Another flame is extinguished, this time by the combination of Taurven's arrow and Casey's bullet.
Gunser's swing hits nothing but empty air.
The elemental let loose a wordless silent howl and lashes out at the sailor.
Gunser takes 4 fire damage and fails his save, catching on fire. He must make a DC11 save each round or take 1d4 fire damage for rounds.
Everyone else is up.
Seeing that there is only one left, Orwen holds his actions and letting the frontliners take out the last of the threat.
Mirrender lets loose a force bolt which slams into the flame.
Jelani smashes or Orwen does. Gunser manages to put himself out and all the flames are extinguished.
You find yourself in a large and grand room, though far less tastefully furnished than the Knight's. The walls are brick and the carpet is bright green; there is the occasional picture on the wall with what seems like dirt and earth scraped across them. A sumptuous and unmade four-poster bed lies in the corner next to a wardrobe.
Next to the door is a desk, burnt by the fire rune; the papers on it are charred mostly to cinders.
Looting his wardrobe, you find
-Another Druid's Vestement
-Sandals of Quick Reaction
-1000gp
You also find some incense, clean robes and sandals.
As the last fire creature falls, Casey reloads his musket and looks around the place. Noticing the burnt papers, "I shore hope these weren't important. Don't matter none now I reckon."
|
"You would be surprised how much use charred papers can be" Mirrender replies. "Bring them along, carefully so we don't mix anything up. Then we can -- eventually -- figure out what they said."
He looks at Blast, probably the only one equipped for the job. The then moves to investigate the pictures -- there is something odd about them -- before scanning the room for additional magics that they may have missed.
Casey shrugs. "Alright then. But I'll let one o' you others pick 'em up. I ain't one for such delicate issues," he responds to the dark elf, showing him one of his rather large and sand paper like hands.
"Best let the elf who thinks ashes are still paper be the handler of such. We've one path not yet taken, and it wants eyes on it. Taurven, Jelani, let's see to that?"
"Can't understand, how it dodged my oar, but stood so still for your hammer...", Gunser grins.
"I don't doubt it. No, I do not..."
Gunser walks to the Southern shaft, and holds up the glowing Wayfinder...
"Where did you find such a fearsome alter ego, Jelani? You seemed more demon than man. I must admit, it concerns me a little bit."
Taurven joins Gunser and Jelani in exploring what he hopes is, the back door out.
|
"When I was a boy in the Mwangi Expanse, my tribe worshiped a demon called Angazhan. I was made to do many evil things. After, I had many evil things done to me. Inside me is a wicked darkness. Trough the Dawnflower's teachings I have come to grace, but it's always a struggle." Jelani answers Taurven, "Sometimes it is advantageous to release the darkness. On those that deserve it of course. You needn't worry about me though Tauvren. I am strong."
Jelani heads up the ladder; at about the right height he finds a hole in the shaft that heads out over the hall; you guess its the shaft the birdy-man dropped from.
Climbing up to the top you find a wooden lid. Punch it open and you find yourself in a small room (5x10) with a door in front of you.
"ALL the loot? There's the ashes, they'll not be 'grabbed'. Aye, we'll make as ready as can, to leave. But here, Hammer, try this ring. Put it on, and imagine looking through it. What's beyond that door?"
|
|
"I take it Demon worship is frowned upon on the surface, then?" Mirrender asked naively. In Drow lands, Demon worship was pretty much all there was. He was looking around for something to put the remains of the papers into, keeping them as separate and organized so as not to harm the writing.
"What is this .... 'Dawnflower' you speak of? Is it related to ... 'Iomedae'?"
He did not mention his ability to see long distances in darkness again. They knew of it from before, so there was no point in reminding them. They obviously knew what they were doing ... right?
"I shall have to remember to procure an 'Investigator's Kit'" he mutters to no one in particular.
"Here," Blast says, pulling out a vial and carefully slipping the papers and ashes into it. "Hopefully we can decipher this back home."
Moving out, as some of the group make for the ladder, the tiefling glances back at the bodies. "What's the decision for these? Burn them?"
"Keep both entries open so the fires can breathe. Then burn the bodies on the rubbish heap. We'll do the neighbors two favors tonight."
"Heh. If you burn your enemy once, you won't have to fight him twice."
"I hope there's comfort and peace for them, dyin' together. Whatever Power the bird served, I expect he's Theirs, now. And for the knight, fleein' a cause of Cheliax might just be good sense, not cowardice. He stood against us, I suppose. Though that was no good sense." Gunser seems to be looking for more words. "Bah. If I knew more of either of you, I'd say it. You took up with the Takers, and they took against us. We offered terms, and you chose battle. We offered life, you chose death."
Gunser walks away as the flames catch.
The flames catch and quickly enfold the bodies atop their nauseating pyre; the smoke burns black and fills the throne room from the wind spell as you gather your materials and ascend up out of the darkness.
Opening the door you find yourself in another alleyway- following the street out you find yourself in one of Egorian's roads; not too far from the safehouse.
Recovered Notes
Minus- 10,000, yearly, 13th of Gozran, direct
Siccero- 3500, monthly, 20th, DD-V
...
The gall of it, that bastard Antherus! To have me, Mekalus Thullson, dishonorably discharged from the army, then force my father to give me to his service? Did he not think I would find out? Did he simply not care? I must write these thoughts down lest they consume me lest I bring the shame that I know will fall upon my father if I lay hands upon Antherus... if I refuse to do my new work as a common blackmailer, an extorter! Wretchedness aside, it is a horribly simple yet efficient business Antherus has set up. Spy on the simple ones as a bird or some other creature, learn their secrets, learn their shames, then exploit them; for the clever ones, summon beasts and creatures to plague their house then vanish into the mist like they never existed... then demand your price. And my hands are tarnished by this. Gah!
...
DD-III: Falcon Ale barrel in Kilt Lane
DD-IV: False rock near the Drowned Mermaid
DD-V: Kennel at Tolsbury Stockyard
DD-VI: Green giant near Mageworks
...
Today I return from Kore; that devil, inscrutable and near-crazed as always, let on little. Kore thinks some danger is rising to plague the gang. Thelion has yet to be found, and Krovax's dog was seen galloping hard away from the city. I would assume that Mercka simply sold out Thelion and the gang to someone and they were simply murdered, but Kore thinks otherwise. Antherus is disturbed, and has ordered me to make sure the trash-pile stinks to high heaven, which as usual it does. It is a foul odor but a welcome warning of intruders for his perceptive nose.
...
Immoral and foul perhaps, but this petty gang shows an efficiency and discipline I have never seen out of the military. Kore leads, and Kore's word is unquestioned. All know that. The petty thieves and general bandits have free rein. They know they must not harm or unduly expose the gang's workings, or they will pay the price. Otherwise they report to the Gulls who give them jobs. I have been ordered to rope a few into Antherus' blackmail schemes, and they worked well under me. Kore's obsession with killing tieflings is beyond me but at the very least it works well to keep the gang together; bloodlust and guilty knowledge shared binds well. Then last there are the gulls; five of them, each specializing in one abomination. Antherus for blackmail and extortion, Sir Krovax for mercenary work, I know not the others. I know another gull is the shadowy master of the Silver Harlot, but his or her name I as yet know not. I put this off until the end because of it's distaste to me, I recognize that. There is the dogs- like me. Lieutenants, apprentices, bondsmen, whatever you wish to call them. We serve the gulls, and the other common bandits aim to take our places or serve at our hands. It gives them structure, and ambition, and a constant warring of strength.
I know not why I write this all; perhaps it is simply to distract myself from my bastardly deeds. Perhaps I may one day end this devilry. I know not.
...needs 4000 to hire mercenaries to attack a caravan heading out of the city? Can you supply...
...ther tip for you my friend. Grive will soon be awarding the contract for the construction of a new bridge over the western river. It is secretly planned to award it to Minus in return for bribes and use of his house's spellcasters. I expect you should be able to incur an additional cost on this deal and perhaps demand his obedience if other houses were to find out about this deal. I hope this will be of use. Do pop by the Harlot one day, friend, I do wish you would try at least once. We can accommodate all tas...
Blast nods and waits for Gunser to say his words, then motions everyone back into the main room. "This is going to smoke up quite a bit, so we may want to move on quickly." With that, Blast stands back and tosses a volatile mixture onto the trash heap and bodies, where it explodes a moment later, causing everything within several feet to burst into flames.
Tail flicking, the tiefling returns to the group as they move back onto the streets and he displays the notes. "Indeed--but first, let's get back home, and get the stench off."
Taurven returns to the well for long enough to get the ropes back. There is no use in throwing them away.
He approaches carefully, trying to spot any watchers, then if he sees no one he pulls the ropes up hand over hand; coiling them on the ground. He performs this task with as much stealth as he can muster.
Once this task is finished he returns to the hideout.
Taurven notices no one and manages to retrieve the rope easily.
You all head back to your hideout
And arrive safely.
"So, dead drops and blackmail. We can offer the extorted help ending the extortion. They don't need to know it's already over. Meantime, gold left is gold lost, I'd say."