"Hmmm ... that would explain why you didn't flinch when that spider thing dragged you down the well outside."
"Lit's jist say it brooght back rememberins'."
Stiggy! Staaaaagaaaaaay!!! Git in herr ere I throoyoo doun a well!!!
I think I've solved the "18th level commoner" conundrum.
Staaaaaagaaaay! Yell nevamounta noothin!!!
Well, at least the halfling smuggler doesn't remind me of my mum. "By the way - where's that green-skinned swordswoman from? I've never seen anything or anyone quite like her before."
"Lets get this boat in the water just in case we need it in the water."
says Harvak as he ties his own mooring line to the craft.
Well, at least the halfling smuggler doesn't remind me of my mum. "By the way - where's that green-skinned swordswoman from? I've never seen anything or anyone quite like her before."
The halfling replies: "I don't rightly know. Meet people from all over, this line of work. We're not exactly chummy, me and her."
*Harvak - "Are you still in need of some mending?" Altai gave you a cure light wounds potion - but was that enough?
*Heal Check (1d20+9=20)"This is black tar heroin, Altai. Nasty, additictive stuff, from what I've seen of it on the front. I don't much think Keoish law would be allowing this stuff in such quantities.. We'll need to turn it over to the authorities as well; or possibly burn it."
*"Those of you who live around here - know anything about this herring pickling company. This may be part of the smuggling operation we'll need to look into. Perhaps our halfling friend can shed some light on that, eh?"
*No one seems to have mentioned it, but I'll check out the two corpses for any further clues. The two that were draped across the boat as the merrow's snack, I guess - if there's anything left.
*Concerning the halfling: "I agree with Beldan that we can't outright kill her...she's surrendered to us. We should tie her up and knock her out for pickup with the other two, I think. If we let her go, she might go off and warn some other smuggling folks involved in Saltmarsh." Sense Motive (1d20+2=20) Also, I can tell if her story about the kid sounds legit?
Otherwise, I guess its off to find Sanblat and some answers. It sounds like the kid we came looking for may be gone for now.
-"Old man Johnson! He was haunting this house to scare everyone off!"
-"...and I would'a gotten away with it except for you meddling adventurers and your dog!"
Tenser: "Rooby-roo!"
After this all done, it occurs to me that we could wrap the paladin up in a bolt of cloth - so as not to directly touch him - and then get him down to the priests of Cuthbert that way.
If Stig's coming back with his wagon, could transport him that way.
Just speculating here...
Potion CLW 1d8+2=6 Thanks Altry!"
"Still a little banged up Becton if ye could shine the light a lttle".
Potion CLW 1d8+2=6 Thanks Altry!"
"Still a little banged up Becton if ye could shine the light a lttle".
Healing Wand (1d8+1=6) "How's that?"
"You a good man Becton."
Elgan, wearing his usual elfish features again, prowls around the rooms, investigating, while the others question the surrenderee. He looks confused a few times as he tries to make sense of Stiggy's drink-deepened Burr, and concerned when the talk turns to killing her.
"Ah have to agree wit' dese' he'ar. Ah don' t'ink dat killin her be right. She did surren'er af'er all." He says with a look at the little lady. "Od'er wise, it don' mattah ta meh. Leave her tied an' git her when we done, er jus' let'er go. She wit' da smugglers, so what she doin be agin' da law. But she don' seem ta be da killin' fer killin's sake type." He adds with a final look at the captive, then continues his prowling of the caverns.
"Me, ah jes' wanna git out of dese heah caves and buildin's an' back to dah green." He mutters.
I realize, my dear fellows that I took an abundance of the treasure from our last encounter at the bar so I shall forgo any of this loot. That should cover the difference. Quite a nice wand you have there Altai. They sure do come in handy...
"Ah wonder if th' fishin' is onie guid haur?"
*Heal Check (1d20+9=20)"This is black tar heroin, Altai. Nasty, additictive stuff, from what I've seen of it on the front. I don't much think Keoish law would be allowing this stuff in such quantities.. We'll need to turn it over to the authorities as well; or possibly burn it."
They'll appreciate turning it in, or at least, not selling it in Saltmarsh.
*"Those of you who live around here - know anything about this herring pickling company. This may be part of the smuggling operation we'll need to look into. Perhaps our halfling friend can shed some light on that, eh?"
She says that three or four strapping humans, blonde, thuggish-looking,...come and pick the vinegar/heroin up in a wagon. They usually have a dead dairy cow in there too. She doesn't like them--give her the willies, they do. (sounds like the guys that run the Slaughterhouse).
*No one seems to have mentioned it, but I'll check out the two corpses for any further clues. The two that were draped across the boat as the merrow's snack, I guess - if there's anything left.
THe merrow wasted them and took a munch here and there; their loot is allready added into the grand total for loot for speed of processing...
*Concerning the halfling: "I agree with Beldan that we can't outright kill her...she's surrendered to us. We should tie her up and knock her out for pickup with the other two, I think. If we let her go, she might go off and warn some other smuggling folks involved in Saltmarsh." Sense Motive (1d20+2=20) Also, I can tell if her story about the kid sounds legit?
She's maybe hiding something; not sure what; the story's at least glossed over or shined up a bit. Self-delusion moreso than lack of veracity.
-"Old man Johnson! He was haunting this house to scare everyone off!"
-"...and I would'a gotten away with it except for you meddling adventurers and your dog!"
Tenser: "Rooby-roo!"Hmmm....Scrappy doo, anyone?
She says that three or four strapping humans, blonde, thuggish-looking,...come and pick the vinegar/heroin up in a wagon. They usually have a dead dairy cow in there too. She doesn't like them--give her the willies, they do. (sounds like the guys that run the Slaughterhouse).
The Anderhoffs.
Swertlowe liked them a lot.
She says that three or four strapping humans, blonde, thuggish-looking,...come and pick the vinegar/heroin up in a wagon. They usually have a dead dairy cow in there too. She doesn't like them--give her the willies, they do. (sounds like the guys that run the Slaughterhouse).
The Anderhoffs.
Swertlowe liked them a lot.
The Anderhoff's run a local slaughterhouse in Saltmarsh.
Their dad was a real legendary shitbird; he's dead two years, met his end in a gambling argument. The apples didn't fall too far from the tree. They get up to all manner of rascaliness. Nothing permanent ever got pinned to them...
"Are they fat?"
"Are they fat?"
"No. They're all in trim shape. Two look almost as muscular as you do, big feller." She answers.
Stig has a few more cups of rum. His nose is turning red. If anyone so much as looks in his direction he says, "tek yer time, laddies."
He puts the filthy cup on the ground so Tenser can have some.
Slurp slurp.
At least it gets the smell of ogre guts off his breath.
"Ah, for crying out loud. Yor mammy would be very disappointed in you, Stig, boozing away when there are adversaries to best nearby. Let's go find those gnolls now."
About 15 feet (five or so meters) long.
“Yeah, lets get going,” agrees Beldan, swinging his sore arm experimentally. “If we’re going to have to fight a wizard and some hyena-men, it’s not going to get any easier if we wait.”
"But first lets get this boat in the water, in case we need to flee this way".
I was just trying not to be a caddish ethnocentrist.
I fixed my fence a month ago with my neighbor and he was all about the centimeters. I could barely wrap my brain around that stuff.
"Ah agrees wit' ya dere, le's go an' fin' dis hear wizard an' his dog-men. Dis eye gotta see fer mahse'f!"
Damned if I do....damned if I don't...if I start dropping colour spray here and manoeuvre there I'm a damn poser.
"Sounds like we'll need to visit these Anderhoff fellas, with the authorities in tow, perhaps? But I'm getting ahead of things - there's still a haunted house to clean up."
"Let's go back to their barracks and start searching from there. Our wizard friend's reclusiveness will serve us well - he'll roam around in deserted parts of the manor and leave unique tracks." He turns to Harvak and Elgan. "You guys know how to follow a trail, right?"
"Let's go back to their barracks and start searching from there. Our wizard friend's reclusiveness will serve us well - he'll roam around in deserted parts of the manor and leave unique tracks." He turns to Harvak and Elgan. "You guys know how to follow a trail, right?"
"Wa'll, I t'ink dah big guy is fo' show da better axe-yal trackah. But Ah kin sniff stuff out purty guud when ah tries. Ah'll bet twixt da both of us, If'n dis heah wizard lef' a trail, we kin prolly foller it!"
Elgan turns to Harvak. "Right de're chere?"
Let's head upstairs. I am rather eager to meet the mastermind behind all this hoopla...
"This place has been square danced with tracks"...
Again, back in the barracks,...there's a stairway up to the murderholed door in the west of the room, on the north wall there's the secret door to the rotgrub room, another door on the north you haven't been in, the door to the ogre skeleton room, and the secret door back up from the seacaverns.
"Let's start with the door to the north."
"North door. Aye"
"Hic!"