to fully understand the mocking tone completely Silith was using at her. "Oh... I mean I guess that could work... though it was more questioning if we could use something heavy to try and attempt to put weight on it without getting ourselves in the way." She spoke quieter looking at her companion curiously.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht turned slightly toward Silith and Aisha, hissing out the side of his mouth. "Door, gnoll checkup ladies. Now, please."

He then turned back to Zirina, a matter of fact look on his face. It was, however, now devoid of suspicion, and his voice was simple and honest. "That may be a little while. I do not intend to leave until matters here have been resolved to my satisfaction - and it may be dangerous to leave here now, anyway. But if you swear that you were not involved in Eleber's work with the Romnid, then I promise to rescue you and take you with us when we leave."

[Estralita]

Raka grimaced slightly at Hal's request, but he was right. What she doubted was whether not not to trust this girl's word, and to give his own word to aid her. Look how well taking Eleber's word had gone. But the others might remind him, and she knew from experience she wasn't the best at reading people. She would be more use checking to see if the group coming was hostile. She reached the door, and listened for the gnolls.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception check:
(d20+3)[18]
Someone with better perception might want to come along

[BramsesII]

Silith

"Door, gnoll checkup ladies. Now, please."

Silith nods to Halbrecht. "Right." The ranger follows behind Raka, moving swiftly but staying behind the elf. Once they've arrived at the door the ranger is quiet, listening for a good long while for any sound that may indicate the presence of gnolls on the other side.

Spoiler: Actions:

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Perception check: (1d20+19)[35]

Spoiler: OOC

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Actually, does this count as an urban environment (or hills, or forests)? Because that's Silith's favored terrains.

Once she's sure about what she heard, the ranger leans over to Raka and whispers. "You hear anything?"

[Felhammer]

The woman shakes her head, "I don't know you and I don't know if I can trust you. My friend abandoned me here. You're just some stranger. No deal. Get me out now or I won't help you."

Spoiler: Silith and Raka

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You can both here gnoll voices in the hallway behind the barricaded door. Some are hushed but one is particularly blunt and loud.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

OOC: Apologies in advance for godmodding slightly.

Looking back at Silith and Raka gesturing about the gnolls, Halbrecht turned back to Zirina. "As much as I'd like to say yes or no, I'm afraid we're going to have to table this discussion for a little while. There's a bunch of rather angry gnolls at the door to the sanctum and we need to deal with them." Making to close the door, Halbrecht stopped briefly. "I know you don't trust me, but I will come back for you. And rescue you, assuming of course that you swear you're not part of the Romnid, but hey, details."

Closing the door to Zirina's room, Halbrecht returned to where Silith and Raka stood. "Can you make out any of what they're saying?"

[Felhammer]

Zirina is incensed, "Bastard. Coward. Fool. Run and play with your gnolls. For your sake, I hope they kill you."

Spoiler: If you speak Gnoll

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"The tower has returned! We must be fast, sisters, we must find the chalice."

"This room looks like a dungeon. No way out save for a door with a lock on the outside. There's a hole in the ceiling."

"Fly like the storm clouds, sister. Discover where it leads."

The cackles and whispers get closer and closer to your door. They try to open the door leading to your room but find it barred.

Spoiler: Gnoll

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"This door is locked, from the inside."

"Blast. Our last Stormwalker has already left. Are there no other doors?"

"No, sister."

"Then hack it down."

More hushed whispers , followed by harshly barked orders, followed quickly by what sounds like axes heaving into the thick wooden door. They do not find much purchase at the moment but given enough time...

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith has no idea what the gnolls on the other side of the door are saying, but the sound of axes on wood makes their course of action abundantly clear. She frowns. Then, she puts a hand on Raka's shoulder and whispers into the elf's ear. "Stay here and keep watch. I'll talk to Halbrecht."

The ranger moves over to Halbrecht, and speaks to him in an almost-whisper. "They're trying to hack down the door, Halbrecht. What's the plan? Oh, and I suggest we don't talk too loudly in case they hear us."

[Rysc]

Fare

Despite the urgency of the situation, Fare can't help but roll her eyes at the trapped girl's words.

We'll definitely be in a rush to make sure you get out safely. And what exactly made the use of "coward" necessary?

She hovers down to where Silith and Hal are having a hushed conversation. "I'm assuming we want to talk with them?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht nodded at Rysc's statement. "That is the plan. But have your weapons ready. Just in case."


Nodding at the door and briefly pausing for the others (should they suddenly wish to stop him), Halbrecht spoke through the door.

"Hold, gnolls! What is your business here at the Sanctum?"

Spoiler: Actions

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Diplomacy (to stun them into talking rather than redoubling their efforts to hack the door down): (1d20+14)[25]

[Felhammer]

The axes stop at Halbrecht's call. Whispers can be heard, followed soon by a discussion. After a minute, a deep, guttural snarl responds, "We come seeking the Chalice of the Fireborn. You will give the chalice to us or we will burn your sanctum to the ground. I will not wait long for a reply..."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

...oh, f***.

Halbrecht had not been expecting the gnolls to come bearing sweets and spices, of course. But he had also not expected the gnolls to come with malice aforethought. In fact, he had figured that they were merely a patrol spooked at the sight of the suddenly-appearing castle. How could they have known the Sanctum would be here, if it teleported randomly throughout the fiac?

Although, if they knew it would be here, that must mean it teleports to fixed locations rather than being truly random... and that means it might truly be possible to rescue the giantess' son.

Anyway, focus. Can't return her son if this damn place burns down.

"What tribe do you hail from? What do you want with the chalice?"

And come to think of it, could it possibly be the artifact responsible for the teleportation?

Spoiler: Actions

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If these are the Frostpaws, I think it may be worth having Starman bust out Intimidate - he actually has ranks in that skill, and we know we broke their backs (and so have some leverage in that regard). But we will wait for a response before any definitive action is taken. I suspect we will have to fight our way out of this one, as Estralita has said.

Diplomacy: (1d20+14)[30]

[Felhammer]

There is some muffled discussion before the voice responds, "We are of the Axepaw Tribe. We come seeking the Chalice so that we may give it to the Harlequin Earl. The rest does not concern you. Give us the Chalice or my Stormwalker will find you and kill you."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht's mind was awash in a series of conflicts at the information revealed by the gnoll.

The Harlequin Earl.

It's the Jester. It's got to be. Who else could be described as such?

And the Axepaws! We'd thought them all dead, but if they're still alive... Well, that means this castle is much more mobile than we thought. But this Stormcaller business...

Halbrecht looked down at Starman, who was quivering at the new of the Stormcaller. Halbrecht squeezed his shoulder, looking fondly down at his pupil.

"If worst comes to worst, stay in the back near one of the others. You will be safest there."

Halbrecht then turned back to the door. Like Baylan said. If we can get the Axe, Frost, and Skypaws on our side, we've got this gnoll situation in the bag.

"You are the Axepaws?! We had heard last that the Romnid had killed your entire tribe! If what you say is true, then there is no need for us to be at each other's throats. I am the new Baron of Westbow, and I have been searching for any surviving members of your tribe to end the inter-tribal conflict in these lands, along with the location of the Romnid so that I may end the threat they pose. Come - let us speak with one another face to face."

And we will see if I can't figure out a way to give you what you want without you going around and pissing of fire giantesses and lying with no-good rotten memento stealing bandits.

Spoiler: Actions

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70% chance please.

Diplomacy: (1d20+14)[20]

[Felhammer]

Muffled whispers followed by an ecstatic voice that says, "You are the Baron...? Then you must be the Harlequin Earl! The birds spread the word of your arrival to all throughout the region last night! Open the door! Quickly! We have much to discuss."

[Rysc]

Fare

...unexpected, but not unwelcome.

I guess the druids were busy? Or maybe just elves and birds.

Fare allows herself to relax ever so slightly, but still tries to dissect the gnoll's words for any possible trickery.

Spoiler: Actions

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Sense Motive: (1d20+16)[25]

[Felhammer]

The room goes hazy and fuzzy once more. You all feel incredibly disoriented and dizzy. Starman, being the youngest and least experienced, is overcome by the sensation and falls on his bottom. There are no windows in the "lost son's room", so you have no idea where the Sanctum has teleported to.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

I'M the Harlequin Earl?!

...okay, I'm smacking whoever came up with that appellation.

"Silith, Fare! Help me open the..."

And then that same hazy feeling came over the party.

"Oh, for the love of... Starman!" Halbrecht's annoyed tone turned to concern as he saw his pupil fall to unconsciousness, and he turned to the others. "Zid, look to Starman for a second while the strongest of us unbar the door."

[Felhammer]

Hal checks on Starman, who was merely struck low by a spat of dizziness. "I am fine, milord. I just... Couldn't keep myself upright."

Meanwhile, Silith and Aisha remove the heavy wooden barricade from the door, which then swings open with great ferocity revealing a cadre of haggard looking gnolls. The metal bits of their armor is dinged and bloody, the leather bits torn and ripped. The gnolls look like they have been through hell and back. In stark contrast to her pack mates, the lead gnoll is wearing a silken red shirt and sturdy woolen britches, both of which look brand new. At each of her hips are two thin clubs bound together with a chain. Her eyes are steel blue, while her fur charcoal black. "I am Verikora, Chieftess of the Axepaws. I have come seeking the Chalice of the Fireborn so that I may give it to you, the Harlequin Earl, as an token of our friendship. We seek revenge against the Romnid for the savage butchery they unleashed upon us. The..."

The gnoll leader's gaze moves from Hal to the others. When she spots Fare, the gnoll drops to one knee, "I did not realize a Mistress of the Woods was traveling with the Harlequin Earl. Please accept my humble apologizes, Mistress, for not recognizing you earlier. The birds merely spoke of the Earl and his companions, not of a... Powerful Mistress, such as yourself. Our Tribe owes your kind a great debt. Without the other Mistresses and Masters of the Woods, all of our cubs and malefolk surly would have perished when the Romnid attacked."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht breathed a sigh of relief as Starman indicated he was alright. "Thank goodness. You worried me there for a second."

As Silith and (the unusually silent) Aisha cleared the barricade, Halbrecht caught his first sight of the gnoll chieftess, and made to speak - until her attention then turned to Fare. Turning to his companion, the Earl inclined his head slightly toward the gnolls, inviting her to speak first - it seemed only appropriate, given the gnoll's seeming gratitude.

[BramsesII]

Silith

The ranger nods at Halbrecht's order, then turns to Aisha.
"Our turn."
Silith puts all her strength into opening the door as quickly as possible.

Once it's been opened she steps aside, eyeing the gnolls warily.

[Rysc]

Fare

Fare is not very prepared for the gnoll leader to drop to one knee, least of all in apparent reverence of the druid. She takes a few moments to compose her thoughts, then hovers a little closer to the ground. "I...thank you. Though...please, rise, and no need for apologies. We both had no way of knowing each other. And as I'm simply a traveler in these regions, I don't think I really deserve much credit for what my fellow druids are doing here. But thank you regardless."

She pauses to glance over the rest of the Axepaws. "I'm sorry--even if that's not really enough--that your tribe was attacked. When did this happen? We've...well, suffice it to say, we dislike the Romnids as much as you, for various reasons..." After a pause, she nods at Hal and resumes. "Our Harlequin Earl can tell you more about that, if he wishes.

[Estralita]

Raka steps out of the groups way, nodding to the gnolls once the door opened. She glanced outside wondering if this was the same place they had departed from, or a third place.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht stepped forward as Fare finished replying to the chieftess.

"Fare speaks the truth - we have a mutual enemy in the Romnid, Chieftess Verikora, and for many of the same reasons. It is with this in mind that I whole-heartedly accept your offer of friendship, though I would ask for two other favors. First, if it would not be too much trouble... would you mind spreading the word that I prefer 'Earl Halbrecht' rather than 'the Harlequin Earl'? This..."

Halbrecht ran a gauntleted hand over his red, yellow, and purple checkered full plate, a look of visible discomfort plain on his face to all who cared to see.

"This decoration is not something I am proud of, nor was it voluntary. Secondly, as a token of your friendship, rather than the chalice - at least for now - I would have information, if you are willing to give it."

Spoiler: Actions

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Halbrecht will ask Verikora about the following.

1. "As I mentioned earlier, we feared that you were all dead when the Romnid attacked. If we are to defeat them and strike down their leaders, we need all the information you can give about them - how they were armed, tactics, anything you can think of. In particular, if your people had some idea of where to start looking for them, that would be marvelous."

2. "The fact that your people were here and waiting for the Sanctum suggests you knew it was coming. What do you know about this place - and even more importantly, what do you know about the giantess who lives here?"

[Felhammer]

Spoiler: Raka

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The outside looks densely forested, with barely any snow on the ground. Clearly, this is a third location.

Verikora slowly stands. She looks Fare in the eye and says, "Regardless, we are indebted to your kind. The Romnid have been attacking us relentlessly for about a year now. We tried to mount a defense but their magic was too overwhelming. Their mages rained down fire and acid from the heavens, while their soldiers butchered us with poisoned blades. We were but ants compared to their mighty boot." The other gnolls grow disgruntled and kick the ground and/or grumble. Verikora holds up her hand to silence the lot.

"We seek the aid of the Harlequin Earl for the birds said he was an enemy of the Romnid. That he had already captured the Green She-Devil's pup. Our intention was to scour the Fiac for the rumored Sanctum. We have been searching for almost a month. We thought we would never find this place. The gods obviously sent you to us." She takes a few steps forward and gets uncomfortably close to Halbrecht. Verikora is a tall woman, nearly six and a half feet in all, with muscles brimming atop yet more muscles. Her breath reeks of carrion. "The Chalice was - is - going to be my gift to you, Sir Harlequin... Earl... Of Halbrecht... Just as the giants take on special companions, so do we gnolls." Verikora holds out her arms as if she wants to hug the cavalier while at the same time she smile-snarls, "I will be your lover, forevermore."

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith stands to the side of the group, arms crossed over her chest as she listens to the conversation. She doesn't feel the need to interrupt the conversation, as she has nothing interesting to add anyway. Instead, she focuses her attention on Raka. The elf may have joined the group what seemed like ages ago, she hasn't actually been with the group that long, and Silith's still not entirely sure what to think about the elf. That, and she's more interesting to look at than gnolls.

The last few words of the gnoll leader do draw Silith's attention. Her mouth nearly falls open in shock, but she manages to hide it reasonably well by turning her head to look in another direction, away from the gnolls. Lover? That's... poor Halbrecht. A frown forms on Silith's face as she realizes the potential repercussions of this. The ranger doesn't respond, though.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht somehow managed to keep his face straight as Verikora spoke.

"...The Chalice was - is - going to be my gift to you, Sir Harlequin... Earl... Of Halbrecht... Just as the giants take on special companions, so do we gnolls."

"I will be your lover, forevermore."

...she is serious.

If I knew this was coming, I would have taken the offer of that woman back in Verdna.

What do I do?! I can't accept her offer - I have-slash-am interested in Arna, and I'm not attracted to gnolls (though I do admit a small part of me is flattered) - but if I just turn her down she'll go berserk! I can't remember any ceremonies or challenges that would get me out of this, or any history of how the gnolls view marriage...

Nothing for it. I'm going to have to talk my way out. Almahara, guide my tongue - PLEASEOHPLEASE.

Opening his mouth, Halbrecht summoned as great a burst of charisma he could.

"You flatter me with your offer, Verikora, but unfortunately, I am afraid that I am unable to accept. The situation in these lands is tenuous as it is, and there are a high number of people who, while not allied explicitly with the Romnid, sympathize with many of their sentiments, particularly their hatred of gnolls. If anyone were to find out that I took you as my lover, I can guarantee you that I would be ousted before you can say 'horseshoe'. And the next person to replace me would almost certainly have no love for your people, and would likely be content to let them run about as they please. as such, I think it is best if we simply remain allies."

Spoiler: Actions

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Oh dice gods, please bless me with just a bit of your luck.

Diplomacy: (1d20+14)[32]

Spoiler: If she takes it relatively well...

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Halbrecht will re-ask his questions.

[Felhammer]

The Gnoll's face contorts, "You... Refuse...?" She looks over at her companions in a confused manner. "You would refuse me as a Lover?" She looks back at her companions and speaks in Gnoll, they respond in kind. "I am not as fluent with Common as I would like but my packmates assure me that the proper translation of the Giant word cheshmariti is lover. I would be your faithful friend, soldier, ally... You..." Verikora jumps back several feet and spits on the ground. She looks over to her friends with a horrified look. All of them suddenly spit on the ground in unison and look at Hal with a disgusted look. "I..." She coughs, "We would not..."

Quickly changing the topic, "As I said, the Romnid used wizards and soldiers with poisoned blades. Their men wear dirty, worn leather and dingy plate. After the attacks they fled to the north-east, perhaps they are hiding in the Tirnan, or maybe they went to a human town. We do not know. I do not know much about this Sanctum, only that the Chalice of the Fireborn is supposed to be in it. We have been wandering around the forest for many weeks. We were about to leave here and seek the aid of the elves from Norelm. I do not know anything about the giantess, I assumed she was just a legend used to ward off adventurers and that this place was really run by a wizard. We have nothing to barter with, so I was looking for something of value that humans would take as an... Offering.

[Estralita]

Raka,seeing they had not returned to where the child had run off to,sighed. How they would fix this, she didn't know. She was so preoccupied, it took her a moment to comprehend exactly what the Chieftess was offering. Fortunately, she managed to control her reaction to simply widening her eyes instead of exclaiming in surprise. A good thing, as Hal kept the situation mostly under control with a few carefully chosen words.

Reinarra doesn't like people who conceal their thoughts. Her mother's words came back to her forcefully. Raka tried to brush that thought aside. To help both herself and the gnolls focus on a new topic, Raka asked about something that had been puzzling her "What exactly is this Chalice of the Fireborn?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. Knowledge(Arcana) check to see if Raka knows anything about this chalice.(I assume it's an Arcana check. Sounds magical, at least)

(d20+16)[30]