This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kiven surveys the library for any particularly valuable books, clothing he could wear to pose as Tyris, keys, or anything else useful. He continues to check for magical items and wards, especially near the door to the ramparts in case they need to make a quick escape, and then of course the stairs up. Pending any actions from the group or traps in the way, the elf begins to very slowly, very careful make his way up the next set of stairs, bow at the ready.
Seeing that Grumblejack may have a lot of difficulty navigating the stairs, Eya instructs the ogre to stand guard by the entrance. Anyone who tries to enter or leave other than our group dies.
While in the library, Eya grabs two of the best books she can find on magic and alchemy.
When Respar asks for healing, she bites her finger again, drawing some blood, then presses the devil's blood up against his leg wound. He feels the familiar burning sensation course through his veins as the infernal magic does it's work. Afterwards, Eya is panting but she powers through it and follows the group. She stays behind Kiven and Jesla and has her crossbow ready in case they run into trouble.
Respar heals 10 hp over 1 minute from Infernal Healing.
There is a single magic aura in the room, Kiven recognizes the source as one of Tyris' prized possessions, a dictation quill that writes in an elegant hand for its owner.
Proceeding up the stairs, the group soon discerns that the soft noises are that of a song, an old elvish lullaby.
The next door proves to be unlocked as well, a peek through shows a well appointed bedroom.
Warden Tyris Aloro sits hunched over something on his desk. He is singing rather badly to himself as he strokes the white and silver feathers of a large owl beside him. Another bottle of wine lies close to hand, half drained. You don't see a glass for it.
She takes the bottle from Eya with a nod . Sniffing it for a moment she takes a drink of the wine . She immediately spits it out on the floor. " I don't want water. If that's what elves drink all the time then small wonder his lordship is in such a foul mood all of the time ." She winks at the others . The barbarian then heads up the stairs following behind Respar and Kiven. Her sword is in her hand as she debates on how she will fight the impending battle .
While in the library, Kiven finds Tyris’s quill and pockets it with an evil grin.
At the top of the stairs, Kevin freezes for a long pause as he peers in at his brother. He is frozen there for at least ten seconds before straightening himself, taking a deep breath and drawing his dagger instead of the bow.
The younger Aloro brother then opens the door just a bit more, slips in and shuts the door behind him immediately.
Through the door, the others hear the two brothers. “Well isn’t this touching. I’d have thought even you would die with more honor, Son of Aloro.”
Kiven shuts and locks the door behind him, the others can hear the conversation fairly well however, Tyris' words are slurred and stumbling, he sounds quite drunk.
"Brother, did I send for you? I must have. Do you remember that song? She used to sing it for you. I guess you wouldn't, you were too young when she left us." “no, brother, I do not remember...her.” "You would have liked her I think, maybe if you knew her, you wouldn't be such a dick. You deserve this you know. You've always been a dick, but you just had go to and fraternize with that devil *****, and steal what should never have been touched. You deserve getting thrown into those mines, but she doesn't deserve having to see that." “Keep your picture for yourself. To me, she never existed at all.”
There's a loud screech, likely from the familiar, then Tyris says, "You're actually here to kill me? Why?" "Because you are weak, and because I am the true son of Aloro" This last statement, on Kiven's part, sounds forced.
There are more sounds of struggle, a fizzling noise of a spell that didn't go off properly, then, "Damn it all Kiven, I swore to protect you. It was the one thing she ever made me promise to do." "I don't even know who you are talking about"
More struggling, the sound of furniture being flung about, and then a loud thump. All goes quiet, save for Kiven stating, "it had to be one of us, goodbye brother"
Eya grins a wide, devilish grin as she overhears the exchange. She takes one last swig of her spicy rum and then offers it to Jesla, "Here, this one has a bit more heat."
Kiven opens the door wearing the robes Tyris had on earlier. He has blood on his hands, a few fingers of it across his cheek, and a bit here and there on the robes. His demeanor is grim, and he holds another bottle of wine in one hand, taking a swig as he steps back into the stairwell. In the other hand is another robe, folded, and a spell book, both of which he thrusts at Eya without a word. Once a hand is free, he pulls out a set of keys and tosses them to Respar. At that he reaches back and closes the door. With a cold, distant stare at no one in particular he simply says "time to leave," his voice quavering slightly.
OOC
DM told me the following about a robe for Eya: You find several sets of robes, including some meant for travel that seem slightly reinforced (counts as silken ceremonial armor, which Eya is likely to be interested in.) https://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment/armor/silken-ceremonial-armor/
Eya maintains a calm expression as Kiven tosses her the gifts. She senses his conflicted feelings and realizes that the next few words are crucial, "You're fulfilling your destiny, Master Aloro. This was a necessary step in your ascension. Use this pain you feel, this passion, and turn it into strength."
She ends with that, giving the young prince time to process this life-altering moment.
--
At this point, she looks to Respar and Jesla, "We have a bit of time to plan before we move again. I think we all agree that we need to make our way past the gatehouse somehow and onto the bridge. Did you see any guards at the top? From the bridge, it will likely be non-stop until we make it out to the moors. And even then, I'm not sure what dangers await us out there. To make matters worse, I've expended a lot of my power already and I'd like to save what little I have left for emergency healing. I'll be relying on you all, and Grumblejack, for dealing with enemies along the way. Jesla, we will likely need your strength most of all."
Playing this character makes me feel really gross at times. It took me a good amount of time to write those three sentences to poor Kiven. I decided to rewatch the scene from Revenge of the Sith to see what Palpatine said to Anakin during his crucial moment for some inspiration. The first 15 seconds or so are what I was going for:
She takes the rum and takes a big drink . Jesla wipes her lips and smiles. " That is alcohol. It's very good Eya. Thank you . " Handing back the bottle the barbarian is surprised by the look of Kiven as he rejoins them . Sensing his emotions in turmoil she doesn't say anything.
She closes her eyes trying to visualize the gate house . "I'm not sure how many are up there . We can clear a path, have no fear. Grumblejack and I will leave a pile of bodies behind . They will not stop us from leaving this accused place. " Her green eyes gleam as she thinks of the reckoning that will soon come.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Respar nods. "We will need to do our best to fight them in smaller groups. If we are spotted as we cross the battlement to the gatehouse, anyone up top will rush down to join the fray. I'd rather not have that happen until necessary." He looks out and tries to see if he can see numbers on the gatehouse roof. "Jesla and I can easily look like we're escorting Kiven here in his brother's robes. Eya, maybe you and Grumblejack might find it easier to get him in through the ground floor door while we enter from up top. I did not get a good look at that door, so it's your call. But once we get in we'll need to eliminate threats as fast as we can..."
Eya begins changing into her new stylish robes as she replies to Respar, once again clearly not caring about privacy at all. She responds, "I have to say that I'm not a fan of splitting up vertically like that, especially when I don't know the layout of the interior. How about this as a compromise? Kiven, Jesla, and you go into the gatehouse first, dressed as the Warden and the guards respectively. Grumblejack and I wait by the door but up against the wall, staying low and hiding in the shadows as best we can." She pauses for a moment as she fiddles with the robe, then continues, "If the coast is clear, you tap on the door three times to signal us to come in. If not, then you try to convince whoever is there to go away with your disguises and then let us in. If a fight breaks loose immediately, then Grumblejack and I rush in to help. Does that sound like a plan? From there, we just make our way through as best we can, trying to repeat the process."
Eya asks this to Respar directly but looks to the group overall for feedback. "This robe fits me suspiciously well. That's odd." She muses over this discovery and what it could possibly mean.
The dark haired barbarian shrugs . " Staying closer together might be the smart play here. Whenever we hit them it needs to be with overwhelming force. There isn't the time to allow this to drag on. Time is against us here . They will have help coming if given time . We have no help coming . Not that we need it . " She smiles in anticipation of the impending bloodshed . " Maybe there will be some worthy of a good death. Probably not though. " Her eyes flash as the inner tiger gets close to the surface.
Still standing at the top of the stares, Kiven had been silent while the others talked, still thinking of what he just had to do. As Jesla and the others mention time not being on their side, however, he focuses on the task at hand once again and says to Eya “go get your friend downstairs.” “He’ll have to squeeze his way up to the wall with us. Let’s go.”
Eya goes downstairs to get Grumblejack, "We're going to be starting the escape soon. Just listen and follow me, okay Grumblejack? We will have to sneak in a moment. But we might have to fight the blue men soon too so get ready."
She leads Grumblejack up and then prepares with the group to execute the plan.
The group files out onto the wall, one by one, with Grumblejack squeezing through last. Above, on top of the gatehouse, two voices can be heard, they're engaged in meaningless small talk, mostly grumbling about the cold, or about missing out on the card game, or reminiscing about the salacious encounters they have apparently both had with someone they call "Sweet Wendy"
The door into the gatehouse from here proves to be locked, but one of the warden's keys opens it easily enough, and the door doesn't even squeak much as it opens. The room beyond proves to be largely empty. a large wheeled mechanism sits in the center, near where the top of the portcullis pokes through the floor. Ladders on the left go up to trapdoors, presumably to the roof. Also on the left, in front of the portcullis, is a steel grate over a hole in the floor, presumably for defenders to attack anyone massing below. On the right hand side is another pair of trapdoors, in the floor. From the far one, you can hear sounds of laughter and merriment.
Kiven, dressed as his brother in fine robes, strides out of the large tower and across the battlements, pausing to watch Respar open the gatehouse door. Ready for a fight, as much as the elf can be, at least, he is pleased to find the second floor of the gatehouse empty. Signaling Eya and Grumblejack to join them, The Prince surveys the interior and hears the guards above and what seems to be the poker game below. Looking to his 'guards' Respar and Jesla, he points overhead silently, seemingly indicating that they should take care of business up top. First, however, he silently moves to the trap doors leading to the first floor and locks them. Looking up at Eya, he eyes the door they came though, hoping she'll do the same there.
When all is set, Kiven points to himself and then up again as a way of asking the others if he should go first in his disguise. Climbing to the roof, he tries to look the part by remaining calm, standing tall, and speaking as his brother might to those in his employ. "You there. No sign of anyone approaching? I await a rider in the night."
OOC Happy to edit pending input from others, although Ky and Sandbagger seem on board just now. Just keeping it moving.
Jesla gestures to Kiven to head up top first. She follows closely behind the elf. As she clears the top she hears Kiven addressing the guards . Glancing at her surroundings to take in the view she then looks to the guards . Her side is angled slightly hiding the fact that her hand is grasping her sword hilt . She thinks that is so fitting that they will die struck down by a sword dedicated to their weak deity .
The trio slip up the ladders to the gatehouse roof. Two men are sitting in chairs facing the bridge off of the island when Kiven arrives at the top.
The pair look startled to see anyone up here, let along the reclusive Warden, but one of them answers, "No m'lord, no movement at all since the prisoner transport left."
The other one however is staring hard at Kiven, then looks to Jesla. "That's not the warden!" Both men reach for their swords.
A Signal horn is hanging near a brazier on the eastern side of the roof, neither guard is beside it, but both are closer to it than the party. Neither guard has noticed Respar yet.
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Kiven surveys the library for any particularly valuable books, clothing he could wear to pose as Tyris, keys, or anything else useful. He continues to check for magical items and wards, especially near the door to the ramparts in case they need to make a quick escape, and then of course the stairs up. Pending any actions from the group or traps in the way, the elf begins to very slowly, very careful make his way up the next set of stairs, bow at the ready.
Perception: 23
Seeing that Grumblejack may have a lot of difficulty navigating the stairs, Eya instructs the ogre to stand guard by the entrance. Anyone who tries to enter or leave other than our group dies.
While in the library, Eya grabs two of the best books she can find on magic and alchemy.
When Respar asks for healing, she bites her finger again, drawing some blood, then presses the devil's blood up against his leg wound. He feels the familiar burning sensation course through his veins as the infernal magic does it's work. Afterwards, Eya is panting but she powers through it and follows the group. She stays behind Kiven and Jesla and has her crossbow ready in case they run into trouble.
Respar heals 10 hp over 1 minute from Infernal Healing.
There is a single magic aura in the room, Kiven recognizes the source as one of Tyris' prized possessions, a dictation quill that writes in an elegant hand for its owner.
Proceeding up the stairs, the group soon discerns that the soft noises are that of a song, an old elvish lullaby.
The next door proves to be unlocked as well, a peek through shows a well appointed bedroom.
Warden Tyris Aloro sits hunched over something on his desk. He is singing rather badly to himself as he strokes the white and silver feathers of a large owl beside him. Another bottle of wine lies close to hand, half drained. You don't see a glass for it.
She takes the bottle from Eya with a nod . Sniffing it for a moment she takes a drink of the wine . She immediately spits it out on the floor. " I don't want water. If that's what elves drink all the time then small wonder his lordship is in such a foul mood all of the time ." She winks at the others . The barbarian then heads up the stairs following behind Respar and Kiven. Her sword is in her hand as she debates on how she will fight the impending battle .
While in the library, Kiven finds Tyris’s quill and pockets it with an evil grin.
At the top of the stairs, Kevin freezes for a long pause as he peers in at his brother. He is frozen there for at least ten seconds before straightening himself, taking a deep breath and drawing his dagger instead of the bow.
The younger Aloro brother then opens the door just a bit more, slips in and shuts the door behind him immediately.
Through the door, the others hear the two brothers. “Well isn’t this touching. I’d have thought even you would die with more honor, Son of Aloro.”
Kiven shuts and locks the door behind him, the others can hear the conversation fairly well however, Tyris' words are slurred and stumbling, he sounds quite drunk.
"Brother, did I send for you? I must have. Do you remember that song? She used to sing it for you. I guess you wouldn't, you were too young when she left us."
“no, brother, I do not remember...her.”
"You would have liked her I think, maybe if you knew her, you wouldn't be such a dick. You deserve this you know. You've always been a dick, but you just had go to and fraternize with that devil *****, and steal what should never have been touched. You deserve getting thrown into those mines, but she doesn't deserve having to see that."
“Keep your picture for yourself. To me, she never existed at all.”
There's a loud screech, likely from the familiar, then Tyris says, "You're actually here to kill me? Why?"
"Because you are weak, and because I am the true son of Aloro" This last statement, on Kiven's part, sounds forced.
There are more sounds of struggle, a fizzling noise of a spell that didn't go off properly, then, "Damn it all Kiven, I swore to protect you. It was the one thing she ever made me promise to do."
"I don't even know who you are talking about"
More struggling, the sound of furniture being flung about, and then a loud thump. All goes quiet, save for Kiven stating, "it had to be one of us, goodbye brother"
Eya grins a wide, devilish grin as she overhears the exchange. She takes one last swig of her spicy rum and then offers it to Jesla, "Here, this one has a bit more heat."
After a pause, she knocks on the door.
Kiven opens the door wearing the robes Tyris had on earlier. He has blood on his hands, a few fingers of it across his cheek, and a bit here and there on the robes. His demeanor is grim, and he holds another bottle of wine in one hand, taking a swig as he steps back into the stairwell. In the other hand is another robe, folded, and a spell book, both of which he thrusts at Eya without a word. Once a hand is free, he pulls out a set of keys and tosses them to Respar. At that he reaches back and closes the door. With a cold, distant stare at no one in particular he simply says "time to leave," his voice quavering slightly.
OOC
DM told me the following about a robe for Eya: You find several sets of robes, including some meant for travel that seem slightly reinforced (counts as silken ceremonial armor, which Eya is likely to be interested in.) https://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment/armor/silken-ceremonial-armor/
Eya maintains a calm expression as Kiven tosses her the gifts. She senses his conflicted feelings and realizes that the next few words are crucial, "You're fulfilling your destiny, Master Aloro. This was a necessary step in your ascension. Use this pain you feel, this passion, and turn it into strength."
She ends with that, giving the young prince time to process this life-altering moment.
--
At this point, she looks to Respar and Jesla, "We have a bit of time to plan before we move again. I think we all agree that we need to make our way past the gatehouse somehow and onto the bridge. Did you see any guards at the top? From the bridge, it will likely be non-stop until we make it out to the moors. And even then, I'm not sure what dangers await us out there. To make matters worse, I've expended a lot of my power already and I'd like to save what little I have left for emergency healing. I'll be relying on you all, and Grumblejack, for dealing with enemies along the way. Jesla, we will likely need your strength most of all."
Playing this character makes me feel really gross at times. It took me a good amount of time to write those three sentences to poor Kiven. I decided to rewatch the scene from Revenge of the Sith to see what Palpatine said to Anakin during his crucial moment for some inspiration. The first 15 seconds or so are what I was going for:
She takes the rum and takes a big drink . Jesla wipes her lips and smiles. " That is alcohol. It's very good Eya. Thank you . " Handing back the bottle the barbarian is surprised by the look of Kiven as he rejoins them . Sensing his emotions in turmoil she doesn't say anything.
She closes her eyes trying to visualize the gate house . "I'm not sure how many are up there . We can clear a path, have no fear. Grumblejack and I will leave a pile of bodies behind . They will not stop us from leaving this accused place. " Her green eyes gleam as she thinks of the reckoning that will soon come.
Respar nods. "We will need to do our best to fight them in smaller groups. If we are spotted as we cross the battlement to the gatehouse, anyone up top will rush down to join the fray. I'd rather not have that happen until necessary." He looks out and tries to see if he can see numbers on the gatehouse roof. "Jesla and I can easily look like we're escorting Kiven here in his brother's robes. Eya, maybe you and Grumblejack might find it easier to get him in through the ground floor door while we enter from up top. I did not get a good look at that door, so it's your call. But once we get in we'll need to eliminate threats as fast as we can..."
Perception 7
Eya begins changing into her new stylish robes as she replies to Respar, once again clearly not caring about privacy at all. She responds, "I have to say that I'm not a fan of splitting up vertically like that, especially when I don't know the layout of the interior. How about this as a compromise? Kiven, Jesla, and you go into the gatehouse first, dressed as the Warden and the guards respectively. Grumblejack and I wait by the door but up against the wall, staying low and hiding in the shadows as best we can." She pauses for a moment as she fiddles with the robe, then continues, "If the coast is clear, you tap on the door three times to signal us to come in. If not, then you try to convince whoever is there to go away with your disguises and then let us in. If a fight breaks loose immediately, then Grumblejack and I rush in to help. Does that sound like a plan? From there, we just make our way through as best we can, trying to repeat the process."
Eya asks this to Respar directly but looks to the group overall for feedback. "This robe fits me suspiciously well. That's odd." She muses over this discovery and what it could possibly mean.
The dark haired barbarian shrugs . " Staying closer together might be the smart play here. Whenever we hit them it needs to be with overwhelming force. There isn't the time to allow this to drag on. Time is against us here . They will have help coming if given time . We have no help coming . Not that we need it . " She smiles in anticipation of the impending bloodshed . " Maybe there will be some worthy of a good death. Probably not though. " Her eyes flash as the inner tiger gets close to the surface.
Still standing at the top of the stares, Kiven had been silent while the others talked, still thinking of what he just had to do. As Jesla and the others mention time not being on their side, however, he focuses on the task at hand once again and says to Eya “go get your friend downstairs.” “He’ll have to squeeze his way up to the wall with us. Let’s go.”
Eya goes downstairs to get Grumblejack, "We're going to be starting the escape soon. Just listen and follow me, okay Grumblejack? We will have to sneak in a moment. But we might have to fight the blue men soon too so get ready."
She leads Grumblejack up and then prepares with the group to execute the plan.
The group files out onto the wall, one by one, with Grumblejack squeezing through last. Above, on top of the gatehouse, two voices can be heard, they're engaged in meaningless small talk, mostly grumbling about the cold, or about missing out on the card game, or reminiscing about the salacious encounters they have apparently both had with someone they call "Sweet Wendy"
The door into the gatehouse from here proves to be locked, but one of the warden's keys opens it easily enough, and the door doesn't even squeak much as it opens. The room beyond proves to be largely empty. a large wheeled mechanism sits in the center, near where the top of the portcullis pokes through the floor. Ladders on the left go up to trapdoors, presumably to the roof. Also on the left, in front of the portcullis, is a steel grate over a hole in the floor, presumably for defenders to attack anyone massing below. On the right hand side is another pair of trapdoors, in the floor. From the far one, you can hear sounds of laughter and merriment.
Kiven, dressed as his brother in fine robes, strides out of the large tower and across the battlements, pausing to watch Respar open the gatehouse door. Ready for a fight, as much as the elf can be, at least, he is pleased to find the second floor of the gatehouse empty. Signaling Eya and Grumblejack to join them, The Prince surveys the interior and hears the guards above and what seems to be the poker game below. Looking to his 'guards' Respar and Jesla, he points overhead silently, seemingly indicating that they should take care of business up top. First, however, he silently moves to the trap doors leading to the first floor and locks them. Looking up at Eya, he eyes the door they came though, hoping she'll do the same there.
When all is set, Kiven points to himself and then up again as a way of asking the others if he should go first in his disguise. Climbing to the roof, he tries to look the part by remaining calm, standing tall, and speaking as his brother might to those in his employ. "You there. No sign of anyone approaching? I await a rider in the night."
OOC Happy to edit pending input from others, although Ky and Sandbagger seem on board just now. Just keeping it moving.
Jesla gestures to Kiven to head up top first. She follows closely behind the elf. As she clears the top she hears Kiven addressing the guards . Glancing at her surroundings to take in the view she then looks to the guards . Her side is angled slightly hiding the fact that her hand is grasping her sword hilt . She thinks that is so fitting that they will die struck down by a sword dedicated to their weak deity .
Disguise @Kyrroeth game_die
Result: 1d20 (6)
Total: 6
Respar heads up the other ladder trying to be quiet. But if he makes noise he will act as if he is where he is supposed to be.
Stealth 14 Disguise 10
The trio slip up the ladders to the gatehouse roof. Two men are sitting in chairs facing the bridge off of the island when Kiven arrives at the top.
The pair look startled to see anyone up here, let along the reclusive Warden, but one of them answers, "No m'lord, no movement at all since the prisoner transport left."
The other one however is staring hard at Kiven, then looks to Jesla. "That's not the warden!" Both men reach for their swords.
A Signal horn is hanging near a brazier on the eastern side of the roof, neither guard is beside it, but both are closer to it than the party. Neither guard has noticed Respar yet.