[Adventure] The Paper Chase (Judge: renau1g)

[MetaVoid]

Orsik can double up as striker, but is not healing heavy, so ideally we would take strength based cleric to soak some damage in melee or both cleric and (sticky) defender - fighter would be my preference. On the other hand, paladin is not sticky, but offers emergency healing and minion clearing mark...hm, tough choice

In L4W I'm playing wilden shamaness, she's controlery healer and provides 1d6 extra healing on her healing spirit so that's an option too.

 

[Antithetist]

The group leaves the temple behind them with a palpable sense of relief, and after a trek through Khyber's Gate they return once more to the world above; it's a strange feeling to emerge from the timeless subterranean gloom into a cool dusk with the sun going down in a soft blaze of orange and pink.

Hoping to catch the Professor still at work, the group catch a cab to the University Quarter and are soon ushered into his cluttered, smoky office once more. "Well, well, well," he says cheerfully, puffing on his cigar. "You look a few hundred pounds of muscle lighter than last time we met - did something untoward befall your friend? Have you had any success?"

 

[rb780nm]

"Yes, we did. In fact, we found up with the Professor and his party quickly. They had come under the sway of some evil presence that inhabits the temple and killed each other. Unfortunately, we weren't the first to find their corpses. A foul necromancer," kal'Tarron spat the term out, like a bug that had flown into his mouth, "had come to the temple for some dark design, and he reanimated them.

"We, managed to free them from the pains of undeath and return them to the great cycle, as Balinor decrees."

 

[MetaVoid]

"Your friend could not be saved, only avenged. I'm sorry for your loss."

 

[Luinnar]

I believe you owe us a reward.... Mythra says, unsympathetic at the death of the professor since his zombie tried to kill him.

 

[Antithetist]

"My friend? You mean Howard?" Farrow looks more bemused and blankly disbelieving than upset. "You mean to tell me that you found him, himself? Do you expect me to believe that he was actually stupid enough to go bumbling along with some bunch of hirelings to explore this place himself?"

OOC: Hint: he wasn't. There was no evidence that the Professor was among the zombies, and no reason why he would have been. As far as you know he never went within a mile of that place.

 

[rb780nm]

OOC: I thought someone said his corpse was there, but it was probably just one of us guessing.

"Well, we encountered numerous undead, it was hard to tell who was who. But we're convinced that everyone who was dead when the necromancer got there is dead again. As is the necromancer."

 

[KarinsDad]

"No, we did not find Professor Howard or at least anyone who matched the description of Professor Howard. I suspect that it will be a difficult task to do so considering it is likely that he either arranged his own disappearance, or someone arranged it for him. Either way, I doubt many people will see him again anytime in the near future. As to the field assistants that he hired to explore for him, as was mentioned, we found them. At least we found their undead animated bodies and we put them to a more permanent rest. So, the only business that we have remaining is the location of the Dhakaani site and the reward. I doubt that the location will lead you to Professor Howard, but one never can know. If you would be so kind as to place the 500 gold coin reward here on your desk, we will give you a detailed description of the Dhakaani site and precise directions as to where it can be found. After that, I believe that our business together will be concluded. Wouldn't you agree Professor Farrow?" Grys asks.

 

[Antithetist]

"Such a lamentable lack of patience," Farrow says wryly, producing a pouch of gold from a desk drawer and laying it with a satisfying thunk on the table in front of him. "Your payment is all there, and certainly I will appreciate a full report - did you truly find nothing more interesting there than some petty necromancer? Nothing that might shed some light on Howard's interest in the place?"

"In any case, as to our business being concluded, that's up to you." He arches an eyebrow. "I rather thought that having profited from this initial task, you might be eager to continue in my employ. I certainly don't intend to lay this matter to rest until Howard has been found. There are other leads to try."

OOC: FYI, I'll be away for the weekend. Feel free to make your responses, and I'll aim to post the final wrap-up when I get back.

 

[MetaVoid]

"Well, we did find unaccountable presence that tried to corrupt our minds and, by his account, drew that necromancer there. And of course, there is historical value in such a place. But I don't think we'll find anything that can lead us to Howard.

And yes, I'm aware you said he was more a colleague or even rival then a friend. I was trying to be polite." - Orsik is somewhat surprised at such lack of manners from a scholar. In his tribe, runepriests took great pains to be different from degenerate tribes of giants his race was reduced to. And that included being civilized at all times.