Astonishingly, Thod is allowed to keep his armour, but drops his eighty or so weapons with the group as people start to crowd around the table, cheering wildly. Money starts getting poured onto the table as the thieves take bets on their man.
A particularly mean, brawny guy with a scar over his face steps up to face off with Thod. He has an irritating, high-pitched voice.
"Hah! You're gonna get stabbed shortie! You won't see it coming 'cause you'll be too busy starin' at me crotch! Aaaa hee he hee. Clumsy dullard like yourself'll be too busy trying to count to ten before ya get shanked! Hee hee!"
A knife is thumped into the centre of the table between the two of them as Thod's opponent babbles inanely. Devargo stands up, and saunters over to the table with a dangerous, catlike grace. He looks over at all of you.
"Well now friends, place your bets. Let's see how well your dwarf does against no-neck here."
The man on the table turns from throwing insults at Thod to protest.
"Hey! M'names..."
"No-neck," finishes the King of Spiders.
Donnell shrugs - knivesies it is then, I guess. Good luck knocking a dwarf off his feet!
Figuring there's not much use explaining the money-grab, Donnell takes the dwarf by the hand, guiding him over to the table. Speaking low and slow in dwarven: "Simple enough, Thod. They will tie you to a man. He'll try to knock you down. You knock him down first."
Thod replies back in dwarven, slightly more swiftly
"Høyre, kaste dem av bordet, eller stikke dem til det punktet de kan ikke stoppe deg fra å kaste dem av bordet. Hva var det om gull? Samle så mye som mulig for å også vinne?"
Astonishingly, Thod is allowed to keep his armour, but drops his eighty or so weapons with the group as people start to crowd around the table, cheering wildly. Money starts getting poured onto the table as the thieves take bets on their man.
Thod begins stretching and flexing, limbering up. The astute may notice the slight hint of a grin start to creep into the corners of his mouth.
A particularly mean, brawny guy with a scar over his face steps up to face off with Thod. He has an irritating, high-pitched voice.
"Hah! You're gonna get stabbed shortie! You won't see it coming 'cause you'll be too busy starin' at me crotch! Aaaa hee he hee. Clumsy dullard like yourself'll be too busy trying to count to ten before ya get shanked! Hee hee!"
"Count to ten? I only need to three, 'cause that's how long it's gonna take to toss your ass right off this table!"
Thod punches his palm a few times, his grin now quite noticeable.
A knife is thumped into the centre of the table between the two of them as Thod's opponent babbles inanely. Devargo stands up, and saunters over to the table with a dangerous, catlike grace. He looks over at all of you.
Thod stomps on a stool to hoist himself up onto the table with the determination of a boulder rolling down a mountain. He turns to no-neck.
"Come on then, squeaker! We gonna do this, or do you just like hearin' your own voice?"
Thod has been notably changing as the fight approaches. Rather than a quiet, slow-witted individual, he's become energetic and boisterous. He hops from foot to foot on top of the table, flexing and punching his palms in eagerness.
"Ah, Cryptothermis pseudobasileia," Raven says out loud, as she regards the pseudodragon. "Not in very good condition, but still."
Moving over to watch the knivesies fight, the Alchemist glances at the King of Spiders.
"Your Majesty, since wagers are traditional, what would you consider fair balance against Cryptothermis pseudobasileia, there? Shall we say, fifty gold?"
"Right, toss 'em off the table, or stab 'em to the point they can't stop you from tossing 'em off the table. What was that about gold? Gather as much as you can to also win?"
Blinking rapidly, Donnell hesitates slightly before replying: "uh ... ja, jeg trodde ikke du ... never mind. Jeg mistenker at du er sterkere enn du er fingernem, så bare avslutte det før vi alle få knivstukket ."
As Thod climbs on to the table, Donnell tosses 5gp on the table before standing on Thod's stool for a better view. When the contest begins in earnest, The Fox actively tries to distract No-Neck by pretending to wobble and almost fall off of the stool:
and by 'getting bored' and pulling out coins and other small objects, tossing them in the air, and performing juggling, vanishing, and other tricks with them.
The raucous crowd suddenly goes silent at Devargo holds up a finger, looking right at Raven.
"Fancy words you have... Now then, now then, this little creature was a gift to us, hrm? Not too long ago. We're not bored with it. The little dragonses are hard to catch... nimble and clever they are. Good in a fight with a dream spider."
He looks over Raven Six and then the others.
"We'd sell it for no less than five thousand for certain. But if you want an interesting bet, then perhaps we can figure one out. Make us an offer - what can you put up against my little dragon?"
Please! He is so cruel! He makes me fight huge spiders!
"Expertise," Raven says. Very slowly, she approaches the king, her hands in clear view, and points at his gauntlet.
"I am an Alchemist. You are beyond question a skilled creator of toxins through blending and study. But to me, the creation of alchemical compounds and toxins is a science. More than art or talent, I am lead by method and the knowledge of my predecessors. I can take your creation, break it down to its basic building blocks, and then rebuild it into a monster. Will that do?"
At the table, Sevenspawn leans down to Donnell, his eyes still watching Thod.
"I propose a side bet, my friend. Five hundred on our dwarven companion, from our bag. Look at him. He's going to.." He searches for a word, shakes his head once, and grins suddenly.
"Just look, is all. What say you?"
Donnell's eyes skitter nervously around the room: "If you can find someone, preferably multiple someones, to cover that bet, then go for it. Such a large bet in one place is likely to attract unwanted attention though - be careful!"
Raven makes her offer to Kevargo who looks over her. He grins a wide, malevolent grin.
"We think this is more interesting than a little dragon to play with. If your dwarf wins, you gets our little dragon. If our man wins... you work for us. And we kill those who don't work well."
He looks over the thug on the table spouting mindless insults at Thod.
"You there. If you win, you are hired. And rich. If you lose..."
Devargo heads back to his throne, and opens up a small chest. He produces a bag of coins, which he pours on the table. At least five hundred gold.
"I won't letcha down yer Majesty! But.. if I lose?"
Devargo winks and waggles his bladed gauntlet.
"Don't lose. TEN!! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN!"
The other thugs start piling money on the table.
"SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
The goon seems to pick up on something Thod missed, and is moving even before Devargo says go. With a howl of glee, he picks up the dagger first before he lunges at Thod. Thod just catches the man's wrist, blocking the attack.
"WHAAA-HAA! TIME FER SOME FUN!!"
Thod gives out a loud, boisterous laugh as the fight begins in earnest.
He's a little slow on the draw, but easily deflects the knife stab.
"DON'T WAVE THAT LETTER OPENER AT ME! FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"
Thod pulls his right arm back HARD, yanking the strap, and attempting to pull the man right off the table.
Sevenspawn nods once to Donnell, slapping his shoulder and standing up. His eyes are alive; it feels like home. Though he has not been gone so long, it seems a lifetime.
"Two hundred fifty gold on our dwarf," he says loudly. "I offer you first chance at the wager, O' King."
Devargo drops a terse nod to Sevenspawn as he watches the fight.
"Why not, you lot are interesting to us."
Thod gives a mighty yank on the leather strap, but the thug drops his centre of balance and manages to cling to the back of the table. He springs back up, cackling like an idiot.
"Hahaha! Shorty got no pull! I'll show ya something to pull ya little bastard!"
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"Hahaha! Shorty got no pull! I'll show ya something to pull ya little bastard!"
"I know you're lonely, but that doesn't mean you gotta whip it out at every opportunity!"
Snapping his fingers with delight at Devayne's acceptance - some of it genuine, truth be told - Sevenspawn looks back to the action.
With the briefest of glances at the King of Spiders, the cleric mutters a prayer to his goddess as he touches his holy symbol under his cloak.
Raven watches the fight intently as Sevenspawn starts praying to his God. The prayer is a little more subtle than other overt displays of divine power, and goes unnoticed.
The thug strapped to Thod stabs at him before swiping at the coins. This time he manages to find a chink in Thod's armour and slams the dagger into his side. Blood seeps through and starts to pool on the table. A huge cheer goes up and Devargo winks over at Sevenspawn.
"Hee hee! Gotcha!"
\
Donnell continues in his efforts to distract:
"Baah! 'Bout time yeh started fightin' like a man! Now let me show you how it's done!"
Thod yanks the wrist cord again, though this time to bring the guy in up close and personal.
Despite feeling a little too "at home" for his own liking, Sevenspawn makes a concentrated check of the room for anything that might be untoward.
Thod yanks the thug into a nice, close embrace and his powerful arms grab the thug in a headlock, ignoring the dagger as it bounces off of his armour. Sevenspawn scans the area, but is unable to spot anything that looks too out of the ordinary. The thug wildly struggles in an attempt to free himself but fails to do so entirely.
"Do you have many such inferior applicants for employment?" Raven disingenuously asks of the Spider King. "Perhaps you should develop standardized tests to refine your potential labour pool."
Donnell appears to be considerably bored by the proceedings, and scatters a dozen gold coins into the air over his head, attempting to catch each as it falls.
Thod pumps his fist in the air, gives a dictation-free scream, and delivers a Moss-Covered Three-Handled Family Credenza hoists up No-Neck to bodyslam him off the table. Preferably onto a chair.
Donnell continues to do amazing adequate feats of sleight of hand to the interest of absolutely nobody, unfortunately.
Devargo glances over to Raven sidelong. He smirks.
"What do you think this is?"
People have started to pour in from the outside hallway as Thod and the thug continue to wrestle on the table. The thug tries to pull out of the headlock, but Thod simply flips him up into the air, catches him by the waist, and sends him crashing to the ground.
WHAM!
End of Combat
There's a roar from the crowd as countless side-bets start changing hands. Several hands help Thod down from the table, and the winnings are quickly grabbed and divvied out.
Devargo looks annoyed and for a brief moment, glances at a lever beside his throne. He then scowls and instead tosses a bag of coins to Sevenspawn and after staring foully at Raven, he tosses her a key.
"Take the dragon. You have not heard the last of us on this."
There's some commotion as those who bet on Thod's side take their winnings, and finally the room is cleared. Devargo is obviously not happy, but he speaks anyways.
"We have what you want on the ambassador. What do you have for us?"
[
Raven walks over to the pseudodragon's cage and frees the little creature, holding it in her arms as though it were a housecat. Her face impassive in spite of the gentle gesture, the Alchemist rejoins the others.
"In spite of your setback, your majesty," she says, "you are clearly a man of your word. And I am sure we all respect you for it, in addition to recognizing it as the cornerstone of sensible business."
Sevenspawn catches the bag and hands it to Donnell without checking the contents, looking instead to Thod's wound for a few moments with the contents of his medicine bag. He addresses the halfling as he does so.
"You tell him, my friend. Let me see to this."
"Impressive work," he tells Thod as he applies a salve. "When we are away, I will heal this injury properly."
"Would knowledge of a plot against the Queen by a prominent noble family be of use to you?"
Thod hoots in victory, waving his free fist in the air as he's helped down. After the rope is untied, however, he walks over to no-neck and offers a hand up.
"Good match! What's your name, friend? Worthy foes deserve to have their names known."
He also offers a gold piece to the warrior. "Buy yourself a nice drink, on me. You earned it!"
Soon, after a bit of panting, Thod calms down, saying nothing as Sevenspawn tends to his injuries. He simply reclaims his weapons, gathers his share of the gold, and stands to the side.
Thank you thank you thank you. I will serve you just as I promised. My name is Majenko. Please don't hurt me and I will be good to you.
The vanquished thug looks at Thod, and then fearfully at Devargo.
"No-neck," he mutters. "Also Samo." He takes the coin and nods to Thod before he's lead out by his fellows, who are obviously upset with him.
Devargo drums his fingers on his "throne", still occasionally glancing over to the pseudodragon in Raven Six's arms irritably. However, he does seem interested by Donnell's proposal.
"This could be a good trade. You tell us what it is about, but not who it is. If it is not a fair trade, we will decide its value, and you will pay the difference for the little love letters."
Raven watches the exchange with a detached kind of interest, and offers the little pseudodragon one of her rations.
.... come again?
Donnell bows apologetically: "Forgive me, your majesty - it seemed prudent to determine your interest in the information prior to divulging too much of it. Information is a coin that cannot be recovered once spent.
"I am referring to House Harkonnen Arkona, which, until recently, was covertly operating, through an intermediary, an unlicensed butchery in North Point. The specialty of the house was long pork... The ignorant swab we captured also admitted to openly trying to incite rebellion against the crown."
Raven frowns a little, her eyes going out of focus as she seems to be considering something complex.
... sort of? Are you well? I think one of your kind is a healer. Is it easier for you to speak? I don't like to make noise... it's how I got caught.
Devargo's eyebrows raise.
"Well now, this is interesting. I heard tell of the Cow Hammer Boys but the fact Arkona may have been involved..."
Devargo throws back his head, laughing loudly. He then nods once to the group, affirmatively, apparently delighted with the news. Turning to his side, he rummages through a chest before producing several letters.
"This is a fair trade. You will tell us the names of everyone involved, and we will give you these letters. These letters are love letters from Amprei to a lady in Cheliax who is... well, shall we say powerful, important, and very married. He does not want anyone else to have these, oh no, but we know his games in Korvosa and we do not approve. This is a good trade. Who in Arkona organized the Cow Hammer Boys?"
Raven's eyes snap back into focus.
"Ah, the gentleman in question is an adulterer in a nation with a politically powerful and harshly legalistic religion. As a violator of various taboos and infringer on personal and religious oaths, he is indeed in a weak position. These letters should be very good ammunition."
Donnell smiles nervously at Devargo's laughter (this guy's been out on the water too long).
Approaching Devargo to accept the letters: "Thank you, Your Majesty. This should help us in our future endeavours. Master Verik, a member of the Guard gone rogue and the dupe running butchery, was the lover of Mistress Vimanda Arkona. That is where I would look to find to root of the treachery."
The little dragon in Raven's arms looks at Raven with an expression of pure confusion but then nods and rests his chin on her arm.
Devargo's grin is incredible. Without a word, he tosses the letters to Donnell.
"I've lost my little toy and some coin, but I've gained something much more valuable. A pleasure doing business with you."
His smile fades.
"Now get out." He looks at Raven Six. "And you, we may speak with you later. The little bet may have been lost, but we think there's more to talk about here... later."
Before you can really counter or retort, you find yourself being firmly escorted out.
[ooc]Congratulations on the completion of this mission. YOu can take a spot of downtime and do some shopping or pursue side interests, or we can push to your next meeting with Cressida. The 1000 gp bribe for Devargo is now yours to spend, so the loot tracker has an extra 1k added. Or in short everyone gets 336 gold each. If Sevenspawn wants to share his winnings, that's up to him.[/oooc]
As soon as the group is well away from the Spider King's ship, Raven speaks in a musing tone: "I... do not like that man. I would not enjoy dealing with him again. Nor talking with him. He... offends."
Having said that, she gently strokes Majenko's back and addresses him: "Do you require a healing draught? I have one prepared for the day."
Looking at the others, she adds: "This gentleman has introduced himself to me. He is an intelligent being."
Aside from shaking Samo's hand as he left, Thod doesn't have much to say, simply calming down and trying to follow the barrage of words and diplomacy flying around. As he tends to do when uncomfortable, he stands upright, playing the part of a stalwart guardian.
He's still lost on what's been offered, and what was exchanged, but he did his part, so he simply nods and follows the group.
Thod does raise an eyebrow. He can't follow the details of the conversation, but he can tell this Devargo guy did just threaten a comrade in arms. Weird girl she may be, but that doesn't mean she's free to threaten. You just don't do that.
As soon as the group is well away from the Spider King's ship, Raven speaks in a musing tone: "I... do not like that man. I would not enjoy dealing with him again. Nor talking with him. He... offends."
"I get the sense he don't care what you want. That was a threat, plain and simple. And I don't like people slinging threats at friends... Or strange tattooed women I just met today, but still."
Looking at the others, she adds: "This gentleman has introduced himself to me. He is an intelligent being."
Thod looks at the little scaly thing.
"Intelligent? Guess he's smarter than me. Nobody's ever called me intelligent." Thod says this with a hint of resignation. "Uhh... by the way, I'm still a bit hurt, here. Did get stabbed in the fight. Don't suppose any of you got something for that?"
"Ah. Of course," Raven says, and hands Thod a vial of something syrupy and bright yellow. "To your health. You fought very impressively. Be warned, though, I am told this solution tastes like... 'feet wrapped in more feet'."
*Gulp*
"Huh, tastes like my final attempt to make mead before my brewing instructor gave up on me. Thanks."
Jogging to catch up to Raven6, Donnell begins rambling excitedly: "Was that a healing extract? How is that done? Would you care to compare notes? I bet I have a few formulae that you've never seen!"
"Does anyone else care for a drink and a rest before we check in with the Guard?"
Sevenspawn falls mostly silent for the journey, bowing slightly to Devayne as they depart
and mumbling short words of greeting to the pseudodragon. He remains this way for some time, following the group.
- general bets = 86 gp each
- Payment from the Guard = 250 gp each
- Sevenspawn's bet = 62.5 gp each
You all pile into the Three Rings Tavern. Free room and board, a line of credit for drink, and a relatively empty area makes it almost completely your own. The bartender, Ysania, is a husky, red-haired woman who is loud and pleased to have at least a few rooms bankrolled by the city.
Soon you are all upstairs, settling into your rooms and getting comfortable. At one point you are all walking past Donnell's room, without any warning, a middle-aged Varisian woman appears in front of you, a Harrow deck in her hands. She smiles and points into Donnell's room.
"Sevenspawn, Donnell, you should probably introduce me to your new friends. Let's have a seat."
"I am willing to exchange on a basis of equality, a formula for a formula," Raven replies to Donnell's request.
At the Three Rings, Raven ensures that Majenko has enough to eat and drink before she sees to her own needs -- which turn out to be slight. Some bread, boiled vegetables, boiled water.
The woman's apparition causes the Alchemist to blink in momentary confusion.
"Yes," she says. "An introduction might be helpful."
She holds out a hand to shake that of the stranger.
"Raven Six. And you are?"
"Huh? Who'sat?"
Thod is rather confused at weird women appearing out of nowhere, though the fact it seems to know Sevenspawn and Donnell puts him... somewhat at ease.
He heads inside the room, though he doesn't introduce himself yet. Just because she knows those two, doesn't mean she should know him.
"I am willing to exchange on a basis of equality, a formula for a formula"
"Fair enough. I will provide you with a list of the formulae I know - let me know if any are of interest to you"
True Strike: +20 attack, negates concealment
Crafter's Fortune: +5 on next Craft check
Adhesive Spittle: As per tanglefoot bag; range 15', auto-hit
Heightened Awareness: +2 Perception & Knowledge; +4 Initiative
Shield: +4 AC & negates magic missile
Expeditious Retreat: Adds 30' to base land speed.
Nonplussed by the sudden appearance, Donnell moves to open his room. Casually remarking to the others: "Perhaps we've mentioned the oracle's spirit trapped in a Harrow deck? This is Zellara."
Motioning for the others to follow him into the room, Donnell drops his bag at the foot of the bed before clambering up onto it to make room for the big folk. Expecting to have to interpret a Harrow reading without Lorelei's help, Donnell settles in and begins the process of cleaning, filling, and lighting his pipe.