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Having cleaned up the beach, one of the final two unexplored doors is opened. These storage rooms hold shelves of boxes and stacks of crates. Nets, gaff hooks, rods, and other fishing gear hang from the walls. The filthy wooden floor is strewn with ragged scraps of sackcloth and gnawed bits of wood.
Three rats scurry about in the room, looking for unpooped places to poop.
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There is a wild light in Grimmylow's eyes as he carefully adds accelerant to the erstwhile centipede nest, being careful not to disturb them. It grows even brighter, or perhaps is just magnified by the flames that shoot from his fingers as he ignites the whole thing with holy fire from Sarenrae.
"Now, the key with centipedes is that you don't want to overcook them. You want a lot of heat up front but then you let them cook in the shells as they sit for a while," he comments, as he watches the flames crackle.
He dusts his hands and watches the fire and the sun for a few minutes to refocus on Sarenrae and her gifts.
"Looks like someone left their pet rats," he says when they check out the storage rooms. "I'm not great with animals. Does anyone else know of a way to get them out? Or to petify them?"
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"I didn't bring my broom. Do any of you magic types have the ability to make a whole lot of water? A stiff breeze? I don't fancy carrying up bucket after bucket of water to clean this place out..."
Seeing the attention of the others drift to the rats in the room. "Oh, those? I don't see any reason we can't just smush them and keep moving"
Everyone votes on a plan, and Grimmylow holds up Beggar So's and Thorn's hands after campaigning on the slogan, "Vote Early, Vote Often."
He starts summoning magical powers and the rats can feel the air sizzle.
The rats scatter, but they don't retreat. Instead, they squeeze through various holes in the walls, attacking the heroes from all sides. As a matter of fact, the frenzy extends to the adjacent room, where three more rats swarm out.
Red moves and attempts to Tumble Through Kzem's square.
vs Kzem Reflex DC 14
Blocked by Kzem's legs, he bites at Kzem.
Green and Blue climb the walls, finding holes where the roof meets the walls, and squeezing through, leaping down to flank the party. Two more rats (Yellow and White) squeeze under the door of the unopened room, attacking Grimmylow and So from behind.
Another rat squeezes from the unopened room to the opened room through a small hole in the corner, and seeing nothing to bite, begins climbing the wall.
--Round 1
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (32/32)
Buzz (22/22)
So (34/34)
Thorn (43/43)
--Round 2
Red Rat (-0)
Yellow Rat (-0)
Green Rat (-0)
Blue Rat (-0)
White Rat (-0)
Magenta Rat (-0)
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"This was a mistake! We should have let them have the building! We have no choice but to bow to our rodent masters, now!" Grimmylow shrieks as the rats run all over everywhere.
But then they don't manage to actually bite anyone.
"I mean, um...fancy moves won't save you, rats!" he says sheepishly before lighting up the two nearest him then invoking Sarenrae's protections.
◆◆
◆Cast Shield
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"Little tight in here for what bombs I have left anyways." He takes quick stock of his inventory and only has a few bombs remaining and decides to send out a few poinous stingers at the rat nearest him.
HP 22/22
AC 19
Hero Point 0/3
Infused Alchemical Items 6/6
1x Lesser Acid Flask 0/2
1x Lesser Alchemist's Fire (Signature Item) 0/3
1x Lesser Blight Bomb (Signature Item) 3/3
1x Minor Elixir of Life 0/2
1x Skunk Bomb 2/2
1x Lesser Ghost Charge 2/2
Loudmouth
HP 22/22
AC 16
Beggar So immediately drops into a fighting stance and lashes out at the rat in front of him.
Grumbling, he makes a third strike
vs DC 17
vs DC 17
Grimmylow's spell disgorges, sending flame at the the rats. Without the super-flammable spider webs, nothing in the damp buildings catches fire, though.
Thorn fires his gun at Green, striking it in the rump, but not ending its life. He tries to bash it with the stock of his gun, but it's a little too agile.
Buzz fires stingers, the first one striking Green and killing Green. Whirling around, a second stinger flies at the most wounded, striking Yellow. A third stinger flies up into the air and lodges on the eaves of the roof.
Beggar So drops into a stance and swings at the wily rat, but three different strikes fail to connect.
--Round 1
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (32/32)
Buzz (22/22)
So (34/34)
Thorn (43/43)
--Round 2
Red Rat (-0)
Yellow Rat (-9)
Green Rat (-11)
Blue Rat (-0)
White Rat (-3)
Magenta Rat (-0)
Kzem smashes the rat in front of him with one hit.
White and Blue continue biting at the targets in front of them, while Magenta sees an opening and hops down to attack Kzem.
vs Beggar So
vs Grimmylow
vs Grimmylow
Although the rats get a few nibbles in, nobody's life is threatened.
--Round 2
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (32/32)
Buzz (22/22)
So (29/34)
Thorn (40/43)
--Round 2
Red Rat (-10)
Yellow Rat (-9)
Green Rat (-11)
Blue Rat (-0)
White Rat (-3)
Magenta Rat (-0)
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+ either highest weakness, or weakness of 3 (if EL wasn't a critical failure)
Kzem smashes the rat in front of him, driving the shield to the floor. Looking up, he flashes his wrist and a figure of him appears opposite the rat to the north before snapping his shield at the now flanked rodent.
+ either highest weakness, or weakness of 3 (if EL wasn't a critical failure)
Attack, mirror, attack
vs DC 17
Grimmy casts a spell, and the rat appears dazed.
Thorn fires a shot at the wiley rat. It bounces off the floorboards, and ricochets out into the ocean, where the heroes hear the loud groaning of a whale. He does manage to push the rat out, though, 10'.
Kzem smashes one rat, suddenly appears across from Beggar So, and smashes the other.
--Round 2
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (32/32)
Buzz (22/22)
So (29/34)
Thorn (40/43)
--Round 2
Red Rat (-10)
Yellow Rat (-9)
Green Rat (-11)
Blue Rat (-0)
White Rat (-12)
Magenta Rat (-11)
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Buzz tosses a few last stingers at the last ratling. "Looks a little slow."
HP 22/22
AC 19
Hero Point 0/3
Infused Alchemical Items 6/6
1x Lesser Acid Flask 0/2
1x Lesser Alchemist's Fire (Signature Item) 0/3
1x Lesser Blight Bomb (Signature Item) 3/3
1x Minor Elixir of Life 0/2
1x Skunk Bomb 2/2
1x Lesser Ghost Charge 2/2
Loudmouth
HP 22/22
AC 16
Beggar So charges the remaining rat and attempts to redeem himself.
He steps back out of range after hitting (?) the rat.
Buzz stings the rat, and Beggar So finishes it off with a single punch.
Searching the storage rooms reveals plenty of tools and material for maintaining and operating the fish camp. Five of these are finely crafted long tools (a sledgehammer, a shovel, a hoe, and two axes) . In addition, one of the crates holds a repair kit.
Once the heroes have defeated the rats, they begin setting up the fish camp as their own residence and a home base for future adventures. The heroes likely travel back to Otari sooner or later, as they need/want to purchase supplies for their new home and retrieve the property deed from Tamily Tanderveil.
When they return to Otari for the first time, they find that wild boar is a hot, trendy delicacy. They are able to sell the rotting aged wild boar carcass for 5 gp.
They are able to sell therottingaged wild boar carcass for 5 gp.
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Grimmylow finishes the last touches for The Chapel of the Most Hot Goddess of the Most Bounteous Gifts then takes a step back and dusts his hands with a nod of satisfaction.
The chapel is one of the 10 by 10 sheds, a compromise with his roommates since he was originally going to convert the dining room, then, the bigger room of the large outbuilding, then the second biggest outbuilding.
Still, it is not the size of the church that matters, it is the size of the love for Sarenrae in the church.
He has built a small altar and painted the symbol of the Dawnflower on one wall as well as built pews (three!). The construction was neither quick nor easy as he had to often start over because he couldn't get the planks to properly balance on the rocks and logs and other stuff he found to rest the them on.
But now, now he can begin.
"Church! Church! Come to Church!" he shouts, running around the camp and through the buildings as though his outsides were burning just as fiercely as his insides.
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Kzem finds himself a nice rocker and sits on the porch, facing the water, and obsessively polishes his mirror. This is the life gramps was always dreaming about. said under his breath, to no one in particular. If only he could see me now. He turns in early to a small, but cozy room with a warm fire and a kettle to make tea- enjoying the calm and quiet of the small little fishing hut.
Instead of traveling to Otari himself, Kzem contents himself with providing a few coins to his other companions. Would you mind grabbing me one of those healing potions?
Grimmylow. What is this you keep hollering about? It ain't even Sunday yet... or do you do Moonday? Not that it matters... is this some sort of special church. Kzem's eyes roll slightly, but despite his quiet protest he drags himself off the rocker and towards the makeshift pews.
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Thorn spends a week, cleaning the kitchen in their new home. Removing all of the spiders webs, cleaning the utensils that can be cleaned. He cooks meals every day, some of them are even edible.
When Grimmy begins to call for going to church Thorn looks at the altar
"Oh, this 'church' is definitely special. Let me bring some snacks" most of the clerics that he knows, love the sound of their own voice, and he suspects Grimmy to not be much different
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Two people is a congregation so, once Thorn takes a seat, Grimmylow stops searching for the backsliders. Better to stoke the embers you can than to strike a spark in ash.
"Good morning brothers and...more brother...brothers...brother..." he begins, scowling a bit at his inauspicious start.
"It is a glorious day, brought to us by Sarenrae, is it not?"
Grimmylow's service is a combination of pieces of several of his favorite sermon and his own parables (Sarenrae is like a warm peanut butter that sticks to the top of your heart,) snatches of hymns, most of which he either makes up wholesale (which you can tell because he struggles for rhymes and the rhythm keeps changing) and the rest of which he makes up lyrics for when he forgets and rambling prayers ("thank you for my new shoes and the light which you give which allows me to see them and sorry that I used that light in the way that I did with that magnifying glass and those ants.")
Fortunately, even with religious passion, his attention span is not very long and he was always taught that you have to "beat the Baptists," though he doesn't know what a Baptist is but he does know you have to keep a service to under an hour.
He ends with an actual, coherent song and sings out with an unusual, but decent voice.
It is during one of Grimmylow's long-winded sermons that a welcome sight arrives - welcome for all the attendees, at least. A carrier pigeon with a message arrives, landing on Grimmylow's head, releasing its message, and then flying off before Grimmylow and grab it and eat it.
Oloria Gallentine of Gallentine Deliveries sends a message to invite everyone to visit her for an employment opportunity.
At her large shop on Roseguard Road, the efficient and energetic Oloria welcomes the heroes. Her eyes wide with anxiety, she speaks rapidly and breathlessly.
“Thank you so much for responding! I’m very concerned about one of my couriers—she’s long overdue. Her name is Narala and she’s a centaur. She’s extraordinarily fast, and she was supposed to come from Absalom down the Granary Road two days ago. I hope she was just delayed, but it’s not like Narala to dawdle. I fear she might have been robbed, or worse, and in need of help. She has an aggressive streak and would be all too eager to fight. I need your help to find her, and her packages, and get everything back on track.”
Oloria describes Narala to the heroes. She also explains that she sent Narala to Absalom to pick up three parcels for people in and around Otari: one for the brewer Magiloy, the second for the former gladiator and current lumber foreman Klorte Hengus, and the third for the herbalist Abanye Nianna.
Oloria asks that, if the heroes go speak to the recipients, they do their best to assure her clients that they have everything under control and that the delayed parcels will arrive as soon as possible.
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Given where it lands, Grimmylow is relieved that the pigeon only releases its message. Though he can read, he doesn't like it, unable to completely ignore generations of superstition and vaguely afraid that if he reads a word, he'll never remember it again. That's why he closes his eyes if he ever has to sign anything. It would be terrible to forget his own name.
"Oh no! Narala! We have to save her!" Grimmylow has heard all he needs to hear and turns to exit the shop. He stops and looks over his shoulder.
"Which one is Granary Road?"
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Thank the light... I thought this was never going to end, and Thorn didn't seem about to share his snacks
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After hearing the request from Oloria
"Well, I guess we aren't exactly doing anything at the moment- and it might be useful to have a few extra coins to help repair this place... though, we should be a little warry. Any problem big enough that a centaur couldn't handle it is certainly significant."
Kzem leans back in his chair, pondering the request and attempting to recall any useful information about first Centaurs and then the local area.
He swings back forward, and addressed Oloria.
It is great that we should receive payment for the packages- but we seem to be taking on a fair bit of risk to protect your companies reputation. It doesn't seem like an equal balance of things, if I am being honest."
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Thorn leaves from the kitchen keeping knife in one hand and a fish by its tale in the other
"How did the letter got here?" He looks around not bothering to look up, in the land where couriers are left and right who cares for using pigeons
At Oloria place, Thorn lets other speak
"Hmm, Kzem has some right ..."
"Which one is Granary Road?"
"Do you think that is the order she went to deliver the packages?"[/]b Buzz wonders. [b]"We can speak to them and see where she got off track."
Granary Road connects Absalom and Otari. Narala didn't deliver any of the packages, she was waylaid before she got back into town.
Kzem leans back in his chair, pondering the request and attempting to recall any useful information about first Centaurs and then the local area.
Centaurs are legendary hunters and trackers who resemble heavily muscled humans with the bodies of powerful horses from the waist down. They are typically reclusive but those who choose to interact with humans are as varied as humans in terms of personality. They're not typically thieves (), or specifically, there's no reason to suspect that simply because she's a centaur (as opposed to a human courier).
Granary Road is dangerous, swarming with an unsustainable number of carnivores, thieves, and hostile animals.
It is great that we should receive payment for the packages- but we seem to be taking on a fair bit of risk to protect your companies reputation. It doesn't seem like an equal balance of things, if I am being honest."
Oloria pleads, "It's not just my company's reputation at stake - Narala's very life might be in danger. If you won't do it for my company, will you at least do it for her?"
Grimmylow nods and waves over his shoulder as he marches out to Granary Road.
When he gets there, he looks both directions down it, scratches his head, shrugs then starts walking one way (which may be the wrong one.)
While not meditating (or doing something similar to it), Beggar So spent the last week exploring the surroundings of their new base of operations. He's spent the time gathering herbs and attempting to discern what they could be used for. Of course, as he is quite fond of his little green friend, he does attend the church services though he has absolutely no idea what the goblin is droning on about.
Beggar So follows the party, his party, along the road, head on a swivel. He doesn't say much, as he still isn't that used to working with others. He does appreciate that this group seems to be a good bunch to be with... For now, he's content to follow...
Oloria roots around in her pockets, pulling out silver pieces worth of loose change.
"That's literally all the money I have," she pleads to Kzem. "Please!"
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Instead of responding, the Orc just nods in acknowledgement of Oloria's plea.
Kzem hefts his shield, and quickly rushes off to fall into line with Grimmy- heading down the Granary Road. I learned over the past several months that it is better to not try and redirect Grimmy... I am assuming this is one of those times
Beggar So gasps at the change. He steps forward and pushes her hand back, ignoring Grimmy's glare.
"We will help you my good lady," he says, gallantly, "Just tell us where to start"
Beggar So gets on the other side of Grimmy, flanking the goblin with Kzem.
"So what do we do, my little green friend?"
The land along the Granary Road was cut back and converted into farmland generations ago. When the heroes come by a farm, a big, young, red-faced human stands near the road, wringing the hat in his hands into fibers. He calls out to the heroes when he spots them and begins an earnest but rambling plea.
“Hey there, y’all. I'm Henk, Henk Varlin. Seeing as you’re headed up the Granary Road, I wonder if you could do me a favor? Many of the farms in the area have been damaged by strange fires. Something is suddenly setting our fences and outbuildings ablaze, so we’re thinking there’s some arsonist running amok. All the farmers look to Jala Highstepper, seeing as she’s head of the Farmer’s Guild. She’s good to get us through our troubles, and she was just here talking to me about all this. She was gonna speak to my neighbor Lavinia Shroon. Lavinia’s farm burned, killing her hogs. But see, here’s the thing. Jala was going to talk to Lavinia, and then come right back. Right back, she said. Going to my nextdoor neighbor just up the road, not more than a fifteen minute walk, twenty minutes at most. I’m real worried. Could you check on her? It’ll be right on your way. Could y’all do me that kindness?”
"Well, sir, I'm afraid you're looking at this the wrong way. You see, fire is not a curse, it is a blessing. You have been blessed with space to build a new fence, ash to help your crops grow, the destruction of an old outbuilding. You're welcome," Grimmylow says.
"But, since we're going that way, anyway, we'll check in on your neighbor and your guild leader. But, don't wait for us. We are very busy and important so when we finish helping you we have to keep going to help someone else."
Beggar So steps in front of Grimmy. "We are heading this way at the moment. Of course we will help you. We'll send word as soon as we get to her."