Gamble presses the cornered Hallod, slashing twice at the man.
He then speaks a single word in Skald. A giant translucent rune manifests between him and Hallod before fading.
|----|----|----|----|
Gracie tries one more attempt at bitting Hallod, but she is too hurt and Hallod easily kicks her away, forcing Deerslicer to close the remaining distance as he draws his dogslicer. Whatever is on the goblin's mind is his alone to share.
While the bully brags about his strength, Pepper calls upon nature's bounty once more and spirits similar to the one he summoned appear before him and heal his wounds. This gives the ulfen enough strength to follow Sinan and Simon's lead to press the attack, but his muscles still ache and his strikes do little more than create an opening.
An opening that Kunsheng had been patiently waiting as his bullet strikes Hallod on the temple and he staggers forward, giving Gamble enough time to call upon his magical shield of force. Bleeding from various injuries, it's a miracle the brute is still standing and his hand begins to go towards his jacket pocket...
"Whoever this 'she' is, Hallod. She will see as we have how you have failed her. You could not even kill a priest. You only managed to kill the merchant by relying on the poor goblin that was obviously so much better at your work than you."
Judgement passed in his eyes, Sinan continues to slash at the bully calling on the training that the old priest had taught Sinan when dealing with slavers in Katheer.
Harried by Valor's longsword stabs, Hallod is pushed back. A stab to the chest staggers Hallod long enough for Sinan to swing his scimitar with the skill he had when he was younger. It cuts deep and he looks surprised at the two battered priests standing side to side
"N-No.", he croaks. His body hits the ground with a thud next to his dark wolf.
Hallod barely even budges at Deerslicer's kick. Hallod has on his person a kukri etched with a rune, leather armor, one lesser healing potion, one lesser juggernaut mutagen and a key.
In the back of the cave, the female alpha wolf opens her eyes after begin stabilized by Pepper and slowly gets up.
Pepper casts stabilize on the big lug-- "Tie him up, maybe? Before I heal you all... or else fall back and we wake him later?"
A last wave of healing spirits rush all around the room--
"Good... you are not dead.
I hope you are free from Evil influence..." Pepper says to the wolf, ready to try--
--to calm it down and make it non aggressive.
If it moves to attack, she will cast produce flame at it...
The wolf flinches away from all of you. She has mange and looks scared as she cowers away from Pepper before rolling over showing her belly in sign of submission.
"Oh, isn't she cute...?", says Pepper, forgetting about the fight.
She will go slowly over, and try to scratch the wolf's tummy.
"Yes, you are cute... a nice wolf..."
"No. It's a bit small for me," Gamble answers Deerslicer. "You know, if we drag him, conscious, back the way we came, he might very well sick the dogs on us. And then there's the matter of getting him up that shaft. We might need to figure out our way back to town from wherever here is."
He looks around the cave, clearly having lost his bearings after the series of tunnels.
While looking through Hallod's things, you found a carefully folded note written on a scrap of parchment.
Hallod,
The final shipment of corpse blood is due in just over a week, and it is the lastthing I need from that greedy bastard, Bort. I’ve enclosed a parting gift for himthat should ensure he never tells anyone of our dealings. Be sure that he gets it, my darling.Drop off the reagents as soon as they arrive. My work is almost done. You will find your usual reward in the stump.
Going through the crates, you find them not at all empty. There are two torches here, inscribed with arcane sigils, a stone in which a rune is etched and several reagents that Kunsheng could put to good use.
Sinan shakes his head, but stabilizes Hallod. "I'll carry him if needs be. He has much to answer for, but there is great opportunity for redemption. The weapon might not be the style we could use, but the rune on it can be used on another weapon."
"We should scour this lair. There might be more evidence regarding the murder. And I wish to know more of this woman Hallod seems to be enraptured with."
"It looks like it is a conspiracy to murder Bort," Gamble says as Deerslicer reveals what he's found. "I think that it is the place mentioned in Hallod's map--the one that was in the lock box. Let's gather what we want and get out of here. Deerslicer, can you figure out the way back to town once we get outside?"
Kunsheng perhaps would recall...
During this whole conversation, Hallod remains unconscious, breathing and untied. While the female wolf makes submissive overtures towards Pepper, glancing at the Deerslicer nervously.
Searching the lair, you would find in the crates and barrels in the kennel a box with a vial containing a murky brown liquid which Kunsheng would recognize . This box clearly once had 7 other bottles in it, all of which appear to be missing. There is no further information on who Hallod's mysterious lady is.
"Were one of you going to tie him up before he wakes?" Gamble asks, internally lamenting that repair kits cost so much that he could not afford such simple provisions as rope.
"Leave this animal alone, Deerslicer! You do not need to eat here, and she is no threat to you now!
Animals are only as mean as the people ordering them around--"
Pepper tickles the wolf's belly.
"--and you are nice now, right?
A nice girl."
"Yes, let us go out into the forest!"
"That's what I was suggesting, more or less," Gamble says.
With Hallod tied up and dragged through the cave mud by Sinan, who is woefully shorter and weaker than the huge bully, you head out of the dark cave and into the forest, Deerslicer leading the way as Pepper tries to coax the female wolf to follow her.
About ten minutes into the walk, Sinan has exhausted himself and one of you decides to either help the cleric or take over carrying Hallod, who despite the bumps and bruises, is mercifully still unconscious.
Gamble identifies the runestone's rune, but not the torches nor what the rune on Hallod's kukri does. Perhaps Sinan or Pepper might have better luck.
After another twenty minutes through the forest, you encounter Hallod's drop point. It is little more than a large hollow tree stump in a small clearing. Inside are a few empty crates, but nothing of value.
"Come nice wolfie-"
If the wolf runs away into the woods.
"I hope you have a good life! At least you are free now..."
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Sinan tries to identify Hallod's magical gear.
"Interesting," Gamble says before assisting in dragging the unconscious bully through the woods. "If you affix this to your armor, it will bind shadows to it and help you remain hidden. I could not understand the other things."
Deerslicer would see several large and heavy humanoid tracks moving around the area, these become fainter as they leave the stump, but appear to be heading northwards. Simon and Kunsheng only find tracks near and around the stump.
"I don't think we're in much condition to start a fight with whoever Hallod's chief was," Gamble cautions. "I know you're afraid she'll get away, but I think we really ought to head back, hand off our captive, and rest up before searching the woods for another hideout."
Sinan has some time to look over the things Gamble had some difficulty identifying.
Deerslicer guides the group back to town. At this point I would imagine you are all hungry as it's nearly 6:30 pm when you reach the northern river that marks the beginning of Etran's Folly. As you're approaching the town, Hallod regains conciousness, upon seeing himself being carried by Sinan and Gamble he feebly attempts to break his bonds, he struggles and grunts to no avail. He ends up spitting to the side, hoping to hit one of you in petty retaliation.
"Wh-Where you taking me?", he says with a hoarse voice.
The Dead Homes are an eerie sight and perhaps the only light you can see is that coming from the Feedmill.
In the light of the torches, Sinan gives Hallod a cold glare. "I considered giving your flesh as a sacrifice at the old shrine, but that would not do. Instead you will meet justice headlong. If you are very lucky, or find your value, you may come out of it all alive. If not, Pharasma will judge you next. When next you see me, we will have a long conversation. But for now, you will sleep."
The priest then thunks the bully over the head with the hilt of his sword to knock him out.
In the moment of silence, the qadiran turns to the others. "The torches are everburning. They would do well at our house and if we need light in the dark. And the rune on that kukri, Deerslicer. It makes a weapon strike true." "If that weapon is something you think you will find a lot of use for, so much the better. Otherwise, we should consider transferring the rune to another. Our job here is far from over."
Sinan smiles widely as if giving a child a cherished new toy. "I have no objections."
The six of you have made your way down Etran's Folly's streets. Everything is dark except for the Feedmill, which is bustling with activity. Hallod now has a nasty purple bruise from where Sinan struck his head and remains unconscious. The wolf, however, stayed by the river, not daring to head into the town with the others.
"Maybe someone should go to the Feedmill and see if we can find Garley," Gamble suggests.