Sarada growls and strikes back at the female.
Othdan isn't sure what happened but he doesn't hesitate to get free of this bad situation. He leaps to his feet and quickly moves west out the door and disappears around the corner.
The creature (red) that Garri touches grunts in pain as the fire scorches her hide. Sarada's strike misses and whooshes by the waist of the scorched creature.
The half-orc with the morningstar who was talking to Othdan moves towards Kreagor drawing his weapon. As he closes in he swipes it at the hobgolin's head, but misses and slams into the wall behind him. Charred splinters of the ruined wall scatter across the room as the half-orc grunts in frustration.
Renliat shies. We're about as subtle as a brick to the face. He quickly runs forward to get sight of what's happening.
Good, he's getting the boy out.
He sees the two enemies grouped next to each other and raises his hand, then shakes his head. [i]I'll catch Kreagor, and he's pretty slow on his feet. He won't dodge it most likely. Renliat plants his feet, then opens his mouth and emits an scream that causes ears to pop, and causes the female's ear's to bleed. After that he coughs to clear his throat. "Kreagor, step back! Form a solid wall, don't stagger yourselves!"
With little left she could do Lialda tried once again to hit the remaining enemy with a ray of frot.
The troll winces from the scream but manages to shield the majority of the effect. Lialda's frost ray crystallizes on the forearm of the troll, pains of ice-cold temperatures shooting up the creatures arm. In retaliation the troll slashes at Sarada with both of her claws, but the gnoll manages to avoid both of the attacks by fainting and dodging to the side.
Frantically dodging around his opponent, Kreagor steps back to form a line with Sarada, swinging at the half Orc two handed as he does so.
Sarada keeps up his attack on the female.
Renliat raises his hand and casts a familiar incantation, clenching his fist. A blast of freezing energy erupts between their enemies!
Kreagor's attack just barely lands on the half-orc, ripping open a gash across the half-orcs thigh. Sarada and Garri follow suit with their attacks, landing both of them. Finally Renliat's ice blast knocks both enemies from their feet to the floor. Neither of them appear to be moving as blood pours freely from their open wounds out through their partially ice-crystallized bodies.
"Friends of yours?" Sarada dryly asks Othdan as he looks the corpses over.
Glad that's over
"I suggest we tie them up and carry them, though I haven't any rope"
Kreagor will search the two for anything of value, and make sure all weapons are well out of their reach.
The female doesn't have anything of interest, but the half-orc carries a substantial amount of gear. He has a potion of cure light wounds, potions of pass without trace (2), potion of vanish, smoke pellets (2), tangleburn bag, leather armor, daggers (5), masterwork morningstar, short sword, belt of tumbling, alchemically treated coals, crowbar, thieves tools, a brass key, garnet (worth 50 gp), 30 gp on him.
Othdan's head slowly appears from around the doorway, surveying the scene to make sure it's safe. A huge sigh of relief is evident as he steps back through, thankful to be free of danger. "Thanks a lot, I was worried he was going to take me back." Looking to the half-orc he nods, "That's the one that been keeping me prisoner downstairs."
Lialda nodded and approached the young man, "Are you alright? Did they manage to hurt you?" Once she'd made sure he was alright she said, "I think you should come with us for now, it's obviously not safe enough to let you leave on your own. If those two were still here there could be more somewhere and we wouldn't want them to catch you."
Othdan shakes his head furiously,"Nono. You guys got here just in time. I, I tried to run but that one over there, she grabbed me and I couldn't get away. I didn't tell them about you though, they thought I just escaped on my own!"
Looking around he nods to Lialda sadly, "I have no problem coming with you. What if there are more of them? I don't want to go back downstairs again."
After Kreagor does his search he grabs his rope and ties the two up. Not mentioning his forgetfulness to anyone.
"What do you guys this this key is for?"
"Hmm... No ideas then? Oh well."
Kreagor then picks up the tangle burn bag, a potion of pass without trace and a potion of vanish and puts them in his pack.
"One of us should probably carry the rest of this back with us in case its of use to others in town. I shall start dragging this one back to town."
With that, Kreagor grabs the rope tying up the half-orc and begins dragging him towards Trunau.
Sarada quietly nods and heft the female over his shoulder and follows along.
Othdan, glad to be back in Trunau, requests that those who kept him prisoner receive a fair trial and justice will be done. As he makes ready to leave, Othdan presses a small glass bead into Kreagor's palm.
"It isn't much, but it's all I have to offer. Place it on the ground and say the word 'ignite,' and it will become a blazing fire. It will burn for eight hours or until extinguished and then become a bead again. You must wait double the amount of time that it burns before you can use it again."
The party then takes their prisoners to Kurst, who has them locked away. He pulls you aside into a private room and asks with much curiosity "Tell me, my friends. What news of your investigation?"
On meeting Kurst again Sarada walls use and places his hands on the man's shoulders while staring him in the eyes. "Keep. The. Prisoners. In. SEPERATE. Cells. This. Time. Please."
Kurst sighs and lowers his head, "Yes, of course. I've already made it abundantly clear that what happened last time will not occur again, you have my word on this."
The gnoll releases the man and takes a step back to bow. "Thank you."
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Seeing Sarada reminding Kurst about proper jailing procedure Kreagor thinks,
I really hope she never feels the need to remind me of anything...
Waiting for Kurst to regain a measure of composure, Kreagor then some information about the investigation.
"Our investigation has been ongoing, though how fruitful we are not entirely sure. We followed our lead out to the Plague House and ventured into it. Other than some vermin, we only found the boy Othdan and those two we brought here. We have yet to question any of the three though."
Shifting his bandolier a bit Kreagor passes the conversation off to his friends,
"Do any of you remember anything I have missed? Or gotten wrong?
"Not that I can think of," Lialda said shaking her head, "I hope we can find out what they were up to now that we have them. Please keep us informed." She looked over at everyone else and said, [b}"I think we have another stop to make now, shall we?"[/b] Once they were back outside she paused and said, "I believe we need to take the hopeknife we found to Rodrick's fiancee. I think she will be glad to have it back."
Sarada knods towards the Witch. "Most definitely."
"Right, little friend. We didn't forget."
"Since I am loathe to split up, let's deliver one at a time. Let's go to the priest first." Renliat suggests.
"That sounds good to me"
The group quickly makes their way back to High Priestess Tyari Varvatos at The Sanctuary. The young woman from Lastwall is happy to make you acquaintance again. When you offer to turn over items you found at the Plague House, her eyes go wide with surprise. "I had thought all treasures lost, I cannot thank you enough! Perhaps we can part with some coin to pay you for your efforts in this recovery? Would you accept a finders fee perhaps?"
After monetary negotiations are completed she pulls the door to her office closed as a look of concern spills over her face. "I understand you are looking into matters of the death of Rodrik. The body is being stored here and I examined it earlier. I have some concerning news about something I found."
After a deep breath she says, "I know it's being told as suicide, and I'm not saying it isn't, but I, well, I attempted to detect poison to help locate something in the room and I picked up poison on his body by accident. I believe it to be oil of taggit, though I am not sure due to the time that has transpired."
She pauses to let this information sink in before continuing, "This revelation hints at foul play, does it not?"
Lialda nodded in agreement with the priestess' observation and said,"Yes, it does, and with some other things we found out about what he was investigating it definitely seems that someone planned his death to look like a suicide. I think he got close to something far bigger than he thought it was."
"Hmm, a poison designed to render one unconscious. Certainly not a poison of suicide, unless it was coupled with something else so the victim couldn't feel the result. I am more and more convinced everyday there is something pernicious going on."
"I am with Garri on this one."
Sarada had been about to mention no need for a reward, but when the others mentioned better equipping themselves he elected to remain silent.
"Given that it seems Oil of Taggit was used, can anyone think of where it could be gotten from?"
The first mention of 'pretty priestess' passes without acknowledgement, but the second one draws a look of amusement from Tyari. "Why certainly Garri, I would be honored given what you already have done for us in the Plague House."
Raising her golden holy symbol off her chest she closes her eyes and speaks loudly, "My Lady of Valor, Iomedae, Light of the Sword, I call out to Thee in my hour of need. I lend my voice to the mournful cries of your faithful in this time of darkness and despair. I pray to thee for guidance, that thy wisdom enlightens Garri and allows his eyes to perceive some sign that that this path be right, for no man possesses the foresight to sense where such a path will end. Guide him through his continued quest and watchover him in his time of need."
She opens her eyes and smiles at Garri before looking to Kreagor. "I did a little work on that and asked around only to find it is quite expensive! Such an oil cost nearly one hundred gold pieces for a single use and does not find many common uses here in town. I'm thinking someone must have brought it into town from the outside. I'm not sure how that fits into whatever theory you have been constructing."
The party turns over the golden coffer and the unholy symbol they found in the abandoned Plague House. Tyari is astonished at the amazing condition the coffer still is in and rewards the party handsomely for both items. She disappears and returns a shortwhile later with a heavy pouch of coins for you. "Thank you again, let us know how we can be of service in the future."
"Thank you for this Tyari, we will be on our way now"
Kreagor bows in respect and then heads out to find Rodrik's betrothed.
This will hopefully help bring her closure