TWO HUNDRED FOURTEEN
(I/C)
As Moira entered the closest cell and began packing what belongings she had within, Lyra let out a rasping breath. “That was... a lot of information. Thank you for all of that.”
“You are so very welcome, Cleric,” she replied with an impish smile. She pointed to the flail Lyra was carrying, “Use that well. May Lolth and whatever god or goddess you hold dear support you on your journey.” She rolled up three muslin type dresses and tucked them into a carry-all sack. “Anything else you might need to know?”
Lyra shook her head, “Your honesty is immeasurable. I hope you have a safe journey. I’m sure Aine will also watch over you. I’ll let the others ask the questions. They’re better suited than I am.”
“As you wish, Cleric of Aine.”
While all this was going on, Abraxas and Kovid were looking around the cells, knocking on the odd wall, and just trying to see if there was anything outside of the normal showing that might have been missed. “Where do you think you’ll look first for the Ispan’s potential next in line?” Kovid asked Arik as the Gargoyle was sorting swiftly through various stones and tossing every third one into a leather satchel.
“Where ever Lolth guides my steps. But I feel the need to go north.”
"If you're interested,” Abraxas offered, “I hear Jector is a nice place of welcoming types of all sorts. I plan to go there myself after our task here is done.”
“The forces of Jector raided the Dawnlands and set fire to elves and homes in their quest to topple the Ispan 3 decades earlier.”
“Erm, Uh. Yeah, but that was like 30 years ago,” the Fighter pointed out. “I’m just saying, it’s different now.”
Arik shrugged. “If you say.”
“If you make your way there, make sure to look for myself or Hoe-ass, El Carcinera, Standert and Topically. They are all amigos we made while traversing this bastille. I'm sure you will all make amigos buenos.”
Arik stopped working. “So, you didn’t kill the Butcher?”
“Kill?!” The Fighter looked upset. “No! She is so…so…so…” he found himself wringing his hands. “She touched me, deep in my Corazon.”
“And he fuc…” Lannis began but had to stop as Lyra turned and whipped her towel at his face, smothering his next words.
“Ignore him,” she offered, taking the towel off the Magic User’s face and stepping hard on his instep in the process. “He has no control over his mouth. We hope to have it sewn shut when we get back home.”
The gargoyle chuckled, sounding like grinding rocks over hollow logs. “I had the suspicion that there was some carnality involved.”
“Arik,” Moira offered from the next cell, still packing, “Enough. She’s a healthy female who had been without for some time.” The medusa gave Abraxas a steady look. “You hurt her and any part she doesn’t flay out and leave for the crows I’ll turn to rock and grind it up to make sewer bricks out of. Get me?”
Abraxas gave a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry, Senorita Mira. I would never.” He gave a short bow and then turned away, buffeting Lannis with his shoulder as her passed and giving the surprised wizard a death stare as he went to rejoin Kovid.”
“I don’t get what his problem is,” Lannis sighed. “Combination of me being honest and not knowing who the fuck is he talking about? I've never met any of those people."
Wyn had finished his foray around the jails, giving Dingar a wide berth as the Albino Ape was standing near the door marked with a “3”, holding a small sack filled with bruised tomatoes and his other hand was gripping a 15# sledge hammer like one would find in a forge. “Mademoiselle Moira,” the elf began, “I know you are looking to leave, but I did wonder since you brought it up earlier. Where is Seth's hoard of treasure?”
She stopped and pointed back down the hall. “Cell 10, behind the last 6 count who tried to sneak in here and do some snooping about. After giving them the eye, I like to pop them in there to act as guards for Seth’s belongings.”
“May I?” Wyn asked.
“Be my guest. But leave the coin please. I have no interest in sleeping in a drafty barn when there are possible accommodations along the road.”
“And what about Dingar and I?” Arik asked amusedly.
“Dingar does not like beds as we have learned again and again. And as you have pointed out, no one tells a 600 lb Ape where it can and cannot sleep. As for you, dear. You’ll share a room with me as long as you do the double cloak hunchback trick.” She chuckled. “He’s really quite convinceing.”
“Merci,” Wyn replied, taking a look back there. Abraxas and Brendon had joined him, the three of them giving the area a quick look around. “Ta be honest, callin it a "Hoard" mayhaps not be de right name fer it, but we really do need whatever we can get before proceedin upstairs.”
“Seth had a motto,” Arik offered. “Anything that Corfard doesn’t get is good enough for him.”
Wyn did look about back there and there was a large wooden chest with a simple hasp lock on it, no key. “Trapped?” he asked Brednon who was about to search it when Moira popped her head around the corner and laughed. “Why would Seth trap his own chest? And frankly, anyone who could get in here through the locked door would have to deal with the 3 of us, so no. Just take a look.”
Lifting the cover they could see it was filled with a serious amount of copper pieces, and almost half again as many silver and gold. There were a few gems on the top and four count of crystal potion vials. “How much is in here?” Wyn asked.
“Last count?” Moira asked. “A bit over a thousand copper, maybe four hundred silver and perhaps only about 200 gold. As for the gems? You can take them as well as three of the potions.”
Brendon picked up the 3 gems looking them over. “Sapphires,” he muttered (Thief Int>12, no roll), “Nice quality. I’d guess we can sell them for 150 crowns each back at Specularum.”
Meanwhile Abraxas was looking at the potions and smiling broadly. “Senors. Extra-Healing. Each of them.”
“Keep the potions save one. That’s for Dingar in case something goes wrong. Gems you can have. Loose coin we’ll be taking.”
“Gracias.” “Merci!” “Thanks!” (Brendon add 3 Sapphires (150 crown per) [3] to sheet. We’ll divide the 3 Potions of Extra Healing [5] after this turn)
The Medusa and Gargoyle were getting close to finishing up their packing when Wyn, getting a nudge from Brendon, nodded and asked, “Are dere any secret passages or secret areas on the second floor, or leading up to the second floor?”
“Right now? The only way up is the last spiral stairs past Seth’s cave. The others had either been buried or destroyed in the castle’s battering during the Ispan’s last spell. Much the shame.”
“Ah, it seemed odd that we hadn’t found one as of yet,” Kovid grunted.
“Whoever we find to be the new Ispan,” Arik grunted, “Will have his or her work cut out for them getting this place restored.”
“As for secret passages upstairs?” Moira stopped and tapped her chin in thought. “In the Chapel, where the observatory is? Theystra’s? There was a hidden room somewhere there I believe.”
“That’s right,” the gargoyle agreed. “And, at the back of the throne room, behind the Ispan’s chair was a secret hall.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I’m 3 centuries older than you.”
“Maybe, but I’m prettier.” Both of them laughed, even Dingar gave a grunting hoot once or twice.
Wyn nodded, smiling. “And for my tird question. Mirabellis.”
“What about her?” Moira asked.
“Is there any information about Mirabellis you can tell us that would help us to defeat her?”
“Well. She is a Magister. Of some skill I might add. She has a cruelty to her and delights in the suffering of others. She is also a zealot in regards to Corfard, fascinated with the dragon and what he represents to her. He has gifted her cast off scales and drops of his own blood that she uses to further her spell research and magical enquiries.”
“Sounds…terrible.” Lannis frowned.
“It is what it is.” The medusa shrugged. “For all her skills, she has two weaknesses. One is her familiar. A black cat that can transform into a panther when in her presence. When she’s not around, it is forced back into its cat form and much easier to dispatch. Once her familiar is taken care of she will temporarily lose some of her strength…BUT,” she raised her finger in warning. “Will most likely become horrible unhinged and seek you out immediately as she will know where her familiar just was and who killed it.”
“Lovely.” The wizard frowned. “And the second?”
“She relies on her ring of Spell Turning too often.”
“Ring? What does it do?”
“It bounces any spell that targets her either directly or indirectly, back on the caster.”
“I don’t see how that is a weakness.”
Moira smiled. “She found the ring in the early days of Corfard and his minions combing the castle, taking it from Rowena’s chamber, the Ispan’s Archmage. The ring was already close to being exhausted back then and she has used it at least 4 more times that I know of warding off spell assaults and attempts on her live and person by others either in the Castle or attempting to enter it.”
She waved her hands. “So the Adepts and others know that assaulting her with magic is ill advised and they don’t do it. But the Ring has a finite number of uses before it is exhausted and she does not know it as the ring does not indicate its limit. So if it was me? I would pepper her with whatever simple magics you have until one of them gets through.”
“And then Fireball her,” Arik offered.
“Exactly!” Moira clapped her hands. “Kids and wizards love fireball. They would throw them about every day if they had the chance.”
“Kint argue wit’ you dere,” Wyn laughed. “So…can she cast fireball?”
“Mirabellis? No, not that I’m aware of. Never saw her try.”
“Trust me, Moira, if she could, she would.” Arik had closed his last bag and walked back to Cell 10 where be moved the stone statues aside and picked up the chest there with ease. “Time for us to go.”
“Right.” She looked over the party. “Corfard will learn we have gone. And when he does, whatever safety you think you have will be fleeting at best. He’s a dragon, which means he’s arrogant and believes his own lies that he cannot die.”
“Can he?” Lyra asked.
“Of course he can. All things die in time. Dragons are special though because they never die of old age. They have to be killed from an outside agent. Corfard though believes with all his being that he is on the right of all things. But he is as I said, arrogant. And because of that, he doesn’t ask for help and shuns advice when he should be listening.”
The group was silent, devouring the medusa’s words. “All I’m saying is that once he learns for sure that Seth is dead and we are gone, and I assume he doesn’t know that the Butcher has left?”
“Not that we know, no.”
“Then there you have it, once he learns that this has happened he will be angry and send his Adepts and Hobgoblins to turn over every hall and stone they can to discover where you are and where you are hiding and or sleeping.” She smiled, patting Wyn on the chest. “Don’t be troubled, Sun Child. This won’t happen for many hours and that is a window for you and yours to discover anything left you need to find down here as well as make plans to maybe find a defendable position to weather Corfard’s searchers.”
“We…We will try. Thank you.”
“Lolth guides you,” She said with a wan smile. “As do all the Goddesses.”
“Good luck on you all,” Arik offered. “I hope to come back with the new Ispan and find you have done the work already for us by clearing that Dragon out. Hah ah ah!” he laughed.
Handshakes were given, and Moira brought everyone in for a deep hug, the medusa’s body soft and firm and surprisingly warmer than the party expected. She wiped the bottom of her gauze covered eyes and looked around. “I will miss this place.”
“We’ll be back, Moira.”
She nodded. “You’re right.” Shouldering her pack, her snakes weaving back and forth on her head, she gave one last look. “Good luck again, Adventurers. May you stay strong, for the strong survive. And I so duly hope you do.”
And with that, we watched them walk out of the jail, and turn towards the west and eventually the front portcullis to leave. And the party was alone in the Jail, look at one another, and deciding what they were going to do next.
Time now is Day 6, 1:16 PM
(OOC)
Treasure XP: 3 Sapphires @ 150 each. 450 xp divided.
Everyone add 75 xp.
Ok – we have 3 vials of extra healing (heals 2d6 damage). Who wants them? Where would you like to go next?
Also, reminder, as soon as you go up in level you heal all your damage and if out of spells, get all your spells back. I mention it because Kovid and Brendon are about 180 and 50 xp away from leveling respectively. Just saying, do what you need.
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