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Reason moves next to Kia, so the Consecrated Ground bathes Kia, Vel and himself.
Arianwyn and Urho move to engage the vile newts.
Gallant basalt jaws close around the swirling mass, bisecting one of them.
In response, the newts flow around Whiteclaw's feet once more, delivering another flurry of bites to the bemused gnoll.
Aura attack v Whiteclaw (Ref). On hit, target takes 3 ongoing damage (se). Odd roll, target is dazed. (1d20+9=27, 1d6+4=6).
Whiteclaw keeps swinging with her axe, chuckling a little with amusement at the ineffectiveness of the weapon.
"Good show Whiteclaw! Now do it again!"
Focussing all her will upon Whitelcaw, she commands her to strike once more at the slithery things.
Once more unto the newts! (1d20+9=17, 1d10+9=12)
Clearly feeling much more herself, Kia's enthusiasm gets the better of her inspiration and Whiteclaw's axe misses the remaining newts by inches.
Frustrated and bewildered by the blows raining down around them, the newts make the possibly terminal error of attacking Urho.
Newts 2 v Urho (Ref) (1d20+9=23, 1d6+4=5).
Gobi sighs at the gunk on his shield just before he throws it back out once more at the newts.
Throwing Shield vs Newts. (1d20+9=20)
After the shield returns to him the dwarf scoots around to try to get a better position
Between them, Whiteclaw and Gobi reduce the newts to the last fragmentary few.
Vel incinerates the last few newts with a gesture.
Vel's gesture reduces your opponents to a few scales floating on the surface of the bath.
All that remains of the swarms are the scales, a buzzing, dying wasp and the repulsive slime left by the maggots. Kyleth's sense of humour has once again proved nearly deadly.
The sergeant you met earlier pushes his way past the guards. "Hold them back a moment," he calls, indicating the towel clad patrons and concerned staff clustering in the doorway.
"Is it safe yet? We heard a lot of noise." He looks at your various wounds and the mess on Gobi's shield.
"Well? Vermin, like I said. Reckon it was the water?" asks the sergeant, anxious to know what has been going on.
He sniffs the air. "Nasty vermin too. Never smelt the like before. Or seen it."
Arianwyn grimaces, "They were indeed... unique." he says with understatement.
He examines the book.
Gobi looks around and then at his nasty shield. He heads over to the water and tries to wash off his shield
"Blech, slimy things"
Vel just shudders, then composes herself and watches Arianwyn investigate the book.
Whiteclaw still looks amused as she cleans herself and her axe. "That was certainly an interesting fight."
Arianwyn grimaces, "They were indeed... unique." he says with understatement.
He examines the book.
Gerd Ironhammer's Vineyards of the Dwarven Realms now contains a horribly familiar frontispiece. The rune now adorning it is a matching pair to the one in Pirot's prison. Like Pirot's book and indeed Narissa's, the book itself, while of extreme rarity, is not enchanted. It is merely the medium of delivery.
The sergeant looks over at Gobi. "You'll be wanting to get that cleaned up I expect. You've earned the thanks of the Watch and no mistake. One thing though - did you errmmm ...," he lowers his voice "... find any victims? The staff are saying someone was on the massage table when the book arrived. One of their best customers."
He nods a bit grimly. "The family will be wanting any remains, not to put too fine a point on it. And it won't do to upset them."
Finally, he stares hard at Whiteclaw "Interesting? Seems like a bit of an understatement to me Miss. What kind of things do you usually fight for a living?" He seems genuinely curious, rather than simply sarcastic.
"Aye! you have any de-gunker laying about? You wouldn't know it but this shield use to have nice shades of green on it." The dwarf stands up from the hunched over position he has taken to clean his shield in the water.
"You'll want to ask the magical ones about that stuff. I've been trying to take notes but I'm afraid its got my head all rattled around at the moment."
"This is a bath house sir, I'm sure they'll have something to help. You can use my hankie for now. Clean this morning."
"This is a bath house sir, I'm sure they'll have something to help. You can use my hankie for now. Clean this morning."
"It was clean this morning? well.. what time is it now?"
The sergeant looks at his pocket watch. "Just gone lunchtime, sir."
"It was clean this morning? well.. what time is it now?"
Kia looks at Gobi and then asks Vel:
"Vel, haven't you got a cleaning spell or something that can help Gobi?"
After a short rest Kia is starting to feel decidedly angry.
"I'm tired of arriving just too late. Let's try not to be too late for that other one. Where did Narissa say he was?"
The sergeant shuffles slightly. "I must ask again. Are there any ... remains? The staff wish to know what to do."
"Hand me that thing," Vel tells Gobi rather irritably. If he does so, she cleans it with Prestidigitation.
"Of course take it! Avandra would probably not be happy with me getting her symbol all mucky like that. Even if it is in the name of adventure!"
The dwarf looks over at the guard
"Listen mate, we don't have any bodies because no one died here. We're trying to figure it out but I think we can get back your missing person. Unless I'm wrong, magic users..he got sucked up right?" The dwarf looks to his friends
"Magic? Never touch the stuff. I had an aunt who was an arcanist." The sergeant shakes his head.
"I don't know how I'm going to explain that, but if you say so. Look, all this is going to take a while. Tell me where I can find you and leave the explanations to me. Just slip out the back door and be on your way."
"We'll be staying at The Way with Words, also.. do you know any good spots to get some supplies? Weapons and such but also maybe some just general goods or alchemical things? perhaps at a hero's discount?"
Gobi puts on his dwarven charm.
Diplomacy (1d20+9=20)
Kia looks hard at Gobi.
"Gobi, We have spent the last two days chasing around after people who are being eaten by books, only to arrive just a few minutes too late. Could we, please, try not to do that with whatsismane? I don't know about you others, but it is really beginning to upset me that we don't ever get there in time. If if happens again, I might just get cross."
Vel can't help but look faintly amused.
"We've only been late twice and, we're making sure none of Kyleth's suprises are hurting innocent people." Whiteclaw, it seems, is not assuming that the targets of each book are innocent. "Gobi, I think, has a point. We might want to diversify our supplies a little, as each book seems to have a different sort of defender, and they are getting more complex to engage. We should try and give ourselves more options."
"I am greatly looking forward to meeting whoever would misuse books in such a manner."
Reasons tail lashes.
"I'd like to agree with Whiteclaw, but Kia's right. We may have only been late twice, but we've only been on time once. We need to find the last target -- and not discuss our business in the public baths."
"Alright then, lets be on with it. Where are we going to now?"