The time ticks away in his head, particularly with Kur-Awk already in the water. Alynbrand grins unpleasantly at the gnome, and rubs his hands together. "Right. Looks like the lady has run out of patience. Since you're holding out on us and not being useful..." He picks the bound gnome up, chair and all, and carries him over to the hole in the floor. He looks down at the dark ocean below. "Can you breathe water? Let's find out. I don't think the crabs will mind one way or another; every creature deserves a good meal."
Rolan watches the direction of the conversation and then he grins as the gnome is held over the hole in the water. "I like that idea. Probably the most productive thing it will have ever done with its' life."
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Hookshanks squeals loudly as he is hauled up chair and all by Alynbrand and suspended over the hole of the fishery floor. "Now! Now hold on! Fine, I'll tell you where all the valuables are kept just let me go! I'll never look at another kid the rest of my life I swear on Sarenrae's holy knickers. Put me down there's bloody sharks in the water!"
Hookshan's voice is high pitched and approaching near apoplexy as he labors each breath, obviously afraid of being thrown in.
Meanwhile, as Kur-Awk heads down the hole using the provided rope, he finds a narrow space exists under the fishery, with about four feet of room between the floor of the building above and the languid, foamy river water below. Wooden pilings support the building, and moss and cobwebs hang thick from ropes and rusted chains between them. A wooden walkway floats on the river surface, winding along the inner wall of pilings that supports the building’s frame above, leading from the sodden barge to the east all the way west to a wooden door that leads into an under structure below the fishery’s land bound half.
Perception:
Kur-Awk lands, glances around quickly and moves along the walkway, his hammer out and ready.
Alynbrand holds the gnome over the hole a moment longer, "Well sharks need to eat too, ya know." Almost with regret, he places the gnome and chair back on the floor. "I'm going to leave you to answer my friends' questions now. When I get back, if they say you've been unhelpful..." he casts a meaningful glance at the hole.
Alynbrand then climbs down through the hole to catch up with, and possibly warn, Kur-Awk. Having seen the barbarian's efficacy with the hammer, he thinks It would be fairer to warn the sharks. Below the dock, he hisses "Kur-Awk! Wait up."
Richter smirks a bit at the others, hardly feeling bad as they scare the gnome. "Then you'd better speak quickly I think. If there are sharks in the water, it seems like they are much more likely to leave us alone if they are well fed, eh?"
Moving over to the hole, he looks down towards the barbarian "Woah, Kur-awk. We all are coming and don't know what is ahead. It does your vengeance no good if you are overwhelmed." He grins a little bit, noting the comments between him and the summoner earlier. "Besides, I am sure that the lady needs her knight to help her down."
Byron shrugs.
"If you can prove your worth, I have no objection to letting you go. Be warned, however; if I ever her mention of your name again, especially if it has anything to do with mistreating children, your doom will follow swiftly..."
"...So, what can you tell us?"
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Gulping down a quick breath, Hookshanks looks up at Byron and Alynbrand with apprehension as he begins talking.
"Ok, look, I've never been into Old Lamm's office, he doesn't let anyone in. But I can tell you where we keep all of the gold we make. It's in a cabinet in Yargin's office, the key is in my pocket. Old Lamm keeps the most valuable stuff for himself however. Also... for some reason, Old Lamm always needs the kids to bring down large buckets of chum, I doubt the old sod could eat that slurry but I don't know what else he'd need it for. And that's all I know I swear it, now can I go?"
Hookshanks seem anxious and he licks hips lips repeatedly as he talks but it doesn't seem like he is holding anything back anymore. With only Richter, Rolan, and Byron left on the top floor, the other three see a door on the far side of the pier, leading back into the building. The under pier is if anything, even colder than the rest of the street, with the sea water splashing up every so often.
Rolan listens to the gnome with a grim expression upon his face. He fingers the key that had been found in the gnome's pocket and examines its' plain workmanship. Shaking his head he tosses it towards Byron and draws his dagger. "Probably uses the slurry to keep some kind of sea monster close by. The others will need a warning. You two let them know. I'll free him. He has managed to prove useful after all." This last is said as if Rolan is both rather surprised and disappointed. He moves up behind the gnome in preparation for cutting the ropes.
Kur-Awk moves cautiously across the rickety boardwalk. He glances down at the rotting board, then back at the people following him. Hmm. I guess if it holds me, it'll hold 'em. He tightens his grip on his hammer, and walks slowly forward.
Byron nods to Rolan.
"Agreed."
He then turns to the gnome.
"Make sure that I never hear of you again. In fact, it might be safest to leave Korvosa entirely."
Byron then focuses his attention on the children, smiling sadly.
"I cannot imagine how you have suffered at the hands of Lamm and his minions. If you wish to leave, and fend for yourself, I cannot stop you, but if you are willing to stick around until Lamm has been dealt with, I will see what I can do to find you somewhere to stay."
He then carefully lower himself down to the bottom level...
Richter gives a nod of agreement to Byron's words, watching the children. "Indeed. Lamm will not be a source of fear anymore, but there will be hope beyond just what the streets provide. If you wish our aid you will have it. I escaped his clutches, we can help you do the same. Now, we will return shortly."
Lowering down after the others he moves to try and catch up to the front runners, speaking softly to them "According to the gnome there is something down here that eats things less palatable to humans so we should be on guard. I doubt you planned a swim anyway, but he claims there are sharks in the water as well."
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Kur-Awk steps easily enough across the creaking walk planks of the under pier and bashes open the door to find a large open room before him. The air in this large room is somewhat chilly and stinks of the river, no doubt thanks to a huge opening in the floor that drops away to the river shore five feet below. Several pilings emerge from the waters to support the roof above, with mossy ropes slung between them. In two places, rusty manacles hang from the ropes over the water. Two five-foot-wide walkways cross the hole’s edge to the other side of the chamber, where a collection of old cabinets, lockboxes, and piles of clutter are strewn about. Chipped porcelain plates, a cracked goblet, badly rusted silverware, an old wooden shield with a crossbow bolt embedded in it, the odd dinged helm, and other “treasures” litter the floor of this entire chamber. Three tables, their tops heaped with additional clutter, stand amid this mess, while just west of that a wooden door seems to provide access to a walled-off section.
Gaedren Lamm, hunchbacked thieving snake, plague on Korvosa’s forgotten children, and all-around despicable wretch is sitting near one of the "treasure" filled tables, turning his head from examining his latest acquisitions just as Kur-Awk looms through the door with his large Earthbreaker in hand. A shocked expression fills his crabby face and he exclaims loudly, “YOU! How the hell did you find me? No matter now, I suppose…"
Close by Lamm on the table is a fairly decent quality hand crossbow within easy reach, though Lamm makes no move to grab it yet.
Kur-Awk bursts through the door, seeing the foul fiend Lamm. At least, he's pretty sure it's Lamm. At any rate, he's a old liver spotted man, and Kur-Awk is just going to keep killing people until he gets the right one. Vengeance for his love demands it.
Kur-Awk charges into the room, his hammer held high over his head.
"Prepare to die, fiend!"
RAGE!
Seeing Kur-Awk burst forward at someone he can't actually see, Richter shakes his head a bit and gives a slight smirk. "Well, it seems we found him..."
He rushes forward after the barbarian, getting as close as he can, trying to keep close to the front line in case any of them are wounded.
A rather chilling smile on his face, Byron rushes into the room as fast as he can...
Rolan watches his two companions go down to join the others. Standing behind the gnome he waits until they cannot see him then swiftly slashes his dagger across the gnomes throat. Leaning forward he whispers into its' ear, "The Crow sets you free."
He turns towards the children and looks at them with a serious expression. "Be not afraid children. His rein of terror is now ended. Just as Lamm's will be."
Coup de Grace Damage on Hooks.
Something doesn't seem right here.
Alynbrand treads cautiously, expecting the floor to give way or something else.
"Three weeks ago, Lamm. A woman named Isolde was knifed and her ring sold - by you. I need to know if you had anything to do with her death... and why."
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Giving a bellowing shout, Kur-Awk thunders into the room with a glint of violence in his eye. His countenance changes as the anger that has been welling up within him finally breaks through the dam holding it back and he raises up his Earthbreaker high over Lamm's seated position. Alynbrand, Richter, and Byron stream in behind Kur-Awk, stepping around the open pool as each of them take up position with weapons raised. Taisha moves up to the open door and looks in, taking stock of the situation with Dasha growling at her side.
Lamm sneers towards Alynbrand and Kur-Awk in equal measure as he stands up from his seated position, his body jaundiced and bent, eyes yellowed and skin speckled from age. His left leg carries a pronounced limp as he shuffles up from his seat. He wears only a gray cotton robe
"What is this? You expect me to remember every wench I've had shived for her finery boy? And you! Ha, I know you," looking towards Kur-Awk, "The drunk Shoanti, you pining after some b!!** as well?"
Picking up the close by hand crossbow, Lamm points it down towards the water and hastily squeezes the trigger to send a bolt splashing into the water.
Lamm Attack vs ???
Damage:
The bolt seems to shoot harmlessly through the water. Not getting the desired result he wanted, Lamm curses under his breath as he moves to back away from Kur-Awk.
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Meanwhile, up above, as Rolan slices his dagger across Hookshank's throat, who barely gurgles out a surprised reaction to his own death, the children shy away from the wizard who's hands are now splattered with blood. None of them look at Rolan too closely except for the oldest of them, who seem to delight in seeing Hookshanks finally get killed.
"What is this? You expect me to remember every wench I've had shived for her finery boy?"
Alynbrand responds flatly, "Wrong answer. Try again." and races around the corner to get in striking range of Lamm.
Roaring at the lack of a straight shot at Lamm, Kur-Awk raises his hammer high as he moves. His barely articulate scream becomes a name as he gets close to Lamm: "LEAH!!!
Attack!
Damage:
Richter comes running around the pool, his brows knitting together as he goes. Lamm obviously aimed at the water for a reason, and whatever it was isn't something Richter particularly wants to discover.
"What about your little lambs? Do you remember them Lamm? I assure you, they remember you. Now, drop the crossbow."
Rolan locks eyes with the older boy. He marks the boy's face and nods his head briefly. Taking but a moment to wipe most of the blood off of his hands and dagger using the gnome's discarded clothes he looks around once more and then makes his way down the hole to meet up with his companions. When he reaches the lower level he draws his dagger again and exchanges a look with Munin.
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With Alynbrand and Kur-Awk rushing towards Lamm, he still finds time to sneer towards Richter, "Oh, I remember you Richter, I should have fed you to Gobblegut the moment you showed up snot-nosed on my stoop!" Surprise falls on his face as the hand holding his crossbow suddenly goes limp and he drops the weapon to the floor, barely having the time to step back from Kur-Awk's massive Earthbreaker swinging for his torso. Lamm gives out a coughing agonized groan as the spiked head of the Earthbreaker makes bloody rivulets run down his cotton shirt from multiple piercing wounds and Lamm's lips are stained with blood now.
Out on the pier, Rolan lowers himself down to hear the sound of "LEAH!!!" being shouted in the under room of the fishery.
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Lamm wheezes loudly as one of his hands reaches up to hold his lacerated chest. Looking up at Kur-Awk as he hurls up a mixture of spit and blood at Kur-Awk's chest, he spats out vehemently, "Ha! Go ahead and kill me boy, ha... ha.... but you'll never get me out of your head and..." taking in a deep sucking breath as he groans, "tomorrow, that b+~~# Leah will still be six feet under."
Meanwhile, Rolan steps up behind Byron and Taisha and nods towards them, looking with grim satisfaction to see that Kur-Awk has his Earthbreaker poised over Lamm's head. Lamm reaches down near his thigh and there is a flash of steel as he tries to stab upward into Kur-Awk's belly with a straight sharp dagger.
Without hesitation, Alynbrand shifts his blade fractionally and slams the flat of the blade across Lamm's shoulder, attempting to stun him.
"You don't get to die yet. I have questions and you'll give me answers."
Standard:
HIT:
DAM:
Byron continues to watch the unfolding events with quiet interest...
Kur-Awk sees the old man draw through a haze of red. When he mentions Leah's name, his hammer flies! "You don't get to say her name!"
Attack:
Damage:
Rolan moves forward as much as he can, crossing his arms before his chest, until he sees the two fighters poised over the man he knows must be Lamm. His eyes shine with delight as they focus on the expression upon the old man's face. "Do it" He whispers almost to himself. Then the steel flashes and the weapons fall. A smile crosses Rolan's lips as he watches the last bloody moments of this vile man.
Channel(if needed)
Attack(if needed)
Damage
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While Alynbrand's excellently controlled strike to Lamm's head would have knocked the old man out cold. Kur-Awk's rage towards Lamm gets the better of Alynbrand's finesse and his Earthbreaker crashes into Lamm's skull with a distinctive WHUMP THUD as the now lifeless body caves into the ground. Lamm's skull and shoulders are bloody fragments of what they once were, and the sickening smell of old blood seeping out settles into the room. There is a deafening silence in the room in the aftermath of Kur-Awk's bloody vengeance.
The waves continue to lap up against the shore outside, and the lights held in the small lamps of the room flicker for a moment as a strong wind from the sea blows in, setting a few papers on the desk to rustle about.
Standing over the lifeless corpse of the fiend responsible for the death of the only woman he ever loved, Kur-Awk wavers for a moment as the rage drains out of him. He sinks to the ground, his hammer clattering next to him and begins to let out great sobs as he weeps for his lost love.
Alynbrand bites back the sharp retort he had in mind for the massive Kur-Awk as he sees the despondent man collapse. Well, hell...
His mood oscillates between irritation and compassion. The cooling corpse may have been the only person who could have provided a logical reason for why she was dead. Looks like I'll never know.
He gives Kur-Awk privacy, moving away quietly and looking about the room. Where are the riches? What was he trying to shoot? He has a suspicion probably shared by the others. He goes to speak with them quietly as they file in so as not to disturb the grieving giant.
"Gotta figure there's a shark down there. I'm wondering if Lamm fed it the children to keep it distracted so he could retrieve his treasure from the water. I'm not seeing much of value up here."
Richter moves to Kur-Awk when Lamm falls, and puts a hand on his shoulder, comfortingly. His own emotions are mixed, such relief at the absence of the fear thats stalked him so long yet he knows that he shouldn't feel so pleased at any death. "Its alright, my big friend. Its over now. He won't bring this pain on anyone else."
Moving away, he'll join the others in searching the room, stripping any valuables off Lamm(using detect magic to aid in finding anything magical).
Perception
With the room looked over he pauses and considers Alynbrand's words, nodding his head a bit. "Perhaps not a treasure even, but the bastard was the sort who would feel more kinship with a predator like that than the children. It makes sense that would be a disposal method for him, and it would explain the chum the gnome mentioned."
He puts a foot on Lamm's side, as if he intends to shove his body into the water, to become feed as he made so many others, though he looks to the others in case there is any objection.
"Hold off on dumping him. If he does have something in the water we want - records, treasure, whatever - we may need his body as a distraction for the shark.... The gnome talked about how when they delivered stuff to Lamm, they brought a kid who never came back. That can't be a coincidence."
Rolan spares but a glance for the sobbing barbarian as his eyes drink in the sight of Lamm's dead body. Nodding his head at Alymbrand's comment about the possibility of a shark or other monster below Rolan moves around the great hold into the water and into the partitioned off part of the room. His eyes dart this way and that looking for any sign of magical lore or gear. When Richter makes to dump Lamm’s body Rolan raises an eyebrow and backs away from the edge of the hole even further into the partitioned off section of the room.
Perception
Appraise
Spellcraft
Richter considers Alynbrand's comment "Perhaps we should be ready to strike when the body hits the water? If there is a shark and we injure it, it may flee. I doubt it is very loyal."
Alyn nods, "Agreed. But let's try to figure out what we're looking for in the water before we kick him in. We've only got one of him to toss in."
Another thought occurs to him, but he hesitates mentioning it for several reasons... "Richter. You knew Lamm from before, right? In his circle, did you ever run across a girl name Isolde?" He describes a woman in detail, it is clear, he was fond of her.
Kur-Awk drags one massive forearm across his nose, clearing it with a sniff. He stands up, looking down at Lamm's corpse and then spitting on it. "My Leah's dead. So are you, you bastard. Rot in the Abyss."
That done, he looks around at everyone searching the room. He wanders about, after picking up his hammer, and looks around, as well.
Perception:
Looking at the bloody mess that was once Lamm, Byron shrugs.
Well, so much for asking him questions. At least he will never again be a threat to anyone...
He then sets-about a systematic search of Lamm, the room, and the room behind the shut door...
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As each of you begin to sift through the objects of interest in the immediate room, Rolan is greeted with a foul-smelling room that seems to be a combination bedroom and study. A wooden bed with a lumpy mattress stands against the east wall, while a round table heaped with dirty plates, bread crusts, stained goblets, fruit rinds, and scuttling cockroaches sits nearby. At the foot of the bed sits a large strongbox, a slighty rusted lock securing its lid. A sagging dresser filled with moth-eaten clothes well past their glory days is in one corner—what appears to be a wooden hatbox surrounded by a small cloud of flies sits atop this dresser. The dead man’s personal habits are very much on display—he has little interest in cleanliness. Bedbugs infest the sheets, a chamber pot pushed under the bed is badly in need of cleaning, and the bits of food heaped on his table have attracted a large nest of roaches. Byron and Rolan look at each other as Byron steps into the room to assist Rolan in the search of the room after checking over Lamm's corpse. On Lamm's body Byron finds a masterwork dagger, masterwork hand crossbow with 9 bolts, and ring of keys.
Kur-Awk sifts through the larger rooms table where Lamm was sitting before the fight, and finds a ripped paper with scrawling script on it. However, the words on the paper are fragmentary and in a language you do not understand. The letters are closer to chicken scratchings than real script but they do have the distinct pattern of a language.
Kur-Awk ponders the paper for a moment before shrugging. He turns to Roland and holds out the paper. "Words aren't mine. You're smart, right? Read this."
Richter shakes his head sadly at Alynbrand "I'm sorry my friend. I haven't been in the company of this snake since I escaped in my youth. I do not recognize the name of Isolde. I wish I could be of more help."
Looking between Kur-Awk and Roland, he considers the paper "Words are not my talent either, but if the wizened one does not know this language, I could translate it tomorrow. It would be interesting to know of any contacts Lamm may have had, and perhaps it could lead to further peace for one of you."
Rolan looks over their meager finding with disappointment. You’d think after so many years of this life he might have had something worth finding. His frown deepens as he takes in the truly disgusting nature of Lamm’s bedroom and sniffs disdainfully. He nods towards the keys that Byron found. ”That looks like an invitation.” His head quirks towards the locked strongbox as if to clarify his meaning.
As the paper is thrust towards Rolan he takes it gently and turns it over in his hand. ”This will take a moment.” He says as he concentrates upon the scratchy writing. ”In the meantime we should check the containers we have found. Might be something worth it.”