The man rubs his wrists and thanks Jon for releasing him from the torture device.
"The name's Marcus. I'm a merchant dealing in silks. These rogues nabbed me from my room at the Bent Goblin Inn weeks ago. They've been trying to get information about my suppliers. I'm not looking for a blade, I just help getting out of here."
As Marcus makes his introduction, Ukufa assesses both his words and countenance;
The Jasdian Hunter gestures toward the released prisoner with one of her blades;
"Silk Merchant? Not those hands."
She eyes him sternly;
"Who truly are you?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Bhru looks down at his own hands, and wonders to himself...
Could I sell silks?....
The gore splattered dwarf waits for answers while keeping an eye on the door behind them.
Kellan scoffs at the response,"You wouldn't keep many suppliers staying at the Bent Goblin either. We can deal with your past later. Can you at least be truthful about how to get out of here? Or how to get to the Lap o'the Lotus?"
Phineas speaks to Kellan:
“We let his lies linger then, like some odorous cloud?”
Phineas turns his attention to ‘Marcus’:
“Well then, if you would be so kind as to lead the way, dear friend. As for the cost of saving—and sparing—your life…perhaps you can pay us in silk.”
"Aye, we let them linger here while we move on, always aware though of the potential source." Kellan's wink to the halfling is with the eye out of the strangers line of sight.
"Well aren't you all just a bunch of clever sods." He lunges for a branding iron, pulling it out of the glowing brazier. "Let's see how far that gets you."
Combat
23 Jon
17 Phineas
16 Kellen
16 Ukufa
5 Baddy
4 Bhru
Having seen through his ruse, you're not caught by surprise when he turns on you.
Spinnaker Jon adopted a Total Defense stance and shifted left to flank the faker with Bhru. He swept out his rapier, holding it in a threatening manner with his right hand while dropping his sap in his left hand hidden behind his back.
"Sure ye want ta be doin' this laddie? Odds be against ye bad me lad!" Jon said to the faker.
“I’m deeply shocked by your sudden turn in disposition, Marcus. But so be it.”
Phineas takes a swing with the long sword, extra self-righteously:
As the man reveals his true nature, Ukufa moves forward, and jams her already drawn blade into the deceiver;
Kellan will slide past Bhru reaching out to pass on his brand as he does.
"Ya well, I'm taking a few of you down with me!"
The fellow dodges past, Phineas' blow, but Ukufa lands a strike and Kellan's flames blister his skin.
Gritting in pain, he swings the glowing bran at Ukufa in retaliation:
, but the agile Touv ducks beneath the clumsy swing.
Jon shrugged ("Yer funeral laddie!") and feinted his rapier low at the guy...
...then whipped his sap around from behind his back to hit him high!
for a possible nonlethal/precision damage.
Bhru waits patiently as the crew swarms the fellow.
'We gon' tie him back up?'
Jon's smack dazes the man, but he doesn't fall. Kellan's fiery blast does the trick and he topples to the ground with a thud.
When he loses consciousness, his ratty cloth shirt shimmers and blurs, finally resolving itself into a gleaming chain shirt.
Kellan dusts his hands off and shrugs at Bhru "And gag 'im I'd say. Right after we take that fine looking shirt, who wants it?" He winks at Bhru as he kneels and strips the chain shirt over the liars head. He noticed the brand, Nerull's brand, his brand, as soon as the man's shirt disappeared and he hoped to conceal it from his companions while looting the unconscious man. "Who's got my rope again?" He says looking up and proferring the shirt to no one in particular as a piece of misdirection.
"Well now, ye may not want ta talk laddie, but you be telling us things still..."
Phineas speaks to the group, gesturing to the captive and within earshot of him.
“Given our current juncture I’ll be forthright. Are we opposed to the use of semi-dignified torture methods to expeditiously extract the truth from dear Marcus here?”
Bhru rummages through his sack and tosses Kellan the rope in exchange for the new shiny shirt.
'Wonder where 'e got this from then?'
The dwarf taps his Warhammer against the stone floor,
'No glory in torture Master Phineas. But there is mercy in a swift execution.'
Bhru raises his Warhammer over head ready to make a decisive strike...
Kellan happily begins tying up the man, branded arm to his back. Glad he hadn't raised an inquiry over his Reaper's brand. Kellan also gags the man before shying back as Bhru raises his hammer. "Perhaps a quick couple questions first eh Bhru, afore we Silence him? At least let me get clear of the splatter..."
As he stands, more and more curious as to the man and his disguised shirt, Kellan casts Detect Magic.
Bhru sets down the executioners mallet.
'Make it quick then, our quarry probably isn't waitin' on us'
Kellan attempts to wake the thief, to no avail. "Anyone else know how to wake 'im before Bhru checks the healing properties of his hammer?"
Jon waived at the southern door.
"Nevermind him, he's out for now. Just tie him up while we clear the rest o' this rat's nest." He said.
Reloading his hand crossbow, he waited for the others to get ready, then eased the door open...
Bhru takes no time as the others tie the man up.
'Les go then, can't be a secret we are here anymore.'
He heads through the door to the south.
Beyond the door to the south is a long corridor lined with jail cells along one side. Each cell features a nasty-looking heap of straw, a wooden bucket, and little more. Iron bars close each cell off, with a narrow gate featuring a large lock allowing egress from each. The cells all currently stand empty.
At the far end of corridor is another closed door. From beyond it comes a very foul, very animal, odor.
Jon looked back.
"Let's check this last door before we advance down the hallway..." He said to the others.
He waited for the others to get positioned before opening the other door.
Bhru shuffles back to the other door and nods to Jon,
'Go on then lad.'
Kellan Stands from the bound deceiver and nocks a fresh bolt. He tosses an affirmatory wink to Jon.
Opening the door reveals a small chamber sporting a large bed covered with furs. An iron cage sits at the foot, and a low table in the southeast corner is heaped with salted fish, bread, and bottles of rum.
Jon peers into the iron cage suspiciously.
What's supposed ta be in here?" He asked, looking for a bird or something.
"I heard of some kinky sh... but they never mentioned this in Azure's back alleys.
Bhru pokes his head into the room, surveys it quickly and turns around.
'Notin' in there...'
He heads back to the other doorway and continues on the pursuit of their hopeful victim.
Jon peers into the iron cage suspiciously.
What's supposed ta be in here?" He asked, looking for a bird or something.
Phineas helps himself to some salted fish and looks around the room.
“Ah, sustenance!”
"Aye, some people and their fetishes..." Jon said, turning away from the cage. He proceeded to make a more thorough search of the chamber.
Returning to the door to the smelly room, Bhru leads the way. The room beyond is strewn with dirty straw and partially gnawed bones. Another door leaves to the south. An unusually large, black wolf with intelligent, red eyes stands to one side, hackles raised. At your appearance, it lets out a piercing howl.
Combat
17 Worg
16 Phineas
12 Kellan
10 Jon
1 Bhru
The creature rushes forward and snaps at Bhru
Tearing flesh, it tries to pull the doughty dwarf from his feet.
Jon ran over the top of his companions and acrobatically dove over the Worg...
...to stab it in the rear in a flanking sneak attack.
for a possible piercing/precision damage.
Bhru groans as he his flesh is torn landing with a thud on his rear.
The battered dwarf takes a swing with his warhammer from the floor,
But his position makes the attempt feeble.
“I’m not sure this one is open to diplomacy…”
Phineas locks eyes with the beast. “…or honourable combat of any sort for that matter. Did Marcus put you up to this!?”
Phineas gets into the mix with his longsword.
Everyone misses, except Phineas, who slices a deep cut across the creature's flank. Growling in pain, the creatures turns his attention to the halfling:
Spinnaker Jon feints...
...to stab it in the rear in a flanking sneak attack.
for a possible piercing/precision damage.
Kellan finds himself in unfamiliar territory but he draws his mace and attempts a swing.
Bhru takes another swing,
“Fine strikes, Masters Kellan and Bhru…but the killing stroke…therein lies the rub!”
Phineas challenges the worg!
Phineas readies another swing with an air of finality:
The party pounces on the wounded worg and your combined strikes quickly overwhelm the creature. With a sigh, it collapses in a smelly heap to the floor. Poking about the room finds plenty of remains of suspicious origin, but nothing of value.
The door to the south is unlocked and beyond is an L shaped corridor which leads to another unlocked door. It opens on another corridor, which turns around a bend to the SE. Another closed door is directly on your left, in the norther end of the hall.
"Let's check the door right here." Spinnaker Jon said.