Session 39: Carderby's Underbelly Report

General Summary

Getting Acquainted with the Locals

The party found themselves in a dark corridor, beneath the grounds of the castle. It wound through and, eventually came to a heavy wooden door which had been locked long ago.   Opening this door led into another unlit room filled with what looked like covered furniture.   On the other side of this room, light was spilling in under another door. Gortan peered through the keyhole and saw 2 servants who looked to be sorting out food for the evening meal.   The party made their preparations. Gortan and Tarvy strode into the room and assertively demanded to know where the prisons were given they had prisoners to take there.   The two servants looked confused, saying they should already know that shouldn't they. Eventually they were sufficiently cowed and pointed to a door across the room leading into the prisons, before they both scuttled out of the basement.

The (First) Prison

The party emerged into a prison, which was manned by 3 guards. There were 2 prisoners in the cells, a tough looking man and a friendly welcoming looking woman who was in a cell on the far side of the room.   After some brief conversation, Gortan strode to one of the other two doors in the room and pushed it open. Immediately a loud bell rang above the door and the multiple Inquisition knights in the other room stirred from their rest and began reaching for their weapons.   Gortan tried to diffuse the situation, stating that they had gotten lost, however, this was not bought by the inquisitors by the door and a fight ensued.   As the fight went on, it transpired that the friendly woman in the cell was some sort of agent of the Inquisition, a mage. That said, all of her spells were countered and she ended up doing little in the fight.   The party made fairly short work of the soldiers, and after some brief looting demanded to know how the inquisitors had managed to get in.   The woman, Edeltraud, told them about the secret door next to her cell, and they let her live on the condition that she didn't do any more to impede them. Tarvy took away her spellcasting focus.

Uncovered Inquisition

Heading through the secret passage they emerged onto a raised dais above a large gathering area. Two nasty hooks hung above the dais, with bloodstains on the floor below. The room was, at that time, empty.   As Hal went about extinguishing half of the torches in the room, Gortan listened and heard shouting from one of the doors leading out of the room, shouting which sounded remarkably like Gauvain. Heavy boots began to approach the door.   Before everyone could hide themselves, Gauvain came crashing into the room, visibly angry he threw a chair across the wall where it smashed.   Noticing the party he demanded to know what they were doing there. He told them that Keller was in the room he had just came from, but was about to leave back to Beskus via the teleportation circle.   He also asked them if, instead they could save his son, who was probably being experimented on as they were speaking. The party agreed to do the latter and Gauvain agreed to distract some of the guards, banging on the door and demanding they see him.   The party entered the prison to see cages lining one of the walls, with one, very ugly, dwarf inside, and ranks of about 10 individuals of other races across the other, with a priest seemingly testing their reactiveness. They were not responsive to any external stimuli.   He told them that if they had more subjects they should wait. The party insisted and he told them they should go through to see Frita in the next room. The party did so, with Blaize staying behind to deal with the priest.   Entering the next room they found it to be a sort of laboratory, numerous potions on shelves around, and a bench in the centre with a young woman bent over it wearing a strange metal contraption. Numerous long tubes and tentacles of metal were poking out of the concentrated darkness at the back of the room.   On the table was an orc blood, maybe about 18 years old or so, completely unconscious and very securely strapped down.   As they entered, the woman seemed to realise what they were here to do, and combat ensued. It was a tough fight, the witch or whatever she was being able to hide in the darkness at the back and use her machinery to keep the party at bay, however, eventually, Tarvy, with the aid of his newly summoned spectre, was able to deal the killing blow, slicing through one of the tendrils and taking off her head.   Once they had a chance to steady themselves, the party realised that the room smelt very like the tarry substance they had encountered back near Thornguard Camp, although this smelt cleaner, less fetid in a way, a rawer scent. Examining the tubes revealed they were all means of delivering concentrated doses of this stuff, with various syringe like appendages being used to inject inhuman targets.   They decided to leave this room and take Gauvain's son with them. Before doing so, Hal picked up the magical harness the witch had been wearing, noticing its magical nature, and everyone else scooped up various notes and potions before leaving the room with Taurog, Gauvain's son.   Emerging from the room, Blaize had dealt with the priest, but the figures standing still had not moved, they did not even acknowledge the party's presence. The dwarf in the cage asked that they release him, which they did, before making their way out of the prison and back into the meeting room.   Entering her, they noted that Gauvain seemed to have things well in hand. The Knight Sergeant was very dead, severed almost in twain by a strike from Gauvain's sword, and the three junior knights cowering in the corner.   He thanked them for saving his son, showing true gratitude, before agreeing to buy them the time they needed to deal with the teleportation circle back to Beskus.   The party decided to Rally and take a Short Rest to prepare themselves for the next test.