Interrogation and Intimidation

Interrogation and Intimidation (2x15) is the fifteenth session of the second campaign (as well as the fourth chapter) of Concord Hall D&D. Here, the party investigates two separate hallways, each with their own secrets to give.

Summary
The interrogation of the Eternal Flame cultist continued unabated. Tekir and Aleryn worked together to try and force more information from their prisoner, the flamewrath. Their hope was that they may be able to make their journey through the cult’s hideout easier if they could learn more about their enemy. To that end, Aleryn and Tekir questioned the cultist about a number of questions regarding the Eternal Flame and their compound.

They managed to get him to reveal that Areas 14 and 26 were of importance to the cult’s plans, but he refused to elaborate in any way. Tekir reached out to the prisoner, only for Aleryn to ask her companion to leave. Tekir agreed, for now, and left the room. Now alone, Aleryn tried to convince the flamewrath that it was in his best interest to work with her, promising his safety if he agreed to assist their group. He refused, however, claiming that the party will succumb to the Weeping Colossus regardless of whether he helped them.

Aleryn decided to press on with new questions. She asked to learn more of his organization, but he said nothing. She asked what he knew of the other cults, only for him to claim that they were inferior to the Eternal Flame. Eventually, Aleryn decided to leave, letting Tekir know that he could go in and speak to the prisoner one-on-one.

Tekir wasted no time in his interrogation, reminding the flamewrath that the sooner he cooperated, the sooner the pain would stop. His first question (“Where is Vanifer?”) earned no answer. As a result, Tekir slammed his prisoners head into the bed frame. When the cultist refused to answer once more, Tekir began to bind his limbs to the bed using the cloak of the cultist they found outside Red Larch. He then took his waterskin and started pouring it on the flamewrath’s face, essentially waterboarding him. He made sure to place a moonstone in the cultist’s hand, letting him know to let it go when he was ready to speak.

Eventually, after being punched in the diaphragm, the flamewrath released the moonstone. This time, he got an answer: Vanifer was in the temple. When asked, the cultist showed no sign of knowing what the Black Hand of Bane was, but revealed that Bastian was in his quarters to the west of here. He revealed that the rest of the quarters in this hall were occupied by slaves who worked the forge. Tekir also learned that the passage that Aleryn and Novak, once guarded by ogres, led into the Temple of the Black Earth. When asked if all of the cults were connected by this single underground complex, he explained that this area was connected to the Temples of Black Earth and Howling Hatred.

Tekir then took back the cloak and moonstone, then stepped outside, telling the others that he was done with his interrogation. Aleryn asked why he was dripping wet, to which Tekir responded that he had simply given the prisoner a drink. It was a completely innocent affair…

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Across the corridor, Gardrin and Ginger were exploring the western stairwell and what it led to. Here, Gardrin took Ginger in his hands and raised her slightly so she could see into the room ahead. There, she found a group of hobgoblins sitting around a fire, some sleeping and some cooking food over a spit. As Ginger watched, one of them suddenly noticed her, prompting her to act before they were attacked.

So, Ginger provided a distraction. She cast Minor Illusion to create a voice saying, “Hey! Over here!” from the opposite direction of her and Gardrin. The hobgoblins immediately turned to look for the source of the sound, but discovered there was no one there. The hobgoblins discussed what they saw, with one claiming he saw a “real little person”, but was distracted by the noise.

Gardrin and Ginger took this opportunity to try and gain the advantage in the upcoming fight. Ginger threw a rock, using Minor Illusion again to make it sound much louder than it was. This terrified the hobgoblins, some of whom claimed that they were being haunted by the ghosts of the dwarves who once lived in the temple.

The duo then moved into the room to begin their ‘attack’. Gardrin snuck up behind the hobgoblin captain and put him in a headlock, while Ginger used Minor Illusion to pose as a dwarven ghost and scare the hobgoblins into being nice to the two of them. Cassius, who was with them, helped by putting their arms up in a ghostly manner. This scared the hobgoblins into deciding to flee, promising to leave the group alone if the ghosts didn’t harm them.

Unfortunately, when Gardrin released the captain, the latter immediately commanded the other hobgoblins to attack the ‘ghosts’, despite their protests. As a result, Gardrin, Ginger, and Cassius were forced to fight back against them. In the middle of the battle, they tried intimidating and persuading their foes, but nobody backed down. In the end, the hobgoblins were killed.

The heroes were victorious. With that, they began the process of honoring the dead, wrapping them in blankets.

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Back in the eastern hallway, Tekir, Aleryn, Ezra, and Novak were preparing to deal with the final cultist in the area. This one, who had been behind one of the barricaded doors, would be easier to deal on their own terms. As such, the group didn’t hesitate. They opened the door and, in one quick attack, slew the cultist.

After that, the quartet decided to join up with their companions to the west. They made their way to Gardrin and Ginger, impressed (and, in Aleryn’s case, disturbed) by the growing number of bodies the group were leaving behind them. Aleryn in particular seemed to be growing rather frustrated with the party’s growing body count, and it seemed to be having an effect on her, as shown by the way she started to shake. Despite this, she claimed to be fine and blamed it on the heat. Ginger, too, seemed concerned over how many people she had killed today alone, and the encouragement of those such as Tekir appeared to wear on her.

Unfortunately, their journey was not over yet. They still needed to find a way through the forge…

Quotes

 * Tekir: "Oh? Getting brave, are we?"



Trivia

 * Cassius was stated (out of character) to both be knowledgeable of waterboarding and willing to help Tekir with it, if given the option. It is unclear if this was a joke or not.