Concordance of The Abyss (Pathfinder Chronicle) (Inactive)

Game Master Molech

Val jumps at the profanity and then blushes a bit.

You are not his mother, he is a man who has seen some things. You are back in the field. Many love the more colorful languages

"I doubt they do. They seem smart men who will want to keep their hides"Val states as she continues to walk and as she does lets her thumb run over the little imp face on her pommel.

K’Tak’Ktah’hal waits with patience of a stone while the spies are interrogated. Internally, his excitement rises, there is a trail to follow and prey to pursue...

”We are united in purpose, we would not abandon you to the hunt K’Tak. We must attend to these prisoners, and then the trail. I assume from your smile, Sabella, that you found what you needed?” she asks, quietly.

"I did, yes. Our victim's name was Titorus, and while I didn't get a last name, I got confirmation more or less, that the Lantern Man is in possession of what we seek." Sabella says in reply to Artemisa.

We shall hunt soon enough K'Tak'Ktha'hal, I look forward for to it much more then to interrogating cowards.
I never had the honor of fighting alongside such as thee, though strikes me as a hmm, how to tell this in common, vanguard striker? One who scouts, but also strikes so that any scouted opportunities can be quickly exploited? When we have some idle moment, could though perhaps tell me more of they people? What gods do you worship? How do thy people wage war? I am an oracle of battle, and thus Gorum myself.
Pärs asks K'akÄKtah'Hal, speaking his full name with surprisingly little difficulty.

Pär gets a short glance and a short reply from K'Tak, "You have many questionth..."

Lady Val stands looking at the two men in question. She scowls at them for a moment and then leans down to study their faces. As she does she squints and then stands back at full height.

"What glorious beasts must men break before the truth is set free"Val quoted from one of the old ancient works of the Thassolians. Though it was in reference to breaking lesser men to their will it was what she must allude to.

To call inwardly a performance and speech her mother and her tutor would love. She was needed now to interrogate two men. With the looks of it it was going to be dirty and she hated having to dip into her past, her lessons. Here though it seemed she would need to. May the Eternal Rose forgive her, in fact, she would note that if it would have to be done she would probably stop herself, but others in the group just might actually do it.

" Now boys, you two seem like the type who knows a good thing when you hear it yes? I mean you did both in away turn to form your task after an offer of peace was issued. Which I commend you. Though running with such skilled trackers and ner-do-wells is not something I would recommend" Smiled Val gesturing to the man who seemed to be barely holding onto his life.

"I can assuage your wounds, but unfortunately, neither of you has given the group any useful information. Which is very very unfortunate for the two of you. You see I wasn't always the voice of peace. No, quite far from it. I once played with Imps as a toddler and forced lesser children to kneel and grovel before me. My scholarly arts tutor was a Contract Devil. I commanded the rights to bring for Devils from the Hells to do my bidding should I utter a word!" Val let the words flow from her mouth. All true, and though she did not relish those moments now, she made her words and demeanor push truth.

"I will say though I do not have the resources to conjure a fiend, I was trained by one. I know a variety of nasty and relatively efficient means of getting the information My group requires. Add that to my extensive years I am sure I can think of something creative. Like simple honey. A delectable treat, sweet amber gold. Mead is made from it, you can use it to heal wounds, it also never truly goes bad. I mean what could I possibly do with honey." Val paused as she seemed to be playing up the simple day-to-day feel the words and meanings had. Her undertone grew to equate to the men that they should pay attention fully to her words.

" Oh, can you not guess what makes Honey so dangerous. Why its sweetness of course! We will gather some up, alongside say some ants? Maybe wasps, or better yet Rats. I will slather a part of your body with the honey, let's say your bare feet first, then let them swarm over it, teeth-gnashing, biting, and stinging, seeking to get the sweet satisfying honey. If that doesn't work I will expand, putting honey higher and higher letting them pick at you as I wait for the answers to grow. Would you risk your manhood for something trivial as the truth? Maybe your belly? Your Hands? Your Face? Tell me is the secrets you keep close to your chest worth such agony? It is ultimately your choice though, The HOney or the Truth?" This Is how Val ended it. Her finger absently stroked the Thrune signet ring she kept.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Oratory: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

Neither of the two spies seem particularly intimidated by the Paladin of Shelyn. Nonetheless, they are acutely aware that they are well and truly captured and are at the mercy of either you or the Korvosan Guard. One of the two becomes closed lipped and says nothing. The other, having overheard one of you earlier mention 'Aspis,' assures you that they are absolutely not members of the Aspis Consortium. He denies it vehemently.

Bluff that he's not a local member of the Aspis Consortium and has never even heard of them: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Having understood the implication of the man vigorously insisting he's not a local member of the Aspis Consortium, you allow Mishanter to escort the bound men up Garrison Hill to Fort Korvosa where Cmdr. Jute of the Korvosan Guard can handle the situation lawfully.

”Now, then. A hunting we shall go.” For a moment, Artemisia’s smile is entirely other, her thoughts on the past, but it fades to an easy smile as she looks over the town. ”I’ll admit this is a less, primal, hunting ground than most. Still, a hunt is always worth an evening. Even if I will have to fumigate my armor. What dead fish is smeared on the walls here anyways?”. Artemisia looks at Muriel to see if he recognizes it. ”Our mascot must be suffering, I hope you brought treats for them.”

Tracking the days-old trail of blood and viscera from The Lantern Man's axe deep into Bridgefront you are reminded again of how destitute and poverty stricken the people are. Inside burnt-out, crumbling tenements, roofed with sagging, lashed-together 'Shingles' sometimes two or three stories 'thick,' the reek of plague is thick in the air.

Inside the ground-floor hovels and upper-story shanties and lean-tos can be heard the wheezing and snoring of hundreds, even thousands of the hopeless poor, sick, and malnourished. A few flickering lamps here and there, provided by The Lamplighter through a nobleman's generous endowment, reveal no gangsters or predators or cat-burglars. There simply isn't anything here of value to steal.

You successfully follow the trail: A clump of dried guts here (chewed on by rats); a dried pool of blood there (crawling with lice). Until eventually the trail ends in a 50'-by-35' soiled open square of the truly desperate. Perhaps once long ago this was a park, or perhaps a wide crossroads, or even just a spot where the tenement building was completely razed and is gone forever. Above, frayed nets, wispy rigging-lines, and rotted planks form a web of a foundation for yet more 'Shingles' -- making this alley both invisible from above, and providing darkness even in day.

This alley is where people not able to secure themselves in a proper shanty or tenement shell sleep on the concrete among their own kind. The homeless of The Styes.

One thing is readily apparent; the stink of plague and despair hanging in the air is completely different: This alley reeks of drugs. Indeed, every sleeping person here is suffering not just from Red Face and other plagues, not just malnutrition and exposure, but of the sad effects of narcotics use.

The trail ends here. The Lantern Man, four nights ago, slept here with the homeless drug addicts.

K’Tak’Ktah’hal comes to halt at the edge of the square and speaks for the first time since the party began following the Lantern Man's trail:"The killer, he thtopped here four nightth ago. He thlept I think." He makes a sweeping gesture with a clawed hand, "To get information out of thethe ith a talkerth job, not a hunterth. Tho I will leave it you well-thpoken oneth..."

Although K’Tak’Ktah’hal isn't disrupting any attempts to be gather information from the homeless, he tries a different tack: The local wildlife, and possibly pets (even the homeless sometimes have dogs). Assuming he can find an animal or two, the digs into the street food he bought earlier for food bribes...

Val looks around and picks the spot where it was indicated. She looks for anywhere there and finds one of the homeless and smiles at them. She takes in a few of them each, studying them and smiling at each one. As she does she touches them and looks.

"Hello my children can you answer me a few questions?" She asks with kindness. She smiles at each of them not afraid of whatever disease they carry or filth they had on them. She was compassionate among them.

"About a person who rested with you all a few days ago?" She said earnestly hoping they would be warming up to her.

Most of the drug addicts are passed out; one you find has passed away and is rotting where she lies. A few are able to be brought to consciousness but not lucidity. And a few are able to answer questions.

Hoping for drugs, even to the exclusion of water, they are shameless in begging. They readily answer questions in the vain hope doing so will entice you to provide narcotics, or even food or other valuable commodities with which they can trade for drugs.

But it quickly is evident that the answers these individuals give are invented and useless. They readily say they have all the answers, but just fabricate information that sounds to them plausible.

'Fever Dream Alley' is quickly, after a mere ten minutes, turning into a dead end.

Standing among the wretched addicts of Fever Dream Alley, having attempted to get useful information from one more homeless wretch from four nights ago, you begin to consider your next option.

1) Go back to The Alchemists' Quarter on Garrison Hill to ask Mister Refrum about the other murder locations.

2) Find out where you can find The Lamplighter to ask about anything he may have witnessed through the flames of his street lamps.

3) Return to Pythoness House to pay Mistress Maquent and Madame Radanna Scalth for details on which Magistrate was asking questions about The Lantern Man.

4) Learn where you can find Monks of The Truth and Light (who were also asking at The Pythoness House about The Lantern Man).

5) Learn about local Aspis Consortium activity since it's pretty assured that the two spies are local Aspis Consortium mooks.

6) Ally with Cmdr. Jute of The Korvosan Guard at Fort Korvosa on top of Garrison Hill to work together.

7) Follow up on Albin, the mentally handicapped and midget teen son of Silas Ledbetter at Ledbetter Apothecary.

8) Learn about the local goings-on of The Darklight Sisterhood (who also asked about The Lantern Man at Pythoness House.

9) Use more advanced (magical) means to get more information out of Fever Dream Alley regarding The Lantern Man.

Artemisia stops at the alley entrance, taking in the delirium. ”I’ll keep watch”. She turns her attention to the alley a moment, her magic cleaning a marginal space against one wall. Drawing her cloak around herself, she then settles in, allowing the magic to continue it’s cleaning.
Perception Take ten. 22

At the end of ten minutes, she’s barely made a dent, but here might be the cleanest bit of the styes. Her lips twist a moment at the thought.

A few rats scurry here and there around the unconscious here. As before on Garrison Hill, K'Tak tries to feed a few to make tentative allies. And, as before, the small plague-carrying vermin are extraordinarily skittish, far more than seems possible. While there are none here that seem like minions of Rodenthome (as one did seem near Pythoness House), the ones here are equally suspicious. K'tak gets the sense that, and perhaps through the influence of intelligence from Rodenthome, the rats of Old Korvosa are too wise to trust anyone making friends. They are, after all, a primary source for food for the vast majority of the human population.

Nonetheless, one very young mouse, perhaps naive and inexperienced in the ways of avoiding human traps meant to capture mice for food, accepts some of the Dineh's morsels. Using his Speak with Animals ability, he gets about the same amount of value of information that Lady Val got from the addicts: effectively nothing.

But the small mouse is Indifferent to K'Tak, and could be made helpful. Still, it is clear the rodent has no useful information about a human from four nights ago.

Artemisia Burningleaves, Elven Eldritch Knight, is the first to notice a new stench wafting into the 50x35 Fever Dream Alley. She immediately points out to everyone the shambling Undead joining you.

A corporeal corpse, animated and blazing eyes, leads from the back of four other semi-intelligent dead. All five are naked and rotting, disease and death encrusted on their cracked claws and jagged teeth. They stagger and waver into Fever Dream Alley, stepping carelessly on the sleeping.

These are the Hungry Dead, malevolently intelligent and eternally voracious, but they are not even bothering to look at the food at their feet. They are here specifically for you.

A Telepathic burst emanates from the leader in the back, "The Lantern Man's axe is our Master's now; you are too late. But your consolation prize for second place in this race is to feed my hunger!"

Artemisia has cleared about ten feet around her. And behind her is a narrow path into the tenements of Bridgefront. The sleeping bodies make the entire rest of Fever Dream Alley difficult terrain for combat. The five Undead are roughly twenty feet from the group, crossing Fever Dream Alley to get to you.

As they walk the trail to 'Fever Dream Ally', Sabella casts a few spells she hopes might reveal some additional clues about their prey. She also refreshes her minor cantrip to help combat the foul stench of the cesspool that is Fever Dream Ally.

Lady Sabella Arvanxi has seen, sporadically and with no interest to the group, Invisible Imps and Invisible Pseudo Dragons in the air around Bridgefront. It is possible that some other Imp or Pseudo Dragon was spying much earlier and it was unknown to the group. None, however, have been following you or even looked at you since you cast your spell at the beginning of your tracking The Lantern Man through Bridgefront.

OK, close quarters, me, Sabella, Mooks Kthan, leader, everyone else

Standard, cast divine favor. Move 5 feet in front of party and draw greatsword as part of move action. Free action activate lounge to get reach.

Sounds like a really elaborate way to say please kill us for real.

Before Assuming a lunging posture.

Retcon, lunge doesnt work like that. Totally my bad.

Pär casts enlarge person. Giving him his 10 feet reach. Please substract 3 from the to hit and damage rolls, sorry for the inconvenience.
This also reduces the number of AoOs I have by one.

I am hitting with a 16, and 18 and a 15, so I am probably not hitting anything :).

Round 1:

Muziel Moreau .... tbd, standing in difficult terrain, 20 feet from the 4 Wights, 25' from the leader

Par Joakimson .... Casts Enlarge Person, standing in difficult terrain, 15 feet from the 4 Wights, 20' from the leader -- hoping to take attacks of opportunity

Lady Sabella Arvanxi .... tbd, standing in difficult terrain, 20 feet from the 4 Wights, 25' from the leader, already has See Invisibility

Wight .... in rough terrain, flat-footed
Wight .... in rough terrain, flat-footed
Wight .... in rough terrain, flat-footed
Wight .... in rough terrain, flat-footed

K’Tak’Ktah’hal .... tbd, standing in difficult terrain, 20 feet from the 4 Wights, 25' from the leader

Undead Leader .... in rough terrain

Artemisia Burningleaves .... tbd, standing in a clearing, 30 feet from the 4 Wights, 35' from the leader

Lady Imperia Valeria Thrune .... tbd, standing in difficult terrain, 20 feet from the 4 Wights, 25' from the leader

K. Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Pär shouts the informaton to the rest of the party.

KnowReligion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Val will noting the distance, pull from her bag a well made glaive and then smile as she shifts and readies for them to come in at her.

Sabella draws the ambient chill of the night to her, and launches a blast of freezing cold at one of the wights.

"So we're chasin' a necromancer now?" wonders Muziel aloud. He once again tries to help the party move more quickly, before giving himself some distance away from the wicked undead!

Haste on the party, then use that speed to move 20 feet away from combat through difficult terrain.

Round 1:

Muziel Moreau .... Casts Haste and Moves back (through difficult terrain, now adjacent to Artemisia in normal footing)

Par Joakimson .... Casts Enlarge Person, standing in difficult terrain, 15 feet from the 4 Wights, 20' from the leader -- hoping to take attacks of opportunity

Lady Sabella Arvanxi .... Casts Ice Missile on a Wight, hitting it with freezing energy colder than the death that animates it! (standing in difficult terrain, 20 feet from the 4 Wights, 25' from the leader, already has See Invisibility)

Wight .... Staggered in rough terrain -- hit by Sabella Arvanxi's Ice Missile for 13 HP.

Wight .... Moves through rough terrain to Slam Attack (Large) Par Joakimsin -- Provoked an AoO from Par Joakimson and Hit for 20 HP

Wight .... Moves through rough terrain to Slam Attack Lady Sabella Arvanxi -- Provoked an AoO from Par Joakimson and Hit for 25 HP

Wight .... Moves through rough terrain to Slam Attack K'Tak -- Provoked an AoO from Par Joakimson and Hit for 24 HP

K’Tak’Ktah’hal .... tbd, standing in difficult terrain, adjacent to a Wight, 25' from the leader

Undead Leader .... in rough terrain

Artemisia Burningleaves .... tbd, standing in a clearing, 10 feet from the 4 Wights, 35' from the leader

Lady Imperia Valeria Thrune .... tbd, standing in difficult terrain, 20 feet from the 4 Wights, 25' from the leader

The Wights are clearly in trouble, their rotting, emaciated corpses show no hint of anatomical distinction, having long since decayed away. One is staggered by Sabella's Ice Missile, the other three vainly attacking with their bare claws trying to slam the life from you. And as they lurch by the enlarged Par Joakimson to get to your living flesh, Battle Oracle hits each of them in turn.

Now one Wight is standing adjacent to Par Joakimson, hoping to continue its assault.

One Wight is standing adjacent to Sabella Arvanxi, hoping to continue its assault.

One Wight is standing adjacent to K’Tak’Ktah’hal, hoping to continue its assault.

Everyone is affected by a Haste Spell.

And the Undead leader is about to join the fight
(Knowledge Religion for info on this creep)

Still no map, so not sure how many I can get into reach with a 5' step, but...

K’Tak’Ktah’hal matches claw for claw and adds a few other strikes as he steps into the fray, lashing out with claw, talon, horns and teeth!

K'Tak begins to unleash on the Wight that so recklessly approached him with its cold claws, but whatever remaining Negative Energy had kept it animated was slashed away from the Dineh's first claw.

A tactical step to his side brought the other two Wights, confronting the large Par Joakimson and Lady Sabella, within his grasp, and like a crocodile or great shark unleashing a death-roll, rips the two Wights to ribbons.

All that remain are the staggered Wight -- and their leader.

Not knowing that the 'boss' Undead is a Cadaver Lord, experienced in Roguish tactics and that its favorite enemy is humans, you may be somewhat shocked that the hungry dead acrobatically weaves its way to Par Joakimson, trying to duck under any opportunity attacks.

It bellows a raspy command to the final Wight, staggered in the background to join it in battle, promising that "The Master" will reanimate them should these weak, breath-dependent mortals succeed in their first encounter.

And through the livid filth on the Undead's claws, rotting-green plague taints Par Joakimson's open wound, creeping into the Battle Oracle's bloodstream.
(Fortitude Save, please -- nat 1 would be ideal ;)

The Cadaver Lord may be an unknown Undead, but a boss is a boss, and Artemisia Burningleaves and Lady Val quickly attack him, with only one Wight remaining (and that one staggered, still 20 feet from the fight).

Firing two arrows, the Elven Eldritch Knight sticks her first arrow deep into the Undead's neck, green and black putrid puss trickling down its corpse-shoulder. The second arrow glances off its skin harmlessly.

From reach, Lady Val strikes true with her Glaive, severing a chunk of flesh from his ribs, and spraying necromantic effluvia all over the sleeping, homeless wretches -- not to mention Par Joakimson and K'Tak!

But the Cadaver Lord is still animate!

Artemisia fires on the undead to little effect, twice.

"Par is going to need help val, that one's nasty. She then takes a step back, holding her bow to the side and ready to cover a retreat if needed. Behind her, the alley cleaning spell continues on without direction, tracing a path along the grime of the street.

I am enlarged so only 3 AoO. Sorry for no CMD on sheet.
It should be 10+ 5(str) + 2 (dex) +1 (size) +1 (deflection) + 6 (BAB) -1 (size based reduction to AC)= 25, that is a crit threat btw!

fort save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Round 2:

Muziel Moreau .... standing in normal terrain behind the fight

Par Joakimson .... adjacent to the Cadaver Lord -- has been tainted by the Undead's disease and needs to attempt a Fort Save

Lady Sabella Arvanxi .... about five feet from being able to attack the Cadaver Lord

Wight .... Staggered in rough terrain 20 feet away

Wight

Wight

Wight

K’Tak’Ktah’hal .... tbd

Cadaver Lord Rogue/Ranger .... focusing on Par Joakimson

Artemisia Burningleaves .... standing in normal terrain behind the fight

Lady Imperia Valeria Thrune .... using her Glaive

Par Joakimson feels the plague begin to corrupt his bloodstream, oozing from the Undead's jagged claws. In his head he imagines he can almost feel the disease seeping through his veins to his heart. He involuntarily squeezes the muscles throughout his body, flexing in excruciating tension as if he could fight off the disease with sheer strength of fortitude. He grunts an exhalation, reminding himself vehemently that he is a Battle Oracle of G'Rum -- and he fight off the disease with no trace of concern.

The Cadaver Lord remains. But not the disease!

Gorum despises biological warfare Pär informs the Cadavar lords while simultaneously farting into his general direction.

Full attack on the boss, I am hasted so its clearly better then vital strike.

Attack 1: 1d20 + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 = 20
damage: 3d6 + 7 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (6, 6, 6) + 7 + 6 + 1 = 32
holy: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4

Attack 2, haste: 1d20 + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 = 14
damage: 3d6 + 7 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3, 1) + 7 + 6 + 1 = 20
holy: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7

Attack 3, iterative: 1d20 + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 - 5 ⇒ (20) + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 - 5 = 26 Crit threat?
Attack 3, crit confirm?: 1d20 + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 - 5 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 1 - 2 - 5 = 14 would be quie surprising
damage: 3d6 + 7 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3, 3) + 7 + 6 + 1 = 22
holy: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11

Par Joakimson unleashes himself upon the Cadaver Lord but, alas, only one of hist strikes was strong enough to damage the Undead. And the monster still stands.

Meanwhile, the Wight who tried to bluff that he was staggered by the ice missile, heard his boss' command and shambles forward to fight, provoking attacks from Par Joakimson and Lady Val who have the advantage of reach.

Val strikes with a daylight flourish as if a dancer with a ribbon.

Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Round 2:

Wight The fourth Wight, having held back from the fight until now, shambled forward taking two attacks, from Par and Val, and falls before it can provide a flanking partner with the Cadaver Lord.

.

Muziel Moreau

Lady Sabella Arvanxi

K'Tak

Cadaver Lord

Between lunge and a 5' step, I should be able to reach the Cadaver Lord with a full attack.

K’Tak’Ktah’hal grins, showing many teeth, as the enemy comes to him, and unleashes his full wrath on the wretched undead thing...

K. Religion: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (10) + 21 = 31. Muziel shares what he might know about the Undead Lord. And then decides to blast it! Missiles of force shoot outward.
Magic Missile: 4d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 3, 4, 1) + 4 = 14

Even as Muziel Moreau and K'Tak finish off the Cadaver Lord, a desperate bum tries to loot a fallen Wight for drugs, or the next best thing-- money to buy drugs. Alas, all of the fallen Undead, including their boss, are without possessions, even clothing. And it is easy to shoo away the addicts, even as they beg for Shiver. Or the next best thing, money to buy Shiver.

Investigating the area for clues about who the Undead 'Master' is, even after an exhaustive search, turns up nothing. Apparently the Undead -- not too unlike the Aspis Consortium spies at Pythoness House -- were simply waiting at this location to eliminate (rather than spy upon) any competitors searching for The Lantern Man. That these hungry dead kept themselves from eating alive the helpless homeless here is a clear sign that, whomever their Master is -- who according to The Cadaver Lord 'has the axe' -- is powerful enough to force the Undead not to take advantage of the bums, but rather keep a low profile and await potential competitors.

Muziel Moreau knows, and you can confirm it after he used telepathy to communicate to you all, that Cadaver Lords are telepathic.

What remains are the questions--
Do you leave the Undead corpses here, or do you take them somewhere (such as Fort Korvosa to Cmdr. Jute of the Korvosan Guard) as evidence?

And more importantly, where do you go next?

Sabella uses her active spell Prestidigitation lasts an hour, and she just cast it not too long before combat. to clean any blood, grime, or other ick that may have spattered onto her from the fight. "It would seem that the Lantern Man's axe can control undead, or at least that Cadaver Lord *thinks* it does. It could be the relic. That's new information. " She pauses, mulling over their options. "We should probably burn these bodies. Save the head of the Lord as evidence however. It also might be a good idea to have these wretches rounded up, and make sure the undead didn't infect them."

She looks up to the sky to check the time I asked in ooc what time it was, but never got an answer "I think it might be a good idea At least for the PCs, probably not for our GM, lol for us to split up. Somebody should take the head to Commander Jute, and request getting these addicts taken care of. I also think we should go speak with The Lamplighter, as I get the feeling he might be the best source of information for us."

Lady Val shivers looking at the dead. She frowns even more at the addicts. Nothing she can do for either. She could heal the effects but not the disease of the addicts.

Lady Val shifts and cleans her glaive before using the ribbons to rewrap the blade and slide it back I to her bag of holding. After that she looks at the others.

" We have any trails but only one rabbit. Which is the best trail to find the rabbit though? Thoughts? Val put out to the group in a question. Concensus was key then a decision.

Now approaching the hour of midnight, you discuss what to do next:

1) Go back to The Alchemists' Quarter on Garrison Hill to ask Mister Refrum about the other murder locations.

2) Find out where you can find The Lamplighter to ask about anything he may have witnessed through the flames of his street lamps.

3) Return to Pythoness House to pay Mistress Maquent and Madame Radanna Scalth for details on which Magistrate was asking questions about The Lantern Man.

4) Learn where you can find Monks of The Truth and Light (who were also asking at The Pythoness House about The Lantern Man).

5) Learn about local Aspis Consortium activity since it's pretty assured that the two spies are local Aspis Consortium mooks.

6) Ally with Cmdr. Jute of The Korvosan Guard at Fort Korvosa on top of Garrison Hill to work together. Perhaps handing over the Undead to him would be a token or gesture of assistance.

7) Follow up on Albin, the mentally handicapped and midget teen son of Silas Ledbetter at Ledbetter Apothecary.

8) Learn about the local goings-on of The Darklight Sisterhood (who also asked about The Lantern Man at Pythoness House.

9) Use more advanced (magical) means to get more information out of Fever Dream Alley regarding The Lantern Man.

10) Try to find out what person of power/influence uses Undead -- or use magic to try to track down the bloody axe.

....And there is The Mortuary on Garrison Hill, with its stunted chimney, where you know they cremate the dead.

K’Tak’Ktah’hal ruminates "The weary hunter is the one who makes the mistake that lets the game escape. But the trail from these," he kicks the remains of the cadaver lord, "is fresh. I could try to trail them back to this master, that supposedly has the lantern man's axe... but it is not the axe we search for."

I don't know how hard DM Ray uses the fatigue/exhaustion rules, but if it's midnight, we're probably going to be running into that as an issue if we push. I suggest going to rest at the inn (or Refrum's place).

”I think I can help, a bit, but we’ll need some privacy. The inn would be ideal, because after this I’ll need to rest.”. So saying, she saws a bit of the cadaver lord’s ear off, and wraps it in a bandage and waxed paper before tucking it away, then heads off with her companions.

Artemisia can Memorize and perform create treasure map, she has an open 3rd level slot that the 2nd level divination would fit into but it takes some time. After that sleep seems wise.

A Telepathic burst emanates from the leader in the back, "The Lantern Man's axe is our Master's now; you are too late. But your consolation prize for second place in this race is to feed my hunger!"

" 'member what the undead thing said? The Lantern Man's axe is our Master's now. Seems ta me like the Lantern Man lost somethin', right? Could be we got bigger drow ta fry now, eh?"

The old dwarf lets out an exaggerated yawn. "Tome for some rest though. Hopefully in a better part o' town. Though I do got me a trick for restin' just 'bout anywhere if ya wanna try it." Muziel explains how he can create an extradimensional space for the party. Rope Trick.