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Larken casually dodges the ichor that Hudak's victims spew as they die, and gracefully attacks the lone beast attacking Elisile.
Whispering the 1000 Psalms to Sarenrae as he attacks, Larken moves to help Alwyn.
"We've got incoming!" Larken yells, gesturing "There...there...and several over there! They'll be here soon!"
If there's still a ghoul after Hudak's cleave:
Spoiler:
Larken rides to Hudak's aid, his rapier easing from its scabbard with a lethal hiss. He thrusts down at the creature, his blade sliding easily through the noisome flesh of the undead beast and into its still, dead heart. [ooc] Hit roll: 16 +6 +2(flanking) +1(mounted) +1(bardic) = 26 Damage: 4 +2 +1(mounted) +1(bardic) = 8 If there's no ghoul left:
Spoiler: Larken rides to Hudak's aid, only to find all of the ghouls down, lying in their own noisome fluids. "By the Gods, Hudak!" he says, a glitter in his eyes for the first time in days, "You sent this one's liver all the way over there. Perhaps you could have handled this Skinsaw Man by yourself."
Larken, seeing everyone else move into combat mode, does likewise.
At the barracks
Larken has no clue.
Larken reads the note, trying to make some sense of it. When he's finished, he hands it off to whoever reaches for it.
Larken watches the group investigate the scene. His skills don't really run toward this kind of thing, but he'll have a look around for clues. He can't help but note the odd looks he's getting from guards, and Hemlock, and even the group.
Larken listens to the party's chatter without much interest as they walk back to the inn together. "A note for me," he thinks sourly, "Great!" Still, nothing to be done about Sandpoint until he puts Maginmar behind him.
As the party leaves the courtroom, Larken steps up to Alwyn, chest to chest, his eyes red with unshed tears of rage.
Larken allows himself to be herded to the witness stand with the rest of the group, but he stands, rigid and pale, as the rest of the procedings unfold. He studiously keeps his hands from his weapons, he carefully avoids making eye contact with anyone. He waits for it to be over... in the only way it can be, now.
Larken has been pale and quiet the entire time. He can't think of anything to add that hasn't already been said or done.
Larken tries to hide his discomfort, but he's pretty much transparent as far as his feelings go, and so it's really obvious that, the deeper he goes into the Hells, the more freaked out he becomes. He looks sick and shaken by the time the party reaches the interview room, and immediately puts his back to a wall, trying to affect a bored slouch.
Larken has an almost physical reaction at the mention of going into the Hells, but then he firms his resolve and says, simply, "I'll go."
Larken buys some new clothes and a masterwork cold-iron rapier.
Larken spends several hours looking for a good barrister. Onces he's finished with that, he goes to find a temple of Saranrae. He spends some time there, just soaking up some peace. If they have them, and it's possible, he getss more detailed book on the religion there. He leaves 50 GP in the poor box as he leaves.
Larken turns red as Dravite goes off, not with embarrassment, but with anger, turning back before he gets to the woman in the courtyard, he near shouts, "When I wanted to do something about this... when I spoke about the near impossibility of getting any of those people a fair shake, you were right there with the rest of them, declaring that they deserved nothing from us. Now that we can probably do nothing for them, you suddenly want to try to help them. And then you say "Farg off" to me when it irritates me? You farg off! The only reason I'm here is because I want to try and keep them off the gallows. I'll help them, not because you asked me to, but because it's right. Just don't expect me to respect the fact that you're on the bandwagon with me now."
Larken listens to Dravite, looking more cross the longer the dwarf continues. When Dravite winds down, Larken says, "L'oj will probably be better at that. He's good with people. I'll likely spend most of our 5 days just learning my way around this city. Still, I'll see what I can do. Where are we meeting? This will take a while."
Larken has been silent and thoughtful the entire way from Sandpoint to Magnimar. He makes polite, if brief conversation if someone else starts it, but otherwise... well, it's obvious he has a lot on his mind. He spends his evenings alternating between reading his small supply of religious texts and watching the prisoners, as if he's trying to see into them. He doesn't talk to them. Even the wonders of Magnimar don't seem to catch his attention overmuch. He watches the crowds, noting one of Dravite's "pickpockets" working, although no one else in the group seems to see the deft cutpurse in action. As the group approaches the Pediment building, and the entrance to the Hells, his face takes on a pinched expression. At Alwyn's words, he actually frowns, and says, to no one in particular, "That's not true. We didn't see any of them during the attack, and we never saw two of them in Sandpoint at all."
Larken buys a light warhorse and military saddle. He'll ride to Maginmar.
Assuming he notices that Elisile is living off the land, Larken will corner her and say, "Look, I didn't mean for the loot thing to make anyone sleep in the rough. I've got some coin put back. I can front you the price of a room and meals for a while." He looks embarrassed and uncomfortable.
Larken will take the medallion, unless someone else wants it. That'll keep it in the group, and ease Elisile's loot burden.
A haunted look comes into Larken's eyes at Illes' words, and he replies, "I had planned to have nothing to do with the trial. I'd actually told the sheriff as much. But my sleep has been troubled since I made the decision. Tsuto did some horrible things, and even if the demon made him do them, they are still done and I don't think any word or ours will change that, especially when members of our own group will likely be speaking on the other side. The big man and the woman from Nualia's last stand however... I feel I'll have to speak for them. It's possible they did horrible things to Davos' friend, but it's also possible that they just made a poor employment choice. All we saw them do is fight us when we attacked them. They were serving Nualia, true, but as bodyguards. At least that's how it seemed to me. Hells, the woman didn't even do that much. She cowered and surrendered." He shrugs, "So I'll speak on their behalf, for all the good it will do them. Although, if you're going to speak for them too, that will help a great deal. You seem very... persuasive."After that sobering conversation, he slides his rapier part-way out of it's scabbard and says, "So... if you've recovered from last night's drunken binge, want another rapier lesson? Maybe later we could switch off and you could give me another flute lesson. I can't get the third passage of 'Dashara's Lament' right. I keep squeaking the C sharp."
“Indeed,” interjects Sherriff Hemlock. “With the goblins quelled, our forces can probably handle security around here for a while. But we need someone to escort the prisoners to Magnimar for trial. We were hoping that you would be able to do this for us, and bear the sworn statements of the council and other citizens. Plus, in any case, it is likely you will be needed to give evidence, since you are the primary witnesses, and it will also allow you to spend some of the treasure you recovered from the goblins and Nualia’s cohorts.” Larken shifts uncomfortably, and says, "I think we're going to Magnimar anyway, so I'm willing to ride escort with the prisoners. I assume you'll be sending some guards as well. As for the rest, I have no interest in participating in a trial. This whole business has left a stain... that I'm finding difficult to clean off."
Meh... I deleted my last post. I don't care how we divide the loot. Let me know what my cut is.
Dude... your piece of the gold doesn't cover half your sword. 800-900 gold doesn't allow one to buy on the magic item aisle. The actual 8-way split is 3206 each. If we're going need vs. greed, then we shouldn't hold back for the party fund. All of us suffered from not having magic weapons - thus we all need them. (edited to avoid too many run-on posts.)
Spoiler:
MW Heavy Steel Shield 170gp
Cloak of resistance +1 1000gp Wand of magic missile (Vethran) 38chg 76%chg 570gp Assorted scrolls (Vethran and Elisile) 500gp Bastard sword +1 (Hudak) 2335gp MWK comp longbow (Hudak?) 400gp Greatsword +1 (Alwyn) 2350gp Bracers of armour +2 (Vethran or Elisile?) 4000gp Wand of Lightning bolt (Vethran) I think it only has 1 charge left 270gp total value of keep pile, not including items that will benefit everyone: 11595 GP (that's 42% of the total haul - hardly seems like a fair split.) 3 everburning torches (party loot)
It's certainly not me, that's for sure.
Speaking as someone for whom none of the loot is terribly useful, I gotta say "Well, yeah..." This has not been a good adventure for loot for the rogue. I'm going to have to convert my share into purchased gear in Magnimar (Maganmar, Mangamar, Mooglemere... whatever it's called.) It doesn't seem quite fair to get free stuff out of the loot, and then get an equal share of everything else. There's quite a bit of cash value in the "keep" pile. It kind've screws the rest of us.
Larken seems preoccupied for the entire fortnight. He spends a lot of time reading, and pays little attention to either the accolades of the locals, or the foibles of his companions. When he's not reading, he spends time talking to Father Zanthus, and any other priests in town. By the end of the second week, he's sworn himself to the Church of Saranrae.
Larken shrugs his shoulders to loosen the itchy, I'm-about-to-die, feeling between his shoulder blades and slips into place to take a thrust at the gooey elfazoid.
Larken looks up from his rapier, now shimmering with magic, and lets the empty potion flask drop to the ground.
Larken spends a round applying the oil of Magic Weapon to his rapier.
As Vethran slumps to the floor, Larken pulls his protection from evil potion from his pouch and gulps it down.
Larken moves to flank Vethran (with Elisile), and conks him on the head with the hilt of his rapier.
Larken has been slouching in the back, brooding and letting the rest of the party deal with the situation, but he gives a start as the woman speaks, and says "She's trying to convince Vethran to kill us. I don't think she's a damsel in distress."
Since there doesn't seem to be any pressing time concerns, Larken gives the door and the column his most thorough examination before even checking to see if the door is locked.
Just as an aside... I don't think I ever said Larken mentioned the coin slot to anyone. By the time I got on to post, everyone had noticed that I'd noticed.
"I tried," says Larken,after seeing the horribly injured woman, "I really tried. But... I can't bite my tongue. I won't. We have this woman, who is obviously in need of greater care than we can offer. Some of you saw this, and didn't immediately recommend that we start back, enemy hunting be damned!?! Now we have her and two prisoners, one of whom is also injured, and we're still even talking about going back in. I... The right thing to do is head back, now. We've wiped out the goblins, except for the non-combatants who likely haven't had time to go get fighters to come back. We've killed Nualia and stopped her evil plans, defeated all her minions. In short, we've done what we came to do."
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