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Bal Themm chuckles a little when Deseri wears the hat. "Don't worry", she answers to Aleris' concern. "I didn't accept any donations from those in greater need. Those who chose to donate are well enough off, and were grateful for your assistance in securing the gate. Many in Wati are worried what this night will bring, and they're happy to reward those who put themselves in harm's way to protect them. So worry not -- consider it as salary for a job well done, if a donation seems too awkward."
“We are honored by your offerings,” Harmose says, reaching out to hold people’s hands. “Thank you. Would any like to work with us? There is so much that needs to be done. Organizing food and lodgings for those displaced. Taking care of the wounded. There is more than one way to fight monsters.”
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Harmose's suggestion and Aleris' reasoning get a couple of dozen people to volunteer, and Bal Themm will organize their endeavors from here.
I assume you'll be wanting to head to check the Tooth & Hookah next? I'll give you about 24 hours to voice any objections and tomorrow around this time I'll move you to Tooth & Hookah if nobody objects.
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Moving on to the Tooth and Hookah...
As you make your way north through the winding streets of Wati, the familiar sight of the Tooth & Hookah comes into view. Next to it, however, there is some trouble brewing...
A gang of eight young toughs is taking advantage of the chaos to loot local shops. As you approach, a middle-aged man is pushed into the street from a broken-open shop door beneath a hand-painted sign that reads “Sun-Ripened Teas.” Half of the looters shove and threaten the merchant while the rest rob his tea shop.
The Tooth & Hookah is enough separated from Sun-Ripened Teas that you might be able to sneak into T&H without drawing the toughs' attention, or you may attempt to confront the toughs in a variety of ways. How do you proceed?
Turel nods grimly and proceeds to head off around the side of the Tea Shop, hoping to catch the thugs unawares...
Kito fidgets a moment, then decides it is best to wait.
I just don’t think I can sneak up on them without them noticing,
"I would only get in the way with that part."
Qari stands her ground, not wanting to risk giving away their position to the looters.
Polux growls, following Turel and Aleris - "Let the bastards try to push around someone who is not defenseless" - he mutters, before fading into darkness.
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The looters, unfortunately, notice Aleris and Turel's approach, which (despite Polux's success) alerts the group of thugs to the presence of your entire group. They turn away from the merchant to face your group, and demand tribute. "You! We demand a toll for keeping the streets safe from the living dead!" They brandish saps in a threatening manner.
These are cowardly jackals, no honor in their nature...still they may be swayed by a honeyed tongue to more fruitful pursuits...
Turel eyes the looters closely yet waits for one of the more diplomatic member to convince them to leave their honorless natures behind them.
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Aleris' Diplomacy roll is enough to get through to the looters, and they look down to the ground, shamed by the sylph's words. They mumble something not entirely clearly heard but probably something to the effect of a vague noncommittal apology, and they lower their weapons. "Let's get out of here..." one of them says. Another shrugs, "The lady's kind of got a point..." "Yeah, maybe we oughta just wait this one out..."
The looter crowd disperses to the four winds, leaving the area.
Current Panic Level Effects:
A few of Wati’s shops are open for business, but merchants remain wary and charge exorbitant prices to help pay for the additional protection they require from predators—both undead and living. The city temporarily gains the Hunted disadvantage while at this Panic Level. All goods are sold at a 100% markup. Temples offer only 1st- and 2nd level spellcasting services. (Crime +4; Economy, Law, and Society –4; Danger +15; reduce base value by 20%)
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"No, I'm fine, thank you, thank you", the merchant says while dusting himself off. He doesn't appear to have sustained any serious injuries.
The Tooth & Hookah is a few doors down, and checking inside it, you find Farhaan has set up defensive positions so that tables are turned around and all sorts of walking impediments would slow down any undead invasion. Farhaan expresses joy at seeing your group, but does not have any new information to share.
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At the Tooth & Hookah, after dealing with the looters, Ra rushed up the stairs to his room.
There he cracked open the newly delivered crate and reverently reached in and pulled out the first piece of his brand new Full Plate armor.
After donning the new armor, he pulled on a tabard of his old unit, then picked up the dark grey Adamantine Flail. He patted the hard metal, smiled, then descended the stairs to rejoin the others.
Turel hides a smile as he sees Ra-Khefer fully decked out but Aleris' words do sober him up. "We need to determine why these undead arose from the grave. The most likely explanation for this lies in the Necropolis, at the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. Though the way be fraught with peril, that is where we need to go."
Kito suggests “Although that may be true, do you really think now is the time to do so? I have no spells left and feel rather useless.”
“I think we may need to wait until we are at full strength before striking at the center of this problem.”
Turel smiles, "I did not say we needed to leave now Kito. Resting here should be safe, though we may want to set watches to be sure."
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Kito looks very relieved to hear Turel say they could get some rest before dealing with more undead.
"Yes, a night's rest would be good."
Looking to Aleris, Deseri and Harmose, she points out "If any of you have healing spells left, you should try to use them on Ra-Khefer before we rest. Hopefully one or more will work."
Turning to Farhaan, she asks "Do you think one or two of us down here on guard will be enough? You will want to get some sleep as well."
Qari volunteers to stand guard with the others at whatever shift as she didn’t need to refresh any spells.
Grinning openly at Ra's excitement at being ready for a fight properly but the fades away at the idea of getting some rest so she can actually be useful in some of the fights to come. Though there is the buried need to want to keep fighting until it is over. Kito's smart and this is better. Assuming I can actually sleep.
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The caster level check requires DC 20 so neither of Aleris' heals go through.
The time is about 2-3am, well past midnight but still a ways to dawn. If you rest the normal 8 hours (plus some overhead for watch shifts) you can still be out and about before noon.
Farhaan indicates that one on guard should be sufficient, as he's done some pretty good shoring up of the inn's defenses. However, a couple of other adventuring groups also return to the inn while you are settling down, and that means there are enough people to go around that nobody needs to take a shift unless you particularly want to.
Spending a few minuets pulling magic to her finger tips only for it to fade away when she touched Ra. Grinning when one attempt works, "Ha.. definitely need someone else to use those scrolls."
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I don't hear any objections, so I'm moving us forward.
You rest eight hours from late night to late morning and are up and about sometime before noon.
After the night's horrors, Wati has very cautiously started to crawl out of its hiding with the break of sunlight. It's noticeably more quiet in the streets than normal, but not deserted by any means. People who you do see walking in the streets do so with a hurried pace and frequently glancing over their shoulder -- people are obviously nervous and afraid, like you might expect in the wake of a disaster in a city.
You can hear the occasional crier pass by in the streets, shouting some vague statements of the authorities investigating recent events, but from how vague all the statements are, you can easily tell that the people in charge either don't know a lot, or don't want to reveal a lot.
Farhaan had set up a handsome breakfast buffet so that everyone can eat their fill and nobody has to leave hungry. Although some of the buffet has been voraciously assualted -- mainly the desserts, of which only about a quarter remains -- but there's still plenty that remains nonetheless.
I'm going to address the following first because it has the least effect on anything:
Visiting the temple of Pharasma (the Grand Mausoleum) yields little useful information at this point. Nobody has seen Ptemenib during the night or the morning. If Turel asks Bal about Ptemenib, Bal also has no information about Ptemenib, but hopes that his being missing does not mean that he has fallen prey to the undead assaults through the night.
After that, you have named at least the following sites of interest:
* The Naahn residence (in Asp district), near the Hall of Blessed Rebirth (number 9 on this map) where Sehhosep Naahn is employed
* Meehr Zet's residence (in Veins district), near Getwahb's Tarworks (number 6 on the above map)
* Enter Necropolis -> Go to Sanctum of Erudite Eye (number 17 on the map)
* Whispering Stone tavern (in Asp district, number 28 on the map)
I will potentially have some activities for you in all four: let me know where to first.
You're starting at 8 on the map (Grand Mausoleum, you're just leaving it). Are you headed to:
9) Sehhosep Naahn
6) Meehr Zet
17) Sanctum of Erudite Eye
28) Whispering Stone
xx) other, specify
Kito is not relieved that no one has seen nor heard from Ptemenib. Still, she has no ideas on what to do about it.
“Let’s make sure friends are safe first.”
Qari agrees with Kito. ”That sounds like a logical path to follow. Let’s get to it now. No telling when more walking dead will randomly appear.”
Turel nods in reply, "That would be a wise course of action." He inclines his head at Harmose, "Lead the way Brother."
Tossing and turning all night long. Waking up sweat soaked and soar before quickly dressing. Rushing downstairs and oh so grateful that the Naahn's are on the list of places to check.
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You head to the south part of Wati, the sprawling Asp district:
Asp: This long, winding district of low buildings and twisting alleyways runs along Wati’s southern edge. Asp was built without the planning or engineering insight of Wati’s core, making navigation difficult for newcomers. Few of Asp’s residents think of themselves as members of a common community the way inhabitants of Midwife or Morning Sun might. Instead, the district is a loose alliance of dozens of blocks, neighborhoods, and streets all pursuing their own agendas. These associations hold bitter rivalries as well, usually along economic lines, which run from the well-off estates in the west to the slums of mud-brick hovels huddling against the walls of the necropolis in the east.
As you approach the Naahn residence,
Thunder? No, something else. I think it is time to run the wrong direction again...
“Did you hear that?” Kito asks. “I don’t think it bodes well!” she says as she hurries ahead.
Turel nods in reply to Kito's assertion that was thunder from nowhere. "This bodes ill...we need to hurry!"