If dragging her here didn't wake her, I doubt anything I could do will, Trogg thinks. "We should put her somewhere and let her sleep this off," he tells Beren. The tone of his voice is the forced cheerfulness of a physician unwilling to tell his patient the truth.
After seeing the young woman safely laid to rest, Trogg finds someone who works at the inn and asks "Who stayed in my room before me? They seem to have left something behind."
Knowledge (local)
Taking a further look at the map, Jazz rubs his chin. "This house outside of town belongs to the 'small folk' that Goblin was talking about. And based on what I saw of the size of these houses," pointing out the rest, "they looked like they were owned by the wealthiest folk in town. I bet Varis was doing some jobs around town for them, if he catered toward that kind of people as Beltzer told us."
Rikaku hangs his head in his hands, sighing profusely. "All this talky-talk make Rikaku head hurt." After Trogg leaves to inquire with the inn staff, the kobold attempts to wake the woman they had, err, saved?, switching between lightly shaking her, jabbing at her cheek with his claws, and making loud, high-pitched noises near her ears using his ghost sound spell.
"So, let's think this through. We have a cave perched over a city that no one seems to think exists. We have already several missing townspeople. We have one, Varis, who got up in the middle of writing a note warning someone about danger, and walked right out of town and met up with a group of armored people and walked off towards an abandoned tower. We have a girl in some sort of trance being held in a warehouse, where we found a map with the homes of the wealthy and little folk circled. We have another adventuring group who either did or did not cast something from a scroll in our room, and who seemed almost over eager to get to know us even though we are potential competition." Scratching at his beard, Beren chuckles, What ever happened to enter the cave, kill the monster, take their stuff?"
"Well since the girl is here in our room, we should probably start with her."
One of the staff says "A pair stayed in your room, an elf and a human. They seemed close to each other so I suspect they were betrothed. They were only staying a couple of nights, the man said he found somewhere else to stay for his continuing investigation. I think they were here for much the same reason as all the adventurers lately."
Despite trying to wake her up after about 5-10 minutes she wakes up on her own in the bed. Her head darts around quickly afraid of her current situation. She quickly scrambles for the guns on her belt, she stops herself. The elf seems to recognise where she is, looking up at whoever is around the bed and asks.
"Why ... why have you brought me here? What are you going to do to me?" She asks worriedly.
Sventon tries talking in a soothing voice.
Relax, we are friends. We, that is to say they, he points to Trogg and Rikaku: have rescued you from a warehouse you were held captive in. Who are you?
Jazz steps forward, noting the look of recognition in her eyes. He briefly speaks in the Elven tongue, to hopefully help keep her calm speaking her native language.
Then, continuing in Common for the sake of his friends, "Can you tell us what happened to you? How do you know this place?"
"Jazz, she roomed here a day or two ago."
"There was this man, a magician, about this tall," Trogg gestures and continues describing the man he saw at the warehouse. "Do you know who he is?" he asks her.
If we snatched her from her betrothed... Trogg shies away from completing the thought. At least we didn't injure him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Captive, what are you...?" Growing increasingly worried, she then sighs to calm down. "Er, yes, I suppose I was captured wasn't I?"
She scratches her head. "Well, I was here a few days ago. In this bed actually." She shrugs at Trogg. "No I don't know that man."
She still seems visibly worried her hands not straying to far from her guns. "I'm feeling fine, really, I'll be okay. Is it alright if I go? I should be well rested. I've been sleeping for a bit, it was light when I last looked outside." She seems to try to dodge Jazz's question about what happened.
Sense Motive
Sense Motive
Jazz sighs. "Look, we don't really have the right to hold you here against your will, but we can't help but be curious about you and what happened to you. Someone was magicking our room. These two," pointing at Rikaku and Trogg, "tracked the person, found the magician, and found you there as well. Now, you mean that you don't know anything at all about that man?"
Rikaku frowns deeply and warily, taking a step away from the elven woman and tugging on Trogg's arm to get his attention--if only because the dwarf's smaller height would make it much less obvious that he was speaking to him. "She lying," he mutters quietly. "No trust anything she says."
The kobold then speaks up, careful to put himself in between the woman and the door. "Wait. If bad-mage capture you, have to deal with him. Take to law and justice and stuff, yes? Tell Rikaku about him. How you captured? When? Where from?"
Do you know who captured you and why? We could help.
"By the way, I didn't catch your name, miss...?"
Once she refuses our offers of helping catch her captor , Trogg will offer to walk her home.
"My name is Misha, good to meet you all." She holds her head in one of her hands. "I, don't know how I was captured. Er tell me, what would you do with the man?" She looks around at the set of them, trying to wonder how she could dodge the questions in vein. She then flinches a bit at the Kobolds remark despite it being under his breath.
"I ... okay, yea I might be lying a little. Honestly though what would you do with that man?"
"That entirely depends on what he's been doing. There's some mysterious things going on lately, I'm sure you've noticed."
"Yes, I was trying to investigate those happenings, in a rather unorthodox manor. It worked though I guess at this point I regret to say the ends don't justify the means. I should be careful what I use. The man he's just been helping, we haven't done anything bad .. honest.. well until today, but I guess we just screwed up. Sorry, I .. I screwed up."
Rikaku approaches the woman slowly, although he continues to frown. "What you do? Something bad happen? Don't be worry, Rikaku won't be mad. We professional helps at fixing problems, yes?"
She looks worriedly at the kobold "Well, young people left and right were disappearing right? I didn't know if I was young enough to be taken by whatever was going on. So I possessed someone ... young enough to be taken. It worked... though I lost him, then I woke up here." She sighs
Where was that someone taken?
"He wouldn't happen to have been a half elf named Varis, now would he?"
"Yes his name was Varis, he was privy to the plan though we weren't expecting it to fail as it did. He was taken by a group of very humanoid-like elementals. I still could perceive around him up until he got to a tower north of town. There was a gathering of creatures near the base, once Varis got close enough I was returned to my body forcefully. I guess someone noticed me." She starts to tear up a little. "Dammit, if only we followed him instead, he might not be lost now."
Well that explains Varis leaving his home so suddenly. When you lost contact with him, would this have been due to some injury to Varis, or did you feel as though you were expelled.
Either way, If we go rushing up there now, we will arrive exhausted and be unable to properly defend ourselves. We should rest and head for the tower at first light. If they meant to kill Varis, they will have done it by now. If he is still alive, they will keep him that way until we can get there.
"He left his own house willingly which was odd. Met up with the elementals who took him outside of town. They didn't even say anything they just left. They didn't harm him from what I saw or felt at least. I just suddenly woke up back in my body. I know my time wasn't up yet for the possession so I can only assume I was expelled through some other means."
Sventon listens to the girl thoughtfully.
I agree with Beren, running straight there would serve no purpose. We will go tomorrow.
"We still don't know who exactly was casting spells in our room, or why. Maybe that had better wait for tomorrow, as well? Though I'd be more comfortable knowing more before going to sleep here."
Trogg will mutter to Jazz in Dwarven
Rikaku pats Misha comfortingly on the hand. Well, he attempts to be comforting; it's likely that the strange albino kobold is anything but to the stressed young elven lady. "No worry. We find Varis-Boy tomorrow. And also kick elemental butt!" The kobold seems puzzled for a moment. "... do elemental have butt? ..."
"One last question. This whole misunderstanding started when we found this used scroll of yours in this room. The cleaning crew must have missed it. Would you mind if we kept it? By the way, what was it for, if you don't mind me asking?"
Misha nods "Yes I know what that scroll was for, that was a scroll of marionette possession. It is what we used on Varis so that I might possess him. You can keep the scroll by all means the spell was expended." She seems sincere about it, there doesn't seem any reason for her to lie at this point. "We left it here as we didn't want to be found with it and burning it might have drawn attention we didn't need either. I guess it was poor judgement on our part leaving it behind."
Rising early in the morning, Beren goes through his equipment, packing and repacking until he is satisfied. He sits in the taproom, sharpening his axe with a whetstone and looking over his arrows, waiting for the rest of his merry band to join him.
Getting up in the morning, Sventon starts gearing up for work. He dons his explorer's outfit, puts on his chain shirt and dons his scent cloak. He buckles his curve blade sheath on the back, making it easy for him to reach it and puts the daggers on his belt. He also places two daggers in his wrist sheaths.
He gears up stuffing potions into belt pouches and his thieves tools in one. He then stuffs rope, heatstones and the grappling hook in his backpack.
He then goes down to the taproom as well and orders a light snack while waiting for the rest.
Trogg meditates on the sunrise as he prepares his spells, then returns to the inn where he examines the liquid from Varis's house that they suspected of being poisoned.
Jazz wakes up early and, after checking and doublechecking his gear, meets up with the rest in the tavern. "Goodmorning." he says in greeting, then motions for Beltzer. "Meat, bread, and eggs, please, Beltzer."
Jazz eats quietly, liking to spend his morning in calm, meditative thought. When he's finished, he looks ready to go, and sits with his long curved sword on his lap, waiting patiently.
Beltzer happily serves all of you a bit of food at your requests.
The tavern has mostly emptied out, you can hear a few creaks from upstairs of people rolling over in their beds. The place is now clear of all the mess that might have been caused by last night's ruckus. Misha left the night before to go back to her betrothed. Before she left she told you where to find her and how to contact her betrothed by sending or message rituals if you need to talk to them later.
As the party readies to move Trogg tries to figure out the poison. After a small examination he finds it to be a poison called Dream Seed. It implants a vision into the head of the imbiber that it tries to carry out.
The group once they're ready heads out to the edge of town and Variel joins them. The tracks are still relatively fresh and should be easy to follow considering the imprints were quiet deep and this group that left town weren't trying to conceal their presence.
I can scout ahead says Sventon Wouldn't want to be spotted before we get a chance to come closer
He dons his hood and looks at the rest of the party
If i come across something living, do i attack or avoid?
"Probably safest to approach as a group when it's a situation like this... it's not like we can scare off whoever's up there. What'll they do, jump off and flee? Let's see if they're dangerous." Jazz strides confidently into the tower and then up the steps.
Perception
Beren is about to answer Sventon when Jazz takes off for the entrance. Augh, I get the feeling this is going to hurt. Beren falls in behind Jazz, peering at the top of the tower until he enters through the door. Once inside, He stops and lokks around and listens for anyhting coming down the stairs.
Perception
Giving a sigh of resignation, Sventon takes up the rear of the group, curve blade at the ready.
The group reaches inside the tower and starts to look around, thankfully the two at the front are perceptive enough to not get surprised from the mounds of earth around the base that animate themselves. The creatures rise from the ground and are quite obvious in their intent to harm you.
Order:
Variel
Rikaku
Beren
Sventon
Jazz
Enemy
Trogg
Variel moves inside and casts evil eye on the enemy to the south.
Round 1
Jazz charges to the south with his sword readied and slashes in a wide arc toward the earth elemental's torso.
Attack (charge)
Damage
Sventon will, as a free action, bring out one of his daggers from his spring loaded bracer and throw it at the elemental on the far left part of the tower.
Having missed, he will move to the far right of the tower trying to slink back from sight.
Rikaku sleeps the night on the floor of the inn, having pilfered a couple of pillows and used them to make a rudimentary (and rather comfy) nest for himself. He spends a considerable amount of time the next morning preening himself, cleaning his scales, claws, and fangs to a fastidious shininess. To those that have spent some time with the kobold, they know it to be a regular occurence. He has a meal of bacon and eggs for breakfast, avoiding the breads on offer ("They stick in Rikaku teeth!").
With the group ready to head out, the kobold gathers his belongings in his makeshift pack and slings his spear over his shoulder, primed and ready to face the day.
When they reach the tower, Rikaku curiously scopes the place out from the outside before following the rest in. He growls as he spots the earth elementals form from the earth and stone. "Well! Time to find if elemental have butt!"
Rikaku skitters underneath Variel's legs into the wider ground floor. Spying the nearby barrels and crates, he leaps on top of one to give himself a better vantage point. With a squeaky rarr! the kobold lets forth a spray of icicle shards and arctic winds from his mouth aimed at the southern enemy that Variel targeted with a hex.
Ranged Touch on southern elemental -
Beren moves to the mound in the west end of the tower and brings the full weight of his Greataxe down on the thing.
attack
damage
Back to the dirt from whenst you came beast!
The north most elemental moves round to aid his friend who is being attacked by Beren. The one adjacent to Beren takes a swing, slamming Beren square in the chest.
The elemental facing Jazz reels back after taking a few hits and tries to retaliate. In its desperation as it clings on to its last vestiges of life it misses Jazz.
"Sic 'em, Clarence"
Trogg steps inside and loads a rock into his sling.
Clarence charges inside and tries to bite the elemental, but can't seem to find anything soft to sink his teeth into.
Seeing that the southern elemental is on its last legs, Rikaku leaves the clean-up job to Jazz and turns his attention to the next closest one that Clarence was doing a poor job of chomping into. He chants a few harsh syllables in draconic before arcing a chilling white beam of cold energy into the earth elemental's core.
(includes firing into melee penalty)
Sventon draws hiw curve blade while approaching the elemental to the south to aid jazz.