The others in the room watch you passively. Turen bites his lip, showing a bit of disdain at the violent act. Tayn glares down his nose at the prisoner angrily. Both Tarthis and Raik seem to disregard the proceedings.

Sweet Kobold! Just look at the time!

>>16299540
>>16299751
"Where's the letter?"

>>16299751
"Alright then. Where's the rest of the stuff? How much more do you have left of it?
"And where were you supposed to meet your handlers once this was over?
"Think quickly, Krem. The faster we catch them, the less time they have to think you talked."

>>16299786

"Where's the letter?" You ask him, letting him loose from your grip.

"In the drawer over there." He nods his head over at the small cabinet over in the corner. "Just a plain old scroll."

"Alright then. Where's the rest of the stuff? How much more do you have left of it?" You ask him.

"The stuff was mixed on site, I have the recipe memorized." Krem shakes. "It's all in the spice cabinet."

One of the H'runten opens the cabinet, displaying it to you. "We'll sort through it."

"Where were you supposed to meet your handlers once this was over?" You ask.

"I wasn't. My reward was living." The kobold whines.

"Think quickly, Krem. The faster we catch them, the less time they have to think you talked." You say to him.

"Th-They said the others wouldn't remember anything!" He stammers out. "So- so you NEED me!" He looks around the room. "I- I don't want to get tortured!"

>>16300133
"Wait right here..."

Examine the letter for any clues.

>>16300133
"Need you?" *sarcastic tone*
"We know who you're working for, we have the rest of the drug, and since you don't know names or aliases, meeting places or drop off points, I'd have to say that your value to us is quite limited."

Let's see if he comes up with something to offer us.

>>16300176

"Wait right here..." You say, rolling open the scroll. It looks like a scroll one of the larger races might store a spell on, but it seems blank. The parchment is barely crinkled and seems oddly dyed, coated in a slightly green varnish. Yet, the paper feels rough to the touch.

>>16300211
Detect magic, reveal, or any other spells that we know that could give us a better lead on how advanced this spell-caster is.

>>16300211
Try Detect Magic, to see if there's any magical residue. Then pass the scroll to Turen.
"The dye is odd. The ink used when writing might have reacted when exposed to light or air, and oxidized."

>>16300184
>>16300239

You run the scroll through with spells, but it's late enough that no trace of the magic remains.

Except...

Except the paper glows ever so slightly.

You squint for a moment. Not the spell, no, definitely the paper.

You click your tongue as you roll the scroll up. "Need you?" You smirk over at Krem. "We know who you're working for, we have the rest of the drug, and since you don't know names or aliases, meeting places or drop off points, I'd have to say that your value to us is quite limited." You pass the scroll to Turen. "The dye is odd. The ink used when writing might have reacted when exposed to light or air, and oxidized."

Krem's face goes pale again as he realizes the truth of your words. He looks back and forth on the ground for the answers. "Except, except..." He takes deeper breaths, thrashing about in his bindings. "PLEEEHEEHEESE! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He squeals, sobbing. "I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING I SWEAR! I JUST- THEY DIDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING! THEY JUST MADE ME MEMORIZE IT, AND THEY HIT ME-" He sobs, more quietly, now that some of the H'runten have closed in around him.

After a few minutes, Krem sniffs. "Wait! They said- they said something about a garden called Joko where the ferns grew!"

Raik wastes no time, turning to him and glaring at him. "Which fern?"

"The nyul fern." He says, looking down at the ground. "Four leaves enough to put someone in a stupor for days. Counteracted by ralam root extract, encouraged by alcohol consumption."

>>16300413
Turn to Raik.
"A lead on their location?"

Do we know anything about the nyul fern? Agriculture was never our specialty, but maybe we picked something up? Or heard of a place called Joko?

Raik looks over at you. "That's far up north, near one of the larger ravines between this continent and the next." He moves his pipe in his mouth. "Has a large amount of plant life coming up through there. Some more dangerous than others."

"Yes!" Krem nods, rapidly. "See? See, I know things, I'm just- just scared out of my mind, is all."

>>16300585
"And some place that the Empire would have easy access to.
"Alright Krem, seems like you are useful after all.
"When did they last contact you?"

If it was recent, then they might still be in the city.

>>16300557

The nyul fern is a small leafed, greenish plant with a thick stem. It grows near acidic mineral water, and that variety produces a toxin that seems to shut down the brain.

So says Turen, who has returned with a book.

>>16300664

"And some place that the Empire would have easy access to." You nod to Raik. "Alright Krem, seems like you are useful after all."

He grins, rather cautiously. "Anything you want, boss! I- I just don't want to be tortured or nothing!"

"When did they last contact you?" You ask him.

"Three days ago." Krem jerks his head towards the east wall. "At a little crevasse about four miles out of town. I think they have a camp near there."

>>16300894
Alright, we need Krem put in protective custody. We can't really afford to have him die yet.
We can have Tarthis drop Krem off in our trapped Mansion.

Confer with Raik; should we go there now, or see if they make an effort on Krem's life and lay a trap for them?

>>16300926

You grin at Krem. "You're held up your end, now you can have some protection." You turn to Tarthis. "Take our guest to my private sanctum."

Tarthis raises an eyebrow for a moment, then his eyes widen as he realizes. "Oh! Yes, I will make sure he's nice and settled in."

The H'runten untie the kobold, and Tarthis turns over to him.

"Oh, and don't try getting away." He pokes the kobold's enlarged stomach. "I may have one fake eye, but I can still hit both of your kidneys from 10 paces."

A couple of H'runten go with him.

You turn to Raik, who leans down to remove his pipe with a free foot. "Do we go to them, or use him as bait?"

"They don't care about him." Raik cracks his neck. "We should try and hit them now, if not sooner."

>>16300979
"I agree. Perhaps send a scout there ahead of the rest of us, to see what we'll be up against?"
Move out. There's unlikely to be too many of the Empire's agents. A squad of H'runten shadowknights, and a squad of GRU, Tayne, Mynthar and Raik should be enough.

>>16301011

"I agree. Perhaps send a scout there ahead of the rest of us, to see what we'll be up against?" You ask him.

He sighs. "I would, but if he's seen, we may lose our lead." He looks over at you. "I think it's a concern, but if we don't we could be walking into an ambush. Obviously our friend Krem was not very well prepared against interrogation."

>>16301228
"I think I've got a Greater Invisibility or two left in me. Give me your best scout, and it should last about an hour."

Get on the way, a squad of GRU and H'Runten. Make the scout invisible when we're about about a half-hour away from the location of the camp.
He'll go ahead, scout the area, and come back.

>>16301228
"That's something we'll have to risk. If Krem wasn't prepared for visitors, they probably didn't expect him to be caught...or they expected to kill him later. Regardless, we need some eyes at the front of our attack. Whoever we send, we'll have to entrust them with the linchpin of the entire operation."

Turn to the group.

"Any volunteers?"

>>16301278

"I think I've got an Invisibility or two left in me. Give me your best scout, and it should last about an hour." You say to Raik.

"And if they can see invisible? Have an alarm set?" The kobold asks.

"That's something we'll have to risk. If Krem wasn't prepared for visitors, they probably didn't expect him to be caught... or they expected to kill him later. Regardless, we need some eyes at the front of our attack. Whoever we send, we'll have to entrust them with the linchpin of the entire operation." You look over at the group. "Any volunteers?"

One of the H'runten raises a clawed hand, his body peculiarly red in a few streaks across his skin. "Zarosh of the Er'laki." He looks over to the others. "I do not fear these intruders. What right have they to try starting a war in our brotherhood? We will teach them that such attempts cannot go without repercussions."

"Very well, I trust you will curb your temper when you see them." Raik nods to him. "Go with the magistrate. Do as he asks."

>>16301370

You and the group head out, with Tarthis joining you a short time later.

"Wait, if you're here, then who's watching the prisoner?" Tayn asks him.

"Trust me, if they can get to him, or he can escape, then we have much worse problems on our hands." He shakes his head. "I mean, if they can, then they might get to that sword I sealed away. And that thing is just bad news."

You head over a few upwards hills, one of the H'runten keeping a mark of the steps with a small wooden slide.

The slide gets to 3.5 miles, and the party stops. You and the red-streaked kobold head out, and with a short chant, he fades from your vision. You hear only the barest movement of rock as he descends the hill, into a windy cavern.

A tense ten minutes later, he has still not arrived.

>>16301429
Patience. Keeping our cool is the key here, considering we (think we) have the element of surprise.

>>16301497

You wait another few minutes, and the scout returns, tugging on your robe to make himself visible. "Sorry." He apologizes. "I see three of them. Two match the prisoner's description. The third may be a spellcaster."

"Alright, let's try and take them alive, but no one hesitate to save yourself by taking them out if they begin attacking." Raik says to the troops. "We may be able to find out a lot just from their camp."

>>16301548
"Excellent work."

"Did you find any safe approaches to the camp when you scouted?"

>>16301548
Perhaps cast Invisibility Sphere so that we can all get in close?

Also, VKO, do we have Silence? Being able to cast that as an opener would cut down drastically on the spells that the caster could use.

>>16301568
>>16301634

"Excellent work." You say to the kobold. "Did you find any safe approaches to the camp when you scouted?"

"I believe we might want to go slowly." He pulls a small, dusty caltrop out from a pouch delicately, turning it in the light. You can see a blackish substance covering one of the upturned tips.

"Black fungus..." Raik says, looking back at his crew. "Alright, we need to be careful. They came with herbs, they'll likely be packed with some more poisons if they can just go spreading it around."

>>16301634

BTW you do not have silence

trololololololo

(It's been a long day with little sleep. But yeah, it's a cleric spell)

>>16301689
I'd say going with what >>16301634 said and get a moving sphere of invisibility going. We'll keep it slow to avoid any caltrops and such, then drop it when we're ready to attack. We'll chill at the center, having the scout keep in front to look out for traps and the like.

>>16301707
How about using an Unseen Servant as a kind of minesweeper?

>>16301716
>>16301754

As you near the camp, you render the group invisible, and send out a few servants, along with some of Turen's, to sweep the field clear of the caltrops. Fortunately, due to their camoflage, the caltrops are not noticed as the servants lift them delicately from the crevices.

The invisible group waits in earnest for a signal. The environment here is next to a small, dark crevice, deep enough to get stuck in as a miner would say. The camp is constructed from small wooden posts and thick cloth the color of the caves. You do indeed see a pair of troglodytes out by their makeshift campfire, around a small pot of brewing stew. Their supplies and a large cave lizard bred for hauling are to the back of their small camp.

You get to within 100 feet, and you all wait in silence.

>>16301827
Wait a little bit longer. We need to make sure to get that third trog.

>>16301860

The third troglodyte comes back from one of the caves off towards the back of the camp, adjusting his loincloth.

>>16301872
Put our sights on the one that looks like a caster.

>>16301891

That would be Captain Realism, the amazing pooping NPC.

You ready a hold spell, ready to pour all your strength into the magic.

You think you smell ozone.

>>16301931
Ozone? Lightning trap?
We have to get the Hold Person spell off first.
Indicate to the others via hand signals. Countdown for attack in 3 seconds.

Realism! :V

>>16301931
Give a slight tap on everyone's shoulder to let them know we're ready to go. Then, break the spell, hold the caster, then get to subduing. Our rank and file Kobolds, while smaller and weaker, have number on our side; they should be able to take down the brutes without our assistance. Plus, we don't want to let our hold slip for a second, considering the break could cost us some lives.

>>16301962
>>16301980

You disregard the strange odor, preparing your allies for the attack.

They all wait as you convey to them what the signal will be. They each begin to move as you begin the first syllables of the spell.

You feel a strange vibration in your jaw, and the trogs all quickly turn towards you just before you finish the spell. The spellcaster stands, shortly before freezing in place. The H'runten appear like ghosts out of shadows some distance in front of you, flying into the fray. A few hiss in pain as they step into something small and metal on the ground.

You see the scar-handed trog sneer as he draws out from a satchel near him a wicked, barbed whip that might not be out of place in a hellish torture room. His lashes keep a few of the assassins at bay, while his ally simply grins, his skin seeming to shift until it is a mass of reptillian hides, armored plates bulging out over his skin. He raises a lengthy halberd, his cold blue eyes shining with malign power.

One of the assassins charges, his sword held high. In an instant, the lash is out by him, and digging into his skin. The halberd held by the hide-armored trog drops down viciously, the kobold trying to bring his left arm up to block and loses a finger as it cuts deep into his chest. The other assassins surround the pair, Tayn and Raik with them.

>>16302141
We'll have to keep our attention focused on the caster.

Size up our now held friend. If we think that he's weak enough by comparison to us, then we'll try firing some paralyzing shot at the suddenly armored guy. If not, then we'll have to watch.

>>16302141
Okay, Hold Person doesn't require that we stay focused on the caster. Do we know Transmute Rock to Mud?
If so, transmute the rock under the caster into mud, and if we have it, Transmute the mud back into rock, or dispel it in order to trap the caster up to his chest in rock. His hands will also be caught so that even if he breaks the Hold Person, his spell choice will be severely limited.

>>16302164

You can see your paralyzed target slowly moving little by little.

The two trogs back off, towards the lizard. A few of the assassins break from the circle and block them off, throwing stars flying from the warrior's hands. The trogs take a few cuts from the weapons, the blue-eyed trog just smiling. He chants dark words, and a buzzing like that of innumerable insects fills the air. His weapon's sheen in the firelight seems dotted by bits of black, but no more than that shows what is occurring.

The whip-wielder slashes at Raik, who jukes backwards, and Tayn closes in on him quickly. The scourge-wielder cracks the whip at Tayn and catches him across one shoulder. Tayn rakes his nails across the trog's forearm, and the larger lizard hisses, a stench visibly striking the members of the melee. A few of the assassins back up, visibly shaking from head to toe and holding their weapons up defensively.

>>16302284

You cast the spell, just in time as the spellcaster breaks free of your spell. The space underneath the spellcaster ripples as it is turned into so much soupy mud. You hear a cry out over the combat as an invisible creature falls down into the mud as well, the momentary sticking of mud to it revealing it to be an invisible Turen.

>>16302319
Roll our eyes and tighten our grip on the caster for a second. If necessary, use some sort of force spell.

When he starts squirming from the pressure, drop it to blast the larger of the two Trogs (the one with the black blade). Hopefully, that'll give us enough time to cast a spell then re-grasp the caster before he catches his breathe.

Also, I'm going to bed, OP. See you on Friday for Gargoyle Quest.

>>16302332
Curse under our breath and then cast Hold Person on the caster again. That will give Turen time to get himself unstuck.
Fire off more Hold Persons against the other two fighting trogs as well.

Once Turen is clear of the mud, convert it back into rock.

>>16302343
>>16302389

You curse, firing off more holding spells as Turen struggles to get free. "Turen! Get out of there!" You shout to him, your spells not sticking now that the caster has prepared himself.

Two more of the H'runten fall to the ground, and the trogs come that much closer to their beast of burden, who hisses at the H'runten and lashes its whiplike tail in great arcs. Tayn moves in to strike at the whip-wielder, but his reach falls short, and he receives a lash across the body for his trouble. Raik springs silently, cutting down across the trog's back with his foot blade as Tayn falls back for a moment. The scourgemaster hisses, his hand lashing out behind him as Raik lands off towards the trog's left.

The halberdier slashes across the ranks, striking a pair of kobolds across their arms. Despite a seemingly shallow cut, both kobolds cry out in pain, falling to the ground.

>>16302472
Disintegrate spell, aimed at the lizard. We won't allow them easy escape.

Also, if we can, turn only the mud immediately around the caster back to stone, keeping Turen free.

>>16302512

You get angry, and raise a hand full of green energy at the lizard. A thin ray stabs into it, and it shudders as greenish lightning cascades across its body, severing its tail and one of its front legs.

That was not your usual disintegrate.

The trogs look shocked. They begin fighting towards the other direction.

Turen's hand suddenly appears on the struggling caster's arm, and the smaller kobold leaps atop him. The trog plunges him underneath the mud with his forearm, and you see Turen thrashing about underneath the surface. You pause in your casting to solidify the stone. If you were to cast now, he would surely die. You hesitate for a moment, before seeing the trog bring his hand back up from the muck, shaking it. Turen leaps up next to him from beneath the earth, using his weight to push the larger reptilian forwards, planting him on his hands and knees.

"Now!" The muck-covered kobold shouts, his tail darting out from where it was touching the mud. You let the spell fly, and the trog bites at Turen, growling in frustration as the kobold falls off of his back.

The whip-user swings around to slash at Raik, but the armless kobold ducks nearly next to the ground, rolling away from the strike. Tayn strikes out with a wild kick, but the trog's reach saves him from any sort of punishment. The trog grins, then howls as it reaches for its leg, where Raik's blade can be seen hooked down through the trog's scaly foot just below the ankle.

Tayn simply stands still for a moment, as though concentrating.

You hear a shout, half scream and half roar, as Tayn strikes the trog, the larger creature flying eight feet backwards onto his back. The trog screams as strips of his torso and arms blast open in long cuts, spraying blood in every direction. Raik curses, rotating his ankle as he readies himself up.

You attempt to freeze the last trog in place, but the spell has absolutely no effect. He simply keeps striking out at assassins, slashing in a berserk, howling fury. He cleaves through one crouching assassin's skull, and cuts clean through the legs of three more. He seems to have no qualms about abandoning his partner, and begins to run.

You pause. You have captured two, but your troops and the H'runten are worn down. The soldiers have fired for some time now, their bullets failing to find a mark on the trogs. What will you do?

I will leave off here until tomorrow. I feel shitty, so if I post a message saying I can't there won't be any. Hell, there's not likely to be much more anyway. We will likely pick up from here next week.

>>16302902
Well, I hope you feel better, VKO.

If you end up feeling better after some sleep, have us drop the last trog into another mud pit via Rock to Mud.
And if he avoids it...Disintegrate. I'm not going to allow intel to go back to the Empire if I can help it.

>>16302798
>>16302902
Assuming you're still in the mood when you get back, kill the straggler. We can't have them getting back with details of what has happened here.

Boil his mind to goo.

>>16304406
>>16304677

I feel fine now. Stupid not getting any sleep made me think I'd come down with something.

You conjure one last pit of mud underneath the fleeing trog. He is caught in it, and begins struggling to escape. You attempt to feeblemind him, but he pays it no attention. Some of the remaining H'runten begin to close in around him. His sweeps with his halberd as he tried to get out from the mud nearly catch a few of them, limiting their effectiveness. Bullets ricochet off of his armor as he glares at you, his eyes hanging in the darkness like tiny flames.

>>16305479
Probably under some sort of rage effect, making our mind attacks less effective.

Let's use ray of enfeeblement or something similar.

>>16305479
Make a mental note: have Yuune's mages work on armor-piercing bullets for the lineguns. If the Empire starts fielding armored trogs, that would be a problem if our bullets can't penetrate their armor.

Hit the trog with a bolt of lightning and see if that will make him consider cooperating.

>>16305545
>>16305572

You strike him with a purplish-red ray, sapping his strength. He seems to power through it, pulling himself from the muck. You realize he will soon escape, and throw a blast of lightning at his back, but it proves to be mostly ineffectual. The trog sprints away, cackling, into the cavern depths. The spent and wounded H'runten seem to have second thoughts on pursuing him, and the gunners do not begin following him due to the distance.

The bullets can pierce armor, but at the range you were firing at they have a tendency to bounce off. Your scientists are already working on something to help with this, but it's been a long project.

>>16305698
Damnit, we should have disintegrated him when we had the chance.
Go over to Tayn and Raik, and see if anyone is able to pursue the fleeing troglodyte. We need to make sure he dies.

>>16305729

"Tayn! Raik! Can either of you go after that trog?" You ask them.

"I could." Tayn says, quickly. "I can try and strike a few vital points to get him here alive."

"I can as well." Raik says, adjusting the straps on his foot-bound weapon. "He wouldn't even know he was being attacked."

>>16305778
"Alright, let's go! Dead or alive, we can't allow him to escape; understood?"

If we get a clear shot, we're hitting him with a Disintegrate spell. We can't risk him getting away.

>>16305820

"Alright, let's go! Dead or alive, we can't allow him to escape; understood?" You say, pulling out a bit of licoriche root and hasting the lot of you.

You rush down into the depths, double time. The corridors are twisted and wet, and you nearly slip once or twice on some slick moss. You hear Tayn shout from off ahead, and a second later you see the trog in a cramped cavern, trying to duck away into a small chute as he swipes at both of the quickened kobolds with his weapon. You waste no time, and you feel an electric surge run through you as you fire a disintegrate at the trog. He howls, falling to the ground as his right arm, legs, and tail are reduced to dust, along with thin spider-webbed cracks of destroyed flesh across his remaining arm and face.

"Bastards!" He screams, glaring at you with his unsettling blue eyes. "You fight against your new emperor! Your new god! And you maul his servants!" He struggles to turn over, to drag himself into the chute, but is obviously in a great deal of pain.

>>16305981
Fire one more Disintegrate at the trog's legs to prevent his escape.

"No emperors or gods in our nation, only the people."

>>16306044

He...

He doesn't have legs anymore.

You monster.

>>16306044
>No emperors or gods in our nation, only the people
Ugh...that's so clunky.
"For the Caverns, no gods or emperors, only men."

>>16306083
Monster?

Why yes, yes I am. And as the last member of the Golgremet Empire has their windpipe crushed beneath the armored foot of a Crystal Caverns stormtrooper, they will regret the day that they dared to raise their talons against us.

It's time to show the Underdark what TRUE monsters can do.

>>16306083
Well, if his legs and right arm are gone, I suppose we should remove his left arm as well. Just to make it all even.

Of course, just holding up our hand, finger pointed at him as if ready to fire another Disintegrate might be enough to get him to surrender.

"Surrender or die. Your choice, though I'd prefer that you choose death so I can turn you into dust and I don't have to carry you. Make your choice."

>>16306108
>>16306137

You level your finger at the trog, who pants with exertion. He grips at the dust on the ground where his arm used to be, the armored straps falling down onto the ground.

"Surrender or die. Your choice, though I'd prefer that you choose death so I can turn you into dust and I don't have to carry you. Make your choice." You say to him, readying another disintegrate spell.

He laughs, and you feel a distinct wooziness as he does so. "Your eyes... You too carry their blood. And after he conquers the depths we, the children of the dragons, will arise and break free!"

You balk for a moment as the world seems to spin, and the trog takes a handful of the dust that was once his arm on the ground and hurls it into your eyes. You try to clear it from your face, and hear the trog cackling madly as he slides down one of the chutes, far down into the depths. You clear the dust from your eyes, and feel a sickness in your gut as the scent leaves the air.

"Son of a... What was that smell?" Tayn shakes his head.

"Not the usual trog 'splendor'." Raik agrees, gagging once. "My equilibrium was off, tremendously. I reached for a knife and nearly toppled like a rock."

>>16306675
>trog escapes
See! This is why mercy makes us weak! He got away!

Well, not again. After him! We've got two legs, an arm, and a prosthetic, as well as a Disintegrate spell! He's got one arm and his big mouth! Let's kill him!

>>16306750

You begin moving after him, towards the chute.

"That could go anywhere." Raik says. "I'd advise caution, but I can already tell you'd pay attention to the parts involving going and none to parts involving 'not'."

Tayn shrugs. "Even if he has a lead on us, the guy has one arm. What can he possibly do?"

"He did get away from us with just that." Raik says.

"Hmm..." Tayn ponders. "Actually, you know what, Mynthar? Why don't we let him get away?"

Your eyes widen, just before he continues. "I mean, not actually let him get away, but send someone to track him. If he thinks he has a chance of getting away just dragging himself, wherever he's going has to be close."

"But he could also just be blindly fleeing." Raik adds.

"True." Tayn sighs.

>>16306899
Ponder for a moment.
"Alright. We track him. Find where he's going, and then either take him in or take him out. Even if he's only got a single arm, we shouldn't underestimate him.
"Raik, who's your best tracker?"

I'm thinking of a H'Runten tracker, and 2 GRU soldiers. Orders are to track the trog, find out where he's going, and either capture or terminate.

>>16306996

You tap your chin, contemplating the options. "Alright. We track him. Find where he's going, and then either take him in or take him out. Even if he's only got a single arm, we shouldn't underestimate him." You turn to Raik. "Raik, who's your best tracker?"

"An Imarash named Alkarn." He says. "Imarash are our hunters. He will be able to lead others through the depths safely."

You head back, discovering that a great number of the H'runten appear to be injured, one dead, and a number dying. Those who were injured have been rendered stable by quick medical attention from their fellows, the GRU, and Turen.

Turen looks over at you as your group returns, his robes still coated in the rocky mud. "Magistrate, I-"

"We need to get these men back as soon as we can." Raik says, looking them over. "The caltrops we missed probably have black fungus on them."

"Mynthar, if you still have any teleports left, you can take the worst back." Tayn says to you, casting a brief spell on himself. He grows to a bit larger than the trogs in size. "I can carry the rest with me."

"And what about the captured ones?" Raik says, pointing over to the entrapped trog and the badly wounded one who has been bound in your absence.

"They're not going anywhere." You say to him. "I'll be right back after I get that tracker sent out."

An hour later, you return to a now much more empty campsite. The two trogs seem to have exhausted themselves struggling against their bindings, and their stench has been repressed with a fine coating of chalk from one of the H'runten. Raik is speaking to the spellcaster.

"That letter, you made the text on it disappear after it was read. What did it say?"

The floor-bound trog lets loose a hissing laugh. "I don't know. And if I did, you'd never hear it from me."

bump?

>>16308196
Sorry, was commuting.

>>16307955
"Oh, don't worry, we have many questions to ask you. And I'm sure that, eventually, you'll answer them. One way, or another."

>>16308512

"Oh, don't worry, we have many questions to ask you. And I'm sure that, eventually, you'll answer them. One way, or another." You say to him, smugly smiling as you walk past him.

"My corpse will not speak to you, sorcerer." The trog hisses.

"No." You say, leaning down to him. "You will speak to me. You will tell me everything. And then you will beg me to end your miserable life."

>>16308769
Hmm...we don't have the tools to set up grenade cricket or a grenade gameshow.
I think this'll require some actual interrogation methods.

From this point forward, the two of them won't sleep. Use magic to blast high-intensity sound at them for hours at a time, and cover them up in hoods so that they can't see what's around them.
With a noose tied around their necks, have them dragged and pulled, and slammed into walls. Their cells will be cramped bare stone, chilled to within freezing temperatures.
Let's see how long it'll take for them to crack.

>>16308799

You transport your prisoners back to a private H'runten facility, and have a special item sent from the Caverns with a unique alteration. Normally, the rod tells time to its wielder, keeping track of each minute or a set increment mentally. You attach it to a resonant crystal, transmitting a high-pitched, wavering, shrill tone for a few seconds once every five minutes into the trog's separate cells. You place a bag over each of their heads, and larger H'runten jailers drag them around, their hands and feet bound, slamming them into walls on occasion. One of the H'runten shamans checks them daily, and injects them with a substance that you can tell leads them to terrifying hallucinations. Occasionally, he mixes in some sort of strange, pasty substance that he says will sustain them, but they will remain hungry as ever.

Just as you check in on them for the second day, one of the H'runten scouts, an older kobold with an arrow tattoo on his hand says that they have captured the blue-eyed trog.

>>16308926
Excellent!
Were they able to find where he was trying to escape to?

We should debrief the tracker first, and have the new prisoner set up just the others in a new cell.

>>16308954

They say he was laying in a small abandoned temple, laughing madly. They found traces of a camp nearby, but the trogs who were in it had moved on a few days back. The prisoner did not resist being taken.

>>16308988
To which god was the temple devoted to?
Also, does it seem likely that the one-armed trog had made contact with the other trogs and been able to tell them what happened?

We should have the GRU agents interrogate the prisoners. Possibly switch between H'Runten interrogators, in order to keep the prisoners off-balance.

Also, has the chief of the H'Runten mentioned anything about the power struggle in the Brotherhood? How is the Church taking all of this?
We still need to find our diplomat.

>>16309041

The trogs who left the camp did so about half a week ago. So it's unlikely. They do say the one-armed trog has told them he will only talk to you.

The icons of the temple were strange, twisted figures. The images has been scratched out of the stone, seemingly by fearful claws.

The H'runten chief has not commented on the Brotherhood power struggle only to say that it is an uneasy truce. The church has said nothing.

>>16309159
Alright let's go and see the one-armed trog.
Say nothing at first, see what he has to say.

>>16309168

They have the trog in a lower basement, his remaining limb shackled to the wall at a high point and stripped of his clothing, his naked wounds clearly visible, though hsi whole body is covered in a thin layer of chalk. He smiles as he sees you, and you feel a bit uncomfortable at the confidence in his gaze, despite numerous new scars from a fresh beating across his broken body.

"You seem desperate for answers, and I will give them to you." He coughs, a bit of chalk coming up with his breath. "The others know nothing. They did as they were told, drank their bitter herbs and forgot everything. I remember with acute precision what I was told. I always do."

>>16309269
"Oh? What price are you demanding for these answers?"

>>16309524

"Oh? What price are you demanding for these answers?" You ask him.

"I am in no position to make demands." He says, locking eyes with you. "You have reduced me to that. I see no reason to entertain fantastic bargains you would rather kill me than keep." He raises up his head as best he can. "What could you give me? Would you know my quest in the depths of your chest as I do?"

>>16309661
"No. Now, the Golgremet Empire sent you and your companions to foment open fighting between the members of the Alloyed Brotherhood. What was the backup plan in case you failed?
"What is the Empire's time table for their offensive campaign?"

>>16309717

"No. Now, the Golgremet Empire sent you and your companions to foment open fighting between the members of the Alloyed Brotherhood." You pace in front of him. "What was the backup plan in case you failed?"

"We were set to escape down here, where a small battalion would be waiting." The trog sways slightly, his eyes never breaking contact with you. "We were to withdraw down to a failsafe location, I presume, one in the area. However, the troops had left when I arrived." He turns his head off to one side. "So I returned to my church, to wait for death."

"What is the Empire's time table for their offensive campaign?" You ask him.

"I am no high-level captain." He grins. "I was not even among their number until a month ago. Even then, I yearned to be free from their fin-handed command."

>>16310044
"Then why did you join them? Why look up to their leader as a god-emperor?"

>>16310149

"Then why did you join them? Why look up to their leader as a god-emperor?" You ask him.

"Because he is one worth serving." He says, simply. "I met him once, and knew instantly that his path of destruction and conquest would cause his spirit to take the place of my god's." His conviction is true, as far as you can tell. "Even should you take my last limb, I will still serve the old god, and this new one shall take his place some day."

>>16310323
"We shall see about that.
"What other plots does the Empire have spinning here in the Alloyed Brotherhood."

>>16310470

"We shall see about that." You say to him, pacing further.

"All things come to pass in time, magistrate. Nothing is eternal." He chuckles, the stub of his right shoulder moving. "Not you, not I, not this world. The new emperor shall fall as well, and ascend on a bed of stars."

"What other plots does the Empire have spinning here in the Alloyed Brotherhood?" You press him.

"These ears have heard much concerning other places." He nods. "Dissent in the brotherhood is the first step of a long journey to conquest. If it does not exist, the seeds of rebellion cannot take root." He raises a finger on his hand. "First, convince the common folk they need a new, unified leader through destruction." He raises a second finger. "Secondly, convince them that the Golgremet will allow them more rights and privileges." He raises his third finger. "Finally, have representatives from the empire lead a coup."

"And what other nations, other kingdoms have Golgremet agitators? By what sign do the agitators have to identify each other?"

>>16310675

"And what other nations, other kingdoms have Golgremet agitators? By what sign do the agitators have to identify each other?" You ask him.

"All of the organizers are trogs." The maimed trog shakes his head. "No common signs. That's how I would do it."

"What will you give me?" The trog posits, suddenly. "What will you give me to tell you about that which rests in your veins?"

nother bump.

And last bump. Since I'm feeling so awesome I may start Gargoyle Quest early tomorrow. So look forward to it.