D&D 5E [D&D 5E] Tattered Memories: An Adventure in Tethyr (COMPLETE)

[Forged Fury]

The Coinmaster pursed his lips and nodded, "While the ways of the Crying God are quite distinct from those of Lady Waukeen, they certainly are respectable." Brue sensed the priest meant what he said. Based on her understanding of religion, she could see where Waukeen and Ilmater could potentially be in conflict as Ilmater's help was freely offered, whereas Waukeen's was not. At the same time, mass suffering generally had a negative impact on free trade.

For his part, Greycastle didn't seem to mind the Coinmaster's presence. "Troglodytes?" he asked with apprehension in his voice, "evil and smelly bastards, but none too bright. I can't imagine they cooked this scheme up on their own, but who directed them?"

With the rhetorical question out of the way, the paladin examined the hay. "Smells terrible, must be nasty. I guess Vials should take a look at this stuff." Holding out his hand, he said, "Sword?"

 

[CanadienneBacon]

[section] Brue handed the longsword back to Greycastle. Her eyes followed the sword as the Lawkeeper belted the sword in its sheath to his waist. She coughed once. "It served me well. My thanks. Perhaps I'll pay a visit to the armory later today." Brue ripped her eyes away from the longsword, and then remembered something. "Oh! There's this, as well." She dug out the scroll tube and the sapphires and showed them to Tolliver and Greycastle as the trio walked toward Vials'. "I don't know who they belong to, maybe someone in Mosstone? I found them in a concave depression of bones after I fought off the trogs. The scroll is interesting looking, though I can't make out the words." Brue's eyes flashed to Tolliver in mute appeal. Maybe the cleric could make out the scroll.[/section]

 

[Forged Fury]

Greycastle pulled up short, as Brue indicated the scroll. "Glad you remembered it, that could change things considerably." The paladin accepted the scroll, pulling it from the tube and unrolling it. Scowling, he said, "I can't read it either, probably in whatever blasted language troglodytes speak."

Coinmaster Cooper piped up, "As priests of commerce, we are often called on to help smooth the flow of transactions. That often involves acting as interpreters for trade meetings as well as translators to ensure the documents drafted state what was agreed to in whatever languages are involved. I'm always prepared for this eventuality, if you don't mind?"

Greycastle handed the scroll to the Coinmaster, who pulled out a pinch of something black and white and sprinkled it over the document. Tracing his finger across it, he read the document aloud.

My plans are in danger! There is a woman of elemental heritage who has been digging around about the plague. She has even asked me to inspect a pail of water for contamination. I'll keep her occupied as long as I can, but she may eventually find her way to the reservoir. If she isn't killed by the darkmantle or the merrow, kill her before she can return with the secret of the plague. I've paid you well for this, don't make me regret it!

"The letter is unsigned," the Coinmaster concluded.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

[section] Brue choked as Tolliver read the scroll. "It was Vials?" She gasped, mortified. "That poncy little prick wanted me to leave town to go find mushrooms! I went and begged his case before Captain Holt! Sir Greycastle, we need to go right now to find the little weasel. I'll need a blade, this truncheon won't do if we need to forcibly stop him from escaping town. Do you have a dagger on your person you could loan me?" Brue was angry, that was plain.[/section]

OOC: It's actually probably Tolliver. I'm sure he just made up that stuff about the gnome as he read the scroll, right? Right? For all we know, the scroll could say, "Fluffy pink bunnies and unicorns are my friends." ;0

 

[Forged Fury]

Greycastle looked visibly angry, probably with himself. The gnome had been operating right under his nose the whole time.

"Dagger? No, let's go see Dorin, you need proper kit. If Vials decided to flee after you visited him with the pail, he's already gone. If not, we should be able to catch him if we run." Turning to the priest, he unclasped his Lawkeeper badge and said, "Go to the south gate and show them my badge. Ask to speak to Holt and tell him what Brue found."

The group split, with the Coinmaster heading south and Greycastle and Brue heading west. A short jog later and the duo arrived at Dorin Fellhammer's smithy. Greycastle called out, "Dorin! I need an emergency provisioning!"

The dwarf, standing at his anvil, wiped his hands on a rag. "My inventory is yours ta' raid, Lawkeeper." Catching sight of Brue, he added, "After seeing ya try on different armors, I went ahead and made adjustments to the ring mail. I thought you might figure out it better suits yer fighting style."

GM: You can take any one melee weapon and a dagger. If you want, you can also opt for the heavier armor.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

[section] Brue trotted with Greycastle to Dorin's. "I was down the well immediately after taking Vials the bucket of water. How'd he get the message to the trogs so fast? He's got an escape route, Randal. Oh!" Brue nearly pulled up short as something dawned on her. "There was a heavy splash as I was leaving. That'll be him. He's got an escape route through the reservoir somewhere."

When the pair reached the armory, Brue wasted no time in yanking the chain shirt over her head and donning the ring mail. The steel rings, so finely interlocked, felt cool and heavy on her person. "It's a bit dinged up, sorry. I ran into some trouble down in the well." Brue set about fastening the ties on the ring mail, letting Dorin help her to speed up the process. She accepted a dagger, then picked out a warhammer. The heft of the hammer's head felt pleasing. The genasi turned to Greycastle. "He won't be at his hut any longer, but let's make haste. I feel the urge to bash some skulls."[/section]

OOC: I think Brue is at 4/37 hp. Since her last short rest, of her finite resources, she's used Second Wind. I need to heal her up a bit before she goes after Vials. Can she use her hit dice again for healing? If not, she'll resort to casting cure wounds. Time's tight here today. I'd like you roll for me, please.

 

[Forged Fury]

OOC: I think you missed the OOC comment at the bottom of Post #399. Cooper and Greycastle healed you up. You're good to go. The only resource you're missing is Second Wind.

Dorin clucked a few times at the state of the chainmail, but responded, "Yer still walkin' so no complaints from me. Gettin' beat up is its job." The dwarf skillfully adjusted the harnesses on the ring mail, seating it better on Brue's frame. Eyeing the warhammer, he said, "Not a bad choice, figured you'd go for somethin' bigger."

Greycastle frowned. "The druids did indicate there was a submerged waterway on the eastern wall of the reservoir that led underneath the Wealdath. But they also mentioned that a dangerous creature lived in it. If Vials does take that route, our job might already be done. Of course, the noise you heard could have been something else."

OOC: You're free to decide where to go. Back to the reservoir or to Vials' house, just let me know.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

"I want a greatsword, but until I can find my way to plate, leaving room for a shield seemed smart." Brue thanked Dorin. "Oh, there's a 'dangerous creature' down there along the eastern wall, alright. It damn near choked me to death. Tentacles, it has. And its body feel rubbery, like a sea creature. I wasn't ever able to see it properly--it crept along in some magical darkness, I think." Brue thought a moment. "I think Vials is probably gone, but it would be best to be thorough and start with his cottage. After that, if you're bent on chasing after him, we'll need to go down below."

OOC: Yeah, forgot about Tolliver and Greycastle healing Brue. Thanks.

 

[Forged Fury]

OOC: Oddly, he doesn't have a shield available, but he does have a greatsword. Your call. If you want to make the change, just note it in an OOC on your next post. FYI, the tentacle thing (darkmantle, which you're about to learn) attacked you to the west. You never checked east, although you thought that was the direction from which the loud splash came. No need to update the IC, Brue may just have been disoriented.

Upon hearing Brue's description of the horror that attacked her in the reservoir, Dorin offered, "Sounds like a darkmantle. Looks like a stone projection and sheds darkness like a torch sheds light. Wrap itself around your head quicker than you can breath and choke the life from you. Nasty things, thorns in the side of many a dwarven community."

Greycastle blanched a bit at the dwarf's description and adjusted his armor. "Right, well, let's go check the cottage first. Even if Vials isn't there, he may not have had the time to destroy whatever evidence might be there to explain this whole affair."

Brue and Greycastle jogged through the northwestern warren of huts and houses, eventually reaching the Trade Way just south of Vials' cottage. "You seem to be making the right decisions, today. What's our approach?" Greycastle asked.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Brue put down the warhammer. She'd been hoping for a shield but when it was clear none was forthcoming, she hoisted the greatsword from its place on the wall. Swinging the massive blade in an arc to her side and front, Brue couldn't help the grin that escaped. It felt good to hold steel.
The genasi contemplated Greycastle's words. "The two of us should be enough to handle the cottage, but let's come at it from opposite sides instead of both going to the front door and knocking. If he's still there, maybe we can catch him unawares."

She paused and looked in the direction of the well. "If it comes to sending lawkeepers down to the reservoir, though, I don't care to go down alone again. The darkmantle," she frowned at the unfamiliar word, "was a terror. Two of us at a minimum should go, three would be better. With a light source. And a blessing beforehand. I can pray for healing while we're down there, if need be. Is anyone in town good at tracking? It'll be hard with all the water, but it can't be water the whole way. Has to be a tunnel and dry land somewhere."