CH. 7: The Viper's Nest

[TristenC]

Let's. I suppose I just said it to get us going. He walks with Gregeddin to just inside the door.
Glancing around but seeing no one he adds, You will have to show me where he is I'm afraid...

Noticing the moved bookcase and the open door he gestures to it, Nifty idea, that. How long have you known that was there? I hope your friend is the cautious type...

[djhyland]

Arulia shakes her head. "It doesn't matter to me what you do, but I won't do that," she says. "Before she married my stepfather, my mother raised me on her own. That was enough for everyone in town to call her a whore ever since...and me as well. I don't need to give them another reason."

Arulia's scowl soon disappears, though, and she asks, "Where do we go now? Do you have anything else you'd like to look into, or should we go to the temple and inquire about joining the army?"

[BishGada]

"I see your point." Tulbas says. "The old gods did abandon us. Creating a god will give hope to the believers and with that hope the cult gains power. But I still think that having non-transformed allies can help you get closer to the enemy. I am prepared to lose all the benefit of the transformation in order to be able to spy for the cult within Takhisis temple. It would be a sacrifice on my behalf, but that's me. Always trying to help..."

[HorizonsDream]

"It is probably the fastest way to get information," Kendra points out as she leads the way towards the temple. "But I get it. It isn't exactly something I want to do either. I'm not even really sure how I would hide that from Norris either."

[BishGada]

Tulbas goes near the burnt person and say, "I'm really sorry to see you suffer that much. I hope you can forgive me. Let me try to ease your pain." he then looks at the burns and then around for ointments that might ease the pain and fixes the person bandages. During the process he sings to himself in old elvish dialect and when feeling the other person guards are somewhat off he changes his rhyme and sings: "Till the end time, the ringing of chime, will make our souls bind, and your friendship be mine" in the ancient evlish dialect, summoning the power to make this person his true friend.

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(OOC: Tulbas tries to use his healing and herbalism skills assuming there are some medics around, then tries casting the 'Charm Person' on the man)

[JadedDM]

Tulbas Erogund (Unknown location)
The two burned men both laugh at Tulbas' offer. "What a noble sacrifice," one says sarcastically.

There are no bandages or ointments in the room that Tulbas can see, and even if there were, they have already been patched up and they sustained their injuries hours ago. There's nothing more he can do for them now.

Tulbas does manage to cast his spell, though, and the burned man suddenly regards him fondly. "Hey, you're okay, kid. We're going to do great with someone like you on our team."

(OOC: You can only use the heal proficiency on someone within a few minutes of their being injured.

Tulbas casts Charm Person on one of the burned men. He attempts to resist the magic [20] (1d100): 66, fail. He does not resist it. He saves vs. spell [17] (1d20): 9, fail. He now regards Tulbas as a friend.)

Gregeddin and Gobax (Deserted Building, Upstairs room)
Gregeddin looks around, his eyes finally falling on the open door. "That's new," he mutters. When he realizes what must have happened, he swears under his breath. "He is...decidedly not." He draws his sword and quietly moves to one side of the door to try and listen for whatever is going on downstairs.

[TristenC]

JadedDM said:
"He is...decidedly not."

Lovely... he mutters as he fishes a torch out of his pack, wishing his shield and mace were not still in his room.

He pulls out a full oil flask and rag with his left; holding it much as he had during his performance the night before.

[djhyland]

Arulia stops for a moment before the Dragon Queen's temple, steeling herself to enter. Fizban's warning rings fresh in her mind. Am I being rash? Should I be more careful? But Kendra is probably right, she decides. If she's to work against Her armies, she can think of few better ways to do so than from within. Taking a deep breath, she asks, "Are you ready, then?"

[BishGada]

"Yes. It would be good to work for a greater purpose for a change." Tulbas agrees. "I saw Leota had a key to the box with my belongings. I have there some healing herbs I must inhale or my lungs may fail. Do you know if there is another key or can I break it just to get it? Maybe you can have one of the Histachii to break the lock?" Tulbas asks in great concern and coughs a little.

[Haahque]

"Did you know that you left blood stains when you grabbed the prisoner? That is dangerous! Someone might find them and track them to you. Some creatures can follow a blood scent trail. However Belzor, in his infinite wisdom, has turned your mistake into a victory. He needed a sample of the blood to check to see if the prisoner was infected, so he had me do a blood testing ritual outside, and I was able to clean up the blood after I was done. Your mistake has been forgiven."

"I speak eloquently because I am on a mission for Belzor and must convey my thoughts quickly and without misconception."

"I must now go see the prisoner. The tests were not positive. Worst case scenario is that he infects everyone and we all die. I must get to him quickly to confirm the tests and to prevent disaster."

Haahqae will then make his way over to the other door and, if no one stops him, go through it.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Deserted Building, Guard Lounge)
The two guards are somewhat stunned by Haahqae's words and attitude. It's clear they've never been spoken to this way by a Histachii before and don't know how to process it. Taking advantage of their surprise, Haahqae moves past them and goes right for the door, grabbing the knob and turning...only to find it is locked.

This seems to snap the two guards out of it. "Histachii are not allowed outside," the man in leathers says, grabbing his bow and nocking an arrow. "Belzor would never allow it. If one was seen, it could endanger us all."

The woman in chain mail grabs her maul from against the wall. "And even if that were not true, how did you get through here without unlocking the door first?" She looks to the three real Histachii, who have just stood there observing this whole time. She starts to make a series of strange hissing noises. The Histachii respond immediately, moving into position to encircle the gnome.

"Something isn't right here. You are acting odd, you are talking back, and your story doesn't add up," the woman says, moving to block the stairs. "Answer me this, Histachii. How did you get outside without a key? And do not answer in the common tongue. Answer me in the tongue of snakes. I command it."

Key:
h - Haahqae
1 - Woman with maul
2 - Man with bow
3-5 - Histachii
G - Gregeddin
g - Gobax

Deserted Building 03.jpg (22.45 KiB) Viewed 5803 times

Kendra and Arulia (Outside Temple of Takhisis)
After a bit of a walk, Kendra and Arulia reach the temple to Takhisis, formally the Seeker council hall.

The building has gone through some rather dramatic renovations since either of them have last seen it. The most notable is that an elaborate statue of a five-headed dragon has been placed outside the entrance. The heads are all stretched out in different directions, their mouths open in silent roars. It gives the appearance that the statue is guarding the place.

A pair of guards in black armor stand at attention outside the gate, both carrying wicked looking maces. Their helms obscure their faces completely, but they can still see through them apparently. because they both turn to watch the pair as they approach. "State your names and purpose of visit," says one, their voice sounding hollow and metallic through the helmet.

Tulbas Erogund (Unknown location)
"Not to worry," says the burned man. "Leota should be back any second now with the key. Or I could send one of the Histachii to get her, if you like." He frowns. "I didn't realize you were ill. I hope that won't affect your transformation. Be sure to mention that to the priests when you meet them. They'll want to know when they brew the serum."

Gregeddin and Gobax (Deserted Building, Upstairs room)
Gregeddin and Gobax attempt to listen for anything, like the sounds of battle. But Gobax can't hear anything, and the leather hood isn't helping any. But Gregeddin seems able to pick up on some conversation and relays it back to him. "Sounds like...he's trying to bluff his way through some guards. And failing. I only hear two people aside from him...a man and a woman. We might be able to get the jump on them."

(OOC:
Gregeddin attempts to detect noise [TN 20] (1d100): 18, pass.
Gobax attempts to detect noise [TN 10] (1d100): 79, fail.)

[Haahque]

"Ahh, yessss. I didss it with thisss potion of teleportation." While Haahqae speaks he gets out his potion of invisibility and completing his sentence, he takes a swig.

[TristenC]

Alright, you go first. I'm not terribly skilled at moving quietly, I'll follow just a few feet behind. Let's see what's up before we charge in. Just because you only heard two doesn't mean there aren't more...

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra looks to the guards after getting over the slight shock of the change of appearance of the temple. "My name is Kendra Greylock, and I was told to report here if I was looking for a job."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin and Gobax (Deserted Building, Guard Lounge)
Gregeddin and Gobax quietly descend the stairs just as Haahqae vanishes from sight after drinking his potion. Therefore, neither of them can see Haahqae, just the reaction of the others in the room. The woman with the maul steps backwards, closer to the stairs to block it off. "Find him!" she demands. "Don't let him escape!"

The man with the bow and the three Histachii all prepare to attack the space they had last seen Haahqae. At the same time, Gregeddin prepares to strike at the woman from behind, who is still unaware anyone else is coming downstairs.

(OOC: State actions and roll initiative for Round 1.)

Kendra and Arulia (Outside Temple of Takhisis)
"A job?" asks one of the guards. "Then you two are here to become acolytes of our glorious Queen? You will wish to meet with the High Priestess then."