"Since the only Cultists who saw us enter are now dead," Khessa reasons "I think we can try our original plan... I will assume the guise of Mr. Rag Fashion, so any other Cultists we encounter should not attack us on sight, seeing as I, a known cult member, is accompanying you. This way, we should be able to surprise them".
Elias watches as Khessa weaves her magic, transforming into this other being, now that'll be hard to get out of my mind, chuckles to himself. He thinks to himself, amazing how quickly she's pickup the arcane arts, it took me years of study just to be able to lite a candle. Give me a minute. Elias quickly pulls the robe from one of the raggedy cultist, uses Prestidigitation to clean it up and drapes it over himself. Might looks more convincing if it looks like there are tow of us. oh, almost forgot, he picks up one of the skull flails, ready, I'll follow the rest of you.
As the party continues their decent, Atlascan't help but think that there is something that they're missing. Quietly following behind the rest, he recounts the unfortunate incident with the imp. "Where has it gone? We haven't seen, nor heard it this entire time." His mind continues to wander now towards the powerful tomes he and Khessajust uncovered. "She poses a very interesting question. Why are they not being used? Can they NOT use them? If not, then why?"
Atlaswhispers to Eliasand Khessa, "Hey spellcasters! What reason would there be for these fiends to not use those spells we found? It seems kind of odd, don't you think? To have an arsenal that you don't use when you're being invaded? One would think that if there are secrets to be kept, they would use every tool in their arsenal." He tries to think of any arcane, or otherwise, reason they wouldn't use them.
Elias keeps his voice low, my assumption is that these cultist fit into one of two categories, a priest class and enforcers. Neither of which can cast arcane magic. I'll have to study the books but my bet is that they once belonged to novice mages, such as myself, that may have been abducted by the cultist.
Temporarily lost in thoughts of a fancy meal, Rosebud misses the departure of most of the group, leaving her alone in the room with the dead ragmen and burning crypt. She looks around with glassy eyes that slowly focus then widen as she mentally returns to the here and now. "Ack, wait for me!" She scampers to the next room, through the door and down the stairs until she almost bumps into Atlas.
yes, priest commune with their deity who grants them spells. The enforcers are like the cultist we faced in the first room. They carry out the leg work and blade work for the temple as needed. Though these are just my assessments based on my readings, I have no practical experience to draw a conclusion from.
ATLAS will not have any idea why the RAGMEN had the spellbooks. (To know more would have required taking one of them prisoners, or maybe something like a Speak with Dead.)
(OOC- Or sit down with the authors of the adventures and ask the question, "What the....where you thinking?)
(Please let us know if you need an assist moving tokens on the map.)
[OOC: DM please move Ray forward into the dungeon, also please feel free to use Raynoir as you see fit for the next 12-16 hours, I'm travelling for work again]
Raggedy Man KHESSA admits, in response to Atlas's doubts: "I've wondered that too. The only explanation I can come up with so far is that they managed to steal them, kept them because of their monetary value, but don't have arcanists skilled enough to use them directly - and if that were the case, that would be a good thing. But it's sadly possible that we're missing something. Maybe we'll understand more, when we come across more pieces of the puzzle".
After that, the magically disguised tall adventuress falls silent, slipping into her role as a grim Cultist of the Dead Three (probably of Myrkul). She takes a few steps into the new room, unhurriedly, giving the impression of being at home, but thus giving herself time to look around.
REYA and RAYNOIR follows behind KHESSA. The Warrior Mage sees that the eastern part of this room is unlit, flooded, and braced with floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. Rough-hewn steps rise out of the murky water to the western portion of the room, which is dry and lit by two torches in sconces that flank a stone altar. Shackled to the wall behind the altar is a sickly woman in a tattered dress with a burlap sack over her head. An alcove in the north wall contains a freestanding suit of plate armor missing its helm.
Standing before the altar are three grim figures: a pair of powerfully built women holding longbows with wicked looking maces at their sides, and an even bigger man wearing a bucket helm. The helmed man was jabbing the prisoner with a spear, causing her to twitch and moan above her continuous weeping. All the figures are clad in chain mail. One of the women carries a wooden shield with a leering skull painted on it. The leering skull appears to be painted with blood, fresh blood.
The helmed man when he sees you are a cultist of Myrkul yells out, “Do not bother us, you filth, we are busy.”
Hearing only the yell that indicates that the strangers are not fans of the cultists they are dressed as, Rosebud yells up to Khessa, "Hey Raggedy Anne, are they friends?" A girl can hope, she thinks, although anyone in this lightless place is unlikely to be someone she could truly be friends with.
Khessa, the poor Myrkul cultist dressed in rags, coughs and hoarsens her voice as she approaches and fixes her eyes on the helmed man: "Important... Come, please... It will not take long... We have got unexpected help... Great opportunities open up... Come and see... No more than a minute".
If the helmed man starts to follow her (as she is inviting him to do) the blonde arcane warrior who currently looks like a pathetic walking rag doll leads him down the corridor, towards the central chamber (the one with the three doors) saying with a knowing grin: "These are the help... A unique opportunity for all of us... Big score... Come and see in the central chamber..."
If the magically disguised tall adventuress manages to lead the leader to the chamber, she closes the door behind her and the group, says to the others: "Now!" and attacks (hopefully by surprise).
[[ OOC: Since I don't know whether or not the helmed man will agree to give up a minute of his time and come to the central chamber, for now I've positioned Khessa near the two Bane Cultists. If the one I think is the leader is interested in the great opportunity and follows it, we can all reposition ourselves in the three-door chamber. ]]
As KHESSAapproaches the stairs, the two powerful women, put away their longbows and draw their maces and shields, but do not attack. The helmed man says, "We do not deal with filth like you. Bring me your Master of Souls and we will hear your offer. Now begone." The helmed one turns back to his victim.
Meanwhile, REYAis getting agitated at hearing the weeping of their captive. Peaking around the corner, she restrains herself until she sees what happens to KHESSA. REYAshakes her head at the knee-deep water and readies her crossbow.
'Note to self: next time I impersonate someone with magic,' Khessa thinks wryly 'it's best to impersonate a Master of Souls'.
"It's the Master of Souls who sent... the contacts I'm about to introduce you to... thinking you'd be interested in the opportunity to collaborate and reap a vast harvest of sacrifices... If you choose to ignore them... someone else will listen... and the disadvantage will be yours alone..." The magically disguised blonde arcane warrior, after these words, turns in the direction where the other party members should be and calls out "Come, envoys of the Master of Souls... come to me, so that I can clarify... the benefits for all".
The tall adventuress in disguise waits for her friends to take positions... 'Since it seems difficult to lure the leader away alone,' she thinks 'it would be best if each of us at least took the most advantageous position. Then I will try to distract the Cultists and we will surprise attack them all together'-
Rosebud walks down to the water's edge and quickly determines it is tall on her. She stays near the stairs, which has the advantage of safe retreat for her but prevents her from seeing the action in the main room. "Uhm, could I get a lift?" she asks plaintively.
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"Since the only Cultists who saw us enter are now dead," Khessa reasons "I think we can try our original plan... I will assume the guise of Mr. Rag Fashion, so any other Cultists we encounter should not attack us on sight, seeing as I, a known cult member, is accompanying you. This way, we should be able to surprise them".
The blonde arcane warrior then mutters mysterious syllables, while making an elegant gesture with her fingers and... suddenly she resembles in every way (including clothing and equipment) the Myrkul Cultist who faced the party in the Bath House.
The tall adventurer then begins to lead the party through the new path...
RAYNOIR, "My my Khessa.... or should I say Mr. Rag Fashion, you look extraordinary and full of surprises!!!"
Elias watches as Khessa weaves her magic, transforming into this other being, now that'll be hard to get out of my mind, chuckles to himself. He thinks to himself, amazing how quickly she's pickup the arcane arts, it took me years of study just to be able to lite a candle. Give me a minute. Elias quickly pulls the robe from one of the raggedy cultist, uses Prestidigitation to clean it up and drapes it over himself. Might looks more convincing if it looks like there are tow of us. oh, almost forgot, he picks up one of the skull flails, ready, I'll follow the rest of you.
REYA will follow Raggedy Man KHESSA into the muck.
(Map Updated. Token added. Will hold for players to catch up with current situation.)
As the party continues their decent, Atlas can't help but think that there is something that they're missing. Quietly following behind the rest, he recounts the unfortunate incident with the imp. "Where has it gone? We haven't seen, nor heard it this entire time." His mind continues to wander now towards the powerful tomes he and Khessa just uncovered. "She poses a very interesting question. Why are they not being used? Can they NOT use them? If not, then why?"
Atlas whispers to Elias and Khessa, "Hey spellcasters! What reason would there be for these fiends to not use those spells we found? It seems kind of odd, don't you think? To have an arsenal that you don't use when you're being invaded? One would think that if there are secrets to be kept, they would use every tool in their arsenal." He tries to think of any arcane, or otherwise, reason they wouldn't use them.
Arcana | Guidance: 16 | 1
Insight? | Guidance: 10 | 3
Elias keeps his voice low, my assumption is that these cultist fit into one of two categories, a priest class and enforcers. Neither of which can cast arcane magic. I'll have to study the books but my bet is that they once belonged to novice mages, such as myself, that may have been abducted by the cultist.
"I assume that priest's get their power from a deity, much like our friend Raynoir here? What about enforcers?"
Temporarily lost in thoughts of a fancy meal, Rosebud misses the departure of most of the group, leaving her alone in the room with the dead ragmen and burning crypt. She looks around with glassy eyes that slowly focus then widen as she mentally returns to the here and now. "Ack, wait for me!" She scampers to the next room, through the door and down the stairs until she almost bumps into Atlas.
yes, priest commune with their deity who grants them spells. The enforcers are like the cultist we faced in the first room. They carry out the leg work and blade work for the temple as needed. Though these are just my assessments based on my readings, I have no practical experience to draw a conclusion from.
ATLAS will not have any idea why the RAGMEN had the spellbooks. (To know more would have required taking one of them prisoners, or maybe something like a Speak with Dead.)
(OOC- Or sit down with the authors of the adventures and ask the question, "What the....where you thinking?)
(Please let us know if you need an assist moving tokens on the map.)
"I feel as though we're missing something big. As if we've been given some puzzle pieces, but I just can't quite see the big picture."
[OOC: DM please move Ray forward into the dungeon, also please feel free to use Raynoir as you see fit for the next 12-16 hours, I'm travelling for work again]
Raggedy Man KHESSA admits, in response to Atlas's doubts: "I've wondered that too. The only explanation I can come up with so far is that they managed to steal them, kept them because of their monetary value, but don't have arcanists skilled enough to use them directly - and if that were the case, that would be a good thing. But it's sadly possible that we're missing something. Maybe we'll understand more, when we come across more pieces of the puzzle".
After that, the magically disguised tall adventuress falls silent, slipping into her role as a grim Cultist of the Dead Three (probably of Myrkul). She takes a few steps into the new room, unhurriedly, giving the impression of being at home, but thus giving herself time to look around.
REYA and RAYNOIR follows behind KHESSA. The Warrior Mage sees that the eastern part of this room is unlit, flooded, and braced with floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. Rough-hewn steps rise out of the murky water to the western portion of the room, which is dry and lit by two torches in sconces that flank a stone altar. Shackled to the wall behind the altar is a sickly woman in a tattered dress with a burlap sack over her head. An alcove in the north wall contains a freestanding suit of plate armor missing its helm.
Standing before the altar are three grim figures: a pair of powerfully built women holding longbows with wicked looking maces at their sides, and an even bigger man wearing a bucket helm. The helmed man was jabbing the prisoner with a spear, causing her to twitch and moan above her continuous weeping. All the figures are clad in chain mail. One of the women carries a wooden shield with a leering skull painted on it. The leering skull appears to be painted with blood, fresh blood.
The helmed man when he sees you are a cultist of Myrkul yells out, “Do not bother us, you filth, we are busy.”
(Map updated.)
Hearing only the yell that indicates that the strangers are not fans of the cultists they are dressed as, Rosebud yells up to Khessa, "Hey Raggedy Anne, are they friends?" A girl can hope, she thinks, although anyone in this lightless place is unlikely to be someone she could truly be friends with.
Khessa, the poor Myrkul cultist dressed in rags, coughs and hoarsens her voice as she approaches and fixes her eyes on the helmed man: "Important... Come, please... It will not take long... We have got unexpected help... Great opportunities open up... Come and see... No more than a minute".
If the helmed man starts to follow her (as she is inviting him to do) the blonde arcane warrior who currently looks like a pathetic walking rag doll leads him down the corridor, towards the central chamber (the one with the three doors) saying with a knowing grin: "These are the help... A unique opportunity for all of us... Big score... Come and see in the central chamber..."
If the magically disguised tall adventuress manages to lead the leader to the chamber, she closes the door behind her and the group, says to the others: "Now!" and attacks (hopefully by surprise).
[[ OOC: Since I don't know whether or not the helmed man will agree to give up a minute of his time and come to the central chamber, for now I've positioned Khessa near the two Bane Cultists. If the one I think is the leader is interested in the great opportunity and follows it, we can all reposition ourselves in the three-door chamber. ]]
As KHESSA approaches the stairs, the two powerful women, put away their longbows and draw their maces and shields, but do not attack. The helmed man says, "We do not deal with filth like you. Bring me your Master of Souls and we will hear your offer. Now begone." The helmed one turns back to his victim.
Meanwhile, REYA is getting agitated at hearing the weeping of their captive. Peaking around the corner, she restrains herself until she sees what happens to KHESSA. REYA shakes her head at the knee-deep water and readies her crossbow.
(Blue squares with water represent Difficult Terrain.)
'Note to self: next time I impersonate someone with magic,' Khessa thinks wryly 'it's best to impersonate a Master of Souls'.
"It's the Master of Souls who sent... the contacts I'm about to introduce you to... thinking you'd be interested in the opportunity to collaborate and reap a vast harvest of sacrifices... If you choose to ignore them... someone else will listen... and the disadvantage will be yours alone..." The magically disguised blonde arcane warrior, after these words, turns in the direction where the other party members should be and calls out "Come, envoys of the Master of Souls... come to me, so that I can clarify... the benefits for all".
The tall adventuress in disguise waits for her friends to take positions... 'Since it seems difficult to lure the leader away alone,' she thinks 'it would be best if each of us at least took the most advantageous position. Then I will try to distract the Cultists and we will surprise attack them all together'-
Atlas will follow behind the party and attempt to keep his presence a secret.
Stealth: 14
He will make his way down and hide behind one of the wooden beams and ready his bow.
Rosebud walks down to the water's edge and quickly determines it is tall on her. She stays near the stairs, which has the advantage of safe retreat for her but prevents her from seeing the action in the main room. "Uhm, could I get a lift?" she asks plaintively.