"Horgus Gwerm"'s page

Horgus furrows his brow at Ausk and Deia as they stand there, mouths agape in awe.

"What? I'm not heartless! I wouldn't expect an orc to understand, especially since he wasn't here when Anevia tore into me underground, but I would expect Deia to not act so surprised. She heard all about my charity work. I'm just... Angry at my guards and servants for trying to rob me blind. They knew of the safe rooms, but they chose to flee and take half of my belongings with them. It's infuriating, because I tried to treat them well and this is how they repaid me. I'm just glad none of them were able to access my vault or else I'd truly be poor."

"Anyway, my safe rooms are magically protected, and unless this house comes under siege by a small army they should hold out. At least that's what I was told when I had them added to the home, and that wizard was quite well known for honesty and quality in his work. And for what it cost me they had damned well better live up to his reputation! Now, if these people are going to stay with me, I need to set some ground rules. First, obey my rules! Second, don't steal from me! Third..."

As the party gets ready to leave, Horgus appears from down the hallway, moving as silently as a shade in his own home. He's cleaned himself up, changed into fresh and fanciful clothes, and seems to have a cheerier disposition than he had when he disappeared just a little while ago.

"If you're leaving, you can leave the people you rescued here. My safe rooms are still fine and, so long as they promise not to steal anything, I'll let them use one or two. It will keep them from getting in your way."

As Horgus enters his home he sees the state of disarray. Immediately his joy of having found his home intact is replaced with anger.

"I can't believe it! I've been robbed! Where are my guards? I pay them good money to keep my home secure and they run at first opportunity. Worthless! The painting that used to be here," he says as he points at a bare spot on the wall that's marked only by a series of small pockmarks in a line, "do you have any idea how much I paid for it?" It was an original! One of a kind! And now it's gone!"

He starts walking down the hallways, checking each room as he goes and getting angrier and angrier as he finds more of his valuables missing. Eventually, he wanders away from everyone entirely and his voice trails off into silence as he enters the deeper recesses of the mansion.

A look of relief fills Horgus's face as he sees his home.

"It's in one piece! Oh thank the gods! I was worried I would be homeless! Well, I suppose I should be seeing you off then. I've got my own guards on the estate. I'm sure I'll be quite alright."

And with that, Horgus begins to cross his lawn and head for the front of the house.

As Kel skewers the quasit, Horgus makes his way over to the group and out of his hiding spot in the bushes. As he walks, he seems to be in slightly better spirits than usual.

"I really thought I had it with that one shot! Damned thing cheated! But you can't say I didn't try to help this time. I actually hit the thing, unlike a certain someone else who's supposed to be good with a bow." he says as he glances in Anevia's direction.

Horgus tries to scrape the mud from his clothing using a piece of scrap wood that he picked up from the debris.

"Yes, well, that manor ahead has been destroyed. I can only assume that they left the park alone because it's not valuable. They were probably too busy causing real property damage to worry about a handful of trees and shrubs."

"I can't believe you're making me trudge through this filth..." says Horgus as he lowers himself into the trench.

"Ugh... The mud is filling into my shoes! Do you have any idea how much these cost?"

"Or we could walk around it and not get covered in whatever filth and muck is down there."

"No, we're going to my home next!" Horgus says forcefully. "I've been wearing these clothes for three days now, and I really must check on my vaults. Besides, we're practically there already. It's just across that massive trench outside."

"That's fine with me. Just make sure you don't leave me here. I still need to get home, you know."

Meanwhile, in the basement, Horgus finally speaks up amidst the conversation.

"I'm not going anywhere until tomorrow. Even if I do have to sit in this dirty cellar all night. It's got to be getting close to sundown, and just because we didn't see any demons on the way here doesn't mean they aren't still around. I'm tired, my feet hurt, I can't see in the dark, and there's nothing that advertises 'kill me' better than a moving light in an empty city. So I'm staying here."

"Screw your damned Riftwardens! What about my home? If they're tearing down these hovels, I can only guess about what they've done to my manor!"

Horgus clumsily reloads his crossbow and sets it back on top of the barricade, this time making sure to not touch the trigger.

Horgus jumps as the demons slam into the door and start scratching. His nervous grip on the crossbow and the sudden jerking cause the weapon to discharge in the direction of the door. The bolt hits the wall above the door and shatters, sending fragments of wood flying around the room.

Indignantly he says, "I told you I didn't want this thing! Now how do I reload it?"

Horgus grumbles, "That's an oversimplification..."

Horgus quietly mulls things over for a few moments.

"I think I can give it a try. Just don't expect much. Aside from knowing which way to point it, I know nothing about crossbows."

"I've never used a crossbow. Just because it's the weapon favored by Abadar doesn't mean it's a weapon that I've used. I haven't even really practiced with the rapier in years, and my only experience was in controlled single combat. Do you really expect me to rush headlong into the blades of an enemy? My legacy will remain the funds that I've given to the cause. The world may not know it was me, but the gods and I do. And that's all that really matters. If I were to die today or a year from now, my story will be the same. I'm an overweight merchant known for honest dealings, who secretly gives much of his earnings to charitable causes. Nothing I do will change that, and I know it. If you're not willing to accept my offer of payment and continued support of the crusades in exchange for my getting back to the surface, I don't really believe there's anything else I can offer."

Horgus lets out a snort of derision as he shakes his head.

"What was that? Speak up. Use that big mouth of yours so everyone can hear you."

"Well, elf? No response? Has the great Aravashnial finally been rendered speechless?"

"I want you to learn to shut your mouth for once! Not every crackpot theory that your hear is true. You nearly got me killed due to your incessant belief in every scrap of gossip that you hear on the street! You're a fool! You deserved to lose your eyes! In fact, you should have lost your head!"

Horgus shies away from the fiery woman and she tears into him.

"I... I... You were... My guards said..."

Regaining his composure, he stares hard at Aravashnial, jabbing a finger in the elf's direction as he yells.

"YOU! This is all your fault! You made those accusations! You dragged me through the mud! You're the reason! Explain to me why I shouldn't just kill you right here and now!"

"If you weren't in there to steal from me, then why were you in there at all? You were seen leaving my warehouse in the middle of the night!"

"I have gold. More gold than you've probably ever dreamed of having. I've financed entire regiments with my wealth, though it's done so privately and anonymously. If you get me out of this alive, I'll both continue that tradition and pay you yourself handsomely. Ask the thief! She's robbed me before! She's seen my riches. And I have a well-earned reputation in Kenabres for keeping my word."

"I don't do bows of any sort. It's as simple as that. The rapier is my weapon of choice, and anything else is beneath my stature."

"I've said before that I refuse to use a crossbow. It's not a weapon for a man of my stature. If someone or something attacks me, I'll retaliate with that rapier you gave me. But only then. So long as they aren't actively coming for me, I'll let you do the fighting. You folks have done a fine job with that dirty work so far, and I'd hate to ruin my clothes worse than they already have been."

As Horgus hears mention of the Nyserian name, his face pales and his eyes grow wide.

"Nyserian?! A traitor?! I don't believe it! It has to be a lie! I... I did all my research!"

No longer hearing the sounds of battle, Horgus makes his way back inside the door, and into the light, careful to not slip on the smeared blood that trails from the main door to the southern one.

"I assume from the fact that you're all just lazily standing around that it's safe for me to come in now?"

As he nears the bedrolls, he crinkles his nose in mild disgust.
"It smells like an orc's armpit in here. Do these people never bathe?"

"Yea, yea, I heard you the first time, elf. It still doesn't mean I have to forgive you."

"Are you really going to let him taunt you like that? You've already beaten two of his comrades and his monstrous pet, go teach him a lesson as well!"

"Yes, yes, preach more why don't you? They put on a good show, I'll give them that. But I still say they're tainted, and until they back up their words with actions I'm not going to trust them as far as I could throw them."

Horgus moves to stand against the wall closest to the door. When offered a drink he merely turns his head away from the platter and crinkles his nose until Sull moves on.

"I typically require more information about my business partners but, given my current situation, I suppose I can make a small exception this time around. However, if things go wrong I'm holding you responsible."

With that last point, Horgus jabs his finger in Kel's direction for emphasis.

"I haven't forgotten, but that doesn't mean he's suddenly cleansed of his taint. We're embroiled in a centuries-long war against the Abyss, and he and they are both products of our enemy. They're practically, or literally in some cases, family. You'll have to forgive me if I don't trust the relatives of my enemies for fear that they are my enemies as well."

"When we found those dead cultists, the goat-snake-thing said that they had seen more of them before and that they were allied with them. I really don't know why you're still trusting them after that."

"He asked me why I didn't like these people, and I answered. If he didn't want the truth, he shouldn't have asked the question."

"Just look at them! They're abominations! Hideous, filthy creatures. I'm really not sure what's worse, their kind or yours. On the one hand, your kind is the result of having relations with the very beasts we've been fighting, but at least you're not hiding. On the other, you've got them. They may have been decent folk at some point, but they're tainted by the Abyss just as you are. And then they hide from us! We can't even keep an eye on them! Who knows what they've been doing and plotting down here. They've even admitted to aligning themselves with the cult of Baphomet!"

Horgus lets out an almost gagging cough as he takes in the island.

"Ugh. I thought it was bad enough dealing with three of these people, and now we're on an island full of them. It's disgusting. I've never felt so... dirty..."

"Do whatever you want with it, but I won't be associated with such vile symbols."

"If he's carrying around that blasphemy, I'd say not. Those things should be destroyed on sight, not held in a death-grip! A true crusader of Iomedae would be strung up on sight if caught with one of those in his possession."

Knowledge{religion): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

"You're correct that the longsword is the symbol of Iomedae. Her crusaders seem to love the thing as well, though I don't know why since it's such a clumsy weapon compared to the rapier. But there's no real accounting for taste, I suppose."

Horgus takes a look at the bull's head and turns white.

"Get rid of that thing! NOW!"

Horgus rolls his eyes, lowers his gaze, and starts to rub his forehead as he lets out a sigh.

"You did not just invite him to start telling you all of his theories... You'll never get him to shut up now, and before too long he'll have claimed you were behind today's attack."

Horgus mumbles something under his breath at the mention of Crel turning normal, but it's unintelligible.

As soon as Horgus is able to make out the features of the two people, he recoils in shock.

"Oh gods! What kinds of monstrosities are you?!"

"Excuses, excuses, woman. I thought you were supposed to be a trained soldier. Anyways, I'm not fighting until I need to."

Horgus grudgingly takes the weapon from Max and slings it on his side.

Horgus looks at Max with contempt as he offers the crossbow.

"You don't honestly expect me to use that thing, do you? I'd much rather let you all do the fighting. You seem to be handling yourselves well enough, though I do think you could use some more practice."

Pointing at Anevia he adds, "Especially you. I've never seen someone miss so many shots with a bow before."

Horgus recoils a bit as the rats round the bend.

"Ugh. Rats are such filthy creatures. You'd better keep them away from me, or so help me I'll..."

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

"I'm starting to get sick of everything down here. I mean, really. When are we going to get to the surface? We've been down here for hours now. I thought you people said these tunnels would take us upward!"

"Oh, and by the way, I think I heard someone scream something about their pets. You might want to tend to that, because I think he was talking about those whatevers you all just killed. He sounded upset."

"You know, if you kill them we'll be able to see again. I'm pretty sure these are the same as what we fought before. Why don't you do what you did last time again?"