Part III: Cellar Doors

Prisoners - The ??? of Septem, ??? AM

The flickering light of a single lantern nearly burned at the prisoners' eyes. Neither man could tell whether it was still nightfall or not, for it seemed that their jailers had come hours ago to pass a curt supper of oatmeal and bread through the bars.

Skyler lay against the dirt wall of his cell, staring out the four-foot wide barred-door at the new addition to the ambience. The lantern was new, and when your days were comprised of self-entertainment in a five by five cell, a new furnishing brought with it curiosity in the highest degree.

It had been an hour...perhaps two...when the commotion had roused the two prisoners from their shallow dreams. In a cell across the room from the young vagabond stirred Lesale, staring with the same sense of trepidation as fifteen men rushed past in the early hours of the morning, hanging the lantern on their way down the northern passageway.

There was something afoot this night, but they would not be privy to that information.

Now, silence was their only greeting. Though separated by no more than twenty yards, the two men knew the guards listening above would administer a swift beating should a sound escape from their lips.

The night wore on.


Fellowship - The 3rd of Septem, 3:20 AM

[Garvan body-search is in the Marketplace]

Midnorton peeked cautiously out the door, staring into the darkness of the courtyard. The moon had disappeared behind the clouds, and he could see nothing beyond the ten feet of grace his eyes afforded him.

At the risk of exposing the lantern-light to the outside, he withdrew, reasonably sure that no one had heard their assault.

The fisherman was crouched over the cellar door, ear pricked to its wooded frame. Silence permeated beyond, and after moments of intent listening, he removed the rope, withdrew his trident, and pulled open the door...

[...]


Prisoners - The ??? of Septem, ??? AM

Lesale's eyes widened as the cellar door opened, darkened figures appearing up the stone staircase that lead to their jailer's domain. Surprise was apparent on the face of the young man opposite, Skyler sitting upright as a large man stepped into the dirt-floored dungeon, a massive trident in his hands.

There was a moment of unease.


Fellowship - The 3rd of Septem, 3:21 AM

Garvan heard Midnorton and Artimus descend behind him, but his eyes were fixated upon the strange cellar that he found himself in.

What should have been a cold-cellar for a rundown longhouse had turned out to be a stark and dank dungeon, twenty yards wide, with four cells on each side.

Garvan spun around, staring in each of them in turn. No sign of a female, but two pairs of eyes caught the torchlight in opposite cells...


==========================

OK fellowship, I'm going to leave this to you to roleplay out and figure out a direction here. Be aware that the night is waring on.

Garvan, the keys you found on the jailers work for these cells, clearly.

The prison is a 20 yard wide by 30 yard long room, with an exit in the south (leading up to the longhouse) and an exit in the north, leading down a long torch-lit tunnel out of view. 8 cells, 2 are occupied (by Skyler and Lesale)

There are no other occupants (or bodies) in any of the cells.

EXP: +50 to Mid, Art, Garv

Skyler did not even bother looking much at the man who entered. He only thought to himself;

"Surely this man has come to slay me. Why would anyone bother to save me? What use could I be to them?"

For the first time though, he looked at the face of the prisoner beside him. He contemplated on whether or not to escape. For the time he was there Skyler had devised a plan to escape, but questioned whether or not it would be worth it.
Here he was physically jailed, but should he leave he would still be imprisoned within his own mind.
But something made him think... Maybe it was the first time in a while that he saw the shimmer of the metal bars that reminded him of the daggers given to him by an old friend. When he saw the glistening light, he was reminded of the warm smile Velkia used to give him back in the scholar's keep.
Then his choice was made. He would escape.
Skyler then made a slow, but gradual movement to a pile of dust that had accumulated and looked at the other prisoner's face and hoped he would react properly as his plan unfolded.

How many years had it been? Decades, a century, maybe more… It wasn’t worth the effort to count anymore. This dungeon was his home now. Leaking catacombs, ravenous rats, and iron bars. Not even death could free the wretched prisoner from his eternal shackles; not for a lack of trying on his part. The accident made sure of this. He simply lay there, motionless. Eyes glazed over, turned a milky white as the ages past. The man once known as Lesale, the Mind-killer, was nothing more than a rotting corpse now. To think he, who had instilled the fear of god into even the proudest of men, would lie here now wishing for nothing more than the sweet embrace of the Lord Death.

Lesale longed for the days when he was known throughout the lands as the only student to successfully conjure a Potion of Endless Mana, a crowning achievement that secured his place in the most prestigious of Apothecary Academies. It was this act that led him astray into the more sinister realm of human alchemy.

With a dark desire to overcome the limitations set by those around him and an utter disregard for the suffering he would cause, Lesale pursued the forbidden art of human alchemy. Crafting potions that dulled the senses and stifled the mind, he soon became a desirable target of various fringe groups seeking to ascertain power at any price. Enlisted by a rising new occult group, the Mind-killer wasn’t even aware that his status had changed from valuable advisor to prisoner of war.

The unimaginable horrors haunted Lesale’s every waking moment of existence. Even now, with his head against the stone-cold wall of his cell, an endless nightmare played out before him. It was by his own hand that brother was turned against brother and men were transfigured into shambling abominations, whose very lives were sacrilege. The putrid cadaver let out a deep groan, as he recalled his final and most dire error in judgement.

It didn’t matter how. Lesale had to escape. He could no longer play his part for these twisted puppet masters. Perhaps he could kill himself. A vile of poison, a dagger to the neck, it would be all too easy. But alas, his knowledge was too valuable. It was needed to halt the progression of the cult’s agenda. He would have to find a way out, even if it meant leaving his body behind. Lesale remembered; it was then that he devised the crux to his own undoing, a potent elixir that would rend the soul, tearing it from the body. This plan could work; however, there was a hitch. Amongst the herbs and salves he removed from the alchemic laboratories with nothing more than sleight of hand, a key ingredient was missing - Lich’s Bane, rare lichen indigenous to the northern mountain range. Without this component, his salvation was nothing more than a madman’s dream.

Despite this drawback, Lesale downed the potion without hesitation. The effects were immediately apparent. Not quite dead, not quite alive; Lesale’s soul had been separated from his mortal flesh, but was unable to take on a form of its own. Lacking the divine touch, his body became little more than a fleshy husk, which would fester and rot in the damp depths of the prison dwellings. With this last thoughtless act, Lesale had sealed his fate. He was now an undead slave to the cult he had so desperately tried to leave behind him. The memory nipped at Lesale’s un-beating heart; but, his eyes could no longer shed tears. The only hope that remained for Lesale was that he would one day be able to escape this place, restore his body, and destroy what remained of his callous experiments.

It was then that something caught the undying apothecary’s eye. The prisoner across from him, nothing more than a phantom in the corridor, was signaling something.

The time to escape was nigh…

As Skyler moved towards his inconspicuous pile of dust to the corner, he heard an ominous sound coming from the cell beside him. To an ordinary person, they would have ignored it; but after spending such time locked in a cellar, any unfamiliar sound would pique one's curiosity.

He slowly glanced at the cell beside him to notice a bottle in the man's hands. Perhaps an elixir or potion of some sort. Skyler had seen some pictures of these on the open books of scholars who had passed out in their library.

What was this man planning? Who was he? He didn't appear to be any ordinary man. He was dressed in a much more peculiar manner. The adjacent prisoner bore symbols that Skyler had never seen before. A priest? A magician? No... this man was much darker than that. There was some aura of evil around him... As though the very air around him was warning others that he was not a man to be trifled with.

As the shadow of the armed man neared the door, Skyler loosened his muscles as he knew he would have to move quick and sure. Running away from men was a specialty of his. He had been running his whole life, why was this any different? In all his years, this was the first time Skyler had been captured though... He rested his mind and recalled the moments of how he was captured.

It was shortly after his near death experience with the bear in the woods. Apparently, bears are not too friendly to their next door neighbors. Skyler had entered the closest town. The signs were smudged and illegible. He was wandering the streets, unsure of what to do with his life, when Skyler heard a familiar song.

Where the waters are silent
Where the sun always shines
Where the moon meets the ocean
My treasure will reside

Away from the battle
Far from the freeze
Not a cloud shall touch
The preciousness inside

My treasure is my heart
With you I've placed it away
I need not ask for yours.
Just keep mine safe I pray

The very song Velkia used to sing as she cleaned... But... where was it coming from? Just then he saw a girl pass by, the same black hair. He gave chase but bumped into a large man. This guy... how to explain... But your typical "bad guy". Shaggy beard, large in size, tattoos ran across his chest, and he carried a large scimitar across his back. But most distinctly, a smell. One that would make a little girl cry. This was worse than anything Skyler had ever encountered in the slums. It seemed to be a mixture of bear urine and horse feces. Skyler knew he had pissed off the wrong guy. But his escape was gone! He had been surrounded by all sorts of shaggy's! The next thing he knew, he was in the dungeon cell. Since then, he had not seen the light of day.

...
The light grew closer, something was strangely different. The man that entered was not like Shaggy. He did not smell nearly as bad. What could this mean? Had Skyler's escape been ensured? Or would this man try to take him as well? But what wrong had Skyler done to him?
Skyler looked up at the man and saw him wielding a trident. But how would the jailers get their hands on a weapon like that? Skyler noticed a stain of blood on the man's clothes. But it was not his own. Was he a doctor? What was this? A torture method to heal a man before you brutally kill him?
Skyler patiently waited. He was in position. His hand deep in the pile of dust. He grabbed a hold of something metal inside.


==========================
Will attempt to throw something at the man and wound him, hoping for prisoner in other cell to hold him while Skyler gets the keys from the man and frees them both.

Another shadowed figure appear above the cellar doors and glanced down. This one holding a bow with an arrow to ready to fire. After spotting there is only two prisoners in cells and no other guards to kill, he lowered his bow but still kept it at ready.

“Ho.. Garvan. Any signs of our kidnapped princess?”

He descended down into the dungeon and just gave a casual glance at the two prisoners before he crouched down and looked at any available tracks to determine a pattern and any signs of dragging a person.

========

Tracking
[Dice 1: 2,1 = 3] Ugh… a really bad roll.

The member 'Midnorton' has done the following action : Diceroller

'SKILL CHECK' : 2, 1

Fellowship - The 3rd of Septem, 3:20 AM



The stairs fell one by one under the foot of the mariner and his kin as they advanced under the longhouse. Each board eeked and creeked, bracing the weight of the trio with a soft sigh of protest. The dancing and muted like that emanated from the long lantern teased the senses, coyly revealing scant moments of the basement. The flirtatious glow didn’t have the allure of a well cut woman, beckoning from a darkened bed. The under-longhouse, whose feculent smell of dank and desperation, shit and shamefacedness was more like the fat mole covered wench left alone and summoning to all comers at the end of the night. It was only a dark curiosity, a deep need to know if it was THEY that were behind this rapidly deepening plot that drove him onwards.... or was it something else.



Striding into the room Artimus scooped up the single lantern and strode among the cells peering into the cold space between the bars. The contents were desperate, morose people were held here, kept, imprisoned,. Entombed and not well that much was clear. Reaching the end of the row he found the only two occupied chambers. Examining the first, there was a man lean, dressed in modest clothing, or was it a boy; it was hard to tell in this light.



Artimus turned to the second form, the pile of shambles wasn’t moving and as the Mariner drew closer it seemed that it was too late for this unfortunate soul, his body had wasted away to a gruesome form. Artimus whispered a prayer and turned back to the living prisoner.



The Mariner questioned in a soft tone,



Bonjour small one, it seems that you’ve gotten yourself into quite a jam here. I’m not sure what you’ve done to find yourself in such a place involved with these people. But I imagine it was nothing too dire. Today, lady luck, she truly shines on you for she has sought fit to set our path with yours. Tell me, who are you and what have brought you to this dungeon, perhaps a stolen crust of bread. We are looking for a kidnapped girl, was she held here? I hope you can help us, but please be direct, I already, how you say, have a shine on you, but my blade, she is short tempered, and you would not want to cross her.

Artimus couldn't imagine a situation where he would harm this caged the small person short of him calling for a gaurd or transforming into some foul beast. But there was something to be said for making a good first impression.


Your freedom is but a breath away

Darkness swallowed Garvan as he descended into the cellar. His eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness and the place stank of human waste of death. A smell so thick it hung in the air as a fog.

Artimus cast the light of a lantern about the dungeon and Garvan laid his eyes upon two men, adjacent each other, occupying the cells here. Paying them little mind, the fisherman scanned the room for potential dangers or signs of bandits lurkign nearby as Artimus smoke to the wasted figures, but he could see none. At last he turned his attention to one of the men.

"Lads. We seek a young lass. We have no quarrel with you and if you can promise to behave I'll release the lot o' you." Keys jingled in his hands as he absently looked through them, echoing off the damp walls. "Any information you could provide us in assistance I would take in exchange for your freedom."

The prisoners seemed harmless enough. Besides, anyone wanting to assault their armed liberators were crazy enough that Garvan wouldn't feel too bad killing them. He reached out with the keys and tried to the find the one that would release the men.

"I'll be Garvan, by the way."



==============



Garvan opens the door for the two men

Skyler was bewildered by these men. His hand clenching tightly onto the metal bookmark he had sharpened all this time had felt quite useless now.
These men were well armed and had clearly slain those above. What did they want? A girl? Was that a princess I heard?

Skyler stood up and showed that he was not quite as small as the man with the sword had expected. His memories were faint, but there was something he could say. Freedom they offered him... He continued to hold onto his "escape bookmark" from the pile of dust behind his back, not sure if he would need it or not, and responded to the man:

I am a man of no real importance. I've never accomplished much in my life 'cept get away from some near-death experiences. I did no more than tick off a couple of goons. It was the first time I let my guard down and look where it brought me. I am not one to steal for my food and would rather starve than take what is not mine.
You're looking for a girl, are you? There has been but one other prisoner here aside from what appears to now be a corpse over there. The jailers were about to take this person into the cell but had then received a message that the prisoner would be taken elsewhere. As they exited, I caught a glimpse of the prisoner's face. It was a young girl, though much of her head was cloaked. This happened no more than a few days ago, though the concept of time has begun to be foreign to me. Has this been of help to you? Would you let me free? To be quite honest, I'd rather stay locked up in this cage than to die by your sword right now.

========
Message here was intended to be directed towards Artimus

Skyler looked at the man who was clearly a lesser threat than the one with a bloody sword and looked as though he would kill a rabbit for hopping on his foot.

My thanks for releasing me. I assure you I am of no threat to any of you, but if you could lead me out of here I would gladly do my best to assist you in your search. Let me first get back my daggers and then perhaps you could inform me whom this girl is you are searching for.

===========
Skyler *searched for and* re-obtains daggers on a table outside the cell and his self-respect.
^thanks edited

Fellowship - The 3rd of Septem, 3:23 AM

The clink of key in lock signalled the freedom of Lesale and Skyler, and for the first time the accursed Alchemist could see the younger prisoner step into the light.

In one fell swoop, their bars had been removed.

The words were definite, from the lips of the young man. The girl had passed through here. Geiss' daughter, one could only presume.

The northern passage loomed ahead, torchlight beckoning them down the winding path that lead somewhere beneath the earth for whatever foul purpose.

Midnorton - The 3rd of Septem, 3:23 AM


As the fellowship conferred with the prisoners, Midnorton skulked forward towards the northern passage. Cautiously, he searched for any signs of passage - and indeed, it did seem that many footsteps had ventured this way recently.

There was no direct evidence that the girl had been here, but that hardly meant much.

=======================

[OK Gents,

Brief post from me today, as I'm sure it'll take another rotation to get things sorted. There's only two routes out of here, back up through the cellar doors or onward down the passageway.

+Skyler, I've added daggers to your possession.

+Lesale, there's an old cudgel (shortstaff) leaning against one of the walls. You may take that if you want, however you havent made your entrance yet so I neglected to assume.

Please take an action in this next post, regarding where you guys are going and how.

Cheers,

-LK

+50 EXP to the whole party

Midnorton gazed down the northern passageway with a sense of trepidation. He lets the other talk with the prisoners for a little bit before he speaks to the group without turning toward them.

“We should not stay here much longer. We have the girl to rescue and there is no telling how long we have until the two dead guards are discovered from above.”

He finally turned to look back at the group, especially the two newly freed prisoner.

“I’m afraid you will need to come with us. You’ll most likely die if you try to escape on your own.”

With that said, Midnorton starts to move his way down the northern passageway.

============

Mid starts down the passageway cautiously with his bow ready and drawn.

Skyler paused a moment staring at the daggers he now held once more. Such memories he had with each of them. But this was no time to remain stuck in the past. The man with the bow walked down the passage, and he had a good point. Alone, escape would be impossible. Silently, Skyler followed along. Gripping tightly onto his daggers. The leather remained unscathed on the dagger to his left. And rightly so, he had promised never to kill with that one after all. The one on his right was a different story. Worn out and still stained with blood, the two daggers contrasted significantly.

“Most likely die you say…?” The corpse spoke in a low whisper. Lesale slowly rose from the dusty ground of his dank prison cell. Creeping forward with much trepidation, having neither stood nor walked in what seemed like centuries, he continued to speak in hushed tones. “I am afraid to say that such a fate has already befallen me once before.” Shambling forward, the sound of a joint cracking under pressure sent Lesale stumbling off to the side where he leaned against a wall for support.

The old apothecary scanned the corridor for a moment before grasping at a worn, wooden cudgel, which had long since lost its purpose and lay resting alongside the wall. With staff in hand, he attempted to gain his bearings once more, ambling to face his liberators. Earlier clumsiness aside, the man had a distinct aura of foreboding about him, as if the very air was repulsed by his presence. Shaking his head from side to side, he began to think aloud.

“As for your princess, I suspect that she is already been done away with by her captors.” Lesale spoke with an unusual air of disdain. Raising his index finger to the ceiling, he continued. “In life, I served as an apothecary for this very institute,” the heavy annunciation of ‘institute’ gave away his contempt. “My speciality was mind-altering potions procured from the most intoxicating of flora and fauna alike. If your princess is indeed still alive, it is doubtful that her thoughts are still with you.” Lesale hung his head in shame. Another hapless victim of his crude rise to power awaited him, it could not be helped.

Closing his eyes and arching his head backwards, Lesale went on. “I will lend you what little aid I can; however, I am not sure how much help I can offer in this unruly state. Still, if my life will atone for past misdeeds, kill me now.” Clenching his tattered garbs in his fist, he prepared to be struck down without remorse.

Skyler turned away after hearing the man's speech and responded:

What good can a dead man do to atone for his past? While alive, you can confront your wrongdoings.

Skyler turned to the man and pointed at him with the dagger in his right hand and said:

Death is the coward's route to escape the memory of his past. Seek to survive, and you'll live another day to right another wrong. The choice is yours.

The sound of tumblers resisting the entreat of a steel key, then finally relenting their positions, turning to release its ferric maw caused Artimus to grimace slightly. Letting the man in the cell free was a true sign of good faith on their part, but the mariner would have been happier to have gotten some information first.

It was of no matter; Artimus thought as he flicked the coagulating blood from his foil and replaced it in his scabbard.

He turned long ways to Midnorton as he offered words ushering them on to their goal and an offer for the jailed man to join them.

Artimus nodded softly,

Bievenue, 'mis en cage', my name iz Artimuz De londe, if you are you to join uz I muzt know you’re zkillz, it zeemz you have a hand with thoze bladez

Artimus noticed the uneven wear on edges of the daggers
Or at leazt one of them
As he inquired to Skyler he spied Garvan unlocking the cell of the corpse he had seen in the other cell. He twisted his face in confusion wondering what his aim was. Perhaps Garvan ment to search the body.

It would do no harm he thought. Just as he prepaired to tell Garvan to hurry, A voice sounded from inside the cell



From the corpse. “Most likely die you say…?” it creaked

The voice startled Artimus. In fact it struck a shot of uncanny fear from his boots to the tip of his skull. The Mariner shot backward like a cat doused with water. As he reflexively darted away from the noise by a mechanism of pure reaction and self preservation.

Ostie de tabarnac!
Artimus blurted in shock.

Then something else happened.

A bright translucent blue orb of light rocketed at the shambling form that had now taken to its feet. It collided with the form harmlessly it seemed. Falling hard, ass first onto the stone, Artimus gripped his hand where the light had emerged, He could feel something burning under his glove, seething in his hand. Was it his aether scaring, re awakened?


What are you!? Zimmerian horror, aphotic heathen?!




---------

------------

Thought I’d recognize the, “who is the half dead mumra guy” elephant in the room.

After whatever conversation happens we should push on deeper into the facility

Artimis accidentally activates ABILITY: Cantrip - Faerie Light - At-will: Create a small ball of blue light. It casts only a 3-foot ball of illumination, but can be physically thrown up to 30 feet without dissipation. Difficult to see in daylight. Limit 1 ball per WIT d6.

Fellowship - The 3rd of Septem, 3:25 AM


There was a moment of tension as Lesale stumbled out of his prison cell, a rift created between the mariner and the shambling captive.

But that moment was split in two as a sharp shout echoed from beyond the cellar door, causing the fellowship to spin round. The soft glow of the lantern beyond still pooled down the cobbled stairs leading up into the longhouse and a now they could hear hurried footsteps about the floorboards beyond.

"Bloody hell" came a muffled cry from beyond, followed by the sound of more bootsteps in a harried pattern, and then more shouting.

=========================

It sounds as if someone is up in the Longhouse, from whence you came. The cellar doors are still open, leading up to above...

There is a large bar on the door for locking, however actually closing the door would require sticking your head up and grabbing the handle beyond.

Your move.

-LK

EXP: +50 to Art, Skyler, Mid, and Lesale

Skyler worried as he knew he did not want to lead the group, but still felt a need to have his input in order to save his own life.

We should probably hurry out of here. As a place for prisoners, it is unlikely that going further onward will provide any form of escape. I suggest we hurry out of here and finish what we need to get done. Time is ticking for your princess.

Skyler sheathed his knives and began to walk slowly towards the door, trying to signal the rest of the group to follow or take the lead.

From the sound heard from a new threat, Midnorton rushed back to put himself in position to take out anyone that shows themselves above the cellar doors.

However he looked toward Artimus to try to ‘trick’ whoever it might be in case they couldn’t kill the person before they escape to warn other guards.

============

Midnorton just puts himself in a holding position near the cellar doors, hoping they could prevent a swarm of guards coming from above.

Skyler nodded at Artimus and rushed up the steps with his knife ahead of him. First task he was sent to near death. What would behold him up there? Skyler had not seen the outside world for so long... But this was no time to enjoy the views of nature.

================================
Skyler moves up the stairs and will attempt to shut the cellar doors soon as possible.
Note: Skyler has still not revealed his name

Agility check for Skyler,@ slamming door shut

The member 'Lore Keeper' has done the following action : Diceroller

'SKILL CHECK' : 4, 2, 2, 6

Fellowship - The 3rd of Septem, 3:25 AM


The mariner moved swiftly into a covering position, the bowman Midnorton standing aside as the young prisoner now found himself ordered to a precarious task.

Skyler vaulted up the stairs, his head cresting the threshold as he stared outwards. Two men with swords drawn stood over two bloodied corpses, dressed as they were.

At the sound, one turned and locked eyes with Skyler.

"Rat-" the soldier hissed, springing towards the young man, who gripped the cellar doors and nearly dove backwards, dragging the heavy oak portal shut.

*SLAM* The doors collapsed into place just as the soldier neared striking distance, a muffled curse emanating from the other side, followed by the dull thud of a boot slamming against the heavy wood.

Swiftly, Skyler bolted the door shut.

===================

OK guys, the enemy is on the other side of this door. Sadly, that means you cannot retreat, and that someone knows you're here...

EXP: +50 to skyler, artimus and midnorton.

-LK

Midnorton sighed before spoke. “This way out will most likely not be possible. The guard up there will most likely get help. Perhaps enough to force the doors open. Set lets get a move on and rescue the princess and find another way out. I would be surprise if this is the only exit, most dungeons have a few, perhaps even hidden.”

With that said, Midnorton headed down the northern passage and watched for any other guards and any signs of the princess.