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Digory sees the people coming into the inn. Thinking quickly, he goes to one of the hatches leading below and starts moving everyone down there, explaining that it's cramped but safe. To the first person who comes back in, he'll tell them "We've got too many people in here to just stick in rooms. They'll be safe below, if that dragon decides to take out the inn."
Ally will find Digory and speak to him. "Say, Digory, think there's anything we could do to make sure any guests don't find, or can't use, the trap doors? I don't know a whole lot about locks, I'm afraid..." He looks at you and ponders your question for a moment. "There might be some kind of magical means to do so, that I'm not aware of. As for physical locks or some other contraptions, that can be done, but it will take time, preferably when we have no guests in the rooms. No need to frighten them, after all."
"I don't think I can do the talking, but I can cook if need be. Ruul, you might frighten them off as well. Um... Who should go out and greet them? Digory?" "I'm ready to go when you are. We have the closets..um, I mean, rooms setup. We can fit a few people in here, but which of us will take the master suite, and who's going to sleep outside tonight?"
"Did you see that guy's eyes glowing? It was like he was doing an incantation or something. Maybe if we buy something else, he'll have more to say..." Digory stops, knowing that he is likely getting some strange looks right now.
"Hey, who's peddling stuff at this hour?" You turn and see Digory coming down the steps, his pants on with a loose cotton shirt, his hair completely disheveled.
"That sounds very...pleasing, milady."
You were poked a couple of times, so the outfit might need patching... I guess no patching needed! It takes him about an hour, but the outfit looks almost better than when you first bought it. He hands it back to you, not daring to look at anything other than your face. There is however, a bit of a smirk to him. Despite his slight pallor, there is a bit of the flirt that you first saw on the boat.
He takes your garments, looking you right in the eyes, and says, "I'll take a look at this and get them back to you as soon as possible. Is there anything else you need?" He keeps looking at you directly, not letting his gaze falter.
Kalli smiles back at Azaraunt as he touches her shoulder to activate the spell. "Thank you. Perhaps the mending magic will be available when we are in the field. As it stands now, some sewing will suffice. I wanted to see how well Digory can handle his needle anyhow," she says entering the inn with Digory while removing the upper layer of her garment.
Digory stands behind the counter next to the front door, threaded needle in hand. "I found the kit in the gnomes' bedchambers. I'm ready when you are."
"That fool passed out before even apologizing to us and perhaps the town for this mess. I mean, look at what those damned bears did to my outfit! Just leave him where he lies and let the hangman deal with him." Kallistiel frowns down at the slashes and holes in her clothing. "Say.. you think Digory knows how to use a needle and thread?" Digory steps out of the inn as the fighting stops and overhears Kallistiel talking. "I can sew as the need calls for it. With the right tools, I can also make some basic fixes to armor as well, particularly the leathers and hides." Digory looks a little bit better this morning, perhaps the environment is doing him some good.
Around dawn, Digory finds you. He is carrying two shovels and a pick. "The ground is liable to be hard in these parts. If you're going to bury them, sir, you can probably use the help."
"Run an inn? Can't say as I have, although I've had to make the acquaintance of a few who had. Is it really as bad as Sir Numair suggested?"
"Oh, well thank you, Elen. I'll make good use of this." Digory looks over the weapon, checking to make sure it is in good working order, then slides the 10 bolts into his belt pouch.
"Pardons, Digory. No, not yet. We knew this Camp would be a dangerous place, but we stuck our foot in the viper's mouth this time. This very evening, we were set upon by our murderous innkeepers. Two are now dead, with a third in custody. I came out here because that man we saw swinging in the noose this morning is up and walking around. Undead, if you belive that. We're waiting to see if the death of the Bender brothers rouses the camp against us. I wanted to make sure you were safe, and bring you back to the inn. Gather your things, and follow me. Oh, and you'd better wear this for a bit." Numair hands him his dagger, then looks around carefully before heading back for the inn. Digory belts the dagger on, then checks it. He then looks up,
You find Digory asleep in his lean-to, some sweat on his forehead, despite the chill. He is under several blankets, which might explain the extra heat. You reach his lean-to, when Digory practically leaps up from his prone position, reaching for what used to be his sheathed dagger (but is no longer there). He bonks his head off of a branch, and curses dutifully. He sees you and says, "Dear lords, you scared the curses right out of me. Are we leaving for the Desolation, this early?"
"Shall I start bringing in the bags and equipment?"
Digory works to prep the horses for the journey and is otherwise resting from the attack.
No Digory is staying back and holding actions. All he has is a knife, and that won't do anything against the gargoyles.
Digory will wheeze his thanks, but will state that he'll ride alongside Numair until he gives his leave.
You are able to wrench the rest of the goop away from Digory, thus . Digory gasps for breath as if he had just ran a marathon. He is bent over double, gasping for air, but you can make out him saying "Thank you."
Digory sees a wave of goo fly over the shield that Azaraunt put up and tries to dodge out of the way. He trips on a rock, however...
...but is able to remain standing as the wave engulfs him. Digory is almost frozen in position, unable to get any leverage on getting the stuff off of him. He breathes in before thinking about it, and begins choking on the vile stuff.
Huffing and puffing, Digory thinks to himself, not for the last time Why am I doing this? He has a hard time running more than a few yards at a stretch because of his condition, but his stubbornness wins over. Finally, he is able to hail a ride from a guard who is also riding from his post at the docks, up to the castle. He sees the party and hops off, just in the time to see the dragon flapping his way over towards the party.
He feels his bowels turn to liquid as the great beast comes forth. Malerix says his piece. Please tell me we're not going to fight this thing, are we?, Digory thinks.
Digory places his old dagger back into its sheath and thanks you. "I'm not sure how much good I'll be for you out there. I've never fought a dragon before, even when I was feeling good.'
Digory runs outside with you, but finds that he is quickly winded, his heart thudding mercilessly in his chest. Could it be that more than my stomach was seriously damaged by the poison, he thinks (not for the first time) as he tries to catch up with you.
Digory's Gear List (all):
Digory had the following items when he walked on the boat: +1 studded leather, +1 ring of protection, +1 dagger, a MW dagger, a MW set of thieves tools, potions of protection from evil, CSW, and fly, a backpack, fine clothes, some food (caviar, bread, and cheese mostly), and a belt pouch, which contained 10gp and 10sp. Digory was eating a weak soup with a few root vegetables in it, while attempting to ignore the person attempting to sing, that is, when he wasn't trying to speak. Dear gods in heaven, I've heard cattle make better sounds than this yokel, Digory thinks. His stomach is still sore but at least is keeping food down again. The warm milk that Maulf had given him the last few nights had helped as well. It appears there is some trouble transpiring in the north. Digory, this is a test Sarenrae has sent. You are still weak and pale, and are not yet fully recovered. Do you choose to come with me, and see what you can do to help, or do you choose to return to our room and retire for the evening? Decide quickly, for time is of the essence. Digory had to ask him to repeat himself over the yodeling going on by the fireplace. He had slept there the last two nights, the warmth of the fire soothing his bones in a way that would have never mattered to him before that poison... His thoughts stopped as the place went quiet. When the dwarf shouted a retreat to the cellar, wondering who "Malerix" was. He turns to Numair and says, "Do I have time to cinch my leathers on? I've seemed to have lost a little weight in the last week. Vegetable diet and all." He tries to smile at this, making a joke of it. His rumbling stomach says its opinion on the matter.
Digory enjoys the opportunities to talk to Kallistiel over the last couple of days. She seems to enjoy her career path at least as much as he does, or at least did. Talking to her helps to keep his mind off of the future. It's the sickness that worries him most, he confides in her, not the penance itself, although he is aware that it won't be easy. He has seen people get sick before and he has seen people being poisoned and the effects of that, but it never occurred to him that he may become the victim rather than the instigator. He has also never encountered such a vile poison as the one he ingested, whatever it was. Poisons make people sick or disable them in some way, it rarely kills anyone however. He is worried that this poison may have stopped his career just when it was getting to the good part.
Digory remains rather weak in endurance; he still looks sickly and pale and does not move with much grace. He does notice that the rest of the party has thus far ignored him, but he accepts that; there is little else he can do, and his whole body aches if he does much more than a shuffle. He does the chores that Numair asks him to do, with little protest. He then stays in his bed as much as possible.
"I accept both your offer and the consequences. May we both not live to regret this."
...The mightiest redeemers have divine bonds at their disposal. As I am far from mighty, I have bonds of rope and iron. I would welcome any assistance you can render, but I must insist on experiencing it first-hand. I will not compel a repentant to accept a bond that I would not. I do not see danger in this place, so perhaps your restraints might be tested tonight. Also, they must encourage, but not compel. Magic that twists a man's "I don't understand, master wizard. Is there a reason that I need to be cursed as part of my redemption? Is that how I am understanding it?"
"I'll not lie to you, in the long run it is revenge that I seek, upon this 'Harbinger,' or whomever this scourge sends upon us. I have been laid low by his forces and I don't know if I'll ever recover fully. But at the end of the watch, I feel that I've placed my trust on the wrong side. You're right and I know that redemption does not come easy. I know that the orc of your party distrusts me and I don't blame him. I know I'll have my temptations in the future, much like a man wanting his ale. "That being said, I leave myself at your mercy. Should you desire to have me held for my crimes, I'll not say another word. But if you think that I may have a chance at redemption, then I'll leap upon it and make it mine. What say you, fair gentleman?"
"Do you really mean that?" says Digory as he is helped up to Elen's Mount.
The evening moves on, wind lacking and rain not. The captain's attitude towards you becomes more and more taciturn, not even saying good night when he retires for the evening. Fortunately, with so much rain (turning to sleet in the wee hours), nothing is willing to go out hunting on this evening. The morning starts dark and grey, with light sleet slowly filling the top deck. The upside is that, off in the distance, you can see a dock along the north side of the river. An hour later, the boat finally pulls in. However, before anyone has a chance to head up, Captain Teach talks to you all. In a dark, almost guttural tone, he says to you in the hall below decks, "Get off my boat and take the scoundrels with you. I don't know why they wanted you dead, and I don't frankly care. But since it has happened, there has been a curse upon this ship and me. I can feel it, and don't tell me that you can't either. Get off my boat and may you never darken my deck again." He walks off without another word.
As you ask him your question, he seems to fade off, clearly to tired to continue. You can tell that he may wish to talk more later, but the ordeal he experienced the previous evening are still tolling on him. He sleeps through the night fitfully. He wakes briefly over the next day or so, but is not able to stay awake for more than an hour at a time. He is able to walk with assistance as you leave the dock at Gundrun. He may be willing to talk more, but is still too weak to do much at this point.
"What had you heard, then, about this person? Was it Roondar? And Shamil -- am I right in assuming that killing Niles wasn't part of the plan? She went off-script?" "No, Roondar came later, after everything had been arranged. This person said that he needed a group put together so that another group could be taken out. We were told, through various drops, to expect three or four individuals, sent from the Pathfinder Society, travelling through the area. We were told to take you out before reaching Gundrun if at all possible, the Camp if not. "As for Shamil, she had always been...adventurous with the opposite sex. The way that she was humping against the minotaur, I figured she was going after him first. As horny as she can be, it is an effective way to complete an assassination. To be fair, he is the most likely to take down several on his own in a fight. I would guess that she found Niles and decided to do it, then got rid of him when it was time to go after you."
"I didn't. I was told it was going to be a straight up ambush. Actually, I wasn't told anything, everything was done by drop points. That's how I work, or worked. It'll be awhile before anything like this happens again."
Both of you walk into Digory's room, after unlocking the door. He is slowly eating the cold soup, one spoonful at a time, although as shaky as his hand is, a fair portion of it is currently on the floor. He is propped on on elbow, but after taking a bite, he plops back down on the flat mattress, taking a break between bites. In a weak, almost trembling voice, he mutters, "Here to make the captor talk? A little torture perhaps? I'm afraid that someone beat you to it. But I'll talk all the same."
Casting Lesser Restoration and Cure Light Wounds seems to have helped him somewhat. His breathing, which was shallow, short, and rough has become more normal, and some little bit of color has returned to his near parchment pale features. However, he does not immediately awaken as you hope. It seems clear that some more rest is needed before he is well enough to eat, let alone talk. As the day wears on, the ship's morale is almost as low as the cloud cover. Captain Teach, who continues to use the magic of the scroll to manage the meager winds, refuses to look at any of you and focuses on his work. Niles and the sailors glumly work the sails as best they can, but the stench of evil is all around. The companions and magic users can all feel it, even if they don't express it. From their perspective, it is almost a taste of brimstone, as if something is sprinkling it in the air as a spice. It is not too hard to imagine that the boat's crew, superstitious men that they tend to be, is likely believing that they have been cursed somehow. You begin to wonder if that is not the case. Late in the afternoon, as the waning sun begins dancing with the top of the treeline, Macavity, while moving around below decks briefly, hears a moaning. After investigating, he walks around to find the witch and the cleric, and informs them that their patient is awake and drinking from a bowl left in his room .
He felt so weak; he knew that he was supposed to die, you couldn't throw up that much...stuff and not live for long afterwards. He had hoped that he was in heaven, but he lived a hard life and knew it. Burglary, murders, robbery, he had done too much to walk past the pearly gates. So when his eyes fluttered open, he assumed he was in the other place. It felt like it, he was burning, both from the inside and the outside. Then he realized that he might be still alive. He weakly turned his head and saw the minotaur, witch, and even the cleric standing over him. He feels a little of their healing magic flow over him, but it doesn't feel like much is getting through. Almost like a blanket is being pulled over him, but not actually touching him. He nods, then passes out this time snoring softly.
Healing:
You can tell that there is an obstruction in his throat, which you are able to fish out after Ruul casts his spell. Digory begins breathing again, but shallowly. You look down at the obstruction and realize with horror that it may very well have been a piece of his (hopefully just) stomach lining. The ends are burnt, as if he ate fire or acid. You notice that steam is coming up from the spew he projected out and you don't believe that it is coming from the difference in air temperature, or at least not entirely. Knowledge check: Upon closer inspection, the bit of flesh looks as if it was burnt off. You know (from your Heal check) that the stomach can produce an acid-like substance under its own circumstance, but this liquid was much stronger than that to do the damage to Digory that it caused.
The spell seems to have no effect on Digory, who is turning blue.
The stomach pain started not long after he had met that minotaur. Bad enough that he was buggering some poor human, but to throw his 'creaturehood' around was just too much. The pains always came whenever he was under stress, all the way back to his days as an orphan. He didn't like it, there was little that could be done about it, although he was able to find some warm milk on occasion that would do the trick, but drinking the stuff made him feel weak, and that could not due. So he figured they would work him over, maybe toss him over the side. He would cut the ropes at that point, swim across to the other side of the river, and make his way back home. By the time he was on the top deck, however, things were progressing from bad to worse. It felt like he had eaten daggers or something, his insides were roiling. When he was dropped on the deck by that thing, it was all he could do not to throw up. Then he saw Shamil. They had known each other for a few years now, done some jobs together when he needed finesse over brute force. They were not lovers lords only knew what she was carrying as much as she rolled around in the hay. But she was very good at what she did, and Shamil was one of the few people on this planet that he trusted. So when she started going pale and mumbling to herself, he became concerned. They were probably bluffing him about the bard killing himself, he didn't seem capable of hurting a fly, but the magic that flew from his violin was a life-saver. When her hair went from purple to silver, then white, within a few short minutes, he became afraid. Perhaps what that bard was saying about what might happen should they fail in killing the party might be true. Before he could say anything however, his stomach lurched again. He spat on the deck, and steam came up from it, having nothing to do with the cool night. Digory stared at it, wondering what was going on, when the first wave hit. It felt as if everything was coming up, and it was. His dinner, probably his lunch...he didn't eat chicken, did he? Then more came up, and it wasn't just food anymore. He was almost choking on what came up, and that's when he realized that he was dying; it wasn't just bile, but whole bits of his insides were coming out. The pain was so excruiating that he couldn't think anymore. He passed out, choking on his insides.
"What in the hells are you talking about?" Digory's head is flopped forward when you pick him up, as if he doesn't have the strength to pull it back himself. "It was just me, horny over there, and three thugs I grabbed out of my gang. There shouldn't be anyone else here besides your group, the sailors, and Captain Teach." Digory starts to look pale and even Shamil has gone quiet.
"Look people, we don't know who hired us, we don't know why they want you dead, and that other gnome hasn't said two words to us other than to make sure all of you were dead. What more do you want?"
"We are paid mercenaries, just like you. I don't know who or what the Harbinger is, just that I was told to mention that when we took you out."
With his sight returning, Digory looks around quickly at the scene, and realizes he is the only one left standing. He turns his head one last time to see the business end of a sword. "I yield. Just get me away from this...creature's scrotum, will you please."
Digory only cries out in pain, being held by the minotaur only adding to his problems. He is not a man used to being in this kind of position.
Digory, in his state, is no match for your strength and you easily get him into a holding position . He cries out in pain and his inability to see anything. He attempts to lash out at you, but he has no real idea where you are or if it is you that is causing him this pain.
Digory is blinded by Sandstorm, before Lavinia gets her spell off, further making things bad for the foe. He attempts to right himself, but all he does is bounce off of Ruul. "Oof!" is all you hear as you attempt to move past him, his flailing causes you to bounce back to your previous position .
In ducking around cover , you misjudged where the assailant would be and your spell goes over his shoulder.
The blinding effect of your spell does affect him, causing him to misstep and instead of taking another swing at Ruul, he effectively bounces off of him. "Oof!"
Digory continues to just glare at the minotaur's....thing just hanging there. It's ridiculous! He's getting paid to deal with this? Hearing Roondar down the hall finally snaps him back to the current moment.
"This is for the Harbinger, you foul creature." Digory takes a swing, aiming for Ruul's manhood, after pulling out his other dagger. The penalty is for the 'called' shot.
Digory continues to listen to Kallistiel's stories when you walk up to him. He is a bit surprised, but recovers quickly and stands up. He takes you offered hand and shakes it firmly, but not trying to match your strength. He looks up to you and says, "It is a pleasure to meet you, honorable minotaur. It was the least that I could do, given the accommodations here on this most...quaint little boat. Please do enjoy." He nods to you and then sits back down, so as to not insult the fair lady.
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