The Acrimonious Adventurer Association

[Hairy Minotaur]

Casing the joint

"So let me understand this, you offered to steal a magic item from a sage or wizard's school for free?" Kessen pries

"Lord De' Lite believes in my ability, he told me he has no doubts I'll be able to get inside and get the gem, and it's not for free, he gave fifteen hundred gold to do it." Haimish answers

"I don't like this, it doesn't feel on the up and up if you know what I mean." Kessen answers

"Do you know anything about this school? Is it like a museum, can you just walk in and steal it?" Turgar inquires

"You would seem an odd choice to perform such a task, One would think that Menthos would be the one to play rogue." Xanthos wonders aloud

"Where is the teifling anyway, I want to tell him all about me new adventure." Haimish asks

"He's upstairs with one of the wenches getting personal attention." Kessen says disgustingly

"Well, Lord De' Lite did say I needed to plan and strategize. Maybe you guys could help me get the gem? He didn't say I could get help, that might help me better spend my money wisely." Haimish concludes

"How are you supposed to know which gem it is?" Kessen asks

"Lord De' Lite said I'd know it when I see it, it's purple and it is suspended in mid air in a room all by itself." Haimish replies

Menthos descends the stairs from the second floor and looks amazed that the group is still within the tavern.

"Don't you guys have better things to do?" Menthos exasperates

"Hey Menthos! Lord De' Lite said I could get him this Soul Gem from the School of Ancient Knowledge, he believed in my abilities so much that I'm going to do it!" Haimish excitedly blurts out

Menthos stands for a minute in awe of the sheer stupidity of Haimish before speaking, "I can't believe you weren't killed as a child."

"Do you want to help me get the gem?" Haimish almost begs as he asks

"What? I just got here (Highcastle) why would I want to be killed already. My name is Menthos Lyptus, not Mentally Unstable." Menthos shouts before shaking his head and heading for the exit of the tavern. He stops up short just before reaching the door however.

"Wait, if there's one magical item hanging around in there, there's bound to be more. Count me in." Menthos demands

"Count you in what? I've already pegged you a quack, what other subset of depravity do you wish to belong to as well?" Kessen remarks

"Stop labeling me with your hackneyed phrases, Ham-like is bad enough at it." Menthos answers

"I think what the highlander is saying, is that you can't be trusted." Turgar interjects

"That may be so, but I'm motivated now, and just ask the lady passed out upstairs what I'm capable of when motivated." Menthos replies

"That's not the kind of motivation that's going to get us inside the School." Kessen denounces

"It might, are there girls there? Who else among you has had training in the hiding and sneaky way of life? No one huh? Looks like you need me." Menthos observes

*sigh* "Looks like the demon speaks the truth, I certainly am not adept at moving inconspicuously through a crowd." Xanthos admits

The group eyes each other wearily, did they really just agree to do another job? Were they going to have to work together again?

"Doopa, give group hug." The ogre envelopes the rest of the group in his massive arms and squeezes the breath out of the humans.

The group divvies up scouting duties, Kessen goes to get general exterior layout of the school as well as number and type of guards. Xanthos goes off to practice shifting his shape to one than will blend in more with the populace of Highcastle. Turgar and Doopa are told to stay away so as not to draw suspicion from the school, while ogres are an uncommon sight in Highcastle, it is an unique day that one would go in or out of the School of Ancient Knowledge. Haimish goes shopping for info around the bars and taverns that surround the school, hoping to find someone with any knowledge of the place.

"What are you doing?" Kessen asks Menthos

"I've got to see somebody about a training opportunity." Menthos answers

"Training for what? You told us you were all about the sneaking and the silent treatment. What could you possibly need training for?" Kessen inquires

"Don't worry, go collect your info. I'll meet you back at the Horned Devil at the agreed to time." Menthos replies and leaves Kessen standing

Kessen gets directions to the school, and once arriving can't believe he bothered to ask for directions. The building takes up an entire city block. Two stories tall and all brick the structure looks more like a prison than a school. No windows are apparent on the building, if not for the explicit directions and the runes inset along the side, Kessen would've though this an enormous block of marble cast down from the heavens.

Kessen spots the small entryway, four steps lead up to a polished marble set of double doors. Flanking the doors are beautiful life-like statues of gargoyles. Kessen turns right and heads around the building counter-clockwise. In the middle of the north wall, Kessen finds a narrow alley that dead ends at what he suspects is the center of the structure. He spies two doors, both shut near the end of the alley.

Continuing his trek, Kessen rounds the corner to get a look at the western side. This side contains no features, save for the runes prevalent on all sides thus far, Kessen looks up and spots the row of gargoyle statues lining the roof of the building and wonders why anyone would waste their talents on sculptures for a building that's not meant to be gawked at.

Turning the corner once more, Kessen faces the southern side of the building. This side as an imposing structure set into the southern face of the building, The Temple of the Spider. Built using stone instead of marble, the temple looks as if the School of Ancient Knowledge is enveloping the building like a glacier around a mountain. The temple too has no exterior windows, however their are no gargoyles or any other facade enhancers around the temple.

Kessen decides to watch the temple entrance for a while to see if he can spot a priest or devout worshiper in order to question them about the school. Kessen waits for two hours with no sign of anyone coming or going. A little frustrated, Kessen walks up to the entrance of the temple to peer inside. The entrance is cloaked in cobwebs, some distance behind the cobwebs, Kessen can make out a small dim light illuminating the gigantic image of a spider body with the form of a female where the head of the spider should be. Similar to aranea that he had seen in the Plains of Cairns.

Unnerved, Kessen walks off without going inside. He wonders why such an eerie structure would be allowed to remain attached like a symbiote to the School of Ancient Knowledge.

Haimish finds a good sized bar just north of the school called "The Scholar's Inn" he takes up a seat at the bar and hopes that someone as interesting as Lord De' Lite would arrive to answer his many questions on the School of Ancient Knowledge. He lucks out and talks with a few people who have some information on the school.

Haimish learns that the school was founded to give those with the arcane touch a place to study and learn without fear of loosing a sleep spell on the general populace, over time however the school began to charge a tuition. Small at first the tuition grew as the years went on until finally only the elite and wealthy could afford to either pay the tuition or had a way to blackmail/bribe their children's way in. Now a days you had to be a senator's child or a merchant's child to even hope to gain admittance.

Haimish learns that only one teacher is allowed to leave the school grounds to retrieve supplies or buy provisions. He usually does so once every other month and did so about two weeks ago. Haimish was unable to obtain a name of this individual however.

Tired from a day that extended into the evening and was still extending through the following day, Haimish decided to head back to the "Horned Devil" to meet up with the rest of the group and go over notes, or find a room and sleep. He was unsure which would come first.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Something gross, this way comes

"Stupid Tehas, never gave good directions." Menthos muttered to himself. It took him nearly an hour to locate the particular antique and fetish shop he was looking for.

The building looked as if it had collapsed when Menthos walked past it the first five times, upon closer inspection the sixth time Menthos saw that the building appeared to be shoddily constructed and remembered that his brother had told him that the building looked like dung from the outside but got interesting once you got inside.

Menthos reached for the front door and discovered that it was only on one of it's hinges. The door swung awkwardly open and creaked like a tomb door as it finished it's swing. A heavy dose of incense doused Menthos, almost gagging him in the process. A small voice called from somewhere in the back of the store.

"Be right with you, feel free to look around though."

Menthos' eyes adjusted quickly to the low-light in the store and he made his way in. Shelves lined the walls to either side of the doorway, filled with organs and fetuses of creatures he'd never seen before. Moving further in, the teifling came upon displays of wickedly curved knives and daggers some appeared to be thousands of years old. Then came the hanging racks of dried pipeweed, bundled together in stalks of five plants per bundle. Some from places he'd never heard of, or couldn't pronounce. Looking back at the front of the store, Menthos was impressed to find that the rotten and broken down look on the outside appeared to be airtight and sealed from the inside.

Turning to his left, Menthos came to face an upright desiccated humanoid. Taken aback a bit, it wasn't until Menthos' eyes dragged down to the things arms and legs that he saw something which made him wish he hadn't turned around. It was missing all of it's fingers and toes, and parts of each foot and the left hand was gone as well. A sign was posted next to it's left hip.

"Mummy Pipeweed. 5,000gc/gram"

"Ah one of our most decadent items." The voice startled Menthos who instinctively reached for his weapon.

"Tsk, if you're going to be jumpy like that, you'd be better off if you left, it doesn't get any more sedated around the next corner."

Menthos turned to face the small figure, a gnome with black tattooed runes on it's bald head and a forked beard peered solemnly back up at Menthos, "I'd be less jumpy if you'd quick sneaking up on your customers."

"That's your perception, I tend to believe if you don't see me, then that's your problem." The gnome commented

"Do people smoke this?" Menthos asked pointing at the mummy

"I'm sure some have, others use it for more necromantic applications. Still I can't beat the markup on it, so it stays out here. Someday it'll go as an impulse buy to fancy wizard or some such." The gnome answered

"Really? Good luck with that." Menthos replied

"Yes, you however have the look of a man in search of something specific. Perhaps one of these Orichalan ritualistic vertebras removers?" The gnome held up a wicked looking levered spoon device that looked like something a demon would use to clip it's nails with.

"I'll pass on that today. I'm looking for some information, no that's not exactly it, I'm looking for a patron." Menthos answers

"Ah, a spellcaster you are. I have many fine homunculus creations I could sell you, or perhaps you were looking for something in the naughty tinker bell range?" The gnome suggests

"Hey, whatever you're into is okay with me, I'm not here to judge." Menthos replies

Menthos' remark brings a frown to the gnome's face, "Well, appears there is nothing I have that you want."

"Wrong, there is something you have that I need. I know you have it, I just wish we'd not have to do this dance around the subject before you get a clue and we move on to step two." Menthos answers

"Ah, you want the Duergar Ale Chute! I'll get it for you." The gnome states and vanishes before Menthos' eyes.

a few moments later, the gnome rematerializes next to Menthos holding funnel with a long ribbed worm-like thing attached to the drain point.

"What the hell is that?" Menthos asks

"This is what you need. A Duergar Ale Chute! I attached the mohrg's tongue myself. See the cartilage bypasses the gag reflex so that the ale can go straight from mug to stomach without one having to swallow. Plus it's a little permeable so that you can still taste the ale on the way down, but you won't have to waste all that time gulping. I will warn you though, quite a few people have drowned using this item. Although from what I'm told they died with a smile o their face in ale heaven." The gnome tells Menthos

"That's tempting, if it only came with a loaded hand crossbow so you could shoot yourself after sticking that in your mouth, I'd be sold on it." Menthos retorts, the gnome holds up a finger as if to say he'd be right back with the hand crossbow.

"Stop! I don't want any of these items!" Menthos shouts, "I need a patron, I want to become a warlock!"

"Sonny, your in the wrong town then. It's all about spells and books, and more spells here. I don't know what you expected to find in my antique store that would lead you to that path." The gnome answers

"Listen twerp." Menthos says grabbing the gnome by the collar of his shirt, "I know you do this, my brother visited you months ago and you set him up. I've got a job to do in the School of Ancient Knowledge, and I think it's in both our interests if we cut with the BS and get down to the you contacting another plane." Menthos demands

The gnome eyes Menthos for what seems to drag on for minutes, appearing to size up the mettle of man that Menthos is.

*sigh* "What patron do you wish me to call for you?" The gnomes acquiesces

"This one." Menthos replies, handing the gnome a slip of papyrus with one name on it.

"Pfftt, surely you jest? This is the weakest of all the patrons. Undoubtedly you meant someone more along the lines of Grazz't? Skarn barely registers as an entity and is so unreliable as to not warrant the effort." The gnome replies

"No thank you, I'd rather keep my own soul if you don't mind. I like having free will, it keeps me from wanting to come back here and burn this place to the ground." Menthos responds

"Well, I'm not doing this for free, so it looks like you're going to be purchasing a Duergar Ale Chute today." The gnome states and begins to light some red and black candles at the rear of the building.

"What? It was free earlier this year? And what am I going to do with that thing?" Menthos argues

"Times change, constables up their bribe prices, and the Temple of Tinel keeps wanting to take a look at my store." The gnome states

"Fine what's the cost and I'll just pay you that in gold and we'll call it a day, I don't want that thing!" Menthos pleads

"Oh but, I think you'll need to show you had a great shopping experience when you leave my store. After hours of shopping, do you think the Tinels watching outside will believe you browsed half the day away?" The gnome asks

"Fine, but can it be something else?" Menthos asked, understanding the gnome's meaning but not wanting to walk out with the chute.

"No, because it just so happens this item costs 171 gold crowns." The gnome replies

"So?" Menthos spoke before his brain caught up, Menthos then remember that was the exact contents within his money pouch, "That's a good trick you have there."

"No trick at all, merely business." The gnome answers and finishes lighting the candles.

Four hours later a weary Menthos exits the broken building carrying a Duergar Ale Chute and wielding an internal fire.

"Ew, gross. What in blazes is that disgusting thing?" Kessen inquires

"It's a motivation tool for horses. Helps with suppositories and stomach pumping. It's quite amazing actually." Menthos answers, Xanthos nearly leaps from the table.

"Calm down, I said horses, not half-asses." Menthos tells Xanthos

"Why on earth would you need such a thing to break into the School of Ancient Knowledge?" Haimish inquires

"I heard they were into some pretty freaky stuff." Menthos answers to a stunned crowd.

Kessen then tells the party about the back alley and the Temple of the Spider on the south side. Turgar and Doopa admit to sleeping for the past six hours, doing exactly what the party hoped they'd do. Xanthos then shifts into the form of a young human boy and sits back down at the table between Haimish and Kessen.

"Wow, I can't tell it's fake at all. Good job." Kessen praises

"I agree, looks more natural than a swan on Tuesday." Haimish agrees

"Centaur look puny now." Doopa argues

"Couldn't you have turned into a voluptuous woman instead?" Menthos comments

"I am a human male of twelve summers, I have been led to believe this is standard for your their species." Xanthos argues

"Yeah, but you look all ratty and dirty. I wouldn't let you in unless you were a hot woman, and that just makes you look plain." Menthos offers his opinion

"That is the point, I plan on appealing to their sense of mercy and goodwill. I will knock on the door and plead to gain work to clean some part of their building, once entry has been gained, I shall seek to mistakenly search the lower levels for this gem Haimish needs." Xanthos explains

"Well I'd think you'd get more work as a woman." Menthos disagrees

"There's something in there." Turgar, who had been staring at Menthos' odd contraption the whole time, states

Confused, Menthos peers inside the funnel and spies a golden ring suck near the top of the mohrg attachment. Reaching his hand in, Menthos plucks out the ring. Turning it over in his hand, he can feel the magic course through the small trinket.

"You probably just broke the thing." Kessen states

"We'll see." Menthos replies

"Well, what do we want to do the rest of today?" Turgar asks

"Get some sleep, is my vote." Haimish answers

"Sounds good." *whistle* Menthos waves over a serving wench, "bring up four pitchers of ale and two pitchers of mead to room number twelve, and tell your boss you'll likely be detained for a while." Menthos grabs the Duergar Ale Chute and heads to his room upstairs.

"I say we ditch him now." Turgar comments

"No, we need somebody to blame when this thing goes wrong." Kessen answers

"I don't think I can wait that long." Turgar replies

"Guys, let us focus on the task at hand, think of the references we'll get if we can appease a lord of De' Lite's stature? Menthos may be crass, but he's good with a flank and apparently the only one with thieving skills." Haimish counters, Kessen and Xanthos nod and they head up to their rooms, leaving Doopa and Turgar. Alone, in a bar, where they serve alcohol, and they already dislike each other....

 

[Bryon_Soulweaver]

Fighting ogres? Sounds interesting.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Shifty

Before retiring for the evening, Haimish pays for a message to be delivered to the Horned Devil asking that Lord De' Lite visit Haimish at the inn where he was staying. Haimish drifts off into a welcome dream of haggis and ale.

The dream goes dark however and then the scenery is ripped away to reveal a solitary Haimish alone at a table with a meal of maggots and blood. Reeling, Haimish shoves himself away from the table and spins to com face to face with lord De' Lite.

"Bad dream?" Lord De' Lite asks

"Would appear so, yeah." Haimish answers

"What is it that you needed to see me about?"

"Oh, I need some assistance on getting inside the School of Ancient Knowledge. What supplies should I get, what door should I use?" Haimish inquires

"A bribe tends to go a long ways, these days only senator's sons and merchant families gain access to the building."

"I will need to become one of those then. What about service entrances or sewer access?" Haimish asks

"I'm sure the School has prepared for such an eventuality, thievery is not a long lived occupation and stealing from those who can scry is asking for a short life span."

"Well, I think we're planning on going in real soon, I know this centaur guy who can shapeshift like a blanket in a rainstorm. He's going to try and get in to get a look around. I found some ogre muscle too." Haimish explains

"Well, I must be going. Parties to attend, people to see."

"What party is that?" Haimish asks

"Well, I just came from the Kador roast of Selonsia a Tinel priestess of minor import. That was quite the party, some good barbs thrown in there."

"What about these disappearances along Shady Street, do you know anything about those?" Haimish

"I don't believe this is twenty questions with Lord De' Lite time, perhaps you should focus more on getting the gem and less on talking to strangers."

"I was merely looking for a way to show the school that they can trust us, I figure solving those disappearances would lead to some fame that might lower the bribe cost to get into the school." Haimish replies

"Only if the cause is worthy of mage attention will it even register with them, since they never leave the structure."

"Oh, well it was worth a shot." Haimish states

"Yes, well don't call for me again, unless you have the gem. I need to plan for Lord Palmere's party in two weeks. I shall be constantly busy until then, hopefully it will not take you that long to retrieve the item for me."

With that Lord De' Lite disappears amidst a loud crash of furniture from below. Still groggy from a lack of sleep, Haimish stumbles out of bed and opens the door. Sounds of a melee ring out from below. Shaking the cobwebs, Haimish races back to retrieve his belongings and heads back down stairs, Kessen follows right behind him.

"Sounds like we're under attack." Kessen states

"Sounds like a treant giving birth with all the cracking wood." Haimish counters

They both reach the bottom of the stairs and take in a battered and broken bar area, a downed troll recuperates on the floor next to the bar, a throng of constables mill about the rest of the lower floor of the inn. Turgar and Doopa and both kneeling in front of four large ogres who have the duo grappled while a halfling works with a rope to secure Turgar and Doopa's hands behind their backs.

"Hey they're with those two, kick them out as well!" The barkeep shouts to the constables as Haimish and Kessen both realize the barkeep is referring to them, "Where's your drinking buddy, the reddish guy with horns on his head?"

Kessen points upstairs while Haimish just shrugs, "Come with us, we have a few questions." a constable commands while grasping Haimish's arm and leading him away from the stairs.

"How do you know the two ogres over there?" a guard presses Haimish

"Um, we were part of the same cleaning crew." Haimish responds

"And what were you doing while this was occurring?"

"While what was occurring, I was asleep upstairs? I heard a crash and came to investigate." Haimish replies

"How long have you known the suspects?" The guards asks pointing at Turgar and Doopa

"Couple days." Haimish answers

"Couple days? Awfully close for a couple of days, they're down here abusing customers while you're conveniently upstairs sleeping." The constable says accusingly

"I don't know anything else, I wish I was full of information for you, but you've completely covered the whole of my abandoned duck with these questions." Haimish replies\

"Hey!" The constable shouts while poking Haimish in the shoulder, "Don't get smart with me, you're already under suspicion of obstructing justice. You're borderline traitorous, don't go there with me."

"Shouldn't you go down and see what's going on at least?" The wench asks Menthos

"Why, it's quieted down now. I'm sssure everythingss under control." Menthos slurs

"I should probably go back to work now, Tirn is going to be mad enough as it is that I've been up here for two hours." The wench replies

"Well, I ain't helpinss you find yer clothess. Menthos gets out of bed and walks over to the wench's side of the bed, he grabs a filled water basin along the way.

"Okay, dunk my head in the water then slap me." Menthos commands

The wench at first was a little nervous but got into the swing of things quickly. After eight dunkings and ten slaps, Menthos waved her to stop.

"Alright, I'm sober enough. Hand me that chute thing behind the pillow. Menthos then gets dressed and heads towards the stairs. He gets to the top landing and hears the interrogation occurring downstairs and sees the prone troll by the bar, thinking it best not to go down there now, Menthos heads back into his room and opens the window to peer onto the street below. Seeing no one milling around within forty yards up and down the back alley. Menthos swing both legs over the ledge.

"Where are you going?" The wench asks

"I'm going to piss off authority." Menthos answers and leaps down the ten feet to the alley below.

"I'm working tomorrow night too!" The wench yells out after Menthos.

The tiefling was already in full sprint as he raced through the alley and then up Caravan street and over to the boarding stables.

*whistle* "Hey Xanadu, I need your help." Menthos whispers after the loud whistle

"Me name is Xanthos." The centaur reminds him

"Close enough, the group's in trouble back at the inn. I have a plan." Menthos states

"What has transpired?" Xanthos inquires as he gets up from his sleeping position.

"Don't know and don't care, I'll tell you my plan along the way." Menthos climbs on the back of Xanthos and the centaur spirits them away back to the inn.

"Officer, I believe this boy has information vital to your case!" Menthos shouts as he bull rushes his way past a few guards and into the inn.

"What? We have all the facts we need." A constable replies

"I think you need to hear this." Menthos states

"Well, out with it boy."

"Sir, I was walking past the inn when I heard the fighting. I cracked the door and saw that green monster there fighting with those two monsters over there." Xanthos relays, "then from out of the green monster's mouth a huge worm came out and the pink monsters there yelled Morg! and the other pink monster cut off out the worm and threw it outside. Then the two pink monsters beat up the green monster."

"That's quite the story lad, but I think it best you ran along home and let the adults handle it from here." The constable said, not believing the little boy after taking a statement from the barkeep and the troll.

"Well, okay but you take this I don't want it." Xanthos states and throws down the Duergar Ale Chute minus the funnel

A startled gasp goes up from the assembled constables, the lead investigator eyes the tongue wearily then looks back at the troll.

"That not Murk's" The troll claims

The constable looks back at the young boy shivering with fear, then back at the troll, then over to Turgar and Doopa.

"Boy lie! Murk kill you!" The troll lunges only to be de-armed by the blade of the constable. The rest of the constables join in the beat down and soon the troll will be recovering for weeks.

The constables drag out the unconscious troll and release Turgar and Doopa with a "Thank you citizen". The lead investigator hands Xanthos a gold crown and rubs his head, "good work lad, we got the bad guy." and leaves.

Turgar and Doopa take a moment to think about restarting the fight that got the troll knocked unconscious to begin with, but decide better of it and just thank Menthos and Xanthos.

Haimish and Kessen realize it was now going to be much harder to get rid of Menthos now, as the tiefling suffering from an extreme hangover, plops down in a still intact chair by the door, and orders a pitcher of water.

 

[Jon Potter]

"Well, okay but you take this I don't want it." Xanthos states and throws down the Duergar Ale Chute minus the funnel

That's just beautiful! What a great use for such an oddball item.

I won't ask where you came up with the idea for that one, HM.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

I won't ask where you came up with the idea for that one, HM.

That's the same thing the player said.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

With this plot seed, I set my mind in motion.

The group packs up and heads to the next open inn, not caring what it was called or how bad it smelled in there. Xanthos heads back to the stables and the rest of the party splits two rooms with the ogres separated.

Morning comes, followed by breakfast, soon lunchtime approaches and finally the group awakes to begin their day. They head into the common room and order the roasted duck and tubers meal. Haimish excitedly tells of his meeting with Lord De' Lite last night.

Menthos pays for a current newspaper and again the lead story is another disappearance on Shady street. Menthos hands over the paper to Haimish once he's through.

"You know I thought that if we could impress the School of Ancient Knowledge of our abilities then maybe we or I could gain an audience with one of the teachers. I was thinking of finding out about these disappearances along Shady Street." Haimish relates

"I thought Lord De' Lite told you unless is magical in nature, then they wouldn't care?" Kessen asks

"Yes, yes he did. However I figure with a great liar and schemer like Menthos here. Even if the disappearances are nothing more than drunks who fall through an open sewer grate, the great Menthos could tell the constables that there was a dimensional vortex of magic that sucked them through. Surely that'll get their interest?" Haimish explains.

"I do not know about this lying business to the city watch. One too many times and you will surely get burned." Xanthos comments

"Maybe, but if he can take a ginormous tape worm and make the watch think it's some kind of body part removed by a mutated troll, then he could get away with telling the watch about imaginary vortexes of vacuum magic." Haimish explains

"That plan sucks." Menthos adds, "Or does it blow? I never get a vacuum right. Why not go to the watch now and tell this tale?"

"Because we need to end it, otherwise it keeps happening and then someone else solves it and it turns out to be drunken beggars falling through open sewer grates." Kessen replies

"Doopa not care, as long as Doopa hit something. Doopa is in." The ogre states

"I think we should scope out the street, look for obvious places where things might happen." Kessen offers

"Won't that be hard with all the Shade? I mean you're only a human and clearly not equipped to spot things in dimly lit places." Menthos inquires

"Keep it up jack-ass and I'll riddle your back with shaft protrusions." Kessen replies

"I don't do riddles or enigmas, which explains why I'm not married. But did it ever occur to you that they named it Shady Street for a reason?" Menthos asks

"Maybe it's a reverse nickname? You how they call orcs pretty or teiflings committed." Haimish interjects

"Or bards talented." Menthos finishes

"Suuuure, I've not heard of that one though." Haimish replies

"Well, I'm going to go scout the street." Kessen states and collects his belongings and heads for the door.

Doopa, Haimish and Xanthos follow the highlander out the door, leaving Turgar and Menthos at the table. Turgar stares a hole through Menthos' chest.

"What? I'm not a troll. You're not going to fight me now are you? And here I though you were the smart one." Menthos says, Turgar states a few seconds longer and then gets up to follow the rest of the group out the door.

Kessen and Co. arrive at Shady Street, immediately they see the immenseness of their task, the street is full of private residences and abandoned houses. Only one structure is out of place on the street, the Temple of Shalimyr. It's coral built facade stands out amidst the broken and run down nature of the street.

"Seems odd they would put a temple hundreds of feet from any measurable source of water." Kessen observes

"Maybe the point is that you can be knee deep in a river, yet still be dying of thirst?" Menthos answers, having followed soon after Turgar left.

The group turns to face the tiefling, mostly with confused looks upon their faces, save for Haimish, "Yeah, I get what you're saying. They chose this spot to be close to the effervescent well of hope that springs eternal."

Kessen turns to Haimish, "Oh no, it's contagious."

"I wonder why, if their is a sanctuary visibly present on this street, would so many people go missing? I would tend to think they would reach the Temple at some point." Xanthos postulates

"Unless the temple is the one doing the kidnapping." Turgar replies

"But that's so obvious as to make no sense. Why do that if you're going to be the first and most prominent suspect?" Haimish answers

With no clear solution to that question the groups splits up, Xanthos transforms into a house cat and goes searching for a good place to hide that gives full view of the temple's entrance. Kessen walked the street mentally marking which houses were abandoned and of those which seemed structurally unsound. Turgar and Doopa were told to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious that seemed to be taking too much interest in what the rest of the party was doing. However both ogres were more interested in glaring at each other than watching anyone else. Menthos was told to stay out of the way, so the tiefling walked to the south end of the street and around the corner to the East, disappearing for hours.

When the sun had sunk low enough that the shadows from the buildings on the West side of the street completely shrouded the street, the party called off the scouting and met up for dinner to discus strategic options for the evening.

"I think I'll gain access to the roof of the abandoned build right across the street from the temple and wait there." Kessen said

"Doopa, Turgar, and I are going to parade up and down the street individually in hopes they try and grab one of us." Haimish relates

"I will be concealed in a small niche I found across from the temple on the side street the runs by the front of it." Xanthos stated

"What time we doing this?" Menthos asked

"Midnight." Kessen answered

"Nah, not good for me, I got a date with the tavern wench at the Horned Devil, can we make it for two in the morning?" Menthos asks

"No, all the disappearances happen shortly after midnight, according to the paper." Kessen relates, "I say go do want you want, then you won't be able to screw it up for the rest of us."

"I just might do that, thanks for giving me a clear conscience on this, I was worried you guys would die without me there, but it looks like the boy scout has given me the night off." Menthos states with smiles.

"On second thought, you're coming. I don't want you lose in the city without supervision." Kessen replies

"Super" Menthos sarcastically says under his breath

The party finishes dinner and plans to meet at Shady Street by eleven that evening.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

God of watery eyes?

The rest of the day flies by with each person doing a little sightseeing and supply shopping. Kessen spends most of his time on the north side of the city and locates a bard's college that he makes a mental note to tell Haimish about.

The eleventh hour soon arrives and the party, minus Menthos, arrive just outside the Horned Devil.

"Looks like they did a blue herring of a clean-up job." Haimish notes

The others agree and note that other than the color of the new stain on the bar, you really couldn't tell it wasn't there yesterday.

"Appears Menthos heeded your suggestion." Xanthos comments

"Yeah, well he'd only slow us down or spend the whole night making sarcastic wise-cracks while the rest of us did all the work." Kessen answers

The group walks away to the east, towards Shady Street. Under a watchful eye, two stories above them.

"Come back to bed, I have to start my shift in an hour." a sleepy female voice calls out

Menthos looks up at the moon and then back down at the party as they reach the intersection with Shady Street a mere forty feet east of the Horned Devil, "Yeah, I got time."

Kessen goes over the positions of the players in their scripted parts for the evening. Doopa and Haimish will walk up and down the street together while Turgar walks alone in the opposite direction, so that the three man will cross paths just south of the Temple of Shalimyr. Xanthos shifts into the form of a tabby and runs off to the hiding spot he found earlier, across the street from the temple. Kessen finds the abandoned house he'd marked earlier with a few leaves positioned to point at the house.

As midnight approaches, Doopa begins to walk to the south from the north end of the street, while Turgar and Haimish walk from the south end and go north. The whole of the street is two-hundred and forty feet long. Kessen reaches the top of the abandoned building and crouches below the roof's edge trying to stay in the most shadow while still being able to view the front of the temple.

As midnight arrives, four robed and armed priests exit the temple of Shalimyr and appear to loiter on the front steps of the temple. Doopa and Haimish slow down as they see the acolytes exit and move their cloaks away from their weapons for easy access. Turgar's view is blocked by the temple itself and so not seeing the acolytes, he maintains his pace.

Kessen draws his bow out quietly and creeps along the front of the building, his shoulder brushes against a brick and the sound of stone moving against stone, brings the highlander to a halt. Feeling with his hands in the dark Kessen finds the loose brick along with a small handle with which to pull it out of the wall. Kessen removes the brick and three others around it all with this handle. Peering out of the newly created opening, Kessen can clearly see the whole of the temple along with the guards. He lays nearly prone, raising his body just enough to get the arrowhead centered on a guard, and he waits for their move.

Turgar passes the temple and movement catches his eye as he is startled to see the four priests milling about in front of the temple. Turgar keeps his pace though as his body goes on high alert, waiting for the attack from behind as he passes the temple. The attack never comes, and Turgar moves along and passes Doopa and Haimish further south than Kessen wanted. The three men pass in complete darkness forty feet south of the temple. Kessen cursed his luck wondering why Haimish and Doopa had slowed, but being human all he could see clearly was near the temple and the light that it's burning candles gave off. He could see all four priests, but no one else until they pass in front of the temple. Only the sound of footsteps gave him the comfort of knowing the trio still walked the street.

Xanthos too braced himself to charge when he saw Turgar pass the temple, the delay in the attack was curious to the centaur. Turgar appeared to not care about the priests and yet they did not attack him. Xanthos wished for a better view of the area and made a mental note to study an owl before next sunset. An animal such as that would be a great benefit at night.

The sound of grunting and someone climbing up the back wall of the building alerted Kessen to the approach of someone else. Thinking it to be Menthos and wanting to teach him a lesson, Kessen backs away from the murder hole and crouches in the far corner of the front of the building. He takes aim at the slowly rising figure, a smile crosses his lips as he imagines Menthos' reaction to the warning shot. The face of the intruder appears in the moonlight and Kessen hesitates as it is not Menthos. Soon a holy symbols emerges as well, and Kessen realizes it's a priest of Shalimyr that has joined him.

The priest pushes his way to the roof and quickly advances to the murder hole. The priest appears confused with why the murder hole is uncovered, but shrugs his shoulders and sits down to look out over the same area Kessen was watching. The situation had not gotten dire for Kessen, with no way to quietly tell the others about what was going on, and no way to see what was transpiring down below.

Doopa and Haimish reached the temple and one of the priests calls out to them.

"Ho there! Tis good to see travelers in pairs, this area be quite dangerous after the moon rises."

Haimish runs though responses in his head and throws out the only one that he practiced regularly, "Shary, me an me buddee are go'in hoom. Tanks doe."

Doopa stops and looks around, disturbed by Haimish's response, he grabs his weapon ready to strike down the caster that turned Haimish into a drunk, because Doopa had not seen the human drink all night.

"Whoa there fella. You best be putting that away. I wouldn't want you to not make it home."

"Human not know where Doopa live, Doopa can go home whenever Doopa wants." Doopa argues

"Well, your actions speak as a man who wants to fight, and we're normally a peace sailing people, but we're more than capable of defending our sacred ground."

"Nah, he's juss jumpee. We donna mean no harm. Weel be on our way." Haimish says trying to calm Doopa down

"Why human talk funny? Where wizard that did this at? Doopa will smash!" Doopa shouts as he crashes his massive club on the sidewalk next to the temple.

Both Kessen and Turgar heard Doopa's shouting. Turgar turned back and began to run towards the temple. Kessen waited and decided to see what the priest with him was going to do.

"Your friend there is drunk, there is no sorcery afoot. Perhaps you'd like to sleep it off inside the temple? It would be much safer than trying to get home. You're in no condition to defend yourself meaning your ogre pal would be solo trying to fight off any attackers."

Haimish thought it over and wondered what the rest of the party was doing. Concerned that once he gets inside he'd be bum rushed, yet they really had no proof as of yet. Besides Turgar and Kessen were still watching for trouble. Haimish relented and allowed the priests to take him inside the temple followed by an ever vigil Doopa who smashed a candle after backing into it and it burned his back.

Turgar raced back to the temple to find Doopa and Haimish gone and only two priests outside the temple.

"Looking for someone ogre?"

"Um, no. Just getting in some exercise." Turgar replied

"Really? 'Cause it looked to me like you were chasing down a mark. Thought you could get an easy score with a drunk human and his concerned friend." a cat's meow echoed over the street as a tabby came out from under a porch while the priest spoke

"No, I was merely walking." Turgar answered

"I don't think so pal, you walked by here earlier, then after the drunk guy and his buddy pass, you come running back. You look guilty in my eyes, perhaps there is something you wish to confess?" The priest accuses and whistles, bringing six other priests out from the temple. The slowly advancing cat quickly turns and runs back to it's hiding spot

"I think I'll be on my way thank you." Turgar responds and quickly heads north

"Yeah, you do that, and I don't want to see you around this street again ogre!" The priest yells

Xanthos breathes a sigh of relief as Turgar escapes, he considers shifting back to his true form but decides on trying to get a better view of inside the temple and what if anything was going on with Haimish. Xanthos creeps up to the temple steps and peers inside to see Haimish lying down on a cot with Doopa standing over him. Footsteps coming up behind him however, causes Xanthos to skitter away back underneath the porch again.

Kessen watches as the priest in front of him shifts and raises his hands as if to cast a spell. Unsure of what was transpiring down below, Kessen decides to act now and rushes the priest. The startled man loses his spell as Kessen grabs his feet and lifts him over the edge of the roof. The priest falls twenty feet to the ground below, and staggers to his feet. He limps across the street as two of the acolytes laugh at the fallen man's apparent lack of coordination.

Two constables smirk as well as they pass by the temple, as they watch the injured priest be carried into the temple. The constables and remaining priests eye each other suspiciously until the constables move out of sight.

Down the street cloaked in shadow Menthos too is intrigued by the events, he quietly approaches the temple and quickly gets the full attention of the four priests standing there.

"Hail stranger, what brings you out on this fine evening?"

"I was making sure my friend made it home, he was really drunk and left while I was paying the tab." Menthos replies

"Describe this friend of yours."

Menthos gives an exact description of Haimish to the priest.

"Yes, we met such an individual. He is sleeping off his inebriation, would you like to take him home, he arrived with an ogre friend."

"He's sleeping? Well, then I'll let him rest. Keep an eye on that ogre though, he's had trouble with kleptomania before." Menthos replies and heads off to the north.

Doopa suddenly becomes aware of a few more eyes staring at him, "Doopa not like this place." He whispers to Haimish

"Good, then you'll keep a good eye about you while I inflate the dream cloud." Haimish answers and drifts off to sleep.

Menthos wastes no time however in heading off to the Temple of Kador the god of fire, he figures if the temple of the water god is up to something, maybe the temple of the fire god would want to know about it. Even though he had no proof of anything, a little chaos never hurt anyone.

 

[Jon Potter]

Even though he had no proof of anything, a little chaos never hurt anyone.

Ahh... the PC motto for many a game.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

I got a bad desire

Menthos arrives at the Temple of Kador just after two in the morning. Their symbol of a great burning tree illuminates the entire street approaching the temple in a fiery glow of red and orange, no doubt annoying their sleeping neighbors.

Menthos walks in and is met by a red robed priest.

"Hello traveler, come to pray for the cleansing fire of Kador to wash over you?"

"No thanks, I just had a good tongue lashing. I'm wondering about this temple's relationship with the water people, the Shalimyrs." Menthos asks

"We have no direct dealings with that faith, there tends to be quite a bit of steam let off when you mix us with them."

"Ha, ha, ha. Human humor is excruciatingly grating, please don't quit your day job." Menthos responds

"Yes, well you are the one seeking assistance, it was merely an attempt at an ice-breaker."

"What is that more fire humor? Look, I think the Shalimyrians are kidnapping people along Shady Street. Have you heard about the disappearances?" Menthos inquires

"Only what I've read, their temple lies far to the south near the sewer drainage pipes. Perhaps the disappearances were merely initiations into their public works programs?"

"This facade of mockingness is annoying me to no end. Do you want my information or not." Menthos demands

"Your information is most welcome, please continue. My name is Helle and I am a Pyromancer of the First Order, welcome to the Temple of Kador." Helle extends his hand to Menthos

Menthos considers the offer for a moment then shakes the priest's hand, "Are all you guys this egotistical?"

"Ego has nothing to do with it, when you know you worship the greatest power, all other faiths are mere sacrifices waiting to happen." Helle replies

"Yeah, I head about your little party the other night. What kind of gate did you take in?" Menthos asks

"Our roasts are filled with much rejoicing and cooked foods. I assure you any monetary gain was completely charitable." Helle replies

Menthos' eyes take in the altar area beyond the chapel, built like a huge pyre, the stone has a blackened and burnt look and even a faint scent of spent coals is picked up by Menthos' nose. Just below the candles along the chapel wall figures move back and forth. The light making it hard for Menthos to pick out any features, too bright for darkvision due to the proximity of the candlelight, yet too dark beyond the candles for normal vision. Menthos thought he could see teifling features on some of the figures, or at least small horns atop their heads.

"Busy place." Menthos states

"Yes, fire is in constant motion. To cease it's move is to become like the cold ice of the Shalimyrs, or to wink out of existence from the breath of Urian. Our initiates learn to appreciate fire for more than warmth and light, bathing in fire is the finest example of freeing your soul." Helle relates

Menthos watched as the red marbleling of the ceiling appeared to dance and move to the flickering of candle light from below.

"Kador smiles on your visit, I believe your coming here will prove to be fortuitous for both of us." Helle states as he too looks up at the ceiling.

"That's a nifty optical illusion you've got there, what kind of stone is that?" Menthos inquires

"It is called Fyroche, it is solid fire from the home of Kador. Blessed to this temple by the cleanser himself." Helle answers

"Shouldn't it be unbearably hot in here then?" Menthos questions

"One of his many miracles." Helle explains

"Yes, I'm sure it is. Hey I've got this burning sensation, maybe you could take a look at that, or give me some cleanser to wash the affected area?" Menthos asks

"Step up to the pyre and ask Kador for guidance." Helle instructs

"Guidance to what? I found your dayglow temple, it's not like it's hard to spot the light." Menthos replies incredulously

Helle just smiles back, unnerving the teifling and causing Menthos to back away from him, "Look, I don't care if you do anything about the kidnappings or not. I've got a couple of people I knew inside their temple right now getting you more info."

"What is it you want?" Helle asks

"I want the kidnappings to stop, I want a hot little teifling wench, and I want lots of gold. What can you do for me?" Menthos responds

"I sense an odd fire within you, you recently entered into a bargain which grants you limitless power. I'm afraid all I could offer you is a chance to hone that into something that would grant you the things you seek. Kador's light can shine though even the most desolate shadows and his heat can be felt through the most passionate of touches." Helle answers

"What was that last part again? I don't need to be tied down with tithes and showing up to weenie roasts with my marshmallows and chocolate. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up about the water people." Menthos answers and begins to walk out.

"Thank you for visiting today, I'm sure our paths shall burn again soon." Helle answers

Menthos hadn't noticed the feeling of weighed down with an oppressive sensation until he was outside of the temple. Shaking off the feeling, we returned to Shady Street to collect Haimish and Doopa.

Along the way he thought over the conversation he just had, that was certainly an unlikable guy. I don't think he answered any of my questions.

The more Menthos thought about the conversation though, the more his skin became flushed and he head felt fevered. He felt as though he had swallowed a torch and it's fire was licking the insides of his ribcage. Menthos turned his thoughts to the Temple of Shalimyr and the sensations ceased. Intrigued, Menthos wondered what exactly had been going on inside the Temple of Kador.

Menthos arrives at the Temple of Shalimyr and proceeds up the few steps to the outside landing, he passes two acolytes as he makes his way up the steps. The acolytes each sniff the air as Menthos passes and draw their maces.

"Halt! You shall go no further Kador deceiver. Return to your own temple!" The acolytes shout, the yell alerts two other acolytes on the opposite side of the landing, as well as a handful of priests inside the temple as well.

Menthos comes to a stop and is immediately cut-off by a dozen priests who bar his entry to the temple, "Whoa guys, I just gave down the street. I'm only here to collect my friends and begone."

"I assure you, no friends of yours reside within these walls, go back to your debased cult and fry your tongue there." comes the reply

Confused, but no match for over a dozen armed priests, Menthos retreats back down the steps and crosses the street. He looks back at the temple and watches as none of the acolytes have turned their eyes from him.

"Ack! what did you step in?" Kessen gags out as he nudges Menthos' shoulder

"What are you talking about?" Menthos asks

"You smell like super cinnamon, it burns my nose and lungs just standing near you and what took you so long to get here anyway?" Kessen asks backing away form Menthos

Realizing that the Shalimyr guards must have smelled what Kessen smells, but not Menthos was unable to detect anything with his own nose, intrigued him even more about his visit to the Kador temple.

"I don't know what it was, I can't smell it. Apparently it annoys the Shalimyr priests to no end. You'll have to go inside and get Haimish and Doopa." Menthos answers

"Alright, but what if there's a fight? Where are you going to be, and where's Turgar?" Kessen asks

"Oh, I think there will be a fight, I just hope we're not here when it happens." Menthos replies.

Kessen curses the teifling and shakes his head as he crosses the street towards the Temple of Shalimyr.