Trapspringer's Gloves
The belt is unidentified DC 23
Potions are
Cat's Grace CL 3
Darkvision CL 3
Misdirection CL 3
Seventeen examines the belt.
"Jarreck, I think you will find these gloves to be very useful."
Do the pulsating sacks seem to be alive still?
No they are dead.
Mastering herself, Seventeen blinks back the tears she little understand and marches back into the room. She locks eyes with Jarreck and, more hotly than she intends, demands "So where is this radiation spike? We presumed Trett was here but all we've found is this abomination... There must have been something here or did the gizmo malfunction?"
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Jarreck, I think you will find these gloves to be very useful.
Jarreck looks them over then tries them on..."They're a good fit Omo, what do they do?" discussing the gloves and their functionality with the little alchemist. "Thank you"
Seeing Seven come into the room where he is at, he stands, understanding that she is pretty upset.
So where is this radiation spike? We presumed Trett was here but all we've found is this abomination... There must have been something here or did the gizmo malfunction?
Jarreck hangs his head momentarily in thought before looking back in Seven's tearful eyes and responding calmly.
"Yes, we all did assume that Trett was here, did the machine malfuntion, it's possible that has been known to happen before. 6 souls in that room over there are the ones we found and failed to save.
These abominations as you so aptly called them are used by the League, when they have had their fill and assumed their new identity they can walk down the street and you'd never know any difference. I am sorry for these souls that we were unable to stops them sooner; but for the untold souls they would have consumed in their foul lifetime I for one am eternally grateful. I have lived longer than you have been in this current life and lost friends to evil such as these before. What we have done here is for the good of all.
I will use another battery in the machine and see if I can find the trace again, if Trett knew we were here these creatures may have been a trap for us, figuring we'd easily make it in the front door, if we could follow him here. Give me a moment to check, we haven't exactly had a great deal of down time in this warehouse, the welcoming committee was less than welcoming."
Jarreck pull the detector back out and tries to pickup the radiation source that he found before.
Seventeen whispers, "These are not agents of the void, not the league." She shivers in spite of herself.
Mort chimes in Hey! Here's one alive. he calls from the other side of the room. Apparently he has found a seventh victim of the Faceless Stalker's.
A very weak [1 Con left] Sanvril Trett lay unconscious on the floor.
"How about we just kill him?" The normally friendly alchemist offers in a conversational tone.
Omo shakes his paw is a gesture that suggest concession.
"I'm all for getting answers from him, but we cannot leave him alive when are done. My sister, I think, we sleep easier when her abductor and torment lies in a shallow grave."
Mort looks over Trett's body and has mixed feelings with it as well. I could kill him now and nobody would be able to notice it... Then again, we need any information he has, decision, decisions...
He then looks as the others drop in on him one by one and looks to Jarreck and Omo discussing magics.
"Alas, I'm not that kind of magic user, else I would have said so. Communicating with the dead is a little beyond me."
Guaire ties up Trett.
"Well Trett, guess who's got the pleasure of 'rescuing' your sorry ass?"
Cue a few firm knots.
"He's constrained."
<Like a swine before the roast.>
He is unconscious.
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"Guaire, that carpet trick of yours is looking more and more favorable." Jarreck states thinking back to a previous conversation I believe in a warehouse similar to this. "Any way we can burn the bodies....wait.....wait. Cyruthl told us should we find him to contact either Lady Altouna's personal assistant or the Commander of the Guard. I'm thinking this is the time to follow directive's for once. Guaire think you could get the local watch and the captain of the guard here? Here's my thinking:
We entered an empty building based on a radiological reading from the scanner that should not have been here. All and all, not that bad. That can be explained and forgiven.
We encountered these creatures eating 7 of the cities population and trying to create more of them. The bodies of all need to be burned. But if we burn them we loose the evidence.
If the fire should get out of hand, and the warehouse burn down that is much harder to explain and all of the evidence is gone. The wounds on the bodies right now are consistent with these creature killing them not us.
With no evidence we become the primary subject for the killings and with luck get thrown in jail or run out of town, without it we get hung from those rafters up there." Pointing to the ceiling
"Once we have things squared away here at the warehouse with the Guard Commander, hopefully they'll let us interrogate Sanvrill, if not they'll interrogate him. No one wants those monstrosities in town and Sanvrill is the only clue right now as to how they came to be here. Whether they are of the League or something far worse, Seven calls the void."
Jarreck settles back against the wall to allow the others to agree, disagree, or offer a better option. Understanding the younglings desire to finish the magus now.
Seventeen stops suddenly still and gives Jarreck a curious look, eventually she adds "His argument is logical."
"We could also roll Trett up in a rug, take him with us for questioning, and otherwise do follow that plan. Trett must burn, and I don't want to give strangers the idea that they can determine his fate."
"We could also lie to the guards and say that Trett is a friend or acquaintance of ourss that missed a scheduled appointment with us. We got worried and tried to find him in town using our scanner as we knew he had little devices with such energy in it. Then we encountered him and these beasts inside this empty warehouse and the rest that followed is as they can see."
Mort looks to the others with a faint smile.
"Of course, I shouldn't be the one to tell them that. It's just a suggestion that someone else might do that."
Seventeen seems surprised by Omo although she always had suspicions about Mort's intentions "Friend Omo, you are talking about revenge not justice. Father was always most clear on the subject. Anyway Trett came here with the device, where is it now? Perhaps he doesn't know... It seems we may have bigger concerns than this half dead fool."
Jarreck's suggestion of explaining
"A good explaination to give them, true enough. I'll see what can be done."
Guaire, being a Kellid himself and familiar with the ins and outs of the city guard, takes the lead in explaining the series of events in the Marauder's abandoned warehouse.
The Guard Captain, a solid stodgy Kellid by the name of Borhs, frowns constantly as Guaire and then Jarreck make their statements.
I'll send a runner to Cythrul....see if he can vouch for you. is all he'll tell you.
After some hours of waiting at the Barracks/Armory, Captain Borhs comes back in and says You've got someone waiting for you in the meeting room. Best to hurry.
The party enters the room to see a beautiful woman, taller than any of you, a full six feet and six inches. Her presences is awe inspiring and you fully understand that this is someone of incredible power.
Captain Borhs says deferentially as you enter Here they are M'lady.
The woman turns to you and dismisses her two bodyguards and the good captain. Well. What have you stirred up in my city? she asks, not too unkindly. Her eyes bore into Seventeen's as she speaks.
Well i'll be, she's about as tall as i am. I don't see that every day.
Seventeen returns her stare and when the magical assult comes, her eyes flair with an inner light. There is a pregnant pause and then Seventeen says without rancor or inflection "That." There is another pause before she continues, "Was rude. Especially since we just spared Crythrul's city from an infestations of creatures from the void."
Altouna gasps as Seven's circuitry ignites and she blazes with light. Another one. So close together... she whispers.
The Ruler of Hajoth Hakados speaks in a firmer voice The Faceless Stalker infestation will be dealt with, and you have my thanks for your assistance. My friend Cythrul says that you come to my City searching for something and someone. This man you brought here, he is who you search for? Did you find the something which you sought?
"Safety precautions, m'lady? It looks like spellcasting just now, don't get me wrong though, i am a clan city guard and value the concept of safety."
"Well yes, we were looking for this individual, who's a shady saboteur of society."
<Shady? Saboteur? What are you then?>
Altouna waits patiently for the party to converse with her. However, since the only thing that happens is that Guaire responds cryptically about spellcasting and then vaguely says that the man is a saboteur. She dismisses the party with her thanks and leaves them with the Guard Captain.
Guard Captain Bohrs says The Lady has paid for your transit from Hajoth Hakados. Go to the docks and ask for a man named Red Kris, you can't miss him, on account of his hair.
Guaire agrees on Seven's comment.
Later:
"She's not exactly a woman of many words, remarkable for a ruler of a city who's gotten a group on visit. Anyway, we're headed off elsewhere again."
Watch and learn, my master always said, 'watch and learn and you'll be able to handle any situation in due time'.
When Seven makes her statement, Mort watches to see how the Lady Altouna reacts, but keeps his mouth mostly shut. He watches Omo for any signs of the ratfolk piping up as well and shares a glance with him, a combination of rolling eyes and a shrug.
We smallfolk are rarely that apparent amongst the tall ones, we know the value of not standing out too much. I wonder if they've dealt with Faceless Stalkers before, they seem quite unphased by their presence. I wonder what made them come here so suddenly.
Mort grumps suddenly very audibly and looks on surprised as some people look his way. "Uhm... I was just wondering... You didn't seem to surprised by the presence of those abominations in the old warehouse. They were absolutely new to me and from what I've gathered also to some of the inhabitants of this city. Have you come across them before? If so do you know what has drawn them towards Trett?"
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"Easy friend, we know not what was on her schedule today, but I'm fairly sure it was not faceless stalkers. Yet that is what we gave her with very little explanation of how they, the 6 dead people, or any of us for that matter wound up in an abandoned warehouse, former home of a thieves guild they ran out of town. We should be honored that she took time out of her schedule to come see us face to face"
Altouna looks at Seven again when she speaks up and replies
This Sanvril Trett, he is known to me, a merchant of small account who peddles his wares here from time to time. You say he caused trouble in Torch. I will send a missive to Khonnir at once. I'd heard that Torch faced disaster when the fires went out...I take it you were responsible for their rekindling? However, this Trett committed no crimes here... I cannot simply hang someone on another's word alone.
To Mort the Wizardess says The beings you slew were a matched set of hatchlings. Three identical clones belonging to the same hive...How do I know these things...Well, I have had some experience with their Masters before. I do not know their minds, and would not dare to find out. Their way lies madness and chaos most foul. I will inquire with Cythrul about this "Power Relay" perhaps he will know more.
Altouna smiles at Jarreck You are most kind. And observant.
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Jarreck bows to the city's Lord, studying Altouna a moment before replying...
Mi'Lady, Seven's description of what Sanvril Trett has been up to during the past several months is an accurate one and Councillor Baine's reply will support as much. We ask that you do not release him at this time until you have that reply.
After speaking with your friend Cythrul, we began our search of your city in earnest for this man, knowing that Trett had left with the power relay, we used a device that reads the signature that devices such as the relay give off. We got a hit from the abandoned warehouse, albeit a small amount was detected. Cythrul asked us to advise the Captain of the guard or your Personal Assistant once we found Sanvrill but at the time we were not sure if he was in the warehouse or not....pausing slightly here So we entered the warehouse to learn what was giving off the signature.upon opening the door we were immediately attacked by 2 of the creatures while the 3rd attacked shortly thereafter coming from the room where we found the dead. To our shame some of them were alive when we first entered the warehouse.
Mort discovered Sanvril after the fight, at which point we sent for the Captain of the Guard. Which brings us to where we are here now. Mort feels we should burn those bodies as the stalkers were attempting to create more, most of the bodies had a small gelatinous sack attached incubating another stalker."
Jarreck holds at this point to allow the Lady to digest what he has related and ask any questions she wishes to clarify things.
<Toned down replay of screams inside his mind.>
A nerve twitches slightly in Guaire's right eye corner.
Seventeen pays close attention yet she doesn't realise the significance of Altouna's strange hand movements.
The Ugothol reproduces by injecting its own life force into its prey. Then the seedling grows on the corpse until it hatches...unchecked they can cause much destruction. Your quick actions saved my city much pain. I..have been distracted of late and did not do enough to save the souls that perished. I will have good Captain Bohrs and his men deal with the remaining bodies. Burial by fire is common enough in Numeria.
The half elf pauses and then says Allow me to grant you a boon. Cythrul tells me you have business in Scrapwall. The way is fraught with peril, the Blood Gars assault ships daily on the Sellen. I can provide you safe passage to a Keep less than 1 day's walk from Scrapwall. The name of the Keep is Aldonard's Grave and it serves as a rest stop for Crusaders heading to Mendev.
"Most kind of you, m'lady, may safety in your city be assured."
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"It was... our pleasure to assist in removing the stalkers, Lady Altouna." a cold chill runs down Jarrecks back as he remembers the Stalker's embrace. Though he tries hard to hide it.
"We have pressing business in Scrapwall it is true, but should you need assistance please do not hesitate to ask. We didn't have a specific timetable for this work. And were probably figuring on catching up with Sanvril to take longer truth be told."
Jarreck is thinking and referring to her comment about being distracted lately.
Curiosity piqued, Seventeen asks nonchalantly, "You say you have been distracted... That seems to be a problem. Perhaps as master Lightfoot says, we can help?"
Jarreck Lightfoot
