RP: Prehistoric Prisoner

Game Master In our last episode, the party is traipsing through an old wizard's dungeon where you discovered a mysterious man with his eyes removed. It turns out he was imprisoned in some sort of suspended animation. So far you've interacted with him and made some discoveries.

Background

• He goes by the name   Cargger.
• He doesn't speak your languages-- he speaks a very old language with a strange accent/dialect. You tried a lot of languages and some of the older languages (especially Dwarven) got some glimmer of recognition. But his normal speech is pretty impenetrable for you guys, and the feeling is mutual.
• Book mindlinked with him after calming him down.
• He was an acolyte for the wizard (likely the ghost you saw), but was caught stealing magical items from the wizard (apparently eons ago).
• He was imprisoned and (you assume) had his eyes forcefully removed.
• Some items he stole sounded like the shiny items you found in the dorm room.
• You guys asked about the big force field on the tower, and he was surprised and said the Wizard must have finished it
• You explained to him about the "dorm room" dead bodies, sealed inside.
• He clarified that the dorm room was usually home to the wizard's faithful acolytes, and the control freak wizard didn't trust them so he always locked them up every night and let them out when he was awake.
• If they were dead inside the dorm room, that can only mean the wizard never came back to let them out.
• He clarified that the wizard would usually disable the traps for his acolytes to come to the new tower, or teleport his acolytes around as needed.
• Cargger said he's pretty good at bypassing locks and is willing to help you guys, he'd rather not be abandoned.
• He is very sad to hear that his girl, Alessa, is long dead.
• As far as you can tell, he didn't know anything about the Sword of Humility.

Open RP Discussion

Game Master	As the smokey air clears, you all sit down to rest for the evening and prepare for the next day. You take this opportunity to talk to Cargger through mindlinks that Book shares. He serves as translator because you're unable to talk to Cargger directly yourself.
Cargger	I never slept, never had a break. After they caught me, they tortured me, placed me in suspended animation, took me out and tortured me some more. For them I think 3 months passed, but for me it has been an excruciating nonstop hell. Whenever I passed out from agony, they would wait for the first glimmer of consciousness and toss me in my cell and seemingly rip me out again immediately... You... you, six? You broke the chain. But you inadvertantly brought the worst torture of all... the news that my world, love, and family are all gone. My sanity.. my sight... my family. All gone. I almost thought you were an illusion to torture me further. But I sense no lies... and my captors were really bad at lying. The only solace I have is the delicious realization that my torturers are long, long dead, while I live on to help you guys loot their graves. Which is what you're doing right? Looting his tower?
Book	Life is a suffering to endure. You humans with your short lives are so dramatic. I've already lost everything I cared about once, and it'll probably happen two or three more times before I die on. That's the world, man. I mean, really. A "nonstop" hell? If anything, it was a "time stop" hell, not a "nonstop" one. Also, since we're being technical, your tormentors are not dead, they are undead. Though, to be fair, some of them are all the way dead now. And, yes, we're here to loot this place eight-ways to Onesday. We're actually looking for a macguffin. Have you seen it?
Cargger	Oh, the plant you pictured looks like a dwarf boo berry tree. The trees grow quite large, but the berries are wretched. I think some alchemists use them in salves to enchant armor to make it lighter, I think. I don't quite know how that works, chemistry was never my thing. having a bit of a realization I'm sorry you lost everything yourself--- you're not human? What are you? From your height, you sound like a gnome or halfling. I've never met a gnome, as the only ones I've seen were town visitors tending to their dwarven lords' business. Also, some of your friends' voices were from much bigger folk-- you guys sound pretty mixed. Who do we have here? Whoever you are, little mindspeaker, you have a point. I've now lived longer than humans are meant to. Perhaps this is a gift to see the future, without actually seeing it of course. I always dreamed even the poor would have substantial magic one day. Ever since the The Pinch (not that word, but you assume the same) societies of mages and psions started working together, they promised all sorts of advances and power for everyone. My master didn't quite believe their stories, and he assumed the day would come when that agreement would go awry. He set to protect himself for the inevitable outcome of that. I secretly hoped he was wrong and we'd all live as powerful wizards when the magic was ubiquitous. Perhaps everyone can do this mindspeaking thing now? he looks hopeful
Book	Seeing the future is useless if you can't do anything about it. Yes, the Boo Berry tree. We require it. And, I'll have you know much has changed since your time. We Gnomes are a free and independent people! We call no Dwarf lord, though we're still quite good at finding the ouchie places on the tallfolk, if you get what I'm saying. Anyway, the poor labor as they always have - under the thumb of the powerful. Their titles have probably changed since your time, but not much else. Who we have here, beyond me, are your rescuers and you need know nothing more at present. You have admitted to being a thief and a scoundrel, and while perhaps losing everything you ever loved might have given you some insight into your moral character, that is not a chance we can take. As a sign of good faith, I will say this. Your master was right. I have heard little of your people beyond the most insignificant of marginalia, which is a testament to the totality of the failure of your little cabal. Although, the region is still called "the Pinch," so perhaps even in your impotent flailing you have made your mark on history. But, no, the peasants still toil in the fields and the kings and priests still make their wars Hells, compared to what you're use to, there's probably more centralized control of magic than ever!
Cargger	Aye, I cannot say I am surprised the world hasn't improved much, aside from the gnomish elevation. You say I am a scoundrel? And I admitted to such? My thoughts must not appear clearly via this spell, for I am neither of those. Our "cult" grew through the Master promising riches, safety, and glory. We were then held against our will, coerced through magical means to do the bidding of our Master, and given nothing but the inside of a sealed room in a subterranean basement. We were promised heaps of rewards for acquiring rare things for our Master, but we became slaves and were forbidden from returning home. I was the only one to try to escape, taking back a small portion of what he had originally promised me. My hope was to take a trifling percentage of my share home to my lady and be free of my bonds. ::an audible sigh and some sadness:: I hope you do not mistake a slave seeking escape for being a thief. I tried to claim only the freedom due to every noble creature. I failed where your ancestors succeeded, but I hope you can sympathize with my desires...
Cargger	::thinking some more:: My rescuers won't reveal themselves, but perhaps I can show you I'm not a dullard through what I've deduced so far. I heard you have another gnome who talks much as you do. He speaks with more presence than you. Probably a noble or performer? Strange that he focuses on the limping canines as much as he does. A cleric, perhaps, reciting some incantations-- on the dogs? It is interesting. Are these dogs (he says the word "dogs?" aloud pretty well and gestures curiously to them) important to your journey? The traps down here will be dangerous for them. Perhaps they are magical? A tall brute who smells horrific. And another female voice, the one whose powerful hand on my arm was both graceful and firm. Oh, and the one you called out to in the hallway, whose footsteps sound as if she is out of place indoors. If there are more of you, they have kept hidden well, for I have not heard them. Do any of them have mind powers like you do, that I might speak with? Though I think it's best if I continue to learn your language either way...
Book	(pops PSP for Conceal Thoughts) Well, you've proven you are not a dullard, and that your ears and nose are still keen. Which makes you even more dangerous. Perhaps we should deafen you, as well? (beat) Kidding, of course. I'm the one you'll be "talking" to and through. You have the rest of your life outside of this place to learn new languages, but while we're down here we're not taking any chances."
Book	*Tele-tells everyone this guy is cunning and quick, and gives everyone a warning to be careful when talking around him, even casually. Willing to start imparting questions and comments to this guy, but whatever you're asking is actually coming from Book, so those silver tongues are turned to clay today.*
Merry	Well, there might be locked doors past the deadly corridor, but we still have no good way to get through that, so it still feels like we are pretty stuck. Unless he has any bright ideas for how to get over there, I believe he will still be much more of a liability than an asset since he can't easily hurdle those pits, and crawling over our makeshift ladder will not be trivial for him.
Mahina	suddenly speaks up, loudly While I was in the hallway all by myself I was thinking of the skills I have as an elf. If we find wood large enough, I can bend it to our will. A bridge, perhaps, but is there wood as large to fit the bill? Then I thought again of another talent to use for I did not want to return without some pleasant news. A spell for climbing like a spider up the walls so we may travel safely down the trapped halls. Not just one but two cantrips will help us on our way and save the grave perils for yet another day. Bridge may be best as I have limits to my skill- not everyone can benefit before I've had my fill. But to bend and twist wood would permanently suit our needs and hasten us forward onto heroic deeds.
Book	*Glares* (telepathically to Mahina) What did I *just* say?
Mahina	looks at Book quizzically, as if she has no idea why he would be glaring at her. I comprehended all that I was fed- would you like a quote of what you said?
Cargger	Is something amiss? The quiet one spoke quite loudly, was that a question for me? You'll have to tell her that I don't understand her language. Could you translate?
Tempest	A bridge would be quite nice. How large a piece of wood would you need, Mahina? And does it have to be one big piece, or could you use multiple smaller pieces of wood? looks and gestures at Cargger I don't suppose he could conjure up enough material for you to build a bridge, could he? We could also try to backtrack to the surface and find a nice large tree, but then we'd have to figure out how to get it down here. How many of us could you put that climbing thing on, and how long would it last? Ooh, if we could get something big and rolly (or several big rolly things), then we (well, Ugly) could roll them down the hall to figure out where the next pit trap is so that we don't get surprised by them again. If need be, we could pull the heavy rolly thing out of the traps it falls into to use again. It might make for slow going, but at least we'd all be alive at the end... I hope... Book, could you ask Cargger if he knows of any traps other than the pit traps in that hall? If he wants to help us loot this place, then he'll need to give us any information that can get us and him through that hall safely. (OOC: Also, did Cargger already tell us what that room at the end of the hall looks like, or describe any other part of the keep that we haven't gotten to yet? If not, Tempest will ask Book to ask Cargger for that info.) Tempest is also silently amazed that she's starting to understand Mahina's odd poetry speech without blinking an eye. She muses to herself that maybe Mahina is helping her become more cultured, and then immediately scoffs at that idea. No non-Peteran could make her more cultured than she already is.
Merry	(OOC: We have the deconstructed beds from the dorm room across the hall. We intended to make those into ladders.) Even once we craft the ladders out of the pieces of wood from the beds, it will take a few hours to make our way through that hallway. How long does the spider-climb spell last and how many can you cast, Mahina? We could probably grab the iron maiden from upstairs and use that to try to trigger the pit traps, but we shouldn't get stuck on thinking those are the only traps we face. We could easily hit another gas trap or poison darts, and we have no rogue with eyes to find those traps. I feel we need to think for a less direct approach. Book, could you please try to extract any more information from Cargger on the hallway and what lies beyond? Try not to be threatening though, I don't wish him any harm, I was merely pointing out that he is the least equipped among us to survive a march through the hallway.
Tempest	Hmm, you're probably right. What if this mad wizard foresaw that someone might figure out that his entire freakin' hall is lined in pit traps and figured that someone might try to use spider climb, so he put a trap on the walls or the ceiling every so often as well? That would be just our luck... It would be great if we could just fly through the hall without touching any of it. Y'know, I have noticed that none of these traps so far have been magical - they're all just mechanical traps. Heh, "just"... Still, it would be good to have someone detect magic just in case he decided to switch it up, though I guess that's unlikely if you're trying to hide them from wizard apprentices.
Book	(to Cargger) What other sorts of traps are in this place? Also. Boo Berry plant. Where is it?
Mahina	does this via mindlink so there's no rhyming I can cast only 2 of the Spider Climb, 1 of the wood warping, 5 of the climb walls. The Spider Climb is probably best for me and the blind guy since we have so much difficulty with movement.
Book	We are not wasting perfectly good spells on this guy. Worst case scenario, if we don't just dump him somewhere in the wilderness or flat out put him out of his misery, is we shove him back in deep freeze until we are done with this place and come get him when we're done. (You know this was not said to Cargger, yeah?)
Game Master	(Yeah, I actually wrote Cargger's response below before Book yelled at Mahina. The wiki even gave me a conflict and I had to copy/paste it to the end of a fresh edit. :) I debated moving it before your MindLink response but in the end since he couldn't hear it, it didn't matter the placement.)
Cargger	::thinking and then slightly sad:: While you know my story, I do not know yours and I cannot read your intent. You might be the kind and pleasant explorers you seem to be, but, as you so bluntly put it "that is not a chance we can take". If you and your kind friends will promise me my safety, I'm happy to help you loot the place in safety to the best of my ability. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't trust me either, so I don't take the "scoundrel" comments personally. Yet, as you are a man of great intelligence, you know my advice would be worthless (if not dangerous) if you did not also offer me some sort of safety guarantee. Putting myself in your shoes, you cannot possibly trust what I would say unless your success was also a guarantee of my own safety. ::calmly and it seems honestly, he continues:: I will be honest and provide you the limits of my knowledge upfront-- Boo Berry trees were common in my day and if you are down here seeking one, then I have to assume there are none above in the forest where we would see them commonly. I do not know where to find them, but I do know my Master built his tower here because of the concentration of them and other important alchemical substances. Also, I cannot know of traps installed after my incarceration. My master was smarter than I am and surely kept secrets that I won't know, but I do know some of his secrets and I'm a firsthand witness to how he thinks. Judging by the animal injuries, the smoke, and the lingering poison gas scent, I'd say you could use some advice from someone who has an inkling of the "pitfalls" of this place. I am very happy to help you--- so please ensure my safety so that you can trust my advice without concern for trickery. My only goal is to get us all out of here alive and experience what I can of your world.
Book	Well, I hold no grudge against you. I am not cruel. My goal is to be rid of this place and move on to more productive pursuits as soon as gnomishly possible. Your cooperation will be repaid in kind, and you are safe as long as we are safe. Spill.
Cargger	::Cargger cocks his head and nods:: The winding hallway has many traps, though all of them were pit traps of one type or another. I never saw all of the placements, nor what lay underneath them, but he always warned us not to walk there without permission. We were all smart enough to heed him. He must have had a means to prevent them from falling when he summoned us to his tower, because we walked through fine. Yet when he came down the hallway, he either levitated or teleported. For the hallway itself, there is a hidden switch that will reveal secret wall sconces for lights, but that is not very useful if you have your own light sources. At the end of the corridors is the entrance to the tower. There he kept a small chest in the middle of the room. He never told us anything about it, but we'd be fools to touch it-- I can only imagine it is trapped. I do not know its purpose. The door to his tower, he usually left it open for us. I doubt he would leave it untrapped and unlocked, but you may be lucky. His tower itself, which is magically larger inside, is not trapped-- or at least I didn't stumble upon any while grabbing a few valuables to make my escape when he fell asleep during one of my visits. Another note, my Master had us capture different creatures which he experimented on-- for all I know some of those might still be about. Hmmm, what else? Let me think... There was the acid chamber which you have passed, and the obvious trap room outside our dorm. As you have seen, he likes forcecages and studied them a great deal. He was becoming more and more skilled with them, though they are a difficult art to master. It was a magic he suspected none of the acolytes would be able to learn, though he claimed he would try to teach them if they were faithful. Still, it was tricky. I recall when he was building his prison, we ultimately had to adjust the stone cell walls to match the forcecage-- positioning them was tricky, he said, with the multiple planes the field cut through.
Tempest	to Book - out loud, and not via mindlink - she's still not quite used to these things - How can you be so cruel? I wouldn't even talk about my house servants that way! If this guy is telling the truth, then he has been through horrific circumstances. We're not just going to "dump him" or kill him without due reason. Exercising caution is wise of course, as he's clearly very intelligent, and we don't know what the extent of his powers are, but casually discussing his demise goes too far. He can help us, and we can help him. If casting a spell on him will keep him safe so that he can help us all survive, then so be it. I wouldn't consider that a "waste". Besides, if not casting this climbing spell on him would put any of us at risk (and this is just a "what if" scenario), then it would be better to give him the ability to climb. Despite being blind, he knows the layout of this place better than any of us, and I'd rather have him with us. It would be good to know, however, what his powers are. How long was he an apprentice, and can any of our magical-types make a guess as to how powerful he is?
Book	(Spoken) I bow to your wisdom. I can see no problem in letting some blind asshole wander around a trap filled dungeon. This is truly the safest and most compassionate course of action for Cargger here, and an idea that has the least chance of his stupid ass dead on a spike somewhere. Likewise, I can think of no compelling argument against diluting our powers and enchanting dead weight. If there is one thing this place has proven, it's how capable we are and how much we can spare powers and enchantments on dead weight. I will have to concede that yours is a far wiser course than just stashing him here and coming back for him when we're done. I'm glad to see you always thinking of other people - I'm sure your slaves back home fully appreciate your magnanimity. Until your stupidity gets them killed, I mean. But, really, you could have spared me a boring, sanctimonious lecture by simply getting to the "I want him with us" part. I'm the sort that always give the candy up children start to whine and shriek.
Cargger	I am very tired now-- I will trust you at your word that you mean me no harm, but may I rest? I will sleep as a rock does, if you give me leave to do so. It seems like you were all getting ready to rest, too?
Nora	finishes doing heals and all on the dogs Book, would you ask him if he minds me doing a heal check on him? I may need to touch him for that, and I don't want to alarm him. Just want to make sure everything is ok... he's been in stasis for a long time.
Book	He ought to be as healthy as he was when he was first shoved in there, but it never hurts to check. Go ahead, I'll tell him not to flip out. ( (to Cargger) Hey, we're going to give you a checkup. Don't freak out.
Ugly	Brain has been dutifully, if not very successfully, trying to follow what's going on Uhhh... ... ... So, uh, him's what was in that closet thing don't talk good, but that smart little guy can brain-talk to him? Do I still get to smash him? disappointed I thunk we were gonna smash him. Ain't he the one what poured all that, uh, hurty water stuff (i.e. acid) on us?
Book	(speaks, having given up on information security) He actually was not responsible for the... uh... hurty water. According to his story, he was blinded and made prisoner by the one who designed all these traps. Though, if the time does come to smash him, you will be tops on the list of people we call, I promise. He knows of the Boo Berry MacGuffin Tree we seek, and so we dare not.
Cargger	Ah, I'm sure I'm not a pretty sight. I was tortured sometimes by their hand, but then they would take control of my mind and force me to burn myself, slice myself, reopen my wounds, and then they might heal me just enough that I didn't bleed everywhere. My Master trained his acolytes to be very clean and meticulous. I can only imagine what my scars will look like.
Game Master	I took the liberty of rolling for Nora's Heal check: 19+9. She learns that Cargger's eyes were removed forcefully and the wounds cauterized. She sees that beneath his robes, his legs and arms are covered with scars and burn marks, some likes runes and cultish symbols, but most are just wounds from torture. Some of the wounds are relatively recent and healing, though they don't seem to cause him much pain. More healing would help him, though he's completely stable. His entire body is tense and absolutely exhausted.
Mahina	Mahina lays out her bedroll and her soft pillow. She says via mindlink that this is for Cargger, that he may have a comfortable rest. She curls up nearby, using her backpack as a pillow and writes in her journal as Squirt circles affectionately around her arm, enjoying the ride.
Tempest	narrows her eyes at Book You know nothing of how we treat our servants. We would never do anything to "get them killed". YOU were the one talking about killing this man or leaving him to die a lingering death of starvation up above. And I seriously doubt that he would really want to be put back in that cell for who knows how long after all he's been through. YOU are the one who has shown absolutely no compassion, not me. Our goal right now needs to be deciding on a course of action. If that means that we do have to leave him behind in order to secure EVERYONE's safety, then so be it. That being said, it might be safer to bring him with us because of his knowledge of this place. But that is what I want to discuss. We can talk in the morning, as I know that we are all very tired. She turns away from Book and prepares to rest for the night - or to take first watch - whatever works best (put RP above this line)