"I got nothing. Sorry."
Fin thinks for a moment. "Well, we assume that Phinick went to the Dead Houses. We can't be sure of that without tracking him there, but maybe we can pick up the trail there - assuming that he did actually go that way."
"If not, we could always go door to door looking for him."
Fin watches, a bit shocked, as Inniska growls and hurls the empty vial.
She looked towards the vial and winced. "Sorry. That was probably evidence we could have given Rolth."
"Well, we still could. Probably should even. But I still don't think that psychic readings of objects are going to hold up in court."
He goes over and looks for the vial or pieces of it.
"Maybe though. Magical divinations might be allowed. But probably not from people so closely tied to the case. We are kind of in a tricky situation here because of our association to Bort."
"But I also don't see any barristers around to ask questions of. So, I guess we will just have to continue doing what we can."
"If not, we could always go door to door looking for him."
Still shaking off the surge of unpleasant emotions, she looked sideways at Fin. "If we go door to door, I can try touching the knobs to see if any of them make my head explode," she joked wryly.
"You were made a deputy, Finoan. Shouldn't your word carry as such?" Baradim asked, looking back toward Inniska as he shook his head. "No, your head is a useful weapon and tool. Keep it intact...please."
"We should hunt for Hallod then? He has no reason to believe that he is under any investigation, right? Track him down and question him?" Baradim says, tapping his sword. "I know how to incapacitate. It isn't pleasant but it is possible."
The emotion overwhelms her for a moment and she growls as though it's her own hatred, chucking the vial as hard as she can at the nearest wall and then stumbling and clutching her head as she fights the feeling off.
She's had worse headaches, and it begins to fade as quickly as it began. She rubs her temples. "We were right, Fin. The ledgers. Hallod is mixed up in all this. He hated Bort. Nothing but rage and loathing." She looked towards the vial and winced. "Sorry. That was probably evidence we could have given Rolth."
Snapping his attention over to Niss as the vial goes flying, he immediately heads over to her. "Whoa! Everything okay, Niss? You alright?"
Still shaking off the surge of unpleasant emotions, she looked sideways at Fin. "If we go door to door, I can try touching the knobs to see if any of them make my head explode," she joked wryly.
"You were made a deputy, Finoan. Shouldn't your word carry as such?" Baradim asked, looking back toward Inniska as he shook his head. "No, your head is a useful weapon and tool. Keep it intact...please."
Raising a hand part way, "For the record, I'm with Baradim. I really don't need your head exploding, sweetheart, and am all in for keeping it intact. All the time actually," he says in a matter-of-fact manner, grinning.
"We should hunt for Hallod then? He has no reason to believe that he is under any investigation, right? Track him down and question him?" Baradim says, tapping his sword. "I know how to incapacitate. It isn't pleasant but it is possible."
Nodding, "That's what it sounds like to me. We find Hallod, I'd almost be willing to bet we find Phinick too. The only question is: Will we find Phinick alive?
Snapping his attention over to Niss as the vial goes flying, he immediately heads over to her. "Whoa! Everything okay, Niss? You alright?"
Niss smiled her reassurance. "I'll be okay. Especially intense negative emotions can sometimes overwhelm me, when I'm reading objects. Phinick was nervous, disconcerting, but not so bad. Hallod, though..." She shuddered. "Fin, was there anything in those ledgers about Bort ruining Hallod's entire life? Because that was the level of hate I was feeling from him."
Raising a hand part way, "For the record, I'm with Baradim. I really don't need your head exploding, sweetheart, and am all in for keeping it intact. All the time actually," he says in a matter-of-fact manner, grinning.
Niss smiled and shifted closer to him. "I shall avoid touching Hallod himself, then, and gladly. He was repulsive anyway."
"Fin, was there anything in those ledgers about Bort ruining Hallod's entire life? Because that was the level of hate I was feeling from him."
"Nothing that stood out. It just looked like any other shipping agreement."
"Hmm... It may be simply that Bort would be someone who could piece together what Hallod was doing here in town, since Bort was the one providing him with equipment and supplies. But if a loose end like that is all that it takes for Hallod to get that emotional about, then he really is a piece of work... And he must be nearing completion of whatever it is that he is doing - since he is tying up loose ends and no longer needs additional supplies."
...
"I definitely think that I will continue keeping watch over the other members of the caravan while they sleep. They may also still be considered loose ends."
"I definitely think that I will continue keeping watch over the other members of the caravan while they sleep. They may also still be considered loose ends."
"I imagine we are loose ends now, as well, or whatever you want to call us. At the very least, everyone knows we have been asking questions, and it's likely he knows we're investigating. We should be cautious."
"I welcome the coward. What use is strength if one must hide behind poison." Baradim growls softly. They spared the bear at great risk and so there was no trophy to take back to Tamli. Hallod would need to be different. He did promise a head, after all.
It took a moment for him to realize that he thought about Tamli and he grimaced a little deeper. That night was a poor decision brought on by loneliness and drink. She was pleasant, more so honestly. If he said she was simply that, he was certain she'd strike him down.
He took a moment to look amidst the others, these strangers who treated him kindly. Finoan was stranger than he so his companionship was not too much of a surprise. The two humans though? Either they did not live near where his kind raided or they were some of the kindest souls he had met.
"I should not stay. Not with how dark my luck is." The dark thought intruded quietly, dismissing them all. Before he could think of a response, he heard them moving.
"We ready to go? Let us find the bastard now."
"We ready to go? Let us find the bastard now."
"Sure. We can at least go and check the place out. Does anyone know where he lives, or are we also going door to door looking for him too? Though we could probably ask Delma about that. Or even better, Rolth."
"Let's go speak with Rolth, then, Deputy Fin," she grinned. "I think you're right, not knowing the extent of what's going on here, best we limit our questions to people less likely to gossip about them. I like Delma but innkeeps don't tend to be the most close-mouthed people."
Finoan nods at Inniska. "Seems reasonable."
Fin checks around and finds where Rolth has his office. Eventually he finds the place and enters.
"Rolth, how are things going? We're checking in and reporting what we have found." He holds out the poison vial.
"We suspect that Phinick is hiding somewhere in the Dead Houses. He was seen running that direction. We haven't tracked him there or found him though. We have also done a bit of divination magic and we think that Hallod is involved somehow. We would like to ask him a few questions. Do you know where he stays?"
Rolth's "office" is really just the sitting room of his home in the south side of town, where homes looked well-taken-care-of and the people seemed a tad happier. Most people on this side of town seemed to have a little more money and were removed enough from the abject poverty of the north side that it seemed like a whole different town.
Rolth glances up from his desk where he had been writing, raising his eyebrows upon seeing The Princess Guard enter. He gestures for them to sit among the myriad chairs he had sitting around the room. "They're not going much at all. You are the only 'investigators' I have." He frowns deeply, reaching for the vial Finoan held out, and turned it over in his hands. "Divination magic, you say?" He raises an eyebrow, looking a tad skeptical. "Well, I won't speak to the viability of divination magic holding up, but if you can follow the lead and see what tangible evidence you can find, I won't stop you." He unlocks a drawer on his desk with a small key and places the vial carefully within, relocking it before continuing.
"Phinick has hidden in the houses before. He usually comes back out when he's run out of whatever meager supplies he keeps in his hiding spot. In fact, I'd bet my reputation on him showing up at The Feedmill tonight or tomorrow morning." He leans back in his chair, looking thoughtful.
"As for Hallod...He lives in the Northside, at Dead Willow. There's a dead willow tree in the front yard...hard to miss it." He doesn't comment on the lack of creativity when it came to naming the place, but he has a wry look when he shares the information.
"If you're going to talk to him, you need to be careful." Rolth says seriously. "The man is terrifying. More cunning than he looks. You had best be prepared for the worst with him."
Niss smiled appreciatively at Fin's masking of her powers as divination.
At Rolth's final words she glances at Baradim. She has a feeling those words will please him. He seems eager for a fight, and she can't blame him -- this Hallod fellow had much to answer for.
"Thank you for the warning, sir. We'll investigate him and then keep watch for Phinick later this evening." She looked to her friends for confirmation that was the plan.
"Phinick has hidden in the houses before. He usually comes back out when he's run out of whatever meager supplies he keeps in his hiding spot. In fact, I'd bet my reputation on him showing up at The Feedmill tonight or tomorrow morning."
"Hmm..." Fin also looks a bit thoughtful about this. "So if he doesn't show back up in the next day or so, then there is probably more of a problem than normal."
"Well, let's just hope he does show back up then."
Fin nods at Niss laying out the plan. "Dead Willow... " He shakes his head a bit as he walks out of the building.
"So, who's up for a good skulk? I haven't had a good skulk in a while..." He grimaces a bit. "Which probably means it will go about as well as Drake tracking things. But hey, at least that means Baradim won't get bored and restless." He grins at the big guy and heads down the road.
"I'm not the best skulker. Of course, I might not be the worst, based on how the bear went," she laughed. "I'm a very good liar, however... not that I'm terribly proud of the fact. If we wanted to try talking to him, some sort of ruse?"
As the four of you head north, towards Hallod’s place, you walk the main road. A few people cast sidelong glances at you; not so much suspicious as fascinated. The two humans were nothing too interesting, but Baradim and Finoan were unique in the backwater town. Nobody, however, saw fit to stop you and inspect.
The afternoon sun is high in the sky and the town is a tad more lively than before you had made the trip to Rolth’s. In the square, you see a few merchant stalls, mostly selling hot food and groceries, townsfolk wandering back and forth to their various tasks, and small packs of children of various ages making all kinds of noise.
Amidst the gentle chaos of the square, Drake notices a small figure skulking around the stables of the Feedmill. If he squints, he can see small, green hands reaching for the knob of the stables. Phinick, as Rolth stated, is attempting to sneak back into the Feedmill for supplies using the chaos of the mid-afternoon market to cover his tracks.
I’m thinking that the easiest way to handle this without making it too tedious is to post the first two locations with the DCs and details under a spoiler tag, let you RP anything for flavor, resolve the checks in a post of my own, and then post the other two. If we end up needing the last location (if one of you hasn’t earned enough points to capture), I’ll post the last check.
When Phinick's movements are noted, the orc crouches down low and moves as quietly as he can. Stealth was not his specialty, not with the armor he was wearing, but he could be ready if the little beasty took off running. Baradim surveyed the scene, moving in anticipation of where the little goblin would try to escape.
When Phinick's movements are noted, the orc crouches down low and moves as quietly as he can. Stealth was not his specialty, not with the armor he was wearing, but he could be ready if the little beasty took off running. Baradim surveyed the scene, moving in anticipation of where the little goblin would try to escape.
Lore: Warfare: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Baradim's eyes scan the area and determine that the most likely path the goblin would take away from them would be through the market stalls in the town square--it provided cover and plenty of obstacles to slow down any pursuers.
"The marketplace seems like his likely path. I will be lurking there to ambush him." Baradim told the others, making his way there to peruse the goods that were on display. Any vendor that tried to rush him would be met with a low, guttural growl as he studied what was there in anticipation of catching the little green bastard.
"No sticks to step on here...think you can snatch him, quiet-like?" Niss asks of Drake and Fin. "If he does run, I might be able to slow him down."
Narrowing his eyes as he just manages to catch sight of the goblin, he holds up a hand to halt the others. "There he is. I'm going to see if I can sneak up on him and grab him. Odds are pretty good that if he sees us, he's gone."
"The marketplace seems like his likely path. I will be lurking there to ambush him." Baradim told the others, making his way there to peruse the goods that were on display. Any vendor that tried to rush him would be met with a low, guttural growl as he studied what was there in anticipation of catching the little green bastard.
Drake nods, waiting for the half-orc to make his way over there. Once he does...
"No sticks to step on here...think you can snatch him, quiet-like?" Niss asks of Drake and Fin. "If he does run, I might be able to slow him down."
...he looks over at Niss with a raised eyebrow before breaking into a smile and turning his attention back to the goblin. "Stupid sticks. And yeah, that's the hope. As quiet as possible. Okay, here goes. If I sneak up on him as well as I snuck up on that bear, then I'll call out and you do whatever you have to do to slow him down, Niss."
The ranger then slowly makes his way toward him as quietly as possible...
...and as he creeps up, Drake feels success is close at hand. I think I got him. Almost there.
But at the very last second, a small child comes out of FREAKING NOWHERE and Drake tries to hurriedly shoo him away! The child, oblivious to everything, proceeds to ask in his loudest voice possible, Excuse me, mister! Excuse me! Have you seen my toy?! Have you, mister?! I lost it!"
Sighing in heavy frustration, Drake quickly cuts his focus over to the goblin who just so happens to be looking straight at him. Able to easily discern what that look of fear typically leads to...
"WE GOT A RUNNER!" Drake yells, alerting the others before immediately taking off after him.
Niss winced when the child ruined Drake's careful approach, but she'd been ready for it. Moving forward until she was within range, she channeled her emotions, drawing from the rather large well she'd been experiencing of late.
Her hands reached out like claws, and dozens of little hands made of light reached out for Phinick, dragging on him, attempting to push him back towards Drake.
The slippery little goblin evaded her spell, and Niss growled in frustration. "It didn't work!" she called to the others.
"Well, I haven't been on a good run for a while either."
Finoan launches himself after Phinick, stretching out to full speed on all four of his legs.
Phinick shrieks a high-pitched, terrified scream at the sight of all of you and just bolts into the market, just as Baradim had predicted. The little goblin weaves between people’s legs and underneath some carts, heading towards a nearby Alleyway.
The Market: DC 13 Athletics Check if you want to push past the carts; DC 15 acrobatics to vault around them.
Phinick skids into the nearby alleyway, skittering across the mud as if he was born to splash around it. The mud is foul, likely a mixture of dirt and the contents of many emptied chamberpots from the balconies above.
The Alleyway: If you choose to follow him in, DC 15 reflex save to avoid falling in the gross mud. You may also attempt at DC 13 Survival Check to pick a better path.
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Niss starts to run after the goblin, but finds herself thwarted by the carts.
Running is not her strong suit, and she sees Phinick nearing the alleyway. She tries playing to her strengths, while taking the long way around the carts blocking her path
"Phinick! We aren't going to hurt you, we know you didn't do it! We can keep you safe!"
-------If he keeps running in spite of her words ------------------
Falling behind, Niss runs into the alley to catch up.
"Phinick, please, just--" she clipped off her words with a yelp as she slipped in the mud, her feet skidding out from under her. She landed on her back with a splat, and just lay there a moment, looking up at the rooftops. "I hate this town."
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As the little goblin rushes into action, the orc follows suit. Where Phinick thought safety was, the warrior comes charging through.
The stalls get knocked over and out of the way as the heavy footsteps plod along heavily behind the little guy.
The loud roar from Baradim sounds, trying to be as calming as he can. Which is exactly as calming as seeing the giant orc chase after you when you are a small goblin. They make their way to the alleyway, where Baradim can nearly reach him.
Niss goes sliding in the mud but Baradim leaps over her, catching his hand on the corner of the building and nearly swinging himself around. A loud growl of irritation escapes as he works towards closing that last bit of distance.
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Finoan is at a dead sprint chasing after Phinick. "Wait, I have questions."
He mutters under his breath, "Also, I could literally chase you forever, but that doesn't sound like fun."
Fin springs off of a crate and vaults over one of the carts...
And then lands on the edge of the mud pit. "Bleugh. I hate mud."
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Upon hearing,
"It didn't work!"
Drake curses under his breath and works to move faster. Seeing a couple of carts in his way, he sees just enough of an opening to squeeze right through and continue running. He does happen to notice that a couple of stalls collapsed in a heap. Baradim. Nothing stopping that guy.
Coming up on the alleyway, Drake doesn't miss the fact that it's covered in mud. It's also covered in Niss and Fin. Uh-oh. This could be trouble. Concerned he's about to hit one of them and hit the deck himself...
...he steps to his left just in time to avoid the cat, before quickly one-hopping it back to his right to barely miss Niss. "Sorry, sweetheart! You're still beautiful!" He hollers out as he passes by, his focus still on the goblin as he vanishes from their sight.
---------------------------------------------------------
Seeing the half-orc closing in, "You got him, Baradim!" With his breath coming rapidly now, "C'mon, Phinick, we just want to talk!" Stupid goblin. If he'd just listen to reason.
All four of you make it past the marketplace, catching sight of the goblin skittering into the alleyway, although Niss does stumble a moment.
Baradim and Drake go barreling through the alleyway, Baradim performing some impressive acrobatic feats before swinging around the corner and catching sight of Phinick heading down a long stretch of road towards the Dead Houses.
Finoan and Niss both fall just short of avoiding the disgusting mud, finding themselves splashed with the horrifying muck. The scent and the texture are overwhelming: Finoan and Niss both feel deeply sick to their stomachs (or whatever passes for that with an automaton).
Second part of the chase…
The Road: Roll a DC 15 Fortitude save to sprint. If you fail, you are winded - you take a -1 circumstance penalty to checks at the next location.
You catch Phinick jumping into a fenced-off backyard, heading towards one of the turnip fields on the outskirts of town. When you jump the fence, you hear a low growl and spot a growling dog, looking around for intruders.
Dead House Backyard: DC 16 Stealth to sneak by the dog OR a DC 18 Nature check - you must be trained in nature for this check.
Finoan catches a whiff of the mud he is now covered in. "Ugh, I don't think this is just mud."
But seeing his quarry quite a ways ahead of him he pushes himself to continue on.
But inhales a chunk of not-mud and starts coughing so badly he is stumbling around quite a bit while trying to run.
He gets surprised by the dog and instead of trying to sneak past, he simply yowls at it. "Rrrheaaar-ack-hough-pbfffct", he manages to choke out.
He finally collapses in a heap and looks at the dog. "Just go away before I spit s*!7 at you."
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Baradim rushes ahead, sprinting as face as he can down the road after the goblin, Drake in hot pursuit a step behind him. Finoan and Niss are both covered in mud and worse, the smell of it radiates off of them even as he charges up ahead.
The armor is beginning to weigh heavily on him, sapping the strength out of his limbs as he moves after the goblin. It was incredible how much stamina this little bastard had if he was already hungry and coming back for more food. Baradim lifted his head and focused on his breathing, even as he hopped the fence into a backyard. There was a low growl coming from a dog that was just beginning to approach out.
As the two of them met eyes, Baradim got low and leaned forward. His own growl, a wet and guttural thing that only a purebred orc could possibly manage, echoed out. Those eyes promised violence and then death in quick succession, daring the backyard protector to make a move.
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"Sorry, sweetheart! You're still beautiful!"
"Catch him so I can wring his scrawny -- oh, gods, what is..." Niss made the mistake of looking at the "mud" all over her hand and realized mud doesn't usually have corn in it.
Niss flipped onto her hands and knees, and emptied the contents of her stomach into the muck for the second time in 48 hours.
Niss gets to her queasy feet and tries to see where everyone has gone. "Oh good...still running..."
She flung s&@~ from her hands, disgusted. She was going to help catch this damn goblin, one way or another.
She wasn't the most athletic person, but she'd had plenty of practice running. She tears after the goblin and her friends, trying to catch up.
Seeing the dog distracted by Baradim, she tries to slip by unnoticed.
Unfortunately, she smelled like the thing dogs want to sniff the most.
Working to keep up with his oversized ally, Drake finds himself wearing down. Cursing again under his breath, I swear, if I catch Phinick, I'm gonna kill him.
Catching sight of the goblin hopping a fence, Drake follows suit and spots the dog. Seriously? You gotta be... Trying to step sneakily by while Baradim puts the fear of... well... 'Baradim' into the animal...
...*snap*, the ranger hears, looking down. Throwing his head back in utter frustration, the ranger goes into annoyed dramatics. "WHY?! Why is it always a stupid stick?! Do these sticks just know exactly where I am at all times and are simply there to slip under my feet at the most inopportune time?! Are they planning my humiliation in a secret base somewhere and sending out their operatives as we speak?! Do they laugh and giggle when I step on one of their GLORIOUS traps?!" Staring at the dog with his hands on his hips while he shakes his head, "You know, I gotta be honest, I really hate this town."
"You know, I gotta be honest, I really hate this town."
"Right?! You know, I know they said we can't leave, but how would they stop us?" Niss surveyed her dress and wondered if she'd EVER be able to get it clean again.
"Right?! You know, I know they said we can't leave, but how would they stop us?" Niss surveyed her dress and wondered if she'd EVER be able to get it clean again.
Wagging a finger and nodding in full agreement, "Hey, that's a good point! How would they stop us? Can't stop us. The stupid dog can stop us. Sticks possibly. Mud can stop us." He sniffs the air in Niss's and Fin's direction. "Well, I guess crap can stop us too." Feeling bad for Niss and the situation she and her dress are in, "Your poor dress, Niss. I'm sure somebody in this town knows how to clean that out. Hopefully anyway."
Despite the long stretch of road weighing Baradim down slightly, the orc’s long strides still ate up the road. He vaults over the fence, following Phinick, and makes immediate eye contact with the growling dog in the backyard.
All Teddy the Dog wanted to do this day was lay in his little space near his master’s home and bask in the sunlight. Teddy had been minding his own business, thinking about the nice, meaty bone he had buried for later, when all of a sudden, a screeching goblin came running through and disturbed his rest. Soon after, MANY two-legs were invading its space. Teddy got to his feet and crouched low, growling, until a massive two-legs dropped in and made eye contact with him, growling its own growl back at Teddy. Its gaze awakened a primal fear in him–a fear that was buried deep under years of domestication, that existed when his kind had needed a more sensitive survival instinct–and Teddy immediately cowered low to the ground. He rolled over on his back, exposing his belly to the large, mean-looking two legs, and left it and its pack alone.
Baradim strides forward and snatches Phinick handily before the goblin is able to vault the fence again. ”Nonononono don’t hurt me!” Phinick shrieks, wiggling mightily in Baradim’s grasp. ”Please! You all are so pretty, and nice, and strong, and…” Phinick continues to shower you all with praise, trying to ingratiate himself with you all. It’s certainly a comical sight: the goblin is dangling from Baradim’s hand, hanging by his belt, babbling of their collective beauty and strength–this group of four panting, exhausted investigators; two of them covered in a foul-smelling mixture of mud and excrement.
"Phinick." Niss's voice was crisp and sugary sweet, like she was speaking to a child, but had clear signs of strain as she maintained her patience. "I told you, we would not hurt you." She walked closer, slowly. "I told you we knew you did not do it. I told you, we could keep you safe. And I told you all this before you made me run through a latrine."
She was sorely tempted to smear the muck she was covered in all over his stupid little goblin face. But he might have answers. He might help them get out of this place faster.
They'd attracted no small amount of attention chasing him. Better to question the goblin somewhere away from prying eyes and ears. "Shall we go for a walk? Maybe to the river, so I can get most of this off of me? I doubt a tub is going to cut it. We can have have a friendly chat along the way."
"Cauraugphck" Fin finally manages to cough out the last of the gunk from his mouth. "Makes me want to gargle with bleach and ammonia." He looks down at his hands, feet, and several other places still covered in muck. "Anyone have a vat of acid I can dip myself into as well?"
As the goblin began to scramble up the fence, hoping to clear it before his pursuers could catch him, the strong hand of the orc would grab hold of him and pull him clearly off of the fence. Lifted in the air, the small figure could only kick and flail as Baradim carried him back to his exasperated comrades.
"I told you to stop. Now you're just tired." Baradim muttered, trying to catch his breath after the hard chase. He kept a hand on the goblin but as he passed the dog that laid upon his back, he would reach down and gently scratch its belly. It was a good dog.
"A river sounds good. You all smell like the camps on the frontline. That is not a compliment." Baradim would say straightly, frowning at the aura of filth that resonated from Finoan and Inniska. He would lift Phinick up and stare him in the eyes with a narrowed glare.
"I will carry you. You will put up a fuss. If you do, I will hit you on something hard nearby and we will talk when you awaken. Understand?"
As the goblin began to scramble up the fence, hoping to clear it before his pursuers could catch him, the strong hand of the orc would grab hold of him and pull him clearly off of the fence. Lifted in the air, the small figure could only kick and flail as Baradim carried him back to his exasperated comrades.
"I told you to stop. Now you're just tired." Baradim muttered, trying to catch his breath after the hard chase. He kept a hand on the goblin but as he passed the dog that laid upon his back, he would reach down and gently scratch its belly. It was a good dog.
"A river sounds good. You all smell like the camps on the frontline. That is not a compliment." Baradim would say straightly, frowning at the aura of filth that resonated from Finoan and Inniska. He would lift Phinick up and stare him in the eyes with a narrowed glare.
"I will carry you. You will put up a fuss. If you do, I will hit you on something hard nearby and we will talk when you awaken. Understand?"
Phinick merely squeaks in reply, regarding the big orc with abject terror. He is very compliant.
It's only a short way to the river from where you found Phinick. You all easily find a spot to question the goblin: a small clearing with fallen trees conveniently placed for people to sit upon. Nearby is a spot where Fin and Niss could easily wash off in the river with a little bit of privacy.
When they reached the river, Niss doesn't wait on questions and the like. She wades into the water and heads to where it's deep enough to submerge herself, dunking her head and working to scrub the stuff out of her hair, grimacing at the color the water turns.
Once the worst of it is of she moves a few feet upstream to clearer water, and with all but her head underwater, she wriggles out of the dress in order to scrub it as well as she can without soap on hand. She's not overly worried about modesty, this deep in the water, as nothing lower than her shoulders can be seen.
The dress would not be white ever again, in all likelihood but it should be relatively inoffensive, until she can find some gold with which to buy a new one. Several new ones, maybe. Since she seemed to be on a streak of ruining her outfits.
Getting back into the soaked dress while underwater was a little trickier, but she managed. All in all it took less than ten minutes. When she was done, she emerged, soaked head to toe but no longer covered in filth, wet strands of hair plastered to the sides of her face. "I will die happy if I never so much as see mud again, even the regular kind that is only wet dirt. Has he talked yet?"
Finoan also heads straight to the river. He strips off all of his armor and clothing and dives in. Only after he himself is relatively clean does he start scrubbing off his clothing and equipment.
"I will die happy if I never so much as see mud again, even the regular kind that is only wet dirt."
"Best of luck to you. I've been saying that for a long time now."
Fin finally shakes himself off as best as he can and puts his clothes and armor back on.
He walks over to Baradim and Phinick and opens his mouth, but then thinks better of it. He looks at Inniska. "Do you want to start this show? If I start things off it might not go nearly so well."
Niss planted a large smile on her face that she didn't really feel and took a deep breath, trying to dismiss her recent frustration with the goblin. She looked over at Drake for a moment, and the smile became more sincere.
"Phinick, my friend. We have much to talk about. Would you please be so kind as to answer a few questions for my friends and I? I promise you, you won't be harmed. We already know Hallod is involved. We're afraid he might try to come for you, given what you know, and we wish to protect you. Can you explain to us, what happened?"
Phinick begins to sob, covering his face with his small hands. He shrieks, dissolving into hiccups. Baradim gives him a firm shake to shock him out of the hiccups, and Phinick finds it within himself to calm down enough to shrilly squeak out his follow-up. ”He told me he’d kill me if I didn’t add the spice to Bort’s dessert!” The goblin writhes a little and whines, cowering at Niss.
"Who is he? Make sure to give us a name." Baradim growled to the goblin, eyeing the little goblin that he held in the air still. Inniska had made the goblin confess but she had offered the name. They needed the name to be given. "Tell us and we shall do our best to keep you safe."
"Hallod!" Phinick says, whining a little bit. "Hallod made me! He said Bort cheated him last time 'round and that it'd just make him a little sick!" Phinick wails, sobbing right at the end of his breath. "I didn't mean to kill him!"