Kaul shrugs his bullish shoulders and grabs at the cell door with his mechanical arm. Once he gets purchase, the thug attempts to yank it free of its hinges;
Corliss takes back the crow bar and helps Kaul at the cage's door. With a groan the rusty bars bend and then with a crack, the door clatters to the ground.
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"Still... 'spose we all dinnae mind a bit 'o silk over tha arse end every now an agin... but I gots tae questionin... ken ye get doon inna dirty or ye jus a faded rose?" eyeing Virgil expectantly as though his wee monologue made perfect sense as it left his brain and went to be birthed by his lips...
The heavyset man nodded. "I've worked long and hard for my silk, Mr. Dibbets. I started at the bottom -- and while I may have grown a bit soft in my profession, I will get as dirty as is required to ensure our survival. That is no clashmaclavers. You have my word."
He turns to the human. "I was aboard a ship, sailing for the mainland to take a vacation of all things! Our ship was attacked by savage fishmen during the night. I was knocked unconscious during the scuffle. I awoke to these lugubrious surroundings."
He is overjoyed to see the door of his cage open. "Thank the stars! Freedom!"
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Corliss nods appreciatively at Dibbets' show of healing prowess.
"Once we've found me gear an' holy symbol, I'll be able to help out in that regard, matey. An' iff'n me stuff's already packed aboard a ship headed fer Cheliax or wherever them Asspissers call home, well...if we can find a knife an' piece o' wood, I can whittle me own. Wouldn't be the first time I'd done so...not a whole lot to do with yer free time when ye're crewin' on a ship, as I'm sure you fellas know only too well."
"Let's be after finding your gear, then, 'fore your captors decide to come back with reinforcements."
Kaul gives a nod to Dibbs for the healing, then flashes a pained grin as he eyes the new collection of faded wounds and damage his body and gear now bear;
"Hur... Don' get to be as pretty as me by duckin' Dibbs..."
Jim reckons that if their new mates' gear is likely to be found, it'll be near so he leads the way through the door next door. This small room is clearly the quarters of a person senior to those who live in the ‘barracks’ main room, since the furnishing is less crude and the place is clean and tidy. There is a comfortable-looking bed in the northwest corner with a wooden locker at its foot. A small wooden table stands against the east wall, and beside it is a padded leather chair. On the table is a brass 9-branch candlestick and in it burn 3 candles, giving the room good illumination. The candles, though not fresh, are far from spent. Under the table is a small wooden box and a bulls-eye lantern with a moveable shutter over the lens; the lantern is unlit. On a shelf above the table are stacked three books. In the northeast corner is a wooden cupboard with the door closed.
Grinning lopsidedly back at Kaul Dibbs replies "Aye... face only a mother could love eh?"
Upon being led into the room Dibbs gestures to the new guys "Well... have at and be about eh?" while he kept his ears back and towards signs of interest.
"Bessie, ye know I only got eyes fer ye, but...right now I be needin' me gear back," the somewhat eccentric priest says to the room's ceiling. "A li'l help, please?"
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At the mention of Bessie, Kaul's beady eyes glitter and he quizzically puts the stare on Corliss, then mutters an aside to Dibbs;
"He prayin' tae my Bessie? 'cuz iffen he worship's a blade then likely he ain't all there... Y'know... touched in the mind like..."
The thug shoots a quick look between his claw and his axe, both of which shift up and down in nodding agreement...
Corliss is happily unaware of Kaul's jealous glower as he digs around the room. Sure enough, besides an oilskin coat hanging from a hook, Corliss is glad to find a familiar backpack as well as Virgil's belt pouch. His joy sours a moment later however, when he finds that his magical rapier, buckler, and mithril coat have gone missing and Virgil's pouch contains only his blue book and forging kit...
The wooden box under the table contains 3 flasks of oil, a tinderbox with flint and steel, 8 new candles and a piece of parchment with strange marks. Corliss leaves the books to someone more learned but shoves aside the bed and finds a camouflaged stone with a hidden compartment. Inside is an iron box a foot long and six inches high and wide.
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"What is this? A pittance! A pittance, I say! Where are the rest of my accoutrements!? OUTRAGEOUS!" Virgil gives the wooden box a kick with the side of his foot.
"Perhaps we will find the rest somewhere else... what is that?" He takes the piece of parchment with strange marks and examines it.
The equally shrewd and shady ex-barrister quickly realizes that the series of dots and dashes on the scrap is a signal code.
"Hmmm... interesting. It's a code." Virgil holds the paper with one hand close to his face, squinting in concentration. With his other hand, he snaps his fingers. A cigar appears in his hand. He puts it in his mouth, snaps his fingers again, and a lick of flame appears from his thumb. He lights the cigar, puffing several times to stoke the embers.
Kaul eyes widen as Virgil summons a stogie from thin air and he shifts closer to enjoy the tobacco fumes with a battered grin;
"Hur... Sumthin' tells me we're goin' tae get on matey... You jes' able to magick the one cheroot?"
Corliss presents the iron box to Jim, muttering that it's too small to hold his armor and weapons. Then his countenance brightens considerably as he digs into his backpack, hopeful of finding at least one of the two self-made wooden holy symbols of Besmara still tucked within.
Corliss is happy to find that his holy symbols are present within his pack.
As he lurks on the potential of a stogie, Kaul nods towards Jim and Corliss;
"Want me to open yer box? I got the tools fer such..."
The thugs waggles his claw and axe in unison...
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Shaking his head back at Kaul, Dibbs explains "He's ovva notion he's on first name basis wi' tha Drowner hersel... bit cocky iffin ye ask me... spose he ain't yet figgered out tha ones above couldnae gi a sh1te bout tha likes o' us. Lord knows tha Skylord dinnae."
He chuckles a tad at Virgil's exuberant dismay, before nodding appreciatively at the summoned stogie. He offers "Now iffin ye ken do that fer hard rum or stomach churnin rotgut we might find a use fer ye... whats yer chicken scratch about eh?"
Virgil puffs contentedly as he examines the document. "It is code. Taldan Naval Code. It uses short and long flashes of light or bursts of sound to pass messages when a spellcaster is unavailable. They've transcribed it into symbols. We're likely dealing with someone with military service history." He stares at it for a moment, silently mouthing as he deciphered. "There are three messages. First, 'We're here, is it safe?' Second, 'All Clear.' Third, 'Proceeding to drop site.'... We appear to be dealing with couriers of illicit goods."
Jim chuckles. "Well, Aspis. They're not known for strict attention to the laws of the land, hey?" His tone turns serious. "So there's more of them about, if they're speaking of a drop site. There's a lantern and large window above--fine place to be signaling from. Say, can either of you tell if there's witchery about? Our old mate Dingus had magic to do that, and I'd like to know 'fore I take a peek at yon books."
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Corliss affixes his hand-carved skull-and-crossbones holy symbol necklace around his neck and mutters a quick prayer before scanning the room for emanations. To prove that he's capable of multitasking, the priest quietly announces, "Besmara be one o' the few what didn't abandon me after me accident." He absently rubs a spot on top of his thick-tressed skull before flashing a crooked grin. "O' course, I've also found it prudent to butter up the ladies a bit afore askin' 'em fer favors."
There's not much left in the room to investigate but for the three books. Only one has a faint glow revealing magic. A closer investigation reveals it to bear an orange rune on the cover which matches the one that appeared on both the big blue warrior and her summoner. It looks like a spell notebook. Loopy script on the back of the front cover reads "Lura & Bellu".
"Well, isn't that fecking convenient, hey?" Jim leaves the magic book to those better equipped to deal with such things and looks over the other two.
Taking his cue from Jim, Kaul eyes the books then looks to Dibbets;
"What ye reckon matey? Paper looks fine quality... would likely chafe less than the latrine's current stock eh?"
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"No, No, " Corliss says, stepping between Kaul and the magical book. Realizing that perhaps he should be a bit more polite with the thuggish half-orc, the priest tries a smile and calmer tone. He even breaks out the magic word.
"Please, no. Iff'n that magic book be the spellbook o' our hostess whom I loathest...maybe we can work a trade with her fer me swag an' Virgil's...uh, acootermints or whatever."
Jim nods appreciatively, grinning. "I like that idea, Master Corliss!"
Corliss takes possession of his hostage while Jim secures the safe box and Virgil pockets the slip of code.
Jim quickly leafs through the other two books. One is a sketch book with charcoal drawings of the big blue eidolon in various poses and situations ranging from alluring to frightening. The other is a pocket tide table for the Shackles. Inside the back cover of the latter book are three phrases in a strange language that Jim doesn't understand.
The Taldan holds up the pocket tide table, open to the back cover. "Any of you read this?"
Dibbs raises an eyebrow before rolling his eyes in derision "Looks like they're up tae more'n jus bashin 'eads... ain't it like wot makes ye blind tho iffin they're doin it wi' each other like?"
Dibbs is equally unhelpful with the tide book, shrugging "Seas ain't fer readin of... ye gots tae feel tha salt in yer veins." willfully ignorant of the clear benefit that can be wrought from hard knowledge.
Scratching at his arse then back of his head the halfling helpfully offers "So... we movin on tae either blood or trade?"
Kaul glowers momentarily as Corliss heists his latrine wiper, but shrugs in the interests that the priest might have a point on its trade value.
"Hur... No worries matey..."
When Jim presents the other book Kaul fixes his beady eyes upon the cover and nods sagely;
"Hur... Well I'll be... Think yer right Lopps... it be the language o' ancients..."
The thug's axe is waved dangerously close to the text;
"Lopps says the word's is: Rum, Tum an' Bobo... Hur... what's the odds eh?"
Lopper's "translation" stands without a more informed check.
The crew moves back through the barracks past the overturned table and bunks. There are casks of water and cheap ale and a shank of salted meat hanging at the far end of the room. Below the shank is a cutting table with a ham, string of sausages, and rusted butcher knife. The hidden door that the Aspis mercs ran through reveals narrow stairs which steeply descend into the dark.
Kaul scowls as the others continue to seek a counter translation to the truth Lopps told, then his mood quickly lifts as he clocks the proverbial feast that awaits...
The thug peruses the various meats and eyes the butchering knife;
"Hur... Ol' sailors wisdom says "N'er chase yer foes down a secret stairwell on an empty belly"... Hur..."
The thug sets the table back up, then cuts himself a slice of sausage;
"Wise words say we..."
Corliss watches Kaul dig into the food and it reminds him how hungry he is after his captivity. He digs into the ham and chugs some ale out of the spigot. Belatedly remembering his manners, he asks Virgil what he'd like to chew on.
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Dibbs thinks about reminding Kaul of the more pressing matter at hand... but relents after a few moments more reflection realises the Aspis agents have likely spent all the time in the world getting themselves sorted already. Besides... with the blue lass down in the mud for at least a span the halfling figured they were on the upper.
He refrains from partaking of the food though, settling instead for resting himself leaning against a wall and scratching at his stump.
Dibbets resigns himself to the fact that the chase has been derailed briefly by free meat. Virgil is miraculously rendered speechless for the moment by the bounty after his relatively foodless captivity.
Once all who wish have had their fill because, why fight on an empty stomach? Kaul sniffs his way down the narrow twisting stair. He smells damp caves and salt sea ahead. Sure enough, the stairs end in a natural cave system that has been roughly expanded. Fortunately, there is no black coral to be seen this time.
After a short stretch, a round chamber appears on the left. It is filled with crates and barrels. The passage continues forward where the sound of surf is heard.
Kaul pads slightly forward to his shipmates, trusting his keen eyes and porcine nose to discern if trouble lurks ahead;
:
Kaul ignores the cache of likely smuggled goods to follow his nose forward. The tunnel ends quickly in a sunlit grotto with sunlight streaming from the low entrance and lighting the water to give the area a nice blue-green light. No one is seen; however, scrape marks at the water line and a boulder on the hard floor near the tunnel that may have held a mooring line could indicate that a jollyboat was recently launched from the cave. Said theoretical launch is likely long gone now given the leisurely pursuit.
Jim pauses at the goods to see what Aspis finds valuable enough to ship off the books.
Jim lingers among the cache to see what is up. Along with a couple casks of the cheap ale and dried biscuits and meat, he finds a large amount of arms: underwater crossbows with barrels of bolts, swords both long and great made of a highly lustrous light metal, and armor of the same metal in shell motifs and hollow to help with buoyancy.
The Taldan waves the others back. "Feck me, mates. Aspis is selling weapons to the sea devils!"
Kaul lumbers back to where Jim has uncovered the nefarious Aspis plot;
"Hur... Now we gots the goods... Wonder how much the sharkers are payin'??"
The thug picks at a stubborn scrap of pork caught on a broken tooth from his recent brawl as he notices the other goods, prompting outrage and a sudden about turn in the brute's stance:
"Hang on.... Those basterds are tradin' em ale, meats an' biscuits!!! We can't allow that lads... Bad business given up salt pork an' ship's biscuits! That is low ever fer them.."
Corliss starts picking through the armor and weapons looking for something he can wield and wear. Examining the light metal, the Besmaran priest asks aloud, "Be this mithral?! If so...where be me mithral shirt?"
Not giving up yet, Corliss grabs and tears into another strip of dried meat while he continues to search for what was his...or at least decent replacements.
Actually, the strange alloy does not appear to be mithral; it is not as light or silvery. Once again, Corliss fails to find his gear and thinks that perhaps Markessa has kept it for herself.
Kaul's words elicit a snarl from Dibbets "Ain't fer sellin Kaul... sea devils are only good fer killin. So iffin this is fer them, we's seein it broken an busted rather than movin on. Have a shufty first though iffin there's aught in yer size... never know when we mights be spendin a span under in tha salt."
With that he runs a hand through his hair and sighs, seeing his arse to ensconcement upon a crate and continues tiredly towards the longshanks "Well... feckers be gone... iffin they've summat nearby they'd be fer comin back maybe... could be we send things a burnin they might come back quicker or nei... but... we needs tae be thinkin afore we head out eh?"
Kaul matches Dibbs' belligerence with a jaundiced eye of his own;
"Hur! I ain't proportin' we let the sharkers keep the arms... jus' make the deal, take their coin then take their 'eads!"
The thug shrugs with a hacking grumble;
"You lot ain't got no on-tre-pren-oorial spirit!"
He then rummages through the crates examining the contents within with more interest...
The avaricious orc-blooded thug does turn up a less lethal bolt, a bolt of silk cloth fallen behind a large cask. There is also a small box of fine soap which has never been touched.
"What next, gents? They're likely headed to collect reinforcements, so best we be moving quickly. Corliss, we can probably get you some replacement gear from Black Dragon, though it may take a mite."