Pendar - Session 23

53 Merrysest, Earthsday -
Having escaped the dungeons of the keep, the party found themselves confronted by a knight as they left.

[Maximilian: Initiative: 18.01
Sasha Emerith: Initiative: 15
Efta: Initiative: 14.02
Nimue: 7.01
Sana: Initiative: 7]

Maximilian panics, and hesitates.

Sasha Emerith recovers from her initial surprise, looking at the party, before taking a deep breath.
Sasha Emerith: "Guards! Jailbreak!"
Sana: "(Darnit...)"
Efta: "Ssssh! Keep it down would you-- Ack, wh-what's that behind you, miss?!" [Oneiric Horror, DC16 Will]
[Sasha Emerith: Will Save: 25]
Sasha Emerith looks momentarily startled by something, then shakes it off, regaining her wits.

Sana: "Why did we do this again...? I was fine waiting for us to be let out..."
Maximilian: "I don't think anyone was ever going to. No-one had come for an entire day!"
Maximilian wills a shell of chainmail around him, and takes another swing at the guard. [Fervor, Instant Armor]
[Club, Attack: 25, Damage: 10]
Sasha Emerith staggers from the hit getting past her armor, glaring at Maximilian.
Maximilian: "I'm sorry! I don't want to have to do this!"
Sasha Emerith: "You were in jail because you broke the law. It's where scum like you belong."

Nimue jumps over the banister and readies herself to fling a mote of ice at anything closing to her. [Acrobatics: 14, Damage: 6]
Nimue curses like a seaman who just learned that the whorehouse is closed, as she hurts her ankle landing.

Sana: "Um... I technically didn't do any lawbreaking. I just helped a flying talking bright red fox learn how to fly...."
"Maybe he was blue..."
Sasha Emerith: "I've heard better excuses from the washout from the tavern."
Sana: "No really, that's the truth. I did not break into any castle, honest."
"And you'd really lock up a poor little girl with these scary criminals...?"
Maximilian: "A-All I did was tell a lie!"
Sasha Emerith: "Attacking a guardsman of the city alone warrants throwing you and your lot into jail."
Sana: "I have not attacked you."
"....Max, what do I do?"
"I don't really want to attack her,"
Sana looks at the guard with sad eyes.
Sana: "Um... could you please just drop your weapon and let us go past? I at least won't go anything bad. I just want to find my blue flying talking fox and my flying horses." [Command, DC16]
[Sasha Emerith: Will Save: 13]
Sasha Emerith looks surprised, as the longsword falls from her grip.
Sana: "Thank you, miss knight."
Sasha Emerith: "Another mage among you? Your group is more deviant than I expected."
Sana: "Let's go, Max, we have to find our flying friends~"
Sasha Emerith: "You will be going back into jail where you belong!"
Sana: "Aww... please can I not go back there?"
Sasha Emerith holds her ground, still intent on not allowing anyone through.
Sana: "It smells and there's no foxes...."
Sasha Emerith: "You should have thought about that before you broke into the keep!"
Sana: "But I didn't!"
Maximilian: "Right... we still need to find whatever treachery the Duke has planned."
Sana: "Max, back me up, please. I didn't go into the castle,"

Maximilian grits his teeth, continuing to fight.
[Club, Attack: 10, Damage: 10]
The club bounces off the knight's armor entirely, not even leaving a dent.

Nimue curses some more and throws two motes of fire at the knight. [Magic Missile, Damage: 4, 4]
The bolts of fire swerve around Max to hit their target.
Maximilian: "Try the door, Nimue."

Sana seems very troubled.
Sana: "Um... miss."
"I'm really really sorry for this, but... can you hold still while we pass?" [Hold Person, DC 17]
[Sasha Emerith: Will Save: 20]
Sasha Emerith ignores the fire bolts, as they collide with a thin magic aura around her. She then turns a glare to Sana, as she resists the cleric's spell.

Sana: "I'll... take that as a no. I'm sorry."
Sasha Emerith reaches down to retrieve her sword from the ground, mindful of any attacks from Maximilian.
[Club, Attack: 19, Damage: 10]
Sasha Emerith deflects the club with her shield, as she moves her sword around to strike at Maximilian, an electric aftertrail following it.
[Longsword, Attack: 26, Damage: 8 + Elec: 2
Confirm: 22, Crit: 6]
Maximilian shakes in pain at the strike.
Maximilian: "I see... I was a fool to hold back."
Sana: "...as was I."
Sasha Emerith: "You were a fool to break the law in the first place."
Sana: "I didn't break the law!"
Maximilian: "You're a fool following the Duke!"
Sana: "They, did, sure. But I didn't!"
Sasha Emerith: "I follow the word of the Everking and no more!"
Efta backs away in confusion, waiting for a clearer sign of what to do.

[Maximilian: Fervor, Divine Favor]
[Club, Attack: 23, Damage: 12]
Sasha Emerith staggers from the wound, gritting her teeth and holding her determination.
Hastur starts to bump against Nimue's head.
Nimue: "(Ouch, ow, ouch, stop that!)"
Maximilian: "I'm sorry! I have no brook with your god, but I have to do this!"
Nimue climbs back over the banister, just behind Max. [Climb: 20]
Nimue starts to intone a spell, and a lance of fire leaves her hand. [Scorching Ray, Attack: 23, Damage: 18, Crit Confirm: 23, Crit Damage: 15]
Sasha Emerith tries to put up a last defense against the burst of flame, but collapses from the force of the blast.
Sana immediately rushes over to the fallen knight to administer medical attention.
Maximilian gasps.
Sana: "You..."
Nimue: "Can we go now?"
Maximilian: "No time to argue. The door or the courtyard?"
Nimue: "Drag her inside, grab her sword and check the door."
As the party tries to tend to the fallen knight, they can hear the sounds of footsteps and the clink of armor from other guards approaching.
Maximilian nods and grabs the fallen knight with her sword, reluctantly hauling them downstairs.
Sana faintly addresses NImue
Sana: "(Y-you... heartless witch...)"
Nimue: "(What did you expect to happen in an break out during day light?)"
"(There is a reason why I wasn't in favour of it.)"
Nimue points at the body.
Nimue: "(And there the reason lies.)"
Maximilian: "(None of us wanted this. Just move!)"
Nimue moves downwards.
Efta looks unhappy but anxiously follows after the others.
Sana sits still, shaking.
Maximilian attempts to drag Sana with him, but as the footsteps come closer, abandons the idea. [Maximilian: Combat Maneuver: 10]
Sana: "I-I'd... rather stay and have judgement passed down on me than...."
Nimue: "(We will tell Atremis if you're dead.)"
Maximilian: "(This place is not led by justice. Accidents happen, and death is not atonement!)"
Sana: "...Atremis, Asteria..."
"I'll... come. But I'm going to make that witch pay..."
Maximilian: "(We're all paying the price as it is, Sana.)"
Sana meekly gets up, red-eyed, and reluctantly, still shaking, follows.

The party hurries down the staircase, coaxing Sana along, and ducks out of sight, finding themselves at a locked door.
Maximilian: "...I pray this sordid trial will lead us to the right of things."
Nimue: "Frigg, need someone to break this door open."
Sana: "I don't think prayers can help a-anymore..."
Maximilian wanders to Nimue, to assess the door.
Maximilian: "(Better plan. Efta has the tools, I'll block the way in.)"
Efta steps forward, attempting to use the skeleton key.
Maximilian beckons Efta to the locked door, moving over to the way he came in.
Efta mutters under his breath, before retrieving the lockpick instead.
Efta: "It's not working this time."
Maximilian: "(Whatever is down here must be more important.)"
Sana: "We... aren't going to get away, are we...? Do we even know if t-this way is the way out...?"
Maximilian: "(We don't.)"
Nimue: "(Break it open then, either that or fight against the whole garrison.)"
Maximilian: "(I'd check if the guard has a key, but I don't want to light this place.)"
Nimue: "(Let me check.)"
Nimue uses her darkvision to check the corpse for a key.
Nimue: "(Got key, let me try to open it.)"
Nimue moves to the front, keeping as much distance from Sana as possible.
Nimue tries out the keys as quickly as she can.
None of the keys seem to fit this lock.
Sana rests a hand on the fallen knight's head, whispering a prayer in Celestial.
Nimue: "(No dice, brute force it is.)"
Maximilian: "(I guess I'll have to.)"
Hastur buzzes in anger.
Sana: "(I swear I will avenge you, brave knight of the everking.)"
Maximilian stows his torch, steps back, and attempts to shoulder barge the door. [STR Check: 7]
Sana: "M-max... I um... have a spell that might help..."
Maximilian: "(Are you going to be up to it?)"
"(I do think there's something important behind here.)"
Sana steps forwards and rests her hands on Max's arm. [Bull's Strength]
Sana: "I-i can try... I'm... ready to accept whatever fate is given to me at this point..."
Maximilian: "(What a sordid fate this is.)"
Maximilian rests a palm on his shock wound, restoring it, and attempts to bash the door again. [Cure Light Wounds: 8] [STR check: 26]
The door rattles in its frame, but seems to be held in place by something more than just locks and hinges.
Maximilian: "(Alright, something is off with this. Either there is a secret in this chamber or we need to back out.)"
Maximilian illuminates the tip of his torch with a spell. [Perception: 21]
Sana: "We... should maybe turn back while we can..."
The small light reveals a corridor of not-quite-finished stone, barred by the wooden door.
Maximilian: "(We could burn the door, though... how far do we need to fall?)"
Nimue: "(Let me try to burn through.)"
Sana: "It's... that or face the guards..."
Maximilian steps away from the door, wincing as the torchlight illuminates the guard's face.
Nimue throws motes of fire against the door in quick succession. [Ray of Frost]
The repeated spells finally burn away most of the door.
Sana reluctantly drags her body ahead.
Maximilian whispers a quiet prayer for the fallen guard, before stepping forward into the chamber and leaving her behind.
Maximilian barely jumps to the side, as a portion of the floor breaks and falls beneath him. [Reflex Save: 22]
Maximilian: "Yikes!"
Nimue: "(Trap or crumbling building?)"
Nimue carefully moves ahead.
Maximilian: "(That is a good question.)"
The section of floor that broke away is too neat to have been merely structural damage. It looks purposely designed. [Knowledge: Engineering: 19]
Nimue: "(A trap, everyone be careful.)"
Maximilian: "(I see. Understood.)"
Maximilian raises his torch, and begins slowly moving onward.
With uneasy hearts, the party continues further into the darkened tunnels.