This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Yelling at the Quaggoth to get back over here and help with the body." Vrah will try and gently kick the object under his foot over toward Vethna as he makes as much noise as possible picking up the orc to hide the noise of it sliding over to her.
Vrah, the guards are focused on the others, not you and don't notice a rock sliding across the floor.
Vethna, you see a shiny, shard of black obsidian slide across the floor near you. It appears to have very sharp edges.
The quaggoth that appeared to be a snarling, feral beast moments ago, takes a few deep breaths, then stands more upright and says "Ah yes, my people have had a long history of conflict with the orcs. It's a pity he had to die, but I believe he was a risk to us all."
Two good rolls. You've heard of Quaggoths before. They used to live on the surface and, while not the most advanced creatures, they were certainly intelligent creatures with a society, language, and culture. They were a nocturnal species of hunters that lived and worked in tribes.
They blame the elves for ruining everything. The elves and quaggoths were at war for quite some time, with the elves eventually winning the conflict and banishing the quaggoths to the Underdark.
As time moved on the quaggoths turned from a once proud and thriving group into desperate hunters with little land or resources to sustain their people. From what you know, quaggoths absolutely despise elves. So it's shocking this one claims to be an elf.
Their hatred of elves has led to an alliance with the Drow. Well, at least the drow have been able to use quaggoths as servants or as weapons for raiding encampments of surface elves.
As far as insight, you think this thing believes what it's saying, but something is seriously wrong with its mind.
With the fight between the quaggoth and the orc over almost before it began, Tanis is happy everyone else is safe and happy to let the others handle the late Ront's makeshift weapon.
Eldeth was right - the big hairy creature really thinks it is an elf. What had happened to its mind?
Tanis focuses instead on the drow guards. He tries to keep his expression blank and dazed and complies with orders.
But before he is forced to turn his back, he tries to get a sense of: - Is there a hierarchy among the guards? - How tough, well-trained and focused do they look as fighters or archers? Certainly too tough to fight near-naked and weaponless, but if Tanis had his rapier, longbow and studded leather, would they be an even match? Perhaps some tougher than others? - What equipment do they have on them? - And when the door had first opened to the guard tower - how many more of them did it look like there were in there? Any racks or stacks of equipment visible?
OOC: Could I use the Perception roll (22) I made for Tanis in the earlier post during combat initiative?
Vethna moves quick and quiet, not wishing to get the guard's attention, but wishing to have a weapon, if it comes to it. She grabs for the sharp piece of obsidian...
You don't really pick up on a hierarchy among these guards. Two are swordsmen who entered the cell. The ones with crossbows arranged themselves just outside to cover the gate to the cell. They all seem to be wearing some kind of leather armor. The ones with crossbows also have short swords in hilts. They seem experienced with how to deal with disturbances among prisoners, but you can't really tell how well they'd fight. They don't seem super seasoned, but they're not totally inexperienced either. You could see very little of the inside of the guard tower. You only see these five right now, but you hear sounds of more approaching. A couple of quaggoths come up a set of stone stairs from the right of the cell. They appear to be taking directions from the Drow.
Vethna,
With that roll, you are able to pick up the obsidian shard and hide it in the folds of your clothing or up a sleeve. You weren't noticed doing this.
Vethna settles back, the sharp shard hidden in her tunic folds. She is content to let the guards do what they came for, and then, hopefully, for things to settle down again.
Petmailer kneels down and faces the wall, every now and again taking glances back at the Drow, trying to recognize any insignia or rank, looking for opportunities. He looks longingly at the crossbow, would love to have a weapon. He forgoes any further magic spells and tries to recall any lore about anti-magic fields being used on prisons and the extent of them. He will wait for the right chance, keep observing for anything to exploit.
Shoowaa is a bit shocked that the quaggoth spoke. He thought it was a beast held here by the drow, but it’s a person. Now he feels bad for trying to blind it, but for all he knew it suddenly charged at the orc. While staring at the walls he tries to remember what can prevent magic from occuring, and then wonders if it also affects outside the cell.
Petmailer notices an emblem on one of the guards for the house Mizzrym. While not all Drow condone slaving, this house has a long history of being slavers. They are known for being particularly cruel and ruthless.
Shoowaa, your arcana roll doesn't tell you anything additional, but it's common knowledge that powerful magic users can create wards that prevent magic in certain areas and that also might prevent anyone from scrying into a protected area.
The guards direct Vrah and the Quaggoth to drag the orc's body to the gate, then back away. From there, the two quaggoths who came up the stairs to this level grab the orc and deftly toss it over into the webs. You don't see them, but you hear clacking and skittering noises as spiders close in to feed. The quaggoths quietly go back down the stairs.
Meanwhile, the prisoners who left the pen earlier on work detail are marched back through the guard tower by three Drow. These are wearing chain shirts instead of leather armor. The two swordsmen tell the rest of you to stay on your knees. They watch the other prisoners carefully, patting them down one at a time as they enter through the gate. Once they enter, the gate clangs shut behind them.
You notice all the Drow snap to attention and quickly form two ranks on either side of the gate. A female Drow steps from the guard tower and makes her way slowly across the rope bridge. She carries a strange rod that has tentacles on the end and is followed by two male Drow fighters. One of these is young, proud and handsome. The other one also appears to be a very capable warrior, but his face and one arm are badly scared as if something has melted or burned the flesh.
Still on her knees, Phodoxia hears the commotion, the footsteps of the returning prisoners, and the clank of chain armor.
Surreptitiously, she grips the front of the hood she's wearing and uses a pointed nail as an anchor to tear a hole in the front of it so that she can see out. ....and then turns her head just enough to peek and see what's going on.
The female Drow makes her way to the entrance to the slave pen (which is now closed). She stands there for a moment looking bored, tapping her strange rod against her thigh, as her gaze passes over you. Eventually she holds up her hand and snaps her fingers.
The younger male Drow who arrived with her steps quickly up to her, bows his head and says "yes, mistress?"
She says "Shoor, don't you think proper introductions are in order?"
"Yes mistress!" He steps up to the gate and shouts "You scum! Grovel before her majesty the high priestess Ilvara Mizzrym who holds your very lives in her hands."
Tanis attempts to demurely do whatever 'grovelling' seems to entail for everyone without overdoing it.
To the extent possible he tries to get a sense of the relationship between Ilvara and Shoor, and how the other drow guards and the other, disfigured lieutenant regard them.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kisiki prostrates himself in the darkness when the Drow woman demands it of him. His well honed instincts have gotten this far in life, and right now they're telling him to survive until he has a chance to flee.
He remains silent, but listens intently to the dynamic of the High Priestess and her guards. He's had no contact with the Drow before being captured, but he tries to figure out if their social structure is similar to one he knows, such as his own people or the Wood Elves he once knew.
Insight?: 18
Edit: he'd also try to figure out what god or goddess she's a high priestess of. As a fellow holy man, perhaps they'll have something in common.
You can tell that the priestess is in charge and is the highest level of authority at this outpost. From these brief interactions, you don't sense anything familiar to your home tribe. Females clearly seem to be in charge with the males as second class citizens. Kisiki, you think you sense something of a more personal relationship between the priestess and the young warrior who is doing her bidding. But these creatures are very different from lizardfolk and you may be misunderstanding them. You sense some resentment from the older warrior who has the scars or burns. You don't know anything about what kind of religion they practice, what gods they worship and you certainly don't sense anything in common with this priestess.
Ilvara orders them to open the gate. She walks inside alone, exhibiting that she has no fear for her personal safety. She walks slowly by each one of you, taking inventory of your potential uses. As she makes the circuit, she speaks loudly as if she is lecturing you. The drow outside keep their crossbows trained on you, watching for any hint of threat. Those of you looking closely see a greenish liquid glistening on the crossbow bolts.
"That orc had a cruel streak. Now don't get me wrong. I certainly admire cruelty when it comes from strength, but he was a bully. Bullies are hiding something. They are trying to compensate for their fears or weakness, not demonstrate their dominance. He was useless to me, so his death is no loss. He will make a fine meal for my darling pets." As she passes by the smaller prisoners, she sneers "Gnomes!? Goblins!? What is this trash? Can we not find better assets?" She snatches up Topsy, the small female deep gnome and drags her over to the iron bars and presses her up against them. "I mean what am I supposed to do with these things? Sell them off as garden decorations?" She looks to the young drow warrior and says "Shoor... wand."
He pulls a slender black wand from his belt and aims it at the gnome. A sticky stream of thick globs sprays out and hits the bars and the gnome, covering her body and gluing her to the bars. She lets out a short squeak before her mouth is partially covered by the nasty adhesive.
Ilvara throws her head back and cackles "Hahahahahhaha!!! Lovely! Why is it that never fails to make me laugh? I think its the squishing sound it makes." She pokes at the gnome. "Hmm.. maybe instead of garden decorations we can glue them to the walls, stick candles in their ears and use them as sconces." Clearly pleased with herself, she turns back to continue looking you all over.
"Yelling at the Quaggoth to get back over here and help with the body." Vrah will try and gently kick the object under his foot over toward Vethna as he makes as much noise as possible picking up the orc to hide the noise of it sliding over to her.
Deception?: 3
Vrah, the guards are focused on the others, not you and don't notice a rock sliding across the floor.
Vethna, you see a shiny, shard of black obsidian slide across the floor near you. It appears to have very sharp edges.
The quaggoth that appeared to be a snarling, feral beast moments ago, takes a few deep breaths, then stands more upright and says "Ah yes, my people have had a long history of conflict with the orcs. It's a pity he had to die, but I believe he was a risk to us all."
Petmailer considers the words and behavior of the quaggoth. An ally?
History check re: quaggoths - 17
Insight : 18
Two good rolls. You've heard of Quaggoths before. They used to live on the surface and, while not the most advanced creatures, they were certainly intelligent creatures with a society, language, and culture. They were a nocturnal species of hunters that lived and worked in tribes.
They blame the elves for ruining everything. The elves and quaggoths were at war for quite some time, with the elves eventually winning the conflict and banishing the quaggoths to the Underdark.
As time moved on the quaggoths turned from a once proud and thriving group into desperate hunters with little land or resources to sustain their people. From what you know, quaggoths absolutely despise elves. So it's shocking this one claims to be an elf.
Their hatred of elves has led to an alliance with the Drow. Well, at least the drow have been able to use quaggoths as servants or as weapons for raiding encampments of surface elves.
As far as insight, you think this thing believes what it's saying, but something is seriously wrong with its mind.
With the fight between the quaggoth and the orc over almost before it began, Tanis is happy everyone else is safe and happy to let the others handle the late Ront's makeshift weapon.
Eldeth was right - the big hairy creature really thinks it is an elf. What had happened to its mind?
Tanis focuses instead on the drow guards. He tries to keep his expression blank and dazed and complies with orders.
But before he is forced to turn his back, he tries to get a sense of:
- Is there a hierarchy among the guards?
- How tough, well-trained and focused do they look as fighters or archers? Certainly too tough to fight near-naked and weaponless, but if Tanis had his rapier, longbow and studded leather, would they be an even match? Perhaps some tougher than others?
- What equipment do they have on them?
- And when the door had first opened to the guard tower - how many more of them did it look like there were in there? Any racks or stacks of equipment visible?
OOC: Could I use the Perception roll (22) I made for Tanis in the earlier post during combat initiative?
Mud(Paladin2):Frandal's Scourge/Inge(Barbarian1):Krayveneer's After the Fall/Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1):Uhtred's Windward Isles/Shin(Wizard2):Dimir_MTG's Surviving
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric3):Vos' Beyond the Veil/Soren(Druid4):Bartjeebus' Ravenloft/Nivi(Rogue3):Raiketsu's CoS/Lyra(Warlock2/Bard2):BlameItOnWinter's Will of the Ancients
Joren(Fighter5):NotDrizzt's Simple Request/Quyen(Adept1):Constance's Nentir Vale/Rel(Warlock2):Uhtred's Phandelver/Xarian(Fighter1/Wizard1):ShieldHero's Drakkenheim
Vethna moves quick and quiet, not wishing to get the guard's attention, but wishing to have a weapon, if it comes to it. She grabs for the sharp piece of obsidian...
Sleight of hand: 20
Tanis,
You don't really pick up on a hierarchy among these guards. Two are swordsmen who entered the cell. The ones with crossbows arranged themselves just outside to cover the gate to the cell. They all seem to be wearing some kind of leather armor. The ones with crossbows also have short swords in hilts. They seem experienced with how to deal with disturbances among prisoners, but you can't really tell how well they'd fight. They don't seem super seasoned, but they're not totally inexperienced either. You could see very little of the inside of the guard tower. You only see these five right now, but you hear sounds of more approaching. A couple of quaggoths come up a set of stone stairs from the right of the cell. They appear to be taking directions from the Drow.
Vethna,
With that roll, you are able to pick up the obsidian shard and hide it in the folds of your clothing or up a sleeve. You weren't noticed doing this.
Vethna settles back, the sharp shard hidden in her tunic folds. She is content to let the guards do what they came for, and then, hopefully, for things to settle down again.
Petmailer kneels down and faces the wall, every now and again taking glances back at the Drow, trying to recognize any insignia or rank, looking for opportunities. He looks longingly at the crossbow, would love to have a weapon. He forgoes any further magic spells and tries to recall any lore about anti-magic fields being used on prisons and the extent of them. He will wait for the right chance, keep observing for anything to exploit.
Shoowaa is a bit shocked that the quaggoth spoke. He thought it was a beast held here by the drow, but it’s a person. Now he feels bad for trying to blind it, but for all he knew it suddenly charged at the orc. While staring at the walls he tries to remember what can prevent magic from occuring, and then wonders if it also affects outside the cell.
arcana: 6
Petmailer notices an emblem on one of the guards for the house Mizzrym. While not all Drow condone slaving, this house has a long history of being slavers. They are known for being particularly cruel and ruthless.
Shoowaa, your arcana roll doesn't tell you anything additional, but it's common knowledge that powerful magic users can create wards that prevent magic in certain areas and that also might prevent anyone from scrying into a protected area.
The guards direct Vrah and the Quaggoth to drag the orc's body to the gate, then back away. From there, the two quaggoths who came up the stairs to this level grab the orc and deftly toss it over into the webs. You don't see them, but you hear clacking and skittering noises as spiders close in to feed. The quaggoths quietly go back down the stairs.
Meanwhile, the prisoners who left the pen earlier on work detail are marched back through the guard tower by three Drow. These are wearing chain shirts instead of leather armor. The two swordsmen tell the rest of you to stay on your knees. They watch the other prisoners carefully, patting them down one at a time as they enter through the gate. Once they enter, the gate clangs shut behind them.
You notice all the Drow snap to attention and quickly form two ranks on either side of the gate. A female Drow steps from the guard tower and makes her way slowly across the rope bridge. She carries a strange rod that has tentacles on the end and is followed by two male Drow fighters. One of these is young, proud and handsome. The other one also appears to be a very capable warrior, but his face and one arm are badly scared as if something has melted or burned the flesh.
Still on her knees, Phodoxia hears the commotion, the footsteps of the returning prisoners, and the clank of chain armor.
Surreptitiously, she grips the front of the hood she's wearing and uses a pointed nail as an anchor to tear a hole in the front of it so that she can see out. ....and then turns her head just enough to peek and see what's going on.
[OOC: I assume Vrah has some knowledge of the female drow?]
Vrah swears in common, then whispers to the rest, "Careful, this is not going to end well when she is involved."
The female Drow makes her way to the entrance to the slave pen (which is now closed). She stands there for a moment looking bored, tapping her strange rod against her thigh, as her gaze passes over you. Eventually she holds up her hand and snaps her fingers.
The younger male Drow who arrived with her steps quickly up to her, bows his head and says "yes, mistress?"
She says "Shoor, don't you think proper introductions are in order?"
"Yes mistress!" He steps up to the gate and shouts "You scum! Grovel before her majesty the high priestess Ilvara Mizzrym who holds your very lives in her hands."
Tanis attempts to demurely do whatever 'grovelling' seems to entail for everyone without overdoing it.
To the extent possible he tries to get a sense of the relationship between Ilvara and Shoor, and how the other drow guards and the other, disfigured lieutenant regard them.
Insight: 6
Mud(Paladin2):Frandal's Scourge/Inge(Barbarian1):Krayveneer's After the Fall/Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1):Uhtred's Windward Isles/Shin(Wizard2):Dimir_MTG's Surviving
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric3):Vos' Beyond the Veil/Soren(Druid4):Bartjeebus' Ravenloft/Nivi(Rogue3):Raiketsu's CoS/Lyra(Warlock2/Bard2):BlameItOnWinter's Will of the Ancients
Joren(Fighter5):NotDrizzt's Simple Request/Quyen(Adept1):Constance's Nentir Vale/Rel(Warlock2):Uhtred's Phandelver/Xarian(Fighter1/Wizard1):ShieldHero's Drakkenheim
Kisiki prostrates himself in the darkness when the Drow woman demands it of him. His well honed instincts have gotten this far in life, and right now they're telling him to survive until he has a chance to flee.
He remains silent, but listens intently to the dynamic of the High Priestess and her guards. He's had no contact with the Drow before being captured, but he tries to figure out if their social structure is similar to one he knows, such as his own people or the Wood Elves he once knew.
Insight?: 18
Edit: he'd also try to figure out what god or goddess she's a high priestess of. As a fellow holy man, perhaps they'll have something in common.
Religion: 20
You can tell that the priestess is in charge and is the highest level of authority at this outpost. From these brief interactions, you don't sense anything familiar to your home tribe. Females clearly seem to be in charge with the males as second class citizens. Kisiki, you think you sense something of a more personal relationship between the priestess and the young warrior who is doing her bidding. But these creatures are very different from lizardfolk and you may be misunderstanding them. You sense some resentment from the older warrior who has the scars or burns. You don't know anything about what kind of religion they practice, what gods they worship and you certainly don't sense anything in common with this priestess.
Ilvara orders them to open the gate. She walks inside alone, exhibiting that she has no fear for her personal safety. She walks slowly by each one of you, taking inventory of your potential uses. As she makes the circuit, she speaks loudly as if she is lecturing you. The drow outside keep their crossbows trained on you, watching for any hint of threat. Those of you looking closely see a greenish liquid glistening on the crossbow bolts.
"That orc had a cruel streak. Now don't get me wrong. I certainly admire cruelty when it comes from strength, but he was a bully. Bullies are hiding something. They are trying to compensate for their fears or weakness, not demonstrate their dominance. He was useless to me, so his death is no loss. He will make a fine meal for my darling pets." As she passes by the smaller prisoners, she sneers "Gnomes!? Goblins!? What is this trash? Can we not find better assets?" She snatches up Topsy, the small female deep gnome and drags her over to the iron bars and presses her up against them. "I mean what am I supposed to do with these things? Sell them off as garden decorations?" She looks to the young drow warrior and says "Shoor... wand."
He pulls a slender black wand from his belt and aims it at the gnome. A sticky stream of thick globs sprays out and hits the bars and the gnome, covering her body and gluing her to the bars. She lets out a short squeak before her mouth is partially covered by the nasty adhesive.
Ilvara throws her head back and cackles "Hahahahahhaha!!! Lovely! Why is it that never fails to make me laugh? I think its the squishing sound it makes." She pokes at the gnome. "Hmm.. maybe instead of garden decorations we can glue them to the walls, stick candles in their ears and use them as sconces." Clearly pleased with herself, she turns back to continue looking you all over.
Vethna remains silent, head down and submissive. There is nothing to be gained by doing anything else at this time.