"Wonderful- I will take it for a week right now- if I take a little longer can I pay when I get back? I will pay the first week upfront but I am not certain how long I will be gone."
"If I pay for 2 weeks then will you refund me if I'm back sooner than that?"
Danir pays the fee to store his gear and then makes his way off to get some rations and holy water...
Sorry halfling, all of us Karnathi medics received a set of knives, surgical tools etc called a Surgeon's kit. Say one hundred gold for the tools and kit?
Lets see what you have, I assume you have some false flesh to test the tools on?
Xov rolls his eyes. Wow, his opening offer is higher than the salesperson wants to sell it for? This guy really is hopeless.
"Well, I'll see you in 2 hours, Essar" He turns and walks off to find a sorcerer's kit and rations.
Hopefully, crazy-mouth will get what he needs and meet up with us soon. Otherwise...well, I don't particularly want to go into the cogs without him, as he does seem a very capable combatant. On the other hand, we might need to do more investigation in the cogs, and not having him couldn't possibly make that any harder.
After getting supplies, Xov will attempt to meet up with the others.
Forget the testing, sixty five gold both the tools and the kit.
After getting supplies, Xov will go meet Othan, Danir, Ebran, and hopefully Essar.
"So, ready for our first real adventure together?"
Hoping to get a better deal than he can anywhere else, Danir heads to the House Cannith enclave to outfit himself- he gets himself 4 flasks of Holy Water and 10 days worth of trail rations
Meeting up with the others, Danir finds himself somewhat excited- a life of adventure,the first step on their path! He gave a quiet prayer to Onatar and Olladra for luck and skill in the upcoming mission.
"Quite ready to get started, yes."
"Sure am. I've heard interesting things about the cogs, but never had a reason to go until now."
"Very well...shall we fetch crazy-mouth before going, or shall we leave him here?"
"Doesn't matter to me."
"I am not sure either...he is certainly a skilled combatant, and may be a decent weapon against undead, but we will also probably encounter intrigue, which would make him a liability..."
"If we're very lucky maybe some undead thing will eat him?"
"I suppose...let us go find him. Perhaps we should do it together, though..."
.
perception check to notice anythig unusual about his fellows
"Oh, hi Essar...are you ready to go down into the cogs?"
"So shall we get this job done?"
"Off to the cogs we go...!"
First details, as I must prepare the correct magics if I am to help you.
"I thought as a living all powerful demi-god you merely needed your amazing, awesome presence to win fights?"
"Okay, so long story short, your friend from the Emerald Claw told us the whereabouts of his friend, another Karn, who is being held captive by undead in the Cogs. Also, either this person or his captors have an artifact that Ebran needs. Danir, Othan and I are coming along for the team...and there's a bunch of gold involved, of course. So yea, be ready for some undead, and some searching. Also, Kyndril isn't coming with us..."
Xov lowered his voice. Then, a somewhat puzzled expression crossed his face, as he half-whispered
"Apparently the Brelish decided to free him, he didn't say why...they probably didn't even tell him why. But he's going back to Thrane, I doubt we'll see him again. "
My personal bet on the thranian's dissapearance is his connection to the Flame. Now one thing you must understand is this I lead this band at least for the moment, as I doubt any of you are acquainted with the knowledge of fighting them. As I can assure you I fought my fair share of undead in the army, as the thranian snipers would occasionally kill a bonerider and his undead would become uncontrolled. Those were brutal fights to say the least, now to be clear what variety of undead are they? If I don't know I can't tell you the correct weapons and tools you will need to fight them.
"Let's get one thing clear Essar, you may be the expert on the undead but I am not following you in any capacity then as another member of the team and am under no obligations to follow or do anything you say."
Is the human that stupid? I have seen my family and clan torn apart by arcane forces to powerful for mortals to understand, before that cleric's grandfather was even born. Where does he get the idea that he is some sort of expert?
"We don't know what kind of undead...
Essar, beware: you are not yet legally freed, nor are you a Brelish citizen, so unless we leave the country, the citadel can probably do whatever they want to you if you don't cooperate, including sell you into slavery...they're good at coming up with tricks like that. Furthermore, if you somehow escape and return to Karnath, they will probably reveal your status as a member of a terrorist organization. You may not care at all about stopping the world from being conquered by evil money-mongers, but you are still best off giving your obedience to the Citadel if you want to reach old age alive. Beware, the citadel doesn't play nice, and they are willing to go pretty far to "punish" people who won't cooperate with them. Oh, and a word of advice, I suggest trying not to piss of Othan if you want to stay alive."
As the group walked, Xov said
"Oh, I have a request: it is possible that we will have to do additional investigation in the cogs. If we are speaking to other people whom we do not trust, I would request anyone without any intrigue skills to stay silent--not everyone here is use to intrigue, and not everyone here is good at bluffing or negotiating." He turns to glare at Essar, then at Othan. "That's fine, we are an odd group, just try not to mess things up, and when in doubt let others speak"
"Yes, the thing we will be getting clear is that if you insist on being the leader and being followed, you can do one of two things. Stay topside and continue bar room brawling, or tag along with us and actually earn some respect. As a military man, I am sure you know that the confidence and respect of those you fight with must be earned... Unless they just appoint any nancy fop with a coinpurse to spare as a military officer in Karrn..."
Following me is your best bet to survive the undead, especially if they are sentinent. As you are not fighting beings of the flesh, you are facing foes that are in many ways impervious to steel. Furthermore what would win the fight against a human can be the fatal mistake that kills you if you are fighting undead. Tell me Othan can dead mercenaries spend there gold? If you don't believe me ask the Cyran, he would have either fought the undead that Karnath sent against Cyre or he would have heard first hand accounts from fellow soldiers.
"If by follow you mean entertain your suggestions, then perhaps. But you have not proven yourself a leader in any other respect to me. A leader doesn't need assistance getting out of a bar fight because a smart leader wouldn't get into one. A good leader wouldn't need the group we work for to beg the rest of us to help him, because we would be inspired to aid you for fear of losing a party asset. However, as far as my ledgers go, you have far more marks in the 'liability' column than the 'asset' column." Ebran looks at the sky, judging the time.
"If you want to lead the party, then give it a shot. If we follow, then you have become the leader. If we do not follow, then I suppose you haven't."
With that, Ebran looks at the other members. "Are we going, or are we going to talk all day?"
"Let's go."
Not yet, we need to get Xov some holy water. I do not mean to be insulting Xov, this is however the truth your usefulness in the cogs is debatable... Your magics simply are not meant for fighting the undead as such you need weapons to use. If you don't have them you become a liability something that the undead will exploit. Othan I need to know this can you manifest your weapon in a hammer form?
"My mind blade can manifest itself any way I chose it to, at any time. A fact you would be wise to remember."
Good, a question of note though enters my mind. Cyran is it possible considering the nature of Othan's weapon to infuse it with say the ability to destroy the undead?
Xov giggled at the lunatic's words, then quickly covered his mouth, embarrassed to be caught making such a sound.
"I'm sorry," he said, "It's just that it sounds rediculous to hear you talking about someone becoming a liability."
The threat of a lifetime of slavery hadn't seemed to phase Essar at all, and Xov began to doubt whether the madman could hear at all.
"As to your request, no, holy water is an expensive resource, and not a necessary one, and the clock is ticking. I already have some spells to use against undead, but, more importantly, we are very likely to encounter intrigue and negotiation during our expedition, and you are utterly hopeless at that."
Xov turned to walk away, towards the cogs.
"Let's go everyone, the clock is ticking. Essar, you can come or not come, I don't care, and I doubt anyone else cares either."
Xov walked off, while thinking
If crazy-mouth can't learn to be obedient and gets the Brelish to screw him over, then that's not my problem.
Essar followed Xov warily. Lets see how confident the fool remains once he understands the reality of the undead...
Othan follows Xov toward the cogs.
"I brought Holy Water with me, as well Othan I might be able to weave mystic energy into your mind blade but the theory is shakey and not something I'm quite willing to waste my limited stored magical energy on testing right now."
Making sure all his gear is in top working order and that his crossbow is ready and waiting to be fired if need be, Danir follows the others down into the lower underlevels of Sharn, to the Cogs.
As they walk, Danir addresses Essar's earlier outburst-"Yes, Karrn, I have faced the undead horrors that you country so cowardly sent against the other four nations during the Last War- which is why I carry a morningstar- it both bludgeons and pierces, being effective both skeleons and other undead, and I will weave an enchantment into the weapon to make it more effective against any we encounter."
The undead you fought made up only one tenth of the undead that we deployed in the war. If you believe that Karnath was dishonorable, look to Thrane for the true source of dishonor. The Flame in that time period was influenced ehavily by the puritan element a such they took a "no prisoners" approach. When they captured Karnathi towns they slaughtered the civilians en masse if they did not convert, also remember that at this tie the primary religion of Karnath was the Host the deal with the Blood came about fifteen years into the war. When the time came and the deal with the Blood was sealed king Kaius declared all of Thrane to be a "wolf's head". In effect they were declared rapid animals which they are, two thirds of the undead deployed in the war were fielded against Thrane. Your country experienced only a small fraction of the undead and those were used to absorb the brunt of your peoples warmages, they were rarily used as shock troops. Believe me if we had wanted Cyre dead we would not have pulled our punchs with your people, if you don't believe me go to the Thranian chruchs and hear their priests glorify the slaughter of thousands of Host worshiping Karnathi.