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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 545398" data-attributes="member: 1210">Lester and Horbin meet upHorbin’s eyebrows shot up as the strange, bat-winged, one-armed figure entered the Weighty Anchor Inn, loudly exhorting the commoners to “muscle him in, c’mon there, don’t you want to earn your gold piece??”  Grunting and groaning, they finally managed to deposit the petrified assassin in the corner while Lester moved up and exchanged a few words with the barkeep.  From his table, Horbin observed all this with a bemused smile, finally standing up and walking over to Lester.“Hey there,” the cleric of Dexter said.  “What’s going on here?”“Oh, man- this guy tried to kill me!  That’s the problem with Pesh, assassins everywhere,” Lester responded.  The two sat together and talked over a drink, getting to know one another.  Then Lester said, “Well, I think I’m off to the local shrine to Na’Rat.  He’s a god of Chaos- he’s why I have these wings and one arm.”“Na’Rat?  Hmm, one of my old friends was a priest of him.  He was an all right god, if I remember right,” Horbin mused.  Ah, Clambake, he thought.  I haven’t seen him in years.  You never know- he could be here.  “Do you mind if I join you?”“Not at all,” Lester answered, and the two of them secured rooms, settled their tabs and headed out.  They walked across town, from the docks district through the sprawling lower class area of the city and then into the merchants’ district.  Finally, they found their way to the shrine of the Chaos-Bringer- and to their dismay, the tall proud obelisk of Na’Rat was broken at the top!  Two grim-faced men were standing listlessly within the shrine’s environes, engaging in murmured conversation, but they stopped as the strangers approached.“Who are you?” one of them asked, almost a curse.“I’m the L,” Lester replied.  “We’re friends of Na’Rat.  He’s touched me before.”  He flapped his wings.One of the two men cast a spell and looked Horbin and the L over, checking them for chaos.  Finding it in both of them, he visibly relaxed.  “I’m Kuldorf,” he said, then glanced to the obelisk’s tip, which lay shattered on the ground.  “What happened here?” Lester asked.“Cluma,” Kuldorf answered.  He uttered a string of terrible deprecations.“Who’s Cluma?” Horbin spoke up.“He’s a guardian of order.  He’s caused us no end of trouble- and now this!  He’s defiled our shrine, broken our obelisk... Curse him!”  Kuldorf smacked a fist into his other hand.  “He must be stopped!”“Maybe we can help,” Lester offered.  “Well, we’d appreciate it- but be careful, he’s very dangerous.  If he knows you’re on our side he’ll try to slay you.  He’s done bad damage to our religion here.”“Hmm, I guess touching the obelisk won’t do anything anymore,” Lester mused.  Horbin shuddered, recalling the strange things he’d witnessed years ago due to the touch of Na’Rat through his obelisk or agents- a friend growing a second head, another becoming an ooze...  “You should really try it sometime,” the L continued, speaking to Kuldorf.The cleric of Na’Rat smiled and unbuttoned the front of his shirt.  “Oh, I have,” he said, and revealed a mouth in his belly.  “Believe me, I’ve felt the touch of our great lord.”Conversation turned to other things, and soon Kuldorf mentioned the presence of strange insects serving Law in the Spicewoods.  Oh, no! Lester thought.  Clockwork horrors!  But we defeated them a decade ago!  Shortly afterward, Horbin and Lester returned to the Weighty Anchor.  Over another beer they discussed finding this Cluma fellow.  “But how?” Lester wondered.“Well, I can ask Dexter,” Horbin offered, and after finishing their drinks the two of them went upstairs to Horbin’s room, where he prepared to commune with his god.  “You should also find out who put a price on my head,” Lester pestered him as he began to slip into a trance.  “And if it’s the Grey Brothers.  And what the assassin’s name was.  And...”“Yeah, yeah,” Horbin said, slipping into a holy trance.  He sent his spirit flying up to the heavens, and soon he could feel the presence of his divine patron.Where is Cluma hiding? Horbin asked.Marrow Street.Will Cluma attack soon?Yes.When will he strike?Six in the evening tomorrow.Where?The Gorel Tree.Is Cluma resistant to magic?No.Who was Lester’s would-be assassin?Zelon.What organization does Zelon work for?The Grey Brotherhood.Is there a price on Lester’s head?No.When will they strike at Lester again?Unknown.Where can we find fellow adventurers?All over.Are there any special weaknesses that Cluma has?No.Horbin emerged from his trance, opened his eyes, and related what he’d learned to his weird companion.  “Now we just need to figure out what to do next,” he finished.</blockquote>

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