Neverwinter Knight
First Post
What? Finally a "good" mage? 
Sorry about that, Mandi.
Sorry about that, Mandi.
JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!
JollyDoc
Explorer
Sunday Teaser
_______________
Harliss is recovered from the Bird Cage as well as one other unexpected ally who is caught in a rather compromising situation...
Harliss's tale is told, and a new Legionnaire joinst the quest
All roads lead to the Seventh Coil and in a pitched, multi-level battle at the Minting House, even Daelric is forced to go mano-a-mano!!
_______________
Harliss is recovered from the Bird Cage as well as one other unexpected ally who is caught in a rather compromising situation...
Harliss's tale is told, and a new Legionnaire joinst the quest
All roads lead to the Seventh Coil and in a pitched, multi-level battle at the Minting House, even Daelric is forced to go mano-a-mano!!
carborundum
Adventurer
Who's the new boy? Tell! Tell! Tell!
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
JollyDoc was wise enough to not update the DRAMATIS PERSONAE section before his actual update. Anyway, plants are nasty, as shown in the fight with the plant mommy's children. ![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
JollyDoc
Explorer
MAYHEM AT THE MINTING HOUSE
Harliss Javell’s eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Daelric’s deceptively angelic face leaning over her. What the priest saw in those eyes was not something he expected from what he’d heard of the tough pirate captain…fear.
“Are they dead?” she whispered.
“Who?” Daelric asked, wondering if she was referring to her crew.
“Th’harpies!” Harliss cried, her eyes growing wider.
“Captain, it’s me, Sepoto,” the goliath said, crouching down next to her. “Do you remember me? You’re safe now. The harpies are all dead. We took care of them. Can you tell us what happened?
Harliss shook her head violently. “Not here,” she breathed. “I won’t spend another minute in this infernal place!”
“I understand,” Sepoto nodded, “but we need to look around a bit more before we go. Will you be ok waiting in the foyer? We won’t be long, I promise.”
After a moment, the pirate nodded and the crusader helped her to her feet and led her back into the entry hall where she stood nervously near the exit door, looking as if she might bolt at any second.
Much of the interior of the Bird Cage seemed given over to various torture chambers, most of them classic in their décor, but some outfitted more like a noble’s bedchamber with a sinister twist. The other rooms were either waiting parlors for prospective clients or servants’ quarters. It was while searching one of these latter rooms that Sepoto made a peculiar discovery.
“Um…Mandi,” he called. “I think you’d better come in here and see this.”
The sorceress walked across the atrium and peered into the room.
“What in the name of…?” she gasped. The room contained two bunk beds and a small table, scattered with several sheaves of paper. Sprawled atop one of the upper bunks, his feet dangling over the edge almost to the floor, was none other than Lugnut, dressed in the same outlandish feather and leather harness that the other servants wore. He was sound asleep, his tongue lolling.
“This ought to be good,” Sepoto said, stifling a snort of laughter. He walked over to the sleeping ogre and shook him, none to gently. Lugnut’s eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright, striking his head on the low ceiling, and then tumbling heavily to the floor. As he struggled to his feet, he bowed low, mumbling.
“Sorry mistress. I’ll go and serve the tea now.”
“Lugnut, it’s me, Sepoto. What in the world happened to you, man?”
The ogre gazed at him, bleary-eyed and confused, no recognition in his eyes.
“He’s charmed,” Mandi said, disgust in her voice. “Daelric! We need your assistance!”
The priest hurried into the room, and after his initial shock wore off, he set about breaking the enchantment placed upon the ogre ranger. Several minutes later, Lugnut stared about in confusion and embarrassment.
“I simply cannot wait to hear this story,” Mandi said, tapping her foot impatiently.
Lugnut hung his head, his eyes on the floor. “Near as I remember, Tolin wanted us t’split up when we got here. He sent Bombur with Zan, while him an’ me asked ‘round at some of the local joints fer news about Vanthus or Lavinia. Rumors sent us here, and Tolin said I should pose as a customer, only turns out it weren’t that kind of whore house. Last thing I remember was telling the fella at the front desk I was there t’see the Sisters.”
“Seems like you saw more of them than you wanted,” Mandi sneered. “So Tolin’s grand plan consisted of splitting up his crew and sending you of all people in here as a decoy??”
Lugnut nodded miserably.
“Brilliant!” Mandi snorted. “Well, I can tell you where Bombur ended up. His corpse is hanging from a chain in the town plaza. We haven’t found any sign of the other two. In any event, it seems as if we’re stuck with you now. Find yourself some decent clothes and wait for us in the foyer.”
A thorough search of the rest of the establishment turned up little of interest, save for several written agreements with hundreds of prominent locals for services, including one past-due bill for the Seventh Coil for interrogations of “a feisty and foul-mouthed wench.”
When the group gathered up Harliss and Lugnut and departed the Bird Cage, a small crowd had gathered on the street outside, drawn by the sounds of combat. No constables were visible, and no one seemed to care that the Sisters of Lamentation had been slaughtered. The crowd parted to let the Legionnaires pass, and although many eyes watched them depart, one watcher in particular followed them at an inconspicuous distance.
__________________________________________________________
With Lugnut’s help, Tower Cleaver managed to haul Bombur’s carcass down from the plaza chains and lay him on the cobblestones.
“You want me to do it right here…in front of everyone?” Daelric asked Mandi.
“Why not?” the elf answered. “As far as any prying eyes know, you’re simply a necromancer reanimating a corpse. Seems a pretty common practice around here.”
Daelric shrugged and set about his task, murmuring prayers over the dead dwarf as he spread healing salves across Bombur’s wounds. After several minutes of this, the dwarven priest gasped as life returned to him, and wonder filled his eyes as he saw the familiar faces of his saviors.
“I…I don’t believe it!” he said.
“What I don’t believe is the monumental stupidity that got you into this predicament in the first place!” Mandi railed. “What part of ‘lay low until we find you,’ did you fail to understand??”
“I tried t’tell Tolin that,” Bombur said, shaking his head, “but he would’na hear it. He said this was our chance to show Lavinia that the Jade Ravens should be her protectors. Said we could show up your crew.”
“I trust you see the error of your ways now,” Mandi said, coolly. “Where are Tolin and Zan?”
“I dinnae know,” the dwarf answered. “Tolin went with Lug, but me an’Zan was ambushed by them snake men. They said somethin’ about takin’ him t’th’Mintin’ House fer recruitment. I’m afraid he may be done fer by now.”
At mention of this last, Harliss’s eyebrows raised in interest.
“You know what he’s talking about?” Mandi asked.
Harliss looked around. “’Tis not a safe place for loose talk, lassie. Do ye have a hideout?”
“As a matter of fact,” Mandi nodded, “we do.”
________________________________________________________________
Once they were safely back at Red Foam Whaling, Harliss began her tale.
“When I left Kraken’s Cove, I vowed t’get even with th’Kraken’s themselves fer not tellin’ me what it was I was transportin’ in me ship’s hold. ‘Twas because o’them that I lost me crew and me ship. I went on foot through th’jungle till I found th’beach where that back stabbin’ son-of-a-whore Vanderboren staged his attack. He’d left behind several skiffs an’ I took one, and made me way to a Rundeen fort. From there, I managed t’fast talk me way onto a bigger ship, and made me way here eventually. After I seen what just one o’those black pearls could do, and knowin’ that the Kraken’s had more, I wanted t’see what they was up to. It took me a few months, and I had several close calls with them cannibal monks and the Kraken’s watch-dog monkey demons, but I finally made some headway by findin’ th’Protectorate. With their help, I learned plenty about the Kraken fleet, and come damn close t’findin’ the location o’their hideout, but while I was spyin’ on one o’their crews, I heard’em talkin’ nonsense about Vanderboren comin’ back from th’dead and bringin’ his sister t’the base with’im. Well, this made me think o’you and yer crew, boyo,” she said to Sepoto, “an’ I figured if ye were still employed by th’lady, then ye might be interested in what I’d found, and ye might be willin’ t’help me get me payback. The Protectorate put me in touch with Tyralandi, and it was she that give me the dreamin’ magic so’s I could get me message to ye. But it were while I was waitin’ fer yer arrival here that the Seventh Coil attacked th’Protectorate, killin’ every last one o’em and takin’ me prisoner. The thing is, just afore th’snake men attacked, I’d found out about one o’their safe houses, a place called th’Mintin’ House, just like yer friend said. If anywhere in Scuttlecove holds th’secret o’where th’Krakens’ base is, that’d be it.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the front door of the warehouse. At a quick nod from Mandi, Tower Cleaver wrenched the door open and seized the figure standing on the other side in one pumpkin-sized fist, lifting him bodily into the air and then pinning him against a wall.
“Wait!” the figure shouted. “I’m a friend! Please, listen to what I have to say!”
The cloaked man was human, dressed in the nondescript garb of a forester, and carrying only a scimitar belted at his waist. His hair was tied loosely in a pony tail, and a scruffy goatee covered his chin. There was nothing remarkable about him at all, but his grey eyes caught Mandi’s attention. They spoke of having seen many things despite the man’s middling age.
“Speak quickly,” the sorceress said with quiet menace, “but know that if I don’t care for what you have to say, Cleaver will tear your arms off.”
“Fair enough,” the man nodded, still suspended several feet off the ground. “My name is Gregor, and I’ve been observing you since you came into the city.”
At that, Cleaver’s grip tightened.
“He doesn’t like being spied on,” Mandi said with a wicked smile.
“I wasn’t spying,” Gregor replied, calm in his voice despite his precarious position. “I simply had to be sure of your intentions before I made contact. I am a servant of Silvanus, and it is in His service that I have come to this forsaken place. His visions have shown me that a great darkness threatens all of Faerun which threatens the precarious balance upon which our existence is poised. The nature of this threat has not been made clear to me, but what I saw led me here, to Scuttlecove, where I knew I must wait for others whose purpose paralleled my own. I knew you would come here. It was foretold to me. I was almost certain when I first saw your group, but I had to be one-hundred percent, so I followed you. When I saw the places your path went and the enemies who stood against you, I knew for sure that you were the ones I sought. Please believe me. I seek to aid you in your quest, for it is my own as well.”
Mandi considered the man’s words for a moment, then looked to Daelric and nodded. The priest uttered a prayer, and then turned his glowing eyes on the druid.
“He’s clean,” Daelric said at length, “and I perceive no treachery in his words or his demeanor.”
At a gesture from Mandi, Cleaver lowered Gregor to the ground.
“Well, if you are sincere in your offer,” the sorceress said, smiling, “then there are some things you should know…”
____________________________________________________________________
A few hours later, Lugnut and Bombur were left at Red Foam with instructions to remain there for one day, and then to seek out the Sea Wyvern if the Legionnaires had not returned. As for the Legion, it was decided that Gregor be allowed to accompany them to the Minting House, if only for his knowledge of the dynamics of Scuttlecove’s warring factions. Mandi certainly did not trust the man, nor take him at face value, but if he provided one more warm body between her and a horde of yuan-ti, then so much the better. Harliss also accompanied the group, against Mandi’s better judgment, but the pirate captain would not hear any attempts to leave her behind. She had a personal vendetta to settle, and there would be no talking her out of it.
The Minting House was a narrow brick building sandwiched between a boarded-up warehouse and a blackened alchemy shop. The place had three stories under a steeply gabled roof, and a towering chimney of great size thrust up from its peak. Mandi wasted no time with subtlety as the group approached the front door. She meant to hit the yuan-ti fast and hard before they could prepare any organized defense. Lifting her wand, she tapped on the door, causing it to swing open and then Tower Cleaver rushed inside. The room beyond was empty, and the windows overlooking the street were boarded up. The minotaur cocked his head. Had that been the faint scuff of a boot coming from the floor above? Snorting, he squeezed himself into the narrow stairwell which climbed to the second story. As he reached the second floor landing, he found himself in a crude barracks of sorts, with several straw pallets strewn about the room. Six men dressed in chain link shirts and brandishing scimitars stood at the ready, but before they could move, Octurus and Harliss Javell both darted between Cleaver’s legs and somersaulted into the area, rolling to their feet behind the thugs. One of the brigands slashed at the pirate as she tumbled past, but his blade caught her only a glancing blow. That unfortunate found himself flanked by Harliss and the Maztican, who made quick work of him with a flurry of thrusts and slashes from scimitars, rapier and dagger. Octurus then whirled towards a second ruffian, whipping his blade to within a hair’s breadth of the man’s face, leaving a neat slice across both his lips. The thug stumbled back reflexively, his hand going to the gushing wound.
Daelric was still on the ground floor, having rendered himself invisible so that he would be ready to dash in and tend to the wounds of his companions if necessary. Suddenly, the basement door swung wide and two more warriors started across the room and towards the stairs where his friends were still bottle-necked by the massive form of Tower Cleaver on the landing above. The priest wanted to shout a warning, but at the same time he was wary of giving away his own position. Gregor spared him the decision, however, when the druid caught the brigands’ movement from the corner of his eye. He stepped out of the stair well, and as he did so, his body began to grow and change, taking on the appearance of a large, bipedal plant with massive, crushing arms. The charging thugs checked their momentum, eyes growing wide as they saw the creature barring their way. One tree-like appendage swung out like a battering ram, cuffing one of the men across his temple. The second man tried to dart under Gregor’s flailing limbs, but a backhanded slap sent him stumbling. The first warrior quickly regained his composure and thrust his blade into the druid’s bark-like skin. A thin stream of sap trickled from the wound, but the man didn’t have time to appreciate his handiwork as he was pounded twice more by the lumbering plant-thing before him.
Tower Cleaver managed to free his arms from the cramped walls of the stair, and he swung his axe before him like a reaping scythe, slashing across three of the brigands and disemboweling them all. Then his backswing caught a fourth between the neck and shoulder, neatly severing his head. As the last remaining thug stared open mouthed, Harliss seized him by the hair, jerked his head back and quickly slit his throat.
“That’s fer Drevoraz,” she hissed.
Suddenly, the hairs rising on her arm gave her a split-second warning and she shoved Octurus aside, shouting, “Hit the deck!” as a pair of sizzling bolts of electricity cut through the air where they’d been standing a moment before. Coming down the stairs leading to the third floor were what appeared to be almost a dozen human-armed, snake-bodied yuan-ti. On closer inspection, however, Harliss noticed that she several of the figures were almost transparent, most likely illusions, shielding the real snakes from view. As the pirate and Maztican rolled back to their feet, one of the sorcerers flung out his hand and a blast of cold, black energy struck Octurus, chilling him to his marrow as his skin felt like it was on fire.
Gregor didn’t enjoy killing, but he didn’t hesitate to do so if it served his Lord’s purposes. So it was with grim determination that he prepared to dispatch the two men before him, when suddenly he saw three more yuan-ti, wreathed in illusory images like their companions above, step into the room from the basement stairs. Before the druid could do more than acknowledge their presence, all three hurled lightning at him, scorching his wooden hide and setting much of his foliage smoldering. The blast left him momentarily dazed as his nerve endings sizzled with overloaded impulses. He wouldn’t be able to reach them all before they could blast him again, and he knew that he’d not survive a second such assault. Shifting back to his human form with a thought, he called on the power of Silvanus, conjuring a wave of livid green slime-like algae to wash over both the brigands and the yuan-ti. Wherever the slime touched, it began to dissolve flesh and clothing. The pair of thugs miraculously managed to leap aside as the wave passed, and one of the yuan-ti quickly ducked back behind the basement door. His brethren, however, howled and hissed in agony as their skin began to putrefy and blood oozed like pus.
Tower Cleaver surged into the second floor room, crossing the distance between himself and the yuan-ti in two large strides. He didn’t aim his swings, but merely let the power behind them make up for his inability to pick out his real targets. With a sickening gurgle, one of the sorcerers went down in an arterial spray of blood and gore as the illusions surrounding him winked out of existence. The second snake-man leaped back as three of his own images were disintegrated by the minotaur’s devastating blows. Harliss and Octurus were on him in a flash, their combined strikes dispelling the remaining illusions.
Daelric had to admire the druid’s skill. Single-handedly, he had held his five assailants at bay and had gone a long way towards dispatching almost half of them. The priest felt it was time for him to step up and show that Shaundekal’s own abilities were not to be trifled with. Winking back into view as his prayer was cast, he conjured a familiar wall of whirling blades of force down the length of the room, slashing one of the remaining thugs to ribbons.
“Nicely done,” Mandi said from behind him. “But it needs a bit of finesse.”
The sorceress began her own incantation, creating a second wall behind the blade barrier, this one also made of force, but as solid as stone, effectively separating the two slime-covered yuan-ti from their unharmed comrade, where he could only watch as his brothers were cut to bits even as their bodies were consumed by the slime.
Octurus dashed leaped past Tower Cleaver towards the second yuan-ti, his scimitar opening a long gash up the sorcerer’s side which bled profusely. The yuan-ti hissed, backing towards the stairwell as he hurled a second blast of negative energy at the Maztican, striking him directly over his heart. Octurus crumpled, clutching his chest in agony as he felt his pulse become weak and thready. With a roar, Tower Cleaver lunged at the sorcerer, caving in his skull with one huge fist.
“Are ye ok, boyo?” Harliss asked, kneeling next to the demon hunter.
“No…” Octurus whispered, “but I’ll live.”
“Good,” the pirate grinned, “because from the sound o’things below, we still got business needs dealing with.”
The last brigand standing rushed towards Daelric, his sword raised for a killing blow. The frail priest instinctively cringed, but as he raised his arm to ward off the attack, he prayed to Shaundekal for protection. His hand flared with black light and when it touched the thug’s chest, the man’s heart simply stopped and he tumbled backwards into the pooling slime.
“Thank you,” Daelric breathed, looking up at the ceiling. “I owe you one.”
The only surviving yuan-ti glared balefully through the force wall at Mandi. With a wave of his hand he vanished and Mandi smiled evilly. The fool had teleported, and these days the elven sorceress never left home without putting in place a ward against such tactics. Without his even knowing what was happening, the yuan-ti was shunted into the Astral plane for several seconds, long enough for Mandi to discern where he would reappear. Shouldering past her companions, she ran up the stairs to the second floor. When she reached the spot where she knew her foe would come, she promptly disintegrated the floor in that area. Moments later, the sorcerer appeared, and then disappeared again through the hole, landing flat on his back in a puddle of slime below.
“Strong work, lass!” Harliss shouted gleefully as she zipped past Mandi and leaped into the hole. She landed in a crouch beside the writhing snake man, blades gripped in both hands. The yuan-ti raised his hands, ebony flames coalescing around them. A sizzling blast hissed over Harliss’s shoulder in that instant and struck the sorcerer, turning his body to purest glass. With a snarl, Harliss raised her blades and shattered the statue into glittering fragments.
______________________________________________________________
The minting house turned out to be just that…a counterfeiting operation. Coin molds as well as a furnace were discovered in the basement, along with a hidden shrine devoted to Demogorgon. It seemed that the yuan-ti cult that Tyralandi claimed to have destroyed had survived after all. Also among the corpses of the Seventh Coil sorcerers was a crude map showing a cove several miles northwest of Scuttlecove with the symbol of the Kraken Society. Harliss’s hunch was right. The yuan-ti were indeed allied with the Kraken’s. If Lavinia Vanderboren and her undead brother were to be found, the headquarters of the Kraken Society would be the place.
The Minting House held one last surprise discovery for the Legionnaires…an unconscious, bloodied, and obviously diseased Zan Oldavin, found bound in a dank cellar room. Once Daelric had healed the rogue, he was as shocked and grateful as his others team mates, relieved that they were all safe…except for Tolin. The ranger’s fate and whereabouts were still unknown. The Legion returned to Red Foam and the three Jade Ravens were reunited. One task remained: to find the Kraken Society and beard the deadly, cutthroat pirates in their own, presumably well-defended lair…
Harliss Javell’s eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Daelric’s deceptively angelic face leaning over her. What the priest saw in those eyes was not something he expected from what he’d heard of the tough pirate captain…fear.
“Are they dead?” she whispered.
“Who?” Daelric asked, wondering if she was referring to her crew.
“Th’harpies!” Harliss cried, her eyes growing wider.
“Captain, it’s me, Sepoto,” the goliath said, crouching down next to her. “Do you remember me? You’re safe now. The harpies are all dead. We took care of them. Can you tell us what happened?
Harliss shook her head violently. “Not here,” she breathed. “I won’t spend another minute in this infernal place!”
“I understand,” Sepoto nodded, “but we need to look around a bit more before we go. Will you be ok waiting in the foyer? We won’t be long, I promise.”
After a moment, the pirate nodded and the crusader helped her to her feet and led her back into the entry hall where she stood nervously near the exit door, looking as if she might bolt at any second.
Much of the interior of the Bird Cage seemed given over to various torture chambers, most of them classic in their décor, but some outfitted more like a noble’s bedchamber with a sinister twist. The other rooms were either waiting parlors for prospective clients or servants’ quarters. It was while searching one of these latter rooms that Sepoto made a peculiar discovery.
“Um…Mandi,” he called. “I think you’d better come in here and see this.”
The sorceress walked across the atrium and peered into the room.
“What in the name of…?” she gasped. The room contained two bunk beds and a small table, scattered with several sheaves of paper. Sprawled atop one of the upper bunks, his feet dangling over the edge almost to the floor, was none other than Lugnut, dressed in the same outlandish feather and leather harness that the other servants wore. He was sound asleep, his tongue lolling.
“This ought to be good,” Sepoto said, stifling a snort of laughter. He walked over to the sleeping ogre and shook him, none to gently. Lugnut’s eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright, striking his head on the low ceiling, and then tumbling heavily to the floor. As he struggled to his feet, he bowed low, mumbling.
“Sorry mistress. I’ll go and serve the tea now.”
“Lugnut, it’s me, Sepoto. What in the world happened to you, man?”
The ogre gazed at him, bleary-eyed and confused, no recognition in his eyes.
“He’s charmed,” Mandi said, disgust in her voice. “Daelric! We need your assistance!”
The priest hurried into the room, and after his initial shock wore off, he set about breaking the enchantment placed upon the ogre ranger. Several minutes later, Lugnut stared about in confusion and embarrassment.
“I simply cannot wait to hear this story,” Mandi said, tapping her foot impatiently.
Lugnut hung his head, his eyes on the floor. “Near as I remember, Tolin wanted us t’split up when we got here. He sent Bombur with Zan, while him an’ me asked ‘round at some of the local joints fer news about Vanthus or Lavinia. Rumors sent us here, and Tolin said I should pose as a customer, only turns out it weren’t that kind of whore house. Last thing I remember was telling the fella at the front desk I was there t’see the Sisters.”
“Seems like you saw more of them than you wanted,” Mandi sneered. “So Tolin’s grand plan consisted of splitting up his crew and sending you of all people in here as a decoy??”
Lugnut nodded miserably.
“Brilliant!” Mandi snorted. “Well, I can tell you where Bombur ended up. His corpse is hanging from a chain in the town plaza. We haven’t found any sign of the other two. In any event, it seems as if we’re stuck with you now. Find yourself some decent clothes and wait for us in the foyer.”
A thorough search of the rest of the establishment turned up little of interest, save for several written agreements with hundreds of prominent locals for services, including one past-due bill for the Seventh Coil for interrogations of “a feisty and foul-mouthed wench.”
When the group gathered up Harliss and Lugnut and departed the Bird Cage, a small crowd had gathered on the street outside, drawn by the sounds of combat. No constables were visible, and no one seemed to care that the Sisters of Lamentation had been slaughtered. The crowd parted to let the Legionnaires pass, and although many eyes watched them depart, one watcher in particular followed them at an inconspicuous distance.
__________________________________________________________
With Lugnut’s help, Tower Cleaver managed to haul Bombur’s carcass down from the plaza chains and lay him on the cobblestones.
“You want me to do it right here…in front of everyone?” Daelric asked Mandi.
“Why not?” the elf answered. “As far as any prying eyes know, you’re simply a necromancer reanimating a corpse. Seems a pretty common practice around here.”
Daelric shrugged and set about his task, murmuring prayers over the dead dwarf as he spread healing salves across Bombur’s wounds. After several minutes of this, the dwarven priest gasped as life returned to him, and wonder filled his eyes as he saw the familiar faces of his saviors.
“I…I don’t believe it!” he said.
“What I don’t believe is the monumental stupidity that got you into this predicament in the first place!” Mandi railed. “What part of ‘lay low until we find you,’ did you fail to understand??”
“I tried t’tell Tolin that,” Bombur said, shaking his head, “but he would’na hear it. He said this was our chance to show Lavinia that the Jade Ravens should be her protectors. Said we could show up your crew.”
“I trust you see the error of your ways now,” Mandi said, coolly. “Where are Tolin and Zan?”
“I dinnae know,” the dwarf answered. “Tolin went with Lug, but me an’Zan was ambushed by them snake men. They said somethin’ about takin’ him t’th’Mintin’ House fer recruitment. I’m afraid he may be done fer by now.”
At mention of this last, Harliss’s eyebrows raised in interest.
“You know what he’s talking about?” Mandi asked.
Harliss looked around. “’Tis not a safe place for loose talk, lassie. Do ye have a hideout?”
“As a matter of fact,” Mandi nodded, “we do.”
________________________________________________________________
Once they were safely back at Red Foam Whaling, Harliss began her tale.
“When I left Kraken’s Cove, I vowed t’get even with th’Kraken’s themselves fer not tellin’ me what it was I was transportin’ in me ship’s hold. ‘Twas because o’them that I lost me crew and me ship. I went on foot through th’jungle till I found th’beach where that back stabbin’ son-of-a-whore Vanderboren staged his attack. He’d left behind several skiffs an’ I took one, and made me way to a Rundeen fort. From there, I managed t’fast talk me way onto a bigger ship, and made me way here eventually. After I seen what just one o’those black pearls could do, and knowin’ that the Kraken’s had more, I wanted t’see what they was up to. It took me a few months, and I had several close calls with them cannibal monks and the Kraken’s watch-dog monkey demons, but I finally made some headway by findin’ th’Protectorate. With their help, I learned plenty about the Kraken fleet, and come damn close t’findin’ the location o’their hideout, but while I was spyin’ on one o’their crews, I heard’em talkin’ nonsense about Vanderboren comin’ back from th’dead and bringin’ his sister t’the base with’im. Well, this made me think o’you and yer crew, boyo,” she said to Sepoto, “an’ I figured if ye were still employed by th’lady, then ye might be interested in what I’d found, and ye might be willin’ t’help me get me payback. The Protectorate put me in touch with Tyralandi, and it was she that give me the dreamin’ magic so’s I could get me message to ye. But it were while I was waitin’ fer yer arrival here that the Seventh Coil attacked th’Protectorate, killin’ every last one o’em and takin’ me prisoner. The thing is, just afore th’snake men attacked, I’d found out about one o’their safe houses, a place called th’Mintin’ House, just like yer friend said. If anywhere in Scuttlecove holds th’secret o’where th’Krakens’ base is, that’d be it.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the front door of the warehouse. At a quick nod from Mandi, Tower Cleaver wrenched the door open and seized the figure standing on the other side in one pumpkin-sized fist, lifting him bodily into the air and then pinning him against a wall.
“Wait!” the figure shouted. “I’m a friend! Please, listen to what I have to say!”
The cloaked man was human, dressed in the nondescript garb of a forester, and carrying only a scimitar belted at his waist. His hair was tied loosely in a pony tail, and a scruffy goatee covered his chin. There was nothing remarkable about him at all, but his grey eyes caught Mandi’s attention. They spoke of having seen many things despite the man’s middling age.
“Speak quickly,” the sorceress said with quiet menace, “but know that if I don’t care for what you have to say, Cleaver will tear your arms off.”
“Fair enough,” the man nodded, still suspended several feet off the ground. “My name is Gregor, and I’ve been observing you since you came into the city.”
At that, Cleaver’s grip tightened.
“He doesn’t like being spied on,” Mandi said with a wicked smile.
“I wasn’t spying,” Gregor replied, calm in his voice despite his precarious position. “I simply had to be sure of your intentions before I made contact. I am a servant of Silvanus, and it is in His service that I have come to this forsaken place. His visions have shown me that a great darkness threatens all of Faerun which threatens the precarious balance upon which our existence is poised. The nature of this threat has not been made clear to me, but what I saw led me here, to Scuttlecove, where I knew I must wait for others whose purpose paralleled my own. I knew you would come here. It was foretold to me. I was almost certain when I first saw your group, but I had to be one-hundred percent, so I followed you. When I saw the places your path went and the enemies who stood against you, I knew for sure that you were the ones I sought. Please believe me. I seek to aid you in your quest, for it is my own as well.”
Mandi considered the man’s words for a moment, then looked to Daelric and nodded. The priest uttered a prayer, and then turned his glowing eyes on the druid.
“He’s clean,” Daelric said at length, “and I perceive no treachery in his words or his demeanor.”
At a gesture from Mandi, Cleaver lowered Gregor to the ground.
“Well, if you are sincere in your offer,” the sorceress said, smiling, “then there are some things you should know…”
____________________________________________________________________
A few hours later, Lugnut and Bombur were left at Red Foam with instructions to remain there for one day, and then to seek out the Sea Wyvern if the Legionnaires had not returned. As for the Legion, it was decided that Gregor be allowed to accompany them to the Minting House, if only for his knowledge of the dynamics of Scuttlecove’s warring factions. Mandi certainly did not trust the man, nor take him at face value, but if he provided one more warm body between her and a horde of yuan-ti, then so much the better. Harliss also accompanied the group, against Mandi’s better judgment, but the pirate captain would not hear any attempts to leave her behind. She had a personal vendetta to settle, and there would be no talking her out of it.
The Minting House was a narrow brick building sandwiched between a boarded-up warehouse and a blackened alchemy shop. The place had three stories under a steeply gabled roof, and a towering chimney of great size thrust up from its peak. Mandi wasted no time with subtlety as the group approached the front door. She meant to hit the yuan-ti fast and hard before they could prepare any organized defense. Lifting her wand, she tapped on the door, causing it to swing open and then Tower Cleaver rushed inside. The room beyond was empty, and the windows overlooking the street were boarded up. The minotaur cocked his head. Had that been the faint scuff of a boot coming from the floor above? Snorting, he squeezed himself into the narrow stairwell which climbed to the second story. As he reached the second floor landing, he found himself in a crude barracks of sorts, with several straw pallets strewn about the room. Six men dressed in chain link shirts and brandishing scimitars stood at the ready, but before they could move, Octurus and Harliss Javell both darted between Cleaver’s legs and somersaulted into the area, rolling to their feet behind the thugs. One of the brigands slashed at the pirate as she tumbled past, but his blade caught her only a glancing blow. That unfortunate found himself flanked by Harliss and the Maztican, who made quick work of him with a flurry of thrusts and slashes from scimitars, rapier and dagger. Octurus then whirled towards a second ruffian, whipping his blade to within a hair’s breadth of the man’s face, leaving a neat slice across both his lips. The thug stumbled back reflexively, his hand going to the gushing wound.
Daelric was still on the ground floor, having rendered himself invisible so that he would be ready to dash in and tend to the wounds of his companions if necessary. Suddenly, the basement door swung wide and two more warriors started across the room and towards the stairs where his friends were still bottle-necked by the massive form of Tower Cleaver on the landing above. The priest wanted to shout a warning, but at the same time he was wary of giving away his own position. Gregor spared him the decision, however, when the druid caught the brigands’ movement from the corner of his eye. He stepped out of the stair well, and as he did so, his body began to grow and change, taking on the appearance of a large, bipedal plant with massive, crushing arms. The charging thugs checked their momentum, eyes growing wide as they saw the creature barring their way. One tree-like appendage swung out like a battering ram, cuffing one of the men across his temple. The second man tried to dart under Gregor’s flailing limbs, but a backhanded slap sent him stumbling. The first warrior quickly regained his composure and thrust his blade into the druid’s bark-like skin. A thin stream of sap trickled from the wound, but the man didn’t have time to appreciate his handiwork as he was pounded twice more by the lumbering plant-thing before him.
Tower Cleaver managed to free his arms from the cramped walls of the stair, and he swung his axe before him like a reaping scythe, slashing across three of the brigands and disemboweling them all. Then his backswing caught a fourth between the neck and shoulder, neatly severing his head. As the last remaining thug stared open mouthed, Harliss seized him by the hair, jerked his head back and quickly slit his throat.
“That’s fer Drevoraz,” she hissed.
Suddenly, the hairs rising on her arm gave her a split-second warning and she shoved Octurus aside, shouting, “Hit the deck!” as a pair of sizzling bolts of electricity cut through the air where they’d been standing a moment before. Coming down the stairs leading to the third floor were what appeared to be almost a dozen human-armed, snake-bodied yuan-ti. On closer inspection, however, Harliss noticed that she several of the figures were almost transparent, most likely illusions, shielding the real snakes from view. As the pirate and Maztican rolled back to their feet, one of the sorcerers flung out his hand and a blast of cold, black energy struck Octurus, chilling him to his marrow as his skin felt like it was on fire.
Gregor didn’t enjoy killing, but he didn’t hesitate to do so if it served his Lord’s purposes. So it was with grim determination that he prepared to dispatch the two men before him, when suddenly he saw three more yuan-ti, wreathed in illusory images like their companions above, step into the room from the basement stairs. Before the druid could do more than acknowledge their presence, all three hurled lightning at him, scorching his wooden hide and setting much of his foliage smoldering. The blast left him momentarily dazed as his nerve endings sizzled with overloaded impulses. He wouldn’t be able to reach them all before they could blast him again, and he knew that he’d not survive a second such assault. Shifting back to his human form with a thought, he called on the power of Silvanus, conjuring a wave of livid green slime-like algae to wash over both the brigands and the yuan-ti. Wherever the slime touched, it began to dissolve flesh and clothing. The pair of thugs miraculously managed to leap aside as the wave passed, and one of the yuan-ti quickly ducked back behind the basement door. His brethren, however, howled and hissed in agony as their skin began to putrefy and blood oozed like pus.
Tower Cleaver surged into the second floor room, crossing the distance between himself and the yuan-ti in two large strides. He didn’t aim his swings, but merely let the power behind them make up for his inability to pick out his real targets. With a sickening gurgle, one of the sorcerers went down in an arterial spray of blood and gore as the illusions surrounding him winked out of existence. The second snake-man leaped back as three of his own images were disintegrated by the minotaur’s devastating blows. Harliss and Octurus were on him in a flash, their combined strikes dispelling the remaining illusions.
Daelric had to admire the druid’s skill. Single-handedly, he had held his five assailants at bay and had gone a long way towards dispatching almost half of them. The priest felt it was time for him to step up and show that Shaundekal’s own abilities were not to be trifled with. Winking back into view as his prayer was cast, he conjured a familiar wall of whirling blades of force down the length of the room, slashing one of the remaining thugs to ribbons.
“Nicely done,” Mandi said from behind him. “But it needs a bit of finesse.”
The sorceress began her own incantation, creating a second wall behind the blade barrier, this one also made of force, but as solid as stone, effectively separating the two slime-covered yuan-ti from their unharmed comrade, where he could only watch as his brothers were cut to bits even as their bodies were consumed by the slime.
Octurus dashed leaped past Tower Cleaver towards the second yuan-ti, his scimitar opening a long gash up the sorcerer’s side which bled profusely. The yuan-ti hissed, backing towards the stairwell as he hurled a second blast of negative energy at the Maztican, striking him directly over his heart. Octurus crumpled, clutching his chest in agony as he felt his pulse become weak and thready. With a roar, Tower Cleaver lunged at the sorcerer, caving in his skull with one huge fist.
“Are ye ok, boyo?” Harliss asked, kneeling next to the demon hunter.
“No…” Octurus whispered, “but I’ll live.”
“Good,” the pirate grinned, “because from the sound o’things below, we still got business needs dealing with.”
The last brigand standing rushed towards Daelric, his sword raised for a killing blow. The frail priest instinctively cringed, but as he raised his arm to ward off the attack, he prayed to Shaundekal for protection. His hand flared with black light and when it touched the thug’s chest, the man’s heart simply stopped and he tumbled backwards into the pooling slime.
“Thank you,” Daelric breathed, looking up at the ceiling. “I owe you one.”
The only surviving yuan-ti glared balefully through the force wall at Mandi. With a wave of his hand he vanished and Mandi smiled evilly. The fool had teleported, and these days the elven sorceress never left home without putting in place a ward against such tactics. Without his even knowing what was happening, the yuan-ti was shunted into the Astral plane for several seconds, long enough for Mandi to discern where he would reappear. Shouldering past her companions, she ran up the stairs to the second floor. When she reached the spot where she knew her foe would come, she promptly disintegrated the floor in that area. Moments later, the sorcerer appeared, and then disappeared again through the hole, landing flat on his back in a puddle of slime below.
“Strong work, lass!” Harliss shouted gleefully as she zipped past Mandi and leaped into the hole. She landed in a crouch beside the writhing snake man, blades gripped in both hands. The yuan-ti raised his hands, ebony flames coalescing around them. A sizzling blast hissed over Harliss’s shoulder in that instant and struck the sorcerer, turning his body to purest glass. With a snarl, Harliss raised her blades and shattered the statue into glittering fragments.
______________________________________________________________
The minting house turned out to be just that…a counterfeiting operation. Coin molds as well as a furnace were discovered in the basement, along with a hidden shrine devoted to Demogorgon. It seemed that the yuan-ti cult that Tyralandi claimed to have destroyed had survived after all. Also among the corpses of the Seventh Coil sorcerers was a crude map showing a cove several miles northwest of Scuttlecove with the symbol of the Kraken Society. Harliss’s hunch was right. The yuan-ti were indeed allied with the Kraken’s. If Lavinia Vanderboren and her undead brother were to be found, the headquarters of the Kraken Society would be the place.
The Minting House held one last surprise discovery for the Legionnaires…an unconscious, bloodied, and obviously diseased Zan Oldavin, found bound in a dank cellar room. Once Daelric had healed the rogue, he was as shocked and grateful as his others team mates, relieved that they were all safe…except for Tolin. The ranger’s fate and whereabouts were still unknown. The Legion returned to Red Foam and the three Jade Ravens were reunited. One task remained: to find the Kraken Society and beard the deadly, cutthroat pirates in their own, presumably well-defended lair…
Hammerhead
Explorer
Any chance we can see Brother Gregor's character sheet?
He seems strangely...principled. Ugh.
He seems strangely...principled. Ugh.
WarEagleMage
First Post
Hammerhead said:Any chance we can see Brother Gregor's character sheet?
He seems strangely...principled. Ugh.
I'll try and get him up sometime this week. Nothing terribly exotic, just a lvl 14 druid with the Shapechanger variant from PHB2. It takes some of the versatility of wild shape away, but makes gameplay much easier. As for his demeanor: he is an agent of a higher power, and his principles serve the Balance. At the moment, the threat of the Savage Tide has him aligned with the Legion.
Aracase
Explorer
Tower Cleaver; Minotaur Barbarian 2/Warhulk 5: ECL 15; Size L; HD 6d8+30 + 7d12+35; hp 191; Init +1; Spd 40 ft (base 30 ft); AC 27, touch 14, FF 26; BAB +8/+3; Grapple +27; Atk: +23/+18 melee (+17 melee (1d8 + 13, gore), +24/+19 melee (3d6 + 24/crit x3, Sun Axe), +26/+21 melee (3d6 + 26/crit x3, Sun Axe vs Evil); SA Powerful charge 4d6+6; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., natural cunning, scent; AL N; SV Fort +21, Ref +12, Will +13; Str 41, Dex 12, Con 24, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 6.carborundum said:
Languages spoken: Common, Giant
Skills and Feats: Climb +12, Intimidate +0, Listen +7, Speak Language +2, Spot +8, Survival +1, Swim +4; Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Cleave, Great Cleave, Iron Will, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Power Attack, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency.
Special Abilities: Ability Boost, Darkvision, Fast Movement, Great Swing, Illiteracy, Mighty rock throwing, Mighty swing, Rage, Scent, Uncanny Dodge.
Possessions: 4475 pp, 600 gp, Cloak of protection +3, Sun axe, Large greataxe +1 (flaming), Skin of ectoplasmic armor, Backpack, 4 Potion of cure moderate wounds, Potion of haste, Potion of invisibility, 7 Potion of cure serious wounds, 5 Potion of fly, 4 Potion of barkskin +3, Potion of water breathing, 4 Potion of protection from evil, Vest of resistance +5, Ioun stone (dusty rose), Ring of freedom of movement, Belt of giant strength +4, Bracers of health +4 con; +2 dex.
I think this is right, I may be off on 1 or 2 skill points.
Yes, TC does have a 41 strength, that's a light load of 4912 lbs....
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