"I don't think he's gonna listen, Nime," warns Calendula. "Short f%%&."
"But if he doesn't listen, he's going to die!" Nime replies, her exasperation evident. "Why would someone be that obstinate?"
Calendula grunts, wanting to respond but not really having the time for a back and forth right now.
The dwarf howls with pain again and Calendula cuts him badly. He looks shaken after Nime's speech, but not quite ready to stand down yet. "No, you don't understand! I need that treasure!" he shouts.
Not hearing Nime's remarks, Theo pressed the attack on the active thug, charging his hand with lightning to try and bring him down quickly.
The thug screams and convulses as electricity courses through his body. He collapses, wisps of smoke rising off of him.
Shenuska moves up and unleashes a color spray on the dwarf. His eyes widen and he reels, stunned!
Calendula slashes the man about the chest again, hoping to cut off even more beard.
"I don't understand people's determination to die when I clearly called 'dibs'," Nime says with a shake of her head as she turns and walks away from the obstinate dwarf.
The dwarf gurgles and reels as blood-soaked beard hairs fall to the floor. He's barely able to stay standing at this point--one more good hit ought to put him down for the count.
And Rudrik does just that, stabbing the dwarf in the gut. He sags to the ground, dying. You have plenty of time to either kill or knock out the other thugs before they recover from the color spray.
Searching the dwarf uncovers a note among his gear that reads as follows:
Dolland,
I look forward to your return, and to the wonders you've gathered for me from the vault. Again, you need not fear reprisals from your fellow Roadkeepers once you return, for the defenses here at Peacock Manor will protect you well. The magic bag is yours to keep, my gift to you. Best of luck on cracking the code on that door—in the meantime; I'll continue to seek alternate methods among my contacts in Magnimar for magical solutions. And I've a line on an adamantine pick that will help, if my contact in Riddleport can follow through on her promises. In any event, we shall talk again soon, I pray!
The note is unsigned.
As she walks away, Nime reaches out and places her hand on her friend with a quiet prayer to Shelyn for healing.
Calendula sips one of the potions they find, and ponders over the note.
"Pretty clear what this means. Audrani'll want a look at it, too. Any opinions on our next move?"
"We should go back." Shenuska suggests. "Find this Peacock Manor. They might be the ones with the invisible sword..." That prospect seems to quite excite her.
"This whole operation is really... organized. Someone knew exactly what they were looking for," suggests Rudrik.
"Scary organized for a bunch of bandits," Calendula agrees. "I'd love to poke around a bit more but that might be pushing our luck."
Theo drank his second-last healing potion as the fight died down. "We should let Audrani know about this, but we should also come back later on to make sure this place is clear."
Calendula rubs her shoulder and pokes her head into the vault. "I'd really like to know where exactly we are, but," she shrugs.
"It's ok, Sweetie," Nime says, coming up behind Calendula and putting her hands on her shoulders. "I've been lost before as well and it can be scary. But I'm here and I know the way out."
It takes Calendula a beat before she sees the shy twinkle in Nime's eye indicating she's attempting to make a joke.
"I think we should go back to town and then go talk to the people at Peocock Manor."
You bind the hands of the Roadkeepers and rouse them from consciousness so that you can escort them out of the dungeon. The thugs grumble and complain the whole way, but the dwarf at least remains quiet, perhaps grateful that you spared his life. You head back north through the Churlwood, stopping to gather the bodies of the dead guardsmen. Then you cross the Chavali River on Hallen's ferry and make it back to Roderic's Cove by late afternoon.
You turn your prisoners over to Captain Julit Freson at the guardhouse, who locks them in a cell awaiting further interrogation. The stern woman tears up when you show her the remains of the guards the undead creature killed, but she thanks you for returning their bodies and rewards you with a purse of 300 gp.
Audrahni grimly studies the bodies when you bring them to the Lady's Chapel. "It sounds like they were killed by an undead creature called a trailgaunt. Since they were within sight of a road, they did not rise again, but we must bury them before sunset or they may become undead as well! Will you help me dig their graves?"
Assuming you agree, you spend some time preparing their burial sites before interring their bodies in the ground. As the sun begins to set, the town's priest, Desil Marphan, says a prayer over the guards' remains.
Afterwards, Audrahni treats you to dinner at Creekside. She listens to your story of what transpired with a solemn expression. "There may be more Roadkeepers lurking in that dungeon complex. It would be in the Cove's best interest to see that gang eliminated for good. But you have the gauntlets, which means you can safely handle Baraket without the sword influencing your mind. It may be time to try to take it back from the Order of the Peacock before they can use it to cause more harm."
"This order have dobe nothung yet. We should clear thr complex first and see if there are any more clues there. The history down there is quite intriguing." Shenuska offers, "I think you'd be interested Audrahni!"
"I'm with Shenuska, with the added impetus that my father would kill me if I didn't at least try and study the place. Whatever they might do with Baraket, I hardly think a day or two to clear the complex is going to make too much of a difference."
"I think you'd be interested Audrahni!"
"Perhaps," the elf says. "Right now, I'm primarily concerned to putting Sir Roderic to rest. Anything we can do to make the Cove safer will help soothe his spirit."
She nods at Theodric. "I trust you all to decide how best to proceed."
As you finish dinner and exit Creekside, you can hear foul laughter coming from the branches of a nearby tree. The obnoxious gremlin, Mister Retch, is chewing off the ends of his fingernails and spitting them on unfortunate passersby. When he sees you, he lets out a massive belch.
"Well, well! Look who came back for--*URP!*--more punishment! Did you like my last little present, Fat Ass?" he calls down to Shenuska. "Plenty more where that--*BRAPP!*--came from! I'm working on a new batch right now!"
Nime steps close to Shenuska.
"Don't listen to him. Your bottom isn't fat - it's the perfect size," she whispers.
"You need to find something else to do besides insulting people," Nime calls out to the gremlin. "Please go do something constructive. You'll feel better about yourself."
"Hmmm... Nah! I feel better when I make other people feel worse! Like you, Tiny Titties! Are those boobs or--*BURRRP!*--mosquito bites?" Mister Retch chortles and burps.
Shenuska glares at the gremlin, her silence speaking volumes. As the gremlin goes on her fist clenches and the air around it starts to vibrate.
"Choose your next words carefully, Imp."
"Okay! How about... You're a hideous crone whose face makes children weep? Har har har!"
Shenuska calmly blasts the imp off his perch.
Mister Retch shrieks in pain as the missiles slam into him. "Argh! You ugly b%$$!!" The gremlin leaps out of the tree, spreading his arms wide to reveal loose flaps of skin stretched between them. He flaps his arms up and down, clumsily flying away!
"Okay, that escalated quickly," Theo said, "I think I have an idea for dealing with him next time he shows up, but I'll have to have a word with Sam and a few others around town. Bottle of 4714 Cordelis, should do the trick. Save it for the morning, though; the siren song of a bed is calling me."
After Mister Retch flies away, Nime glances down at the objects of his insults. She frowns for just a moment before pulling her vest off the end of her spear and donning it.
"Sleep would probably be a good thing," Nime says with nod.
As the members of the group drift away to their various places of rest, Nime moves to join Calendula. She puts her arm around her friend and leans her head down on her as they walk.
"You're still cold. Would you like me to keep you warm tonight?"
"Two works better than one." Shenuska adds, appearing on Calendula's other side with a wink at Nime. "Besides, I like seeing you without the tunic." She adds, talking to Nime this time.
Calendula ruffles and pulls her scarves tighter about her when Nime speaks, and when she opens her mouth to speak, she's cut off by Shenuska. She blushes, her cheeks growing paler as they fill with her cold, sick blood.
With a roll of the shoulder, the grizzled veteran removes herself from her friend's embrace and stomps off towards her house- alone.
Calendula doesn't get too far before snarls fill the air. Ambling towards her out of the evening mist are two more of the twisted, half-formed monstrosities like the one you fought on the way to Roderic's Wreck!
Lightning crackles in their mouths as they lunge at the bloodrager, but neither hits!
Calendula whips out her sword and aims to push it through one's head, heart pumping fast.
Nime looks pained as her friend walks away. "Oh, Calendula," she says with sympathy. She frowns and seems to want to say something, but shakes her head.
When the creatures appear, the Undine's face grows angry.
"Not again!"
Fearful of their claws, Nime calls upon the protection of Shelyn once more before moving to be near Calendula.
The sword goes through the monster's head and clean out the back, splattering bits of bone and brains on the cobblestone street. It collapses, twitching feebly. One creature remains.
Shenuska hurls some rubbish at the creatures, covering one of them in mud.
Theo was a bit disappointed when Nime put her vest back on, and he'd been about to see if Shenuska would be interested in a drink with him when she joined in on Nime and Calendula. And he was too much the gentleman to go hampering or interrupting someone's fun (besides, the last time he and his girlfriend had attempted a foursome one of the girls had fallen out of bed and cracked her head on the nightstand - not a serious injury but it had drawn a bit of blood and suitably killed the mood).
Any thoughts beyond that got shoved out of his mind as yet another interruption reared its fanged head.
"Oh not more of those things!" Theo remarked as he stabbed at the remaining one with his spear.
Shenuska slams the remaining monster with debris, then Theodric finishes it off with a powerful spear thrust. The brief altercation ends as quickly as it began.
Nime looks over the bodies of the creatures with annoyance.
"This is really beginning to become an annoyance."
Her tone is suggestive of someone that has found mud tracked across their clean floor.
She walks over to Shenuska and shakes her head. She opens her mouth to say something, but tips her head in that way that indicates she's trying to hear something. After a moment she closes her eyes and leans in to smell the skin at the woman's neck.
"You're aroused," she says matter-of-factly. "Any other time and I would suggest we find somewhere more comfortable, but ... " She looks over at Calendula and frowns. "I think my friend just really needs someone to keep her warm tonight and I would like to do that. Perhaps you should talk to Theodric or Rudrik. I'm sure they both find you very attractive and would enjoy time with you. Perhaps both."
She leans in and kisses the woman on the cheek.
"Goodnight. We'll talk again tomorrow morning. Have good sex."
The oracle smiles and then turns and walks to Calendula.
"C'mon, Sweetie. Let's get you home."
Shenuska smiles and gives Nine a kiss on the cheek. "Another time then sweet?" She smiles and then wanders back towards Theo.
"Do you handle all kinds of spear as well as that one? She asks, nodding towards the spear and running a hand down the shaft slowly...
Rudrik seems to be a little out of it, being slow to react to both the gremlin's taunts and the appearance of the new fleshwarped beast.
"Well. That was fast."
He shrugs, having only just barely gotten his gladius partly out of the scabbard.
"You know, I really hope we don't wind up needing some information or help that only the gremlin has," says the half-orc. "That would suck, but it would be just like the way stories go."
"Little worrying these things are getting so close to down, but at least they aren't all that hardy," Theo remarked as he prestidigitated the gore from his spear.
Which was good timing as Shenuska approached and asked. "Well, I'd be happy to provide a private demonstration," he said, one arm sliding around Shenuska's waist, "I believe my room at the inn should be... accommodating."