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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 7801181" data-attributes="member: 6669384">Okay, it's been more than a few hours.  Still, we'll pick things up where we left off.**<Story>Dion decided to check in with Cyrano and Ardan at The Details, to see how their task was going.As he entered he saw that the figure behind the desk had changed.  This time it was a towering figure whose head seemed to brush the high ceiling.  His skin was like stetched red leather, and there were horns on his head.  That last point was hardly unique in this city, as most Efreet had them, but this was unquestionably a Devil.  And suddenly the reason for the name of the place became clear."Hello", ventured the Druid with a confidence he really didn't feel.  "I'm here to meet some friends, an Elf named Cyrano and a Dwarf named Ardan."The infernal proprietor looked down and smiled, leaving no doubt about one thing:  He wasn't a vegetarian.  "Fireheart's associates are in the back room.", he said simply, pointing down a broad hall.Dion dropped a coin on the counter as he left, the habit of paying for information apparently growing all but automatic.  The passage opened up to a moderate sized meeting room.  Cyrano and Ardan were waiting, playing cards to pass the time."Anyone show yet?", Dion asked, looking around."No, but it's only been half a day since the word went out. ", Ardan said hopefully.  Cyrano seemed less optimistic.  "Fireheart said he'd spread the word to meet here.  He didn't say he'd tell them why, so I'm not expecting a lot of his ex-slaves to just come running at his call.  We may need to track them down."Dion nodded in understanding.  Fireheart might be their "friend", but he wasn't a "good" friend in any sense of the term.  He told them what had happened, and then headed out.After exiting the city he had to hunt a bit to find the right road.  It wasn't where it had been the last time he used it, one of the delights of this plane.  He wondered idly whether the magma that lurked just below the surface had high or low tides.  He played with that idea as he took mist form and flew out along the rust colored road.</Story><Commentary>I think I mentioned before that the landscape moves.  It actually rotates slowly around the City of Brass.  The roads within the city are arranged like spokes on a wheel, with the palace at the center.  There are roads that ring the palace, making the street map resemble a spider's web.  Outside the city the pattern repeats, with a perimeter road circling the great brass hemisphere that serves as a foundation, and major roads radiating out from there.  Each was marked with a different color.</Commentary><Story>The wait had been a long one, and many in the party might have taken a rest or walked around to stretch their legs, save that Pax' example held them in place.  He was still as stone.  He'd said that he wouldn't leave without Mash and the slaves, and they knew him well enough to know that he would never leave a companion behind.Then, after almost five hours, Dion came wafting in and took solid form."Did you get it?", Pax asked.  His first smile in what seemed like forever lit his face when he saw what the Druid carried.  He took one of the two copies and presented it to the lead Janni guard."The servants of Lord Fireheart are welcome.", the Jann declared on a loud, clear voice.  He then turned to the other guards, holding up the proclamation.  "The Sultan's seal is upon it.  Ignus is our master no more.  This hall and all of the associated lands are now under the protection of Lord Fireheart!",Pax noted the absence of the "Lord" before Ignus name.  The way the Jann had said the name had somehow sounded like he was spitting the word, to get the taste out of his mouth."I will take you to your friend, personally.", the Janni leader said.  "I do have to warn you though, there are protections that one like you can pass only by saying a secret phrase.  The words are", he started, followed by a phrase in Ignan that Pax could hardly pronounce.  "It means, 'by the grace of lord Ignus', if that helps.", said their guide. Pax almost accepted the pain instead of giving even lip service to the fallen Efreet, but decided that the words were empty noise.  He was also bothered by the Jann's declaration that they were "servants" of Fireheart.  Wisdom prevailed though, and he held his tongue.  They had previously declared, here, that they weren't the Noble Efreet's servants.  He could argue it again, but there are some arguments that are better to lose.They proceeded at a brisk walk within, repeating the pass phrase several times as they went.  Their path took them to a lower level, where the near-infernal heat lessened.  It wasn't cool, but it was survivable.Pax lay on a makeshift tangle of crystal-wood and cloth, his ribs wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth.  Even with two cots bound together the unnatural breadth of his shoulders nearly overlapped the edges, and they'd had to fold a blanket or cover into a long roll to pad the center where the two met, an arrangement that also kept him from crushing his wings.The Temple Knight knealt beside his fallen friend and carefully dripped two potions between his lips, taking care that he didn't choke or cough them back out again.  The massive Barbarian's eyes came open, slowly, but refused to focus for several moments."You gave us a scare", Ferguson said over Pax' shoulder.  He gave a brief prayer to Kord that his friend's strength should be restored, and in a minute he was ready to stand.  He felt the pain as he rose, and elected to leave the bandages in place.  He was able to walk, but was far from being whole.  He also noticed a few other things.  "Where are my clothes?", he asked."Ah, over here.", replied the Jann who attended the room.  The head guard had apparently returned to his duties.  He presented Mash with his common clothing, the cloth he normally wore beneath his armor.  It had been neither mended nor cleaned and Mash again realized what a thorough job he Janni had done in beating him down.  The jerkin was tattered and caked with dried blood so thick that it seemed it might crack before it bent.As he drew his trous into place, he inquired about his armor.  "Ah", replied the Jann.  "Slaves and prisoners aren't allowed such things, so they were taken to the armory."Another guard was summoned as an escort and they went to another room, this one closed with a massive bar and lock that most ordinary Humans wouldn't be able to lift, even if it were somehow unlocked.  Within were a number of racks holding armor, and weapons adorned the walls.  There was only one set that even came close to fitting Mash, and he recognized it at once.  Once he was dressed, with his favorite scythe in his grip he began to feel more himself."My rings and other jewelry?", he asked.  And again the Jann lead the way.  This area was outside the protected area, up higher than the ground level.  Ferguson had to protect the mighty Half Dragon from the heat.  It wouldn't have made any sense to leave magic protection rings in the slave quarters, where they could be used by someone trying to escape, after all."These are the servants of Fireheart, our new lord", the guide informed the guard on the door, who promptly withdrew a large and oddly shaped key and unlocked the door.The group found themselves in a richly furnished apartment, apparently the private chamger of Ignus.  They were directed to a small chest.  "This is where our lo...", he stopped and corrected himself,"I mean Ignus placed any jewelry found."  Again a key was produced and the small chest swung open.Mash was lost.  There were dozens of rings, broaches, necklaces, circlets and bracelets here, all beautiful and dazzling, but nothing stood out to him.  He knelt down to begin the search.Sire approached, drawn to the brilliant display like a moth to a flame.  "What did yours look like?", she asked, her hands gripping the edge tightly."Well, not this one.", he declared, setting one aside.  " One was marked with shields all about the outer face, and the other was inscribed in twisting vines."  "My amulet was of two bears at the wrestle."Siri's hand approached the glitterin mass, hesitated, then withdrew.  "I'd better look with my eyes, other wise we'll get in each other's way."  The guard, under whose watchful eye they worked, failed to notice the ring she'd pilfered.  "After all", she told herself, "we didn't get paid and I just lost a lot of things."As Mash pawed through the chest, she'd occasionally point to something.  One was the Shield ring Mash had described.  He found the amulet himself, but it was several minutes before the Ring of Life was located.  In that time Siri had managed to secret away three more rings.  She didn't know if they were magical or not, at least not for certain, but she had a good enough eye to know quality from glitz."I think I have everything", Mash said, showing his finds to the guard.  He nodded, satisfied that the strange Barbarian had taken only what was his.As Mash and Siri had sought out his jewelry, followed by them asking after his pack and its contents, Pax, Dion and Ferguson had gone to visit the slaves.Some were Human, a few Elves, and some other races that they were unfamiliar with.  All were in poor shape, strong enough to work, but malnourished and clearly dehydrated.  Water, it seemed, was a special reward for these, one meted out with cruel frugality."We're here to free you", or "You're going home soon", they said to each in turn.  Ferguson shared his water skins, making sure they didn't drink too  much, lest they retch from too much at once.  A second skin was brought out, and then a third.  And some of the men began to hope, to think that maybe this wasn't another cruel trick played by their captors.</Story><Commentary>  A small glossary note.  I've been calling all of the guards Janni, and that was wrong,  Janni is the term for several.  Individually they're called Jann, a mistake I've corrected in this segment.Also "trous" is the old fashioned way of saying "pants", and had a specific meaning that escapes me now.Siri's player was still upset that the party had been hit with a Disjunction in an earlier adventure, and felt the right to try and recover what she'd lost.  One of the rings she filched was a Ring of Elemental Command, for Earth Elementals.  It has a 200,000 gp price tag, and it's up to her whether she decides to share it with the group.  Temptation is a terrible thing. The "Shield Ring" as a Ring of Deflection.  The "Ring of Life" was Regeneration.</Commentary><Story>Ferguson realized that he didn't have nearly enough Plane Shift spells to get these beings to their home planes, nor did he in fact know which planes some of them hailed from.  Without a focus attuned to that plane, he couldn't send them there anyway.He also realized that in this world there was neither day nor night, neither sunrise nor sunset.  He really had no way to know the appointed hour for him to ask Kord to renew his favors.He did know that he was tired, and that they'd been up and busy for many hours.  He set out to find the others and perhaps secure a safe place to sleep.</Story><Interlude>Again, this is more to mark a change of scene than anything else.  However, I can't help but include a comment:  I really have no idea how to adjudicate things like when a daily use item recharges, or when a Cleric can get their spells in a world withno day or night, no sunrise or sunset.</Interlude><Story>Sire quietly gnashed her teeth.  There was a fortune in that room.  The coins in the hall's treasury had been mostly Mashs.  Apparently Ignus only kept enough around to meet payroll.  From the look of it he might have been short on that as well.  His quarters had been lavish in appearance, but much of it was gaudy, bright and flashy but of little actual value.  Stll there were things worth acquiring.She made her way back towards that room and peered around the corner, holding her small mirror at almost floor level.  The door was closed and the guard was there.  She'd noticed, however, that when she and Mash had left the guard failed to re-lock the door.She considered her options.  The corridor ahead was wide and long and didn't offer nearly enough cover for her to approach the guard without being seen. Actually slipping by him would have been impossible.  She considered creating a distraction, but the guard seemed dedicated to his duty, unlikely to leave his post, and any commotion might attract more guards.She withdrew and sought out Mash.  He was big enough to hide behind, and might prove enough of a distraction in his own right."You want me to what?", asked the hulking Half-Dragon."Just keep him busy.", she said in her sweetest voice.  "I mean, Fireheart practically said we could take things.  'Loot of the field', he said" Reluctantly Mash agreed. As they approached the hallway she had Mash pause so she could climb on his back, clinging like a monkey to the lowed side of his pack.  Then he approached."I'm Captain Sir Mash, duke of Firenzia", he said, not as a boast but an introduction.  "You and the other guards may be looking for new work soon, and I've watched you.  You're good and extremely loyal"  He grimaced and clutched at his ribs, adding, "You're also damned good at dealing with trouble.  I may need some people like you in Firenzia."  Seeing the look on the Jann's face, he quickly clarified, "Not as soldiers, but as guards, same duties you have now.  The weather's cooler, the wine's good and I pay better."As the pair started to discuss terms, the wiry Rogue slid to the floor, careful to keep Mash between her and the Jann's eyes.  She slid past, unnoticed, holding her breath the whole way.  Carefully she reached up for the handle, which was near her head height, and eased the door open a crack.  Then she was through, and the door closed as silently as it had opened.Quickly she scanned the room.  That ornate bottle, cut of red crystal, was covered in a lace of burnished gold.  The stopper was sealed in place with some ornate symbol, and the possibilities made her heart flutter.  Into her bag it went.  A curving dagger with a jeweled hilt quickly joined it.  She had to be careful, lest the missing items be noticed too soon.  Then she turned her attention to the chest.  Again, she didn't want to empty it.  She selected eight rings of good quality, and a handful of pendants, amulets nand gold chains.  After that the chest was re-locked and carefully hefted back where she'd found it.  The chest was quite heavey, but sliding it might have made noise.One final scan of the room, a few minor trinkets added to her bag, then she crept to the doorway and drew it open a crack, then silently cursed.  Mash had done too good a job, attracting three more Janni with his talk,  They were discussing doubling the guard's pay, and she knew that there was absolutely no way to slip past them.  They nearly filled the hall, and at least two were facing the door.She searched for another door, but there wasn't one to be seen.  She looked up and saw that there were what looked like windows up high around the room.Her hook and line came out, and she tossed with practiced expertise.  It snagged the first try, and she began to climb.Outside, one of the Janni looked up.  "Did you hear something?", he asked.  Mash tried to look, well, something like surprised, and said, "No.  But you should check it out", he added, pointing down the hall.The guard instead approached the door to their fallen master's chamber.  "Why isn't this locked?", he asked as he pushed the door open.Inside Siri almost froze in terror.  She was halfway up the wall when she saw the door start to move.  She began a mad scramble, desperate to reach the cover of the window before she could be spotted.She almost made it.  As the guard peered around the room his eye caught the motion of a silk rope, and he looked up just in time to see her legs vanish into the high opening.  He called the alarm and advanced as Siri tried to retrieve her rope.  It was a long drop to the ground outside, and there wouldn't be any vines on the walls in this hellish realm.She almost lost her balance as the towering Jann reached up and yanked at the thin rope, yanking it from her hands.  She managed to let go before she was pulled out of her perch, but she lost the rope in the process."He's in here", called the guard.  "I saw him go through that window!"Find him and bring him to me!", responded Mash, trying to take command.  If Siri was out that window, and they were looking for "he", then she might be safe.Without hesitation the Jann took to the air, rising quickly towards the opening above.Siri looked desperately for a niche, a nook, a shadow, but there weren't any.  Then she heard the ring of a blade and the words she dreaded most.  "Surrender or die, thief."She sighed in resignation and raised her hands."Turn around, face away from me", came the next command, after which she felt huge hands grab her belt and collar, lifting and carrying her back to the floor.  Then she was out the door, being carried like a drunk being evicted from a tavern."Here she is.", declared the guard.  "Caught red handed.  Should we take her hand here, as is the law?", came the question. Mash hesitated for the briefest of moments.  Hands could be regrown, but the trust of these guards couldn't be, and he'd faced them before.  He still felt the wounds from their last encounter. "Yes, proceed.", he responded harshly.Siri twisted desperately.  She heard cloth tear and she kicked herself free, hitting the ground running.  But the other guards already had their weapons drawn, and again they lashed out, lightning quick, nearly tearing her in half.  She sank to her knees, still conscious, but barely.One of the Janni hefted a long, curved knife and offered it to Mash.  "Would you like to do the honors?", he asked."No, you can have this one.", Mash replied, as if wanting to watch the man at work.Siri screamed as the blade came down.  Blood sprayed and her hand hit the floor with a dead sound.  Then the pain faded and darkness claimed her.Mash walked over and inspected the stump of his friend's arm.  Good cut, clean stroke.", he commented, then mumbled a quick spell.  The bleeding stopped and the bloody stump began to crust over.  The slight woman's eyes fluttered open for a moment before the pain seemed to claim her again."I'll put this back.", one of the guards declared, taking Siri's bag and carrying it back into the master chamber.Mash draped his friend over an arm and went to look for Ferguson.</Story>****<Commentary>That was where we left off.Siri's player got greedy, and went in without an exit strategy,  I'd suggested a Bluff check to distract the guard, but the character didn't have any points in it at all.  She thought Mash could do better, but he didn't have anything in there either.  Still, he was good cover.I tried to discourage her, without flatly forbidding it or telling her to plan carefully.  I'm normally soft on my combats, as I said earlier.  It's not that I like to pull punches, though I often end up doing it, it's that I tend to underestimate the party's mahem potential.  Fights that I think will be tough turn into cake walks all too often.  Not really the case her.The window was the classic medieval style we've all seen in the movies:  A flat sill and an arched top.  In a five foot thick wall it gives a PC a firm footing and some concealment from below.  I probably should have had it barred, or had the shutters closed and barred, but I didn't.I had the two roll Initiative.  Siri's a high Dex Rogue with Improved Initiative, so she has a straight +10 on that roll.  The Janni are normally +6.  They too have Improved Initiative, and since their preferred class is Rogue I'd built them that way when I advanced them to make them appropriate to face the party.  They're a total of 14 hit dice, and the Dex advance I gave them from levels, plus Dex items put their total Initiative at +9.Siri's player rolled an 18.  I rolled a 19, so the pair were on the exact same initiative.  And she had farther to go than he did.  I rolled the Spot for him to notice the rope and rolled well.  She got caught.She would have been better off taking the 40 foot fall.  Yeah, it's 4 D6, but she could have handled that better than surrendering and then running into a pair of Attacks of Opportunity.  One of them critted, and she was reduced to 3 hit points.She could have also tried sliding out the window and hanging on by her fingertips.  That would have afforded her some cover for a Hide check. Poor planning and some bad choices lead to her end.  She isn't dead but she lost her hand and all the precious loot she'd gathered.  She also lost what money she had left, and pretty much everything she wasn't wearing.Sucks to be her, but she has no one to blame but herself.  </Commentary>Until next week when we probably finish this story arc.</blockquote>

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