"Ardjena!?" Zentromya's emotion is such that her telepathic voice is perceived by you as an (involuntary) scream "Yes, I remember a wizard who worked here and who had that name... She was very young, I wouldn't bet that she had already reached adulthood - or perhaps she gave that impression because of how thin she was or because of those freckles... but she must have been very gifted, because it was clear that Kylth considered her the best of the apprentices he had. She helped him, of course in minor ways, in many experiments - on me too, for that matter. But if for some reason she remained alive and is still here, she shouldn't be a girl anymore... she must be very old by now... maybe she won't even remember me anymore - even if I remember her quite well".

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she remembers you, Rash tells the celestial. Good news is that she hasn't spent hundreds of of years studying and becoming an archmage. She didn't know any time had passed at all. It seems that her master put her in some kind of stasis until we inadvertently woke her up. So, um, what would you suggest we do about her?

"Oh, I never imagined anything like this..." Zentromya admits telepathically "In that case, the young apprentice certainly does not represent a threat... surely, none of the spells she knows can overcome my aura of protection. If she helped Kylth because she was corrupted by evil, or just because she was led astray by her mentor, I don't know... I could confront her and try to make her understand the evil she has done... Or do you think it's better for me to hide? Do you have different plans?"

Rash strokes his beard thoughtfully.

Well, I don't know how comfortable you are with confrontations, but right now she thinks that we were sent here because someone wanted to continue her master's work, Rash replies. It might be best if we let her continue to think that for a while, long enough that she'll show us where all the traps are before we walk face-first into them. After that I think it would be good for you to confront her so we can decide what really needs to be done with her. If it turns out that she is genuinely unrepentant, I really don't want to deal with the hassle of dragging a prisoner around in a dungeon... it was enough of a pain doing that in the caves. So how about if you hide from her until we've thoroughly explored this pit and returned upstairs... do you think you'll fit either inside my pack or under my cloak?

Roxana replies to Ardjena, "Well, I can see the destruction, but of course I wasn't here when it happened! I can also assure you that there are no prisoners left now. We've checked, they are not here. But perhaps we could go help you get your things?"

As they walk, she keeps talking a bit. "Very impressive being Kylth's apprentice was it? You must be talented. You thought a lot of this man evidently."

Quote from OisinmacCameron >>

Spira steps in front of Ardjena, blocking her access to the door, and rests her hands on her shoulders.  She speaks quietly but firmly, looking the young wizard straight in the eye.  "No, Ardjena.  Most of them just wanted to go home.  I think maybe you can understand that a little, now."

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Persuasion 17

 (edited for clarity)

"Good idea, I'll stay hidden..." Zentromya agrees "but you don't have a backpack big enough to contain me" (OOC: I have described her several times as a winged miniature she-elephant, but 'miniature' because much smaller than a elephant, not because she's really tiny... Zentromya is Small size) "I'll stay in the empty room, the one near the library... when it's time for 'confrontation' you can find me there".

Ardjena, in the meantime, is reassured a little by Roxana's words: "Well... if there are no prisoners left, we should be safe..." in the meantime she is about to open the door... but Spira comes, blocks her and talks to her.

"Just go home?" she initially seems unconvinced "Avenging angels... Supernatural beasts... Demons... and Devils... who once free simply go home?" however, reflecting on her situation and taking note of the strong conviction in the tiefling's eyes, in the end the young girl admits "Yes, perhaps they felt out of place here no less than I feel now... I had never considered this hypothesis, but maybe yes, you're right, maybe they simply went home. I hope, for everyone's sake, that that's the case" after which, she finally opens the door and enters (OOC: assuming Spira allows her, now? If not, I'll edit this post to correct).

The room is rather small (10' x 10') and contains an unmade bed against the east wall, a dusty chest in the corner of the west wall, probably also used as a small table, for there is a stool beside it... now connected to the chest by cobwebs that ended up forming a sort of 'bridge'!

Above the chest there is a worn, leather-bound volume whose title is "There is safety in numbers! Conjuration Fundamentals".

"Oh, my favorite volume of magic!" the apprentice rejoices "Lucky me, it's still here!" and retrieves it "And yes, you're right! Master Kylth was the first to tell me that I had talent... In my family they weren't so convinced that I could become a good wizard. It wasn't a family of wizards, mine... Kylth..." her eyes become dreamy for a moment, while she also forgets to call him 'Master', this time "Kylth seemed to see something special in me. I just don't understand what happened... Why he did not come back to me... But I will find out what happened to him" then she opens the chest.

Inside the chest there are a few spare clothes, 3 sheets of Parchment, a quill and an apparently useless carved stick, which has some mysterious looking arabesques engraved. Seeing the stick, Ardjena blushes, looks at the girl from Longsaddle for a moment, then makes the object disappear into a pocket of her dress.

So, holding a book and clothes under one arm and in the other hand a crystal ball (which she already had), parchment and quill, the girl shrugs: "I have nothing else... We can leave... Or I can show you what remains of this place".

Spira steps aside and lets Ardjena pass.  "I do hope that too.  And from what I saw, I think at least some did."  She hesitates before revealing the next part; but her innate honesty overwhelms her more calculating mind; and after struggling to bite her tongue the whole time Kylth's apprentice is gathering her things she goes on.  "Ardjena, I must say this too: one former prisoner aided us in our quest and was the healing power the divination pointed us to.  Not all of them were evil beings.  And this one showed mercy when she could, even to those who had previously done harm to her or to the world.  If they repented the harm they'd done.  And this one truly brought back the dead!  I saw it!  She might have the power at least to give you sure news of what became of your Master ... and maybe more, but I myself am but an apprentice priestess yet so I don't know much of the limits of what such powers can do."

"Zentromya..." Ardjena replies "You must be speaking of Zentromya, the she-Hollyphant... I never cared that much about labels such as 'good' or 'evil'... the art of magic is what matters most to me... But if she really might be willing to help me in spite of me having worked for her captors... and maybe wronged her a little... I would appreciate it greatly... Do you think I might..." the young apprentice seems so uncertain... as if she's speaking of sonmthing  she knows nothing of, maybe acrobatic dance "...apologize? Or do something else to amend? But there is not much I can do... And you know where she is?"

At that point, Rash enters the room again with Anita, having collected the dropped books and having no idea that the wizard apprentice knows about Zentromya.

"Right then, I'm back," he says, looking at Ardjena. "Um, I think you had a question for me before I wandered off? Sorry, I'm still not feeling great after I got hit with your master's fear glyph... seriously, what was the thought process behind giving 'guests' flags that are supposed to protect them and still having everything in the dungeon attempt to murder us anyway?"

“This is – or rather, was – a maximum security prison, Mr. Rash” the apprentice explains, standing to her full height. "The flags are designed to facilitate guest visits... but, precisely to prevent any uninvited intruders from using them, they do not protect against the defenses of the restricted areas, or of areas a visitor has no reason to go to!"

"You must consider, Mr. Rash," Ardjena continues "that new visitors were always accompanied by staff - while regular visitors had acquired knowledge of the correct route (plus they could count on Elky's hints and reminders). However, there were areas, set up as a trap for intruders who had appropriated the flags unduly, against whose threats the flags do not protect. However, now that I am with you, I will prevent you from putting yourselves in danger".

"The glyph you are talking about and which causes fear, is not known even to me, Mr. Rash" reflects the young girl, thoughtfully passing a hand through her straight carrot-colored hair "however, by exclusion, it can only be a defense that Master Kylth had placed on his room. In fact, Master Kylth had instructed us never to open the door on our own initiative... whoever needed him could knock, but then had to wait for Master Kylth himself to open the door - in person or by magic".

"Besides," Ardjena, always thoughtful, raises a finger to her lips "this gives us an opportunity... The glyphs are triggered only once - after which they must be traced again or at least reactivated. If that glyph were the only defense that Master Kylth had placed on the room, we could try to recover his notes, his most secret knowledge... However, if there were other defenses, we would run a great risk in exploring that room. What do you think, Mr. Rash? What is stronger? The lure of knowledge? Or the fear of being obliterated?”

Rash can't help but chuckle at the question of whether arcane knowledge or fear of obliteration is a bigger motivator.

"Honestly, hard to say whether the carrot or the stick is a bigger motivator," he says. "You wouldn't happen to be able to talk one of those empty suits of armor upstairs into going in ahead of us, would you?"

Ardjena admits: "The path is probably the right one, Mr. Rash... Send a 'test subject' before us to verify the real risk of obliteration... But we have to find a different implementation - the Animated Armors follows their own script, very literally at that. I wouldn't be able to convince them to do anything else - that is, to act as would be useful to us".

"A summoned creature, perhaps, could serve the purpose... Or perhaps a charmed creature..." the apprentice reflects "But, unfortunately, these are spells that I have not yet mastered. You know, I am only at the very first steps of the ladder of knowledge, Mr. Rash. And you? Have you by any chance learned (and prepared) spells of this kind?"

Rash pauses... there is one thing they might be able to do, but he doesn't like it very much.

"Well... when we arrived here we fought our way through a bunch of Zhentarim... the vast majority of them didn't get out of that encounter alive. We may have... a way... to resurrect one of them to act as our test subject. I really don't like the idea of bringing someone back from the dead and then forcing them to put their life in peril again immediately, though... but I suppose that it would be fair to offer the individual a second chance to live and be freed in exchange for his or her help."

"Ah, of course..." Ardjena immediately realizes "while you were away, Spira made me understand that you can count on Zentromya's help... and that she can resurrect the dead! In fact, what you propose is a very brilliant way to procure a test subject. The subject would have no right to complain too much... even if they risk to die by doing what you ask, without you they would have just remained dead... You are offering them a chance, at least. I like it".

"Just," she sighs "maybe you should be the one talking to Zentromya about this... She's probably a little biased, for now, towards me... And I'd like to apologize to her, mind... but maybe it's better to do it after she's already accepted to help us... you know, just in case she's the type to hold a grudge..."

Rash sighs. So someone already told her that Zentromya is with them.

"Ah, so someone already mentioned that," Rash says with a wry smile. "I was kind of hoping that we could save that awkward meeting for later. Alright, I'll ask her... and I think I need to have a conversation with those of us who actually knew these Zhentarim when they were alive to decide who amongst them we should bring back... Anita, Gaer, Solitude, I think we have to discuss this... who's going to come back as our guinea pig? Is there someone who actually deserves another shot at life... or should we just pick whoever is most likely to survive a glyph exploding in his face (that probably being Mhurren)?"

Roxana listens for a bit to the back and forth with Rash and Ardjena. "I'm not so sure I like this idea of reviving someone just to be a guinea pig. I mean, we spared Anita's life - why not just sacrifice her?" She pauses, looking over at Anita. "My apologies for how that sounded, I meant I don't think we should sacrifice you or anyone else." She looks around at the others. "Surely you don't all think this is ok." 

Solitude is very perplexed... "Rash... I may have been wrong, in the past, in predicting the effects of your naivety... In fact, by trusting Anita, you were right... but I can tell you that, even trying as hard as I can, I can hardly believe Mhurren Flick's capacity for redemption? I have the impression that even if he survived the ordeal you want to propose to him, he wouldn't be grateful to you... and would run off to try to organize a new gang of Zhentarim with to take revenge on us!"

"Mhurren I don't know, actually... I have the same doubts of Solitude, about him..." Anita ponders "But Bjorn could. I don't know how much chance he has of surviving a magical trap... but if he did, maybe he could change his life. He, maybe, could be a victim of circumstance - at least as much as I was. If I had to advise anyone, I'd tell you to try Bjorn".

Gaer, in the meantime, looks perplexed at his sister: "I don't know who to sponsor, plus, yes, sharing Roxana's concern... I don't know if this idea of using people as 'guinea pigs' meets with the approval of those who care about the salvation of the souls of this group... "

“Maybe 'sacrifice' is a misleading term..." suggests Ardjena "I mean: the subjects you're talking about are not to be killed, for they are already dead... How can you talk about 'sacrificing' a corpse? The way I see it, Rash suggests simply to give someone a second chance..."

Meanwhile, Solitude looks at Aidwyn, doubtful: "And you? What do you think?"

Rash can't help but chuckle at another thought.

"Let's also not forget that... well... if this person does die, we can literally just ask Zentromya to bring him or her back to life again. Granted, I know that she probably couldn't do it immediately... but well within the 10-day limit that she mentioned earlier. And the reality is SOMEONE has to go in there... we already discussed our concerns if this research fell into the hands of, for example, the Zhentarim, especially after what we've already found. Who knows what Kylth might have had in his personal chamber? Or maybe I'm just being a bit overly callous and showing that I was raised by orcs."