Torrax's notebook
The book resting on Balan's corpse lies open. On the open pages is the following text in Orcish.
New subject: Balan Bastom, half-elf, age approximately 40, sandy brown muttonchop beard, grey eyes. He was concerned but not particularly resistive to being bound to the examination table.
As usual for new subjects, Balan claimed that he would not provide me with any information when I asked him about the state of the Shahalesti fleet that had blockaded Seaquen. I quickly disproved that by inserting a #6 rough probe on the buccal side of his lower left wisdom tooth about 1 inch into the joint. After a satisfyingly long and blood-curdling cream, he promptly stated that about two-thirds of the fleet had been destroyed. He also stated that he guessed that the princess had survived. Repeated insertions of a #5 rough probe under each fingernail of his left hand did not change that response.
It took me a long time to extract information about Balan's associates. Initial insertion of the #5 hooked probe just grazing the upper lobe of the left lung produced nothing but another enthusiastic scream, so I had to insert the probe directly into the lobe. Probing along the length of the lung lead Balan to volunteer that the half-orc believes herself to be some sort of elven scout, despite her inability to shoot arrows into a 9-foot tall demon they encountered on their way from Seaquen to Dassen. [A note in the margin reads, "Follow up on demon"] More probing of the lung lead him to describe Amelia as a wizard who couldn't cheat her way through Gabal's school in Gate Pass. When I threatened further punctures, he stated that the dwarf was an outcast w/o any relationship with other dwarves. He clings to his pole arm like a security blanket.
I'm getting tired and careless. Time to return to the embassy for my evening cordial. I'll have the guards to clean up the mess and rub his wounds hourly with the normal salt-alcohol solution.
Next morning. Balan was surprisingly resistive my questions about Seaquen's defenses. Only after repeated perforations with a #6 eccentric probe to the minor lobe of his liver did he explain Simeon briefly made a celestial dire blue whale fly. If he can make the spell permanent, Seaquen will use the whale to transport Xavious Foebane's army of 15,000 to strike the Ragesian armies' unprotected flanks. Alert Guthwulfe immediately!
When I asked him to identify other missions being taken on Seaquen's behalf, he was able to name only two. He heard that Katrina had assembled a team of five to investigate some sort of lead in Ostalin, but he didn't have any information on its composition, even after I made several smooth medium-depth probes of increasing size into his scrotum. He was able to quickly volunteer that the team visiting Castle K is being lead by a gnome named Engledirt Humperbink, and that a petty noble from Gate Pass named Fitz Westgate was accompanying him. Several insertions of a #7 spiral probe into his right elbow got him to further explain that Westgate was one of the those responsible for cutting short Sidoneth's hurricane.
I asked Balan to explain Katrina's progress. He indicated that she had manipulated her way into an advisory position with the Lyceum's leadership. Additional inquiries were unproductive, despite several punctures to....
The description of Balan's torture continues for another page or so before suddenly ending in mid-sentence, with basically plausible statements intermingled with the occasional preposterous assertion, all of which was diligently recorded without any evidence of skepticism on the torturer's behalf.
The book resting on Balan's corpse lies open. On the open pages is the following text in Orcish.
New subject: Balan Bastom, half-elf, age approximately 40, sandy brown muttonchop beard, grey eyes. He was concerned but not particularly resistive to being bound to the examination table.
As usual for new subjects, Balan claimed that he would not provide me with any information when I asked him about the state of the Shahalesti fleet that had blockaded Seaquen. I quickly disproved that by inserting a #6 rough probe on the buccal side of his lower left wisdom tooth about 1 inch into the joint. After a satisfyingly long and blood-curdling cream, he promptly stated that about two-thirds of the fleet had been destroyed. He also stated that he guessed that the princess had survived. Repeated insertions of a #5 rough probe under each fingernail of his left hand did not change that response.
It took me a long time to extract information about Balan's associates. Initial insertion of the #5 hooked probe just grazing the upper lobe of the left lung produced nothing but another enthusiastic scream, so I had to insert the probe directly into the lobe. Probing along the length of the lung lead Balan to volunteer that the half-orc believes herself to be some sort of elven scout, despite her inability to shoot arrows into a 9-foot tall demon they encountered on their way from Seaquen to Dassen. [A note in the margin reads, "Follow up on demon"] More probing of the lung lead him to describe Amelia as a wizard who couldn't cheat her way through Gabal's school in Gate Pass. When I threatened further punctures, he stated that the dwarf was an outcast w/o any relationship with other dwarves. He clings to his pole arm like a security blanket.
It's probably not obvious just from reading the notes I've posted, but all these statements are strictly true. Balan did a good job of downplaying the heroes' talents.
I'm getting tired and careless. Time to return to the embassy for my evening cordial. I'll have the guards to clean up the mess and rub his wounds hourly with the normal salt-alcohol solution.
Next morning. Balan was surprisingly resistive my questions about Seaquen's defenses. Only after repeated perforations with a #6 eccentric probe to the minor lobe of his liver did he explain Simeon briefly made a celestial dire blue whale fly. If he can make the spell permanent, Seaquen will use the whale to transport Xavious Foebane's army of 15,000 to strike the Ragesian armies' unprotected flanks. Alert Guthwulfe immediately!
Maybe this is obvious, but Balan managed to cast Glibness before the morning's torture. I don't know if the party realized that was what was going on.
When I asked him to identify other missions being taken on Seaquen's behalf, he was able to name only two. He heard that Katrina had assembled a team of five to investigate some sort of lead in Ostalin, but he didn't have any information on its composition, even after I made several smooth medium-depth probes of increasing size into his scrotum. He was able to quickly volunteer that the team visiting Castle K is being lead by a gnome named Engledirt Humperbink, and that a petty noble from Gate Pass named Fitz Westgate was accompanying him. Several insertions of a #7 spiral probe into his right elbow got him to further explain that Westgate was one of the those responsible for cutting short Sidoneth's hurricane.
I asked Balan to explain Katrina's progress. He indicated that she had manipulated her way into an advisory position with the Lyceum's leadership. Additional inquiries were unproductive, despite several punctures to....
The description of Balan's torture continues for another page or so before suddenly ending in mid-sentence, with basically plausible statements intermingled with the occasional preposterous assertion, all of which was diligently recorded without any evidence of skepticism on the torturer's behalf.
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