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Vildar and Jutiapa immediately start searching the corpses while Braylec tends to the torture victim. He strips the dead cleric to clothe the naked and horribly blistered man. Thanodel swaps to his bow and speaking to the owner of the clapping hands confirms that he is in a cell adjacent to the torture chamber. Braylec finds a couple of bunches of keys on the orc bodies. Thanodel keeps watch at the corridor junction while Vildar passes him and enters the cells. The first he looks into is disgusting but empty. The second is occupied by a sleeping orc. As he looks into the third a small furry arm reaches out and it claws narrowly miss his face, the upright canine like creature snarls and barks at him then retreats to the back of the cell. The last on this side of the corridor contains a malnourished man who looks through the barred hatch with a worried glare. "Are you friend or foe?" asks Vildar, when all he gets is a blank look he offers "I’ll get back to you in a minute."
Back in the chamber Braylec has finished dressing the unconscious blistered man and asks the cell occupant who he is and why he’s clapping, "I’m Granthsos, I was once the captain of the guard here before the orcs took over. I was clapping because I’ve been wanting to do that to the cleric there for some time myself." He explains. Braylec offers him the use a short sword and the clerics studded leather armour. He makes his way around to the cells and after a brief confusing update from Vildar he checks the first cell on the left that contains a prone elf and a cowering woman. He unlocks the door and checks the elf who is dead due to blood loss, his eyes have been cut out. The woman doesn’t respond well to Braylec's enquiry. "Just leave me alone, don’t hurt me!" she cries. He leaves the door open and moves on to the next cell. This one is empty but isn’t as foul as the one Vildar checked. The next is Granthsos so Braylec unlocks the door and hands over the arms and armour. "I am week from my time in this cell but I can be of some use to you and show where there are some weapons caches and the like." Braylec instructs him to take everyone to the well room so that they can all decide on what to do next.
Vildar looks into the cell across from the last that he checked and finds an old man and an elf with a missing arm. The old man grasps at Vildar begging for food and is handed a turnip. He retreats chomping and sucking at the raw vegetable.
Braylec then discuss exactly what Vildar has discovered. As he releases the disabled elf he asks, "Can you tell about the elf in the cell down the corridor?"
"It is probably my brother."
"Then I mourn for you for he is no longer with us in this world."
"I guessed as much." The elf nods "when he someone stops screaming here it is generally the case."
The old man is being a bit of a nuisance pulling on their clothes and sniffing them. He is obviously quite mad. Braylec unlocks the door to the malnourished man and asks his story.
"I am Gilthsos the barracks commander."
"You colleague is in the cell over the way."
"We were both captured when the orcs raided the keep. There were almost one hundred of them and they were aided by magic. We didn’t stand a chance."
Braylec moves on to the next cell and when he asks it "Do you understand me?" the kobold just hisses.
Jutiapa goes in the opposite direction and takes a look at the stairwell. Thanodel rolls his eyes at the audacity of the mage going off on her own. He checks that the latrine is still barred and says "Jutiapa I think we should all stick together." And on getting her standard shrug as a response he goes back to his defendable position at the junction to keep watch.
Braylec casts bless on the woman and she says "I feel strangely safer in your presence." She agrees to follow everyone now and they all move to the well room. Granthsos draws a map of the ground floor though it is decided it is safer for the prisoners to make their way through the sewer. Thanodel hears footsteps and complaints as a couple of people try the jammed door. He pops his head into the well room; "We’ve got company."
He stands on the corner and gestures for those coming out of the well room to wait. Two orcs round the corner and one hits him with his axe the other runs for help. Vildar comes to Thanodel's aid and the orc is felled with a quick swipe of his longsword. Braylec runs through the latrine to stop the orc while Jutiapa conjures a spectral hand. Thanodel puts two arrows in the back of the retreating orc before he makes it round the corner. Thanodel takes position at the bottom of the stairs as the prisoners start hacking at the latrine. Braylec kicks the seat apart but before they get into the sewerage Granthsos leads him back to the well room and removes a brick from the wall retrieving a key and four vials of liquid, "These healing potions will aid you; and this is what I need."
He takes the key and joins the other prisoners in the sewer. After a few moments he scrambles back out saying "I have unlocked the grate for the rest but I shall join you in the upcoming fight."
Vildar removes the pike from the door and joins Thanodel at the bottom of the stairs. Thanodel listens and hears voices from above, "Get out of the way, this’ll flush them out." And he is soon engulfed in flame as a large ball of fire rolls down the stairs. Vildar jumps out of the way as it rolls towards him and Braylec dowses it with a water creating prayer before it gets to Jutiapa. Thanodel tries to sneak up the stairs to take out the mage but his feet fall heavily on the stone and the voice calls down, "We know you are there, surrender now!" Before Thanodel can get to the top another rolling fireball hisses towards him and as he jumps out of the way it catches Vildar. Four men come down the stairs and Braylec dispatches one as he reaches the bottom. Vildar hacks the legs from under the next while Jutiapa charges her spectral hand with a chill touch spell and the other two retreat up the stairs.
Garguth sends off his lackey and wanders around the courtyard gathering his bearings An officer notices that he isn’t working in the stables as ordered and as Garguth complains about the lack of help he sends one of the orcs he has with him to accompany Garguth. After a brief sizing each other up in the stables they both start sweeping.
Jutiapa polymorphs into a mouse and hangs onto Braylec as he charges up the stairs closely followed by Vildar and Thanodel. At the top he drops Jutiapa and wades into the men in front of him. Jutiapa scurries out of the way as the cleric sends forth another of those fiery balls and it engulfs the two in front of Braylec but he deflects it with his shield and it continues down the stairs past Vildar and Thanodel. Braylec fights with mighty swings of his sword and fells two of the men. The cleric casts another spell and Braylec feels a moment of strangeness but it soon passes and he kills another man and an orc that has come forwards to backup the waning men. He takes a step to the right allowing Vildar to move forwards and take on an orc on the left. Thanodel fires his bow between them from the steps and cleric finds himself with arrows buried in him. An orc notices the mouse behaving strangely as Jutiapa fails to chill touch the cleric and advances on her. Braylec kills the last of those stopping him from moving away from the stairs and charges the cleric and his orc guards. Vildar faces one last man while Braylec slays the cleric and his guards. Thanodel fells the orc harassing Jutiapa as she changes into a worg. Vildar runs the last man standing through with his sword and the party surveys the carnage…