"Hey, hey now! I never said I loved the old otyugh, she just made a decent guard dog is all. Most people'd just run when they saw it. But noooo, you all had ta' stay and start killin' everythin'. I may have to actually get a dog now..."
Dannad peers out around Vandis, his new magic dagger spinning through his fingers.
"Wot's say we take this conversation elsewhere?"
The halfling pointedly looks at Arturo.
"Since we's sitting atop this one as of now, he's all lovey-dovey. Knowin' 'is type, though, as soon as we leave 'es back to bein' pals with the Beggar King."
Dannad sizes up the Eladrin.
"You look experienced, so we'll be saving further introductions for the time being, ifin that's alright with everyone else. I'm thinkin' we should hide the chest back up 'til we can see about retrieving the key, an' have a little chat with Arturo about how things'll work out."
"Ah, you have sense," Hawkseer nods approvingly to Dannad, before turning to Dagobert. "And I'll be happy to talk to you about rodents or whatever else you fancy when we're in a more secure situation."
"Ah, you have sense," Hawkseer nods approvingly to Dannad, before turning to Dagobert. "And I'll be happy to talk to you about rodents or whatever else you fancy when we're in a more secure situation."
"Good. Now come, we have many corpses to dispose of and little time to do it."
The group, having accepted Hawkseer's companionship for now, gets to work hiding the bodies. Arthuro is almost a little too expert about the process, and produces several stained blankets to wrap and carry the bodies to the otyugh pit with. Once the heavy lifting is done, Arthuro waves you all away.
"Go, quickly, and shut the gate on your way out. I'll mop up what I can and cover up what I can't," pants Arthuro, who has been diligent in his efforts despite the horrible wounds he received earlier. They have obviously fatigued him, though.
Assuming you leave and close the gate behind you, not a sound is heard on your way out. You all find it rather strange that this place was supposed to be overflowing with mercenaries but after fighting through almost half of it, you've encountered barely more than a dozen people.
Winding your way through the back-alleys of Smoke, you eventually leave the slums behind and make your way into The Souk. Dannad leads you several blocks until you read Gilder Street, the home of The Laughing Halfling.
It is not yet closing time, and the smell of hot food still drifts tantalizingly out of the brightly lit tavern. The sound of laughter can be heard from inside. A welcome respite from the slums and the Beggar-King's lair.
Dannad:
If you could please describe some of the major NPC's and one or two personality traits, that would be most useful here.
Once the group is well away from the Beggar-King's demesne, Hawkseer becomes slightly more cordial. "I am called Hawkseer. As I implied, I am here on behalf of Justicia to complete Samael's mission. But was there not one more of you? Samael described him as a ragged story-teller."
Once the group is well away from the Beggar-King's demesne, Hawkseer becomes slightly more cordial. "I am called Hawkseer. As I implied, I am here on behalf of Justicia to complete Samael's mission. But was there not one more of you? Samael described him as a ragged story-teller."
That brings up a good point. You had said you were going to take Kenneth out of there but not where you were taking him or how. Luckily you live in Punjar, and carrying someone through the streets won't garner too much attention if you're careful enough.
I'm going to give Dannad a little more time to post some info for us to go on before I decide to just wing it. Seems to me like everyone is really busy right now.
In the mean time, you should probably discuss what to do with Kenneth's body and whether carrying it into a busy tavern would arouse any suspicion. As amusing as a Weekend at Bernies scenario would be, it may not be entirely appropriate. :)
Kenneth never divulged who his family were. I'd suggest that we go along to the nearest likely temple (i.e. whichever deity he was most likely to want to hear him) and ask them to give him a decent burial. Dagobert will cough up for that if he can. Then onward to Dannad's boozer and a bit of a rest up.
Sorry for the slow posting this weekend. It's time for another one of those "real life" pile-ups that seem to distract us from time to time. I'm currently studying for a rather important exam and probably won't really be able to push the story forward until sometime tomorrow evening (EST).
Once again, sorry. I try to post as frequently as time allows but haven't done so well the last few days. Tomorrow we should resume our regularly scheduled programming. :)
There aren't any temples in Punjar outside of the temple district. You can whisk him away to there, if you'd like. But it'll be a very long walk through the city unless you want to rent a late-night wagon ride.
A wagon rental will cost you about 2 silver apiece.
I'm not sure how long Arthuro is likely to stay frightened enough to keep his word and not alert the Beggar King to us. Anywhere closer we can bury him?
It's my turn to be out of contact for a day. Off to London for an awards ceremony. Tres strange. Back late tonight.
Frightened or not, you got the feeling Arthuro really would like to see the Beggar-King taken care of. As long as it's still in his best interests, he'll probably keep up his end of the bargain.
As for nearby burial sites, that's probably not going to happen. You could, however, easily hire someone to deliver the body to a temple of your choice. Perhaps even someone from Dannad's tavern. They're bound to have some helping hands about.
I really need some information on your family or else I'm going to have to invent it myself very soon. I can't stall for much longer.
You are welcomed by Dannad's family with some suspicion, especially with the presence of a fresh corpse and the imposing Vandis towering over most of the clientele.
They feed you and offer to put you up for the night, although the rooms are cramped, designed mostly for other halflings. Kenneth's body is respectfully put in a wagon owned by the tavern and one of the staff is given the task of delivering him to the temple district. The staff member arrives several hours later with a message that the body will be buried in two days after the proper preparations are made.
Dimly aware that offering free rodent clearance may not endear him to his hosts, Dagobert merely stays quiet and keeps a discreet professional eye on the kitchen.
Vandis' behavior eventually leads to most of the tavern warming up to him. Being an outsider, everyone is curious to hear stories of your travels and several people offer you drinks in exchange.
Galad is also of great interest, being somewhat of an oddity everywhere he goes.
Dannad is kept busy by his family, and receives quite a brow beating from the matron, who is quite curious as to why he's showing up in night with a fresh corpse and a new dagger.
The kitchen, as far as Dannad can tell, is rodent free for the moment. You see the occasional mouser cat roaming around and it's obvious they do a good job of earning their keep.
At first glance, most of the crowd is apprehensive of Hawkseer. His religious adornment and dark appearance are a bit off-putting for this jovial crowd. If he keeps to himself, no one is likely to bother him.
Staying the night, nothing of particular note occurs. The drink is good and well-priced, the company is hospitable for Punjar, and the tavern is warm.
I'm going to go ahead and move this along as Dannad is currently MIA. If there is anything in particular any of you would like to do, be it talking to Dannad's family or asking Hawkseer any more questions, please post it by tomorrow afternoon (EST).
Once Dagobert has quietly watched the kitchen cats at work, he wanders around the tavern seeing if anyone has anything interesting to add to the group's knowledge of the Beggar King.
He never asks a direct question, he just listens and watches.
Galad has a meager meal of bread and water, refraining from any drink. "So, Hawkseer, why specifically did you come here? Yes, to replace Samael, but beyond that."
Once Dagobert has quietly watched the kitchen cats at work, he wanders around the tavern seeing if anyone has anything interesting to add to the group's knowledge of the Beggar King.
He never asks a direct question, he just listens and watches.
Dagobert:
It takes quite a bit of time for someone to mention the Beggar-King without asking any questions. You figure everyone is either too nervous to bring it up or it's simply not that much of a concern in this ward. One boastful young halfling in a well-tailored waistcoat does eventually start talking about Smoke.
"The smog lurking over the slums? A magical plague says I, sent by the gods to punish those over-reaching beggars. Only ill can come from dabbling in black magic, but them beggars was never the wise sort. If they were, wouldn’t be beggars now would they?
Galad has a meager meal of bread and water, refraining from any drink. "So, Hawkseer, why specifically did you come here? Yes, to replace Samael, but beyond that."
Hawkseer answers quietly. "I told you I work for Justicia, did I not? What is going on in Smoke is an offense to everything she stands for. And that even before this Beggar-King's rise. It is my charged duty to keep things from getting worse."
"Agreed. There's something evil lurking in the depths of this city, and it has been developing for longer than any of us have been alive. I only pray that it can still be stopped."
You all talk into the night and Dagobert shares some more of Kenneth's stories. The rooms are cramped for human-sized occupation but they are warm and you are left undisturbed throughout the night.
Come morning, you are all well rested again and breakfast is prepared for you. While no coin is directly asked for, since you are Dannad's friends, it is certainly implied by the matron that donations may be appreciated.
No news is to be found about the Beggar-King, so if your exploits have been discovered, they have been kept secret.
Where to next?
Also, remember that dailies have returned, surges and HP are at full, and you start the day off with 1 Action Point.
Out of sight of the others, Hawkseer presses two gold coins into the matron's hand. "Continue to do well by the people you serve, Mother, and you will find reward."
"Well, nobody has come a-hunting; shall we bring the hunt to them?" Hawkseer grins unpleasantly.
Dagobert tactfully leaves 2gp with the halfling matron.
"I've a notion nothing will improve without our help. Let's head back down the rat-hole. I'm sorry to have to say this, but I do believe we will find rodents needing to be put out of their misery."
DM: Dagobert would like, if possible, to have prepared a scroll of banish vermin overnight.
The matron accepts the coin and places it discreetly into a belt pouch before wandering off to berate some poor employee.
Dagobert: No problem with the scroll.
Anyone else about? I know Hawkseer's going to be busy this week and Dannad's player has term papers to worry about. Things might be slow for awhile but I'll do my best to keep the story moving forward.
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