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Journal of the Souls of Legend (completed)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 7559141" data-attributes="member: 6971069"><p><strong>The Prisoner Dilemma</strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>The Prisoner Dilemma</strong></p><p></p><p><em><p style="text-align: center">There is a Bleaker joke that goes like this:</p></em></p><p style="text-align: center"><em> </p></em></p><p style="text-align: center"><em>“A Sensate says to a Bleaker, ‘You know they say its ‘darkest before the dawn?’ right?’</p></em></p><p style="text-align: center"><em>‘Sure I do. You realize that it never dawns in Sigil right?’”</p></em></p><p style="text-align: center"><em></p></em></p><p style="text-align: center"><em>It’s still not funny. </p><p></em></p><p>I heard the double doors open, and then the sound of boots and the clink of armor stepped into the room, in mid conversation.</p><p></p><p>“…well it’s not like they could sucssseed anyway.” A gravelly voice that spoke with the sibilant sounds stretched out.</p><p></p><p>“No, but an attempt would undermine the Baronesses’ hold here, and we cannot allow this,” a second cold and tired sounding voice retorted.</p><p></p><p>“Then hole her up in her room till morning. The rissssk is too high.”</p><p></p><p>“No Arakhan, we need her visible. Nothing is wrong afterall, and as long as she keeps sending Leoras north looking for graves, she’s doing her job and can enjoy her little party here.”</p><p></p><p>Hiding under a desk was an idea born of panic and my heart was pounding. My lungs burned, as I scarcely dared to breathe. If the first voice was Arakhan, I could only imagine the second was Vicam. I was both praying not to be found and cursing at myself for being trapped in the room with the pair. While Arakhan came across as someone that was used to “delivering the mail,” Vicam’s voice gave me chills.</p><p></p><p>“Leorasssss might ssssstart asking questionssss.”</p><p></p><p>“And the best way to keep him from doing that is to keep sending him out of town. In the meantime, let our hired professionals sniff out the crowd here. If the ‘Star’ is intending to make a statement, our reply will be visible and fierce.”</p><p></p><p>“And what of the prissssoner? How long until we-“</p><p></p><p>Prisoner? I strained to listen, still holding my breath. As I looked out from my position, I saw the curtain that Iesa was hiding behind. Inwardly I groaned, as I realized one of his boots was poking out. Not just the toes, the whole boot, as the curtain was caught in the top, basically exposing the entirety of his lower left leg. </p><p>I was staring in horror, as I expected either Vicam or Arakhan to notice this. But fortunately, Iesa must have felt something was amiss as I saw some quiet tugging, and watched the curtain being pulled out from the boot, and it was lowered quietly to the floor.</p><p></p><p>“Until they aren’t useful of course. After the gala we shall resume our…chats.</p><p></p><p>“You are playing a dangerousss game by keeping them around. Should be dispozzzed of.”</p><p></p><p>“They are safely hidden below, and no one is looking for them either. The risk is small.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, let’ssss find out where the Baronessss has gone then.” And then I heard the door open, the din of the party outside grow louder and then the sound of the door shutting again.</p><p></p><p>I waited as long as I could in silence, and I exhaled quietly in relief. I crawled my way out from under the desk and was helped up by Iesa who had already emerged. Keeping our eyes on the door to the landing we moved in close to each other.</p><p></p><p>“Prisoner?” I said “Is it normal for a seneschal to be in charge of a prisoner here?”</p><p></p><p>“No,” Iesa whispered back. “Normally the captain of the guard have such a place for criminals in the city. Private jails of rich nobles aren’t unheard of though. But the Waterbaroness seems to be on the level on the law here. Having a private prisoner doesn’t sound right.</p><p></p><p>“Perhaps she doesn’t know?”</p><p></p><p>“That’s not better, if they are going behind their ruler’s back.”</p><p></p><p>I frowned and thought a moment and said, “Well, we can tell a lot about the Baroness based on the company she keeps; willing or not.”</p><p></p><p>Iesa smiled, “I agree with that.” He looked at the doors again before speaking, “And if I had to make a guess on where they could be hidden, it would be the stairs down from the kitchen.”</p><p></p><p>“Let’s go,” I said, “before they come back.”</p><p>Iesa and I made our way back to the landing doors, and he pressed his ear against the wood. A moment later he lifted a single finger to his lips, and slowly opened the door, pulling it inwards and slipping through.</p><p></p><p>I followed him onto the landing, closing the doors behind him. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice where we emerged from and once again we linked arms and made our way back to the twin staircases.</p><p></p><p>As we descended, I saw Beepu alone talking to a large imposing figure in what appeared to be a uniform. He was tall, and somewhere in his later years with grey streaked hair that once was a solid black. His beard and mustache where a light grey. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but it seemed to be causal in nature.</p><p></p><p>“Beepu’s made a friend,” Iesa noted as we descended, also seeing the discussion. “But I don’t see Daneath.”</p><p>Once we reached the floor of the Foyer, I looked around. The party was getting noisier as the drinks kept flowing. From here we could see a doorway to what appeared to be a large study of some sort, and the other was a hallway that had a number of doors. I caught a glimpse of a man in leather entering one, but no sign of Daneath.</p><p></p><p>“We can likely look around without them for now, “ I said. </p><p></p><p>Iesa nodded again, and together we travelled beneath the stairs and entered the Great Hall. And there in the center was the Waterbaroness herself. As we made our way across to the kitchen doors, I finally had a good chance to look at her. She was older than I expected, somewhere in her fifth decade. Unlike most of the guests, she didn’t wear her mask, but instead it was fastened on the left side to the end of a wand that she carried. So, I could clearly see the brown eyes, with deep crow’s feet set around them. Her face was lightly lined, tanned and gave the impression of once being a great beauty. Her lips were painted a garish red. Her expression was haughty, and she gave the appearance of constantly looking down upon people, like the guest that she was listening to currently.</p><p></p><p>Glancing into the kitchen once again, we saw that the staff was very busy preparing food, and the Gour of course yelling at the top of her lungs. This time it was just simpler to just run across and down the stairs as Iesa and I were fairly quick, even though I was wearing a corset.</p><p></p><p>Within moments we were descending into darkness. There were sconces on the walls with torches, but all were unlit. By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, there was barely any light at all. It didn’t really bother me much, everything was dim but visible enough. The stairs ended into a room that was storing kegs and bottles. In a corner was a dumbwaiter large enough to move a keg or two to presumably the kitchen. The room was full of racks, but the racks themselves seemed a bit light in terms of kegs or bottles stored.</p><p>But while this was my first impression, Iesa of course saw nothing but darkness.</p><p></p><p>“Where are we?”</p><p></p><p>“Probably a wine cellar of some type…oh sorry,” And I reached inwards and cast a light spell out again on ribbons on my sleeve and allowing Iesa a real look.</p><p></p><p>He turned his head and surveyed, “Yep, seems accurate,” and he bent down to look at the dust at the floor. Peering a moment, he moved towards the rows of racks that projected at a right angle from the wall. There were four of these, with the last fully against the back of the room, instead of projecting into the room.</p><p></p><p>“Most of the tracks are near the front rack. But there is another set that leads back here,” and he moved slowly to the far wall and rack. “And more importantly, this one has marks of heavier boots and not servant’s slippers or shoes.”</p><p></p><p>As I watched he moved to the racks, and gently pulled. Eventually he found one that moved, or rather pivoted and swung away from the wall. He then stepped forward and examined the wall itself.</p><p>“It’s stone, but not the same kind as the one around it. Probably a moveable panel or door. Help me look for a way to open it.”</p><p></p><p>I squeezed in next to him and we both looked over the stone and the rack. Eventually he found near the floor a small pedal that was underneath an adjoining rack.</p><p></p><p>“There! Shall we?”</p><p></p><p>I nodded, “Might get your sword out though,”</p><p></p><p>He smiled and drew the short-bladed sword from beneath his jacket. </p><p></p><p>“Ok, you step on the pedal and I’ll be ready.”</p><p></p><p>Nodding again, I held out my hand with three fingers extended...</p><p></p><p>Two fingers…</p><p></p><p>One finger…</p><p></p><p><em>Click!</em></p><p>Upon stepping on the pedal, the panel popped out on one side, opening barely the width of a thumb. We heard no other sound, so he pulled the panel open wide enough so I could get my hands on it as well. Together we pulled it open away from the wall and soon it jutted out at an angle, uncovering a tunnel.</p><p></p><p>Peering down it, there was bright orange flickering light coming from the far end. But it wasn’t enough to light the tunnel, but it was enough to see there was a large room at the end, and from our vantage point we could see a door with bars directly on the other side of the room, opposite of the tunnel.</p><p></p><p>We looked at each other silently, and I motioned Iesa on with my hand.</p><p></p><p>Iesa was very quiet, and true to his trade as a Knight of the Post. I couldn’t hear his movements at all, as he crept ahead of me in the tunnel. I followed behind him, quietly as well, but all I could hear was my own heart quickly beating in the darkness of the tunnel. I stayed behind Iesa, and let him take a decent lead in front of me.</p><p>When I was down about midway through the tunnel, I flexed and doused the light from my ribbons. The flickering orange reddish light ahead seemed be firelight. Iesa was near the corner, and I was about three paces behind him when I began to smell the sharp smoke of wood, confirming my suspicions about a fire. But then I caught the hint of…something else.</p><p></p><p>I closed my eyes and focused on the smell, as they taught us in the Civic Festhall. By shutting off your most powerful sense, you helped the other four to become sharper. It was familiar, but being mixed with the burning wood, identification eluded me. Suddenly the scent become stronger and it was then I recognized it.</p><p></p><p>Brimstone.</p><p></p><p>I opened my eyes, and was about to whisper Iesa a warning, when he peered around the corner.</p><p>The sudden eruption of heat from the tunnel opening was strong, and I watched as Iesa threw himself back away from the end. And now the very strong scent of brimstone permeated my nostrils. </p><p></p><p>I bolted back down the tunnel wide eyed and in fear. Coming past the panel, I stopped and braced myself against it and waited. Iesa was quiet, but not that quiet and he burst out from the tunnel. Fumbling in the darkness he searched with his hands for me and the panel, and together we pushed the panel closed.</p><p></p><p><em>Click.</em></p><p></p><p>We stood there panting a moment, and I watched Iesa put his ear against the door to listen. I resummoned the light and now could see the lack of normal color on his face, the streaks of ash on this face, and the clear scent of brimstone drifted from his clothing.</p><p></p><p>After a moment he shook his head, and then leaned back against the panel and sighed audibly. </p><p></p><p>“That…that…was…an…ugly…dog.” He said between breaths.</p><p></p><p>“Let..me…guess…” I said panting, but recovering, “Gaunt and skeletal…spat fire, and…looked ready to use you…as a meal?”</p><p></p><p>Iesa nodded with a look of confusion on his face, “How did you?...”</p><p></p><p>“I caught the smell of Brimstone and then once I saw fire…I made a guess.”</p><p></p><p>“Good guess.”</p><p></p><p>“Was it alone?” I asked my breathing back to normal.</p><p></p><p>Iesa thought a moment, “I saw the room was a square with three cells on the far wall, and the Hell…hound. Only saw one though.”</p><p></p><p>“Not a nice pet,” I said. “The generally only serve evil beings like Baatezu.”</p><p></p><p>Iesa looked at me with a mixture of shock and surprise, “Wait…you’ve seen them before?”</p><p></p><p>I nodded, “Sometimes a Baatezu or a Yugoloth will bring one to Sigil to sell or trade. I’ve heard that they keep many a spiv away from your valuables, if you feed them. So, in the market yes…muzzled of course. But you can’t forget the smell”</p><p></p><p>Iesa just stared at me, and then after a few moments, “You know, I knew that you were from a far away city from here…but I didn’t realize how far.”</p><p></p><p>“Well,” I smiled “Just wait till I tell you about the Baatezu and Yugoloths. If you thought that hound was bad, their masters are worse.”</p><p></p><p>“Wait, are one of them here too?”</p><p></p><p>“I doubt it. If I had to guess its Vicam’s. Doesn’t raise my opinion of him much, or the Waterbaroness if she knows about it. It’s an evil beast.”</p><p></p><p>“I’ll label it a ‘character witness’ before they hang us for a comparison.”</p><p></p><p>“Cute thought, I’ll ask the Red Death to…nevermind. Now what?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, do you have anything to hurt it?”</p><p></p><p>I shrug, “I could probably hit it hard enough with my magic. But it is going to take several tries. We might get lucky.”</p><p></p><p>“What if we bring the others?”</p><p></p><p>“Much better odds, but It’s going to hurt.”</p><p></p><p>“I have an idea for that too. But we need Foggle and some meat.”</p><p></p><p>“Foggle and some mea…Oh! That is our ticket to the job...but I’m personally fine with a different way if needed.”</p><p></p><p>Iesa looked at me, “Come on. You want out of this deal more than any one of us.”</p><p></p><p>I looked at Iesa, “That’s true…but it’s your head as well.”</p><p></p><p>Iesa looked down nodding, “Yes, well…If I’m going to murder someone…I’d rather it be a bit more straightforward. Poison seems…like a cheat.”</p><p></p><p>I reached out to his face and lifted his chin to look into his sad brown eyes. I could see the torment in his face, as he realized how the multiverse’s plan for him was taking a turn he didn’t want to take. He wanted to be in control of his own destiny, and not shoved towards it. </p><p></p><p>I smiled sympathetically, “I know…I know what you mean.” And I paused a moment before saying, “Well, let’s get the others and see about putting down this dog. After I clean us up though.”</p><p></p><p>“Look I took a bath, this ‘Iesa is smelly’ joke is a bit much.”</p><p></p><p>“It’s not that…you smell like brimstone now…and it stands out,” I said wrinkling my nose.</p><p></p><p>Iesa knitted his brow and lifted his wrist to his nose and inhaled. </p><p></p><p>“I smell what you mean.”</p><p></p><p>-----------</p><p></p><p>After a bit of clean-up with my powers, we made our way back up the stairs to the kitchen and paused near the top of the stairs to observe. The Gour was still yelling, but the servants were bringing in dishes, and moving less food and drink out at the moment.</p><p></p><p>“So? Plan?” Iesa said.</p><p></p><p>I looked at him critically, “You’re a Knight of the Post. Go sneak out and find them. And don’t forget some meat from the table.”</p><p></p><p>“Right…what’s a?...”</p><p></p><p>I hit him in the bicep, “A spiv? A Knight of the Cross trade?” and seeing the blank look on his face, “A thief?”</p><p></p><p>“Oh…sure…right. So, you are staying here? Ok, how do we get back?”</p><p></p><p>“If you push the right most kitchen door inwards and give me a thumbs up, I’ll make a fuss again, and you can bring in the others.”</p><p></p><p>Iesa pursed his lips together in a frown. “Yep. That’ll work again.” And with that he pressed himself against the wall, waited for a moment, and slipped out the door.</p><p></p><p>It was a while before I saw Iesa’s hand in the doorway and looking again I saw the pots and pans had once again been piled in a haphazardly balanced heap. I reached inside to the light within me an shook a bit, and once again tremors hit the kitchen.</p><p></p><p>“You idjits! I told you to stack ‘em pots proper!” the Gour immediately set off, and I saw the trio bolt towards the stairs. Daneath actually looked somewhat graceful, and the muffling we had put on the chain shirt seemed to be holding up as he didn’t jingle. Iesa was as swift and quiet as ever.</p><p></p><p>Beepu on the other hand was carrying a large plate, with a large cut of cured meat on it, and a dark scowl on his face. We began our descent again into the darkness.</p><p></p><p>Once at the bottom, Beepu glared at the three of us, “Now what? And why did I need to bring a ham? Do we have a plan or something? I hate this party.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, Iesa has a plan. What took you so long though?” I asked looking at Iesa.</p><p></p><p>“Beepu was easy to find by the food. Big D took a while.” He said looking at the large man.</p><p></p><p>Daneath was rubbing his neck, “Yeah I was having a conversation and it took me a while to…extract myself safely. So, what is this about?”</p><p></p><p>“There is a secret prisoner down here,” I said, “And we need some assistance with the…guard dog.”</p><p></p><p>“Ok…the meat makes sense now,” as Beepu tore off a hunk and ate it. “But this is not going to be a very long distraction.”</p><p></p><p>“No, that’s why I’m going to poison it, and then we finish it off.” Iesa said, taking the meat from a surprised Beepu.</p><p></p><p>“Poison it? Aren’t we using that on the Waterbaroness?” Daneath said looking at the smaller man.</p><p></p><p>“We aren’t required to, and this prisoner might have a better understanding of what is going on.”</p><p></p><p>“How did you find out there is a prisoner here?” Daneath pressed.</p><p></p><p>“Vicam mentioned it,” I said.</p><p></p><p>“Vicam? Did you talk to him?” Beepu asked.</p><p></p><p>“Nope. He was talking to Eragon.”</p><p></p><p>“You mean Arakhan right?” Beepu corrected.</p><p></p><p>“Whatever. Right, him. We were nearby and overheard.” I said shrugging.</p><p></p><p>“Well, it is probably worth the poison, but is that not excessive for a guard dog?” Beepu asked as he watched Iesa dump the poison on the ham.</p><p></p><p>“It’s a big dog.”</p><p></p><p>“What like a mastiff or something?”</p><p></p><p>“Sure,” I said. “We just need Foggle to drop off the meat and come back to us, then we can take it out.</p><p></p><p>“Well…that does sound simple enough I suppose. No need to take on additional risk.”</p><p></p><p>We moved to the panel, and Iesa drew his sword out again, and Daneath did the same. I took my position to press on the pedal, and Iesa listened again at the door.</p><p></p><p>“it’s clear…I think,” he said.</p><p></p><p>With a quick motion, and a puff of white smoke Foggle was resting on Beepu’s arm. Beepu didn’t say a word, and Foogle made a small ‘boop’ sound and took to the air. Iesa handed the meat to the golden owl and at that moment I pushed the pedal. Between Daneath and Iesa they quickly opened it wide enough for the owl to fly through, and they both pushed the door shut.</p><p></p><p>For a moment or two, Beepu just stood and tapped his foot. Then suddenly he straightened up and waved his hand with some irritation and looked at Iesa and I.</p><p></p><p>“Wait a minute…Foggle said something about fire and Sulphur?”</p><p></p><p>Iesa frowned, “Must have found a trap?”</p><p></p><p>“In the air?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, once we get past the dog, I’ll look for it.”</p><p></p><p>“Let’s give it a minute to eat,” I said. “Then charge in and kill it.”</p><p></p><p>“Will that be necessary?” Daneath asked.</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” both Iesa and I replied.</p><p></p><p>“Big dog then…” Daneath muttered.</p><p></p><p>Iesa placed his ear against the stone, and after a moment he smiled.</p><p></p><p>“It’s wretching, we should go now.”</p><p></p><p>I pushed the pedal again, and Daneath and Iesa opened the door and started to move inside.</p><p></p><p>“Beepu,” I said, “Don’t use fire by the way.”</p><p></p><p>“What? Why?"</p><p></p><p>“Trust me,” and I bolted inside.</p><p></p><p>Daneath was in front, followed by Iesa, myself and then Beepu. We ran down the length, and soon Daneath rounded the corner with his sword ready to charge the dog, when I heard him exclaim.</p><p></p><p>“What THE HELL?!?”</p><p></p><p>“Close enough,” I said, Iesa already had pulled around the corner and I heard the whistling of blades in the air. Finally, when I stopped at the corner I poked my head around to finally see what I had been smelling.</p><p>The hell hound was already bleeding from a pair of gashes in it. Its mouth was dripping foam, and I could smell rancid bile in the air, mixed with the already heavy smell of brimstone. Its coat was coarse and the color of coal. But underneath it, along the ribs was the warm red color of flame and heat. The eyes of the fiend were smoldering cinders and grey dirty smoke came from its mouth of blackened ivory teeth.</p><p></p><p>Daneath had his blade in front of him, warily looking at the beast, while Iesa was positioned behind it. The hell hound was very aware the pair were trying to flank it, and it was twisting its head to look at each of them in turn, trying not to let either take advantage of it.</p><p></p><p>I looked and summoned a bolt of purple eldritch energy and flung it at the hell hound, striking the fiend in its ribs. It turned to glare at me, when Beepu rounded the corner, and what was once a confused face turned into one of surprise. He quickly made a motion with his hand and a beam of white energy sprang from his fingers striking it on its flank. Beepu then ran behind the corner and me. He turned to look at me crossly and shouted at me.</p><p></p><p>“That…is NOT a mastiff,”</p><p></p><p>“My mistake!” I yelled in return.</p><p></p><p>Daneath swung and the hound snapped at his hand causing him to miss his mark. Daneath moved back into a </p><p>defensive stance waiting for the dog to charge.</p><p></p><p>The hound had other ideas as it turned suddenly, and I could see the red glow from its ribs turn from a bright red, to an orange and then to yellow. It then breathed a gout of yellow flames towards Iesa, and spreading wide and hitting the wall behind Iesa.</p><p></p><p>The flames licked up the wall, but fortunately, Iesa had side stepped the majority of the flame and stabbed at the hound with his sword. With a sickening sound of bone being crushed and the sound of the metal hitting something soft and wet the hound yelped in anger. </p><p></p><p>I stepped around the corner and again threw a bolt of energy at it, and it turned to face me. Just as it did, Beepu also stepped around the corner and threw another frosty beam at it, hitting squarely between the eyes.</p><p>The hound staggered a moment, confused. At the last moment it turned to focus on Daneath when his sword came down, nearly severing the head from the body of the fiend. The beast collapsed on the stone below it, and smoke and embers erupted from holes in the chest cavity. Soon the entire creature was covered in flames, adding the smell of burnt hair to the already awful odors floating in the air.</p><p></p><p>I stepped around the corner and moved to Iesa. His clothing was sooty and had scorch marks on his thigh of his pants. A large hole there exposed his thigh, which already was crusted with blackened burns. He grimaced and leaned against a wall, panting heavily.</p><p></p><p>Reaching him, I reached inside for some light and poured out energy on the wound. Quickly, the blackened skin sloughed away to new healed skin, and even the red burn marks faded to nothing. Then I focused on this clothing, repairing them so no tear or mark of flame was visible at all.</p><p></p><p>“What…the…Hell…was that?” Daneath pointed his sword at the smoking pile of fur and ash.</p><p></p><p>“A Hell Hound,” I said still using my spells to repair Iesa’s breeches. “Are you hurt?”</p><p></p><p>“A Hell ho…er um. No.” Daneath stopped interrogating me and looked himself over suddenly.</p><p></p><p>“Well, that’s good. Glad we poisoned it though. Could have gone worse.” I said mildly, and I could hear Iesa stifling a laugh.</p><p></p><p>“Couldn’t you have told us a bit more, before we rushed in?”</p><p></p><p>“Honestly, I hoped the poison would kill it outright. Since it didn’t, I’m glad we didn’t use it as intended. It might not have worked.” I said.</p><p></p><p>“Now that is an interesting point. We did assume it was strong enough to work. We never really looked into that. Beepu said. “Perhaps we were never meant to succeed. Only to fail and be caught.</p><p></p><p>“Perish the thought,” Iesa said looking down at what was now an uninjured leg and unburned cloth. “That feels much better, thanks.”</p><p></p><p>“A Hell hound? Like from Hell?” Beepu asked looking over the corpse with interest.</p><p></p><p>“Some are. They can be found across the lower planes, but they are most common in Baator and Acheron I’ve heard. They follow orders if you are strong enough and can feed them.”</p><p></p><p>“But what is it doing <em>here</em>?” Beepu asked still looking at the remains.</p><p></p><p>“Well…I’m going to guess that Vicam summoned it, or he has a powerful friend somewhere. Either way, he isn’t to be trifled with, and giving him the laugh is going to be a problem.</p><p></p><p>“The what?” Iesa asked.</p><p></p><p>“Escaping with our lives,” I said. I’m not sure who scares me more now, him or the Star.</p><p></p><p>“Well? What now?” Beepu asked.</p><p></p><p>“The cell doors; it’s why we are here.” Daneath said, gesturing behind him.</p><p></p><p>“I’ll look,” I said, and I then took a moment to examine the room. On one wall farther from the tunnel, were lit oil lamps that hung from the ceiling. A simple stone table was present as was a older worn, but comfortable chair, as well as a simple rough wooden stool in front of it, while two fire pits flanked the table on either side, each with a set of logs burning within. There were three cell doors on the walls, each with a sliding panel at the top, and a hinged flap bolted shut, at the bottom of the door, probably for trays or other objects.</p><p></p><p>Stepping to the first one, I slid open the panel. While dark, my eyes saw only straw and a stone floor with a hole in a corner. It otherwise was empty.</p><p></p><p>I moved to the second one, and again opened the little panel. Inside was about the same as the first, with only a bucket tilted over on its side in the middle of the floor.</p><p></p><p>I finally approached the last door and slid open its panel. The same hole, the same straw. But this one had an occupant; Inside, lying on the pile of straw I could see a figure. I could hear an audible groan and could see it shift to cover its face, from the glare of the oil lamps behind me. The figure was clad in a simple white shift and it moved, trying to stand up.</p><p></p><p>“Hello?” I said, watching the figure</p><p></p><p>“You’re…not…Vicam...Who?...” came a thin hoarse voice. The figure had stood, and was slender and appeared to be slightly taller than I.</p><p></p><p>“Tell me who you are, and we can see about getting you out of there.”</p><p></p><p>“Out…out!” the figure straightened up and while trying to walk with a semblance of dignity, stumbled to the door. Now at eye level I could see that the person had a shock of long grey and white hair. Looking at me was the face of a haggard and tired woman, with thin pale lips. Her skin was once tan, but it too had lightened in the darkness. The face was deeply lined, looking about seven decades old. I then noticed her eyes, a deep brown with crow’s feet, but her elegant face once had great beauty, and now held the visage of hope and terror, not arrogance. It was like and so unlike the one I saw earlier, so I was not surprised when she spoke:</p><p></p><p>“I am the Waterbaroness, Nestra Ruthiol, the rightful elected leader of Yartar. Release me, so I can put Vicams’s head on a pike!”</p><p></p><p><strong>Session Notes:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>So, from a player perspective, Iesa had the feat “Lucky” and he used it quite a bit, the curtain was one of many places. </p><p></p><p>These are the moments that the DM commented, “You know, I have never seen that many cantrips used in one place before,” and we aren’t done yet.</p><p> </p><p>The Hell Hound was…a challenge. It is a CR 3 monster, and we are all level two. So, it was a borderline deadly encounter. If we hadn’t of won initiative, sneak attacked and the dm rolled low for damage, we would have been flame broiled paste on the ground.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nthal, post: 7559141, member: 6971069"] [b]The Prisoner Dilemma[/b] [CENTER][B]The Prisoner Dilemma[/B][/CENTER] [I][CENTER]There is a Bleaker joke that goes like this: “A Sensate says to a Bleaker, ‘You know they say its ‘darkest before the dawn?’ right?’ ‘Sure I do. You realize that it never dawns in Sigil right?’” It’s still not funny. [/CENTER][/I] I heard the double doors open, and then the sound of boots and the clink of armor stepped into the room, in mid conversation. “…well it’s not like they could sucssseed anyway.” A gravelly voice that spoke with the sibilant sounds stretched out. “No, but an attempt would undermine the Baronesses’ hold here, and we cannot allow this,” a second cold and tired sounding voice retorted. “Then hole her up in her room till morning. The rissssk is too high.” “No Arakhan, we need her visible. Nothing is wrong afterall, and as long as she keeps sending Leoras north looking for graves, she’s doing her job and can enjoy her little party here.” Hiding under a desk was an idea born of panic and my heart was pounding. My lungs burned, as I scarcely dared to breathe. If the first voice was Arakhan, I could only imagine the second was Vicam. I was both praying not to be found and cursing at myself for being trapped in the room with the pair. While Arakhan came across as someone that was used to “delivering the mail,” Vicam’s voice gave me chills. “Leorasssss might ssssstart asking questionssss.” “And the best way to keep him from doing that is to keep sending him out of town. In the meantime, let our hired professionals sniff out the crowd here. If the ‘Star’ is intending to make a statement, our reply will be visible and fierce.” “And what of the prissssoner? How long until we-“ Prisoner? I strained to listen, still holding my breath. As I looked out from my position, I saw the curtain that Iesa was hiding behind. Inwardly I groaned, as I realized one of his boots was poking out. Not just the toes, the whole boot, as the curtain was caught in the top, basically exposing the entirety of his lower left leg. I was staring in horror, as I expected either Vicam or Arakhan to notice this. But fortunately, Iesa must have felt something was amiss as I saw some quiet tugging, and watched the curtain being pulled out from the boot, and it was lowered quietly to the floor. “Until they aren’t useful of course. After the gala we shall resume our…chats. “You are playing a dangerousss game by keeping them around. Should be dispozzzed of.” “They are safely hidden below, and no one is looking for them either. The risk is small.” “Well, let’ssss find out where the Baronessss has gone then.” And then I heard the door open, the din of the party outside grow louder and then the sound of the door shutting again. I waited as long as I could in silence, and I exhaled quietly in relief. I crawled my way out from under the desk and was helped up by Iesa who had already emerged. Keeping our eyes on the door to the landing we moved in close to each other. “Prisoner?” I said “Is it normal for a seneschal to be in charge of a prisoner here?” “No,” Iesa whispered back. “Normally the captain of the guard have such a place for criminals in the city. Private jails of rich nobles aren’t unheard of though. But the Waterbaroness seems to be on the level on the law here. Having a private prisoner doesn’t sound right. “Perhaps she doesn’t know?” “That’s not better, if they are going behind their ruler’s back.” I frowned and thought a moment and said, “Well, we can tell a lot about the Baroness based on the company she keeps; willing or not.” Iesa smiled, “I agree with that.” He looked at the doors again before speaking, “And if I had to make a guess on where they could be hidden, it would be the stairs down from the kitchen.” “Let’s go,” I said, “before they come back.” Iesa and I made our way back to the landing doors, and he pressed his ear against the wood. A moment later he lifted a single finger to his lips, and slowly opened the door, pulling it inwards and slipping through. I followed him onto the landing, closing the doors behind him. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice where we emerged from and once again we linked arms and made our way back to the twin staircases. As we descended, I saw Beepu alone talking to a large imposing figure in what appeared to be a uniform. He was tall, and somewhere in his later years with grey streaked hair that once was a solid black. His beard and mustache where a light grey. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but it seemed to be causal in nature. “Beepu’s made a friend,” Iesa noted as we descended, also seeing the discussion. “But I don’t see Daneath.” Once we reached the floor of the Foyer, I looked around. The party was getting noisier as the drinks kept flowing. From here we could see a doorway to what appeared to be a large study of some sort, and the other was a hallway that had a number of doors. I caught a glimpse of a man in leather entering one, but no sign of Daneath. “We can likely look around without them for now, “ I said. Iesa nodded again, and together we travelled beneath the stairs and entered the Great Hall. And there in the center was the Waterbaroness herself. As we made our way across to the kitchen doors, I finally had a good chance to look at her. She was older than I expected, somewhere in her fifth decade. Unlike most of the guests, she didn’t wear her mask, but instead it was fastened on the left side to the end of a wand that she carried. So, I could clearly see the brown eyes, with deep crow’s feet set around them. Her face was lightly lined, tanned and gave the impression of once being a great beauty. Her lips were painted a garish red. Her expression was haughty, and she gave the appearance of constantly looking down upon people, like the guest that she was listening to currently. Glancing into the kitchen once again, we saw that the staff was very busy preparing food, and the Gour of course yelling at the top of her lungs. This time it was just simpler to just run across and down the stairs as Iesa and I were fairly quick, even though I was wearing a corset. Within moments we were descending into darkness. There were sconces on the walls with torches, but all were unlit. By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, there was barely any light at all. It didn’t really bother me much, everything was dim but visible enough. The stairs ended into a room that was storing kegs and bottles. In a corner was a dumbwaiter large enough to move a keg or two to presumably the kitchen. The room was full of racks, but the racks themselves seemed a bit light in terms of kegs or bottles stored. But while this was my first impression, Iesa of course saw nothing but darkness. “Where are we?” “Probably a wine cellar of some type…oh sorry,” And I reached inwards and cast a light spell out again on ribbons on my sleeve and allowing Iesa a real look. He turned his head and surveyed, “Yep, seems accurate,” and he bent down to look at the dust at the floor. Peering a moment, he moved towards the rows of racks that projected at a right angle from the wall. There were four of these, with the last fully against the back of the room, instead of projecting into the room. “Most of the tracks are near the front rack. But there is another set that leads back here,” and he moved slowly to the far wall and rack. “And more importantly, this one has marks of heavier boots and not servant’s slippers or shoes.” As I watched he moved to the racks, and gently pulled. Eventually he found one that moved, or rather pivoted and swung away from the wall. He then stepped forward and examined the wall itself. “It’s stone, but not the same kind as the one around it. Probably a moveable panel or door. Help me look for a way to open it.” I squeezed in next to him and we both looked over the stone and the rack. Eventually he found near the floor a small pedal that was underneath an adjoining rack. “There! Shall we?” I nodded, “Might get your sword out though,” He smiled and drew the short-bladed sword from beneath his jacket. “Ok, you step on the pedal and I’ll be ready.” Nodding again, I held out my hand with three fingers extended... Two fingers… One finger… [I]Click![/I] Upon stepping on the pedal, the panel popped out on one side, opening barely the width of a thumb. We heard no other sound, so he pulled the panel open wide enough so I could get my hands on it as well. Together we pulled it open away from the wall and soon it jutted out at an angle, uncovering a tunnel. Peering down it, there was bright orange flickering light coming from the far end. But it wasn’t enough to light the tunnel, but it was enough to see there was a large room at the end, and from our vantage point we could see a door with bars directly on the other side of the room, opposite of the tunnel. We looked at each other silently, and I motioned Iesa on with my hand. Iesa was very quiet, and true to his trade as a Knight of the Post. I couldn’t hear his movements at all, as he crept ahead of me in the tunnel. I followed behind him, quietly as well, but all I could hear was my own heart quickly beating in the darkness of the tunnel. I stayed behind Iesa, and let him take a decent lead in front of me. When I was down about midway through the tunnel, I flexed and doused the light from my ribbons. The flickering orange reddish light ahead seemed be firelight. Iesa was near the corner, and I was about three paces behind him when I began to smell the sharp smoke of wood, confirming my suspicions about a fire. But then I caught the hint of…something else. I closed my eyes and focused on the smell, as they taught us in the Civic Festhall. By shutting off your most powerful sense, you helped the other four to become sharper. It was familiar, but being mixed with the burning wood, identification eluded me. Suddenly the scent become stronger and it was then I recognized it. Brimstone. I opened my eyes, and was about to whisper Iesa a warning, when he peered around the corner. The sudden eruption of heat from the tunnel opening was strong, and I watched as Iesa threw himself back away from the end. And now the very strong scent of brimstone permeated my nostrils. I bolted back down the tunnel wide eyed and in fear. Coming past the panel, I stopped and braced myself against it and waited. Iesa was quiet, but not that quiet and he burst out from the tunnel. Fumbling in the darkness he searched with his hands for me and the panel, and together we pushed the panel closed. [I]Click.[/I] We stood there panting a moment, and I watched Iesa put his ear against the door to listen. I resummoned the light and now could see the lack of normal color on his face, the streaks of ash on this face, and the clear scent of brimstone drifted from his clothing. After a moment he shook his head, and then leaned back against the panel and sighed audibly. “That…that…was…an…ugly…dog.” He said between breaths. “Let..me…guess…” I said panting, but recovering, “Gaunt and skeletal…spat fire, and…looked ready to use you…as a meal?” Iesa nodded with a look of confusion on his face, “How did you?...” “I caught the smell of Brimstone and then once I saw fire…I made a guess.” “Good guess.” “Was it alone?” I asked my breathing back to normal. Iesa thought a moment, “I saw the room was a square with three cells on the far wall, and the Hell…hound. Only saw one though.” “Not a nice pet,” I said. “The generally only serve evil beings like Baatezu.” Iesa looked at me with a mixture of shock and surprise, “Wait…you’ve seen them before?” I nodded, “Sometimes a Baatezu or a Yugoloth will bring one to Sigil to sell or trade. I’ve heard that they keep many a spiv away from your valuables, if you feed them. So, in the market yes…muzzled of course. But you can’t forget the smell” Iesa just stared at me, and then after a few moments, “You know, I knew that you were from a far away city from here…but I didn’t realize how far.” “Well,” I smiled “Just wait till I tell you about the Baatezu and Yugoloths. If you thought that hound was bad, their masters are worse.” “Wait, are one of them here too?” “I doubt it. If I had to guess its Vicam’s. Doesn’t raise my opinion of him much, or the Waterbaroness if she knows about it. It’s an evil beast.” “I’ll label it a ‘character witness’ before they hang us for a comparison.” “Cute thought, I’ll ask the Red Death to…nevermind. Now what?” “Well, do you have anything to hurt it?” I shrug, “I could probably hit it hard enough with my magic. But it is going to take several tries. We might get lucky.” “What if we bring the others?” “Much better odds, but It’s going to hurt.” “I have an idea for that too. But we need Foggle and some meat.” “Foggle and some mea…Oh! That is our ticket to the job...but I’m personally fine with a different way if needed.” Iesa looked at me, “Come on. You want out of this deal more than any one of us.” I looked at Iesa, “That’s true…but it’s your head as well.” Iesa looked down nodding, “Yes, well…If I’m going to murder someone…I’d rather it be a bit more straightforward. Poison seems…like a cheat.” I reached out to his face and lifted his chin to look into his sad brown eyes. I could see the torment in his face, as he realized how the multiverse’s plan for him was taking a turn he didn’t want to take. He wanted to be in control of his own destiny, and not shoved towards it. I smiled sympathetically, “I know…I know what you mean.” And I paused a moment before saying, “Well, let’s get the others and see about putting down this dog. After I clean us up though.” “Look I took a bath, this ‘Iesa is smelly’ joke is a bit much.” “It’s not that…you smell like brimstone now…and it stands out,” I said wrinkling my nose. Iesa knitted his brow and lifted his wrist to his nose and inhaled. “I smell what you mean.” ----------- After a bit of clean-up with my powers, we made our way back up the stairs to the kitchen and paused near the top of the stairs to observe. The Gour was still yelling, but the servants were bringing in dishes, and moving less food and drink out at the moment. “So? Plan?” Iesa said. I looked at him critically, “You’re a Knight of the Post. Go sneak out and find them. And don’t forget some meat from the table.” “Right…what’s a?...” I hit him in the bicep, “A spiv? A Knight of the Cross trade?” and seeing the blank look on his face, “A thief?” “Oh…sure…right. So, you are staying here? Ok, how do we get back?” “If you push the right most kitchen door inwards and give me a thumbs up, I’ll make a fuss again, and you can bring in the others.” Iesa pursed his lips together in a frown. “Yep. That’ll work again.” And with that he pressed himself against the wall, waited for a moment, and slipped out the door. It was a while before I saw Iesa’s hand in the doorway and looking again I saw the pots and pans had once again been piled in a haphazardly balanced heap. I reached inside to the light within me an shook a bit, and once again tremors hit the kitchen. “You idjits! I told you to stack ‘em pots proper!” the Gour immediately set off, and I saw the trio bolt towards the stairs. Daneath actually looked somewhat graceful, and the muffling we had put on the chain shirt seemed to be holding up as he didn’t jingle. Iesa was as swift and quiet as ever. Beepu on the other hand was carrying a large plate, with a large cut of cured meat on it, and a dark scowl on his face. We began our descent again into the darkness. Once at the bottom, Beepu glared at the three of us, “Now what? And why did I need to bring a ham? Do we have a plan or something? I hate this party.” “Yes, Iesa has a plan. What took you so long though?” I asked looking at Iesa. “Beepu was easy to find by the food. Big D took a while.” He said looking at the large man. Daneath was rubbing his neck, “Yeah I was having a conversation and it took me a while to…extract myself safely. So, what is this about?” “There is a secret prisoner down here,” I said, “And we need some assistance with the…guard dog.” “Ok…the meat makes sense now,” as Beepu tore off a hunk and ate it. “But this is not going to be a very long distraction.” “No, that’s why I’m going to poison it, and then we finish it off.” Iesa said, taking the meat from a surprised Beepu. “Poison it? Aren’t we using that on the Waterbaroness?” Daneath said looking at the smaller man. “We aren’t required to, and this prisoner might have a better understanding of what is going on.” “How did you find out there is a prisoner here?” Daneath pressed. “Vicam mentioned it,” I said. “Vicam? Did you talk to him?” Beepu asked. “Nope. He was talking to Eragon.” “You mean Arakhan right?” Beepu corrected. “Whatever. Right, him. We were nearby and overheard.” I said shrugging. “Well, it is probably worth the poison, but is that not excessive for a guard dog?” Beepu asked as he watched Iesa dump the poison on the ham. “It’s a big dog.” “What like a mastiff or something?” “Sure,” I said. “We just need Foggle to drop off the meat and come back to us, then we can take it out. “Well…that does sound simple enough I suppose. No need to take on additional risk.” We moved to the panel, and Iesa drew his sword out again, and Daneath did the same. I took my position to press on the pedal, and Iesa listened again at the door. “it’s clear…I think,” he said. With a quick motion, and a puff of white smoke Foggle was resting on Beepu’s arm. Beepu didn’t say a word, and Foogle made a small ‘boop’ sound and took to the air. Iesa handed the meat to the golden owl and at that moment I pushed the pedal. Between Daneath and Iesa they quickly opened it wide enough for the owl to fly through, and they both pushed the door shut. For a moment or two, Beepu just stood and tapped his foot. Then suddenly he straightened up and waved his hand with some irritation and looked at Iesa and I. “Wait a minute…Foggle said something about fire and Sulphur?” Iesa frowned, “Must have found a trap?” “In the air?” “Well, once we get past the dog, I’ll look for it.” “Let’s give it a minute to eat,” I said. “Then charge in and kill it.” “Will that be necessary?” Daneath asked. “Yes,” both Iesa and I replied. “Big dog then…” Daneath muttered. Iesa placed his ear against the stone, and after a moment he smiled. “It’s wretching, we should go now.” I pushed the pedal again, and Daneath and Iesa opened the door and started to move inside. “Beepu,” I said, “Don’t use fire by the way.” “What? Why?" “Trust me,” and I bolted inside. Daneath was in front, followed by Iesa, myself and then Beepu. We ran down the length, and soon Daneath rounded the corner with his sword ready to charge the dog, when I heard him exclaim. “What THE HELL?!?” “Close enough,” I said, Iesa already had pulled around the corner and I heard the whistling of blades in the air. Finally, when I stopped at the corner I poked my head around to finally see what I had been smelling. The hell hound was already bleeding from a pair of gashes in it. Its mouth was dripping foam, and I could smell rancid bile in the air, mixed with the already heavy smell of brimstone. Its coat was coarse and the color of coal. But underneath it, along the ribs was the warm red color of flame and heat. The eyes of the fiend were smoldering cinders and grey dirty smoke came from its mouth of blackened ivory teeth. Daneath had his blade in front of him, warily looking at the beast, while Iesa was positioned behind it. The hell hound was very aware the pair were trying to flank it, and it was twisting its head to look at each of them in turn, trying not to let either take advantage of it. I looked and summoned a bolt of purple eldritch energy and flung it at the hell hound, striking the fiend in its ribs. It turned to glare at me, when Beepu rounded the corner, and what was once a confused face turned into one of surprise. He quickly made a motion with his hand and a beam of white energy sprang from his fingers striking it on its flank. Beepu then ran behind the corner and me. He turned to look at me crossly and shouted at me. “That…is NOT a mastiff,” “My mistake!” I yelled in return. Daneath swung and the hound snapped at his hand causing him to miss his mark. Daneath moved back into a defensive stance waiting for the dog to charge. The hound had other ideas as it turned suddenly, and I could see the red glow from its ribs turn from a bright red, to an orange and then to yellow. It then breathed a gout of yellow flames towards Iesa, and spreading wide and hitting the wall behind Iesa. The flames licked up the wall, but fortunately, Iesa had side stepped the majority of the flame and stabbed at the hound with his sword. With a sickening sound of bone being crushed and the sound of the metal hitting something soft and wet the hound yelped in anger. I stepped around the corner and again threw a bolt of energy at it, and it turned to face me. Just as it did, Beepu also stepped around the corner and threw another frosty beam at it, hitting squarely between the eyes. The hound staggered a moment, confused. At the last moment it turned to focus on Daneath when his sword came down, nearly severing the head from the body of the fiend. The beast collapsed on the stone below it, and smoke and embers erupted from holes in the chest cavity. Soon the entire creature was covered in flames, adding the smell of burnt hair to the already awful odors floating in the air. I stepped around the corner and moved to Iesa. His clothing was sooty and had scorch marks on his thigh of his pants. A large hole there exposed his thigh, which already was crusted with blackened burns. He grimaced and leaned against a wall, panting heavily. Reaching him, I reached inside for some light and poured out energy on the wound. Quickly, the blackened skin sloughed away to new healed skin, and even the red burn marks faded to nothing. Then I focused on this clothing, repairing them so no tear or mark of flame was visible at all. “What…the…Hell…was that?” Daneath pointed his sword at the smoking pile of fur and ash. “A Hell Hound,” I said still using my spells to repair Iesa’s breeches. “Are you hurt?” “A Hell ho…er um. No.” Daneath stopped interrogating me and looked himself over suddenly. “Well, that’s good. Glad we poisoned it though. Could have gone worse.” I said mildly, and I could hear Iesa stifling a laugh. “Couldn’t you have told us a bit more, before we rushed in?” “Honestly, I hoped the poison would kill it outright. Since it didn’t, I’m glad we didn’t use it as intended. It might not have worked.” I said. “Now that is an interesting point. We did assume it was strong enough to work. We never really looked into that. Beepu said. “Perhaps we were never meant to succeed. Only to fail and be caught. “Perish the thought,” Iesa said looking down at what was now an uninjured leg and unburned cloth. “That feels much better, thanks.” “A Hell hound? Like from Hell?” Beepu asked looking over the corpse with interest. “Some are. They can be found across the lower planes, but they are most common in Baator and Acheron I’ve heard. They follow orders if you are strong enough and can feed them.” “But what is it doing [I]here[/I]?” Beepu asked still looking at the remains. “Well…I’m going to guess that Vicam summoned it, or he has a powerful friend somewhere. Either way, he isn’t to be trifled with, and giving him the laugh is going to be a problem. “The what?” Iesa asked. “Escaping with our lives,” I said. I’m not sure who scares me more now, him or the Star. “Well? What now?” Beepu asked. “The cell doors; it’s why we are here.” Daneath said, gesturing behind him. “I’ll look,” I said, and I then took a moment to examine the room. On one wall farther from the tunnel, were lit oil lamps that hung from the ceiling. A simple stone table was present as was a older worn, but comfortable chair, as well as a simple rough wooden stool in front of it, while two fire pits flanked the table on either side, each with a set of logs burning within. There were three cell doors on the walls, each with a sliding panel at the top, and a hinged flap bolted shut, at the bottom of the door, probably for trays or other objects. Stepping to the first one, I slid open the panel. While dark, my eyes saw only straw and a stone floor with a hole in a corner. It otherwise was empty. I moved to the second one, and again opened the little panel. Inside was about the same as the first, with only a bucket tilted over on its side in the middle of the floor. I finally approached the last door and slid open its panel. The same hole, the same straw. But this one had an occupant; Inside, lying on the pile of straw I could see a figure. I could hear an audible groan and could see it shift to cover its face, from the glare of the oil lamps behind me. The figure was clad in a simple white shift and it moved, trying to stand up. “Hello?” I said, watching the figure “You’re…not…Vicam...Who?...” came a thin hoarse voice. The figure had stood, and was slender and appeared to be slightly taller than I. “Tell me who you are, and we can see about getting you out of there.” “Out…out!” the figure straightened up and while trying to walk with a semblance of dignity, stumbled to the door. Now at eye level I could see that the person had a shock of long grey and white hair. Looking at me was the face of a haggard and tired woman, with thin pale lips. Her skin was once tan, but it too had lightened in the darkness. The face was deeply lined, looking about seven decades old. I then noticed her eyes, a deep brown with crow’s feet, but her elegant face once had great beauty, and now held the visage of hope and terror, not arrogance. It was like and so unlike the one I saw earlier, so I was not surprised when she spoke: “I am the Waterbaroness, Nestra Ruthiol, the rightful elected leader of Yartar. Release me, so I can put Vicams’s head on a pike!” [B]Session Notes: [/B]So, from a player perspective, Iesa had the feat “Lucky” and he used it quite a bit, the curtain was one of many places. These are the moments that the DM commented, “You know, I have never seen that many cantrips used in one place before,” and we aren’t done yet. The Hell Hound was…a challenge. It is a CR 3 monster, and we are all level two. So, it was a borderline deadly encounter. If we hadn’t of won initiative, sneak attacked and the dm rolled low for damage, we would have been flame broiled paste on the ground. [/QUOTE]
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