Ok, Solitude still plans to go away soon, it seems. You can take care of the still barking and growling wolf, in the meantime... Or keep interacting with the ex-captives, if you prefer.
Rash realizes that the tiefling woman likely won't be swayed by his words... but perhaps a fellow tiefling would have better luck. He makes a mental note to give Spira the heads-up to try and talk some sense into Solitude. But he doubts she's going to leave immediately while limping, starved, and dressed in nothing but rags.
There are several other matters that still need attention. The first of which is to throw the poor wolf some food from the Zhents' stockpile in the hopes of calming him temporarily.
"That should tide him over for a little while," Rash says. "We can come back to him a little later; my spell will only last for a minute, so I wouldn't want to use it before we know exactly what we're going to do or where we'll take him. We also need to do something with the other two prisoners; it would most likely be best to get them both in one place. Anita... is there anywhere or anything else around this place that we should know about?"
Anita reflects aloud: "I don't know what you already know and what you don't of our base, Wise Rash; anyway, you have visited for sure the reception and Mhurren's room, plus I showed you the closet, the cellar and the kitchen... You might still have to see the dinning room" she points to the west door "or the dormitory... If you are interested in visiting those, just ask! Your wish is my command, Wise Rash!"
"I'll grab some food," Roxana says. She heads back to the storage room, gets some of the meat, and brings it back.
"Let's see if I can calm the fellow, give him the food." She cautiously moves towards where the wolf is caged. She speaks to it in a low voice, trying to stay calm. "I have some food for you. We'll get you out of there soon." She cautiously places one piece of the meat where the wolf can get it without her hands being at risk of a bite.
The wolf grabs the food with a quick flicker of the fangs, but continues to growl fiercely, even as it eats, and looks to Roxana as if it wanted to make her to shred...
"Poor beast..." Milo approaches "No, we can't leave it still in there... treat him like this... No, leave it to me..." he takes also a little food and gets closer to the mobile grate.
"Milo..." Solitude limps backward, frightened "have you become crazy all at once?!"
Roxana steps back. 'Never did like wolves,'she thinks. She motions for Milo to go forward, while looking at Solitude. "He seems to know what he's doing."
"Why did Mhurren have to be such a gods-damned fool?" Rash grumbles. "Alright everyone, stand back and let the wolf tamer work his magic... if anything goes wrong I'll cast my spell and we can quickly restrain the wolf before it hurts anyone.... that should still be a bit of an improvement over its current predicament at least."
He looks at Obadiah and Roxanna.
"Please tell me that one of you has some strong rope; I'm afraid I already used the one I brought."
Rash readies his action to cast sleep on the wolf if it lunges or tries to bite the halfling.
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Milo approaches, with much more tranquility and conviction than Roxana had just done... and, for that matter, also with much more tranquility and conviction than the halfling usually demonstrates with people!
The wolf is still wary, sometimes growls as it grabs the food, but seems less aggressive than before.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the halfling lifts the grate, freeing the beast. The canine, disoriented, seems at first not to know how to react. It then looks ready to pounce on Milo's throat... but it doesn't. It almost seems that the two are communicating, even if you don't quite understand how.
The fact is that, while Solitude had time to limp to the other side of the room and Anita to hold on feverishly to 'Wise Rash', after some time Mangy seems less ready to tear everyone to pieces... It keeps growling at the others, but it doesn't seem to fear the halfling, who even dares at one point to stroke it slowly, talking to it in a low voice and in a firm but sweet tone.
"We think we'll leave now..." Milo announces. "Mangy seems calm enough... but who knows what he's been through, up to today! I'll keep it with me... But it's still too scared to keep it with all of you; it could take very little to make it act recklessly. It will stay with me until it's well. That way, by the way, I'll have with me someone who can fight..."
"Thank you infinitely, esteemed gentlemen, for having given us back our freedom" he takes his leave, already on his way towards the exit of the kitchen (and probably, later, of the dungeon). "And as for you, Anita..." he turns to the young Zhentarim, who is now looking at him with wide-eyed wonder "I really hope that now you are a different person and that you can find your way".
"Possibly, one that is hit by a sudden landslide" comments someone from the back of the room.
"I... I'm going to get the clothes off one of the corpses, all right? Just not to catch cold..." are Milo's last words "I hope that one day I will be able to repay my debt, if we meet again!"
"Mhurren Flick tried for such a long time to tame it..." murmurs the girl with the ponytail, maybe not even aware she's doing it "And he, instead, immediately... That's incredible".
And, unless someone stops them, the two drift off, the meek halfling and the ferocious beast, an unlikely pairing that, yet, seems to be working for now, as they walk towards the Hammer's cold that awaits them outside...
The white-haired warrior had followed the others in silence, preferring not to being subjected to neither false flattery from the zhent prisoner nor scathing sarcasm from the tiefling they just freed from captivity. He watches with some admiration as the halfling manages to befriend the mangy wolf. He had heard of people with such gifts but he wouldn't have guessed the unassuming halfling would be one of them. As the halfling makes his leave with his new companion, Obadiah helps himself to some dried meat, finding somewhere to rest, hoping to regain some strength should there be battles ahead.
"...I suppose that the old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar applies here," Rash tells Anita, then to Milo he says. "If you wish to go now, then fare well, Milo. Gods willing we will meet again in happier times. Oh, and you might see a goblin named Wumgu on your way out who we kind of promised to find a new home for... just let him know we haven't forgotten about him, okay?"
With that taken care of, Rash considers the next move.
"Well, if we've found everything of importance around here, I think we can put the 'prison' to good use and get the guy with the mustache and the skinny guy out of the way before they slip loose and cause trouble,"Rash says. "I can go ahead and grab the mustache guy... Obadiah, you think you could get the one we left in the tunnel? He looks light enough that you should be able to toss him over your shoulder without too much trouble. After that we can check out the dormitory to get bedding and hopefully some proper cloths for Solitude and Gaer, then finish our tour in the dining room for a proper meal."
Rash will then go ahead and do his part and move Mustache Man to the 'prison' that the slaves were kept in. I assume that Anita will want to follow him, which is fine with Rash in case she has any other useful insights about the Zhent stronghold as they're passing through the various areas. He'll also take a moment to call to Spira and let her know that we've found her brother.
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The white-haired warrior nods grimly at Rash and follows the half-orc to collect the remaining zhents to stow away in the prison they found, not being particularly gentle while transporting them.
OK, so Spira, after Elky's disappearance, whether she went back down to level 2 or went looking for the others, meets Rash who informs her that they have found (and freed) her brother Gaer.
Anita is delighted to continue as 'assistant' to 'Wise Rash'. As for the dormitory, she shows it to him as they go to get Mustache Man: it's a large room with simple and (once) comfortable beds; now they are ruined by time (some parts of the wood have given way and the mattresses rest on the ground) but they are still usable.
The beds cover the entire perimeter of the room (there are ten in total). In the center of the room, there is a large wooden tub (7' in diameter) that is empty.
"We haven't found a use for the tub..." explains the girl with the ponytail "but we didn't even bother to throw it away. We just left it there unused".
"As for the dining room," the 'guide' anticipates "you'll see, the most beautiful thing is the table... It makes you feel important, eating there; even if those stupid goblins have completely ruined the surface with stupid engravings However, remember that the only provisions present are those in the cellar... therefore, if the idea is to eat, take them with you".
Anyway, once to Mustache Man, Anita looks at Rash in a way... different than before and says to him: "Do you know that you're really cool, Rash?" (she has forgotten the 'Wise' attribute, this time, it seems) "I think that, all in all, you are better than any f*ing Zhentarim I've ever had on top of me bossing me around. Not that I've had that many, I've just started but still... How about... I mean, well... It suits you an assistant, Rash? I think I might like to work with you. I'm not trying to save my skin anymore, now - that, you have already promised to me. I... I mean what I say, I'd like to help, to be in team with you, or something. What about it? We are doing good, working together, aren't we?"
The white-haired warrior nods grimly at Rash and follows the half-orc to collect the remaining zhents to stow away in the prison they found, not being particularly gentle while transporting them.
Athletics if needed: 21
(OOC: Yes, Athletics would have been needed, for this time you had the prisoner to hinder you)
Obadiah has no problems recovering Skinny Boy, who is still unconscious, and manages to easily climb back into the 'Beatiful Den' even with the prisoner on his shoulder.
Without too much kindness, the woodsman takes the prisoner to the same closet where Milo, Solitude and Gaer had been locked up until recently. When he drops him there, Solitude limps in and offers: "If you want to go help the half-orc, go ahead... I'll take care of this one. He's not going anywhere, you can trust me".
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The white-haired warrior can't help but give the quite untrustworthy tiefling a smirk. "I don't think so. You are free to leave this place tiefling, but if you stay I want to know why." He says sternly.
"I brought some provisions of my own," Rash assures her. "Probably not a whole lot better than what we found in the storeroom, but at least there's a bit more variety."
Rash can't help but smile at the flattery.
"Well... every wizard does need a good assistant," he tells her. "You've been a big help, and I appreciate that. So I may very well take you up on your offer after everything is taken care of."
He pauses for a moment, and then adds with a chuckle.
"Though if I were to untie you right now, I suspect the tieflings would want my head on a spike... and our white-haired friend with anger issues might as well. I do have to ask you something, though... why did you decide to join the Zhentarim?"
(After the chat with Anita, Rash will go ahead and sling Mustache Man over his shoulder and deposit him with Skinny Boy in the prison).
"Oh, so you know too well that we tieflings can't be trusted, great warrior?" the female tiefling displays the usual sarcasm "Yes, what was I thinking? Who will trust us devilspawn... My reasons were obvious: after what they did to me, I would have just been happy to help you get these criminals treated right. So, if you want to go and help your friend, you can rest assured that no one will watch this rotting bastard better than me. But if you don't trust me," she stares at Obadiah, her own creepy, gold-scleraless eyes seeming to read his soul "of course I'll walk away. At least, you didn't capture me, hurt me, abuse me, and cripple me - maybe forever. Not you".
The woodsman does not notice uncertainties or other evident traces of a lie, while the interlocutor speaks. Whether to trust her or not, still remains his call...
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(Roxana Persuasion: 9)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Rash Persuasion: 10
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Ok, Solitude still plans to go away soon, it seems. You can take care of the still barking and growling wolf, in the meantime... Or keep interacting with the ex-captives, if you prefer.
Rash realizes that the tiefling woman likely won't be swayed by his words... but perhaps a fellow tiefling would have better luck. He makes a mental note to give Spira the heads-up to try and talk some sense into Solitude. But he doubts she's going to leave immediately while limping, starved, and dressed in nothing but rags.
There are several other matters that still need attention. The first of which is to throw the poor wolf some food from the Zhents' stockpile in the hopes of calming him temporarily.
"That should tide him over for a little while," Rash says. "We can come back to him a little later; my spell will only last for a minute, so I wouldn't want to use it before we know exactly what we're going to do or where we'll take him. We also need to do something with the other two prisoners; it would most likely be best to get them both in one place. Anita... is there anywhere or anything else around this place that we should know about?"
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Anita reflects aloud: "I don't know what you already know and what you don't of our base, Wise Rash; anyway, you have visited for sure the reception and Mhurren's room, plus I showed you the closet, the cellar and the kitchen... You might still have to see the dinning room" she points to the west door "or the dormitory... If you are interested in visiting those, just ask! Your wish is my command, Wise Rash!"
"I'll grab some food," Roxana says. She heads back to the storage room, gets some of the meat, and brings it back.
"Let's see if I can calm the fellow, give him the food." She cautiously moves towards where the wolf is caged. She speaks to it in a low voice, trying to stay calm. "I have some food for you. We'll get you out of there soon." She cautiously places one piece of the meat where the wolf can get it without her hands being at risk of a bite.
(Animal Handling, to yry to calm it: 9)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
The wolf grabs the food with a quick flicker of the fangs, but continues to growl fiercely, even as it eats, and looks to Roxana as if it wanted to make her to shred...
"Poor beast..." Milo approaches "No, we can't leave it still in there... treat him like this... No, leave it to me..." he takes also a little food and gets closer to the mobile grate.
"Milo..." Solitude limps backward, frightened "have you become crazy all at once?!"
Roxana steps back. 'Never did like wolves,' she thinks. She motions for Milo to go forward, while looking at Solitude. "He seems to know what he's doing."
She simply watches what the halfling does.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
"Why did Mhurren have to be such a gods-damned fool?" Rash grumbles. "Alright everyone, stand back and let the wolf tamer work his magic... if anything goes wrong I'll cast my spell and we can quickly restrain the wolf before it hurts anyone.... that should still be a bit of an improvement over its current predicament at least."
He looks at Obadiah and Roxanna.
"Please tell me that one of you has some strong rope; I'm afraid I already used the one I brought."
Rash readies his action to cast sleep on the wolf if it lunges or tries to bite the halfling.
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Milo approaches, with much more tranquility and conviction than Roxana had just done... and, for that matter, also with much more tranquility and conviction than the halfling usually demonstrates with people!
The wolf is still wary, sometimes growls as it grabs the food, but seems less aggressive than before.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the halfling lifts the grate, freeing the beast. The canine, disoriented, seems at first not to know how to react. It then looks ready to pounce on Milo's throat... but it doesn't. It almost seems that the two are communicating, even if you don't quite understand how.
The fact is that, while Solitude had time to limp to the other side of the room and Anita to hold on feverishly to 'Wise Rash', after some time Mangy seems less ready to tear everyone to pieces... It keeps growling at the others, but it doesn't seem to fear the halfling, who even dares at one point to stroke it slowly, talking to it in a low voice and in a firm but sweet tone.
"We think we'll leave now..." Milo announces. "Mangy seems calm enough... but who knows what he's been through, up to today! I'll keep it with me... But it's still too scared to keep it with all of you; it could take very little to make it act recklessly. It will stay with me until it's well. That way, by the way, I'll have with me someone who can fight..."
"Thank you infinitely, esteemed gentlemen, for having given us back our freedom" he takes his leave, already on his way towards the exit of the kitchen (and probably, later, of the dungeon). "And as for you, Anita..." he turns to the young Zhentarim, who is now looking at him with wide-eyed wonder "I really hope that now you are a different person and that you can find your way".
"Possibly, one that is hit by a sudden landslide" comments someone from the back of the room.
"I... I'm going to get the clothes off one of the corpses, all right? Just not to catch cold..." are Milo's last words "I hope that one day I will be able to repay my debt, if we meet again!"
"Mhurren Flick tried for such a long time to tame it..." murmurs the girl with the ponytail, maybe not even aware she's doing it "And he, instead, immediately... That's incredible".
And, unless someone stops them, the two drift off, the meek halfling and the ferocious beast, an unlikely pairing that, yet, seems to be working for now, as they walk towards the Hammer's cold that awaits them outside...
The white-haired warrior had followed the others in silence, preferring not to being subjected to neither false flattery from the zhent prisoner nor scathing sarcasm from the tiefling they just freed from captivity. He watches with some admiration as the halfling manages to befriend the mangy wolf. He had heard of people with such gifts but he wouldn't have guessed the unassuming halfling would be one of them. As the halfling makes his leave with his new companion, Obadiah helps himself to some dried meat, finding somewhere to rest, hoping to regain some strength should there be battles ahead.
"...I suppose that the old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar applies here," Rash tells Anita, then to Milo he says. "If you wish to go now, then fare well, Milo. Gods willing we will meet again in happier times. Oh, and you might see a goblin named Wumgu on your way out who we kind of promised to find a new home for... just let him know we haven't forgotten about him, okay?"
With that taken care of, Rash considers the next move.
"Well, if we've found everything of importance around here, I think we can put the 'prison' to good use and get the guy with the mustache and the skinny guy out of the way before they slip loose and cause trouble," Rash says. "I can go ahead and grab the mustache guy... Obadiah, you think you could get the one we left in the tunnel? He looks light enough that you should be able to toss him over your shoulder without too much trouble. After that we can check out the dormitory to get bedding and hopefully some proper cloths for Solitude and Gaer, then finish our tour in the dining room for a proper meal."
Rash will then go ahead and do his part and move Mustache Man to the 'prison' that the slaves were kept in. I assume that Anita will want to follow him, which is fine with Rash in case she has any other useful insights about the Zhent stronghold as they're passing through the various areas. He'll also take a moment to call to Spira and let her know that we've found her brother.
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The white-haired warrior nods grimly at Rash and follows the half-orc to collect the remaining zhents to stow away in the prison they found, not being particularly gentle while transporting them.
Athletics if needed: 21
OK, so Spira, after Elky's disappearance, whether she went back down to level 2 or went looking for the others, meets Rash who informs her that they have found (and freed) her brother Gaer.
Anita is delighted to continue as 'assistant' to 'Wise Rash'. As for the dormitory, she shows it to him as they go to get Mustache Man: it's a large room with simple and (once) comfortable beds; now they are ruined by time (some parts of the wood have given way and the mattresses rest on the ground) but they are still usable.
The beds cover the entire perimeter of the room (there are ten in total). In the center of the room, there is a large wooden tub (7' in diameter) that is empty.
"We haven't found a use for the tub..." explains the girl with the ponytail "but we didn't even bother to throw it away. We just left it there unused".
"As for the dining room," the 'guide' anticipates "you'll see, the most beautiful thing is the table... It makes you feel important, eating there; even if those stupid goblins have completely ruined the surface with stupid engravings However, remember that the only provisions present are those in the cellar... therefore, if the idea is to eat, take them with you".
Anyway, once to Mustache Man, Anita looks at Rash in a way... different than before and says to him: "Do you know that you're really cool, Rash?" (she has forgotten the 'Wise' attribute, this time, it seems) "I think that, all in all, you are better than any f*ing Zhentarim I've ever had on top of me bossing me around. Not that I've had that many, I've just started but still... How about... I mean, well... It suits you an assistant, Rash? I think I might like to work with you. I'm not trying to save my skin anymore, now - that, you have already promised to me. I... I mean what I say, I'd like to help, to be in team with you, or something. What about it? We are doing good, working together, aren't we?"
(OOC: Yes, Athletics would have been needed, for this time you had the prisoner to hinder you)
Obadiah has no problems recovering Skinny Boy, who is still unconscious, and manages to easily climb back into the 'Beatiful Den' even with the prisoner on his shoulder.
Without too much kindness, the woodsman takes the prisoner to the same closet where Milo, Solitude and Gaer had been locked up until recently. When he drops him there, Solitude limps in and offers: "If you want to go help the half-orc, go ahead... I'll take care of this one. He's not going anywhere, you can trust me".
The white-haired warrior can't help but give the quite untrustworthy tiefling a smirk. "I don't think so. You are free to leave this place tiefling, but if you stay I want to know why." He says sternly.
Insight: 20
"I brought some provisions of my own," Rash assures her. "Probably not a whole lot better than what we found in the storeroom, but at least there's a bit more variety."
Rash can't help but smile at the flattery.
"Well... every wizard does need a good assistant," he tells her. "You've been a big help, and I appreciate that. So I may very well take you up on your offer after everything is taken care of."
He pauses for a moment, and then adds with a chuckle.
"Though if I were to untie you right now, I suspect the tieflings would want my head on a spike... and our white-haired friend with anger issues might as well. I do have to ask you something, though... why did you decide to join the Zhentarim?"
(After the chat with Anita, Rash will go ahead and sling Mustache Man over his shoulder and deposit him with Skinny Boy in the prison).
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"Oh, so you know too well that we tieflings can't be trusted, great warrior?" the female tiefling displays the usual sarcasm "Yes, what was I thinking? Who will trust us devilspawn... My reasons were obvious: after what they did to me, I would have just been happy to help you get these criminals treated right. So, if you want to go and help your friend, you can rest assured that no one will watch this rotting bastard better than me. But if you don't trust me," she stares at Obadiah, her own creepy, gold-scleraless eyes seeming to read his soul "of course I'll walk away. At least, you didn't capture me, hurt me, abuse me, and cripple me - maybe forever. Not you".
Solitude's Deception: 16
The woodsman does not notice uncertainties or other evident traces of a lie, while the interlocutor speaks. Whether to trust her or not, still remains his call...