With one of the fey now defeated, the ‘battle’ continues, having alerted those working outside to the chaos within. Meanwhile, Wilhem’s mercenaries and Valko’s assistant, Renfield, are also now alerted to danger. However, Taros and Koriah, having gone upstairs, are no where to be seen nor heard.
-----
Realizing he's been boxed in my the tooth fairy and won't be able to cast safely, Hoosible grits his teeth changes tactics:
He steps around to the fairy's side while drawing his longspear, and then attempts to skewer it...but finds the luck-warping aura of the Pugwampi causes him to misstep into the pile of feces -- "Oy, you stupid, filthy fey!" -- and he ends up missing by a mile.
-----
As they hear themselves addressed by Valko, the two grimples stop short of one of the doors leading further into the manor. As one of the scratches its hairy rump, they begin talking amongst themselves in their language.
”ஒருவேளை எனக்கு அந்த தெய்வம் சொல்லிக்கொண்டே, கரிகாலன்? ஒரு 'Gastashi' பற்றி ஏதாவது? .... பேர்தான் 'Gastashi'?”
”நரகத்தின் எனக்கு தெரியும், ஆனால் அதன் கிடைத்தது என்றாவது மீது அறையில் தன்னை போழுது தெய்வம், அது, பெரிய அர்த்தம், அல்லது அசிங்கமான வேண்டும். அல்லது மூன்று.”
”நான், ஒரு யோசனை! அவர் அது மிகவும் அஞ்சுகிறது என்றால், ஒருவேளை நாம் சரண் போன்ற சமையலறை போக வேண்டும், அது elfy மற்றும் அவரது நண்பர்கள் சென்று கொல்ல வேண்டும், அதனால் நாம் இந்த விஷயத்தை எழுப்ப முடியாது என்றால் என்ன?”
”கண்ணன் நல்ல யோசனை! நாம், அது எங்களுக்கு கண்டுபிடிக்க வழியே போவதில்லை! என்ன அது எங்களுக்கு வாசனை என்றால் என்ன? நீங்கள் எந்த மலர் தோட்டத்தில் அல்ல, உங்களுக்கு தெரியுமா!”
”எழுதப்போகிறேன், பேசி பார் யார்? ஒருவேளை அது மிகவும் நல்ல வாசனை முடியாது? இழக்கின்றனர் ஒருவேளை அவர்கள் அனைத்து மசாலா மற்றும் சமையலறையில் பரம்பொருளல்லவா, சரியான? ஒருவேளை அது எங்களுக்கு கவனிக்க மாட்டேன்!”
”நான், எனக்கு தெரியாது என்று அவர் மேலும் Gastashi விவரிக்க விரும்புகிறேன் என்றால் ஒருவேளை நாம் தெய்வம் கேட்க வேண்டும், எனவே நாம் அதை சுற்றி பெற எப்படி தெரியும்?”
”ஓ போன்ற அவர் எங்களுக்கு உதவும் என்று! இவன் தன்னை மீது மலம் விஷயம் கட்டவிழ்த்துவிட முயற்சி, உங்களுக்கு தெரியுமா! பிளஸ், அவர் எங்கள் மொழி பேச முடியும், எனவே நாம் வகையான எங்கள் முழு திட்டத்தை அவரை டிப்பிங் நீங்கள்!”
”ஓ, சரி, சரி .. ஒருவேளை நாம் சமீபமாக்குங்கள் அல்லது ஏதாவது தொடங்க வேண்டும்?”
What else is said afterwards is only heard faintly, as the two grimples, upon realizing they had been telling the entire manor their tactics to cause mayhem in said manor, began talking quietly amongst themselves, delaying their plans if only for a few seconds.
-----
"Uhhhr? What's that then? Fey in the manor? Guess the smart ones need us after all, eh?" Ferit says to the other box movers. He jogs past them, moving surprisingly fast for one of his bulk. Every few steps he lopes on his hands like a running ape. As feral as his movement appears, it does the trick. He's up the front steps and barreling into the manor in a matter of seconds. Ferit bursts through the second set of interior doors and comes to a skidding halt next to one of the disgusting little grimples. "Well hello..." he says with an evil grin, readying to punch it as hard as he can.
-----
Charbonardent trudged along his pathway of branches under the heavy load of a fragile crate with the aid of one of the men. He followed behind Radyx when he heard the laughter and ruckus. The gladiator's nonverbal reaction mirrored the half-giant's initial impression. By the time, he had set his crate down near the front door, Radyx had thrown open the door to reveal the more dangerous reality of the loud party.
Charbonardent moves as close to the manor as he can without marring the floor surface with his cleats. He then kicks off his boots with the cleats, in order to enter the manor bare-footed. His huge feet appear not affected by the blowing snow or frigid temperatures.
"We're not done. Wait for me," he orders the human carter.
-----
Hissing in frustration, blood running from the vacant tooth in the half-elf's mouth, Valko calls out angrily, "Renfeld, you fool! Come here!"
Having heard the commotion from the waiting room nearby, Renfeld springs into action in a hurry, the thickly lensed spectacles perched precariously upon his nose bouncing furiously with each scuffled step the lab assistant takes through the Cypherlodge's halls. A knife bearing stains of blood and far more questionable origins appears in his hands as he turns towards the small study, ignoring the sight of the two grimples to duck inside where the voice of his employer and instructor issued from.
Renfeld's presence in the mass melee and spell battle taking place is announced by the slam of the door swinging against a wall and the splashing-sucking of thick booted footsteps through the collected pools of slick and chunky standing vomit. The look on Valko's face as his assistant surges into the room is one of both relief and aggravation. The prematurely grey spire of curls atop Renfeld's head quivers in unison with his awkwardly twitching fingers as the assistant calls out in a gravelly and unnecessarily loud voice, "MASTER! What tortures have they inflicted upon you?"
Dislodging a collected gob of his own blood from his mouth onto the floor, Valko growls out in response to Renfeld, "Never mind you that, just get my tooth back you dimwitted pox!" As quickly as he voices the order, Valko disappears into the nearby door a second before the thing slams shut behind him. Alone in the mudroom, his shifty eyes begin greedily examining the contents of the paradox box he cradles in his left arm.
Renfeld seems nonplussed at Valko's direction and subsequent departure, cautiously approaching the fluttering form of the fey nearby with his small blade raised in a decidedly unformidable manner. His eyes shoot nervously between both the fey and the door that served as egress for his employer out of the room. Desperately, his voice grates out once again towards the closed doorway, "Master, I beg you! Allow me to come with you! Master!"
-----
The pugwampi, laying on its back, struggles to get up after having been knocked on its back by Isroth’s bolt of energy. Unable to force itself up onto its haunches, the pugwampi looks over at the being who hurt it so much and glares at him. He points his little paw-like finger at Isroth and lets out a miniature bark that seems to echo, focusing itself directly upon Isroth’s glaive-guisarme, his badge of office. Though both Isroth and Hoosible attempted to prevent the pugwampi from casting its natural spell-like ability, both of their attacks miss - Hoosible’s spear ends up knocking over an inkwell laying on the table, causing it to fall and shatter, while Isroth’s glaive-guisarme skewers some of Koriah’s notes.
Isroth, wielding his weapon poorly, obvious he has no knowledge of its proper use in combat, feels the weapon begin to vibrate violently before shattering into many pieces, pelting him with wood and bits of metal. Though uninjured by the shower of what is left of his weapon, Isroth fumes in anger at the Pugwampi - who, due to overexertion, disappears in a poof of smoke, getting off one hyena-like laugh as it goes, returning to the First World.
Meanwhile, Impy, seeing that its next target has killed itself from exertion, turns and chooses its next target - the tooth fairy harassing Hoosible. Nimbly flying towards it, Impy impales the tooth fairy in one of it’s beady eyes with its stinger, simultaneously blinding it and discharging electricity through the small fairy. The tooth fairy, in its death throes, puffs up to nearly twice its original girth as if filling with gas, before exploding into a cloud of sparkling white fairy dust, which clings onto Impy and Hoosible. Hoosible, unable to contain himself, begins gagging from the horrible smell, feeling himself sick.
-----
Since having parted ways with Wilhem Gralk has kept his little quad moving, slowly patrolling the grounds. His main priority was to keep Orie, Harl and Misha moving, and thus warm in the frigid summer air, but such a vigil also served to familiarize the group with the grounds should their ward/master be accepted and they have to take up residence in the location. Already he had spotted any number of potential entry points and other vulnerabilities, but then this place had never been intended as a fortified location... Still it paid to know where the holes were…
They were just rounding the rear of the house at a jog when Orie stopped, straightening and turning to ear towards the manor. Gralk and the others came to a halt, waiting. "Sounds like trouble Gralk." he piped up, pointing with the tip of his halberd to the mudroom door ahead.
"Right, advance." he said, drawing his sword though his shield remained at his back. He knew to trust Orie's hearing... it had saved them a time or two. Sure enough as they drew closer he could hear sounds of a scuffle, raised voices, doors slamming. Wasting no more time Gralk Dashes forward, leaping over the railing of the short stairs, yanking open the door to find a highly suspicious fellow closeted in the mud room beyond, peering greedily into a large stone box.
"Oi! Drop it thief!" Gralk, a scarred, but still muscled Half-Orc with grey in his hair, wearing banded mail, and wielding one of several shortspears growls at Valko. Another similarly garbed figure though this time one of his own kind--a half-elf wielding a halberd--bounds up the stairs and steps past the hal-orc into the doorway, menacing him with his weapon. "Wilhem! You in there? You okay?" Gralk calls past the intruder, while behind him two more armored Ulfen figures with polearms eye Valko and the surrounding area with a quiet menace.
-----
As Radyx catches his breath, he hears the commotion inside, specifically the laughter. "If those pricks inside are having themselves a grand old time, they can bloody well get ready for a thumping. Some of us have been doing REAL work!"
A look of obvious anger and frustration paints itself across Radyx's face as he rises and turns towards the manor. He throws the front doors open and moves towards where they had convened previous, hearing Wilhelm call out "Prioritize the pugwampis, the dogs..."
Realization replaces his previous expression, followed by a smirk as he readies his axes in the hall behind Snotsickle.
------
The tooth fairy, though distracted by his new acquisition for a moment, snaps back into reality upon seeing Wilhem flee - the fairy calls out to the midget, looking both angry and distraught. ”Hey, áit a bhfuil tú ag dul duit snot beag? Bhí mé ar cheann de na do fiacla freisin! Bah!” He stomps his feet in mid air as if having a temper tantrum, before calming down and looking around at his next potential targets. He first turns his beady eyes towards Isroth, but sighs, knowing that the helmet would be too much of a hassle to get off. Then, he turns towards Renfeld, his mouth widening into a wicked grin.
”Bhuel, ní féidir liom a ghlacadh ar aon ó na guy le pot ar a cheann .. mar sin buille faoi thuairim agam go mbainfidh mé a ghlacadh ar ghránna anseo!”
Renfeld, seeing the fey look at him with a greedy look in his eyes, seems terrified, feebly raising in dagger in some sort of ‘defensive’ posture - nevertheless, it is useless against the fey. Feinting, pretending to charge right at the cowardly assistant, the fairy causes Renfeld to whimper and close his eyes for just long enough. A mistake any soldier could spot, a mistake that could cost you your life in battle.
‘Luckily’ for Renfeld, it only cost him his tooth. The tooth fairy, quickly transfering his stolen tooth from his pliers to his foot, with which he holds with his filthy toes, he lunges at the assistant, easily flying around the raised dagger. With one foot, using his momentum to help him, the fey hits Renfeld in the nose and pushes upwards, causing Renfeld’s mouth to open just enough for the fairy to shove his rusty, blood-encrusted pliers into. He goes deep, going after one of Renfeld’s molars. Clasping onto his target, the tooth fairy flaps his miniature wings with all of his might, simultaneously using Renfeld’s nose as leverage. With a muffled scream coming from Renfeld, and a sickening crack, Renfeld’s tooth is ripped out - and the tooth fairy claims a second prize.
-----
Clutching his hand that had been holding his glaive, Isroth howls in frustration and discomfort. The shattered pieces of his weapon lay scattered across the room, and as he turns his masked visage up towards the fluttering tooth fairy, his tiny utterance carries with it as much vitriol as someone of his diminutive size can muster. "Балла Стинг магическая ракета!"
Throwing one hand outward, Isroth hurls another screeching missile that twists and turns and impacts with the tooth fairy in a ripple of distorted air and concussive force. His glaive would not be the only thing to wind up in pieces on the floor.
The bolt of energy nearly knocks the tooth fairy off balance in the air - only the extremely skilled aerial maneuverability of the fairy keeps it aloft, though it teeters on the brink of collapse from the damage it took.
-----
Throwing down the crate in disgust, Al'cazar briefly held his hands upto his mouth and blew a puff of hot air into them and rubbed them together furiously. Some things had changed, but others remained the same. The uneducated and empowered saw a large man and though him labor. It was arrogance in the highest degree. He was not a simple slave to be ordered around and told what to do. To think otherwise risked his ire. And all things would be brought into account under the law in time.
Suddenly, the large, Runescarred man heard the yelling from the lodge and the shouts from within. Anger grew inside of Al'cazar. He should have never left his ward. To think that an attack could not happen inside of the lodge had been hubris. His charge was to protect and guard. Not haul boxes. Biting down a curse, the warrior of the Sihedron Legion rushed towards the building drawing his sword as he did so. At least he could take out his anger on something inside. Anything was better than being treated as a menial servant.
___________________________________________
<< | | | >>
Bursting in through the front door, Ferit and Al’cazar are met with a rather odd sight. Standing opposite of them, beneath the shadow of a door much taller than they are, are two tiny humanoid opossum-like creatures. Upon seeing the two large men enter the room, the little creatures point at them and squeal in terror, their tiny eyes bulging in fright.
”கரிகாலன்! கரிகாலன்! ? கர்த்தர் GASTASHI! அதன் விழித்து! அதன் அருவருப்பான! அதன் ஒரு நண்பர் கிடைத்தது! அதன் பிறகு எங்களுக்கு வரும்! நான் சாக விரும்பவில்லை!”
”நான் கதவை திறந்து கிடைக்கும், நீங்கள் அதை மெதுவாக!”
”நான் அதை மீண்டும் இங்கே தங்கி செல்ல வில்லை என்ன! அதன் என்னை சாப்பிட போகிறேன்! அந்த சளி அரிவாள் பார்!”
”நான் கதவை திறக்க போது தான் வாந்தி!”
One of the grimples, the one that ‘seems’ to be in the lead, turns around away from the group and works his magic, opening the door telekinetically through his natural abilities. The other, meanwhile, sticks his greasy little claw into his mouth, forcing himself to bring up more of his vomit - with a huff, he spews the vomit beneath the group’s feet. The greasy vomit, covering more of the floor, causes both Ferit and Wilhem to slip - Al’cazar, meanwhile holds his balance and stays on his feet. Following their actions, both grimples run into the now opened door, only to find that more doors await them.
”இன்னும் இரண்டு, கரிகாலன் கிடைத்தது! நான் கூட, அவர்கள் கோபம் என்று நினைக்கிறேன்!”
”நல்ல வேலை, பில்லி! ஆனால் - காவிற்கு! மேலும் கதவுகள்? முட்டாள் மனிதர்கள், கட்டிடம் பல கதவுகளை! யார் இந்த பல கதவுகள் தேவை?”
”விரைவு, திறந்த ஒன்று! அவர்கள் நம்மை பிடிக்க போகிறோம்!”
”Jimbo! Jimbo! ITS THA GASTASHI! Its awake! Its hideous! And its got a frien'! Its comin’ fer us! I DON’ WAN’ TA’ DIE!”
”I’ll git tha door open, ya slow it down!”
”Wha’, I ain’ stayin’ back ‘ere with it! Its goin’ ta eat me! LOOK AT THOSE SNOTSICKLES!”
”Jus’ vomit while I open tha door!”
---
”Got two o’ ‘em, Jimbo! I think I made ‘em angry, though!”
”Good job, Billy! But - gah! More doors?! Stupid ‘umans, buildin’ so many doors! Who needs this many doors?!”
”Quick, jus’ open one! They’re goin’ ta catch us!”
_____________________________________
(Failure)
(Failure)
(Success)
Ferit plops down in the vomit with a roar of rage. He landed on the same spot where he had fallen earlier outside, and his tailbone is now thoroughly bruised. He scrambles back to his feet, and tries to jostle his way through Al'cazar and Wilhelm to go after the vile little creatures. He's surprisingly agile for an orc of his bulk and manages to navigate the vomit and his companions with little trouble. "Razz on me will yeh?" he calls after the little grimples, chasing them down while growling like a feral dog.
______________________________________
Valko wheels around, blood trailing from his the vacant hole in his mouth where tooth had once resided, with a look of incredulous dismay. " I am here by invitation, and you witless slab of incompetence!" His statement punctuated by a further spray of blood, Valko lets loose a small howl of frustration before reaching the knob of the door beside him. "Renfeld! Deal with these simpletons while I tend to my injury!"
In the adjacent room and injured himself, Renfeld exaggeratedly swivels his head towards the sound of his employer's dilemma. A permanent, gaping frown affixed to the wild eyed madman's face, he tears at the door to rush to Valko's side, aided by the palpable fear that accompanies his experience with the demented tooth fairy. A shot of joy shoots through his terror however at Valko's summons. Nearly tearing the door off of its hinges to escape the tyranny of the fey creature behind and ecstatic to be called once more to his employer's side, the thickly lensed spectacles on the assistant's nose bobble dangerously upon the perch that is his nose. His heart sinks, however, as it often does, upon seeing the disappearing form of Valko behind yet another door. Such is the wound of his betrayal that Renfeld does not immediately notice the spear-toting guardsmen arrayed beyond the mudroom door.
Eyes go wide once more in surprise, and Renfeld begins clawing feebly at the door, hoping that Valko will allow him to accompany him through the depths of the manor. "" As it becomes apparent this will not be the case, he quickly spins about to look sidelong at the bodyguard nearest to him, Renfeld's back and hands against the door that the Ustlavian half-elf vanished into only a moment prior. Renfeld spits out a dissuasive hiss in the direction of the guards—or tries to. What manifests is a half-choked rasp rife with blood and flagging strength of will.
Meanwhile, in the dining room, Valko places his back against the door that allowed him entrance, quickly fishing through the Paradox Box for a few choice possessions. After stowing several objects in the confines of his coat before his eyes survey the table beyond for any cloths or table mats that might serve as bandage to staunch the flow of blood from his missing tooth.
__________________________________________________
[dice=Renfeld's "Intimidate"]1d20-1[/dice]
Round 3
Charbonardent moves into the manor barefoot. He doesn't draw his large weapon yet, because he still wears his spiked gauntlet for close encounters. He joins Ferit and Radyx to see what the ruckus is about. Fortunately, he is able to avoid the Grease.
__________________________________
OK
With the tooth fairy on his last ‘legs’ thanks to Isroth’s magic, Impy senses the moment to strike. Deftly turning on the wing, he flies in and stabs the fey with his pointy steel stinger - however, thanks to the fey’s natural resistances, the weapon is unable to even pierce the skin. That doesn’t stop it from discharging electricity into the disabled fey, however. With a quick zap, the fey’s body freezes up and, before it even has time to fall, it quickly bloats up and explodes into a cloud of sparkly fairy dust that coats Isroth, Hoosible, and Impy. Hoosible, already covered in the stuff, isn’t affected any worse by a double dose of the noxious powder. Isroth, likely due to his mask, is able to resist the horrendous smell’s sickening effect.
Thankfully however, the two teeth the tooth fairy claimed clatter to the floor - they did not return with the blasted fey back to the First World from which it was summoned. Both are covered in the disgusting fairy dust, though.
__________________________________________
Still woozy from the fairy dust, Hoosible tries to wipe the disgusting glitter from his tongue on his sleeve as he makes his way through the vomit and out the door that the grimples fled through. Seeing that his burlier companions are in hot pursuit he simply steadies himself against the wall, tries to stay out of the others' way, and looks for an opportunity to use the Wendo who swirl around him to bend fate in his favor.
____________
Radyx tries to move through the slick vomit covered floors, stepping on whatever dry surface he can, allies bodies included. "Stop playing around and get those ugly things!"
__________
Staring at the tooth fairy behind the protective guise of his rune-etched helm, Isroth slowly raises one hand towards the creature as greenish light swirls around his palm. The light mutedly reflects off of the matte surface of Isroth's mask, and the Shalasti arcanist's milky whit eyes are briefly visible to the tooth fairy as they narrow.
"Begone" Isroth intones, followed by a concussive blast from his palm that pulverizes the tiny creature, blasting it apart first into dismembered limbs and wings, then into swirling motes of smoke and fairy dust as it disappears back into the First World.
With that, Isroth offers a brief, wordless glance to Hoosible before moving out of the room. As he encounters Charbonardent and the others, the Shalasti arcanist moves behind the giant-blooded guard and addresses them. "Where are the other fey?" He is hoping the answer is dead.
____________
You have got to be kidding me! Al'cazar roars as the tiny, foul little creature vomits on the floor. Barely dodging out of the way, the massive brute of a man grabs his sword and moves forward to engage the creatures again, only to nearly fall in the vile green puke. Arrrggh!
____________________________
"Out of the way lackey." Gralk growls at Renfeld, before barking orders at his men. "Orie, deal with whats-his-name. Harl, Misha, circle round and make sure he doesn't slip out that other door we passed."
Orie wastes no time in lowering his shoulder and thrusting it against Renfeld's chest, pushing him easily back through door and the room beyond into the pool of vomit by the doorway.
Gralk meanwhile steps up into the recently vacated position by the doorway, and tries the handle. Finding the weight of a body on the other side much as his protegee just did he applies his shoulder, thrusting the door open and sending Valko reeling into the table with Gralk close on his heels.
"Just cuz you were invited don't mean yer not a thief. Now hold still unless ya want a spear through yer belly." he growls, looming in the doorway, leveling his spear menacingly.
Harl and Misha snap into action, moving as swiftly as their armor allows for the rear of the house.
_________________________
"Lovely..." Wilhem mutters as he picks himself up off the floor, frowning as he glances towards where the Grimples have disappeared to and where he can hear continued commotion from the study. Given how narrow the corridor is and how many burly men seem intent on chasing after the Grimples he decides to leave them to it, about to make his way through the slick vomit back to the study when Orie and Renfeld come flying from the other direction to block the way.
"Orie?" Wilhem asks in surprise. "What is going on?"
"Gralk's orders sir! This man was interfering with the apprehension of a thief! He was making off with some sort of box!" Orie says excitedly, straightening up under his master's scrutiny.
Wilhem's brow simply furrows in confusion. He believed Valko had taken the box, and now he came to reflect on it his behavior certainly might seem suspicious.
"Don't hurt him Gralk! We need to sort out this confusion, not make it worse!" he calls out past Orie, who suddenly seems less certain of his actions.
_________________________
Seeing the tooth fairy explode into glitter, a rapid series of thoughts go through Hoosible’s mind: Doh, so much for collecting a bone from that one -- oooh, but, -- aaugh!! this glitter is
Barely restraining his urge to retch, Hoosible steadies himself as best he’s able and (wishing he could hold his nose at the same time) thrusts his longspear at the remaining fairy, sending the spearhead puncturing through the staggered fey’s body. The fairy, looking horrified that a spear went through it, grabs onto the shaft with one hand and looks at the gnome with a look of pure betrayal. Barely a moment passes, however, until the fairy puffs up like a balloon and explodes with a pop, sending more sparkling, nauseating fairy dust out in all directions. Meanwhile, the two teeth the fairy was holding onto fall to the ground and get covered in the dust.
-----
Bursting in through the front door, Ferit and Al’cazar are met with a rather odd sight. Standing opposite of them, beneath the shadow of a door much taller than they are, are two tiny humanoid opossum-like creatures. Upon seeing the two large men enter the room, the little creatures point at them and squeal in terror, their tiny eyes bulging in fright.
”கரிகாலன்! கரிகாலன்! ? கர்த்தர் GASTASHI! அதன் விழித்து! அதன் அருவருப்பான! அதன் ஒரு நண்பர் கிடைத்தது! அதன் பிறகு எங்களுக்கு வரும்! நான் சாக விரும்பவில்லை!”
”நான் கதவை திறந்து கிடைக்கும், நீங்கள் அதை மெதுவாக!”
”நான் அதை மீண்டும் இங்கே தங்கி செல்ல வில்லை என்ன! அதன் என்னை சாப்பிட போகிறேன்! அந்த சளி அரிவாள் பார்!”
”நான் கதவை திறக்க போது தான் வாந்தி!”
One of the grimples, the one that ‘seems’ to be in the lead, turns around away from the group and works his magic, opening the door telekinetically through his natural abilities. The other, meanwhile, sticks his greasy little claw into his mouth, forcing himself to bring up more of his vomit - with a huff, he spews the vomit beneath the group’s feet. The greasy vomit, covering more of the floor, causes both Ferit and Wilhem to slip - Al’cazar, meanwhile holds his balance and stays on his feet. Following their actions, both grimples run into the now opened door, only to find that more doors await them.
”இன்னும் இரண்டு, கரிகாலன் கிடைத்தது! நான் கூட, அவர்கள் கோபம் என்று நினைக்கிறேன்!”
”நல்ல வேலை, பில்லி! ஆனால் - காவிற்கு! மேலும் கதவுகள்? முட்டாள் மனிதர்கள், கட்டிடம் பல கதவுகளை! யார் இந்த பல கதவுகள் தேவை?”
”விரைவு, திறந்த ஒன்று! அவர்கள் நம்மை பிடிக்க போகிறோம்!”
-----
Ferit plops down in the vomit with a roar of rage. He landed on the same spot where he had fallen earlier outside, and his tailbone is now thoroughly bruised. He scrambles back to his feet, and tries to jostle his way through Al'cazar and Wilhelm to go after the vile little creatures. He's surprisingly agile for an orc of his bulk and manages to navigate the vomit and his companions with little trouble. "Razz on me will yeh?" he calls after the little grimples, chasing them down while growling like a feral dog.
------
Charbonardent moves into the manor barefoot. He doesn't draw his large weapon yet, because he still wears his spiked gauntlet for close encounters. He joins Ferit and Radyx to see what the ruckus is about. Fortunately, he is able to avoid the greasy vomit, moving with surpsing deftness across the slick floor.
-----
Valko wheels around, blood trailing from his the vacant hole in his mouth where tooth had once resided, with a look of incredulous dismay. " I am here by invitation, and injured you witless slab of incompetence!" His statement punctuated by a further spray of blood, Valko lets loose a small howl of frustration before reaching the knob of the door beside him. "Renfeld! Deal with these simpletons while I tend to my injury!"
In the adjacent room and injured himself, Renfeld exaggeratedly swivels his head towards the sound of his employer's dilemma. A permanent, gaping frown affixed to the wild eyed madman's face, he tears at the door to rush to Valko's side, aided by the palpable fear that accompanies his experience with the demented tooth fairy. A shot of joy shoots through his terror however at Valko's summons. Nearly tearing the door off of its hinges to escape the tyranny of the fey creature behind and ecstatic to be called once more to his employer's side, the thickly lensed spectacles on the assistant's nose bobble dangerously upon the perch that is his nose. His heart sinks, however, as it often does, upon seeing the disappearing form of Valko behind yet another door. Such is the wound of his betrayal that Renfeld does not immediately notice the spear-toting guardsmen arrayed beyond the mudroom door.
Eyes go wide once more in surprise, and Renfeld begins clawing feebly at the door, hoping that Valko will allow him to accompany him through the depths of the manor. As it becomes apparent this will not be the case, he quickly spins about to look sidelong at the bodyguard nearest to him, Renfeld's back and hands against the door that the Ustlavian half-elf vanished into only a moment prior. Renfeld spits out a dissuasive hiss in the direction of the guards—or tries to. What manifests is a half-choked rasp rife with blood and flagging strength of will.
Meanwhile, in the dining room, Valko places his back against the door that allowed him entrance, quickly fishing through the Paradox Box for a few choice possessions. After stowing several objects in the confines of his coat before his eyes survey the table beyond for any cloths or table mats that might serve as bandage to staunch the flow of blood from his missing tooth.
-----
With the final tooth fairy gone, exploded into dust, Impy surveys the room and the damage, shaking its mechanical head. Realizing that there are yet two more of the little fiends still at large, it flies into the hallway and past the group, heading up the stairs and out of sight, likely to fetch its master.
-----
"Out of the way lackey." Gralk growls at Renfeld, before barking orders at his men. "Orie, deal with whats-his-name. Harl, Misha, circle round and make sure he doesn't slip out that other door we passed."
Orie wastes no time in lowering his shoulder and thrusting it against Renfeld's chest, pushing him easily back through door and the room beyond into the pool of vomit by the doorway.
Gralk meanwhile steps up into the recently vacated position by the doorway, and tries the handle. Finding the weight of a body on the other side much as his protegee just did he applies his shoulder, thrusting the door open and sending Valko reeling into the table with Gralk close on his heels.
"Just cuz you were invited don't mean yer not a thief. Now hold still unless ya want a spear through yer belly." he growls, looming in the doorway, leveling his spear menacingly.
Harl and Misha snap into action, moving as swiftly as their armor allows for the rear of the house.
-
"Lovely..." Wilhem mutters as he picks himself up off the floor, frowning as he glances towards where the Grimples have disappeared to and where he can hear continued commotion from the study. Given how narrow the corridor is and how many burly men seem intent on chasing after the Grimples he decides to leave them to it, about to make his way through the slick vomit back to the study when Orie and Renfeld come flying from the other direction to block the way.
"Orie?" Wilhem asks in surprise. "What is going on?"
"Gralk's orders sir! This man was interfering with the apprehension of a thief! He was making off with some sort of box!" Orie says excitedly, straightening up under his master's scrutiny.
Wilhem's brow simply furrows in confusion. He believed Valko had taken the box, and now he came to reflect on it his behavior certainly might seem suspicious.
"Don't hurt him Gralk! We need to sort out this confusion, not make it worse!" he calls out past Orie, who suddenly seems less certain of his actions.
-----
Radyx tries to move through the slick vomit covered floors, stepping on whatever dry surface he can, allies bodies included. "Stop playing around and get those ugly things!"
-----
Staring at the tooth fairy behind the protective guise of his rune-etched helm, Isroth slowly raises one hand towards the creature as greenish light swirls around his palm. The light mutedly reflects off of the matte surface of Isroth's mask, and the Shalasti arcanist's milky white eyes are briefly visible to the tooth fairy as they narrow.
"Begone" Isroth intones, before he is interrupted by the destruction of the fairy by Hoosible’s spear. With that, Isroth offers a brief, wordless glance to Hoosible before moving out of the room. As he encounters Charbonardent and the others, the Shalasti arcanist moves behind the giant-blooded guard and addresses them. "Where are the other fey?" He is hoping the answer is dead.
-----
“You have got to be kidding me!” Al'cazar roars as the tiny, foul little creature vomits on the floor. Barely dodging out of the way, the massive brute of a man grabs his sword and moves forward to engage the creatures again, only to miscalculate just how slippery the vomit actually is. With a loud thud due to his massive frame, Al’cazar slips on the vomit and comes crashing to the ground, landing on his back and incidentally smearing his backside with the disgusting vomit.
“Arrrggh!”
Still woozy from the fairy dust, Hoosible tries to wipe the disgusting glitter from his tongue on his sleeve as he makes his way through the vomit and out the door that the grimples fled through. Seeing that his burlier companions are in hot pursuit he simply steadies himself against the wall, tries to stay out of the others' way, and looks for an opportunity to use the Wendo who swirl around him to bend fate in his favor.
-----
”விரைவு, கதவை திறக்க, அவர்கள் நம்மை பெற்று!”
”நான், உன் வாயை மூடு, நான் இருக்கிறேன்!” Repeating his natural spell-like ability for a third time, exhausting his daily usage of it, the grimple opens the door leading into the kitchen and runs in. ”ஏய்! சமையலறை காணப்படும். ஏன் Gastashi என்றாலும், இங்கே இருந்து வரவில்லை? முட்டாள் மனித எங்களுக்கு பொய்!” He quickly takes a look around and, to his immediate left, is a closed window. Or, as the grimples would likely see it, escape. ”கரிகாலன்! ஒரு ஜன்னல் உள்ளது! விரைவு, அதை திறக்க, நான் சாறு வெளியே இருக்கிறேன்!”
”வலது, கரிகாலன்!” Repeating the same gestures, the second grimple opens the nearby window, causing a blast of frigid air to enter the manor, causing those hit by it to feel their skin covered in goose bumps from the cold. ”ஓய் .. அங்கு அதன் குளிர்! என் lice'll இறக்க! அவர்கள் என் வீட்டு இருக்கிறோம், நான் அவர்களை கரிகாலன் இறக்க விரும்பவில்லை!”
”பரவாயில்லை பேன், நாம் பின்னர் மேலும் கண்டுபிடிக்க முடியும்! இப்போது, உங்கள் கொழுப்பு கழுதை போல் பறக்க முன் பறந்து இல்லை!” Continuing his squeaking, or so the brutish onlookers would believe, the forward grimple quickly and deftly climbs the wall to the window sill and unfurls the loose flaps of skin beneath his arms, before lifting off and clumsily flying out of the manor.
The second grimple, following the lead of the first, does the same, escaping the manor as well. ”... நான் கொழுப்பு இல்லை. ஏய்! இந்த ஒரு பாடல் தான் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது.”
”என்ன மகன் இல்லை! இல்லை என்று ஒரு மீண்டும்! வெறும் பறக்கும் கவனம்!”
”நான் நீங்கள் உலகத்திற்கு காட்ட முடியும்”
”உ.பி. மற்றும் ஈ கொழுப்பு டயலாக்!”
”Quick, open tha door, they’re gainin’ on us!”
”I am, I am, shut yer mouth!” ... ”’Ey! Found tha kitch’n. Why didn’t tha Gastashi come from in ‘ere, thah? Stupid ‘uman was lyin’ ta us!” … ”Jimbo! Found a window! Quick, open it, I’m outta juice!”
”Righto, Jimbo!” … ”Oye.. its cold out thah! My lice’ll die! They’re mah pets, I don’ wan’ them ta die Jimbo!”
”Nevermind tha lice, we can find more later! Now, Fly like yer fat ass ‘as neva flown before!”
”...I’m not fat. ‘Ey! This reminds me of a song.”
”What son- NO! Not tha’ one again! Jus’ focus on flyin’!”
”I can show ya tha worl-”
”SHAT UP AND FLY FATTY!”
______________________________________________
Ferit roars in frustration as the infuriating little fey make a successful escape from the manor. He looks around angrily for something to vent his rage on. Seeing nothing, he goes back outside and finds a sturdy inanimate object. He sets his sights on a tree, and punches it until all the bark is gone and the trunk is left a pulpy mess, and he's shivering and huffing from exertion.
"See there? Your blusterous accusations and threats are unnecessary, large fellow. And if I may, intending no disrespect to you nor the spear with which you continue to point in my direction, I've no intention of bleeding to death here in the dining room waiting for you to make up your mind about how horribly misguided your assumptions in the brief moments prior were. I'm going to return to the study. Feel free to point your weapon in futility at my back if it makes you happy."
Making good on his announced course of action, Valko cautiously steps past Gralk in as non-threatening a manner as he can muster, footsteps scuffing briskly across the tiled floor of the mudroom and then onto the wooden planks that run the length of the study. His eyes widen for a moment at the sight of the dust covered molar and incisor that rest yet undisturbed on the floor. Valko relieves himself of the burden that is the paradox box, setting it and the remainder of its contents on the table still occupied by Koriah's notes. Snatching his own tooth up, Valko rinses it off with a brief douse from his waterskin before wiping it clean with the soft, inner lining of his coat. After replacing the tooth in its vacant slot, which itself elicits a shrill whine of pain, he uncorks one of the small, crystalline vials that dangle from one of his bandoliers. Allowing some of his own blood to mingle with that of the potion, he replaces the cork and shakes it up quickly before once more opening the container and upending it.
After a satisfied sigh of relief, his front tooth safely restored to its rightful place, Valko begins arranging the contents of the box on the table with careful diligence. As he focuses on his task, he does not notice the clod and thump of Renfeld's approach on all fours, stopping only long enough to secure his own tooth before clutching pitifully at Valko's thigh. "Master! Please, restore mine to me. I cannot bear to lose another one!"
"Come now, Renfeld, you know well I only had sufficient means for a single dose this morning. Perhaps you can pester one of our new colleagues for aid; that is, assuming these mercenaries behind us do not object, hmm?"
Whimpering at a near-sob, Renfeld bites down on the cuff of his left sleeve to apply pressure and alleviate the bleeding of his own injury before blood loss exacts too heavy a toll on the poor man. His eyes meekly regard the rest of the people in the room like that of a timid puppy.
__________________________________________________
Charbonardent tries to piece together what started the mess inside the manor but stops before reaching a conclusion. He does not remark the orc's reaction, except in the relative silence afterward saying, "and I thought he made a mess dropping a crate..." With that he turns and pads back to his cleated boots. He sits down on the porch beside them and puts them on watching the orc landscape. Then, he returns to unloading crates.
Radyx's returns his axes to their places on his belt when he feels the cold air hit him.
"Ta Hell with that. I ain't goin' on no goblin chase in tha middle of this accursed snow. At least not until pay's been discussed."
He watches as Ferit storms out, and shrugs as he walks into the room where the case was being examined. As he passes Wilhem, he says, "What happened, Fancy Pants? You and Elfie screw something up?"
Once inside, he finds himself a spot to sit and stretch his legs out, finally taking a rest after the labor outside.
"An oversight on my part, but nothing to worry over now. I had expected someone of Koriah's reputation to be a bit more thorough in her initial assessment of a curio such as this, and assumed the presence of traps would have already been accounted for. What is important is that the box has been opened, and the treasures within are now available for proper study, not to mention the value of the paradox box itself." Valko's eyes do not leave the contents nor the box as he almost admits his own blunder in opening it prematurely. He arranges the objects contained inside in neat piles across the table for all to see easily.
With Wilhem's order and Valko's willingness to return to the others Gralk slowly raises his weapon, stepping aside and following close behind the foppish fellow, ready to wield his spear should it become necessary, unperturbed by Valko's condescending manner.
_________________________
Wilhem gestures Gralk over and the two bend their heads together. They are making no particular effort to avoid eavesdropping other than lowering their voices, and anyone who cares to turn their efforts to listening in hears a frank and uncharitable recollection of Valko's cowardly and highly suspicious nature. Wilhem seems to do little to disuade his man of this assessment, simply thanking Gralk for his efforts and telling him to continue to wait outside.
Gralk leads the pair out, shutting the doors to the mudroom behind them.
"I expect that would have defeated the point of having us open it as a test." Wilhem observes as he rejoins the rest, brushing absently at a patch of vomit on his clothes, already casting his earlier spell for detecting magical auras.
(Success)
(Success)
(Success)
(Success)
(Success)
(Failure)
(Success)
(Success)
(Failure)
(Failure)
(Fatigued for one hour)
Ferit eventually makes his way back into the manor, rubbing some snow on the vomit covering his furs, in a vain attempt to clean them. "Boxes 're all unloaded," he grunts. He stands sullenly in the library where the Paradox Box puzzle was presented to them, waiting for their host to return. First my arse gets bruised, then I get razzed on, then me arse gets bruised! There'd better be some gold showin' up soon...
As the rush of combat subsides, Hoosible retches in the corner, getting the last of the faerie dust out of his system. As folks collect themselves, he circles around the various places that the fey died, muttering and poking at remains with his toe, "Gods damn faeries didn't even have the decency to leave a bone behind, other than those teeth...Any bones left from the Pugwampi? Oh crap, naw, nothing over here but poop and guts...no love."
Sour that he didn't manage to get a souvenir from the battle, he sets about brushing the dust off of his trench coat as best he can, and scraping the diarrhea off of his boot onto the carpet.
Then he climbs a stool next to the table, to get a better look at the contents of the box.
"Hmmm. I'm not sure about the contents of the vial, though given the aura of undeath radiating from it I wouldn't be eager to drink whatever it might be without further examination. This stick however, would seem to have to do with some manner of conjuration." he observes, picking up the stick, scratching at the stains on the metal with his thumbnail. "Neither are particularly powerful. Allow me a few moments and I may be able to tell you more..."
_________________________
Charbonardent returns to the manor when the crates are unloaded. Cleats put into his pack. He leans against a wall observing the lesser races.
"Hrrmm, OK, let me look at that vial." Hoosible leans over to take it from Wilhem, shaking it gently and sniffing it.
The pallid gnome smiles a toothy grin, "Oh, I know what that one is. It's the smell of old blood that's the giveaway. It's called a Blood Reservoir of Physical Prowess. If someone puts their own blood into it, it can help cure ability damage or make one extra strong, agile, or robust for a brief moment."
Less than a minute goes by after the two Grimples escaped the manor when Taros and Koriah rush downstairs at the urging of Impy to see what all the fuss was about. Taros, not realizing his hallway was covered in greasy vomit, announces his arrival via a series of loud swearing as he slips and falls on the vomit. Impy, riding on his shoulder at the time, is able to lift himself off of his master’s shoulder as he warns his master of the vomit after the fact.
Recomposing himself, Taros enters the room where the Paradox Box has been set down and sees everyone, minus Ferit who had already left to go take his frustrations out on the nearby plantlife, huddled around the room examining the contents of the box or resting. With Isroth and Wilhem both remaining pint-sized for another few minutes, Taros almost allows himself a chuckle at the sight, before getting serious.
”Well then.” He starts off saying, folding his arms as he does so, ”It appears that there might have been a little hiccup with my task that I gave you.. but it appears that, despite the damages caused by the fey that Impy warned me about, you handled the situation amiably. The damage,” he runs his hand over a gash in his wooden table caused by a mishandling of someone’s weapon in attempting to skewer a Pugwampi, ”Will not be difficult to repair, nor the mess hard to clean up.” He takes a whiff, grimacing a bit as he notices the feces-covered candlestick that landed upside-down on the floor opposite of where he is standing. ”Needless to say, good job with both the unpleasantness of the fey and opening of the box, though Impy had told me that no one apparently checked for traps.” He is about to say something else when Koriah, entering the room, carefully balancing herself on the greasy vomit, interrupts him with a farewell.
Apologizing to the group for the interruption, Taros exchanges a few quick words with Koriah, who gives her own farewell to the group before departing, timing her leave just as the vomit appears to lose its slick consistency and begins to dry.
Turning back to the group, Taros starts from where he left off, ”Anyways, this whole thing provides an excellent object lesson to all of you. The life of an adventurer - for that is what you will become while working for the Cypherlodge - is not a life for the weak-hearted or weak-stomached.” He glances at Hoosible, still reeling from the effects of the fairy dust, before continuing further. ”That you not only got the box open, but managed to take care of the pests that were brought along with it is all of the confirmation I need that my gut was right - you are indeed the perfect group for the job that I had in mind.”
”But first, another important matter. The Paradox Box. You may keep what was in it, as a reward for both opening the box and for dealing with the fey summoned from it. The box itself, however, I will be keeping. In addition, “ he scoots some of what remains of Isroth’s precious glaive with his foot, examining it, ”I will see about getting this fixed up for Isroth here. I have a spell that will restore it in no time, once Impy gathers the pieces.” He waves his hand, gesturing for Impy to do just that. Within a minute - during which time, Ferit returns from his gardening - the pieces of Isroth’s glaive are collected and piled upon the table next to the Paradox Box. ”The spell will take a few minutes to cast, so I will get this fixed up shortly. “
He coughs and pauses a moment to avoid a haphazard sneeze from his cold, painfully holding it in. ” Now, about the job.. You see, I’ve recently had trouble with one of my informants here in Magnimar, one ‘Natalya Vancaskerkin’. She’s a half-Varisian who recently approached the Order of the Cyphers with an offer to serve as a street informant. She runs with the Sczarni - I’m not sure with which group, though. Since it is no secret that the Sczarni have not taken very kindly to the subjugation by our Lord Karzoug, having an informant amongst them was a golden opportunity, one that the Order could not pass up. Anyways, a week ago, Natalya sent me a cryptic hint that her gang was on the verge of uncovering an item that would be of great interest to our Order. Since the Sczarnis’ methods of uncovering something often involves an armed robbery or breaking into somebody’s personal chambers, we thought it would be prudent not to press for further details and instead simply wait to see what it would produce. Suffice to say, she hinted strongly that it pertained to ancient Thassilon, and promised to meet with me to discuss this find three days ago.”
”Needless to say, that time has come and gone, and she never kept that promise. Instead, she seems to have simply vanished. Initially, I assumed that the acquisition of this item was simply taking longer than expected, but now I’m hearing rumors that the Sczarni are looking for her as well. “
”It seems likely that Natalya has absconded with this item she’s discovered. And this is where you enter, my friends. I want to know what it is that Natalya and the Sczarni found. In fact, I’m more interested in that than what happened to Natalya herself - her usefulness has ended once she disappeared. For now, I’d like to keep all of this quiet - if you can find out what happened to Natalya and this object of hers without letting a lot of people know she was also working for me as an informant, that would be preferable - that’s a big part of why I’m coming to you, as new members of the Order of the Cyphers, with this task. Most of you do not yet have a reputation in Magnimar, and those who do, do not have one yet associated with us, and as such, the lowlifes and criminals so common in the lower parts of the city may be more likely to talk to you. The Order isn’t particularly well liked amongst the Sczarni due to our close connection with Runelord Karzoug.”
”So.. your task is just that. Go out there and look for Natalya. Find out what happened to her and to this item she and her gang discovered. If you can secure the item, all the better - bring it back to me for examination and I’ll have a reward of five-hundred gold pieces for each of you. And if you can bring Natalya back alive for me to ‘speak’ to, I’ll double it!”
”Any questions?”
The bloodstained 5-inch iron stick is none other than a Wand of Infernal Healing that has 21 remaining charges. The crystal vial, meanwhile, you are unable to identify.
"Ahh, interesting" Wilhem observes with a smile. "A favorite of our ancestors--well mine anyway." he pauses to remind himself of the company he is in. "It draws some of the healing power from a devil's blood to restore the targets body, at the cost of a slight tainting of the soul. Generally harmless unless overused..."
He listens as Hoosible explains the purpose of the vial, before turning to the door as Taros makes his presence known. "I'm afraid our trapfinder may have been somewhat overexcited after having solved the riddle of the box." Wilhem informs him at the appropriate moment, his face completely smooth, his attention focussed on Taros as the man congratulates them and explains the task. Locate someone and retrieve them and a Thassilonian item in their possession. His eyes widen slightly at the promised reward. Generous wages indeed...
"Given the discrete nature of this task, I take it that we should distance ourselves from the lodge during the search?" he asks. "If that is to be the case, might I ask for a small advance on my wages to cover expenses? 5 or 10% would be sufficient."
"If noone has any objection I will take the wand, and use it as necessary for the survival of the group."
_________________________
Radyx is more concerned about catching his breath after all the working in the cold and running around afterwards than with the long winded story Taros goes into. When he finally sounds like he is summing up, Radyx actually listens. At the mentioned pay rate, Radyx says, "For 1000 gold, if the Skirt's alive when we find her, I'll make it a point to get 'er back the same way."
Ferit just listens for now, letting the more socially adept and clever new agents handle this part. He has questions but he waits to see if more money’s to be had and if someone else asks them first.
Taros nods at Wilhem, "I can see no issue at all with sparing fifty gold per person in advance, if it helps you succeed. I will have Impy retrieve said money before you leave."
"As for the Lodge, you do not need to distance yourselves from it - we are located in such an area that is quite far away from most of the riff-raff down in the lesser part of the city. Instead, simply avoid letting anyone know you are working for me here - though someone particularly interested in following you would not have any trouble finding out you work for me, the simple fact that you are not well known should be enough to avoid that. During your stay in Magnimar, however long that ends up being, you may stay here in the Lodge free of charge. The Eurythnia house that you met up in earlier will suffice for the eight of you."
Having been largely silent in his surveying of the manor following the fey's escape, Isroth finally returned to the others right about when Taros was speaking of repairing his glaive. The masked emissary of Xin-Shalast says nothing in response, save for a subtle incline of his head towards the man. Approaching the paradox box, Isroth's breathing becomes momentarily labored and his posture crooked, eliciting a hesitant backwards step away from the object.
He turns to look at the others, briefly lingering on Ferit, before returning his attention to Taros. "Is it not feasible," Isroth's voice is a rasping whisper behind his mask, "for the Cyphermages to supply us with a wand imbued with magic capable of locating an individual?" Isroth's inquiry comes with a momentary pause and a deep breath, followed by a muffled exhalation.
He waits, then, for response with head subtly tilting to the side.
__________
Taros smiles, chuckling even, at Isroth's suggestion. "Well, that would defeat the purpose of training some of our newest members, no?" He shakes his head, getting serious again. "Considering that this whole issue has yet to provide any tangible results, I have not felt the need to bother my superiors with it, thus my resources are somewhat limited. And with myself being.. lacking in the Divination department, as well as having other tasks that have kept me occupied, I felt that it is best to use some fresh blood in this matter. This way, not only do each of you gain valuable experience in the field, but I may focus on my own matters. Though there are none here at the moment, I do have other Cyphermage recruits to deal with, each on their own tasks. Why, just recently we had a sewer goblin break into one of the guest houses here and steal an item from a newer Cyphermage, causing quite the lengthy chase through town. Impy has been especially vigilant since that debacle."
He loosens up again, returning to his less-serious tone. "And then theres the simple fact that I do not have such a wand at this time. " He shrugs. "I make clockwork contraptions and various wondrous items, not wands. On that note, do not hesitate to ask me if you seek anything specially made or imbued. Weapons, armor, various other magical garb, or even a prosthesis. I've recently come across a schematic for a clockwork limb that I've been wanting to try out.. but have yet to find someone to try it out on." He shakes his head, realizing that he is getting off subject, and promptly returns to the task at hand.
"No, you will, as a group, need to go find Natalya yourselves. That isn't to say I don't have a couple of leads to point you in the right direction, though." He turns and rifles through one of the drawers near the window, before pulling out a scroll case and taking out the map within. Unfurling it on the table, thankfully kept devoid of the Pugwampi's feces, he reveals it to be a richly detailed map of Magnimar, complete with notes on the major locations within the city.
”I have three leads for you to look upon. The first, “ he points to a small area of colorful buildings clear across town at an area called Washer’s Row in the district known as Beacon’s Point, ”Is a man known as ‘The Amazing Zograthy’, a Varisian fortune-teller who also often acts as a middle-man between the Sczarni and outsiders. Natalya was known to use his aid from time to time. Seek him out and see if he knows anything, though he’ll likely expect gold in compensation.”
Taros then points to a much closer spot, revealed to be none other than the Arvensoar in Naos, the building that serves as the garrison for the city’s watch. ”Second is the Arvensoar - head there and see if the guards picked her up for some reason, or know anything themselves. Since she ran with a Sczarni gang, they might know something. I hope she hasn’t been taken into custody by them, for if she has, she might well be on her way to Sandpoint by now, to be ‘reeducated’. Should that be the case.. well, it would make things quite a bit more difficult for us.”
He then takes his finger off of the map and lightly traces the entirety of the lower portion of Magnimar, the broad area that encompasses what is known as The Shore. ”The third and final lead is much more broad.. there have been rumors of unauthorized Nidalese slavers working in the city as of late, and with various disappearances happening across the city, mostly in the slums, she might very well have been abducted in the night, should these rumors be true. Scout out the area and see if you can’t find out more about these rumors. This might be the more dangerous of the three leads, as it requires you to search around in the crime-ridden areas of the city - anyone not affiliated with the Sczarni are potential prey for the six major gangs working the Shore. While up here on the Summit, such a thing isn’t an issue, as the guard patrols regularly. Just be careful while you're down there.”
”Any other questions?”