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Message: <blockquote data-quote="peteyfrogboy" data-source="post: 1144698" data-attributes="member: 5677">Terror In Freeport: Part 1WARNING: This section contains spoilers for the Green Ronin module Terror in Freeport. Read at your own risk.Brother Edwin walked into the inn, passing Moira as she left. He waved to the three companions. "Oh, I'm glad you're here. I think I might need your help again." He went on to explain that he had been feeling uneasy lately, as if people were watching him. He also had a suspicion that the cult temple they had found was not being cleaned out like the authorities claimed it was. To top it off, he had taken Lucius home after the librarian had had a fainting spell at the temple, and as he put him to bed he saw a strange figure come into the room and steal one of Lucius's scrolls. he had been too afraid to confront the mysterious thief, but he felt sure that it was no mere burglar. Rachel and Parika agreed to help, not only because the priest was offering them a reward but also as a distraction for Nevroth. ***"This is the place, eh?" asked Rachel dubiously.Parika scrutinized the run-down inn. It was crammed in between two shops in the shadow of the Old City's high wall. "Edwin said that Milos was using the alias 'Devlin', and my sources tell me that someone named Devlin was staying here at the Marquis Moon."Nevroth was in no mood for discussion, and he went in the door. Aside from a couple of early bird drunkards nodding off in a corner, the only person in the common room was a gangly youth behind the desk cleaning his fingernails with a knife. "I'm looking for a friend of mine named Devlin. He said he was staying here. Where can I find him?" asked Nevroth."Don't know, don't care," said the young man, not looking up from his grooming.The manhunter reached out and grabbed the front of the boy's shirt, pulling him halfway across the desk. The knife went clattering to the floor. "You'd better start caring. Devlin. Which room?""Se-second floor. Third door on the right."***Parika pushed the door open. "Hardly a challenge," she said as she put away her lockpicks. The room beyond was packed full of books and other curiosities, with shelves lining every wall. It was clearly more than a bolt hole for the false priest. The three of them fanned out, searching through the room."No bed," noted Rachel as she poked through a pile of pillows on the floor. A few reptilian scales fell out from between them. "Just this little snake nest. Nothing here, though."Nevroth examined a collection of snake-headed but otherwise unremarkable staves. He also opened the small stove, finding nothing but greasy ashes smelling vaguely of incense. "Nor here"Parika went over the shelves with the practices eye of a burglar. She found a lead idol that was the mirror of the one in the hidden temple. She also noticed that some of the books seemed to have been removed, replaced with common volumes of fiction. Most of the others dealt with masonry, architecture, and other construction-related subjects. Peering behind one of the bookcases, she saw that one book had fallen down and gotten wedged against the wall. She worked it free and examined it. An Account of Mettalls Base and Pure -- it didn't sound like the sort of book that would make her eyes bleed. She flipped through it, finding little but dry metallurgical information. At the back of it, however, she found a strange drawing. "I think I may have found something.""What is it?" asked Rachel as she abandoned her fruitless search."I'm not sure," said the thief. "It looks like a drawing of a building. There are some strange markings with arrows pointing at parts of it, and this symbol appears al lot." She pointed at a glyph shaped like the letter "V" inscribed in a circle. She close the book and slipped it in her pack. "Maybe Edwin can make something of it."Nevroth was looking at some other items on the shelves, including a collection of what looked like albino rats in a black syrupy substance. He tapped on one of the jars and the rat inside came to life, scrabbling at the glass. The two women looked at the creature with disgust, but Nevroth took the jar down of the shelf. "Interesting," he said. "Who knows when this might come in handy."***The sun was high overhead by the time they left the Marquis Moon. Their discussions of lunch plans were cut short as they saw the scene out in the street. Three burly orcs were menacing a young man carrying a messenger's satchel. "Help!" he cried. The orcs looked up at the newcomers and growled at them. They broke off from their victim and charged Nevroth, who happened to be the first one out the door.Parika and Rachel dove to the sides as the orcs surrounded Nevroth. The half-elf reached for her bow and backed away, not relishing the thought of close contact with the snarling orcs. Rachel drew her cutlass and slashed at one of them, jumping back before the orc could swing his axe in return. Meanwhile, Nevroth tried desperately to hold his ground against the three attackers. The messenger ran to hide behind Rachel.Nevroth managed to slice one of the orcs, but he took more punishment than he gave. Parika tried to land an arrow in one of the orcs but couldn't get a clean shot with Nevroth in the middle of them. Rachel continued to jump in and out of the melee, cutting one of the orcs each time. As she backed out, however, she felt a searing pain in her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the messenger grinning and holding a bloody dagger. He scrambled away from her, taking refuge behind one of the orcs. Rachel cursed, but went in to slash one of the orcs again, finally sending it to the ground. Unfortunately, the other two kept hacking at the bloody manhunter, taking him out of the fight as well.Parika stepped back and fired again, but she was still close enough for one of the orcs to rush her, delivering a powerful blow to her chest. She withdrew from the fight, diving into a nearby alley. Rachel stood her ground now, trading blows with the other orc. She got in around his guard and slashed him across the throat. The messenger knew which way the wind was blowing by this point, and ran off down the street.Restored by one of Edwin's healing elixirs, Parika emerged and feathered the remaining orc again. Between her and Rachel, it was soon lying next to its comrades. The women found Nevroth to still be alive, if only barely. They picked him up and rushed toward the temple of St. Fargoth.DM Notes:* I should have scaled back the fight with the orcs, since the party was short handed and low level. Nevroth really should have been dead, but with a couple points of DM fiat healing he was actually able to stabilize on his own. I can forgive myself a little fudge since I forgot to adjust the diffiuclty properly.* I was just reading through the back half of the module and I realized that I inadvertently moved the bricked up building to Scurvytown. I did it from the very beginning, so at least I've been consistent. On my map it's in the Eastern District where it's supposed to be, though. Oh well, nobody's perfect.</blockquote>

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