[AP] The Shackled City Adventure Path by GM Rutseg (Inactive)

Game Master Balacertar

« Ùn sò micca sapè cumu hè o cumu si mette nantu à a frunti. »
« Ma quannu fighjemu questu fichi per vede u monstru di invisibili, aghju vistu a marca nantu à u to forapu »
« Fighjola una freccia chì apunna cun un ochju in u mità. »
« Pensu chì aghju vistu prima di un locu. »

"Aghju...hè una marca invisibule nantu à a mo faccia? Ùn sò micca sapendu per quessa saria quì, o quale si parla..." Marigold replies, now looking quite anxious. She reaches up to touch her forehead, as if expecting to feel something there. Then, with visible effort, she attempts to calm her nerves.

"Questu ùn pare micca un bonu tempu per pruvà à calculà più. Serebbe sculacciate cusì chì avemu tutti avemu un veru?" she asks as she glances nervously towards Maxim and Dolgrin.

« Hai ragione. Pigliu più tardi. »

Maxim continues to stare hard at Dolgrin as he mulls the words spoken.

At Juraan's interjection he holds up a hand;

"The shame he refers to is an old wound reopened Drakblood... from a long time gone."

The gun-mage sheathes his shortsword as he addresses the older dwarf;

"Kun skam er, hvad Splintershield repræsenterer. En årsag til, at du følelsesløst fulgte som en rotte på krummer. Familien betød ingenting for den nidkærs vilje, og jeg var glad for at slippe af med det, og dem der drukkede hans ord som vin ..."

There is spite in the wizard's voice, but he remains stoic as he speaks.

"Ah...th-they s-seem like they kn-know each other. Wh-who is he?"

Kikinnin can't quickly verify, so pauses a fat moment, to make sure he answers Marigold as properly as he can.

(Lore)Malachite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

"That, Marigold, would be Dolgrin Fulgrentforge, Far of our Maxim. I best leave it at that." He pats the halfling on the back, in quiet thanks for the healing which brings him to full health.

"Så derfor var du meget kommet her i dag? At uddybe min clans skam?"

When Juraan answers Dolgrin, it gives Kikinnin time to form his own thoughts, which swirl in ignorance, and require answers to dismiss his fog. His brain power hardly spends any energy on the side conversation of the Drakblood and the halfling. He remains focused on the words exchanged between Sønn and Far.

"Kun skam er, hvad Splintershield repræsenterer. En årsag til, at du følelsesløst fulgte som en rotte på krummer. Familien betød ingenting for den nidkærs vilje, og jeg var glad for at slippe af med det, og dem der drukkede hans ord som vin ..."

Kikinnin finally speaks. His words and gestures are directed at Dolgrin.

"Hvorfor var du i kjeder, og Zenith satt på en trone? Hvorfor ligger min Far død fra tortur, og du tjener froskepresten? Selv nå, ønsker du fortsatt å se Zenith live? Du ringte ham avskum."

Kikinnin turns to speak to Maxim.

"Were your Fa... were Dolgrin not here when I pursued Zenith, I would be the one lying dead here, not Zenith. He helped to frustrate that priest with his pincerstaff. Kept me alive long enough to bury my Axe a couple of times more than he could stab back."

The black beard speaks gravely, as if speaking for Dolgrin in a court of law.

JJ keeps a quiet watch over the room. He follows the conversation, but knows that dwarves can be a bit picky about other folk speaking their language. Truth be told he kind of liked to listen in on the old family arguments. They lent a feeling of history and long familiarity. While there was obviously pain in the past, and deeds as yet unresolved, he stood, quietly envious of the dwarves and their tight knit community.

Still, in the depths of their enemies holy places, he wasn't about to let up his guard. Eventually he asks.
"What is through that door that the priest was trying to flee to?"

Maxim grimaces as Kikinnin recounts how Dolgrin had assisted in them overcoming Zenith and the Kuo-Toa priest.

"Duly noted bror. By my reckonin' those chained'll do plenty to gain freedom... Hell's Teeth - we all did..."

The gun-mage sighs;

"He fought on the right side this day, but the ledger ain't balanced... not by a long shot."

"S-so what now? We f-found Zenith, b-but I d-don't think any of us w-were expecting this," Marigold asks quietly.

"How many more of your kin are enslaved down here?" asks JJ of Dolgrin.

"We consider visiting the black again, before we leave. We also consider how Zenith returns from the Dark Lands." Kikinnin watches as JJ's curiosity draws him towards the room behind the obsidian statue room.

Unfortunately Ryan doesn't speak Dwarven so is somewhat lost....

"We consider visiting the black again??"

Studying Zenith a moment, Ryan ask Kikinnin.

"What happened to him, did his mind splinter much as his name would suggest? Too much for too long?"

"The dragon, Ryan. We're not done deciding on the black, what did he call himself again? Dhorlot? Yeh." Kikinnin doesn't offer speculation as to the ruin of Zenith's mind. "You're asking the wrong dwarf. Dolgrin is the one to account for Zenith's time here, and right now, Maxim and I are waiting to hear him answer."

Dolgrin remains silent during Juraan's interjection and most of the questioning. He does finally raise to look hard at Maxim and answer quietly.

Dolgrin turns then to Kikinnin but he looks down then contrived by emotion.

Maxim listens, then scoffs as at Dolgrin's words then gestures toward the fallen Zenith;

"How does that old sayin' go again... King fer a day, Fool fer a lifetime... Reckon that sums how yer sacred crusade done an' ended up..."

The gun-mage mulls his next words, face hardening;

"Shame of it is, all them that got duped by that zealot piece o' skit are dead... An' were before they marched out o' the Malachite. Words from you don't mean squat Dolgrin... jes' the jabberin'' o' some crazy dwarf I used to know."

He spits, then looks to the others;

"Way Dolgrin here tells it seems all the dwur are gone... Sacrificed by the fish-folk, 'ceptin' him an' Zenith. They lapped up Splintershield's mad-babblin' an' made Dolgrin a slave."

Dolgrin turns then to Kikinnin but he looks down then contrived by emotion.

Kikinnin's look turns as hard as those of the Fulgrentforges.

"Nei, Dolgrin. Du blir ikke stille på Pocca Rouradont. Antyder du at min far var en del av Zeniths kampanje? Moren min kan ha forskjellige ord på det. Mitt Far er død, og jeg tar sikte på å lære hvem som var ansvarlig for sin død."

Kikinnin doesn't notice his own forearms coiling in anger.

Still not understanding what is being said specifically, Ryan knows the undercurrent is not pleasant.

Zenith or the priest nearly killed Kikinnin from the way he looked when I arrived, Abadar, to face such a creature we will each need a measure of your grace."

Juraan furrows his brow looking at Zenith and then turns to talk to Marigold again:

« O Caru... Calendula; chì marca invisibule nantu à a frunti ... »
« Zenith hà u listessu cosa. Parolle cusì ... »

He then pulls out a piece of parchment and starts drawing a design on it as best he can and shows it to Marigold.

knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22 ... to see if he can recognize what he's drawing

Once he shows the drawing to Marigold, he clears his throat and speaks up a bit:
"Ummmm, guys? I don't like to interrupt, but I think you should see this."
He motions them over to have a look at his drawing and to confer a bit...

"Did you ever work out what that was?" asks JJ, coming back to see what the conversation was about.

"I remember seeing that.. I think on Marigold... back when we were trying to get the wands back."

I found the post, so this may have been in the big underground ruin with the cable car. here

"You're right JJ. It's been a while."
"The thing is, this design is also on Zenith's Forehead."
"That spell I used allows me to see it on her and Zenith."
"Does anyone have any ideas about it?"

"Someone said something about a smoking eye as well. I know we have heard that before somewhere.."

He thinks back.
"The boatman. He saw Marigold and said something about a smoking eye. I wonder if he was referring to the invisible sign?"

"He probably was, now that I think of it."
"Sorry, Marigold. Our manners... Any thoughts on this?"
"Have you felt or seen anything you can't explain around Zenith?"
"This all has to to be connected somehow ..., Juraan concludes, scratching his head in confusion.

Happy in the shift of focus, Maxim also mulls the circumstances regards the shared marking on both Marigold and Zenith;

"Could be as simple as an Arcane Mark that wizards an' enchanters use... 'ceptin' those tend to fade after a few months or so..."

The gun-mage scowls;

"Ain't no connection betwixt Lil' Miss an' that zealot I can see... outwith they both are professed vessels for the divine powers? We know Lil' Miss is touched by her god, and Splintermind there was a babblin' prophet for the frog-folk..."

"Oh th-that's r-right...JJ s-saw it t-too..." Marigold murmurs, unable to believe that such a thing had slipped her mind. Though, in her defense, a lot had happened between then and now.

"And n-no, I didn't get the h-heebie j-jeebies or anything wh-when we f-fought Zenith j-just now," she continues. "He d-didn't s-seem to c-care anything about m-me either. S-seemed m-more interested in K-Kikinnin..."

As she speaks, she studies the drawn sign and once again tries to recall if there's anything about it that stirs her memory...

Kn. Arcana: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Kn. Planes: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Kn. Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Kn. History: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

...but nothing comes to mind. "I th-think I've b-been without s-sunlight for t-too long, I c-can't c-concentrate," she huffs with agitation.

Dolgrin lowers his face in front of Kikinnin "Zenith marcherede ind i Darklands med en lille hær, fast i sin vilje til at redde de store huler fra ondskab. Men Darklands kunne ikke blive frelst ... og vi konfronterede ubarmhjertige, dystre kampe imod mindflayers, derro og værre. Da vi begravede ven efter ven, blev Zenith fortvivlet af hans søgen. Med de få, der overlevede os, marcherede Zenith ind i Bhal-Hamatugns kuo-toan tempel fæstning som bud af hans vision. Thue kuo-toas fangede os let, så slog vi nådesløst alle sammen, men Zenith og mig i en horrid ritual. Da vi blev ledet til offeret, begyndte Zenith vildt i Kuo-toan, hvor han profeterede den blodige død af den kku-toan-troldmandshøvding..."

Dolgrin smiles remembering about the past "Ingtrigued, kuo-toas spart vores liv. Den følgende dag var kuo-toa-høvdingen faktisk død, slank af en dæmon, da dens pludselige bindestav blev forfærdelig. Kuo-toasen skræmlede Zenith og lyttede nøje til hans ravende profetier. År senere blev Zenith blevet de facto-leder af kuo-toasene, idet de gik til større grusomheder i navnet på en tilstedeværelse, han kalder "Ryggende øje". Hans frygtelige hårdhed i kamp og hans uhyggelige visioner har forbløffet over kuo-toasene, som ærer ham med en lidenskab, der grænser op til tilbedelse ..."

Neither Juraan or Marigold have any clue about the mark.

The dwarf proceeds with his explanations "Pocca ... En god minearbejder var han. Jeg har ingen anelse om, hvordan lykkedes det ham at nå templet, men for en måned siden nåede han her. Han lovede at se Zenith, han forsikrede sig om, at malachit fæstningen var faldet under påvirkning af en slavering, og han var undslået dårligt såret for at kigge efter korstrædernes hjælp. Han havde al sit håb på Zenith, hans sidste håb om at redde malachitten, men Mangh-Mictho ville ikke tillade ham at se Splintershielden. Han sendte ham til tortur uden at have mulighed for at se Zenith, de vil have dem til at erkende, at han var en del af et mindflayer-trick ..."

Kikinnin waits for Dolgrin to finish his history, as he finally lands on the responsibility for Pocca's death. Within the last month...

The black beard begins to pace, back and forth, wearing the soles of his boots on the frogs' floor in an internal debate. He eventually comes to a halt, and returns his gaze to Dolgrin.

"Malakitt led for din forlatelse, Dolgrin. Din og Zeniths og de andre tullene som tok opp et slikt misguided oppdrag. Du ville ha funnet mer suksess og prøvde å telle flakene i malachittstein enn du hadde forsøkt å kvitte mørklandene av rot og onde."

"Du bledet malakittisk blod, de som marsjerte, og de du forlot for å dø i slavers hender. Du fordømte deg selv i våre forfedres øyne. For alt du har sett av Zeniths avstamning i galskap, tror du at vi skal spare livet hans, Dolgrin Fulgrentforge? Din froskepriester klarte å trekke ham tilbake til livet. Jeg vurderer å returnere ham til Boneyard, akkurat her, akkurat nå."

Kikinnin walks over to stand over the unconscious body of Zenith, setting the head of his Axe next to the head of the red beard. Both hands come to rest on the head of the pommel, as the black beard waits to hear Dolgrin's response.

"Kikinnin, no!" cries JJ.

"We were sent here to rescue him. If he has done crimes, then let him answer for them. Who knows how any of us would have held up under what he went through. Seeing all his friends die, one by one. Brains eaten, flesh warped, souls tortured. The underdark is a horrible place. "

He pauses. "While misguided, Zenith started his quest with a noble intention. That you disagreed with it and that it came to grief.. These are not reasons to take his head."

Shaking his head in sorrow JJ gestures around. "The evil of this place, it is seeping into all of us. We need to leave before we too fall to its grip."

He turns to Dolgrim. "We met a pair of prisoners when we arrived. But they are gone now. Do you know what happened to them? Are they still around? Where would the frogs have taken them?"

Juraan speaks up and interrupts the exchange of pleasantries between Kikinnin and Dolgrin:

« Kan vi stoppe argumenterne i et øjeblik? »
« Jeg er mere bekymret for Marigold end Zenith. »
« Hun har samme mærke på hendes forgrund som Zenith. »
« Hvad kan du i hvert fald fortælle os om Røgøjen? »
« Jeg vil sørge for, at det ikke er nogen trussel mod Marigold. »
« JJ har et punkt, Kikinnin. »
« Jeg stoler ikke mere på ham end du gør. »
« Men han skal have nyttige oplysninger et eller andet sted i hans knuste sind. »
« Han er sandsynligvis mere værdifuld for kulden levende end død. »

"Kikinnin, no! We were sent here to rescue him. If he has done crimes, then let him answer for them. Who knows how any of us would have held up under what he went through. Seeing all his friends die, one by one. Brains eaten, flesh warped, souls tortured. The underdark is a horrible place. While misguided, Zenith started his quest with a noble intention. That you disagreed with it and that it came to grief.. These are not reasons to take his head. The evil of this place, it is seeping into all of us. We need to leave before we too fall to its grip."

Kikinnin eventually releases his gaze from Dolgrin, to turn it upon JJ. "If, JJ? IF?! Are you not listening to anything said here and now?" The black beard waits a moment to hear JJ's answer, before continuing. "Are you suggesting that I'm succumbing to evil, same as Zenith?"

Kikinnin drops the Dwarven to answer Juraan. "We're not arguing, I'm interrogating Dolgrin." The black beard looks over at the almost-dead Zenith, and the still-standing Marigold. "I don't know what you're on about, but miss Marigold looks healthy enough to me. If you think your questions for Dolgrin are more important than mine, then you and I will be arguing. Again."

Rouradont turns back to Fulgrentforge, and waits.

"You're right, Marigold is healthy."
"And we all want her to stay that way, thankyouverymuch!"
"The thing is, her and Zenith share this same invisible mark on their foreheads.", Juraan says, showing his diagram to Kikinnin,
"I just want to be sure this smoking eye business, whatever it is, poses no danger to her. Ever."
"I don't really give a toss about what you do to either Zenith or Dolgrin, to be perfectly honest."
"Not after all the larks we've been through lately."
"Just don't lose track of your friends' well-being, that's all I can ask."

"I'm sure we'll argue later. We always do, it seems.", Juraan thinks...
"It would be boring if we did NOT get under each other's skin, I suppose."

"I'm just calling it straight Kikinnin." says JJ, somewhat relieved that the distance between the rat catchers axe and the madman's neck seems to be increasing.

"I'm listening to what you say Kikinnin. Apart from noble intent and a strong mind broken by horrors, I'm not seeing a neck-stretching exercise here. We've all, well, I've done plenty a thing I'm none to proud of. But we grow by our mistakes."

He nods to Juran. "You and me both. Nothing is going to get to my sister while I still draw breath."

He reads the professors thoughts, smiling. "Family argues. One way or another we're all becoming family here. Looks like none of us have much blood kin left. "

Maxim listens to his fa... Dolgrin's tale of survival and attrition.

When talk turns to Pocca's fate, the gun-mage grimaces as if stabbed and looks toward his bror.

Seeing the righteous fury grow in Kikinnin, Maxim does not sway the warrior with word nor action, he merely nods to himself.

When both JJ and Juraan interject, the wizard is purned into words;

"Little history lesson for you Surabar... Zenith weren't no noble intent in his crusade... He was... is... a zealot an' a fanatical chiseler who sold folks on a noble idea... Nuthin' more, nuthin' less."

Maxim eyes the prone Zenith, as he pulls forth a stogie and lights it;

"Hell's Teeth... If he weren't damned worth so much in coin or favour, then I'd put a bullet through him myself..."

"I'm f-fine Juraan, r-really I am," Marigold interjects quickly, having absolutely no desire to become tangled in this mess anymore than she already was. "We c-can w-worry about this m-mark later."

"And JJ...Z-Zenith m-might've m-meant well, b-but look what h-happened...s-so m-many of his p-people are dead b-because of his c-crusade and for wh-what?" Marigold shakes her head sadly. "I r-read once in a h-history b-book about this b-brilliant st-strategist, an inquisitor that f-followed the Lady of V-Valor. He w-wanted to clear his homeland of demonic t-taint...a g-good g--goal, b-but some of his c-crusades to d-do that w-were really m-more like witchhunts. M-maybe he g-got s-some of the w-wicked d-doing that b-but wh-what about the innocents who d-died? And wh-what about the sh-shame he b-brought to his h-home, his p-people, and his g-goddess? W-was it w-worth it?"

Kikinnin hears out Maxim and Marigold, and their own weighing of the matter. He knows Ryan must be deliberating behind his own set of eyes, and has never held his tongue, when he can weigh in on a debate that divides the Watchers. He allows the priest his time forming his thoughts, to utter more of his own.

"My Axe struck deep into Zenith. Divinely deep. Zenith is deep evil, and we're speaking of him as if he were escaped from an asylum, and needs returning, for his mind to mended, and his thoughts written down for their worth. The only way he's grown, JJ, is like a tumor." Kikinnin adjusts his grip, his hands fatiguing from squeezing too hard. The head of his Axe inches closer to the top of Zenith's head, in the adjustment.

"Let me set the table here, for what I believe is happening here, truly. Celeste brought us together with something that wears the face of Dakved Splintershield. This 'Dakved' wants Zenith returned to Cauldron, and Celeste is willing to see us risk our lives to bring him back. For what? To see what the hidden evil in Cauldron needs from Zenith? Unless Celeste herself is powerful enough to fend for herself, she's in as much danger as we are, with the growing knowledge we're gathering." Kikinnin looks at Maxim, his eyes troubled by his own thoughts beginning to clear.

"Juraan. You say that Zenith has some kind of mark. You're also concerned about the 'Smoking Eye', that encouraged Zenith to greater and greater atrocities. You say that Marigold has the same mark. Have you seen this mark on anyone else, from your time in Cauldron?"

"Mark the words of Xoden Nightshieldslag. If we're speaking about 'marked ones', then we start to see a bigger picture. The Shackleborn. If the evil in Cauldron is seeking those with marks, and it wants Zenith, then..." Kikinnin turns to Marigold, and doesn't finish the sentence.

"I suspect that Zenith is being summoned back to Cauldron, for evil purpose. And we're alright with this?"

Dolgrin takes Zenith's head with care, trying to speak a sloppy Common "It is in dwarven code that a dwarf should follow the call of his King to his bannermen. Do you suggest we should have better broken our liege and committed treason? For what? Lack of vision? Cowardice?" the dwarf glimpses at Maxim with a pause to enhance his words "The Malachite is strong, and I am sure the dwarves will be hard enough to hold it against the puny of the Darklands. If Morgrim has claimed the souls of good dwarves I am sure it is all part of a bigger picture we cannot grasp." he points at the dead kuo-toas and smiles "And your presence here is just one more proof of his preparations"

The dwarf sits Zenith leaning against the obsidian statue and carefully tends to his wounds.

JJ's eyes widen as Kikinnin reminds him of the talk about the Shackleborn.

"But Kikinnin... Marigold has that symbol as well. Does that make her... one of them. I don't believe that makes you evil. I won't believe it."

He looks at Splintershield. "Just because your axe bites deep doesn't mean he is evil. Just that your skill and axe were stronger than his skill and his armor."

Maxim shares the hard look with Kikinnin as further words are spoken.

At Dolgrin's poorly veiled stab he smiles wryly and continues to puff on his cigar...

"Malachite weren't strong enough to hold its walls, nor save its people when the slavers came a' knockin'... Defences left as thin as my patience on account o' y'all playin' follow the liege. But like you say Dolgrin - was all part o' some bigger purpose. Preordained that we came along an' saved 'em all right?"

The gun-mage's smile becomes harder as he continues;

"Course fate meant I was destined for the forge... to make weapons an' armour fer Zenith's crusades... 'Cept that weren't me. I was destined to walk my own path... Coin an' black powder. Family in gnomiz an' being a Garthûn... So don't you talk o' cowards... lessen you're speakin' o' yourself. Cowards follow blind, heedless and spineless."

Maxim flicks his cigar angrily away, then looks to his friends and companions;

"These marked... The Shackleborn, as Kikinnin says, are most likely marked fer nefarious purpose... an' I've always purported that we were being played as patsies by Celeste an' Davek... So how do we stymie 'em all...an' protect our own at the same time?"

"And what do you know of this 'smoking eye', and the 'shackleborn'?" he asks Dolgrin.

Turning to the others he adds "Zenith knows something, or his madness does. We need to know what he does. Who knows what might happen to Marigold. And who put these marks on them anyway?"

"Think, JJ. You've had as much experience as the rest of us, you only have to look back on our travels, and think. Remember Terrem? Do you remember the creature that took him? Don't you think it sounds very likely that the eye creature is our 'Smoking Eye'? I don't remember anyone suggesting that Terrem had a mark on him, but he was claimed, just the same. We bring Zenith back alive, it might only be a matter of time before the floating eye shows up, and claims his protege, closer to Cauldron."

"Terrem? He's troubled too.." says JJ Aghast.

"Juran... would you be able to see if my little brother had a mark like that as well? " he stands, confused.

"Two from the orphanage... and Zenith. But Zenith never came up to Cauldron. Do you think it could have been that vampire that did this?"

He shakes his head/. "Or the eye thing... Hmm.. What did Terrem say when he was taken... he couldn't remember much."

JJ's eyes glaze over as he tries to remember what Terrem said.

"The woman told me to stay calm, that they had saved me from the slaver buyers and they would take me home soon. She said then some strange words and made some rare movements. She and the eyed one looked very carefully at my face. The eyed one was impatient and asking her questions, but she seemed happy and smiled while looking straight at my front. She said I was a good boy and the eyed one seemed happy too. "

"These marks...they are right in the middle of your face aren't they..." he says with growing horror.

"W-wait...s-so this wh-whole thing is s-some s-sort of c-c-conspiracy?" Marigold asks, looking rather horrified herself. She hadn't seen this 'mark' for herself but she trusted JJ and Juraan's word that it was there, plain as day for those who knew how to look for it. "I n-never th-thought that T-Terrem m-might have a m-mark like that, b-but th-the m-more you all t-talk, th-the m-more it st-starts to m-make a s-sick s-sort of s-sense..."

She stops, an odd thought flickering across her mind.

I wonder what sort of dreams Zenith and Terrem have had these past months.

"JJ? Y-You're c-closer to T-Terrem that I am...h-has he s-said anything about b-bad dreams lately?"

As the discussion had originally been in Dwarven, and Ryan's dwarven speech recognition was suspect at best, he had been completely lost in what was being said; even Juraan and Marigold's discussions were lost on him. As the discussions turned to common, understanding began to dawn, as to what was happening.....

"The shackleborn, Terrem, Xoden, Zenith and Marigold, and a black dragon. I'd be lying if I said I knew how all of this fit together. But Xoden was creating cages, and we know that, we found the evidence in his shop and the remnants of their builds below with JJ's first girlfriend in the great hall there. Cages are meant to jail someone or something.
Their were to be 13 of them from what we found."

listening to JJ's worry about Terrem "From What I remember we had little choice in that moment to protect Terrem, and while we are here little more can be done to protect him or others, we need to return."

Turning his attention to Zenith and Dolgrin, and remembering the chastisement he received from the Malachite duo chooses his words somewhat carefully.

"If Zenith carries the mark that denotes the shackleborn then returning him even in part may be benefiting those who seek Cauldron and Malechite's destruction, is it worth the coin?"

Sorry all struggling with the words on this one, enjoying the banter back and forth though.

"Oh yes.." says JJ.

"Terrem was having some very bad dreams. He was quite upset by them. But.." he looks even more worried. "I think he also kind of enjoyed them. " He sighs. "He too dreamt of an eye though. Hardly surprising considering what he has been through."

Turning to Ryan the lad keeps shaking his head. "And leaving Zenith here? Where there is nobody to guard or guide him? And what if the Shackleborn are keeping some ancient evil - this smoking eye... what if they keep it at bay somehow?"

He sits down. "In Lady Halie's Nightime Difficulty.." he blushes a little at the name "Her servants formed a magical living lock to keep her safe. What if Marigold and Zenith and Terrem are part of some type of living lock. The horrors they keep in check maybe invading their dreams..."

The more he says it, the more the story makes sense to him.

"In this case, we can't kill Zenith without breaking, or at least weakening, the lock." He thinks further. "What is Celeste knows or suspects this... could that be why she was lending her support to getting him back?"

"I've not had any d-dreams about eyes," Marigold responds, shivering a little as she recalls fleeting images of angels and demons, all jumbled in her mind. "N-not that I r-remember, anyway. B-but didn't C-Celeste s-seem like sh-she was on the uh...th-the up-and-up?" she asks, turning her gaze to Kikinnin as she poses the question. "Y-you s-seem to have th-the t-talent to g-get the m-measure of anyone we m-meet."

"So you're basing your decision on a fictional love novel???" Ryan says incredulously

JJ shuts up fast. "Just sayin whats possible" he mutters to a convenient corner.

"If Zenith carries the mark that denotes the Shackleborn, then returning him, even in part, may be benefiting those who seek Cauldron and Malachite's destruction. Is it worth the coin?

Kikinnin hears reason within Ryan's words, until the priest weighs the wages lost. Maxim's having waaay too much influence on him. He gives Ryan a nod, as he turns to hear what the others offer. JJ's rambles don't encourage him.

"B-but didn't C-Celeste s-seem like sh-she was on the uh...th-the up-and-up? Y-you s-seem to have th-the t-talent to g-get the m-measure of anyone we m-meet."

"I sensed nothing ill-natured in Celeste, only 'Dakved'. And here, Zenith. He shimmers in oily black. Abadar gives me a chance to sense evil natures, both with a Look, and with my weapon. If I ask Abadar to strike more powerfully against a foe, He grants a greater blow, only if my foe is evil."

Almost to test it again, Kikinnin looks over Dolgrin the Chained, nursing Zenith Splintershieldslag. At Will- Detect Evil

Regardless of the result of his curiosity, Kikinnin turns to face his companions.

"I'm bearing my Far's, my Father's body from this place. He died seeking Zenith's strength in returning to Malachite to defend it. The frog priest saw to it that Zenith prospered, while Pocca Rouradont was tortured. The frog priest sought to preserve Zenith's life, while it ended Pocca's. If you seek to stay my blade from serving its executioner's purpose, then you must acknowledge that his life might serve a greater evil, and you facilitated it by returning him to Cauldron, and to an impostor, whose nature is known to be evil."

"I already killed him once. His retreat to this chamber saved him, with the priest's magic. I would kill him a second time, and it would be right to do so."

The black beard leans over Zenith, pulling his gloves off. His scaled hands work to pull the gauntlets from the unconscious dwarf. He pulls the Gauntlets onto his own hands, and tests them out for the different grip on his Axe. Claiming the Gauntlets of Ogre Power +2

He looks over both sets of full plate, his interest naked to all. He occasionally looks up to make eye contact with those who choose to speak. "JJ, you should consider wearing that Belt. Might keep you on your feet longer in battle, when you run off again."

"Hell's Teeth... If he weren't damned worth so much in coin or favour, then I'd put a bullet through him myself..."

Ryan's comment about coin was based on this comment

"The decision to end his life is yours to make, I'll not stay your hand. It's not a decision made lightly as I well know, know that if you decide to strike him down I support your choice in this matter."

The mithral plate would be a nice boost to Ryans AC due to his medium armor, HOWEVER I'm not the first to the fight so if JJ or Kikinnin wish it more it' theirs. Actually had to go back and look to see what the loot was.

I'd need to take a feat to be able to wear the mithril full plate. While mithril encumbers as one level less, you still need the right proficiency, and JJ only has medium.

"I'll happily wear that belt for a bit Kikinnin, though maybe Juran or Marigold could benefit from it as well. Both of them can keep me on my feet if necessary, but it would help them stay on theirs."

As his eyes pass over Marigold, it is obvious he has some serious worries about her safety.

"I'd prefer we take Zenith back to Cauldron or even just the Malachite hold. Let your own people judge him. It feels too much like wilderness justice us just lopping off his head down here. Blood runs hot, but death is forever. At the hold he will be safe from being manipulated in Cauldron - unless your own people agree to have him turned over."

Maxim stoically listens to the back and forth, wryly smiling when Ryan mulls the loss of coin.

His smile fades to a shake of the head when JJ once again draws parallels to one of his fanciful novellas;

Bless you Surabar... You are ever the dreamer in the face o' harsh reality...

As things move to a figurative and literal edge, the gun-mage adds his own words to Cauldron's mix;

"Surabar... I trust my bror's judgement... The Malachite will listen too easily to auld Davked, who we reckon is an ill part o' this scheme somehow. Even if Celeste thinks she's doin' right... chances are she's a cat's paw like the rest o' us. We kill Zenith... bury his bones deep, so nothin' can raise him up... Then that link in the chain is broke..."

Maxim taps his belted hip-flask absentmindedly as he continues;

"Now might well be this "Smokin' Eye" will reforge damage done by the loss o' Zenith come time... but gives us time to find out more an' plan accordingly..."

The dwur fetches his flask and takes a nip of the liquor, grimacing as it warms his throat;

"Fact remains... I reckon the zealot dies - here an' now..."

"Neither of you know that Zenith is a part of the problem, or part of the solution." sighs JJ.

"You don't like the stories I read, I get that. But what makes my suggestion any less likely than yours? We don't know how Zenith was infected with this symbol. We don't know how it got onto Marrigold. We don't even know if it has taken a grip on Terrem, and if so when or how. Zenith is a clue for us."

He sighs.

"Look, I know you can look into a mans heart. And you see evil there. I believe people can get better from being wicked, just like they can from being sick. There is no magic spell for it, like there is for a cut finger or the disease I picked up in Jazradune. But... "

He shakes his head some more.

"We have to try and help Marigold and probably Terrem. And we don't want to be experimenting on either of them. Zenith alive will maybe at least give us someone we can try to save. And no, I don't know how. Not yet. But I do know I'd be very reluctant to try anything on Terrem or Marigold first."

He gains momentum.

"And if it worked. And if Zenith came back to being a stout defender of the Malachite. That is a win for your people, an additional bulwark against the inevitable next onslaught from the underdark."