Turning towards the scared father of Basila, Merelda motions for him to come closer.
"Vasaro! Your daughter is fine, but only for now. We must have information to solve this puzzle and
none of us is as familiar with this city as you are! Is there any place around Cassomir that may have a link
to the Darklands? See this? This may be a map of their lair's location somewhere near or even under Cassomir!.
We may be able to hunt down this cult and force it to give us the cure for this plague-wrought attack."
"What about the ones that ran away? They could be hurting someone out there!"
Lililinda runs over to the window and carefully peers through the glass.
Merelda slaps her hand over her face at the dwarf's words.
"Great! We're infected by an ancient disease powered mystically to kill us a little as each day goes by.
Are we infectious? Do you even know? I swear I will not die like THIS."
Picking up her discarded Rapier, Merelda puts it away and draws a dagger from her belt. Then, grabbing the cultist,
she drags her to the nearest chair and forces her to sit while she ties her to the chair quickly and snarls aloud
to the group.
"Now...I'm going to heal this b!^@# so I can kill her slowly and get what we need! Any objections?"
Wild-eyed, hair in dis-array for the first time that any of you' have ever seen, Merelda looks around desperately
at her forcefully bonded companions.
"Stop staring! Help me...or get out of my way!"
"Not as such, but let us try not torturing her first, threats can be as successful, and you cannot go back from torturing someone, but can start whenever you like," Him says, "I have a knack for inventive threatening, and we can always feed her that vial."
"Let us hold off on methods on bloody handed methods for now i think i might be able to get her to talk."
Innis and the cult priestess occupy one of the rooms
wake the priestess up (sill bound)
cast charm person until the spell takes effect can try 4x DC 18
get the priestess to leak all all the information regarding the illness and the cult
"Will your idea prevent or hinder other methods? If not go ahead, can we help?"
Free hand death-gripping the cultist's hair, Merelda's face twisted into a grimace, blood-flecks on her lips from her coughing fit evident, She growls out her feelings verbally.
"But...I want to do!...KILL!...SOMETHING!"
At that point she stands up and throws her knife into the Inn's wall near the Derro's missed crossbow bolt, quivering for a second.
After that she staggers to the corner of the room, slides down the wall and buries her face in her hands. Her cascade of blonde hair covers it all, and she does not move for a while.
Lililinda maintains her watch out the window near the door.
"If they're really led by some powerful entity or something, it doesn't make sense that they'd have only one small party attacking one little inn."
She turns to the room, a firey determination in her eyes. "There's GOT to be more of them out there! Maybe they've infected the whole city! We may be the only ones who know what's going on, so it falls on US to stop them!"
Innis massages her forehead "We've done all we can in here" ~points to the exit~ "go out make yourselves useful. I'll deal with the woman and afterwards you can do with her as you please."
Innis gracelessly drags the captive to one of the guest rooms "The moment you find anything come get me & in any event don't stay way too long."
Him follows Kirzon out watching for danger while the dwarf and his serpent companion attempt to track.
|
Nicias spends several minutes in a kind of a trance, sniffing the bottle, pouring out a drop onto various test substances and examining the results closely. His eyes refocus as Kirzon hands him the berries, and he speaks as he is scoffing them,
"The disease in this vial is magically tied to some kind of artefact, which is why it disseminates so quickly. I suspect we were all caught in the spray, so chances are we are all infected, but Basila caught the brunt of it so she was affected first and fastest. If we do not find this artefact and cut the link, I suspect we will all go the same way."
After most everyone filters away, and a few minutes pass with only Vasaro breaking the silence with his crying,
Merelda will get up slowly and fix her hair back into its severe ponytail.
Glancing at the sick girl and her father emotionlessly for a few seconds; she then moves and pulls her dagger
from the wall, checks it for damage, and puts it away.
Looking closer at the dark fey's crossbow bolt in the wall, Merelda suddenly remembered her lore and grabs the bolt
and pulls it out forcefully.
Looking for the tell-tale smears of poison she expected, she smiles and uses an orision(Detect Poison) to guarantee her suspicion.
"The goddess smiles upon me again in mysterious ways!"
She turns to Nicias who is still looking carefully at the contagion bottle.
"This poison? Can you identify it and maybe its source? They hit you with it did they not? Knowing these fey it will be mildly-exotic at least!"
The poison is easy for Nicias to identiy. It is spider venom. Based on the lore that you both know of these creatures it is a probably a medium sized cave spider or some variety of that spider.
He sharply turns his towards Merelda with a look of pain and anger. Looking back at his daughter he grabs the map and stares at it for awhile as the rest of you decide your plans. In a cracked voice you hear him say, "The Locker...the map shows the sewers below the city. I have heard enough over the years to know that this evil crawled out of there. Find them. FIND THEM NOW! They will pay for what they have done to my beautiful Basila. Oh my beautiful Basila..." he strokes her hair whether that is to console himself or her you cannot determine. He continues. "The watch seals the entrances to Locker but occasionally they find their way open. I cannot tell you more than that. I pray to you my friends. Help my daughter. She is all I have left. Heal her and I will do all in my power to pay you back." he grows quiet after that his concern centered solely on Basila.
Him waits to see if Kirzon or Boros can catch a scent, ready to race back and inform the others if they do.
Once the poison is identified, Merelda will move to wait by the door and listen to Innis' interrogation and to help guard the prisoner.
"I will stay with Innis and help her if I can with the prisoner. If you want to try and find the entrance the
creatures came out of, then do so. Come get us if you do. If we get anything from this woman, I will cast a
light spell on the edge of the Inn's roof to summon you back."
"We have a map, we know what we need to do, knock the crazy woman out and let the authorities deal with her later. Time does seem to be pressing, so let's find a suitable way into this Locker, and find whatever is causing this plague," Him says, with a shrug,
"If Kirzon can find there trail, quickly, then we can use the way they used, if not we try all those nearby since I doubt they came far through the streets. But we need to be swift, for Basilica's sake and our own, so let us move."
With her haughty demeanor back in place, Merelda shakes her head in disagreement.
"Yes Him, but if Innis can charm the woman then she will lead us directly to where we want to go AND maybe tell us what is waiting for us.
Traps...monsters...anything. Right now we don't know much, and we will only get weaker as each day passes. I would rather be prepared for what may be ahead than blindsided again. You?"
"I do not know much about charms, but I expect they are not wholly reliable yes? That you have charmed someone does not mean they are turned against their former allies... So taking enemy spellcaster who can potentially alert her allies to our presence, and perhaps even attack those of use she is not charmed by, seems... ill-advised."
"It is also my understanding that spells are a limited commodity, so using them now, rather than in an upcoming battle, that our urgency dictates must be today weakens us. It was also this woman who was carrying the map, and so presumably, needed the map, so will the map not prove more reliable than her memory in anycase?"
"My suggestion is that we go to this Locker, while still vital - relatively in my case - and cut down anything that moves. We can save one or two here and there leaving them unconscious in case we need to question them later. My guess would be that this artefact will be quite apparent and we deal with it as best we can once we find it."
While you stand at the entrance to the inn Vasaro gently picks up Basila and starts to head upstairs. "Nephew run up and open the door for Basila's room I would rather she lie down in her bed then on this damp floor."
Passing by the party he stops by Merelda on his way up the stairs. You notice that he has strapped a crossbow to his back."I hope your friend is good at what she does. It seems you are wasting time and Basila might not have much left. When you are done with that woman remove her from this place. She is your responsibility and I do not want her to awaken and find more to victimize."
Finding an unoccupied room you close the door behind you. Making sure her bindings are still secure you wake the priestess from her unconscious state. As she wakes you cast your spell. The priestess however glares at you unaffected by your spell. Quickly you attempt to cast another hoping this time to make see you as a friend. Once again it fails.
She screams at the top of lungs and attempts to lunge at you "We of Scythe Queen are not weak. I shall have your body bled like a animal put to slaughter! RELEASE ME OR DIE!" she fights with all her strength to work at the bonds. As she fights you once again summon from your arcanic reserves and attempt to ensorcell her. Still this fails and she continues to unravel her from the bonds. One last time you summon the last of you arcanic reserves but it is no use the priestess mind proves too strong.
"I see you failing at whatever you are doing. You are weaker than I thought. The Scythe Mother has no time for those who are no better than infirmed. Soon you will see the truth...ahhh yes it has already happened. Your eyes... yes...yes... hahaha. You are as good as dead."
From upstairs you hear screams coming from the room with the priestess and Innis. You are not sure what is going on but the noise is loud enough that it can probably be heard from outside.
"Ah, it seems she is rabid dog. If my guess, that her deeds would warrant death by law, is correct, and nobody else cares for the task I will execute her down - if nobody objects?" Him says, gaunt face grim and uncharacteristically severe, as he looks to each of his companions in turn.
"I loathe hurting women, I believe in redemption; but I see neither guilt nor sorrow. Some people forfeit their right to live, by threatening the freedom and lives of others."
Drawing steel (Rapier) Merelda runs to the room and pushes her way inside.
Seeing the woman screaming in anger and trying to escape, and Innis' look of complete disgust, tells Merelda everything she needs to know.
Innis roars in frustration due to her lack of success "All very noble Him'Wazir just end this waste of flesh" She leaves the room to regroup with the others, ready to be off to wherever the map leads...
As Innis leaves the room Merelda rushes and exacts her anger at the cult priestess. As the priestess watches the rapier flash towards her she tries to scream something but Merelda's blow is true and it takes the priestess right under the clavicle before she can utter anything recognizable to those around.
She topples over her breath short as her lungs starts to collapse. A look of fear shines in her eye realizing she is about to meet the Mother.
As the woman's life expires, Merelda whispers in her ear.
"I vow by the goddess Calistria herself that I will have my vengeance upon your filthy upstart
of a divine power and her rabble of followers. On your life I SWEAR this."
Him sighs, "Many want to make this world ugly. Perhaps a wiser man would know why. May her soul someday find atonement by the grace of The Dawnflower," moving forward he covers the body with a sheet, more for Vasaro's sake than anything else and makes his way to Kirzon,
"The crazy Priestess is dead, and we learned little or nothing, have you any sign of them?"
"We'll take the body with us when we leave per Vasaro's wishes. We should have someone burn the body
in case it contains an unknown contagion as well. I've heard of crazy cultists who infect themselves with
such filth, and similar sorts of things."
Merelda is curt and her speech seems agitated again. She refuses to look anybody in the eye when she talks again.
"We will start having to work better together in order to finish this situation properly. I admit I have not been as...
helpful?...as I would have liked. My people live for many of your lifetimes, and to suddenly find myself...
I will endeavor to do better from here. I have sworn by the goddess to find vengeance against this cult and its
paltry patron, whatever the cost. But I know I will need all of your help to do it."
"I would rather spend the time getting rid of this contagion, and dispose of the body properly afterwards - burning a body takes a considerable time. Vasaro would, I am sure, prioritize saving Bascilia over getting rid of a mere corpse - and if he does not he is being a fool. I do not know about vengeance, but I am certainly willing to help cut out this cancer beneath the City."
Looking even more cross than normal Merelda replies.
"Fine. WHATEVER. I could care less. He's YOUR friend, not mine. You can be the one who explains to him why
we left the body of a woman he specifically asked us to get rid of, and which may contain even more varied
contagions that will get spread around his inn."
Moving briskly toward the front of the Inn Merelda cleans her rapier and puts it away.
"Let's get moving before Kirzon sprouts roots outside."
Lililinda has gathered up her cloak and bag, and is standing by the door, waiting patiently for everyone. She cringes at the screaming from upstairs, and looks a little pale when it stops.
What a nasty business this all is.
She notices her hands are shaking, but whether from the sickness, or the grim excitement of the past few minutes, she doesn't know.
"Because it could mean the difference between saving his daughter and not?" Him replies, "my conscience will not be troubled. We do not know how long we have so every second could be precious."