Both the paladin and the brawler miss their targets.
Combat Second Full Round Cont'd
Vessel (black)
Teke -1 HP
Delance
Bressa
Omero -1 HP
Vessel (red) (buffed) -17 HP
Skyllik
Muttering a curse under his breath, the larger, human assassin takes a step back from the brawler.
He retrieves a vial of a potion of cure light wounds and imbibes its contents.
The shorter, halfling assassin , steps away from the oncoming opponents.
She retrieves a tanglefoot back and throws it at the armored paladin. However, its stick contents spill onto the stony ground.
From the safety of the cave, Ulisha shouts encouragement, "Break these Vessels!"
The tiny brawler is unable to suppress a few giggles, "Things not going your way, big guy?"
They are not. The larger assassin drops to the ground, bleeding out from his fresh wound.
Combat Third Full Round Cont'd
Vessel (black)
Teke -1 HP
Delance
Bressa
Omero -1 HP
Vessel (red) (buffed) -22 HP (dying)
Skyllik
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To the unconscious body, Bressa muses, "Two assassins is enough to take out a lone orc, but why on earth would you attack when there were so many of us around? There must be more than two of you. Where are the others!" The paranoid brawler's stomach sinks as she ducks under the blow which must surely be coming from behind. When there is none, she starts trying to look everywhere at once again.
Left unscathed, though his fellow assassin fallen, the halfling continues to fight on, firing an arrow at man already injured.
As another arrow finds its mark, the assassin curses that he did not have an opportunity to obtain poison to apply to his ammunition.
"If only I had been able to obtain some of that adhesive produced by spiders and left in their webs!" he lets slip, "Then, I am sure that this battle would be going a bit differently."
"I could tell you where to find some!" Ulisha shouts, "But I doubt now that you will live long enough to do so!"
Combat Fourth Full Round Cont'd
Vessel (black)
Teke -1 HP
Delance
Bressa
Omero -2 HP
Vessel (red) (buffed) -22 HP (dying)
Skyllik (delay)
The paladin drops the Halfling with a single, powerful blow.
With the last of the assassin's defeated, Ulisha comes out of the cave, "Thank you for your assistance, friends." she says. Staring at the dying Halfling, she can't help but remark to Omero, "It looks like you made... short work of him."
Then, upon seeing Bressa's obvious concern for the expected presence of additional assassins, the half-orc tries to offer some words of reassurance to the human brawler, "Assassins sent on missions outside of the city often work in pairs so as to better protect one another. But they seldom move in larger numbers, so as not to attract attention to themselves."
"Besides," she continues, "if Anwald did the hiring, as you suggested, then that poor servant could have hardly afforded one of assassin, let alone both--even if they were neophytes and killers in training. No one ever accused a Tullivor of being generous to their help. Whenever Anwald gets his hands on some money, it usually ends up being used to fill tankards."
"Most likely, Anwald was able to stir up some funding from some of m other..." Ulisha seems to be searching for an appropriate word, before settling on the clearly tongue-in-cheek description of, " 'admirers'... among this week's leader of Galt's Red Revolution. I probably shouldn't have given them that treatise exposing the revolution as a threat to relics and historical sites. The Red Revolution has historically never been fond critics, and it seems that the current regime has branded me an enemy of the Revolution. No doubt, old Anwald has been in Galt stirring up revolutionary fury and directing it at me, who he likely blames for the troubles his former masters faced. The Galtan revolutionaries probably know nothing of this, but they love the promise of dead enemies. It must have been they that financed Anwald’s purchase of the services of the Vessels Between."
Ulisha gratefully offers a wand of comprehend languages, a wand of expeditious retreat, and a wand of identify to the party. With a wave of her hand and a few words, she also manages to heal Teke and Omero to full health. The blade Silverhex, however, remains firmly within her grasp.
Believing the party to be after the blade, she notes, "Unfortunately, I can't offer you Silverhex, at least not for free. I will need it to sell it, suppose. It'll likely require a fair bit of coin to pay off Anwald and get him to call off further assassination attempts."
"That is it then." Ulisha continues, "Unless any of you have other suggestions?"
"Lords Tullivor and Sarvio, both of whom are happy only when the other is not, made me a tidy sum while they were feuding and hiring me to recover their family heirlooms. But, when Laban Tullivor tasked me to steal a platinum chalice belonging to the Sarvios, I took my leave and the cup. They've been hounding me since." Ulisha explains.
"I had hoped to put that business behind me once I had learned that old Laban Tullivor had been granted admission in Pharasma's waiting room." the half-orc continues. "However, it soon became clear to me that the number of people looking for me was actually growing. The only explanation that I could come up with was that someone had been feeding information about me to the Galts."
"Not sure that I could deal with the increased scrutiny on my own, I contact you all. It was my hope that you would be able to raise enough coin--following the clues that I left for you in the journal--to buy Silverhex here, thus allowing me to pay off my bounty." says Ulisha. "When you told me that Anwald was involved, I realized that he must have been the one who's been tipping off the Galts."
"If you were able to follow the clues that I left in order to find me here, you've no doubt been able to locate the other treasures that I had mentioned in my journal." Ulisha concludes. "In that case, you should have more than enough coin to buy Silverhex and put an end to this unpleasantness. Do we have a deal?"
"If you consider the whims of killers, like the Red Revolution, to be 'justice', then you aere not the follower of Iomedae that I was led to believe." Ulisha replies with a snarl. "I do not considered myself pure, but I certainly do not deserve the fate that those killers or that conniving coward, Anwald, would choose for me."
"Silverhex is an enchanted spell storing sickle composed of alchemical silver." Ulisha explains, extending the blade to you for your inspection. "Though, its true value may be more historical, as my research suggests that it was used by druids within what is now the River Kingdoms millennia ago."
"I am not asking for a great price, just enough really for me to pay off Anwald and the dogs that he has released to find me. What you do with the blade after buying it, I don't much care. You can keep it or turn around and, almost certainly, sell it to a collector for nearly twice my price." she continues.
"I am asking for about eight thousand three hundred gold pieces. If you sold the grim lantern that my journal led you to--that alone is worth nearly two-thirds the amount." The half-orc sighs.
"Look, I don't want to quibble over a price."" she admits. "What I really need is to get Anwald off my back. He is no doubt in Daggermark and shouldn't be difficult to find. Do you think you could get him to remove the price on my head?"
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"That seems far more amenable than buying your freedom. Besides it would allow us to root out the evil that started this mess rather than just fix a symptom of it." Omero gives a hard look at the half-orc. "If we do this though, I expect to never hear of your name on the wrong side of the law again or else I be sure that you find justice."
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Bressa finds herself staring at the back of Omero's head. In a world of chaos and backstabbers where everyone is out to get you..., she thinks to herself, ..this man.. This man is an island of serenity. He is constant. He is 100% predictable... I could almost start to trust him even.. She shudders at the word, trust. No, not now. But when I grow weary of watching my own back, if he hasn't gotten himself killed by then, I'm going to come find him.
"If we do this though, I expect to never hear of your name on the wrong side of the law again or else I be sure that you find justice."
"If you can find me," mutters quietly in response.
The half-orc lets out a deep sigh, then says, "You will likely find Anwald in Daggermark. But, I caution you, speak well to him--no matter how much you may wish to do otherwise."
"Though, intimidation or enchantment magic may secure his cooperation for a limited time, I am certain that you do not have the means to secure his cooperation for long enough to make a difference. Killing Anwald does not solve the problem either, as the Red Revolution will still continue to hound me and send others to take the place of these assassins that you felled." she warns. "You need only convince him to speak in my defense to his Galtan contacts. Get him to convince the Galts to leave me alone and to and cancel the bounty upon my head."
"Do this," she adds, "and you will have my profound gratitude and aid whenever I am able to provide it."
Following your departure from Ulisha's cave, you make it to Daggermark.
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Omero walks through the markets and ale houses of Daggermark asking about the whereabouts of Anwald. His very presence in this town though seems to stop tongues from moving to speak and people to make obvious their attempt to keep clear of him.
An army of the law could sweep through this place bringing justice to those who deserve it and still I believe its rot would remain to fester like a sore on a sick man.
Bressa has no diplomacy skills, so she just gets a drink at the bar and listens, on the off chance someone says something. :P
Whether the result of his having begun to master human speech or simply the product of lingering animal instincts, the newly-human Delance is able to follow verbal clues as he receives as he asks around Daggermark to hunt down Anwald. The former servant can indeed be found imbibing at a small tavern in the marketplace.
As the party approaches the tavern, a voice rises above the din of commerce. “Yeah, well fie on the stupid scholar and her precious Silverhex," a drunken voice practically shouts. "The Vessels Between’ll shut that wench up for good!”
The loud man pauses to take another drink. Based upon the description you have been provided of the man, it is clear to you that the being before you is Anwald Greenfelt.
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Omero hands Bressa his halberd and pulls a seat up so that he is sitting across the table from Anwald. He takes a moment or two to just stare at the man and size him up before he speaks. "Anwald Greenfelt, I come with a request, simple in nature but difficult in execution. You know Ulisha. I need you to remove the price you have placed on her head and call off your Galtan allies." Omero stares at Anwald once more remaining entirely expressionless.
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Delance think to himself are paladin's hard of hearing or are they so arrogant in their beliefs that they think they have the best answers.
"Sorry my friend is an idiot and does not know the status of the person to whom he speaks. We resolve to end this whole situation diplomatically and free of bloodshed assassin's have already been put in the crosshairs and they can't be cheap. And I imagine if they keep dying when you hier them the price will go up and you don't want that. Galt should spend resources on better things like the resolution. You are smart you see what I am saying."
"Is there another offer we can make?"
"Sorry my friend is an idiot and does not know the status of the person to whom he speaks. We resolve to end this whole situation diplomatically and free of bloodshed assassin's have already been put in the crosshairs and they can't be cheap. And I imagine if they keep dying when you hier them the price will go up and you don't want that. Galt should spend resources on better things like the resolution. You are smart you see what I am saying."
"Is there another offer we can make?"
"So, Ulisha's alive?" Anwald responds with a mix of both relief and regret, apparently in equal parts. "That half-orc cost me dearly, but I was, perhaps, a bit hasty in calling her out as an enemy of the Red Revolution." The man shakes his head, sorrowfully. "There need not be further bloodshed, but amends must be made. If you will pay me the cost of the stolen chalice... say 500 gold pieces... then, I will cancel the bounty and also speak in Ulisha's defense to my Galtan contacts to convince them to leave her alone. To accept less would be an insult to the Tullivor family. What say you?"
It is also clear that Anwald regrets his actions and does not wish Ulisha dead--something he believes certain to occur unless the Galts are appeased. By pointing these facts out, you believe you can convince him to drop the feud without blood or gold.