"If your coming, then come but this ends today!"
Your = possessive as in your house, your dog, etc..
You're = you are in you're coming with me.
Thanks!
"Lets do it then. He will learn what happens when you test the Sand stalkers!"
Doh! And I I have an english degree :{ I must be at the end of the semester.
"Eli, Wait! We do not know what happened here. Rayhan's guard and servants may be injured or dead. We have to check inside to see if they are ok. Besides, they might know more of what happened."
"Then check on them, but hurry up!" Eli's anger is flaring very uncharacteristically.
Jameena opens the gate and hurries inside.
"Quzman, come help me - I may need your sharp eyes and knowledge of tracks."
The party enters the villa and finds the guard lying unconscious on the floor. A small bolt protrudes from his back. You check the rest of the main house and find remnants of a magical battle, including scorch and electricity marks on the floor and walls. About 10-12 bolts lie on the floor or stuck in walls/furniture. The place looks like it has been tossed, floor boards pulled up, and shelves ripped off the walls. If you check for the cook, you find she and her husband in a similar state as the guard: alive but unconscious. Suddenly, you hear a horse's hooves approach the house and a male warrior clad in native gear gets off. He signals Quzman, who goes over to him and they speak in the Badawi language. They seem to argue and yell at each other. Quzman walks back to the party and says, "It seems my presence is required in my village and my position on the Council, which I received thanks to my acts as a member of the Sand Stalkers, requires me to leave for a short while. I cannot in good conscience leave you, my brothers, especially in a moment of peril, with 2 of our friends missing. I must give the messenger an answer now. What say ye?"
"Go, your duty to your people is important to us. We will deal with this scum and await your return while Rayhan finishes discovering the secrets of the Scroll."
"I agree, Quzman. Help your people. We'll see you soon, I'm sure."
"Thank you, my brothers. I will return with haste!" Quzman bids farewell and with his wolf, runs off with the messenger.
If no one here at the villa needs our assistance, then we should move on and find Haleen and Rayhan. He looks to Eli to lead the way through the maze of a city.
If no one here at the villa needs our assistance, then we should move on and find Haleen and Rayhan.
Jameena rushes to the unconcious people. After making sure they are alive and carefully removing the bolts, she turns to the other Sand Stalkers.
Help me get them into bed. I suspect they have been poisoned. I will try and wake them. We need to know more of what happened here and what we face before rushing off.
The guard and servants are alive but unconscious and Jameena does see some black ichor near the wounds, indicating perhaps, the use of poison. Jameena, however, has no idea what type.
Ty helps the paladin and the others with the guardsmen, as much as his limited ability in that area will allow. After getting them all to as much comfort as possible, the archer will stand back and let Jameena work.
"Eli, have a look at these bolts...poison of some sort, I think...do you know of anyone in the city who uses poisoned bolts like these? I need to figure out what it is."
Jameena definitely confirms the use of poison on the bolts, that its effect is to render unconscious not injure, and its rarity.
"I'm going to try and see if I can counteract the poison to bring them about. It may take a while, but I will not leave them here defenseless. Besides, we should try to learn more about who we are dealing with. We know they use poisoned crossbow bolts - perhaps you could all have a look around to see if there are any other clues while I work?
Knowledge Local . Mahath watches as Jameena pulls the bolts and tends to the staff.
Strange. If I didn't know better, I would say... Drow. I have read about, but never seen, strange elves that did not flee during the time of the Starstone but hid, deep below the earth. They were said to use a poison like this, administered like this, that would cause a victim to sleep for hours. Either our foe is far reaching or remarkably eclectic.
Eli ponders Mahath's musings on the possibility the notorious Drow are somehow mixed up in this affair and digs into his brain matter to see if he can unearth any more clues to help them against their foe and his allies. He is impatient to get moving but will help Jamenna care for the the household staff and poke around for any other clues that might shed some light on the attack.
"If this merchant is the poisoner, it would have been a simple matter for him to trade for any sorts of dire poisons and other effects. He sounds like the type that would consort with drow."
Eli knows the Bestiary description of drow: spell resistance, stealthy, ability to summon darkness, faerie fire, etc.
Jameena manages to rouse the guard and unconscious servants, but all they have to offer is that the room suddenly went dark, right before they felt a pain to the neck and then darkness. They worry about Rayhan's safety.
You head to Tamir's house, now about 9:00 pm. City guards patrol the streets and eye you suspiciously, given your new presence. In addition, you also see guards posted outside Tamir's house.
Eli boldly walks up to the door and begins to pound on it incessantly, even if there is a bell or more official knocker.
Two guards posted at the entrance stop Eli before he reaches the door, with weapons drawn and ask, "Hold there, fella. What business have you here? Does the master of the house expect you?" Guards patrolling the grounds, four more, also come to investigate what is happening at the entrance.
Ty follows closely behind Eli, ready to handle things if needed. "Yes, he expects us. He has a couple things of ours and we are here to negotiate for them."
Jameena stays right besides Eli, and lays a gentle hand on his right forearm as the guards challenge the party.
"Calm now, Eli. If there is trouble out here, the city guards will surely interfere, and we will not help our friends by angering the Pactmasters. They will not easily forgive the attack on the home of a merchant, no matter our motivation." she says softly.
One of the guards tells the party to wait here and not draw its weapons, while they summon Tamir. A few minutes later, the halfling appears and asks, "Have you changed your mind on selling me the Scroll?"
"We will only talk to you about the scroll when we see Heleen and Rayhan safe again! Eli shouts at the foul little man.
Tamir spits back, "Who the hell is Haleen? And what happened to Rayhan? Dis he abscond with the Scroll?"
"We received a note from you, at least we thought it was you, saying you had both of them. Show him the note, Eli..."
Eli will shove the notes in the foul little fellows face.
Two burly guards intercept Eli before he even reaches Tamir and take the note from him. They hand it to the halfling, who smiles at the bard, and reads the note. The smile disappears from his face. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull? This was not me. Someone is trying to frame me. I will look into this myself, but if you do not have the Scroll, you are meaningless to me so I ask that you leave...immediately. And wait till everyone in Katapesh hears how its most valued diviner was lost under your watch! Hahaha! You will be the laughing stock of the city!"
"If we find out this is some trick you are attempting to pull, we will return very shortly. And I'd advise you to at least double your guards. If you have our friends, we'll tear this compound down until we get them back."
"Be careful who you threaten, archer. There are many powerful creatures in Katapesh, so do not for a second believe you are the most powerful." With that, the halfling backs into his house. "Now get off my property, before I call the guard on you!"
Eli shouts out the house, "Stay out of my way, never come near the Sand Stalkers again!
Unusual rage seeps from Eli as he storms away from the house, people are dead and friends lost all because of this damned scroll and Eli has had enough. "This must be more of the Djinn's trickery. We need to find a eliminate that horse's arse once and for all."
Pulling out Tempest he presses his forehead to the hilt reaching out furiously with his thoughts, I know you can sense this, hear this! Zayfid desires what you compelled us to find. If you do not desire your enemy to acquire it, then lead me to him so that we may eliminate him. Do this Vardishal, or the Scroll is as good as his!
Mahath leans in to the Stalkers. We should move on; we've drawn much attention here, I am sure. Be vigilant. Whoever did take Haleen and Rayhan may be watching us even now. We need to be able to find out who took them and why. Alas, I am nothing of the diviner that Rayhan is.
Dotting as well! MD is having problems with a computer virus right now, so it may be a bit before he'd be able to respond.
Dot for me as well...