Rescue! Aimarra
You are hidden not far from a rather innocuous warehouse in the warehouse district. Somehow... it doesn't feel surprising to be here. The sky is clear and open, and it offers little shade for you to hide in. The breeze at least carries your scent away, but there's no way of knowing if that serves any real purpose or not. The warehouse doesn't seem any different than any other, but Balderdan Veit, the trusted lieutenant of the city guard is certain that this location is the one you're looking for. It seems that one of his men saw a suspicious package enter this warehouse the same night that Aimarra went missing. Suspicious, but not enough to enter a warehouse belonging to one of the cities more elite number. Balderdan isn't anywhere in sight any longer, he can't officially sanction your mission after all. But what he doesn't know... gives you a window.
Seyardu was quick to move on any information that was shared. Time was of the essence, and they owed it to Aimarra. So the next day when information was shared, Seyardu was at the door, adjusting her shield for a moment.
"If anyone asks afterwards, it was my idea to push you all to enter the warehouse. I will take the blame for it if necessary." She says to those present.
Aryia is watching the warehouse with the others, herself leaning against the wall to stand in some sliver of shade. Not to hide, but to shield her eyes. She shrugs, brows pinched. "I don't care what the guard thinks. If it's more of the cult, I'd rather not give them a chance again. Not after last time," she signs, stealing a glance to the Lucht Knight. It was not fun. <Handspeech>
Paenitia is doing her best to seem innocuous. It isn't hard for a three foot tall halfling to be overlooked, even if she's on the more brash and noticeable side of her species. It's her large, horse sized hippogryph, half peacock, half gypsy-andalusian, and all bright white and fluffy, that usually draws the eye.
Nothing to see here, nope. Not at all. This is a magical place, and fantastic beasts with unusual riders are all around. Move along.
She watches the handsigns of Aryia, and shrugs a little, nodding. She taps at a lance, she'll be prepared. "What the plan?"
"You should care Aryia, as it is much easier to be on the side of the guard than not. Last time we went through the front door turned out less than ideal." Seyardu sighs, glancing to the gates in question. "But Ramirez may not fit through a side entrance. There were explosives set in that house, we should be careful here for similar traps."
Paenitia laughs, "It is okay, we have the explosives expert!" Of course, in her experience Smuldur has been better at blowing himself up than disarming the traps, but it still solves them and the gobbo comes out only slightly more singed. "Ramirez, he can squeeze through the small doors, but he does not like."
'Raaaaa....' The peacock-andalusian drawls. He does not like.
"The side door is our plan? I get the weapons." The little Lucht selects her shield, sword, warhammer, and lucern hammer.
Suspicious packages? Smuldur knows ALL about those! The first package he ever delivered exploded. Later, the first package he ever received exploded. The explosions weren't expected, so both of these packages became slightly suspicious.
He peeks over and/or around things to get a better view of the warehouse. "Trap? Where? Will find!" To get an even better view, or because standing still is a virtue, he skitters closer to the warehouse.
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (20)+4: 24 GAME: Smuldur rolls perception: (13)+9: 22 GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+5: (3)+5: 8 GAME: Paenitia rolls stealth: (6)+9: 15 GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+5: (6)+5: 11 GAME: Aryia rolls stealth: (7)+12: 19 GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (6)+13: 19 GAME: Seyardu rolls stealth: (17)+-3: 14
Aryia nods at the idea of the side door. Explosives? She didn't like the sound of that, but thankfully she wasn't too worried about avoiding such explosive combustions.
GAME: Culix rolls perception: (7)+8: 15 GAME: Seyardu rolls perception: (20)+3: 23 GAME: Culix rolls stealth: (18)+14: 32
Culix, who had been hanging back and keeping to herself for the time being, shrouded in a new hood- last one ended up getting tangled up in a shrub in the middle of a forest- but at the topic of a tripwire she inches forwards a touch. "Don't see it. Point it out to me, I'll see about disabling it." in a quiet murmur Paenitia's way.
GAME: Culix rolls disable device+2: (2)+10+2: 14
Smuldur is glad that someone else also noticed the trip wire. That leaves him to point at the door excitedly. "Explode!" He then scampers towards the door with more excitement. "Will fix!" Because who wouldn't trust a gobber with explosives!
"We stand back here." Paenitia makes a quiet cluck, and Ramirez backs up a few steps.
Seyardu stops as well. "Halt, Aryia. trip wire." Seyardu gestures quickly to the elf. While it was investigated, she takes a look at the others. "Yes, the front door is trapped as well with more explosives. But the last is more strange. They seem versed enough in magic to prepare traps with it. The purpose? it is unclear."
GAME: Smuldur rolls disable device: (17)+2: 19
Aryia stops fast at the warnings, her boot thudding against the ground as she halts. She skitters off to the side while giving a nod of thanks to the others.
Culix draws in a sharp breath through pointed teeth as Smuldur rushes in where fools apparently don't fear to tread. "Leave it to the professional." she hisses after him, and steps forwards herself, retrieving a pouch of tools from her belt. Selecting the right ones for the job, a tensioner to keep the wire from tripping and a pair of little snips, she crouches down and works on the trap a moment. She swears to herself, "Can't quite get at the mechanism..." she mutters back, cheeks coloring a touch after her calling herself a professional in the matter.
Smuldur is an expert at setting off traps and has a knack for explosives. He pulls out Torchie the torch, all purpose multi-tool and proceeds to expertly hit the explosive device.
GAME: Smuldur rolls reflex: (8)+4: 12
An explosion envelops Smuldur quite suddenly, throwing the small individual backwards, and covering him in roaring flames. A door lands on top of his body, and he lays there... almost too still.
Aryia pats Culix on the shoulder as she was unable to get the trap disarmed. It's alright, she screws up too. Though as the torch comes out she silently gasps and presses herself against the wall to avoid it. "Well shit, there goes being quiet!" <Handspeech>
Paenitia knows what to do. She twists around in her saddle, grabbing her healing kit, then whispers, "Ramirez, I dismount."
He extends a wing. She slides down it, landing softly on the ground and approaching Smuldur. She's moves slow, allowing for the others to react.
"Careful, there a magic trap around here. He disable that too, I think." The Red Knight Cautions, attempting to stay off it, as much as she can see it. "I think, we have to pull him off."
GAME: Culix rolls disable device+2: (13)+10+2: 25
Seyardu was investigating the magical sigil as Smuldur attempts to disable the explosive.
Was that a torch? That was a torch. Just as they are flung out, Seyardu brings a hand to her holy symbol. Any wounds would be worse on fire. "Douse the flames, close the wounds with your guidance." She prays, dropping a sudden rainfall over the burning door, and stabilizing the figure beneath it, hopefully.
GAME: Seyardu casts Create Water. Caster Level: 5 DC: 13
Culix falls back onto her backside and shields her face at the explosion, "Shit!" she complains at the suddenness of it, but she scrambles back to her feet. As Paenitia warns of another, magical trap she nods her head and retrieves her kit from where it fell from her hands. She moves forwards, dropping to a knee, and then takes out a small vial of powder which she scatters over the cobbles. Highlighting the magical energies which power the trap, she takes out something that looks not unlike a compass though it has a piece of chalk rather than a point or lead. She traces a couple of small semi circles, intersecting the lines of magical energy highlighted by the powder, and then with a briefest spark as the energies are redirected, they destroy themselves and fizzle out.
"Alright, traps gone, we can get him." she murmurs.
Nothing like an explosion to get the blood flowing! And sudden, narrow downpour to get brain going afterwards. "Blblblbleh!" Smuldur comes to with water in his ears. And a door on his face. "Back! Evil! Door!" He huffs and grunts and pushes at the thing whilst trying to escape its vile clutches.
"Okay. Thank you, comrade Culix, for disable those." Paenitia says, now able to approach Smuldur. Although, she does not, as he pops up and seems... ok? "Smuldur, you are hale?"
She looks around at the group, "we are ready to try the further sneaking in. Is the door lock?"
"They should be stable, but they likely need attention." Seyardu says as she is running over immediately and tearing the door away. They were awake, at least.
"Smuldur, are you alright?" Seyardu asks quickly. "I have have healing magic if you need."
"I think sneaking is out of the question" Aryia gestures, a hand pointing to the unlocked and unhinged door. "Prepare ourselves, we already kicked the door down." <Handspeech>
She pats Culix on the shoulder again, this time for a good job.
"Not haled!" comes the slightly muffled response. Fortunately for Smuldur, he can counteract this by yelling louder. "Adoored!" Though he is no longer once Seyardu, due to leverage, is able to un-adoor him.
Now Smuldur can spring back up to his full, impressive height! He looks none the worse for wear, really. At least, not of the burns/singing/scars/caron scoring look especially recent. Not in the last five minutes recent, anyhow?
"Now ready!"
Culix puts away the pouch now the traps are disarmed- one way or another, and nods her head. She pulls her hood back over her head, "They might know we're coming, but still better if we see if we can't get up on them unexpected." she says. "I could toss a smoke bomb in first, if you guys want. See if we can't get some element of surprise."
An explosion is as good an announcement as any, and the Red Knight does enjoy her dramatic entrances. She adjusts her shield, grips her warhammer, "Ramirez, follow behind the others. Everyone, I go say hello. Yes, throw the bomb past once I get the look inside, so I can direct."
That said, she clanks forward, extra loud, through the doorway as the last whisps of smoke. She draws in her breath, she shouts.
"I am Sister Paenitia Snapdragon del Haranna! Knight of the Pillar! Paladina of Tarien! I am here to prick ass and chew tree gum, and am all out of my favourite flavor."
>>Clang<< >>Clang<< >>Clang<<
She beats her shield, "Surrender to me or be destroyed!"
GAME: Paenitia rolls intimidate: (14)+10: 24 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+30: (17)+30: 47
The warehouse, to Paenitia's immediate surprise, looks at first glance to be utterly empty save for some boxes here and there. Then, there it is. A doorway in the middle of the room. A doorway to... A tropical island? Sunny beach. White curtains. It's idyllic aside from the box sitting beside a man with moderately long black hair and black eyes who tilts his head at her words and then laughs and waves his fingers cheerfully at Paenitia. The door then shuts. Leaving absolutely nothing in the room at all.
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (11)+4: 15 GAME: Seyardu rolls perception: (16)+3: 19 GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (16)+13: 29 GAME: Culix rolls perception: (6)+8: 14
Aryia steps off to the side as the storm in, fists raises and ready to break some faces. But her brows knit in confusion at seeing the door vanish. Magic. Of course it's magic.
She huffs and stomps forward, slapping the air where the door was out of frustration. "Magic is bullshit." <Handspeech>
Culix arrives a moment latter, dagger in one hand and pellet in the other, but stops and blinks in surprise at the vanishing act. "Shit. Who was that?" she asks the other adventurers, hoping they are more clued in than she. She pauses to glance around. The pellet goes away, but she keeps ahold of her dagger. "If they were keeping her here, I don't see any signs of it." she observes.
"Empty warehouse, a laughing man, a doorway to paradiso, which close." Paenitia calls back after her announcement, to the others following her in.
He laughed at her. Tarien would be proud. More laughter in the world, "Be wary. Last time, there the invisible cultists. Maybe Aimarra here in a box big enough."
The Dark Lucht isn't looking at the boxes, currently. She's staring at the motes in the air, peering for unexpected disturbances in the air currents. Trying to 'see' invisible things.
This is of course, impossible, but that has never stopped her.
"Well, it seems people are here." Seyardu says with a glance to the door. "Magic like that is not easy, be on your guard. At least we got a good look at them, and we can let the guard know later that the warehouse was set with explosive traps. Good standing should not protect them with such intents." She notes. "They may be able to leave, so the doors should not be unwatched. And keep an eye out for anyone else."
Finding no resistance in the air, Aryia huffs to herself and heeds Paenitia's warning. She moves slow, elbows close to her ribs to keep her sides safe. She gets to one of the boxes, eyeing it over. Certainly she had some tool to open it-
>>Thwack!<<
Who needs a crowbar when you've done this hundreds of times on ships.
She palms the side open.
Culix nods her head in agreement with Paenitia, "Could be." she agrees, and she casts her eyes about too. She leaves opening boxes to stronger sorts than her, and resolves to keep watch as they do, irdly rolling the dagger over her hand to keep it occupied as she casts her gaze about.
Eventually, the box opens to Aryia's prying. It holds something which she at least does not find surprising. Statues. Big ones, small ones. Statues of sith-makar, elves, and humans. In varying stages of hatred, horror, anger, and sorrow. All of them incredibly life-like. It's the statues of the children that are most haunting.
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (13)+4: 17 GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+5: (14)+5: 19 GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (13)+13: 26 GAME: Culix rolls perception: (13)+8: 21
Aryia stops as she just finishes opening the crates. She looks down. Then goes to her stomach, pressing a pointed, long ear against the ground. Without looking, she signs from her prone position. "There are people under us. There might be some secret way in." <Handspeech>
GAME: Culix rolls knowledge/local: (12)+9: 21 GAME: Seyardu rolls Perception: (16)+3: 19 GAME: Paenitia rolls knowledge/local: (7)+9: 16
Seyardu looks at the opened box, and lets out a puff of air as she moves to ensure nothing falls out.
"They are lucky they are in that portal, if they value the shape of their skull." They say simply with a glance back to the area in question. "Aryia, this one will not trouble you, or others present with concerns of bringing those here back alive."
Culix moves a bit closer to take a look at the statues. "Those are crazy realistic..." she says then as she leans a bit closer and examines one in particular. "Like, I reckon these would be worth a few thousand gold apiece. But weird thing is... who on earth would commission a statue of Blind Dan?" she wonders as she peers at it. "Aint like he's got the coin for it. Nor little Agnys there, less she's stepped up her sticky fingers act lately." she says then.
"They aren't going anywhere," Aryia dryly points out with a gesture. Smirking a bit at the threat of violence. Now that was more her language. "These are real people turned to stone, Culix."<Handspeech>
Ramirez waits patiently, as ordered, for everyone to enter the warehouse before he attempts to squeeze his way through. It's similar to watching a very fluffy persian come through a tiny cat-door, as the white peacock-andalusian pokes his head in first, then the rest of him keeps coming and spreading.
Once inside, the Red Knight and her Ivory Steed search the empty warehouse largely by running randomly around it, hoping to trip over silent, stationary invisible things.
They do not.
They also watch the doors, in case they open unexpectedly for no apparent reason, although they do not approach. There were traps, there may be more traps. They do not deal with traps, generally.
It's when the crates are open that Paenitia settles down. She looks over the shockingly realistic statues, all but convinced they are more than statues, until proof arrives which cements it.
"I know this woman. She work for the bakery near where I stay. She vanish a month ago. The cook-master think she run off. I think it clear, she is not running now."
Statue. Statue. Bigger Statue. Littler statue. Smuldur does his part in helping look through things, but ... where are the interesting things?! If the door exploded, you'd think the crates would be full of BOOM!, too? Well, he would...
He looks around at the others to ask, "Where?"
Culix starts a bit at Aryia's revelation, and she looks back to the statue. She scowls. "Downstairs you said, right?" she says then and looks to the floor. "Reckon they'll have a secret hatch in the ground round here somewhere, then. Reckon we ought introduce them to their own innards." she says then. A look to the cleric, "Can they be turned back?" she asks then. "With a healing spell or summat like it?"
"There are cover for the sewers outside, no far." Paenitia says, "one might run under here. I want to open the big doors, but I do not trust they are trap free."
"I do not know if they can be turned back. I think so, but I do not for certain, nor do I know how safe it is to do so." Seyardu sighs. "Maybe if we find one we can ask about the process to learn more. But they will need to know that there are magical hideouts in these buildings where people can hide."
Seyardu nods to Paenitia. "Checking underneath seems a good thing to do as well."
"This the second warehouse of the statues, that the official insist are just artworks and not people." The Red Knight says. Her mask is always grinning, she does not sound very mirthful, "They will not believe unless we show them their commander, who disappear after a night of lascivious trysts."
She thinks a moment, "No, even then, they would not." Paenitia has a poor opinion of authority it would seem.
"We seek Aimarra, who we do not find. Reporting this, will do not good. We are better to take them." She points at the woman she recognizes, "I not leave her because of their stupidity. Idiot laws do not apply."
She nods to Seyardu, "maybe we check the sewers next, since you hear the people, but the man I see when I walk in. He laugh at us. This the trap all fives ways to Worshipday."
Culix ponders over all the information she's been given, "Yeah. Guard are about as useful as nipples on a breastplate." she says then, and shakes her head. "Could see about seeing some folks I know in the Guild of the Sly." she adds then. "Reckon they might be able to sort out somewhere to keep 'em safe in the mean time, till we get things figured out. They got a few warehouses they control." she says.
"Ramirez, brave Ramirez," Paenitia approaches her mount, reaching up to pet his beak. He lowers it, so she can, "You stay. Guard. Warn first."
She looks around, "Someone should stay with him, he is the hot blood, he will be dangerous."
Aryia nods, her stepping behind Paenitia as if joining her. She reaches behind her back and unfastens something just at her small of her neck under her shirt, and pulls out two long strips of enchanted leather. "Can use this if any of you want to move the people someplace better up here." <Handspeech>
The group divides at this point, some choosing to go into the sewers to track the sounds rising from beneath the floor, and some staying behind in order to keep an eye on the statues to be certain that they do not get stolen while everyone else is preoccupied. It doesn't take long once in the sewers to discover the source of the sound. The voices are louder here, and Aryia is able to lead you toward them without trouble. You pass through the sewers with care until you reach a door through which you can hear the voices far more clearly than ever before.
"Do you think they're still up there?"
"Of course they are! Stupid adventurers!"
"What should we do? We can't stay down here forever, and I for one don't want to go out through the sewers like those /lower/ folk did earlier."
"Then you'll just have to wait."
"I will stay here. And start moving them closer to the exit." Seyardu says as she accepts the leather strips. "And keep an eye on Ramirez, and where the door was. If I find out anything of note, I will let you all know. But I do not wish to leave them here if that person can return as easily as they left."
GAME: Culix rolls perception: (11)+8: 19
Culix nods her head a bit at the other two, "I'll come scout the sewers with you, and then see about getting some folks from the sly together to make sure these statues don't end up where they're meant to be going." she says, and then follows along with the others as they head down the sewers.
As the trio approach the door, Culix huddles against the wall and listens for a moment. She draws a dagger, holding it in a reverse fisted grip, and then eyeballs the door. Then she eyeballs Paenitia, and gestures towards it- expecting the halfling to go first. "Clear." she mouths silently.
Smuldur can guard statues! And move them. And put them to use! If there are voices under the floor, straight down is the fastest way to get there. While Torchie is good at many things, but chopping isn't one of them, so...
He wrestles a gobber-ishly-sized statue out of a crate to use as a chopper/driller/tunneler on the floor.
- grunt*
- THUMP*
- grunt*
- THUMP*
Aryia nods and readies to follow in behind the Lucht Knight. Already knowing the strategy.
"Okay," the Red Knight says, squaring up her shield, checking the grip on her hammer. She's three feet of fury, ready to be unleashed. The knocking above, which she doesn't recognize as Smuldur abusing a statue to use it as a drill, still serves as a 'go!' signal.
"We go!" She hisses, then charges through the door, into the room, swinging. "Your knees are mine!"
"Smuldur. Stop, now." Seyardu advises firmly the moment she sees them trying to use the statue on the floor from where she was dragging some of the crates off. "These are likely people, and any damage you due to them in such a state will carry over to afterwards. If you break an arm or worse off, it will be missing when it is reverted. Leave them be, please."
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon5: (3)+8: 11 GAME: Paenitia rolls intimidate: (1)+10: 11 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Culix rolls weapon3: (20)+7: 27 (THREAT) GAME: Aryia rolls CMB+2: (12)+9+2: 23 GAME: Culix rolls weapon3: (5)+7: 12 GAME: Culix rolls damage3+2d6: aliased to 1d4+0+2d6: (1)+0+(9): 10
Smuldur stops and looks over. "Oh." He sets the statue down with slightly less *THUMP* and brushes it off with a hand. "Is good."
Culix is in absolutely no mood to be lenient with what she learned upstairs, so she stoops and dashes in like a shadow on the red knights heels. While the hammer blow fails to land, Culix sweeps around, ducking low, and sinks her dagger blade deep into his thigh. She wrenches it to the side, cutting right through the femoral- when you're only hip height to most folks, you know how to pick your targets- sending a cascade of blood spraying out. "I'd start talking if I were you." she says to the terrified woman, flipping the dagger around now it's freed from the 'gents' flesh, to grip it by its blood soaked tip.
GAME: Paenitia rolls intimidate: (14)+10: 24 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+3: (17)+3: 20 GAME: Aryia rolls cmb+2+5: (7)+9+2+5: 23
"Thank you Comrade," the Red Knight says, as Culix drops the one she engaged. If she can't be effective, she can at least be a distraction.
She turns, pointing her warhammer at the woman Aryia is holding, the weapon making a line that leads straight back to her wide, grinning mask. An intimidating sight, possibly, the Smiling Man's face, on the little Lucht, "Surrender now. Agree to confess to the guards how you turn people to stone, or I will stand back. You are not someone under my protection."
She's not in the mood for mercy either, it seems.
GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+4: (14)+4: 18 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+4: (4)+4: 8
The cultist whom was so easily and brutally slain rises up from where he has fallen on the ground and grasps at Cluix, trying to sink nails into flesh, but even surprised the woman manages to slip away. The corpse-man stumbles after her, his eyes dead and unseeing.
Aryia had burst in with the others, skirting around and grabbing them by the arm. She twirls them about, getting them off center balance and knocking them to a knee. The shadow elf hops up, kicks her feet out and clamps on with her legs, making the cultist's arms uselessly locked upwards and pressed hard against their head. She grabs them by the hair and yanks their face up so they could talk, Aryia's face twisted into a snarl.
In response to the ongoings, the woman in Aryia's arms screams in pain and terror.
GAME: Culix rolls knowledge/religion: (9)+5: 14 GAME: Culix rolls weapon3+2: (9)+7+2: 18 GAME: Culix rolls damage3+2d6: aliased to 1d4+0+2d6: (4)+0+(8): 12 GAME: Paenitia rolls cmb+2: (5)+5+2: 12
The dead cultist rises behind her, slashing at Culix.
"I am the idiot!" Paenitia whirls, swinging for the knees, as she promised earlier. She's a little short, she also misses with her warhammer, the arc not quite intersecting.
"Comrades! They carry a statuette. It make them live after death. The body will not stop until you remove it."
"Hold her Aryia, slice the pockets Culix." The Red Knight adjusts her stance, "Also, ware! The statue takes over your mind. I try slay Ramirez. It is powerful!"
Culix kicks the clawing hands away from her ankles and steps to the side, taken aback by the sudden rising- but she's seen enough shit to not allow her moment of surprise allow her to be overcome. She tosses the knife into the air, flipping it over and catching it by the grip. She lunges down at the clawing arms, slicing through flesh with ease. She stomps on the arm for good measure as she draws the blade back, cracking the bone and leaving it dangling off by a scrap of skin.
She glances over to Paenitia at the revelation, brows furrowing. "Right nasty bastards these guys are." she grumbles.
GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (17)+13: 30
GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+4: (19)+4: 23
Aryia is getting rather annoyed at the screaming. She yanks them backwards until they hit the wall, Aryia rifling around under her cloak before pulling out a length of rope. Quickly, from years of sailing experience, the cultist is tied arms first, ridden to the grimy ground, then finished with an uncomfortable hog tie. "Sh-t t- f-ck -p, pl-s-."
Now that she was dealt with, Aryia squints at the zombie man and whistles loudly, pointing to their front right pocket. "It's in there!" <Handspeech>
GAME: Zeke rolls 1d4+1: (1)+1: 2 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+4: (11)+4: 15
The cultist manages to grab ahold of Culix the second time, raking nails down her leg and making her bleed. Meanwhile his hog-tied companion uselessly tries to escape her bondage.
GAME: Culix rolls cmb: (5)+1: 6 GAME: Paenitia rolls cmb+2: (9)+5+2: 16 GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0: (15)+9: 24 GAME: Aryia spends ONE point of KI POOL. GAME: Aryia rolls weapon0: (19)+9: 28
Culix winces is pain when the claws rake at her legs, drawing in a sharp hiss through gritted gnashers. "If I'd have known that I might have tried to nab it 'fore they knew where I was." she grumps. With her free hand, she sweeps a section of her cloak around it, to try and protect it, and then lunges towards the pointed pocket- The cloak proves awkward, though, and she can't slip her hand in to nab the item with her hand covered up. But given what Paenitia just told her, she doesn't want to touch it with bare fingers, either.
GAME: Aryia spends ONE use of STUNNING FIST. GAME: Aryia rolls damage0: aliased to 1d8+2: (3)+2: 5 GAME: Aryia rolls damage0: aliased to 1d8+2: (4)+2: 6
Paenitia heard Aryia call out the location of the statuette, sees Culix's hand slip as she grabs for it.
Perhaps, mostly off will do. She's at that height. She grabs the waistband and yanks the zombie-man's pants down around his ankles. Perhaps that will be far enough away. If not, well, disrobing is almost disarming.
"Trip, we try again." Paenitia says, "It slip my mind, there many things happen."
Aryia hisses as the cultist woman flails about uselessly on the ground. She goes to knock her against the ground, but wiffs. Frustrated, she curb stomps twice right on the back. Stilling their movements but still letting them breathe.
To everyone's surprise the one-armed zombie picks up his pants and puts them back on, making a low growling noise in the back of his throat. "Ad-vent-ure-ers." The word is drawled out painfully, and he seems now irate with you.
GAME: Culix rolls weapon3+2: (12)+7+2: 21 GAME: Paenitia rolls cmb+2: (7)+5+2: 14 GAME: Paenitia rolls cmb+2: (7)+5+2: 14 GAME: Culix rolls weapon3+2d6: 7+(8): 15 GAME: Culix rolls damage3: aliased to 1d4+0: (4)+0: 4
As the zombie-man reaches for his pants, Paenitia hooks her warhammer in them between his legs and gives a good yank. The hammer-head snags, and she flips him on his face even as he pulls them up.
GAME: Culix rolls weapon3: (16)+7: 23 GAME: Culix rolls damage3+2d6: aliased to 1d4+0+2d6: (1)+0+(5): 6
Culix grunts as the creature goes for his pants, and she dives down after it as it falls down. "Fine! You wanna do this the hard way! Then I'll just slice an' dice you till you can't move no more! See how you like that!" she says. With a sweep of the blade, she severs what remains of the first arm, before plunging the blade into the other, and begins sawing her way through the flesh there as well.
GAME: Paenitia rolls melee: (13)+7: 20
"We only fight one last time, a leader. I thought only their priests carry." Paenitia offers an explanation, sounding somewhat guilty.
Still, the man is on the ground, swiftly becoming dis-armed. Her warhammer is not suitable for that task. She drops it, draws her Lucht Travelling knife and stabs into the pants, hooking the bulge in the pocket area and ripping the cloth.
The statue falls free. The man stops moving.
The Dark Lucht turns her mask towards Aryia, "maybe a bag for her head, when she wake up. I think the stare, it in their eyes. We need find something for that too."
She's not about to trust the statuette either.
Aryia nods and rifles around in her bag, pulling out a spare and tattered shirt. She bags the cultist's head. Frowning heavily. "Some black rose cultists thing. They do something with some kind of demon chicken. I don't know the word" <Handspeech>.
Culix gets back off the corpse when it finally stops moving, and wipes her bloodied blade on a cleanish section of his clothes before glancing about. "Well that was... unexpected." she grunts, finally pausing to take stock of the room around them, see if there's anything handy. If not, she has plenty of pouches, she could empty one out for cursed statuette storage. "Can cover her head up with my cloak." she suggests.
The room is largely empty save a few romance novels, a spread of food on a table in the corner which miraculously survived the fight, the corpse... and the woman. As well as two chairs which did /not/ survive the fight. The woman however, seems to slowly be regaining consciousness. If her groaning is any indication.
"Yes." Paenitia nods, resheathing her knife, picking up her warhammer. She rocks her head in the direction of the bound woman, "her pockets too, they need be checked."
She's looking around the room, "That one say, the 'lesser beings' escape to the sewers. They may have the large head start now."
"She awaken, maybe she can answer soon."
Aryia dumps out the woman's pockets and signs, "Someone make her talk." <Handspeech>
The only thing in the woman's pockets is a thin vial of some unknown liquid.
GAME: Culix rolls intimidate: (20)+2: 22 GAME: Paenitia rolls intimidate: (14)+10: 24 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+3: (5)+3: 8
Culix heads on over towards the hogtied woman, now her evil statuette has been taken away, and she climbs atop of her, sitting across her shoulder blades. She grabs a fistfull of the woman's hair, and yanks it hard- bringing her head up, so that her dagger can slip under the woman's chin and press against her larynx just deep enough that a bead of blood forms at its tip.
"Now. I said 'fore you ought to start talking. You started screaming. I'm gonna ask again, and this is the last time, so start talking. How are you turnin them folks into statues?" she asks.
Paenitia stares at the bound woman. She looks around the room, noting things. The food, the novels. Her attention turns back, she examines the woman's dress. The little knight makes a guess.
"You are high society. Bored. You get involve with a cult." She stars off, her voice casual but firm. Blindfolded, one might imagine being lectured by a child, if it weren't for the confidence behind it. "You will be turn over to the guards too, as kidnapper, for making the statues. Maybe you buy them off, keep that secret."
She pauses again, "What you will not buy them off to not say, is how you get involve with the sex cult. Meet your man here for intimate relations. Have orgies, kill him. How you are the Black Widow woman. This will be made known, to your family, to the fellow nobles. Your reputation will be ruined. You will jump from a high tower."
"You answer us, maybe the goblin not kill you, maybe the second part not get out. I am not sure you defenseless yet. You better prove it much quick."
She squeezes a gauntlet tight, the leather creaking, "Answer quick."
The woman sobs. "I don't know! I don't know!" She sobs harder underneath her makeshift covering. "That's Edmond's job. He's the priest! Ask him! Oh please, ask him!"
Culix yanks on her head again, pressing the dagger more firmly against her throat, "You better not be lying. I'll know if you are." she warns then. Culix leans down closer. "You know, if you die down here, won't nobody find you for weeks. Months maybe. Rats'll have had most of you by then." she says to her. "Maybe we'll just leave you down here tied up, if we don't get the answers we need. Rats aren't picky eater." she adds.
She sits back up again as the woman begins to talk. "So, Edmond is it? Where can we find him?" she asks.
Aryia just glares, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
The Red Knight listens, unmoving and unmoved. She watches, her mask ever grinning, unchanging, only her eyes visible behind it. She's not about to confuse the woman with two sets of questions, not yet, although she listens carefully for lies.
To keep the pressure up, work with the team, she repeats, "Answer."
"You don't want him!" She says quickly; eager to be helpful. "You want Erik. I can get him. Summon him! Just give me the statuette that... Is Monty here? He has it! If you can get me the statue I can get you Erik. He's in charge of everything!"
GAME: Paenitia rolls sense motive: (1)+10: 11 (EPIC FAIL)
"Ask where Aimarra is," Aryia mentions, glancing to the statue. Yeah, no way in hell. Not after last time. <Handspeech>
Culix pauses, looking over to Paenitia for a moment to see what she thinks. Clearly, the idea of handing the statue over doesn't appeal. "Pretty sure you aint in any position to tell us what we do and don't want." she says then, leaning in again. A glance is spared to Aryia at her hand signs- she recognizes the letters of Aimarra's name, at least- She'd nearly forgotten why they were here in the first place after seeing those statuefied kids upstairs. "You guys got an adventurer. Veyshan woman. Ranger. Where is she?" she asks, next, having been refocused.
The Red Knight is having a hard time reading the woman. She can't tell actual panic from the feigned sort. She nods when Culix looks her way, the goblin seems on the right path.
"Yes. The half elf ranger, from the Cabin in the woods. Where she is?"
She doesn't tap her feet, but she is thinking of moving them.
"Her?" The woman sounds surprised and then wiggles slightly to see how much freedom of movement she has. "Erik has her." Her tone is quiet in a way that suggests bad things for Aimarra.
"Is A-I-R-I-K the guy in the disappearing door thing??" Aryia asks, reaching a hand down to tighten the rope. Sailor's knots. No way in hell the cultist was getting out of that.
"So it's Erik we want, then." Culix says, more to herself than the woman. "He the one what was upstairs?" she asks then. "He went through some sort of magic door. Where's it lead?" she asks the woman then. Still not willing to hand over the statue to her, if there's any other option.
Letters, a phoentic name, the symbol for a door. Paenitia puts it together, right after Culix voices it. Her voice takes on a more stern cast, "Speak freer. Run your words like the waterfall. You are not the very helpful one."
"Who, what, when, where, how, why. This, we want know, to get Aimarra back." She waves a metal gauntlet, "Your Airek, he laugh, he does not much care for you, whether the rats or nobles eat you alive."
"Time grows short, and still you try to trick us. How much patience you think we have?"
"I'm not! I'm not! I just... I don't know! I don't know who you saw upstairs. It could be anyone!" She shudders under Culix. "And I don't know that much about Erik. Monty does. Edmond does.... I... Erik likes me so I know that he was looking to make some kind of statement. He wanted live people. Not statues. But I don't know what he wants with them. Please... I'm helping as best I can. I said I'd summon Erik. I'm sure he'd have your answers!"
"I'm grabbing her and we go back upstairs," Aryia suggests, grabbing an arm and stooping low to get ready to sling them over her shoulder. "Grab that damn thing with a cloth." <Handspeech>
Culix glances to the other two for a moment, and then sighs a bit. "Alright. We aint getting no where." she says then, and climbs off the woman. "You can summon him. Under guard, were you'll get a crossbow bolt in the gullet if you even think 'bout doing anything funny." she says. She climbs off the woman, and then grabs one of the pouches from her belt. She empties what seems like flour from it, gives it a shake, and turns it inside to go fetch the statuette.
"Ok. That good enough." Paenitia says, as Aryia moves in to grab her. "We take you to a Temple. Tarien's is good, we summon Erik, we all have the laugh."
There's no rush. "We head up, summon the cab, go. Erik can answer there."
She grabs the books, does not touch the meal.
GAME: Culix rolls will: (16)+1: 17
Obediently the woman does as she is bid, the knowledge that she's to be taken to a temple sends her into tears again, and you're forced to half-carry her. "I helped! I helped. Please don't tell anyone about this."
Culix suddenly grits her teeth as Paenitia is speaking and she suddenly turns, tossing her dagger which sails just past the Halfling. "NO TIME!" she growls through those gritted teeth, eyes wide, breathing hard and fast for a few moments. "He might be doing something horrible to her right now. We take her upstairs, back to Smuldur and Seyardu. They do the summoning there." she says, seeming to gradually settle down as she speaks.
"You have said words we do not know are true or not." Paenitia says, taking the fore. It's a short walk back through the sewers. There shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully. She's got her shield up, in case there is, warhammer in hand again.
"Your actions will be the help. That you get to do soon." She laughs, just a little, ominously, perhaps thinking of the man she saw when she first burst in above. The little Knight wants to get back to rest, and get this managed.
Aryia blinks. That wasn't like Culix to lash out and yell. Her eyes settle on Culix as Aryia hefts the cultist over her shoulder. "We literally spent an hour dicking around. We can spend another hour doing this safely." <Handspeech>
As the dagger flies past, the halfing turns to stare back at Culix.
Paenitia nods to Aryia, then keeps going, "Yes."
"In another hour she might be dead, or wish she were." Culix says, seeming to have got her anger under control for now. "I reckon sooner is better than later, now we know where she is." she says then, heading over to collect the thrown knife. No apologies are forthcoming, and she's still scowling- but seems to have it under control, for now at least.
"So we haul ass on Rameriez. After dealing with bitch wings, I'd rather not have all of us slaughtered." Wasting no more time, Aryia runs out of the room with the cultist over her shoulders. <Handspeech>
Paenitia follows Aryia as they head through the sewers, then up. She makes a small headshake, should the Mul'niessa look her way, or start signing something. She does want to communicate something stealthily, but signs leave her out of the loop, and no one understands barking dog in Alexandria it seems.
Once back on the street, then back inside the warehouse, the Red Knight makes a point of hugging Ramirez tightly, "I miss you my friend. I apologize again, for that time I attack you. You forgive me yes? I was not my right mind."
'Ruaaah?' Ramirez forgives her of course, and has mostly forgotten about it. It was almost playing.
The Red Knight gives a very pointed look at Aryia, staring at her through her mask, before turning to the angry goblin. "Culix! I have the idea. Two idea."
"Put the statue in the bag, in the second bag, that we attach to the pole-arm. It make it extra safe and easy to carry."
She waves at the door, "Second, go for the friends on the Sly, to get the place we can move the people in the boxes."
Everyone makes it up to the surface without tensions boiling over, but as they start to conglomerate in the warehouse Culix takes the statue and shoves it into the woman's hands. "Just summon him!" She orders the woman forcefully, and the woman, terrified of you all starts to speak in a deep, guttural language.
Inside the warehouse, a gate starts to open, startling everyone. The gate forms and the black-haired man from before blinks at you. "What do /you/ want?"
"A ballista to say hello to you with." Paenitia answers, laughing, "Ha, that the joke. Aimarra."
Aryia, halfway through putting the woman on Rameriez's saddle, groans in frustration and clocks her in the head, knocking her out.
Seyardu was dragging more of the crates towards the unhinged doorway, but she stops to greet those as they come back, though she looks at the woman who was with them. "Was this the source?" She asks before her attention is taken by the portal.
"You should know what we want, given your presence in this place. An explanation, if you wish, and that you would come with us to the guard, though I will not hold out hope for one willing to associate with business such as this."
The man's eyes flicker around to the various people standing around and then sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. After a moment he opens his eyes. "Aimarra? The adventurer?" He moves, opening the crate behind him in the beautiful seaside vista. He walks into it and comes out carrying the self-same adventure in one hand. The feat of strength does not seem to bother him. He pauses, long enough to turn the woman toward something and then throws her bodily out through the gate. Then he grins down at her. "Tell Seldan that I am building two gifts for him. The one you just saw I will deliver to his doorstep... the other he will have to find."
Mocking laughter echoes out of the gate and it slowly slides shut. "Don't call me again." He says just before the gate closes, and though none of you know it yet, the statue crumbles to dust in that moment.
Aryia just glares at the man as he has his monologue. And her frame relaxes slightly as he leaves and an Aimarra in front of them. She lets Seyardu look them over.
The cultist next to her stirs again.
The pugilist slugs them hard on the jaw. Knocking that light out for a few hours.
"The elf seem very light." Paenitia says, watching Aimarra being thrown in. Her head bobs slowly, her face is very grim. It is however, hidden by her mask, so to the world she presents a grin even if it is not her own.
"I am not the messenger bag," She tells the empty space, "I know this man, and will warn him but not in a threat."
She makes a thumbs-up gesture to Aryia; she's figured out that sign. "Okay, now to move the boxes in secret, then alert the guard. This the plan, yes?"
Seyardu looks at the man as he speaks, but as much as she wanted to toss something at the man, or summon a large sword to smack them upside the head, it was not the time nor place, and she was not putting the others at risk unnecessarily.
"They must be a noble, I have met so many and time and time again they feel incredibly full of themselves. But there is danger to back them up." Seyardu notes with the hint of a growl, before she is going to where Aimarra was thrown. Kneeling down, and taking stock of any injuries and their state.
The figure on the ground groans, and half-rolls over to face up. Aimarra is conscious, at least, despite a quickly-rising goose egg on her temple, and aside from being filthy, rope burns, and a few cuts and scrapes, doesn't seem to be too, too badly off. Weaponless, of course, and somewhere in the confusion, the wrap she usually wears around her left forearm is gone, to reveal what looks like a long-healed bite mark extending nearly from wrist to elbow on the fine frame. Something big got her _good_ at some point.
Aryia works on tying down the unconscious cultist as Seyardu helps Aimarra. She also makes sure Culix has calmed, not wanting to repeat what she had to do with Paenitia.
GAME: Seyardu rolls 3d6: (12): 12
Paenitia reaches and pulls down healer's kit, turning to watch Seyardu treat Aimarra, "I have the supplies, if they are needed."
A glance to check on the prisoner, more ropes will never hurt. A nudge to move Culix close enough she'll catch some of the divinity. After which, she clanks towards Aimarra, and offers her a blanket from her gear.
"Good to see you again, my friend! Do you have the story to tell? Here is a blanket, if you are cold."
Seyardu continues to kneel as she reaches for her breastplate and holy symbol, infusing those present with healing energy, save for the cowled person nearby, lest they wake up again.
"We will listen, but we will bring you somewhere safer, as well. The temple of Althea, as I do not feel safe leaving these people here now. If they can teleport inside, guards will matter little."
Cuts and scrapes and rope burns heal, and Aimarra groans again, trying to push herself to her feet. As she does, her stomach growls audibly, and her skin is dry to touch. "Can I ... eat something first?" One hand goes to her temple. "Head's pounding."
Whether it's temple, or food first, or perhaps something to eat along the way, it seems that you've accomplished your task of rescuing the woman from whatever fate awaited her. And perhaps met a few new enemies along the way. At the very least, you've an interesting story to tell.
-End