"Fall ba.." Rolf implores but never finishes as he is cut off from the lightning blast they all knew was coming.

Leaping backward the mage dives to the floor.  As he does so he does his best to keep his crossbow loaded, but the pesky bolt clatters to the floor, mere inches from where he lay.

Blast! he curses to himself as he finds himself prone in front of a highly dangerous foe, but unscathed at least.

As he begins to stand he sees the majority of his group still intact, but Gustav is not doing well at all.  If he will live through this battle is uncertain.

He doesn't have any time to dwell on his state as he scrambles to his feet.

OOC:  Rolf missed his DX check and the bolt is right next to him, which he will grab. He will spend the next two turns getting to his feet and reloading.  Defense dodge and drop.

19:18, Today: Rolf Erikson rolled -1 using 1d6-4 with rolls of 3.  bolt hexes away.
19:16, Today: Rolf Erikson rolled 16 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,4,6.  Crossbow DX check.

Gustav Staggers, but stays up right for a moment before sagging to the floor.

It is only for a moment that Gustav maintains his feet.  The blast of lightning proves too much and he falls, slamming against the stone floor with a thunk and jingle of scales.

But there is no time to ponder the loss!  Already the mage is rearing back with his fist, and he hurls the ball of flame forwards toward Teo who dives to the side, barely escaping the projectile as it crashes into the stone table, charring the brown stain on the surface to an ashen black!

"Damnit!"  Teo shrieks as he pushes himself back up to a knee, no worse for wear.  "Put him down!"

"On it!"  Ghaalib shouts as he charges forward, his club crashing down in a brutal overhand strike.  But though the attack seems like it should have hit, the weapon merely swings through the blurred outline of the man right at his shoulder, hitting nothing solid.  "Sorcery!"  Ghaalib cries as he swings again, this time connecting hard with the mage's hip, causing the man to grunt with pain.

Morgalyn too dashes to the front of the combat, her dagger thrusting out low, stabbing at the man's soft gut, though her blow too seems to connect with nothing.  The translucent edges of the man's robes disappear in eddies as the knife returns to a defensive posture.

As for Rolf, he jams the bolt back into the channel of his crossbow as he stands, bringing the weapon up to a ready position.  He trains the weapon tip on the mage before him... surely at this range he cannot miss...

But even now, the mage's hand is back in his pocket, retrieving from it a hovering sphere of ice as large as his fist, his eyes glaring down on Ghaalib before him.

OOC:  Unfortunately, Gustav has succumbed to his wounds and is out for the count.  Teo has made it back to a standing position and seems ready to join the fight.  Rolf has stood, loaded, and readied his crossbow, and though you have no aim bonus, you can fire on the next turn if you wish.  Just realize that Morgalyn is technically in your line of fire, so if you miss (your dice roll, not if the mage dodges), there is a chance (even if it be small) that you could hit her in the back.

Let's do another 2 rounds of action.

Rolf finds the magician is using spells he's not familiar with, and is tough to deal with to say the least.  He marvels at the man's skill and tenacity.

"Move!" the mage shouts to Morgalyn as he tries to muscle his way along the wall.

OOC: Round 1:  Rolf will try to move 1 hex west between the wall and Morgalyn so as to be 1 hex away from the mage.  He will fire his crossbow only if he has a clear shot.

Round 2:  He will continue to try to fire his weapon if he could not in round 1.  If he does fire in round 1 and misses, using the last of his reserves he will try to cast a 1 hex wide Grease spell where the mage stands.  M142.  Cost is 3FP.

Defense both turns dodge and drop.

This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Sat 02 Jan 2021.

Rolf demands for Morgalyn to move as he sidesteps to the right, though with her back turned to Rolf, Morgalyn steps the same way, trying to gain access to the Mage's flank.  Rolf grits his teeth and steps the other way, angling desperately for an open shot.

Meanwhile, Ghaalib and Morgalyn flurry their blows on the mage at close range, though the man proves to be devilishly tricky to hit, for several of their blows seem well placed though they strike nothing but air, Ghaalib manages a glancing blow that strikes the man in his right arm right at the elbow that forces the mage to pull back his arm to his chest with a hiss.  Morgalyn takes advantage of the brief distraction to lunge in deep and low, her knife plunging into the mage's hip!  He turns with a scream, putting the two of them to the same side as he hurls his ball of ice directly at Ghaalib!

With a shout, Ghaalib twists his body out of the way, the missile barely missing him to the side as it blasts into the southern wall with a crash as shards of ice spray everywhere!

Rolf steps back to the south, finally finding a free shot.  With a bit of pressure on the trigger, the bolt flies free, and for a moment, Rolf is certain that he has hit, but like so many of the blows before, it merely flies through the semi-transparent folds of the man's cloak before bursting into a thousand pieces against the stone wall behind.

Blood flowing freely from the cut at his leg, the mage grits his teeth as he glares with malice.  He pulls a potion from his pocket which he flicks open with a thumb...

OOC:  Ghaalib scored a light blow to the man's right arm, though it seems to have had effects beyond the slight damage it caused.  Morgalyn also managed a moderate stab to the right hip, which is bleeding freely down the man's robe.  Teo attacked as well, though did not manage any real hits in his effort.  Rolf's first attempt to shoot was foiled by Morgalyn's redirection, and missed(?) on his second attempt.  You now have a spent crossbow and have not made any further action or spells.

2 more rounds of combat please.

Rolf is glad his companions are having some success with the mage as some of their hits slip by the man's magic.

Taking dead aim with his crossbow, he is certain his bolt hit but somehow, some way, it flies harmless past him.

"Blast." Rolf mutters as he sends his spent crossbow aside.

Wriggling his fingers Rolf seeks to use his own magic to try to keep him from drinking his potion that he suspects will heal him.

OOC:  Round 1:  Step 1 hex closer and cast a 1 hex grease on the mage's hex.
Round 2:  Whether the spell works or not, draw my sword.

Defense both rounds dodge and drop.

Struggling to keep the man from drinking his potion, which Rolf is sure will come to no good, Rolf steps forwards and gathers his magics, concentrating on the floor below the caster's feet.

"Lubricus!"  Rolf shouts, though the spell fails... the din of the fight and his combined exhaustion sucking away from his concentration.  Rolf grabs at his sword as he watches the man put the potion to his lips...

Smash!

Like a child at a game of stickball, Ghaalib's club winds up and hurls his club at the potion in the mage's hand, and the thick baton meets the bottle just as it touches the man's lips.  The glass shatters into a thousand shards in the man's face making him stagger back in shock!

Morgalyn takes the moment to strike in low and hard, her knife jabbing a shallow thrust into the man's skin just above his hip!

But for the moment of victory, the four cannot seem to make great progress, Teo, Morgalyn and Ghaalib each dart in again, their attacks foiled by the vaporous folds of the man's cloak!

"Volant!"  The mage screams as blood trickles down his nose and face from a dozen superficial cuts.  His hand opens towards the ground where Gustav lays, and the swordsman's triangle-shaped knife soars from the ground, hurling itself straight into Ghaalib's chest!

Ghaalib stumbles back but cannot step away in time and the blade digs deep into his armor!

OOC:  No map this time, but mostly superficial changes.  I'll get one on the next round to keep things from getting too confusing.  The man has stepped back (to the left of the map) and everyone else has mostly moved with him.  Assume you can step and attack this turn if you wish.  The grease spell failed, but in a moment of annoyance at standard D&D NPC tactics, I had Ghaalib make an all out attack to the face, which hit, and interrupted the drinking process, not to mention stunned the mage.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot gained for the moment of advantage.  Ghaalib has taken a moderate wound to the chest.

2 More rounds of action.

He sees stars and fireworks... his chest hurts and he tingles in all of his extremities... no more New Years like this crosses his mind briefly before he passes out again.

The fight is so fast and furious that Rolf struggles to keep up with the action.  He tries to cast his Grease spell and it fizzles.

But he is glad to see Ghaalib strike the vial of the mages hand, but is disheartened to see him take Gustav's flying blade to the chest.

How many spells does this guy know?

Reaching for his own weapon, Rolf looks to move to a spot where he can strike.

OOC:  Round 1: Rolf will draw his sword and try to step closer to the mage.
Round 2: Take a step as needed and attack.
Defense each turn dodge and drop.

Wildly the fray weaves back and forth!  Ghaalib and Teo slash their clubs feverishly as the hazy form of the mage bobs and weaves away from the slashing of weapons!

Thwack!

Teo's club manages a solid hit as the mage grunts in pain, though he manages to stumble back, as he cries manibus ignem! and his hands burst into flames!

Rolf pulls his falchion free from his belt, slinging the thing forward, but the blade treacherously flies through the blurred folds of the man's cloak without causing so much as a nick!

Back and forth weapons fly, Morgalyn dancing forward with an aggressive slash, Teo managing a glancing blow across the mage's jaw and even Rolf manages to slash his Flashion once through the man's magical defenses, slicing a neat ribbon of crimson that quickly splatters across the floor and blurs into the blues and ivories of the blurred man's complexion.

In a moment of hatred, Ghaalib steps forward, just as the mage surges forward with his two hands curling in flames.  The men meet in the middle of their blows, Ghaalib's club smacking against the mage's collarbone as the mage shoves Ghaalib with both hands.

Crack!

KABOOM!

Ghaalib flies back a yard or more as he falls onto his back, the mage falls too, with an explosion of fire filling the gap between them!

Unbidden, Rolf raises his elbow to block his face from the blast, though he seems little worse for wear.  After a moment's glance at Ghaalib, who is unconscious and has not seemed to have escaped any measure of the blast with his chest guard nearly burned asunder, Rolf refocuses on the mage... though he breathes a sigh of relief as that man too seems to have finally submitted to his wounds.  He lies limp, his body curled against the wall, his hands still faintly smoking though no longer engulfed in flame...

OOC:  The mage was so close to passing out that I extended the combat to 4 turns using the general trends that had already been happening.  The good news is that the combat is over, and Teo, Morgalyn, and Rolf are mostly unscathed.  Gustav is unconscious, though after a successful first aid roll, he will come to with a massive headache and significant pain and muscle stiffness due to the lightning damage.  The bad news is that Ghaalib is dead or dying - His armor has been blown nearly entirely off his body and he has massive scars across his chest and face.  Feel free to revert to normal actions as we are out of combat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:21, Tue 12 Jan 2021.

Rolf draws his sword and joins the fray with the mage.  Some of his comrades attacks, and one of his own, make it through the man's blurring defenses, but many don't.

With a word the magician's hands burst in flame!  Bravely, Ghaalib meets him full on and gets in a terrific blow with his club to his neck, but takes the flames full force to his chest!

About to swing his blade once more he sees the magician finally collapse, unconscious and still.

"Patch him up." Rolf says quickly to Morgalyn, in regards to Gustav, as he immediately sees Ghaalib is the far worse of the two.  Summoning the last of his reserves, and then some, he bends down and places his hands on the warrior.  Looking to heal him enough in hopes of getting him on his feet.

"Teo, keep watch in case something comes along while we work." he adds knowing somewhere lurking in this building are not one, but two Mind Flayers.  And by the gods he prays they don't find them.

OOC:  I will cast a 3FP/1HP major heal on Ghaalib, using my hero point as needed as I can't afford another miscast.  I'll let Morgalyn patch up Gustav.  I have a first aid kit she can use if she doesn't have one.  If Ghaalib doesn't find his feet after casting my spell I'll try first aid on him.

In any event, I also want to search the mage after healing.  To see what he has on him and to see if any of it is magical.

"On it!"  Teo says with emphasis, ducking his head in to take a glance of the yet unexplored room before standing post at the doorway, his club held tightly in hand.

"Right..."  Morgalyn half moans as Rolf directs her to attend to Gustav, though she goes straight to the the first aid kit, sifting through it as if she has never seen the likes.

But Rolf doesn't really have the time to pay the moment any mind.  Ghaalib could be breathing his last and Rolf must do something about it now.  Pulling up his whole reserves, Rolf gathers the mana from around and channels it into the Ghaalib's body, willing it to heal his wounds...  Pain throbs like a dull a pressure thrusting outwards from Rolf's head towards his skin and eyes.

But slowly...

Slowly...

The angry red flesh of Ghaalib's chest softens, replaced by a fragile pink that peers out from the gaps in his sundered leathers.

Until a splotch of red spatters across his body.  It takes Rolf a moment to recognize that his nose is bleeding.

Ghaalib coughs and groans... rolling onto a side his eyes open as he grimaces through the pain.  Though he is still far from whole, it seems that he has past the worst, and has even woken due to the healing measures.

Rolf staggers back onto his hands and bottom, desperate for rest.  Across the room, Morgalyn is wrapping gauze around Gustav as if she were mummifying him... though Rolf would argue with the technique, he has a hard time imagining that he could keep bleeding through all that... Hopefully it will be enough.

Indeed, in a few minutes, Gustav groans and returns to consciousness, breathing raggedly and in intense pain, but awake.

OOC:  I imagine we are going to do some resting here.  Everyone is awake.  Ghaalib is at 1/2 move and dodge, but is able to move.  Gustav is currently unable to stand and is in need of healing.  He is awake though.  A quick search will reveal a the mage's knife, which is jagged bladed and tinged with a pale green color to the steel.  He has leather bracers on in addition to his robe, and a leather pouch at his waist.


knife

Rolf is glad his group is working well together and responds quickly to his commands.  Time is not on their side and immediate action is needed if they are to get Gustav and Ghaalib the healing they both need.

Rolf wishes the healing potion, for that surely was what it was, wasn't broken and spilled on the floor.  Now he has to rely on his own magic.  Fickle and draining as it is.

He leaves Gustav to his lover's touch.  Morgalyn has been a trusted and skilled companion so far and he has little doubt she will do a good job.  Plus the man seems far less worse for wear than Ghaalib.  Both men took the brunt of powerful spells, but Ghaalib is hurt far worse.

Before casting his spell he gingerly picks up a bit of the man's shattered armor to take a closer look, and the wound beneath is gaping and bad.  Very bad.  Deep cuts have torn through his chest and trace upwards, ripping all the way up and through his face.  Even if his healing works, he will bear the scars for the rest of his days.

SANA Rolf utters as he expends the last of his strength and then some to give his patient the fullest healing he can provide.

Owing to the quirks of magic, there are natural limits to how many times he can heal someone on the same day.  He has to ensure he makes the most of his magical aid as he only really gets one shot at it.

With an intricate wave of a hand and utterance of a strange word, he places his hands on Ghaalib and lets the healing flow.  Slowly the flesh knits and the wounds lessen, though deep red lines remain from the worst wounds.  These will have to heal on their own over time.  He has no more healing he can give him.

Exhausted from the effort he sits heavily and wipes blood from his nose.  The spell took a heavy toll on him, which he knew it would.  His head hurts and he desperately wants to sleep, but he must wait.

"Gustav, you don't look so good." He says as the decision to rest or not weighs on his mind.  Yet the very weakened state Gustav is still in makes the decision an easy one.  "I can heal you a little, but I need time to recover." he adds as he moves heavily to the fallen mage.

"Morgalyn and Teo, why don't you search the room beyond while myself and Gustav rest.  See if you can find anything that we can use as definitive proof of the evil that has been going on here.  Ghaalib seems well enough that he can keep a watch for trouble.  I need to rest a bit before I try to heal Gustav, but once he's on his feet it's my hope we can leave this place.  I don't think we can continue on."

OOC:  I will take and store the mages items (Knife, robe, braces and belt pouch).  I will handle them to see if anything is magical that I can detect.  I will also see if the robe contains anything and what is in the pouch.  All should fit in my backpack.  Then I plan on resting a bit and giving Gustav a major healing. With Ghaalib keeping watch on us and also Teo and Morgalyn as they search in the room beyond.

Rolf, through his exhaustion gathers up the mage's things, starting with the belt pouch, which opens to a space that looks much more like a large backpack size than the hand-sized pouch the material creates.  Obviously the bag is magical in some regard, and its contents do not disappoint.  Rolf sifts through coins, several of them being larger golden marks, another ring of keys which seems to have almost two dozen total, and a few stones that look rather larger than any Rolf has seen in his life.

As Rolf handles the other items, they too seem to have magic of their own.  The knife, the bracers, and the robe, though Rolf can glean little idea of the specifics of any of them.

Meanwhile, Morgalyn and Teo walk into the room beyond to search.

"Seems to be a lab of some sort...  There's all sorts of junk on this table in jars, plants, liquids..."  Teo's voice is loud enough for Rolf to hear, though it is not raised.  "Smells like brimstone."

"Books..."  Morgalyn fills in after a moment of silence.  "'The Human Mind', 'Transcending the Body'...  What is this garbage?  A lot of languages I can't read..."

After another few moments, Morgalyn's voice calls again from the back of the room.  "There's a chest back here.  Wonder what's in...  Shit!"

The sound of a torch lighting off an explosion of gas whooshes from the room with the immediate stench of char.  Ghaalib immediately sits up from the floor with a grimace, a look of panic on his face.

"I'm ok."  Morgalyn coughs, stepping back through the doorway, though the hair on the left side of her head has been burned down to near her scalp, the flesh of her face a patchy pink.

"There was some sort of a fire bomb attached to the lid which lit off when it opened...  Seems to be their money safe.  There's a lot of coin in there."

OOC:  Sparing you the suspense, there's no obvious evidence of misconduct in the lab within.  You did find a large stash of money however.  Morgalyn has been moderately burned but seems in fine shape.  Let me know how long you wish to rest.  Your healing roll on Gustav is successful and heals him back into fighting condition, though not to full strength.  Let me know what your big picture plans are, feel free to fast forward to searching the room yourself if you wish.

Gustav has suffered a bit this night and a bit of cash would make the end sweeter, he goes and looks at what's in the chest.
He knows he can't carry itall, not even a large portion, but he picks through to take some valuable coins, perhaps as much as a pound, tho' likely less, which he puts n places on him so as not to have a big bulge anywhere.

He'll then fill a container for the rest with a bit less care, but still trying to get valuable coins and not just coppers.

Rolf handles each of the mages items one by one.  A warm glow tingles the ends of his finger tips as his innate magical ability resonates with the magic each item contains.  It's a pleasant feeling.  One of which he's never felt before, but was told he possessed by his former master.  He wasn't entirely convinced, but is now.

His eyes pop at the bounty of wealth, and likely power, the mage carried.  Especially the robe.  He's not sure, but he's certain it conveys some benefit to casting spells.  Like some repository one could draw on later after casting spells in some magical container.  Why else was the fallen magician repeatedly reaching into its pouches?  And each time pulling yet another offensive spell.  But he's not sure.

"Do you want to try using this?" Rolf asks of Gustav in regards to the wickedly looking knife.  "It's magic, but I cannot say how exactly.  It's not crazy to say it could be cursed as well, I don't know.  So you may not want to.  At the very least it has likely been used in despicable and bloody rituals.  I would get it blessed at the earliest opportunity."

Rolf is reluctant to try the robe or the bracers on.  He just doesn't think it's wise.  He contemplates what to do with them and decides against putting the robe and bracers into the magical bag.  He's unsure if that would be a good idea either and doesn't want to risk it.  Instead he puts the bag, robe and bracers in his backpack for safe keeping.

He flinches at the sound of the explosion, but is glad to see Morgalyn escape the worst of the blast.  "Glad you're ok." he says simply as he shuffles into the room.  The events of the night had taken a mighty toll on Rolf and he is noticeably fatigued.

He looks round the room at all the vials of strange liquids and plants and knows there's no time to try to identify any of it.  He may be able to figure out what some of it is, but time is short.  Too short to give it any careful examination.

Taking charge he says, "Everyone take as much coin as you can reasonably carry.  Then help me collect all the books with unknown writing and discard those we can right away tell are not damning evidence of what has been going on here.  We have to find someone tangible proof of their wrongdoing or we may find ourselves on the wrong side of the law.  If it's some self help book, set it aside."

OOC: Rolf has space in his backpack and can handle up an extra 10lbs of weight without affecting his mobility.  Plus whatever the magical pouch will hold after accounting for what is is carrying now.  He wants to very quickly peruse any book that is not a mundane self help type book.  He is searching for a book on creating undead or gates.  As well, he is hoping to find a spellbook if there is one.  Any book that looks promising he will take assuming he has space to carry it between his backpack (with the newly added robe and pouch).  Any leftover space between the pouch and his backpack (up to his 10lb physical limit) he will cram with money.

All told Rolf wants to spend no more than 5 minutes here.  Preferably less.

Gustav takes the knife and puts it away with a nod to Rolf... I shall see it checked out...

After resting enough to heal Gustav, Rolf stands, despite his weariness, and explores the laboratory in the room beyond.

The moment he steps through, noxious plumes of burning sulfur assault his senses, causing his stomach to churn and his eyes to water.  The caustic smoke seems to emanate from a pair of smoldering crucibles that rest on a cluttered wooden table overrun by dozens of small beakers, jars, and vials.  A quill pen and a bottle of black fountain ink lay on a slate desk in the room’s southwest corner, next to which stands a pottery wheel, spinning apparently of its own accord.  Resting flush against the north wall is the large wooden chest, scorch marks apparent on the open lid.  There is also a well-stocked cedar bookcase.

A few minutes perusal of the shelves and Rolf determines that the several dozen books are mostly discussing theoretical arcane topics such as parallel planes and portals.  Some of the books are in the same scrawling, fluid script that decorate the tome already in Rolf's bag.  There are also has several books on the development of human mental abilities.

Rolf spots a rather large, leatherbound tome, unmarked as far as he can tell, that stands out among the rest.  He pulls the text from the shelf and discovers it to be a Grimoire, which upon a quick search has a wide array of spells and colleges, though the page he turns to seems to be focused on spells of mental control.

After the group stuffs as much as they can into their bags to carry back, Rolf nods to the others that it is time to get a move on.

OOC:  It is 0530.  Despite your request to spend 5 minutes in the room or less Rolf, you end up being in the room far longer.  I think some of the reason for this is my OOC comments in the previous post that your attempt to heal Gustav was successful.  I rolled for you despite the fact that you didn't have the full fatigue to make it happen at that point.  Therefore, I had you rest for 20 minutes, then cast a healing a major healing spell on Gustav, then search the room beyond.  Even with the additional rest, you are down to 1FP and beyond exhausted.  Where are you planning on going from here?

Rolf is beyond exhausted.  His eyes droop as he sways unsteadily on his feet.  Only by sheer force of his will does he continue.  He could sleep just about anywhere, on any surface, but he mustn't.  Not yet.

He wipes his eyes from the rooms acrid smoke, choking both his ability to breath and see.

With the help of his group his sifts through the books, taking the ones that depict planes and portals and ignores the rest.  There is one that catches his eye over all the others.  Large and leather bound he opens it and quickly realizes it's a grimoire!  He's struck gold!

For a mage at least the book is priceless.  A grimoire will give his magical abilities a boost, assuming he takes the time to pore through it and practice its teachings.  To do that though he must survive.

"I'm not sure we have enough evidence of the evil here to cover ourselves from retribution.  But we can't continue.  We've gone as far as we can."

"Our last options for solid proof would be to try to kill the imp or capture one of the unliving beings we saw, but either would be suicidal.  Still, we have killed three men and we must expect repercussions.  Hopefully we will be believed by those that matter."

"Pack up.  We must get Uncle Vunik and flee.  The morning shift will be here soon."

OOC:  I would like to reload my crossbow (just in case), pack our things, get Uncle Vunik and leave as quickly possible.  I gave strong consideration to trying to kill the flying imp, but it would be folly.  I suspect it would be tough to kill even at full strength, and we are far from our best fighting shape.

Despite his exhaustion, Rolf gathers what he can from the room before the five come back together and head to the small prison where Vunik is kept.

"Be there in a minute."  Morgalyn says as she holds back in the room.  "There's something I forgot."  Rolf doesn't argue, intent instead on moving out as quickly as he can.  It proves that Morgalyn is truly only gone for a moment, joining the others only moments after they have entered the room with the cells.

"Wha...?"  Vunik is shaken groggily from his sleep and it takes him a few moments to seem to gain his bearings, though Rolf does not have the patience to let him peaceably come to wakefulness.  Instead, he tells him, quite forcibly, that it is time to leave.

"Oh no."  Vunik chuckles, his eyes still glassed over with grogginess.  "I have told you, I'm quite happy here, and my work is almost complete!"  He pulls out his book, showing Rolf again the diagram of the gate, and explaining it as if the two had not conversed on very same matter not an hour previously.

Overcome with impatience and exhaustion, Rolf cuts the man off, demanding quite plainly that Vunik make ready to go.

"No!"  Vunik's eyes grow suddenly very large and awake, prying his book away from Rolf protectively.  "Leave if you must, but I am staying here!  You cannot remove me..."

Whack!

The pommel of Gustav's main gauche raps Vunik at the back of the head, knocking the man to the floor, instantly and irrevocably unconscious.

"Saves us time."  Gustav shrugs as Teo quickly pulls the man over his shoulder and Morgalyn takes Vunik's book.

Though dreading the thousands of things that could stop their escape, the arrival of the morning crew, the undead that had already proved to be in various places of the asylum, the recovered doctor from downstairs, the horrible shadow dogs that they had encountered in the courtyard outside, Rolf and his crew encounter nothing of note on their flight from Witten.

The blackness of night still hangs in the overcast skies, though the faintest tinge of midnight blue manages to eek its way through edges of the clouds, foretelling the coming of morning.

Rolf decides to head back to the Mage's guild, in part because it is closest, but also because he knows that he may need help with Vunik once the man awakes.  The empty streets prove little barrier to the task, and despite their injuries and tiredness, within a quarter of an hour, Rolf is pushing his way into the guild, directing Teo towards the common room where he can displace the old mage before the five split up for good.

When he makes his way through the threshold however, Rolf is shocked to see the room already occupied, by none other than Guildmaster Dehogue, who sits in one of the chairs, glancing over a book.

"Rolf?"  The man asks, his eye quirked up in surprise.  "Early morning..."  The man's tone changes abruptly when Teo walks in behind him, with Vunik draped over his shoulder.  "Good god, Vunik?"

OOC:  I took some liberties to keep things moving along.  Hope that's ok with everyone.
 All five of you are still here, offering to stay together until Vunik got to safety.  Rolf, roll vs. your best social skill (fast talk, diplomacy, etc.), or make a reaction roll if you would rather.  Gustav, feel free to post as you see fit.

Note that it's probably a good time to think about splitting the loot, which can be done OOC.
 While you hired the NPCs and have paid them already, It's probably not a bad idea to cut them in to some degree in the bounty.  Here's a list of the things that I have you taking from Witten:

$1314
2xRuby
2xOther Gem
2 Fine battle axes
Surgery Book
Magic Knife
Magic Bracers
Magic Robe
Planar books
Spell Book
Bag of Holding
Vunik's Book

The urge to flee comes suddenly.  Rolf knows Strogg and his gang of goons will be here soon, and he's made quite the mess.  Dead bodies litter the second floor, a heavy reinforced door lay battered and broken, and all the first floor inmates are running loose and wild...scattered like the wind to terrorize the inhabitants of the city.  Absolute chaos!  Rolf wants to be long gone before Strogg returns to behold his handiwork, but a small part of him would love to see his reaction if such a way could be safely had.

He stumbles from the smoky, acrid smelling room, utterly exhausted.  He focuses his mind on getting Vunik and says nothing when Morgalyn returns quickly to the mage's room.  Whatever she did, or took, matters little to Rolf.  He must get Uncle Vunik out of this place and in one piece.  It was the missions main goal and he refuses to fail Alma.  Not when they are this close.

He gives a quick glance to the man next to Vunik and quickly decides he can't rescue him.  They are going to have their hands full with Alma's uncle as he is refusing to go.  Rolf is displeased at having to resort to physically harming Vunik, but he agrees with Gustav that there is no other way and he has little patience to be dealing with a malcontent, causing mischief at every opportunity.

He and his crew shamble their way out of Witten.  Rolf expects trouble at every turn, but by a bit of good fortune they encounter not a soul and are able to leave unmolested.

The sun begins to rise as they march to the Mage's guild.  Small signs of activity can be seen as the city begins to wake.  A plume of smoke, the smell of coffee and cooking meats tinge the edges of Rolf's nose.  He heads towards the closest place of safety, as he wants to be off the street as soon as possible.  He doesn't want to deal with any questions from those who may be wondering why they are carrying a comatose old man.  And Uncle Vunik could awake at any time and it's highly possible he needs medical attention.  Rolf could help with that, but not in the condition he finds himself now.  Whatever Vunik needs he should be able to fill that need at the guild.

Before long, his group finds themselves in the guild's common room.  Uncle Vunik is placed gently on a soft chair.

Rolf is surprised at the sight of Guildmaster Dehogue being up and dressed so soon in the morning.

Rolf is quite the sight.  Deep dark circles rim blood shot eyes.  Disheveled hair rests tentatively on his head and he desperately needs a shave.  From the events transpired and his level of fatigue, he is near raving mad.

"Witten...Portals...Smoke monsters...Living dead...Mind Flayers!" he stammers in a fear driven jittery voice, as he tries to pour out himself all that he saw at once.

OOC: Rolf rolled versus his Diplomacy skill and made the roll.  Not sure how much you want to roleplay dialog, but he wants to tell all that he saw at Witten to Dehogue.  Leaving out no detail.  With his group and the books to back him up.

As long as Gustav agrees I suggest letting Teo, Morgalyn and Ghaalib split the $1314 equally.  They all acquitted themselves well and deserve it.  Gustav and I can figure out what to do with the rest later.

Gustav would like to keep te magic Knife, at least until he knows what it does, and a gem, plus some cash... split $1200 of the cash with the other three and Gustav and Rolf split the remaining $114 for immedite expenses.
IIRC Rolf and I are the only two PCs.  But each of the other three have been useful and should get some opportunity for things of value. I am tempted to try for a battleaxe although I have no skill at all. The Robe should probably go to Rolf... who gets the bracers dependson what they do. Even the knife may not be of use to Gustav.
Rolf and I can each take a ruby and one other gem.
Almost all of the other stuff, excepting the bag of holding, should be Rolf's. We can arm wrestle for that.

The next half of an hour seems to go by as a blur for Rolf.  Dehogue is patient, and Rolf seems to have far more to tell than he realizes, starting at the beginning with Alma and her entreaty to bring back her uncle, with Rolf's visit to the asylum during the daytime, the shockwave of magic that first made him realize that things could be amiss...  Dehogue does not stop Rofl, but remains quiet as the youth explains the shadow dogs, the unconscious guards, the sadistic mage-doctor, the room of undead, the room with all the pictures of entrails and evidence of human desecration, the mindflayers...  When Rolf is finished, he pushes Vunik's book upon the guildmaster, opening it to the page which displays the gate - the thing which seemed to be the very center to this whole intrigue.

When Rolf has finished, Dehogue wastes little time, but wakes Vunik with a motion of his hand.  Rolf can feel power of the spell wash over the room, sending ripples through his exhausted awareness.

"Where?"  Vunik begins, though his face contorts immediately as he seems to take in his surroundings.  "I must finish my work!  Get back, get away!"  Vunik struggles up, attempting to stand, though the movements of his body seem to be sluggish and forced.

Dehogue again places a single hand upon Vunik, and his magic seems to cause waves within the mana of the room.

"Sublevantem!"  Dehogue crows, and Vunik immediately slumps back into the chair, exhaustion and apprehension sinking into the features of his face.

"Malak?"  Confusion overcomes Vunik for a moment, though he seems to quickly come to his senses.  "Malak!  What have I done!  The gate, we must destroy it!  That damn Heraladus!"

"It will all be all right Vunik..."  Dehogue soothes.  "Just leave it to me."

---

It seems like hours later when Rolf has finally made it to his bed, so tired he can barely see straight.  Ghaalib had offered to bring Dehogue and a handful of others back to the asylum, to show them the horrors and devastation, and to destroy the gate that Vunik had designed.  Rolf had been too exhausted, there had been no time to rest...  It is as Rolf is just about to lay himself down when he hears the explosion...  A shockwave of raw, physical power that echoes from the distance.  Rolf runs to the window, searching the morning skies and quickly finds a billowing cloud of grey and white dust and ash that churns with an orange glow.  Rolf knows without seeing that the cloud has sprung up over the Wittten Asylum...  Perhaps he would not sleep after all...

---

It takes several days for Rolf to piece together exactly what had happened.  That the other man in the prison upstairs had been Lord Kelym Aradamore, a prominent member of the nobility that had been openly critical of the Asylum.  That Dehogue had found a stairway in the necrotic temple at the corner of the Asylum where Rolf had found the dozen or so undead.  That the third floor of the Aylum held Doctor Illhausen, the proprietor of the Asylum who was imprisoned both mentally and physically, and had been driven nearly insane by the pressure of the mindflayers.  It seemed that the group had found the gate, and they had destroyed it, an action which had sent forth magical shockwaves which had completely destroyed the third floor of the asylum.  Dehogue and the others had barely managed to escape uninjured...

But the worst of what Rolf had feared had not come to pass.  The ruined asylum quickly became the talk of Craine, though Rolf himself, nor indeed Gustav or his other hires, were not included in the story.  Instead, the rumors spread that Doctor Heraladus was dead, that Doctor Illhausen was mad, and that the asylum had been destroyed in the wake of the evil that had spawned there.

OOC:  Congratulations on the successful module!  I spent a good while trying to figure out how to continue this thread, though I think a clean break is probably the best approach.  I decided to have NPCs finish things out based on the apparent impending doom of the situation.  Feel free to post something to wrap things up for your characters, and I'll award both of you character points within the next few days.

When Master Dehogue gets back and rests some, Gustav will ask him to tell him about the knife, bracers and robe for Rolf, who is more exhausted then Gustav. Gustav will keep everything together until Rolf is ready to rejoin the living... all in the bag of holding, which Gustav keeps close or sleeps on.

Then we'll get a meal and talk.

Despite being sleep deprived and his reserves dwindled to bare fumes, Rolf is driven to tell all he knows.  Lives depend on it, and not just his own.  He must be believed.  A great evil festers, preparing to breach it's confines and unleash it's fury on the unsuspecting citizenry of Craine.

Master Dehogue listens to Rolf patiently and it is clear he is getting through to him.  When he gets to the gate, he shows him Vunik's book and it seems to Rolf that Dehogue's eyes widen.

The magician wastes little time and immediately wakens Alma's uncle.  He casts a couple of powerful spells, one to raise him from his slumber and another that he surmises to pull him from what he suspects is some sort of mind control.  Perhaps by Dr. Heraldus, but perhaps not.

Who, or what, is a Malak? he wonders.  But he has little time or energy to dwell on the question.  He must rest.  Time passes and he finds himself in bed.

Dully he groggily notes the explosion and large billowing cloud whirling from his bedroom window, no doubt the remnant of the powerful magic being released from Witten.

Over the coming days he does his best to gather as much info he can about what happened at the asylum for the insane, but he still has many questions.  However he is happy the threat is over, and in some way glad his role is not widely known.  He's a small fish who found himself surrounded by sharks and it's for the best if he's forgotten.

OOC:  Rolf has some questions about Witten, which he will ask around the guild.  And if he can he will try to visit Uncle Vunik.

1.  Were there indeed Mind Flayers at Witten?  And had they made Vunik their puppet?  Or if it was Dr. Heraldus?
2.  Did Dehogue encounter the hovering imp?
3.  What the status of Lord Kelym Aradamore is.  Did he survive?
4.  What the status of Vunik is.  Is he ok?  What did he mean by Malak?