Seelah does her best to assist Kyra, trusting to the cleric's steady hands.
Then, concerned about Johannes's reputation, she tries to find a more reputable poison merchant.
Poison is not inherently evil. There are beasts and intelligent beings to whom poison is no more unnatural or devious than a holy blade of Iomedae. Poison is not inherently evil...
Zadim tries to find an alternative consumer of spider webbing.
Kyra studies the dead spiders with a frown.
"The more the better?" She asks, dubiously. "Well, I suppose it can't be too different then some of the surgeries I've watched performed."
She then attempts to recover the adhesive from the spiders as well, in case the stuff from the nest is not enough.
"Is it this bit here?" She mutters, as she tries to cut out the relevant bit, adjusting slightly to the left at Seelah's suggestion.
"No, that can't be it... maybe this part?"
She looks at both bits, once she's done and shrugs. "Huh, I think they're both the right part. Shaved that one a little close, but seems intact."
As to the person to sell to, Kyra has no problems selling to the original buyer. Ulisha having misgivings about it doesn't hold much weight with her. She does not object if the others want to try someone else either, and helps ask about.
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Kyra does a great job harvesting the spiders' silk glands for more adhesive and her diplomatic ways allows the group to find out about a second merchant who may be more amenable than Vox to trade fairly with them for the recious substance they recovered.
Apparently a gnome would-be apothecary, Ezmerlilly Vanderpoof, recently failed to deliver some promised goods to the Poisoners’ Guild. She needs something to appease the guild before they decide to drastically renegotiate their contract. The adhesive could be a literal life saver for her...
Seelah is unable to get a good take on Vanderpoof's negotiation tactics, though she'd still as soon sell to the gnome.
Kyra too, has no sense of what might be motivating the gnome... though to be fair, few people do know such things!
Still, when negotiating, she has learned it is much better to deal fairly. So assuming no one has any objects, will approach Ezmerlilly, as Seelah seems to find her business preferable to the first name they had.
"Word has reached our ears, that you seek some goods, to maintain sensitive, uh... trade relationships." She begins. "We just so happen to have collected a few substances, that might be of interest to you."
She smiles. "For a fair price, of course."
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"Are you swindlers? Eh? EH??? Are you trying to con me out of my money and leave me pennyless and alone at the mercy of those horrible... HORRIBLE! Poisoners???" screams the gnome sounding completely out of her mind. Then she suddenly calms down:"Because if you are you are doing a preeeeetty good job of sounding veeeeery trustworthy... yes, I think I like you already... a fair price you say? Let me check the merchandise first, just in case you are the nicest swindlers south of the Worldwound... but I like your lot! I reeeeeally do!"
Once she's checked the adhesive Ezmerlilly seems much calmer and goes as far as to hug Kyra:"You are a life saver... literally! I'll pay you 200 gold pieces, two flasks of alchemist’s fire and three potions of cure light wounds!" she exclaims before regaining her composure.
"Ehrm yes... There's also something else I know something about an ancient blade and I think you are the kind of people worth sharing the information with..." Ezmerlilly nods, then continues.
"A fair trade’s a fair trade. There was a half-orc blathering about some important blade or sword or something she found. Moonsilver, Sliverhex, or somesuch. Kept going on about its history to any who would listen.” The merchant leans in conspiratorially. “Well I have it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, that she won’t be needin’ that sword where she’s headed.” The merchant draws a hand across the neck, making an unpleasant sound. “The Vessels Between will have that one soon enough. You just need to go out there and grab that sword once they’re through, and I happen to know where they found her little camp”
A cold shiver runs down your spine: Ulisha is an half-orc after all...
"More importantly, perhaps, might you be willing to share the location of this camp?" Zadim asks.
"Vessels Between?" Kyra asks, frowning.
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"Oh dear... I would certainly NOt be willing to part with THAT information. I MIGHT get out of hot water with the poisoners... such horrible people they are... and you think I should tell you and earn the ire of the assassin's guild??? I'm smarter than that!" Ezmerlilly answers Valeros before turning towards Zadim:"Certainly dear, I shall give you a map. The place where that half orc scholar was headed is a few hours up the dagger river from here. Did I mention that half orc really bragged too much where everyone could hear? A VERY bad habit to indulge in a place like Daggermark" she says, in her high pitched voice, apparently oblivious to the fact she wasn't particularly quiet either...
Finally the gnome nods at Kyra:"Yes, the Vessels Between. It's the name of the assassin's guild here in Daggermark. REEEEALLY bad people, almost as bad as the poisoners, which are truly HORRIBLE by the way. I kind of like the way the name sounds though. Gives them character I think, like they are doing something more spiritually important than stabbing people dead for money. Which is what they do for real, obviously"
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Thanks to Ezmerlilly information you determine it's better to move as fast as possible and try to reach Ulisha before the hired killers do, if they haven't found her yet. You leave Daggermark and move as fast as possible up the Dagger River. In a couple of hours you arrive to the destination Ezmerlilly indicated with her map.
The hill ahead is not much to look at. It gently slopes away from the river. A shallow cave is near its top, smoke from a campfire curling upward in the gentle breeze. The grass wafts slowly along a gently curving path up the southern face of the hill, ending in a few switchbacks as the hill grows steep near the top. There you see Ulisha, who seems less than pleased by your visit:"How did you find me? Did anyone follow you? Did someone send you" she asks.
Greetings Ulisha, I am afraid that we ourselves are following in the footsteps of other hunters. You have drawn the attention of the Vessels Between. We should leave directly.
"They probably will not stop looking," Zadim says. "Perhaps we should set an ambush."
"We should get out of here, is what we should do." Kyra counters.
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Ulisha exhales:"It's as I feared then. I think I know who hired these particular assassins and it's not someone able to spend all that much. These killers should be young and therefore less skilled than their brethen, yet this also means they will be eager to prove themselves and thus unlikely to flee... I agree we should try to ambush them... if they are not here already and we can't see them!"
Ulisha scans the hillside and then gives a cry:"There! One of them is here already!" she mumbles pointing at a man wielding a shortbow in the distance.
Concentrating Kyra notices another assassin, hiding near the one Ulisha is pointing at!
As it's clear a confrontation has become inevitable, Ulisha starts chanting in order to raise her newfound allies morale...
Round 01 - Bold may act
Valeros
Zadim
Ulisha
Sniper
Striker
Kyra
Seelah
Zadim draws his blade as he rushes towards the cover of the cave.
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Kyra hurries to get closer to Zadim, though is not so foolhardy as to rush in front of him.
Seelah rushes forward with shield raised!
Zadim ignores the arrow wound and hides behind the large rock.
Seelah rushes forward to take cover behind a boulder.
Kyra moves with Zadim, trusting Seelah and her armor to be able to handle themselves for now. She ducks into the mouth of the cave, and slashes at the assassin with her scimitar.
, for damage.
, for an additional damage.
Zadim slashes at the striker.
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Fighting together Zadim and Kyra defeat the assassin's apprentice.
At the same time Seelah and Valeros close in on the other killer but the fighter misses his attack.
Emboldened by this success Ulisha follows closely behind the Pathfinders.
The remaining assassin steps back from Valeros and tries to shoot him, point blank!
->
Hitting him on the left shoulder!
Round 03 - Bold may act
Valeros -2hp
Zadim -3hp
Ulisha
Sniper
Kyra -2hp
Seelah
Seelah hastens around the boulder, blade gleaming and at the ready as she finally reaches the assassin!
Kyra moves around to try to hem the last assassin in, so she can't continue to shoot her crossbow with impunity.
One assassin defeated, Zadim moves around the outcropping and moves to aid his companions.
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Despite his desperate attempt to distance himself from his assailants the second assassin's too falls under Valeros and Seelah's blades.
Ulisha is grateful for your assistance, so much in fact that she gives you 3 wands as repayment for your help .
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Ulisha offers to help you heal your wounds. When the fright caused by the assassin's visit has started to wear off Ulisha regains her scholarly demeanor.
"This thing won't end here I'm afraid: I believe I know who sent these people. A man named Anwald... a former servant of the Tullivor family from Gralton. As you might have found out, some time ago I "liberated" a precious chalice belonging to the Tullivor's enemies, the Sarvios. I took it as payment for my work in their employ but they weren't amused in the least by my actions. They hunted me but aftyer a while Laban Tullivor died and I thought my worries were over. Unfortunately his manservant, an old man named Anwald Greenfelt took it personally and blamed me for the Tullivor's change of luck. At the time I was doing good work in Galt where I tried to teach a thing or two to the hotheaded barbarians that rule that place. Anwald followed me there and somehow managed to get the Revolutionary Council to found an hunt for me. Now they want me dead and the only way to stop the attempts on my life is to convince Anwald to relent. I was hoping to sell the Silverhex and gain the money needed to appease him, but unless you have a few thousand pieces of gold I must ask you to intercede with him. He might be amenable to a lesser settlement and call off the Revolution's hired killers. Killing him would do no good at this point: those revolutionaries may be a bunch of donks but what they lack in acumen they make up in sheer rabid persistance... Would you help me one last time, please? If you do this for me I'm willing to sell you the Silverhex at a huge discount! Anwald should be holed up somewhere in Daggermark... finding him shouldn't be too difficult I think"
"You reap what you sow." Kyra mutters, clearly not a fan of the half-orc woman.
But she nods at Valeros' words. "We've come this far, let's us be done with it then."
"We're negotiating this time?" Zadim asks cautiously. "Not assassinating anyone?"
If we can end this with words, we shall.
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After a brief search you learn that Anwald has been spotted in the marketplace. As you wander through that place, a voice rises above the din of commerce. “Yeah, well fie on the stupid scholar and her precious Silverhex. The Vessels Between’ll shut that wench up for good!” a drunken voice practically shouts from a nearby fruit stand.
You immediately recognize the man as Anwald Greenfelt, a rather sorry drunk of a man, judging him by his actions and words...
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Kyra eyes the man dubiously, unsure how this mess of a person has caused so much trouble. Seeing no reason to be subtle about it now, she marches up to him, and sits down across from the man, giving him a disapproving frown.
"You drag Galt behind you like a ball and chain." She remarks. "Petty nobles fighting petty squabbles that no one remembers the reason for."
"And now you're sending assassins after someone, because of a chalice that wasn't even yours to begin with?" She shakes her head. "Laban's long dead. Not having a cup didn't do that. And now, because neither side can let this go, Laban's heir lay dead as well. All because you can't move past any of it."
"The Vessels did not succeed." She adds. "I hope they did not cost you too dearly, else you walk the same road to ruin as Tullivor."
"You started this. Then you can end it." She finally says, earnestly. "Call off your hounds, before you lose even more. Let everyone get on with their lives."