Initiative Order - Round 1
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Marla and Brak - cast shield and move
Dietrich - 13-5=8 damage on undead
Odo - 8 damage on undead
Gaius - fires and misses
Tresca - +6=10
Selter and Sithiss - move
Tanselle -
Enemies:
Dietrich charges forth and delivers what should be a crushing blow to the withered wreck, but somehow it seems to lack some of the power the broad shouldered man put behind the blade.
Odo's faith in the light is strong and he senses waves of faithlessness roll off the undead he charges, the emptiness and godlessness of the thing nearly a palpable force. He attacks with his scimitar, stabbing deeply into it's soulless heart and the thing crumples to the floor in heap of dusty bones and decayed vestments.
Gaius shot goes wide, but not so for Tresca. Her bolt plunges into his chest, wounding him so severely he stumbles backward, as if on the verge of falling. He catches hold of a crate, steadying himself and clutches his amulet with a vengeful look on his face. But just before he can unleash his terrible attack, Tanselle steps around her sister half-elf and blasts him with her pistol, the crack of the shot sounding like rolling thunder, resounding in the large room. It takes the cleric off his feet and sends him crashing to the floor, bleeding out from the gaping wound in his chest.
His head lolls and the cleric's glazing eyes fall on a bauble of an opalescent sphere, darkened in a pattern to reveal the shadow of a skull on the moon, that hangs on Odo's belt... the holy symbol that Odo stripped from the woman earlier. His face twists in a grimace of pain and grief... He whispers her name with his last breath... "Luscila..."
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With the collapse of the undead… creature… Odo feels the surge of power bleed away, though his adrenaline still runs high.
"Now that's what I call teamwork! Powerful blow there, Dietrich. And that was fine shooting Tresca and Tanselle. Sorry if my attack seemed so abrupt. The evil of these things is something I am charged to destroy."
Odo examines the undead creature for a moment to try to figure out what it was.
Odo examines the fallen undead, still unsettled by the void he sensed in the creature. As he realizes what lays before him, he thanks Sarenrae that there had not been more of them. Odo is certain it is... or was a Hecuva.
Most huecuvas remember little of their former lives except for the blasphemies that led them to their cursed fates. They often find themselves drawn to the ruins of old temples, where they rage against or seek hopeless absolution from the deities who so afflicted them. They are resistant to normal weapons, and vulnerable to silver and magic, and of course, a devout paladin's smite. ^_~
Dietrich checks the cleric over and finds the keys he is searching for, also noticing that the man still bears a thready pulse. The citizens held captive in the cells thank the Pathfinders profusely for helping them as they are freed from their cells.
A smile spreads over Tanselle's lips when she turns her perceptive eye toward the large accumulation of crates and barrels that crowd this room. Half of the crates in this room are marked with gigantic red X’s, painted on with a wide brush. The supplies include flour, grains, sugar, coffee, tea, dried goods, and so on — everything the cult needs to supply its operations.
One woman calls out from the narrow window in the cell door, she struggles to thrust her manacled wrist far enough to point a condemning finger at the fallen cleric.
"Don't waste good healing on that man, he is a fiend! I saw him dealing with some terrible sort of creatures, horrible things with sickly, bluish-grey skin and enormous eyes. That madman sold them slaves... People! From right here in Cassomir! And they took them away to whatever horrible end they mean for them. He deserves to die and rot a thousand times for this!" Her voice cracks, and tears begin to roll down her grime-stained face.
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Tresca frowns as she crouches by the uconcious cleric. She despised slavers over all other forms of evil, and she almost agreed with the captive woman's opinion of what to do with him. Almost. Allowing an opponent to die in the heat of battle was one thing. Allowing them to die when the battle was already won was another thing entirely. She would not sink to her opponent's level, as much as this one deserved his fate.
"He will answer for his crimes, but by the law's hands, not mine." Tresca assures the woman, "Gods be good, whatever information he has may help bring down more monsters like him. Maybe even help us locate other victims." Clearly disgusted at the thought of who she was saving, the alchemist attempts to stabilize the man.
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"I do not like what I see here, friends. This horrid thing was a huecuva - the twisted remains of a holy man who has renounced his god and been cursed with unlife. In the daylight, they appear as if they still had all their flesh, alive, and can walk among us."
"A cult of Groetus, slavers, and now blasphemers as well. I fear that our work is not yet finished, though we have recovered all that was asked of us today."
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Marla helps the captives as best she can, offering water from her waterskin, while Brak stands guard over everyone. "Is it our responsibility to follow up on this slavery ring if we have already completed our mission?" she asks. "I mean, will the Society give us the time to do so or will they want us back to complete other duties?" she adds hastily.
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Odo shrugs. "At the least, we need to report back. They wanted to know who was responsible and get Pathfinder Cestis back. I have no doubt what we report and return will suggest even more questions that will need to be addressed. The Society does like to know what's going, after all..."
He starts to go over the heucuva's remains. "Perhaps this abomination will shed some light on the subject as well or clues to his identity."
They are attracted to humanoid settlements, living beneath them and preying on the dregs of society. They may be the very real threat behind the legend of the boogyman that parents use to frighten their children from leaving the safety of their homes after dark. Trapped below the earth during the sun-lit hours they call the Overburn, the Derro steal into poor and neglected areas under the cover of night and abduct drunken bums and derelicts, typically.
What they do to their stolen captives is mostly speculation, but darker tales tell of insane experimentation for the purposes of destroying the light loving folk above or even making the Derro able to endure the sunlight again.
Cestis is weakened, but he smiles in thanks and moves to asses the cleric's condition as well. He collects the Cataclysm Amulet and says to your group.
"So Dalirio Teppish has become a Groetus-worshiping madman." he shakes his head almost sadly and continues, "The Teppish family once stood as the right hand of the Grand Prince, a family of wealth, power, and absurdly large holdings throughout northern Taldor. A Teppish once sat in the governor’s seat in Cassomir Prefecture. A Teppish once led thousands in battle against the Qadirans during the Grand Campaign. A Teppish negotiated the Treaty of the Wildwood, guaranteeing Taldor a renewable source of druid-protected blackwood trees that would forever supply the empire with the ships built in Cassomir’s famous Imperial Naval Shipyards.
The Teppish family’s power came to a close nearly 50 years ago when a series of rival houses launched attacks on their holdings and wealth, and even went so far as to assassinate several of the Teppish family patriarchs. In just a few short years the mighty Teppish were reduced to laughingstocks in the Opparan social scene and were left with few possessions, even less gold, and no power at all. So the Teppish family did what any self-respecting Taldan family does when left destitute: they turned to a life of organized crime.
Hmm, I'd no idea they had sunk to this, though. 'Oh how the mighty have fallen', eh?"
He seems to notice a bored glaze over some of the eyes in the room and clears his throat. "Sorry, a bit of a history buff, I am. Let's get these people home to their loved ones."
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Venture Captain Themis looks pleased to see you all alive and well.
"Good job, team. It's clear we have only scratched the surface of this threat. Stand by for more orders as soon as we formulate a plan to pursue these creatures your rescued captives described. You should be proud of yourselves. You saved a lot of people from a terrible fate."
'Stand by...' You think bitterly to yourself for maybe the fifth time today as you can't help but look up as the Inn door opens again. And again you sigh and fidget restlessly as you think again,
'Stand by may be the worst thing to hear as a Pathfinder. No going home, no work, no leads and nothing to do but wait for the higher-ups to get their ducks in a row and remember where they stashed their "tools"...'
But this time, after nearly a week of downtime with noting to do but spend your own gold, you see a familiar face behind the door. The studious Pathfinder your group was sent to rescue last time, Cestis, waves as he enters with a hastily scrawled note clenched in his hand. He looks completely recovered from his ordeal
He quickly assembles your team and bids you to hurry and gather your gear. "Venture Captain Themis needs to see you at the Cassomir Lodge immediately. I'm to guide you there. These are the Pathfinders she's selected for the next mission. I understand two of them are new arrivals." He looks around casually for the faces he does not recognize, smiling politely as he finds one.
1) Tanselle Bashar - Gunslinger 1
2) Tresca Versei - Alchemist 1
3) Gaius Pellandir - Sorcerer 1
4) Kurse - Oracle 2
5) Raul Valentino - Rogue 1
Once ready, Cestis guides the party to the small Pathfinder lodge here in Cassomir. Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, dark-haired, and dark-eyed Taldan woman, sits in her offices looking even more mousy and diminished behind her enormous blackwood desk. She clears her throat and looks up at you with red-rimmed eyes.
“My friend, the Countess Arieta Patrizia, is dead. She was among some of our more prominent citizens that had gone missing, though she is the only one who managed to come back. She escaped her capture by the fiends who operate beneath Cassomir only to succumb to disease and wounds incurred in Cassomir’s disgusting sewers. Ordinarily, this would be a matter for the Taldan authorities, but Arieta came to me directly after escaping and recounted a story that leads me to the natural conclusion that only the Pathfinder Society can resolve this issue.”
Venture-Captain Themis rises and paces back and forth behind her desk. “Arieta told me of an artifact she saw while in captivity below Cassomir. This artifact, called the jet rat, is known to us, but we must confirm that what she saw is indeed true. She claims to have seen it transform normal rats into something bigger, more vile and mean. If that’s true, the artifact she saw down there is old, evil, and should be stored safely in the vaults beneath the Grand Lodge in Absalom where we can study, catalog, and examine it. Worse, she claims to have seen this object in the hands of the derros, vile Darklands creatures that we have long suspected are lurking below Cassomir. Since your group brought us news that the derros were involved with the Cult of Nature's Cataclysm, I knew you would want the chance to follow up. I have a map here that shows the location of the sewer grate Arieta was dropped through when she was kidnapped. She could not, due to her fever, recall much about how she got to the location where they kept her in captivity, but she knows where they dropped her into the sewers and you’ll find that location on this map.”
Themis stops pacing and eyes you across her desk. Though her tone is all-business as usual, her eyes burn with a vengeful fire.
“Bring me back this artifact—if you happen to free a few captured Taldans along the way, that’s good news, but the artifact is your mission. Any questions?”
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Raul shifts uncomfortably in his seat as the venture captain gives her orders to the group. ugh...... you have got to be kidding me my first adventure with the society and I get stuck trodding in waist high sewer water....just freaking fantastic
venture captain I thank you for the opportunity to serve the society and will do all in my power to possess the artifact you seek looking at his fellow adventures he starts to wonder what particular set skills they would offer to the adventure.
Once he feels pretty confident of what his companions offer the group he waits until a less formal situation and introduces himself to the party.
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Tanselle listens intently to the venture captain's briefing. While she doesn't relish the thought of trudging through sewers and fighting even more rats - bigger, meaner ... ugh ... magic rats - anything is better than waiting around and wasting her gold on cloying Taldan wine.
"As we have done before," she says, bowing her head with a hand resting on her holstered pistol. "We shall do again, captain."
The gunslinger hesitates a moment, not wanting to seem naive before her companions.
"Captain, what exactly are these derros you speak of?" she asks. "In all my travels through Qadira and beyond, I have never heard of such a thing."
Tanselle eyes her new companions, taking the first opportunity to politely introduce herself. Not knowing what to make of them, she is thankful to once again be assigned with such competent and familiar agents as Tresca and Gaius.
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A giant of a human enters the room, ducking his head to avoid hitting the doorframe and turning his shoulders because of the greatsword strapped to his back. He wears masterwork half-plate and a flowing blood-red cloak. "I apologize for being late - I was only just summoned. Greetings, fellow Pathfinders. My name is Grimaldus, from the Silver Dragon chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. I am a student of warfare - in case the armor and really big sword didn't give it away!" he smiles brightly at his joke, making him look much younger than his serious countenance before. "Have you all worked together previously? I completed several missions with a squad of Pathfinders, now friends, but we are on furlough for a season as a reward. Yet duty calls, and responsibility never rests. I am honored to join your group and this mission."
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Tresca has clearly not spent the week idle. The blackened smudges on her gloves, occasional strange sounds coming from her room, and a singed lock of hair all bear testament to a week sequestered with her alchemy lab. On Cestis' arrival, the scrawny alchemist can be found in the common room, playing with some of her new purchases - testing the fit of a pair of wands in her new spring-loaded wrist sheaths.
Tresca packs up quickly on Cestis' arrival, clearly eager to get back to work. After dealing with the slavers on her previous mission, she was anxious to follow up and put more of these monsters in their place. Settling down at the lodge, she listens intently to the Venture Captain, committing the details to memory. Her attention is caught by the mention of the derros, and she tries to recall if she's heard of them before...
... but is not overly confident regarding her knowledge. Still, there was one detail of the mission she knew well. Rats. Uuuugh. The only thing worse than little twitchy rodents was big twitchy rodents. Big, twitchy, diseased rodents.
"Captain, are there any specifics to be had on Arieta's symptoms, other than fever?" Tresca inquires, her tone almost apologetic for bringing up the dead woman's suffering, "It wouldn't be surprising to find that it was a result of the sewers themselves, but if the derros or the rats are the cause, it would do well to prepare ourselves accordingly."
Tresca's train of thought is cut short by the entrance of an enormous man. Tresca gave the armored warrior a nod of approval. She was not one for melee, so it was comforting to have somebody in their mumber who clearly was. With a welcoming smile, she addresses the latecomer. "Tresca Versei. I mostly take care of ranged support - crossbow, bombs and the like - though I've equipped myself to do emergency healing if needed. Tanselle, Gaius and I just got off a job together, I can't speak for the others though." Tresca helpfully points out Tanselle and Gaius as she mentions them.
"Captain, what exactly are these derros you speak of?" she asks. "In all my travels through Qadira and beyond, I have never heard of such a thing."
Themis nods and shuffles through some papers on her desk and says,
"It is not surprising, most people believe stories of the derro are little more than "boogeyman" myths that parents use to discourage their children from leaving the safety of their beds after dark. Unfortunately, they have been a very real threat in Cassomir for a long time. Like most Darklands inhabitants, they cannot endure sunlight. They are small in stature, like halflings or gnomes and very pale in coloring. They typically abduct derelicts, people who won't be missed. What they do with them is a matter of much speculation but I'm afraid that's all I know for certain."A man with long black hair and a long scruffy beard appears to be listening to someone or something that isn't there. When he speaks it is with a slight lisp. "Sslipss ssayss there are a lot of tunnelss down there. If your friend did not know the way how are we not going to get losst down there?"
The Venture Captain eyes the dark, bearded man coolly, her jaw clenched and her eyebrows raised in a haughty expression.
"I should hope Pathfinder agents might prove more capable than a frightened noblewoman alone, running for her life, her wits addled by starvation and fever. You'll use the map I have provided, your training and your brains... provided you have some?"A heavy rap on the door rattles the hinges, breaking the tense mood. All look up and Cestis waits for a nod from the V.C. before opening the door. For a moment you wonder if the clouds have moved to cover the sun, because no light penetrates from outside. Another moment and you realize this is not due to the weather, the sun is indeed blocked, not by clouds, but by the wall of man that stands on the other side of the door.
A giant of a human enters the room, ducking his head to avoid hitting the doorframe and turning his shoulders because of the greatsword strapped to his back. He wears masterwork half-plate and a flowing blood-red cloak. "I apologize for being late - I was only just summoned. Greetings, fellow Pathfinders. My name is Grimaldus, from the Silver Dragon chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. I am a student of warfare - in case the armor and really big sword didn't give it away!" he smiles brightly at his joke, making him look much younger than his serious countenance before. "Have you all worked together previously? I completed several missions with a squad of Pathfinders, now friends, but we are on furlough for a season as a reward. Yet duty calls, and responsibility never rests. I am honored to join your group and this mission."
"Grimaldus, I'm pleased you could join us. I'm sure you'll be a welcome addition to the team, especially since Gaius was called away on other business." She quickly reviews what she has covered so far and then continues on.
"I cannot be sure some of Arieta's story was not fever induced delirium, but I've pieced it together as best as I can from what she told me.
She said the derros grabbed her from her villa in Old Cassomir, bound and gagged, they drug her through the night streets to a sewer grate in the heart of the Imperial Naval Shipyards. They took her through a dizzying number of sewer turns before binding her legs and lowering her down a ladder into the strangest thing Arieta had seen — there, beneath the surface of Cassomir, was an entire city block of houses, streets, and even lamps, signs, and hitching posts, as though a section of Cassomir was just bricked over and forgotten. I've never heard of such and hesitate to believe it, but she was not ill then, so perhaps it is true.
Over many days, Arieta witnessed the derros using the black rat statue to make bigger, meaner, and more brutal rats. She saw new slaves come in, she saw old slaves go out, and she waited and watched. She managed to escape when one of the small blue creatures guarding her pen accidentally left the cage open after feeding time. She hid in Cassomir Below for a day before climbing the ladder into the sewers, where she was attacked by rats and only managed to escape by diving into the sewer itself to swim away. Over a few confusing days she managed to fight off more rats, even as she began to feel terribly ill and was slowly getting weak from lack of food. Finally, she found a way out and made her way to me.
Arieta could not be sure of numbers... she didn’t describe any human captors. She saw only derros, rats, and a few creatures she could not name and I could not identify. She claimed to have seen dozens of captives, some of whom she recognized as fellow prominent citizens of the empire. This goes beyond the recent kidnappings in the Imperial Naval Shipyards — it even goes beyond Cassomir’s normal and storied disappearances. This is another level of madness and I can’t help but think that the jet rat might have something to do with that.”
"Captain, are there any specifics to be had on Arieta's symptoms, other than fever?" Tresca inquires, her tone almost apologetic for bringing up the dead woman's suffering, "It wouldn't be surprising to find that it was a result of the sewers themselves, but if the derros or the rats are the cause, it would do well to prepare ourselves accordingly."
"Her illness affected her agility and weakened her constitution dramatically. She was so weak by the time she found me that the healers could do nothing for her. Take care to avoid the filthy water of the sewers where you can."
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Raul hearing the knocking at the door turns around slightly startled to see as the lumbering man enters the room Ugh.......seriously they got to be kidding me....this half-giant is supposed to accompany us in the sewers? This is just a big clumsy echoing mess...
Rolling his eyes ever slightly as he turns back to the V.C.
venture-captain i feel the need to say one last thing. You have made it very clear that the jet rat is our main objective, but I need to be very clear that my priority lies with freeing the prisoners. This in no way devalues our objective but my morals dictate this to be my chief concern raul attempts to bring attention to a pin on his jacket that obviously points to his andoran roots.
After speaking he slumps back in his seat nervously picking at the flaking leather arm of the arm of the chair hoping his words wouldn't be perceived as insubordnat but rather over zealous.
Know(dungeoneering): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Grimaldus thinks back to his training and studies at the academy, remembering something about these creatures called derros.He looks at the other Pathfinders, carefully noting size, armor, and armaments. He seems to be sizing each of them up, cataloging strengths, weaknesses, fighting styles and tactics. For a moment, they get the distinct feeling of being pieces on a board in a strategy game, with Grimaldus the player evaluating his tactical strategy and determining how he would play each of them.
The reasons for the derro's madness is a subject of much speculation and debate, but a popular theory suggests that might have once been a type of light-loving fey that was twisted somehow by dark magic.
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Once the Venture Captain finished her responses to the group, Grimaldus tells them what he remembers about derros. "Derros are nasty creatures; they think they are 'all that with a cherry on top.' But they are really quite mad and meaner than a Chelaxian princess who got horse chips for her birthday. They are sneaky and tend to attack from the dark, and like to use poison. Their madness also protects them from spells that affect their willpower, so casters beware. There is no reasoning with them; they only negotiate if they are in a weak position and faced with certain annihilation. They are not to be taken lightly nor pitied."
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"While we're on the topic of research" Tresca muses, "I should like to test whether derro are explosion-proof. For science, of course." Tresca favors Raul with a confident half-smile. Tresca was growing used to the gallows humor that Pathfinders often favoured, and she hoped that a bit of a joke might put their companion at ease, since he seemed less than thrilled about going into the sewers.
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Once the light hearted jesting begins Raul's nerves start to diminish and he even relinquishes a few a couple laughs before forcing himself to cough and returning to his emotionless demeanor. He eyes Tresca and gives a slight nod to acknowledge her attempts of civility.
Drifting back into thought raul begins to try and formulate a plan. I think ill bring some chalk down in the sewers maybe i can mark the path we take so we don't get lost and also to leave a path for the catives to follow into safety if we get into a hostile situation with some of these derros....yeah chalk will work pretty great. Taking a moment to eye up the ironclad behemoth a second time it strikes him Eureka!!! this clumsy oaf is great his presence alone will create enough distraction that i should be able to dart around unnoticed....this mission is still the bottom of the barrel but maybe im overthinking it...calm down raul everything will work out... Shaking his head as if to supress something within he attempts to ackwardly join into the conversation, nodding at what the others say and laughing off cue.
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Tanselle pulls her pistol and gives it a good looking over, as is her habit when she grows anxious or impatient. The combination of idle chatter and their upcoming trip into the sewers of Cassomir had her feeling both.
"Well then," she says, holstering his gun. "Seems now is as good a time as any - not that any time spent in a sewer could be considered good."
*****
On the way, Tanselle presents Tresca with a wand of cure light wounds.
"Would you hold on to this for me?" she says with a slight grin. "Never been much for magic, but it beats bleeding out in a pool of sewage, right?"
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Alchemist fire x 5 100 gold
Master work cold iron scimitar 330 gold
Scroll of daylight 375 gold
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Beats bleeding out anywhere, if you ask me." Tresca agrees, testing the balance, then tucking Tanselle's wand through her belt securely. "I've got your back." Tresca's own Cure Light Wounds wand is slipped up her left sleeve, secured in her wrist sheath. Her wand of shield is similarly secured in her right sheath. "Anybody else need a wand looked after?" she offers.
While the others finish their las minute preparations, Tresca spends the next hour getting her alchemical supplies together. The majority of her time is spent working on a complex mutagen, though before packing up, she spends a quick minute mixing a Reduce Person extract. She makes a mental note not to use it if the water were more than waist high. Drowning in sewage certainly spunded like one of the worse ways to go.
On her way to rendezvous, a quick hop into a slightly seedy marketplace leaves Tresca a bit poorer, but with a new set of thieves' tools in hand. Everything prepped, she meets up with the others, prepared to dive in to this mission. Figuratively, at least.
venture-captain i feel the need to say one last thing. You have made it very clear that the jet rat is our main objective, but I need to be very clear that my priority lies with freeing the prisoners. This in no way devalues our objective but my morals dictate this to be my chief concern raul attempts to bring attention to a pin on his jacket that obviously points to his andoran roots.
As Venture Captain Themis listens to Raul, the corner of her mouth smirks slightly at some inner amusement.
"I hear you, Master Valentino. The fate of our Taldan citizens concerns me as well, no matter their station. But you would be wise to hear me too, now..." She opens a drawer of her enormous blackwood desk and withdraws an item wrapped in black silk. She unwraps the bundle carefully, almost lovingly, and reveals an ornate hair pin of silver metal and golden-toned pearls. The end has been recently and roughly sharpened into a shiv. Themis' eyes linger on it before she looks up to speak again, her gaze burning with vengeful desire."If you should find a derro with a long scar down the left side of his face... likely made by this item, make you sure you kill him. Painfully." She says this last through clenched teeth and waves her dismissal, and then begins re-wrapping the hair pin with a kind of reverence you rarely see outside a temple.
Cestis herds you toward the entrance, holding a stack of envelopes.
"I wanted to speak to you before you set off. I still think those wily Teppish are involved somehow. I did some more digging and it seems that Dalirio has a twin brother! I find it strange to think that they would not be working together toward a common goal, so I think it likely you may encounter Grench Teppish in your investigation. It's said he was the more gifted of the pair, so be on your guard!"
The scholarly young pathfinder smiles stupidly at Tresca and Tanselle for a moment, and then suddenly remembers the envelopes he holds.
"Oh! And here, missives from your factions, I'd wager."
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"I hear you, Master Valentino. The fate of our Taldan citizens concerns me as well, no matter their station. But you would be wise to hear me too, now..." She opens a drawer of her enormous blackwood desk and withdraws an item wrapped in black silk. She unwraps the bundle carefully, almost lovingly, and reveals an ornate hair pin of silver metal and golden-toned pearls. The end has been recently and roughly sharpened into a shiv. Themis' eyes linger on it before she looks up to speak again, her gaze burning with vengeful desire.
"If you should find a derro with a long scar down the left side of his face... likely made by this item, make you sure you kill him. Painfully." She says this last through clenched teeth and waves her dismissal, and then begins re-wrapping the hair pin with a kind of reverence you rarely see outside a temple.
Raul listens nervously as the venture-captain responded, he is utterly relieved that she didn't scorn him in front of the party. He stares at her and feels her pain as she pulls out the ornate pin That pin...that pin must of been the countess'. I've known your pain Captain Themis better than you might know. When i find this derros' he will suffer an agonizing death this i promise you. Nodding in a gentle manner towards the captain Raul turns away and heads towards the door. It is obvious that his demeanor has improved, he no longer looks obligated but determined.
I need to make a brief stop to grab a couple supplies before we head down in the sewers. it will take only a minute...wait! He stops mid sentence and begins rifling through his backpack.After removing several items from the bag he pulls out a handful of chalk.never-mind i still have plenty.I'm ready to make haste assuming no one has business to tend too. he takes time to carefully return the items back into his backpack. He hoists the heavy bag over one shoulder and grimaces under the weight. He takes the bag off for a second time and grabs a handful of items. from within and asks to leave the remainder of his possessions at the Lodge until their return. i need to be light on my feet ya'knowRaul left everything behind except: shortbow, 20 arrows, 4 daggers, 1 rope, 1 torch, a mirror, 2 caltrops, a flint and steel, signal horn, and theives tool kit. he places one dagger in a sheath up both arms, two sheathed on his belt. he places the smaller items into his two belt pouches. the rope will be wrapped over one shoulder like a banner, the bow and arrows hanging from their harness on his back. lasty he hold the torch in his hand at his side.
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"I have a rope we can use to get down there, but I need to keep both hands free once we are down there." Grim says to the group as he surveys the opening to the sewers. He will pull out his 50" silk rope, tie knots every three feet or so, secure it to the grate, and lower it into the hole. "Raul, would you mind taking a peek down there with the light to ensure our landing area is clear of debris...or other stuff."
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"Good idea" Tresca says, nodding at the rope approvingly. She grabs the coil of rope in her own bag and ties one end to the bag, preparing to lower it down into the sewer. No way was she climbing down that rope with a heavy pack on. First though, she grabs a slender iron rod with a shiny gold tip, nestled next to the wand at her belt. "I think I can help with the light. Sunrod." she offers as an explanation, then strikes the gold tip against the ground. The tip glows brightly, and the alchemist drops it down into the darkness.
Peering down into the hole where she dropped the sunrod, Tresca makes a quick peek for enemies.
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Kurse sticks his head down the hole to have a look.
He spends a good amount of time with his head down the grate having another one sided conversation."Sso you don't ssee any thing thiss time? Well I want you to be ssure after lasst time. What do you mean it wassn't your fault lasst time, it was completely your fault. Well having a cold might have been a factor, how does it look now? Your ssure this time?"He then stands up and looks at the group."Sslipss ssayss it iss ssafe to go down."
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Raul lays on the ground near the hole peeking his inside but can't accurately discern much as his eyes become adjusted to the new low light setting
Raul attempts to help Grimaldus down into the sewer following behind him as he goes. once down in the sewer. Raul will draw his shortbow and nock an arrow. If he sees no danger he will hold the rope steady for the women as they make the descent before taking post beside Grimaldus. Raul begins to whisper to the party it might be best if i scout ahead a little and report back instead of us barreling down the tunnel not knowing what lies in wait He waits for the groups agreement before moving off alone as to not offend anyone.