The hallway fills with enemies as the party escapes. Arrows follow the five of you out as you retreat; one of them finds purchase in Eku's side and she buckles for a moment. "Go, go!" She shouts and continues to run. After a while, you have put some distance between yourselves and the cave mouth. The guide looks at all four companions in turn and says, "That gate is well defended. We barely made any ground there and lost one of our own."
“At least we killed more of them than they killed of us. Lemon will be safe for some time, but once they tortured all the information they want out of him his time‘s up. We need to get the cubes, find a new hideout that he doesn’t know about and find another point of entry into this stronghold. This is definitely not just a cave.“
The gnome looks at the new enemies aghast. “Who or what in all the hells is that,” he asks, motioning to the creature with the flaming sword. He curses, and with a last glance to Lemon turns and flees the cave feeling Allister’s tug on his shoulder.
Eku reminds the party of the shrine with blindfolded statues nearby. She says the doors were quite heavy, which could keep a lot of possible threats at bay. She also mentions I'Jin's shrine that is trapped heavily at the entrance. She finishes with "What shall we do?"
„I prefer the shrine they already have visited, the one with the blindfolded statues. If they still have patrols around one of them might come to I´Jinˋs shrine.“
A half hour later, the party arrives at papazotl's shrine. There doesn't appear to be any activity in the area and the shrine is empty. As the party closes the doors behind them for safety, there is both a sense of relief and a unsettling uneasiness for Lemon's current state.
Nenne's brow furrows. "We could be under surveillance as we speak," she says grimly. "Ras Nsi had eyes all over the city, and the Thayans have their own magic. If it is possible to hide ourselves from divination, I would feel far more comfortable strategizing our next move. Regardless, it would be helpful to know the skills each of us brings to combat so we can plan. For example, I did not know you could wield magic, Eku. Thank you for protecting them when I could not."
She clenches a fist and looks away. "We will get Lemon back. I won't lose another friend to this gods-forsaken place if I can help it."
Boosey looks deeply troubled. "Whoever that was in there is suffering from the curse. Could we," he pauses and rubs is face with his hands for a moment and mutters something to himself before carrying on. "Could we offer to help them in some way? If they suffer from this evil as others do, it is likely they are not the ones responsible for it, and remember, we are invaders in their city." He looks round at the rest of the party in turn. "It's just a thought, and unlikely to work, but I like to explore every option. As for strategy, we know a little more about that place now if we are to go there a second time. We must start working together better. Our fighters," he gestures to Allister and Alynoa, "stay close to each other, next to each other if possible. With both of you working closely we can dominate that space while the rest of us stand behind and support you. We have to pool our resources better," he gives a wry grin, "I'm as guilty as anyone of that!"
„We need to get the cubes first. Once wr are rested we have to pick them up and move to another hideout.“ Allister turns to Nenne. „Now that you have been to this stronghold yourself and seen Ras Nsi, does it you help one of your spells to locate him inside? Maybe we get a better picture of the size of this place or track him to another entrance.“ He turns to Alyona. „What about you? That freezing hellish zone was very effective, but do you know any spells that help us in making an actual plan? Can you teleport or read minds or look into the future?“
Eku directs her attention to Nenne as she mentions her. Her golden eyes meet the cleric's as she speaks. Her expression conveys concern and she says, "It is true that I have a number of spells at my disposal. These are not for show and I would not have used them if lives were not gravely at stake in that place. I take my magics very seriously. It has been nearly a year since I cast my last spell." She fiddles with her bow, loosening its string; her eyes fall to her work, but she continues speaking, "Listening to your conversation has me ready to cast a third spell this day though. I can scry on an individual from anywhere - much like your clairvoyance works, only this affects an individual directly. I can observe them for ten whole minutes, but it does not always work. If it fails, I cannot do it again for quite some time. How many times can you cast your clairvoyant magic? Could you effectively scout for Yuan-ti presence and other possible entrances throughout that walled compound from here?"
The guide turns to Boosey with a smile. She speaks to him in soft tones saying, "Always the optimist. It is not in your heart to see the bad in people, is it? Your idea is a good one, and one that I would agree with given the opportunity. If that is Ras Nsi, then his fate is sealed and my quest to see him undone has already set its course..." She seems to have other thoughts on the subject, but keeps the words to herself. Her gaze shifts to Allister, then over to Alynoa. Eyes still lingering on the barbarian, she says, "Each of your fighting styles are worlds apart. Allister is calculating and quick, while you are reckless and impulsive. This is not to say that you don't get good results in your path of destruction, but is this something you can do? What Boosey suggested I mean - fight side by side with another? I have seen my fair share of warriors lose their minds to the battle and cut down a friend before. I mean no offense. As we mentioned, we need to tailor to each other's strengths."
„My fighting style is as simple as it gets. From what I have seen so far Alyona is a barbarian and some kind of magic user. Flanking our enemies or building a wall of flesh for others so safely fling spells should be easy. Like I said, knowing what kind of support Alyonaˋs magic can grant us in the next fight will help us to fight as a team.“
The cleric shakes her head at Eku. "My clairvoyance is stationary; I am not able to search the compound, nor can I peer into locations whose existence I am unaware of. This power is meant for surveillance, not scouting, I'm afraid."
She regards Boosey thoughtfully. "Peaceful negotiations are always my preferred method of engagement. This time, however, I fear we will not be given the chance." Her expression tightens with consternation. "I must also confess that I struggle with aiding someone who profanes the dead to feed his own ambition. We have already allied ourselves with an agent of darkness, Valindra, to get here. I am reluctant to repeat this with yet another unrepentant, wicked soul - especially one who has done nothing but attack us and destroy Sthara's home. And yet..."
Nenne sighs heavily. "We have learned that the yuan-ti stronghold is vast and well-defended. Do any of us truly believe we can launch a successful second raid with our diminished numbers? I despise myself for suggesting it, but perhaps..." Magenta slowly creeps into her skin as her self-loathing builds. She curses in eladrin. "Perhaps the yuan-ti fortress will only fall if the Thayans join the fight."
Eku is shaking her head even before Nenne is finished. She aggressively says, "I won't fight with them. There has to be another way. If you side with them, you will do so without me."
Eku sits on the ground away from everyone. She chants softly for a time, rolling her head in circles periodically. She gradually closes her eyes, blotting out the world. Whisps of fog curl up in a perfect circle around her as her chanting intensifies. Her eyes begin to glow behind her closed lids.
Her chanting dies down to a slow chord of sound before altogether ends. She opens her eyes and they are filled with light. She spends the next ten minutes turning her head this way and that. She squints occasionally as if trying to see something farther away. At one point she turns her head sharply as if she saw something she dis not want to see.
The spell ends quicker than it came and she looks to the party with a nod. "That was Ras Nsi; the wrapped one with the flametongue sword. He commands many yuan-ti in the place as well as at least a handful of ghouls. Lemon has been moved into a treasure chamber of some kind. The room is accessible to the left of what appeared to be some sort of throne room. There were two cubes not even a foot from where they placed the druid. I also heard them mention to send reinforcements to the rear gate. That means there is at least one more way inside."
Eku shakes her head and says, "The only rooms I saw were the treasury and the throne room. A long hallway came off of one side, while a waterway came out of the other. The waterway looked like a natural cavern instead of the worked stone we saw at the front entrance."
„One place to start our search could be along the banks to the east outside the circular wall. The lair seems to be too big that the flooded area in the northern part of the walled area can lead to the waterway Eku described.“
"The waterway could be a way in. My magic is mostly either manipulation and charming, or for combat I'm afraid. Other than my ability to create illusions at will, I can also make two people invisible for an hour. I may not be very stealthy but I can provide cover and stand between our less physically strong allies and hold the line."
After hearing Eku's convictions about never working alongside the Red Wizards, Nenne falls silent and withdraws a little from the group. She remains quiet during the scry spell, sitting by herself against the wall. She removes her amulet and holds it as more and more silver floods into her hair. She also produces one of the berries Boosey gave her in the morning and stares at it for a long time. At the mention of the druid's name, she winces and puts the berry away.
She opens her mouth to say something and thinks better of it. Instead, her gaze drops to her holy symbol and she hangs her head.
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The hallway fills with enemies as the party escapes. Arrows follow the five of you out as you retreat; one of them finds purchase in Eku's side and she buckles for a moment. "Go, go!" She shouts and continues to run. After a while, you have put some distance between yourselves and the cave mouth. The guide looks at all four companions in turn and says, "That gate is well defended. We barely made any ground there and lost one of our own."
“At least we killed more of them than they killed of us. Lemon will be safe for some time, but once they tortured all the information they want out of him his time‘s up. We need to get the cubes, find a new hideout that he doesn’t know about and find another point of entry into this stronghold. This is definitely not just a cave.“
The gnome looks at the new enemies aghast. “Who or what in all the hells is that,” he asks, motioning to the creature with the flaming sword. He curses, and with a last glance to Lemon turns and flees the cave feeling Allister’s tug on his shoulder.
Eku reminds the party of the shrine with blindfolded statues nearby. She says the doors were quite heavy, which could keep a lot of possible threats at bay. She also mentions I'Jin's shrine that is trapped heavily at the entrance. She finishes with "What shall we do?"
„I prefer the shrine they already have visited, the one with the blindfolded statues. If they still have patrols around one of them might come to I´Jinˋs shrine.“
A half hour later, the party arrives at papazotl's shrine. There doesn't appear to be any activity in the area and the shrine is empty. As the party closes the doors behind them for safety, there is both a sense of relief and a unsettling uneasiness for Lemon's current state.
"We are gonna need an actual plan and more information. Do you know of any other ways in there?"
Nenne's brow furrows. "We could be under surveillance as we speak," she says grimly. "Ras Nsi had eyes all over the city, and the Thayans have their own magic. If it is possible to hide ourselves from divination, I would feel far more comfortable strategizing our next move. Regardless, it would be helpful to know the skills each of us brings to combat so we can plan. For example, I did not know you could wield magic, Eku. Thank you for protecting them when I could not."
She clenches a fist and looks away. "We will get Lemon back. I won't lose another friend to this gods-forsaken place if I can help it."
Boosey looks deeply troubled. "Whoever that was in there is suffering from the curse. Could we," he pauses and rubs is face with his hands for a moment and mutters something to himself before carrying on. "Could we offer to help them in some way? If they suffer from this evil as others do, it is likely they are not the ones responsible for it, and remember, we are invaders in their city." He looks round at the rest of the party in turn. "It's just a thought, and unlikely to work, but I like to explore every option. As for strategy, we know a little more about that place now if we are to go there a second time. We must start working together better. Our fighters," he gestures to Allister and Alynoa, "stay close to each other, next to each other if possible. With both of you working closely we can dominate that space while the rest of us stand behind and support you. We have to pool our resources better," he gives a wry grin, "I'm as guilty as anyone of that!"
„We need to get the cubes first. Once wr are rested we have to pick them up and move to another hideout.“ Allister turns to Nenne. „Now that you have been to this stronghold yourself and seen Ras Nsi, does it you help one of your spells to locate him inside? Maybe we get a better picture of the size of this place or track him to another entrance.“ He turns to Alyona. „What about you? That freezing hellish zone was very effective, but do you know any spells that help us in making an actual plan? Can you teleport or read minds or look into the future?“
Eku directs her attention to Nenne as she mentions her. Her golden eyes meet the cleric's as she speaks. Her expression conveys concern and she says, "It is true that I have a number of spells at my disposal. These are not for show and I would not have used them if lives were not gravely at stake in that place. I take my magics very seriously. It has been nearly a year since I cast my last spell." She fiddles with her bow, loosening its string; her eyes fall to her work, but she continues speaking, "Listening to your conversation has me ready to cast a third spell this day though. I can scry on an individual from anywhere - much like your clairvoyance works, only this affects an individual directly. I can observe them for ten whole minutes, but it does not always work. If it fails, I cannot do it again for quite some time. How many times can you cast your clairvoyant magic? Could you effectively scout for Yuan-ti presence and other possible entrances throughout that walled compound from here?"
The guide turns to Boosey with a smile. She speaks to him in soft tones saying, "Always the optimist. It is not in your heart to see the bad in people, is it? Your idea is a good one, and one that I would agree with given the opportunity. If that is Ras Nsi, then his fate is sealed and my quest to see him undone has already set its course..." She seems to have other thoughts on the subject, but keeps the words to herself. Her gaze shifts to Allister, then over to Alynoa. Eyes still lingering on the barbarian, she says, "Each of your fighting styles are worlds apart. Allister is calculating and quick, while you are reckless and impulsive. This is not to say that you don't get good results in your path of destruction, but is this something you can do? What Boosey suggested I mean - fight side by side with another? I have seen my fair share of warriors lose their minds to the battle and cut down a friend before. I mean no offense. As we mentioned, we need to tailor to each other's strengths."
„My fighting style is as simple as it gets. From what I have seen so far Alyona is a barbarian and some kind of magic user. Flanking our enemies or building a wall of flesh for others so safely fling spells should be easy. Like I said, knowing what kind of support Alyonaˋs magic can grant us in the next fight will help us to fight as a team.“
The cleric shakes her head at Eku. "My clairvoyance is stationary; I am not able to search the compound, nor can I peer into locations whose existence I am unaware of. This power is meant for surveillance, not scouting, I'm afraid."
She regards Boosey thoughtfully. "Peaceful negotiations are always my preferred method of engagement. This time, however, I fear we will not be given the chance." Her expression tightens with consternation. "I must also confess that I struggle with aiding someone who profanes the dead to feed his own ambition. We have already allied ourselves with an agent of darkness, Valindra, to get here. I am reluctant to repeat this with yet another unrepentant, wicked soul - especially one who has done nothing but attack us and destroy Sthara's home. And yet..."
Nenne sighs heavily. "We have learned that the yuan-ti stronghold is vast and well-defended. Do any of us truly believe we can launch a successful second raid with our diminished numbers? I despise myself for suggesting it, but perhaps..." Magenta slowly creeps into her skin as her self-loathing builds. She curses in eladrin. "Perhaps the yuan-ti fortress will only fall if the Thayans join the fight."
Eku is shaking her head even before Nenne is finished. She aggressively says, "I won't fight with them. There has to be another way. If you side with them, you will do so without me."
Eku sits on the ground away from everyone. She chants softly for a time, rolling her head in circles periodically. She gradually closes her eyes, blotting out the world. Whisps of fog curl up in a perfect circle around her as her chanting intensifies. Her eyes begin to glow behind her closed lids.
Her chanting dies down to a slow chord of sound before altogether ends. She opens her eyes and they are filled with light. She spends the next ten minutes turning her head this way and that. She squints occasionally as if trying to see something farther away. At one point she turns her head sharply as if she saw something she dis not want to see.
The spell ends quicker than it came and she looks to the party with a nod. "That was Ras Nsi; the wrapped one with the flametongue sword. He commands many yuan-ti in the place as well as at least a handful of ghouls. Lemon has been moved into a treasure chamber of some kind. The room is accessible to the left of what appeared to be some sort of throne room. There were two cubes not even a foot from where they placed the druid. I also heard them mention to send reinforcements to the rear gate. That means there is at least one more way inside."
„That sounds promising. Did you get an idea how big the lair is? It will help narrowing the area we have to search for that second entrance.“
Eku shakes her head and says, "The only rooms I saw were the treasury and the throne room. A long hallway came off of one side, while a waterway came out of the other. The waterway looked like a natural cavern instead of the worked stone we saw at the front entrance."
„One place to start our search could be along the banks to the east outside the circular wall. The lair seems to be too big that the flooded area in the northern part of the walled area can lead to the waterway Eku described.“
"The waterway could be a way in. My magic is mostly either manipulation and charming, or for combat I'm afraid. Other than my ability to create illusions at will, I can also make two people invisible for an hour. I may not be very stealthy but I can provide cover and stand between our less physically strong allies and hold the line."
After hearing Eku's convictions about never working alongside the Red Wizards, Nenne falls silent and withdraws a little from the group. She remains quiet during the scry spell, sitting by herself against the wall. She removes her amulet and holds it as more and more silver floods into her hair. She also produces one of the berries Boosey gave her in the morning and stares at it for a long time. At the mention of the druid's name, she winces and puts the berry away.
She opens her mouth to say something and thinks better of it. Instead, her gaze drops to her holy symbol and she hangs her head.