Y'know when you eliminate stuff that's crap anyway to get to the perspicaptivity of the matter.
It's just a farncy way of saying cutting through the kankshite."
"Who's doing inventory of the items we liberated?"
"If none, I go do it after prayers."
Faindraic nods to his flashing psicrystal. He can barely be heard to mutter,
"Yes. But not now. Or at least not here. The process might be, dangerous. We need a safer place."
He opens his eyes, and rejoins the others after carefully placing the damaged staff with the rest of the items to be left with the backup team.
"I will go. My skills and powers will be well suited to aiding our escape should things go wrong. I strongly suggest that the backup team find a place to hide close by, so that they can render assistance if required. I am ready when you are."
"hrrrmmm......dark vistas.....logue.....dark....sun? What am I talking about? Hrrrmmmmm....."
"Who's doing inventory of the items we liberated?" <snip>
Here is a run down (as far as I could tell) of the loot from our last social engagement. Please update any items I missed.
Issiki possessions: Blood obsidian dagger, two bone daggers, travelers outfit, sling and 3 stones.
Aso picked up: 8 ceramic pieces, toga, a sandal, two pulsating slug creatures, smile pile of notes, locked small wooden coffer, elegant jeweled earring (from MalaKi).
Radik picked up: two steel daggers, three blackened steel daggers (Lady Dusk, Lady Ebon, Lady Onyx).
Zuko picked up: one exceptional garment complete with a small pouch of jewelry (Noble’s Outfit; male, with a garnet studded wristband, bronze pinkie ring, and a signet ring displaying a set of side-by-side cahulaks).
Faindriac picked up: male courtier’s outfit (from Kirrish-Kreshk-Skiklik) , Sartanis’ scrolls (from MalaKi), broken staff.
Shenker picked up: a smattering of gold and silver jewelry, grey bladed short sword (Madame Ebon), masterwork leather armor.
Kirrish-Kreshk-Skiklik picked up: Roughly the equivalent of five Courtier’s Outfits; three male, two female, azure rod/gythka (Matron Jet), a choker set with a black gem.
Skarsnikt picked up: a small coin pouch (from Kirrish-Kreshk-Skiklik).
Holdrus Rippor picked up: iron maul (Cer).
MalaKi picked up: crown (Mistress Sable), bracers (Ostro, from Aso).
Kha-Chik-Chik-Ka picked up: masterwork leather armor (dropped by Kirrish-Kreshk-Skiklik).
"Very good, Malaki."
"Now what to do with the items we have?"
Refreshed now; Mission; cluck cluck?
Team; backup team; squack; click, who team what?
Arrows; need arrows and quiver.
Little man shenker find me arrows?
"I'll go looksee for some stabby arrows."
Chirp Chirp; much thanks little friend; you need airlift; you whistle.
Schenker goes and tries to buy or steal arrows.
"D...d...d...d...degenerate k...k...klepto!"
After replenishing his spell power, Zuko suggests that the party have breakfast before heading out of the city.
"We still got some h...h...h...halfling. Want s...s...some?"
"If you try to give away my property again I’ll squeeze your head until it pops like Shenker’s bacne."
Radik flicks the vacillating daggers into the flooring one at a time as if they were useless trinkets.
"I’ll take my hammer now."
"
I don't think I offer the hammer to you, Radik. You assumed. You were wrong. If you think you have a good reason for wielding the hammer I am open to listening to it.
*mentally* Scirocco, is the hammer corrupted?*
"D...d...d...d...degenerate k...k...klepto!"
I can quit any time I wansto. Can you quit scritchering yerr doodads?
"If you try to give away my property again I’ll squeeze your head until it pops like Shenker’s bacne."
Radik flicks the vacillating daggers into the flooring one at a time as if they were useless trinkets.
"I’ll take my hammer now."
I got a head you can squeeze, doodad breath.
<Scratches his doodads some more.>
"Errr, n...n...no."
"Talking about scritchen em makes er worse. Dernt it."
As MalaKi walks he lets his down his usual stoic mental guard and allows his imagination to run free. In his mind he can see himself battling terrible foes of all types and numbers. He sees himself delivering crippling strikes with Mistress Sable. He can imagine Ostro’s healing powers wiping away the damage from punishing blows. In his mind MalaKi walks the valley of death fearing no evil for he is the baddest m$%^&* f!*^$@^ in the valley. He realizes of course that these things are not to be. With a sigh he removes Ostro. Addressing Skarsnikt he says, “Friend kreen, the ghost in these bracers is quite friendly. His name is Ostro and he will help you to be an even mightier warrior. He won’t try to make you do things you don’t want to do. And he knows when to keep his mouth shut; unlike some people, and things, around here."
"We still got some h...h...h...halfling. Want s...s...some?"
"Some ribs."
Skarsnikt takes the bracers and slides them onto his upper set of arms. "Thank you, MalaKi, this kreen highly grateful."
Greetings, honoured ghost!
Aso is glad he doesn't talk to metal things.
"Watch you eat such vile sups, all of thee...for in death, you come back as ghoulish hungry things..."
"hrrmmmm."
Singing to himself in Thri-kreen...
Thri-Kreen
Good to eat
Yummy hands
Tasty feet
Halflings, halflings
Oh so sweet
Tiny bones
Leaner meat
Muls, muls
A little tough
Mash a paste
Slurp them up
But,
Elves, elves
Shut them up
Cut out the tongues
Uncoil their guts
Tan their skin
To build our huts
Then grab a stick
To skewer their...parts"
...he pauses a moment, to think up further murderous lyrics to add to his final stanza...
Everything belongs to me. The sooner you realize this, the longer you will live. No one else here has the strength, the training, or the talent to wield such a weapon.
Singing to himself in Thri-kreen...
While Shenker browses town for arrows, Kirrish, Sharnikt, MalaKi, and Holdrus head to the prearranged meeting point (with Zuko and Faindrac potentially tagging along farther behind?), leaving Aso, Marada, and Kha-Chik to hold down the rooms for the day.
The group of four arrives mid-afternoon, trail dust zephyrs swirling around a small tavern sporting a placard of a shrugging reptile, below which “Iz Z’tal?” stands out in red letters. A peculiar, haunting music drifts from the opposite side of the saloon style doors.
Faindriac, after scanning his tome for a few moments, and turning over his damaged staff to the avian for safe-keeping, quickly joins the others as they descend to head for the rendezvous.
His psicrystal, hidden in his shoulder bag, can be seen to flash occasionally as Faindriac communicates with it.
He glances at the placard with the image of the reptile, then at Zuko.
"Another fine establishment. Shall we enter after the others? And see if we can attempt to delay the inevitable conflagration until after we have exited from our meeting?"
Kirrish strides into the establishment and looks about for their contact and any suspicious looking elves (which, to him, means every elf ever) or invisible arsonists.
Aso is glad he doesn't talk to metal things.
Shenker only has two hands, little man. I see one of your hands is busy...why not put me in the other? Don't get confused about which one is holding what though!
Aso flips off lady Onyx with his booger encrusted middle finger.
Zuko heads to the meeting point with the others.
Dammit, the Maul is corrupted.... What should we do with it Scirocco?
Holdrus, I'll take that maul. I don't think it can corrupt me... enough.
MalaKi tries to recall any useful information about “Iz Z’tal?” . As they walk in he checks out the room for the contact and anyone who might be paying a little to much attention to the group. Mentally he tells Mistress Sable to keep her yap shut and lay low.
Knowledge (Local): (1d20 5=7) oops...
Spot: (1d20 3=5) oops...
Singing to himself in Thri-kreen...
"Glad I don't sprecken no kreenyese, I reckon. Hrrrrmmmm. (cough...sniff...hocks a loogy)
Everything belongs to me. The sooner you realize this, the longer you will live. No one else here has the strength, the training, or the talent to wield such a weapon.
"I'll crap what belongs to ye in th' corner for ye."
I keep collecting food and drying it; and feeding anyone around with the extras; trying to get some supplies built up for the party; but will trade food for stories and stuff, might hear a good tale or a interesting secret or something. I dont have the gather information skill; but with all the time I can put into it perhaps I can take a 20? I read along but have no idea what the party is up to or our mission or what might be next; so think food and arrows is my priority.; will continue making water also.
Faindriac waits a minute, forces himself to wait a minute more, then nods to Zuko and follows the others into the building.
"I do."
"Hey, Radik,....you know what you can do with that hammer? Stickitinyour oss! Hahahahah.....steakywakeys....hrrmmmm...."
While Zuko and Faindrac hang back for a moment, Kirrish enters the saloon without hesitation. The bar has the look of continual construction, though this is more likely simply a pretense for the apathetic to avoid putting any serious time or money into renovations, with mismatched tables and walls consisting chiefly of spackled-over patchwork. You’d be hard pressed to find any two chairs or glasses that comprised a set, but everything is in fair condition, and at least the place is clean enough.
Looking about, you don’t locate Larcos straight away, though the place is doing brisk business, and he may be one of the many enrobed patrons trying to escape the heat of the day, or the drudgery of the camaraderie of the dead. Kirrish-Kreshk-Skiklik’s perceptive gaze does pick out at least one elf in the crowd. Although wrapped in a Keffiyeh, the elf’s concealing outfit is no match for Kirrish’s recent experiences.
The source of the soulful harmony is immediately apparent: near the rear of the room is a modified spinner’s wheel. A Halfling chained to the device pumps feverishly at a foot pedal, causing a dozen gold-rimmed glass bowls of consecutively increasing size to rotate on a long wooden rod driven through their centers. A legless Dwarf works his kank honey covered fingers over the bowl rims with satisfaction, drawing haunting notes from an aether only his milky gaze can perceive.