Despite his less-than-ideal position fighting from the ground, Desmond nonetheless deals a nasty to the dwarf! With a fury Arnoth takes down one of the men near him as Maximo leaps up from the ground and cuts into Drollis. Although the dwarf bleeds heavily, he still fights on!
Drollis hacks for a second, leaving you to think he might be giving out his last breath, only for him to then eject a glob of tobacco-rotted spit in Maximo's face!
Drollis then steps to the side, his buddy following suit to swing down at Desmond on the ground!
Meanwhile the other thug continues to face off against Arnoth!
D: 72 dmg
#3: 34 dmg
Arnoth moves away and lays into Drollis, instantly killing the dwarf? Desmond then takes down the closest thug while Maximo quickly heals himself and then moves across the room to attack the last thug.
The final thug tries to put Maximo on the ground!
#2: 21 dmg
And the party quickly takes down the last thug!
invisibility, potion of mage armor; Other Gear 50 +1 shuriken,
belt of incredible dexterity +2, ring of protection +1, shock
amulet of mighty fists, sigil wafers (15)
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Des takes Arnthoth's wand and uses it on the barbarian. He looks down at Tolgarov and Zhal. "Whatever that rune was, it knocked them out pretty bad. I mean, you guys felt it, right? Guess it was just too much for them. Here," Desmond reaches down and turns Zhal over onto his back. "Help me with the big guy," he struggles with the socerer's girth. As he does so, Desmond does his best to figure out what is wrong with them.
"Maximo - do you have any ideas? Do we just wait for them to wake up?"
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In the process of brushing himself off Maximo looks at Desmond, then at their fallen companions. "Well, they are still breathing. Perhaps they are just asleep."
After a couple innefective slaps...
"Or perhaps not."
He looks through their items for anything that might help, discovering a couple scrolls that he does not feel quite confident in being able to cast.
Thinking a moment, he gathers some alchemical components. "That symbol felt as if it was trying to sap my strength. Let me try something to make them stronger. If either of you possess an item or potion that does so, we could try that as well. While I prepare it, can you two give these poor souls back their wafers?"
Maximo mixes up an extract infusion of enlarge person and administers it to Zhal.
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Desmond thinks for a moment, "I suppose it wouldn't do much harm to feed Tolgarov some of the wafers, but Zhal chose not to participate, and it don't seem right to force them on him."
"You think a restoration is in order? I'm sure I can find a shop 'n' buy some potions." Desmond reaches down and starts rummaging through Tolgarov's coinpurse. "What?" he asks his companions, "You don't expect me to pay for them, do you? I ain't made o' platinum!"
Desmond will use what funds he can find to purchase potions of lesser restoration.
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Desmond looks at Maximo and Arthoth and shrugs his shoulders. "You got another one of those extracts, Max? If not, I guess it'll probably be better to just drag their sorry butts to the nearest temple for a restoration."
"Max, you help me with Tolgarov. Arnth shouldn't have a problem carrying Zhal."
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"Hmmm.. Well this won't work." Maximo puts his extract away. "We should take them to a friendly temple. But first..."
Maximo makes sure the Lethe addicts get their wafers back, burns any wafer created by the dwarf or his thugs, and collects any unaccounted to hopefully return to their owners later. He then takes one of the spiked chains and destroys the symbol of weakness, the table, and any other iconography of Lissala.
Just before leaving he peeks beyond the doors to make sure no prisoners are being detained here.
This area serves as Drollis’ off ice. A single piece of parchment with a crisp crease rests conspicuously in the center of an otherwise empty desk. The off ice is barren and looks mostly unused, but a man with a greasy cloth gag in his mouth sits at the table, his foot chained to the leg.
The time is upon us, I am leaving tonight.
In the next room beyond, a tangle of blankets and foul-looking sheets adorns a plain-looking bed here. There is a small wardrobe and a footlocker at the end of the bed. The room reeks of body odor, cheap perfume, formaldehyde, and ever so slightly of rot.
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Desmond reads over the note. "They were on to us," he crumples up the note in frustration and tosses it on the floor.
"I guess some of Drollis' cult buddies have fled somewhere to perform another ritual - one using more sigil wafers." Desmond paces back and forth in the small office. "It ain't a stretch of the imagination to figure that the girls factor in as well. Human sacrifice? Maybe some sort of body possession? I don't know. What did that wafer do to you, Arnth?"
"Anyway, the note mentions charging runestones and awakening 'our lord'... We best get our guys fixed up at the local temple. Arnth, maybe if you and Zhal can move them, I can scout around and try to pick up some kind of trail for where they might have gone."
Desmond steps out the back door into the alleyway and whistles sharply. Within a few seconds, Sahrek is bounding around the corner. "Okay boy, I need you to help me track down some people." Desmond leads the wolf into the room with the strong odors. He finds something that smells most strongly of the cheap perfume and holds it to Sahrek's nose.
"Okay boy, I need you to help me track these nice ladies."
Before leaving, Desmond will grab Drollis potion of invisibility and one of the potions of cure moderate wounds.
"Don't worry, I'll just scout around and report back. Once Tolgarov and Zhal are fixed up, let's plan to meet back at that tavern where we met with Miss Feathers."
Desmond and Arnoth find signs that the other building is indeed being used and that there are likely people inside the building currently.
This room appears to be a sort of waiting area. A harsh, bright light pulsates near the ceiling, casting the occupants of the room in an eerie blue light. A dozen people lounge here, many lying on couches or slumped in uncomfortable-looking chairs. Pallid skin, dry mouths, and unblinking eyes make several appear lifeless. The most ambitious of the waiting occupants lifts an arm briefly as if to gesture, but the arm collapses back down and her head lolls to one side as if the effort sapped all her remaining strength.
As you stand in the doorway, there is a momentary flash of light on the north side of the room.
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"Look over there, a glyph on the floor." He draws his falchion in preparation for something to happen.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"It's there on the north wall. I know glyphs are magical, but what do you think that one does?"
Desmond steps back from the doorway to allow Maximo a view.
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Suddenly, two lightning streaks fly across the room, beginning from either side and running straight through the party! At the end of the streaks a small faintly glowing ball of light rematerializes and bobs gently in the air, the nebulous image of what might be a skull visible somewhere in its depths!
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Desmond drops his falcon and draws his bow, firing off a quick three shots at the closest orb.
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Desmond quickly fires at one of the orbs but the orb just as quickly dodges his arrows! The orbs fly up to Maximo and Arnoth and try to touch them!
The orbs then turn invisible as their glow diminishes.
Max heals himself and leads the retreat!