Ankita smiles and removes the moonbeam.  Looking down at the now familiar version of Jolly, she sighs a breath of relief.  

She raises an eyebrow to Olaerys as he starts talking eggs and bacon and then shakes her head.  She then looks to Randall, "Where should be put him?  Should we drag him up the stairs?  Might be good to check and make sure nothing is up there first?"

Randall considers Ankita's idea.  "... He's a bit too portly to drag around with us.  Maybe we can take him down to that dock and stash him underneath a boat?"

He looks at Olaerys.  "What's the story on that maul?  Any chance it's enchanted?  Should we have Melchor take a look at it?"

"Say... where is Melchor?"

An inspection of the combat theatre around them reveals where Melchor is.  And it's not good.  

At some point during the battle with Jolly, the curmudgeonly wizard had moved away from the rest of the party to engage from a distance, and had somehow sprang a trap in the back of the room.  If he had fallen where the trap was sprung, it wasn't clear.  A glance shows the dart that is buried in his neck and the angry red wound around it.  

Kneeling next to the wizard is a Tiefling, who has one hand on the wizard's head, and the other on his back.  A shock of black hair, black as midnight, hangs down in his face from between two curled horns.  His red body is adorned with a long, flowing blue and purple robe that is trimmed with gold, and a bizarre instrument hangs from his back; a lute, or what appears to be a lute anyway, with two necks.  The odd instruments body is shaped like the blade of a battleaxe.  

The Tiefling turns his head up to the rest of the party and looks sad.  He shakes his head.  

"I'm sorry.  I really am."  He says in a voice that is...well its peculiar.  It's like his speech doesn't flow in the usual pattern, but what exactly is wrong with it is hard to determine.  "I tried to help him, once he had fell, but it seems Jolly's poison was more than he could handle..."

He pulls his hands away from the old wizard and stands, his tail swishing behind him as he takes a step back and away from the fallen. 

The whites of his eyes are very bloodshot as he surveys those before him...

"Aw cruds... Melchor!"

Randall hops off the semi-conscious Jolly and goes to kneel by the side of the old, crusty wizard.  Confirming the worst, he grips his spear tight enough to blister his fingers.  

Truth be told, he really hadn't known Melchor all that long.  This adventure had only begun... what?  Two weeks ago?  And along with Olaerys, Melchor had been the last of the original companions still with him.   He may not have been the friendliest of sorts, but he knew his craft and was committed to the mission, and Randall respected that.

"And who are you?" he says turning to the tiefling.  "We are here to find answers and put an end to these savages... and now they have one more crime to answer for.  What were you doing here, if you're not with them?"

Olaerys is looking at the maul he picked up when he sees the body of Melchor, and the new arrival, an odd looking tiefling.  He had seen a few of their kind before in Waterdeep, so he is not completely shocked by what he is, but he is puzzled by his sudden appearance.  “What the…. Melchor!”  He goes to his side to assess the wound, checking for signs of life, and looks up at the stranger.  “Who… are you?  Where did you come from?”  

Olaerys feels for a pulse in the carotid artery on the other side of Melchor’s neck, and feels none.  It seems that the dart with poison punctured Melchor’s artery on the other side, instantly dumping poison into his blood stream, leading to a quick death.  He turns to Randall right behind him, “He’s dead, Randall.”  

"I am with them."  The Tiefling admits, holding up both hands.  "Not by choice, of course!  But I was forced into Jolly's service some time ago, and have been here since.  I was trying to sneak out when the fight started, but when I saw your man there fall...I tried.  Well.  To help, I suppose, but these hands weren't exactly meant for nursing."  

He holds his immaculately manicured fingers up and twiddles them in the air as if to emphasize.  

"I am Lozak Ikkos, oddity extraordinaire, and master musician."  The Tiefling replies.  He feigns of curtsy, then reaches up to run his fingers through his hair and push it out of his face.  

“What hell?  What’n youse do to my lil’ robed friend?!” Shrek angrily whispers out of clenched teeth, as he slowly comes down out of his battle rage. “Any one in dis castle is bad juju, Boss Randall tells me. You in dis castle. You must be bad.” he continues, while cracking his knuckles menacingly.

He continues to sit on the hog tied Jolly, giving the benefit of the doubt to the new stranger, letting Randall and Olaerys interrogate him.

"Melchor?  No..." Ankita rushes over and kneels down next to the old wizard.  He was the one she probably knew the least, wasn't much for talking, kept to himself and was always slow to catch up with everyone.  Tears well up in her large eyes as Olaerys checks for a pulse.  Then hangs her head knowing there is nothing more that can be done.

As the newcomer starts stammering in the odd intonation, she looks up at him, "What do you mean forced into his service?"  She looks over at Shrek when he has his outburst and a smile plays on the outskirts of her lips, but then she looks back down at Melchor waiting to hear more about this Lozak.  

"Ah, my deliriously handsome friend, I am not bad news."  Lozak says, holding his hands up again to show that he is unarmed and means no harm to Shrek.  "In fact, I am good news, for I know the ins and outs of Jolly's operation here, well, some at least, and I am willing to share that information.  All I ask for in return is safe passage out of here, and a little understanding, you see I..."  

He pauses as the Firbolg addresses him, smiles, and then nods.  

"...as I was about to say...well...being a world renowned bard has its perks...and its drawbacks.  Unfortunately for me, being completely ravishing, putting on quite a musical show, and having a relatively expansive knowledge of the odd and macabre, magical and otherwise, means Jolly thought that it'd be good to have me around for entertainment value, as well as experiments.  But fortunately enough for me, there were very few experiments perform for...for whatever reason."  

"First, I'm not the boss, Shrek.  Second, if you want our trust, Lozak, then start by mapping out the layout of this place.  Where are the guards stationed?  Any more traps like what did in Melchor?  Choke points where we can lay ambushes?"

"You want help getting out of here?  Then help us tear this place down."

Lozak nods and kneels down, a little ways from Melchor's prostrate form, where there is ample dust, and he begins to draw in the dirt with one finger. 

"My knowledge isn't comprehensive, so I apologize in advance."  He states, never looking up as he works.  He forms the outline of the building all the way out to the cliffs and the waterfront, as well as the inside.  "This door..."

He points to the door behind them.  

"...is the river tunnel.  It'll take us straight to Gar Shatterkeel, if that is who you seek.  It's guarded, though.  Six or seven zombies or ghastlies or ghouls...whatever it is they're called.  They're easy enough to get past without a fight, though.  Just make the sign of the cult.  Basically big ugly puppies after that.  Or re-kill them, I don't mind.  Whatever suits you.

Here..."  

He points to a chamber in the keep...

"...is where the Fathomer they call Urshnora usually hides out, in the library.  Full of all sorts of fancy, expensive books and so forth.  If you scraped his lips you'd find half of the Jolly's ass-skin on them.  Oh, as for what a Fathomer is, it's some sort of water elemental cultist or...something like that.  They can change shape and take on liquid properties.  I've seen them do it.  Strange indeed.  There aren't one but two of these fellows, though.  The other is Reash, hiding here."  

Lozak points to to the southern-most tower along the edge of the water.  

"He likes to hide here.  Though, I'll say, he seems a little more stuck to Gar Shatterkeel's bottom than Urshnora was.  He sometimes travels back and forth between his uhm...quarters I guess...and Shatterkeel's lair.  Now, a few more mundane things.  There's a priest..."

Lozak circles a large room on the northern end of his drawing, one that faces the courtyard of the stronghold.  

"...named Drosnin.  Usually doing his...duties or whatever...here.  It's a sort of chapel.  What exactly he's doing, that I don't know offhand.  Additionally, there are some other poor, lost souls, none as sexy and handsome as yours truly of course, imprisoned here.  If they'd only been better looking they too could have been entertainers, but, alas, I alone was chosen for such backbreaking endeavors.  Still, they're just common folk who've run afoul of Jolly and bad luck.  I don't know exactly how many or who they are, before you ask.  Ah, oh!  Almost forgot.  Jolly's quarters were here..."

The Tiefling shifts a little and then points to a room in the back of one of the towers.  

"It's interesting.  I'm still not entirely sure what was going on here, but we...well, not we, I was just along for the ride...but they were taking prisoners to Sacred Stone Monastery, across the river.  

Anyway, that's most of what I know.  All the guards I know of.  And I don't know about any traps.  Not to say they're not here, guards or traps, but, yes.  If I think of something else, I'll pipe up."  

“Oh yeah?” Shrek adds. “If’n you know dis place so good, where’n they keep da food?”

Shrek is obviously charmed by the newcomer, but as usual, letting his stomach do the talking. 

Lozak grins and motions Shrek closer before draping his arm across the big guy's shoulders.  He points to the north western most tower.  

"Lower level of this tower, my handsome friend.  It's amazing.  It's this marvel called a kitchen.  It is fabulous." 

Randall listens and looks over the sketched out map.  

Then he looks to Olaerys, Shrek and Ankita.  "So... what do we want to hit first?"

“I think we ought to break those prisoners free.  I’d like to look in Jolly’s quarters and maybe interrogate that Drosnin fellow to learn more about what is really happening here.  Do you think you could lead us there?”  Olaerys appraises the strange tiefling, trying to assess his angle and veracity.  

Insight : 9 

SEEMS LEGIT

"I should be able to lead you anywhere, mister...mister...what did you say your name was, again?  Apologies if you've already told me...I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment."

Lozak reaches up and pushes his quiff of hair back, trying to tuck it in behind his horns.  

"But to be clear...what's first on the agenda?  I can do any of those things just...can't do them all at once."

The muscular half elf in chain mail wielding a shield and battle axe looks up at him.  “Pardonemwa, Mr…. Lozak.  My name is Olaerys.  Used to work in Waterdeep on the City Guard, but now I’m with the Order of the Gauntlet (points to the gauntlet shaped as a fist on his shield), and we are here investigating.. things.  All sorts of activity in this area, now we’re dealing with “Fathomers”, a water cult?  Why isn’t anything straightforward anymore?  Who are these people?”  Olaerys pauses for a second, considering, shaking his head at these Gen F’ers.  

“Well, we can help you out.  You seem to be a trustworthy fellow.  If you know the pathways here, you tell us which is the best route, with those goals in mind.  Should we check out Jolly’s place, then release those prisoners, then tangle with Drosnin?  When do we go by the kitchen so we can get some Shrekie snacks?  My first thought is to release those prisoners, but if we need to do something on the way, fine by me.”  He looks to Randall, Ankita and Shrek for their opinions.

Stomach growling out loud, Shrek pipes in “Me thinks visit Jolly room first”. Jolly struggles underneath the sheer mass of Shrek, who is sitting on top of him. That, and the atrocious smell wafting off of him. You’d think his time under water would have cleaned him up a little, but you’d be thinking wrong. 

(Will update with Jollys room a bit later)