| HP 56/60 AC 20, T 14, FF 17 | CMD 26 | F +7 R +9 W +5; | Init +3 | Perc +10 | SM +10
"My lady, it may well be to our benefit to question this one as she seems to be the heart of this sorry lot." Zadim notes to Kyra as he gestures towarding the burning body.
Xim empties his flask over the Pesh Lord of Twilight Gate.
Her skin is charred, her face bloody but her breathing is even. She lies unconscious and seriously injured.
I the cave, the three men stare wide-eyed, sweat running down their faces. One of them fumbles with an empty pipe.
Male CG Kitsune (in vulpine form) from the Forest of Spirits in Tian Xia | Swashbuckler 1 / Investigator 9 | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 2 | Init +8 | HP 94/94 | ‘Serang' Familiar HP 47/47 | Normal: Panache 7/7 | Inspiration 10/10 | Extend Potion 6/6 | AC 28 (30 vs. Traps), T 18 FF 21| CMB +16 (with Rapier), CMD 22 (24 Disarm) | F: +10, R: +18 (+20 vs. traps), W: +12 (+14 vs. illusions) | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Perc +24 (+28 vs. traps), Dipl +19 | Low-light vision | Speed 30 | Active cond.: none
Andor gives his wand to Kyra so she can heal her a bit.
Then he uses smelling salts so she wakes up.
"Lady, you are surrounded, you have nowhere to run. Your men have given up, and you are at our mercy. All we want is information. Who are you exactly? What do you have to do with the slavers. We would very much like to cooperate with you instead of fight you. Please let us talk." Andor says with a clear interest to understand this place better.
Sehema wipes blood from her face with the back of her hand, "I am a businesswoman. I use these tunnels for their seclusion. And the slavers, well, we have an agreement. I supply them with cut-price products and in return they keep strangers from wandering into the tunnels."
She feels her broken nose and winces, "Well, usually they do."
Sehema's eyes narrow, her voice grows petulant, "We're not great friends or anything. We have a simple business arrangement. If you're looking to cut in on their business, well... that's nothing to do with me." She tries to sit up but winces in pain and lies still, her breathing shallow.
Kyra frowns at the casual indifference of the drug dealer, slowly stepping up next to Andor.
"Through your 'business', you aid the slavers in their subjugation, oppression, and humiliation, let alone breaking the minds; of sentient beings."
"A keen mind like yours could do much greater things.
Right now, you erode minds and bodies with your drugs, hidden away in small spaces, being dependant on the addicted and hard criminals for income, as you just admitted."
"Consider this, if you take the profession of an apothecary, you'd -fix- people from a variety of afflictions. People modest and wealthy could turn to -you- for their medicine. Such a craft's business would flourish and be respected...instead of having to struggle underground and be despised."
"I know of two cities who would well benefit well from such a trade. Lopul is a caravan city, caravans are always in need of supplies. The other is the fortress city of Omash. Such a place also needs to keep their numbers healthy. An in such a trade, that means you make a good earning."
"What would you rather have, constantly hiding for work?
Or respect, a good income, and freedom to walk the streets unhindered?"
.."I even know people who could get you there discretely."
Male CG Kitsune (in vulpine form) from the Forest of Spirits in Tian Xia | Swashbuckler 1 / Investigator 9 | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 2 | Init +8 | HP 94/94 | ‘Serang' Familiar HP 47/47 | Normal: Panache 7/7 | Inspiration 10/10 | Extend Potion 6/6 | AC 28 (30 vs. Traps), T 18 FF 21| CMB +16 (with Rapier), CMD 22 (24 Disarm) | F: +10, R: +18 (+20 vs. traps), W: +12 (+14 vs. illusions) | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Perc +24 (+28 vs. traps), Dipl +19 | Low-light vision | Speed 30 | Active cond.: none
Andor smiles after hearing Kyra’s words.
”Listen to her! She’ll save your life! Well, we will confiscate the gear of you and your men. We hope they will take care of you. If you mention us to anyone we’ll have problems. But before we leave we need to know if you know a woman called Othine. She has intricate tattoos... “ Andor says and describes them.
Sehema seems to take your offer and advice seriously, whether it's out of fear or the desire for a more stable life is difficult to fathom.
Her ego, however, is still strong, "Who listens to an apothecary though? Who shudders in fear as she passes? Who respects her?"
You have shifted her attitude to indifferent and she is willing to listen to you but her instinct is to focus on her own advantage. You have shifted her by two steps and it would take a major intervention (and investment of time) to move her further. You can say more, and that can have an effect, but don't worry about rolling diplomacy again.
Female Dwarf Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 10 I HP 78 (Rage:98)/122 I AC 23 T12 FF22 Fort+13 Ref+6 Wi+6 Ini +1 Per +8 spd 30 DR4/- CLW Wand 50/50 RAGE! used 0/24
Awww, you've been on the wrong side of the law, and look where it got you.You nearly lost your life. If you were an honest apoticary, you'll be on the right side of my axe, and I would protect you if needed. We offer you a new start in life. Do you think you deserved such favor? I can still put a definite end to your troubles, just say the word...
Kyra shakes her head at the woman's stubborn thinking of drug dealing being better than a legitimate profession.
Kyra looks slightly sideways as Brallenera speaks up, passionately,
Miss Thalkham is a bane of slavers, and i reckon of any who are in league with such people.
The combination of threats and opportunity seems to be giving Sehema pause. Then one of her allies whines, "But, hey, Sehema. We're a team right. We need you. For the stuff, yeah!"
Sehema glares at him for a moment, then she turns back to you. "I will pack up my essentials. If you return in the next day or so and can help me get to this Lopul place - I don't like the idea of fortresses - then I'll sell the rest and move on-"
"What, Sehema? But..." Another of her allies interjects.
She snaps back, irritably, "Stop whining Fharalou, I'll leave you with my secret stash. You'll be fine."
Then she looks at Kyra, "You'll help me get to this Lopul? We have a deal?"
| HP 56/60 AC 20, T 14, FF 17 | CMD 26 | F +7 R +9 W +5; | Init +3 | Perc +10 | SM +10
Zadim nods at the cleric with quiet admiration, noting that she embodies both the convictions of the goddess as well as her compassion.
The lady would make one a fine wife, if she would allow herself to be. the slayer ponders to himself. I've approached with both sincerity and charm. Yet, for some reason, she always seems unreceptive to my advances.
You got all of the information that the pesh addicts have from the first group.
Sehema tells the group all that she knows and indicates that the slavers came from the tunnel beyond her own. Do you want to follow Othine's map? Look for tracks again?
Male CG Kitsune (in vulpine form) from the Forest of Spirits in Tian Xia | Swashbuckler 1 / Investigator 9 | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 2 | Init +8 | HP 94/94 | ‘Serang' Familiar HP 47/47 | Normal: Panache 7/7 | Inspiration 10/10 | Extend Potion 6/6 | AC 28 (30 vs. Traps), T 18 FF 21| CMB +16 (with Rapier), CMD 22 (24 Disarm) | F: +10, R: +18 (+20 vs. traps), W: +12 (+14 vs. illusions) | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Perc +24 (+28 vs. traps), Dipl +19 | Low-light vision | Speed 30 | Active cond.: none
Andor is glad that Kyra was successful.
"Good to have Sarenites with us. I do not know if I told you before but one of my brothers and one of my sisters are both paladins of the Dawnflower so I have a couple of stories to tell them about you after this mission!" Andor says with a sly smile.
Following Othine's path you travel through the quiet darkness for close to an hour.
Eventually, this opens up into a larger space, even as you approach you can see flickering light, columns and high cielings.
Andor passes silently through the demolished grate at the end of the passage and peers around the corner.
This dry, cavernous cistern is built from pale bricks and mortar. A forest of columns stretches over thirty feet upward and meets a complex series of arches that crisscrosses the ceiling. Scattered iron barrels burn brightly, giving off the stench of dried dung. At the far corner of the cistern, clumsily stacked piles of excavated stone surround a coiled stairwell hewn into the bedrock.
DC15 Knowledge (Engineering):
This is a huge fresh-water cistern. Clearly, some underlying structural fault caused cracking and seepage. The cistern was probably only used for a short time before being abandoned.
DC25 Knowledge (local):
The whole qanat project was a costly failure, rumoured to have been undermined by the unexpected geology beneath the surface.
More pertinently, Andor also sees two gnolls standing over the stairwell.
perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22 perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
The gnolls seem alert but, with the pillars and the distance between them, Andor and Kermit go unnoticed.
Good to have Sarenites with us. I do not know if I told you before but one of my brothers and one of my sisters are both paladins of the Dawnflower so I have a couple of stories to tell them about you after this mission!
(modestly looks at Andor)
"No, you hadn't told us yet. What a coincidence.
I'm sorry to say, but there's been but one accomplishment so far, and that has not yet been completed."
The gnoll with a wooden circlet ducks down and fiddles with a box, then drops over the barricade a strange hideous avian creature which has the body of an emaciated rooster, the wings of a bat, and a long, scaly tail.
knowledge (arcana) DC13:
It's a cockatrice: Stupid, vicious, and repulsive, cockatrices are avoided by other creatures due to their magical ability to turn flesh to stone.
The creature flaps in chaotic, desperate lurches of wing that propel it toward Kermit.
attack:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25 damage:1d4 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 0minimum damage is 1 DC12 fortitude save, Kermit
The other gnoll moves up behind the creature, flail swinging over its head.
| HP 56/60 AC 20, T 14, FF 17 | CMD 26 | F +7 R +9 W +5; | Init +3 | Perc +10 | SM +10
Zadim bolts into the room, drawing his kukri on the move. Unsure of the foul fowl, he instead places himself within striking district of its gnoll master.
Swift action Studied Combat with quick study: 1/2 investigator level as an insight bonus on melee attack rolls and as a bonus on damage rolls against the creature for 5 rounds.
