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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cyronax" data-source="post: 170637" data-attributes="member: 822">Session I (Part VII)September 18th, 407 MYThe  dwarf was up at the crack of dawn, and with all manner of foul oaths for who  he called “lazy perfumed and soft city-folk,” Kelec woke up Li Hai, Gareth, and Gorbag and was able to get them to assemble downstairs in the common room in less than fifteen minutes. Cutter was up nice and early, happily cooking breakfast for the four men. Over breakfast it was established that Kelec would guide the party to where his “friends” had told him the strange men were believed to dwell. Kelec continued to make no mention of Thornfur. They all were under the belief that the strange men were indeed a part of the missing caravan from the Clover Trading Company, and Gareth noted that everything, all of Cherry Knoll’s problems, were probably caused by whoever these men and their strange master were. Gareth made some mention about how they would divide any spoils they found, but was rebuffed by Kelec, who proclaimed that they could deal with that issue when it came up, and with that the four men went to attend to more preparations for their departure.Li Hai decided to return to the Abbey again and ask Rethra a few more questions.  It took him a good ten minutes before he could convince the soldiers to let him see the Abbot. The men were in bad shape even with the tambrosh coursing through their systems, and Micheal seemed about as “with it” as Gorbag did. Li Hai finally got down to Rethra’s basement chambers, and had to shake the old man awake. Li Hai was brief and to the point, and he was able to get a detailed of description of Chatrillion, something he and Gareth had forgotten to ask earlier, and a small sample of tambrosh. The Abbot described Chatrillion as a gruff man who has a sinister look in his eyes. A quality the Abbot wished he had picked up on sooner, he admitted. Li Hai just sneered, “Bah, just get on with it old man.”Rethra, a guilt-stricken look on his face, continued his description, “Fine, fine. Chatrillion, his surname is Unosh by the way, is a gaunt Mytherian man who probably is a fair swordsman, given the rich looking sabre he carried. He usually just wore studded leather armor, with an old, green cloak. He had shaggy black hair and a thick, drooping moustache. I wouldn’t say that he was very old, maybe in his late thirties. His face was leathery and lean, but not that notable I suppose. I doubt he was much of a lady’s man.”Li Hai just nodded, and asked, “Okay, what about any other aliases? Do you know if Chatrillion is actually his real name?”“No don’t know. As for aliases, I really wouldn’t know. I’m sorry Master Li Hai.”After a long moment of silence, the Halthyte seemed to have memorized the Abbot’s description of Unosh, and as he made ready to leave he leaned over the Abbot, who was still in his old lounge chair. With eyes narrowed and a cruel look in his eye, Li Hai said, “All that you have told me old man, had better be true,” and then grabbing the weak man’s shoulder and squeezing tightly, he continued in a bare whisper, “I will do worse than kill you if you’ve lied or if you betray me somehow. Tell no one of me, of Gareth, or our discussion.”With the pressure of Li Hai’s grasp hurting the old man, the mysterious Halthyte then added, “Don’t cross me. I am more powerful than you could ever imagine.” And with that, Li Hai let go of the old man and rose to his full height. Rethra was groaning from the shoulder, and nearly crying from the lingering pain, assured Li Hai, “I am nothing. I tell you my crimes not for myself, but for my men! For Cherry Knoll! My long silence was necessary. Once we were addicted to the plant I had to…… had to …….This is bigger than the tambrosh, bigger than a few bandits in the woods…..I know this, but I don’t know why! I can only ask for your help. My men are dying, they didn’t deserve this.”Li Hai, coldly replied, “I know. I said I’d help you, and if I can I will.”“Thank you Master Li Hai. I…I….thank you.”Li Hai turned and walked out of the room.---------------While he was gone, Gareth paid Cutter to take care of his horse while they were conducting their investigation. The noble took Gorbag to pick up the orc’s repaired chain shirt. The blacksmith had done a good job for the little time he’d been given, though the chain shirt had patches of mismatching scale and leather in places.Kelec, telling Cutter to “f**k off” when his bill was mentioned, went to the edge of the forest by the pond he swam in the day before, and meditated for a short time. When he was done the dwarf returned to Cutter’s just as Li Hai was coming down from the Abbey. As always, his wolf friend accompanied him wherever he went.The two men met Gareth and Gorbag in front of Cutter’s. Li Hai told the others what he’d talked to the Abbot about. He told them the description of Chatrillion, and then produced the tiny bit of tambrosh, and showed it to Kelec hoping that druid would recognize it. With a look of utter surprise on his face, Kelec looked at the plant for nearly two minutes and then exclaimed, “Blast it all to hell! I don’t know what this it!” And turning his dirty face to the sky, “This don’t make no sense! I’m trained to be able to IDENTIFY PLANTS WITH PERFECT ACCURACY!” (5)With an incredulous look on his face Gareth said, “Don’t get so worked up. Maybe it doesn’t grow around here. We don’t hold it against you.”Kelec just shot Gareth a dirty look and said, “You just don’t get it, you … you pampered fruit.” Li Hai’s face, betraying a hint of a smile, looked down at Kelec and soothed, “Don’t worry, maybe you’ll recognize it later. Sometimes these things take time.”Kelec just said, “This aien’t no normal plant.”Gareth, stung by the dwarf’s insolence, just blurted out, “Grr… whatever! Let’s just get going, its already getting late. Come on Gorbag.” “OK Gareth.”And with that Gareth and Gorbag began walking north, in the general direction Kelec had said he thought the strange men to be hiding. Li Hai just shrugged to Kelec, and then followed after the Mytherian noble.Kelec put the tambrosh into his belt pouch, cursed whatever meddling spirits were at fault for the plant’s existence, and then followed as well. ---------(5) - A bit of OoC moment on Kelec's part, but my campaign had its share of these little quips, especially since Sathorae, his player, probably thought my grasp of 3e rules was pretty tenuous at the time <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />. As you will see, however, *my* version of tambrosh is a bit different from its original source.</blockquote>

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