I understand completely! Hopefully things get better for you somewhere down the line.
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Urick opts to bring the note, the box of supplies, and as many of the charred corpses as they could reasonably load onto the wagon. Asides from deserving proper burials, they constituted tangible evidence.
We should gather as much evidence for this particular crime as possible and then turn in. Looking back, the trial is supposed to take days, and Mr. Kaple said he could influence the court to tackle whatever our mostly recently investigated crime was. Looking at it like that, I don't think we're in nearly as bad of a time crunch as we initially believed. That said, I think the note points us back to Lepidstadt. Is it in our capacity to acquire a search warrant?
Urick frowns when he sees the familiar logo on the crate of supplies. "That gnome back in Lepidstadt was acting rather suspicious. He outright refused to answer our questions. While I would rather not leap to any conclusions, this note appears to be the reason why. It seems apparent that some illicit dealings have been going on."
With a groan, Urick picks himself off the ground. Technically the paralysis had worn off much earlier, but hot shame kept him rooted to the dirt. He collects his crossbow and leans against the doorway, his legs still tingling slightly. "That could have gone... better," he says in a way that suggests that there was more colorful language he wanted to use. "We will have to exercise more caution going forward."
Urick stares at the dirt, unable to blink or breathe, let alone respond.
Urick abruptly drops his ground and crumples to the ground, on top of Perdita.
Despite being preoccupied with the ghast clawing at him, Urick hears Perdita drop to the ground behind him. With little regard for his own safety, he instinctively spins around and points his crossbow at the culprit. "Away from her, wretch!" he bellows before pulling the trigger, sending another divine bolt lancing through the air. The inquisitor then steps over her limp body protectively... that is, if he has not been paralyzed himself.
"Foul creatures! Your end is at hand!" Urick calls out, the tip of his crossbow bolt suddenly ablaze with divine fury. Seeing that Perdita appears to be in the most danger, he steps back and fires a shot right past her head and into the ghast standing before her. Without a second's pause, he snatches another bolt out of his quiver and loads it.
Urick chuckles at Ila's remarks halfheartedly, while denying her a proper response. Assailed by the hideous stench, Urick's nose wrinkles like a prune. His stomach threatens to turn, but he is no stranger to the stench of death. With a slight adjustment to his breathing, it becomes a nonissue.
"Surprising that it even bothered to give us a warning," Urick remarks dryly. He approved of Ila's outlook on the situation, if not her attempt to use diplomacy. As she said, destroying them was hardly a question. "Do not forget that we are food to them. A ghoul's appetite tends to be... ravenous. Now, shall we proceed?"
Urick already has his crossbow drawn when they first cross the bridge, his eye warily scanning the area in search of the ghasts reportedly haunting the place. As they search the area, he takes great care not to step on anyone's grave... despite them having already been defiled in an even worse way. Nodding to the others, the inquisitor slowly approaches the old, burnt-down house.
Urick frowns with fairly obvious disapproval, but he says nothing more on the matter. What was there to do about it? Build a pyre? Rally a lynch mob? Turning away from Tassa and Perdita, he mounts up and takes his new steed's reins in hand.
"If you can conjure another one of these horses, then you should do so," Urick insists with a level tone, having opted to purchase a steed himself. He did not want to sound like he was demanding it of Ila, but her solution seemed more pragmatic. And, well, safe.
"We'd best cross the bridge on foot," Urick suggests, his eyes scanning the area with a hawkish gaze. "Lest any ghouls fall upon our horses."
"That does not leave us with much of a choice, then," Urick remarks when it becomes clear that extending their deadline is not an option. With a grimace he looks to the others. "I suggest that we investigate Sanctuary posthaste. From there we can determine whether it would be in our best interest to split up."
"No impact on your life?" Urick repeats, glowering at the tiny gnome. He would not usually resort to these kind of tactics right away, but with 'Khar taking the lead and the gnome obviously hiding something, he had little choice but to seize the opportunity. "Obstructing a criminal investigation has very harsh consequences. Tell us what you know."
After his little faux pas, Urick had opted to keep his mouth shut in favor of letting the others carry the discussion. At the mention of ghouls, Urick frowns, familiar with them and their more powerful brethren. He often wondered whether his elven blood would afford him any protection against their paralytic attacks, but fortunately, he had never found himself in a situation in which he was forced to experiment. It seemed that with these ghasts, it would be a moot point. "It would be ideal to avoid getting struck by them to begin with," he says to Ila with a wry smile, before rejoining the discussion with a more serious tone. "Anyone taking the north road out of Lepidstadt would be endangered by their presence. We should go out of our way to wipe them out while we are there."
"Yes, our understanding is that the last thing you saw before losing your sight was the Beast itself," Urick adds, a little less tactfully.
"Tonight?" Urick repeats incredulously, perhaps a little more surprised than he should be. "How long will the trial go on for? As close as all of these places are, it will take time to collect evidence."
"There is a reasonable amount of doubt. Enough to merit investigation," Urick offers as he peers through some of the documents. The legalese irritated him, but it was not difficult to piece together everything they needed to know. Of particular interest to him were the witness testimonies, leads they would have to follow up on. "That is likely to be our first stop then," the inquisitor says with a nod when the barrister mentions Igor. "And then Sanctuary after that. None of these places are very far from one another. If we are fortunate, it should not take very long to scour all three sites."
"It seems a fairly obvious oversight on the culprit's part," Urick comments, despite being aware that if they had not been asked to investigate the matter, the crucial detail would have been overlooked or ignored entirely. He follows Henry over to the window, looking for any other signs of passage. "Of course, it would only prove that the Beast was alone, not that he was innocent of any wrongdoing."
Urick frowns at Dun disapprovingly, finding the suggestion that some immense monetary reward was necessary for proving a creature's innocence more than a tad disingenuous. It's not like they were lawyers. There was already a fair amount of circumstantial evidence casting doubt over the Beast's culpability... and it served their best interests if he truly was innocent, because only then would he tell them what he knew about the Whispering Way. "Yes, the museum seems the best place to start," he agrees, already getting a move on. Truthfully, he could do with a few more hours of sleep, but he felt invigorated by the task before them.
"I am sure that the guards have it handled," Urick replies, still gazing at the imprisoned Beast. "I doubt that anyone would pursue such a suicidal endeavor." "But you are right - we should speak with Kaple as soon as possible. We should also investigate the museum. Given the excitement around his capture, I highly doubt that the area was scrutinized closely," he suggests, looking to Henry for confirmation.
Urick grimaces. "Barristers. Of course. They intend to put you on trial, don't they?" On one hand, Urick approved of the idea. Any sentient creature capable of understanding the weight of its own actions had a right to be judged fairly. On the other, the fairly part did not necessarily have to apply.
Having never seen a flesh golem in person, Urick was not entirely certain of what to expect, even with the information the the professor was able to provide. But seeing the so-called Beast in the flesh, the first that strikes the half-elf is how pathetic he looked in his cell. Monstrous as he was, it was not difficult to recognize an element of humanity in the golem's speech and mannerisms. That alone is enough to temper his prejudices, at least for the time being. "How do we make them know that you are innocent?" Urick asks, not presuming anything. Even if the Beast were innocent of this particular crime, that would not absolve him of the countless other accusations leveled at him. "If what you say is true - that are not responsible for your actions - then we need to know who was, and how they managed to manipulate you so."
"As dangerous as the Beast should have been, the ones who managed to subjugate it must be quite formidable," Urick reasons to 'Khar, eager to secure his cooperation. The promise of money alone just wouldn't do the trick, and from experience he knew that the fanglord did not have much in the way of a good nature to appeal to. The only way to make him think that this was worth his time was to pose it as a challenge. "The Whispering Way commands all manners of undead monstrosities. Should we attempt to hunt them down, we will inevitably face adversity." He then turns back to the Varisian woman, Ila. Her explanation still struck him as suspicious, but accusing her of being a Whispering Way spy was something his old self would have done. His current self knew that it would make little sense for an accomplice of the Way to have attempted to warn them of the crime. "I am Urick Tirrell. If this were but a simple monster hunt, I would not be entirely opposed to some healthy competition. But this is the Whispering Way we are talking about. It would behoove us to work as a team."
Urick frowns. "The elusive Beast of Lepidstadt just allowed itself to be captured? Even if the Whispering Way already got what it wanted, it strikes me as odd that they'd leave an accomplice behind." "What exactly is this Effigy that the Beast stole, and for that matter, how did you know that the Way was after it?" he asks, directing the latter question at Ila. His tone betrays his suspicion, but is not outright accusatory.
I think someone mentioned it a while back, but I'd completely forgotten. With Elephant in the Room, whould my Rapid Reload feat apply to (crossbows) in general?
Urick does not require much in the way of motivation to get out of bed. The Judge's premonition had called for more misfortune, but he had not expected it to come so soon. But that was not to say he was entirely unprepared, either. Even before the promise of a reward is mentioned, the inquisitor is already throwing on his cloak, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, and walking out the door. - - - - - Urick arrives promptly and finds himself in a rather familiar arrangement - seated before the Judge and some poor soul in dire need of assistance. It remained to be seen whether this job would be as strange as the last, but Henry's cryptic remark makes it sound like a very real possibility. "An urban legend, you say," the fiery-haired half-elf replies, an eyebrow raised. He had no concrete numbers to go by, but Urick was certain that more than half of these so-called "legends" were real. They were in Ustalav, after all. "Which one?"
Urick frowns when he overhears Henry and Tassa's conversation turn to the subject of the Great Old Ones. He knew little about them beyond what the professor related to Tassa, but he had listened to his fair share of unsettling stories. Having witnessed the woman's strange condition, and her strange relationship with it, he could only wonder what her exact connection to those deities might be. It occurs to him that just a few decades ago, he would likely have called for her to be burnt at the stake. With that unsettling thought, he politely excuses himself and makes his way out of the temple. He inevitably loses track of 'Khar, which suited him just fine, for the most part. Though they worked well together while they were on the hunt, their idea of recreation just didn't mesh. Urick only rarely drank to excess, and he certainly did not enjoy fighting for the sake of fighting. The skinwalker would turn up again sooner or later, presumably when the Judge called for them. With time to kill, Urick's first order of business is to resupply. Ravenmoor had not cost him more than a few crossbow bolts, so there was little that he had to replace, but considering his small windfall, there was no reason not to look for something to spend it on. He drops by a variety of stores, looking at some of the finest in monster-hunting tools and armaments. But ultimately, with the exception of those crossbow bolts, he walks out empty-handed. Perhaps he would take another look once he knew what they'd be hunting next. After meandering the streets a while longer, Urick eventually finds his way back to his inn, a respectable hovel that did not overcharge for their rooms. He helps himself to a small meal and a single tankard of ale, before retiring to his room. Completely alone for the first time in days, the inquisitor draws his sword and holds it out in front of himself. The weapon shines like a weapon of righteousness should, and would be considered an excellently crafted weapon, if not for the fact that three-fourths of its blade were missing. He gives it a long, sullen stare before reaching for his holy symbol and hanging it from the sword's hilt. He kneels beside the bed, points what is left of the blade down, and closes his eyes. "Iomedae, though I am unworthy, I again pray for your guidance and your protection. Grant me the wisdom to be temperate in my actions, so that I may recognize those deserving of mercy..."
"Well, it seems that rather unfortunate piece of business is settled," Urick remarks to 'Khar once the judge has excused herself. All things considered, their trek to Ravenmoor had been one of his strangest missions, if not the most dangerous. Considering that they were in Ustalav, that was saying a lot. "As much as I would like to get back onto the road, we had best stay in the city for the time being. We can afford to wait a few more days. In the meantime, best we reequip ourselves." Reminding himself that Henry, Tassa, and Perdita were still present, the inquisitor approaches them. "Krishakhar is right - you are certainly a capable lot. Should the judge find more work for us, I would be happy to work alongside you all again, gods willing."
Urick is gonna look for an efficient quiver. Not the most useful thing in the world, but it's always been one of my favorite magic items. :P
Honestly? I don't know yet. I do suppose that being something of a moral compass for the group interests me, since even without alignment, Urick is still very much Lawful Good.
"With any luck, whatever remains of the cult will collapse now that Kriegler is dead," Urick adds, rubbing his shoulder with a grimace. 'Khar knew that he hated it when he did that - he didn't shoot at things from afar for no reason. "If Shel Lupesco is to be believed, it was his ancestor that first formed the compact with Ghlaunder. Still, it is best to be cautious."
"Have you... sought an exorcism?" Urick asks Tassa, sounding slightly concerned. Who exactly that concern is for however, is not clear. "Housing a hostile entity within yourself cannot be good for your body... nor your soul." Turning to 'Khar, he smirks slightly. "It was bound to be a monster hunt from the start. A shame about that water wolf, though. It would have been nice to solve all of this village's troubles in one fell swoop."
Urick picks up the hammer to inspect it, then places it in a loop on his belt. It probably constituted enough evidence on its own to prove that Kyle was dead, but it did not feel right to leave his body in such a sorry state. "Thank you. I'll need a cart or something of the sort to take him home in. I've the coin for it, if necessary," he says to the farmer, hoping he could at least point him in the right direction.
Urick slings the crossbow over his shoulder and nods to the farmer, indicating that he is ready to follow. He gives the blightspawn one last lingering glance, but looks away when Henry starts to cut into it. It struck him as being wiser to throw the horrible creature into a fire, but he was not about to get in the way of the man's scientific pursuits.
Level Up!:
+10 VP, +1 BAB, +1 to Fort/Ref/Will
+1 Dexterity Stern Gaze +2, Track +2
Bonus Feat: Rapid Shot +8 skill ranks (+2 to Diplomacy, +1 to Acrobatics, Intimidate, Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth, Survival) +1 enhancement bonus to weapon and armor *Note: Not gained from leveling up, but I overlooked a few deeds that Urick should have already had. In particular, gunslinger’s initiative bumps his initiative modifier by another +2. That should be everything. Depending how things go in the future, I might look into some Path of War stuff to give Urick something a little more interesting to do than shoot for damage every round. Maybe the Martial Training feat chain?
Even after the blightspawn hits the ground, it is not until Urick feels the righteous power of his judgment fade that he lowers his crossbow. As Henry said, with Kriegler and his blightspawn dead, there was still hope that the rest of the villagers would turn away from Ghlaunder. "There is still another matter we must attend to," the inquisitor says, before turning to Mr. Lupesco. He asks his question calmly, without an accusatory tone. "What was done with the bodies of those sacrificed? Where is the body of Elias Kyle?"
Urick remains stoic, unwilling to let his missed shot discourage him. After quickly loading another bolt, he adjusts his aim ever so slightly and fires once more.
Urick moves closer to the blightspawn, running right past the villagers. He snaps a quick shot at the creature, but fails to land a hit.
Urick had hoped to take the mayor alive, but when the horrific blightspawn erupts from his body, it becomes clear that he had been doomed to die from the start. He wasn't planning on losing any sleep over it. "It might appear to be an overlarge vermin, but don't underestimate it," Urick warns the others as he steps slightly closer to his mark. He had not expected a genuine blightspawn to be involved with this cult, but now that they knew, it had to be destroyed at any cost. "It is capable of conscious thought, can cast spells, and is highly resistant to nonmagical weapons." His aim far more steady now that the drug has worn off, the inquisitor fires a smiting bolt at the giant mosquito, its tip imbued with searing white light.
Urick only sighs at 'Khar's needlessly crude display, having neither the energy nor the will to protest. He raises his crossbow, bracing its stock against his shoulder, and points it right at Andretti. "Andretti Kriegler, you will answer for your crimes," the inquisitor says in a loud and clear voice. "For the murder of Elias Kyle, and however many other poor, unsuspecting souls that have passed through this village. For poisoning the minds of your people with these foul, blasphemous rites. And... for not paying your taxes," he adds for completion's sake, as he pulls the trigger.
Urick joins Henry in striking the construct from afar, firing a bolt at the charred scarecrow.
"He's enjoying this entirely too much," Urick mutters, watching 'Khar's grandstanding from afar. With a sigh, he raises his crossbow and starts to line up his shot...
"Ochre jelly," Urick says to 'Khar in lieu of a proper greeting, furrowing his brow as he dredges up what he knows of the ooze species. "They're highly acidic, like enveloping their prey and dissolving them to the bone. Electricity is ineffectual." The inquisitor sighs as he listens to Shel's breakdown of what they are up against. "Forty of them? Gods above."
Urick regards Tassa (or her arm, rather) with a deep frown, before turning his attention back to Shel. He did not think that she actually intended to hurt her, but it was still a somewhat troublesome development. Even so, the young woman was right to fear for her life. "If your parents were not willing to sacrifice you for the sake of the village, then some part of them must know that what is going is wrong. And perhaps you do as well," he asserts, trying very hard to see her in a sympathetic light.
Urick lowers his crossbow when the fighting ends, but does not deign to put it away yet. Not with what they've just heard. His expression is initially stoic, even at the mention of Elias's death, but when he hears Ghlaunder's name the inquisitor outright scowls. "Then that would put the mayor right at the head. How appropriate. So what other monstrosities does he have at his beck and call?" he asks of Shel, gesturing at the unconscious "Leonard."
"Try not to hurt the girl," Urick says curtly as he follows through the rote motions of reloading his crossbow yet again. He carefully lines up his next shot, taking Tassa's close proximity into consideration. "This thing on the other hand..." The inquisitor pulls the trigger, firing a bolt with deadly aim.
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