|
With her outstretched hand left hanging, the slits in Eadie’s great helm track the lean oracle's movement into Sussworth's office, before her black pauldrons shrug.
He mustn’t have seen me.
The sword-maiden nods at Yakima and clears her throat.
♪♫ Eadie fight and slice and crunch.
Me eat goblin ribs for lunch!
Me just larf at scorps and liches,
Yakima’s bombs leave me in stitches!
Horses rear – I run them through.
Cook and eat … not turn to glue!
Pratt and Sussworth – Shadows fall ...
Now they’re gone, me head to mall! ♪♫
Ali's trident finally strikes the goblin in the throat, cutting off a <Praise Zarongel, for I'm clearly his avata, urk>
With the last goblin down, you see that each of them have a trio of vials at their belts, beyond a nice-looking cloak and various ratty weapons. Looking into the room beyond, you see that it is lined with cages, most with matted straw laid on the floor and shiny bits of glass shards, gold, and trinkets strung from the ceiling and bars.
Meanwhile, Traber continues magically scanning the room and notices that the still-bleeding Sussworth's armor, rapier, and belt all appear mcgial, as does a liquid potion on his desk.
|
|
“Dvalin, Yakima or Traber, can you please wand me again?”
Eadie takes the notes from Sussworth’s desk and shows them to the others, before stowing them in her backpack along with the papers the party took from the guard tower.
“VC Dreng will be interested in these too, I’d wager. Did you find anything good, Traber?”
Eadie rubs the back of her neck. “There’s still the ‘frankenstein’ foyer we haven’t visited. Though I’d like to check on Kanna and her rogue friend first to make sure they haven’t escaped.”
“It looks like we’ll need to go out through the prison’s exercise yard to access the double doors that lead to the Shadow Lodge lobby anyway.”
|
|
Pests... theyre just pests Ali looks annoyed Agents of chaos and evil spread ll about us, this city is MAKING ME LOSE IT! He finally shouts.
The bird and sword go silent for a moment as color returns to ali's face and he stops glowing Weren't we opening a door before those pests those...lowest of all lifeforms got in our way?
|
|
This city is MAKING ME LOSE IT!
“Don’t worry, Ali. I’m sure you’ll find it again.”
Eadie sounds genuinely concerned that the paladin is so upset. “Aunt Alix used to say, ‘Try and remember the last place you had it’ and once I calmed down it didn’t stay lost for long.”
“Except for the time I gave my hamster a ‘shower’ in the Archbanker’s flush privy.” Eadie pulls on one of her helm’s iron earrings. “Aunt Alix told me Hammy enjoyed a tour of the undercity as one of Abadar’s favored animals, before she found him at Temple the next day.”
“He was quite unaffected by his underworld pilgrimage. Except his fur was a different color. ‘The Mark of Abadar’ Aunt Alix called it.”
Yakima can quickly discern that the goblins carry potions of cure light wounds. Traber meanwhile, has trouble comprehending his vial, but knows that the other items are a +1 rapier, +1 Chain Shirt, and a Belt of Dexterity +2
Traber's eyes also suddenly glow with purpose as a sense of understanding overtakes him. Unfortunately however, the gibberish remains gibberish. Whatever it is, it isn't a true language.
The expert wades in, noting that the concoction is just a stronger dilution of those the goblins had - a potion of cure moderate wounds.
|
|
After dragging Sussworth outside and pinning him under the scorpion with his subordinates, Eadie offers to lead the others from the exercise yard into the unexplored corridor
“I assume the ‘frankenstein room’ is the one behind the single door to the west. Yakima, do you want to do door opening SOP with me?”
Assuming the alchemist agrees, Eadie will stand over her with her falchion drawn while her friend works.
Looping back around through the yard, you find the hallway on this side of the closed portcullis has two doors as well. The first opens into what is clear was once an armory - though whatever arms or armor it once held has long since been ransacked and replaced with trash.
The door to the far west however opens into small room that looks as though it were recently cleaned. Piles of broken furniture lay against the east wall and a single, nondescript desk sits in the middle of the room facing the thick sturdy door in the south wall. As you swing the portal open, a lumbering monstrosity, crafted from body parts stitched together with thick string, wire, and metal staples turns to you as it lurches to horrific life.
Initiative
Yakima
Eadie
Crowe
Ali
Traber
Dvalin
Yakima opens with a flaming belch at the monster. The thing seems unharmed by the fire, though it does seem more sluggish as it readies to strike at you.
While Traber waits for the perfect moment, Eadie rushes around the creature and partners with Ali. Her slash causes the creatures to bleed a sickly grey liquid, while Ali's trident doesn't seem to pierce through its hide. The paladin's attacks also feel normal, unaided by divine strength.
Initiative
Crowe
Dvalin
Dvalin's greatsword bites into the creature's hide, but the tough stapled flesh blunts some of the blow.
Initiative
Crowe
The creature tries to turn out of the way of Crowe's hurried swing but is just a touch too slow, as the earthbreaker mostly manages to sink through it's tough hide. It in turn turns and slams a huge fist into Dvalin, as its second arm slowly rises in kind.
for
Initiative
Yakima
Eadie
Crowe
Ali
Traber (delaying)
Dvalin 35/52 hp
With a deep cutting slash from Eadie and a strong cut from Dvalin the bolts and stitching holding the creature together begin to come apart. A moaning sound erupts from the abomination as it collpases down in a heap.
|
|
“Thank-you, Milady! That fire breath seemed to slow Frank down, huh?”
Eadie’s lip curls as she avoids the streams of sickly, grey plasma leaking from the monster. “Seems Sussworth’s been making a man. With no hair and steel bands. He mighta been good for relieving his tension.”
The young warrior searches the room for loot while Dvalin and Crowe heal. “I think we’re done in the Temple. Once we’ve tied up Kanna, Sussworth and the rogue, so that they're ready for travel, I’m ready to leave Kaer Maga.”
With the three now unconscious Shadow Lodge agents in tow, the six of you leave the decaying prison and head back to Collgardie's to pack up for a return to Absalom.
While many of you are inside getting the last of your gear together ready for travel, there is a knock at the front door. Opening it, you see Dakar's man, although this time he stands alone, with no 'bag men' in sight.
"Ah, good to see you."
"My associate would like to thank you for your assistance in the recent matter. He and Mr. Ardoc appreciate a man - or woman - who takes charge of their own messes, so to speak. They would like me to pass on that you Pathfinders remain welcome to tour our fair city, in reasonable and temporary amounts of course."
"Oh, and based on the scent in the air, I might take a guess you've also done a number on a few goblins, eh? If so, I feel confident that the Duskwardens would also be appreciative of you: those pests have caused quite a bit of trouble as of late you know."
|
|
Eadie has been dreading this knock on the door, expecting that Dakar would want to punish the Shadow Lodgers himself.
She is very relieved that this doesn’t appear to be the case. “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mr ...sir? I’d offer you an ale, but Crowe and Dvalin have drunk it all.”
“Wymund Pratt didn’t turn up at the Temple. Don’t suppose you know where he might be?”
"On the clock I'm afraid." the man shrugs to Eadie. "And you can just call me Burton, if you need a name at all."
"As for that Pratt fellow, don't worry about it. I'm sure he won't trouble you again."
|
|
“I see.” She doesn’t.
“I gather you would not be able to dally long enough for a haircut either, Mr Burton? It would be wholly complimentary, gratis and on the house! Oh … and I wouldn’t charge you for it, either.”
“If not, we’ll bid adieu to you, your master and his … fair city. With wishes that our next meeting (in the far-flung future) occur under more pleasant circumstances and involve fewer bags.”
Burton runs a hand through his hair with a smile, then gives Eadie the slightest cock of the head. "A generous offer. But I must decline. Though who knows: perhaps we will see you again."
He gives a nod, then retreats through the city streets, fading from view and leaving you to continue your departure preparations.
-----
Once ready, you begin your long trip back to Absalom, prisoners in tow. The logistics of carrying seditious Pathfinders across half the Inner Sea is a daunting one, but you are able to deposit them at the Pathfinder Lodge in Magnimar before you continue back to the City at the Center of the World. The local Venture Captain, Shiela Heidmarch, seems shocked at both your sudden appearance and your story, but takes Sussworth, Guarin and Kanna into custody, and promises to let you know whatever their interrogations uncover.
Upon your eventual return to Absalom, the six of you find yourselves promptly summoned to a new meeting Drandle Dreng. The wizened man listens to your report intently, not even interrupting during one of Eadie's many digressions.
As you finish, the VC frowns in consertation. "So, Collgaride is dead then. And that's the least of our problems. I had thought this an unfortunate fancy from excitable recruits, but day by day this Shadow Lodge seems to be less rumor than troubling reality." He gives one of his typical toothy grims, but there is a hard glint to it. "You six have my thanks, and have done a great service for the Grand Lodge. I thank you, but ask that you stay close. With this new information, I expect further missions against the Shadow Lodge will become quite plentiful soon..."