Kalvin nods.
He walks over to the orange thug and draws a knife, cutting his bonds.
"A down payment for services rendered," Kalvin says as he frees the man. "Before Lazlo and I go down there, any traps we should know about."
Once the thug answers, Kalvin turns to the rest.
"Should we take Barvasi with us or does someone want to stay up here and guard him while we search Barvasi's quarters. As for the Spiders, Crux ask your new friend if Barvasi has any other surprises."
Lazlo finds no traps on the door to the lower level.
The now unbound thug rubs his wrists and looks up at you. "I do not know of any traps or tricks in the hold. I have not been down there a lot, but besides the monsters in the stern compartment, I do not know of anything."
"I see no traps on the door or the lower level, Marnos I'd prefer if you examined them as well" Announced Lazlo, his face turning towards Kalvin "I say we bring him with us, while he may be bound it is best if we all kept our eyes on him, I have yet to meet scum that was not slippery" Answered the rogue as he stepped away to allow the bounty hunter enough space to examine the area.
"No. I will not aid you on this fools errand. However, he is more than capable of speaking to you if he so wishes. Ask him what you will."
Nodding to his companions, Lazlo stepped forward, opened the door and began descending the stairs; each one of his steps was slow and careful, he kept his form low almost appearing to be crouching, and whenever he found a shadow or any form of cover he darted to it while he scanned their way for any possible sentries Barvasi may have kept around.
Graxton nods to the group as a whole he gets up and holds his greatsword in hands. He follows at the end of the group likely behind Crux if he follows otherwise he stays at the doorway at the top of the stairs after the others follow.
Crux does follow.
Marnos, despite looking quite carefully, finds no traps on the doors of the stairs leading to the lower level.
As the party descends, they feel the air in the hold below is quite close and stifling. A creaky stair or two gives away any chance at stealth the party wanted, but fortunately, they find themselves at an unguarded passage as they descend. There are lanterns hung from pegs in the walls at intervals giving the place dim light.
Ahead, is a door. To the east, a passage leads into what appears to be the central hold of the docked ship.
Their announced arrival wasn't something Lazlo had planned, but it was something he had to work with, for now it seemed that there are no sentries posted below deck, but it could be that they have just not noticed the invaders or are purposefully remaining at their stations in hopes of ambushing them. Ignoring these worries for the moment, Lazlo looked to the door, doing his best to look for any sign of tampering or signs of added surprises like a trap trigger or wire.
After this he tries to listen to what is going on behind the door, his ears searching for sounds of movement, conversations or creaking floorboards.
Lazlo hears nothing from behind the door nor does he find any traps or nasty surprises on or around the portal.
Perception
Kalvin puts his hand up.
"Hold, there's some form of chemical stench behind the door."
Sitting on his shoulder, Majenko sniffs the air curiously.
Close examination of the doorway does not reveal any traps to Marnos either.
Seeing Marnos not doing anything beyond examining the door, Lazlo steps forward and attempts to open the door If there was a trap he would have told us by now He concluded, as his hand turned the handle.
Turns out the door is not either locked nor trapped. As you gently slip the door open, you see two large fireplaces are built into the curving wall of the ship's hull here, each fitted with an iron bar on which dangles several cauldrons. Firewood is stacked to the north in a haphazard mound. Dozens of empty glass vial sit atop the mantles of the fireplace.
Noting that about half the vials were filled, Lazlo draws a bit closer.
While the knowledge of the thick white solution eludes him, he immediately recognizes the clear liquid that occupied some of the vials, he pulls one out of its case and reveals it to his companions "Shiver" Said the former noble, his voice laden with hatred and disgust "It seems we've found where the spider makes his poison" His eyes dart at Barvasi then back to the group.
Crux will Take 10 on all the rolls
Perception 10+2=12
Craft Alchemy 10+8=18
"This is not shiver." Crux indicates the vial with milky white fluid in it. "I believe this 'milk' is from his pet spider monster." He looks at it closely before delicately placing it within his spell component pouch.
Kalvin pushes Barvasi into the room, taking a look around.
"This doesn't appear to be the room the thug was talking about."
|
Crux will Take 10 on all the rolls
Perception 10+2=12
Craft Alchemy 10+8=18"This is not shiver." Crux indicates the vial with milky white fluid in it. "I believe this 'milk' is from his pet spider monster." He looks at it closely before delicately placing it within his spell component pouch.
Marnos has a good long look at the Milky liquid. Eventually he just shakes his head and turns away.
For vice crimes, like drugs or prostitution, the city of Korvosa has recently decided it would rather have the income from the taxing of these activities than the expense of trying to enforce their prohibition. Vice peddlers who pay their taxes are exempt from prosecution, this includes selling of addictive drugs like Shiver, Grit or Pesh. Violent or property crimes however, are met with a heavy-handed Abadarian justice. That doesn't make pushing drugs right, it just means it's not illegal if you pay our income taxes.
Looking around the rest of the room provides little else of interest. It is clear this is an alchemy lab of some kind, but mainly in the production of Shiver,a new phenomenon in Korvosa, which is produced using the venom and webbing of the Dream Spider boiled with alcohol and water. Shiver is taken by mouth and the results are quick: vivid bizarre dreams. The drug is quite habit forming even from the first dose.
Lazlo placed the vial in his hand on the table...and then flipped it over with all his might and let its contents decorate the wooden floor with clear liquid and shards of glass, or so he did in his head, countless time, each time he felt himself coming closer to recreating the vision to live audiences, but in the end he decided to see what Kalvin would do. It interested him to see what young man so beholden to the law would do in a situation where the law meant letting poison run through the streets and corrupt the citizenry.
Wordlessly Lazlo looked to the other door in the room and began studying as he did the first, hoping to see signs of tampering or added parts, he also tried to listen to any sounds that were coming from the other side, ignoring all sounds and that came from the room he was in hopes of capturing the clue of something their eyes could not behold yet.
The King of Spiders mumbles something behind his gag as the inquisitor destroys the remaining Shiver samples. He rolls his eyes showing his displeasure with the do-gooders, but doesn't struggle to get free or make too big a fuss.
There are no trap on the door to east, nor does the door appear to be locked.
"Prepare yourselves I am going to open the door" Lazlo whispered to his companions before moving to the side of the door, extending his arm, turning the handle and returning his arm to his side, utilizing the wall next to the door as cover from any eyes that could be watching them from beyond the now opened door.
The door opens into the central hold of the ship. It appears this is a passageway, as there are double doors on the north end, and a single door on the east wall about 15' down. The far end of the hold is shrouded in darkness, as there is no light source down here.
After rummaging through his pack for a few seconds, Lazlo unearths a hooded lamp, quickly ignites its fire and buckles it to his belt and unsheathes his rapier I wonder what other surprises we'll find here, so far Barvasi has been predictable but lets see if there was reason for him to be considered anything beyond a common thug Thought Lazlo as he walked slowly to the middle of the room, doing his best to notice anything besides the stillness and quietness that had overtaken them.
"I guess I'll have to throw myself on the mercy of the court for destroying shiver," Kalvin whispers into Barvasi's ear.
"Maybe I can pay a tax of some sort for that too."
"I am sure you are both guilt ridden by your deeds, but for now let us focus on what else our charming host has in store for us" Replied Lazlo from his position at the front of the group.
"We already have him bound and are ransacking his home. There is no need to antagonize him as well. That is unnecessarily cruel."
"What the gods did to your face is unnecessarily cruel Crux," Kalvin snaps back. "Perhaps, you've never seen what this drug does to people. The nightmares, the withdrawals. It's an abomination and those who peddle in it, don't deserve the mercy I'm currently providing to him. And perhaps you've already forgotten, he tried to kill us. I was perfectly happy to negotiate with him, to be let the unrighteousness of the laws which protect him stand to ensure our mission was carried out, but he forfeited that when he ordered us dead. And what of our new companion..."
Kalvin turns his gaze on the Pseudodragon.
"I know not what manner of creature you are, but you're intelligent enough to speak. For what Barvasi did to you, are my japes unnecessarily cruel?"
"You're right. Freeing a thinking creature is the same as antagonizing a bound prisoner. I didn't know that Iomedae promoted such vicious behavior in her champions. However, he is your prisoner and you may treat him as you will. Also, it was not the gods that made me like this. It was a man. A cruel man that you are now reminding me of."
"You mean the the one who was beaten, but whose throat you took the time to cut instead of helping us save your only friend? You mean the only one who knew where my cousin was, a fact I confided in you, but when we had beaten him you killed before I could question him. My words maybe cruel, Crux, but your actions are heartless."
Despite his focus on their new area Lazlo did not miss the argument of Crux and Kalvin, he agreed with the armored man that they were treating their prisoner pretty mildly especially when compared to what Crux had done to whoever they were talking about If it were me I would have cut his throat as well, I would have questioned him first though Lazlo fixed Barvasi with a quick glare before going back to his self appointed mission of scouting ahead Count your self lucky that you are Kalvin's prisoner scum, I would have extracted the information out of you and then sunk my rapier into your neck before leaving your body for the waves and flames of your burning ship Grim images filled Lazlo's mind, he was glad that they had at least destroyed the shiver this criminal was producing but still he deserved punishment one he doubted the guards would give him...but he would stand would Kalvin on this decision, if the supposed King of Spiders ever escaped he would come back for him at a later time.
"Graxton do you see or hear signs of us being followed?" Asked Lazlo as he turned his face towards the half-orc momentarily.
"True, but I don't claim to follow in the footsteps of The Inheritor." Crux retorts defiantly and shamelessly.
Graxton sees the conversation much better than his normal acquaintances. Thugs and guards can have such similar vices and thoughts especially in Korvosa. He listens to the group and tries to listen to anyone following over his armor taking moments to try to stand still.
He finds himself listening to the group more so.
The central hold now illuminated by Lazlo's lantern is revealed to be a long and narrow hallway. There are double doors on the north wall and 3 other single doors spread out along it's length. At the far end, the brownish-grey water of the bilge sloshes around even though the boat is moored to the pier.
There is little else to see in the hold, and there appears to be no one behind or following you.
As you argue and trade barbs among yourselves, Devargo Barvasi smirks with mirth.
The psuedodragon Majenko speaks in a high squeaky voice "I would kill the man myself if I could. But it is not for me to say, I am bound to the mage. If he supports his living, then I will not question his wisdom."
"The mage would cut his throat in a moment, assuming I had beaten Barvasi sufficiently enough for him to gather the courage to do it." Kalvin responds to the pseudo-dragon. "But my words, they seem to cut deeper into his delicate sense of mercy, than the knowledge that it's only my mercy that keeps Barvasi alive right now."
Kalvin tired of sparring with the Wizard pushes Barvasi forward to the steps.
"I'm not interested in his spiders or anything else he has, with the exception of potential captives. I just want to find the information and leave. This night has tested me sorely, both in patience and in blood."
After Graxton converts his shield of faith spell into a cure light for the inqusitor he tells the group, "Enlarge person and obscuring mist are the spells i still have to use and three more channels."