The group heads back up, Maple offers to hit the button to send the lift back to Jzadirune above - staying behind to help any she can. Slow clanking chains echo through the chamber as you go back up and up and up.

The enclave is quiet, seems that no one has come in the minutes you have been gone. You stand upon the platform while below am unknown number of hobgoblins and other creatures muster forces to stand against you...

Just before they got back up, as Maple offer to stay back, Marik frown and take a vial in Rani bag. He give it to the halfling.


"If you are to stay back...then take this. Hold on to it until we get back. If you hear them come for you, drink it. They won't be able to see you. Hide here and don't do anything stu...just hide... We'll be back soon after tending to our wounds."

OOC: Marik gives Maple a potion of invisibility.

OOC: Marik and Rani both spend a hit dice to heal a bit.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:28, Fri 11 May 2018.

OOC: Are the other halfling and the dwarf still with us. Filimena would want to interview them for further information, maybe even sketch a map of what lies below.

As the group moves to the ambush room, Omaron tries to engage the other two rescuees. "What do the two of you know of the hold below?"

FIlimena removes an ink pen, a bottle of ink, and a sheet of parchment from her backpack, holding them out of the halfling and the dwarf. "Perhaps you could draw us a map of what's below," she suggests, in as kind a manner as she can muster.

Prefering to let the others do the talking, Marik set up in a corner and prepare some tea while he finishes bandaging Raszire wounds. He prepare a small quantity of Ethariel Oolong first, the same he prepared at Ghelve's, feeling he could really use the comfort. He takes a small cup for himself and put the two others in front of Omaron, Filimena and the halflings for anyone to take. He then immediately clean the leaves from the tea pot and start another batch of boiling water as he drink.

For the next batch, he take another satchel and pour tea looking like black powder mixed with green, blue and white beans. A hot, spicy scent soon fills the cold air around the tea pot. His winter tea. His sister commented long ago that mix could wake up a corpse. Sad she never could taste the next recipes. He had made it even stronger after she disapeared.


He fills his cup and approach the tea from the inconscious Raszire nostrils, making him smell the powerful spices up close. Time to test his sister theory...

Omaron waits for the released prisoners to take a cup of tea, patiently waiting for the two to say whether they will or not share any information they may have. He watches Marik attempt to awaken the yet unconscious dragonborn, holding his power until needed.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Thu 31 May 2018.

Listening from a distance, Marik lay out his thoughts, taking time to find the correct words  " A troll.. we can't fight a troll and his... underlings... at the same time but maybe we can.... trick them..." he turns to Filimena. "Filimena...back at Ghelve's...place and while fighting the... Choker... You showed us you could change your appeareance...create illusions...If you turn into one of those... things, you could get to the troll and trick it...lure it someplace alone where we could kill it... or use your... illusions to convince it to release the childrens..."

He turns to the dwarf lady.

"You have seen this troll...Does it appear to fear anything?...Did anything seemed to make him ...overly angry or unsettled? Spiders, fire, strange sounds... anything we could use?"

OOC: Can I make a Nature check to see if I know something of trolls? If it's yes, I would rolled 9 for a Nature check
This message was last edited by the player at 15:29, Thu 31 May 2018.

OOC: you've not encountered much info on trolls ... somehow...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:37, Thu 31 May 2018.

"Hmm, sounds dangerous," Omaron rumbles, hand stroking his beard in thought. "Sondor, are those to be auctioned kept separate from the main force below? Are are their captives kept within the main force of dark spawn?"

OOC: How does the map that Sondor has sketched work mechanically? Is it an actual map we can look at, or will extra details be narrated to use while we are exploring below?

Filimena takes the sketch from the elderly dwarf and examines it, trying to make sense of it in the light of what they've seen so far of the area below.

Turning to the elf, she shakes her head. "I gave up that invocation some time ago," she says. "In return for a greater variety of rituals to cast. Perhaps that was not the best decision in hindsight, but it's been made. I can still cast a minor illusion, a small image or a sound. I can shape the earth, or with some time, conjure an unseen that can perform minor actions on my behalf at a distance." As she speaks, she conjures first the image of a floating orb of light, then flicks it away and creates a sound resembling that of one of the creatures they had previously fought, lurking in the shadows of Jzadirune.

And of course, I can still do this, she adds, first telepathically, then continuing aloud. "These could still be used to create distractions, or to confuse. My present concern is for the dragonborn."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:43, Sat 02 June 2018.

"Let's hope it will be sufficient. Let's take a few more minutes to give a chance to Raszire to wake and make our way back afterward. With some chance, Maple won't have needed to drink her potion and you could use it."

Marik sigh and pause a few seconds

"We know creatures like... goblins and trolls are vicious and cruel. They lead by brutality and fear. But it doesn't mean they are fearless...Like most creatures, they usually fear death and what they can't understand...So here's my plan..." he says while looking at Filimena and Omaron. "They won't fear adventurers...but they may fear the ghosts of Jzadirune...If we use your illusions, Filimena, your [Language unknown: korent'ousvor] and your...unseen servant...we can bring the fortress alive around them...make them think the old stone want their blood and souls...and the only way to save themselves is to leave the kids with the "Dwarf Pale wearing the Dragon Silver" he finishes, taking the silver dragon head pendant hanging on his neck and throwing it to Omaron.


OOC: Is Raszire waking up after this time? If not, could Marik attempt a medicine check to give him like 1 HP and wake him up?

Omaron reaches to Raszire, beseeching the spirits the mend the dragonborns wounds. "It is the last of my power until I can meditate for e few moments," he shrugs, sitting down to do just that.


OOC:
Cure Wounds on Raszire for 15. Then meditating for the short rest.

Filimena pouts and considers the elf's words for a while. "Like this, perhaps?" she offers. Casting Minor Illusion, Filimena creates the image of a dwarf, ghostly white and translucent, eyes drooping, mouth hanging open, guts spilling out of a gaping wound in its stomach, shambling across the floor. Simultaneously, she reaches out telepathically to Marik, Get oooouuuutttt.... GET OOOUUUUTTTT...

Marik grins "Not bad...even good for such a short casting...If we make them on edge enough before, it could make a few good jump scares. It won't stand close long inspection though. If you make it disappear and appear quickly enough across the room, they might not see throught it...". he pause "Rani and me can lay ambush and pick lone scared ones that might flee...add to the illusion of danger. Other ideas?"

OOC: Sorry for the delay couldn't figure out how to draw this w/o giving away too much ... then I thought well a flow diagram! So MAP!

Color key
purple = secret areas
yellow = rooms you've visited

"Sounds like we took the... easiest... path and still met a lot of resistance." Marik says, reacting to what Sondor describe from memory. "The plaza and the main hall will probably be heavily guarded too, especially since they know something is coming..." He pause, thinking. "I don't think it is feasible to stealth our way to these cells without getting caught...although we could wait for them to come to us. If these...buyers...come from Underdark, they would need to pass by the plaza. If we wait after auction, we could wait for them there and play them our horror show...or spring ambush if it fails before they return to Geddonn ...i mean the Underdark. With a little chance, the trollspawn and gobbos won't be too concerned by the children once they have been bought and out of their prisons...."

As the divine Magic from Omaron takes effect Raszire slowly stirs. Groaning slightly he manages to pull himself up and looks around the room. "Looks like I have not passed on to the afterlife yet. So how much have I missed."

[Private to GM: Once awake Raszire will spend all four hit dice to regain his HP during the short rest.
14:35, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 7 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 4.  HP from short resr roll 4.
14:35, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 6 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 3.  HP from short resr roll 3.
14:35, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 7 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 4.  HP from short resr roll 2.
14:29, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 8 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 5.  HP from short resr roll 1.]

Filimena creeps behind groaning Raszire. Slowly, the image of an elven child begins to fade into view in front of him. The child's mouth opens, as if she is starting to speak, but it keeps opening, and opening, until her entire head peels back. A sickly hand reaches out from inside the child an grasps her jaw followed shortly by the head of a Skulk, its eyes focused slyly in the dragonborn.

Raszire had barely finished his sentence when the apparition manifested in front of him. One hand quickly sliding to his holy symbol as the other fumbled trying to find his mace.