Alandra's magically enhanced gaze lights up the armour of the now dead Devargo. A slight hew of abjuration surrounds the piece, showing it to have enhanced defensive properties. . Neither the gauntlest nor the hand crossbow have an aura of magic about them, though their construction and quality clearly marks them as above average. . Interestingly for the priest, the forst potion she had tasted also glows with a moderate level of magic, its ara clearly that of the healing school .
In the hold below, all three warriors can suddenly here a thumping noise coming from deeper in the sheep. The sound appears to be coming from behind the wall that the door is on, but at the other end of the room. Those with good ears can just make out the sounds of a man shouting as well.
Gern moves to stand beside Krek. The dwarven warrior seems to be able to continue at this stage, he certainly hasn't made any complaints, though he occasionally flexes the arm holding his shield as if it pains him. He nods to teh big half orc, giving his ascent that he is ready for them to open the door.
Zalen listens ans Alandra itemises the magical gear upstairs. His eyes light up a little at the magical armour and potion, but he quells his excitement long enough to move to the door leading downstairs. Opening it a crack, he peers down into the well lit stairway and the little hallway beyond. It seems empty, though he can hear some one yelling and banging on a wall or maybe a door below. The suddeny raspy feel of a scaly neck nearly makes the rogue jump as Majenko pokes his head over Zalens shoulder to get a look down the hallway as well. "Smells bad down there, like the spiders only stronger" the little dragon says into everyones mind.
Nayr
Nayr continues to beat against the door and yell. So far no one has responded but the door itself seems to rattle a little more as he beats into it. The wood itself is swolen and warped, but it loosens as you bash it. For some reason the priest can't seem to clear the fog from his head, and strange colours are starting to dance around his vision. Nayr gets the distinct feeling that some form of drug or posion has been gven to him. The itching pain in his arm is starting to get worse.
Though still feeling foggy minded, the rogue still has his wits about him and after looking through the trap door and down the stairs he puts two and two together and realizes that both doors he sees likely lead to the same place. Moving back over to the trap, he calls down "Folks, looks like Alandra and I have another entrance to that room from this side. Why don't we try a two pronged attack and enter both doors at the same time? Perhaps Majenko can keep us in touch or if not I can try my Wind Whisper trick to send the message".
Zalen takes another look at Devargo and, though loath to leave anything of value behind, he realizes he does not have the time to retrieve the armor or gauntlets and so simply snatches up the fine crossbow and bolts.
(If the party agrees)
Holding the loaded crossbow in one hand he motions for Alandra to follow him silently down the stairs to the door to the room he thinks links to the door the rest of his friends are in front of. First listening carefully and looking for any traps. He then mentally asks Majenko if he can tell what is going on behind it or if there is anything else the group should be cautious of. He then slowly tests the handle to see if it is locked. If it is, he tries the key from Devargo. If that doesn't work, he'll try to quietly pick it. Regardless. when the door is ready to open, he'll signal the others via his spell or through Majenko and looking to make sure Alanda is ready, open the door quickly ready to either fire the crossbow or cast his last Spray of Colours if it won't effect his friends.
(if the party doesn't agree)
Zalen shrugs and nimbly in through the trap door and prepares to enter the door with the others, using the key or picking the lock if necessary. Ready to either fire the crossbow or cast his Spray or Colors spell.
Before the group commits to any action though the magically inclined rogue asks "Before we do anything, perhaps we should seek some healing first? Krek? Alandra? Might one of you do the honours?"
Alandra nods after Zalen's speech, then raises her holy symbol up.
Channel Positive Energy: 2d6=8
Then she follows Zalen cautiously down the stairs.
The harder Nayr pounded on the door, the more futile his actions seemed to be. No one was answering, and the painful and irritating sensation in his arm seems only to get worse. His vision began to take on a tint of blue, then yellow, and then purple. The cleric didn't have to be an alchemist to know that he had been poisoned or drugged somehow. Perhaps when he was knocked out...
Nayr stopped bashing on the wooden portal with his hands. He knew from his experience as a healer that moving around when poisoned only helped the substance to spread throughout the body. Sitting down on the floor, he ran his uninjured arm over the burning area on his other appendage. He hissed as a stab of pain jolted through his muscles. If only I had some light in here...
His eyes widening in revelation, Nayr grasped his holy symbol strung on a chain around his neck. "Beautiful Shelyn, light up this foul place with your graceful beauty." The cleric's soft spoken words produced the effect he desired, as the small silver bird began to glow with a gentle perwinkle-hued light. Now that he was able to see clearly, Nayr took a closer look at his arm.
Nayr
Under the light from his glowing holy symbol, Nayr can clearly see a number of puncture wounds near the inner elbow of his left arm. It looks like someone stuck a needle or bamboo shoot into his are a number of times. There is a sticky residue there, it smells funny, like burnt sugar or maple sap.
Krek raises his sword at the closed door. "I can hear one of them yelling about something. We aren't alone yet."
Feeling the positive energy channeled by Alandra rush through him, he had even less reason to be worried - not that he would be anyway.
"Quickly, before they have a chance to plan an attack."
Standing up, Nayr cradled his left arm with his right, and raised his right leg towards the door. For a moment his vision swam with indescribable colors, but they faded into recession after a few moments. He had to hurry. Nayr gathered all his strength, muttered a quick prayer to Shelyn, and bashed the door with the heel of his foot, attempting to knock the loosened wooden barrier down.
Lowering themselves gently into the web laden hold, Alandra and Zalen carefully make their way to the other three members of their group.
Zalen fumbles in the magically enhanced light from Ayedahs hammer and brings out the keys he looted from Devargo's body earlier. Trying the biggest key he opens the door before them. The thing creaks open, the generally damp conditions on the ship making it impossible for the hinges not to be rusty.
As the door swings away from Zaeln, it reveals a room about 15 feet square. Two other doors seem to exit this room, one on the left wall in the far corner, the other on the opposite wall. The room has a single porthole that allows the afternoon light to shine in, lighting the room dimly. A single large table has been tipped over in the far corner, near the door on the opposite wall. As Zalens door creaks open, a man calls from behind the table "By great Pharasma, please don't kill me!". A sword clatters to the ground from behind the table, qickly followed by a dagger.
As the last weapon hits the ground, a booming crash comes from somewhere outside the room, off to the left.
Krek and Gern, both standing in sight of the open doorway can also see a pile of equipment lying on the floor near the tipped over table.
Nayr
Nayr's kick had him reeling back from the door, the wooden structure having just barely held. He had heard the telling crack of timbers as he kicked though, so maybe the thing had weakend some more.
Just before he had struck the door, he thought he had caught the sound of someone else calling out in the ship.
Shaking his head, Nayr strengthened his resolve. No. I still need to find Loghan's killer. I can't fade away now, not just yet. A pain in his arm spiked once more, eliciting a pained grunt from his lips. Various colors danced through his vision, impairing his sight. Just a little longer...
This time going for a more direct approach, Nayr turned so his right shoulder was facing the door, and his painful left arm towards the wall on the opposite side of the room. With a desperate yell, the cleric smashed into the door once more, slamming his entire body into the attack.
Perception Check - 9
Strength Check - 22
"We are not going to kill you! Even if you did serve that scum..." Ayedah announced as she followed Zalen. "Who..." she fell silent when she heard the crash, and then rushed to the other door, looking to the others and nodding to silently ask if they were ready before opening the door.
Krek steps into the room and stands to the right side of the table, his weapon at the ready.
Gern moves and quickly places the business end of his axe against their prisoners throat. "Dinnae do anything te give me axe a reason te slip now laddy" he growls at the man. He nods his head at Ayedah and Krek to let them know he's ready for them to open the other door and see what the noise is.
Ayedah is just about to open the door to the hall when another loud crash can be heard, this time followed by the sound of splintered timber and a muffled groan as someone hits the floor outside the room.
Wrenching the door open, the big Shoanti and the half orc burst into a hallway. Lying on the floor at their feet is a dishevelled looking man lying atop a broken door. The smell of rank sweat, stale urine and bilgewater is almost overwhelming. As the man tries to raise himself from the ground, both fighters can see the great welt on the back of his head, the skin having been split at some stage and congealed blood starting to heal a wound from a blunt object.
As he gets to his knees, the voice of Zalen can be heard behind them "Don't hit him! It's Nayr!"
With some disbelief the group realises the truth of the rogues statement. The man at their feet is indeed the cleric of Shelyn who orginally helped them rescue the children from Lamms operation. He looked a mess.
Seeing Gern to have the other man well in hand, Gern gives the always dependable Dwarf a firm nod of approval and moves into the next room, extending a hand to help their old friend off the floor. "Bye the Gods Nayr, lucky it is that I recognized you! You look a mess man! Are you all right? What the devil has happened here?"
Belatedly realizing that now was not likely the best time to be bombarding the obviously injured man with questions, Zalen smiles apologetically and, while helping the cleric to stand (if necessary) looks to Krek and Alandra saying, "How bad is he hurt? Can one of you two see to him? And Ayedah and Majenko, can you make sure we're alone and safe for the moment?"
At the last the Rogue also peers curiously around the room, looking for anything of interest and trying to determine where exactly on the ship they now were.
Ayedah was entirely unprepared for the sight in the hallway. "Gods and spirits! Nayr?!" She was frozen in her tracks by the surprise as Zalen knelt over him, suddenly wondering how long he had been here, obviously against his will. She wondered if he had been here when they came to Eel's End earlier...
Zalen's words snapped her out of it. "Right!" She carefully stepped past the poor priest, having a difficult time taking her worried eyes off of him until the wisdom of Zalen's suggestion struck home. She turned entirely to the task of going down the hallway, listening, and kicking in every door she came across. She looked to Majenko as she did so, in case he sensed any dangers she did not. We cannot afford any more surprises today...
The impact of breaking down the door and crashing into the floor knocked the wind out of Nayr's lungs, also causing a new batch of nauseating colors to leap and twirl across his vision. He lay on the floor, panting, futiley trying to regain his breath when the cleric realized... he was free!
Before he had a chance to pull himself to his feet though, the door a short ways down the hallway in front of him burst open. And in barreled a Shoanti woman with a large hammer, and a big half-orc with a rusty sword... it couldn't be!
But it could. Zalen had rushed in past Ayedah and Krek, extending a hand out to the cleric and asking him several questions about what had happened and his health. Nayr was inclined to answer but only listened while Zalen talked to Ayedah, sending her off into the ship to make sure they were alone. The priest gave a weak smile as Ayedah passed, glad to be in the company of friends once again.
"In answer to your questions Zalen, I-" Nayr gasped and clutched his left arm once again as the pain escalated and then deflated. "I've been poisoned I think. Or drugged. One or the other. I was out looking for Eliza, and then..." The cleric's head turned towards his holding cell. "I was hit on the back of the head." Nayr winced at the memory. "I woke up in there with all my equipment gone and a terrible pain in my left arm." Nayr once more had to stop speaking, as the hurt was on the rise again.
Behind Zalen, Alandra says "Nayr? That guy who took the children from Lamm's? What is he doing here?"
Lowering his weapon in disappointment, Krek approaches the cleric and grabs his arm straight.
"We'll see what the problem is and if we can fix it. What are you doing here though?"
The Half-Orc wasn't one for coincidence - he wondered as to the young man's motives.
Kreks augmented vision can clearly detect the effects of a toxin running through Nayr's veins. He and Gern and Zalen all have lingering effects of toxins in their system as well. Nayrs seems a little different to the half orcs eyes, almost refined compared to the raw effects in the others blood stream.
Nayr tries to explain his presence on the ship, his obvious grogginess making it a little unclear for the others to fully grasp what had happened to the man.
Ayedah moves further down the hall, as she prepares tokick in the door on far left wall, she is joined by the little dragon Majenko. His snakelike head wraps around her waist and he eys the door warily "There are two people in there. Women fld I think, though their minds are cluded with toxin and it makes me ill to touch thoughts with them".
Nodding her understanding the big Shoanti kicks in the door, her hammer ready for any trouble.
The room she exposes is warm and humid. The reek o cooking alchemical substances is quite strong, even masking the unpleasent odour of bilge that had premeated this level so far. Rows of glassware are stacked in shelves around the room, some of them full, others empty. Two young women, maybe in their late teens, are tending to fires that are rendering down some sybstance in a pots. Kreks detect poison lights up in this room. The vats themselves are showing signs of toxicity, though the effects are changing from lethal poison to addictive drug. Many of the full vials also seem to be full of the drug form of the toxin. One or two are unrendered posion.
Both women are naked, completely and opnely. Large numbers of puncture wounds seem to marr their bare arms, and there is definite evidence of scrathing and self harm o the lower limbs, as if they've scrathed at something irritating their arms. AS they move around the room, prparing bottles and tending the fire, it is obvious they are both completely zoned out on drugs. They haven't even responded to the door being kicked in. Their movements are slow and lethargic, but obviously trained as they keep repeating a pattern of checking the fire - tubing - glassware, fire - tubing - glassware, over and over.
As he enters the room, Krek takes a moment to understand his surroundings, but the women's movements make it clear.
"Drugs. Lots of them."
He watched the ladies drone around for a short bit before taking a curious stance on the drugs themselves. Itching for a look, he moved in closer, barely restraining himself from taking a vial and looking.
Now that Krek had a hold of Nayr, Zalen left the wobbily Cleric in the hands of the much stronger Half-Orc. Moving up behind Ayedah just as she kicks the door in, Zalen stomach roils with a mix of pity, disgurst, revultion and rage at the sight of the two pathetic creatures and the though burns trough the young rogue'That monster Devargo died much to quickly and mercifully! If he was alive again I'd kill him slowly for this!'
Realizing they wouldn't be getting anything useful out of the two girls Zalen leaves them for the moment. Heading back to Gern and the man he's holding prisoner Zalen first asks Nayr "Do you know this man? Is he a friend of yours?"
(if the answer is yes)
"Well then we need some answers and we need them Now! What has been going on here! Who is this man and who is responsible for those two poor retches! And what in the Gods names are you doing here?"
(if the answer is no)
Zalen gives a grim look to the man. He considers briefly trying one of his new abilities to charm the man but the worn out young rogue is far too angry and tired for that. Instead he takes the small crossbow he looted from Devargo, loads it and places the tip of the bolt against the man's knee before saying in an deadly calm and curious voice "I've wondered what a bolt would do to a knee at point blank range. I imagine it would hurt quite a bit. How about you refuse to answer my questions and we'll get to find out, eh?" Bluff (1d20+8=16)
Ayedah stood transfixed by the sight, sharing much of Zalen's feelings in shocked silence. She could not believe how the two girls were behaving, as if they were dead to the world around them. And the marks...she remembered the scars and markings a lifetime of abuse had left on Danel. She suspected what was wrong with them already when Krek stated it for everyone. "Gods and spirits..."
After Zalen had left her side, her right arm shot out, punching the wall as hard as she could. She didn't care that she drew her own blood, she just knew that she wanted to kill Devargo again and that she could not be trusted with their prisoner. She knew she would lose herself in rage if she didn't turn wholly towards making things right.
"Krek, Sister..." she said gravely. "They are coming with us. I will knock them out if I have to, but do any of you have magic that will make it easier on them?" She tried to give the little dragon a reassuring look. "I am not going to hurt them, but they cannot be left here. It will be a slow death for both of them if we do not take them from this place."
Nayr's mind swam in confusion, and he barely noticed when Krek left him to go check out what Ayedah had found. Managing to stand up, the cleric followed the half orc and the others into the enclosed area. The sight that met him hit Nayr hard, even in his drugged state.
"Those poor girls..." With a quick look downward and then at the women once again, it wasn't hard to discern that their marks are similar to his.
When Zalen confronts him about the man, he only shakes his head. "No, I don't know him... I haven't been out of that cell until now."
In response to Ayedah's declaration, Nayr nodded. "Yes. We musn't leave these two here." Hoping Krek and Alandra wouldn't mind, Nayr slowly approached the girls and began to try and examine their wounds. "There now, it's alright. You're safe, I won't hurt you..."
The girls have been repeatedly drugged. The wound in their arm is the same as in Nayrs, probably from hollow reed or bamboo being shoved into the skin and allowing liquid to run down into the blood flow.
The girls are compliant and follow the first male voice to address them. It would seem they have only recently been "administered" their latest dose.
The prsioner almost collapses in fear as the bolt touches his knee.
"Please, I was only using the privvy when youse lot came in and kilt everyone. I don't know nothin' about what happens down 'ere. I'm just paid ter keep trouble makers away from der other boats. Me missus needs the money fer her medications. Dose priests don't treat fer free. Oh gods, please!"
Majenko nods his head "He appears to be telling the truth, he's too terrified to lie"
The drugs on the shelves would be familiar to anyone who's had time on the streets.
Knowledge local or Krek, DC is only 10
His demeanor instantly changing yet with his expression still somewhat grim, Zalen smiles thinly and, putting away the crossbow extends a hand to help the poor fellow up. As the man stands the rogue releases him and says "I beg your pardon sir. I do believe you, so I will chalk this one up to you being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Zalen gives the man a searching look then holds up his palm in the 'wait a moment' gesture as he roots for something in his pouch. His hand comes out filled with 10 Platinum Pieces which he presses into the man's palms saying "Consider this my apology for threatening you and a gift to your ailing wife. I hope this can help her on the way to wellness. If you head to the temple of Pharasma and tell them you were sent by friends of Acolyte Alandra, they may give you some sort of discount. Now, be on your way and don't ever let me see you in these parts again!"
As the man hurries to reach the door, Zalen stops him with a loud clearing of his throat, as the man reluctantly turns back, fearful of his sudden good fortune, Zalen says casually but with a piercing look "One is often judged by the company he keeps, if I were you, I'd be Very careful in the future who I chose to accept money from." and he gives the man a final 'you may go' gesture with nod of his head.
Once the man is finally gone, Zalen sighs then breaks into a silly grin as he turns to face Gern's incredulous look at the giving away of so much money to a complete stranger. The young rogue puts a hand on the sturdy Dwarf's shoulder as he says with a self-mocking laugh "Yes, yes, I know friend Gern, 'ye'll never un'rstand the likes o us crazy humans' will ye?" accompanied, of course by his trademark wink and grin.
"But come on old friend, there's always more gold to be had. So let's finish looting this ship shall we?"
Seeing Nayr and the others to have the girls well in hand, Zalen motions for Gern, Alandra & Majenko to accompany him to the final room.
Alandra adds: "Ask for me when you come to the Temple, I'll make sure you get a discount. My name is Alandra, like Zalen said."
Then she follows Zalen.
Ayedah moved slowly behind one of the girls. "Do you think they will follow us all the way to one of the temples? Or will we have to carry them after all?" She looked back and forth between Nayr and Alandra. She suspected Krek's god was not going to be much help to the two women. "Can either of your goddesses help them? Or should they be taken to the temple of Sara...Sarenrae? She is your goddess of healing, is she not?"
She was prepared to knock both of them out if it had to be done. They were going to be taken to help whether they resisted or not. "We need clothes for them as well." she raised her voice towards Zalen as he moved down the hall.
Zalen turns back at Ayedah's call and nods his head in understanding but for the moment keeps heading to the final room.
"I... I don't know if this will help Ayedah, but I'm willing to try." Nayr closes his eyes and grasps the silver bird on the chain around his neck. Channeling his goddess's energy wasn't too difficult, but the cleric's main worry was if it was enough to counteract the poison as well. He doubted it, but perhaps it could help with the pair's minor wounds. And his.
Closing his eyes and chanting a short prayer, Nayr's holy symbol begins to glow. As the luminescence reaches its peak, it releases as a soft blue wave of energy that washes over everyone in the room.
After he heals the two woman, Nayr turns to Ayedah. "As you can see, I'm not fully fitted for exploring this place. I'm going to go look for my things... perhaps they are somewhere close." Waiting for her response, the cleric leaves the drug-filled space and into the hallway.
As he was debating on whether to go with Zalen and the others or try and look for his things in the room where Ayedah and Krek burst in from, a wave of dizziness permeates his mind once again. Stumbling, he struggles to keep upright and moves into the room with the overturned table, his senses befuddled and dulled.
But a fall to the floor can wake anyone up, and the shock pulls Nayr out of his stupor. Before him on the ground is a steel glaive with a rose carved into the blade, an oak longbow, a shirt made of interlocking metal links, and a shiny looking breastplate. Nayr can't help but weakly smile to himself. At least the drug had been good for one thing, helping him find his gear.
Zalen carefully opens the door to the last room, having to use one of the keys from Devargo. This wooden chamber is clean and dry. An ornate bed rests against the far wall, while a single dresser and a round table and chair fill out the rest of the room. A wooden sea chest sits
at the foot of the bed.
The bed itself is covered in good sheets and a quilt of fine eider down. Some of this perhaps could be used to cover the two drugged women up. Both them are not putting up a fight at all, though they occasionally turn as if to return to the room and check things. One of them has a vapid smile on her face, and her hands often push past her face, her eyes following the movements of the fingers as if they were leaving a trail in the air. They're certainly not going to enjoy coming down from the high.
A quick serach of the room reveals nothing else of interest. The only chest here is the one at the foot of the bed. The one that Halvara wants.
"Thank you, Nayr." Ayedah said, distracted by trying to keep the women from wandering back to the room as she tried to gently herd them upstairs. She was also keeping a worried eye on Nayr himself. As she tied the sheets around the girls, she asked him, "Are you going to be able to walk out of here?" Her question was aimed at Zalen as well, after all the poison that had gone into him. She could carry one of them, but not both and manage to keep the two drugged women under control.
She was ready to be gone from this place, but there were still more matters that had to be seen to before she could leave with a clear conscience. "Majenko," Ayedah called to the little dragon before dropping her voice when he was near. "After everyone is upstairs, can you go back in the room where we found these two and break everything in there? I do not know if it will poison the air, so hurry out if you do."
Zalen, though still foggy and weary, nods Ayedah "I am fine dear one, thank you. It will take more than a few little spiders to take me down!" with a wink and grin, strained though they may seem.
The rogue holds up his hand to forestall the dragnonete though before he can acceed to the barbarian's wishes "Wait Majenko. Ayedah, while I heartily agree with your sentiment, I do not know that our little friend here is the one to take care of it." Zalen turns to the towering half-orc "Krek, you seem to be the one most knowledgeable about these things, could you make sure that all those drugs are destroyed and further that you destroy any ability for anyone to make any more here easily?"
Completely putting his trust in the Cleric of Gorum to handle the matter, Zalen turns to the others "Ayedah, can you keep an eye of the girls and Nayr here to make sure they're all right? Also don't lose sight of this chest, it seemed to be pretty important to Halvara. As for me, I'd like to make a through search of this ship and make sure we aren't missing anything. We already know Devargo was a sneaky sort. Also, there's a fair bit of equipment their owners...won't be needing anymore and we still have one of Devargo's men to deal with. He's probably conscious by now and likely none too happy. Whoever'd like to join me? I could use the help."
Though still a bit wobbly and sweating, the young rogue seems determined to properly finish this mission.
When whoever's joining him is ready he sets off.
Ayedah nodded silently at Zalen's suggestion, and again at Krek himself. If there was anything to be broken, surely a priest of Gorum would be up to the task.
She kept near Nayr and held onto the girls by their shoulders, half wishing they would snap out of it and half hoping they stayed that way so they wouldn't resist being taken along with them. She could not help but wonder if Danel had been so far gone as these two...
Gern keeps an eye on Zalen as he searches, just to make sure the rogue doesn't run into any trouble as he goes. Who knew if the king of spiders had any type of traps around the place or not.
As he searches Devargo's bedroom more thoroughly, Zalen finds a small compartment concealed beneath the dresser. The false bottom comes out easily enough and inside the rogue finds a small cache jewellry.
A jasper studded amulet, a gold necklace fitted with emeralds, and a platinum ring that bears a tiny jade dragonfly. The remainder of Devargo's belongings and possibly the majority of his accumulated wealth are probably in the chest at the foot of his bed, or possibly kept at the bank of Abadar.
The spiders den contains nothing of value. Each of the bodies in there have been well and truly stripped of their wealth before tehy were thrown in to feed the spiders and the ettercap.
From the guards, Zalen is able to remove two sets of chain shrts, two lonswords, two heavy wooden shileds and about 4 daggers. Between the two of them they have about 10 gold and 15 silver.
(assuming krek smashes up the drug den)
The glassware and urns are probably woth money, but they would be far better destroyed than left for others to use this way. There are a toatl of 6 completed doses of the drug, and one dose of undistilled drug in the jars and vials around the room. The remainder seem to contain various clear alcohols and other chemicals used to cut the venom into its drug form.
Krek
With that final act, the now somewhat larger group emerges from teh dark confines of teh ships hold as the last rays of the afternoon sun fade into the darkness of another Korvosan night.
Ayedah took a deep breath once they stepped outside. She was glad to be out of that ship, and she was eager to be gone from this place. She quickly looked about the docks to see if the guards had turned up after all.
She found herself tooking at the Dragon's Breath as well, to see if the woman she had spotted there earlier, the one who had waved at them, was still there. It was all she could do not to run onto that ship and throw the owner overboard, and that tension showed in her arms and the gritting of her teeth.
"Let us be done with this quickly." she said, her voice straining to hide her anger.
Krek inspects the vials and immediately recognizes the drug - one of Trep's favorites. Knowing how much he liked it (and how expensive it was), he pocketed what he could of the completed stuff. Also, knowing the effects of the drug on his friend well, he keeps an eye on the intoxicated women for any sudden erratic action.
A little upset at seeing the production come to an end, Krek knew the man had overstepped the line, even the grace of the vice taxes not being enough for the city to ignore him. Still though - the drug would only become rarer now, and Trep would have to look elsewhere.
He then turned to reflect on the potency of Ayedah, impressed with the young warrior.
Outside the ship, a small crowd of thugs and curious onlookers had gathered. Every stripe of lowlife and smalltime criminal was visible, some picking their peer's pockets even as they watched the beaten and blooded group emerge back onto deck.
Ayedah saw the helf-elven girl closer to the back of the crowd, still visibly dazed and maybe not quite comprehending what was going on around her - her state similar, though markedly less extreme to the slaves they had found in the belly of the ship.
Noone blocked their path as the group disembarked, none seemed to even try or think about stopping them. They had defeated the dreaded King of Spiders, and now only time would tell what (if any) sting his bite held from beyond the grave.
The house of clouds was almost empty from the onlookers, its gaudy decoration clashing against the beautiful sunset... yet they had some more duties to fulfil, unless disappointing Helvara was part of their plan.
Gern moved down the gangway with his friends around him. The burly dwarf huffed a little as he carried the sea chest that Helvara was after in his hands. It's not that the thing was so heavy, more teh fact he was still suffering fromt eh spider bite earlier. Not that he'd ever let his friends know that. Especially the big Half Orc.
It still erked the dwarf that the cleric of Gorum had put up a better fight than he had. The fighter had even needed Krek's help to get out of those damnable webs. Bah!. He took his frustrations out on the crowd.
"Ye lot had best be gettin' back ter whatever it was you was doin' before. If ye gets in me way, I aint gonna be happy about it."
He scowls as he says this.
Having given the powerful Krek the lions share of the loot to carry, Zalen makes his way with his friends towards Halvara's. Although bone weary and still wooly headed from the poison, the wiley rogue stands tall and keeps a confidant smile on his face. He catches himself daydreaming that he is part of a procession of nights returning from some glorious quest and stops his foolishness with a playfully self-mocking chuckle.
Despite the seeming benevolence of the crowd though, Zalen reminds himself to keep a sharp eye out for anyone who may have been a friend or loyal to Devargo who might like a place a dagger between some ribs in revenge.
He also offers Nayr any assistance the cleric may need to walk.
Alandra follows along, head held high, proud of herself and the others for ridding the city of another foul person on her list. At least this time she didn't do the actual killing though; that was left to the real killers in the group.
I told you we would come back for you. she thinks to the little dragon I kept my promise.
Trailing behind Gern, Krek becomes agitated at the deal with the box. There must be something VERY worthwhile in there. Biting his tongue, he contented himself to see just what it was Halvara desired when she opened the chest.
Not surprised at the numbers of people there - people always flock to a scene - he looked over the heads of them for any he may have known/thought as dangerous. Seeing none, he kept on his way.
In short time, the agitation faded, and satisfaction emerged. The battle was won, and the group was no weaker for it - the young barbarian had earned his respect, and none his dislike, which was usually quite a tall order.
Ayedah kept close to the others, keeping a wary eye on the crowd. Too many of her friends were still hurting from all that poison to take their safety for granted. She kept her earthbreaker in her hand and on her shoulder, just to make sure one everyone could see it.
She scowled at the sight of the half-elf she had seen earlier, and remembered what she had promised herself when they made it out of Devargo's ship. As they cut through the crowd, she reached out to grasp the addled woman's wrist tightly, and told her flatly, "You are coming with us." It was clear in her voice that she did not intend to accept any refusal. Conscious or unconscious, she was either going home or to a temple.
The half-elven girl did not recognize Ayedah at first, but when she was grabbed by the furious barbarian (curiously, none of the onlookers seemed interested in the slightest bit to stop her), she gave up a small, terrified sob, before lapsing into unconsciousness. Ayedah had to grab her to keep her from collapsing on dockside, but managed to spare her any serious injury.
Majenko took to the air once they had left the confines of the ship, sending a swift telepathic message of I will be with you soon, but I need to feel some air beneath myself first. I will not forget my promise either. before taking to the air exuberantly. He darted through the clouds, even attempted a tight little loop and generally seemed the picture of jubilant triumph.
The crowd slowly realized the foolishness of potentially annoying the very people who had just dispatched the kingpin of their little operation, and moved back. Any revenge for Delvargo was sure to follow in the dark, conceiled and at the worst possible time - not up to their faces while blood was still fresh on their hands. One by one, they started to break off, disperse.
Gern looks surprised at Ayedah's actions as she grabbed the woman. The big Shoanti girl was certainly one to act on her instincts and emotions.
Now they had three girls drugged to the eyeballs that they would need to care for. Last time that had happened it had cost him alot of gold, though deep down he felt a tinge of pride at helping those women at the time.
"Well, ifn' we've finished rescuin' damsels in distress, mayhap we could go an' see Halverra with this damn chest. The durn thing 'aint made o' paper ye know"
Ayedah had a mixture of surprise and embarassment on her face when the girl fainted. Am I really that frightening, or do those drugs really make people so frail of spirit? After she caught the girl, Ayedah lifted her onto her shoulder and followed after the others, keeping a wary eye on the crowd as they continued on their way.
She couldn't argue with Gern's complaint, as long as he held onto that chest and she was occupied trying to hold onto three sick girls, not to mention Zalen and Nayr's uneven steps, they were likely more vulnerable than they looked.. "Yes, let us hurry." she replied quietly.
Nayr looked to Ayedah, confusion plainly written across his features. "Who is this Halverra? ...and why must we deliver this box to her?" His eyes scanned over the object, but he couldn't quite see the box through the swirling colors shifting across its surface.
Even through his muddled mind, Nayr spoke up about the girls. "Perhaps we can bring them to Shelyn's temple... they will be healed, and if money is needed, I can provide it." He took a stumbling step backwards but righted himself before he could fall down. Nayr knew exactlyhow the girls were feeling, and he guessed they wanted to be rid of the drug just as much as he did. Of course, only if they could even think as clearly as he could.
As they moved towards the house of clouds, an elderly dwarf, filthy and seemingly a disgrace to dwarfkind, approached them. Before they could shove him out of the way, though, he hissed at them. <i>"Don't move a step further. I'm not ready to go public just yet. We will finish the business we started in my back chamber this afternoon. I am Halvarra."</i> The dwarf motioned them to one of the dockside houses, and opens it with a key.
Inside the house, they saw it long abandoned, with only minimal care given to it. The dwarf sat down on an old, oaken table, crossing his arms before his chest in a rather... feminine gesture. "Well, as you have guessed, it is me, Halvarra. I had hoped to go public right away, but it turns out, I need a little time before taking over publically. Snipe off some revenges he had pointed in my direction." She took a look at the chest, and smiled. "This is the one. It'll only take a moment."