AAremeth ignored the uneasy feeling that the restof the gentlemen seemed to be getting, it was just a little fog. but as things heated up it was obvious that there was trouble a foot.
Leave one of them alive For now came the vicious echo in his mind. we need to learn about what princess needs killing.
AAremeth moves forward to AY -286 and throws a tangle foot bag at the cultist that has yet to be physically attacked. With harn and Trevor attacking the other two, well he didn't have much hope for their survival.
Round 1 :
The robed figure who hollers rushes at Trevor with his sickle in hand. Viciously he swipes at Trevor. In his zeal he misses whiffing the jagged blade near inches from Trevor's face.
Lueck rushes past AAremeth and Nikolae javelin in hand. He hurls his javelin at the robed figure closest to the river. his adrenalin gets the best of him as his javelin soars over his targets shoulder into the fog.
Spotting the sickles that each robed figure wields, Harn grins as he says, "Thank's to ya! Not often that I get a chance ta be using my axe!" Rushing the northernmost cultist, Harn draws his axe as he does, and brings it slicing down on the cultist. Cutting into the mans shoulder Harn's axe digs deep felling the man on the spot.
Nikolae advances south two paces, just past Aaramenths' position and incants a spell in hissing syllables.The ground around the man that charged Trevor glazes over with a sheen of thick glistening grease. Trevor can see the shock on the mans face as he slips, but he catches himself before he falls smiling wickedly at Trevor."Lueck, hold your ground, advance no further!" Nikolae says, warningly.
Trevor hisses through his teeth as the scythe misses him: It's nice to finally meet those responsible for the somber fate of so many of our kinsmen. Taste the blades of Hollow's defenders! Trevor swings his axe with a mighty force nearly cutting the cultist in half. No one can say a hollows man doesn't know his way around his axe.
The last cultist lets out a wild cry as he charges at Harn. He reaches the greased soil, and goes sprawling.
Aaremeth steps up with the others studying the man on the ground. His hand goes to his bandoleer reaching for a vial then he slides it down to a strange looking sack he tosses it down on the robed figure struggling to regain his feet. It hits the cultist chest bursting open on contact a gooey tar-like substance oozes over the retch holding him firmly to the ground.
AAremeth Grins at his catch...hopefully they don't chop him in half before he gets a chance to talk. You have won the lucky prize of telling us everyting you know. AAremeth went to the pouch that has the fungus in it, his gloved hands pull out a piece of the still wet fungus. you are going to tell me everything you know about your princess and her purpose for poisoning our wells, or you are going to die like those that you have killed. I do wonder if the reaction will be worse as you will be swallowing the fungus directly.
He approaches carefully noting the greesed area. "and if that doesn't have you talking, I wonder if you would like to see this patch of greese grass cuaght a flame?"
Aaremeth lets out sinister growl. "talk
Lueck steps over to the robed figure Trevor has cleft in twain quickly realizing that there is no way to save this fellow you do notice a medallion with the same fly skull emblem that is on the censors. You do not recognize the man as anyone you have seen in your short time in town.
The remaining cultist cackles at AAremeth. You will learn of the Pallid Princess you foolish elf! She will not be pleased with your machinations of interference. You think I fear the Blackscour? Hah! You will learn nothing from me alchemist! He writhes defiantly under your alchemical goo.
Wiping his axe blade on a clean part of the cultist's robes, Harn then puts his axe away. The he tenderly starts sorting though the dead cultist's possessions, looking for any thing that might identify the robed figures. He would let the more diplomatic ones deal with the remaining cultist until they felt a little intimidation becomes necessary.
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"Geryon's fangs! You people don't mess around with those axes." Nikolae says, taken aback by the bloodshed.
"We should bind this survivor, to bring to the sheriff." he says, listening to the man drivel on about this 'Pale Princess' or whatever. "Perhaps gag him as well, until we get there..."
He joins Harn, but seems to be more interested in finding belts, sashes or similar strips of leather or cloth that can be used to bind the survivor.
Stunned at how swiftly the cultist died, Trevor mutters a quick prayer under his breath: May your soul find truth in the Afterlife. He checks to see if it's someone from the village.
Turning to acknowledge the result of the altercation, he voices, not too loud: Good Harn, your axe hasn't lost its edge. Wow! Quick thinking everyone, great team work!
Noticing AAremeth's prize, he shoulders his axe and adds, looking for a solution: Take a good moment to ponder upon your fate as you'll pay in the Afterlife. Now help us understand your goal and lead us to your Princess so that we can clear this matter with her. Again, he checks to see if it's someone he knows.
Diplomacy:
Aaremeth eyes glint with a bit of madness, The vision of those three poor popyin bundles of energy deminished to sick and wary puddles mad him want to take this man apart and make him wish he still had a tongue to speak with. "I am no fool and if you don't fear the taint, perhaps it is the flame for you. or oh whats this! are you fimalir with the properties of acid? perhaps it isn't I who will be learning the lesson but you?"
AAremeth pops the cork and lets a drop of acid fall on the grass near the cultists head. There is a certain quality of darkness to the elf at the moment, one that would make Harn and Trevor wonder if any of the stories told about him were true.
[b] I won't ask again, your precious princess isn't here to save you.
Harn you find a medallion as well. He isn't carrying anything else of worth save for the jagged sickle in his hand.
Nikolae both of the dead men have sashes around there waists.
Trevor you and the others recognize all three of the men, but you don't really know them. They fall into the other side of residence of the hollow . There are those that are hard working folk like yourselves and families. That have a sense of community. Then there are those like these men that don't interact with the town as a whole. Clannish folk that stick to themselves. Some are just considered private folk, but it has long been known to the regular folk that many of these types are criminals and deviants. Some are said to follow dark powers, and come here to the hollow because people are left be for the most part.
OH You have all been set on the path to meet the Princess! Drink from the well, and be on your way if you are so anxious boy!His eyes wild. He spits at Trevor as best he can.
I fear nothing you can do to me Elf! He says making elf sound more like a profanity then a mere race. The Princess is always with me, and soon I will be in her throne room at her service if she is through with me here.
"Must be if they be wearing these things", Harn says as he tosses the medallion he took from the dead cultist to Trevor. "Here ya are Trev, a bit easier ta carry ta ol' Shana than those censures."
Then, in response to Nikolae's remark about the deadliness of their axes, the large lumberjack simply says, "Well, not sure what the rules are in tha big city yer from, but here you don't draw a weapon unless yer ready ta use it. And boy, they were ready ta use them."
Flipping the hood back from the cultist he had downed, Harn continues, "I'll give ya new folk a little lesson on tha locals. Ya got two types o' folk here: those who are honest and those who ain't. These folks are from around here, but they belong to the not so honest side o' tha local flavor. While Trevor, Aaremeth and me are more o' tha honest persuasion..." Then after looking at Aaremeth's display with a slight grin, Harn adds on "...Well, maybe not so much Aaremeth."
With that, Harn starts about finding a safe place to dispose of the bodies, not wanting to take up much of the group's time with finding a nice place for these low-lifes.
Nodding his ascent to Nikolae, AAremeth's eyes nearly closed to hateful slits. I'll tell you this hermit, you should be thankful for my companions, becuase I could make you say whatever I pleased, given time. When the gallows claim you tell your fly skulled princess that her days are numbered and justice is coming for her. Aaremeth corked the acid once more. His pointy ears perking to Harn's sassy remarks. so he failed at intimidating an insane man. I hardly think this one needs to be concious. Lets get him to the sherrif and clear the other three wells.
After the Cultist is dealt with Aaremeth will reluctantly apologize. I am sorry if I came off as crass fellows. I just can't get the popiyns out of my mind. this after noon three of them set on my porch with the taint and with their siblings not three feet away acting as the little raveouns, rambuncious folk they typically are it struck I cord with me. I can't help but want to see that happen to all of these men. He gestured to the two body's stacked off discreetly off the path.
"Whew! Glad to hear it AAremeth. This fellow certainly seems to already be beyond redemption, but we must not fall to the same fate while trying to do the opposite."
"If we're done here, I suggest we go directly to the Sheriff's to hand him our prisoner. Perhaps we'll be able to see this matter through. Are those three the whole of the cult, or just its finger? This will mean a slight detour, but I think it's better that way. What do you think?"
Trevor tries to figure if those three were living in the same neighbourhood, and if there is something special about their quarters.
Knowledge (geography):
"What's in their sashes? It might tell us what they were up to this night."
His words trail off; as the adrenaline from the fight subsides, he gets a better sense of the fight and the choices he made: What if that man had slipped? Should I have struck him down regardless? Is it right to use spells like the one Nikolae used? By the Goddess, this is not an easy path I took! I'll try to see what wisdom priestess Shana can provide.
Lueck will see if he can retreive his javelin. Assuming he doesn't get mugged the moment he steps into the fog, he'll return and help keep watch while the others package up our gift for the sheriff.
Lueck you find your javelin without much trouble. You all get the remaining cultist under wraps and under way heading back toward the sheriff.
Trevor you are uncertain were these men live, or if they live near each other.You all find nothing tucked into their sashes, they only seem to have the sickles, and medallions.
Once the dead cultists have been dealt with and the live one has been safely bound, Harn will pick up the man and carry him over his shoulder. If the cultist tries to act up, Harn will say, "Ya behave now, or I'm gonna have ta get rough with you." If the cultist persists, then Harn will lay in a few punches into the man's side until he goes unconscious.
Headed to drop of their package to the sheriff, Harn will play guide to the newcomers, pointing out important buildings as they pass them and generally acting as if carrying a body on his shoulders is no big deal.
How are you dealing with the bodies Harn?
Trevor will give a hand to Harn for the bodies. "Maybe we should also bring the bodies to Baleson? They're proof." He looks around to find some implements that would serve to carry them.
Perception:
Seeing Travor's plan as much more desirable than polluting the water nearby with bloodied corpses, Harn gets a good grip on a hood of one of the dead bodies and uses it to drag the corpse along as he carries the bound man on his shoulders. Still hearing the cultist's fuming words, Harn will retort, "Shut yer yap or I'll carry your dead friend on my shoulders and ya can be dragged through the rocks and mud instead."
Lueck will throw another body over his shoulder, ready to follow.
You make your way through the fog; back across the market, to the steps of the Tribunal. Now to let the Sheriff know.
Heading into the tribunal, knowing that their group will most likely shock the town clerks that work there, Harn will head towards the Sheriff's office. A man on a mission, he will still politely knock on Sheriff Baleson's door before opening it to talk with the good sheriff.
Aaremeth follows the group alonng quietly in thought, somewhat taken a back by how far he was ready to go to get that man to talk, but if this was the way the hallows were going to be, then perhaps a thicker skin would be required. The elf was carrying the two censors.
"Gentlemen, when we take to the sherrif I suggest we recomend he get a possy together to get the remaining chains out of the water. It would free us up to try to get the cure."
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"Sensible." Nikolae says. "He may recognize these medallions as well, and it's entirely possible that one of his men might recognize them for a completely different reason, so we should remain alert."
Nikolae leaves unspoken his worry that the Sheriff might be in on it as well, but intends to watch the man closely for signs that he knows more than he says, or signs that the surviving captive (if conscious) knows him in some other capacity.
Sheriff Deldrin opens the door. in shock he says By the nine hells Harn what is all this? He looks at the man bound, and the bodies of the others. I hope you fellows have an explanation here. AAremeth does this have anything to do with what we were talking bout earlier? The sheriff looks back and forth at the whole lot of you waiting for someone to start explaining.
"Well Sheriff, hope yer ready for a doosie of a tale. I'll let Aaremeth handle what led up to there being dead and unconscious bodies at your door. What I can say is that I've kept the promise to ya. We didn't start this one, but seeing as these three were ready to gut us in the name o' some Princess, I was ready to finish it." Harn says matter-of-factly as he lays the unconscious, robed figure on the ground.
Based on Nikolae's observation, Lueck will watch the sheriff and his reactions closely. If it is helpful:
Sense Motive:
Perception:
Trevor steps in: "Let's put the bodies and the prisoner away, so we can talk more at ease."
Once this is done, and they are in a dry and discreet place, he adds: "We went on to follow up on a lead AAremeth had provided regarding the poisoning of the wells. It turns out there are censors in the water of the two wells we investigated. AAremeth has the censors here with him and we're pretty sure they're filled with the fungus Laurel had identified has the cause for the people's illness."
Now, as we were trying to get the censor out, three hoodies carrying sickles got the drop on us and tried to mince us without as much as a warning shot. Me and Harn replied in kind, in self defense, with the help of AAremeth and those two newcomers, Lueck and Nikolae, who arrived today with the caravan, showing that Hollow's people should stick with the axe.
Trevor pauses for effect: "And those are Hollow's people! That go out at night and fill the wells with fungus, in the name of a Dark Princess, and carrying symbols of a skull on the back of a fly." He raises the medallion at the last sentence. "The same emblem found on the two censors! This smells a lot like conspiracy and dark and evil cult's influence in the Hollow. Now, the man we captured is raving about his Princess, but didn't provide much information beyond. We believe he should be properly interrogated, to find out the identity and whereabouts of his co-conspirors, for the good of the Hollow."
Diplomacy:
Deldrin nods along to Trevor's story after locking up the living and unceremoniously storing the dead in the front hall closet for the moment. At the ruckus that is being made you all see the diminutive Magistrate come out of a side room in his night clothes to listen to what is going on. After Trevor is finished Deldrin speaks up
So it seems your hunch was right AAremeth, I will grab a couple of trustworthy men and investigate the remaining wells. Perhaps if nothing else you all should get some rest before heading out. Deldrin shakes his head looking as if he doesn't know what to make of the situation.
The small halfling steps out his room rubbing his eyes. Deldrin whats going on? He quietens upon seeing the bodies being tucked away. Oh, I say black business has been afoot this eve. he listens to the explanation growing more and more worried looking. Finally he says I thank you gentlemen on behalf of the Hollow. I will see you are rewarded for your service. If you manage to make it back with the cure I will declare a day of celebration in your honor, I will. Vamros continues to pace, which he started doing while the story unfolded. This kind of thing cannot continue, and I thank you all for your service. Is there anything you men need for your foray into the wood? Vamros looks on hoping he may be of some service to the expedition.
Upon hearing the Magistrate's offer of assistance, Harn will say, "Well, if ya can, our group is gonna be needing things in order ta survive in the Darkwood. If we do it all in one outing, then we might be gone fer about a week or so and I'm not sure about our guests from out o' town, but I am lacking a few things that might help to make tha journey a successful one. If tha Tribunal can supply us with a few rations, possibly some tents and water skins as well, that'll help out a lot."
Happily Harn. I will provide a line of credit for you at the Goose and Gander. You get what you need for your journey, and I will take care of the tab. If you plan on leaving before morning I can go get Hildernsocks to open up myself. Vamros spoke rapidly as he headed for his room. he quickly returned with his cloak and boots.
"I would humbly add that potions of healing would be more than welcome. I promise to return those that were not needed."
"I would humbly add that potions of healing would be more than welcome. I promise to return those that were not needed."
And I have limited healing abilities granted to me by Cayden's grace that I will use to make sure the potions are only used as a last resort. Looking at the rest of the group, he adds I didn't mention them earlier because I have no where near the power necessary to provide relief to those fallen ill with this poison. But mending wounds, that I can help with and will do so gladly if the need arises.
Aaremeth nodded benignly behind the sturdy Hallows gents to the sherrif's questions.
"When we get back I'd also like to offer my services to help hunt the scoundrels behind this.
Aaremeth is lost in thought until he hears the mention of hinderlocks and comes back to attention.
I can also mix healing magics, I'l easily admit that in a rough spot they aren't nearly as convienent as the touch of a good cleric but They'll certainly help in a rough spot. We might need to wake a stable boy or someone as well, My Mule is at Red Mare.
We will have to see what he has in stock, but I am not opposed. Trevor would Shana have any potions, or scrolls? Vamros asks as he slips on his boots. The Red Mare no worries Deldrin can you send a runner by there on your way to check the other wells? not waiting for an answer the halfling was already heading out the door for the store. Come with me gentlemen we shall get you situated. He hustled across the market to the Goose and Gander where he banged on the door until he saw a light come on in the back room.
The light becomes brighter as Brick enters the shop-front with his candelabra in hand. The gnome opens the front door wearing a robe, and a ridiculously long night cap on. What is the meaning of this Harg? I was just settling in for the night. He looks up at the men assembled behind the magistrate. With a huff he swings the door open. I see that you intend to have your way. You mine as well come on in.he turns around and lights several oil lamps scattered throughout the shop, and picks up a ledger. So whats it to be then?
"Sorry ta bother ya at this hour Mr. Hildernsocks. But we need some gear fer surviving in tha forest fer a few days: rations, waterskins, a few tents, maybe a few changes o' clothing fer when the rain returns, anything else ya might have ta fight off tha rain and whatever else mi mates here might think of." Harn says straight away, having been out in the woods long enough to know how bad the rainy season in the Vale could be.
Yes, Yes very well. No problem at all. Just stack it up and let me inventory, so I can give the bill to Vamros. He watches as goods begin to stack up.
AAremeth watched as a runner was dispatched, actually I am going to go with the boy, I have my gear at the house ready to go I will bring quicksilver here after the shop so the rest of you can load yours onto the Mule The reason he was actually ddoing this was becuase they had been at the well with five to three odds and still the cultists attack, they wouldn't hesitate to kill a boy.
Aaremeth chased along as the rest of the group disturbed hildernsocks, but if he knew that gnome, he'd be grumpy at the start and happy by the time he was handing the halfling the bill.
Aaremeth, you should not go by yourself. More of these fools may be out and about. It will only take a few minutes for us to grab what we need and we can all go.
Lueck will take six more days worth of rations. He'll also take the scrolls of Cure Light Wounds to add to those he penned.
Trevor will give a hand to Harn to prepare supplies for a group of five, traveling in a rainy forest for 5 days:
-3 tents
-2 tarps (floor and ceiling) to create a dry area for cooking and resting
-2 hammers
-2 shovels
-5 winter blankets
-5 days of dry firewood
-2 hooded lanterns
-5 pints of oil
-50 feet of hemp rope
-1 healer's kit
-5 extra rations as a safety
While packing, Trevor shows his genuine gratitude: "We can't thank you enough for your kind help, masters Harg and Hildernsocks! I'll be sure to ask Priestess Shana about the potions. We'll go as soon as we're done packing the mule."
When the mule arrives, we pack it and we get on our way to the church. Quietly, Trevor offers the others: "If you all want, you can sleep at the church. I'm sur Priestess Shana will say yes. That way, we remain together and can all leave together at first light. What do you say?"