Academy of Drell, Part 5

[Argent Silvermage]

[OOC: Where is the Orc Lyrique charmed and where is the tied up orc?]
"I'm sorry if I didn't get a chance to explain this before. The orcs are now lead by one chieftan and the chieftan decided they would raid the academy and take as many prisoners back with them as they could. They are plagued by giants that are eating the Orcs and think to use our people as food for the giants and thus not be eaten themselves." Lyrique says with a look of distaste on his handsome face.

 

[Zhure]

Brandeles plunks himself expansively onto a wooden bench, and sighs contendedly, as if it's a plush lounge rather than a spartan bench. His satchel full of jars and flasks clanks against a work table then slams into the floor.

"They were trying to dig under the base of the doorway," Brandeles says, "I think the fire bombs will make them either give up or encourage them into thinking they're doing well."

Bacan swoons onto the other end of the bench, but the two other brothers seem to ignore his obvious head injury.

Bralalyr, the bald one, tries to answer Charlotte. "Well, we were just getting ready to go to bed two days ago--"

"Yesterday!" the other two brothers interrupt.

"--yesterday," Bralalyr corrects himself without missing a beat," when Bacan was jumped by a whole tribe of orcs as he took his evening constitutional. He managed to escape, made his way back here and we bolted the main door.

"Since then, they've been trying to get us out, but without siege engines, they don't really stand a chance."

Behind Bralalyr is the main door leading to the public area of the alchemy shop, a place most of you have been many times. The normal door of the shop has been replaced with a large solid iron barricade, with two massive bolts running from floor to ceiling and one going from side to side holding it firmly shut.

Turning to Lyrique, Bacan looks sad. "I'm sorry; I was going to the mess when they jumped me! I haven't seen your parents."

 

[Zhure]

The gnomes wouldn't have let them into the shop; we can rewind as necessary. But I assumed they were left behind still tied up.

 

[Jeremy]

"I need a drink... You got any of that stuff you brew? Not the paint remover this time either."

Rallyn thumps down in a chair.

Aw man, what are we gonna do....

He holds his little head in his hands, massaging his forehead. "So much for the Academy being pretty much empty."

 

[Jarval]

Mortimer gladly takes a seat in the warm workshop. He looks around, studying several of the bottles of chemicals with interest.

"Bacan, are you alright? We might be able to patch you up a bit, if you need healing." He says to the injured Gnome. "Is there any other way we can help? Or is there any undercover way to get to the main building?"

 

[Zhure]

The workshop is indeed warm, almost cloyingly so after the cold winter outside.

Bacan crosses his arms with a surly scowl. "I'll suffer my wounds silently, thank ye."

Upon closer examination, Mortimer notices there isn't any blood on the bandage on Bacan's head.

Bralalyr giggles and hands a bubbling glass to Rallyn. Brandeles coughs and Bralalyr sheepishly exchanges the glass for one with ale in it.

It's Brandeles who replies to Mortimer's question. "Och, the island's riddled with passages! In fact, if you take the tunnel to the statue, and then cross the one open quad, you'd be right at the library, and from there, there's a short tunnel in the main hall into the steam tunnels under the whole campus, but I figure the orcs are in the steam tunnels... you're pretty close to the library after you leave the statue tunnel anyways...."

His voice trails off as if in deep thought.

 

[Jeremy]

Rallyn attempts a glare at Bralalyr, but his eyes are twinkling and he gives up, grinning at the gnome. Rallyn takes a swig of his ale, then lets out a sigh and tries to figure out what to do next.

 

[Lichtenhart]

"Is there a map of the passages?" asks Vic, nearly lost in Brandeles' explanation. "Is there also a safe way to reach the town? We should help Lirique find his parents."

 

[Zhure]

The three gnomes cackle at the suggestion of a map of the tunnels.

"Well," Bralalyr suggests," Yodwin the Blue is probably the only one who knows them all, he might have a map of them. He's been the main librarian thirty--"

"Sixty!" the other two interrupt.

"--sixty years at least. The main tunnels run from Coles house, to the library, the cafeteria and the student housing... the steam tunnels. There aren't any that go down to the town though. At least not that we know."

 

[Argent Silvermage]

"Sir, begging your pardon but are there any that go to the servents quarters of the dining area?" Lyrique's looking more frustrated the longer he is delayed in finding his parents.