Mortlock breathes a sigh of relief as his wounds begin to mend. "I was betrayed. These assassins conspired with my brothers to kill me. If those ones with the masks hadn't come, I'd be dead. But they weren't concerned with Vaaz, they headed straight for the treasure. I tried to convince them to help me fight Vaaz, but they ignored me completely. With Vaaz still probably lurking in this damned place, I manage to stumble my way here and barricade the door with the skeletons here...is that bastard dead?"
The man has clearly exhausted himself. Having fought with the cultists who were his allies at the time to having to barricade himself in a room. It's clear he has not slept for a while.
"And my mother isn't somehow involved, she is involved. It's why she pushed so hard to send the grand duke away. With Ravengard gone, the Flaming Fist is leaderless and vulnerable. No one else is able to go against her now...And all those refugees, from Elturel, are speaking true. That whole city got pulled down into the hells and my mother wants to do same thing to Baldur's gate."
"A bit much to take in I must admit, but if you are telling the truth, why would your mother want Baldur's Gate to be pulled down into the nine hells?" The young red-haired patriar asks in a skeptical tone, still processing what was being told.
Meanwhile the tiny invisble imp keeps a good lookout for the cultist called Vaaz.
Marasatra’s brows knit, but her tone stays cool and precise. “If your testimony is accurate, the Vanthampur plot reaches far beyond petty power—Baldur’s Gate itself sits on the brink of an infernal bargain. Such a claim must reach Captain Zodge immediately.” She withdraws her journal, jotting a terse note as ink dries scarlet where a fleck of her own blood still lingers.
She closes the ledger with a click and fixes Mortlock with a level gaze. “You don’t read as a jester, nor do those wounds look staged. Give us Vaaz’s last known position, numbers still loyal to him, and any sigils or passwords guarding the lower vaults. Then we escort you to the surface—or secure you in a defensible alcove—so you can repeat this under oath. The ledger will hold your words; the Flaming Fist will decide the rest.”
She turns to the party, voice low. “Record everything. We clear the remaining passages, confirm Vaaz’s demise, and then run this straight to the Watch.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
The man is just...tired. Tired of his family, tired of this city, just tired of it all. "That's a question you can ask her. And if you don't remember what I said, my brothers had betrayed me. They conspired with the cultists to kill me. And my oldest brother's the nosy type to have his imps do the spying. I go out there and turn myself in, I'll die sooner."
"Besides, if you all got here and didn't see Vaaz or anybody else. Then he's the last one, and there's only one last place he'll be. That statue room of the dead three."
"Look, I get it that you folk are with the Fists...but they can't do shit against a patriar, especially against one on the council. I'd say best way to force my mother to admit her crimes or even stop her is to hold my brother hostage. Not the oldest one because he's already bound to bed with sickness. But the middle child, her favorite, Amrik."
Marasatra rubs the bridge of her nose, then fixes Mortlock with a cool, searching stare. “That is quite a tangle, Master Vanthampur. First: you say your elder brother keeps imps as informants—no slight meant, Valeria—so I need to know whether any of those devil-spawn are flitting about this warren right now. Are we already being observed?”
She taps her staff on the flagstones. “Second: you believe Vaaz is holed up alone in the Dead Three’s statue hall. Is Amrik with him, or is your favored brother quartered elsewhere? You speak of ‘taking him hostage’ to force your mother’s hand—yet abducting a council scion is hardly a Flaming Fist tactic by the book but let's say we entertain the idea to humor you. If that truly is your plan, explain how you expect us to reach Amrik, secure him alive, and survive the political backlash that will surely follow. Clarify those points, and we’ll decide the best course to chart but it looks to me like we will be coming for Vaaz first and then let the Fist decide what they want to do about your family quarrels.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
"Well, first, they're my brother's. I have no control over them and the little shits can go invisible so I don't know. He's bound to his bed so he's got nothing but time on his hands. So he most likely already knows most of your faces."
"Second, no, Amrik is the only one not sickly or with a butchered face like mine. So he ran a money lending business out of the Low Lantern, while I was stuck with these fanatics. You can give him a fancy title but he's still just a person. Our family ain't some virtuous saints so I bet there ain't going to be anyone trying to save him. Only the bodyguards that our family employs would care...to a point."
"Look, if you don't want to believe me then don't. I've spent the night wide awake, waiting to see if that maniac will break into this room and finish me off. If you don't believe then go ahead and turn me in or not, either way I'll die. If you do believe me and actually kill the bastard, then I'm thankful for it. All I know is, if I live, I'm leaving this damned city. Screw my family and screw these cultists, but if the last thing I do before leaving is ******* up their plans, then I'm all for it."
@Valeria; You never met the man, but from rumors and gossip about him, Amrik is a prick. He flaunts his status as favored son of the duke. He tends to bully both normal citizens and lower patiars. He's been rumored to have been extorting and blackmailing many, although none of the victims would admit it and some do disappear.
"You know Mortlock, I actually believe you, and I'm not the trusting type I can tell you, but your story, it's just too preposterous to come up with." The young red-haired patriar says with a grin. "We're still just some newly drafted Flaming Fists though so we'll have to discuss among us what we can do about all this, not that it's not concerning, having the city dragged into hell seems like a bad thing all in all."Val then turns to her fellow deputees. "Perhaps we should finish up down here while we digest these new revelations, take out this Vaaz with extreme prejudice, please don't hold back on him or things might go bad again." She says with a grim look, now ready to hunt down what is hopefully the last cultist.
Sarris speaks up. "Blood and ashes! Let us just do the job we were 'enlisted' for... clean out this cultist nest of filth. That alone will help the Fists."
He looks over at Mortlock, "Now, if the big fella tags along with us - I am all for him leading the tour since he was assigned to this madhouse. Plus, we can work together to take down his brother so, he gets another chance to rectify his family issues 'hands on' so to speak."
"And, after all that, if we survive, we can help spirit him out of the city and on his way to a new life."
Arkon gives a nod at Sarris' statement, understanding that much at least. "Right. Kill the cultists, then figure out whatever else after we get out of here."
Marasatra inclines her head to Valeria and Sarris, then fixes Mortlock with a level gaze. “Our mandate is unchanged: the remaining Dead Three must be excised first. Your offer of guidance is useful, but we would be careless not to acknowledge your own part in their rise. Ordered or not, you did supervise these murders until they turned on you. That earns scrutiny.”
She folds her hands over her staff. “Join us if you wish—but under watch. You lead us to Vaaz and whatever shrines remain, you stand in the fore when steel is drawn, and you do nothing without a word to the scout. Complete that, and when we surface I will attest that you aided the purge and repented of earlier deeds. Attempt a knife in our backs, and Jergal’s ledger records you beside the cultists.”
She looks to the party. “If we accept those terms, we press on to the statue hall. If not, we bind him lightly, seat him in the corridor, and sweep the vaults without his map. Either way, the cult falls today.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
After Mal messages about his observations, Valeria briefly makes use of his senses to observe the chamber ahead, particularly the person seemingly hiding in the corner. She would then describe in detail to the others what she has seen to prepare them for Vaaz' final stand.
Sarris, a silent figure in the gloom, raised a hand, and the small group halted. Water, dark and murky, lapped at their knees, carrying with it the scent of decay and something far older, something that prickled the hairs on the back of their necks. This entire level was a maze, grand and opulent, now a drowned ruin, its secrets submerged and guarded by the minions of the Dead Three cultists.
Dancing shadows flickered along the walls and supports in the flooded hallways, revealing glimpses of forgotten tapestries and shattered statues. A faint glow, phosphorescent and unnatural, emanated from deep within the flooded passages, a beacon urging them towards a confrontation they both dreaded and knew was inevitable. Sarris scanned the reflections on the water's surface, alert to any ripple that might betray an unseen threat.
The air was thick with tension, each splash of water echoing in the silence, amplifying the sense of being watched. The group pressed on, drawn deeper into the heart of the submerged labyrinth. Their journey had led them through treacherous paths, facing creatures and challenges that tested their resolve, but this flooded ruin presented a new kind of threat, one that whispered of ancient magic and a darkness that seemed to drain their resolve.
Turning west, they approached a chamber that opened up, the water ripples moving outward without a return of several minutes. The ranger's grip tightened on his handaxe and dagger, his eyes fixed on the dark shapes in the middle of the chamber. The air was heavy with moisture and the slight tang of blood, the faint phosphorescent glow intensifying, almost bright enough for those without darkvision to see several bodies about a central mound.
Sarris signals all to halt as he slowly moves forward to examine the scene of carnage.
Marasatra tightens the leather straps on her small steel shield, testing its balance with a short flick of the wrist. “If that figure is Vaaz, I’ll help pressing in close enough to mark him. First stroke will be a Bane—let the zealot flounder under his own doctrine for once. Once the curse holds, I’ll keep the shield high and trade blows as needed; I can shift to a fuller guard or add strikes depending on how the fight unfolds.”
She glances along the line of companions. “Save your heavier salves. I’ll patch surface cuts with cantrips, but I’ll reserve a full cure for anyone who drops. After the clash, I’ll make a proper round with the kit and knit what’s left. On your signal, Sarris, we move.”
[[Mara is ready to enter the final fight at the frontline.]]
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Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
With the assumption of a battle being near Gorin spends a spell slot to get his protector cannon backup, putting the tiny shield on Zim's shoulder yet again, giving everyone 6 temp hp for the start of the fight.
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"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war |Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Not exactly sure what you mean by saving your heavier salves there Marasatra but I can't see no reason to save anything in this final fight."Val says quietly with a skeptic look as she struggles to understand what the cleric is even talking about now. "Let's just get this over with now quickly while Vaaz is still occupied with his grisly ritual."She adds quietly, ready to follow the others into what she assumes is the final battle of this particular mission.
Marasatra answers in a muted whisper while checking the fit of her gauntlet. “Efficient—not frugal. If someone takes a glancing blow, a cantrip or the cannon’s bolster is enough; if a blade opens a lung, I’ll pour divine power in that instant. We feed the big magic to big wounds so no one bleeds out mid-exchange.”
Her gaze flicks toward the chamber. “Vaaz looks fanatical and cornered—he’ll hit hard. Once Bane settles on him, strike fast and don’t give him room to chant. When the tide turns, I’ll patch whatever’s left.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
"Well if you are saying that with heavier salves you mean more powerful healing magic I think you are the only one who really possesses that." The red-haired patriar says quietly. "Might I suggest speaking more plainly if your intention is to get a message across, you might find it to be more efficient. I can only assume you know far more than me about giving clear orders but using words like frugal, just for instance, while giving your language a certain flair, well I would have thought using a plain and simple one was to be preferred when the need for clarity was critical."
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Mortlock breathes a sigh of relief as his wounds begin to mend. "I was betrayed. These assassins conspired with my brothers to kill me. If those ones with the masks hadn't come, I'd be dead. But they weren't concerned with Vaaz, they headed straight for the treasure. I tried to convince them to help me fight Vaaz, but they ignored me completely. With Vaaz still probably lurking in this damned place, I manage to stumble my way here and barricade the door with the skeletons here...is that bastard dead?"
The man has clearly exhausted himself. Having fought with the cultists who were his allies at the time to having to barricade himself in a room. It's clear he has not slept for a while.
"And my mother isn't somehow involved, she is involved. It's why she pushed so hard to send the grand duke away. With Ravengard gone, the Flaming Fist is leaderless and vulnerable. No one else is able to go against her now...And all those refugees, from Elturel, are speaking true. That whole city got pulled down into the hells and my mother wants to do same thing to Baldur's gate."
Arkon listens as intently as he can manage. He thinks he gets the gist of...some of it, but is curious whether Mortlock is telling the full truth.
Insight: 20
"A bit much to take in I must admit, but if you are telling the truth, why would your mother want Baldur's Gate to be pulled down into the nine hells?" The young red-haired patriar asks in a skeptical tone, still processing what was being told.
Meanwhile the tiny invisble imp keeps a good lookout for the cultist called Vaaz.
Marasatra’s brows knit, but her tone stays cool and precise. “If your testimony is accurate, the Vanthampur plot reaches far beyond petty power—Baldur’s Gate itself sits on the brink of an infernal bargain. Such a claim must reach Captain Zodge immediately.” She withdraws her journal, jotting a terse note as ink dries scarlet where a fleck of her own blood still lingers.
She closes the ledger with a click and fixes Mortlock with a level gaze. “You don’t read as a jester, nor do those wounds look staged. Give us Vaaz’s last known position, numbers still loyal to him, and any sigils or passwords guarding the lower vaults. Then we escort you to the surface—or secure you in a defensible alcove—so you can repeat this under oath. The ledger will hold your words; the Flaming Fist will decide the rest.”
She turns to the party, voice low. “Record everything. We clear the remaining passages, confirm Vaaz’s demise, and then run this straight to the Watch.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
The man is just...tired. Tired of his family, tired of this city, just tired of it all. "That's a question you can ask her. And if you don't remember what I said, my brothers had betrayed me. They conspired with the cultists to kill me. And my oldest brother's the nosy type to have his imps do the spying. I go out there and turn myself in, I'll die sooner."
"Besides, if you all got here and didn't see Vaaz or anybody else. Then he's the last one, and there's only one last place he'll be. That statue room of the dead three."
"Look, I get it that you folk are with the Fists...but they can't do shit against a patriar, especially against one on the council. I'd say best way to force my mother to admit her crimes or even stop her is to hold my brother hostage. Not the oldest one because he's already bound to bed with sickness. But the middle child, her favorite, Amrik."
Marasatra rubs the bridge of her nose, then fixes Mortlock with a cool, searching stare. “That is quite a tangle, Master Vanthampur. First: you say your elder brother keeps imps as informants—no slight meant, Valeria—so I need to know whether any of those devil-spawn are flitting about this warren right now. Are we already being observed?”
She taps her staff on the flagstones. “Second: you believe Vaaz is holed up alone in the Dead Three’s statue hall. Is Amrik with him, or is your favored brother quartered elsewhere? You speak of ‘taking him hostage’ to force your mother’s hand—yet abducting a council scion is hardly a Flaming Fist tactic by the book but let's say we entertain the idea to humor you. If that truly is your plan, explain how you expect us to reach Amrik, secure him alive, and survive the political backlash that will surely follow. Clarify those points, and we’ll decide the best course to chart but it looks to me like we will be coming for Vaaz first and then let the Fist decide what they want to do about your family quarrels.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
Valeria history about Amrik Vanthampur: 5
"Well, first, they're my brother's. I have no control over them and the little shits can go invisible so I don't know. He's bound to his bed so he's got nothing but time on his hands. So he most likely already knows most of your faces."
"Second, no, Amrik is the only one not sickly or with a butchered face like mine. So he ran a money lending business out of the Low Lantern, while I was stuck with these fanatics. You can give him a fancy title but he's still just a person. Our family ain't some virtuous saints so I bet there ain't going to be anyone trying to save him. Only the bodyguards that our family employs would care...to a point."
"Look, if you don't want to believe me then don't. I've spent the night wide awake, waiting to see if that maniac will break into this room and finish me off. If you don't believe then go ahead and turn me in or not, either way I'll die. If you do believe me and actually kill the bastard, then I'm thankful for it. All I know is, if I live, I'm leaving this damned city. Screw my family and screw these cultists, but if the last thing I do before leaving is ******* up their plans, then I'm all for it."
@Valeria; You never met the man, but from rumors and gossip about him, Amrik is a prick. He flaunts his status as favored son of the duke. He tends to bully both normal citizens and lower patiars. He's been rumored to have been extorting and blackmailing many, although none of the victims would admit it and some do disappear.
"You know Mortlock, I actually believe you, and I'm not the trusting type I can tell you, but your story, it's just too preposterous to come up with." The young red-haired patriar says with a grin. "We're still just some newly drafted Flaming Fists though so we'll have to discuss among us what we can do about all this, not that it's not concerning, having the city dragged into hell seems like a bad thing all in all." Val then turns to her fellow deputees. "Perhaps we should finish up down here while we digest these new revelations, take out this Vaaz with extreme prejudice, please don't hold back on him or things might go bad again." She says with a grim look, now ready to hunt down what is hopefully the last cultist.
Sarris speaks up. "Blood and ashes! Let us just do the job we were 'enlisted' for... clean out this cultist nest of filth. That alone will help the Fists."
He looks over at Mortlock, "Now, if the big fella tags along with us - I am all for him leading the tour since he was assigned to this madhouse. Plus, we can work together to take down his brother so, he gets another chance to rectify his family issues 'hands on' so to speak."
"And, after all that, if we survive, we can help spirit him out of the city and on his way to a new life."
Arkon gives a nod at Sarris' statement, understanding that much at least. "Right. Kill the cultists, then figure out whatever else after we get out of here."
Marasatra inclines her head to Valeria and Sarris, then fixes Mortlock with a level gaze. “Our mandate is unchanged: the remaining Dead Three must be excised first. Your offer of guidance is useful, but we would be careless not to acknowledge your own part in their rise. Ordered or not, you did supervise these murders until they turned on you. That earns scrutiny.”
She folds her hands over her staff. “Join us if you wish—but under watch. You lead us to Vaaz and whatever shrines remain, you stand in the fore when steel is drawn, and you do nothing without a word to the scout. Complete that, and when we surface I will attest that you aided the purge and repented of earlier deeds. Attempt a knife in our backs, and Jergal’s ledger records you beside the cultists.”
She looks to the party. “If we accept those terms, we press on to the statue hall. If not, we bind him lightly, seat him in the corridor, and sweep the vaults without his map. Either way, the cult falls today.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
(Forgot to add what Mal sees.)
After Mal messages about his observations, Valeria briefly makes use of his senses to observe the chamber ahead, particularly the person seemingly hiding in the corner. She would then describe in detail to the others what she has seen to prepare them for Vaaz' final stand.
Marasatra tightens the leather straps on her small steel shield, testing its balance with a short flick of the wrist. “If that figure is Vaaz, I’ll help pressing in close enough to mark him. First stroke will be a Bane—let the zealot flounder under his own doctrine for once. Once the curse holds, I’ll keep the shield high and trade blows as needed; I can shift to a fuller guard or add strikes depending on how the fight unfolds.”
She glances along the line of companions. “Save your heavier salves. I’ll patch surface cuts with cantrips, but I’ll reserve a full cure for anyone who drops. After the clash, I’ll make a proper round with the kit and knit what’s left. On your signal, Sarris, we move.”
[[Mara is ready to enter the final fight at the frontline.]]
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
With the assumption of a battle being near Gorin spends a spell slot to get his protector cannon backup, putting the tiny shield on Zim's shoulder yet again, giving everyone 6 temp hp for the start of the fight.
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war | Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
"Not exactly sure what you mean by saving your heavier salves there Marasatra but I can't see no reason to save anything in this final fight." Val says quietly with a skeptic look as she struggles to understand what the cleric is even talking about now. "Let's just get this over with now quickly while Vaaz is still occupied with his grisly ritual." She adds quietly, ready to follow the others into what she assumes is the final battle of this particular mission.
Stealth if relevant: 6
Marasatra answers in a muted whisper while checking the fit of her gauntlet. “Efficient—not frugal. If someone takes a glancing blow, a cantrip or the cannon’s bolster is enough; if a blade opens a lung, I’ll pour divine power in that instant. We feed the big magic to big wounds so no one bleeds out mid-exchange.”
Her gaze flicks toward the chamber. “Vaaz looks fanatical and cornered—he’ll hit hard. Once Bane settles on him, strike fast and don’t give him room to chant. When the tide turns, I’ll patch whatever’s left.”
Sorry, I'm beginning to enter a vacation period and while I will try to check-in at least daily, I cannot promise that I will always be able to do so. From September 1, I should be back to normal.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus ||
"Well if you are saying that with heavier salves you mean more powerful healing magic I think you are the only one who really possesses that." The red-haired patriar says quietly. "Might I suggest speaking more plainly if your intention is to get a message across, you might find it to be more efficient. I can only assume you know far more than me about giving clear orders but using words like frugal, just for instance, while giving your language a certain flair, well I would have thought using a plain and simple one was to be preferred when the need for clarity was critical."