Vlad smirks at Burrow. "Still alive, are you? Then you're no better off than we are, at the least, and I've nothing to be jealous of. Seriously, it's good to see you again."
Hrothgeat, sharing some elemental heritage with the mephling, is far more excited to see him, saying in Terran, "Thank the gods you're here. He gets to be a downer sometimes. What's new?" The dwarf pretends not to hear his familiar.
Feeling sufficiently slobbered by the badger, Flaust wipes her face off on her sleeve, then dusts herself down. Nothing makes her happier than a badger-bath!
Seeing Blade move off onto their destination, Flaust runs off to travel a little ahead of the group so she could act as an advance scout of sorts, slyly (So as not to draw unwanted attention.) checking the contents of the pouches once belonging to the marks she bobbed in the Drow's establishment.
Donner grins at the mephling, "what kept ya?" He pats the mephling on the back with a resounding fump but before that goes any farther, the mephling is nearly toppled by Grizzle who greats the druid with a flurry of happy licks and nuzzles.
Burrow grins from ear to ear as he sees his halfling friend and he opens his mouth to reply just as Grizzle lets into him with a sloppy tongue to the mouth. Spittering, sputtering, and laughing, the melphling hugs the large hound and then reaches past the massive dog's neck to shake Donner's hand. "'Ad a spot o' trouble wit' a fiend outside th' gate...he tried to eat me." Burrow winks at his friends, "He found rhino a bit...hard ta chew..."
The melphling chuckles, scratching Grizzle behind the ear.
Vlad smirks at Burrow. "Still alive, are you? Then you're no better off than we are, at the least, and I've nothing to be jealous of. Seriously, it's good to see you again."
Hrothgeat, sharing some elemental heritage with the mephling, is far more excited to see him, saying in Terran, "Thank the gods you're here. He gets to be a downer sometimes. What's new?" The dwarf pretends not to hear his familiar.
Burrow smiles at the dwarf's compliment and retorts, "Ya can be jealous of a fiend outside th' gate, who is now a dab o' jelly, at least in this realm. I've little doubt th' poor soul is bein' punished severly now fer failin', but he should'a known ta pick 'is battles... And t'is good to see ya as well, Vlad."
The mephling then bows his head to the mephit, and replies in Terran, "Greetin's, son o' th' stones, t'is good indeed to see a cousin here so far from home. There's much to discuss, suren, but behind closed and warded doors is the place best fer th' doin'..."
Burrow then falls into step beside Donner, following Zoe, Blade and Flaust. As they walk, he glances back to see if the kobold is still tagging along.
You all head off towards Dohin, taking the massive suspension bridge spanning the two volcanic spires nearby. It is a truly cyclopean affair, measuring dozens of city blocks in length, and in looking over its edge, the people and buildings of lower Torch resemble little more than insects swarming across an anthill, so high up it is. In fact, lounging on the bridge and watching the poor sods below scrabbling to survive seems to be a popular pastime among the hoi poi.
Dohin lacks the bustle of Maygel but its peace is sullen, not placid, with violence just simmering beneath a thin veneer of cold indifference. Sometimes, this erupts into outright bloodshed, and more than once, your group has to detour around sudden vicious knife fights spilling into the streets. There seems to be no Watch or law of any kind; no one makes any attempt to curb the hostilities and bodies lie where they fall, unless their comrades are so kind as to loot them or (more rarely) drag them off.
In passing through another gate (also guarded) and descending down the side of the mount, you note the neighborhood is getting increasingly decrepit and neglected. Only the most wretched live here, eking out a barely sustainable existence among the filth and pestilence and odd killer frog. They view you with a simple-minded mixture of fear and covetness, hating you for your skin and faces unmarked by plague, bodies unwithered by starvation, and fine clothes to ward off the chilly wind.
Finally, you come across a nearly collapsed building that was once surrounded by a solid walled courtyard, though it looks like much of the stone have long since been carried off by scavengers looking for building material. It's approximately located where Badurth said Daubei's Obscure Woe would be. Razorvine and other creeping weeds spreads over much of the yard, covering the rubble from the ruined wall and a few small outbuildings and threatening to make footing arduous, if not downright painful. Fortunately, what remains of the entranceway seems a little clearer due to the presence of several sunken paving stones. Several not-so-small rodents scurry about the debris, retreating reluctantly into the thick weeds at your approach. On one side of the courtyard seems to be a small, forgotten graveyard, the headstones barely visible beneath the growth. In the center of the graveyard, a statue of a man leans heavily to one side, the stone wrapped with vines. Ahead of you, the ironbound door leading to the interior of the decaying mansion hangs slightly ajar, seeping dust and darkness and silence.
Burrow:
[Burrowed rolled Spot 7+10=17] You take an occasional casual glance around and catch a few flashes of a small horned shadow darting from building to building. It appears that the kobold is still following you cautiously, though he dropped further back with the addition of all the new people to your company. He creeps closer once the group heads into lower Dohin, his fear overcoming his uneasiness of your friends.
Flaust:
You check the pouches, finding a total of 23 gp, 12 sp, and 37 cp. You also find a rough stone with multicolor amber and brown bands running through it as well as a boiled egg of some indeterminate sort wrapped in a large leaf.
Kiaros:
[Kiaros rolled Spot 8+20=28] In the course of your stroll across town, you notice that the party seems to have picked up a few extra hangers-on. There's a lone kobold skulking along, mostly intent on Burrow, though he looks more nervous and fearful than threatening. More concerning is the group of tiefers spread in a loose v behind and to the sides, keeping pace with the group. If you wish to do something before the group gets to the estate, just let me know.
“What a pleasant place to be,” Zoe remarks with obvious cynism. “Let's scan this rubble before the poor sods around gather enough guts or exasperation to test their luck.”
With a quick motion of her left hand and accompanied by prayers and words of power, Zoe casts a series of spells, before taking a step through the inviting doorway and into the darkness of the mansion.
OOC: Casting Shield of Faith, Aid, Bull's Strength, Blindsight and Freedom of Movement.
Burrow looks over the bleak and wasted landscape, his eyes not missing those trapped to live within; tears form around the edges of his eyes, "By the whispering words of lore, these poor, poor souls, living in th' darkness spawned by ignorance and hatred, if only we could do something for 'em." He shakes his head, patting Claw's head slowly for comfort. The big badger rumbles a comforting growl, sensing his friend's discomfort.
As they enter into the courtyard, the mephling passes through the weeds and vines without care, somehow able to avoid their barbs and stickers, it seems as if the very plants themselves move before him and close behind him; like a wake around the hull of a ship. "So this be where we're stayin'?", he asks incrediously...
While waiting for a response, Burrow speaks softly to the group. "There be a kobold followin' me, but fear not, as I saved 'is skin at th' gate and I think the poor soul 'as takin' a likin' to me. Should anythin'....messy....break out, please try and not kill the poor horned lad, eh?" The mephling winks, and then adds, "No need to make a fuss at this point; I think it'll be best to let 'im come to us in 'is own due time."
*More than once Blade had to restrain herself, or be restrained by her friends, from intervening in fights, or moving to help the endless amount of the cold, hungry, and helpless. She is nearly shaking from combined anger, outrage, and sorrow by the time they reach Daubei's Obscure Woe.*
*She takes several deep breaths to calm herself, going over several prayers in her mind while Zoe casts her spells. By small kindnesses are wars won and hearts changed, but far more wars and hearts will be lost if we are not able to stop this sickness... Blade reminds herself, clenching her fist around her dire flail. When she speaks, her voice is tight and controlled.*
"Let us take a quick look about the grounds before entering the mansion. I do not wish to be attacked from behind for the lack of a bit of exploration."
"Just out of curiosity, why is it Daubei's Obscure Woe?" Vlad follows Zoë's example and casts a series of spells. No sense in making myself too inviting of a target.
OOC: Mage Armor (7 hours, +4 armor bonus to AC, AC 22), Protection from Arrows (7 hours, DR 10/magic against missiles, prevents 70 hp damage), Stoneskin (70 minutes, DR 10/adamantine, prevents 70 hp damage).
