The man only just realizes his foe has changed from a scrawny half-elf to a large man wielding an ichor-covered axe! He regains his senses in time to dodge the massive blade, and looks incredibly desperate, glancing over his shoulder several times to look for help...
She leans into the blade and whispers back at Devargo, "You need't worry about that," as she starts to rifle through his pockets stealing his things as he takes his last breath.
Jolon/Koja grants a healing touch to Cecil.
Then they see Aloysia take Barvasi down, and a grim smile comes to the spirit's face.
"YOUR MASTER IS DEAD, TSHAMEKS. BE GONE, BEFORE YOU MEET THE SAME FATE."
As he finishes this command, he slowly fades, the light leaving Jolon's eyes as he staggers and sees the carnage they've wrought.
"By the spirits of my mother and my ancestors! What happened?!" he cries in shock.
Gamon looks steadily at the man cowering before him. Leave this place and you will not be harmed. Disobey at your peril.
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The men don't drop their swords but they do turn tail and run without comment, leaving you to your whims.
"Well, that was an unnecessary fight, but this should do for payment," she says as she wriggles the armor free from the man's body.
"Agreed." Cecil glares at Jolon. "Entirely unnecessary. Hand me the spiked gauntlets."
"Why are you mad at me?! Why did we start fighting him?!" Jolon asks, a frightened expression on his face.
"Answer me!" Jolon cries.
"What did we...what did I do?!"
Gamon struggles to find words, You...kind of turned into someone else, you had a different voice and personality. Whoever that was, they attacked Devargo and it led to all of this.
Aloysia sighs subtlely, Fantastic, I've attached myself to a crazy person. She tosses the gauntlets to Cecil and says, "What's done is done, let's gather up what we can from here and leave."
She begins to inspect the door to the personal quarters for traps and/or locks.
It appears Devargo used his fearsome reputation and a lock more than physical means to guard his quarters. Aloysia slips one of the keys into the lock and softly opens the door inside. This wooden chamber is clean and dry. A four-poster bed with ornately carved posts and gauzy drapes rests against the far wall, while a single dresser and a round table and chair fill out the rest of the room. A wooden sea chest sits at the foot of the bed.
The other key off of Devargo's corpse opens the sea chest, again lacking traps of any kind, which opens smoothly on well-oiled hinges. Inside several nifty little compartments are the treasures that the King of Spiders took a liking to: a jasper studded amulet, a gold necklace fitted with emeralds, a mother-of-pearl horn, a ring with cameo of a dragonfly worked in jade, a scroll of some sort on seal skin, an elixir in a bright red bottle, two pouches of dust, and six sacks containing 100 gp each.
Cecil will aid in identifying the things. After, he suggests leaving posthaste.
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Everything collected, blackmail secured, the group begins to head out, weapons at the ready. A strange bitter smell comes from another room down here, one familiar to all of you. Taking a quick peek inside you see two large wood-burning stoves are built into the curving wall of the ship’s hull here. Each is fitted with an iron bar on which dangle several cauldrons. Firewood is stacked to the north in a haphazard mound. Dozens of empty glass vials sit atop the mantle of each stove.
Gamon, with his time spent working with Johan, knows that this is a lab devoted to creating shiver, and that is likely what is brewing in the cauldron right now.
Aloysia's interest is piqued with the room for making shiver, and does a quick once over for any more valuables she can steal.
Gamon stalks over to the cauldrons, taking the axe still in his hand and slamming it against the bar until it cracks and sends the cauldrons tumbling to the ground.
The only thing worth money in the shiver lab and on the way back are several vials full of shiver, ready for distribution .
You make your way back up the stairs, keeping an out for ambush and other danger and find the audience hall barren. Several of the chairs have been overturned and the floor is slick with the grease of the meal that was once on the table. A voice calls to you from the ceiling, where the steel birdcage swings wildly back and forth, "Hey!"
The House Drake you noticed earlier is grimly holding onto the bars of the cage, its entire body shaking. Its voice is deeper than you would expect from something the size of a cat. "Help me out, I want to get that bastard!"
Jolon nods grimly at Gamon as he advances to destroy the shiver. He hadn't seen the effects of the drug firsthand the way Gamon had, but he knew a menace like this could not be allowed to be profited from, by The Spider King or anyone looking to replace him. This is was something Gamon HAD to do.
When the house drake calls for help, he looks at the small creature and frowns.
"Of course we'll help you. "That bastard" is dead, so we shan't leave you here to starve."
He turns to Aloysia.
"Do you think one of the keys we got off Barvasi's body opens that cage?"
The dragon somehow manages a pout, despite its lack of lips. "When those thugs ran past screaming about the King going down I thought he'd just be bleeding on the floor..." It continues to rattle its cage back and forth, as though its perseverance will shake it off the hook holding the cage to the ceiling. "I very much appreciate the help. My name is Majenko. I was taken in my sleep and presented to 'the king'" he spits a cloud of silver mist as he says this, " as a present. That evil man made me fight his spiders!"
"Thats disgusting." Cecil replies. "A noble creature like you should not be kept captive."
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Majenko stops shaking the cage and visibly preens with Cecil's praise. "I'm glad you understand nobility when you see it. Now, in such a noble standing, you have saved my life most certainly from a horrible debilitating fate, I must repay you. How can I be of service?" Aloysia tests both keys against the padlock on the cage and finds the one that opened Devargo's chest also opens the cage door.
Majenko jumps out, spreading his wings and gliding to sit perched on the wooden throne, stretching all of his limbs and flapping every so often for the sheer joy of it.
"I hadn't really thought of a reward." Cecil admits. "Do you have a place to go? I have a decent home, you can nest there if you wish. Depends on how much you like books, I guess... I have a pretty big library."
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Majenko's tail flicks about rapidly behind him as he considers an appropriate reward. "Tell you what, I'll serve you guys for a year from this day. I have plenty of friends scattered throughout the city and I'm sure I can be of some use if you want reconnaissance or info on the latest rumors. How 'bout that? 'Course, I'll stay with one of you if I'm to serve for a year."
Cecil looks at the group. "The services of a house drake is a great boon indeed." he comments, waiting to hear if they're interested.
"I need no reward for an act of charity," Jolon replies, "But if that is what Majenko wishes to do, I won't argue. In these dark times, we will need all the friends we can find."
Aloysia glares at Jolon, and in a deeply snide tone, "Yes...no reward necessary." She turns her gaze back to Majenko, and says, "Cecil can keep you company, I'm sure."
As the group continues to talk to the creature, she begins her usual deal of searching the room for any valuables left over from the scattering.
Gamon tilts his head to the side as he thinks for a moment, I certainly wouldn't say no to your assistance, and it would be an honor to have you by our side if it is both your wish and that of my comrades.
Aloysia glares at Jolon, and in a deeply snide tone, "Yes...no reward necessary." She turns her gaze back to Majenko, and says, "Cecil can keep you company, I'm sure."
As the group continues to talk to the creature, she begins her usual deal of searching the room for any valuables left over from the scattering.
Jolon frowns at Aloysia's tone.
"I was only speaking for myself, Aloysia. If you want to ask for compensation, do so. I'm not a paladin, it isn't my place to act as our band's moral compass."
As if in response the whispers flare up, and Jolon pinches the bridge of his nose, but they quickly die down.
A fallen coin pouch yields some gold , but not much else is here to be found.
Majenko seems content with the deal and proceeds to float over to the door leading out, wings flapping lazily. "Ready to head out into the city then?" His yellow eyes turn to follow all of you as puffs of silver mist waft from his nostrils.
"Yes. I think we could all use a bath and a stiff drink after what's just happened."
Majenko leads the way out the door once it is opened for him, flying above you to take in the entirety of Eel's End. It is...subdued. There is still drunken carousing going on, but it seems every one of Devargo's old enforcers is on the deck, nervously fingering their weapons. "Is it true?" the largest of them calls. "Is the King of Spiders dead?"
"Oh, very much so." Cecil says, nodding but being ready for more violence.
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Jolon braces himself for more fighting, and the whispers rise anew, and one louder than the rest.
"So it is when the fearful look upon the brave, my kin. If they wish to avenge their Spider-King, do not waver. Fight till our skulls are gathered."
"SILENCE!" Jolon cries to no one in particular. "There's been enough death this night!"
There's a brief pause before the whisper speaks once more.
"So you are one of the brave after all...you honor us, child."
And then they fall silent, Jolon looking about at the assembled thugs to see what they'll do next.
Cecil gives Jolon the side-eye, wondering if his companion was broken in the head or something. "Oookay. Yes. The man is dead. I think his spider thing is still hiding in its room though. Please let us pass and we will not fight you."
The thugs all look at one another and silently put away their weapons, allowing you to pass by unmolested. They look at the blood that covers you and the ichor that covers your weapons and quickly decide you're too much to mess with. You walk through and down to the end of the pier with no trouble, Majenko, watching your back, calls to you, "No one's following."
Jolon pulls his cowl over his hanging head as they leave Eel's End.
"We should return to the Citadel...and I think I may need to return to the Gray District, at least for a day. I don't know what I did, what allowed that spirit to make me start a fight...but perhaps Bishop Keppira will know something about it. She is wise, and even if she can't tell me what is happening, perhaps she'll have some way to keep this spirit from...possessing me...or whatever it did. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what happened. I don't think many will mourn the death of that horrible man, though. I certainly won't."
Aloysia gives Jolon a side-long glance. "Yes, getting you checked out would be a good idea. And for once, I'm with you, Jolon, I won't mourn him either...I got paid." Her side-long glace changes to a fulfilled grin.
"Speak for yourself!" Cecil snaps. "This was a disaster. We nearly died! I nearly died! We can't just go flying off the handle like that! By Nethys' twisted balls, man!"
He takes a moment to collect himself. "We had no plan for how to handle that fight. We had no idea his combat abilities. Or his backup. Or traps. Hell, he could have been able to control SWARMS of spiders! I don't have the magic to handle that because i didnt have the chance to prepare. We could have come back to deal with him later."
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Midday approaches as you follow the roads back to Citadel Volshyenek, many people moving out of your way as they notice the battle damage on you. One man does not, and moves quickly to interrupt your conversation. He is 5 feet away, but you can smell alcohol coming off of him even from this distance. He heads towards Gamon, calling out in a slurred voice, "Neffi! Neffi, its your old buddy Grau! Come on man, I owe you a few drinks for savin' my ass from those gobbos when the Birdcrunchers raided!"
Gamon smiles as Grau approaches, Well met! I'm glad to see you're still all in one piece my friend. I'm afraid I'm on business at the moment, but perhaps later I can take you up on that.
As Grau gets closer the stench of stale sweat accompanies the reek of alcohol emanating from him. You also notice his clothes are rumpled and look a few days old amidst his drunken stumbling. "Nah nah nah, I need to drink with ya! I don't think I'll be able to find ya again, and I want to show you how much I 'ppreciate yer fancy curved sword wavin' about and swingin' through them gobbos."