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Message: <blockquote data-quote="peteyfrogboy" data-source="post: 1092895" data-attributes="member: 5677">Death In Freeport: Part 5The "meeting place" was a nondescript one story building in the slum known as Scurvytown. The windows were bricked up and it looked uninhabited, but appearances were often deceiving.Parika tried the door. "Locked. Open it up, Enzo."Enzo shook his head. "Oh, I don't have a key yet.""Well, knock and tell them to let us in or something.""Do I have to?" A glare was his only answer. He timidly approached the door and knocked on it. After a few minutes it was clear there would be no answer. Enzo turned and shrugged. "Can I go now?"Nevroth sighed. "Whatever. Go, get out of here." He didn't bother to watch as the scrawny man scampered away. "So how do we get through the door?""I can probably get it open," said Parika, "but first I'd like to take a look around, see if there's another way in.""Good idea. You and Rachel go take a look around. I'll stay here and keep watch on the door." Nevroth hooked his thumbs in his belt and waited. Whatever Parika was doing, it seemed to take a long time. After a few minutes, he saw someone approaching . His hand went to his sword, but soon he saw that it was only Brother Edwin."Thank the Lord I found you," said the priest. "I waited for your friend like you asked, but when he got back to the inn he was in no shape to help you. He was asleep before I left the inn." He handed over backpack. "I figured you might need my help. I also brought some healing elixirs. If Lucius is being held here, there may be some danger."Parika finally came back around the corner of the building, carefully checking every chink in the brickwork. "Doesn't look like there's any other way in," she announced. "I'll try the door." She kneeled in front of the door and began working at the lock.Nevroth muttered to Rachel, "She's very... thorough, isn't she?" Rachel only shrugged. It turned out that thoroughness wasn't enough, however, as the half-elf ended up calling the others over to break the door in.***"What a dump," opined Parika. The inside of the house was littered with debris and trash. There was nothing of interest there except a trap door in the floor at the back of the room. "Let's have a look at this..."Everyone else wandered around the room pretending to search through the junk on the floor. Eventually Parika declared the trap door safe and opened it. Stairs led down into a dark basement. Edwin said a brief prayer and his sunburst pendant began to glow with yellow light. The room below was cleaners, but almost as empty. Large casks were lined up along the walls. Some were empty, while others contained soured wine. Parika went around the room tapping the casks and examining their construction. "Either that idiot managed to fool us, or one of these is a -- aha!" She began examining one of the casks, muttering about hinges and catches.Edwin wrung his hands. "Um, I don't mean to be a bother, but time is of the essence. Lucius may be in danger. Also, this light isn't going to last all night long."Parika sighed and simply gave the suspect cask a quick inspection before swinging the front of it open. Beyond were a set of stairs leading into a dank stone passageway. "Now we're getting somewhere."Rachel took the lead at this point, cutlass drawn. The foursome stepped into the hall, which extended off to their right toward an intersection. She led the way slowly forward, watching the shadows for enemies. It wasn't the shadows that held the danger, however; Rachel yelped as the floor suddenly swung out from under her, dropping her into a pit.From the left-hand branch of the intersection came a bizarre hissing sound. A section of blank wall had slid aside, revealing a rough-hewn tunnel beyond. Through the door came five monstrous creatures resembling a cross between a man and a snake. They took up positions on the far side of the pit and launched javelins at the human intruders.The javelins were ineffective, and the serpent men found themselves hindered by the pit as much as their enemies were. Rachel climbed out to defend the narrow section of floor between the pit and the wall. Between Parika's arrows and Nevroth and Rachel's swords, the serpent men went down without inflicting much damage.With doors in front of them, doors to the right, and a mysterious tunnel to the left, the choice was simple. The narrow tunnel curved around, revealing no other dangers. Eventually, another door appeared on the right hand side of the tunnel. Parika opened the door, which revealed a room full of large chests. Even as her eyes brightened with greed, a horde of skeletons lifted themselves off the floor and started toward the door. Parika slammed the door shut again, but clawed fingers began to pry it open again. "Uh oh," she said.The battle at the doorway was cramped and confusing. Skeletons occasionally leaped through the doorway to wrestle with Rachel, who had taken the central position. Their fingers could find no purchase on her chain shirt, however, and the doorway foiled their attempts to rend Parika and Nevroth. The three of them systematically reduced the undead horrors to a pile of unmoving bones.A brief search of the chests revealed several sacks of coins, more than enough reward for their trials so far. They left the heavy coinage be, though, taking with them only a round metal shield bearing a strange symbol: eight arrows radiating from a central point. Edwin thought it might be a symbol of Chaos, but Rachel was simply glad for the added defense.The door opposite the tunnel led into another hallway. Parika scouted down the left hand side, returning to describe a large set of bronze double doors with a serpent design. "The temple, no doubt. I suggest we leave that for last."Rachel nodded. "I'm surprised no one has come out to get us yet."Parika checked the door across the hall from the treasure room. Satisfied that it was safe, she looked inside. "Books. Lots of books." The library was empty of people, so they proceeded to inspect its contents. Rachel and Edwin looked over the bookshelves. "I don't recognize any of these titles," said the priest, "but they sound dreadful. Cult of the Bloody Heart? Spawn of the Ages? Nothing I'd like to read. Nevroth and Parika checked out the large desk on the far side of the room. As Nevroth leafed through a pile of papers, Parika opened an ominous black tome entitled The Book Of the Unspeakable One.Nevroth muttered as he read a letter, "Arrive in Freeport on schedule... The Brotherhood... N'Tal? That's a funny name. Parika, what do you make of this? Parika?" He looked over at the half-elf to see her staggering back from the black book, bleeding from her eyes and making strange gurgling noises. He slammed the book shut.After a few minutes helping Parika gather what was left of her wits, the group decided to enter the temple before they ran across any other unexpected dangers. The others prepared for battle as Parika slowly pushed the door open.Bright light streamed out, nearly blinding the thief. A familiar voice echoed forth: "Finally you have arrived. Prepare to meet your doom, interlopers!"</blockquote>

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