Astraden's eyes go wide, then squint in anger. "I was helping. It's worth it to die to free others, no matter how many do it. It's worth it to tear out corruption. Raddle, the managers killed hundreds." Her voice is suddenly quiet. "But I guess I've done that too now."
"Hundreds? What, were they tossing their employees into acid pools?" Raddle rolls his eyes, then claps a hand on Astraden's arm. "Don't worry too much about it. Lingering's what got you into this mess."
The halfling turns and starts walking away. "If you want my advice, just forget it ever happened, eh? 'Remorse' never put any gold in my pocket."
Tanith frowns. "Wait, Kullen hit you? We just saw him a few days ago in Lambere. You're saying he's been here the whole time?"
Zalamandra shrugs. "I don't know. All I know is he nearly took my arm off."
The big Kordite cocks an eyebrow.
"Where is he? I think maybe we should have some words with him."
Eben furrows his brow. "I wonder... would Filge and Smenk bother to magically disguise themselves if they started stirring up trouble on their own? I mean, not a fan of Kullen or his crew, even at their best, but there's no way they overtook us on the road back from Lambere." Another possibility nudges the back of his mind as well, but he ignores it for the moment. Doppelgangers wouldn't be roaming this far from the city, no matter what they're up to there, right?
"He got away," Zalamandra says, her tone turning bitter. "Barbarians run fast."
"In the mine collapses, Raddle! Haven't you heard?" Astraden calls after him. She sits down on the stoop, door still open, and listens as his footsteps fade. So. I've said it. I killed them. And do I care? She glares up at the sun. How could I not? Astraden, those were the people you were trying to save. They died because you tried to get them to do the dirty work. Olidammara would want you to care. Help the miners laugh, not fight and die.
As the sun slips towards the horizon, the Oeridian cleric devises a plan.
"Did he run out of town or is he still around?"
"Maybe someone teleported him?"
"I haven't seen him around." Zalamandra arches an eyebrow. "Trust me, if I had, he'd be in the ground by now. But I did save something off one of his men. I'd never seen them before, but each of them had the same weapon."
The sorceress walks over to a shelf and plucks up a small item, which she tosses to Farrukh. It's a well-crafted sap, with a large hand crudely carved into the handle.
"The Free City Snatchers. Don't worry, I hadn't heard of them either. I looked into it. They are—or were—a small-time gang of thugs hailing from the aforementioned city, specializing in kidnappings." She sniffs. "I honestly don't know if I should be relieved that I survived, or insulted that whoever hired this lot thought I'd go down so easily."
"Why not both?" Carina shrugs.
"And... I kinda, well... ended up saving Kullen's life in Lambere." She sheepishly looks at her feet. "It's a long story..."
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"This is just another reason for us to head to the Free City. And a lead once we get there. We can bet that this gang was at least hired by the Ebon Triad for a job, if they aren't working for them on a more permanent basis. If we find the Snatchers, we find the triad," Cuetzpalli interjects. Good thing too, it was going to be a needle in haystack otherwise.
"Well...the Snatchers are kind of all dead now." Zalamandra shrugs. "Sorry. I meant it when I said they were small. You might be able to track down their old hideout, though."
Eben looks askance at the sap. "Huh, well, there's yet another reason to get back to the Free City soon, I guess..."
Farrukh side-eyes Eben for his quizzical look at the sap, then narrows his eyes.
"Wait, do you not know what a sap is? I see you looking at it funny, don't try to hide it. It's for whacking people over the head and knocking them out, by the way."
"Well... yeah, it's just so much easier to hypnotize or charm somebody, makes you wonder why kidnappers wouldn't just have a spellcaster on payroll..." Eben replies smoothly.
"Maybe because they're really expensive?" Carina offers.
"And hitting people with one of theses is fun. They make a satisfying *CHUNK* sound when you hit someone at the base of the skull."
"Um. Or so I've heard."
"Well, not all spellcasters are expensive. I mean, if an enterprising young magician is looking to make slightly better coinage than, say, flim-flamming passersby with trick card games, he'd probably be happy to do some snatch-and-grab charming on the cheap..."
"Um. Or so I've heard..."
Carina purses her lips and gives Farrukh and Eben skeptical looks.
"Of course."
She turns to Zalamandra, clearing her throat. "So, how'd the Emporium do? It wasn't too damaged by what happened, was it?"
Zalamandra rolls her eyes. "Some windows got broken, but I doubt that anyone wanted to get to close to my employees." She winks. "Sometimes it pays running a freak show on the side."
Comprehend languages
Lesser restoration
Remove blindness/deafness
As the shadow of the hills approaches her house, Astraden finishes praying and disguises herself as a dark-haired man with a mask and a rapier. She returns to Diamond Lake and goes below the Vein, where she spends some hours trying to help the people she grew up around. Each time she casts a spell, she tells the recipient's loved ones to go to the main square, and to bring their wounded. When all her spells are spent, she goes there and delivers Olidammara's grace to the people - her people, the miners and the guards alike.
"All right, let's get gone from this hellhole before it gets its claws in us again somehow. We've got cultists to stop."
"Agreed, Farrukh," Cuetzpalli says.
Carina scratches her head and glances at Tanith, blushing a little.
"Yep, getting a move on sounds like a good idea."
Eben tracks down Astraden at the Land farm eventually. "So... did one of the others tell you about Kullen and some goons beating up Zalamandra? Because I've been running the math, and there's no way he could have come here from Lambere and made it back in time for the worm attack. And since he's got a mug that's pretty much instantly recognizable, I'm thinking someone was wearing that face by magic. And since his crew was sporting gear from a free city gang, I'm wondering if that doesn't mean doppelgangers. And if that's the case... I know we were gonna keep it a secret, but if we're heading back to Greyhawk and tracking these guys down is on the agenda, we have to let the others know what's up."
"Carina, when we get there, could you and Eben help the rest of us find the items we need? I'll be looking for a new shield and some scroll-writing components, for one."
Tanith smirks at Carina's blushing.
"I hate the idea of leaving Diamond Lake in a mess but it sounds like there's nothing we can do to help right now. A hot bath and a soft bed sounds good right about now, eh Red?"
Carina nods. "Sure. I'll do what I can. May I ask what else you're looking for?"
Carina sniffs and bites her lip a bit, her blush deepening a little.
"That'd be really nice. Really, really nice." She shifts from foot to foot, giving Tanith a little smirk.
Astraden wriggles out of her bedroll and meets Eben on the doorstep. "No, I hadn't heard. Zalamandra, really? I thought she was safe from all this mess. Her mine certainly looked pretty tip-top." She purses her lips. "I have to respect his wishes. He's the only parent I've got left. But you're right. If there are doppelgangers out here, it's already out of his control."
"Someone to enchant my new armor. And a better saddle, but I ought to be able to find that on my own. Got anything you're looking for?"
Carina's shoulders sag. "Yeah... I need some lighter armour. This chain shirt was good for a while, but... well, my arms aren't what they used to be, ya know?"
"So I'd like some better armour--preferably something light and enchanted... kinda like Eben's chain shirt, but with better enchantment. And something to help me carry stuff--my backpack and haversack aren't doing my back any favours."
Eben nods. "I respect that, but it's something to keep in mind going forward. This might not even be related... there's other ways to change your face, obviously. You know that as well as anyone. But if there's even a hint that we're walking into a doppelganger gang war... then it's full disclosure time. Deal?"
"Yes."
The group once again departs the ugly town of Diamond Lake. Before they go, Allustan hands them some sparse notes he's assembled on the wormspawn. "Seek out Eligos, in the Garden District. I included the address in those notes there."
It's a five day journey, but the road feels...different. The last time the adventurers walked this path, the grass was green, flowers were in full bloom, and the weather was unseasonably warm. Many fellow travelers walked the road, from merchants to farmers to even a few other adventurers.
Now, though it's around the end of spring, the grass is already beginning to brown. The road is almost devoid of activity. And it won't stop raining. All in all, the journey just feels less pleasant and less welcoming.
The first night out, at roughly 1:00 am, Farrukh is standing watch in the rain when he hears a shrill howl—echoed by several more. As the others awaken, they see red eyes emerging from the darkness into the light of the sputtering campfire.
Carina instantly recognizes the big, dark-furred wolves: Worgs. In addition, though, an even bigger wolf with pale fur stands apart from the rest. There is a rime of frost around its muzzle. Its eyes are pale blue, and flicker with greater intellect.
The worgs growl in the crude tongue of the goblins as they advance.
"Let's kill the Ketite first."
"Naw, we gotta start with the blue one. Bet it tastes just like frost giant!"
Alerted by the growls, Tanith is quick to jump to his feet and grab for his poleaxe.
"Stay behind me Red!" the big Kordite warns.
Neither the name Eligos nor the Garden District are familiar to Carina--evidently, she needs to spend some more time in the Free City.
Carina heeds Tanith's warning, pressing a shield extract into his hand and tossing one to Cuetzpalli while eying the large wolf with a glare. "That one's a winter wolf. Don't know what one of those is doing this far south."
Cuetzpalli readies to step into a flank with Spiny, commanding him to attack the nearest worg.
The winter wolf's eyes narrow as it looks at Carina. With great loping strides, it moves in and unleashes a blast of freezing air from its lungs.
The worgs then rush forward to attack. Two target Farrukh, three target Spiny, one targets Cuetzpalli, two target Tanith, one targets Carina, two target Eben and one targets Astraden.