Baldur lashes out with magic and tries to work out what on earth they're going to do if the ooze doesn't die soon - or if the orc comes back...
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As everyone gets closer Baldur does the only thing he can and tries throwing more things.
Baldur has very little he can do, especially since he doubts the ooze has a mind he can attack. So he closes in and hurls some of the scalpels at it.
Baldur advances into the room and reaches out to close some of Illyria's wounds - it isn't enough, but its something. "Stay away from the ooze!" He suggests. "Make it move, its slow."
"We have this!" Baldur declares, giving Illyria her favourite spell.
Since it isn't broken Baldur doesn't attempt a fix, and throws some of the lab equipment with his mind.
Baldur joins Nutmeg in throwing magic around.
"This way." Baldur says, pointing to the north cave. "Plenty of tracks. Whatever goes on here happens in there. Is everyone alright?" Loki whines and rubs against his master's leg. The fox is clearly feeling as though he hasn't been getting enough attention recently. Baldur scoops his familiar up with a sigh and rubs the tiny fox behind its pointed ears. "Is everyone else alright?" He asks.
Baldur meanwhile closes the distance and then lobs another rock.
Baldur edges around the pool and hurls a fist-sized rock at the orc with his mind.
It crashes into the cage behind the orc with a loud bang.
Baldur claps Illyria on the shoulder and empowers her weapon with magic.
"The pool inside the den is tainted somehow." Baldur reports. "I think drinking from it must be what caused the wolves to mutate. We're going to collapse the den to stop any more animals getting in, but I don't know how to make it better short of tracking down whoever, or whatever, did it in the first place."
"Without getting into the water it would be impossible to tell if there is corruption in this pool only, or at the source of the pool somewhere else." Baldur counters. "If we collapse this tunnel no animals will be getting in here any time soon regardless."
Baldur examines the pool closely and swirls a stick in it, but declines to actually touch the water. "Something is polluting this pool." He says with a frown. "It must have done that to the wolves. I wonder where its source is..." He muses until Rashk's question breaks his reverie. "We could try burning them but I think we leave them here and collapse the tunnel behind us. Best to contain this... corruption for good."
Baldur sees Illyria fall and fights back the fear surging inside him. With a sharp gesture he pulls one of the roots from the tunnel wall, thrusting it at the wolf like a spear as he impells Loki.
Baldur frowns and attempts to pierce Yellow's mind as he did Red's.
Still stuck at the back of the tunnel Baldur can do nothing to help with the battle ahead of him. Or can he...
Baldur adds his own magic to the communal 'get Rashk back on his feet' effort, before imbuing Nutmeg with guidance. There's not much else he can do with the tunnel as bottle-necked as it is.
"Well..." Baldur says, stroking his familiar soothingly. "There are two wolves down there that managed to detect Loki. They're definitely blighted and there's a corpse of a much larger on there too. It's probably worth investigating but we'll be in a fight immediately. Rashk, Illyria, you're probably the best ones to lead us here."
Luckily Baldur has someone well suited for the task! Loki gives his companion a rather evil look, but investigates anyway, sniffing cautiously as he approaches.
"We can be certain that the blight isn't natural then..." Baldur says, approaching the burning bushes cautiously. "Quite powerful though. Let's stay together while we look around. Just in case."
Baldur begins a spell, hesitates and then completes the incantation.
"Gods damn it!" Baldur hisses. He claps Rashk on the back, infusing him with magic and then retreats a few steps. "Cut those things down to size!"
"Carefully." Baldur points out. "Plants grasping something is not natural." One doesn't need to be a druid to figure that out!
Baldur spends an unpleasant night with stomach cramps and only manages a few hours sleep towards the tail end of the night.
Baldur searches around but isn't overly keen to get close to the plants. Loki doesn't seem to like the smell and stays some way away from the bushes too.
"Guess we're in..." Baldur says with a shrug. The motion makes his stomach turn and he frowns. Damn it, that lockbox must have had something on it...
"There was a murder, by poison." Baldur says grimly. "And V was the instigator, not the person who did the deed. Which is why we need to find them and have... words." His eyes flash oddly for a second and Loki growls at his side. The pair are clearly not happy with the mysterious V.
At the explanation, stunted though it is, Baldur relaxes slightly. "We have just dealt with the murder of our caravan master." He says. "It seems that that was part of a wider plot, and your issue may be as well. Do you know of anyone in town whose name begins with V?"
"If you found those on the road then they are the ones that attacked our caravan two days ago." Baldur says sharply. "Defending oneself against wild animals is not the custom here?"
Something in his stomach makes him wince and the sarcasm in his tone comes out sharp enough to cut glass.
"There was a blade of some sort." Baldur confirms. "If anyone is reasonably good at swimming we might be able to extract it." He doesn't volunteer for this task.
Baldur raises an eyebrow, steps carefully over the remaining trap and comes to look at the note. "Not necessarily." He counters. "We have what we needed, evidence that this man killed Bort, and why. Any issues with this 'V' woman are nothing to do with us. The caravan will be able to leave now and us with it. Unless you think otherwise..." He pauses, without stating his own opinion on the subject, and looks at Rask questioningly.
Baldur sees no need to go charging in, the rest of the group has it under control, and moves up slowly. He notices the tripwires and heads to the wall to try and disarm them.
"There's something down there." Baldur says, stooping over the pool. "A weapon of some kind. Later, perhaps." When they finally find Hallod Baldur claps Illyria on the shoulder. "Finish him." He commands, channeling magic into her blade.
"Thank you." Baldur replies, nibbling on the berry and feeling his temper calm somewhat. "Right, lets move on. No sense letting this murdered get away now we have real proof."
"Damnit!" Baldur growls, shaking his hand sharply. "Can't believe I didn't see that."
Baldur takes the bottle Illyria points out of sniffs it, recoiling slightly at a familiar sweet scent. "This is some sort of strengthening potion." He comments, "But I think it's laced with the poison that killed Bort. We'd best be careful, anyone who willingly takes poison is a desperate man."
When the lockbox is found Baldur nods approvingly and kneels down to try and crack it.
After a few painstaking minutes he manages to open it. Once done he examines the notes and nods firmly. "Hallod is definitely the one that Bort was supplying. I think we're in the hideout now, so we'd best be careful as we head for this 'drop point'."
"Keep them, they might be useful." Baldur says shortly, pulling out his lockpicks.
Loki is clearly having a bad day and it takes some time and considerable tinkering before the pair manage to unlock the door properly.
Baldur lights a torch and drops it down, lighting the way. At Rashk's suggestion he hurries to the grate and attempts to jam it.
It goes badly!
Once again Baldur and Loki work their combined magic, well enough that people may wonder why the pair haven't turned to a life of crime...
Baldur and Loki set to work once more and soon have the rigged floorboard unrigged again. "Careful." Baldur warns. "Someone doesn't want visitors." He waits for Illyria or Rashk to go first.
"Loki!" Baldur says sharply and the fox jerks around and then scurries up Baldurs arm to sit on the window sill. The two set to work in what is apparently a rather practised routine.
Some careful work with a series of long, thin tools opens the shutter.
Baldur just nods and follows along behind. Loki is loving being out in the fresh air, but Baldur is rather less keen. "Loki, could you try not to get all the mud on me?" He asks. The fox yips and splashes happily into a large muddy puddle in response.
Illyria is continuing to have good ideas so Baldur simply nods his agreement and then turns back the way they came. Targen probably appreciated the rest but they shouldn't be gone too long.
Baldur nods in response to Illyria's look. It seems almost certain that Hallod is the mysterious 'H' that Bort was delivering to. Interesting that he'd still paid the caravaner, But maybe its a matter of keeping secrets rather than trying to save a few gold... He muses internally, keeping a stern face on to ensure that the goblin doesn't get any ideas.
"What do you know?" Baldur adds, "What happened last night? Did you deliberately poison Bort?" He's going for the key information immediately, and hoping to overwhelm the goblin a little in the process.
Thanks to a relatively simple spell which lets him warp distances Baldur makes good headway on Phinick until confronted by the angry dog. His attempts to pacify the beast are working until Loki pops his head out and sends the dog into a barking frenzy. Baldur retreats, nursing a bitten hand, but is fortunate enough to find a shortcut across the turnip field. A final twist of magic and space leaves him in front of the goblin with a distinctly unimpressed look on his face.
"Yes." Baldur says sharply and takes off after the goblin!
"If you don't mind sir I'd like to sit down a minute." Baldur says, "Loki here needs a moment and I'd rather he do it now." The fox gives its master a rather dirty look but then catches the scent of something interesting and scurries off regardless. Baldur meanwhile takes a seat and gesture Targen to a stone wall next to him. Inwardly he can't help but marvel at how considerate he seems to have become, it's a little unnerving. "Does the town have a priest now?" He asks, "I don't imagine anyone wanted to take over the witch's house or role in the community." If the old man tells him about alchemists or other 'wierdo's' in town, so much the better.
Baldur works into the night trying to decipher the books, and although Bort's handwriting is terrible and his notes cryptic he eventually finds some useful information. "He's been delivering reagents to someone called 'H'." He informs the others. "Made considerable gold doing it too. He'd dropped off the fourteenth shipment just before he was killed and I think that wasn't a coincidence."
Baldur seems somewhat stumped by that question and thankful that Loki takes the heat off him for a moment so that he can come up with something plausible. "We wanted to ask him about service last night." He says eventually. "Do you know if there are normally brawls in the common room?" |