Act 2: Upheaval III - The Master Weaver and the Arena

Konrad examines the first side door in the hallway as they come to it.

Spellcraft 21 (tak 10)

Weaving 21 (take 10)

Mihai can smell an acerb odor coming from the end of the hallway, to the right. A careful examination of the first door on the left reveals that it's most likely trapped, but he has no idea how to disable it without magical means.

Konrad detects the same kind of trap on the first door to the left than the one he just examined in the wine cellar. He still can't tell which spell is connected to it, but he knows it's powerful and offensive in nature. He believes the only ways to open it safely is either with a woven key, or by weaving the detection rune out of the trap.

At this distance, he can also tell that the next door on the left is where the source of raw magic is coming from. There's so much of it that even at this distance, he knows it would be very dangerous for non-trained mages to step into this room.

Mihai signs - Key, Telekinesis - and points to the first door.

Konrad pulls out the key, looks at it, and gives the 'thumbs-up' sign, then unlocks the door without using his hands.

As soon as the key slips into the keyhole, a flash of magical energy illuminates the hallway and hurls at Mihai. He's fortunately quick enough to dodge the ray of light – which Konrad and Steve identify as a Petrify spell – but not the two large rocks of stone that fly right into his chest.

"Mihai!" Amber cries out.

She rushes to her brother's side, who has no fallen to the ground and taken extensive damage. Fluffle doesn't waste any time and begins to heal his companion, very worried for him.

Mihai:

Mihai grits his teeth, but puts a finger over his mouth - "They'll hear. Just let Fluffle do his thing." - he whispers, and tries to get up

Amber nods at Mihai and takes out the wand of healing which the yellow mage gave back at the underground base. "I– I have this," she says anxiously.

Konrad drops the key midair and tries to keep Mhai still. It's all he knows about healing. "Go ahead and try it. We're lucky, you know. That flash of light was a Petrify spell."

To Amber - "Get ready to use it if we come to blows. Maybe we can still avoid that." - Mihai waits for Fluffle to do his thing while hearing Konrad's explanation. - "It's what i get for being greedy and stupid."

Then just suggests - "Let's just get to Goodman. Got one last card to play before we have to put him down."

Steve is covering the door behind them in case the guards come to investigate and cause trouble. He's upset that Mihai was injured though he's trying not to show it.

"Uh. Fine, if you can take it."

He signs at the next door. Raw mana. Lots. Unsafe for you, not a mage.

The adventurers hear nothing from the wine cellar; the guards do not appear to have moved from their post. Florolf approaches Mihai and looks up at him with worrying eyes, showing genuine concern for once.

"Okay, okay..." Amber says with a low voice. She's shaken by what just happened, but she manages to calm herself down.

"Don't worry Amber," the fairy says with a reassuring smile. "I got him."

"...Thanks Fluffle."

"Wait." He turns towards the set of doors at the end of the hallway. "I hear something."

Mihai can also hear it; the metallic creaking noise of metallic doors opening and the shuffle of footsteps converging on the party.

"You might have to use that wand soon anyway." Konrad brushes past Mihai and rushes to toward the door at the end of the hall his shield ready - casual, but ready.

Ready Action: Ready sword while moving, to attack the meanest-looking enemy within range as soon as someone becomes hostile.

"Leave Sunny in reserve. You'll know when we'll need her."

Readied Action: Steve readies to cast a spell on the first enemy that attacks him or his friends.

Mihai grits his teeth, dealing with the pain and the frustration. - "Amber, a fight starts, first thing we need is you light them up with Sunny's Warehouse Madness, like this morning. And i'll need a hit from that Wand to get these ribs back on. Hopefully that'll disorient them enough..."

Mihai is cut off by the door opening.

Ready Action: Swing at whatever tries to harm us.

As Mihai talks, Amber takes out her wand again and casts one charge on him.

Four people appear at the end of the hallway, all of them wearing the same type of clothes as the guards in the wine cellar. Tattoos also cover the left side of their face and the back of their hands. Behind them stands a robed man with gray hair and a pale complexion. It's evident that he doesn't get out much, nor does he want to judging by his wrinkled forehead and furrowed brow.

"Intruders," he remarks in Imperial. "How peculiar."

He stands between two wooden tables, but it's the one on the left that catches the party members' attention; a young naked woman is chained to it, her head restrained by a iron circlet fixed to the table. She's been gagged with rope, which reduces her screams to a poignant moan.

Mihai:

"Pardon the intrusion." - Mihai starts - "We were just so curious about what we heard you were doing down here, we couldn't help ourselves."

In spite of himself, Konrad is stunned by the sight he is greeted with as the door opens.

"We've gotten..." he says after regaining balance, "troubling reports, that we couldn't just ignore."

Deception 22
He's doing his best to sound like a crooked Defender who's in the loop.

Awareness 11
Detect normal

Spellcraft 25
Detect magical

"What the hell are you doing here professor? This is a long way from the Citadel and your research lab."

Readied Action: Steve maintains his readied action to cast a spell on the first enemy that attacks him or his friends.

The weaver raises an eyebrow at the strange group, especially at Steve's mention of the Citadel.

"Mikolaj must have reneged on our deal," he says. "It appears that I must move to greener pastures. If you'll excuse me, I must–" He unexpectedly pauses mid-sentence and after a moment of hesitation, he squints at Steve. "...I know you."

Konrad:

"Yeah, no shit? You finally bother to remember my name? Or do you still prefer the other one you gave me? I knew there was something off about you Goodman, but I never would have suspected you'd be involved with something like this. Runes directly on flesh? What the hell are you thinking? Why are you doing this?"

Readied Action: Steve maintains his readied action to cast a spell on the first enemy that attacks him or his friends.

The jig is up. Konrad draws his sword, and holds his tongue, waiting for the right moment to plow through the quad of mindslaves in front of him.

Ready Action
Move: Retrieve bomb and detonator with telekinesis. Action: Bull Rush the mindslave in front of me.

As soon as the discussion is ended by Steve or Goodman.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," he says calmly. "The research I am conducting here will save hundreds of thousands of lives, Mr. Oldturn. But I know you and you'll try to stop me, won't you?"

"Save them from what?"

"If you think kidnapping people and doing experiments on them is going to save anyone you are cracked."

Readied Action: Steve maintains his readied action to cast a spell on the first enemy that attacks him or his friends.