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At Alton's request for more specific intentions she reveals her plans, "We would like to rescue the village of Kelmarane, which used to be in charge of my family ages ago. The Pactmasters want it back, so they have sent me to make it so. I am sorry for your loss of Arasmes."
She learns that there is more additions to your group and asks that they gather to know more about Kelmarane, she replies, “Long ago, the village was one of several in the Uwaga Highlands of the Brazen Peaks situated around a battle market, a huge arcade that attracted merchants, gladiators, actors, musicians, and customers from throughout Katapesh and neighboring Osirion. Then, about 20 years ago... it fell, and the Pactmasters abandoned it to ruin. Rumors of plagues and evil curses abound, but in truth no one really seems to know why the village died. About 2 years ago, a pack of gnolls called the Kulldis tribe inhabited the battle market and claimed Kelmarane as its own. The Pactmasters want the village back, and it’s up to us to deliver it to them. We ask that you make forays into Kelmarane, taking on the force of all Kelmarane at once could be disasterous if you fail and they would likely come looking for those who sent you. Take your time to learn what you can of Kelmarane, their strengths, numbers, and kill small numbers at a time. Alton please keep the pugwampis out and away from the Monastery. One was found in Zastoran's room and was dealt with.”
Her room has much better perfumed accommodations, the finest silks, and many other creature comforts. She still projects an outward atmosphere of control while listening to your suggestions.
Day 2: A lone pugwampi survivor returns to the monastery. The pugwampi poses little danger to Almah’s party, but its appearance raises hackles and the PCs will need to scour the monastery for the menace.
Night 2: Dashki sneaks away from the monastery to report to his Three Jaws gnoll allies camped out at the ruined fort in the foothills of the Brazen Peaks north of Kelmarane. He narrowly escapes the dustdigger that dwells beneath the poppy fields between both locations, and in the commotion the tiny pugwampi corpse and its makeshift noose come loose from his staff. Allow PCs interacting with Dashki on the following days to make a DC 15 Spot check to notice the absence of the battle trophy,
which Dashki attempts to Bluff away, saying that he threw it into a fire after he got sick of looking at its ugly face.
After night 2, a PC walking through the pesh fields can attempt a DC 15 Spot check. Those who succeed find something most unusual near the periphery of the cleared section at the center of the fields—Dashki’s hanged pugwampi. If confronted about this and shown the desiccated little gremlin corpse, the gnoll expert admits to nocturnal wandering, but does not give up his cohorts in the northern hills.
Fixit sits on the floor as they receive instructions. He's been washed and cleaned and although he expresses distaste of clothing, claiming that clothes are itchy and restrictive in his own vernacular, he's been convinced for everyone's sensibilities to wear a loincloth. At least he has fur outside of that so he's decent for the most part.
While he's been trained to never ask questions he does wonder why the Pactmasters, or Packmasters as he heard, would abandon a place just to take sudden interest in it again. But he does know gnoll are no good and need to be taken care of now that he had new masters.
In case
"so you want us to find more information on these Kulldis, and find some way to pick off the Kelmarane piece by piece?" he strokes his goatee. "hmm... why do [/i]you[/i] "think" the battle market fell?"
"This is all well and good, but... Why?"
Gem pauses, a moment.
why do the pact asters want the village back, who are they, and why are we helping? I just came here because I saw sme of yu freeing slaves. I'm all for that. But I'm not one to follow blindly with no clue what I'm stumbling into. I need details. My kind, can't really work without them.
Gem's crystal eyes gleam, watching and waiting for an answer.
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She responds, "Yes any information and whatever forces they have. We want you to succeed so please pick them off a little at a time."
"Why you ask, because then we can get the battle market back into working order, make a living off of the area. The pact masters are in support of the endeavor to reclaim Kelmarane and have their name on any claims that we will put in to our wealth, though it is to the benefit of the area that I come here and my family used to support Kelmarane. "
"And why do we care about that? That sounds like your problem, yes? .. Are we getti paid for this? Are we helping people who don't have enough money? What do I accomplish, here? Thst actuslly matters, anyway.
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"Alton and Jelissa are getting paid, and now we have three positions on their squad available. 500 gold and a mastercraft weapon, was what I was paying them. Also you keep all the loot you find. Once Kelmarane is free again, we can focus on protecting the people in the area once more. Send for trade caravans for them the route should be safe. Alton and his squad will stay on retainer for three more months and in that time my profits are your profits." she says with authority and passion.
She responds to your interest into her opinion with a bit of aversion, "I have my thoughts but no one knows. Some say curses, others say the gnolls were pulled together by a strong power. My thoughts will remain my own until we know more. Rest and when you are ready strike out again. Gem you can either join Alton or move along."
Alton raises one eyebrow at her week deflection "we'll surely if any thoughts you had mattered to being able to prepare a strategy you'd tell us right? After all I've been with you from the beginning, even though all my fellows have died or left,"
She lets you in on what she thinks, “About twenty years ago, Kelmarane’s priests of Sarenrae fell under the sway of something… foul from the Great Beyond. The creature took control of the high priest and eventually turned the people of Kelmarane to madness. Soldiers of the Pactmasters pacified the town and left it in ruin, but they were never able to root out the evil, and instead locked it in the crypt of the village church. Now, after all these years, that evil must have waned, and you should be able to defeat it once and for all. I’ve been provided with an interdict key that will get you through the seal. With the final defeat of the fiend within, Kelmarane will truly be free.”
"that is certainly relevant information, I have my doubt as to whether any specific evil would wane from it's imprisionment, but I am confidant that we will be able to handle it. well then. what's our next step?"
She points out her suggestions, "Go down to the town and see what you can learn about their numbers and strike one of the groups of gnolls. If you want to check out the other sites around that is fine you might find allies or more information. Kelmarane is the focus. Rest if you need."
gem smiles wide.
"now this is something I can get behind. Frezing places and slaying monstrosities? Might be fun to be the hero for once."
yet, at the same time, gem is already looking around for small things that can fit in his pocket without being missed.
"agreed, sounds like fun"
Fixit is mostly quiet. He tends not to speak unless spoken to.
He has a slightly leaning stance as they stand before their director, head tilted forward and arms hanging at full length. His length of chain is wound around his arms and over his shoulders
He nods when they're given more specific instructions. He really requires a goal to function, as is apparent by not doing much when not instructed by Alton or Gem. Seems the servant mentality is heavily engrained.
From his mannerisms, the gnoll seems to have much more going on upstairs than most. He reacts to things quickly and he's emotive as if considering things constantly, showing plainly when he's pleased or upset by something that occurs to him. He certainly doesn't have the dumb, slackjawed mug of most of his kin.
She smiles at Gem and says, "It is your choice what you wish to do, I hope you will stay with Alton and free the town. Good luck, I dismiss you and hope to hear about your progress soon."
Jelissa nods her head in agreement and walks out of the room.
"Firstly we need to rest and recuperate, my wounds have healed, but my spells are limited and my mind is growing fatigued, the same is likely true for my fellows"
Alton and the group leave Almah's room and find a vacant room to rest. 8 hours pass and it is afternoon.
Fixit sleeps for the shirt time, completely comfortable sleeping on the floor next to his masters. He expends a previous "day's" slot for Dream Feast, getting his energy the way he was used to, as they were using the time to refresh slots.
He wakes with the others in the afternoon, rolling into a sitting position and scratching behind his ear like a dog.
"Are we going to the city now?"
When gem wakes up, he's rifling through his book of infusions to decide what needs to be made, if anything.
He glances to fixit, and shrugs, before snapping his book shut.
"I hardly understand what's going on, myself. But it's something to do."
Alton it looks like your new friends are looking for leadership from you. Jelissa did not come and rest with the three of you. Kristrille was seen walking around but did not rest in your room either.
"Seems To me that we should attack shortly after their guard shift changes from night to day when their guard will be at it's most lax, and their ability to see in the dark is useless, we'll try to hit rapidly before the alarm can be hit and even if it can be sounded all involved will be fatigued, and try to leave some alive this time so we can interrogate them, leadership by preferance, does anyone have any input or should we stay rested and prep to hit then?"
With the agreement of Gem and Fixit, your group gets any rest they might need.
A few hours before dawn Alton leads the group out.
Alton brings along his skeletal and gremlin minions, but otherwise makes it clear that while anyone who actually wants to come with him is welcome to, he doubts they will be required.
gem frowns, a bit.
"I suppose if you don't need my skill set, I can just sit back. Though, I mean.... Most people could use what I have to offer."
He rolls his eyes "I was acting under the assumption that you'd be going with me and the gnoll, but if you don't want to go far be it for me to force you."
"well, after all, why be where I'm not needed? ... Oh, right. Becuase I've got nothing better to do."
Alton, Gem, Fixit, and the band of unlucky living and dead gremlins make it safely to the outskirts of the city. You approach from the South and see a check post. You look from the side of an old shack. Though there is no lights over there. The smell of death is present in the area.
The gnoll pulls a grimace as they near the city. "It smells bad here..." Even those of human scent can detect that fairly easily, but no one ever said Fixit was above stating the obvious.
"What do we do, Masters?"
You are at least 50 feet away from the scene but more likely 100 feet. Moving in another 30 feet and making sure the gremlins unluck is not affecting you.
"Hm. Well. Looks like we've got trouble."
gem's hand twitches.
Alton grimaces as he looks at the dead bodies "someone's been here before us, I don't see any wounds on the body, that tells me it's likely either magic, poison or disease." He covers his mouth and nose with his shirt and casts detect poison and magic.
As you get to the bodies you can see there is blood and gore all around the bodies. The bodies have many clear stab and slashing wounds where their blood ran thick. There are many footprints in the carnage.
Alton you don't see any magic or poison.
he turns to the others "either of you know how to track someone, or tell how long they've been dead?"
The healer of the group checks on the condition of the bodies as he asks his companions for his aid in finding out what happened "hmm... These wounds are fresh"
"Something small was here. Seems diffrent."
Gem looks around, not quite sure what he's actually looking for.
"some footprints lead to the town."
Your group passes the bodies and into town. It seems odd but you don't hear or see any movement of humanoids. There is the bugs and a few critters but it almost seems as if the town is deserted. About halfway to the domineering battle market you see a humanoid goat creature smashed into the ground. The grisly scene has the body in a slight depression and blood is nearly everywhere.
"damn... What could have caused destruction on such a scale...." He moves closer to the creature trying to figure out what it is... Or perhaps was
Fixit wanders in with the rest of the group, looking in awe at the carnage.
"What happened to the city?..." Likely a rhetorical question as presumably their new mission was to figure out the same.
"well well well... What would a demon be doing here and in such condition..." The man casts stabilize followed by create water on the demon "now then...tell me what you're doing here, and while you're at it, you can try to give me a reason not to simply kill you."
The goat demon grins at the elf, spitting some spittle and blood in his direction, then croaks out, "You are welcome to try elf, many have tried. The halfling secured me like this, I wish to kill him if you will let me free."
"I hardly need to try on a schir like you, especially when you are restrained like that, hardly seems sporting. I could give you the barest of touches and curse you to bleed to death, or I could ask either of these men here for a cold iron dagger, or maybe you could tell me what I want to hear, starting with who is the halfling you were talking about and what happened to this place."
"Yeah it's been tried before, you cut me loose and I will kill that halfling. He came in here so confidently barely even took a scratch himself and all the gnolls and their allies are dead or dispersed." It says with scorn.
"Perhaps a more through confinement would be a greater threat then. I could burry you, create walls of dirt and stone to press on top of you for you never to be seen again, but at this point banter is useless. Tell me what I want to know and I will consider cutting you loose, or at least not making your confinement worse"
gem raises an eyebrow af alton's apparent overfocus on the one part of the creature's statement.
"... What he means to say is that we would like more information then you're providing. But unlike mister manners, here, I'd prefer to take a more reasonable approach- convice me that this halfling you want dead needs to be dead, and I'll let you kill him."