In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords [IC]

[13_CBS]

Jeando Dakat, cleric 5
HP: 17/32 (Or is it? I'm a little confused...)
AC: 16
Touch AC: 11
FF AC: 15
Spells:
0- Create water, Detect Magic, Guidance, Resistance x2
1- Bless, Divine Favor, Comprehend Languages, Magic weapon, Domain spell: detect doors
2- Bull's Strength, Enlarge Person, Calm Emotions, Domain Spell; Identify
3- Searing Light, Magic Vestments, Domain Spell: Dispel Magic


Jeando's face is full of mourning as he gazes at where the sorcerer once stood.

May Pelor forgive me for the murder I have just comitted... He sighs and casts a bit of healing on himself:

((Jeando will convert Comprehend Languages to cast CLW on himself:

(1d8+5)[7]

He then marches off to drag over the guard's beaten body to Sechrin.

You required a prisoner, sir Sechrin?

[Godhand]

Tristan

While the others tend to their wounds and the guard, Tristan walks over to the fog and waits a few feet from the boundaries. He brings himself to ready yet relaxed stance, wincing slightly at the burns on his skin behind his faceplate.

[Psionic Dog]

Rashnik

The lizardman shrugs and walks over to Tristan, his weapons as a moves. "Well, they need a guard. Let's see if the forward guard survived," he says after a moments pause before steeping into the fog to feel the ground inside.

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Rashnik only moves 5 feet into the fog so he can still see his companions, and searches the ground within his reach (10 ft into the fog).

Just in case finding a body requires skill, search - (1d20+1)[13]

If the guard resists being moved...
Touch - (1d20+7)[23]
grapple - (1d20+7)[19]

[Xian]

((13_CBS, you're good with the hp. That healing brings you up to 24/32 now, no? You're in good shape for now.))

Rashnik feels around the foggy area where he thinks the thud was heard, taking care not to slip in the water under his feet. It's a short search before he finds the fallen guard who is still softly moaning and faintly complaining about his head; lifesavers that they may be, helmets do not provide the most comfortable resistance to head trauma. Had he not slipped, he would have broken through the fog and quite likely used his sharp longsword on a member of the party. He seems unaware of the lizardman at the moment.

[Krelon]

Aerhalyss

Addressing the guys who are not dealing with the guard, "The questioning might take a while. Let's quickly check out what happened in the fog bank. Did they flee, do they hide, can we salvage knowledge or something useful? Come on, follow me." You see the elf beckoning to follow her before she takes off.

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If I am right it will take a few rounds to drag out/beguile/question the guard to find out what's the best course of action.

In the meantime Aerhalyss will cast detect magic and caustiously stepping over the water she will go down the corridor, (( looking at your ASCII map: walking next to the left wall where the W is )) ready to encounter a living hiding person. Sight is 5ft. so that should cover half of the corridor. She'll walk down 9 squares behind the water line, then change the side and walk up. Count people lying.

During the walk she'll take backpacks, parchments, note books, case scrolls and such from the droppped persons. If she sees something magical that can be removed quickly (weapon, rod, ring, amulet, belt with potions,...) she'll take that too. Each person found (on the way or 5ft. next to the path) will get a quick search primarily for anything with things written on it or a map. She will not stop to read or identify anything, just move on as fast as possible (ok, maybe also grab a fat purse).

(( If someone from our group whi is not dealing with the guards follows (I hope so) she'll point out magical things to them and search together. In an effort to coordinate she'll give hand signs: Some could go down the left side, others could go down the right side to cut the time in half and to search faster / aid another / skip a guy who has been searched by someone else and move straight to the next ))

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(( If you say that this will take a lot time, I'll cut down the search to the spellcasters since I believe it's more likely that they - rather than the guards - possess relevant knowledge ))
search
1st found spellcaster: (1d20+8)[4](12)
2nd found spellcaster: (1d20+8)[16](24)
3rd found spellcaster: (1d20+8)[13](21)

[Xian]

Making her way swiftly but carefully down the foggy hallway, Aerhalyss first comes across the prone body of one of the guards in the middle of the hallway. Scorch marks on her skin and armor suggest that she burned to death. A search of her belongings reveal a potion of some sort and about 3 gold coins. Shortly beyond her and in front of Aerhalyss is the charred remains of the warlock. If he was carrying anything of value, it was incinerated in the blast.

Reaching the end of the fog, Aerhalyss finds the body of the sorcerer. His possessions of any note include 10 silver pieces and a scroll that seems to contain two spells on it. She then goes to the opposite wall and heads back towards the group. Near the body of the first guard, she finds the body of the second guard. His cause of death seems to be the same and bears worse evidence of injury than his companion. A search of his body reveals little, but he's wearing an odd necklace. At first glance, it seems to be a pair of red glass beads on a cheap thread, but a closer inspection reveals that the thread is instead a fine gold chain and the two beads shimmer and swirl with energy inside. Hurrying back, Aerhalyss rejoins the group with her findings.

((Potion needs a Spellcraft check or Identify, scroll needs a Spellcraft check or Read Magic, necklace needs Knowledge (Arcana) check or Identify. Of course, experimentation is always allowed for thrill seekers.))

[Krelon]

Aerhalyss

"Bad news guys, I counted 2 spellcasters and 2 guards, I think I saw at least 3 casters before the fog kicked in. Also, no maps of any sort."

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Before the walk Aerhalyss had cast detect magic and it is still on, maybe that gives some additional info about the objects found?
((in the order of your post))
spellcraft (1d20+18)[2](20) potion ... failed, I guess
spellcraft (1d20+18)[10](28) scroll
knowledge(arcana) (1d20+13)[15](28) necklace

ah, yes .... before reading the scroll I drop valuables, move 20ft away from the group (in case the scroll explodes)

After examining the new found potion briefly she hands it to the cleric, "Uhmm, do you know what kind of potion it is? It's kinda strange" *cough* She turns away quickly so he doesn't see her red face and goes on with the other items.

[Velvet Elvis]

Sechrin

Sechrin moves to observe the guard for a moment, cocking an appraising eye toward him.

He turns to Jeando, and asks, "Would you please check this man for life-threatening injuries?" Then turns to Alan, and asks, "Please bind his hands behind him. Securely, but be reasonable. He was only doing his job, after all." Sechrin's position has his face away from the guard's eyes, and he adds a conspiratorial wink to his request of Alan.

As these things are being taken care of, he speaks to the guard.

"Now, we have no interest in harming you any more than you already have been. We're merely on our way out, and prefer to live to do so, and have no interest in injuring any of your fellow guardsmen on the way. Your most recent comrades were dispatched out of necessity, not desire. So, it would be useful for us both if you would be civil and answer some questions for us, primarily as regards the most efficient path to exit this place. Bear in mind, however, that we have methods of checking your answers, so you should consider this an opportunity to both be rid of us, and save your hide. You can then go back to your job no one the wiser." Sechrin's words were calm, reassuring and uncomplicated.

[13_CBS]

Jeando nods and proceeds to check the man for injuries.

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Heal check(1d20+12)[23]

More concerned with the man's possible injuries, he sets aside the magic potion for later inspection.

[Godhand]

Tristan

Seeing things relatively calm for the moment, Tristan secures his shield and weapon, and closes his eyes. In and out he breathes, almost oblivious to the world. After perhaps a minute of this, A slight warmth plays across his mail. Again he beings to breathe, then seems to snap out of his trance and watches the group.

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If given the time, Tristan will meditate for 1 minute and regain his Lay Hands, use it, and then meditate for another minute. If all these actions can happen, Tristan should be at MaxHP-3 and on his last lay hands of the day.

[JEntropy]

Alan Gibbs

As you wish, Sechrin, as he drops his pack, reaches in the top to grab a coil of hempen rope. He straddles the guard, taking his hands around the back and binding them.

[roll=Use Rope (Bindings)]1d20+5[/roll]

Will that work for you? he says, tugging at the knot, then standing up again and donning the pack.

Alan glances quickly down the other hallway, I'm going to do some quick recon - I won't be long.

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Alan is going to try and stealthily examine the left arm of the T while the others loot and interrogate. He is inching his way slowly along the lower wall. Blades are sheated.

Hide - (1d20+8)[11]
Move Silently - (1d20+8)[20]
Spot - (1d20+6)[18]
Listen - (1d20+6)[23]

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[JEntropy]

I messed up my Use Rope roll, I guess you can't use parentheses?

Again, with the EA synergy: (1d20+5)[18]

[Stick_Ninja]

Mathias sits tight, waiting.

[Xian]

Aerhalyss

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The potion is indeed....a potion. Not much else can be determined at the moment, though.
The scroll is a bit more useful. It's a scroll of Magic Missile written at a caster level of 5. And what's more, it's written twice, doubling the use of the scroll!
The necklace is the true beauty of the bunch - it's a Necklace of Fireballs. The only hitch is you can't quite tell what type it is....it's either a Type I and it's missing its most powerful charge, or it's a Type III and it's missing its weakest and most powerful charges. Either way, it's probably what caused the explosion in the fog.

Alan binds the ropes tightly around the prisoner while Mathias watches and Tristan tends to his wounds as Aerhalyss takes time to identify the various items she found. Once finished with the binding, Alan begins skulking down the hallway for some reconnaissance.
Jeando's inspection turns up a nasty bump on the head, and perhaps a little malnutrition due to an unbalanced diet, but the man is an otherwise healthy individual.
The man, having regained a higher degree of lucidity than he had a moment ago, focuses on Sechrin, makes as though to clear his throat, and promptly spits in his inquisitor's face, but retains a look of guarded caution, even a touch of fear, as opposed to outright hostility and hatred.

((Tristan has enough time to bring up his hit points, as he's acting concurrently with Aerhalyss' inspections and Alan's rope binding technique. By the end of this "round", so to speak, Alan has worked his way down the hallway a bit, but is still somewhat close to the party. Unless mentioned otherwise, the hallway meanders a little bit, but has no major intersections and is uninhabited.))

[Krelon]

Aerhalyss

After examining the items she waits a bit until there is a break in the questioning, then she addresses her fellows, "I keep the scroll, don't think any of you can cast magic missile. Though maybe Sechrin can? In case you wonder who killed the guys in the fog, one of 'em used this necklace of fireballs..." she shows the item around "...to create a suicide blast. That guy you are interrogating here was really lucky or they would have grilled him, too."

"Any of us can use this necklace. See, you simply wear it then remove a sphere and hurl where it should explode, but I'm not sure how powerful the spheres are exactly. Unless in total emergency we better identify the amount of stored energy first. Is anyone willing to take care of the item? I have still a lot of spells memorized"

[Velvet Elvis]

Sechrin

Tilting his head down as the guard spits at him, he wipes away the filth with the hem of his cloak. He sighs as he looks back down at the helpless guard.

"Apparently, I value your life more than you do," he says, almost apologetically, and without a trace of animosity.

"Alright, how about we strike a small deal? I'll be honest and say that we have no real use for you, and as I said earlier, we're not so bloodthirsty as to kill you out of spite." He's heard Aerhalyss' comments about the fireball, and looks toward the fog for a moment. "And we're not interested in considering you entirely expendable as your comrades apparently did." There was obvious sarcasm in that.

"So, I'm going to ask you one question, and then let you go. I'll assume for the sake of argument, that you will not become violent, and simply take the opportunity to leave. It would not be advisable, to do otherwise, obviously."

Sechrin crouches down adjacent to the guard and looks at him. "All I wish to know is if you've seen anyone recently do or say this...."

He intones the words, "Shi Tia Thol!" in that odd echoing voice, and performs a few figures in the air before the guard.

OOC

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Okay, trying Charm Person again, DC15, unless you want to consider my earlier and curent ruse to be enough to calm him into technical flat-footedness for purposes of my Cloaked Casting, which would make the DC16, instead. For his sake, I hope he saves, cuz I've got another spell that he's not going to like at all. :)

[13_CBS]

Jeando quietly stands off to the side, keeping a wary eye out for any interrogation techniques straying off towards evil means...

[Psionic Dog]

Rashnik (20/28)

Rashnik looks up and down the hallways holding his bow at the ready, waiting for Alan to return. "Perhaps our scout should take necklace. If he ever gets in trouble alone it could save his life."

[Xian]

The man's eyes dilate a bit and his features relax in such a manner as if a tightly coiled rope were suddenly let lax. "Why no, I can't say that I've ever heard anyone say that before. What's it mean?"

[Krelon]

Aerhalyss

"Good idea, I'll give it to Alan when he's back", and seeing how Sechrin seems to have everthing uder control she beams a smile at him. In an effort to make it more comfortable for the guard around the party she adds, "Pooh, I'm really thirsty after all that running, does someone have a flask of water? I think our friend here could use a mouthful himself, don't you?"

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It's a puny attempt to do an aid another to give Sechrin another +2 circumstance bonus on whatever charisma based checks he wants to throw at the prisoner. At least it shouldn't make anything worse.
(1d20)[9]

[JEntropy]

Alan Gibbs

Alan stalks quietly through the hallway, still keeping close to the wall, keeping eye and ear poised while he searches for an exit, rooms of note, or anything worth bringing word about back to the party.

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Alan will continue to make his way down the hallway until he is beyond the point where he can hear or see the group behind him, then he will turn around. Once he returns he will either respond with:

(1) Nothing down that way, I'm going to venture down the other hall...

(2) It's a ways down, but I think I found something we should look into... (fill in the blank)

(I say this only because Alan is supposed to be only a short ways from the party, when I intend for him to cut some distance away. Perhaps this will affect the outcome of his search).

In the interest of expendiency, rolls for the other hallway:

Hide - (1d20+8)[28]
MoveSilently - (1d20+8)[19]
Search - (1d20+3)[20]
Spot - (1d20+6)[18]
Listen - (1d20+6)[11]
Initiative - (1d20+3)[12]

If encountered, Alan will engage any single foe but retreat from any group, back in the direction of his party.

[Krelon]

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when Alan is back he will be stopped and offered the necklace (and told how to use it (see my and Rashniks post above for reasoning) before he leaves again

[Velvet Elvis]

Sechrin

Sechrin catches Aerhalyss' smile and returns it as he stands from his crouch.

"Well, that's a good thing, then," he says, as if greatly relieved. Looking back down at the guard, he says, "Oh my, it seems one my overzealous companions has mistaken you for someone else," he exclaims, bending to untie the man's bonds. "So very sorry for that, Garrick."

Sechrin looks into the man's eyes, as he guesses entirely at a name. "Please forgive me, if I've gotten your name wrong again. You know how terrible I am about names!" A gesture of helplessness and a roll of his eyes are added to underscore the idea that this is a typical failing of his.

"You know, we'll have to talk sometime soon. For now, however, we have a bit of a challenge on our hands, and as you know, I'm not nearly as sturdy as you are. If you wouldn't mind, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd accompany me and see to my safety. I know how capable you are of that." Sechrin smiles and pats the man on the shoulder as he would an old friend.

[Xian]

Alan

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You're just out of earshot of the party, and at the same time, you can just barely hear people talking somewhere ahead of you. It's far too faint to make out any words, but one of the members of the conversation sounds a bit excited, or perhaps panicked.

"Oh, it's Trez, and don't worry about it. I'm terrible with names, too. Well, back that way," he says, pointing down the left branch, "are barracks, offices and things like that. Perhaps we could set you up in one of the rooms down there to rest and relax for a little bit to get your strength back? And with all the soldiers there, you'll be well protected, to be sure."

[JEntropy]

Alan Gibbs

Alan knows what he has to do: coming back with partial information is sometimes worse than no information at all. He moves, catlike, along the wall, until he gets close enough to make out a bit of the conversation. One hand is on the hilt of a dagger, in anticipation.

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No point in going back empty-handed. Move Alan closer, slowly and quietly as possible, until he can make out part of what they are saying.

If you need new rolls, instead of recycling the hide/MS/spot/listen from before, I can give them to you.

[Xian]

Alan:

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As Alan creeps closer, he can hear the voices becoming clearer. As he approaches a bend in the hallway, they can be heard right around the other side, and stepping around the corner would bring him into full view.
"....and a big lizard one! He took out Zash and Chitson like they were nothing!"
"So how do you explain yourself, then? Running away like a coward instead of holding your post...the Sergeant won't take too kindly to that."
"Because, you fool, there was no way I would survive. I already told you, there were six or seven of them. If I hadn't come to you, you wouldn't even know that they were there and they'd probably be sneaking up on you and yours now to wipe you out before you even knew what happened. I abandoned my post so that I could warn you and you could get a force moving."
"Very well. Best report to the Sergeant anyways and let him know of the threat so he can reroute the patrols to where they'll be going. I'll gather some men and a few casters and head back to where you saw them."
"Right."
The footsteps of presumably the first speaker can be heard dashing off further down the hallway at top speed. The footsteps of the other are not as hurried, but follow in the same direction with a very deliberate pace.

[JEntropy]

Alan Gibbs

Alan curses quietly to himself, wondering if he could overtake the two of them, but knowing that's a risk the group can't afford. He stalks back, quicker this time, towards the party to relay the news to them.

Glancing at the guard they've rescued, he considers himself for a moment, then decides that there may not be time for discretion: One of them got away. He met up with some others, and they're contacting the rest of the guard staff, who will be blocking our exit and sending another party our way. I doubt we have much time.

[Krelon]

Aerhalyss

whispers nervously to Sechrin, "Trez must know something the corridors here. A hiding place, secret door, anything?"

louder to the group: "Let's get moving then. East?" pointing down the right branch of the corridor.

[Velvet Elvis]

Sechrin

Nodding at Trez's suggestion, Sechrin says to him in a most earnest and resigned tone, "I hate to tell you this, Trez, but I think the other guards, and most of the rest, have been acting rather strange lately. Almost as if they've been taken over by some disease of the mind. Some have even tried to attack me and my friends here. I heard one refer to me as if I were a monster. It was frightening. I think the best thing for us right now is to try and avoid them until we can find a way to help them escape their affliction."

Sechrin looks around, worriedly. "What's down to the east, Trez? Oh, and do you know of any secret passages in this area? That would certainly help us avoid having to harm them in self-defense."

[Xian]

"Well that's certainly unusual. Then again, I thought the food had been tasting a bit weird lately. I bet they got some kind of food poisoning. Anyways, no, I don't know of any secret passages nearby. Dunno if we even have any; I guess carving your base in a volcano limits your construction options.* But the hallway gets a bit windy and it branches off a lot. Gods, I got lost so many times when I first came out here; I still haven't explored all the different routes."

((*Yes, this is new info, and for reference, the halls are uniform and smoothed out so they don't look like cave tunnels, aside from having no windows to the outside.))