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Anders casts a silent image of a large, shadowy bird-demon standing behind him. It should be dark and indistinct, but very large, and surrounded by swirly shadow. He walks up to the Lotus Dragon pinned to the wall. "Tell us what we're facing. How many we're up against, and what we can expect. Or I'll finish my summoning and let my... ...friend... ...have his way with your soul."
One less mouth to feed is one less mouth to feed. I do the world a favor and reduce its population of scumbag losers by one.
A bolt of magical energy, black with red streaks, flies through the air and strikes one of the thugs. It burns its way deep into his body.
I too will cast mage armor. And perhaps find some cover.
[ooc]How much more black? None more. None more black.[ooc]
"I think the next question is then -- do we go in the day, when the taxidermist is open for business, but the Lotus Dragons may be mostly at rest? Or do we go at night, when the taxidermist is likely elsewhere, but the Lotus Dragon operation is likely to be in full swing?"
“Ardan, forgive us if we are suspicious. In the past few days,” Eldin holds up his hand and begins counting off his fingers, “we have been almost blown up by an informant, violated in a horrible manner by an apparent ally, come close to being killed on numerous occasions, and had one of our friends die. If there is anything you can tell us to alleviate our paranoia, I think we would be happy to share information with you and accept your help.” Anders nudges Eldin after he completes his list of trials. "Don't forget 'waded around in the sewers for three days'."
Anders looks over at the newcomer. "Well, Harven was our man for sneaking in through tight places, fox holes and the like. But you shouldn't have any trouble filling in for him... How do you feel about sewers?"
"By Asmodeus' foul innards, I shall never set foot in a sewer again." Anders' face is blank, and a little pale, as he ponders the team's experiences below the streets of Sasserine.
Harven's Revenge?
"Kora's right outside, isn't she? Perhaps we should seek appropriate clerical services and send her to fetch Lavinia to our location."
"Eldin! Get these bloody things out of us!"
Whoops! Sorry. Missed that I was up. BOTH actions will be magic missiles, thank you very much. (If necessary, I will take a move action in there to back away from the giant cockroach, should it close with me.)
"Tyndal, NO!" Too late to stop the initial attack, Anders tries to interpose himself between Lerod and the others. Turning to the queer little man, Anders shoves him against the wall (that is, if the man still lives after Tyndal's assault. "You better tell us what you know, Lerod. It's your only chance. I doubt it is within my power to prevent these two from putting an end to you, and frankly I'm not sure I'm so inclined. Now TALK! Or make peace with whatever gods you call yours."
Anders leaps to his feet and turns to run for the door. Or, at least tries to. His act of standing up is quite wobbly, and involves something of a backwards lean. Then, when he turns to go, his foot catches behind the legs of the chair, and his attempt to run to Harven's side serves only to send him sprawling face first across the tavern floor, arms flailing. Without missing a beat, Anders stands up again and staggers headlong toward the door.
"If we break the chests, what are we going to carry all the coins in? Just a thought that's occurred to me just now," says Anders as he helps to collect the spilled coins.
"Does the eyeball know how to get out of this gods forsaken place?"
"That's not right... Terin, you don't know where that thing has been. And look at all the filth around here. Suit yourself..."
"Terin, you can't possibly be considering letting that thing squirm its way into your eye socket. Do you really think that's such a good idea? I ask only as a friend..."
"Maybe it only understands Eyeball."
"Remind me never to go in the sewers again. There's all kinds of crazy s#@*e going on underneath this city."
Anders looks on as the glowing ones begin carving into themselves, and tries not to think too hard about Seann's new.... features. "I'm starting to wonder if we were better off dying in the fire. Can we leave the scary room now? I need a drink."
"I prefer not being eaten, myself. But if you like, maybe we can hold off three of them while the fourth one eats you."
"Otyughs. Why did it have to be otyughs? I hate otyughs."
"Something's not right. I'm beginning to doubt that this figure is the source of the voice. There's an otyugh running a Punch and Judy show in here, or I'm a beholder's cousin." I take a good long look at the room.
"You are a queer little man. Do you know that you're volunteering to be lunch?"
"I don't think I want to know the answer to that question."
Anders, who has looked quite ill and been mostly silent since entering the sewers, speaks up. "We're in some heretofore unknown sewer hell. I know it. Perhaps some sub-realm of Jubilex's domain... And the smell is everywhere. I'll never get clean again, even if we do get out of here. And now some lunatic who lives down here is ranting about his garden." Although he has been quite pale since coming down here, his color seems to be returning somewhat. "Dammit, there's got to be some way out of here, and this jesting fool knows where it is. I'll choke it out of him, if I have to." And with that, Anders enters the curtain of light.
"Nine bloody hells, what is that infernal noise! We may be discovered, friends. Be on your guards."
"What a wonderful smell you've discovered."
"Thank you, Eldin. Clearly Fharlanghn wishes me to walk more. Preferably to somewhere with a more pleasing odor."
I'm injured lightly enough that I will wait until we are out of immediate danger to get healed.
"Everyone! That way! Now!"
Anders is pondering how flammable the building is when the suicidal lunatic rounds the corner and explodes himself. One of Rosk's charred arms, blown off just above the elbow, flies across the room in a beeline and hits Anders square in the face. "What in the name of Tiamat's five unholy sphincters was that? Was that parting of his focking arm?"
With a foreboding sense of recognition and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Terin places the smell. Rosk. The disgusting man in the alley was soaked to the skin in whale oil.
"Is that... whale oil?" . . . "Isn't whale oil flammable?" . . . A crawling sensation spreads up Anders' bare nape.
"We're going to climb down into the sewer, through the commode?" Anders looks down at his well tailored garb, then looks apprehensively at the smelly hole.
Seeing the other party members, he relaxes. I'm following Eldin.
"Quiet as a field mouse, our Harven."
"Indeed. I caught sight of a bridge over a canal nearby, and was wondering if there might be some tunnels under it large enough to fit a small boat. I do wander what Vanthus is up to. Let's find our companions and see if they have uncovered anything."
"Yes, let's go."
Anders, who has been pondering the possibilities of climbing under a bridge, realizes that somewhere not too far away, someone is calling his name. He looks back down the block toward where he and Eldin had been waiting for the rest of the party, and sees Eldin looking around for him. Anders heads back to the alley. Along the way, he pauses to make a count of just how many mimes are visible to him at the moment.
Anders takes note of the broken hourglass and the occult bookstore. Not for any particular reason, just that they were the things that stuck in his brain. He mutters to himself "What's with all the mimes?" No one else is nearby to her him. He doesn't even hear himself. Suddenly he is struck by the bridge to the moneylender. He finds himself wondering if there might be some kind of tunnel hidden under the bridge. He starts examining the bridge and the embankment, trying to evaluate how difficult it would be to get a look under the bridge, without going for a swim for his troubles.
Anders snaps out of his odd reverie as Eldin goes walking toward the guard. He realizes he's been having another one of his "moments" and tries to actually focus on thinking (not a strong suit for Anders). He begins to wander slowly around the neighborhood, trying to judge just where in the distrcit the Arabani (nee Vanderboren) compound is located, especially in realtion to the nearby waterways.
"I say we make for the heart of it, and head for Vanderboren manor."
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