Bill Muench said:
Great update! I'm curious, have you had any trouble with combats since you only have 3 characters, all of whom are spellcasters?
Actually, I'm just relieved that we actually have somebody that can heal this time around. In the last two campaigns in this world the groups consisted of a Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and a Fighter/Sorc, Wizard, Rogue and a bard that never made it to second level, so this is a walk in the park
. Thus far it hasn't been too bad. We use NPC's occasionally to bolster our ranks and we're getting pretty close to the point where one of us will take leadership. And Galeman's right about that stupid snake. Damn thing has more hps and a better AC than anybody in the group
Now, since I always feel guilty posting without an update...here's there update which will be forever known on my harddrive as Part 7b.
* * * * * * * * * *
Khalid woke at his usual time the next day, when the sunlight finally became too intrusive to ignore. Donning the crimson robe that had become his only set of clothing since he threw out the threadbare remnants of his White Tower apprentice robes, Khalid headed downstairs. When he got there, Gorak was already seated at their customary table. This morning however, there was nothing in front of him except a steaming mug of coffee. His eyes were bloodshot and he seemed to be even more disheveled then usual. Khalid joined him at the table and asked quietly, "Ah, yes, so how did things go last night."
Gorak grunted something inaudible as he took a sip from his coffee.
"Ah, yes. What?"
"I said, we'd better wait for Shayla so I don't have to repeat myself," Gorak grumbled.
Khalid had finished eating by the time Shayla finally made an appearance in the common room. Waving away the serving girl, Shayla grabbed a piece of fruit on her way over to the table. As she sat down, she mumbled through a mouthful of apple, "So, we ready to administer some punishment or what?"
Khalid glanced around the nearly empty common room. "Ah, perhaps we should adjourn to somewhere a little more private to discuss this, yes?"
"Ya," Gorak grunted as he stood, stifling a yawn. The others joined him and they headed back upstairs to Khalid's room. Shoving aside a stack of papers, Gorak sat down on a chair and said, "Alright. It doesn't look great, but it could be worse." He picked up a sheet of paper and a quill, and quickly sketched out a crude map. "The place is three stories high. The bar and the gambling tables are on the first level. There's a huge staircase opposite the front doors that leads up to the second level. The center of the second level is open, so you can look down on the card tables. Around the outside are the private rooms. There are two guards at the front door collecting the entrance fee. There's two more here, and another one here, here and here." He indicated the corners of the room. "There's also a few circulating around the crowd."
"So maybe seven on the main floor, and two more within earshot. That's inconvenient. Any good news for us?" Shayla asked.
"Ya, and that was it," Gorak grumbled. "I saw Festran himself. He's about as tall as I am, but rounder. Thinning black hair and wearing enough jewelry to put Shayla to shame. He came in with four more guards. They went straight up to the second level and in this room here, which I figure is the way up to the third floor. Two of the guards took up positions here, outside. The other two went up with him."
"Ah, yes, it would seem that attempting to strong arm our way into the Blessed Sin is not an option, and I do not think we have the ah, capabilities, yes, capabilities to make it unnoticed to the third floor. Yes, quite." Khalid mused. "What about, ah, following him?"
Gorak grunted, "Maybe. We jump him outside though, no way to tell who's gonna come to his aid. Hit him in some other place, we don't know the layout, and maybe there's some bystanders that get caught up in it."
"Ah, hrm, well then, what options do we have." Khalid said.
"Well," Gorak rumbled. "I was working on something while I was there last night. He's a merchant right?" He looked at Khalid who nodded. "Well then, let's sell him something. I spent a bit of money there last night, got myself seen, made nice with some of the bouncers."
"Ah, excellent idea." Khalid said. Then he was silent for moment before snapping his fingers and speaking again. "Ah, what about drugs? If you can find me a root of the bavala plant, I can perhaps distill, yes, distill it down and synthesize a type of narcotic called Crystal Smoke."
"I probably can, ya." Gorak rumbled, with a slow grin spreading across his face. "But that ain't exactly what I had in mind to sell him." He shot Shayla a sidelong glance. Khalid, catching on, immediately began to chuckle.
Shayla, who had been absently trimming her nails with her dagger, held up her hand and examined her handiwork in the sunlight. Realizing suddenly that the conversation had stopped she looked up to find both men grinning at her. "What?" She demanded, then her eyes widened slowly. "You can't be serious!" she wailed as both Khalid and Gorak burst out laughing.
* * * * * * * * * *
Gorak dropped a fistful of sultanas into the doorman's hand and strode into Blessed Sin. He nodded to one of the bouncers as he moved towards the bar. Recognizing one of the guards he had talked to the night before, Gorak picked up his drink and walked over. The man was casually leaning on the railing of the staircase, watching the crowd.
"So?" Gorak rumbled. "He here yet?"
The guard, whose eyes never really left the crowd as Gorak spoke to him, replied, "Nah, not yet. He won't be in till later, probably. Then he'll make his rounds, greet the regulars and that sort of thing before he heads up to his office."
"Do me a favor would you?" Gorak asked. The guard grunted noncommittally. "When he gets here, tell him I've got some business to discuss with him." Gorak turned his palm over revealing two sultanas in his hand.
Now the guard's eyes flickered away from the crowd to stare at the gold in Gorak's palm. The guard grinned at Gorak as he shook hands with him. "I think I can put in a good word for you."
That taken care of, Gorak went to the card tables and began to lose, slowly and methodically. Several hours passed before Festran made an appearance. Gorak's first drink was still almost full and his purse was almost empty, neither of which put him in a particularly good mood. As he watched Festran make his way through the crowd, he ran through the details one last time, then slammed back his drink and ordered another. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Festran begin to climb the stairs and the guard he had bribed lean over to tap him on the arm. They spoke briefly, and the bouncer pointed in Gorak's direction.
Festran turned around and walked back through the gambling pit. Flanked by two bodyguards he moved up beside Gorak at the end of the bar. "So you think you have business with me?" he practically sneered.
"Not me, my master." Gorak grumbled.
"Ah." Festran seemed to relax a little. "And what pray tell is your master peddling?"
"Girls." Gorak grunted.
Festran waved his hand dismissively. "Take a look around my friend. Girls, I have."
"Not like these you don't." Gorak muttered.
Festran's expression hardened a bit. "I will forgive you that, my friend, because they tell me you've made me a fair bit richer in the last two days."
"Ain't my money." Gorak shrugged. "The boss, he says come in here, spend some money, take a look around and see what kind of place it is. So I come. I spend. Nice place, good security and you got the gold to make the deal."
"Well, I don't need any more girls. I'm sorry that you wasted your time, my friend, but I do sincerely appreciate your business." With a nod of his head, Festran turned to leave.
"Red hair." Gorak grunted.
Festran stopped. "What did you say."
"Red hair," Gorak continued. "Green eyes. Skin the color of cream. 'Bout this tall and this big around." He put the tips of his fingers together.
Festran turned around. "And…" He made a cupping motion with his hands.
"Yeah, but bigger.
Festran laughed. "Well my scruffy friend, you have managed to capture my interest. Tell your master to bring the girl by, and I'll take a look at her."
Gorak shook his head. "The boss, he don't come in places like this."
"Oh, and why is that?" The suspicion had returned to Festran's face.
"Dunno." Gorak shrugged. "The boss don't tell me and I don't ask. He said if you wanna take a look, he'll be having dinner tomorrow at the Crescent Moon."
Festran stared hard at Gorak. The suspicion was bright and quick now. "I think I will pass, my friend. I don't really need any more girls."
"The boss, he said you might say that," Gorak rumbled. "So he told me to tell you he also has some Crystal Smoke."
"Really?" Festran raised an eyebrow. "How much?"
Gorak could see the greed smoldering in the man's eyes. "Depends."
"On what?" Festran demanded
"On how much you need," Gorak smirked. Festran's expression didn't change, but Gorak saw the spark of greed turn into a raging bonfire. Gorak knew then that everything would fall into place. He had him.
* * * * * * * * * *
"I just want you to know that I'm still mad at you. Both of you." Shayla pouted. The wispy, diaphanous gown she was wearing revealed more than it hid. Much more.
"Two votes to one, darling. Ya lost." Gorak rumbled with an evil grin on his face.
"Just where in the nine hells am I supposed to hide a weapon, wearing this thing?" She demanded.
"Here, I'll give ya a hand." Gorak said, still grinning as he stood up to help.
"Get off of me, you oaf," Shayla cursed, slapping his hands away.
Two bright spots of color were rising on her cheeks, and she looked furious. Khalid, sensing an imminent explosion, spoke quickly, "Ah, why don't you hide your crossbow under that couch over there, and tuck a dagger down into the cushions. You should be able to retrieve them quickly enough, should the need arise." Shayla rather uncharacteristically bit back what she was about to say and simply nodded.
Khalid surveyed the surroundings, trying to decide how best to arrange things to their advantage. At Gorak's suggestion, Khalid and Shayla had visited most of the more expensive restaurants the day before, searching for a suitable room. After looking at a half dozen places, they settled on a private room at the Crescent Moon. It was to the rear of the restaurant, well away from other patrons and staff. They had paid for the room for the entire afternoon, and left strict instructions not to be disturbed once the food had been served.
The room itself was long and narrow. It had only one door leading to the restaurant and a window directly opposite that, which provided a delightful view of the small alley behind the building. Only two chairs were arrayed around the large table that dominated the center of the room. Khalid slid a chair to the end of the table, near the window, figuring that if things went bad, it would provide a convenient avenue of escape and placed the other chair near the door for Festran. Frowning, he muttered, "Ah, yes, that's a little close to the door. Yes, quite."
Gorak, who was stuffing Sousee underneath one of the couches, looked up from what he was doing. "Yeah, but it'll look funny if he opens the door and you're sitting there with your back to him," he grumbled. "Relax," he continued, "if the plan works it won't matter no how."
"Yes, quite." Khalid muttered, very much aware that the plan, as it stood, relied rather heavily on him. He scanned around the room, trying to think of anything he may have missed.
Gorak stood up and snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot." He fished two small vials out of a pouch at his waist. "I picked these up." He handed one of the vials to Shayla and the other to Khalid.*
"Ah," Khalid held it up to the light and examined it. It was filled with a thin, translucent liquid. "What's this?"
"Healing unguent. I got it off an alchemist down in the merchant's quarter. They're expensive as hell, but worth it," he replied.
"Ah, yes, of course, assuming that the man who sold them to you wasn't a charlatan." Khalid said dubiously but he tucked it in his belt nevertheless.
Gorak shrugged, "We'll find out sooner or later I guess. Let's get ready, he could be here any time now."
Khalid closed his eyes, and chanted the words to a protection spell. Once again, glowing bands rippled out from a small strip of leather he was holding, and encircled his body.
Shayla, watching him closely, waited until he had finished before speaking. "Um, should I use this now Khalid?" she asked holding up a rolled piece of parchment.
"Ah, yes, that is yours to do with as you will, but now would probably be an appropriate time. Yes quite," he replied. "Just hold it, yes, like that and speak the rune as I showed you."
Shayla stared hard at the paper for a moment, and then spoke an arcane word. Her eyes widened as the rune vanished and glowing bands, similar to the ones that just enveloped Khalid, surrounded her. Then she grinned and flopped down on the couch in a decidedly unladylike fashion.
Khalid, smoothing the front of his crimson robes, sat down in the chair opposite the door. Gorak, looking particularly menacing in his freshly oiled leather armor, took up a position slightly behind and to the right of Khalid. Seeing that all was in order, Khalid took a deep breath and muttered, "Now it begins."
It didn't however, begin immediately. In fact, much to Khalid's annoyance, it took Festran another half an hour to arrive. The pudgy little man smiled broadly as he entered the room and said, "I am truly sorry for keeping you waiting." His tone indicated that he was anything but.
"Yes, quite." Khalid replied as he waved away the apology. "Ah, I am, Achmed Abdul-Azim. Please, sit down. The food should be along shortly, yes, shortly."
Festran sat down at the opposite end of the table. Khalid's heart began to pound, as no less than five guards, including a hulking brute of a man whose physique rivaled Gorak's, filed into the room. The brute stood slightly behind Festran, near the door, while the other guards took up positions in the corners of the room. Khalid noticed that Shayla had tensed up slightly and was biting her lower lip. Gorak, implacable as always, showed no emotion as he sized up their adversaries.
Festran dispensed with the preamble and went straight to the point. "So this is the girl," he practically purred. "Not bad, not bad at all. And you say that you can get more like her?"
"Ah, yes, quite." Khalid stammered, somewhat taken aback. "With the ah, turmoil, yes turmoil in the east there are plenty of refugees. Yes, quite."
"Interesting. We may indeed be able to reach an agreement here. Stand up girl, let me have a look at you," he instructed.
Shayla, staring daggers at both Khalid and Gorak, stood up slowly. She was spared the indignity of parading around in front of the lecherous merchant however, as at that moment servants entered bearing trays of food. They quietly and efficiently set the table and then backed out the door, bowing as they left.
"Now, where were we," Festran said. "Ah yes. Dance for me girl. Let me see what skills you have." Juice dribbled down his fleshy chin as he bit heavily into a piece of lamb.
Shayla, still glaring at Khalid, began to slowly strut around the room, emulating the motions of the dancing girls she'd seen at the inn. Khalid, painfully aware of the terrible violence that would erupt at his command was desperately trying to think of a way to put more distance between himself and the guards that now surrounded him. Even preoccupied as he was, Shayla's dance still captivated him and he was unable to look away as she wound her way around the room with sinuous grace. When she finished, the guards were all leering appreciatively.
Festran however, looked unimpressed. "Adequate," he remarked.
Khalid, realizing that the time for action was fast approaching, tried to look indignant as he stood up. "Ah, yes, I assure you, she is of the highest quality…"
"Yes, yes," Festran dismissed his objection with a wave of his hand. "It's nothing a little practice won't take care of. Now, take that dress off and we'll see what you really have to offer."
"Achmed…" Shayla said dangerously.
"Ah, yes, you heard the man, get out of those…" Khalid was rather proud of himself. There was no hesitation, no indication that anything was out of the ordinary as his sentence trailed off into an arcane chant. With a flick of his hand he sent a tiny pinch of sand drifting through the air. As it settled to the ground, the huge brute and the guard in the corner beside him toppled over.
Gorak reacted instantly. Like a huge hunting cat, he took two quick steps forward and then leapt at Festran, tackling him backward off his chair. Shayla too spun around at the sound of Khalid's voice and unleashed a spell on the guard behind her.
Festran's bodyguards, taken by surprise, were slow to act. The guard nearest Khalid drove a fist into his gut, winding him. Khalid staggered backwards and gasped out the words to a spell. He couldn't spare the breath to curse however, as the man shrugged it off. The guard beside Shayla started to move forward to help Festran, but Shayla cried out, "Please, you must defend me!" Torn between his duty and Shayla's enchantment, he hesitated, glancing back and forth between the two.
Gorak was not faring as well. Struggling with Festran on the ground, he was unable to defend himself as the other guard lined up and drove a fist into his kidney. Gorak grunted and his grip on Festran relaxed, allowing the tubby merchant to wriggle free and scramble towards the door. With a Herculean effort however, Gorak reached up and seized him by the belt, dragging him back to the ground and clamping a hand over his mouth to keep him from screaming. Again and again the guard hammered at Gorak, landing blow after blow. Gorak gritted his teeth and ignored the mounting punishment as he tightened his grip on Festran.
Khalid shied away as the guard circling him lunged forward, his fingertips just barely brushing the sleeve of Khalid's robe. Khalid stumbled backwards with a startled squawk and was in the midst of casting another spell when out of the corner of his eye he saw the guard standing over Gorak draw his cudgel. Even as the arcane words rolled from his lips, Khalid shifted his target and the guard with the cudgel blinked and shook his head as though seized by some strange confusion.
Shayla took the opportunity to dart in beside Gorak and upended one of the alchemical healing unguents over his head. The guard, finally shaking himself free of Khalid's minor confusion delivered a blow that would have felled a lesser man. Gorak however, clenched his jaw and fought through the pain. Festran jammed a hand up under his chin but Gorak swatted aside his feeble defenses and seized him by the hair. Hauling back, Gorak then drove his head into the floor three times in quick succession. Festran immediately went limp.
Sousee chose that instant to make her appearance and slid out from beneath the couch. The guard immediately backed into the corner of the room crying out, "I surrender, I surrender, get it away from me!"
Khalid whirled around, prepared to defend himself against the last two guards, but even as he turned, both guards dropped their cudgels to the floor.
"I surrender."
"Me too."
Shayla, breathing heavily from the excitement of the fight, reached under the couch and pulled out her crossbow. Waving it at the three remaining guards, she ordered them back into the far corner of the room. Gorak stood up slowly then, in obvious pain, and grunted, "We got no quarrel with you. And if you just stay over there in the corner like good little boys, everybody will live to see the sunset."
At that moment, a servant tapped lightly on the door. "Is everything alright in there?" he asked cautiously.**
Khalid answered quickly. "Yes, quite. We are, ah, yes, conducting business in here. I told you we did not wish to ah, be disturbed!"
"Most sincerest apologies, effendi, I will not trouble you again." Placated by Khalid's response, they heard his footsteps receding down the hall.
Gorak gathered up his things, then knelt down beside Festran. Placing a hand over his mouth, Gorak pinched the man's earlobe between his thumb and forefinger until Festran came to with a muffled shriek. His eyes however, were blank and unfocused and he seemed unaware of his surroundings. Gorak grabbed a fist full of Festran's silk shirt and jerked him up into a sitting position. Then he leaned in close and growled, "Arbaq sends his regards," before driving his other fist into Festran's face. He then proceeded to beat Festran within an inch of his life.
Khalid, a little unsettled by the display, was keeping a close eye on the guards. At the mention of Arbaq's name, one of the guards tensed up slightly. "Ah, yes," Khalid said, "I see you recognize the name of our illustrious, yes, illustrious employer. Be sure to remind Festran of it when he awakes."
With one final kick, Gorak scooped up Sousee and tossed her in his rucksack. Turning to the guards he growled, "Count to five hundred. Slow. If I hear any noise outta any of you before then, maybe I'll come back here. And if I do, you can damn well bet I won't be in such a good mood." That said, he walked out the door, trailed by Khalid and Shayla. They walked quickly through the restaurant and out into the searing desert sun.
Turning down a side street, they walked in silence for a bit as they mingled into the afternoon crowds. Then Shayla began to chuckle, softly at first then finally bursting into laughter, "Did you see the look," she gasped, "on that fat pig's face when you tackled him?"
Gorak began to chuckle too, "Ya. His jaw dropped open so wide I thought he was gonna swallow me. He closed it up real quick though." Gorak held up his hand. The imprint of Festran's teeth was clearly visible in the fleshy part of his thumb. "That hurt worse than the bastard hitting me with the club."
That sent Shayla into another gale of helpless laughter and finally, Khalid could contain himself no longer. With people looking at them as though they were insane, they stood in the center of the street while the crowds walked past and laughed until the tears rolled down their faces. Hundreds of miles from home, in this strange and dangerous city, Khalid no longer felt alone; in fact, flanked by his two best friends, he felt positively invincible.
* * * * * * * * * *
Notes:
*Galeman added these to the campaign because nobody ever plays a healer in our games. A bit more explanation will come with next post, but here's the effects and prices:
Alchemical healing salves:
1d4 25 Gold
1d6 50 Gold
1d8 75 Gold
**The whole fight lasted 4 rounds I think. This is fairly accurate as to what happened, but even after discussing it with everybody, we're still a little hazy on the exact details. I do know that we very nearly lost this fight. When Shayla healed Gorak, he was at 1 hp. He went up to 6, then immediately after that, he got clubbed for 5. If I hadn't slept the big guard, we probably would have been toast..of course it didn't help that Gorak forgot about Sousee until the last round of the fight either