Bjorkus finds himself badly wounded from the explosion, but he shakes off the worst of it and charges out of the room, launching himself into the assailant and smashing him into the far wall. Bjorkus feels a rib crack in the man's torso but he can still feel the man's chest rising as the bloody-mouthed killer laughs and mouths some inaudible words, blood dropping onto Bjorkus's forehead.
Somehow despite the ringing in her ears and the pain wailing throughout her body, she manages to remain conscious. Or maybe regain consciousness? The details right after the explosion are too blank. Focusing on the fact that their would be assassin appears to be living, Rilka pushes herself up. Taking out her pistol, she aims it at the man as Bjorkus wrestles him to the ground. She glances at the dwarves and Dalton to see how serious their wounds are. Ianna looks the worst, possibly dead. Rilka takes one of her healing extracts and pours it into the dwarf’s mouth.
Ianna breathes more easily and blinks in confusion.
How odd-look-
Oh no!
The explosion ripped any concentration away from Dalton's mind, though he was fortunate to have been quicker on the draw in turning for cover than the man was with his bomb.
This wasn't to say he wasn't hurt - he was, substantially - but he would live through the blow.
The pain didn't catch up with him at first, the scene being somewhat surreal in its swift catastrophe. The deafness which plagued him only added to the out-of-ordinary experience.
It would take the wizard a moment to catch his bearings. From what his eyes could process though, the attack did its job, but he was too addled to calculated a prolonged course of action.
"Ianna!" His instinct drew him to their newest companion's side, though the futility of his revealing shout was lost on him as he did not think about the others' deafness.
Spells, spells, spells, but not an ounce of healing. He felt defeated.
As the despicable person lay on the ground, nearly dead, Dalton cast his arcane shield out of reflex. They didn't need help to kill the man, but if he had another bomb waiting...
He pushed Ianna behind him. Though he hadn't thought about it, this was probably the most chivalrous action he'd taken in some time.
Rilka goes to Ianna's side and heals the worst of the burns, bringing her back to the world of the living.
Despite the bomber's best efforts, Bjorkus's iron grip holds him fast in place as he tries in vain to slip free. He starts reaching to his lower back for something...
Green and golden waves pulse from Ianna in rapid succession.
Ragnar leans into the bomber, forcing him to the ground by virtue of the ogre's superior strength and weight. He quickly mounts the terrorist, pinning him and trapping his arms above his head.
The man exhales sharply as he's slammed into the ground, reeling and clearly unable to deal with Bjorkus's wrestling skills. Bjorkus finishes the slam to the ground and sits up on top of the chest of the man, then suddenly finds his face full of a green and violet gas. Bjorkus coughs as the gas fills his lungs and his vision blurs, but he steels himself and shakes his head, fighting past it.
Ragnar snorts like a bull, blowing the toxic fumes out of his lungs. The man's continued defiance enrages him further but Ianna's soothing healing energy calms him down enough to not snap the bomber's neck.
He quickly retrieves a length of rope and binds the man's hands and legs. After he's bound, Ragnar strips the man naked. "No more tricks outta you!"
Bjorkus holds the man down as the party grabs him a rope and tosses it over. As he starts hogtying the man and shouting silent commands, the crowd starts gathering. Other residents of the inn whisper and point with confused and fearful expressions, a few of them shouting silent questions at the party. Meanwhile the assailant seems to have given up, lying on his back and chuckling as blood bubbles out from between his teeth.
Bjorkus strips the man and finds an assortment of nasty-looking tools and substances. Five daggers, one that has a purple and black thick substance smeared on it, and another with an oily black substance. There is also a climbing axe and a sap. As Bjorkus starts turning out the man's pockets Rilka quickly steps over to handle all of the sensitive alchemical items, pulling out powders and liquids and jells and crystals of various colors and quantities.
Ianna will detect magic after she whispers to Rilka to contact their handler. This man needed to be interrogated.
Two gnomes walk into the room, one of them helping Bjorkus with the assailant while the other goes to talk to the party. Silent words are mouthed as he continues to try to question the party, but finally Bjorkus and Rilka's ears start functioning again. The sound returns slowly but the ringing stays persistent. "Hey! Can you hear me?! Are you folks alright? We've called the guard, they should be here soon."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ianna detects magic, and upon further investigation...
Aura moderate abjuration; CL 8th
Slot neck; Price 8000 gp; Weight -
-----------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
-----------------------------------
This periapt has an emerald center carved into the shape of a plume of smoke set in black gold, depicting noxious fumes. It is fastened to a black chain designed to be worn around the neck.
The wearer is immune to the effects of all inhaled toxins poisons wearing this periapt. Additionally, the wearer can store inhaled poisons within it. This is a full-round action which provokes an attack of opportunity. A poison stored in this manner can be released as a free action with a command word, exposing one target within five feet of the wearer to the poison. Any poison released in this manner has its DC increased by 2.
This periapt is a favorite of assassin's both as a subtle way of killing a target as well as self-defense, although it has been known to be carried as a self-defense mechanism with non-fatal poisons.
-----------------------------------
Construction Requirements
-----------------------------------
Craft Wondrous Items, neutralize poison, absorbing inhalation;
Cost 8000 gp
Ragnar 'accidentally' kicks the bound terrorist as he climbs to his feet. After a minute his hearing slowing returns, first as painful ringing, then muffled voices, and finally somewhat clear speech.
"Make sure Captain Tosscobble hears about this. He'll wanna bring this bastard in himself. I heard he's wanted for bombings all across the city."
”We had a woman with us!” Chibi exclaims. ”I don’t see her body anywhere -- This dwarf must have been caught in the explosion -- were any others injured? Run, run! Flee before more of Villichi’s assassins come.” Rilka hopes her improvisation about the an unaccounted for gnome and an unknown dwarf caught in the explosion helps explain Ianna’s presence -- if anyone is worried about that. We need to find safety. Heal. Get Ianna a disguise. Lots of smoke so we could get away would be great. Ianna’s right, I need to contact Drosil.
Using the pin, Chibi whispers, ”Fenrick, Fenrick, trouble.”
A green a violet gas (the same one used on Bjorkus) known as dreaming death
One dose of drow poison
One dose of lich dust
One dose of oil of taggit
One dose of ragespittle
A couple of people go to look for the woman Rilka speaks of while a few more walk into the room, two offering medical assistance. The helpful/nosy neighbors may be good for helping recover from this, but they're certainly not giving any privacy.
"Everyone back off", Ragnar booms as good samaritans lets themselves inside. "These girls have been through a lot. Give 'em some space."
Pulling one of the singed covers from a bed, the hulking half-ogre covers Ianna with it like a shroud. "Just give 'em a minute to calm down."
The crowd backs off, although the gnome sitting on top of the assailant doesn't move. Meanwhile the armored footsteps of the guard can be heard outside by those who can hear.
Ianna starts crying softly as if she were in shock.
"I came to discuss an ore shipment and all I saw was a flash."
Toramin, having been deafened, even blinded, before waits patiently for someone to cure his ailment. He knew it might have to wait for his sister to pray again in the morning.
Fortunately, though Dalton's reactions were slower in the course of injury and surprise, some of his mental faculties did not leave him; he recalled there were still disguised to keep-up.
With Ianna's hat being destroyed - or at the least, heavily-damaged - they would need some time to recover the veneer. The mage was happy Bjorkus took the initiative in creating some space.
Given the basic nature of the cantrip, Dalton did not find it out-of-character to use some basic divination to discern what magically-enhanced forces were at play here, both with the items and people present. He would later aid Rilka in revealing the nature of the alchemical items. She has nerves of steel though, and I'm sure she'll do a better job than I at revealing them.
What he could not wait for, however, was to see if one of the "respondents" to the crime was an ear for the enemy.
Internally, he was also questioning their assailant's volition; perhaps he was not here of his own will.
A minute later and the guard pushes through the crowd, getting all of the pesky onlookers back. They create a perimeter to give the party some privacy and secure the area. The assailant is put into manacles and the rope returned to the party, one of the guards mentioning how good a job they did with it.
The oldest-looking gnome amongst the guard approaches the party once everyone's (except Toramin's) hearing has returned. "My name is lieutenant Coalspitter. I'm glad all of you folks are alright. That was one heckuva blast, totaled the room. The man ain't talking, but we're going to lock him up and learn what his motives were. Can you tell me what happened?"
Dalton gives Coalspitter and his crew a once-over with his temporarily-discerning gaze. If he expected success with that bomber and isn't here to follow-up, we are in a stronger position than before.
"Is Toscobble coming? It's important we speak with him about what's happened here", the giant half-ogre explains. "He'll want to bring this man in himself."
"Captain Tosscobble will no doubt be informed of this attack, but I can't say for sure if he is coming himself or not. He is very busy with everything that's been happening lately. Please sir, I need an account of what has happened. All we have is some eyewitness accounts of what they saw after the matter, so we don't really know anything yet since the supposed assailant refuses to talk."
Bjorkus eyes the guard suspiciously. He had no idea how much of Grastle Hollow's law enforcement was dirty.
Ianna wipes her eyes and stands up.
"Lieutenant Coalsplitter, I'm so glad you are here. I am Ianna Trealamhgabha, daughter of Madga Saifír, granddaughter of Yana Trealamhgabha. I came to the inn to discuss the arrangements they had made with my clan to ship more metals to your city due to the shortage. We were interrupted by this man!"
Ianna points a quivering finger at their assailant. "He said Villichi sent his "regards." Who is this 'Villichi' who would assault a member of the central dwarven families in the city of our friends and allies. Is the city no longer safe for trade!?"
She starts to weep softly, the image of a noble woman shaken by a horrific attack. She looks to the Lieutenant for comfort.
I hope Rilka makes use of the distraction I am providing to get the Aestherics to take this man for questioning.
The gnome's demeanor changes at the shell-shocked noblewoman breaking down in front of him. "Oh of course I know the Trealamhgabha family, although I admit I haven't heard of you personally. There is a lot going on in the underground right now, and I'm embarrassed to admit the city isn't as safe as it once was. Please, come with us to the barracks of the city guard. You will be safe there and can tell us everything that happened."
"It'd probably be a comfort if you and your men saw her to the barracks personally. You can come back in a few minutes and get the prisoner. He's naked and bound now. He's not a danger to anyone."
"Of course, we wouldn't leave anybody alone after such a heinous attack. I will escort her personally. Don't worry about this one, we'll e locking him up shortly." He waves over one of the other guards and whispers instructions to him. A few minutes later the rest of the guard comes into the room, and what's apparent is that five of them will be escorting Ianna, three will be escorting the assailant, and two will be remaining behind. Coalspitter approaches the party again. "And I'm assuming you're with the lady Ianna? Other nobles, personal guard, family friends? We're going to need you to come to the barracks as well, we're going to have to get a statement from each of you."
With a gesture towards Toramin, Ianna explains further.
"That dwarf there is Azan Dibh Muileata. These other people are his associates I believe. He wrote to me concern your city's shortage."
She tries to dry her eyes, but tears still glisten wetly on her lovely cheeks. "My heart broke to hear that your merchants were being squeezed out by an unexplained shortage in materials. The Trealamhgabha have ever been advocates of industry. How could the family that produced the Master Maker let the artisans of Grastle Hollow wither without the means to practice their trade?"
She gives the lieutenant a piercing glance almost as if this battered noblewoman were finding her center and the return of her cunning for which her family was famed.
"I am beginning to suspect that this shortage may be manufactured. Why else would this 'Villichi' send this coward to attack a representative of a clan coming to the economic aid of your city? Please, good lieutenant, what is being done to stop this menace? Do you think he might attack again? Perhaps five, plus yourself will not be enough? Can you spare more to take me back to your command post?"
Ianna gives the gnome a tremulous smile so hopeful it tugs on the heartstrings.
"This bodyguard subdued him after withstanding a blast that nearly killed him. Please, won't you deputize him to watch the cad until you can send men to take him into custody?"
Before the guards arrive, Chibi drinks the extract. His features remain the same, as the magic effect mirrors the magic hat. He removes his hat and gives it to Ianna, passing it quickly when no one is looking. ”When you need a disguise,” he says softly.
Chibi appears like he’s praying, softly murmuring to himself, as he really is talking to Fenrick.
Chibi notices Toramin hasn’t spoken. He gets his attention by waving his hands and points to his ear while shaking his head. He says, ”Has your hearing returned?”
"Yes, times have been hard. Particularly for the metal workers who seem to be suffering the hardest during this time. We are grateful for your assistance."
As Ianna starts speculating on the underground involvement with the economic collapse, the lieutenant grimaces. "It's certainly something we've been looking into, but evidence is scarce." As she goes into concern for her safety he rubs at his grizzled chin and nods without hesitation. "Of course, my lady. Anything to help make you feel secure, I will give you my full detail." He looks disapproving of the idea to deputize Bjorkus. "I'm sorry, but that's not my place to do. With everything that's going on, if I leave a crime scene like this one with so much potential for information, with a dangerous criminal to boot, I'd have my hide tanned. I'll call another detail over to take over while I personally handle your escort. I'll make sure that watch captain Tosscobble himself comes here to take care of the matter." He says with a confident nod.
Although Ianna's ruse did not work entirely as planned, she did manage to get the lieutenant to squirm enough to call his boss in, which is certainly going to be helpful considering Tosscobble's involvement with what's going on.
Ten minutes later, the familiar handsome face of watch captain Fosco Tosscobble comes into the room, flanked by a pair of well-armed and embellished guards. He scans the room with his sharp eyes for a moment, then goes strait to Ianna. He gently takes her hand with a reassuring grip. "I apologize on behalf of the city for this terrible attack. Rest assured, we will keep you safe within our walls and we will get to the bottom of this attack." He glances over the rest of the party, then turns to Coalspitter. "Lieutenant, have your detail escort lady Ianna Trealamhgabha to the barracks. Make sure accommodations are comfortable, and I want a guard detail of no less than ten men 24/7. This is your top priority until further notice." With a hurried nod, Coalspitter escorts Ianna out of the room.
Tosscobble looks back at the party with a weary gaze. He walks over to them and appears to be examining a bloody corner of the room and whispers. "Tell me what you need."
When the lieutenant hesitates about Bjorkus, Ianna nods understandingly. "Of course, I would never want to put you in an awkward situation, Lieutenant. Please forgive me. I am quite overwhelmed by these events."
There was no reason not to be gracious to the poor gnome. He would have a lot on his plate in the next few days.
Her attention is taken by Fosco's arrival. "A holy warrior is the Watch Captain? I feel safer already."
Her lips curve in a warm smile as he takes her hand, "Thank you for your consideration, captain. I must commend Lieutenant Coalspitter to you. He has been rather gallant since he took charge of the scene. While I am much dismayed by the apparent lawlessness in the city, there are those in Dağın Kalp who will be glad to hear that you take the safety of the central families and the security of trade so seriously."
Let him make of that what he will. The eyes of the world are watching.
Toramin shakes his head at Rilka's question and mouths 'no.'
"We need to take this man, at least temporarily. Our people can get the information we need from him and hopefully remove a few key memories that might hurt our mission here. Can you arrange something so that he won't be missed for a while? You could say that the dwarves are demanding first dibs at him as it was one of their princesses that was hurt in the attack."
Fosco looks up and rubs at his temple, as if he can't even begin to wrap his mind around what complicated subterfuge he's involved in. "We need him alive. He is a known accomplice of Villichi." He rubs his chin, subtly covering his mouth as he does so. "How long?"
Ragnar cocks an eye at Rilka, silently asking her to convey the question to their handlers.
After a moment Rilka turns with an apologetic expressions, conveying that Drosil isn't sure how long they need. He says "It depends on the man".
Dalton was torn.
The party did an exceptional job of fabricating a tale to mesh with the sudden event. For Ianna's part though, Dalton was divided between respect and loathing. Yes, she played a necessary piece, and yes, her status was predicate to it. However, the pity card as a result of birthright rankled the mage immensely. This is exactly the kind of exceptionalism mother and I dealt with for decades. Why shouldn't 10 guards be used to protect one woman while thefts and threats of all kinds run amok in the city? The positive response to Ianna's request in her soft words would never have seen the same treatment from average people. People without manors.
In an effort to move past the sickening, albeit necessary, display, Dalton sought to aid in retaining the captive. In a quiet voice by his companions, he suggested: "If I have a few minutes with him, I can assure he won't escape or talk until our contacts retrieve him."
If requested for detail, he flipped open his spellbook to Calcific Touch for Rilka, she being able to discern the writing. "So long as there isn't any stone-breaking activity."
Bjorkus nods grimly at Dalton's suggestion. Getting the response from Rilka, he frowns.
"It looks like they can't say how long they'll need. All I know is their methods are effective. A man fool enough to blow himself up for Villichi probably won't have the will to last long."