We’ll if that’s the case then Liarin quickly slaps Abramo into the wall, promptly cutting off his laughter.
Now it’s just you all in Abramo’s alter room. Cirilli still in the cage, shocked by a giant bear felling her captor. All the other things I described are also still in this room, including the two chests.
Xanrym peeks out from behind the crude statue to fire his crossbow again only to see Abramo lying on the ground, the bear (Liarin) standing over him. He calls out, "Everyone OK? Theldrin, are you still with us?" He waits until he hears the wizard's voice, and then he stows his crossbow.
Xanrym says, "Liarin, can you keep watch in case more of them come up from downstairs? Avery, could you and Theldrin tie up Abramo before he wakes up?" Finally, he moves over to Cirrili's cage. He asks, "Cirrili, right? We'll have you out of there soon. In the meantime, maybe you could tell us about yourself? Are you from Orlane? How long have they kept you in this cage?" While she talks, he checks around the cage and the cage's lock for traps. Investigation5
(OOC: I know that that's more than 1 round of Xanrym's actions, but unless something new attacks, I figured that we're out of round-by-round combat now.)
Avery pauses, leaning on his sword, he is panting heavily from his injuries he sustained in the fight. "Well, that could have gone better, but that man was rather possessed, wasn't he?"
"Here!" Theldrin says as he peeks around the corner, then rejoins the group. Assuming someone has a rope, he will assist Avery with tying up Abramo, first attempting to stabilize the unconscious priest.
"Well, that could have gone better, but that man was rather possessed, wasn't he?"
"Truly!", Xanrym agrees, "But the stories will only say that we were the heroes who stood against the cult of the naga and won! Bards rarely sing of how battered the victors were."
Regarding Abramo's madness, Xanrym says, "Many of the others, like the innkeeper Bertram, seemed to be in a kind of trance, but a true madness seems to have taken hold of the head priest. The mayor thought that Abramo had left Orlane. If he has been here the whole time, perhaps he was the first one to fall under the naga's spell. Maybe its prolonged influence over time has broken his mind?" Xanrym is glad they were able to capture Abramo. If nothing else, it'll make it easy to prove to the mayor and the townspeople who are not in the cult that the whole temple was corrupted. On the other hand, Abramo's raving makes it less likely that he'll be willing or even able to provide them useful information.
While she talks, he checks around the cage and the cage's lock for traps. Investigation5
(OOC: with that roll, I guess that Xanrym didn't find any traps. I'll assume that there's some sort of lock on the cage.)
Once Xanrym is done checking for traps, he asks Avery and Theldrin, "Did you find any keys on the priest?" He reassures Cirrili, "Don't worry, Miss, even if we cannot find the key, I can pick the lock. And if that doesn't work...well, we'll just cut through the bars! We won't leave you behind."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Xanrym's first priority was to free Cirrili. If Abramo kept her locked up, Xanrym assumes that she was not a member of the cult. He wants her to be in a position to flee if anything else attacks the party before they're out of the temple and back to somewhere more safe.
Xanrym sees whether he can find a key that fits the lock on Cirrili's cage. If so, he'll try to open the lock and let her out.
While he's working on the lock, Xanrym makes the following suggestions:
To Liarin-bear, "Liarin, could you check those two chests (against the east wall)? We don't want to be surprised by more biting treasure like we had with that chest in the basement!" If the chests are closed and locked, she could just smack them around to ensure that they're real chests and not mimics.
To Theldrin, "If Abramo was a leader of the temple, perhaps some of these things are magical. It seems quiet for now, so maybe you can take the time to cast a spell to check?"
To Avery, "Could you go back to that first chamber -- the one with all of the mad writing on the walls -- and make sure that the door that leads back to the torture chamber is closed? That way, the bells at the door will warn us if anyone else comes from that direction."
If Xanrym is able to get Cirrili out of her cage, then he'll spend a little time talking to her while the others secure the area. (He keeps her away from Abramo, taking her back into the adjoining room, if needed.) Xanrym does not like to think about why Abramo may have kept a teenaged girl alive and unharmed like this, and he does not ask her about that. He can think of a few reasons, none of them good.
Xanrym asks her, "Could you tell me your story?" He offers her some water and says, "We already know that this temple of Merrika has been corrupted and its priests turned into a cult that worships a naga, which is a sort of snake creature," pointing toward the jade statue of the naga in the southeast corner. "But how came you to be held in a cage here? And how long ago were you kidnapped?" (Persuasion14)
Xanrym's first priority was to free Cirrili. If Abramo kept her locked up, Xanrym assumes that she was not a member of the cult. He wants her to be in a position to flee if anything else attacks the party before they're out of the temple and back to somewhere more safe.
Xanrym sees whether he can find a key that fits the lock on Cirrili's cage. If so, he'll try to open the lock and let her out.
While he's working on the lock, Xanrym makes the following suggestions:
To Liarin-bear, "Liarin, could you check those two chests (against the east wall)? We don't want to be surprised by more biting treasure like we had with that chest in the basement!" If the chests are closed and locked, she could just smack them around to ensure that they're real chests and not mimics.
To Theldrin, "If Abramo was a leader of the temple, perhaps some of these things are magical. It seems quiet for now, so maybe you can take the time to cast a spell to check?"
To Avery, "Could you go back to that first chamber -- the one with all of the mad writing on the walls -- and make sure that the door that leads back to the torture chamber is closed? That way, the bells at the door will warn us if anyone else comes from that direction."
If Xanrym is able to get Cirrili out of her cage, then he'll spend a little time talking to her while the others secure the area. (He keeps her away from Abramo, taking her back into the adjoining room, if needed.) Xanrym does not like to think about why Abramo may have kept a teenaged girl alive and unharmed like this, and he does not ask her about that. He can think of a few reasons, none of them good.
Xanrym asks her, "Could you tell me your story?" He offers her some water and says, "We already know that this temple of Merrika has been corrupted and its priests turned into a cult that worships a naga, which is a sort of snake creature," pointing toward the jade statue of the naga in the southeast corner. "But how came you to be held in a cage here? And how long ago were you kidnapped?" (Persuasion15)
Avery heads back to the torture chamber, making sure the door is closed.
Cirilli has been beaten up a bit, she will gasp when you say you know of the naga. “You know about Explicitica Defilus? I was brought to her along with the rest of my family, who run the general store in town. She performed her vile charm on the rest of my family but for some reason it didn’t work on me. Abramo brought be back here, maybe because he remembered that we were friends before, but not anymore. He beat me, a lot. Something has switched in his brain. Maybe the naga’s gaze effects some people differently, but Abramo has gone completely mad.” She is surprisingly well spoken for someone who’s been locked up for as long as she has. She looks at Liarin, “You’re bear friend won’t find much in the chests, they were emptied by the Naga’s Teeth a few days ago, so it will all be at the lair in the Rushmoors I suppose.”
Xanrym says, "Yes. We were fortunate -- thank the gods! We caught Misha and some of the other cult members before they could kill our employer last night. I am familiar with the lore of nagas, and we've seen another one of these statues of Explictica Defilus, the 'Queen of All Night', under the Golden Grain Inn."
She performed her vile charm on the rest of my family but for some reason it didn’t work on me.
Xanrym says, "Ah....so that's how so many have become fanatics. The naga used its gaze to enchant them and bend them to her will." He reflects on that a moment and remembers that he had copied a spell in his past studies that may be able to help -- if only he could learn to he could learn to cast it! He says, encouragingly, "You are strong of will, Cirilli! It is remarkable that you resisted the naga's power and then the despair of captivity for so long! Your present nightmare is over: you are free, and we can take you out of here. But I'm afraid that you are still in danger. Orlane is still riddled with cultists. We've cut off the head, but your family is probably still under the naga's spell. We can take you back to the Inn tonight, which the mayor gave us leave to use as a temporary base for those who stand against the cult."
She looks at Liarin, “You’re bear friend won’t find much in the chests, they were emptied by the Naga’s Teeth a few days ago, so it will all be at the lair in the Rushmoors I suppose.”
Xanrym waves a hand in a dismissive gesture, "Well, a chest isn't always just a chest. And we don't want to leave anything here for the remaining cultists to use."
Xanrym asks, "The Naga's Teeth? Is that what the members of the cult call themselves?"
Finally, Xanrym says, "Ah! We have only seen the naga's effect here in Orlane, but we didn't know where to find her. So...her lair is in the Rushmoors? I don't suppose you remember how to get there? Could you guide us there? Or give us directions?"
Xanrym - She nods, “I’ll come to the inn with you. I don’t know if I could stand seeing my folks the way they are. The Naga’s Teeth are a group kind of like yourselves, but they work for Explictica Defilus. Kind of bodyguards or enforcers or something.” At the thought of going back to the lair she completely seizes up again. Not a chance will she go back, nor could she lead you there even if she wanted.
Theldrin - You remember that the Rushmoors were once the home of a powerful wizard who’s experiments lead to the place becoming a putrid swamp infested with magically tainted abominations. Avery wears the insignia of the Blackguard, a group of knights dedicated to keeping the monsters at bay.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Theldrin examines the room more closely now that the urgency of battle has passed. He asks Cirilli, "Have you noticed any secret doors while you've been held here?" Eyeing the muddy rags on the floor, he adds, "Do you know what these were used for?"
Xanrym - She nods, “I’ll come to the inn with you. I don’t know if I could stand seeing my folks the way they are. The Naga’s Teeth are a group kind of like yourselves, but they work for Explictica Defilus. Kind of bodyguards or enforcers or something.” At the thought of going back to the lair she completely seizes up again. Not a chance will she go back, nor could she lead you there even if she wanted.
Xanrym thanks her and tries to reassure her, "That's OK, Cirilla. The Rushmoors is no place for a young maiden, and we won't force you to return to the naga's lair. We'll find someplace safe for you to stay until the naga's spell can be broken." Xanrym tries to find a spot where Cirilla can rest until they're ready to leave the temple that's not near and preferably not even in sight of Abramo. For example, while they search the chambers, she could accompany one of the party members to a different room.
Theldrin - You remember that the Rushmoors were once the home of a powerful wizard who’s experiments lead to the place becoming a putrid swamp infested with magically tainted abominations. Avery wears the insignia of the Blackguard, a group of knights dedicated to keeping the monsters at bay.
(OOC: Since the Rushmoors looks like it's a swamp that's over 200 miles long and 100 miles wide at the widest part, I assume that everyone is at least aware that we're talking about a large and perhaps trackless swamp. Based on the map of Orlane from before, I think that there's also a wall around the temple grounds. The dialog below is based on those assumptions.)
Once Abramo is tied up, and Xanrym has settled down Cirilla somewhere for a moment, he gathers his companions a little away from both Abramo and Cirilla. He saks, "So, what do you want to do? We're not sure whether there are any cultists left within the temple compound, so we still might have to fight our way out. But we still haven't found any map to the naga's lair. We could maybe spend half an hour searching Abramo's three rooms here and then try to make our way out while Liarin can still 'bear down' on any guards. Or we could try to blockade the door from the torture chamber, set a watch, and plan to sleep here overnight. But I think that I'd rather get back to the Golden Grain Inn to make sure that Maajid and Toska are still OK."
If they agree to search briefly and then try to get back to the inn tonight, Xanrym first moves to Abramo and ties a strip of cloth around the priest's eyes. The priest is tied up, but in case he knows any spells that require only a verbal component, Xanrym figures that a blindfold will make it hard for the priest to target anyone. (He doesn't really want to gag the priest yet.) With the door from the torture chamber closed, they'll hear the bells if someone opens it, so they don't need to set a guard on the door.
Xanrym proposes that they take ~30 minutes to search these 3 rooms:
Avery gets a second wind and Theldrin takes one of the remaining healing potions.
Avery and Xanrym can search the statue room (room 18 from the map).
Liarin-bear and Theldrin can search Abramo's bedroom (room 17).
Then, before they leave, Theldrin can perform a ritual casting of detect magic while the others spend 10 minutes searching the bare room with the insane writing on the wall and the torture chamber.
That way, before they leave, Theldrin can scan Abramo, the statues, the treasure chests, and any other items they find in their search of the rooms. And (on their way out), he can also check Jocelyn's possessions and anything else he sees to make sure that they're not leaving behind any magical weapons or rings or anything.
That should still give them a good 15 - 20 minutes with Liarin's bear wild shape to get out of the temple and make it past any resistance they meet getting out of the temple grounds and back to the inn.
Avery and Xanrym can search the statue room (room 18 from the map).
Xanrym will use Abramo's keys to open the two chests and gather any treasure that they still contain. They already have the chest from the dungeon, so he'll leave the empty chests behind. Then he'll search the room, focusing on the naga statues and the other crude statues.
We’ll if that’s the case then Liarin quickly slaps Abramo into the wall, promptly cutting off his laughter.
Now it’s just you all in Abramo’s alter room. Cirilli still in the cage, shocked by a giant bear felling her captor. All the other things I described are also still in this room, including the two chests.
Liarin hunkers down, afraid to shift out of bear form in case there is more danger.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Xanrym peeks out from behind the crude statue to fire his crossbow again only to see Abramo lying on the ground, the bear (Liarin) standing over him. He calls out, "Everyone OK? Theldrin, are you still with us?" He waits until he hears the wizard's voice, and then he stows his crossbow.
Xanrym says, "Liarin, can you keep watch in case more of them come up from downstairs? Avery, could you and Theldrin tie up Abramo before he wakes up?" Finally, he moves over to Cirrili's cage. He asks, "Cirrili, right? We'll have you out of there soon. In the meantime, maybe you could tell us about yourself? Are you from Orlane? How long have they kept you in this cage?" While she talks, he checks around the cage and the cage's lock for traps. Investigation 5
(OOC: I know that that's more than 1 round of Xanrym's actions, but unless something new attacks, I figured that we're out of round-by-round combat now.)
Avery pauses, leaning on his sword, he is panting heavily from his injuries he sustained in the fight. "Well, that could have gone better, but that man was rather possessed, wasn't he?"
"Here!" Theldrin says as he peeks around the corner, then rejoins the group. Assuming someone has a rope, he will assist Avery with tying up Abramo, first attempting to stabilize the unconscious priest.
Medicine: 12
"Truly!", Xanrym agrees, "But the stories will only say that we were the heroes who stood against the cult of the naga and won! Bards rarely sing of how battered the victors were."
Regarding Abramo's madness, Xanrym says, "Many of the others, like the innkeeper Bertram, seemed to be in a kind of trance, but a true madness seems to have taken hold of the head priest. The mayor thought that Abramo had left Orlane. If he has been here the whole time, perhaps he was the first one to fall under the naga's spell. Maybe its prolonged influence over time has broken his mind?" Xanrym is glad they were able to capture Abramo. If nothing else, it'll make it easy to prove to the mayor and the townspeople who are not in the cult that the whole temple was corrupted. On the other hand, Abramo's raving makes it less likely that he'll be willing or even able to provide them useful information.
(OOC: with that roll, I guess that Xanrym didn't find any traps. I'll assume that there's some sort of lock on the cage.)
Once Xanrym is done checking for traps, he asks Avery and Theldrin, "Did you find any keys on the priest?" He reassures Cirrili, "Don't worry, Miss, even if we cannot find the key, I can pick the lock. And if that doesn't work...well, we'll just cut through the bars! We won't leave you behind."
Theldrin will search Abramo.
Investigation: 16
Theldrin is able to stabilise Abramo and search his person, he carries:
A set of keys
A Mace and Chainmail armour
4sp
13cp
That is all.
Xanrym - Cirilli sighs in relief at the prospect of rescue. But she eyes Abramo off still with a fearful look.
[[Liarin will stay in bear form until we leave the temple, unfortunately that precludes her from communicating any ideas about what to do.]]
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Theldrin tosses the keys to Xanrym.
Xanrym sees whether he can find a key that fits the lock on Cirrili's cage. If so, he'll try to open the lock and let her out.
While he's working on the lock, Xanrym makes the following suggestions:
If Xanrym is able to get Cirrili out of her cage, then he'll spend a little time talking to her while the others secure the area. (He keeps her away from Abramo, taking her back into the adjoining room, if needed.) Xanrym does not like to think about why Abramo may have kept a teenaged girl alive and unharmed like this, and he does not ask her about that. He can think of a few reasons, none of them good.
Xanrym asks her, "Could you tell me your story?" He offers her some water and says, "We already know that this temple of Merrika has been corrupted and its priests turned into a cult that worships a naga, which is a sort of snake creature," pointing toward the jade statue of the naga in the southeast corner. "But how came you to be held in a cage here? And how long ago were you kidnapped?" (Persuasion 14)
Avery heads back to the torture chamber, making sure the door is closed.
Cirilli has been beaten up a bit, she will gasp when you say you know of the naga. “You know about Explicitica Defilus? I was brought to her along with the rest of my family, who run the general store in town. She performed her vile charm on the rest of my family but for some reason it didn’t work on me. Abramo brought be back here, maybe because he remembered that we were friends before, but not anymore. He beat me, a lot. Something has switched in his brain. Maybe the naga’s gaze effects some people differently, but Abramo has gone completely mad.” She is surprisingly well spoken for someone who’s been locked up for as long as she has. She looks at Liarin, “You’re bear friend won’t find much in the chests, they were emptied by the Naga’s Teeth a few days ago, so it will all be at the lair in the Rushmoors I suppose.”
Xanrym says, "Yes. We were fortunate -- thank the gods! We caught Misha and some of the other cult members before they could kill our employer last night. I am familiar with the lore of nagas, and we've seen another one of these statues of Explictica Defilus, the 'Queen of All Night', under the Golden Grain Inn."
Xanrym says, "Ah....so that's how so many have become fanatics. The naga used its gaze to enchant them and bend them to her will." He reflects on that a moment and remembers that he had copied a spell in his past studies that may be able to help -- if only he could learn to he could learn to cast it! He says, encouragingly, "You are strong of will, Cirilli! It is remarkable that you resisted the naga's power and then the despair of captivity for so long! Your present nightmare is over: you are free, and we can take you out of here. But I'm afraid that you are still in danger. Orlane is still riddled with cultists. We've cut off the head, but your family is probably still under the naga's spell. We can take you back to the Inn tonight, which the mayor gave us leave to use as a temporary base for those who stand against the cult."
Xanrym waves a hand in a dismissive gesture, "Well, a chest isn't always just a chest. And we don't want to leave anything here for the remaining cultists to use."
Xanrym asks, "The Naga's Teeth? Is that what the members of the cult call themselves?"
Finally, Xanrym says, "Ah! We have only seen the naga's effect here in Orlane, but we didn't know where to find her. So...her lair is in the Rushmoors? I don't suppose you remember how to get there? Could you guide us there? Or give us directions?"
"Ah, the Rushmoors eh..." Theldrin says wtih a thoughtful frown as he rubs his beard. He ponders what he may remember having read about the area.
History: 14
Xanrym - She nods, “I’ll come to the inn with you. I don’t know if I could stand seeing my folks the way they are. The Naga’s Teeth are a group kind of like yourselves, but they work for Explictica Defilus. Kind of bodyguards or enforcers or something.” At the thought of going back to the lair she completely seizes up again. Not a chance will she go back, nor could she lead you there even if she wanted.
Theldrin - You remember that the Rushmoors were once the home of a powerful wizard who’s experiments lead to the place becoming a putrid swamp infested with magically tainted abominations. Avery wears the insignia of the Blackguard, a group of knights dedicated to keeping the monsters at bay.
Liarin pokes at the chests anyway, if nothing else but to rule out the girl being a liar and a trap.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Theldrin examines the room more closely now that the urgency of battle has passed. He asks Cirilli, "Have you noticed any secret doors while you've been held here?" Eyeing the muddy rags on the floor, he adds, "Do you know what these were used for?"
Investigation: 7
Xanrym thanks her and tries to reassure her, "That's OK, Cirilla. The Rushmoors is no place for a young maiden, and we won't force you to return to the naga's lair. We'll find someplace safe for you to stay until the naga's spell can be broken." Xanrym tries to find a spot where Cirilla can rest until they're ready to leave the temple that's not near and preferably not even in sight of Abramo. For example, while they search the chambers, she could accompany one of the party members to a different room.
(OOC: Since the Rushmoors looks like it's a swamp that's over 200 miles long and 100 miles wide at the widest part, I assume that everyone is at least aware that we're talking about a large and perhaps trackless swamp. Based on the map of Orlane from before, I think that there's also a wall around the temple grounds. The dialog below is based on those assumptions.)
Once Abramo is tied up, and Xanrym has settled down Cirilla somewhere for a moment, he gathers his companions a little away from both Abramo and Cirilla. He saks, "So, what do you want to do? We're not sure whether there are any cultists left within the temple compound, so we still might have to fight our way out. But we still haven't found any map to the naga's lair. We could maybe spend half an hour searching Abramo's three rooms here and then try to make our way out while Liarin can still 'bear down' on any guards. Or we could try to blockade the door from the torture chamber, set a watch, and plan to sleep here overnight. But I think that I'd rather get back to the Golden Grain Inn to make sure that Maajid and Toska are still OK."
If they agree to search briefly and then try to get back to the inn tonight, Xanrym first moves to Abramo and ties a strip of cloth around the priest's eyes. The priest is tied up, but in case he knows any spells that require only a verbal component, Xanrym figures that a blindfold will make it hard for the priest to target anyone. (He doesn't really want to gag the priest yet.) With the door from the torture chamber closed, they'll hear the bells if someone opens it, so they don't need to set a guard on the door.
Xanrym proposes that they take ~30 minutes to search these 3 rooms:
That way, before they leave, Theldrin can scan Abramo, the statues, the treasure chests, and any other items they find in their search of the rooms. And (on their way out), he can also check Jocelyn's possessions and anything else he sees to make sure that they're not leaving behind any magical weapons or rings or anything.
That should still give them a good 15 - 20 minutes with Liarin's bear wild shape to get out of the temple and make it past any resistance they meet getting out of the temple grounds and back to the inn.
Xanrym will use Abramo's keys to open the two chests and gather any treasure that they still contain. They already have the chest from the dungeon, so he'll leave the empty chests behind. Then he'll search the room, focusing on the naga statues and the other crude statues.
Investigation 14