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"This is it? THIS IS IT?" shouts Joadric when he finishes looking at Inoklar's plan. "Take over the city, kill the other guys. This was just a gang hit, writ large?" Joadric grabs the javelin and shakes it, shouting to nobody in particular. "I got burned HOW many times, nearly killed, for a gang hit!!" While he shouts, holding the javelin, the runes begin to glow.
[BIGGER]THE END?[BIGGER] Joadric retraces their path through the sewer, investigating each intersection and room along the way, to ensure Versevosh isn't hiding. Unfortunately, with each intersection, Joadric and Peppin become less sure of finding Versevosh. "He coulda gone this way," says Joadric to Peppin while looking at the open doorway, leading into a long narrow hallway shrouded in sewer stink and darkness. () When Joadric and Peppin reach the sewer junction and flush room they find bloody caltrops littering the floor and stone walkway. "Somebody, recently, came through here. Look at the blood," says Joadric, pointing to the caltrops. "'Course, it coulda been the two sharpers Horlith put to sleep earlier. They woulda woken up by now." "Let's keep going." The acrid smell of smoke still suffuses the hallway near where the fight with the goblin alchemist took place. "Peppin, I think we've lost him," says Joadric. "There's just too many ways he coulda gone and I'm no tracker."
"Bring his body and we'll ask if he had left any final wishes with the lodge. If we can gentle repose him for a few months I may be able to raise him myself. . . but we shouldn't let Versevosh get away. We need to put an end to this unholy alliance!" "I agree, let us chase Versevosh and put an end to him, too." says Joadric. He shudders when looking at the remains of Horlith. He pulls out a cloak from his pack and throws it over Horlith's body. "We'll have to run if we're going to catch that little goblin. Let's come back for Horlith. We won't be long. Either we find the goblin chanter quickly, or he'll be long gone." Joadric picks up his rapier from the floor where he dropped it and hustles out the corridor after Versevosh. "He must have gone this way. I didn't see him go by us the other way."
"Lemme go first. I'll sneak up and see what's coming, if I can," says Joadric. He slinks down the corridor, but finds himself stymied by the lack of light in the dank sewer tunnels. He waves Peppin forward and whispers, "We aren't gonna get the drop on these guys with this torch unless we can send the doctor and the slug in without us. They can, perhaps, drop some hurt on these goblins, then we can rush in with the torch and pound 'em. Whaddya think?"
Joadric slowly recovers until the magical succor of Sir Peppin, Dr. Remulac and his own potions.
"Many thanks, friends. That was terrible for a moment there."
Sense Motive DC20: You can see in Joadric's eyes a haunted, changed look. Something deep inside has been damaged by being nearly burned to death in alchemical fire. Who knows what will happen the next time he faces goblin fire? Will he flee? Will he fly into a monumental, unstoppable murderous rage?
The fungi ridden monstrosity rises up before Joadric, slamming him in the chest, briefly extinguishing the burning alchemical substance spread across him. The fire immediately reignites when the slime creature pulls back, flickers of flame reaching up to Joadric's face. The heat is unbearable, burning hotter than any campfire the Kellid has felt. The flames lick into his hair, setting it alight. Indescribable pain sears, literally, through and across his scalp. "Another few seconds and my skin will start to melt," thinks Joadric, eerily calm as he watches through the flames engulfing his vision and sees the slime-thing leap forward again. "Who is that screaming?" wonders Joadric inside his head.
As a swift action, Horlith pops a wand of infernal healing into his other claw, pricking his hand as he does so. He slithers forward adjacent to Joadric (H15?). "Outta my way, slug! I gotta get off this ledge!" cries Joadric as he begins creeping along the edge of the pit back towards where Horlith is standing.
"OK, Peppin, my friend. You stay here, while we scout ahead. Let's go, Ekkie. Nice and quiet now," says Joadric, pushing Ekkie forward into the gloomly sewer tunnel. "You go tell them you finished your mission." Joadric draws his rapier slowly and quietly, following quietly behind Ekkie. He motions Remulac back and winces when he hears Horlith's clunking gear.
Up ahead, he and Ekkie spy a new tunnel, very close, that branches to the left.
Ekkie points ahead, bouncing up and down excitedly. In a quiet whispers, she says, "A tunnel to the right. That's where they playing rat-a-tat!"
Joadric looks at Horlith and motions for him to cast the spell upon him. "Right. Gimmee one a them, then, slug. Joadric learned the hard way before. Anything to keep the knife's edge away from m'skin." He grimaces though, when Horlith uses the wand. His skin shivers at the touch of the magic. He smiles ruefully and mutters to himself, "Aye, the tribe dies hard in me."
"Come now, you little green cretin," says Joadric in the sweetest voice you've ever heard. "The Blue-Haired doctor is certainly ko-rect. We not mad, now that our stuff we got back. But... we'd love to hear more why a goblin would be messing with the Pathfinders."
His sweet voice is completely at odds with the man's gruff and rough presentation. His finger taps a small bird bone fetish hanging from his armor, <tink> <tink> <tink> creating a gentle, soothing rhythm.
"I like yer thinkin', by the Bear Spirit's craphole, I do! Let's take her back behind the wall and beat the truth out of her," agrees the Kellid. "But first... and he grabs a small necklace of golden orbs from the goblin's grasp, just as she was beginning to subtly fiddle with it. "No more fiery fun for you, little one. This is mine." He turns to Peppin and grunts and stretches out his hand, offering the necklace of orbs. "Or it was mine. If a man can't keep his things, then he deserves to lose them. Finders keepers." "The Great Bear called me Joadric when I came into the world. And I still go by that. Heimurl was my sire, so in your southern languages I be Joadric Heimurl. What's yer name?"
Just as Westria and Pouncer shrug and move off to the nearest bar, a huge roar is heard from the next door cottage from Bakrakhan House. The front door smashes open and a huge Kellid man, dressed in a mixture of traditional hides and more modern Avistani garb, bursts forth from the cottage, running straight towards the Outer Manor Wall. "YOU LITTLE GREEN ROACH! I'M GONNA STAB YER THIEVIN' EYES OUT! COME BACK HERE!" Clearly, he seems to have a beef with the little goblin currently fleeing the scene. |
