The player running the thief...er...Scout, wanted to make his foray by himself while the next scrying was going on and it did not go well. BX is unforgiving for being alone and I would have gladly killed him if he was spotted or at least captured. Dice liked him, so he gets to keep playing!
Follows:
THREE HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN
(I/C)
Lyra gave a stretch and said, “Well, since Kovid is front line, and yeah, I have a third heal, forgot that Aine blessed me with that, I will heal him again.”
Abraxas gavea side look at Lannis and mentioned, "Señor Konjugal, it may be wise a save una heal por cuando someone goes down.”
“And just what are you implying?” The Magic User asked with an arched eyebrow.
Lyra shook her head. “It’s alright. I can save the larger heal for Abraxas or anyone else that might need it.” She gave an absent shrug. “However, just so everyone knows, I’m going to take myself out of front line. I got walloped pretty hard last time.”
“Si qieremos, yo can beber a potion de Recall. To pick them back arriba!”
“Oui, I agree,” Wyn said, taking one of the 2 Recall potions out and handing it to Lyra. “Priestess, I tink you should drink dis second recall potion to prepare fer later. Du Lac preped de room en you now 'ave some candles, so you should not be so much in de dark next time... maybe also remember what direction you are facing this time.”
“Sounds good to me.” She drank it down, facing the south wall, and placed the empty vial back in her pouch. “I’m good for 24 hours now. And as for Kovid, Aine, give this dwarf a good healing please!” (CLW: 1d6+1, White 5+1=Heal 6 hp!) And white energy flowed over the dwarf, healing him of his wounds. “That should get you feeling better.”
“Thanks, Lass,” he said with a smile.
Grabbing the Scythe and pumping it in the air once, Abraxas said enthusiastically, “Let's go stomp some Gob cabezas. Specifico, Smallpecs."
Brendon held up a hand and pointed south before he realized that no one could see him. “Hang on,” he said, “While I’m unseen and there is some light in the hall, I’d like to get a look around. I’m hoping that it’ll be a quick there and back, but as we know nothing in this place is easy.”
“Aint dat de truth,” Wyn quipped.
“If for some reason I have to move away from that hall I might be in the dark. Wyn it’d be of great use of that continual light on a... coin.”
The elf gave a slow chuckle. “You’ve dropped enuff hints, I can say day. Aight. Aye, du Lac. Iffin you gonna scout, you need light. I gotta save me level 1 spell fer... so you be lucky I got an extra level 2 now! Give me dat copper en I place some everlight on eet.”
Lannis looked around. "So we're just waiting for Captain Scouty Pants to get back for now? Works for me." He shrugged, settled down on the floor, and took out his cat book, looking at the pages one at a time.
Holding the coin, Wyn cast his spell, ending with, “FAIT ETERNUS LUX!” and the coin blossomed to light. “Ere you go.”
“Thanks, Wyn.” He tapped the dwarf, “Kovid let me see the map again please. I’d like everything fresh in my mind before going out.”
“No problem. Give me that coin, I’ll punch a quick hole in it for you.”
While the group was getting everything ready, Brendon practiced slipping the coin under his shirt, in his fist, and under his cloak. He had to hold it tight to drown out the light and his hand was a poor device to do it, the light leaking through his fingers. Even under his shirt there was a telltale glow coming from it. But inside his cloak and wrapped up twice did the trick. “I’m gonna check out the south hall, and if I can, the Sparring room.” He glanced at Wyn, “If you’re hanging out here, maybe listen at both doors. Hopefully I’ll return through the south door. If I do shave and a haircut slow there’s nothing behind me. If I do it fast I’m in trouble.”
The elf nodded, “I'll keep an ear out to de hallway while Monsieur du Lac be scouting de hallways.” Glancing back at Kovid and Abraxas he said, “Leave dis door cracked, s'il vous plait,” indicating the secret door. “I’ll go keep an ear to de udder door.” He indicated on the map the south door of the Summoning Room. “Bonne Chance!” he offered Brendon who made his way (invisibly) to the Summoning Room and then beyond.
The door to the south was closed so he listened to it (no roll) and heard nothing. Carefully he opened it and then moved down the short hall to the next door, listening there as well (also, no roll). Wyn had stopped at the South door and the dwarf and fighter had the secret door opened the smallest crack, waiting and watching.
With the light coin wrapped tight under two layers of his cloak, Brendon entered the main hall and listened, looking around. He could see the light to the west and there was many voices echoing in that direction. But he also suspected that he could hear voices to the east. But the immediate hall was clear. So with great care, he began heading west.
As he approached the light he could see clearer down the hall, and beyond the arch somewhere in front of the two open doors that led to the Sparring chamber, was an armored hobgoblin with a wolf on a chain leash. They were standing in the hall, looking and listening, but also occasionally glancing south through the open door. A whistle was on his neck and he had a broad sword at his side.
Not trusting the chance to get closer to the door to check it out, Brendon inched his way to the arch and glanced south. The webbing had been burned away, only a few charred remains were stuck to the wall. This close he could hear many hobgoblins speaking in their language, and the conversation seemed to be excited about someone called Rampant Zealotry having an audience with Corfard, Joe Fury had taken some hobgoblins down to talk to Mirabellis, and finally still some hunting around for the “key” to the locked door and the trouble they were going to have to replace the hinges and fix the portals since they no longer was able to shut.
Noting the wolf was sniffing the air (Sense, Black 10, missed by 2), Brendon opted to check out the South hall that the goblin patrol had come from. He paced the hall, feeling it was some 45, 50 feet to a door on the east wall. The door was a decent well made one with some worn paint still sticking to it, mostly greens and reds but no discernible pattern any longer. He gave a listen to it and looked further south.
The passage went another dozen plus paces and ended abruptly. There was a brass tub there, 4 feet, and seemingly out of place. Frowning he noted the air had a faint haze to it and whatever was in the tub also gave the air a faint and unpleasant metallic taste (=Save vs Poison, Red 11). By the time he realized there was a problem, the vapors had already gotten into his nose and down his lungs.
He coughed once, muffling it with the cloak, covering the light coin again and realized that his motions seemed slow and measured. (Made save, move slow – half speed. Duration: 2d6 trns: 5+2=7 turns). “Fucking idiot,” he muttered quietly. “Paralytic gas.” He turned, dismayed at how slow his movements were, heading back up the hall. “I’ve got to get the fuck out of here.”
Meanwhile Wyn was at the hall and listening, counting off the minutes slowly. “Fifteen,” he muttered. “Anything more than that and De Lac ‘as a problem.” He could faintly hear noises in the distance but nothing clear. However after some time, he could hear hobgoblin voices coming closer. And they were excited, talking at length with…Mirabellis. “I’m telling you, they never went to the Chapel, Sorceress,” one of the hobgoblins said in its language. “I think they gave us the slip.”
“It’s an elf,” she replied, “What did you think?”
“Anyway, thank you for coming with us. Greesie and her sister didn’t see them come through the Watchtower and we’ve lost them in this area a few times now. I’d like you to come check the summoning circle with us.”
“Merde, merde, merde!” Wyn backed away from the door as the voices grew very close. He guessed at least a dozen were coming. He ran to the secret door, Kovid and Abraxas helped him slip in, and then they shut the door locking it. “We ‘ave company and a problem.”
Faintly through the wall, heavily muffled, they could hear a number of hobgoblin and goblin voices talking as well as Mirabellis answering them.
“It’s not how the circle works…”
“Should look over the room…”
“Duchess did and she found nothing…”
“Again then!”
“I’m not Duchess…”
“Check the room…”
“Bedroom too…”
“TEGERE ARCANUS!”
“…”
“Nothing. No residue either.”
“Portalling elsewhere?”
“Talk to Smallpox…”
“Check there. And check there.”
“Aye, Fury.”
The party was concerned as Wyn indicated it was now almost 20 minutes and Brendon was still not back. “And if’n she ‘as de Detect spell going and he is in her line of sight, dey will see him.”
“We go out then?”
Wyn shook his head. “No. Den we give up dis space and we be cornered. Plus I tink dere be some peoples left to check out de room for secret doors. I tink we just gotta wait.”
“Point of note,” Lanis held up a finger. “I thought this was a terrible plan.”
Brendon was making his back up the hall to the archway when he could hear quite a number of voices in the hall to the east. Inching forward he glanced in that direction and could see at least a dozen figures in the hall with torches, a mix of goblins and hobgoblins. They were congregated around the door that would lead to the Summoning room, looking in and talking excitedly. “Shit,” he thought, hating the fact even his thoughts seemed slow. “Hope they didn’t find the secret door.”
It was almost 10 minutes before even more hobgoblins came out of the room, along with Mirabellis! She was walking amidst the entirety of them, heading down the hall to the west…in his direction.
“Fuuuuuucccccck,” he groaned, turning back around the corner and heading south as quickly and as quietly as his slowed body could go. After making it barely 15’, he wormed his way into crack in the castle stonework, praying that it was enough to make him even less noticeable. He then held his breath and waited (Normally no roll needed to Hide in Shadows when Invisible, but you have a magic cloak, ring, short sword, and are invisible so are also ‘magical’ – and she had Detect Magic going. <Hide -10% penalty. Red 05 – you lucky assed son of a bitch – I would have gladly captured your ass right now). He could hear at least 15 figures march their way past the archway, no one giving his direction more than a cursory glance.
“Nothing to report, Optio Fury,” the hobgoblin in the hall said.
“Excellent. Is the Artificer in?”
“Aye. He and his crew are convinced the infidels are going to chance coming back and they are hoping to be ready for them. Sorceress.”
“Good job. Remember, I want the wizard and the girl alive. The elf can go to the Blessed One. But the other two…TOUCHED MY STUFF!!!” her voice was shrill and crazed sounding. “And TERRIFIED MY CHILD!!!” her voice grew loud again. “And for that, I have at least a week worth of painful ideas I want to do them before I repurpose parts of him to WIPE MY ASS and she can spend some time stapled to my wall as she REPLACED MY LOST CHILD!!!!”
It grew quiet as the hobgoblins and goblins said nothing, waiting for Mirabellis to wind down. Once she had her anger under control, she let out a ragged breath and said, “Ok, let’s go talk to Smallpox.”
Thinking to himself, “now, now, now,” Brendon circled around the corner from the Ishtari arch and moved as quickly as his slowed body could towards the Summoning room again. (Wolf sense: Black 5). He heard some sniffing from the hall behind and the scrabbling of claws. Looking back he could see the wolf was pulling at its chain lead, the Hobgoblin looking at it with a questioning look. “What do you smell, girl?” it asked, walking slowly, letting the wolf have its lead.
“Fuuuuuucccck!” Brendon thought, making his way to the door finally to the short hall and heading up it, thankful to everything that someone had left the door open. He was most of the way down the hall and almost in the summoning room, thinking he’d see Wyn there, when he stopped dead in his tracks. A hobgoblin was looking over the north wall, tapping at it lightly with a small hammer and listening. “Fuuuuucccckkk!!” He was going to go back but the wolf and other hobgoblin were right outside the door, the wolf still whining and sniffing and the hobgoblin handler calling out, “Anyone in there?”
With his back to the wall, Brendon slid south again, just getting between the door and the wall at the south door as the hobgoblin and wolf entered the short hall…and the one from the Summoning room entered the hall from the north. “Ah! Griz! It’s you.”
“Ya,” the north hob answered. “What’s up.”
“Girl here smelled something. Came to look. What you doing in there?”
“Looking for other doors.”
“Ain’t any.”
“Still had to look. Orders.”
“Ah. Then that makes sense.” Brief pause. “I have to get back to post.”
“Fury go that way?”
“Yeah, he took Dragongirl with him and they were talking to the Master Runt.”
“I’m coming. Want to hear some good fucking idea on where these damned Infidels are. Enough is enough. Find them, Kill them. No more fucking around.”
“You and me both, Brother. Blessed Corfard is getting unhappy with the results as of late.”
Brendon watched as the two of them walked out of the south door, taking the wolf with them, and headed west down the hall. Moving with exaggerated slowness, he was almost sobbing as he crossed the short hall and entered the Summoning Room. He made his way to the northeast corner and tried to knock “shave and a hair cuts” rapidly on the wall but the poison was retarding his movements and he was tapping very slow. “Open,” he muttered, looking behind him. “Open.”
From inside, the group could hear Brendon’s knock after almost 10 terrifying minutes of SOMEONE tapping at the wall, looking for a hollow spot and hoping to discover the secret door. It had grown quiet for almost 5 minutes but now they could hear Brendon’s knock. “Thank de gods,” Wyn muttered foot reaching for the release plate.
It was at that moment that coming out of the open door to the former Orc chamber, a lone goblin emerged, brows beetled, heading for the invisible Brendon and saying, “Say? What was that knocking?”
And just as the wall began to open, it stumbled into the Scout who had grabbed his short sword, and slowly drew it. As it cleared the scabbard, he lunged forward, sparking into view as the secret door opened, Wyn saw the goblin, the goblin saw Wyn, and the entire mess was about to blow up as Brendon’s blade (>+4 to hit, +4 invis surprise backstab, -2 slow, Red 18) stabbed into the greenskin’s neck and tore upward (1d6+1 Damage x2: red 4+1=5 x2 = 10 and killed!), severing its vocal cords and covering him with its spraying blood.
“Zut alors!” Wyn gasped as Brendon slowly wrapped one hand around the goblin, pinning it to his chest, keeping its cries silenced against him as it died.
“Get…me…in!” he gasped, trying to speak faster but unable to. The party dragged the Scout and the dying…dead goblin into the secret hall and then shoved the door closed before anyone else could possibly hear them.
“What the fuck happened? You were gone almost 25 minutes.”
In a slow and halting voice, Brendon described what he had seen and encountered, as well as his current condition, getting a feedback from the rest of the party of what they heard. Lyra looked the Scout over and shook her head. “Nothing I can do for this. He’s lucky, it could have paralyzed you, you know. Got a good lungful too. I’d say you have a good 50 minutes before you get all your range of motions back.”
Closing the cat book, Lannis shook his head and scowled. “Now what?”
Time now is Day 9, 8:41 AM
XP: Brendon 50 xp (solo misadventure)
Kovid, 150 xp (first guy with the extra credit)
Now what? Will they note the goblin is missing? What will Smallpox and Mirabellis come up with? Piddles was NOT with her, FYI. Wait for Brendon to get over his poisoning? Let me know!
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