Trail to Charn (Part 2)
The door slides open, and everyone is treated to the vision that Aryia had seen before. Rows and rows of cells. Little five-by-five barred rooms. Most with nothing more than a blanket inside - some with less. About a fourth of the rooms are filled with people. The vast majority of whom are elvish or half-elvish by the look of them.
They squint in the light of Seldan's illumination. Most don't even turn toward the open doorway, but rather huddle away from the light as if fearing it. All of them wear collars of some variation. Marks of their slavery. One in twenty seems Makari, and those seem veritably squished in their cells. No one calls out for help, or an alarm. They just... mostly sit there.
Aryia already had a visual heads up from her little magical recon, but seeing the sight with the naked eye. It gives her pause. She clinches her jaw, curls a fist, and slowly lets a breath Out. Information was first. Then they could get these people out of here.
A passing thought, wrought from experience, garners her attention, as her arms are pulled into the sleeves of her servant's clothes. Some rustling, head dips into her shirt, and a red, swirling patterned shirt is stashed away into a bag on her waist. "Don't want to detonate the fucking sewers on accident," she comments in idle explanation before gesturing for the others to file in. "I'll watch our backs." <Handspeech/Tongues>
Knowing what and who are in here and seeing them is not entirely the same. Also, the situation is a relatable one to Aya, in many respects. She moves in after Seldan, her pace brisk; the net result between the speed of anxiousness and hesitation of caution. That and her casual pace may be slightly faster than the norm. As she passes the caged, she doesn't address them verbally, but does look them over. She is concerned of one particular possible captive, though she has no idea if she is in this room. Nor exactly what she looks like, for that matter.
Telamon manages to refrain from crying out at the scene -- he claps his hand over his mouth, his dark eyes wide with shock. Then -- anger -- fury -- not at these poor souls but at their fate. His muscles tense and contract, and his gaze goes to the others. Hoping that they can somehow set this right. Somehow. As Critias and Seldan advance, Telamon follows, his footfalls soft and his heart aching.
This. This is a horror. Seldan without hesitation takes the lead, without going for a weapon, moving into the hallways, peering into each cell one by one by the blue-gold-silver light now affixed to his bow. His eyes lower at the sight of slaves in colors, and he shifts languages unconsciously. "Holy Singer of the Sky Ni'essa keep watch over these people," he murmurs in sildanyari. "I will not forget them."
Cor'lana follows in with Telamon, her expression just as sullen as her husband's at the sight of all of these people... resigned to their fate. Imprisoned and pressed into a thing that no person should be. Her heart is heavy even as her footsteps are light, and she murmurs, "Nor will I," in response to Seldan's words in Sildanyari.
Critias's expression grows even more troubled once the door is opened and he sees for himself. He steps through the secret door and into the room carefully, slowly. He fixes a sympathetic look on his face, and if he notices any prisoners looking his way he tries his best for a compassionate smile. As he draws closer to the base of the stairs he whispers, "We need to watch for anyone coming down!" he suddenly cautions, in a lowered voice. "If we're caught down here it could mean punishment - or worse - for these poor prisoners."
GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (20)+31: 51 GAME: Seldan rolls perception: (10)+25: 35 GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (19)+23: 42 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (17)+18: 35 GAME: Critias rolls perception: (17)+25: 42
One of Aryia's ears flick from the hushed whispers, glowing gaze in the dark flicking to everyone's expressions. She knew their rage at those that condone and facilitate such atrocities. She could empathize. But more she felt the pang wasted potential here.
Once everyone was in, the mute reaches up to the wall that holds a similar lever. She clicks her tongue softly at everyone and gestures as a heads up, "I'm closing this."
Flip.
She glances up at the ceiling, a slow breath leaving her as her eyes fall past the group to the open area. Old pangs of pain skitter across her skin as her nostrils flare. Focus. Job first. Job first... <Handspeech/Tongues>
His rage just keeps building as they pass between the cages and step into the open area, decorated with serried racks of... tools. Tools for the abuse and defilement of flesh. Telamon's eyes flash with starlight, cold and hard, and he clenches his jaw. His fingers twitch, like he wants to draw forth magic, but he keeps his temper in check... barely.
Quietly, in a voice that's highly strained, he hisses to Seldan, "I hear people upstairs. How badly do we need them for what we're looking for?"
Seldan's answer is a wordless gesture back towards Aya, although the sobriety of his expression says that he shares Telamon's thoughts. The implements of torture get narrowed eyes, and a gauntleted finger draws a single sigil in the air next to him, over and over.
Aya rounds the side of the cages once past the middle walkway. "We will not leave them to this," she quietly assures. Her companions. The captives. Herself. Perhaps she should be more focused on the stairs, but they only receive a cursory glance. Instead, she continues to scan the captives, specifically the sildanyari women. "Estaeralya," she calls softly to them, "Estaeralya Nerixina... is she here?"
She then turns to look to Telamon. "We do not need any of the house guards intact. We are here for the matron, and what she is in league with."
Seeing these implements of torture disturbs Cor'lana visibly, and it's with that that she turns her eyes to the stairs, keeping her sight on those rather than... the horror that these tools are intended for, and very likely have participated in. It is Charn. And the stories are true. Of course they are, because she's heard of them and seen what Charn does to people, but... It's different when you see what causes them up close.
GAME: Critias rolls perception: (4)+25: 29
Critias creases his brow as he passes through the far end of the room. Ten feet away from the stairs, he crouches and continues forward all fours, and the last few feet he is holding himself off of the ground in a virtual push-up position and crab-walking sideways. This is nominally so he can spot anyone looking down from the top of the stairs first, or at least at the same time, rather than blissfully reveal his own shoes to any watcher. At least in theory. Once he sees it's clear he pushes himself into a crouch next to the stairs. "I hear someone coming!" He gestures up the stairs. <handspeech>
Critias' motions are emphasized by the sound of a nearby door closing, some motion above the stairs and then a voice echoing down it. "I will retrieve her." The voice says, and then slowly begins to descend.
Telamon stiffens at the voice, and the footsteps. Swiftly he crosses to the staircase, murmuring a spell. "I don't want him to take anyone," he whispers to Aya, before he fades from sight, the image of him rippling like a reflection in a pool before disappearing entirely.
GAME: Telamon casts Greater Invisibility. Caster Level: 15 DC: 23 GAME: Aryia rolls stealth: (10)+25: 35
Aryia is busy paying attention to the captives after Aya's call out, glancing about. But movement from the stairs gets her to glance over, spying Critias's gestures about-
Ah shit. Quick feet get her past the slower party members, boot falls surprisingly light as she selects the nearest table.
Having no time to go green around the gills, she slides underneath it and hooks her fingers into the fasteners for the legs, pulling her body up and against the underside.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Invisibility/Quicken. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23
There's the quietest and quickest murmur on Cor'lana's lips as she then fades out with the subtle shimmer of magic, moving against the stairs to hide against it as someone comes down. While invisible, her hand finds Telamon's, and that's a small comfort.
GAME: Critias rolls stealth: (8)+23: 31
Seldan had been briefly lost in his thoughts, but on hearing the whispers and seeing the spells from others, he ducks into the nearest empty cell, pressing his back up against the wall and holding still, listening oh so cautiously.
Now it seems they have company coming. At least it is announced? As others scatter and/or vanish, she nods to Telamon and then darts to one of the empty cages. No spot here is any more pleasant than another, and it feels more ... proper(?) that she not abandon those caged. Now she is just one more of them. In appearance... or so she hopes for a moment or three.
As the others in the party make their preparations, Critias shifts into a more primal form. Fur sprounts, the smallest bit of muscle fills out his limbs, while hands grow longer and less dextrous. The transformation takes only a few moments, and once finished, he most closely resembles a monkey. Stretching his arms high above him, his fingers grasp something on the wall and pull his body up even as his legs tuck under and grasp the wall as well and he begins scaling directly up the vertical surface. In another instant Critias is hiding above the opening of the stairway, watching and waiting.
A tall man in a charnesh butler's uniform comes down the stairs, his back very straight and proud as he moves across the room to where the cages are. He stops at one such and unlocks it. The person - a young looking elvish woman - scrambles out of his reach as he drags her out of the cage. There's very little struggle really. She's much smaller than him and clearly doesn't know how to fight. He on the other hand readily tosses her over his shoulder and starts to turn back around.
It seems that he hasn't noticed anyone yet.
A glowing eye peers out from under the table, tracking watching this butler go to the cell and return with an elvish woman. Aryia shifts her attention to Aya across the way, shares a faint nod with her before quietly releasing herself from the underside of the table.
There's a faint scuff of a boot on the floor, before there's of wind as Aryia has suddenly appeared, kicking out the butler's legs, spinning around, and scooping the elf out of the air while clamping a hand over the poor woman's mouth.
Setting it up for her sister to-
Aya watches and waits. Until the sil is grabbed and thrown over the butler's shoulder. Nope. That is more than enough waiting, so she acts. The mul doesn't even bother dealing with the cages between as she simply sidesteps between realms to appear behind the man. Just in time for him to tumble backwards from Aryia's sweep. So they've tied yet another race...
She catches the butler.. or, rather, moves to cover his mouth as she guides him down to the floor. His head is neither protected nor slowed to let it crack on the floor. Aya is only trying to incapacitate him, but is by no means gentle about it.
As horrible as this place is, Telamon has to admit... watching Aya and Aryia never gets old. A blur of movement, and suddenly the girl is held firmly by Aryia while Aya is sitting on the butler. He can't help but chuckle softly, invisibly squeezing Lana's hand.
It's a small audible sigh of relief from the invisible Cor'lana, and that's the only response from her before she murmurs, quietly, "Okay. What now--someone will be coming down to look for him."
Critias emits a huffing sound. Hanging sideways he lowers his head to peek up the stairs. Then he drops off of the wall to land with the faintest padding sound on the ground. He shuffles over to the butler, looking him over. Where did those keys end up...? A moment later he speaks. Critias' voice sounds exactly like he did before even though he looks different. "Do you recognize him?" He asks, looking at Aya. Then he peers at the Sil. "Or her?"
Down goes the butler with a sharp _crack_. He never knew nor guessed what hit him. The syl girl lands in Aryia's hands with a confused meep that is thankfully caught by Aryia's thoughtful hand. No one above is any the wiser to the disturbance.
Yet.
For Seldan, much further away, all he hears is sound, but the tones of voices are enough to tell him that all is safe. He emerges from the cell and approaches the others, silently and soberly assessing the situation, most especially, staring _hard_ at the butler. "She will be safest in the cell, until we are prepared to depart," he murmurs quietly to the others.
Once the butler is down for the count, Telamon can't help but comment sardonically, "Do we have any way to disguise one of us as him? I mean, he's right here... might buy us a little more time..." He pauses. "No, if whoever we send goes upstairs sans girl, they're going to want an explanation. Crap." A pause from the still-invisible sorcerer. "Maybe let's just skip to the hideous beatings?"
Now it is the butler's turn to be thrown over a shoulder like a sack of rocks; not that he doesn't deserved to be dragged, but Aya just doesn't want the noise. She lays him upon the 'guest' table that Aryia had been hiding under. It is his turn for that, also. She restrains him to it and finds something suitably convenient and unclean to stuff in his mouth to muffle him should he wake.
At Telamon's musings, she cracks a smile and glances to Aryia. "Shall we repeat the ruse from the warehouses, sister?" she inquires quietly. "We did make quite the pair."
"That's not a bad idea at all," Cor'lana replies just as softly. "The rest of us can follow behind with invisibility or stay put and listen for a signal. Telamon and I can supply such as needed if anyone does not have a means of their own."
Aryia lets a breath Out as the situation is- briefly- under control. She gently sets the sil girl down, her affixing them with a stern look before holding up a finger to her lips along with a quiet 'shh'. She glances to the others as they give their suggestions on what to do next, the mute nodding towards Seldan as she quietly puts the girl back in the cell.
She looks at everyone else, her biting her lip before quietly shutting the door. Keeping it unlocked. She points to herself, the rest of the group, then points to the floor. They'll be back.
Her attention is pulled to Aya's suggestion. She blinks. Glares. "If I wasn't over here I would punch you for that stupid idea, but I hate the fact it's good." She looks at the girl. Takes a long. Good. Look. Thankfully Taa'ra's gift of darksight making this easier with the weird light before she pulls a little bow and ribbon from her bag, ties her hair up with it and- her form shimmers into a perfect copy of the girl.
Back to being a slave again. <Handspeech/Tongue>
Seldan watches the others making preparations, merely listening in silence. "I have but one scroll, and that will not last long," he murmurs. "It may be best, do I accept your offer. Too, I am not silent, although the armor is enchanted to be less noisy than most. Perhaps it were well, do I guard the slaves and await you here.”
Critias looks between Butler and 'Rescued' Sil (...the first of many, he reasons, not in the slightest bit unhappily, as there's no way the party can leave the rest behind now). He draws back slightly as Aryia turns into a perfect copy. A moment later he nods in admiration. "A fine trick," he adds, still using his extreme indoor voice. He peers up the stairs. "I can turn invisible only for a few more minutes, but it should be long enough now that things are in motion."
Aya nods. "We won't delay. The ruse will not last long, anyhow. I do not know the layout of the house as he would." She pulls a robe from her belongings and eyes the butler as she dons it to become as him. In appearance, at least. She (or he, now) then stands a bit straighter and steps to Aryia-as-sil to grasp her upper arm so they can ascend the stairs when all are ready.
The stairs lead up to a hallway that goes all the way down to a blank wall. To the left as they exit is a doorway from beyond which the sound of great amounts of activity can be heard. To the right another door, this one quiet. As Aya and Aryia exit the stairs a woman exits the room to the left carrying a tray of food. "Oh good, you got her!" She exclaims. "The master is waiting upstairs for her. But you know that. Better hurry along he's in a _mood_" With that said she hurries away.
GAME: Aryia rolls knowledge/nobility: (15)+3: 18 GAME: Aya rolls knowledge/nobility: (19)+5: 24
Sil-Aryia is grabbed and hoisted, her going all but dead weight as feet drag on the floor, acting as weak supports. In a twisted sense, she finds herself both disturbed yet relieved to play this role.
There's another butler, the mute tenses in the grasp for a multitude of reasons. Thankfully her aversion to the situation plays well into this, and the moment of reprieve affords a moment to think. "K-tch-n," she hisses quietly to Butler-Aya, faintly glancing to the noise, but she doesn't look too certain on which is the correct door to go through further beyond.
Kitchens by dining. Servants quarters by both (since most of their role would be one or one to the other). It is all generally familiar. More specifically, Aya recalls well Lady Calithailin's views on what sort of people should be doing the cooking and serving. She nods very lightly with Sil-Aryia's note and leads them ahead to the intersection to turn down that hall to their left. It is a reasonable guess and if she's wrong, she will at least be out of the main hallway and less conspicuous in the mistake? Her thoughts are now mostly on the path ahead: to what master did the servant refer? Ioke? Someone else? Something else? She hopes that Telamon and Cor'lana are near behind and can help relay to Seldan.
Cor'lana goes over to Seldan, still very much invisible herself. "I'm going to cast the spell," she indicates to him, knowing that many people do not like to be snuck upon, so telegraphing her presence and her approach are good ideas. She casts the spell before departing, following Aya and Aryia up the stairs.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Invisibility. Caster Level: 14 DC: 19
As softly as he can, Telamon ghosts along in the wake of the 'butler' and the 'girl', invisible. Stopping dead when the maid pops out, not saying anything till she's gone, until he whispers softly to Aya, "We're right behind you." He doesn't want -them- to startle either -- it'd be inconvenient, to put it mildly.
Critias disappears from sight and follows closely after. Although Critias still slinks and scuttles from hiding spot to hiding spot, after his experience with watchers that can foil his own power. He checks to make sure the woman is out of earshot before whispering, "We can see you if you use hand signals," he assures the disguised pair. "Do let us know when it's time, for us to be noisy as well."
GAME: Critias casts Invisibility. Caster Level: 6 DC: 16
Fortunately, Seldan seems to take it well enough, "Her blessing on all of you," he answers as he fades from view. Knowing full well that the spell will not hold for long, he chooses a place to stand where he may do so quietly, where he has advance warning without being approached from behind, and takes up a vigil stance.
As the group - minus Seldan move through the house, no more servants make themselves known. Instead they follow Aya through a doorway. There's an entrance to the left and one to the right and the staircase leading upwards. Their choices are narrowing.
Aya stops at the foot of the stairs, now that there are no others in sight. From the noise, the room to their left would be the same kitchens. To the right... the 'butler' frowns. "This room is ... odd," she voices quietly. "It should not be here?" She looks to Aryia to get her opinion as she points to the door questiongly. That isn't to mean she doesn't value others' opinions, only that she can't look at them.
Critias plants his invisible hands against the wall, then starts to lean his head to put an ear against the door. He pauses suddenly, starting at his own hands. "Your gloves from before," he offers in a faint whisper. "The ones you used to look through the wall - would they work here?"
Telamon pauses when the others do, and still invisible, takes the opportunity to keep an eye and ear out. "We're on a time limit here. Sooner or later, 'master' is going to wonder why his butler hasn't come back with his chew toy." His voice is quiet, pitched for the ears of his friends only.
Cor'lana doesn't even dare speak. What she does do is observe the people around her as she keeps close to Telamon, trying to get a feel for the energy of the household--how people are behaving, how they're feeling. It's a skill that's useful for the anxious introvert that, in some ways, she still is.
Sil-Aryia glances to the 'odd door' that is pointed out, as her pale ears 'flick-flick' from the whispering. She fakes a stumble, falling out of the 'butler's' grasp and collapsing to the floor, coughing a few times in pain as she weakly tries to get herself back up. A few extra moments at most.
GAME: Aya rolls spellcraft: (2)+4: 6
Aya eyes the 'stumbling' 'slave' and then bends towards, but puts hands on the wall. All to peer through it into the room beyond. After a glance the 'butler' helps Aryia stand with one hand. The other gestures for her benefit and those in sight. "Several in robes. A drawing on the floor. A magi game? We should continue." <Handspeech>
Sil-Aryia gives Butler-Aya a look at the gestures before subtly rolling her eyes and getting back to her stilted steps of being half dragged. Best to not leave the master waiting, especially if he was in a mood.
GAME: Telamon rolls spellcraft: (18)+16: 34 GAME: Critias rolls spellcraft: (16)+24: 40 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Spellcraft: (11)+17: 28
"People in robes, and a drawing on the floor?" Critias' disembodied voice can't quite hide his excitement, even at it's hushed volume. "That...that sounds like just what we came here looking for!" he says. "A summoning ritual! Well done!" He tries his best to keep the incredulousness out of his voice, and instead infuse it with gratitude and encouragement. Team effort.
"A drawing on the floor?" Cor'lana asks quietly, raising a brow. "That's... got to be a demon summoning, like he said. Either that or they're conjuring something else, but..."
She makes a face. Not that anyone can see it. It's Charn. What _else_ are they summoning here?
Telamon looks exasperatedly at Aya. "Aya, if that's not a conjuration circle I will -personally- cook you and your sister the dinner of your choice." The half-elf runs a hand over his face. "I don't know if we want to leave a conjured demon behind us. As noisy as it might be, we might want to disrupt that summoning before they pull something nasty up."
GAME: Seldan rolls seldan: (20)+25: 45 GAME: Aya rolls perception: (20)+30: 50 GAME: Critias rolls perception: (20)+25: 45 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (18)+18: 36 GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (18)+31: 49 GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (16)+23: 39 GAME: Aryia rolls will: (4)+17: 21 GAME: Aya rolls will: (11)+17: 28 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (8)+16: 24 GAME: Critias rolls will: (16)+19: 35 GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (1)+15: 16 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Aya rolls will: (11)+17: 28 GAME: Aryia rolls will: (3)+17: 20 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (2)+16: 18 GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (16)+15: 31 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (11): 11
As the others convince Aya of the thing that is going on beyond the doors, something indeed is taking place there. The lights go out. Every one of them. Which is not what Seldan notices in the basement. No, what the paladin notices - feels - is the evil. The presence of a stain upon Ea. He's not the only one that feels it though. In fact several people are driven to their knees by the pure and unadulterated evil that pulses out of the room and into their very bodies. It weakens them.
Something is in there, and it's nothing good.
Cor'lana does, indeed, fall to her knees, gasping from the sheer wave of evil. Her hand falls out of Telamon's grasp, and it just feels like she's being weighed down to the floor as hard as she possibly can be. "Vaire... Save us," she manages, holding on barely to consciousness.
It feels like nothing else, and Telamon sags against the wall as the sickening dark energy pulses out and through him. He manages to fend off the worst of it, but it still feels like his strength is draining out of him before he can push it back. Seeing Lana crumple to her knees, he clenches his fist, and hisses, "Ni'essa Sky-Singer, light my path. I will follow..."
The wash of pure, unadulterated _evil_ is enough to startle Seldan from his quiet, focused vigil. His head snaps up from its waiting pose, and he looks around, swiftly, at the slaves, then at the stairs. "Seldan, what was _that?_" The younger, deeper female voice speaks up.
"I know not, Tisa, but is in my mind that they may have found trouble beyond them. Come, we go. The slaves are safe here."
He wastes no more time than the quiet and quick discussion, turning and bolting up the stairs with a call to Eluna to guide him towards the evil he sensed.
In hindsight, cultists around a demonic summoning circle makes far too much sense given the circumstances. Unfortunately. Worse, Aya realizes this about the same time that... something arrives. Something that causes her legs to buckle and drops her to her knees... and it isn't in the hallway with them. Right? She would comment to Telamon about his 'before something arrives' note, but she's too occupied for the moment just forcing air in and out of her lungs.
There is a number of things that Aryia has faced, but this feeling is... something long forgotten. It reminds of her a time when she was feebler. Weaker. It drives her to her knees, collapsing with the others.
A little part of her, in this situation, wishes to curl up into a ball and wish it all away. But wishing got her nowhere before. Here she is, with the best and the brightest Alexandria has to offer. Brought to their knees.
She offers no prayers. "N-w... -'m p-ss-d..." she instead hisses through gritted along with the others as she wanes against the oppression.
Critias turns a wrathful gaze at the door. Then he hears the strained voices of the sorcerers. He glances at Aya and Aryia, in their forms. He felt the evil wrongness, but perhaps in this form he was able to resist it. Or perhaps he's was just lucky. Regardless, he can distract and buy time for them to recover. Releasing his spell of invisibility, "Here I am!" he calls out. "Here I come!" His voice grows louder and deeper, as he swells in size and height...
-TBC