Noala nods, sniffs the air, and nods more emphatically. You're probably right. Shall we return to the Feedmill then? No doubt Delma will know where her father is.
"Sure. Seems as good an idea as any."
"Though, I'd venture a guess the lazy slob is sitting at home...unless the bars open." he growls.
"Agreed" Kuntaxl says while shifting the bulk of Hallod around on his shoulder.
You return to the town proper, and find the Feedmill still closed of course. But Delma is, as always, there. She comes out from the front just as Tamli and your fellow wagon travelers come around the corner to see the mighty Kuntaxl carrying this massive man over his shoulder.
Tamli sucks in a breath and puts a hand to her mouth, as the twins start to whisper to each other. Delma is much more composed, though she gives Hallod's form a grim look. Well...that's one way to do it...did you find any proof?
"Aye, but we'll let the sheriff sort that out." Kuntaxl carries Hallod to the jail and puts him in a cell.
The sheriff nearly falls back in his chair when you enter. He quickly wipes sleep from his eyes. Oh! Hey, you're back, and...damn...that's Hallod.. He then seems to figure out that you already know that. I, um...right this way. He's pretty beat up, isn't he...
You're able to toss him in a cell and lock him up before he even begins to stir. The sheriff looks up at you. Well, what did you find out? He did it, then?
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Kuntaxl fixes the sheriff with a withering gaze and slaps the note down on the desk.
"I believe this should exonerate the caravan. You should tell them to be in their way."
"He did try to kill us. He nearly did kill me. I think we showed some restraint in not letting him bleed out."
Jace's tone is incredulent at the sheriff, not angry, he's beyond exasperated and already had a bad day.
"Yes, I think everyone who wishes to leave this town should be allowed to do so." He looks over at Noala. "We have other things to take care of, now."
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"We did most of your job for you. Think you're capable of detaining this beast until the proper authorities arrive to doll out his punishment?" snarls Nuktik.
"If you're not capable, we can lock you in there with him and deal with it for you."
The sheriff hitched up his britches, standing tall...err, at least standing up. He seems to chew on his thoughts, then spits on his own floor. Fine...yeah, I can see he an' Bort had some dealings goin' that were on the wrong side of the law. Doesn't necessarily mean that the rest of the teamsters weren't involved though.
Phinick here will be tried, and so'll Hallod, but I think the wagons should stay here till the judge comes through. C'mon, y'all said yerselves ya' ain't been with them for long. Can you say for sure that they didn't have a part in this?
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Jace has had enough.
"Unless the laws work very differently here, which we've had no indication of, it is *your* job to prove that the people in the caravan are guilty of a crime. NOT the job of innocent and law-abiding citizens to prove that they are NOT involved with Hallod and his psycho hussy girlfriend."
He huffs. "You've accused us, without grounds and without proof, of being involved in Bort's death. Now we have brought you the real killer. Are you now making unfounded accusations of murder against the other caravan members?
Because your track record with accusations has been abysmal."
Aurumvorak tries to keep up with the vague assertions, innuendo, complaints, accusations and hot words.
The scout steps in.
" Well, the sheriff has a point, at least from his way of seeing things. Regardless of how inept he has been, we should commend him, and support him for wanting to do a...better job...moving forward. It seems "good" Bort was...not, and the caravan may have more secrets to it. I don;t think it wise to just let them go. If I were a sheriff."
'Vorak, warming to his moderation continues.
"Sheriff - you need to improve your actions, or your sq....people will remove you. But, you are the appointed official...or at least I assume you were appointed. So...there is something inimical to the successful functioning of this locale's society happening here. With your grace we will continue to investigate."
Turning to Aurumvorak, Nuktik stares at him a long moment. "You realize you are saying you should be considered a possible accomplice to this villain? Don't forget we came into town with that caravan."
"The sheriff keeping the caravan for questioning for an indeterminate amount of time means WE are stuck here doing His job for an indeterminate amount of time as well."
Turning back to the sheriff, a sly smile crosses his face. "You know...there is a good point you are making in all this sheriff. We've only just met you as well. How do we know YOU weren't involved?"
"We should lock you up as well and go through all your personal belongings and letters to ensure you had nothing to do with this troublesome development and subsequent murder."
Pulling a vial from his pouch, he slowly begins to pour some ingredients into it.
"Oh, since we're accusing anyone we want, I think that mayor who's confined to his chair is CLEARLY the one responsible for all of the crimes being committed in this city," Jace says as he crosses his arms.
"It's obvious he hand-carved the tunnel system beneath the abandoned house Hallod was using -- he is very old after all -- and then lured Hallod into using it as a base of operations!
Well, mystery solved."
The Sheriff quickly raises his hands and backpedals, after seeming to get a bit of bluster with Vorak's backing and then having the tables complete turned on him. Whoa, whoa now! Don't do somethin' ya might regret fella. Now, none a that's necessary. Here, see...I'm thinking that I heard something before in Almas... Innocent till proven guilty. Now, I know we're a bit of a backwards town an' all, but that's still somethin' I can get behind.
Tell ya' what...I'll keep Hallod, and Phinick here, and the folks with the caravan can go on their way as soon as they see fit. Be good for all of us if they just move along.
He eyes Nuktik's concoction with open fear, his eyes wide.
Kuntaxl nods, happy the man is finally being rational. "Good. We will go and tell them. Do you have any idea who this V is? She is likely the business partner Hallod was ripping off."
Vorak stares at Nuktik and Jace, looks to Kuntaxl, then shrugs.
”If you would see but one side of the coin, the other hides forever. I have no fear of being considered an accomplice as I am innocent. Why should the sheriff automatically discount us? We, as you said, came with the caravan. Bort’s caravan. Bort the corrupt.” the scout begins. He clenches his jaw, uncomfortable with argument, particularly amongst his own kind.
”I am under no illusion of the burden of proof, but the weight of paper and words are less than the wind if unsubstantiated. High dudgeon and threats against the law do not an investigation make.” ‘Vorak looks at Nuktik.
”Be incredulous cousin. It does you no good and wins us all nothing.” Then turns to Jace.
”And Jace, steel not your heart and mind - the violence of Hallod to you is nothing particular to your existence, but owes everything to happenstance. Like Flenser, Hallod has a prey drive that needed fulfilment. We were merely the untidy morsel that bit back.”
Kuntaxl shakes his head. "We are not investigators, and this attempt at mediation is misfounded. If you would like to place yourself under suspicion, go ahead and step into that cell with Hallod. I am leaving to help track down this problem with the crazy animals."
He glares at the sheriff again. "That will actually aid the congregation."
Spinning on his heel, Kuntaxl stalks out of the office and proceeds to the caravan.
The Sheriff looks as if he's stumbled into a hedge infested with stinging insects. He looks back and forth, seeming to try and track the conversation, but many of the words are just far too large for him to understand.
Ummm....well, can't think of anyone that would sign as "V"...there's a farmer here in town named Victor, but I can see him being involved. At least, well...there's no one livin' now that would sign as "V."
"I also agreed to assist Noala and I plan to do so. I'm glad the caravan is free to leave as they desire."
Jace really has nothing to say to this sheriff anymore, so he turns and follows Kuntaxl.
Aurumvorak shrugs again. He heads off after Kuntaxl to find Noala.
"C'mon Flens"
Heading back to the Feedmill, you find Noala there, seemingly anxious to get started. However, she also seems to show a bit of concern about her newly hired heroes. Are you sure you are okay to see this through today? I hope to lead you to the blight, and then will roam around its perimeter and set up snares and contain any stray creatures that may be flushed out. As you've seen... She once again looks at her hand with dismay. My aim isn't what it used to be.
The worst area of blight is about three hours from here, through the woods.
"I could certainly use a rest. Haven't had a great day," Jace says in the understatement of the year.
"I'll be much stronger tomorrow than I am today, more able to help the party, too. But I'll defer to the group about pressing on, as long as I can get a small bit of healing."
"I could go on. I'm sure we could get everyone patched up in an hour. I'd like to make some more progress today, but I won't insist."
Kuntaxl stops to think for a moment. "I overheard something the sheriff said as I was walking away. He said there was no one lovin' who would go by V. Do you think we could be dealing with the undead here? That might explain the name of that substance in Hallod's note."
Jace's shoulder shrugs, but his lip curls slightly in disgust. "I guess it could be, but the note seemed ... almost intimate, or at least more-than-friends. That would mean Hallod has some very eclectic tastes."
The barkeep thinks for a moment. "There are two other things to consider. There was a reward left for Hallod in a stump somewhere. Any way we could find out where that is?
And ... do we have any way to know if this 'corpse blood' was delivered to V. after all? If not, we should find it and get it back from Hallod. And ... be prepared for this V individual to come looking for it."
That would mean Hallod has some very eclectic tastes."
Kuntaxl jumps back, his eyes going wide. "That... What?... No! I was not implying..." He shudders and breathes heavily. "Perhaps they were acquainted BEFORE V died.
It was just a thought. Let's go tell the caravan they have been cleared and figure out our next move."
He grunts as he looks at Noala. "Though this V should be a secondary concern now. We can at least keep our minds open."
Noala simply watches as you head back to the caravan. Tamli is there, waiting of course, and as she turns to you the others gather round - Cooky, Glunda, and the twins.
Tamli seems nervous, but a bit resigned. Well? What happened?
Jace smiles. "Good news. But I'll let Mr. Kuntaxl or Mr. Nuktik be the ones to tell you."
Kuntaxl grunts as he looks at Tamli, still angry at the situation. "We have convinced the sheriff that there is no further reason to hold the caravan. You are free to go on your way.
I will remain here for the time being. The threat to the congregation from these afflicted animals must be met and none here are up to the task. It is for just this sort of task that Apsu called me.
Evil is at work here." He glances again at Noala, giving her a nod of confirmation, showing that he does not plan to go back on his word. "The sooner we find out what is going on, the better, in my mind. Some of the group feel that we are ill-prepared to venture forth again today, but I think forewarned is forearmed. We need to find out what we are dealing with so that we can prepare better tomorrow."
Jace makes a sound of derision in the back of his throat. "Ugh. You mean we gotta stay here and help this forsaken town?"
He shakes his head, looking glum. "Definitely not where I hoped to end up after my time with the caravan was over. But you're a good being, Mr. Kuntaxl. If you plan to do that, the least I can do is back you up with a little song here and there. I genuinely do want to help Noala figure out the source of the blight, though."
Noala gives a nod of thanks as Tamli digests all of this. The half orc was the newly crowned leader of this odd caravan, and she was feeling the weight of it all. She looked around at the others, but all eyes were on her. Well...I...I don't think we should leave yet, Kuntaxl. I want to - believe me, there's nothing I'd rather do. But, we came here with you folks, and we're not about to leave you stranded here. We will set up here and wait...and if you need somewhere to rest or a good meal...then we're here for you. She doesn't look around for agreement from her crew, to her credit - this is her call, and she owns it. Cooky smiles and nods approvingly. Edra nods and shrugs, as if to say "what else would we do?" And, the twins surprisingly seem to stand firm with their new captain - perhaps they've grown up a bit through this adventure.
Noala leads you away from the caravan and Etran's Folly, into the wilderness. The path is narrow, and horses would be pointless here, so you trek on foot for about three hours. As you progress, Noala explains her plan. I will lead you to the Blight, where you can explore the area and hopefully find out the cause of this. While you do that, I will set up camp for us, and set snares about the area.
The first sign that you are approaching the blight is that the plants in the area are a sickly shade of green with spots of brown. Soon, the forest smells of sweet rot, and the trees look entirely unhealthy, their bark peeling off in sticky black strips.
The presence of rot increases with every step you take, and Noala slows to a stop, turns to look at you, saying, This is where those wolves came from, I am sure of it. Somewhere ahead is their den, but I will leave that for you to explore. If you need my help, you will find me out here. I am going to set up snares and make sure nothing gets out of this rotten copse.
From here, you follow the trail into the heart of this small blight. As you travel, the ground softens and squelches underfoot due to the sticky runoff from all the dying plants. Soon after, the trail opens into an area with tall trees but little underbrush. The path continues toward the rotting remains of a truly titanic tree and, under its roots, there appears to be a small cave. In the center of the clearing is a trio of small, sickly-looking thorn bushes grouped together.
You all notice that there appears to be a wolf carcass on the ground between them, and the plants have wrapped their tendrils around the corpse.
"Well, that's not natural...well I suppose it could be. There are a few carnivorous plants I've encountered in my research, though never seen them with my own eyes."
"We may wish to watch our step moving forward."
"Could the plants be dangerous to us or do they only eat dead flesh, like some kind of mushroom?"
"Wow, I don't know. But until we have reason to believe otherwise, let's just assume the plants will be happy to eat all of us alive, dead, or somewhere in between. And act accordingly."
Jace looked at Noala. "Do you think this is ... the possible source of the problem? The blight?"
Kuntaxl's not really sure if such a thing exits here in this area, though nearly everyone knows that flora can sometimes be very dangerous here in Golarion.
"Moving forward? No ... I think we should go back to the camp and let Noala know what we've found. She's probably the expert in these matters."
As they venture deeper into the disturbing forest, Flenser feels the oppressive blight viscerally, and by extension, Aurumvorak feels it too.
”We-ell...the one useful thing about *most* plants is that they don’t...as a general rule... *tend* to be mobile. I say we light some arrows and burn them off from a distance.”
Jace shrugs. "There's very little I can do to help the group today. As long as you remember that, I'm fine with whatever you want to try."
Kuntaxl nods in acknowledgement to both Aurumvorak and Jace's suggestions. "I'd like to at least get a look at what is in that cave before we turn around. If there are more of these wolves in there, it might be better to deal with them now, rather than tonight when they will have a greater advantage.
Let me go first and see if these thorns will be a problem."
Raising his shield Kuntaxl skirts around the edge of the clearing trying to get closer to the cave. If he makes it to the entrance, he will step in a few feet and attempt to look and listen for inhabitants.
Folllowing Kuntaxl, he does his best to give the plants ample space.
As soon as Kuntaxl gets up to the northern side of the clearing, the strange bushes shiver, their limbs whipping out from the ground. Suprisingly, they pull themselves out of the ground to move towards you!
"This certainly does not seem normal. If these things can move, they might have come after us at the camp as well. It is good to deal with them now."
Nervous about biting the thorny bushes, Kuntaxl pulls out his staff and approaches warily with his shield up.
Jace forgoes his fiddle. He does, however, try lingering composition (as a free action) with a Focus Point before beginning to sing his inspire courage song.
"Was it something we said or something we did /
Did the words not come out right /
Though we tried not to hurt you /
Though we tried /
I guess that's why they say ...
Every rose ... has its thorn"
Jace will cast shield immediately after, and draw his shortbow.
[OOC: Because we didn't rest immediately after the last combat, I'm still down 5 HP -- never got any healing -- and still Wounded.]
‘Vorak’s eyebrows raise as his estimation proves partially correct. Plants as a rule aren’t mobile. But these ones are.
”Help Kuntaxl!” he shouts to Flenser, then follows with longspear ready.
X-
-X
X-
Nuktik - 19
Jace - 19
Kuntaxl - 12
Plants - 9