"Whatever it is, it shouldn't be anything too outlandish. Normal stuff that's not too valuable won't be as likely to invite a search as fancy stuff," Nethen suggests.
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"Everyone has to choose a side at a time like this," Nethen says gruffly as he sits. "No trouble," he adds with a smile at Trinia, "it was like being a kid again."
"He seemed like a good man when we talked. I don't think recent events will have swayed him away from trying to help the city, even if pointy swords and fancy footwork aren't the right way to go about it any more," Nethen says, keen to see Vencarlo again. "Based on what he said last time we met, I can't imagine that he's ready to openly say much about what he wants from us. He's probably in a difficult spot with his position in the city being what it is."
"Power struggles. New leadership exerting their influence. Changes of personnel to those loyal to the new boss. This is a gang takeover, disguised behind fancy clothes and cloaked words," Nethen mutters, knowing all to well what can happen to those who stay loyal to unseated leaders. "I can think of worse places to stay," Nethen adds, agreeing with Ariadne about staying at the fortune teller's place. "It didn't seem the most homely of places, but Zellara was friendly and helpful when we needed her. It'll do, at least for now."
Standing among the crowds waiting for the execution Nethen feels nothing but loathing for the queen and her sycophants. The execution, and the trial no doubt, is a sham - a show designed to prevent the masses from realising that this is a shameless grab for power by Ileosa. He's seen the same thing play out time and again in the gangs of The Shingles, albeit with less silk and jewelry than this one. Just as the queen finishes her speech, with his teeth gritted and knuckles white as he holds himself in check, Nethen sees the executioner fall and the cloaked figure emerge onto the stage.
The legend of Blackjack - the vigilante standing up for the common people of Korvosa - formed a large part of Nethen's childhood, where he and his friends would race across the rooves wielding sticks as swords and pretending to save each other from tyrants and gangsters. Seeing the legendary figure in the flesh stirs him to action. He pulls the hood of his duster over his head, releases his whip from his belt, and moves towards the stage to defend Trinia and help Blackjack.
Fighter (Calistrian Hunter) 5
"This isn't normal, for us or for anyone," Nethen says, happily accepting Ariadne's magic to clean the blood from his whip before stowing it at his side. "Happy to have you with us Brig, the more hands we have to stop things like this the better.
The horror of the semi-animate torso and the capering necromancer causes Nethen to grind his teeth in anger. "Lady of Vengeance, guide your hand against this profaner of the dead," he mutters under his breath, the short prayer to Calistria barely audible. He grips his whip tightly and moves into the room to confront the evil within, his whip snapping out around the derro's legs.
"These should all be burned," Nethen says as he looks over the books on necromancy. "The knowledge in these books is too horrific." Hearing noise through the wooden door on the other side of the bedroom Nethen signals to the others for quiet as he approaches the door to try and discern who or what might be moving around beyond.
"Agreed," says Nethen as he looks around in horror and disgust. "Anyone responsible for things like this deserves no mercy."
Thanks GM. I think one of the hundreds of members of my wife's family I had to suffer over Christmas gave me some sort of miserable virus. It got me out of work for a few extra days though, so it's not all bad.
With the ogre thing surrounded Nethen decides to try to make it even more vulnerable, again, by sending it crashing to the ground. His whip snaps out through the melee, aiming for the thing's meaty legs.
Sorry team, with Christmas and work and being sick I haven’t had time to post.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Nethen flicks his morningstar towards the floor in an attempt to clean it of the chunks of rotten flesh clinging to the spikes. "I don't know who or what is still down here, but it can't be much worse than that," he mutters as Kayleigh finds the tattooed. "We should keep that with us," he says as he puts away the morningstar and pulls out his whip as the group heads towards the open passageway.
So sorry to hear that. I lost my mother around this time in 2020, and it was tough. Take all the time you need.
As the door opens a stench fouler than any he'd previously encountered washes out over Nethen. He feels his gorge rise and he holds onto the cold stone wall while he waits for the nausea to subside.
Nethen slots his morningstar back into it's leather pouch on his belt and picks up his whip, holding still for Kayleigh to administer some pain relief from her wand.
"Well if Marshall Croft sent you then who are we to argue?" Nethen says to Brig, a smile creeping into the corners of his mouth. "I'm Nethen, glad to have you down here with us." Nethen follows the others into the lab as they advance, his whip held at the ready.
Hissing with pain as the snake's cracked fangs dig into his flesh Nethen nimbly sidesteps the next attack before swinging his morningstar down onto the skeleton's fragile looking form.
As he brings his weapon down Nethen sees movement approaching them - a muscular-looking woman wielding a huge hammer. She too attacks the snake, fortunately so as Nethen had been caught unawares and wouldn't have been able to react if he'd wanted to. "Who are you?" he growls at the newcomer.
Seeing only a few small chips of bone flying off the snake Nethen drops his whip, the length coiling to the ground. He pulls his morningstar off his belt and moves closer to the skeleton, using his momentum to add power to his swing.
Nethen's senses return and he sees the others moving to take on the bone snakes. He looks around briefly, orienting himself, before stepping across the stone floor and snapping his whip out at the nearest skeleton.
Nethen hisses as the acid splashes across his face, narrowly missing his eyes. His gaze falls upon the skeletal snake but Kayleigh's warning comes too late as the creature starts it's dance.
The sinuous movement of the snake is entrancing and Nethen stands and watches, entranced by the movement of the bones.
Nethen moves through the tunnels with the others, occasionally taking a glance behind them to make sure that nothing is following them. "What kind of horrors must have happened here?" he mutters as they move past the drained corpse and into a room full of skulls. He holds his whip loosely, looking nervously around as Ariadne starts looking into open mouths of the skulls.
Hi John, welcome!
Glad there was nothing sinister, though more tests is less good. Hope you're feeling better.
Sounds grim. Hopefully the procedures are less bad than the prep.
Nethen follows Ariadne through the narrow passage, his nose wrinkling at the stench beyond. He moves further into the cavern to allow the others in behind him and cracks his whip out at the grotesque thing in the mud.
Nethen wipes the creature's blood from his whip onto it's stinking clothes, before coiling it loosely in his hand and standing ready behind Ariadne. He places his left hand gently on her shoulder to let her know that she's ready and watches as she reaches out with her magic, eyes focused on the opening door.
Nethen follows Ariadne into the cave and goes for the other creature, his whip flicking out. [ooc]Move Action to move into the cave, Standard Action to attack yellow.[/ooc
No idea what those are, but they look like they're not watching out for anyone," Nethen mutters to the others. "We could probably take them down without much trouble."
"Don't worry about it," Nethen replies kindly to Kayleigh's apology. "I don't think any of us expected something like that down here." "Nor do I," Nethen mutters, equally unhappy with the idea of having to squeeze through small gaps one at a time, particularly after his experience on the waterfront with the crocodile. "I'm happy with west."
Nethen's whip flicks back and forth like an angry snake, cracking out towards the rising skeleton.
Nethen lashes out again with his whip, the crack echoing loudly from the stone walls.
Hopefully there's nothing sinister underlying all this, glad you're feeling a little better.
Nethen flicks his whip out at the big skeleton’s bony legs, hoping it’s too slow witted to avoid being tripped then smashed by Ariadne.
Nethen follows Ariadne and the others into the gloom, his whip held ready at his side.
"I see them!" he calls back to Kayleigh, moving to block the path of the larger skeleton
Nethen nods appreciatively at Kayleigh’s advice, pleased to have an expert on hand. He unclips his whip from his belt and holds it loosely coiled in his hand as he follows Ariadne along the tracks and into the mausoleum. ” Not me I’m afraid,” he replies. ”Can you, Vedika?”
Nethen listens carefully as Thousand Bones and Marshal Croft explain their next task. He's very happy to be taking down a man who's both a necromancer and the son of Gaedren Lamm. "I don't think there's anything stopping us from going to Potter's Ward straight away," he says, looking around at the others to see if they're ready.
Sounds like things are starting to look up. Take it easy GM.
That sounds truly miserable GM, I hope things improve for you soon. NSAIDs are good at what they do but some of the side effects of long term use can be really unpleasant. Hopefully your side effects settle and you can get the pain under control again.
I hope things pick up for you soon GM.
"We're going to get you to a friend of ours who'll make sure you're looked after," Nethen says, trying to be as reassuring as possible. He takes off his duster and drapes it over Trinia, pulling the hood low to hide her face as he escorts her down to the others on the street. "We need to get her to Marshall Croft, quickly and quietly," he says to the rest of the group.
"Yes, really. We think you've been framed, and we want to know who by and why," Nethen says as kindly as he can while keeping Trinia under control and looking slightly perturbed by the approaching stirges. "There's a mob of vigilantes after you, and probably some Hellknights too. Let me and my friends keep you safe while we uncover the real killer," he says. "But first," he adds, "we need to get you out of here." Nethen lets go of Trinia in a show of faith, and hopes she doesn't keep running.
Taking advantage of Trinia’s sudden halt Nethen charges towards her and attempts to tackle her to the ground. ”We’re not trying to hurt you,” he says as he moves towards her, ”we want to catch the person that really did kill the king.”
"S&~~," Nethen mutters as he sees Vedika slip from the rope that Trinia slipped across with no trouble at all. He takes a deep breath then tries to tightrope across the gap.
Somehow keeping his balance Nethen leaps the last couple of feet onto the tiled roof ahead and takes off up the sloped roof in pursuit of Trinia.
Hope you're doing OK GM. Enjoy your day off.
Nethen spots Trinia, with Vedika in close pursuit, on a flat roof not too far ahead. He puts on a burst of speed and vaults down towards the pair.
Nethen realises he's not as nimble as he used to be as he lands hard and has to take a moment to regain his composure. Upright and somehow unhurt he continues after Trinia.
Not liking his chances against the barred door Nethen follows Vedika up onto the roof, hoping that his memory of running The Shingles as a kid will allow him to catch up.
"I bet she's been holed up here waiting for someone to come for her," Nethen muses, agreeing with Ariadne. He motions for quiet and presses his ear to the door, listening for any sign that the home beyond is occupied.
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