Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="EternalNewbie" data-source="post: 1295252" data-attributes="member: 6489">Gather round kiddies, it's story time.  I'd originally intended to tack this bit on to the previous update, but lo and behold it turned into an update all on it's own.  Things start to get really interesting once our intrepid heroes (I can say that with a straight face too, but I did have to practice it in the mirror) get into Shalazar, and I'm looking forward to writing the next update.  I'm going to expand on some of the combat at the end of the post and y'all can let me know if you think these little insights are entertaining or just a waste of time.  And now, for your viewing enjoyment, I present the conclusion of Chapter 1: Into the Desert.* * * * * * * * * *"Ah, perhaps they don't need our help.  They seem to be doing quite fine, yes quite, on their own."  Khalid suggested.  He winced as a guard defending the caravan below was pinned to one of the wagons with a javelin.    "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna go now.  They ain't gonna last much longer."  Gorak growled.Khalid surveyed the scene and was forced to agree with Gorak's assessment.  The road here entered a shallow valley as it turned closer to the river.  In the center of the valley were two covered merchant wagons, each pulled by a team of horses.  A horse on each of the teams lay dead in its traces now, presumably killed in the first volley of the ambush to prevent the wagons from fleeing.  Guards had taken up defensive positions around both of the wagons, desperately fighting for their lives against what Khalid could only assume were sand goblins, albeit well organized and equipped ones.   The creatures had attacked the caravan from both sides.  From the east, the desert side, several of the goblins were raining down arrows on the hapless guards while skirmishers moved forward.  The situation on the other side of the caravan was even worse.  Half a dozen armed goblins, including two of the biggest goblins Khalid had ever seen, advanced on the guards with weapons drawn."That's it.  I'm going."  Gorak snarled as goblin arrows felled two more of the guards.  He began to run down the road towards the caravan.  Shayla followed close behind, her loaded crossbow in hand and her eyes flashing with excitement.*Khalid muttered a few choice words under his breath and hurried after them.  As they ran towards the melee Khalid watched one of the enormous hobgoblins sweep the head off a guard with one swing of his massive scimitar.  With mounting trepidation, he realized that should another guard fall, they would be badly outnumbered by the assailing goblins.He needn't have worried however, as Gorak slid to a halt thirty feet from the wagons.  Like he had in the battle against the bounty hunter, he raised his arms to the heavens and roared words of power.  The desert again heeded his call and the sand erupted.  Even as one of the goblin skirmishers on the eastern side delivered a deathblow to a guard, the four attackers on that side quickly found themselves mired in a surging maelstrom.  Shayla dropped to one knee behind Gorak and fired her crossbow, grazing one of the armored hobgoblins who immediately began shouting orders in a thick, guttural tongue.Khalid hesitated, trying to determine how best to deploy his rather limited arsenal of magic.  Two of the guards, seeing the unexpected reinforcements attempted to run to Gorak's side.  As Khalid began to chant, one of the running guards toppled to the ground with a shriek as a goblin plunged a knife into his back.  Khalid released his spell, aiming for the two hobgoblins, but both proved to have strong wills and shrugged off his magical slumber.  Two of the smaller goblins standing nearby toppled to the ground under the weight of his spell, but one was quickly kicked awake by a snarling hobgoblin.Gorak in the meantime had moved forward to stand beside the last remaining guard and engaged his two pursuers.  Seeing Shayla exposed and mistaking her for a helpless woman, one of the smaller goblins rushed her, a rusted short sword in hand and a filthy grin on its face.  Shayla, glancing up from the task of reloading her crossbow, was unfazed by the little creature bearing down on her.  With a few arcane words and a negligent flip of her hand, she returned to loading her crossbow.  Khalid could have sworn that the hideous little beast gazed at her with something close to abject adoration before it changed its course and rushed Gorak.  As the frenzied goblin ran into position to flank him, Gorak absently delivered a backhand blow with his cudgel that caved in the creature's skull.Harried by Sousee and the large mastiff, the two goblins facing Gorak and the caravan guard found themselves suddenly in dire straits.  The guard lunged forward and caught one in the chest with the point of his sword.  As the creatures shield arm went lifeless from the damaging blow, Gorak took the opportunity to bludgeon the goblin to the ground.Khalid looked around, trying to gauge the flow of the battle.  Shayla was now exchanging fire with the goblins trapped by Gorak's spell.  The goblins, hampered by the surging sand, had thrown their bows to the ground and were frantically trying to pull themselves free.  Shayla, a look of intense concentration on her face was methodically firing and reloading her crossbow.  With each heavy twang, another goblin tumbled lifeless into the waves of rippling sand.Suddenly, Khalid found himself seized by a strange fit of courage as one of the hobgoblins, trailed by a groggy looking goblin, advanced on Gorak and the caravan guard.  His legs moving seemingly of their own volition, Khalid ran to intercept the two goblins.  He saw a surprised look on Gorak's face that he was sure was mirrored on his own as he raced past.  The goblins' snarls of rage quickly turned into howls of pain as Khalid unleashed a torrent of burning embers upon them.  The smaller goblin fell to the ground, his body a smoking ruin while the larger hobgoblin simply turned and fled, still smoldering slightly from the after effects of the spell.The other hobgoblin swatted aside the feeble defenses of the guard he had been sparring with, and buried his sword to the hilt in the man's stomach.  As the guard fell limply to the earth, the hobgoblin turned and glared at Khalid with pure malice in his eyes.  Khalid, realizing that there was no one between him and the enraged warrior frantically grabbed at his dagger.  But the hobgoblin, seeing most of his warriors lying dead in the sand, snarled out an order in the goblin tongue and then ran out into the desert.  Those goblins still able to do so, and they were few, did likewise and fled shrieking into the desert.Gorak immediately began moving among the injured.  Several of the guards, although mortally wounded, still held on to the spark of life.  Khalid cringed as Gorak's tender ministrations elicited tortured screams from the dying men.  Rather than watch Gorak, Khalid turned to see if Shayla needed any help.  Seeing that she was about to deliver the goblin he had rendered insensible into oblivion with her dagger, Khalid hurriedly turned his back and went over to the only guard still on his feet.  The man was grievously wounded, but didn't appear to be in any immediate danger of collapse.  He did however appear to be in shock and Khalid had to try three times to get the man to drink from his waterskin.After downing some water, and splashing some on his face, the man regained some of his composure.  He was a slight man with an enormous mustache that was generously oiled into a curl at the tips.  His uniform, cut from rich cloth Khalid noticed, was in tatters and his turban had become unraveled, sagging on his head like an empty wineskin.  The man carefully cleaned off the blade of his sword, then sheathed it as he said, "You have my thanks, effendi.  Surely if you had not come to our aid we would now all be dead or worse.  My name is Nasim."  He bowed low before Khalid."Ah, yes, quite.  My name is Khalid.  You are indeed most fortunate, yes, most fortunate that we were nearby.  I have no doubt, yes none, that you would have been left for dead out here and your wares would be plundered by those filthy, yes, filthy mongrels."At the mention of wares, the man's face went pale and he stumbled over to the second wagon.  Gorak looked up from where he was setting a broken arm when the man hurried past.  As the guard began to fiddle with a latch on the wagon, Khalid realized that it was not merely a merchant's wagon but a carriage carefully designed to conceal that fact.  The man spoke quickly and quietly with whoever was sequestered within then slid the panel shut again.  Try as he might, Khalid was unable to see within the dark confines of the carriage to determine who, or what lay within.  Nasim walked back over to Khalid, and again bowed low before him.  "My master wishes to thank you in person, once he has had time to compose himself and we have tended to the men out here."Khalid nodded, liking the sound of that.  "Ah, well then, I suppose we should see to the men."It took several hours to drag all the goblin bodies away from the caravan and for Gorak to tend to the wounded guards.  Since neither Shayla nor Khalid had been hurt in the fight, and Gorak had taken only a minor wound, he used what healing magic he had to aid those whom would not have otherwise survived.  Although he had roused another guard to consciousness, several of the men would not be fit for travel until tomorrow, and even then only with the help of Gorak's spells.  They dug graves for the three guards who had died in the fighting and made the other three who had still not regained consciousness as comfortable as they could.  Nasim conferred several times with the mysterious figure in the carriage and each time Khalid attempted to catch a glimpse of the person within.  He was foiled however by the descending darkness and heavy silk curtains which obscured the interior of the cart.After a third helping of a dinner generously provided by Nasim, Khalid waited expectantly and was not disappointed as Nasim stood up and spoke.  "The master will see you now, to convey his thanks in person."  With that, he led the three of them to the second wagon, and slid open a panel on the side.  The heavy curtains were still in place but illumination from within the carriage showed the outline of a seated figure."My name is Arbaq and I understand that I have you three to thank for the protection of both my goods and my person."  The voice that issued from the carriage was soft and cultured, muffled slightly by the silken curtains.  Khalid could tell despite having to strain to hear that this was a man accustomed to issuing orders and to having those orders obeyed."Seemed the decent thing to do," Gorak rumbled.  "Couldn't very well let those little curs hack you up.""And so you came to our aid unsolicited and placed yourself in harm's way."  Arbaq continued.  "Well, we certainly can't let good deeds go unrewarded and fortunately for you I am a man of, well shall we say, more than modest means.  Nasim, give this to them."  For the briefest instant the curtains moved aside as Arbaq handed a pouch to Nasim.  Khalid, eyes fixed on the purse failed to catch a glimpse inside the carriage however, before the curtains closed again.  Nasim took the purse and handed it to Gorak who opened it.  His eyes widened slightly and then a large toothy grin spread over his face as he tossed the pouch to Khalid."Yer a generous man," grumbled Gorak."Yes, quite."  Khalid chimed in as he examined the contents of the purse.  Inside were several hundred sultanas."To those that serve me well, indeed.  Which brings me to the next matter at hand.  I seem to have several unfortunate vacancies at the moment.  Presuming of course, that your destination is Shalazar, I ask you to accompany my caravan.  I will pay you double the normal rates, two sultanas a day, and ten more on top of that if there is any more trouble."  Arbaq offered.    "Ah, yes, and meals?" Khalid inquired"Provided, of course."Khalid looked at Shayla and Gorak, who both shrugged.  "Ah, well since we are indeed going to Shalazar, I think it is in both our best interests, yes quite, to accept your generous offer.""Excellent.  I understand that several of the men are still quite injured and unable to travel.  I will not risk them any further injury, so we may have to remain here for a few days.""Nah," Gorak grunted.  "I'll have 'em up and about tomorrow.""Indeed?" Arbaq sounded faintly surprised.  "Nasim has told me a little about some of your more…unusual talents but I see that you three may be far more interesting than I had first guessed.  We shall talk again before we reach Shalazar, but for now I fear that the day's events have left me quite fatigued.  Good night my friends."  And with that, the lights dimmed within the carriage and Nasim slid the panel closed again.  As he did so, Khalid heard a faint click and guessed that Arbaq had some means of locking the carriage from the inside.After the brief audience, Khalid joined Gorak and Shayla at the edge of the camp.  Gorak was practicing with his shawm and Sousee was playing along, rising slowly from her basket and swaying rhythmically from side to side.  Despite Gorak's enthusiasm for the instrument, Khalid never had the heart or the courage to tell him that he found the sound of the shawm, especially when it was played by Gorak, absolutely abysmal.  Clenching his teeth, he sat down beside Shayla who was absently braiding her hair and humming along.  Not willing to subject himself to Gorak's gentle melody for any longer than was absolutely necessary, Khalid spoke directly.  "Ah, yes, so what do you make of our new, ah, benefactor?"Khalid stifled a sigh of relief as Gorak removed the shawm from his lips and rumbled, "Little odd, but then rich folk usually are.  Seems like it might work out well for ya, weren't you looking for a rich merchant to coddle up to?""Ah, yes, quite."  Khalid turned to Shayla.  "And, ah, yes, what do you think Shayla?"Shayla stopped braiding her hair and sat in silence for a few moments.  Then she glanced around to make sure neither of the guards were nearby and leaned in close to Gorak and Khalid.  "He seems fine, I guess, but I'll tell you this.  I pride myself on my complexion, but this Arbaq, he puts me to shame.  I caught a glimpse of his hand when he passed the purse off to Nasim, and it was chalk white, like he never goes out in the sun at all."They sat in silence for a while, considering what, if anything, that Shayla's observation could entail.  Finally, Shayla spoke again, "Speaking of purses, cough it up Khalid, I want my share."Khalid snapped his fingers, "Ah, yes, of course, I had forgotten.""Ya, and I bet you woulda forgot all the way to Shalazar too," Gorak grumbled good-naturedly.After they had divvied up Arbaq's reward, which amounted to no less than one hundred sultanas each, they returned to the camp.   Khalid was less pleased with himself when he found out that part of his duties as a caravan guard entailed taking a watch in the middle of the night.  Even so, he thought to himself as he settled in for the night, things seemed to be looking up for a change.* * * * * * * * * * "Get up," Gorak hissed as he shook Khalid awake.  "I think I heard something."  When he was sure that Khalid was awake, he moved on to Shayla, and began to rouse her.Khalid quickly gathered his wits.  It was three days after they had met up with Arbaq's caravan.  The morning after the attack Gorak had used his magic to revive those guards that were still wounded.  With the guards healed, they set to the task of getting the first wagon, which had been dragged off the road by the panicked horses, out of the deep sand it was mired in.  With the aid of Gorak and the remaining horses it took only an hour to get the wagon free and repair the damage done.  The guards of course, regarded the trio with something akin to awe after the, Khalid had to admit, somewhat dashing rescue.  Still, he found himself disconcerted by the attention and camaraderie of the guards.  Gorak, having been raised among men such as these fit right in, laughing and joking with them around the campfire. Shayla too preened under the adulation, and flirted outrageously with the guards, matching their salacious suggestions with retorts every bit as colorful and lewd.  Khalid however, found little in common with these rough and ready men and kept mostly to himself, poring over his spellbook in silence at the back of the wagon.  And still they had seen nothing of their mysterious employer, who according to Nasim, had a delicate constitution and found sunlight very disagreeable.  Brushing these thoughts aside, Khalid stood and glanced furtively around the camp.  He had been sleeping back near Shayla and Gorak at the side of the second wagon.  In the dim firelight that remained he could see the shadowed forms of the other guards sleeping near the first wagon.  As he turned to ask Gorak what was going on, a flicker of movement caught his eye.  There was a muffled grunt from ahead, near the first wagon, then somebody screamed.Khalid whirled around in time to see a cloaked figure hurl something at his feet.  As Khalid shied away, he heard the sound of breaking glass and suddenly a blinding flash robbed him of his sight.  A pained roar from Gorak told Khalid that he was in similar peril.  Khalid, trying to remain calm, moved backwards slowly until he bumped up against the carriage.  From his left, there came the sounds of combat as a sword thrust was parried.  He heard Shayla chanting and shivered as the temperature around him dropped and moisture dampened his skin.  A sound to his right made him jump and he cried out, "Ah, get back, get away from me!"  He was about to unleash a torrent of fire when he realized that Gorak had been standing over there somewhere.  Still spots and bursts of color swam maddeningly in his vision.  Khalid realized that he was whispering to himself, an endless litany repeating, "It will pass, yes, it will pass, yes, soon," over and over.  He heard Gorak hiss in a manner that he knew would send Sousee into a frenzy, attacking everything around and desperately hoped that the snake was nowhere near him.  The heavy twang of a crossbow reverberated through the mist and Shayla cursed vehemently.  There was another scream that ended in a horrible choking gasp that made Khalid shudder and cringe away.  He slowly began to edge around the wagon away from the sound of ringing steel, waving his hands in what he hoped was a threatening manner.  Slowly the spots faded from his vision, to be replaced by a grey haze.  At first Khalid thought that whatever had been done to him had permanently damaged his sight, but then realized he was simply standing in a cloud of mist created by Shayla.  He took one deep breath to steady his nerve and then rushed forward, plunging into chaos.**The first thing that he saw was Gorak, his cudgel raised high, charge at a cowled figure.  Nasim was frantically trying to defend himself from the mysterious assailant and a crumpled form lying in the sand nearby proved that one of the other guards had been unequal to the task.  As Gorak joined the melee, the remaining guard went on the offensive, trying to press his advantage with a series of quick slashes.  The cloaked figure however, twirled and danced around the blade seeming to have no trouble keeping both Gorak and the guard at bay.  Time and time again Gorak's cudgel whistled through empty air, fooled as he was by the assailant's whirling cloak.  Sousee, in the meantime, had slithered over and was coiled dangerously close to the attacker, swaying slightly from side to side.Then suddenly it was over.  The man stepped too close to Sousee who lashed out with lightning speed and sunk her fangs deep into his upper thigh.  He grunted in pain and staggered backwards, his leg stiff from the poison.  Weakened, he was unable to dodge aside as Gorak leveled a terrible blow at him.  Khalid heard bone crunch under the impact, and the assailant's blade tumbled from his hand.  As the force of the impact sent him spinning around, Nasim leapt forward and delivered a vicious slash that nearly cut the man in two.  With a slow groan, the attacker pitched forward onto the sand, his lifeblood pooling around him.Khalid heard Shayla scream then, and raced around the edge of the wagon almost crashing into another attacker who had been working at the lock on Arbaq's carriage.  The cloaked figure, a crossbow bolt buried deep in his shoulder, was advancing on Shayla who was frantically trying to reload.  As he saw Khalid come around the corner, the man turned to flee into the desert, but instead caught the full force of Khalid's most damaging spell.  With a strangled cry, the attacker collapsed to the sand under the swirling cone of embers, and lay there unmoving.As Gorak quickly moved to check on the other guards, Khalid inspected his fallen opponent.  The man was nondescript, having regular even handsome features.  He was wearing dark, sand colored robes and was carrying a veritable arsenal of weapons.  Khalid removed three daggers, two short swords, a crossbow and several other tools that he suspected were of less than legitimate purpose from various sheaths and pouches.  As he was divesting the man of his possessions, the unconscious figure uttered a low groan and shifted slightly, causing Khalid to leap backwards in surprise."Ah, Gorak," Khalid called out.  "This one is, ah, still alive, yes quite."Gorak materialized out of the darkness, his expression grim.  "He may be, but three other guards are dead and the fourth one's gonna have one hell of a limp tomorrow.  Found the sentry over there with his throat cut, and two others murdered in their bedrolls."  He knelt down beside the unconscious assassin and inspected his wounds.  He uttered a few arcane words as he pulled the crossbow bolt out of the man's arm.  "There, that'll stop the bleeding and make sure he don't die during the night."  He then uncoiled a length of rope and securely bound the man's hands and feet.Shayla was silently watching the procedure and when Gorak was finished, nudged the man's face with her toe, to get a better look at him.  She looked at Gorak and Khalid then and spoke, "I've got an idea.  Can you get him conscious?"  She looked at Gorak, who nodded.  "Good.  Do it, then go keep those guards busy and away from here."  With that, Shayla began to chant and Khalid, recognizing the effect of the spell, grinned in the darkness.Gorak uttered a few more arcane words, then stood up and neatly intercepted Nasim who was coming towards them.  Placing his arm around Nasim's shoulders, he steered him over to the body of the other assassin.  Khalid moved out of sight around the edge of the wagon and then strained to listen.    "Wha…" the assassin groaned as his eyes flickered open."Quiet you fool," Shayla hissed.  "If the others see us talking we'll both be tied up."In the flickering light of the rekindled fire, Khalid could see the man stiffen up, then relax and nod slightly."Now tell me who sent you, before I lose my temper," Shayla whispered."Ah," the man looked furtively around.  "I can't do that.""Listen you little maggot, you have seriously jeopardized my cover with this little stunt and I am not in a forgiving mood.  Security around Arbaq is going to be twice as tight now."  Shayla snarled.  "Now I want to know who sent you.""I was sent by the Red Hand, same as you." The man replied, shrinking under Shayla's wrath."I know that," Shayla hissed, "but I want to know who.""I told you…" The man's eyes narrowed, "Listen, you've gotta get me loose.""Maybe.  I'm not so sure you'll be all that useful to me."  Shayla said."Look, just get me loose, I can hide out in the desert, meet up with you in Shalazar and we can plan this out.  I can help you.""I'll think about.  You may be more valuable to me dead than alive."  Shayla said as she gagged the assassin.  She stood up then, and moved back towards the fire.Nasim watched her approach with suspicion. "What were you doing over there with that prisoner?" he demanded.  His gaze then flickered over to Khalid, who came sauntering around the edge of the wagon trying to look as innocent as possible, a task made more difficult by the fact that he had just been seen skulking about in the darkness."I think we should talk to Arbaq," Shayla suggested."Yes. I think we'd better talk to Arbaq right now," Nasim agreed curtly as he moved to Arbaq's carriage.  After speaking briefly with him, Nasim waved the three forward."Nasim tells me that you have fought off two would be assassins."  Arbaq's voice, calm and unruffled issued from the carriage."Ya.  They killed three more of your guards, and stuck another one, but he'll probably live.  We killed one of the attackers.  Other one's tied up over there."  Gorak rumbled."Indeed.  I am once again indebted to you." Arbaq replied."I questioned him," Shayla chimed in.  "He said somebody called the Red Hand sent him.  I couldn't get anymore out of him.""I am quite surprised that you obtained that much from him.  You three are indeed remarkable.  I assure you that when we reach Shalazar you will be amply rewarded for your efforts.""So what's this Red Hand, and whadda they want from you," Gorak asked bluntly."Hired killers I would presume.  Probably expensive.  As to why they are after me, I don't really know.  I am a wealthy man and have on occasion made an enemy or two amassing my fortune.  It may be an old score or simply a rival opportunist."  Arbaq replied.  "Nasim, please deal with the would be assassin.  Now, if you will excuse me, I must rest."  With that, Nasim slid the panel shut and walked off into the darkness towards the prisoner.  Khalid winced at the muffled scream that indicated that the prisoner had been 'dealt' with.  As the three moved away from Arbaq's carriage, Khalid spoke."Ah, yes, what do you make of Arbaq now?""He don't rattle easy, that's for sure." Gorak grunted.    "My father used to deal with men like him."  Shayla said quietly.  "He's probably lying about not knowing the cause.  A man like that has his enemies on a short list that's probably going to get a name or two shorter when we get to Shalazar."  Then she smiled.  "Of course it does mean that he's richer and more powerful than I'd originally thought too."Khalid returned her smile with one of his own, "Yes, quite."* * * * * * * * * *The rest of the trip to Shalazar passed without incident.  As they neared the city, the surrounding desert began to give way to cultivated fields along the flood plains of the river.  Houses began to appear; crude mud huts at first near the edge of the desert, which gave way to more permanent dwellings closer to the fertile fields created by the river.  There were more people on the road now as well, peasants and farmers moving their goods to and from the city.  Then suddenly out of the shimmering desert heat, Khalid saw the graceful minarets and towers of the city itself.  Though not as large as Gem-Sharad, Shalazar boasted some of the wealthiest merchant princes in Al-Qarin.  But not all of Shalazar echoed with wealth and privilege.  Far from it.  Shalazar had been given another name by the citizens of the other city-states, for the city was known far and wide as a haven to those who pursued less savory and legitimate occupations.    There was no Sultan in Shalazar to maintain order, only the merchant princes whose hired thugs first loyalty lay to their masters' wares.  Over time, Shalazar had become home to the worst sort of criminals, those who could find refuge nowhere else.  As the caravan passed through the sprawling shantytown that surrounded the city proper, the sights and sounds of civilization once again assailed Khalid.  Khalid took a deep breath of air fetid with the smell of cramped humanity and smiled to himself.  Shalazar, home to thieves and murderers, thugs and brigands, and now home to one itinerant wizard.  Shalazar, the City of Sin.* * * * * * * * * *Notes & Comments:* Heh.  I think the only reason we waited for a bit was because Gorak (who posts as TaranTheWanderer in case you missed our little joke) and I had just finished playing evil characters in an awesome campaign run by Galeman (which ended when a player moved away) and we weren't certain yet how we wanted this campaign to go.  We were kind of leaning towards 'attack the winners' but it started looking like a rout.  Those goblins owned the caravan guards.  We were outnumbered to start I think, and in the first round 3 more guards went down.  Turned into a nice little fight though and we decided not to loot the caravan ourselves...I'm still not sure if that wouldn't have been a better idea <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> **  At this point, Shayla really started to get the hang of the game.  We decided that Gorak and I wouldn't help her out by suggesting tactics, not to be cruel but to encourage her to really get into the game.  She saved us with that obscuring mist (those assassins were much higher level than us) and her questioning of the prisoner, while not providing a ton of useful information was masterfully done and entertaining to watch.  She tipped her hand a little right at the end, and I think he got another save from her charm which is why he clammed up.  Gorak pointed out, after reading this post that his feeling was that Arbaq was not at all happy with us questioning the prisoner like that, which explains why he had him killed right after talking to us.</blockquote>

Verification