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"Whatever we do with her, let's get it done and be off. With that particular display, we have almost certainly attracted the sort of attention we were warned to avoid. Let us make haste." ... Moving on: Lauranna glared at the woman and hefted her baridiche. "What we have is not yours to take. Perhaps you overestimate your chances in removing it from us by force. Should you wish to keep your lizard in one piece, I suggest you call it back to you. Then, step aside and allow us to continue unmolested. I am sure that reasonable reflection will show you that this is an appropriate course of action."
I will be out of town tomorrow and tuesday, again monday and tuesday the following week, and then for another week starting the following thursday. I just don't think I can keep up with this level of posting with so much travel. I'll finish up this module and then have Lauranna fade off into the sunset. You guys take care and I'll catch you around.
Lauranna turned to the barkeep, motioning for Amnur to guard the woman's unconscious form. "Keep your drink and my share of the money and tell me where she kept the curative elixir she has been blackmailing Senzer with. I doubt anything goes on in this town that the bartender of the Sanguine Pit doesn't know. So please, help me to help this little boy." There was no threat in Lauranna's voice, but she did glance over at Lura and the darkening weal on her forehead where the baridiche had been slammed.
Lauranna continues to scan the room, looking for signs of the missing Lura. She has to be here somewhere. She sighs in disgust at the spider's appearance, knowing it was a distraction they could ill afford. If the others kill the spider:
Lauranna holds her actions, waiting for any sign of Lura, and scans the crowd If not: Attack damage
okay, trip took a lot more out of me than I had planned. I didn't even connect to the internet while I was gone except for map directions. Lost my voice on Day 2 and had to give 2 hours of meetings and 3 hours of training sounding like a cross between a bullfrog and a laryngetic pixie. Feeling much better now, but where the heck are we? :-)
"The money will come from my own purse, and you can pay me your share later. It's not an outrageous price, not here, and fairly given. But, I do have a favor to ask." Lauranna pulled her purse out and counted the coins. Her voice went quiet. "What do you know of the proprietor of this place? Is she well-liked? Does she have rivals in town? Would anyone come to her aid if Amnur here tried his dwarven sweet talk on her?"
"Hold. This predicament has a straightforward solution, of a certain color. It appears that what you have is a source of food, either directly being eaten by your crew, or indirectly through sale and purchase. How about we pay you for this man's bet, and then I can take it out of his hide when he has finished the business we have with him? That way your crew gets fed, and we get a cart that Master Scevola doesn't have to pull himself. Does that sound a fair bargain to you?"
Wandering Way: Lauranna's murky eyes took in the smoky atmosphere as she waded into the sea of humanity. Her ears, much sharper than her eyes, heard the commotion, and her blood froze at the sound of the man's name. Swiftly, she stepped forward, holding her baridiche in a very non-threatening manner. "Excuse me, but did I just hear you call this man Scevola? As in Raimondo Scevola? Thank the stars and the Sword Lady. I have been looking for him everywhere. They told me he would likely be srunk, but no one said he'd be drunk stupid. How in the nine hells is he supposed to act as my driver when he's like this, I'd like to know. Perhaps we can work something out?"
Lauranna grimaced at the thought of what she had to do, but it was necessary. Looking each of the trussed up thugs in the eye, she said quietly, "Like as not, after tonight Lura will no longer be of concern to you. However, as you need some plausible deniability and we can't have you getting loose and trying to curry favor with Lura..." With three mighty blows, she slams the haft of her heavy baridiche into the head of each man, aiming to knock them unconscious, rather than kill them.
Finishing that, she straightened and moved to Senzer's side. Pulling small scroll from her belt, she handed it to him. In a quiet voice, she said "This is for you. It will not matter unless we can succeed in pulling you and your son out from the influence of this druglord, but I urge you to consider it carefully."
Lauranna listened to Shilyn, and winced as one of her haunts took exceptional glee in knocking something fragile off a nearby shelf. "You just had to tempt them, didn't you Shilyn?" "As for you, I'd start talking, or this could get very uncomfortable. Right now, none of us has done anything we can't walk away from, but I don't suggest taking it any further. Please, help us to help you, and answer the questions."
Lauranna entered the shop, eyes wide as she tried to see around the darkened interior. She took in the suspicious glances of the patrons, and marked the positions of each one. A bottle on a nearby shelf began to tremble, and she hurriedly reached out a hand to steady it, damning her haunts again for their mischief. As the proprietor - for that is who the half-elf had to be - stepped out and greeted them, she noted his sallow looking face and the perspiration. As he mouthed his plea, she looked once more around the room to the other customers, trying to determine where the man's source of angst came from.
As per usual, Lauranna moved behind the surprisingly diplomatic dwarf, making apologies and "clarifying" the dwarf's more...dwarvish...turns of phrase. Insisting that the dwarf was looking for a potion maker that was some old friend of the family or some such - she really hadn't gotten the whole story from the dwarf, and would you be so kind?
"Get ready for a fight. Our erstwhile employer said the lotion deters bugs, but I doubt it'll do much for angry ones. If we can destroy the first wave of attackers, perhaps the bug lotion will buy the mill the time they need." Lauranna moved over to the entrance of the tunnel, her bardiche held in position to sweep down on anything with more than two legs.
Lauranna nodded her assent, followed by "Of course we will trade our services for yours. Guardsmen are fine, but it takes skill with steel and magic to deter a persistent foe. Does your housekeeper have a supply of this lotion on hand?"
Spoiler:
Lauranna made her way down to the basement with the others, bardiche in hand.
"I have no need for a guise. The Sword Lady's champion I am, and so I shall be. Moving from here to there about the Sword Lady's business is not unusual for her champions. I suggest that it would be best to stop in at a number of merchants before we try to visit this Senzer, and a few more after. Anyone watching would likely see a Sword Lady's champion and a ragtag group of followers shopping for an expedition. If anyone asks too many questions, we are about the Mwangi expanse on Her business, which is not unlike the truth. Then, we have a reason to visit the House Cartahegn and hire on as temporary caravan guards. It wouldn't hold up to a lot of scrutiny, but not much will with such an eclectic bunch." Wryly, she smiled, a haunted look in her clouded eyes. "As long as no one goes around punching old women in the face, we should have a decent chance of success."
Lauranna had remained uncharacteristically silent during the trip and initial instructions. She seemed more distracted by the wisps of blonde hair that seemed to be moving of their own volition, and trying to keep them from being tied in knots. She looked uncomfortably hot in her armor, but her grip on the monster of a weapon she carried flagged not at all. Finally, she spoke. "This Senzer. What does he look like? And is his relationship with the Pathfinders openly known? I would hate to spend hours looking 'quietly' for a man that any street merchant would know. Also, does House Cartahegn have things ready for us now? Or will we needto wait around Bloodcove for them to collect the materials?"
"Hmm...6 gold apiece seems a little steep. Not unreasonable, of course, especially for a boat captain who knows the seas well, and a pilot who can guarantee avoiding the reefs around the area. Would you be willing to go for 4? That, plus a tip puts it around 25 gold. A decent sum for such a short trip, and while there are several of us, we mostly," Lauaranna glanced at Amnur with a small grin,"behave ourselves in company. in fact, you can almost guarantee that we would be the best passengers you ever had aboard your vessel. Especially if trouble arises."
Lauranna, having taken to following Amnur and trying to ameliorate his ...personality issues... spoke up quietly, but firmly. "I believe my stout companion is trying to flatter you, in his own, very special way. Please, take note of his intent, and not his words. I am Lauranna Stormblessed, Champion of Iomedae. My companions and I are indeed looking for passage to Escadar. You come highly recommended. Are you and your crew available for such a trip?"
Lauranna bundled up in her cold weather gear and the furs from the centaurs, grateful that she was both warned about the weather and profited from the centaurs' generosity. Still, when her turn came for watch, she braved the cold with Shilyn and did her duty, sore as it may have been. Brrr:
1am: DC15 , furs and cwg inside the wagon 2am: DC16 , furs and cwg outside the wagon 3am: DC17 , furs and cwg outside the wagon 4am: DC18 , furs and cwg inside the wagon 5am: DC19 , furs and cwg inside the wagon Edit: I am so screwed 2am non-lethal
Shivering from the cold, Lauranna barely made it back into the wagon before succumbing to the numbness. The darkness of oblivion was a blessed relief from the biting cold.
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